Minister Le Thanh Long (L) was welcomed by General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and President of Laos Bounnhang Vorachith (Photo: VNA) Vientiane (VNA) – A delegation of the Vietnamese Ministry of Justice led by Minister Le Thanh Long was received by General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and President of Laos Bounnhang Vorachith and National Assembly Chairwoman Pany Yathotou on December 6. At the meeting with the top Lao leader, Long said that over the past five years, authorized agencies of Vietnam and Laos have worked hard together to implement an agreement signed between the two governments on the settlement of issues related to free migration and undocumented marriage in border areas. By November 14, 2019 when the deal expired, 1,452 out of 1,711 applications for Vietnamese nationality were approved, and the rest are being considered, he noted. Long said that the Vietnamese Ministry of Justice has always actively … [Read more...] about Vietnamese Ministry of Justice delegation on working visit to Laos
Ministry of health
State budget surplus recorded in Q1: Finance Ministry
At a press conference on April 5, the MoF reported that total state budget revenue reached VND 381 trillion (over USD 16.4 billion) during the last three months, equivalent to 27 percent of the targeted figure for this year – higher than the 23 percent of annual targeted revenue achieved during the same period last year. That sum included VND 315.4 trillion gained from domestic sources, up 13.8 percent year-on-year, the ministry said, adding that 49 of the 63 provinces and centrally-run cities had revenues from domestic sources equivalent to over 24 percent of their estimates for this year. Fifty-four localities reported year-on-year increases in their Q1 revenues. Photo: baohoabinh.com.vn. Meanwhile, the state budget spending during the period surpassed VND 315 trillion, equivalent to 19.3 percent of this year’s spending estimate. The MoF said spending tasks have been performed in line with the set plans, ensuring social security. As the spending demand … [Read more...] about State budget surplus recorded in Q1: Finance Ministry
Increase on special consumption tax vital to reduce smoking
Volunteers join a campaign against the use of tobacco in central Da Nang city (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - The new cigarette tax rate of 5,000 VND (0.2 USD) per pack will help reduce the rate of tobacco consumption and increase the State budget, health experts have said. Speaking at the conference on tax incentives to prevent tobacco harm on September 25 morning, health experts said the application of the special consumption tax rate will reduce the tobacco use rate among men from 45.3 percent to 39 percent by 2020. Currently, Vietnam has the world’s ninth-highest number of smokers. On average, one in every two male adults is smoker. The prevalence of smoking among adolescents is 24.3 percent. The country has been suffering the burden of disease and financial loss caused by tobacco use. In 2015, Vietnamese people spent up to 31 trillion VND (1.3 billion USD) on cigarettes and more 24 trillion VND (1.03 billion USD) on treatment of tobacco-related diseases such as … [Read more...] about Increase on special consumption tax vital to reduce smoking
ASEAN cities seek to promote smoke-free tourism environments
Foreign visitors get on a train to tour Da Lat city, the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong (Photo: VNA) Quang Nam (VNA) – The Smoke-free Cities ASEAN Network (SCAN) convened the 6th regional meeting in Hoi An city, the central province of Quang Nam, on November 20, focusing on reshaping tourism through smoke-free environments. The event was attended by more than 100 foreign delegates from smoke-free tourism cities of Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Malaysia, the Philippines, China and Mongolia. It also saw the presence of the Fund for Tobacco Harms Prevention and Control of the Vietnamese Ministry of Health, the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance and the World Health Organisation (WHO) Western Pacific Regional Office. Addressing the meeting, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Viet Tien, member of the management council of the Fund for Tobacco Harms Prevention and Control, said in Vietnam, the building of smoke-free tourism cities began in Hoi An city in … [Read more...] about ASEAN cities seek to promote smoke-free tourism environments
Experts call for risk management to boost Vietnam-Africa trade
Lumitel, Viettel Group's mobile operator in Burundi. Viettel is among a number of Vietnamese pioneering companies investing in Africa. (Photo courtesy of Viettel) Hanoi (VNA) - Bilateral trade between Vietnam and African economies has made significant growth in the past decade, however, there is still room for improvement. Two-way trade jumped 250 percent to 6.6 billion USD in 2018 from 2.52 billion USD in 2010, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Dang Minh Khoi told a seminar on December 6. During that time, Africa became a favourite destination for Vietnamese companies that operate in telecommunications, agriculture and education such as the military-backed telecom group Viettel, he said. The two sides had also made improvements in political, social and diplomatic relations. Those facts prove the potential of bilateral co-operation between Vietnam and African nations is huge, Khoi added. Secretary General of the International Organisation … [Read more...] about Experts call for risk management to boost Vietnam-Africa trade
