Chief Representative of UNESCO in Vietnam Jonathan Baker. (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Tran Hong Thai on January 18 had a working session with Chief Representative of UNESCO in Vietnam Jonathan Baker. The two sides pledged to expand cooperation in natural sciences, culture, and education. Thai believed that the Vietnam - UNESCO cooperation on science and technology will contribute to realising Vietnam's socio-economic development goals as well as proactively promoting cooperation and international integration on science, technology, and innovation. He said UNESCO will support Vietnam and provide it with recommendations on ethics in AI and integrity in research./.

The traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and Hungary have been growing well for the last nearly 75 years. In particular, the two PMs will witness the signing of cooperation documents in the fields of diplomacy, culture, water management, and crime, along with 10 others between Vietnamese and Hungarian universities. They will attend a business forum with a view to fostering bilateral economic, trade, and investment links.PM Chinh and the delegation of Vietnam will also visit and have meetings with some Hungarian enterprises operating in such key industries as the pharmaceutical sector. The Government leader is set to deliver an important speech on Vietnam’s foreign policy and relations between the two countries at the National University of Public Service of Hungary. In particular, Hungary was one of the first to ratify the EU - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), helping bilateral economic and trade links to progress over the recent past.Thanks to these two deals, Vietnam has become a bridge for goods from Europe, including Hungary, to enter ASEAN and vice versa.

EsportsHCM CITY — The Việt Nam Recreational and Electronic Sports Association (VIRESA) officially introduced esports to the disability community on January 17 in HCM City. "VIRESA hopes to popularise esports among the people with disabilities community. This introducing programme is part of our roadmap to develop esports in HCM City," said VIRESA Chairman Nguyễn Xuân Cường. Recognising the development of this new generation sport in the people with disabilities community in Southeast Asia, VIRESA formed a plan to develop esports for disabled people in Việt Nam. The January 17 programme was expected to be a premise to expand e-sports tournaments for people with disabilities.

In a report titled “Vietnam Travel Landscape 2024” released on January 17, The Outbox Company said, Vietnam’s aviation industry has bounced back impressively since the travel restrictions triggered by COVID-19 were relaxed. Despite challenges in 2022 and surging costs in 2023, the hospitality industry of Vietnam has also shown resilience. For example, a higher occupancy rate and basic efficiency are also considered positive signals for 2024. Given such signals, the travel landscape in 2024 is following such main trends as experiential tourism, wellness tourism, eco-tourism, and sports tourism. A bright spot of Vietnam’s tourism industry in 2023 was the diversity of international tourist sources.

Vegetables, rice and coffee generated a record export revenue exceeding 14 billion USD last year. With a steady influx of orders, they are poised to earn an estimated 17-17.5 billion USD this year. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam can potentially export over 8 million tonnes of rice while still ensuring food security this year. Amid global uncertainties in rice supply, the Vietnamese grain prices are expected to benefit, leading to a boost in export revenue. The overall prosperity in the export of various agricultural products is also anticipated to continue thanks to improving production, processing, and supply.

HÀ NỘI — The Vietnam Trade Office in Spain has issued a warning to domestic businesses to be careful when signing contracts with Spanish businesses to avoid risks. Previously, the Vietnam Trade Office in Spain received feedback from several domestic cashew and pepper export businesses about delays in payment of goods from ISASA Export Company in Malaga, Spain. Specifically, the company was late in paying for the goods, causing difficulties, time loss, and storage costs for domestic businesses, and many businesses even had to take back the goods. To avoid risks in exporting, the Vietnam Trade Office in Spain warned domestic businesses to be careful when signing sales contracts with ISASA Export Company. At the same time, it suggested domestic businesses increase coordination with the Trade Office in Spain in verifying local businesses before actually signing sales contracts.

The summit also presents the chance for Vietnam to boost cooperation with Uganda and other members of NAM. MyTV is the top pay-TV service provider in Vietnam with nearly 200 channels and 70,000 hours of Video on Demand (VOD). He wished that the programme would further develop, providing more opportunities for students to have educational experiences in both Vietnam and Japan. They emphasised the crucial role of Hanoi in developing and elevating diplomatic relations between Vietnam and countries worldwide. Breaking down the data by region, the demand for travel to Vietnam and Japan collectively constituted over half of the bookings, with 27% heading to Vietnam and 25% to Japan.

She pledged to continue providing development aid to Việt Nam, with more than 40 projects being implemented in various fields. He thanked the Swiss Government for providing Việt Nam with official development assistance (ODA) which helped Việt Nam gain many socio-economic achievements. The two leaders affirmed that they will continue to coordinate closely at regional and international forums. At the same time, she expressed her wish that Việt Nam will participate and actively contribute to the UNCTAD Ministerial Conference in 2025. He hoped that UNCTAD will continue to support Việt Nam in all aspects of development, particularly human resources training.

HCM CITY – Nestlé has rolled out its 2024 Tết campaign with the theme “Wish for Enough is Enough/Will Come True” that encourages consumers to take part. They can win valuable gifts through these activities. Nestlé is also collaborating with Kenh14 to host a Facebook-based social contest aimed at promoting the spirit of "Wish for Enough is Enough/Will Come True." Participants will have chance to win valuable prizes such as an Apple iPad Pro M2 256G, two Apple Watch SE 2023 44mm’s and 15 shopping vouchers. As part of the campaign, Nestlé has a trilogy of "Wishing Carols" in the form of three Tết-customised TV commercials conveying the wishes of various target audiences.

HCM CITY — The volume of international arrivals in Việt Nam is forecast to grow in 2024, said The Outbox Company in a report titled “Vietnam Travel Landscape 2024” released on January 17. Việt Nam has quickly become the world’s fastest recovering domestic aviation market and is expected to establish itself as the fifth fastest developing one by 2035. Given such signals, the travel landscape in 2024 is following such main trends as experiential tourism, wellness tourism, eco-tourism, and sports tourism. Talking about Việt Nam’s tourism achievements in 2023, The Outbox Company said the tourism industry has demonstrated a significant recovery, with a remarkable increase in international tourist arrivals to reach 12.59 million, soaring almost four-fold from 2022. A bright spot of Việt Nam’s tourism industry in 2023 was the diversity of international tourist sources, from emerging markets to niche ones, helping increase foreign visitors to the country.

DAVOS — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính attended and delivered a keynote speech at the policy dialogue on Việt Nam's global vision during the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on January 16 (local time). He also highly praised Việt Nam's role as one of the trailblazers in the development of a green and smart economy. In his coordinating role, he expressed a keen interest in understanding Việt Nam's experiences, development directions and contributions to the global problem-solving process. Nevertheless, Việt Nam has put the past aside, overcome differences, promoted similarities, and aimed towards the future to turn adversaries into friends. Regarding the semiconductor field, he shared Việt Nam's endeavours in developing strategic infrastructure, particularly in information technology, and disclosed plans to train 50,000-100,000 engineers in the time to come.

Việt Nam, with a multitude of startups and radical reforms in hi-tech sectors, manufacturing and green development, will become one of the 20 largest economies in the world soon, he said. PM Chính invited Prof. Schwab and other WEF leaders to visit Việt Nam, adding Việt Nam stands ready to work with the WEF to organise mid-term conferences in the country, strengthen connectivity and promote the role of the WEF in the region. Both leaders pledged their countries’ continuation of close coordination and mutual support at regional and international forums. They also committed to strengthening locality-to-locality cooperation and effectively implementing existing bilateral cooperation mechanisms. In terms of the strategic partnership in agriculture, PM Chính suggested Belgium support Việt Nam in developing circular economy models in agriculture and smart agriculture.

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese exporters are worried about rising transportation fees as the tension in the Red Sea forces shipping lines to divert their routes to ensure safety. The transportation fees to Hamburg (Germany) are 3.5 times higher, from $1,200-1,300 to $4,350-4,450. “Rising transport fees cause difficulties to the export of seafood products to the US and the EU, which will affect the competitiveness and profit of exporters,” Hòe said. Rising transport fees add burdens on the costs of exporters, especially those of small scale who are already struggling to handle signed contracts. According to Shinhan Securities Việt Nam, Vietnamese firms exporting to Europe and North America’s East Coast are being affected by Red Sea route changes.

PM Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the policy dialogue (Photo: VNA)Davos (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended and delivered a keynote speech at the policy dialogue on Vietnam’s global vision during the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland on January 16 (local time). It was one of the eight policy dialogues featuring heads of States and Governments organised by the WEF, reflecting the organisation’s positive evaluation of Vietnam's international role, position, achievements, vision and development prospects. He also highly praised Vietnam's role as one of the trailblazers in the development of a green and smart economy. In his coordinating role, he expressed a keen interest in understanding Vietnam's experiences, development directions and contributions to the global problem-solving process. He also underscored the role of international solidarity and multilateralism in addressing global challenges.

Eligible disciplines for this programme will include Engineering Education, Math Education, Physics Education, and Computer Science and Information Technology. The Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development reports that around 200 bears are currently kept in captivity across the country. About 400 vocational education establishments are located in the Southeast region with an average annual vocational training scale of over 250,000 people. Currently, 376 vocational education establishments are set up in Ho Chi Minh City accounting for 12.51 percent of the country's vocational education establishments. At the same time, relevant agencies should build and improve mechanisms to encourage organizations and individuals to actively participate in vocational education as well as strengthen international cooperation for forecasting and shifting the labor structure and training structure of vocational education.