Government News 19/4 Adjustments to Thanh Thuy International Border Gate approved   Thanh Thuy International Border Gate The PM has approved the adjustments to Thanh Thuy International Border Gate overall plan in the northern province of Ha Giang till 2030. According to the plan, the border gate will be formed into an integrated and multi-disciplinary economic zone in fields of trade, services, tourism, industry, agriculture and forestry to attract more investment and enhance international integration. The border gate aims to boost trade activities, exports and imports between Yunnan Province (China) and provinces in the North of Viet Nam and between ASEAN nations and countries in the Northeast Asia. The border gate will be developed sustainably, attached socio-economic development with ensuring security and defense for sustainable ecological environment. The total import-export revenue through the Thanh Thuy International Border Gate reached a record high of US$3.66 billion in 2017, soaring 200% from the previous year. Working group on implementation of Law on Planning set up    The PM has decided to establish a working group on the implementation of the Law on Planning. Accordingly, Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung heads the working group and Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Le Quang Manh is his deputy. The working group is tasked to consult the PM to direct the realization of the Law on Planning and measures at Resolution No. 11/NQ-CP on the implementation of the Law on Planning. It also urges, coordinates and directs ministries, ministerial agencies and the People’s Committees of cities and provinces to launch the Law on Planning and tackle obstacles and difficulties during the process of realizing the Law. VN, Myanmar step up comprehensive cooperative partnership Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi’s upcoming visit to Viet Nam from April 19-20 is expected to strengthen bilateral ties and tighten the two nations’ comprehensive cooperative partnership. The first official visit to Viet Nam by Myanmar’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the President’s Office Aung San Suu Kyi is made at the invitation of Vietnamese PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc. Viet Nam and Myanmar set up diplomatic relations in 1975. The two nations elevated their ties to a comprehensive cooperative partnership during a State visit to Myanmar by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in August 2017. The two sides have supported each other at sub-regional, regional and international forums such as the United Nations, ASEAN, Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Viet Nam cooperation, Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) and the Greater Mekong Sub-region. Economic, trade and investment ties have been maintained 12 prioritized areas, including agriculture, fisheries, finance-banking, aviation, telecommunications, oil and gas exploration and exploitation, mining, power device production and automobile manufacturing and assembly, construction, investment and trade. The two-way trade value hit US$828.3 million in 2017, up 51% from 2016. Viet Nam is the 7th biggest foreign investor in Myanmar with 70 projects worth nearly US$2 billion. Viet Nam had nearly 170 trade representatives in Myanmar in forms of representative offices, company’s branches, joint-stock companies and companies with 100% capital invested by Viet Nam. The two countries have regularly held meetings of the joint committee on bilateral cooperation and the joint sub-committee on trade. Trade fairs have also been held in each country to introduce products and attract investors. Based on a defense cooperation agreement signed in 2011, the two armies have sped up all-level delegation exchanges and boosted cooperation in border management, and illegal migration and smuggling prevention. Support industry needs push: Deputy PM The Ministry of Industry and Trade and Samsung Electronics Việt Nam jointly organised a programme to train 200 Vietnamese experts to meet the demand of firms in the country’s support industry. Developing the support industry has been one of the most important tasks to restructure the economy in depth, thus improving Việt Nam’s competitiveness and integration ability. Deputy Prime Minister Trịnh Đình Dũng told this at the launch ceremony of a programme to train 200 Vietnamese experts, held in Hà Nội on Tuesday. The training of these experts is to meet the demand of firms in the country’s support industry. The programme is jointly organised by the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade and Samsung Electronics Việt Nam. Addressing the ceremony, Dũng affirmed that South Korea had been one of the top economic partners of Việt Nam, while the latter has also been one of the major partners of South Korean firms. More and more South Korean businesses are operating in Việt Nam, making important contributions to the country’s economic development, he said. He added that currently, some 150,000 Vietnamese people are living in South Korea, a strong force that helps foster the Việt Nam-South Korea partnership. Việt Nam is on its way to industrialisation and modernisation, Dũng said, adding that the country is focusing on three strategic breakthroughs: completing the socialist-oriented market economy institution, developing a synchronous infrastructure system and transforming the growth model to improve the economy’s competitiveness. Việt Nam needs to boost the growth of the support industry, especially in electronics, mechanical manufacturing, automobile, footwear and garments. Therefore, the country has always created optimal conditions in policy as well as a favourable legal corridor for this industry’s expansion, Dũng said. He, however, pointed out the poor capacity of Vietnamese firms and their weak connectivity while stressing the vitality of investing more on human resources. He hoped that the training programme would contribute greatly to the expansion of Việt Nam’s support industry. Dũng asked the ministry to support Samsung in dealing with any problem that arises for the highest efficiency of the programme. Meanwhile, Shim Won Hwan, general director of Samsung Việt Nam, said human resources training for enterprises was the shortest way for Việt Nam to improve competitiveness in future. This year, Samsung plans to give consultations to 12 Vietnamese firms attending the programme, he said, adding that sending Samsung experts to Vietnamese firms will be a good way to boost the support industry’s growth. He said the launch of the programme marked a new milestone between the Vietnamese Government and the company. After graduating, the 200 experts trained under the programme will be sent to work for Vietnamese firms across the country. Minister of Industry and Trade Trần Tuấn Anh hailed the significance of the programme and said its success would help enhance the capacity of Vietnamese firms, strengthening their competitiveness and opening up new opportunities for them to engage in supply chains of multinational groups, including Samsung. VNN