Autumn Economic Forum 2026 highlightes cooperation in a new era

The Autumn Economic Forum (AEF) runs from October 26 to 29, hosted by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee and organised by the Ho Chi Minh City Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Ho Chi Minh City C4IR) in collaboration with the World Economic Forum. Attendees include senior leaders, academics, and 500 leading business executives.

Photo: Le Toan

The forum's first side event took place on October 26 – the International Conference and 18^th Asia-Pacific Roundtable for Sustainable Consumption and Production (APRSCP) Annual Roundtable – and focused on bringing science and industry together to advance circular, digital, and green transformation for a decarbonised economy.

The conference was organised by Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee and contributes to the implementation of the National Action Programme on Sustainable Production and Consumption for 2021-2030, led by the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

The Institute for Circular Economy Development at Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City, served as the lead Vietnamese institution, working with the APRSCP, the Ho Chi Minh City C4IR, the Vietnam Packaging Recycling Alliance and other domestic and international partners. The event provided a platform for dialogue among government agencies, research institutes, universities, businesses, financial institutions and development partners.

The conference focused on a key question: how can sustainable production and consumption goals be translated into business models, technology projects and cooperation mechanisms that can be implemented, measured and scaled up?

Discussions emphasised that digital transformation should be aligned with specific green transition objectives, including improving resource efficiency, reducing emissions, curbing pollution and enhancing transparency across value chains. The circular economy was addressed not merely in terms of waste treatment, but also through product design, material selection, production processes, consumption, resource recovery and reuse.

Alongside technological innovation, the conference highlighted the conditions needed to put solutions into practice, including appropriate policies, viable markets for end products, business capacity, reliable data and access to finance.

On the same day, the Ho Chi Minh City Investment and Trade Promotion Centre opened the fourth Ho Chi Minh City Green Growth Exhibition on Nguyen Hue Street in Saigon Ward.

Other highlights on the opening day of the Forum includes the CEO 500 programme and thematic sessions on AI, the circular economy, and advanced value chains.

Le Truong Duy, director of Ho Chi Minh City C4IR and a representative of the organising committee, said the forum aims to promote multilateral dialogue, strengthen supply chains, and attract financial and technological resources as the global economy undergoes profound restructuring driven by digital and green transitions and strategic technologies.

"AEF is more than an annual event – it serves as an international platform connecting science and technology, innovation, finance, investment, and sustainable development," Duy said. "The forum's outcomes will provide important input for reports on Vietnam's outlook and emerging growth drivers, while informing policy recommendations on innovation, digital transformation, and private sector development."

The forum's key cooperation messages will be discussed at its flagship events on October 28, beginning with a high-level plenary session attended by Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and leaders and representatives from eight countries, the United Nations, and the European Union. This will be followed by a 60-minute dialogue between the Prime Minister and the World Economic Forum's chief executive on positioning Vietnam in the global future.

The dialogue aims to highlight Vietnam’s transition from an active participant to a co-creator of new opportunities for growth and cooperation.

According to the organising committee, the AEF is expected to translate global opportunities into tangible development resources and affirm Vietnam’s pioneering role in a new era of growth.

Running until October 29, the exhibition showcases products, services and technological solutions supporting green growth, digital transformation and sustainable development.

Other activities, including sessions on the dual transition in industry, Open Innovation Day 2026 and the Vietnam–India Future Technology Forum, are also expanding opportunities for cooperation in research, technology application and green industrial development.

Photo: Le Toan