March 1-7: Prime Minister meets with outstanding Vietnamese entrepreneurs

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

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (C) speaks at the event (Photo: VNA)
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (C) speaks at the event (Photo: VNA)

Prime Minister meets with outstanding Vietnamese entrepreneurs

The sustainable development of the business community is an important foundation contributing to the nation’s prosperity, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc shared at a meeting with outstanding Vietnamese entrepreneurs and intellectuals with the theme of “Dialogue 2045” in Ho Chi Minh City on March 6. In his opening remarks, PM Phuc affirmed that entrepreneurs and intellectuals have made great contributions to the nation’s development.

To stand shoulder to shoulder with powers around the world, Vietnam must have strong businesses and competitive brands at the regional and global levels, and competent human resources who can undertake the great jobs of the country, he stressed. To that end, it is necessary to free all resources and potential of and mobilise the strength of nearly 100 million Vietnamese people, including overseas Vietnamese, and at the same time attract and bring into full play the international resources from integration and globalisation and from both direct and indirect investments, the PM stated.

Informal ASEAN Ministerial Meeting: Vietnam and ASEAN cooperate to drive back pandemic

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Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh on March 2 led a Vietnamese delegation to attend a virtual Informal ASEAN Ministerial Meeting, during which he affirmed that Vietnam, as an active and responsible member of the ASEAN Community, is committed to working with other member states of the bloc in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vietnam will back and help the ASEAN Chair in 2021 to fulfil its tasks and speed up the building of the Community, he stated, stressing that boosting relations with partners and maintaining dialogues and cooperation bear important significance for the building process. Deputy PM Minh noted that escalating violence and tensions, which have caused human losses in Myanmar in recent days, have affected peace and stability not only in Myanmar but also in the whole region. He called on parties involved to restrain and avoid all violent activities, ensure safety for people, and organise peace dialogues to promptly bring the situation back to normal.

Vietnam’s economy breaks into moderately free category for first time

Vietnam’s economic freedom score is now 61.7, making its economy the 90th freest in the 2021 Index of Economic Freedom. In the Index, released by the Heritage Foundation, the country’s overall score has increased by 2.9 points, primarily because of an improvement in fiscal health.

Vietnam ranks 17th among the 40 countries in Asia Pacific, and its overall score is above the regional and world averages. The country’s economy broke into the moderately free category this year for the first time. Its ranking could increase further if the government took additional action to liberalise investment rules and the financial sector, according to the Foundation.

Winners of Kovalevskaia Award 2020 honoured

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Chairwoman of the Vietnam Women’s Union Central Committee Ha Thi Nga presents Kovalevskaia Award 2020 to Associate Professor-Doctor Truong Thanh Huong. (Photo: VNA)

The Vietnam Women’s Union Central Committee and the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology held a ceremony on March 5 to mark the 35th founding anniversary of the Kovalevskaia Awards and present the 2020 awards to outstanding female scientists. Addressing the ceremony, Chairwoman of the Vietnam Women’s Union Central Committee Ha Thi Nga said that the noble award is named after Russian mathematician Sofia Kovalevskaia and was introduced to Vietnam in 1985.

This is an international award dedicated to female scientists in recognition of their significant contributions in scientific research and in the application of science and technology, especially the natural sciences, an area playing a key role in the knowledge economy. Over the past 35 years, the Kovalevskaia Award has been presented to 20 female collectives and 49 individuals in the areas of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, agriculture, medicine, information technology, and others.

State budget collection reaches VND220.5 trillion in first two months

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Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)

State budget collection in the first two months of this year reached VND220.5 trillion (US$9.56 billion), equivalent to 16.4% of the estimate, according to the General Statistics Office.

Of the figure, domestic revenue reached VND194.1 trillion, fulfilling 17.1% of the full-year target. Revenue from crude oil hit VND3.2 trillion, equivalent to 13.8% of the year’s plan, while State budget collection from exports reached VND22.7 trillion, accounting for 12.7% of the year’s target. Domestic revenue collected from State-owned enterprises reached VND23.3 trillion, about 15.7% of the estimate, while budget collection from foreign-invested enterprises (excluding crude oil) reached VND41 trillion, fulfilling 20.6% of the 2021 target.

Vietnamese movie wins Special Jury Award at 71st Berlinale

Vietnamese movie “Vi” (Taste) by director Le Bao has surpassed 11 other films to win the Special Jury Award in Encounters category - a competitive section devoted to new cinematic vision - at the 71st Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale). “Vi” is the only Vietnamese movie to join the festival, which takes place in two stages, from March 1 to 5 and from June 9 to 20, 2021.

“Vi” is about a Nigerian football player playing in the Vietnamese football league. After he breaks his leg, he is forced to leave the team and find a job in a sex parlour to provide for his wife and son back home. Bao got the idea for the film years ago based on his high-school memories. At that time, he saw black men on buses while going to school. Bao was obsessed by these men who seemed to have overcome some significant challenges.