General Secretary To Lam delivers a policy speech at Oxford University (UK)

According to the special correspondent of the Vietnam News Agency, within the framework of the official visit to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, on the afternoon of October 28 (local time), General Secretary To Lam and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation met with the leadership of Oxford University, UK. On this occasion, General Secretary To Lam delivered a policy speech to professors, lecturers, researchers and a large number of students and friends of Vietnam at Oxford University.

General Secretary To Lam speaks. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA

Introducing Oxford University, Professor Irene Tracey, Principal of Oxford University, said that Oxford University is one of the world's leading university education centers, a symbol of British knowledge, a place that has trained many generations of people dedicated to peace , justice and the progress of humanity. Over the years, Oxford University has had many cooperations with a number of schools in Vietnam in the fields of biomedicine, physics... In the coming time, we hope to cooperate in the fields of education, training, innovation...

Speaking at Oxford University, General Secretary To Lam said the world is changing every day. In that context, the question for countries is not only "whose side to stand on, where to stand", but "how to stand firm, how to be autonomous". For Vietnam, that is also a question of life and death. General Secretary To Lam said: "Vietnam chooses the path of peace, independence, autonomy, cooperation and development. Vietnam is a nation that had to win independence with blood and paid the price of war for peace. We clearly understand the ultimate value of peace. President Ho Chi Minh's truth 'Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom' is the guiding principle for my people's actions. That is the moral foundation and principle of our life in social life and international relations today".

General Secretary To Lam further emphasized: “Vietnam does not encourage confrontation. Vietnam does not choose a way of development based on conflict or antagonism. We believe in equal dialogue, believe in international law, believe that sovereignty should not be asserted by guns or by imposition, but by mutual respect, by agreement to respect common rules and by shared interests. That spirit has helped Vietnam maintain socio-political stability, proactively integrate into the international economy, participate in new-generation free trade agreements, and expand multi-level cooperation with partners in all regions, including the UK.”

General Secretary To Lam speaks. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA

Sharing the driving force for Vietnam's development in the new era, General Secretary To Lam emphasized that Vietnam has chosen a very clear direction: science and technology, innovation, digital transformation and knowledge economy will be the main growth drivers in the coming period. Vietnam is strongly promoting the national digital transformation strategy, developing the digital economy, green economy, circular economy, low-carbon economy; considering innovation not only as a pure scientific laboratory, but also as the vitality of the economy, national competitiveness, and the ability to stand firm against geopolitical and geo-economic shocks. Vietnam continues to build and perfect the model of a "socialist-oriented market economy": an economy that operates according to market rules, encourages healthy competition, respects the role of private enterprises as an important driving force of growth; At the same time, affirming the guiding, guiding and regulating role of the socialist rule-of-law State, under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, to ensure development goes hand in hand with social progress and equity. Considering the private economy as the most important driving force to promote economic growth; considering the state economic sector as the leading force, ensuring macroeconomic stability, economic security, energy security, food security; considering the rule-of-law State, honest governance, anti-corruption, waste prevention and group interests as conditions for social trust, for social resources to be allocated effectively, for people to enjoy the fruits of development fairly.

General Secretary To Lam stated: “We put people at the center of every development strategy. The main goal is not growth statistics, but to truly improve the quality of life of the people: income, housing, public health, quality education, social security, personal development opportunities, a safe and clean living environment. We want growth without sacrificing the environment. We want to industrialize without losing culture. We want to urbanize but leave no one behind.” The General Secretary affirmed that this is a very fundamental point in Vietnam’s development thinking: rapid growth must be associated with sustainable development; sustainable development must be based on knowledge, science-technology and innovation; innovation is only meaningful when people benefit substantially, fairly and equally. On that basis, Vietnam sets two very clear strategic goals. First goal: By 2030, marking 100 years of national development under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Vietnam is determined to become a developing country with modern industry and high average income. Second goal: By 2045, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Vietnam strives to become a developed country with high income, a modern economy, a civilized society, people with high material and spiritual life, and a country with a worthy position in the international community.

Regarding the national vision for the Vietnam-UK relationship, General Secretary To Lam said that, facing a new step of development, Vietnam considers the UK not only a trade partner, an educational partner, a partner in science and technology, but also a long-term strategic partner to jointly shape cooperation standards in the 21st century. The General Secretary emphasized that the Vietnam-UK relationship is a relationship of friendship, cooperation and mutual development. This is a partnership in which both sides have fundamental interests in maintaining peace, stability, respecting international law, ensuring freedom of navigation, protecting the global supply chain, promoting fair and sustainable trade, responding to climate change, green development, and inclusive development. In other words, this is the meeting between the UK's need to engage more deeply in the Asia-Pacific region and Vietnam's need to expand its strategic space, technology, education, and high-quality finance with the UK, Europe, and the international community.

