Category: Politics

Hanoi: General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong has sent a letter of congratulations to President of the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) Samdech Techo Hun Sen on the successful organisation of the fifth Senate election in Cambodia on February 25.

In the letter, Trong, on behalf of the CPV Central Committee, extended warm congratulations to Hun Sen, and other CPP leaders, officials and members on the success of the election, in which the CPP has won a landslide victory.

The election results once again have affirmed the role and position of the CPP under the leadership of its President, he said.

‘We firmly believe that with its achievements and rich experience, along with support from the Cambodian people, the CPP, led by President Hun Sen, will gain many new, greater achievements during the cause of national defence, construction and development,’ the Vietnamese Party leader said.

Trong affirmed that Vietnam will continue to do its best, together with Camb
odia, to preserve and promote the good relationship between the two countries, making its more intensive, substantive and effective, for the sake of their people and for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world at large./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

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

-Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh requested action be boosted to upgrade Vietnam’s stock market from the frontier status to the emerging one in 2025, while chairing a conference in Hanoi on February 28.

The State Securities Commission of Vietnam (SSC) reported that amid big pressure posed by complex developments of global financial and stock markets, thanks to domestic macro-economic stability, strong and flexible directions from the Government, the PM and the Ministry of Finance, along with close coordination from relevant ministries, sectors and agencies, Vietnam’s stock market saw good recovery in 2023 with the market structure increasingly perfected and many important targets achieved, thus remaining a magnet for domestic and foreign investors and a useful channel for attracting capital to the economy.

-Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien has joined meetings held as part of the World Trade Organ
isation’s 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) in Abu Dhabi.

At the MC13, Dien spoke highly of the WTO’s role in guiding and promoting trade liberalisation effectively.

-A delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) led by Minister Le Minh Hoan has paid a visit to Sri Lanka on the occasion of the 37th Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific (APRC37) hosted by the South Asian country.

During the visit from February 19-21, the Vietnamese delegation paid a courtesy call on Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, and held working sessions with Minister of Agriculture and Plantation Industries Mahinda Amaraweera and Minister of Fisheries Douglas Devananda.

-Vietnam has attracted more than 4.29 billion USD in foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first two months of 2024, a year-on-year increase of 38.6%, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT)’s Foreign Trade Agency.

During the period, 405 new projects with total registered capital of 3.
6 billion USD were granted investment certificates, up 55.2% in volume and doubling the value recorded in the same time last year.

-Export Development Canada (EDC) is planning to open an innovation office in Ho Chi Minh City this autumn as Vietnam is one of the priority countries in the Indo-Pacific region of the North American nation, said an EDC official.

Talking to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)’s resident correspondent in Ottawa, Nathan Andrew Nelson, Chief Representative and Vietnam and Innovation Director for the Indo-Pacific region of the EDC, said the EDC aims to enhance trade between the two countries.

-The recently released Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022 results show that Vietnam is a typical example of high academic results despite limited education investment, according to the Quality Control Department under the Ministry of Education and Training.

PISA, a programme of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), measures 15-year-olds’ ability
to use their reading, mathematics, and science knowledge and skills to meet real-life challenges. In Vietnam, the 2022 survey covered 6,068 students of 178 schools, representing about 939,500 students aged 15 nationwide.

-Vietnam’s No.1 swimmer Nguyen Huy Hoang has smashed records at the Asian Age Group Swimming Championships 2024 which is under way in New Clark city, the Philippines.

Hoang, born in 2000, broke the record in the men’s 1,500m freestyle (18-and-above age category) event with 15:29.69 on February 27.

-The first-ever Quy Nhon International Outdoor Lifestyle Fair (Q-Fair 2024) will be organised in Quy Nhon city, the south-central coastal province of Binh Dinh, on March 9-12, heard a press conference on February 28.

This is Vietnam’s largest trade fair for outdoor living, and will become an annual event in March.

-Group tourists from three Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam, can travel without a visa to the Republic of Korea (RoK)’s Jeonllanam-do province (Jeonnam) through Muan inter
national airport until March 2025, according to a statement released by the provincial administration on February 27.

The statement said that the southern province has received permission from the RoK’s Ministry of Justice to apply the extension./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

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

– The Party and State always place people at the centre of development, and caring for and improving people’s health is one of the important tasks and top priorities of Vietnam’s development policy, President Vo Van Thuong has affirmed.

He made the remarks while addressing a programme held in Hanoi on February 26 to honour health workers and present awards of the sixth writing contest named ‘Unsung Sacrifice’ on the occasion of the 69th anniversary of the Vietnamese Doctors’ Day (February 27, 1955 – 2024). Read full story

– Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son on February 26 met with leaders of the United Nations (UN) and heads of delegations to the 55th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, while attending the session.

At the meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Son affirmed that Vietnam always attaches importance to and supports the central role of the UN
in the global governance system and in solving common challenges. He called on the UN to continue to support Vietnam in developing the country and contributing to building a peaceful, stable, and resilient Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) community. Read full story

– The official visit to Ireland on February 28-29 by Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son will mark a new stage of development in bilateral relationship, developing it in a more intensive, effective and sustainable direction, especially in the fields of politics, diplomacy, economics, trade, investment, climate change response, green growth, education and training, and people-to-people exchanges

The statement was made by Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK and Ireland Nguyen Hoang Long in an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency on the threshold of the trip. Read full story

– Japan’s Vice Minister of Defence for International Affairs Serizawa Kiyoshi visited the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations in Hanoi on February 27, du
ring which the two sides sought cooperation opportunities in UN peacekeeping in the time ahead.

Kiyoshi was in Hanoi to co-chair the 10th Vietnam-Japan Defence Policy Dialogue at the deputy ministerial level, which took place later the same day. Read full story

– In recent years, the Vietnamese health sector’s position has been increasingly affirmed thanks to outstanding advances in research, development and application of technology in many fields. In addition to achievements in laparoscopic surgery and organ transplantation, Vietnam is also holding a rising important position in the list of vaccine producers worldwide, according to experts.

Vietnam has continuously implemented and perfected the national immunisation system to prevent dangerous epidemics. Statistics of the Ministry of Health show that there are currently about 30 infectious diseases that can be prevented with vaccines. Read full story

– Vietnam’s recent achievements in organ transplant have made the country one of the bright spots in Sou
theast Asia and Asia in this field.

On February 9, or the last day of the Year of the Cat, doctors of the Central Lung Hospital performed a double lung transplant on a 21-year-old patient. This is the most difficult among the organ transplant techniques. Read full story

– Banks are expecting an improvement in credit growth from the second quarter of 2024, especially now that loan interest rates have decreased, exports gradually recovered, and domestic consumption increased.

The State Bank of Vietnam said that as of January 31, deposit and loan interest rates had been cut down by 0.15% and 0.25% per year, respectively, compared to the end of 2023. Read full story

– An official of the Ministry of Health has called digital transformation in health care an irreversible trend.

Associate Professor, Dr. Phan Le Thu Hang, Deputy Director of the Department of Financial Planning, held that the Fourth Industrial Revolution and smart medical solutions will help Vietnam concertedly improve its health coverage, servic
e quality, and medical costs, dubbed the three vertices of a triangle, which remains a hard nut to crack for every health system. Read full story

– Vietnam has invested over 3.7 billion USD in 110 projects in the Lao and Cambodian provinces located in the three countries’ Development Triangle so far, statistics show.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) revealed the data at the 13th conference on trade, investment, and tourism promotion for the Cambodia – Laos – Vietnam (CLV) Development Triangle held in Attapeu province of Laos on February 27./. Read full story

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Geneva: Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son had separate meetings in Geneva on February 27 with United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Trk, Minister of the People’s Power for Foreign Affairs of Venezuela Yvan Gil Pinto, and Parliamentary Secretary to the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Pam Damoff on the sidelines of the 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

Meeting Volker Trk, Son briefed him on Vietnam’s achievements in socioeconomic development and poverty reduction, and in ensuring the enjoyment of human rights for people during the national renewal and development process over the past nearly 40 years.

He affirmed that Vietnam values and implements many specific measures to protect human rights, and shared information on the completion of the national report under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR)’s fourth cycle.

He proposed the High Commissioner’s Office continue to maintain close coordination in and support for the implementation of Vietnam’s initiat
ives, including a resolution on human rights and climate change to be submitted to the UNHRC in June.

Volker Trk congratulated Vietnam on a successful first year as a member of the UNHRC in the 2023-2025 term, and thanked the country for making meaningful commitments on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. He appreciated Vietnam’s active coordination with and support for the High Commissioner’s Office and wished to continue strengthening cooperation between the two sides.

At his meeting with Yvan Gil Pinto, the Vietnamese minister expressed his hope that the two ministries will coordinate closely to promote exchange activities, especially that of high-level delegations in 2024 when the two countries celebrate the 35th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic ties. Son proposed Venezuela create favourable conditions for Vietnamese goods such as rice, garment and textiles, footwear, and electronics, and expand collaboration to potential areas such as f
ood security.

The Venezuelan minister affirmed his country values its comprehensive partnership with Vietnam – its most important partner in Southeast Asia. He shared the importance of promoting delegation exchange activities at all levels, strengthening MOUs in economic, trade and investment collaboration, and telecommunications and agricultural cooperation projects. The official asserted that Venezuela is always willing to support Vietnam at multilateral forums.

Meeting Pam Damoff, Son emphasised the need for the two countries to lift their economic and trade ties to a new height, and make the most of their cooperation potential, particularly within the framework of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

Pam Damoff asserted that Canada attaches special importance to its comprehensive partnership with Vietnam, and is willing to support the country in such areas as peacekeeping and human right protection. She agreed with Son’s proposal of boosting bilateral coope
ration in economics, trade, investment, education – training, green transition, and renewable energy as well as maintaining close coordination at international and regional mechanisms, including the UNHRC.

She also appreciated the contributions by the Vietnamese community to cultural diversity in Canada, and pledged to create more favourable conditions for Vietnamese students to access the educational environment in her country./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

London: The official visit to Ireland on February 28-29 by Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son will mark a new stage of development in bilateral relationship, developing it in a more intensive, effective and sustainable direction, especially in the fields of politics, diplomacy, economics, trade, investment, climate change response, green growth, education and training, and people-to-people exchanges

The statement was made by Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK and Ireland Nguyen Hoang Long in an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency on the threshold of the trip.

Long emphasised that the visit, to be made at the invitation of Irish Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) and Foreign Minister Micheál Martin, is of great significance in promoting Vietnam-Ireland relations, as this is the first by a Vietnamese Foreign Minister to Ireland after 20 years since the one by Minister Nguyen Dy Nien.

During his stay, Son is scheduled to hold talks with Irish Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Defence Minister Micheá
l Martin, and pay courtesy visits to President Michael D. Higgins and Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann (speaker of the lower house) Seán Ó Fearghaíl.

The two sides will discuss many important issues in bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues, including the East Sea issue.

The diplomat said that the visit will contribute to promoting political trust and the exchange of high-level delegations between the two countries, especially preparations for the upcoming state visit to Ireland by President Vo Van Thuong.

The two sides will discuss measures to intensify cooperation at multilateral forums and close coordination in solving regional and global issues.

Regarding the bilateral relations, Ambassador Long said that the two countries have reaped positive results in economic, trade and investment collaboration. Two-way trade reached 3.5 billion USD last year, of which 340 million USD came from Vietnam’s exports. Currently, Ireland ranks 61st out of the 141 countries and territories pourin
g capital into the Southeast Asian nation, with a combined registered capital of 44.3 million USD in 41 projects.

According to the diplomat, education and training has an important position and is a bright spot in bilateral cooperation. The two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in higher education and another on collaboration in information technology and communications training in November 2016. Since 2009, the Irish Government has offered Vietnam full scholarships under the Irish Development Experience Sharing Programme (IDEAS).

The two sides are also working to bring into full play advantages in cooperation in health, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, sustainable development, and information technology, he said.

In the ‘Global Ireland: Delivering in the Asia-Pacific region to 2025’ strategy, introduced in January 2020, Ireland considered Vietnam one of its important partners in the Asia-Pacific region in general and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in part
icular. Vietnam is currently the only country in the region that Ireland has included in its international development cooperation programme called Irish Aid to promote collaboration between the two countries in such areas as climate action, gender equality, settlement of bomb and mine consequences, education, and people-to-people exchanges./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired the Government’s law-building session for February in Hanoi on February 27, during which participants will give ideas on five bills, five law-building proposals and a law, and ordinance building programme.

The five bills to be opined over at the meeting are the draft Law on People’s Air Defense; draft Law on Management and Use of Weapons, Explosives and Supporting Tools (revised); draft Law on Cultural Heritage (revised); draft law on the amendments and supplementations to a number of articles of the Law on Standards and Technical Regulations; and draft law on the amendments and supplementations to a number of articles of the Pharmacy Law.

Meanwhile, the Government will consider the proposals of building five laws, namely the Diplomatic Ranks Law, Aviation Law (revised); Railway Law (revised); Law on Geology and Minerals; and Law on Digital Technology Industry.

Participants will also discuss a proposal on the law and ordinance building programme for 2025 and an
amended version for 2024.

Opening the meeting, on the occasion of the 69th anniversary of the Vietnamese Doctors Day (February 27, 1955-2024), PM Chinh extended greetings and expressed respect to all doctors, health officials and workers across the country.

The Government leader underlined that the law-building workload in February are high as the Government is scheduled to submit to the National Assembly (NA) a law and ordinance building programme for 2025 and an amended version for 2024, and finish bills to be discussed at the seventh session of the 15th NA.

He said that all the contents to be debated at the meeting are important, difficult, and complicated with great influence to the building of a harmonious, completed, and modern legal system, and unlocking resources for development.

The PM asked ministers and heads of ministry-level agencies and Government agencies to seek effective approaches to the issues to ensure good progress and quality of the work.

Along with the building of the laws, it is n
ecessary to promptly design and issue decrees guiding the implementation of the laws, thus quickly bringing them to life./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency