Politics

☕ Afternoon briefing on March 21

The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency.
☕ Afternoon briefing on March 21 ảnh 1

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

- Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son heldtalks with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs andInternational Cooperation Prak Sokhonn in Hanoi on March 21.

☕ Afternoon briefing on March 21 ảnh 2Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son (R) and Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Prak Sokhonn. (Photo: VNA) 

Prak Sokhonn arrived in Vietnam earlier the same day to co-chairthe 20th meeting of the Vietnam-Cambodia Joint Commission on Economic,Cultural, and Scientific-Technological Cooperation from March 21-22. Read full story

- The Saigon-Hanoi Commercial Joint Stock Bank(SHB) has teamed up with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) toincrease access to finance for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Vietnam.

As part of the agreement signed on March 20,IFC is providing a 40 million USD loan to SHB, which is the first step towardsa total financing package of 120 million USD. This funding will help SHBsupport local businesses and enhance their participation in the global supplychain. The investment from IFC is expected to more than double the number ofSME loans and outstanding loan volumes for women-owned businesses by 2025. Read full story

- A working delegation led by Vietnamese Ambassador to SouthAfrica Hoang Van Loi paid a working trip to KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province fromMarch 16-20, as part of Vietnam’s economic diplomacy programme for this year.

During the trip, the delegation held working sessions with theTrade and Investment KwaZulu-Natal (TIKZN), the management board of theRichards Bay Coal Terminal and the railway transport conglomerate Transnet. Read full story

- The central coastal city of Da Nang is taking measures torevive the foreign direct investment (FDI) flow with a view to attracting 7billion USD in this capital by 2030.

☕ Afternoon briefing on March 21 ảnh 3Da Nang aims to attract 7 billion USD of FDI by 2030 (Photo: VNA)

In the first two months of this year, Da Nang licenced 16 newFDI projects with a total registered capital of 2.55 million USD, a decrease of53.6% in value year-on-year.Read full story

- The Mong Cai international border gate in thenorthern province of Quang Ninh is becoming a customs clearance gateway foragro-fisheries products between Vietnam and China.

Head of the Mong Cai international border gatemanagement board Tran Bich Ngoc said from January 1-March 18, the total volumeof goods  through the gate topped 286,700 tonnes, up 154.8% annually. Read full story

- Digital transformation is an opportunity forVietnam to become a developed country. However, many challenges remain toensure a rapid, smart and green digital transformation, experts have said.

According to the 7th edition of e-Conomy SEAreport by Google, Temasek and Bain, Vietnam's digital economy reached a valueof 23 billion USD in 2022 and is on track to hit 49 billion USD by 2025 - thefastest in Southeast Asia. Read full story

- The blockchain-based origin tracing system iTrace247 made itsdebut at a seminar in Hanoi on March 21, which was held to review the Supportof Regional Economic Cooperation in Asia (SRECA) project.

The system enables firms to market their images and trademarksin both domestic and foreign markets while giving consumers an insight into thefarming, processing, transportation and distribution process of products. Read full story

- Vietnam ranked first at the 2023 SoutheastAsian Karate Championships, which concluded in the Philippines on March 19.

☕ Afternoon briefing on March 21 ảnh 4Vietnam tops the Southeast Asian Karate Championship. (Source: Karate Journal)

Vietnamese athletes secured 23 gold, 20 silverand 23 bronze medals from tournaments for both seniors and juniors during theseven days of competition in Manila./. Read full story

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☕ Afternoon briefing on May 21

☕ Afternoon briefing on May 21

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☀️ Morning digest on May 21

☀️ Morning digest on May 21

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Prime Minister Le Minh Hung (right) and Ambassador of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to Vietnam Ri Sung Guk at their meeting on May 20 (Photo: VNA)

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PM vows to deepen Vietnam-Cuba special ties

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Top leader orders decisive action to unlock idle resources for growth

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