HomeNews releaseAn Entrepreneur’s Guiding Principle – Devoting One’s Best Efforts to the Country

An Entrepreneur’s Guiding Principle – Devoting One’s Best Efforts to the Country

Entrepreneurs are people who are directly involved in production and business activities every day, contributing significantly to the economy. Through their practical experience and firsthand exposure to the business environment, entrepreneurs can provide valuable insights to legislative processes and policymaking. Therefore, the role of the business community in shaping important decisions of the National Assembly deserves even greater attention. Dai Bieu Nhan Dan Newspaper spoke with Mr. Nguyen Quang Huan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Halcom Vietnam Joint Stock Company and an elected delegate to the 15th National Assembly, about this important issue.

– Being elected as a delegate to the 15th National Assembly is both a great honor and a major responsibility to voters across the country, isn’t it, Mr. Huan?

Mr. Nguyen Quang Huan: Being elected as a delegate to the 15th National Assembly is a great honor for me personally. It is also an honor to represent the organization, the associations I am involved with, and the institution where I work. More importantly, I recognize this as a tremendous responsibility to the Party and State, as well as to the people and voters across the country.

When I participate in the activities of the National Assembly, I am no longer simply working on a short-term business plan or serving the specific interests of any individual. Instead, I will be contributing at the level of the nation as a whole. Therefore, as I take part in such an important forum for the first time, I feel that I am taking on an enormous responsibility. Nevertheless, I will make every effort and devote myself fully to fulfilling my responsibilities as an elected representative of the people, representing the voice, will, and aspirations of voters.

– The responsibilities of an elected representative are very different from those of an entrepreneur. What is your view on this?

Mr. Nguyen Quang Huan: In my view, business and political activities are completely different fields. However, every business is a cell of society. From a philosophical perspective, the particular contains elements of the general, while also reflecting certain characteristics of the general. For example, a business can, to some extent, be regarded as a microcosm of society, consisting of employees, partners, and business associates. It must resolve conflicts, develop plans, and, throughout its development, cannot operate outside the broader laws and principles governing society as a whole. Therefore, although managing a business is very small in scale compared with managing a country, it has given me practical experience and valuable lessons accumulated over many years. I believe I can contribute these experiences to the country’s overall development.

The 15th National Assembly has 499 elected delegates, and each delegate has their own particular strengths. No single delegate can possibly understand every field across such a broad national landscape. However, if each delegate strives to fulfill their role to the best of their ability, drawing on their deepest knowledge in the fields they have studied, together with a sincere desire to serve the country, I believe that combining the strengths of all 499 delegates will create the collective strength of the National Assembly.

 

– As a business leader, you have many responsibilities and must constantly listen to the market. So what will you do to fulfill your aspirations and commitments to voters as a candidate for the 15th National Assembly?

Mr. Nguyen Quang Huan: Once an action program has been presented and commitments have been made to voters, I believe every National Assembly delegate must keep those commitments in mind and make every effort to fulfill them. The responsibilities and duties of a National Assembly delegate can be reflected in three key areas. First, contributing to the development of laws and policies. Second, exercising supreme oversight. Third, making decisions on important matters of the country. The perspective of a business leader is a practical one, rather than the perspective of academic or scientific researchers. Business leaders are directly involved in production and business activities on a daily basis and contribute to the country’s economy. Therefore, policies and recommendations contributed by business leaders are likely to be more specific and closely aligned with real-world conditions, while the proposed solutions can also be more feasible.

In addition, whenever a law or policy is introduced, there is always a certain implementation lag, and its effectiveness will ultimately be tested in practice. From a business perspective, therefore, I believe that when contributing to policymaking, particularly in areas in which I have been professionally trained, I can bring certain advantages and practical insights.

During the oversight process, beyond what is stipulated by law, my practical experience as a business leader will allow me to identify issues that are closely aligned with realities on the ground. In essence, oversight is not about looking for weaknesses in order to criticize others. Rather, it is about bringing relevant parties together to ensure that things are done correctly, effectively, and in a way that serves the people and benefits the country.

At the same time, the oversight process can also provide an opportunity to recommend changes to laws and policies that are no longer appropriate. Where necessary, I will promptly submit recommendations to the National Assembly and relevant authorities to make adjustments, helping create a legal and policy framework that is better aligned with practical realities and the changing needs of society.

– How do you perceive the changes taking place in our country, particularly in light of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s statement: “Never before has our country had the stature, potential, position, and prestige that it has today,” given that you are both directly involved in production and business activities that contribute to socio-economic development and a representative of the will and aspirations of the people nationwide?

Mr. Nguyen Quang Huan: I was fortunate to have lived through what could be described as one of the most difficult periods for our country after reunification, before the Doi Moi reforms. Later, I had the opportunity to study in Finland. At that time, it was very difficult to obtain a visa from Finland to visit neighboring countries such as Lithuania or Sweden. These countries were concerned that Vietnamese students might visit and then stay illegally. I still remember arriving at a German airport and having my luggage inspected while the officials looked at me with suspicion. In the 1990s, it was still difficult for Vietnamese citizens to obtain visas to travel to Eastern European countries or Sweden. Yet in 2010, I was able to obtain a visa to the United States quite easily. Today, I find that Vietnamese citizens can generally obtain visas to travel to other countries much more conveniently.

These experiences demonstrate how significantly Vietnam’s international standing has changed in just over a decade. And from 2010 to 2021, Vietnam’s position has evolved even further. Vietnam has transformed from a country where average per capita income was less than USD 100 per person per year before 1990 to one where it had reached approximately USD 3,000 per person per year by 2021. This represents a remarkable journey of progress.

These are some of the changes I have observed in society and among the people. At the national level, Vietnam has become a member of the United Nations Security Council. In 2020, we marked the 25th anniversary of Vietnam’s accession to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) (July 28, 1995 – July 28, 2020), and Vietnam also assumed the role of ASEAN Chair that year. Vietnam subsequently hosted the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum with great success. These achievements demonstrate that across the political, economic, and social spheres, our country has made remarkable progress over the past two decades. At the same time, Vietnam has implemented comprehensive measures to ensure social security policies are aligned with social progress and development, achieving increasingly sustainable and effective socio-economic development.

The General Secretary’s assessment is absolutely accurate. However, we should not become complacent or let our guard down because of these achievements. As the General Secretary has often reminded us, we must not “rest on our laurels.”

Vietnam has made tremendous and far-reaching progress to achieve the position it holds today. Nevertheless, we must continue to evolve and keep pace with global trends, particularly those in developed countries. We need to establish and strengthen national standards that are aligned with and integrated into international standards. By doing so, Vietnam’s international standing can advance even further and become stronger in the years ahead.

– Thank you very much for your time, Mr. Huan!

Video of the interview with Mr. Nguyen Quang Huan: LINK

Source: Dai Bieu Nhan Dan Newspaper