ASEAN Foreign Ministers pose for a group photo at the meeting.

Vietnam contributes important ideas to AMM Retreat and ACC-32

The Vietnamese delegation to the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat, led by Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, offered many important ideas during the course of several meetings to promote ASEAN co-operation and with other partners, thereby contributing to the overall success of the meetings.

This comes as Minister Son led a Vietnamese delegation to attend the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Retreat (AMM Retreat) and the 32nd ASEAN Coordinating Council Meeting (ACC-32) from February 3 to February 4 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

At the end of the meetings, Ambassador Vu Ho, acting head of SOM ASEAN Vietnam, granted an interview to VOV to discuss the results of the conferences, as well as the contributions made by the Vietnamese delegation.

Regarding the outcomes of these conferences, the meetings took place amid many problems for ASEAN to solve, ranging from strategic competition among major countries, instability, and the risk of economic recession, as well as both non-traditional issues and complex developments at multiple hotspots.

Therefore, the most important challenge is on how to maintain solidarity, centrality, and enhance the bloc’s ability to respond to the synergistic impact of many internal and external challenges.

Countries participating in the event actively discussed, agreed on the priorities of ASEAN this year, whilst making efforts to find solutions to the issues facing the bloc, with these meetings achieving plenty of major results.

Firstly, this year will see ASEAN focus on co-operation to ensure energy security, food security, health resilience, and financial-economic stability.

These issues are not only relevant to the general concerns and interests of other countries, but are also expected to contribute to promoting strong and sustainable growth within the region, therefore maintaining the bloc’s position as a global growth engine. This is along with enhancing ASEAN's resilience in the volatile international and regional environment.

In order to successfully implement the set priorities, all countries believe that more than ever ASEAN needs a peaceful, stable, and favourable environment for recovery and development.

The bloc needs to uphold independence and self-reliance, maintain solidarity, promote its central role, promote dialogue and co-operation, whilst acting responsibly in accordance with international law, as well as encouraging partners to contribute to jointly addressing common challenges.

Secondly, member states especially stressed the urgent need to improve ASEAN's institutional capacity to gradually prepare for the next stage of the group's development.

Accordingly, in the immediate future measures will be studied as a means of strengthening the functions and roles of a number of agencies in the bloc, improve the overall effectiveness of the decision-making mechanism, and promote solutions aimed at mobilising resources.

Thirdly, on the basis of the decisions made by ASEAN leaders at the recent 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits, ministers discussed in detail the plan to implement the five-point consensus on Myanmar.

They affirmed their readiness continue to support Myanmar in finding a peaceful and sustainable solution for the benefit of their people, while stressing the need to swiftly bring an end to the violence and promote dialogue between the parties concerned.

The meeting completed the Observer Status Manual for Timor Leste and agreed to develop a roadmap for its future admission.

The attendance of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Timor Leste for the first time as an observer, both at the ASEAN Coordinating Council Meeting and the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Retreat, represents an important milestone in the process of preparing and supporting their bid to become a full member.

Finally, in the spirit of openness and frankness, all countries were able to share their views on many issues of concern in the region and the wider world, from hot spots with potentially complicated consequences such as the East Sea, Myanmar, and the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, to current emerging challenges such as climate change, natural disasters, epidemics, and the environment.

In general, all countries agree that the bloc needs to maintain solidarity, strengthen its principled stance, and be prepared to promptly and effectively respond to unpredictable changes that may occur at any time, cited VOV.

Regarding the participation and contribution of the Vietnamese delegation, Ambassador Vu Ho said the ideas put forward have helped to shape ASEAN's consensus on many important decisions. This includes measures to improve the group's institution effectiveness, carry out the five-point consensus on the Myanmar issue, and support Timor Leste.

Ambassador Ho said that the Vietnamese delegation not only discussed with other delegates ways in which to identify ASEAN's focuses and priorities, but also actively proposed many practical initiatives that are in line with the common concerns of other countries and the region as a whole.

Minister Son announced the nation’s plans to organise activities aimed at promoting inclusive recovery in ASEAN, respond to climate change, energy transition, as well as a number of co-operation activities with partners such as the Republic of Korea Day in ASEAN. This is along with ASEAN-China meetings on the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC).

At the event, the Vietnamese official emphasized the meaning of a community that truly serves the people and benefits all members. Accordingly, he suggested that ASEAN pay closer attention to co-operation and equitable and inclusive development in sub-regions, therefore contributing to ensuring that people enjoy equitably the fruits of the community building process.

Minister Son also put forward the nation’s view and stance on many issues that directly affect the bloc, as well as peace and security in the region.

According to the diplomat, Vietnamese opinions on the East Sea and Myanmar are both balanced and constructive, contributing to promoting the values of dialogue and linkages, upholding international law, while promoting the spirit of solidarity and mutual assistance, as well as consolidating ASEAN's principle stance.

He added that this ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat outlined important orientations for the group’s activities in 2023.

At the meetings, Vietnamese Minister Son underlined the need for ASEAN to maintain a balanced and harmonious approach to its partners, promote the effectiveness and value of ASEAN-led mechanisms, and improve the building of mutual trust and understanding for co-operation in response to emerging issues.

Initiatives in the region should therefore come from the goodwill of co-operation, complementarity and reciprocity to ASEAN-led mechanisms, thereby contributing to the common goal of peace, security, stability, and development, he went on to say.

Sharing common concerns relating to unpredictable regional and international fluctuations, the Vietnamese Minister stressed that ASEAN needs to maintain solidarity, self-reliance, and flexible adaptation, as well as move to strengthen internal resources and promote its centrality.

He reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, and safety of navigation and aviation in the East Sea, emphasising the necessity for the group to strengthen its principle stance. This should be done whilst upholding international law and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) towards a rules-based regional maritime order and effectively protecting the legitimate interests of all coastal states.

As part of this occasion, Minister Son announced Vietnamese plans to hold several meetings within the ASEAN-China framework regarding the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), as well as the Republic of Korea Day in ASEAN.

In terms of the Myanmar issue, he shared the view that Myanmar’s people should solve the issue, with it being essential for the bloc to effectively implement the five-point consensus to help overcome the difficulties.

He also expressed his belief that Indonesia, as the ASEAN Chair in 2023, and Redno Marsudi, as the Special Envoy of the ASEAN Chair on Myanmar, will be successful in leading the implementation of this consensus.

Vietnam still approves use of Covid antibody treatment

Vietnam still approves use of Covid antibody treatment Evusheld as it is still effective against subvariants circulating in the Southeast Asian country.

The administration said that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has recently not authorized Evusheld emergency use in the U.S. until further notice from the USFDA.

Photo: Tam Anh Hospital

The U.S. drug watchdog stated that The FDA pulled Evusheld from the market because it is not effective against the Covid subvariants that are currently circulating in the U.S.

The Drug Administration of Vietnam stated that the drug Evusheld was granted a certificate of circulation on October 25, 2022, according to SGGP.

Until January 30, 2023, Covid antibody treatment Evusheld is still allowed to be circulated and used by strict pharmaceutical regulatory agencies (SRAs) such as EMA in the EU and agencies in Japan, the UK, Australia, Canada, Switzerland and Asian countries.

Immediately after receiving the above information from the U.S. FDA, the Ministry of Health’s Advisory Council for the issuance of circulation registration certificates of drugs and medicinal ingredients met to consider the circulation and use of Evusheld in Vietnam.

The council concluded that the drug Evusheld is still effective against variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that are widely circulating in Vietnam. Therefore, the council proposed to continue to allow the circulation and use of the drug Evusheld in Vietnam.

Vietnam to help Timor Leste soon become official member of ASEAN: FM

Vietnam will work with other ASEAN member states to discuss, agree on processes, procedures and necessary measures to support Timor Leste to become an official member of the group soon, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son said.

FM Son made the statement during a a meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Timor Leste Adaljiza Albertina Xavier Reis Magno on February 4 on the sideslines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Retreat (AMM Retreat) in Jakarta, Indonesia, reported VNA.

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son (R) and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Timor Leste Adaljiza Albertina Xavier Reis Magno at the meeting (Photo: VNA)

The two sides agreed to promote exchange of delegations at all levels, soon hold the first meeting of the Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation at the ministerial level as agreed in the Framework Agreement on Technical and Economic Cooperation in April 2010, implement signed agreements, and accelerate negotiations and signing of new agreements in order to boost tourism cooperation and people-to-people exchange.

The Timor Leste minister spoke highly of Vietnam's important socio-economic development achievements, and said that leaders of Timor Leste are very pleased with the investment of Vietnam’s telecoms group Viettel in Timor Leste, which contributes to the local development.

There is great potential for the two nations to expand cooperation in trade, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, she said.

She affirmed that she would work to promote cooperation between the two countries in the coming time, not only in the bilateral channels but also within ASEAN.

On this occasion, FM Son had short meetings with his counterparts of Indonesia, Laos, Singapore and Brunei to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral relations.

Vietnamese movies earn over VND350 billion during Tet

Vietnamese-made films tallied more than VND350 billion in ticket sales in the first nine days of the Lunar New Year, between January 22 and January 30, according to the independent analytical website Box Office Vietnam.

“Nha Ba Nu” (The House of No Man) by Tran Thanh pulled in VND251 billion, whereas Vu Ngoc Dang’s “Chi Chi Em Em 2” (Sister Sister 2) saw ticket sales totaling VND58 billion.

Tran Thanh’s directorial debut earned VND31 billion on a single day, January 25, with 313,000 tickets sold, cited VNN.

According to a representative of Lotte Cinema, a worldwide network of movie theaters, the Vietnamese film industry has recovered 90% this year compared to 2019.

Cinemagoers at the premiere of “Nha Ba Nu” (The House of No Man) by Tran Thanh on January 22. Photo: Tran Thanh Films

Local multiplex operator Galaxy Cinema also reported an increase in moviegoers during the holiday weekend between January 27 and 29, the sixth day to the eighth day of Tet, notably in Hanoi and HCMC.

Moreover, several HCMC theaters saw a rise in sales thanks to pre-order Tet tickets.

A representative from the Youth World Theater-HCMC Academy of Theater and Cinema said all of the shows were pre-sold online in the VIP area.

About two-thirds of all Tet tickets at the Truong Hung Minh Drama Troupe in HCMC’s District 10 were sold between January 27 and 29.

Vietnam’s airports serve more than 9.8 million passengers in January

Airports across Vietnam handled more than 9.8 million passengers in January, an increase of 13.8% compared to the previous month, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV).

Of the total, the number of international passengers reached 2.3 million, a 10% rise month on month, while the number of domestic passengers was 7.5 million, an increase of 15% month on month.

Domestic airlines carried 4.85 million passengers, up 13.4% including 1.1 million international passengers and 3.75 million domestic ones.

About 112,000 tonnes of cargo were handled at the airports in the first month of 2023, up 11.6% compared to December 2022.

During the 7-day Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, airports across the country served more than 1.9 million passengers, an increase of 58%, and more than 7,600 tonnes of cargo, down 11.6% compared to the same period of the Lunar New Year in 2022.

Noi Bai International Airport on January 16, one week before the celebration of Lunar New Year (Tet) festival. (Photo: VNA)

Particularly, Vietnamese airlines transported more than 967,000 passengers and 1,550 tonnes of cargo, an increase of 60.7% and 28.4% respectively compared to the same period last year.

Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City saw 20,975 flights, an increase of about 26.5% over the same period in 2022, and 3,147,014 passengers, up 61%, VNA reported.

Noi Bai International Airport from January 19 to 29 (or the 28th day of the 12th lunar month to the 8th day of the first lunar month) saw 5,618 flights, an increase of 49% compared to the same period of last year. Nearly 900,000 passengers traversed the airport during the festive time, up 71%.

According to the CAAV, although the number of passengers increased during the Tet holiday, there were no congestions at airports, especially Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat airports.

"Airports proactively prepared for the festive time and worked closely with airlines and ground service units to provide maximum support for passengers, especially large groups and last-minute guests," said the agency.

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