SINGAPORE - Media OutReach - 26 June 2019 - Lexngo, the leading sustainable lifestyle brand that designs and develops environmentally friendly products, has officially set up its office in Singapore to expand their business in ASEAN region. Following the company's commitment to promote sustainable living, the launch marks the first of many eco-friendly lifestyle products, which will be made available in the Singapore market. Equipped with a series of technology patents, Lexngo has piloted other lifestyle products to reduce single-use plastic waste. The company was also the recipient of the 'Sustainable Product Supplier' award by the Business Environment Council of Hong Kong. Their house brand Lexngo is a pioneer in manufacturing and design of breakthrough eco-friendly lifestyle products.

A Vietnamese firm introduces its products at the South African International Trade Exhibition 2019. — VNA/VNS PhotoHÀ NỘI — Despite the geographical distance, bilateral trade between South Africa and Việt Nam has increased from US$658 million in 2010 to more than $1 billion in 2018. Vietnamese Ambassador to South Africa Vũ Văn Dũng stressed the embassy and its trade office considers boosting bilateral trade and investment ties one of its top priorities. A Vietnamese trade promotion delegation that includes 22 businesses from five localities is visiting South Africa from June 21 to 29, seeking partnerships and export opportunities. On June 27, a workshop on Việt Nam–South Africa trade will be held in Cape Town.

Except for the Philippines, the country’s three major traditional rice importing countries such as China, Indonesia and Bangladesh all imported much less in the first half of the year. Speakers at a conference held yesterday in HCM City discuss the status of Viet Nam's rice exports in the first half of the year. Meanwhile, countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia, and Pakistan are trying to increase their rice export output. Khánh said the decree was a breakthrough in institutional policy regarding rice export activities, removing difficulties for rice firms. The decree also stipulates additional regulations on the responsibilities of ministries, sectors and localities in rice export management.

The International Day of Yoga (IDY) 2018 attracted the participation of nearly 1,000 yoga practisers. — Photo hanoimoi.comHÀ NỘI — Nearly 1,000 people will practice yoga together to mark the International Day of Yoga (IDY) on June 22 in Hà Nội. The Consulate General of India in HCM City is separately celebrating the International Day of Yoga on June 29. The embassy, Bảo Việt Life Insurance Company in collaboration with the People’s Committees of ten other provinces will also be organising yoga events to celebrate the fifth International Day of Yoga. June 21 was declared as International Day of Yoga by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his address to UN General Assembly in 2014.

TAITUNG, TAIWAN - Media OutReach - 19 June 2019 - Entering its 9th consecutive year, the Taiwan International Balloon Festival is scheduled to take place at Luye Highlands in Taitung from June 29th to August 12th. Taiwan International Balloon Festival kicks off at Luye HighlandsThe 2019 Festival maintains its position as the longest hot air balloon festival held in the world. The Taiwan International Balloon Festival was named as one of the top 12 hot air balloon festivals around the world by the Travel Channel. Accompanying the marvelous aerial spectacle, nine night glow concerts will add to the festivities and light up the skies of Taitung. Seven Starry Night Concerts have been added to the agenda this year.

Chinese investment made up 42.5 per cent of the total according to data released by the Foreign Investment Agency (FIA) under the Ministry of Planning and Investment. If including Taiwan’s investment, Chinese investors poured nearly $7.7 billion in Việt Nam, surpassing South Korea, Singapore and Japan to become the biggest foreign investor. Previously, Chinese investors were mainly small businesses with out-dated technology but now many large corporations have funded large-scale projects. Chinese investors are also increasing merger and acquisition (M&A) activities, raising the concerns Vietnamese enterprises would be acquired and annexed. According to Nguyễn Mại, chairman of the Association of Foreign Invested Enterprises, Việt Nam needs to fine tune its policies to ensure high-quality foreign investment.

They were pleased to note that Việt Nam had also become the seventh largest foreign investor in Myanmar with 18 large projects worth nearly $2.2 billion. The Deputy PM lauded the Central Bank of Myanmar’s recent policies that supported the operation of foreign credit institutions, including those from Việt Nam. He asked the Myanmar side to continue enabling Vietnamese credit institutions to establish and expand their presence in the nation. For his part, Soe Win said the Myanmar government was making efforts to simplify administrative procedures to create an open business climate for foreign investors, including those from Việt Nam. He added that these efforts took time and asked Vietnamese investors to be patient and co-operate with authorities.

HÀ NỘI Laws and resolutions were top of the agenda during the 20 days of the National Assembly session. “The NA has fulfilled all working agenda in legislation, supervision and making decisions on important national works,” she said. The NA gave their opinions on nine draft laws as part of their working agenda. Labour ConventionEarlier in the morning, deputies passed a resolution approving Việt Nam’s accession to Convention 98 of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). ILO’s deputy director-general for Policy, Deborah Greenfield congratulated Việt Nam on ratifying Convention 98.

