PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s message on ASEAN's anniversary
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has delivered a message on the occasion of the 53rd founding anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the 25th anniversary of Vietnam’s admission to the bloc.
In his message, he reviewed ASEAN’s development and achievements over the past 53 years as well as Vietnam’s contributions to the bloc as an active, positive and responsible member.
He stressed that a united, strong, prosperous and self-reliant ASEAN Community with a high international role and position may only be achieved if all of the ASEAN member countries “think community and act community”, pledging that Vietnam has been exerting efforts, together with other ASEAN members, to successfully implement this noble goal.
To mark the occasion, Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) also hosted a flag hoisting ceremony at its headquarters in Hanoi on August 7.
Tens of tonnes of Vietnamese fresh longan enter Australian market
Vietnamese longan has characteristic aroma, small seeds and sweetness.
Large batches of Vietnamese fresh longan, tens of tonnes in size, have been shipped to Australia and entered regions in the south and west of the country over the past few weeks.
Recently, about 7.5 tonnes of longan originating from Mekong Delta provinces arrived in Australia on August 6 while 9 tonnes of longan grown in Hai Duong Province are being packed to be sent to Australia to participate in a longan promotion programme held by the Vietnam Trade Office in Australia.
All batches of longan are imported and distributed by 4 Ways Fresh, a company based in Australia specialising in the production and trade of agricultural products.
Japan resumes issuing visas for Vietnamese employees
The Japanese Embassy in Vietnam has resumed receiving visa applications from Vietnamese citizens who wish to travel to Japan for working purposes, according to Vietnam’s Department of Overseas Labour.
The visa issuance was restarted following four months of suspension to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The embassy began to receive applications again from July 27.
Specifically, visas will be granted to Vietnamese nationals travelling to Japan via direct flights for work or long-term stay for positions such as business managers, intra-company transfers, engineers/specialists in international services, nurses, highly skilled professionals and designated activities.
Vietnamese employees will be required to quarantine themselves at home for 14 days upon entering Japan.
48.6% of total COVID-19 patients in Vietnam made full recovery as of August 9 afternoon
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A local resident makes a medical declarations at a PCR sampling venue set up at Nguyen Trai Secondary School in Ba Dinh District, Hanoi, August 8, 2020. (Photo: NDO/Duy Linh)
As many as 395, or 48.6%, of the total number of COVID-19 patients in Vietnam have made full recovery as of August 9 afternoon, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.
The country reported another 29 COVID-19 cases, taking the national count to 841. All of the new patients are related to the central city of Da Nang, the current pandemic hotspot.
Of the total cases, 317 were imported cases that were quarantined right upon their arrival.
There are currently 178,695 people who had close contact with COVID-19 patients or entering Vietnam from pandemic-hit regions are being quarantined nationwide.
There have been 11 COVID-19 fatalities in the country, all of them had either been residents of the city or the nearby areas of Quang Nam Province and had been suffering from serious chronic diseases such as cancer, renal failure, and diabetes prior to becoming infected.
Vietnamese short film competes in Venice Film Festival
A Vietnamese short film entitled “Live in cloud - cuckoo land” has been chosen to compete in the Orizzonti Short Competition category at the 77th Venice Film Festival.
The 19-minute film will compete with 12 others from different countries around the world in the category for international films with new aesthetic trends and expressions.
“Live in cloud - cuckoo land”, which is directed by Vu Minh Nghia and Pham Hoang Minh Thy, is about a girl working in a wedding dress shop who falls in love with a street vendor.
Gojek app debuts in Vietnam
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The platform has over 150,000 driver partners and 80,000 partner restaurants in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
Gojek, the leading on-demand service and payment platform in Southeast Asia, officially debuted its app in Vietnam on August 5.
Customers can access services such as ride-hailing with GoRide, goods delivery with GoSend, and food delivery with GoFood on the Gojek app, available on both iOS and Android operating systems.
The platform has over 150,000 driver partners and 80,000 partner restaurants in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, offering a better experience to users with a simpler, cleaner interface and upgraded features.
In early July, GoViet announced the merger of its app and brand name with Gojek as part of a long-term strategic deal. Vietnamese users will also be able to use Gojek’s services in Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand using a single app.
COVID-19 contact tracing app Bluezone hits 10 million users
As many as 10 million of Vietnam’s 76.8 million smartphone users have downloaded a domestically developed contact-tracing mobile app to identify and alert people who have interacted with COVID-19 patients.
The smartphone app Bluezone relies on Bluetooth signal to log when two users are near each other, information that can later be used in contact tracing of COVID-19 cases.
The development of Bluezone has been overseen by the Ministry of Information and Communications and the Ministry of Health. It was launched on April 18.
Bluezone helps authorities to quickly identify people likely to be COVID-19 patents, helping to prevent larger outbreaks of the disease.
