Head of the Vietnam delegation, Deputy Foreign Minister, Nguyen Quoc Dung, made the suggestion at the 14th ASEAN-Canada Dialogue in Ottawa, Canada, on May 7-8. He proposed that the two sides continue utilising effectively existing mechanisms such as the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the ASEAN-Canada consultative meeting, urging Canada to bring into full play its role as an important member of major groupings such as the G7 and the G20, and back the ASEAN in building a rule-based regional security structure. The delegate called for promoting education cooperation through increasing the number of Canada’s scholarships for Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam, and closer links between ASEAN and Canada in tourism and people-to-people exchange, along with joint efforts to narrow development gap. He also asked Canada to encourage its firms to invest in infrastructure projects, development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and start-up activities in ASEAN member- nations. The … [Read more...]

In 2010, Vietnam’s economic diplomacy saw many important events. The country not only attended but also presided over many big international economic forums. Its successes were attributed to the diplomatic sector. Economic diplomacy has been supported by all ministries, departments, localities, businesses and diplomatic agencies. It becomes a necessary for the world’s development when countries integrate and work closely with each other. The diplomatic sector is very proud of its contribution to the development of the national economy. 2010 was the year when Vietnam assumed the ASEAN presidency and witnessed a wide range of economic events together with political and cultural events. Vietnam together with other ASEAN countries approved many important decisions to build a prosperous economic community, such as the statement on sustained recovery and development, the master plan on ASEAN connectivity, and the statement on human resources and skills development for economic … [Read more...]

High GDP growth rate According to the National General Statistics Office, Vietnam achieved GDP growth rate of 6.78 percent in 2010, surpassing the set target of 6.5 percent. GDP growth rate was 5.84 percent in the first quarter, 6.44 percent in the second quarter, 7.18 percent in the third quarter and 7.34 percent in the fourth quarter – the highest figure since the second quarter of 2008. The Ministry of Planning and Investment (MoPI) says that the high GDP growth is attributed to all sectors' good performance. The industry and construction sector ranked first with 7.7 percent, followed by services with 7.25 percent and the agriculture, forestry and seafood sector with 2.78 percent. The achievement was recorded in the World Bank (WB)’s report on Vietnam’s economy in December 2010 which said that in the context of the global economic downturn, Vietnam’s economy continued to achieve relatively high and stable growth. The WB’s report says that although … [Read more...]

Main speakers at the meeting, including Vice Chairman of Medef International Thierry de Margerie, Minister of State for Commerce Martine Pinville and the Special Representative of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development for ASEAN Philippe Varin, highlighted the meaning of the event and considered it a part of activities to help businesses from the two countries seek investment and cooperation opportunities. Martine Pinville underscored that the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) will remove tariff barriers and facilitate investment activities. She believed that economic and trade ties will further prosper after the signing of EVFTA. Vietnam Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang in turn briefed the participants on the country’s open door and integration policies, EVFTA basic contents and economic and trade relations between the two countries as well as opportunities under the framework of the EVFTA. Since 2012, Vietnam has negotiated and signed … [Read more...]

A series of high-level meetings were held in Bangkok, Thailand, from March 18-20 to prepare for the ASEAN +1, ASEAN +3 and East Asia Summits, which will be held in the southern island resort province of Phuket from April 10-12. Pham Quang Vinh, Assistant to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, granted an exclusive interview to a VOV reporter in Thailand in this connection. Reporter: Could you tell us about the contents of the high-level meetings, which took place recently? Mr Vinh: Senior officials from ASEAN, ASEAN+1, ASEAN+ 3 and the East Asia Summit had prepared some draft documents on natural calamities, food security and the global financial crisis, which will then be submitted to the ASEAN leaders for approval in April. In addition, officials agreed on the multilateralisation of the Chiang Mai initiative, which has seen funding rise from US$80 billion to US$120 billion to cope with the current financial crisis. A joint statement on finance will also be released at the East Asia … [Read more...]

These initiatives related to climate change, economic development and cooperation, information technology development and research, urban development, intellectual property rights, dialogue on faiths and cultures and many other areas. During the two-day meeting, the Foreign Ministers stressed the need to boost economic cooperation among ASEM member countries, saying closer cooperation and dialogue between Asia and Europe is of great significance for promoting peace, stability, development and prosperity between the two continents and the rest of the world. They said that ASEM should continue to play an active and responsible role in addressing global challenges, especially climate change, energy security, maritime security, epidemic prevention and anti-terrorism. They agreed that the enlargement of ASEM will help the grouping enhance cooperation and dialogue and cope with global challenges at present and in future. To this end, they welcomed Australia and Russia’s proposals to … [Read more...]

Earlier, the Canadian diplomat had a meeting with his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Binh Minh. At the events, both parties said that they were pleased at the development of the two countries’ relationship in the recent past and agreed to further boost cooperation in economy, trade, investment and education. They exchanged views on issues earmarked for discussion at the Summit of developing and emerging countries – the G20- scheduled for June 26-27 in Toronto, Canada, as well as ASEAN-Canada relations and other issues of mutual concern. The Vietnamese side thanked Canada as co-Chair of the G20 Summit for inviting Vietnam as ASEAN Chair, to attend the event and briefed his guest on Vietnam and ASEAN’s preparations before they submit their opinions to the summit. Deputy PM Khiem stressed that Vietnam and Canada need to joint initiatives for education and training as well as cultural exchanges. Deputy FM Leonard Edwards conffirmed that the Canadian Government has decided to … [Read more...]

While meeting with Deputy PM Wayne Swan, who is head of the Australian delegation to the G20 summit, PM Dung expressed his delight at the significant progress in Vietnam-Australia relationship since the two countries agreed to develop their comprehensive partnership after Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh’s official visit to Australia in September 2009. Mr Dung said that Australia is one of Vietnam’s leading trade and investment partners. In the first quarter of this year, the two countries’ two-way trade turnover reached more than US$1.2 billion, up 34 percent over the same period last year. The Vietnam-Australia Joint Trade and Economic Cooperation Committee has organised a meeting in Australia to draw up measures to strengthen trade and economic ties between the two countries. The Vietnamese PM called for the early signing of an action plan to effectively boosting the two countries’ comprehensive partnership. He proposed Australia consider procedures on … [Read more...]

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and the Vietnamese delegation left Toronto, Canada on June 29 after attending the G20 Summit at the invitation of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. VOV reporter interviewed the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Doan Xuan Hung, about the outcomes of the G20 Summit, as well as Vietnam’s contributions. VOV: Could you tell us about the most important issues discussed at the G20 Summit? Mr Hung: This was thefourth timetheG20 nationshelda summit, with the first and the third taking place in Washington and Pittsburgh in the US and the second in London, UK. These three summits took place in the context of the global economic crisis, so leaders of the G20 countries focused their discussions on looking for solutions to help the world economy weather the storm. This year’s G20 Summit was held at a time when the global economy was experiencing a downturn. But the participants in the summit discussed and agreed on effective measures to promote a … [Read more...]

The statement said during his visit, Mr Manh held talks with Russian President D. A. Medvedev and met with X.M. Mironov, Chairman of the Federation Council of Russia and the Just Russia party; Chairman of the State Duma and President of the Supreme Council of the United Russia Party B.V. Gryzlov; Deputy Prime Minister A. D. Dukov and Foreign Minister X.V. Lavorov. Russian President Medvedev took this opportunity to award General Secretary Manh the Puskin Medal, a high distinction by the Russian State, for his great contribution to cultural development. In their talks, the two leaders shared satisfaction at a recent development of bilateral relations. They said the strategic partnership between Vietnam and Russia had constantly been diversified and improved in all fields, especially in key areas, ranging from energy, including nuclear energy for the sake of peace, to petroleum, military technology, transport, telecommunications, education, science and culture. They emphasised the … [Read more...]

He made the statement while receiving the heads of the delegations from ASEAN member countries and ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan on July 20, just before the 43rd ASEAN Ministerial Meeting and related meetings officially opened in Hanoi. Mr Dung said he warmly welcomed the ASEAN ministers to Hanoi for the meeting. PM Dung thanked the leaders of ASEAN countries, their ministers and the ASEAN Secretary-General for closely cooperating with Vietnam on the ASEAN Summit held last April. The head of the Vietnamese government added that at the G20 Summit in Canada, Vietnam had highlighted ASEAN’s positions, which was greatly appreciated by the international community. Mr Dung expressed his hope that ASEAN leaders and ASEAN foreign ministers will continue to support Vietnam in building an ASEAN community. … [Read more...]

On the occasion, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Doan Xuan Hung granted our reporter an interview about the result of the meeting. Reporter: Since its establishment 14 years ago, ASEM has played an important role in boosting the partnership between the two continents. It is expected that ASEM 8 will make greater contribution to the development of their relationships. Could you talk about the outcomes of this year’s meeting? Mr. Hung: ASEM 8 took place while the world economy, especially Asian and European economies, is recovering and the whole world is about to shift to a post-crisis stage. All ASEM member countries are aware of the necessity to promote cooperation in a new development period. The meeting, themed “Quality of life”, made significant achievements. Firstly, the meeting adopted two documents including the “ASEM Chair’s Declaration on happiness and dignity” and the “ASEM 8 Declaration on strengthening the efficiency of global … [Read more...]

The meeting approved 16 initiatives, designed to boost cooperation in a wide range of fields, including food security, transport, forest management, water resource, development and education. It also welcomed Laos’ proposal to host the 9th ASEM Summit in 2012. During the two-day meeting, the ASEM leaders also discussed ways of strengthening the efficiency of global economic mechanisms, regional issues and measures to enhance the efficiency of ASEM cooperation. They also reiterated their determination to give fresh impetus to cooperation between the two continents. They also pledged to stimulate growth and encourage models of sustainable development while dealing with weaknesses in the financial system, including high public debts and global imbalance. They confirmed that the Chiang Mai Initiative in Asia and financial stability mechanisms in Europe are useful tools for supporting countries in financial difficulty. PM Dung contributed many practical proposals on ASEM 8’s … [Read more...]

A Vietnamese delegation led by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has left Hanoi for the Republic of Korea (RoK) to attend the G20 Summit on November 11-12 at the invitation of RoK President Lee Myung Pak, who is also Chairman of the G20 Summit this year. Vietnam contributes to strengthening ASEAN-G20 relationshipsTogether with G20 members, Vietnam will take the initiative in solving issues related to global economic development, such as the building of G20 mechanisms as well as global management mechanisms for the benefit of the newly-emerging and developing economies. This aims to raise ASEAN and Vietnam’s status in the international community and promote the relations between Vietnam and G20 countries, especially its priotised partners. PM Dung will take part in all discussions at the Summit and will contribute his ideas on issues related to development, especially sustainable and human resources development, food security and narrowing the development gap. He will highlight the … [Read more...]

The new RoK Ambassador to Vietnam, Mr. Park Suk Hwan stated this at a press conference on May 25. The ambassador’s statement was illustrated by a significant increase in the turnover of two way trade (from US$500 million in 1992 to US$9.5 billion in 2009). He said that Korea is now one of the biggest foreign investors in Vietnam with about 2,300 projects in operation worth US$20 billion and creating jobs for 400,000 Vietnamese workers. According to a recent survey conducted by the Korea Trade and Investment Promotion Agency, most RoK companies operating in Vietnam are satisfied with the current conditions for foreign investors and businesses. Strategic cooperation partners According to Ambassador Hwan, it is the result of both parties’s determination to build up economic and trade relations. The comprehensive cooperation agreement signed by President Tran Duc Luong’s visit to RoK in 2001 laid a foundation for bilateral relations in various fields. Especially … [Read more...]

At the recent G20 Summit in Toronto, as ASEAN Chair, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung called for G20 nations to ensure a sustainable economic recovery and fight against trade protectionism in all forms. He emphasised that Vietnam has to face many disguised protection measures in some developed countries, saying that G20 nations should continue to introduce specific measures to remove barriers to trade and foreign direct investment. These barriers have become obstacles for Vietnamese investors and exporters. To some extent, these barriers, with stricter regulations on food hygiene and safety and anti-dumping, have had a positive impact on Vietnamese businesses who have to increase the quality of their products to compete against foreign rivals. Tran Manh Canh, Deputy General Director of the Hanoi Trade Corporation (Hapro), says that his company exports many products to the Republic of Korea, which requires a high standard of food hygiene and safety. However, Hapro leaders consider these a … [Read more...]

At a meeting with the press in Hanoi, Minh noted that 2012 was a busy year for the diplomatic sector, with 49 foreign delegations led by Deputy Prime Ministers, Vice Presidents and Vice Chairmen of legislative bodies visiting Vietnam, a 5-6fold increase on the averages of previous years. Notably, more than 10 Latin American delegations have paid official visits to Vietnam, including those from Panama, Uruguay and Haiti. In 2012 Vietnam has successfully organised the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Year, and the Vietnam-Laos Solidarity and Friendship Year. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has collaborated with relevant ministries and localities to draft a Party Politburo resolution on international integration. Vietnam has actively implemented land border management agreements with China, as well as land border marker demarcation and planting with Cambodia and Laos. It has harmoniously dealt with sea disputes, closely coordinating with other ASEAN countries in creating a legal foundation … [Read more...]

The Hanoitimes - A Vietnamese delegation led by Advisor to Foreign Minister Vu Quang Minh attended the Sherpa Meeting of the G20 Developing and Emerging Economies recently held in Berlin, Germany with the theme “Shaping an inter-connected world”. The Vietnamese delegation gave constructive feedback on economic connectivity promotion, global and regional trade, anti-protectionism, climate change response, food security, effective use of Mekong River water resources, trilateral cooperation in supporting Africa, which have been welcomed by the host country and participants. Vietnam was invited to the event given it will play the host of the APEC Year 2017. Speaking at the event, Minh mentioned Vietnam’s theme and priority orientations of APEC Year 2017 as well as proposed priority tasks that APEC and G20 2017 could perform together. Themed “Shaping an inter-connected world”, the G20’s agenda during the German presidency focuses on building … [Read more...]

(VOVworld) - A Vietnamese delegation led by Assistant to the Foreign Minister, Vu Quang Minh, attended the Sherpa Meeting of the G20 Developing and Emerging Economies in Berlin, Germany, on Monday and Tuesday. Vietnam was invited to the event as the host of the APEC Year 2017. Speaking at the event, Minh mentioned Vietnam’s theme and priority orientations of APEC Year as well as proposed priority tasks that APEC and G20 2017 could perform together. The Vietnamese delegation gave constructive feedback on economic connectivity promotion, global and regional trade, anti-protectionism, climate change response, food security, effective use of Mekong River water resources, trilateral cooperation in supporting Africa, which have been welcomed by the host country and participants. … [Read more...]

Berlin, December 14 (VNA) – A Vietnamese delegation led by Advisor to Foreign Minister Vu Quang Minh attended the Sherpa Meeting of the G20 Developing and Emerging Economies in Berlin, Germany on December 12-13. Vietnam was invited to the event given it will play the host of the APEC Year 2017. Speaking at the event, Minh mentioned Vietnam’s theme and priority orientations of APEC Year 2017 as well as proposed priority tasks that APEC and G20 2017 could perform together. The Vietnamese delegation gave constructive feedback on economic connectivity promotion, global and regional trade, anti-protectionism, climate change response, food security, effective use of Mekong River water resources, trilateral cooperation in supporting Africa, which have been welcomed by the host country and participants. Themed “Shaping an inter-connected world”, the G20’s agenda during the German presidency focuses on building self-reliance, improving sustainability and assuming … [Read more...]