☀ Morning digest on June 8

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

-Vietnam and Italy should step up cooperation in trade and investment, while expanding their collaboration in other fields, Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son said on June 7.

At a reception for Italian Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Manlio Di Stefano in Hanoi, Son suggested the two countries consider expanding their partnerships in climate change response, infrastructure, agriculture, food security and personnel training. Read full story

-The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) on June 7 bestowed its “For peace and friendship among nations” insignia upon outgoing Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Robyn Mudie for her contribution to promoting mutual understanding, friendship, and cooperation between the two nations.

Presenting the honour to the diplomat, VUFO President Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga said during her second tenure in Vietnam, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Mudie has played a pivotal role in strengthening all-round relations between Vietnam and Australia. Read full story

-The Investigation Police Agency under the Ministry of Public Security on June 7 decided to prosecute and arrest three former officials of Hanoi and ministries for their role in a COVID-19 test kit scam at Viet A Technologies JSC.

Chu Ngoc Anh, former Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee and former Minister of Science and Technology, and Pham Cong Tac, former Deputy Minister of Science and Technology, are now under investigation for “violations of regulations on the management and use of State assets, causing losses and wastefulness.” 

Nguyen Thanh Long, former Minister of Health, was prosecuted and arrested for "abuse of power and position while on duty." Read full story

-The Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations is hosting the Annual General Meeting and Workshop of the Association of Asia-Pacific Peace Operations Training Centres (AAPTC) in a hybrid format from June 6-10.

Themed “Indo-Pacific Actions Supporting United Nations Action-for-Peace Initiative (A4P) Improving Performance in Peace Operations”, the event aims at creating a forum connecting the member countries, helping them consolidate resources to back the A4P and the A4P. Read full story

-A visiting delegation of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs, headed by its Chairman Vu Hoai Bac, held talks with those from the Lao Front for National Development (LFND) Central Committee in the Lao capital of Vientiane on June 7.

During the meeting, the sides exchanged views and experience on religious situation, management and development as well as related policies in their respective nations. They also discussed bilateral cooperation orientations in the time to come. Read full story

-A total of 34 foreign non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and 23 international organisations are taking part in the settlement of post-war bomb and landmine consequences in the central province of Quang Tri, the most severely contaminated locality in Vietnam.

According to Nguyen Trieu Thuong, Director of the provincial Department for Foreign Affairs, since 2020, there have been 122 NGO-funded programmes and projects in the field launched in the province. Their costs totaled more than 59 million USD. Read full story

-Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan said that it is necessary for the nation to shift from agricultural production to an agricultural economy.

This is a strategy for the sustainable development of the sector, Hoan said during the question-and-answer session with the legislators on June 7, as part of the ongoing third session of the National Assembly. 

The topics of discussion included agricultural production, trade policies and frameworks, and negotiation and market development for these products. Read full story

-Vietnam shipped 889,000 tonnes of coffee overseas for more than 2 billion USD in the first five months of 2022, up 24.2 and 54 percent year on year, respectively.

In May alone, the country exported 150,000 tonnes of coffee worth 343 million USD, down 4.7 percent and 5.4 percent, respectively. Read full story

-Twenty Vietnamese enterprises are participating in Seoul Food 2022, which kicked off at the Korea International Exhibition Centre (KINTEX) on June 7.

The event provides an ideal venue for Vietnamese food and beverage businesses to strengthen trade promotion activities, and effectively gain entry into the Republic of Korea (RoK)’s market, as well as other countries around the world. Read full story

-The Enjoy Danang Summer Festival 2022, slated for June 11 to August 15, will give visitors a wide range of large-scale performances and special culinary programmes to enjoy as the country’s tourism industry wakes up from the pandemic hangover.

The highlight of the festival will be a series of events entitled "Take me to the Sun”, the event’s organising board said at a press conference on June 6. Read full story/.