Chile values partnership with Vietnam

The website of the Library of the Chilean National Congress published an article on August 20 affirming that Chile and other Latin American countries consider Vietnam an increasingly important partner.

According to the website, the bilateral free trade agreement (FTA), which has recently become effective, will help Vietnam and Chile increase their two-way trade turnover.

Since the FTA was enforced in 2011, trade between the two countries has seen a year-on-year increase of 50 percent, reaching US$487 million. In the first half of 2012, bilateral trade hit US$176 million, which is up 85 percent over the same period last year.

Ms Marcela Sabat, a member of the Chile-Vietnam Congress Friendship Group of the Lower House, said that the FTA will offer investment opportunities for the Latin American country to penetrate Vietnam - an emerging market of 90 million consumers.

She quoted the Executive Vice-President of Chile’s Foreign Investment Committee, Matias Mori, who led the Chilean business delegation to the Vietnam-Latin America Trade and Investment Forum in Hanoi last July, as saying that Latin American countries are welcoming Vietnamese investors in energy, mining, food processing and infrastructure, as the Government of Vietnam has committed to investing around US$12 billion overseas.

Japan Prince visits Hung Yen Province

Japanese prince Akishino on August 21 paid a visit to Dong Tao Village in the northern province of Hung Yen to explore Dong Tao chicken, a specialty of high economic value in Vietnam.

Nguyen Van Thong, chairman of the provincial People’ Committee, briefed the Prince on local socio-economic development and the possibility of cooperation between Hung Yen and Japan.  

He said industrial parks in Hung Yen have attracted 66 Japanese invested projects capitalized at US$1.3 billion. The Sumitomo project in the Thang Long industrial park II, which covers 350 hectares and has total investment capital of US$108 million, is considered an exemplary role model in Vietnam.

The province pays special attention to livestock breeding, and Dong Tao chicken are being conserved and crossbred across the country, yielding thousands of tonnes every year.

The Japanese prince and his entourage said they are interested in the special chicken genes which could be crossbred in Japan.

The Prince also visited some farms that have raised Dong Tao chicken for a long time to know more about the chicken.

Vietnamese-Thai defence officials meet for further cooperation

Senior Lieutenant General Do Ba Ty, Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army, received a delegation from the Royal Thai Army’s Defence Force, led by General Thanasak Patimaprakorn, Chief of Defence for the Thai Royal Armed Forces, on August 21 in Hanoi.

During the talks, the two sides briefed each other on their countries’ recent socio-economic development, assessed achievements in the cooperation between the two armies over recent years and exchanged ideas for improving future joint activities of the armed forces.

Measures discussed included the exchange of delegations at all levels, joint patrols at sea, and other issues of mutual interests for peace and stability throughout the region.

The same day, General Thanasak Patimaprakorn paid a courtesy visit to Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and Minister of National Defence, General Phung Quang Thanh.

Hungary’s National Day marked in HCM City

The Vietnam-Hungary Friendship Association in Ho Chi Minh City held a ceremony on August 20 to mark Hungary’s National Day (August 20).

The President of the Vietnam-Hungary Friendship Association in HCM City, Le Minh Triet, recalled the support that Hungary has provided to Vietnam in the process of national defence and construction. More than 3,500 Vietnamese scientists, engineers and skilled workers have received training in Hungary.

The two countries have also maintained stable economic ties in recent years, with two-way trade turnover reaching US$168 million in 2011, in which Vietnam’s exports to Hungary were worth US$51 million.

At present, Hungary has 11 valid FDI projects in Vietnam, with total registered capital of US$45.2 million. Hungarian investors are mainly involved in processing and manufacturing industries.

Do Van Thanh, Honorary Consul of Hungary in HCM City, noted that cooperation between the two countries has been deepened, as seen through the exchange of visits by many high-level delegations in the fields of finance, justice and internal affairs.

The Hungarian Government has been supporting a number of projects in Vietnam, including the building of a 500-bed hospital in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho.

VNN/VOV/VNA