Vietnam Summit in Japan 2021 - the linkage between intelligents and entrepreneurs

Trinh Thanh Luan, representative of Vietnam Summit in Japan 2021 speaking at the meeting

Under the sponsorship of the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan, the Ministry of Planning and Investment's (MPI) National Innovation Centre (NIC) in collaboration with the Association of Vietnamese Intellectuals in Japan (AVIJ) and relative units, Vietnam Summit in Japan 2021 was held directly in Tokyo and live broadcast over the world. The event was participated by more than 30 prestigious speakers, 50 guests (local and foreign intellectuals and businessmen), and 1,000 audience members from the Vietnamese community in Japan and intellectual associations in other countries over the world.

At the meeting, they discussed challenges that Vietnam is struggling with, and identified new values, new development concepts during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The meeting is also the linkage among Vietnamese intellectuals in Japan, being a chance for them to connect to ministries, agencies, and the business community for cooperation and development in the time to come.

At his opening speech, a representative of Vietnam Summit in Japan 2021 Trinh Thanh Luan said that as of early 2021, there were about 448,000 Vietnamese people living, studying, and working in Japan, more than half of whom are intellectuals, including students, scientists, and experts in various fields.

"Being a strong community, the Board of Directors of Vietnam Summit in Japan 2021 wishes to create a forum gathering Vietnamese intellectuals in Japan with the long-term goal of building and developing the Vietnamese community in Japan, as well as developing Vietnam," said Luan.

The first Vietnam Summit in Japan was organised in 2019 with the participation of more than 60 speakers and 900 attendants across 10 sessions related to the theme "Make in Vietnam – Opportunities and Challenges".

At the Vietnam Summit in Japan 2021, Vietnam Ambassador to Japan Vu Hong Nam said that with nearly 500,000 people, the Vietnamese community has become Japan's second-largest expat community, significantly contributing to its socioeconomic development, and becoming a bridge of friendship and bilateral cooperation.

In particular, the community of Vietnamese intellectuals and experts with high qualifications is growing with about 1,000 people a year, many of whom are holding important positions in teaching and research at prestigious universities as well as leading enterprises in Japan, in many fields such as it, electronics, agriculture, and health. Along with a force of young intellectuals, young entrepreneurs starting a business and a large number of international students full of enthusiasm, is playing a leading role in the development of the Vietnamese community in Japan.

Representatives of the Vietnamese MPI attending the Vietnam Summit in Japan 2021

From the Vietnamese bridgehead, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Duy Dong highly appreciated the efforts of the Vietnamese intellectual community in Japan in uniting, gathering, and promoting connections through the Vietnam Summit in Japan.

He also affirmed that the Vietnamese intellectual community in Japan is an integral part of the great national unity bloc. This is the time that Vietnam focuses on promoting creative capacity, turning science-technology and innovation into a driving force for the country's rapid and sustainable economic development. 2021, the first year of implementing the Resolution of the 13th Party Congress, includes great challenges.

"To overcome difficulties and take advantage of new technological achievements, we need to continue to strive and contribute all of our intellect and efforts to the faster and sustainable development and innovation of the country, towards the goal of becoming a developed and high-income country by 2045," said Deputy Minister Dong.