Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Professor Klaus Schwab on October 7 had an exchange with nearly 500 students from universities in Hanoi, according to a report from the Vietnam News Agency.

Prof. Schwab was quoted by the State-run news agency as emphasizing Vietnam’s advanced position and role in the evolving world, reminding that young people are the country’s future.

Apart from technology, the true opportunity lies in human factors, he said, urging Vietnamese students and youth to equip themselves with knowledge, skills, and professional competencies.

PM Chinh, for his part, said Vietnam has put people at the centre, and taken them as the subject, resources, and momentum during its development, stressing that the country will not pursue economic growth at the expense of social progress and equality, and environment.

It is a must to promote multilateralism and international solidarity to ensure that all citizens benefit from the advancements brought about by science, technology, innovation, and the smart era, the Government leader noted.

He also pointed out major challenges to Vietnam and other developing countries, including technology gap, infrastructure deficit, limited economic scale and resources, and climate change and natural disasters that are threatening food, water, and energy security.

There are also opportunities they should leverage, such as technology inheritance, abundance resources, with students and young people playing a key role, and international cooperation and multilateralism being irreversible trends, the PM said.

Vietnam is making concerted efforts to perfect institutions, train a high-quality workforce, develop modern and harmonious infrastructure, mobilize all available resources for development, and promote the transfer of technology and management science, he remarked.

The leader expressed his hope for Vietnamese students and youth to play the pioneering role in innovation, renewing traditional growth engines and optimizing new boosters, and harnessing both national strengths and contemporary opportunities.

Vietnam will continue its efforts in implementing three strategic breakthroughs in institution, human resources, and infrastructure, he said, stressing opinions from the WEF, the business community, youngsters and students, as well as experts and scientists regarding the Fourth Industrial Revolution and innovation, will help the country firmly step into the smart era.

The PM also thanked Prof. Schwab and the WEF for their support to Vietnam, and suggested them raise more initiatives to enable students and young people in developing countries like Vietnam to access and master cutting-edge technologies through WEF programs and projects.

Prof. Schwab held that in the present global context, Vietnam should maintain a neutral stance, positioning itself as a bridge for global efforts to address common challenges.

It is projected that in the next 40 years, Vietnam’s GDP could increase 16-fold, elevating the country to a higher status. To achieve this, the younger generation must actively participate in the development and application of technology, he said.

The PM and the WEF Executive Chairman also cleared up many questions raised by Vietnamese lecturers and students.