Bamboo Capital founder spreads message of dynamic, innovative Vietnam at World Knowledge Forum

Nguyen Ho Nam, founder of Vietnam’s private conglomerate Bamboo Capital Group (BCG), has attended and delivered a 40-minute keynote speech titled “Vietnam – A Trusted Friend in a Turbulent World,” at the 25th World Knowledge Forum (WKF) 2024 in Incheon, South Korea.

The WKF is one of the largest economy forums in the world. This year’s event, themed “Journey towards Coexistence”, took place on September 9-11, drawing hundreds of speakers and delegates, including politicians, business leaders, researchers, and professors from the world's leading universities.

WKF – A meeting place of most influential global management minds

The World Knowledge Forum was launched in 2000 in South Korea. Since then, it has been held annually with active discussions aimed at sharing knowledge, narrowing the knowledge gap, and promoting balanced and prosperous global economic growth.

Notable speakers at the previous editions included national leaders such as George W. Bush, the 43rd President of the U.S.; Theresa May, the 76th Prime Minister of the U.K.; Nicolas Sarkozy, the 23rd President of France; and Gerhard Schröder, the 7th Chancellor of Germany.

International organization leaders such as Jim Yong Kim, the 12th President of the World Bank, and founders and executives of major companies like Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft Corporation; Larry Ellison, chairman and CEO of Oracle Corporation; John L. Hennessy, chairman of Alphabet; and George Soros, chairman of Soros Fund Management, attended the forum. Economists such as Larry Summers, Paul Krugman, Michael Porter, and Gregory Mankiw also addressed the event.

With the participation of prominent and influential figures in politics, economy, technology, research, and academia, the WKF is recognized as a meeting place of the most influential global management minds.

WKF 2024: Promoting harmony, international cooperation

The WKF 2024 aimed to find ways to promote harmonious coexistence, mutual support, understanding, and respect among nations for joint development. The three-day forum featured in-depth discussions on four main topics: International Situations; the Future of Artificial Intelligence (AI); A Sustainable World; Business and Innovation.

The event featured prominent figures such as Hun Sen, President of the Cambodian People's Party and President of the Senate of Cambodia; Mauricio Macri, former President of Argentina; Naftali Bennett, former Prime Minister of Israel; Katalin Novák, former President of Hungary; John Kelly, the 28th White House Chief of Staff; Linda G. Mills, the 17th President of New York University; Jonathan Gray, CEO of Blackstone; Kam Ghaffarian, co-founder of X-energy; Ian Goldin, professor at the University of Oxford; Lila Ibrahim, CEO of Google DeepMind; along with many other top global politicians, business leaders, experts, and professors.

In his message for the event, Dr Chang Dae-whan, chairman of Maekyung Media Group and founder of the World Knowledge Forum, highlighted that the 25th WKF took place in a volatile period marked by ongoing geopolitical and geoeconomic uncertainties.

“Amidst a shifting geopolitical balance of power, unprecedented new technologies are emerging and fundamentally transforming human lives,” Dr Chang said.

“Rapid changes in politics, economics, society, culture, and other fields are increasingly amplifying conflicts. As various conflicts approach critical thresholds, humanity faces a new challenge: to coexist and collaborate in a world unlike any we have experienced before. Now more than ever, we need the wisdom to respect one another and live together shoulder to shoulder, transcending conflicts based on gender, generation, ideology, culture, environment, and individual differences. Therefore, we have chosen "Journey Towards Coexistence" as the theme for this year's World Knowledge Forum,” noted the founder.

In the morning of September 10, President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea attended the 25th World Knowledge Forum and delivered the opening speech. He emphasized the need for global solidarity to overcome technological and geopolitical challenges in a world of conflicts.

The President noted that while technologies like AI offer many benefits, they also pose risks such as fake news and deepfakes. He called for the world to stand firm in protecting freedom, democracy, and easing difficulties for vulnerable groups amid technological competition.

Following President Yoon's remarks, Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen shared his views on ASEAN's efforts towards prosperity and development, particularly as sustainable development and multilateralism become increasingly prominent trends.

Bamboo Capital founder delivers “Vietnam – A Trusted Friend in a Turbulent World” message

As part of this year's World Knowledge Forum, Nguyen Ho Nam, founder of Bamboo Capital Group and vice chairman of Eximbank, was invited by the forum organizers to attend and present a 40-minute keynote speech titled “Vietnam – A Trusted Friend in a Turbulent World.”

Nam emphasized that amid the current turbulent world with geopolitical conflicts, competition among major powers, and technological advancements that bring both opportunities and challenges, Vietnam remains a steadfast and reliable partner. With a rapidly growing economy, a safe and stable investment environment, and an open policy, Vietnam has continued to attract international attention.

He highlighted terms such as “promising investment destination,” “safe business environment,” and “global partners” when discussing investment opportunities in Vietnam.

In addition to sharing insights on Vietnam’s stable investment environment and development potential, the founder of Bamboo Capital also introduced attractive investment opportunities in his country to international friends, thus promoting an image of Vietnam that is dynamic, innovative, and ready to collaborate with the global community.

During an intimate meeting held as part of the forum chaired by Dr. Chang Dae-Whan, founder of the World Knowledge Forum, Nam engaged in discussions about investment and cooperation opportunities with notable figures, including Arthur Laffer, economist and chairman of Laffer Associates; Kohei Itoh, president of Keio University; Michael Beckley, professor at Tufts University; Todd Buchholz, former director of Economic Policy at the White House; and Paul Zak, professor at Claremont Graduate University.

Nam shared the potential and opportunities for multilateral cooperation between Vietnamese businesses and international investors as the country aims to attract high-quality investment.