Category: Politics

Hanoi: Foreign affairs and diplomacy have played a pioneering role in mobilising external resources to serve the country’s socio-economic development, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son told a question and answer session at the National Assembly Standing Committee’s 31st sitting on March 18.

The minister said the sector has coordinated with ministries to organise external activities on all continents, at various multilateral forums, through which the country can firmly consolidate favourable diplomatic relations for the cause of national construction and development.

The Party and Government have also utilised foreign affairs and diplomacy in the process of policy transition to serve recovery and development, boosting economic cooperation with different partners, and signing agreements and commitments of long-term strategic significance. This has contributed to promoting economic growth, boosting exports, and attracting investment and many other important resources.

Son noted that over the past thre
e years, the sector has coordinated with ministries and sectors to successfully advocate for 16 more titles recognised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), raising the total number of Vietnamese heritage sites, places and famous people recognised by the organisation to 67.

Efforts have been made to care for overseas Vietnamese communities, provide timely citizen protection, and repatriate thousands of citizens from places affected by conflicts and disasters, he stressed.

Attention has been also paid to the Party building work and the prevention of corruption, he added./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: To promote cultural diplomacy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has proactively coordinated with international organisations, especially the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), said Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son.

He made the remark while responding to a legislator’s question about cultural diplomacy at a question-and-answer session on March 18 that was part of the 31st meeting of the NA Standing Committee.

Son noted that cultural diplomacy has helped Vietnam not only introduce its land and people to the international community but also acquire cultural quintessence of the world via cultural exchanges.

In that spirit, the MoFA has proactively coordinated with international organisations, especially UNESCO. Among the seven most mechanisms of UNESCO, Vietnam has been elected to five, including the World Heritage Committee, helping the country enhance cultural cooperation with international friends, he emphasised.

At the national level, the mini
ster said, cultural diplomacy has helped make an impression of Vietnam’s friendliness. Recent external activities of senior leaders have also been highlighted with cultural diplomatic events.

Localities nationwide have also paid attention to building and popularising their images through festivals, receiving high evaluation from international friends, he said.

With regard to heritage preservation and promotion, Son said cultural heritage and the UNESCO-recognised projects are not only precious assets that clearly reflect the country’s cultural identity but also hold global values. Therefore, promoting images of these heritages aims to bring into play the soft power, raise the country’s stature in the international arena, and more importantly, contribute to socio-economic development.

The MoFA will propose policies to practically and effectively strengthen Vietnam’s cooperation with UNESCO and also ask UNESCO to give guidance, he noted.

Talking about the MoFA’s efforts, the minister elaborated that it has
provided localities with information about things that need to be done to preserve and bring into play those heritages to serve sustainable socioeconomic development. It has also invited many leaders of UNESCO to visit Vietnam and worked with relevant parties to hold this organisation’s first meeting on cultural heritage preservation and promotion.

Besides, the MoFA has assisted localities to compile dossiers seeking UNESCO’s recognition of more heritages, and continued to introduce the country’s heritages to international friends as has been thus custom thus far, according to the minister./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency.

– The National Assembly Standing Committee started a Q and A session on finance and foreign affairs on March 18 under the chair of NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, as part of its ongoing 31st sitting.

The session is broadcast live nationwide on the Vietnam Television and the Vietnam NA Television channels.

– Chairman of the People’s Committee of the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho Tran Viet Truong highlighted the potential benefits awaiting Japanese enterprises investing in the city during a working session on March 18 with a delegation of executives of Japanese banks led by Managing Executive Officer of Gunma Bank Uchibori Takeo.

– Vietnam, one of the world’s leading agricultural exporters, wants to bolster cooperation in the field with the Republic of Korea (RoK) who boasts strengths in applying advanced technology into cultivation and processing, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan said on
March 18.

At a workshop jointly held by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) in Hanoi, Hoan highlighted that both countries hold great potential to cooperate in developing agriculture, elaborating Vietnam has been famous for its rice, vegetables and fruits and aquatic products while the RoK has a modern agriculture with various kinds of seedlings.

– Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Phan Thi Thang had a meeting with Deputy Assistant US Trade Representative (USTR) for Southeast Asia and the Pacific Sarah Elleman, within the framework of Vice State President Vo Thi Anh Xuan’s recent working visit to the US.

The two sides assessed the official upgrade of the Vietnam – US relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership on September 10, 2023, as a historic milestone in bilateral ties, in which economic and trade cooperation will continue to be an important driving force, playing a pioneer role in promoting common prosperity between the t
wo countries.

– The association of female businesswomen in France – Association Entraide Femmes Entrepreneurs Vietnamiennes en France (AEEV) – on March 17 organised an event to honour Vietnamese women in France for their contributions to society in general and to the AEEV’s activities in particular and to celebrate International Women’s Day (March 8).

The event attracted influential businesswomen in the Vietnamese community in France, especially Stéphanie Do – the first female parliamentarian of Vietnamese origin in France and Dr Phan Bich Thien, member of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, Chairwoman of the Vietnamese Women’s Forum in Europe, and Chairwoman of the Vietnamese Women’s Association in Hungary.

– Vietnamese small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) should better their management capacity and business strategies so as to draw capital from both domestic and foreign investment funds who are holding hundreds of billions of USD, economists have said.

The funds are able to prov
ide SMEs with effective financial solutions, they said, elaborating instead of investing in financial tools, they are targeting unlisted companies and listed ones who are planning to withdraw their stocks from the market to engage in the firms’ management and business growth.

– The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) will hold a conference in May to announce the export of chicken meat products to Islamic markets with an estimated volume of around 1,000 tonnes per month, according to Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien.

The Deputy Minister said the market of Muslim countries with a total population of around 2.2 billion people offers opportunities for a number of Vietnam’s agricultural products.

– John Pellower, representing Meyer Sound Laboratories (USA) – the supplier of sound equipment for Broadway stages and theatres worldwide – shared insights about the Ho Guom Opera House during a recent visit to Hanoi.

Pellower said the selection of the Ho Guom Opera
House as the only representative from Vietnam to be included in the top 10 best opera houses in the world on the 10 best website of the World Travel Awards organisation – WTA is truly great news not only for the Opera House but also for Hanoi as a whole.

– In response to the Earth Hour campaign that will take place on the evening of March 23rd, the Ministries of Natural Resources and Environment, and Industry and Trade, and the World Wide Fund for Nature in Vietnam (WWF-Vietnam) have called on people to join hands in reducing carbon footprint, towards net zero emissions. ./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, on behalf of the Party and State of Vietnam, on March 18 sent a congratulatory letter to Vladimir Putin over his re-election as President of Russia./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: As the National Assembly Standing Committee continues its 31st sitting in Hanoi, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son is set to face questions regarding legal violations committed by both Vietnamese citizens abroad and foreign nationals in Vietnam on March 18.

Minister Son presented a report outlining his ministry’s response to these issues, emphasising that based on information from relevant authorities, the ministry has acted swiftly to facilitate consular visits and contacts initiated by foreign countries. This ensures that foreign embassies and consulates can effectively carry out their duties in protecting their citizens in Vietnam.

Last year, the ministry reported 285 cases involving foreigners, with charges primarily including trafficking of drugs, fraudulent appropriation of property, deliberate injury, and murder. Notably, 70 foreign nationals were given prison terms in Vietnam, while 108 others completed their sentences.

It also facilitated 414 consular visits and contacts and granted
consent for an additional 337 such interactions.

The report further detailed administrative violations committed by foreigners from Da Nang to Ca Mau. These violations totaled 304, with illegal entry being the most prevalent offence (113 cases). There were 92 cases of foreigners overstaying their temporary residence permits, 60 of online fraud not yet reaching the level for criminal prosecution, 16 of illegal drug use, 13 of theft, and five of robbery.

Since the beginning of this year, the ministry has reported 37 new cases involving foreign nationals undergoing prosecution, detention or trial. Furthermore, 20 foreign nationals commenced prison sentences in Vietnam, while 13 others completed their terms. The ministry’s efforts in facilitating consular visits and contacts continue this year, with 65 arrangements made and consent granted for 77 more cases./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: The National Assembly Standing Committee started a Q and A session on finance and foreign affairs on March 18 under the chair of NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, as part of its ongoing 31st sitting.

The session is broadcast live nationwide on the Vietnam Television and the Vietnam NA Television channels.

Under the direction of NA Vice Chairman Nguyen Duc Hai in the morning, lawmakers will direct their questions to the Finance Minister, including the management and oversight of insurance business activities and services, particularly in the life insurance sector; the evaluation and licensing procedures for financial service companies, the enforcement of laws surrounding lottery, betting, casinos, and electronic gaming with prizes; customs procedures and supervision; the fight against smuggling and illegal cross-border goods transportation; and price management and determination for State-priced goods and services.

In the afternoon, under NA Deputy Chairman Nguyen Khac Dinh’s guidance, the session will shi
ft its focus to issues under the management of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Questions posed by lawmakers will cover a broad spectrum, including strategies for Vietnamese citizen protection abroad, addressing legal violations committed by both Vietnamese citizens abroad and foreign nationals within Vietnam, protecting the legitimate rights and interests of Vietnamese fishermen; the implementation status of bilateral and multilateral agreements, with a specific emphasis on measures to promote economic, trade, and investment cooperation; support mechanisms to expand Vietnam’s export markets and assist Vietnamese firms in avoiding fraud; promoting Vietnam’s tourism industry to the world, including visa exemptions for foreign tourists; and initiatives to combat corruption and other negative practices in diplomatic activities, among others.

During the session, several Government members will provide detailed explanations and clarifications on the issues raised by lawmakers./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency