VIETNAM BUSINESS NEWS DECEMBER 7  16:34                                  Apartment lessors earning below VND100 million not subject to VAT, PIT Apartment owners who have annual income of less than VND100 million each from leasing their properties will not be subject to value added tax (VAT) and personal income tax (PIT) from January 1 next year, according to a newly-issued circular of the Ministry of Finance. Accordingly, if lessees pay the rentals in advance for many years, the lessors’ annual incomes will be determined as their average income each year. In addition, the Ministry of Finance has regulated that the owners of ecommerce platforms must file and pay tax on behalf of individual traders in line with civil laws, instead of with tax agencies’ roadmaps. Special consumption tax payment on domestic automobiles extended The Government has issued Decree No.104/2021/ND-CP on the extension of the deadline for special consumption tax payment on domestically-manufactured or assembled automobiles. Accordingly, the payment of special consumption tax for October will be extended to no later than December 20, 2021 and that for November will be delayed till December 30, 2021. The Decree took effect on December 4, 2021. Following the extension, the payment of special consumption tax on domestically-manufactured or assembled automobiles will be conducted in line with existing legal regulations./. VN-Index loses nearly 30 points on Dec. 6 On the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), the market benchmark VN-Index dropped another 29.74 points, or 2.06 per cent, to 1,413.58 points after losing 38.73 points in the previous session. The market's breadth remained negative, while the liquidity was lower than last Friday's session. Of which, more than 1 billion shares were traded on the southern bourse, worth nearly VND31.4 trillion (US$1.4 billion). The index extended losses as investors' risk appetite fell. The VN30-Index, tracking 30 biggest stocks on HoSE, fell 23.06 points, or 1.53 per cent, to end Monday's trade at 1,480.92 points. Only five out of 30 stocks in the VN30 basket posted gains, while 22 declined and three ended flat. On the Ha Noi Stock Exchange (HNX), the HNX-Index slid by 13.42 points, or 2.99 per cent, to 435.85 points. During the session, investors poured over VND4.09 trillion into the market, equivalent to a trading volume of 155.7 million shares. Meanwhile, foreign investors returned to the market after net buying a value of VND305.72 billion. Of which, they net bought a value of VND308.83 billion on HoSE, while net sold a value of VND3.11 billion on HNX. Official confirms Government's support for Samsung’s long-term business strategy in Vietnam Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai has confirmed that the Government backs Samsung's long-term business strategy in Vietnam, during a reception for business executives attended by Director-General of Samsung VN Complex Choi Joo-ho on December 6. Samsung is a big investor in Vietnam and the Vietnamese Government wants to listen to its opinions in order to discuss with the RoK side how to create more favourable conditions for the firm to operate effectively, the Deputy PM said. Samsung currently has six production factories, one research centre and one sales entity in Vietnam. The firm currently employs 110,000 people. So far, Samsung has disbursed 100 per cent of its registered capital of US$17.7 billion in Vietnam. Last year, Samsung’s revenue reached $56.7 billion. This figure is expected to rise 15 per cent this year, according to Choi Joo-ho. VN continues to meet US Treasury criteria for not being labelled a currency manipulator In its latest report on forex and macro-economic policies of big trade partners of the US, the US Treasury found that Vietnam has met all three criteria on trade and current account surpluses and foreign exchange market interventions. However, the department said it would continue to work with Vietnam to address US concerns. The Treasury said it was "satisfied with the progress made by Vietnam to date". Earlier in April, the US Treasury announced in a similar report that the US had removed VN from the list of economies it considered currency manipulators as there was insufficient evidence to conclude the country was manipulating its exchange rate in the reviewed period in line with the Omnibus Foreign Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988. Int'l industrial machinery expo to open in HCM City  The Viet Nam International Exhibition on Industrial Machinery Equipment, Technology and Products, or VINAMAC Expo 2021, will be held at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre from December 15 to 18. The exhibition with the theme ‘Moving forward together’ will have more than 300 booths set up by 200 Vietnamese firms and foreign companies and international organisations from the Czech Republic, Germany, Russia, Switzerland, South Korea, mainland China, Japan, China's Taiwan, ASEAN member countries and others with a presence in Viet Nam. Besides showcasing industrial machinery and equipment, technology and products, the expo will also feature a seminar on ‘Safe adaptation - Economic recovery after the pandemic towards green development and suitable for circular economy,’ a business forum on control and automation, a welding competition, business matchings, and technology and product introduction by associations and exhibitors. Reference exchange rate up VND50 on Dec. 6 The State Bank of Vietnam set the daily reference exchange rate at 23,120 VND/USD on December 7, up 50 VND from the previous day. With the current trading band of + /-3 percent, the ceiling rate applicable to commercial banks during the day is 23,906 VND/USD and the floor rate 22,513 VND/USD. Two new co-working spaces to open in HCM City Co-working space provider Toong has introduced two new co-working projects in the city, which are located at 18E Cong Hoa street in Tan Binh district and 186 Vo Thi Sau street in District 3. Toong also announced cooperation to develop a new working space with the investors of IPH shopping center, one of the landmark buildings in the West of the capital city of Hanoi. Vietnam's top 1,000 corporate income taxpayers (V1000) in 2020 announced According to the General Department of Taxation's statistics, enterprises in the list contributed over $6.31 billion to the State budget, accounting for 62.4 percent of the total State revenue from corporate income taxes and equivalent to 103.74 percent of that paid by those in the 2019 V1000 list. It has been the fifth consecutive year the agency has announced the list. During 2016-2020, 423 firms were named in the list. Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City took the lead with 109 and 134 taxpayers, respectively. Their tax contributions accounted for 43.26 percent and 29.81 percent of the total. It was followed by the provinces of Dong Nai, Vinh Phuc and Binh Duong. Among 423 firms named in the list for five years, 267 are non-State enterprises with tax payment making up 60.2 percent. State-owned enterprises came second with 71 whose State budget contribution accounted for 25.64 percent, and 77 foreign enterprises’ tax payment made up 13.32 percent. Vietnam's cashew nut exports rise  Vietnam exported 531,000 tonnes of cashew nuts worth US$3.34 billion during the opening 11 months of the year, representing a year-on-year rise of 14.3% in volume and 14.6% in value. The average export price during the 11-month period is estimated to stand at US$6,290 per tonne, up 0.2% against last year’s corresponding period. China remains a major export market for Vietnamese W180 cashew nuts with 7,740 tonnes worth US$61.21 million, an increase of 33.7% in volume and 53.2% in value, followed by Israel with of 1,610 tonnes worth US$15.3 million, up 65.5% in volume and 59.3% in value. Germany expected to import more Vietnamese cashew next year Vietnam is forecast to see positive prospects for its cashew exports to Germany in 2022 thanks to higher demand in the market and advantages brought about by the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement. In the first nine months of 2021, Germany imported from Vietnam 28,230 tonnes of cashew worth 201.21 million USD, down 1.7 percent in volume and 7 percent in value on-year. However, Vietnam's market share of the nut in Germany's total imports still increased to 62.46 percent, compared to 57.51 percent recorded in the same period last year. Germany is the largest cashew importer in the EU. Its demand for cashew continuously increases due to high demand from the local food processing industry and final consumers. Online Korean goods fair to open  An online fair of Korean goods will be held from December 7 to 10, with the participation of more than 50 companies, who will display food and beverage, consumer, decorative, furniture, health care, cosmetic, toy, gift and children’s goods. Visitors can directly send messages to exhibitors or place orders online on their websites. They can also explore business opportunities and distribution co-operation through an online business matching programme. Participants can register to attend the fair at register.kgoodsfair.adpex.vn/. Castrol, BP renew joint-venture contract with Petrolimex The Castrol, BP and Vietnam Petroleum Corporation (Petrolimex) signed an agreement extending their joint-venture contract for the next 20 years, starting from 2022, during an online ceremony on December 6. The joint-venture will continue operating under the name Castrol BP Petco Co. Ltd. Over the past three decades, the joint venture has generated stable jobs for workers in localities, service suppliers and retailers in Vietnam. Since 2012, it has been named among top 100 foreign contributors to the State budget.  Vietnamese goods week 2021 held in Singapore A week of Vietnamese goods kicked off on December 6 in Singapore, aiming at promoting Vietnamese products and brands during the peak consumption season in the Singapore market. As many as 38 agricultural products and processed foods have been put into the retail system, including such new products of Vietnamese enterprises as fruit-flavoured coffee, instance yogurt and herbal tea. Tran Thu Quynh, head of the Vietnam Trade Office in Singapore, said that most of the items put on sale at the supermarket system this time are the direct results of the Trade Office's efforts in supporting businesses during the year, including the success of the Vietnam National Brands Week 2021 – Hybrid Expo on Halal and Processed Food Products held in Singapore in August. Russian firm Miratorg is Vietnam's largest pork supplier Russian food supplier Miratorg announced that it has exported 40,000 tonnes of pork to Vietnam so far this year and has won 33 percent of the pork market share in Vietnam. Miratorg has signed a cooperation agreement with Vietnam’s An Binh Trading Development and Import-Export JSC, a subsidiary of TNT Group, on increasing fresh meat supply.  Vietnam’s 2021 GDP estimated at 2%-2.5% As the trajectory of the Covid-19 pandemic remains unpredictable, Vietnam’s economic expansion this year is projected to slow to 2%-2.5%, said Tran Tuan Anh, head of the Party Central Committee’s Economic Commission at the Industry 4.0 Summit 2021 With the appearance of the heavily mutated Omicron variant of the coronavirus, the world’s GDP growth may lose 0.2%-0.4% next year, he said, adding that Vietnam had also felt the severe impact of the pandemic. Last quarter, its GDP fell 6.17%, the sharpest fall since the country calculated and announced the quarterly GDP. Acceleration of public investment disbursement urged Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh has asked ministries, sectors and localities to strictly follow the direction of the Government and the Prime Minister to achieve the highest disbursement rate in the remaining time of 2021 while ensuring the effectiveness of public investment projects. He made the request at a conference on December 6 to discuss measures to remove bottlenecks and accelerate the disbursement of public investment for 2021. As of November 30, the disbursement rate of public investment remained modest at 295 trillion VND (12.7 billion USD), reaching 63.86 percent of the set plan. Of which, domestic capital made up 39.19 percent and foreign capital reached 21.51 percent. Both of them were lowered than the rate recorded in the same period last year. Minh requested reviewing the responsibilities of leaders in directing and dealing with bottlenecks in the disbursement of public investment at each ministry, agency and locality and enhancing the capacity of the projects' management board. The administrative procedure preparations for the projects should be streamlined to save time and costs, he said. VNN

 

Vietnam’s agriculture: from local to global mindset 16:41                                     Agriculture has always been a pioneer in the Doi Moi (renovation) process, contributing significantly to achievements in poverty reduction and food security in Vietnam. In the time of globalization and integration, Vietnam aims to develop agriculture on a green, low-emissions foundation to contribute to realizing its commitment to carbon neutrality by 2050. This vision will help the agriculture sector reduce costs, use less inputs and resources, and create multi-value integration, thereby affirming Vietnam’s position as a powerhouse of ecological and carbon neutral agriculture and a food supplier of “Transparency - Accountability – Sustainability”. Agricultural support   Vietnam exports more than 6 million tons of rice every year. The early years of the 21st century marked a turning point for the food system in Vietnam. As one of the poorest countries in the world in the late 1980s to early 1990s with 60% of the population living below the poverty line, thanks to the Doi Moi policy, Vietnam mostly escaped poverty and ensured a balance of food in 2000. After that, under the policy of active international integration, Vietnam joined the World Trade Organization in 2007 and signed 17 free trade agreements. The country’s supply and circulation system of goods, agricultural products and food has become more and more attached to the global market. Photo: Vietnam exports more than 6 million tons of rice every year. Today, Vietnam has become an important contributor to global food security. Vietnam exports more than 6 million tons of rice per year, or nearly 10% of total global rice exports, and ranks as the 3rd largest rice-exporting country in the world, just behind India and Thailand. By volume, Vietnam is the leading exporter of cashew nuts and pepper, and the second largest exporter of coffee after Brazil. Vietnam is also among the top exporters of seafood, vegetables and wood products globally. About half of Vietnam's total agricultural output is exported, earning over US$40 billion a year for the country in recent years. Agriculture and rural areas have become a solid foundation to protect the country in times of difficulty. From the difficulties at the beginning of Doi Moi to the East Asian economic crisis in the late 1990s, the world financial crisis in the 2010s, or the current Covid-19 pandemic, food security has always been ensured. Agricultural exports have helped reduce inflation pressure, making an important contribution of foreign currency to the economy. The countryside is a safe “home”, ensuring livelihoods for rural workers who migrate to the city. Moreover, agriculture is a means of preserving and promoting Vietnamese values, safeguarding the borders of the country. Ecological agriculture, modern countryside, smart farmers   About half of Vietnam's total agricultural output is for export, earning over $40 billion USD/year. Photo: Le Anh Dung Agricultural productivity and output over the past three decades have consistently grown. Vietnam has become the world's model for agricultural growth, especially in terms of domestic rice supply. This led to higher productivity and output. This also led to fewer natural resources accompanied by concerns about food quality and safety. The increase in agricultural output has been achieved through greater use of resources, including inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides, antibiotics for livestock, and water. As a result, greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture have increased, accounting for 18% of Vietnam's total emissions and are estimated to reach over 120 million tons of CO2 equivalent by 2030. Half of these emissions will come from rice production. With a low average cultivated area, agriculture is commonly on a small household scale. Uncoordinated production organization has led to high costs, while quality and added value are low. This is the cause of inequality in the distribution of benefits and fragile supply chains. Due to low economic efficiency and low income, the majority of young, healthy, creative and trained workers are moving to other economic sectors. Vietnamese agriculture, thus, continues to face the risk of losing a workforce with intellectual and creative abilities to maintain development momentum. All drivers of agricultural growth are in danger of being exhausted if Vietnam continues to maintain the agricultural growth model based on output, exploiting resources to the fullest, and taking advantage of cheap labor, and using a lot of chemicals. Agriculture and rural areas need to transform, with greater aspirations, and more methodical and sustainable ways. The 13th Party Congress has opened a new direction with the strategic goal: "Ecological agriculture - Modern countryside - Smart farmers". Agriculture once again faces the opportunity to solve challenges, creating a spectacular transition to a food production and supply country with "Transparency - Responsibility - Sustainability", as stated by President Nguyen Xuan Phuc at the UN summit in September, and at the same time, contributing to the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050 that Vietnam committed to at the recent COP26 meeting. Vietnam’s agriculture not only serves 100 million people, but is ranked in the top 15 of the world's leading agricultural exporters, reaching over 190 countries and territories. Consumers require agricultural products to be of high quality and safety, with good nutrition, and convenient distribution. Agricultural production and export of agricultural products must be green, humane and stable. New markets require agricultural products to be produced responsibly, with global environmental sustainability. The market also requires that producers be treated fairly in work safety, living environment, and social policy. And more than that, Vietnam's agriculture increasingly has to show a stronger responsibility to the international community, especially in terms of resource conservation, biodiversity, emission reduction and response to climate change. Changing from local to global mindset   Development thinking needs to shift from agricultural production to agricultural economy; from a productivity and output-first mindset to a value-centered mindset. Photo: Le Anh Dung    Outside, the wind is blowing! Out there, the world is changing! Every country has its own plans to reach prosperity. The winds of change will be a push for those who know how to seize opportunities, and on the contrary, will be a drag for those who remain quietly on the sidelines. Vietnamese agriculture cannot stand aside or be passive in a volatile world where the price paid for standing still will be too high. Rural areas and farmers need to change with the times to seize opportunities, integrate and develop with the 4.0 industrial revolution. This development mindset needs to shift from agricultural production to agricultural economy; from thinking that puts productivity and output first to value-centered by integrating different value systems into products; from thinking of taking advantage and exploiting to fostering and enriching resources to serve sustainable production; and from self-sufficiency to integration with the flow of the value chain and global development trends. It is necessary to change from a local mindset to a global one; from an exploitative mindset to a nurturing mindset; from short-term thinking to long-term and sustainable thinking. It is necessary to aim for "green values" created from "green transformation, green consumption, and a green economy". With new thinking, we can set out aspirations to turn Vietnam into an ecological and carbon-neutral agricultural power instead of just a powerhouse in terms of food production. As one of the countries with the largest level of biodiversity in the world, Vietnam can become a power based on conservation and promotion of biodiversity values. As a country with a rich history, rich traditions and cultural diversity in Southeast Asia, these values are embedded in all products and production practices in the Vietnamese agricultural and food system. With creative thinking, these values can be integrated to enhance the value of Vietnamese agriculture and agricultural products. Vietnam can become an innovation powerhouse integrating cultural values in agriculture and food. Promoting the integration of green values, biodiversity and culture will be breakthroughs to turn Vietnam into Asia's food innovation hub instead of a country that just exports raw products of low added value based on exploitation of natural resources and social resources. With strategic geo-economic advantages, connections among waterways, railways, domestic and inter-national roads, along with better governance capacity and digital transformation, Vietnam can become the agricultural and food logistics center in the Asia-Pacific region and the processing center of agro-forestry-fishery products for Southeast Asia, minimizing the uncertainties of the global agro-forestry-fishery supply chain in the future. This will contribute to controlling the supply-demand imbalance in the global agro-forestry-fishery market and have a direct impact on farmers and consumers in the country, as well as in the region and the world. Agriculture can't stand alone To transform and change, the agricultural sector cannot stand alone, it needs the companionship, and support of ministries, central and local agencies, and organizations and individuals at home and abroad. It is necessary to mobilize the participation of farmers, women, youth and the community; implement bold strategic solutions to improve the governance capacity of cooperatives, small and medium-sized enterprises in rural areas, and promote farmers, especially youth, to be associated with agricultural production; ensure long-term and equitable access to the means of production, especially land, for all farmers, particularly vulnerable groups such as the poor, ethnic minorities, women and young people. It is necessary to change the way of management, organization, and public investment support services to turn people into the main subject, the center, and the driving force to create a dynamic rural economy, a team of healthy, strong, talented, intelligent, capable and professional farmers. It is necessary to mobilize the participation of the private sector in responsible investment, green investment, creative application of technical advances, and effective operation of public-private partnership models and mechanisms. It is also necessary to create a healthy and effective development environment through innovation in system administration and application of science and technology, to promote research and development in agriculture and food technology, with a focus on innovation, especially digital transformation and the digital economy, in agriculture. Digital transformation will go hand in hand with green transformation, associated with institutional innovation, to develop multi-value integrated agro-ecosystems. It is necessary to promote digital transformation to build sustainable agricultural product value chains towards traceability, food safety, standardization of specifications and quality, e-commerce, financial procurement and distribution services; and information provision and technical support. Deepen international integration. Form domestic and cross-border innovation networks. Strengthen international cooperation in researching, forecasting and building an information system to warn of risks about natural disasters and epidemics. Sustainable management is required of land, water, biodiversity, forest resources, and transboundary water resources. Renovating system governance, and promoting innovation along with international integration are the three-horse carriage that brings Vietnam's agriculture from a powerhouse in food production to a powerhouse in ecological agriculture, neutralizing carbon, and a food supplier noted for “Transparency - Accountability – Sustainability”. Innovative thinking, acting together - Nothing is impossible! Le Minh Hoan (Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development) - Carolyn Turk (World Bank Country Director for Vietnam)

 

VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES DECEMBER 3   16:29                                   Vietnamese-Russian ministries sign cooperation agreement On December 1, Deputy Minister of Justice Nguyen Khanh Ngoc and State Secretary and Deputy Minister of Justice of the Russian Federation, Andrey Viktorovich Loginov signed a cooperation programme for 2022-2023 between the two ministries. Accordingly, they committed to promoting activities of the Vietnam-Russia Joint Working Group on Legislative Affairs in order to share experience and practices in law building and enforcement. The Russian Ministry of Justice will provide training for 10 Vietnamese judicial officials at the Russian State University of Justice, while the Vietnamese Ministry of Justice will participate in the St. Petersburg International Legal Forum held annually. The agreement was signed during President Nguyen Xuan Phuc's visit to Russia. President Nguyen Xuan Phuc wraps up visit to Russia  President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his wife met with representatives of the Vietnamese community in Russia on Thursday (local time) as part of his official visit. There are about 80,000 Vietnamese people living, studying and working in Russia. They have stable lives with increasing legal and social status. In the last two years, despite many difficulties and losses due to COVID-19, the community has made great efforts to overcome difficulties and donated to help flood victims and those affected by COVID-19 in the homeland. Later the same day, he left the Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow for home, successfully ending his four-day official visit to Russia at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.  Vietnamese-Chinese Foreign Ministers meet in China Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son held talks with Chinese Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on December 2 in Hu Zhou city of China’s Zhejiang province. The two sides agreed to increase high-level exchanges, optimising exchange and cooperation mechanisms through the channels of Party and steering committee on bilateral collaboration, and strengthening comprehensive and effective coordination among ministries, sectors, localities and people, and beefing up partnership in economy, trade and other promising areas. Mr. Son said he hopes the two sides will strengthen cooperation in the pandemic fight, especially in vaccine and treatment. He proposed China open its door more widely to Vietnamese fruits. Mr. Wang Yi announced a 20 million CNY (3.13 million USD) assistance for Vietnam to purchase medical equipment and 500,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines for Vietnamese localities. He pledged that China will increase the import of Vietnamese products. Vietnam, China hold talks on maritime issues Vietnam and China held the 15th round of negotiations of the working group on the sea area beyond the mouth of the Gulf of Tonkin and the 12th round of talks of the working group for consultation on cooperation for mutual development at sea, both in the form of videoconference, on December 1. The two sides agreed to hold new rounds of negotiations next year.     A road in Hanoi during peak hours. 17 tourism services operators in Da Nang meet requirements to serve foreign tourists Seventeen tourism services operators in the central city of Da Nang have fulfilled requirements to join a pilot programme welcoming foreign visitors back to the beach city. They include five accommodation facilities - Vinpearl Condotel Riverfront Danang, Vinpearl Resort and Spa, Vinpearl Luxury Resort, Risemount Resort and Muong Thanh Luxury Da Nang; and three tourist destinations of Ngu Hanh Son (Marble Mountains), Museum of Cham Sculpture and Sun World Ba Na Hills. The nine others are transport service providers. 63 outstanding Vietnamese farmers honoured Sixty-three individuals were honoured with the title “Outstanding Vietnamese Farmer 2021” at a ceremony held in Hanoi on December 2. The winners include nine males and nine ethnic minority people. This was the ninth time the ceremony had been held by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Farmers' Union to honour Vietnamese farmers. VN women's futsal squad prepares for SEA Games The national women's futsal team will begin training on December 5 in preparation for the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi next May. Coach Truong Quoc Tuan has announced a list of 22 players who will meet in HCM City for the tournament. Most of them are from HCM City teams while the rest are from Hanoi, Ha Nam and Thai Nguyen. Vietnam steps up digitalisation of cultural heritage Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has signed a decision approving a programme on the digitalisation of Vietnam’s cultural heritage in the 2021-30 period.   The programme aims to build a national database system on cultural heritage on a consistent digital platform, which serves the archive, management, research, conservation and introduction of heritage, thereby fostering sustainable tourism development. Street arts festival held in HCM City A street art festival, Saigon Urban Arts: Street Mural Painting (SUA 2021), will be held in HCM City from December 4-18. During the event, Vietnamese and international street artists will paint five murals at apartment buildings at 1A Nguyen Dinh Chieu and the walls at Mai Thi Luu Street in District 1. All five art works will reflect the United Nations' sustainable development goals. Visitors can see the artists work at the venue from 9am - 12pm and 2pm - 5pm on December 11. The organisers will continue to host the festival in March featuring artists from France and Germany, workshops at local schools, seminars on street arts, performances of music and hip hop, and a street ar festival.  WHO and UNICEF call on Vietnam to enforce food fortification regulations WHO and UNICEF have called on the Vietnamese Government and State agencies to implement the Government Decree 09/2016/ND-CP that mandates the fortification of salt, wheat flour and vegetable oil and the use of fortified salt and wheat flour by the food industry. In their joint statement released on Thursday, they noted that the decree had not been implemented after more than five years since its adoption. The decree is in line with global recommendations to prevent and control micronutrient deficiency and highlights the Government’s commitment to improving the health of its population. According to 2021 Iodine Global Network report, Vietnam is among a group of 26 countries remaining in the world with iodine deficiency. Songs against child labor honored Fifteen outstanding entries in a song composing competition against child labour were honoured at a ceremony held on December 2. Marking the UN International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour, the competition aims to raise public awareness of child labour, which affects nearly 1 in 10 children worldwide and 5.3 percent of Vietnamese 5-17 year-olds, or more than 1 million children in the country. Two first prizes, four second prizes, five third prizes and four consolation prizes were awarded. Futsal National Cup 2021 cancelled  The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) has decided to officially cancel the Futsal National Cup 2021 as a result of the complicated developments relating to the COVID-19 pandemic locally. The tournament had previously been scheduled to take place from December 7 to December 22 at Thai Son Nam Arena in District 8 of HCM City. However, the ongoing second leg of the National Futsal Championship 2021 saw roughly 11 people, including head coach of Sahako club Nguyen Tuan Anh, nine futsal players, and one staff member, found to be infected with COVID-19. The futsal players will only play the remaining rounds of the second leg of the National Futsal HDBank Championship 2021, with the event being concluded on December 5. Vietnam records 13,698 new COVID-19 cases on December 2 Vietnam logged 13,698 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours to 4pm on December 2, according to the Ministry of Health. The new infections, including 21 imported ones, raised the total number in the country since the start of the pandemic to 1,266,288.   Ho Chi Minh City topped the list with 1,738, followed by Can Tho (985), Tay Ninh (768), Soc Trang (747), Ba Ria-Vung Tau (637), Dong Thap (606), Binh Thuan (502), Ca Mau (496), Bac Lieu (492), Dong Nai (475) and Binh Phuoc (472). Hanoi registered a further 499 transmissions, marking a record total for the city for the second consecutive day. The ministry also announced 210 fatalities, bringing the COVID death toll in Vietnam to 25,658. Vietnam receives 500,000 AstraZeneca vaccine doses donated by Argentina The Ministry of Health received 500,000 doses of Astra Zeneca COVID-19 vaccine, worth over 2 million USD presented by the Government of Argentina, at a ceremony held in Hanoi on December 2. This is the first time that the Argentinean Government has donated COVID-19 vaccine to another country and Vietnam is the country that has received the most vaccine support from Argentina. Vietnam's Mui Ne among top 10 best beach vacations worldwide Mui Ne in Binh Thuan province is listed among top 10 best beach vacations worldwide by Bounce. According to Bounce, researchers began by choosing 250 of the world’s “most popular, most beautiful and best beaches” from a variety of travel sources, before narrowing the selection down to 100. Each beach was given a score out of 10, with Mui Ne being ranked ninth in the list with 5.58 points. Mui Ne beach is popular among surfers from the UK, France, Russia, Germany, and Australia. It also consists of massive sand dunes which makes it suitable for activities such as sand-boarding. Mui Ne boasts many attractive landscapes such as Hon Rom, Hon Lao Cau, and Bai Rang.  Emergency relief provided for flood-hit people in Binh Dinh, Phu Yen The Vietnam Red Cross Society Central Committee has decided to provide emergency relief worth VND540 million (nearly $23,800) in cash and goods for people severely affected by floods in the south central provinces of Binh Dinh and Phu Yen. As scheduled, the relief will be delivered directly to households affected by floods on December 2. Each locality will receive 200 boxes of goods and VND150 million in cash. Ha Giang promotes virtual tourism  Ha Giang province has taken the advantage of digital platforms to promote tourism as part of efforts to maintain its position as an attractive tourist destination amid COVID-19. This year, the Ha Giang Buckwheat Flower Festival has been held online last for the first time ever. This province has held virtual tours, including a tour featuring buckwheat flower on the Dong Van Karst Plateau UNESCO Global Geopark. In December, the province will continue to organise similar ones introducing agro-tourism products, cuisine and traditional brocade weaving villages, among others. Vietnam issues new guidelines on COVID-19 exposure risks, handling and treatment The Ministry of Health on Wednesday issued guidelines to help localities and agencies get consistency