Rough trade records

Vietnam racks up US$1.29 billion in trade surplus in two months

February 28, 2021 by en.nhandan.org.vn

The country’s trade turnover during January-February topped some US$95.81 billion, a year-on-year surge of 25.4%. Of the total, exports amounted to US$48.55 billion, a yearly hike of 23.2%, while imports were estimated at US$47.26 billion, or 25.9% higher than the same time last year.

Foreign-invested companies accounted for 76.4%, or US$37.07 billion, of Vietnam’s total export turnover. Meanwhile, the domestic sector shipped abroad US$11.48 billion worth of products.

There were nine commodities joining the billion-USD export club, including telephones and parts (US$9.3 billion, up 22.8% year-on-year); electronics, computers and parts (US$6.9 billion, up 27.3%); equipment, machines and parts (US$5.5 billion, up 72.6%); footwear (US$3.2 billion, up 15.4%); and wood and wooden products (US$2.4 billion, up 51%). They made up 73% of the country’s export turnover.

Vietnam also saw strong surge in shipments of several agricultural products, such as fruits and vegetables (US$610 million, rising 14.6%), rubber (US$516 million, increasing 109.7%), cashew (US$442 million, up 21.5%), and cassava (US$256 million, hiking 78.2%).

The US was Vietnam’s biggest importer as it splashed out US$14.2 billion on Vietnamese products, or 38.2% higher than the amount it spent the same time last year. China came second with US$8.5 billion, followed by the EU with 6.3 billion, ASEAN US$4.2 billion, the Republic of Korea US$3.4 billion, and Japan US$3.2 billion.

Meanwhile, the country spent big (US$47.26 billion) on imports, with foreign-invested sector purchasing US$31.64 billion worth of products from abroad for production, up 31.4%, while that of the domestic sector surged 16% to US$15.62 billion.

In the two-month period, China was the largest exporter of Vietnam, with revenue estimated at US$17.3 billion, up 85.7% year-on-year, followed by the Republic of Korea with US$8.4 billion, ASEAN US$5.6 billion, Japan US$3.1 billion, EU US$2.3 billion, and the US US$2.1 billion.

In a bid to support local firms in promoting production and exports, the Ministry of Industry and Trade said that it will work to capitalise on opportunities from the signed free trade agreements to seek measures for market development. Additionally, it will keep close watch on the global market to identify key export products, while paying due heed to penning measures for market development.

Viettel on the way to becoming a world leading defense industry group

February 28, 2021 by en.qdnd.vn

The 12th National Party Congress determined: “Promoting the development of the defense and security industry for both military and civilian purposes; increasing resources, creating modern material and technical foundations for the development of the People’s Army and the People’s Public Security Forces, meeting the requirements of protecting the Fatherland in the new situation.”

While inheriting that point of view, the political draft report at the 13th National Party Congress also gives new points: “Building and developing a modern dual-use defense and security industry, both satisfying the requirements of the task of protecting the Fatherland and making an important contribution to national socio-economic development.”

To clarify the new points in the political report at the 13th National Party Congress, reporters of the People’s Army Online Newspaper had an interview with Major General Hoang Son, Secretary of the Party Committee and Deputy General Director of Military Industry – Telecoms Group (Viettel).

Researching and developing high level technologies for national defense

Reporter: Mr. Deputy General Director, documents of the 13th National Party Congress mention the need to develop a number of key science and technology branches to solve urgent issues and apply scientific and technological advances to both economic and defense sectors. What do you think about this policy and what will Viettel do to successfully realize it?

Major General Hoang Son: The new contents articulated in the documents of the 13th National Party Congress on the issues are the developments of the Resolution of the 12th National Party Congress. These developments have reflected the flexibility and creativity of the Party in response to the new situation.

Regarding its development strategy, Viettel has so far established business, trade and investment ties with more than 120 partners from 35 countries. Thanks to our widespread business network, we can easily access advanced technologies, seek potential suppliers, build a network of experts and partners, and find high quality human resources. These advantages can help us save time and money when we conduct projects on researching, developing and producing high-quality and high-level technological products.

