Month: December 2022

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh called for concerted efforts to fight illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing while chairing a teleconference with 28 coastal provinces and cities on December 1.

 

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) reported that IUU fishing has been reeled in since the European Commission issued a “yellow card” warning five years ago.

 

However, problems and shortcomings remain, regarding which an EC delegation gave recommendations on during their third inspection recently, MARD noted, adding that the EC also highly valued Vietnam’s strong political resolve, especially the drastic directions delivered by the Government and the PM.

 

At the meeting, ministries, sectors and localities pointed out causes and obstacles, looked into international experience, and proposed solutions to prevent IUU fishing.

 

Applauding their recent efforts, PM Chinh said many problems still exist and haven’t been addressed quickly enough.

 

He noted those problems are caused by not only people’s limited awareness but also a lack of sense of responsibility among some organisations and individuals. This sluggish progress is due to a lack of strong action, attention, inspection and supervision over the issue, as well as long-term solutions, including ensuring livelihoods for fishermen.

 

“The fight against IUU fishing must be carried out not for the sake of formality but for the sake of the people and Vietnam’s image as a responsible member of the international community in implementing international commitments, including marine environment protection,” he emphasised.

 

Chinh also asked for developing a 180-day action plan to carry out the EC’s recommendations, devising a long-term strategy to prevent IUU fishing, reviewing sea areas and territorial waters, re-assessing fishing and aquaculture activities, and creating sustainable livelihoods for people./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh received Chief Operating Officer of Nike, Inc., Andy Campion in Hanoi on December 1, speaking highly of the firm’s contributions to Vietnam’s exports and job creation in the recent past.

 

The host leader noted with satisfaction the vigorous growth in Vietnam – US relations, including bilateral trade rising over 18% year on year to top 105 billion USD in the first 11 months of 2022.

 

The US has been the largest export market of Vietnam for many years while Vietnam currently ranks ninth in the world and first in ASEAN among trading partners of the US. Many major technology firms from the North American country such as Apple, Dell, GE, Intel, and Microsoft has invested in the Southeast Asian nation, helping promote Vietnam’s role in regional and global supply chains, he went on.

 

PM Chinh asked Nike to increase applying scientific and technological advances and achievements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution to its production and management activities in Vietnam, while assisting the country to improve the management capacity, give policy advice, train human resources, boost green growth and digital transformation, and develop a circular economy, thereby helping Vietnam build an independent and self-reliant economy with extensive, substantive, and effective integration into the world and deeper engagement in global supply chains.

 

Vietnam is building a fair, transparent, and stable business climate, effectively dealing with administrative procedures, and reducing input costs for enterprises and investors. It views the foreign invested sector as an important part of the economy and hopes foreign firms will make more investment, especially in the fields matching Vietnam’s demand and enterprises’ strengths, he affirmed.

 

Agreeing on his host’s cooperation suggestions, Campion informed about the sportswear producer’s operations in Vietnam with enhanced application of technology and automation, adding it produces about 600 million pairs of footwear each year, half of which are made in Vietnam, and that half of the materials for the company’s global supply chains are also sourced from the country.

 

He highly valued Vietnam’s human resources, saying the staff members in Vietnam are the ones with the best skills in the world of Nike.

 

He also spoke highly of the Vietnamese economy’s resilience and thanked the Government and PM for their active and effective assistance for the firm’s establishments to quickly and safely resume operations amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

The COO also expressed his belief that the country will play an increasingly important role in global supply chains.

 

Set up in 1995, the Nike Vietnam Co. Ltd has more than 200 partner factories in 20 provinces and cities, along with hundreds of businesses joining its supply chain, indirectly providing jobs for nearly 500,000 local workers./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Party Central Committee’s Inspection Commission held its 23rd session in Hanoi on November 29-30, during which it proposed disciplinary actions be taken against some leading officials and party organisations.

 

Following the instruction of the Central Steering Committee for Corruption and Negative Phenomenon Prevention and Control, and after reviewing the inspection results when there were signs of violations of the Party civil affairs board of the People’s Committee of Dong Nai province, the Inspection Commission found that the board had violated the principle of democratic centralism and working regulations, lacked responsibility, and loosened leadership, thus enabling the provincial People’s Committee and many organisations and individuals to infringe on the Party’s regulations and the State’s laws in the implementation of a number of projects and the equitisation work. Some officials and Party members showed degradation in political ideology, ethics and lifestyle, violated regulations on things that Party members are banned from doing and the responsibility of setting good examples, and were subject to criminal prosecution.

 

The violations have caused serious consequences, great damage and risk of state budget loss, resulting in bad public opinion, affecting the reputation of Party organisations and local authorities.

 

Accordingly, the commission decided to issue a warning against Tran Van Vinh, former member of the Standing Board of the provincial Party Committee, former Vice Secretary of the Party civil affairs board at the provincial People’s Committee and former Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee.

 

Meanwhile, several leading officials of Tin Nghia Corporation and Nhon Trach Investment Joint Stock Company were expelled from the Party.

 

The commission also proposed the Politburo and the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee to consider and discipline Tran Dinh Thanh, former member of the Party Central Committee, former Secretary of the provincial Party Committee, and former Chairman of the provincial People’s Council; Dinh Quoc Thai, former Vice Secretary of the provincial Party Committee, former Secretary of the Party civil affairs board of the provincial People’s Committee, and former Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee; Phan Huy Anh Vu, member of the provincial Party Committee, Secretary of the Party Committee of and Director of the Department of Health, and former Director of Dong Nai General Hospital; and Bo Ngoc Thu, former member of the provincial Party Committee, former Secretary of the Party Committee of and former Director of the Department of Planning and Investment.

 

During this session, the Inspection Commission found that the Party delegations to the People’s Committees of Thanh Hoa, Nam Dinh and Binh Duong provinces had infringed on working regulations, lacked responsibility, and slackened leadership and direction, resulting in the provincial People’s Committees and many organisations and individuals violating the Party’s regulations and the State’s laws in bidding, purchasing biological products, chemicals and medical supplies in service of COVID-19 prevention and control work.

 

In addition, the Party civil affairs board of the Nam Dinh provincial People’s Committee also let the committee and several departments and branches violate the Party’s regulations and the State’s laws on public investment; and in the management and use of land in some projects.

 

Those violations and wrongdoings posed the threat of causing great damage to the state budget and affecting the reputation of the Party committees and local authorities.

 

The commission decided to reprimand the Party civil affairs boards of the People’s Committees of Thanh Hoa and Nam Dinh in the 2016-2021, 2021-2026 tenures, and the Party civil affairs board of the People’s Committee of Binh Duong in the 2021-2026 term.

 

Many incumbent and former officials of the three localities also received warnings this time.

 

The inspection commission requested the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat to consider disciplinary measures against some officials in Thanh Hoa province./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

 

On the occasion of Laos’ 47th National Day (December 2), Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue on December 1 sent congratulatory letters to Laos’ Party General Secretary and President Thongloun Sisoulith, Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh, and NA Chairman Saysomphone Phomvihane.

 

In the letters, the top Vietnamese leaders expressed their delight at great achievements gained by the Lao people in the cause of national building and defence, which have helped ensure political security, improve people’s material and spiritual lives, and enhance the country’s position in the international arena.

 

“We always consider the great and comprehensive victories of Laos as a source of encouragement for Vietnam in the process of renewal, construction and defence of the Fatherland,” they wrote.

 

“In the joyful atmosphere of the Vietnam-Laos, Laos-Vietnam Friendship Year 2022, we are very pleased to see that the great friendship, special and pure solidarity, faithful bonds, and comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties, States and peoples, nurtured by President Ho Chi Minh, President Kaysone Phomvihane and President Souphanouvong and generations of leaders and people of the two countries, which are a decisive factor for the victory of each country’s revolutionary cause, have been and are being consolidated and developed in a more effective and substantive manner, meeting the aspirations and interests of our two countries”.

 

The Vietnamese Party, State and people are consistently committed to working with the Lao Party, State and people to preserve and develop the great friendship, special solidarity and all-round cooperation between the two countries, considering it an invaluable asset for the revolutionary cause of each country; and actively contribute to the maintenance of peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and in the world, they added.

 

On the same day, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son sent a congratulatory message to Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith.

 

Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations Le Hoai Trung sent greetings to his Lao counterpart Thongsavanh Phomvihane./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

 

The 20th Vietnam International Trade Fair in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam Expo 2022) opened at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre in District 7 on December 1.

 

The event features several specialised exhibitions such as the ones on landscape and gardening technology, elevator and technology, electronics and smart appliances, baby toys, and gifts and household appliances.

 

It gathers about 550 booths of more than 520 enterprises from 20 countries and territories.

 

Nguyen Van Nga, Director of the Agency for Southern Affairs at the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said Vietnam Expo is a series of specialised trade promotion events in which enterprises of different sectors will engage in many activities to boost trade and business partnerships.

 

The expo also provides a chance for domestic and international companies to access latest products and state-of-the-art technologies in the world and develop their brands, she added.

 

Vietnam Expo 2022 is scheduled to last through December 3./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

A ceremony to launch Online Friday 2022 and open the second Concentrated Promotion Month of this year called “Shopping Season” was held in Ho Chi Minh City on December 1 evening.

 

The ceremony was jointly held by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Vietnam E-commerce and Digital Economy Agency, and the municipal People’s Committee.

 

Duong Anh Duc, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, said that the Concentrated Promotion Month has been implemented in the city for many years with the participation of many businesses across the country.

 

Along with the programme, the National E-commerce Week and Online Friday 2022 will offer a chance for domestic consumers and international visitors to have great shopping experiences on the online environment during the big year-end shopping festival.

 

The events are also an opportunity for businesses to take advantage of and optimise support tools and features on e-commerce platforms, expand access to a wide range of customers, and increase online revenue.

 

The second Concentrated Promotion Month (from November 15 to December 22) attracted the participation of 3,326 businesses with 6,981 promotions offered as of November 29, as compared to 1,298 firms and 5,488 promotion programmes during the first Concentrated Promotion Month (June 15-July 15).

 

Meanwhile, as of 6pm on December 1, six hours before the Online Friday 2022 gets started, there were more than 70,000 products, with more than 500 promotions from 370 sellers participating in the event of 60 hours of online shopping in Vietnam.

 

Consumers nationwide can access the official website address at www.OnlineFriday.vn from 00:00 on December 2 to search for products and attractive promotions./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency