"Development issues facing Vietnam in the 'new normal'"

The workshop focused on the socio-economic policy changes in Vietnam following the Covid-19 pandemic, as the country transitioned to a more resilient, flexible, and secure recovery and development phase. The research findings and discussions of the workshop are expected to contribute to Vietnam's development policies in a "new normal." The workshop also marked a long-standing collaboration between the University of Social Sciences and Humanities and the Irish Aid Fund (Embassy of Ireland).

Professor Hoang Khac Nam and Dr. Le Lena (Faculty of International Studies) chaired the workshop.

The workshop was organized into two sessions, chaired by Prof. Dr. Hoang Khac Nam and Dr. Le Lena (Faculty of International Studies).

Session 1 included three presentations: “Navigating Vietnam’s Economic Ship Through the Covid-19 Storm” by Dr. Le Xuan Sang (Deputy Director of the Vietnam Institute of Economics), “Solutions for the Recovery and Development of Vietnamese Tourism in the New Normal” by Dr. Nguyen Anh Tuan (Director of the Institute for Tourism Development Research), and “Social Sentiments Towards Different Groups in the Context of the Covid-19 Pandemic” by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Duc Chien (Institute of Sociology - Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences).

Dr. Le Xuan Sang (Deputy Director of the Vietnam Institute of Economics) presented his paper. 

Session 2 included two presentations: “Some Issues Arising Regarding Labor and Production Models in the Context of the Covid-19 Pandemic” by Dr. Pham Thu Lan (Deputy Director of the Institute of Workers and Trade Unions) and “Labor and Social Security Policies to Maintain Labor Relations for Vulnerable Workers” by Dr. Tran Thi Thanh Ha (Head of the Labor Relations Department - Vietnam General Confederation of Labor).

Dr. Tran Thi Thanh Ha (Head of the Labor Relations Department - Vietnam General Confederation of Labor) presented her paper.

Dr. Pham Ngoc Toan (Institute of Labor and Social Sciences - Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs) commented on the presentations.

Concluding the workshop, Professor Hoang Khac Nam emphasized the diversity of discussion topics: from economics and tourism to social issues (social sentiment and social welfare), labor, employment, and labor relations. The presentations provided a comprehensive overview of the social situation under the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. These issues are interconnected, and people are the most affected by them.

However, Covid-19 presented both opportunities and challenges, and the consequences varied across countries. Therefore, the solutions presented involved comparisons and learning from the experiences of countries outside of Vietnam. The discussions highlighted the need for new approaches to address issues of recovery and development, maintaining the momentum of recovery and growth, and the importance of focusing on human well-being, as people are the primary stakeholders. Based on this, the workshop also offered preliminary forecasts for future development in the new normal, where factors such as people's confidence play a crucial role.