Press digest – November 16

NA begins unprecedented interpellation session

The National Assembly's question-and-answer session will last for two and a half days on November 16-18 and be broadcasted live.

The event is different from the previous ones as its lists of Government members and matters subjected to inquiry are not fixed. Earlier, the National Assembly used to collect comments from deputies before selecting the Government members as well as groups of issues to be entitled to the interpellation.

Party and State leaders receive New Zealand PM

On November 16, Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong and President Truong Tan Sang received New Zealand PM John Key currently on a visit to Viet Nam from November 15-18 at the invitation of PM Nguyen Tan Dung.

Meeting with the Party leader, PM John Key briefed him on the outcomes of his talks with PM Nguyen Tan Dung.

At a reception for the NZ PM the same day, President Sang expressed his delight at bilateral cooperation in all sectors and appreciated New Zealand’s support for Viet Nam at international forums and Viet Nam’s views on the East Sea issue.

NA Chairman welcomes New Zealand PM

National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung and PM of New Zealand John Key showed commitment to intensifying bilateral links across politics, economics, trade, investment and people-to-people exchange during their meeting in Ha Noi on November 16.

The NA leader hailed the visit which came in concurrent with the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties.

He spoke highly of the outcomes of his guest’s talks with PM Nguyen Tan Dung and assured that the Vietnamese legislature backs the promotion of friendly and all-around collaboration with New Zealand.

PM meets Japanese special advisor

PM Nguyen Tan Dung gave a reception in Hanoi on November 16 for special advisor to the Japan-Viet Nam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance Tsutomo Takebe who is on a working visit to Viet Nam.

He hailed the special advisor’s Viet Nam visit to attend the Japan Festival in Ho Chi Minh and accelerate the implementation of the Viet Nam-Japan University (VJU).

The PM stressed the significance of the VJU project, a symbol of cooperation between the two countries, and expressed his thanks for PM Shinzo Abe’s attention and support to the project.

National Tourism Year 2016 focuses on southern region

A total of 65 programmes and events will be held throughout the National Tourism Year 2016 titled “Exploring the southern land”, the organising board said a news conference in Ha Noi on November 16.

The Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang will host the year, with the cooperation of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, 13 provinces in the Mekong Delta region and six linked provinces and cities.

According to the Kien Giang People’s Committee, the main tourism products planned for the tourism year includes eco-tourism and sea-island packages; tours to craft villages; tours to festivals and religion sites; MICE tours and tours connecting Cambodia, Thailand and Viet Nam.

Gov’t report: Over 450 SOEs rearranged

The Government has rearranged 464 State owned enterprises, including 404 equitized over the past years, Deputy PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc told legislators on Monday.

In a report presented to the National Assembly’s ongoing accountability hearing, Deputy PM Phuc said the Government has deployed comprehensive measures to improve the business environment and national competitiveness, striving to bring the country’s business environment index closer to the average level of ASEAN-6.

The Government has doubled efforts in realizing three strategic breakthroughs, making the national economic structure change positively with industry and service share rising to 82.5% in 2015 from 79.9% in 2011.

VN calls for maintaining peaceful, stable seas in East Asia

A Vietnamese government leader has called for joint efforts to maintain the seas of East Asia as an environment of peace and stability, promote the enforcement of international laws, and ensure maritime and air transportation and safety.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the 5th East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress themed “Global targets, local benefits – Setting the Sustainable Development Agenda for the Seas of East Asia beyond 2015” in the central city of Da Nang on November 16, Deputy PM Hoang Trung Hai affirmed that Viet Nam will cooperate with related countries and organisations to maintain the blue colour of the seas and the blue colour of peace for an East Asian region of peace, stability, cooperation and development.

Related parties must strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the seas as well as in the field of environmental protection, biodiversity and fishery resources for the sustainable development of marine, coastal and island economy, he said.

Electronics sector attractive to foreign backers

Viet Nam's electronic industry has attracted US$10 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) capital from big names like Samsung, Foxconn, LG, Panasonic and Intel, according to the Foreign Investment Agency (FIA) under the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI).

With the largest turnover and market share growth of electronic exports in ASEAN, Viet Nam has grown to become the 12th largest electronics exporter in the world and the third largest in ASEAN.

Viet Nam's electronics output ranked behind Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia in 2013.

Phu Quoc to have first wild animal conservation park

The Vinpearl Safari Park on Phu Quoc Island has just received 200 endangered animals of different species from various bio-geographic regions in the world, the Saigon Giai Phong (Liberated Saigon) newspaper reported.

The rare animals include white antelopes (addax), black-and-white ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegata), ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) and giraffes.

Jetstar Pacific launches three new domestic air routes

The low-cost carrier Jetstar Pacific has announced the opening of three more domestic routes from Ho Chi Minh City to Da Lat, Vinh to Cam Ranh, and from Ha Noi to Tuy Hoa.

The new aviation routes, using Airbus A320 and A321 aircrafts, were launched to meet the increasing travel demand and economic exchange between the areas.

On December 15, the Ho Chi Minh City-Da Lat (Lam Dong province), and Vinh (Nghe An province)-Cam Ranh (Khanh Hoa province) services will begin with one flight a day and three fights a week, respectively.

Flights between Ha Noi and Tuy Hoa city in the southern central province of Phu Yen will begin on December 16 with four flights a week every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday./.

(Source: VGP/VOV/VNA/Nhandan)