Sri Lankan Ambassador to Vietnam gives scientific presentation on Vietnam's economy in the renovation period at VNU-USSH

Attending the presentation, on behalf of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, there were Associate Professor, Dr. Dao Thanh Truong, Vice Rector, leaders of the Department of Cooperation and Development, Scientific Research Management, Department of International Studies, and Political Science; along with a large number of lecturers, researchers, students and pupils from many faculties in the University.

Pleased to welcome the Ambassador, Associate Professor, Dr. Dao Thanh Truong (Vice Rector of the University) expressed his deep gratitude to the Embassy of Sri Lanka and the Ambassador himself for his affection, attention, and precious time for the students of the University; at the same time, he expressed his hope that during his term, the Ambassador will support to further promote cooperation in training and scientific research between the University of Social Sciences and Humanities and universities and educational institutions of Sri Lanka.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dao Thanh Truong delivered a welcome speech and thanked the Sri Lankan Ambassador for visiting and sharing with VNU-USSH students.

Vice Principal Dao Thanh Truong emphasized: Today's presentation is a very meaningful scientific activity for lecturers, students and pupils of the School, especially for lecturers and students majoring in International Studies, Oriental Studies, Political Science, and History. The topic "Vietnam's economic rise and success in nation building: causes and development prospects" is a very interesting topic, which will certainly bring a lot of interesting information and an objective view of Vietnam's achievements in the past as well as future prospects.
Sri Lanka and Vietnam have many similarities in the history of the struggle for national independence and have established diplomatic relations since the 1970s. To date, the two countries have established two bilateral cooperation mechanisms: the Joint Committee on Economics, Science and Technology (chaired by the Foreign Minister), and the Political Consultation Mechanism established in October 2011. Currently, Sri Lanka is Vietnam's 4th largest economic partner in South Asia. The effective cooperation activities between the Embassy of Sri Lanka and VNU-USSH in recent times have contributed to affirming and further strengthening the partnership in many fields between the two countries.

Before the presentation, Ambassador A.Saj U.Mendis shared his profound experience with all the students of VNU-USSH about the "secrets" to achieving success in your career: no matter who you are, what you do and what country you come from, the key factor is discipline and perseverance in pursuing your goals to the end.
 

The Ambassador emphasized: “Always write down your main goals and read them every day, at least three times, to remind you to pursue them vigorously and positively. Besides, it is necessary to regularly cultivate and develop excellent soft skills such as communication skills, cooperation skills, and negotiation skills even when you are still in school.”

Regarding the friendly cooperative relationship between Vietnam and Sri Lanka, Ambassador A.Saj U.Mendis affirmed: Sri Lanka and Vietnam have had a long-standing traditional relationship and have always maintained the best and friendliest relationship. Sri Lanka, similar to Vietnam, has a strategic location: bordering the Indian subcontinent, located at the midpoint connecting East Asia and East Africa; is a favorable port location on the sea route connecting East and West. In its modern development history, Sri Lanka has pursued a non-aligned policy and a neutral foreign policy. Sri Lanka is eager to cooperate with Vietnam in all fields to enhance and strengthen bilateral relations, mainly in economics and trade.

Regarding Vietnam's economic, social and diplomatic development since 1990, the presentation of the Sri Lankan Ambassador provided specific figures and in-depth analysis showing strong development; at the same time, expressed admiration for the achievements that Vietnam has made in recent times.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Vietnam was one of the poorest countries in the world, a country that had experienced more military conflict and suffering than any other country in the past century. “When I studied in the United States in the 1990s, people in the United States viewed Vietnam as a country of poverty, malnutrition, underdevelopment, lacking basic needs of its people, and a country devastated by many wars,” the Ambassador shared. But since 1990, especially after 1995, Vietnam has implemented a socialist-oriented market economy policy and achieved many successes.

And Vietnam’s image and position in the international arena have changed a lot. Today, after more than 30 years, when someone in the United States is asked what they know about Vietnam, their answer is “it is a country of magnificent beauty, great economic and trade opportunities, one of the best destinations for foreign investment and one of the best places”, “attractive tourist destination”,…

In 1990, Vietnam's GDP per capita was only about $90, but today it is $4,450. Vietnam is today among the fastest growing major economies in the world and has a bilateral trade volume (exports and imports) larger than its entire GDP.

Since 1995, some of the world's largest corporations such as Samsung, Toyota, Intel, Hyundai, LG, Lotte, Honda and Apple, along with a number of other multinational corporations, have invested significantly in Vietnam. This shows that the Vietnamese market has great appeal.

The presentation by Professor A.Saj U.Mendis also pointed out the core reasons for Vietnam's remarkable achievements over the past three decades: the stability of the political system and the consistency in the development policy of the Communist Party and the Government of Vietnam; Vietnam's strategic position; capable and committed human resources, relatively low production costs and labor wages; an open foreign policy that has attracted a large number of foreign investors, as well as effectively exploited support and cooperation from international partners.

Regarding foreign policy, Vietnam maintains and implements an independent, principled foreign policy, in absolute compliance with international law. Vietnam is a country that has always maintained a balance with major powers and economic partners in the world and in the East Asia region, such as the US, China, Russia, as well as Japan and South Korea. The evidence is: Currently, Vietnam's largest export market is the US, the largest import market and one of Vietnam's largest investors is China, Vietnam's largest foreign investors are South Korea and Japan, and Vietnam's largest defense and military supplier is Russia.

The Sri Lankan Ambassador emphasized: Vietnam is now considered by the world as one of the most sought-after countries as well as a “Holy Land” for investment, production, trade and tourism activities. Before the pandemic, Vietnam welcomed 19 million tourists each year, one of the countries with the highest number of tourists in the region. Many international tourists love the diversity, culture, natural beauty, Vietnamese cuisine, hospitable and friendly people, making Vietnam one of the most favorite countries in the world.

With an optimistic view, based on a deep analysis of Vietnam's achievements, Professor A.Saj U.Mendis made a forecast: If Vietnam's economy grows at a rate of 8%/year, it will become a 1,000 billion USD economy by 2030. Vietnam is ready and well-positioned to become an advanced and leading economy by 2045. If Vietnam invests heavily in human resources (high-quality human resources) and education, your country will certainly become a global power by 2050.

After his presentation, the Sri Lankan Ambassador received many lively and open questions from VNU-USSH lecturers and students.

   

Ambassador Saj U. Mendis highly appreciated the knowledge, confidence and boldness of the students of the University, and emphasized: "I have traveled to many countries around the world, worked with many universities, I know that the academic reputation of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities is known and highly appreciated by many countries. You are studying in a leading training and research center in Social Sciences and Humanities, you must know how to promote and take advantage of that to equip yourself with the best knowledge. My assessments in the presentation about the future of Vietnam's economy are not only based on personal optimism but are based on specific data about the achievements that your country has achieved. But to have that bright future, it depends a lot on the young generation like you". With his profound knowledge and personal experience, the Ambassador gave many valuable advices to Vietnamese students to develop themselves and succeed in the digital age: you need to determine what you want to do, what your goals are and turn it into a passion, not just a job or a task. Discipline is the repetition of good habits and must be practiced every day, that is the key to success.

At the end of the presentation, Ambassador A.Saj U.Mendis expressed his willingness to visit the school and spend time talking and exchanging with students of VNU-USSH in the near future.