Politics

☕ Afternoon briefing on January 17

The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency.
☕ Afternoon briefing on January 17 ảnh 1
Hanoi (VNA) -  The following is a brief review of theday’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency.

- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended and delivered a speech at the WorldEconomic Forum’s Country Strategic Dialogue on Vietnam in Davos, Switzerland,on January 16 (local time).

This isone of eight national dialogue activities held within the framework of the 54thannual World Economic Forum (WEF) to introduce Vietnam’s socio-economicdevelopment strategy, priority areas to draw investments, and specific policiesthat the Government will carry out in the future in order to create anattractive environment to investors. Read full story

- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had bilateral meetings with leaders ofcountries and the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on January16 (local time) on the sidelines of the 54th Annual Meeting of the WEF(WEF-54). Read full story

- President Vo Van Thuong presented gifts and extended warm Tet greetings topeople in Thanh Chuong district, and officers and soldiers at Thanh Thuy BorderGuard Station in the central province of Nghe An on January 17.

Visiting Thanh Chuong district, President Thuong lauded the efforts made by thelocal Party Organisation, administration and residents to overcome challengesand obtain significant socio-economic achievements, with the rates of poor andnear-poor households falling to 3.4% and 5.7%, respectively, much lower thanthe province’s average. Read full story

- Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan hosted a reception for President of FordMotor’s International Markets Group Kay Hart in Hanoi on January 17, duringwhich she proposed the US company consider expanding investment cooperation inVietnam.

 Congratulating Ford Motor on its achievementsover the past 120 years and Ford Vietnam Co. Ltd. on receiving a first-classLabour Order from the Vietnamese State, Xuan said that Ford has invested 208million USD in the Southeast Asian country, and created jobs for over 5,000local labourers. Read full story

- The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee and the World Economic Forum (WEF)will set up a Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR Vietnam) inJune under an agreement signed between the two sides on January 16 on thesidelines of the 54th Annual Meeting of the WEF in Davos, Switzerland.

 Located at the Saigon Hi-Tech Park - one ofVietnam’s two national hi-tech parks - that serves as a driving force for thecity’s development, the centre will focus on research cooperation, policyrecommendation, technology transfer, resources mobilisation for green growth,smart urban areas and AI, among others. Read full story

- Vietnam has set a target to climb at least two places in the World EconomicForum (WEF)’s Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI) by 2025.

Under a recently-issued resolution on tasksand measures to improve the business climate and national competitive capacity,the Government expects to move up at least five positions in the Prioritisationof Travel and Tourism index and three in the Tourist Service Infrastructureindex in 2024. Read full story

- The Vietnam Social Security (VSS) has completed and surpassed all set targetsin the coverage of social, unemployment and health insurance, according to VSSGeneral Director Nguyen The Manh.

Health insurance has now covered 93.35% of the country's population, exceedingthe goal set in the Government’s Resolution No. 01/NQ-CP as well as theNational Assembly’s Resolution No. 68/2022/QH15 on socio-economic developmentplan for 2023, Manh said at the VSS's conference in Hanoi on January 17 toreview the sector’s performance in 2023 and launch tasks for 2024. Read full story

- Improving qualifications of guest workers and developing foreign labourmarkets that suit Vietnamese labourers' standards and skills have beenconsidered as key tasks in 2024 in order to stepping up the sending oflabourers to work abroad.

Accordingto the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA), in 2023, thenumber of Vietnamese labourers sent to work abroad under contract reached itspeak with 155,000 people, 29% higher than the year's plan and marking anincrease of 8.55% compared to 2022. Read full story

- The Ministry of Health’s Department of Preventive Medicine on January 16asked localities nationwide to keep a close watch on the disease situation inthe face of complex developments of infectious diseases, especially respiratoryones, around the world. Read full story

- Phu Quoc island in the southern province of Kien Giang has emerged as a newtrending destination, spurred by the introduction of new air routes by KoreanAir.

Despitea shorter Lunar New Year holidays from February 9-12, major Korean travelcompanies such as Hana Tour, Very Good Travel and Kyowon Tour Travel Easy onJanuary 17 reported a remarkable annual surge in tour bookings, averagingaround 50%. Read full story

- MyTV platform of the Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT)on January 16 launched two international exclusive sports channels, SPOTV andSPOTV2.

Thechannels will provide sports enthusiasts with exclusive access to variousinternational tournaments, including the Grand Prix motorcycle racing (MotoGP),the US Open Tennis Championships (the US Open), the Wimbledon TennisChampionships, the BWF World Tour and BWF Major Events, Golf Major The Open andThe Masters, and the World Table Tennis Championships. Read full story./.
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