News briefing

* The failure of this week’s US-China meeting to build strategic trust has heightened the need for Beijing and Washington to improve crisis management regime, a senior Chinese military scholar and adviser told a Beijing forum on Saturday.

* An earthquake struck northeastern Japan on Saturday, hitting areas devastated by the 2011 disaster, generating a tsunami of 1 metre and shaking buildings. The quake, with a magnitude of 7.2, hit the coast of Miyagi Prefecture at 6:26 p.m. (0926 GMT) at a depth of 60 km (40 miles), the Japan Meteorological Agency said. All tsunami alerts were lifted about an hour later, broadcaster NHK said after warning the public not to go near the shore.

* India’s financial capital Mumbai is facing a second wave of COVID-19 that could overwhelm its health facilities after a record daily increase in cases in its home state Maharashtra.

* The Philippines recorded a record daily increase in COVID-19 infections, as authorities tightened curbs in the capital and approved Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine for emergency use.

* Coronavirus-related deaths in the European region surpassed 1 million as vaccination efforts attempt to keep up with new variants causing a third wave of infections that could once again overwhelm hospitals.

* The world’s seven largest advanced economies moved to boost the International Monetary Fund reserves for the first time since 2009, a step aimed at helping developing countries cope with the pandemic, Britain said.

* Europe’s airlines and travel sector are bracing for a second lost summer, with rebound hopes increasingly challenged by a hobbled COVID-19 vaccine rollout, resurgent infections and new lockdowns.

* Russia on Saturday reported 9,632 new COVID-19 cases, including 1,728 in Moscow, pushing the national tally of cases to 4,447,570 since the pandemic began. The government coronavirus taskforce said that 392 people had died in the last 24 hours, taking the overall death toll to 94,569.

* The US government updated its COVID-19 mitigation guidance to narrow the acceptable distance between students who are wearing masks to at least three feet from at least six feet, potentially easing the path for schools that have struggled to reopen under previous recommendations.

* Germany will supply general practitioners with vaccines and deliver additional doses to regions on the Czech and French borders as it seeks to get its campaign back on track.

* British Prime Minister Boris Johnson received his first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine and urged the public to do the same, saying “he did not feel a thing.”

* Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said he would personally take the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

* Belgium tightened measures to control the spread of the coronavirus to preserve plans to open up the economy in May.

* Greece will lift some COVID-19 restrictions next week as part of a plan to gradually reopen the economy and relieve national fatigue even as its hospitals remain under severe pressure from stubbornly high infections.

* Palestinians took another step in preparations for their first parliamentary election in 15 years on Saturday, opening registration offices to admit the political parties and independent candidates that will take part. The May 22 election in the West Bank and Gaza is part of a broader push for reconciliation between President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah faction and rival Islamist group Hamas. This is seen as vital to building broader support for any future statehood talks with Israel, frozen since 2014.

* Russia has postponed the launch of its Soyuz-2.1a rocket to Sunday, state news agency RIA quoted Roscosmos space agency Director General Dmitry Rogozin as saying on Saturday. Rogozin said the decision to postpone from Saturday was made after a voltage spike ahead of the planned launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, RIA reported.

* Australia’s east coast was smashed by heavy rains on Saturday, sparking dangerous flash flooding that forced the evacuation of multiple regions as the fast-moving waters unmoored houses, engulfed roads, stranded towns and cut power lines.

* Papua New Guinea reported rising coronavirus infections on Saturday, continuing a surge that highlights the need for tougher social distancing restrictions taking effect on Monday.

* Cameroon approved Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine for use, and suspended use of AstraZeneca’s shot which it was scheduled to receive on March 20 under the COVAX vaccine-sharing scheme.

* The Philippines will expand tighter COVID-19 rules to include four provinces surrounding the capital Manila, and restrict travel to and from these areas for two weeks beginning on Monday, as the country battles a renewed surge in infections.

* Russia’s ambassador to the United States arrived in Moscow on Sunday for discussions on how to address sliding US-Russia relations after US President Joe Biden said he thought Vladimir Putin was a killer, the TASS news agency reported.

* Russia’s ambassador to Britain has accused the UK government of breaking its international treaty commitments with a plan to increase the country’s nuclear arsenal and said the political relationship between Moscow and London is “nearly dead”.

* United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in an unnanounced visit to Kabul on Sunday, as Washington reviews the peace process there and its planned troop withdrawal.

* Britain administered 873,784 COVID-19 vaccines on Saturday, a second daily record in as many days, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Sunday.

* Russia on Sunday reported 9,299 new COVID-19 cases, including 1,511 in Moscow, pushing the national tally of cases to 4,456,869 since the pandemic began. The government coronavirus taskforce said that 371 people had died in the last 24 hours, taking the overall death toll to 95,030.

* Germany is considering making all people returning from abroad face quarantine and compulsory COVID-19 tests after infection rates jumped above the level at which authorities say hospitals will be overstretched.

* A group of Swiss business leaders and lawmakers have demanded the government speed up vaccinations and develop a plan for its nationwide testing drive to tackle the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the country.

* Northern Ireland is in a difficult situation as it deals with the consequences of Brexit, and Britain and the European Union need to reduce tensions and find solutions as equal partners, EU Commissioner Mairead McGuinness said on Sunday.

* The United Arab Emirates urged all citizens and residents aged 16 and above to register for COVID-19 vaccinations from Sunday as the Gulf state widens its immunisation drive after inoculating about 56% of the eligible population.

* The number of coronavirus patients in Bulgarian hospitals has risen to 8,545, the highest level since the start of the pandemic last March, official health data showed on Sunday.

* South Africa has concluded the sale of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines it had acquired but did not use to other African Union member states, the health ministry said on Sunday.

* Philippine troops have killed a leader of the Abu Sayyaf kidnap-for-ransom group and rescued four Indonesian hostages held since last year, the military said on Sunday.

* Seven civilians were killed and at least 14 medics were injured when artillery shelling from a Syrian army outpost hit a hospital in a rebel-held town in northwestern Syria on Sunday, medics and rescuers said.

* The federal cabinet of the United Arab Emirates approved a new system allowing professionals to reside in the Gulf state while working remotely for employers abroad, a scheme that the emirate of Dubai launched by itself in October.

Poultry farmers have been hit hard by skyrocketing feed prices.

Tran Quang Trung, a pig farmer in Dong Nai Province’s Thong Nhat District, said a 25kg bag of bran has increased from VND250,000 to VND290,000 (US$11-12.6) since October last year.

Prices of raw materials used for feed such as corn, rice bran, and fish flour are also continuing to rise.

But farmers cannot hike prices of poultry or cattle since they compete with cheap imported products.

In Dong Nai Province, the country’s largest chicken producer, the price of chicken has fallen below production cost since feed prices have increased from VND20,000 per kilogramme to VND26,000, causing farmers an average loss of VND3,500 per kilogramme of meat.

Poultry and livestock farmers are suffering big losses, especially those with bank loans. Big farms that typically sell 10,000-20,000 chicken of Tam Hoang variety a day are losing VND30-40 million ($1300-1740) daily, according to the Dong Nai Animal Husbandry Association.

Pham Duc Binh, deputy chairman of the Viet Nam Animal Feed Association, said animal feed production is controlled by importers and foreign businesses, while all the maize used for the production of animal feed is imported.

Viet Nam only produces rice bran and cassava, and has failed to develop areas to grow feed inputs because of poor productivity, and the animal feed supply chain is not comprehensive, he added.

The dependence on imports, and the sharp increase in global prices of raw materials due to crop failures and China buying record quantities, means input prices have increased sharply.

The lack of empty containers, which are stuck in various ports around the world, to transport goods has increased the prices of imported raw materials further.

To minimise the monopoly of foreign enterprises and create competition, Binh said the State should plan raw material areas and offer preferential policies to domestic companies in terms of borrowing.

Moody’s changes Vietnam’s outlook to positive

Moody’s Investors Service (Moody’s) has maintained the Government of Vietnam’s long-term issuer and senior unsecured ratings at Ba3 and changed the outlook to positive from negative.

The drivers of the positive outlook include signs of improvements in fiscal strength and potential improvements in economic strength that may strengthen Vietnam’s credit profile over time. Sustained fiscal consolidation has led to improvements in fiscal and debt metrics, which Moody’s expects to be only briefly interrupted by the pandemic.

Moreover, Vietnam’s economic strength may benefit from global shifts in production, trade and consumption following the coronavirus pandemic. Over time, indications of higher fiscal and economic strength may point to improving policy effectiveness, also putting upward pressure on Vietnam’s credit profile.

The affirmation of the Ba3 rating is underpinned by ongoing credit strengths and weaknesses, including a large, diversified economy with high growth potential offering resilience to shocks, and increasing capacity in the domestic financial system to finance government borrowing at low costs.

Vietnam’s local- and foreign-currency ceilings are unchanged at Baa3 and Ba2, respectively.

In its evaluation, Moody’s also considered other factors such as the environment, society, air pollution, extreme weather conditions, which it held that Vietnam should give greater attention to.

Moody’s raising of two positions in outlook prospect is an unprecedented move in its ranking globally since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is a considerable recognition for Vietnam./.

Moody’s upgrades unsecured ratings of 15 Vietnamese banks

Moody’s Investors Service has affirmed the long-term local and foreign currency deposit ratings and senior unsecured ratings of 15 Vietnamese banks at Ba3 positive.

At the same time, Moody’s also revised the outlook for the long-term local and foreign currency deposit and issuer ratings of  five banks to positive from negative, four banks to positive from stable and six banks to stable from negative.

The rating actions followed Moody’s affirmation of Vietnam’s Ba3 issuer rating and the change in the outlook to positive from negative.

The 15 banks are An Binh Bank, ACB, HDBank, Vietcombank, BIDV, Lien Viet Post Bank, MB, OCB, SeABank, TPBank, Agribank, VIB, VietinBank, VPBank and Techcombank.

With the exception of An Binh Bank, the Baseline Credit Assessments (BCAs), adjusted BCAs, Counterparty Risk Assessments (CRA) and counterparty risk ratings (CRR) assigned to the banks stated above are unaffected by the rating actions.

It downgraded An Binh Bank’s BCA and adjusted BCA to B2 from B1, while the long-term CRA and CRR have been downgraded to B1 and B1 from Ba3 and Ba3, respectively.

Vietnam’s sovereign credit strength is a key input in Moody’s assessment of the deposit and issuer ratings of Vietnamese banks, because the country’s credit strength affects the government’s capacity to provide support to the banks in times of stress.

Assuming all other factors remain constant, Moody’s will likely upgrade the long-term ratings of the nine Vietnamese banks whose ratings are on a positive outlook if the Vietnamese government’s rating is upgraded./.

Series of events to match woodworking businesses with foreign buyers

Business in the wood industry will have a chance to seek buyers and boost export during the Vietnam Furniture Matching Week 2021, scheduled to take place in Ho Chi Minh City from April 12 to 19.

The Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of HCM City (HAWA) said on March 17 that March and April are usually the peak order season, but the COVID-19 pandemic has forced cancellation of many face-to-face business matching activities since 2020.

To help domestic enterprises connect with international buyers, the association will organise the Vietnam Furniture Matching Week 2021 on the HAWA Online Platform for Exhibition (HOPE).

It noted that the week will feature a wide range of activities, a highlight of which is the Furniture Sourcing Day with the participation of more than 300 guests who are local manufacturers and representative offices of the world’s major businesses to help form and enhance their long-term links.

The online exhibition and B2B matching event will introduce 100 Vietnamese producers with 10,000 products on the HOPE platform, via which HAWA will record buyers’ demand and connect them with suitable manufacturers.

The organiser will also carry out a marketing campaign to access tens of thousands of global buyers via international communication partners like Furniture Today, Furniture News, Mobelmarkt, and Vietnam’s overseas trade offices.

A series of webinars will also take place, providing in-depth analysis on Vietnam’s main and potential markets such as the US, the UK, the Republic of Korea, Germany, and Canada, according to HAWA./.

Autotech & Accessories 2021 to be held both offline, online

The 17th Saigon International Autotech & Accessories Show (Autotech & Accessories 2021) is scheduled to take place in Ho Chi Minh City from May 20 to 23 with both offline and online activities.

The event, which will feature more than 300 booths, is organised by the Asia Trade Fair and Business Promotion JSC with the support of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the Vietnam Association for Supporting Industry.

Organisers said as the COVID-19 pandemic has been affecting almost all aspects, including business matching and trade promotion activities, they decided to hold the Autotech & Accessories 2021 in both offline and online formats, which will concurrently help enhance cooperation among enterprises, prevent coronavirus transmission, and promote green practices towards sustainable development.

The online show will be held in three phases: from Mary 20 to 23 (at the same time with the offline one), from June 30 to July 2, and from October 27 to 31 at www.virtualautotech.com.vn and www.autotechonline.com.vn.

The virtual exhibition applies modern technologies to simulate businesses’ factories, showrooms, and products and enable visitors to connect with exhibitors, according to organisers./.

Two more dairy firms licensed to export to China

The Chinese General Administration of Customs (GAC) has recently announced to grant transaction codes to two Vietnamese companies to ship dairy products to China, said the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Department of Asia-Africa Markets.

Accordingly, FrieslandCampina Hanam Company Limited was allowed to ship pasteurised and fermented milk to China, while FrieslandCampina Vietnam Company Limited could export pasteurised and fermented milk, sweetened condensed milk, and other dairy products to the Chinese market.

China has so far granted transaction codes to nine Vietnamese companies and plants. Others include TH True milk with sterilised and modified milk, Hanoimilk with fermented milk, Bel Vietnam with other cheeses, Nutifood with sterilised, modified and flavoured fermented milk, Vinamilk’s three plants with condensed milk, flavoured fermented milk, sterilised and modified milk, sweetened condensed milk, and many other kinds of condensed milk products.

China is currently the biggest milk importer in the world./.

Vietnam ships 638,000 tonnes of rice abroad in Jan-Feb

Vietnam exported 638,000 tonnes of rice worth 352 million USD in the first two months of 2021, down 31.4 percent in volume and 18.3 percent in value year-on-year.

The average export price of rice in the period was 551.7 USD per tonne, up 13.5 percent compared to the same period last year.

The Philippines remains the largest importer of Vietnamese rice, with a 47.6 percent market share. Rice exports to this market reached nearly 170,000 tonnes valuing at 91.4 million USD in the period, increasing by 25.6 percent in volume and 48.9 percent in value.

Vietnam also witnessed significant export growths in others markets, including Ghana (up 3.13 times), China (up 2.8 times), and Australia (up 2.6 times).

The country exported 6.15 million tonnes of rice for 3.07 billion USD last year.

Amid the difficulties posed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, rice exporters quickly made appropriate adjustments and actively sought new markets while fully tapping into the advantages brought about by free trade agreements (FTA) that Vietnam joined.

FTAs had created a major opportunity for Vietnamese rice to make inroads into choosy markets in the world./.

HCM City to focus on revival of businesses in 2021

Helping businesses revive production and trading is one of the important tasks that the Department of Industry and Trade of Ho Chi Minh City will focus on in 2021.

According to the Department of Industry and Trade, the city’s index of industrial production (IIP) grew by 6 percent in the first two months of the year, despite a fall of 24.6 percent in February as business establishments closed for the Lunar New Year.

The recovery in industrial production, retail sales and import-export activities has been due to the Government’s effective control of the COVID-19 pandemic and programmes to revive the economy, said Bui Ta Hoang Vu, the department’s director.

The department has also implemented programmes to support enterprises, stimulate consumption, connect producers and distributors, stabilise the market, and ensure consumer demand is fully met, he said.

To ensure the revival continues, the department will organise more trade promotion programmes, make efforts to connect suppliers and distributors of goods and enhance supply chain linkages in supporting industries.

It will continue a programme that connects businesses with banks and enables them to get preferential loans.

It will recommend measures to support firms involved in the city’s key industrial products in 2021-2025 and those whose products have won the HCM City Gold Brand Awards.

Implementing the annual market stabilisation programme and trade promotions to help businesses expand their share of the domestic market is also in the department’s plans this year, as is working closely with business groups to promptly mitigate difficulties faced by their members.

This month the department organised a meeting between businesses and the city administration to discuss the former’s problems and solutions.

It is implementing a programme to promote rapid growth of the city’s key economic sectors that have high added-value, supporting industries and four key industrial sectors in 2021-2025.

The programme also seeks to help develop the city into the country and region’s main shopping hub, and improve its services infrastructure to ensure it retains its position as the main centre for port operations, logistics and export services in the south.

It has urged the People’s Committee to help expand a centre for displaying the city’s major supporting industrial products so that small and medium-sized enterprises can introduce their products and production capacity to local and foreign partners.

It said the expansion of the centre would facilitate regular interaction between sellers and buyers of supporting industry products, making it easier for foreign investors to access the Vietnamese supply chain, helping promote the country’s supporting industries.

It also urged the People’s Committee to seek approval from the People’s Council and pass regulations on loan interest support for the investment stimulus programme.

Businesses are very keen to participate in the city’s investment stimulus programme, especially those in the supporting sectors, according to the department./.

Visa to expand digital platform for educating small business owners

Visa has announced plans to expand its global digital platform for delivering free education resources to small and micro businesses (SMBs).

Dang Tuyet Dung, the payment company’s country manager for Vietnam and Laos, said: “SMBs are the backbone of our economy. It is crucial to empower SMB-owners with knowledge, skills, and access to services that support them in rebuilding or starting stronger, digitally enabled businesses.”

The platform, Practical Business Skills, is available in English for Vietnamese SMBs to expand their global accessibility.

SMBs account for more than 90 percent of global businesses and 50-60 percent of jobs.

It is built on Visa’s global expertise in financial education and offers growth-minded entrepreneurs tools to start, manage and expand a business.

With more than 50 online learning modules, it addresses the needs at various stages of a business’ life cycle./.

Japan’s food giant Meiji to establish subsidiary in Hanoi

Japanese food giant Meiji Co. will set up a wholly owned subsidiary in Hanoi on April 1 to ramp up sales in Vietnam of powdered infant formula milk imported from Japan.

Meiji Food Vietnam has a total capital of about 200 million JPY (1.8 million USD).

According to Meiji, Vietnam has about 1.5 million births a year, 70 percent more than in Japan, and the number is projected to keep growing.

However, the Japanese dairy and confectionery company will continue to ship formula from Japan for sale in Vietnam, with no plans to construct a local factory.

Southeast Asia is a potential market for Meiji. The food segment of parent Meiji Holdings posted sales of 6.4 billion JPY in the region in the 2019 fiscal year ended March 2020, up 12 percent from the previous year.

In Vietnam, Meiji’s nutritionists have provided dietary advice to workers at Japanese-owned factories since 2018. The company also sells fortified milk for adults there. It aims to provide nutrition education to 650,000 people in Vietnam by 2030./.

Interest rates remain at lowest levels

Though some banks increased their deposit interest rates early this month, it is not a common trend and the rate currently is still at the lowest level it has been in many years.

With the liquidity of the banking system abundant and interest rates on the interbank market still at a low level, some banks unexpectedly increased their rates at the beginning of March.

Techcombank has applied higher savings interest rates of 0.5-0.6 percentage points for many terms since March 1. Specifically, the rates for six-month and 12-month deposits rose to 4.4-4.7 per cent and 5.1-5.4 per cent per year, respectively.

VPBank also listed new deposit rates for individual customers from March 2, with rises from 0.2 percentage points for terms less than six months.

At ACB, the two- and three-month deposit rates were also increased by 0.1 percentage point.

Despite these movies, in general, the deposit interest rates at most other banks haven’t changed much compared to last month and remain at a low level.

The rates were kept unchanged from the previous month among State-owned commercial banks including Vietcombank, Vietinbank, BIDV and Agribank, and in the group of joint-stock commercial banks such as LienVietPostBank, SeABank and TPBank.

Several other banks even decreased their rates. At BacABank, for example, the rates for one-month to five-month deposits fell by 0.2 percentage points to 3.6 per cent per year while six-month to 12-month deposits also saw declining rates of 0.3 percentage points.

SCB also reduced the rate by 0.5 percentage points for 12-month deposits to 6.8 per cent per year.

According to experts, there is not much room to further reduce savings interest rates as banks must ensure real positive interest rates compared to inflation to attract depositors.

They explained while the inflation rate has been increasing since the first months of this year, demand for credit is also forecast to surge rapidly this year when the economy recovers. Interest rates will likely increase as a result.

KB Vietnam Securities Company said the interbank interest rate and Government bond yields are hitting the bottom while the deposit interest rate is also dropping to the lowest level in the past 15 years. The company forecast the interest rate level is likely to bottom out in the first half of 2021 and increase slightly again in the second half of 2021.

Vo Tri Thanh, a member of the National Financial and Monetary Policy Advisory Council, said it was very difficult to further lower interest rates because economic recovery will lead to an increase in demand for credit.

The management of monetary policy this year must be very flexible, Thanh noted, adding if the monetary policy was too tight, it could hamper the economic recovery; but vice versa, if the policy is too loose, the country would face financial risks and high inflation.

Financial risks have been seen in recent months when many investors spent on securities and real estate instead of depositing at banks due to low interest rates, Thanh said, adding it was best to maintain the interest rate level.

Though there were no signs of a bubble currently, Thanh warned it could occur if interest rates were cut further.

Brokers seek way to borrow from investors with high interest rates

As banks are offering low interest rates, many securities companies are seeking way to mobilise capital from investors by offering higher interest rates.

Securities companies, via a new form of co-operation with their customers, will mobilise capital from customers if they do not use the capital to conduct transactions.

To supplement capital for business, securities companies often borrow from credit institutions. However, this takes time and is not always feasible.

By borrowing from investors while they do not use capital to conduct transactions, securities company can quickly ultilise idle money of investors to significantly improve profit margins. Meanwhile, investors can enjoy profits from the interest rates offered by the securities companies.

When investors need to conduct securities transactions, they can quickly perform transactions without transferring external money from the bank.

Some companies such as Tri Viet Asset Management Company (TVC), MB Securities (MBS) and VNDirect Securities Corporation (VND) have offered relatively attractive interest rates to customers.

Interest rates for a six-month term are usually 7-8.5 per cent per year. For some prioritised customers, the rates can even reach up to 10 per cent per year, much higher than the interest rates offered by banks at the moment.

Not only high interest rates, securities companies also offer many terms for investors to easily join, even 1-week terms with a relatively attractive interest rate of 2-3 per cent per year.

Banks usually offer interest rates of below 0.3 per cent per year for this term length.

For many budding investors, the idle time for money in their account is quite short, most of which last only one to two weeks. If they lend the money to a securities company, they can enjoy high interest rates of 2.5 per cent per year for a short term from one to two weeks.

However, this form of co-operation also poses a risk for both sides if the securities company cannot afford to pay interest to investors. So far, the market has not recorded any controversies.

Recently, there has been an explosion of new investors entering the stock market, also known as “F0” investors. Data from the depository center (VSD) shows that in 2020, there were nearly 394,000 securities accounts opened by domestic investors, doubling the previous year.

In the first month of 2020, the market received more than 86,000 newly opened securities accounts and this was also the month with the largest number of new accounts in history.

The entry of a new class of investors has led to a sharp increase in the demand for margin services in the market. By the end of 2020, outstanding loans at securities companies totaled about VND90 trillion, an increase of about VND30 trillion compared to the end of Q3 of 2019, most of which are margin loans. This is an all-time record number.

Outstanding loans of margin lending have increased dramatically, causing many securities companies to fall into a shortage of lending sources.

Show’s almost over for TV brands in popularity contest

Fierce competition in the market is seemingly destroying the prospects of well-known Japanese TV brands like Sharp and Toshiba, as their popularity plunges and availability in some showrooms becomes scarcer.

At a Dien May Xanh store in Hanoi’s Cau Giay district, typical of most electronics stores focused on television sets, a batch of products are shown in cases of various types, sizes, and specifications. However, customers would now find it hard to locate any TV set from leading Japanese electronics brands like Panasonic, Sharp, and Toshiba.

In the Cau Giay store, Tran Son Tung wanted to buy a TV for his new house and shared his memory about his previous Toshiba TV set. “Four years ago I bought a Toshiba fridge, and amazingly I received a 55-inch TV for free after a lucky draw. Today I decided to look for a new Toshiba TV basically as a thank-you but I am failing, as I can’t seem to find any.”

Staff of the Dien May Xanh store said that they had stopped receiving Toshiba sets over the last two years. “We presented them in the showroom to try and sell just like the rest of the TVs that other manufacturers sent,” said one staff member. “But recently, the number we receive is quite low and no-one asks for these brands anymore. So we leave any of the older-model TVs in the warehouse.”

In fact, sales of large-screen TVs remained at two-digit growth (85, 58, and 29 per cent, respectively) in the periods of 2017-2018, 2018-2019, and 2019-2020. According to the German market research institute GfK, in the first three quarters of 2020, Samsung maintained the leading position with 44.7 per cent of market share, rising by 2 per cent on-year. That of Sony reduced by 6.7 per cent on-year to 25.9 per cent, followed by LG with 17.6 per cent of market share (up 3.8 per cent on-year).

“The three largest brands make up 88.2 per cent of the whole market share, while the 11.8 per cent left divides for all small players like TCL and Asanzo, brands that are being neglected such as Sharp, Toshiba, and new names like Casper and Mobell,” said Le Van Tien, an expert working at a leading TV production facility.

“In the 10 per cent of market share, TCL is accounting for 5 per cent, while Asanzo is capturing 3 per cent, focusing on customers in rural areas. Quite simply, the space for Japanese brands which used to be popular is going to get much smaller and shrink away,” added Tien.

In 2015, Toshiba Corporation stopped making and selling TVs in North America, licensing its brand to Taiwanese group Compal after deeming the US market too competitive. This company licensed its TV business in various other markets in an effort to cut costs and launch higher-end televisions, but price competition remains harsh, according to Reuters.

Nguyen Quang Huy, head of sales and marketing at Toshiba Vietnam, said that after decades of Toshiba TVs being manufactured in Vietnam, they were then imported from Indonesia. However, even imports eventually ceased.

Facing the same woes, Panasonic Corporation transferred its unprofitable Sanyo TV unit in the United States to another company, and decided to stop the production of panels for TVs in 2016. The manufacturer blamed the situation on the unprofitable production of TV displays and increased competition from Chinese, Taiwanese, and South Korean counterparts.

In 2019, Panasonic Corporation announced its decision to stop production of LCD panels. This activity is part of the group’s restructuring plan for business operations. All resources of this company such as technology lines and human resources will be optimised to serve other key areas of the Panasonic Group.

In Vietnam, the number of TVs manufactured by Panasonic sharply decreased over the last couple of years, according to distributors. Despite still being showcased in some electronics marts, Dien May Xanh has halted display of the brand altogether.

Panasonic Vietnam declared its new business value proposition: changing from consumer electronics to wellness solutions providing company; and officially launched its total wellness solutions with a commitment of bringing a healthy, safe and convenient life for Vietnamese people.

Although Sharp is focusing on its LCD units, after also selling all its TV business and manufacturing facilities in the US in 2015, in Vietnam its TV sets, which used to be imported from Malaysia and Thailand in small quantities, are causing losses.

The disappearance of such formerly-popular TV brands is not a new phenomenon. People saw the death of traditional TVs along with such brands as National, Viettronic, and Hitachi in the 1980s and 1990s in Vietnam. “Success should be attributed to non-stop innovation and improvement,” said Tien.

E-government sets up success for businesses

Domestic and international businesses are expected to benefit more from Vietnam’s future e-government development, as the completion of the long-awaited legal framework on shared data could be a way to improve the business climate amid stiffening regional competition.

At the meeting to review the two-year development scheme of Vietnam’s e-government on March 10, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc stressed that the upcoming tasks will be the completion of the legal framework, acceleration of public e-services, creating and deploying an effective national database so that paperwork in administrative procedures can be eased.

Important tasks were set out for ministries, agencies, cities, and provinces. Specifically, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has to fast-track the development of a national database on land by July. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Security develops a national database on the population in the same timeframe.

Regarding the e-government platforms, ministries, agencies, cities, and provinces must fully complete IT security measures and propose solutions to effectively use integrated platforms and promote database sharing. Moreover, they have to build and deploy schemes on their digital transformation in the new development period.

The Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) is issuing decrees to complete the legal framework on electronic identification and authentication and personal data protection while also announcing the strategy on e-government development towards digital government development in 2021-2025 with a vision towards 2030.

The MIC will study the revision of the laws on e-transactions and the digital economy, build a decree on the management of digital platforms and the development of the digital economy, and submit a scheme on digital economy development by 2025 with a vision towards 2030, and on supporting and promoting digital transformation in key businesses and sectors.

Vietnam currently ranks 86th among 193 member states in the United Nations’ E-Government Survey 2020, up two ranks from 2018. Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei, and the Philippines scored higher and some regional countries even made great headways (Thailand ranked 57th, up from 73rd, and Indonesia climbed to 88th from 107th).

A country’s higher e-government index also means a higher business environment, competitiveness, and innovation indexes, making it a strong rival to others in investment attraction, trade, and services, which prompts most Southeast Asian nations to take actions and improve.

With the future orientation, domestic and international businesses can expect several positive spillovers. According to the UN and World Bank reports, a good business environment attracts high-quality investors, facilitates technology transfer and exchange of management practices, and enhances transparency and reduces corruption.

The National Digital Transformation Programme aims to promote the development and widespread use of e-commerce platforms in enterprises and the community. It also aims to give greater incentives and support for startup development and encourages large companies to make use of new technologies and commercial activities. Therefore, further investment incentives for science and technology-related firms are expected in the coming years.

E-government development has also been attracting attention from the international business community in Vietnam. Virginia B. Foote, chairwoman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam, said that the digital economy in general, and e-commerce, e-banking, fintech, modern cloud computing, and e-government in particular, come out of the necessity to reduce face-to-face transactions, and can enhance Vietnam’s goal to reduce the use of cash overall.

She attributed that, “We need accelerated use of e-government, e-commerce, e-banking, fintech, hyperscale cloud computing, and the overall reduction of paper and cash for all businesses. Replacing Vietnam’s technical standards in clouds in state agencies with internationally recognised certifications and compliance mechanisms, as well as adopting cloud-first policies, will enable the government to choose the best technologies, strengthen digital resilience, and develop a robust e-government technology ecosystem.”

“Accelerating the implementation of these objectives can permanently reduce administrative costs and burdens for both the government and all businesses, and will attract new investors looking for global standards and ease of doing business. It will provide the foundation for smart city infrastructure and services,” she noted.

Similarly, Tetsu Funayama, a representative from the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Vietnam said the implementation of digital transformation has been determining the rise and fall of companies and businesses.

“Although there is a trade-off with national and corporate security, digital transformation ahead of other countries will bring benefits to Vietnam. We would like to ask for support for foreign companies to contribute to Vietnam in these fields as well,” he recommended.

Vietnam’s e-government development has achieved results in technical infrastructure, database sharing, use and development of platforms, and network security in 2016-2020, especially in the last two years.

Mobile transactions in Vietnam to grow by three times by 2025

Mobile transactions in Vietnam are expected to increase by 300 per cent between 2021 and 2025, led by strong growth in mobile payments, as revealed in the second edition of the Fintech and Digital Banking 2025 (Asia-Pacific) IDC InfoBrief, commissioned by Backbase.

However, we will still see 100 new challengers across the region by 2025, according to IDC. With new challengers presenting stronger post-pandemic propositions, there will be at least two digital banks in every Asia-Pacific market that will pose a significant challenge to incumbents. 30 per cent of the business of Vietnamese banks are predicted to be under threat from new digital challengers.

Some fintechs that had gained sufficient size by 2019 also found success, gaining more market share than expected. Fintech categories that have typically shown success include payments, wealth advisory, alternative data, lending platforms, and account origination.

Meanwhile, traditional banks are increasingly focused on responding to changing consumer behaviour. Digital banks across the Asia-Pacific saw three times the growth in their customer bases compared to traditional banks in 2020/2019.

One result of the economic downturn is a more humanistic type of customer centricity, as banks needed to communicate with customers in empathetic, trustworthy, and reliable ways that are complemented by digital innovations. There has been an increased integration of human agents into customer engagement strategies, as contact centres saw surges in usage.

The latest edition of Fintech and Digital Banking 2025 (APAC) found that 60 per cent of banks in the Asia-Pacific will leverage AI or machine learning technologies for data-driven decisions, compared to 48 per cent from the previous year. In Vietnam, core banking and payments system modernisation are the top 2 priorities among the top 8 banks in Vietnam in anticipation of rising consumer demands by 2025.

A back-to-basics trend has also overtaken the need for new revenue sources. Banks across the Asia-Pacific region will be focusing on digitalising their core business of lending with some focus, subsequently, on deposits. This is particularly evident in Vietnam, with 80 per cent of banks having re-invested in credit risk and asset-liability management, as well as building up capabilities in lending. Vietnam will see double-digit growth for lending every year from 2021. New capabilities will be acquired from fintech partners: IDC predicts by the middle of 2021, 50 per cent of lending decisions in retail banking across the Asia-Pacific will be supported by fintech propositions, underscoring accelerating bank-fintech collaboration.

Riddhi Dutta, regional director for ASEAN and South Asia at Backbase, said that, “COVID-19 has brought about significant changes in Vietnam and the Asia-Pacific’s banking landscape, and banking and fintech players will need to quickly act on their digital strategies to capture market share. The report highlights key areas for Vietnamese banks, including massive growth in mobile as well as opportunities in lending. Backbase is committed to helping Vietnam’s financial institutions stay ahead in the digital race and develop the innovative banking models and experiences that Vietnamese customers now expect.”

Boosting green, sustainable development

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam’s textile and garment exports saw negative growth of 10.5% in 2020 and a decrease in revenue of over US$35 billion compared to US$39 billion in 2019.

Businesses in the field need to focus on production andhave a strategy for sustainable development while increasing product value to enhance competitiveness in the market.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, total textile and garment export turnover reached nearly US$5.96 billion in the first two months of 2021while import revenue was over US$3.16 billion, bringing about a trade surplus of about US$2.8 billion. In particular, added value in the industry was quite high at55.4%, demonstrating signs of prosperity in the market.

Statistics from the textile and garment industry also showthat most businesses have orders to fulfil until June this year while items with large levels of consumption such as knitwear and casual wear have orders until September.

This reflects the recovery of Vietnamese textiles and garments, especially as Vietnam is in a good position on aglobal supply chain restructured after the COVID-19 pandemic crisis.

However, due to the unpredictable development of the pandemic, if it is not controlled soon, enterprises will still face many risks. If the pandemic continues to rage acrossthe world, the supply chain will be interrupted, resulting in a decline in orders. On the contrary, if the pandemicoccurs at garment and textile factories, they must be isolated and will be unable to organise production to fulfil orders.

In addition to financial losses, in the long run, the position of Vietnamese textiles and garments in the global supply chain will also be shaky and may be supplanted by other competitors.

Therefore, disease prevention and control at business establishments needs to be implemented strictly. At the same time, enterprises should focus on promoting production, productivity and product quality in order to fulfil the target of reaching US$39 billion in export revenue this year.

In addition, businesses need to carefully researchinformation and markets to take advantage of new-generation free trade agreements such as the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and others.

It is time to define a development strategy for the 2021-2025 period to effectively implement set goals. The strategy should clearly define technological solutions with a vision for the spinning and dyeing industry in order to create a foundation to adapt to the fast-changing trends of the market after the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the same time, we also need to promote the green trend in the textile and garment industry through the use ofrenewable energy, efficient use of water resources, and sustainable development of factories.

It is also important to focus on in-depth development, increasing the production of high-value products, improve governance, and restructure businesses while boosting the supply chains of raw materials and building a connection strategy to bring Vietnam’s textile and garment brands to the world market.

Furthermore, the Government should soon approve the sector development strategy until 2030, with a vision to 2035 and direct the formation of large textile and garment industrial zones with concentrated wastewater treatmentsystems to attract more investment into weaving and dyeing in order to meet the origin requirements of new-generation free trade agreements.

The government also needs to maintain macroeconomic stability, exchange rates, and interest rates whilecontinuing to reduce interest rates for long-term loans in order to create a “platform” for business development.

Raw export should be prohibited to prevent white marble drain: Experts

White marble is classified as a rare resource of Vietnam, only available in Nghe An and Yen Bai provinces. For several years, Nghe An Province has exported raw white marble with an output of millions of tons. The export of raw white marble creates extremely low profits compared to its real value.

White marble in Nghe An Province is mainly distributed in Quy Hop District with reserves of hundreds of thousands of tons. For many years, white marble products of Nghe An Province, such as white cobblestone, superfine white marble powder, and ashlar stone, have mainly been exported through the ports of Cua Lo, Hai Phong, and Nghi Son.

According to the Import-Export Management Department under the Department of Industry and Trade of Nghe An Province, in 2018, the province exported 1,210 million tons of raw white marble, bringing in more than US$24.18 million, while it exported 383,667 tons of superfine white marble powder, collecting $40.51 million in return. Only about 24 percent of white marble was processed for export, whereas the remaining 76 percent was for raw export.

In 2020, the export of raw white cobblestone was 1,246 million tons, earning nearly $24 million, while that of superfine white marble powder was nearly 590,000 tons, earning $47 million. It means that only about 32 percent of exported white marble had been through processing, the remaining nearly 68 percent was raw export.

According to the above data, on average, the value of one ton of raw white marble is about $20, while that of superfine white marble powder is equivalent to about $90-$100. If more than 1.2 million tons of raw white marble exported in 2020 had been processed into superfine white marble powder before exporting, about $100 million would have been collected. If the amount of raw white marble exported from 2017 to 2020 had been processed into powder before exporting, more than $400 million would have been earned.

According to many experts, this fact shows that the difference in value between the export of raw materials and processed products is too large. Facing the situation of white marble drain, experts recommended that authorities should limit or even prohibit the export of raw white marble to promote deep processing before exporting.

FDI firms enjoy 5.5 billion USD in trade surplus in two months

Foreign direct investment (FDI) firms’ import-export value reached 68.52 billion USD in the first two months of 2021, a surge of 31.5 percent from the same period last year, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

In January-February, the FDI sector enjoyed nearly 5.5 billion USD in trade surplus, with exports exceeding 37 billion USD, up 32 percent year on year, while imports totalling 31.51 billion USD, up 30.8 percent.

Among sub-sectors, the machinery, tools and parts posted the largest export growth 77 percent, increasing 2.44 billion USD. It was followed by phones and spare parts (2.2 billion USD, or 29 percent), and electronics and parts (1.85 billion USD, or 34 percent).

As of February 20, 5.46 billion USD worth of FDI was injected into Vietnam, equivalent to 84.4 percent of the figure recorded in the same time last year, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

As many as 126 foreign projects were granted investment licences with total registered capital of 3.31 billion USD, a year-on-year fall of 33.9 percent.

Meanwhile, 115 existing projects adjusted their investment capital with a total additional sum of 1.61 billion USD, or 2.5 times higher than the same time last year.

Capital contributions and shares purchases by foreign investors stood at 543.1 million USD, down 34.4 percent.

Foreign investors pumped capital in 17 sectors, with processing and manufacturing holding the lead with over 3 billion USD or 55.7 percent, followed by power production and distribution with 1.44 billion USD (26.5 percent), real estate 485 million USD, and science-technology nearly 153 million USD./.

Vietnamese goods week in Hanoi features over 100 stalls

A trade fair spotlighting Vietnamese goods and featuring more than 100 stalls is in full swing at the Me Linh Plaza in Hanoi’s Ha Dong district, offering opportunities for firms to stimulus trade, distribution, and consumption demand in the capital city.

On sales at the five-day event, kicked off on March 19, are consumer and industrial products, organic agro-forestry-fishery goods, and those from craft villages or produced under the One Commune, One Product programme.

Cooperatives from eight provinces facing difficulties selling their farm produce including Nghe An, Hai Duong, Ha Giang, and Son La are taking part in the fairs along those from districts of Hanoi.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Tran Thi Phuong Lan, acting director of the municipal department of industry and trade, said participating enterprises have been assisted to conduct their trade promotion and communications activities.

They are also requested to strictly follow COVID-19 prevention and control measures at the fair, she added./.

PM wants Cai Mep – Thi Vai seaport complex to be developed to regional standard

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked relevant ministries, agencies and the southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau to develop the seaport and logistics system at Cai Mep – Thi Vai area to meet regional standards by 2030 towards becoming a world-class seaport hub in the world by 2045.

He made the request during a working session with provincial officials on March 20, while highlighting the province’s advantage in seaports, which the PM said could contribute to the development of the country and the southeastern region.

Hailing the province for its achievements in socio-economy, national defence-security and Party building work, he noted that local seaports’ growth of about 2 percent amid the pandemic is good news.

The PM mentioned the Party’s guidelines and the 13th National Party Congress’s Resolution on the upgrade of seaports nationwide, including building logistics and transportation infrastructure in the region and improving service quality. He said as Cai Mep – Thi Vai Port together with Lach Huyen Port in Hai Phong city are among the top deep-water seaports in the world, they create an advantage for the country in development.

At the same time, PM Phuc pointed out problems of the region, including incomplete transport infrastructure and a lack of modern logistics facilities, financial and banking system,  and a strong fleet of ships, which must be addressed promptly.

He told relevant ministries and agencies to improve infrastructure at Cai Mep – Thi Vai Port, early start the construction of the Bien Hoa – Vung Tau expressway and Phuoc An bridge to facilitate the transportation of goods for import and export.

The Government leader directed enhancing logistics infrastructure, including establishing a goods distribution centre linking Long Thanh international airport and Cai Mep – Thi Vai seaport. He assigned the Finance Ministry to set up a centre to facilitate customs clearance at Cai Mep – Thi Vai seaport and attract more vessels and financial brokers to the port.

The leader also suggested building plans to form financial-banking-insurance hubs in Phu My town, Vung Tau city, while developing industrial and processing zones to shape a for-export processing centre in the province. He agreed with a proposal to open a free trade area at Cai Mep area to attract more foreign investors and a project on connecting Con Dao island district with the national grid.

Earlier in the morning, PM Phuc inspected the Cai Mep – Thi Vai deep-water seaport system, including Gemalink – the country’s deepest and largest deep-water seaport.

The Cai Mep – Thi Vai port complex is a group of deep-water seaports with a combined length of over 20km, which account for over 30 percent of the country’s exports by containers, which are expected to be a trade gateway in the south.

Gemalink is the biggest seaport in the Cai Mep-Thi Vai complex and one of the 19 big seaports in the world which is capable of receiving the world’s biggest cruise liners. Built at a total investment of 520 million USD in two phases, the port is equipped with ship-to-shore cranes designed and manufactured in Vietnam. When the first phase of the port is inaugurated in May, it will run at at least 80 percent of its designed capacity this year and at full capacity from next year.

During the trip, the PM also visited Tan Cang – Cai Mep International Terminal – a joint-venture between Saigon New Port Corporation and three foreign partners with a total investment of 100 million USD. Operational in January 2011, the terminal is capable of serving super vessels up to 160,000 DWT.

Over the past years, Ba Ria – Vung Tau has always been one of the five biggest contributors to the State budget. It is home to 69 seaports./.

Ha Nam province facilitates operations of Korean firms

The northern province of Ha Nam has stepped up investment promotion in the Republic of Korea (RoK) and joined many Korean cultural activities in Vietnam, a local official has said.

Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Truong Quoc Huy told Korean Ambassador to Vietnam Park Noh-wan at a working session in Ha Nam on March 19 that the province attaches importance to its friendship and effective cooperation with the RoK Embassy as well as trade promotion organisations of the two countries.

Ha Nam has set up a Korean trade promotion centre, called Korea Desk. Meanwhile, Korean firms in Ha Nam have established an association, aiming to support each other in production and business.

As of March 2021, Ha Nam is home to 148 Korean enterprises, making up 45 percent of FDI firms in the locality, with total investment amounting to 1.6 billion USD, Huy said, adding that such firms have employed 30,000 labourers.

The province highly values the operation capacity of Korean businesses, and has drastically implemented solutions to remove their difficulties in labour shortages, according to the official.

He proposed the Korean Embassy in Vietnam help to promote Ha Nam’s investment climate to Korean firms, organise Korean language traing courses, and train high-quality human resources for Korean enterprises.

Representatives from Korean investment promotion organisations and businesses spoke highly of the local investment environment, especially commitments of the provincial People’s Committee to investors.

They suggested Ha Nam deal with the labour shortages, especially high-quality workforce, and provide housing assistance for Korean experts.

Park said the embassy has cooperated with Vietnamese agencies and organisations to advance the relationship between the two countries to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

The embassy will continue to promote the image of Ha Nam as a friendly and model locality to Korean businesses and groups, he pledged.

HCM City, RoK’s Jeollabuk province eye cooperation in startup, high-tech agriculture

Ho Chi Minh City and Jeollabuk province of the Republic of Korea (RoK) have optimal potential for cooperation in startup, high-tech agriculture, culture and tourism.

The view was shared by leaders of the two localities during their online working session on March 19.

Nguyen Thanh Phong, Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee, briefed the RoK side on the city’s economic development in 2020, with a growth rate of 1.39 percent amidst the COVID-19 spread.

He highlighted the significance of international resources to HCM City’s implementation of the dual goals of containing the pandemic and recovering the economy.

The RoK is one of the countries with the biggest number of localities (seven) that have set up cooperation with HCM City, Phong said, adding that the southern metropolis wishes to soon establish its friendship and cooperation with Jeollabuk.

The East Asian nation ranks third among 110 countries and territories investing in HCM City, according to the official. Nearly 80,000 Koreans and 2,000 Korean firms are living and operating in the city, with such major groups as Samsung, Lotte, Emart and CJ.

For his part, Song Ha-Jin, Governor of Jeollabuk, said a number of startups from Jeollabuk have begun studying investment opportunities in Vietnam.

Vietnam is a key destination of the RoK’s New Southern Policy. Therefore, apart from startup and high-tech agriculture, Jeollabuk wants to join hands with the country and HCM City in particular in tourism and culture, he stressed.

Lauding Jeollabuk’s cooperation proposals and support in the formation of the KORETOVIET exhibition centre, Phong said the centre is expected to create a joint playground for businesses of the two sides, thus promoting the development of startups.

ADB – major partner of HCM City: official

Ho Chi Minh City always regards the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as a major partner that plays an important role in the city’s development, a local official has said.

At a reception for ABD Country Director in Vietnam Andrew Jeffries in the city on March 19, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong said the projects using ADB loans have significantly contributed to local socio-economic development.

HCM City stands ready to cooperate the ADB Country Director as well as the bank’s office to effectively roll out ADB projects in the southern metropolis, he affirmed.

Phong proposed ADB leaders help HCM City speed up the disbursement of loans and as well as the progress of ongoing projects, saying the two sides should continue realising the memorandum of understanding reached last June fruitfully.

He called for ADB support in four development projects in the southern economic hub for the 2020-2025 period with a vision towards 2030.

The bank will become not only a loan supplier of HCM City, but also a technical and policy consultant for the locality, especially in improving the capacity of local officials, Phong believed.

For his part, Jeffries said his visit forms part of the ADB’s Country Programming Mission, aiming to work with Vietnamese ministries, agencies and localities on the bank’s operation programme in the country in the time ahead.

Lauding HCM City’s development potential and position, both regionally and nationally, Jeffries affirmed that the ADB always places importance on HCM City in its cooperation with Vietnam.

The ADB wishes and stands ready to foster collaboration with the city in its construction and development, firstly in activities to improve cooperation efficiency of projects using ADB loans in the locality, he said.

Earlier, the ADB delegation was received by Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee Le Hoa Binh, during which the two sides sought ways to speed up the implementation of such projects./.

Quang Ninh announces 2020 department, district competitiveness index

The People’s Committee of the northern province of Quang Ninh announced its 2020 Department and District Competitiveness Index (DDCI) on March 19.

Among localities, Cam Pha city secured top spot with 72.1 points, followed by Co To district with 71.17 points. Mong Cai city and Quang Yen township were again among the top localities. Tien Yen district moved up to third place from ninth while Co To island district ranked second, up from the sixth.

Van Don and Hai Ha districts were at the bottom, with 24.22 points and 45.74 points, respectively.

In the department category, the Management Board of Economic Zones, the Department of Information and Communications, the provincial branch of the State Bank of Vietnam, the Customs Department, and the Tourism Department topped the list.

The Department of Finance, the Department of Construction, and the Police Department of Fire Prevention, Fighting, and Rescue all underperformed.

The business community in Ha Long city adopted the best corporate governance, with a score of 5.69 points. In Dam Ha district it displayed the best social responsibility, with 6.71 points, and the best innovation management, with 8.14 points.

Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Bui Van Khang described the DDCI as a lodestar to improve the local business environment and an independent information source to compare with the Provincial Competitiveness Index released annually by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI).

He said the DDCI 2020 saw certain improvements on issues of concern for enterprises.

VCCI President Vu Tien Loc said Quang Ninh has affirmed its top priority of improving administrative procedures and the business environment. He also hailed its tireless efforts to maintain its position as one of the top localities nationwide in terms of the PCI and a trustworthy business destination.

The Quang Ninh DDCI 2020 polled nearly 2,080 businesses, cooperatives, and individual business households out of the total of 6,500, with over 12,500 questionnaires sent out. The response rate was 36.2 percent, compared to just over 30 percent in 2018 and 34.65 percent in 2019./.

US popularises farm produce to Vietnam

Vietnam is one of the promising markets of the US’s farm produce, especially high-quality, safe and healthy products, experts said.

They shared the view during a ceremony announcing the United Tastes – a trademark and marketing initiative designed for the Vietnamese market, which was co-organised by the US Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City and the US Department of Agriculture on March 18.

US Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Marie C. Damour said popularisation of food and cuisine culture is an excellent way to bring the two countries together.

She added that the United Tastes marketing campaign will serve as a bridge for the two nations to share cuisine culture, provide support for US farmers, fishermen and food companies, and introduce high-quality US farm produce to Vietnamese consumers.

Agricultural Counsellor at the US Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City Robert Hanson said over the past decade, Vietnam has always posted positive growth and been one of the fastest growing economies in Asia. The US’s farm produce export to Vietnam has increased by 40 percent over the past five years, reaching 3.7 billion USD last year.

Vietnam is now the seven largest agriculture market of the US, with soybeans, corns, pork and beef being main imports. The US is also stepping up the export of apple, blueberry and baking ingredients, he said.

US Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Marie C. Damour and chef Christan Ngo prepare salad from US’s farm produce at the event (Photo: VNA)

According to him, with increasing income, the Vietnamese people increasingly pay attention to safe and healthy products with clear origin. They have also adopted the habit of using social media to follow consumption trend, frequently going shopping at supermarkets and dining at restaurants.

He stressed that apart from diversity, safety is a top priority of the US farm producers. Consumers will also be provided with information about the farming and processing of the US farm produce.

Quach Van Hoa, Business Deputy Director of The Alaska Guys Vietnam Co.Ltd, said domestic importers and distributors hope for more reasonable tax and licensing policies to facilitate bilateral trade, thus making it easier for Vietnamese consumers to access a diverse source of quality products./.

Vietnam calls for early establishment of new government in Lebanon

Vietnam called upon sides involved to soon reach agreement for the establishment of a new government in Lebanon at an UN Security Council (UNSC) briefing held on March 18 regarding Lebanon situation and the implementation of the UNSC’s Resolution 1701.

Addressing the meeting, Nguyen Phuong Tra, Deputy Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations, spoke highly of and expressed her support for efforts made by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in maintaining stability and preventing tensions from escalating in the Blue Line area.

She said Vietnam is concerned over current affairs in Lebanon, particularly regarding economic and humanitarian areas, and calls on the international community to sustain humanitarian aid commitments for Lebanese people.

Vietnam urges all parties involved in Lebanon to agree to establish a new government soon, comply with their obligations under Resolution 1701, restrain from and avoid provocative actions that could lead to an escalation of tension, respect UNIFIL’s right to freedom of movement, and increase the use of relevant mechanisms to ease tension, Tra stated.

Concerned about activities that violated Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, Vietnam urges the sides involved to put an end to the activities and withdraw their troops from their occupied positions in the north of the Blue Line, she said.

At the event, briefings on the Lebanon situation, the operation of the UNIFIL and the implementation of Resolution 1701 were delivered by UN Deputy Special Coordinator for Lebanon Najat Rochdi and Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix.

Participating UNSC members expressed their concerns over challenges facing Lebanon and praised the works of the UNIFIL.

Adopted in 2006, Resolution 1701 called for a cessation of hostilities between Israel and the Shi’a militant group Hezbollah in South Lebanon./.

Source: VNA/VNS/VOV/VIR/SGT/Nhan Dan/Hanoitimes

What you need to know today in Vietnam:

Politics:

— Vietnam celebrates the 90th founding anniversary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union on Friday.

— Vietnam, together with other ASEAN member countries, is ready to discuss measures to help Myanmar overcome difficulties and stabilize the situation in the country, thus contributing to building a peaceful, stable, and prosperous ASEAN Community, Le Thi Thu Hang, spokesperson of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a press briefing in Hanoi on Thursday.

COVID-19 Updates

— Vietnam reported two new coronavirus infections, who are Vietnamese border jumpers from Cambodia, on Friday morning, according to the Ministry of Health. The country has recorded 1,603 domestic cases since the virus first hit it on January 23, 2020.

— Over 42,000 people had been vaccinated against COVID-19 by 4:00 pm on Thursday, the health ministry said on Friday morning.

— Authorities in Binh Duong Province, located in southern Vietnam, on Thursday night locked down a street where a Chinese suspected of having caught the coronavirus lives.

Business

— Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Thursday approved a project to channel VND3.4 trillion (US$147 million) into building infrastructure at the Lien Chieu port in Da Nang.

— Vietnam’s rice export prices hit a more than nine-year high this week as fresh orders trickled in, Reuters reported on Thursday.

Sports

— Ho Chi Minh City Television unveiled an annual cycling tournament, considered Vietnam’s ‘Tour de France,’ on Thursday. The tourney will take place from April 6 to 30, with cyclists covering 2,350km from Cao Bang Province in the north to Ho Chi Minh City in the south.

— Military-owned Viettel FC signed Brazilian forward Bruno Matos on Thursday as part of their plan to defend their V-League 1 title and compete at the 2021 AFC Champions League. Matos had played three seasons in Malaysia and Indonesia.

World News

— Biden says he expects to run for re-election in 2024, the New York Times reported on Thursday (U.S. time).

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Domestic airlines must equip with Mode S transponders to improve the quality of aircraft detection, identification and altitude reporting information. (Photo: VNA)

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has recently ordered the Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation (VATMC) and domestic airlines to equip with Mode S transponders to improve the quality of aircraft detection, identification and altitude reporting information.

Mode S is a Secondary Surveillance Radar process that allows selective interrogation of aircraft according to the unique 24-bit address assigned to each aircraft. It is essential in airspace subject to high levels of traffic density or absence of air traffic control radar coverage.

VATMC is requested to study and carry out the Mode S Enhanced Surveillance (EHS) in accordance with the progress set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)’s Office in Asia and Pacific, and set up plan to upgrade or invest in infrastructure that is able to handle Mode S data.

Meanwhile, the Vietnamese airlines must outline plans and equip their aircraft with Mode S EHS in tandem with the Asia-Pacific ICAO’s progress.

Representatives from the CAAV said that the requirement to equip Mode S transponders was imposed at the 31st meeting of the Asia/Pacific Air Navigation Planning and Implementation Regional Group from December 14-16, 2020.

Accordingly, aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight of more than 5,700 kilogrammes, or with a maximum cruising true airspeed higher than 250 knots must be equipped with Mode S EHS./.

COVID-19 vaccination conducted in 19 Vietnamese localities, with 2,265 recoveries

The COVID-19 vaccination has been carried out in 19 cities and provinces nationwide, with close to 40,000 Vietnamese citizens getting the first jabs of the AstraZeneca vaccine, the Ministry of Health said on March 25 morning.

Vaccinated people are primarily frontline medical workers, and members of community-based anti-COVID-19 groups and steering committees for COVID-19 prevention and control.

As many as 1,906 people got the vaccine shots on March 24, according to the National Expanded Programme on Immunisation.

The northern province of Quang Ninh and the southern provinces of Tay Ninh and Dong Thap are set to carry out the injection this week.

Vietnam is expected to acquire 150 million COVID-19 vaccine doses from foreign and domestic sources by 2022.  In addition to the deal with AstraZeneca, the nation is also accelerating negotiations with US vaccine producers Pfizer and Moderna, along with others from Russia and China.

By far the nation documented no fresh cases of COVID-19, leaving the national infection tally unchanged at 2,576, including 1,601 domestically-transmitted cases, and 975 imported ones.

One day earlier, a further 19 coronavirus patients have been release from hospital after making a successful recovery from the virus, taking the total number of recoveries to 2,265, while the death toll remained at 35.

A total of 120 COVID-19 patients have tested negative for the SARS-CoV-2-virus at least one, while as many as 29,762 people are put in quarantine nationwide as part of the country’s coronavirus control and prevention measures.

The nation has gone the 7th consecutive day without recording any more cases of local transmission, with ten localities having no fresh domestic infections to report for 40 days.

The Ministry of Health has dispatched working groups to Quang Ninh, Hai Duong, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Tay Ninh to supervise pandemic prevention and control, and the vaccination work there.

Take precautions before getting vaccinated, say health experts

People who receive COVID-19 vaccines should take precautions just like with other vaccines, as the COVID-19 vaccine may offer some immunity but might also side effects soon after entering the body, according to health experts.

They said people who should be cautious about vaccinations are those with a history of allergies, people with underlying health conditions or chronic diseases which require medical supervision.

Last week, the Ministry of Health released guidance on health screening before COVID-19 vaccinations for people aged 18 and above.

Under the instructions sent to medical facilities nationwide, people who will not be vaccinated against COVID-19 are those with acute diseases; pregnant women, breastfeeding women; people with impaired immune responses, end-stage cancer patients and patients with decompensated cirrhosis.

Users of high-dose corticosteroids, those who have had chemotherapy and radiation treatment within 14 days and recipients of immunoglobulin and COVID-19 plasma treatment within the last 90 days and recipients of other vaccines within 14 days are also excluded. Those infected with COVID-19 within the last six months, people aged 65 or above and people suffering thrombocytopenia or blood clotting disorders are also ineligible to be vaccinated.

After receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, people should stay at the vaccination centre for 30 minutes of observation. They are recommended to pay attention to abnormal changes in their body such as hives, itching or difficulty breathing. They should report any symptoms they experience to medical staff.

As of Tuesday, nearly 38,000 frontline workers had received AstraZeneca COVID-19 jabs as part of the national inoculation programme which started on March 8.

Health officials said that there have been several cases of severe allergic reactions among people who received the COVID-19 vaccine but they are all in stable conditions.

The most common reactions are headaches, arm pain, body aches, chills or fever but they only last a few hours to a few days.

Olympic Day Run to be held in downtown HCM City

The HCM City Department of Culture and Sports and its partners will hold the Olympic Day Run 2021 downtown on March 28.

Participants will compete in the 5km route, which will go through famous sites like the headquarters of the People’s Committee, Opera House, Notre Dame Cathedral, and Central Post Office.

The run will start at 7am at April 30 Park on Lê Duẩn Street in District 1.

Participants can register for the run at olympicdayrun.com. Registration fee is VNĐ350,000.

Vietnam co-chairs 15th meeting of ASEAN-Japan Joint Cooperation Committee

Ambassador Nguyen Hai Bang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to ASEAN, and Japanese Ambassador Chiba Akira on March 23 co-chaired the 15th meeting of the ASEAN-Japan Joint Cooperation Committee.

At the meeting, the Japanese side said it is working hard to roll out a comprehensive aid package to serve the formation of the ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases (ACPHEED).

Under the aid package, Japan will help ASEAN in designing the centre, sending Japanese experts and training experts for the grouping.

During the Special ASEAN 3 Summit on COVID-19 last April, then Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo announced the aid package worth US$ 50 million for the project.

Delegates at the meeting shared the view that ASEAN-Japan cooperation programmes have been rolled out effectively amidst the pandemic. In 2020 alone, up to 32 projects valued at US$ 22 million were implemented and 25 others worth US$ 17 million were adopted, within the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund.

Under the Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths (JENESYS) programme, about 900 ASEAN youths joined training courses in Japan last year, and the number would be 700 this year.

The ASEAN member countries appreciated Japan’s contributions over the past time, especially its decision to sponsor the ACPHEED, expressing a hope that the two sides will step up their comprehensive cooperation in the time ahead, particularly in such spheres as cyber security and smart city building.

Chair of the Initiative of ASEAN Integration (IAI), Bang lauded Japan’s funding 11 projects within the IAI Work Plan III and suggested the country continue its support for the IAI Work Plan IV through new, result-oriented projects.

2021 is the last year when Vietnam works as the coordinator of the ASEAN-Japan relations. The role will be handed over to Thailand during the ASEAN-Japan Ministerial Meeting in August 2021.

Hanoi’s cooperative ties with Italian localities enhanced: Official

Chairman of the People’s Committee of Hanoi Chu Ngoc Anh has said that cooperative relations between the capital city and Italian localities have been strengthened.

During a reception in Hanoi on March 24 for Italian Ambassador to Vietnam Antonion Alessandro, Anh highlighted growing ties between Vietnam and Italy in various fields such as politics, economy, diplomacy, national defence to science-technology, and education.

According to the official, Italy is now investing in 28 projects worth over 43.9 million USD in Hanoi. The city’s exports to Italy hit nearly 142 million USD. A number of activities were held to foster cultural and economic exchanges toward common prosperity of the two nations.

As Vietnam will host many important events this year, including the 31th Southeast Asian Games and the 11th ASEAN Para Games, Hanoi will work closely with departments and agencies on such activities, especially for opening and closing ceremonies, he said.

He expressed his hope that with its cultural richness, Italy will share its experience in holding festivals and sport events with Hanoi to make thorough preparations for SEA Games 31 and ASEAN Para Games 11.

Alessandro, for his part, expressed his belief that with a solid foundation, relations between Italy and Vietnam will further develop in the future.

Agreeing with the host’s proposal, he said many Italian firms have strengths in holding large-scale events. He promised to introduce them to Hanoi to share experience in the coming time.

On the occasion, the ambassador also wished to enhance collaboration with Hanoi in the fields of cultural exchange, heritage preservation and stepping up the construction progress of urban metro No.3./.

Efforts of female parliamentarians reviewed

A ceremony reviewing the activities of the Group of Vietnamese Women Parliamentarians was held in Hanoi on March 24.

In attendance were Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Tran Thanh Man, head of the Party Central Committee’s Organisation Commission Pham Minh Chinh, head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Mass Mobilisation Truong Thi Mai, and leaders from ministries and agencies.

Addressing the ceremony, Permanent National Assembly Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong, who is also Chairwoman of the group for the 14th tenure, said that since its establishment in May 2008 and through three NA tenures, the group has conducted diverse activities that attracted the active participation of members and fulfilled its set goals, contributing to improving the quality of the NA’s operations.

The role and position of female parliamentarians improved during the tenure of the 14th legislature. Accounting for 26.7 percent of all deputies, they offered suggestions regarding gender equality to Party and State leaders and affirmed their mettle and brainpower as representatives of the people.

During 10 NA sessions, they presented hundreds of opinions on reports to the legislature and draft laws, accounting for 31.58 percent of total feedback.

They also made responsible, effective, and important contributions at international forums. In particular, last year they made substantial contributions to the 41st General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly and ASEAN Summit.

In preparation for the election of deputies to the 15th NA, they will work closely with the NA Committee on Social Affairs to hold training courses for female candidates.

Phong hoped that such activities will help achieve the goal of raising the number of female candidates to 35 percent and the number of female lawmakers winning the election to over 30 percent.

Vietnamese ambassador visits Ukraine’s southern provinces

Ambassador of Vietnam to Ukraine Nguyen Hong Thach visited Vietnamese people living in the provinces of Kherson and Mykolaiv from March 21 – 23 to learn about their wishes and help them overcome difficulties.

The southern provinces used to be home to a large number of Vietnamese people, but years of political crisis coupled with economic challenges have forced many to move to other places.

Though various obstacles remain, the second-generation Vietnamese in Ukraine have managed to succeed in their study or work. Several have earned national awards and scholarships to study in foreign countries while others have become doctors, lawyers and journalists who are playing their part in developing Ukraine and promoting the relations between the two countries.

Speaking during his visits, Ambassador Thach said one of the main focuses during his working term is to help Vietnamese people there overcome COVID-19 and shift to other livelihoods.

He suggested some new business areas such as e-commerce, catering, tourism and finance, they can shift to for their resilience amid the pandemic.

On behalf of the embassy, Thach presented gifts to the provinces’ funds for community support and gave his commitment to standing side by side with people of Vietnamese origin to tackle difficulties.

The diplomat later had an audience with Governor Sergiy Kozyr of Kherson to discuss how to boost relations between Vietnam and the province, particularly in agriculture.

Central Vietnam among world’s 7 lesser-known destinations to consider visiting post COVID-19

US news channel CNBC listed central Vietnam among seven lesser-known destinations in the world to consider visiting in the post-COVID-19 era, according to Nhan dan (People) Online.

CNBC noted that many international tourists to Vietnam head north to Hanoi and Ha Long Bay or south to Ho Chi Minh City. Those who do venture to the centre typically go to the old town of Hoi An, the glitzy hotels outside of Da Nang or to the historic sites of Hue and My Son.

Another attraction in the country’s interior is the colossal Son Doong Cave. First explored in 2009, only 1,000 travellers are permitted to explore it each year, a limit put in place to protect the cave, which is believed to be one of the largest and most magnificent in the world.

With Vietnam continuing the suspension of international flights and the halting of entry for all foreigners, except for special cases, as a measure to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, CNBC has urged its readers to visit the country once the pandemic passes.

Traveller habits are changing as people across the world are bypassing big cities in favour of smaller destinations that attract fewer tourists, and outside activities such as hiking and biking are drawing greater interest than before, CNBC said.

The channel also included other destinations worth visiting post-pandemic like Normandy in France, Kagawa in Japan, and Dandenong in Australia.

Vietnamese people in Czech set example in following anti-COVID-19 rules

Vietnamese people living in the Czech Republic have taken anti-COVID-19 measures very seriously, Chairman Milos Kusy of the Czech-Vietnam Friendship Association told Aktualne.cz in an interview on March 24.

Vietnamese perceive non-compliance with the measures as very irresponsible, so they adhere to anti-pandemic rules better than many Czechs, he said.

Kusy noted he sees what lies behind Vietnamese discipline is years of experience in dealing with epidemics in their home country and in Asia.

“They are an example for us in discipline and adherence to hygiene rules,” he said.

Kusy was also impressed by how Vietnam has fought the COVID-19 with only 35 deaths reported since the outset of the pandemic despite the fact that it has a population of more than 90 million. Strict preventive measures have been in place in the country since the beginning of this year, he noted.

“Since last February, anyone who wants to enter Vietnam has to go through a fortnight’s quarantine in a state-designated camp or hotels,” Kusy described. He also attributed the low number of infected cases in Vietnam to effective contact tracing.

Data from Vietnam’s Health Ministry shows that Vietnam has gone through seven days without new COVID-19 cases. The national count remains at 2,576, of which 1,601 are locally-infected cases./.

14th National Assembly leaves major imprint

The 11th session of the 14th National Assembly, which opened on March 24, concludes its five-year tenure. Throughout the term it made a significant mark in terms of legislature, supreme supervision and decision-making on critical matters facing Vietnam.

Nguyen Huu Mao has carefully observed all meetings of the 14th NA over the last five years. He said he has been deeply impressed by the decisions it made, all of which have been critical for Vietnam’s development, with many being unprecedented and complex in nature.

The Q&A sessions were animated and the questions practical. Sessions were held in high regard by NA deputies and the public, as most voters’ questions were asked and answered.

The 14th NA has made a mark on legislative work. It had issued 72 laws and 18 resolutions as of last December, including several important laws keeping the country abreast of the new context, such as the Law on Planning, the Law on Public-Private Partnership Investment, the Law on Cybersecurity, the Law on Anti-corruption, and others.

The 14th NA has been a tenure of innovation, with many teleconferences held, even internationally. Though taking place online, they have all been effective.

It has proved its pivotal role as the highest representing body of the people and as the most powerful State agency.

Screening of French movies at L’Espace

L’Espace will present two movies on Sunday as part of its monthly movie screening programme.

The films shown are Le voyage du Prince (The Prince’s Voyage) by directors Jean-François Laguionie and Xavier Picard, and Les Cowboys (The Cowboys) by director Thomas Bidegain.

Inspired by A Monkey’s Tale made over 20 years ago by celebrated animator Laguionie, The Prince’s Voyage is about the old monkey Prince who runs aground on an unknown shore. Injured and lost, he is found by 12 year-old Tom, and taken in by his parents, a couple of scientists who were banished from their community because they believe in the existence of other monkey civilisations. With Tom’s help, Prince discovers a society he knows nothing about, while Tom’s parents decide to use him to prove that their theory was indeed correct.

Les Cowboys is a directorial debut of acclaimed French screenwriter Thomas Bidegain. The 2015 movie, which is about a father searching for his missing daughter with his son, was screened in the Directors’ Fortnight section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.

While Le voyage du Prince will be presented at 3.30pm, Les Cowboys will be screened at 6pm. Ticket costs VNĐ50,000 and available at L’espace, 24 Tràng Tiền Street.

Asian black bears rescued from Son La household

Two Asian black bears have been rescued from a household in the northern mountainous province of Son La.

The two bears, one 160 kilos in weight and the other 130 kilos, had been kept at a household in Song Ma Town for 10 years.

On Tuesday, Four Paws Organisation and the provincial Forest Protection Centre received the two bears from the family and handed them over to Ninh Binh Provincial Bear Sanctuary.

The animals were given a medical check-up and anaesthetised before being transported to the sanctuary.

Four Paws Vet Szilvia Kalogeropoulu, said that due to being kept in darkness for many years, the bears are facing some problems related to their eyes, bones and livers.

The animals will be taken care of at a quarantine site for three weeks before being released back to the wild.

They are the first bears sent to Ninh Binh Bear Sanctuary so far this year.

No new COVID-19 cases, 19 recoveries recorded on March 24

No new COVID-19 cases were recorded in Vietnam over the past 12 hours to 6pm on March 24, keeping the national count at 2,576, said the Ministry of Health.

Of the total, 1,601 are domestically-transmitted cases, including 907 infections since the third wave of outbreak hit the country on January 27.

According to the ministry’s Medical Service Administration, an additional 19 patients have been given the all-clear from coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, bringing the total number of recoveries to 2,265, while the death toll remained at 35.

Among active patients undergoing treatment at medical establishments nationwide, 54 tested negative to the virus once, 21 twice and 45 thrice.

As many as 29,762 people who had close contact with COVID-19 patients or entered Vietnam from pandemic-hit regions are currently quarantined across the country, including 214 in hospitals, 16,651 in state-designated establishments and 12,897 at their residences.

To live safely with the pandemic, the Ministry of Health advised people to continue preventive measures, including the “5K message” (in Vietnamese) – Khau trang (facemask) – (Khu khuan) disinfection – (Khoang cach) distance – (Khong tu tap) no gathering – (Khai bao y te) health declaration./.

Vietnamese, Chilean leaders exchange congratulatory messages

Vietnamese Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong and Chilean President Sebastián Piñera Echenique on March 24 exchanged their messages of congratulations on the occasion of the 50th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries (March 25, 1971-2021).

The same day, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh also exchanged a congratulatory message with Chilean Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrés Allamand Zavala.

Vietnam, Chile preserve fruitful cooperation, traditional friendship

Vietnam and Chile – the first Southern American nation to set up diplomatic ties with Vietnam – have nurtured and preserved their sound cooperative relations and traditional friendship as well as comprehensive development partnership over the past five decades.

In a recent interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)’s reporter, Charge d’affaires a.i. Gonzalo Guaiquil at the Chilean Embassy laid stress on historical relations between the two nations, which were found and developed by Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh and Chilean President Salvador Allende.

The trip to Vietnam in May 1969 – the time when Vietnam was undergoing the fierce war against the US imperialists – had a huge impact on Salvador Allende, who served as President of the Chilean Senate at that time, and he decided to establish diplomatic relations with this Southeast Asian country when he became President of Chile, opening a new chapter in the bilateral relations.

Both nations have enjoyed stronger bonds in recent time thanks to rosy economic cooperation, long-lasting friendship and mutual understanding between the people of Chile and Vietnam, the diplomat added.

According to Guaiquil, Chile was the first American nation to ink a free trade deal with Vietnam, and this was an important milestone in trade and investment ties between the two sides.

Expressing his delight at opportunities that the free trade agreement (FTA) has brought to both nations, he said trade in goods between Vietnam and Chile exceeded the 1 billion USD benchmark in 2020 despite the COVID-19 pandemic, up over 1 percent year-on-year.

The figure is a vivid illustration for the unceasingly developed trade ties between the two nations, even when the global economy is facing formidable challenges, he underlined.

Since Vietnam was among a few countries achieving positive economic growth in 2020, it is an attractive destination for Chilean investors, he said. The diplomat also commended the Vietnamese Government’s efforts and measures to prevent the pandemic.

Statistics shows that Chile is the fourth largest trade partner of Vietnam in Latin America, with two-way trade increased to 1.23 billion USD in 2019 from 170 million USD in 2005. Most of Vietnam’s exports to Chile are footwear, garments and textiles, seafood, steel products, electronic products and spare parts, cement, coffee and rice. Meanwhile, the nation imports copper, pine wood, paper powder, and wine from Chile.

Chile was among one of the very first nations to recognise Vietnam’s market economy. Both sides signed the FTA on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in Hawaii, the US, in November 2011. The deal officially came into force on January 1, 2014, marking the substantial development in trade relations between two countries.

Guaiquil said Chile wants to further boost trade ties with Vietnam, particularly the trading in Chilean wine and cherry, and Vietnamese tropical fruits.

Additionally, Vietnam and Chile’s cooperation has been expanded to culture, politics and tourism. The visa exemption agreement signed in 2016 has facilitated travelling of citizens of both nations to enhance exchanges and better their mutual understanding, he stressed.

Tourism board set to launch “Hue in my heart” photo contest

A photo and video contest with the theme of “Hue Trong Toi” (Hue in my heart) in English, is scheduled to run from April to December.

The event will be open to all Vietnamese citizens and foreign nationals across all ages who either live or work in the country.

The contest’s organising board is set to offer a specific topic for each month, with this information set to be officially announced on the website “Visit Hue”.

All individuals hoping to enter the competition can send their works to the email address [email protected] before 17:00 p.m. on the 20th of each month.

The judging panel will then select some of the outstanding works and post them on the Visit Hue’s fanpage and TikTok. Following this, the winning works will be the ones which get the highest number of views and interactions.

Earth Hour 2021 in Vietnam going online

‘Speak up for Nature’ is the theme of this year’s Earth Hour, aiming at raising the public’s awareness about the alarming state of environment quality, the shocking biodiversity reduction, and the too frequent forest fires globally at present.

According to World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), in the next few months, representatives of several nations will gather for the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 15) on the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Kunming, China. They will discuss international actions in the next 10 years to save biodiversity.

Joining hand in this year’s Earth Hour, people can create a voice powerful enough for world leaders in the meeting to sign agreements to protect the nature on our planet and to help it recover from severe injuries so far.

In Vietnam, as usual, SGGP Newspaper cooperates with Ho Chi Minh City Urban Environment Co. Ltd., Thu Duc Water B.O.O Corp. to host many online activities, fully taking advantage of cutting edge digital technologies. A large number of volunteers nationwide enthusiastically have taken part in the campaign. The main event will be on March 27.

The first program – Green Footprint – is an online walking project using Strava app on mobile smart devices to count the quantity of steps in walking, jogging, bicycle riding activities of participants over the length of 60km. Each step represent repeats the yearning voice of partakers to protect the environment. The program attracted more than 1,000 people only after 4 days launching. The final data will be announced on March 27.

Another program is Green Dance. The common theme song of Earth Hour Campaign is choreographed into a flashmob dances. They are recorded and then uploaded onto the official website and YouTube channel of Earth Hour Vietnam. The clips are sent to the organization board before March 24. Volunteers are also encouraged to upload their dance onto their own Facebook page and TikTok.

Participants in the campaign are asked to perform and record suitable actions in their neighborhoods to protect the environment. Feasible and innovative actions will be shared publicly on the Facebook page of the organization board. 80,000 people have registered for this interesting activity.

The main activity – Light Out – will be held from 8pm to 9pm on March 27 nationwide. Agencies, organisations, and individuals are encouraged to ‘turn off lights and unnecessary electrical equipment’ at that time. After that is the show of outstanding flashmob dances and the online as well as offline interviews with media ambassadors.

In this 13th year taking part in the meaningful Earth Hour Campaign, Vietnam hopes to join hands with over 200 countries to create positive results in raising the public’s awareness about environment protection and sustainable development.

CARE International helps ethnic minorities in Ha Giang

The People’s Committee of northern mountainous Ha Giang province and CARE International in Vietnam signed a framework cooperation agreement for the 2021-2026 period on March 24.

The agreement is expected to lay a foundation for the development of community projects regarding agriculture livelihoods, climate change response, gender equality enhancement, economic empowerment for women, market and value chain connectivity.

CARE pledged to launch a project to improve economic position of female ethnic minorities in Vietnam in six communes in the province’s Quang Binh district at a total cost of 23 billion VND (1 million USD).

Accordingly, the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the People’s Committee of Quang Binh district will be responsible for implementing the project.

Its major components include improving the possibility of seeking income for poor ethnic minority women via agriculture and non-agriculture production, assisting them in saving and borrowing capital for economic development, improving business capacity of women-led businesses and cooperatives, offering support to those in remote and mountainous areas who have limited access to modern technology and lack land for production.

The provincial Women’s Union and relevant units will offer technical and human resources support for the project.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Permanent Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Hoang Gia Long wished that CARE International would continue expanding projects related to economic value chains underway in Ha Giang to help improve income for ethnic minorities.

He also committed all possible support to CARE International to effectively carry out the project.

Country Director of the CARE International in Vietnam Le Kim Dung said founded in 1945, CARE has partnered with international organisations and Vietnam since 1989 with over 300 projects.

From 2017 to 2020, it carried out two projects in Ha Giang, including one to improve partnership for fair and comprehensive development of ethnic minority communities and another to comprehensively promote finance for female ethnic minorities, at a total cost of 7.7 billion VND (333,315 USD).

