June 28 – July 4: Lao General Secretary and President pays official visit to Vietnam

Lao General Secretary and President pays official visit to Vietnam

General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith, along with his spouse and a high-ranking delegation, paid an official visit to Vietnam from June 28-29 at the invitation of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

During the visit, Sisoulith held talks with Party General Secretary Trong, met former Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh and former President Tran Duc Luong, and held working sessions with State President Phuc, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue.

The two sides issued a joint statement which affirms the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive partnership as an invaluable common asset of the two nations and a factor ensuring their national development. The two Party leaders witnessed the signing of bilateral cooperation agreements, including the Vietnam – Laos cooperation strategy agreement for the 2021-2030 period, the Vietnam – Laos cooperation agreement for the 2021-2025 period and other important deals.

Vietnamese lychee reach UK consumers

Vietnamese lychee reach UK consumers

A two-tonne batch of lychees imported for the first time from Vietnam were sent to supermarkets in the UK on June 30. The fresh fruits were imported by the London-based TT Meridian company under the UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement.

The lychees, grown in farms meeting Global GAP standards in Luc Ngan District, in the northern province of Bac Giang, are packed in clear plastic boxes with traceability stamps of the Trade Promotion Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam, allowing consumers to quickly look up the origin of the product.

To ensure the taste of the lychee, the fruits were transported by air from Noi Bai International Airport to UK's Heathrow airport.

Vietnam’s green mangos promoted in Australia

A programme on popularising Vietnam’s green mangos is being held in Australia until the end of July, following the arrival of five tonnes of the fruit in the country.

The batch was imported by Melbourne-based Dalat Import-Export Company and distributed by ASEAN Produce Pty Company. An additional batch of 25 tonnes of Son La green mangos, exported by Rong Do Company, is also expected to be delivered soon.

As part of the programme, the Vietnam Trade Office in Australia is also working to add Vietnamese green mangos to restaurants’ menus. Accordingly, An Viet restaurant chain in Sydney agreed to not only bring green mangos to its menus but also place orders and deliver them to consumers.

The office also offered a prize worth AUD500 for a lucky consumer who buys green mangos or orders dishes made from the fruit. It also launched marketing campaigns on social media and called on residents to buy mangos in Sydney and Melbourne.

Government launches US$1 billion support package to help COVID-19 hit workers

The Government has just issued Resolution No 68 on a number of policies to support employees and employers facing difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic, worth a total of VND26 trillion (over US$1 billion).

12 supporting policies have been introduced in the recently issued Resolution. These include: reducing the contribution to the insurance fund for occupational accidents and diseases, suspending the payment of retirement and survivorship funds, using unemployment insurance funds to support vocational training and job changes; supporting employees who have had their labour contracts temporarily terminated; and providing additional support and assistance to children.

The Resolution also targets employees who suspended labour contracts or have been suspended from work due to medical quarantine or in lockdown areas, tour guides, pregnant employees, and children who must be treated for COVID-19 or under medical quarantine.

Hoi An listed among top ten car-free cities in the world

Hoi An is always a favourite destination of domestic and international tourists. (Photo: City Pass Guide)

The beautiful ancient city of Hoi An in the central province of Quang Nam ranks second among the top ten most beautiful car-free cities in the world as announced by Australian Traveller magazine.

The magazine said that motorcycles rarely appear in Hoi An Ancient City; therefore, visitors can wander on small streets, purchase silks or go to the tailor shops without being bothered by motorcyclists.

The ancient city is impressive with architecture designed in the French colonial period, colourful lanterns, houses and shops. In Hoi An, there are many routes inside the ancient town such as Bach Dang, Nguyen Thai Hoc, Tran Hung Dao, which are not for motor vehicles. Especially for foreigners, exploring Hoi An ancient city on cyclos has always been a unique and interesting experience.

Vietnam ranks 25th in Global Cybersecurity Index

Vietnam jumped 25 places in two years to rank 25th out of 194 countries and territories worldwide in the Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) in 2020, according to a report released by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) on June 30.

According to the report, Vietnam ranked seventh in Asia-Pacific region and fourth among ASEAN countries in the field.

The country posted a score of 94.59 with improvement of scores in all five reviewed pillars. The country’s efforts in building long-term development projects in personnel for cybersecurity were recognised, along with the achievements in the creating of an ecosystem for safe “Made in Vietnam” products and cybersecurity.

Under the ranking, Vietnam surpassed Thailand to clinch the fourth position in the ASEAN after Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. The leading countries in the Asia-Pacific region are the Republic of Korea and Japan, both with 98.52 points.

Binh Duong named among world’s top 7 intelligent communities of 2021

A corner of Binh Duong Smart City.

Binh Duong Smart City was named among the world’s Top7 communities of 2021 with outstanding smart city development strategies by the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) on July 1, making it the first ever community in Vietnam to appear on the Top7 list.

The announcement was made at the conclusion of a three-day virtual conference in New York, USA, with the theme ‘From Recovery to Prosperity’. Other cities and counties honoured in the Top7 included Curitiba, Parana, Brazil; Langley Township, British Columbia, Canada; Mississauga, Ontario, Canada; Moscow, Russia; Townsville, Queensland, Australia; and Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Candidates in the Top7 must meet six intelligent community indicators, including broadband connectivity, knowledge workforce, innovation, sustainable development, digital inclusion, and community engagement.

Swimmer Anh Vien seals Olympic place for third time

Vietnam’s top female swimmer Nguyen Thi Anh Vien has been included in the list of athletes competing in the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics after receiving an invitation from the International Swimming Federation (FINA) on July 2.

Specifically, the Vietnamese swimming ace will compete in the women’s 200m and 800m freestyle events at the Tokyo Games.

Previously, Nguyen Huy Hoang was the first Vietnamese swimmer to win a berth to Tokyo. He will compete in the men’s 800m and 1,500m freestyle categories.

Vietnam hope to send 20 athletes to Tokyo. With Vien’s invitation, they have reached 16 in swimming, gymnastics, shooting, boxing, archery, badminton, rowing, weightlifting and taekwondo.

Vietnam in Group B of World Cup Qualifiers’ third round

Vietnam will be joined by powerhouse Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, China and Oman in Group B. (Screenshot)

Vietnam are pooled in Group B alongside Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, China and Oman in the third round of the 2022 World Cup Asian Qualifiers, revealed at online draw held in Malaysia on July 1.

Meanwhile, Group A includes the Republic of Korea and the five West Asian squads of Iran, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.

The groups’ top teams and runners-up will qualify for the 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup.

Meanwhile, two third-place squads are to face each other and then the winner will play a match with a representative from another continent for a berth at the world's biggest football event.