Vietnam wants to foster collaboration with UAE: PM

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) receives new UAE Ambassador to Vietnam Obaid Saeed Bintaresh Al Dhaheri on July 27 

The Vietnamese Government always wishes to bolster its cooperation with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in all aspects based on each side’s potential, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc told new UAE Ambassador to Vietnam Obaid Saeed Bintaresh Al Dhaheri in Hanoi on July 27.

Emphasising the great potential for the two countries’ cooperation, the Government leader hoped that during his tenure, the ambassador will do his utmost to foster the strong and effective development of the bilateral relations, in terms of politics, diplomacy, trade, investment, culture, and people-to-people exchange.

He affirmed that Vietnamese agencies will create every condition for the ambassador to fulfill his tasks, contributing to developing the bilateral ties in a more practical and effective manner.

For his part, Obaid Saeed Bintaresh Al Dhaheri spoke highly of Vietnam’s socio-economic development achievements and stressed that senior UAE leaders always wish to boost all-round relations with Vietnam.

As in the Middle East-Africa region, the UEA boasts the largest trade value with Vietnam, the two countries should deploy numerous measures to improve the efficiency of bilateral trade cooperation in the time to come, he said.

The ambassador proposed the PM instruct relevant agencies in Vietnam to facilitate the grant of visas to UAE citizens, thus encouraging and promoting tourism connection and people-to-people exchange between the two countries.

He asserted, as the UAE Ambassador to Vietnam, he will try his best to continuously boost the collaboration between the two countries’ governments, businesses and people.

Vietnam chairs ASEAN Committee meeting in Netherlands

Vietnamese Ambassador to the Netherlands Ngo Thi Hoa on July 26 chaired the regular meeting in July 2018 of the ASEAN Committee in The Hague (ACTH) 

Vietnamese Ambassador to the Netherlands Ngo Thi Hoa on July 26 chaired the regular meeting in July 2018 of the ASEAN Committee in The Hague (ACTH).

At the meeting, participants reviewed the main activities of the ACTH recently and discussed issues related to the Netherlands and more generally Europe, as well as relations with major nations.

They also congratulated the Philippine Embassy on the success of the Seminar on ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), which raised public awareness of economic opportunities brought by the AEC for businesses in ASEAN and Europe.

Also on the agenda were prospective ACTH activities for the remaining months of 2018, including a cultural exchange event between members of ASEAN and the European Union which will be held in the Netherlands to welcome the 12th ASEM Summit in October. Other activities to come include a meeting of ASEAN and Asian ambassadors with Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Stef Blok.

Regarding activities of ASEAN, Ambassador Hoa, who is also the current rotating President of the ACTH, reiterated that activities to celebrate ASEAN Day (August 8) include a flag raising ceremony and an exchange of ASEAN female staff members and spouses.

Other cultural activities are set to take place from September to November, namely the ASEAN Family Day and ASEAN Film Festival, aiming to enhance intra-bloc solidarity and help international friends better understanding of ASEAN.

It was the fourth ACTH meeting held during the Vietnamese Ambassador’s term as rotating President.

Inspection sector reviews H1 performance

Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh speaks at the Government Inspectorate's teleconference in Hanoi on July 27

The Government Inspectorate held a teleconference in Hanoi on July 27 to review its performance in the first six months of 2018 and set out tasks for the last half of the year.

As heard from reports at the function, the sector carried out 3,800 administrative inspections and over 92,900 specialised inspections, which detected violations of economic laws and regulations involving the misuse of close to 9.9 trillion VND (426.3 million USD) and over 32,600ha of land. It proposed reclaiming 7.9 trillion VND (340.17 million USD) and nearly 360ha of land.

In addition, the sector received some 200,000 citizens and tackled more than 12,332 out of 87,000 complaints under its authority.

At the event, Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh praised the sector’s improvements in inspection and combating corruption, but pointed to a number of shortcomings that need to be promptly addressed.

The shortcomings included slow progress in conclusion-making, slow and ineffective handling of citizens’ complaints, and a low detection rate of corruption cases.

He noted that while one group of inspectors remain incompetent and cannot handle complicated specialised inspections, others have good skills but lack transparency.

Regarding tasks for the remaining months of the year, Binh requested the sector to focus on law-building activities, particularly collaborating with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to review the enforcement of the Land Law for necessary amendments.

He added that the resolution of complaints and petitions is also important, particularly long, drawn-out ones that involve a large number of people. Many cases of this kind resulted from people lacking relevant legal knowledge, and as such, education and consultation to raise public awareness is needed, he said. 

He requested the Government Inspectorate to deploy comprehensive solutions to detecting and promptly addressing corruption cases, particularly in sensitive fields like land management and business investment.

Binh said the inspection progress should be sped up, adding that the Government Inspectorate should work closely with the National Assembly’s Committee for Judicial Affairs to complete the revised anti-corruption law.

Official highlights cooperation between Vietnam, Japan legislatures

Chairman of the Vietnam-Japan Parliamentary Friendship Group Pham Minh Chinh (R) meets with President of the Japan-Mekong Parliamentary Friendship Association Ryu Shionoya in Hanoi on July 27 

Chairman of the Vietnam-Japan Parliamentary Friendship Group Pham Minh Chinh had a meeting with President of the Japan-Mekong Parliamentary Friendship Association Ryu Shionoya in Hanoi on July 27.

Chinh, who is also a Politburo member and Chairman of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee’s Organisation Commission, welcomed the working visit by the delegation of Japanese lawmakers, considering it a practical activity in a series of exchanges in 2018, especially as the two countries mark 45 years in their diplomatic ties.

He highly valued the sound cooperation between the two legislatures, noting that the relationship between the Vietnam-Japan Parliamentary Friendship Group and the Japan-Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Alliance has been growing well.

The Vietnamese National Assembly supports the extensive strategic partnership between the two countries which is developing strongly, comprehensively, and substantively. Additionally, the 45th founding anniversary of the diplomatic ties this year marks an important stage in bilateral relations with numerous achievements obtained in all fields, from politics, economy, and culture, to education and people-to-people exchange, he affirmed.

The official proposed that both countries continue promoting exchanges, especially between their people, young parliamentarians, and female lawmakers. He hopes to receive support from Japanese parliamentarians for a training project for Vietnamese officials, as well as with administrative reforms and apparatus streamlining.

In terms of the Mekong-Japan Summit, Chinh said since its foundation 11 years ago, the Mekong-Japan cooperation has become more and more effective, proving its important role in the region and bringing practical benefits to its people.

For his part, Shionoya highlighted how, in recent years, countries in the Mekong region have carried out projects in the East-West Economic Corridor and Northeastern Economic Corridor programmes, along with making efforts to develop the regional economy. Vietnam is considered an influential nation in the Mekong region, contributing significantly to the latter’s ongoing development.

He asked Vietnam to pay greater attention to training caregivers who will be sent to work in Japan, adding that his country is ready to share experience with Vietnam in training officials, reforming administrative procedures, and streamlining apparatus. 

Cambodian PM offers sympathies over natural disaster in northern Vietnam

Incessant rain and flood have caused landslide in Tan Thinh ward of Hoa Binh province 

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has sent his sympathies to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc over the great losses in human lives and property caused by floods and landslide in Vietnam’s northern provinces. 

He wrote in the message, “On behalf of the Royal Government and people of Cambodia, I would like to extend to you, and through you to the Government and people of Vietnam, victims and their families, the heartfelt condolences over the great losses.”

Cambodia’s Senior Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Prak Sokhonn also sent a message of condolences to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh. 

Typhoon Son Tinh, the third of its kind hit Vietnam this year, brought downpours that triggered flash floods and landslides in the northern mountainous and north central provinces.

Statistics provided by the affected provinces showed that by July 24, torrential rains, floods, and landslides left 29 people dead, five others missing, and 26 injured. 

Of the dead, 15 were in the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai, six in the northern mountainous province of Son La, three in the northern midland province of Phu Tho, three in the central province of Thanh Hoa, and the others in the northern mountainous provinces of Lao Cai and Hoa Binh.

Meanwhile, two of the missing people were from Yen Bai, two from Thanh Hoa, another from Phu Tho. 

The natural disasters also destroyed and flooded 12,383 houses, killed and swept away 121,389 heads of livestock, and affected 6,208 ha of aquaculture. 

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Department of Crop Production and the localities, many areas of rice and other food crops were still inundated, including 42,606 ha of rice in the Red River Delta region.

ASEAN countries promote judicial cooperation

Chief Justice Nguyen Hoa Binh of the Supreme People’s Court of Vietnam 

Chief justices of the 10 ASEAN countries have agreed to strengthen cooperation and information sharing in the judicial field in order to create more favourable conditions for residents as well as foster regional trade and investment.

Accordingly, a portal of ASEAN Judiciaries at www.cacj-ajp.org was officially launched in the framework of the 6th Council of ASEAN Chief Justices (CACJ) meeting held in Singapore on July 27.

The event saw the participation of Chief Justices from the 10 ASEAN member nations. The Vietnamese delegation was led by Chief Justice of the Supreme People’s Court Nguyen Hoa Binh.

Speaking at the launch ceremony, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Singapore Sundaresh Menon stressed that in addition to introducing the legal systems of ASEAN to increase understanding of the regional laws and foster trade-investment flows into the bloc, the portal serves as an important channel for the member countries to share experience and propose measures to improve their judiciaries’ standards via support and training cooperation. 

This is the first important step in the effort to enhance collaboration among ASEAN judiciaries, based on the application of high technology in the court sector serving national and regional interests, he said.

The member countries will then carry out next steps to improve the capacity of judicial organisations and facilitate people’s access to justice, he added.

The portal was funded by the Norwegian Government through the Norway-ASEAN Regional Initiatives Fund with a value of 3.6 million NOK (400,000 USD). The money is used to operate, develop and maintain the portal until July 2020.

Talking to Vietnam News Agency correspondents on the sidelines of the meeting, Chief Justice Nguyen Hoa Binh said that as the Chair of the CACJ in 2016, Vietnam made practical contributions to realising the portal project as well as building the Charter of the CACJ and cooperation mechanisms on information sharing between ASEAN courts.

Especially, within the framework of ASEAN, Singapore supported Vietnam in building and issuing a code of judges’ ethics which was appreciated by public opinions at home and abroad; applying information technology in court activities; and improving professional capacity for judges. 

At this meeting, chief justices of the 10 ASEAN countries discussed a wide range of important issues such as creating a coordination mechanism between chief justices to share information while handling civil and economic cases as well as trade disputes and matters related to marriage, verdict management and IT application in court activities, and judicial training.

Ambassador optimistic about Vietnam-India trade hitting 15 billion USD

Vietnamese Ambassador to India Ton Sinh Thanh addresses the conference 

Vietnamese Ambassador to India Ton Sinh Thanh stated that he is optimistic that Vietnam-India bilateral trade will hit 15 billion USD by 2020, during his remarks at the international conference “India-Vietnam: Strengthening Economic Ties” in New Delhi on July 26-27.

The workshop was co-organised by the Vietnamese Embassy in India and the Centre for Vietnamese Studies in India, and the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, with Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry Shri Suresh Prabhu and Minister of State for External Affairs V. K. Singh in attendance.

Thanh highlighted economic cooperation as one of the five pillars of the Vietnam-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which was set up during the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Vietnam in September 2016.

During the visit of President Tran Dai Quang and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to India earlier this year, leaders of both sides called for concerted efforts to boost bilateral economic relations, in particular elevating bilateral trade to 15 billion USD by 2020, the diplomat said.

He expressed his confidence that the goal would be achieved for the three following reasons. Firstly, Vietnam and India boast a strong political foundation, facilitating the expansion of economic ties. Secondly, both Vietnam and India have posted robust economic growth in recent times, creating many opportunities for economic cooperation. Lastly, bilateral economic ties have already progressed well over the past few years and are likely to continue doing so, he explained.

Last year, bilateral trade amounted to 7.7 billion USD, an increase of 42 percent from the previous year. In the first half of 2018, the figure rose by 48 percent year-on-year to 5.44 billion USD and, if this trend continues, it can reach 11 billion USD by the end of this year, Thanh noted.

From January to June, Indian investors have injected approximately 876 million USD into 190 projects in Vietnam, a year-on-year increase of 29 percent.

Tourist arrivals from India to Vietnam have risen an average of 17 percent year-on-year since 2010. Some 150,000 Indian travellers are expected to visit Vietnam and some 70,000 Vietnamese will travel to India this year.

However, the Vietnamese ambassador noted that there are many opportunities for economic cooperation between the two countries that have yet to be tapped. He cited the fact that two-way trade remains modest compared to the 425 billion USD in Vietnam’s total foreign trade and India’s 781 billion USD last year. The number accounted for less than 10 percent of trade between India and ASEAN nations.

Of the 22 million Indian people travelling abroad last year, 3.5 million visited Southeast Asia but only 110,000 came to Vietnam. Meanwhile, Indian arrivals to Thailand totalled 1.6 million, he said.

He expected that the conference would provide insights to help Vietnam and India foster their bilateral ties in trade, investment, and tourism in the time ahead.

For his part, Minister of State for External Affairs V. K. Singh said the two nations possess huge potential to expand cooperation in the fields of pharmaceuticals, health care, petroleum, renewable energy, agriculture, tourism, textile and garments, leather, and mining. 

Minister of Commerce and Industry Suresh Prabhu referred to Vietnam as one of the fastest growing economies in ASEAN and as a bridge between India and other member countries of the bloc. The two sides have established strong partnership in oil exploitation, manufacturing, defence, and services.

At the conference, attendees focused their discussion around several topics, including: “India-Vietnam Bilateral Trade: Issues and Prospects”, “Infrastructure and Development Partnership between India and Vietnam”, “Energy Cooperation between India and Vietnam”, “Exploring India-Vietnam Economic Realities and Business Culture”, “Improvement in India-Vietnam Regional Value Chain”, “Made-in-India Scheme and Opportunities for Vietnam”, and “India-Vietnam Economic Cooperation in the Context of Trade Agreements and Partnerships”.

Communist Party of Greece looks to strengthen ties with Vietnamese counterpart

Vietnamese Ambassador to Greece Nguyen Manh Cuong (R) meets with General Secretary of the Communist Party of Greece Dimitris Koutsoumpas on July 26 

Vietnamese Ambassador to Greece Nguyen Manh Cuong paid a courtesy call to General Secretary of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) Dimitris Koutsoumpas in Athens on July 26.

Ambassador Cuong noted with satisfaction the recent progress in relations between the two countries as well as between the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and the KKE. He said the two sides have increased mutual visits at all levels and bilateral cooperation across multiple fields.

He added that Vo Van Thuong, Politburo member and Chairman of the CPV Central Committee’s Commission for Information and Education, thanked Koutsoumpas and other KKE leaders for their warm welcome for his working visit to Greece last May.

The diplomat also briefed his host about the successful outcomes from the official visit to Greece by Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh in early July.

General Secretary Koutsoumpas said he hopes the two sides will enhance cooperation and regularly exchange contextual information regarding their respective countries, regions, and the world.

From now through to November, the KKE will organise a series of activities to mark its centenary. It will also host the 20th International Meeting of Communist and Workers’ Parties in November, and is looking forward to the CPV’s participation in these events.

Vietnam and Greece set up diplomatic ties on April 15, 1975. The Government and people of Greece have continually assisted Vietnam during the latter’s struggle for national liberation in the past, along with development efforts at present. The countries have maintained high-ranking delegation exchanges, boosted traditional friendship, and supported each other over the years. 

Hanoi, Lao officials share experiences in inspection work

Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung (R) shakes hands with Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Government Inspector General Buonthong Chitmany 

Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung and Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Government Inspector General Buonthong Chitmany have shared their experiences on steering and managing inspection affairs, settling denunciations and complaints, and combating corruption.

At their talks in Hanoi on July 27, Chung informed his guest of the outstanding achievements of the city’s socio-economic development in the 10 years following the administrative boundary expansion, as well as more specifically in the first six months of 2018.

The municipal official took the occasion to convey his sympathies to victims of the recent dam collapse in Lao’s Attapeu province.

According to Hanoi Chief Inspector Nguyen An Huy, during the first six months of this year, the city’s inspection agencies handled more than 2,100 cases of denunciation and complaint. Over 200 inspections were conducted in the period, which discovered violations causing losses exceeding 3 billion VND (129,140 USD).

In response, Bunthoong Chitmany affirmed that Vietnam and Laos have nurtured a long time traditional friendship, while Hanoi and Vientiane have also established a close bond through cooperation activities.

Briefing his host about Laos’ activities to enhance inspection and anti-corruption work, he voiced his hope that the two countries will enhance cooperation in this field in the time to come.

He also thanked the Vietnamese Government and Hanoi for their sympathy and assistance in addressing the consequences of the dam collapse incident.          

Deputy PM urges creativity in building new rural areas

Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue visits a model of growing clean vegetables of a local farmer in Dien Bien province 

Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue has urged local authorities to change the way of thinking and be more creative in building new style rural areas.

Speaking at a conference held in Dien Bien province on July 27 on building new rural areas in disadvantaged villages, the Deputy PM said while the Government cannot arrange sufficient resources for the work, many localities have found unique ways to achieve the target.

He cited as examples the combining of model new-style rural areas with tourism, or the One Commune One Product programme, which have been successfully carried out in Ha Tinh, Quang Ninh and Nam Dinh provinces.

Deputy PM Hue also asked local administrations to pay attention to the role of the local community, and engage the community in selecting suitable priorities in striving to meet categories for new style rural areas.

He required the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to quickly complete the project on assisting disadvantaged villages and hamlets in poor communes in border, mountainous, coastal and island regions in building new style rural areas and reducing poverty sustainably in 2018-2020, in order to submit it to the Prime Minister for approval this year.

The project aims to reduce the household poverty rate by at least 3-4 percent a year and raise incomes of residents in target communes by at least 1.6-1.8 times compared to 2015.

The scheme will benefit some 3,513 villages and hamlets in 363 poor communes which have fulfilled under 10 categories of the new style rural areas in 35 provinces.

In order to earn the title of new style rural areas, a commune or district must meet 20 criteria covering a wide range of fields, from the development of infrastructure, the improvement of production capacity, environmental protection to the promotion of cultural values.

The national target programme on building new-styled rural areas was initiated by the Vietnamese Government in 2010 with the aim of developing rural regions. It initially had 19 criteria, and the set of criteria was increased to 20 in 2015.

Vietnam had 3,370 communes, or 37.76 percent of the total, recognised as new-style rural areas as of July this year, according to the Central Coordination Office for New Style Rural Area Development.

The ratio is expected to rise to at least 40 percent as of the end of this year, up 3.37 percent from 2017.