☀️ Morning digest February 27

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

-Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on February 26 gave the order to launch the construction of a road connecting Hoa Binh northern province and capital Hanoi and an expressway from Hoa Binh to Moc Chau district in neighbouring Son La province.
The road has a length of about 50 kilometres, with a total investment of more than 4.12 trillion VND (173.14 million USD). It is scheduled to open to traffic in 2027.Read full text

-Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has requested basic and comprehensive reform in digital transformation to improve labour productivity and competitiveness of enterprises and the nation, contributing to building an independent, self-reliant economy that integrates into the world extensively and effectively.
PM Chinh, who is also Chairman of the National Committee for Digital Transformation, made the statement while chairing its 5th meeting via a videoconference on February 25.Read full text

-Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha held a working session with leaders of the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Planning and Investment, and centrally-run hospitals on February 25 to tackle difficulties regarding the purchase of medical equipment, medicines, testing chemicals and biological products.
Ha said despite difficulties and obstacles, leaders of the Government and sectors will support the Ministry of Health, make greater efforts and uphold the sense of responsibility of scientists, managers and medical establishments.Read full text

-Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang will lead a Vietnamese delegation to the High-Level Meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)’s 52nd regular session in Geneva, Switzerland, from February 27 to March 2.
This will be the second time Vietnam has undertaken the role of a UNHRC member after being elected and successfully serving its first tenure from 2014-2016.Read full text

-Vietnam and Australia are building increasingly comprehensive, equal and reliable relations, Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Nguyen Tat Thanh has said.
In an interview with the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)'s resident correspondents in Australia on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Vietnam - Australia diplomatic ties (February 26, 1973 – 2023), the ambassador said it is time for both countries to look back and recognise efforts to develop their bilateral relations.Read full text

-The Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and the Dominican Republic’s United Left Movement (MIU) signed an agreement of cooperation for the 2023-2028 period in Hanoi on February 26.
The deal was inked by Le Hoai Trung, member of the CPV Central Committee and head of its Commission for External Relations, and Miguel Mejia, General Secretary of the MIU.Read full text

-Vietnam and the Netherlands agreed to promote cooperation in innovation and creative agriculture during a working visit of Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung to the European country from February 21-23.Read full text

- Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung led a Vietnamese delegation to visit Germany from February 23 to 25, working with German departments on measures to concretize cooperation with Europe's largest economy, especially in agriculture and innovation.
At the working session with Alina Grumpert, Director of the German Agribusiness Alliance (GAA), Dung proposed the union support Vietnamese agricultural enterprises to improve their competitiveness, apply science and technology, promote innovation to improve added value and product quality.Read full text

-Hanoi began a tree planting project toward net zero emissions at a ceremony held in Me Linh district on February 26.
As part of the ceremony at the national special relic Hai Ba Trung temple, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha and representatives of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) and Hanoi authorities planted the first tree of the project. More than 1,000 mature trees worth nearly 1.5 billion VND (63,038.4 USD) was presented to the district at the event.Read full text

-The 8th Vietnam-Japan Festival kicked off in Ho Chi Minh City on February 25 under the theme of “Vietnam-Japan stand side by side towards the future, reaching out to the world”.
Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Phan Van Mai said the festival does not only hold significance in cultural exchanges and bilateral cooperation, but also plays an important role in the recovery process in the post-COVID-19 pandemic period.Read full text

-President of the Vietnam Basketball Federation (VBF) Nguyen Bao Hoang has been elected as President of the Southeast Asian Basketball Federation (SEABA) for the 2023-2027 term.
This is good news for Vietnamese basketball as the country’s sports are increasingly integrating with international sports in all aspects.Read full text

-The formation of a Vietnam Town in Udon Thani province, which is hosting the largest overseas Vietnamese community in Thailand, is an obvious development trend, said Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Phan Chi Thanh while inspecting the Vietnam Street project in the locality on February 25.
Udon Thani is currently home to more than 60,000 Vietnamese-origin people. President Ho Chi Minh once lived in the locality in the 1920s.Read full text/.