☕ Afternoon briefing on March 18

Hanoi (VNA) - The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency on March 18.

– The upcoming visit to Vietnam by Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri bin Yaakob from March 20-21 is expected to open up opportunities to elevate the bilateral strategic partnership to a new height, Vietnamese Ambassador to Malaysia Tran Viet Thai told the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)’s correspondents in Kuala Lumpur. According to the diplomat, the Vietnam-Malaysia relationship has developed intensively and extensively over the past years, especially since the two countries established their strategic partnership in August 2015. Read full story

Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh (C) speaks at the meeting. (Photo: VNA)

– Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh has requested ministries and sectors to seek ways to address legal barriers related to the implementation of investment projects. Speaking at a meeting of the Prime Minister's special working group on reviewing, removing difficulties and obstacles and promoting the implementation of investment projects in ministries, agencies and localities on March 17, Minh assigned the Ministry of Planning and Investment to continue reviewing difficulties and problems facing ministries, sectors and localities in the work, quickly classifying and proposing specific solutions. Read full story

Assistant Secretary-General for Climate Action at United Nations Selwin Chalres Hart (L) meets head of the Permanent Delegation of Vietnam to the UN Dang Hoang Giang on March 17. (Photo:baoquocte.vn)

- Assistant Secretary-General for Climate Action at United Nations (UN) Selwin Chalres Hart has affirmed that the international organisation is very interested and wishes to be able to support Vietnam in realising its commitments to deal with climate change. He made the statement on March 17 during a working session with Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, head of the Permanent Delegation of Vietnam to the UN, on promoting coordination between the UN and the country in climate change response and fulfilling its commitments at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26). Read full story

- Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) and Deputy Minister of National Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Tan Cuong held talks with Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces General Vong Pisen in Phnom Penh on March 18, within the framework of his official friendly visit to Cambodia. The meeting took place after Cuong’s attendance at the 19th ASEAN Chiefs of Defence Forces’ Meeting (ACDFM-19). Read full story

– An article posted on the travel website Traveloffpath.com on March 17 highlighted the entry requirements that Vietnam is applying in the new normal context, saying Vietnam now seems to be the easiest country to enter in Southeast Asia. In efforts to shore up tourism activities, Vietnam has resumed international and domestic travel by air, road, railway, and sea with appropriate anti-pandemic measures for inbound and outbound tourists, and those making domestic trips. Read full story

– Maps and documents on Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes are now on display in Cam Lo district, the central province of Quang Tri. The mobile exhibition, opened on March 18, is co-organised by the provincial Department of Information and Communications, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the People’s Committee of Cam Lo district. Read full story

Damien Devillian (centre), one of the first tourists from Singapore to visit Vietnam after the country officially reopened international tourism (Photo: VNA)

- Digital travel platform Agoda has revealed 10 countries with the highest numbers of tourists keen to travel to Vietnam. Singapore takes the lead in countries searching for information on Vietnam. Tourists from the country wish to enjoy the cordiality, beautiful landscapes and cuisine of Vietnam, Agoda added. Other countries in the list include the US, the Republic of Korea, India, Malaysia, Australia, followed by the UK, Germany, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates. Read full story

– Installing vessel monitoring systems (VMS) is one of the important measures the European Commission (EC) recommended for Vietnam to remove the EC’s “yellow card” warning against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. The Directorate of Fisheries has certified eight VMSs that meet the standards stipulated in the Government’s Decree No. 26/2019/ND-CP. Read full story./.

VNA