☕ Afternoon briefing on June 16

Hanoi (VNA) - The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency on June 16.

- President of the Assembly of Mozambique Esperanca Laurinda Francisco Nhiuane Bias’s upcoming official visit to Vietnam this month is expected to strengthen and spur the two countries’ traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation, particularly in the parliamentary sphere.

The guest, her spouse and a parliament delegation will be in Vietnam from June 18 – 23, at the invitation of National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue. Read full story

- The 15th National Assembly (NA) adopted resolutions on some major road projects and special mechanisms and policies for south-central Khanh Hoa province on June 16, part of its third session in Hanoi. Read full story

- President Nguyen Xuan Phuc received outgoing Australian Ambassador Robyn Mudie in Hanoi on June 15, highly valuing the diplomat’s fulfillment of duties which has helped further intensify the two countries’ strategic partnership. Read full story

- Addressing the 15th session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), Minister Counsellor Le Thi Minh Thoa, Deputy Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, affirmed that the country has always attached importance to promoting and protecting the rights and interests of PwDs in the principles of equality and non-discrimination. It has also mainstreamed PwD-related issues in the national development framework. Read full story

- The remaining 156 members of Vietnam’s Engineering Unit Rotation 1 arrived in Abyei at 2pm on June 15 (local time) to join the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), finishing their four-day march – part of the UN’s peacekeeping operations, the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations announced on June 16. Read full story

- Digital transformation is both a must and an opportunity for the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) to make changes, Vu Viet Trang, VNA General Director, said on June 16. Read full story

- Vietnam’s domestic aviation market is recovering at the fastest pace in the world with a growth rate of 123 percent compared to the same period of 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, according to an analysis by Airbus and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) using statistics about the flight numbers from Flightdatar24 and Airbus. Read full story

- Vietnam’s tourism and farm produce trade potential was introduced to Israeli partners at a seminar held in Tel Aviv on June 15, aiming to boost bilateral partnerships in these areas. Read full story

- The Middle East, North Africa and South Africa are potential markets for tea products from Lai Chau province but their export is still modest due to a lack of information on each other and effective connections, Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Hieu has said at a workshop held on June 15. The hybrid event aims to connect enterprises engaged in producing and exporting tea products of the province with partners in the above-mentioned regions. Read full story

- Hanoi eyes to welcome over 30 million visitors, including 7 foreigners, by 2025, according to the municipal Party Committee’ draft conclusion on tourism development for 2016-2020 and following years. The visitors are expected to spend more than 130 trillion VND (5.59 billion USD) while in the capital. Read full story

- Kon Ka Kinh National Park in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai has received a pig-tailed macaque – an endangered and rare species, Director of the park’s Centre for Creature Rescue, Conservation and Development Tran Van Thu said on June 16. Read full story./.