Common security and defense policy

In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)'s resident correspondents in Sydney ahead of the Prime Minister's trip from June 3-4, Thanh said the visit takes place at a time when the two countries are celebrating the 50th founding anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic ties and the 5th anniversary of the strategic partnership. This is the second official visit to a Southeast Asian nation by Albanese since he took office, and the third to Vietnam by an Australian Prime Minister, the ambassador said, noting that the trip shows Prime Minister Albanese’s administration attaches importance to Vietnam. Thanh also recalled the visit to Vietnam by Australian Governor-General David Hurley in April, which was his only State-level visit to a Southeast Asian nation, and another trip to Vietnam by Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell in the same month. In June 2022, Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong selected Vietnam as the first ASEAN country to pay an official visit. … [Read more...] about Australian Prime Minister’s Vietnam visit to give impulse to bilateral ties: Ambassador

Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Nguyen Tat Thanh. (Photo: Vietnamese Embassy in Australia) Hanoi (VNA) – The upcoming visit to Vietnam by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will create momentum for bilateral cooperation in such potential areas as culture, investment, labour and people-to-people exchanges, Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Nguyen Tat Thanh has said. In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)'s resident correspondents in Sydney ahead of the PM’s trip from June 3-4, Thanh said the visit takes place at a time when the two countries are celebrating the 50th founding anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic ties and the 5th anniversary of the strategic partnership. This is the second official visit to a Southeast Asian nation by PM Albanese since he took office, and the third to Vietnam by an Australian PM, the ambassador said, noting that the trip shows PM Albanese’s administration attaches importance to Vietnam. Thanh also … [Read more...] about Australian PM’s Vietnam visit to give impulse to bilateral ties: Ambassador

Local departments and agencies vet 100% of the offices to ensure they're used for legitimate purposes. Hanoi's authorities will no longer be allowed to put public assets into lease, rental, and association contracts, according to a plan to manage public assets for 2023-2030 signed by Mayor Tran Sy Thanh. The building of the Hanoi People's Committee. Photo: The Hanoi Times For their plans to lease the assets, the assets management units will have to obtain the evaluation and approval of higher authorities. The capital city will develop a database to update the information and status of 100% of local public assets and ensure they're used according to purpose. Hanoi will review and reorganize State-owned land and deal with violations committed by agencies and enterprises in the management and use of public property. The city will study feasible plans to develop transportation infrastructure along Ring Road No.4 . In addition, the city … [Read more...] about Hanoi to ban illegitimate renting and leasing of public property

Both the governing side and the political opposition must do their best and, at most, prevent being seen in the eyes and minds of US voters. At the end of their common race against the time, US President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from the Republican Party finally, and still just in time, reached the final agreement on a deal to raise the nation's debt ceiling, thus, according to Joe Biden, preventing "the worst possible crisis, a default, for the first time in the US's history," because it takes "the threat of a catastrophic default off the table." Their deal now would be sent to be passed by the House. Biden and McCarthy in Washington on March 17. Photo: AP This news was both new and nothing new. Since 1917, when the US Congress enacted the original debt ceiling legislation, the federal government and the House have crashed 102 times on the issue of increasing limits on the national debt, among them 72 times only since 1960. But … [Read more...] about Avoiding catastrophe, awaiting anxieties

"With the approaching summer holidays and potential easing of visa restrictions, which are under considerations by the National Assembly, Vietnam will likely see a punchier boost from international tourism, a much-needed support for its sharply slowing economy," HSBC said in a report. Vietnam has received 4.6 million international tourists so far this year, around 60% of this year’s target of 8 million. In May alone, it received over 916,000 foreign tourist arrivals. Despite falling slightly from April’s figure, Vietnam has seen its inbound tourism recovery reach around 70% of pre-pandemic levels. Tourists from China, the biggest feeder market of Vietnam’s tourism before the pandemic, have recovered to 35% of pre-pandemic levels. Legislators will vote on new bill on June 24 that seeks to extend the validity of e-visas from 30 days to a maximum of three months and allow multiple entries, and triple to 45 days the duration of visa-free stays for tourists from certain … [Read more...] about Vietnam tourism forecast to see robust growth as visa restrictions relaxed: HSBC

Illustrative image. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - The World Bank (WB) on May 31 approved a 176-million-USD loan to fund a fisheries project that aims to improve fisheries management, enhance the value of fisheries production , and raise income s for coastal communities in the Philippines. The project is expected to benefit more than 1.5 million fisherfolk, small-to-medium businesses, and residents in coastal communities, the multilateral lender said in a statement. According to the WB, the fisheries sector contributes 1.3% to the Southeast Asian country's gross domestic product. It provides approximately 1.6 million jobs, or around 4% of the labour force, including for low-income families engaged in subsistence fishing. However, the sector has faced challenges, with fish stocks declining by an average of 20% over the past decade due to over-exploitation, destructive fishing methods, habitat degradation, and negative impacts from land-based activities. This … [Read more...] about World Bank approves 176-million-USD fisheries project in Philippines

FPT IS teamed up with SAP to introduce the brand-new ERP cloud solution at a seminar last week centred around growing a business with cloud-based solutions. The seminar attracted more than 100 senior leaders from enterprises in various fields such as manufacturing, trade and services, retail, technology, finance and banking, among others, indicating great interest from the market towards the solution. The seminar "Business growth with SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud" was jointly organised by FPT IS and SAP Speaking at the event, Phan Thanh Son, chief business development officer, FPT IS , noted that the uncertainty and constant fluctuations in the market require firms to equip a solid and flexible management system that can adapt to increasingly rapid and diverse systematic changes. In Son's words, “SAP's new ERP cloud solution delivers an open approach for enterprises of all sizes and from different industries to quickly adopt management processes compliant with … [Read more...] about FPT IS and SAP introduce new ERP cloud solution

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha stressed the need to incentivise the conversion of fossil fuel-powered vehicles to electric vehicles and other types of clean energy . In his conclusions made at a meeting discussing the application of preferential electricity prices at electric vehicle charging stations, Ha said that the transition to green economic development is an inevitable trend and a goal that Vietnam is pursuing. It will also create opportunities for Vietnam to become a pioneer in the region in terms of green growth and recovery, thus keeping pace with the new development trends of the world, he added. The Deputy PM asked the Ministry of Transport to collaborate with the Ministries of Natural Resources and Environment, Finance, Industry and Trade, Planning and Investment, Science and Technology, and Justice; and related agencies to study international experience, conduct a comprehensive analysis of various … [Read more...] about Deputy PM stresses need to encourage use of electric vehicles

Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan has said that Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh would chair a meeting of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control this weekend to deliberate the downgrading of COVID-19 from its current placement in Class A infectious diseases down to Class B. Lan told the National Assembly that on May 29 that the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced that COVID-19 no longer constituted a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, the designation that was attached to the viral disease more than three years ago, but the pandemic is not over yet. In accordance with the guidance of the Government leader, the Ministry of Health was also coordinating with other ministries and agencies to review the legal regulations, consult the experience of other countries, and review practical measures for the prevention and control of COVID-19 in Vietnam, Lan noted. The Ministry … [Read more...] about Vietnam to consider downgrading COVID-19 to flu-like status

Police in Ho Chi Minh City recently collaborated with the Ministry of Public Security’s Department of Cybersecurity and relevant agencies to apprehend three South Korean individuals, who had been the subjects of an Interpol red notice for involvement in high-tech crimes. These foreigners, namely 49-year-old Jeong Ki Won, 40-year-old Park Jai Hyung, and 43-year-old Jang Woo Jin, entered Vietnam under the guise of foreign investors and experts who had endorsements from different businesses in Ho Chi Minh City, thereby obtaining visas and temporary residence cards through legal channels, a representative of the city’s Department of Public Security said on Thursday. Park came to Vietnam on September 20, 2022, Jeong entered the country on March 23, 2023, and Jang followed suit on March 28, 2023. This supplied photo shows police officers arresting 49-year-old South Korean Jeong Ki Won. The Interpol red notice showed that the three individuals established and ran a … [Read more...] about Vietnam arrests 3 S.Koreans on Interpol’s red list