How do you evaluate the role of enterprises and entrepreneurs in the cause of national construction and development after nearly 40 years of renovation (1986-2024)?

The practice of renovation over the past nearly 40 years has helped our country achieve many important achievements in socio-economic development. Vietnam has economic, trade and business cooperation relations with more than 200 countries and territories in the world. Vietnam has risen to be in the Top 40 leading economies, with a trade scale in the Top 20 countries in the world, and is an important link in 16 free trade agreements connecting with 60 key economies in the region and globally.

The size of Vietnam's economy has increased from 26.3 billion USD in the early years of renovation to more than 430 billion USD in 2023, import-export turnover in the first 8 months of 2024 reached approximately 577 billion USD, an increase of 16.2% over the same period last year, with a trade surplus of 21.5 billion USD. Vietnam is considered by the United Nations and international friends as a bright spot in hunger eradication and poverty reduction, constantly improving the material and spiritual life of the people. Former General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong once said: "Our country has never had such a foundation, potential, position, and international prestige as it does today".

This achievement is thanks to the efforts of the entire Party, the entire people, the entire army, and the entire political system, including the important role of the business community and entrepreneurs. We are pleased to witness that after nearly 40 years of Renovation, the team of entrepreneurs and enterprises has grown remarkably with nearly 1 million enterprises of all economic sectors, along with over 5 million individual business households and nearly 30 thousand cooperatives. The growth and joint efforts of the business community and the team of entrepreneurs over the past time have contributed to creating the highest economic growth in the world and for many consecutive years in Vietnam. The business sector has contributed about 60% of GDP, creating about 30% of jobs for society.

Resolution No. 41-NQ/TW of the Politburo demonstrates the attention of the Party and State leaders to the work of building and promoting the role of Vietnamese entrepreneurs in the new era. Could you share about the implementation and achievements in implementing this Resolution in the past time?

Resolution No. 41-NQ/TW was issued by the Politburo on October 10, 2023, replacing Resolution No. 09-NQ/TW. With many new points, Resolution No. 41-NQ/TW was welcomed by the business community and entrepreneurs as a special gift on the occasion of Vietnamese Entrepreneurs Day (October 13).

Resolution 41-NQ/TW emphasized the view that the business community has an important position and role, and is one of the core forces contributing to promoting the cause of industrialization, modernization of the country and international integration, so it is necessary to create a favorable, safe and equal investment and business environment for business people to develop and contribute; supplement appropriate economic sanctions to handle violations, not criminalize economic relations....

To implement Resolution 41, VCCI coordinated with the Central Propaganda Department and the Central Economic Committee to organize a national conference to disseminate and deploy Resolution 41/NQ-TW directly at the Central Propaganda Department and online to more than 4,000 points nationwide with the participation of nearly 207,000 delegates.

VCCI also coordinated with the Party Executive Committee, Party Delegation, Provincial Party Committees and City Party Committees to organize the implementation of the Resolution according to assigned functions and tasks. Currently, most Party delegations, Party Executive Committees, and Provincial/Municipal Party Committees across the country have developed programs and plans to implement the Resolution. The Government has issued Resolution No. 66/NQ-CP, dated May 9, 2023, on promulgating the Government's action program to implement Resolution No. 41-NQ/TW. According to preliminary statistics from VCCI, to date, 55/63 provincial/municipal Party committees, 22 central ministries, branches, and socio-political organizations have issued action programs and plans to implement Resolution No. 41. VCCI has also issued Program No. 08-Ctr/DD to implement the Resolution. We hope that the programs and plans will be implemented synchronously and practically, creating favorable conditions for businesses and employees, thereby building harmonious labor relations and synchronous cooperation...

Playing an important role in promoting the economy, connecting businesses, the government and the community, in the coming time, what plans does VCCI have to contribute to the effective implementation of Resolution 41-NQ/TW, promoting the role of businesses and entrepreneurs?

Over the past 60 years of establishment and development, VCCI has always affirmed its role as a national organization, representing the business community, entrepreneurs and employers in Vietnam. As mentioned above, to effectively implement Resolution 41-NQ/TW, VCCI has issued Program No. 08 to deploy the action program to implement the resolution.

