☕ Afternoon briefing on November 18

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

- President Nguyen Xuan Phuc met with General Secretary of the Communist Party of China and President of China Xi Jinping in Bangkok on November 18.

The meeting took place within the framework of the 29th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Week in the Thai capital. Read full story

- President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on November 18 met US Vice President Kamala Harris in Bangkok, as both are in Thailand to attend the 29th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting.

Expressing their delights at the strong growth of the Vietnam-US comprehensive partnership, they affirmed the bilateral ties have a solid foundation and comprehensive and substantive cooperation across all fields, especially economy and trade. Read full story

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc attends he 29th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting  and related meetings in Thailand (Photo: VietnamPlus)

- President Nguyen Xuan Phuc called on members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) to iron out differences, increase dialogue, and coordinate actions for the sake of common interests, while attending the 29th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting and related activities on November 18.

Held in Thailand’s Bangkok capital, this is the first in-person meeting among leaders and heads of delegations of the 21 APEC member economies after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read full story

- The 4th Vietnam-Thailand defence dialogue took place in Bangkok on November 17 under the chair of Deputy Defence Minister Sen. Lt. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien and Permanent Secretary of the Thai Defence Ministry General Sanitchanok Sangkachan.

The sides concurred that based on the sound relations shared between Vietnam and Thailand, the bilateral defence cooperation is growing with trust and practical outcomes, particularly regarding delegation exchange, promotion of dialogue mechanisms, military cooperation, young officer exchange, and human resources training.   Read full story

- Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations (UN), has asserted that Vietnam consistently supports the reform of the UN Security Council (UNSC) to ensure its representation, democracy, transparency and efficiency so that it can better respond to global challenges.

Addressing a debate at the UN General Assembly on Security Council reform on November 17, the Vietnamese diplomat praised the UNSC’s great efforts over the years to act on challenges, and maintain a large workload even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read full story

-  Vietnam pocketed 890 million USD from exporting tuna in the first 10 months of this year – the highest-ever figure, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

VASEP said that amid rising inflation, European importers tend to increase their import of raw tuna from sources with competitive prices and customs advantages. Therefore, it forecast that Vietnam's tuna export to the EU in the last months of the year will continue to climb compared to the same period in 2021.Read full story

- Ho Chi Minh City’s Cho Ray Hospital announced on November 17 that it had successfully performed skin transplant from a brain-dead donor.

Male patient L.V.T., 27, living in the southern province of Dong Thap, with 50 percent of third-degree burns of the whole body, is the recipient. After the transplant, the patient was discharged from the hospital in the second week. It is the first time this technique has been successfully performed in Vietnam.Read full story

The first Trang An heritage festival kicks off (Photo: VietnamPlus)

- The first Trang An heritage festival is underway in the northern province of Ninh Binh, with the participation of 14 provinces and cities from across the nation.

Addressing the opening ceremony on November 17, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said he hopes via the festival, Ninh Binh will further prioritise the building of culture and the promotion and conservation of cultural value of the province and the nation./. Read full story