Day: January 6, 2022

More than 1.4 million Vietnamese were unemployed in 2021, up 203,700 from the previous year or 17 percent, due to impacts of the worst-ever fourth wave of COVID-19 infections for months, data from the General Statistics Office (GSO) showed.

The new strategy on flexibly living with the pandemic has allowed the labour market to rebound in the final quarter of last year, GSO Deputy General Director Nguyen Trung Tien told a press conference announcing the labour data in Q4 of 2021 and Vietnam’s Human Development Index from 2016 – 2020 held in Hanoi on January 6.

The workforce of 15 years old and above reached 50.7 million in Q4, an increase of 1.7 million or 3.47 percent from the previous quarter. However, the figure is 1.4 million or 2.7 percent lower than the same period of 2020, he noted.

The workforce participation rate was 67.7 percent in the last quarter of 2021, up 2.1 percentage points quarter-on-quarter but down 2.6 percentage points year-on-year. The rate was higher in rural areas (69.3 percent) than urban areas (65.3 percent).

Compared to Q3, the number of workers in the informal sector rose by 7.4 percent to 19.4 million in Q4.

“It is obvious that the labour market was recovering but the recovery was not sustainable,” Tien said.

The workforce of 15 years old and above in 2021 was 50.5 million, down 791,600 from 2020. The urban workforce reached 18.6 million, accounting for 36.8 percent of the total. There were 23.5 million female workers nationwide, presenting 46.5 percent of the workforce.

According to the GSO, monthly income averaged 5.3 million VND (232.91 USD) in Q4, up 139,000 VND quarter-on-quarter but down 624,000 VND year-on-year. The average monthly income was 5.7 million VND for the whole year, down 32,000 VND year-on-year./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Singapore is hoped to invest in and partner with the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho in sectors that the latter boasts strength in, Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Le Quang Manh said on January 6.

He made the remark during a working session with representatives of the Consulate-General of Singapore in HCM City.

The cooperation fields, including the 500-ha Vietnam-Singapore industrial park project in Vinh Thanh district, are believed to turn Can Tho into a hub of the Mekong Delta, Manh added.

Singapore has successfully rolled out an educational project in the city and is encouraged to expand investment in the field, given that Can Tho has been an educational hub in the Mekong Delta.

Local authorities also welcome Singaporean investors in the fields of health care and renewable energy, particularly investing in the station No.5 of the O Mon thermal power plant and semiconductor factories so as to replace fossil fuel and reduce carbon emissions.

Singapore has been the leading foreign investor of Vietnam in the past two years, primarily in industrial parks and financial and logistics services, among others.

For his part, Consul General of Singapore Ngee Seng Roy pledged that he will call on Singaporean companies to study projects in Can Tho.

The Singaporean side stands ready to support Can Tho in health care and aviation, as well as arrange in-person and online exchanges to attract more projects to the city in the coming time./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The first regular flight between the Republic of Korea (RoK) and Vietnam, which was operated by national flag carrier after two years of hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, landed safely at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi at 12:43pm on January 6.

The flight VN417 carrying 63 passengers departed from Incheon International Airport in Seoul.

Nguyen Huy Duc, head of Vietnam Airlines’ branch in the RoK, said Vietnam Airlines is the first Vietnamese carrier to resume regular flights between the two countries. There is high demand for returning to the homeland, especially when Tet (Lunar New Year) is approaching, he said.

In the beginning stage, Vietnam Airlines will operate two flights per week between Seoul and Hanoi but the carrier is ready to add more flights if permitted.

To ensure the safety of the flights, the airline always strictly adheres to regulations on COVID-19 prevention and control, he said.

Pham Thi Luong, a passenger on the flight, said she was glad to return to Vietnam after two years. It was easy to buy the ticket and complete necessary procedures so people feel secure to come back to the homeland for reunion with their relatives on the Tet holidays, she said.

The flight is part of a plan to restore regular international flights with a high safety level, starting from January 1, 2022, which has been approved by the Government.

This policy aims to restore international passenger transport activities, promoting economic recovery and tourism as well as creating conditions for Vietnamese citizens to return home to celebrate the Lunar New Year./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Brigade 171 from the High Command of Naval Zone 2 will visit and deliver New Year (Tet) gifts to officers and soldiers on the DK1 platforms, on-duty ships and officials on Con Dao island district.

According to the High Command, two delegations from the High Command will set out on January 8, carrying over 400 gifts donated by individuals, organisations and businesses and nearly 35 tonnes of goods of various types such as necessities and food, along with materials to make traditional Tet dishes and flowers.

Tet gifts to be delivered to staff of DK1 platforms, Con Dao island hinh anh 2

Brigade 171 from the High Command of Naval Zone 2 will visit and deliver New Year (Tet) gifts to officers and soldiers on the DK1 platforms (Photo: VNA)

DK1 is a group of economic, scientific and technical service stations set up in 1989 on Vietnam’s southern continental shelf.

Over the past more than three decades, DK1 platforms have always stood firmly as a steel belt, not only helping develop marine economic activities but also contributing to safeguarding national sovereignty over seas and islands./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh has signed a resolution on the issuance of a government action programme to continue accelerating the implementation of the Politburo’s directions regarding overseas Vietnamese (OV) affairs in the 2021-2026 period.

The programme aims to specify tasks and solutions given by the Politburo in the field, and define the detailed responsibilities of each ministries, sectors, agencies and localities.

Accordingly, ministries, ministry-level agencies, government agencies and People’s Committees of centrally-run cities and provinces were asked to step up the popularisation of the Politburo’s Conclusion No. 12-KL/TW on OV affairs in the new situation; enhancing their sense of responsibility in implementing the policy of national solidarity and harmony with Vietnamese communities abroad; applying measures to support Vietnamese associations and OVs abroad; completing the legal system in the field; and encouraging and creating favourable conditions for OVs to make contributions to the cause of national construction and defence.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was tasked with building and implementing a project on promoting the mobilisation of OVs in the new situation, designing policies to support OVs and attracting resources from the Vietnamese communities abroad for national development.

Action programme aims to promote overseas Vietnamese-related affairs hinh anh 2

Thanh Ha thieu litchi in Thanh Binh Jeune supermarket in Paris. (Photo: VNA)

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Security was assigned to build a coordination mechanism to minimise legal violations committed by OVs in host countries, while the Ministry of Planning and Investment was directed to expand the Vietnamese startup and renovation network, and the Ministry of Industry and Trade was requested to promote the role of OVs in introducing Vietnamese products abroad.

Localities nationwide were asked to make a list of prioritised areas for attracting resources from the Vietnamese communities overseas, and plans to coordinate with the communities in promoting their potential and advantages in foreign countries.

At the same time, the Ministry of Home Affairs was urged to make timely response to issues related to religious and belief demands of the communities, and the Ministry of Education and Training was directed to increase the number of scholarships for OVs./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Vietnamese Government and the World Bank (WB) have signed a 126.9 million USD financing agreement to improve access to infrastructure, connectivity and reduce flood risk in the urban core of Vinh Long city in the Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long, the WB said on January 6.

The 126.9 million USD credit is provided through the WB’s International Development Association (IDA). The project is being co-financed by a 19.5 million USD grant from the Development Related Infrastructure Investment Vehicle (DRIVE), a facility provided by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The balance of the project cost is to be funded by the Vietnamese Government.

Vinh Long City is strategically located along the economic corridor that connects Ho Chi Minh City with the Mekong Delta, and has great potential to become a regional hub for agribusiness, trade, and tourism. However, flooding and poor environmental sanitation are major impediments holding back the city’s development. Located at a low elevation on the Tien River plain, about 60 percent of the city is prone to flooding.

The Vinh Long City Urban Development and Enhanced Climate Resilience Project, at a total cost of 202.2 million USD, will help remove physical constraints to development in the urban core area through the development of flood control systems, drainage, wastewater collection and treatment, and investment in key urban roads.

According to the WB, nearly half of the project’s funding will be used to develop flood risk mitigation measures, including embankments and tidal sluice gates, rehabilitation and upgrades of the canal and drainage system, and investments in green infrastructure to retain and infiltrate rainwater. The project will also support the building of three strategic roads that will improve the inter-city connectivity and further enhance the city’s flood protection capacity.

This project will further improve urban management and planning through investments in data, information and communication technology. Key components will include an integrated flood risk management information system, a geospatial data sharing platform, information, education, and communication campaigns, and improved transportation management./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency