Top leader orders careful preparations for Army’s 11th Party Congress
Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong, who is also Secretary of the Central Military Commission, asked the Standing Board of the Central Military Commission to make meticulous preparations for the 11th Party Congress of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA).
He made the statement while chairing a working session between the Politburo and the Central Military Commission’s Standing Board in Hanoi on September 12. Also attending the event were Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, and Permanent Member of the Party Central Committee's Secretariat Tran Quoc Vuong.
Giving comments on the draft documents and personnel work preparations for the VPA’s 11th Party Congress for the 2020-2025 period, the top leader said he highly appreciated the quality of the documents. He spoke highly of the VPA’s efforts in implementing its entrusted missions, including public mobilisation, foreign relations and successful business operations.
However, the army should have better management in land use as well as closer coordination with the police force to outline better strategies to protect the nation, he said, hoping the VPA will make further contributions to the building of the Party and political system.
AIPA 41 successfully wraps up after three working days
National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan speaking at the opening ceremony of AIPA-41 (Photo: VGP)
The 41st General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-41) wrapped up in Hanoi via teleconference on September 10 after three working days. The event, hosted by Vietnam under the theme of ‘Parliamentary Diplomacy for a Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN’ from September 8 to 10, marks a significant milestone in the 14th National Assembly’s foreign relations during its term as the AIPA chair, as the COVID-19 pandemic rages on in the region and the world.
2020 marks the third time that the Vietnamese National Assembly has assumed the chairmanship of the AIPA and organised its General Assembly. This is an occasion for Vietnam to perform its role and responsibility in the AIPA and for the country’s NA to enhance its reputation as an active and responsible legislative body. It also promotes Vietnam’s position in the region and the world, especially in the context of the unprecedented pandemic.
NA Standing Committee’s 48th session opens
The 48th session of the National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee opened in Hanoi on September 10 under the chair of NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.
During the session, the committee scrutinised five draft laws, comprising the amending and the supplementation of some articles of the trade union law, the law on forces safeguarding security and order at the grassroots level, the revised law on drug prevention and control, the revised law on road traffic, and the law on road traffic order and safety.
27th ASEAN Regional Forum adopts important documents
Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh at the ARF meeting (Photo: VGP)
The 27th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), as part of the 53rd ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting (AMM 53) and Related Meetings, has adopted several important documents, including the ARF Hanoi Plan of Action II, setting out cooperation priorities and directions for ARF activities in the 2020-2025 period.
The forum, which was held via video conference on September 12 under the chair of Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, was attended by foreign ministers from 27 ARF member nations and organisations along with ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi.
Vietnamese ambassador selected as new Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN
At the 27th meeting of the ASEAN Coordinating Council on September 9, ASEAN foreign ministers agreed on Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi’s proposal regarding the appointment of Tran Duc Binh at the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN (CPR) as the new Deputy Secretary-General.
Accordingly, he will be Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for Community and Corporate Affairs for the February 2021 - February 2024 period. He will be responsible for the implementation of corporate support functions, including administration affairs, human resources, finance and budget, information technology, information resource management, protocol and formalities, legal affairs, and management of cooperation programmes and projects.
Vietnam ships first batch of shrimp to EU under new trade pact
Shrimp processing at Thong Thuan Company
Vietnam has exported its first shipment of frozen shrimp to the EU since the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) came into effect in August. The seafood was produced by Thong Thuan Company and the shipment left the factory in the south-central province of Ninh Thuan on September 11.
Under the trade agreement, the EU will eliminate tariffs on 86.5% of Vietnamese seafood over the next three years with a zero tax rate expected after seven years. The EVFTA is expected to create a great opportunity for the export of Vietnamese seafood, said agriculture deputy minister Phung Duc Tien at a ceremony held to send off the shipment.
Vietnam exports S95 construction material for first time
The Hoa Phat Dung Quat Steel Joint Stock Company shipped the first batch of S95 ground granulated blast furnace slag to Australia on September 10, where stern standards and stringent requirements are applied. Comprising 2,500 tonnes of S95, the batch was produced at the Hoa Phat Dung Quat Iron and Steel Integrated Complex.
The granulated blast furnace slag is a by-product of the iron and steel production process using closed blast furnace technology. Due to the extremely rapid cooling with high pressure water, the granulated blast furnace slag is good for cement and concrete and has been used for a long time around the world as well as in Vietnam.
Vietnam’s forex reserve sets new record
Vietnam’s foreign exchange reserve has hit a new record high of US$92 billion, a significant expansion from US$84 billion which Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam Le Minh Hung revealed in April. At a recent Government meeting, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said the country’s forex reserve was expected to hit US$100 billion by the end of this year, five times higher than the level recorded at the beginning of his term.
Statistics of the General Department of Customs showed that August saw a trade surplus of US$2.5 billion and a surplus of US$10.93 billion in the January-August period, providing a plentiful supply of foreign currencies which has enabled the central bank to purchase foreign currencies from the beginning of this year.
Vietnam’s oldest Covid-19 patient, a centenarian, is discharged from hospital
Five Covid-19 patients in Quang Nam Province are discharged from hospital.
A 100-year-old woman in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam’s oldest Covid-19 patient, has been declared free of the coronavirus and was discharged from hospital on September 12 along with four other patients in the same province.
Known as patient 592, she was admitted to Quang Nam Central Hospital on August 1 after testing positive for the virus, technically known as SARS-CoV-2.
