Day: December 8, 2022

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s trip to attend the ASEAN-EU Commemorative Summit and visit Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Belgium from December 9  to 15 is expected to promote and lift the Vietnam-EU cooperation to a new height, said Vietnamese Ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg Nguyen Van Thao.

 

In a recent interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency, the diplomat said the tour is to continue affirming Vietnam’s foreign policy of being an active and responsible member of the international community.

 

According to the diplomat, the upcoming trip by PM Chinh, along with recent effective high-level external activities by the Party and State leaders, have showed that Vietnam is a responsible member that is willing to have initiatives and solutions to contribute practically and effectively to the stability and development in the region and the world.

 

Leaders of the EU and a number of its member countries are looking forward to meeting the Vietnamese leader in order to discuss and share global and regional issues of common concern, including promoting global trade and investment, global economic connection, climate change, energy and food security, marine economic development, sustainable development, and green and digital economy.

 

The EU considers Vietnam an important partner of the region, which has made certain successes in economic development as well as in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic. With many initiatives, Vietnam is expected to make more active contributions in the coming time.

 

These reaffirm the increasing prestige and position of Vietnam in the international arena, Thao noted.

 

Vietnam is one of four Asian countries that have a free trade agreement (FTA) with the EU. In the last two years when the COVID-19 pandemic raged, two-way trade between Vietnam and the EU has still increased.  Therefore, the EU is looking forward to further promoting trade cooperation with Vietnam in order to address the disruption of the global supply chain in recent times.

 

In addition, climate change is a high priority for the EU and the union also highly valued Vietnam’s commitment at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow of the UK last year, and the Southeast Asian nations’ action plan and great determination in this field.

 

PM Chinh and EU leaders will discuss issues related to food security, energy security, marine economy and circular economy, which Vietnam is very interested in, while the EU has experience and strengths.

 

For Luxembourg, Vietnam wants to promote cooperation in financial market development because the country boasts extensive experience in the financial sector, Thao said.

 

Vietnam will focus on promoting cooperation in agriculture and hi-tech development with Belgium as it has advantages in farm produce export and is also a leading hi-tech centre in Europe.

 

Belgium also boasts strengths in logistics, seaport and renewable energy. So the country is very eager to cooperate with Vietnam in these sectors, Thao said.

 

The embassy will organise various activities to connect Vietnamese and Belgian firms, thus promoting cooperation opportunities towards setting up partnerships, he went on.

 

As part of the trip, PM Chinh will lead a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam to attend a summit commemorating the 45th anniversary of the ASEAN-EU relations in Brussels on December 14./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

 

 

A document on Vietnam’s participation in the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled has been handed over to Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) Daren Tang for legal copyrighting.

 

Addressing the presentation, Ambassador Le Thi Tuyet Mai, head of the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the United Nations, WTO, and other international organisations in Geneva, said the country’s participation in the Marrakesh Treaty marks an important milestone in reasonably balancing the protection of copyrights and interests of persons who are blind, visually impaired, or otherwise print disabled.

 

The participation also aims to implement the Vietnamese State’s policy on supporting and creating conditions for the disabled in the country to practice the rights to equality and community integration in the best possible manner, she noted.

 

Congratulating Vietnam, WIPO Director General Daren Tang affirmed that WIPO will assist the libraries for those people to connect with the organisation’s ABC Global Book Service so as to contribute to and share digital books, supplement the collection, and supply the books for them in Vietnam.

 

Following the presentation, Mai had a meeting with WIPO Director General Daren Tang and Deputy Directors General Sylvie Forbin and Hasan Kleib, expressing thanks to the WIPO leaders for helping Vietnam carry out cooperation activities.

 

She asked WIPO to continue implementing joint activities between the two sides, including the enforcement of the Marrakesh Treaty that Vietnam has joined.

 

Tang recognised Vietnam’s achievements in sustaining a high ranking in the Global Innovation Index. He pledged to enhance cooperation between WIPO and ASEAN countries, including Vietnam, to successfully carry out cooperation aspects, including the enforcement of the Marrakesh Treaty.

 

The Marrakesh Treaty, adopted by WIPO on June 27, 2013, is the latest supplements to the WIPO-managed international treaties on copyrights./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

 

A seminar to share experience in building safe campus in universities was organised by the Centre for Studies and Applied Sciences in Gender, Family, Women and Adolescents (CSAGA), the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) office in Vietnam in conjunction with Hanoi University of Science and Technology, in Hanoi on December 7.

 

The event is one of the activities in response to the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, and Vietnam’s action month for gender equality and gender-based violence prevention and response in 2022 (November 15 – December 15).

 

It aims to share experience in establishing and operating safe campus models at eight universities within the framework of a project on stopping sexual harassment and violence against women and lesbians funded by Bread for the World (BROT), and the “Safe Campus” programme funded by the UN Women.

 

Addressing the event, Pham Hung Anh, Director of the Political Education and Pupil and Student Affairs Department under the Ministry of Education and Training, said this shows the pioneer role of universities in spreading the message of gender equality and ending all forms of violence against female students and staff in universities.

 

The data and experience collected from the implementation of projects in universities will be a valuable basis for education managers, policy makers, the Ministry of Education and Training, and relevant agencies to issue practical and effective regulations and policies, towards ensuring safe and non-violent campus, he added./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

 

A lot of money borrowers have been recently cheated on online lending applications which seem to ask for simple procedures at first but then claim cut-throat interest rates.

 

Searching the key word “Online lending” in Vietnamese on Google, there are more than 49 million results in 0.6 seconds.

 

Meanwhile, key word “Online lending apps” has over 29 million results in 0.37 seconds of searching.

 

Online lending apps provide trust-based loans in which mortgage assets are not required and borrowers just need to show personal documents. The loans will be sent via banking accounts immediately.

 

Taking advantage of high money borrowing demand, black credit criminals have created tricks to trap borrowers with unofficial added fees and fake money exchange contracts.

 

This aims to force borrowers to take illegal actions. In many cases, the loans are not huge and the borrowing time is short but the interest rates are cut-throat, much higher than permitted legal rate.

 

According to Lieutenant Colonel Do Minh Phuong, deputy head of Serious Crime Division under Criminal Police Department, Ministry of Public Security, loan sharks set up shadow businesses which provide online lending services on Zalo, Facebook to lure a large number of borrowers who are mostly small business owners, low-income workers and adolescents.

 

Besides the money lending apps of credit institutions and financial companies, a lot of apps of unknown owner origin have been created. They often have names changed or information hided to avoid tracking by authorities.

 

When a customer installs a loan app and signs in personal information, someone will contact to offer borrowing money and ask them to install other loan apps. These apps have the ability to access to message history, calls, social network account information of the borrower for debt collection or for other illegal purposes.

 

Most of borrowers are students or low-income workers who need to borrow a small sum of money in a short time but do not want to sign in loan procedures at banks or credit institutions.

 

Customers may not notice or ignore the information binding regulations on interest rates, fees and fines, leading to being cheated with high interest rates of up to more than 300%. Some borrowers have to pay interest up to 1,000-2,000% per year, Lieutenant Colonel Do Minh Phuong said.

 

Regarding debt collection activities, Phuong said from January 1, 2021, the debt collection service business has been banned from operating to limit law violations.

 

However, some companies operate in the shadows under the name of security, legal advice, debt trading, debt collection authorisation companies, he said.

 

Borrowers have received phone calls from debt collectors who pretend to be law protection agencies to threaten or use personal information to offend borrowers.

 

In September 2022, a trans-national loan shark ring offering interest rates of 2,000% per year with 58 criminals involved was busted.

 

The ring which was well organised and led by foreigners established a technology company using 300 mobile phone apps and connecting with nearly 200 pawnshops and financial lending companies.

 

They recruited hundreds of staff and created dozens of websites and social network groups to search for customers.

 

The ring was divided into small groups, often gathered at the border areas and were ready to cross border every time they were discovered.

 

More than 160,000 people across the country were cheated on the online apps with total loans of 1.8 trillion VND.

 

Lieutenant General Tran Ngoc Ha, director of the Criminal Police Department, Ministry of Public Security, said black credit crimes are predicted to get complicated. The department has given consultations to local authorities to stiffen management on the work.

 

Criminals related to online lending apps with high interest rates and threatening borrowers might be subjected to fines between 50 million VND and 200 million VND or community sentence of up to three years if the illegal profits mount to 30 million VND to under 100 million VND.

 

If the illegal profits are 100 million or more, the criminals will face charges of 200 million VND to 1 billion VND or imprisonment of six months to three years.

 

The acts of threatening customers via calls, spreading false information, smearing borrowers who have not paid loans on time on social networks might face criminal charges.

 

The Steering Committee on Crime Prevention and Control of HCM City recently proposed the Ministry of Public Security and the National Assembly consider stiffening penalties on loan lending with high interest rates.

 

Accordingly, the six-month to three-year imprisonment following current Criminal Code is still a light penalty on black credit providers.

 

The committee also proposed the State Bank of Vietnam lift difficulties in accessing to loans so that people in need of borrowing money legally no longer have to seek for black credit services./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The southeastern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau has promoted eco-tourism to bring new experiences to its visitors, towards green and environmentally friendly tourism.

 

Utilising strengths

 

Based on local strengths, Ba Ria-Vung Tau has taken a range of solutions to develop eco-tourism and community-based tourism in combination with landscape conservation.

 

Director of the provincial Department of Tourism Trinh Hang said tourism is an economic pillar and eco-tourism is among the eight tourist types targeted by the province in 2020-2025.

 

The province is blessed with primeval forests, mangroves, the Con Dao National Park – a Ramsar site of wetlands of international importance, rivers and sea, which has supported eco-tourism.

 

Ba Ria and Vung Tau cities have brought into play their potential and strengths, along with existing maritime tourism products to focus on community-based tourism and eco-tourism.

 

Phu My town has built eco and community-based tourist sites, where high-tech agriculture cooperatives such as Song Xoai and Hac Dich play a role. Tourists also have chances to learn about traditional culture of the Chau Ro ethnic minority group.

 

Ba Ria-Vung Tau: eco-tourism goes with environmental protection hinh anh 2

 

Birds at Hon Trung Island in Ba Ria – Vung Tau (Photo: Ngoc Son)

 

Following the trend, Con Dao Island also offers local specialties like wild grapes and ginseng, and community-based tourism services along Con Dao Mountain. Local residents have been encouraged to provide lodging services and products featuring local culture.

 

In Xuyen Moc and Chau Duc districts, community-based tourism is associated with high-tech agriculture and organic production.

 

The Binh Chau-Phuoc Buu Nature Reserve in Xuyen Moc district, home to rare many species, has been also an eco-tourism attraction, where vacationers are surrounded by greenery and enjoy trekking, mountain climbing, tree planting and hot-spring bathing, which enable them to understand more about the value of nature and the necessity of environmental protection.

 

The Binon Cacao Park eco-tourism site, invested by Binon Cacao JSC, in Xa Bang commune, Chau Duc district, is also a retreat for many holidaymakers to Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

 

Ba Ria-Vung Tau: eco-tourism goes with environmental protection hinh anh 3

 

The diverse marine ecosystem in Ba Ria-Vung Tau (Photo: Ngoc Son)

 

Ly Thi Tu Anh, head of the admin and HR department of Binon Cacao JSC, said Ba Ria-Vung Tau is home to the largest area of cacao in the country, and its cacao products have gained a firm foothold in the market.

 

Binon Cacao JSC has paid heed to environmental protection and expanding the cacao area while operating the eco-tourism site, giving visitors interesting experiences in the nature and promoting the value of local specialties among them, she added.

 

Tourists can visit cacao gardens and join cacao harvesting, processing and packaging activities, she added.

 

Strategy set for Con Dao

 

Ba Ria-Vung Tau: eco-tourism goes with environmental protection hinh anh 4

 

Turtle hatchery at Bay Canh Island-Con Dao National Park. (Photo: Ngoc Son)

 

Con Dao island district is one of the localities in Ba Ria-Vung Tau that boast substantial potential and strengths in eco-tourism, apart from spiritual and maritime tourism. The Con Dao National Park is a highlight of local tourism.

 

The park is home to 1,077 flora species, a rich and diverse marine ecosystem with coral reefs, seagrass beds and mangroves, and over 1720 marine species, including turtles that come ashore to lay eggs each year. Notably, it has been carrying out the most green sea turtle conservation and rescue operations in Vietnam.

 

Con Dao’s eco-tourism products that meet national and international standards have drawn crowds of nature lovers.

 

Le Phong, Secretary of the district Party Committee and People’s Committee, said the provincial People’s Committee has approved a project on eco and leisure tourism at the Con Dao National Park in the 2021-2030 period.

 

Under the project, the conservation of forest and sea resources will go in tandem with tourism development. Tourism services are also expected to contribute to raising public awareness of natural, cultural and historical values in Con Dao, and of environmental protection.

 

There are various activities for tourists like watching sea turtles laying eggs and baby turtles being released to the sea, swimming, diving and visiting swallows’ nests, along with leisure and health care services.

 

Ba Ria-Vung Tau: eco-tourism goes with environmental protection hinh anh 5

 

Visitors participate in releasing baby turtles to the sea at the Con Dao National Park. (Photo: Ngoc Son)

 

As many as 17 eco-tourism routes have been launched in Con Dao, including those from Con Son Island to small islets, beaches and bays.

 

Ba Ria-Vung Tau has also taken a host of solutions to preserve forest and sea resources and biodiversity at the Con Dao National Park, such as building a database on forest resources and a map of forest and sea resources.

