Vietnam News Today (December 31): UK-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement officially inked
	Vietnam News Today (December 30): Gov’t to issue new benchmark for multidimensional poverty

Flags of Vietnam and Cuba (Photo: Alianza News)

Greetings to Cuba on National Day

Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong sent his greetings to First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba Raul Castro Ruz and President of Cuba Miguel Diaz Canel on December 31, on the occasion of the 62nd anniversary of National Day of Cuba (January 1), according to Vietnam Plus.

Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong sent his greetings to First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba Raul Castro Ruz and President of Cuba Miguel Diaz Canel on December 31, on the occasion of the 62nd anniversary of National Day of Cuba (January 1).

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc also sent his greetings to his Cuban counterpart Manuel Marrero Cruz while National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan did the same to her counterpart Esteban Lazo Hernández.

The same day, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh also cabled a message of greetings to Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parilla.

Vietnam and Cuba established diplomatic ties on December 2, 1960. Cuba was the first nation to form a Committee for Solidarity with South Vietnam, the first country in Latin America to have established diplomatic ties with Vietnam, and also the first in the Western hemisphere to receive Vietnamese students.

Leaders congratulate 65th anniversary of VN-Indonesia diplomatic ties

Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, and National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan have sent their greetings to President of Indonesia Joko Widodo and Speaker of the People’s Representative Council Puan Maharani on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the Viet Nam – Indonesia diplomatic ties (December 30).

The leaders said over the past 65 years, bilateral traditional friendship founded by President Ho Chi Minh and President Sukarno and fostered by generations of leaders and peoples of the two countries has been growing effectively and substantially in various areas, becoming an invaluable common asset of the two countries.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong (R) welcomes Indonesian President Joko Widodo in September 2018. Photo: VNA

The Viet Nam – Indonesia strategic partnership will keep flourishing strongly in the near future on the basis of shared common vision and strategic interest, thus bringing practical benefits to the two nations, making positive contributions to peace, stability and sustainable development in the region and the world, they said.

On the occasion, Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh also cabled greetings to Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.

Earlier on December 29, a ceremony was held in Ho Chi Minh City to mark the 65th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between Viet Nam and Indonesia (December 30), VGP reported.

Vietnam to see over 3,000 children born on New Year’s Day: UNICEF

An estimated 3,002 babies are to be born nationwide on New Year’s Day, according to data collected by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

Vietnamese babies will account for 0.8% of the overall figure of 371,504 babies which are anticipated to be born globally on New Year’s Day, as reported by VOV.

Fiji in the Pacific will most likely deliver the first baby of the new year, and the United States will deliver the last.

Globally, over half of these births are expected to take place in ten countries. This includes India with 59,995, China with 35,615, Nigeria with 21,439, Pakistan with 14,161, Indonesia with 12,336, Ethiopia with 12,006, the US with 10,312, Egypt with 9,455, Bangladesh with 9,236, and the Democratic Republic of Congo with 8,640.

(Photo: Newborns Vietnam)

“This has been a difficult year for all of us, and there is perhaps no better way to turn the page than to welcome new young lives into the world,” said Christine Jaulmes, a representative of UNICEF in Kyrgyzstan.This comes as each January UNICEF celebrates babies born on New Year’s Day, an auspicious day for children to be born around the world.

“With the challenges of 2020 behind us, and the opportunities of 2021 before us, now is the time to begin to build a better world. Children born today will inherit the world we begin to build for them - today,” she added.

U22 Vietnam aims for gold at 31st SEA Games

The Vietnamese U22 national football team, the national women’s football team, and the country’s athletics team, have all been tasked with defending their leading position in the region during the upcoming 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games which will be held in the country in late 2021.

These goals were set out during a conference held in Hanoi on December 31 and hosted by the Vietnam Administration of Sports and Physical Training to review the year, according to VOV.

During the 30th SEA Games in the Philippines in 2019, Vietnam’s U22 side won a gold medal after enjoying a resounding 3-0 win over Indonesia in the final, whilst the national women’s football team trounced their Thai rivals 1-0, bringing home a gold medal.

The national athletics team also recorded the highest number of medals, winning 16 golds, four more than Thailand.

The impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has been a great challenge for Vietnamese sport this year due to athletes having no chance to compete in international tournaments and having few ways to prepare for competitive events ahead in 2021.

Hoang Quoc Vinh, head of the Administration's Elite Sport Department, said that despite the difficult circumstances, the country has committed to organising the 31st SEA Games successfully and has set a target of maintaining the top position for the Vietnamese U22 squad, the national women’s football team, and the athletics team.

Vietnam, Netherlands capitalise on EVFTA to enhance co-operation in fashion

Vietnam's participation in new-generation free trade agreements (FTAs) is anticipated to provide fresh impetus for greater co-operation in the fashion industry with the Netherlands, according to insiders.

Le Xuan Duong, head of Trade Promotion and Policy Department under the Vietnam Leather, Footwear and Handbag Association (LEFASO), said Vietnam represents the third largest manufacturer and second-largest footwear exporter globally.

The country has exported shoes and handbags to roughly 20 EU member countries, of which the Netherlands makes up the third largest importer.

The Netherlands has developed into Vietnam's leading trade partner in Europe over recent years, with trade turnover increasing steadily. Following the implementation of the EVFTA, there is set to be robust growth in trade activities between both sides, particularly in the fashion industry.

Iwan Rutjens, first secretary of Economic and Commercial Affairs at the Dutch Embassy to Vietnam, said priority has been given to moving forward joint relations in economic, trade, and investment activities.

He added that by utilising expertise in logistics and developed infrastructure, the Netherlands has received a large number of Vietnamese exports to the EU market through the port of Rotterdam, noting that trade exchanges between the EU and the nation are anticipated to increase in near future.

Le Hoang Tai, deputy director of Vietrade, expressed his hope that more trade promotion activities will be organised between Vietrade and Modint. According to Tai, to take full advantage of the EVFTA in the fashion industry, firms from both countries must obey the commitments within the trade deal, with their products meeting the rules of origin.

Concurring with this viewpoint, Rutjens underscored the importance of making the most of Dutch expertise and technological innovation to boost the competitiveness of domestic firms, thereby bringing mutual benefits to both sides.

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