Millennium development goals countries

The Hanoitimes – The repository is expected to facilitate free trade and open markets in Vietnam.

On the sidelines of the 37th ASEAN Summit and related meetings, on November 12, Mr. Greg Hands, the UK’s Minister of State for Trade Policy, and Mr. Tran Quoc Khanh, Vietnam’s Vice Minister of Industry and Trade, held a virtual signing ceremony of the letter of intent to officially initiate the collaboration in developing a national trade repository (NTR) for Vietnam, which will be linked to the ASEAN trade repository.

An online ceremony. Photo: the British embassy in Hanoi

This is a UK government funded project for Vietnam as part of the Global Trade Program under the Prosperity Fund.

Information transparency is one of the key elements of a fair business environment, especially in developing countries like Vietnam. Once completed, the NTR is expected to facilitate free trade and open markets by providing easier access to regulations and trade facilitation information; enable greater investment and interaction with global value chains in creating jobs and prosperity, and help reduce poverty and promote gender equality.

The Vietnam’s National Trade Repository, through the UK Prosperity Fund’s Global Trade Program, will provide invaluable support to businesses expediting trade in goods and services with Vietnam and ASEAN, said British Ambassador to Vietnam Gareth Ward, adding that the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the UK-Vietnam Strategic Partnership Agreement, reflects the two sides’ ambition for a deep, broad and meaningful relationship. Mr. Gareth Ward also stressed that a decade on, he is delighted by the progress we have made, including tripling our bilateral trade and increasing the number of UK tourists visiting Vietnam.

In addition, the project will support the creation of a legal and governance structure as well as an operating model for inter-agency working between relevant agencies in Vietnam. It will also provide comprehensive training series for government officials and companies to make the most of the NTR.

Global Trade Program is an international development program within the UK’s Prosperity Fund. With total funding of £150-million, the program is being implemented across 10 middle income countries, including Vietnam, in order to facilitate free trade market and reduce non-tariff barriers, contributing to the prosperity of the partner countries.

In Vietnam, the program will provide expertise and technology to support the Ministry of Trade and Industry to develop the NTR for Vietnam and deliver relevant training and awareness raising activities from November 2020 to March 2022.

The Vietnamese delegation actively participated in the discussions with the aim of reaching consensus and promoting negotiations in order to early achieve satisfactory solutions for all parties, towards realising the sustainable development goal (SDG) 14.6 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the UN.

At a meeting of heads of delegation to the WTO, Chair of the WTO negotiating group, Ambassador Santiago Wills of Colombia, briefed the participants on the work that has been done since January 2021.

Wills reiterated that the WTO members should begin to express their views on an acceptable outcome that can lead the successful conclusion of negotiations, aiming to protect aquatic resources worldwide.

Many statements delivered at the meeting noted the differences of views on the three issues discussed in the latest negotiation round, while proposing to use many different forms of negotiation to find solutions to narrowing the differences.

A number of members welcomed the call of new WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on February 15 to introduce the WTO’s new rules on fisheries subsidies as soon as possible in 2021.

The next round of negotiations on fisheries subsidies will start on March 15. WTO members can also conduct consultations before the next round of negotiations.

The WTO’s 11th Ministerial Conference (MC11) and SDG 14.6 give negotiators the task of securing an agreement on eliminating subsidies for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and to prohibit certain forms of fisheries subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing by the end of 2020. WTO members committed to build on their 2020 progress and reach a resolution in 2021.

SDG 14.6, part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by all United Nations member states, including Vietnam, in 2015, affirms the WTO’s role in the global fisheries subsidies agenda.

It targets to “by 2020, prohibit certain forms of fisheries subsidies which contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, and eliminate subsidies that contribute to IUU fishing, and refrain from introducing new such subsidies, recognising that appropriate and effective special and differential treatment for developing and least developed countries should be an integral part of the WTO fisheries subsidies negotiation.”

The General Statistics Office of Vietnam (GSO) launched the 2021 Economic Census across the nation on March 1.

The Hanoitimes – The two countries keen on trade and energy cooperation.

