Australian foreign minister Penny Wong is welcomed by her Vietnamese counterpart Bùi Thanh Sơn on Monday. — VNA/VNS Photo Lâm Khánh HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese foreign minister Bùi Thanh Sơn on Monday welcomed his Australian counterpart Penny Wong on her official visit to Việt Nam. Việt Nam is the first Southeast Asian country Wong paid a visit to after assuming the Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs position. Congratulating Australia on its success in the federal election and COVID-19 vaccination campaign, Minister Sơn believes that Wong’s visit will further promote the strategic partnership between the two countries. Việt Nam and Australia will soon commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations in 2023. The Vietnamese foreign minister also expressed his gratitude to the Australian government for their prompt support in providing COVID-19 vaccines and medical equipment for Việt Nam, particularly the 14.4 million doses for children, which … [Read more...] about Concrete actions are important to shared prosperity: Australian foreign minister
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BRICS in dilemma
They have to balance their relationships between Russia and their Western partners. China hosted the 14th annual BRICS Summit virtually because of the pandemic. This event was held only a few days before the G7 in-person summit in Germany. BRICS comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Overview of the event. Source: VNA The online meeting drew special attention around the world, especially from the US, EU, NATO and their allies due to Russia's military actions in Ukraine for more than four months now. The US, EU, NATO, and their allies - among them all G7 members - stand on Ukraine's side and have imposed strong and multifaceted sanctions on Russia. They have been trying as much as they could to politically isolate Russia on the world stage. Brics members, including China, India, Brazil and South Africa, refused to follow the West in imposing sanctions against Russia and supporting Ukraine. Therefore, this event was a major significant gain … [Read more...] about BRICS in dilemma
EU supporting comprehensive implementation of the EVFTA
Peter Bernhardt, team leader of the ARISE+ Vietnam project Since coming into force in August 2021, the EU - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) has become an effective tool for boosting trade ties between the EU and Vietnam. What should Vietnam pay attention to in order to benefit more from this deal? I agree that the overall picture of EVFTA performance in this starting period, where exporters and government authorities from both sides have to adapt to the new situation, looks definitely promising. The EVFTA is the most ambitious FTA that the EU has ever signed with a developing country. The deal will mutually lift about 99 per cent of the tariffs within 10 years. Duty was lifted from 65 per cent of EU exports to Vietnam and 71 per cent of Vietnamese exports to the EU, immediately after the EVFTA came into effect. As most Vietnamese exporting products are consumer products, the real challenge Vietnam exporters will face to comply with EU consumer protection regulations is … [Read more...] about EU supporting comprehensive implementation of the EVFTA
Quang Ninh posts 10.66% economic growth for first half
Part of Van Don district in Quang Ninh province (Photo: VNA) Quang Ninh (VNA) – The northern province of Quang Ninh posted an estimated growth rate of 10.66% in Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) in the first six months of this year, which is 2.64 percentage points higher than the rate in the same period of 2021. In the period, the province has effectively implemented its overall strategy on containing COVID-19 and safely and flexibly adapting to the pandemic, thus facilitating development in the new normal situation. Quang Ninh collected over 27.18 trillion VND (1.17 billion USD at current exchange rate) for the State budget , an increase of 18% year-on-year. Total social investment in the period is estimated at 42.3 trillion VND, up 10.9% from the same period last year. The tourism industry of Quang Ninh has also enjoyed a stable recovery, serving 5.5 million visitors in the six-month period, a 2.2-fold rise year-on-year. The figure also showed a 19.57% increase … [Read more...] about Quang Ninh posts 10.66% economic growth for first half
Mobile malware up in Viet Nam
Mobile malware in Viet Nam increased by nearly 46.9 per cent in 2021. — Photo courtesy of Kaspersky Along with a surge in the number of mobile phone users accessing the Internet, there has been an increase in the number of mobile malware targeting Vietnamese users, according to the global cybersecurity company Kaspersky. According to the Digital 2022 report conducted by We Are Social, the number of mobile phone users accessing the Internet grew by 147 per cent year-on-year last year. Kaspersky, meanwhile, reported that it detected and prevented a total of 43,171 mobile attacks targeting Vietnamese users last year, 46.9 per cent higher than in 2020. Trojan is the most common threat in Viet Nam. While Viet Nam and Thailand saw growth in the number of malware attacks, the rest of Southeast Asia observed a downward trend in the number of attacks on mobile users thanks in part to Kaspersky’s efforts to block more than 2,000 mobile malware per day. Specifically, Indonesia … [Read more...] about Mobile malware up in Viet Nam