VOV.VN – On the morning of August 14 in Ho Chi Minh City, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính attended and delivered a keynote address at the Forum for Dialogue with Businesses on Fire Prevention and Fighting, Industrialization, Security, Safety, and Digital Transformation for the Country’s Socio-economic Development.
The forum served as a bridge for connection, exchange, and sharing of experiences, as well as discussing challenges in complying with fire prevention, firefighting, search, and rescue regulations. It also provided a platform to discuss solutions for applying science, technology, and digital transformation to support national socio-economic development.
According to the latest statistics, over the past five years, Vietnam has recorded more than 17,600 fires—an average of over 3,000 incidents per year—resulting in 560 deaths, 606 injuries, and estimated property losses of nearly 4 trillion VND.
Based on surveys and feedback from businesses, Mr. Võ Tân Thành, Vice President of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), noted: “Temporary events such as fairs and exhibitions often require multiple separate licensing steps, with a lack of coordination between departments. Some regulations on fire and explosion insurance and firefighting equipment at seaports are not practical. For the petroleum industry, there must be unified technical regulations on fire prevention and firefighting between the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Public Security to avoid duplication in appraisals.”
At the forum, industry associations and businesses also proposed solutions to ensure security, safety, fire prevention, firefighting, and rescue in the coming period. Ms. Lý Kim Chi, Vice Chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City Business Association, recommended that regulatory agencies continue simplifying procedures for digital signatures and allow for automatic data updates from enterprises’ firefighting systems.
She emphasized that small and medium-sized enterprises, in particular, need consulting support to choose fire prevention and firefighting technologies suitable for their scale and production specifics. She expressed confidence that with regulatory support, business initiative, and the power of technology, Vietnam can turn fire prevention into a culture, firefighting into a skill, and rescue into a reflex across all production systems and daily life.
Lieutenant Colonel Điền Văn Kiên, Chairman and General Director of Gtel Global Telecommunications Corporation, proposed reviewing residential and urban planning, classifying facilities and housing that lack adequate transportation infrastructure or water sources for firefighting in accordance with legal and technical standards. He also suggested equipping these sites with fire alarm transmission devices connected to the national fire prevention and rescue database, aiming to publish the list by January 1, 2026, and complete the installation by July 1, 2027, as per government regulations.
Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and delegates also toured the International Exhibition on Fire Prevention, Firefighting, Rescue Equipment, and Security & Safety Technology 2025.
Also at the forum, Mr. Nguyễn Anh Tuấn, General Director of Vietnam Electricity (EVN), highlighted ongoing cooperation with ministries and sectors to integrate electrical safety and fire prevention into school curricula and public outreach programs. EVN is developing accessible, easy-to-understand lessons, and is working to enhance customer responsibility in ensuring electrical safety and fire prevention. The corporation is also strengthening inspections, supervision, and coordination between the power sector, state management agencies, and the police to strictly enforce regulations and handle violations.
In his remarks, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính noted that fire prevention, firefighting, and rescue efforts have achieved significant results in recent years. However, he stressed the importance of analyzing the causes to further improve these activities.
He emphasized that the most valuable lesson is to build a culture of fire prevention and firefighting, disaster prevention, and to enhance rescue skills nationwide. This would help prevent, mitigate, and reverse the devastating impacts of disasters and fires.
The Prime Minister instructed ministries, sectors, and localities to urgently develop a project titled “Preventing and Reducing Fires Causing Serious Loss of Life and Property, and Enhancing Rescue Efficiency”. He called for strengthening state management effectiveness under the principle of “strict pre-approval and regular post-checks,” focusing on prevention, and treating fire prevention as an essential and ongoing task. He also stressed the need to increase accountability among leaders at all levels.
“Our goal is to ensure safety, security, and public confidence, while improving the professionalism of firefighting and rescue. We must equip ourselves with modern equipment and technology, improve rescue skills, and continue refining mechanisms, policies, standards, and technical regulations. The guiding principle remains: prevention is the fundamental and long-term strategy, while firefighting is important and must be carried out regularly,” the Prime Minister said.
The Prime Minister attended the Opening Ceremony of the International Exhibition on Fire Prevention, Firefighting, Rescue Equipment, and Security & Safety Technology 2025.
That same morning, the Prime Minister attended the opening ceremony of the International Exhibition on Fire Prevention, Firefighting, Rescue Equipment, and Security & Safety Technology 2025, which features 480 brands and leading domestic and international businesses in these fields.
The exhibition serves as a platform for networking, exchange, and showcasing products, creating opportunities for domestic and foreign enterprises to conduct research, invest, develop, share experiences, and discuss innovative applications in security, safety, fire prevention, firefighting, and rescue equipment manufacturing to support economic development. Notably, CT Group presented two specialized UAV solutions capable of directly participating at incident sites to assist firefighting forces in extinguishing fires and carrying out rescues in hard-to-reach areas.