☕ Afternoon briefing on September 22

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

- As part of his bilateral activities in Seattle, US, State President Luong Cuong and a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam attended a handover ceremony between Boeing and Vietnamese carrier Vietjet at Boeing’s factory on September 21 (local time).

Taking place on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the normalisation of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the US, the event not only marked an important milestone in cooperation between Vietjet and Boeing but also served as a vivid demonstration of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries, contributing to the promotion of trade and investment and generating hundreds of thousands of jobs in the US. Read full story

- National Assembly (NA) Chairman Tran Thanh Man attended the first congress of the Party Organisation of the south-central province of Khanh Hoa on September 22, during which he urged the locality to establish itself as a strategic growth pole, a centrally-run city, and a modern marine economic centre.

The NA leader set tasks for Khanh Hoa to reach average GRDP growth of 11–12% per year, place among the top 10 localities in per-capita GRDP and budget revenue, and nearly eliminate poverty by 2030. Read full story

- Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, on behalf of the Prime Minister, signed an official dispatch on September 22, directing ministries, sectors, and localities to take proactive measures in response to super Typhoon Ragasa, forecast to unleash extremely powerful winds over a vast area.

Under the document, the ministers of national defence, public security, agriculture and environment, construction, industry and trade, science and technology, education and training, and health, as well as the chairpersons of the People's Committees of localities from central Quang Ngai northwards, are requested to stay alert and avoid letting down their guard, arrange personnel for closely tracking the storm’s developments and local conditions, review and update response plans, and be fully prepared to deploy measures against the super typhoon with the utmost urgency. Read full story

- The Ministry of National Defence held a departure ceremony at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City on September 22 to send off Level-2 Field Hospital Rotation 7 and Engineering Unit Rotation 4 to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA).

Addressing the event, Deputy Minister of National Defence Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, head of the ministry's steering committee for the participation in UN peacekeeping operations, said that over the past 11 years, Vietnam has dispatched more than 1,300 officers and service members from the People’s Army and Public Security forces to UN peacekeeping operations, earning international recognition and appreciation. Read full story

- Vietnam has climbed to the world's 10th place for fixed broadband internet speeds, its highest ranking since Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index began in 2017, the global internet speed testing company has reported.

The country also recorded its fastest median speed since connecting to the global internet in 1997. This milestone places Vietnam among the top 20 nations for both mobile and fixed broadband speeds, along with Singapore, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the US, the Republic of Korea, Denmark, and Kuwait. Read full story

- This year's export target of 4.5 billion USD for cashews is feasible, given the commodity’s double-digit growth and rising demand during the year-end festive season, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE).

Statistics from the ministry showed that cashew exports in August stood at 70,000 tonnes worth 431 million USD. Read full story./.

VNA