BUCHAREST – On the threshold of his official visit to Romania, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính granted an interview to the Romanian media on Việt Nam’s development experiences, important policies of the 13th National Party Congress and the prospects of the Việt Nam-Romania relationship. Việt Nam has fulfilled Millennium Development Goals ahead of schedule, ranking high in human development among economies of similar development levels. Such success demonstrates Việt Nam's attractiveness to the international business community and foreign investors, he said. PM Chính noted that in tandem with Romania's achievements, the bilateral relationship with Việt Nam is witnessing substantial progress across multiple sectors. People-to-people exchanges are increasingly robust as more Romanian tourists explore Việt Nam.

Vietnamese organisations and individuals in the Kansai region have donated 600,000 JPY (over 4,000 USD) to help residents in earthquake-hit Suzu and Wajima cities. (Photo: VNA)Tokyo (VNA) – Vietnamese organisations and individuals in the Kansai region have donated 600,000 JPY (over 4,000 USD) to help residents in earthquake-hit Suzu and Wajima cities, Japan’s Ishikawa prefecture. Ishikawa was one of the Japanese localities hit by the massive earthquake on January 1. All Vietnamese living near the quake's epicenter were safely relocated to shelters where they were provided with necessary supplies. According to statistics, about 5,000 Vietnamese people are living in Ishikawa, of them about 600 were affected by the earthquake./.

However, to foster further development, the textile and garment industry in Việt Nam wants a bilateral agreement or a free trade agreement to reduce export taxes upon entering the Canadian market. To address this situation, Kirke suggested a free trade agreement between the two sides. According to him, a small change could benefit both sides, or they could consider a separate free trade agreement. Both approaches would help Việt Nam's textile and garment products become more competitive. Việt Nam, currently among the top three global textile exporters, sees room for further economic integration and market expansion.

Right from the beginning of 2023, localities have actively implemented tourism promotion programmes as well as cultural and sports activities to encourage travelling activities, while introducing new products to lure more international tourists. As a result, after 11 months, Vietnam welcomed more than 11.2 million foreign visitors, 3.8 times higher than that in the same period of 2022. In the year, Vietnam's tourism has been highly evaluated internationally, receiving many awards from the World Travel Awards, including the World’s Leading Heritage Destination 2023 for the fourth time and Asia’s Leading Destination. Many tourism experts held that the sector should set a high goal in the number of foreign arrivals in 2024, suggesting it at 17-18 million. Setting a high target is also a way to prompt localities to take actions right from the beginning of the year, creating new opportunities for the industry to grow, said insiders./.

HÀ NỘI — Numerous companies in the water industry have reported surpassing their predetermined revenue and profit targets by the conclusion of 2023. Conversely, Thủ Dầu Một Water reported a net revenue of VNĐ532.6 billion for 2023, an 11.2-per cent increase compared to the previous year. The majority of this revenue, VNĐ466 billion, comes from clean water supply, accounting for 87.5 per cent of the total, while VNĐ6.8 billion is from raw water supply. TDM Water reported a post-tax profit of VNĐ283 billion for 2023, a 28.6-per cent increase compared to 2022. In 2023, Nhà Bè Water Supply aimed for a total revenue of VNĐ873 billion and a pre-tax profit of VNĐ27.9 billion.

Insurance agency works hard to prevent social, health insurance profiteeringThe insurance agency will work hard to prevent social, and health insurance profiteering by strengthening inspections. Vietnam Social Insurance yesterday held a national online conference to deploy social insurance and health insurance in 2024 in Hanoi. Furthermore, in 2023, the country’s social insurance sector has given monthly pensions and social insurance benefits to nearly 95,700 retirees and social welfare brackets. Total expenditure on social insurance, health insurance, and unemployment insurance funds is over VND439,270 billion (US$17.8 billion). Employment and related laws are in accordance with the spirit of the Central resolutions on social insurance, health insurance, and unemployment insurance policies.

BUDAPEST – Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orbán attended a Việt Nam-Hungary business forum in Budapest on January 19 (local time). The event was co-hosted by the Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Vietnamese Embassy in Hungary, and the Hungarian Export Promotion Agency. On the occasion, the PM encouraged Hungarian investors and firms to explore opportunities for expanding investment cooperation in Việt Nam. Operating in Việt Nam since 1995, Richter now runs its representative office for product distribution in Hồ Chí Minh City. The company expressed a desire to continue receiving favourable conditions for its business operations in Việt Nam.

Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan (front row, 2nd from right) attends the 19th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), which opened in Kampala, Uganda, on January 19. (Photo: VNA)Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan is leading a Viet nam ese delegation to attend the 19th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), which opened in Kampala, Uganda, on January 19.With its theme on deepening cooperation for global prosperity, the two-day event draws high-ranking officials from over 120 developing countries.Earlier, a preparatory ministerial meeting took place on January 17 and 18, during which negotiators finalised a draft document to be presented to the leaders at the summit.The document covers a range of important global and regional issues, including the East Sea matter. It underscores the commitment of member countries to multilateralism, emphasises adherence to and promotion of international law and the UN Charter. It also notes the urgent need for reforming the multilateral system in the new circumstances with emerging non-traditional security challenges.The document also reflects deep concerns about the worsening situation in the Palestine, with special attention given to the severe humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip./.

Illustrative image (Photo: The Nation)Hanoi (VNA) - Thailand has discovered nearly 15 million tonnes of lithium deposits, a boost for the country's goal of becoming a regional hub for electric vehicle (EV) production, its Government announced on January 19. Government deputy spokeswoman Rudklao Intawong Suwankiri said the 14.8 million tonnes of lithium are distributed between two separate sites in the southern province of Phang Nga. Lithium is a key component in the manufacture of batteries used in electric cars, as well as smartphones and other electronic items. The discovery means Thailand has the third largest lithium resources, behind Bolivia and Argentina, but it is not yet clear how much can be exploited commercially. In December 2023, two Chinese EV giants said they would invest 2.3 billion THB (64 million USD) to develop Thailand as a production hub./.

HÀ NỘI – The Vietnam Trade Office in the Netherlands has warned of online fraud cases, particularly related to petroleum products, amidst the high demand for this category of goods. Fraudsters often create fake websites with fabricated information or counterfeit websites impersonating legitimate import-export companies or companies providing petroleum storage tank services whose contact information being usually a mobile phone number or an internet phone number. According to the trade office, many companies are easy to become victims of the scams because of their fear of missing out on business opportunities and without information verification about partners due to they believe that the Netherlands is a developed country with a strict legal system and reputable companies. The payment method commonly used in petroleum trading transactions is through a letter of credit (L/C), it noted. The trade office has provided information related to online fraud and a list of counterfeit websites compiled by the port authority of Rotterdam (continuously updated), which can be accessed at https://ferm-rotterdam.nl/en/blacklist.

Việt Nam has clear and specific directions and action plans for the development of the semiconductor industry. The Government specifically asked the Ministry of Information and Communications to create a plan for developing the semiconductor industry in Việt Nam until 2030, with the final stages of drafting currently underway. Meanwhile, MPI has been entrusted by the Government and the Prime Minister to lead the human resources development project for the semiconductor industry in Việt Nam until 2030. Dũng underscored the significance of human resources development as a primary challenge in the semiconductor industry. Minister Dũng expressed confidence that Việt Nam is on the right path, making timely decisions to embrace the significant semiconductor industry wave currently underway.

Mr SAM robots will be rolled out at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital in March, 2024 (Photo: bangkokpost.com)Bangkok (VNA) – The King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital and the Thai Red Cross Society have deployed robots to speed up the administrative process in its outpatient department in an effort to improve public services. Dr. Chanchai Sittipunt, director of the hospital, and Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said five of the robots, called Mr SAM, will be deployed, starting in March. The robots will take over some procedures of patient registrations, as they are equipped to take pictures that will aid the admission process. They can also reschedule appointments for registered patients. Meanwhile, Associate Prof. Dr. ML Kornkiat Sanitwong, the hospital's deputy director, emphasised that it is believed that the introduction of Mr SAM will speed up the hospital’s services.

Hungary and Romania were among the first 10 countries in the world to recognise and establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam. Over the past 70 years or so, the governments and people of the two countries have always given Vietnam great affection and support in its fight for independence, national unification, and socio-economic development. This is the first Prime Ministerial-level visit between Vietnam and Hungary for 7 years and between Vietnam and Romania for 5 years. Hungary has always viewed Vietnam as an important partner in Southeast Asia. A number of projects using Hungarian ODA loans have brought socio-economic efficiency to Vietnam, such as a project to build a residential management system and a water supply project in Quang Trach district, Quang Binh province./.

Representatives of the Sai Gon Giai Phong Newspaper and Global Entertainment JSC at the signing ceremony. (Photo: thethao.sggp.org.vn)HCM City (VNA) – Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated Sai Gon) Newspaper and Global Entertainment JSC on January 18 signed a cooperation agreement for co-organising the Vietnam Golf Festival 2024 in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong. The event will help bring the sport closer to people, creating a meaningful playground for connecting golfers and golf lovers. It is expected to offer a good chance to promote Vietnam's potential and strengths in golf-related tourism economic development, especially golf tourism to the world. Previously, on December 20, 2023, the provincial People’s Committee issued an official dispatch giving in-principle approval for the newspaper to organise the festival./.

Hanoi (VNA) – At least seven people, including five children, were killed after a landslide buried a house following days of heavy rains in the southern province of Davao de Oro, the Philippines. Ednar Dayanghirang, director of the regional civil defence agency on January 18 said that two other people were injured and approximately 10 were missing. Authorities suspended search and rescue operations due to continuing rains in a residential area for small-scale miners. According to data from the national disaster agency, heavy rains and floods have affected more than 187,000 people in four provinces in the Davao region. Landslides and floods are frequent in the Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,600 islands that is hit by about 20 tropical storms annually./.