At the invitation of Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and his partner, General Secretary and President To Lam, accompanied by his partner and a high-level Vietnamese delegation, can pay a state go to to Singapore from May 29 to 31.
Speaking with VietNamNet, Associate Professor Dr. Duong Minh Hai of the National University of Singapore shared his views on bilateral cooperation in science and expertise, in addition to expectations surrounding the go to.
Vietnam goals to become a fashionable industrialized nation by 2030 and a high-income developed nation by 2045. General Secretary and President To Lam has repeatedly harassed that attaining these targets requires accelerating science and expertise growth, innovation, and the nationwide digital transformation technique. How do you view this route, notably within the present international context?
I consider the route set by General Secretary and President To Lam and the Vietnamese management is each strategic and inevitable for Vietnam’s subsequent stage of growth.
In the previous, progress was largely pushed by low-cost labor, pure useful resource extraction, and increasing funding. But in at the moment’s period, growth should be powered by science and expertise, innovation, and digital transformation.
Viewing science and expertise because the “golden key” to escaping the middle-income lure is completely the precise strategy. Looking at nations comparable to Singapore, South Korea, and China, none turned developed nations with out main funding in expertise, training, and high-quality human assets.
As the world enters a new race round AI, semiconductors, superior supplies, clear vitality, and inexperienced expertise, nationwide benefit now not lies primarily in pure assets, however in innovation capability and the flexibility to grasp expertise. This is each a problem and a main alternative for Vietnam.
Vietnam at present possesses essential benefits, together with a younger inhabitants, fast expertise adoption, a robust entrepreneurial spirit, and more and more deep participation in international provide chains. If it might capitalize on the present wave of technological shifts, Vietnam can completely leapfrog in a number of strategic sectors.
In my view, an important activity is reworking growth pondering – treating funding in science and expertise as an funding within the nation’s future, whereas constructing an innovation ecosystem linking the federal government, universities, analysis institutes, companies, and startups.
Digital transformation additionally goes far past digitizing administrative procedures. More essentially, it means reworking progress fashions, governance, and financial operations. If applied successfully, it could considerably enhance productiveness, competitiveness, and slim the hole with developed economies.
One of the important thing pillars of Vietnam-Singapore cooperation is science and expertise, innovation, and digital transformation. Given the similarities and complementary strengths between the 2 nations, which areas do you consider Singapore can cooperate with Vietnam most successfully?
I consider bilateral cooperation in science and expertise, innovation, and digital transformation holds large potential as a result of the 2 economies complement each other.
Singapore’s strengths lie in expertise, governance, finance, and innovation ecosystems, whereas Vietnam has a younger workforce, a dynamic market, and huge demand for technological growth. Most importantly, the 2 nations should not direct rivals, however can collectively create new worth for ASEAN and international provide chains.
One of the standout areas is AI and digital transformation. Singapore is a regional chief in AI, digital authorities, and information governance, whereas Vietnam has one of many quickest charges of expertise adoption. The two nations could cooperate on AI functions in manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, training, and good cities.
A second promising space is inexperienced expertise and sustainable growth. Singapore has intensive expertise in waste administration, water therapy, clear vitality, and round economies, whereas Vietnam possesses plentiful biomass and agricultural byproducts. Combining Singaporean expertise with Vietnam’s organic assets could enable the 2 nations to collectively develop inexperienced supplies, recycling applied sciences, biofuels, and net-zero options.
Semiconductors and superior electronics are additionally strategically essential areas. Singapore is without doubt one of the world’s semiconductor hubs, whereas Vietnam is more and more positioned to take part extra deeply in international provide chains. Cooperation could embody workforce coaching, chip design, and semiconductor materials analysis.
Another essential space is startups and innovation ecosystems. Singapore has constructed an efficient model connecting universities, funding funds, companies, and startups. More Vietnam-Singapore startup alternate packages, joint funding funds, and shared expertise testing mechanisms could generate huge affect.
Future cooperation ought to transfer past merely “buying technology” towards “co-developing technology.” When each nations collectively analysis, take a look at, and commercialize new applied sciences, the ensuing worth will probably be way more sustainable and significant.
Vietnam and Singapore can completely become a model for strategic cooperation in innovation, inexperienced transition, and excessive expertise inside ASEAN.
On May 25, throughout a assembly of the Central Steering Committee on science, expertise, innovation, and digital transformation, General Secretary and President To Lam emphasised the necessity for an instructional surroundings that’s free, sincere, artistic, and able to providing worthy incentives and main tasks to proficient people. As somebody working at one of many area’s high universities, what suggestions would you make relating to tutorial analysis and expertise insurance policies?
The route outlined by General Secretary and President To Lam relating to a free, sincere, and artistic tutorial surroundings, alongside insurance policies that genuinely worth expertise, is extraordinarily essential for Vietnam’s scientific future.
