According to the Ambassador, Deputy PM Quang is the first high-ranking Vietnamese leader to attend the event, marking the first high-level exchange between the two nations this year. Members of the Vietnamese delegation will actively join discussions on various topics at the summit. During these meetings and working sessions, the Deputy PM will introduce Vietnam's socio-economic development policies, emphasising incentives for investment, trade and tourism. He will also highlight the potential of cooperation between Vietnam and India, and with Gujarat specifically; and share Vietnam’s policy-making experiences concerning the fourth industrial revolution, technology and innovation, and sustainable development, Hai said. To further bolster bilateral economic and trade ties, he suggested enhancing more meetings between leaders and actively realising signed agreements, including those reached at the 18th meeting of the Vietnam-India Joint Commission in October 2023, and the framework agreement on agricultural cooperation.

Resolution No. 42/2017/NQ-QH14, which piloted handling of bad debt of credit institutions, is proposed to be extended until December 31, 2024 to create conditions for credit institutions to effectively handle bad debts, including the handling of collateral assets of real estate projects. (Photo vneconomy.vn)- The HCM City Real Estate Association (HoREA) recently sent a written petition to the Prime Minister proposing an extension of a resolution on piloting bad debt settlement until the end of 2024.Under the petition, the HoREA requests the Government to propose to the National Assembly (NA) an extension of Resolution No. "Therefore, HoREA proposes the Government coordinate with the NA Standing Committee to propose the NA consider an extension of Resolution No. 42/2017/NQ-QH14 for another 12 months until December 31, 2024 to create conditions for credit institutions to effectively manage bad debts, including the collaterals of real estate projects," it said in the petition./.

HÀ NỘI Ongoing tension in the Red Sea has hiked freight rates and increased the possibility of delays, warned the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The tension in the Red Sea could lead to additional costs of US$1,000 to $2,000 for a container passing through to Europe. Similarly, shipping company CMA CGM is considering charging $2,700 per container to cover the costs of loading or unloading at ports in the Red Sea. Even before the Red Sea crisis, shipping companies had planned to raise freight rates or even double them in some cases before the Lunar New Year in February. Recent incidents of attacks on cargo ships in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea have led some shipping companies to announce the suspension of cargo transportation through the Red Sea, rerouting around the Horn of Africa.

Passengers from neighbouring provinces also take flights from Dien Bien to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Duong Anh Duc delivered a speech at the conference. Art exhibition aims to strengthen Vietnam -US relationshipA cultural and art exhibition to strengthen friendly ties between Vietnam and the United States is now being held in Ho Chi Minh City. Diversities of books in the place include Ho Chi Minh's journey from Sen village to Ba Dinh, Following in Uncle Ho's footsteps, Nguyen Ai Quoc - Ho Chi Minh on the path of the Communist Party plus documentaries such as Ho Chi Minh in the land of Lenin, Vitality of a manifesto, Torch of the century, Ho Chi Minh - portrait of a politician guest. At the same time, it meets the powerful digital transformation trend in Ho Chi Minh City.

HÀ NỘI Businesses need to be cautious with new information and contact import-export management information focal points to avoid international trade fraud. However, instances of commercial fraud taking advantage of import-export information with very sophisticated procedures have appeared. This incident shows signs of fraud targeting small and medium-sized businesses that do not clearly understand import and export paperwork regulations and lack experience in preventing and dealing with international trade scams. According to a survey by PwC Việt Nam up to 52 per cent of Vietnamese businesses said they had been scammed when participating in international trade in 2022. Therefore, businesses need to be cautious about new information and contact import-export management authorities to avoid international trade fraud.

At the smart operation centre of Binh Phuoc province. (Photo: VNA)The Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) recently gave an update on the e-Government Architecture Framework (version 3.0), an important document to be applied in ministries, governmental agencies, and centrally-run cities and provinces.Version 3.0 supplemented its previous version with an electronic identification and authentication platform and system, a national database centre , a human resources data warehouse, among other items.Besides, updates were made on reference models, database and applications.The MIC said that during the process of building and implementing the e-Government Architecture Framework, competent quarters should comply with basic principles of the framework, and relevant guidance documents.Their architecture framework must ensure investment for effective implementation of digital government, new digital technologies and cyber security measures, supply of database for online public services and innovation services, and smooth database sharing among agencies, the ministry said./.

Ganjar Pranowo (L), Prabowo Subianto (C), and Anies Baswedan strike a pose for the cameras after the first presidential debate 2024 concluded in Jakarta on December 12, 2023. (Photo: ANTARA)Candidates in Indonesia ’s presidential election held the second debate on January 7 where they discussed defence, geopolitics and diplomatic issues. The candidates are Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto, former governor of Central Java province Ganjar Pranowo and former Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan. Prabowo is ahead of his rivals in opinion polls since choosing Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the eldest son of President Joko Widodo, as his vice presidential candidate. If none of the three candidates obtains a majority of votes in the first round, a second round will be held in June between the two candidates who receive the largest number of votes./.

Inflation stood at 3.25%, compared to the 5.5% worldwide. The core inflation fell to 4.16% from the previous figure of 5.1%, showing that inflation decreased rather sustainably. Food security was guaranteed; while the stock, corporate bond, and real estate markets also gradually recovered though many risks remain. It was reversed right from the end of the first quarter, from a solid policy to a flexible, eased, and prudent one. Interest rates were reduced and businesses and people’s debts permitted to be restructured.

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam's supporting industry needs to advance self-reliance and reduce dependence on imports to improve the value and competitiveness of products in the global value chain. Experts say that Việt Nam's industrialisation and modernisation strategy for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2045, needs to adapt to rapidly changing domestic and international contexts. "Therefore, developing supporting industries and gradually becoming self-reliant on domestic sources of raw materials and components is one of the core issues for sustainable development of Việt Nam's industry in the long term," said a representative of the Industry Department to Công Thương (Industry and Trade) online newspaper. Highlighting the solution, the Industry Department said that first of all, it was necessary to improve the capacity of supporting industry enterprises; opening up market opportunities for supporting industry enterprises to become suppliers and participate in the supply chain of enterprises manufacturing and assembling final products. The State also needed to actively expand foreign markets for supporting industry enterprises, along with receiving technical processes and production skills from abroad to improve production capacity, said the department.

HÀ NỘI — The Vietnamese stock market increased on Monday in line with the short-term uptrend, while foreign investors continued the net selling. The VN-Index on the Hồ Chí Minh Stock Exchange closed higher at 1,160.19 points, up 5.51 points, or 0.48 per cent. The VN30-Index, which tracks the 30 biggest stocks on HoSE, also increased 2.38 per cent, or 0.2 per cent, to 1,163.52 points. During the session, investors poured over VNĐ1.7 trillion into the northern bourse, equal to a trading volume of 85.48 million shares. However, foreign investors continued to net sell on both main exchanges with a total value of VNĐ251.74 billion.

The quantity and quality of Vietnamese rice are increasing day by day, however, there are a number of barriers that need to be overcome towards sustainable development. In Ninh Bình Province alone, there are 437 donors, of which Kim Sơn District is the leading locality with 427 donors. “This is a huge contribution of Kim Sơn people in particular and Ninh Bình Province in general in the cause of people's health care. In April 2007, Nguyễn Thị Hoa in Kim Sơn District, Ninh Bình Province, donated her cornea after her death. The focus is on assembling national teams comprised of the most exceptional players, capable of conquering international events.

“The two ends of the bridge face each other, as if exchanging a kiss” - the Kiss Bridge appears to be full of romantic charm under the pen of the La Stampa journalist. “Like the fingers in the painting, the two branches of the Kiss Bridge do not touch each other”, the author describes. In particular, Kiss Bridge is poised to become a new symbol for Vietnam's tourism, drawing strong appeal from international travelers. The recent feature in Italy's third-largest newspaper underscores the enduring allure of Kiss Bridge, which has continued to captivate attention since its official inauguration. Just 4 days after its official opening, Kiss Bridge has already captured the attention of international media.

Speaking at a conference on Scenarios for Việt Nam Real Estate Market in 2024 held in Hà Nội on Friday, Nguyễn Văn Đính, chairman of Việt Nam Association of Realtors (VARS), said 2023 was a difficult year for the Vietnamese real estate market. Đính said that the investment demand was clearly affected when customers and investors gradually lost confidence in the real estate market. Notably, the Government's working group had reviewed, encouraged and promptly addressed challenges faced by numerous real estate projects in various localities. Gradual stabilisation since late 2024Đính expects 2024 to mark the final stage of overcoming obstacles in the Vietnamese real estate market. He also pinned hope on a new Land Law, saying that it would decide the recovery of the property market.

HCM CITY — Challenges such as bureaucratic obstacles, land clearance issues and project implementation delays must be overcome for HCM City to reach its growth target of 7.5-8 per cent for 2024, said a city official. The city would particularly focus on expediting public spending, boosting consumption and resolving the challenges faced by businesses in 2024, he said. Over the years HCM City has seen rapid urbanisation and economic development, leading to increased demand for public services and infrastructure. The city’s economy is expected to rebound in the second quarter and achieve 8 per cent growth in 2024, according to the HCM City Macroeconomic Report: 2023 Results and 2024 Forecast, which was released recently. In 2023, the city’s growth was only 5.81 per cent, significantly down from over 9 per cent in 2022.

The return of banking stocks leading the market’s trend and a surge in liquidity signal significant capital entering the stock market. Vietnam Construction Securities JSC (CSI) said that the first trading week of the new year witnessed bullish developments in the Vietnamese stock market, with all four sessions ending higher. According to CSI, with the prospect of further decreases in savings interest rates, liquidity decisively poured into the stock market during the first trading week of the new year. The securities added that the global stock market had a rather cautious trading week following the December meeting of the US Federal Reserve. The cautious sentiment may have influenced the buying and selling activities of foreign investors in the Vietnamese stock market.