Vietnam Today

At a meeting on October 12, the National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee unanimously submitted to the legislature for consideration a proposal to allow Ho Chi Minh City to continue piloting its specific mechanism until December 31, 2023, and to introduce this content into the joint resolution from the fourth session of the NA, which is scheduled to start on October 20.

Standard Chartered Bank has raised its GDP growth forecast for Vietnam from 6.7 per cent to 7.5 per cent for 2022 and from 7 per cent to 7.2 per cent for 2023. While identifying inflation as a threat to economic recovery, the bank lowered its inflation forecast in 2022 from 4.2 per cent to 3.3 per cent, but in 2023 has increased it to 5.5 per cent. It also forecast that depreciation of the VND will slow in the months to come.

At a working session on the afternoon of October 11, the National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee discussed a government report on the implementation of the national target program on socio-economic development in ethnic minority-inhabited and mountainous areas in the 2021-2030 period. Minister and Chairman of the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs Hau A Lenh suggested that it is necessary to prioritize removing obstacles in mechanisms and policies in the process of organizing and implementing the program at all levels. He added that guiding the implementation of investment activities to ensure timely and correct planning should also be focused upon.

The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee issued Decision No. 2993/QD-UBND dated September 7, 2022, on plans to attract experts and scientists in 2022, in the second phase. The city is boosting efforts to attract experts and scientists to meet the need for highly-qualified human resources at agencies and units, to serve scientific research programs, plans, projects, and technology development in key sectors.

In his opening remarks at the 16th session of the National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee on October 10, NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue said the Standing Committee will offer opinions on a plan to adjust the base salary of cadres, civil servants, and public employees, for submission to the NA at the fourth session, which opens on October 20. The plan will adjust salaries, pensions, social insurance allowances, and preferential allowances for those offering meritorious service.

Addressing a ceremony marking the first National Digital Transformation Day on October 10, organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications on the same day, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized five key messages to effectively implement national digital transformation: focus on perfecting mechanisms and policies; increase the rate of administrative procedures handled online; synchronously implement solutions to develop and improve the quality of digital human resources; accelerate the introduction of production and business activities into the digital environment; and increase communications on the benefits of digital transformation.