Fishing vessels of Ca Mau province (Photo: VNA)Roberto Cesari, head of the anti-IUU fishing unit of the EC’s Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, at the meeting (Photo: VNA)– Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh affirmed Vietnam’s all-out efforts to fight and eradicate illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing while meeting with an inspection delegation of the European Commission (EC) in Hanoi on October 28.The host said the European Union (EU) has become a leading partner of Vietnam in various spheres, especially trade, investment, and development cooperation.He appreciated the recommendations by the EC’s Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries to help Vietnam deal with IUU fishing, noting that most of these recommendations match the country’s policy of promoting responsible fisheries and sustainable development of the industry.Thanh underlined that Vietnam has been making all-out efforts to handle the EC’s recommendations in the best possible manner to develop a sustainable, responsible, and well-controlled seafood fishing industry. He also reaffirmed the strong commitment and joint efforts by authorities, fishermen, and businesses to prevent, end, and eradicate IUU fishing.However, the Deputy PM noted, Vietnam’s fishing grounds in the East Sea are affected by many factors while its resources remain modest, so the IUU fishing combat needs great efforts, a roadmap, and time to sustainably put an end to the IUU fishing.Given this, he called on the EC and EU member states to keep close cooperation with and timely technical assistance for Vietnam, with specific features of the country’s fisheries industry taken into account, to implement the recommendations.He asked the EC to recognise Vietnam’s efforts against IUU fishing and the positive results obtained, and to lift the “yellow card” warning for the country.At the meeting, Roberto Cesari, head of the anti-IUU fishing unit of the EC’s Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, said fighting IUU fishing is an increasing priority in the EU’s agenda, and that the bloc views this as a top priority in its and each of its members’ cooperation with partner countries.The delegation highly values Vietnam’s efforts to engage the entire political system in drastic and methodological measures to combat IUU fishing, he said, noting that through random examination of coastal localities, the delegation has seen considerable progress and improvements in anti- IUU fishing actions, including boosting information transparency and improving capacity for fisheries management personnel in 28 coastal localities.It perceived that Vietnam has taken drastic actions at the central level as seen in the issuance of many legal regulations, mechanisms, and policies for IUU fishing prevention, but the enforcement at the grassroots level is still weak.In the time ahead, the country should have effective management mechanisms with strict legal regulations, ensure consistent and uniform enforcement from the central to local levels, stringently deal with all violations, devise an all-round plan for managing fishery resources and strictly controlling the import of fishery materials for export processing, and eradicate fishermen’s infringement of foreign waters, Cesari said.The delegation is set to make another examination and assessment trip to Vietnam in the next six months, the official added./.

Seaweed farmers in the process of drying their seaweed in Nunukan, North Kalimantan, Indonesia. (Photo: ANTARA)Jakarta (VNA) - Indonesia’s Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry is preparing four seaweed industrialisation zones to capitalise on the potential of seaweed commodities, an official has said. It means there are still opportunities to develop seaweed cultivation, he said. According to Hartanto, the technology utilised for seaweed cultivation was quite simple, adding that seaweed can be harvested in just about 35-40 days. Seaweed cultivation is able to create jobs and is deemed strategic, as it can improve the welfare of coastal communities./.

The minister admitted that the Law on Health Insurance and Decree 146 contain inconsistent regulations, resulting in problems in paying health insurance benefits. The Government has assigned the Health Ministry to work with Vietnam Social Insurance and other relevant ministries, agencies to amend Decree 146. With the revised decree, difficulties in the implementation of health insurance policy are expected to be tackled, she said. About health insurance for students, she said it will be considered when the Law on Health Insurance is revised, slated for 2023. It is set to integrate climate change content into regional, provincial and urban planning works; and to develop plans and technical manuals serving climate change response.

Regular commercial flights between Vietnam and China have been suspended since the outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020. Vietnam Airlines has been allocated a number of flights to China each month, but not in the usual commercial form. The CAAV also revealed that although some international markets have opened, travel demand remains low, and the recovery has not been as expected, with only the Indian market seeing positive passenger volumes with a number of new routes./.

Illustrative image (Photo: weforum.org)Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam takes the lead and set to post a 31% growth in gross merchandise value (GMV) from 23 billion USD in 2022 to 49 billion USD in 2025, according to the "e-Conomy SEA 2022" report released by Google, Temasek and Bain & Company on October 27. The six major economies covered in the report, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, will achieve the milestone of 200 billion USD by 2025 which is three years earlier than schedule. The 2022 GMV rose by about 20% from 161 billion USD in 2021. Southeast Asia’s online economy is still on track to reach 1 trillion USD by 2030 as online shopping becomes the norm, according to the report. Overall, their Internet economy is predicted to reach 330 billion USD by 2025 if companies put a greater focus on profitability for the next three years./.

They successfully organized the 12th Viet Nam-Laos security cooperation conference, along with meetings to exchange professional skills, among other activities, he said. Vietnam are one of the five second-placed teams with the best results in the qualifying round. Energy, environment technology exhibition opens in HanoiThe Hanoi International Exhibition of Environment and Energy Technology 2022 (ENTECH HANOI 2022) opened in the capital city on October 26. Vietnam, Laos boost cooperation in fighting cross-border drug crimeThe Ministries of Public Security of Vietnam and Laos held a ministerial-level meeting in Hanoi on October 26 to review the implementation of their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in drug prevention and control. The two sides also coordinated to identify a number of key routes and locations that could be used by traffickers to transport drugs from the "Golden Triangle" area to Laos and Vietnam.

Goods for export at Cai Lan port (Photo: VNA)Illustrative image (Source: VNA)– Vietnam and India may complete the goal of 15 billion USD in two-way trade this year despite impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic and geostrategic competition in the region and in the world, according to Vietnamese Trade Counsellor in India Bui Trung Thuong.Thuong noted that trade between the two countries reached 11.43 billion USD in the first nine months of this year, a year on year rise of over 16%, with Vietnam’s trade surplus of 6.13 billion USD, up 35%.Bilateral cooperation in tourism and investment also grew with the resumption and launch of direct air routes, he said, adding that Adani Group has committed to pouring 10 billion USD in Vietnam.The official underlined that Vietnam and India can supplement each other in economic production. India is an important supplier of materials, while Vietnam has high demand for materials in service of production and export. Currently, India is Vietnam’s leading provider of aquatic, garment and textile, leather and pharmaceutical materials, he added.The 1.4-billion-strong Indian market has diverse demands with various market segments - a good condition for Vietnamese exporters.However, according to Thuong, the presence of Vietnamese businesses in the market has remained modest, while the administrative and legal system of India has been complicated with toughest trade defence measures, which has caused great difficulties for Vietnam in approaching the market.As part of the efforts to support Vietnamese firms to penetrate the market more deeply, the Vietnam Trade Office in India has organised online trade promotion activities, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic, said the official.The office has also connected many Vietnamese firms with their Indian peers and helped deal with trade conflicts, while providing domestic businesses with trade defence cases initiated by the Indian side, he said.Thuong said that as Vietnam and India are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relations this year, the office has coordinated with relevant agencies to organise 50 trade promotion activities, and sent businesses of both sides to international trade fairs in Vietnam and India./.

The meeting between Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam (second from right) and representatives of the Oryza Oil & Fat Chemical company (Photo: VNA)– Vietnam, a leading rice producer and exporter in the world, has a chance to earn higher value from the grain by capitalising on by-products.Talking to visiting Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam, Murai Hiromichi, President of the Nagoya-based Oryza Oil & Fat Chemical company, said rice bran oil generates 320 - 350 USD per tonne in value while compounds obtained during oil extraction are used in 70 nutritional and beauty care products.He noted rice oil is a popular product in Japan and other developed countries, adding that each tonne of bran can bring about 2,000 - 3,000 USD or higher in value if it is maximised.Making a fact-finding tour of the factory of Oryza Oil & Fat Chemical, Deputy Minister Nam said applying technology to produce high-value products from rice bran could be an answer to the question of how to help rice farmers in Vietnam raise income.In 2021, the country produced about 44 million tonnes of rice, which generated about 8 million tonnes of bran.Prof. Tran Dang Xuan from the Hiroshima University held that Vietnam should step up research and cooperation with Japan and other developed countries to soon make use of the values of agricultural by-products, especially from rice./.

87/2022/ND-CP defining the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Vietnam News AgencyAccordingly, the Vietnam News Agency is a government-attached agency that performs the function of a state news agency in publishing and broadcasting news and official documents of the Party and the State...collects and provides information through various types of press and multimedia communications. The organizational structure of the Vietnam News Agency includes 28 units:1- The Editorial Secretariat and External Affairs Department. New organizational structure of the Vietnam News Agency (Illustration)The Office includes 06 divisions, and the Planning and Finance Department includes 04 divisions. The Vietnam News Agency is headed by the General Director and no more than 04 Deputy General Directors. Deputy General Directors shall assist the General Director in, and take responsibility before the General Director and law for, their assigned tasks.

According to the General Department of Vietnam Customs, in the first nine months of 2022, the country shipped nearly 1.39 million tons of fertilizer worth 886 million USD abroad, soaring over 45 percent in volume and 166% in value from a year earlier. After nearly one year of strong fluctuations in the global market due to political and economic uncertainties, fertilizer prices have shot up, and many Vietnamese producers have grasped this chance to promote overseas shipments. Export prices posted sharp growth due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, and especially since the beginning of 2022 as a result of the Russia - Ukraine conflict. Beside, as domestic demand stands at about 11 million tons each year while factories in Vietnam are licensed to produce over 29 million tons annually, businesses have been working to seek markets and boost exports./.

Politics Government issues decree on VNA functions, tasks, power, structure Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh on October 26 signed a Government decree regulating the functions, tasks, power, and organisational structure of the Vietnam News Agency (VNA). Politics ☀️ Morning digest October 27 The following is a list of selected news summaries last night by the Vietnam News Agency. Politics President hosts new ambassadors of El Salvador, India, RoK President Nguyen Xuan Phuc hosted separate receptions in Hanoi on October 26 for Ambassadors of El Salvador, India and the Republic of Korea who presented their credentials. Politics Vietnam values multifaceted cooperation with Qatar: President Vietnam treasures its multifaceted cooperation with Qatar, said President Nguyen Xuan Phuc while receiving outgoing Qatar Ambassador Ismail Al-Emadi in Hanoi on October 26.

"Regulations on the conditions for applying the shortened procedure are not clear and not strict enough to have a basis for applying the shortened procedure. For example, the draft law only stipulates the condition of 'simple case', but there are no criteria for what is 'simple'," Huy said.Revised Law on InspectionOn October 25 morning, deputies discussed the draft Inspection Law (revised).Compared to the version discussed at the NA's third session, the draft being debated this time has 111 adjusted articles out of the total 118. These contents must be included in the revised law.According to the Government's report, there are 72 specialised agencies with inspection functions. It is difficult for the law to be retroactive when an inspection has a statute of limitations. If there are no clear processes and procedures, especially retroactive principles, enterprises face the risk of business stagnation and the interests of shareholders.

- The following is a list of selected news summaries last night by the Vietnam News Agency.- National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue held talks with visiting President of the Cambodian Senate Samdech Say Chhum in Hanoi on October 24, following the welcome ceremony the same day.The Cambodian Senate President thanked the Vietnamese Party, State, army and people for providing tremendous support for the just and fair cause of the Cambodian people in all historical periods. He affirmed that Cambodia always maintains its consistent stance on cultivating solidarity and friendship between the two peoples in line with the motto of good neighbourliness, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation and long-term sustainability. He also highlighted achievements in the Party and political system building, as well as the corruption combat. Read full story - The Party Central Committee’s Secretariat has issued a warning for the Party Civil Affairs Board of the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) in the 2016 - 2021 tenure and former Minister Phung Xuan Nha for their wrongdoings.The decision was made at the Secretariat’s meeting under the chair of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in Hanoi on October 24. Read full story

Vietnam hopes Cambodia will work closely with Vietnam to soon complete the planting of markers along their common land border, State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc told visiting Cambodian Senate President Samdec Say Chhum in Hanoi on October 25. According to TasteAtlas, Pho is the Vietnamese national dish, street food, comfort food, and more than that it is a way of life. Australia’s Escape: Vietnam delivers Asia’s best valueAustralia’s tourism newswire Escape has recently published an article hailing Vietnam as an ideal budget destination for Australian tourists. Moving forward, contestants will continue to compete for the “Best National Costume” award, with the winner being unveiled in the grand finale on October 25. As Miss Grand Vietnam, Thien An successfully received the highest score in terms of votes in the Best National Costume segment.

The opening ceremony of the 18th OANA General Assembly in Tehran on October 24 (Source: VNA)VNA General Director Vu Viet Trang chairs a panel discussion of the 18th OANA General Assembly in Tehran on October 24. (Source: VNA)VNA– A Vietnam News Agency (VNA) delegation led by General Director Vu Viet Trang is taking part in the 18th General Assembly of the Organisation of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA), which kicked off in the Iranian capital of Tehran on October 24.The opening ceremony was attended by Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad Mehdi Esmaili, Vietnamese Ambassador to Iran Luong Quoc Huy, diplomatic representatives of some participating countries, and 22 delegations of regional news agencies.In his opening remarks, Kim Hyeon-jun, an executive of the Republic of Korea’s Yonhap news agency - which is holding the OANA presidency, said the 18th General Assembly is an occasion to assess challenges and discuss measures for promoting bilateral and multilateral cooperation among member news agencies after an over-two-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.Managing Director of the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) Ali Naderi highly valued the role of the media, which has comprehensively reflected the pandemic’s impacts on the world.He said it’s time for news agencies to enhance connectivity and cooperation, and a new chapter begins in the fields of communications and media after the pandemic.After the opening ceremony, VNA General Director Vu Viet Trang chaired a panel discussion on media cooperation in the post-pandemic period. The discussion featured Vugar Seyidov from the AZERTAC News Agency of Azerbaijian and Toshimitsu Sawai from Kyodo News of Japan as the main speakers.In her introductory speech, Trang held that news agencies have undergone trying times during the COVID-19 pandemic as their service revenue shrank strongly, most of development projects were delayed, and many media companies had no other choices but to shut down.Besides, digital technology has changed the public’s information access from print newspapers to internet platforms, forcing news agencies to change accordingly, she went on, adding that the discussion was an occasion for regional news agencies to work out solutions and initiatives to surmount difficulties and move forwards.On the first day of the 18th General Assembly, the 49th meeting of the OANA Executive Board and a photo exhibition on the post-pandemic life also took place./.