The program has groups of tasks and solutions to implement Resolution No. 41, including: Raising awareness of the position and role of the business community in realizing the country's development goals: Continuing to organize activities to honor and commend exemplary business people and enterprises in production and business activities and business ethics...

Proactively and actively participate in building and perfecting legal policies and creating a favorable, safe and equal investment and business environment for business people and enterprises to develop and contribute.

Developing a strong business community that is equal to the goals and tasks of national development in the new period, such as proactively building and implementing VCCI's high-level training program in conjunction with international partners to train senior leaders of enterprises, especially large enterprises; Supporting enterprises to exploit opportunities from free trade agreements; support businesses in digital transformation, sustainable development...

Building ethics, business culture, promoting national spirit, arousing the aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country: Researching and building a system of Vietnamese business cultural values; Building and promoting the implementation of common conventions and standards on business ethics, business culture, and enterprises; Coordinating with press agencies to promote propaganda of typical businessmen and enterprises in implementing ethical standards, business culture, social responsibility...

Strengthening solidarity, cooperation, and association between businessmen and workers, farmers, and intellectuals under the leadership of the Party. Proactively and actively participating in the implementation process and monitoring and urging the implementation of Resolution 41-NQ/TW of Party executive committees, Party delegations, provincial and municipal Party committees; promptly proposing solutions to remove difficulties, obstacles, and resolve new issues arising in the implementation of the Resolution.

Coordinate with the Central Economic Committee and relevant agencies to regularly monitor, urge, supervise, inspect, periodically summarize, and report to the Politburo and the Secretariat on the implementation results of the Resolution.

Despite the growth, what policies do you think Vietnam needs to have so that businesses and entrepreneurs can continue to develop, create value, and create growth? 

To support businesses to overcome difficulties, recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions... many appropriate mechanisms and policies to support businesses have been issued promptly such as: Corporate income tax incentives, interest rate support from the state budget, legal support for small and medium enterprises, corporate governance, credit information service provision activities...

In particular, to support businesses affected by storm No. 3 (storm Yagi occurred in September 2024), on September 17, the Prime Minister issued Resolution No. 143/NQ-CP on key tasks and solutions to urgently overcome the consequences of storm No. 3, quickly stabilize the people's situation, promote production and business recovery, actively promote economic growth, control inflation...

However, in the context of the world economy continuing to face many challenges such as escalating geopolitical tensions, prolonged high inflation, Tight monetary policy, many risk factors, uncertainties... have caused negative impacts on psychology, business activities and consumption, increased risk concerns, affected demand and indirectly hindered global economic growth.

Domestically, VCCI's nationwide business survey as of September 2024 showed that only 32% of businesses said they would expand production and business in the next 2 years. This figure is slightly higher than the 27% in 2023, but is still the second lowest level in 18 years that VCCI surveyed businesses. VCCI's survey also showed some positive signs, that is, a significant proportion of medium and large enterprises still said they would expand production and business; many businesses in some important sectors of the economy such as manufacturing industry, agriculture, forestry and fisheries... continue to have plans to expand operations.

Accordingly, in order to facilitate the business community's operations, the Government needs to continue to promote economic institutional reforms to create a more favorable business environment, in accordance with market standards and rules, and limit State intervention in production and business activities, thereby creating a more open space for businesses and people in this field. Ministries and sectors need to have mechanisms and policies to promote new growth drivers such as: digital economy, circular economy, knowledge economy, sharing economy, etc.

Thank you!

Mr. Hoang Quang Phong, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI)

"The scale of Vietnam's economy has increased from 26.3 billion USD in the early years of renovation to more than 430 billion USD in 2023, import-export turnover in the first 8 months of 2024 reached approximately 577 billion USD, up 16.2% over the same period last year, with a trade surplus of 21.5 billion USD. Vietnam is considered by the United Nations and international friends as a bright spot in poverty reduction, constantly improving the material and spiritual life of the people. To achieve that result, the team of entrepreneurs and enterprises plays an extremely important role".