Category: Miscellaneous

Hanoi: The 2023 Law on Bidding, which will take effect from January 1, 2024, is expected to contribute to ensuring transparency and openness in bidding activities – an area that can pose risks of losses and economic waste if not tightly managed.

Director of the Public Procurement Agency under the Ministry of Planning and Investment Tran Hao Hung said with significant amendments, the law will remove bottlenecks in the bidding process across sectors, especially challenges and obstacles in the procurement and bidding for drugs, chemicals, testing materials, and medical equipment.

It will enhance the self-reliance and responsibility of public healthcare facilities in deciding the procurement of medicines and medical equipment, Hung said.

The law will allow public healthcare facilities to decide on selecting bidders for procurement packages funded by loans, excluding State-invested credit capital, ODA-re-lending loans, and concessional loans from foreign sponsors, thus contributing to ensuring transparency, ope
nness, economic efficiency, and accountability in procurement activities using capital from State-owned enterprises, Hung noted.

To prevent corruption in bidding activities, the law’s regulations regarding information disclosure and establishment of national database of contractors were amended, aiming to minimise cases of fraud, substandard goods, or products not meeting the demands, he went on.

Meanwhile, Deputy Director of the Research Department for Social Issues of the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM) Ho Cong Hoa said the addition of preferential mechanisms in selecting contractors and investors for environmentally friendly goods and services to the law will be an important motivation to promote sustainable bidding, which is one of the measures to increase the value of Vietnamese goods in the global supply chain./.
Source: Vietnam News Agency

Bac Giang: Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on December 23 visited Hana Micron Vina Ltd., a company invested by the Republic of Korea (RoK) and the first semiconductor chip manufacturer in the northern region, which is located in Van Trung industrial park, Viet Yen district , the northern province of Bac Giang.

According to leaders of Hana Micron Vina Ltd., the firm specialises in packaging and test stage in semiconductor chip production process.

The factory has a total investment of 600 million USD, with an estimated revenue of 300 million USD in 2023.

In 2025, the firm plans to increase its investment in the factory to more than 1 billion USD, aiming for a revenue of 800 million USD and generating jobs for more than 4,000 labourers.

Along with the Bac Giang factory, it is running another factory in Bac Ninh.

PM Chinh hailed the investment of Hana Micron Vina Ltd in Vietnam, contributing to developing the semiconductor industry in Vietnam.

Vietnam has called on major players in the industry such as Nvidi
a and Intel to invest in the country, creating an ecosystem for the semiconductor industry in all three stages.

He spoke highly of the development pace of the firm amid difficulties in the world’s supply and production chains.

The Government leader suggested that the company maintain long-term operations in Vietnam, expanding its investment and showing strong performance in social welfare activities.

He said he hopes the firm will increase the localisation rate in its products, while promoting technology transfer to their Vietnamese peers.

Highlighting the sound cooperation between Vietnam and the RoK, he suggested that the company consider recruiting competent Vietnamese to work in its management board.

The PM pledged that the Party and State will protect the legitimate rights and interests of foreign investors, including Hana Micron Vina. The Vietnamese Government is willing to listen to the voice of investors to adjust policies, aiming to provide the best investment environment and support for them./.
S
ource: Vietnam News Agency

Bac Giang: Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on December 23 visited and extended Christmas and New Year greetings to priests and Catholics in the Bac Giang Parish as part of his trip to the northern province.

The PM conveyed Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s best wishes to priests and the Catholic community in Bac Giang in particular and the country in general.

PM Chinh underlined that the Party and State always respect and guarantee human rights, including the right to freedom of belief and religion, the right to follow or not to follow any religions and beliefs of all people, and create optimal conditions for religious organisations to operate in line with the law.

The Government leader highlighted socio-economic achievements that the country has gained so far, with good economic growth, controlled inflation and ensured major economic balances. The relations between Vietnam and the Vatican have been expanded, he added.

The PM attributed the achievements to the efforts of the whole political system
and the support of the business community, international friends and especially contributions from the people, including the Catholic community.

He hailed the efforts of priests and Catholics of Bac Giang in implementing the motto of living gospel amid the nation to serve the people’s happiness, joining with the people across the country to recover and promote socio-economic development.

He said he hopes Catholic priests, nuns and followers will continue to show strong performance in implementing the Party and State’s policies and laws, promoting the national cultural and historical tradition as well as the great national solidarity.

Head of the Bac Giang Parish, priest Giesu Nguyen Van Phong thanked the Party and State, and Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in particular, for their great attention to the material and spiritual life of religious communities, including the Catholic community.

He underlined the community’s determination to continue to implement the
Party and State’s policies and laws, building a wealthy and happy life for the people, and making contributions to the construction of the homeland and the country as a whole.

On the occasion, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visited and presented Christmas gifts to the family of Nguyen Ngoc Dang and Nguyen Thi Ngot, an outstanding Catholic family with successful business and positive contributions to the community in Bac Giang city./.
Source: Vietnam News Agency

Jakarta: Volcanic ash spewing from Indonesia’s Mount Marapi forced airports on Indonesia’s Sumatra island to shut down and locals to evacuate to safer places on December 22.

The nearly 2,900m volcano in the Agam district of West Sumatra province is about 113 kilometers north of Minangkabau International Airport in Padang, the provincial capital.

This is the third time that the volcano has been active this month. On December 3, Marapi shot thick columns of ash as high as 3 kilometers that killed 23 climbers.

Last weekend, its sudden eruption also injured many people.

Smaller eruptions since then spewed more ash into the air, and on December 22 the volcano began belching ash that reduced visibility hundreds of kilometers away, said Indra Saputra of Indonesia’s Centre for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation.

Minangkabau airport was closed on December 22 afternoon after ash, which can pose a deadly threat to aircraft, reached its airspace. Due to the closure, two international flights from Kuala L
umpur and 13 domestic flights were canceled.

Marapi is known for sudden eruptions that are difficult to predict. The volcano has been at Indonesia’s third highest alert level since 2011, indicating above-normal volcanic activity that means climbers and villagers must stay more than 3 kilometers from the peak, according to Indonesia’s Centre for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation.

Marapi is among more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia. The country is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire,’ an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin./.
Source: Vietnam News Agency

Bangkok: A total of 612 foreign enterprises with a total investment of over 98.28 billion THB (2 billion USD) were granted licenses to do business in Thailand in 11 months of 2023, according to Oramon Sapthaweetham, Director-General of the Department of Business Development under Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce.

The businesses provided employment for over 6,000 local people.

Japan was the biggest foreign investor in Thailand with 129 businesses valued at 30.1 billion THB (926 million USD). Japanese companies invested in various sectors, including the petroleum exploration service within the surveyed areas in the Gulf of Thailand, manufacturing of vehicle components, and engineering and technical services such as analysis and processing of greenhouse gas data in various business activities.

It was followed by Singapore with 95 businesses with 22.2 billion THB, investing in businesses such as life and property insurance agencies, the hotel industry, and electronic financial services. The US ranked third with
95 businesses, with 4.2 billion THB, focusing on services related to software rights utilisation, design, development, and system installation of software programmes and applications used for business operations. Additionally, they provided services in the banking and financial sectors, acted as agents for procurement, and distributed various types of vehicles, including electric cars.

Oramon said that the involvement of foreigners in business in Thailand in recent times has contributed to the transfer of specialised technological knowledge from the investing countries to local people. They include knowledge related to petroleum drilling, design of electrical and electronic systems in railway projects, natural gas pipeline systems on land, and maintenance and care techniques for components, tools, and equipment used in power plant maintenance./.
Source: Vietnam News Agency

Quang Ngai: President Vo Van Thuong attended a ceremony in Quang Ngai on December 23 to celebrate 10 years of the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) in the central province.

The Quang Ngai VSIP, the fifth of its kind in Vietnam, covers 660 hectares. It was built at a cost of 2.23 trillion VND (140 million USD), and put into operations in 2013.

After a decade of operation, the Quang Ngai VSIP issued investment licences to 39 projects worth over 1 billion USD. Of the projects, 34 are foreign invested, mostly in the fields of garment-textiles, leather and footwear, automobile support industry, and medical equipment manufacturing. Currently, 26 have been operating, making considerable contributions to the local socio-economic development.

On the foundation of the success of the VSIP, the Quang Ngai VSIP JSC has proposed a project to construct a second VSIP in Quang Ngai, with the first phase having a total investment of about 161 million USD, covering 497.7 hectares.

Addressing the event, President Thuo
ng said that the approval of investment policy for the second Quang Ngai VSIP, the 18th of its kind in Vietnam, will open up new opportunities for the locality in attracting investment and promoting its socio-economic development.

He suggested that the Quang Ngai VSIP No.2 should be a high-tech park with high added value and innovation and stronger growth than the first one.

They State leader hailed the contributions of the underway VSIP to the growth of Quang Ngai, noting that the park created jobs for about 30,000 local labourers.

He reminded authorities at all levels and leaders of Quang Ngai province to pay more attention to administrative reform, ensuring that all investors in Vietnam in general and Quang Ngai in particular can enjoy a favourable investment and business environment, thus expanding their operations and bringing higher value to the country, contributing to realising the goal of turning Vietnam into a developed country with high income by 2045.

President Thuong said he believes that VSI
Ps in Vietnam and in Quang Ngai in particular will reap more success in the coming time, helping further deepen the Vietnam-Singapore strategic partnership.

At the ceremony, Quang Ngai authorities granted investment licences to four new projects in the Quang Ngai VSIP, which have a total capital of 69.3 million USD.

The provincial People’s Committee province also issued licences to two expanded projects with a combined additional capital of 10.8 million USD.

On the occasion, donors also presented scholarships to poor students with good academic performance in Quang Ngai./.
Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: Fifteen individuals and organisations were honoured at the Vietnam Digital Content Creation Award (VCA) 2023 during a ceremony in Hanoi on December 22.

VCA 2023, the first of its kind in Vietnam, was co-hosted by the Vietnam Digital Content Association (VDCA) and the Vietnam Digital Content Creation Alliance (DCCA).

Over the course of three months since its launch, the awards received 256 entries across seven categories.

In the best educational digital content category, VinUni University library secured a prize for their work titled ‘Bao tang Sieu thuc di san Viet Nam’ (The Supra-real Museum of Vietnam’s Heritage) while the Mam Xanh team received accolades for their e-book for children titled ‘Biet doi sieu nhan nang luong’ (Energy Superhero Team).

The best short film category saw Pham Quoc Dung earning the prize for his creation titled ‘Nhung nguoi bao ve cuoi cung’ (The Last Protectors of Vietnam). Additionally, Nam Phuong Vietnam Co., Ltd and Catsy Co., Ltd were distinguished in the best adverti
sing film category for their respective films “Barona” and “Hành trình không d?ng l?i” (Unstoppable Journey).

In the category of best animated films, “Doi lan su nhi nho” (Funny Lion Team) by Alpha Studio Vietnam Co., Ltd and “Ice Creams and Furious” by WOLFOO World Entertainment and Communication Co., Ltd were recognised as exemplary works.

VCA 2023 aims to honour individuals and organisations that have made noteworthy contributions to culturally and educationally valuable digital content, spreading positive values to the community. It is also meant to propel the development of the Vietnamese digital content, film and cultural industries, while spreading “Make in Vietnam” digital content products to the global community./.
Source: Vietnam News Agency

Singapore: Singapore’s latest spike in COVID-19 cases may be starting to peak but the public needs to stay up to date on vaccinations, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said on December 21.

The country reported 56,043 COVID-19 cases in the week of December 3 to 9, marking a 75% surge compared to the week before. The previous high recorded was 28,410 infections in the week to March 26.

A new COVID strain, the JN.1 variant, which has been classified as a “variant of interest” by the World Health Organisation (WHO), accounts for the “vast majority” of the country’s latest wave of infections.

In addition to vaccination and booster shots, the country’s “primary defense” against COVID-19, the health ministry has also urged the public to wear masks in crowded spaces even if they are not sick, particularly in the airport and other indoor settings.

The minister maintained that the number of hospitalisations remain a key metric to watch. The average daily COVID-19 hospitalisations rose to 350 from 225.

Singapore exited
the acute phase of COVID-19 in February and entered the endemic norm. The island-nation subsequently scrapped mandatory mask-wearing on public transport and indoor health-care settings, amongst other community measures such as working from home protocols and limits on group sizes./.
Source: Vietnam News Agency