PM Pham Minh Chinh (right) speaks at the event. (Photo: VGP)

The Davos event, organised by HCM City and Sovico Group, saw the attendance of Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen; ministers and officials of various ministries, agencies, and localities; along with executives from leading Vietnamese enterprises such as Viettel, VNPT, Vietnam Electricity (EVN), Vietnam Railways Corporation, FPT Corporation, and Sovico Group.

Notably, it featured the participation of leaders from more than 40 organisations and top global enterprises in technology, energy, and finance, including Automatic, Ava Labs, Bangkok Bank, Brosnan, C4IR, Grab, GS Engineering & Construction Corp, Heineken, HSBC, Intel, JIBC, Manulife Financial, Mastercard, Mountain Partners AG, Swiss FinTech Association, The Perot Group, and VISA; and representatives from the WEF.

Speaking at the roundtable, PM Chinh emphasised that both topics of the discussion are closely connected to the WEF.

Thanks to joint efforts by all parties, the C4IR has been inaugurated in HCM City, and the construction of the International Financial Centre in the city is also underway, he shared, affirming that the establishment of the C4IR has played a significant role in promoting science and technology, innovation, and digital transformation.

To ensure the effective operation of the two centres, Vietnam will continue to perfect its institutional framework toward greater openness and streamlined procedures, and to maximise resources for development. Efforts will also focus on accelerating the construction and modernisation of infrastructure, and promoting human resources training, he stated.

The Vietnamese Government leader called on domestic and international businesses, as well as leaders of ministries, sectors, and HCM City, to share experiences and discuss issues of interest, particularly obstacles, and to provide recommendations for accelerating and driving the breakthrough development of the two centres.

He emphasised the importance of creating iconic projects and products in the city to celebrate the nation’s major anniversaries, foster confidence and mettle, and contribute to the country's entry into a new era – that of strong development, prosperity, and happiness for the Vietnamese people.

At the event, participants discussed the role of the C4IR and its potential to become a technology hub in the ASEAN region and the world. They shared experiences in developing financial centres and highlighted opportunities for development cooperation with the international financial centre in Ho Chi Minh City, particularly recommendations for Vietnam and investment plans in the country.

They focused on strategies to attract capital and international partners, aiming to turn HCM City into a leading financial centre in the region and the world. They also emphasised the role of this centre as an important bridge linking international businesses and the Vietnamese market.

Pledging to support Vietnam in developing the C4IR and the HCM City international financial centre, they proposed that Vietnam should continue to perfect its institutional framework as well as hard and soft infrastructure such as transport, energy, logistics, and digital infrastructure; implement incentive policies; promote the market; and build an ecosystem for the development of science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, and finance.

Nguyen Thanh Hung, Founder and Chairman of Sovico Group, said that important achievements of Sovico in areas such as aviation, finance, and real estate serve as a foundation for it to continue investing in new strategic fields such as technology, digital infrastructure, and renewable energy.

Sovico is committed to accompanying the Government in national initiatives on artificial intelligence and semiconductor, helping to build high-tech capabilities and develop a modern and intelligent Vietnam with fast and sustainable development in the new era. He said he believes that the country will become a new high-tech hub in the region in the future.

At the event, Secretary of the HCM City Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen and Vietnamese ministers clarified queries of foreign investors and businesses.

The city’s representative thanked participants for their heartfelt and valuable comments, saying that the city will study and incorporate these into its development strategy.

HCM City also expressed a desire to continue receiving support and advice from international friends on institutional improvement, human resources training, management experience, and modern infrastructure development, and calling on international financial organisations to come to operate at its international financial centre.