Participants from the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS) were: Pro. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang, Member of the Party Central Committee, President of VASS; Pro. Dr. Vo Khanh Vinh, Vice President of VASS; Pro. Dr. Nguyen Quang Thuan, Vice President of VASS; PGS.TS. Pro. Dr. Pham Van Duc, Vice President of VASS; representatives of administrators and scientists from bodies of and directly under the VASS.
A number of representatives were from Ministries, Central Commissions and institutions of Vietnam including: Office of the Government, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
A number of representatives from Lam Dong province were: Mr. Nguyen Xuan Tien, Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Committee, Chairman of the Lam Dong People's Council; Mr. Doan Van Viet, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Committee, Chairman of the Lam Dong People's Committee; and representative leaders of Departments, Commissions and organizations in Lam Dong province.
Other local representatives were: Mr. Trieu Xuan Hoa, Deputy Head of the Central Highlands Steering Committee; Mr. Y Dham E Nuol, Vice Chairman of the Dak Lak People's Committee; Mr. Bui Nhat Quang, Vice Chairman of the Ninh Thuan People's Committee; and representative leaders of Departments, Commissions and organizations of the Central Highlands Steering Committee, provinces of Dak Nong and Gia Lai.
Representatives from Cambodia were 21 participants of: Academician Dr. Khlot Thyda, President of the Royal Academy of Cambodia (RAC); Academician Sum Chhum Bun, Vice President of RAC; Academician Tech Samnang, Consultant of Royal Government of Cambodia; representatives of administrators and scientists from institutes of RAC and a number of Ministries in Cambodia.
Representatives from Laos were 16 participants of: Pro. Dr. Chaleune Yiapaoheu, Member of the Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, President of Lao Academy of Social Sciences (LASS); Dr. Sila Mounthalavong, Vice President of LASS; representatives of administrators and scientists from institutes of LASS and a number of Ministries in Laos.
Chairpersons of opening session at the Conference were: Pro. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang, President of VASS; Mr. Nguyen Xuan Tien, Provincial Committee Secretary of Lam Dong; Pro. Dr. Chaleune Yiapaoheu, President of LASS; Academician Dr. Khlot Thyda, President of RAC.
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The conference listened to welcome speeches of President of VASS, President of RAC, President of LASS, and Chairman of the Lam Dong People's Committee. In his welcome speech to the conference, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang, President of VASS emphasized: 2015 is year with special importance for official formation of ASEAN Economic Community. For the regional countries’ proactive participation and benefits from the model of ASEAN Economic Community, and for specification of this economic cooperative model, every country not only attempts to find out solutions in order to cope with challenges as well as taking advantages of opportunities to proactively and fully integrate into ASEAN Economic Community, but also effectively develop bilateral and multilateral economic cooperation among countries in the region. With geographic particularity of shared borders, share of historical value, interlaced benefits, strong interdependence among each other dominated by geographic and economic factors, and common goals of action in the future, the three countries of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos have important foundations to develop a model of trans-boundary economic cooperation in the Development triangle area of Vietnam-Cambodia-Laos.
Actually trans-boundary economic cooperation in the Development triangle area of Vietnam-Cambodia-Laos in the past shows that some initial results have been achieved, but overall that is still humble, yet proportional to potentialities and goals set out by the three countries. Simultaneously there are still many limitations and specific persistence needed to be resolved in dimensions of: i) institutional term, there was gradual formation of an institutional framework for investment and trade in the Development Triangle area as well as creating favorable conditions for people, transport and goods through back and forth the Development triangle area among the three countries. However, basically, the system of legal documents is still lacking and not specific, mainly based on the documents of bilateral and multilateral cooperation among the three countries; ii) that the form of direct investment was initially formed, but mainly this is of Vietnam’s enterprises in the North-eastern provinces of Cambodia and the South of Laos, while overseas investment activity of enterprises of Laos and Cambodia in the area of Indochina does not almost exist, or is negligible; iii) trade and commodity exchanges are still less busy due to undeveloped commodity economy in the North-eastern provinces of Cambodia and the South of Laos, and quite similar economic structure and production of agriculture, forestry and fisheries in the Development triangle area; iv) cooperation in building of infrastructure, transportation infrastructure, and commercial infrastructure including economic zones, border markets, gate markets, logistics service infrastructure and customs were concerned to be more invested in, but basically that does not meet and not really fit needs and potentialities, and there is still lack of synchronization among the three countries; this needs to be calculated and planed again on the basis of needs and possibilities of commodity trading.
