☕ Afternoon briefing on February 9

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

- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, now on an official visit to Singapore, held talks with his host counterpart Lee Hsien Loong following an official welcome ceremony chaired by the latter on February 9.

Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong hosts the official welcome ceremony for Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (front). (Photo: VNA)

Speaking at the talks, PM Lee affirmed that the visit will create a strong impetus for the fine strategic partnership between the two countries and is an important opening event for the activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic relations and the 10th anniversary of the partnership this year.Read full story

- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed his delight at visiting Singapore in his capacity as the Vietnamese Government leader for the first time, during a meeting with President of Singapore Halimah Yacob on February 9 morning.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (L) and President of Singapore Halimah Yacob. (Photo: VNA)

Yacob hailed the significance of Chinh’s visit as marking the start of the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties and the 10th anniversary of their strategic partnership this year, contributing to the strong and substantial development of their relationship. Read full story

- Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia and Azerbaijan Dang Minh Khoi on February 7 presented his credentials to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev who affirmed that the bilateral relations are developing well in both bilateral and multilateral aspects.

President Aliyev said that the two countries hold much potential in cooperation in trade, education and tourism. Read full story

- Vietnam is still a magnet to Singaporean investors thanks to the two countries' similarities in market openness, their same direction for sustainable development, and their joining in free trade agreements (FTA), experts have said.

In 1996, Singapore's Sembcorp Industries and Vietnam's Becamex Group established the first Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) on an area of 2,500 ha in the southern province of Binh Duong. (Photo:congthuong.vn) 

They said that there is huge potential for the two countries to further expand economic cooperation in the coming time. Read full story

- A flight of Vietravel Airlines departing from Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City landed at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok at noon on February 9, marking the airline's first commercial route linking the two major cities of Vietnam and Thailand.

Vietravel Airlines launches HCM City-Bangkok route on February 9. (Photo: Vietravel Airlines)

Vietravel Airlines General Director Vu Duc Bien said that the Hanoi-Bangkok direct route, with an occupancy ratio of 91%, is considered the first success of the airline in its journey to conquer the international sky. Read full story

- Prof. Nguyen Thi Kim Thanh, a lecturer at University College London (UCL) in the UK, has been honoured with the Distinguished Women in Chemistry/Chemical Engineering Awards of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), together with other 11 woman scientists from various countries.

An awarding ceremony will be held during the IUPAC World Chemistry Congress slated for August this year. Read full story

- Seven Vietnamese students have claimed gold prizes at the fifth International Creative Papers Conference (ICPC) and Olympic which was recently held in the Republic of Korea (RoK).

All of the students attend Hanoi University of Science (HUS)'s High School for Gifted Students under Hanoi-based Vietnam National University (VNU), reported Radio the Voice of Vietnam (VOV)./.Read full story