100 million dollar

Hanoi (VNA) – As much as 5.46 billion USD worth of foreign direct investment (FDI) was injected into Vietnam as of February 20, equivalent to 84.4 percent of the figure recorded in the same time last year, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment .

As many as 126 foreign projects were granted investment licences with total registered capital of 3.31 billion USD, a year-on-year fall of 33.9 percent.

Meanwhile, 115 existing projects adjusted their investment capital with a total additional sum of 1.61 billion USD, or 2.5 times higher than the same time last year.

Capital contributions and shares purchases by foreign investors stood at 543.1 million USD, down 34.4 percent.

Foreign investors pumped capital in 17 sectors, with processing and manufacturing holding the lead with over 3 billion USD or 55.7 percent, followed by power production and distribution with 1.44 billion USD (26.5 percent), real estate 485 million USD, and science-technology nearly 153 million USD.

Japan topped the list of 46 countries and territories landing investment in Vietnam , with 1.64 billion USD, equivalent to nearly 30 percent of the total. Singapore came second with 1.07 billion USD (19.6 percent), and the Republic of Korea third with 1.05 billion USD (19.3 percent).

The ministry said the southern province of Can Tho lured the lion’s share of FDI with 1.31 billion USD, accounting for 24.2 percent of the total. Hai Phong city was the runner-up since it attracted nearly 918 million USD, or 16.8 percent. Bac Giang came third with nearly 573 million USD (10.5 percent).

So far this year, the foreign-invested sector has earned 38.07 billion USD from exports, up 34 percent year-on-year, and making up 76.1 percent of the nation’s total export turnover. At the same time, it spent 31.6 billion USD on imports, up 31.2 percent year-on-year, and accounting for 66.6 percent of the country’s total import value. That resulted in a trade surplus of nearly 6.5 billion USD./.

VNA

The Hanoitimes – The goal of periodic health check-ups at least once a year for all Hanoi’s residents has been included in the document of the municipal Party Congress.

Hanoians will get free health check-ups at least once a year, starting from 2021, the municipal Party Chief Vuong Dinh Hue said on February 25 while visiting Thanh Nhan Hospital on the occasion of Vietnamese Doctors’ Day (February 27).

Municipal Party Chief Vuong Dinh Hue inspects the Covid-19 prevention and control at Thanh Nhan Hospital in Hanoi. Photo: Thanh Hai

Hue said that the goal of periodic health check-ups at least once a year for all Hanoi’s residents has been included in the document of the municipal Party Congress.

“This is not easy, but the Hanoi Party Committee is determined to set goals and achieve them,” Hue said.

Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Health Tran Thi Nhi Ha said that the city’s health sector has devised a free health check-up plan for all local residents, starting from early March.

The health sector will review each case, classify people by age and occupation to provide health examination.

“It is expected that Hanoi students will get medical check-ups at educational institutions while employees will receive health check at their industrial parks, factories or offices,” Ha said.

The medical centers in the districts will be responsible for providing health check-ups for local people. If people take medical examination and treatment at hospitals, their health will be monitored via software.

Since March 2017, Hanoi has provided a free colorectal cancer screening program for people from 40 years old who have health insurance to early detect the disease. So far, hundreds of thousands of people have been screened for free thanks to the above-mentioned program.

According to the Hanoi Statistical Office, by the end of 2020, the capital city’s population was over 8.2 million people, an increase of 2.3% compared to 2019. Among them, four million people (accounting for 49.5%) live in urban areas and 4.1 million people in rural areas (50.5%).

The Hanoitimes – The US state wishes to boost bilateral trade with Vietnam in the energy sector.

Representatives from the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade and the State of West Virginia (the US) on February 25 signed a memorandum of understanding to enhance cooperation in terms of economics, trade and energy.

An overview of the meeting between he Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade and the State of West Virginia (the US) on February 25. Photo: Bnews

With the signing of this Memorandum of Understanding, the two sides set out the goal of establishing a comprehensive cooperation framework to facilitate trade and investment activities of businesses of the tso countries as well as formlinh a joint Working Group to promote cooperative activities.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Vietnam Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh emphasized the special importance of Vietnam-US relations and highly appreciated the role and efforts of Carol Miller, the US House member representing West Virginia’s 3rd congressional district and US state’s Governor Jim Justice for promoting bilateral economic and commercial relations between the two sides.

Minister Tuan Anh also believed that this is a very appropriate time for the two sides to promote in-depth cooperation to jointly react to the Covid-19 pandemic and step up economic recovery.

“The US is an important and long-term partner of Vietnam in providing energy sources and technology as well as investment,” he said.

On her side, Carol Miller also wished to further promote trade cooperation, especially in the energy sector between the US state and Vietnam. “Reviving the economy after the pandemic is important, West Virginia and the US are ready to assist partners, especially in the renewable energy sector,” she said.

At an online talk with Miller last May, Minister Tuan Anh raised the initiative of signing an agreement between the ministrg and the US State to foster the collaboration.

Trade cooperation and investment between Vietnam and the US have been thriving, with two-way trade hitting US$90.8 billion in 2020, and are expected to reach US$100 billion this year.

The Hanoitimes – The partnership is expected to develop a hub for LNG imported from the US.

US energy firm AES Corporation and Petrovietnam Gas JSC (PV Gas) on Wednesday signed a term sheet of the joint venture agreement for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal with a US$1.4 billion investment in central Vietnam.

AES Corp. and PV Gas sign deal at IPBF at the presensence of Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh and US Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel J. Kritenbrink. Photo: AES Vietnam

With the agreement signed during the 3rd Indo-Pacific Business Forum (IPBF) held in Hanoi on October 28-29, the joint venture is expected to speed up Son My LNG Terminal’s financial completion which is scheduled in 2022 and commercial operations in 2025.

The Son My LNG terminal complements AES’ investment in gas infrastructure around the country, with its previously announced US$1.8 billion 2,200 megawatts (MW) combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plant.

Together, the plant and terminal will play a major role in shaping Vietnam’s energy future by diversifying the energy mix with imported LNG as well as meeting the country’s increasing demand for sustainable and affordable electricity.

“This is an important milestone for the development of the Son My LNG terminal and our CCGT power plant. With these two projects, AES is fully committed to the country’s growth in cleaner energy sources and offering the most reliable and affordable electricity to support the continued economic growth of Vietnam,” said President of AES Vietnam David Stone.

As part of the signing ceremony, AES also received a Letter of Interest from the US’ Eximbank and International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to support the Son My LNG Terminal and Son My 2 CCGT projects with a loan amount of US$3.2 billion.

Making comments in pre-recorded remarks to a business conference hosted both online and in person in Hanoi, US State Secretary Mike Pompeo said Vietnam has approved the project and that it would “open the door to billions of dollars per year in US LNG exports to Vietnam. That’s a real win-win situation.”

Virginia-based AES Corp. and its Vietnamese partners have been gradually ramping up efforts to develop a hub for importing LNG from the US over the past several years.