National flag of different nations

An overview of the meeting (Photo: VNA) The meeting was held in an online format linking the Government Office with People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities across the country. PM Chinh, who heads the committee, reiterated that digital transformation is an inevitable trend, an objective requirement and a must-do task in national development. He noted that during the complicated developments of the Covid-19 pandemic, digital transformation has become an urgent need in order to effectively prevent and control and pandemic while maintaining and promoting socio-economic development. The government leader affirmed that digital transformation is a big policy of the Party and State, which must be implemented regularly and continuously in a fast and effective manner. During the meeting, a report on digital transformation index rankings for ministries and provinces in 2021 will be released. Vietnamplus … [Read more...] about PM chairs third session of national committee on digital transformation

Until now, only seven out of 111 planning documents have been approved, including those on national land use and only 4 national industry planning pieces in the transportation field. It is obviously illogical since land is a valuable national resource and should be allocated to best promote the national competitiveness as well as the regional geographic advantages after identifying specific regional industry planning. He took the planning of Lien Chieu Port in Da Nang City as an illustration. It is too hard to transform this port into an international-scaled one no matter how much the local authorities wish for it to come true. Meanwhile, Chan May Port on the other side of Hai Van Pass is a more suitable place for this purpose. Considering the regional competitive advantage, it would be much better to invest in turning the latter port into an international one and building a railway to connect it to neighboring areas. As to the vision until 2050 of the newly released national … [Read more...] about National master planning needs changes in development thinking for breakthrough

Banking services have also made quick progress, catching up with the development of the international market, according to the PM, who is also head of the committee. However, shortcomings still remain during the implementation of comprehensive finance, he said, adding that residents in rural and remote areas still find it hard to access financial sources. Black credit has remained public concern and agencies and organizations have yet to coordinate concertedly and effectively in the implementation of comprehensive finance, the leader pointed out. He noted that the Government issued Decision No.149/QD-TTg on the approval of a national strategy on comprehensive finance by 2025 with a vision towards 2030. The strategy sets out viewpoints, targets, tasks and solutions to accelerate the access and use of financial products and services for all people and businesses, he continued. The issuance of the strategy reflects the Party’s and the State’s consistent policy on boosting … [Read more...] about PM chairs meeting of National Steering Committee for Comprehensive Finance

The EU is Vietnam’s second-largest trading partner and an export market that witnessed the euro fall below $1 for the first time in nearly 20 years on July 29. Euro-dollar parity threatens the nation’s exports, source: freepik.com Pham Van Viet, chairman of Viet Thang Jeans, the top 5 leading fashion companies in Indochina, said that the immediate impact on textile and garment export enterprises is a decrease in value. All customers in Europe pay in euros and Vietnamese businesses that receive money back home must exchange it for USD. Now that the euro has fallen to the level of the US dollar, the export value of each shipment will decrease accordingly. “Profits of businesses are low because input costs such as gasoline, input material prices, and labour costs have all increased, now the plunge in euro prices will drag profits down even more,” he told VIR. Viet added that the depreciation of the euro shows that the European market is currently unstable, and … [Read more...] about Euro-dollar parity threatens the nation’s exports

The vehicles pass through the Phap Van ETC station to enter the Phap Van - Cau Gie expressway. (Photo: QUANG PHUC) At the Ho Chi Minh – Long Thanh – Dau Giay expressway, the traffic situation was reportedly improved on the morning of August 7 over the end of July and the beginning of August. The number of automobiles tagging ETC cards reached 99.24 percent at the Long Thanh toll collection station in Dong Nai Province. However, the congestion also happened when hundreds of trucks and automobiles got in line to pass through toll collection at National Highway No.51. At the toll collection stations on Hanoi Highway and Phu My Bridge in Thu Duc City, the traffic situation are also stable without acute congestion; however, some vehicles were recharged fee even though they did not travel through the stations. In the Northern region, the transport situation at the toll stations was stable. Compared to the first days of the ETC implementation, there currently are around 10 to 15 … [Read more...] about Some errors, incidents still arise in non-stop electronic toll collection

Hanoi’s typical dishes with many variants always cause nostalgia for children who live far from their homeland. As famous as pho (rice noodles soup with beef), spring rolls are also a dish imbued with the “Vietnamese national spirit”: if you see spring rolls somewhere, people from the S-shaped country must be around the corner. A familiar food on a Bangui Street The typical Hanoi's dishes are prepared by Helen Green, a housewife who lives in Ho Chi Minh City The fateful meeting happened when the soldiers realized that a dish they ate on the street was so similar to the Vietnamese fried spring rolls. They weren’t wrong: it was real fried spring rolls, made by an old woman who  came from Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi.Many years back in time, Vietnamese soldiers in the United Nations’ Peacekeeping Mission in the Central African Republic happened to meet an old woman, she was the only one from Vietnam to live in the capital, Bangui. Seventy years before, she … [Read more...] about [Quintessence of Hanoi’s cuisine] Quintessence of Vietnamese cuisine: Hanoi spring rolls

In the updated draft national master plan for the rest of the decade and with orientations to 2050 that was released last week, the section on the nation’s urban and rural network highlighted that Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are continuing to promote their effectiveness and spillover effects. It is hoped that they will develop dynamically and creatively in order to compete internationally. Vietnam’s planning orientation for the next few years aims to push development of satellite towns, Le Toan At last week’s conference on the national master plan held by the Ministry of Planning and Investment in Hanoi, Tran Hong Quang, director general of the ministry’s Vietnam Institute for Development Strategies (VIDS), revealed that the two biggest cities will focus on developing high-quality and high-value-added services in sci-tech, health, training, and IT, as well as restricting processing and manufacturing industries that use a lot of land and labour. “We should push the … [Read more...] about Modern slant found through key planning

The Q&A session of the NA Standing Committee's 14th session will focus on public security, culture, sports and tourism matters (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Issues in the areas of public security and culture, sports and tourism will be the focus of the question-and-answer session of the 15th National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee’s 14th session on August 10, according to a freshly-released plan of the NA Standing Committee. In the field of public security, the questions will focus on State management over cybersecurity, the safety of national cybersecurity system in the current period, and measures to prevent and strictly handle high-tech crimes. The implementation of resolutions of the NA and NA Standing Committee of the National Assembly related to crime prevention and control, especially drug-related crimes, credit shark, and usury will also be included in the agenda of the session, along with the implementation of the issuance of citizen identification cards, the … [Read more...] about NA’s Q&A session to focus on public security, culture-sports-tourism matters

Ngoc Linh ginseng (Photo: VNA) Quang Nam (VNA) - Ngoc Linh ginseng deserves the "National treasure" title, and it is necessary to strongly promote the role of this treasure in improving people's livelihoods, President Nguyen Xuan Phuc said when attending a workshop seeking ways to developing this kind of ginseng into a national brand in the central province of Quang Nam on August 6. President Phuc spoke highly of efforts made by Quang Nam and Kon Tum provinces in preserving and developing Ngoc Linh ginseng and expanding the growing areas. However, he also pointed out several problems that need to be addressed in the development of Ngoc Linh ginseng such as climate change, counterfeit products, and the ineffective application of scientific and technological advances. Therefore, the State leader stressed the importance of the engagement of both producers and researchers to better develop the plant, as well as the need to diversify products, protect purebred genetic … [Read more...] about President requires greater efforts to promote value of Ngoc Linh ginseng

PANO - A scientific seminar, “Comrade Vo Chi Cong with Vietnam’s revolution and the hometown of Quang Nam-Danang”, held on August 5th in Tam Ky City, Quang Nam Province, demonstrated glorious life of late President of the State Council Vo Chi Cong. The seminar, hosted by the Central Party Commission for Communication and Education, Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and Public Administration and Quang Nam Provincial Party Committee, was attended by Dinh The Huynh, Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Chairman of the Central Party Commission for Communication and Education. More than 60 papers, delivered by the Party and the State’s leaders, ex-leaders, scientists, historical witnesses, revolutionary veterans, further made clear the glorious revolutionary life of comrade Vo Chi Cong in different periods and at different positions. The seminar, once again, confirmed that comrade Vo Chi Cong, for more than 80 years, was a bright example on … [Read more...] about Scientific seminar highlights President Vo Chi Cong’s merits