How to address the prime minister

The event witnessed the participation of Defense Minister Sr. Lt. Gen. Phan Van Giang, Deputy Defense Minister Sr. Lt. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien, and senior leaders of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army.

Addressing the ceremony, MR 2’s Commander Maj. Gen. Pham Hong Chuong held that the military region’s affiliated units have built concrete plans for the tree-planting campaign and collaborated with local authorities in caring for and protecting forests and improving the ecological environment.

In response to the campaign, the Party committees and chains-of-command at all levels have enhanced information dissemination to raise troops’ awareness of the great benefits and values of tree-planting while closely collaborating with local authorities and people to implement various measures to take care of green trees, prevent forest fires and fight deforestation.

After the launching ceremony, General Giang and delegates planted trees at MR 2’s headquarters. On this occasion, the defense minister also offered incense at the Hung Kings Temple Historical Relic Site and paid tribute to late President Ho Chi Minh at a memorial area inside the headquarters while visiting several MR 2’s projects under construction.

Translated by Trung Thanh

Addressing the launch, Deputy Minister of Information and Telecommunications Hoang Vinh Bao said this marks a start of a series of events of this year’s Vietnam Book Day, a day to celebrate the reading habit nationwide.

Via the events, the organizers want to inspire a love for books among people around the country, encourage them to read more and make reading their habit, he said, adding that it will help spread the reading habit among the community.

A host of events, including a display of books about HCM City, a launch of books on digital transformation, and talks with renowned writers and poets, are scheduled on the Book Street from April 18 – 22.

Meanwhile, an online book fair is underway at book365.vn, featuring more than 70 domestic publishers and over 20,000 book titles. An online festival on book copyright will also take place from April 19 – 26, attracting around 50 domestic and international publishing houses.

Then Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc issued Decision No.284/QD-TTg on February 24, 2014, designating April 21 as Vietnam Book Day, in order to encourage a reading habit among the public.

Source: VNA

The target remains a challenging task, given growing uncertainties in the global and domestic economies, including the complicated evolution of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Vietnam is expected to set an average GDP growth target of 7% in the five-year socio-economic development plan for the 2021 – 2025 period, according to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Illustrative photo.

The target remains a challenging task, given growing uncertainties in the global and domestic economies, including the complicated progression of the Covid-19 pandemic, Phuc said in a directive dated April 13 instructing the formulation of the upcoming five-year socio-economic development plan.

The 2021 – 2025 socio-economic development plan must be based on a comprehensive review of Vietnam’s performance in realizing the previous five-year plan, as well as on prediction of Vietnam and international economic outlooks.

PM Phuc suggested the economy would face tremendous difficulties during the 2021 – 2025 period, mainly due to unresolved internal weaknesses of the economy.

Additionally, socio–environmental issues such as aging population, income gap, natural disaster, climate change, and saltwater intrusion are putting pressure on socio-economic development.

The PM stressed priorities for the next socio-economic development plan would include:

(1)   Improving the institutions of the socialist-oriented market economy, with a view for rapid and sustainable economic development on basis of macro-economic stability and inflation under control.

(2)   Continuing to push for economic restructuring associated with transforming the growth model towards higher productivity, competitiveness and economic resilience; promote a comprehensive digital transformation and the establishment of digital firms with international competitiveness; improve the business environment and help spur economic recovery in the post-pandemic period.

(3)   Pushing for development of economic zones and supporting industries, with a view to meeting the need of the basic production inputs of the economy.

(4)   Establishing synchronous infrastructure systems in transportation, seaports, energy, IT, urban and agriculture, among others, while continuing to realize the national housing development strategy and national program of modernized farming.

(5)   Utilizing efficiently investment resources for economic development; developing new economic models with the application of digital technologies; enhancing efficiency in public debt management and utilization; accelerating construction progress for project of national priority.

(6)   Enhancing quality and efficient use of human resources to take advantage of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and contribute to economic modernization and integration.

The GDP growth is expected to rebound to around 6.7% in 2021.

Vietnam targets an economic growth rate of 2% for this year in nornmal conditions and 2.5% if favorable factors emerge, according to Nguyen Chi Dung, minister of Planning and Investment.

Overview of the meeting. Photo: VGP.

The Vietnamese government remains steadfast in ensuring macro-economic stability and focusing on three major growth driving forces which are investment, export and domestic consumption, said Mr. Dung at a monthly government meeting on September 4.

For 12 socio-economic development goals in 2020, seven are highly to be achieved and potentially exceed their set targets.

According to Mr. Dung, Vietnam would continue to pursue the dual target of containing the Covid-19 pandemic and grasping opportunities for the resumption of economic activities.

While the pandemic has caused severe impacts on various economic sectors, the economy has not fallen into a recession and kept maintained a positive growth momentum, Mr. Dung asserted, adding this is a positive situation given a bleak outlook for countries in the region and all over the world.

Meanwhile, Mr. Dung pointed to a number of shortcomings that have not been able to be fully addressed, including the low productivity and competitiveness of the economy, weak linkages between domestic and foreign-invested firms, and limited integration into regional and global value chains, among others.

Looking ahead, Mr. Dung expected negative impacts from the Covid-19 pandemic to persist for the whole 2021.

With growing global uncertainties, Vietnam’s major economic partners are predicted to take at least two to four years to return to their pre-Covid-19 levels. However, Vietnam’s GDP growth should rebound to around 6.7% in 2021, for which the government is set to continue to look for a rapid and sustainable economic growth rate, Mr. Dung suggested.

Mr. Dung’s GDP forecast for this year is not vastly different from that of World Bank in July with 2.8%, making Vietnam the fifth fastest-growing economy globally, while HSBC also expected the country to reach growth of 2.9%.