Opinion

Vương Đình Huệ. — VNA/VNS Photo Deputy Prime Minister Vương Đình Huệ talks to Nhà báo & Công Luận (Journalist and Public Opinion) newspaper on the creation of a new management committee for State-owned enterprises Will you explain why Việt Nam needs to create a National Committee for Management of State Capital (CMSC)? Under a 2018 decree establishing the CMSC, the committee is responsible for managing State capital in companies that are entirely owned by the State, in joint stock companies and in limited liability businesses with State investment and multiple members. The committee is the result of a long study period that was designed to determine the best management model for State-owned enterprises (SOEs) and the State capital invested in them. A specialised committee is needed to restructure national economic growth and ensure a high sustainable growth rate for the economy. That … [Read more...] about SOEs need clear management

Lưu Bình Nhưỡng. — VNA/VNS Photo Lưu Bình Nhưỡng, deputy head of the National Assembly Committee for People’s Aspiration, speaks to the Tiền Phong (Vanguard) newspaper about efforts to encourage voluntary resignations by officials who behave badly and betray the public trust A highlight at the recent 8th Plenum of the Party Central Committee was a discussion on the need to create the expectation among Party/Government officials that if they have been involved in wrongdoing or mismanagement, they should voluntarily leave their position.  What are your thoughts on that kind of expectation, which we could call a culture of resignation? Article 4 of the Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Việt Nam states clearly that all organisations of the Party and party members shall operate in accordance with the Constitution and the country’s laws. In other words, if any party member breaches the laws, … [Read more...] about Will corrupt officials develop a sense of shame?

Trần Thành Nam.  — Photo vpis.edu.vn Professor Dr Trần Thành Nam of the Hà Nội National University’s School of Education talks to Kinh tế & Đô thị (Economic and Urban Affairs) newspaper on the draft decree to issue heavy fines for administrative violations in schools. Do you have any comments on the Ministry of Education and Training’s proposal to impose heavy fines on administrative violations? To my understanding, the Ministry of Education and Training has tried to solve the problem of physical and non-physical violence in schools nationwide. However, in my opinion, the Decree should not emphasise monetary penalties too much. According to the draft Decree, any act of corporal punishment on a student will incur a VNĐ30 million (US$1,400) fine. What is your point of view on this? We should think twice before deciding to levy a fine on any improper acts in the field of education. Fines exist … [Read more...] about Administrative fines are not the only solution

Nguyễn Quân. — Photo dantri.com.vn Former Minister of Science and Technology Nguyễn Quân speaks to Tiền Phong (Vanguard) about the need for policies to convince talented Vietnamese scientists living abroad to return home. What do you think about the knowledge and professional skills of Vietnamese scientists living abroad? Vietnamese scientists living abroad are generally well recognised by their friends near and far. For example, in the field of mathematics, Việt Nam has two world renowned professors, Ngô Bảo Châu and Vũ Hà Văn. In the field of physics, we have Professor Đàm Thanh Sơn, who has recently been awarded the Dirac prize. Many people have told me that we should nominate Professor Sơn as the first Vietnamese candidate for the Physics Nobel prize. Several years ago, when we visited Silicon Valley in the US and companies including Microsoft, Facebook, and Google, we were very happy … [Read more...] about Talented people need a good working environment

Associate Professor Nguyễn Văn Tùng, deputy director general of the Education Publishing House, talks to the Tuổi Trẻ (Youth) newspaper about the pros and cons of having more than two sets of school textbooks It is said that in a near future, school textbook prices will become a competitive factor among publishing houses. Do you agree with that forecast? Yes, in the near future the prices of school textbooks will become a competitive factor among different sets of textbooks. Of course, when many sets of textbooks are available in the market, the number of copies printed for each textbook set will be reduced but the printing price will be increased. The price of a set of textbooks still depends on the quality of the printing paper and the printing quality as well as the circulation and other issues. These factors are what publishing houses will be considering as they decide on the prices of their products. However, among the school textbooks, the books for … [Read more...] about Textbook price: A competitive factor