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The delegates pose for a group photo at the 2024 ASEAN Health Ministers' Meeting.

Vietnam attends 16th ASEAN Health Ministers Meeting and related meetings

Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan attended the 16th ASEAN Health Ministers Meeting and Related Meetings held in Vientiane from August 7 to August 9 following an invitation from her Lao counterpart Bounfeng Phoummalaysith.

Minister Lan represents the only female ASEAN Minister of Health to attend the Conference. Together with the Health Ministers of ASEAN member states, Minister Dao Hong Lan attended and spoke at the meetings focusing on building ASEAN health priorities after 2025.

These meetings saw Minister Lan put forward several important proposals, such as promoting the health policy framework and health management system, enhancing the resilience and preparedness of the health system to respond to future public health emergencies, building a sustainable financial mechanism for the health sector to meet the increasing demand for quality health services, and applying high technology and digital transformation in health to increase access to health services.

At the 16th ASEAN Health Ministers Meeting, the Minister delivered a keynote speech emphasizing strengthening the region's post-pandemic health system through increasing public health preparedness, improving access to essential health care services, investing in health infrastructure and technology, and boosting regional co-operation and solidarity, cited VOV.

At the 10th ASEAN+3 Health Ministers' Meeting on enhancing ASEAN health security through digital innovation for the purpose of cross-border health emergencies in the new post-pandemic context, the Vietnamese Health Minister proposed promoting cooperation opportunities to upgrade, integrate, and link information technology systems. This is along with making use of the application of artificial intelligence in disease prevention and management to better protect people's health and ensure health security.

At the second ASEAN- Republic of Korea (RoK) Health Ministers' Meeting on Digital Transformation in Healthcare, Minister Lan delivered a speech focusing on strengthening ties and co-ordination mechanisms between ASEAN member states and the RoK on digital healthcare, including supporting medical examination and treatment, online training, timely information sharing, and coordination in responding to epidemics.

At the ninth ASEAN-China Health Ministers' Meeting on strengthening the health system and access to health services, the Vietnamese health leader shared information on the current state of the nation’s health system and proposed ASEAN's direction to achieve relevant goals by developing the health system. Other efforts include outlining new directions such as transparency, accountability, resilience and sustainability, flexible adaptation, and efficiency to match the new situation.

Developing and innovating the health system must therefore aim for universal coverage, paying attention to all aspects of the population, focusing on scientific research, applying high technology in disease prevention, detection, diagnosis and treatment, research, and development of pharmaceuticals and medical equipment, Minister Lan said.

At the ASEAN-US Special Health Ministers' Meeting on improving health and optimizing welfare in the ASEAN Region, Minister Lan emphasized the strengthening of the social welfare system, including the following key aspects of comprehensive social welfare, sustainable funding, and community empowerment through social services. Indeed, integrating health and social services is an important strategy which can improve overall well-being and address the complex needs of individuals and communities.

According to the agenda, Minister Lan and her delegation attended the second ASEAN Health Finance Ministers Meeting to discuss coordination between the two sectors and the establishment of the ASEAN Health Finance Cooperation Working Group. At the end of the 16th ASEAN Health Ministers Meeting and related meetings, the leaders of the Health Ministries of ASEAN, ASEAN+3, the RoK, China, and the United States adopted the Joint Statements of the meetings.

Furthermore, Minister Lan met with Saia Ma'u Piukala, director of the World Health Organization (WHO) of the Western Pacific Region, to discuss increasing WHO support for ASEAN, including Vietnam.

The working trip also saw Minister Lan take part in a sideline bilateral meeting with Japanese Senior Vice Minister for Health, Labor and Welfare Hamachi Masakazu to bolster bilateral health co-operation and Japanese support for the ASEAN Center for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases (ACPHEED).

At the meeting, the Vietnamese health official highly appreciated support offered by the Japanese Government for the Vietnamese health sector in recent times, such as the viral hepatitis prevention project, and the medical equipment upgrading project for K Hospital.

HSBC raises Vietnam's GDP growth forecast to 6.5%

HSBC has raised its forecast for Vietnam's GDP growth this year to 6.5%, as compared with the previous projection of 6%, following the country's better-than-expected performance in the first half.

The update comes from the bank's global research department in its recent "Vietnam at a Glance" report.

HSBC's analysis highlighted that the manufacturing sector was the most surprising, growing by 10% year-on-year. This was reflected in strong export growth in the second quarter, which reached 15% year-on-year. While the recovery was mainly led by the electronics sector.

The outlook for long-term foreign direct investment remains bright. Despite a fall from the peak in 2017, new FDI continues to flow into Vietnam, with capital from not only China and the Republic of Korea but also ASEAN countries, particularly Singapore, according to VNA.

Photo: VNP

In addition to trade, tourism-related services have maintained a positive trajectory. In the first half alone, Vietnam attracted over 8.8 million visitors, surpassing the total logged in 2019.

HSBC's upward revision of the GDP growth forecast to 6.5% suggests that Vietnam could become the fastest-growing economy in ASEAN in 2024.

Vietnam desires stronger cooperation in high-quality human resources with Japan

Cooperation in human resource training, especially high-quality human resources, has been initiated early and is one of the three key contents featured in new generation ODA co-operation between Vietnam and Japan.

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son made the statement while attending a seminar on prospects to develop ties between Vietnamese and Japanese universities ahead in the new period held on August 10 in Hokkaido.

The seminar saw university leaders introduce their training activities and existing training co-operation fields between universities of the two countries, including engineering and nursing. They shared many enthusiastic opinions on specific measures aimed at promoting ties in human resource training in the new period between both sides.

Upon addressing the event, FM Son emphasized that joint co-operation and friendship are growing in a stronger, more comprehensive, and more substantial manner across a multitude of areas.

Japan makes up one of the largest aid providers to the country’s education and training sector, with Vietnam being the first place in the world to officially introduce Japanese into secondary school teaching since 2003 and primary school since 2019.

There are currently more than 43,000 Vietnamese students studying in the Far East nation. They serve as an important force for the socio-economic development of the two countries and in strengthening the affection and mutual understanding that exists between the people of the two countries, VOV reported.

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son speaks at the seminar. Photo: VOV

The Vietnamese diplomat suggested that Hokkaido universities boost linkages and increase the provision of scholarships for Vietnamese students to study in Japan, especially in the fields of economics, energy, biotechnology, medicine, and nursing. This is along with efforts to step up ties in high-quality human resources, linking the Japanese Government's "Hokkaido Valley" idea with Vietnam's high-quality human resources through cooperation between universities of both sides.

There should be policies implemented aimed at attracting and training high-quality Vietnamese human resources, especially in the semiconductor field, to work in Hokkaido, thereby further contributing to the overall development of the semiconductor and high-tech sectors of Hokkaido prefecture and Vietnam.

FM Son outlined his hopes that the two sides will augment joint research cooperation programs; support Japanese language teaching at Ha Long University and universities in Vietnam; and intensify exchanges, connections, and research with the network of Vietnamese intellectuals and scientists living in Japan. These efforts will help to take advantage of the knowledge and experience of both sides as they work to improve the general quality of human resources, scientific research, research on Vietnamese studies, and teaching Vietnamese at universities.

Perseid meteor shower visible from Vietnam early next week

Sky-watchers in Vietnam have a chance to see the Perseid meteor shower on the night of August 12 and early morning of August 13, according to Vietnam Astronomy and Cosmology Association (VACA).

In 2024, the Perseid meteor shower is active between July 17 and August 24, with the number of meteors increasing every night until it reaches a peak in mid-August, after which it will tail off. This year the peak falls on the night of the 12th and before dawn on August 13.

Dang Vu Tuan Son, VACA President, said that people in Vietnam can observe the shower after midnight, the most ideal time is after 2am of August 13.

The Perseids put on a dazzling display every August as Earth plows through a stream of debris left behind by comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, which swings around the Sun every 133 years.

A Perseid meteor seen over the night sky in Haputale, Sri Lanka, on August 4. (Photo: space.com)

Ranging in size from sand grains to boulders, the comet fragments slam into our atmosphere at speeds of more than a hundred thousand miles an hour (161,000 kilometers per hour), causing the meteors to burn up and become bright, fast-moving streamers in the night sky, according to American TV channel National Geographic.

For years, the Perseid meteor shower has long been an anticipated event for Vietnamese sky-watchers, as it is one of the year’s two biggest sky shows besides Geminids, Son said.

During the peak, observers can see up to 60-100 meteors per hour under ideal conditions, he added.

He said that people need to look up at the northeastern sky at an angle of 30-50 degrees from the ground under the ideal conditions.

If the sky is cloudy or rainy, meteors will not be visible.

Hoi An - Japan cultural exchange program opens

The exchange program is a unique cultural and artistic activity held annually, continuously since 2003.

The 20th Hoi An - Japan Cultural Exchange Program kicks-off this week at Hoi An City, Quang Nam Province, with many activities planned to preserve and develop unique folk arts, attracting many tourists and locals to participate.

The ancient town is recognized as one of the locations where the relationship between Japan and Vietnam started more than 400 years ago, with a thriving trading partnership at Hoi An trade port.

To maintain and strengthen the relationship, the city has recently worked to foster friendship, cooperation and exchange in various fields with Japanese partners and communities, including the cultural exchange program, cited VNS.

Tourists and locals participate in the boat racing across Hoi An City on the Hoai River. Photo: VNA

The program is a unique cultural and artistic activity held annually since 2003. It has seen increased investment, jointly implemented by Vietnamese and Japanese artisans and artists.

Nguyen Van Son, the chairman of Hoi An City People's Committee [municipal administration], pointed out the long-standing friendship between the two countries as well as their shared history, culture, and customs.

"Continuing the journey of more than 400 years in history, the relationship between Japan and Hoi An City has long been nurtured by generations through cooperation activities in many fields established between the city and Japanese organizations and localities," he said.

"On this occasion, the city held a ceremony to inaugurate the just completed renovation of the Cau Pagoda. This is a strong testament to cooperation in the field of cultural heritage conservation and a bridge connecting the friendship between Hoi An and Japan."

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