Day: January 30, 2023

 

Hanoi’s consumer price index (CPI) in January inched up by only 0.35% month-on-month and 3.09% year-on-year, the municipal Statistics Office has reported.

 

Among the 11 commodity groups, nine saw month-on-month increases, with the highest recorded in transport services (1.14%) as a result of hikes in oil and gas prices in the month, followed by beverages and tobacco (1.01%).

 

Restaurant and catering services edged up by 0.93%, and the group of cultural, entertainment and tourism activities increased by 0.57%.

 

The slight increases were seen in other groups like garments, footwear and headwear with 0.22%; household utensils, 0.21%; education equipment, 0.03%; medicines and medical services, 0.02%; and goods and other services, 0.57%.

 

Meanwhile, prices of housing, electricity, water, fuel and construction materials, and postal and telecom services slightly dropped by 0.69% and 0.01%, respectively.

 

Gold prices rose 0.65% month-on-month and 1.96% year-on-year, while the US dollar price was down 2.24% from December and up 3.4% against the same period last year.

 

According to the office, the capital city welcomed some 374,000 tourists in January, up 3% from the previous month and 3.5 times higher than the figure recorded in the corresponding time last year.

 

Of the holidaymakers, around 245,000 were foreigners, a 16-fold rise year-on-year, mainly from the Republic of Korea (RoK), Japan, the US, China, the UK, Singapore, France, Germany, Thailand, and Malaysia./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

 

Despite decreases in both imports and exports, the country still enjoyed a trade surplus of 3.6 billion USD in the first month of 2023, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).

 

The office reported that in the month, total import-export turnover reached 46.56 billion USD, down 17.3% over the previous month and 25% year on year, with exports dropping 21.3% to 25.08 billion USD, and imports falling 28.9% to 21.48 billion USD.

 

While the domestic sector saw a trade deficit of 1.04 billion USD, the foreign-invested sector (including crude oil) posted a surplus of 4.64 billion USD.

 

Experts attributed the result to the long New Year and Lunar New Year (Tet) holidays, which were all in January, reducing the number of working days. Last year, the Tet holiday fell in February.

 

The GSO reported that the manufacturing-processing sector earned the highest export revenue with 22.32 billion USD, accounting for 89% of the country’s total.

 

Meanwhile, there were three goods groups with imports of over 1 billion USD.

 

In January, the US remained the biggest importer of Vietnamese goods with a revenue of about 7.6 billion USD, while China was the biggest exporter to Vietnam with 8.1 billion USD.

 

The GSO held that many countries are facing the threat of inflation and economic recession, leading to reduction in global consumption, thus affecting Vietnam’s import-export activities.

 

Export activities showed signs of slowing down from the fourth quarter of 2022 with fewer orders, it said, adding that 2023 is likely to be a tough year for Vietnam’s import-export.

 

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), Vietnam’s exports depend on many outside factors, but tax reduction from free trade agreements that Vietnam has joined and the strengthening of socio-economic recovery and development will motivate exports this year.

 

In 2023, the MoIT sets a target of a 6% rise in goods export revenue, with trade surplus maintained./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Indonesian President Joko Widodo emphasised that 2023 is expected to be an opportune time for recovering and expediting the growth of the country’s tourism sector, with the government planning to hold several prominent events.

 

Delivering his remarks virtually at the launch of the Karisma Event Nusantara (KEN) Festival 2023 on January 29, the leader affirmed this year will be a moment of revival for Indonesian tourism.

 

He said the government has also launched the Proud of Indonesia-Made Products National Movement (Gernas BBI) to get more people to visit domestic tourism destinations, thus the number of domestic tourists is expected to double compared to 2022.

 

This year, there will be 110 KEN (festivals) as well as 65 sports, music, and creative events to be held all over Indonesia. The country aims to attract 7.4 million international tourist arrivals, he added.

 

It has been confirmed that several international-level sports events will be held in Indonesia in 2023, including the F1 Powerboat, the U-20 FIFA World Cup, the FIBA World Cup, the ANOC World Beach Games, the MotoGP, as well as the World Superbike (WSBK) race./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

 

The Standing Committee of the 9th Lao National Assembly (NA) approved a host of personnel adjustments at its monthly regular meeting on December 30.

 

The adjustments were made at the proposal of Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone.

 

Accordingly, Minister of Finance Bounchom Oubonpasert, Minister of Public Works and Transport Viengsavath Siphandone, and Minister of Energy and Mines Daovong Phonkeo were transferred to new positions in the provinces of Savannakhet, Luang Namtha, and Salavan, respectively.

 

Officials replacing them were also appointed, including Governor of Savannakhet Santiphap Phomvihane as the new finance minister, and Governor of Salavan Phonxay Sayasone as the new energy and mines minister./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue on January 30 attended a ceremony to launch an emulation movement and a tree planting festival in Yen Son district in the northern mountainous province of Tuyen Quang.

 

Speaking at the event, Hue said that in 1948, in Viet Bac region, which now comprises Cao Bang, Bac Kan, Lang Son, Ha Giang, Tuyen Quang and Thai Nguyen provinces, President Ho Chi Minh issued a patriotism emulation appeal.

 

Over the past 75 years, the movement has developed continuously, helping to make great achievements in the process of national building and safeguarding.

 

He appreciated the important results gained by Tuyen Quang’s Party Organisation, administration and people in the patriotism emulation movement, and afforestation and forest protection, and forestry economic development.

 

NA leader launches emulation drive, tree planting festival in Tuyen Quang hinh anh 2

 

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue (Photo: VNA)

 

Regarding tasks for this year, the NA Chairman asked authorities and sectors at all levels to effectively implement the emulation movement associated with the study and following of President Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morality and lifestyle; realise the resolutions of the Party and the legislature on socio-economic development and budget in 2023 to make the most of the province’s potential and advantages.

 

Tuyen Quang should strive to become a high-tech forestry centre and a timber production and processing hub of the northern midland and mountainous region as set in the Politburo’s Resolution No.11-NQ/TW dated February 10, 2022 on socio-economic development and defence and security assurance for the region to 2030, with a vision to 2045, he stressed.

 

On the same day, the NA leader attended a ceremony to start construction of Tuyen Quang High School for Gifted Students./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

 

The Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) convened its extraordinary congress on January 28-29, during which it issued many important decisions and policies regarding the leadership work, as well as orientations for national development in the time ahead.

 

In his opening remarks, CPP Honorary President Samdech Heng Samrin, who is also President of the National Assembly, said 2023 marks an end to the 2018-2023 mandate of the legislature and the government, and it will also be the beginning of a new five-year tenure.

 

There will be a lot of work to do in the future, he said, stressing the need to join hands and make all-out efforts to win the 7th-term parliamentary election slated for July 23, 2023.

 

The congress set out major strategic goals for the next five years which are based on wishes of the people and reflect the real situation, both domestically and internationally, with the aim of reaping greater achievements across spheres and turning Cambodia into an upper-middle income country by 2030.

 

According to a statement on the congress’s outcome, Hun Sen was endorsed to be the prime minister candidate for the July national election, while Hun Manet was endorsed as the future prime minister candidate.

 

The congress drew 3,558 local and central delegates across Cambodia.

 

CPP is the largest political Party of Cambodia, which has been ruling the country for the past six tenures. In the fifth communal election in 2022, the Party won 9,376 seats, including 1,648 out of the 1,652 leading positions in communes and wards nationwide./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The tourism sector of the northern port city of Hai Phong will focus on developing sports and yacht tourism towards attracting more holiday-makers with high spending power, according to the municipal Department of Tourism.

 

The department said it will continue to coordinate with relevant agencies to better the quality of food tour products in connection with sustainably developing city tours, aiming to fully tap the city’s culture, cuisine and architectural values.

 

According to Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Van Tung, the locality will further invest in developing tourism infrastructure, especially international tourism projects, while strengthening tourism promotion activities in the Republic of Korea (RoK) and effectively exploiting the air route from Hai Phong to Busan of the RoK.

 

With 367 islands, many beautiful beaches, and a diverse and rich ecosystem, Cat Ba archipelago in Cat Hai district, is an attractive destination to both domestic and foreign tourists all year round. Cat Ba welcomed 10,900 tourists during the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday (January 20 – 26), up 72.9% year-on-year.

 

Meanwhile, Do Son district attracted 320,000 visitors during the holiday.

 

Hai Phong aims to serve 7.5 million visitors in 2023, including 3 million to Cat Ba and 2.5 million to Do Son./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

 

Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim on January 30 witnessed the signing of three bilateral cooperation agreements on the digital economy, green economy, personal data protection, and cyber security.

 

Anwar has been in Singapore for his first official visit to the country since he took office as Malaysia’s 10th prime minister on November 24, 2022.

 

Malaysia’s Ministry of International Trade and Industry and Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry signed two agreements on the digital economy and green economy.

 

The green economy framework agreement is Malaysia’s first green economy agreement signed with any country.

 

The agreement is expected to tighten the two countries’ cooperation in decarbonisation and support enterprises and workers in taking advantage of opportunities that the green economy can bring.

 

The two countries will work together on the setting of standards and the deployment of charging points for electric vehicles.

 

They will exchange information on low-carbon solutions, including on technical and regulatory issues, and explore joint studies and demonstration projects, particularly in hydrogen and carbon capture, utilisation, and storage.

 

Within the framework of digital economic cooperation, the two countries will strengthen cooperation within the framework of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) as well as under the terms of the two agreements.

 

The agreement is also expected to promote the expansion of digital economic cooperation in ASEAN in areas including trade facilitation, cross-border data flows, electronic payments, digital identity, and supports for the digitisation of industries and small businesses to enhance their competitiveness.

 

Meanwhile, Singapore’s Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) and Malaysia’s Ministry of Communications and Digital signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will enable them to cooperate on issues such as personal data protection as well as cybersecurity.

 

The MOU is expected to help authorities of the two countries to exchange information, expertise, and solutions in data protection policies, cross-border data flows as well as address common cybersecurity threats and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and distributed ledger technology./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency