Dear Mr. Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank,

Ladies and gentlemen,

­­­­­I would firstly like to extend my warmest welcome and my sincere thanks to all of you, distinguished guests, for your participation in this very significant ceremony.

In 1986, the Vietnam Communist Party set out 'Doi moi', opening a new horizon for Vietnam to rise and become a middle income developing country, a bright example in its achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and an active member in the preparation and initiation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The land that used to being referred to as a 'War' has become a peaceful country and an active member of peace-keeping forces.

A country suffering famine has become a top food exporter.

A war torn, centrally controlled and self-contained country has become a dynamic economy, a partner and an attractive destination for businesses and investors from all over the world.

Together with this are merged the cultural heritage, the humanistic tradition and the hidden charm of the nation and its people which shine in the stream of human civilization.

That is Vietnam.

We are proud of our People's tradition in the making and keeping of the nation. We have a deep sense of responsibility in the protection and development of our nation; we participate in peace making and peace-keeping, and strive for a world with no war, no poverty; a world community of prosperity on the green earth.

We are sincerely thankful to the friendly nations and international organizations that have constantly extended your support, cooperation and effective assistance to Vietnam throughout its development and hope to have this continue in the future.

Although we are proud and happy with the major achievements of the 30 years of 'Doi moi'; yet we are not satisfied.

The aspiration of the Vietnamese People for a brighter future of "prosperous people, stronger, equitable, democratic and civilized country", with a flourishing economy and sustainable environment, to extend freedom, well-being and happiness for all people; requires us to make further efforts. It calls on the Party and the State to continue even stronger and more holistic reforms, including and primarily in the building of governance capacity following the transparency motto of "known by the people, discussed by the people, done by the people and verified by the people”.

What Vietnam should and needs to do is to take the opportunities, overcome the challenges and make the most use of its advantages and resources to rise up even more vigorously, to create more rapid and sustainable development; to escape the middle income trap; to ensure social inclusion; to maintain the ecological environment; to facilitate the people to bring into play their full competencies and values; and to make this land "worth living" even though not materially well-off?

This was the initial question leading to the joint initiative of the Government of Vietnam and the World Bank in the preparation of the "Report Vietnam 2035: Aiming at Prosperity, Innovation, Inclusion and Democracy". This initiative was formally committed to by both by Mr. Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank, and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung in July 2014.

And 30 years after the launch of 'Doi moi', we are here today to launch an important report on a Vietnam for the next 20 years - the vision of a Vietnam 50 years after 'Doi moi'.

Important, current, yet strategic issues, such as competitiveness, productivity, innovative systems, ecological environment, social protection, the wealth gap, agriculture - rural development, urbanization, governance... have been jointly discussed and studied by the World Bank and Vietnamese experts to provide logically sound and objective assessments, analytical work and recommendations.

This Report and the background papers produced in the preparation of the Report are an importance reference for socio-economic development research and policy formulation in Vietnam. Even during the preparation of the Report, many ideas were used as reference for the documentation of the XII Vietnam Communist Party Congress.

The Government of Vietnam will refer to the recommendations of the Report in its policy making, primarily in the development of the 2016 - 2020 Socio-economic Development Plan and in the studies for the 2020 - 2030 Socio-economic Development Strategy.

We will also roll out a framework for a monitoring and evaluation framework to follow up the recommendations in the Report whilst conducting more in-depth studies and updates of important issues in the process of development.

The Government of Vietnam highly appreciates and values the goodwill and cooperation of the World Bank, and in particular President Jim Yong Kim personally, in the development of Vietnam as well as the initiative and the preparation of this significantly important Report.

We are also respectfully thankful to the donors, international and domestic institutions and experts that have supported and participated in the preparation of the Report and will also review and update the Report.

I myself have been privileged to assume the mandate of chairing the Report process, and therefore, I have been fortunate to personally enjoy many discussions and meetings with the participating experts. All have been great learning opportunities for me.

I sincerely extend my thanks to Dr. Axel van Trotsenburg, Vice President of the World Bank, Ms. Victoria Kwakwa, Country Director of the World Bank in Vietnam and their World Bank colleagues. To me, you are the teachers and the intelligent, kind and responsible friends.

I hope that the experience and bond of affection bond generated by the preparation of the Report will, somehow, be useful to you in your development career in developing countries, including Vietnam.

Finally, I sincerely thank Dr. Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank, International Development Partners, organizations, agencies and all of you, ladies and gentlemen, for your presence at this Ceremony. My best wishes for your health and happiness.