Day: July 21, 2021

The 15th National Assembly will elect several important positions of the legislature on July 21 morning, the second day of its first session.

Accordingly, the legislative body will hear its Standing Committee’s report on the outcomes of group discussions as well as the explanation and acquisition of NA deputies’ ideas on nominated candidates to the posts of the NA General Secretary, the Chairperson of the Ethnic Council, Chairpersons of the NA’s committees, and the Auditor General of the State Audit Office.

NA deputies will then discuss and approve the list of candidates, and cast their votes to elect the positions.

After the voting outcomes are announced, the NA will vote to adopt resolutions on the election of the NA General Secretary, the Chairperson of the Ethnic Council, Chairpersons of the NA’s committees, and the Auditor General of the State Audit Office.

During the day, the NA will also discuss the legislature’s supervision programme for 2022 and the law and ordinance building programme for 2022. Adjustments to the 2021 law and ordinance building programme will also be tabled for consideration.

The NA Standing Committee will deliver a report on the approval of personnel for the positions of Vice Chairpersons of the Ethnic Council, Vice Chairpersons of NA committees, and standing and full-time members.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Vietnam Report JSC (Vietnam Report) on July 20 announced its top 10 prestigious technology companies of Vietnam in 2021, which is led by the Military Industry and Telecoms Group (Viettel).

FPT Group comes second in the list, which also includes Mobifone, Vinaphone, CMC Corp, VNG, HANEL, Vietnam Technology & Telecommunication JSC (VNTT) and Hanoi Telecom.

The evaluation of the firms was based on assessments on their financial conditions and reputation using Media coding method and feedback from relevant parties.

On the occasion, Vietnam Report also announced the top 10 ICT companies and top 10 software service and solution providers of Vietnam in 2021.

According to VN Report General Director Vu Dang Vinh, COVID-19 has driven businesses’ needs and efforts in digital transformation as well as investment in technology, thus creating great chances for technology companies.

He held that digital transformation may take place more strongly when customers realise the benefit from the process in reducing cost and increasing productivity.

Vinh cited a survey by Vietnam Report in March 2021, which showed ICT is among the top seven sectors with highest growth potential in the next three years.

Regarding challenges for local ICT companies, he pointed to market saturation, as reflected in statistics from the Vietnam Telecommunication Administration under the Ministry of Information and Communications, which showed in 2019, Vietnam had 125.7 million mobile subscribers, with each person owning 1.3 mobile subscribers averagely. Limited conditions for R&D, a shortage of quality human resources and a lack of support policies and regulations are other problems

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The 15th National Assembly elected the General Secretary, Chairpersons of the NA Council for Ethnic and NA committees and the State Auditor General in the morning of July 21, as part of the on-going first session of the 15th legislature.

The NA adopted a resolution on the election of Bui Van Cuong, a member of the 13th Party Central Committee and General Secretary of the 14th NA, as the General Secretary of the National Assembly (NA) in the 15th tenure.

Another resolution was also adopted on the election of Y Thanh Ha Nie Kdam, Secretary of the Party Committee of Central Enterprises’ Bloc, as Chairman of the NA Ethnic Council, along with the elections of chairpersons of committees of the legislature.

Also on July 21, the NA passed a resolution on the election of Tran Sy Thanh, member of the Party Central Committee and State Auditor General in the 14th tenure, as the State Auditor General in the 15th tenure

Source: Vietnam News Agency

France will continue to support and assist Vietnam in dealing with difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic as well as promoting bilateral relations in many fields, including economic cooperation, education and training, and health care, a French Senator has said.

Catherine Deroche, Chairwoman of the France – Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group in the Senate of France, made the statement during her reception on July 20 for newly-appointed Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang.

Deroche expressed her interest in and sympathy with Vietnam’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges that the country has been facing.

She also reaffirmed France’s strategic support to Vietnam in calling for respect for the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the right to freedom of navigation in the East Sea.

On this occasion, Deroche asked the ambassador to convey an invitation to the Vietnam – France Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group to pay a working visit to France, considering it an opportunity to further develop the bilateral cooperative relations between the two countries.

For his part, Thang thanked Deroche and the France – Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians Group for actively coordinating in organising activities regarding Vietnam in the Senate in the past time, supporting the enhancement of relations between the National Assembly of Vietnam and the French Senate, and promoting relations between localities of the two countries as well as contributing to consolidating the Vietnam – France strategic partnership.

The Ambassador also expressed his hope that the France – Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group will keep on assisting Vietnam in bilateral relations as well as in the Vietnam-EU relationship, and promote the ratification of the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA).

During the meeting, Thang and Deroche reviewed the cooperation between the two countries in the past time and highly appreciated the recent online conversations between leaders of the two countries, considering them as important milestones in creating momentum for the development of Vietnam-France relations.

The two sides agreed to continue coordinating in organising joint activities, making efforts to promote the exchange of high-level visits and delegations between the National Assembly of Vietnam and the French Senate, and prepare for the 12th Vietnam – France locality cooperation conference slated to be held in Hanoi in 2022.

The France – Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group in the French Senate, which consists of 30 members, is one of the largest friendship groups with countries in France. The members of the group have carried out many valuable activities to support Vietnam

Source: Vietnam News Agency

There remains room for Vietnamese exports to the African market, experts said at a virtual workshop on Vietnam-Africa trade promotion held by the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (Vietrade) on July 21.

Speaking at the event, Le Hoang Tai, deputy head of the agency, said Vietnam has established trade relations with all 54 African nations whose population amount to some 1.3 billion.

Bilateral trade between Vietnam and Africa has grown positively over the past year, hitting 6.7 billion USD in 2020, he added.

Nguyen Minh Phuong from the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Asia-Africa Market Department said Vietnam has recorded mostly trade surplus to this regional market.

She noted South Africa is Vietnam’s main export market with a turnover of 681 million USD last year, followed by Egypt, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire.

Cao Minh Tu from the same department underscored farm produce as the top priority for the bilateral trade, with Africa importing 596.1 million USD worth of rice from Vietnam in 2020.

Freshwater fish, apparel, footwear products, medical equipment, scooters, spare parts, generators and water pumps are those that can be successfully exported to Africa, he added.

Experts at the event praised opportunities for Vietnamese firms in the market but also warned of transaction frauds

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Vietnamese capital city will ensure sufficient supply of essential goods for locals amid the implementation of more stringent social distancing measures, according to the municipal Department of Industry and Trade.

The announcement came after local residents flocked to supermarkets and stores late last week to buy groceries and essential items ahead of beefed-up social distancing measures introduced across the city.

Addressing a meeting in Hanoi on July 19, Tran Thi Phuong Lan, Acting Director of the department, said the city’s industry and trade sector had worked out five scenarios for preparing goods supply since the start of the pandemic in 2020.

The department calculated the monthly need among locals of 17 essential items, with a total estimated value of 21 trillion VND (over 900 million USD), and since the beginning of this year has suggested businesses triple their supply volume of essentials to about 194 trillion VND, Lan said.

Amid the complex development of the virus over the past seven months, goods supplies in the city have remained sufficient with no sudden increase in prices recorded, as businesses have been well prepared to meet customers’ demand for essential goods. There have also been an adequate number of employees for goods delivery and online sales.

In his speech at the meeting, Vice Chairman of the city People’s Committee Nguyen Manh Quyen emphasised the importance of reviewing and listing all markets, trade centres, convenience stores and price-stabilisation points to effectively distribute goods if needed while securing supply chains in the north and diversifying supply areas to better meet local needs.

Quyen also proposed that the city’s transport sector help businesses bring goods from supply areas in other provinces to stores throughout the city.

Hanoi is home to many stores, including 459 traditional markets, 123 supermarkets, 1,800 convenience stores and tens of thousands of grocery stores.

In case of an exponential surge in demand, another 2,000 stores will be set up across the city, the department said, adding that it would also launch 236 mobile stores in trucks to deliver goods in districts and towns.

Accordingly, it has advised people against stockpiling goods and gathering at supermarkets and stores.

Hanoi-based BRG Retail said that it had built a plan on stocking and supplying essential goods at stable prices for its 77 branded supermarkets and convenience stores in northern provinces and cities, including Hanoi, Hai Phong, Hung Yen, Hai Duong and Quang Ninh, as well as the two southern localities of HCM City and Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

The company said on its website that it had worked with suppliers to increase the stock of essentials by 300 per cent at each store and by ten times at its central warehouse.

Khuc Tien Ha, Northern Region Director of VinMart supermarket chain, said the retailer would ensure sufficient supplies of goods to the capital. It has also worked with major suppliers to increase the volume of stock by three times to ensure adequate essentials on the shelves at all points of sale

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Nine excellent Vietnamese students in France were honoured with awards from the Union of Vietnamese Students in France (UEVF) and the Association of Vietnamese Scientists and Experts (AVSE Global) at a ceremony held recently in the Vietnamese Embassy in Paris.

The awards for outstanding Vietnamese students in France are presented annually, but the 2019 version has been delayed until recently due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The winners included Nguyen Minh Tuan majoring in Mathematics and Computer Science from the Ecole Polytechnique, who won the award for undergraduate students; Dinh Thi Lan Anh, a lecturer from Thai Binh University of Medicine and Pharmacy, who won the award for master’s degree holders and doctor-lecturers; and Hoang Van Thuan who won the award for graduate researchers.

On this occasion, the Embassy also presented certificates of merit to the award winners.

Speaking at the award ceremony, Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang expressed his hope that the excellent students studying in France will contribute to the development of Vietnam in the future.

The awards, first presented in 2009, are sponsored by the Embassy of Vietnam in France and receive warm response from the Vietnamese student community in France with a large number of applications sent from all across France. To date, more than 40 Vietnamese students and researchers have received those awards.

According to Nguyen Khanh Linh, President of the UEVF, the organization of the 2019 awards has received support from many agencies and individuals. The judging panel was comprised of prestigious professors, doctors, experts in France and scientists of AVSE Global. But due to the epidemic, the awards ceremony had to be postponed to this year, and in September the UEVF will announce the 2021 excellent Vietnamese student award.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists (VAPA) has brought home two honourable mention certificates in the print and digital categories at the International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP)’s 29th Colour Biennial, the association has announced.

The two certificates were presented to two photo collections themed ‘Traditional Crafts’ in the print section and ‘Vietnam Viewed from Above’ in the digital session.

‘Traditional Crafts’ comprises 10 photos, while ‘Vietnam Viewed from Above’ is a collection of 20 photos, both taken by different photographers.

Regarding individual photo awards, Vietnamese photographer Dzung Nguyen won an honourable mention certificate for his photo entitled ‘Phoi Chieu Coi’ (Drying sedge mat), which is one of the ‘Traditional Crafts’ collection.

Biennials is one of the most important events offered by FIAP. They are organised every two years in a different member country. Even years for Black and White and Nature Biennials, odd years for the Colour Biennial.

Biennials have a very particular characteristic, different from the international contests. It is not only the quality of the individual work that counts, but FIAP ask for coherent collections, as well of the viewpoint of inspiration and conception as form the viewpoint of execution and presentation.

The 29th FIAP Colour Biennial 2021 was held in France. Each member federation can select their own works or collections for submission, with a title for the collection being mandatory.

The entries were limited to 10 photographs in the colour prints section and 20 works in the digital colour images section.

The UK was named as the winner in the print section for its collection ‘Minimalistic Landscapes’ while Russia was crowned in the digital section for the collection ‘On the nature of female beauty’.

Vietnam’s entries to the contest were selected from nearly 760 artworks by 200 photographers by the VAPA.

Source: Vietnam News Agency