Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc visits Myanmar
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc paid an official visit to Myanmar from December 16-18 at the invitation of President U Win Myint.
A joint statement was issued saying that, along with past high-level visits, PM Phuc’s visit continues to affirm the closeness between the two countries as well as the importance that they attach to the bilateral comprehensive cooperative partnership.
The two sides vowed to double Vietnam’s investment in Myanmar through an enhanced and comprehensive economic cooperation strategy, to be developed by the end of 2020.
75th anniversary of Vietnam People’s Army marked
On behalf of the Party and State leaders, PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc bestows a first-class Military Exploit Order upon the VPA. (Photo: VNA)
The Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defence held a grand ceremony in Hanoi on December 21 to celebrate the 30th All People’s Defence Festival and the 75th founding anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) (December 22, 1944-2019).
PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc bestowed the first-class Military Exploit Order upon the VPA and some high-ranking officers of the army in recognition of their particularly outstanding achievements in VPA building, defence consolidation, and contribution to the building of socialism and national protection.
In his speech, PM Phuc stressed that, under the absolute and direct leadership of the Party and President Ho Chi Minh, upholding patriotism and the nation’s military art, and with the support of the people and international friends, over the last 75 years the VPA has joined hands with the people to obtain wonderful achievements in liberating and safeguarding the nation and fulfilling international missions.
World Bank sees Vietnam’s economy grow 6.8% in 2019
The World Bank (WB) expects that the Vietnamese economy will have expanded by 6.8% in 2019, with public debt reduced by nearly 8 percentage points of the GDP since 2016, and with a trade surplus for the fourth year in a row.
The WB noted that such results are remarkable in the context of a slowing global economy.
In its latest bi-annual Taking Stock report on Vietnam, released on December 17, the WB stated that Vietnam’s economic growth has continued to be driven by strong exports, foreign investment and private consumption.
The bank predicts good prospects for the Vietnamese economy in the short to medium term, forecasting annual growth of 6.5% for Vietnam over the next few years.
Japan opens door to Vietnamese lychee
Japan opens door for Vietnamese lychee (Photo: Vietnam+)
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan (MAFF) has sent a letter to the Plant Protection Department of Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development saying to open the door for Vietnamese “thieu” lychee.
This is the result of over five years of negotiation efforts between the Vietnamese Plant Protection Department and the MAFF.
The letter was enclosed with regulations on imported plant quarantine for Vietnamese lychee, which took effect from December 15, 2019.
The department said it will continue coordinating with businesses to soon complete preparatory work and seek partners to export the first batch of fresh “thieu” lychee to Japan in 2020.
Results of 2019 Vietnam Population and Housing Census announced
A conference was held in Hanoi on December 19 to officially disseminate the official results of the 2019 Vietnam Population and Housing Census.
Conducted by the General Statistics Office of Vietnam (GSO) with technical support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) at 0:00 a.m. on April 1 of this year, it was the fifth Population and Housing Census in Vietnam since the country's reunification in 1975.
Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue, who is also Chairman of the Central Steering Committee for the 2019 Population and Housing Census, said that the results of the census have fully reflected the population, demographics and quality of population and housing and living conditions of the Vietnamese people, while showing both the effectiveness and inadequacies of policy implementation on population and development in the country in various sectors and groups.
Da Lat Flower Festival opens with a brilliant ceremony
A colourful performance at the opening ceremony for the 2019 Da Lat Flower Festival
The eighth Da Lat Flower Festival 2019 officially opened with a brilliant ceremony held at Lam Vien Square, in the Central Highland province of Lam Dong’s capital city.
Da Lat Flower Festival has been recognised as a notable cultural and tourism event of the poetic highland city, promoting the development of agriculture and tourism, particularly in the production and trade of flowers, agricultural products and silk in the South Central Highland region.
Themed “Da Lat and Flower”, the 2019 Da Lat Flower Festival will last until December 24, consisting of 11 main programmes and dozens of response activities.
Vietnam wrap up 2019 with record high position in FIFA rankings
Vietnam national squad wrapped up a successful 2019 as they firmly stand in 94th place in the latest FIFA world rankings, as announced on December 19. This is their highest standing in the last two decades.
With 1,258 points, coach Park Hang-seo’s side have maintained their 94th position in the world, the same as in the previous rankings last month. They have also firmly retained their No. 14 standing in Asia and No. 1 in Southeast Asia.
This is the highest ranking for the 'Golden Dragons' in the FIFA rankings in the past 20 years. Their highest ever ranking was No. 84 in the world in 1998.
With the remarkable achievements of Park’s players over the past year, they have climbed six places from their world No. 100 position on December 20, 2018, after the team were crowned Southeast Asian champions with their first AFF Suzuki Cup trophy in ten years on December 15 last year.
