Day: November 11, 2022

A drawing contest with the theme of conserving the sea, protecting endangered, precious and rare aquatic species for future generations has been launched by the Directorate of Fisheries (DoF) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

 

The contest aims to enhance the community’s understanding of the importance of the conservation of endangered, precious and rare aquatic species.

 

Tran Dinh Luan, DoF’s director general, said that Vietnam has a high biodiversity, rich aquatic resources, and many important marine ecosystems distributed along the length of the coast and around the islands. However, the fast population growth, increasing demand for economic development, over-exploitation of aquatic resources and tourism activities at the sea have caused negative impacts on marine ecosystems and a decline in aquatic resources, he said.

 

Luan said the contest is expected to popularise messages and actions on the protection of aquatic resources as well as seek initiatives to preserve the resources at localities.

 

According to the contest’s organisation board, entries should focus on daily activities in marine protected areas, Do’s and Don’ts in marine protected areas, as well as ideas and solutions to build sustainable marine protected areas and activities to protect and regenerate endangered, precious and rare aquatic species.

 

The contest is open to Vietnamese citizens of all ages at home and abroad. Participants should submit their entries from November 9 until December 9 and the results are expected to be announced on December 26 this year.

 

The entries can be submitted directly or by post to Nong Nghiep Vietnam [Vietnam Agriculture] newspaper at No 14 Ngo Quyen Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

 

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on November 10 signed an official dispatch requiring all ministries, sectors and localities to speed up the disbursement of public investment in the remaining months of 2022 and the first months of the following year.

 

In the document, the Government leader noted that in the remaining months of this year, amidst more complicated developments of the world situation, the Vietnamese economy is forecast to face a lot of difficulties and challenges, especially in the financial and monetary market, and import-export activities.

 

To maintain the recovery momentum and gain an economic growth rate of about 8% in 2022, administrations at all levels and sectors need to focus on accelerating the disbursement of public investment, considering this as a driving force for growth and a key political task, thus contributing to promoting the effective coordination between fiscal, monetary and other macroeconomic policies, in order to stabilise the macro economy, control inflation, and promote growth in the last months.

 

This year, ministries, sectors and localities are determined to disburse 95-100% of public investment sourced from State budget. However, as of October 31, only 51.34% of the capital had been disbursed.

 

To achieve the set target, the Prime Minister asked for more drastic, concerted, prompt and effective measures, with a focus placed on settlement of site clearance, compensation and resettlement support in a timely and correct manner, ensuring compliance with the law, and harmonising the interests of the State and people.

 

It is necessary to strengthen discipline in public investment disbursement, and prepare all the best conditions to quickly complete investment procedures, he stressed./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Son Tay ancient fortress citadel, covering 16 ha in Son Tay township 40km from Hanoi’s centre, not only bears historic value, but also catches attention for its unique architecture.

 

The site marks its 200 years of existence this year, with an official celebration slated for November 12 in a bid to raise the public awareness on heritage protection and preservation and stimulate tourism demand.

 

According to historical documents, Son Tay Citadel was built in 1822 during the reign of Minh Mang Emperor (1791-1841) under the Nguyen Dynasty. It was built entirely of laterite, a material that meets the requirements of a defensive building and was available in the locality.

 

Following the style of France’s Vauban architecture, each side of the square citadel was about 400m long and 5m high. The citadel had four gates facing east, west, south and north, called the Front (Tien), the Back (Hau), the Right (Huu) and the Left (Ta). Each entrance had a guard tower.

 

Many great events related to the Nguyen’s fighting against French colonialism in Vietnamese history took place in the citadel, reflecting its critical significance in guarding the northern plains and midlands and backing the Northwest border.

 

After nearly 200 years and with much devastation, only a few relics are left, including an octagonal 18-meter-high flag tower, some stretches of the citadel walls, the citadel gates, guard towers, Kinh Thien’s Palace platform, two cannons and some ruins at Vong Lau, the foundation of Kinh Thien palace and the wells.

 

Due to its important cultural, historical and unique construction techniques, the Governor General of Indochina granted it with relic statues in 1924. It was later recognised as a national historical relic by the Ministry of Culture and Information (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) in 1994.

 

Carrying out research on Son Tay Citadel for many years, President of the Vietnam Archaeological Association Tong Trung Tin said that the site represents a period when ramparts were built the most in Vietnam, given the context of colonisation taking place all over the world. Experiencing many ups and downs, Son Tay Citadel still retains the best vestiges, demonstrating the construction techniques of defensive military works in the North. Meanwhile, most of the other citadels have basically lost all of their traces.

 

Echoing the view on the site’s value, Nguyen Huy Khanh, former Vice Chairman of Son Tay town People’s Committee, said the conservation of the citadel has received significant investment from the State and the support of the local people over the past time.

 

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Visitors at the site (Photo: VNA)

 

Currently, a pedestrian walking area has been formed around the fortress, the fourth of its kind in the capital city. The space attracts about 25,000-30,000 visitors at weekends after its launch in April 2022.

 

The old citadel today impresses visitors with its serenity and calm. Ancient trees give it shade all year round; lotus ponds, and green grass create a picturesque site.

 

Nguyen Thi Toan, a 70 years old resident in Son Tay town’s Phu Thinh ward, said that on weekends, the citadel is crowded with tourists. Locals’ income and living standards have been improved thanks to business activities from tourism, she added.

 

Secretary of the Son Tay Party Committee Tran Anh Tuan said the locality is implementing various measures to promote the heritage, including the compiling of a dossier for it to be recognised as a special national relic site.

 

Vice Chairman of the Son Tay People’s Committee Le Dai Thang said a series of enticing cultural, tourism and sport events are scheduled for the marking of the site’s 200th anniversary. Highlights among them are a photo exhibition and a hot air balloon festival./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Measures to remove obstacles in procedures in applying for work permits and visas for foreign labourers, especially those from the Republic of Korea (RoK), were discussed at an event in Ho Chi Minh City on November 10.

 

Cao Thi Phi Van, Vice Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Investment and Trade Promotion Centre (ITPC), said that since Vietnam and the RoK set up diplomatic relations in 1992, their partnership has grown fast and strongly, especially in investment and trade.

 

She noted that RoK’s investment in Ho Chi Minh City has risen impressively recently despite impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

As of October 2022, the RoK had been the largest investor in the city with 2,027 projects worth over 5.4 billion USD, accounting for 9.81% of the total FDI amount.

 

She noted that the local administration has provided great support to foreign enterprises, while improving its business environment to attract more investors.

 

Han Jae-jin, Vice President of the Korea Chamber of Business and Industry in the South & Middle of Vietnam (KOCHAM), highly valued the local administration’s efforts and its willingness to listen to and support businesses in dealing with their difficulties.

 

At the meeting, Korean firms suggested that immigration management agencies of Vietnam allow them to use visa application service or designate reputable service companies to carry out the application process.

 

Nguyen Phan Hoa, deputy head of the Foreigner Management Division at the Vietnam Immigration Department in Ho Chi Minh City, said that the Immigration Law of Vietnam stipulates that guaranteeing agencies, organisations and individuals must directly submit dossiers at the Immigration Department. If there are difficulties in preparing documents, businesses can contact consulting services for assistance, he said.

 

Hoa also answered questions on what cases dossiers must be submitted at the Immigration Division and what case at the Immigration Department, the extension of visas for processing work permit application.

 

Nguyen Van Lam, Vice Director of the HCM City Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, said that the department is preparing to provide level-4 online public services, allowing the issuance of work permits online, which means people can submit their dossiers and receive response at home.

 

This will help limit problems arising during direct contact and enhancing transparency during the process, thus creating favourable conditions for businesses and investors to invest in the city, he said./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s official visit to Vietnam from November 13-14 will open up a new chapter in the two countries’ friendship and cooperation, showing the joint commitment and determination to lift the ties to a new height.