Vietnam and the United Kingdom will tighten co-operation to implement the UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA) effectively, promoting the import and export of goods and increasing bilateral trade value between the two countries.

A tra (catfish) processing line. Tra products are entitled to a zero % tax rate when exported to the UK.

The co-operation plan was a key content discussed by Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Dang Hoang An and British Ambassador to Vietnam Gareth Ward at a meeting held recently in Hanoi.

At the meeting, the two leaders agreed that the UKVKTA, which took place on December 31, 2020 and being temporarily applied from January 1, 2021, will be a new driving force to take off the good relations on trade and investment in Vietnam and the UK.

Despite extremely negative impacts from the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the trade exchange between the two sides still reached US$5.6 billion, in which Vietnam gained export value of $4.95 billion and import value of $687 million from and to the UK.

The UK continues to be the third largest export market of Vietnam in the European region.

From the first days of January 2021, the Vietnam’s shipment of 60 tons of fragrant rice exported to the UK has enjoyed tariff preferences under the agreement, opening up new opportunities for the two countries’ business community.

The two sides agreed to give priority to the organization of the 12th Joint Economics and Trade Committee in the UK (JETCO 12) meeting this year when the Covid-19 pandemic is under control. Before the meeting, the two sides will hold online meetings, seminars and dialogues to discuss solutions to removing problems in every specific fields.

Mr. Gareth Ward said the UK wanted to coordinate with the Ministry of Industry and Trade to organize online dialogues in the field of energy development, including a dialogue on renewable energy that will focus on solutions to strengthen the investors’ confidence and another on energy transition in Vietnam in the framework of the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), which will be held in the UK on November 1-12 this year.

Deputy Minister An highly appreciated the UK’s commitment to host the COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland. He emphasized that the renewable energy development plan is an important content in the Vietnam Politburo’s Resolution No.55-NQ/TW dated February 11, 2020 on the orientation of the National Energy Development Strategy of Vietnam to 2030, with a vision to 2045.

“The Vietnam’s goal is to ensure an adequate energy supply for socio-economic development, in parallel with the task of gradually increasing the proportion of clean energy use,” Mr. An said.

In 2020, a number of Vietnam’s commodities exported to the UK have a good growth, including seafood, vegetables, rubber products, and iron and steel products. Meanwhile, the country’s import products from the UK, comprising animal feed and raw materials, materials of textile, garment and footwear, mobile phones and components, and chemical products, were seen increased sharply.

The Hanoitimes – The trade deal is expected to spark new opportunities for Vietnam as one of the few Asian countries to secure an exclusive FTA with the UK.

The signing of the UK – Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA) has ensured continuity of mutual trade after the end of Brexit’s transitional period on December 31, 2020.

Vietnam’s Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh and UK International Trade Secretary Liz Truss at the signing of the free trade agreement in Hanoi on December 11. Photo: Nhac Nguyen/AFP/Getty Images

The UKVFTA, which was signed in Hanoi last week, will reproduce similar effects from the EU – Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) as the UK will be out of the EU by the end of 2020, according to Savills Vietnam.

For Vietnam, the UKVFTA will primarily boost exports, while for the UK, it is considered an essential first step in gaining access to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), said Savills Vietnam, one of the largest real estate practice in the country.

Under the UKVFTA, the UK will first eliminate 65% of tariffs moving up to 99% after seven years to boost bilateral trade. Vietnam will first remove 48.5% of tariffs from UK imports, which after six years, will rise to around 91.8% or 97.1%. The tariff rate quotas provided in the EVFTA have been agreed to guide those in the UKVFTA, after the UK reviews their actual trade value with Vietnam.

In addition, UKVFTA will spark new opportunities for Vietnam as one of the few Asian countries to secure an exclusive FTA with the UK, Savills Vietnam said.

As the representative of a leading UK company in Vietnam, Mr Matthew Powell, Director of Savills Hanoi, who attended the UKVFTA signing ceremony last week, shared his outlook for Vietnam and the economic development.

The agreement will facilitate extensive benefits and opportunities for both sides. The UK has been Vietnam’s third largest trading partner in Europe, with 400 ongoing projects worth over US$3.6 billion as of August 2020. With the FTA, more investment capital, technology transfer, and transactions are expected from the UK.

Mr. Matthew Powell said both business communities have developed mutually strong and lasting relationships and he hopes to see more UK investments into services, products, and more business expansions as the agreement comes into effect.

“The UK is known for its consultancy expertise, particularly in real estate. Besides being the sector of choice for local investors, property remains the safest and most effective investment channel. Our 25 years in Vietnam has given us a greater understanding of the culture and business environment which will add value to strengthening and developing even greater business ties between the two countries,” Mr. Powell added.

The Hanoitimes – The old yellow-painting apartment buildings in Hanoi, apart from their own charms and characteristics, has also contributed to the development of the city.

Apart from Turtle Tower, Hoan Kiem Lake, or One Pillar Pagoda – the eternal symbols of Hanoi , old yellow-painted apartment buildings with caged balconies characterize the post-war Hanoi. They are a part to the landscape of the capital both yesterday and today.

The old apartment building inside Hanoi University in Thanh Xuan district., Hanoi. Photo: Dinh Quyen.

Built in the 1960s-1980s in the four central districts of Hanoi, old apartment buildings, usually with five storeys, remarked the first stage of the construction of the new socialist country, becoming not only a witness of history and architecture of a period but also a symbol of neighborhood and community culture and life.

As those buildings were firstly given to state cadres, residents here were not only neighbors but also co-workers and even friends.

Many generations have lived in those buildings and everyone knows each other as well as each other’s family members. In addition, as they share several parts in the building such as the gate, the balcony, the hall, the playground, the garden, among others, their relationship is close.

The Kim Lien old apartment building in Dong Da district., Hanoi. Photo: Nguyen Anh Tuan.

To many people born during the 1960-1980s, these buildings reminisce their childhood . It was where they chased and played games with other kids next door along the hall and the playground every day. When they grew up, the narrow stair could be a romantic dating place at night.

To women, it was unforgettable days washing dishes and clothes under the public tap with others, drying them on the balcony, or preparing a big pot to together cook banh chung (traditional rice cake) in the public space in front of the building on the occasion of Tet (Lunar New Year Festival).

There they were both doing their work, talking about their day, work, children, price at local markets, or sharing a new cooking recipe or the experience of making iron caged-balcony in the back of the apartment to expand the small space or breeding pigs at home as almost everyone did at that time.

Old apartment buildings are a special part in the life of many people. Photo: Dinh Quyen

Meanwhile, the garden was the favorite place of the elders where they looked after their vegetables and bonsai or had some tea in the afternoon with neighbors.

Particular, the notice board was an important part of their life. Every time when it informed some news, activities and parties in the holidays and festival seasons, all the residents were eager to talk about it and participate in it. In the age without internet and high-end technology, it was the “delicious spiritual food” for them.

Moreover, it also helped tighten the relationship among family members and neighbors. It is very different today in new modern buildings where neighbors do not usually know much about and even barelymeet.

A bodyguard of Thanh Xuan old building apartment. Photo: Dinh Quyen

Old apartment buildings are a special part in the life of many people, including writers, poets and painters who have brought them into their works with a lot of memories, feelings and love.

These buildings and the residents together passed through the tough time of the war, the post-war penury as well as a lot of changes from the period of economic subsidy to the renovation and the development today.

In the current rapid urbanization of Hanoi, there are plenty of new resident areas providing better living conditions so that many people have moved in and out from these old apartment buildings.

Photo: Dinh Quyen

The residents and the neighbors of the same place, however, behave differently among themselves now and the new rhythm of modern life also changes the relationships among them.

Nonetheless, some typical lifestyle of the place still remains. If you visit one of them in areas such as Giang Vo, Thanh Cong, Nguyen Cong Tru, Kim Lien, Trung Tu, Van Chuong, Thuy Loi, among others you can catch some kids sliding on old stairs, lines of clothes hanging on the balcony, plant and flower pots appearing behind bars of iron cages or elders playing chess in the public ground, to explore another part of Hanoi which is full of interesting surprises hidden in its small and modest appearance.