November 16-22: Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc attends online G20 Summit

Nhan Dan Online reviews the notable events that made headlines over the past week.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc attends online G20 Summit (Photo: NDO/Tran Hai)
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc attends online G20 Summit (Photo: NDO/Tran Hai)

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc attends online G20 Summit

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc attended the virtual G20 summit hosted by Saudi Arabia, which opened on November 21 (Vietnamese time), with COVID-19 response, trade cooperation, sustainable development, and climate change high on the agenda.

The summit saw the participation of US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Chinese President Xi Jinping (Photo: VNA)

The Vietnamese PM addressed at discussion sessions on overcoming the pandemic, recovering economic growth, building sustainable future, and promoting inclusive and resilient growth.

During the two-day meeting, G20 leaders discussed measures to utilize all possible resources and cooperation to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

National Assembly’s 10th session concludes

The 10th session of the 14th National Assembly wrapped up in Hanoi on November 17

The 10th session of the 14th National Assembly wrapped up in Hanoi on November 17, completing all the tasks set for the session, which were held in two phases, with the first held via videoconferencing from October 20 to 27 and the second held in person from November 2 to 17.

The legislature passed seven laws, 13 resolutions and gave opinions on four draft laws during the session. The lawmakers also examined many reports on socio-economic performance, finance, State budget, voters’ petitions, judicial matters, the fight against corruption, and other issues, as well as contributed feedback to the drafts of documents to be submitted to the 13th National Party Congress.

The NA has also conducted comprehensive assessment of the implementation of NA resolutions on thematic supervision through question-and-answer activities.

Just prior to the closing ceremony, the NA approved a resolution on selecting the Sunday of May 23, 2021, as the date on which to hold the election of deputies to the 15th NA and People’s Councils at all level for the 2021-2026 tenure, along with several other resolutions.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc attends 27th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting

At the invitation of Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc attended the 27th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting via videoconference from Hanoi on November 20.

Addressing the event, PM Phuc suggested orientations to promote economic recovery and response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the near future, and shared experiences and achievements of the ASEAN Community in general and Vietnam in particular in controlling the pandemic and dealing with socio-economic consequences.

Within the meeting, leaders of member economies approved the APEC Putrajaya Vision 2040 and the Kuala Lumpur Declaration 2020. At the end of the event, Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern officially accepted the role as the host of the 28th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting.

Various activities held to mark Vietnamese Teachers' Day

November 16-22: Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc attends online G20 Summit ảnh 2

Chairwoman of National Assembly (NA) Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (front row, fourth from left) and NA deputies who are teachers, former teachers and educational management officials at a meeting in Hanoi on November 16.

A range of activities paying tribute to teachers on the occasion of Vietnamese Teachers' Day (November 20) were held across the nation over the past week to honour efforts and contributions of teachers to the education sector.

Party and State leaders visited schools to extend congratulations to teachers there. They also attended ceremonies celebrating the 38th Vietnam Teachers’ Day and met with outstanding teachers.

A ceremony was held at the Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam (the Temple of Literature) in Hanoi on November 20 to mark the 650th anniversary of the death of renowned teacher and cultural celebrity Chu Van An (1370-2020) whose educational philosophy has maintained its value and remains close to the world’s educational purpose.

Vietnam’s growth to be among highest in the world in 2020: IMF

Vietnam’s economy is expected to expand by 2.4% in 2020, among the highest rates around the world, thanks to its swift actions to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, said International Monetary Fund (IMF) Chief to Vietnam, Era Dabla-Norris at the end of her team’s virtual mission to Vietnam.

She said Vietnam’s fiscal response has been largely geared towards supporting vulnerable households and firms and the country has benefited greatly from prudent policies adopted in the past.

She added that monetary policy easing and temporary financial relief measures by the central bank have alleviated liquidity pressures, lowered the cost of funding, and facilitated the continued flow of credit.

Vietnam is expected to see a strong recovery in 2021, projected at 6.5%, with domestic and foreign economic activity to return to normal while fiscal and monetary policies are expected to remain supportive, said Dabla-Norris.

Vietnam wins first place at ASEAN Data Science Explorers competition

Phung Tran Dieu Hoa (R) and Nguyen Truong Thinh from RMIT University Vietnam crowned at ASEAN Data Science Explorers 2020 (Photo: VTV)

Team Catfish from Vietnam won the first prize at the ASEAN Data Science Explorers (ASEAN DSE) 2020 competition, which was jointly hosted by the ASEAN Foundation and its partner SAP.

In the final round, the top 10 teams representing the 10 ASEAN countries presented data-driven solutions that supports Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the region.

Team Catfish comprises Phung Tran Dieu Hoa and Nguyen Truong Thinh from RMIT University Vietnam. Their presentation focused on “People with Disability: Unblocking the Economic Bottleneck covering SDG 4 – Quality Education and SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth”.

The runner-up was Team Halcyon Seraph from the National University of Singapore and Yale-NUS University. Meanwhile, third prize went to Team Psyduck from Brunei’s Teknologi University.

Vietnam International Travel Mart 2020 opens in Hanoi

Vietnam International Travel Mart 2020 (VITM 2020) officially kicked off in Hanoi on November 18 with the theme “Digital transformation boosts Vietnamese tourism development”.

Hosted by the Vietnam Tourism Association, the expo featured about 250 stalls run by tourism businesses as well as management and promotional agencies from 47 cities and provinces nationwide and from six foreign countries and territories.

It offered a chance for travel agencies and localities to promote their tourism products and services as well as seek business partnerships.

Management and promotion agencies and enterprises also discussed issues relating to the prospects for Vietnam’s tourism sector in the future.

Thanh Hoa-based student crowned Miss Vietnam 2020

Do Thi Ha, 19, has been crowned Miss Vietnam 2020. (Photo provided by the organisers)

2001-born Do Thi Ha from the north-central province of Thanh Hoa has been crowned Miss Vietnam 2020.

The 19-year-old law student at the Hanoi-based National University of Economics beat 34 other finalists to take the crown in the grand finale held by Tien Phong Newspaper and Sen Vang Company at Phu Tho Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City, on the night of November 20.

The first and second runners-up are Pham Ngoc Phuong Anh, 22, and Nguyen Le Ngoc Thao, 20, respectively. Both are from Ho Chi Minh City, with Anh studying at RMIT University while Thao is a student at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology. Thao also won the Miss Beach title.

Kick-off ceremony starts one-year countdown to 31st SEA Games

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Hanoi People’s Committee jointly held a ceremony on November 21 to mark Vietnam’s hosting of the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) next year.

At ceremony, the organisers announced the official website of SEA Games 31 and ASEAN Para Games 11 at hanoi2021.com. The website provides information about the two tournaments, including venues and schedules. Information about historical relic sites, culture, food and accommodation is also available on the website.

On the occasion, the organising board also announced the mascot of SEA Games 31 and ASEAN Para Games 11 to be the Saola - a rare and precious species of mammal in Vietnam's forests, as well as the events' logo, which features a flying bird and V-shaped hand.