Sophie Sharpe, deputy secretary in charge of the Executive Group at the Australian Department of Home Affairs, presents a gift to Senior Lieutenant General Luong Tam Quang, deputy minister of Public Security of Vietnam. (Photo: Ministry of Public Security)

Vietnam and Australia hold security dialogue in Canberra

Vietnam and Australia discussed a number of security cooperation related issues during their third dialogue held in Canberra on February 22.

The security dialogue at the deputy ministerial level was co-chaired Sophie Sharpe, deputy secretary in charge of the Executive Group at the Australian Department of Home Affairs and Senior Lieutenant General Luong Tam Quang, deputy minister of Public Security of Vietnam.

Both sides examined measures to strengthen cooperation on immigration, including combating the smuggling of illegal migrants by sea into Australia, and on cybersecurity, data security, and critical technology by enhancing possible coordination in cybercrime prevention programmes.

They shared information on organized crime, the illegal trading in drugs and precursors, and money laundering prevention and control. They agreed to strengthen cooperation through the Vietnam-Australia Joint Transnational Crime Centre (JTCC), coordinate in handling extradition requests for international wanted criminals, and resolve requests for mutual legal assistance in criminal matters and extradition.

They vowed to work closely to improve law enforcement capacity for Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security officials through the Asia Region Law Enforcement Management Programme (ARLEMP).

The two side consented to share information regarding plans of action and policies, so as to step up the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing, targeting serious organized and transnational crime.

They emphasized the need to increase cooperation on disaster risk mitigation, climate change response and adaptation through the exchange of delegations with the National Emergency Management Agency of Australia, cited VOV.

They also agreed to continue to exchange information on regional and international issues of mutual concern.

The two sides noted that the results of the dialogue have contributed to deepening bilateral cooperation in the field of security and law enforcement, one of the pillars of the Vietnam-Australia Strategic Partnership. The results would create an important basis for the two sides to further take the two countries’ relations to new heights, especially when both countries are celebrating 50 years of their diplomacy this year.

During the visit to Australia, Deputy Minister Luong Tam Quang called at the Vietnamese Embassy in Australia and the Vietnamese Consulate General in Sydney.

Vietnamese agricultural products increasingly welcomed in Belgium

More and more people in Belgium know about Vietnamese agricultural products and welcomed them.

Pham Bich Thuy, the owner of “Le Panier Asiatique” - an Asian grocery in Brussels, said that besides Vietnamese customers, many foreigners visit her store.

She always tries to introduce Vietnamese products to the customers, offering them to take home to try first and pay later.

Many of the customers revisit her store and choose Vietnamese products because of their competitive prices and quality compared with those from other countries, Thuy said.

For the last few years, many agricultural and food products of Vietnam are favoured by customers in Belgium such as Duy Anh rice papers, Ba cay tre (Three Bamboo) fresh vermicelli, dried pho, Vifon instant noodle, Phu Quoc fish sauce, and Cocoxim fresh coconut milk of Ben Tre Import-Export Joint Stock Company (Betrimex).

Cocoxim fresh coconut milk of Ben Tre Import-Export Joint Stock Company (Betrimex) is among Vietnamese products that are welcomed much in Belgium. (Photo: VNA)

Tran Ngoc Quan, Vietnam’s Trade Counselor in Belgium and the EU, said that the challenges for Vietnamese goods are not small. Firstly, Vietnamese goods access the Belgian market through many local importers, making Vietnamese businesses highly reliant on the importers and unable to build brands.

Secondly, in the past time, while some Vietnamese enterprises were very proactive and made changes in production to serve export, others still produced first and then looked for markets, according to VNA.

Quan said that in that way, it’s very difficult for them to access markets like the EU which has a lot of regulations for imports.

In addition, many spices such as basil, laksa leaves, perilla, and coriander are of the Vietnamese origin but purchased and exported to Europe by Thai enterprises.

Therefore, promoting the export of agricultural products, fruits, and vegetables to the Belgian market in particular and the European market in general requires efforts from Vietnamese enterprises to improve production capacity, ensure product quality, and look for business partners.

More Vietnamese movies released in foreign markets

Film distributors are planning to release more Vietnamese movies in foreign markets.

Distributors of films “Muoi: Loi nguyen tro lai” (Muoi: The Curse Returns), “Nha ba Nu” (The House of No Man), “Chi chi em em 2” (Sister Sister 2), “578: Phat dan cua ke dien” (578 Magnum) have planned for a commercial release in different countries and regions over the world after theses films were domestically released.

According to Skyline Media - the movie unit which distributes Vietnamese movies to foreign markets, Muoi: The Curse Returns will be released in Thailand and Laos after the film was released in Taiwan (China), Australia and South Korea from February 23.

Actors and actress in the film Nha ba Nu.

The film will be dubbed in Thai during the showtime specifically for these two markets. The premiere of the film Nha ba Nu (The House of No Man) in the US will be on March 3, in Australia and Singapore on March 9 and in Canada on March 10.

The movie distributor is also negotiating for release in New Zealand, reported SGGP.

The Tet holiday movie Sister Sister 2 has just been released in big cities of Australia including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Hobart. In March, this movie will attend the Osaka Asian Film Festival (OAFF 2023) in Japan on March 12 and March 15.

The distributor of the film 578: Magnum also aims to conquer 62 international markets by 2023, especially difficult markets such as Italy, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, Slovakia, Israel, India, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Estonia, Greece, Denmark.

Also in March, “Chia khoa tram ty” (A hundred billion key) will be released commercially on two online platforms comprising Amazon prime and 3388 Cine.

Vietnam and Germany outline new economic cooperation orientations

The Vietnam –Germany Joint Committee on Economic Cooperation convened its second session in Berlin, Germany, on February 23, charting a course for bilateral economic-trade-investment cooperation in the next two years.

The meeting was co-chaired by Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Phan Thi Thang and State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) Udo Philipp. Representatives of leading Germany groups such as Siemens AG, Siemens Energy, Enertrag, Adidas, Drägerwerk, HDI Global, and of Vietnamese businesses like Vietnam Pharmaceutical Corporation, VietinBank, Vietnam Airlines, Becamex IDC, FPT, T&T attended the event.

At the working session, the two sides reviewed bilateral economic cooperation in various fields including energy, energy security, energy transition, and the industry 4.0 revolution. They also examined ways of removing trade barriers and enhancing promotion in the fields of services and logistics to make the most of the benefits from the free trade agreement between the European Union and Vietnam (EVFTA).

The two sides acknowledged the positive development of bilateral relations, especially following the recent Vietnam visit by Prime Minister Olaf Scholz, with many new agreements signed, including an MoU on energy conversion, labour, and vocational training.

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Phan Thi Thang (L) and State Secretary at the German Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) Udo Philipp co-chair the second Vietnam –Germany Joint Committee on Economic Cooperation in Berlin on February 23. (Photo: VNA)

They exchanged solutions to simplify administrative procedures and remove non-tariff trade barriers. They agreed to support and protect geographical indications for each other’s products under the EVFTA and according to the law of both countries.

Vietnam suggested that Germany ratify the Investment Protection Agreement between Vietnam and the EU (EVIPA), encourage German enterprises to invest in Vietnam, and create favourable conditions for Vietnamese farm products to make inroads into the German market, cited VOV.

Both sides also agreed to cooperate in marketing products on retail distribution channels in the partner market, as well as notifying each other information about trade exhibitions and fairs.

They noted that despite global economic uncertainties, bilateral economic relations have developed positively, with two-way trade last year reaching nearly EUR15 billion, an increase of EUR10 billion compared to 2015.

The German side said they would like to invest in energy, health care and digitalization through experience exchange and technology transfer.

In the field of energy cooperation, the two sides expressed desires to establish an energy partnership to promote and accelerate energy conversion in Vietnam and Germany. They emphasized the importance of energy security and energy conversion, acknowledging the important role of ensuring energy security in economic development through diversifying energy resources, producing and using renewable energy efficiently.

With regard to industry and digital transformation, the two sides expected to strengthen cooperation in automobile manufacturing, encourage German companies to search for components and accessories suppliers in Vietnam, and invest in supporting industries in other fields such as textiles, footwear, electronics and high -tech production. They also touched upon the possibility of accelerating the granting of visa to German employees in Vietnam to make it more convenient for German companies to do business in the country.

The two sides agreed to hold the Vietnam –Germany Joint Committee on Economic Cooperation every two years. The next meeting is expected to be held in Vietnam in early 2025, or sooner according to the agreement of the two sides.

Vietnamese doctors successfully perform first heart-kidney transplant

The first heart and kidney transplant on the same patient in Vietnam was successfully performed on February 15 by doctors of the Vietnam-Germany Friendship Hospital, the hospital announced on Friday.

The transplanted organs were taken from a brain-dead donor.

He suffered from dilated cardiomyopathy, heart failure and severe arrhythmias, leading to end-stage renal failure.

Due to ineffective treatment, he was instructed by doctors to have a heart and kidney transplant.

In mid-2022, he was introduced to Vietnam-Germany Friendship Hospital. After careful evaluation, the hospital's experts agreed to perform a simultaneous heart and kidney transplant for the patient with donated organs from a brain-dead donor.

In six months since the transplantation decision was made, no donated brain-dead organ truly matched, and the patient had to continue to visit hospitals for heart and kidney treatment.

In early February 2023, one woman who had a brain death due to a severe traumatic brain injury after a traffic accident donated multiple organs with family consensus.

It took the team three hours to take out the organs, five hours to transplant the heart and two hours to transplant the kidney.

The patient’s heart and kidney recovered fully on Friday, eight days after the transplant, reported VNS.

He can sit up, eat and communicate without special assistance.

He will undergo further post-transplant treatment in the next few weeks.

Doctors of Vietnam-Germany Friendship Hospital performed the transplant on February 15. Photo: VNS

This was the first time Vietnamese doctors have successfully performed a transplant of heart and kidney organs on one patient.

Vietnamese doctors have performed two organ transplants on one patient three times.

Two years ago, Vietnam-Germany Hospital doctors conducted a liver and kidney transplant on a patient.

Heart-kidney transplantation technique has been performed in countries with a developed medical system. The US has carried out more than 100 heart-kidney transplants each year.

The Vietnam-Germany Hospital led the country in organ transplants and has performed more than 1,500 of these surgeries.

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