French media highlight Prime Minister’s visit to Vietnam

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his French counterpart withness the signing of a cooperation MoU  

The French media highlighted the first working day of Prime Minister Edouard Philippe during his Vietnam visit from November 2-4, with a number of economic contracts signed. 

Newspapers such as Le Figaro, La Croix, Ouest-France, Le Point, L’Observateur, Le Telegramme, economic magazines Boursorama, Boursier and television channels France 24, BFMTV all reported the signing of economic deals worth up to 10 billion EUR on November 2, especially Vietjet’s order of 50 Airbus aircraft valued at 5.7 billion EUR. 

The Le Figaro said France could tap opportunities from Vietnam, a Southeast Asian country with a 95-million population and an annual economic growth of nearly 7 percent. 

The volume of made-in-France goods in Vietnam remains modest at under 1 percent of the market, behind Italy and only half of that from Germany. 

It said the Pacific and Indian Ocean axis under the auspices of President Emmanuel Macron is part of Hanoi’s priority diplomatic policy, adding that France’s messages calling for respect for maritime law and navigation freedom in the Pacific and Indian Ocean have yielded fruits.

Hanoi leader asks for more ODA loans from France

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and Chairman of Hanoi People's Committee talk during their walk around Hoan Kiem Lake 

Chairman of Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung thanked France for providing ODA for Hanoi to carry out projects in cultural preservation, environmental treatment and infrastructure, including urban railway, and asked for more ODA loans to develop transport infrastructure.  

Chung made the request during a meeting with French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe on November 3 during the latter’s official visit to Vietnam from November 2-4.

He informed the French PM on Hanoi’s cooperation with French enterprises and localities. At present, 102 French investors are running projects in Hanoi with total capital of nearly 300 million EUR. The capital city has signed twinning relations agreement with Ile-de-France and Toulouse city, under which the sides have worked together in culture, tourism and medical human resources.  

Hanoi also engaged in medical cooperation with Paris, and conducted several joint schemes with the French Development Agency in the preservation of cultural heritage and the ancient quarter, waste treatment, and in fighting environmental pollution and adapting to climate change. 

The Hanoi leader took the occasion to suggest that Hanoi students be allowed to study at the Lycée français Alexandre Yersin. 

He also proposed partnership in digitalizing database and building e-government and smart city.  

The French PM shared his admiration of Hanoi’s efforts to preserve its cultural values

He affirmed that Hanoi faces great challenges in development, as it has a big population. France has many firms excelling in urban management so the two sides can cooperate in this field, he said, expressing his belief that Hanoi will be the meeting point of big projects between France and Vietnam. 

The PM pledged to do his best to support the cooperation between Hanoi and French localities. 

Following the meeting, the French PM took a walk at the pedestrian street around Hoan Kiem Lake and visited the Temple of Literature. 

Earlier in the day, PM Édouard Philippe and his entourage made a trip to the northern province of Dien Bien, where he visited the A1 Hill in the historic site of the Dien Bien Phu battlefield, and laid a wreath at the local cemetery for fallen soldiers. 

In the morning of November 3, the French PM and Chairman of Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung cut the ribbon to inaugurate the new facility of the Lycée français Alexandre Yersin in Hanoi’s Long Bien district. The school is a  French international school under the purview of the Agency for French Education Abroad.

Hanoi seeks partnership with French businesses in multiple areas

Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung meets with representatives from 30 French enterprises on November 3 as part of the official visit by French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe to Vietnam from November 2 – 4. 

Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung met with representatives from 30 French enterprises in various sectors in the capital city on November 3 to discuss potential cooperation between the two sides.

The meeting was part of the official visit by French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe to Vietnam from November 2 – 4.

In his welcoming remarks, Chung gave his guests an overview of Hanoi’s advantages and potential as well as promising areas for cooperation between the two sides.

He said Hanoi is a fast-growing city and ideal destination for investment, adding the capital city posted an annual economic growth of over 8 percent and currently leads Vietnam in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflow, accounting for 22 percent of the country’s total FDI.

As of October this year, France had operated 102 FDI projects with a total registered capital of 273.6 million USD in Hanoi, mostly in manufacturing, construction services, trade, real estate, finance and banking.

France has also provided the city with 515.39 million EUR (586.96 million USD) in funding for three other projects. Notably, Hanoi has set up close ties with France’s Ile-de-France region and Toulouse city in the fields of culture, tourism, healthcare personnel training and most recently, urban metro rail system. The cooperation has strengthened mutual understanding and expanded trade relations between Hanoi and French cities.

The official further said Hanoi expects more French investment in transport infrastructure development, education, healthcare and culture; and hopes to cooperate with French businesses to develop the capital city towards a smart city by 2025, with a vision to 2030.

The city’s poor infrastructure and noise pollution have challenged the development of local freight transport, so Chung wants the French firms to join the city in addressing these issues. 

At the same time, the city’s treatment of 95 percent of daily waste with the use of old technology is causing a big risk for the city, he said, calling for French investors to bring advanced technology to this work of the city.

Chairman Chung and French representatives later witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on a joint survey and feasibility study for construction of an international wholesale market for agricultural products between the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade, Vietnam’s VinGroup and France’s Semmaris Group.

Prime Minister urges innovation

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc speaks at the Government meeting on November 3 

“We will fail without innovation,” Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said in concluding the regular Government meeting on November 3.

He required ministries and sectors to quickly work out specific solutions to address problems that keep the country at low ranking in business environment and competitiveness.  

He called attention to the slow disbursement of public investment, saying that besides obstacles in terms of institutions such as the Law on Public Investment, shortcomings in management work are another reason, such as slow capital allocations by some ministries and weak instruction work by many local administrations. 

The PM reminded ministries and sectors not to be self-satisfied with the socio-economic achievements in the past 10 months. He particularly required actions to further boost exports, especially farm produce.  

Mentioning his trip to attend China’s first international import expo on November 4 and 5, PM Phuc said one of the important tasks of the visit is to promote the export of Vietnamese products to China. 

He also instructed the government to prepare for the implementation of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

Regarding the drafting of a decree for the enforcement of the Law on Cyber Security, the PM said the work should be done in an open and transparent manner, adding that relevant organizations can be invited to give opinions, in the spirit of protecting national security, security and safety for the people, and human rights and citizens’ rights.

On the tasks for the two remaining months of the year and 2019, PM Phuc affirmed that the Government consistently gives priority to maintaining macro economic stability, control inflation and facilitate investment and business. 

He required the Ministry of Planning and Investment to research and build plans, measures and concrete roadmap to improve the country’s ranking in business environment, particularly in indicators where Vietnam has fallen in ranking or has low positions.   

“If we do not push innovation and science-technology, we will fail,” he said.

Deputy PM Vuong Dinh Hue receives French business delegation

Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue (right) at the meeting with the French business delegation (Source: baochinhphu.vn)

Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue on November 3 received a French business delegation led by Thierry Mathou, Director for Asia at France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.  

The delegation, comprising nearly 50 leading entrepreneurs, came to inquire into investment opportunities in Vietnam on the occasion of the official visit by Prime Minister Édouard Philippe. 

Deputy PM Hue said the business delegation’s visit creates a chance for the two sides to listen to each other’s opinions and work together to further increase investment cooperation between the two countries.  

He noted that while the Vietnam-France political relation are growing well, economic and commercial ties remain modest, with two-way trade accounting for just 1 percent of Vietnam’s total foreign trade in 2017.

Thierry Mathou said Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, during his visit to France in early 2018 had agreed to increase France’s presence in Vietnam, which is the reason why the French Prime Minister and businesses have come to Vietnam.  

Firms operating in various fields such as energy, infrastructure, health care, information technology and also startups want to work with Vietnamese counterparts for mutual development, Mathou said.

Representatives from French businesses said bilateral economic partnership can further grow, adding that France has sufficient experience in fighting fake goods, intellectual property, health care, digital technology and smart city to cooperate with and invest in Vietnam.

The Vietnamese Deputy PM welcomed the intention to invest in Vietnam of French businesses. He informed them that Vietnam has recently reviewed 30 years of implementing the policy on attracting foreign investment and is making strategic adjustments to the policy, with the aim to draw investors with modern and environmentally-friendly technology, who are ready to connect with Vietnamese businesses to create global production chains. 

”Vietnam wants to learn from France’s experience and cooperate with the French Government and business community,” Hue said, stressing that the success of French firms in Vietnam is also Vietnam’s success in economic development.

The Government official also asked the French business community to use its influence to advocate the early approval of the Vietnam-EU free trade agreement.

Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia border friendship exchange held

At the border marker salute ceremony 

The first Vietnam – Laos – Cambodia border friendship exchange 2018 opened in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum on November 2. 

The event aimed to foster solidarity and cooperation among the three countries as well as the Lao provinces of Sekong and Attapeu, the Cambodian province of Rattanakiri and Vietnam’s Kon Tum province. 

Leaders from Kon Tum province and the Vietnam Border Guard held dialogues with senior officials from Sekong and Attapeu provinces, the Sekong provincial Military High Command, and public security forces from Attapeu and Ratanakiri provinces. 

They pledged to stand side by side in protecting the peaceful shared border and promoting the tradition friendship among the three countries. 

Films about friendship among three Indochinese countries were also screened on the occasion. 

At present, three Kon Tum-based firms have been licensed to carry out four projects with a total registered capital of more than 1 trillion VND (43.47 million USD) in Cambodia. Two other local enterprises are operating in Laos with combined registered capital of about 747 billion VND, mostly in agriculture, industry and forestry. 

Over the past five years, Kon Tum has assisted Sekong, Attapeu and Ratanakiri in building schools, hospitals and welfare facilities worth over 16 billion VND. 

With the support of neighbouring countries, Kon Tum’s K53 Group found and repatriated 1,259 sets of remains of soldiers, including 872 in Laos and the remaining in Cambodia. 

On November 3 morning, a border marker salute ceremony and a joint patrol among the three countries were held at the Vietnam – Laos – Cambodia border intersection, as part of the border friendship exchange.

Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong meets outstanding students

Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong meets outstanding students on November 3

Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong had a meeting with over 50 representatives of outstanding students in the 2017-2018 academic year in Hanoi on November 3. 

The leader praised the students for setting bright examples not only in studying but also in making good deeds, such as 11th grader Ngo Minh Hieu in the central province of Thanh Hoa who has carried a friend with disability on his back to school for many years. Other examples include Pham Duc Anh from Hanoi who won gold medals at two international chemistry Olympiads.

President Trong also highlighted the educational sector’s achievements, which contributed to the national development. 

The leader noted that while talent is very important, virtue is the foundation of a person. He said the education sector should pay attention to comprehensive education of children. 

He asked the sector to continue pushing ahead with the fundamental and comprehensive reform of education and training to meet the requirements of the national cause of industrialization and modernization. 

The students pledged to do their best to become good citizens and contribute as much as possible to the motherland.

Vietnam-Cambodia friendship monument inaugurated in Cambodia

The Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Monument in Ratanakiri

A Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Monument was inaugurated on November 3 in Cambodia’s northeastern province of Ratanakiri which borders Vietnam’s Gia Lai and Kon Tum provinces. 

The inauguration ceremony was attended by Standing Vice Chairman and General Secretary of the National Council of the Solidarity Front for the Development of Cambodian Motherland Nhem Valy, Governor of Ratanakiri Thon Savun and Vietnamese Military Attaché Colonel Nguyen Anh Dung.

Addressing the ceremony, Governor Thon Savun expressed deep gratitude to the Party, Government, people and voluntary soldiers of Vietnam who have shed blood to help save the Cambodian nation from genocide.  

 For his part, Colonel Nguyen Anh Dung said the inauguration of the monument demonstrates the traditional friendship and solidarity between the two countries and nations, which have been fostered by many generations. 

He thanked leaders of the Solidarity Front for the Development of Cambodian Motherland and the administration, armed forces and people of Ratanakiri for their active role in building the monument.

PM: confidence vote outcomes prompt government to work better

At the government meeting 

The outcomes of confidence votes prompt the government to work better and raise the sense of responsibility towards the people and the National Assembly, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said. 

At the monthly government meeting in Hanoi on November 3, the PM acknowledged efforts of ministers and heads of sectors to meet the expectations of the NA, voters and the public during the question and answer session at the 14th legislature’s sixth session. 

Reviewing the ten-month and October socio-economic performance, he said amid the complicated developments in the world, many countries and international organisations acknowledge Vietnam’s stature, achievements and development potentials, giving Vietnam chances to seek and expand greater markets. 

In the past ten months, the macro-economy remained stable with the consumer price index growth at 3.6 percent. Export value was equivalent to the 2017 total with nearly 200 billion USD, up over 14 percent. Trade surplus reached 6.4 billion USD. 

There were about 110,000 newly-registered businesses nationwide, which brought the country closer to the goal of having 130,000 new firms this year, while total goods retail revenue increased by 11.4 percent. The number of foreign tourist arrivals grew by 22.4 percent. 

Pointing to outstanding shortcomings of the economy, PM Phuc said the country had dropped in the ranking of business environment. He asked ministries and agencies to improve readiness for the fourth industrial revolution by taking specific measures, otherwise the country will lag behind. 

Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and major cities should take more drastic actions to develop business and production, he said. 

The leader also expressed concern about social order and safety in some localities, and instructed drastic measures to be taken to fight crime. 

Just before the meeting, the PM granted the President’s decision on the appointment of Minister of Information and Communications to Nguyen Manh Hung. 

Earlier on July 25, the PM signed Decision No.900/QD-TTg on assigning the position of Minister of Information and Communications to Maj. Gen Nguyen Manh Hung, member of the Party Central Committee, President and Chairman of the military-run telecom provider Viettel.

HCM City, Malaysia boost trade cooperation

At the reception 

Ho Chi Minh City wants to boost cooperation with foreign countries, including Malaysia, and will create an open business environment for foreign investors, said a city senior official.

Huynh Cach Mang, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, made the statement while receiving Chong Chieng Jen, Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs of Malaysia in HCM City on November 2.

Vice Chairman Mang expressed his pleasure at the strong development of Vietnam-Malaysia relations since the establishment of diplomatic ties 45 years ago, especially after the two sides set up the strategic partnership in 2015.

HCM City is proud of contributing to the sound bilateral ties, especially in economic, trade and tourism cooperation, he said.

Malaysian Deputy Minister Chong Chieng Jen expressed his pleasure to pay a working visit to Ho Chi Minh as Vietnam and Malaysia are celebrating the 45th anniversary of diplomatic ties.

The Malaysia government attaches importance to developing the strategic partnership with Vietnam, especially in economy and trade, and highly values growth potential of Vietnam in general, and Ho Chi Minh City in particular, he said.

Malaysia wants to promote cooperation with and attract investment from the city’s enterprises, he said, hoping that the HCM City would be one of Malaysian investors’ prioritised destinations in the future.

Malaysia is running 247 projects with total registered capital of 4.6 billion USD in Ho Chi Minh City, ranking third among 100 countries and territories investing in southern hub.

In 2017, import-export turnover between Ho Chi Minh City and Malaysia reached 3.4 billion USD, accounting for half the bilateral trade between Vietnam and Malaysia. In the first eight months of 2018, HCM City welcomed more than 257,000 Malaysian tourists.

Vietnam fosters multifaceted cooperation with Norway

At a meeting between Deputy PM Trinh Dinh Dung and Minister of International Development Nicolas Astrup 

Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung and a delegation of the Vietnamese Government paid a visit to Norway from October 30 to November 2 at the invitation of the Norwegian Government.

During the visit, Deputy PM Dung had working sessions with Norway’s Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide, Minister of Trade and Industry Torbjorn Roe Isaksen, and Minister of International Development Nicolas Astrup. 

He also met with leaders of Norway’s Government Pension Fund Global and the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise.

At the meetings, the Norwegian leaders conveyed their deep sympathies over the death of President Tran Dai Quang and congratulating Vietnam on electing General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong as the new President.

The two sides lauded the sound friendship and multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and Norway over the years with the regular exchange of delegations and meetings.

They spoke highly of the outcomes of the meeting between Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Norwegian counterpart Erna Solberg on the sidelines of the 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit in October this year. 

They agreed that the two countries boast huge potential cooperation, stressing the need for stronger affiliation in the spheres of oil and gas, shipbuilding, maritime transport, culture, education, and tourism.

At the meeting with Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide, Deputy PM Dung expressed his hope that Norway will have a stronger voice to support the settlement of disputes in the East Sea through peaceful measures in line with international law. The two sides concurred to continue supporting each other at multilateral forums and the United Nations.

At the meetings with Minister of Trade and Industry Torbjorn Roe Isaksen and Minister of International Development Nicolas Astrup, both sides recognised the growth in bilateral economic cooperation with two-way trade in recent years reaching over 350 million USD per year.

Norway currently has 40 projects in Vietnam with a total investment of over 160 million USD, ranking 41st out of 129 foreign investors in the Southeast Asian country.

Deputy PM Dung suggested Norway help speed up the signing and ratification of the European Union-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). 

Meeting with leaders of Norway’s Government Pension Fund Global and the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise, Deputy PM Dung underscored that Norway is an important partner of Vietnam. He highlighted many investment opportunities in Vietnam as a result of the equitisation of State-owned enterprises.

He pledged that Vietnam will create a favourable investment and business environment for foreign firms, including those from Norway, to invest and do business equally in the country.

The Deputy PM proposed that Norway’s Government Pension Fund Global and the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise send business delegations to Vietnam to further explore the market. Currently, the 1 trillion USD fund is investing in a number of big firms in Vietnam, including Vinamilk, MBank, and Hoa Phat Group.

Representatives of Norwegian firms showed interest in cooperation and investment opportunities in Vietnam, listing the country as one of the top newly-emerged markets.

They expressed hope that the Government of Vietnam will continue reforming the institutional and legal system, while also simplifying procedures for imports, and supporting Norwegian firms to invest particularly in shipbuilding, oil and gas, aquaculture, hydropower, wind power, and pharmaceuticals.

During the visit, Deputy PM Dung also had a meeting with officials of the Vietnamese embassy and the Vietnamese community in the country.

HCM City, Japan’s Hyogo prefecture boost ties

Politburo member and Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan (R) and Governor of Japan’s Hyogo prefecture Ido Toshizo (Source: voh)

Politburo member and Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan hosted a reception on November 2 for Governor of Japan’s Hyogo prefecture Ido Toshizo. 

Nhan said the visit contributes to strengthening the extensive, comprehensive, and effective development of Vietnam-Japan ties, especially as the two countries are celebrating the 45th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties. 

He said HCM City is focusing on breakthrough programmes and a creative urban area project towards building a smart and civilised city, giving Hyogo firms a chance to invest in the city in the fields where HCM City has demands and Hyogo boasts strengths such as industrial production, high technology, seaport services, high-tech agriculture, personnel training, and science-technology. 

Nhan wished that both sides would continue promoting trade for the development of the two localities and nations as well.

Toshizo, for his part, said the prefecture’s firms pay attention to investing in Vietnam and HCM City in particular, adding that the co-organisation of the HCM City-Hyogo economic promotion conference affirms the determination to further boost ties between the two localities and nations in general. 

He expected that the two localities would strengthen exchanges and cooperation in culture, trade, tourism, and economic development.

HCM City, Busan boost cooperation for mutual development

Overview of the meeting 

Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong received Mayor of Busan of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Oh Keo-don on November 2.

Highlighting that Busan was the first locality in the RoK to establish friendship relations with HCM City in 1995, Phong said the ties have grown across a range of spheres such as trade, investment, education, and cultural exchange, bringing practical benefits to both sides.

The municipal leader requested the two cities’ sectors and agencies boost connectivity and cooperation promotion activities so as to turn agreements sealed between their leaders into specific joint projects.

HCM City wants Busan to continue expanding its personnel training programme for civil servants and sharing experiences in port management, logistics, and marine transport, the official said.

Fostering tourism development as well as cultural and people-to-people exchanges are also necessary, Phong added.

For his part, Oh expressed his belief that the relations between the two cities would further develop in the time to come.

Impressed by HCM City’s strong growth, the mayor asked local authorities to continue creating favorable conditions for Busan businesses to take part in the city’s development, especially in infrastructure construction, seaports, smart city application, and tourism. 

Busan wants to work with HCM City in increasing the exchange of delegations, as well as implementing their signed cooperation pacts on library collaboration, food processing research and development, and water resources cleaning, among others.

Vietnam, Germany look to foster all-around relations

Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son (R) and State Secretary of the Federal Foreign Office of Germany Andreas Michaelis 

Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son held talks with Andreas Michaelis, State Secretary of the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, on November 1 as part of his ongoing working visit to the European country. 

During the talks, the two sides informed each other about the situation in each country.

The German side spoke highly of Vietnam's achievements in socio-economic development and international integration; as well as the Southeast Asian nation’s important role and position in ASEAN and in the Asia-Pacific region, saying that this is an important basis for the two sides to enhance cooperation in the coming time.

They highlighted the great potential for strengthened bilateral cooperation in the coming time, and agreed to promote exchange of delegations at all levels in the time to come, especially those among sectors, localities and enterprises; and to work closely to build programmes to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Vietnam - Germany diplomatic ties in 2020. 

Andreas Michaelis accepted with pleasure Deputy FM Son’s invitation to visit Vietnam and promised to arrange a visit to Vietnam for the strategic at a convenient time for a strategic dialogue between the two countries’ foreign ministries.

The German side highly valued its effective cooperation with Vietnam at international and regional forums such as the United Nations, the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), the ASEAN-EU cooperation mechanism as well as Vietnam's implementation of international commitments.

The two sides agreed to support the maintenance of multilateralism and global free trade; coordinate closely and support each other to stand for international organisations, especially those within the UN. 

They were delighted that the German House project in Ho Chi Minh City is being performed well, saying that the work will provide a gathering place for German businesses in Vietnam, contributing to promoting the bilateral trade and investment ties.

Both sides appreciated the importance of the European Union-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), affirming that Germany will make every effort to promote the signing and approval of the trade pact. 

The German side expressed its joy at the effective operation of the Germany-Vietnam University in the southern province of Binh Duong - a prominent project for the bilateral cooperation between the two nations; and agreed to continue to support Vietnam in training human resources serving the Fourth Industrial Revolution. 

Germany is willing to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam in training and using Vietnamese nurses in Germany, Andreas Michaelis said. 

The two sides agreed to intensify collaboration in other areas such as justice and participation in UN peacekeeping operations.

They also exchanged their views on international and regional issues of common concern, including those related to the East Sea, and the ASEAN - Germany and ASEAN-EU ties.

Vietnamese, Japanese localities look to promote economic cooperation

Ho Chi Minh City and Japan’s Hyogo prefecture hold a conference on November 2 to look for ways to promote the economic cooperation between the two localities.

Representatives of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee and Japan’s Hyogo prefecture held a conference in Vietnam’s southern economic hub on November 2 to look for ways to promote the economic cooperation between the two localities.

The function, the second of its kind, drew the participation of representatives of nearly 150 enterprises from both countries.

Opening the conference, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Le Thanh Liem stressed that during its development, the city has been calling for cooperation and investment from foreign countries, especially Japan, to the fields the city is in need such as industrial production, high technology, seaport services, high-tech agriculture, and human resources training, among others.

Expressing his belief that the cooperation potential between the two localities is still large in various fields, Liem said he hoped that in the time to come, Hyogo firms will intensify their cooperation with those from Ho Chi Minh City. The official affirmed that the municipal authorities will facilitate, go along and support firms from Japan in general and Hyogo in particular for their stable, long-term and effective operation in the city.

Besides, Liem said he expects Hyogo authorities will welcome Ho Chi Minh City firms to come and explore the investment and business environment in the Japanese prefecture, thus bringing prosperity to businesses and people of the two localities.

For his part, Hyogo Governor Ido Toshizo spoke highly of the potential and competitive advantages of Vietnam in the economic development, especially its political stability and abundant human resources. The governor stressed that through this conference, the prefecture hopes Vietnamese firms will develop their investment and business in Hyogo, along with the continuation of labour cooperation programmes.

At the conference, companies of the two localities were briefed on the socio-economic situation, investment attraction policies, and economic development prospects of the two sides.

Since 1998, Japan has had 1,240 investment and business projects in Ho Chi Minh City with a combined capital of over 4 billion USD, ranking 5th among about 100 countries and territories investing in Ho Chi Minh City. Hyogo firms have 34 projects in the city, focusing in the fields of science and technology, logistics, trade and services. The prefecture is now home to about 15,000 Vietnamese and about 30 percent of foreign students in Hyogo are Vietnamese.

ASEAN adopts action plan on fighting terrorism

The 12th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMTC) hosted by Myanmar in Nay Pyi Taw has adopted an action plan on fighting terrorism, said a statement released at the end of the meeting on November 1.

The meeting approved the work project (2018-2025) of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to prevent and eradicate emergence of terrorism and extremists.

In correlation to the ASEAN work project, a decision was reached to discuss implementation projects in the 19th Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC) to be hosted by Myanmar in 2019.

The same day, the 9th AMMTC 3 (China, Japan and South Korea) also agreed that ASEAN will continue to cooperate with the three dialogue partner countries in eradicating transnational crimes, including terrorism, cyber crime and human trafficking.

Moreover, an approval was made to submit the Republic of Korea's cyber capacity raising proposal for 2019 to the ASEAN Secretariat and to obtain comments from the member countries.

The meeting agreed on Thailand hosting the next 13th AMMTC and the 10th AMMTC 3 in 2019.

ASEAN groups 10 member countries namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.