Day: September 9, 2022

The following is a list of selected news summaries last night by the Vietnam News Agency.

– President Nguyen Xuan Phuc hosted separate receptions in Hanoi on September 8 for the Ambassadors of the UK, Norway, Denmark and Czech Republic, who came to present their credentials. Read full story

– Chairman of the National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue received Chairman of the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade (INTA) Bernd Lange on September 8, highlighting his hope that Vietnam – EU relations will be increasingly reinforced and substantive. Read full story

– Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc has stressed that Vietnam is ready to promote comprehensive partnership with the US in an effective and practical manner on the basis of respecting each other’s independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and political regime. Read full story

– The Vietnamese Foreign Ministry has suggested measures to the Government to open the door to foreign tourists, experts and investors, including resuming visa waivers for citizens from 13 countries and visas for foreigner tourists, said deputy spokesperson Doan Khac Viet. Read full story

– A Vietnamese language faculty will be opened at the Royal University of Phnom Penh, deputy spokesman of the Foreign Ministry Doan Khac Viet said on September 8.

Viet said at the ministry’s regular press briefing that Vietnam and Cambodia are close neighbours whose peoples and governments want to promote extensive cooperation in all fields, including education and training. Read full story

– Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City’s Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen held a meeting on September 8 with visiting Governor of Phnom Penh Khuong Sreng, during which both emphasised the importance of educating younger generations on the special Vietnam- Cambodia relationship.

Welcoming the governor’s working visit on the occasion of the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Year, Nen considered it a vivid manifestation of the two countries’ time-honoured friendship, thus contributing to strengthening the relations between the two cities. Read full story

– A delegation of Da Nang city led by Vice Secretary of its Party Committee and Chairman of the People’s Council Luong Nguyen Minh Triet paid a working visit to the United Kingdom (UK) from September 6-8, with the aim to promote cooperation with partners and businesses in the fields of tourism, investment, finance, education and health. Read full story

– A ceremony was held on September 8 in Hanoi to launch the Day for Honouring Vietnamese Language in Vietnamese Communities Abroad (September 8).

Addressing the event, Deputy Foreign Minister and Chairman of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs (COVA) Pham Quang Hieu underlined that for more than 5.3 million Vietnamese living and working in over 130 countries and territories worldwide, the Vietnamese language is a national pride, a bond of the community and bridge and a firm pillar of the Vietnamese culture. Read full story

– Low-cost carrier Bamboo Airways was the most punctual airline in the first eight months of this year, with an on-time performance (OTP) rate of 95.2%, or 31,957 flights, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam. Bamboo Airways has held the title since 2019. Read full story

– An Ireland-Vietnam Agriculture Conference was organised in Hanoi on September 8 under the theme “The Adoption of Agritech 4.0”.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Duy Dong emphasised that Vietnam’s agriculture still has ample room for development, especially in organic and processed products with high added value and high technology application. Read full story

– Ho Chi Minh City’s districts and Thu Duc city have basically completed housing rental payments for workers in accordance with the Prime Minister’s Decision dated March 28, 2022, reported the municipal Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs on September 8.

Accordingly, localities disbursed over 945 billion VND (41 million USD), or over 96% of the adjusted funding, to support more than 1.6 million workers. Read full story./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

A total of 3,649 new COVID-19 cases were recorded on September 9, according to the Ministry of Health.

The new infections brought the country’s total caseload since the pandemic broke out to 11,435,472.

Also on September 9, 17,576 patients were declared to recover from the disease, lifting the total number of recoveries to 10,278,977.

Meanwhile, the death toll was kept at 43,126, accounting for 0.4% of the total infections.

More than 258.22 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered so far./

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Samsung Vietnam on September 8 cooperated with the Republic of Korea’s Food for the Hungry International (KFHI) to officially inaugurate “Samsung Hope School” in Trung Cap village, Mai Pha commune, the northern province of Lang Son on the occasion of the new school year.

Officially starting construction in November 2021, the school covers an area of 7,402sq.m, including a 2-storey classroom building, a welfare building, a multi-purpose house, a football field and outdoor play areas. Funds for renovation, construction of facilities, procurement of equipment and costs of project implementation management are sponsored by Samsung Vietnam.

Samsung Hope School in the province is the 4th school completed and put into operation in the Samsung Hope School chain in Vietnam after schools in Bac Ninh, Thai Nguyen and Bac Giang.

This school will be a completely free after-school extracurricular learning place for about 300 disadvantaged students from elementary to junior high in the province.

Like other Samsung Hope Schools, students at Lang Son Hope School will also participate in the “Child Development Programme (CDP)”.

This programme not only provides students with learning opportunities to approach science and technology, such as informatics, programming, and career experiences, but also provides opportunities to learn specific talents, foreign languages such as English and Korean, music, art, and physical education.

In addition, students will be able to participate in sexual health education programmes, periodical health checks, community support activities around the school such as medical support activities, health checkups and free medicine distribution.

Choi Joo Ho, President of Samsung Vietnam said: “I feel very happy. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the Samsung Hope School in Lang Son province was completed after only nine months. More specifically, when our school is put into operation on the occasion of the new school year, it helps to double the joy of the students’ back-to-school day. Samsung will make continuous efforts so that students can maximise their potential talents and creativity, realise their dreams, and become the owners of the future.”

