President Tran Dai Quang was speaking to Indonesian Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita in Hanoi on May 21.  President Tran Dai Quang (R) and Indonesian Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita The seventh session is scheduled to take place in August this year in Vietnam, with the aim of promoting further economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.  At the reception, President Quang praised the development of Vietnam-Indonesia relations in recent years, especially since the two countries formally established a strategic partnership in June 2013.  He proposed that the two sides increase high-level diplomatic exchanges and extended an invitation for Indonesia President Joko Widodo and his spouse to visit Vietnam.  The two sides were also asked to maintain cooperation in the field of rice trading to ensure food security of the two countries.  On the issue of Vietnamese fishermen and boats which were seized by Indonesian authorities, President Quang asked Indonesia to … [Read more...]

Hanoi (VNA) – A seminar was held in Hanoi on May 22 to discuss ways to support Vietnam’s role as coordinator of ASEAN’s relations with the Pacific Alliance (PA), thus strengthening cooperative ties between the two blocs and between Vietnam and the PA. The event was part of the PA Week in Hanoi from May 22-28, with a range of activities such as gastronomy, a film festival and a photo and product exhibition. The seminar was attended by senior officials of Vietnam and PA members, including Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, along with representatives of 49 embassies and Vietnamese firms, which are interested in Latin American markets. In his opening speech, Secretary-General of the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC) Eduardo Pedrosa highlighted the goals of the PA, including building a deeply integrated region; promoting growth, development and competitiveness of the member economies; and forming a forum on political cooperation as well as economic and trade … [Read more...]

HCM City (VNA) – The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee has ordered departments and district-level people’s committees to use electronic signatures when issuing electronic documents starting from June 1. Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Tran Vinh Tuyen last week directed departments and district-level people’s committees to register electronic signatures with the city’s Department of Information and Communications by May 26. Electronic signatures are issued to organisations and individuals, including chairpersons and deputy chairpersons of people’s committees, directors and deputy directors of departments and chiefs of office. He also ordered State agencies to apply document management software systems to send e-documents, except for confidential documents. All documents, including internal meeting invitations, referential documents, reports, working schedules and guidance documents will be sent in e-document format. … [Read more...]

The function was held by the Government of Timor-Leste in partnership with members of the High Level Support Group for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the G7+. It saw the attendance of representatives of the UN Secretary General, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Sierra Leon, civil society organisations and the private sector. The conference provided a platform to discuss and share lessons on specific challenges facing fragile and conflict-affected countries in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This is one of the plans included in the South-South Cooperation which aims to accelerate development through the sharing of experience and technologies between developing countries. In his opening remarks, Timor-Leste President Francisco Gutteres said although Timor-Leste was formed in 2002, the country is on the path towards SDGs. According to the President, strategic targets set by Timor-Leste till 2030 include poverty reduction, … [Read more...]

(TITC) - This is one of important contents in the 29th joint meeting of the UNWTO Commissions for East Asia - Pacific and South Asia held by World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in collaboration with Bangladesh Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism on 17 May 2017 in Chittagong City, Bangladesh. The event had the attendances of Secretary General of UNWTO - Mr. Taleb Rifai, Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific of UNWTO – Mr. Xu Jing; officials of UNWTO, Bangladesh Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, national tourism organizations of UNWTO member countries; and representatives of international organizations. At the meeting, Mr. Taleb Rifai confirmed tourism has become an essential demand of the human lifestyle. The world tourism has 7 consecutive growth years. In 2016, international visitors all over the world amount to more than 1.2 billion arrivals, increasing of nearly 4% over 2015. Tourism contributes about 10% global GDP, 30% of trade and service value; each 10 … [Read more...]

Those in attendance included senior officials of Vietnam and PA members, including Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, along with representatives of 49 embassies and Vietnamese firms, which are interested in Latin American markets. The seminar was part of the PA Week in Hanoi from May 22-28, with a string of activities such as gastronomy, a film festival and a photo and product exhibition. Vu Quang Minh, Assistant the Foreign Minister of Vietnam, praised the PA’s role in the recent development of the Asian-Pacific region. Established in 2011, the alliance has grown rapidly and impressed the whole world with its regional connectivity process in a broad variety of fields, he said. Minh said economic and trade links between Vietnam and the four PA members have kept growing by 15-20 each year, exceeding US$7 billion in 2016 – accounting for 50% of Vietnam’s total trade with the Latin American region. The Southeast Asian nation and the PA countries have also cooperated in … [Read more...]

Vietnam Festival 2017 to kick off in Tokyo in June The Saigon Times Daily The Vietnam Festival 2017 will take place at Yoyogi Park in Tokyo, Japan from June 10 and 11, the Vietnam News Agency reports. The festival would help strengthen mutual understanding between the two nations and bring Vietnamese people living in Japan closer together, said Deputy Ambassador of Vietnam to Japan Nguyen Truong Son at a press conference last week. According to the organizers, this year’s festival will also include an exhibition of over 100 booths, including 60 food booths and 40 booths offering souvenir items. The event will also feature art performances in an effort to introduce the images of Vietnam’s history, culture and people to Japanese people. Coming to the upcoming event, tourists will have the opportunity to enjoy the taste of Vietnamese delicious food, cultural programs and art performances. The event is expected to attract the participation of 150,000 visitors while last … [Read more...]

Color Me Run makes comeback in town this week Nguyen Quy Color Me Run, an international running competition combined with music performances, will make a comeback for the fourth edition in HCMC’s District 2 from 1.30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. on May 27, following the success of the event in the capital city of Hanoi on April 22. Unlike normal sporting activities, Color Me Run comprises a series of events and a 5-km paint race during which runners will be showered with colored powder at checkpoints. In addition, participants also will have a chance to enjoy exciting music performances by both local and international artists at the final checkpoint. Launched for the first time in 2014, Color Me Run is regarded as a pioneering event which gives a rich source of inspiration for local youths and helps them to build a dynamic lifestyle. This year’s event themed “Summer Vibes”is expected to attract the participation of thousands of young people in the city and bring … [Read more...]

Danish Film Week to open in central Vietnam Nguyen Quy The Danish Film Week 2017 will be held for the first time in the former imperial capital of Hue and the central coast city of Danang from May 26 to June 4. Charlotte Laursen, Danish Ambassador to Vietnam, said the event is aimed at giving local audiences an opportunity to discover the modern life and contemporary movie industry of Denmark, home to many talented actors and film makers with international reputation. Six oustanding Danish films including A Royal Affair, The Hunt, A Hijacking, Silent Heart, Freddy Frogface, and Mini and the Mozzies will be screened to Vietnamese audiences at Le Do Cinema in Danang City and Dong Ba Cinema in Hue City. The films shown have won numerous awards and nominations at international film festivals. The opening of the film festival will take place at Le Do Cinema and Dong Ba Cinema on May 26 and 27 respectively. In Danang City, free tickets are available at Le Do Cinema, 46 Tran Phu Street, … [Read more...]

Memories of a Saigon childhood Bradley Winterton Friday evening saw the premier in the Saigon Opera House of a new symphony by the eminent Vietnamese composer Vinh Lai. I had little idea what to expect, but in the event it proved absolutely stunning. This is the kind of music that everyone can love. Eastern and Western musical traditions combined to make an experience that was always harmonious and invariably interesting. Pulsating rhythms combined with what sounded like local melodies – and how appropriately, considering the work was entitled “Saigon – City of my Childhood” (Sai Gon – Thanh pho tuoi tho toi). The new work was in three movements depicting the Vietnamese Tet holiday as traditionally observed. The first movement was set on the day prior to New Year’s Eve, the second on the Eve itself, and the last on the first day of the Lunar New Year. This gave the symphony something of the structural form of a Western classical symphony, albeit … [Read more...]