Vietnam News Today (Jan. 15): Vietnam to Share International Vision on Solving Global Challenges

Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong (L) and Chinese Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping. Photo: VNA

Vietnamese, Chinese top leaders exchange Lunar New Year greetings

Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Chinese Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping on January 14 exchanged their greetings on the occasion of the coming Lunar New Year, to be celebrated by the peoples of both countries.

The two leaders stressed the key significance of 2022 to the development of each country and the relations between the two Parties and countries. They spoke highly of the historical significance of the official visit to China by Trong which saw the issuance of a joint statement on the continuation to accelerate and deepen the bilateral relations.

Trong expressed his hope that authorities, organisations and localities of the two countries will grasp and well implement the high-level agreements and perceptions reached during the recent visit.

Xi stressed that China always take Vietnam as a priority in the neibourliness foreign policy, and expressed his hope that the two sides will actively implement the outcome of the visit, cited VNA.

The two leaders wished the Parties, States and peoples of the two countries a happy new year, and the building of socialism in each country constant and greater achievements.

Vietnam to share international vision on solving global challenges

The World Economic Forum (WEF 2023) Annual Meeting 2023 offers an opportunity for the country to share its vision with the international community on uniting to tackle emerging global challenges.

Ambassador Le Thi Tuyet Mai, head of the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the UN, World Trade Organisation (WTO), and other international organisations in Geneva, made the statement in a recent media interview on the content and significance of the 53rd World Economic Forum Annual Meeting (WEF 53), as well as the contributions of the Vietnamese delegation.

Moving forward, a Vietnamese delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha will attend the WEF 53 event in Davos, Switzerland, from January 16 to January 17.

According to Ambassador Mai, the meeting takes place amid the world facing plenty of challenges, such as a cost-of-living crisis, economic recession, economic decline, climate crisis, disruption caused by to climate change, a food crisis, and increasing social polarisation. Along with these issues, many problems are deepening divisions and dividing the geopolitical landscape.

These problems demand that leaders address them immediately and the critical needs of their people while also laying the groundwork for a more resilient, sustainable world by the end of the decade.

Ambassador Le Thi Tuyet Mai, Head of the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the United Nations (UN), WTO and other international organizations in Geneva. Photo:VNA

At such a pivotal time, the WEF 2023 Annual Meeting is being held on the theme of 'Cooperation in a Fragmented World' and brings together more than 2,700 leaders from governments, businesses, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from around the world.

The goal of the meeting, in the words of Professor Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the WEF, is to discuss ways to address fragmentation and increasing trust erosion at both global and national levels through increased ties between governments and businesses, thereby enabling a strong and sustainable recovery, according to VOV.

This year's meeting agenda focuses on solutions and public-private partnerships which can deal with the world's most pressing challenges, whilst encouraging world leaders to work together on issues relating to energy, climate and nature, investment, trade, infrastructure, advanced technology, employment, skills, as well as social and health issues; along with geopolitical co-operation in a multipolar world.

The Vietnamese Ambassador stated that, with world politics and the global economy facing numerous crises and challenges, Vietnam has emerged and is recognized by the world as a bright spot for the region and the wider world, not only with its strong commitment and consistent implementation of green transition, energy transformation, digital transformation for post-pandemic recovery, and sustainable development, but it has also achieved numerous impressive results.

The nation achieved GDP growth of 8.02%, the highest rate in the past 12 years, with an economy exceeding US$400 billion for the first time and is ranked 30th globally.

It ranks 23rd in the world in terms of trade scale and has become the largest trading partner in ASEAN for 3 economic centers, namely the United States, China, and the EU.

Vietnamese economic growth in the year ahead is forecast to reach 6.3%, leading Southeast Asian nations.

In line with this, the WEF 2023 is viewed as an opportunity for the nation to share its vision with the international community on uniting to address emerging global challenges, good policy practices, and the nation's experience in international integration, and socio-economic development. This is along with attracting investment, resources, and trade promotion with international organisations, corporations, international investment funds, and those in Switzerland, Ambassador Mai went on to say.

During the course of the two-day event, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha is set to give speeches at discussions focusing on food security.

This represents a good stepping stone to capture the attention of the international community on food security before the country hosts the fourth Global Conference on Sustainable Food System in April.

In addition, the Deputy PM will co-chair the event "Vietnam-WEF Global Business Forum; A journey of green and creative transformation", with the occasion focusing on topics such as the green economy and innovation.

