On August 16, 2022, former Prime Minister of Israel Ehud Barak met young talents and leaders from largest enterprises in Vietnam and discussed concepts of Remaking the World – Toward an Age of Global Enlightenment at the High-Level Dialog, hosted in the Hanoi Opera House and organized by the Boston Global Forum.
In his speech, the former Prime Minister noted that although his country does not have many natural resources or land mass, Israel is a titan in scientific and technological achievements, military, and entrepreneurship in the world.
According to him, this achievement can be attributed to the fact that Israel put great importance on the cause of human education. Children are taught to read and write from a very early age, sometimes even from the age of 3, even though the compulsory school age is 6 years old. Education is invested a lot more than military spending, even though Israel always faces constant threats from the outside. Talents in math, science and programming will serve many years in technology, computing, or intelligence organizations. After completing their service, they can contribute to both the defense industry and civilian technology companies.
When asked if there are any advice for Vietnam in taking advantage of foreign direct investment (FDI), Ehud Barak highlighted that Vietnam should think about the fact that foreign businesses invest in the country for their own benefit rather than wanting to help Vietnam. According to him, what businesses need in investing in a country is stability in term of politics, policy and law, and predictability.
Ehud Barak said that the young generation is the opening for the development of Vietnam in the future. He emphasized that this is not the task of a few individuals, but something that requires a unified vision and leadership. To achieve success, learning is extremely important and the Vietnamese economy can learn from other economies in the region.
He concluded Vietnam can become one of the leading countries, albeit not quickly, but rather gradually within the next few decades. He also noted the energy of the young generation and their desire to learn from the development experiences from other countries.
The CEO of Boston Global Forum encouraged Vietnam to model following the high and innovative thinking of Israel, and Remaking the World – Toward an Age of Global Enlightenment is a new opportunity for Vietnam to take advantage of this, also confirming that the Boston Global Forum will support Vietnam in this mission.
