Day: April 19, 2023

The project “Vietnam – Improvement of National Statistical System”, funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), was completed with all project targets achieved since its launch nearly five years ago.

Speaking at a ceremony in Hanoi on April 19 to review the project, General Director of the General Statistics Office (GSO) Nguyen Thi Huong said technical support via the project has enabled the GSO to improve its statistical capacity, thus producing and disseminating up-to-date and reliable information on important topics for the country and international community such as energy, environment, sustainability and climate change, as well as institutional building, information dissemination, and information technology and communications.

Italian Ambassador to Vietnam Antonio Alessandro said the project costing 650,000 EUR (710,000 USD) comprises technical assistance activities and non-refundable grant aimed at strengthening and developing the capacity of the GSO. It plays an important role in the Italian Government’s official assistance programme in Vietnam.

He hoped that the GSO will help the Vietnamese Government achieve better and more progressive green transformation, especially amid current changes.

According to the ambassador, the GSO is also instrumental in providing transparent data for users through a user-friendly website interface, which was built under a sub-component of the project.

The event was also part of celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-Italy diplomatic ties./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Phan Van Mai expressed his wish to promote multifaceted cooperation with Australia, from trade and investment to tourism, health care, education and green economic transformation.

The wish came during his meeting with Australian Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell on April 19.

Mai said as the largest economic and commercial hub in Vietnam, HCM City always plays an active role in promoting trade and investment cooperation between Vietnam and Australia, and between itself and Australian localities in particular.

So far, two-way trade between the city and Australia has topped 1.5 billion USD. However, investment only stands at 200 million USD, yet matching the potential and needs of both sides.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the city received positive support in health care from the Australian Government. Local residents spoke highly of Australia’s education system and bilateral cooperation through RMIT University in Vietnam.

Many local residents choose Australia as a destination for tourism, education and immigration. Meanwhile, Ho Chi Minh City also welcomes a large number of tourists from the Pacific nation each year.

Ho Chi Minh City wishes to continue boosting cooperation with Australia in areas such as trade, investment, education, health care, green energy transition, climate change adaptation towards sustainable development, he said, adding that the municipal authorities are ready to share information, improve the business environment, and create favourable conditions for foreign investors to do business.

According to him, the city will consider setting up cooperation information centres in Australia and working closely with the Australian Embassy and Consulate General. At the business level, he said the city hopes to facilitate the exchange of business delegations from both sides to share opportunities and promote long-term cooperation.

Farrell, for his part, agreed with orientations to propelling multi-sectoral relationship between the two countries and between the city and Australian localities in particular.

He said the Australian Government hopes that Vietnam will play a more significant role in Australia’s global trade diversification strategy and act as a bridge for stronger ties between Australia and ASEAN.

Vietnam and HCM City in particular are emerging as destinations for manufacturing and high-tech industries of not only Australian firms but also other countries, he said.

According to the guest, HCM City and Australia also share a vision for green economic transformation, green energy, reduction in the use of fossil fuels and emissions in production, toward sustainable development./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

One of the priorities of Indonesia, as 2023 ASEAN Chair, is to promote the initiatives of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) through concrete and inclusive development cooperation, said Minister of National Development Planning (Bappenas) Suharso Monoarfa.

Making the statement during a bilateral meeting with President of the French-Indonesia and Timor Leste Inter-Parliament Friendship Group Marc-Philippe Daubresse, Suharso said with this approach, Indonesia prioritises four areas of cooperation in the region, namely maritime cooperation, connectivity, the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, and the economy.

As reported by Indonesia’s Antara news agency, the official said Indonesia has worked on tripartite cooperation with several Asia-Pacific countries and will explore other potential partnerships, including with France.

He is optimistic about strengthening and expanding Indonesia’s bilateral relations with France, especially in the maritime, climate, and low-carbon fields./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

A conference was held in Seoul on April 19 to call for investment from the Republic of Korea (RoK) to the northern province of Thai Binh.

The event, co-organised by the Thai Binh provincial People’s Committee, the Embassy of Vietnam in the RoK, and The Korea Herald, attracted about 170 delegates, including Korean officials and businesses.

Speaking at the event, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Khac Than said that Thai Binh is coastal province which is connected to the airport and seaport system through the transport systems that have been synchronously and modernly invested.

In recent years, the province’s economic growth rate has been among the top in Vietnam. In 2022, despite many difficulties, its Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) growth reached 9.52%. It attracted 660 million USD in foreign direct investment (FDI), ranking 16th out of 63 provinces and cities in Vietnam, according to the official.

The province has advantages such as land areas for industrial development, with eight industrial parks covering nearly 3,000 ha with available surface and infrastructure, Than said, adding that it also has abundant human resources with a population of about 2 million people, over 1 million people in the working age, and about 643,000 trained workers.

“Thai Binh province is having incentive policies to attract investment in the fields of supporting industries, electronics, manufacturing industry, tourism, high-tech agriculture, and pharmaceuticals,” Than said, noting that the local authority will provide support and ensure a favourable and stable investment, production, and business environment for investors.

Vietnamese Ambassador to the RoK Nguyen Vu Tung emphasised that after Vietnam- RoK relations were upgraded to a comprehensive strategic partnership at the end of 2022, the exchange of delegations from the government to the local levels has been stepped up.

Economic cooperation has always been an important pillar and a bright spot in the cooperative relationship between the two countries, he said.

Currently, RoK is the largest foreign investor in Vietnam both in terms of total registered capital and number of projects with nearly 10,000 projects and about 82 billion USD in registered capital, accounting for nearly 18.4% of the total foreign investment capital in Vietnam.

The Korea Herald CEO Choi Jin-young said that Thai Binh is an outstanding province in many aspects including a favourable business environment, rich resources, strategic location, skilled workforce, and developed infrastructure.

This will be an attractive destination for Korean companies to expand and do business in Vietnam, he said, adding that with the RoK’s capital and technology combined with Thai Binh’s favourable conditions, the two sides can create new opportunities and build a mutually beneficial partnership for prosperity in the future.

Up to now, Thai Binh has attracted 27 projects from Korean investors with total registered investment capital of 148.72 million USD.

During this business trip to the RoK, the Thai Binh delegation worked with the authorities of Gangwon and Gyeonggi provinces, and met with representatives from groups, including Daewoo E&C, Samsung, LG, and Hyosung./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Indonesian government will promote electric vehicle (EV) utilisation at the 42nd ASEAN Summit, taking place from May 9-11 in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara.

So far, the Ministry of State Secretariat has received 13 BMW iX units from PT BMW Indonesia which will be boarded by heads of ASEAN member states. Besides, 117 Hyundai IONIQ 5 cars will serve as operating vehicles for ministers, protocol officials, and security officers, and as safety cars during the summit.

Chairman and CEO of PT Hyundai Motors Indonesia Woojune Cha said that the initiative is expected to support Indonesia to host the ASEAN Summit. Previously, Hyundai also provided vehicles for the G20 Summit which took place in Bali last year.

Earlier on April 13, Secretary of the State Secretariat Ministry Setya Utama affirmed the country has always made efforts to promote green energy through the use of EV in international-scale activities, including the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo.

The use of electric cars at international events has become part of the Indonesian government’s policy to support the electric car industry to be able to develop the use of green and blue energy in Indonesia, he noted.

Source: Lao News Agency