Day: November 6, 2021

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam arrived in Hanoi on November 6 noon, concluding his trip for the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), and a working visit to the UK and an official visit to France.

The tour from October 31 to November 5 was made at the invitation of Prime Minister of the UK Boris Johnson and French Prime Minister of Jean Castex.

Upon Chinh and his entourage’s arrival at Noi Bai International Airport, Minister of Public Security, on behalf of the delegation, handed over medical equipment and supplies and funding for the COVID-19 pandemic fight donated by individuals and organisations during the PM’s working trip to Europe to representatives of the Ministry of Health and the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Health received medical equipment and supplies for COVID-19 treatment worth 3.5 million GBP and 640,000 EUR donated by overseas Vietnamese and agencies in the UK and France, along with more than 400,000 syringes and medical supplies by the France-Vietnam medical association.

The Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee received two billion VND (88,000 USD) and more than 16,000 GBP in cash donated by overseas Vietnamese and agencies in the UK, and 107,000 EUR by the overseas Vietnamese and agencies in France.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam on November 5 afternoon (local time) left Paris, concluding his official visit to France from November 3 at the invitation of his French counterpart Jean Castex.

During his stay, the PM held talks with his French counterpart Jean Castex, and had meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron, President of the Senate Gerald Larcher, President of the National Assembly Richard Ferrand, and Fabien Roussel, National Secretary of the French Communist Party.

At meetings, all issues raised by both sides were reached high consensus. Both sides affirmed their determination to deepen the countries’ strategic partnership.

Vietnam and France affirmed solidarity in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic and the importance of promoting fair, equal access to COVID-19 vaccines and medicines.

The two countries reaffirmed their wish to bolster cooperation amid common challenges like climate change, and showed their resolve to deepen collaboration in culture, especially French teaching, and in law and justice. They underlined that science and technology as well as tertiary education are among priority areas in bilateral cooperation.

The two countries’ leaders agreed to continue promoting people-to-people exchange, increase collaboration between localities of Vietnam and France.

The French side pledged to accompany Vietnam in sustainable development, especially within major infrastructure projects. They reaffirmed their wish to continue partnering together in satellite and use of satellite images in various areas such as agriculture, hydrometeorology, climate change response and disaster risk prevention.

Vietnam welcomed France’s investments in logistics and seaport infrastructure, facilitation for trade between the two countries and commitment to maintaining cooperation in the field to prevent supply chain interruption; and collaboration in sustainable urban area, particularly in Hanoi with transport, urban planning and wholesale market projects in the future.

On international and regional issues, Vietnam and France agreed to exert efforts to work toward enhancing partnerships between the European Union and Vietnam and the EU and ASEAN within the framework of the EU’s Indo-Pacific strategy and France’s tenure as President of the EU in the first half of 2022.

Vietnam and France reaffirmed full respect for the 1982 United Nations on Convention on the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS), and the peaceful settlement of disputes, refraining from acts that use or threat to use force. They affirmed the importance of maintaining safety and freedom of navigation and aviation in all seas and oceans, especially in the East Sea, on the basis of abiding by principles of international law.

Also within the visit’s framework, PM Chinh received many leading enterprises of France and Europe and attended the France-Vietnam Business Forum.

He witnessed signing and handover ceremonies of nearly 40 cooperation and economic agreements in multiple fields, notably those of great significance and values such as a cooperation agreement between the Ministry of Justice of Vietnam and the Council of State of France for 2021-26 and an administrative agreement between the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training and French Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation on the recognition of certificates and training process, along with memoranda of understanding between Vietnamese airlines and Safran Group.

One of priorities that the Vietnamese PM touched on during his meetings was cooperation between the two countries in health care, especially pandemic prevention and control and development of preventive medicine.

He met with Managing Director of the COVAX Facility Aurélia Nguyen, physicians and medical experts in France and visited the Pasteur Institute in Paris.

The PM received leaders of the France-Vietnam Friendship Association (AAFV), Vietnamese Ambassadors to European nations, staff at the embassies and overseas Vietnamese (OV) in France and Europe.

The Party and State always view the OVs as an inseparable part and a driving force of the country’s development, which has been demonstrated via the Politburo’s Resolution No.36, Directive No.45 and Conclusion No.12-KL/TW on the OV affairs in the new situation, he affirmed.

He said the OVs are expected to uphold solidarity in the countries they reside, contribute to realising the external policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralism; active and proactive international integration; and being a friend, a trustworthy partner and a responsible member of the international community.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on November 5 received leaders of some major business and groups of France and Europe, including MSC and Airbus, during his official visit to France.

