WEF, Ho Chi Minh City sign joint statement on smart manufacturing

The 2025 Autumn Economic Forum opened in Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday and was set to wrap up on Thursday.

The signing represents a strategic milestone, linking Vietnam more closely with the global innovation ecosystem and establishing one of the first cooperative initiatives between the country and the WEF to promote smart manufacturing in developing economies.

Pursuant to the joint statement, both sides are committed to jointly implementing the initiative that supports smart manufacturing and responsible industrial transformation in Ho Chi Minh City, contributing to the development of the Lighthouse Operating System (Lighthouse OS) on a global scale.

The initiative will provide strategic support for smart manufacturing and include pilot implementation in Ho Chi Minh City through practical tools, capacity-building programs, and knowledge-sharing activities.

To carry the work forward, the Ho Chi Minh City Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (HCMC C4IR) and the WEF’s Advanced Manufacturing and Supply Chains Center (AMSC) have been tasked with developing plans and coordinating activities related to Lighthouse OS in Vietnam.

The joint statement affirms Ho Chi Minh City’s and Vietnam’s growing status as ‘co-creators’ in global initiatives led by the WEF, underscoring the Southeast Asian country’s rising profile within international cooperation networks.

It also signals Ho Chi Minh City’s entry into the global smart manufacturing innovation network as an active contributor, helping shape advanced industrial models that support Vietnam’s green and sustainable development trajectory in the new era.