Socio economic development

At the conference (Photo: VNA) Thai Nguyen (VNA) - Transport infrastructure is vital, while agriculture, processing industry and tourism are foundations for social and economic development in northern midland and mountainous regions, Politburo member and Chairman of the Party Central Committee’s Economic Commission Nguyen Van Binh has said. Binh, who is also Secretary of the Party Central Committee, made the statement at a conference discussing social, economic development and national defence and security in the northern midland and mountainous region to 2030, with a vision through 2045, held in the northern province of Thai Nguyen on December 14. Besides the mentioned breakthroughs and foundations, Binh emphasised protecting ecological security and national defence as keys for development, towards the formation of a regional economic space. He urged the region to take advantage of its internal resources with the central Government’s investment as an important source … [Read more...] about Northern midland, mountainous region set development direction

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (R) and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The official visits of National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan to Russia and Belarus are expected to give a strong boost to Vietnam’s ties with those two traditional friendly countries, according to Chairman of the NA’s Committee for External Relations Nguyen Van Giau. Talking to the press following Chairwoman Ngan’s visit, the NA official said during talks and meetings with the Vietnamese top legislator, Russian leaders all hailed the importance of the visit to Vietnam-Russia relationship, and reiterated Russia’s policy on strengthening the comprehensive strategic partnership with Vietnam. The Russian side emphasized the good political ties between the two countries, as seen through high-level visits in the past two years, noting that mutual political trust has paved the way for cooperation in other fields, particularly … [Read more...] about NA leader’s visits give strong boost to ties with Russia, Belarus

Đặng Hùng Võ, former Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment. Photo VGP Báo Chính Phủ (Government Newspaper) talks to Đặng Hùng Võ, former Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, about solutions to unleash the private sector’s potential, following an article written by Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc to promote harnessing resources to create a driving force for Việt Nam’s growth. How much does unleashing the potential and fully utilising the country’s resources matter to Việt Nam? Utilising resources – including land, human resources, financial resources and technology – determines the speed and quality of economic growth in all countries. Take land for example. Land fee collections in Việt Nam only account for 20 per cent of local governments’ revenues, while the rate in industrialised … [Read more...] about Fairness must be guaranteed in use of natural resources

Editor's note: Naina Batra is the chairperson and CEO at the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network, a Singapore-based non-profit that has offices in 13 countries around the world, including Vietnam. AVPN has over 487 members from 32 countries and undertakes field building activities in Asia while providing a range of networking and learning services to support its members and followers to create meaningful social impact.   Most consumers are not aware of the ill impacts of plastic or how to recycle. At-source separation of waste is minimal and while this is changing in some parts of the country, the scale and level of success are still unknown. Overall, financial and technical support in plastic waste management is insufficient. Investment in modern recycling facilities will require private sector participation. However, many challenges exist in coordinating multi-stakeholder cooperation. For instance, public-private partnership projects that exceed more than … [Read more...] about Situational context, bottlenecks of plastic waste management in Vietnam

  Puppetries are on display at the puppetry art class at Yangzhou School of Culture and Arts in Jiangsu Province, China. — VNS Photo Khánh Linh Khánh Linh Yan Yu is 71 years old, but she doesn’t want to retire. A day in Yu’s life is tightly scheduled. She starts lessons on traditional rod puppetry at 6.30am sharp in the morning, training young people puppetry skills and techniques. Under her guidance, the students, mostly aged between 16 and 19, practice the art until they are able to master the skills. She only finishes classes at 8.30pm. Yu has been working as a teacher of rod puppetry – a form of traditional art in China – at the School of Culture and Arts in Jiangsu Province’s Yangzhou City for years. As one of few artists t have mastered the techniques in the province, Yu was afraid the art form, like many others in the world, would one day disappear if no efforts were made to save it. “Many traditional arts in … [Read more...] about Yangzhou school strives to keep Chinese traditional arts alive