Press digest – May 19

VN, Azerbaijan strengthen traditional relations

At the talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Alyev, State President Truong Tan Sang asserted that Viet Nam respects the relations with Azerbaijan.

Mr. Sang and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Alyev discussed and agreed a host of measures to boost the two nations’ relationship, especially economics, trade and investment.

The two sides agreed to exchange delegations and businesses to organize trade promotion to raise the turnover to US$1 billion in the future.

The two leaders agreed that any conflict should be resolved by peaceful means in accordance with international law and the UN Charter.

VN joins TPP Ministerial Meeting in Singapore

A Vietnamese delegation, led by Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Quoc Khanh, attended the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Ministerial Meeting in Singapore.

The agenda focused on issues related to market access to goods and services, intellectual property rights, investment, environment, state-owned enterprises, and financial services.

MoF launches measures to help businesses

The Minister of Finance has just issued Notice No. 01/CĐ-BTC directing the heads of provincial and city departments of Finance, Customs and Taxation to help businesses, particularly foreign ones, stabilize production and their laborers’ lives.

They are required to keep updated with any developments of the situation and promptly launch measures to assist businesses in guaranteeing their operation in imports and exports as well as work with other agencies, especially insurance businesses, to deal with their damages in line with law.

Chinese workers helped to return home

After the breakdown at Formosa in the Vung Ang Economic Zone, Ha Tinh province, the local authorities and functional agencies have actively launched measures to help foreign organizations and individuals in Viet Nam.

The Director General of Formosa project has confirmed that Formosa would continue its project and ensure its progress and quality.

According to the request of the Chinese Embassy in Ha Noi and the Chinese contractors in the project, the Vietnamese authorities have created favorable conditions for China to take its workers back home by air (for injured people) and by sea.

China still keeps over 90 ships around oil rig

China still maintained over 90 vessels of various kinds around its oil rig Haiyang Shiyou – 981 which is illegally standing in Viet Nam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone, reported the Viet Nam Coast Guard on May 19.

The Chinese coast guard 2506 kept following the Viet Nam coast guard ship 8001 in a distance of 1-2 nautical miles.

US$237 billion in FDI poured into VN

By April 2014, Viet Nam had 16,323 valid foreign-invested projects, with a total registered capital of US$237 billion.

In the first four months of this year, the country attracted US$4.855 billion in foreign direct investment. Capital disbursement by foreign-invested projects reached about US$4 billion in reviewed period, representing a year-on-year increase of 6.7%.

Hoi An - top 20 interesting places

Hoi An ancient town in Viet Nam's central region has been cited as an essential stop on any tour of Viet Nam and one of the top 20 most interesting places in the world according to the Rough Guides.

The Rough Guides ranked “Full moon festival in Hoi An” 15^th among 20 interesting destinations in the world to experience night life.

Pakistan remains VN’s largest tea importer

Pakistan has become Viet Nam’s most prolific tea importer over recent years with an average turnover reaching over US$40 million per year, accounting for more than 20% of Viet Nam’s total tea export volume. 

Viet Nam earned US$13 million from exporting around 8,000 tons of tea in April,, bringing total export volume to 33,000 tons, valued at US$51 million in the first four months of this year.

By Thuy Dung