☕ Afternoon briefing on May 11

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, together with leaders of other ASEAN member states, discussed regional and global issues, at a retreat session of the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, on May 11.

He said that after more than half a century of formation and development, ASEAN has never been in such a good position as well as facing as many challenges as it does today. ASEAN is both the centre of a series of regional connectivity and integration initiatives and a key player in the fierce strategic competition among major powers. Read full story

- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had a meeting with his counterpart from Timor Leste Taur Matan in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia on May 11 on the sidelines of the 42nd ASEAN Summit, during which Chinh said Vietnam is willing to share experience with and support Timor Leste to become the 11th member of the association at an early date. Read full story

- The trip to Indonesia by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his entourage to attend the 42nd ASEAN Summit from May 9 to 11 has become a fine success which saw the leader make several proposals for promoting the self-reliance and unlocking resources for the development of the ASEAN Community, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son told the press. Read full story

- A seminar took place in Hanoi on May 11, assessing the value of the legacy left by late President Ho Chi Minh.

In his opening remarks, Vice President of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics (HCMA) Le Van Loi said it is a practical activity to mark the leader’s 133rd birth anniversary (May 19, 1890 – 2023), paying respect to him and honouring his significant contributions. Read full story

- The digital transformation day of the banking sector will be held on May 18, the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) announced at a press conference in Hanoi on May 11. The event aims to review outcomes achieved by the banking industry after two years of implementation of its digital transformation plan until 2025, with a vision for 2030. It is expected to promote a national digital transformation programme and change the awareness of organisations and individuals about its role in the operation of the industry. Read full story

- Foreign investors still put their trust in the Vietnamese economy, but it is important to take measures for sustaining the upward trend in foreign direct investment (FDI), an expert has said.

In the first four months of 2023, foreign investment projects disbursed about 5.85 billion USD in capital, falling 1.2% year on year, but this rate still rose 1 percentage point from the first quarter. Read full story

- There had been 1,643 Vietnamese-invested valid projects in foreign countries with a total capital of 21.93 billion USD as of late April, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment’s Foreign Investment Agency.

Vietnamese investors poured capital into 13 sectors, in which information and communications took the lead with nearly 69% of the total, followed by the agro-forestry-fishery, processing and manufacturing, and mining sectors. Read full story

- Vietnam welcomed nearly 3.7 million foreign tourists in the first four months of this year, or nearly half of 2023 plan, reported the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT). Read fuill story

- Vietnam ranks second in Southeast Asia in the number of app downloads with 3.5 billion downloads last year, according to data analytics firm Data.ai.

Vietnamese consumers also spent about 21 million VND (900 USD) per minute on this type of service, it said. This trend has fuelled the strong growth of several types of apps related to mobile banking, e-wallet and digital payment. The habit of using apps also contributes to the development of digital technology businesses. Read full story

- Wushu athlete Duong Thuy Vi claimed the first gold medal for her team on May 11 at the ongoing SEA Games 32 in Cambodia.

Vi outperformed her opponents to earn 9.606 points in Jianshu and 9.623 points in the Qiangshu event. Read full story

- A street music festival will be held in the northern city of Hai Phong every Saturday this May. The festival, organised by the city’s Cultural Centre under the direction of the municipal Department of Culture and Sports, is part of the activities marking the big anniversaries of Vietnam in the month, the 68th anniversary of the Hai Phong Liberation Day, and the Hai Phong Red Flamboyant Festival 2023. Read full story

- The cultural identity as well as the image of a beautiful and peaceful nation of Vietnam have been introduced to international friends during an international festival held in Borgomanero district of Italy’s Piemonte region.

The festival, an annual event held in mid-May, provided a chance for foreign communities in Italy to meet and exchange with each other. Read full story./.