Vietnam provides all means for defence ties with Canada

President Tran Dai Quang (right) and Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan during their meeting in Hanoi on June 5. 

Vietnam will provide all means for the enhancement of the Vietnam–Canada defence cooperation, President Tran Dai Quang told visiting Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan during their meeting in Hanoi on June 5.

President Quang warmly welcomed the Canadian Defence Minister, saying his visit to Vietnam takes place at a time when the two countries are implementing agreements to foster the Comprehensive Partnership, which was set up in 2017, and celebrating the 45th anniversary of their diplomatic ties (August 21, 1973).

Vietnam is keen on developing the Comprehensive Partnership with Canada, he reiterated, adding that the two nations have maintained a good relations and together made efforts to promote common goals and economic growth and increase trade exchange. The president also cited the fact that Vietnam is now Canada’s biggest trade partner in ASEAN while Canada is among Vietnam’s large investors.

The Canadian Defence Minister, for his part, informed his host on outcomes of the talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Ngo Xuan Lich during which the two sides agreed to step up partnership in areas of mutual interest, including defence industry, personnel training, UN peacekeeping missions, marine security and military medicine. The ministers also witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on the Military Training and Cooperation Programme of Canada, allowing Vietnamese officers to take part in diverse training courses in Canada.

Sajjan spoke highly of the Vietnamese community in Canada, saying some 14,000 Vietnamese students who are studying in Canada would play a significant part in consolidating and developing the two countries’ relations.

Furthermore, he emphasised that as an Asian-Pacific nation who looks to promote cooperation to maintain the regional stability, Canada supports the rule of law and observance of international law in the settlement of territorial disputes, particularly in the East Sea.

President Tran Dai Quang highly valued the outcomes of the talks between the two ministers. He asked the two defence ministries to closely work together to effectively implement the agreements in a bid to make the defence ties a pillar of the two nations’ relationship.

The Vietnamese top leaders also appreciated Canada’s stance in the East Sea issues and thanked the Government and people of Canada for facilitating Vietnamese citizens, including 14,000 students, to live and study there, saying they are bridges for strengthening the bilateral ties.

Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan is paying an official visit to Vietnam from June 4 to 6 at the invitation of Minister of National Defence Ngo Xuan Lich.

Vietnam, Canada to intensify defence cooperation

Vietnamese Minister of National Defence Ngo Xuan Lich (R) welcomes his Canadian counterpart Harjit Singh Sajjan in Hanoi on June 5 

Vietnamese Minister of National Defence Ngo Xuan Lich hosted an official welcome ceremony for and held talks with his Canadian counterpart Harjit Singh Sajjan in Hanoi on June 5.

At the talks, the two sides exchanged views on world and regional issues of shared concern, reviewed bilateral defence cooperation over the past years, and discussed orientations and measures to bolster defence ties in the time ahead.

They focused on some potential cooperation fields like training, participation in United Nations peacekeeping activities, marine security, defence industry, and military medicine.

The Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence welcomes Canada’s continued support for the Southeast Asian nation in training and engaging in UN peacekeeping activities, Lich said.

At the end of the talks, the two ministers witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on the Military Training and Cooperation Programme of Canada. This memorandum is expected to help Vietnamese officers to have more chances to take part in diverse training courses in Canada. 

It is considered an important development in bilateral defence relations, creating favourable conditions for both sides to promote other potential cooperation areas.

Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan is paying an official visit to Vietnam from June 4 to 6.

The trip is significant to the friendship between the Governments, armies and people of the two countries, as well as the growth of their defence ties in line with the newly established Vietnam-Canada comprehensive partnership. It is also a practical contribution to the 45th founding anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations (August 21, 1973).

CPV official seeks stronger cooperative ties with KSCM

Tran Quoc Vuong, permanent member of the CPV Central Committee’s Secretariat shakes hands with Vojtech Filip, Vice Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic and Chairman of the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia on June 5. 

The Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM) should increase the exchange of information, work experience and delegations to strengthen cooperative ties, thus contributing to the traditional friendship and cooperation between the two nations, said a senior CPV official.

Tran Quoc Vuong, Politburo member and permanent member of the CPV Central Committee’s Secretariat, made the suggestion during a meeting in Hanoi on June 5 with Vojtech Filip, Vice Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic and Chairman of the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia.

Vuong affirmed that the Party, State and people of Vietnam always attach importance to developing traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation with the Czech Republic.

He spoke highly of cooperative ties between the National Assembly of Vietnam and the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic as well as relations between the CPV and the KSCM.

The CPV official applauded the two sides for closely cooperating and mutually supporting at international and multilateral forums.

Vuong also proposed the legislatures of Vietnam and the Czech Republic continue exchanging delegations and experience in law-making.

Filip briefed his host about the Czech Republic’s situation and the KSCM’s activities.

The Chamber of Deputies and the KSCM always treasure and support Czech leaders’ policy on enhancing cooperative relations with Vietnam in different spheres such as politics, economy, science-technology, culture, education-training, tourism and consular affairs, he said.

Filip also stressed that the Chamber of Deputies and the KSCM will make greater efforts to further promote cooperative ties between the two parties and nations in the coming time in a more practical and effective manner.

Hanoi talk updates situation in Venezuela after presidential election

A talk is held in Hanoi on June 5, focusing on the situation in Venezuela after the 2018 presidential election. (Photo: baoquocte.vn)

The Vietnam-Venezuela Friendship Association, in conjunction  with the Embassy of Venezuela in Vietnam, held a talk in Hanoi on June 5, focusing on the situation in Venezuela after the 2018 presidential election.

The talk brought together diplomats from the embassies of Angola, Cuba, Iran, Mozambique, Palestine, Russia, East Timor and representatives from the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Speaking at the event, President of the Vietnam-Venezuela Friendship Association Nguyen Viet Thao said the talk aims to provide attendees information about the situation in Venezuela, particularly after the presidential election which took place last month, and at the same time, share opinions and visions of the Bolivarian Revolution led by late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez as well as the future of the country.

Thao reiterated the Vietnamese people’s respect for Venezuela and its people and extended his congratulations to newly re-elected Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. He also mentioned difficulties the Venezuelan people have suffered in recent years and expressed his belief in the victory of the Bolivarian Revolution.

Venezuelan Ambassador Jorge Rondon Uzcategui, for his part, updated the attendees on the results of the vote, saying Nicolas Maduro won the presidential election for the second term with 68 percent of the votes, making him the most voted president since 1958.

The ambassador stressed that the relations between Vietnam and Venezuela would grow further in the future with a focus on energy, mining and agriculture. He also noted that experiences learned from Vietnam’s “Doi Moi” (reform) period will be a motivation for the new stage of the Bolivarian Revolution.

NA’s plenary session focuses on land management, labour issues

At the the 14th National Assembly (NA)’s plenary session  on June 5 

Land and labour market issues were the focus of the 14th National Assembly (NA)’s plenary session chaired by NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan on June 5. 

In the morning, 29 deputies grilled Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Tran Hong Ha on issues relating to land management in big cities, environmental pollution and control of businesses’ waste discharges as well as measures to cope with climate change, especially in the Mekong Delta.

Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung joined in clarifying related issues.

The focus was then shifted to the issues of the labour market, settlement of employment and sending workers overseas in contracts, and solutions to improving vocational training quality.

Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung reported the issues he has been in charge of and cleared questions on children healthcare and protection as well as solutions to preventing child violence and abuse.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, Minister of Public Security To Lam, Prosecutor General of the Supreme People’s Procuracy Le Minh Tri, and Chief Judge of the Supreme People’s Court Nguyen Hoa Binh joined the Q&A session.

The Q&A session was broadcast live on channels of the Vietnam Television, the Voice of Vietnam, and National Assembly.

It will continue on June 6.

Land management must be strengthened: top legislator

A question and answer session of the meeting

Chairwoman of the National Assembly (NA) Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan has asked the Government to thoroughly study opinions of NA deputies during the Q&A session for Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha in order to address shortcoming and weaknesses in land management.  

Concluding the Q&A session on June 5 for the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, the top legislator particularly called attention to the assessment of the enforcement of land-related laws and the inspection and supervision of land management, especially land for public purposes in major cities. 

She required the Government to take measures to curb land speculation which may cause adverse impacts on the property market.

The NA Chairwoman urged more efforts to streamline administrative procedures in land management, promptly establish a land database within the roadmap set for e-Government building, study suitable methods of land evaluation, and address land-related complaints, petitions and disputes. 

She also requested competent agencies to heed the assessment of environmental impacts, while implementing environmental observation and warning programmes, especially in big cities, key economic zones and environmentally vulnerable areas. 

Ministries and sectors must keep close supervision of activities of businesses, big industrial parks and those located along rivers and beaches with potential threats to the environment, as well as industrial clusters at localities. 

To reduce potential threats to the environment, Chairwoman Ngan asked relevant agencies to classify investors and stop projects using outdated technologies, causing environmental pollution. 

The inspection and settlement of violations of environmental protection law should be intensified, with attention paid to unannounced inspections, she noted. 

Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung also addressed the Q&A session to give explanations on issues in the field of natural resources and the environment that drew interest of NA deputies and voters. 

The Deputy PM admitted to limitations in land planning and use, such as a lack of attention to public space and the failure to follow land use planning and urban planning. The use of land for wrong purpose, illegal construction and encroachment of public land remained unchecked, he said, mentioning the illegal land trading and construction in Phu Quoc, Bac Van Phong and Van Don. 

Another problem is the inaccurate evaluation of land value in urban development projects, which caused great losses of State assets and capital. 

In order to strengthen land management, the Deputy PM outlined some measures, including reviewing land planning schemes, giving more land for transport and public places.

He stressed transparency in plans on tourism, urban and service development to encourage the public to involve in management and monitoring their implementation. 

Dung also emphasized the need to stop the illegal land trading in Phu Quoc, Bac Van Phong and Van Don.

During the Q&A session, 59 deputies put questions to the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment and 17 others joined in the debate.

Management of freelancers, workers in FDI firms raised at Q&A session

Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung 

National Assembly (NA) deputies on June 5 questioned Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) Dao Ngoc Dung about the management and protection of labourers who freely go to bordering countries to work and those who work in foreign direct investment (FDI) enterprises.

According to the minister, it is estimated that about 139,000 labourers regularly go to bordering countries to work. However, they have no work permits while Vietnam lacks a legal framework on management of these workers.

At present, relevant ministries and agencies are negotiating with neighbouring countries on this issue, he added.

Dung said that Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked his ministry to support seven northern provinces in signing memoranda of understanding with bordering Chinese provinces on management of these workers, thus ensuring their interests and avoiding potential risks. 

The work is expected to be completed in this July, he added.

He revealed that PM Phuc and Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha recently agreed on applying a mechanism for Vietnamese labourers like those from three other neighbouring countries of Thailand. 

Regarding the protection of interests of workers in FDI enterprises and measures to prevent those aged 35 or more from the sack, Minister Dung said FDI enterprises play an important role in and greatly contribute to the national economy as they are now employing 6.8 million Vietnamese labourers.

Most of the major FDI businesses pay much attention to ensuring social welfares for workers and violations have been recorded in small companies only, he noted.

The information that up to 80 percent of FDI enterprises dismissed employees aged from 30-35, the minister said it is not accurate. The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs coordinated with the NA’s Committee for Social Affairs made fact-finding tours of several businesses in Ho Chi Minh City, and Binh Duong, Dong Nai and Bac Ninh provinces. Results showed that only 11 percent of employees who stopped working because of different reasons, including personal ones, are aged from 30-35. The figure is equivalent to only 1.9 percent of the total workers in a business.  

According to the minister, at the regular Government meeting in June, the PM allowed the MoLISA to build a project on training and re-training unemployed workers who ever worked in FDI enterprises or supporting them with job shifting when businesses change production structure. The project will be implemented in a thorough way, ensuring the best conditions for labourers, he said.

Labour minister: Priority given to vocational training this year

Vocational training is selected as a breakthrough phase this year to improve the quality of human resources, with focus placed on enhancing links between businesses and vocational schools, said Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung.

Dung made the statement while being grilled by legislators about vocational training and improvement of qualifications of vocational teachers during the National Assembly’s question-and-answer session on June 5.

The minister acknowledged that Vietnam’s human resources have low quality and that is one of the reasons behind low productivity. 

Dung said in 2017, more than 40.7 percent of labourers worked in the agriculture sector and the figure dropped to 38.6 percent by April 2018. Meanwhile, the agriculture sector contributed only 15.34 percent to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), he said. 

In the coming time, priority will be given to vocational training, along with changing labour structure and improving qualifications of workers amidst the fourth industrial revolution, Dung added.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs will launch a pilot programme to connect 10 vocational schools with 15 corporations in providing training courses in line with market demands.

Dung told the lawmakers that Vietnam currently has 1,954 vocational schools, including 397 colleges, 525 vocational schools and more than 600 district-level vocational establishments.