Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam speaks at an online meeting with the Government’s Special Working Group and representatives from six southern provinces on Thursday about the COVID-19 situation in the south. Photo courtesy of the HCM City Press Centre HCM CITY — Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam has urged southern provinces to work with HCM City to enforce strict COVID-19 prevention measures and be ready to aid the city in the fight against the virus. Đam, head of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, said it was important to prevent the spread of the virus between HCM City and neighbouring provinces while ensuring circulation of goods in the region. He spoke on Thursday at an online meeting with the Government’s Special Working Group and representatives from six southern provinces (An Giang, Kiên Giang, Hậu Giang, Cà Mau, Bạc Liêu and Sóc Trăng). Đam stressed the role of organisations such as community COVID-19 groups that “go to every …
Singapore, Pacific Alliance conclude FTA talks
In 2019, Singapore's total trade in goods with the Pacific Alliance was 6.1 billion USD, or around a third of its total trade in goods with Latin America. (Source: Straitstimes) Singapore (VNA) – Singapore and the Pacific Alliance (PA) have concluded negotiations on a free trade agreement, towards the signing of the deal in late 2021, the Singaporean Ministry of Trade and Industry announced on July 22. The Pacific Alliance, which comprises four Latin American nations of Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, is the eighth-largest exporter in the world, with a combined population of 230 million, a per capita gross domestic product of 19,000 USD and annual exports totalling 627 billion USD. It is also the eighth-largest economy worldwide, attracting 56 million tourists, making up 41 percent of the GDP of Latin America and the Caribbean, and accounting for 38 percent of its foreign direct investment. In 2019, Singapore's total trade in goods with the PA was 6.1 billion USD, or …
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ASEAN Online Sale Day 2021 slated for August 8-10
The portal of the ASEAN Online Sale Day 2021 (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - Member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are preparing for the ASEAN Online Sale Day 2021, which is slated for August 8-10. This year's programme will be co-chaired by Brunei, which is Chair of ASEAN in 2021, Singapore and Vietnam. It comprises two tiers for domestic and cross-border transactions . According to the Vietnam E-commerce and Digital Economy Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, consumers can shop online via the website http://onlineasean.com/ starting August 8. In addition, firms can register to take part in the programme at: https://forms.gle/y97Jn2ajjgw3wUfF7. As Chair of ASEAN last year, Vietnam initiated the organisation of the event on August 8 annually. The ASEAN Online Sale Day is the first online shopping event that will be conducted collectively on a region-wide scale. Its first edition drew more than 200 businesses from …
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Reference exchange rate revised down by 6 VND
Illustrative image (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - The State Bank of Vietnam set the daily reference exchange rate at 23,209 VND per USD on July 23, down 6 VND from the previous day. With the current trading band of +/- 3 percent, the ceiling rate applied to commercial banks during the day is 23,905 VND/USD and the floor rate 22,512 VND/USD. The rates listed at major commercial banks saw slight fluctuations. At 8:10 am, Vietcombank kept both rates unchanged from July 22, listing the buying rate at 22,890 VND/USD and the selling rate at 23,120 VND/USD. Meanwhile, Vietinbank cut both rates by 5 VND, listing the buying rate at 22,890 VND/USD and the selling rate at 23,110 VND/USD./. VNA …
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Flying the flag for the nation
The Vietnamese sports delegation marches at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, Japan, yesterday. AFP/VNA Photo HÀ NỘI — Leading the Vietnamese contingent, athletes Quách Thị Lan and Nguyễn Huy Hoàng, proudly carried the national flag aloft during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics last night. For the first time in the history of the Games, each nation that took part was led by both a female and male athlete, as part of the International Olympic Committee's efforts to push gender equality. Swimmer Hoàng and runner Lan were bestowed the honour by the Việt Nam Olympic Committee. Amid the pomp and circumstances of the opening ceremony, the pair was followed by the Vietnamese team. The 43-strong contingent is made up of 18 athletes who will compete in 11 sports. Weightlifting, shooting and taekwondo are the events considered Việt Nam’s best possible chance of taking home a medal. For many of the athletes, this is …
HCM City sets up hotline to support the needy
