Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Robyn Mudie shared her favorite pho ga with Foreign Minister Wong and chef Sam Tran during the minister’s visit to Vietnam, the Australian Embassy in Hanoi wrote in a Facebook post Monday. "The Foreign Minister heard from Sam on the history and significance of pho and how to eat pho in the traditional Hanoian style, and the three shared views on Australia and Vietnam's strong people-to-people links." Pho , an iconic dish of Vietnam, is a bowl of flat, soft rice noodles dipped in a fragrant beef or chicken broth flavored with different condiments. It is served with beef or chicken, shallots and chili and lemon to taste. Wong was Australia's first Minister for Climate Change in 2007-10 and Minister for Finance in 2010-13. She became foreign minister last month. Vietnam and Australia established diplomatic relations in 1973 and became strategic partners in 2018. … [Read more...] about Australian foreign minister enjoys chicken noodle soup in Hanoi
This month in history november
Can Tho posts three-year high economic growth
Seafood processing for export in a company in Can Tho (Photo: VNA) Can Tho (VNA) – The Mekong Delta city of Can Tho recorded an 8.04% growth in GDRP in the first six months of 2022 , the highest for the recent three years, heard a recent review conference of the city’s Party Committee. Le Thanh Tam, Director of the municipal Department of Planning and Investment, said the growth rate is the second highest among the five centrally-run cities in the country. Specifically, the agro-forestry-fishery sector expanded by 3.28%, industry-construction 11.8% and services 7.62%, contributing 0.4%, 3.56% and 3.95% to the overall growth rate, respectively. The Index of Industrial Production picked up 12.86% year-on-year, while the export turnover of goods and services top 1.1 billion USD, up 15.16%. Total revenues from retails and services were estimated at 55.5 trillion VND (2.39 billion USD), an increase of 21.09%. However, the low disbursement of public investment has … [Read more...] about Can Tho posts three-year high economic growth
Picturesque nature, delicious food call tourists to Hue
Tourists visiting Hue City in Thua Thien-Hue Province should stand next to the Huong (Perfume) River and take a deep breath, while listening to the honeyed voice of Hue residents. They will truly feel how lovely Hue is. Hue’s climate is so special. It is scorching in summer, which lasts from March to August, while temperatures plunge in winter and turns quite cool in spring, which is from January to March. The rainy season in Hue, located in central Vietnam, lasts from October to January. Thuy Xuan Incense Village is a popular destination for the youth in Hue. Situated on Huyen Tran Cong Chua Street and around seven kilometers from the center of the city, it takes 15 minutes to travel to the village by motorbike. The village attracts tourists with colorful incense bunches. Tourists can buy conical leaf hats and use them as an accessory to take photos or give them as a souvenir. Photo: Ngoc Quyen / Tuoi Tre Tourists from large cities can come to Hue by plane, … [Read more...] about Picturesque nature, delicious food call tourists to Hue
BRICS in dilemma
They have to balance their relationships between Russia and their Western partners. China hosted the 14th annual BRICS Summit virtually because of the pandemic. This event was held only a few days before the G7 in-person summit in Germany. BRICS comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Overview of the event. Source: VNA The online meeting drew special attention around the world, especially from the US, EU, NATO and their allies due to Russia's military actions in Ukraine for more than four months now. The US, EU, NATO, and their allies - among them all G7 members - stand on Ukraine's side and have imposed strong and multifaceted sanctions on Russia. They have been trying as much as they could to politically isolate Russia on the world stage. Brics members, including China, India, Brazil and South Africa, refused to follow the West in imposing sanctions against Russia and supporting Ukraine. Therefore, this event was a major significant gain … [Read more...] about BRICS in dilemma
Penny Wong arrives in Hanoi, affirming new Australian cabinet relations with Vietnam
The Australian top diplomat said the ties between the countries run deep. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong today [June 27] met with Vietnamese counterpart Bui Thanh Son in Hanoi as part of her three-day visit to affirm the new Australian government’s commitments to continue the Strategic Partnership with Vietnam. Vietnam's Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son (R) and Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong in Hanoi on June 27. Photos: Baoquocte In the visit which was made one month after she was sworn in as Australian Foreign Minister, Wong affirmed the role of Vietnam in the regional architecture and the two countries in the regional peace and security. In Vietnam, Wong will meet with President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and Chairman of the CPV Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations Le Hoai Trung. Her trip comes ahead of next year’s 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Australia. Before the … [Read more...] about Penny Wong arrives in Hanoi, affirming new Australian cabinet relations with Vietnam
Miss Grand International 2023 to be held in Vietnam
The Instagram of the Miss Grand International wrote: "Xin chao moi nguoi! Vietnam has been officially confirmed as the host country for Miss Grand International 2023. We will make a great #history together again in 2023". Pham Kim Dung, President of Sen Vang Entertainment Company, as the national director of the Miss Grand International contest, also confirmed that the contest will be organised in Vietnam in 2023. Dung said she hopes that it will pave the way for other international beauty contests to be held in the country. The beauty pageant has received attention from Vietnamese people after an impressive and convincing victory of Miss Grand International Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien in 2021. Vietnam first hosted the contest in 2017. At that time, Maria Jose Lora from Peru was crowned Miss Grand International 2017. Huyen My, a representative of Vietnam, was in the top 10 finalists. The contest has been held since 2013. It is one of the six major global beauty contests held … [Read more...] about Miss Grand International 2023 to be held in Vietnam
Not time yet to declare end of Covid-19: health ministry
The ministry said it is collecting opinions from other ministries and departments on a draft report on measures to combat Covid-19 in the "new normal" situation for submission to the government. The latest assessment comes more than two months after the PM had asked the health ministry to work on declaring Covid-19 an endemic. The ministry said that from March until now, the number of new Covid-19 cases and deaths has "stably decreased," and the number officially registered with the national database has stayed at fewer than 1,000 cases each day in recent times while the death rate has fallen to 0.06 percent of the total number of infections. Vietnam has covered almost 80 percent of its 96-million population with two vaccine doses; and the group of those from five years old are to receive the second doses within June. Despite this, the ministry said it was not the right time for Vietnam to consider Covid-19 endemic because the novel coronavirus is constantly changing and it is … [Read more...] about Not time yet to declare end of Covid-19: health ministry
Australia values Vietnam’s partnership, regional role: FM
Reciprocating her sentiment, her Vietnamese counterpart Bui Thanh Son welcomed Wong’s choice of Vietnam as her first Southeast Asian destination since taking office last month. He said her visit would strengthen and boost bilateral relations. Wong will conclude her official visit to Vietnam on Tuesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. She said Australia has always valued Vietnam's role in the region and that the new government was committed to further strengthening the strategic partnership with Vietnam. The two ministers agreed that it was important the two countries strengthen cooperation in sectors and industries hit hard by the pandemic like tourism, education, and labor cooperation, as well as traditional areas like trade, investment, defense and security. They also agreed that the two countries would expand collaboration in climate change, green growth, and sustainability. Son wanted Australia to continue contributing to regional cooperation with … [Read more...] about Australia values Vietnam’s partnership, regional role: FM
Vietnam detects Omicron’s subvariant BA.5
Further information regarding the BA.5 cases and their conditions have not been disclosed. According to Lan, the detection of new strains is inevitable as Vietnam has reopened under the new normal. BA.5 was first discovered in South Africa in January. So far, it has become a dominant strain in some countries such as Israel and Germany. Some studies show that BA.4 and BA.5 spread faster than the previous subvariant BA.2, but there has been not enough data on severity rate. Lan said the Ministry of Health will continue to monitor new strains and World Health Organization (WHO) information to adjust Covid-19 prevention measures when necessary. Vietnam has recorded 142,000 Covid cases over the past two months, and the death rate has fallen to 0.06 percent of the total number of infections. Vietnam has covered almost 80 percent of its 96-million population with two vaccine doses, and the group of those from five years old are to receive the second doses within June. The health … [Read more...] about Vietnam detects Omicron’s subvariant BA.5
Additional oil spike impacts cannot be ruled out
Marcel Schröder, Economist, Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department Asian Development Bank At the beginning of the conflict, the crude oil price breached $130 per barrel in March, the highest since 2008. Since then, it retreated to about $100 in April, before rising again to $120 following the European Union’s partial ban on Russian oil in May. Some worry that the oil price could spike to $200 per barrel in the coming months and how such a shock would impact the economic prospects of Asia’s developing countries. While many institutions, including ours, project a significantly higher oil price in 2022 compared with 2021, these predictions do not foresee $200 per barrel because they attach a low probability of a sudden shock to the global oil supply. A sudden shock is unlikely given the EU’s decision to gradually phase out Russian oil imports by the end of 2022, allowing an orderly transition to alternative supplies and keeping prices stable and affordable for … [Read more...] about Additional oil spike impacts cannot be ruled out