Day: December 28, 2022

Thu Duc city in Ho Chi Minh City and the Vietnam Publishers Association on December 28 started the building of Thu Duc City Book Street.

 

The street stretches 286m along Ho Thi Tu Street in Hiep Phu ward, featuring a Ho Chi Minh Culture Space, nearly 20 book stalls and book cafés, and spaces for exhibition and public activities.

 

The book street is the second one of its kind in Ho Chi Minh City following the one that was opened in 2016 on Nguyen Van Binh street, District 1.

 

The Thu Duc City Book Street is expected to be opened in April 2023 on the occasion of Vietnam Book Day (April 21) and also on time for the 48th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day (April 30).

 

Vice Chairman of Thu Duc city People’s Committee Nguyen Ky Phung said that the street aims to create a space to promote reading culture and add a tourist destination in the city.

 

Le Hoang, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Publishers Association said with the participation of prestigious publishing houses, Thu Duc City Book Street will display tens of thousands of books to meet the diverse needs of readers./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

 

The Central Highlands province of Kon Tum and Stung Treng province of Cambodia on December 28 signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the fields of economy, culture, and health during a working session held between their leaders in Vietnamese locality.

 

Under the MoU, which will take effect from January next year, the two sides will continue to strengthen political and diplomatic ties through the exchange of high-level delegations and exchange activities between agencies and districts of the two provinces in various forms.

 

They will promote education for the young generations on the traditional friendship, solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Cambodia in general, and between Kon Tum and Stung Treng provinces in particular.

 

Kon Tum will grant 10 scholarships for students from Stung Treng province to study at educational institutions in Kon Tum in the 2024-2029 period. It will create favourable conditions for investors from Stung Treng to explore investment opportunities and implement projects as well as promote cooperation in the agricultural sector and trade exchange.

 

Stung Treng province pledged to continue to create favourable conditions for Cambodians of Vietnamese origin to integrate in the host society and stabilise their lives.

 

The two sides will hold a meeting every two years to evaluate the implementation of the signed contents./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

 

The southernmost province of Ca Mau has targeted to achieve an export revenue of 1.3 billion USD next year.

 

According to the provincial Department of Industry and Trade, it will implement measures to boost exports, particularly its key like processed shrimp and fertilisers.

 

The province will further take advantage of free trade agreements that Vietnam has signed, and access new markets that have good purchasing power and are not hit hard by hiked inflation and economic downturn.

 

In 2022, the province’s socio-economic recovery programmes and policies worked effectively. Its export turnover is estimated at 1.3 billion USD, 13% higher than planned and 16.5% higher than that of 2021.

 

Of that, shrimp processing output is estimated at 200,000 tonnes, 27.4% higher than planned and up 11.1% compared to 2021.

 

Fertiliser output is estimated at 1 million tonnes, meeting the target.

 

According to the department, this year, demand for imports increased sharply in foreign markets as countries gradually controlled the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Meanwhile, input material supplies were quite stable, meeting the production needs of enterprises in the province.

 

As the result, the province this year saw increased growth of exports to its main markets of the EU, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Korea, and Japan./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Lao Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh thanked Vietnam for its assistance in agricultural development while receiving Vietnamese Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan in Vientiane on December 28.

 

Hoan reported on the outcomes of an annual meeting between the two agriculture ministries, along with results of projects funded by the Vietnamese Government in Laos.

 

He said the projects have proved fruitful and become a symbol of the special friendship and sustainable cooperation between the two Parties, Governments, and people of Vietnam and Laos.

 

Vietnam and Laos have held frequent exchanges between senior officials, experts, and technicians to enhance cooperation and experience sharing in agriculture, forestry, irrigation, food safety, and investment attraction.

 

The Vietnamese side will continue supporting its Lao counterpart in human resource training, he added.

 

Welcoming the delegation, Phankham thanked Vietnam for its assistance in farmland restoration, irrigation, and rice cultivation techniques, which has greatly helped with agricultural development in Laos.

 

He also expressed his hope that the Vietnamese ministry will continue its support and strengthen ties in agriculture and forestry with Laos.

 

Earlier the same day, the Vietnamese delegation attended an annual meeting with the Lao Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry led by Minister Phet Phomphiphak.

 

The two sides reviewed cooperation during 2017 – 2021 and discussed a plan for partnerships in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and rural development for 2023 – 2024.

 

Hoan agreed with the Lao minister that the two ministries should step up their cooperation plan, with a focus on training human resources, giving technical support, exchanging experts in all areas, and boosting Vietnam’s assistance projects for Laos.

 

To tighten investment and trade links, he suggested Vietnam and Laos promote connectivity in agriculture between their enterprises, hold frequent exchanges, and set up a joint agricultural business association which, he said, are important to align the two ministries’ cooperation with enterprises’ demands for the sake of the two business circles and people.

 

The Vietnamese minister also recommended stronger ties in cross-border natural resources management to increase afforestation, fight illegal deforestation and forestry exploitation, and control cross-border trade of timber, natural resources and wildlife.

 

The Lao minister highly valued Hoan’s suggestions, voicing his hope that new initiatives and the new cooperation plan between their ministries will be carried out effectively./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Mekong Delta city of Can Tho recorded 12.64% growth in gross regional domestic product (GRDP) this year, its highest ever, announced the municipal Statistics Office on December 28.

 

Head of the office Le Ngoc Bay said with this growth rate, Can Tho ranked 2nd in the Mekong Delta, after Hau Giang province, and 5th among five centrally-run cities in the country. It is the first time the city has recorded a double-digit growth rate, reflecting a positive sign of socio-economic recovery and development, he said.

 

The industry and construction sector posted the highest growth of 18.18%, accounting for 31.03% of the city’s GRDP. It was followed by the service sector with 13.19% growth, making up 52.47%, and agro-forestry and fishery 9.65%, accounting for 9.65% of the GRDP.

 

The results were attributed to the city’s adoption of key measures, including developing specialised orchards with high quality products, thereby enhancing their competitiveness in the market.

 

Can Tho has issued many solutions to support the development of enterprises and remove difficulties.

 

There were more than 1,700 newly-registered enterprises this year, an increase of 36% compared to 2021. The total registered capital reached more than 12.7 trillion VND (535 million USD).

 

Total retail sales of consumer goods and services were estimated at 118.1 trillion VND, up 41.5% year-on-year.

 

Regarding foreign direct investment (FDI), this year Can Tho has granted licences to six new projects with registered capital of 174.23 million USD. Currently, there are 86 FDI projects in the city with total registered capital of about 2.22 billion USD.

 

The consumer price index (CPI) of Can Tho in 2022 increased by 2.33% compared to 2021. The four commodity groups with higher increases than normal were beverages and tobacco; housing and building materials; household appliances, and transportation./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

 

Vietnam reported 132 new COVID-19 infections on December 28, according to the Ministry of Health.

 

The new infections lifted the country’s total COVID-19 cases to 11,524,779.

 

Meanwhile, 142 patients fully recovered from the disease on the day, bringing the total number of recoveries to 10,611,059.

 

The death toll was kept at 43,184, accounting for 0.4% of the total infections, as no fatality was logged on the day.

 

So far, Vietnam has administered nearly 265.43 million COVID-19 vaccines doses./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency