Vietnam News Today (Sep. 16): AEM-54: Vietnam Affirms Importance of Economic Ties with Laos

Photo: VNA

Vietnam records 2,963 new Covid-19 cases on Sept. 15

An additional 2,963 Covid-19 cases were logged on September 15, according to the Ministry of Health.

The new infections raised the country’s total caseload since the pandemic broke out to 11,450,999.

The same day, 55,181 patients were declared to be free from the disease, lifting the total number of recoveries to 10,448,813.

Meanwhile, the death toll rose to 43,137, accounting for 0.4% of the total infections, after five fatalities were recorded on the day, cited VNA.

More than 259.05 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered so far.

AEM-54: Vietnam affirms importance of economic ties with Laos

Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien affirmed the importance of economic cooperation between Vietnam and Laos in the current world situation during his talks with his Lao counterpart Malaythong Kommasith on September 14.

The meeting took place in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on the sidelines of the 54th ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting (AEM-54).

Dien appreciated growth in bilateral trade ties, with two-way trade surging by 27% year-on-year to nearly US$1.1 billion in the first eight months of 2022.

Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien. Photo: VOV

However, the figure is not commensurate with the two sides’ special friendship and comprehensive solidarity as well as their potential, he noted.

To fully tap the potential, the Vietnamese minister proposed his Lao counterpart encourage the two countries’ businesses to cooperate and invest in the fields that can serve their production and export, according to VOV.

Vietnam will increase the import of electricity from Laos and support the country overcome economic difficulties, Dien affirmed, suggesting the Lao ministry coordinate closely with the Vietnamese side to soon complete negotiations towards the signing of bilateral cooperation documents such as the amended trade agreement, and a memorandum of understanding on border trade infrastructure connectivity and development between the two nations.

Malaythong Kommasith thanked the Vietnamese ministry for supporting Laos' imported petroleum transit through Vietnam. In this regard, the two ministers agreed that it is necessary to have more specific plans in the medium and long terms to ensure a sustainable and stable supply of this fuel, including the development of transport connectivity between the two countries.

They also agreed to encourage and create favorable conditions for businesses’ cooperation to maximize their potential and make better use of investment opportunities.

Vietnam - Chile’s largest trade partner in Southeast Asia: Ambassador

Vietnamese Ambassador to Chile Pham Truong Giang expressed his delight at the fine development of the two countries’ relations in various fields, at a ceremony on September 13 to celebrate Vietnam’s 77th National Day (September 2).

Vietnam remains Chile’s largest trade partner in Southeast Asia, with two-way trade hitting 1.4 billion USD in the first eight months of 2022, Giang stressed.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Chile Pham Truong Giang speaking at the ceremony. Photo: VNA

He told participants that Vietnam currently has diplomatic relations with 189 out of the 193 nations and territories over the world, and has been a responsible member of the international community.

The renewal of the economy in the past more than 35 years has brought about encouraging results, with an average growth rate of 7%, putting Vietnam in the lists of the 40 countries with the largest economic scale and the 16 most successful emerging economies in the world.

On behalf of the Chilean Government and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Patricio Powell, acting general secretary in charge of foreign affairs at the ministry, affirmed Chile considers Vietnam its trusted friend and partner in bilateral cooperation fields and at multilateral forums.

The two sides maintain effective dialogue and cooperation mechanisms in the fields of politics, economics, sustainable development and climate change response, reported VNA.

He showed his belief that the bilateral multi-faceted cooperation will grow stronger in the coming time.

Vietnam among top 10 most popular destinations for Australians

Vietnam was among top 10 most popular destinations for Australian travelers in July, with more than 18,500 Australians visiting the Southeast Asian country in the month, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

A view of Ha Long Bay. Photo: VNA

In July, there were 968,490 international departures from Australia, a monthly increase of 87,630 from June. However, the figure represented a fall of 58.8% from that in July 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, the bureau reported.

New Zealand ranked first in the top 10 destinations for Australian tourists, with 96,180 arrivals, which was followed by Indonesia, the UK, the US, Fiji, India, Singapore, Thailand and Italy, cited VNA.

After both Australia and Vietnam reopened their borders, the number of Australians travelling Vietnam has risen considerably. Compared to June, the number of Australian arrivals in Vietnam in July rose by about 8,200, but fell by nearly 10,000 from the same month in 2019.

ABS statistics showed that on the average, Australians spend 19 days for each trip abroad.

Vietnam has more than 600 valid foreign invested education projects

As of December 31, 2021 the education sector of Vietnam had 605 valid foreign investment cooperation projects with a total investment capital of more than US$4.57 billion, an increase of 321 projects compared to five years earlier.

Projects were mainly undertaken in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, accounting for 91.23% of the total registered capital, according to the Ministry of Education and Training at a conference on cooperation and investment in the education sector held in Hanoi on September 15.

Foreign investment in the domestic education sector has amounted to more than US$4.5 billion. Photo: vneconomy.vn

In the 2020-2021 school year, Vietnam had more than 3,800 educational institutions owned by non-State actors, with the number of foreign-invested educational institutions accounting for 17%.

The country had 408 joint training programmes with foreign partners at the tertiary education level. The United Kingdom topped the list of countries that has developed cooperation programmes with Vietnam, followed by the United States, France, Australia and the Republic of Korea, reported VOV.

At the conference, education managers, domestic education experts, and scholars from a number of foreign educational institutions exchanged and discussed solutions to promote cooperation and investment attraction in the educational sector.

Investment in education in Vietnam proves effective thanks to a sufficient and favourable legal framework in place. The country aims to develop non-public education with non-public educational institutions anticipated to make up 16% of the total number of educational institutions by 2025.

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