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Representatives of Vietnam and the UK hand over notes confirming the date when the UKVFTA comes into force. Photo: VNA Emily Hamblin, UK consul general in Ho Chi Minh City and trade director for Vietnam, said that May 1 is the next milestone to celebrate in the United Kingdom and Vietnam’s timeline of implementing the free trade deal (UVFTA), when the agreement will legally enter into force. However, the benefits of it have already been in place for several months, being provisionally applied from January 1. Some 65 per cent of all tariffs have already been eliminated and this will increase to 99 per cent over the next six years. This equates to tariff savings of $134.65 million per year on Vietnamese exports to the UK by full implementation, and of $42.52 million per year on UK exports to Vietnam. Among them, there are huge cooperation opportunities in the field of healthcare. Hamblin said that in an age of growing challenges from non-communicable diseases, and emerging threats from infectious diseases such as COVID-19, digital health has the potential to offer new solutions and alleviate pressure on overstretched health systems. Digital health technology can empower patients to actively participate in their care, improve clinical outcomes, and enhance operational efficiency. Innovation and technology have touched many aspects of life in Vietnam and healthcare is no exception. In a concerted effort to embrace Industry 4.0, the Vietnamese government has committed to a national agenda that seeks to harness the potential of digital solutions across the healthcare system. This has set a solid foundation for digital transformation in Vietnam, and the UK shares many of the same aspirations. “We seek to utilise digital innovation to expand equitable access to quality care, in line with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3 on good health and wellbeing. At the early stage of digital transformation, Vietnam has plenty of opportunities to avail of …

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Da Nang allows foreigners to buy houses in 17 projects The Construction Department of central Da Nang city has listed 17 commercial housing projects in which foreign organisations and individuals can buy units. The projects include Blooming Tower, Golden Square complex, Quang Nguyen Apartment complex, Thuy Tu urban area, Harmony Tower, and Da Nang FPT Technological Urban Area. The city also disallows foreigners from owning property in three projects, namely F-Home Apartment complex, Da Nang Diamond Tower, and IndoChina Riverside Tower. The department suggested the Department of Natural Resources and Environment and relevant agencies review the grant of licences to foreign organisations and individuals in projects that are off-limits to foreign buyers./. Coffee exports fall by over 11 percent in Q1 Coffee exports earned 771 million USD for Vietnam in the first quarter of 2021 In March alone, 145,000 tonnes of coffee were shipped abroad, bringing home 275 million USD. The figures respectively rose 18 percent and 27.3 percent month on month, but declined 21.1 percent and 11 percent compared to the same period last year. Despite a drop in both export volume and value, export prices still increased in Q1, the MARD said, noting that prices of Vietnamese coffee averaged 1,897 USD per tonne in March, up 7.9 percent from the previous month and 12.8 percent year on year. During Q1, average coffee export prices grew 6.8 percent from a year earlier to 1,801 USD per tonne. MARD statistics also showed that in the first three months, the country exported 10.61 billion USD worth of agricultural, forestry and fishery products, up 19.7 percent year on year. Meanwhile, imports hit 7.74 billion USD, up 44.7 percent. That resulted in a trade surplus of 2.87 billion USD for the agricultural sector during the period./. VinFast selects NVIDIA DRIVE to power next-generation intelligent autonomous electric vehicles VinFast Trading and Production …

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The controversial Cat Linh-Hadong urban metro project has set its current deadline for commercial operation on April 30, with most stakeholder having mixed feelings of hope and doubt. Nguyen Nam, a 40-year-old living in Nguyen Trai street where the metro line is running through, told VIR, “Unlike with previous announcements, these days I can see the trains on the Cat Linh-Hadong line run almost every day. I hope this time the train will be operated on schedule. I have been waiting for years.” Similarly, Hang Nguyen, a 38-year-old white-collar worker in Giang Vo street near Cat Linh – the starting point of the metro line – expects that people might be able to take the train in May. “At first, when the train is actually operational, I will still ride my bike and wait for feedback about safety issues because the project has been sluggish for the last 10 years,” she said. Such mixed feelings are common among Hanoians who witnessed several delays and hiccups within the first metro line’s schedule. On March 31, the Cat Linh-Hadong line had its construction and installation completed as announced by Nguyen Ngoc Dong, Deputy Minister of Transport, with the handover to Hanoi authorities currently taking place and expected to be completed in May. Dong elaborated, “To complete the handover, the Ministry of Transport (MoT), Hanoi People’s Committee, the Railway Project Management Unit, and Hanoi Metro will work from March 31 with the Chinese engineering-procurement and construction contractor on checking receipts, dossiers, other documents, and assets. The works are expected to be completed in three to four weeks.” In addition, the urban railway might need additional 107 employees for operation. According to Hanoi Metro, applications will be accepted until April 15. Earlier in January, French consultant ACT gave 16 recommendations on risk prevention in the operation of the route, focusing on three groups of issues such as documents, design improvements, …

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