Vietnam News Today (March 31): National Wage Council established
	Vietnam News Today (March 30): Government decrees on Da Nang development announced
	Vietnam News Today (March 29): Prime Minister suggests Hanoi develop satellite cities

Vietnam New Today hot headlines (April 5):

New State President, PM to be sworn in on April 5

National Assembly to finish personnel work in last working week

Vietnamese ambassador runs for re-election to International Law Commission

Vietnam to receive 4.1 million Covid-19 vaccine doses next month

“Vaccine passport” hoped to support resumption of international fights

Vietnam confirms two new imported Covid-19 cases

VN-US trade expected to reach US $100 bln in 2021

Hanoi named as most expensive Vietnamese city

Da Nang focusing on developing hi-tech, supporting industries

Ho Chi Minh City to digitise 100 tourist sites

New State President, PM to be sworn in on April 5

Lawmakers are scheduled to hold a vote by secret ballot at the on-going session of the National Assembly on April 5 to elect a new State President and new Prime Minister to succeed the incumbent leaders who have completed their 2016-2021 term.

The newly-elected leaders will take an oath of office during a swearing-in ceremony to be held shortly afterwards, according to the agenda for the last sitting of the 14th legislature.

Politburo member Nguyen Xuan Phuc was relieved of his Prime Minister post last week and was nominated as the new State President.

This is the first time the incumbent Prime Minister of Vietnam has been nominated to represent the State.

In the afternoon, the lawmakers are set to elect the new Prime Minister. The candidate for the post is yet to be disclosed, but among the 15 candidates introduced to keep posts in the new government was Politburo member Hoang Minh Chinh who is currently head of the Communist Party of Vietnam’s Organisation Commission.

The lawmakers will then relieve Vice State President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh of her post and elect her successor on April 6.

The NA is scheduled to complete the personnel work for the NA Standing Committee, NA Committees, the National Election Council, the National Defence and Security Council, and the Cabinet this week.

This is the last session of the 14th legislature. Vietnamese voters will cast their ballots to elect a new legislative body next month, according to VOV.

National Assembly to finish personnel work in last working week

In the last working week from April 5-8, the 11th session of the 14th National Assembly will focus on finishing the personnel work for the State, the NA and the Government.

On April 5, the legislature will elect the State President and the Prime Minister. On subsequent working days, it will relieve the State Vice President, a number of members of the NA Standing Committee and others by vote and then elect others to the positions.

General view of the 11th session of the 14th National Assembly. (Photo: The World and Vietnam Report)

Besides, it will also approve the proposals on the removal of a number of Deputy Prime Ministers, ministers and other members of the Government, and others by vote and then pass the proposals on the appointment of new ones.

The session is scheduled to come to an end in the afternoon of April 8 and to be broadcast live on radio and television, as reported by NDO.

Vietnamese ambassador runs for re-election to International Law Commission

Vietnam's permanent missions to the United Nations (UN) in New York and Geneva have sent diplomatic notes to the UN and countries informing the candidacy of Ambassador Nguyen Hong Thao to the International Law Commission (ILC) for the 2023-2027 tenure, marking the official start of the Vietnamese candidate's campaign for re-election to the UN’s important body.

In 2016, Ambassador Thao became the first Vietnamese elected as an ILC member. During the 2017-2022 tenure, he has actively promoted the ILC’s research results, delivered speeches and joined discussions at the ILC.

Ambassador Nguyen Hong Thao (Photo: DaiHoiDang)

He also helped express developing nations’ interest in new and non-traditional topics, and actively joined in discussions on topics such as protection of the atmosphere and environmental protection in armed conflicts. Most notably, he strongly supported the ILC’s research on rising seawater level and the addition of the issue to the committee's long-term working agenda.

With an in-depth knowledge about laws on the sea and the environment, he made significant contributions to the first report of the research group on rising sea level in relation to international law last year.

Apart from valuable professional contributions, Thao also played a role in fostering connections and ties among ILC members to promote exchange between legal researchers and practitioners of international law at home and abroad. He was also speakers at many universities and prestigious seminars in the region. In 2018, he was elected as the second Vice Chairman of the ILC on the occasion of its 70th founding anniversary, NDO said.

“Vaccine passport” hoped to support resumption of international fights

As COVID-19 cases have been on the decline around the world and vaccination programmes have been rolled out in many countries, agencies and businesses at home and abroad are hopeful that the introduction of “vaccine passports” will allow the resumption of international fights.

These passports are expected to become used globally and boost countries’ confidence in easing movement restrictions, reviving their aviation sector, and bolstering trade and economic development while ensuring safety amid the pandemic.

In Vietnam, domestic flights have been resumed and the Prime Minister has asked relevant agencies to study the use of “vaccine passports” and gradually reopen international flights.

(Photo: The World and Vietnam report)

Vice Chairman and General Secretary of the Vietnam Aviation Business Association (VABA) Bui Doan Ne said the Government needs to promote quarantine tourism at lodging establishments and develop on-the-spot experiential tourism products which will help domestic and foreign holidaymakers explore the culture and tourism of Vietnam’s regions right during quarantine.

The Government has made preparations for the resumption of international flights and the arrival of foreign tourists holding vaccination certificates, especially from countries with large numbers of visitors, those with potential, and those that have brought the pandemic under control, like in Europe, Australia, China, the Republic of Korea, and Japan, NDO reported.

Hanoi named as most expensive Vietnamese city

The capital was the most costliest city nationwide last year, according to the Spatial Cost of Living Index (SCOLI) as compiled by the General Statistics Office (GSO).

The SCOLI aims to measure the relative costs of living in different regions and communities throughout the country.

According to the latest rankings, the cost of living in the capital stood at 100%. Second place went to Ho Chi Minh City with 99.05%, while third place belonged to Hai Phong with 97.38%.

Moving down the list, Da Nang came in fourth, with the rankings of the central city’s cost of living given at 97.11%.

Elsewhere, Lao Cai climbed three places compared to the previous year to rank fifth with 96.25%.

Completing the list of the top 10 most expensive places are Quang Ninh, Son La, Lam Dong, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, and Thua Thien-Hue.

The locality that enjoys the lowest cost of living is Hau Giang province in the Mekong Delta. Other cheap places to live locally include Soc Trang, Vinh Long, Tra Vinh, and Dong Thap, according to VOV.

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