Billionaire Pham Nhat Vuong proposes to popularize English to all people

On the morning of September 21, the Government Standing Committee held a conference with large enterprises such as Vingroup, Hoa Phat, Thaco, KN Holdings, Sungroup, T&T, Geleximco, Minh Phu, Masan, Sovico, TH, REE. The Minister of Planning and Investment described this conference as the “Dien Hong conference” of the private economic sector, with the participation of leaders of the Government and ministries, discussing solutions to join hands to develop the country.

One of the proposals made by Mr. Pham Nhat Vuong, Chairman of Vingroup, is for the Government to increase training and popularize English.

“This is not only in public schools but also for the entire population, towards a global citizen society,” he said, adding that Vingroup and businesses are willing to sponsor teachers to remote areas. “Promoting English training from remote areas to urban areas will create a better ‘fishing rod’ for children, contributing to the development of these difficult places in the future,” he added.

Previously, the Politburo requested all levels to improve students’ foreign language skills, gradually making English the second language in schools. This is to implement Resolution 29 of 2013 of the Party Central Committee “on fundamental and comprehensive innovation of education and training, meeting the requirements of industrialization and modernization in the conditions of a socialist-oriented market economy and international integration”.

Also regarding training, the Chairman of Vingroup proposed that the Government expand the training quota for students in the fields of technology, computer science, AI, big data… This is to create a large number of workers in the technology industry – a field with a much better future than other industries in the market.

Regarding the technology sector, Mr. Le Van Kiem, Chairman of the Board of Directors of KN Group, expects that there will be many high-tech products with the “Make in Vietnam” brand internationally. Accordingly, the Government needs to facilitate new-generation industrial development projects, simplify administrative procedures, especially in the fields of planning, investment and land, promote the development of renewable energy…

Vietnam currently has more than 930,000 active enterprises, contributing about 46% of GDP and 30% of state budget revenue. However, according to Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung, the majority of enterprises are small and medium-sized, and the proportion of enterprises participating in manufacturing and processing is still limited. Large enterprises are relatively independent, and their leadership is unclear when the proportion of small and medium-sized enterprises participating in the supply chain is still low.

At the conference, Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, Chairwoman and General Director of Sovico Group said, “Government leaders should trust private enterprises.” Ms. Thao proposed that the Government have mechanisms for “national enterprises”. From there, private economic groups with national and international strength and brands will be formed. These locomotives will promote small and medium enterprises, the agricultural and rural areas, and start-up companies.

According to Vingroup’s Chairman, the Government needs to support small and medium-sized enterprises so that they have the initial conditions to participate in the supporting industry chain. Currently, Mr. Vuong’s VinFast car company has a localization rate of over 50%, striving to reach at least 80% by the end of 2026.

“With an output of 80,000 vehicles this year and 200,000 vehicles next year, it has clearly surpassed the threshold for supporting businesses to make a profit,” said Mr. Vuong. He added that this business is willing to purchase a portion of the components to promote the development of the supporting industry.

Mr. Tran Ba ​​Duong, Chairman of Truong Hai Group (Thaco), said that investment in the supporting industry sector requires large output and technology. Therefore, he hopes that the Government will pay attention and create favorable conditions for this industry to develop.

In addition, Vingroup also proposed that the Government have a mechanism to designate investors for social housing projects to shorten the time to complete procedures. The investment preparation stages, including planning, zoning, and inter-zone groups, also need to be shortened.

The reason, according to Mr. Vuong, is that the biggest limitation for housing projects of this type is related to the 10% profit regulation. Meanwhile, real estate businesses only need to stagnate capital or delay sales for 1-2 years to lose money.

“Social housing is a contribution, not a business, so if the Government gives it a designated mechanism, it will speed up the progress much more,” he said. He also believes that social housing standards need to be increased. That is, projects will have to have underground parking lots, playgrounds for children, and areas reserved for civil servants, armed forces, and the military.

In the energy sector, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of KN Group hopes that the Government will consider allowing renewable energy projects that have investment policies, are feasible, and can be implemented quickly to directly buy and sell electricity. He proposed adjusting the Power Plan VIII, increasing the capacity of floating solar power projects. This will help increase renewable energy sources to serve economic development, attracting large corporations to use this source of electricity.

Concluding the conference, the Prime Minister requested Deputy Prime Ministers and Ministers to directly listen to and thoroughly resolve the complaints of businesses. In cases beyond their authority, these agencies should report to the Prime Minister for consideration.

“Resolving difficulties for businesses is contributing to solving difficulties for the economy. Business development means the country develops. The spirit is to resolve any problems, not to push, avoid, cause trouble or harassment,” the Prime Minister emphasized.

He asked ministries and branches to handle the work with “high determination, great effort, and drastic action”. “If you say you will do it, you must fulfill your commitments, and then there must be specific, measurable products and results,” he said. The Government leader asked ministries and branches to organize more specialized conferences with businesses to handle issues related to land and environment, finance, tax, investment, etc.