New york times week in review

The country posted a resilience score of 57.3 out of 100, down from 74.3 in the November ranking where it ranked 10th . Vietnam's slip was due to the new Covid-19 outbreak linked to new strains, with millions placed under lockdown in February, Bloomberg stated. The ranking measured 53 economies of over $200 billion GDP on key metrics including growth in virus cases to overall mortality rates, testing capabilities and vaccine supply agreements, capacity of local healthcare systems, the impact of lockdowns on these economies, and freedom of movement. It used data reported until Feb. 24. The report said Vietnam scored 77 out of 100 in "lockdown severity." A high score indicates social and economic activity are tightly restricted by government policy, meaning people are experiencing greater disruptions to their lives. Vietnam has struggled with a new wave of Covid-19 since Jan. 28 after a streak of 55 days without community transmissions in what the government said was caused by the U.K.-originated variant. In early February, many areas in Vietnam were placed under lockdown as authorities raced against time to contain the spread of the virus. New Zealand achieved the best score of 22 in "lockdown severity," while the U.K. performed worst. In terms of community mobility, which measures the movement of people to offices and retail spaces compared to a pre-pandemic baseline, Vietnam saw a decrease of 20.3 percent in travel, triggered by lockdown orders. Of the 53 economies, Vietnam had a test positivity rate of 0.1 percent while Mexico had the highest rate at 28.6 percent. The best rate of zero was scored by New Zealand, Australia and Singapore. Vietnam's access to Covid-19 vaccines reached only 21 percent, the report said. While the production of domestic vaccines is underway, the government has speeded up foreign procurement to vaccinate some prioritized categories of people. It has ordered 30 million doses from AstraZeneca, with the first batch …

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A surgery conducted at the Vinmec Times City General Hospital, a private hospital in Hanoi (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - Private investment is forecast to keep flowing into the healthcare sector in the time ahead with the appearance of many new drivers, according to the Dau tu (Vietnam Investment Review) newspaper. Nipro Pharma Vietnam , invested in by the Nipro Pharma Corporation - one of Japan’s leading pharmaceutical companies - is completing necessary procedures to add 270 million USD to its investment in a factory at the Saigon Hi-Tech Park in Ho Chi Minh City. According to the Japan External Trade Organisation ( JETRO ), a large number of Japanese businesses are seeking the chance to tap into Vietnam’s healthcare market given its substantial potential. The sector has attracted new investment inflows recently, especially last year, with a number of new projects from both domestic and foreign companies. In late 2020, a group of investors led by the Singaporean Government’s GIC sovereign wealth fund poured more than 203 million USD into Vingroup’s VMC, which develops and operates the Vinmec hospital system. VinaCapital’s Vietnam Opportunity Fund, meanwhile, invested 26.7 million USD in the Thu Cuc International General Hospital, while the UK’s Real Capital London debuted the Hong Anh (UK Vietnam) Medical Campus in HCM City, worth about 156 million USD. Many projects funded by domestic investors were also licensed or became operational last year, such as the TV.Pharm Hi-tech Pharmaceutical Complex, Van Phuc - Sai Gon Hospital, and Hoan My Western Hospital. Such moves show that hospital investment is increasingly attractive to investors due to growing middle class demand for high-quality healthcare, the newspaper said. Meanwhile, multinational pharmaceutical groups such as Novartis, Roche, Sanofi, GSK, and AstraZeneca are promoting “social business” via new programmes. In late January, AstraZeneca worked with the Ministry of …

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The Hanoitimes - A trade deal in place will help ensure continuity in trade relations between the UK and Vietnam after Brexit’s transitional period ends on December 31, 2020. Vietnam and the UK today [December 11] officially concluded the negotiation process for the UK – Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA). Overview of the signing ceremony. Source: MoIT. The agreed minutes on the conclusion of the free trade agreement negotiation were signed by Vietnam’s Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh and the UK International Trade Secretary Liz Truss in Hanoi. “The agreed minutes signed today is a first major step towards the signing of the UKVFTA in the coming time,” stated Mr. Anh. The Vietnam minister said both sides started the negotiation process for the deal since August 2018. As the UK is set to leave the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) after the Brexit’s transitional period ends on December 31, 2020, a new FTA between Vietnam and the UK will help ensure the continuity in bilateral trade relations. On her part, UK International Trade Secretary Liz Truss said the UKVFTA is a milestone for the country to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which remains a priority for the UK government next year. The fact that most of the clauses stipulated in the UKVFTA are similar to those in the EVFTA, significantly shortening the negotiation process for the two sides. Mr. Anh suggested with the UKVFTA, Vietnam will hold advantages compared to regional countries such as China, India, Thailand, or Malaysia, those do not have a similar deal in place with the UK. Vietnam is set to have more opportunities in attracting investment capital, technology transfer, and tourists from the UK once the Covid-19 is rolled back, while the deal presages positive outlook for the Vietnam – UK relations on the occasion of 10 th anniversary of the establishment of strategic partnership. …

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