August 14-20: PM Phuc visits Thailand and Vietnam earn first gold at SEA Games 29

PM visits Thailand, holds talks with Thai counterpart

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc paid an official visit to Thailand from August 17-19 at the invitation of his Thai counterpart Prayuth Chan-ocha.

During the visit, PM Phuc and his Thai counterpart Chan-o-cha sought collaboration measures to build the ASEAN Community and maintain the association’s central role on the occasion of ASEAN’s 50th founding anniversary, as well as seeking ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation within sub-regional programmes and projects.

The two sides discussed long-lasting issues such as how to minimise conflicts at sea, illegal fishing and smuggling on each other’s waters, along with illegal Vietnamese workers in Thailand.

They agreed to accelerate negotiations on an agreement concerning criminal extradition and a treaty pertaining to mutual legal assistance, as well as the expansion of the treaty on labour as Thailand has high demand for labourers while Vietnam has a large supply. At the same time, the two PMs decided to set up mechanisms to settle existing problems with these incomplete agreements with the aim of avoiding further issues.

PM Phuc also met with businesses of both countries. During the visit, he attended the signing of agreements and memoranda of understanding between ministries, sectors, localities and businesses of both nations.

During the visit, the Vietnamese government leader also held meetings with Thai officials and local communities, as well as the Vietnamese community in Thailand.

National Assembly Standing Committee gathers at 13th session

Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan speaks at the convenes 13th session

The National Assembly Standing Committee (NASC) held its 13th session in Hanoi from August 10-18 under the chair of NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.

During the 13th session of the NASC, the committee scrutinised five bills scheduled to be submitted to the NA for consideration at the upcoming fourth session. The bills included the amended law on national defense, the law on the protection of State secrets, the law on the amendments to articles of the law on Vietnam’s overseas representative agencies, the law on amendments and supplements to several articles of the law on judicial records, and the law on public administration.

The establishment of the People’s Court and People’s Procuracy of Sam Son city, Thanh Hoa province, along with the use of the central budget in 2016 and 2017 were approved.

Top Thai legislator visits Vietnam

President of the National Legislative Assembly of Thailand, Pornpetch Wichitcholchai and Chairwoman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.

The high-level delegation of the National Legislative Assembly of Thailand, led by its President Pornpetch Wichitcholchai, paid an official visit to Vietnam from August 13 to 16 at the invitation of Chairwoman of the host’s National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.

During his stay in Vietnam, Wichitcholchai held talks with NA Chairwoman Ngan and paid a courtesy visit to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. He also met with the Vietnam-Thailand Parliamentary Friendship Group.

At the meetings, both sides suggested that the specialised agencies of the two countries’ legislative bodies regularly supervise the implementation of the cooperative agreements reached by the two Governments, whilst maintaining the exchange of delegations at all levels.

The two sides agreed to create more favourable conditions for the business communities of both countries to enhance exchanges towards boosting trade and investment, as well as to accelerate bilateral cooperation in the fields of trade and investment, thus balancing the trade between the two countries.

The two sides also discussed the acceleration of signing a new memorandum of understanding on agricultural cooperation between Vietnam and Thailand, and the signing of an agreement on setting up a hotline for fishery activities at sea.

APEC Food Security Week takes place in Can Tho

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is organising the APEC 2017 Food Security Week and a High-Level Policy Dialogue on Enhancing Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture in Response to Climate Change in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho, from August 18 to 25.

As part of the events, 15 meetings, seminars and conferences will be organised, with the aim of promoting sustainable agriculture and fishery development. This sustainability will be accomplished through the use of advanced science and technology in production management and in the sustainable use of natural resources. This will also aid in controlling food waste in the supply chain.

By the end of Food Security Week, the APEC Ministers in charge of agriculture will adopt the ‘Can Tho Declaration on enhancing food security and sustainable agriculture in response to climate change’ as a basis for the implementation of regional cooperation in order to ensure food security in the context of climate change.

Phu Quoc fish sauce recognised as traditional craft

The Phu Quoc Fish Sauce Association received a decision from the People's Committee of Kien Giang province on August 18 in recognition of Phu Quoc fish sauce as a traditional craft.

In addition to this recognition, the fish sauce making village on Phu Quoc Island has also been recognised as a traditional craft village.

Phu Quoc fish sauce is the first product of Vietnam to receive the EU Certificate of Protected Designation of Origin of Phu Quoc (PDO "Phu Quoc"). The craft has over 200 years of formation and development.

Currently, there are more than 50 fish sauce producers on Phu Quoc Island, producing approximately 30 million litres of fish sauce annually, with a total annual revenue of VND600 billion (US$26.4 million) and creating jobs for thousands of local people.

Vietnam earns first gold at SEA Games 29

The Vietnamese wushu team, with Thuy Vi bringing home the first gold medal for the Vietnamese sports delegation at SEA Games 29 on August 20.

After the first two days of winning silver and bronze medals, the Vietnamese sports delegation has earned their first gold medal at the on-going 29th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Malaysia.

The "golden girl" wushu competitor, Duong Thuy Vi, won a gold medal in the women’s jianshu event on August 20. Her teammate Hoang Thi Phuong Giang also won another gold medal in the women's gunshu event later that day.

Wrapping up the competition on August 20, Vietnam currently has four golds, three silvers and five bronzes, ranking fourth in the medal tally. The hosts still dominate the table with 16 golds, 13 silvers and nine bronzes, followed in second by Singapore.