Vietnam News Today (Oct. 3): Vietnam, South Africa Strengthen Traditional Friendship, Cooperation

	Vietnam News Today (Oct. 1): Vietnam, China Seek Stronger Trade, Industrial Cooperation Ties
	Vietnam News Today (Oct. 2): Top Leader’s Visit Gives Extra Leverage to Vietnam – Ireland Trade Links

At the 9th Political Consultation.

Vietnam and Argentina hold 9th Political Consultation

Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc and Argentine Deputy Foreign Ministers Marcia Rosa Levaggi and Gabriel Martinez co-chaired the ninth Political Consultation between the Vietnamese and Argentine foreign ministries as part of the former’s working trip to Argentina from September 29 to October 1.

At the Political Consultation, the two sides agreed to further strengthen the Vietnam-Argentina Comprehensive Partnership, accelerate negotiations, and sign more agreements in a bid to create a more favorable legal framework for all-around co-operation between the two countries, including the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement and the Investment Protection Agreement.

The two sides stated that the economies of both sides have many complementary features, with each consenting to further step up linkages in agriculture, trade, aviation, tourism, investment, clean energy, and essential minerals in the time ahead.

On the basis of the traditional good political relationship, they concurred to continue boosting defense and security ties whilst strengthening relations between regional organizations of which both sides are members, such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR).

Deputy Minister Ha Kim Ngoc suggested that Argentina continue to provide more Spanish language scholarships for young Vietnamese diplomats and further boost cooperation in sports, culture, and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. Deputy Minister Ngoc affirmed that the nation supports and is ready to contribute to further promoting relations between Argentina and MERCOSUR with ASEAN, cited VOV.

For her part, Argentine Deputy Foreign Minister Levaggi outlined her positive impression of Vietnamese socio-economic development achievements. Deputy Minister Martinez also affirmed that during her term as MERCOSUR Chair next year, Argentina will accelerate negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between MERCOSUR and Vietnam.

With regard to regional and international issues of mutual concern, the two sides shared the view that it is necessary to continue to boost close coordination at multilateral forums and support each other's candidacy for important UN agencies.

They also agreed on the importance of maintaining peace, stability, freedom, security, and safety of navigation and aviation in the East Sea, as well as resolving disputes by peaceful means on the basis of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

In addition to the Political Consultation, Ngoc also met with Argentine Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship Diana Mondino, Acting President of the Senate Bartolome Esteban Abdala, President of the Argentina-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians' Group Santiago Pauli, and President of the Vietnam-Argentina Cultural Institute Poldi Sosa, during which he emphasized that Vietnam considers Argentina as one of its foremost partners in the Latin America. He also suggested continuing with the exchange of high-level delegations in the time ahead

On this occasion, Deputy FM Ngoc and his delegation worked alongside Ambassador Ngo Minh Nguyet and Vietnamese Embassy staff in Argentina. The Vietnamese Embassy in Argentina also presented the delegation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with money raised during the campaign to support people affected by typhoon Yagi.

Vietnam, South Africa strengthen traditional friendship, cooperation

A high-level delegation of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) led by a Politburo member, Secretary of the CPV Central Committee and Chairman of its Commission for Internal Affairs Phan Dinh Trac paid a working visit to South Africa from September 22 to October 2.

During the visit, the delegation had meetings with leaders of political parties and the State of South Africa, including President of South Africa and President of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) Cyril Ramaphosa, Speaker of the South African National Assembly Thokozile Didiza, and General Secretary of the South African Communist Party (SACP) Solly Mapaila.

At these meetings, Trac, who is also Standing Vice Chairman of the Central Steering Committee for Corruption and Negative Phenomena Prevention and Control and Standing Vice Chairman of the Central Steering Committee for Judicial Reform, said he believes that with its long tradition and the support of South African people, under the sound leadership of President and ANC President Ramaphosa, the ANC will continue to lead the government and people of South Africa to gain new successes, build a nation of peace, stability and development, and increasingly enhance its important role and position in the region and the world.

Expressing the desire to continue to consolidate, promote and deepen the relationship between the two Parties and two countries, Trac suggested that the two sides increase the exchange of delegations at all levels, especially high-level delegations. They should promote the exchange of information, leadership experience, Party building, and socio-economic development, while encouraging solidarity and friendship between political and social organizations of the two countries.

He also proposed signing cooperation documents between the two Parties, strengthening bilateral cooperation in areas where both sides have strengths and needs, such as agriculture, minerals, garment-textiles, and pharmaceuticals. They should continue to support each other at multilateral forums and international organizations. South Africa supports Vietnam in enhancing cooperation with the African Union (AU) and organizations of which South Africa is a member such as the Southern African Customs Union.

On this occasion, Trac conveyed the invitation to visit Vietnam from Vietnamese leaders to leaders of the Party and State of South Africa, according to VNA.

President of South Africa and President of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) Cyril Ramaphosa gives a present to Politburo member, Secretary of the CPV Central Committee and Chairman of its Commission for Internal Affairs Phan Dinh Trac. (Photo: VNA)

Meeting with ANC President and President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa, Trac affirmed that the Party and State of Vietnam always attach importance to and pay attention to promoting friendship and multifaceted cooperation with traditional countries in the African region, including the ANC and South Africa.

Ramaphosa expressed his admiration for the achievements of the Doi Moi (Renewal) process, economic development, and improvement of people's life that Vietnam has achieved under the leadership of the CPV and wished to learn from Vietnam's experience.

At the meeting with the Speaker of the South African NA Thokozile Didiza, both sides agreed to increase delegation exchanges, share experience in operation and law-making activities between the two NAs, and continue working closely and offering mutual support at regional and global inter-parliamentary mechanisms.

While their stay in South Africa, Trac and his entourage had a working session with ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula and held talks with ANC First Deputy Secretary General Nomvula Mokonyane, during which the two sides discussed achievements, difficulties and challenges in the process of economic development, national construction, Party building, and economic development.

The ANC leaders said they will soon send a delegation to Vietnam to learn experience of the CPV, especially in Party building and socio-economic development.

At the meeting with SACP General Secretary Solly Mapaila, Trac also affirmed that the CPV treasures to strengthen the relationship with the SACP. Vietnam appreciates the support of the SACP in promoting the relationship between the two states and people.

During their stay in South Africa, the delegation visited and had a working session with the staff of the Vietnamese Embassy and met with the Vietnamese community in South Africa.

Vietnam among favorite places by foodies for Korean, Thai, Japanese visitors

Tourists from the Republic of Korea (RoK), Japan, and Thailand are the most likely to be drawn in by Vietnamese delights, with visitors from these three nations most likely to visit Vietnam with cuisine on their mind, according to digital travel platform Agoda.

Vu Ngoc Lam, Country Director, Vietnam at Agoda shared that food isn't just about eating, it's about exploring, experiencing, and enjoying every bite, and our cuisine is the pride of our nation.

Korean tourists enjoy Vietnamese Pho (Photo: tuoitre.vn)

“People in Vietnam love sharing their favorite dishes with travelers from round the world and Agoda is proud to offer great value deals to visit this foodie heaven, so that there’s more left to spend on our tastiest local dishes,” Lam added..

Agoda’s study into the top destinations in Asia that travelers visit specifically for a culinary trip saw RoK took the crown for foodies on the move, cited VOV.

The Agoda’s survey was conducted via the Agoda platform between August 1 and 19, 2024, with over 4,000 participants from 10 markets. These included Indonesia, India, Japan, RoK, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Vietnam emerges as key destination for global tech giants

As Vietnam builds its AI and semiconductor ecosystem, global tech giants are increasingly looking to the country as a key strategic destination for expansion.

According to the Minister of Planning and Investment, major global technology corporations are set to invest heavily in Vietnam, further expanding their presence in the country.

At the sidelines of the Vietnam Innovation Day 2024 event, local and international experts shared their insights on Vietnam’s development through the lenses of artificial intelligence (AI) and the semiconductor industry.

Speaking at the forum "Businesses and the Young Generation in the Wave of AI and Semiconductors," Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung emphasized that Vietnam has the necessary conditions to foster economic growth and overcome the middle-income trap.

Vietnam's stable political situation, strong commitment to economic development focused on high-tech industries, and a young workforce in a "golden population" period with technological capabilities position the country as a strategic player in global technology.

Minister Dung noted that the decision to prioritize AI and semiconductor industries is based on thorough research and analysis of global trends. This strategic focus aims to help Vietnam catch up, keep pace, and surpass other nations in these key sectors.

With the right approach and strong government support, Vietnam can not only meet domestic demand for technology-related human resources but also supply talent to international markets and integrate deeper into the global value chain, VNA reported.

Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung. Photo: NIC

In recent years, Vietnam has built a large ecosystem for AI and semiconductors in the region, with the involvement of leading global tech corporations such as Google, Meta, NVIDIA, Qualcomm, Intel, and Amkor.

“Vietnam is poised to become a strategic choice for tech giants. Those already here will expand their investments, while others will enter the market with significant projects,” Minister Dung stated.

He stressed that Vietnam must prepare its policies, infrastructure, and workforce to welcome these tech giants. Additionally, the government must effectively implement AI and semiconductor strategies that have already been approved.

Tran Dang Hoa, Chairman of FPT Semiconductor, highlighted the challenges facing Vietnam in developing its AI and semiconductor workforce. Despite the growth in these sectors, Vietnam still faces hurdles such as a shortage of specialized engineers, inadequate training programs, and a lack of experienced lecturers.

Currently, Vietnam has around 5,000 to 10,000 semiconductor engineers in design and testing, and more efforts are needed to close the gap with competitors in the region.

Dr. Ettikan Karuppiah from NVIDIA emphasized the importance of localizing AI models in Vietnam. He pointed out that Vietnam has already developed AI models that are fine-tuned with characteristics suitable for local culture, based on open-source large language models.

According to Dr. Karuppiah, developing domestic generative AI solutions will help create tools tailored to local realities, better control AI models, and protect users' data within the country.

Forum participants agreed that now is a "golden time" for Vietnam to accelerate its AI and semiconductor sectors. Vietnam has the potential to become a regional and global innovation hub, but this requires strong collaboration between the government, businesses, and the community.

UNICEF hailed for effectively support to Vietnam in child rights, child protection

Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly (NA) of Vietnam Nguyen Thi Thanh has hailed the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for its effective support to Vietnam in protecting the rights of the child and vulnerable groups in nearly 50 years.

In her reception in Hanoi on October 2 for UNICEF Representative to Vietnam Silvia Danailov, Thanh said that she is pleased to see the effective cooperation between UNICEF and the NA through specialized committees, contributing to the development of legal frameworks, policies and laws for sustainable development goals.

She affirmed the consistent policy of the Party and State of Vietnam of attaching importance to economic development associated with social progress and justice, in which women and children are always given special attention.

After more than ten years of implementing the 2013 Constitution, the rights of the child in Vietnam have become a part of human rights, helping concretise the rights of the child in accordance with international practices and the country's conditions. The NA has made progress in developing laws and policies to protect the rights of the child. The Child Law stipulated and supplemented 25 groups of the child rights, defining the responsibility of agencies, organizations, educational institutions, families and individuals in implementing the rights and duties of the child.

In addition, the rights of the child are also mentioned in laws that are expected to be approved, amended and supplemented in the coming time, cited VNA.

Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly (NA) of Vietnam Nguyen Thi Thanh (right) meets with UNICEF Representative to Vietnam Silvia Danailov. (Photo: quochoi.vn)

She said that in the context of rapid development of information technology and cyber activities, children are facing opportunities, difficulties and risks, especially bad information and negative effects of social platforms, particularly cross-border ones. Children are also affected by climate change and non-traditional security, she added.

Thanh said she believes under the leadership and management of Danailov, UNICEF in Vietnam will continue making more contributions to building and promoting the rights of the child, women and vulnerable groups.

She hoped UNICEF would continue to accompany, support and coordinate with Vietnam’s relevant agencies and NA specialized committees to perfect institutions and legal regulations, address issues related to gender imbalance at birth, physical and mental health care for children, and malnutrition in children.

For her part, Danailov spoke highly of the Vietnamese NA's contributions to building the legal system on children, saying that she is ready to make more contributions to the activities, helping Vietnam in developing a child support plan in the socio-economic development plan for the coming time.

Commending Vietnam's building the law on justice for minors with new regulations to the child rights, Danailov said that UNICEF has many experienced experts in this field, and is coordinating with relevant agencies to give opinions to complete the draft law.

At the same time, she suggested Vietnam consider raising the age of children to harmonize with the international convention on the child.

She expressed her willingness to accompany and support Vietnam in contributing to the development of child-related policy mechanisms. She said she hopes the NA will coordinate in organizing activities to celebrate the 35th anniversary of Vietnam's ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the 50th anniversary of UNICEF's presence in Vietnam in 2025.

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