☕ Afternoon briefing on August 10

Hanoi, (VNA) – The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency on August 10. 

-The question-and-answer session as part of the 14th session of the 15th National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee started on August 10 with questions on issues under the management of the public security ministry.

Opening the session which was broadcast live on national television and radio, NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue said that basing on proposals of 58 NA deputy delegations, the NA Standing Committee has chosen two groups of issues for the Q&A session – those under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Public Security, and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Read full story

- Minister of Public Security Gen. To Lam provided more information about the new passport version of Vietnam while fielding questions from full-time lawmakers at the 14th session of the National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee on August 10.

He said the granting of the new passport has been carried out in line with the Law on Exit and Entry of Vietnamese Citizens, adopted by the NA in 2019, and that all details shown in the passport are in accordance with law. 

The new passport version matches international practices, he said, noting that many countries also use this design, which doesn’t include the “place of birth”. Read full story

Also at the Q&A session, the minister stressed the need for each individual to protect personal information, especially on the cyberspace, when responding to deputies’ queries regarding the disclosure and sale of personal information on social networks.

Lam said that the problem of personal information disclosure in the world and Vietnam is alarming, while the legal corridor on this issue has not been completed, and people's awareness of personal information protection remains low. Read full story

-Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired the first meeting of the state steering committee for national key transport projects in Hanoi on August 10, during which he requested ministries, sectors and localities to apply comprehensive measures to speed up the implementation of the projects to expand development space for regions.

PM Chinh noted that the country aims to build at least 5,000 kilometres of expressways by 2030. Over the past 20 years, only 1,100 kilometres of expressways have been constructed, which means the task for the country until 2030 is heavy. Read full story

-A delegation of major Danish companies will accompany Crown Prince Frederik in his upcoming visit to Vietnam to seek business and investment opportunities with Vietnamese agencies and partners, Deputy Director General of the Confederation of Danish Industry (DI) Thomas Bustrup has said.

At his meeting with Vietnamese Ambassador to Denmark Luong Thanh Nghi in Copenhagen on August 9, Bustrup affirmed that in the context that the two countries share many common interests and hold increasingly substantive and comprehensive relations, and many Danish businesses intend to expand their operations abroad, Vietnam has emerged as a potential destination. Read full story

-The sixth court conference of Lao, Vietnamese, Cambodian border provinces opened in Vientiane on August 10.

In his opening speech, Lao Deputy Prime Minister Kikeo Khaykhamphithoune said the event not only enable participants to share lessons in fighting trans-national crimes and judicial assistance but also helped Laos carry out two national agendas on dealing with economic-financial difficulties and drug issues. Read full story

-Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, has suggested Nasdaq Inc of the US introduce reputable and experienced US investors to invest in Vietnam in IT, renewable energy, agriculture, health care, education, finance, and real estate in the coming time.

In a meeting on August 9 with Robert McCooey, Senior Vice President of Nasdaq's  Listing Services unit, who leads business development for new listings in Latin America and Asia-Pacific, the Vietnamese diplomat said Vietnam wants to attract big firms from the US to invest in the above-mentioned areas, especially those that can contribute to implementing Vietnam's commitments at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26). Read full story

-Localities from the northern to the northern central regions have been requested to gear up personnel and equipment for Storm Mulan, which is predicted to enter the Gulf of Tonkin on late August 10.

The Standing Office of the National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control held a meeting with ministries, sectors, and localities on August 10 to discuss measures to respond to the storm. Read full story/.