Impress for success

MoIT sets export growth target of up to 5% despite COVID-19 challenges

February 25, 2021 by vov.vn

Between the beginning of the year and mid-February, the country’s export turnover recorded an impressive surge of 36% to US$38 billion compared to the same period from last year, while imports also increased by approximately 25%, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT).

Hai emphasized that this year’s export target of between 4% and 5% remains reasonable due to the COVID-19 pandemic not being brought under complete control across the world, especially in major Vietnamese export markets.

Following the signing of three FTAs, including the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and the UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA), they are anticipated to give fresh impetus to the nation’s import and export activities.

After coming into force last year, each of the FTAs, especially the EVFTA and RCEP, represent large-scale agreements that the nation can benefit from, Hai noted.

He elaborated that when the EVFTA first came into effect on August 1, 2020, the number of certificate of origin (C/O) forms of EUR.1 for Vietnamese exports to the EU market increased dramatically. The move indicates that local businesses have immediately maximised the benefits brought about by the trade pact.

Furthermore, despite the range of adverse impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on the EU market last year, Vietnamese exports to the fastidious market witnessed robust growth in terms of traditional goods and new commodity groups, especially wooden products.

Hai therefore pointed out that with these agreements being implemented in a comprehensive manner and the pandemic gradually being brought under control, Vietnamese production and export activities will witness stronger growth moving forward.

Rai Cave – Pearl of Vinh Hy Bay

February 25, 2021 by en.nhandan.org.vn

Rai Cave is located in the south of Vinh Hy Bay, Nui Chua National Park, Vinh Hai commune, Ninh Hai district, Ninh Thuan province.

It is only about 35 km from Phan Rang city, about 40 km from Cam Ranh city (Khanh Hoa province) and about 90 km from Nha Trang city (Khanh Hoa), very convenient for visitors.

The road to Rai Cave is beautiful, winding between the magnificent blue sea and romantic green meadows.

According to local people, the reason it is called Rai Cave because it used to be inhabited by sea otters and many dipterocarpus alatus, which were used to extract oil to paint ships and boats to help make them more waterproof.

Coming to Rai Cave, tourists are captivated by the magical natural scenery. Just taking a photo at any angle produce a quality shot, for anyone. Rai Cave is not a large cave but in fact a rocky cliff protruding into the sea with many niches and compartments with strange shapes.

Enjoying the pictures full of a hauntingly eerie blend of moss and waves, you’ll have endless pleasure admiring this masterpiece of nature. The moss grows on the coral under the clear waters, looking from afar like giant green jade boulders.

Because of the geological tectonics millions of years ago, the ancient coral reefs have grown into a large area that tourists call “Mars”. At the bottom of the coral reef is an ancient coral block, about the same height as sea level. This is also one of the characteristics which attract many visitors to Rai Cave. When the waves hit the rocks, the water pours in, the slope of the rock makes the water flow back into the sea, creating a strange waterfall effect. Many people call this amazing phenomenon “the waterfall on the sea” and Rai cave is the only place to have this phenomenon.

Rai Cave at dawn or dusk can offer one of the most unique experiences.

Not long ago, a 300 m long wooden bridge through the steep cliffs was erected so that visitors can visit and admire the impressive panoramic beauty of Rai Cave.

If visitors want to “check-in” here gently, they just need to immerse themselves, place their bare feet on the white sand strip and dip their hands in the cool seawater to feel the freshness of nature.

In order to have a deeper experience at Rai Cave, guests can stay overnight to catch the most beautiful moments of this wonder, with coral diving or moon snail catching among the rocks.

Rai Cave is currently a destination serviced by many tour operators, combined with other attractive destinations along the same route such as Suoi Tien sheep field, Thai An vineyard and Vinh Hy bay, adding even more interesting tours and activities.

Kotam tourist site: An example of integrating ecological tourism and local cultural identity

January 15, 2021 by en.nhandan.org.vn

Located nine kilometres from the centre of Buon Ma Thuot city, Kontam tourist site is an attractive destination for tourists, particularly at weekends and public holidays.