Samsung Hope School is one of many key social responsibility projects with the mission of spreading knowledge, sharing vision and creating the future for the young generation in Vietnam. The project hopes to contribute to improving living and learning conditions for local students with difficult circumstances and poor students; thereby contributing to the development of local education, especially primary education and lower secondary education./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi police have launched criminal proceedings against and temporarily detained a man residing in Mo Lao ward of Ha Dong district for anti-State propaganda.

Phan Son Tung, born in 1984, faces the charge of “making, storing, distributing or spreading information, documents, products against the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam” as regulated in Article 117 of the 2015 Penal Code, the Hanoi Department of Public Security said on September 9.

The decisions were approved by the municipal People’s Procurary./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Thuan An ward in Phu Vang district is set to become a major urban area in the east of Thua Thien-Hue province, home to the UNESCO-recognised imperial citadel of Hue, heard a recent symposium held in the central locality.

Speaking at the September 8 function on the Thuan An estuary in the ward, Secretary of the Hue city Party Committee Phan Thien Dinh said the province is building routes from Hue to Thuan An, a bridge spanning over the estuary and coastal roads.

The province has also upgraded infrastructure for marine services, called for investments in big hotel projects, and boosted the development of Thuan An Port, the official continued.

Participants at the event highlighted the significance of the estuary to local economy, and opined on the strategy on preserving and promoting cultural values in Thuan An.

Associate Prof. Do Bang, Vice President of the Vietnam Association of Historical Sciences, said under the Nguyen dynasty (1802-1945), Thuan An had a dense defence network formed by Tran Hai citadel and Hoa Duan fortress connected with dams.

The system was consolidated after French colonialists began to invade Thua Thien-Hue’s neighbouring Da Nang city, he said.

Participants suggested local authorities develop new and attractive tourism products./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Ambassador Bonnie Denise Jenkins, US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs, paid a working trip to the central province of Quang Tri on September 9 to learn about its post-war recovery.

Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Hoang Nam presented results of the cooperation between Quang Tri and international and foreign non-profit organisations in addressing the consequences of bombs and mines left from war.

He said according to a report by the Vietnamese Defence Ministry in 2017, Quang Tri was the province most affected by bombs and mines, which scattered 81.36% of the province. From 1996 till July 2022, the province raised over 146,6 million USD from international and foreign non-profit organisations for post-war mine clearance, and so far 275.85 million sq.m have been cleared.

Since 1996, the US Government has assisted Quang Tri in clearing bombs and mines, building schools for the disabled and medical stations, and improving the emergency response capacity at a total cost of around 91.1 million USD.

Nam asked the US Department of State to continue funding clearance projects in Quang Tri via foreign non-profit organisations, helping the province improve the capacity of coordinating bomb and mine clearance, and launch projects in support of Agent Orange victims.

Jenkins said she wished to work more closely with the locality to address bomb and mine consequences, while praising women’s role in the effort.

During the trip, Jenkins visited a mine disposal site in Trieu Son commune, Trieu Phong district; the Office of the Peace Trees Vietnam, and held a working session with the Quang Tri Mine Action Centre./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

A workshop aiming to promote trade connection between Vietnamese and Egyptian businesses was held in Cairo on September 8, attracting those specialising in agricultural products, seafood, construction material, household plastic, paper, packaging and fertiliser.

Ambassador Nguyen Huy Dung said there is great potential for enterprises of the two sides to further expand cooperation, suggesting they work closely to lift the bilateral trade to a higher level.

He underlined the need to enhance the exchange of market information between the two countries’ business communities, affirming that the embassy is always ready to create all favourable conditions for information connection between Vietnamese and Egyptian firms.

Representatives from Egyptian companies said they are especially interested in Vietnam’s agricultural and seafood products, and wish to promote business opportunities with Vietnamese partners.

Meanwhile, Vietnamese businesses also have high expectations for business cooperation opportunities with Egyptian partners.

The Egyptian side said they are willing to support Vietnamese businesses in finding investment and business opportunities in the Egyptian market through strengthening connection between the business communities of the two countries.

Previously, a working delegation of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and Vietnamese enterprises had a meeting with the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce to learn about mechanisms and policies related to import and export, and share information about the need of the two markets./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and the Department of Tourism of Ho Chi Minh City held a seminar on promoting Indian and Middle East tourism on September 9 within the framework of the 16th Ho Chi Minh City International Tourism Expo (ITE HCMC 2022).

Statistics from Google Trends showed that the number of searches about Vietnam from the Indian market has been increasing. This reflects the demand from India, which has a population of more than 1.3 billion and will become the most populous country in the world by 2023 with more than 1.4 billion people.

By the year-end, there will be 21 direct air routes, with over 60 flights per week, connecting Vietnam with India.

There are also direct flights linking Vietnam’s major cities such as Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City with the capitals of Middle East countries.

VNAT Deputy General Director Ha Van Sieu said that India and the Middle East are considered potential markets that need to be prioritised in the Vietnam Tourism Development Strategy by 2030.

To attract more tourists from the Middle East and India, some experts and businesses participating in the seminar suggested that the Vietnamese tourism industry should regularly organise large-scale international tourism fairs and invite tour operators from Middle Eastern countries to attend; intensify communications about Vietnam’s tourism sector such as broadcasting videos on regional television channels, and through travel bloggers and key opinion leaders, and join international tourism expos in the Middle East.

Tran Duc Hung, Vietnamese Ambassador to Qatar, said that tourists from the Middle East and India prefer to go to private beach resorts and combine traveling to find commercial and investment opportunities, and therefore prefer not to travel in tour groups./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency