Import

Medical workers collect samples for COVID-19 testing. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The number of domestically-transmitted COVID-19 cases in Vietnam has risen to 3,790 cases, with 56 patients confirmed in the past 12 hours to 6am on May 24, according to the Ministry of Health. Of the new cases, 33 were recorded in Bac Giang province, eight in Hanoi, seven in Bac Ninh, five in Lang Son, two in Dien Bien and one in Hai Duong. Meanwhile, Yen Bai, Quang Ngai, Dong Nai, Nghe An, Quang Ninh, and Quang Nam provinces went through 14 straight days without any new infections. The country has recorded 1,485 imported cases so far. As many as 2,220 domestic cases have been logged since the nation was hit by the fourth COVID-19 wave on April 27. According to a report from the ministry’s Medical Examination Administration, the country has seen 2,721 recoveries and 42 deaths related to the disease. Among active patients undergoing treatment, 56 tested negative to coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 once, 31 twice, and 31 thrice. A total of 173,440 people who came in close contact with COVID-19 patients or arrived from pandemic-hit areas are being quarantined nationwide, including 4,356 in hospitals, 36,126 in other quarantine sites, and 132,958 at their places of residence. Since the pandemic has become more complicated, people are advised to strictly follow the Ministry of Health ’s 5K message: khau trang (facemask), khu khuan (disinfection), khoang cach (distance), khong tu tap (no gathering), and khai bao y te (health declaration)./. VNA …

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Privacy becomes “more expensive” than ever before By Dr. Thai Thi Tuyet Dung(*) The right to privacy in Vietnam has changed considerably. The 2013 Constitution rules that “everybody is entitled to imprescriptible right to personal life.” - PHOTO: UYEN VIEN In this era of booming information technology, infringements of privacy and personal data on social media have continuously increased in frequency. Easy access to the Internet plus the widespread popularity of cheap electronic gadgets capable of filming, photographing and recording is fertile ground for other people to monitor and interfere in others’ life without the latter’s consent. It is more difficult to define the jurisdiction of “the right to privacy” in this digital age if it is juxtaposed with other freedoms, such as freedom of the press, the right to access information and freedom of speech. Social networks have helped citizens exercise their democratic rights and express their attitude towards social issues. However, some have taken advantage of social media to blatantly violate others privacy, including revelation of personal life, revelation of bank information, defamation, intrusion of mobile phones to extract sensitive images or personal data for sale. The number of handled violations remain humble, though. Over the years, the right to privacy in Vietnam has changed considerably. The 2013 Constitution rules that “everybody is entitled to imprescriptible right to personal life;” and “nobody is entitled to illegally opening, controlling, or taking hold of and keeping other people’s correspondence, telephones, telegraphs and other forms of information exchange.” These stipulations were later stated in Article 38 of the 2015 Civil Code, which says that “personal life, personal secrets and family secrets are imprescriptible and protected by law,” and “personal life” has a wider scope than “personal secret.” Despite these conspicuous regulations, privacy in Vietnam is …

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Monetary policies: highlights of early 2021 By Pham Minh Consistently low interbank interest rates since the start of 2020 (except on a few days, when an unexpected drop in liquidity pushes up interest rates) have enabled banks to keep deposit and lending interest rates manageable to boost production and investment - PHOTO: TRAN NGOC LINH The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has loosened monetary policies since the start of this year to fuel growth as macroeconomic fundamentals remain favorable. Maintaining the values of key interest rates and sustaining policies aimed at supporting enterprises battered by Covid-19 are among the highlights of monetary policies in 2021. Monetary policy management is inextricably tied with macroeconomic fundamentals. It is therefore important to review these factors as a necessary condition for policymaking of the SVB, the central bank. Two key variables, inflation and the exchange rate, were rather encouraging in the first four months of this year. Inflation in the first four months only rose by 0.89% year-on-year, the lowest since 2016 (according to the General Statistics Office). However, there is enormous inflationary pressure due to rising global money supply and the recovery of the global economy and trade following stimulus packages. The prices of commodities such as fuel, oil and agro-products have faced upward pressure. However, since prices were relatively high in Vietnam last year, especially in the first two months of 2020, the year-on-year increase observed in 2021 was not drastic. Exchange rates remain stable. As the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) continues easing monetary policies by maintaining its target interest rates at around 0% and buying bonds worth US$120 billion per month, demand for holding the greenback, both worldwide and in Vietnam, has fallen. This has been a blessing for the dong. Dollars pour into Vietnam, leading to surpluses in both trade and capital accounts, contributing to exchange …

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