Day: December 17, 2021

The Vietnamese Embassy in France will continue working closely with the host and authorities in Vietnam to support the family of a Vietnamese victim who was killed when a rubber boat capsized off the coast of Pas de Calais province.

The accident occurred on November 24 (local time), leaving 27 dead.

On December 16, the French police informed that one of the victims is a 29-year-old Vietnamese who came from the central province of Nghe An.

The Foreign Ministry’s Consular Department already contacted the victim’s family to verify the information and instruct necessary procedures.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

A ceremony was held in Ho Chi Minh City on December 16 to honour religious dignitaries and followers who made contributions to the city’s COVID-19 fight.

To Thi Bich Chau, Chairwoman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of HCM City, highly valued efforts of religious followers who volunteered to offer support and take care of COVID-19 patients at local hospitals.

She believed that with the solidarity and the spirit of ‘the haves helping the have-nots’, HCM City will surmount difficulties and resume all activities in the time to come.

From July 22 to October 21, in response to a call of local authorities, 679 religious dignitaries and followers voluntarily worked at nine COVID-19 treatment hospitals in HCM City.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

A photo exhibition, highlighting 50 years of the Vietnam-India diplomatic relations, opened in New Delhi on December 17 as part of the ongoing official visit of National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue to India.

The event is co-organsed by the Vietnam News Agency (VNA), the Indian Council of World Affairs, and the Vietnamese Embassy in India, welcoming NA Chairman Hue and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar as visitors on its opening day.

On display are 21 documentary photos by the VNA capturing milestones in the nations’ ties over the past five decades, which include Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official visit to Vietnam in September 2016. During Modi’s visit, Vietnam and India decided to upgrade their bilateral relations to comprehensive strategic partnership.

The event will last until December 19.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Vietnam creates optimal conditions for Indian companies to continue their long-term operations and expand investment in energy and oil and gas exploration and production in the country’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone, Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue affirmed on December 17.

At a reception in New Delhi for AK Gupta, Managing Director and CEO of ONGC Videsh, an international petroleum company of India and an overseas arm of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Hue highlighted the traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and India in different spheres, from politics, diplomacy and national defence and security, to economy, trade, investment, education-training, culture, tourism and people-to-people exchange.

Collaboration in energy and oil and gas exploration and exploitation is a key sector in the bilateral economic, trade and investment ties, he said, lauding the initial presence and successes of the corporation in Vietnam.

The top legislator expressed his hope that apart from oil and gas, Indian investments will be pumped into new fields, to bring two-way trade to 15 billion USD in the time ahead.

Vietnam commits to protecting interests of investors in line with legal regulations, he said, informing Gupta that the Vietnamese legislature will consider amending and supplementing the Oil and Gas Law to create a more favourable legal environment for the development of the industry.

For his part, Gupta said his corporation has maintained close cooperation with Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam), and thanked Vietnam for its support to ONGC.

He also raised several petitions and noted his wish to continue long-term investment and business activities in Vietnam.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Bamboo Airways on December 17 morning (Vietnam time) launched its direct air route linking Vietnam with Australia during an inaugural ceremony held in Melbourne international airport of Australia.

Commercial flights will be officially operated on the direct route starting early 2022, connecting two Vietnam’s major cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City with Australia’s busiest airports of Sydney and Melbourne.

Representative of both sides believed that the air route would facilitate travel of Vietnamese students and people working in Australia, as well as bolster the countries’ trade and tourism.

Earlier, the carrier joined hands with the BAA Training Vietnam aviation training institute to open a training course of Airbus A320 pilots.

The airline plans to arrange similar courses in the coming time.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Mekong Connect 2021, a forum on development connection between Ho Chi Minh City and Mekong Delta localities, opened in the city on December 17.

Addressing the event, Phan Van Mai, Chairman of the city People’s Committee, HCM City and Mekong Delta localities have experienced the most difficult time due to COVID-19. The Mekong Connect aims to seek solutions for them to boost economic recovery in 2022 in the new normal, he said.

He noted that HCM City and Mekong Delta localities have shared connections in transport, hunan resources, business and production chain, maritime economy, startup ecosystem, supporting industries and market stabilisation and development, as well as pandemic prevention and control.

Mai suggested that participants focus on issues related to interest and the development connection among the localities, while giving proposals on fostering the links between the city and regional localities, and agreeing on joint actions in the work.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan said that Mekong Connect 2021 is a chance for leaders of the localities and ministries and sectors to exchange ideas to promote the connectivity between HCM City and 13 Mekong Delta cities and provinces, with the important role of the business community.

According to Hoan, it is necessary to change the mindset from agricultural production to agricultural economy with stronger engagement of enterprises.

Representatives from the Ministry of Science and Technology held that it is crucial to form and develop an open innovation model, supporting enterprises to update lastest technologies, and dealing with problems in product development.

Open innovation is the way for Mekong Delta localities to optimise resources for their socio-economic development, along with the formation of a science-technology market, they held.

Within the forum’s framework, an exchange programme was held with young agricultural entrepreneurs innovative startup ecosystem, along with an exhibition on agricultural technologies, equipment and machineries.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hyosung Vina Chemicals Co., Ltd., a chemicals company invested by the Republic of Korea (RoK), on December 17 put into operation a polypropylene (PP) plant and a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) storage cavern at the Cai Mep Industrial Park in the south-central province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

The Vietnamese Prime Minister approved in principle the 1.3 billion USD project in May 2018 whose construction began later the same year.

PP will be used to manufacture various containers, drain pipes, medical syringes, and textiles in Vietnam.

Choi Young Gyo, General Director of Hyosung Vina, said the underground LPG storage cavern is the largest of its kind in Southeast Asia with a total capacity of 240,000 tonnes.

Once fully operational, the complex will churn out 650,000 tonnes of PP each year, of which, 300,000 will be supplied to the Vietnamese market, helping to raise competitiveness of the domestic production sector, the company said.

Since its presence in Vietnam in 2007, Hyosung Group has invested a total of 3.4 billion USD, with 1,8 billion USD in southern Dong Nai province, 250 million USD in the central province of Quang Nam, and 1.3 billion USD in Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

The project in Ba Ria-Vung Tau is expected to generate jobs for more than 400 labourers.

Source: Vietnam News Agency