☕ Afternoon briefing on February 3

Hanoi, (VNA) – The following is a brief review of the day's events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency.

-The Presidential Office on February 3 announced the Acting President's order to promulgate the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment that was adopted by the 15th National Assembly at its second extraordinary session.
The revised law aims to deal with shortcomings and emerging problems in medical examination and treatment activities in a bid to develop and improve the quality of medical services towards fairness, high efficiency, development and international integration, while strengthening State management over these activities. Read full text

-A delegation of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee, the Presidency, the National Assembly, the Government and the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee on February 3 paid floral tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum in Hanoi on the occasion of the 93rd founding anniversary of the CPV (February 3, 1930).
The delegation included Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, permanent member of the CPV Central Committee's Secretariat Vo Van Thuong, VFF President Do Van Chien, and Acting President Vo Thi Anh Xuan. Read full text

-National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue on February 3 attended a ceremony in Vinh Yen city to celebrate the 93rd founding anniversary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (February 3, 1930 – 2023) and 60 years since President Ho Chi Minh's visit to the northern province of Vinh Phuc (March 2, 1963).
Speaking at the event, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee and Chairwoman of the provincial People's Council Hoang Thi Thuy Lan said that during his visit to the province on March 2, 1963, President Ho Chi Minh asked for efforts to turn Vinh Phuc into one of the richest and most prosperous provinces in the northern region. Read full text

-The Ministry of Finance has conducted procedures to adjust and supplement the Government's Decree 65 regarding the private issuance of corporate bonds, Deputy Minister Nguyen Duc Chi said at a government regular press conference in Hanoi on February 2.
Chi said that the ministry has so far completed the impact assessment process and consulted with ministries, sectors, organisations and experts, including international organisations. Read full text

-The scale of the domestic retail market is expected to increase from 142 billion USD at present to 350 billion USD by 2025, contributing 59% of the national GDP, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT).
Last year, the total revenue from retail sales of goods and services rose 21%, exceeding the target of 8%. Read full text

-Vietnam's rice export is forecast to continue reaping successes this year as the world’s rice prices remain high at least in the short term as global economic and political uncertainties have resulted in a high demand for rice reserves, according to experts.
According to the Vietnam Food Association, by the middle of last month, Vietnam earned nearly 115 million USD from exporting more than 226,000 tonnes of rice, an increase of over 41% in terms of both volume and value compared to the same period last year. Read full text

-The European Commission (EC) has acknowledged Vietnam’s recent efforts in enhancing the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, as well as its openness to the EC’s recommendations, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said on February 3.
At a conference in the central city of Da Nang to make known the outcome of the recent working session with an EC inspection team, the ministry's Vietnam Directorate of Fisheries said the team described Vietnam's legal framework as comprehensive and in line with international standards, but the enforcement remains limited and uneven. Read full text

-The 8th Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival in 2023, themed “Buon Ma Thuot – Destination of coffee worldwide”, will take place in Buon Ma Thuot city and several other localities of the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak on March 10 – 14, heard a press conference in Ho Chi Minh City on February 3.
According to H’Yim Kđoh, Vice Chairwoman of the provincial People's Committee, the festival aims to promote the Buon Ma Thuot coffee brand and develop Vietnam's specialty coffee, towards gradually turning Buon Ma Thuot into a global coffee centre. Read full text

-Vietnamese coffee businesses are attending Laos's Bolaven coffee 2023 festival which is underway from February 2-4 in the southern province of Champasak of Laos.
The event is not only an opportunity for coffee growers in Laos to intensify the popularisation of organic coffee products to international friends but also a chance for Vietnamese enterprises to expand their market in Laos. Read full text

-The World University Service of Germany (WUS), with the support of Sachsen-Anhalt state, has recently presented 30 portable membrane water filters to schools in Vietnam's mountainous and far-flung areas.
Of the total, 17 PAUL (Portable Aqua Unit for Livesaving) filters were donated by the German state, and the rest by WUS. Read full text /.

VNA