Over the past years, under the leadership and direction of the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of Defense, as well as Viettel Group’s leaders’ direction, engineers and workers of the Hi-tech Equipment and Weaponry Research and Production Division have researched and produced a number of high-quality defense products. After being commissioned, all Viettel-made equipment and weaponry systems are highly appreciated by military units. Feedback from the users say that Viettel-made equipment and weaponry systems are reliable and convenient for operation, and in accordance with combat conditions in Vietnam. This result has encouraged Viettel’s staff to research and develop more hi-tech defense products on one hand, and built up the confidence of military officers and soldiers in using equipment and weapons produced by Viettel on the other hand.

Reporter: Can you elaborate on the results of Viettel’s implementation of the Party Resolution on development of the defense industry?

Major General Hoang Son: Firstly, Viettel has made the Party, Government, and the Ministry of National Defense more confident that the Vietnamese are able to gradually research and produce hi-tech military equipment and weapons, contributing to protecting the country from afar. The “Made by Viettel” weapons being equipped in the military are the clearest evidence for that argument.

Secondly, in doing so, Viettel has created a new way in the development of hi-tech industry: instead of relying mainly on the State budget, it is possible to mobilize resources from enterprises. Facts also show that instead of waiting for directions and assignments from higher-level authorities, Viettel actively draws up tasks, mechanisms and policies for itself and proposes the higher-level authorities to approve them; instead of relying on technology transfer from foreign partners, Viettel itself invests in research, development and production of hi-tech products. In fact, it is exactly the way that large industrial groups in countries like the US, Russia, China, Israel, and European countries operate .

Thirdly, over the past years, Viettel has researched, developed and produced hi-tech military equipment and weaponry systems for the military, facilitating the modernization process of several military corps and services and contributing to improving national defense capabilities and combat abilities of the Vietnam People’s Army. The group’s efforts have also helped save the national defense budget.

Fourthly, Viettel has gradually built up modern and synchronous research and production infrastructure and strong resources for the development of hi-tech defense industry and national industry.

Fifthly, the group’s branch of hi-tech industry has gradually become a major part of its production and business plans, while significantly contributing to the State budget and the Ministry of Defense’s budget.

Building firm industrial structure

Reporter: What will Viettel do in the future to develop itself as a large group with technologies for civilian and defense purposes?

Major General Hoang Son: According to its future strategy, Viettel aims to become one of the world’s leading defense industry companies. To meet this end, it will continue to develop and produce new generations of military equipment, and smarter, more accurate and more reliable weapons based on the application of core technologies of Industry 4.0, particularly AI, big data and IoT.

Viettel will also develop technologies that can manufacture products for both civilian and military use. Further, it strives to conquer core technologies and have exclusive patents as well as to build a strong industrial infrastructure with modern lab systems and synchronous, professional and well-organized production facilities to meet dual-use production. It will also support the formation of the domestic support industry system.

Another focus of the group is to continuously develop high-quality human resources with specialized experts, highly-qualified engineers and skilled workers. The group’s investment in training personnel will help it successfully realize its development strategy on one hand, and contribute to the development of a well-trained workforce for the national defense industry and the domestic labor market as a whole.

Reporter: What policy does Viettel have to develop its workforce?

Major General Hoang Son: Viettel always focuses on building the capacity of its cadres and officers. It frequently organizes internal training and retraining courses for its staff and creates favorable conditions for young talented people to take higher responsibilities and get more work experience.

Over the past years, the group has pursued several policies to attract excellent personnel, to give privileges to talented, dedicated staff, and to support workers in need. Additionally, it tries to build a good working environment, and creates more career opportunities for young people.

Reporter: Can you name some major contributions of the group to the modernization of the military as well as to national socio-economic development?

Major General Hoang Son: The group has reached all production and business targets over the past years. It has grown fast in both production and business scales as well as in both revenue and profit, contributing 37 trillion dongs to the State’s budget.

In recent times, the group has contributed importantly to national digital transformation, digital government projects, smart city models, digital economy building and digital society building. Viettel also leads in applying Big Data and advanced technologies of Industry 4.0 as well as innovating modern management models and providing technological solutions and services for other enterprises.

Its overseas investment activities have been another success of Viettel over the past years. It gains annual growth in revenue and profit. Take 2020 as an example, while the revenues of its overseas investment projects grew by 19%, the profit increased 25%. Last year, the group brought home some US$ 333 million from the foreign markets it invests in.

To realize its commitment to the Party and State, since the beginning of 2021, it has tested 5G networks with Viettel-made equipment in a number of places in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Reporter: Thank you.

Translated by Thu Nguyen

CPI in February highest in 8 years

February 28, 2021 by en.nhandan.org.vn

This is the highest February CPI growth recorded in the last eight years.

However, the index in the first two months decreased 0.14% year-on-year.

Compared to the previous month, an upturn was seen in the prices of ten out of 11 main groups of goods and services, with housing and construction materials taking the lead (4%). It was followed by food and catering services (1.61%); transport (1.55%); drinking and tobacco (0.9%); garment and textile, headwear and footwear (0.25%).

The price of education services remained stable compared to the previous month.

The GSO’s Price Statistics Department explained that the CPI in February saw a strong rise due to the higher demand for food and foodstuffs for the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival.

The prices of medicine and medical supplies in January-February increased by 0.88% compared to the same period last year, the price of gas in the month climbed 3.05% year-on-year.

There were a number of reasons for the decrease in CPI in the last two months. The petrol and oil prices decreased by 15.78% year-on-year while the electricity price in January fell by 16.88% over the same period last year, making the average electricity price in the first two months of 2021 down by 9.95%.

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for travel and tourism decreased compared to the same period last year. On average, in the last two months, the air ticket price dropped by 35.65%, train fares down 12.39%; and tour prices decreased by 4.99%.

At the same time, domestic gold price in February was up 0.25% over the previous month, while that of US dollar was around 23,145 VND per USD, down 0.17% month-on-month and 0.76% year-on-year.

GSO said the core inflation in February, which is CPI excluding grain food, fresh foodstuff, energy and the State-managed medical and educational services, increased by 0.48% from the previous month, and 0.79% compared to one year ago.

The two-month core inflation grew by 0.64% year-on-year.

The core inflation rates in February and the first two months of 2021 compared to the same periods last year were the lowest in the past five years.

Millionaire story of a “buffalo boy”

February 28, 2021 by vietnamnet.vn

A man from the southwestern region of Vietnam started his business with a female buffalo that was then extended to hundreds of buffaloes, earning him annual revenue of over a billion VND.

Though busy during the last days of the lunar year, Mr. Nguyen Hong Ngu, a resident of Long My district in Hau Giang province, spent time to tell us his “destiny”: becoming wealthy from buffaloes.

Resting on a meadow, he shared his childhood memory about buffaloes. When he grew up, he chose the buffalo to start his business.

“Twenty-seven years ago, Luong Nghia land was so heavily contaminated with alum that there was only one crop per annum. Only about 600 kilograms of grain per labor per crop were harvested. What frustrated me was thzt no buffalo was available for the crops.

Back then, I had just got married. I decided to take the money and gold received from the wedding to purchase a female buffalo for VND5 million. I just thought of using the buffalo for our own crop, not yet getting rich from it,” said Ngu.

The buffalo was not only used for his own farm. It was rented by his neighbors too. At the end of the harvest, Ngu bought nearly one tael of gold. A couple months later, the buffalo got pregnant. Ngu started to develop her breed. “So far, I have had a herd of hundreds of buffaloes. The first buffalo was dead after delivering 16 calves.”

His buffaloes are raised in different southern provinces, namely Hau Giang, An Giang, Dong Thap, etc. for trade convenience. Every day, the buffaloes are out in the grass field and soak in the water for about an hour. Then, they return to the stables for the lawn. “Cutting lawns is a hard job but does not cost much money as food does for pigs, chicken, and ducks,” said Ngu.

Ngu uses 20 acres of land for grass for the buffaloes. When there is no grass on the meadow, he has to buy rice roots from newly harvested fields. During these times, the buffaloes are well fed and chubby.

VND3 billion house from buffalo sale

Ngu bought cheap thin and weak buffaloes to nurture them. He sells them when they are healthy and meaty. Annually, he sells 500 buffaloes for meat, bringing him a profit of over VND500 million (nearly $25,000). He also sells the calves of 40 female buffaloes, earning about VND600 million.

Other strong and healthy male buffaloes are rented out for crops. “At the year end, those male buffaloes return to me. They don’t cost my energy or time but bring income.” Totally, he earns more than a billion per annum.

From his childhood experience, Ngu knows what buffaloes like and how to take care of them. Understanding them well, he can sell them at a better price than other people. “The good and healthy buffalo has small hips and big buttocks. Buffaloes are gentle when meeting humans,” said Ngu.

