COVID

Fostering the cooperation between the United Nations (UN) and regional organisations to promote trust building and dialogue in preventing and settling disputes will continue to be one of three priorities of Vietnam while it holds the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council (UNSC) in April, said a Foreign Ministry official.

Vietnam and Chile - the first Southern American nation to set up diplomatic ties with Vietnam - have nurtured and preserved their sound cooperative relations and traditional friendship as well as comprehensive development partnership over the past five decades.

The Defence Ministry held a ceremony on March 23 in Ho Chi Minh City to send off the staff of the third Level-2 Field Hospital, who will participate in the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan.

Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong on March 22 held phone talks with President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Prime Minister of Japan Suga Yoshihide.

The 10 outstanding young Vietnamese and the 10 promising young talents in 2020 were honoured at a ceremony held by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCMCYU) Central Committee and the Vietnam Young Talent Fund in Hanoi on March 21.

A ceremony was held in Vientiane on March 20 to hand over the new National Assembly Building to the Lao legislature, which is a gift from the Vietnamese Party, State and people.

National Assembly (NA) Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan has required the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang to arrange forces to keep a close watch on border trails and crossings, in a bid to maintain security, order, and safety and curb the spread of COVID-19, especially before and during the upcoming elections.

Doan Van Hieu, a third-year student from the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, has won the third place at the International Microelectronics Olympiad of Armenia (AMO).

Moody's Investors Service (Moody's) has maintained the Government of Vietnam's long-term issuer and senior unsecured ratings at Ba3 and changed the outlook to positive from negative.

Representatives from the Vietnam-ASEAN Economic Cooperation Development Association (VASEAN) have asked for stronger support from the Government and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc for the business community to overcome difficulties brought about by COVID-19 pandemic and recover and expand production, during a meeting with the PM in Hanoi on March 18.

Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong received letters of credentials submitted by the new Ambassadors of Panama, Singapore and Indonesia to Vietnam, at a ceremony in Hanoi on March 17.

Vietnam exported 638,000 tonnes of rice worth 352 million USD in the first two months of 2021, down 31.4 percent in volume and 18.3 percent in value year-on-year.

National Assembly Chairwoman and head of the National Election Council Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan had a working session with the Steering Committee for Elections of the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on March 16.

The rapid suppression of the new COVID-19 outbreak in late January 2021 has helped maintain Vietnam’s positive outlook for economic recovery this year, the World Bank (WB) has said.

The UK’s MoneyWeek news website has run a story highlighting that Vietnam is one of the most promising markets of Asia in a long time thanks to the country’s success in COVID-19 control.

Vietnam is running for election to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in the 2023-2025 tenure with a hope to contribute more to the world’s joint efforts to promote and protect human rights.

Vietnam is one of the pioneering countries in building a national digital transformation programme, with the three main pillars of digital government, digital economy, and digital society.

Vietnam’s participation in UN peacekeeping operations is a major policy of the Party and State and also a step towards realising the country’s policy of intensive and comprehensive integration into the world.