Task-based management and implementation, and separate delegation among public agencies are the two rising trends in Vietnam. As a result, many bottlenecks and problems in economic development have been identified for a long time but not effectively addressed.

As commissioned by the Department of Foreign Affairs – Ministry of Foreign Affairs, FSPPM organized two training workshops on Renewed understandings of International Integration and Sustainable Development in June 2018 in Da Nang, and Economic Development in Globalization Era: Challenges from Reality and the Role of Leadership in November 2018 in Hanoi. The purposes of the workshops were to update public leaders and officials who oversee diplomatic and foreign affairs with modern knowledge related to the integration into global economy and sustainable development.

The program aimed to revisit the role of foreign affairs to address management bottlenecks in regional development. With the right external resources and cooperation with various countries, Vietnam and local governments could address the internal problems in a more efficient way.

The two training programs were different from other conventional programs because of their original structure and curriculum. For example, in a conventional program, it tends to be teacher-centered and the participants can only passively obtain knowledge through listening to the instructors. In the two training workshops offered by FSPPM, the participants had to read the required materials, do the pre-class preparations, participate in in-class debates, and present their findings at the end of the class. The participants’ performance was graded by an examination committee, consisted of FSPPM faculty and leaders in foreign affairs.

General issues of Vietnam and issues of each local governments were included in the curriculum to help the participants form a comprehensive outlook on national and local issues, utilizing activities in foreign affairs to address the internal bottlenecks.