Vietnam News Today (April 10): New Vietnamese leadership and aspirations for prosperous nation
	Vietnam News Today (April 9): 14th National Assembly’s last session wraps up
	Vietnam News Today (April 8): Two new Deputy PMs nominated in new Cabinet lineup

Vietnamese leaders send condolences over Prince Philip’s passing

State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on April 10 sent a message of condolence to Queen Elizabeth II over Prince Philip’s recent death.

The same day, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son also cabled telegrams of condolence to their British counterparts Boris Johnson and Dominic Raab.

Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, died on April 9 at the age of 99.

World leaders, celebrities and mourners are paying their respects to the Prince.

An online book of condolence has been made available on the royal website for those who wish to send a personal message of condolence, VOV said.

VUFO presents friendship insignia to US ambassador

The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) on April 9 held a ceremony to present the “For peace, friendship among nations” insignia to outgoing US Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel Kritenbrink.

Addressing the ceremony, VUFO President Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga highlighted the US ambassador's role and important contributions to promoting cooperative ties between the two countries.

Since he took office in 2018, many high-level visits have been made by Vietnamese and US leaders to each other's country, speeding up the signing of many agreements and the implementation of large joint projects worth billions of US dollars, she noted.

Nga said that the US is currently the largest export market and the 11th biggest foreign investor of Vietnam. Investment activities of big groups such as Coca Cola, Microsoft, Nike, AES, and Intel have strengthened Vietnam's foothold in global supply chains, she noted.

Meanwhile, more than 30,000 Vietnamese students are studying in the US, she said, adding that the two countries organised various activities to mark 25 years since the normalisation of bilateral relations.

During his office tenure, Kritenbrink has paid great attention to overcoming war consequences in Vietnam, said Nga.

For his part, Kritenbrink said it was an honour to receive the noble award from the VUFO.

The diplomat said he is proud to represent the US administration and people in Vietnam, directly contributing to and witnessing the strong growth of the Vietnam-US relationship, as reported by VOV.

More congratulations to newly-elected Vietnamese leaders

Leaders of countries around the world have sent messages and letters of congratulations to newly-elected State, Government and National Assembly leaders of Vietnam.

State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc received congratulatory messages and letters from Indonesian President Joko Widodo; Malaysian King Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah ibni Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Al-Musta’in Billah; Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro Moros; King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia; King of Morocco Mohammed VI; Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and Prime Minister of Kuwait Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong (second from right) poses for a group photo with newly-elected State and National Assembly leaders of Vietnam (Photo: VNA)

Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea Chung Sye-kyun, Prime Minister of Kuwait Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, and Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin cabled their messages and letters of congratulations to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

Meanwhile, Speaker of Malaysia’s House of Representatives Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun and Speaker of the Finnish P, NDO reported.

Army plays significant role in anti-COVID-19 efforts

The army’s efforts in fighting COVID-19 and implementing the national vaccination programme were highlighted at a press conference in Hanoi on April 9.

According to Major General Nguyen Xuan Kien, head of the Military Medical Department at the General Department of Logistics, the Ministry of National Defence has actively directed quarantine work, especially in the northern province of Hai Duong, which was at one time the country’s biggest COVID-19 hotspot.

Some 2,800 officers and soldiers have also been mobilised to prevent illegal immigration at border areas, he added.

At the press conference (Photo: NDO)

Apart from testing, the COVID-19 vaccination drive has been rolled out in the entire army, Kien said, adding that since April 1, priority groups in the army have received vaccine shots.

He stressed the role of the Military Medical University in test kit production, along with research on the Nano Covax vaccine, which is about to enter the third stage of human trials.

The meeting also heard that, between 2010 and 2020, Vietnam cleared 485,240 ha of land contaminated by unexploded ordnance (UXO) with total funding of VND12.6 trillion (US$547.4 million).

More than 5,800 bomb and mine victims and others affected by UXO have received support worth over VND50 billion, according to NDO.

Vietnam spends over US$1billion on petrol imports in Q1

Vietnam spent more than US$1 billion on importing petroleum products, mostly from the Republic of Korea (RoK), Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand during the first quarter of the year, according to data released by the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

March witnessed the country consume approximately 650,000 tonnes of petroleum products worth US$345 million, representing an increase of 77.9% in value and 29.5% in volume compared to the same period from last year.

By the end of the first quarter of the year Vietnam had purchased 1,995 million tonnes of oil and gas worth more than US$1 trillion, marking an annual rise of 7.2% in volume and 2.7% in value from the first quarter of last year.

(Photo: VOV)

The RoK remained the largest oil exporter during the initial months of the year, followed by Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and China.

Domestic petrol prices were adjusted a total of six times throughout the first quarter, with prices moving sideways once and rising five times.

At present, the selling price of RON95-III petrol products at Petrolimex chains is being traded at VND19,040 per litre, while the retail price of E5 RON92 stands at VND17,850 per litre, VOV said.

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