The People’s Court of the northwestern province of Son La handed out 10 death penalties and one life sentence to members of a drug trafficking ring during trials from June 1-5.

The eleven defendants were found guilty of trafficking 21kg of drugs.

Investigation found that from June 2020 to January 16, 2021, the defendants illegally traded the drugs, including methamphetamine, amphetamine and ketamine, several times.

Under Vietnamese law, anyone found trafficking or possessing more than 600 grammes of heroin faces the death penalty.

Vietnam – responsible member of UNESCO: Director-General

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son had a meeting in Paris on June 5 with United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Director-General Audrey Azoulay, who affirmed that Vietnam has always been a responsible member and one of the pioneering countries in implementing UNESCO programmes and activities.

The UNESCO leader recalled her good memories during her visit to Vietnam last September.

She highly valued the important and effective contributions that Vietnam has made to the common work of the organisation as a member of the UNESCO Executive Board for the 2021-2025 tenure, the Vice Chair of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee of the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, and a member of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Vietnam is a successful model in the connection of economic development and culture, she underlined.

For his part, Son affirmed the important role that UNESCO plays in maintaining and reinforcing peace, sustainable development and prosperity of nations over the past 80 years, and expressed delight at the growing partnership between Vietnam and the organisation.

He affirmed that Vietnam will continue to actively and responsively engage in UNESCO works and implement its international commitments. In this spirit, Vietnam will run for a seat at the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for the 2023-2027 tenure to work with other countries in completing policies and promoting measures to protect the world's cultural and natural heritage, he said, expressing hope to receive support from UNESCO.

Son asked the UNESCO Director-General to continue supporting Vietnam during the country’s international integration and development process, including the provison of resources for the implementation of the memorandum of understanding on cooperation between Vietnam and UNESCO in the 2021-2025 period.

Vietnam hopes to receive policy consultations and experience sharing from the organisation to assist the country in socio-economic recovery and development, he said, suggesting that UNESCO considers the strengthening of cooperation with Vietnam in education, sustainable development, climate change response, basic science, sustainable management of water resources, marine scientific research, and conservation and promotion of heritage values.

The Vietnamese FM said he hopes Azoulay and the UNESCO Secretariat will support Vietnam’s dossiers to seek recognition for new heritages such as Ha Long Bay-Cat Ba archipelago, Yen Tu-Con Son-Kiep Bac relic and landscape complex, Oc Eo - Ba The and Con Moong archaeological sites as well as dossiers for intangible heritages such as the festival honouring the holy lady of Mount Sam, and Dong Ho folk painting. Vietnam also hopes to receive assistance in preserving and promoting the values of UNESCO-recognised world heritage sites, including the Thang Long Imperial Citadel.

The UNESCO leader agreed with Son's proposals on cooperation orientations in the coming time, affirming that UNESCO will continue to support Vietnam in areas of education, culture, science and information-communications, while assisting the country in preserving and promoting the heritage values as well as sustainably developing biosphere reserves in Vietnam.

UNESCO will also assist Vietnam in building dossiers of new heritages as well as preserving UNESCO-recognised heritages, including the Thang Long Imperial Citadel, she pledged.

Son took the occasion to invite UNESCO leaders to join the international conference on preserving and promoting the values of UNESCO titles for sustainable development in Vietnam, which is slated for July in Ninh Binh province. Azoulay said that she will send one of her assistants to the event.

Hanoi orphans benefit from adoptive mothers' programme

The Hanoi chapter of the Vietnamese Women’s Union (VWU) has freshly organised a festival for 118 local orphans with disadvantaged backgrounds who were adopted by kindhearted mothers within a VWU- initiated programme.

The kids living across 30 districts in the capital were treated to gifts, a tour around an aquarium, and circus performances. Another 18 orphans were also adopted as part of the programme at the event.

Between its launch in 2021 and May this year, the programme had seen members of the chapters, businessmen, and philanthropists adopting 1,183 orphans who provide them with between 300,000 VND (12.76 USD) and 1 million VND per month.

As part of the programme, the chapter has joined philanthropists to organise many activities for the kids on special occasions such as the Lunar New Year festival, Children’s Day, and the beginning of a new academic year. So far, 22,450 gifts, 12 computers, 136 scholarships, and many other school supplies worth 2.36 billion VND have been granted to the group.

Vietnam, Norway promote cooperation in marine aquaculture

A seminar themed "Norway-Vietnam: Strengthening Cooperation in Maritime Aquaculture" was held in Nha Trang city, the central province of Khanh Hoa on June 5.

Speaking at the event, Norwegian Ambassador to Vietnam Hilde Solbakken said that both countries have cooperated in the fishery sector for almost 40 years, especially the Nordic nation's assistance to Vietnam in the compilation of the 2003 Law on Fisheries and related documents, surveying aquatic resources and improving the sector's capacity.

Currently, there are more than 10 Norwegian companies operating in Vietnam in this field, from supplying technological solutions for industrial marine aquaculture, processing salmon and aquatic by-products, manufacturing equipment and exporting aquatic products, he said.

Tran Dinh Luan, head of the Fisheries Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), said that with a long coastline, both countries have many similarities and common interests. Therefore, studying Norway's experience and lessons of success will provide suggestions to help Vietnam solve current difficulties as well as implement appropriate policies to develop stronger and more sustainable mariculture.

Vietnam is implementing a project on the development of marine aquaculture by 2030, with a vision towards 2045 which aims at expanding the industry in a synchronous, safe, efficient, sustainable and environment-friendly manner, creating branded products that meet the needs of domestic and foreign consumption.

The MARD also considers reducing exploitation and increasing aquaculture as a policy to help balance human needs with the conservation of marine resources and sustainable development. Thus, shifting to offshore farming, developing fish farming on an industrial scale towards export, and improving the quality and value of Vietnamese aquatic will be an inevitable trend.

Vietnam - Australia initiative promotes clean energy transition

The Future of Electricity – Vietnam (FE-V) initiative was launched in Hanoi on June 5 to help deepen links between energy and climate institutions of Vietnam and Australia, and focus on enhancing knowledge and efficiency in electricity generation, fuels, grids, markets and consumption.

The initiative, launched by the Australian Government with support from the Vietnamese Party Central Committee’s Economic Commission, follows the recent Vietnam visit by Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, targeting energy transition in both Australia and Vietnam.

FE-V is a bridging step for Australia to build a longer term and trusted collaboration in the energy sector in the coming years. PM Albanese announced in Hanoi on June 4 a AUD105 million package to support Vietnam’s sustainable economic growth, in which energy transition is a key area.

Addressing the inaugural FE-V policy dialogue, Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Andrew Goledzinowski, noted that both Australia and Vietnam share challenges and aspirations for sustainable, secure and fair electricity services as a foundation for prosperity and economic growth.

Like Australia, Vietnam has ambitious plans to reduce reliance on coal, with PDP VIII aiming to phase out coal-fired electricity generation by 2050 and turn to wind and solar energy.

Goledzinowski said Australia is on the same journey and has much to share with Vietnam which aims to generate 75% renewables and storage by 2050.

The policy dialogue will be followed by a roundtable slated for June 6 where Australian and Vietnamese government agencies and research institutions will discuss transforming power systems, electricity markets, and how the private sector and state-owned enterprises can better support Vietnam’s energy transition.

FE-V is led by the Australian Government and the Vietnamese Party Central Committee’s Economic Commission. It is implemented through Australia’s Partnerships for Infrastructure program, AMPERES, the Australian National University and the Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organisation.

UK newspaper hails Vietnam as most coveted in SEA

The Independent, a British online newspaper, has recently hailed Vietnam as the most coveted in Southeast Asia.

According to the newspaper, Vietnam is one of the top choices of British travellers thanks to its diverse natural beauty.

“Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Da Nang are the best destinations for those who want to experience Vietnamese cities, while Hoi An is sometimes referred to as the ‘Venice of Vietnam’ due to its canals, alongside its well-preserved Ancient Town comprised of wooden Chinese shop houses and French colonial buildings”, said the newspaper.

It also introduced other attractive places in the country, such as Ha Long Bay (the northern province of Quang Ninh), Phu Quoc (the southern province of Kien Giang), Cu Lao Cham (the central province of Quang Nam), Phong Nha Cave, Son Doong Cave (the northern province of Quang Binh), Mui Ne and sand dunes (the south central coastal province of Binh Thuan).

The British online newspaper suggested that visitors should visit Vietnam in April and September that fall just before and after the high season in the country and offer less humidity and lower temperatures than at the peak summer time.

