6 deputy minister drive

Economic, trade andinvestment ties between Thailand and Vietnam are considered an impressive highlight in bilateral relations. Thailand is now the largest trade partner of Vietnam in ASEAN. In the 2015-2019 period, bilateral trade turnover yielded an average growth of 8.1 percent per year. Although two-way trade turnover dropped in 2020 due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, it still reached nearly US$16 billion, accounting for 30 percent of total trade turnover between Vietnam and ASEAN countries.

Thailand was among the top ten foreign investors in Vietnam in 2020 with total capital of more than US$12.3 billion. In addition, partnerships in other sectors such as energy, culture and tourism have created encouraging outcomes.

The year 2021 marks the 45th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations, creating a driving force for the two countries to promote trade and investment. Despite difficulties posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Thai Ministry of Commerce and the Thai Embassy in Vietnam have boosted trade efforts, including the organization of the Top Thai Brands Hanoi 2021 event. At the four-day event, more than 30 online booths were in place to connect Thai exporters to Vietnamese importers and 60 on-site booths of Vietnamese importers and agents displaying and selling quality products from Thailand.

Vietnam and Thailand strive to promote their trade relations

Thai Embassy representative Morakot Janemathukorn said the Top Thai Brands Hanoi 2021 is an important trade promotion event to reboot the business connection between Vietnamese importers and Thai exporters, contributing to trade relations between the two countries and strengthening trade cooperation within the ASEAN bloc. She expressed her hope that the two sides would continue to support each other in organizing trade promotion activities.

More than 100,000 Thai people of Vietnamese origin living in Thailand are expected to provide a bridge for trade promotion between the two countries. In addition, the 13 pairs of Vietnamese and Thai localities that set up twining relations have facilitated businesses in seeking cooperation opportunities. Vietnam has also asked Thailand to further facilitate the distribution of Vietnamese fruit in the Thai market, in order to reduce Vietnam’s trade deficit with Thailand, while encouraging Thai businesses to boost investment in Vietnam in high-tech agriculture and tourism.

In the online talks between Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Quoc Dung and Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Thailand Thani Thongphakdi, the Thai official said his country attaches importance to Vietnam and has worked to consolidate and strengthen the friendship. The two officials also targeted a balanced trade and set a goal of US$20 billion in annual bilateral trade. In particular, the two countries will continue their close collaboration within sub-regional cooperation frameworks, in building the ASEAN Community, and in accelerating the ratification and implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

Hoa Quynh

Injecting COVID-19 vaccine

The committee is headed by Associate Professor Dr Nguyen Truong Son, Deputy Minister of Health.

Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long issued Decision No 1888/QĐ-BYT on April 15 establishing the steering committee, which comprises senior officials from the ministry and leaders from its departments along with leading local experts and scientists in diverse fields, from immunisation, infection, emergency resuscitation and intensive care to haematology, cardiology and neurology.

The committee is tasked with guiding medical establishments on screening, monitoring, and handling any adverse events following COVID-19 vaccinations and promptly assisting localities in dealing with all situations safely.

According to Assoc. Prof. Dr Luong Ngoc Khue, Director of the Medical Examination and Treatment Department at the MoH and deputy head of the committee, a vaccination safety system has been set up nationwide.

Committee members work online and stand ready to reply to any concerns regarding the vaccination of health workers, the official said.

According to a report from the National Expanded Programme on Immunisation, released on April 27, a record 50,104 people were inoculated on April 26.

Nearly 260,000 people – mostly frontline workers and medical staff – in 42 cities and provinces have been injected with the AstraZeneca vaccine since the national vaccination drive began on March 8.

No incidents of rare blood clots have been reported so far, while typical reactions (tiredness, mild fever, muscle pains, etc.) were reported in about 30 percent of people – even lower than the advisory information from the manufacturer and reports from European authorities.

Vietnam currently has nearly 1 million doses of AstraZeneca from the manufacturer and also from the COVAX Facility, along with 1,000 doses of the Sputnik V vaccine, a gift from Russia./ VNA

Vietnamese health minister Nguyễn Thanh Long receives the COVID-19 vaccine jab on Thursday at Bạch Mai Hospital in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo Hoàng Hiếu

HÀ NỘI — Minister of Health Nguyễn Thanh Long and his deputies have received their AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine Thursday morning at Bạch Mai Hospital in Hà Nội.

Long, 54, along with three of his deputies – Trần Văn Thuấn, 51, Trương Quốc Cường, 60, and Đỗ Xuân Tuyên, 55 – remained at the hospital after the inoculations for follow-up health monitoring.

All of them said they felt fine after receiving the injections.

The health minister said the global vaccine sharing scheme COVAX is expected to deliver another 1.6 million doses of AstraZeneca to Việt Nam on May 10, as part of the commitment to supply some 39 million doses within 2021 and early 2022 to inoculate the prioritised groups as identified by the Government.

When the supplies are more available, eligible people could include students and workers sent overseas.

The health chief said that the 74 per cent of the nearly one million doses of AstraZeneca – more than 800,000 from COVAX brought to Việt Nam on April 1 and more than 117,000 purchased from the manufacturer that arrived late February – have been administered, and the doses could be finished within a few days.

According to a Thursday morning eport from the National Expanded Programme on Immunisation, more than 90,000 people were vaccinated on Wednesday.

In total, 675,956 people in 48 cities and provinces of Việt Nam – primarily frontline workers and medical staff – have been inoculated.

Some 16 per cent of the 600,000 vaccinated people reported typical symptoms post-injection which usually disappear within 24 hours, Minister Long said, adding that this ratio is lower than in other countries, while other more severe reactions have been dealt with.

He said: “We always stressed the need to ensure safe vaccination. Therefore, the Ministry of Health has established a Steering Committee for safe immunisation, which brings together leading experts and professors in all relevant fields to be ready to assist localities in handling any situation arising during the vaccination drive.”

The fourth deputy health minister Nguyễn Trường Sơn, who just returned from the trip bringing Vietnamese medical supplies aid and experts to help Laos battle their wave of infections, is currently under quarantine after coming into contacts with a doctor at the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases found positive to the virus.

His latest COVID-19 test on Wednesday was negative. — VNS

Director general of the Ministry of Planning and Investment’s (MPI) Foreign Investment Agency (FIA) Do Nhat Hoang confirmed that the number of South Korean investors setting eyes on Vietnam has been increasing, even during the pandemic when all trade and investment activities were interrupted.

With hundreds of newly-registered and capital expansion projects arriving every year, with around $5-10 billion of the total investment, South Korea was the first of 139 countries and territories investing in Vietnam in March. According to the FIA, there were more than 9,000 valid projects by South Korean investors in Vietnam with the total registered investment of $71.5 billion, ranking first both in registered capital and the number of projects.

“There were twice as many South Korean projects than Japanese investors [ranking second], with $9 billion more in capital. This confirms the determination of South Korean investors, as well as the quality of their investment in Vietnam,” said Hoang.

He confirmed that South Korean investors are receiving investment certificates and making inquiries day by day, and clearly felt the growing attention of South Korean investors over the past years, especially in projects related to high technology and green development.

Last week was the first time the MPI collaborated with the Korea Federation of Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (KBIZ) to organise an online conference with the participation of hundreds of South Korean businesses from energy, industry, electronics, and services. Of these, investors expressed greatest interest in semiconductor production, with many expressing eagerness to enter Vietnam at the soonest to carry out billion-dollar projects. They said they were impressed with Vietnam as a destination for semiconductor projects, thanks to the affordable investment and skilled human resources.

Investment in semiconductor production has increased significantly in Vietnam thanks to the country’s policies encouraging digital transformation as well as its advantages in exporting – and the interruption of global supply chains. Most recently, AT&S, an Austrian semiconductor manufacturer, began looking for a location to build a factory in Vietnam with a total investment of €1.5 billion ($1.8 billion). At the same time, Intel Products Vietnam, a subsidiary of the US’ Intel Group, received an investment certificate for an additional investment of $475 million to build the most modern facility for testing and assembling chips in Saigon Hi-tech Park (SHTP), raising its total investment to $1.5 billion, according to director general Ingolf Schroeder.

Samsung Electronics Ho Chi Minh City CE Complex has also just been approved to change from a high-tech into an export processing business that can facilitate its supporting businesses, especially semiconductor producers, to gain more added value. Meanwhile, in February, a new semiconductor player from the US, United States Enterprise, has set foot in Danang Hi-Tech Park with a $110-million project.

Highly appreciating the plans of South Korean semiconductor manufacturers, director general Hoang emphasised the special incentives Vietnam is offering in high-tech sectors and semiconductor production. “Numerous giants, especially from South Korea, have been developing research and development centres in Vietnam, which is good condition for semiconductor manufacturers to invest here. We are ready to extend special incentives like corporate income tax under 10 or even 5 per cent for high-tech projects committing to technical transfer. Immigration procedures can also be fast-tracked if investors can provide evidence of their plans or existing projects in the country,” said Hoang.

The Economist Intelligence Unit under The Economist gave Vietnam six points out of 10 for its foreign investment attraction policies, with India and China getting only 5.5 points. Meanwhile, Vietnam scored 7.3 points in controlling foreign trade and exchange, while it was 5.5 points for India and 6.4 for China.

However, despite the favourable conditions here, not all of foreign projects succeed. Talking to VIR, Ko Sang Goo, founder of K&K Global Trading Co., Ltd., the operator of the K-Mart and K-Market chains in Vietnam, discussed challenges of bad timing and poor preparation, bringing up the Korean Town in the VKO building in Hanoi, which it had to close very soon after opening.

Meanwhile, several projects were not developed even a decade after receiving their investment certificates. Specifically, Leeku Vina Co., Ltd., which planned to build a factory producing stainless steel in My Phuoc 3 Industrial Park in the southern province of Binh Duong, has done nothing since receiving approval for its $600,000 investment in 2008. In 2012, the project was transferred to Duck Heung Wire MFG, but there were no developments, excepting for paying around $242,000 rent for the 2008-2012 period.

“Investors, who do not seriously implement their investment projects in the committed schedule will not receive the land use right certificates or any support of local authorities,” Hoang said, adding that these are only singular cases among thousands of South Korean projects that are operating successfully in Vietnam, for both sides’ benefit. “I believe that the quantity and quality of South Korean projects will improve in the time coming and South Korea will remain the leading foreign investor in Vietnam, and even widen the gap with the runners-up,” he said.

Tran Duy Dong – Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Vietnam-South Korea relations are getting better each year. 2021 is the 29th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations, which has reached numerous political and economic achievements and are currently the best they have ever been. Economic cooperation is considered a major spotlight of our relations. South Korea is one of the leading partners of Vietnam, ranking first in investment, second in official development assistance (following Japan), and second in trade (behind China). The Ministry of Planning and Investment highly appreciates the role and contributions of the South Korean business community to the country’s socioeconomic development. They are serious and responsible investors who make decisions quickly with high performance, high contribution to the state budget, pay attention to environmental protection, employees’ benefits, and social welfare. Vietnam and all other countries have been suffering blows from COVID-19. However, Vietnam and South Korea have already successfully implemented the double targets of fighting the pandemic and developing the economy. Vietnam has become an attractive destination for international investors, particularly South Korean ones. In addition to big corporations that have been in the country for decades now, more and more small- and medium-sized enterprises are setting foot in Vietnam. This has been deepening the strategic partnership between our countries. We believe that the Korea Federation of Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises, a big and reputable business association with so many members, will recommend more South Korean businesses to invest in Vietnam. With the improved and more comprehensive legal framework, improved links between domestic and overseas markets, along with the potential and advantages of the country as well as the determination of the government, ministries, and localities to enhance the investment climate, foreign investors will see a lot more opportunities in Vietnam. Nguyen Vu Tung – Vietnamese Ambassador to South Korea South Korean investors are seizing opportunities with renewed enthusiasm after the pandemic because Vietnam and South Korea were both successful in their handling of COVID-19, despite global complications. We can see clear improvements from the economic recovery in South Korea, including the vibrant development of enterprises of all sizes. Two weeks ago, the South Korean government announced resuming the reception of Vietnamese workers, following the recommendation of KBIZ, which means small- and medium-sized enterprises are also bouncing back from the health crisis. This is a good chance to update the policies of the two countries and to seize the opportunities created. The success of the 13th National Party Congress has created a new driving force for socioeconomic growth by adopting numerous important policies related to integration and the economy. South Korea has also provided some new attractive policies, in addition to the New Southern Policy, focusing on relations with ASEAN countries and India – and Vietnam is one of the priority partners. There is an emerging trend of investing in green development and digital transformation, which is promising to bring opportunities for bilateral investment cooperation. We can see the excitement and attention of more and more South Korean investors in Vietnam.

By Nguyen Huong

Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh

At a seminar with VietNamNet, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh, who is the Deputy Minister of National Defence, and Do Hung Viet, Director General at the Department of International Organizations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, talked about international cooperation and the great efforts to ensure safety for the mine clearance force.

Vinh, what are the difficulties in mine clearance?

The problems in financial and technical resources are the most mentioned. They really exist, but they are not the biggest problem. The biggest problem is people’s awareness.

If people are aware of UXO (unexploded ordnance) and have a sense of self-protection, and report to appropriate agencies when they discover bombs and mines, this will be very helpful to mine clearance in Vietnam.

People can even see bombs and bombs carried behind them when driving motorbikes and going everywhere. So, what we need to do is educate people to make them afraid of bombs and mines and report to the responsible agencies when they discover bombs. It is necessary to teach students about bombs and mines in the first school lessons.

Second, it is necessary to build capacity for specialized agencies. First of all, we need to have an accurate and sufficient database about the situation in localities, so that we can decide which localities need to be dealt with first and then build a complete plan. We need to improve the capability of management agencies and of people who clear mines on the sites.

Admitting mistakes

The US is one of the countries that most actively cooperates with Vietnam in addressing the war consequences and implementing demining projects. How did the first days of cooperation go?

General Vinh: We need to thank the American people, especially veterans and their families, the families who have relatives who died in the war and the consortium of missing soldiers in the war for their struggle to demand that the US Government be accountable to the children who have suffered from landmines and UXO (unexploded ordnance) after the war.

I, along with a group of US senators, went to see children with amputated limbs caused by tragic UXO accidents, though the war had ended many years ago. They cried and shared the common view that everyone needs to struggle to be sure that this will not occur in the future. The US and some other countries, including South Korea, have shown high responsibility in this issue.

I think that about 95 percent of resources for mine clearance is from the State, while the remaining is from contributions from other countries and organizations. We really appreciate the support in financing, information and technology from other countries.

I assume that in order to obtain such great achievements as we see today, there might be unprecedented stories occurring with the two countries which formerly were on two sides of the front line?

Admitting war crimes, admitting mistakes, and admitting the responsibility of a country after the war is an extremely difficult job. This reminds me of US Senator Patrick Leahy, who said it is a miracle that the handling of the aftermath of the war, which seemed to be a difficult problem in the two-way relationship, turnsmed out to be the most effective field of cooperation.

Director General at Department of International Organizations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

No one could imagine that just several months after the signing of the Paris Agreement, we established an organization specializing in searching for the remains of missing American soldiers in order to return them to their families. This had a profound impact on American people’s feelings and thoughts.

A question for Viet. Can you describe the international cooperation in dealing with land contaminated with UXOs?

The US is a typical example of the great efforts in mine clearance. This is obviously a cooperation of great significance to the bilateral relationship. And from a multilateral perspective, we also can see that it has a positive impact: it helps the international community and countries in conflicts realize that countries that were enemies in the past can cooperate with each other.

In addition to the US, we also have international cooperation with many other partners, including Norway, Ireland, and the UK in the Security Council.

The President of Ireland, during his visit to Vietnam some years ago, came to Quang Tri to see with his eyes the mine clearance operations in Vietnam. We also received cooperation and support from the United Nations, international organizations and non-government organizations.

Heroes in real life

Could you please give us more details about the recent open discussion session of the Security Council in Hanoi?

General Vinh: The discussion session caught the high attention and attendance from the United Nations and Security Council member countries.

There was a ministerial meeting with the participation of nine ministers and deputy ministers of countries, including Vietnam, the United Nations’ Secretary General, and two famous actors, including Daniel Craig, who is a United Nations’ Global Advocate for Elimination of Mines and Other Explosive Hazards, and Michelle Yeoh, who is a United Nations’ Goodwill Ambassador.

Yeoh spent one-third of her speech to talk about Vietnam and Vietnam’s efforts in mine clearance.

Do Hung Viet: Other countries highly appreciated Vietnam’s efforts in mine clearance and showed their response to Vietnam’s comprehensive approach in addressing bomb and mine consequences, as well as their agreement with what Vietnam proposed to the Security Council – paying a lot of attention to this issue in association with efforts for sustainable development and post-conflict reconciliation.

As I said above, two famous actors attended the meeting. Right after the meeting ended, there was a tweet on Twitter, maybe from Norway, saying that the two actors were heroes on the screen, while Vietnam has heroes in real life.

We invited Dieu Linh to the meeting. She was head of the demining female team in Quang Tri province. She represented thousands of army engineers and hundreds of volunteers participating in mine clearance.

The presence of Dieu Linh really created repercussions at the discussion session.

Accidents are unacceptable

I myself last week was present in Quang Tri province for a business trip and I could see with my eyes the operations of the mine clearance team. The members of the team are young, careful and professional on the site, and are not afraid of the dangers lurking around them.

General Vinh, which measures are being used and will be applied to ensure safety for mine clearance forces and minimize fatalities in peace time?

We have been applying a lot of measures to ensure safety for them. But honestly speaking, there have been unfortunate accidents. However, no army engineer and no volunteer has refused the tasks assigned to them.

I think there are some measures. First, it is necessary to learn about the situation, and determine the exact ERW areas (explosive remnants of war) and types of explosives in order to decide which areas to focus on.

Second, regularly upgrade the capability of people who directly do the demining on the site. It is a must to follow standard procedures in demining.

Third, regularly check the capability of the agencies and units doing this work. Specialized units must get certificates from the appropriate agencies.

Also, we need to modernize demining operations.

These are major measures to prevent accidents during the demining process which have brought effects in the last years. The accident rate is low. However, accidents, though occurring at minor rate, are unacceptable.

At the open discussion session of the United Nations Security Council in Hanoi on April 18, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son emphasized that peace will be sustainable only when the consequences of wars and conflicts, including bombs and mines, are resolved.

D. Thuy