Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai, who is leading a delegation to the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2008 in Davos , Switzerland , has said that many foreign entrepreneurs saw rosy prospect for Viet Nam and showed their attention to the country.

At the forum, beginning on January 23, the Vietnamese delegation held dialogues with leaders of over 40 international economic groups and met with leaders of Prudential, Metro, Intel, Holcim, First Eastern Investment Group, etc. to discuss their business plans in Viet Nam. On the sideline of the WEF, the delegation also met with Swiss Economic Minister Doris Leauthard, and WEF President Klaus Schwab.

According to Deputy PM Hai, all politicians and businessmen he met said Viet Nam has bright prospects and expressed wishes to develop cooperation with Viet Nam. Hai said they were also interested in how the Vietnamese Government will deal with problems emerging during the development process, particularly the infrastructure construction and human resource training, as the country is welcoming a new wave of foreign investment. They described Viet Nam as one of the emerging economies, Hai said, adding that the foreign businesses showed their confidence in the Vietnamese Government’s resolve to deal with such issues.

However, the Deputy PM pointed out challenges for the country in the future, including higher competition as it has become a World Trade Organisation (WTO) member, particularly in attracting foreign investment. “Our country also faces the risk of lagging behind in science and technology,” he said, adding that Viet Nam would try to build on its competitive edge which is based on a dynamic economy with high and stable growths, a potential market with more than 80 million people, a young and intelligent labour force and the leaders’ consistent vision and policies.

V.N.A