Day: May 14, 2022

The men’s gymnastics team of Singapore on May 13 grabbed its first medal since the 2015 SEA Games on home soil.

The team scored 297.65 points to secure a bronze at the ongoing SEA Games 31 while host Vietnam triumphed with 331.25 points at the competition held in Hanoi’s Quan Ngua Sports Palace.

Captain Terry Tay said regardless of the colour of the medal, it was a feat itself, saying that really has been a journey.

He was also part of the team that won bronze in the same event at the 2015 SEA Games but said the two moments could not be compared.

Each competition has its own charm and he was happy to have the current team behind him to push together, the Straits Times quoted the gymnast as saying.

SEA Games 31, themed “For a Stronger South East Asia”, is being held in Hanoi and 11 neighbouring provinces and cities until May 23.

It features 40 sports with 523 events, attracting around 10,000 participants. The biennial event was initially slated for late 2021 but delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Demand for Vietnamese dragon fruit in foreign markets is increasing, with many importers interested in high-quality fruit from Vietnam.

The Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency, the Department of Industry and Trade of southern Long An province, and the trade offices of the Vietnamese Embassies in New Zealand and Australia jointly organised an online consulting session on exporting dragon fruits to Australia and New Zealand recently.

Speaking at the event opening, Vietnamese Ambassador to New Zealand Nguyen Van Trung emphasised the importance of promoting agricultural cooperation, agricultural product trade and market opening for the strategic partnership between Vietnam and New Zealand.

Vietnam wants New Zealand to share its experience and support Vietnam in building an international brand and value chain for the global commercialisation of dragon fruit, following the successful model of New Zealand’s kiwi fruit, which is recognised worldwide.

Vietnamese trade agencies in Australia and New Zealand shared business practices and consumption habits of the regional market and trade promotion of dragon fruit.

They also suggested development orientations, including diversification of derivative product lines such as dragon fruit powder, frozen dragon fruit, dried dragon fruit, and dragon fruit juice to reduce pressure in the main cropping season.

Agencies recommended that businesses and localities develop advertising and industry branding strategies on the nutritional properties of their products to enhance consumer awareness and expand customers in addition to the traditional Asian customer group.

Deputy director of the provincial Department of Industry and Trade Chau Thi Le expressed her hope that through the session, dragon fruit producers would have more information, knowledge and opportunities to bring dragon fruit to potential markets such as Australia or New Zealand.

Dragon fruit is one of the key plants of the province. Long An ranks second in the country in terms of planting and harvesting dragon fruit with about 11,822 hectares, and the fruiting area is approximately 11,000 hectares.

The provincial dragon fruit exports are mainly fresh and frozen to many markets, including China, the Republic of Korea, the US, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and some Southeast Asian countries. The Chinese market accounts for about 80 percent of export volume.

However, recently, China’s import and export management policy, the complicated pandemic situation, and the increase in dragon fruit growing areas in China have caused many difficulties and losses for Vietnamese growers and export enterprises.

In addition to consuming and exporting fresh fruit, enterprises in Long An province also deeply process many products from dragon fruit, such as dried dragon fruit, dragon fruit wine, dragon fruit juice, mixed dragon fruit powder, and dragon fruit syrup for domestic and export demand.

The provincial Chau Thanh dragon fruit has also been granted a certificate of geographical indication registration by the Intellectual Property of Vietnam. The Tam Vu dragon fruit trademark has been protected in five countries, including the US, France, Japan, Singapore and China.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Runner Nguyen Thi Oanh on May 14 won the first gold in athletics at the 31st SEA Games on May 14, the second official day of competition, at Hanoi’s My Dinh Stadium.

Oanh defended her title in the women’s 1,500m event after finishing with a time of 4min 14.98sec.

Her teammate Khuat Phuong Anh came second in 4:26.90, and Singapore representative Goh Chui Ling was third in 4:33.41.

It was Oanh’s third time winning this event at the SEA Games. This year she ran about three seconds faster than three years ago in the Philippines.

“I am happy to win the first gold medal for Vietnam in athletics. I hope that it will be a good start for the track-and-field team. Together we will complete and exceed our assigned target,” Oanh said.

She will continue to defend her second title women’s 5,000m event in the afternoon.

Her teammate Pham Thi Hong Le will also take part in the race.

Also in the afternoon, there are many other events organised.

National champion Tran Van Dang and Luong Duc Phuoc will defend Vietnam’s title in the men’s 1,500m. Reigning champion Duong Van Thai will not compete in this SEA Games as he has not performed at his peak recently.

The 400m mixed relay team will also compete to keep the title for Vietnam. At the Manila Games, the event was organised for the first time, and Vietnam came first and set a record of 3:19.50.

Debutante Ngan Ngoc Nghi will compete in the men’s 200m.

Nguyen Hoai Van will take part in the men’s javelin.

In the triple jump, Tran Van Dien and Nguyen Thuong Duc will test their skills. Another gold for Vietnam belonged to wushu martial artist Duong Thuy Vi who succeeded in the women’s qiangshu (spear) event.

Vi topped the ranking with a 9.7-point performance, bagging her second title this Games after the first one in the jianshu (straight sword). Her teammate Nong Van Huu secured bronze in the men’s nanquan (southern boxing style).

In rowing, Pham Thi Hue won her title in the women’s single sculls at the Games in the Thuy Nguyen Boat Racing Centre in Hai Phong City.

Duo Luong Thi Thao and Dinh Thi Hao won in the lightweight women’s double sculls.

Teammates Tran Duong Nghia and Pham Manh Linh came second in the men’s pair event.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, who is accompanying Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh during his US trip, met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Washington D.C on May 13 (local time).

At the meetings, FM Son thanked the US Department of State and the US National Security Council for helping promote the Vietnam-US relations over the years, especially through the close coordination in organising the ASEAN-US Special Summit.

The two sides shared pleasure that US President Joe Biden and PM Pham Minh Chinh had a meeting on the sidelines of the summit, during which they engaged in practical discussions on the bilateral relations between the two countries as well as regional and international issues of shared concern.

FM Son expressed his delight at the positive development of the Vietnam-US comprehensive partnership over the years, as seen in mutual visits, including that by US Vice President Kamala Harris in 2021, as well as in meetings and telephone talks between officials of both sides. Therefore, bilateral cooperation in many areas such as economy, trade, COVID-19 prevention and control, education-training, science-technology, climate change response, and war aftermath settlement have been strengthened despite difficulties from COVID-19, he noted.

Son said he hopes the US Secretary of State and the National Security Advisor will continue to make positive contributions to the development of the Vietnam-US comprehensive partnership. For their part, Blinken and Sullivan said they are impressed by the breakthrough growth of Vietnam in the past years, and highly valued the important outcomes of the comprehensive partnership between the two countries.

The US officials affirmed that they hope the two sides will continue to promote their cooperation in all aspects of their comprehensive partnership.

Responding to the Vietnamese FM’s proposal to turn the US into one of the leading investors of Vietnam, Sullivan said that President Biden’s administration hope to increase investment and development cooperation with all partners in the region and the world, including Vietnam.

Secretary Blinken said that the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework is one of the US’s efforts to promote an economic mechanism that benefits all parties and responds to global economic challenges, especially during the post-pandemic period. He said he hopes to continue to hold more detailed discussions with Vietnam on the initiative’s contents.

The two sides agreed to continue working closely together at regional cooperation frameworks, especially the ASEAN and Mekong Sub-Region. Accepting the invitation of FM Son, Blinken and Sullivan said they will visit Vietnam when conditions permit.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Results of cooperation between the Ministries of Planning and Investment, as well as the Cooperation Committees of Laos and Vietnam in recent years have made important contributions to the development of the two countries’ relations, Lao Minister of Planning and Investment Khamjane Vongxa said on May 13.

In an interview granted to the media of both countries, Minister Khamjane stated that 2022 is a year of great historical significance when the Lao Party, army and people are coordinating with the Vietnamese sides in carrying out many practical activities to celebrate the Laos-Vietnam Friendship and Solidarity Year marking 60 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations and 45 years of the signing of the Treaty on Amity and Cooperation between the two countries.

In 2021, despite complicated developments of the regional and world situations, the bilateral great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation were enhanced.

This year, the two sides continue to strengthen and improve the effectiveness of cooperation mechanisms; implement joint statements, bilateral cooperation agreements and documents as well as the outcomes of visits and meetings between their leaders in appropriate forms; coordinate and effectively organise activities on the occasion of the Friendship and Solidarity Year 2022; and pay attention to preventing drug, human trafficking and smuggling crimes and illegal exploitation of natural resources, he said.

Regarding economic cooperation, the minister stated that Vietnam has to date invested in 417 projects worth 4.3 billion USD, ranking third out of 54 nations and territories pouring capital in Laos.

Last year, two-way trade hit 1.37 billion USD, up 33.3 percent year-on-year. They are striving to increase the turnover to 10-15 percent this year.

The two countries are also making efforts to promote connectivity between the two economies, including hard and soft infrastructure, especially road, railway, airport and seaport projects such as Nongkhang airport, Vung Ang 1,2,3 wharves, Laos-Vietnam railway and Hanoi-Vientiane expressway.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The fifth Vietnam-Cambodia Defence Policy Dialogue at the deputy ministerial level was held at the Hoa Lu International Border Gate’s border station in the southern province of Binh Phuoc on May 14.

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of National Defence Sen. Lt. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien and Secretary of State at the Cambodian Defence Ministry Neang Phat co-chaired the event.

The two sides underlined the significance of the dialogue, which is a key activity in the “Vietnam – Cambodia, Cambodia – Vietnam Friendship Year 2022 and took place right before the first Vietnam-Cambodia Border Defence Friendship Exchange.

During the dialogue, the two sides shared views on issues affecting the stability and peace of both Vietnam and Cambodia, as well as in the region and the world, including traditional and non-traditional security challenges, and the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic.

They reviewed the outcomes of bilateral defence cooperation, and agreed on cooperation orientations in the future.

They agreed that the two countries have coordinated well to maintain high-level meetings in flexible forms, and continued effective collaboration in education and communications on the traditional friendship between the two countries and armies.

The border management and protection work was implemented actively, while the search for and repatriation of remains of Vietnamese voluntary soldiers and experts who died in wartime in Cambodia made progress.

Regarding cooperation orientations in the coming time, the two sides reached a consensus on coordinating to effectively implement the plan to organize activities in the Vietnam – Cambodia, Cambodia – Vietnam Friendship Year 2022, and effectively maintaining the current bilateral defence cooperation mechanisms, especially the Defence Policy Dialogue at the deputy ministerial level.

They agreed to continue promoting cooperation between border management forces through such forms as sharing information and organising joint patrols, to prevent and control crimes and illegal entry and exit activities. The two sides will also coordinate in preventing diseases; and in multilateral mechanisms and forums.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said he hopes major powers, who are all partners to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), to work towards stable relations and responsible, healthy competition, for the sake of regional and global peace and security.

The Vietnamese Government leader made the statement as he addressed the highly anticipated ASEAN – US Special Summit on May 13 (US time). The summit includes a meeting between ASEAN leaders and US President Joe Biden, a session between ASEAN leaders and US Vice President Kamala Harris on maritime security and COVID-19, and a session between ASEAN leaders and the US cabinet on climate, clean energy, and infrastructure.

US leaders have announced a range of proposals and initiatives for cooperation with ASEAN. The US will invest 40 million USD to finance the development of clean energy infrastructure, another 40 million USD to strengthen maritime cooperation, 150 million USD to implement the ASEAN-US Health Futures initiative, provide support for ASEAN’s climate change response capacity enhancement and infrastructure development, and 70 million USD for educational programmes and people-to-people exchanges.

