Member of the Party Central Committee and Deputy Minister of Public Security Senior Lieutenant General Dang Hong Duc received Managing Director and Chief Technology Officer of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Stephan Mergenthaler, on the sidelines of the 2026 Autumn Economic Forum, on the evening of October 27, at the International Reception Room of the Reunification Convention Hall (Independence Palace) in Ho Chi Minh City.
Deputy Minister Dang Hong Duc welcomed Mr. Stephan Mergenthaler and the high-level WEF delegation to the country, expressing appreciation for their attendance at the 2026 Autumn Economic Forum in Ho Chi Minh City and their working session with the Ministry of Public Security of Viet Nam.
Regarding bilateral cooperation between Viet Nam and the WEF, Deputy Minister Dang Hong Duc noted with satisfaction that relations between the two sides have developed in a fruitful, strong, and substantive manner. He emphasized that the Ministry of Public Security highly values the WEF's role in promoting policy dialogue and connecting government leaders, enterprises, international organizations, and experts to advance economic development, science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation, as well as to address shared global challenges.
Regarding development in science, technology and innovation, Deputy Minister Dang Hong Duc emphasized that, in its capacity as the Vietnamese Government’s Standing Agency of the Central Steering Committee for Science, Technology, Innovation and Digital Transformation, the Ministry of Public Security expressed its desire for the WEF to join Viet Nam in further upgrading and enhancing bilateral cooperation, as well as signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
Furthermore, the Ministry hopes the WEF will consider expanding cooperation and support for the Ministry of Public Security of Viet Nam in key areas, including experience sharing, policy diplomacy, enhanced networking via the WEF's global ecosystem, and the establishment of mechanisms for professional exchanges and expert collaboration.
For his part, WEF Managing Director Stephan Mergenthaler expressed his gratitude to Deputy Minister Dang Hong Duc and leaders of relevant functional units for taking good care of the WEF leadership during their visit to attend the 2026 Autumn Economic Forum in Ho Chi Minh City.
Taking into consideration the points raised by the leaders of the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security during the meeting, WEF Managing Director Stephan Mergenthaler stated that he would instruct relevant departments to study and promote specific areas of cooperation with the Ministry, especially in the fields of science, technology, and innovation development.