Day: March 24, 2024

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Top Finnish legislator begins official visit to Vietnam


Hanoi: Speaker of the Parliament of Finland Jussi Halla-aho and a high-ranking delegation of the Finnish Parliament arrived in Hanoi at noon on March 24, beginning a three-day official visit to Vietnam at the invitation of National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue.

The delegation was welcomed at the Noi Bai International Airport by Vice Chairman of the NA’s Committee for Foreign Affairs Le Anh Tuan and Finnish Ambassador to Vietnam Keijo Norvanto, among others.

This is the first visit to a country outside Europe by Jussi Halla-aho since he took office and he is visiting only Vietnam this time, showing Vietnam’s special position in Finland’s foreign policy, as well as the good friendship between the two legislatures.

The visit also aims to mark the 50th founding anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic relations (1973 – 2023).

The visit is expected to help strengthen the cooperative relations between the two countries in various areas, Don Tuan Phong, Vice Chairman of the NA’s Committee for Foreig
n Affairs, spoke to the media ahead of the visit.

According to the official, over the past 51 years, the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and Finland have been maintained and developed well. Finland always gives Vietnam much attention and support.

Finland has continuously provided non-refundable aid to Vietnam since the two countries established diplomatic relations. Economic-trade-investment cooperation is a top priority in their relations.

Two-way trade has continuously increased, reaching nearly 380 million USD in 2023. However, it is still a modest number, especially in the context of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) taking effect in 2020.

Regarding investment, Finland currently ranks 58th out of 140 countries and territories investing in Vietnam with 35 valid projects worth over 47 million USD, which also remains modest rate compared to Finland’s economic potential and strengths, Phong said.

Therefore, Phong said, through this visit, leaders of the two c
ountries will discuss measures to further strengthen economic, trade, and investment cooperation, particularly how to raise trade turnover, increase Finnish investment in Vietnam, and attract more Finnish businesses to Vietnam, especially in fields where the European country has strengths and Vietnam has demand like high technology, digital transformation, education-training, and component production.

The official informed that the top legislators of Vietnam and Finland are scheduled to discuss measures to strengthen cooperation between the two legislatures, especially in exchanging experience in legislation and supreme supervision, and deciding on important national issues./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

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Tien Giang urged to prioritise sustainable growth, address climate challenges


Tien Giang: Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has urged the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang to achieve harmonious development in the fields of socio-economy, culture and environment while ensuring national defence and security.

At a working session with the Standing Board of the provincial Party Committee on March 24, PM Chinh said, with unique potential and competitive advantages, Tien Giang is well-positioned to develop its industries, trade and services, acting as one of the key growth poles in the Mekong Delta.

He asked the province to effectively carry out the 13th National Party Congress’s Resolution and the Party’s policies and guidelines on orientations to the region’s socio-economic development, national defence-security; the State’s policies and laws, the Government and PM’s directions and Resolution adopted by the provincial Party Congress.

Tien Giang must pursue faster and more sustainable development, relying on sci-tech, green transition, sharing and circular economy, and e-commerce, he said
, adding that it must also reform administrative procedures, improve the local business environment by building a healthy, transparent and united administrative system.

Looking ahead, the province was tasked with effectively carrying out its master planning scheme for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050, with a focus on socio-economic infrastructure via foreign direct investment and public-private partnerships.

Its rankings in indices reflecting the business and investment environment must be improved, such as the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI), the Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI), the Public Administration Reform Index (PAR INDEX), alongside provincial-level digital transformation and innovation rankings.

The provincial Party Organisation was assigned to pay attention to building a strong and clean Party and political system while fighting corruption, negative phenomena and wastefulness.

Vowing to deal with the province’s proposals, delegates sugge
sted that Tien Giang should focus on overcoming challenges posed by climate change, landslides, subsidence and saline intrusion.

They also advised the province to pool all resources for strategic infrastructure development, and build major industrial hubs for manufacturing and processing, agro-aquatic product processing, and strengthening connectivity between local production and supply chains with regional and global markets./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

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Runners to take on biosphere reserve track


Gia Lai: Runners from nationwide will be competing in the Kon Chu Rang Half Marathon, held in a UNESCO-recognised world biosphere reserve, in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai on May 12, calling for donations to support conservation activities and poor families in the region.

The race, co-organised by the VietRace365 company and GreenViet (a non-profit NGO on biodiversity research), expects to draw 1,000 runners racing in team and individual events on 21km, 10km and 5km routes.

It said children from the age of 7 are eligible for the one-day race starting at the park’s administration centre in Kbang district, and early bird tickets are offered at between 549,000 – 849,000 VND for booking time on March 7-31.

The race’s organisers have been negotiating with travel agencies and bus services offering the best price for runners from Ho Chi Minh City to Pleiku city and transit to Kbang district.

Competitors will run through primary forest on concrete tracks and stay at the camp site in the reserve.

In 2
021, UNESCO recognised the Kon Ha Nung Plateau Biosphere Reserve including two core areas, Kon Chu Rang Nature Reserve and Kon Ka Kinh National Park, on a total area of 413,511.67ha in the province.

Runners can visit website https://timve365.vn for further information./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

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NA Chairman attends ceremony marking 20th anniversary of Dak Nong’s re-establishment


Dak Nong: A ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the re-establishment of Dak Nong (January 1, 2004 – 2024) was held in the Central Highlands province on March 23 evening, with the attendance of National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue.

As heard at the event, after two decades, Dak Nong has risen from a poor and underdeveloped province to achieving a high economic growth rate. It has witnessed a 12-fold increase in regional gross domestic product, a 20-fold increase in total social investment capital, and a 13-fold increase in per capita income compared to 2004.

On behalf of the Party and State’s leaders, NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue awarded a first-class Independence Order to Dak Nong at the ceremony.

In his remarks, the leader highlighted the province’s crucial position in the Central Highlands region and the nation in terms of socio-economic development, national defence, and security.

He noted that in addition to owning two internationally recognised heritages, which are the Gong culture space and t
he Dak Nong global geopark, the province is blessed with favourable natural conditions, including climate and soil, for agricultural and tourism development as well as for becoming the hub for bauxite-aluminum industry in the country.

Lauding Dak Nong’s progress so far, he urged the local authorities to promptly implement the provincial master planning scheme for 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, through specific programmes and tasks. The aim is to become a relatively developed province in the Central Highlands region, a national centre for bauxite-aluminum industry, and a hub for renewable energy in the region by 2030.

Chairman Hue recommended the province to develop resort and eco-tourism, leveraging its advantages in climate, natural landscapes, and cultural identity.

The NA Chairman said as a locality where 40 ethnic groups are living together, it needs to concentrate resources on caring for and improving the living standards of the communities, while effectively implementing land policies.

Given its
critical role in national defence and security, Dak Nong must steadfastly maintain the country’s defence, security, and border sovereignty, and ensure political stability, social order and safety, especially in rural and religious areas, he said.

The leader also stressed the importance of continuing to strengthen Party building work, with a focus on ensuring transparency, promoting anti-corruption efforts, practicing thrift and combating wastefulness./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

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Vietnamese runners shine at Da Nang International Marathon


Da Nang: The Danang International Marathon was held in the central coastal city of Da Nang on March 24, attracting over 9,000 athletes, including nearly 1,800 foreigners from 60 countries and territories.

In the men’s 42km marathon, the top spot belonged to athlete Kiptoo Edwin from Kenya, clocking in 2 hours 37 minutes and 6 seconds, followed by Vietnamese athletes Huynh Anh Khoi (2:37:13) and Nguyen Dac Hung (2:43:51) in second and third place, respectively.

In the women’s category, Pham Thi Binh, who previously won a gold medal at the 27th SEA Games, claimed victory with a time of 3 hours 10 minutes and 32 seconds. The second and third places went to other Vietnamese athletes Nguyen Thi Thanh Phuc (3:17:00) and Nguyen Thi Ngot (3:26:46).

In the men’s 21km half marathon, Manimaran Sanjay from Malaysia took the top place with a time of 1 hour 13 minutes and 28 seconds, while in the women’s category, Thai Thi Kim Ngan of Vietnam finished first with a time of 1 hour 30 minutes and 47 seconds.

The men’s 10k
m race saw Hirrle Simon from Germany claiming the first position with a time of 36 minutes and 10 seconds, while Vietnamese runner Nguyen Khanh Ly took the top spot in the women’s category with a time of 41 minutes and 15 seconds.

In the 5km race, both the men’s and women’s first places were secured by Vietnamese athletes, with Hap Tien Canh finishing in 18 minutes and 38 seconds and Bui Thi Ngan in 19 minutes and 5 seconds.

The tournament was jointly organised by the municipal Department of Culture and Sports and Pulse Active Company from March 22 to 24./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

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Vietnam receives 51.5 million USD in carbon credits from WB


Hanoi: Vietnam has received a 51.5 million USD payment for verified emissions reductions – commonly referred to as carbon credits – for reducing deforestation and forest degradation (REDD ) and for enhancing carbon stored in forests through reforestation and afforestation, according to the World Bank (WB)’s press release this week.

The payment made to Vietnam, making it the first country in the East Asia Pacific region to receive a results-based payment from the World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF), was for reducing 10.3 million tonnes of carbon emissions in the period spanning February 1, 2018 and December 31, 2019.

This makes for the biggest single payment to date made by the FCPF for verified and high integrity carbon credits. The benefits of this payment are expected to reach 70,055 forest owners and 1,356 neighbouring communities, allocated according to a robust benefit-sharing plan developed through a consultative, participatory, and transparent process.

‘The success of this REDD pr
ogramme brings Vietnam closer to delivering on our ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement, while protecting areas of vital importance to biodiversity conservation,’ Vietnamese Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan said.

The country is already generating emission reductions in excess of the volume contracted with the FCPF, and can sell the credits to third party buyers through bilateral agreements or carbon markets.

Vietnam can also use the excess credits to fulfil its Nationally Determined Contributions or retire them, which is a net climate benefit.

‘This landmark payment marks another step for Vietnam towards joining the global carbon credit market and opens a new opportunity to finance the country’s ambitious climate commitments and targets,’ World Bank Country Director for Vietnam Carolyn Turk said.

The emission reduction programme implemented between 2018 and 2019 has yielded remarkable results, with a total of 16.2 million tonnes verified emissio
n reductions achieved, surpassing the initial target of 10.3 million tonnes outlined in the Emission Reduction Payment Agreement by 5.9 million tonnes. In response to this success, the World Bank has issued a call option notice to acquire an additional 1 million tonne emission reductions beyond the agreed contract volume.

Vietnam’s emission reduction programme protects most of the country’s tropical forests, covering 3.1 million of the 5.1 million hectares of land in the programme area.

These forests hold immense ecological significance, forming the backbone of five internationally recognised conservation corridors.

The area is also home to 12 per cent of Vietnam’s population, including 13 ethnic minority groups and many forest-dependent communities.

Almost one-third of people in the region live below the national poverty line.

Through a multifaceted approach involving enhanced forest management practices, strategic investments in the forestry sector, and the refinement of agricultural policies, the prog
ramme is actively expanding both the coverage and quality of forested areas in collaboration with local communities.

The Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) is a global partnership of governments, businesses, civil society, and Indigenous Peoples’ organisations focused on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, forest carbon stock conservation, the sustainable management of forests, and the enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries, activities commonly referred to as REDD .

Launched in 2008, the FCPF has worked with 47 developing countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean, along with 17 donors that have made contributions and commitments totalling 1.3 billion USD./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency