Hanoi: The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency.
– Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son received Chinese Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Nong Rong, who is also Secretary General of the China – Vietnam Steering Committee for Bilateral Cooperation, in Hanoi on February 5.
The host expressed his delight at the sound development and historic achievements of the two countries’ relations since the visit to China by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in late October 2022 and the trip to Vietnam by Party General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping in December 2023. Read full story
– Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang hosted a reception in Hanoi on February 5 for Archbishop Marek Zalewski, the first Resident Papal Representative in Vietnam.
Highlighting the growing ties between Vietnam and the Holy See, Hang noted the positive developments fuelled by high-level visits and exchanges. She specifically pointed to the approval o
f operating regulations for the Resident Papal Representative and the Office of the Resident Papal Representative in Vietnam during President Vo Van Thuong’s 2023 visit to the Holy See as a crucial milestone. Read full story
– The National Wage Council has proposed to the Government a 6% increase in the regional minimum wage, equivalent to 238,000 VND per month on average, starting from July 1.
The increase, which was agreed by all 16 members of the council after two negotiation sessions in 2023, was suggested in the context that more than 18,300 new businesses were established and return to the market each month, and the number of orders rose quarter by quarter. Read full story
– The index of industrial production (IIP) in January fell 4.4% month on month but still went up 18.3% year on year, reported the General Statistics Office (GSO).
In particular, the processing – manufacturing sector expanded 19.3% from a year earlier, contributing 15.1 percentage points to the overall growth. Read full story
– Th
e northern port city of Hai Phong is rolling out measures to make breakthroughs in the development of economic zones (EZ) and industrial parks (IP) to attract more foreign direct investment (FDI).
The city plans to build 15 more IPs with a total area of over 6,200 hectares. To date, the construction of two has been approved by the Prime Minister, covering nearly 1,200 hectares. Read full story
– The Department of Transport of Lao Cai province and the Yunnan provincial Department of Transport have decided to resume an irregular passenger transport route between Gejiu of China and Sa Pa of Vietnam.
According to Director of the Lao Cai Department of Transport Nguyen Quoc Huy, the route was operated from July 20, 2018 to late 2019, and suspended from 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read full story
– The Vietnam National University, Hanoi ranked 649th in the latest Webometrics Ranking of World Universities 2024, placing at the 11th position in Southeast Asia and 140th in Asia.
In terms of impact rank, the
VNU, Hanoi entered the top 500 for the first time, ranking at the 495th position. Read full story
– When Tet (Lunar New Year) comes, hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City are often decorated with flowers to encourage the spirit of their employees and patients who have to stay at the hospitals during the Vietnamese people’s biggest and longest festival.
This year, the floral arrangements were designed to stretch along major pedestrian zones at hospitals like Cho Ray, Tu Du, and Children’s Hospital 2, bringing a cheerful vibe to every corner. Read full story
– After five years of restoration and upgrade, Kien Trung Palace in Hue Imperial Citadel (Dai Noi) is set to open its door to visitors during the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet holiday).
The palace, built between 1921 and 1923 under the reign of King Khai Dinh (1885-1925), once served as the living and working space of Bao Dai (1913-1997), the last king of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802 – 1945). Read full story./.
Source: Vietnam News Agency