HCM City has opened an extension number 2 on the city hotline 1012 that will receive calls about needy people who need assistance or essential goods. — VNS Photo Nguyễn Diệp HCM CITY — HCM City has set up an extension on the hotline number 1012 for people to provide information about those who need extra assistance or essential goods amid the pandemic. The city’s Department of Information and Communications on July 22 kicked off the extension No 2 on the hotline 1012 to quickly receive information and support the needy. The move creates a connection between local authorised agencies and residents who have been seriously affected by the outbreak. The hotline 1012 was launched by the municipal People’s Committee in April last year. It is available 24 hours a day to receive calls from the public to report issues related to the Covid-19 outbreak. After calling the hotline at 1012, residents can press extension number 2 to report their own difficult circumstances or …
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Việt Nam asks for France’s support in accessing and producing vaccines
Foreign Minister Bùi Thanh Sơn. — VNA/VNS Photo HÀ NỘI — Foreign Minister Bùi Thanh Sơn yesterday had a phone conversation with French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean Yves Le Drian. During the phone conversation, Minister Jean Yves Le Drian said he highly appreciated the important developments in the Việt Nam-France strategic partnership, emphasising that Việt Nam is one of the leading partners in French policy within the Indo-Pacific region. The minister agreed to coordinate with Việt Nam in preparing for the upcoming visits of the leaders as well as the organisation of the 12th local cooperation conference between the two countries in 2022. The 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the strategic partnership in 2023 are also coming up. Minister Le Drian also said he highly appreciated Việt Nam's achievements in recent years, both in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and socio-economic …
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HCM City to spray disinfectant in high-risk COVID areas over next 7 days
HCM City military forces with a total of 100 soldiers and 16 specialized vehicles on July 23 began spraying disinfectant throughout the city. The disinfection period will last for seven days. Photo:thanhnien.vn HCM CITY— The HCM City Command on Friday began spraying disinfectant throughout the city, especially in COVID-19 hotspots, for a period of seven days. Two teams with 16 specialized vehicles will disinfect two districts a day. The participating forces include 100 soldiers from the City Command, the Chemical Brigade 87 under the Chemical Corps, the Chemical Battalion 38 of Military Region 7, and the local militia. Colonel Từ Minh Sơn, head of the Chemical Division, Military Region 7, said that military forces would prioritize spraying high-risk areas for seven days. The army on Friday began spraying disinfectant in Thủ Đức and Bình Chánh Districts. The disinfectant is Chloramin B mixed with water at the rate of 0.5 per cent, which is safe for humans, …
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3,409 new COVID-19 cases reported on Friday evening
The 3,409 new cases include 12 imported cases and 3,397 local infections detected in Hồ Chí Minh City (1,611), Bình Dương (571), Long An (379), Đồng Nai (184), Tây Ninh (176), Đồng Tháp (98), Tiền Giang (58), Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu (58), Hà Nội (56), Khánh Hòa (51), Quảng Ngãi (26), Bình Thuận (24), Cần Thơ (24), Ninh Thuận (18), Phú Yên (15), Đắk Nông (8 ), Trà Vinh (6), Bình Định (6), Bình Phước (4), Hậu Giang (4), Bắc Ninh (4), Vĩnh Phúc (3), Lâm Đồng (2), Cà Mau (2), Hà Tĩnh (2), An Giang (2), Bắc Giang (2), Hòa Bình (1), Quảng Nam (1), Kon Tum (1); 1.083 of the local cases were found in communities. …
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Total of 7,307 new COVID-19 cases recorded on Friday
Army chemical units spray disinfectant on roads in HCM City's Thủ Đức City on Thursday morning. — VNA/VNS Photo Xuân Khu HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam on Friday recorded the most ever COVID-19 cases in one day, with 7,307 cases, according to the Ministry of Health. The new infections included 7,295 community cases and 12 imported that were quarantined upon arrival. The national tally of COVID-19 cases has reached 81,678, including 79,537 domestic and 2,141 imported cases. HCM City still topped the list of most infections with 4,913, followed by Bình Dương Province (608 cases), Long An Province (602 cases), Tây Ninh Province (212 cases) and Đồng Tháp Province (129 cases). Dozens of cases were also detected in 31 other localities including Tiền Giang, Hà Nội, Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu, Khánh Hòa, Đà Nẵng, Bình Thuận, Ninh Thuận, Cần Thơ, Phú Yên, Quảng Ngãi, Bến Tre, Trà Vinh, Kiên Giang, Vĩnh Long, Nghệ An, Đắk Nông, Bình Định, Đắk Lắk, Bình Phước, Hậu Giang, Bắc Ninh, Vĩnh …
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