Deputy Minister of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs Nguyen Thi Ha shared Vietnam’s plans to eradicate child labor at a conference in South Africa on Tuesday. At the fifth Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labor in Durban, South Africa, Ha spoke about the pivotal role that childhood education plays in reducing the risk of children leaving school to find work. Currently, about 94.4 percent of Vietnamese children have access to education thanks to government policies to make primary and secondary education compulsory, eradicate illiteracy, and reduce or exempt tuition fees for poor, disabled, ethnic minority, and underprivileged children. The Vietnamese government also has policies which help these marginalized groups gain access to health insurance and other social welfare programs. Currently, Vietnam is cooperating with other entities, such as the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the International Labor Organization (ILO) to … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s next steps in the fight to eradicate child labor
4 steps to prioritize
Renewable energy, climate action prioritized in Party official’s visit to Germany
Thang co-chaired the seventh theory dialogue between the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SDP), during which the two parties exchanged views on a number of both theoretical and practical matters. Discussions have placed an emphasis on Vietnam’s energy transition strategy to ensure national energy security and fulfill international commitments; developing green agriculture in Vietnam in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution; green growth and climate resilient models in some Vietnamese localities; and the path towards an eco-social market economy and advantages and challenges to energy transition and green agriculture development in Germany. The Vietnamese official also had a meeting with SPD Co-leader Lars Klingbeil. He spoke highly of the long-standing friendship between the two parties and the SPD’s efforts in co-hosting the seventh dialogue, and proposed both sides to further expand their relations in the coming time, contributing … [Read more...] about Renewable energy, climate action prioritized in Party official’s visit to Germany
NA Chairman Hue welcomes Greek President
The top Greek leader is on her first official visit to Vietnam. The legislator congratulated Sakellaropoulou as the first female President of Greece, a country with an important position in Europe. Chairman Hue said he believed that the president's visit to Vietnam is an important step, helping to further promote the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries. He expressed delight that the friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries has been continuously strengthened and developed, which is demonstrated by exchanges of delegations at all levels. National Assembly Chairman Vuong Đinh Hue meets Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou in Hà Nội on Wednesday (Photo: VNA/VNS) The cooperation in trade and economy has developed positively, particularly since the Europe-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) was implemented. Chairman Hue proposed the two countries continue promoting cooperation in areas that are … [Read more...] about NA Chairman Hue welcomes Greek President
HCMC cooperates with USAID to ease container congestion at Cat Lai Port
Many delegates discuss solutions to reduce congestion at Cat Lai Port in HCMC. (Photo: SGGP) The workshop attracted more than 70 delegates from customs authorities, ministries, and the business community to discuss this action plan. At the workshop, the relevant units announced 21 recommendations to improve the operational efficiency of Cat Lai Port to meet the increasing demand. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the port was operating at full capacity. Meanwhile, the demand calculated by the number of containers is forecast to double by 2030. The above 21 recommendations are the results of a pre-feasibility study on congestion prevention and logistics facilitation at Cat Lai Port conducted by the Trade Facilitation Project funded by the USAID from May 2020 to March 2021. The study comprehensively reviewed port operations on an area of 160 hectares to assess operational efficiency, bottlenecks, and shortcomings in the process of enhancing the handling capacity of the port. On … [Read more...] about HCMC cooperates with USAID to ease container congestion at Cat Lai Port
Center hoped to help link, consume agricultural products in Mekong Delta
At the conference (Photo: SGGP) The Center for linking production, processing, and consumption of agricultural products in Can Tho City was established with the expectation that by 2050, it will become the central transport node in large metropolitan areas with smart technology. The center will be the focal point of the chain of smart production, processing, and consumption centers in the region. In this link chain, about 50 percent - 70 percent of the production processes are done automatically and intelligently. Speaking at the conference, Chairman of the Can City People's Committee Tran Viet Truong said this is an important conference to get opinions from ministries, sectors, and localities in the region, step by step perfecting the project in the most feasible direction before submitting it to the Government. The Center aims to contribute to the construction of Can Tho City into the central city of the Mekong Delta region, contributing to the development of the region’s … [Read more...] about Center hoped to help link, consume agricultural products in Mekong Delta
Vietnam, Denmark forge people-to-people exchange
Ambassador Luong Thanh Nghi and DAVIFO President Trine Glue Doan (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Ambassador Luong Thanh Nghi has suggested the Vietnamese Embassy in Denmark and the Denmark-Vietnam Friendship Association (DAVIFO) coordinate with relevant agencies in organising forums for young people of the two countries to serve as nucleus for their bilateral ties. The two sides should join hands in launching activities like cuisine festivals, photo exhibitions and dialogues between prestigious writers and artists, and audiences to promote the Vietnamese and Danish cultures, he said at a meeting with DAVIFO President Trine Glue Doan on May 17. The diplomat noted with pleasure the close coordination between DAVIFO and the Vietnam-Denmark Friendship Association under the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO), with practical activities held in Hanoi, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City and other Vietnamese localities. Vietnam always pays attention to improving living … [Read more...] about Vietnam, Denmark forge people-to-people exchange
Gold appeal sparkles amid rise of inflation
Gold is yet again becoming a safe haven asset, and some customers want more ways to get involved, Le Toan The World Gold Council (WGC) believes that the appetite for gold is often hampered by the interest rate, as when interest rates rise, gold loses its appeal. However, inflation is also a tailwind to gold demand as a common safe-haven asset. The USD tends to weaken when the Fed raises interest rates, which enhances gold’s demand. “Furthermore, what happens in China’s consumer market has had a big impact as it’s the world’s largest consumer market for gold. We expect China to start to emerge from the worst of the pandemic and that will support consumer demand,” the WGC noted last week. “It is difficult to predict how the geopolitical situation will play out. It depends on where inflation goes, but inflation is certainly the biggest driver at the moment, which will probably support institutional investment demand in the next quarter.” Meanwhile, the demand for gold in Vietnam … [Read more...] about Gold appeal sparkles amid rise of inflation
Taking the right approach to the condotel legislation conundrum
Kenneth Atkinson-Vice chairman, Vietnam Tourism Advisory Board However, there is no separate body of law governing condotels and in most locations where they have been constructed it is clear that such developments cannot be issued with pink books for individual units, so ownership ultimately rests with the developers, with a lease term not extending beyond 50 years (70 years can be permitted). In addition, many buyers have been lured by guaranteed returns of 8-12 per cent for the 10 years. Warnings of potential future problems sounded from 2017, but due to the cyclical nature of tourism and potential disruptions to inbound tourists, these were largely ignored and we have already seen failures of such projects like Cocobay and other developers now unable to meet their guaranteed return commitments and for certain several more to come. Now, we have around 240 tourism real estate projects and over 114,000 condotel units, and Vietnam has the largest pipeline of tourism-related … [Read more...] about Taking the right approach to the condotel legislation conundrum
Transmission boost to remove major power bottlenecks
EVN workers examine electricity facilities (Photo: VNA) The Vietnamese government’s permission for private companies to invest in and build power plants and transmission systems became a big step forward, bringing competition in the energy sector to a manageable level. The first 500kV super-high voltage power transmission line invested by Trungnam Construction and Investment JSC has been operating stably for more than a year. Trungnam’s project includes a 500kV substation and transmission lines combined with a 450MW solar power plant, promoting its advantages when participating in the power grid of Ninh Thuan province and the south-central coastal region. Pham Nhu Anh, member of the Executive Board of Military Bank, which arranged capital for Trungnam to invest in transmission infrastructure, pointed out that capital is still a bottleneck in Vietnam’s electrical infrastructure development. According to Anh, the fact that Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) still holds a monopoly on … [Read more...] about Transmission boost to remove major power bottlenecks
Transport authorities request oversight of commercial cars at Saigon airport following overcharging accusation
Ho Chi Minh City transport authorities have requested that measures be taken to prevent commercial passenger transport companies from overcharging their passengers at Tan Son Nhat International Airport. In a dispatch sent to the airport authority and agencies concerned on Wednesday, the municipal Department of Transport asked that steps be taken to prevent passengers from being fleeced, including regular inspections of such vehicles. Strict punishments must be given to any firms which claim higher transport charges than their quoted rates, the department said. The move was made after passenger Dr. Le Dang Doanh, former head of the Central Institute for Economic Management, was asked by a commercial car driver to pay nearly VND200,000 (US$8.65) for his three-kilometer trip from the airport to a hotel. Dr. Doanh said he took a passenger car operated by the Southern Airport Transportation Joint Stock Company (SATSCO) for his trip after his flight touched down at the airport last … [Read more...] about Transport authorities request oversight of commercial cars at Saigon airport following overcharging accusation