Covering a total area of 17 hectares and hosting magnificent hills, mountains, waterfalls, springs, valleys, and accommodation facilities imbued with the typical culture and architecture of the E De ethnic group, Kotam welcomes more than 400,000 tourists every year.

According to Deputy Director of Dak Lak provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Dang Gia Duan, the launch of the Kontam tourist site has contributed to preserving and promoting the distinct culture of the Central Highlanders while reducing poverty and generating income for local ethnic minority people.

The successful tourism model was made possible thanks to a joint effors of a group of five female entrepreneurs five years ago. They are Nguyen Thi Ngoc Anh, Nguyen Thi Hue, Nguyen Thi Phuc Minh, Vu Thi Xoan and Doan Uyen Thao, directors of five companies operating in trading, processing and exporting agricultural products, honey and mechanical equipment.

The quintet are also enthusiastic members of the Dak Lak Female Entrepreneurs club, headed by Nguyen Thi Ngoc Anh, which has actively participated in charity activities in the locality.

They came up with the idea of building a model which can help locals reduce poverty in a sustainable way. The Kotam ecological site was born, surrounded by the E De ethnic people’s villages, including Pak, Kotam, Krong A, and Krong B.

As the owner of Quang Anh Trade Ltd. Co, one of the top companies with the highest revenues in Dak Lak, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Anh was appointed the Director of the Kontam Community-based Tourism Joint Stock Company.

Not long after its launch, the Kontam company had attracted 35 members from the Dak Lak Female Entrepreneursclub , who poured a large investment into the construction of the tourist site.

Traditional long stilt houses of the E De ethnic people at the Kontam tourist site (Photo: Vietnam Pictorial)

According to Ngoc Anh, from the beginning, the project team has kept in mind that the ultimate goal of the project is to protect the environment and pristine beauty of the natural landscape while honouring the cultural identity of the Central Highlanders.

Therefore, the traditional long stilt houses of the E De ethnic people were constructed at the site and all staff members at the site wear an E De ethnic brocade uniform.

Thanks to its amazing scenery and landscapes, Kotam quickly became an alluring tourist complex for visitors from across the country.

Nguyen Thi Hue, a member of the Board of Directors of Kotam Community-based Tourism Joint Stock Company, said that the tourist site has the huge advantage of food self-sufficiency, providing tourists with a fresh and clean source of vegetables, meat, and fruit.

Visitors to the site can taste the delicious indigenous dishes of the Central Highlanders, including papaya flowers cooked with fish, grilled snakehead fish, pork grilled in bamboo tubes, and chicken salad with banana flowers.

When the COVID-19 pandemic saw complicated developments in the province, Kotam staff members donated quintals of vegetables to those working at the front lines against the pandemic.

In an effort to welcome back vacationers in the post-COVID-19 period, the tourist site has coordinated with training facilities on tourism services, hotels and restaurants to improve the skills of staff members.

Promotional activities have also been launched to further advertise the site to travel agencies and tourist companies.

Built with both enthusiasm and love for the homeland of the five female entrepreneurs, the Kotam tourist site has contributed to upholding traditional culture as well as boosting socio-economic development in Dak Lak province.

Pioneering mobile check-up services in Quang Khoi

February 25, 2021 by www.vir.com.vn

E-records are helping to streamline processes for medical professionals

Dr. Nguyen Van Khoi, board chairman at Quang Khoi General Hospital, said that one of the hospital’s new business strategies to materialise its mission is to launch a mobile check-up service, which is the result of its 10-year development efforts.

“COVID-19 has had significant impacts on the economy and human life, thus affecting people’s access to healthcare services. With the new service, we hope to bring health services closer and make it more convenient to people,“ Khoi noted.

The hospital has focused investment in development of the mobile check-up service in recent years in an effort to meet growing demands for regular check-ups for workers and white-collar workers at offices and factories. This service helps ensure the quality of regular check-ups for employees of businesses, while saving travelling and waiting times for them.

Looking like a mobile clinic, the mobile check-up service vehicles of Quang Khoi General Hospital are fully equipped with advanced medical equipment and machines such as 4D ultrasound machine; digital x-ray machine; ear, nose, and throat endoscopes; electrocardiogram machines; and more, thus ensuring the best possible on-site healthcare service quality. These devices are connected directly with the management software on electronic health records to facilitate the research and management of health conditions of each individual.

Moreover, drawing rooms are equipped with air conditioners and ventilation to ensure fresh environment and best conditions for medical examiners. Especially, the results of health check-ups are available on mobile phones and electronic health records. In addition, the multidisciplinary team of the mobile check-up service vehicles have medical proficiency and are highly trained at home and internationally.

With all of these factors, the new service has received support from labourers, with many domestic and foreign-invested enterprises selecting it. They include companies such as PTSC Thanh Hoa, Nghi Son International Port Co., Ltd., Nghi Son Thermal Power JSC, Japan’s TOA, Hoa Sen Group (Nghe An office), Lilama 18.1, and many others.

Together with new services development, Quang Khoi General Hospital has also been paying due attention to IT application in management and operation.

The management software on electronic health records applied in the mobile check-up service is one of the hospital’s encouraging achievements in line with the health sector’s electronic health records development plan and development of smart hospitals.

With strong efforts on technology application, Quang Khoi has become the ninth hospital nationwide to receive Ministry of Health recognition as a successful performer of electronic health records. Quang Khoi was also honoured as the pioneer in digital transformation in the health sector at the E-Health Vietnam Summit 2020.

As part of Quang Khoi’s development plan, the hospital has strengthened international cooperation as a way to help improve professionalism for its health professionals, and approach new treatment methods and techniques, thus enabling it to satisfy new demands.

For instance, Quang Khoi made working visits to a number of hospitals in 2020, including FV Hospital and Hanh Phuc International Hospital, both of which won Joint Commission International accreditation – a global certification on hospital quality management.

Also last October, Quang Khoi signed a comprehensive cooperation agreement with Hanoi French Hospital, with regular check-ups and hospital fee guarantee being included to ensure diversified benefits for patients depending on their demands and financial capacity.

The cooperation is expected to bring about many more opportunities for Quang Khoi to further improve professionalism of its health professionals, while diversifying high-quality health services for customers, especially corporate ones. With strong investment and comprehensive and constant innovation, Quang Khoi General Hospital is winning more confidence from customers and partners, reaffirming its leading position among privately-run facilities in the central region.

By Hoai Nam

AstraZeneca championing public-private partnerships

February 25, 2021 by www.vir.com.vn

Last year was very taxing for the healthcare sector as the pandemic has led to a dramatic loss of human life worldwide and presents an unprecedented challenge to public health. How has AstraZeneca Vietnam contributed to increasing patient access over the past year?

1532 p12 astrazeneca championing public private partnerships

Nitin Kapoor, chairman and general director of AstraZeneca Vietnam

While it has been a real test to the world, our innovative and patient-centric spirit has helped us not only rise to the unique challenges posed by the pandemic but also ensure that we leave no patients or healthcare professionals behind in this trying time. As we are celebrating Doctors’ Day in Vietnam, I want to thank all the doctors, nurses, and healthcare staff for their tireless efforts to keep us safe.

Globally and in Vietnam, AstraZeneca is committed to ensuring broad and equitable access to our COVID-19 vaccine. We are proud and thankful for the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Drug Administration of Vietnam’s conditional authorisation of our COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca for emergency use. We are partnering with Vietnam Vaccine JSC to deliver 30 million doses of the vaccine to the country, starting from the first half of 2021.

To support Vietnam’s healthcare system when it faced great shortages, last year AstraZeneca donated 400,000 medical masks to the MoH and personal protective equipment to the National Hospital for Tropical Disease. Our contributions to Vietnam’s fight against the pandemic were recognised with the Minister of Health’s Award of Excellence.

In July, our major structural and operational transformation was completed when we became one of the first pharmaceutical multinationals to successfully transition to a foreign-invested enterprise and sign a landmark local distribution partnership. This change has allowed us to better deliver our innovative, high quality medicines to millions of Vietnamese patients.

