☕ Afternoon briefing on March 31

Hanoi (VNA) - The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency on March 31.

- The Government Committee for Religious Affairs has pointed out the need to tighten the management of religious dignitaries and officials in the face of recent law and religious rule violations by some Buddhist monks.

Speaking at the Ministry of Home Affairs’ press conference on March 30, Vice Chairwoman of the committee Tran Thi Minh Nga said there are currently more than 54,000 dignitaries and 135,000 officials in 41 religious organisations in Vietnam. However, there have been some cases of law violations by religious figures. Read full story

 

- Nearly 1,700 Vietnamese people in Ukraine have been brought home safely on six flights arranged by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in conjunction with relevant ministries, sectors and representative agencies of Vietnam in the country.

About 5,200 Vietnamese people from war areas in Ukraine have so far been evacuated, according to the ministry. Read full story

- Vietnam’s overseas investment reached over 211.45 million USD in the first quarter of 2022, equivalent to nearly 37 percent of that reported in the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

The amount included 180.2 million USD poured into 24 new projects, up 28.5 percent year-on-year and 31.23 million USD added to three existing ones, equal to 7.2 percent of the figure in the same period last year. Read full story

- Vietnam’s agro-forestry-aquatic product export and import turnover was estimated at 22.6 billion USD in the first quarter of this year, up 6.3 percent compared to the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

Of the figure, around 12.8 billion USD was worth of exports, an increase of 15.3 percent while about 9.8 billion USD was from imports, a decline of 3.5 percent against last year, resulting in a trade surplus of roughly 3 billion USD, up 3.1 times year-on-year. Read full story

- A forum to promote foreign investment into Vietnam themed “A new era of digital transformation and green transition” took place in London on March 30 as part of the Vietnam Days in the UK 2022.

During the event, participants were updated on Vietnam's economic situation as well as investment and trade opportunities brought by the UK – Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA), which officially took effect from May 2021. Read full story

- The Vietnam International Travel Mart (VITM) 2022 opened in Hanoi on March 31 with the theme of “New Normal – New Opportunities”.

The four-day event attracts the participation of 500 businesses from 52 provinces and cities nationwide and Japan, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan (China), and Turkey. Read full story

- The domestic stock market has still been assessed positive despite recent adverse impacts, partially thanks to its internal factors, affirmed head of the State Securities Commission (SSC) Tran Van Dung following the arrest of Trinh Van Quyet, Chairman of FLC Group JSC, pending investigations into charges of stock market manipulation. Read full story

- Eighty-one percent of Vietnamese respondents considered online shopping to be integral to everyday life, according to a regional consumer study conducted by e-commerce platform Lazada in collaboration with Milieu Insight.

The study surveyed 6,000 online shoppers, 1,000 from each country, on their current and future commerce behaviours and attitudes. It was conducted in January 2022 across six Southeast Asian markets – Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Read full story

- Vietnam grabbed two gold medals at the sixth Asian Jujitsu Championship 2022 on Wednesday at the National Stadium in Manama, Bahrain.

World defending champion Phung Thi Hue shone in the women’s 45kg class, beating Hamda Al Shekheili of the UAE in the final match, while Duong Thi Thanh Minh, the world silver medallist, defeated Rania Meqbel of Jordan in the women’s 52kg category./. Read full story