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President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO) Phan Anh Son (second, right) exchanges with delegation of the Indian Society for Cultural Cooperation and Friendship (Photo: baoquocte.vn)

Vietnam considers India an important partner and trusted friend: VUFO president

Vietnam always considers India a top important partner, a trusted friend, and pays great attention to developing its comprehensive strategic partnership with India, said President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO) Phan Anh Son on July 23.

He made the remarks at a reception for a delegation of the Indian Society for Cultural Cooperation and Friendship (ISCUF) led by Kagitala Raja Sekhar, General Secretary of ISCUF of Andha Pradesh state.

The visit aims to promote the cooperative relationship between VUFO, the Vietnam-India Friendship Association and some Vietnamese localities and ISCUF.

At the reception, Son spoke highly of ISCUF's important contributions to strengthening friendly relations and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, cited VNA.

The VUFO President stressed that Vietnam has consistently implemented a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, multilateralization and diversification of relations. The country has strived to be a friend, a reliable partner and an active and responsible member of the international community.

Regarding people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, Son affirmed that the Vietnamese people will never forget the warm affection and support of Indian leaders and people for Vietnam in the struggle against foreign invaders for national liberation in the past and national construction and defense today.

VUFO and the Vietnam-India Friendship Association stand ready to coordinate with Indian partners, including ISCUF, in organizing activities to strengthen solidarity, friendship and people-to-people cooperation between the two countries, he continued.

On behalf of the delegation, Sekhar sent his deep condolences to the Party, State and people of Vietnam over the passing of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

He emphasized that the friendship between the two countries is a testament to the long-term relationship formed through common values, mutual respect and strategic cooperation.

Since the signing of a memorandum of understanding on cooperation for 2017-2022 between VUFO and ISCUF in 2017, ISCUF has been active in exchanging delegations to learn about Vietnam and exchange culture and art. Besides sending delegations to Vietnam, the society has also conducted a number of communication activities about the Southeast Asian nation on a number of ISCUF publications as well as local newspapers in both local languages and English.

Storm Prapiroon dump heavy rain across northern localities after landfall

Storm Prapiroon dumped heavy rain across northern coastal provinces of Vietnam after it weakened into a tropical depression and made landfall on July 23.

In Quang Ninh province, home to the world-famous Ha Long Bay, several areas were left inundated by flooding following torrential downpours lasting for hours.

Strong winds uprooted many trees in the coastal city of Ha Long, causing traffic congestion to build up. National Highway 18 to Quang Hanh ward of Cam Pha City was submerged with floodwaters, forcing many cars to turn back and find alternative routes.

Cam Pha City also saw some areas experience power outages, according to VOV.

Strong winds uproot many trees in the coastal city of Ha Long.

Furthermore, 1,959 tourists were left stranded on some tourist islands of Quang Ninh, including Co To, Quan Lan-Minh Chau, Van Don, and Ngoc Vung.

Meanwhile, due to the impact of Storm Prapiroon, heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorms lashed Hai Phong city, leading to significant damage throughout the port city.

Strong winds brought down big trees on pavements across various districts of Hai Phong.

On Cat Ba Island, there are 3,885 tourists, including 435 foreigners, who are either left stranded or who have chosen to stay due to impassable travel.

Local authorities have called on hotels and motels to reduce room rates by 50%. Some hotels have even agreed to house them free of charge or only charge them for electricity and water.

Local authorities have continued to make efforts to keep the public updated with relevant information, advising citizens to take precautions to protect both themselves and their property, as well as to minimize outdoor activities during the height of heavy rain.

The National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting (NCHMF) warned that there would be high tides along the coast from Quang Ninh to Nam Dinh provinces, with waves surging as high as 5m. Heavy rain could slow down flood drainage in rivers, thereby causing heavy flooding in low-lying coastal and riverbank areas.

Vietnamese enterprises attend 8th China-South Asia Expo

More than 60 Vietnamese enterprises are taking part in the 8th China-South Asia (CSA) Expo and the 28th Kunming Import and Export Fair which opened in Kunming city, Yunnan province of China on July 23.

The event, which lasts until July 28, brought together 2,000 enterprises from 82 countries and territories all over the world.

The Vietnamese businesses are showcasing the country’s key products, such as seafood, coffee, cashew nuts, footwears, wooden products and handicrafts, VNA reported.

