☕ Afternoon briefing on March 17

Hanoi (VNA) – The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency on March 17.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (R) shakes hands with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al Saud (Photo: VNA)

- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh received in Hanoi on March 17 for Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al Saud during which the host said Vietnamese agencies stand ready to create optimal conditions for investment funds and corporations of Saudi Arabia to seek investment cooperation chances in Vietnam. Read full story

Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Tan Cuong, Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army and Deputy Minister of National Defence, attends the 19th ASEAN Chiefs of Defence Forces’ Meeting (ACDFM-19) in Cambodia on March 17. (Photo: VNA)

- Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Tan Cuong, Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army and Deputy Minister of National Defence, attended the 19th ASEAN Chiefs of Defence Forces’ Meeting (ACDFM-19), as part of his visit to Cambodia from March 17 – 19. Read full story

Defence Minister Gen. Phan Van Giang (R) hosts Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam Orlando Nicolás Hernández Guillén (Photo: VNA)

- Defence Minister Gen. Phan Van Giang hosted a reception in Hanoi on March 17 for new Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam Orlando Nicolás Hernández Guillén, during which he wished the latter will have a successful working tenure and contribute to enhancing the bilateral relations. Read full story

- United Nations Under-Secretary-General Jean-Pierre Lacroix has lauded the engagement and commitments by Vietnam in UN peacekeeping activities, especially the preparation for the upcoming deployment of the country's engineering company. Read full story

- The Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training took over the chairmanship of ASEAN Education for 2022 – 2023 from the Philippines at a ceremony on March 16. Read full story

- Vietnam has taxed global tech companies like Google, Facebook and Microsoft an average of over 1 trillion VND (43.71 million USD) annually for their cross-border goods and services between 2018 and 2021, Minister of Finance Ho Duc Phoc told legislators on March 16. Read full story

- Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh has just urged the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to work with the Ministry of Transport and other relevant ministries and sectors on the building of a roadmap to apply Level 4 emissions standards (equivalent to Euro 4 standards) for new motorcycles and motorbikes produced, assembled, and imported. Read full story

Illustrative image (Source: thegioididong)

- The Gioi Di Dong JSC, a subsidiary of Mobile World Investment Corporation in Vietnam, has announced its cooperation with PT Erafone Artha Retailindo under Indonesia’s Erajaya Group to establish the joint venture PT Era Blue Elektronic (Era Blue).  Read full story

- Nearly 100 Vietnamese workers arrived in the Republic of Korea (RoK) under the Employment Permit System (EPS) of the country on a flight to Incheon International Airport on March 17. Read full story

Coeliccia natgeo damselfly (Photo: baonongnghiep)

- Coeliccia natgeo damselfly has been spotted at the Pu Mat National Park in the north-central province of Nghe An. The flying insect is classified as the eighth species of the hayashii-group, which is endemic to Vietnam. Read full story

- The Japan Football Association (JFA) has decided to increase tickets for Vietnamese fans for the Vietnam-Japan return leg as part of the World Cup 2022 Asian qualifiers. The number has been raised to 1,300 from just 300 earlier. Read full story./.

VNA