Talking with the PM, Ammar Kanaan, CEO of MSC/ TIL, the world’s second largest cargo container company, expressed his wish to cooperate with some Vietnamese partners to develop an international transit port in the Can Tho-Ho Chi Minh City area in the south.

According to Kanaan, the formation of the international transit port will help strengthen the role of Vietnam in maintaining the global supply chain and cut time and costs for transport goods from Vietnam to Europe and America, thus contributing to raising the Vietnamese economy’s competitiveness.

PM Chinh supported the idea, and proposed the group study to invest in Vietnam’s seaport area from now to 2025, helping increase the goods in transit in the country. At a reception for Christian Scherer, Chief Commercial Officer at Airbus, PM Chinh welcomed effective cooperation between the aircraft manufacturing group and Vietnamese airlines in recent times.

He told Scherer a number of Vietnam’s economic development orientations in the coming time, with a focus on high technology, clean energy, digital technology, and space economy development.

He also suggested that Airbus, with its experience, provide consultancy for the Vietnamese Government on improving the quality of human resources, thus contributing to institutional building.

On the occasion, Vietnam’s Vietjet and Airbus inked a strategic partnership agreement on the delivery timeline for 119 aircraft of the airline’s existing backlog and a cooperation for the development of Vietjet’s wide-body fleet together with other supporting terms for the airline post COVID-19 period.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Within the framework of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s official visit to France, Nguyen Thuy Anh, Vice Chairwoman of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie (APF) and Chairwoman of the Vietnam Division, had a working session with APF Secretary General Jacques Krabal to discuss issues related to the operation of the APF, as well as the activities of the Vietnam Division.

Jacques Krabal appreciated Vietnam’s active participation in the APF in general and the French-speaking community in the Asia-Pacific region in particular.

The two sides exchanged views on many issues such as admitting more APF members in the Asia-Pacific region to strengthen the presence of the Francophone organisation in this region, implementing cooperation programmes and the strategic framework of the APF for the 2019-2022 period, expanding digital application, and strengthening cooperation in French-language training for deputies and civil servants of parliaments.

He expressed his hope to further promote French-language training in Vietnam to promote the development of the French-speaking community in the Southeast Asian country. He said he wishes the Asia-Pacific region will continue to conduct online exchange activities to suit the current pandemic situation.

Earlier, on November 4, at the French Senate, Nguyen Thuy Anh, who is also Chairwoman of the Vietnam-France Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group, had a meeting with Catherine Deroche, Chairwoman of the France-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group during which they agreed to consider organising a webinar to boost inter-parliamentary experience sharing in response to the pandemic and intensify health collaboration.

Thuy Anh thanked the French Government and National Assembly for supporting vaccines and medical supplies for Vietnam, thus helping the Vietnamese people overcome difficulties caused by the pandemic.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

A consultation workshop on a report on Vietnam’s blue economy took place in Hanoi on November 5.

The event was jointly held by the Vietnam Administration of Sea and Islands under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The report will be released at an international conference on sustainable blue economy and climate change adaptation slated for December 13-14 in Hanoi.

It points out the potential of Vietnam’s blue economy towards sustainable development through assessment on sectors’ contributions to the economy.

Experts believed that to identify the potential of the blue economy’s sectors, it is necessary to play out some scenarios to 2030 with two paths of business as usual and sustainable development.

The report also looks to evaluate interaction between sectors to deliver analysis, assessment, suggestions and recommendations, said Dao Xuan Lai, head of Climate Change and Environment Unit at the UNDP.

At the workshop, experts briefed the results of their research studies on challenges of the blue economy’s sectors, along with their relations to sustainable development goals and growth scenarios.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on November 6 presided over a Cabinet meeting to review socio-economic performance in the first ten months of 2021.

In his opening remarks, Chinh said that many important events took place in October. In the month, the 13th Party Central Committee held its 4th session, while the 15th National Assembly convened its second plenum. To serve these two events, the Government actively prepared many documents and reports to submit to the Party Central Committee and the legislature, focusing on socio-economic development and pandemic prevention and control.

He also mentioned to external activities that he participated in, including his attendance at the 38th and 39th ASEAN Summits and the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), and his working visit to the UK and his official visit to France.

In October, the Government issued Resolution 128 on temporary regulations on safe adaptation to and flexible and effective control of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Ministry of Health also issued Decision 4800 concretising this resolution.

The Government leader said that Vietnam has changed its thinking and method of pandemic fight towards risk management, not pursuing a “zero COVID” policy.

At the meeting, Government members discussed achievements and weaknesses in the past ten months, and proposed solutions and things to do in November and December – the two important months for economic recovery, growth and social welfare assurance.

At a regular Government press conference held after the meeting, Minister-Chairman of the Government Office Tran Van Son said that the Government has requested more efforts to quickly build and complete a national economic recovery programme, and soon cover the second shot of COVID-19 vaccine for pandemic-hit areas.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Party Committee and People’s Committee of Hanoi on November 6 held a dialogue to seek ways to solve difficulties for enterprises in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and put forward solutions to the capital city’s economic development and recovery.

Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Dinh Tien Dung affirmed that the city always considers businesses the core and pioneering force in economic development, and an important force for the successful implementation of socio-economic development goals.

The city has been focusing on promoting administrative procedure reform, improving the business and investment environment, removing difficulties and problems, solving bottlenecks and inadequacies in terms of mechanisms, policies, and administrative procedures to promote businesses’ rapid and sustainable development, stated Dung.

Determining the “health” of businesses is the “health” of the economy, municipal authorities have tried their best in order to implement synchronous measures to effectively control the pandemic at the earliest and fastest.

Mac Quoc Anh, Vice President and General Secretary of Hanoi Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, appreciated the Government’s and the city’s support policies for pandemic-affected enterprises.

However, he said that too many conditions attached have hindered enterprises from accessing these policies.

Most businesses expect the Government and the city to continue to have solutions on land rent and corporate income tax exemption and reduction in 2021 to maintain business operations, have preferential rental rates, and practical support programmes for enterprises in trade villages to attract them to put their production plants in industrial clusters and industrial parks.

Representatives from businesses have recommended ministries and sectors to integrate utility services in processing administrative procedures to help businesses reduce time and costs and create a favourable business environment for start-ups.

Le Vinh Son, Chairman of the Hanoi Association of Main Industrial Products (HAMI), proposed Hanoi have more drastic measures in trade promotion, brand popularisation, and export market expansion and bring into full play the opportunities brought by new-generation free trade agreements that Vietnam has joined.

Hanoi is home to over 201,000 enterprises, ranking second and accounting for 23.7 percent of the total number of firms operating in Vietnam. They have helped the capital city contribute 16 percent of GDP, 18.5 percent of budget collection and 8.6 percent of total import-export value of the country.

On October 19, the municipal People’s Committee also held a dialogue with foreign-invested enterprises in the city to seek measures to tackle difficulties facing them amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking at that event, Secretary Dung said Hanoi has so far basically controlled the pandemic and gradually returned to new normal. He appreciated the support and contribution by the foreign business community to the pandemic fight.

The official reiterated the city’s policy that considers the foreign-invested economic sector an important driving force for the city’s development, and stressed that the municipal authorities always respect and protect legitimate rights and interests of investors, and ensure harmony in interests among the State, investors and workers.

Participants at the event discussed issues regarding taxation, social insurance, licensing and extension of work permits for foreign experts and workers, regulations on entry-exit and pandemic prevention and control.

Local officials affirmed they will focus on helping foreign investors overcome the difficulties to maintain and restore production and business activities. The city’s administration has instructed the Taxation Department to extend the deadline for payment of added value, corporate and individual income taxes for over 31,000 taxpayers this year, with a value of nearly 22 trillion VND (956 million USD), reduce land lease by 30 percent for 650 taxpayers at a cost of nearly 250 billion VND.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro line project in Hanoi was officially inaugurated and put into commercial operation on November 6 morning.

The line, which runs from Cat Linh in Ba Dinh district to Ha Dong district, is the first urban railway put into operation in the country.

The quality assessment results of the metro line were approved by the State Council for Acceptance of Construction Projects on October 29. It was the final step for the project to begin commercial operation.

With total investment of approximately 886 million USD, funded by Chinese ODA, the elevated line is more than 13km long and has 12 stations and 13 trains. Each train, whose designed speed is 80 km per hour, has four carriages capable of carrying over 900 passengers.

The municipal People’s Committee has announced the price of the tickets for the metro, with the lowest one being 7,000 VND (0.31 USD) for a trip and 30,000 VND for a day pass. A monthly pass for a passenger is priced at 200,000 VND.

The capital city is offering free travel for all passengers during the first 15 days after the line is put into operation.

Source: Vietnam News Agency