Vietnam and Japan sketch out plans to increase strategic cooperation

Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son and his visiting Japanese counterpart Yoko Kamikawa outlined orientations for strategic cooperation between the two countries during their talks in Hanoi on October 10.

Satisfaction at growing ties

Son appreciated Kamikawa selecting Vietnam as one of the first overseas destinations to visit after she was appointed the Japanese diplomatic chief in September which shows Japan’s desire to foster its extensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia with Vietnam.

The two sides reviewed major achievements of Vietnam-Japan relations, noting that over the past half a century, the two countries have become extremely important partners, sharing many common strategic interests.

Vietnam and Japan have also cooperated closely and effectively at regional and international forums such as the United Nations, ASEAN+ meetings, APEC, and ASEM, contributing to peace, stability, and development in the Asia-Pacific region, according to VOV.

Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son (R) and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa shaking hands ahead of their talks in Hanoi on October 10. (Photo: baoquocte.vn)

They have regularly exchanged high-level delegations and organized meetings on the sidelines of regional and international conferences, thereby strengthening the trustworthy relationship between their leaders and setting major directions for the positive development of bilateral relations in all fields.

Bilateral cooperation has been strengthened in all fields, from politics, diplomacy, and defense-security to economy, education, culture, and people-to-people exchanges. Economic cooperation is a bright spot in the overall picture of the two countries’ relations. Two-way trade last year reached nearly US$50 billion, including US$24.2 billion from Vietnamese exports.

Japan is Vietnam’s leading economic partner, the largest in ODA aid provision, second largest in labor cooperation, third largest in investment and tourism, and fourth largest in trade.

Japan is also the partner that has signed the most bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements with Vietnam, including the ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (AJCEP) and the Vietnam-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement. (VJEPA), the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

These FTAs have been constituting extremely important cooperation frameworks, contributing to promoting economic, trade, and investment relations for mutual benefit between the two countries.

Future cooperation plans

The two sides agreed to promote high-level exchanges and contacts in celebration of 50 years of their diplomatic ties this year while bolstering economic cooperation, local cooperation, people-to-people exchanges and cooperation in new fields.

Son proposed that Japan effectively deploy new generation official development assistance (ODA) for large-scale strategic infrastructure development projects in Vietnam, and support Vietnamese businesses in engaging more deeply in the global value chain with Japanese partners.

He also proposed that Japan simplify procedures in granting visas to Vietnamese citizens, by putting Vietnam on the list of countries eligible for electronic visas, issuing long-term visas for Vietnamese expatriates who have entered Japan many times and have not violated the law, and considering visa exemption for Vietnamese citizens.

Kamikawa for her part affirmed that Japan would increase support for Vietnam to realize its long-term strategic goals and visions for 2030 - 2045, focusing on four key areas of revitalizing ODA cooperation, increasing investment-trade cooperation, expanding cooperation to new fields of digital transformation and green energy, and cooperating in high-quality human resources training.

Japan considers Vietnam an important market and partner with great potential, and hopes that Vietnam will continue to improve its investment environment to attract Japanese investors, she said.

The Japanese diplomatic chief also appreciated the role and positive contributions of the Vietnamese community in Japan and said Japan would consider creating favorable conditions for Vietnamese citizens to enter its territory.

The two sides also exchanged views on notable regional and international developments recently and affirmed close coordination at multilateral forums and international organizations.

Vietnam is one of Kamikawa’s stopovers during her Southeast Asian tour from October 8 to 13 which also takes her to Brunei, Laos, and Thailand.

Vietnam to work to raise position in global innovation rankings

The Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) will work with relevant agencies to conduct innovation evaluation and help localities identify the right directions to follow to help raise Vietnam’s position in the Global Innovation Index (GII) rankings, an official has said.

The MoST in coordination with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the United Nations, the World Trade Organization (WTO), and other international Organizations in Geneva held a hybrid workshop on October 10 to provide information about the GII 2023.

Speaking in Hanoi, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Bui The Duy said that in the GII 2023 recently released by WIPO, Vietnam ranks 46th among the 132 listed countries and economies, up two places from 2022. It is also assessed as one of the seven middle-income countries showing the most progress in innovation over the last decade.

The country has jumped two places to the 57th from last year in terms of the innovation input sub-index, and one place to the 40th in the innovation output sub-index.

Among ASEAN countries, Vietnam follows Singapore (5th), Malaysia (36th), and Thailand (43rd), according to VNA.

Products of a science and technology company on display at an exhibition (Photo: VNA)

Duy held that if some factors such as the ICT services exports, copyright payments, fees, and licenses had been updated, Vietnam’s position in the GII 2023 would have been higher.

Coordination from input to output among all parties is needed to promote innovation, the official said, expressing his hope that with support from WIPO experts, the MoST and related units can carry out innovation evaluation, especially for localities, so that they can identify the right directions to follow to help raise Vietnam’s position in the GII rankings.

Ambassador Le Thi Tuyet Mai, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, the WTO, and other international Organizations in Geneva, said via videoconference that Vietnam’s position in the GII 2023 rankings is encouraging but also poses a big challenge for the coming time, especially amid numerous political and economic uncertainties in the world, along with changes in investment and trade strategies of many countries.

Therefore, Vietnam needs to take measures to tap into its enormous potential and further boost technology transfer and innovation to develop brands of high-quality Vietnamese goods and services in foreign markets. This requires efforts by all-level authorities and sectors, particularly localities, scientists, the private sector, and business associations, to step up innovation and science-technology application, she continued.

The ambassador pledged that the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the UN will assist the country to cooperate with WIPO and related Organizations in innovation and technology transfer to develop products and services.

Holidaymakers keen on sustainable tourism after pandemic: workshop

Both Vietnamese and foreign tourists are keen on sustainable tourism after the COVID-19 pandemic, heard a workshop held by the Institute for Tourism Development Research under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Hanoi on October 10.

According to a research study released by the institute, the pandemic has changed travel habits. It cited a survey by online travel agency Booking.com, which interviewed more than 29,000 respondents in 30 countries and territories, including Vietnam, showing 84% of Vietnamese respondents expressed their desire for authentic travel experiences that respect local communities.

A significant 64% of Vietnamese tourists agreed to avoid popular tourist destinations to limit overcrowding, reported VOV.

Tourists go kayaking on Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh province. (Photo: baoquangninh.vn)

For international tourists, they want to travel more sustainably and responsibly, targeting rural areas and nature-based tourist sites. Most of them want to travel independently and organize their own trips with flexible schedules and lower costs. Many are also interested in leisure tourism in the sites surrounded by greenery.

With the findings, the institute suggested adding such services as wellness tourism, sports tourism, cruise tourism, and community-based tourism to Vietnam’s major tourism topics of marine tourism, eco-tourism, cultural tourism, and food tourism.

The participating experts proposed solutions to attract more holidaymakers like building a friendly tourism environment and ensuring safety for visitors, saying to that end, the sector needs to pay more attention to the information work to build the image of a friendly, safe, and hospitable Vietnam, as well as to human resources development, especially high-quality personnel.

Temperature in winter forecast to be higher than average in years: weather center

The average temperature of the winter 2023-2024 will be higher than the average level in many years, according to Nguyen Van Huong, head of the Weather Forecasting Department under the National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting (NCHMF).

Specifically, the average temperature in October will be 0.5-1 degree Celsius higher, and in November and December 0.5-1.5 degree Celsius higher.

Mixed with the warmer-than-usual weather, will be short and severe cold spells, with the number of severe cold days being less than the average of many years, said Huong. He warned that the cold weather at the beginning of the season will bring with it heavy rain, thunderstorms, tornadoes, lightning, and hail, especially in the northern mountainous and midland provinces, cited VNA.

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)

Huong advised people to keep a close watch on the forecast and warning information on the website of the Center at nchmf.gov.vn, and on the mass media.

People need to strictly follow instructions from local authorities for disaster response, he added.

Cross-border platforms to have favorable conditions in Vietnam

By setting up representative offices in Vietnam, cross-border platforms will have better conditions to develop their business models.

Several participants at a recent press conference held by the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) expressed concern that the recent inspection of TikTok may affect decisions by foreign companies to set up representative offices in Vietnam.

Le Quang Tu Do, head of the Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information (ABEI), said cross-border platforms follow their own business model.

In general, cross-border platforms, when doing business in Vietnam, face both favorable conditions and difficulties. The same will occur when they set up representative offices or legal entities in Vietnam.

“When they observe Vietnamese laws, they will have to bear stricter supervision and satisfy more requirements, but at the same time they will have favorable conditions to develop their business models,” Do said.

“There is a perfect legal framework with regulations related to the opening of representative offices in Vietnam. The presence of representative offices in Vietnam is mandatory for some subjects, while cross-border platforms consider and choose business models for themselves,” he added.

Asked if MIC has signed agreements with other ministries and branches on cooperation to control cross-border platforms such as TikTok, Do said it is obvious for MIC to do this.

MIC has signed agreements with the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) and Ministry of Finance (MOF) on cooperation in many issues, including the supervision of cross-border platforms and online content, VNN reported.

Photo: VNN

“In recent years, we have been cooperating closely with relevant ministries and branches to strengthen management. Thanks to this, we have gained new achievements,” Do said.

The inspection tour of TikTok recently was the first time that six ministries and branches joined forces, including MIC, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT), Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST), Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA), Ministry of Finance, and the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee.

According to MIC, many cross-border platforms have recently set up offices in Vietnam or plan to do this.

Currently, TikTok has two legal entities, including a representative of TikTok Pte Ltd in HCM City and TikTok Vietnam Technology Co Ltd.

Vice president of Netflix Josephine Choy at a working session with MIC last March said the company was following procedures to set up a legal entity in Vietnam.

The decision is the latest move by Netflix to implement Decree 71 on the management, provision, and use of broadcasting services under which foreign companies in the pay-TV market in the OTT mode, without channels, must obtain licenses as domestic companies do.

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