 

The statement was made by Vietnamese Ambassador to Germany Vu Quang Minh in an interview granted to Vietnam News Agency correspondents in Berlin on the threshold of the visit.

 

Minh said that the visit is of great significance to the bilateral relationship, as Vietnam and Germany are successfully implementing their Strategic Partnership Agreement over the past decade as well as gaining great achievements in economic and trade cooperation after more than two years enforcing the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

 

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Vietnamese Ambassador to Germany Vu Quang Minh (Photo: VNA)

 

This is also the first high-level visit between the two countries five years after Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s visit to Germany in 2017.

 

Olaf Scholz’s trip also demonstrates Germany’s growing interest in and the importance it attaches to Southeast Asia, particularly Vietnam – a reliable and stable partner of Germany in the region and the world, he added.

 

The diplomat stated that on this occasion, Vietnam and Germany will officially approve an Action Plan for 2023-2024 to promote the bilateral Strategic Partnership, and put forward a long-term vision for the ties from now to 2030 and beyond.

 

The two sides will also have in-depth discussions on measures to promote bilateral cooperation in important areas such as sustainable development, climate change response, energy transition, green and renewable energy development, vocational training and education, information technology, manufacturing, agricultural product processing and chemicals.

 

Germany remains Vietnam’s biggest trade partner in the European Union, while Vietnam has risen to become Germany’s largest trade partner in Southeast Asia.

 

Over a decade after the establishment of the bilateral strategic partnership, two-way trade has doubled. It hit 9.45 billion USD in the first nine months of this year, a year-on-year rise of 16.7%, according to Vietnam’s statistics.

 

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Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)

 

As of the end of May this year, Germany had 426 valid investment projects worth 2.31 billion USD in Vietnam, while Vietnam had 36 projects in Germany with total registered capital of 283.3 million USD.

 

Ambassador Minh noted that the two countries’ economies are highly complementary, and the challenges facing them are opening up new more opportunities for cooperation.

 

Vietnam is currently considered by German businesses and investors as a reliable partner and a leading attractive market to shift their investment and trade, or strengthen economic-trade relations.

 

He affirmed that, with the 2023-2024 Action Plan and other important frameworks, on the basis of great achievements in bilateral cooperation over the past time, Vietnam and Germany are seeing a golden opportunity to further promote cooperation in many fields, bringing the strategic partnership to a new height, not only in politics and security but also in economics, trade, science and technology, education and training, vocational training and labour cooperation./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

 

The 40th and 41st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summits officially kicked off in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on November 11 morning.

 

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh joined leaders of other ASEAN member countries, ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi, and representatives of partners and international organisations at the opening ceremony.

 

Addressing the event, Cambodian PM Samdech Techo Hun Sen highlighted the significance of the bloc’s 55th founding anniversary, which marks a long path of regional connectivity and cooperation and enhances the cohesion among ASEAN members for the common goal of peace, self-reliance, and development.

 

The 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and related summits are an occasion for countries to make review and renew determination to strive for a united, resilient, inclusive, and rules-based future, he noted.

 

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Cambodian PM Samdech Techo Hun Sen addresses the opening ceremony of the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits on November 11 morning. (Photo: VNA)

 

After three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, with solidarity and persistent efforts by each member country and the whole ASEAN, it could be said that the bloc has succeeded in surmounting the pandemic and resume economic activities, he went on.

 

The Cambodian leader stressed the need to be fully aware that ASEAN and the region are facing numerous difficulties and challenges, which urgently requires an overall approach and sound vision, orientations, and policies. This is also the theme of ASEAN in 2022 – “Addressing Challenges Together”.

 

In that context, ASEAN gives the highest priority to maintaining solidarity, unanimity, and centrality to overcome challenges together and build a resilient community for all people. Looking towards the future, the bloc should strongly uphold the values that have made its successes over the more than five decades, PM Hun Sen added.

 

After the opening ceremony, ASEAN leaders attended a plenary session of the 40th ASEAN Summit and a retreat meeting of the 41st summit./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency