Vietnamese Ambassador to India Pham Sanh Chau and soldiers of Vietnam and India at the opening ceremony of VINBAX 2022 (Photo: VNA)New Delhi (VNA) – The Vietnam - India Bilateral Army Exercise (VINBAX) 2022 kicked off at Engineering Brigade 474 in the Indian state of Haryana on August 1. Each of the two countries sent 45 personnel to the exercise, which will last until August 21. The Vietnamese delegation was led by Col. Luu Dinh Hien, chief commander of the training centre at the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations. He also called on Vietnam’s military personnel to play an active part in the exercise and learn from Indian’s experience in order to make more effective contributions to UN peacekeeping operations in the future. VINBAX 2022, the third exercise on UN peacekeeping between Vietnam and India, focuses on performing engineering and medical tasks in UN peacekeeping operations.

Workers prepare textile products for export to Japan. (Photo: VNA)- Vietnam's textile industry is working on adapting to new requests for materials traceability from international markets According to experts in the textile industry, many companies right now are facing great difficulty with the high demand for traceability of raw materials in multiple parts.If companies want to trade in markets with whom Vietnam has signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), they have to ensure that the materials that are used to make their products are in line with the FTA environmental regulations in the importing countries.Officials of the textile industry are currently working with the Ministry of Industry and Trade to build industrial compounds with wastewater treatment systems to ensure environmental protection.Textile companies, especially those who are original design manufacturers (ODM), should carefully research Vietnam and the importing countries' traceability rules and standards.ODMs are those that will be responsible for the direct development of the goods, purchasing raw materials, manufacturing the products, and then selling the products to other brands.Vo Manh Hung, head representative of Cotton Council International (CCI) in Vietnam, said that cotton traceability is something that every company must account for when bringing their product to the world.Currently, there are a lot of brands requesting that all their products have to be produced with sustainable cotton materials by 2030.Truong Van Cam, Deputy Director of Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS), said that if the industry wants to sustainably develop, companies will have to invest in sustainable development themselves and bring back economic benefits to the industry.The industry has significantly contributed to Vietnam’s economic growth and exports.In particular, in the first half of 2022, the industry's export revenue reached 22 billion USD, up 23% compared to the same period last year.The textile industry is one of the key manufacturing industries of Vietnam’s economy, accounting for 12-16% of the country’s total export turnover. This industry also helps to create many jobs for labourers.Digital transformation plays an important role in improving the competitiveness of textile and apparel businesses, and businesses need to adopt it, a conference heard in HCM City late last week.Nguyen Thi Tuyet Mai, Deputy General Secretary of the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association, said more and more international textile and apparel companies are pursuing green production, which is posing a great challenge to Vietnam ’s textile industry Vietnamese businesses also need to satisfy transparency requirements related to origin, domestic material use, labour, and environment commitments, she said.Other experts told the conference that digital transformation is essential for improving businesses’ competitiveness, allowing them to meet customers’ demands related to quality and transparency.Businesses should look at investing in technologies such as artificial intelligence and automation to improve production capability, and in training their workforce to use them, they said.However, Mai said: “80% of businesses in the field are small- to medium-sized, and so they have limited access to capital needed for digital transformation and green production.”The conference was held as part of the International Exhibition of Textile and Garments and Fabric and Garment Accessories (SaigonTex & SaigonFabric) being held at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre in District 7 until August 6./.

A beach in Phukhet, Thailand (Photo:AFP/VNA)- The Vietnamese Embassy in Thailand has swiftly contacted and provided necessary information about legal procedures to relatives of two Vietnamese citizens who drowned to death in Phuket Island in the morning July 31.The victims are a women born in 1970 and her daughter born in 2006, who are residing in Dong Da district, Hanoi. They came to Phuket with their relatives to meet business partners, and travel.Le Trung Kien, the official in charge of citizen protection at the embassy, said the agency is coordinating with local authorities to issue necessary documents for the victims’ family members assisting them in procedures to repatriate the bodies as soon as possible.According to the embassy, in case of needing urgent assistance in Thailand, Vietnamese citizens can contact the embassy at the hotline: 66 898966653 or directly come to the embassy at 83/1 Wireless Road, Lumpini, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330./.

