☕ Afternoon briefing on November 17

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

-Ensuring a fair, transparent and efficient international trading system is crucial in a global “playground”, stated President Nguyen Xuan Phuc while highlighting major requirements/characteristics of trade and investment activities in the new period.

Addressing a discussion on the future of Asia-Pacific trade and investment during the APEC CEO Summit 2022, which took place in Thailand from November 16-18 with the participation of more than 850 leaders of world and regional leading businesses, the Vietnamese leader said that digital transformation is an inevitable and objective trend that is taking place very strongly and extensively, positively affecting cross-border trade and the global economy.Read full story

- President Nguyen Xuan Phuc met President of the Thai National Assembly Chuan Leekpai in Bangkok on November 17 within the framework of his official visit to Thailand.

Congratulating Vietnam on its economic recovery and growth post COVID-19, Chuan Leekpai affirmed that the country is an important partner of Thailand in Asia.Read full story

-Vietnam advocates switching from attracting FDI to cooperating with foreign investors in the spirit of equality for mutual benefits and development, with priority given to hi-tech and eco-friendly projects, said President Nguyen Xuan Phuc at a high-level seminar with the US-APEC Business Alliance for Competitive SMEs in Bangkok on November 17.

President Phuc said with macro-economic stability and controlled inflation, Vietnam has been named among the world’s top 20 economies in terms of trade, with GDP growing by 8.83% in the first nine months of this year. International organisations like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund predicted the growth at about 7.5-8.2% this year. The UN Conference on Trade and Development listed Vietnam among the top 20 FDI destinations globally.Read full story

-Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on November 17 broke the ground for the western belt road of the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho, which connects National Highways 91 and 61C.

The road has a total length of 19.4km and surface width of 11m, with 24 middle and small bridges, and one large bridge. It crosses O Mon, Binh Thuy, Phong Dien, Ninh Kieu and Cai Rang districts.Read full story

-Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern left Ho Chi Minh on November 17, concluding her four-day official visit to Vietnam.

During her stay, Ardern paid a courtesy visit to Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, met President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, and held talks with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.Read full story

-Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam on November 17 ordered raising public awareness of child abuse acts and punishments against violation of children’s rights, thereby building a safe and child-friendly living environment.

Dam, who is also Chairman of the National Committee for Children, also asked ministries and agencies to continue developing child database and share them with the project on developing the application of data on population, personal identification and electronic authentication for digital transformation for the 2021-2025 period with a vision to 2030, and develop a contingent of social workers at the grassroots level.Read full story

-Vietnam is a major partner of the Republic of Korea (RoK) in the field of maritime and fisheries, said RoK Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Cho Seung-Hwan.

In an interview granted to Vietnam News Agency, the official said that Vietnam is one of the major aquatic product suppliers to his country, accounting for 13% of the RoK’s total import value of the product.Read full story

-Foreign experts have appreciated Vietnam’s economic governance policies to help well control the impact of imported inflation, given increasing inflation in many countries around the world.

However, in face of existing risks, rising pressure on domestic inflation and the Vietnamese currency, the dong, the country’s fiscal and monetary policies are recommended to be cautious and flexible.Read full story

-Strong purchasing power and demand have created a fast and strong locomotive for economic growth, and Vietnam is forecast to record a GDP growth rate of over 8% this year, said Executive Chairman of Dragon Capital Dominic Scriven.

This is a rare high amid the context that 2022 is a year full of difficulties for not only Vietnam but also the whole world, he told the Vietnam News Agency.Read full story

-Three Vietnamese have been named in a list of 1,000 leading global scientists in terms of research publications over the last 13 years.

The rankings were released by Research.com, a reputable academic research portal.Read full story

-The 28th session of the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF-28) is taking place in Hanoi under the theme “Bridging Space Innovations Opportunities for Sustainable and Prosperous Future”.

The four-day session features meetings of working groups on November 15 -16 and plenary sittings on November 17 - 18. It attracts over 350 delegates from 34 countries and territories.Read full story/.