Reply to BBC News Vietnamese Assoc. Professor PhD. Vu Minh Khuong, from the National University of Singapore (NUS) said that the four highest positions of Vietnamese politics (the new four pillars) are likely to stand side by side.
According to Mr. Khuong, a lecturer at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy under the NUS, and that it was the advantage of new Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
“State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue already have experience in government. They understand very well the problems that need to be solved. General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has great power and ability to provide comprehensive assistance. And I think PM Pham Minh Chinh is lucky.
In my opinion, PM Chinh has the ability to produce excellent results in the so-called favorable period for him. When he has the right proposals, I believe the current four pillars will immediately support.”
Khuong, who has management experience in Vietnam, also commented on the question of the correlation between the Politburo’s decisions and the prime minister’s personal decisions in economic governance.
“The proponent and defender of the thesis of a certain project has a great influence, so we have to be sure and then have a consensus. In other words, if the Politburo or the Central Party approves or issues a resolution, it must also have the soul of the individual responsible for proposing.”
Vietnam in the next five years, according to Khuong, is a very important time to lay the foundation for a modern country.
“This period determines whether Vietnam can take off or not, and in the next 5 years, Vietnam needs to make great progress. In my opinion who is very lucky to participate in this stage. That is to continue integrating with the world, embracing the 4.0 revolution or promoting the private economy.”
Khuong said that the new government must face challenges from its big neighbor China.
“The beauty of Vietnam is that we are right next to China. But China is advancing very quickly and is also a dominant force in economics, science and technology, the market, and Vietnam has to deal with those factors.
So Vietnam cannot have any choice but to rise up to survive. Like if China is as strong as the US and Vietnam is like Mexico very miserable. So Vietnam must try to be like Canada next to the US.
That is, they are right next to us, but they can do but we cannot do, the legitimacy of the Party is reduced. So the Party itself must reform to be equal in some measure. The captain on a large seagoing vessel with great waves must steadily steer the ship up and I believe the party can be done.”
Vietnam’s economy, according to Dr. Khuong, is a “platform” economy like Singapore.
“That is, this is where multinational corporations come in, interaction resonates there and that’s the fastest way to go up. And that is also the best way for Vietnam to protect national security because this is where multinational companies from around the world come in and work here for a long time.
So I think Vietnam’s defense philosophy in the coming time will be the same and let Vietnam be an open economy.”
Khuong describes the confident attitude of people or officials in Vietnam when he comes into contact.
“In the past, when they looked abroad, they found everything far away, wondering how to do it, the paranoid… but now we see we can do it. The problem is how to do it.
Vinamilk can be taken as an example. From a good business but now one of the leading in the world in terms of quality of operation and technology, organization and management. That is, the ability of Vietnamese people to be able to do impressive things in the world is not impossible. Vinamilk’s incorporation of 4.0 technology into its operations is also highly appreciated by world experts.”
Dr. Khuong said that PM Phuc’s government left what he called precious “legacies” to the government for the new term.
“In my opinion, Mr. Chinh can turn into a new turning point, which is going into reform, which is also the strength of Mr. Chinh. That means going deep into the organization and building an elite public administration apparatus. There must be an institutional breakthrough, for example how to make a government official work wholeheartedly.
The state-owned enterprise issue is also a problem. I talk to state-owned enterprises’ representatives, it must be said that there are many enthusiastic and good people, but the binding mechanism and they are afraid to do it only with expert support, not just the target of how many enterprises must be equitized.
As for fighting corruption, Vietnam must do better. It is just so that they do not dare to become corrupt for fear of punishment. But we must move forward in order not to become corrupt,” said Khuong.
Thoibao.de (Translated)