Also within the framework of the meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister will hold a host of bilateral meetings with Prof. Schwab, Achim Steiner, administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), Axel van Trotsenburg, managing director of operations of the World Bank (WB), and several other leaders.

Ambassador Mai said that since the country and the WEF originally established relations in 1989, leaders of the two sides paid close attention to bolstering bilateral ties across a variety of fields.

The nation attended the WEF Annual Meeting in Davos at a high level and the nation hosted the WEF ASEAN Summit in 2018 in Hanoi, the first WEF-Mekong Conference in 2016 in Hanoi, and the WEF East Asia Conference in 2010 in Ho Chi Minh City.

In line with the COVID-19 pandemic containment efforts, the two sides held the first National Strategic Dialogue in 2021 with the aim of strengthening the public-private partnership as a key driver in the comprehensive recovery and sustainable and inclusive development plan.

The two sides are also actively discussing legislation in a bid to sign the Vietnam-WEF co-operation agreement in the new phase, thus creating a framework for further linkages to meet the requirements of the current context.

The Vietnamese side always appreciates the WEF's attention to proposing and carrying out cooperation initiatives with Vietnamese Government agencies in the fields of sustainable development, digital transformation, and innovation.

The country therefore hopes that moving forward, the WEF will continue to help by offering access to advanced knowledge and resources in order to serve sustainable development goals and make effective use of new growth drivers.

The attendance of Deputy PM Ha's delegation clearly demonstrates the nation’s efforts, along with its status as a dynamic and active developing country, a friend, a reliable partner, and a responsible member of the international community which is ready to solve global challenges, Ambassador Mai added.

ILO hails Vietnam's efforts to mitigate negative impacts of COVID-19 pandemic

With a policy putting humans at the center and leaving no one behind when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in Vietnam, the Government has continuously made drastic instructions to support laborers with relief packages of the largest-ever coverage, besides pandemic control measures.

In an interview granted to Vietnam News Agency on the occasion of the new year, Ingrid Christensen, Director of ILO Country Office for Vietnam, remarked that the Vietnamese Government has made significant efforts to mitigate the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic within its national resources and context.

“In parallel with the prevention and control of COVID-19, we are aware that in consultation with the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL), Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), and the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance (VCA), the Government has extended various relief packages through different policies including on tax, capital, credit, and social security to retain jobs and to support businesses and workers”, Christensen said.

She appreciated the support of the Vietnamese Government through the relief packages, citing for example adjustments in tax regimes for businesses, which has enabled enterprises to continue operations and retain workers in the difficult time. The Government’s support package gave businesses access to loans to pay salaries to employees, and provided deferral in paying social insurance, unemployment insurance, and trade union premiums.

Ingrid Christensen, Director of ILO Country Office for Vietnam. Source: ILO

According to the Ministry of Labour – Invalids and Social Affairs, Vietnam’s labour market has leaped in both size and quality, gradually modernized and integrated into the world. Specifically, the size of the workforce is increasing and the supply is guaranteed with over 51.6 million people. The quality of workers is improving with the rate of trained workers rising year by year.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed shortcomings such as the pressure of job creation for nearly 2 million workers who were forced to leave the labour market, and the shortage of labour in some fields. This situation requires the labour market to shore up its ability to cope with internal and external influences in order to develop sustainably, reported VNA.

The director of the ILO Country Office for Vietnam said due to the efforts to protect the population throughout the COVID-19 period, Vietnam has appeared to be recovering well. But with new potential crises on the horizon, economic and labour market challenges could still confront the country and these would require attention.

According to Christensen, to realize the goals of becoming a high-middle-income country by 2030 and a developed, high-income country by 2045, Vietnam may need to accelerate social upgrading, together with economic upgrading.

“Strengthening the macroeconomic foundation and maintaining adequate and regular investment in social protection is one of the key factors for Vietnam to pass through the challenges and sustain its inclusive and sustainable development”, she said.

About vocational training for rural workers in localities of Vietnam with the goal of helping them get new jobs and better income, Christensen cited statistics of the General Directorate of Vocational Training (DVET) under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, which show 4.57 million rural workers were supported in vocational training, of whom nearly 4 million, or 89.3%, had jobs after vocational training, during the 2016-2020 period.

She said the above information has provided a promising scenario for further investment in DVET for rural workers. Furthermore, upgrading workers’ skills should be a core element of enterprises’ long-term development strategy. Workers should also pursue lifelong learning principles to gain more knowledge, improve skills and enrich his/her work experience.

Tan Son Nhat airport receives record high of 120,000 passengers

As many as 120,000 passengers, including about 84,000 domestic passengers, passed through Tan Son Nhat airport on January 14.

This figure marks the highest level since the beginning of the peak season of the traditional Lunar New Year (Tet)

According to the schedule, Tan Son Nhat airport will operate a total of 868 take-off and landing flights on January 14.

From early in the morning travelers flocked to the airport in order to conduct check in procedures. Although the airlines’ counters and the security screening area were always crowded with customers, passengers faced no prolonged congestion.

During the peak season of the Lunar New Year running from January 5 to February 5, Tan Son Nhat airport is forecast to welcome approximately 130,000 visitors per day, with 90,000 being domestic passengers.

A representative of Tan Son Nhat airport said that with a record high of 120,000 passengers recorded on January 14, the number of visitors is anticipated to continue rising moving forward.

Photo: VOV

During the entirety of Tet, the airport is expected to receive more than 3.8 million passengers with nearly 27,000 flights, representing a rise of nearly 10% compared to the same period from 2019 when the COVID-19 had not yet broken out.

As it is currently the peak season, Tan Son Nhat International Airport has moved to enhance aviation security control to Level 1, cited VOV.

Furthermore, the airport has also adjusted the co-ordination parameter of landing and take-off times to enable 44 flights per hour within the time frames of between 6 a.m, and 23:55 p.m., along with 36 flights per hour from 00:00 to 5:55 a.m..

This level is the highest seen compared to previous years when the average figure reached only about 40 takeoffs and landings per hour.

Vietnam faces risks of more Covid-19 cases, new variants after Tet holiday

According to health experts, the number of Covid-19 cases in Vietnam will increase after the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, while the "most contagious" sub-variant of Omicron will appear.

According to statistics of the Ministry of Health, in recent days, the number of Covid-19 cases in Vietnam has fallen sharply. From December 31, 2022 to January 8, 2023, the number of new infection cases each day was below 100. Vietnam did not record any death from the disease.

Epidemiologists said that Covid-19 has been basically controlled, but disease development is still unpredictable and unstable.

Photo: VNN

Dr. Do Van Dung, Head of the Faculty of Public Health at HCM City University of Medicine and Pharmacy, told VietNamNet that after the Tet holiday, which will fall from January 18 to 26, the number of Covid-19 cases will rise. The assessment is based on analysis and experience of epidemiological assessments of other countries.

Specifically, the number of new cases in many countries increased rapidly during the holiday season (Christmas, New Year). About 15-30 days after Tet, a difference in the number of new cases will be clear, VNN reported.

Sharing the same view, Dr. Tran Dac Phu, Advisor for the Vietnam Center for Emergency Response to Public Health Events, said that the risk of an outbreak not only comes from the increased demand for trade and tourism during the Tet holiday, but also the weather changes, which is favorable for the spread of infectious diseases.

Responding to the information that Vietnam had detected XBB variant infections in Ho Chi Minh City and Tay Ninh province, Dr. Dung said: "XBB.1.5 has not yet appeared in Vietnam, but the increase in travel in the Tet season, together with the border reopening of many countries, this variant will definitely appear in Vietnam."

Variants and sub-variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus are constantly changing. The Vietnamese Ministry of Health forecasts that besides the constant change of strains and sub-variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, border reopening of many countries, and the reducing effect of vaccination over time will lead to the risk of an increase in the number of Covid-19 cases.

Dr. Dung said that the number of Covid cases and deaths in Vietnam are controlled thanks to its high vaccination rate. Therefore, in the future, the increase in new cases is not too worrisome. However, it is needed to issue warnings to reduce the risk to people and the burden on the health sector.

Dr. Phu said that Vietnam should continue the vaccination campaign. In addition, people must actively prevent disease for themselves and the community. Wearing masks and disinfecting regularly not only helps prevent Covid-19 but also other respiratory diseases.

For the upcoming 2023 Tet, Ms. Angela Pratt - Representative of the World Health Organization in Vietnam - recommended that Vietnamese people should pay high vigilance to protect their own health through wearing a mask in crowded places and in enclosed spaces, washing hands frequently, and getting vaccinated. In addition, Vietnam needs to closely monitor the epidemic situation in the world to come up with appropriate response measures.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has issued Dispatch 05 on strengthening epidemic prevention and control during Tet and festival season 2023, especially dealing with variant XBB.1.5.

The National Assembly on January 9 adopted a resolution on the extension of some COVID-19 prevention and control policies and the continued use of registration certificates for medicines and medicinal ingredients that expired from January 1, 2023.

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