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Representatives of Vietnam and the UK hand over notes confirming the date when the UKVFTA comes into force. Photo: VNA Emily Hamblin, UK consul general in Ho Chi Minh City and trade director for Vietnam, said that May 1 is the next milestone to celebrate in the United Kingdom and Vietnam’s timeline of implementing the free trade deal (UVFTA), when the agreement will legally enter into force. However, the benefits of it have already been in place for several months, being provisionally applied from January 1. Some 65 per cent of all tariffs have already been eliminated and this will increase to 99 per cent over the next six years. This equates to tariff savings of $134.65 million per year on Vietnamese exports to the UK by full implementation, and of $42.52 million per year on UK exports to Vietnam. Among them, there are huge cooperation opportunities in the field of healthcare. Hamblin said that in an age of growing challenges from non-communicable diseases, and emerging threats from infectious diseases such as COVID-19, digital health has the potential to offer new solutions and alleviate pressure on overstretched health systems. Digital health technology can empower patients to actively participate in their care, improve clinical outcomes, and enhance operational efficiency. Innovation and technology have touched many aspects of life in Vietnam and healthcare is no exception. In a concerted effort to embrace Industry 4.0, the Vietnamese government has committed to a national agenda that seeks to harness the potential of digital solutions across the healthcare system. This has set a solid foundation for digital transformation in Vietnam, and the UK shares many of the same aspirations. “We seek to utilise digital innovation to expand equitable access to quality care, in line with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3 on good health and wellbeing. At the early stage of digital transformation, Vietnam has plenty of opportunities to avail of …

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BRUSSELS -- The European Union is rebuffing British government calls to ship AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines produced in a factory in the Netherlands, an EU official said on Sunday. Former EU member Britain has so far administered many more vaccines than EU countries in proportion to the population. “The Brits are insisting that the Halix plant in the Netherlands must deliver the drug substance produced there to them. That doesn’t work,” the official told Reuters. The Leiden-based plant which is run by sub-contractor Halix is listed as a supplier of vaccines in both the contracts that AstraZeneca has signed with Britain and with the European Union. “What is produced in Halix has to go to the EU,” the official added. Britain has insisted that contracts must be respected. “The European Commission will know that the rest of the world is looking at the Commission, about how it conducts itself on this, and if contracts get broken, and undertakings, that is a very damaging thing to happen for a trading bloc that prides itself on the rules of law,” Defence Minister Ben Wallace said on Sky News earlier in answer to a question about Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen’s threat to block exports to Britain. The EU official said the EU was not breaking any contract. The European Union threatened on Wednesday to block exports of COVID-19 vaccines to Britain to safeguard scarce doses for its own citizens, with Von der Leyen saying the epidemiological situation was worsening. AstraZeneca has not yet sought approval in the EU for Halix, but the official and a second EU source said the request was on its way. Without regulatory approval, vaccines produced at Halix cannot be used in the EU. An internal AstraZeneca document seen by Reuters shows that the company expects EU approval on March 25. AstraZeneca has declined to comment on the amount of vaccines that are currently stockpiled at Halix. The EU official said the factory had already produced …

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Da Nang allows foreigners to buy houses in 17 projects The Construction Department of central Da Nang city has listed 17 commercial housing projects in which foreign organisations and individuals can buy units. The projects include Blooming Tower, Golden Square complex, Quang Nguyen Apartment complex, Thuy Tu urban area, Harmony Tower, and Da Nang FPT Technological Urban Area. The city also disallows foreigners from owning property in three projects, namely F-Home Apartment complex, Da Nang Diamond Tower, and IndoChina Riverside Tower. The department suggested the Department of Natural Resources and Environment and relevant agencies review the grant of licences to foreign organisations and individuals in projects that are off-limits to foreign buyers./. Coffee exports fall by over 11 percent in Q1 Coffee exports earned 771 million USD for Vietnam in the first quarter of 2021 In March alone, 145,000 tonnes of coffee were shipped abroad, bringing home 275 million USD. The figures respectively rose 18 percent and 27.3 percent month on month, but declined 21.1 percent and 11 percent compared to the same period last year. Despite a drop in both export volume and value, export prices still increased in Q1, the MARD said, noting that prices of Vietnamese coffee averaged 1,897 USD per tonne in March, up 7.9 percent from the previous month and 12.8 percent year on year. During Q1, average coffee export prices grew 6.8 percent from a year earlier to 1,801 USD per tonne. MARD statistics also showed that in the first three months, the country exported 10.61 billion USD worth of agricultural, forestry and fishery products, up 19.7 percent year on year. Meanwhile, imports hit 7.74 billion USD, up 44.7 percent. That resulted in a trade surplus of 2.87 billion USD for the agricultural sector during the period./. VinFast selects NVIDIA DRIVE to power next-generation intelligent autonomous electric vehicles VinFast Trading and Production …

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