Vietnam News Today (Jul. 9): UNDP, Vietnam Discuss Ways to Promote Circular Agriculture

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Photo: VOV

UNDP, Vietnam discuss ways to promote circular agriculture

A policy dialogue conference was held in Hanoi on July 8 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Vietnam to discuss stepping up international cooperation and multi-sectoral coordination for circular agriculture.

In his speech, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien underlined Vietnam's commitment to a circular economy, and existing policies and directives, including Article 142 of the 2020 Law on Environmental Protection.

The agricultural sector has intensified the application and implementation of circular agriculture, explicitly addressed in the 2021-2030 strategy for sustainable agriculture and rural development (with a vision to 2050), and a scheme promoting the application and transfer of sci-tech for a circular agricultural economy by 2030, he said.

Ramla Khalidi, UNDP Resident Representative in Vietnam, hailed Vietnam's efforts to fulfill its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) - commitments made under the Paris Agreement. She acknowledged the multifaceted benefits of circular agriculture – addressing climate change goals, sharpening economic competitiveness, and protecting human health and ecosystems.

She called for stronger collaboration to build and perform circular economy policies. This includes ensuring equitable investment allocation, strengthening knowledge sharing and cooperation, and leveraging the power of agricultural value chains and sci-tech for communication campaigns to raise awareness, cited VOV.

UNDP, she reaffirmed, remains committed to supporting the Vietnamese Government in this journey.

Representatives from international and non-governmental organizations, the private sector, ministries and agencies shared insights on international cooperation mechanisms, interdisciplinary coordination to promote circular agriculture practices, and successful case studies.

Participants underlined public-private partnerships in the success of circular agriculture, with the private sector applying sci-tech to put forth relevant initiatives.

US Navy, Coast Guard ships visit Khanh Hoa province

The US Navy’s 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge and US Coast Guard Cutter Waesche arrived at Cam Ranh International Port on July 8, starting a five-day visit to the south-central province of Khanh Hoa.

Leaders of the Naval Region 4 of the Vietnam People's Navy and Coast Guard Region 3, along with representatives of Khanh Hoa province and other Vietnamese agencies held a welcome ceremony for the visiting US crews.

Later on the same day, Commander of the 7th Fleet and leaders of the ships paid a courtesy call to leaders of the Khanh Hoa provincial People’s Committee, according to VNA.

The United States Navy’s 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge docked at Cam Ranh International Port, Khanh Hoa Province. (Photo: VNA)

Standing Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Le Huu Hoang emphasized the importance of the US ships’ visit as the US has celebrated the 248th anniversary of its Independence Day (July 4) and the two countries are marking 29 years since the normalization of diplomatic ties (July 12, 1995 – 2024).

The visit is expected to further promote the friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and the US, he said.

For his part, US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper affirmed that Khanh Hoa has organized various activities to contribute to the development of the US-Vietnam relationship.

The US will assist Khanh Hoa in attracting investment, especially in the fields of high technology and tourism, in the coming time, he added.

During the port visit, leaders of the 7th Fleet, USS Blue Ridge and CGC Waesche will also meet with the leaderships of the Vietnam People’s Navy and the Vietnam Coast Guard.

Crew members and the 7th Fleet staff will participate in professional expertise exchange events with units of the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence, community activities and sport exchange events.

As the 7th Fleet flagship, Blue Ridge is the oldest operational ship in the US Navy. This is the second time USS Blue Ridge has come to Vietnam since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1995.

President To Lam to visit Laos and Cambodia in first international trip

Accepting invitations from General Secretary and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith and King Norodom Sihamoni of Cambodia, President To Lam will undertake state visits to Laos and Cambodia from July 11 to 13.

This marks his first international trip as President of Vietnam.

In May, leaders from Laos and Cambodia sent congratulatory messages to President To Lam following his election by the National Assembly.

General Secretary and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith expressed his eagerness to collaborate with President To Lam to strengthen the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties, States, and peoples of Laos and Vietnam, ensuring these relations continue to flourish, reported VNN.

President To Lam. Photo: Hoang Ha

King Norodom Sihamoni of Cambodia voiced his confidence that Vietnam would achieve significant success and rapid development across various fields, maintaining its important role in the region and the world. The King also expressed his hope that the bonds between the people of Vietnam and Cambodia would continue to grow closer, fostering peace, stability, cooperation, and further development.

