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Weekly digest – November 9-15

November 16, 2015 9:45 AM GMT+7

VN, NZ pledge to raise two-trade value to US$1.7 billion

PM Nguyen Tan Dung and PM John Key agreed to lift up the two-trade volume between Viet Nam and New Zealand to US$1.7 billion by 2020 during their talks in Ha Noi on November 15.

Both sides agreed to maintain regular exchange of delegations at all levels, promote the existing cooperation mechanisms, and effectively deploy the Action plan for the period 2013-2016.

The two sides welcomed efforts of all countries to contribute to ensuring peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of aviation and navigation in the East Sea.

Vietnamese top legislator holds talks with Hungarian counterpart

National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung on November 9 in Ha Noi held talks with Hungarian counterpart Kover Laszlo to beef up parliamentary cooperation.

NA Chairman Hung said he believed that the cooperation between the two National Assemblies would unceasingly promote the cooperation between the two countries.

For his part, Speaker Kover Laszlo praised the regular exchanges of delegations between the two countries especially following the implementation of the 2009 deal between the Vietnamese and Hungarian National Assemblies.

NA approves minimum salary increase plan

The National Assembly (NA) has assigned the Government to increase the minimum salary level from VND1,150,000 to VND1,210,000 per month for cadres, civil servants, officials and armed servicemen since May 1 next year.

The issue, stated in Resolution on State budget estimates for 2016, was approved on November 11 with 79,35% of votes of National Assembly deputies  during their ongoing sitting.

The Resolution sets the budget revenue target of VND1,014,500billion next year (excluding the VND4,700 billion transferred from the local budgets from 2015). The total State budget spending is estimated at VND1,273,200 billion.

The State budget overspending will be VND254,000 billion, equal to 4.95% of the GDP.

NA decides to cut national target programs down to two

The National Assembly adopted a resolution on the national target programs in the 2016-2020 period with 88% of the votes, cutting the programs to two – new-style rural construction and sustainable poverty reduction.

The two remaining programs will ensure effectiveness while other programs in previous periods will be reviewed and rearranged in 37 component projects of 21 target programs with more appropriate scale for effective implementation.

The national target program on building new-style rural areas to 2020 aims to help 50% of communes reach new rural areas’ standards and 100% of communes achieve at least five required criteria.

The program on sustainable poverty reduction will strive for an annual poverty reduction rate from 1-1.5% while the annual rate of 4% is targeted in disadvantaged communes and districts in accordance with national poverty standards for the 2016-2020 period.

NA ratifies Resolution on allocation of State budget

The National Assembly on November 14 approved the Resolution on the allocation of State budget in 2016. The central budget collection and the local budget collection are estimated to reach VND596,882 billion and VND417,618 billion, respectively.

Total allocated fund for next year is VND850,882 billion, of which VND211,221 billion will be channeled to local budget, according to the resolution..

New Deputy Minister, provincial Chairmen named

The PM has appointed Director of Agro-Forestry Processing and Salt Industry Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Trong Thua as Deputy Minister of Home Affairs.

The PM ratified the additional election of Deputy Secretary of the Phu Tho Party Committee Bui Minh Chau as Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee from 2011-2016.

The PM approved the election of Mr. Lam Van Bi, former head of the Ca Mau Department of Finance as Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee.

Embassy asked to protect Vietnamese citizens in France

Deputy PM, FM Pham Binh Minh has tasked Vietnamese Embassy in France to promptly work with local functional agencies to seek for information about Vietnamese citizens at areas where terrorist attacks occurred on November 13, said Foreign Ministry Spokesman Le HaiBinh.

The Deputy PM requested that in case there are Vietnamese victims, the Embassy must coordinate with French authorized agencies to provide support for and protect the citizens, Binh added.

VN attends Lancang-Mekong River Cooperation meeting

Deputy PM Pham Binh Minh on November 12 partook in the First Foreign Ministers' Meeting on Lancang-Mekong River Cooperation in Jinghong City, Xishuangbanna Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China at the invitation of Chinese FM Wang Yi.

The cooperation between countries in the upper reaches and downstreams in sustainable management and usage of water resources must be the top priority for Mekong-Lancang cooperation, said Mr. Minh.

Vietnamese, Korean police increase cooperation

Minister of Public Security General Tran Dai Quang in Ha Noi on November 9 received Director of the Korean National Police Agency Kang Sin Myeong.

During their talks, they agreed to implement more effectively signed cooperation agreements and improve coordination mechanisms via increasing delegation exchanges, mutual assistance in personnel training and technical equipment, aiming to deepen the strategic partnership between the two countries.

VN officially send workers to Thailand

The Thai government has approved the Ministry of Labor’s (MOL)’s proposal for recruiting workers from ASEAN member countries.

Thailand will allow Vietnamese workers entering the country under travel visa prior to February 10, 2015 to register and complete procedures to work legally in Thailand within one year.

Visa fees applied for Vietnamese workers will decrease from 2,000 THB (57 USD) to 500 THB, equal to those applied for workers from Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia.

By Thuy Dung