Dr. Craig Emerson, director of the Australian APEC Study Centre Vietnam’s success in containing COVID-19 with minimal economic fallout compared to other nations has improved its already-strong reputation for competent governance. The government has been liberalising Vietnam’s economy for decades and is now reaping the benefits of rapid growth. Vietnam has stood to gain from the recent US-China trade conflict with many companies relocating at least some of their production facilities there. Vietnam is also rapidly adopting digital technologies to deploy automation, smart manufacturing, and big data analytics. Competent economic management, consistent reforms, swift digital uptake, and effective COVID-19 containment make Vietnam a very attractive destination for trade and investment in 2021 and beyond. Economically, Vietnam is becoming a manufacturing powerhouse, particularly for electronics and apparel. It is also becoming a focal point for regional value chains with preferential access through free trade agreements (FTAs). It has taken up trade deal commitments and accepted assistance to develop the institutional and regulatory environment, infrastructure, and facilitation to attract investment. The country is also actively working on non-tariff barriers to trade including intellectual property protection, food safety regulations, restrictions on the internet and digital economy, and other governance issues to accelerate the absorption of investment. Vietnam needs to be considered in terms of its unique qualities and context. It is following its own development path in a new time, with different conditions, drivers, and realities. Comparisons can be made to Japan with its appreciation of tradition; to Singapore with its open trade policies and architecture; China’s southern Guangdong province in population scale and economic activity; and Indonesia in terms of benefits from a demographic dividend. Vietnam has a web of FTAs that make it a strategic …
Barry murphy mining
VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES FEB. 26
Hanoi reports case of COVID-19 relapse A patient has tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 again after being given the all-clear, the Hanoi Centre of Disease Control (CDC Hanoi) said on February 25. The 48-year-old patient, who resides in Dich Vong ward in Cau Giay district, has been taken to the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases for further quarantine and treatment. The case does not pose any risk of community transmission, Deputy Director of CDC Hanoi Khong Minh Tuan said. Hanoi had reported 36 COVID-19 cases between January 27 and 12pm on February 25, according to the municipal Department of Health. Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Chu Xuan Dung said relevant agencies have been asked to assess infection risks and put forward solutions to reach the “new normal”./. Citizen protection provided to Vietnamese affected by record cold in Texas The Vietnamese Consulate General in Texas and Vietnamese representative offices in the US are keeping a close watch on the record cold temperatures in Texas, have appointed staff on-duty around the clock, and are coordinating with host authorities to conduct necessary citizen protection measures, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang said on February 25. Hang told reporters that a majority of the 300,000 or so Vietnamese people in Texas have been seriously affected by the record-breaking snow storm and cold spell, which cut power and water supplies. According to official information from Texas authorities, four Vietnamese Americans were killed in a fire in the state, Hang said, adding that the Vietnamese Consulate General in Houston has contacted Vietnamese people and students in the local area to offer support. People seeking help are advised to contact the citizen protection hotlines of the Vietnamese Embassy in the US and the Vietnamese Consulate General in Houston, or the Citizen Protection Call Centre of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Consular Department./. Localities ordered to …
