PM welcomes world-renowned strategy expert

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung received Prof. Michael E. Porter from the Harvard Business School , who is regarded as the father of the competitive strategy, in Hanoi on December 2.

The Vietnamese government leader praised Prof. Porter’s deep understanding of the development of the Vietnamese economy, saying that information relayed by the professor during an international seminar on global competition and Vietnam’s advantages in Ho Chi Minh City on December 1 was extremely useful for Vietnamese businesses and managers, particularly in the context of the ongoing global economic recession.

The professor’s objective analyses and assessments regarding competitive advantages will help the Vietnamese government in short- and long-term administration during its cause of national industrialisation and modernisation, Dung said.

Prof. Porter said that, to improve people’s living conditions, Viet Nam should adopt a long-term economic strategy that combines a collection of reciprocal factors, including policy renewal, institutional structure and enforcement mechanisms.

He recommended several key areas that Vietnam should focus on developing, which would make good use of the country’s labour force and natural resources and suggested the establishment of a strategic economic agency to coordinate the policymaking process and oversee an improvement in competitiveness.

Earlier that day, Prof. Porter met with Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai, who described the professor’s two-day visit to Vietnam as an excellent opportunity for Vietnamese policymakers to hear his valuable opinions on issues relating to national competitiveness, particularly in the context of the fluctuating world economy.

During the visit, Prof. Porter also discussed strategies to improve Vietnam’s completive edge with Vietnamese officials and experts and worked alongside business leaders in Ho Chi Minh City .

He had previously met with former Prime Minister Phan Van Khai in the US in June 2005 to discuss Vietnam’s competitive strengths. (VNA)