The second summit between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the US in Hanoi from February 27-28 offered wonderful opportunities for Vietnam in many aspects, Minister-Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung said on March 1. 

The official told a government monthly press conference that as the host of the summit, Vietnam has reaped major outcomes.

Through the DPRK-USA Hanoi Summit Vietnam, the country has improved its position in the international arena as a responsible nation, he said, adding that it has promoted its role in mediating and directing international relations, as well as constructively contributed to regional and global peace. 

Vietnam successfully organised and carried out its most important political and diplomatic event for the year, receiving appraisal from the US and the DPRK, as well as the international community, Dung noted. 

Regarding the country’s socio-economic development, he said the Government has asked each ministry, agency and locality to make all-out efforts in order to implement tasks and solutions set to promote production and spur economic growth. 

Priority should be given to consolidating the macro economic foundation, controlling inflation, giving more space to macro-economic policy management, and flexibly applying macro-economic policies to deal with regional and global economic uncertainties, he stressed. 

The Government has also urged ministries and agencies to accelerate the disbursement of public investment, especially in infrastructure facilities damaged by natural calamities; major and important projects; and national target programmes. 

Ministries, agencies, and localities were also requested to follow the instructions of the Government and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on the conserted implementation of urgent solutions to control African swine fever and prevent the virus from spreading to a larger scale. 

The Ministry of Planning and Investment reported that the consumer price index (CPI) in February 2019 increased 0.8 percent against the previous month. 

Basic inflation in February, which marked the Tet (Lunar New Year) festival, rose 0.48 percent as compared with January, and 1.82 percent over the same period last year. 

The industrial production index expanded 9.2 percent year-on-year, with the processing and manufacturing sector up 11.5 percent. 

The country’s total revenue from retail sales and services also climbed 12.2 percent year-on-year. Excluding inflation, the increase was 9.28 percent, it said. 

Of note, the number of international tourists to Vietnam in the first two months of 2019 was estimated at 3.15 million, up 10.12 percent year-on-year. 

The just-concluded second DPRK-USA summit has been seen as a golden chance for Vietnam to promote its tourism and attract foreign arrivals. 

As a result, Vietnam welcomed a record of nearly 1.59 million foreign tourists in February, increasing 5.8 percent against the previous month and 10.9 percent year-on-year.–VNA