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Congratulations on Chile National Day                                                  AT A GLANCE



                                          STATE PRESIDENT PAYS VISIT TO NEIGHBOR      VIETNAM - LAOS RELATIONS
                                  State  President  Nguyen  Xuan  between the two countries. Following the talks, the two leaders
                                  Phuc  paid  an  official  visit  to  witnessed  the  signing  of  14  cooperation  documents  between
                                  Laos  from  August  9-10  -  his  the  two  countries’  ministries,  sectors,  and  enterprises  in  the
                                  first overseas trip since becom-  fields of defense, security, drug prevention and control, search
                                  ing  State  President  in  April.  and rescue, electricity trading, and mineral exploration, exploita-
                                  During  talks  with  Lao  Party  tion  and  processing.  President  Phuc  also  joined  Secretary
        General Secretary and President Thongloun Sisoulith, the two  Sisoulith and Lao National Assembly Chairman Saysomphone
        pledged  to  give  the  highest  priority  to  further  boosting  the  Phomvihane in co-chairing a ceremony to inaugurate and han-
        great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation  dover the Lao NA House as a gift from Vietnam.


          GOVERNMENT & BUSINESS              CONFERENCE TO SUPPORT ENTERPRISES HELD
        An online conference between the government and representatives  consumption,  and  supply  chains
        of enterprises, business associations, and localities nationwide  and  exports,  difficult  distribution
        was held on August 8 with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh  of  goods,  shortages  of  local  and
        as chair, to help businesses address problems and challenges  foreign  experts,  and  problems  in
        stemming from the pandemic and identify solutions to promote  accessing support policies from the
        production and business activities. Prime Minister Chinh said  State. The Prime Minister asked related government agencies
        his government always accompanies businesses and strives to  and  local  administrations  to  accelerate  various  solutions  in
        seek solutions to remove the difficulties they face amid Covid-  support of businesses, including anti-pandemic measures, tax
        19. Participants pointed to difficulties such as shortages of pro-  and fee exemptions and reductions, and ensuring the distribution
        duction materials, rising transport costs, disruptions to production,  of goods, etc.


                                           US CDC OPENS REGIONAL OFFICE IN HANOI        VIETNAM - US RELATIONS
                                  US Vice President Kamala Har-  wherever  they  occur  and  building  key  relationships  to  tackle
                                  ris,  who  visited  Vietnam  on  shared health priorities. “We welcome the US decision to open
                                  August 24-26, launched the US  this office in Hanoi to show the development and vast potential
                                  Centers for Disease Control and  of the Vietnam-US comprehensive partnership,” Deputy Prime
                                  Prevention  (CDC)  Southeast  Minister  Pham  Binh  Minh  told  the  opening.  “Vietnam  will
                                  Asia Regional Office in Hanoi  create every condition possible for the effective operation of this
        on August 25. This is one of four CDC regional offices in the  office.” Vice President Harris said: “In this new era, our world is
        world,  joining  the  East  Europe/Central  Asia  office  in  Gruzia,  interconnected  and  interdependent.  Partnership  is  therefore
        Georgia, the Middle East/North Africa office in Oman, and the  essential.  We  must  all  be  willing  to  take  on  the  challenges
        South  America  office  in  Brazil.  It  will  strengthen  the  CDC’s  together.  Let’s  take  them  on  together  to  create  opportunities
        ability to meet its mission of protecting Americans and people  together. That is why we launch this CDC office and our work
        in  the  region  by  responding  more  rapidly  to  health  threats  together is so very important.”


          FOREIGN INVESTMENT                 VIETNAM REMAINS ATTRACTIVE TO US INVESTORS
        Vietnam remains an attractive destination for US investors in  Google, Facebook, Ford, UPS, and
        the Indo-Pacific, a webinar held recently by The Asia Group  Walmart.  Participants  expressed
        heard, according to a report from the Vietnam News Agency on  their  trust  in  Vietnam’s  determi-
        August 9. The webinar aimed to share business opportunities  nation and effort to fight the pan-
        and  updates  on  the  fight  against  Covid-19  and  Vietnam’s  demic and vowed to continue part-
        economic  prospects,  and  drew  more  than  40  executives  and  nering with the country. Several expressed an interest in specific
        representatives from US firms in the fields of energy, finance,  issues such as addressing differences in digital trade and con-
        technology, and manufacturing, such as the Blackstone Group,  sidering direct flights between the two countries.


                                       GDP GROWTH TO AVERAGE 6.5-7% IN 2021-2026            ECONOMIC TARGETS
                                  A  government  conference,  the  $4,700-$5,000 by 2025, over 25 per cent of GDP to be contributed
                                  first  of  the  2021-2026  tenure,  by processing and manufacturing, about 20 per cent of GDP to
                                  was  held  online  on  August  11  be from the digital economy, about 45 per cent of growth to be
                                  and chaired by Prime Minister  contributed by total factor productivity (TFP), over 6.5 per cent
                                  Pham Minh Chinh, with discus-  of average annual growth to be made by social labor productivity,
                                  sions focusing on how to imple-  urbanization to be about 45 per cent, the ratio of agricultural
        ment the 2021-2025 socio-economic development plan adopted  workers in the total workforce to be about 25 per cent, the ratio
        by  the  13th  National  Party  Congress  and  the  15th  National  of trained workers to be 70 per cent, of which those with degrees
        Assembly’s Resolution. Twenty-three economic, social, and envi-  and certificates is to reach 28-30 per cent, and the ratio of people
        ronmental targets are set out in the plan, including 6.5-7 per cent  having access to clean water to be 95-100 per cent and 93-95 per
        average  GDP  growth  over  the  five  years,  GDP  per  capita  of  cent in urban and rural areas, respectively, among others.


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