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Vice Secretary of the Central Military Commission and Defence Minister Sen. Lieut. Gen Phan Van Giang (R) receives Ambassador of the Philippines to Vietnam Meynardo Los Banos Montealegre. Photo: qdnd.vn

Vietnam aspires to boost defence ties with Philippines and Singapore

Sen. Lieut. Gen. Phan Van Giang, vice secretary of the Central Military Commission and Defence Minister, held separate receptions for the Ambassador of the Philippines to Vietnam Meynardo Los Banos Montealegre and the Ambassador of Singapore Jaya Ratnam.

The Vietnamese minister congratulated the two ambassadors on their appointment, and thanked the two countries for their support for Vietnam during the year Vietnam served as Chair of ASEAN in 2020.

Giang expressed his belief that the diplomats will fulfill their important task, contributing to further promoting the Vietnam – Philippines and Vietnam – Singapore strategic partnerships, cited Vietnamplus.

Minister Giang and Philippine Ambassador Montealegres highly valued the implementation of the defence cooperation agreement between their defence ministries, saying that the bilateral defence relations have been deepened with practical results in many fields such as delegation exchange, dialogue, consultation, training and cooperation within the multilateral framework.

Vice Secretary of the Central Military Commission and Defence Minister Sen. Lieut. Gen Phan Van Giang (R) hosts Ambassador of Singapore Jaya Ratnam. Photo: qdnd.vn

During the reception for the Singaporean Ambassador, both sides affirmed the results of the implementation of the Agreement on Bilateral Defence Cooperation, including delegation exchanges at all levels, the exchange of young officers, and naval and military medicine co-operation. Therefore, both sides consented to accelerate the organisation of a number of appropriate activities through an online format, such as defence policy dialogues at a deputy ministerial level and meetings of the Joint Working Group on bilateral defense co-operation. This is alongside the Navy Joint Working Group and Channel 1.5 Security Dialogue and co-operation in Covid-19 prevention and control.

Both sides also agreed to continue finalising procedures and to sign a bilateral defence co-operation agreement between both governments this year which will replace the Agreement on Bilateral Defence Cooperation, first signed in 2009, according to VOV.

This will serve to contribute to strengthening intra-regional solidarity and elevating ASEAN's position among the region and the wider world.

Vietnam, China foster defence ties

The Vietnamese Government and Defence Ministry have always attached importance to the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Vietnam and China, considering this a premise to strengthen the bilateral defence ties.

The statement was made by Deputy Minister of Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien at a reception for China’s outgoing defence attaché to Vietnam Colonel Luo Bin, and newly-appointed one Colonel Pan Tao.

Deputy Minister of Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien (right) and China's newly-appointed defence attaché Colonel Pan Tao. Photo: bienphong.com.vn

Chien said over the past more than seven decades, the bilateral defence cooperation has developed continuously, particularly after the two defence ministries signed a protocol on defence collaboration.

Cooperation activities have been made routine, with increasingly diverse forms and more pragmatic outcomes, he continued, cited Vietnamplus.

According to the officer, the two sides have maintained the exchange of high-ranking delegations, as well as cooperation mechanisms between naval forces, coast guards and institutes, and in military medicine in a flexible manner.

Land border cooperation has also been implemented fruitfully, contributing to building a border area of peace, stability and development, Chien said.

Aquatic product exports rise 14 percent in five months

Vietnam earned US$790 million from exporting aquatic products in May, lifting the total figure in the first five months of this year to nearly US$3.3 billion, a year-on-year rise of 14 percent.

According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), after a 23 percent increase in April, shrimp exports continued to maintain a growth rate of 25 percent in May with turnover reaching US$375 million.

By the end of May, Vietnam's shrimp exports had raked in US$1.34 billion, up 14 percent over the same period last year.

Processing shrimp for export. Photo: VNA

Tra fish (pangasius) exports also witnessed a higher-than-expected recovery with growth of 26 percent, valued at US$134 million. Pangasius export turnover in the first five months of the year reached US$623 million, an increase of 12 percent year-on-year, cited Vietnamplus.

Seafood exports still achieved a strong growth rate of 14.5 percent over the same period last year, reaching a turnover of US$1.3 billion in the first five months of this year.

Especially, in April and May, tuna exports achieved an impressive increase, 1.5 times higher than the same period last year. This is a positive signal for exports in the coming months.

According to the VASEP, the current supply of aquatic materials for processing is stable, especially for shrimp and pangasius products while seafood materials is more difficult due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, the main factor determining the recovery of Vietnam's seafood exports in the current period is the market.

Accordingly, the US, EU and member countries of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) are the markets that play a dominant role in the growth of Vietnam's seafood exports.

Military-developed robot sent to Bac Giang to support Covid-19 fight

A medical robot manufactured by the Military Technology Academy to support Covid-19 prevention and control activities was sent to the current largest pandemic hot spot in the northern province of Bac Giang.

A Vibot can carry goods weighing 100 kilos. Photo: qdnd.vn)

The robot, called “Vibot,” is the result of a scientific research project conducted by the academy since April 2020.

It has been piloted in Bac Thang Long Hospital and the second facility of Bach Mai Hospital with positive results, according to VOV.

In Bac Giang, Vibot will take the charge of transporting food, medicine, necessities and other stuff from outside to patient rooms, taking trash from the rooms to garbage collection areas, and serving remote conversations between the patients and their family members.

Noi Bai, Tan Son Nhat airports continue receiving foreign arrivals

The Noi Bai international airport in Hanoi and Tan Son Nhat international airport in Ho Chi Minh city will continue receiving passengers from abroad.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) informed the latest decision in an urgent dispatch sent to airlines, the airports, and the Southern and Northern Airports Authorities, which replaced the decision on suspending the reception of foreign arrivals at the two airports under document 2276/CHK-VTHK dated May 31, cited Vietnamplus.

International arrivals at the Noi Bai international airport. Photo: VNA

Accordingly, the process of reviewing and deciding on flight permits is the same as before.

In order to minimize the risk of spreading the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, the CAAV has instead decided to limit domestic flights to Tan Son Nhat International Airport for two weeks starting from June 1, VOV reported.

According to the plan from June 1 to June 14, domestic airlines will only be able to operate a maximum of 63 round-trip flights to Tan Son Nhat International Airport per day. The CAAV has also requested that units continue to strictly enforce anti-pandemic regulations.

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