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National Assembly (NA) Chairman Tran Thanh Man (right) and US Ambassador Marc Evans Knapper at their meeting in Hanoi on August 15. (Photo: VNA)

US is Vietnam’s partner of strategic importance: NA Chairman

National Assembly (NA) Chairman Tran Thanh Man affirmed that Vietnam always regards the US as a partner of strategic importance at his reception for US Ambassador Marc Evans Knapper in Hanoi on August 15.

The chief legislator used this occasion to thank the US for sending condolences to the Vietnamese Party, State and people over the passing of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. US President Joe Biden sent a letter of condolences and assigned Secretary of State Antony Blinken to come to Vietnam to pay respects to late Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

He appreciated the ambassador’s understanding about Vietnam and its people, as well as his contributions to enhancing the bilateral relations, including the preparation for the state visit to Vietnam by President Joe Biden in September 2023.

Man noted his hope that Knapper will pay more attention to the implementation of agreements reached by the two countries, contributing to promoting the Vietnam-US ties.

The leader also welcomed the US’s continued commitment to supporting a strong, independent, self-resilient and prosperous Vietnam, cited VNA.

Since the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership in September 2023, the two countries’ relevant agencies have coordinated in implementing the new framework, he said, adding that the two sides have stepped up all-level delegation exchanges and recorded positive results.

The two-way trade reached nearly 111 billion USD last year, and over 66.1 billion USD in the first seven months of this year, Man said.

The two countries’ legislators have also maintained delegation exchanges, and cooperation in law making and supervision, the NA leader revealed.

He suggested the two sides work harder to effectively materialize the Vietnam-US joint statement and action plan towards the 30th founding anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic ties in 2025.

Man held that ample room remains for the two countries to foster their cooperation, and suggested they raise the bilateral trade revenue, and intensify investment promotion in science-technology, education-training, and health care.

The two legislatures should deepen their cooperation to exchange experience in law making and supervision over the implementation of collaboration agreements, he said.

The NA Chairman said he hopes that the ambassador will urge US agencies consider and soon recognise Vietnam’s market economy status, and remove Vietnam from the list of countries for export restrictions on high technologies, support the Southeast Asian nation at major important forums like the United Nations, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and increase funding for dioxin remediation, bomb and mine clearance, aid to persons with disabilities, and search and identification of Vietnamese martyrs.

For his part, Knapper stressed the passing of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong was a huge loss to not only Vietnam, but also the Vietnam-US relations, and affirmed that the US will continue its close coordination with Party General Secretary and President To Lam and other leaders of Vietnam.

He said legislative cooperation remains an important pillar of the bilateral relations, and thanked the Vietnamese NA and its agencies for their support in strengthening the bilateral ties, and promoting understanding between Vietnamese and US legislators.

The diplomat pledged to continue to work with relevant ministries and agencies to soon recognise Vietnam’s market economy status, and remove it from the list of countries for export restrictions on high technologies, expressing his belief that the Vietnam-US relations will reap more achievements in the time ahead.

Royal Canadian Navy’s ship visits Vietnam

The Royal Canadian Navy’s Halifax-class frigate HMCS Montréal arrived at Nha Rong wharf in Ho Chi Minh City on August 15, beginning a five-day visit to Vietnam.

Addressing a press conference held after the welcoming ceremony, Commander Travis Bain, commanding officer of HMCS Montréal, expressed his joy at visiting Ho Chi Minh City, noting the visit would provide a chance for his crew members to interact with the local community and prove Canada’s partnership commitment to Vietnam.

Many crewmembers are visiting the country for the first time and they are all very excited, particularly as they look forward to exploring Ho Chi Minh City and enjoying Vietnamese cuisine, he added.

Canadian Ambassador to Vietnam Shawn Steil said that the presence of the Royal Canadian Navy ship demonstrates Canada's commitment to promoting security and stability within the region by further strengthening Canada's cooperation with countries with the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean regions, including Vietnam.

As scheduled, Canadian officers will hold an exchange with local students, visit a social protection center and a child care facility in Binh Duong province, tour around Ben Thanh market and taste Vietnamese food, reported VOV.

The Royal Canadian Navy’s Halifax-class frigate HMCS Montréal arrives at Nha Rong wharf in Ho Chi Minh City on August 15. (Photo: VNA)

HMCS Montréal is a Halifax-class frigate that has served in the Canadian Forces since 1993. The vessel is the seventh ship in her class which is based on the Canadian Patrol Frigate Project.

The Halifax class has a complement of 200 naval personnel, including 17 officers. HMCS Montréal is 134 meters long and has a maximum speed of 35 nautical miles per hour. It is the first of three Royal Canadian Navy ships deployed annually as part of the HORIZON campaign in support of the Canadian Government's Indo-Pacific strategy.

Vietnam’s e-commerce market booming

The value of e-commerce in Vietnam is projected to reach US$13.2 billion in the first half of this year, a year-on-year increase of 28 percent, reported the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

In 2023, Vietnam's e-commerce market reached approximately US$25 billion, up 25 percent from the previous year, becoming the fastest-growing e-commerce country in Southeast Asia.

Vietnam's e-commerce sector is growing robustly, becoming a vital component of the country's digital economy. Retail e-commerce sales have increased at an average annual rate of 20 percent over the past decade, placing Vietnam among the fastest-growing e-commerce markets globally and regionally, cited VGP.

Photo: theedgemarkets

According to the e-commerce data platform Metric, in the first half of this year, the five largest e-commerce platforms in Vietnam—Shopee, Lazada, Tiki, Sendo, and TikTok Shop—reported a combined revenue of VND156 trillion (US$6.2 billion).

Local businesses are also thriving, with both revenue and sales output growing by over 50 percent. This trend indicates that e-commerce is expanding beyond major cities and affecting provinces across the country.

Financial powerhouse HSBC predicted in a recent report that Vietnam would maintain its rapid pace of digital development until at least 2025.

It noted that 60 percent of firms operating in the country plan to invest in technologies including digital payments, e-commerce and artificial intelligence, betting that doing so will boost their revenues and cut costs.

E-commerce in Vietnam is projected to reach US$27.5-28 billion by the end of this year.

Defense Minister receives Chief of Malaysian Armed Forces in Hanoi

General Phan Van Giang, Politburo member, Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission and Minister of National Defense, hosted a reception for General Tan Sri Datuk Seri Mohammad bin Ab Rahman, Chief of Defense Forces of Malaysia, in Hanoi on August 15.

Giang underlined that Vietnam and Malaysia are neighbors linked by the sea and active and responsible members of ASEAN, adding Vietnam attaches great importance to promoting the strategic partnership with Malaysia and supports Malaysia as the ASEAN Chair in 2025, VNA reported.

General Phan Van Giang (R), Minister of National Defence presents a souvenir to General Tan Sri Datuk Seri Mohammad bin Ab Rahman, Chief of Defence Forces of Malaysia in Hanoi on August 15 (Photo: VNA)

Expressing his delight at the growth of the Vietnam-Malaysia relations with increasing political trust and strengthened cooperation in culture, education, tourism and people-to-people exchange, he affirmed that bilateral defense collaboration has made important contributions to the general achievements in ties between the two countries.

Noting that his delegation's visit shows the sound cooperation between the two countries and two militaries, and aims to realizing the memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation signed by the two Governments in December 2023, General Tan Sri Datuk Seri Mohammad bin Ab Rahman said that all countries should work together in the current context of mixed and multi-dimensional global challenges.

Briefing his host on the outcomes of his talks with Sen. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Tan Cuong, Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army, the Malaysian defense chief said that the two sides evaluated the results of cooperation over the years and discussed measures to promote and deepen cooperation.

Giang hailed the outcomes of the talks, and highly valued cooperation between the two militaries over the years, especially in delegation exchange, training, and mutual support at multilateral forums and mechanisms.

He suggested that in the coming time, the two militaries continue to fully and effectively implement the deputy ministerial defense policy dialogue mechanism, while establishing mechanisms of air force consultations and exchange for young officers, promoting collaboration in promising areas such as defense industry, military medicine, United Nations peacekeeping, and continuing to consult and support each other at multilateral forums.

He told the guest that the Ministry of National Defense of Vietnam will organize the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the VPA and the second Vietnam International Defense Exhibition in December, General Giang extended his invitation to the Malaysian Defense Minister, and expressed his hope that leaders of the Malaysian Armed Forces and General Tan Sri Datuk Seri Mohammad bin Ab Rahman will support Malaysian defense delegations to attend the events, underlining that Vietnam also welcomes Malaysian defense industry enterprises to join the exhibition.

China looks forward to top Vietnamese leader To Lam’s visit

China is looking forward to receiving Vietnamese Party General Secretary and President To Lam on his upcoming state visit to Beijing, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China.

Vietnamese Party General Secretary and President To Lam and his wife will pay a state visit to China at the invitation of Chinese Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping from August 18-20.

During the visit, the two Party General Secretaries and Presidents will hold talks, and other Chinese leaders, including Premier Li Keqiang, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Zhao Leji, and chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Wang Huning, will also receive the Vietnamese leader, Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said in a statement on August 15.

The spokesperson said China and Vietnam are currently concretising the results of the historic visit to Vietnam by General Secretary and President Xi Jinping in December 2023, in which the building of the Vietnam - China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance is off to a good start, cited VOV.

Spokesperson Hua Chunying of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China (Photo: China Daily)

She noted that General Secretary To Lam’s choice of China as the first country to visit after taking office fully reflects the high regard for developing relations between the two Parties and the two countries.

China expects that through this visit, the two countries will continue to promote traditional friendship, deepen the building of the China-Vietnam community with a shared future, and walk well together on the path of socialist modernization with their own characteristics, jointly promote the development of the world socialist cause, and actively contribute to peace, stability and development of the region and the world, said the diplomat.

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