| 
									 
									
									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  |