Vietnam News Today (March 27): Third working day of 14th National Assembly’s 11th session

	Vietnam News Today (March 26): Vietnam demands China end violation of Vietnam’s sovereignty in East Sea
	Vietnam News Today (March 25): National Assembly to scrutinize Government’s Performance, elect New Leaders
	Vietnam News Today (March 24): Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union solemnly marks 90th anniversary

The third working day of 14th National Assembly’s 11th session. (Photo: quochoi.vn)

Third working day of 14th National Assembly’s 11th session

The 14th National Assembly continued the third working day of its 11th session on March 26.

Legislators attended a plenary session in the morning under the chair of NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan to discuss a draft working report of the 14th National Assembly, along with working reports of the NA Standing Committee, the Council for Ethnic Affairs and committees of the legislature.

The session was broadcast live by Radio The Voice of Vietnam, Vietnam Television and the NA’s television channel.

The 14th National Assembly continued the third working day of its 11th session on March 26.

Legislators attended a plenary session in the morning under the chair of NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan to discuss a draft working report of the 14th National Assembly, along with working reports of the NA Standing Committee, the Council for Ethnic Affairs and committees of the legislature.

The session was broadcast live by Radio The Voice of Vietnam, Vietnam Television and the NA’s television channel.

Agencies of the NA have made efforts to unite, reform, actively coordinate closely with the Government and relevant agencies to fulfill their assigned tasks, NDO reported.

Vietnam, UK exchange official notes of UKVFTA

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs To Anh Dung on March 26 chaired a ceremony to exchange official notes between Vietnam and the UK confirming the effective date of the UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA).

The UKVFTA was officially signed in London, the UK on December 29, 2020 and was applied temporarily from January 1, 2021.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs To Anh Dung (R) and UK Ambassador to Vietnam Gareth Ward (Photo: VNA)

This is the 3rd "new generation" FTA that Vietnam has signed with its foreign partners, helping maintain and further strengthen the economic - trade cooperation with the UK, which is one of the major and important partners of Vietnam.

Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy FM Dung and UK Ambassador to Vietnam Gareth Ward acknowledged and appreciated the efforts of the two nations' agencies, ministries and sectors in accelerating the early completion of relevant procedures for ratification of the trade pact.

This agreement will help Vietnam maintain preferential trade conditions and economic benefits through market-opening commitments already included in the EU-Vietnam FTA (EVFTA).

Accordingly, the UKVFTA makes it easier for the two countries to further promote their cooperation in financial - banking services and e-commerce. In addition, it also promotes the protection of intellectual property, geographical indication, clean growth, and sustainable development, according to NDO.

Cross-border control tightened against coronavirus threats

Cross-border control should be tightened to prevent the SARS-CoV-2 virus entering the territory, agreed members of the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control at a meeting in Hanoi on March 26. The officials raised concerns about the possibility of virus transmission within the community if illegal entrants carrying the virus are not detected in a timely manner.

“Those who illegally enter the territory must be strictly dealt with according to the law,” stressed Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, who is also head of the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

“It is impossible for few individuals to cause great harm to the whole society if the epidemic spreads,” said Dam.

He requested local police to encourage families with relatives living abroad to return to their homeland legally if they wish.

He also called on local residents to notify authorities of the presence of those who come back from the coronavirus hit areas or from abroad without declarations according to regulations.

Vietnam on March 26 confirmed two coronavirus infections that had illegally entered the territory from a neighbouring country, as reported by VOV.

Chinese national among seven new COVID-19 cases

Seven new imported COVID-19 cases were confirmed on Friday, raising the national patient tally to 2,586.

Six of the latest patients are Vietnamese while the other is a Chinese national, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

Specifically, patients 2580 – 2581 are illegal entrants who entered the country on a fishing vessel that arrived in Phu Quoc Island of the southern province of Kien Giang on March 22.

One of them travelled by boat from the island to the mainland before taking a bus to Ho Chi Minh City while the other flew to Ha Noi via Vietjet Air flight VJ458 before travelling to the northern port city of Hai Phong in a private car.

(Photo: VNE)

Both of them went to medical facilities in Ho Chi Minh City and Hai Phong on March 24 for medical check and were confirmed positive for COVID-19 the next day.

Patient 2582 is a 30-year-old man repatriated from Japan on March 24. Patient 2583 is a 28-year-old woman who returned to the country on March 25 via Moc Bai International Border Gate in the southern province of Tay Ninh.

Patient 2584 is a 33-year-old man who flew from the United Arab Emirates to Ho Chi Minh City on March 10. Patient 2585 is a 44-year-old Chinese man who illegally entered Viet Nam on March 23 via the Moc Bai International Border Gate. He is being treated at the Binh Duong Provincial General Hospital.

Patient 2586 is a 26-year-old woman in Kien Thuy District of the port city of Hai Phong. She illegally entered Viet Nam’s Kien Giang Province on March 22 and then flew from Phu Quoc Island to Ha Noi and travelled to Hai Phong, VGP said.

PM orders proactive response to saline intrusion, water shortage in Mekong Delta

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has ordered concerned ministries and Mekong Delta provinces to proactively respond to saline intrusion and water shortage in the coming months in an official dispatch.

The Mekong Delta has been struck by drought, saline intrusion and water shortage since the beginning of 2021 due to weather conditions, water flows upstream and impacts of tides, he said, adding that it has driven clean water prices up and affected the locals’ life and production.

According to VGP, since saltwater intrusion is forecast to linger on in April, the Prime Minister asked the concerned ministries, governmental agencies, and municipal and provincial People’s Committees in the region to take proactive actions to address the issue in the 2020 – 2021 dry season. People must not be left short of fresh water, according to the official dispatch.

(Photo: Vietnam Plus)

People’s Committees of cities and provinces, particularly those coastal, must keep a close watch on the situation and adopt response measures suitable to their particular context. They must identify high-risk areas where people should be prioritized with access to clean water while the deployment of military and public security forces is possible, if necessary, to help provide clean water for affected people.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development was tasked with monitoring and giving forecasts on water resources, water quality and saline intrusion; and promptly providing information and warnings for affected cities, provinces and people.

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