Professor Roger B. Myerson, a 2007 Nobel Laureate for Economics, arrived in Hanoi on November 14 for the 4th ASEAN event “Bridges – Dialogues Towards a Culture of Peace”.

The professor from the University of Chicago said to local press that as an export-driven economy, Vietnam also suffers from the global economic downturn. Therefore, the country should focus on the domestic retail market to boost national GDP.

During his visit, arranged by the International Peace Foundation and the Ministry of Education and Training, Professor Myerson will be the keynote speaker at a Foreign Trade University event on November 15. He will attend a roundtable discussion on market economic policies at the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and Public Administration in Hanoi the following day.

The “Bridges” series of events aims to bring Nobel Prize winners in physics, chemistry, medicine, economics and peace to Southeast Asia to build long-term bridges with universities in the region. According to International Peace Foundation chairman, Uwe Morawetz, speakers are invited to approach the subject of peace from different angles.

The first event was hosted by Thailand in 2003. With 250 events in the series it attracted 70,000 participants to Thailand between 2003 and 2005.

The series then moved to the Philippines, Malaysia and Cambodia. The program in Vietnam will continue until March next year.