Day: June 18, 2021

Vietnam’s national COVID-19 vaccine fund had received more than 5.77 trillion VND (250.97 million USD) worth of donation from 321,783 organisations and individuals as of 5pm on June 18.

The fund’s official website, www.quyvacxincovid19.gov.vn, has also been launched, aiming to facilitate online donations.

The fund is set up to receive, manage, and use voluntary financial and vaccine donations and assistance from domestic and foreign organisations and individuals, along with other legal sources, for the COVID-19 vaccine procurement and import, research and production in the country, and the provision of vaccines for people.

Managed by the Ministry of Finance, the not-for-profit fund will use the mobilised capital resources for right purposes and in line with legal regulations, ensuring publicity, transparency and efficiency. It is subject to the examination, inspection, and auditing by relevant State agencies and to the supervision by the Vietnam Fatherland Front and the community.

Vietnam needs 150 million doses of vaccines to administer about 75 percent of its population this year, with total cost amounting to 25.2 trillion VND (1.09 billion USD)./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The newly-adjusted master plan for Ho Chi Minh City must ensure that its residents’ interests are a top priority, Secretary of the HCM City Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen has said.

Speaking at a meeting on June 17, Nen said: “The adjustments to the master plan by 2040 must focus on people’s quality of life.

“A number of urban plans that have been approved but haven’t been implemented for many years due to lack of feasibility are seriously affecting the legitimate interests of the people.”

He added: “The city must think carefully about the feasibility of plans to ensure that they will not be postponed for so many years.”

For example, a number of urban planning projects have been delayed for 30 years or more, mostly because of a lack of city funds and site-clearance and compensation problems, requiring a large amount of money.

The delays have seriously affected the interests of the people, according to Nen.

Tran Hoang Quan, Director of the Department of Construction, said the city should also increase residential land and reduce the amount of agricultural and illegal construction that often occurs. He said that agricultural land in HCM City still accounted for a large proportion (54.4 percent) of total land, especially in Binh Chanh district (65 percent).

Le Hoa Binh, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, said that the adjusted master plan should be regularly reviewed to ensure its feasibility.

Financial hub in Asia Pacific

The city has set a goal by 2060 to become an international trade and financial centre in the Asia-Pacific region. It aims to have an attractive working environment with diverse culture and heritage conservation and a scenic river system. Sustainable urban infrastructure and climate-change adaptation are among the goals set by 2060.

According to the revised master plan submitted to the city government by the Department of Planning and Architecture, one of the city’s new urban areas includes new Thu Duc city, formed recently by merging districts 2, 9 and Thu Duc district.

Thu Duc city will accommodate 1.9 million people. The new city will have 18,930ha of land for urban construction by 2030, and 19,994ha by 2040.

It currently has a population of more than 1 million. The figure is expected to reach 1.5 million by 2030, and 1.9 to 2.2 million people by 2040 and 3 million by 2060.

Under the plan, the new city will implement major projects to create an innovative ecosystem.

These include projects to build the Quang Trung Thu Duc Software Park, the Advanced Technology and Innovation Centre (under the Department of Science and Technology), a High-Performance Computing Centre, a Creative Start-up Centre, an Advanced Research Institute (under the National University of HCM City), and a Centre for Research and Pharmaceutical Production Products, among others.

The new city will also focus on developing quality human resources. HCM City will offer special incentives to attract investment in these projects.

As the city’s eastern gateway, Thu Duc city covering 21,156ha will be developed into a centre of innovation to assist the growth of HCM City and seven key economic hubs in the South.

Speaking at the meeting, Nguyen Thanh Nha, Director of the Department of Planning and Architecture, said the adjusted city master plan by 2040 covers 2,095sq.km and 28.7sq.km of Can Gio urban encroachment area.

Under the adjusted plan, the city will be developed into the nation’s largest economic hub for tourism, industrial services and high-tech agriculture, and will adapt to climate change and rising sea levels.

The city is expected to have 13-14 million people by 2040 and 16 million by 2060. It plans to allocate 100,000-110,000ha of land for urbanisation by 2040./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

IT firms are ready to complete e-commerce platforms for farmers, unveiled Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung at a teleconference on digital transformation in agriculture and rural development held on June 18.

Businesses’ capacity and infrastructure are also qualified to bring farm produce to each household nationwide, the minister added.

He said e-commerce platforms can help connect farmers with consumers and trusted suppliers to ensure quality, origin, and competitive prices.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan said unclear market information is negatively affecting supply and demand in the sector, hence a need for data transparency.

Hoan said it is also necessary for the agricultural sector to start building a database and master it, serving information analysis and production planning.

Chu Quang Hao from the council of members of the Vietnam Post Corporation (Vietnam Post) took the occasion to talk about the selling of lychees from Bac Giang province on e-commerce platforms Voso (run by Viettel Post) and Postmart (run by VnPost). According to him, since June 1, more than 4.5 million people have purchased the fruit from these sites.

Participants from different localities said they are looking for digital transformation in a series of matters, including pest management, disaster warning, brand protection, and trade promotion./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Khac Dinh has offered congratulations to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) on the 96th Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day (June 21).

Visiting the VNA headquarters in Hanoi on June 18, Dinh, a member of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, lauded the agency on its achievements.

Over the 76 years of development, the VNA has continuously developed with tens of media products in various forms. It now has representative offices in all 63 cities and provinces nationwide and 30 overseas bureaus across the five continents.

He affirmed that the VNA has always upheld its role as the leading news agency of Vietnam that is comparable with regional and international peers.

He expressed his hope that the VNA will continue to promote the good tradition, solidarity and valuable experience of previous generations, maintaining its position as the mainstream and a strategic and reliable information centre of the Party and the State, making an important contribution to the construction, development and protection of the country.

VNA Deputy General Director Vu Viet Trang said throughout its 76-year history, the staff of the agency have stayed faithful to and upheld its responsibility towards the Party and the people, thereby contributing to the country’s revolution.

The VNA has always made great efforts to perform well the tasks and functions of the national news agency, providing timely news on all aspects in Vietnam and the world to the domestic and foreign media systems, and meet the demand of the public with diverse and attractive communication products based on modern technology.

Since the beginning of this year, the VNA has successfully carried out the communication task of the 13th Party National Congress, and recently the elections of deputies to the 15th National Assembly and deputies of the People’s Councils at all levels for 2021-2026 tenure.

In the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, VNA reporters at home and abroad have promptly reported the developments and efforts in the country and around the world, contributing to providing information for state management agencies to develop appropriate pandemic prevention and control strategies relevant for each period./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Hoang Minh Son has signed a decision allowing three foreign centres for education quality accreditation to operate in Vietnam.

Accordingly, the Foundation for International Business Administration Accreditation (FIBAA), the Agency for Quality Assurance (AQAS) and the Accreditation Agency for Study Programmes in Engineering, Informatics, Natural Sciences and Mathematics (ASIIN), which are based in Germany, will operate in Vietnam for five years.

Of the organisations, ASIIN and AQAS have been recognised by the German Accreditation Council.

FIBAA was licensed to implement evaluation and recognition of higher education establishments and programmes in the fields of law, business, management, social science and social and behavioral sciences.

Meanwhile, ASIIN will provide evaluation and recognition of higher education institutions and training programmes specialising in natural sciences, engineering and statistics, computing and information technology, educational science, and teacher training.

AQAS is allowed to evaluate and recognise higher education institutions and training programmes at all levels in line with Vietnam’s regulations./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Vietnam’s successful treatment of a United Nations employee who contracted COVID-19 has marked a new step of development in the cooperation between the two sides, while proving the country’s increasingly important role in the regional and international arena, UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Kamal Malhotra has said.

This is a historic, significant achievement, he told the Vietnam News Agency (VNA), adding that the UN would continue to hold discussions with the Vietnamese government on turning the country into an important and potential destination for patients under the UN Emergency Chartered Medical Evacuation Services (MEDEVAC) in the future.

Earlier, Vietnam, at the request of the UN, had received and successfully treated a UN staff member who contracted the coronavirus while working in a regional country and was in critical condition.

The patient was brought to Vietnam by a plane run by the MEDEVAC, according to an announcement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Vietnam was once seen as a country that needs to send its severe patients to other countries via the MEDEVAC mechanism such as Singapore and Thailand, the official said.

However, this is the first time the country has admitted a patient through the mechanism, especially in the context of the pandemic spread, he continued.

According to Malhotra, one of the reasons that the UN asked Vietnam to treat the UN staff member was the country’s good performance in COVID-19 prevention and control, with a low rate of infections, as well as its good medical services. The event is of historical significance as it took place at a time when Vietnam was holding the rotating UN Security Council (UNSC) presidency, the official said, expressing his hope that there will be similar activities in the time ahead.

Regarding cooperation between the UN and the Vietnamese government and competent agencies in the pandemic combat, Malhotra said both sides have acknowledged the important role of the other, with the Vietnamese government playing crucial leadership.

Helping Vietnam build and roll out its vaccination programme is a top priority of the UN in 2021, he affirmed, adding that the UN and relevant agencies will continue their assistance to Vietnam in vaccine supply, and vaccine quality and safety control.

He also suggested the country should do better in expanding vaccination coverage, and informed that the UN will make effort to provide the country with vaccines enough to inoculate 20 percent of its population by year-end./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong chaired meetings of the Politburo and the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee in Hanoi on June 18 to consider disciplinary measures against the Standing Board of the provincial Party Committee in the 2015-2020 tenure, the Party Civil Affairs Committee of the provincial People’s Committee in the 2016-2021 tenure and several former leaders of Binh Duong province.

After considering a proposal put forward by the Party Central Committee’s Inspection Commission, the Politburo and Secretariat held that the Standing Board of the Binh Duong Provincial Party Committee in the 2015-2020 tenure and the Party Civial Affairs Committee of the provincial People’s Committee in the 2016-2021 tenure violated democratic centralism principles, loosened leadership resulting in several Party units and members violating the Party’s regulations and the State’s laws on the use and management of public land, capital and assets under the management of the provincial Party Committee, causing serious consequences and significant losses to the State budget.

According to the Secretariat, Tran Van Nam, in his capacity as member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee, head of the provincial delegation of deputies to the 14th National Assembly, was responsible for violations and shortcomings committed by the Standing Board of the provincial Party Committee in the 2015-2020 tenure.

Pham Van Canh, when holding the position of Permanent Vice Secretary of the provincial Party Committee; and Tran Thanh Liem, when working as Vice Secretary of the provincial Party Committee, Secretary of the Party Civil Affairs Committee and Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, violated principles of democratic centralism and took direct responsibility for the wrongdoings that caused State asset losses.

Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Truc and the provincial Chief Inspector Tran Xuan Lam were also involved in the above-said wrongdoings.

Violations by these collectives and individuals are extremely serious, causing huge losses to the Party and State’s budget, hurting the prestige of the provincial Party Organisation and administration and causing public concern.

The Politburo decided to give a warning as a disciplinary measure against the Standing Board of the provincial Party Committee in the 2015-2020 tenure. The Secretariat also issued a warning to the Party Civil Affairs Committee of the provincial People’s Committee in the 2016-2021 tenure.

The Politburo proposed the Party Central Committee consider imposing a disciplinary measure against Tran Van Nam.

The Secretariat also decided to dismiss Pham Van Canh, Tran Thanh Liem, Nguyen Thanh Truc and Tran Thanh Lam from all Party positions./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The upgrading of ties between New Zealand and Vietnam into a strategic partnership in July 2020 is an important milestone in the bilateral relationship, said Tredene Cherie Dobson, newly-accredited Ambassador of New Zealand to Vietnam.

Following is the full text of the interview of the newly-accredited Ambassador with Vietnam News Agency reporters on the occasion of the 46th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic ties (June 19).

Q: On the occasion of the 46th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between the two nations, could you please evaluate the Vietnam – New Zealand relations in recent years?

A: The relationship between Vietnam and New Zealand is in great shape. In 2020, our Prime Ministers launched our Strategic Partnership, which marked a significant milestone in our bilateral relationship. In almost every area, the relationship continues to go from strength to strength.

Despite all of the difficulties posed by the pandemic, I am proud to say that our two countries have successfully maintained regular high level virtual political exchanges, defence and security cooperation, strong growth in bilateral trade, and expanded education links. The Foreign Ministers and Trade Ministers virtual talks in May and June this year are prime examples of how we have maintained high level dialogues during the pandemic.

Despite the challenges thrown at us by COVID-19, I am delighted that our trade relationship has continued to grow. Vietnam is New Zealand’s 14th largest trading partner and two-way merchandise trade topped 1.95 billion NZD by March 2021. New Zealand’s exports to Vietnam have seen good growth in a number of sectors, particularly food and beverage with over 25 percent growth. This shows the confidence that Vietnamese consumers have in New Zealand’s high-quality products. And in a sign of just how complementary our two-way trade is – Vietnam has grown its machinery exports to New Zealand by more than 28 percent over the last year.

I also want to acknowledge the recent strong momentum in defence and security cooperation between two countries. The effective implementation of the New Zealand-Vietnam Three Year Defence Cooperation Action Plan 2018-2021 and the Peacekeeping Operations Training and Cooperation Implementing Arrangement, as well as high-level defence visits in both directions, is a signal of the strengthening defence relations. We are also enjoying a high level of law enforcement cooperation as we work hard to build upon the 2019 arrangement between the Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam and the New Zealand Police.

Both countries are committed to working together to counter transnational organised crime by actively exchanging information and through training programmes, including on anti- money laundering.

New Zealand has also invested approximately 26.7 million NZD in the past three years through our dedicated bilateral development programme. As a friend of Vietnam, New Zealand provides development assistance in areas where New Zealand has a high level of capability matched with a high level of priority for Vietnam such as agriculture, disaster risk management, knowledge and skills development, and renewable energy.

Furthermore, every year the New Zealand Government provides 30 post graduate scholarships; 25 English Language Training for Officials awards; and 11 Short Term Training Scholarships to Vietnamese students. These awards target Vietnam’s up and coming professionals in agriculture, disaster risk management, renewable energy, and the public and private sectors. I’m also very proud of our alumni – since the 1990s, more than 355 young Vietnamese students and 550 Vietnamese officials have studied at New Zealand universities. The reason our education collaboration is doing so well is that our institutions are ranked in the top 3 percent globally, and are well known for fostering critical thinking and creativity – two skills critical to a future oriented market place.

Q: What are the fields that New Zealand will give priority to promote ties with Vietnam?

A: As both our countries look to achieve strong economic growth as part of the COVID19 recovery, the ambitious trade goals we have set will be an important focus. We are fortunate to have some very high-quality free trade agreements (FTAs) that link our two countries so we will be working hard to ensure that our exporters in both countries are able to leverage those agreements. In terms of specific sectors, I see a lot of potential in the green economy – and that includes everything from agri-tech to IT services. New Zealand and Vietnam are both very innovative economies and we need to take greater advantage of that.

Agriculture is another great example of where both countries have been able to benefit from the relationship. We have an Agricultural Cooperation Arrangement which supports bilateral trade but also is helping to reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions and promoting food safety and rural development.

In terms of our agricultural trade, we are fortunate to have very complementary products. New Zealand’s kiwi fruit and apples have consolidated their position in the Vietnamese market. New Zealand’s cherries are also becoming increasingly popular, especially during Tet. New Zealanders also enjoy nuts and tropical fruits from Vietnam, including Vietnam’s iconic dragon fruit and rambutans. We actually have a tremendous development programme that is drawing on New Zealand’s expertise in fruit production to develop three new dragon fruit varieties in Vietnam. Our local partners are now in the process of commercialising those new varieties with the support of New Zealand’s research institute as well as getting the license trademark for the new varieties. These high-quality fruits are specifically designed with strong disease resistance, increased storage life, and new colour and flavour profiles, promising to satisfy growers and customers in Vietnam and worldwide.

The pandemic has of course presented challenges for students traveling to New Zealand. Previously, nearly 3,000 Vietnamese students were studying in New Zealand, and we hope that we can re-establish these numbers when borders are safe to open again. There has been a silver-lining though as education providers have become a little bit more creative – New Zealand education institutions have been developing flexible in-country options, such as Joint Programmes and foundation study centres, and there are ongoing exchanges about on-line learning and curriculum development.

Technology is a relatively new area in our bilateral relationship, but it has a lot of potential. Technology is now New Zealand’s third largest export sector. We have some world-leading companies that are working with Vietnamese partners in diverse areas such as cutting-edge health software, detailed meteorological forecasting, and clean technology in renewable energy and climate-resilient agriculture.

Q: As a new Ambassador to Vietnam, could you share with us your plans to boost the Vietnam – New Zealand ties in your tenure?

A: With the successful launch of the New Zealand – Vietnam Strategic Partnership in July last year, our two Prime Ministers laid out the challenge of how we can deepen and broaden our relationship. Currently here at the Embassy we are working very hard with our Vietnamese partners to describe our ambitions for the Strategic Partnership in a detailed action plan. This will guide both countries and help ensure the relationship continues on the great trajectory it is now on.

As a small but innovative country, New Zealand has decades of experimentation in key areas of public policy and many of the solutions we have developed have been world leading. Much of what we have learned and developed can be applied elsewhere. Through the Government to Government Know-How programme, I want to share New Zealand’s specialist knowledge and intellectual property in areas like agriculture, food safety, health, education and fisheries on a commercial basis.

As mentioned, I want to ensure that we are taking advantage of regional economic integration through the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand FTA as well as CPTPP and the newly minted RCEP Agreement.

New Zealand and Vietnam have also historically worked extremely well together in regional and multilateral forums, and I look forward to continuing that tradition, with New Zealand as this year’s Chair of APEC. We will be looking to work closely with Vietnam and other APEC members to ensure that we can build back more resilient, sustainable and inclusive economies in our region./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency