Category: General

The State Bank of Vietnam set the daily reference exchange rate at 23,132 VND/USD on September 22, down 2 VND from the previous day.

With the current trading band of +/- 3 percent, the ceiling rate applicable to commercial banks during the day is 23,825 VND/USD and the floor rate 22,438 VND/USD.

The opening hour rates at commercial banks dropped.

At 8.25 am, Vietcombank listed the buying rate at 22.630 VND/USD and the selling rate at 22,860 VND/USD, both down 15 VND from September 21.

BIDV also cut 15 VND from both rates, listing the buying rate at 22,660 VND/USD and the selling rate at 22,860 VND/USD.

Similarly, Vietinbank reduced both rates by 13 VND to 22,640 VND/USD (buying) and 22,860 VND/USD (selling).

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The National Assembly Standing Committee wrapped up its third session in Hanoi on September 22 under the chair of NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue.

Speaking at the event, Hue said after eight days of sitting, the committee completed the agenda, including adjusting and adding several important and urgent contents to submit to the legislature’s second session scheduled to begin on October 20. This was also the committee’s longest session this year, he said.

Full-time lawmakers gave opinions on six draft laws, five of them will be fine-tuned and submitted to the NA’s second session for consideration.

They also discussed the enforcement of the Constitution, laws, resolutions of the NA, the task performance of the Supreme People’s Court, the Supreme People’s Procuracy and the State Audit Office of Vietnam this year, as well as the implementation of the national target programme on socio-economic development in ethnic minority-inhabited and mountainous regions for the 2021-2030 period in line with Resolution 88 adopted by the 14th legislature.

Hue said sectors and agencies must perform major tasks this year, including pooling resources for the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to the high determination and creative working spirit, agencies have basically fulfilled assigned tasks, some of them even achieved better results.

During the third session, the National Assembly Standing Committee also looked into other important issues.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc received left-wing friends from the US in New York on September 21 afternoon (local time), as part of his trip to the country to attend the high-level general debate of the United Nations General Assembly’s 76th session (UNGA 76).

Phuc stated that the positive and continuous development of the Vietnam – US relations over the past time is importantly attributable to the contributions of left-wing forces and progressive Americans.

Vietnam appreciates the practical and valuable support of US leftists in the process of overcoming post-war consequences, and for the bilateral relations, thus bringing about substantive benefits to the two countries and peoples, and contributing to peace, stability, security and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region in general and Southeast Asia in particular.

The President affirmed that under the Communist Party of Vietnam’s sound foreign policy, Vietnam has enjoyed good relations with countries around the world despite different political regimes.

He expressed his wish that American friends continue to support the friendship and cooperation between the two countries and peoples Earlier, President Phuc had a meeting with a delegation of US friends, led by Merle Ratner, Coordinator of the US-based Vietnam Agent Orange (AO) Relief and Responsibility Campaign, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary in commemoration of the Agent Orange disaster in Vietnam,.

He affirmed that after more than 25 years of normalisation, the bilateral Vietnam-US relationship has developed effectively, sustainably and mutually beneficially, based on the principle of respecting each other’s independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and political institutions. He spoke highly of the US’s commitment to and support for addressing post-war consequences in Vietnam, thus contributing to the process of building trust with tireless efforts from both sides

The Vietnamese leader showed his hope that US friends will continue to support the bilateral friendship and cooperation, especially in dealing with the consequences of Agent Orange/dioxin.

Merle Ratner affirmed that she has worked for many years to canvass the US Government to fulfill its responsibility to dioxin victims in Vietnam by supporting them in all aspects, from health care to vocational training and dioxin detoxification.

She pledged to continue doing all she can to support Vietnam’s Agent Orange/dioxin victims.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Local authorities and forest rangers in the northern province of Ha Giang have worked together with the Fauna & Flora International (FFI) to conserve the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey since they were spotted in the province.

Ha Giang is the sole province in Vietnam which is home to a population of the monkeys, one of the rarest primate species in the world. In 2002, a population of 60 individuals was spotted in the Khau Ca special-use forest in Vi Xuyen and Bac Me districts of Ha Giang province. Another population, estimated at 30-60, was found six years later in the Tung Vai area in Quan Ba district.

In 2015, the Prime Minister issued a decision on the establishment of the Du Gia National Park by merging the Du Gia nature reserve and the Khau Ca Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey Species and Habitat Conservation Area in the Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark. The park covers an area of 15,006 ha, with 11,224 ha under strict protection.

As a result, the population of the monkey in the park rose from 60 to around 160 in 2019.

Meanwhile, the population of the monkeys in Quan Ba district’s three communes of Cao Ma Po, Ta Van and Tung Vai, has decreased to 10 from about 35 in 2007, the FFI reported, adding that their living environment has been negatively affected by human activities, particularly illegal hunting.

At present, only 5,000 ha of forests are suitable for snub-nosed monkeys’ life in this area.

According to the FFI, there are only about 250 such monkeys in the world, with most of them being in Ha Giang.

The FFI said preservation of the primate is of special significance, and stressed the need to create different populations of the primate as well as diverse gene sources.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Many businesses in the Southwest region have maintained production to ensure export growth, despite having to apply social distancing measures due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

In the last two weeks, more than 100 enterprises and co-operatives in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho have registered to resume operations.

This city has a plan to restore production according to three stages. Of which, an enterprise will restore production for 30 percent of workers in the first stage. This number of workers will increase to 40-50 percent in the second stage and to more than 50 percent in the third stage. The enterprise will return to normal operation after already having safe production activities at those three stages.

Nguyen Van Hao, chairman of the Can Tho Business Association, said that the Government and local authorities should have policies on continuing to restructure loans, delay payment for debts and provide loans for enterprises to maintain production and business.

In addition, local authorities and the health departments need to prioritise vaccination for workers to ensure disease prevention, maintain production and reduce difficulties for businesses. At the same time, they should permit the implementation of a new production model to replace the “three-on-site” model.

According to the Department of Planning and Investment of Can Tho city, during the period of social distancing, more than 95 percent of enterprises in the city have temporarily suspended operations. Of which, about 70 percent are agricultural and seafood production and trading enterprises.

Nguyen Van Do, director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Ca Mau province, said the seafood sector was still growing. For shrimp products alone, the total output reached more than 142,800 tonnes in the first eight months, an increase of 8.1 percent over the same period last year.

Total processed shrimp output was 115,000 tonnes, up 13.6 percent year on year.

The total seafood export turnover was 652 million USD, up 17.6 percent over the same period in 2020.

Secretary of the Soc Trang provincial Party Committee Lam Van Man said at present, the disease was under control so shrimp production and consumption at enterprises and farming households in the province gradually stabilised.

Soc Trang has 20 seafood export enterprises, including the five largest shrimp processing and exporting enterprises that account for 75 percent of seafood export value.

This province now is one of the largest seafood exporters nationwide with a total value of 600 million USD, accounting for about 12 percent of the national seafood export turnover. Of which, shrimp exports accounted for 94 percent with a value of 535 million USD.

According to the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the total export value of the whole Mekong Delta region was estimated at 9.5 billion USD in the first eight months, up 8.8 percent over the same period last year. The region’s key export products include rice, pangasius and shrimp.

Meanwhile, Kien Giang province’s export value was estimated at nearly 510 million USD in the first eight months of the year, up 8.6 percent over the same period in 2020. Major products such as rice, frozen shrimp, squid and frozen octopus have witnessed export growth.

An Giang province’s export value also rose by 2 percent year on year to 615.47 million USD in the first eight months with export growth in some key commodities such as rice, frozen seafood and frozen vegetables.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Do Van Chien, on September 22, received nearly 36 billion VND (over 1.58 million USD) worth of donations for COVID-19 prevention and control from 24 state-owned enterprises.

At the reception ceremony, Chien vowed to use the funding for the right purposes in an effective, open, and transparent manner in accordance with the regulations of the State.

The donations will be spent on programmes in support of disadvantaged people. Part of them will be transferred to the COVID-19 vaccine fund and used to encourage frontline forces.

Since 2020, units under the Central Enterprises Bloc have donated more than 8.68 trillion VND for the COVID-19 vaccine fund, for the purchase of medical supplies and equipment, and for assisting a number of localities seriously hit by the pandemic. Banks, meanwhile, have implemented many assistance programmes worth dozens of trillion VND targeting firms and people.

Secretary of the Party Committee of the Central Enterprises Bloc Nguyen Long Hai requested member party committees to continue conducting measures to sustain and develop business and production.

He recommended they promote state-owned firms’ role and responsibility and launch activities in aid of enterprises and people given COVID-19 negative impacts.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The United Nations (UN) highly valued Vietnam’s high sense of responsibility and the professionalism of Vietnamese officers in peacekeeping operations, and wished that Vietnam will continue to maintain and increase its forces in UN peacekeeping missions, according to Deputy Minister of National Defence Hoang Xuan Chien.

Speaking to a Vietnam News Agency correspondent in New York right after his meetings with UN officials on the sidelines of the opening of the UN General Assembly’s 76th session on September 21, Chien said that over the past more than seven years, Vietnam has deployed three units and more than 50 officers to UN peacekeeping operations at its headquarters and missions.

Vietnamese peacekeeping officers received good assessment for their performance, with more than 31 percent rated as excellent, especially women officers, he said. Chien said that in the time to come, Vietnam will continue to maintain its presence in peacekeeping missions, including the Level-2 Field Hospitals No.3, while preparing Level-2 Field Hospitals No.4 to replace the No.3 when its term ends.

Meanwhile, Vietnam is also making preparations in personnel, organisation and equipment for an engineering force for a suitable UN peacekeeping mission following the UN requests, he said, adding that Vietnam is ready to receive examination teams from the UN for pre-launch check.

Vietnam has paid great attention to ensure an adequate ratio of women officers in peacekeeping operations at 15-21 percent, he underlined, adding that Vietnam will strive to further increase the ratio to meet the requirements of reality.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

A teleconference was held on September 22 to discuss post-pandemic cooperation between Vietnam’s the northern province of Quang Ninh and Thailand’s Phuket, especially in re-opening tourism markets.

Speaking at the event, Director of the Representative Office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand in Vietnam Ratiwan Boonprakong introduced the “Phuket Sandbox” programme which aims to prevent COVID-19 transmission between tourists and local residents.

From July 1 to August 29, the programme welcomed over 25,800 visitors spending 450,806 nights and travelling to Phuket on 283 chartered flights, mostly from the US, UK, Israel, France, Germany, United Arab Emirates and Switzerland.

Director of the Quang Ninh provincial Tourism Department Pham Ngoc Thuy suggested Thailand continue creating favourable conditions for Udon Thani province to effectively carry out an action plan within the framework of tourism cooperation in the heritage triangle of Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay, Thailand’s Ban Chiang and Laos’ Luang Prabang, as well as help Quang Ninh’s tourism sector explore opportunities and promote destinations.

He also proposed the two local tourism sectors establish an information sharing mechanism and study building a suitable tourism cooperation model.

Quang Ninh officially resumed its intra-provincial tourism from September 21 and plans to welcome back visitors from other localities without local transmissions within 14 days, in the last two months of this year. They are required to be fully vaccinated and take Realtime-PCR tests within 48 hours.

Source: Vietnam News Agency