Vietnam border, seas, islands

Current events
Personnel work focus of 13th National Party Congress’s fourth working day (All dailies, p1). The 13th National Party Congress devoted the entire day on January 29 to discuss in groups personnel work for the 13th-tenure Party Central Committee.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc requests stamping out COVID-19 outbreaks before lunar New Year (Nhan dan, p1).

Minister checks security readiness at Party Congress venue (Nhan dan, p1). General To Lam, Politburo member and Minister of Public Security, inspected readiness to guarantee security at the 13th National Party Congress at the ministry’s command centre in the National Convention Centre, the congress’s venue, in Hanoi on January 29.

Countries must respect Vietnam’s sovereignty in East Sea: spokesperson (Nhan dan, p8). Vietnam demands that relevant countries respect its sovereignty, sovereign right and jurisdiction in the East Sea, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang said on January 29.

Socio-economic affairs
PM Phuc sends letter to business community (Nhan dan; Quan doi Nhan dan, p1). The PM extended greetings to the country’s business community and entrepreneurs ahead of the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday.

Space of gong culture in Tay Nguyen conserved, developed (Nhan dan, p1).

Photobook from UNICEF campaign “Kindness is Contagious” launched (Nhan dan, p3). UNICEF and the Ministry of Health (MoH) launched the photobook “Kindness is Contagious”, marking a successful end to a campaign of the same name to promote acts of kindness amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Programme helps SMEs engage in digital economy (Quan doi Nhan dan, p4). The Ministry of Information and Communications launched a programme to support small- and medium-sized enterprises in digital transformation (SMEdx).

Joint efforts in building documents on 70 years of Vietnam-Russia defence cooperation (Quan doi Nhan dan, p8).

Consumer price index rises 0.06 percent in January (Ha Noi Moi, p1). The consumer price index (CPI) inched up 0.06 percent in January against December last year, and down 0.97 percent year-on-year, according to the General Statistics Office of Vietnam (GSO).

Hanoi, HCM City promote COVID-19 prevention and control efforts (Lao dong, p7).

Six communes in Hanoi fulfil criteria of advanced new-style rural areas (Ha Noi Moi, p4)

Two hospitals for COVID-19 treatment in Hai Duong completed (Sai Gon Giai phong, p7).

US the largest export market of Vietnam in January (Ha Noi Moi, p6). Vietnam’s export revenue to the US hit 27.7 billion USD in January, up 0.2 percent against the previous month and 50.5 percent against the same period last year.

Firms in supporting industries hope for growth in 2021 (Hai quan [Customs news], No.9, p14). Supporting industry businesses are believed to have a major chance as Vietnam is a signatory of various free trade agreements, along with the increasing investment inflow into the country. However, challenges remain for those firms amid COVID-19.

Digital transformation helps firms to further penetrate global value chains (Hai quan [Customs news], No.9, p15). The Ministry of Planning and Investment is working with the US Agency for International Development’s LinkSME project to help SMEs in digital transformation in a quicker and more efficient manner.

Foreign investors channel huge capital into Vietnam (Dau tu [Investment Review], No.13, p4). Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, major groups like Intel and Samsung bolster investments in Vietnam, demonstrating their trust in the country’s investment climate.

International affairs
Pandemic forecast to prolong in Africa (Nhan dan, p8).

IMF calls for protection for vulnerable during pandemic (Ha Noi Moi, p8)./.