RoK President begins State visit to VietnamPresident Moon Jae-in of the Republic of Korea and his spouse began a three-day State visit to Vietnam on March 22. President Moon Jae-in of the Republic of Korea (Source: Embassy of the Republic of Korea)This is the first official visit to Vietnam by President Moon Jae-in. Vietnam hailed as core in RoK’s New Southern PolicyRoK President Moon Jae-in (L) and President Tran Dai QuangPresident of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Moon Jae-in’s upcoming visit to Vietnam will provide momentum in seeking new emerging trade partners for the RoK in Southeast Asia. The official said President Moon will seek ways to strengthen practical cooperation in various fields, including trade, transportation, infrastructure and energy. On the second day of his visit, Moon will pay floral tribute to late President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum.

Vietnam’s footwear boasts competitive edges in few decadesDespite challenges, Vietnam’s leather and footwear sector will still have a competitive edge for the next two decades, according to Deputy Chairman of the Vietnam Leather, Footwear and Handbag Association (LEFASO) Diep Thanh Kiet. During the Vietnam Footwear Summit held in Ho Chi Minh City on March 21, Kiet said Vietnam has moved up to the second place globally in leather and footwear exports and third in manufacturing. Last year, Vietnam earned more than 18 billion USD from leather exports, 16.4 billion USD of which was leather footwear, up 12 percent annually. Duncan Scott of New Balance Athletic Shoe Inc, said countries moving up the value chain could stop making footwear and those continuing to make footwear would need “sophistication”. John Graebin from US footwear company Deckers Brands said more and more automation solutions will be used, and that is an opportunity for Vietnam to compete for decades to come.-VNA

Hue struggles to protect its relicsVietNamNet Bridge – The central city of Hue is struggling to conserve relics located along the Huong (Perfume) River as development proliferates in the area. “Thus changes in the ecology of the river have a negative impact on the relics,” Hai told a seminar on the conservation of the relics located along the river held in the former imperial capital city on Tuesday. The exploitation of stone and minerals on the upper riverbanks also affected the river in general and the relics in particular, he added. “We made many efforts to give explanations to UNESCO for these developmental impacts, especially the construction of new bridges spanning the river,” Hai said. “Local authorities should work to make Hue a museum of ecology, with harmony between ancient buildings and nature.

Memorial, burial services held for former PM Phan Van KhaiThe memorial and burial services for former Poiltburo member and former Prime Minister Phan Van Khai were held in Ho Chi Minh City on March 22 morning. Manh wrote in the book of condolences that PM Phan Van Khai paid great attention to external affairs and greatly contributed to the country’s international integration. At the respect paying ceremony held by the Vietnamese Embassy in Chile, representatives of the Chilean Foreign Ministry and the Chile-Vietnam culture institute recalled the visit to the South American nation by then PM Phan Van Khai in October 2002. On March 20-21, the Vietnamese Embassy in the Republic of Korea held a memorial service for former PM Phan Van Khai. On March 21, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa issued a press release stating that South Africa extends condolences to Vietnam over the death of former PM Phan Van Khai.

Dak Lak seeks to inventory damaged, encroached forestlandVietNamNet Bridge – Dak Lak province’s People’s Committee has requested local forest owners to examine all natural forest areas and inventory in all parts that have been destroyed or illegally encroached upon since 2014. Trees are chopped down by illegal loggers in Yok Don National Park in Dak Lak Province. However, in recent days, natural forest areas have seen severe deforestation without any preventive measures being taken. The reason, according to the provincial authority, was the loose management of the forest owners, local forest protection units, local forest rangers and local authorities. Dak Lak Province has 86,000 hectares of forestland.

Facebook's Zuckerberg 'sorry' over Cambridge Analytica 'breach'Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has admitted that the social network "made mistakes" that led to millions of Facebook users having their data exploited by a political consultancy. Cambridge Analytica is accused of improperly using the data on behalf of political clients. In a statement, Mr Zuckerberg said a "breach of trust" had occurred. In a later interview with CNN he said he was "really sorry", and pledged to take action against "rogue apps". "We have a responsibility to protect your data, and if we can't then we don't deserve to serve you," Mr Zuckerberg said.

HAGL aim to win int’l U19 football tourneyVietNamNet Bridge – Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) will win the International U19 Football Tournament which will kick off today, according to their coach Guillaume Graechen. — Photo thethao247.vnThe French retired footballer said his team will improve compared to the recent National U19 Football Tournament, in which HAGL were ousted from the qualification round. “In comparison to the national U19 event held in Hue, our line-up has the great change in midfield and defence. Goalkeeper Kimura Go, who plays for the national U19 team and competes in J2 League, is set to feature. Defending champions Vietnam U19 team will aim to protect their title.

Vietnam’s important trade partners in CPTPPVietNamNet Bridge - The current two-way trade turnover between Vietnam and most of the CPTPP member countries is $1 billion or more. In 2017, two-way trade turnover between Vietnam and Japan reached $33.4 billion, while Vietnam gained a trade surplus of $250 million. The total trade value between Vietnam and 10 trade partners in CPTPP alone reached $67.33 billion in 2017, amounting to 15.8 percent of total import/export turnover of the country. In trade relationships with 200 countries and territories, Vietnam’s average trade turnover was $2 billion for each market in 2017. RELATED NEWSVietnam expects stronger foreign investment flow in CPTPP periodVietnam trusts new CPTPP trade agreementKim Chi

Ly Hoang Nam stops in India F4 FuturesVietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese No 2 seed Ly Hoang Nam was defeated in the second round of the India F4 Futures tennis tournament on March 21. Ly Hoang Nam. — Photo hcmcpv.org.vnNam, who is ranked 465th in the world, lost to Abhinav Sanmugam of India, world No 968, 2-6, 6-2, 3-6. In the India F3 Futures, Nam finished second in the men’s singles after losing to Prajnesh Gunneswaran of India, world No 235, in the final. The southern province of Tay Ninh-born Nam will be the key player for the Vietnamese team in singles and doubles.

VN footwear boasts strong development prospectsViet Nam’s leather and footwear industry will continue to develop in the coming years, according to the Viet Nam Leather, Footwear and Handbag Association (Lefaso). Delegates exchange information on the sidelines of the two-day Viet Nam Footwear Summit which opened in HCM City yesterday. Speaking at the two-day Viet Nam Footwear Summit which opened in HCM City on Wednesday, Diep Thanh Kiet, Lefaso’s deputy chairman, said exports of footwear and bags increased to US$18.1 billion last year from $16.2 billion in 2016. ChallengesKiet also spoke about the challenges faced by the industry such as increasing labour costs, automation, protectionism, and competition from other countries. “Large customers tend to shift orders to countries with cheaper labour costs, especially for simple and manual items.

Climate change has created many anomalous weather forms with natural disasters, storms, floods and salinization often occurring. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), natural disasters in 2017 caused total damages of VND60 trillion. Climate change has created many anomalous weather forms with natural disasters, storms, floods and salinization often occurring. Jasper Abramowski, country director of GIZ, said Vietnam is one of the countries suffering extreme impact from climate change. It is estimated that Vietnam loses 1-2 percent of GDP because of the effects of climate change.

Who should take responsibility for forest devastation in Central Highlands? More serious deforestation cases were found occurring before, during and after Tet holiday in the province of Dak Nong and Dak Lak. In early March, police in M’Drak district in Dak Lak province discovered many vehicles laden with sawn timber plates in Krong A commune. However, in Dak Lak, no official or forest owner has been prosecuted. RELATED NEWSProtecting forests from illegal logging an uphill battle in Central HighlandsCentral Highlands to plant 12,500 hectares of forestChi Mai

Silicon on Thin Box (SOTB) – a technology breakthrough for smart citiesVietNamNet Bridge - As the number of IoT devices increases, low-power chips manufactured with SOTB technology (Silicon on Thin BOX) will become a key to IC (integrated circuit) industry development. SOTB is the technology breakthrough for smart citiesThe development of smart cities and smart production has led to a sharp demand for sensors. Low-power chips will not only help save energy, but also help prolong the life span of devices. The HCMC University of Natural Sciences, a member of HCMC National University, is a pioneer in the field with research on SOTB for low-power chips. The current leakage of the chip in operation is significantly lower than that of currently used chips.

500 teachers in Dak Lak threatened with dismissalVietNamNet Bridge - More than 500 teachers in Krong Pak district in Dak Lak province have been informed that district authorities will terminate their labor contracts in late April. Recently, provincial authorities discovered the mistakes and found that 521 teachers are redundant. The district authorities decided to terminate the labor contracts signed with the teachers. “There are two important subjects in education – students and teachers. RELATED NEWSEducation minister expresses sympathy at low teacher salariesPreschool, primary teachers’ salaries lower than motorbike taxi drivers’ earningsLe Mai

HCM City plans activities for tobacco harm control and preventionVietNamNet Bridge – Training on how to help local residents quit smoking will be provided to staff at ward- and commune-level People’s Committees by the HCM City Department of Health. Each family member should have a deep understanding of the Law on Tobacco Harm Control and Prevention and should encourage their relatives to quit or never begin smoking. According to a report from the health harm prevention board, 24 wards and communes in the city are smoke-free. Cigarettes should be sold only via retail regulated under the Law on Tobacco Harm Control and Prevention, which means that sites selling cigarettes should not advertise and sell to people under 18 years old. People’s committees in the city’s districts will set up inspection teams to check the implementation of the tobacco harm control and prevention programme.