Conference between Government and localities opened
A conference between the Government and localities opened in Hanoi on December 29 with the participation of Vietnamese top leaders.
Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong highlighted the success of the country in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, affirming that this has contributed to promoting both socio-economic recovery and development. Vietnam is among the 10 nations with the highest GDP growth in the world in 2020 and is also one of the 16 most successful emerging economies.
Regarding orientations and tasks for 2021, the top leader stressed that 2021 is of great significance as the country will hold the 13th National Party Congress, carry out the congress’s Resolution, and elect deputies to the 15th National Assembly and People’s Councils at all levels.
National Assembly’s first general election marked nationwide
The 75th anniversary of the NA’s first general election (January 6, 1946-2021) was celebrated nationwide over the past days.
At a ceremony held in Yen Bai Province, Politburo member and Permanent member of the Secretariat Tran Quoc Vuong recalled the historic milestone of the first general election of the Vietnamese legislature, which, he said, marked the first time the people showed their mastery of the country by directly casting ballots to elect qualified people to the NA.
UK-Vietnam free trade agreement comes into force
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Seafood is one of Vietnam's main exports to the UK.
The UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA) formally came into force at 23:00 on December 31, an important continuation of trade facilitation between the two countries after the expiration of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) for the UK.
Most of the terms in the UKVFTA are similar to those in the EVFTA, meaning that the two countries did not require a decade to negotiate. Under the agreement, 99% of the export-import tariffs between the countries will be eliminated, opening significant opportunities to boost bilateral trade.
Vietnam Stock Exchange established in move to realign two exchanges
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has signed a decision on the establishment of the Vietnam Stock Exchange as a parent company to manage the Hanoi Stock Exchange (HNX) and the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange (HOSE).
The new company, with charter capital of VND3 trillion (US$130.1 million), will be headquartered in Hanoi and come into existence on February 20, 2021.
The main functions of the Vietnam Stock Exchange, abbreviated as VNX, will be devising five-year strategies, formulating listing and trading regulations, and monitoring HNX and HOSE.
Vietnam’s trade surplus reaches five-year high
Vietnam posted a total trade surplus of US$19.1 billion in 2020, the highest level in the past five years, the General Statistics Office (GSO) announced at the press brief held in Hanoi on December 27.
Director of the GSO’s Trade and Service Statistics Department Nguyen Viet Phong said that the high trade surplus can be seen as a bright spot of the Vietnamese economy, contributing significantly to the economic growth in 2020, which will also create a positive impact on exchange rates and foreign exchange reserves in the context that Vietnam needs more resources to prepare for economic recovery in 2021.
New coronavirus variant found in Vietnam
Patient 1,435, a Vietnamese woman repatriated from the UK, has been confirmed as the first COVID-19 case with VOC 202012/01, a recently discovered and highly contagious variant of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, in Vietnam.
The Ho Chi Minh City Pasteur Institute made the confirmation on January 2.
The patient, born in 1976, was brought home from the UK on Flight VN50, which landed at Can Tho International Airport in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on December 22, and was quarantined upon arrival.
Exemplary blood donation organisers in 2020 honoured
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At the awards ceremony. (Photo: daidoanket.vn)
The National Institute of Haematology - Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) held a ceremony in Hanoi on December 29 to present the “Giot hong” (Red Drops) Awards and meet the leaders and managers of the units that organised blood donation events in 2020.
This year’s awards were presented to 23 collectives and 11 individuals with exceptional achievements in organising blood donation events in the peak period of the COVID-19 pandemic ahead of and after the occasion of the 2020 Lunar New Year.
Speaking at the ceremony, Director of the NIHBT Bach Quoc Khanh said that, despite the difficulties caused by the pandemic in 2020, the NIHBT has coordinated with units to organise nearly 2,000 blood donation locations, receiving more than 325,000 blood units, of which 70% came from Hanoi and the remaining 30% from other cities and provinces.
Hanoi opens pedestrian space in the south of Old Quarter
A pedestrian space in the south of the Hanoi Old Quarter was officially put into operation on December 31, meeting the increased demand of the capital city’s citizens and visitors.
The expansion covers the eight streets of Hang Dau, Cau Go, Hang Be, Hang Bac, Dinh Liet, Gia Ngu, Dao Duy Tu and O Quang Chuong as well as the three alleys of Cau Go, Trung Yen and Phat Loc.
The additional space will connect with the existing pedestrian streets in the Old Quarter and around Hoan Kien Lake.
