Us agency for international development

Rice is among key exports of Kien Giang province. (Photo: VNA) Kien Giang (VNA) – The Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang gained more than 103 million USD from exports in the first two month of the year, surging 12 percent from the same time in 2020. This is a robust sign in the locality’s trade activities amidst complicated developments of COVID-19. According to the provincial Department of Industry and Trade, growth was seen in the shipment of seafood (over 37 million USD, up 25.6 percent), and leather shoes (over 22.6 million USD, up nearly 3 percent). Meanwhile, export of rice fell 35.37 percent year-on-year to 17 million USD. With a view to boosting exports, the province has sharpened focus on trade promotion activities, as well as worked to consolidate traditional markets and expanding markets for local key products, particularly rice and seafood. In the meantime, the department keeps local exporters updated with the import-export situation and measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 through goods which go through border gates or unofficial border crossings. It has provided local firms with domestic and foreign market information so that they can pen suitable production plan. The provincial authorities have ordered the Department of Industry and Trade to join hands with competent departments and agencies to keep a close watch on the business and exports of local firms so as to remove bottlenecks for them in a timely manner. Along with seeking more markets for local products, the department has worked to raise the firms’ awareness of the signed free trade agreement, helping them adjust their production to meet import demands of international buyers./. VNA …

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As 2020 is coming to end, how do you evaluate the development of businesses that received recognition during the Vietnam Value Programme? Vu Ba Phu, director general of the Trade Promotion Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade After 17 years of running the programme with seven times choosing national brands, we have witnessed the continuous growth of many domestic enterprises. At the first selection in 2008, we saw only 30 chosen companies with their products. By 2018, this number had grown to 97, and this year we have recorded 124 enterprises and their brands. However, the growth of the business community has not only happened in the number of participating businesses, but also export turnover, sales, and their contribution to the state budget, as well as their efforts in social responsibility and job creation. For example, firms recognised as national brands in 2018 reached a revenue of about VND907 trillion ($39.4 billion), with their export turnover amounting to VND130 trillion ($5.6 billion), contributing VND85 trillion ($3.7 billion) to the state budget and creating 340,000 jobs. Meanwhile, in this year, these numbers have climbed to VND975 trillion ($42.4 billion) and VND123 trillion ($5.34 billion) in 2020, respectively, with contributions to the state budget amounting to VND197 trillion ($8.5 billion) and 350,000 new jobs created – all this despite the pandemic. What are the main differences between the 2020 programme and previous years’ iterations? This year has been a special one as most of the businesses were affected by the health crisis, even making it difficult for the organisers of the Vietnam Value Programme to obtain applications, organise conferences, and disseminate information. Facing these circumstances, the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) responded quickly and directed our Trade Promotion Agency (VIETRADE) to coordinate with relevant ministries and localities to implement online procedures for the …

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Vietnam begins COVID-19 vaccination on March 8 Vietnam launches its COVID-19 inoculation drive on March 8 morning, administering the AstraZeneca vaccine to medical workers in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and northern Hai Duong province – the country’s biggest pandemic hotspot at present. The vaccination is conducted at the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi, the HCM City Hospital for Tropical Diseases and two medical centres in Hai Duong. As many as 100 staff members of the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases are expected to receive the shots in the morning of March 8. The hospital is allocated 450 doses among the first batch of 117,600 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine the country has received. In Hai Duong, 50 medical workers at Hai Duong city’s medical centre, and 30 others at Kim Thanh district’s medical centre will be the first in the province to be injected. The Ministry of Health has allocated the vaccine to 13 localities, along with the Ministry of National Defence, the Ministry of Public Security and 21 hospitals during the first phase. Among the localities, all having reported COVID-19 cases since the latest wave of outbreaks since January 27, the Hanoi Centre for Disease Control (CDC) is given 8,000 doses, Hai Duong CDC 32,000, and HCM City CDC 8,000. Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Public Security each receive 30,000 doses. At a meeting on March 6, Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long stressed the need to ensure equality in vaccine access as suggested by the WHO, UNICEF and COVAC. The localities excluded in the first phase should continue to prepare for the inoculation, with training programmes, he said, adding that they would receive the vaccine after the next shipment arrives in Vietnam in March. The ministry will roll out the vaccination in all COVID-19 treatment hospitals, prioritising those involved in frontline work, and those who participate in the pandemic combat in the community like …

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