An ancient bronze drum discovered in Lao Cai province (File photo: VNA)Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has signed a decision to recognise 23 more national treasures.They include Gia Phu bronze drum belonging to Dong Son culture dating back to the second and third centuries B.C; bronze rice cylinder container of Dong Son culture , Giong Lon golden masks of the first and third centuries B.C, which are conserved in the museums of Lao Cai, Quang Ninh and Ba Ria-Vung Tau provinces, respectively.A statue of God Vishnu Binh Hoa in the 6th-7th century, Go Thanh collection of elephant-shaped gold leaves in the 6th-8th centuries, A10 My Son pedestal at the My Son World Cultural Heritage Site in Quang Nam province, and An Bien collection of white-glazed porcelain, among others, also earned the national treasure title.The Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, chairs of people’s committees of provinces holding national treasures , and heads of ministry-level agencies are required to manage national treasures in line with legal regulations on cultural heritages within their authority./.

Vietnam’s economy should get back to GDP growth of 6.8 per cent next year, which will be driven by a return of strong foreign direct investment into the market, mainly focusing on the manufacturing sector, according to HSBC Vietnam. HSBC Vietnam said this would benefit Vietnam’s exports, especially as free trade agreements that have been signed over the past two years start to bear fruit. The continued expansion of the middle class and in particular the rising affluent sector will lead to changes in consumption as Vietnamese people start spending more and more on leisure and travel. Infrastructure roll-out will also continue to fuel economic activities especially in the renewable/green arena given the strong ambitions made by the Vietnamese Government following the recent 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties in Glasgow, the UK./.

– The first village police station built with support from the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security (MPS) in Laos was inaugurated in Nonghet village of Nonghet district, Xiengkhouang province, on December 25.It is one of the 287 facilities the MPS is building in the 10 Lao provinces bordering Vietnam.Vietnamese Deputy Minister Lt. Gen. Nguyen Duy Ngoc applauded efforts by the public security forces and administrations of the countries’ border provinces to promote the construction and unveil the first station only more than one month since the project began on November 12. The building of the village police station s comes as part of a document signed in Vientiane on August 9 supplementing the two ministries’ cooperation plan.He asked police of the 10 Vietnamese provinces bordering Laos to work closely with their Lao counterparts to accelerate the construction with the highest quality and put the remainders into use in early 2022 as scheduled.Lao Deputy Minister of Public Security Lt. Gen. Thonglek Mangnomek described the Vietnamese ministry’s assistance in building the village police stations as a demonstration of the close-knit and special ties between the public security forces of the two countries.He affirmed that the stations will greatly help to guarantee security and order in Laos, including in the countries’ shared border areas, thereby contributing to peace in each nation, as well as the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between Laos and Vietnam./.

Participants in the tourism conference in Nghe An province on December 25 (Photo: VNA)– A conference was held in Cua Lo beach town, the central province of Nghe An, on December 25 to look into the tourism industry under the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact and discuss ways to promote this sector’s recovery and development in the time ahead.The hybrid event was attended by Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man, officials of central agencies and localities, along with representatives of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), and hundreds of experts, enterprises, and organisations operating in the tourism sector.Nguyen Dac Vinh, Chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee for Cultural and Education Affairs, said affected by COVID-19, Vietnam’s tourism has been facing unprecedented difficulties over the last nearly two years. As the pandemic is gradually being brought under control, the tourism sector and the economy as a whole are taking steps to surmount hardships, but the path to tourism recovery and flexible and safe adaptation to the outbreak remains full of challenges.Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Doan Van Viet noted Vietnam welcomed just 3.7 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2020, dropping 80 percent year on year, while the number of domestic visitors stood at 56 million, down 34 percent, and tourism revenue also plunged 59 percent to 312.2 trillion VND (13.6 billion USD).This year, the fourth wave of infections nationwide led to a stagnation in socio-economic activities of many localities for months. The country stayed closed to international tourists, and domestic travellers continued declining by almost 30 percent from the same period of 2020.Viet noted that to help the tourism industry overcome the current trying time and resume development, the parliament and Government should promote the tourism recovery and development programme, which is part of the socio-economic recovery and development programme for 2022 - 2023; continue assisting businesses and workers in this sector; issue new mechanisms and policies facilitating tourism; boost the attraction of investment to nighttime, ecological, leisure, and community-based tourism; step up digital transformation in tourism; and make plans on developing tourism personnel in the new normal context./.

The duo originally set a world record in 2016 when they climbed 90 stairs of the cathedral in 52 seconds. Guinness World Records proposed adding 10 more steps this time and the Vietnamese duo agreed to take on the new challenge. Both artists left Vietnam for Spain on December 17 and spent several days training before the contest. Strict COVID-19 prevention measures adopted by the Spanish Government, including the closure of fitness clubs, affected their training. But their efforts paid off when the artists finished climbing up 100 steps in 53 seconds.

PM orders completion of COVID-19 vaccine second dose by year’s endPrime Minister Phạm Minh Chính has asked localities to speed up COVID-19 vaccinations as the pandemic rages on across the nation and infections continue to rise. The Ministry of Health ordered localities to review and reflect, as well as fix problems in the management and treatment of COVID patients. Northern and north-central Vietnam will start experiencing biting cold weather between December 26 and 28. The health centre will verify information about the cases such as address, phone number and test results and immediately respond to any data errors within 24 hours. Ho Chi Minh City has been the hardest-hit locality since the fourth virus wave hit Vietnam in late April, with over 500,000 cases.

Lorries carrying exports to China via Kim Thanh International Border Gate No. 2 in Lao Cai province (Photo: VNA)– Vietnamese businesses had 320 codes of agricultural and food products licensed to be exported to China as of 11am on December 24, according to the Vietnam Sanitary and Phytosanitary Notification Authority and Enquiry Point ( SPS Vietnam ).SPS Vietnam said the Chinese General Administration of Customs is still updating the list of the licensed codes and businesses on https://ciferquery.singlewindow.cn/, so enterprises can check information on this website.It added the food exporters that haven’t applied for licenses can submit applications to competent agencies of China or via the websites http://cifer.singlewindow.vn/ and http://singlewindow.cn/.From January 1, 2022, foreign businesses producing food for export to China will have to print the commodity codes granted by China Customs or authorised agencies of Vietnam both inside and on the product packages.SPS Vietnam recommended enterprises stay updated with information about the codes so as not to affect the shipment to China.Vietnam exported over 50.16 billion USD worth of goods to China between January and November, up 16.1 percent from a year earlier, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs.By the end of November, China was the second largest destination of Vietnamese commodities, following the US. It also ranked second among importers of agro-forestry-fishery products from Vietnam, with import turnover of 8.4 billion USD during the period./.

– A business information portal was launched on December 23 with a view to helping address difficulties faced by enterprises, assisting policymaking, and proposing support measures for the development of businesses.The portal, at https://business.gov.vn , was launched by the Agency for Enterprise Development (AED) under the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the German Agency for International Cooperation GIZ ).AED Director Le Manh Hung said the information explosion generates both opportunities and challenges and open up new business chances for enterprises. Given this, it is an urgent need to develop a multidimensional, diverse, timely, and precise information channel connecting the State with businesses, as well as businesses with one another.The portal will also link Vietnamese businesses with foreign partners, show the country’s activeness in operating ASEAN ACCESS - a portal connecting small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in ASEAN, and help domestic firms stretch their reach to other regions around the globe, he added.Sebastian Paust, First Counsellor and head of the development cooperation division at the German Embassy in Vietnam, said the portal is a comprehensive and friendly platform basing on which SMEs, State-owned firms, and the business community at large can access important information and data, along with support services.Paust noted by applying modern technology, the highly open portal is frequently updated to meet businesses’ demand for all-round and precise information about support policies.He also considered the launch as a timely and practical move by the Vietnamese Government to assist SMEs in line with the 2018 Law on Support for SMEs./.

Vietnam wins three golds at 2021 Asian Karate ChampionshipThe Vietnamese team won three gold medals at the 2021 Asian Karate Championship in Kazakhstan which concluded on December 22. The second prize of 7,000 USD was awarded to a project of CRE Vietnam which aims to prevent transmission of carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae (CRE) in hospitals. The event is as part of the National Tourism Year - Ninh Binh 2021. Vietnam recorded 2,915 cyberattacks in the first six months of 2021, an increase of 898 compared with the same period last year. “Hat boi”, a traditional performance art of Vietnam, has a rich historical foundation, and quite an influence on the community.

One Year On: The Essex Lorry Tragedy (Photo: VNA)- A documentary written and produced by Viet Nam News has won top prize at an international film festival in the US.One Year On: The Essex Lorry Tragedy was made for the first anniversary of the deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants who were found in the back of a lorry container in Essex, UK. Viet Nam News journalists Paul Kennedy and Ho Hoang travelled to Yen Thanh district, Nghe An province, central Vietnam, to a small community hit hard by the tragedy.On December 18, judges at the Erie International Film Festival announced the documentary produced by the multimedia department of Viet Nam News had won first prize in the Documentary Short category.Frank Leczner, Jr., Festival Director, said: “I am honored to congratulate Viet Nam News on creating a film so very well done, and it was my true pleasure to have had the opportunity to present it to the world. "An incredible film, so well done by very talented filmmakers on a subject matter that was told in a truly touching, respectful, and heart-wrenching way. "The 2021 Erie International Film Festival took place over nine days from December 10 in Pennsylvania. I just hope our production can go some way to highlighting the plight of the poor people who lost their lives in the back of that lorry two years ago.” One Year on: The Essex Lorry Tragedy is available to watch exclusively in Vietnam via Galaxy Play https://galaxyplay.vn/title/one-year-on-the-essex-lorry-tragedy./.

The production chain of Nexcon Vietnam in Bac Ninh (Photo: VNA)Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien and the Republic of Korea’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Moon Sung-wook sign documents following the meetings (Photo: VNA)– Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien and the Republic of Korea (RoK)’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Moon Sung-wook co-chaired the 11th meeting of the Vietnam-RoK Joint Committee on trade, industry and energy cooperation and the 5th meeting of the bilateral Joint Committee on implementation of the free trade agreement between the two countries on December 22.The two ministers discussed measures to support enterprises in adapting to COVID-19 and maintaining operations, while seeking new motivations for the promotion of partnership between the two countries in trade, industry and energy in the time to come.In the area of trade, the officials agreed to work together to implement measures to expand the scale of bilateral trade, including broadening the market for farm produce and settling trade barriers between the two countries.They concurred to promptly finalise procedures for the signing of an agreement on the implementation of the cumulation of origin of textile materials between the two nations under the Vietnam-UK Free Trade Agreement and continue to coordinate closely in implementing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.In the area of industry, the two ministers agreed to strengthen cooperation to connect the supply chains between the two countries and support enterprises to optimise advantages from FTAs that both countries have signed through technology transfer and capacity improvement in the field of supporting industries, while supporting Vietnam in building a Law on Industry development.In terms of energy, both sides will encourage enterprises to foster partnership in technology transfer in energy, especially new energies. Following Vietnam’s requests, the RoK’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy agreed to continue sponsoring the second phase of a project to promote the in energy efficient investment market in the industrial sector and support the national green development action program in the 2021-2025 period.At the fifth meeting of the Vietnam-RoK Joint Committee on implementation of the bilateral free trade agreement, the two ministers shared delight at the efficiency of the deal, noting that after seven years of implementing the agreement, two-way trade is estimated to rise 2.1 times from 36.5 billion USD in 2015 to 77 billion USD in 2021.Total RoK investment in Vietnam also increased to 74.1 billion USD as of November 2021 from 36.5 billion USD in 2015.The two ministers agreed to continue to work closely together to foster partnership in customs clearance and removing difficulties facing enterprises of both sides, creating a favourable legal corridor to optimise the advantages brought about by the FTA.Following the two meetings, the two ministers signed four documents, including a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Industry and Trade and Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on middle and long-term cooperation in commercial urea for industrial use.During Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue’s visit to the RoK, leaders of both sides agreed to work together towards the target of 150 billion USD in two-way trade in 2030 with trade balance./.

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)– A national strategy on clean water supply and sanitation in rural areas by 2030 with a vision to 2045 was announced on December 22 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Vietnam.The main objective of the strategy is that by 2030, 65 percent of the population will have access to clean water that meets the standards set by the Ministry of Health; and 100 percent of households, schools and health stations have basic toilets.By 2045, 100 percent of people will gain access to clean water and safe and sustainable sanitation ; and 50 percent of rural residential areas will have domestic wastewater collection systems.After 10 years of implementing the national strategy on clean water supply and sanitation in rural areas by 2020, at present, 88.5 percent of residents in rural areas use hygienic clean water, of whom 51 percent gain access to clean water that meets the standards set by the Ministry of Health; and 75 percent of rural households have basic toilets.The effective implementation of this strategy has helped improve rural residents’ living conditions and boost socio-economic development, and helped many localities achieve the goal of new-style rural area building.Rana Flowers, UNICEF Representative in Vietnam, said that clean water and rural sanitation are the core issues for developing smart human resources, thereby promoting labour productivity and economic growth. Access to clean water and good sanitation means that people are protected well against the risk of diseases.Vietnam has made great strides in improving rural water and sanitation, she said./.

He announced that Cambodia has decided to reopen its whole economy since November after effectively curbing COVID-19 pandemic. In his capacity as Chairman of the Cambodia SEA Games Organising Committee next year, Tea Banh wished to visit Vietnam to learn from its experience in organising the biggest sport event in Southeast Asia. Minister Giang spoke highly of Cambodia’s economic development, especially in urban infrastructure. The Vietnamese minister highlighted a need to continue holding drills against non-traditional risks, search and rescue exercises, enhancing discussions on holding Vietnamese and Khmer languages to the two countries’ trainees. On the occasion, Minister Tea Banh invited Minister Phan Van Giang to pay an official visit to Cambodia in the near future./.

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc address at the meeting with Vietnamese Cambodian enterprises during his State visit to Cambodia. (Photo: VNA)Vietnam needs to improve the scale and quality of investment in Cambodia , promoting a new wave of investment, President Nguyen Xuan Phuc stated while meeting Vietnamese Cambodian enterprises on December 22 during his State visit to Cambodia.Phuc listed a series of potential fields for such investment, including real estate, construction, agriculture, retail, tourism, and entertainment.Praising efforts made the Vietnamese business communities in Cambodia to overcome difficulties due to COVID-19 , he highlighted the importance of the Cambodian market, particularly regarding agriculture.The State leader appreciated Vietnam's new investment trend focusing on sustainable areas such as clean energy and growing fruit trees for export.On behalf of the business community, President of the Vietnam Business Club in Cambodia (VBCC) Nguyen Thanh Dung thanked the attention paid by the Vietnamese Party, Government, and State for the community in nearly two difficult years under the impact of the pandemic.At the meeting, many of the participating firms expressed their concern over a gradual decrease in the number of employees knowing the Vietnamese language in most economic sectors, particularly in finance, banking, and telecommunications.They proposed that the Vietnamese State and Government increase scholarships for Cambodian students to study in Vietnam, therefore creating favorable conditions in terms of human resources for Vietnamese businesses in Cambodia.They also agreed that it is necessary to have special policies in aid of Vietnamese investors in Cambodia, especially in agriculture, industrial tree cultivation, and aquatic farming.Over the past decade, many enterprises, such as the Vietnam Rubber Group or the Truong Hai Agriculture Joint Stock Company, have made effective operations and made significant contributions to the Cambodian economy, creating thousands of jobs for local people, as well as effectively supporting the relocation and career change of Cambodian people of Vietnamese origin.In the afternoon of the same day, President Phuc and his high-level entourage left for Vietnam, concluding the two-day State visit at the invitation of Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni./.

(Photo: VNA)Kiev (VNA) – The Vietnamese Embassy and Defence Attache Office in Ukraine, in collaboration with the Vietnamese war veterans’ association in Ukraine, on December 21 held a ceremony to mark the 77th founding anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) and the 30th All People’s Defence Festival (December 22). Guests at the event included President of the Association of Veterans of Ukraine, Major General Vladimir Popovich and Ukrainian war veterans who used to help Vietnam during the war. Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Defence Attache in Ukraine Colonel Nguyen Quang Chien reviewed the 77-year development of the Vietnam People’s Army and its feats in two resistance wars against the French colonists and American imperialists. He highlighted the long-standing friendship between the people, army and veterans of the two countries, and the close relations between the Veterans Association of Ukraine and the Embassy, the Defense Attache Office, the Vietnamese Veterans Association in Ukraine, adding that he looked forward to stronger relations between two sides in the future. For his part, Nguyen Van Loan, chairman of the Vietnamese war veterans’ association in Ukraine, said Vietnamese veterans always maintain the virtues of Uncle Ho’s soldiers.