Illustrative photo (Photo: AFP/VNA))Vietnam received about 1.4 million doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine aided by France on November 27 and 28, bringing the total doses offered by the European donor to more than 2 million.The freshly received vaccine, consisting of 400,000 doses via the bilateral diplomatic channel and nearly 1 million doses via the COVAX Facility, was the result of Vietnam’s vaccine diplomacy efforts and of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s official visit to France in November.The assistance of the French Government and people to Vietnam amid complicated developments of COVID-19 is of important significance. It is a vivid evidence for the strategic partnership between the two countries and affirms their mutual cooperation and support in pandemic prevention and control.Vietnam hopes France will continue its vaccine aid for and cooperate with Vietnam in the production and technological transfer of COVID-19 vaccines and treatment drugs, as well as assist Vietnam regarding related medical equipment and supplies. The sides should work together in putting forth creative collaboration measures and orientations for their early adaptation to post-pandemic conditions and gradual recovery of socio-economic activities.According the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the country has so far donated 67 million doses of vaccines to more than 45 countries through the COVAX Facility, becoming the second biggest donor after the US./.

Production activities at Fuhong Precision Component Company in Dinh Tram Industrial Park (Photo: VNA)Nguyen Bich Lam , former Director General of the General Statistics Office. This meant that foreign investors are placing great trust in Vietnam as part of the global supply chain.Also in the period, 7.09 billion USD were added to existing FDI projects in the nation, up 24.2 percent year-on-year, while foreign capital contribution and share purchase reached 3.63 billion USD.In the ten months, Vietnam reeled in 267.93 billion USD worth of export turnover, up 28.2 percent annually. Of the sum, the FDI sector contributed more than 196.7 billion USD, an annual increase of 20.3 percent. The foreign-invested sector’s import value, meanwhile, reached nearly 176.9 billion USD, up 31.3 percent over the same period last year and accounting for 65.7 percent of the country’s total.Regarding Vietnam's advantages in attracting foreign investment, Lam said the macro environment and politics are stable, the economy is dynamic, and the consumption market is expanding with abundant supply sources. He also listed consistent policies for foreign investment attraction and improving business climate.In addition, Vietnam is a member of many large-scale multilateral and bilateral trade agreements such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP); Vietnam – EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA); and Vietnam’s several bilateral trade agreements with the US, the Republic of Korea, Japan, and the UK.Lam noted that in order to effectively attract and maintain foreign investment in Vietnam, the Government and relevant ministries, sectors, and localities need to implement a number of solutions.

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Vietnamese representatives in Switzerland (Photo: VNA)Bern (VNA) – President Nguyen Xuan Phuc has hailed the overseas Vietnamese community as an “inseparable part” of the Vietnamese nation and an important resource for the cause of national construction, development and defence. He informed them that Vietnam’s business environment has improved, attracting a large number of top investors to the country. On the occasion, the President presented the Friendship Order to the Switzerland-Vietnam Friendship Association (SVFA) in honour of its contributions to the friendship between the two countries' people. President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) Nguyen Phuong Nga also granted the insignia “For Peace and Friendship among Nations”, the most noble distinction of the VUFO, to SVFA President Anjuska Weil. As scheduled on November 28 morning (local time), President Phuc and his spouse will leave Bern for Geneva to meet Director General of the UN Office in Geneva Tatiana Valovaya, Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) Daren Tang./.

A Hanoi student gets vaccinated against COVID-19 (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam logged 12,936 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours to 4pm on November 28, according to the Ministry of Health. The ministry also said that Vietnam has not yet detected any cases infected with the new coronavirus variant Omicron. The total number of cases nationwide is now 1,210,340. A further 190 deaths were also recorded across the country, raising the total number of fatalities to 24,882. The Ministry of Health also reported that 1,712 more patients had now fully recovered from COVID-19, bringing the total number of people given the all-clear to 958,636.

At the working session between Vietnamese Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son and Switzerland’s State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) Martina Hirayama on November 26. (Photo: VNA)Vietnamese Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son and Switzerland’s State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) Martina Hirayama on November 26 discussed measures to improve the efficiency of educational cooperation between the two countries.Their working session took place within the framework of President Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s official visit to Switzerland.Son suggested strengthening collaboration between Vietnamese and Swiss universities, covering training programmes in such areas as tourism, hotel, insurance, banking and high-tech, along with innovation.The two sides should step up the exchange of lecturers and students, and establish research groups that gather professors from Vietnamese and Swiss universities, he said.The minister said during a meeting with President Nguyen Xuan Phuc , Swiss President Guy Parmelin had suggested the five leading universities of Switzerland beef up cooperation with Vietnamese universities.For her part, Hirayama showed her support for the Vietnamese side’s proposals, saying the two countries’ state management agencies play a significant role in this regard.On this occasion, Son expressed his hope that Switzerland will provide more scholarships for Vietnamese students, helping the Southeast Asian nation improve the quality of human resources Son invited the Swiss official to visit Vietnam and and work with the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training.Hirayama accepted the invitation with pleasure, saying she hopes that the two sides will work together to promote the bilateral educational cooperation./.

Minister of Science and Technology Huynh Thanh Dat (R) meets Martina Hirayama, Head of the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation. (Photo: VNA)- Minister of Science and Technology Huynh Thanh Dat, who has been accompanying President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on his official visit to Switzerland, on November 26 had a working session with Martina Hirayama, Head of the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) at the Swiss Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research.During their meeting, the two officials agreed that it is necessary to further strengthen cooperation in science, technology and innovation amongst science and technology communities and businesses of the two countries, saying that this will bring mutual benefits and promote sustainable development in both countries.Dat said he was impressed at Switzerland's achievements in growth and prosperity, saying that Vietnam always considers science - technology and innovation as a main motivation to realise its goal of becoming a modern industrial country by 2030, and a developed nation with high income by 2045.Vietnam has focused on strengthening the capacity of the national innovation system, developing innovative enterprises, encouraging large private corporations to invest in research and development, and attracting foreign enterprises to invest in technology transfer, he said.The minister suggested Hirayama support the upgrade of the 2019 letter of intent on innovation, science and technology between the two countries to a cooperation agreement between the two governments in the field.According to the minister, the two sides will co-organise a number of seminars on digital transformation, application of high technology in health, agriculture, climate change adaptation, and innovation management.Activities to promote investment and cooperation between high-tech zones of the two countries will be strengthened, Dat said, adding that Vietnam encourages Swiss businesses to invest and set up research and development centres in the Southeast Asian nation.Vietnam is willing to serve as a destination among nearly 20 places worldwide for Switzerland to set up its office of science and technology, the minister said.The Vietnamese ministry will create the most favorable conditions to promote bilateral cooperation in science, technology and innovation in the time to come, he affirmed./.

- Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Swiss counterpart Guy Parmelin co-chaired a Vietnam - Switzerland Business Forum in Bern on November 26.Addressing the forum with the attendance of representatives from over 100 businesses of the two countries, the Vietnamese leader called on Swiss businesses to invest in Vietnam and partner with Vietnamese enterprises in areas where Swiss firms have strengths and Vietnam is giving priority to, especially in banking and finance, science and hi-technology, innovation and digital transformation.For his part, President Parmelin highlighted the huge potential for stronger cooperation between the two countries, and the necessity to have new cooperation framework s to encourage Swiss businesses to invest in Vietnam.The interest and commitment of businesses and representatives of the private sector of Switzerland at the forum showed that Vietnam is a priority for the European country in economic cooperation, he said, revealing that no less than 70 million CHF are expected to be invested in economic development projects in Vietnam in the 2021-2024 period.The COVID-19 crisis has demonstrated the need for a legal framework to promote close bilateral economic ties, he noted.The two countries signed an investment protection agreement, a double taxation avoidance agreement and an agreement on protection of intellectual property rights, President Parmelin said, adding that these are important legal foundations for Vietnamese and Swiss businesses to enhance partnership and to further bolster bilateral relations between the two economies.Regarding a free trade agreement (FTA) between Vietnam and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), which has been negotiated by the two sides in the past nine years, President Parmelin expressed his hope that the countries will come up with solutions to accelerate the talks.Agreeing with his Swiss counterpart on the above-mentioned issues, President Phuc said that right after his talks with President Parmelin on November 26 morning, the Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade had a meeting with the Minister of State of Switzerland to promote the early conclusion of the negotiations and signing of the EFTA-Vietnam FTA for the benefit of both sides.He briefed Swiss investors on potential and investment opportunities in Vietnam, saying that Vietnam has changed from merely attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) capital to cooperating with foreign investors in the spirit of equality, mutual development and benefit, and responsibility to society and employees, and environmental protection.Vietnam selects and prioritises investment projects in the fields of high technology, innovation and research and development, he said, adding that Vietnam pledges to cooperate and create favourable conditions for its businesses to join value chains, promote digital economy and actively contribute to the country’s sustainable socio-economic development.The Vietnamese leader suggested the two countries promote extensive communications on each country's investment policies to their businesses, especially in finance and banking, science and high technology, innovation and digital transformation.Relevant agencies of the two countries should encourage trade and investment flows to each other, and increase the exchange of business delegations to learn about markets and opportunities for investment and business connections, he said.President Phuc called on Swiss businesses to support the Swiss Government to supply COVID-19 vaccines for Vietnam through the COVAX Facility, and supply medical equipment and transfer technology for COVID-19 treatment drugs research and production to the Southeast Asian nation.Vietnam will make efforts to create a business environment as committed in new-generation FTAs with high-quality and comprehensive standards, including maintaining socio-political and macroeconomic stability, removing bottlenecks of the economy in terms of legal institutions, infrastructure and human resources, developing supply chains, reducing logistics and administrative costs.Swiss businesses can enjoy other opportunities when they invest in Vietnam because the Southeast Asian nation has joined 15 trade agreements, including large-scale and high-standard deals such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Vietnam-EU FTA, he said./.

The signing ceremony of the project agreement in Hanoi on November 26. (Photo: General Statistics Office)At the signing ceremony. (Photo: VNA)– Denmark will support Vietnam with 6.5 million DKK (about 1 million USD) to carry out a project on improving the quality of official statistics The General Statistics Office (GSO) of Vietnam and Statistics Denmark signed the project agreement via videoconference on November 26.The 30-month project will focus on using administrative data for producing population, migration, and education statistics; and optimising chances for using big data to produce statistics and build the first economic - environmental accounting system for Vietnam.GSO General Director Nguyen Thi Huong pledged close cooperation with Vietnamese ministries, sectors, and Statistics Denmark to carry out the project successfully.Danish Ambassador to Vietnam Kim Højlund Christensen said Statistics Denmark will work closely with the GSO and relevant ministries and sectors in Vietnam to share knowledge and experience.Meanwhile, Director General of Statistics Denmark Birgitte Anker expressed her hope for effective cooperation with the GSO, and that this partnership will provide more information about the Vietnamese society, serving as a basis for making evidence-based decisions and monitoring international agenda like the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).Since 2015, the two countries have signed strategic sector cooperation programmes in the fields of health care, education, food safety, and recently statistics with a view to promoting sustainable and responsible growth, employment, and prosperity in Vietnam.Under those programmes, governmental agencies of Denmark have set up partnerships with Vietnamese ministries and sectors to share knowledge and experience related to priority issues and matching demand in Vietnam./.

Illustrative photo. (Source: VNA)Vietnam was India’s fourth largest supplier of rubber during the first three quarters of this year, after Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, and Malaysia, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Agency of Foreign Trade.In the reviewed period, Vietnam exported 69,140 tonnes of rubber to the South Asian country for 132 million USD, up 46.5 percent and 92.1 percent, respectively, compared to the same period last year.Rubber originated from Vietnam accounted for around 8 percent of India’s imports, up from 7.7 percent one year ago, data from India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry shows.When it comes to natural rubber, Vietnam ranked second among exporters to India, accounting for 19 percent of the market share, compared to 17.3 percent in the same period last year. From January to September, Vietnam shipped to the Indian market some 67,870 tonnes of natural rubber for over 129.2 million USD, up 44.8 percent in volume and 89.6 percent in value.Regarding synthetic rubber, Vietnam's market share in India was just 0.3 percent./.

Politics Infographic ASEAN - CHINA Strategic Partnership The ASEAN-China relationship has been realised through many mechanisms including the annual summit, ministerial meetings, and five-year action plans. Politics Infographic Major contents of APEC CEO Summit 2021 The APEC CEO Summit, one of the world’s premier business and government events in 2021, takes place in Auckland, New Zealand, on Nov. 11-12. State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc delivered pre-record speech at the discussion session on sustainable development and climate change on Nov. 11.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Slovenia Nguyen Trung Kien (L, first) meets Ambassador Igor Jukic, director general in charge of multilateral diplomacy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia . (Photo: VNA)– Vietnamese Ambassador to Slovenia Nguyen Trung Kien had working sessions with representatives of the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and agencies on November 22 and 23 to discuss measures to promote cooperation between the two countries.During a meeting with Ambassador Igor Jukic, director general in charge of multilateral diplomacy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kien thanked the ministry for coordinating with the Vietnamese side to arrange a meeting between President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Slovenian President Borut Pahor on the sidelines of the 76th United Nations General Assembly in September this year.The Vietnamese diplomat expressed his hope that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will support and coordinate with the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology to accelerate the ratification of the EU – Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA).He suggested the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to coordinate with its Vietnamese counterpart in organising a political consultation in 2022 and creating conditions for the two sides to discuss orientations for promoting cooperation between the two foreign ministries in the coming time.Regarding cooperation at multilateral forums, Kien thanked Slovenia for supporting Ambassador Nguyen Hong Thao's re-election to the United Nations International Law Commission in the 2023-2027 term and for backing Vietnam to join the Executive Board of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in the 2021-2025 term.Jukic affirmed that cooperation between Vietnam and Slovenia over the past time has witnessed remarkable results despite the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.He highly valued Vietnam's contributions to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHCR) in the 2014-2016 term and revealed that Slovenia will run for a seat in the UNHCR in 2023-2025.At his meeting with representatives of the authority of the Port of Koper, Kien said that with its advantages in terms of geographical location and preferential services, the Port of Koper will be a potential destination for Vietnamese goods in the near future.He proposed the port’s authority to coordinate with the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) of Slovenia to include the content of logistics cooperation at the port in the agenda of the third session of the Inter-governmental Slovenia–Vietnam Commission for economic-trade and scientific-technological cooperation which was scheduled to take place in 2022.On this occasion, a seminar on the possibility of logistics cooperation through the Port of Koper was organised, attracting many Slovenian logistics service providers, Vietnamese enterprises and importers of Vietnamese goods in the Slovenia and Austria markets./.

At the 7th Vietnam-Japan environmental policy dialogue in Tokyo on November 24, Ha expressed his belief that with the great attention of both sides, bilateral cooperation in the fields of environment, climate change response and development of circular economy will be further promoted beyond the areas of natural disaster prevention and control, and ocean debris management.Concluding the dialogue, the two ministers signed a cooperation plan on climate change response towards the target of carbon neutrality by 2050. The document is of significance in implementing the commitments delivered by the Prime Ministers of the two countries at COP26.Speaking to the Vietnam News Agency after the dialogue, Ha said that during the dialogue, he and his Japanese counterpart concentrated on the contents which will contribute to the upcoming agreements between the two governments on a roadmap towards the target of net-zero emissions by 2050.He said that the Japanese minister underlined the comprehensive cooperation with Vietnam from the stage of policy and institution building and completion as well as in technical assistance. It’s time for the two countries to shift fossil fuel to renewable energy, wind power and hydrogen, along with the application of new and modern technologies, Ha said.Besides, the two sides also focused on measures to improve the efficiency of existing cooperation contents such as the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM)./.

A military roadblock near the green zone in Baghdad, Iraq. (Photo: AFP)Vietnam voiced support for provision of assistance to Iraq in addressing current challenges in the war-torn country during a UN Security Council meeting on November 23.Discussing the situation in Iraq, the meeting was attended by Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).Speaking at the event, Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, congratulated the Government of Iraq and Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) on the well-managed elections held last month and highly spoke of the UNAMI and international organisations for backing Iraq and the IHEC in the polls.He also reiterated his support for the UNAMI and UN staff operating in the country.Quy expressed his concern over terrorist attacks in Iraq over the last few months, particularly a failed assassination attempt against the Iraqi Prime Minister, saying Vietnam strongly condemns all forms of terrorism. He called on all stakeholders to address concerns through existing legal processes and facilitate the promotion of national unity, and constructive and peaceful dialogue.The diplomat also appreciated the diplomatic efforts made by the Government of Iraq and how it has demonstrated a strong role in regional peace and security issues, particularly the organisation of the Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership in August 2021.He further welcomed cooperation between the Governments of Iraq and Kuwait in searching for Kuwaiti and citizens of third countries going missing in Iraq with the help from the UNAMI and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)./.

Molnupiravir pills (Photo: VNA)– Three pharmaceutical companies in Vietnam are planning to or are producing Molnupiravir pills to treat COVID-19 patients with mild or no symptoms , according to the Ministry of Health.Of the three, the drug manufactured by Stellapharm Vietnam has been approved for clinical trial. Because Molnupiravir has yet been granted with a circulation registration number in Vietnam, the Ministry of Health is considering asking the Government for approval of using the drug in emergency cases. If approved by the Government, it is expected that three registration numbers will be issued for three types of Molnupiravir drugs manufactured by domestic pharmaceutical companies.Regarding the effectiveness of Molnupiravir on COVID-19 patients in Vietnam, the Department of Science, Technology and Training under the Ministry of Health said that from the end of August, the ministry has piloted using Molnupiravir for non-hospitalised patients. Ho Chi Minh City was the first locality to implement this pilot programme. At present, it has been arried out in 34 provinces and cities.The ministry has provided 110,000 doses, including 50,000 doses of Molnupiravir 400 mg Stella VN, and 60,000 doses of Molnupiravir 200 mg Optimus produced by India to localities.The use of the drug in 22 provinces and cities show that Molnupiravir is safe and well-accepted, and has obvious effectiveness in reducing viral load, virus spread and the number of severe cases, and shortening treatment time, with no fatalities recorded.Molnupiravir is developed by the US-based pharmaceutical companies Ridgeback Biotherapeutics and Merck & Co., Inc./.

Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien (left) and Governor of Wakayama Prefecture Nisaka Yoshinobu inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on strengthening cooperation in the field of trade and industry . Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien and Governor of Wakayama Prefecture Nisaka Yoshinobu inked the MoU. Dien also said he hopes that Wakayama Prefecture will cooperate in sharing experience, consulting on industrial development policies and promoting collaboration in the production of components and equipment for the textile industry. He also affirmed that Wakayama will facilitate the granting of licence for the import of Vietnam's fresh longan in 2022. He also wished to welcome Vietnamese businesses to invest in Japan in general and Wakayama in particular in the near future./.