Day: October 5, 2021

A 40-year-old woman in the northern province of Vinh Phuc was arrested by local police on October 4 for allegedly “abusing rights to freedom and democracy to infringe upon the interests of the State and the legitimate rights and interests of organisations and citizens” under Article 331 of the 2015 Penal Code.

Phung Thi Nga, residing in Vat Cach village, Dong Cuong commune, Yen Lac district, was accused of having used a number of Facebook and Youtube accounts to upload many posts and videos providing fabricated and distorted information to insult, libel and slander organisations and individuals in Yen Lac since October last year.

Her actions have seriously harmed the prestige and honour of local leaders as well as the role, position and functions of State agencies, causing negative opinion among officials, Party members and people, and affecting political security in the locality.

A search of her house found many objects and documents related to the case.

The police are conducting further investigations into the case

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) has surpassed important business and financial targets set for the first nine months of 2021, with its contribution to the State budget fulfiling the yearly plan.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, PetroVietnam adopted a number of response measures, including forecasting, flexible management, and connecting links in the value chain, which helped the firm maintain production and trade, as well as expand markets.

In the past nine months, its oil equivalent output reached 8.2 million tonnes, surpassing the target by 13 percent. Its total revenue also exceeded the plan by 16 percent to 437.8 trillion VND (19 billion USD) while its contribution to the State budget hit 65.9 trillion VND, higher than the yearly target by 5 percent and up 17 percent year-on-year.

PetroVietnam also put the Su Tu Trang (White Lion) oil field into operation as scheduled, and ensured the progress of other fields such as BK-18A and BK-19.

As the Song Hau 1 and Thai Binh 2 thermal power plants are to be operational soon, the first turbine of the Song Hau 1 plant is expected to be put into commercial operation in early November.

As of September 30, PetroVietnam donated 775.8 billion VND to the fight against COVID-19, including 554.9 billion VND to the national COVID-19 vaccine fund.

During the nine-month period, the company saved over 2.2 trillion VND, or 80.9 percent of this year’s plan.

On September 9, the international credit rating agency Fitch Ratings assessed PetroVietnam’s standalone credit profile at BB . It also affirmed the group’s Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at ‘BB’ with a Positive Outlook as well as senior unsecured rating at ‘BB’.

PetroVietnam General Director Le Manh Hung said in order to achieve the 2021 business and financial targets, PetroVietnam will continue flexibly adapting to the pandemic developments, thereby seeking measures to grasp growth recovery opportunities.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Oxfam in Vietnam, a non-governmental organisation, together with the Embassies of New Zealand and Switzerland in Vietnam, on October 5 announced a humanitarian aid of nearly 1.3 billion VND (57,000 USD) to help migrant workers in Ho Chi Minh City surmount difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the next three months, over 700 disadvantaged and vulnerable workers, especially women in worst-hit districts of the southern hub, will receive 1.5 million VND in cash each to help them buy necessities like food and medicine.

Oxfam’s partners, namely the Disability Research and Capacity Development (DRD) and the Centre for Social Work – Community Development Research and Consultancy (SDRC) will closely join hands with organisations and local authorities to hand over the aid to the beneficiaries.

The aid package was built based on an evaluation of COVID-19 impacts on migrant workers in HCM City compiled by Oxfam and its two partners in August.

Chargé d’Affaires of the New Zealand Embassy Joseph Mayhew affirmed that the aid package serves as proof of a close-knit partnership between New Zealand and Vietnam.

More than 3,000 women across Vietnam affected by COVID-19 received support via the New Zealand Head of Mission Fund over the past year, he added.

Vanessa Di Giorgi from the Swiss Embassy said Switzerland always stands side by side with Vietnam to overcome the pandemic.

Switzerland had previously presented medical supplies worth 5.5 million USD to support Vietnam’s fight against COVID-19.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Made in Vietnam” NanoDragon satellite is scheduled to be launched into orbit on October 7, announced Assoc. Prof., Dr. Pham Anh Tuan, General Director of the Vietnam National Space Centre (VNSC) under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology.

The launch is slated to take place from 7:51.21 am to 7:55.16 am (Vietnam time), according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

The solid-fuel Epsilon 5 rocket, expected to carry the NanoDragon satellite and eight others into the outer space, will be launched from JAXA’s Uchinoura Space Centre in the town of Kimotsuki in south-western Kagoshima prefecture of Japan.

JAXA on October 1 morning suspended the launch of the rocket some 19 seconds before the scheduled lift-off time.

According to the agency, a glitch occurred at ground radar equipment that monitors the Epsilon-5’s position and speed, located near the rocket’s launching pad. It might cause a problem in tracking the rocket, JAXA added.

The NanoDragon, a nano-layer cubesat satellite which weighs 3.8 kilogrammes, was developed by the VNSC.

The satellite was delivered to Japan and tested at the Uchinoura Space Centre in Kagoshima prefecture in August before being officially transferred to the JAXA for launching under the second “Innovative satellite technology demonstration” programme.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on October 4 extended his congratulations to Kishida Fumio on his election by the Diet as the 100th Prime Minister of Japan.

The same day, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son sent a congratulatory letter to Motegi Toshimitsu on being re-elected as Foreign Minister of Japan.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi’s authorities have decided to remove 28 administrative procedures in the field of investment.

Under Decision No.4324/QD-UBND by the municipal People’s Committee, 33 new procedures are issued and 53 others related to the establishment and operation of enterprises, bidding and non-refundable aid are amended.

The decision, which took effect on October 1, elaborates the issuance, amendment, supplementation and removal of administrative procedures in the establishment and operation of businesses in Vietnam.

It touches on Public Private Partnership investment, bidding to choose investors, official development assistance (ODA) capital, preferential loans of foreign sponsors and non-refundable assistance.

The establishment and operation of household businesses under the management of the Hanoi Department of Planning and Investment are also listed.

Source: Vietnam News Agency