President Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s State visit to Indonesia has obtained comprehensive, substantive, and concrete outcomes, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son said on December 23.

The trip, made at the invitation of Indonesian President Joko Widodo from December 21 to 23, held great significance as it marks a new milestone in the Vietnam - Indonesia strategic partnership, helping consolidate the political foundation and giving a new impetus to bilateral cooperation in all fields, the Foreign Minister told media. 

It obtained comprehensive, substantive, and concrete outcomes, especially in important areas, he noted, elaborating that leaders of the two countries reached high consensus on enhancing political trust through frequent meetings and mutual visits at all levels, promoting ties in all aspects and effectively carrying out the signed agreements, toward building an action plan for the implementation of the strategic partnership for 2024 - 2028.

The two sides signed and exchanged important cooperation agreements on fighting terrorism; combating the trafficking of drugs, psychoactive substances, and precursor substances; and the energy and mineral resource sectors.

The two Presidents highly valued their countries’ completion of negotiations on the delimitation of exclusive economic zones in line with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Son said.

Another notable outcome was that bilateral economic, trade, and investment ties were given more momentum as both sides affirmed their determination to boost balanced and sustainable trade growth and raise the revenue to 15 billion USD or higher by 2028.

Bilateral trade increased strongly to approximate 13 billion USD in the first 11 months of 2022, the highest level so far, compared to the 11.5 billion USD recorded in the whole 2021.

President Phuc asked Indonesia to remove trade barriers and trade remedies against Vietnamese goods, further open its market to Vietnamese exports, and cooperate to develop the Halal industry.

The two sides agreed to facilitate Vietnamese and Indonesian enterprises’ investment in new and potential areas such as digital economy, digital transformation, renewable energy, and sustainable development.

They affirmed the continuation of close cooperation in other important fields, particularly defence, security, maritime cooperation, and connectivity between the countries’ peoples, localities, and businesses, according to the Foreign Minister.

In addition, the Vietnamese and Indonesian leaders straightforwardly exchanged views on regional and international issues of common concern, including the East Sea issue.

They agreed on major orientations for reinforcing coordination at regional and international forums, especially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United Nations, and fostering sub-regional connectivity and cooperation within ASEAN to help guarantee energy and food security.

President Phuc underlined Vietnam’s support for Indonesia’s chairmanship of ASEAN in 2023 so as to promote the bloc’s solidarity and centrality.

With the abovementioned achievements, the visit has opened up new opportunities for bilateral cooperation and demonstrated the leaders’ determination to develop the Vietnam - Indonesia strategic partnership to a new height, thereby generating practical benefits for the two peoples and contributing to a united and self-reliant ASEAN Community for peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region and the world at large, FM Son added.

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc wraps up State visit to Indonesia

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation arrived back in Hanoi on December 23 afternoon, wrapping up a State visit to Indonesia at the invitation of President Joko Widodo.

During the trip, the Vietnamese leader held talks with his counterpart Joko Widodo, had meetings with parliamentary leaders of Indonesia, attended a state-level banquet hosted by the host President, met with representatives of the Vietnamese community, visited the Jakarta-based Secretariat of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and met with ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi.

He also received leaders of the Indonesia-Vietnam Friendship Association, the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN), and some of the large enterprises of the archipelago nation.

The visit was an important milestone in the countries' strategic partnership as Presidents Phuc and Widodo agreed that Vietnam and Indonesia will soon build an action plan for 2024 - 2028; strive to develop more balanced trade and raise revenue to over 15 billion USD by 2028; step up mutual investment in new fields such as the digital economy, digital transformation, green economy, and renewable energy; and enhance ties in defence, security, education-training, and tourism.

They also witnessed the signing and exchange of cooperation documents on drug trafficking prevention, energy, and mineral resources.

Talking to the media after their meetings, the two leaders said Vietnam and Indonesia have completed negotiations on the delimitation of their exclusive economic zones in line with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Visiting the ASEAN Secretariat’s headquarters and meeting the ASEAN Secretary-General as well as diplomats of the bloc’s member nations there, President Phuc stressed Vietnam attaches special importance to the relationship with ASEAN in its foreign policy, and that it will make active contributions to build a united and strong ASEAN and promote the bloc’s centrality in the regional architecture.

The visit’s outcomes are expected to serve as an important stepping stone for Vietnam and Indonesia to obtain more positive cooperation results on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of their strategic partnership in 2023, and develop bilateral ties in an increasingly substantive, intensive, and extensive manner in the following years.

President meets Indonesian leaders in Jakarta

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc met Speaker of the House of Representatives of Indonesia Puan Maharani on December 22, as part of the Vietnamese leader’s ongoing State visit to Indonesia.

The President congratulated Indonesia on its successful organisation of the G20 Parliamentary Speakers' Summit (P20), helping it outstandingly perform the G2 Presidency in 2022.

Affirming Vietnam’s support for Indonesia’s ASEAN Chairmanship and its Chairmanship of the 44th General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-44) in 2023, Phuc stressed that the bilateral ties have been developing strongly, especially after the establishment of the strategic partnership in 2013.

Vietnam treasures and wishes to enhance the strategic partnership, the President stressed.

Phuc expressed his hope that the two legislatures will maintain their coordination and support the maintenance of ASEAN’s common stance on the East Sea issue, and the settlement of disputes by peaceful measures in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

He conveyed NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue’s invitation to Maharani to visit Vietnam. The latter accepted the invitation with pleasure.

Maharani, in her capacity as the AIPA Chair 2023, also used the occasion to invite Hue to attend AIPA-44 to be held in Indonesia next year.

The host expressed her belief that Phuc’s visit will contribute to promoting and deepening the strategic partnership, and congratulated Vietnam on its socio-economic achievements despite impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking of the encouraging outcomes of the talks between President Phuc and his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo, Maharani emphasised that the Indonesian House of Representatives backs cooperation agreements reached on this occasion.

She agreed to increase delegation exchanges at all levels and through all channels, including delegations of the two legislatures and their committees, to share experience in law building and coordinate in monitoring bilateral cooperation agreements, thus promoting the role of the legislatures in strengthening the bilateral ties, covering maritime cooperation, and contributing to ensuring safety and security of navigation, and maintaining peace and stability in the region.

The two sides concurred to bolster their close cooperation at other multilateral parliamentary forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF), and back each other’s stance on regional and international issues of shared concern.
 
The same day, President Phuc had a meeting with Deputy Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) of Indonesia Arsul Sani.

He congratulated Indonesia on its successful assumption of the G20 Presidency, expressing his belief that the country will successfully perform its ASEAN Chairmanship in 2023 and the Chairmanship of the 44th General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-44).

The leader noted with pleasure the close legislative ties between the two countries over the part time, and lauded the MPR for its contributions to the cooperation and friendship.

For his part, Sani congratulated Vietnam on its post-pandemic strong economic recovery and growth and affirmed that Vietnam is a very important partner of Indonesia in the region.

The two sides agreed to push ahead with the signing of a new cooperation agreement between the two legislative bodies to replace the one inked in 2010.

Phuc called on the MPR to support the establishment of the twinning relations between Vietnamese and Indonesian localities, firstly between Ho Chi Minh City and Bali, and between Da Nang and Semarang, to contribute to expanding people-to-people exchange and trade, investment and tourism links.

President calls for more Indonesian investments

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc expressed his hope that the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) will encourage Indonesian businesses to pour more investments into Vietnam, in his meeting with KADIN Chairman Arsjad Rasjid in Jakarta on December 23.

Lauding cooperation activities of the KADIN Chairman and Indonesian businesses in the fields of trade and investment, the visiting leader said they have significantly contributed to collaboration between Vietnam and Indonesia, especially in 2023 when the two countries mark the 10th anniversary of the bilateral strategic partnership.

He pointed out that the two-way trade revenue of 13 billion USD still remains low, given similarities shared by Vietnam and Indonesia in terms of population, market and cooperation priorities.
The two countries’ enterprises should understand more about the respective markets, he stressed.

Vietnam has joined many free trade agreements (FTAs), including new-generation ones with high standards, the leader said, describing this an opportunity for Indonesian firms.

He added that Vietnam is stepping up administrative reforms and working to create open policies for investors.
 
Welcoming the chamber’s proposals on boosting cooperation in the areas of the two countries’ strengths like agriculture and fisheries, Phuc asked it and Rasjid to propose more policies to bolster the investment and trade links, towards a trade turnover of 15 billion USD in 2028 in a balanced manner as agreed upon by leaders of the two countries.

For his part, Rasjid pledged KADIN will work to contribute to raising the bilateral trade, adding that there remains room for businesses of the two countries to cooperate in fishery and the automobile industry, and that the chamber will encourage Indonesian firms to invest in these spheres.

The KADIN Chairman also expressed his hope for more Vietnamese investments in Indonesia so that both Vietnamese and Indonesian products can participate in the global supply chain more intensively.
 
He suggested leaders of Vietnamese and Indonesian ministries and agencies set out plans materialising cooperation agreements.

The same day, Phuc met Albert, co-founder of Traveloka - a leading Southeast Asian online travel company, during which the President called on the firm to expand its cooperation in Vietnam and continue to help the country promote its land and people, thus attracting more tourists.

Phuc pledged to facilitate cooperation in digital transformation between Traveloka and Vietnamese enterprises.

In reply, Albert told the President that Traveloka has cooperated with more than 3,000 Vietnamese businesses to promote Vietnamese culture and tourism, while supporting various localities in this regard.

Albert also committed to continue supporting Vietnam in digital transformation, targeting small- and medium-sized enterprises and travel firms.

President meets Vietnamese community in Indonesia

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc met staff of the Vietnamese Embassy in Indonesia, the Vietnamese delegation at ASEAN and the Vietnamese community living and working in Indonesia on December 22.

The President said that the Vietnamese Party and State always pay attention to the Vietnamese community abroad, considering them an inseparable part of the great national unity bloc.

The President wished that the Vietnamese community, especially Vietnamese enterprises in Indonesia, would carry forward bilateral trade cooperation, especially in farm produce and hi-tech electronics.

He informed them that he had recently held a successful talks with President Joko Widodo and a number of cooperation agreements had been signed on the occasion, and more will be reached in the coming time.

He is also scheduled to visit ASEAN Secretariat, meet the ASEAN Secretary General, ambassadors and chargé d'affaires of ASEAN member states, showing Vietnam’s appreciation for the bloc’s security, self-resilience and central role.

On the occasion, the President asked the Vietnamese Embassy and other representative agencies in Indonesia to continue fulfilling assigned tasks and materialise the outcomes of his visit, including propelling bilateral ties in innovation, a field of Indonesia’s strength.

They were also urged to work closely with the host authorities next year when Indonesia will assume the role of ASEAN Chair, help the two countries’ businesses navigate each other’s market and continue with citizen protection work, thus making practical contributions to the homeland.

President receives Indonesia - Vietnam Friendship Association President in Jakarta

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc received Budiarsa Sastrawinata, President of the Indonesia - Vietnam Friendship Association, on December 23, within the framework of his State visit to Indonesia.

President Phuc appreciated contributions by the association, including Sastrawinata personally who is also Managing Director of Ciputra Group, to promoting the two countries’ friendship.

He said that in his successful talks with President Joko Widodo, the two sides affirmed that strengthening cultural cooperation, and exchanges of people, localities and businesses have always been an important foundation of the bilateral strategic partnership.

Vietnam welcomes and will create favourable conditions for Indonesian businesses to invest in Vietnam, and wishes to see more Indonesian enterprises pouring capital into the country with attention paid to environmental protection and sustainable development, in accordance with the law, on the basis of mutual benefits, added Phuc.

Budiarsa Sastrawinata said he hopes Vietnam’s agencies will maintain support for his association’s operations, and assist Indonesian firms in developing production and business activities in the country.

He proposed the two countries’ agencies back sustainable development initiatives and joint projects between universities, contributing to improving the quality of human resources; support the organisation of Indonesian art exhibitions in Vietnam; and promote people-to-people exchanges.

Towards the 10th anniversary of the bilateral Strategic Partnership in 2023, President Phuc suggested the association continue to work closely with the Vietnam - Indonesia Friendship Association, the Vietnamese Embassy in Indonesia as well as the Embassy of Vietnam in Indonesia to actively promote economic connectivity, encourage Indonesian businesses to expand investment and business in Vietnam.

He also asked the association to support the establishment of more twinning relations between the two countries’ localities to contribute to expanding people-to-people exchanges, and economic, trade, investment and tourism cooperation.

Indonesian media highlights President Phuc’s visit

Dozens of Indonesia’s news outlets have featured President Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s December 21 to December 23 visit to the Southeast Asian nation, with a specific focusing on the outcomes of talks between the two State leaders.

The website belonging to the Indonesia Presidential Palace said that during a bilateral meeting held on December 22, President Joko Widodo and his Vietnamese counterpart discussed a range of measures aimed at enhancing the strategic partnership both bilaterally and regionally.

As part of the occasion, President Widodo praised the Vietnamese Government for its trust of Indonesian companies. He stated his wish that several problems faced by Indonesian investors would be dealt with in order to facilitate new projects in the near future.

In response, President Phuc agreed with the host that as a means of overcoming challenges, the two nations must strengthen political trust and economic ties.

Meanwhile, the official website of the Indonesian President’s Secretariat said that at a meeting held following the State-level welcome ceremony, President Widodo underlined Indonesia’s strong commitments to continuing to reinforce the bilateral strategic partnership and called on Vietnam to strengthen ASEAN.

Indonesian news agency Antara, for its part, said during the joint press conference held with President Phuc on December 22, President Widodo announced that the two nations had completed negotiations on delimitation of the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) after 12 years of talks.

President Phuc also affirmed that Vietnam fully supports the theme of Indonesia's 2023 ASEAN Chairmanship Year "ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth", emphasising that the meeting between the two leaders is a driving force for both sides to co-operate for the greater benefit of their people.

According to the CNN Indonesia television, the Vietnamese leader said that the two countries have agreed to define the boundary of the EEZ in accordance with the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). In addition to the EEZ, the two countries also signed three memoranda of understanding (MoU) on co-operation in energy and mineral resources, fighting terrorism, and combating drug trafficking.

Aside from the three MoUs, President Widodo also stated his hope that a bilateral agreement on fisheries and the elimination of illegal, unreported and undocumented fishing will be finalised soon, said newswire Okezone

The same day saw Solo Pos newspaper report that the Indonesian President expects to launch a new direct flight between Da Nang and Denpasar, as well as between Ho Chi Minh City and Jakarta. He therefore suggested resuming direct flights between the two countries’ economic and tourism hubs.

PM chairs meeting of steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on December 23 chaired a teleconference of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control with leaders of 63 provinces and centrally-run cities.

He said the meeting aimed to review the COVID-19 prevention and control performance and set out tasks to control the pandemic and other infectious diseases in the New Year holidays to “not leave anyone behind”.

According to the committee, as of December 19, Vietnam has recorded more than 11.5 million COVID-19 infections. Over 10.6 million patients have recovered from the disease, and more than 43,100 people have died.

In the last 30 days, there have been 12,008 new cases, declining by 23.5% compared to 30 days earlier.

As of December 18, Vietnam has administered more than 265 million COVID-19 vaccines. Roughly 100% of people from the age of 12 have completed the first two doses.

The proportion of over-18-year-old people receiving the third and the fourth doses has reached 80% and 86.8%, respectively.

About 92.3% of children between 9 and 12 years old have received the first dose. As many as 72% of children between 9 and 12 have been administered the second dose.

State agencies and localities have distributed 87 trillion VND (nearly 3.69 billion USD) to over 55.6 million citizens and nearly 1 million employers affected by COVID-19.

Regarding implementing Prime Minister's Decision No 08/2022/QD-TTg on supporting employees with house rental fees, by November 30, localities have distributed more than 3.74 trillion VND to over 5.2 million employees and 122,991 employers.

The steering committee predicted the pandemic would get complicated with new variants. In particular, the seasonal changes will cause more respiratory diseases, leading to various outbreaks simultaneously.

The New Year season involves a high intensity of travelling that will also create favourable conditions for illnesses to spread, especially among children and the elderly with underlying conditions.

PM Chinh ordered participants to give comments on the COVID-19 treatment and vaccination, especially for children, as well as problems that the steering committee needs to solve.

Phu Tho province hands over anti-malaria centre to Lao locality

Phu Tho province of Vietnam symbolically handed over the centre for malaria prevention, control, and treatment in Luang Namtha on December 23 as a gift for the Lao province.

Addressing the inauguration and handover ceremony, member of the Party Central Committee and Secretary of the Phu Tho provincial Party Committee Bui Minh Chau looked back on the great friendship between Vietnam and Laos, noting that since 1979, Phu Tho and Luang Namtha has set up and strengthened friendship and solidarity while assisting each other to develop comprehensively and sustainably.

The Vietnamese province has supported the Lao side to construct many infrastructure and social welfare facilities worth nearly 40 billion VND (1.7 million USD) in total since 2005, helping boost local socio-economic development and improve people’s living standards, he noted.

Khamlay Sipaseuth, member of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee, Secretary of the Luang Namtha provincial Party Committee and Governor of Luang Namtha, described the inauguration of the anti-malaria centre as a meaningful contribution to the Vietnam - Laos Solidarity and Friendship Year 2022.

He appreciated the gift from Phu Tho authorities and people and pledged that his province will use the building in the most effective manner to care for the health of local residents.

Invested with 10 billion VND, the Luang Namtha centre for malaria prevention, control, and treatment had its construction started in October 2020. It was put into use after one year of construction, but the official handover was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vietnam attaches importance to relations with ASEAN: President

Vietnam attaches special importance to its relations with ASEAN in its foreign policy, and exerts efforts to actively contribute to building a strong and united ASEAN and to uphold its central role in the regional security structure, President Nguyen Xuan Phuc affirmed on December 23.

Talking to ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi and Ambassadors and Chargé d’Affaires of member states at the ASEAN Secretariat headquarters in Jakarta, President Phuc, now on a State visit to Indonesia, said that over the past years, despite the complicated and unpredictable developments of the international and regional situations, a united ASEAN has stood firm, matured, and grown stronger and stronger, with its reputation increasing, and its central role in the international arena confirmed.

This is a result of the cooperation and joint efforts of each member of the ASEAN community, he affirmed.

On the threshold of the new year 2023 when Indonesia will hold the ASEAN Chairmanship with the theme of “ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth”, he expressed his wish that Indonesia will have a successful chairmanship year.

The Vietnamese leader affirmed that Secretary-General Lim’s efforts have helped ASEAN develop strongly amidst difficulties, and successfully carry out initiatives to drive back the COVID-19 pandemic and boost recovery.

Phuc expressed his hope that the official, in any positions, will continue his contributions to the development of the bloc.

In his speech, Lim stressed that Vietnam’s admission as an ASEAN member state in 1995 was a historic landmark which set in motion and created momentum for ASEAN to embrace other Southeast Asian nations.

Over the past 27 years, Vietnam has made important contributions to ASEAN’s unity and centrality, exemplified by prominent contributions such as the Hanoi Declaration and Hanoi Plan of Action in 1998. Additionally, the most recent success of Vietnam’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2020 with the theme “Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN” constitutes an important contribution to ASEAN’s Community building process.

According to him, together with other ASEAN member states, Vietnam has made invaluable contribution in developing ASEAN Community’s Post-2025 Vision, as well as in ASEAN’s in-principle decision to admit Timor-Leste as a member. Furthermore, as the Chair of the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) Task Force last year, Vietnam played the leading role as a strong driver of the initiative towards narrowing the development gap between ASEAN member states.

The Secretary-General expressed his belief that with its strong commitment to integration and dedicated leadership, Vietnam will continue to make greater contributions still to the development of a forward-looking ASEAN which leaves no one behind.

Former VCCI Chairman receives Japanese FM’s Certificate of Merit

Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Yamada Takio presented a certificate of merit from Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs to Vu Tien Loc, former Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) for his contributions to the development of economic relations between the two countries at a ceremony on December 23.

The diplomat said while Loc was on duty, he always tried to carry out activities to promote economic cooperation between Vietnam and Japan, such as organising business forums within the framework of bilateral cooperation and within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

He also regularly led Vietnamese business delegations to visit Japan; deployed many cooperation activities with Japanese localities such as Fukuoka and Osaka, as well as held seminars for their businesses.

The ambassador said he hopes that Loc will continuously contribute to the development of the Vietnam-Japan friendship cooperation in the coming time.

For his part, the former VCCI leader expressed his honour and sincere thanks to the Japanese Government for recognising his contributions to the bilateral ties.

Now as the President of the Vietnam International Arbitration Centre, he is ready to promote the cooperation between Vietnamese and Japanese businesses, providing maximum support for enterprises of the two countries to promote investment and trade collaboration for a bright future of Vietnam-Japan relations, Loc said.

International Kitesurfing Festival 2022 takes place in Ninh Thuan

The International Kitesurfing Festival 2022 took place on December 23 in Ninh Hai district of the south central coastal province of Ninh Thuan.

The event featured a total of 70 kitesurfers from 15 countries across the world, including Italy, the UK, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Singapore.

Max ChoDivos Kikh from Russia won the first prize while the second and the third went to Le Hoang Phu of Vietnam and Miktria from Kazakhstan, respectively.

Phan Duc Hai Dang, another Vietnamese athlete, received the consolation prize.

According to Chairman of the Ninh Hai district People's Committee Tran Minh Thai, the international kitesurfing tournament aimed to popularise the locality’s advantage on tourism to domestic and foreign visitors.

Kitesurfing uses the wind with a powerful kite to pull the rider across the water. The event was organised at My Hoa Beach, which has a year-round wind that is perfect for this sport.

The festival is part of an international kitesurfing week which involves a wide range of activities, including a boat race, a women's beach volleyball tournament, a golf competition, a running race, a food festival, and a street carnival.

Ninh Thuan waters are considered a "paradise" for kitesurfing. This province has been chosen as the venue for domestic and international kitesurfing competitions such as the 2016 Kiteboard Tour Asia and Ninh Chu Kiteboarding Festival 2019, which attracted hundreds of international athletes from Russia, the RoK, Australia, the UK, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

PM hopes for stronger trade, investment ties with Laos

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh received Lao Minister of Industry and Commerce Malaythong Kommasith and senior officials of the country’s Ministry of Energy and Mines in Hanoi on December 23.

The visiting officials are in Vietnam to attend an annual cooperation and development conference between the two countries’ industry and trade, energy, and mining sectors.

Hailing Vietnam-Laos relations, PM Chinh highlighted that despite complicated regional and international situations, bilateral ties have been thriving, especially with trade revenue reaching 1.63 billion USD in 2022.

He asked the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and the Ministry of Energy and Mines of Laos to cooperate more effectively with the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade to continue devising and implementing concrete and practical measures to boost trade and investment partnerships on par with political ties and capitalising on the two sides’ advantages.

The host asked both sides to increase experience sharing, coordinate to deal with difficulties in a timely manner, and assist each other’s countries to build independent and self-reliant economies that actively and proactively integrate into the world in the spirit of equitable cooperation.

For his part, Minister Kommasith said trade between Vietnam and Laos has been growing but is yet to match its potential.

He affirmed that his ministry will strengthen cooperation with the Vietnamese side to tighten trade links, particularly cross-border trade, matching the two countries’ strengths and demands, including in the energy and mining sectors.

Young parliamentarians of Vietnam, Laos reinforce cooperation

Young National Assembly (NA) deputies of Vietnam and Laos held talks in Vientiane on December 23 as part of the two countries’ Solidarity and Friendship Year 2022.

Leading the Vietnamese delegation, Dinh Cong Sy, Vice Chairman of the NA’s Committee for Culture and Education and standing deputy head of the 15th-tenure group of young NA deputies, said young people and parliamentarians of Vietnam are deeply aware of the two countries’ great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation, which are priceless common assets.

Young NA deputies from Vietnam and Laos are important forces who will serve as pillars of their countries in the future, so frequent exchanges will help them enhance mutual understanding to contribute to bilateral relations at present and in the future, he added.

He also gave his hosts a brief presentation of activities by the group of young Vietnamese NA deputies at international forums and conferences of young parliamentarians.

Keochaleun Xiayingyang, Vice Chairman of the Lao NA’s Committee for Ethnic Affairs, highly valued the strengthened cooperation between the two countries’ legislatures as seen in all-level mutual visits, the organisation of special workshops, the exchange of congratulations on the occasion of major anniversaries, and mutual support and coordination at regional and international inter-parliamentary forums.

To continue promoting bilateral ties, the two sides agreed to propose parliamentary leaders of their countries increase mutual working visits and exchanges between young deputies of the two NAs and provincial-level People’s Councils.

They will work together to hold meetings and workshops to share experience in parliamentary activities, especially those related to young people, such as employment, entrepreneurship, and crime prevention.

Young legislators from Vietnam and Laos will also maintain close coordination and mutual support at regional and international inter-parliamentary forums like the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF), and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie (APF).

New bells ring out at Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon

The Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon in Ho Chi Minh City rang out with the chimes of new symphonic bells on December 23 for the first time in nearly three years.

On January 18, 2020, the Archbishop’s Palace of the Archdiocese of HCM City decided to stop ringing the old bells at the cathedral as they became damaged.

The new melody consists of 25 brass bells produced by Perrot GmbH & Co.KG of Germany.

Four of the new bells were inscribed with the names of four archbishops since 1960, while the remainders have the names of contributors who have helped restore the cathedral since 2015.

The ongoing restoration began in late 2015 after the cathedral turned 135 on April 5 the same year. The project is being carried out by the Belgium-based Monument Group and is expected to be completed in 2027.

TCP Vietnam Company top sponsor for Vietnam’s national football teams

TCP Vietnam Company and the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) on December 23 announced the company as the top sponsoring partner for Vietnam’s national football teams.

The sponsorship for the national men’s football team, national women’s football team, and national U23 team will start in February 2023.

According to the VFF, over the years, Vietnamese football has continuously won many impressive achievements in regional and international arenas.

On the World Football Federation (FIFA) ranking, the Vietnamese men’s football team is in the 96th position out of the 211 and the women's, the 34th out of the 187.

Nguyen Thanh Huan, Country Director of TCP Vietnam, said that in the country, football is not only a sport but a passion and ambition that links the people together.

TCP Vietnam is the first international office of TCP Group (T.C. Pharma) in Vietnam. It’s the owner of popular Thai energy drink brands Red Bull and Warrior.

More cold spells expected to hit north, northern central regions in early 2023

The northern and northern central regions are forecast to see more strong cold spells in the first two months of 2023, which will cause temperatures to plunge, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

The northern region and the provinces of Thanh Hoa and Nghe An will experience cold air from now until the end of 2022.

The northern mountain provinces will be affected by cold weather and are likely to see rain on December 28 and 29. 

The average temperature across the country from January to March 2023 is forecast to be approximately the average over recent years.

The temperatures in the Central Highlands and the southern region are expected to be lower than the average by 0.5 degrees Celsius.

In February 2023, the temperature in the northern region is forecast to be higher than the average by 0.5 degrees Celsius.

Hoang Phuc Lam, Deputy Director of the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, said the total rainfall in the northern region from January to February 2023, is predicted to be lower than the average of many years by 5-15mm. While it is forecast to be higher by 10-30mm in the central and southern central regions. 

The total rainfall in the Central Highlands and the southern region are also 5-20mm higher than the average.

Regions across the country will see the water level in rivers and streams changing slowly and tend to decrease in the first three months of 2023.

Water shortages are likely to appear in the northwest region during the dry season of 2023.

Regarding the tides, Lam said the southern coastal area will experience seven high tides from the second half of December 2022 to March 2023, with the first high tide from December 21-29.

Source: VNA/SGT/VNS/VOV/Dtinews/SGGP/VGP/Hanoitimes