On 26 November 2025, at the 2025 Autumn Economic Forum, Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) and the World Economic Forum (WEF) signed a joint statement on the “Initiative on Advancing Smart Manufacturing and Responsible Industrial Transformation in HCMC and Vietnam”. The initiative aims to contribute to the development of the Lighthouse Operating System (Lighthouse OS)[1] on a global scale, and support Vietnam’s and HCMC’s strategies on smart manufacturing and pilot program through practical tools, capacity-building activities and knowledge sharing. The Vietnam Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in HCMC (HCMC C4IR) and the WEF’s Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Supply Chains (AMSC) will collaborate to develop plans and implement activities under the Lighthouse OS initiative in Vietnam.
In addition to this cooperation, during the “60 Minutes with the Prime Minister” dialogue, the Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh also outlined key policy directions to accelerate Vietnam’s green and digital transformation. He underscored the need to transform policy mechanisms into competitive advantages by expanding digital and green infrastructure, strengthening human capital and governance, and mobilising financial resources. State resources will serve as a catalyst, while new policy frameworks should promote public-private partnerships (PPP) and attract both domestic and international capital. To operationalise these priorities, ministries and agencies were instructed to review forum recommendations, accelerate institutional reforms and introduce incentive packages to draw investment into green and digital technologies. HCMC was tasked with developing a detailed action plan, and other provinces were requested to design green-transition roadmaps aligned with their comparative strengths.
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Reference: 1. Tuoi Tre, 26 November 2025
https://tuoitre.vn/tp-hcm-va-wef-ky-tuyen-bo-chung-ve-san-xuat-thong-minh-20251126165728613.htm
2. Voice of Vietnam, 27 November 2025
[1] Lighthouse OS is a WEF’s initiative to modernize manufacturing by utilizing digital technology and sustainable practises. It provides a framework for manufacturers of all sizes to transform their production based on best practises from the WEF’s Global Lighthouse Network.