Vietnam and Laos continue to enhance high-level exchanges and bilateral cooperation mechanisms. Defense and security cooperation remains a crucial pillar in their relationship. Bilateral trade in the first five months of 2024 reached US$780 million, an 11% increase compared to the same period in 2023. Vietnam currently has 255 active projects in Laos, with a total investment of about US$5.5 billion, which are increasingly proving effective.

The leaders of Vietnam and Cambodia maintain regular interactions and exchanges, with bilateral cooperation mechanisms continuing to demonstrate their effectiveness. Economic cooperation remains a highlight in their relations, achieving the bilateral trade target of US$10 billion ahead of schedule in 2022 and now aiming for US$20 billion.

Vietnam an ideal destination for expats: InterNations

For the fourth consecutive year, Vietnam is the most affordable country in the world for expats, ranking first out of 53 destinations when it comes to personal finances, according to a 2024 InterNations study.

Vietnam also came in 40th place for quality of life, 29th place for expat essentials such as digital life, housing and language, and ranked 14th for working abroad — with considerations like career prospects, salary and job security factored in.

More than 12,000 expats across 174 countries and territories worldwide participated in the broader Expat Insider 2024 survey which provided insights including the best and worst places to live, quality of life, working abroad and personal finance.

For the Personal Finance Index, InterNations asked survey respondents to rank their personal satisfaction levels in three areas: general cost of living, satisfaction with financial situation, and whether disposable household income was enough to lead a comfortable life.

This data was used to compile the report which remains largely unchanged from last year, with the exception of a new entrant to the list — Brazil (ninth) — replacing Malaysia, which dropped from fifth in 2023 to 11th this year.

Other top destinations expats said are best for their personal finances include Campuchia, Indonesia, Panama, the Philippines, India, Mexico, Thailand, Brazil and China, cited VNA.

Vietnam an ideal destination for expats: InterNations (Photo: VNA)

Out of surveyed expats living in Vietnam, 86% rated its cost of living favorably — that’s more than twice the global average of 40%, and 65% of respondents in the country said they are satisfied with their financial situation compared to 54% globally, according to the report.

In addition, 68% of respondents said their disposable household income is more than enough to lead a comfortable life, compared to 41% globally, the survey showed.

Not only are costs of living low, expats tend to be paid more in Vietnam. Close to double the global average report a gross yearly income of US$150,000 or more.

In addition, general job satisfaction is also very high among expats in the country. Vietnam jumped from 24th rank last year to 3rd in 2024 for this factor, which is part of the “Work Culture & Satisfaction” subcategory, said Kathrin Chudoba, chief marketing officer for InterNations.

Generally, “work-life balance trumps career advancement” in Vietnam, according to the report. Notably, less than half (46%) of the country’s expat population works full time, compared to the global average of 57%. About one in five expats (21%) works part-time, and about 18% of expats are retired.

Along with measuring expats’ satisfaction with their personal finances, the InterNations Expat Insider study also gathered data on what the overall best destinations are for expats globally.

This broader list explores how expats feel across other aspects of life abroad, based on five indices: general happiness, quality of life, ease of settling in, working abroad and their “expat essentials” index, which is based on administration, housing, digital life and language.

Out of 53 destinations globally, four Asian countries made it into the overall top 10 list this year: Indonesia (third overall), Thailand (sixth overall), Vietnam (eighth overall) and the Philippines (ninth overall).

Nine local higher education institutions among Best Global Universities Rankings

A total of nine Vietnamese higher education institutions feature in the Best Global Universities Rankings 2024-2025, which was recently released by News & World Report of the United States.

The local education establishments which made this year’s list include Duy Tan University, Ton Duc Thang University, Vietnam National University-Hanoi (the VNU-Hanoi), Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-Ho Chi Minh City), Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Hue University, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, and Can Tho University.

The latest rankings come after Best Global Universities rated a total of 2,250 universities across 104 countries and territories worldwide, reported VOV.

Regarding the methodology in judging the higher education institutions, the list assesses universities according to 13 indicators, focusing on research reputation (through surveys) and research quality through data analysis published in the Clarivate Analytics InCites database.

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