Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang (L) presents his credentials to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Photo: VNA

Vietnam – trustworthy partner of UN: Secretary General Guterres

United Nations (UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres has affirmed that Vietnam is a trustworthy partner of the UN, and described the country as a typical successful example of a developing nation given its achievements so far.

Guterres made the remarks when receiving Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, the newly-appointed Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, who came to presented his credentials on February 25.

The UN leader hailed Vietnam’s capacity while performing important roles at UN agencies, including a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in the 2020-2021 tenure, and engaging in UN peacekeeping operations.

He expressed his hope that during the office tenure of Ambassador Giang, Vietnam will continue making effective contributions to UN forums and activities in New York, thus helping promote multilateralism on the basis of the UN Charter and deepen the growing partnership between the UN and Vietnam.

For his part, Ambassador Giang conveyed the regards of Vietnamese leaders to the UN Secretary General, affirming that Vietnam is always a trustworthy and responsible partner of the UN, cited VNA.

He vowed to work hard to strengthen the positive and active engagement as well as practical and effective contributions of Vietnam to the international community, especially during the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals, climate change response and the maintaining of international peace, as well as to discussions on future cooperation orientations of the UN, such as the Our Common Agenda (OCA).

The ambassador said he hopes to cooperate closely with UN agencies in boosting collaboration between Vietnam and the ASEAN with the UN.

On the occasion of the 45th anniversary of Vietnam’s joining the UN (September 9, 1977-2022), Ambassador Giang extended President Nguyen Xuan Phuc's invitation to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to visit Vietnam on an early date.

FDI attraction hit nearly US$5 billion during two-month period

Vietnam attracted approximately US$5 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) during the opening two months of the year, equivalent to roughly 91.5% against the same period last year, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

The decrease in newly-registered investment capital can largely be attributed to a lack of large-scale projects, with only one project featuring large investment capital of up to US$136.4 million.

Photo: VOV

Most notably, the disbursement of FDI projects in the reviewed period was estimated to be US$2.68 billion, an increase of 7.2% compared to last year’s corresponding period.

These positive signs are attributable to the Government’s prompt solutions aimed at helping pandemic-hit businesses maintain and expand their production activities.

The processing and manufacturing industry took the lead in terms of FDI attraction with over US$3.13 billion, duly accounting for 62.7% of total registered investment capital, according to VOV.

Furthermore, the real estate sector ranked second with nearly US$1.52 billion, followed by science and technology activities, as well as electricity production and distribution.

Singapore topped the list of foreign investors in the nation with over US$1.7 billion, accounting for 34.2% of total investment capital in the country and representing a rise of 59.3%, followed by the Republic of Korea, with over US$1.4 billion and China with nearly US$538 million.

Vietnam, Singapore firms partner up to develop US$2.5-bln project in Bac Giang

Saigon Telecom Technology Joint Stock Company (SAIGONTEL) of Vietnam and Aurous Capital Pte. Ltd of Singapore have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on investment cooperation in a US$2.5-billion project to develop an industrial and urban complex in the northern province of Bac Giang.

This was the largest among a series of projects valued at a total US$11 billion signed at the Vietnam-Singapore Business Dialogue, which took place within the framework of President Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s State-visit to Singapore from February 24-26.

At the Vietnam - Singapore Business Dialogue. Photo: VNA

Under the MoU, the two sides will conduct research and survey to build an investment project and apply for a license to develop the complex, which would comprise of 500 ha of industrial estates and 200 ha of housing, towards attracting projects in the fields of hi-technology; clean industry; knowledge-intensive industry and those creating higher added value; logistics and support industry, reported VNA.

The investors hope to start the project in 2022.

In recent times, Bac Giang has become an attractive destination for foreign investors, especially in term of high technology. In the first two months of 2022, the locality attracted US$303.3 million in investment.

Binh Dinh receives over 690,000 visitors in two months

The south central province of Binh Dinh has welcomed more than 690,000 visitors since the beginning of the year, marking a rise of approximately 30% with tourism revenue reaching more than VND970 billion.

During the Lunar New Year or Tet, the locality received over 155,000 visitors, In addition, the province has deployed a range of activities aimed at rebooting the local tourism sector after the festive period.

Currently, the locality is in the process of supporting firms in the province to attend domestic and foreign tourism fairs and exhibitions, alongside developing community-based tourism and craft villages to attract MICE tourists to province throughout the 2022 to 2025 period, cited VOV.

Photo: VOV

Nguyen Hoang Vu, chairman of Binh Dinh Tourism Association, said that in order to safely adapt to the Covid-19 pandemic, the locality is aiming to develop green tourism whilst turning it into a safe and attractive destination, as well as training a local workforce capable of serving tourists.

Tran Van Thanh, director of the Binh Dinh Department of Tourism, revealed that changes have been made to feature a range of activities to allow visitors to experience excursions such as diving to see the coral reef at sea.

In addition, some other sites such as Ky Co and Cua Bien tourist areas have organized sightseeing spots which boast a panoramic view of the entire city at night.

Along with sea and island resort tourism, the caravan journey connecting Binh Dinh, Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, and Dak Nong will be a popular choice for visitors this year.

Cyber-attacks in Vietnam decrease sharply in 2021

Kaspersky data shows that the number of online and offline attacks in Vietnam decreased sharply in 2021 compared to the previous year, which indicated Vietnam's efforts in creating a safe cyberspace.

Through the Kaspersky Security Network, the firm said it had detected and blocked a total of 63,482,728 cyberattacks spread over the Internet on computers of users in Vietnam. This is the lowest number in the past five years, down 871,402 cases compared to 2020.

The proportion of Vietnamese users attacked by Internet threats during this period was 41.5%, corresponding to the 32nd globally in terms of the number of online attacks, VNN reported.

Photo: VNN

In terms of offline threats, data from Kaspersky also shows that the number of cases in 2021 in Vietnam fell significantly compared to 2020, with a total of 162,913,157 malware-related threats distributed via USB, CD, DVD and other offline methods.

Compared to 2020, the number of offline threats in Vietnam decreased by 38.3% (268,515,947 cases). According to this report, 56.7% of Vietnamese users were attacked by malware, ranking 31st globally and down 23 places from the previous year.

One of the great contributors to reducing the number of cyberattacks by 2021 is Vietnam's effort in creating a secure cyberspace, according to Kaspersky.

In Vietnam, cyber security is identified as an important factor in the digital transformation process. Local ministries, agencies and localities have basically completed the implementation of network security operation and monitoring centers, which are connected to the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC).

“We encourage all stakeholders and users in Vietnam to stay strong and build a safer cyberspace for everyone,” said Mr. Yeo Siang Tiong, General Manager of Kaspersky Southeast Asia.

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