Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attends the 38th and 39th ASEAN Summits and related meetings which are virtually organized by Brunei. Photo: VGP

Vietnam advocates ASEAN's stance on solidarity, unity and centrality

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh is scheduled to deliver keynote speeches in which he will outline Vietnam's stance and proposals aimed at reinforcing solidarity, unity, and the central role of ASEAN at the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and related meetings.

PM Chinh will pay an official visit to Cambodia from November 8 to November 9, and attend the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and related meetings from November 10 to November 13, marking the resumption of direct exchanges and dialogues between leaders after a hiatus of more than two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

This marks the first official visit to Cambodia made by the leader in the role of PM, as well as the first visit made by a senior Vietnamese leader to Cambodia during the Vietnam - Cambodia friendship year.

At the meetings, PM Chinh will give important speeches, sharing the country’s stance, as well as proposals aimed at strengthening solidarity, unity, the centrality of ASEAN, regional connectivity, and co-operation in areas of mutual interest. This is along with boosting relations between ASEAN and partners, as well as exchanging views on international and regional issues with a balanced approach and harmony.

Following the motto of being proactive, active, and responsible, the nation consistently affirms its external policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification, multilateralisation, comprehensive and extensive international integration, along with positive contributions to the common work of the bloc.

This can also be viewed as an opportunity for the country to share policies, efforts, and successes in the process of recovery and socio-economic development following the pandemic.

Along with activities held within the ASEAN framework, the PM will hold a host of meetings with leaders of countries and partners to compare notes on issues of shared concern.

Both Vietnam and Cambodia are two close neighbors, sharing the same border, the same Mekong river, and maintaining close-knit relations across a variety of fields.

This official visit to Cambodia by PM Chinh is of multifaceted significance, particularly as it will take place in the "Vietnam - Cambodia Year of Friendship 2022" to celebrate the 55th anniversary since the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two sides.

Through these meetings, both nations’ PMs will review the overall relationship, thereby adding fresh drive and identifying new dynamics and measures to ramp up bilateral ties into a new substantive and more efficient and reliable stage. Within the framework of the visit a host of important agreements in various fields will be signed.

The 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and related meetings will take place amid the world and the wider region witnessing fluctuations and instabilities.

The prolonged impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the situation in the South China Sea and Myanmar, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and issues on the Korean peninsula have seen complicated developments in recent times, thereby having many consequences for peace, security, stability, and development.

The global economy has shown plenty of signs of post-pandemic recovery, although it is not sustainable, mainly due to supply chain congestion, shifts in operational model of economies, and labour shortages.

The Asia-Pacific region has emerged as a fast-recovering region, although due to many impacts, the regional economy cannot be considered sustainable.

In this context, ASEAN remains united on many issues, achieving positive results in the community-building process.

Along with accelerating the timely finalisation of the Master Plan on the three community pillars by 2025, the bloc has began to discuss the Vision of the ASEAN Community after 2025, with the overall orientation on reinforcing solidarity and self-reliance, adaptation, and ASEAN’s centrality.

Digital transformation, green growth, and inevitable trends are also increasingly being promoted in ASEAN, according to VOV.

However, the bloc is facing numerous challenges both internally and externally, including Myanmar-related issues, increasing competition for major powers, and complicated developments relating to epidemics and natural disasters.

Through the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and related meetings, leaders of countries will spend time to discuss efforts to build an ASEAN Community towards enhancing solidarity and ASEAN centrality. This will be done whilst reviewing the relationship between ASEAN and its partners, as well as exchanging views on many strategic issues throughout the region and the world.

Within the framework of the summits, there will be more than 20 activities, with the participation of leaders of ASEAN member states and 10 partners, including the 40th and 41st ASEAN, ASEAN+1, and ASEAN+3 summits, along with East Asia Summits (EAS).

As part of this occasion, the 2nd ASEAN Global Dialogue will also take place with the participation of leaders of ASEAN member states and representatives of international organizations. This includes the World Bank, the World Trade Organization, the Health Organization, the International Monetary Fund, and the Asian Development Bank to discuss regional and global economic recovery efforts.

Furthermore, ASEAN is expected to announce the establishment of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) with the United States and India.

Leaders attending the event are also expected to ratify and recognize more than 100 documents on many important areas of co-operation within the bloc and between ASEAN and its partners.

Vietnam, Laos share experience in mass mobilization

A training course on mass mobilization between the Party Central Committee's Commission for Mass Mobilization and the Lao Front for National Construction (LFNC) Central Committee concluded in Hanoi on November 7.

Addressing the closing ceremony, deputy head of the Party Central Committee's Commission for Mass Mobilisation Pham Tat Thang said that the course, co-organized by Vietnamese commission and the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics (HCMA) from October 27, had been a success, with 11 theoretical topics discussed, reported VNA.

At the closing ceremony of the training course. Photo: VNA

This offered a chance for the commission and the LFNC Central Committee to exchange and draw experience from implementing mass mobilization in each country, and contributed to deepening the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries, he affirmed.

The course was part of the 2021-2025 cooperation pact between the Party Central Committee's Commission for Mass Mobilization and the LFNC Central Committee.

Vietnam becomes world’s third largest seafood exporter

Vietnam has become the world’s third largest seafood exporter, accounting for 7 percent of the world market share.

The Southeast Asian nation raked in US$9.5 billion from exporting aquatic products in the first 10 months of 2022, up 34 percent on year, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) reported.

Of the figure, shrimp exports earned nearly US$3.8 billion, an increase of 19 percent from the same period last year, and are expected to top US$4.4 billion in 2022, 14 percent higher than that of 2021.

Tra fish exports recorded an impressive growth in the reviewed period, with the 10-month turnover hitting nearly US$2.2 billion, surging by 80 percent year-on-year.

Photo: VNN

This item's yearly export turnover is forecast to reach over US$2.5 billion, up 58 percent compared to 2021, reported VGP.

Meanwhile, tuna export during January–October was estimated at US$890 million, up 50 percent over the same period. It is forecast that by the end of 2022, tuna will join the group of the over US$1 billion exports for the first time.

Squid and octopus products also witnessed stable export growths in the last 10 months, reaching US$625 million, up 32 percent year-on-year. The figure is expected to rise by 22 percent to US$734 million in 2022.

The country's aquatic export turnover is predicted to reach US$10 billion by the end of November–the record of Viet Nam's seafood industry after over 20 years.

Ha Long Bay named among world’s top 10 stunning natural wonders

Renowned science website Live Science has listed Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO-recognized World Heritage site, among its list of 10 stunning natural wonders travelers should visit during their holiday.

According to details published on the website, there are roughly 1,600 islands nestled throughout this 580-square-mile, equal to 1,500 square kilometres, bay in the Gulf of Tonkin.

It noted that a layer of limestone had slowly developed over the course of 500 million years, meaning that by the end of the Permian period 251 million years ago it was 3,280 feet, equal to 1,000 metres, thick.

Ha Long Bay is named among world’s top 10 stunning natural wonders. Photo: VOV

“The hunk of rock was then weathered by the sea, but really took a beating in the last ice age. The slab broke apart, and the fragments are the islands we see today,” says Live Science.

Other destinations on the list include the Jurassic Coast of the UK, Komodo Island of Indonesia, Pamukkale of Turkey, Peyto Lake of Canada, Perito Moreno Glacier of Argentina, Salar de Uyuni of Bolivia, the Maldives of the Indian Ocean, Victoria Falls in southern Africa, and the Great Barrier Reef of Australia.

This comes after Ha Long Bay was also named among the 10 most beautiful destinations for 2022, as selected by Canadian newswire The Travel.

Furthermore, 2018 saw Ha Long Bay make the top 15 most Instagrammed global cruise destinations, based on a survey featuring 1.8 million posts tagged on various ships and ports by travel cruise site SeaHub.

Moreover, in 2019 the bay was listed by British travel magazine Rough Guides as one of the 10 best UNESCO sites throughout all of Asia.

Plenty of franchising opportunities in Vietnam

Vietnam is a country with a lot of opportunities for franchising, with many businesses having the capability to become a franchisee, even a master franchisee, a conference has heard.

Sean Ngo, CEO and Co-founder of VF Franchising Consulting Company, said with the world having gone through a pandemic, a lot of countries have seen their GDP spiral down, but not Vietnam.

The country expects GDP growth of 7-8 per cent this year, and per capita GDP reached US$3,373 last year, he said.

Vietnam also has a relatively young workforce compared to other countries, such as South Korea and Singapore, and disposable incomes are set to rise in the coming years, he said.

It has a stable socio-political environment, he pointed out.

Thanks to these, Vietnam, especially HCM City, has become a great franchising market, he said.

“In 10 years it will be an exceptional market in Vietnam. Companies are now looking at the long term, and to be here in 10 years’ time they have to enter the Vietnam franchising market now.”

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, 280 international brands have franchises in the country.

Ngo said, in comparison, Singapore has 500-600 international franchises and the Philippines has more than 1,000, and so Vietnam has a lot of space to grow.

Vietnamese companies seeking franchises should not only focus on the food and beverage sector but also others such as fitness, education and fashion, he said.

Sean Ngo, a speaker at a conference on franchising held at the 2022 Vietnam Retail-Tech and Franchise Expo.

Fads do come and go, and so it is essential they do not bank on them, he warned.

In the current economic situation, if companies want to become franchisees, they should opt to become a master franchisee since it could fetch them big revenues.

A master franchisee is a company that has the right to open a branch of the original company in a country or region, owns the trademark and operational procedures and has the right to distribute them, cited VNS.

In return, they can collect royalties and other related fees from the sub-franchisees.

Ngo said being a franchisee should help companies get a quick start to their business since franchisors provide training in management besides supply lines and goodwill.

A master franchisee supports its sub-franchisees with fees and other issues related to the franchisor, he said.

A franchisor has to know its target customers and the country’s culture, he added.

The conference was held late last week as part of the 2022 Vietn am Retail-Tech and Franchise Expo being held at the Sai Gon Exhibition and Convention Center in District 7.

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