Vietnam News Today (Oct. 3): Vietnam, South Africa Strengthen Traditional Friendship, Cooperation
	Vietnam News Today (Oct. 4): Vietnam-France Trade, Investment Ties Expected to Grow Further

Party General Secretary and State President To Lam, French President Emmanuel Macron, heads of Francophone member delegations pose for a group photo (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam's top leader attends 19th Francophonie Summit in France

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and State President To Lam attended the opening session of the 19th Francophonie Summit held at Villers-Cotterêts castle, France on October 4.

Opening the summit, themed "Creativity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship in French," French President Emmanuel Macron emphasized the special bond between countries that use French, saying that the Francophone community needs to continue promoting cooperation so that French becomes the language of culture, trade and innovation.

He highlighted the fundamental values of the Francophone community which are solidarity, sharing, recognition of cultural and linguistic diversity as well as respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries, and promotion of peace and prosperity.

Secretary General of the International Organization of La Francophonie Louise Mushikiwabo said that the organization will continue reforming to meet rapid changes of the current situation, with focus on digital transformation, sustainable development, support for programs of women and youth, while promoting teaching and learning in French, entrepreneurship in French.

The same day, the top Vietnamese leader attended a banquet hosted by the French President, delivered a speech at the FrancoTech 2024, a trade fair for innovation, and witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding on agricultural cooperation between Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Benin’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, cited VNA.

Lam is set to deliver a key speech at the summit on October 5. He will have meetings and discussions with leaders of many countries and international organizations to boost bilateral and multilateral diplomatic, politic, economic and trade cooperation.

The 19 Francophonie Summit is taking place on October 4-5 in France. The opening session was held at Villers-Cotterêts castle. Various activities are being held within the summit’s framework, including FrancoTech 2024, Francophone cultural village and Francophone festival.

Vietnam keen to develop stronger ties with Algeria

A delegation of the Central Theory Council of Vietnam, led by Prof. Dr. Ta Ngoc Tan, the group’s permanent vice chairman, is currently taking a working visit to Algeria from October 1 to October 5.

At meetings held with representatives of Algerian agencies and organizations, both sides agreed on the need for continued active exchanges in order to learn from each other's experiences, increase mutual support at international forums, and promote win-win co-operation and investment.

At a reception held for the delegation on October 2, Abdelkrim Benmbarek, secretary general of Algeria's National Liberation Front (FLN) Party, proposed the two sides continue discussions to find ways for party modernization and attract the engagement of young people in the current context, according to VOV.

Delegation from the Central Theory Council of Vietnam visits National Economic, Social, and Environmental Council of Algeria (CNESE).

Prof. Dr. Tan an showed gratitude to Algerian friends for standing by the nation in its struggle for independence, outlining his hope that both sides will develop a dynamic and mutually beneficial relationship in the current context. He emphasized that this represents a crucial time for both nations to offer mutual support in their development.

The two parties also exchanged views on issues related to party building and socio-economic development, sharing their experience in party rectification, the making of national development policies, and social equity promotion.

On October 3, the delegation was received by the head of the Algerian Parliament’s foreign affairs committee Khouane Mohammed, as well as several lawmakers, including members of the Algeria-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group.

Mohammed suggested the Central Theory Council of Vietnam explore potential cooperation between the two countries. He also expressed his keen desire to effectively implement the signed agreements between the two nations, emphasizing that the bilateral trade value of US$300 million fails to accurately reflect the level of their relationship. With a new investment law introduced by the Algerian Government, he showed his hope that the Vietnamese side will consider investing in the North African country on the basis of mutual benefit.

The Vietnamese official stated that following this visit, the council will continue to study and leverage strength while identifying limitations that need to be addressed to enhance development between the two sides. Additionally, it will incentivize major Vietnamese enterprises to further explore investment opportunities in the Algerian market.

The Vietnamese delegation also visited a center of the National Fund of Social Insurance for Employees and the headquarters of the National Economic, Social, and Environmental Council of Algeria (CNESE), where they had opportunities to learn about Algeria's social security system, as well as to discuss potential collaboration in specific fields between both sides.

Peru and Vietnam hold fifth political consultation

Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc and his Peruvian counterpart John Peter Camino Cannock co-chaired the fifth Political Consultation between the two foreign ministries on October 3 as part of the former’s activities conducted during his visit to the South American nation.

During the working trip, Deputy FM Ha Kim Ngoc paid a courtesy call to then President of the Peruvian Congress Eduardo Salhuana and worked alongside officials and employees of Bitel, a company of Viettel Group in Peru.

At the political consultation, both sides showed satisfaction with the important progress made in diplomatic relations over the past 30 years, affirming their determination to bring the friendship and all-around co-operation between the two countries to new heights.

They agreed to accelerate the early exchange of high-level delegations and further exploit the huge potential that exists in bilateral relations, especially in the fields of telecommunications, science and technology, agriculture, mining, tourism, and culture.

The two sides pledged to further enhance the effectiveness of co-operation in mechanisms of which both sides are members such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and augment ties between ASEAN and the Pacific Alliance (AP).

Regarding regional and international issues of mutual concern, the two diplomats pledged to continue to work closely together at multilateral forums and support each other's candidacy for important UN agencies moving forward.

They shared ASEAN's views on maintaining peace, stability, freedom, security and safety of navigation and aviation in the East Sea, and resolving disputes by peaceful means on the basis of the UN Charter and international law.

In an exchange held with Peruvian leaders, Deputy FM Ngoc affirmed that Vietnam considers Peru to be a very important partner and a leading investment location for the nation in the Latin American region, VOV reported.

Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc.

He therefore expressed his hope that Peruvian government agencies and congress will create favorable conditions for Bitel to expand its business, develop further, and make positive contributions to sustainable development and the digital transformation process in Peru.

Deputy FM wished Peru a successful organization of the APEC Summit in November and expressed hope that the South American country would share its experience, thus enabling Vietnam to successfully assume the role of APEC host country ahead in 2027.

For their part, Peruvian leaders stressed that their country highly values ​​its relations with the Vietnamese side and will closely coordinate to strengthen high-level delegation exchanges. Deputy FM John Peter voiced his hope that the nation will soon open a permanent embassy in Peru to create more optimal conditions for expanding the increasingly growing relationship between the two countries.

Senior Peruvian officials also hailed Bitel's success and contributions to socio-economic development, especially in rural, remote, and isolated areas of Peru.

During an earlier meeting held with the leaders of Bitel, Deputy FM Ngoc applauded the efforts and important achievements recorded by the firm in its investment and business activities in Peru over the past decade.

The Deputy FM expressed his hope that Bitel will continue to remain proactive, positive, and creative to continue to firmly secure its position as one of the leading telecommunications and digital services companies in Peru, thereby accompanying the Government and people of Peru in the digital transformation process as a greater contribution to the friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

Tay Ninh boosts trade, investment, tourism ties with Cambodian localities

Authorities of the southern province of Tay Ninh held a working session with a delegation from the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on October 4 to boost its trade, investment and tourism cooperation with Cambodian localities.

Standing Vice Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Nguyen Hong Thanh said Tay Ninh is now home to 337 projects, including 273 foreign-invested ventures worth over 8.79 billion USD and 64 domestic projects valued at more than 12.2 trillion VND (508 million USD). These investments have come from 21 countries and territories.

Tay Ninh has also extended its economic reach into Cambodia, with three projects valued at over 3.69 trillion VND, which focus on industrial crop planting and rubber processing, cited VNA.

At the working session (Photo: VNA)

A key focus of the meeting was the Ho Chi Minh City-Moc Bai expressway project, which will connect to the Ba Vet-Phnom Penh expressway as approved by both countries. Once completed, this will further enhance two-way trade.

Thanh expressed Tay Ninh's commitment to collaborating closely with Cambodian diplomatic agencies and provinces to realize signed cooperation agreements, facilitate trade and cultural exchanges and healthcare and education cooperation activities for mutual development.

Under-Secretary of State of the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ouk Sophorn said Cambodia is interested in enhancing transportation infrastructure connectivity among the border gates of Cambodian provinces and Vietnam's Tay Ninh and Ho Chi Minh City.

He also highlighted the potential for connecting Tay Ninh's Ba Den mountain national tourist area with Cambodia's iconic Angkor temple complex to further boost tourism opportunities.

The Cambodian ministry is ready to share information for tackling challenges, contributing to nurturing and deepening the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Cambodia, he said.

Vietnam teams up with US, IOM in enhancing capacity for human trafficking combat

A launch event of a project on capacity building for frontline border guard officers to tackle human trafficking and related cross-border crimes was held in Hanoi on October 2.

The event was jointly organized by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Department of Drug Control and Crime Prevention (DDCCP) of the Vietnam Border Guard Command.

The project is funded by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) of the U.S. Department of State.

As Vietnam's economy picks up its speed after the pandemic, the number of Vietnamese people migrating to work overseas, hoping for better life and incomes, is increasing.

Taking advantage of the needs of people, migrant smugglers and human traffickers increasingly utilize online platforms to recruit, defraud, coerce, and exploit victims into working at online scam centers spanning jurisdictionally complex areas in the Southeast Asia region.

As stated in the U.S. Trafficking in Persons Report 2024, since mid-2022, more than 4,100 Vietnamese nationals exploited by online scam syndicates have been repatriated, and more cases are being exposed.

In that context, the Vietnam Border Guard plays an instrumental role in the fight against trafficking in persons and the provision of protection and support for trafficking victims, cited VGP.

Delegates attending the event. Photo: VGP/Thuy Dung

Overseeing 5,036 km of land borders and 3,260 km of coastline, the Border Guard is at the forefront of cross-border crime prevention and control. They are very often the first–and sometimes only–law enforcement officers with whom a trafficking victim may ever come into contact.

Building on the success of the previous project between IOM and the Vietnam Border Guard, this project aims to enhance the technical capacity of Vietnam Border Guard, especially frontline officers in hotspot border areas, to better detect, investigate, and handle trafficking in persons cases and identify, protect, and assist trafficking victims, particularly when the crime has evolved to online space.

Within its framework, the project will introduce a new training curriculum on counter-trafficking and victim protection for frontline officers.

This curriculum, updated with the latest laws, criminal trends, and specific case files, will be distributed to Border Guard stations in target provinces. It will be used to conduct 16 training workshops for over 600 frontline counter-crime and immigration control Border Guard officers across Vietnam.

With the technical equipment to be provided by the project to support criminal investigations, officers are expected to immediately apply their enhanced capacity to tackle complex trafficking in persons and related cross-border criminal cases as well as to better protect and support victims of such crimes.

As part of this initiative, the project will create more opportunities to foster cross-border collaboration between the Vietnam Border Guard and their counterparts in the region.

This new platform will enable them to exchange effective methods, professional skills, and practical experiences that have been successfully applied in investigating and prosecuting cross-border crimes.

Additionally, the project also emphasizes training frontline officers in communication skills to effectively conduct community engagement activities. These activities aim to promote safe migration and reduce irregular migration among vulnerable communities in border areas.

Addressing the event, IOM Chief of Mission, Park Mi-Hyung said, IOM is very proud to continue to cooperate with the Department of Drug Control and Crime Prevention of the Vietnam Border Guard to contribute to enhancing the capacities of Vietnam Border Guard officers, who are at the frontline to receive, protect and identify returning trafficking victims.

Facilitating safe and orderly cross-border human mobility for migrants while maintaining border security and supporting border guards' engagement is one of the critical components in IOM' mandate, she stated.

This project is a significant part of IOM's work to support the Government of Vietnam not just to strengthen its border security and management of migration flows but also to contribute to the comprehensive effort under the National Program on Human Trafficking Prevention and Control 2021-2025 and the National Implementation Plan for the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM), of which Vietnam is an active member, she added.

Senior Colonel Vu Xuan Dai, Deputy Director of the Department of Drug Control and Crime Prevention affirmed, international cooperation in preventing and combating organized and transnational crime in general, and trafficking in persons in particular, is extremely necessary.

The department will proactively implement approved cooperation activities, aiming to improve the effectiveness of our collective effort to prevent and combat human trafficking crimes in the coming time, he shared.

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