The slow economic recovery globally has exerted strong impacts on many key exports of Vietnam last year. Therefore, meeting the high standards of markets and customers on green, sustainable development is the prerequisite to increase values and maintain the position of exports in the context of the increasingly fierce competition. Over the past years, such big markets as the US and the EU have faced great inflation pressure, causing their consumers to tighten their purse string, thus resulting in the reduction of imports of non-essential consumer goods. The Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, suggested relevant ministries and agencies supplement and consolidate the legal framework, and set out standards and regulations on green transition for each sector in order to help enterprises optimise market opportunities and satisfy higher standards of importers./.

The two sides concurred to work closely together to speed up the effective implementation of the action programme to boost the Việt Nam-RoK comprehensive strategic partnership. The two FMs pledged to encourage Korean firms to expand investment in Việt Nam, build more research and development centres, and transfer core and source technologies to Việt Nam, while coordinating in making the full use of the RoK's Economic Development Co-operation Fund (EDCF) and the Economic Development Promotion Facility (EDPF). The RoK will help Việt Nam develop cultural industries, expand exchanges among youngsters of the two countries, and provide more scholarships for Vietnamese students to study in the RoK. The two FMs vowed to work for the strengthening of cooperation among localities of the two countries through practical activities such as the Meet Korea programme, while the RoK will continue supporting Việt Nam in high quality human resources training and increasing the receiving of Vietnamese workers in the future. The two sides agreed to continue coordinating closely and supporting each other at regional and international forums.

The Strategy for developing Vietnam’s cultural industries, which is in place to 2030, highlights the importance of cultural industries as a vital component of the national economy. Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong emphasised this during the 2021 National Cultural Conference, stressing the significance of developing cultural industries to build an advanced Vietnamese culture that embodies the nation’s identity. Investment resources are needed for cultural fields at all levels, with a particular focus on prioritising the development of Vietnam’s robust cultural industries. Of the 12 cultural industries, 6 - cinema, crafts, design, performing arts, cultural tourism, and entertainment software and games - have achieved significant milestones. Turning culture into a marketable product that can be consumed by many people and repeatedly sold is among the strategies employed to foster economic growth in the cultural industry.

"The US will work with Việt Nam in supporting Vietnamese schools to have over 50,000 engineers in this field in the next few years. "There are companies right now that are telling us that they want to invest in Việt Nam, but they're having trouble finding the qualified workforce, and this is not just limited to Việt Nam. "Many companies have made commitments to the shareholders and to their customers that they will use only renewable energy, so they are waiting for renewable energy regime and Việt Nam to expand. They're waiting for permits so that they can establish renewable power systems here in Việt Nam." He also reaffirmed that the US was committed to supporting a strong, independent, resilient, and prosperous Việt Nam.

The Vietnamese Ministry also hopes to strengthen exchanges with Korean partners in education and technology transfer on smart city development. Mekong Delta steps up vocational training for workforceAuthorities in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta are providing vocational training for the workforce to help people find steady jobs and improve their lives. It has persuaded agricultural production and services and industrial services businesses to link up with vocational training establishments to create jobs. Last year Sóc Trăng provided vocational training to 17,540 people and created 29,412 jobs, according to its Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs. It plans to invest more in vocational training facilities, develop skilled teachers and generally improve the quality of vocational schools, she added.

HÀ NỘI Friday saw a resurgence in the VN-Index following a three-day downturn, primarily attributed to the recovery of several prominent large-cap stocks. This positive shift can be largely attributed to the recovery of a few key large-cap stock groups. The recovery of large-cap stocks played a crucial role in driving the VN-Index upward. Bank stocks emerged as the driving force behind the market's upward momentum on Friday, orchestrating a notable rebound after a series of declining sessions. Gaining bank stocks were Tiên Phong Bank (TPB), Vietcombank (VCB), VPBank (VPB), National Commercial Joint Stock Bank (NVB), Military Bank (MBB), Techcombank (TCB), Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BID), Asia Commercial Bank (ACB), Vietinbank (CTG) and Saigon-Hanoi Bank (SHB).

This best-seller is one of the most sought books in 2023, and 24 nations have already purchased its publishing rights, including Vietnam. Director of Omega Plus Tran Hoai Phuong shared that her organization usually accelerates the translation and publication of hot international books (e.g. Despite all of the above preparation, a negotiation for a publishing right to a title is not always successful. The last factor affecting the success of obtaining a publishing right is copyright protection. Unless the copyright protection process has more positive results in Vietnam, otherwise foreign partners will certainly hesitate to grant the right to Vietnamese publishers.

HÀ NỘI — The E-commerce Development Centre, Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), has developed the Vsign system to help import-export businesses reduce the time looking up information to perform work easier and faster. Vsign (at www.vsign.vn) is a website that provides solutions to support businesses using digital signatures and printing Certificate of Origin (C/O) form AI according to the standards of the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Goods with C/O form AI will enjoy preferential import/export tax policies under the AIFTA. The Vsign system recently has added more convenient management features for businesses when printing forms on A4 paper automatically, printing C/O applications or looking up the electronic C/O, C/O fees or fee payment receipts. In 2023, the E-commerce Development Centre supported more than 30,000 businesses with 100,000 declarations and printing of C/O forms from the Vsign system.

In the 30 years since blood donation drives were first launched, more than 21.3 million people nationwide have made donations, with tens of thousands being exemplary donors, some of whom have donated 30, 50, or even 100 times or more. Vietnam made remarkable progress last year, receiving more than 1.5 million units of blood, with 99% of donors voluntarily taking part. Blood donation drives are not only a symbol of humanity, but also a demonstration of solidarity and sharing, helping build a strong and healthy community. Over the past three decades, Vietnam has witnessed the strong development of the voluntary blood donation movement. This has been a journey of sharing love, compassion, and solidarity among millions of Vietnamese hearts, bringing life and happiness to countless families of patients./.

The Dien Bien Phu Victory Museum has long been a popular destination on journeys to explore Dien Bien. It welcomed more than 150,000 visitors last year, with the panorama of the Dien Bien Phu Campaign in 1954 remaining its most appealing exhibit. The museum’s exhibition hall also displays more than 1,000 artifacts that vividly depict the Dien Bien Phu Victory. In addition to historical tourism, with relics from the Dien Bien Phu battlefield, Dien Bien province, with a diverse community of 19 ethnic groups and beautiful natural landscapes, is a vibrant and colourful tourism destination in its own right. In 2024, with the National Tourism Year coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory, nearly 170 events are expected to take place around the province.

Business Large commercial complex to be build alongside Vietnam - China border A complex of commercial, tourism, financial - banking, and advanced technology facilities worth over 350 million USD in total is set to be built in the vicinity of Tan Thanh Border Gate, the northern province of Lang Son. Videos Decree issued boost Vietnam-Cambodia trade The Government has just issued a Decree on special preferential import tariffs for Cambodian goods, as part of the implementation of the Vietnam-Cambodia trade promotion agreement for the 2023-2024 period. Business Credit contracts worth over 15.6 trillion VND signed to implement 500kV transmission line The National Power Transmission Corporation (EVNNPT) on January 26 signed credit contracts worth over 15.6 trillion VND (634 million USD) with five banks to implement projects to build the 500kV circuit 3 transmission line section from Quang Trach to Pho Noi. Business Hanoi plans to start construction of Thuong Cat bridge in October Hanoi announced the selected design for its Thuong Cat bridge project on January 25, with construction planned to start on October 10, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the capital city from French occupation (October 10, 1954-2024).

HCM CITY — HCM City has completed and publicly integrated the list of all preschool education facilities in the city on axis data. The city’s Department of Education and Training on Thursday organised a workshop to evaluate digital transformation in preschool education management. The department reported that the list of 100 per cent of preschool education facilities is available online at https://pgdmamnon.hcm.edu.vn/CongKhaiCoSoGiaoDuc. Newly licensed preschool education facilities, and preschool establishments dissolved or suspended will be updated on the system by districts and Thủ Đức City. It has developed a standard for connecting data reporting and statistics on declaring calculations for the nutritional values from preschool education facilities, integrating it into preschool education management on the shared data system.

The current problem is how to build a brand and identity for Vietnamese rice so that many Filipinos know they are using Vietnamese rice. Anh explained with the current high rice price, rice exporters will face many potential risks if they buy rice for reserve. Bình said many customers currently ask to buy rice but there are almost no transactions because Vietnamese rice exporters have no more rice to sell. With this high price, rice exporters will not dare to sign contracts with long delivery time, for fear of price fluctuations. Rice exporters currently sell right after buying and do not reserve much rice to avoid potential risks, Bình said.

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam should consider removing the monopolies in gold imports and production to ensure the transparency, efficiency and sustainability of the gold market. Together with the general Vietnamese preference of keeping gold as a means of reserve to hedge against inflation and risks, the monopolies cause unbalance of supply and demand in the gold market, causing domestic gold prices to differ widely from world prices. The gold trading market should be developed with a diversification in methods rather than physical gold, such as gold derivatives and certificates, which would help ensure flexibility in management and prevent the hoarding of physical gold in safes. The equality of physical gold and the removal of SJC-branded bullion’s monopoly should be considered.”“Gold should be considered a normal product. Nguyễn Thế Hùng, Deputy President of Việt Nam Gold Trading Association, said that in major economies, central banks do not manage gold trading directly, as gold is considered a normal product.

Representatives from Việt Nam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) and the UAE Ministry of Economy at the meeting. — VNA/VNS PhotoOfficials from Việt Nam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) and the UAE Ministry of Economy have agreed to speed up negotiations for a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) between the two countries. He also proposed UAE businesses invest in Việt Nam in areas of mutual interest. The two sides agreed to cooperate more closely to speed up the Việt Nam - UAE CEPA negotiation process and conclude it soon. Currently, the UAE is the largest export market and the second-largest trade partner of Việt Nam in West Asia (after Kuwait).