A product displayed at the 8th China-South Asia (CSA) Expo. (Photo: VNA)

The event features 15 exhibition areas, including those on architectural science and technology, manufacturing, culture, sports and tourism, healthcare, coffee industry, modern agriculture, food & lifestyle. Notably, this year, a cafe booth is organized for the first time, with the participation of more than 160 businesses.

Through seven editions, the expo has attracted more than 18,000 foreign businesses to participate, more than 4 million visitors, with successful foreign transactions reaching more than US$100 billion. It becomes an exhibition platform that integrates merchandise trade, investment promotion, tourism cooperation and cultural exchange, and continues to play an important role in expanding trade cooperation between China and South Asian countries.

Ambassador confident of stronger relations between Egypt and Vietnam

Egyptian Ambassador to Vietnam Amal Abdel Kader Almorsi Salama says she believes both Egypt and Vietnam have more room to promote their all-round cooperation towards a bright future of their friendship and relationship.

Marking 72 years of the Egyptian revolution (July 23, 1952 – July 23, 2024), the ambassador wrote an article shedding light on the prospects of cooperation between the two countries. Following is the full text of her article.

This year, Egypt marks the 72nd anniversary of the Egyptian revolution, the event that shaped the modern political history in Egypt, and significantly inspired other countries in different parts of the world, especially those who were struggling to achieve their independence. The first Egyptian Republic was then established to lead the path of modernization, development and social justice in Egypt.

Not many years later, and in the spirit of solidarity among nations aspiring for independence and development, Egypt and Vietnam established diplomatic relations in 1963, and they both celebrated the 60th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations, and their longstanding friendship last year.

In recent years, the friendship between Egypt and Vietnam had its highest political manifestation in the historic exchanged state visits of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to Vietnam in September 2017, and the late president of Vietnam Tran Dai Quang to Egypt in August 2018. These visits contributed further momentum to relations between the two countries and peoples in all fields, including politics, economics, parliamentary affairs, and culture.

Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic ties between Egypt and Vietnam continued to grow, with their two-way trade turnover reaching almost US$600 million in 2022. In addition, Egypt and Vietnam actively resumed the exchange of bilateral visits, and the ninth session of the political consultations between both countries was held in Hanoi in September 2022. Currently, the two countries are working closely to prepare for the sixth session of the Egypt - Vietnam Joint Committee in the coming months, cited VOV.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (R) receives Egyptian Ambassador to Vietnam Amal Abdel Kader Almorsi Salama in Hanoi in July 2023.

Indeed, last year witnessed an increasing momentum of bilateral relations, and an increasing number of bilateral visits took place, the most prominent of which were the visit of H.E Tran Luu Quang, Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam in July, and the visit of H.E. To Lam, President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to Cairo in December in his capacity as the Minister of Public Security. We are also coordinating closely this year to arrange more high level visits to be exchanged between both countries, in addition to giving impetus to all bilateral cooperation mechanisms, with a view to boosting economic, political, and cultural ties between the two brotherly countries.

Among other fields of cooperation, cultural cooperation continues to be a very important pillar of bilateral relations. Several joint activities took place in recent years, including cultural festivals and events organized by the two countries. In addition, there is an increasing number of Vietnamese students choosing to study Arabic language in Egypt. Such fruitful cooperation further contributes to raising the awareness of the young generations about the Egypt – Vietnam friendship, and consolidating the cultural links between the two countries.

On the national level, the Egyptian Government has also launched a successful economic reform program since 2016, together with the Egypt Vision 2030 that reflects the country's long-term strategic plan to achieve the principles and goals of sustainable development in all fields.

Egypt is also witnessing real development progress in many fields, where many cities are currently being completed, in addition to the new administrative capital, and an extensive network of roads and tunnels have been constructed. Many national initiatives have been launched such as “a decent life”, which contributes to enhancing the quality of daily public services provided to Egyptian citizens, and the “The Future of Egypt” project which aims to reclaim and develop 1.5 million acres in Egypt.

The Government has adopted two national strategies in the field of hydrogen and the electric car industry, and its successful program regarding renewable energy projects, and electrical interconnection projects with neighboring countries, along with developing international and domestic airports and ports. Also, the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZONE) is adopting an investor-friendly business environment that will be a cornerstone for national development plans.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere congratulations to Vietnam for its impressive socio-economic achievements in recent years, and the increasing proactive role Vietnam is playing on the regional and international scene to help maintain peace and stability. I am confident that under the current leadership of both our nations, Egypt and Vietnam will continue to explore together the bright future of their friendship and cooperation, and further enhance traditional ties between both countries, and brotherly relations between our two peoples.

Vietnamese small and medium enterprises decide to 'play big'

Vietnamese SMEs' (small and medium enterprises) online exports have been increasing, and are expected to help raise Vietnam’s cross-border e-commerce value to US$10 billion by 2026.

“Google Singapore office has a room for officers to work out in the gym and I often go there after working hours. One day, I saw a brand there, Yes4All. I searched the name on Google and realized that this is a Vietnamese brand.

“Later, the brand appeared at other Google offices all over the globe. I asked myself how a Vietnamese company could do this. When connecting with Yes4All, I found the answer: the business exports its products via Amazon cross-border e-commerce platform for the last many years,” Brandon Thanh Do, in charge of developing clients in Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand for Google, related.

Working with Yes4All, Brandon realized the difficulties faced by Vietnamese enterprises after successful online exports: the limited resources for investment and market expansion.

“We then proposed to Amazon and Yes4All that Google can support them in terms of platform, warehouse and logistics, and payment as well. In fact, on Google Search, YouTube and other platforms owned by Google, many users have demand for buying products on Amazon. We worked with the marketing team from Yes4All on solutions to lead Google and YouTube users to the Yes4All stall on Amazon,” he continued.

“With the solution, Yes4All doesn’t have to set up a new website, and doesn’t have to run a payment channel or a new warehouse, while it still can access more clients,” he said, explaining that cooperation of different parties can help Vietnamese businesses better approach the international market.

Just within one week after Brandon and his team tried the first five Yes4All products, the enterprise’s sales on Amazon increased sharply with the ROAS (return on ad spend) of 340 percent.

Vietnamese SMEs like Yes4All now have a lot of opportunities for online exports. With new technologies, they can access international markets and customers quickly and easily via online channels, cited VNN.

Photo: VNN

International consumers have become open to imports, according to Brandon. Five years ago, Australian consumers were not interested in imports, including made-in-USA ones, because they preferred domestic products. But in recent years, their habits have changed and Made-in-Vietnam fine art products have become more favored in the country.

Google has recently launched useful tools for enterprises to use for free to export Vietnamese products. Google Trend helps find potential markets, while Market Finder helps find markets which have demand for products available on websites.

5th largest export industry

Analysts said Vietnamese enterprises now have great advantages in the global cross-border e-commerce playing field as it ranks fifth among top 10 countries in terms of e-commerce retail turnover growth in 2022 as announced by eMarketer (Brazil 22.2 percent, Indonesia 23 percent, India 25.5 percent, the Philippines 25.9 percent and Vietnam 19 percent).

Access Partnership recently showed a scenario for Vietnam’s cross-border e-commerce development with encouraging figures. It is expected that by 2027, participation of SMEs would help boost B2 e-commerce exports by 2.4 times compared with the conventional business trajectory, reaching US$12 billion (VND296.3 trillion), thus helping to boost trade surplus.

Meanwhile, AlphaBeta predicted that Vietnam’s annual average cross-border e-commerce in 2021-2026 may reach 20 percent with value expected to reach US$10 billion (VND256.1 trillion) by 2026.

“The figure of US$10 billion is really significant. By that time, B2C cross-border e-commerce retail will become the fifth largest export industry in Vietnam among top 10 business fields with export turnover of trillions of dong,” said Trinh Khac Toan from Amazon Global Selling Vietnam.

Amazon reported that the number of products exported via Amazon has increased by 300 percent over the last five years. In 2023 alone, more than 17 million Vietnamese products were sold via Amazon, and the export value of Vietnamese enterprises via Amazon soared by 50 percent compared with the same period in 2022.

Toan, who has been accompanying thousands of Vietnamese enterprises in cross-border e-commerce for four years, recommended that Vietnamese should join the cross-border e-commerce right now, or they will be left behind in 2-3 years.

He stressed that there are three benefits that the model can bring to enterprises. First, they can control goods flow and get reactions from target markets. Second, they can better control cash flow. Third, they can build global brands, an important asset for businesses.

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