Vietnam Today

On September 23, while attending the UN General Assembly in New York, Standing Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh held a bilateral meeting with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. He suggested that the Netherlands soon ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EUVIPA) and together with Vietnam effectively implement the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EUVFTA) to further strengthen trade and investment cooperation between the two countries.

A report presented at the Thanh Hoa Provincial People’s Committee’s regular September meeting noted record State budget revenue in the first nine months of the year, exceeding the estimate and rising sharply year-on-year. The north-central province’s total State budget revenue in the period was some VND39.325 trillion ($1.65 billion), 133 per cent of the estimate, up 56 per cent, and a new record.

Vietnam Artificial Intelligence Day 2022 (AI4VN) took place on September 23 with the theme “AI revitalizing the economy, shaping the future”. Minister of Science and Technology Huynh Thanh Dat said the “Government’s Artificial Intelligence Readiness Index” published by Oxford Insights in conjunction with the Center for National Development Research Canada for 2021, showed that Vietnam ranked 62nd out of 160 countries, up 14 places compared to 2020.

Ten cooperative agreements were signed at the Vietnam - US Education Cooperation Forum in the US on September 21 between representatives of educational management agencies and educational institutions and corporations in the two countries. Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son said that to make a dramatic change in human resources development, Vietnam has decided to strengthen international education integration and promote investment in the country.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired the “Developing a synchronous, efficient, modern and integrated science and technology market” conference on September 23, where experts proposed solutions to promote the development of science and technology, such as having policies to encourage technology transfer.

Accounting for 45 per cent of the country’s population and with an important geographical location and good infrastructure, Vietnam’s northern region of 28 cities and provinces achieved many positive results in industrial production and commercial services in the first nine months of the year. In general, however, the region is yet to fully exploit its potential and advantages.