On July 24, 2024, Foreign Trade University (FTU) collaborated with the Vietnam Office of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA Vietnam) to organize a special lecture by Professor Tran Van Tho, Emeritus Professor at Waseda University (Japan), with the theme "Innovating Growth Models: Lessons from Japan and Implications for Vietnam."

This special lecture was conducted as part of the series of activities under the JICA Chair Program. Since 2020, JICA has launched the JICA Chair Program, targeting research institutions and leading universities in developing countries to expand opportunities for sharing experiences and lessons learned from development cooperation projects and Japan’s modernization efforts. In Vietnam, JICA began implementing the program in 2021, including activities such as donating books to research institutions on Japan and organizing special lectures by renowned scholars from Japan. In the future, JICA will continue to collaborate with partners to further promote Japan studies in Vietnam and contribute to Vietnam’s sustainable socio-economic development.

Attendees of the program from JICA Vietnam included Mr. Sugano Yuichi, Chief Representative of the Vietnam Office of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA Vietnam). From Foreign Trade University, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dao Ngoc Tien, Vice President of the University; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vu Hoang Nam, Head of the Department of Research Administration; and Heads/Deputy Heads of various units within the university were present. The lecture attracted the participation of over 150 lecturers, students, and interested individuals from private enterprises.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Sugano Yuichi, Chief Representative of JICA Vietnam, emphasized the objectives of the JICA Chair Program. In Vietnam, besides organizing special lectures like this one by renowned scholars from Japan, JICA Vietnam also engages in activities such as donating books to research institutions on Japan. Moving forward, JICA will continue to collaborate with partners to further promote Japan studies in Vietnam and contribute to Vietnam's sustainable socio-economic development. On this occasion, Mr. Sugano Yuichi expressed his gratitude to Foreign Trade University and Professor Tran Van Tho for collaborating with JICA to organize this meaningful program.

Following the opening, Professor Tran Van Tho, Emeritus Professor at Waseda University, presented his lecture on the topic "Innovating Growth Models: Lessons from Japan and Implications for Vietnam."

Professor Tran Van Tho was a former member of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Group. Previously, he served in the economic and administrative reform advisory group of the late Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet and collaborated with the policy research team of the late Prime Minister Phan Van Khai. He was one of the first three foreigners invited to serve in multiple terms on the Prime Minister of Japan's Economic Advisory Council. He has also served as an advisor to various Japanese government agencies. Professor Tran Van Tho is the author of several publications in both Japanese and Vietnamese on the economies of Asia, Japan, and Vietnam. His research focuses on economic policy, development economics, international economics, and Asian economics.

In 2010, Vietnam achieved middle-income status and was expected to join the ranks of upper-middle-income countries. However, the country now faces challenges such as avoiding the middle-income trap and transitioning to a high-income country by 2045, as outlined in its national goals.

To achieve the goal of economic restructuring towards high value-added industries, JICA and Foreign Trade University have been conducting training activities since 2000 for entrepreneurs who play a crucial role in developing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and supporting industries through the Vietnam-Japan Human Resources Cooperation Center (VJCC). More than 800 students have completed VJCC’s advanced business program, known as Keieijuku. Many of them have established business relationships with foreign companies, particularly Japanese firms, contributing to Vietnam’s economic and social development.

In this program, with a focus on introducing key growth models, the speaker highlighted lessons for Vietnam from Japan’s experiences. Professor Tran Van Tho stated: "For Vietnam to avoid the middle-income trap and achieve the goal of becoming a high-income country by 2045, it is essential to maintain labor productivity growth and advance economic restructuring. This is the foundation for increasing labor productivity, changing competitive advantages, and maintaining competitiveness in the international market. Moreover, in this process, both capital accumulation and innovation are important, and government policies should aim at enhancing investment efficiency, encouraging innovation, and setting goals for training high-quality human resources to promote economic restructuring." These points were also emphasized in the lecture.

Speaking at the program, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dao Ngoc Tien, Vice President of the University, affirmed that in recent years, Foreign Trade University has focused on four main research areas, including the "Innovation of Socio-Economic Institutions for Sustainable Development." The university has carried out many research tasks, provided policy advice, and organized numerous forums, conferences, and international seminars to discuss drivers, address bottlenecks, and research policy proposals to innovate growth models and achieve sustainable development in Vietnam. With this aim in mind, today’s event is of great significance for the university's research and policy advisory activities and contributes to proposing new ideas and policies to innovate Vietnam’s growth model. On behalf of Foreign Trade University, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dao Ngoc Tien expressed sincere thanks to JICA Vietnam for the opportunity to co-organize the JICA Chair Program at Foreign Trade University, as well as to Professor Tran Van Tho for his time and dedication in sharing his insights, contributing to the process of innovating Vietnam’s growth model. He expressed his hope and belief that in the future, there will be even more collaboration between Foreign Trade University and the JICA Chair Program.