Digital health partnerships

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

Vietnam has the 15th largest population of smokers in the world, and approximately 40,000 people die each year from diseases caused by smoking. National lawmakers have called on the Government to ban all e-cigarette products in Vietnam soon, citing health concerns. A no-smoking sign is labeled at a bookstore in Hanoi. Photo: Văn Sinh/The Hanoi Times The Government should amend the Law on Tobacco Harm Prevention and related regulations to stop the trade, circulation and use of e-cigarettes in Vietnam, Hanoi deputy Nguyen Anh Tri said on June 1. All these actions should be dealt with under the Penal Code, he said. Tri said new generations of cigarette products, including e-cigarettes, may contain illegal drugs and cause severe damage to people's health. However, he said, hardly anything was done to prevent these products from adversely affecting society. He called on the government to reduce the smoking rate to 30% by 2030. "The Government needs … [Read more...] about Vietnamese Government urged to ban e-cigarettes

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

The Southeast Asian country holds tremendous potential to be a global trading hub. Vietnam is likely to earn US$618 billion in exports by 2030, with an annual growth rate of 7%, according to Standard Chartered. "Vietnam will be a key driver of this global trade growth, outpacing the global average of 5% by a significant two percentage points," said the research report titled "Future of Trade: New opportunities in high-growth corridors". Vietnam will be a key driver of this global trade growth. Photo: dinhvuport.com.vn The UK-based bank projects that global trade will reach $32.6 trillion with a growth rate of 5% by 2030. Trade corridors anchored in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East will outpace the global trade growth rate by up to four percentage points, driving combined trade volume to $14.4 trillion to account for 44% of international trade by 2030. Mainland China, South Korea, and the US are expected to be Vietnam’s key trade partners in the … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s exports to hit $618 billion by 2030

Contributions of foreign direct investment cannot be denied, illustration photo In recent years, there has been a viewpoint that foreign direct investment (FDI) is a foreign element rather than an organic part of Vietnam’s economy. It is also sometimes believed that the domestic economy is weak due to the low spillover effects of FDI without a clear recognition of the need to promote the development of the domestic economy. However, if we assume something that did not happen in reality – that Vietnam never did have access to FDI – then we would see a vastly different nation today. The increasing proportion of FDI indicates that the economic growth rate of this area is usually higher than that of the domestic economy. Without, it would take many more years for Vietnam to reach the GDP scale of 2022 with $409 billion and average GDP per capita of $4,110, and with the economic growth rate at over 7 per cent annually, as seen in 1991-1997 and 2002-2007. In 2022, the realised … [Read more...] about Contributions of foreign direct investment cannot be denied

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

An elderly woman in the central province of Nghe An's Quynh Luu District is in desperate need of help to support her disabled son. Ho Thi Van and her disabled son Nguyen Ba Cuong Ho Thi Van, 78, said that she has three sons who all have weak health caused by Agent Orange that she might have been exposed to when joining the American War during the 1960s. While the eldest Nguyen Ba Hung, 49, and the youngest Nguyen Ba Phuong, 38, have better health condition, her second son Nguyen Ba Cuong, 47, suffers serious amyotrophia and only weighs nearly 10 kilos. "I was not afraid of death while joining the war, but now I'm afraid of it," Van said. "I want to live to take care of my disabled son. However, my left eye has gone blind and my right eye also has poor sight. Now I can only do some light housework." According to the mother, Cuong was born ailing and has had to depend on others for all daily activities. Her husband died many years ago, and she has raised three … [Read more...] about Nghe An elderly woman needs help to support disabled son

Illustrative image (Photo: AFP) Hanoi (VNA) - The Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCYU), the Health Ministry’s Fund for Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms and the Global Public Health Organisation Vital Strategies held a symposium in Hanoi on May 31 to discuss the harmful effects of e-cigarettes in schools. The event attracted the participation of over 600 students from the Hanoi University of Industry. They had a chance to join a mini-game to learn about the detrimental effects of e-cigarettes. Nguyen Tuan Lam, an expert in non-communicable disease prevention at the World Health Organisation (WHO)'s office in Vietnam cited data from the WHO as saying that there are currently about 20,000 flavorings in e-cigarettes, many of which are yet to be fully evaluated for health hazards. Nguyen Thi Thu Huong from the fund also warned that e-cigarettes could contain drugs that cause addiction, especially among young people. She said the … [Read more...] about Symposium urges youths to quit smoking

HANOI -- Vietnam's most valuable listed lender, Vietcombank, is tapping advisers for plans to raise at least $600 million in fresh equity capital to build firepower and better compete with its rivals, two sources familiar with the matter said. The majority state-owned bank, with a market capitalisation of nearly VND450 trillion ($19 billion), has been trying for years to raise its core capital, which is the lowest among Vietnam's state lenders. Pressure on Vietcombank has increased in recent weeks after private lender Vietnam Prosperity Joint Stock Commercial Bank (VPBank) sold a $1.5 billion stake in March to Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. Vietcombank is now doubling down its efforts for an equity private placement, partly to meet the market challenge of its local rivals including VPBank, said the two sources, who declined to be named as the discussions were confidential. The move comes as Vietnam's banks face heat from a slowing economy and protracted turmoil … [Read more...] about Top Vietnam bank weighs share issue to raise at least $600 mln: sources