- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has asked TH Group – one of Vietnam’s largest dairy producer s – continue expanding its scale, improving productivity and quality, building a stronger TH brand, and increasing the material and spiritual lives of employees, thus contributing to building an independent and self-reliant Vietnamese economy.Visiting the group’s cow farm and dairy producing system, and purified water and juice plant in Thai Hoa town in the central province of Nghe An on July 23, Chinh affirmed that TH Group is a testament to the results of the country’s over 35-year Doi moi (Renewal) journey; and has contributed to building the foundation of a socialist democratic society, a socialist rule of law state, and a socialist-oriented market economy, which identify people as both the centre, the subject and the driving force of development, and not sacrificing the environment and social security for economic growth.He stressed the need to continue implementing the Party's policies and the State's laws on developing the private economy, making it become the driving force of the country's economy; building a healthy, civilised, professional and equal culture among businessmen; putting the interests of the nation and the country first and foremost; ensuring the harmony between the interests of the State, people and businesses; and promoting public-private cooperation in national development.Enterprises need to dare to think, and dare to do, and at the same time prevent and fight corruption and negative phenomena in the private sector, he added.Earlier, the Government leader visited TH Group ’s high technology-applied field.He said that the group's field model is in line with the country's policy of sustainable development, in the direction of green economy, circular economy, and reduction of methane emissions./.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Tanzania Nguyen Nam Tien speaks at the forum (Photo: VNA)– Tanzania is an area capable of meeting Vietnam's needs in terms of raw materials and fuel supplies, diversifying export markets for goods, services, human resources and investment, said Vietnamese Ambassador to the African country Nguyen Nam Tien at a recent hybrid investment forum The July 21 event attracted the participation of more than public personnel from the two countries as well as representatives of their business communities. It was co-organised by the embassy, Tanzania Investment Center (TIC), Institute for Africa and Middle East Studies (IAMES), and Vietnam-Africa Economic Alliance (VAECA).In his opening speech, Tien affirmed that the nations have much potential for cooperation and complementary advantages for mutual development.According to the diplomat, Vietnam and Tanzania have created a legal framework as a basis for collaboration, with Vietnamese enterprises looking for investment opportunities in Tanzania. However, the bilateral economic and trade relations remain modest and are not commensurate with their potential.He expressed his wish that through this networking forum, participating businesses will take advantage of opportunities, promote strengths, and overcome difficulties and challenges to enhance exchanges serving the implementation of effective and practical cooperation projects.Tien stated that the embassy always stands ready to be a bridge linking the business communities.Vietnamese and Tanzanian participants introduced their capacities and discussed matters of common interest in trade and investment at the event./.

An Ao Dai fashion show held during the Vietnamese culture festival in the RoK in 2019. (Source: vov.vn)- The Vietnamese People Association in the Republic of Korea (RoK) is scheduled to organise the 10th Vietnamese culture festival in Seoul on September 4.The festival will be held under the sponsorship of the Vietnamese Embassy in the RoK to celebrate the 77th National Day of Vietnam and the 30th anniversary of the Vietnam-RoK diplomatic relations this year, reported Radio the Voice of Vietnam (VOV).The festival will feature a range of activities, including a Vietnamese-Korean talent search contest, a writing contest on the Vietnam-RoK diplomatic ties, a painting competition for children of Vietnamese-Korean families , and an arts programme by Vietnamese artists.Visitors will also have the chance to sample some traditional Vietnamese delicacies through 20 booths during the festival.Spaces showcasing local culture from the past decades will be re-enacted. In addition, tourists will have opportunity to try on Ao Dai (the traditional long dress of Vietnam) and Hanbok (the traditional costume of the Korean), and write calligraphic works on paper or Non La, the Vietnamese palm leaf conical hat.The festival was organised for the first time in 2010 to promote the image of Vietnam in the RoK, as well as its special culture and tourism to Korean people./.

The Strategy stipulates developing modern, efficient and sustainable agricultural product processing, meeting the needs and regulations of the consumption market, and striving to turn Vietnam into an agricultural product processing center included in the world’s top 10 countries by 2030. The Strategy also aims to set up a number of modern agricultural product processing corporations and enterprises with world-class economic prowess and management level. Agricultural product processing industrial clusters coupled with the development of concentrated raw material production areas will be mechanized and connected to the consumption of agricultural products, according to the newly-approved strategy./.

The yarn factory of the Hue Textile - Garment Joint Stock Company (Photo: VNA)– Vietnam has surpassed the Republic of Korea to become the world’s sixth largest fibre and yarn exporter after shipping abroad 2.37 billion USD worth of these items in the first five months of 2022.The revenue increased 10% from a year earlier, according to the Vietnam Cotton and Spinning Association (VCOSA).Meanwhile, textiles and garments, fibre, yarn and fabric brought home 18.73 billion USD in total exports during the period, rising 20.81% year-on-year. That includes 14.99 billion USD in textiles and garments (up 22.2%), 376.8 million USD in geotextiles (up 27%), and 979.8 million USD in materials (up 19.2%).VCOSA noted China accounted for nearly 60% of Vietnam’s textile and garment exports Meanwhile, the US and Europe, which are the world’s biggest textile and garment importers, have reduced shipments from China, giving Vietnam a chance to expand its market share.The association also cited the World Health Organisation’s prediction that new COVID-19 variants will continue appearing in 2022, expecting the country’s fibre and yarn segment will continue to be the main recovery driver of the industry and be less affected by the pandemic compared to the apparel segment, which is labour intensive, since its manufacturing is mostly conducted by machine.VCOSA added Vietnam’s economic integration into the world, especially the participation in free trade agreements such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the EU - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), also promises breakthrough developments for the fibre and yarn segment./.

Two domestic airlines – Vietnam Airlines and Bamboo Airlines – currently operate flights to Con Dao Airport. (Photo: VNA)Deputy Minister of Transport Le Anh Tuan has freshly signed a document requesting competent agencies start projects at the Con Dao airport in the southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau in an effort to enable the airport to host 2 million passengers per year.Accordingly, the ministry has asked the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) to coordinate with such parties as the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) and the Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation (VATM) regarding the implementation of these projects.The projects include the development of passenger terminals, aircraft aprons, flight management facilities, and petroleum depots. They are set to be launched in line with the implementation progress of a CAAV-funded project on runway and taxiway upgrades at the airport.In addition, feasibility and progress reports on implementation adjustments are to be prioritized at the soonest.The ministry agreed with the AVC’s proposal on the scale of construction in phase 1. The projects will enable the airport to host 1 million passengers annually, which may increase to 2 million.Despite the impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, Con Dao airport served 447,750 passengers in 2020, up 4.1 percent from 2019.In the adjusted airport planning by 2030 approved by Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The, the airport is to have a capacity of 2 million passengers and 4,400 tonnes of cargo per year./.

A scene in the film "Cuoc doi cua Yen” (The Life of Yen) (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – A Vietnamese film week took place in the Tulio Febres Cordero culture centre in Mérida state, Venezuela from July 15-20. Hosted by the Vietnamese Embassy in Venezuela, the event aimed to give Venezuelan audiences and international friends an insight into the country, people and culture of Vietnam. Addressing the opening ceremony, Ambassador Le Viet Duyen highlighted the outstanding milestones in the diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Venezuela in the fields of politics, economy, culture and society. He said cinematic works screened during the event convey messages about Vietnam's culture, history, human personality and social life, thus strengthening understanding, cooperation and close between the two countries’ people. The film screenings have attracted a large number of Venezuelan audiences./.

Deputy Spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang (Photo: VNA)– Vietnam has been intensifying efforts to bring a stop to human trafficking in recent years, according to Deputy Spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang.Hang was responding to a question during a regular press briefing regarding the 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report launched by the US Department of State She said to implement the programme on anti-human trafficking for 2021 - 2025, with a vision to 2030, Vietnam has been stepping up measures to prevent human trafficking with the engagement of all ministries, sectors and localities. It has also issued documents guiding the enforcement of the 2020 law on Vietnamese working abroad under contracts, along with policies and laws to fight human trafficking and forced labour , assist victims, and protect children in cyber space.In reality, the fight against domestic and cross-border human trafficking is always being reviewed so that timely and appropriate solutions are taken, Hang said, noting that Vietnam is continuing its efforts to carry out the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration to consolidate a transparent migration environment and prevent risks of human trafficking The deputy spokeswoman said Vietnam hopes the US will cooperate more closely to offer an all-round assessment of the situation of and efforts against human trafficking in Vietnam.Vietnam is ready to discuss specific cooperation issues with other countries, including the US and relevant parties, to effectively prevent and control human trafficking, she added./.

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)Delegates to the consultation (Photo: VNA)– The Ministry of Education and Training has said that three pillars in Vietnam's education transformation in the coming time will be transformation of the governance system, environmental transformation and digital technology.The information was shared at a national consultation on transforming education held on July 20 by the ministry, with support from UNICEF and UNESCO.The aim is to develop a shared vision, commitment and alignment of action across constituencies to transform education in Vietnam according to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The outcomes of this consultation will contribute to the Transforming Education Global Summit in September, as convened by UN Secretary-General, António Guterres.Pauline Tamesis, UN Resident Coordinator to Vietnam, said that with orientations of the Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all, it is time for revamp in the sector.“We need to prioritise the issues in the education sector that will help Vietnam achieve the education-related SDG targets: issues such as inequity in access, learning loss, digital divide, gender gaps, education financing gaps, and specific needs of education for particular groups of children and young people,” she said“Innovative approaches are needed to serve as levers for game-changing transformations of education policy and practice in the medium and longer-term. Therefore, active involvement and support of different government ministries, such as health, labour, environment, social development, finance, information and telecommunications, and youth are essential to ensure the commitments are turned into action, with an investment to reform,” shared Rana Flowers, UNICEF Representative in Vietnam.“This meeting comes at a critically important time, as Vietnam rethinks and reaffirms its approaches to achievement of SDG4. UNESCO is actively supporting education systems all over the world to engage in a global debate on how knowledge, education and learning need to be reimagined in a world of increasing complexity, uncertainty, and precarity and the results of this discussion will be important contributions,” said Christian Manhart, UNESCO Country Representative.To successfully carry out the educational transformation, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Education and Training stressed the need for cooperation and commitment to accompany of ministries and agencies, and public-private cooperation among stakeholders, schools, businesses, communities and the society to build collaborative models towards educational transformation for the development of the country./.

Illustrative photo (Source: thainews.prd.go.th)As the Mekong River water level is rising steadily and people living along its two banks in Thailand have been warned to be ready for dealing with floods that can happen at any time.Since the start of July the water level has risen 10-15cm per day, swollen by continuous rain, local media reported.On July 19, the river was about 6m high, 3m below the river bank edge, which is 9m. A warning has been issued to communities along the river banks in Muang, Ban Phaeng, Tha Uthen and That Phanom districts, urging them to prepare for flooding Four large water pumps have also been installed to help discharge flood water into the river and protect riverside communities./.

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) - The Trade Promotion Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) and Vietnamese trade offices in Africa will jointly organise a session to give consultations to domestic businesses on exporting coffee to the African market. With a population of over 1.4 billion people, and the high demand in importing many types of goods, Africa is really a promising market for Vietnamese products, especially coffee. The market spends about 750 million USD on importing coffee, in which, Vietnam is one of the five main coffee suppliers. In addition to raw products, a number of Vietnamese coffee processors such as Trung Nguyen and King Coffee, are also interested in this market. The programme will offer a good chance for Vietnamese businesses to learn about the market, thereby avoiding risks when exporting coffee to African countries./.

VNA General Director Vu Viet Trang and VSS General Director Nguyen The Manh will exchange the signed coordination agreement on 20 July. (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) Vietnam News Agency (VNA) and Vietnam social security (VSS) signed an agreement on 20 July on the coordination of the dissemination of policies and laws on social, health and unemployment insurance in the period 2022-2026. She stressed the need to renew the coordination agreement, especially when ministries, sectors and localities are working to implement the socio-economic recovery and development program and guarantee social security in the post-pandemic period. VSS’s CEO, Nguyen The Manh, highlighted some achievements in the implementation of insurance policies, attributing these findings in part to contributions from press agencies, including the VNA. The official said that he believes that the implementation of this coordination agreement will succeed in helping to ensure social security as a goal for the party and the state./.

Business Vietsovpetro works to enhance oil recovery factor The Russia-Vietnam oil and gas joint venture Vietsovpetro is undertaking a series of solutions to increase oil output in the remaining months of the year. Business Reference exchange rate down 7 VND The State Bank of Vietnam set the daily reference exchange rate for the US dollar at 23,214 VND/USD on July 20, down 7 VND from the previous day. Business Vietnam Airlines promotes Vietnam’s tourism in Malaysia Vietnam Airlines' representative office Malaysia, in conjunction with travel companies Asia Companion Travel and Vietnam TravelMar, organised a tourism promotion workshop, themed "Exploring Vietnam with Vietnam Airlines", in Kuala Lumpur on July 19.Business Deputy PM Le Minh Khai receives Grab leader Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai hosted a reception in Hanoi on July 19 for Anthony Tan, Group CEO and Co-Founder of Grab - a mobile technology company based in Singapore, during which the Vietnamese Government leader urged the company to pay more attention to interest sharing.

At the Japanese-invested Nidec Tosok Vietnam Co., Ltd, which manufactures mechanical parts in Ho Chi Minh City's Tan Thuan export processing zone. Unlike the ASEAN-4 nations (Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines), Vietnam shares a border with China, which makes it easier for manufacturing firms in Vietnam to integrate into China’s vast network.The article added that in the downstream side, incorporating Vietnam into the supply chain is also a relatively unencumbering process. This is because Vietnam is home to two international airports, several major ports, reliable power, and easy internet access. Vietnam has weathered the COVID-induced supply chain disruptions well, still being regarded as a key and growing manufacturing hub. As the government continues to strike free trade agreements around the world and invest in domestic transportation and communication infrastructure, Vietnam’s prominence as a rising manufacturing centre seems poised to continue to grow./.

(Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – The World Bank (WB)’s policy consultancy has significantly contributed to socio-economic development and the fulfillment of development targets in Vietnam, Nguyen Xuan Thang, Politburo member, President of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics (HCMA) and Chairman of the Central Theory Council said on July 19. At a working session with WB Managing Director of Operations Axel van Trotsenburg in Hanoi, Thang affirmed that Vietnam always regards the bank a good friend and an important development partner. The official also called for further assistance from the bank in strategic infrastructure development, sustainable development, green growth, gas emissions and climate change response. Vietnam has seen high growth, he said, asking Vietnam to share its development experience with other countries and make more contributions to handling global issues. Regarding the Vietnam 2045 report, van Trotsenburg highlighted the important role of experts from the academy in the compilation of the report towards turning Vietnam into a developed, high-income nation by that time./.