President Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked committees and working groups of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum and APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) to enhance dialogues, actively realise the long-term vision for trade and investment in Asia-Pacific, and strengthen multilateral trade system.

Speaking at a dialogue between leaders of APEC economies and members of the ABAC in Bangkok on November 18, President Phuc affirmed that Vietnam supports multilateral trade system based on principles and rules, with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as the centre.

While a number of new bilateral and regional mechanisms have been set up, the WTO is still considered a “foundational” multilateral cooperation mechanism that helps maintain stability and equality in international trade and economic relations, contributing to the sustainable economic development in the world, he said.  

The Vietnamese President called on APEC economies to accelerate important negotiations in the WTO on fisheries subsidies, agriculture and WTO reform.

Vietnam is ready to work closely with APEC members to implement outcomes of the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference and deal with issues that are yet to be agreed in the WTO, he said.

The President told the dialogue that as an open economy, Vietnam has signed and implemented 15 free trade agreements with over 60 partners. It has also been working closely with APEC members to step up regional economic integration in line with 2040 APEC Vision.

Vietnam welcomes and is engaging in a number of multilateral initiatives on micro, small and medium-sized enterprises; trade and economic empowerment for women. It is also studying more about other initiatives, he stated. 

He suggested ABAC continue upholding its active role in APEC for an Asia-Pacific region of peace, sustainable development and prosperity for all citizens.

The dialogue between APEC leaders and ABAC is an annual activity within the framework of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week, enabling leaders to listen to suggestions and opinions from with the regional business community.

In a report submitted to APEC leaders, ABAC proposed APEC take a comprehensive approach to and cooperate in environment and climate change, clean energy transition and digital transformation, regional economic linkage and integration; and assist businesses in adaptation with and recovery from the pandemic.

Leaders vowed to consider the proposals of the business community during the process of building APEC cooperation orientations, as well as in specific policies of each economy in order to bring more practical results to citizens and business community.

Vietnam calls on APEC economies to overcome differences to promote growth

Vietnamese State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc has called on all APEC member economies to join hands to overcome challenges for a better future of the community amid unpredicted developments regionally and globally.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the 29th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, on November 18, Phuc noted the world in general and APEC in particular are facing unprecedented challenges, so consensus on action is of paramount importance to APEC as well as many generations in future.

According to the president, a peaceful, stable, cooperative, prosperous and sustainable Asia-Pacific is a common and responsibility that requires cooperation of all APEC economies regardless of their economic development levels.

APEC member economies need to overcome differences, strengthen dialogue, and coordinate actions for the common goal of the community, and to promote its gains and values it had recorded over the past three decades for future cooperation and development, he said.

Speaking at a session on sustainable, inclusive and balanced growth, Phuc said that the Asia-Pacific region has entered a new stage of development, and APEC needs to take the lead in promoting a balanced, inclusive and sustainable growth model, and support economies in successfully implementing green transition and digital transformation.

He emphasized a number of ‘balanced’ factors in cooperation, stressing it is necessary to place people at the center to strike a balance in each economy, between sectors, and between social classes, as well as creating a balance of interests and responsibilities among economies and regions.

He underscored the need to strike a balance between ensuring the autonomy and resilience of each economy and actively integrating and connecting economies in order to make full use of internal resources, promote comparative advantages, and increase resources to create spillover development among regions.

In his opinion, the process of digital transformation and green transformation must be carried out in such a way to achieve high economic efficiency but minimize impacts on social security, while maintaining energy security, food security and cyber security.

The President welcomed new initiatives put forward by APEC member economies to provide financial support for development, clean energy transformation, climate change adaptation, digital economy development. Only when APEC economies jointly open up opportunities for balanced and open access to capital and clean and modern technology, can they cooperate successfully, he stressed.

The President also shared Vietnam’s policy on national digital transformation, developing a green economy, a circular economy with people placed at the centre, and affirmed Vietnam is making efforts to implement COP26 commitments and hopes to receive support from the international community and other APEC members toward the goal.

Vietnam and Japan promote tourism cooperation ahead of 2024

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and the Japan Tourism Agency (JTA) examined the possibility of ramping up cooperation to fully exploit into the two countries’ potential markets till 2024, at a meeting in Da Nang on November 17.

VNAT vice chairman Ha Van Sieu affirmed Japan is a potential tourism market for Vietnam, noting the number of Japanese holidaymakers choosing Vietnam as a destination has increased considerably after the country reopened its borders in the post-COVID period.

The opening ten months of this year saw around 120,000 Japanese citizens arrive in Vietnam, ranking fourth among international markets sending tourists to the country, he revealed.

Mitsuaki Hoshino, vice commissioner of the JTA, said immigration policy between the two sides has been facilitated, enabling their travel agencies to strengthen the exchange of tourists.

He suggested that the two sides attach importance to sustainable tourism cooperation, launch tourism promotion, and improve the overall quality of tourism products to meet the increasing demands of travelers.

Nguyen Xuan Binh, deputy head of Da Nang’s Department of Tourism, proposed the two sides jointly establish an annual tourism development cooperation programme, with a specific focus on exchanging information, organising cultural exchanges and festivals, and holding other promotional events.

Both Vietnam and Japan are planning to hold numerous activities to celebrate 50 years of bilateral diplomacy in 2023, and this presents a good opportunity for the two countries to resume tourist exchanges to pre-pandemic level, he said. 

Delegates to the ninth meeting discussed measures to strengthen tourism training, especially through support of ASEAN-Japan Centre (AJC), improve tourism products, and boost tourism ties with the support of the World Tourism Organization (WTO) and the Regional Support Office for Asia and the Pacific (RSOAP).

An action plan on Vietnam-Japan tourism cooperation for 2022 - 2024 was adopted at the meeting. The 10th meeting of Vietnam-Japan tourism cooperation is scheduled to take place in Japan.

Wanted Chinese fugitives arrested in southern Vietnam

The police of Binh Duong, a southern province in Vietnam, in collaboration with their counterparts in Mong Cai city of northern Quang Ninh province, have arrested two Chinese nationals wanted by Chinese police.

Zhang Guo Zhong, 50, and Pan Jianlei, 38, were detained when they were hiding in An Phu ward of Thuan An city, Binh Duong province.

According to Chinese police, Zhong was wanted by the police in Fuzhou city on a charge of organising criminal gangs and arranging a series of murders. Meanwhile, Pan was wanted for intentional injury.

The provincial police are currently making necessary procedures in order to hand over the two Chinese criminals to relevant Chinese agencies.

Vietnam, Thailand boost judicial cooperation

Vietnamese Minister of Justice Le Thanh Long held talks with his Thai counterpart Somsak Thepsuthin on November 17 in Bangkok, during which they proposed orientations for cooperation between the two agencies in the coming time.

The ministers agreed to map out a number of major orientations to strengthen their future connections, including perfecting criminal law, juvenile justice as well as in civil judgment enforcement, including the multilateral cooperation mechanism in ASEAN.

They also reached consensus to enhance coordination in training judicial staff; promoting digital transformation in judicial activities and settling disputes at grassroots level and outside of the courtroom (arbitration, commercial mediation).

The ministers underlined the need to continue to develop a cooperation programme between the two agencies in the following years in order to effectively implement the Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2015, focusing on promoting the exchange of experts to share legal and judicial experience.

Previously, on November 16 afternoon, Long and Secretary General of the Thai Office of Justice Teerasak Ngeyvijit signed an agreement on mutual judicial assistance in civil matters between the two countries in the witness of President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.

Two injured foreign sailors brought to Nha Trang for treatment

Two foreign sailors suffering work accidents offshore were brought to Nha Trang city, the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa, for treatment on November 17.

At 11pm of the day, Vessel SAR 272 of the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre anchored at Nha Trang port, bringing Bako Konstantinos, a Greek national working on Marshall Islands’ bulk carrier KATE, to a health clinic for treatment of a leg fracture.

Earlier in the morning, this vessel also carried Sokolov Andrei, a Russian national working on Ship EMIL en route to China from Russia, to the mainland, as he had been injured while working.

At present, his health recovers and is stable.

Hanoi shops, restaurants in Hanoi prepare for 2022 World Cup

Shops and restaurants in Hanoi are preparing to attract customers during the World Cup 2022.

Many sports clothing and equipment shops in Hanoi are also attracting more customers. Those on Trinh Hoai Duc Street in Dong Da District sell national football team shirts and other sportswear.

The owner of Kim Quy Sports on Trinh Hoai Duc Street said that she had upgraded her shop and launched more products to sell, including Brazil, Argentina, Portugal, France and Germany kits.

Le Minh Hoang, the owner of a shop on Nguyen Trai Street in Thanh Xuan District, said national football team shirts from England, Germany, Italy and Spain have been sold the best. His shop’s revenues have increased by 25-30 percent over the past month. Each day, he sells around 250 - 300 sets of sports clothes.

Lots of coffee shops in Hanoi have arranged more seats and big screens to serve football fans.

According to Tuan Anh, owner of a coffee shop on Ta Quang Buu Street, his café can accommodate up to 400 people after more seats are arranged. Meanwhile, lots of young people are also planning their activities for the World Cup.

Hoang Nam eliminated from ATP Challenger Kobe

The nation’s leading tennis player Ly Hoang Nam has been forced to bow out of the ATP Challenger Kobe which is currently underway in Japan.

In the first round of the men’s singles event, Nam, world No.234, took on Frederico Ferreira Silva, world No.291, of Portugal.

During the first set, Nam endured failure as he was beaten 6-2 by the Portuguese rival. The Vietnamese player was then able to balance the score before making a series of mistakes, ultimately being defeated 6-4 in the second set.

The match meant that the Tay Ninh-born player did not perform as well as expected in the third consecutive tournament in Japan, being unable to accumulate any additional ATP points.

As scheduled, Nam will continue to compete at the ATP Challenger Yokkaichi which will be held in Japan from November 21 to November 27.

Additional 8,000 train tickets for Tet revelers

The Saigon Railway Transport JSC has announced plans to launch an additional 15 trains with some 8,000 tickets for passengers who want to travel from HCMC to locations between Nha Trang and Hue cities in the central region.

According to the Vietnam News Agency, the 15 more trains will serve routes from Saigon Railway Station to Nha Trang, Dieu Tri, Tam Ky, Danang and Hue stations between January 20 and 25, 2023.

The extra tickets, which are now made available, will help meet the strong travel demand before, during and after the Lunar New Year holiday, or Tet.

An extra 7,000 tickets were offered on November 11 to service customers on similar routes.

The railway has around 73,000 seats left, mostly for trains traveling before January 14, 2023, and after January 31, 2023.

HCMC handles obstacles to aging apartment buildings

The HCMC Department of Construction will team up with relevant departments and agencies to remove hindrances the old apartment buildings in the city relating to house rent calculation, temporary residence arrangement, compensation for rehabilitation and calling for investment.

According to statistics, the city now has 15 aging apartment buildings categorized as D level, with the most serious damage, 116 C-level apartment buildings, 332 B-level apartment buildings and 12 apartment buildings which have been dismantled or relocated.

Among 15 D-level apartment blocks, only six have been relocated, while the rest are stuck as residents are refusing rehabilitation.

The city also has 199 apartment buildings built before 1975, which need around VND276 billion for renovation and repair; however, these projects are now short of capital.

According to the HCMC People’s Committee, the relocation, dismantling, and rebuilding of the old apartment buildings face regulatory bottlenecks relating to the use of public investment capital.

Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum convenes session in Hanoi

The 28th session of the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF-28) is taking place in Hanoi under the theme “Bridging Space Innovations Opportunities for Sustainable and Prosperous Future”.

The four-day session features meetings of working groups on November 15 -16 and plenary sittings on November 17 - 18. It attracts over 350 delegates from 34 countries and territories.

APRSAF-28 focuses on sharing and updating information about space activities and future plans of each country and region in Asia-Pacific, and discussing and seeking chances for cooperation among APRSAF members.

Japan donates ambulances, medical equipment to Vietnamese locality

The Japanese Government had decided to provide two ambulances and an X-ray machine in non-refundable aid to two medical centres in Long An, a southern province of Vietnam.

The two ambulances will be delivered to Tan Thanh District Medical Center, and the X-ray machine will be offered to Tan Thanh Medical Center (Facility 2).

In addition, Japan will also help upgrade the lead room for Tan Thanh Medical Center (Facility 2).

The aid is part of Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grass roots and Human Security Projects (GGP).

“Hoi An - Colors of Silk" programme to take place in late November

The "Hoi An - Colors of Silk" programme is scheduled to take place on November 26 as part of efforts to elevate the image of Hoi An’s World Cultural Heritages, intangible cultural heritage, and traditional craft of silk weaving.

The event is also aimed at introducing silk products to participants from around world whilst simultaneously creating new tourism products in a bid to attract more tourists to Hoi An Ancient Town in the central province of Quang Nam.

The scheme will include art and fashion shows through a number of silk collections, featuring the participation of Gami Joint Stock Company and Hoi An Silk Village.

Quang Nam silk is world-renowned and was exported globally from the Hoi An international trading port in the 17th and 18th centuries. Along with other traditional crafts along the Thu Bon river, the craft of silk weaving has contributed to diversifying the cultural identity of the province, in particular Hoi An.

XC Open-Putaleng 2022 debuts in Lai Chau

The first-ever Vietnam XC Open-Putaleng 2022 opened on November 17 in Si Thai Chau town of Ho Thau commune in Tam Duong district in the mountainous province of Lai Chau.

The first national cross country paragliding competition has been organized by the General Department of Sports and Physical Training and the provincial People’s Committee, drawing the participation of 100 pilots, including 35 foreigners from 15 countries and territories.

Participants will compete across two categories, including the national award category for Vietnamese paragliders and the general award category for both Vietnamese and foreign paragliders.

Tam Duong district of Lai Chau has become a popular area for paragliding for years and it is the only place to host international large-scale competitions in Vietnam that are recognized by the FAI.

International conference on East Sea wraps up

The 14th international conference on the East Sea has shown that the East Sea is not a closed sea but plays a central role, connecting the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, said acting Director of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV) Pham Lan Dung in her speech concluding the event in the central city of Da Nang on November 17.

Dung noted the two-day conference featured one introductory and eight discussion sessions, with nearly 40 papers, and more than 160 comments and questions.

She held that in the time to come, the regional and international communities need to further commit to international law; ensure the rule of law and trust in multilateral cooperation channels; be flexible and creative regarding cooperation mechanisms in different fields and spaces to build the East Sea into a sea of peace, helping countries focus on sustainable recovery.

Themed ‘Peaceful Sea - Solid Recovery’, the event was held by DAV and attracted the in-person attendance of over 220 delegates and the virtual participation of more than 250 others.

At its special introductory session on November 16, Rear Admiral Jurgen Ehle, Senior Military Advisor to the European External Action (EEAS), stated the Indo-Pacific is an important region for the European Union in terms of economy, trade, and freedom of navigation and overflight.

The EU opposes unilateral actions, protects the rules-based order without the use of or threat to use force, and commits to maintaining security and building the order, of which the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) sets out the legal framework for all sea and ocean activities, he said.

The official affirmed the EU supports ASEAN’s centrality, rules-based regional architecture, multilateralism, and security through the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), and the building of a Code of Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (COC) that is legally binding and protects the interests of third parties.

At a session marking the 40th anniversary of the signing of the UNCLOS as well as 20 years since ASEAN and China signed the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), most comments highlighted the universal value and importance of the UNCLOS as a constitution of the oceans.

Participating scholars said the DOC was an important achievement between ASEAN and China, showing that the parties can work together to find commonalities for a common purpose despite many differences.

It also marked the beginning of joint efforts to promote cooperation in the region, and is the basis for the consultation process for the COC in the East Sea.

The conference also saw participants discussing such key topics as the international and regional situation, recent developments in the East Sea, sustainable trade, supply chain, and economic recovery, among others.

Vietnam calls for enhanced cooperation in APEC amid global challenges

Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son on November 17 stressed the need to enhance cooperation among member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), especially in the context of the global economy facing various risks and challenges.

Addressing the 33rd APEC Ministerial Meeting (AMM) in Bangkok, Son said the first priorities should be intensifying the resilience and competitiveness of the economies, ensuring a favourable environment for international trade and investment, and shifting towards the sustainable and inclusive growth model.

He, therefore, suggested accelerating the Enhanced APEC Agenda for Structural Reform to improve the business environment, spur growth, promote innovation and increase productivity.

The minister also proposed facilitating trade and investment links between the economies; improving transport and logistics connectivity; forging cooperation in climate change response, sustainable natural resources management, technological application in farming, and energy security; paying more attention to labour training, public health care, and support to micro, small and medium sized enterprises.

Son said it is necessary for the economies' coordination to pool resources in service of infrastructure development, especially in developing economies, and draw lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic to minimise disruptions in people's travelling as well as operations of regional supply chains.

Present at the meeting, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Quoc Khanh noted some key issues in the APEC cooperation to ensure open trade and investment, and sustainable development in 2022.

He said the economies should step up capacity-building activities and information sharing to help developing peers bolster cooperation and narrow gaps, towards the materialisation of the Free Trade Area of Asia-Pacific.

APEC needs to prioritise support to businesses and people in accessing new, cutting-edge technologies in order to raise their competitiveness in the digital ecosystem, thus promoting digital transformation in the region, he noted.

The conference reviewed the implementation of the Aotearoa Plan of Action towards the Putrajaya Vision 2040, and featured in-depth discussions on balanced, sustainable and inclusive growth and regional reconnection, among others.

More efforts taken to repatriate Nguyen Dynasty’s imperial seal

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to direct the Vietnamese Embassy in France and the Delegation of Vietnam to UNESCO to coordinate with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) and relevant agencies to implement procedures to bring the Nguyen Dynasty’s imperial seal 'Hoang de chi bao' (Treasure of the Emperor) from France to Vietnam as soon as possible, said spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang.

At a regular press conference of the ministry in Hanoi on November 17, Hang said recently, under the Government’s timely direction, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Vietnamese Embassy in France and the Delegation of Vietnam to UNESCO have worked on all channels to proposed interventions to stop the auction of the seal and ownership transfer to the Vietnamese side. They exchanged diplomatic letters and notes; officially contacted and met with the diplomatic advisor of the French President,  the French Ministries of Foreign Affairs, and of Culture, UNESCO leaders, and other relevant specialised departments.

On October 19, Millon announced its auction of 329 antiquities, including two dating back to the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945) – a golden seal made in 1823 under the reign of King Minh Mang (1820 - 1841) and a golden bowl made under the reign of King Khai Dinh (1917-925).

After the confirmation of the authenticity of the seal, a Vietnamese inter-ministerial delegation and the auction house agreed to transfer them. The MCST said on November 14 that the sides agreed to carry out relevant legal processes and procedures for the repatriation of the seal to Vietnam in accordance with the laws of both nations, in the spirit of their mutual understanding and the Vietnam-France friendship and relationship.

Miss Tourism World contestants eager for brocade costumes in Vietnam

Beauties competing in the final round of the Miss Tourism World 2022 pageant impressed audiences while performing in brocade costumes during the Trang An heritage festival in Ninh Binh province on November 17.

The brocade costume collection, created by designer Thach Linh, draws inspiration from ethnic Vietnamese costumes using silk combined with unique motifs and other accessories, all of which have been meticulously made by hand.

The fashion show is the first activity of contestants of the Miss Tourism World pageant which is getting underway in Vietnam for the first time.

As many as 71 contestants will go on a tour of several tourist destinations throughout the northern region, including Ninh Binh, Hanoi, Phu Tho, Moc Chau, and Vinh Phuc, with numerous activities ono schedule till November 26.

The final round of the pageant is scheduled to run between November 27 and December 3, with the grand finale due to take place on December 3 in Vinh Phuc.

Source: VNA/SGT/VNS/VOV/Dtinews/SGGP/VGP/Hanoitimes