☕ Afternoon briefing on August 9

Hanoi (VNA) - The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency on August 9.

- The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) has asked the Prime Minister about the mechanism for ongoing solar power and transitional wind power projects to enjoy the incentive price.

In a recent document sent to the PM, the MoIT suggested investors of those projects negotiate electricity prices and power purchase and sale contracts with Vietnam Electricity (EVN). Read full story

- Oil exploitation in Block 15.1 by Cuu Long Joint Operating Company (Cuu Long JOC) is likely to reach a new milestone of 400 million barrels in December, the firm has announced.

Cuu Long JOC - comprising PetroVietnam, ConocoPhillips, KNOC, SK Corporation, and Geopetrol - is the second-biggest oil producer in Vietnam that was established in 1998. Read full story

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)

- Vietnam will need a skilled workforce to transform itself into an upper-middle-income economy by 2035, the World Bank has suggested in its recently-released report named “Taking Stock: Educate to Grow”. 

In its bi-annual report, the lender said: “Vietnam needs a workforce with 21st century skills to grow. As the economy moves from being driven by low skill and low wage jobs in manufacturing and services towards a more innovation driven growth model built on higher value-added industries and services, Vietnam’s workforce will need to attain higher level and more relevant skills.” Read full story

- About 6,500 organ transplants have been carried out in Vietnam since the first in 1992, showing great efforts by the entire health sector but still modest compared to other countries, an official has said.

At present, 95% of the transplants in the country use organs from living donors and only 5% from brain-dead donors, which completely runs counter to the global trend, in which the majority is transplants from brain-dead donors, Assoc. Prof. Dong Van He, Deputy Director of the Viet Duc (Vietnam - Germany) Friendship Hospital and Director of the National Coordinating Centre for Human Organ Transplants, told a ceremony announcing the decision on the centre director appointment on August 8. Read full story

- The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) is planning to add the “place of birth” to the new passport version to facilitate citizens’ seeking of visas to the Schengen countries.

The new passport version of Vietnam (Photo: Vietnam Government Portal)

The granting and use of the new passport will be among the issues about which Minister of Public Security Gen. To Lam will be questioned at the 14th session of the National Assembly Standing Committee on August 10. Read full story

- Vietnam Airlines’ Flight VN384 on its way from Hanoi to Haneda (Japan) on August 8 had to return to the departing airport after more than 1 hour and 45 minutes to provide urgent care for a Japanese boy who had a health problem.

The 10-year-old boy, among the 145 passengers on board, suffered a nosebleed. The flight attendant team immediately provided emergency assistance to him on the plane. However, due to the passenger's non-stop bleeding, the crew decided to return the plane to Noi Bai International Airport to seek medical support. Read full story

- To achieve the goal of welcoming 5 million foreign tourists this year as set out earlier, Vietnam's tourism industry needs to make greater efforts in promoting its image and building more tourism products, according to insiders.

Tourists to Hoi An ancient city in Quang Nam province (Photo: VNA)

Statistics from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) show that in the first seven months of 2022, Vietnam served 954,600 foreign tourists, up nine folds compared to the same period last year. In July alone, the nation welcomed 352,600 foreign visitors, up 49% month-on-month./. Read full story