Day: December 7, 2022

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong on December 7 asked the Central Public Security Party Committee and the public security forces to play a more active role in the fight against corruption and other negative phenomena.

 

Speaking at a conference of the committee in Hanoi, the leader, who is also a member of the Standing Board of the committee, asked them to continue keeping a close watch on the domestic, regional and international situation, and stay prepared for any situation.

 

He stressed the need to build the public security forces with firm political will and absolutely faithful to the country, the Party, the State, people and socialism, saying each officer and soldier should regularly study and sharpen their skills and fighting will.

 

The Party chief urged the Central Public Security Party Committee to carry forward its role of setting examples and attaches more importance to Party building, considering this a central, key task in 2023 and the following years.

 

The committee should promote its core role in directing the security and order work, contributing to effectively implementing resolutions adopted by the Party Central Committee relating to socio-economic development and ensuring national defence and security by 2030 with a vision towards 2045 for all six regions across the country, he continued.

 

At the conference, delegates reviewed the Central Public Security Party Committee’s work in 2022, decide goals and tasks for the next period and discussed documents to be submitted to the 78th national conference of public security forces.

 

Public security forces urged to play more active role in anti-corruption hinh anh 2

 

Delegates to the conference in a group photo. (Source: VNA)

 

They shared the view that the Central Public Security Party Committee has performed well their role in giving advice to the Party and the State regarding security and social order issues, and has led public security forces in ensuring national security and social order.

 

Notably, significant results have been recorded in the fight against corruption and other negative phenomena, which were recognised by the Party, the State and people.

 

The public security forces have also taken the lead in national digital transformation and the building of a digital government, digital economy and digital society, while working to consolidate the organisational apparatus and coordinating with other ministries, agencies and Party Committees of cities and provinces in ensuring security and order./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

 

 

A ceremony was held at the headquarters of the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence in Hanoi on December 7 to present Cuba’s orders to leaders, former leaders and officers of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA).

 

Specifically, the Orders of Playa Girón were granted to General Phan Van Giang, Minister of National Defence; General Luong Cuong, Director of the General Department of Politics under the Vietnam People’s Army; and General Ngo Xuan Lich, former Minister of National Defence.

 

Cuba also presented the Orders of Antonio Maceo to seven individuals, and the Friendship Orders to 23 others.

 

Speaking at the ceremony, General Giang thanked the Cuban Party, State, people and the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) for their affections and valuable rewards for officers and soldiers of the Vietnamese army.

 

He affirmed that together with the good development of the relations between the two parties and the two states, the relationship between the VPA and the FAR has always received attention by generations of the two countries’ high-ranking leaders, thus becoming an important pillar and bright spot in the bilateral ties.

 

To continue consolidating the defence cooperation in the coming time, the two sides will actively carry out collaboration activities based on signed documents and agreements, and work towards the early signing of a cooperation plan for 2023-2025.

 

Attention will be paid to maintaining existing cooperation and dialogue mechanisms, promoting the exchange of delegations at all levels, he added.

 

Cuba’s orders presented to Vietnamese army officers hinh anh 2

 

Vietnamese and Cuban delegates pose for a photo (Photo: VNA)

 

The Order of Playa Girón is conferred on Cubans, foreigners, heads of state or heads of government for their outstanding roles in the struggle against imperialism, colonialism and neo-colonialism, and who have contributed to the peace and progress of humankind. It was established in 1961 and is named after the Playa Girón, site where the Cuban army defeated the paramilitary invasion groups at the Bay of Pigs Invasion in 1961.

 

The Order of Antonio Maceo is presented to units and individuals of the FAR for their special achievements in military campaigns, outstanding combat qualities; or having merits in training and fostering commanders, contributing to the national safeguarding and development cause. It is also granted to officers and military units of foreign countries for the same purpose.

 

Meanwhile, the Order of Friendship is awarded to Cuban citizens and foreigners in recognition of their outstanding participation in the cause of building a just society and tightening solidarity, friendship, cooperation, mutual assistance between countries in the world./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

 

The 28th ASEAN Postal Business Meeting kicked off on December 7 in the central province of Binh Dinh, drawing delegates from the ten ASEAN countries namely Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam.

 

Addressing the event, Chairman of the Board of Management of Vietnam Post Corporation Nguyen Hai Thanh said that the postal sector is facing a volatile world with competition from both inside and outside and its market share is significantly reduced. Those changes force the sector to diversify services and attract companies operating in other fields to enter the postal space, he said.

 

Thanh said that the meeting offers an opportunity for the postal services of ASEAN countries to promote bilateral cooperation activities in business development, provide technical support and share experience to increase postal market share, contributing to the development of a prosperous and united postal community in the region.

 

Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Thanh Lam said that it is necessary for the postal industry to develop digital infrastructure, synchronous and modern data infrastructure. He also underlined the need to accelerate the digitisation of products and services, adapting to the competition for companies specialising in digitisation in other fields to provide further digital services to the e-government, e-commerce and e-finance.

 

During the three-day meeting, participants will discuss the implementation of multilateral cooperation and action plans adopted at the Congress of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) and the Asia-Pacific Postal Union (APPU). Particularly, the 10 ASEAN countries will mull over global postal trends; opportunities and challenges of the postal sector in the coming time and solutions to improve the quality of traditional delivery services, express mail services (EMS), stamp and value-added services.

 

The meeting will also seek initiatives and optimal solutions to ensure the harmonious interests of member countries in jointly cooperating and developing ASEAN postal services.

 

Earlier, the Vietnam Post Corporation hosted the 7th edition of the meeting in Hanoi in 2000 and the 17th edition in Da Nang in 2010./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Vietnam Coast Guard (VCG) and the China Coast Guard (CCG) held high-level talks on promoting cooperation in maritime law enforcement in the region within the framework of an exchange programme in Hanoi on December 7.

 

Representatives of the two agencies exchanged and studied important common perceptions at the talks between party and state leaders of the two countries on October 30, as well as related contents at the “joint statement on continuing to promote and deepen the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership” issued on November 11.

 

They reviewed cooperation activities in 2022, and initially agreed on the cooperation plan in 2023.

 

Since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, the two sides have overcome difficulties, flexibly adapted to the pandemic and applied practical, effective and safe methods to deploy exchange and cooperation activities.

 

The maritime law enforcement cooperation between Vietnam and China has recorded remarkable results. They successfully organised joint patrols and exercises in the waters of the Gulf of Tonkin, focusing on activities to educate fishermen and organising search and rescue exercises at sea.

 

The coast guard forces of the two countries expressed the desire to continue to strengthen cooperation in four areas, including establishing a level-2 contact point between the Coast Guard Region 1 Command of the VCG and the CCG’s Nanhai bureau, which will be in charge of informing each other about violations of the two countries’ ships, organising joint patrols, and coordinating to handle unexpected incidents in the waters of the Gulf of Tonkin.

 

In 2023, the two sides will continue to follow the important common perceptions reached by the leaders of the two Parties and countries in the “MoU on cooperation between the Vietnam Coast Guard Command and the China Coast Guard, respect the two countries’ requirements for COVID-19 prevention and control, and renew and expand cooperation forms.

 

The agencies will organise two joint patrols in the waters adjacent to the demarcation line in the Gulf of Tonkin, professional exchanges, and search and rescue exercises.

 

Every month, the two sides will notify each other of information related to violations of fishing vessels, and promptly handle incidents arising at sea. They will also work to restart visits of the coast guard ships to each other, and exchanges of young officers./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

 

President of the French Senate Gérard Larcher has said his upcoming visit to Vietnam demonstrates France’s close relations with the Southeast Asian nation as well as France’s confidence in their bilateral cooperation and friendship.

 

Larcher made the statement in an interview granted to Vietnam New Agency ahead of his trip, from December 8-9, which will be the first visit to Vietnam by a French Senate President since 2008.

 

It will also be his first Asian trip since he was re-elected as President of the Senate in 2014, Larcher said, noting that the selection of Vietnam for the visit was not random but came from the intensive relationship between two countries that share future cooperation prospects.

 

The visit marks the resumption of contact at the highest level between the two countries after the COVID-19 pandemic, and following the official visit to France by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in November 2021, he continued.

 

According to the Senate President, he and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue are scheduled to launch activities celebrating the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties.

 

Currently, French representative diplomatic offices and their Vietnamese partners are working together to organise celebration activities in 2023 with highlights including exhibitions, festivals, meetings and political and diplomatic events, and Larcher stressed that his visit is at the start of a year expected to be full of diverse and effective activities.

 

Larcher expressed his hope that he and NA Chairman Hue and other leaders of Vietnam will hold discussions to seek ways to consolidate their bilateral legislative ties.

 

During his stay in Hanoi, the Senate President will attend the inauguration ceremony of a new facility of the French Institute in the capital, and visit the construction site of metro line No.3, about to be put into service in the city, and other urban planning and heritage conservation projects which France is implementing or engaging in.

 

He will also visit relic sites in Hanoi, and meet with French people and businesses in Vietnam.

 

Vietnam–France cooperation relations have become more concrete and are meeting common priorities, Larcher said, affirming that this was thanks to the common efforts of both countries.

 

The two countries have worked hard towards modernity through science and technology, and are paying special attention to promoting future fields such as space, clean and renewable energy, and traffic, he said.

 

French companies participating in projects in Vietnam always show trust and fairness in sharing values and economic benefits, and ensure sustainability and quality, he noted.

 

Vietnam always receives support from France at important times, he stated, adding that France is one of the strongest advocates for the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement to come into effect.

 

France highly values Vietnam’s outstanding role in ASEAN, especially when the Southeast Asian nation assumed the ASEAN Chair in 2020, he went on.

 

France is proud to have accompanied Vietnam over 50 years on its path to progress, he said, citing the educational partnership between the two countries as a successful example with university projects in science and technology, management and engineering.

 

As many as 3,000 Vietnamese doctors have been trained in France. When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, Vietnam promptly provided masks to France, while France also met Vietnam’s demand for vaccines.

 

Vietnam and France also share similarities and mutual influence on heritage, cuisine and lifestyle, he noted.

 

Over the past 50 years, the two countries have enjoyed a relationship of sharing and trust, respecting sovereignty and differences, Larcher said.

 

Mentioning what the two countries should do to further optimise their potential and overcome challenges to bolster their strategic partnership, Larcher said that France and Vietnam share principles in international relations, which are the compliance of international law, the settlement of disputes by peaceful measures and dialogue, and multilateralisation.

 

France has many interests and reasons to contribute to the stability of the Indo-Pacific region, especially freedom of navigation, he said, stressing France’s unwavering commitment to the principles of freedom of navigation and overflight, which Vietnam and many countries in the East Sea share. As Vietnam assumes increasing responsibilities in the international arena, and the Indo-Pacific region is becoming increasingly strategically important, the strengthening of cooperation between Vietnam and France in this area is becoming an urgent priority, he stated.

 

He emphasised that the two sides should initially work together to mobilise resources to limit the scale and overcome the consequences of climate change.

 

The French Development Agency (AFD) is currently assisting the implementation of a number of climate change adaptation projects such as conservation of the banks and deltas of the Mekong and Red Rivers. The AFD and Electricity of France (EDF) are also collaborating with the Vietnam Electricity (EVN) on an energy transition effort, which is in line with the commitments made by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the 26th UN Climate Conference (COP26), he noted.

 

The French Senate leader also suggested a number of areas that the two sides can continue to cooperate in, including culture and heritage, education-training, healthcare, law, research, and space.

 

In the immediate future, the two countries should work together to upgrade Long Bien Bridge, he added.

 

Regarding the parliamentary partnership between the two countries, Larcher said that the collaboration plays an important role in relations between the two countries, which has contributed to strengthening of dialogue and mutual understanding between their nations.

 

He said he hopes parliamentary cooperation will continue to be promoted and expanded to areas of mutual interest such as healthcare, sustainable development, environment and social policies.

 

He said that during his visit, he hopes to highlight the connectivity between the local administration of France and its Vietnamese partners, underlining that partnerships between localities is one of the key pillars of France-Vietnam relations which has produced important results, including cooperation between Hanoi and the Ile de France region and Toulouse metropolitan area in restoring historical streets and urban management and development; ties between Lao Cai and the New Aquitaine region in tourism, and bilateral collaboration in French teaching./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

 

More than 300 domestic and foreign businesses are showcasing their products and services at the Food & Hotel Vietnam 2022 at the Saigon Exhibition & Convention Centre in Ho Chi Minh City from December 7-9.

 

Along with exhibition stalls, including 22 of foreign companies, the 11th edition of the expo also includes a lot of sidelines events, including the Vietnam Culinary Challenge, and the ASIA Food & Beverage Summit 2022.

 

BT Tee, General Director of the Informa Markets Vietnam – the organiser, said that after two years of disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Food & Hotel Vietnam 2022 promises to open up more opportunities for enterprises to approach market trends and new operation strategies, and promote business connectivity.

 

Participating in the expo for the first time, the organiser of the EU pavilion held a ceremony to launch the pavilion with the chair of EU Ambassador to Vietnam Giorgio Aliberti.

 

Giorgio Aliberti said that the expo is the right opportunity to showcase the rich potential of European-Vietnamese food fusion. During the three-day event, visitors are given a chance to learn about the growing variety of European products in Vietnam./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

A working delegation led by World Bank Managing Director of Development Policy and Partnerships Mari Pangestu paid a fact-finding trip to the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on December 7 to check on the Can Tho City Development and Resilience Project.

 

According to the city’s ODA project management board, the project costs over 9.1 trillion VND (395.6 million USD) and is scheduled for completion in June 2024, aiming to protect the city centre (Ninh Kieu and Binh Thuy districts) from the risk of flooding while improving connectivity with newly developed urban areas and key traffic infrastructure.

 

Several priority areas of the project have already been put into use.

 

As of November 28, 53.33% of official development assistance earmarked for the year had been disbursed.

 

Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Van Hong asked the board, Ninh Kieu district, departments and agencies to complete site clearance before December 31, and no later than March 2023 for the recent two new bidding packages.

 

The board suggested WB experts help with procedures related to bidding packages under the project, and assist the city in accessing new ODA-funding in the fields of climate change response, clean water supply and modern urban management in line with the Politburo’s Resolution on building and developing Can Tho to 2030 with a vision to 2045./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency