The special dialogue session, “60 Minutes with the Prime Minister of Vietnam,” painted a comprehensive picture of Vietnam’s past, present, and future.
The special dialogue session “60 Minutes with the Prime Minister of Vietnam” on the afternoon of November 26, 2025.
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Opening the conversation, Mr. Stephan Mergenthaler raised the question about Vietnam’s long-term vision toward becoming a high-income country by 2045. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh began with a philosophy of not relying on the past but not forgetting history.
Reflecting on the 80-year journey to independence, with 40 years spent in brutal wars and 30 years under embargoes, the Prime Minister emphasized that these challenges cannot be compared to any current conflicts. However, Vietnam chose to set aside the past, respect differences, and leverage commonalities to move toward the future, turning former enemies into comprehensive strategic partners. Regarding the economic roadmap, the Prime Minister outlined three pivotal development stages: From agricultural development to ensure food security, to industrialization for achieving upper-middle-income status, and finally, the key to the future lies in science, technology, and innovation to reach developed country status by 2045. Every action is guided by a forward-thinking spirit, aiming for the people’s happiness.
Continuing the discussion on national resilience, Mr. Stephan Mergenthaler expressed admiration for Vietnam’s enduring strength amidst global volatility, particularly after observing the G20 Summit in South Africa. Addressing this, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh noted that the world faces paradoxes of political polarization, economic fragmentation, and developmental disparities, alongside non-traditional security challenges like natural disasters and the dual impact of artificial intelligence. Nonetheless, he remains optimistic about the prevailing trend of peace, cooperation, and development. For Vietnam to achieve countercyclical growth in this context, the Prime Minister identified five core strengths: The consistent leadership of the Party with a focus on national independence and the people; the power of national unity, which grows stronger in adversity; the role of the people and businesses; the combination of national strength with the power of the times; and the persistence in an independent, self-reliant economic path integrated deeply with the international community.
 Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in dialogue on the afternoon of November 26.
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Discussing the dual transformation strategy, the Prime Minister affirmed that green and digital transformation are objective requirements and top strategic priorities for rapid and sustainable development. These processes are closely intertwined and mutually reinforcing. To succeed, Vietnam focuses on raising awareness, improving institutions to remove bottlenecks, developing synchronized infrastructure from digitalization to energy, and considering human resource training as central and smart governance as the operational method. Addressing resource challenges, the Prime Minister emphasized that public investment leads private investment, using state resources as seed capital to mobilize social resources through public-private partnerships. For external resources like FDI and ODA, Vietnam seeks not only capital but also advanced technology transfer and workforce training, committing to harmonizing institutions to attract these investments.
Delving into the economic structure, the role of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the startup wave were highlighted. The Prime Minister noted that with a share of 95-97%, SMEs are pillars in job creation and social welfare. Resolution 68 has been issued to focus on SME development. The government pledges to support their growth through streamlined institutions and seamless infrastructure. Particularly, for the vibrant startup movement among the youth, the Prime Minister stressed the philosophy of patriotism as the foundation to ignite the desire to contribute. The state will create spaces, provide legal and financial support, especially in emerging fields like semiconductors and AI, aiming to train 100,000 engineers, while encouraging a spirit of risk-taking and viewing failure as a necessary lesson for growth.
Concluding the dialogue, when asked about preparing future generations for the technological explosion, the Prime Minister reaffirmed that people are at the center of all strategies. For the youth, the government focuses on five key areas: Raising awareness, creating institutional opportunities, providing solid knowledge, offering financial resources, and fostering connections with global intelligence.
– 20:39 26/11/2025
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