Vietnam

A ceremony was held in Vientiane on March 20 to hand over the new National Assembly Building to the Lao legislature, which is a gift from the Vietnamese Party, State and people.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Hungary Nguyen Tien Thuc on March 19 presented certificates of merit awarded by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh to the Hungary – Vietnam Friendship Association (HVFA) and its three leaders in honour of their active contributions to bilateral friendship.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Quoc Dung held talks with Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office of Germany Niels Annen on March 19 at the proposal of the German side.

An exhibition highlighting the friendship between the public security forces of Vietnam and Laos opened in Hanoi on March 19.

Doan Van Hieu, a third-year student from the Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City, has won the third place at the International Microelectronics Olympiad of Armenia (AMO).

Moody's Investors Service (Moody's) has maintained the Government of Vietnam's long-term issuer and senior unsecured ratings at Ba3 and changed the outlook to positive from negative.

Representatives from the Vietnam-ASEAN Economic Cooperation Development Association (VASEAN) have asked for stronger support from the Government and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc for the business community to overcome difficulties brought about by COVID-19 pandemic and recover and expand production, during a meeting with the PM in Hanoi on March 18.

The Presidium of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee held the second consultative conference on March 18 to reach agreement on a preliminary list of candidates nominated by central agencies for the upcoming election of deputies to the 15th National Assembly.

Thorough preparations are underway for the upcoming election of deputies to the 15th National Assembly (NA) and people’s councils at all levels in the 2021-2026 tenure, which are slated for May 23.

Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong highlighted security-defence ties as a pillar in the Vietnam-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership while hosting visiting Secretary of the Security Council of Russian Federation Nikolai Patrushev in Hanoi on March 17.

Deputy Minister of Defence, Sen. Lieut. Gen Nguyen Chi Vinh, has expressed a hope that Vietnam will continue to send peacekeeping forces to more areas and plant more Vietnamese flags on the world peacekeeping map.

Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong received letters of credentials submitted by the new Ambassadors of Panama, Singapore and Indonesia to Vietnam, at a ceremony in Hanoi on March 17.

Vietnam exported 638,000 tonnes of rice worth 352 million USD in the first two months of 2021, down 31.4 percent in volume and 18.3 percent in value year-on-year.

The election committee of Ho Chi Minh City has received the dossiers of 52 candidates in the upcoming election of deputies to the 15th National Assembly, among whom 16 are self-nominated.

The rapid suppression of the new COVID-19 outbreak in late January 2021 has helped maintain Vietnam’s positive outlook for economic recovery this year, the World Bank (WB) has said.

Vietnam has been striving to improve its legal framework and policies on science and technology in order to boost productivity and economic competitiveness and make innovation a driver of growth.

The UK’s MoneyWeek news website has run a story highlighting that Vietnam is one of the most promising markets of Asia in a long time thanks to the country’s success in COVID-19 control.

Vietnam is running for election to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in the 2023-2025 tenure with a hope to contribute more to the world’s joint efforts to promote and protect human rights.