Mr.Ppresident of VASS suggested that the three countries need to focus on research and give suggestions on contents of cooperation, institutional reform, improvement of infrastructure, etc. to create premise of promoting trans-boundary investment and trade cooperation in the Development triangle area of Vietnam-Cambodia-Laos. It is necessary to build effective and specific institutional framework, and find out cooperative mode and mechanism, and appropriate solutions in order to maximize potentialities and strengths of each country and the Development triangle area, to enhance local, interregional and transnational economic links, to form border gate economic zones on benefits from a special mechanism, and to that trans-boundary economic cooperation among Vietnam-Cambodia-Laos really brings economic benefits to each country, as well as contribution to strengthening friendship, ties and solidarity among the three Indochina nations.
After the opening session, the conference was divided into 3 sessions for discussion:
The 1st session: Influence of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) on trans-boundary economic cooperation among Vietnam-Cambodia-Laos chaired by Pro. Dr. Nguyen Quang Thuan, Vice President of VASS, including 3 papers: 1) Review of situation and challenges of trans-boundary economic cooperation among Laos-Vietnam-Cambodia (Dr. Sitthiroth Rasphone, National economic Research Institute, Ministry of Planning and Investment, Laos); 2) Realization of the ASEAN Economic Community and economic cooperation among Vietnam-Cambodia-Laos (Dr. Vo Xuan Vinh, Institute for Southeast Asian studies, VASS); 3) Good and developed neighbour relationships: some issues and challenges (Dr. Sok Touch, Director of International relations Institute of Cambodia, RAC).
The 2nd session: Assessment of situation and issues raised of trans-boundary economic cooperation among Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, chaired by Dr. Sila Mounthalavong, Vice President of LASS, including 3 papers: 1) Trans-boundary economic cooperation among Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos: practices and issues raised (Dr. Prom Tevy, Head of Publishing Committee, RAC); 2) Border commercial development status between Vietnam and Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia during the early years of the 21st century (Dr. Pham Nguyen Minh, Director of Vietnam Institute for Trade, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Vietnam); 3) Impact of the ASEAN Economic Community on trans-boundary economic cooperation among Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam (Mr. Leksay Keoyasan, Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Laos).
The 3rd session: Cooperative prospect among Vietnam-Cambodia-Laos in promoting trans-boundary economic relations, chaired by Academician Sum Chhum Bun, Vice President of the Royal Academy of Cambodia, including 3 papers: 1) Prospect of trans-boundary economic cooperation among Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia after integration of the ASEAN Economic Community (Dr. Onechanh Chanthongsy, Deputy Chief of the Office, LASS); 2) Issues set out in the trans-boundary social-economic cooperation among Vietnam-Cambodia-Laos (Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Duy Dung, Director of Institute for Southeast Asian studies, VASS); 3) Prospect of trans-boundary economic cooperation among Vietnam-Cambodia-Laos (Dr. Chheng Vannarith and Dr. Som Somuny, Institute of Humanities and Social science, RAC).
The conference received many comments, and consisted lively discussion and exchange on the spirit of candour and science.
On the speech of the closing session at the conference, Academician Dr. Khlot Thyda, President of RAC, highly evaluated efforts of VASS and Lam Dong Province in organizing the successful conference, and highly reviewed scientific quality of the papers and the comments discussed at the conference. Mr. President of RAC expressed confidence that results of this conference will contribute to promoting trans-boundary cooperation among three countries of Cambodia-Vietnam-Laos, and expressed agreement about and trust in importance of subject of the 5th annual conference organized by the LASS. Simultaneously, Mr. President committed that delegation of the RAC will join the conference with high responsibility to contribute to success of the next conferences as well as contribute to tightening cooperation among the three academies of social science of the three Indochina countries.
