A school staff checks temperature of a student in Hanoi on February 8, 2022. Photo: VnExpress

Vietnam confirms 23,953 new cases

The Health Ministry announced 23,953 new domestic Covid-19 patients Wednesday, up 9.4 percent from Tuesday.

Most of the new cases were detected in Hanoi at 2,949, followed by Nghe An Province with 1,900 cases and Hai Phong City, 1,295 cases.

Since the pandemic started last year, the death toll in Vietnam has climbed to 38,614, or 1.6 percent of all infections.

In the latest wave that hit the country in late April, more than 2.37 million cases have been confirmed and 2.19 million of them have recovered, cited VnExpress.

So far, 77.1 percent of the population have been vaccinated with two doses.

Australia ready to foster comprehensive ties with Vietnam: Speaker of lower house

Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives Andrew Wallace expressed his hope to boost comprehensive ties with Vietnam during a reception for Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Tat Thanh on February 9.

The Speaker noted with pleasure the positive development of the Vietnam-Australia strategic partnership, and spoke highly of efforts made by both sides to strengthen their relationship pragmatically and intensively, with the Australia-Vietnam Enhanced Economic Engagement Strategy (EEES) put in place.

Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives Andrew Wallace (right) and Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Tat Thanh. Photo: VNA

He congratulated Vietnam on its socio-economic achievements last year, saying Vietnam maintained its positive economic growth and Australia has become the 10th biggest trade partner of the Southeast Asian nation despite the Covid-19 pandemic.

Wallace also lauded Vietnam’s performance in the pandemic fight and Covid-19 vaccination, which, he said, would be a foundation for the two countries to soon resume commercial flights and step up economic, trade and investment ties as well as people-to-people exchanges, according to VNA.

For his part, Thanh said Vietnam always keeps in mind Australia’s valuable support during its cause of national construction and development over the past 50 years, including Australia’s donation of Covid-19 vaccines to the country.

Both officials consented to beef up the bilateral relationship, especially their legislative ties, towards the 50th founding anniversary of diplomatic relations (1973-2023).

They discussed the establishment of parliamentarians’ groups to strengthen the relationship, and shared the hope for the further exchange of visits by leaders of the two countries in efforts to advance their strategic partnership to a new height.

Hanoi resumes motorbike ride-hailing services

Hanoi has allowed motorbike ride-hailing services to resume operations, the municipal transport department announced Wednesday.

A GrabBike driver at work in Hanoi. Photo: Reuters

All drivers must be fully vaccinated and abide by basic coronavirus prevention measures to prevent infection, the Hanoi Department of Transport said in a statement to units that provide apps for motorbike ride-hailing services, VNA reported.

Services must compile a list of drivers' names, vehicles and their activities, and send it to the department for monitoring and management, it said.

Hanoi has suspended ride-hailing services since July 2021 out of Covid-19 concerns. The capital has allowed car ride-hailing services, buses and taxis to resume operations starting October 2021.

Vietnam ranks 25th among most powerful countries globally

The US News & World Report newswire has released a list of the world’s most powerful countries in 2021, with Vietnam being placed at the 25th position in the power rankings.

The top 10 most powerful countries in the list include the United States, China, Russia, Germany, the UK, Japan, France, the Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The rankings are based on a range of criteria, such as as leadership, economically influential, politically influential, strong international alliances, and possessing a strong military.

Vietnam ranks 25th among most powerful countries globally. Photo: VOV

Overall, Vietnam ranks 25th in terms of the global power rankings, 10th in Asia, and second in Southeast Asia after Singapore.

According to the US News and World, despite Vietnamese economic influence not being particularly high, the Southeast Asian nation boasts strengths in its export activities, according to VOV.

The most powerful countries rankings are part of the annual Best Countries Rankings report which is compiled by BAV Group in partnership with the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania,

The list sees Vietnam rank 21st out of 80 countries in terms of openness for business, 25th in terms of cultural heritage as the nation possesses great food, a rich history, and many cultural attractions of interest.

Furthermore, the country is also in 32nd place in terms of quality of life due to affordable prices, political and economic stability, family-friendliness, and income equality.

International media highlights Vietnam’s investment opportunities

Emerging markets (EM) like Vietnam can provide potential growth opportunities for investors who do their due diligence, according to an article published by ETF Trends, a leading source in Exchange Traded Funds (ETF) news of the US.

The article said investing in EMs can come with its own nuances, particularly because each country’s performance can vary with respect to their economic stability.

Illustrative image. Photo: VNA

The Covid-19 pandemic certainly roiled a lot of EM opportunities in 2020, but certain countries that were able to respond swiftly muted its economic effects.

Vietnam, for example, was able to rebound from the pandemic due to a quick, pointed response by its government, the article noted.

Fitch Ratings forecasts growth ahead for Vietnam in 2022. Economic effects related to the pandemic don’t appear to be as severe, thanks to the government’s move to increase vaccinations in the country, cited VNA.

“We expect growth to accelerate to 7.9 percent in 2022 and 6.5 percent in 2023 as the recovery becomes established,” the article cited Fitch Ratings as saying.

“Vietnam has also had less economic scarring than many emerging markets, as it is one of the few countries that did not experience an annual contraction in GDP amid the pandemic shock.”

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