Day: March 8, 2024

Hanoi: United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Representative in Vietnam Matt Jackson has affirmed that Vietnam has been putting gender equality, women’s empowerment, and human rights at the centre of development.

In his article, titled ‘Women and girls are empowered to make their own decision’ and penned on the occasion of the 114th anniversary of International Women’s Day (March 8), Jackson said over recent years, dedicated investments in the health and rights of women and girls have improved – and saved – millions of lives but progress is slow. Globally, in the last 20 years, maternal mortality rates have declined by 34%, yet a woman still dies every two minutes during pregnancy or childbirth, pointing to a hidden global crisis.

‘Vietnam has made great strides surpassing the global trend to reduce maternal mortality by 46.5% over the same period,’ he said, suggesting that the focus must now shift to areas where rates are still high such as among ethnic minorities in rural and mountainous regions.

Another
success story is the number of women using modern contraception which, globally, has doubled to 77% over 30 years. Yet more than 250 million women who want to avoid pregnancy are not using family planning.

In Vietnam, the use of modern contraceptives is around 60% – also an increase. However, the unmet need is four times higher for unmarried women than it is for married women.

‘This tells us we have much more to do in ensuring services reach adolescents and young people,’ the UNFPA representative noted.

Mentioning gender-based violence, he said the 2019 National Study on Violence Against Women in Vietnam found that nearly two-thirds of women experience intimate partner violence and that 90% of these women never seek help.

‘Our response is threefold: to support services such as the national GBV hotline and One-Stop-Service Centres; to tackle root causes such as gender inequality to prevent violence; and to change the stigma associated with violence,’ he said.

According to Jackson, on the occasion of Inter
national Women’s Day, the UNFPA in Vietnam is running an online challenge and webinar to raise awareness and share experiences of young people protecting themselves online, given the context of the rising levels of online violence with women and girls particularly at risk of image-based abuse.

Emphasising positive impacts of gender equality on families, communities and the wider economy, the official said he is keen to support investment in cervical cancer screening and accelerate the roll-out of HPV vaccinations – simple actions that can save the lives of many women from preventable illness.

‘It’s important to remember that we are not just one story – there are many parts that make up our identities and our lives. For this reason, I am committing UNFPA in Vietnam to ensuring that our projects and programmes work for everyone who needs them,’ he said.

‘To achieve this, we must be people-centred and reflect their wishes and needs. Women’s leadership is critical to Vietnam’s social-economic growth.’

‘The ar
guments for gender equality for individuals, communities and the economy are clear. Together we can create societies where women and girls are empowered to make their own decisions. These actions will help to ensure that we leave no one behind,’ he concluded./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

HCM City: The 10th Ao Dai Festival, a signature event of Ho Chi Minh City, is underway featuring myriad enticing activities.

At its opening ceremony taking place on March 7 evening, the public was treated to a spectacle of over 800 ao dai designs meticulously crafted by 30 renowned local designers, with more than 20 prominent writers, artists, and celebrities serving as ambassadors for the event.

Particularly noteworthy was a performance of female consuls general and consuls general’s spouses wearing ao dai, showing the charm of the Vietnamese traditional attire and the friendship and cooperation between nations.

At the ceremony, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Van Dung attributed the success of the festival in a decade to concerted efforts and support among the authorities, organisations, businesses, and locals.

On the occasion, the annual event also earned a special record for the biggest number of consecutive annual editions held so far.

During the festival lasting until Marc
h 17, several interactive activities are set to be held, including an art programme, competitions, exhibition spaces, and an event where ao dai are presented to disadvantaged women./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

MANILA: The country’s gross international reserves (GIR) settled at USD102.7 billion as of end-February, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said.

In a statement released late Thursday, the BSP said that preliminary data showed that the GIR level during the month was lower than end-January’s USD103.3 billion.

The BSP’s reserve assets consist of foreign investments, gold, foreign exchange, reserve position in the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and special drawing rights.

“The month-on-month decrease in the GIR level reflected mainly the National Government’s (NG) payments of its foreign currency debt obligations,” the central bank said.

The BSP noted that the net international reserves, which refers to the difference between the central bank’s reserve assets (GIR) and reserve liabilities (short-term foreign debt and credit and loans from the IMF), also slightly decreased to USD102.66 billion from the end-January level of USD102.68 billion.

“The latest GIR level represents a more-than-adequate extern
al liquidity buffer equivalent to 7.7 months’ worth of imports of goods and payments of services and primary income,” the BSP said.

It is also about six times the country’s short-term external debt based on original maturity and 3.9 times based on residual maturity.

By convention, the GIR is viewed to be adequate if it can finance at least three months’ worth of the country’s imports of goods and payments of services and primary income.

Source: Philippines News Agency

Can Tho: Authorities of Can Tho and a delegation from Germany’s Wernigerode city led by Mayor Tobias Kascha agreed to strengthen cooperation in various fields, with a focus on sustainable green tourism, during a working session in the Mekong Delta city on March 8.

Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Duong Tan Hien said Can Tho boasts a strong agricultural sector, with 80% of its land for farming (nearly 115,000 ha). The city is a hub for services and tourism, with rice, seafood, fruit trees and animal farming forming the backbone of its agricultural industry.

Last year, the city accommodated roughly 6 million visitors, generating a revenue of 5.42 trillion VND (225.8 million USD). Leveraging the advantages provided by the Government’s pilot specific policies and mechanisms for Can Tho’s development, the city aims to maximise its potential and become a stronger economic force.

Hien emphasised the mutual benefits of increased agricultural cooperation between Wernigerode and Can Tho, saying that
it aligns perfectly with Can Tho’s strategic focus on developing its services- tourism.

The city commits all possible support for firms from Germany, particularly those from Wernigerode to do business there, he said.

Hien wished that Mayor Kascha would act as a bridge, facilitating information exchange and business opportunities for Can Tho enterprises seeking to expand into Wernigerode.

Mayor Kascha expressed his desire for deeper cooperation across various sectors. He highlighted Germany’s existing twinning relationships with Ho Chi Minh City and Hoi An, which he believes provide a solid foundation for further locality-to-locality partnerships between Vietnam and Germany.

Wernigerode, like Can Tho, prioritises tourism as a key economic driver, he said, noting the German city’s extensive experience in sustainable green tourism models. He expressed his willingness to share this expertise with Can Tho while learning from the Mekong Delta city’s successful models, particularly those focusing on green touris
m adaptable to climate change.

According to the municipal Department of Foreign Affairs, Can Tho exported 18.15 million USD worth of goods to Germany last year, with rice, aquatic products, agricultural and processed agricultural products, apparel and handicrafts as key currency earners. Its imports from Germany reached 260,000 USD, mostly pharmaceutical materials, machinery and equipment./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: Vietnam’s telecom companies on March 7 entered a bidding race over the rights to develop and exploit the country’s 5G 2500-2600 MHz band for the next 15 years.

The band, officially designated as B1 during the bidding, had a starting price of 3.9 trillion VND (158 million USD).

Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Huy Dung said the bidding is a historic day for the telecom sector and the commercialisation of 5G in Vietnam.

Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung said the ministry’s 5G policy remained open, allowing all eligible enterprises to participate in the auction, not just mobile network providers offering new 5G services. In the event a business wins a bid for the 5G frequency, it will subsequently be granted a licence to provide mobile services.

While any company could participate in the 5G frequency auction, industry experts said it would be extremely challenging for new players to enter the 5G game, and it was almost a given th
at the winners would be among the existing mobile service providers.

It is expected that new players must invest up to 1 billion USD in network infrastructure to make use of 5G technologies. It is said to be very unlikely as the country’s mobile market has long reached saturation. In addition, voice calls and SMSs, traditionally strong sources of income for telecom companies, have been on the decline.

In recent years, telecom companies have reported dwindling profits as the market sees increasingly fierce competition, which has discouraged new players from joining.

In an earlier interview with the press, Hung said the MIC had picked this year to roll out the commercialisation of 5G nationwide. He stressed the importance of 5G, citing China Mobile as a successful example of an early adopter of the technology. The group, after investing nearly 4 billion USD in developing 5G and creating more than 30,000 industrial-use applications, had reported over 10 per cent growth in annual revenue.

For example, factory
workers in China had started using 5G-enabled cameras equipped with SIM cards to capture images of standard circuit boards, which were then sent to data centres for AI analysis to identify faulty components. This simple and elegant solution had both enhanced efficiency and contributed to improved accuracy and productivity.

Hung said while a 10% growth rate in revenue could not be accomplished without 5G, the technology must be developed into an ecosystem to realise its full potential.

According to the MIC, Vietnam has set a target to provide 5G coverage to 99% of the country’s residents by the year 2025 at 100 Mbps speed.

Representatives from Ericsson Vietnam said 5G could be seen as a complete digital infrastructure, which could replace physical infrastructure in the future. 5G digital infrastructure not only could connect people to people, but also people to machines, and machines to machines.

Nguyen Van Son, Director of Viettel Telecom’s Mobile Centre, said that while there was a high demand for 5G amo
ng the population, the number of devices supporting 5G still remained low, accounting for only 17-20%. He said that given the circumstances, Viettel had plans to deploy 5G in areas with high demand and a high percentage of 5G-compatible phones, which includes industrial zones, export processing zones and innovation centres.

Two other 5G bands, 3700-3800 MHz (C2) and 3800-3900 MHz (C3), both with a starting price of 1.89 trillion VND are next to go up for auction on March 14 and March 19./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Canberra: Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visited the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) of Australia in Canberra on March 8 as part his official trip to the country.

At a working session with CSIRO leaders, the Vietnamese Government leader expressed his impression on the sound cooperation between Vietnam and CSIRO over the past time, and congratulated the organisation on its valuable research that has contributed significantly to Australia and the whole world.

He particularly highlighted that the organisation has been on the right track with its studies on digital transformation, green transition, innovation and agriculture, among others, which are in line with Vietnam’s development policies.

He suggested CSIRO and its Vietnamese partners make efforts to remove roadblocks in their cooperation, adding the Vietnamese Government will pen mechanisms and policies to ensure that cooperation programmes are carried out smoothly.

The PM asked Vietnamese ministries, sectors and loc
alities to step up cooperation with CSIRO, stressing as collaboration in science-technology, innovation, climate change response, digital transformation and green transition is boundless, they need to fully tap the Australian Government’s 2 billion AUD (1.3 billion USD) finance facility for trade and investment promotion with ASEAN so as to implement practical and specific programmes and projects.

Meanwhile, Australian Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Tim Watts said as sci-tech and innovation cooperation programmes are a pillar in the bilateral relations, which has been elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the Australian Government committed to enhancing the sci-tech cooperation with Vietnam through specific projects.

Minister of Science and Technology Huynh Thanh Dat said that Australia’s innovation programmes managed by CSIRO have helped Vietnam develop its fisheries, plantation and modern production sectors on the basis of the commercialisation of the research results.

For his part,
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan said that cooperation with CSIRO helps Vietnam handle challenges in agriculture that the country is facing.

Vietnam hopes to receive CSIRO’s support to develop low carbon emission tra fish and shrimp farming models, he added.

On the occasion, Dat and CSIRO Chief Executive Doug Hilton exchanged an agreement on sci-tech and innovation cooperation in the presence of PM Chinh.

Established in 1916, the Australian national science agency has been one of the world’s largest mission-driven science and research organisations, with 5,500 staff and 57 establishments across Australia and representative offices in the US, Chile, France, Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam.

The organisation has close cooperation ties with the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology for years. Both sides signed agreements on research support in the fields of CSIRO’s strengths such as agriculture and food, healthcare and bio security, energy, manufacturing industry and land an
d water resources./

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: Together with countries around the world that are making efforts to protect and restore rivers, the Government of Vietnam has been implementing many important policies and practical actions to protect and revive the Earth’s source of life and respond to the International Day of Action for Rivers (March 14), according to insiders.

Data of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment show that Vietnam has 3,450 rivers and streams with a length of 10 km or more. They are located in 108 river basins spreading across the country with a total basin area of about 1.16 million sq.km, of which only 330,990 sq.km, or 28.3%, are located within Vietnam’s territory.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha on February 6 signed a decision approving a plan to implement the master plan on water resources for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050.

According to Director of the Department of Water Resources Management Chau Tran Vinh, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) will coordinate with m
inistries, sectors, and People’s Committees of provinces and cities to manage and organise the implementation of the master plan. The People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities will direct relevant organisations and individuals to review and adjust operation procedures for irrigation systems, irrigation and hydropower reservoirs and ensure the effective and multi-purpose use of water sources.

This year, the MoNRE is working with management and operation units of downstream irrigation works to closely monitor hydro-meteorological developments, and forecast, calculate and develop scenarios for reservoir operation and regulation, while providing information and data of inter-reservoir operation procedures, and ensuring safe water supply requirements for downstream river basins till the end of 2024’s dry season./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency