At the ceremony. (Photo: plo.vn)
The donation marks an important milestone in the Vietnam – US cooperation in healthcare as well as COVID-19 response, Vietnamese Acting Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said in his remarks at the event. The additional ventilators will help strengthen Vietnam’s treatment capacity, particularly for COVID-19 patients who need respiratory support, he said.
“The world is impressed by Vietnam’s strategy and proactive measures in tackling COVID-19,” US Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel J. Kritenbrink said, adding that this serious disease remains a threat in Vietnam and the world.
“Building on the strong relationship between our countries over the last 25 years, the US government is pleased to support our friends in Vietnam with this donation of ventilators to fight the coronavirus,” he said.
The ambassador further noted that the donation delivers on US President Donald Trump’s offer of these critical-needed supplies to reinforce Vietnam’s resilience against the virus.
In addition to the ventilators, the US Government, through USAID, has committed 9.5 million USD to Vietnam in response to the pandemic, which is helping to strengthen clinical care, disseminate health messages, build laboratory capacity, improve disease surveillance, as well as support private sector recovery by mitigating the impact of the pandemic on the Vietnamese economy.
126 groups eye investment in Vietnam
On September 29, the Commission for the Management of State Capital (CMSC) organized a seminar between heads of Vietnamese representative agencies abroad (term 2020-2023) and groups and member corporations.
A Nestlé plant in Hung Yen. (Photo: baodautu.vn)
At the seminar, a leader of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Vietnam is a bright spot in investment attraction during the process of shifting the global supply chain due to impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Currently, 126 big groups in the world wish to move investment and production to Vietnam, offering a great opportunity for the country to promote foreign investment cooperation and choose high-quality capital flows.
Heads of Vietnamese representative agencies abroad were asked to learn about orders of domestic companies to have specific support plans. A leader of CMSC stressed that the Government is continuing to promote equitization and divestment in state-owned enterprises. Therefore, attracting foreign investment capital is very urgent.
In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic having a serious impact on the global economy, it becomes even more meaningful to connect domestic enterprises with heads of Vietnamese representative missions abroad, helping enterprises take advantage of opportunities to promote external economic activities, attracting new investment and cooperation.
FDI companies make up 70% of textile export turnover
The Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association on September 28 said that up to 70% of textile export revenue belongs to foreign-invested enterprises (FDI).
Photo for illustration
Accordingly, the export turnover of the garment and textile industry reached USD39 billion in 2019. In spite of being heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, textile export turnover is expected to hit around USD32 billion in 2020.
Currently, Vietnam ranks 6th in the world for garment and textile exports, and 2nd after China, as its products are shipped to the European market.
In the long term, when domestic garment and textile companies can take the initiative in production materials, they will be able to increase their export market share, especially in the European market which traditionally accounts for 2%.
Many domestic garment and textile enterprises said that local authorities should select suitable FDI capital in the field. It is necessary to give priority to luring investment in producing materials to create conditions for domestic enterprises to complete the supply chain and make the most of advantages of export tariff, as well as help reduce the risk of antagonistic competition with FDI enterprises in Vietnam./.