On the closing speech, Prof. Dr. Chaleune Yiapaoheu, President of LASS, emphasized: the success of this Conference was to provide scientific database and arguments to the Government of each country to devise mechanism and policies that promote more increasingly consistent and effective trans-boundary economic cooperation among the three countries in the context of regional integration. Mr. President of the LASS expressed his impression of professionalism in organization of the conference of VASS, about the high-tech agricultural products that are characteristics of Lam Dong province, which is valuable experience that the delegation of Lao Academy of Social Sciences collected beside the results of discussions at the conference. The Lao Academy of Social Sciences agreed to organize the fifth annual Conference in 2016 in Laos on the subject of "Human resource development in social sciences of the three countries of Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia to meet requirements of international integration and sustainable development."
On his summary speech at the conference, Pro. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Thang, President of VASS, clearly stated: the conference received papers with scientific quality, opinions discussed at the conference with candour, liveliness and quality. Although the subject of the conference is not new, but a new point of the conference is to emphasize the context of formation of the ASEAN economic community by 2015, changes through recent reality, and impact on trans-boundary economic cooperation among Vietnam-Cambodia-Laos as well as development of the Development triangle area, to straightforwardly recognize that basic characteristic of economic cooperation among the three countries is weak-weak relationship, we are in the group of lesser-developed countries in ASEAN, and all under pressure of strong development. This characteristic determines capacity of receiving opportunities and risks via challenges faced by the three countries in development of trans-boundary economic cooperation among the three countries.
Mr. President of VASS pointed out a number of major achievements as well as basic limitations in trans-boundary economic cooperation among the three countries over the past, hereby he suggested the three countries should place a higher priority on common benefits of the Mekong sub-region on the basis of trust and respect for each other's interests, harmonious resolution of many very complicated relationship, especially relationship between economic interests and environmental protection, resolving issues of lack of synchronization and consistency of institution, and improvement of infrastructure system. In the immediate time, the three countries need to focus on resolution of a number of important tasks such as: i) focusing on development of accurate, consistent and synchronous database system to be able to compare among the countries; II) focusing on further research to determine development structure, development corridor, development routes in trans-boundary economic cooperation among Vietnam-Cambodia-Laos, set in space and links with the economic corridors in the region; iii) focusing on research to provide solutions in order to solve issues of specifying contents of trans-boundary economic cooperation; reforming institution towards consistency and synchronization set in framework of commitments of bilateral and multilateral trade agreements; specifying priority policies for investment, trade, and customs procedures, etc. among the three countries to enhance participation and contribution of enterprises in trans-boundary economic cooperation among Vietnam-Cambodia-Laos as enterprises are the main subject of promoting economic cooperation and integration in terms of both quantity and quality; improvement of transportation infrastructure and commercial infrastructure for synchronization and connection, especially in the Development triangle area and the Common border area of the 3 countries, etc. to create premise of promoting trans-boundary investment and trade cooperation in the Development triangle area.
To promote trans-boundary economic cooperation among Vietnam-Cambodia-Laos, to surmount the limitations indicated above, for the three countries of Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam to be not continuously considered as a depression on development of the Southeast Asia, a weak group when participating in the ASEAN Economic Community, in the next stage, we need to prioritize research and suggestion on ground-breaking solutions, and focus on building connections in: i) infrastructure, particularly trade and transportation infrastructure; ii) enterprises; iii) human resources; iv) institution and policy mechanism in framework of the commitments and standards of the international community.
The professor, president of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences also straightforwardly pointed out that solutions proposed at the conference are also modest. To enhance feasibility and effectiveness of research cooperation in social science among the three academies, the three academies need actively to seek domestically and internationally financial resources, and consider formation of a common research group to together conduct surveys and researches on common issues of the three countries in order to propose feasible solutions of institution, mechanism and synchronous policy./
Dr. Vu Hung Cuong
