Vietnam News Today (Jul. 28): Vietnam, Japan Foster Cooperation in Renewable, Clean Energy Projects

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha (sixth from right) and other delegates at the reception. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam, Japan foster cooperation in renewable, clean energy projects

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha on July 27 hosted a reception for Steven Winn, Chief Global Strategist and Senior Managing Executive Officer of JERA Co. Inc.

Ha highly appreciated Japanese large corporations, including JERA Co.Inc., for actively researching and proposing investment in renewable and clean energy projects to contribute to the implementation of the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), Vietnam's commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero, and Japan's Asian Zero Emission Community (AZEC) initiative.

The Deputy PM affirmed that Vietnam is a developing country but has made very strong commitments to net-zero gas emissions and JETP.

Ha said he hoped that Japanese and Vietnamese energy enterprises will closely cooperate in the implementation of clean and renewable energy projects in line with the National Power Development Plan for 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050 (known as the National Power Development Plan VIII) in the spirit of "transferring technology for mutual development and profit sharing".

The Deputy PM suggested JERA Co. Inc. participate in the pilot energy project under the AZEC initiative in Vietnam.

The Government, ministries and agencies of Vietnam will actively remove difficulties and obstacles related to procedures and create favourable conditions for JERA in the deployment as well as take advantage of mechanisms so that the price is affordable to users in the country, Ha added.

He went on to say that JERA has carried out an emission reduction strategy effectively in Japan and hoped that it will also achieve this goal in Vietnam, cited VNA.

For his part, Winn said JERA is looking for investment opportunities in Vietnam in the fields of gas-fueled power and offshore wind power with the most advanced technologies.

He told his host that JERA leaders are looking forwards to participating in the conversion of coal-fired power plants to gas-fueled power plants with new kinds of fuel such as green hydrogen, green ammonia and biomass in the Southeast Asian country.

Egypt pledges best possible conditions for Vietnamese business operations

Egypt is willing to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese businesses to come and operate efficiently in the country, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly told Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang during their talks in Cairo on July 27.

Madbouly said Egyptian businesses are increasingly interested in the Vietnamese market thanks to its political stability and favourable business and investment environment, and they wish to further strengthen economic, trade and investment cooperation with Vietnam.

For his part, Quang, who is in Egypt for a working visit, welcomed Egypt’s goodwill and agreed that the two countries hold great potential for stronger cooperation, especially in the fields of trade, investment and agriculture.

To create a breakthrough in future trade cooperation, he proposed that the two countries examine the possibility of negotiating the Vietnam-Egypt Free Trade Agreement, and jointly produce Halal food according to the bilateral or multi-party model in either Vietnam or Egypt.

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly (L) shaking hands with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang who is in Cairo for a working visit to Egypt. (Photo: VGP)

The two leaders agreed that both sides would increase the exchange of business delegations, jointly organize trade and investment promotion events in each country, facilitate market access for each other’s strong export items such as agricultural products, garments and fertilizers. They will encourage and support their businesses to strengthen connections and participate in investment projects in each country.

They agreed to prepare well and soon organize the sixth meeting of the Vietnam-Egypt Joint Committee, and at the same time to promote the completion of the legal framework for multifaceted cooperation between the two countries, according to VOV.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang expressed his wish that Egypt would continue to provide scholarships for Vietnamese students to come and study Arabic and other fields of the country’s strengths. He also proposed that the Egyptian government create favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community in Egypt to integrate well, stabilize their lives and work in their host country, contributing to enhancing mutual understanding and cooperation between the two countries.

On this occasion, Quang respectfully conveyed Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s invitation to Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly to visit Vietnam soon. He also suggested that the two sides actively coordinate and support each other at international forums.

Immediately after the talks, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang and Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the State Bank of Vietnam and the Central Bank of Egypt.

Vietnamese officer to take on UN peacekeeping mission in Abyei

The Ministry of National Defence on July 27 held a ceremony to hand over the President’s decision to an officer who will take on United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission in the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) Mission in Abyei on the border of South Sudan and Sudan.

Under the decision, Lieutenant Colonel Dang Quoc Tuan, deputy head of the Department of Foreign Languages and Vietnamese Language, Faculty of Culture and Foreign Languages under the Political Officers College, will be sent to the UNISFA Mission (Abyei area) to take the duty of combat staff officer.

At the event (Photo: VNA)

Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Defence Minister Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien said that the average rate of excellent completion of tasks by Vietnamese forces participating in peacekeeping operations is 31%. The United Nations, its missions, and local people highly appreciated the Vietnamese forces’ performance.

The deputy minister expected Lt Col Tuan will continue upholding the tradition of Vietnamese soldiers and “blue-beret” soldiers to complete assigned tasks, while promoting the image of Vietnam and the Vietnam People's Army in the multilateral external environment, reported VNA.

Up to now, Vietnam has sent 600 officials and employees including 596 military officers and four public security officers to UN peacekeeping missions in Abyei, Central African Republic and South Sudan, UN Headquarters, and a EU training mission.

According to the evaluation of UN missions and agencies, Vietnamese officers have made great efforts to fulfil their assignments, demonstrating their professionalism, discipline, creativity, and determination. Through practical contributions, Vietnamese peacekeepers have left many very good impressions on mission leaders, commanding officers of military forces, and international colleagues.

Meteor extravaganza expected in Vietnam on July 28 evening

Vietnamese amateur astronomers who enjoy gazing at the stars will have the chance to catch a glimpse of the Delta Aquarids meteor shower due to occur between midnight on July 28 and the early morning of July 29.

Experts of the Vietnam Astronomy and Cosmography Association (VACA) suggested looking towards the constellation of Aquarius in the southeastern part of the sky, which will be the centre of the meteor shower, cited VOV.

Photo: VOV

They added that observers don't require any special equipment or a lot of skills to view the upcoming meteor shower which will have the appearance of about 15 to 20 meteors each hour.

Moreover, if local sky gazers miss the event, they will also have a unique opportunity to witness the peak of the Perseids meteor shower due between midnight on August 12 and early morning of August 13. with about 80 meteors expected to blaze across the skies every hour.

A meteor shower is a celestial event in which a number of meteors radiate from one point in the night sky. These meteors are typically caused by streams of cosmic debris, called meteoroids, which enter the Earth’s atmosphere at extremely high speeds on parallel trajectories.

Typhoon Doksuri unlikely to affect Vietnamese mainland

Typhoon Doksuri, the second tropical storm hitting the East Sea this year, is predicted not to affect to the mainland of Vietnam.

Nguyen Van Huong, head of the Weather Forecasting Office under the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said on Thursday morning that the typhoon already passed the northern part of Luzon Island of the Philippines and entered the north-east section of the East Sea (internationally known as South China Sea).

Huong said the typhoon is expected to enter China’s Fujian Province and not affect the mainland of Vietnam.

The direction of the typhoon on Thursday morning. Photo: nchmf.gov.vn

The centre said by 10am on Thursday morning, the typhoon was about 380km southeast of China’s Hong Kong with the strongest wind speed at its eye of up to 149km per hour, cited VNS.

By 10am on Saturday, the typhoon was moving northwest at a speed of 20km per hour and will gradually weaken as it makes landfall.

Huong said due to the influence of the typhoon, the northern part of the East Sea is seeing strong winds and seas have been rough. The eastern part of the East Sea had high waves of six to eight metres.

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