Sustainability vs sustainable development

Vietnam gained an overall score of 4.1 out of seven points, rising by 4.7 percent to leap from the 60 th place in 2019 to the 52 nd place out of 117 economies in the 2021 index, which was released recently by the World Economic Forum. The index measures the factors and policies that enable sustainable and resilient development of tourism from business, safety and health conditions, to infrastructure and natural resources, among others. The WEF report ascribed Vietnam’s improved ranking to its achievements in Covid-19 pandemic prevention, flexible adaptation as well as continuous efforts to develop safe tourism. Vietnam also performed well in price competitiveness, safety and security, air transport and port infrastructure as well as natural resources, it added. Japan tops the ranking, followed by the US, Spain, France, and Germany./. VNA … [Read more...] about Vietnam climbs 8 places in global tourism development index

The launch of the Corporate Sustainability Index Programme 2022 in Ha Noi on Thursday. — VNA/VNS Photo The Corporate Sustainability Index (CSI) Programme 2022, the seventh of its kind so far, was launched on Thursday, aiming to assess enterprises’ sustainability and encourage them to adopt sustainable practices. Vietnamese consumers now have a higher awareness of selecting “green” products and services. By adopting sustainable practices, enterprises will meet consumers’ demand and also generate long-term benefits for themselves, Nguyen Quang Vinh, deputy chairman of the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and chairman of the Viet Nam Business Council for Sustainable Development (VBCSD), told the ceremony in Ha Noi. VCCI and VBCSD have been striving to promote responsible business practices in enterprises, he said, noting that the CSI Programme and the CSI criteria are among those efforts. The set of CSI criteria is not only an assessment tool in the programme … [Read more...] about Seventh Corporate Sustainability Index programme launched

The launch of the Corporate Sustainability Index Programme 2022 in Hanoi on May 26. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The Corporate Sustainability Index (CSI) Programme 2022, the 7th of its kind so far, was launched on May 26, aiming to not only assess enterprises’ sustainability but also encourage them to adopt sustainable practices. Vietnamese consumers now have higher awareness of selecting “green” products and services, so by adopting sustainable practices, enterprises will meet consumers’ demand and also generate long-term benefits for themselves, Nguyen Quang Vinh, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry ( VCCI ) and Chairman of the Vietnam Business Council for Sustainable Development (VBCSD), told the ceremony in Hanoi. VCCI and its VBCSD have been striving to promote responsible business practices in enterprises, he said, noting that the CSI Programme and the CSI criteria are among those efforts. The set of CSI criteria is not only an … [Read more...] about 7th Corporate Sustainability Index programme launched

Deputy Prime Minister Phạm Bình Minh delivers a speech at the 27th International Conference on the Future of Asia in Tokyo on Thursday. — VNA/VNS Photo Đào Thanh Tùng TOKYO — Deputy Prime Minister Phạm Bình Minh proposed that Asia strengthen its responsibility in keeping and creating a peaceful and sustainable environment for development and prosperity in the region and the world. This should be based on cooperation, understanding, trust, and responsibility, he said, while delivering a speech at the 27th International Conference on the Future of Asia (FOA 2022) in Tokyo on Thursday. He said, entering the third decade of the 21st century, the Asian region is witnessing profound historical changes, with both opportunities and challenges that have long-term impacts on future generations. As the region and the world are focusing resources to handle urgent unprecedented issues, first and foremost, countries need to make responsible contributions, show mutual respect, and equally … [Read more...] about Việt Nam calls for Asia to create peaceful, sustainable environment for world prosperity

The city has supported localities in building large-scale rice farming and encouraged businesses to expand distribution networks in the domestic market and exports. Hanoi is promoting sustainable rice production as a key solution to meet the growing demand for domestic consumption and exports. A delegate of the Hanoi's Department of Agricultural and Rural Development inspects organic farming production at Thach That District. Photo: Anh Ngoc Organic rice farming in Dong Phu Commune, Chuong My District, is considered one of the examples of rice production under the value chain. The Director of the Dong Phu Organic Agricultural Cooperative Trinh Thi Nguyet said from the original area of five hectares, the cooperative has now expanded its production area to 40 hectares. “The entire crop harvested would be later processed and distributed to other provinces/cities, as well as for exports,” Nguyet told The Hanoi Times . According to Nguyet, prices of … [Read more...] about Hanoi promotes sustainable rice production

Real estate bonds shackled by rules - illustration photo At last week’s conference on corporate bonds held by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, experts discussed ways to develop an efficient and sustainable corporate bond market. One of the common recommendations regarded appropriate approaches to credit ratings. According to Can Van Luc, BIDV’s chief economist, there should be clear regulations on credit ratings to help investors easily determine business quality and the risk level of the issued bonds. “It is necessary to identify where a credit rating is mandatory and where a credit rating is encouraged. High-risk businesses should go through compulsory credit rating before bond issuance,” Luc said. “On the other hand, for businesses that have been audited and internationally rated with a long-standing history, a credit rating might not be necessary.” In recent years, the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has steadily redirected loan flows towards industry, services … [Read more...] about Real estate bonds shackled by rules

The 78th session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) opened on May 23 in Bangkok. — VNA/VNS Photo BANGKOK — The General Statistics Office (GSO) of Việt Nam and the Việt Nam Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Post-Harvest Technology (VIAEP) on May 25 were elected to the Governing Councils of the Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific (SIAP) and the Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Mechanisation (CSAM) under the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). The elections were conducted within the framework of the ESCAP’s 78th session held in Bangkok. SIAP is a professional statistics training centre for government officials and others working on official statistics. It offers short- and long-term training specifically to strengthen knowledge and build skills of national governments' employees to produce, use, and share reliable statistics, including for the monitoring of the … [Read more...] about Two Vietnamese agencies elected to ESCAP organisations’ governing councils

During talks with visiting Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam Phung Duc Tien at the headquarters of DEFRA, Prentis affirmed her country’s commitment to strongly support the transformation of Vietnam's agriculture towards green, low emission and sustainable development. For his part, Tien proposed specific cooperation, including in the field of policy, to develop green and low-emission agriculture, promote the opening of agro-forestry-aquaculture markets, and strengthen cooperation in sustainable development, climate change adaptation and biodiversity. He expressed his hope that the two sides will soon sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in agriculture and rural development, thus promoting and realizing priority cooperation programs and activities in 2022-2025. Regarding future orientations for cooperation, the Vietnamese official suggested the U.K. government to soon consider opening the market for fresh fruits such as mango, … [Read more...] about U.K. attaches importance to agriculture cooperation with Vietnam

The pandemic has pushed forward the trends of e-commerce in Vietnam 2-3 years earlier than forecast with the sector growing in size four times over last year, according to a 2021 Lazada report. “Some of the e-commerce trends we expected would happen in 2025, such as in edutech and fintech, have already happened in 2022,” noted Nguyen Huy Hoang, chief business officer at OnPoint E-commerce. “Hence, all e-commerce platform companies are investing hugely in Vietnam.” However, as shopping centres and small brick-and-mortar stores are now reopened, many investors are concerned that the boom in e-commerce was just a short-term fad and the majority of consumers could quickly shift back to offline shopping. On May 12 at the Vietnam Online Business Forum, the general consensus amongst experts was that e-commerce will continue to boost the economy after the pandemic. Specifically, in the first quarter of 2022, the industry saw more than 8 million new online consumers. A survey … [Read more...] about All to play for in e-commerce rise

Deputy Prime Minister Lê Minh Khái (right) had talks with WTO Deputy Director-General Zhang Xiangchen on May 25. — VNA/VNS Photo GENEVA — Deputy Prime Minister Lê Minh Khái visited the headquarters of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Geneva and had a working session with its Deputy Director-General Zhang Xiangchen on May 25 afternoon (local time). Khái said that after 15 years of WTO membership, Việt Nam has gained numerous achievements in socio-economic development, successfully implemented sustainable development goals, and become one of the world’s largest commodity economies in 2021. He affirmed Việt Nam treasures the organisation’s central role in promoting an open, transparent, rules-based multilateral trading system; and hopes that WTO continues upholding its coordinating role to boost the global trade in an inclusive and equal manner, thus contributing to economic recovery and growth. The Deputy PM suggested that the WTO reform process should ensure a balance of … [Read more...] about WTO welcomes Việt Nam’s active engagement in global economic growth