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Eight new domestic Covid-19 cases recorded in Hai Duong

March 1, 2021 by e.vnexpress.net

All the five cases in Hai Duong are those who had already been put into centralized quarantine zones before being confirmed infected with the coronavirus. They are being treated at the northern province’s field hospitals.

The five imported cases are those entering Vietnam through Ha Tien international border gate in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang last Thursday and Friday, and were quarantined upon arrival. Sunday test results confirmed they were postivive for the virus.

Vietnam declared 16 patients free of Covid-19 on Monday, bringing the number of active cases down to 530.

The country has recorded 857 community transmissions in 13 localities since the third wave began on January 28 after a 55-day clean streak.

Hai Duong remains the biggest hotspot with 673 cases, followed by Quang Ninh (61) and HCMC (36). Ten of the 13 localities haven’t recorded any new community transmissions in the past 15 days.

With the latest cases, the nation’s Covid-19 tally has increased to 2,461 with 1,892 recoveries.

Vietnam records eight new domestic Covid-19 cases

March 1, 2021 by e.vnexpress.net

All the eight cases in Hai Duong are people who had already been quarantined. They are being treated at field hospitals in the northern province.

The five imported cases are those entered Vietnam through the Ha Tien international border gate in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang last Thursday and Friday, and were quarantined on entry. Sunday test results confirmed they were positive for the virus.

With 16 patients declared free of Covid-19 Monday, the number of active cases stands at 530.

The country has recorded 857 community transmissions in 13 localities since the third Covid-19 outbreak began on January 28 after a 55-day clean streak.

Hai Duong remains the biggest hotspot with 673 cases, followed by Quang Ninh (61) and HCMC (36). Ten of the 13 localities haven’t recorded any new community transmissions in the past 15 days.

With the latest cases, the nation’s Covid-19 tally has increased to 2,461with 1,892 recoveries and 35 deaths.

More than 18,000 new firms set up in first two months

March 1, 2021 by bizhub.vn

More than 18,000 new businesses were established in the first two months of 2021 — Photo VNA

More than 18,000 new businesses were established in the first two months of 2021, a year-on-year decline of 4 per cent, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

The number of employees registered by the newly-established enterprises rose 9.7 per cent to 173,000.

The months saw an addition of VND720.4 trillion (US$32.24 billion) in total registered capital, up 12.4 per cent. The average level in registered capital per enterprise surged 46.4 per cent to reach VND18.5 billion in the period.

About 11,030 enterprises resumed operations in the first two months, down 7.6 per cent while 33,611 others were dissolved, up 18.6 per cent.

In February alone, as many as 8,038 new businesses were set up with a combined registered capital of nearly VND179.74 trillion.

The number of new firms represented a year-on-year drop of 12.3 per cent while the amount of capital surged 85.6 per cent.

The number of workers registered by these businesses reached almost 57,000, down 22.1 per cent. — VNS

Yen Bai has first model new-style rural commune

March 1, 2021 by en.vietnamplus.vn

At the ceremony that announces the accreditation of Tuy Loc commune as model new-style rural area (Photo: VNA)

Yen Bai (VNA) – Tuy Loc commune in the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai is now a recognised model new-style rural area, making it the first commune in the northern province to obtain the accreditation.

After meeting the new style rural standard in 2014, Tuy Loc had worked on getting the advanced title. To date, it has effectively implemented 48 economic development projects, with its per capita income reaching 56 million VND in 2020, 1.5 times higher than that set by the new-style rural standard for the year. Currently, there is no poor household in the commune.

Chairman of the Tuy Loc People’s Committee Nguyen Minh Tuan said key tasks for the time to come include restructuring agriculture in association with building new-style rural building , as well as promoting technological application and green technologies.

After a ceremony to announce the recognition on March 1, work began on the construction of a road connecting Tuy Loc’s dyke to its centre. The project costs 14.5 billion VND and is scheduled to be fully operational in October.

The national target programme on building new-styled rural areas was initiated by the Government in 2010 with the aim of developing rural regions. The list of criteria includes the development of infrastructure, the improvement of production capacity, environmental protection, and the promotion of cultural values./.

VNA

Vietnam exits top 10 in Covid-19 resilience ranking due to new outbreak

March 2, 2021 by e.vnexpress.net

The country posted a resilience score of 57.3 out of 100, down from 74.3 in the November ranking where it ranked 10th .

Vietnam’s slip was due to the new Covid-19 outbreak linked to new strains, with millions placed under lockdown in February, Bloomberg stated.

