Vietnam News Today (November 26): Vietnam Mulls Resuming International Flights From December

A health worker prepares a Covid-19 vaccine shot in HCMC, October 27, 2021. Photo: VnExpress

Vietnam records 12,429 new local Covid cases

Vietnam on Thursday recorded 12,429 more local Covid-19 cases, bringing the national infection tally in the fourth wave to 1,162,141.

The three localities with the highest numbers of new cases were Ho Chi Minh City with 1,582 cases, Can Tho with 741 cases and Tay Ninh with 683 cases.

164 deaths were added to the national database on Thursday, with 59 in HCMC, 17 in Giang, 13 each in Tien Giang and Binh Duong, 10 in Kien Giang, eight each in Tay Ninh, Dong Nai and Can Tho, seven in Long An, six in Vinh Long, five in Soc Trang, two each in Dong Thap and Bac Lieu, and one each in Dak Lak, Binh Thuan, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Hau Giang, Quang Ngai and Tra Vinh.

The total number of deaths so far is 24,407 cases, or around 2.1 percent of all infections, cited VnExpress.

5,627 Covid-19 patients were announced recovered on Thursday, bringing the number of recovered cases to 942,888.

Vietnam has vaccinated 68.4 million people with at least one Covid-19 vaccine shot, and 46.1 million have received two shots.

Vietnam, Argentina boost trade cooperation

A workshop was held on November 25 to provide information about the market and import policies of Argentina to Vietnamese enterprises, towards the expansion and diversification of goods exchanged between the two sides.

The workshop, entitled "Exploiting the potential for trade development between Vietnam and Argentina", was organized by the Vietnamese Embassy in Argentina.

Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador Duong Quoc Thanh said that bilateral relations between the two countries have always developed well since the establishment of diplomatic ties nearly 50 years ago. Trade has been a bright spot after the two countries established a comprehensive partnership in 2010 with an increase in two-way exchange turnover from US$1 billion to nearly US$4 billion in 2020. However, the Vietnamese Ambassador said that trade exchange between the two countries still focuses on main items such as corn, soybeans, animal feed and pharmaceuticals from Argentina, as well as phone components from Vietnam. He attributed it to the lack of information about each other's needs, tastes and market access methods by businesses.

An overview of the workshop. Photo: VNA

Thanh affirmed that the conference offered an opportunity to provide information and seek ways to solve difficulties related to market access for businesses of the two sides, contributing to promoting trade and bringing qualified products to their residents.

For his part, Martin Schapiro, Advisor to the Minister of Productive, said that Argentina always attaches importance to the partnership with Vietnam and that cooperation between the two countries has made steady progress in recent years, reflected through the effective implementation of collaboration programs in many fields such as trade, culture and health.

Despite facing many difficulties, especially the past two years, due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, Argentina's economy is gradually recovering and is a potential market for foreign partners, including Vietnam, he said.

Schapiro expressed his hope that through this seminar, Vietnamese businesses will gain a lot of useful information which opens new export orientations to the Argentine market, according to VNA.

On this occasion, representatives of the Mercosur-ASEAN Chambers of Commerce, the Coffee Chamber of Commerce and Argentine Chamber of Import Promotion also shared information and introduced about corporate culture and tastes of the Argentine people, as well as such as answering questions and suggesting approaches to the Argentine market for Vietnamese businesses.

Vietnam becomes signatory to WIPO Copyright Treaty

Vietnam's accession to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)’s Copyright Treaty (WCT) not only meets the country's commitment in a number of new-generation free trade agreements of which it is a member, but also provides an effective legal foundation for the protection of copyrights on digital platforms, said Ambassador Le Thi Tuyet Mai, Permanent Representative of Vietnam in Geneva.

Ambassador Le Thi Tuyet Mai, Permanent Representative of Vietnam in Geneva hands over Vietnam’s signed treaty document to WIPO Director General Daren Tang. Photo: WIPO

Speaking at a recent ceremony to hand over Vietnam’s signed treaty document to WIPO Director General Daren Tang in the Swiss city, the ambassador said the WCT is particularly beneficial to the development of the software industry and digital platforms in Vietnam.

Tang, for his part, congratulated Vietnam on joining the WCT, saying he hopes for closer cooperation with Vietnam in the coming time, reported VNA.

Accession to the treaty is of particular importance to Vietnam, as a stronger development of the creative and cultural industries will help Vietnam further fuel economic growth, he added.

The WCT will enter into force in Vietnam three months after the handover of the accession document.

Vietnam mulls resuming int'l flights from December: PM

Vietnam plans to reopen international flights in early December, including routes to Japan, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said Thursday.

Chinh and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida had assigned relevant agencies to study the resumption of direct flights between both countries, Vietnam's government news portal reported, citing the Vietnamese PM as he wrapped up his four-day visit to Japan.

Aircraft at Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, June 14, 2020. Photo: VnExpress

Earlier, the Ministry of Transport had sought government approval to resume flights in January to 15 countries and territories that have high Covid-19 vaccination rates, including Japan.

With an increasing vaccination rate, Vietnam reopened its door to foreign tourists this month, allowing in fully vaccinated travelers on package tours, cited VnExpress.

Japan was the third largest market source for Vietnamese tourism, after China and South Korea. In 2019, the year before the onset of Covid-19, Vietnam had received 952,000 Japanese tourists, a year-on-year rise of 15 percent.

Japan had 1.72 million foreign workers in October 2020, according to government data. Vietnamese account for the largest foreign worker population in Japan at around 440,000 people, or nearly 26 percent.

Vietnam closed its doors to foreign tourists and grounded international flights in March last year, allowing only Vietnamese repatriates, foreign experts, investors and highly-skilled workers to enter.

Local petrol prices drop sharply after five consecutive hikes

Domestic retail prices of petrol and oil dropped considerably as of 3 p.m. on November 25, according to a joint announcement by both the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Finance.

The price of E5 RON92 fell by VND752 to VND22,917 per liter at the highest, whilst the price of RON95-III also decreased by VND1,094 to VND23,902 per liter.

Photo: VOV

Furthermore, the prices of diesel 0.05S and kerosene have now been capped at VND18,382 and VND17,197 per liter, marking a fall of VND334 per liter and a rise of VND440 per liter, respectively.

Elsewhere, Mazut 180CST 3.5S is now sold at no more than VND16,477 per kilogram, down VND344 per kilogram.

Both ministries said they have used the price stabilization fund for RON95 gasoline at VND300 per liter, diesel at VND150 per liter, kerosene at VND300 per liter, and mazut at VND500 per kilogram, VOV reported.

The new prices are expected to make a positive influence on the market as the previous five rises had prompted businesses to adjust their product prices, bringing to bear pressure on inflation. In addition, consumers are now tightening their belt as market prices of essential goods are also increasing.

The two ministries said they will continue to keep a close watch on the world market fluctuations and conduct a review of fuel prices in a bid to adjust domestic prices in accordance with global trends.

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