Media impressions 2

NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue (L) and his Hungarian counterpart László Kövér at the press meeting on June 27. (Photo: VNA) Budapest (VNA) – Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue's official visit to Hungary has attracted attention from the media in Eastern Europe. In Hungary, Magyar Nemzet (Hungarian Nation) newspaper ran an article saying the two countries’ traditional friendship has recorded great strides, especially since the visit to Vietnam by Prime Minister Orban Viktor and a trip to the European nation by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong. Hue's visit from June 25-28 would create a stepping stone for the two countries’ comprehensive partnership to enter a new chapter in the time ahead, particularly after Vietnam and the European Union (EU) completed the ratification of the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and a free trade agreement (EVFTA), according to Magyar Nemzet. In its writing, Magyar … [Read more...] about NA leader’s Hungary visit grabs headlines on Eastern European media

Tan Phu Plastic Company produces safe products to serve the local market. The "Zero Covid" policy of China means many Vietnamese producers lack input materials. (Photo courtesy of the firm) The worst sufferers were the electronics, wood, textiles, and footwear industries. According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), China was an important market for the export and import activities of Vietnam as it provides the majority of input materials for Vietnam's production, especially electronic components, machinery parts, fabrics and chemicals. MoIT said from 50 to 55 percent of raw materials and accessories for the textile, garment, and footwear industries originated from China. The country was currently implementing the "Zero Covid" strategy, which forced many factories there temporarily stop production to fight the pandemic. The import-export activities in the neighboring country were affected a lot by the shortage of containers at ports. Phan Thi Thanh Xuan, Vice … [Read more...] about Local enterprises lack materials due to China’s ‘Zero Covid’ policy

Quarantine at centralized facilities has been cut to seven days from 14, and subsequent at-home health monitoring has been reduced to three days from seven, the National Health Commission said in a statement. The latest guidelines from the health authority also eased quarantine requirements for close contacts of people who have tested positive for the new coronavirus. China has cautiously eased its Covid curbs on cross-border travelers in recent months, with health officials saying the shorter incubation period of the Omicron variant allows for an adjustment of quarantine periods. The Chinese capital Beijing in recent months has already reduced the quarantine period at centralized facilities to 10 days from 14. China, last month, also removed some Covid-19 test requirements for people flying in from countries such as the U.S. Stock markets rose in Hong Kong and the mainland, with the Hang Seng Index reversing losses and ticking up roughly 0.4 percent and the CSI300 Index … [Read more...] about China slashes Covid quarantine time for international travelers

Do Hung Viet, Assistant to the Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs, made the remarks while attending the annual debate on women’s rights at the HRC’s 50th regular session in Geneva on June 27. In his speech, Viet highlighted the important role of women, stressing the need to ensuring their rights and development opportunities through specific and effective support policies. He also shared Vietnam’s experience and efforts in this regard, noting Vietnam is one of the countries with the longest maternity leaves in the world. Emphasising the country’s priority for gender equality promotion and women empowerment, he added Vietnam is ready to cooperate with other countries in these common efforts. At the debate, participants underlined the necessity to build comprehensive and effective policies for ensuring gender equality and rights of women, who are in charge of a huge domestic workload but unpaid or underpaid, which has subsequently affected women’s full participation in … [Read more...] about Vietnam keeps prioritizing gender equality promotion: officials

Video footage shared on social media showed the orangutan struggling in the water before sinking below the surface at the Safari Phu Quoc in the southern island on June 24. A zoo employee threw in a life buoy before jumping into the pool himself to save the orangutan. He managed to bring it ashore and performed chest presses as first-aid. The orangutan has survived and is in stable health now, a zoo representative said. The zoo has erected signs to warn visitors not to feed animals, except certain species. However, many ignore the warnings, the representative said. The Safari Phu Quoc is a semi-wild zoo spanning 380 ha. It is home to around 3,000 animals, including 175 species of birds, mammals and reptiles. … [Read more...] about Orangutan nearly drowns after zoo visitor throws food into pool

Entrepreneurs remain inspirations for Vietnamese youth According to the report, over 23 million (25 per cent) of the population are youth aged 16 to 30. Of them, 43 per cent want to become entrepreneurs, followed by working in the media and communications (37 per cent), education (22 per cent), technology (20 per cent), NGO and government (17 per cent), and financial sectors (11 per cent). Only a small proportion of the respondents seek careers in transportation (8 per cent) and energy (5 per cent). It is worth noting that while there is an increasing demand for digital skills in the country, these were the least cited among the skills that need development. Instead, around half of the young people surveyed would like to further gain self-leadership (53 per cent) and interpersonal skills (48 per cent). This is followed by reskilling in cognitive and advanced digital skills (37 per cent) and basic digital skills (28 per cent). Vietnam is also undergoing a shift from a … [Read more...] about Entrepreneurs remain inspirations for Vietnamese youth

Hundreds of rescue workers try to help at the bank of Danube River at Budapest downtown. (GERGELY BESENYEI/AFP) The boat reportedly collided with another tourist vessel near the Hungarian parliament building, before turning over on the river, which has been flooding, with very strong currents, while a rainstorm enveloped Budapest. In Seoul, the foreign ministry said the South Koreans aboard the vessel when it sank were 30 tourists and three tour guides, in addition to the crew of two Hungarians. Seven of the South Koreans were rescued, seven died and 19 were missing, it added. "President Moon Jae-in issued an urgent order to work with the Hungarian government for rescue efforts," his spokeswoman, Ko Min-jung, told reporters. An emergency rescue team is among the 18 officials South Korea is sending to Budapest, the foreign ministry added, and it will provide counseling to victims' families. A Hungarian ambulance spokesman told state television that 14 people were pulled … [Read more...] about 7 killed as Hungarian boat carrying South Korean tourists capsizes on Danube