Vietnam delegation attends leadership program at Columbia University

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Van Thang led a Vietnamese delegation to the Vietnam Leadership Programme (VLP) 2026 at Columbia University in New York from August 24 to 26. The program focuses on critical strategic topics including safe artificial intelligence governance, digital finance, cloud computing, banking modernization, capital markets, and national technology strategies.

During the opening ceremony, Thang emphasized Vietnam’s long-term vision to become a modern industrial, upper-middle-income country by 2030 and a high-income developed nation by 2045. He highlighted the importance of international knowledge sharing from academic institutions like Columbia University to support Vietnam’s policy-making and bilateral cooperation with the United States.

Professor Nguyen Thi Lien Hang, Director of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University, noted that the VLP 2026 is a significant milestone following the success of the Vietnam Executive Leadership Programme (VELP). Plans are also underway to develop a Vietnam Research Center at Columbia University to further deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and the United States.

Separately, the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations announced its 9th National Congress for the 2026-2031 term, scheduled for August 27-28, 2026, in Hanoi. The congress will host 489 official delegates to evaluate previous achievements and set future directions for the scientific and technological community.