Day: December 23, 2021

A major hotel and convention centre complex invested by the FLC Group was inaugurated in the northern province of Vinh Phuc on December 23, with National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue present at the ceremony.

The complex, located in Vinh Thinh commune of Vinh Tuong district, is part of the FLC Vinh Phuc Convention and Luxury Resort. As one of the largest of its kind in the northern region, it features a five-star hotel with nearly 200 rooms and a convention centre able to handle more than 2,000 guests.

FLC said the complex is a demonstration of its resolve to tap into local tourism potential, and that the estate is also another highlight of the FLC facilities in Vinh Phuc.

Together with many other projects of the group in the province, FLC expected that the tourism ecosystem it has been building in Vinh Phuc will help create more jobs, improve local residents’ income, and create momentum for attracting more investment to the local tourism and service sectors.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The construction of the Vinh Phuc ICD Logistics Center, the first super-port project of the ASEAN Smart Logistics Network (ASLN) which cost 3.8 trillion VND (165.56 million USD), began on December 23 in the northern province of Vinh Phuc.

The ground-breaking ceremony of the project saw the attendance of National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue.

Spanning 83ha in Huong Canh township and Son Loi commune in Binh Xuyen district, the centre has a designed customs clearance capacity of some 530,000 TEUs per year. The investor of the project is the TandY Superport Vinh Phuc joint stock company, a consortium of the TandT Group and its Singaporean partners – the YCH Group and YCH Holdings Company.

As part of a detailed plan for the development of Vietnam’s inland port and logistics centre system to 2020, with a vision to 2030, the centre integrates the functions of a distribution centre (DC) and an inland container depot (ICD). Its first phase is planned to be put into operation in the third quarter of 2022 and Phase 2 in the fourth quarter of 2024.

This will be one of the largest logistics hubs in northern Vietnam, linking industrial zones by road and rail as well as connecting to Hanoi, the Hai Phong International Airport, and China’s Yunnan province, emphasised a representative of TandT Group.

The centre is expected to pave the way for a breakthrough in Vietnam’s logistics, towards the goal of cutting logistics cost to about 16 – 20 percent of the GDP and raising the ratio of the sector’s contribution to the GDP to 5 – 6 percent by 2025.

According to the World Bank’s 2020 data, logistics cost in Vietnam was about 20.9-25 percent of GDP. Meanwhile, the figures for Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore were 19 percent, 13 percent, and 8 percent, respectively.

Also at the ceremony, the TandT Group presented Vinh Phuc with 100,000 COVID-19 rapid test kits worth 5 billion VND as a donation to the local response to the pandemic.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Internationally renowned designer Nguyen Cong Tri has released his Spring-Summer 2022 collection, emphasising refined tailoring and simplified silhouettes, in Ho Chi Minh City.

“The pursuit of sophistication and complexity in designs for many years helped me to discover the most quintessential values. For me, the simplicity in design comes from careful refinement, and it takes time to learn that,” said the designer, who launched his brand CONG TRI in 2009.

The ready-to-wear collection consists of 60 designs in vivid colours which evoke the feminine beauty of modern women – poised, elegant, yet alluring.

All designs are crafted with the house’s signature garments of silk, taffeta, chiffon and double satin, featuring exceptional craftsmanship through sophisticated techniques such as draping, embroidery, and 3D origami-folded technique.

The collection was presented by top Vietnamese models such as Thanh Hang, Vo Hoang Yen and Hoang Thuy, along with celebrities like Miss Vietnam 2018 Tran Tieu Vy and Miss Universe Vietnam 2017 H’Hen Nie.

“The pandemic helped me connect with life, seeing things in a simple way. The global fashion industry is changing. Minimalism, pragmatism and sustainability are emphasised,” said Tri, who recently opened his flagship store at Hotel Continental Saigon in District 1.

Tri, a member of the Asian Couture Federation (ACF), has taken part in leading fashion events at home and abroad, including Vi?t Nam Fashion Week, London Fashion Week, Tokyo Fashion Week and the Origin Passion and Belief Fair in Vicenza, Italy.

He debuted at New York Fashion Week in 2019.

His designs have been selected by various A-list stars such as Beyonce at The Lion King premiere, Charlie Theron on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Katy Perry in her MVzImmoral Flame, Renée Elise Goldsberry and Mj Rodriguez at Emmy Awards 2021, and Regina Hall i the L’Officiel Australia Fashion Book.

In September, Hollywood Reporter named Tri, Singapore-based Dzojchen and Lagos-based Atafo as three as On-the-Rise Fashion Designers.

Born in Da Nang, Tri graduated from the HCM City University of Architecture’s Industrial Arts Faculty in 2001.

He rose to fame at school after his collection won second prize at the 2001 Asian Young Fashion Designers Contest, organised by the Textile and Fashion Federation of Singapore and the Singapore Trade Development Board.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

A documentary written and produced by Viet Nam News has won top prize at an international film festival in the US.

One Year On: The Essex Lorry Tragedy was made for the first anniversary of the deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants who were found in the back of a lorry container in Essex, UK.

Viet Nam News journalists Paul Kennedy and Ho Hoang travelled to Yen Thanh district, Nghe An province, central Vietnam, to a small community hit hard by the tragedy.

On December 18, judges at the Erie International Film Festival announced the documentary produced by the multimedia department of Viet Nam News had won first prize in the Documentary Short category.

Frank Leczner, Jr., Festival Director, said: “I am honored to congratulate Viet Nam News on creating a film so very well done, and it was my true pleasure to have had the opportunity to present it to the world.

“An incredible film, so well done by very talented filmmakers on a subject matter that was told in a truly touching, respectful, and heart-wrenching way.”

The 2021 Erie International Film Festival took place over nine days from December 10 in Pennsylvania. It featured around 60 independent movies, documentaries, animation productions and music videos.

This is now the 12th award the documentary, which was screened on VNews TV to mark the anniversary of the tragedy, has won at international festivals in a number of countries including India, Singapore and Bhutan.

Executive producer Paul Kennedy said: “It was an amazing achievement to be selected just to be screened at the 2021 Erie International Film Festival.

“To then learn our efforts were rewarded by winning the award for best of its genre, is great news. I just hope our production can go some way to highlighting the plight of the poor people who lost their lives in the back of that lorry two years ago.”

One Year on: The Essex Lorry Tragedy is available to watch exclusively in Vietnam via Galaxy Play https://galaxyplay.vn/title/one-year-on-the-essex-lorry-tragedy.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien and the Republic of Korea (RoK)’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Moon Sung-wook co-chaired the 11th meeting of the Vietnam-RoK Joint Committee on trade, industry and energy cooperation and the 5th meeting of the bilateral Joint Committee on implementation of the free trade agreement between the two countries on December 22.

The two ministers discussed measures to support enterprises in adapting to COVID-19 and maintaining operations, while seeking new motivations for the promotion of partnership between the two countries in trade, industry and energy in the time to come.

In the area of trade, the officials agreed to work together to implement measures to expand the scale of bilateral trade, including broadening the market for farm produce and settling trade barriers between the two countries.

They concurred to promptly finalise procedures for the signing of an agreement on the implementation of the cumulation of origin of textile materials between the two nations under the Vietnam-UK Free Trade Agreement and continue to coordinate closely in implementing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

In the area of industry, the two ministers agreed to strengthen cooperation to connect the supply chains between the two countries and support enterprises to optimise advantages from FTAs that both countries have signed through technology transfer and capacity improvement in the field of supporting industries, while supporting Vietnam in building a Law on Industry development.

In terms of energy, both sides will encourage enterprises to foster partnership in technology transfer in energy, especially new energies. Following Vietnam’s requests, the RoK’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy agreed to continue sponsoring the second phase of a project to promote the in energy efficient investment market in the industrial sector and support the national green development action program in the 2021-2025 period.

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Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien and the Republic of Korea’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Moon Sung-wook sign documents following the meetings (Photo: VNA)

At the fifth meeting of the Vietnam-RoK Joint Committee on implementation of the bilateral free trade agreement, the two ministers shared delight at the efficiency of the deal, noting that after seven years of implementing the agreement, two-way trade is estimated to rise 2.1 times from 36.5 billion USD in 2015 to 77 billion USD in 2021.

Total RoK investment in Vietnam also increased to 74.1 billion USD as of November 2021 from 36.5 billion USD in 2015.

The two ministers agreed to continue to work closely together to foster partnership in customs clearance and removing difficulties facing enterprises of both sides, creating a favourable legal corridor to optimise the advantages brought about by the FTA.

Following the two meetings, the two ministers signed four documents, including a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Industry and Trade and Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on middle and long-term cooperation in commercial urea for industrial use.

During Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue’s visit to the RoK, leaders of both sides agreed to work together towards the target of 150 billion USD in two-way trade in 2030 with trade balance.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc visited and presented gifts to the Hanoi Archdiocese and the Committee for Solidarity of Vietnamese Catholics (CSVC) in the capital city on December 23, on the occasion of the upcoming Christmas season.

The President wished Joseph Vu Van Thien, Archbishop of the Hanoi Archdiocese and Deputy Secretary General of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Vietnam, Catholic dignitaries and followers a warm and happy Christmas season.

He spoke highly of contributions of the Catholic community nationwide, including the Hanoi Archdiocese, to the country’s socio-economic, national defence-security and global integration achievements over the past years amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Vietnamese Party and State always ensure citizens’ right to freedom of belief via the Constitution and law, he said, believing that in his role, Joseph Vu Van Thien will continue encouraging Catholics to build a strong archdiocese, contributing to socio-economic development of the country and Hanoi in particular.

Joseph Vu Van Thien expressed his hope that in the near future, the country’s position and stature will further improve on international arena.

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President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and CSVC leaders (Photo: VNA)

At CSVC in the morning the same day, Phuc wished that the CSVC would continue disseminating the Party guidelines and State laws among Catholics.

Priest Joseph Tran Xuan Manh, who is also part-time Vice President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee and Chairman of the CSVC Central Committee, wished to receive further support from authorities at all levels so that the CSVC could work more effectively.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The governments of Vietnam and Australia have announced the Australia-Vietnam Enhanced Economic Engagement Strategy and a roadmap to promote trade and investment ties between the two countries in the 2021 – 2025.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Chu Hoang Long from the Australian National University (ANU), the strategy is expected to open a new chapter in the relationship between the two countries, aiming to double two-way investment and become one of the top 10 trading partners of each other.

Long said the strategy focuses on key sectors that have new market opportunities to support the two economies to recover in the COVID-19 pandemic, and promote inclusive and sustainable development with high resilience to external influences.

It emphasises the importance of complying with and strengthening a global trading system based on international rules, and is also the basis for promoting free trade and jointly addressing common challenges.

Long spotlighted the fruitful development of the Vietnam – Australia relations, saying that over the past 30 years, trade turnover between the two countries has grown rapidly.

In the first ten months of 2021, the two-way trade reached an estimated 10 billion USD, up about 50 percent year-on-year.

The two countries have built a reliable partnership, and ready to help each other in crises and unstable developments. The latest evidence is Australia’s support activities for Vietnam in preventing the COVID-19 pandemic and promoting the recovery of green economy during the health crisis.

Long stressed that there is huge potential for Vietnam and Australia to expand their trade cooperation and investment as the two economies have their own comparative advantages that are more complementary.

The expert said the cooperation between the two countries will create reciprocal products and supply chains to serve the two markets and can be exported to third markets.

The geopolitical strength of the two countries can help form a potentially great trade and investment route between the two hemispheres, Long noted, adding that the bilateral cooperation between the two countries will not only attract investment between the two countries but also can lure investment from third countries, financial institutions and international corporations.

In addition to economic ties, Vietnam and Australia are increasingly connected in social and cultural aspects. Nearly half a million people of Vietnamese origin are living in Australia, This is an important cultural and economic bridge between the two countries.

The strategy is an inevitable step in the relationship between Vietnam and Australia, Long said.

Vietnam needs to take advantage of Australia’s support to improve the investment and business environment, better the capacity to be ready for receiving technology transfer; and upgrade value chains in terms of management and technology to quickly connect with Australia’s value chains and reach out to global value chains, he went on.

Source: Vietnam News Agency