☕ Afternoon briefing on June 5

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 received Minister of State for Foreign Trade Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Hanoi on June 5, calling on the UAE to work closely with the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade to soon finalise talks on the bilateral Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
The host leader hailed the two sides’ efforts to promote negotiations on the CEPA, especially when the two countries are celebrating the 30th founding anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations in 2023.Read full text

-Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang has said Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son’s attendance at the 2023 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Ministerial Council Meeting (MCM) and official visit to France from June 5-8 would provide an opportunity to reaffirm the common perception of the vision of the bilateral relations and the determination to promote deeper and closer connections between the two countries, particularly in meeting their requirements in the new context.
In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)'s resident correspondents in Paris, Thang said it is the first visit to France by a Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs since the two countries upgraded their relationship to a strategic partnership a decade ago. It is also meant to celebrate the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties and the 10th anniversary of their strategic partnership.Read full text

-The Vietnamese delegation to the 20th Shangri-La Dialogue, led by Deputy Minister of Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien, attended plenary sessions, the official banquet and bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the event, which took place in Singapore from June 2-4.
At the meeting between Chien and General Robert Brieger, Chairman of the EU Military Committee, the two sides shared delight at the bilateral defence cooperation over the years on the foundation of the EU-Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation Framework Agreement (PCA) and the EU-Vietnam Framework Participation Agreement (FPA).Read full text

-Ship 20 of the Naval Region 3’s Brigade 172 anchored in Makassar, Sulawesi, Indonesia, on June 4 to participate in the 4th Multilateral Naval Exercise Komodo (MNEK), according to the Quan doi Nhan dan newspaper.
The military exercise held by the Indonesian Navy will last until June 8, with the working delegation of the Vietnam People’s Navy (VPN) aboard the vessel expected to partake in a street parade, a multilateral drill at sea, and music-sport-food exchanges within its course.Read full text

-The total inflows of foreign direct investment into Ho Chi Minh City from early this year to May 20 reached over 1.14 billion USD, down 13.5% annually, reported the municipal Department of Planning and Investment.
Of them, 199.8 million USD was poured into 374 new projects, down 2.5% year-on-year.Read full text

- Vietnam spent 2.04 billion USD to import animal feed and raw materials for the production of this kind of commodity in the first five months of this year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).
The figure marks a year-on-year decrease of 2%.Read full text

-Although the aquaculture industry has been facing many challenges, it continues to receive support from the Government, Director in charge of communications of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) Le Hang told Lao dong newspaper.
According to Hang, the Prime Minister has demanded the State Bank of Vietnam effectively manage credit operations to ensure the suitable provision of credit capital, and continue to reduce interest rates to support businesses, especially those in aquatic export.Read full text

-The Vietnam Space Week opened in the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang on June 5, featuring a series of enticing activities to inspire the youth in outer space.
Co-organised by the provincial People's Committee and the Ho Chi Minh City Computer Association (HCA), the two-day event features a NASA talk show, a NASA STEM contest for students aged 6-18, and the exploration of the starry sky. Participants are also treated to dining and taking pictures with astronauts.Read full text/.