(VOVWORLD) - Hundreds of delegates, mostly young startup leaders and students, joined an open forum in Hanoi on Tuesday on how start-ups can drive new opportunities in the 4th industrial revolution.
 Vietnamese Minister of Science and Technology Chu Ngoc Anh calls for efforts to make ASEAN an innovation hub. (Photo: VNA) |
The “ASEAN 4.0 for All” forum, the first event of the World Economic Forum on ASEAN 2018, gave students, entrepreneurs, young professionals and the public an opportunity to discuss what their future might look like as technological disruption shapes the ASEAN region.
Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the WEF underscored changes the 4th industrial revolution brings in various aspects, from economies and society, to new technologies such as artificial intelligence, internet of things, and thrones.
Vietnamese Minister of Science and Technology Chu Ngoc Anh suggested ASEAN nations, including Vietnam, develop visions and strategies in the context of the 4th industrial revolution to make ASEAN an innovation hub. He said it is the fastest and most effective way to identify opportunities and challenges, helping young ASEAN people to turn challenges into opportunities, ideas into products and gain more successes in startup and innovation.
“The Government of Vietnam considers enterprises and startups the central force of the national economy, and science and technology the driving force of a sustainable development economy. Vietnam has developed a national innovative startup ecosystem, attracting domestic and foreign resources,” Minister Anh said.
He added that Vietnam is willing to cooperate with WEF and ASEAN nations, local and international resources for science-technology and innovation. The forum touched upon issues such as employment, education, e-commerce and e-marketing, among others.
Addressing an earlier forum on Asian growth, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung said that public private partnership is an important tool to attract investment. This model, together with science and technology, are the key to sustainable agriculture and rural development in Vietnam, he said.
The WEF on ASEAN 2018, which is taking place in Hanoi until Thursday, draws more than 1,000 delegates, including six presidents or prime ministers. It provides the platform for government and business leaders to discuss and share policy ideas and initiatives for the region’s key issues, especially in the face of the 4th industrial revolution.