ASEAN leaders thanked the US for its proactive support in responding to COVID-19, helping to improve disease response capacity, providing vaccines, and recently establishing the Southeast Asia Regional Office of the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Hanoi, Vietnam. ASEAN member states expect the US to continue backing ASEAN’s pandemic prevention initiatives. Recognising that the global and regional situation continues to witness complicated developments with many new challenges arising, ASEAN and the US affirmed to work closely together to contribute to the maintenance of peace, security and stability in the region, including security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Sea. The US affirmed its support for ASEAN’s stance on the East Sea issue, welcomed ASEAN’s efforts to promote cooperation, dialogue, and confidence-building in the region, and strive to build an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in line with international law, and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Regarding the situation in Myanmar, the countries called for restraint, reducing tensions and violence, ensuring people’s safety and the full implementation of ASEAN’s Five-point Consensus, and welcomed the ASEAN Chair’s efforts to support Myanmar in stabilising the situation and finding sustainable solutions to current problems.

With regard to Ukraine, as for all nations, the US and ASEAN reaffirmed their respect for sovereignty, political independence, and territorial integrity, while calling for compliance with the UN Charter and international law to peacefully handle conflicts.

During the session chaired by US President Joe Biden, PM Pham Minh Chinh thanked the warm and stately welcome of the US.

Looking back on the past 45 years, ASEAN-US cooperation had made great strides, making important contributions to promoting dialogue, building trust, and maintaining peace, security, stability, and development in the region, he noted.

In the face of complex and unpredictable developments in the region and the world, PM Chinh emphasised the need to continue to promote frank dialogue on the basis of trust and responsibility, solidarity, cooperation, controlling disagreements and upholding the law, to contribute to the realisation of a world of peace, stability, cooperation, and prosperous development.

PM Chinh expressed his hope that major powers and ASEAN’s partners, could bring their relations into a stable state in a healthy and responsible manner, and at the same time contribute to Southeast Asia in keeping with the spirit of transparency, constructiveness, with the utmost respect for ASEAN’s central role, full consultation with ASEAN, respect for international law, to help contribute to peace, security, and stability in the region and the world.

Vietnam reaffirmed ASEAN’s principled stance on the East Sea issue, emphasising the peaceful resolution of all disputes and differences based on international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS.

PM Chinh said Vietnam welcomed all partners’ support for ASEAN to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and to build an effective and substantive COC consistent with international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS.

At the Summit’s session on maritime security and COVID-19, PM Chinh welcomed the US initiatives to strengthen maritime cooperation with the region.

He also stressed that all countries, including ASEAN countries and the US, shared the importance and interests in guaranteeing peace, stability, security, safety, freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Sea, considered a major lifeline of the world’s maritime trade.

PM Chinh thanked the US for its support for Vietnam’s COVID-19 pandemic response, including the provision of COVID-19 vaccines for Vietnam.

Mentioning Vietnam’s achievements in pandemic control and the ongoing economic recovery, the Vietnamese Government leader emphasised building a global approach to addressing global issues.

PM Chinh stated that the pandemic had an impact on everyone, so it was necessary to have a people-centric approach, with consideration to the health and lives of the people being the top priority, and that people should be placed at the centre of pandemic response and in the post-pandemic recovery processes.

He urged the US to continue to support ASEAN in disease prevention and control, especially in the transfer of vaccine and medication production technology, improving healthcare system capacity and healthcare workers’ quality, as well as assist ASEAN countries, including Vietnam, in taking care of and providing support for the vulnerable groups most affected by COVID-19.

Addressing the session on climate, PM Chinh expressed his hope that the US would continue to advance effective cooperation within the frameworkof the Mekong-US Partnership, contributing to ensuring equitable and sustainable development in the region.

The Vietnamese PM also praised countries’ cooperative efforts in responding to climate change, through economic structural transformation, application of scientific and technical advances, development of renewable energy, promotion of clean energy transition, the building of high-quality infrastructure, and shifts towards green and sustainable development.

At the end of the Special Summit, the leaders of the countries adopted a Joint Vision Statement reflecting the results achieved in the past 45 years and setting future directions.

In particular, US and ASEAN are committed to establishing an ASEAN-US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership that is substantive, effective and mutually beneficial at the 10th ASEAN-US Summit slated for November 2022, and look forward to the early completion of the necessary procedures.

Source: Vietnam News Agency