Prime Minister asks for help from Harvard
professors
(16-01-2008)
Improving infrastructure development and
human-resource training set as targets
HA NOI—
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung wants
professors at Harvard University to continue
contributing their ideas to Viet Nam’s
socio-economic development strategy,
especially in regards to running financial
policy and macroeconomics.
Dung
spoke at a reception to the director of the
Viet Nam Programme, Thomas Vellely,
yesterday in Ha Noi.
He
thanked professors at Harvard University for
contributing practical opinions on building
policies, while asking them to co-operate
with local offices on settling issues in the
short term and forming long-term policies.
The
Prime Minister said Viet Nam needed the
assistance of international organisations
with efforts concentrating on infrastructure
development and human training.
Dung
entrusted the Ministry of Planning and
Investment and the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs to work with the professors to help
the Government devise policies suitable to
Viet Nam’s reality and in conformity with
international rules.
In
reply, Professor Thomas Vellely and his
colleagues gave Dung a report of ideas that
they had contributed to Viet Nam’s
socio-economic development strategy from now
until 2020.
Vellely said the report had specifically
studied Viet Nam’s development strategy,
with due attention given to barriers for
short-term growth and issues concerning long
term growth.
He
warned Viet Nam of increasing real estate
prices compared with world prices. Vellely
put forward a reality that big corporations
in Viet Nam were concentrating in investing
in this area.
The
trend would cause an economic crisis and put
pressure on increased population in urban
areas and competitiveness among weak
corporations, he said.
The
Professor said the Government should be
cautious of allowing corporations to invest
in real estate, opening banks within
corporations, and in appraising public
investment. — VNS |