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 on January 8 asked the banking sector to maintain its role as the “blood of life” for the national economy, while addressing a conference in Hanoi on January 8.
The conference, held by State Bank of Vietnam (SBV), was connected with the bank’s branches in the 63 cities and provinces nationwide, with the attendance of representatives from different ministries and agencies. Read full text
- Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Vuong Dinh Hue and Speaker of the Bulgarian NA Rosen Dimitrov Jeliazkov held talks in Hanoi on January 8, agreeing that the two NAs will push ahead with implementing the recently signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation.
Jeliazkov is paying an official visit from January 5 to 9 – the first to Vietnam by a parliamentary leader of Bulgaria in 12 years and following his host’s visit to Bulgaria in September 2023. Read full text
- Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien has affirmed the determination to strengthen trade promotion and export to major markets, optimising free trade agreements (FTA), making full use of opportunities, and actively responding to challenges in 2024.
In an interview granted to Vietnam News Agency, the minister said that his ministry will coordinate with relevant agencies to support domestic firms to conduct trade promotion activities in new and promising markets, while prioritising the supply of market information and trade opportunities to increase market share in traditional markets and exploit new ones. Read full text
- The Vietnamese economy did recover in 2023, Dr. Can Van Luc affirmed, describing quarter-over-quarter growth, rebounded sectors, and impressive results in economic integration as three highlights last year.
The first highlight was that the GDP grew quarter over quarter and by 5.05% for the whole year, higher than the global average of about 2.9% and the ASEAN average of 4.3%, he told a recent conference between the Government and local administrations. Read full text
- Confidence among the European businesses operating in Vietnam is showing signs of resilience as the latest Business Confidence (BCI) from the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham), conducted by Decision Lab, reached 46.3 points in the fourth quarter of 2023.
EuroCham Chairman Gabor Fluit commented that there was definitely a positive trend underway, and while there was a long way to go for a full recovery, businesses were feeling more hopeful. Read full text
- 2023 is a successful year for Vietnam’s rice shipment as export volume and prices hit an all-time high of 8.3 million tonnes and 4.78 billion USD.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the total rice output in the country increased 1.9% to 43.5 million tonnes, meeting both domestic demand and export. Export prices averaged 663 USD per tonne as a result of high demand. Read full text
- The monthly average income of Vietnamese labourers in 2023 reached 7.1 million VND (over 291 USD) per person, up 6.9% compared to 2022, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).
Meanwhile, the average income of male and female workers stood at 8.1 million VND and 6 million VND, respectively. Read full text
- 2023 was a successful year for Vietnam’s multilateral external relations and cultural diplomacy at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), according to former Permanent Representative of Vietnam to UNESCO Ambassador Le Thi Hong Van.
Firstly, the year saw the highest number of mutual visits between Vietnam and UNESCO, contributing to deepening bilateral relations, optimising the knowledge and resources from the organisation for the country’s development. Read full text
- Hanoi has been honoured in two categories of the Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best 2023 by TripAdvisor – the world's largest travel guidance platform.
Specifically, the capital city is ranked third among the 20 Best Food Destinations, and 17th in the 25 Popular Destinations./. Read full text