On March 19th, KDI School launched the annual two-week workshop on Benchmarking of Trade and Investment Promotion Policy for Vietnamese senior public officials. This year’s event coincides with the 20th anniversary of the establishment of Korea and Vietnam’s diplomatic relationship, turning the seminar all the more meaningful. Participants included deputy directors of various ministries and other senior government officials from Vietnam, as well as development experts from the KDI School.

Prof. Hyeok Jeong, Director of Capacity Building Team, opened the event stating that the aim of the workshop was to share Korea’s development experience on rural community development, export industrialization and infrastructure building. He emphasised the KDI’s role as the driving force behind the relevant policymaking, and spoke of his hope “to help the two countries reach new heights in bilateral relations and understandings” through various exchanges like this occasion.

The first lecture was delivered by Dr. Sang-Woo Nam, Dean of the KDI School. Using Korea’s best practice as a benchmark, he introduced the 2009-11 Knowledge Sharing Program with the key themes being: industrial restructuring & growth potential of the Vietnamese economy; enhancing the efficiency of the public sector; strengthening the technological capacity of Vietnamese enterprises; and urban development & infrastructure provision.

To ensure that the participants gain both insights and first-hand experience on Korea, the KDI School organized cultural activities and site visits. They looked around cultural heritage in Gyeongju, and visited Hyundai Motors, Ministry of Public Administration and Security, and many other places of interest during the two week period.

In the closing ceremony Vietnamese officials indicated that the seminar topics were extremely helpful in planning their future trade policies. They spoke highly of the lecturers and moderators who had an excellent understanding of the real situation in Vietnam, which helped the discussion touch on not just theoretic but practical aspects. Many participants have also mentioned that Korea is a good model to learn from because it has considered everything investors would need and have made it readily available, such as licensing, tax information, and land policy.

“The workshop definitely met our goals and expectations because it focused on our actual needs to promote trade and investment. I was very impressed by Korea’s infrastructural development, export-oriented industrialization and the innovative New Community Movement,” said Nguyen Duc Tan, Deputy Director of External Relations and International Cooperation of Quang Tri Province.

The workshop wrapped up on Friday, March 30th, with the Dean Nam handing out certificates to each of the participants.

By Befekadu Mulatu LIKASA (2011 MPP, Ethiopia)