☕ Afternoon briefing on March 3

Hanoi (VNA) - The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency.

- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired the Government’s February regular meeting on March 3.

In his opening remarks, PM Chinh stressed that 2023 is the pivotal year to implement the five-year plan in the 2021-2025 period. In the first two months, the regional and world situation continued to witness complicated and unpredictable developments, affecting various aspects of the domestic situation, especially in the country's economic development, he said. Read full story

- The railway network connecting economic hubs and seaports needs to be designed as the key arteries of the economy, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha said at a meeting with the Ministry of Transport and relevant departments on March 2.

The discussion focused on the planning, policies, solutions and resources to implement the railway and seaport planning for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050. Read full story

- The Vietnamese Party and State and the administration of Ho Chi Minh City always respect religions and ensure the operation of religious organisations and believers within the framework of the law, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Ngo Minh Chau said on March 3.

Meeting Franklin Graham, President and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) and President of international relief organisation Samaritan’ Purse, he also said Evangelical establishments in the city are operating actively and they have close solidarity with other religions. Read full story

– Gender perspectives should be ensured in national digital policies and resources should be allocated for full implementation, said UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Pauline Tamesis at a dialogue in Hanoi on March 3.

She also suggested the country enhance quality education for women and girls, forecast and anticipate future job and skill needs, increase data collection and address gender-based violence online. Read full story

– Vietnam’s economy is likely to strongly recover in the second quarter of 2023, said Tim Leelahaphan, Economist for Thailand and Vietnam at Standard Chartered.

In an interview granted to Lao Dong Newspaper, Leelahaphan said Vietnam had experienced a difficult year in 2022, with foreign exchange reserves decreasing remarkably, along with difficulties related to real estate and bond markets, and liquidity problem. Read full story

– State management and law enforcement agencies, and non-governmental organisations have taken actions to limit the decline and extinction of wildlife species in Vietnam.
On June 17, 2022, the last captive bear in the southern province of Binh Phuoc was handed over to a bear rescue centre of Cat Tien National Park. Read full story

– Vietnam has high potential to become a new production hub of the world in the context of the current transition of the supply chain, said Dr. Ho Quoc Tuan, a senior lecturer at Bristol University in the UK.

Speaking to Vietnam News Agency (VNA) correspondents in the UK, Dr. Tuan said that the COVID-19 pandemic and US-China trade tension are major factors prompting the shift in the global supply chain, mostly from China to other countries in the region. Read full story

– The Vietnam-Japan Joint Initiative (VJJI) has significantly contributed to improving the domestic business environment and raising Vietnam’s competitiveness in foreign direct investment (FDI) attraction, an official from the Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) has said.

Do Nhat Hoang, Director of the MPI’s Foreign Investment Agency (FIA), said at a pre-final evaluation meeting for the VJJI Phase VIII on March 2 that Vietnamese ministries and agencies have coordinated with the Japanese side in implementing commitments in the action plan./.Read full story