Nowadays, Ngu owns such a huge number of buffaloes that whenever tens of buffaloes are caught in the West, they probably belong to him. Whenever there is a good meadow, there are Ngu’s buffaloes. They are a great asset. Thanks to the business, he owns 200 acres of land.

The cost of a female buffalo is about VND50 million. A young female buffalo costs VND30-VND40 million. “I sold 110 young female buffaloes for over VND3 billion to build a house. My family has a better life from the buffalo business. Whenever I hear about land opportunity, I sell some buffaloes for land,” said Ngu.

Chuyện làm giàu của tỷ phú trâu ở miền Tây ai nghe cũng mê

Mr. Ngu and his buffaloes.

Thien Chi

Hai Duong dissolves COVID-19 treatment hospital No.1

February 28, 2021 by en.vietnamplus.vn

The Chi Linh city’s medical centre in Hai Duong province (Photo: VNA)

Hai Duong (VNA) – Chairman of the Hai Duong provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Duong Thai, who is also head of the provincial Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, on February 27 decided to dissolve the hospital No.1 for COVID-19 treatment as the locality has basically kept the pandemic under control.

All the COVID-19 cases being treated at the hospital were transferred to the COVID-19 treatment hospital No.3 at Sao Do University in Chi Linh city, which is managed by the Hai Duong General Hospital.

The hospital No.1 was established on February 2 at Chi Linh city’s medical centre to serve treatment for COVID-19 patients after a new COVID-19 outbreak in the locality, with hundreds of infections were confirmed.

According to the provincial Centre for Disease Control, as of 4:00 pm on February 27, Hai Duong recorded a total of 653 coronavirus infections. The number of F1 cases is 16,385, of which 3,328 are quarantined in concentrated quarantine sites. The locality has so far collected over 400,000 samples for SARS-CoV-2 testing.

Vietnam reported no new COVID-19 case on February 28 morning, making the national count unchanged at 2,432, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

A total 1,844 COVID-19 patients have recovered so far, and the death toll remains at 35./.

VNA

Vietnamese province’s quick response helps minimize risk of COVID-19 spread from border jumpers

February 28, 2021 by tuoitrenews.vn

Authorities in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap have taken prompt and assertive measures to contain the risk of COVID-19 spread from two border jumpers recently.

On the afternoon of February 23, two Vietnamese women left Phnom Penh and entered Vietnamese illegally via an illicit racket’s service.

By 9:00 pm the same day, they had made it to Sa Rai Town, located in Tan Hong District, Dong Thap, and stayed at a local hotel.

The two border jumpers were unaware they had been detected by local residents, who later reported the case to police’s quick response team.

Officers arrived at the hotel within the next hour, but only one of the two women was at the venue.

She was brought to a collective quarantine facility and was confirmed as the country’s COVID-19 patient No. 2,424 on February 26.

Meanwhile, the other woman had already got on a long-haul coach to travel to Ho Chi Minh City.

The coach operator was quickly informed of the case, and the driver was directed to turn the vehicle around.

She was then taken to a centralized quarantine center and had her samples collected for COVID-19 testing.

Her test result came back negative for the novel coronavirus.

A quick response team for COVID-19 prevention and control holds a meeting in Dong Thap Province, Vietnam. Photo: Thai Thuan / Tuoi Tre

A quick response team for COVID-19 prevention and control holds a meeting in Dong Thap Province, Vietnam. Photo: Thai Thuan / Tuoi Tre

“Thanks to the rapid response, the two women had not been able to travel to other places, while the number of their direct contacts was limited,” said Doan Tan Buu, vice-chairman of the Dong Thap People’s Committee, who is also deputy head of the provincial steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control.

“The risk of the virus spread was therefore minimized.”

The province has established many quick response teams consisting of police officers and health workers to fight against the pandemic.

Aside from the effort of these quick response teams, which work around the clock, local residents also play a very important role in rapidly detecting border jumpers and containing COVID-19 transmission in the community, Buu stated.

Vietnam has recorded 2,423 COVID-19 cases as of Sunday morning, with 1,844 recoveries and 35 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.

A total of 837 community-based infections have been reported in the country since January 27, most in Hai Duong Province in the northern region.

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