Iranian foreign ministry spokesman

Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc addresses the conference in Hue city, Thua Thien - Hue province, on September 28. (Photo: VNA) Thua Thien - Hue (VNA) – The Government has strongly ordered ministries, sectors, and localities to provide the best possible conditions for foreign non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to operate effectively and stably, Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc affirmed at a conference on September 28. The conference, held in Hue city by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) and the Thua Thien - Hue provincial People’s Committee, focused on the implementation of the Government’s Decree No 58/2022/ND-CP, dated August 31, 2022, on the registration and management of foreign NGOs in Vietnam. It was attended by over 200 representatives from ministries, central agencies, localities, and foreign NGOs in Vietnam. Addressing the event, Deputy Minister Ngoc, who is also head of the working committee on foreign NGOs, said foreign NGO affairs form an … [Read more...] about Vietnam provides best possible conditions for foreign NGOs: official

Vietnam attracted close to US$20.21 billion in foreign investment in the year to September 20, up 7.7 percent year on year, according to the Foreign Investment Agency under the Ministry of Planning and Investment. In particular, foreign investors registered to inject over $10.23 billion into nearly 2,300 new projects in the nine-month period, surging 66.3 and 43.6 percent, respectively. The period also saw 934 operational foreign direct investment projects revise up their capital by a total of over $5.15 billion, up 21.5 percent in the number of projects but down 37.3 percent in the additional capital. Foreign investors also conducted around 2,500 transactions to contribute funds to and acquire shares in local firms with total capital of $4.82 billion, edging down five percent in the number of transactions but soaring 47 percent in value. They poured capital into 18 out of 21 national economic industries in Vietnam, with the processing and manufacturing sector taking the lead … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s 9-month foreign investment attraction up 7.7 percent

Lotte's largest retail complex in Vietnam has opened all establishment “We are committed to accompanying the socioeconomic development of Hanoi and Vietnam through investment activities, research, and development of more projects here,” said Shin Dong-bin, chairman of Lotte Group. Located in Hanoi, the $624 million complex combines a shopping mall with a hotel, cinema and aquarium, and has officially opened all establishments of the largest retail complex in Vietnam this month, is the 16 th supermarket of Lotte Mart in Vietnam, and the third branch of Lotte Mart in Hanoi. This is in light of the restructuring in China and stagnating sales in Korea. The move signifies Lotte's turn towards Southeast Asia. “1996 marked the beginning of Vietnam's Lotte Group with an investment contract for shopping malls and supermarkets, and now we have 19 member companies of Lotte in Vietnam,” he said. Lotte Shopping operates department stores, hypermarkets and supermarkets, e-commerce, … [Read more...] about New Lotte mall expands operating terms amid growth in foreign retail

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNA) – The Ministry of Labour , Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) held a national conference in Ho Chi Minh City on September 28 to discuss the implementation of a project on building and implementing an action plan to realise goals of the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) until 2025 (Project 161), in both in-person and online format. The annual event brought together the ASEAN Secretariat in Indonesia, the MoLISA, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Government Office, and various ministries and agencies within the ASCC in Vietnam, along with leaders from southern cities and provinces. Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Thi Ha said during 2021-2022, the MoLISA worked closely with ministries, agencies and localities to complete the action plan to carry out the Project 161, with the majority of the goals outlined in the ASCC being … [Read more...] about Vietnam looks towards ASCC goals for the 2021-2025 period

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, 72 countries recognize Vietnam as a market economy, including Canada, Australia, Japan, and South Korea. The UK did so recently with an official letter to the effect. Speaking to VnExpress , a Trade Remedies Authority Department official said since its first anti-dumping investigation case against Vietnam in 2002 the U.S. had been considering the country a non-market economy. In a meeting with the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo in Washington last Tuesday, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh proposed the U.S. to soon recognize Vietnam’s market economy status . The need for recognition of Vietnam's market economy status was also in the joint statement between General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Joe Biden on upgrading the two countries' relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The EU also sees Vietnam as a non-market economy. In 2015, while free-trade agreement negotiations were underway, the EU … [Read more...] about Significance of Vietnam being a market economy

Last week, Hanoi police determined that the cause of the mini apartment fire in Hanoi that killed 56 people and injured dozens was an electrical short circuit on a gasonline-engine motorbike. The information dispelled rumours that the cause of the fire was a fault in an e-bike. However in recent days, as a result of the rumours, owners of all types of buildings in the city introduced rules to limit the charging of e-bikes in basements and centralised parking areas. Some localities even issued a document prohibiting the charging of electric vehicle (EV) batteries in apartment basements. Added spark wanted for EV charge stations, illustration photo 27-year-old Nguyen Huong Giang, a resident of Thanh Xuan district in Hanoi complained, “The building owners and their management boards agreed that there are no EVs allowed, and no-one is allowed to recharge in the building. So where can I park my e-bike and how can I charge it?” There are many others like Giang. On a … [Read more...] about Added spark wanted for EV charge stations

At Khoi Dang Tac Khi, a lantern workshop where old-fashioned Mid-Autumn festival lanterns are crafted for and promoted to customers from around the globe, Nguyen Thi Kim Thuy, 31, and her husband are busy preparing for the upcoming holiday. When it all started Founded in 2022, Khoi Dang Tac Khi refers to the sound of a beating drum on a battlefield. Though the workshop was only launched last year, Thuy has been working with lanterns since 2018 when she came across photos of people hanging traditional lanterns on the streets of Hanoi in the 1920s to celebrate the Mid-Autumn festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival, which is celebrated by many Asian countries including Vietnam, is due on the 15th day of the eighth month in the lunar calendar. It is a tradition for children to spend the holiday carrying lanterns, chanting traditional moon-welcoming songs, and playing traditional games. Seeing those pictures of the old days, Thuy was deeply impressed with the sophisticated and … [Read more...] about Ho Chi Minh City couple bring traditional lantern to global audience

Two weeks ago, the government held a forum to help make the first steps to shape the market of high-efficiency energy-consuming equipment by 2030. The move is made amid the rising pressure to alleviate power outages and achieve the net-zero goal by 2050. More options looked at for energy-efficiency goals, photo VNA The event, on developing the high-efficiency energy-consuming market from policy to implementation, was organised by the Office of the Steering Committee for Energy Efficiency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT). One measure discussed was promoting the use of high-efficiency energy-consuming equipment and gradually eliminating outdated technological products. Meanwhile, low-efficiency energy-consuming equipment such as storage water heaters and infrared hobs is prohibited to import, produce, and sell in Vietnam, according to a decision made in May. Dang Hai Dung, deputy chief of the Office of Sustainable Production and Consumption under the … [Read more...] about More options looked at for energy-efficiency goals