Prime Minister of Turkey Binali Yildirim (Source: Radio Free Europe) Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister of Turkey Binali Yildirim arrived in Hanoi on August 22, beginning his official visit to Vietnam to August 24 at the invitation of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. The visit looks to develop wide-ranging relations between the two countries. It will allow the two countries to seek measures to deepen their cooperation in trade-investment, science-technology, transport, education-training and more. Leaders are expected to discuss international issues of shared concern. Vietnam and Turkey set up diplomatic relations on June 7, 1978. In February 1997, Turkey established its embassy in Hanoi. In October 1999, Vietnam opened a Trade Representative Office in Istanbul and in July 2002, Vietnam launched its Consulate General, also in Istanbul. The Consulate General was … [Read more...]

For these days, there has been a rise of hand-foot-mouth kids in the Children Hospital No.1 in Ho Chi Minh City. Dr. Truong Huu Khanh, head of the Infection Department at the hospital said that over 50 inpatients are staying in the department for hand-foot-mouth treatment; of them, 2 - 3 are put on ventilator. Likewise, the Children Hospital No.2 provided examination to over 2,000 kids and admitted 153 inpatients since early August. Dr. Tran Thi Kim Van, deputy head of the hospital’s Infection Department said 30 hand-foot-mouth kids are hospitalized in the department. Medical experts said that despite no abrupt leap of hand-foot-mouth patients compared to same period, it is predicted that there will be a surge of infection cases in the next time when students started their new school year. Normally, two periods which outbreaks of hand-foot-mouth will occur are from March to May and September to December which kids are in schools; accordingly, the … [Read more...]

At the event (Photo: phattuvietnam.net)     HCM City (VNA) – As many as 183 houses will be built near Dau Tieng lake in the southern province of Tay Ninh for Vietnamese expatriates returning home from Cambodia. The houses are expected to cost 11 billion VND (484,000 USD), Most Venerable Thich Nhat Tu, head of the culture department under the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha’s Ho Chi Minh City chapter, said on August 21 adding that the organising board has mobilised 80 percent of total expenditure so far. The houses will help Vietnamese expatriates stabilise their livelihoods, he underlined, expecting additional financial contributions from donors. The project will be announced at a grand music festival to held by the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha’s Ho Chi Minh City chapter on August 27 on the occasion of the annual Buddhist holiday of Vu Lan (Ullambana) festival, … [Read more...]

Illustrative image (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has announced that it already granted certificates to 28 agricultural businesses applying high technologies.  Of them, nine firms specialise in growing vegetables and flowers, while 8 others breed animals and 11operate in aquaculture. The MARD is devising a draft decision amending and supplementing Decision No. 69/2010/QD-TTg regulating jurisdiction and procedures of recognising high-tech agricultural firms. Accordingly, the provincial People’s Committees will be authorised to grant certificates to eligible enterprises. Apart from Hau Giang and Phu Yen high-tech agricultural areas already approved by the Prime Minister, the provinces of Thai Nguyen, Thanh Hoa, Lam Dong and Quang Ninh have built schemes to establish high-tech agricultural … [Read more...]

Green development projects in Vietnam are catching attention of foreign investors. (Photo: sggp.org.vn) Hanoi (VNA) – Green development projects in Vietnam are catching attention of foreign investors on account of the Government’s favourable policies on land, taxes and capital as well as a large number of potential customers in the country, said Duong Thanh An, Head of the Policy and Legal Affairs Department under the Vietnam Environment Administration. A survey on Japanese investment trend in Vietnam in 2017 held by the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) in Vietnam revealed that at least 25 Japanese businesses have the intention to invest in improving environment quality in Vietnam, such as in waste water treatment for plants and urban areas. Other businesses said they will design warning software for storms, flash floods and tsunami. The Japanese … [Read more...]

HCM City, August 22 (VNA) – Vietnam will work harder to raise public awareness of e-filing system in intellectual property (IP) registration, which has been put into place earlier this year by the National Office of Intellectual Property of Vietnam (NOIP), said Le Ngoc Lam, NOIP deputy head.  The system benefits both file submitters and IP agencies, Lam told Vietnam News Agency reporters on the sidelines of the 45th meeting of the Intellectual Property Experts Group (IPEG) in Ho Chi Minh City on August 22.  To intensify the e-filing system, it is necessary to ensure smooth procedures and IP agencies should make thorough preparations in order to deal with piles of dossiers, the official noted.  This is also one of the two initiatives presented by Vietnam at the IPEG meeting, together with the country’s joining of The Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial … [Read more...]

An overview of the 45th meeting of the Intellectual Property Experts Group (Source: VNA) HCM City (VNA) – Vietnam will work harder to raise public awareness of e-filing system in intellectual property (IP) registration, which has been put into place earlier this year by the National Office of Intellectual Property of Vietnam (NOIP), said Le Ngoc Lam, NOIP deputy head. The system benefits both file submitters and IP agencies, Lam told Vietnam News Agency reporters on the sidelines of the 45th meeting of the Intellectual Property Experts Group (IPEG) in Ho Chi Minh City on August 22. To intensify the e-filing system, it is necessary to ensure smooth procedures and IP agencies should make thorough preparations in order to deal with piles of dossiers, the official noted. This is also one of the two initiatives presented by Vietnam at the IPEG meeting, together with … [Read more...]

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim (Source: BBC) Hanoi (VNA) – Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim’s official visit to Vietnam from August 22-28 is a chance for the two countries to seek measures to beef up and deepen the bilateral partnership in trade, investment, science-technology, transportation, education-training and other fields. The visit takes place when the ties between Vietnam and Turkey are growing soundly, with regular exchange of delegations and many cooperation agreements signed in trade, science-technology, agriculture and security. Vietnam and Turkey set up diplomatic relations on June 7, 1978. In February 1997, Turkey established its embassy in Hanoi. In October 1999, Vietnam opened a Trade Representative Office in Istanbul and in July 2002, Vietnam launched its Consulate General, also in Istanbul. The Consulate General was … [Read more...]

nvestors observe stocks move at MayBank Kim Eng Securities Company in HCM City (Photo: VNA)     Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Vietnam’s benchmark VN Index remained fragile on August 21, losing its positive momentum as investors remained cautious over the current market downtrend. The benchmark index on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange closed almost flat at 768.79 points. It finished last trading week at 768.97 points. Nearly 169.7 million shares were traded on the southern bourse, worth 3.34 trillion VND (148.7 million USD). August 21’s trading volume was 13.5 percent lower than that of August 18 while trading value increased slightly. Large-cap stocks were to blame for pulling the main exchange down on August 21 as half of the 30 largest companies by market capitalisation declined, causing the VN30 Index to fall nearly 0.1 percent. Decliners … [Read more...]

“I think there is no easy solution,” writes Michael Allen, a Ho Chi Minh City transport user, because “there is simply not enough space allocated to roadways.” As a foreign guest in Vietnam, having observed with interest the traffic issues in Ho Chi Minh City, and contemplated the solutions that are often discussed or announced in the media, Allen thinks: “It is very likely, that no ‘smart’ solution exists, nor any feasible public transport solution could ease the pressures.” What he goes on to propose is bold: “Maybe the only solution is to brutally carve out more total road space via bulldozers. This would be a drastic, once in 200 years, solution, but maybe it is the only solution. Due to Vietnam’s land law, the government may theoretically have the power to do this, with massive staged relocation of housing and businesses. It would require a whole-of-city planning masterplan with robust civic governance … [Read more...]

To capitalise on the increasing interest of foreign real estate investors in Southeast Asia in general and Vietnam in particular, CapitaLand Limited has set up its first commercial fund in Vietnam named CapitaLand Vietnam Commercial Fund I (CVCFI) with a capital of $300 million. CapitaLand launched its $300-million commercial fund to ride the waves of mounting investment demand The fund, which will have a life span of eight years, will be used to invest in Grade A commercial real estate in Vietnam. CapitaLand will hold a 40 per cent stake in CVCFI, while the remaining interest will be held by major institutional investors, the company announced on its website. Lim Ming Yan, president cum CEO of CapitaLand Limited, said, “We see increasing investor interest in Southeast Asia, particularly in Vietnam. CapitaLand is positive … [Read more...]

Scene from a meeting of the APEC Health Working Group (Photo: apec2017.vn) HCM City (VNA) – Health officials from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) are expected to have a hectic day in Ho Chi Minh City on August 22 with two policy dialogues and one meeting of the Health Working Group (HWG). One policy dialogue will focus on accelerating action on tuberculosis (TB) and multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB) and the other will deal with promoting healthy aging and non-communicable diseases (NCD) control for a healthy Asia - Pacific region. At the same time, the HWG Meeting will enter the second working day after completing a lot of work on August 21. The Intellectual Property Rights Experts Group, the Investment Experts’ Group, the Emergency Preparedness Working Group, the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Working Group, the Mobility Group and the … [Read more...]

Museums in HCM City will use 3D technology as part of a project launched by the Youth Union’s Youth Centre of Science and Technology Development. Wonders of technology: Museums in HCM City will use 3D technology for the Online Museum project to introduce Việt Nam’s history and culture to the world. VNS Photo Phương Mai Young artists and software designers at the centre have completed an Online Museum that produces 3D images featuring objects, paintings, photos and documents stored by museums.    The images, all of which are accompanied by sound and light effects, use real-time rendering technology to depict objects. Touchscreens on computers and smartphones can be used to search for information and write feedback during real-time discussions. The Online Museum not … [Read more...]