HÀ NỘI The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) and the Association of Việt Nam Retailers (AVR) opened a conference yesterday in Hà Nội to promote links within Việt Nam’s goods supply chain and sustainable co-operation between manufacturers and distributors. Vũ Thị Hậu, AVR vice chairwoman, said the conference aimed to build supply chains for consumer goods and speciality agricultural products. Speaking at the conference, Đỗ Hoàng Thạch, director of Việt Nam Agricultural Trade Promotion Joint Stock Company, said the supply chain was important to the industry. Revenue rose 10.2 per cent in 2016, 10.9 per cent in 2017 and 11.7 per cent last year. Nga said these were results of the remarkable efforts of the association and its member companies to strengthen supply chains to bring quality products to consumers.

The report “Việt Nam’s Future Digital Economy towards 2030 and 2045” provides economic modelling for potential growth scenarios. The report, “Việt Nam’s Future Digital Economy Towards 2030 and 2045”, notes that much has already been done through the Government’s policies on 4.0 Industry such as cybersecurity, energy and digital skills. The country also lacks a sufficient number of people who can play leading roles in the digital transformation process. The first report “Việt Nam Today”, which was released last year, examined the state of Việt Nam’s macro-economy and digital economy. The report is part of the Việt Nam’s Future Digital Economy project, an innovative joint venture between Việt Nam and Australia.

Meeting Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Marise Payne in Hà Nội on Thursday, PM Phúc also suggested the two sides effectively uphold the current bilateral cooperation mechanisms. Relations between Việt Nam and Australia have been developing fruitfully in recent years, PM Phúc said, adding that Australia has annually trained nearly 30,000 Vietnamese students. Australia currently ranks 19th among 128 foreign investors in Việt Nam with total investment of over $1.84 billion, while Việt Nam is running 47 direct investment projects in Australia. He welcomed Payne for selecting Việt Nam as one of the first countries to visit in the second week of her new working tenure. The minister said she will direct the Australian foreign ministry to expand new cooperation with Việt Nam in the spirit of strategic partnership.

Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc (R) meets Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne in Hà Nội on Thursday. Meeting Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Marise Payne in Hà Nội on Thursday, PM Phúc also suggested the two sides effectively uphold the current bilateral cooperation mechanisms. Australia currently ranks 19th among 128 foreign investors in Việt Nam with total investment of over $1.84 billion, while Việt Nam is running 47 direct investment projects in Australia. He welcomed Payne for selecting Việt Nam as one of the first countries to visit in the second week of her new working tenure. The minister said she will direct the Australian foreign ministry to expand new cooperation with Việt Nam in the spirit of strategic partnership.

Under the amended law, chairman of the provincial People’s Committee can erase tax liabilities worth a maximum VNĐ5 billion (US$215,000). Directors of the general tax and customs departments are able to remove overdue tax liabilities worth VNĐ5-10 billion. The finance minister is authorised to eliminate overdue tax liabilities worth VNĐ10-15 billion and the Prime Minister can erase unpaid tax liabilities worth more than VNĐ15 billion. The amended law also asks commercial banks to provide data and information of customers – also tax payers – to tax agencies and work with tax agencies to perform tax collection activities while ensuring tax payers’ information is secure and not falsified. The amended Law of Tax Management will take effect on July 1, 2020.

Under the amended law, chairman of the provincial People’s Committee can erase tax liabilities worth a maximum VNĐ5 billion (US$215,000). Directors of the general tax and customs departments are able to remove overdue tax liabilities worth VNĐ5-10 billion. The finance minister is authorised to eliminate overdue tax liabilities worth VNĐ10-15 billion and the Prime Minister can erase unpaid tax liabilities worth more than VNĐ15 billion. The amended law also asks commercial banks to provide data and information of customers – also tax payers – to tax agencies and work with tax agencies to perform tax collection activities while ensuring tax payers’ information is secure and not falsified. The amended Law of Tax Management will take effect on July 1, 2020.

The result represented a record, with the landslide one of the largest in the history of the United Nations. Trung said for its term as a Council member, Việt Nam will focus on promoting multilateralism and international law, cooperation between the Council and regional organisations, post-conflict reconstruction and peacebuilding, as well as civilian protection during conflicts. This marks the second time Việt Nam has won the position on the council, following its first stint during the 2008-2009 period. As the only candidate representing Asia-Pacific, Việt Nam was set to replace Kuwait at the UNSC from January 1, 2020. As one of the six major UN organs, the UN Security Council has 15 members, including five permanent and the remaining 10 with two-year tenures.