General Secretary To Lam said that the two sides need a new model of cooperation - practical, measurable, and spreading benefits directly to the people of the two countries. "A new model of cooperation" means combining the UK's strengths in basic science, applied science, high technology, biomedicine, public health, higher education, urban management, energy transition, and financial services with the needs of digital transformation, green transformation, improving the quality of human resources, innovating development management, and perfecting the socialist-oriented market economic institution in Vietnam. The General Secretary emphasized that it is not just "technology transfer" cooperation. It is co-creating the future; believing that Oxford itself - with its tradition of connecting knowledge and public policy, with its influential alumni network around the world - can play a very specific role in this process. The General Secretary pointed out that joint training and research cooperation in key areas such as public health, biotechnology, nuclear science, basic science, responsible artificial intelligence, climate change, clean energy policy; expert exchange programs between policy research institutes of Vietnam and policy research centers, public administration, sustainable development in the UK; cooperation in supporting innovation and technology startups for Vietnamese enterprises; jointly testing models of sustainable urban development, green finance, open education, digital health and public health care, areas that both sides are interested in and have urgent needs.

Delegates attend a policy speech at Oxford University. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA

The General Secretary said that Vietnam is entering a new stage of development with a strong aspiration: to build a strong, prosperous, and humane country; a modern, green, and smart economy; a fair and civilized society where people are guaranteed human security and are given conditions for comprehensive development; and to strive for the goal of "a rich people, a strong country, democracy, fairness, and civilization".

The General Secretary expressed his belief in the power of humanity. Throughout history, the Vietnamese people have always used humanity to overcome brutality, and used humaneness to replace violence. We believe that the most sustainable strength of a nation is not only military or financial strength, but moral strength, the strength to unite the people, the strength to build trust with international friends. The General Secretary shared: “We love peace, aspire to freedom and development. We seek equal cooperation. We do not accept imposition. We respect international law. We do not want the world to be divided into opposing blocs, but we long for a united world because 'This Earth is ours'. We want the world to develop together.”

In that spirit, the General Secretary hopes that the young generation in the UK, research institutes, universities, innovative businesses, civil society organizations, and future policymakers will consider Vietnam as a sincere and trustworthy partner, sharing responsibilities and benefits in a reshaping world order. The General Secretary believes that if we join hands to build a comprehensive and substantive strategic cooperation framework, based on mutual respect, mutual benefit, and long-term vision, the Vietnam-UK relationship will not only advance to a new level on the diplomatic map of the new era. It will become a driving force, a model, a common success story - not only for the two countries but also for peace, stability, and sustainable development in the 21st century.

General Secretary To Lam witnessed the signing of a research cooperation agreement on Net Zero Carbon between Vietjet Air and Oxford University. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA

On this occasion, General Secretary To Lam and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation and the Oxford University Board of Directors witnessed the handover ceremony of cooperation documents including:

Collaboration Agreement between the British Heart Institute and the University of Oxford on Training, Research and Healthcare Innovation.

The Net Zero Carbon research cooperation agreement between Vietjet Air and Oxford University marks a new step forward in educational and scientific research cooperation between Vietnam and the UK. The initiative also contributes to promoting educational cooperation and training of high-quality human resources between Vietnam and the UK, with PhD and postdoctoral programs at the Oxford Net Zero center. The project is part of Vietjet's Fly Green campaign - a sustainable development strategy towards a "green future for blue skies", through the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), carbon offsets, afforestation, renewable energy investment and AI application in operations, helping to reduce 38% of emissions per passenger compared to old-generation aircraft.

Oxford Pioneer Scholarship Fund, a joint initiative between Sovico Group and the University of Oxford. The Pioneer Scholarship Fund will provide long-term study and research opportunities for outstanding students, especially from Vietnam. To date, £700,000 has been disbursed, funding scholarships for 11 outstanding Vietnamese students studying at Oxford in the fields of Education, Chemistry, Clinical Medicine, Genomic Medicine and Business Administration (MBA).

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/thoi-su/tong-bi-thu-to-lam-phat-bieu-chinh-sach-tai-dai-hoc-oxford-vuong-quoc-anh-20251029063850382.htm