Vietnam fosters cross-border e-commerce in ASEAN. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam fosters cross-border e-commerce in ASEAN

The vigorous growth of e-commerce in recent years has created a golden opportunity for businesses to enter the export market more conveniently, heard a workshop on supporting businesses to participate in cross-border e-commerce in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Ho Chi Minh City on June 21.

Organised by the Vietnam E-commerce and Digital Economy Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), the event formed part of the ASEAN Online Sale 2023, aiming to bolster e-commerce in the region while accelerating the implementation of ASEAN Free Trade Agreements.

Le Hoang Anh, Director of the Vietnam E-commerce and Digital Economy Agency, revealed that in the 2022 reports of Google, Temasek and Brain & Company focusing on six countries namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, 20 million people used online platforms for the first time in 2022, raising the total number of internet users in the region to 460 million.

According to Statista’s report, ASEAN is forecast to achieve a dual annual growth rate of 11.43% in the next five years, equivalent to developed countries in the world such as the US, China and Canada.

Revenue from e-commerce is expected to reach 113.9 billion USD by the end of 2023 and the figure is projected to hit 175 billion USD by 2027, cited VNA.

Oanh said that the emergence of e-commerce platforms has also played a vital part in the overall development of e-commerce in the ASEAN region. Shopee, a mobile-centric marketplace where users can browse, shop and sell products, is evaluated as the most outstanding platform, accounting for 44% of the region’s total revenue. With this growth, the digital economy in ASEAN is on track to grow to 1 billion USD by 2030.

Squall Wang, Managing Director of UPS in Vietnam, said that to enter to the e-commerce market, enterprises need to reinvent or cement their supply chains, digitalise processes more effectively and have a better understanding about customs regulations when they bring their products to the world.

Small- and medium-sized enterprises should not worry about investing in sophisticated technologies as they can take advantages of free services provided by supporting units.

In Vietnam, cross-border e-commerce has been assessed to have great potential and it is in line with policies on the development of the digital economy set forth by the government, and at the same time, this will be an effective supplementary channel for traditional international trade to bring into play advantages of technology, helping Vietnamese products reach more to customers worldwide.

Korea Coast Guard commissioner general visits Vietnam

Minister of Public Security Gen. To Lam received and held talks with Commissioner General Kim Jong-uk of the Korea Coast Guard in Hanoi on June 21.

Lam welcomed Kim’s visit which he said creates an important opportunity for the two sides to exchange and concretize cooperation directions.

He noted that relations between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea are recording comprehensive development achievements in almost all fields, from economic cooperation and to people-to-people exchanges.

Cooperation between the Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam and the Korea Coast Guard has also yielded many positive results, he said.

Minister of Public Security Gen. To Lam (R) welcomes Commissioner General Kim Jong-uk of the Korea Coast Guard in Hanoi on June 21. (Photo: Ministry of Public Security)

According to the General, the two sides have actively coordinated to quickly implement cooperation programmes following their meeting in April 2023. They are expected to soon sign a memorandum of understanding to establish their long-term cooperation commitments and realise an action programme to implement the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

He highly appreciated the Korea Coast Guard’s decision to sponsor patrol boats for the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security, helping to combat transnational crime and strengthen search and rescue capacity for the Vietnamese police force, according to VOV.

Commissioner General Kim Jong-uk for his part affirmed that his agency would promote the completion of key cooperation contents between the two sides, including the handing over of the patrol boats to the Vietnamese side alongside technical support and maintenance services on offer.

The two sides agreed to increase visit exchanges to gain an insight into the operation of the Korea Coast Guard and the traffic police in charge of waterways of Vietnam, and then propose specific cooperation plans.

Seminar explores Vietnam - UK partnerships in innovation, education

A seminar on the Vietnam - UK partnerships in innovation and education was held by the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK, the Vietnamese Intellectual Society in the UK and Ireland (VIS), and Middlesex University in London on June 19.

The event, part of the Vietnam - UK Friendship Year 2023 in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic ties, attracted professors, lecturers, and students of UK universities, VIS members, and businesses in the innovation industry from both countries.

VIS Chairman Prof. Nguyen Xuan Huan said the event aimed to look back on achievements in bilateral educational and training cooperation and explore chances for strengthening ties in tertiary education, research, and innovation.

It also hoped to introduce Vietnam as an innovative country in such fields as emerging technologies, climate change response, and sustainable development; assess the role of leadership in promoting innovation cooperation and supporting the exchange of resources among universities, sectors, and businesses; and help strengthen connectivity among government agencies, universities, businesses, and related organisations of the two countries to make differences in tertiary education and innovation, he noted.

In his remarks, Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK Nguyen Hoang Long stressed that among the seven cooperation pillars, education, science technology, research, and innovation are important and hold huge development potential, reported VNA.

Speaker at the seminar in London on June 19 (Photo: VNA)

He added the UK is the No 1 partner of Vietnam in tertiary education with over 100 cooperation programmes between the countries. Educational cooperation has also been expanded to general education as Vietnam is working to improve the quality of education and training, including the teaching and learning of English.

Vietnam views the UK, a country with leading education and research quality in the world, as an important partner in education, research, and innovation, the diplomat affirmed, noting that the Vietnamese Embassy recently opened a science - technology office to foster ties in this regard.

He perceived that research partnership will be a new step of development in educational cooperation. He also hoped the number of young Vietnamese postgraduates in the UK will increase in the future.

Also expressing his wish to see more Vietnamese students at his school, Vice-Chancellor of Middlesex University Prof. Nic Beech said the university will consider covering part of tuition fees and granting scholarships for them.

At the event, speakers shared experience and discussed opportunities and prospects for innovation cooperation in emerging technologies, climate change response, and energy transition. They also exchanged views on tertiary education towards sustainable development, management of changes and uncertainties, and maintenance of an ecosystem among the government, industries, and universities.

Vietnam attends New Global Financial Pact Summit

Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha will attend an international summit for a New Global Financing Pact to be held in Paris, France, on June 22-23.

The gathering initiated by French President Emmanuel Macron at the G20 summit 2022 is to build a new contract between the countries of the North and the South to address climate change and the global crisis.

The COVID-19 pandemic, the military conflict in Ukraine and their successive consequences have reduced the fiscal and budgetary space of many countries, affecting their ability to finance their populations’ access to basic social services.

The June 23 summit will therefore seek solutions to finance issues that go beyond the climate question, including access to health and the fight against poverty.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha will attend the Paris summit for a New Global Financing Pact on June 22-23.

Macron’s initiative is said to be in line with the Bridgetown initiative put forward by Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, aiming to facilitate access to international financing for countries most vulnerable to climate change to enable them to better respond to climate challenges.

About 300 delegates representing countries, organisations and business corporations are expected to attend the summit, cited VOV.

Vietnam, one of the countries heavily affected by natural disasters and climate change, identifies green growth as an important strategy towards sustainable development. It therefore looks to respond to climate change and build a green, circular and environmentally friendly economy as evidenced in its strong commitment to net zero emissions by 2050 at COP26 and its decision to enter into a Fair Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) with several G7 countries and other international partners.

Vietnam’s engagement in the Paris summit is to realise its strong and consistent commitment to climate change response, and to demonstrate its responsibility to join hands with the international community in addressing global challenges, said Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang in an interview granted to Vietnam News Agency.

According to the ambassador, Vietnam expects the energy transition to be fair to ensure no one is left behind. Countries that have emitted a lot of greenhouse gases in the past need to fulfill their historical responsibility and support developing countries with finance, technology and capacity building and energy transition. At the same time, developing countries need to have an appropriate transition roadmap taking into account the conditions and circumstances of each country.

Hoi An ancient town kicks off summer festivities

A full stack programme of events has been launched in the Hội An Ancient Town to welcome the summer holidays.

The bulk of the events will take place at Cua Dai Beach, Truong Le paddy-field, the Cham Islands and An Bang Beach. The lineup includes beach volleyball, football, kite flying, and folk dances, as well as foodie events, yoga and scuba diving organised from June 19 to July 22.

The events are part of an annual culture and tourism promotion for domestic and international tourists visiting Hoi An - a UNESCO World Heritage Site - and include rural and craft experiences to broaden visitors' experiences, VNS reported.

Paintings on display on Cửa Đại Beach in Hội An town. Folk games and plays on the beach attract tourists visiting the town. Photo: VNS

Scuba diving and coral reef watching will take place in the Chàm Islands Biosphere Reserve, 18km off the coast of Hoi An.

There will also be a street food festival at the Tan Thanh night market on Nguyen Phan Vinh street near An Bang beach.

Most accommodations, restaurants and travel agencies in Hội An have committed to joining the 'Zero Plastic Waste Tourism' campaign. Many now offer green tours and agri-tourism in places like Tra Que vegetable garden, Thanh Ha pottery village, and Cam Thanh nipa-palm village, as well as in corn farms in Cam Nam Village and carpentry workshops in Cam Kim Village.

The Hoi An mid-autumn Full Moon Festival (on the 14th day of the eighth lunar month) and the annual Nguyen Tieu Festival were recently listed as National Intangible Heritages by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The move reflects the ever-growing interest in the region's potential for tourism and cultural significance.

Other awards for Hoi An included the Thanh Chau bird's nest, Thanh Ha pottery village, the carpentry workshops of Kim Bong and the Tra Que vegetable gardens.

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