Thailand to ban recreational use of cannabis
– The Thai government will urgently move a bill to ban the recreational use of cannabis , which was taken off the list of banned narcotics in June 2022.Minister of Public Health Cholnan Srikaew said the new bill, which bans the recreational use of cannabis, will be proposed at the Cabinet meeting next week.The bill will be amended from the existing one to only allow the use of cannabis for health and medicinal purposes, he said, adding that the use for entertainment is considered wrong.Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, who took office last August, has frequently voiced his opposition to the recreational use of the drug and said it should be allowed only for medicinal use./.
Source:Viet Nam News
February 08, 2024 02:48 UTC
Condolences extended over death of Vietnam’s US friend Merle Ratner
Merle Ratner , a left-wing and anti-war activist in the US and a close friend of Vietnam (Photo: VNA)– On behalf of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, Le Hoai Trung , Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Chairman of the committee’s Commission for External Relations, has sent condolences to the family of Merle Ratner, a left-wing and anti-war activist in the US and a close friend of Vietnam, over her death.Ratner passed away in a traffic accident in New York on February 5 evening.Merle Evelyn Ratner, born in 1956 in New York City, had a special love for Vietnam. She took to the streets to protest against the Vietnam War when she was 13 years old and became famous for hanging anti-war slogans on the Statue of Liberty. She was a co-founder and coordinator of the Vietnam Agent Orange Relief & Responsibility Campaign (VAORRC) in the New York area.She actively participated in protests against the US war in Vietnam since the late 1960s, the anti-imperialist movement in the 1970s and 1980s, and anti-racism campaigns in the US today.After 1975, Ratner campaigned for the normalisation of the Vietnam - US relations and supported Vietnam’s international activities. She visited the Southeast Asian country for many times and engaged in joint work with mass organisations, the Vietnam Fatherland Front, and the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics.Ratner was awarded the "For the Development of Vietnamese Women" insignia in 2010 and the “For Vietnamese Victims of Agent Orange” insignia in 2013./.
Source:Viet Nam News
February 08, 2024 01:30 UTC
Market rally continues for third consecutive day led by blue-chip stocks ahead of Lunar New Year
HÀ NỘI — Blue-chip stocks drove market gains as shares rose for the third consecutive day ahead of Lunar New Year. The benchmark VN-Index on the Hồ Chí Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE) gained 0.85 per cent to close at 1,198.53 points. More than 685 million shares were traded on the southern exchange on Thursday, worth VNĐ15.5 trillion (US$634.3 million). The VN30 Index, which tracks the performance of the 30 largest stocks by market capitalisation and liquidity on HoSE, rose 1.13 per cent to end at 1,212.70 points. On the Hà Nội Stock Exchange, the HNX-Index gained 0.18 per cent to 231.04 points.
Source:Viet Nam News
February 07, 2024 21:40 UTC
FDI firms' outlook on Việt Nam's economy in 2024
Leaders from foreign-invested companies shared their insights with Việt Nam News reporters, discussing their expectations for Việt Nam's economic growth in 2024 and outlining their key focuses for the year ahead. Last year, the US and Việt Nam raised their diplomatic relationship to a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” further cementing Việt Nam’s position in the US “friendshoring” orbit. The main caveat to all the positive points above is that Việt Nam needs to accelerate infrastructure development to maximise high quality FDI inflows. Its transportation and logistics infrastructure urgently needs to be upgraded, and foreign companies have concerns about Việt Nam’s ability to reliably supply electricity to industrial users. Well-positioned in the region with robust GDP growth, Việt Nam's economy thrived in 2023, setting the stage for future advancements.
Source:Viet Nam News
February 07, 2024 13:51 UTC
Bad debt recovery faces many challenges in 2024
HÀ NỘI — The settlement of bad debts will face many difficulties this year as there are no legal regulations related to repossessing collateral assets, industry insiders said. According to Nguyễn Quốc Hùng, General Secretary of the Vietnam Banking Association, it will be tough for credit institutions to handle and recover bad debts, as Resolution 42/2017/NQ-QH14, which piloted handling of bad debt of credit institutions and allowed the institutions to repossess collateral assets on bad debts, expired at the end of last year. Under the amended Law on Credit Institutions recently passed by the National Assembly, credit institutions do not have the right to repossess collateral. Value and origin of collateral assets must be appraised, verified, evaluated and closely monitored. In the long term, experts suggest that a new and more consistent legal framework is needed to resolve bad debts.
Source:Viet Nam News
February 07, 2024 06:39 UTC
VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES FEBRUARY 7/2024
In Vietnam, this method has received increasing attention after the Government issued Decree 22 on Commercial Mediation in 2017. Three students of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV) attends the 19th ICC International Commercial Mediation Competition (ICCMC-19) in Paris, France. Vietnam, Morocco promote South-South cooperation for common prosperity: AmbassadorThe consolidated cooperation between Vietnam and Morocco is the result of their shared desire to promote and strengthen South-South cooperation, Moroccan Ambassador to Vietnam Jamale Chouaibi said in an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) on the occasion of the Lunar New Year (Tet) Festival. It looked into contributions and opportunities generated by the agreement to countries that want to invest in Africa, including Vietnam, and prospects of cooperation between Vietnam and African nations, especially Morocco. For his part, Giang took note of the continuous development of the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos.
Source:Viet Nam News
February 07, 2024 05:32 UTC
Vietnamese students compete at 19th ICC int’l commercial mediation competition
Three students of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV) attends the 19th ICC International Commercial Mediation Competition (ICCMC-19) in Paris, France. (Photo: VNA)– Three students of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV) are attending the 19th ICC International Commercial Mediation Competition ( ICCMC-19 ) at the headquarters of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Paris, France from February 5-10.The Vietnamese competitors have diligently researched and taken advantage of every moment to improve their knowledge to be able to pass tough competition rounds in a field that is still quite new to Vietnam.ICCMC is one of the largest educational competitions globally dedicated to international commercial mediation. This year’s event sees the participation of more than 350 contestants and mediation trainers from more than 30 countries, 160 professional international commercial mediators, and many volunteers, sponsors, and observers.Contestants representing 48 teams from universities around the world will compete by resolving international trade dispute issues through conciliation methods based on the ICC Arbitration Rules.The performance of contestants will be evaluated by top experts in dispute resolution worldwide. The teams will go through five qualifying rounds and a final round to determine the champion team.The competition is also an opportunity for mediation professionals to engage with experienced professionals from around the world while guiding 48 teams in the role of a mediator or judge.Commercial mediation is a dispute resolution method currently used by many countries. In Vietnam, this method has received increasing attention after the Government issued Decree 22 on Commercial Mediation in 2017./.
Source:Viet Nam News
February 07, 2024 04:49 UTC
Vietnamese football prepares for transition and new challenges in 2024
Prior to coach Philippe Troussier's guidance, Vietnamese football experienced five years of great success under coach Park Hang-seo. When the time came, Vietnamese football truly shone. To ensure another successful cycle, Vietnamese football needs to continue building on this foundation. Although these achievements did not meet expectations, Vietnamese football must remain steadfast and accept failure as an opportunity to learn valuable lessons. As competition in Asia becomes increasingly fierce, trust and steadfastness in the chosen direction during this transition period are the only ways for Vietnamese football to achieve its goals.
Source:Viet Nam News
February 06, 2024 19:41 UTC
Vietjet further boosts fleet capacity amid increasing travel demand for the Lunar New Year holidays
VietJet' fleetVietjet A330 aircraftSHANGHAI, CHINA Media OutReach Newswire - 6 February 2024 - Vietjet has received two additional aircraft under wet-leased arrangement in response to the surge in travel demand during the Lunar New Year festival, one of the longest annual holidays in Asia. Addressing the holiday travel needs of Chinese tourists, Vietjet opened the "Shanghai to Ho Chi Minh City" route in December 2023, connecting these two captivating cities. * For high resolution images, please see the link below:Hashtag: #越捷航空The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Vietjet is a fully-fledged member of International Air Transport Association (IATA) with the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certificate. The airline has also been named as Best Low-Cost Carrier by renowned organizations such as Skytrax, CAPA, Airline Ratings, and many others.
Source:Viet Nam News
February 06, 2024 15:57 UTC
National portal for extended producer responsibility put into operation
A screenshoot of the site. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has announced the official operation of the national portal for extended producer responsibility (EPR), supporting manufacturers and importers in registering, declaring, and reporting their activities.EPR entails manufacturers and importers taking responsibility for managing the disposal of their product packaging when it is discarded into the environment. Currently, there are over 400 different EPR systems implemented worldwide.Via the portal, https://epr.monre.gov.vn/, the groups subject to EPR obligations in recycling their products and packaging and in handling waste as stipulated in Article 54 and 55 of the 2020 Environmental Protection Law are now able to register, declare, and report their compliance with product-packaging recycle and waste management responsibilities online starting January 29, instead of submitting paper documents to the ministry.Furthermore, they can access the website to be updated on legal regulations and receive legal advice.
Source:Viet Nam News
February 06, 2024 14:57 UTC
Industrial production index climbs 18.3% in January
Workers produce bicycles at a factory of the Thong Nhat Joint Stock Company in Hanoi. (Photo: VNA)– The index of industrial production (IIP) in January fell 4.4% month on month but still went up 18.3% year on year, reported the General Statistics Office (GSO).In particular, the processing - manufacturing sector expanded 19.3% from a year earlier, contributing 15.1 percentage points to the overall growth.Electricity production and distribution surged by 21.6%, contributing 1.9 percentage points; water supply, waste and wastewater management and treatment up 5.7%, 0.1 percentage point; and the mining sector up 7.3%, 1.2 percentage points.Notably, the January IIP posted year-on-year increases in 60 provinces and cities while declining in just three others, the GSO said, attributing the fast expansion in some localities to sharp rises in the processing - manufacturing sector and the production and distribution of electricity.Those recording high index rises in the processing - manufacturing sector include Quang Ninh province 157.9%, Bac Giang province 57.7%, Nam Dinh province 56.9%, Vinh Long province 51.2%, Kien Giang province 47.7%, Phu Tho province 39.4%, and Ho Chi Minh City 26.9%.Though the global economy is still facing numerous difficulties and market demand has yet to recover, the country’s IIP has continued improving thanks to producers’ efforts to seek new orders and prepare goods for the Lunar New Year (Tet) holidays, according to the GSO./.
Source:Viet Nam News
February 06, 2024 08:52 UTC
Vietnam becomes biggest importer of Argentine farm produce
A screenshot of the Infobae newspaper (Photo: VNA)A screenshots of the Acercando Naciones newspaper (Photo: VNA)- In 2023, for the second consecutive year, Vietnam surpassed China to become the largest importer of agricultural products from Argentina in terms of volume, according to Argentine media.The Infobae and Acercando Naciones newspapers cited the Rosario Grains Exchange (BCR) - the most important grain exchange floor of the country, as saying that Vietnam emerged as the largest importer of corn and soybean powder for animal feed last year with a combined volume of 5.3 million tonnes worth 2 billion USD.Regarding two-way trade, Vietnam ranked seventh among the biggest trade partners of the Latin American country in the year.Last year, the third-largest economy in Latin America exported nearly 56 million tonnes of grains and processed grain products, a decrease of over 37 million tonnes or 40% compared to 2022, marking the lowest output since 2009, primarily due to severe and prolonged drought. In 2019, Argentina set a record export volume of these items with 100.5 million tonnes.Approximately 50% of the volume of grains, processed grain products, and processed oil from seeds produced in Argentina is sold to Asian countries.The grain output of Argentina in the 2022-2023 crop reached only 83.4 million tonnes, experiencing a decline of 38%.This year, thanks to favourable climate conditions and abundant rainfall, Argentina anticipates an increase in grain production for the 2023-2024 crop, with corn output expected to reach a record level of 59 million tonnes.
Source:Viet Nam News
February 06, 2024 03:55 UTC
British researcher praises CPV’s role in national development
LONDON – Under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), Việt Nam has been built into a thriving economic, political and cultural powerhouse, said British researcher of Vietnamese politics and history and member of the Communist Party of Britain Kyril Whittaker. Assessing Việt Nam ’s achievements in 2023 under the leadership of the CPV, Kyril said the country followed the continuous line of previous years in enhancing the people’s lives in all respects. This reflects what Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng has recently emphasised, namely building on rapid but sustainable development. Besides this, Việt Nam has taken an active role in international organisation such as ASEAN, the Non-aligned Movement, the UN and the Mekong River Commission, he said, stressing that through these forums, Việt Nam has utilised its foreign policy of ‘bamboo diplomacy’ to expand relationships and create new partners whilst maintaining its independence, security and freedom and promoting peace. The corruption campaign has been carried out very well in Việt Nam and is an example and an inspiration to countries, parties and peoples all over the globe, he affirmed.
Source:Viet Nam News
February 05, 2024 18:33 UTC
Southeast Asia’s biggest drone light show to mark start of Year of Dragon
A poster of the drone light show on February 9 night (Source: organising committee)– A drone light show expected to set a Southeast Asia n record is scheduled to take place by the side of Ho Tay (West Lake) in Hanoi on the eve of the Year of the Dragon on February 9.The show, with the participation of 2,024 drones, will be organised by the People’s Committee of Tay Ho district , the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (Petrovietnam), and the Vietnam Public Bank (PVcomBank) in celebration of the New Year, the district Party Committee said.It will officially take place at the Van Cao T-junction by the side of West Lake at 11:30pm on February 9. The audience can gather on Nguyen Dinh Thi and Trich Sai streets to enjoy the performance.Shortly after that, high-altitude fireworks will be set off nearby from 0am to 0:15am on February 10, the first day of the Year of the Dragon.People can watch the light show early at its final rehearsal at 9pm on February 7.The event is set to feature the biggest number of drones for such a performance in Southeast Asia, to be accompanied with exclusively composed music and screens for live broadcasting installed around West Lake , promising an unprecedentedly spectacular show for locals and visitors on the threshold of the Year of the Dragon, according to organisers./.
Source:Viet Nam News
February 05, 2024 14:37 UTC
Homeland spring programme held in Sri Lanka
Overseas Vietnamese in Sri Lanka at the homeland spring programme. (Photo: VNA)New Delhi (VNA) – The Vietnamese Embassy in Sri Lanka held a “Xuan Que Huong” (Homeland Spring) programme on February 3 to bring a warm Lunar New Year (Tet) atmosphere to the Vietnamese community in the South Asian nation. Vietnamese people who are living, studying, and working in Sri Lanka gathered at the embassy and together prepared traditional Vietnamese dishes. Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Ho Thi Thanh Truc briefed the participants on Vietnam’s socio-economic achievements, foreign affairs results, and international integration in 2023. She extended her Tet greetings to the Vietnamese community in Sri Lanka./.
Source:Viet Nam News
February 05, 2024 14:10 UTC