Vietnamese, Bulgarian news agencies ink cooperation pact

The Vietnam News Agency (VNA) and Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) have freshly sealed a cooperation pact on professional exchanges during VNA Deputy Director General Đoàn Thị Tuyết Nhung’s working trip to Bulgaria from June 1-5.

According to the document signed by Nhung and BTA Director General Kiril Valchev, the two agencies will provide each other with information on the two nations via the exchange of photos, stories written in English, and various types of multimedia information. They will expand their scope of bilateral collaboration via mutual visits of their leaders, reporters, and technicians to boost joint work in communications and share professional experiences.

Nhung affirmed that the professional cooperation agreement lays the foundation for the sides to enhance their exchange of various types of information, introduce potential and strengths of each country, and strengthen the link between the two peoples, contributing to the increasingly development of the Vietnam-Bulgaria relations.

She emphasised that the VNA and BTA, the official news agencies of Việt Nam and Bulgaria, see ample room for cooperation in information exchange serving the growing needs for mutual understanding between the countries’ peoples, businesses and investors.

She expressed her belief that with the pact, the agencies will effectively carry out their cooperation activities such as the exchange of information, especially in multimedia information, professional, and experience exchanges.

For his part, Valchev lauded the VNA’s position in Việt Nam’s national information system and hoped to learn from its experience in multimedia information development.

According to the Director General, practical cooperation between the VNA and BTA will provide and disseminate official and useful information about each side’s country, people, culture, and business climate, thereby enhancing mutual understanding between their peoples and enterprises.

Valchel said he is confident that the two agencies will continue to be an effective bridge for Vietnamese and Bulgarian businesses and peoples, helping tighten the nations' traditional friendship and collaboration.

Car owners advised to check registration expiry extension

Vietnam Register (VR) under the Ministry of Transport (MoT) has recommended car owners check the validation times of their vehicles’ registration certificates and stamps via the website https://giahanxcg.vr.org.vn and only do so when their registration is close to expiring.

The move was made in response to repeated overload on the VR website in recent days.

On June 3, the first day of enforcement of the MoT’s Circular 08/2023/TT-BGTVT that amends and supplements some articles of Circular 16/2021/TT-BGTVT on technical safety and environmental protection examination in streamlined procedures, the VR uploaded to its system 6,435 certificates of the validation time of registration certificates and stamps of the cars with registration expiring on June 3 and 4 and expiry dates automatically extended.

The VR website recorded up to 3.6 million visits to check the validation time certifications as of 4.30pm on June 3, or 2.57 times higher than the 1.4 million cars entitled to automatic registration expiry extension.

The administration said there were nearly 2.96 million passenger cars with nine seats and below not providing transport services nationwide, including nearly 1.4 million vehicles entitled to automatic extension of the validation time shown on their registration certificates and stamps between June 3, 2023 and June 30, 2024. Meanwhile, more than 1.56 million others are not entitled to this extension.

It is necessary to issue the certificates of the validation time of registration certificates and stamps to differentiate the two groups of vehicles, the VR said, noting that the certificates are granted automatically by its online software.

The issuance is expected to ensure convenience for people and enterprises when applying for registration certificates and stamps and moving on roads, and also prevent congestion at registration centres.

However, the validation time certificates cannot be used to replace the registration certificates and stamps, the VR added.

Talented actress honoured for her tuồng art

Well-known actress Bình Tinh of HCM City has honoured at the Đào Tấn Awards organised by the National Cultural Promotion and Preservation Research Institute and its partners.

Tinh was awarded in the individual category for her contribution to preserve tuồng, a traditional genre of Vietnamese theatre in the central region that originated in the 12th century.

She was honoured at the awards presenting ceremony in Hà Nội late last month.

The Đào Tấn Awards is named after late veteran performer and scriptwriter Đào Tấn of Bình Định Province who is recognised as a guru of tuồng.

Tinh began her career when she was at school. Her first lessons came from her mother, the late tuồng actress, scriptwriter and director Bạch Mai.

Tinh now works as a theatre director for private Huỳnh Long Tuồng Troupe, which was owned by her mother.

Tinh and her staff have worked to offer new versions of famous historical plays, such as Thất Tinh Mai (Mai’s Love Story) and Ngô Quyền Và Chiến Thắng Bạch Đằng Giang (Ngô Quyền and the Great Victory on Bạch Đằng River), in order to meet the taste of young audiences.

Tinh adds new concepts in tuồng and uses young talents Mỹ Châu, Đăng Khoa and Quốc Thanh, graduates of the HCM City University of Theatre & Cinematography.

Shows by Tinh and her actors are staged every Sunday at 144 Đinh Tiên Hoàng Street in Bình Thạnh District.

VN heritage painting contest launched

The Việt Nam Culture Heritage Association is calling for Vietnamese amateur and professional artists in the country and abroad to take part in a painting contest honouring national cultural heritages.

Tô Văn Động, the association’s deputy chairman, said: “the Di Sản Văn Hóa Việt Nam Qua Hội Họa (Vietnamese Cultural Heritage through Painting) competition aims to create an opportunity for artists to learn more about Vietnamese cultural heritage and inspire them to create paintings contributing to the protection, preservation and promotion of this heritage among young people.”

The entries can be paintings on canvas and silk and graphic paintings, depicting values of tangible and intangible cultural heritage and landscapes across the country.

Contestants aged 20 and over can send multiple entries to the contest via email [email protected] by September 30.

A panel of judges will choose 100 qualified works for the showcase at the Việt Nam Fine Arts Museum in Hà Nội, and other locations across the country.

 The organisers will present an excellent prize in cash of VNĐ100 million (US$4,260), and six top prizes and 20 consolation prizes worth VNĐ495 million ($21,100).

The winners will be announced in late November to mark Việt Nam Cultural Heritage Day on November 23.

Việt Nam currently has more than 40,000 historical, artistic and architectural relics, including eight UNESCO-recognised Cultural and Natural World Heritage Sites, 128 special national sites, and over 3,610 national sites.

The country also has around 70,000 intangible cultural heritage elements, including 15 UNESCO-recognised Intangible Cultural Heritage Elements, 25 national treasures, and 483 national intangible cultural heritage elements. 

500 people perform yoga at Summer Yoga Festival

A mass yoga performance gathering 500 people took place at Vinhomes Ocean Park, Hà Nội on June 4 as part of the Summer Yoga Festival.

The event, hosted by Yoga Song Khoe Academy, was attended by People’s Artist Vương Duy Biên, former Culture Deputy Minister; Vũ Ngoạn Hợp, former director of Việt Nam Circus Federation and Lương Thị Ánh Ngọc, head of Physical Education Faculty of Hồng Bàng International University.

The festival aims to celebrate Yoga International Day (June 21) and the 10th anniversary of Yoga Song Khoe in Việt Nam.

A Yoga Queen Alliance Yoga Song Khoe 2023 contest was held on the night of June 3, which gathered 40 contestants showing off their skills and their beauty.

The contestants walked the catwalk in sport costumes and áo dài before the five top finalists were selected.

Phạm Thị Hồng Vân, born in 1998 from Hà Nội, was granted the crown. The runners up were Lương Thị Nụ, born in 1988 from Thái Nguyên Province, and Hà Thị Thu Thùy, born in 1989 from Hà Nội. 

South-central provinces press ahead with plastic waste fight

Coastal provinces in the south-central region like Quang Ngai, Phu Yen and Binh Dinh have been busily tackling plastic waste in a bid to protect their marine environment.

Statistics from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment showed that Vietnam annually disposes between 0.28 and 0.73 million tonnes of plastic waste to the sea, of which only 27 percent are recycled and reused.

In its resolution dated October 22, 2018, on a sustainable development strategy of Vietnam's marine economy to 2030, the 13th Party Central Committee set a goal for coastal localities to collect and treat 100 percent of their hazardous waste and daily-life solid waste up to environmental standards.

In August 2020, the Quang Ngai People’s Committee issued a plan on marine plastic waste management for 2021-2025, aiming to halve the amount of the waste and push the number of tourism-service businesses saying no to single-use plastic products and non-biodegradable plastic bags to 70 percent.

To this end, a host of measures has so far been carried out, focusing on the development of related human resources, finance, and technology, with polluters subject to hefty fines.

Quang Ngai has determined to control and treat plastic waste at the source; and work toward completely eliminating plastic waste and hard-to-decompose plastic bags at trade centers and supermarkets. It is preparing infrastructure serving a plan for sorting waste at source and going to collect household waste fees across localities simultaneously.

Meanwhile, Phu Yen has sought cooperation with international organisations to implement myriad environmental protection projects, including those on public capacity building serving the conservation of the Hon Yen coral reefs, and plastic waste collection at sea with the consent of the fishing community.

Notably, a project on plastic waste management for 2022-2025, sponsored by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Vietnam, is underway in Phu Yen, initially witnessing the formation of such green models as no-plastic-waste schools and waste-sorting locations in wet markets and residential areas. Serving the similar cause, Binh Dinh and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have signed a memorandum of understanding on multi-sectoral cooperation, which involves their teamwork in circular economy and waste management, blue economy, climate change adaptation, and biodiversity, among many other fields.

Quang Ngai – Kon Tum expressway proposed to add to road system plan

The Ministry of Transport proposed the People’s Committees of Quang Ngai and Kon Tum provinces add the Quang Ngai – Kon Tum expressway to the road system plan.

According to the proposal of the People’s Committee of Quang Ngai Province, the Quang Ngai – Kon Tum expressway project is needed to add to the road system plan to connect directly with the two localities, creating motivation for the economic corridor of Bo Y – Kon Tum – Mang Den – Quang Ngai.

Pursuant to the proposed plan, the expressway will have a total length of nearly 136 kilometers.

Its starting point shall intersect with the North–South expressway in Duc Pho Town, Quang Ngai Province meanwhile its ending point would intersect with the North–South expressway to the West in Kon Tum City. The project has a scale of four lanes, with a designed speed from 80 kilometers to 100 kilometers per hour.

The Ministry of Transport has proposed the provinces of Quang Ngai and Kon Tum direct the relevant units to update the provincial plans in the process of reviewing and adjusting the road system plan in the period of 2021 – 2030, a vision to 2050 to report to authorized agencies to consider and give the final decision.

Certificate authority implementation promoted in HCMC

HCMC Information & Communications Department and the National Electronic Authentication Center yesterday held a meeting to promote certificate authority (CA) in the city.

The meeting aims at popularizing CA to the public, in turn boosting the growth of a digital economy and society while increasing the service quality to people coming for administrative procedures.

Recently, the HCMC Department of Information and Communications has collaborated with the National Electronic Authentication Center (NEAC) to launch a solution to integrate CA online into the city’s information system for administrative procedures. After this implementation, the system has received several positive feedbacks since it can greatly reduce the time to handle administrative procedures.

Deputy Head of NEAC Pham Quang Hieu shared that at present, his Center is introducing CA services in administrative procedure handling in 17 out of 63 provinces and cities, and 47 of 63 public service e-Portals are available to offer this service to citizens in need.

Meanwhile, NEAC is working with the Vietnam Club of Certificate Authority and Electronic Transaction, 7 major public CA service providers to introduce suitable policies to help the community. NEAC is committed to aiding the HCMC Department of Information and Communications to offer CA free of charge to the public for one year in hope of turning HCMC into the locality with the highest use of CA in the country.
 
In the meeting, Director Lam Dinh Thang of the HCMC Department of Information and Communications informed that HCMC People’s Committee plans for all public sectors in the city to offer public services online this year. In order to fulfill this goal, the application of CA and document digitization is mandatory.

HCMC has already offered CA to both state agencies and individuals in need. The meeting wanted to popularize CA to more citizens so that administrative procedure handling becomes more convenient and efficient in the near future.

On this occasion, the above Department, the Vietnam Club of Certificate Authority and Electronic Transaction, and organizations providing public CA services signed a memorandum of understanding on the cooperation in promoting CA use in HCMC via supporting policies.

In particular, HCMC Information and Communications Department is going to offer individual CA to citizens carrying out administrative procedures online from June 2023 to June 2024. Those in need can come to the People’s Committees of Thu Duc City and all districts asking for a CA. This offer will also be done free of charge in upcoming events.

Malaysia Madani Week to be held in Ho Chi Minh City

The Malaysia Madani Week is set to take place from June 9 to 18 in Ho Chi Minh City to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral relations between Malaysia and Vietnam.

The week is jointly organised by the Consulate General of Malaysia in the city and its agencies such as Tourism Malaysia Vietnam, Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE), together with the Malaysia Business Chamber Vietnam (MBC), and the Investment and Trade Promotion Centre, among others.

Malaysian Consul General Wong Chia Chiann reavealed that the week will incorporate many events, including Malaysia Madani Pavilion, Malaysia Education Fair, and the Food and Cultural Promotion Programme.

Among those, Malaysia Madani Pavilion, an exhibition and business matching programme, is expected to attract around 30 Malaysian businesses in the trade-investment, tourism, and education sectors, she added.

The food and cultural promotion programme will take place at hotels of Sofitel Saigon, Sheraton Saigon, Pullman Saigon, and M Gallery Saigon.

Moreover, festival goers can have a chance to join an education programme at the Center for Foreign Affairs and Languages Training, business networking with HCM City Investment and Trade Promotion Centre, and a cultural exchange programme in collaboration with the Vietnam-ASEAN Friendship Association.

The celebration of the 50th anniversary of Vietnam-Malaysia diplomatic ties will be held at the Opera House in District 1 on June 13 and in Dong Nai province on June 15.

First-ever Japanese Shogi competition held in Da Nang

The First Japanese Shogi Chess competition was held on June 5 at Da Nang Mikazuki Hotel, attracting the participation of famous players Sota Fujii and Daichi Sasaki.

Visitors watch the Japanese Shogi Chess match between Sota Fujii and Daichi Sasaki at Da Nang Mikazuki Hotel (Photo: VNA)
The competition was held as part of activities in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Japan.

Shogi, also known as Japanese Chess, is an intellectually stimulating game that boasts a long-standing tradition. In recent years, Shogi has gained plenty of attention among young people thanks to Japanese player Sota Fujii who set a record as the youngest player to achieve the rank of nine-dan, the highest professional level.

This year, visitors who are interested in Japanese culture have the chance to learn more about the mind game and hold exchanges with top Shogi players.

The match has drawn huge attention from a large number of people, local and foreign tourists, as well as Japanese and Vietnamese media.

Vietnam, Brazil promote people-to-people exchanges

Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga, President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO), highlighted the Vietnamese people’s love for Brazil and its people while working with Eduardo Paes Saboia, Secretary for Asia and the Pacific at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil, and Brazilian Ambassador to Vietnam Marco Farani in Hanoi on June 6.

Nga noted that Vietnam and Brazil are now biggest trading partners of each other in Southeast Asia and South America, with two-way trade hitting a record of 6.78 billion USD last year, up 6.6% from 2021.

She briefed her guests on the activities of the VUFO and the Vietnam-Brazil Friendship and Cooperation Association, and reviewed a number of friendship and cooperation activities between the two countries over the past years.
 
The VUFO President expressed her hope that Brazil will act as a bridge between Vietnam and Latin American nations, as well as the Southern Common Market (Mercosur - including Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay).

For his part, Saboia said he was impressed by Vietnam’s economic achievements, and hoped that Brazil and Vietnam will pay more attention to people-to-people, culture, education, art and sport exchanges, helping promote understanding between their people, especially young generations.

There will be various practical activities to celebrate the 35th founding anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic ties next year (May 8, 1989 - 2024), he said.

Vietnam-Brazil comprehensive partnership to go further

Vietnam and Brazil hold great potential for further development as members of the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), including Brazil, are eager to enhance economic, commercial and investment cooperation with Vietnam, said Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ha Kim Ngoc.

In a Hanoi reception on June 6 for his Brazilian counterpart Eduardo Paes Saboia, Ngoc expressed his delight at Brazil continuing to be Vietnam's largest trade partner in the Latin America, with two-way trade reaching 6.78 billion USD in 2022.

He highlighted the potential of bilateral collaboration in agriculture, renewable energy, science-technology, climate change response, digital transformation, and South-South cooperation.

Discussing measures to deepen the Vietnam-Brazil comprehensive partnership based on shared values of peace, cooperation and development, both sides said this could be achieved through regular high-level visits and exchanges, particularly those by top leaders from both countries.

Toward the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties next year, both officials agreed to further strengthen bilateral coordination, uphold the Joint Commission and Political Consultation mechanisms, expand dialogues and connections between ministries, departments and businesses, toward gradually fine-tuning legal frameworks to boost trade and investment cooperation, especially in agriculture, locality-to-locality and people-to-people exchanges, and those between friendship organisations.

They also vowed to step up talks toward signing agreements in education and technical cooperation.

On global and regional issues of shared concern, they promised to work closely together and offer mutual support at international organisations and multilateral forums of which Vietnam and Brazil are members, particularly the United Nations, as well as reinforce the ASEAN-Brazil partnership.

While in Vietnam, the Brazilian official also held working sessions with officials of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations, and the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences.

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