International expertise reveals science can solely flourish when researchers are empowered to suppose creatively, experiment with new concepts, and even fail. Major breakthroughs typically emerge from unconventional pondering.
First, Vietnam wants a actually clear tutorial surroundings that respects crucial pondering. Scientists must be evaluated based mostly on analysis high quality, sensible affect, and creativity somewhat than formalistic indicators.
Second, the nation ought to boldly entrust main tasks to younger and succesful researchers. At many main analysis universities, younger scientists are allowed to guide laboratories or main initiatives early of their careers in the event that they display functionality.
Third, Vietnam wants aggressive incentives to retain expertise. Compensation isn’t just about earnings, but additionally analysis infrastructure, tutorial autonomy, assist groups, and long-term profession alternatives.
Vietnam must also make investments extra closely in long-term analysis and construct interdisciplinary facilities of excellence in areas comparable to AI, superior supplies, clear vitality, and inexperienced expertise.
Most importantly, I consider Vietnam should create belief and aspiration. When scientists really feel revered, empowered, and capable of contribute to nationwide targets, they are going to dedicate themselves for the long run.
General Secretary and President To Lam has additionally highlighted the necessity to develop Vietnam’s supplies business in a inexperienced, sustainable, and self-reliant route. As a scientist specializing in superior supplies, how do you view this technique? What classes can Vietnam study from Singapore’s growth of its supplies business?
I consider the technique of constructing a inexperienced, sustainable, and self-reliant supplies business is very strategic and well timed. This just isn’t merely about one industrial sector, however about laying the muse for nationwide competitiveness within the inexperienced and high-tech financial system.
Vietnam can’t proceed counting on the “export raw, import refined” model – exporting low-value assets whereas importing high-value superior supplies and applied sciences. To enhance industrial competitiveness and self-reliance, Vietnam should transfer towards deep processing, mastering core applied sciences, and producing added worth domestically.
I strongly agree with the three-tier supplies growth strategy proposed by General Secretary and President To Lam – sustaining and upgrading foundational supplies, making breakthroughs in strategic supplies, and getting ready early for future supplies.
For foundational supplies, conventional sectors comparable to metal, cement, polymers, and development supplies ought to become greener, extra vitality environment friendly, and decrease in emissions.
For strategic supplies, Vietnam ought to give attention to sectors able to shaping the long run financial system, together with electrical automobile battery supplies, semiconductors, renewable vitality, inexperienced hydrogen, and CO2 absorption supplies.
For future supplies, early funding must be directed towards rising applied sciences comparable to aerogels, hydrogels, carbon nanomaterials, biomaterials, and supplies derived from agricultural byproducts. These could become high-value industries if developed correctly.
Vietnam’s distinctive benefit lies in its huge biomass and agricultural waste assets, together with pineapple leaves, rice straw, sugarcane residue, waste paper, and plastic waste. By combining fashionable science with these assets, Vietnam could construct a distinctive inexperienced supplies business.
The greatest lesson from Singapore is that a nation with out plentiful pure assets can nonetheless become a main heart for superior expertise and supplies if it invests correctly in individuals, analysis, and innovation ecosystems.
Singapore’s standout energy is its long-term dedication to analysis funding. The nation helps not solely initiatives with fast commercialization potential, but additionally foundational applied sciences requiring a few years of growth.
With a long-term technique and targeted funding, Vietnam can ultimately shift from being an assembly-based financial system to a creator of superior supplies expertise.
As an abroad Vietnamese scholar, what are your expectations for General Secretary and President To Lam’s go to to Singapore and future cooperation between the 2 nations?
As an abroad Vietnamese residing, instructing, and conducting analysis in Singapore, I strongly hope this go to will open a new chapter of deeper and extra sensible cooperation between Vietnam and Singapore, notably in science and expertise, innovation, training, inexperienced transition, and high-tech industries.
In my view, bilateral ties ought to transfer past conventional commerce cooperation towards partnerships in information, expertise, and co-innovation.
What I hope for most is the creation of joint innovation packages by which each nations analysis, develop, and commercialize applied sciences collectively.
Singapore excels in governance, monetary expertise, and innovation ecosystems, whereas Vietnam gives a younger workforce, dynamic markets, and plentiful organic assets. If these benefits are mixed successfully, the 2 nations could collectively develop industries comparable to inexperienced supplies, round economies, utilized AI, and low-carbon applied sciences.
I additionally hope to see extra joint analysis facilities, cross-border laboratories, and university-business partnership packages between the 2 nations. These will function essential bridges connecting laboratory analysis with {the marketplace}.
For abroad Vietnamese intellectuals, this go to additionally strengthens confidence that Vietnamese scientists and consultants around the globe could have extra alternatives to contribute to scientific cooperation and information switch again dwelling.
If this new part of cooperation is utilized successfully, Vietnam-Singapore relations could become not solely one in every of ASEAN’s main financial partnerships, but additionally a model for innovation, inexperienced expertise, and sustainable growth cooperation.
Tran Thuong