☀️ Morning digest April 3

Hanoi (VNA) - The following is a list of selected news summaries reported last night by the Vietnam News Agency.

- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on April 2 chaired a hybrid conference with Vietnamese representative agencies abroad and provinces and cities nationwide to discuss enhancing economic diplomacy and its role in Vietnam’s development in 2024 and beyond.

Addressing the event, PM Chinh highlighted investment, export and consumption as three traditional growth engines, alongside emerging sectors such as green economy, digital economy, circular and sharing economies. Read full story

- Vietnam always views Japan as an important and long-term strategic partner, and stands ready to develop the bilateral ties to a stronger and more comprehensive and practical fashion on the basis of its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralism and diversification, a senior Vietnamese Party official has said.

Politburo member, permanent member of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee’s Secretariat and Chairwoman of the Party Central Committee’s Organisation Commission Truong Thi Mai made the statement while meeting with high-ranking Japanese leaders in Tokyo on April 2. Those included President of the Liberal Democratic Party and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, President of House of Councillors Otsuji Hidehisa, and President of the National Diet Nukaga Fukushiro. Read full story

- Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang on April 1 held working sessions with Governor of Jeonbuk province Kim Kwan Yyeong and Mayor of Naju city in Jeollanam-do province Bok Soo Kim within the framework of her working visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK), during which she assured them that the Vietnam-RoK ties are now at the best development stage in history.

Hang, who is also Chairwoman of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese (OV) Affairs, described the RoK as the biggest foreign direct investor in Vietnam with a total capital value of 86 billion USD. The two countries also enjoy active exchanges on various levels, including cultural interactions and high-level delegations. Read full story

- Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Dang Minh Khoi and Russian Deputy Minister of Agriculture Sergey Levin on April 2 discussed measures aimed at further promoting agricultural cooperation between the two countries.

Acknowledging the past accomplishments, both sides commended the sustained trade turnover in agro-forestry-fisheries, surpassing the 1 billion USD mark annually. Notably, various investment initiatives within the agricultural sector are currently underway, indicating a thriving bilateral engagement. Read full story

- Tourists from the Republic of Korea (RoK) are falling for Vietnam’s beaches with stark soft sand and crystal azure water, online travel platform Agoda said on April 2.

Da Nang, Hoi An, Nha Trang and Phu Quoc, boasting stunning beaches, high-end resorts and a kaleidoscope of tourism activities, are the most favourite destinations of Korean visitors. Read full story

- Ho Chi Minh City’s gross regional domestic product (GRDP) was estimated at over 406.34 trillion VND (16.34 billion USD) in the first quarter, a year-on-year increase of 6.54%, the highest growth recorded for Q1 since 2020, heard a meeting of the municipal People’s Committee on April 2.

The service sector remained the key locomotive of the city’s economic development during January – March, contributing 71.6% to the growth and accounted for 65.5% of the economic structure. Read full story

- Over 45,600 new jobs were created in Hanoi in the first quarter of this year, representing 27.6% of the annual target and a 2.3% year-on-year increase.

The Vietnam Bank for Social Policies, entrusted by municipal authorities, played a key role by providing loans totaling 886.9 billion VND (36.95 million USD) to the poor and social welfare beneficiaries. This initiative is credited with creating employment opportunities for 13,900 workers. Read full story

- Vietnamese weightlifter Trinh Van Vinh clinched a coveted spot at the Paris 2024 Olympics with a dominant performance at the ongoing 2024 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Cup in Thailand.

His triumph added to the growing roster of Vietnamese athletes who have secured their places at the prestigious Paris Games, joining Nguyen Thi That (cycling), Le Thi Mong Tuyen (shooting), Nguyen Huy Hoang (swimming), and Vo Thi Kim Anh (boxing). Read full story./.