MPI initiative inspires Vietnamese to unify

In partnership with Facebook, the MPI’s programme aims to lift people’s spirits amid challenging times

In response to the prime minister’s call for enhancing the national spirit in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic as well as promoting economic recovery, last week the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) and Facebook launched the Vitality of Vietnam programme, aiming to promote national image, encourage investment, develop human resources for businesses, and support community development.

Under the Proud Vietnam project launched by the MPI last year and following the success of the Immense Vietnam initiative on promoting tourism, Vitality of Vietnam includes a series of meaningful activities comprehensively implemented in a number of fields to support businesses, promote tourism and innovation, and support local communities during and after the pandemic.

The scheme will provide business skills through a series of online workshops as well as strategies for businesses to find and develop national human resources through social media. Under the scope of Proud Vietnam, until the end of the year both parties will implement several initiatives targeting different groups, including one on a series of short films and music videos about autistic children and another in a bid of supporting people with visual impairment.

According to Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung, Vietnam’s politics, economy, and society are characterised by stability and have achieved great stature, prestige, and position in the international arena. “The MPI and Facebook will work closely together to introduce what makes Vietnam unique as a country, support our business community and private sector, develop communities, and promote investment,” Minister Dung said.

The Vitality of Vietnam programme makes every citizen a messenger

He pointed out that every citizen needs to uphold the true values of being Vietnamese: loving the country, taking pride in people, and standing together as one. “All of us need to be bold and work harder to move forward and make Vietnam a strong and prosperous country. We believe that such welcoming conditions will help people know more and come to Vietnam, and join us in fulfilling our aspirations and realising our dreams,” he said.

The partnership is one of Facebook’s key initiatives dedicated to Vietnam, among the activities to celebrate 25 years of diplomatic relations between the country and the United States.

“We have marked a historic milestone in diplomatic relations between the two countries, which has been strengthened by our relations in trade, investment, and strategic cooperation,” said Adam Sitkoff, executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam. “We highly appreciate the efforts of businesses like Facebook that have contributed to reaffirming and actualising the long-term commitment of US businesses in particular to Vietnam through the contribution and investment in socioeconomic development and long-term prosperity.”

Vitality of Vietnam also officially launched the “Each Citizen is an Ambassador” campaign to encourage people to become an ambassador in fighting COVID-19 and contributing to economic growth and recovery. People are encouraged to film and submit a 2-3 minute video sharing the values that Vietnamese people have achieved in fighting the coronavirus. The meaningful messages gained from the campaign will be a source of encouragement for the whole country to overcome difficulties together.

Simon Milner, vice president of Public Policy Asia-Pacific for Facebook explained, “We are very honoured to enter into official cooperation with the MPI of Vietnam. This marks an important milestone in our support to Vietnam’s small- and medium-sized enterprise community and the people of Vietnam. We intend to collaborate on bringing training and other assistance to such enterprises, promoting innovation, and supporting local communities in Vietnam in line with the MPI’s post-pandemic economic recovery plans.”