Nearly 170,000 local households have received support in housing and production land for economic development. The rate of poor households was brought down to 22.29 percent last year from 43.6 percent in 2015.

ASEAN, New Zealand forge stronger cooperation under new plan of action

Senior officials from ASEAN and New Zealand reaffirmed their commitment for stronger cooperation at the 28th ASEAN-New Zealand Dialogue held online on March 23, following an important milestone in their strategic partnership.

Last year, the two sides commemorated the 45th anniversary of dialogue relations and adopted a new ASEAN-New Zealand Plan of Action 2021-2025, to mark a new chapter in their relations.

At the dialogue, the officials noted the full implementation of the ASEAN-New Zealand Plan of Action (2016-2020), and underlined the need to further enhance cooperation between the two sides under the new Plan of Action.

The meeting identified a number of key areas in the new Plan of Action, where ASEAN and New Zealand could enhance their collaboration, such as maritime security, fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, sustainable development, marine sustainability, trade, investment and economic recovery plan, renewable energy, disaster risk management, settlement of climate change, healthcare, human capital development, education, and people-to-people connection.

In advancing economic cooperation, both sides look forward to the upgrade negotiations of the Agreement Establishing the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA), as well as the conclusion of the negotiation of the Regional Air Services Agreement between ASEAN and New Zealand.

They also welcomed the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement in November last year, and look forward to an early entry into force of the agreement next year.

The meeting exchanged views on regional and international issues of common interest, highlighting the importance of ASEAN-led mechanisms and ASEAN’s centrality in maintaining peace, security and stability in the region.

ASEAN senior officials commended New Zealand’s success in mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic and its efforts toward establishing a travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand. They also appreciated New Zealand’s support and contribution to the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund.

Vietnam co-chairs 15th meeting of ASEAN-Japan Joint Cooperation Committee

Ambassador Nguyen Hai Bang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to ASEAN, and Japanese Ambassador Chiba Akira on March 23 co-chaired the 15th meeting of the ASEAN-Japan Joint Cooperation Committee.

At the meeting, the Japanese side said it is working hard to roll out a comprehensive aid package to serve the formation of the ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases (ACPHEED).

Under the aid package, Japan will help ASEAN in designing the centre, sending Japanese experts and training experts for the grouping.

During the Special ASEAN 3 Summit on COVID-19 last April, then Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo announced the aid package worth 50 million USD for the project.

Delegates at the meeting shared the view that ASEAN-Japan cooperation programmes have been rolled out effectively amidst the pandemic. In 2020 alone, up to 32 projects valued at 22 million USD were implemented and 25 others worth 17 million USD were adopted, within the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund.

Under the Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths (JENESYS) programme, about 900 ASEAN youths joined training courses in Japan last year, and the number would be 700 this year.

The ASEAN member countries appreciated Japan’s contributions over the past time, especially its decision to sponsor the ACPHEED, expressing a hope that the two sides will step up their comprehensive cooperation in the time ahead, particularly in such spheres as cyber security and smart city building.

Chair of the Initiative of ASEAN Integration (IAI), Bang lauded Japan’s funding 11 projects within the IAI Work Plan III and suggested the country continue its support for the IAI Work Plan IV through new, result-oriented projects.

2021 is the last year when Vietnam works as the coordinator of the ASEAN-Japan relations. The role will be handed over to Thailand during the ASEAN-Japan Ministerial Meeting in August 2021.

ASEAN Defence Senior Officials’ Meeting convenes

The two-day ASEAN Defence Senior Officials’ Meeting (ADSOM) opened virtually on March 24 under the chair of the Permanent Secretary of the Brunei Ministry of Defence, Brigadier General (retired) Dato Seri Pahlawan Shahril Anwar Bin Haji Ma’awiah.

In his opening speech, the Bruneian official said amid COVID-19 challenges, it is important to step up regional defence cooperation for peace and safety in ASEAN.

Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Political Security Community Robert Matheus Michael Tene spoke highly of Vietnam’s chairmanship last year for leading the bloc through a year full of challenges.

He called on member states to increase defence collaboration in contribution to regional peace and security regionally and globally.

At the meeting, participants heard updates on ASEAN cooperation over the past time and a report from Brunei – the current Chair of ASEAN – on outcomes of the recent ADSOM’s Working Group (ADSOM WG) meeting and 18th ASEAN Chiefs of Defence Forces’ Meeting (ACDFM-18).

The ADSOM reviewed documents which had been discussed and submitted by the ADSOM WG, including those on new conceptions and discussions in the ASEAN Defence Minister’s Meeting (ADMM), and draft joint statements of the 15th ADMM and the 8th ADMM Plus.

It also considered recommendations of ASEAN’s partner nations, including the schedule for ASEAN Plus One’s informal meetings of defence ministers and the ASEAN – Russia joint naval maneuver.

A Vietnamese delegation led by Deputy Defence Minister Sen. Lieut. Gen Hoang Xuan Chien attended the meeting.

Vientiane ceremony marks 60 years of Vietnam’s public security expert force in Laos

The Lao Ministry of Public Security in collaboration with the Vietnamese Embassy in Laos and the representative office of Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security in Laos have held a meeting to mark the 60th anniversary of Vietnam sending public security experts to the country (March 22, 1961-2021).

The meeting was attended by member of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP)’s Politburo and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence General Chansamone Chanyalath, member of the LPRP’s Politburo and Minister of Public Security Senior Lieutenant General Vilay Lakhamphong, former Lao Deputy PM and former Minister of Public Security Asang Laoly, Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Ba Hung, and head of the representative office of the Ministry of Public Security in Laos, Major General Hoang Quang Huong, among others.

In his address, Minister of Public Security Vilay Lakhamphong recalled the historical context and situation when the Vietnamese public security expert force was formed in Laos, stressing that generations of experts overcame numerous difficulties and accepted the sacrifices to help the Lao People’s Public Security force develop.

He underlined that the Vietnamese public security expert force in Laos accompanied Laos’ struggle for national liberation and defence as well as the development of the Lao People’s Public Security force.

He affirmed that the Party, State, and people of Laos always remember the valuable and whole-hearted support from the Party, State, and people of Vietnam during all stages of Laos’ revolutionary cause in the past and national construction at present.

On behalf of the Party, State, and people and the People’s Public Security force of Laos, the minister expressed his sincere gratitude to the Party, State, and people of Vietnam, especially leaders and officers from Vietnam’s People’s Public Security force who work in Laos to assist its Ministry of Public Security.

The Party, State, and people of Laos and the People’s Public Security force of Laos in particular always pay great attention to the special friendship and comprehensive cooperation between Laos and Vietnam, he stated, pledging that they will do their utmost to maintain and reinforce ties and make them last forever.

Meanwhile, former Lao Minister of Public Security Asang Laoly highly appreciated the whole-hearted support from Vietnamese public security experts to the public security force of Laos over the past six decades, describing it as valuable and strategic assistance that helped build basic foundations for the development of Laos’ public security force.

For his part, Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Ba Hung thanked the Lao side for creating favourable conditions for the Vietnamese public security experts, helping them overcome the difficulties and hardships to complete their assigned tasks in protecting security, social order, and safety in both countries, for peace and the happiness of the Vietnamese and Lao people.

On the occasion, the Party and State of Laos presented the Itsala (Freedom) Order, Second Class, to the representative office of Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security and the third-class Itsala Order to Major General Hoang Quang Huong, in recognition of their efforts in the safeguarding of public security in both countries, contributing to reinforcing and accelerating the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between the two.

Within the framework of the meeting, a book on the history of the Vietnamese Public Security expert force in Vietnamese was handed over to the Ministry of Public Security of Laos. A photo exhibition on 60 years of Vietnam’s public security expert force in Laos was also held.

Hoi An active in promoting nipa palm forests

Beyond playing an important role in protecting the environment and minimising the negative impacts of climate change, in recent years, thanks to conservation and development efforts, the nipa palm forests of the ancient town of Hoi An have generated many jobs and increased the incomes of local people.

Located on the banks of the Thu Bon River in the central province of Quang Nam, the area was formerly alluvial ground, with immense water areas. It is now dubbed the “little Southern region” in the heart of Hoi An ancient town.

The conservation and development of the mangrove forests create breakwaters and the conditions necessary for aquatic species to thrive, serving the long-term livelihoods of local people.

Covering hundreds of hectares, the nipa palm forest has become a must-see destination for domestic and foreign tourists to Hoi An. Basket dancing for tourists now earns many local people a high and stable income.

Because of its benefits, local people are more aware about protecting the forest and no one cuts down trees or exploits nipa leaves for souvenirs, as used to be the case.

To conserve and develop the forest, Hoi An town and Quang Nam province have also rejected licensing projects that risk impacting its sustainability.

Amid the impact of urbanisation and climate change, the conservation and development of the nipa forests in Hoi An have brought about substantial benefits, facilitating sustainable development for the future.

Australia-Vietnam Young Leadership Dialogue initiative gets underway

The Australia-Vietnam Young Leadership Dialogue (AVLD) kicked off on March 23 in Australia in an effort to intensify mutual understanding and step up co-operation between the two countries.

As part of her opening speech, New South Wales Governor Margaret Beazley affirmed that the focus of this year’s dialogue will be on promoting a range of innovations and partnerships in the post-COVID period, including areas related to the arts, business, and community.

The young leaders selected for this year’s scheme will be made up of a range of dynamic and talented individuals who work in such fields as business, policy making, education, health, arts, culture, and innovation.

Following their selection, the young leaders will then participate in activities scheduled to take place in both Ho Chi Minh City and Sydney in September.

It is anticipated that the dialogue will create greater opportunities for the next generation of leaders from both countries to embark on a transformative journey towards achieving a stronger innovation partnership and co-operation across priority areas.

Trinh Duc Hai, the Vietnamese Consul General in New South Wales, affirmed that the initiative will help contribute to developing bilateral relations, especially as Australia represents one of Vietnam’s most important strategic partners.

During the course of the event, representatives from both countries expressed their opinions on several international issues and reiterated common values.

Peter Cosgrove, former governor-general of Australia and sponsor of the Australia-Vietnam Young Leadership Dialogue, emphasised that both countries have recorded a range of amazing achievements in bilateral relations, with these milestones reached largely through boosting diplomatic, economic, and trading ties.

Both Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Nguyen Tat Thanh and Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Robyn Mudie have been invited to be advisors for the programme.

“Vietnam welcomes the comprehensive participation of the change-makers network and expresses its belief that participants in the dialogue will further strengthen the bilateral relationship through cooperation in the priority strategic areas of the two countries,” said Ambassador Thanh.

The AVLD was originally established in 2016 with the aim of creating a platform in which young people could discuss issues of mutual concern, thereby enhancing their understanding and connectivity between the two countries.

Hanoi prepares to host upcoming Brazilian Film Week

The Ministry of of Culture, Sports and Tourism has granted permission for the Embassy of Brazil in Vietnam to launch a Brazilian Film Week in Hanoi.

The event is set to feature five outstanding movies, including Nise: The Heart of Madness, Trinta, and A Story of Love and Fury.

Through the event, the Brazilian Embassy wants to introduce some of the unique aspects and characteristics of Brazilian culture to local audiences.

During the course of the week, all movies will be shown in their original language whilst featuring both English and Vietnamese subtitles. Indeed, all movies will only be screened as part of the film week after being granted a license by the Vietnam Cinema Department.

Digital installation commemorates Italian poet Dante Alighieri

A digital installation exhibition entitled Inferno V opens in Hà Nội this afternoon (March 25, 2pm) to mark the 700th anniversary of the death of the great Italian poet Dante Alighieri, who wrote of one of the most renowned works of world literature, The Divine Comedy.

Produced by the Italian creative media company MTM Reality and promoted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Inferno V is conceived as a unique digital journey through the second circle of Hell, where lie those punished for their sins of passion. Inferno V combines augmented reality with the timeless words of Dante Alighieri.

Visitors will enjoy a variety of images, videos and narrations which provide an intense experience of Dante’s work and explain the essential place he holds within the history of literature. All content is available in Vietnamese as well as in Italian, English, French, Spanish and Portuguese.

Starting from March 25, a website version of Inferno V can be accessed through the Italian Embassy’s Facebook page.

Entry is free and the exhibition runs until April 8, from 10am to 8.30pm, at Generali Room in Casa Italia, 18 Lê Phụng Hiểu Street.

Health minister underlines need to amend law to make organ donation easier

The law on donation, removal and transplantation of human tissues and organs and donation and recovery of cadavers should be amended to streamline procedures and help increase donations to save more lives, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyễn Trường Sơn has said.

Many provisions in it, such as the one on donors’ age, are barriers preventing tissue and organ donation, he said.

His ministry is drafting amendments and would submit them to the National Assembly next year, he said.

The amendments would be in compliance with the Declaration of Istanbul made at the 2008 Istanbul Summit on Organ Trafficking and Transplant Tourism to prevent transplant tourism, trafficking and commercialism and provide ethical guidelines for organ donation and transplantation.

The ministry held the conference to collect opinions on the amendments from health experts, he added.

Dr Trần Thị Cẩm Tú, deputy head of the Human Organ Transplantation Centre at Huế Central Hospital, said, “The amended law should allow people from 15 years of age instead of [the current] 18 to register for organ donation when they are brain dead.”

The Civil Code and Penal Code recognise people aged 15 as old enough for many things, she said.

But living donors should be more than 18 to donate an organ to a family member to reduce the impact on their health post-donation, she said.

In the case of donations to strangers for transplantation, the donors should be at least 30 years old, she said.

She suggested setting up an online system to register for organ donation after brain death to get young prospective donors on board.

Prof Trần Đông A, a counsellor at Children’s Hospital 2, said the law bans organ harvest from brain dead children, reducing the survival chances of child patients who need organs.

Now doctors transplant kidneys taken from adults in children, a difficult task to perform, he said.

Nguyễn Hoàng Phúc of the Vietnam National Coordinating Center for Human Organ Transplantation said: “The number of people needing organ and tissue transplants is very high while the number of donors is low. Many patients die even as they wait for a donor.”

As of last year 40,257 people had registered to donate their organs and tissues in case of brain death, he said.

There are 100 living donors, while 339 have registered to donate their cadaver after death, he said.

So far 5,587 people have benefited from organ transplants, he added.

According to the Ministry of Health, nearly 10,000 people are waiting for kidney transplants alone and thousands of others for other organs.

The conference also discussed the illegal buying and selling of human organs.

On March 9 the ministry had organised a conference in Hà Nội on funding for removal and transplantation of human tissues and organs.

Vietnam, ASEAN urged to adopt green manufacturing technologies

Vietnam and its ASEAN neighbours need to adopt green manufacturing technologies to make sustainable new products and services, an international conference in Bình Dương Province heard on Tuesday (Mar 23).

Dr Michael Braun, co-ordinator of the Enhanced Regional EU-ASEAN Dialogue Instrument project, told the ‘Cooperating with Europe for Green Manufacturing Technologies’ conference that it is important to promote technological co-operation between the European and Southeast Asian blocs for mutual benefit.

ASEAN countries have emerged as important manufacturing hubs in global supply chains, he said.

“The growing demand for environmentally sound, resource- and energy-efficient products and manufacturing has created a hunger for new green manufacturing technologies.”

With its rich technology and research landscape, innovative enterprises and dedicated green growth strategies, Europe is a major source of such green technologies, he said.

“Green technologies are key to sustainable new products, services and manufacturing processes, and are essential for realising green growth.”

For ASEAN member states, green technologies will help make the best possible use of their natural and energy resources and protect the health and well-being of workers and consumers.

Hans Farnhammer, head of Cooperation for the European Union Delegation to Indonesia, Brunei, Darussalam and ASEAN, said: “Green production has become the core of sustainable development.”

Prof TAN, Reginald Beng Hee, of the National University of Singapore, said, “Bình Dương Province is set to become the next destination for green technology transfer.”

Nguyễn Việt Long, director of the province Department of Science and Technology, said comprehensive transport infrastructure and quality human resources play a major role in attracting foreign investors, especially from Europe, with green manufacturing technologies.

The Government needs to invest in improving infrastructure and offer incentives to promote the triple helix model of university–industry–government co-operation, he said.

European Green Deal

Joanna Drake, deputy director of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for the Environment, said under the European Green Deal, the EU recognises that climate change and environmental degradation are an existential threat to Europe and the world.

To overcome the challenges, the EU needs a new growth strategy that would transform it into a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy in which there are no net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050, and economic growth is decoupled from resource use, she said.

The Deal aims to make the EU’s economy sustainable by turning climate and environmental challenges into opportunities, focusing on investments in green technologies, sustainable solutions and innovative businesses, she said.

It also lays out a path for a sustainable transition that is socially fair and ensures ‘no person or place is left behind’, she said.

The EU therefore supports ASEAN and its member states with initiatives related to climate-change resilience and adaptation, environmental protection, including protecting bio-diversity, and disaster preparedness and response, she added.

The two-day conference that began on Monday is being held as part of the 2021 EU Industry Week organised by the provincial People’s Committee and the European Commission.

Legislators continue to hear and discuss in groups working reports

The 14th National Assembly is continuing its working programme on March 25 as part of the ongoing 11th session.

During the plenary sitting in the morning, the legislature will hear reports reviewing the performance of the Supreme People’s Court, the Supreme People’s Procuracy and the State Audit Office of Vietnam during the 2016-2021 tenure, and a report verifying them.

The legislators will also listen to a report summarizing opinions and petitions sent by voters and people to the NA’s 11th session, and another report on the results of supervising the settlement of voters’ suggestions sent to the 10th session.

The National Election Committee will also report the outcomes of its operation since its establishment.

The plenary sitting is broadcast live by Radio The Voice of Vietnam, Vietnam Television and the NA’s television channel.

In the afternoon, the lawmakers will discuss in groups the draft report on performance of the 14th NA, the NA Standing Committee, the NA Ethnic Council and the NA committees, as well as working reports of the State President, Government, Supreme People’s Court, Supreme People’s Procuracy and the State Audit Office for the 2016-2021 tenure./.

Vietnam supports comprehensive political solution in Libya: diplomat

Ambassador Pham Hai Anh, deputy head of the Vietnamese delegation to the UN, has reaffirmed Vietnam’s support for a Libyan-led and Libyan-owned comprehensive political solution on the basis of respecting independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Libya.

Addressing the UN Security Council’s videoconference briefing on the Libyan situation and operations of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on March 24, Ambassador Anh spoke highly of important progresses on politics and security in Libya, and called on parties involved to fully carry out articles of the ceasefire agreement, and try their best to facilitate the transitional period and make all necessary preparations for the holding of national elections based on the agreed roadmap.

Voicing support for UNSMIL’s role in assisting the Libyan-led and Libyan-owned ceasefire monitoring mechanism, the Vietnamese representative highlighted the need to address the humanitarian and economic challenges in that country and called on all international partners to continue to provide technical and financial support for Libya and other countries in the region.

He appreciated efforts made by parties in Libya in bomb, mine and unexploded ordnance (UXO) clearance under the support of the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS), and called for more efforts to reduce risks and protect civilians from risks caused by post-war UXO.

Ján Kubiš, Special Envoy to Libya and head of the UNSMIL, called on the UNSC to continue backing the peace progress in Libya, including allowing UNSMIL to support the ceasefire monitoring mechanism

Delegates welcomed political progress in the country and stressed the need to consolidate gains towards national elections in December. They also called for the withdrawal of mercenaries and foreign forces from Libya and compliance with the arms embargo, the need for the unification of institutions in Libya and the improvement of basic services for local people.

Thematic exhibition on National Assembly election opens in Dak Lak

A thematic exhibition titled “Ngay hoi non song” (National Festival) opened at Dak Lak Museum in Dak Lak Province on March 24, aimed at celebrating the upcoming election of deputies to the 15th National Assembly (NA) and People’s Councils at all levels for the term 2021-2026.

The exhibition consists of three main themes: Uncle Ho and the NA of Vietnam; marks of the NA of Vietnam; and the outstanding activities of the delegation of NA deputies and People’s Councils at all levels in Dak Lak.

The event features 250 documents and photos introducing the outstanding activities and achievements of the NA and People’s Councils at all levels in general, and that of the delegation of NA deputies and People’s Councils of Dak Lak in particular.

They contribute to affirming the inheritance of the NAs after each term, promoting the spirit of renewal within the NA’s legislative activities, as well as monitoring and deciding upon the important issues of the country.

The event also highlights the responsibilities of the powerful agency of the State in institutionalising the Party’s guidelines and undertakings into State policies and laws, contributing to the successful implementation of the objectives and tasks of building, developing and defending the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

The exhibition aims to contribute to raising public awareness about the Party and State’s policies and laws on the elections and citizenship rights and responsibilities toward the nation, while creating a consensus in society for the success of the election of deputies to the 15th NA and People’s Councils at all levels for the 2021-2026 term, ensuring democracy, equality, enforcement, safety and cost saving, as well as making the election the national festival.

The exhibition runs until late May 2021.

Gov’t urges execution of Long Thanh Int’l Airport project

The compensation and site clearance for the Long Thanh International Airport project in Dong Nai Province are set to be completed in April, but the Government has asked the province to speed up the project.

Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung on March 22 told the Dong Nai government to expedite the land reclamation, site clearance compensation as well as support and resettlement processes in line with prevailing regulations.

The province was also asked to work with the Ministry of Transport, the Airports Corporation of Vietnam and other relevant units to start work on some components to ensure the project runs on schedule.

In November last year, the prime minister gave the green light for the first phase of the Long Thanh International Airport project in Dong Nai Province with total investment of more than VND109 trillion. The project is set to be put into operation in 2025.

The first phase of the project is divided into four subprojects. In the first phase, a passenger terminal, a runway and supporting facilities will be developed capable to transport 25 million passengers and 1.2 million tons of cargo per year.

In late October last year, during Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh’s on-site trip to the location of the airport project in Dong Nai Province, the leader of the provincial government committed to handing over 1,810 hectares of land prioritized for the construction of the first phase in late 2020.

Of the total of 5,000 hectares of land for the construction of the big-ticket project, over 2,900 hectares are owned by 5,541 households and individuals. Up to now, the plan to compensate over 2,650 households and individuals, with the total value of VND5.9 trillion, has been approved, Dong Nai newspaper reported.

Photo exhibition features HCMC’s youth on reunification day

A photography exhibition to mark the 90th founding anniversary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (March 26, 1931 – 2021) and the 45th establishment and development anniversary of Youth Volunteer Force (March 28, 1976-2021) was opened at the Youth Cultural House and Nguyen Hue pedestrian street yesterday.

The two-week long exhibition introduces documents and images featuring the process of establishment, development and achievements of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union as well as the Municipal Youth Volunteer Force.

Through the evidences, the exhibition will help the local people, especially members of Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union understand and be more and more proud of the precious heroic tradition and voluntary spirit of young generation in HCMC in the first days of the country’s reunification day.

Accordingly, the exhibition will take place until April 4. Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union in coordination with the Ho Chi Minh city’s Youth Volunteer Force launched the show.

Source: VNA/VNS/VOV/VIR/SGT/Nhan Dan/Hanoitimes

* India has detected a new “double mutant variant” of the novel coronavirus, the health ministry said, adding to concern as the government struggles with the highest single-day tally of new infections and deaths this year.

* With homegrown COVID-19 vaccines, Cuba expects to immunize over 50 percent of its population by August, a senior official said Tuesday.

* Cambodia on Wednesday required people in capital Phnom Penh and four other provinces to wear face masks in public to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The country has launched an anti-COVID-19 vaccination drive with China’s Sinopharm vaccine since Feb. 10 and with Indian-made AstraZeneca vaccine since March 4.

* The Bank of Thailand (BOT), the country’s central bank, on Wednesday held its policy rate unchanged at a record low level and slightly lowered its growth forecast for 2021 as new COVID-19 outbreak weighs on the economy.

* Russian-US consultations on space security issues were held via video link on Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. The participants exchanged views on a wide range of problems related to ensuring the safety of outer space activities, the ministry said in a brief statement.

* Chinese and US provincial and state officials and entrepreneurs gathered online on Tuesday to explore agricultural trade and cooperation opportunities between the two sides.

* Senior US administration officials said on Tuesday that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) tested a short-range system over the weekend while downplaying the test as normal military activity.

* European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders is in touch with six European Union (EU) member states that have implemented travel bans to find an alternative as soon as possible, said a spokesperson on Tuesday.

* French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday stressed the importance of vaccination as the country’s COVID-19 cases kept rising. The president said vaccination would be rolled out during public holidays and weekends.

* German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called an unexpected meeting with leaders of the federal states to discuss the coronavirus pandemic after they agreed early on Tuesday to extend a lockdown.

* The European Union (EU) member states’ fisheries ministers agreed Tuesday on a four-month extension to the fishing quotas shared with the United Kingdom (UK) while negotiations continue with a view to reaching a definitive agreement with London.

* Poland will likely have to toughen restrictions again after reporting what early figures suggest will be a record number of new infections.

* Children in Britain will start receiving a COVID-19 vaccine as early as August under provisional government plans to push for maximum national immunity from the coronavirus.

* Spain’s coronavirus infection rate edged up, highlighting concern that a long decline is in danger of reversing.

* The Brazilian pharmaceutical company that plans to produce Russia’s coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V said it expected to overcome regulatory obstacles in “two or three” days to obtain authorisation to make and sell the shot in Brazil.

* Colombia will impose new restrictions on movement and enact nightly curfews in municipalities with high occupancy levels in intensive care units as it tries to avoid a severe third wave of COVID-19.

* Euro zone economic activity made a surprise return to growth this month as factories ramped up production to its fastest pace in over 23 years, offsetting a continuing slowdown in the bloc’s dominant services industry.

* Uzbekistan will start the first stage of mass vaccination of its citizens against coronavirus beginning on April 1, a senior health official said Wednesday.

* Republic of Korea’s childbirth kept falling in January, fueling worry about the demographic cliff, statistical office data showed Wednesday. The number of newborn babies was 25,003 in January, down 6.3 percent from a year earlier, according to Statistics Korea. It was the lowest January figure since data began to be compiled in 1981.

* The first 165,000 of up to 7 million COVID-19 vaccine doses that MTN Group is donating to African countries have arrived in Ghana.

* A large plant being used to manufacture Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine was cleared by US regulators, setting the stage for the weekly US supply to surge more then 20%.

* Uzbekistan will launch its vaccination campaign with the AstraZeneca vaccine from April 1.