10 years friendship

Mr. Warwick Morris, Chairman of the Vietnam-UK Network (VUKN). (Photo: VNA) London (VNA) – Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and his entourage will make good use of the visit to the United Kingdom (UK) to develop further links between the two countries' parliamentarians, according to Mr. Warwick Morris , Chairman of Vietnam-UK Network (VUKN). Even though there are differences between the two systems, the two sides will find plenty of common ground, which hopefully will lead to closer cooperation and dialogue in bilateral parliamentary relations, Mr. Morris, who is also former British Ambassador to Vietnam, told Vietnam News Agency ahead of Hue’s official visit to the UK from June 28 – 30. Mr. Morris spoke highly of the Vietnam – UK relations, saying the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic ties next year is a fine milestone. The bilateral relationship has broadened and deepened enormously during the two decades since 2003 when Vietnam and the UK … [Read more...] about Vietnam, UK legislatures will find common ground for closer cooperation: VUKN Chairman

Hungarian parliament speaker Laszlo Kover told the chamber Magyars abroad were 'in a bitter struggle to survive'. (AFP/GERGELY BOTAR) The Treaty of Trianon, signed in Versailles, France, in 1920, defined the country's new frontiers after the dissolution of the defeated Austro-Hungarian empire. Hungary was not only forced to sign away vast swathes of territory, but also half its multi-ethnic population. Church bells rang out around Hungary for 100 seconds at 4.30pm, the exact time the treaty was signed. In Budapest public transport was halted and many observed a minute's silence, while other commemorations took place nationwide. The treaty meant that at a stroke, more than three million ethnic Hungarians - or Magyars - became part of neighbouring states, along with key economic resources and cultural sites. Although during World War II Hungary temporarily took back some of the territory with Nazi Germany'S help, the borders have remained unchanged since 1947. The … [Read more...] about Hungary marks 100 years since post-WW1 treaty losses

A report by Hanoi People's Committee on June 20 revealed 532 medical personnel had quit last year, while 82 decided to switch workplaces. In the first four months of this year, 226 have quit and 17 switched workplaces, the report added. Hanoi said the medical field has focused all its resources on fighting the pandemic since 2020. Due to the low number of workers, the sheer amount of workload and lower incomes and benefits in public facilities, many are opting to quit or seek better opportunities. Hoa, the former head of a ward medical station in Dong Da District, said her workload was too much while her salary wasn't enough to make a living. She quit at the end of March. During the height of the pandemic, Hoa and her colleagues did contact tracing and vaccination day in and day out. Pressure was building up, yet they only got a "bonus" of VND500,000 ($21.50). Her colleagues, a married couple, only got VND8 million a month in total. Amid a worker exodus in the medical field and … [Read more...] about Hanoi health workers quit in droves over heavy workload, low pay

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) Hanoi – Vietnamese airlines are suffering losses amounting to hundreds of billions of VND each month due to a surge in fuel prices, according to director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) Dinh Viet Thang. At a conference of the Transport Ministry reviewing its work in the first half of the year on June 28, Thang said as fuel costs account for 40-50% of operation costs, revenues increases are not sufficient to compensate for high fuel prices. He said domestic aviation transport has fully recovered with higher growth than in the pre-pandemic period. However, Vietnamese carriers have not fully escaped difficulties due to the slow recovery of the international market. It was reported at the conference that in the first half of the year, the number of international air passengers has increased monthly, from 103,500 in January to 127,000 in February, 224,600 in March, 445,700 in April, 650,000 in May and an estimated 826,000 in June. … [Read more...] about Domestic air transport sees fast recovery, airlines suffer loss due to rising fuel prices

Hundreds of rescue workers try to help at the bank of Danube River at Budapest downtown. (GERGELY BESENYEI/AFP) The boat reportedly collided with another tourist vessel near the Hungarian parliament building, before turning over on the river, which has been flooding, with very strong currents, while a rainstorm enveloped Budapest. In Seoul, the foreign ministry said the South Koreans aboard the vessel when it sank were 30 tourists and three tour guides, in addition to the crew of two Hungarians. Seven of the South Koreans were rescued, seven died and 19 were missing, it added. "President Moon Jae-in issued an urgent order to work with the Hungarian government for rescue efforts," his spokeswoman, Ko Min-jung, told reporters. An emergency rescue team is among the 18 officials South Korea is sending to Budapest, the foreign ministry added, and it will provide counseling to victims' families. A Hungarian ambulance spokesman told state television that 14 people were pulled … [Read more...] about 7 killed as Hungarian boat carrying South Korean tourists capsizes on Danube

Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu . (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu on June 27 hosted a reception for his Turkmen counterpart Vepa Hajiyev who has been visiting Vietnam as the two countries will be celebrating the 30th founding anniversary of diplomatic relations next month (July 29, 1992 – 2022). Vietnam treasures the long-standing friendship and partnership with Turkmenistan and wants to further strengthen the bilateral ties, Vu told Hajiyev, adding that the visit will create new opportunities for cooperation between the two nations. The Vietnamese official welcomed the business mission accompanying Hajiyev to attend the Vietnam – Turkmenistan business forum scheduled for June 29. The business delegation is also planning to meet with representatives of Vietnamese ministries of transport, construction, industry and trade, and education and training. Hajiyev spoke highly of close … [Read more...] about Vietnam, Turkmenistan eye closer cooperation in multiple areas

Lotte Mart is one of five premium Vietnamese retailers selected by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) to distribute New Zealand F&B products during the campaign. Through the ‘Made With Care’ global campaign, NZTE aims to expand the brand value of New Zealand’s outstanding, great-tasting and nutritious F&B products. ‘Made With Care’ highlights five paramount attributes infused in New Zealand’s commitment to its F&B products: Safe, Tasty, Premium quality, Nutritious and Ethical. The above attributes are particularly well-aligned with the selected five retailers. New Zealand producers share a special connection to the land and sea, and it is a relationship founded on care, respect and an understanding that when nature thrives, people thrive. The 14 New Zealand F&B companies taking part in the ‘Made With Care’ campaign this year in Vietnam are: Bostock Group, Ecostore, First Fresh, Fonterra, Freshco, Freshmax, Golden Bay Fruit, Heartland Fruit, Picot … [Read more...] about New Zealand’s ‘Made With Care’ campaign launched at Lotte Mart

Illustrative image. (Photo: SGGP) The People's Committee of HCMC said that the disbursement rate of the Public Investment Plan in 2022 is not much compared to previous years due to many difficulties and obstacles, but mainly the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021. The restart of the construction of projects in the first months of 2022 experienced a certain delay after the time the city adopted measures to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, input costs were unstable and tended to increase. Besides the above objective reasons, the People's Committee of HCMC also raised some other subjective reasons affecting the disbursement progress of public investment capital, for example, difficulties related to site clearance; it is necessary to have time to carry out the project adjustment procedures on the basis of Resolution No.99/NQ-HDND dated October 19, 2021, of the People's Council of HCMC and Decision No.4354/QD-UBND dated December 28, 2021, on the medium-term capital … [Read more...] about HCMC disburses only 17 percent of public investment capital in first six months

In the first six months of 2022, Vietnam Airlines has resumed flights to 14 countries and territories, including the UK, France, Germany, Australia, the US, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Laos, Cambodia, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Lately, the airline has opened a new route to India and is preparing the necessary conditions to immediately reopen flights to China, Myanmar, and Russia when the conditions permit. The national carrier is expected to resume flights to Indonesia in July and key international routes to Japan, Korea, and Australia in November at the same flight frequency as in 2019. It hopes that it will be able to restore the entire international flight network, equivalent to that in 2019 by the end of 2023. The gradual restoration of international flight routes is an opportunity for Vietnam Airlines to improve the usage efficiency of resources, increase revenue, improve production and business results, reduce losses, and aim at profits in the following years. … [Read more...] about Vietnam Airlines plans to restore its entire flight network by the end of 2023

The State leader hailed the contributions by Rosler to the Vietnam-Germany strategic partnership either as a German politician in the past or a business leader and Vietnam’s Honorary Consul in Switzerland at present. Noting the fast recovery of tourism in Vietnam, President Phuc said he hopes more and more tourists and businesses from Europe will come to Vietnam. According to the President, although the EVFTA has opened up opportunities for trade and investment ties between Vietnam and Germany and Switzerland, bilateral trade between Vietnam and those countries decreased in 2021 due to the pandemic. Phuc urged the three countries to act to further bolster economic, trade and investment cooperation. He asked Rosler to continue working to promote the Vietnam-Germany strategic partnership and the Vietnam-Switzerland friendship and collaboration, particularly the early signing of a free trade agreement between Vietnam and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).  He added that he … [Read more...] about President hosts Honorary Consul of Vietnam in Switzerland