Vietnam Today

Vietnam’s outstanding advantages in agriculture have prompted the Francophone International Organization (OIF) to send a delegation of 70 enterprises from OIF member countries to Vietnam in October to promote trade and investment. This is an opportunity for Vietnamese businesses in the fields of agriculture, processing, renewable energy, and digital goods and services to cooperate with French-speaking partners.

Rice exports were down 10.6 per cent year-on-year in the first seven months of 2021. While there is demand among international partners for Vietnamese rice, deliveries have been hit by serious disruptions to supply chains. Purchasing and delivering goods as well as loading and unloading them on to ships have all stalled.

Nearly 600,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine have recently arrived in Vietnam. This is the seventh delivery under a contract signed between the Vietnam Vaccine Joint Stock Company (VNVC) and AstraZeneca for 30 million doses. AstraZeneca is the most used vaccine in the country and has been available since March.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired a government online conference on August 8, with the participation of 1,200 representatives from ministries, branches, localities, businesses, and business associations, to identify support measures, remove difficulties, and promote production and business during Covid-19. “The government accompanies, supports, and helps businesses, harmonizing the benefits and sharing the risks,” PM Chinh emphasized.

Experts have said that Vietnam is at a suitable stage to develop hybrid cars within its automotive electrification strategy, to reduce environmental damage and limit the use of fossil fuels. The government should soon issue appropriate policies to encourage technological innovation, moving towards the electrification of the automotive industry and the automotive market.

According to a report from the Ministry of Finance (MoF), the State budget was in surplus by more than VND101.5 trillion ($4.43 billion) in the first seven months of the year despite the economic impact of Covid-19.