Vietnamese fresh coconuts exported to Japan (Photo: VNA)- Vietnam's import-export value of agricultural, forestry and aquatic products reached 58.3 billion USD in the first seven months of 2022, a year-on-year increase of 7.2%, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.Revenue of these exports was estimated at 32.3 billion USD, up 12.2% year-on-year, while imports was estimated at 26 billion USD, up 1.6%.So far this year, Vietnam has enjoyed about 6.3 billion USD in trade surplus in agriculture, forestry and fishery products, nearly doubling that the same period in 2021.From January-July, shipments of key agricultural products totalled 13.3 billion USD, up 8.4%. Aquatic exports saw a significant surge of 34.2% to nearly 6.7 billion USD. Forestry exports also increased 1.3% to 10.4 billion USD during the period.There were four exports whose value reached over 2 billion USD, namely coffee, rice, shrimp, and wood products.Exports posting high growth included coffee (46.2%), rubber (7%), rice (9%), pepper (11.7%), tra fish (83.6%), and shrimp (26.2%).In the reviewed period, the export value of Vietnam 's agriculture, forestry and fishery products to markets in Asia accounted for 42.4% of the market share, followed by the Americas (29.3%), Europe (11.9%), Oceania (1.7%), and Africa (1.6%).The US remained Vietnam’s biggest buyer, purchasing nearly 8.7 billion USD worth of the products, or 26.8% of the total.It was followed by China, with import value of 5.7 billion USD, accounting for 17.8 percent of the total./.

Tourists in Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: VNA)HCM City (VNA) – Ho Chi Minh City authorities have applied a number of measures to boost its tourism growth after the COVID-19 pandemic, including the diversification of products and services by developing those with high potential such as farm and MICE. Meanwhile, they are focusing on boosting MICE tourism development by coordinating with ministries and sectors at home, Vietnamese representative offices abroad and international partners to lure more tourists to the city. In July, the city welcomed 460 Indian tourists who took a MICE tour to the city. They stayed in the city from July 15-18 and took a number of tourism, shopping and entertainment activities. From July 18 to 22, Saigontourist Travel Service Company (Saigontourist) served a group of Australian nationals in the form of river tourism, the first of its kind in two years.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Cuba Le Thanh Tung (L) and Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Yamilé Ramos Cordero at a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open a photo exhibition of Vietnam nowadays(Photo: VNA)– Vietnamese Ambassador to Cuba Le Thanh Tung on July 29 paid a working visit to the western province of Pinar del Río, attending a series of activities that promoted the countries’ special friendship.At a meeting with Yamilé Ramos Cordero, First Secretary of the provincial Party Committee, Tung underlined the special nature of the Vietnam-Cuba solidarity as well as their leaders’ determination to promote relations in all fields.He also highlighted the Cuban province's potential in hosting projects with capital from Vietnamese enterprises, especially in the agricultural sector.With an area of nearly 8,900 square kilometres and a population of more than 570,000, Pinar del Río is renowned as the largest producer of cigars with the highest quality. It also has strengths in tourism, agriculture and mining.As part of his trip, Tung attended a seminar on Vietnamese revolution and challenges to socialism in Asia, which gathered more than 200 participants. The Vietnamese diplomat also joined Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Yamilé Ramos Cordero at a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open a photo exhibition of Vietnam nowadays.Talking to the local reporters after the ceremony, Tung stressed that Vietnam and Cuba have established cooperation mechanisms and exchange channels to beef up relations in all fields.In addition to the current cooperation in rice cultivation, he believed that Pinar del Río has potential for joint projects with Vietnamese partners in other agricultural fields such as beef, poultry, and citrus fruit production.On the occasion, Pinar del Río screened a documentary film and kicked off a photo exhibition about the local medical expert Elena Fernández Castro, who witnessed the fiercest period of Vietnam's resistance war against the US for national salvation before she died of illness on July 27, 1972 in Hanoi at the age of 46./.

Officials at the meeting between the Vietnamese delegation and the US House of Representatives’ Armed Services Committee (Photo: VNA)Chairman of the NA’s Committee for National Defence and Security Maj. Gen. Le Tan Toi (L) and UN Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support Atul Khare (Photo: VNA)– A delegation of the National Assembly (NA)’s Committee for National Defence and Security paid a working visit to the United States and the United Nations from July 26 to 30.The delegation, led by Chairman of the committee Maj. Gen. Le Tan Toi, held talks with Chairman Adam Smith and Ranking Member Mike Rogers of the US House of Representatives ’ Armed Services Committee.The Vietnamese lawmakers also met with Congressman Joaquin Castro, Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on ASEAN and member of the US House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence; Senator Tammy Duckworth, member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services; Senator Bill Hagerty, member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and Committee on Appropriations; Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security John Tien; Assistant Secretary of State Jessica Lewis; and Assistant Secretary of Defence Ely Ratner.The delegation had meetings with the assistants to President Pro Tempore of the Senate and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations Patrick Leahy, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee Jack Reed, and Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee Jim Inhofe.Speaking at the events, Toi affirmed that Vietnam consistently views the US as a leading partner and highly values the US’s support for an independent and prosperous Vietnam.Vietnam always wishes to develop the comprehensive partnership with the US in an increasingly substantive, stable, and long-term manner on the basis of respect for each other’s independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political regimes.The US officials said the Southeast Asian nation is an important partner of their country, and that the US parliament strongly supports the two countries’ relations and hopes bilateral ties will record new strides.They pledged to continue supporting Vietnam’s economic development and enhance defence and security cooperation, with a focus on helping Vietnam address war consequences, including environmental remediation of dioxin contamination and unexploded ordnance clearance, assist the disabled, search for Vietnamese soldiers’ remains, and improve maritime capacity.The US side also expressed their readiness to assist Vietnam in UN peacekeeping operations and other fields that suit both sides’ conditions and demand.The Vietnamese and US officials also discussed measures for further reinforcing parliamentary ties, shared information and experience in legislative and supervisory activities and transnational crime fight, and exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern.At the meeting with UN Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support Atul Khare, Toi thanked his host and the UN for actively assisting Vietnam to engage in UN peacekeeping operations and improve the country’s stature and capacity in the settlement of international affairs.He called on the UN and the Under-Secretary-General to continue helping Vietnam contribute more to the UN’s noble goal of resolving conflicts and maintaining peace and stability for all people around the world.The official asked the UN to create conditions for Vietnam to further take part in peacekeeping operations, help with training for Vietnamese forces, and pay attention to compensation for Vietnam’s contributions and losses when performing peacekeeping duties. He also suggested stronger trilateral cooperation and that the UN consider organising training courses for countries’ peacekeeping forces in Vietnam.For his part, Khare highly valued Vietnam’s active support, participation and contributions to UN peacekeeping operations, affirming continued assistance for the country in training.He also voiced his hope that Vietnam will share its experience in training peacekeeping personnel with other countries, especially those in its region./.

A pineapple processing factoy (Photo: VNA)VNA– A strategy for developing agricultural mechanisation and agro-forestry-fishery processing has been approved, aiming to turn Vietnam into one of the top 10 agricultural processing centres in the world by 2030.The strategy, signed off by Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh, looks to develop modern, efficient and sustainable agricultural processing to meet the demands and standards of the global market.Among its objectives, over 90% of work in the cultivation of key crops is to be mechanised by 2025 and over 70% of work in cultivation in general will be completely mechanised by 2030. The respective targets are more than 80% and 60% for animal husbandry, over 70% and 90% for aquaculture, 85% and over 95% for fishing and cold storage on fishing boats.The agricultural processing industry is expected to record an annual growth rate of over 8% in its added value by 2025 and 10% by 2030. Post-harvest loss of key crops is to be curtailed by 0.5% - 1% annually. Processed products will make up 60% of the export value of key farm produce.In this strategy, Vietnam plans to develop modern agricultural processing enterprises whose financial strength and governance are in line with global firms. It is also set to develop industrial clusters for farm produce processing that are linked with concentrated and mechanised material production zones./.

Recently, the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade held a cashless payment event with a view to helping fuel e-commerce, technology application and digital transformation. Therefore, suppliers are working hard to improve the quality, convenience and safety of cashless payment methods. Cashless payment is present in all sectors. Cashless payment benefits all parties involved including the State, businesses and people. Therefore, in the future, cashless payment is expected to dominate not only in large retail distribution systems, commercial centers but in small grocery stores and traditional markets./.

Illustrative image (Source: VNA)– It would not surprise if monkeypox was reported in Vietnam since the country has reopened its borders. A readiness plan is in order, stated an official of the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Vietnam.As of the morning July 29, 21,148 monkeypox cases had been recorded in 78 countries, with the US seeing the most infections, followed by countries in Europe and Africa. It is also working with the World Health Organisation ( WHO ) to help Vietnam and other countries acquire monkeypox test kits as soon as possible, he said.Noting symptoms of this disease, Dziuban said some countries are carrying out monkeypox vaccinations. The US Government and others in the world are coordinating to promote the development and production of new-generation vaccine so that this outbreak could be soon contained globally.He also highlighted the importance of communications to raise public awareness of the disease and prevention measures. The appropriate warnings should be given to member groups to increase effectiveness and prevent discrimination, he said./.

The Vietnamese official affirmed that the Vietnamese Defence Ministry attaches great importance to cooperation with the UN, UNDP and partners in dealing with war consequences. For UN peacekeeping activities, the Vietnamese official affirmed that Vietnam has made significant achievements after eight years of participating in the UN peacekeeping mission. Wignaraja spoke highly of Vietnam's commitment and achievements in participating in UN peacekeeping activities, saying she was impressed at the percentage of Vietnamese female soldiers participating in UN peacekeeping activities that is higher than the UN’s proposal. She affirmed that UNDP will continue to support Vietnam in overcoming consequences of war-time bombs, mines and UXO consequences, and strengthening Vietnam’s role in UN peacekeeping operation. UNDP wishes to work closely with Vietnam and its Defence Ministry in these works, and share Vietnam's good experience with the world, she said./.

Hanoi, (VNA) - The following is a list of selected news summaries last night by the Vietnam News Agency. The non-state sector had 660,100 businesses in 2020, accounting for 96.4% of Vietnam’s total, up 35.1% from 2016. The sector attracted 8.6 million workers, or 58.6% of the country’s workforce, increasing by 0.4% compared to 2016. The National Science Conference on Policies on Industrialisation and Modernisation of the Nation by 2030, with a Vision to 2045 was co-held by the Party Central Committee’s Economic Commission, HCM City Party Committee and the Vietnam National University HCM City (VNU-HCM). The service is available to individuals and legal entities, according to the bank's message.

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)– Vietnam must move forward unless it wants to be saddled with the status of the “ world’s factory ”, heard a conference in Ho Chi Minh City on July 28.The National Science Conference on Policies on Industrialisation and Modernisation of the Nation by 2030, with a Vision to 2045 was co-held by the Party Central Committee’s Economic Commission, HCM City Party Committee and the Vietnam National University HCM City (VNU-HCM).In his opening remarks, VNU-HCM Director Assoc. Vu Hai Quan said that Vietnam has made major achievements during the Party-led industrialisation and modernisation era. The industry sector has contributed an increasing share to the economy, he said, adding that there has been a more substantial approach to promoting industrial restructuring in association with growth model innovation in Vietnam.Industry has been the fastest growing sector in Vietnam, and contributed 28.5% to the economy in 2019 from 26.6% in 2011, he said.Nguyen Xuan Thang, President of Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, highlighted that industrialization and modernization have allow Vietnam to maintain relatively high GDP growth, transforming from an underdeveloped to a developing country.However, Vietnam’s industrialization was mainly reliant on harnessing natural resources, capital intensity, and under-skilled workers, Thang said, noting that industrial production largely depends on assembly and use of imported machinery and input materials.As a result, these factors have impacted on the environment, and national industrial capacity remained weak. If the situation continues, Vietnam will eventually fall into the trap of being an assembly manufacturer and involved in only low value chains.Speakers agreed that the national industrialization and modernization strategy from 2021 – 2030, with a vision to 2045, must stay relevant to the changing situation both domestically and internationally.Speaking at the event, Chairman of the Central Economic Commission Tran Tuan Anh underscored that science, technology and innovation act as the main engine driving national industrialization and modernization. Coupled with skilled human resources, they are breakthrough factors for the acceleration of the process, he noted.It is critical to improve the regulatory framework and develop exclusive policies and mechanisms to boost technology use and transfer and innovation, he emphasised.Vietnam must reduce independence on foreign resources while enhancing internal strengths, mastering core and digital technologies, and strengthening its resilience, he added./.

Business Vietnam Cashew Association lowers export target amid weak demand As cashew exports in the first half of 2022 fell by 9.2% against the same period last year, the Vietnam Cashew Association (VCA) has to adjust down its annual export target to 3.2 billion USD. Business Reference exchange rate down 25 VND on July 29 The State Bank of Vietnam set the daily reference exchange rate for the US dollar at 23,176 VND/USD on July 29, down 25 VND from the previous day. Business Numbers of firms, employees in FDI, non-state sectors soar: census The numbers of enterprises and employees working in the non-state and FDI sectors increased rapidly, but reduced markedly in the state-owned sector during 2016-2020, according to the General Statistics Office of Vietnam (GSO)’s freshly released 2021 economic census. Business Banking sector’s digital transformation to take place next month The digital transformation day of the banking sector will be held on August 3, the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) announced at a press conference in Hanoi on July 28.

A factory of Samsung in Vietnam (Photo: congthuong.vn)– Many investors from the Republic of Korea (RoK) hold that Vietnam is an attractive destination, but it still needs clearer policies to attract a new investment wave from the Northeast Asian country, reported Dau tu (Vietnam Investment Review).With fast digital transformation and a young population, Vietnam is currently an attractive destination for Korean businesses, Vice Chairman of the Korea & Vietnam Economic and Cultural Association (KOVECA) Kwon Seung-taek told a recent conference promoting Korean investment in Ho Chi Minh City and other southern localities.This event attracted 30 businesses and 50 enterprises of the RoK who came to explore investment chances in many areas, including infrastructure, urban development, health care, education, renewable energy, high technology and vocational training.He said Korean firms boast technology, technique, experience and large capital while Vietnam has a diverse market and a young and abundant workforce.If the two countries enhance investment cooperation, bilateral trade will grow correspondingly. Amid global trade uncertainties, if they can capitalise on opportunities, the bilateral trade targets of 100 billion USD by 2023 and 150 billion USD by 2030 are completely achievable, Kwon emphasised.Many Korean investors believe that the two countries still have much room for cooperation in multiple spheres.In the past, Korean investments mostly concentrated in big cities like Hanoi, HCM City and neighbouring provinces, but now they have expanded to many other localities. They are also shifting from labour-intensive industries to manufacturing and high technology sectors.However, they also hope Vietnam to have clearer investment policies.CEO of JP Investment Choi Jeong-pil recommended the country elaborate on the projects it is inviting investment to so that investors and investment funds can make consideration.He also suggested favourable conditions for investment funds to engage in the equitisation of State-owned enterprises, noting that their presence will help improve those firms’ capacity and participation in global supply chains.Meanwhile, a business in the environmental sector underlined the need for the Government’s assistance since waste treatment projects are long-term investments that last for 20 - 30 years.The company added it is important that the Vietnamese Government has transparent and consistent policies in order to attract Korean investment./.