Politics President of Thai Privy Council supports friendship with Vietnam President of the Privy Council of Thailand Surayud Chulanont received Vietnamese Ambassador Phan Chi Thanh in Bangkok on August 29, showing his high evaluation of and support for the friendship and enhanced strategic partnership between the two countries. Politics Singaporean PM concludes official visit to Vietnam Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, his spouse, and their entourage wrapped up their three-day official visit to Vietnam, made at the invitation of PM Pham Minh Chinh, on late August 29. Politics State leader welcomes new ambassadors of Ireland, Italy, RoK, Lithuania President Vo Van Thuong received the newly accredited ambassadors of Ireland, Italy, the Republic of Korea (RoK), and Lithuania who came to present their credentials in Hanoi on August 29. Politics Vietnam, China to hold 8th border defence friendship exchange in September The eighth border defence friendship exchange between Vietnam and China is scheduled to take place in Vietnam’s northern province of Lao Cai and its neighbouring Chinese province of Yunnan on September 7 - 8.

According to Ambassador Nga, two-way trade between Vietnam and Kazakhstan has been growing by about 28% on average each year. PM Lee, for his part, affirmed that Singapore always values and wishes to strengthen its strategic partnership with Vietnam. The two Governments should consider to expand the model of Vietnam - Singapore industrial parks (VSIP) in the green - clean - smart direction towards developing an industrial - urban ecosystem, NA Chairman Hue stressed. It will continue to build and develop a close and sustainable relationship between Vietnam and Singapore in which Becamex IDC Corporation and Sembcorp are founding shareholders, which have contributed to developing the Vietnam - Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) model across the country for more than 27 years. Congratulating Vietnam on the coming National Day (September 2), Ahmed bin Aqeel-Khateeb highlighted the two countries’ cooperation results for the last over 20 years.

HÀ NỘI — Foreign investment inflows into Việt Nam in the first eight months of this year reached nearly US$18.15 billion, up 8.2 per cent year-on-year, according to the Foreign Investment Agency (FIA) under the Ministry of Planning and Investment revealed. Real estate came second with over $1.76 billion, down 47 per cent year-on-year or making up 9.7 per cent of the total. It was followed by science and technology with $800 million, up 29 per cent year-on-year. Accumulated to August 20, 2023, the whole country was home to 38,084 valid foreign-invested projects with a total registered capital of $453.26 billion. The accumulated realised capital of foreign investment projects topped $277.1 billion, equalling 63.3 per cent of the total valid registered investment capital.

President Vo Van Thuong (R) and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (Photo: VNA)- President Vo Van Thuong has hailed the significance of the ongoing Vietnam visit by Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, saying that it creates a new driving force to lift bilateral ties to a greater height.During a reception in Hanoi on August 28 for the Singaporean leader, President Thuong said his visit takes place at a time when the two countries are celebrating the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties and the 10th anniversary of strategic partnership. Read full story - National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue met with visiting Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Hanoi on August 28, during which he underlined the necessity for the two countries to effectively implement their partnership in green economy - digital economy established in February this year.The Vietnamese top legislator stressed that Singaporean PM Lee’s official visit holds special significance in the year when the two countries celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations (1973-2023). Read full story - National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue chaired a working session in Hanoi on August 28 on preparations for the ninth Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians, slated for September 14-18 in the capital city.As of August 28, 64 delegations registered for the event, with a total of 244 attendees, including 172 legislators and 72 assistants and others, according to a report presented by Chairman of the NA Committee for External Relations Vu Hai Ha. Read full story - General Director of the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) Vu Viet Trang and Minister of Science and Technology Huynh Thanh Dat signed a communication cooperation programme between the two offices for the 2023-2026 period, at a ceremony in Hanoi on August 28.Trang underlined the important role of science and technology in promoting innovation, affirming that as the national news agency, the VNA has always accompanied the ministry in implementing innovation policies. Read full story

The draft circular on standards for higher education, proposed by the Ministry of Education and Training in 2021, has gained significant attention from higher education institutions as it will set the requirements that universities must achieve. Higher education standards differ from quality assurance standards in terms of purpose, nature, content, and implementation process. In simple terms, higher education standards include specific operational parameters of a university. Higher education standards are minimum requirements that every institution must meet, while the evaluation and assurance depend on each institution's mission and goals. The indicators of higher education standards need to be monitored and published annually for students and society.

The meeting between Director General of the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) Vu Viet Trang and representatives from the Governments of the French-Speaking Community of Belgium (Wallonie-Bruxelles) and the Walloon Region in Vietnam. (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Director General of the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) Vu Viet Trang on August 28 had a meeting with a delegation from the Governments of the French-Speaking Community of Belgium (Wallonie-Bruxelles) and the Walloon Region in Vietnam. Telling her guests about the development of the VNA, Trang said that it was officially established on September 15, 1945. The Wallonie-Bruxelles government highly values the cooperative relationship with the VNA, taking the new agency as its important partner. He said that he will subsequently inform Belgium’s King and Queen as well as Vietnamese leaders about the cooperation relation with the VNA./.

The event was organised by the STEAM for Vietnam organization, UNICEF in Vietnam, the US Embassy’s American Center, and Phenikaa University. VTV's new show motivates studentsA new weekly game show featuring students will begin on Việt Nam National Television (VTV) on August 31. The show Students of New Generation is produced by VTV3 in conjunction with Ministry of Education and Training and Việt Nam Youth Federation Central Committees with sponsor Herbalife Việt Nam. "These commitments will help provide concrete pathways for the Government of Việt Nam and various stakeholders to rescue the SDGs. In pursuit of the 2030 UN Agenda, Việt Nam pledges to prioritise investment in human resources, science, technology, and innovation.

HÀ NỘI — A decree on regulatory sandbox for Fintech has been scheduled to come into force in Q3/2023, getting online lenders out of the regulatory limbo that they have been trapped in for years. The absence of a legal framework for P2P lending has always been big trouble for Fintech companies. Scores of Fintech companies have had to cut their workforce by half on cause of slumps in sales and struggled to navigate the law's grey area. "We cannot neither regulate Fintech companies as we did to banks or leave them unregulated. That's why we need a regulatory sandbox to test regulations," said Đức.

HÀ NỘI — Tuna export orders are likely to increase sharply in the last months of the year due to decreasing inventories in major export markets and the recently signed Việt Nam-Israel Free Trade Agreement, the Việt Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) forecasts. Over the past seven months of this year, Việt Nam's tuna exports reached nearly US$445.6 million, down 31 per cent year-on-year, VASEP said. At the same time, Vietnamese tuna exports to Mexico and Chile also recorded significant hikes of 100 per cent and 90 per cent, respectively. Meanwhile, the export turnover of canned tuna increased 375 per cent and other processed tuna products surged 83 per cent. To penetrate the Israeli market, VASEP Secretary General Trương Đình Hòe suggested that tuna exporters ensure product quality, carefully study market information, promote credibility and be responsible.

Hanoi (VNA) – Myanmar police have seized 6.5 kg of heroin in Myanmar’s Kachin state, the country’s Central Committee on Drug Abuse Control (CCDAC) announced on August 27. The drugs worth 160 million MMK (76,100 USD) were confiscated in Mohnyin town of Kachin district on August 25. On August 26, Myanmar’s Anti-Narcotics police force confiscated 182,000 stimulant pills worth more than 72 million MMK in a campaign to fight drug crimes in the eastern state of Shan. The pills were discovered when police searched a motorbike driven by a suspect in Mong Hsat town in Shan state. Further investigations into the case are underway./.

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam will closely manage natural forests, and gradually deal with forest and land degradation by 2025 as set in the freshly-approved national plan on the implementation of the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use. A total of 143 nations signed the declaration, accounting for over 90 per cent of the world’s forests. Meanwhile, the area certified for sustainable forest management is expected to reach 0.5 million hectares by 2025, and 1 million hectares by 2030. Việt Nam will perfect mechanisms and policies to promote sustainability in agro-forestry production and consumption, and raise resilience of forest land to climate change. Efforts will be made to advance rural livelihoods by empowering the community, consolidating the land management system and improving the multi-purpose management of forests.

90 Experts Gathered at the Forum to analyse the Future Digital Entertainment Trends in the Web3 EraPhoto 1: Digital Entertainment Leadership Forum 2023 comes to a successful close with more than 3,500 online and in-person participants. Photo 2: Cyberport's annual flagship event, "Digital Entertainment Leadership Forum 2023" was officially opened on 25 August. HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach - 27 August 2023 - The annual signature event, Digital Entertainment Leadership Forum (DELF), concluded today at Cyberport. DELF is a global forum dedicated to fostering the development and innovation of the digital entertainment industry, offering valuable insights into the vibrancy of the industry. It is managed by Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited, which is wholly owned by the Hong Kong SAR Government.

HÀ NỘI — Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s Việt Nam visit from August 27-29 offers an occasion for leaders of the two countries to set a future agenda for the bilateral relationship, as both look towards dealing with many common challenges, according to Singaporean Ambassador to Việt Nam Jaya Ratnam. “Singapore and Việt Nam are among the top three countries in having the start-up scene in Southeast Asia. The diplomat held that Singapore and Việt Nam could work together not just to develop renewable energy in Việt Nam but also to connect this to the larger ASEAN region through the ASEAN power grid. In October 2022, Singapore and Việt Nam signed an MoU to collaborate on carbon credits, aligned with Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. This puts both Singapore and Việt Nam in excellent positions to capture the opportunities generated by carbon markets.

From 2022, the number of people over 60 years old in Ho Chi Minh City will be 1.033 million, accounting for 11.03 percent of the total population of Ho Chi Minh City - a milestone marking Ho Chi Minh City officially going into the aged population. Statistics from the Ho Chi Minh City Social Insurance show that currently, there are about 250,000 pensioners and social allowance brackets in Ho Chi Minh City, while 1,033 million people are over 60 years old citywide. In 2019, the number of elderly people in Ho Chi Minh City only accounted for 9.3 percent of the total population of Ho Chi Minh City, but in 2022, it increased to 11.03 percent. Responsible agencies plan to deal with noise violationsResponsible agencies planned to deal with noise violations as per Ho Chi Minh City authorities’ direction. Hue served as the capital of Vietnam during the Nguyen Dynasty (1802 - 1945), the last feudal in Vietnam, by the name of Phu Xuan.

ĐÀ NẴNG — It has been more than a year since the Dragons enjoyed a winning feeling in the VBA. Now they have finally tasted victory with the score 104-83 in their penultimate game of this season against the Ho Chi Minh City Wings. With this huge advantage, the host quickly controlled the game and ended the first quarter with the score 26-21. The fourth quarter continued with the same scenario as the Dragons were the better team. William Trần won the Player of the Game award with 46 points, 10 rebounds, Two assists and two blocks.