Vietnamese Ambassador to Brazil Bui Van Nghi (L) and Brazilian Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Luciana Santos.

Brazil sanguine on huge potential for cooperation with Vietnam

Brazilian Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Luciana Santos highlighted Vietnam as an attractive destination for foreign businesses operating in chip and semiconductor manufacturing and underscored the great potential for cooperation between the two countries at a recent working session with Vietnamese Ambassador to Brazil Bui Van Nghi.

The meeting saw the Ambassador affirm that science and technology cooperation is one of the priority areas between the two countries, especially telecommunications, high technology, semiconductors, and artificial intelligence (AI), big data, quantum science, aerospace, and aircraft.

Ambassador Nghi underlined the need to establish and put into operation the Joint Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation of the two countries as part of efforts to further foster bilateral ties.

The Vietnamese diplomat also expressed a keen desire to learn from Brazil's experience in ethanol biotechnology, the agricultural processing industry, mining, climate change response, and space technology in the near future.

Amid the Vietnamese side launching a regional development strategy and promoting tourism, Ambassador Nghi highly appreciated Brazilian aviation technology, including a narrow-body aircraft produced by Embraer which is suitable for Vietnam's air transport and tourism development needs.

He also noted that the nation has sent messages of condolences to the Presidential Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Rio Grande do Sul state government and the families of the victims of the current historic flood in Brazil that caused great damage to people, property, and infrastructure facilities.

The Government and people of Vietnam always pay attention to and stand alongside Brazilian friends during this difficult time, Ambassador Nghi emphasized.

For her part, Minister Santos affirmed that Vietnam is a country that boasts strong growth and great potential for co-operation in science and technology, cited VOV.

Science, technology, and innovation are one of the foreign policy priorities of President Lula da Silva's administration, with Brazil making every effort to fast-track the implementation of agreements signed with Vietnam.

As planned, a delegation of Brazilian experts will come to work with the Vietnam Ministry of Science and Technology at the end of this month, she added.

Minister Santos also outlined her positive impression of Vietnamese scientific and technological development achievements through her working visit to the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology in November 2023.

Vietnam, and France look to boost economic partnership

Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Quoc Phuong and French Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade, Economic Attractiveness, Francophonie and French Nationals Abroad Franck Riester co-chaired the 8th session of the Vietnam-France High-Level Dialogue on Economy in Paris on May 17.

Addressing the event, Riester underlined the importance of this year's annual dialogue for the two countries which enjoy a dynamic relationship formed through decades of effective co-operation across a variety of fields.

However, he noted that although there have been significant achievements recorded over the past 11 years of strategic partnership, the two countries still need to make greater efforts in order to continue to make new progress and face global challenges together. This should be done while simultaneously taking bilateral relations to new heights in a more sustainable and comprehensive manner.

He described Vietnam as one of the most dynamic economies in ASEAN with an increasing presence in value chains in the Indo-Pacific. Both countries are in a key region for global balance at present, he held.

Vietnam represents also a major strategic economic partner of France in the region and throughout the wider world. Trade between the two countries has more than doubled after 10 years with 7.6 billion EUR (8.27 billion USD) recorded in 2023.

Bilateral investment has also increased significantly over recent years with 1.5 billion EUR of French foreign direct investment (FDI) going to Vietnam.

He said he believes that French businesses can support the country in achieving its ambitions, and expressed his desire to join the Vietnamese side in fulfilling the set climate goals, including the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) which France, through the French Development Agency (AFD), has mobilized 500 million EUR for implementation.

The French official showed his hope that fruitful exchanges during the session will further contribute to deepening mutual understanding, strengthening bilateral relations, and paving the way for closer and more dynamic cooperation between the two countries.

For his part, Phuong said that this session, the first in-person session of the dialogue after the COVID-19 pandemic, is held amid the expanding strategic partnership between the two countries in various fields including politics, diplomacy, security-defense, trade-investment, culture-education, science-technology, and many important landmarks in the traditional bilateral cooperation.

It provides a chance for the two sides to discuss economic strategies and policies, and issues regarding multilateral and bilateral relations, including investment cooperation programs and projects.

Phuong noted that despite impacts of the world economic and political situation, bilateral economic, trade, and investment cooperation have always been a pillar in the strategic partnership between the two countries.

France has been Vietnam's fourth largest trading partner, the second largest investor among the EU members and the top European provider of official development assistance (ODA).

He held that the two sides boast great cooperation potential that need to be further exploited and promoted.

The two sides concurred that bilateral ties have greatly expanded in all fields, and agreed on priority areas for future cooperation, including climate change response, green transformation, digital transformation, science and technology application, and semiconductor industry development, according to VNA.

An overview of the session (Photo: VNA)

The French side pledged to support Vietnam in training human resources and share experience with Vietnam to meet the country's development priorities.

At an earlier working session with the AFD, Deputy Minister Phuong and the French delegation discussed projects using AFD capital.

The French side is keen to accelerate projects that meet the selection criteria of the two sides for early implementation.

The AFD suggested that the Vietnamese Government, through the Ministry of Planning and Investment, create the best possible conditions for the projects facing difficulties to be released soon.

Vietnam asked the AFD to continue to support projects that the country is interested in and having difficulties in terms of resources.

Vietnam also asked the AFD to continue to collaborate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment to improve and simplify administrative procedures, thus accelerating the projects, while continuing to attract special resources from the EU such as non-refundable aid, and supporting projects using AFD loans in the coming time.

President Ho Chi Minh’s 134th birthday celebrated in Cuba, Cambodia

Representatives of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with Peoples (ICAP) and the Vietnamese Embassy in Cuba have paid floral tribute to the Ho Chi Minh Park in Havana to mark the 134th birthday of the Vietnamese late leader (1890-2024).

Those in attendance at the ceremony included ICAP President Fernando González Llort, Deputy Chief Justice of the Supreme People's Court of Vietnam Nguyen Van Tien, and Vietnamese Ambassador to Cuba Le Quang Long, as well as representatives of many agencies and organizations of Cuba and the Vietnamese community in the Caribbean nation.

In his address, Ambassador Long laid stress on the legacy left by President Ho Chi Minh, a national liberation hero, an eminent revolutionary of the national liberation movement and international communist and workers' movements, a world figure of culture, and the beloved leader of Vietnamese people.

Vietnam and Cuba also share the common spirit of patriotism and ideology values.

The desire for freedom and independence of each nation and the progressive ideology of each nation's historical leaders formed a solid foundation for Vietnam and Cuba to cultivate a faithful and lasting friendship, the diplomat said.

For his part, Vice President of the Cuba-Vietnam Friendship Association Ruvislei González Sáez affirmed that the ideology of President Ho Chi Minh, one of the most important figures of the 20th century, has remained alive among the 100 million people of Vietnam and revolutionaries worldwide.

González Sáez honored the late leader as a figure with universal stature, a great revolutionary who fought tirelessly for the best cause of Vietnam and humanity.

The Cuban scholar said that his organization and the ICAP as well as the Havana University hope to study more deeply into the Ho Chi Minh ideology and promote the Vietnamese leader's legacy in the new era.

He expressed his confidence that both nations’ future generations will inherit the eternal values left by the leader, boost the growth of the two countries in peace, head to socialism, while fostering the special ties between Vietnam and Cuba.

At the ceremony, a sing and dance performance was put on to honor President Ho Chi Minh and the special solidarity between the two countries, VOV reported.

At the celebration for President Ho Chi Minh's 134th birthday in Havana.

Meanwhile, the 134th birth anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh was also celebrated by the Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia on May 17, with an incense offering ceremony.

In his speech, Ambassador Nguyen Huy Tang applauded the fruitful development of relations between Vietnam and Cambodia with substantive and effective achievements across a variety of fields from political, diplomatic, defense-security, and economic, trade, and investment cooperation.

Party organizations of Vietnamese representative agencies have performed successful political tasks in all aspects from politics, economics, national defense and security, culture, citizen protection, and those related to people of Vietnamese origin in Cambodia.

He called on Party members, officials, the business community, and the Vietnamese community in Cambodia to continue studying and following President Ho Chi Minh's thought, morality and lifestyle; and make efforts to fulfill all tasks of 2024.

He asked the Vietnamese community in Cambodia to uphold the tradition of solidarity and mutual support to overcome all difficulties and obstacles and strictly comply with laws of the host nation.

The Vietnamese diplomat also urged them to make greater contributions to the homeland, and continue to serve as a firm bridge fostering the Vietnam-Cambodia relationship.

German-Vietnamese writer releases new children’s book

German-Vietnamese writer Isabelle Müller will be taking readers on another fantasy journey in her new picture book that will be published on Children’s Day (June 1).

The book, entitled Hip Hop and the Master Singer, is the third work in the series about a little flea called Hip Hop.

In his first and second adventures, published in 2022 and 2023, Hip Hop heads to the fantasy land of Ellsaby and the Golden Forest, and in this third one, he will travel to the city of Falbalo, a valley away from his home - Green Valley Zoo.

In Falbalo City, all the songbirds have suddenly fallen silent. They have been ignored by humans for far too long. Now some bird species are in danger of disappearing forever as they have forgotten how to sing and how to defend themselves if necessary.

Master Singer Cosma could certainly fix this, but she would need help in order to be successful. Hip Hop and the Master Singer will reveal how Hip Hop and his friends are able to rescue the songbirds from their desperate situation before spring arrives, cited VNA.

The cover of Hip Hop and the Master Singer, German-Vietnamese writer Isabelle Muller's new children book. (Photo courtesy of Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House)

Lovingly told by Müller, with detailed illustrations by Daniel Gaucher, this book about the flea’s next great adventure focuses on cohesion and the need for more mindfulness in life.

“In our actual world, everything is moving faster and faster," said Müller.

“This book shows how important it is to maintain and develop awareness of our surroundings. In the circle of life, everything is connected (humans, animals, nature) and we should cultivate this circle and honor it with respect.

"Hip Hop's next adventure awakens this awareness and emphasizes the importance of cohesion and creativity to solve problems.”

Hip Hop and the Master Singer is expected to be published in three languages – Vietnamese, English and German – by Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House.

It is suitable for children aged six to ten and all proceeds will be donated to the LOAN Foundation (LOAN Stiftung) which aims to help Vietnamese disadvantaged children in mountainous areas have a better life.

Ha Long Bay, Sapa named in world's top five trending destinations

TripAdvisor has named Ha Long Bay and Sa Pa in Vietnam among the top five trending destinations.

Both Ha Long Bay in the northern province of Quang Ninh and Sa Pa in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai share the common feature of unique natural beauty and cultural diversity.

The three others in the top five are Tokyo (Japan), Seoul (South Korea), and Palawan Island (the Philippines), VGP reported.

A corner of Ha Long Bay.

Summer is considered an ideal season for traveling to these two places, with Ha Long welcoming sea breeze from the heritage bay, and Sa Pa being engulfed in a cool climate thanks to the majestic Hoang Lien Son Mountain Range and Fansipan – the highest mountain in Indochina.

The large number of cultural festivals and unique entertainment activities is also a plus to Ha Long and Sa Pa’s attractiveness to millions of global tourists.

According to TripAdvisor, Ha Long Bay is stunningly beautiful. Gigantic nature is the key helping this bay, ranking third in the “Trending Destinations” list, to attract over one million visitors since the start of 2024, the majority of whom are international travelers.

Sa Pa is blessed with the unique beauty of a miniature Northwest with all the best of the mountainous nature, culture, and people, according to TripAdvisor - the world's largest travel platform.

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