in classifying COVID-19 exposure risks, infection handling and treatment. According to the new guidelines, people infected with COVID-19 in Vietnam are divided into four groups – low risk, medium risk, high risk and very high risk. Also in the new guidelines, the Ministry of Health mentions seven principles of COVID-19 treatment, including monitoring and caring for asymptomatic COVID-19 patients and mild cases at home (if all conditions are met). The second principle is to focus on good treatment for first and second tiers patients, strengthening capacity of emergencies and active resuscitation of severe cases on the upper tiers. Five Vietnamese universities named in Best Global Universities Rankings The local education establishments featured in the list include Duy Tan University, Ton Duc Thang University, Vietnam National University-Hanoi (the VNU-Hanoi), Vietnam National University-Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-Ho Chi Minh City), and Hanoi University of Science and Technology. Ton Duc Thang University came in first in terms of Vietnamese institutions, and 387th in the world overall, a total of 236 places higher than last year. Duy Tan University made it onto the list for the first time, coming in as the second top institution in Vietnam and 577th in the world as a whole. VNU-Hanoi jumped 11 places from last year to 938th, while the VNU-Ho Chi Minh City climbed 84 places to 1,187th. Hanoi University of Science and Technology fell 93 places to 1,449th. Year of tiger stamp collection released  A collection of stamps featuring an array of folk paintings of Vietnamese tigers have been released by the Ministry of Information and Communications in celebration of the upcoming Tet festival. The stamp block consists of four stamps that feature two designs which are used twice and arranged symmetrically in a square. They portray peach and apricot blossoms with best wishes for the coming year, promoting reunions and prosperity for all families. The new stamps largely draw inspiration from Dong Ho folk paintings and are sized 37 x 37 (mm) and have been designed by local artist Nguyen Quang Vinh. The collection will be made available on the public postal network nationwide from December 1 to June 30, 2023. HCM City's schools to reopen from December 13 The HCM City People’s Committee will begin a pilot school reopening period on December 13. Under the plan, students from the first, ninth and 12th grade can return to school on December 13, while five-year-old children can go to kindergarten on December 20. Schools must discuss pandemic safety measures with parents and submit plans to city districts' and Thủ Đức City's pandemic prevention and control steering committees by December 5. They must also offer training on pandemic prevention and control to all teachers and staff. The Department of Education and Training and  Department of Health have been asked to submit an evaluation of the school reopening to the city People’s Committee after the two-week pilot period. This is being done to prepare for all-level students to return to school on January 3. Da Nang's official takes PEMSEA president role Da Nang's Vice chairman Le Quang Nam has been elected as the new president of the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) for the 2022-2025 term. The forum had representatives of 52 local government members from 10 countries -- Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam -- along with associate members, NGOs and development agencies. HCM City asks Defence Ministry to maintain mobile medical stations In August, the military allocated personnel, including thousands of doctors and military medical students, to help the city deal with the fourth COVID wave. The military has been gradually withdrawing its personnel from the city as the pandemic has become more stable. It had originally planned to complete the withdrawal by the end of November.  The city’s health department and district-level steering committees for pandemic prevention and control are working on plans to ensure sufficient manpower for local mobile medical stations when the military medical staff leave HCM City. However, several districts are still seeing high numbers of COVID patients treating themselves at home. The city is expected to ask the defence ministry to maintain the operation of 85 mobile medical stations in the city with 153 staff until the end of December. FIDE ties up with Vietnamese bank for 10 years The International Chess Federation (FIDE) will organise international tournaments in Vietnam for 10 years starting in 2022 together with the Vietnam Chess Federation and HDBank. The three signed a memorandum of understanding for the purpose in Moscow on Tuesday in the presence of President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, who was on an official visit to Russia. The parties also agreed to organise workshops for referees, coaches, and organisers and chess classes for teenagers and younger children by grandmasters. They will undertake a programme called ‘Chess in schools’ and organise events in 2022, a year that has been designated by FIDE as The Year of Women in Chess. Compiled by Thanh Van