Vietnam contributes two representatives to the list of 230 young leaders of the world in many fields ranging from economics to government, media, non-governmental organisations, etc.

David Thai (left), the owner of the Highlands Coffee chain.

They are David Thai, Chief Executive Officer cum Chairman of the Viet Thai JS company, the owner of the Highlands Coffee chain, and Khuat Thi Hai Oanh, the co-founder and the chief of the Health Research Department of the Institute for Social Development Studies (SDS).

The World Economic Forum on February 25 released the list of outstanding young leaders of the world 2009 in Geneva, Switzerland. This title is granted annually to 200-300 people for their outstanding achievements and contributions to society.

This year, the forum chose 230 outstanding leaders from 71 countries who are business directors, government officials, scientists and members of non-governmental organisations.

The US has 37 representatives, followed by China with 16. Some countries have only one representative, such as Zimbabwe, Gabon, Zambia, Uganda, Nigeria, and Mali.

The 2009 list clearly reflects the diversity in terms of regions and fields, as it includes the director of a university in Indonesia, an ambassador of the United Arab Emirates, the Chief Executive Officer of Youtube and a photographer from South Africa.

VietNamNet/VNE/WEF