Politics Nepal wants to boost trade-economic ties with Vietnam Vietnamese Ambassador to India, Nepal and Bhutan Nguyen Thanh Hai has presented his credential letter to President of Nepal Ramchandra Paudel in the capital city of Kathmandu, during which he pledges to do his best to enhance relations between Vietnam and Nepal across fields. Politics PM asks Kon Tum to optimise potential for faster development Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh worked with the Standing Board of the Party Committee of the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum on August 20, during which he asked Kon Tum to work harder to optimise its great development potentials. Politics Kazakh President’s visit to Vietnam testifies to high political trust: Diplomat Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Vietnam Yerlan Baizhanov has highlighted the significance of the official visit to Vietnam by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev from August 20-22, stressing that the trip affirms high political trust between the two countries and contributes to promoting multifaceted partnership. Politics Vietnam contributes to intra-bloc cooperation at AEM-55 Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien is leading a Vietnamese delegation to the 55th ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting (AEM-55) which officially opened in Semarang, Indonesia, on August 19.

Vietnamese Ambassador to India, Nepal and Bhutan Nguyen Thanh Hai takes a group photo with representatives of Vietnamese and Nepalese businesses (Photo: VNA)Vietnamese Ambassador to India, Nepal and Bhutan Nguyen Thanh Hai (L) and Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda (Photo: VNA)Vietnamese Ambassador to India, Nepal and Bhutan Nguyen Thanh Hai has presented his credential letter to President of Nepal Ramchandra Paudel in the capital city of Kathmandu, during which he pledges to do his best to enhance relations between Vietnam and Nepal across fields.During a meeting with the Nepalese President after the ceremony on August 17, Hai talked about great advantages in promoting relations between the two countries in the coming time, including the friendly cooperation, mutual support, common values in building the country and connection of Buddhism.The diplomat, however, also pointed out limitations in cooperation between the two countries at present, noting that trade ties still remains modest, at under 100 million USD per year.He affirmed his commitment to making every effort, and working closely with relevant ministries and sectors and the business communities of the two countries to further promote all-around ties in the coming time, in accordance with the strengths of the two sides.For his part, President Paudel agreed with the Vietnamese diplomat on limitations of the current relations between the two countries, and his proposals regarding developing an effective partnership between the two countries.He emphasised his hope for the early opening of direct flights between Vietnam and Nepal to promote bilateral tourism, economic and trade cooperation, and called on Vietnamese businesses to increase investment in Nepal.On the occasion, Ambassador Hai also had meetings with leaders of the Party and State of Nepal, and representatives of Nepalese businesses.During a courtesy call to Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda), the diplomat affirmed that Vietnam attaches importance to and wishes to further step up the traditional friendship with Nepal.He updated the host on Vietnam's new e-visa policy, stressing that this is an opportunity to enhance tourism and economic cooperation between the two countries.PM Dahal informed the Vietnamese ambassador on the Nepal Government's efforts to reform and facilitate the business environment to attract foreign investors, including those from Vietnam During his meeting with Speaker of the House of Representatives of Nepal Dev Raj Ghimire, Ambassador Hai highly valued he role of parliamentary diplomacy in cooperation between the two countries, expressing the Vietnamese side's desire to increase delegation exchanges, and share law making experience between the two legislative bodies.Speaking highly of Vietnam's importance, Ghimire affirmed his desire to further promote cooperation between the two countries’ parliaments, saying that he will create favourable conditions for the Government of Nepal to carry out cooperation activities with Vietnam.Addressing a business meeting organized by the Nepal - Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NVCCI) , the Vietnamese diplomat briefed participants on opportunities for economic, trade and investment cooperation with the Southeast Asian nations.Deepak Malhotra, President of NVCCI underlined the urgency of establishing direct air routes between the two nations to meet the travel demand of Nepalese people to Vietnam as well ass from Vietnam to other countries in the region./.

HÀ NỘI — The European Commission (EC) has announced the launch of anti-dumping and anti-subsidy tax investigations into cold-rolled stainless steel products imported from Việt Nam, Taiwan (China) and Turkey, according to the Trade Remedies Authority under the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The investigations are being conducted at the request of the European Steel Association (EUROFER). The products concerned by the possible circumvention are flat-rolled products of stainless steel, not further worked than cold-rolled (cold-reduced) under CN codes 7219 31 00, 7219 32 10, 7219 32 90, 7219 33 10, 7219 33 90, 7219 34 10, 7219 34 90, 7219 35 10, 7219 35 90, 7219 90 20, 7219 90 80, 7220 20 21, 7220 20 29, 7220 20 41, 7220 20 49, 7220 20 81, 7220 20 89, 7220 90 20 and 7220 90 80 and originating from Indonesia. The evidence provided by the applicant shows that such assembly/completion operations, starting from stainless steel slabs and/or stainless steel hot-rolled flat products originating in Indonesia, constitute circumvention as the operations started or have substantially increased since the initiation of the original anti-subsidy investigation. The stainless steel slabs and/or stainless steel hot-rolled flat products originating in Indonesia constitute above 60 per cent of the total value of the parts of the assembled product and the value added during the assembly/completion operations is lower than 25 per cent of the manufacturing cost.

Meanwhile, the Hanoi creative talent TV programme is being broadcast by the Hanoi Radio and Television Station. However, to attract visitors, Hanoi’s night tourism still needs a strategic plan, according to experts. Although Hanoi night tour products have brought great experiences to visitors, creating a unique feature of Hanoi's tourism, Hanoi’s night tourism faced problems relating to size, linkage, and quality of the tours. In Hanoi, night economic activities are mostly developed in the Old Quater area in the Hoan Kiem district. The director of the city’s Department of Tourism, Dang Huong Giang said that the department is drafting a plan on activities to develop Hanoi night tourism products.

Constant educational reforms and fierce competitiveness are partly to blame, yet it lies mainly in the attitude toward education of Vietnamese parents. Moreover, as education is believed by previous generations in Việt Nam to be the gateway to a prosperous life, they have become harsh and demanding towards their children’s education, Ánh Minh, 22, says. Along with that, it is the extreme academic competitiveness that has caused a rampant “fear of missing out” among Vietnamese parents. Thanh Thủy, 50, says she never forces her children to take extra classes unless they want to, and she only encourages her children to do their best. There has also been a rise in TV programmes which aim to change parents’ educational perspectives and rekindle their relationships with their children.

Nguyen Huy Hoang has been chosen to carry the Vietnamese flag at the opening ceremony of the Asian Games next month in China. (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNS/VNA) — Top swimmer Nguyen Huy Hoang will be Vietnam's flag bearer at the 19th Asian Games opening ceremony next month in China. He did the job at the Phnom Penh Games and the 31st SEA Games on home soil last year. Hoang will compete in the men's 1,500m event, where he won a silver at the previous Games in Jakarta in 2018. Among the 31 teams that will compete in the Games, many are in their intensive training courses locally and internationally.

(Photo: axieinfinity.com)Hanoi (VNS/VNA) – A blog dedicated to exploring artificial intelligence (AI) and other trending technologies in the 21st century has said Vietnam is consolidating its role in the development of electronic games worldwide. Among them, the mobile gaming sector is leading the growth trajectory due to its affordability and market penetration capabilities, as evaluated by the game-focused website Pocketgamer. Vietnam has risen to the 5th position in the list of top countries for game production worldwide, according to a report from data tracking company DataAI & AppMagic. Several Vietnamese app developers, including major names like Falcon Global, ABI Global, Zego Global, and Rocket Studio, are among the top 50 companies in e-game production. A recent assessment by Bloomberg also acknowledges Vietnam as a powerhouse in the gaming industry, being among the top five countries globally in terms of mobile game production, based on download numbers in the first half of 2023.

The country’s index of industrial production in July expanded 3.9% from the previous month and 3.7% against the same period last year, statistics show. In the first seven months of this year, Vietnam enjoyed a trade surplus of more than 16.5 billion USD, and foreign investment attraction was recovering after a decline for six consecutive months. Experts attributed the results to the Government’s efforts in removing obstacles, especially those facing the real estate and corporate bond markets as well as investment projects. However, they said, fulfilling the yearly growth target of 6.5% is a hard nut to crack that requires breakthrough mechanisms and policies. The ministry also stressed the need to further streamline administrative procedures, carry forward the role of growth drivers like consumption, investment and export, maintain macro-economic stability and control inflation, and ensure major economic balances./.

HÀ NỘI — The Party, State, and Government will always accompany and join hands with the education sector to deal with difficulties and challenges faced by the sector and over 1 million teachers who are tirelessly contributing to the education cause, said Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính. PM Chính said the fundamental and comprehensive renewal of education and training is a major direction of the Party and State. Solutions should be coherent, feasible, with clear priorities and focal points, along with a well-structured roadmap and suitable steps. PM Chính said he believed that the sector would accomplish all assigned tasks during the 2023-2024 academic year. Minister of Education and Training Nguyễn Kim Sơn said in the 2022-2023 academic year, the enrolment rate of preschool children increased by 4.6 per cent compared to the previous academic year.

Specifically, the investigated goods is polypropylene copolymer classified under HS code 3902.30.90. The TRAV emphasised that the application of anti-dumping measures (if any) would negatively affect Vietnamese polypropylene copolymer producers and exporters, reducing their competitive advantages, leading to the risk of losing part or all of the export market to Indonesia. Polypropylene copolymer is a thermoplastic material that possesses many enabling properties and is used in a wide range of applications that can be found in packaging, home appliances, auto parts, textile manufacturing and medical devices. The chemical and moisture resistance of polypropylene copolymer has led to its frequent use in the manufacture of food containers, beverage bottles. In addition, the textile industry uses polypropylene copolymer to create nonwovens for protective gear and filters.

HCM CITY — The first Vietnam ASEAN International Furniture & Home Accessories Fair will be held in HCM City’s Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre from August 29 to September 1, featuring nearly 200 exhibitors in 600 booths. VIFA ASEAN 2023 will see the participation of many reputable local and international furniture and handicraft manufacturers, including those from the US, Korea, China, Japan, India, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, and Cambodia. Inflation and economic recession in many countries, especially Việt Nam’s key export markets, have made customers tighten their spending on furniture products. Wood producers and exporters are pinning high hopes on trade fairs and expos, he said. The fair will offer an opportunity for businesses to find new international customers, including those in the region, he said.

Association established to gather former public security officersA congress establishing the Association of Former People’s Public Security Officers of Vietnam was held in the presence of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in Hanoi on August 17. Its activities are under the leadership of the Central Public Security Party Committee, leaders of the Ministry of Public Security, and all-level Party committees of the public security force. Le Quy Vuong, former Deputy Minister of Public Security, was elected Chairman of the association for the 2023 - 2028 tenure. Many policies have been issued to mobilise the strength of the former officers for national development, he went on. Right now, many state departments and agencies as well as district authorities are actively developing their own digital data resources.

Politics Vietnam, Cambodia enhance defence cooperation Maj. Gen. Pham Truong Son, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army (VPA), hosted a reception in Hanoi on August 18 for Lieut. Gen. Neum Balen, head of the Operations Department under the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces High Command. Politics ☕ Afternoon briefing on August 18 The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency. Politics ☀️ Morning digest August 18 The following is a list of selected news summaries last night by the Vietnam News Agency.

HCM CITY — Indian firms want to promote wedding tourism in Việt Nam because of its natural wonders and amazing landscapes. He affirmed that given the evolving geopolitical landscape, Việt Nam and India view one another as long-term partners. Sanjeev Tulsian, chairman of India Holiday Options, held Việt Nam in high regard based on his own personal experience. Prior to his visit to Việt Nam, he had a perception of it being a developing nation. Since the start of 2023, Tulsian’s company has brought over 100 Indian tourists to Việt Nam, averaging around four to five trips per month.

Waste not, want notThe concept of ‘circular fashion’ emerged in 2014 with the purpose to minimise production waste by promoting the idea of buying less and recycling used clothing. “The fashion waste is indeed huge and it can pollute the environment,” Giao said. Currently, UCS is trying to promote reuse among customers to reduce fast fashion.”Building betterCollecting and recycling fashion waste to create new products has become a crucial step in environmental protection. The co-processing technology might be one of the best solutions available today for zero-emissions treatment,” Nghĩa said. In Việt Nam, there are only a few factories that have this co-processing technology.