☕ Afternoon briefing on April 29

Hanoi (VNA) – The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency on April 29.

– President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on April 29 offered incense at the Quang Tri ancient citadel, a special national relic site, in memory of soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the famous Quang Tri battle to defend the country. The President is in the central province of Quang Tri to attend a ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Quang Tri and the 81-day-and-night battle defending the Quang Tri ancient citadel (1972-2022). Read full story

– National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue has asked the Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long to focus on growth model reform and economic restructuring, in combination with environmental protection and sustainable development. Attending a ceremony in the locality on April 28 marking its 190th founding and 30th re-establishment anniversaries as well as the 47th anniversary of the liberation of the south, he further said Vinh Long should further preserve and strengthen solidarity and unity among its Party organisation, authorities and people to grow rapidly and sustainably. Read full story

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (right) and Japanese Ambassador Yamada Takio. (Photo: VNA)

– The relationship between Vietnam and Japan has made firm strides towards the opening of a new period, and is expected to grow further in the future, Japanese Ambassador Yamada Takio has said. In an interview with the press ahead of Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio’s visit to Vietnam from April 30 – May 1, the ambassador said the two countries have reaped considerable achievements across spheres since the trip to Japan by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in November 2021, despite impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the first visit to Vietnam by Kishida in his capacity as the Prime Minister of Japan. Read full story

- Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations, has called on the international community to enhance solidarity and cooperation to ensure financing for development. In his remarks at the 2022 Financing for Development Forum that concluded on April 28, the ambassador noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused the global economy to slow down and also a financial crunch that makes it hard for many countries to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs). Read full story

The April CPI increases 0.18 percent month on month and 2.64 percent year on year. (Photo: VNA)

- Consumer price index (CPI) in April rose 0.18 percent over the previous month and 2.64 percent year on year, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO). The office held that increase in the prices of construction materials, catering and tourism service, and the recover in education service cost after a period of applying tuition exemption in many localities when COVID-19 is controlled are among factors causing CPI rise. Read full story

– A trade surplus of about 1.07 billion USD was recorded in April, pushing the total in the first four months of this year to 2.53 billion USD, the General Statistics Office (GSO) reported on April 29. In the January-April period, the domestic economic sector suffered a trade deficit of 9.2 billion USD, while the foreign-invested sector enjoyed  a surplus of 11.73 billion USD. Read full story

– April international arrivals in Vietnam soared 2.4 times from March and 5.2 percent from the same period last year thanks to the country’s tourism reopening and international flight resumption, according to the General Statistics Office of Vietnam (GSO). In the first four months of this year, the number of foreigners arriving in Vietnam neared 192,400, an annual rise of 184.7 percent. Of the total, 88.6 percent came by air, increasing close to four times from 2021. Read full story

- There are still non-resident traders and service providers who are yet to register, file and pay taxes for doing business on digital platforms in Vietnam, according to the General Department of Taxation (GDT)’s Large Taxpayers Department. The statement was made after the GDT sent a notice to remind them of the deadline for tax registration, filing and payment on April 28. Read full story

Chess grandmaster Le Quang Liem (Photo: VNA)

– Vietnam’s chess grandmaster Le Quang Liem finished second at the Oslo Esports Cup which wrapped up in Norway on April 28.

The prodigy defeated Jorden van Foreest of the Netherlands 3.5-2.5 to have 13 points in total. He had one point less than Jan-Krzysztof Duda of Poland who secured No 1 place./. Read full story