Construction delays at new river bus stations in Ho Chi Minh City mean that the new ferries will be docked until October. The city's first river bus was taken on a test-run down the Saigon River on Monday morning. Five boats will be operating the service when it is finally put into official operation on October 1. The boats on the first route will sail 10.8 kilometers (6.7 miles) from Bach Dang Wharf in District 1 to Linh Dong Station in Thu Duc District, passing through District 2 and Binh Thanh District. With 12 stops in total, the entire trip will take half an hour, cutting a third off the time it would take to travel by road and costing just VND15,000 (66 cents). The city’s transport department said work on the waiting rooms at Bach Dang Wharf and Binh An Station in District 2 has yet to be completed. Department director Bui Xuan Cuong told Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper that it is the city's first river bus service, so it wants to make it as … [Read more...]

Delegates talk on the sidelines of the event (Source: VNA) HCM City (VNA) – More than 100 delegates from 21 APEC member economies are attending a workshop in Ho Chi Minh City on August 21 and 22 to discuss measures to improve management capacity under the World Trade Organisation (WTO)’s Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT).   The event, part of the third APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM 3) and related meetings, aimed to share experiences in public-private partnership in building and adopting technical standards for the TBT agreement which was initiated by the US and joined by Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Vietnam, among others. Speaking at the event, Chairman of the APEC Sub-Committee on Standards and Conformance (SCSC) Nguyen Van Khoi hailed the member economies for aligning technical standards with the TBT agreement and international … [Read more...]

Government Deputy Chief Inspector Nguyen Van Thanh addresses the event (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNA) – The APEC Anti-Corruption and Transparency Working Group (ACTWG) held a meeting with sponsors on August 21 on the framework of the ongoing third Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM 3) in Ho Chi Minh City. The meeting aimed to explore the need for technical support for the corruption prevention and control of APEC member economies. Government Deputy Chief Inspector Nguyen Van Thanh said that after countries completed the assessment of their implementation of UN anti-corruption conventions, they have found a great need for technical assistance, which is one of the important factors to the realisation of the conventions. Vietnam expects that after the meeting, international sponsors will continue providing technical aids and consultations to APEC member … [Read more...]

The first river-bus transport service was launched technically in Ho Chi Minh City on August 21. (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNA) – The first river-bus transport service was launched technically in Ho Chi Minh City on August 21, looking to ease traffic congestion on roads and meet travel demands of local people. The project, invested by Thuong Nhat Co., Ltd, is carried out on the Sai Gon River and at Thanh Da, Ben Nghe and Tau Hu canals. The first bus route, 10.8 kilometres in length, will connect the Bach Dang Wharf on the Sai Gon River with Linh Dong ward in Thu Duc district with seven stops. Meanwhile, the second route runs from the Bach Dang Wharf to Lo Gom area in District 6. The 10.3 kilometre route has seven stops as well. Each river bus ticket costs 15,000 VND (0.65 USD) on Bach Dang-Linh Dong route and the price will be adjusted in accordance with different … [Read more...]

An overview of the meeting (Source: VNA) HCM City (VNA) – Member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) have exchanged experience in emergency preparedness at a meeting in Ho Chi Minh City. The 12th meeting of the Emergency Preparedness Working Group, from August 21-22, is part of the third APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM 3). Addressing the opening ceremony, Tran Quang Hoai, head of the General Department for Natural Disasters Prevention ad Control under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said since the beginning of this year, the APEC region has faced abnormal natural disasters as well as global climate change challenges. Many types of natural disasters are posing threats to most of countries worldwide, he said, noting that such natural disasters are increasing in both frequency and intensity, causing great losses and affecting … [Read more...]

Officials of the APEC Health Working Group gather in Ho Chi Minh City on August 21 (Source: VNA) HCM City (VNA) – Officials of the APEC Health Working Group gathered in Ho Chi Minh City on August 21, expecting to address a range of issues in order to build a healthy Asia-Pacific region. In his opening remarks, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Health Le Quang Cuong highlighted health as a critical component of economic and trade development and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. Investment in health is the key to inclusive and sustainable economic growth, he said, adding that better health leads to greater wealth and that will be an essential driver of long-term economic development growth. Cuong reviewed Vietnam’s hosting of the first Health Working Group Meeting in Nha Trang city, the central province of Khanh Hoa, from February 23-24, with the theme of “Health … [Read more...]

VietNamNet Bridge – Working groups and sub-committees of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) will continue discussions on issues of their charge in Ho Chi Minh City on August 21 as part of the third APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM 3). A workshop in the third APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting (Photo: VNA) There will be meetings of the Health Working Group, the Emergency Preparedness Group, the Investment Experts’ Group and the Market Access Group.  Besides, officials from APEC member countries will talk matters regarding the automotive and chemical sectors, customs procedures, standards and conformance, life sciences innovation, anti-corruption, electronic commerce, and illegal logging.  The SOM 3 and related meetings brought together around 2,600 delegates from 21 APEC member economies. Slated to last … [Read more...]