Vietnam Today

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) signed an MOU on June 8 on cooperation to reduce pollution and climate change in the Mekong Delta and to help Vietnam accelerate its transition to clean energy. The two sides will pursue common development goals such as reducing plastic waste and other types of pollution, improving solid waste management, reducing emissions in agriculture, and promoting the development and deployment of renewable energy at the central level and in urban areas.

Vietnam’s sustainable agricultural development strategy has clearly defined its transition from agricultural production to agricultural economic thinking, in which the market factor is emphasized, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan affirmed when answering questions from National Assembly delegates on June 7. The ministry actively promotes the transition from traditional agriculture to green, ecological, and sustainable agriculture.

Ho Chi Minh City will focus on developing high-tech industrial parks and industries using a lot of skilled and technical workers in the 2022-2026 period. Human resources demand in four key industries - mechanical engineering, electronics and information technology, food and food processing, and pharmaceutical and rubber chemicals - will total about 70,000 employees, or 23 per cent of the total demand in the period, which is expected at some 320,000 people. Training institutions must regularly update and renew training programs, and training needs to be multidisciplinary, instead of specialized, so that learners can adapt to international integration and Industry 4.0.

National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue has spoken about the importance and implementation of a specific mechanism for five key national traffic projects submitted by the government to the NA on June 6. The projects are the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau, Khanh Hoa - Buon Ma Thuot, Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang, Ring Road No. 4 - Hanoi Capital Region, and Ring Road 3 - Ho Chi Minh City Expressways. He also said that these will be completed by 2025, creating a breakthrough in the country’s infrastructure.

According to the General Statistics Office, increases in food and gasoline prices pushed up the CPI in May by 0.38 per cent compared to April. The CPI in the first five months of the year rose 2.25 per cent year-on-year. Core inflation in May was 0.29 per cent month-on-month. There are concerns that Vietnam’s economy will face inflationary pressure into the future.

In an address to the 4th Vietnam Economic Forum on June 5, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that Vietnam does not have a closed economy and insists on innovation, opening up, and building economic independence and self-reliance associated with extensive, substantive, and effective international integration. Domestic and foreign enterprises have both become key in building an autonomous and integrated economy. He also touched on the need to have a healthy and safe environment to support businesses in their development process.