We have also accelerated our digital transformation, reaching over 80,000 healthcare professionals virtually even during pandemic restrictions and supporting major hospitals in their telehealth and digital healthcare education programmes, all to ensure that patients’ access to healthcare is not disrupted.

Along with the global health crisis, the Vietnamese healthcare sector is facing a growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). How important is partnership in easing this in the community?

The increasing healthcare needs and growing NCD burden require that we form robust and comprehensive collaborations in order to achieve better health outcomes for patients. Public-private partnerships also play a vital role as they can contribute diverse and complementary resources towards a mutual goal in a shorter time. AstraZeneca Vietnam’s mission is to reduce NCD burden in Vietnam, and we have been a long-term partner with the government, the MoH, and healthcare institutions to maximise our collective impact.

In our 27-year operations in Vietnam, our most notable sustainability programmes include the Healthy Lung Programme where we partner with the Medical Service Administration and respiratory medical associations to improve outpatient management for asthma, COPD, and lung cancer; and the Young Health Programme through which we work with the MoH and Plan International to reduce NCD risk behaviours amongst young people. In 2018 and 2019, to raise awareness of NCDs and increase their early detection, we also organised two community days in Hanoi where our volunteers provided 1,000 free screenings and consultation sessions.

Reflecting on this past year, what do you think is the biggest lesson from COVID-19, and how can we avoid letting it happen again?

These are tough questions that I’m sure many world leaders have been asking. What we’ve witnessed is how vulnerable the global health system is in the face of crises such as pandemics or natural disasters. COVID-19 has really highlighted the importance of early detection of diseases, disaster contingency plans and preparedness, trust in science, transparent and decisive leadership, and cross-border and cross-sectoral partnership.

The Vietnamese government and the MoH have demonstrated the best practice in pandemic response – leading the country effectively through the pandemic and protecting lives, while maintaining remarkable economic growth.

As crises will continue to happen in the future whether we like it or not, it’s vital that we increase healthcare systems’ sustainability and resilience so that they are resistant to whatever comes in their way. AstraZeneca Vietnam is contributing our part via two programmes – one is the Partnership for Health System Sustainability and Resilience with the World Economic Forum, London School of Economics, and Vietnam’s Health Strategy and Policy Institute to generate insights on how Vietnam’s healthcare system can be strengthened. The other one is Green Energy for Health, where we donate solar energy systems to local healthcare stations in disadvantaged areas, allowing them to save costs and improve energy supply stability.

By Bich Thuy

Vietnam listed among world’s top 10 emerging logistics markets

February 25, 2021 by en.nhandan.org.vn

Accordingly, China remained the world’s leading emerging logistics market followed by India, while Indonesia ranked in third position. Qatar and Turkey ranked behind Vietnam in 9th and 10th position. Among ASEAN countries, Indonesia ranked third, Malaysia ranked fifth, Vietnam ranked 8th, Thailand ranked 11th, Philippines ranked 21st and Cambodia 41st.

Vietnam’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic has been one of the most successful globally. “The steps taken by Vietnam in 2020 have propelled it into the top 10 ranking in 2021 – its rise of three positions to 8th is the fastest ever in the top half of the Index and has displaced regional partner Thailand in the top 10.”, Agility wrote.

The report added that in recent years, Vietnam has added significant hi-tech manufacturing capacity, helping attract investment from producers higher up the value chain as costs in China increase. Avoiding additional costs associated with the US-China trade war has added further motivation for manufacturers to choose Vietnam.

However, the report pointed out that investment and the arrival of new businesses has created challenges.

According to the Action Plan to improve competitive capacity and develop Vietnam’s logistics services by 2025, the contribution of logistics services to GDP will reach 5-6%, the growth rate of logistics services will be at 15-20%, the logistics outsourcing rate will reach 50-60%, logistics costs will decrease to 16-20% of GDP, and the industry ranking on the LPI index (national logistics capacity index) will be more than 50.