Day: September 12, 2021

Over the past time, the Vietnamese Party and State have set forth many priority guidelines and policies to ensure sustainable development in the mountainous and ethnic-inhabited regions, with a special emphasis on the role of science and technology.

As a result, many national programmes to this effect in those regions have brought about practical economic benefits.

Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Nguyen Hoang Giang said that the Rural and Mountainous Region Programme for the 2016-2025 period has created a spotlight in the application of science and technology in production, thus bringing about substantive socio-economic efficiency for those areas. The programme has made an important contribution to the building of agriculture towards large commodity production, as well as the implementation of sustainable socio-economic development programmes of localities.

In order to develop the ethnic-inhabited areas, Minister of Science and Technology Huynh Thanh Dat stated that science and technology must be a solution to create a new breath of life into agro-forestry production.

The National Science and Technology Programme for 2016-2020 has achieved success, with many of its results promptly transferred, he added.

By the end of June, 51 national science and technology tasks under the programme had been implemented, with a total budget of 176 billion VND (7.7 million USD). In the 2016-2020 period only, the programme built 30 value chain-linked production models, 14 information technology application models, and 27 models of high-tech application in production; and made 1,106 transfers of new technologies to ethnic minority and mountainous areas in 34 provinces and cities, thus contributing to promoting socio-economic development there.

In July, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Government Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs signed a joint action programme for 2021-2030 in order to promote the transfer of technologies, especially new scientific and technological advances, that are suitable to the characteristics of the mountainous and ethnic-inhabited areas so as to serve sustainable socio-economic development and poverty reduction.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Leading officials of the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang recently handed over 100 million VND (4,390 USD) to the Consulate General of Vietnam in Cambodia’s Preah Sihanouk province.

Addressing the ceremony held at the Ha Tien international border gate, which leads to the Prek Chak International Border Gate on the Cambodian side, Deputy Director of Kien Giang’s Department of External Affairs Nguyen Viet Thong spoke highly of the efforts by the office in Cambodia’s province in helping Vietnamese-Cambodian stabilise their lives especially in the context of COVID-19.

The assistance, from authorities and people of Kien Giang, aims to support poor Vietnamese workers in Cambodia who cannot return home at present.

General Consul Vu Ngoc Ly said the aid will be used to buy 5 tonnes of rice and other essentials to support the needy.

He said that amid difficulties facing the Vietnamese community in Cambodia, his office has called for donation to help over 8,000 Vietnamese-Cambodian and Vietnamese workers in six Cambodian localities. Nearly all of them have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 free of charge, the diplomat added.

The Consulate General has called on pandemic-hit Vietnamese workers to remain calm and seek temporary jobs in a bid to surmount difficult times.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Polysan Science & Technology Company in Saint-Petersburg has decided to grant a batch of Cytoflavin drug that is able to treat around 1,000 COVID-19 patients to the Vietnamese Ministry of Defence.

This is the outcomes of meetings between Vietnam’s Defence Attaché Office in Russia and the Government Committee for the External Relations of Saint-Petersburg and the company.

The shipment comprises of a total of 2,376 boxes of Cytoflavin treatment drug.

Cytoflavin is currently being used as part of the treatment regimen for COVID-19 patients in Russia and typically used for the prevention of acute ischemic stroke.

Russian doctors also make use of this drug to treat cardiovascular and brain complications detected in COVID-19 patients.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Attaché Colonel Tran Tien Phuong expressed his sincere thanks for this gift, adding that the invaluable support will help deal with the pandemic in Vietnam while contributing to further enhancing the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue on September 12 witnessed the hand-over of COVID-19 vaccines and medical equipment and supplies donated during his just-concluded trip to Europe.

At the event, the NA working delegation handed over 100,000 vaccine doses presented by Belgium, 100,000 doses by Slovakia, and medical equipment and supplies worth 1.028 trillion VND (45.1 million USD), including over 4 million rapid test kits, 650 ventilators, 500 patient monitors, and five PCR testing machines, to the Health Ministry.

The delegation also handed over to the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front 230 million VND from the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic donated to HCM City and 135 million VND from the Vietnamese community in Austria donated for the COVID-19 prevention and control fund.

The remaining amount of medical equipment and supplies will be shipped to Vietnam by air soon.

Also in the trip, a number of contracts related to test kit production, COVID-19 vaccine research and production were signed by Vietnamese enterprises and foreign partners.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Vietnam has been among the top 10 countries in terms of cross-border data transfer in the past decade.

Head of the Institute for Policy Studies and Media Development (IPS) Nguyen Quang Dong cited data from Nikkei Asia financial newspaper in a recent webinar focusing on cross-border data transfer and privacy protection held by the IPS as saying

The event aimed to find measures to protect users’ data safety and privacy without affecting the flow of data, deemed an artery of the digital economy.

The flow benefits the development of international trade as part of the global economy, but also poses challenges to Vietnam in terms of policies.

Therefore, seeking a suitable pathway is key to the country’s digital economy development.

Digital economy surged to 14 billion USD last year from just 3 million USD recorded in 2015, according to President of the Vietnam Digital Communications Association Nguyen Minh Hong. The figure is forecast to hit 52 billion USD by 2025.

Balance between data exchange, including personal and cross-border data, and privacy protection in a bid to strengthen users’ trust, is among the topics for building policies in Vietnam.

In the absence of protection mechanisms, the risks of data abuse will be tremendous for users, communities and countries, said Hong, who is also the former Deputy Minister of Information and Communications.

Vietnam’s building of legal regulations on cross-border data transfer are still in the initial phase, experts said.

The country should work to realise the twin targets of promoting the free flow of data for digital economy development, and ensuring safety and privacy for users, Dong said, adding supplementary measures should also be considered in the sector.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Vietnamese tennis team left for Jordan on September 12 to compete at the 2021 Davis Cup Group III events in Asia/Oceania, according to the Vietnam Tennis Federation (VTF).

The four-member team is projected to arrive in Jordan in the afternoon (local time), after 10 hours of flying.

They have not competed much in international matches for nearly two years due to the spread of COVID-19, head coach Truong Quang Vu said.

The Davis Cup Group III events in Asia/Oceania will take place on September 14-18. Vietnam are the event’s No.2 seed based on current rankings.

The team, world’s No. 71, will face eight rivals of Hong Kong (China), Syria, Sri Lanka, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan, Pacific Oceania and Malaysia.

A draw for the tourney will be held on September 14. At the end of the event, at least three teams will earn a place in World Group II playoffs while those who finish in the bottom three will be relegated.

Vietnam triumphed at the Asia/Oceania Group III in 2019. They missed out on a place in World Group II after falling 4-0 to Morocco in the play-offs in 2020.

Source: Vietnam News Agency