PARIS — Việt Nam was elected as the Vice Chair of the UNESCO's Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage on December 8 during the committee's 18th session in Kasane, Botswana. This is the second time that Việt Nam has been elected to the position after the first time in the 2006-10 tenure, representing the Asia-Pacific region. According to Ambassador Lê Thị Hồng Vân, Permanent Representative of Việt Nam to the UNESCO, this is another success of Việt Nam this year, besides other good news including being elected as the Vice President of the UNESCO's General Conference. The official said that Việt Nam's efforts in early researching and integrating many contents of the 2003 Convention into Việt Nam's Cultural Heritage Law were highly appreciated internationally. The UNESCO's Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage comprises 24 members, acting as an UNESCO important executive agency for the protection of intangible cultural heritage, deciding on key issues related to recognising intangible cultural heritage and allocating funds to support the conservation of intangible cultural heritage in different countries, and designing policies and development orientations of the 2003 Convention.

General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong (L) and General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and President of China Xi Jinping in Beijing on October 30, 2022 (Photo: VNA)The strengthening of solidarity and friendship and the deepening of mutually-beneficial cooperation between China and Vietnam is in the common interests of both sides and conducive to peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world, the Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Wang Wenbin has said.General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and President of China Xi Jinping and his spouse will make a State visit to Vietnam on December 12-13 at the invitation of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong and his spouse, and President Vo Van Thuong and his spouse.Speaking at a regular press conference in Beijing on December 7, Wang noted that right after the 20th National Congress of the CPC, CPV General Secretary Trong made a visit to China from October 30 to November 1 at the invitation of Xi.During the visit, leaders of the two countries had an in-depth discussion on major orientations to promote the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Vietnam and China, said the spokesperson.This year has seen frequent high-level interactions, close exchanges between various ministries and localities, and deeper cooperation in various fields, which have brought benefits to the peoples of the two countries, he added./.

In an interview granted to the press, Deputy FM Vũ highlighted the development of the Việt Nam - China relations, saying that Việt Nam and China have many similarities as they share a border and are Communist party-led socialist countries. China’s investment in Việt Nam rose more than 10 times to $25 billion over the last 15 years. People-to-people exchanges and cooperation between localities of Việt Nam and China have recorded many practical results. So far, nearly 60 provinces and cities of Việt Nam have set up friendly and cooperative ties with Chinese localities. Before the COVID-19 outbreak, China continuously led in the number of tourists to Việt Nam for many years.

HÀ NỘI – Senior Lieutenant General Phùng Sĩ Tấn, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army (VPA) on December 8 chaired a rehearsal of the opening ceremony of the Việt Nam - India Bilateral Army Exercise (VINBAX) 2023, which is scheduled for December 11 - 21 at National Military Training Centre 4. Tấn also inspected preparations for and had a meeting with the steering committee on the organisation of the exercise on United Nations peacekeeping. Colonel Pham Mạnh Thắng, Director of the Việt Nam Department of Peacekeeping Operations (VDPO) under the Ministry of National Defence, said Việt Nam and India had closely coordinated for the exercise, adding that all participating forces are ready, as well as a simulation venue and necessary equipment are in place for the field exercise. VINBAX 2023, hosted by Việt Nam, is the fourth UN peacekeeping exercise between Việt Nam and India and the second field exercise on peacekeeping between the two countries’ militaries. After nearly 10 years of implementing the project on Việt Nam's participation in United Nations peacekeeping activities, Việt Nam has sent 786 officers and soldiers to perform tasks at UN peacekeeping missions.

The over 600-million-person ASEAN market has lagged behind, said Nguyễn Hữu Nam, deputy director of VCCI. To tap the ASEAN market, Nam and other experts told the seminar that companies must study and implement digital transformation and net zero, as well as food hygiene. Only 39 per cent of the ASEAN market has been exploited. Among these measures, the ASEAN Trade in Services Agreement (ATISA) is considered an important driving force to boost intra-ASEAN trade. In recent years, Việt Nam has made significant progress in regional and international economic integration.

HÀ NỘI — Despite facing many difficulties due to economic slowdown in 2023, Việt Nam’s insurance market has still reported positive growth and the trend is forecast to continue in the near future. The insurance market currently has 82 insurance enterprises, including 31 non-life insurance enterprises, 19 life insurance enterprises, 2 reinsurance enterprises, 29 insurance brokerage enterprises, and 1 branch of a foreign non-life insurance enterprise. Insurance has been so far protecting assets of all economic sectors and industries with diverse types, such as property damage insurance, aviation insurance, maritime insurance, credit insurance, agricultural insurance and fisheries insurance. Besides, Việt Nam's insurance market is also considered to have much room for development. Insurers should also promote agricultural insurance products; risk insurance products for natural disasters and newly arising risks through the insurance risk fund mechanism; green insurance; and insurance products on network security and transactions in cyberspace.

BadmintonHÀ NỘI — Nguyễn Thùy Linh, the top female badminton player from Việt Nam, is expected to secure a spot at the Paris Olympics 2024. With her recent accomplishments, Linh has a high likelihood of participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics. The badminton singles event at the 2024 Paris Olympics consists of 38 spots for both men and women. She consecutively won the Việt Nam International Challenge 2023 and Việt Nam Open 2023 tournaments, secured the second position at the Thailand International Challenge 2023, and attained fifth place at the China Masters 2023, Arctic Open 2023, US Open 2023, and Canadian Open 2023. If Linh qualifies and participates in the Paris 2024 Olympics, it will mark the second time Linh represents Việt Nam at the Olympic Games.

An exhibition spotlighting Vietnamese journalism’s development, digital transformation and international cooperation was held within the framework of the workshop. The event drew the participation of delegates from the Confederation of ASEAN Journalists who discussed and shared measures to promote digital transformation in Vietnam and the region. This is an important prerequisite helping enhance trust and cooperation between Vietnam and people, politicians, and leaders of other countries and international organisations. Ha said Vietnam has incentives to attract investors into the fields of environmental protection, renewable energy, green transition, and digital transformation. The second suggestion was accelerating digital transformation through policy dialogues on digital economy and cybersecurity.

This represents a shift in the government's stance, which had previously imposed a ban on TikTok Shop, TikTok's e-commerce arm, due to concerns about predatory pricing negatively impacting local micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Indonesia has imposed a ban on social media companies venturing into e-commerce or social commerce. TikTok Shop faced restrictions as the government aims to maintain the balance between online trading and traditional offline market activities to safeguard local businesses. The minister clarified that collaboration with foreign industries is permissible. The government remains committed to supporting the empowerment of MSMEs and local e-commerce entities, with a focus on enhancing consumer protection./.

World Malaysia plans new wage scheme for low-income workers The Malaysian government will introduce a new programme to raise wages for low-income workers as the Southeast Asian country is grappling with rising living costs and growing inequality. World Lao traditional weaving inscribed as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has recently inscribed Lao traditional Naga motif weaving as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. World CLV Parliamentary Summit forms foundation for stronger trilateral relations: high-ranking legislor The successful organisation of the first Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam (CLV) Parliamentary Summit has created a solid foundation for the continued enhancement of the sound relations among the three Indochinese countries, Vice Chairwoman of the Lao National Assembly (NA) Sounthone Xayachak has stated. World Thailand priorities digital gap reduction​ Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has announced plans to increase Internet connectivity for impoverished communities in Bangkok.

However, the tourism industry needs a "captain" for communication to ensure sustainable development. Việt Nam News spoke to the Chairman of the Việt Nam Tourism Association Vũ Thế Bình, who has worked in the smokeless industry for over 50 years on this issue. Thus, Việt Nam needs to advertise its tourism policies. How do you evaluate the tourism communication in Việt Nam? There is a view that the tourism communication work of Việt Nam is lagging despite being ahead of the curve or being predictive.

The forum highlighted the importance of science, technology and innovation for middle-income countries like Việt Nam. The participants of this forum discussed directions suitable for Việt Nam’s potential capacity to take advantage of science and technology in economic development. On the other hand, geopolitical tensions and increasing technical barriers in Việt Nam's important export markets relating to green products and green production have posed significant challenges for Việt Nam's economy in 2023 and the following years. However, CIEM's research team also pointed out several difficulties and obstacles affecting Việt Nam's economic growth in 2023. Launched in 2021 by the Ministry of Planning and Investment and UNDP, the Việt Nam Economic Pulse Forum is an annual event designed to create a new, informal platform for discussing Việt Nam’s economic situation and development policy.

According to a report from the HCM City Health Department, nearly 65 per cent of cases treated in the HCM City hospitals come from other provinces. In HCM City alone, there have been 44,467 cases of hand-foot-mouth disease, or 35.7 per cent of the total. HCM City needs to expand and diversify the labour export market, targeting high-income markets with demand for high-quality workers, Cuong said. Futsal HCM City Open offers high prizes to participantsThe International Futsal HCM City Open will be held between December 23 and 29 with the champions walking away with US$5,000. Photo exhibition features Southern culture, artsA special photo exhibition featuring Southern culture and arts is attracting visitors in HCM City.

Illustrative image (Photo: https://www.dailyexpress.com.my/)Malaysia is targeting tourist arrival s exceeding the pre-COVID-19 level in 2024 amid better flight connectivity and a higher number of potential visitors from China and India, according to deputy director-general in charge of tourism promotion Musa Yusof.Addressing a tourism forum in Kuala Lumpur, Yusof said tourism arrivals in 2024 is expected to be higher than the 26.1-million seen in 2019.Malaysia's tourism target does not take into account visitors who typically enter the country via land borders.The Southeast Asian nation recently announced a 30-day visa exemption for travelers from China and India starting December 1, which is hoped to boost tourism revenue.It has witnessed an upswing in visitors this year, prompting the government to revise its 2023 year-end tourism target to 19.1 million arrivals from 16.1 million.According to the Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), tourism industry contributed 14% to the country’s gross domestic product in 2022, making it one of the largest contributors to the economy./.

Openspace and La Maison, who previously participated in Igloo's Series B and Series B+ fundraises, also joined in, reaffirming their confidence in the company's strong business fundamentals. This latest round comes just 10 months after Igloo’s previous Series B+ fundraise led by BlueOrchard-managed InsuResilience Investment Fund II. Notably, Igloo’s Pre-Series C round closed at an increased valuation of 50 per cent from its Series B+ round in 2022, as the company moves closer to profitability in 2024. Igloo’s offerings include Ignite by Igloo, a digital platform that enhances the productivity of sales intermediaries in Việt Nam and Indonesia. The product has drawn interest from partners in Việt Nam and across Southeast Asia for its potential to greatly benefit the agricultural sector.