An overview of the flag raising ceremony in Quang Tri on April 30, 2023. (Photo: VNA)

Flag raising marks 48 years of Vietnam national reunification

A flag raising ceremony was held in Quang Tri province, central Vietnam, on April 30 to mark 48 years of Southern Liberation and National Reunification Day, and 51 years of Quang Tri’s Liberation Day.

In the solemn atmosphere, the national flag was slowly raised to the tune of the national anthem at the Flag Tower of the Hien Luong - Ben Hai special national historical site,

Thousands of people attending the ceremony observed a minute of silence to remember those who laid down their lives for the cause of national independence and freedom, cited VOV.

After the Geneva Agreement was signed on July 20, 1954, Vietnam was divided into North and South regions at the 17th parallel. Hien Luong bridge crossing the Ben Hai River in Hien Luong village of Quang Tri province became a temporary military demarcation line

During the war of resistance, the United States and the US-baked Saigon puppet regime deployed many destructive battles to turn Quang Tri into a ‘white belt’ and the ‘land of fire’. Overcoming all difficulties and brutality of the war, local people rose up to fight and defend the homeland until national reunification day.

At the ceremony, Hoang Nam, deputy head of the Quang Tri provincial administration, recalled the historic event and vowed to defend the fruits of the revolution.

Nam also launched the second Wish of Peace composition contest to build Quang Tri into a peaceful destination. The contest was held to find a symbol for Peace Park to be built at the Hien Luong - Ben Hai special national historical site.

Vietnam sees improvements in FDI attraction: investor

Vietnam’s foreign direct investment (FDI) attraction policy has been improved significantly as foreign investors are now allowed to pour capital into almost areas, a businessperson has said.

Ann Huynh, Chairwoman of 3SI Inc investment company based in Virginia, the US, told the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) that Vietnam’s infrastructure has been upgraded and administrative procedures have been streamlined.

North American investors are interested in emerging markets, especially Vietnam, in such areas as high-tech and electric vehicle manufacturing, she said, noting that they want to learn about the country’s incentives, orientations and infrastructure.

Regarding cooperation between Vietnam and the US, Huynh said it has been expanded and growing fruitfully, from economy, investment and trade to national defence and security, agriculture, tourism, education and war consequence settlement.

She, however, pointed to obstacles to foreign investors regarding policies and investment licensing, noting her hope that administrative procedures will be further reformed to facilitate operations of foreign enterprises.

So far this year, FDI channeled into Vietnam neared 8.9 billion USD, with new capital surging after a slight decrease in the first three months, according to VNA.

Illustrative image (Source: VNA)

According to the Ministry of Planning and Investment’s Foreign Investment Agency (FIA), there were 750 new projects granted investment licences worth over 4.1 billion USD, up 65.2% and 11.1% annually, respectively.

A total of 386 projects had their capital added for a total of 1.66 billion USD, a 19.5% increase in quantity and reduction of 68.6% in value against the same period last year. The growth, despite the associated decrease, reflected investors’ confidence in Vietnam’s business climate and decisions to expand their existing projects.

Also in the four months, foreign investors did 1,044 transactions of capital contribution and share purchases, with their contributed capital exceeding 3.1 billion USD, up 70.4% year-on-year. They invested in 18 economic sectors, mostly in processing and manufacturing with over 5.1 billion USD or 57.8% of their total investment.

The number of countries and territories investing in Vietnam in the period amounted to 77. Singapore took the lead by pouring close to 2.2 billion USD into the market, followed by Japan with nearly 2 billion USD and China with 752 million USD.

NA Chairman’s trip marks new milestone in relations with Latin American countries: officials

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue’s trip to Cuba, Argentina and Uruguay, from April 18-28, was a success as it opened up a new development period in relations between Vietnam and the three Latin American nations, said Bui Van Cuong, NA Secretary General and Chairman of the NA Office.

Sharing Cuong’s view, Vu Hai Ha, Chairman of the NA Committee for External Relations, highlighted the diverse and comprehensive contents of the meetings within the trip.

Lai Xuan Mon, deputy head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Information and Education, said the Cuban side spoke highly of the visit as well as NA Chairman Hue’s speech at a special plenary session of the 10th NA of the People’s Power of Cuba.

The speech served as a source of encouragement for Cuban officials, Party members and people to overcome challenges caused by the embargo to continue with the path towards socialism, he noted.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Cuba Le Thanh Tung said Cuban Party and State leaders offered special rituals to NA Chairman Hue and his entourage, and the two sides shared the view that the bilateral relationship has become an invaluable asset shared by the two nations, VNS reported.

Mai Thi Phuong Hoa, Vice Chairwoman of the NA Committee for Judicial Affairs, who is also President of the Việt Nam-Argentina Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group and the Vietnam-Uruguay Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group, said the Vietnam-Uruguay Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group, established on April 14, 2023, made its debut on this occasion.

This is an important parliamentary activity as it helps parliamentarians exchange professional experience while promoting parliamentary diplomacy, she continued.

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue on April 19 attends the special session of the 10th Cuban National Assembly. Photo: VNS

Regarding the trip’s outcomes in economic cooperation, Minister of Construction Nguyen Thanh Nghi, who co-chairs the Vietnam-Cuba Inter-Governmental Committee, said the committee will work harder to enhance trade ties between the two countries, thus raising the bilateral trade to US$500 million in the near future.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai, who co-chairs the Vietnam-Argentina Inter-Governmental Committee, emphasized that the NA Chairman’s visit reiterated Vietnam’s commitment to working together with Argentina to advance the bilateral economic, trade and investment ties to a new height.

For agriculture, the two sides continued looking into market opening for farm produce of each other, and cooperation potential in fishery, he said, adding that new collaboration fields were proposed during the visit like food safety, customs, science-technology, software, wood exploitation and processing, renewable energy, and innovation.

Following the trip, trade between Vietnam and Argentina and Uruguay, especially Vietnam’s exports to the markets, is expected to make progress, the official said.

Asked about cooperation prospects between Vietnam and the three countries, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Hà Kim Ngọc said “we can be optimistic about cooperative relations with Cuba, Argentina and Uruguay.”

The sides displayed their determination, efforts and actions to materialise cooperation potential and opportunities, he explained.

Cuban and Argentine ambassadors to Việt Nam also shared the view that the trip will exert profound and long-term impacts on cooperation between the Southeast Asian nation and the Latin American region.

COVID-19 infections rise again, three deaths reported on April 30

The number of fresh coronavirus infections rose slightly on April 30 after a steep fall the previous day, while three deaths were reported in a single day.

Vietnam recorded 1,986 cases on April 30, an increase of 92 cases compared to the previous day, the Ministry of Health said in its coronavirus update.

Earlier, the number of fresh infections dropped sharply from 3,094 logged on April 28 to 1,892 on April 29.

Photo: VOV

The ministry also reported that three deaths were documented in a single day on April 30, with one each reported in Bac Giang, Binh Duong and Dong Nai.

Since the start of the outbreak in early 2020, Vietnam has detected more than 11.56 million COVID-19 cases, with over 10.62 million patients having recovered from the disease.

As many as 43,191 patients have died of the virus and underlying illnesses, making up 0.4% of the infections, cited VOV.

Currently, 62 patients require mechanical ventilation in medical facilities nationwide.

More than 266.2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered to people of all ages.

The Ministry of Health warned the number of coronavirus cases is likely to increase and there is no evidence that the virulence of SARS-CoV-2 has decreased. It therefore requested that medical units and localities stay highly vigilant, especially during the ongoing five-day break.

The ministry recommended that people strictly follow COVID-19 prevention and control measures to protect themselves, their families and the community.

ASEAN, RoK youths attach importance to economic cooperation opportunities

Roundtable Discussions on the Results of the Survey on Mutual Perceptions of ASEAN and Korean Youths have been organised by the ASEAN-Korea Centre at the Press Room of Korea Press Centre in Seoul.

The roundtable presented the findings of the 2022 Survey on Mutual Perceptions of ASEAN and Korean Youths conducted through focus group interviews (FGIs), which is a follow-up survey to the first quantitative research done in 2021.

Speakers from the media, academia, government organisations, and youths participated in the roundtable discussions to exchange views on the current perceptions of youths on ASEAN and the RoK, as well as share ideas for shaping balanced and equal mutual perceptions and awareness among the youths of the two regions.

As the important role of youth has been emphasised for building a sustainable and mutually beneficial partnership between ASEAN and the RoK, there is also a growing recognition on the need to build balanced mutual perceptions among the youths.

Delegates at the roundtable in a group photo (Source: VNA)

As such, the ASEAN-Korea Centre implemented two survey projects (2021-2022) to identify the current status of mutual perceptions between ASEAN and Korean youths and to suggest ways for improving perceptions.

The 2022 qualitative survey was implemented through FGIs with 147 youths of ASEAN and the RoK, and was designed as a follow-up to the initial key findings from the 2021 quantitative survey, cited VNA.

Three main areas were covered in the FGIs, specifically on the perceptions of ASEAN and the RoK, youths exchanges between ASEAN and the RoK, and ASEAN-RoK cooperative relations.

Results from the 2022 survey identified that ASEAN and Korean youths showed differences in their mutual perceptions for one another, and that such differences stem from the imbalance in frequency and scope of exposure to information and content about one another.

Meanwhile, youths of both ASEAN and the RoK also regarded each other as trustworthy partners based on the recognition of abundant opportunities for economic cooperation as well as less political interests. However, despite such trust, youths still did not perceive each other as equal partners and thus may not prioritise cooperation with each other. This is due to their perceptions of different needs caused by differences in economic development and the lack of accurate recognition of each other´s values.

To bridge such gaps, the survey publication highlighted some potential policy recommendations minimising the asymmetry, providing quality contents that promote accurate perceptions and the promotion of collaborations and cooperation among relevant organisations, as well as increasing youth exchange programmes.

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