The Government of Viet Nam is committed to administrative reforms and will continue to provide support for the business sector, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said in a meeting with the Vietnam Business Council for Sustainable Development yesterday in the capital city.

 Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam at the meeting with the VN Business Council for Sustainable Development. Photo: VGP

Together both the country and its business sector must strive to attain sustainable development, he said.

The Deputy PM praised the council's contribution in making Government Decree 19, which aimed at an improved business environment and the country's capacity to compete in the global market as well as the recent Vietnam 2035 Report, which was produced by the Vietnamese Government and the World Bank.

Members of the council said the focus of their activities throughout the year was the implementation of numerous business projects, which were designed to be both sustainable and socially responsible.

Such projects highlighted the link between businesses and low-income social groups, especially in the agricultural sector, which aimed to encourage businesses to improve their management capacity, accountability, transparency and anti-corruption activities.

Notably, the council has been in the process of finalising a sustainable development and social responsibility index for Viet Nam. The index has been implemented on a pilot programme in 30 businesses across the country.

"With Viet Nam and 11 other countries finishing negotiations to form the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the country must continue to change, to adapt and to produce the most optimised environment for business to grow," said the Deputy PM.

During a discussion on Viet Nam's low productivity, the Deputy PM said it was imperative that the country must invest in its human resources and technology and produce sound policies to stimulate business growth.

"The focus of Government Decree 19 was to create a fair playground and improve transparency in the business sector. Only in a fair business environment that society's resources would be directed towards capable businesses, which, in turn, would produce the most value to society," he said.

He noted that it was also a business' right and responsibility to continue to contribute to improve the decree.

The Deputy PM called on the business sector to quickly implement the sustainable development and social responsibility index and provide even more support for socially responsible enterprises and start-ups that aimed at sustainable development. 

VNS