On April 23, 2025, the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Vietnam, organized a sharing seminar on “Building Opportunities in Leadership Development (BOLD).”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Manh Hung, Assistant to the Politburo Member, Director of the Center for International Knowledge Sharing; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hoang Van Nghia, Director General of the Department of International Cooperation; and Ms. Ramla Khalidi, Resident Representative of UNDP in Vietnam co-chaired the seminar.
Seminar overview
At the seminar, delegates listened to Dr. Philip Schellekens, Chief Economist of UNDP in the Asia-Pacific region, introducing the program “Building Opportunities in Leadership Development (BOLD)”; Prof. Dr. Shahid Yusuf, Economic Advisor of UNDP in the Asia-Pacific region shared about “The BOLD Consultative Report – Two scenarios for Vietnam”; and Prof. Dr. Jonathan London, Economic Advisor, UNDP Vietnam introduced BOLD Vietnam.
The BOLD program is a strategic accompaniment service of UNDP – designed to support governments in responding to complex development challenges and enhancing the capabilities needed to lead transformative change. In Vietnam, BOLD directly responds to the national call for support in promoting a new growth model and enhancing the effectiveness of policy implementation in a synchronized, results-oriented manner.
According to UNDP experts, with strong political commitment, clear development priorities, and increasing urgency to overcome institutional and coordination bottlenecks, Vietnam is at a pivotal moment. National leaders aim to achieve clearly defined transformation outcomes – but to do so, new forms of support are needed, aligned with complex systems and rapidly evolving risks.
Delegates attending the seminar
To achieve the set objectives, the BOLD initiative will be implemented in two complementary phases, in line with Vietnam’s strategic cycle. These two phases combine high-level strategic support and in-depth institutional capacity development, designed to support both short-term outcomes and long-term transformation.
The first phase of BOLD (2025) will provide high-level strategic support and policy consultation for Vietnamese leadership, heading towards the 14th National Party Congress. This phase will begin with the establishment of the BOLD Advisory Council, including reputable domestic experts and leading international experts to provide strategic direction in accordance with emerging reform needs, while maintaining momentum between interventions. Analysis of Vietnam's development strategy and dynamic capability will help identify key risks, bottlenecks, and breakthrough opportunities.
During the second phase (2026–2030), BOLD will become a Vietnam-led project, co-created and supported internationally, focusing on enhancing the necessary capacities to implement the country's new growth model. This phase will support the process of adaptive adjustment and step-by-step implementation of development strategies, based on existing and emerging policy research, while responding promptly to evolving reform needs.
Delegates attending the seminar take a group photo
Translator: Hoang Lan/ Proofreader: Viet Nga