The Vietnam Economic Research Network began its second phase of activities in August 2006 after a successful two-year first phase featuring six completed projects. This network is managed by VASS with financial support from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). VERN is part of IDRC's Globalization, Growth and Poverty (GGP) Program Initiative, which is aimed at enabling developing countries to design appropriate domestic policies and international integration strategies for promoting more inclusive and equitable growth. In particular, VERN second phase has the following objectives:

1. Capacity Building for Vietnamese Researchers: further improve the analytical skills of Vietnamese researchers through applied research and applied training to foster the growth of a new generation of strong applied economists in Vietnam;
2. To produce high quality  research at a level closer to international standards;
3. To promote greater cooperation and interaction between researchers and policy makers on critical issues of local concern;
4. To expand VERN both through greater focus on the sub-national level and by establishing a first link with researchers from neighbouring countries such as Laos and Cambodia;
5. To increase the visibility of VERN in the international research community;
6. To improve the interaction between research and teaching at university level.
7. To better understand the links between globalisation, growth and poverty as an important theme with a high level of local and global relevance.

• WTO accession
• Regional economic integration (ASEAN, ASEAN + 3 etc.)
• Regulations and Competition Policy
• Labour market issues
• Social protection policies
• Value chains
• Sub-national specific issues relevant to the theme of Globalization, Growth and Poverty.