The Vietnamese delegation and Canadian officers at the Supreme Court of Canada (Photo: VNA)

Canada wishes to step up judicial cooperation with Vietnam

Chief Justice of the Supreme People's Court Nguyen Hoa Binh recently held a working session with Chief Justice of Canada Richard Wagner in Ottawa, as part of his working trip on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties.

Wagner told his guest that the Supreme Court of Canada wants to strengthen cooperation and share experience with Vietnam, adding that Canada also expects to step up judicial collaboration with Vietnam.

Binh informed the host about his successful working trip, which he said, was made possible with the support of various Vietnamese representative offices in Canada and relevant Canadian agencies.

He said the delegation had held a working session with units of the Canadian Department of Justice, during which they were updated about the court system, judicial independence, specialised courts and information about juvenile justice in the North American country.

According to him, the Supreme People's Court of Vietnam plans to submit a draft law on juvenile justice to the National Assembly next year.

During a working session with the Chief Justice of the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice, an unit that previously engaged in training cooperation with the Judicial Academy of Vietnam, Binh raised the issue of training collaboration between the institute and the Vietnam Court Academy in order to improve the capacity of Vietnamese judges through a course aimed at capitalising on the expertise and resources of the Canadian side.

Visiting other Canadian judicial institutions, Binh affirmed that bilateral judicial cooperation is an essential requirement, given that trade, investment, tourism, education ties and people-to-people exchange between the two countries are growing. He suggested the Canadian counterparts actively support coordination in this field, cited VNA.

At present, there are about 21,000 Vietnamese students in Canada and nearly 300,000 Vietnamese people living in the country. Therefore, legal matters are of utmost importance to address their needs, he said, adding that close judicial cooperation will also help Canadian investors feel secure when doing business in Vietnam, on the back of its transparent legal environment that protects investments and intellectual property.

In his view, effective legal cooperation between the two sides aligns with Canada's promotion of the Indo-Pacific Strategy, in which Vietnam plays a central role and serves as an active member of the Canada-ASEAN strategic partnership. It is also consistent with the current comprehensive partnership between the two countries.

Meeting the Vietnamese official, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly affirmed that Canada always considers Vietnam a key partner in its implementation of Indo-Pacific Strategy.

She also expressed her wish to further deepen ties with Vietnam in all areas, including politics-diplomacy, national defence-security, trade and economy, education and judicial affairs.

PM’s working trip to Saudi Arabia opens up new cooperation opportunities

Vietnamese Prime Minister has just concluded his business trip to Riyadh where he attended a summit between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and paid a visit to Saudi Arabia.

This is the first time since the establishment of relations in 1990 that ASEAN and GCC have held their first summit, adding fresh impetus to bilateral cooperation, for peace, stability and prosperity in both regions and the wider world.

The summit achieved its set goals, reaching common consensus on a number of cooperation areas. Both sides valued each other’s roles and positions, and were committed to strengthening equally and mutually beneficial cooperation in toder to fully tap into their great potential.

Along with increasing bilateral cooperation in politics-security, they vowed to ramp up cooperation in some priority areas, including trade, investment, supply chain security, connectivity, maritime cooperation, energy security, food, Halal industry, innovation, culture, tourism, labour, climate change response, energy conversion, and green growth.

The two sides agreed to strengthen multilateral cooperation, promote dialogue, cooperation, and confidence building, and respect the rule of law, as well as independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity without interference in each other’s affairs, while joining hands to solve regional and global challenges.

Expressing concern about recent developments in the Gaza Strip, the participating countries called on all parties to immediately cease fire, stop the use of force, respect international humanitarian law, resume negotiations, and resolve disagreements through peaceful means, on the basis of international law and relevant UN resolutions.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (second from left, second row) and other heads of delegations pose for a group photo at the opening ceremony of the first ASEAN-GCC Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on October 20.

At the end of the summit, ASEAN and GCC leaders adopted a joint declaration, setting out development directions and enhancing bilateral relations in the coming time.

New cooperation opportunities

This is Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s working trip to Saudi Arabia to strengthen political trust and generate new cooperation opportunities between Vietnam and Saudi Arabia, as well as other countries in the Persian Gulf.

His business trip aimed to create a breakthrough in finding new cooperation opportunities, expanding the market for Vietnamese goods and services, including agricultural and aquatic products, into Saudi Arabia and the GCC market, attracting investment capital, and developing the Halal industry, along with increasing cooperation in energy transition, sustainable growth, highly skilled labour, and tourism.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet said that during meetings and exchanges, leaders of all participating countries highly appreciated the role and position of Vietnam, as well as brilliant prospects of its economic growth.

Saudi Arabia wished to contribute to Vietnam’s bright future through specific cooperation plans, while Qatar affirmed there is no limit to cooperation between the two sides.

“We think that the two sides have a lot of room to expand the market, and attract large-scale investments to Vietnam not only in traditional fields but also in new fields such as digital transformation, green transformation, energy transformation, and climate change response,” said the diplomat.

According to Viet, the Vietnamese delegation actively participated in all activities of the summit, making important and responsible contributions to the success of the event. Notably, the Prime Minister delivered an important speech, highlighting the significance of the summit, raising great expectations for the two sides to strive together to bring relations to new heights.

The PM proposed that ASEAN and GCC enhance economic, trade and investment cooperation as the main pillar and the driving force connecting the two regions and complementing each other for mutual development. He also stressed the need for the two sides to quickly institutionalize their cooperation with regular, substantive, and effective cooperation mechanisms in every specific field, while strengthening multilateral cooperation to jointly maintain a peaceful and stable environment for development.

To attract investment capital into Vietnam, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund pledged to devote more funds to large Vietnamese projects to develop its infrastructure. Many large Saudi Arabian firms affirmed that they would consider expanding investment activities in Vietnam in such fields as steel and pre-engineered steel, retail, agriculture and clean energy. They also expected to expand their businesses network to other ASEAN countries through Vietnam.

Notably, Saudi Arabia agreed to help Vietnam establish standards and meet regulations for Halal products from production, processing and consumption of products. The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding on food safety for agricultural products, making it easier for Vietnamese businesses to export their products to Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia also agreed to send experts to inspect Vietnamese aquaculture and product processing, creating conditions for Vietnamese aquatic products, including pangasius and shrimp, to enter its market, according to VOV.

“These are good signs for Vietnamese businesses that are planning to export products to the Saudi Arabia market,” said Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam.

Meanwhile, Le Manh Hung, general director of the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group stated that there will be a huge opportunity for energy cooperation between Vietnamese businesses and their counterparts in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East - a region that boasts the world’s largest oil potential.

“Cooperation in investment, trade and services will help businesses of the two sides improve their ability to apply innovation technology and train and develop high-quality human resources for each side,” said Hung.

Vietnam – Saudi Arabia coordination

Alongside the success of the Vietnam – Saudi Arabia business forum, the two sides signed five cooperation documents in the fields of justice, diplomacy, crime prevention, tourism and trade promotion, thereby completing the legal framework and favourable conditions for cooperation in the near future.

At the forum, Hassan Al Hwaiziy, head of the Federation of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry, noted that the door is wide open to the business communities of the two countries in a series of other fields with great cooperation prospects.

According to Al Hwaiziy, both Saudi and Arabia have set ambitious development goals to 2030, with a primary focus on forming mega cities and mega urban areas, along with undertaking global supply chain initiatives and economic corridor projects.

In this process, Saudi Arabia will act as a strategic axis and Vietnam is considered one of the starting points of this corridor, he said.

In addition, he said the two countries still hold great potential to increase cooperation in the fields of production of energy, petrochemicals, and agricultural mineral resources; medical education; tourism; and entertainment and media, among others.

“We expect that the Government of Vietnam will introduce measures to attract Saudi Arabian investment in manufacturing and service opportunities in which Vietnam has many strengths, taking into account Saudi Arabia’s successful investments in Vietnam in such fields as steel production, solar energy, agriculture, food industry, information technology, textiles, ready-made garments. This will help to double the scale and diversity of economic cooperation opportunities as well as profits of businesses when investing in Vietnam,” analyzed Al Hwaiziy.

Echoing the official’s view, PM Pham Minh Chinh also hoped that Vietnam and Saudi Arabia would coordinate closely to support their businesses in not only engaging in each other’s markets but also expanding to the vast potential markets of ASEAN and GCC.

He pledged to ensure the legitimate rights and interests of Saudi Arabian investors, and accompany the investors to iron out difficulties and create conditions for them to operate efficiently in according with Vietnamese Constitution and law.

Despite a busy schedule, PM Chinh also spent time meeting the Vietnamese community in Saudi Arabia. He encouraged them to strengthen unity, live legally and make more contributions to the fatherland, as well as to fostering Vietnam – Saudi Arabia relations.

Tourism works to adapt and leverage digital technology

Vietnam is rapidly embracing technology to develop digital and smart tourism, aiming to create fresh and attractive products, lure tourists, enhance competitiveness, stimulate growth, and achieve sustainable development.

According to experts, digital tourism and smart tourism both rely on the application of information technology, digital communication, and data. The Party Central Committee’s Resolution No. 52-NQ/TW dated September 27, 2019, regarding certain orientations and policies for proactive participation in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, has set a focus on the development of priority sectors with high readiness level, including digital tourism.

The Prime Minister has also approved an overall plan for IT application in the tourism sector for 2018-2020, with a vision to 2025, which aims to develop a smart tourism ecosystem that connects various stakeholders.

Vietnam's tourism development strategy until 2030 has set directions for accelerating the sector’s digital transformation, serving the establishment and development of a smart tourism ecosystem.

As a result, many localities such as Hanoi, Da Nang, Quang Nam, Khanh Hoa, and Ho Chi Minh City have actively joined the development process of digital and smart tourism, VNA reported.

A screenshot of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism's Vietnam Travel application. (Photo: vietnamtourism.gov.vn)

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism reports that advanced and modern technologies like virtual reality, augmented reality, and 360-degree imagery have been used in destination management to introduce new and impressive products that attract tourists.

Some tourist destinations in Hanoi have adopted electronic ticketing systems, such as the Van Mieu (the Temple of Literature) and Quoc Tu Giam (the first university in Vietnam) site, President Ho Chi Minh's relic site at the Presidential Palace, and Quan Thanh Temple. This technology allows tour groups to use a single electronic ticket, reducing printing costs and waste, hence bettering environmental protection.

Da Nang, meanwhile, utilizes the "Da Nang Fantasticity" chatbot application, the first of its kind in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.

The City Tour Hop On-Hop Off double-decker bus service in Ho Chi Minh City has applied new technology, combining digital data on transportation and tourist preferences to design suitable tour routes, sell tickets and accept payments virtually, integrate free wifi, and provide automatic multilingual narration.

Moreover, the digital platform "Google Arts and Culture - Wonders of Vietnam" has contributed to promoting the country’s outstanding cultural and heritage values, such as Son Doong Cave, Hoi An Ancient Town, My Son Sanctuary, and the Imperial City of Hue.

The Vietnam E-commerce Association (VECOM) recently reported that over 60% of domestic visitors book hotels and tours online, while more than 75% of international tourists use these services.

At a high-level forum on digital transformation in tourism development promotion, Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung underscored a focus on smart tourism to enhance state management efficiency, make tourists the center of attention, attract more international visitors to Vietnam, and stimulate domestic tourism growth.

Experts believe that travel companies need to capture trends from research and real-life activities, offering adaptive solutions, actively promoting creativity, and increasing investment in digital transformation. They consider this the key to stronger and more sustainable development.

17 million made-in-VN products go global via Amazon in 2023

Through cross-border e-commerce platforms like Amazon, Vietnam’s products have been selling not only to American but also European and global consumers.

Trinh Khac Toan, northern regional director of Amazon Global Selling Vietnam, said at a cross-border e-commerce conference held recently that 17 million Vietnamese products have been sold on Amazon so far this year.

“Vietnam also has witnessed a 40 percent growth rate in the number of sellers abroad and 50 percent in sales. The year will only end after three months, but we can be sure that 2023 will be a very prosperous year for Vietnamese sellers on Amazon,” Toan said.

According to Toan, the five categories of products with the best sales on Amazon are home decorations, kitchenware, healthcare products, garments and beauty products.

2023 is the year that witnessed the shifting and outstanding growth of the personal healthcare sector, especially supplementary food. Vietnamese sellers have also succeeded with the sale of beauty products to global consumers, such as false eyelashes.

2023 is the third consecutive year that saw home decorations and kitchenware among the best sellers. Toan said Vietnam has advantages in interior decoration products and outdoor furniture. These categories of products should be chosen by Vietnam’s enterprises when exporting products to the world via e-commerce channels.

Eric Broussard, Amazon’s vice president, commented that the development of Vietnam’s e-commerce has been amazing. He said Vietnam is an emerging production center and hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese sellers are approaching the world market on Amazon’s platform. The products not only sell to American consumers, but are also available in Europe and 22 markets where Amazon is present.

The made in Vietnam products that ‘go global’ on Amazon include Sunhouse’s household appliances, Equo’s green products made of rice, grass, bagasse and AnEco’s biodegradables which saw growth rates of hundreds of percent per annum, VNN reported.

Lai Viet Anh, deputy head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s (MOIT) E-commerce and Digital Economy Agency (first left).

Vietnamese officials and experts are optimistic about the development of e-commerce, saying that exports via e-commerce will serve as the new driving force for Vietnam’s growth.

Lai Viet Anh, deputy head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s (MOIT) E-commerce and Digital Economy Agency, said Vietnam takes pride in being one of three leading e-commerce markets in Southeast Asia in both market scale and growth rate.

The Vietnamese e-commerce market has maintained a high 20 percent growth rate over the last 7-8 years, despite the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Online exports are the combination of the old momentum for growth – exports - and the new momentum, the use of information technology and digital transformation, and exploiting the opportunities brought by cross-border e-commerce platforms,” Anh said.

Hanoi eager to promote cooperation with Cambodian localities

On the afternoon of October 17, Deputy Secretary of Hanoi City Party Committee - Chairman of Hanoi People's Council Nguyen Ngoc Tuan welcomed and worked with Chairman of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations Prak Sokhonn who is visiting and working in Vietnam.

Addressing the meeting, Chairman of Hanoi People's Council Nguyen Ngoc Tuan congratulated the Cambodian people on their great and comprehensive achievements in recent years, including successfully organizing the 7th National Assembly election on July 23, 2023 with outcomes demonstrating the solid trust of the Cambodian people in the CPP. He also believed that the Kingdom of Cambodia will increasingly prosper with its increasingly advanced role and position in the region and the world.

Mentioning the development situation of Hanoi capital, Tuan said that since the COVID-19 pandemic, the city has recovered quickly and is currently embarking on implementing the next major tasks, including adjusting the master plan and developing a revised Capital Law to create conditions for long-term development.

Tuan affirmed that despite having friendly relations and cooperations with more than 100 capitals around the world, Hanoi always wishes to continue to coordinate closely with Cambodian localities and partners, thereby contributing to deepening the relationship under the motto “good neighbor, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation, long-term sustainability” between Vietnam and Cambodia.

Chairman of Hanoi People's Council Nguyen Ngoc Tuan (right) and Chairman of the CPP Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations Prak Sokhonn at the meeting. (Photo: HNM)

Emphasizing the special and long-standing relationship between the two parties, two countries and people of the two countries, Tuan also hoped that the CPP Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations would continue to promote cooperation to promote its role and build bridges of friendship between agencies, organizations, and localities of the two countries.

Thanking the leaders of Hanoi for the respectful welcome, Head of the CPP Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations Prak Sokhonn emphasized that Vietnam is the first country to visit in a new position, cited WVR.

Expressing his impression of the development achievements of Hanoi in particular and Vietnam in general, Prak Sokhonn believes that Vietnam and the people of Vietnam will continue to build the economy increasingly dynamic and developing; the relationship between the two parties, two countries, and the peoples of Vietnam and Cambodia is increasingly developing strongly.

Chairman of the CPP Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations affirmed that Cambodia appreciates and wishes to bring the relationship of good neighbor, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation, long-term sustainability between Vietnam and Cambodia to a new high level. He expects that Hanoi and Phnom Penh will continue to exchange information and share experiences, especially on urban construction.

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