Seeking new challenges and opportunities

Illustrative photo (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam is emerging as a good option for Kiwi exporters looking to diversify where they sell their goods, said New Zealand’s new site 1news .co.nz in a recent article. The article cited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand’s report prepared by the Embassy in Hanoi as saying between 2016 and 2021, Vietnam led ASEAN in terms of growth per capita. This growth rate is higher than that of other major ASEAN markets such as Singapore, Malaysia, or the Philippines Trade Commissioner Joseph Nelson said Vietnam is a "frontier market" presenting new opportunities, and challenges, to Kiwi exporters looking to diversify. "As Vietnam has come out of its COVID waves, we are seeing a really strong bounce back in the economy. GDP is expected to be between 6.5% to 7.5% next year," he said as quoted by the article. "All the markets in Southeast Asia are bouncing back quite strongly, but Vietnam definitely is the best … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s economy lures New Zealand exporters

Yechury spoke highly of Vietnam’s achievements under the leadership of the CPV, and its experience in building the organization and political system and ensuring social equality. He said the CPI-M is currently prioritizing enhancing democracy and promoting social equality and progress. Voicing his concern over the adverse impacts of COVID-19 and the rise of the far right and extremism, he said as countries are facing various challenges today, it is important for communist parties all over the world to unite and cooperate with each other. He expected the CPV and the CPI-M to further strengthen ties in the coming years through delegate exchanges and sharing of information and experience. Thuong, for his part, congratulated the CPI-M on the success of its 23rd national congress and Yechury on being re-elected as Secretary General. Affirming that the CPV treasures friendly relations with communist and left-wing parties globally, particularly the CPI-M, Thuong agreed to step up … [Read more...] about Vietnamese, Indian Communist Parties seek stronger ties

The delta is undergoing infrastructure changes, including being able to welcome larger ship capacities At the conference over a week ago on announcing the delta’s master plan and investment promotion in the 2021-2030 period in in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho, Dutch Ambassador to Vietnam Elsbeth Akkerman highlighted the role of the private sector. “In order to develop the Mekong Delta to become liveable land for all, we should put the private sector at the forefront for further innovation,” said the ambassador. The ambassador would like to continue working with the government, private sector, scientists, and non-governmental organisations in Vietnam to successfully implement the integrated master plan to help people, the economy, society, and nature in the Mekong Delta region flourish. According to the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), the total state budget for the Mekong Delta in the 2021-2025 period is estimated to be about VND460 trillion ($20 billion). … [Read more...] about New lease of life for delta development

Roads, airports, and seaports are being looked at by overseas companies in terms of investment feasibility, Photo: Shutterstock On June 16, Hoang Gia Khanh, deputy general director of state-owned railway giant Vietnam Railways (VNR), received a delegation of Austrian businesses at its headquarters who introduced new products and technology solutions aiming to seek opportunities in the local industry. The commercial counsellor of the Austrian Embassy in Hanoi said that businesses expect to intensify cooperation with VNR, specifically those in funding and upgrading projects, as well as machinery upgrading and maintenance. He added that besides official development assistance, the Austrian government also has other financial tools that can help VNR access financial resources and technologies. According to Khanh, investment demand for the industry’s infrastructure development is huge and he highly appreciates the products and technology of groups like Plasser & Theurer and … [Read more...] about Reopening increases foreign interest in transport upgrade

Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Tra , Charge d'affaires a.i. of Vietnam to the UN (Photo: VNA) New York (VNA) – Vietnam reaffirmed its support for the UN Secretary-General ’s appeal for a global ceasefire while attending a dialogue held at the UN headquarters in New York on June 28. In her remarks, Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Tra, Charge d'affaires a.i. of Vietnam to the UN, pointed out that while the COVID-19 pandemic continues to threaten peace and development efforts, conflicts in many regions have led to heavy casualties and growing humanitarian challenges. She held that the international community should give high priority to ensuring compliance with international law and the UN Charter. She also underlined the role of multilateralism and multilateral mechanisms with the UN at their centre. To promote a ceasefire, it is necessary to boost compliance with Resolutions 2532 and 2565, and relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council, Tra said, suggesting a framework … [Read more...] about Vietnam reaffirms support for UN Secretary-General’s appeal for global ceasefire

Vietnamese and Chinese officials take part in the teleconference on June 29. (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – A conference reviewing cooperation between Vietnamese ministries, localities and Guangdong province of China was held in virtual form on June 29 under the chair of Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Hieu and Guangdong’s Vice Governor Wang Xi. Opening the conference, the eighth of its kind, Deputy FM Hieu expressed joy at the positive developments in the Vietnam-China relationship in general and between Vietnamese ministries, localities and Guangdong in particular. Guangdong has the biggest trade revenue with Vietnam among Chinese localities , with bilateral trade up 16.2 percent in 2021 to 47.42 billion USD, accounting for more than one quarter of Vietnam-China trade value. Guangdong companies invested nearly 2 billion USD in Vietnam in 2019-2020. Deputy minister Hieu said amidst fast developments in global and regional economic situation, the two … [Read more...] about Conference reviews Vietnam-Guangdong cooperation

Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son (R) presents a gift to British Secretary of State for Education Nadhim Zahawi on June 29. (Photo: VNA) London (VNA) – Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son and British Secretary of State for Education Nadhim Zahawi agreed to enhance the countries’ educational cooperation during a meeting in London on June 29. The two officials discussed many cooperation areas, including digital transformation in tertiary and general education, environmental education, English language training, examination, student exchange, and postgraduate training. Minister Son, who is accompanying National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue in an official visit to the UK, said bilateral cooperation in education has been growing in width, and that Vietnam wishes to further develop it in depth. He expressed his hope that the UK Government and the British Council will further help Vietnam in English language training, enhance … [Read more...] about Vietnam, UK to step up educational cooperation

PM Phuc made the statement during a reception in Hanoi on March 30 for leaders of the Chinese provinces of Yunnan, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan, who have been in Vietnam to attend the sixth Greater Mekong Sub-region Summit (GMS 6) and the GMS Business Summit. Highlighting the growing partnership between ministries, sectors and localities of the two countries as well as exchanges between their people, the PM affirmed that Vietnam always attaches great importance to fostering cooperation with China, in which collaboration among their localities plays a significant role. The fruitful cooperation among localities is a bright spot in the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, he said, adding that the Government of Vietnam always supports and creates optimal conditions, especially in terms of infrastructure, for localities to strengthen win-win partnerships. Leaders of the Chinese provinces said they are impressed by Vietnam’s rapid and comprehensive … [Read more...] about Vietnam wants to foster cooperation with Chinese localities: PM

The moment on June 28 at the Stonewall bar in Greenwich, New York, was triggered by people rising in anger against centuries of homophobia, oppression and discrimination. Since then, June has been celebrated as Pride Month by the LBGTQ community and their friends with parades and other festivities, film screenings and many other activities. Working in an organization fighting for the rights of marginalized people including the LGBTQ, I have always asked myself: Can the community be really proud? Is their integration into mainstream community complete? When these questions come to mind, I remember Tung. When I was working as an LGBTQ reporter for a local newspaper, out of nowhere, Tung sent me a message. We set up an appointment, also on a June afternoon. I was thinking about asking him to be featured in one of my articles. "I used to cut myself here; it was both painful and frightening. The knife was also rusty. After two tries, I stopped. It left nothing but two blurred … [Read more...] about Pride and prejudice – a June reflection

Zarour said that on the basis of football skills, Quang Hai has what it takes to play for Pau FC. "It's obvious because Hai is good at football," he said. Hai is no stranger to Zarour. The two played against each other in V. League games from 2016 to 2019. Then, Zarour was playing for Khanh Hoa while Hai was still with Hanoi FC. Zarour started his career at Cannes in France's third division and moved to Dijon in Ligue 2 for the 2009-2010 season. Zarour was the mainstay of Dijon's promotion to Ligue 1 in the 2011-2012 season. Later, he moved to the lower divisions. After playing for Khanh Hoa, the 39-year-old midfielder returned to France to play in the semi-professional leagues. Zarour understands Quang Hai's challenges when playing in a new environment, with a different language, culture and football philosophy. "The biggest challenge for Quang Hai is not physical strength, technique or speed, but the ability to adapt to a new environment. He'll have to work hard, and … [Read more...] about Vietnam midfielder can do well in France: French-Algerian defender