Day: December 21, 2022

Indonesian President Joko Widodo on December 21 indicated that the government will lift all social restrictions related to COVID-19  that have been in place for nearly three years.

Addressing a seminar on the Indonesian economic outlook in Jakarta, the leader said Indonesia is now well-equipped to deal with the ongoing pandemic.

The number of daily cases is no longer a threat to the national health system in comparison to the tens of thousands of cases a day during its peak, he said.

The daily number was recorded at 1,200 on December 20, he said, noting that maybe at the end of 2022, his country will declare an end to large-scale social restrictions and people’s activity restrictions that began in April 2020.

The daily tally hit a record high of 64,718 cases on February 16, triggered by the Omicron variant. The country of 273 million people has reported 6.7 million cases and over 160,000 deaths since the pandemic broke out in March 2020./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Navy Region 4 ships carrying officers, soldiers, journalists as well as New Year gifts departed from Cam Ranh military port in the central province of Khanh Hoa on December 21 for Truong Sa (Spratly).

As scheduled, the vessels will dock at islands and islets in the district, delivering supplies and gifts to people and soldiers stationed there on the occasion of the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet).

The gifts include essential goods and traditional food for Tet donated by organisations and businesses.

Earlier, on December 20, 100 gifts were presented to personnel and policy beneficiaries at the Navy Region 4 High Command, as part of an annual programme run by the online newspaper of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Vietnam People’s Navy High Command./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

A training workshop on child labour mitigation and communication skills for trade union officials in the south is underway in Ho Chi Minh City from December 21-22.

The event is being co-hosted by the International Labour Organisation and the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL), affording participants a chance to discuss how to prevent, discover, intervene and mitigate child labour.

Head of the VGCL’s board of women’s affairs Do Hong Van said according to the national child labour survey 2018, over 1 million children aged 5-17 across the country were part of the workforce, or 5.4% of the total population.

The survey also pointed out that many of the children are orphans or those whose parents lost their incomes, especially among migrant workers, forcing them to work to earn a living for themselves and their families, said ILO Coordinator in Vietnam Hoang Thi To Linh.

She said about half of working children are toiling in hazardous conditions. Compared to other Southeast Asian nations, child labour in Vietnam is 2% lower but following COVID-19, the rate is increasing.

Delegates at the event said statements, regulations and commitments to not use child labour should be negotiated and incorporated into a collective bargaining agreement along with necessary measures to eliminate child labour in the workplace.

They also looked into the child labour situation in Vietnam and the world, its causes and consequences, and major contents of the fifth global conference on the elimination of child labour and Vietnam’s actions, among others./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

A delegation led by Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen visited and congratulated Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City Nguyen Nang on December 21 on the occasion of the Christmas season and New Year 2023.

On behalf of municipal authorities, Nen wished Archbishop Nang and local Catholic dignitaries, priests and followers a warm and merry Christmas.

He thanked them for always standing side by side with the city to overcome challenges and score socio-economic achievements.

Nen believed that Nang, in his capacity as Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Vietnam, will continue guiding Catholic dignitaries, priests and followers to join hands to strengthen the great national unity and contribute to the city and country.

Archbishop Nang, for his part, expressed his belief that under the sound leadership of the city’s leaders and common efforts of the people, Ho Chi Minh City will continue thriving to bring happy lives to citizens.

In the morning of the same day, Vice Chairman of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs Nguyen Anh Chuc visited and presented gifts to Archbishop Nang.

Recently, delegations from the municipal Party Committee, People’s Committee, People’s Council, Vietnam Fatherland Front chapter have visited and congratulated Catholic and Protestant dignitaries, priests and followers in the city./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

With the efforts of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) and the Committee for Foreign Non-governmental Organization (NGO) Affairs and the support of ministries, agencies, localities and foreign NGOs, the foreign aid mobilisation has recorded positive results despite uncertainties in the region and the world.

About 500 foreign non-governmental organisations provide Vietnam with about 220-250 million USD in aid each year in areas of need, heard a conference in Hanoi on December 21 reviewing the national programme on strengthening cooperation and mobilising foreign NGOs’ assistance for the 2019-2025 period.

Head of the People’s Aid Coordinating Committee under the VUFO Nguyen Ngoc Hung said the event aimed to conduct a mid-term review of the programme and suggest measures to improve its efficiency for the 2023-2025 period.

Ties between foreign NGOs and Vietnam’s agencies and partners have been strengthened while projects and programmes are becoming more effective.

Hung said in the coming time, the VUFO will continue working closely with ministries, agencies and localities to effectively mobilise NGOs’ assistance toward fulfilling targets set in the programme.

Several representatives from foreign NGOs expressed their readiness to partner with Vietnamese localities to help people affected by the pandemic, and create sustainable livelihoods for them to fuel the economic recovery./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Vietnamese aviation market is expected to see 55 million passengers by the end of this year, an increase of 3.7 times compared to the previous year, recovering by nearly 70% compared to 2019, pre-COVID-19 pandemic.

In particular, the sharp increase in domestic passenger transport has partly offset the slow recovery of international arrivals.

Specifically, the airlines’ domestic passenger transport reached 43.2 million this year, an increase of 3.5 times compared to the previous year and an increase of more than 15% compared to 2019.

However, international transport reached 11 million visitors, growing 22 times over the previous year, but equivalent to only 27% of the 2019 figure.

The total volume of goods transported by air is estimated at more than 1.25 million tonnes, equivalent to the transport volume of 2019.

Of which, the volume of domestic freight is still 40% lower than in 2019, however, international freight transport rose by more than 10%.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) assessed that the strong growth of the domestic aviation market showed the effectiveness of COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control measures and the country’s proper market opening and restoration.

In addition, the authority actively discussed with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and aviation authorities of partner countries during the year to resume regular international flights after the pandemic is under control./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The volume of Vietnam’s pepper exports to important markets has decreased this year, but the country has retained its top spot in the global rankings, heard a conference held in Ho Chi Minh City on December 21.

At the event held by the Vietnam Pepper Association (VPA), experts discussed the promotion of the export of pepper and spices under the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

VPA Chairwoman Hoang Thi Lien said in 2022, the product was at a disadvantage due to inflation and economic recession in many markets, and China’s “Zero COVID” policy, hence a reduction in export volume.

According to preliminary statistics from the VPA, Vietnam has shipped about 230,000 tonnes of peppercorns overseas this year for more than 970 million USD, down 13% in quantity but up 2% in value annually. The export turnover of all spices is forecast to hit 1.5 billion USD.

In addition to exports, Vietnamese enterprises also import pepper from other countries such as Brazil and Indonesia for processing, then re-export for higher value. From the beginning of the year to the end of November, the nation purchased 34,273 tonnes of the product, an increase of 48.9% against the same period in 2021.

Lauding such outcomes despite multiple difficulties, Lien noted that Vietnam has an advantage over other pepper production countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka and Cambodia thanks to the EVFTA. Under the trade pact, the EU’s import tax on Vietnamese ground pepper has been reduced from 4% to 0%.

The Vietnamese industry is also highly appreciated for its processing capacity, as the proportion of processed goods currently accounts for about 30% of its total export turnover, she added.

The expert suggested the sector work to capitalise on untapped potential in many markets, particularly Eastern Europe.

Other participants recommended enterprises change and adapt to meet requirements and standards in import markets, especially the high-end segment.

It is also necessary to identify the strengths and price strategies of their products, conduct market research, and attend trade fairs, they said./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency