Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang , Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, delivers remarks at the meeting. (Photo: VNA)Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, called on the international community to strengthen efforts to address conflict-induced hunger during a UN Security Council meeting on April 21.The Arria-formula meeting on conflict and hunger was attended by Máximo Torero Cullen, Chief Economist of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO); Margot Van Der Velden, Director of Emergencies at the World Food Programme (WFP); and Michael Fakhri, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food.In his remarks, Giang said the world’s food system has been increasingly challenged by conflicts, the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and natural disasters. These have seriously threatened the global food security, especially with regard to countries and conflicts in Africa, Asia or Europe, he said.He welcomed recent efforts by the UN, FAO, WFP and humanitarian partners to provide aid to people in many areas; and encouraged the UN and partners to forge solutions to surging prices of many necessary commodities. He also suggested increasing the exchange of information and updates about areas where food insecurity emerges or evolves complexly.The Vietnamese diplomat emphasized that all parties to a conflict must adhere to international humanitarian law and do not use starvation as a method of warfare as stated in Resolutions 2417 and 2573.He also urged deepening cooperation between the UN and regional organisations in tackling the root causes of conflicts, building peace and preventing conflicts, thus reducing the risk of a conflict-induced hunger ASEAN has formed specific partnership in sustaining food security over recent years, he noted, adding the Vietnam views food security as the root of security, stability and development and will continue contributing to the world’s concerted efforts in addressing food security challenges./.

Nguyen Van Nen, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, on April 20 hosted a reception for Speaker of the Indian Lok Sabha (the lower house) Om Birla, who is on an official visit to Vietnam.Briefing the Speaker and the parliament delegation of India on the COVID-19 prevention and control work in Vietnam and the southern city in particular in recent times, Nen thanked India for its help to the city in the fight against the pandemic. The assistance, including medical masks, drug and medical equipment and technology transfer, has contributed to the city’s efforts to overcome difficulties to keep the pandemic under control and promote economic recovery, he said.According to the city leader, the ongoing trip to Vietnam by Speaker Birla and the Indian delegation takes place at the time when Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City in particular have been organising numerous activities marking the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between Vietnam and India (1972-2022).Speaker Birla highlighted HCM City as a typical city for Vietnam in the struggle for national liberation in the past and a rising star in the national development process.He expressed his pleasure and belief that the Indian community living and working in the southern city will contribute to act as a bridge to promote cooperation and development of the two countries’ peoples.According to Birla, India hopes HCM City and Indian localities speed up cooperation in information technology that India is strong in. Besides, it is necessary to create favourable conditions for both countries’ businesses to learn about and promote cooperation and investment in tourism as India and Vietnam boast potential and strengths in the area./.

World Malaysia boost economic cooperation with Thailand Malaysia is working to further boost economic cooperation with Thailand to realise the target of 30 billion USD in bilateral trade by 2025, according to Bernama news agency. ASEAN Laos makes solid progress towards carbon neutrality The ADB said in a recent report that Laos has made solid progress towards achieving its nationally determined contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement, aimed at achieving net-zero emission. ASEAN Vietnam urges ASEAN to early operate ASEAN portal for digital vaccination certification Vietnam has called for the early launch of an ASEAN portal for digital vaccination certification and suggested considering expanding its coverage to the bloc’s partners to facilitate trade, travelling and tourism both in and outside the region. World SEA Games 31: Singapore names 27 players of men’s U23 football squad The Football Association of Singapore has named 27 players of the men’s under-23 national team who will travel to Vietnam to participate in the upcoming 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

The police examine headquarters of Tri Viet Securities Corp (Photo: VNA)– The Ministry of Public Security on April 20 issued a decision to conduct investigations into a case accused of manipulating the stock market at Tri Viet Securities Corp, Louis Holdings Group, Louis Capital JSC and relevant agencies, and detained four people.The four are Do Thanh Nhan, Chairman of Louis Holdings Group and board member of Louis Capital; Do Duc Nam, CEO and board member of Tri Viet Securities Corp; Le Thi Thuy Lien, financial services executive of Tri Viet Securities; and Trinh Thi Thuy Linh, managing director of Louis Holdings Group.They are all accused of “manipulating the stock market” under Article 211 of the Criminal Code.Initial investigation results showed that from January 4 to October 6, 2021, Nam collaborated with Nhan and others to use multiple stock trading accounts to buy and sell shares of Louis Capital (stock code: TGG), Louis Land (stock code: BII) and some other firms to manipulate their prices, illegally earning hundreds of billions of VND.The police are collecting more evidence of the suspects’ violations and expanding investigations into the case./.

In Danang and Ho Chi Minh City, screenings will take place at Le Do Cinema, and at CineStar complex, District 1, respectively. Of the amount, Ho Chi Minh City will receive 193,800 doses and Hanoi will get 104,000 doses. This program is an initiative of the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City and Hung Thinh Corporation to encourage and nurture young talents in mathematics and artificial intelligence in Vietnam. SEA Games 31’s mascot plush toys made to give athletes as presentsThe organizing board of the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) is pushing up the production of simulation Saola mascot plush toys to give athletes as presents and serve fans and sports delegates during the sports tournament. SEA Games 31: 80 athletes to compete in tennis eventsA total of 80 athletes from various countries are to compete at the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31)’s tennis events, which will take place in the northern province of Bac Ninh from May 12 to 22, according to the organising committee.

Illustrative image (Source: vneconomy.vn)– Vietnam can become the second largest digital economy in Southeast Asia in 2025, while the country’s e-commerce market will draw more large-scale businesses, forecast experts at an online seminar in Ho Chi Minh City on April 20.They also said that online businesses will involve more economic sectors and more big players in the time to come.Do Huu Hung, General Director of AccessTrade, held that e-commerce should be the first step, followed by logistics and delivery services to win stronger confidence among consumers and improve their shopping experience.Hung said that with better logistics and delivery services , the digital economy can make up 50-60 percent of the Vietnamese economy in the future.The years of 2020 and 2021 can be described as a special period with unprecedented changes under impacts of COVID-19 , where online business in Vietnam enjoyed a breakthrough growth in both domestic and foreign markets.According to the “E-Commerce White Book 2020”, the global revenue from B2C e-commerce activities is likely to rise by 1.5 times in the 2019-2023 period from 1.94 trillion USD to over 2.88 trillion USD. The book also predicted that Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, will see high growth.Phan Binh, Director of J&T Express Vietnam, said that businesses do not need giant shops but high quality products which will be delivered to customers through suitable services.Currently, many foreign firms have sought business opportunities in the potential market of Vietnam with the motto of "Think Global, Act Local". Meanwhile, online business activities have drawn a large number of companies, cooperatives, business households and individuals in both rural and urban areas.Experts advised enterprises operating online business to seek seek supports in consultations and solutions to develop one-stop-shop model.They also underlined the need for wider coverage of delivery services to meet the demand of the booming e-commerce sector./.

VIETNAM, April 21 - Party leader urges Việt Nam, India to enhance comprehensive strategic partnership<p> </p> <div class="inline-image" id="_212683"><img class="inline-image-img" inline="true" old_doc_id="212683" src="https://image.vietnamnews.vn/uploadvnnews/Article/2022/4/21/212683_4197263576853324_trong.jpg"> <div class="inline-image-caption" id="caption_212683">Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng (right) held talks with the visiting Speaker of the Indian Lok Sabha (the lower house) Om Birla on Wednesday. — VNA/VNS Photo Trí Dũng</div> </div> <p>HÀ NỘI — Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng has received Speaker of the Indian Lok Sabha (the lower house) Om Birla, who is paying an official visit to Việt Nam.</p> <p>Speaker Birla congratulated Việt Nam on its successes under the Party General Secretary’s leadership, expressing his respect for the host’s enormous contributions to the strong development of bilateral parliamentary ties.</p> <p>He affirmed that India considers Việt Nam a pillar in its Act East policy and Indo-Pacific Strategy, noting that the two countries share interests and vision on regional and international issues and boast long-time connectivity in history and culture. They hold much potential for continuing to strongly develop their relations.</p> <p>The visiting Speaker underlined the countries’ coordination in international affairs and asked for stronger cooperation in defence-security, trade, energy, tourism, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges.</p> <p>Welcoming Speaker Birla and the Indian delegation, General Secretary Trọng viewed their trip to Việt Nam as highly important, particularly when the two sides are marking the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic ties this year, which will help cement their comprehensive strategic partnership.</p> <p>He shared his guests’ view on the traditional relations that boast many similarities and mutual support, appreciating India’s aid for Việt Nam in the COVID-19 response.</p> <p>Agreeing with the Speaker’s proposals for cooperation reinforcement, the Party leader asked both countries to keep working together and sharing experiences to enhance the comprehensive strategic partnership.</p> <p>He recommended that they continue discussing, consulting, and coordinating with each other at international parliamentary forums, sharing viewpoints on regional and international issues, and contributing to peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.</p> <p>Earlier in the day, the Indian leader visited Hạ Long Bay, a world natural heritage site in the northern province of Quảng Ninh.</p> <p>Welcoming the Indian delegation, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Nguyễn Xuân Ký provided a brief on the province's socio-economic development and expressed his hope that the visit would strengthen India’s relations with Việt Nam, including Quảng Ninh, especially in tourism.</p> <p>Ký expected that Quảng Ninh would continue to be the venue for the International Day of Yoga held by the Indian Embassy in Việt Nam, helping attract tourists, including those from India, to the province.</p> <p>Birla appreciated the warm welcome of local leaders, noting the beauty of Hạ Long Bay had left a strong impression on him.</p> <p>Wishing Quảng Ninh more successes on its development path, he voiced his belief that through his official visit, India and Việt Nam, including the province, would step up people-to-people and cultural exchanges, as well as cooperation in areas such as information technology, aviation and tourism.</p> <p>Hạ Long Bay, recognised as a world natural heritage site by UNESCO, boasts thousands of magnificent islands and beautiful landscapes. It is a popular destination for both Vietnamese and international visitors. — VNS</p> <p> </p>

The project costs nearly VND11.5 trillion in investment sourced from Japan’s bank loans and was developed under the build-transfer format. Vietnam - Nepal friendship association establishedA congress to announce the establishment of the Vietnam - Nepal Friendship Association (VNFA) took place in Hanoi on April 19. The exhibition, which opened on April 19, is jointly held by the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO), the Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Association and the publishing house. The nearly 50 publications displayed also feature Cuban heroes, as well as the nation and culture of Vietnam and its foreign policy. They include two books by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Nguyen Phu Trong on Vietnam’s national construction, which were published in Spanish.

An overview of the consulting session (Photo: VNA)At a recent consultation for domestic firms held by the Trade Promotion Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Thuan said that at the end of the first quarter of 2022, Vietnam shipped 30.95 million USD worth of goods to Algeria, mostly coffee, pepper, aquatic products, metal and chemicals.According to the official, Algeria has great demand for coffee, green tea, rice, footwear, iron and steel products, packaging materials, wood and wooden furniture, automobile accessories and spare parts, and household appliances.He underlined that Algeria has encouraged foreign investors, including those from Vietnam, to seek partnership in production in the country to improve its domestic production capacity, diversify the economy and reduce its dependence on oil.Besides, Vietnamese firms can also take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area which took effect from January 1, 2021, to increase investment in gateway markets in Africa to enjoy benefit from origin incentives, workforce, and on-site materials.To exploit this market, Thuan advised Vietnamese businesses to provide full and detailed information on the products and offer affordable prices as the import tax rate in Algeria is quite high, while focusing more on packaging and maintaining their high prestige in the market./.

Read full story- A congress to announce the establishment of the Vietnam - Nepal Friendship Association (VNFA) took place in Hanoi on April 19. Former Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Tran Anh Tuan was elected as Chairman of the association for the 2022-2027 tenure. Read full story- Senior Chairman of Thai CP Group Dhanin Chearavanont has pledged to continue to prioritise investment in Vietnam, which he described as the most potential and attractive country in Southeast Asia. This is a pilot model to develop the nighttime economy in Da Nang, which is implemented within the framework of cooperation between the municipal People's Committee and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Vietnam./. Read full story

Hoi An is a popular destination among Vietnamese and foreign tourists. (Photo: VietnamPlus)Hue city, a former capital of Vietnam, is still upholding many tangible and intangible cultural heritages. The key activities will be held from May to September.In Quang Nam , Hoi An will be hosting many of these activities. The highlight of these activities will be the Ha Long - Quang Ninh Tourism Week, including the Ha Long Carnival, in late April and early May.Vietnam’s tourism has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, the number of international arrivals plunged by over 80 percent from the previous year to 3.7 million, while domestic tourism halved.

Vu Ba Phu, Director of the Trade Promotion Agency (Photo: VNA)Viettel has been the only Vietnamese firm to enter the Global 500 list for 2022 (Source: Viettel)– The value and position of the Vietnam national brand have constantly improved in recent years in the global market and received recognition from many prestigious international organisations, according to Vu Ba Phu, Director of the Trade Promotion Agency (Vietrade) under the Ministry of Industry and Trade Phu, who is also head of the Secretariat of the National Brand Programme, highlighted the significant contributions from the business community to the results, stressing that the success in trademark building and development of leading firms has been an important factor in international organisations’ calculation and evaluation of the Vietnam national brand.Thanks to the improvement of the competitiveness of domestic businesses and products, Vietnam’s export revenue has increased strongly, which has also helped Vietnam national brand become more familiar to consumers around the world, he said.Phu noted that Vietnam’s import-export revenue rose nearly 800 percent from 84.7 billion USD in 2006 to 668.5 billion USD in 2021, with exports increasing from 39.8 billion USD to 332.2 billion USD in the period.The World Trade Organisation places Vietnam in the 20th position among 50 countries with largest trade scale in the world.Along with macro-economic policies, the business community has exerted efforts to make positive changes in the structure of export products.In 2016, manufacturing products made up 80.3 percent of total export revenue. The proportion rose to 85 percent in 2020 and is expected to reach 90 percent in 2025.Notably, Viettel has entered the Global 500 list for 2022, while Vinamilk ranks eighth in the Brand Finance’s top 10 most valuable milk brands in the world in 2021.Phu said that in the 2016-2020 period, Vietnam's national brand value increased 226 percent from 141 billion USD to 319 billion USD, pushing Vietnam to the 33rd position among 100 strongest brands in the world.Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2021, the national brand of Vietnam maintained the 33rd position in the list with a value of 388 billion USD, up 21.69 percent year on year.Phu attributed the success to the proper policies and orientations from the Party and State and the directions from the Government over economic, political, diplomatic, cultural and social activities, which has helped enhanced the position and prestige of Vietnam in the world arena.The active engagement of ministries, sectors and localities in the National Brand Programme , and efforts of the business community have also contributed to turning Vietnam into a strong brand.According to Phu, in order to successfully establish a brand in choosy markets, apart from products' high quality and differentness, businesses should give more attention to the registration of intellectual property protection for their products abroad, as well as research and development (R&D).At the same time, it is necessary to foster linkages between domestic suppliers with foreign distributors, and attract more foreign investors in order to bring Vietnamese products to distribution systems in foreign countries, he said. Phu also stressed the need for businesses to improve their awareness on the significance of building, governing and developing trademarks abroad to give suitable resources for the work.He said that in the future, as part of efforts to develop the national brand, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will select and announce products eligible for the title National Brand in 2022 within the fourth quarter this year.Together with enhancing public awareness of the necessity of trademark development, the ministry will help improve the capacity for businesses in trademark building, management and development, and further popularise the National Brand Programme and products with national brands. The ministry will also call on the engagement of enterprises in expanding the National Brand Programme, he added./.

There are only about 20 traditional long houses in Buôr hamlet, of which only 6 have retained their original design. The traditional long house, which accommodates several generations of the one clan, typifies the Ede ethnic minority group’s matriarchal structure. There is a saying that compares an old house to the distance the sound of a gong travels, because when a gong is struck at one end of an old house its sound can barely be heard at the other end. Many traditional long houses in Bour hamlet in particular and in Dak Nong in general are falling in disrepair. Preserving and conserving these houses of the Ede people will play an important role in maintaining traditional cultural values and in introducing a unique tourism product of the ethnic people in Dak Nong province./.

The second goal of Vietnam was scored by Huynh Nhu just 10 minutes before the end of the first half. An opening ceremony is slated for April 19 on Nguyen Hue street of HCM City, said Nguyen Nguyen, Director of the Authority of Publication, Printing and Distribution under the Ministry of Information and Communications. The HCM City People’s Committee will host a book fair on Nguyen Hue street from April 19 to 24. It will run until April 21.WHO officials honoured for contributions to social security in VietnamMedals have been awarded to World Health Organisation (WHO) Representative to Vietnam Kidong Park and WHO Vietnam officer Ho Hong Ngoc for their contributions to the development of social security in Vietnam. For her part, Ho Hong Ngoc, a project assistant at WHO Vietnam, has cooperated with the VSS on various issues related to healthcare insurance in Vietnam.

Hanoi April 19 (VNA) - The following is a list of selected news summaries last night by the Vietnam News Agency. - The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV)’s decision to tighten control over real estate credit has helped to restrict speculation while making the market transparent and preventing a real state bubble, economic experts have said. The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV)’s decision to tighten control over real estate credit has helped to restrict speculation. Read full story- The Prime Minister has approved the restructuring of Vietnam Railways (VNR) to reduce the number of its subsidiaries. The Vietnamese women's football team (Photo: VNA)The Korean squad got the ball into the net in the seventh minute.