The ranking measured 53 economies of over $200 billion GDP on key metrics including growth in virus cases to overall mortality rates, testing capabilities and vaccine supply agreements, capacity of local healthcare systems, the impact of lockdowns on these economies, and freedom of movement. It used data reported until Feb. 24.

The report said Vietnam scored 77 out of 100 in “lockdown severity.” A high score indicates social and economic activity are tightly restricted by government policy, meaning people are experiencing greater disruptions to their lives.

Vietnam has struggled with a new wave of Covid-19 since Jan. 28 after a streak of 55 days without community transmissions in what the government said was caused by the U.K.-originated variant. In early February, many areas in Vietnam were placed under lockdown as authorities raced against time to contain the spread of the virus.

New Zealand achieved the best score of 22 in “lockdown severity,” while the U.K. performed worst.

In terms of community mobility, which measures the movement of people to offices and retail spaces compared to a pre-pandemic baseline, Vietnam saw a decrease of 20.3 percent in travel, triggered by lockdown orders.

Of the 53 economies, Vietnam had a test positivity rate of 0.1 percent while Mexico had the highest rate at 28.6 percent. The best rate of zero was scored by New Zealand, Australia and Singapore.

Vietnam’s access to Covid-19 vaccines reached only 21 percent, the report said.

While the production of domestic vaccines is underway, the government has speeded up foreign procurement to vaccinate some prioritized categories of people.

It has ordered 30 million doses from AstraZeneca, with the first batch of 117,600 doses arriving in Ho Chi Minh City last week. The country is stepping up negotiations with vaccine manufacturers in the U.S., Russia and some other countries.

New Zealand with its closed borders, four vaccine deals and near-elimination of the virus locally held on to the top position, followed by Australia and Singapore.

Having the highest case tally and death toll in the world, the U.S. stood 27th in the ranking while China, once the Covid-19 epicenter, ranked sixth.

Vietnam, a country of 98 million people, has reported 849 community transmissions in 13 cities and provinces during the ongoing outbreak.

Vietnam – UK free trade agreement takes new step for bilateral ties

December 11, 2020 by hanoitimes.vn

The Hanoitimes – A trade deal in place will help ensure continuity in trade relations between the UK and Vietnam after Brexit’s transitional period ends on December 31, 2020.

Vietnam and the UK today [December 11] officially concluded the negotiation process for the UK – Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA).

Overview of the signing ceremony. Source: MoIT.

The agreed minutes on the conclusion of the free trade agreement negotiation were signed by Vietnam’s Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh and the UK International Trade Secretary Liz Truss in Hanoi.

“The agreed minutes signed today is a first major step towards the signing of the UKVFTA in the coming time,” stated Mr. Anh.

The Vietnam minister said both sides started the negotiation process for the deal since August 2018.

As the UK is set to leave the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) after the Brexit’s transitional period ends on December 31, 2020, a new FTA between Vietnam and the UK will help ensure the continuity in bilateral trade relations.

On her part, UK International Trade Secretary Liz Truss said the UKVFTA is a milestone for the country to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which remains a priority for the UK government next year.

The fact that most of the clauses stipulated in the UKVFTA are similar to those in the EVFTA, significantly shortening the negotiation process for the two sides.

Mr. Anh suggested with the UKVFTA, Vietnam will hold advantages compared to regional countries such as China, India, Thailand, or Malaysia, those do not have a similar deal in place with the UK.

Vietnam is set to have more opportunities in attracting investment capital, technology transfer, and tourists from the UK once the Covid-19 is rolled back, while the deal presages positive outlook for the Vietnam – UK relations on the occasion of 10 ^th anniversary of the establishment of strategic partnership.

Under the UKFTA commitments, six years since the coming into effect of the deal, the UK will remove import tariffs for 99.2% of goods imported from Vietnam, or 99.7% of Vietnam’s exports to the country.

The EU in its EVFTA with Vietnam provides the tariff rate quotas (TRQs) with 0% tariff rate for certain imported products. The UK, meanwhile, is set to review actual trade figure with Vietnam during the 2014-16 period to make a similar decision.

On the other hand, Vietnam will immediately remove tariff for 48.5% of goods from UK, or 64.5% of import turnover. The figure is set to rise to 91.8% or 97.1% of UK exports to Vietnam in six years.

The UK is Vietnam’s third largest trade partner in Europe, behind Germany and the Netherlands.

In 2019, Vietnam’s exports to the UK reached US$6.1 billion, the country imported nearly US$800 million worth of goods and products in return.

As of August 2020, the UK has 400 valid projects in Vietnam with total investment capital of US$3.6 billion, ranking 16 ^th among countries and territories having investment projects in Vietnam.