JVEC turns into VDF-Tokyo
24 Sep 2004

JVEC was established in May 2003 in Tokyo. After more than one year of monthly workshops and networking with Hanoi, we are happy to upgrade JVEC (informal gathering) into VDF-Tokyo (research project).

We hope to integrate research in Japan and Vietnam even more, and strengthen our financial standing. Activities will be expanded and the web has been renewed.

VDF-Tokyo will be managed directly by GRIPS, while VDF Hanoi will continue to be a joint project between NEU and GRIPS.

Though the budgets remain separate, the two VDFs will do research together.

On May 31, 2003, Prof. Kenichi Ohno (GRIPS), Prof. Tran Van Tho (Waseda Univ.) and a number of Vietnamese graduate students who were studying in Japan set up the Japan-Vietnam Economist Club (JVEC) in order to create a place to express and exchange academic views on Vietnam's development policy issues. From June 2003 to Sep. 2004, JVEC conducted 12 workshops, sent a research team to Hanoi for an intensive motorbike study, strengthened research links within Japan and between Japan and Vietnam, and stimulated many Vietnamese and Japanese researchers studying in Japan and abroad.

Meanwhile, the Vietnam Development Forum (VDF), a joint research project between the National Economics University (NEU) and GRIPS, was established in Feb. 2004 in Hanoi to mobilize young Vietnamese talents and innovate research methodology. Prof. Nguyen Van Thuong (NEU Rector) and Prof. Kenichi Ohno (GRIPS) are the project leaders of VDF.

Since JVEC and VDF share the same goal of fully utilizing Vietnamese human resources, we have decided to merge their research activities for more effective linkage. From now on, JVEC, which used to be an informal volunteer group, will become VDF Tokyo under the management and budget of GRIPS. VDF in Hanoi will continue to operate as before. Thus, VDF Hanoi and VDF Tokyo will be administratively separate, but integrated in research content. We hope this re-organization of two sisters will further strengthen research in Vietnam, Japan and the rest of the world.

- To promote high quality research on the Vietnamese economy
- To offer a forum for intellectual exchange among people sincerely interested or deeply involved in Vietnam's economic policy
- To disseminate analysis and proposals in order to improve Vietnam's economic policy
- To stimulate similar academic activities in Vietnam, Japan and elsewhere
- To provide information exchange service for Vietnam's economic research
- To publish articles or journals of international standard