☕ Afternoon briefing on June 30

Hanoi (VNA) - The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency on June 30.

– Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong on June 30 stressed the task of addressing shortcomings and filling in “vaccums” and “loopholes” so as to prevent corruption and negative phenomena. Speaking at a national conference held in Hanoi to review the 10-year combat against corruption and negative phenomena, the Party leader also said fighting corruption is a critically important but also extremely difficult and complicated task that requires resolute, persistent, continuous, and unceasing efforts from all levels and in all sectors and areas. Read full story

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue (L) meets Speaker of the UK House of Lords John Mcfall (Photo: VNA)

- Vietnam wishes to share experience with the United Kingdom (UK) in legislative affairs, especially in the building of the legal framework, policies and mechanisms to support the Government in realising international commitments, National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue told Speaker of the UK House of Lords John Mcfall during their talks in London on June 29 (local time). The two leaders discussed the situation of relations between the two countries and the two parliaments with the hope that Vietnam and the UK, especially the parliaments, will jointly set out new orientations and solutions to deepen bilateral cooperation in all fields. Read full story

A scene in the documentary (Photo: hochiminh.vn)

– Vietnamese and UK officials said they wish to turn defence cooperation into a pillar in the countries’ overall relations at the 1st session of the 4th Vietnam-UK defence policy dialogue held in London on June 29 (local time) as part of National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue’s ongoing official UK trip. Co-chairing the dialogue, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of National Defence Sen. Lieut. Le Huy Vinh and UK Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence Baroness Goldie expressed their delight at the positive and dynamic growth of the Vietnam-UK strategic partnership. Read full story

– A French-language documentary titled “Ho Chi Minh: Sketching the Portrait of a Politician” was screened in June 29 by the Vietnamese Embassy in Algeria. The 58-minute documentary was produced in 1973 by French director Gérard Guillaume. It was copyrighted and stored by Ciné-Archives of the French Communist Party. The Vietnamese Embassy in Algeria purchased the copyright to use the copy for screening. Read full story

– The Ministry of Finance announced on June 30 that it has proposed the Prime Minister to consider a plan to reduce special consumption and value-added taxes on gasoline. According to the ministry, the move aims to contribute to reducing the price of petroleum products, and supporting people and businesses to recover and develop the economy. Read full story

– It is crucial to promptly turn Party and State’s policies regarding overseas Vietnamese affairs into practical actions to ensure their efficiency, stated Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son at a conference on June 29 to popularise and implement the Politburo’s Conclusion on the work. FM Son underlined that OV affairs have received great attention from the Party and State as an important part of the policies to build and reinforce the national great solidarity bloc. Read full story

– The Lianhe Zaobao daily in Hong Kong, China, on June 30 ran an article highlighting Vietnam’s impressive economic growth of 7.72% in the second quarter. It wrote that with export and consumption recovery, the Vietnamese economy rebounded strongly in Q2, with gross domestic product (GDP) increasing 7.72% year on year – the fastest pace in almost 11 years. Read full story

– The UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA), which took effect in early 2021, has so far brought about positive outcomes for both countries, Deputy Director General Ngo Chung Khanh of the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Multilateral Trade Policy Department has affirmed. At a virtual conference on promoting firms’ UKVFTA-induced advantages in Hanoi on June 29, Khanh noted the exports from Vietnam to the UK have grown by 17% and from the UK to Vietnam, by 23%./. Read full story

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