More than 261.81 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered so far. Photo: VNA

Vietnam reports lowest daily Covid-19 cases in nearly one year

Vietnam recorded 263 new Covid-19 cases on October 29, the lowest number in almost one year, according to the Ministry of Health.

The new infections brought the country’s total number of Covid-19 cases to 11,502,169.

Meanwhile, 290 patients were declared to be free from the disease on the day, lifting the total number of recoveries to 10,602,836, cited VNA.

The death toll rose to 43,163 as another fatality was reported in the southwestern province of Tay Ninh.

More than 261.81 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered so far.

Typhoon Nalgae anticipated to continue gaining strength

Typhoon Nalgae is forecast to strengthen before entering the South China Sea, with its path being subject to various weather patterns, according to data compiled by the National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting.

Photo: VOV

At 13:00 p.m. on October 29, the eye of the storm was located in the central region of the Philippines, with the strongest winds near its center reaching between 89km and 102km per hour.

Moving forward, Typhoon Nalgae is forecast to get increasingly stronger over the next 24 to 48 hours. At 13:00 p.m. on October 30, the storm is expected to travel northwest with a speed of between 15km and 20km per hour.

Strong winds and high sea waves are therefore anticipated to hit the north and central area of the South China Sea, according to VOV.

Nguyen Van Huong, head of weather forecasting department under the National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting, revealed that after the weather pattern moves into the South China Sea, Typhoon Nalgae will be affected by the cold air and two subtropical highs, thereby leading to fluctuations in its path.

Vietnam, China look towards stronger trade ties

China has remained Vietnam’s biggest trade partner, while Vietnam has continued to be the sixth largest trade partner of the neighbouring country, and the biggest in the Association of Southeast Asian nations (ASEAN) despites impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and geopolitical upheavals in the world.

According to the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade, China has been Vietnam’s biggest importer with turnover of US$55.9 billion, up 37 times from the figure in 2002.

Notably, the group of processed and manufactured goods makes up 77.6% of Vietnam’s total export value to China. Meanwhile, machines and production materials accounted for up to 94.15% of Vietnam’s import revenue from the neighbouring country.

China has remained Vietnam’s biggest trade partner. Photo: VNA

Over the past two years, the bilateral trade still exceeded US$100 billion despite impacts from the pandemic.

Statistics released by the General Department of Vietnam Customs showed that the two-way trade was valued at US$165.8 billion in 2021, up 24.6% from the previous year.

Vietnamese passion fruits have been exported to China via the official channel on a pilot basis from July 2022 and fresh durians from Vietnam has also been also officially shipped to the country from September 2022, reported VNA.

In the first nine months of this year, Vietnam’s export turnover to China reached US$41.22 billion, up 6.22% year-on-year, making up 14.6% of Vietnam’s total export value. Meanwhile, the country's import revenue from China was US$91.15 billion, a year-on-year rise of 12.12%, making up 33.08% of Vietnam’s combined import revenue.

Under the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA), China has cut tariffs for more than 8,000 items imported from Vietnam, including farm produce.

Le Hoang Oanh, Director of the MoIT’s Department of Asia-Africa Markets, suggested Vietnamese exporters carefully study the market, change their mindset and observe relevant regulations set by the market.

For the long term, the MoIT has asked domestic businesses to accelerate the shift to the export via the official channel in accordance with international trade rules to ensure stable, sustainable export.

At the 11th session of the Vietnam-China Economic and Trade Cooperation Committee earlier this month, the Chinese side affirmed that China attaches importance to economic and trade ties with Vietnam, and proposed some orientations and measures to step up the two-way trade.

The official visit to China by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong, from October 30 to November 2, is also expected to deepen the trade ties between the two countries.

Foreign arrivals to Vietnam climbs to over 2.35 million in 10 months

The number of international visitors to the nation exceeded 2.35 million during ten-month period, a 18.8-fold rise compared to the same period from last year, according to data released on October 29 by the General Statistics Office.

Despite these strong statistics, the figure represents a drop of 83.7% compared to the same period from 2019, the period before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out.

Most notably, October saw the number of foreign visitors to the country increase by 12.1% over the previous month, reported VOV.

Of the figure, more than 2.35 million international visitors arrived in the country, with the number of visitors coming by air accounting for 88.8% of the total, 24.9 times higher than last year's corresponding period.

Furthermore, international arrivals by road and sea routes accounted for nearly 11.2% and 0.03% of the total, respectively.

Tourism revenue throughout the reviewed period stood at an estimated VND19.700 billion, 3.9 times higher compared to the same period from last year.

The entire tourism industry has been in the process of actively elevating the nation’s image for the peak months from September to April next year, with India being viewed as a potential market.

Photo: VOV

According to details given by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, India makes up one of the 10 countries with the largest international search volume for Vietnamese tourism since the beginning of the year.

The international search volume for aviation in early April increased by 400% on-year, followed by a continued spike of over 3,000% in May, thereby offering a "golden opportunity" for the country to fully tap into this potential market.

Despite the domestic tourism witnessing spectacular growth in the post-pandemic period, the international tourism market has recovered slowly, primarily due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and the Chinese market not fully reopening.

With tourists from the Republic of Korea starting to return, the Indian market is anticipated to develop in a stable and sustainable manner moving forward, a factor which will greatly contribute to accelerating the growth of the international market.

In early 2023, the Quang Nam Tourism Information and Promotion Center plans to host a roadshow program to promote Quang Nam tourism in New Delhi, India.

Earlier in October the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism hosted the 2022 Mekong Tourism Forum, with the event featuring the co-ordination of the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO), supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Nguyen Trung Khanh, director general of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, affirmed that the 2022 Mekong Tourism Forum has contributed to seeking solutions and initiatives aimed at attracting tourists to member countries in the region.

Following the successful organisation of the forum, the country has fully demonstrated its commitment to continuing to work alongside members of the Mekong Sub-region in a bid to strengthen solidarity. As a result, all parties can move towards the goal of increasing intra-regional tourism, attracting international tourists, as well as accelerating economic and tourism activities in the new context.

Vietnam calls for enhancing trust building at APPF’s 30th meeting

Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly's Committee for External Relations Vu Hai Ha suggested countries enhance trust building and respect for each other's sovereignty, political institutions and legitimate interests while addressing a session of the 30th meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) that concluded in Thailand on October 28.

He also proposed nations strengthen cooperation to ensure peace, stability and law respect at seas and oceans, saying the East Sea should be maintained as a sea of peace, cooperation, security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight on the basis of respecting basic principles of the United Nations Charter and international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Ha called on the APPF member countries to carry forward their roles in building and ensuring the enforcement of international commitments and laws relating to peace, security and development in the region, while urging governments to work to improve the efficiency of cooperation in containing the Covid-19 pandemic, and preventing and addressing traditional and non-traditional security issues.

Photo: WVR

The legislator also briefed participants on the Vietnamese National Assembly’s performance in parliamentary diplomacy, saying it has raised recommendations to consolidate the peaceful environment in the era of innovation and technological reform, according to WVR.

The meeting issued a joint declaration which stresses the need to promote parliamentary diplomacy, and boost green economy and digital economy, for sustainable recovery, and for peace and prosperity in the region.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Ha, head of the Vietnamese delegation, met with President of the Thai National Assembly Chuan Leekpai, and paid a courtesy visit to the Chairman of the Lao National Assembly Saysomphone Phomvihane.

He also had bilateral meetings with delegations from Canada, Cambodia, Australia and New Zealand.

During the meetings, Ha spoke highly of the relations between the Vietnamese legislature and its foreign counterparts, and expressed his hope for stronger ties in the time ahead.

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