Technology helps to solve problems. Our country is developing and has many problems that need to be solved. It is an opportunity for young people to build technology startups.

This was the message given by Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung at a meeting with young entrepreneurs in January 2019. VietNamNet would like to present the full text of the speech:

Vietnam has a desire to build a strong and mighty nation, to be shoulder to shoulder with powers in the five continents and in 2045, when Vietnam celebrates its 100th year of independence, Vietnam will become a developed country, with per capita income of $15 - 20,000. And Vietnam will not be caught in the middle-income trap.

To do this, Vietnam will have to develop high-tech enterprises. Agriculture, industry and services are all based on technology. High productivity must be based on technology. If Vietnam wants to modernize and industrialize, it must also rely on technology. Developing technology will determine the future and destiny of our country.

Technology solves problems. Whenever there is a problem, there will be technology to solve it. Our country is developing, so there are many problems that need to be solved. It is an opportunity for young people to make their technology start-up.

Technology is not transferred. Technology is about labor. The Vietnamese will produce technology with their own labor. Only labor produces technology. We need to be self-reliant first, then international cooperation will come. Technology businesses must be established in Vietnam. What young people have the most is energy, is labor, and so you will create technology, create Vietnamese applications.

In terms of average income, Vietnam is dozens of times less than the US, but in terms of elites and youth, we are not much less than the US. Young people, first of all, you have to believe in yourself, to believe that you are not inferior to anyone in any way. The Vietnamese football team is an example of belief in oneself. Out of 100 outstanding global figures honored by Microsoft in 2018 for network security, there were four Vietnamese.

Local action but thinking and vision must be global. In today's flat world, a great idea, a great product will quickly go global. Many problems in Vietnam are also global problems. Solving Vietnam’s problems is also solving global problems. Let’s consider Vietnam as the cradle of product formation and improvement, the first market and from here to conquer the world. Large market reduces costs and makes big profits. Therefore, young people must consider themselves as global citizens, and every entrepreneur must think of the global market. And to do so, it must be a new, creative and unique idea.

Think Big but Do Small. Realizing a big idea starts with small steps. The first steps are always groping, finding a way. These small steps will help us adjust quickly, and at low cost. Fail Fast and Fail Cheap. The creative start-ups all have the first years of difficulties and then grow up quickly. Growth is when their products have been accepted by the market and they need to expand the market.

Starting a business is to start from our family's warehouse as a lab, to take our house as an office, to sell our motorbike to get money to start a business. A tough start-up is an important test, the filter to eliminate lifeless ideas. A difficult start-up is nurturing and making good ideas more energetic, making the will of the start-up stronger. Young creative startups should never be afraid of difficulties, but consider those difficulties as a test. All successful creative startups rise from bared-hands, namely Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, and Elon Musk. In today's world, the biggest advantage is nothing in the hands, and so there is great aspiration and a selfless working spirit - the most essential thing for a creative start-up. Hunger is not a disadvantage but an advantage.

The digital revolution is turning the physical world into a virtual world and making our society more creative. The whole world is virtualized. The whole creative process, including design, prototyping, testing, will be done in a virtual world, which is faster and less costly than we do it in the real world. The cost of creativity is so small that an individual can create at his or her own expense. This will really a revolution in creativity. Digital technology, digital revolution, digital transformation are ways to help every Vietnamese, every young Vietnamese be creative, which is suitable for the diverse and flexible personality of the Vietnamese people. Young people must take advantage of this opportunity to start a creative start-up.

A new revolution is coming - the 4th Industrial Revolution. Each new revolution will create opportunities for a few countries to break through, to become developed countries, but not all. Vietnam must be at the forefront of this revolution to change its position, to become a developed country. Technology businesses should be at the forefront. The young people should go first. This mission falls on the shoulders of our young generation. Think of this as a national war of that the youth must take the lead.

Vietnam has nurtured young people, like the mother who raises her children. It is time for the children to go to the world, conquer the world and bring the world back to Vietnam. A great national dream will make great businesses, great people. Today, young people themselves also need to have a bigger dream, a bigger aspiration, and that will be the reason for you to exist and develop in the way ahead. I wish you more faith, more aspirations, more labors, and more responsibilities for your country to realize the dream of building a prosperous and mighty Vietnam.

Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung