April

The current COVID-19 testing capacity of Vietnam has been improved substantially, rising two- to three-fold from the previous outbreaks, said Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan.

Ho Chi Minh City brought in more than 140.3 trillion VND (6.06 billion USD) in budget collections during the January - April period, a 15.76 percent increase year-on-year and fulfilling 30.45 percent of the annual target.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh held phone talks with his Thai counterpart Prayut Chan-o-cha on May 12, during which they agreed to coordinate closely in further developing the enhanced strategic partnership between the two countries.

Vietnamese firms invested 545.9 million USD in overseas projects in the first four months of 2021, a year-on-year rise of 7.9-fold, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

The disbursement of public investment sourced from the State budget in April was estimated at 30.4 trillion VND (1.32 billion USD), a year-on-year surge of 23.9 percent, and reaching the highest monthly level since 2017, according to the General Statistics Office.

As the final minutes of the meeting concluding Vietnam’s Month of Presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) clocked in, the country could be proud of reaching a new milestone in its diplomacy by successfully assuming the role of UNSC Chair for the second time, as part of its stint as a non-permanent member of the council in 2020-2021.

Ho Chi Minh City’s Index of Industrial Production (IIP) rose 9.7 percent year-on-year in the first four months of 2021, signalling a positive outlook for the local economy in the face of COVID-19, according to the municipal Department of Industry and Trade.

The Election Committee of the central city of Da Nang has issued a document directing the organisation of online meetings between voters and candidates to the 15th National Assembly and city People’s Council in the 2021-2026 tenure.

Despite a year-on-year slip in foreign direct investment (FDI) to Vietnam in the first four months of the year, foreign investors still signed major deals in the country and confirmed its ongoing investment appeal.

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son held a phone talk with his Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla on May 7 to discuss measures strengthening the special traditional friendship and comprehensive and trustful partnership between the two nations.

The phone talk between General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Nguyen Phu Trong and First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) and President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez on May 5 was a highlight of Cuban newspapers on May 6.

Deputy Foreign Minister and head of Vietnam's ASEAN SOM Nguyen Quoc Dung attended the 34th ASEAN-US Dialogue held in the form of videoconference on May 6.

The Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang has called on local travel companies to actively implement promotional programmes and plans to lure tourists now that COVID-19 has been largely brought under control.

Vietnam has recorded the world’s highest percentage of its people satisfied with the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a recent survey shows.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on May 5 presided over the Government’s April meeting, which was the first meeting of the Cabinet after it completed the personnel work last month.

The PetroVietnam Exploration Production Corporation (PVEP), a subsidiary of the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam), contributed nearly 2.3 trillion VND (99.8 million USD) to the State budget in the first four months of 2021, or 43 percent higher than the set plan.

“The moment Flight C17 landed at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi after flying from Juba, the capital of South Sudan, touched me the most. The joy of returning to the Fatherland and my family after nearly 18 months away overwhelmed my comrades and I.”