 

Competent forces have conducted regular patrols to prevent poaching and stepped up such activities as tree planting, coral reef restoration and expansion and sea turtle conservation, while enhancing the communication work./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

 

 

Vietnamese defence and security officials and experts joined their counterparts from many other countries at a recent Berlin conference on security in the Indo-Pacific region.

 

Addressing the conference, Colonel Pham Ngoc Thanh from the Ministry of National Defence’s Institute for Defence Strategy (IDS) highlighted the competition of world powers in the region and its impacts on security in the Indo-Pacific region.

 

He underlined the nature of Vietnamese defence policy of peace, self-defence, and resolute and persistent support to the settlement of disputes and differences through peaceful measures in line with international law, and positive and active prevention and reduction of war risks with the principle of protecting the Fatherland early and from afar.

 

Vietnam implements a consistent policy of not joining any military alliance; not linking with any country against others; not allowing any foreign country to set up military bases or use Vietnam’s territories against others; and not using or threatening to use force in international relations, he said. This viewpoint received great applause by participants.

 

Colonel Thanh also underscored that non-traditional security challenges are deeply affecting security of the region and each country, threatening peace and stability of the region and the world.

 

As an active and responsible member of ASEAN, Vietnam’s position is consistent with the common one of ASEAN expressed in the “ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific”, adopted at the grouping’s 34th Summit, he stated.

 

Vietnam welcomes the participation and contributions of all countries, especially powers, in order to promote cooperation for mutual development and solve common security challenges for the sake of peace, stability and prosperity of the region and the world on the basis of respecting the independence, sovereignty and legitimate interests of countries.

 

Vietnam adheres to the foreign policy of openness, independence, self-reliance, and willing to be a friend and a reliable partner of all countries in the international community, said Thanh, stressing that Vietnam attaches importance to relations with major countries on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, contributing to peace, stability and development in the region.

 

Prior to the conference, Major General Oliver Kohl, Commander of the German Staff College, had a meeting with Vietnamese Ambassador Vu Quang Minh, Defense Attaché in Germany Colonel Nguyen Tuan Minh, and Colonel Thanh./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

 

 

Along with the growing trend of integration in all fields, international defence cooperation has been a focus of the Party and State of Vietnam to strengthen trust between Vietnam and other countries, stated Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the opening of the Vietnam International Defence Expo 2022 (Vietnam Defence 2022) in Hanoi on December 8.

 

PM Chinh said that the Vietnam Defence 2022 is a good chance for defence policymakers and defence industry firms to meet and seek partnership towards a world of peace, cooperation and prosperity. He welcomed the contributions of partners in the exhibition.

 

The Government leader highlighted Vietnam’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralisation, being a good friend, trustworthy partner and responsible member of the international community; promoting cooperation for peace and development on an equal and mutually beneficial basis, abiding by the United Nations Charter, respecting independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, non-interference in internal affairs of states, contributing to peace, national independence, democracy and social progress all over the world.

 

He underlined that Vietnam’s defence policy is for peace, self-defence, and the people.

 

Vietnam interested in expanding int’l defence partnership: PM hinh anh 2

 

Delegates press the buttons to kick start the Vietnam Defence 2022 (Photo: VNA)

 

The Vietnam People’s Army has actively joined bilateral and multilateral defence cooperation with countries around the world, he said, noting that the defence industry partnership and the Vietnam Defence 2022 are opening new opportunities for collaboration and exploration of the development trend of military and security equipment and technologies in the world, helping diversify the channels of procurement, reception and transfer of foreign technology into production, and provide military supplies and logistics services to meet the needs of armed forces of countries for national defence and the protection of people in the face of traditional and non-traditional security challenges, he stated.

 

The PM held that this is a good chance for countries and partners to further foster the relations, and for Vietnam to welcome international friends and introduce its nation, people, culture and art as well as promote itself as a peace-loving, friendly, hardworking and hospitable country.

 

Vietnam interested in expanding int’l defence partnership: PM hinh anh 3

 

PM Pham Minh Chinh and delegates visit exhibition booths at the event (Photo: VNA)

 

Following the opening ceremony, PM Chinh and delegates visited booths displaying defence industry products, the Vietnam cultural space and an area showcasing the country’s economy-defence achievements.

 

The Vietnam Defence 2022 covers an area of over 50,000sq.m, including more than 20,000sq.m of outdoor area. It attracts 174 enterprises from 30 countries.

 

A number of conferences will be held within the framework of the event, including those on digital transformation and application in defence, cooperation in defence industry between Vietnam and other countries, and a forum on Vietnam-Japan defence industry partnership./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency