President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his spouse will pay a state visit to the Republic of Korea from December 4-6.

The visit will be made at the invitation of the Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. 

Vietnam and the RoK set up diplomatic ties in 1992, and upgraded their relationship to the level of  Comprehensive Partnership in 2002 before lifting it to Strategic Cooperative Partnership in 2009.

Last year, the RoK was Vietnam's third biggest trade partner, after China and the US, with two-way trade hitting US$78 billion, a year-on-year rise of 18.2 percent.

The trade turnover between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea reached US$66.8 billion in the first nine months of this year, up 18.2 percent on year.

As of September 2022, the RoK had 9,438 active projects worth US$80.5 billion in Vietnam, ranking first in terms of registered capital and project number.

The East Asian nation's total development assistance to Vietnam totalled more than US$500 million, with 90 percent of which being official development assistance (ODA) and 10 percent as non-refundable aid. 

Over 763,000 Koreans visited Vietnam in the past 11 months, showing a 27-fold rise on year, making the RoK the biggest source of international arrivals to Vietnam.

NA Chairman meets Australian minister, parliamentarians

National Assembly Chairman Vương Đình Huệ had meetings with Australian Minister of Education Jason Clare, and leaders of the opposition in the House of Representatives and the Senate Peter Dutton and Simon Birmingham on Thursday, as part of the activities in his ongoing official visit to the nation.

Meeting the Australian minister, Huệ underlined the importance of education and training cooperation in the Việt Nam – Australia relations, expressing his hope that the Australian side will share experience in university autonomy and governance, business-university connection, entrepreneurship and innovation.

With more than 30,000 Vietnamese students in Australia, education cooperation not only contributes to Việt Nam’s human resources development and Australia's economy, but also helps promote cultural connection and friendship between the two nations, he said. 

NA Chairman Huệ suggested the Australian side pay attention to promoting bilateral education and training cooperation in various forms, provide more scholarships to Vietnamese students, and organise forums for enhancing connectivity among Vietnamese and Australian universities and educational institutions. 

Clare said he is looking forward to a visit to Việt Nam in 2023 to discuss education cooperation, especially in general and higher education, and student exchange between the two countries. 

He expressed his trust in great cooperation opportunities in education and training between the two countries.

The two sides held that the Việt Nam - Australia Education Cooperation Forum on the occasion of the Vietnamese NA’s visit to Australia is expected to further boost the bilateral education cooperation, especially higher education.

Meeting Dutton and Birmingham, NA Chairman reaffirmed Việt Nam’s consistent policy of attaching great importance to comprehensive relations with Australia at all levels and channels.

He expressed his delight that Australian political parties all support strengthening ties with Việt Nam for the sake of the two peoples, and for peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

The Australian parliamentary leaders affirmed that their country always attaches great importance to strengthening relations with Việt Nam, and support to lift the bilateral relations to a new height. 

They agreed to coordinate with Việt Nam’s partner agencies to boost cooperation in specific fields, including the exchange of delegations and expanding cooperation in various forms between the Communist Party of Việt Nam and Australian political parties, promoting the implementation of documents the two sides have signed, and enhancing cooperation in response to climate change, green growth, energy transformation, digital transformation, and digital economy. 

The two sides also discussed international issues and emphasised the central role of ASEAN. They reaffirmed that disputes, including those in the South China Sea, should be resolved by peaceful measures in accordance with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS). 

NA Chairman Huệ took the occasion to invite Dutton and Birmingham to visit Việt Nam as soon as possible. 

Prime Minister chairs meeting on vaccine diplomacy

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on November 30 chaired a meeting with People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities and Vietnamese embassies and representative agencies abroad on vaccine diplomacy.

The event, which was held in both face-to-face and virtual forms, focused on reviewing outcomes of the work in the past and drawing lessons to push up economic diplomacy in the new situation.

Opening the meeting, the Government leader said a year ago, the Government issued Resolution 128/NQ-CP on safe, flexible adaptation to and effective control of the COVID-19 pandemic with a focus on the vaccine strategy. The shift has so far proven effective and timely, he said, elaborating that the economy grew strongly from negative growth in the third quarter of 2021 and the country has successfully controlled the pandemic.

Earlier, the Government launched a vaccine strategy with three contents: setting up a COVID-19 vaccine prevention fund, conducting vaccine diplomacy and establishing a Government working group on vaccine diplomacy with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the core, the PM noted.

"Despite difficulties, we managed to have enough vaccine sources for pandemic prevention and control," he noted.

Highlighting the important role of diplomacy in the country's socio-economic development, the Government leader said that valuable lessons learned from vaccine diplomacy work over the past time will apply to economic diplomacy for rapid recovery and sustainable development.

Former President of Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences disciplined for wrongdoings

Bui Nhat Quang has been given a warning as a disciplinary measure for his violations and shortcomings while holding the position of President of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS) under Decision 1495/QD-TTg signed by Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam.

Quang was earlier given a warning by the Politburo at a meeting chaired by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong on September 30.

After considering the proposal from the Party Central Committee’s Inspection Commission, the Politburo concluded that Quang, member of the Party Central Committee and member of the Executive Committee of the Party Organisation of the Central Agencies’ Bloc, and Secretary of the VASS Party Committee, must bear the prime responsibility for the violations and wrongdoings of the Standing Board of the VASS Party Committee in the 2015-2020 tenure (from November 2019 to August 2020) and the 2020-2025 term.

Quang violated the principles of the Party organisation, as well as the working regulations of the Party Committee, leading to a state of poor solidarity among members of the Standing Board of the VASS Party Committee and leaders of the academy.

He also infringed Party regulations, resulting in prolonged wrongdoings by the VASS and a number of agencies under its management, and failed to implement directions and conclusions of Party organisations at higher levels, according to the Politburo.

It underlined that Quang's wrongdoings have caused serious consequences and harmed internal solidarity, angering officials and Party members and negatively affecting the reputation of the Party, the VASS and himself.

Vietnamese, Lao young army officers increase exchanges

Young army officers of Vietnam and Laos gathered at a talk in Hanoi on November 30 to discuss effective measures and models to increase bilateral exchanges and cooperation in various spheres.

The event was co-chaired by head of the General Department of Politics’ Military Youth Board Col. Tran Viet Nang and deputy head of the youth affairs office of the Lao People’s Army Lieut. Col. Hong Thong Sisanon.

Nang said the youth affairs between the two sides have seen positive results, with numerous exchanges of young military officers. He affirmed that young army officers of Vietnam always do their best to maintain and develop the special solidarity with the Lao Government, people and army.

According to the officer, the two sides held training courses to discuss professional expertise, with a focus on organisation, skills and experience in the youth affairs.

Sisanon, for his part, said via training courses in Vietnam, many young officers of the Lao People’s Army have improved their working skills.

He suggested adding more professional materials related to the youth affairs in training courses and holding more trips for young officers of the Lao army to Hanoi and Vietnam.

Romania’s National Day celebrated in HCM City

The Ho Chi Minh City Union of Friendship Organisations (HUFO) on November 30 hosted a get-together to mark the 104th National Day of Romania (December 1, 1918 – 2022).

Addressing the event, President of the Vietnam-Romania Friendship Association (VRFA)'s chapter in HCM City Nguyen Truong Giang said Romania is one of the first countries to officially recognise the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and has always supported and assisted the Vietnamese people during their struggle for national independence and reunification as well as their current construction and defence.

In addition to providing aid in the fields of construction, oil and gas, and railway, Romania has trained more than 4,000 students and post-graduates for Vietnam, many of them have become experts and managers with great contributions to the country’s development, he added.

Over the past years,  the municipal VRFA has carried out many activities to support the Romanian Embassy in Vietnam and acted as a bridge to promote solidarity, friendship and cooperation between the people of HCM City and Vietnam and their Romanian peers.

For her part, Romanian Ambassador to Vietnam Cristina Romila said Vietnam and Romania have had many dynamic political exchanges, marked by frequent high-level contacts.

She emphasised that the economic and trade ties have enjoyed positive growth, but remain modest compared to the dynamic development of the two economies.

Romania pays attention to promoting education and culture bonds between the two nations, she said, adding that people-to-people diplomacy activities have actively contributed to building mutual trust and respect, consolidating and developing Romania-Vietnam relations.

1982 UNCLOS most important legal tool to preserve regional peace: workshop

Implementing the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS) and other international instruments to address emerging maritime issues has been the focus of a workshop in Hanoi on November 30 and December 1.

The hybrid ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) workshop, co-organised by the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the EU, Australia and New Zealand, brought together about 200 representatives from 27 ARF member countries, regional and international organisations, diplomatic offices, research institutes, ministries and agencies.

In his opening remarks, Assistant to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu reiterated the significance of the 1982 UNCLOS, especially in the context of emerging challenges to the settlement of maritime issues, requiring intensive and extensive international cooperation.

The 1982 UNCLOS is an important basis for countries in the region to enhance trust and cooperation, for peace, security and prosperity, he stressed, adding that all disputes and maritime issues should be addressed by peaceful measures in line with international law, including the Convention.
 
Vu viewed the workshop as a demonstration of regional commitment to international cooperation to cope with the challenges.

Thomas Wiersing, deputy head of the EU Delegation to Vietnam, emphasised the leading role of ASEAN in promoting peace and stability in the region, affirming the EU’s support for the early completion of a substantive and legally-binding Code of Conduct (COC) in the East Sea.

Chargé d'affaires of the Australian Embassy in Hanoi Mark Tattersall spoke highly of the ARF’s role in security and cooperation dialogues in Indo-Pacific.

Delegates shared the view that the 1982 UNCLOS is the most crucial legal tool to maintain peace and stability in the region, creating a framework to push ahead with the settlement of both traditional and emerging maritime issues in the region.

Vietnam calls for support to Palestine in gaining independence

Vietnam calls on the international community to support Palestine in gaining independence, Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations (UN), stated at a UN General Assembly session on November 30.
 
Giang voiced his concern over violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the volatility of the overall situation, noting that the casualties in 2022 reached a record in decades.

The Vietnamese representative affirmed Vietnam’s constant stance that the Palestinian issue must be addressed on the basis of international law and relevant UN resolutions, ensuring the legitimate interest of all parties, especially the inalienable rights of Palestinians, including the right to establish an independent and sovereign Palestinian State with East Jerusalem as its capital, peacefully coexisting alongside the State of Israel, with internationally recognised and secure borders based on pre-1967 borders.

The ambassador underlined the need to create a favourable environment for negotiations and avoid all actions complicating the situation such as using forces, expanding Jewish settlement in the West Bank, destroying property, and expelling Palestinians from their homes.

Vietnam affirmed its support for all initiatives of the international community to promote the peace process and find a lasting solution to the Palestinian issue. While there is no final solution, Vietnam supports and calls on international partners to increase humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians, Ambassador Giang stated.
 
During the session, 40 UN member countries showed concern over the recent tension between Israel and Palestine that caused civilian casualties, especially for Palestinians.

The majority of participants affirmed that the two-state solution is the only way to reach sustainable peace between Israel and Palestine. They underlined that the international community should make efforts to realise this target and settle the longest dispute in the modern history in a comprehensive, fair and long-term manner.
 
At the session, participants approved four resolutions regarding the Palestinian issues.

Quiz raises public awareness of national sea, islands

Winners of a quiz on Vietnam’s sea and islands were announced at a ceremony held by the Party Central Committee’s Information and Education Commission in collaboration with other agencies and ministries in Hanoi on November 30.

Head of the commission Nguyen Trong Nghia, who is also Secretary of the Party Central Committee, emphasised that preserving and upholding sea and island values is the responsibility of the entire political system, and the rights and obligations of each agency, organisation, business and individual.

It is also a persistent viewpoint of the Party over the past years, the official noted, referring to the resolution adopted at the 13th National Party Congress that highlights the task of safeguarding national sea and islands, along with relevant resolutions issued by the Politburo.
 
Stressing the communication efficiency of the contest, Nghia expressed his hope that contestants will be “ambassadors” who help to spread the love for national sea, islands and territorial sovereignty.

The contest is a playground for all Vietnamese at home and abroad as well as foreigners in the Southeast Asian nation, according to the official.

Launched in early July 2022, the quiz attracted 15 million registrations, with one first, one second, one third and two consolations prizes honoured.

Pollution hotline gives people a voice in environmental issues

A hotline to receive reports of environmental pollution has received nearly 2,400 messages since it was set up in 2018.

A representative of the General Department of Environment, at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, said over the first ten months of 2022, the hotline has been alerted to 500 cases, of which 394 have been handled (accounting for 88 per cent of the total).

According to the department, the hotline aims to give people and the community a voice in environmental protection, and improve the efficiency of management agencies in receiving and handling complaints.

The line has become a useful information channel, helping organisations and individuals give feedback on environmental issues and pollution hotspots to the State management agencies.

The hotline has also helped detect problem areas and handle individuals and groups causing pollution, according to the representative of the General Department of Environment.

Award-winning movie to hit the silver screen

Award-winning movie Tro Tàn Rực Rỡ (Glorious Ashes) by Bùi Thạc Chuyên is set to premiere in cinemas nationwide on December 2. 

Chuyên's movie won the top prize in the Golden Balloon award (Montgolfière d'or) at the Festival des 3 Continents 2022 in Nantes, France, on Monday. The award put the director's name and Vietnamese cinema on the international cinema map.

Glorious Ashes beat nine other movies to win the 44th edition. The list of the award winners is a who's-who of Asian cinema. 

Glorious Ashes became the first Vietnamese film to feature in the Competition Section of the 35th Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF)  from October 24 to November 2.

To raise funds for the movie production, its producer, Trần Thị Bích Ngọc, and Chuyên introduced the project at prestigious international film festivals such as Cannes, Busan and Singapore International Film Festival.

It overcame 27 other film projects worldwide to win the US$15,000 prize in the Asian Project Market Category at the Busan Awards in 2017. It also won nearly $200,000 from the Inaugural Southeast Asia Co-Production Grant of the Singapore Film Commission and received support from Singaporean producer Jeremy Chua.

The movie will be screened at CGV cinemas nationwide with English subtitles.

President Phuc receives Azerbaijani and Brunei ambassadors

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc received the Ambassadors of Azerbaijan and Brunei who came to present their letters of credence at the Presidential Palace on December 1.

Congratulating Shovgi Kamal Oglu Mehdizade on his appointment as Azerbaijani Ambassador to Vietnam on the occasion of the two countries' 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations (1992 - 2022), President Nguyen Xuan Phuc affirmed that Vietnam always attaches importance to traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Azerbaijan that have been nurtured and built up by generations of leaders and people of the two nations.

Vietnam wishes to augment multifaceted and substantive cooperation with Azerbaijan, commensurate with the good traditional friendship as well as both nations’ great potential.

Emphasizing the importance of trade cooperation, the Vietnamese State leader stated that economic and trade cooperation between Vietnam and Azerbaijan has made positive progress but is still far from matching their potential.

Therefore, the two sides need to make greater efforts to bolster cooperation in key. Vietnam wishes to export to Azerbaijan electronic products, components, pepper, and import crude oil from Azerbaijan.

It is essential to expand bilateral cooperation in other fields, including culture, education, tourism, defence and people-to-people exchanges, he said.

The State, Government and Vietnamese ministries and sectors will create all optimal conditions for the Ambassador to have a successful working term in Vietnam, Phuc said, while voicing his hope that with long-term experience in the diplomatic sector, the ambassador will make practical contributions to bolstering bilateral cooperative ties in the time ahead.

Ambassador Shovgi Kamal Oglu Mehdizade affirmed his nation’s recognition of great importance to relations with Vietnam, and conveyed the Azerbaijani President’s invitation to attend the Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) to be held in early 2023 to senior Vietnamese leaders.

This is an important meeting for leaders to discuss issues related to NAM member countries to overcome the post- COVID-19 pandemic period.

The ambassador said he would do his best to contribute to the further development of relations between the two countries, and step up communication about the traditional close friendship between the two countries, especially among younger generations.

Congratulating Datin Paduka Malai Hajah Halimah Malai Haji Yussof on her appointment as the Ambassador of Brunei to Vietnam, the President affirmed that Vietnam and Brunei are two countries in the ASEAN region that enjoy a close-knit relationship.

He shared his good impressions on meetings with the Sultan of Brunei, especially the visit to Vietnam by the Sultan of Brunei in March 2019 that opened a new chapter in bilateral relations when the two countries upgraded their bilateral ties to a comprehensive partnership.

The President expressed his delight at the rapid development of economic cooperation between the two countries with trade turnover exceeding the target of US$500 million set for 2025.

Phuc also asked the Ambassador to continue boosting economic and trade cooperation between the two countries, facilitating the import of Vietnamese goods, especially rice and agricultural and aquatic products into the Brunei market, thus creating favorable conditions for Vietnamese enterprises to cooperate with Bruneian enterprises in the coming period

The Bruneian Ambassador conveyed his respectful greetings to Brunei Darussalam Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah and expressed his delight at the deepening relations between the two countries, especially in the fields of agriculture, commerce, national defence, and people-to- people exchange.

The Ambassador emphasized that the upgrading of the Vietnam - Brunei relationship to a comprehensive partnership during the Sultan's visit to Vietnam in March 2019 is the clearest example of strengthening relations between the two countries.

He expressed his thanks to Vietnam for greatly supporting Brunei in the field of agriculture and fishery. In addition, the two countries always support each other at international and regional forums.

The Ambassador believed that the comprehensive partnership between the two countries would grow stronger in the coming time and affirmed that he would make every effort to propel bilateral relations forward in line with the aspirations of both nations’ leaders and people.

Hanoi to welcome screening of Taiwanese movies

The Taiwan Film Salon programme will be held from December 3 to December 10 in Hanoi, featuring eight outstanding movies from Taiwan (China).

The films set to be screened at the event include Dear Tenant, One day, I weirdo, Somewhere I have never travelled, The magnificent Bobita, and A fish out of water.

Most notably, a documentary-historical film about a famous Taiwanese cartoonist Chen Uen will also be introduced at the event.

Free movie tickets are being offered to the public at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Vietnam on 1 Pham Van Bach street, the National Cinema Center on 87 Lang Ha street, the Centre for Young Cinematography Talent Development under Vietnam Cinema Association on 18A Ngo Tat To street, and Bluebirds' Nest Book Coffee on 13/27 Dang Dung street.

The event is organised by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Vietnam (TECO) and the Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts Studies (VICAS). The purpose of the scheme is to introduce Taiwanese cinematic works to Vietnamese audiences, as well as opening up new perspectives relating to the people and culture of Taiwan (China).

Vietnam sends over 122,000 workers abroad in 11 months

More than 122,000 Vietnamese went to work abroad in the first 11 months of this year, achieving 135.56 percent of the year's target, according to a report from the Department of Overseas Labour (DOLAB) under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA). 

Japan still employed the largest number of Vietnamese workers with 60,105 people, followed by Taiwan (China) with 53,883, South Korea with 1,732 and Singapore with 1,663.

This number underscores a breakthrough, after the difficulties of the past two years due to the heavy impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Vietnam previously targeted 90,000 people being contracted to work abroad this year.

Since March, many countries have reopened to foreign employees, including Vietnamese.

From August 2021 to August 2022, the Singapore Ministry of Manpower piloted the acceptance of Vietnamese workers working in the construction, shipping and processing industries in the form of a work permit visa.

In March 2022, MOLISA and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade signed a Memorandum of Understanding between Australia and Vietnam on supporting Vietnamese people participating in the Australian Agricultural Labour Programme.

It is expected that the programme will receive about 1,000 Vietnamese to work in the agricultural sector in Australia each year. This is the first Memorandum of Understanding that Australia has signed with countries sending workers to Australia under this agricultural visa programme.

It will create a legal framework and facilitate Vietnamese citizens to easily enter Australia to work in the agricultural sector.

This year, a Memorandum of Understanding on recruitment, employment and labour repatriation between Vietnam and Malaysia was also signed. This was the continuation of the first Memorandum of Understanding on the recruitment of Vietnamese workers between the two countries signed in December 2003 and signed for the second time in August 2015. Since then, more than 100,000 Vietnamese labourers have come to work in Malaysia.

Currently, there are about 10,000 Vietnamese workers working in Malaysia, mainly in the manufacturing, construction, and service sectors.

Source: VNA/SGT/VNS/VOV/Dtinews/SGGP/VGP/Hanoitimes