How foreigners see the dutch

Hanoi (VNA) – The Foreign Ministry held an annual meeting with the press at the Government Guesthouse in Hanoi on January 19, praising press agencies and reporters nationwide for their contributions to achievements made by the diplomatic sector in the past year. Speaking at the event, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said the sector scored important achievements amid difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. He said Vietnam successfully accomplished the roles as ASEAN 2020 Chair, Chair of the 41st General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-41) and a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the 2020-2021 tenure.  Vietnam actively led and coordinated regional efforts to overcome challenges and achieve successes in building the ASEAN Community, effectively coped with the pandemic, flexibly held over 550 online meetings, and adopted a record number of documents in a year, he said. During the … [Read more...] about Foreign Ministry hails press agencies’ contributions

Local passenger bus owners recently complained about unfair competition from foreign buses with registration plates from Laos and Cambodia. During busy days, there were eight to ten foreign buses carrying tourists from HCM City to Lam Dong. According to the local bus owners, the fares are cheaper by half because the foreign buses do not have to pay taxes and fees while the local owners have to pay VND1.7m (USD73) to VND2.3m per month per vehicle in addition to the road maintenance fee and other charges. The traffic police said they had fined three buses from Laos and Cambodia VND4m (USD172) each and ordered them to leave Vietnam as they stay in Vietnam past the allowed time limit. Vehicles from Vietnam and Laos can stay in each other's territories for a maximum of 30 days according to Laos-Vietnam Cross-border Transport Permit. As of January 18, they have fined a total of six buses from Cambodia and Laos. Most of them stayed in Vietnam over the regulated time, failed to obey … [Read more...] about Foreign passenger buses fined for breaking rules

Hanoi (VNA) – Senior officials of ASEAN member countries met online on January 19 to discuss preparations for the upcoming ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat (AMMR) that is slated for January 21. Speaking at the event, the head of SOM ASEAN of Brunei said that with the ASEAN 2021’s theme of “We Care, We Prepare, We Prosper,” Brunei hopes to build on the achievements that the association gained in 2020, with focus on the people and sustainable development, building a regional architecture ruled by law, upholding multilateralism and supporting an open multilateral trade system. Participants exchanged their ideas on work that need to be done since after the 37th ASEAN Summit and related meeting, including a mid-term report on the implementation of the ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC) Blueprint and the strengthening of inter-pillar and inter-sectoral coordination towards the building of the Post-2025 ASEAN Community Vision. They … [Read more...] about ASEAN senior officials discuss preparations for AMM Retreat

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam will support and work closely with Brunei as Chair of ASEAN in 2021 so as to successfully realise set targets and initiatives, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said when talking on the phone with Brunei Minister of Foreign Affairs II Dato Erywan Pehin Yusof on January 19. The Brunei minister congratulated Vietnam for excellently fulfilling its term as Chair of ASEAN in 2020, especially leading the bloc to overcome unprecedented difficulties and challenges. He shared the directions and priorities during the year Brunei serves as Chair of ASEAN in 2021 under the theme “We Care, We Prepare, We Prosper”, including initiatives on COVID-19 response and post-pandemic recovery which were approved in 2020, the building of a vision for ASEAN after 2025, promoting multilateral cooperation and a rule-based regional order, and people-oriented cooperative ideas. He affirmed that those priorities and initiatives are developed … [Read more...] about Vietnam pledges to support Brunei’s ASEAN Chair

“Once I was trashpacking under the Thu Thiem Bridge in District 2, there were lots of men enjoying their streetside coffee but none of them bothered to lift a finger and help,” Yen said. … [Read more...] about Trashpacking in Vietnam – a growing trend