☕ Afternoon briefing on January 11

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

– Indonesian President Joko Widodo and his entourage arrived in Hanoi on January 11 afternoon, starting a three-day State visit to Vietnam at the invitation of Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo (R) and his entourage arrive in Hanoi on January 11 afternoon, starting a three-day State visit to Vietnam. (Photo: VNA)

The Indonesian leader was accompanied by Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi, Minister of State-Owned Enterprises Erick Thohir, Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, Chief of the Presidential Staff Office Moeldoko, member of the Presidential Advisory Council Ambassador Gandi Sulistiyanto Soeherman and Indonesian Ambassador to Vietnam Denny Abdi. Read full story

– Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on January 11 asked the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) to constantly keep a sharp and reformed mindset, quickly grasp issues emerging in Vietnam and the world, and have foresight to advise the Party, State, people, and businesses about major socio-economic policies.

PM Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the conference of the Ministry of Planning and Investment in Hanoi on January 11. (Photo: VNA)

This is among the tasks for 2024 that the Government leader assigned to the MPI while attending the ministry’s conference in Hanoi on January 11. Read full story

– Vietnam wishes to foster cooperation with India and its Gujarat state in particular in the areas of the Indian side’s strengths and Vietnam’s priorities, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang affirmed while addressing the 10th Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit on January 10.

Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang addresses the summit. (Photo: VNA)

The summit was conceptualised in 2003 under the visionary leadership of Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India (the then Chief Minister of Gujarat). Read full story

– The Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) has issued decisions allowing the operations of four international accreditation organisations in Vietnam, namely ACQUIN, THE-ICE, ACBSP and ABET.

They are all allowed to conduct evaluation and accreditation activities according to the process and standards stated in the application dossiers for training programmes at all levels of higher education in line with the law of Vietnam. Read full story

– Trade between Vietnam and Sweden has been growing steadily for many years, with the North European country’s imports rising 9% annually during 2018 - 2022, a relatively impressive figure, an official has said.

The figure of the Swedish international trade centre was cited by Nguyen Thi Hoang Thuy, Trade Counsellor at Vietnam’s Trade Office in Sweden and Northern Europe. Read full story

– Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable exports are expected to reach a new record of 6.5-7 billion USD this year, up 15-20% from 2023, propelled by robust market signs, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Earlier, the agricultural sector eyed 4.5 billion USD and 5.69 billion USD in export turnover in 2024 and 2025, respectively. However, 2023 was a successful year of the fruit and vegetable sector as export revenue reached a record high of 5.69 billion USD, a year-on-year hike of nearly 70%. Read full story

– The disbursement of public investment in 2023 was projected to reach 95% of the plan, equivalent to nearly 676 trillion VND (over 27 billion USD), marking the record high so far, according to Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Quoc Phuong.

Public investment has been mainly allocated to key projects, which generate development momentum and foster regional connectivity./. Read full story

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