☕ Afternoon briefing on April 3

The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency.
☕ Afternoon briefing on April 3 ảnh 1
Hanoi (VNA) - The following is a brief review of the day’s eventsas reported by the Vietnam News Agency.

- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on April 3 demanded ministries, sectors, andlocalities resolutely not surrender to difficulties but keep persistence in theset targets.

He made the request while chairing the Government’s regular meeting for Marchand a teleconference with the 63 provinces and centrally-run cities to discussthe socio-economic situation in the first quarter and set tasks for Q2. Read full story

- Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai had a meeting with US Trade RepresentativeKatherine Tai in Boston on April 2 (local time), as part of his US trip for theVietnam Executive Leadership Programme (VELP).

Khai highlighted Vietnam’s consistent policy of building an independent andself-reliant economy in association with active, extensive, and effectiveinternational integration. Read full story

- The Vietnam-Hungary comprehensive partnership has grown soundly acrossvarious sectors, with the countries’ parliamentary cooperation thriving on bothbilateral and multilateral fronts, stated Vice Chairman of the NationalAssembly (NA) Tran Quang Phuong at his recent talks with Márta Mátrai, FirstDeputy of the Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly, in Budapest.

The Vietnamese legislator took the occasion to propose both sides maintainexchanges of high-level delegations and specialised committees, enhance mutualcooperation and support at multilateral forums, and coordinate theimplementation of agreements signed between the two parliaments during thevisit of Vietnamese NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue to Hungary in 2022. Read full story

- The Ministry of Information and Communications has set a target of increasingthe usage of Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) to 65-80% by the end of thisyear, bringing Vietnam into the top 8 for IPv6 usage in the world.

 Converting to IPv6, the most recent version ofthe Internet Protocol, is critical to ensure address resources for Internetdevelopment and connection with new services such as Internet of Things, cloudcomputing and 5G/6G networks, the ministry said. Read full story

- The total revenue from the retail sales of goods and consumer service inMarch was estimated at 509.3 trillion VND (20.3 billion USD), up 0.5%month-on-month and 9.2% year-on-year, according to the General StatisticsOffice (GSO).

In the month, the retail revenue of food and foodstuffs rose by 11.6%,household appliances and tools 16%, garment 10.1%, accommodation and cateringservices 15.8%, and tourism and travel services 66.1% against the same periodlast year. Read full story

- The General Statistics Office (GSO) reported a decade-high number of newbusinesses established nationwide in the first quarter, reaching 36,224.

Taking into account enterprises resuming operation, the number reached59,848. Read full story

- The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism on April 3 launched the 2024stimulus programme, with discounts of 10-60% on various tourism products andservices.

Participating businesses have already signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs)to ensure a comprehensive range of discounted options. The programme, withnearly 100 travel agents, accommodation and dining facilities, shopping venuesand entertainment centres taking part, will be officially introduced totourists at the upcoming Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Festival slated for April 4-7at 23/9 Park in District 1. Read full story

- The 17th International Processing and Packaging Exhibition and Conference(ProPak Vietnam 2024) opened in Ho Chi Minh City on April 3.

The three-day event attracts 310 exhibitors from 30 countries andterritories, including India, the Republic of Korea, China’s Hong Kong,Singapore, Spain, and the US. It also features a number of internationalconferences, seminars, and technical sessions. Read full story

- The Vietnam International Trade Fair (Vietnam Expo 2024), one of the leadinginternational trade exhibitions in Vietnam, kicked off in Hanoi on April 3,attracting 480 enterprises from 15 countries and territories worldwide.

The 33rd event of this kind features nearly 600 pavilions, up 20% compared tothe figure last year. Read full story

- The Metro Line 1 (Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien) in Ho Chi MinhCity is expected to start commercial operation in October this year, accordingto the Ho Chi Minh City’s Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR).

Addressing a meeting on April 2 of the municipal People’s Committee to reviewsocio-economic situation in the first quarter, Nguyen Quoc Hien, deputy head ofMAUR - the investor of the project, said 98% of the workload on the metro linehas been completed and six task groups to prepare for the official operation ofthe urban metro line are underway. Read full story./.
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