1. PM attends 24th SMEs ministerial meeting
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc highlighted the theme of the 24th APEC Small and Medium Enterprises Ministerial Meeting (SMEMM), held in Ho Chi Minh City on September 15, stating that it demonstrates the aspiration of Vietnam to cooperate with the other APEC member economies to foster SMEs’ innovation and global access in the digital era.
The SMEMM 24 is one of the most important ministerial events within the APEC cooperation framework, which is expected to adopt a joint statement on promoting start-up businesses and a strategy to develop green, sustainable and innovative SMEs, he said.
2. WB launches country partnership framework for Vietnam
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WB Country Director Ousmane Dione (left) hands over the book on the Country Partnership Framework for Vietnam to Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung (Photo: VNA)
The World Bank (WB) Vietnam launched the Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Vietnam for the 2017-2022 period, on September 14, which aims to support the realisation of the targets set in the country’s socio-economic development plan for 2016-2021.
The framework is also meant to help Vietnam to attain a balance between economic development and sustainable environment, whilst promoting equality and improving the capacity and accountability of state agencies. It will continue the WB Vietnam’s existing support in coordination with other development partners while mobilising other resources to boost development.
3. EP, Vietnam strives for EVFTA ratification in next nine months
The European Parliament (EP)’s Committee on International Trade (INTA) and the Vietnamese Government have agreed that they must make concerted efforts for the ratification of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) in the next eight or nine months.
INTA Chairman Bernd Lange, who was on a working trip to Vietnam, made the statement at a press meeting, on September 15. The deal is scheduled to be considered and verified by the INTA in the spring of 2018 in order to ensure that all commitments in the agreement will be fully implemented. If the EP reaches a major consensus, the EVFTA will be approved next summer, Lange noted.
4. Vietnam’s central provinces step up relief work in wake of Doksuri
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A broadcasting tower was crushed in Ha Tinh province
The provinces hit by typhoon Doksuri in central Vietnam are working diligently to deal with the consequences of one of the most powerful storms to hit Vietnam in recent years.
Doksuri left at least three dead and eight injured after making landfall on the afternoon of September 15. The typhoon also unroofed tens of thousands of houses, caused serious flooding, and knocked off thousands of electricity poles within its impact areas, which ranged from Nghe An to Thua Thien-Hue provinces.
The storm also caused extensive damage to aquaculture farms, rice paddies and other crops, as well as causing heavy flooding which disrupted traffic between many areas in the central provinces.
5. OceanBank’s former leaders face life imprisonment and death penalty
Prosecutors have recommended a sentence of life imprisonment for Ha Van Tham, the former chairman of OceanBank and the death penalty for Nguyen Xuan Son, its former general director.
The two are being tried in one of the largest corruption cases in recent years, which also involves dozens of other bankers.
Both are charged with embezzlement, an abuse of power to appropriate assets and the intentional violation of State economic management leading to serious consequences. Tham faces one more charge of breaching lending regulations. The other defendants face sentences ranging from 18 months to 27 years in prison.
6. Absconding death row convicts arrested
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The detention centre where the two escaped death row inmates were kept
Le Van Tho and Nguyen Van Tinh, two death row inmates who escaped from the T16 detention camp on September 10, have been arrested, as announced by the General Police Department (under the Ministry of Public Security).
Tho, 37, was caught on September 16 while holing up in Nam Sach district in the northern province of Hai Duong, while Tinh, 28, was caught on September 17 while driving a motorbike through Mai Chau district in the mountainous northern province of Hoa Binh. The two had been kept in the same cell and were seen on camera up until 9pm on September 10, but disappeared just one hour later.
7. PM approves UNICEF-funded project on enhancing child development
The Prime Minister has approved a UNICEF non-refundable project on enhancing comprehensive child protection and development, whilst renovating Vietnam’s healthcare system.
The US$ 5.1 million project aims to enhance the capacity of the healthcare system in terms of maternal and child health and expand the coverage of services which facilitate Integrated Early Childhood Development (IECD), including those related to children's health, nutrition and environmental sanitation, particularly towards vulnerable children. The 2017-2020 project will be implemented in Hanoi, Gia Lai, Kon Tum and Dien Bien provinces.
8. Vietnamese film Father and Son to vie for Oscar
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Poster of the film Cha Cong Con (Father and Son)
The film Cha Cong Con (Father and Son) has beaten two other nominees in an attempt to represent Vietnamese cinema at the 2018 Oscars and is being submitted to the award ceremony’s qualifying round.
The director Luong Dinh Dung said that he is filled with happiness and hopes his film will serve its mission well. Cha cong con was adapted from a short story of the same name written by Dung in 1995.
The film won the Best Cinematography award at the 17th Milano International Film Festival, Best Foreign Feature and Special Jury Award for Outstanding Cinematography at the 26th Arizona International Film Festival, and Indie Spirit Best Storyline award at the 15th Boston International Film Festival.
9. International Dance Festival gathers 300 artists from 14 foreign countries
The 2017 International Dance Festival officially opened in the northern province of Ninh Binh on the evening of September 16, promising to amaze dance lovers with unique styles of dance from the participating countries.
The week-long event has brought together 300 artists from 15 international troupes, representing 14 nations around the world and is also among Vietnam’s largest cultural events in 2017, seeking to foster cultural and artistic cooperation between Vietnam and other countries around the world, whilst offering an opportunity to display the Vietnamese land, people and culture to international friends.
10. Karate athlete Ngoan ranks in world’s top 10 after winning milestone gold medal
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Nguyen Thi Ngoan and the gold medal won at the Karate 1-Premier League.
Vietnamese, female, karate martial artist Nguyen Thi Ngoan now ranks among the world’s top 10 best female karate athletes, in the 61kg category, the World Karate Federation (WKF) has announced.
It is the highest WKF ranking ever achieved by a Vietnamese karate martial artist in the combat category. Ngoan won a gold medal at the Karate 1-Premier League in Halle/Leipzig, Germany, on September 10, making her the first Vietnamese martial artist to secure the highest title in this prestigious tournament. With this result, Ngoan has a total score of 2,300 and ranks eighth in the world.
