☕ Afternoon briefing on November 9

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

-President Nguyen Xuan Phuc received Governor of South Australia state Frances Adamson in Hanoi on November 9.

Congratulating Australia and the state on their development achievements, Phuc thanked the Australian Government for its decision to increase official development assistance (ODA) for Vietnam, describing it as a valuable support to help boost socio-economic development in remote areas in the Southeast Asian country.Read full story

- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on November 9 visited Cho Ray-Phnom Penh Hospital and Metfone, an affiliate of the Viettel Military Industry and Telecoms Group, which are considered symbols of the Vietnam-Cambodia partnership.Read full story

-Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung had a working session with Cambodian Minister of Post and Telecommunications Chea Vandeth in Phnom Penh on November 8, seeking ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the fields of post, telecommunications, and digital transformation.

In the session, held within the framework of the ongoing official visit to Cambodia by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, the two ministers briefed each other on the situation, management policies, strategic orientations, opportunities and challenges in developing digital infrastructure system and promoting digital transformation in their countries.Read full story

-The 10th Conference of ASEAN Senior Non-Commissioned Officers (ASMAM-10) took place in Hanoi on November 9 under the chair of Colonel Nguyen Le Phuong, Deputy Director of the Institute for Defence International Relations under the Vietnamese Ministry of Defence. 

In his opening remarks, Colonel Duong Quy Nam, Director of the Institute for Defence International Relations emphasised the increasing important role of non-commissioned officers in cooperation between the armies of ASEAN countries, saying that the force  directly participates in not only combat operations but also activities to respond to natural disasters and epidemics. Read full story

-The southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau’s rescue force coordinated with representatives of the Sri Lanka Consulate General in HCM City to receive over 300 Sri Lankan nationals who were saved by a Japanese cargo ship after their boat faced a serious incident in the waters off the Vietnamese locality on November 8. Read full story

The rescued Sri Lankans are now in stable conditions and have been provided with temporary accommodations, Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang told a press conference on November 9.Read full story

- Vietnam is having advantages in the British market, and Vietnamese exporters know how to utilise them, a diplomat has said.
Vietnam is among the very few countries that have signed a free trade agreement (FTA) with the UK, Nguyen Canh Cuong, Trade Counsellor at the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK, told the Vietnam News Agency (VNA), adding that Singapore and Vietnam are the only Southeast Asian nations to reach such deal.Read full story

-A delegation of the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (Petrovietnam) led by Chairman of Members' Council Hoang Quoc Vuong had a working session on November 7 with representatives from relevant agencies of Algeria to speed up the implementation of the second phase of a tripartite joint venture project at the Bir Seba field in the African country. 

The joint venture of Petrovietnam Exploration Production Corporation (PVEP) under Petrovietnam, Thailand's PTT Exploration and Production Public Company and the national state-owned oil company of Algeria - Sonatrach Group was established in 2009 with total investment of 1.26 billion USD. Read full story

-Along with seeking partnership in the UK and Europe, Vietnamese travel firms and localities attending the World Travel Market (WTM) in London from November 7-9 have promoted the image of Vietnam as an attractive, friendly and safe destination for international tourists.

The Vietnamese pavilion covers 250 sq.m, spreading the message “Live fully in Vietnam” to the event, which draws about 5,000 businesses from 182 countries and 51,000 visitors.

This year, Vietnam focuses on popularising sea tourism and the country’s nature, culture and cities.Read full story

-The sixth Hanoi International Film Festival (HANIFF VI) opened on November 8 evening, featuring 125 films from 56 nations and territories, including 45 of Vietnam.

With the theme "Cinema - Humanity, Adaptation and Development", the festival, jointly held by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Hanoi People’s Committee, aims to honour excellent international and Vietnamese cinematographic works with high artistic value, imbued with humanity and creativity in cinematic language.Read full story/.