A dialogue meeting between Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Vietnamese enterprises is scheduled to take place for the second time in late March as the nation is seeking to build a facilitative and action-oriented government.

Deputy PM Vuong Dinh Hue speaking at a meeting to prepare for the March dialogue

The plans were announced at a meeting on February 9 chaired by Deputy PM Vuong Dinh Hue to prepare for the March dialogue.

The first dialogue was held in April last year in Ho Chi Minh City, after which a government decree known as Resolution 35 was issued aimed at supporting and developing enterprises.

The upcoming event is one of four major conferences to be held by the government in 2017 with the three others on the shrimp industry, the medicinal materials industry and the implementation of the 2012 Cooperative Law.

The conference on the shrimp industry was held in the southern city of Can Tho earlier this week where PM Phuc urged the sector to strive for an export revenue of US$10 billion by 2025.

According to an assessment made by the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), Resolution 35 has raised the business community’s confidence in the government as seen in the record number of newly established enterprises in 2016, at more than 110,000.

Disbursement of foreign direct investment also increased 9% to an all-time high of US$15.8 billion against the backdrop of US$26.89 billion in investment pledges.

VCCI Chairman Vu Tien Loc praised the Ministry of Finance as a leader in tax and customs reforms, and the Ministry of Public Security for its proposal to issue electronic visas to boost tourism and investment.

Nevertheless Resolution 35 was not implemented vigorously by a number of ministries and provincial authorities, stated both the VCCI and the MPI.

The VCCI head said the spirit of reform was not transmitted from the central government to the grass-roots level where civil servants interact directly with enterprises and the people.

Based on the reports, Deputy PM Vuong Dinh Hue asked ministries and agencies to discuss which content would be included on the dialogue’s agenda, as well as its venue and participants.

At the preparation meeting, the deputy PM also called for more in-depth discussions about the quality of current enterprises and what should be improved on Resolution 35.

Nhan Dan