Day: September 19, 2022

Authorities in the Republic of Korea (RoK)’s Jeju province together with the ASEAN-Korea Centre started a campaign to promote the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)’s tourism sector on its popular Jeju island in mid-September.

The main feature of the campaign was an ASEAN tourism promotion vehicle (ATPV) tour that aims to increase the community’s interest and provide the latest information on tourism in the region.

The tour sent mobile vans to popular tourist attractions and schools in Jeju from September 15-18. Their stops included the Saebyul Oreum, Volcanic Cone, Dongmun traditional market, Seongsan cape, Jeju National University, and Jungmun high school.

With its theme spotlighting the exploration of ASEAN – a destination for all dreams, the ATPV organised trips around the island and events for visitors to learn more about the 10 ASEAN member countries, particularly their tourism and cultural resources.

Passengers tried their hands at mini games that offered them gifts including tickets to the ASEAN space. The space was recently inaugurated at the Jeju International Peace Center./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Thailand Supreme Court has upheld a ruling that the local unit of Toyota Motor Corp owed the government 10 billion baht (272.11 million USD) in extra taxes for importing components not subject to a reduced tariff.

The court agreed with the previous decision that the imported items should be treated as complete knock-down kits, with an 80% tariff rate, instead of as auto parts, meaning they were not eligible for a reduced rate of 30% under the Japan-Thailand Economic Partnership Agreement (JTEPA).

In a written statement, Toyota’s Thailand unit said it was paying the lower tax rate for imported Prius parts based on JTEPA, but it respected the ruling and would comply.

The additional tax was owed on more than 20,000 Prius vehicles assembled at Toyota’s Gateway factory between 2010 – 2012, according to earlier media reports.

Toyota also produces gasoline-engine and hybrid-engine Camry sedans in Thailand, which were not subject to additional tariffs because the majority of parts are procured locally./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The total number of COVID-19 infections in Vietnam rose to 11,460,227 after 1,778 new cases were reported on September 19, according to the Ministry of Health.

The number of recoveries was 10,579,588 after 559 patients fully recovered from the disease on the same day.

Meanwhile, two fatalities logged on September 19 raised the death toll to 43,141, accounting for 0.4% of the infections.

Nearly 259.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered so far

Source: Vietnam News Agency

A workshop reporting the results of a pilot project on implementing the UNESCO Thematic Indicators for Culture in the 2030 Agenda (UNESCO Culture|2030 Indicators) in Vietnam on September 19.

The event was held in both in-person and online formats in Hanoi and the central city of Hue, attracting the participation of regional and international UNESCO experts, and domestic managers and experts.

Director of the Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts Studies (VICAS) Nguyen Thi Thu Phuong said that over 10 months, the pilot project was completed at both national and local scales, with the active cooperation and support of both domestic and international agencies, organisations and individuals.

UNESCO Culture|2030 Indicators is a framework of thematic indicators which aims to measure and monitor the progress of culture’s enabling contributions to the national- and local-level implementation of the Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

It showcases the 22 indicators divided into four thematic dimensions featuring the most important aspects of sustainable development, from environmental to socio-economic affairs.

The participants’ comments on the project results as well as policy recommendations developed based on these results will help improve the quality of the project.

This will help Vietnam to contribute more effectively to the overall picture of global culture presented in a report on the UNESCO Culture 2030 Indicators to be published at the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development – MONDIACULT 2022, which will take place in Mexico from September 28-29./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

With the Government of Thailand having launched electric vehicle (EV) incentive packages benefiting both manufacturers and buyers early this year, several major corporations are pushing for production of EVs and batteries and building of charging facilities.

Thai national oil and gas conglomerate PTT Plc is one of them, who wants to revamp its corporate image as a key manufacturer in the growing electric vehicle industry.

President and chief executive Auttapol Rerkpiboon, together with subsidiaries under PTT, are pushing ahead with EV-related projects, notably those under cooperation with technology companies.

PTT has its own plans to assemble EVs, produce batteries, expand EV charging facilities, and provide EV rental services, all of which are making good progress, according to Auttapol.

PTT and Hon Hai Precision Industry, known globally as Foxconn, are jointly developing an EV production facility worth 1-2 billion USD in the Eastern Economic Corridor.

With the state’s ongoing promotion of the domestic EV industry, Auttapol said he expects many global EV manufacturers to make more investments in Thailand. PTT will initially help them with EV production, rather than spend a huge amount setting up a full-fledged facility to make EVs under a new brand, he said.

Production of EVs is scheduled to start in 2024 with a capacity of 50,000 units per year. The number is slated to rise to 150,000 per year by 2030.

PTT is growing its battery business by partnering with companies specialising in battery manufacturing, as well as conducting R&D to improve battery technology.

Arun Plus formed a joint venture with PTT’s power generation arm Global Power Synergy Plc (GPSC) to produce EV batteries using technology from Boston-based 24M Technologies Inc in the US./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired a teleconference with heads of Vietnamese representative agencies abroad on September 19 to discuss promoting economic diplomacy in the service of national development.

The teleconference, the first of its kind, was linked with cities and provinces nationwide, and 94 Vietnamese embassies and representative agencies abroad. A month ago, the PM also chaired a similar event with representatives of Vietnam trade offices abroad.

In his opening speech, the Government leader said despite rapid and complicated developments around the world, Vietnam still recorded progress in socio-economic development in the past eight months, with high economic growth and inflation under control. This was partly attributed to the efforts and determination of the diplomatic sector and Vietnamese representative agencies abroad in particular.

According to the PM, economic diplomacy has closely followed major orientations for national development and the Government’s socio-economic management focus, becoming an important driving force for rapid and sustainable development.

Amid difficulties and challenges, he required economic diplomatic activities to be more active, creative and flexible, turning risks into opportunities, for an independent and self-reliant economy with widespread, practical and effective global integration.

He asked ambassadors and leaders of ministries, agencies and firms to discuss and offer specific solutions to improve the efficiency of economic diplomatic work in the near future.

Participants shared the view that Vietnam needs to make the best use of opportunities in export, investment, tourism, sci-tech and new growth driving forces, thus pooling all possible resources for economic recovery and development.

They also suggested mechanisms, policies and measures to improve economic diplomacy at all levels at home and abroad./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has asked the Ministry of National Defence to work closely with ministries, agencies and localities to review the enforcement of legal regulations related to post-war bomb and mine clearance.

If necessary, the Ministry of National Defence has been instructed to partner with the Ministry of Justice and other relevant ministries and agencies to draft an Ordinance on overcoming the consequences of war-time bombs, mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) to submit to the Government for consideration.

Over the past more than a decade, Vietnam has cleared nearly 500,000ha of contaminated land and defused hundreds of thousands of bombs, mines and explosives.

Over 5,000 UXO victims have received medical, vocational training, job and livelihood support at a cost of more than 50 billion VND (2.17 million USD) .

Hundreds of thousands of people, especially children and residents in contaminated areas, have also learned how to avoid UXO accidents./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency