Day: April 20, 2022

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Vietnamese and Italian PMs applaud progress in strategic partnership

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his Italian counterpart Mario Draghi expressed their delight at the recent strides in the strategic partnership between the two countries during their phone talks on April 20.

The two leaders agreed to increase exchanges at all levels, continue to effectively implement the action programme to deploy the strategic partnership for 2021 – 2023, as well as cooperation mechanisms such as the political consultation and the joint committee for economic cooperation, and prepare for the 50th founding anniversary of Vietnam-Italy diplomatic ties and 10 years of their strategic partnership in 2023.

They noted with satisfaction that after nearly two years since the EU – Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) took effect, bilateral trade had recorded encouraging results. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, it reached 5.6 billion USD in 2021, up 20 percent from the previous year.

PM Chinh spoke highly of Italy’s inclusion of Vietnam on its list of priority countries for trade and investment cooperation in the post-2020 period, affirming that Vietnam will create the best possible conditions for Italian businesses to expand investment in the Southeast Asian country.

He called on Italy to soon ratify the EU – Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), and urge the EU to remove the “yellow-card” warning against Vietnam’s seafood products, and recognise Vietnam’s “vaccine passports”, while providing favourable conditions for Vietnamese goods, especially agricultural and food products, and seasonal fruits, to enter the Italian market.

Agreeing with his counterpart on the proposals to further deepen the strategic partnership, PM Draghi pledged that the Italian government will push the parliament’s ratification of the EVIPA.

He noted Italian firms want to continue investing in Vietnam in the fields of renewable energy, infrastructure, water resources management, and innovation.

PM Chinh thanked Italy for its active coordination in dealing with the recent scam facing some cashew nut exporters in Vietnam. In reply, PM Draghi said his country would look into the case and has ordered relevant agencies to prevent the hand-over of cashew nut containers.

On this occasion, PM Chinh sent his sincere thanks to the Italian PM, Government, and people for their timely supply of over 2.8 million doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for Vietnam via the COVAX Facility.

During the talks, the Vietnamese leader highlighted the country’s strong commitments made at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) regarding greenhouse gas emissions and converting to a green and circular economy with the aim of achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

He asked Italy, as an important member of the G7 and the EU, to help Vietnam access finance and technology to cope with climate change, digital transformation, and develop a green economy and renewable energy.

The Italian PM highly valued Vietnam’s commitments at COP26, noting that his country is ready to assist Vietnam in equitable energy transition.

The two PMs agreed that their countries will coordinate closely at multilateral forums, including the UN, UNESCO, the Asia – Europe Meeting (ASEM), and the ASEAN – EU framework.

Besides, they also exchanged views on international and regional issues of shared concern, including the East Sea and the importance of peaceful resolution of disputes on the basis of international law and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

PM Chinh invited his counterpart to pay an official visit to Vietnam in the near future. The Italian leader accepted the invitation with pleasure and also invited PM Chinh to visit his country when possible.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

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NA Secretary General meets with Indian counterpart

National Assembly Secretary General and Chairman of the NA Office Bui Van Cuong had a meeting with Secretary General of the Indian Lok Sabha (lower house) Utpal Kumar Singh in Hanoi on April 19 within the framework of the official visit to Vietnam by Speaker of the Lok Sabha Om Birla.

During the meeting, Cuong said during the official visit of Vietnamese NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue to India in December last year, the two parliaments’ offices signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the fields of library and parliament television.

The Vietnamese official said he wishes to discuss measures to effectively implement cooperation agreements signed between the two sides with Utpal.

He suggested the two countries’ parliaments further promote the exchange of high-level delegations, cooperation in training human resources, and experience sharing among staff of the two offices.

For his part, Utpal said he agrees with cooperation proposals of the Vietnamese official, expressing the hope that the two parliament offices will expand cooperation in television and library development.

According to the guest, the Indian Parliament has its own television station serving its activities. This is a good platform to promote television cooperation between the two countries’ parliaments.

Regarding the library field, Utpal said India will complete the goal of completely digitising the parliament library in next year, adding that the digitisation and automation in the library sector is also a potential cooperation area between the two sides.

In terms of training parliamentary human resources, Utpal said his country has an agency specializing in training skills for parliamentarians. He expressed his willingness to receive and train staff of the Vietnamese NA.

The two officials expressed their belief that cooperation between the NA Office of Vietnam and the Indian Lok Sabha office will be more practical and effective in the time to come.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

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Over 484 tonnes of rice provided to needy people in Ha Giang

Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai has assigned the Ministry of Finance to provide more than 484 tonnes of rice to the northern province of Ha Giang during the between-crop period of 2022.

The rice, sourced from the national reserves, aims to support local residents to ensure no one suffers from hunger during the period.

The Deputy PM assigned the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs to allocate the rice to the locality, while asking the provincial authorities to ensure timely delivery to right beneficiaries in line with regulations.

In case Ha Giang still faces difficulties after receiving the aid, the local authorities are advised to report to the two ministries for further assistance.

In late January, the Deputy PM signed decisions on the free-of-charge provision of over 13,000 tonnes of rice sourced from the national reserves to nine provinces nationwide to support flood-hit and needy people during the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival and the between-crop period in early 2022./

Source: Vietnam News Agency

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Forum calls for OV entrepreneurs’ help with promoting Vietnamese goods, brands

The Vietnam National Brand Week 2022 kicked off in Hanoi on April 20 with a forum held to call for overseas Vietnamese (OV) entrepreneurs’ support for promoting Vietnamese goods and brands.

Addressing the week opening ceremony, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai, who is also Vice Chairman of the Vietnam National Brand Council, cited a Brand Finance report as saying that the country’s nation brand value last year grew 21.6 percent from 2020 to 388 billion USD, sustaining the 33rd position in the global rankings.

This is a considerable stepping stone for Vietnamese businesses to improve their competitiveness in the world, he said, noting that with support from the Vietnam national brand programme, many enterprises have become aware of the importance of brands so as to increase products and businesses’ value.

The official pointed out the need to pay due attention to advertise Vietnamese goods and brands via trade centres owned by OVs so as to improve their competitiveness in international markets.

Echoing the view, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Quang Hieu, Chairman of the State Committee for OV Affairs, highlighted the contributions by the 5.3 million Vietnamese people living abroad, especially the entrepreneurs working in over 100 countries and territories, to the promotion of trade, products, and brands of Vietnam.

He said with their knowledge, experience, and love for the homeland, OV entrepreneurs have surmounted numerous challenges to bring Vietnamese goods to their host countries. They have also helped domestic agencies and businesses to learn about laws and consumers’ taste in other countries.

In the time ahead, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will push ahead with economic diplomacy and coordinate with the Ministry of Industry and Trade, localities, and agencies to boost the export of Vietnamese goods to the strongly recovering markets so as to capitalise on the growth trend in the global economy, according to Hieu.

At the national brand forum, participants discussed issues that attracted many companies’ attention, including the nation brand in relation to product and enterprise brands, international experience in nation brand building, how to raise the stature of Vietnamese brands amid the integration trend, and measures for helping firms overcome challenges.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

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Hue Imperial Citadel to open night street zone from April 22

A night street zone around Hue Imperial Citadel City, a UNESCO-recognised World Cultural Heritage, will be officially launched on April 22 at Ngo Mon Square, according to the Hue City People’s Committee and the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre.

Following several postponements caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the night street zone will open from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. every Friday and Saturday.

The night street is anticipated to offer guests the opportunity to immerse themselves in the Hue royal space through unique art programmes. Coming there, visitors will also explore traditional craft products and Hue cuisine at various stalls located throughout the zone, the Voice of Vietnam (VOV) cited the organisers’ sources.

Vo Le Nhat, Chairman of the Hue City People’s Committee, said the night street zone will span across the August 23 Road and Le Huan street on a pilot basis, as well as connecting to other areas in the Hue Imperial Citadel. They include Tinh Tam Lake – Hoc Hai Lake, the Tang Tho Lau (Library), the Tran Binh Dai – Mang Ca garrison area, the Ngu Ha River, and the Thuong Thanh – Eo Bau space.

Local authorities will provide free admission to the Hue Museum of Royal Antiquities at No 3 Le Truc street in Hue City from April 17 to the end of May 17.

Throughout the year visitors will be exempt from entrance fees to tourist attractions at the Hue ancient citadel relic complex during the Lunar New Year, Thua Thien-Hue liberation day on March 26 and National Day on September 2.

Local authorities expect the launch of the night street zone will boost the nighttime economy and contribute to reviving the local tourism industry which has been seriously impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: Vietnam News Agency