Opinion

It’s time, once again, to take a step back, rationally assess the state of English language instruction in Vietnam and reframe the debate. Aside from the limitations of an exam that only tests for grammatical and reading knowledge and neglects speaking, listening, and writing skills, there is the far more important question of whether it makes pedagogical and societal sense to require all students to study English or any other foreign language, for that matter. Another related issue is the steadily improving English proficiency of growing numbers of young Vietnamese. … [Read more...] about Missing the forest for the trees: National English exam results reconsidered

Also in this period, the state divested VND25.17 trillion (nearly $1.1 billion) and collected VND171.84 trillion ($7.47 billion), which was 6.8 times higher than the book value. Total money collected from equitisation and divestment since 2016 reached more than 218 trillion ($9.47 billion), which is 2.79 times higher than the total revenue from equitisation and divestment in the 2011-2015 period (about VND78 trillion or $3.4 billion). The money transferred to the state budget under the National Assembly resolution hit VND211.5 trillion ($9.2 billion) out of VND250 trillion ($10.87 billion), tantamount to 85 per cent of the plan for the 2016-2020 period. … [Read more...] about How to drive the economy by reforming state-owned debt

Jakarta (VNA) – Speaker of the House of Representatives of Indonesia Puan Maharani has affirmed that peace, security and stability has always been an important factor in the development and growth of the region. Addressing the first plenary session of the 41st General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-41) that opened online on September 8, Maharani said it is crucial that Southeast Asia is kept to be peaceful, friendly and harmonious, in order to enhance cooperation to curb the spread of COVID-19 and address its adverse impact. She added that AIPA needs to prioritise on peaceful settlement, avoid tension, exercise self-restraint and encourage confidence building measures between ASEAN member states, while emphasising on ASEAN centrality. According to her, AIPA member parliaments should also encourage ASEAN nations to uphold the United Nation Convention on Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982 as reference in determining maritime entitlements, sovereign rights and … [Read more...] about AIPA-41: Indonesia calls for keeping peaceful, friendly, harmonious ASEAN

NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan will deliver an opening speech. She and vice chairpersons will alternately chair the session, according to an announcement released by the NA Office. The committee is scheduled to scrutinise five draft laws, comprising the law amending and supplementing some articles of the trade union law, the law on forces safeguarding security and order at the grassroots level, the revised law on drug prevention and control, the revised law on road traffic, and the law on road traffic order and safety. The 2015 Criminal Procedure Code, and a number of draft resolutions and reports will also be tabled for discussion during the meeting.   Legislators will also give opinions on preparations for the 10th meeting of the NA, the inclusion of medical supplies in the national reserves, the approval of the nomination of Vietnamese ambassadors, and the establishment of Hong Ngu city in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap, among others./. … [Read more...] about NA Standing Committee to convene 48th meeting from September 10-18

Hanoi (VNA) - Throughout its 75-year history, the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) has always been accompanying the nation and joining hands with the whole Party, people, and army, along the nine-year resistance war against the French that culminated in the resounding Dien Bien Phu victory, as well as the 21-year battle against the US that ultimately led to the Great Spring Victory in 1975 and the reunification of the country and the taking of the path towards socialism. Both witness of and contributor to history During Vietnam’s struggles for national independence, journalists from VNA, known as “Viet Nam Thong tan xa” (VNTTX) at the time, became journalist-soldiers who not only reported events as witnesses but also directly engaged in such events. Throughout the nine years of the anti-French resistance war, the fledgling VNA staff, small as it was, both fought the enemy and ensured information and communications tasks were also completed. It overcame numerous … [Read more...] about Vietnam News Agency – 75 years of pride