French Ambassador Nicolas Warnery (R) and businesswoman Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao at the order presentation ceremony on April 14 (Photo: VNA)
On behalf of the French Government, Ambassador of France to Vietnam Nicolas Warnery presented the noble order to Thao, the first Vietnamese businesswoman to be honoured with this decoration.
He noted that as Sovico Chairwoman and Vietjet CEO, Thao has made special contributions to the enhancement of economic and cultural ties and development cooperation between Vietnam and Europe, including France.
The diplomat highly valued the entrepreneur’s vision, wisdom, humanity and business philosophy for the sake of community development and future generations.
Warnery also appreciated the firms led by Thao like Sovico, Vietjet, and HDBank continually standing side by side with French businesses and people, especially during the time his country was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Congratulating Thao, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs To Anh Dung described the order presentation as a milestone in the two countries’ diplomatic, cultural, and economic links.
For her part, Thao thanked the French State and people for their cooperation with herself as well as the Sovico Group.
Nearly 5 billion USD of exports to EU benefit from EVFTA
According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), amost 5 billion USD worth of Vietnamese goods exported to the EU has benefited from preferential tariffs under the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).
A shrimp processing factory (Photo: VNA)
The MoIT said efforts to capitalise on FTAs have resulted in significant outcomes, helping to achieve fast and sustainable export and gradually reduce the dependence on single or certain markets.
Certificates of origin have been used to help about 32 – 34 percent of annual export revenue benefit from preferential treatment under FTAs, showing that Vietnamese businesses and goods are increasingly tapping into concessionary tariffs in the markets having FTAs with the country, reported VNA.
The MoIT noted from August 1, 2020, when the EVFTA took effect, to April 4 this year, authorised agencies and organisations in Vietnam granted about 127,300 sets of the certificate of origin form EUR 1 for nearly 4.8 billion USD of exports to the 27 EU countries.
Besides, enterprises shipping goods to the EU also conducted self-certification of origin for more than 10.88 million USD worth of commodities to utilise preferential tariffs.
The beneficiary items were mainly footwear, aquatic products, textile-garment, farm produce, and electronic products.
Over 60,000 Vietnamese people injected COVID-19 vaccine
According to the Ministry of Health, as many as 60,139 Vietnamese people have been given an AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine shot since the national COVID-19 vaccination campaign was launched on March 8.
Photo for illustration (Source: VNA)
Among the first vaccinated people are healthcare workers, and members of anti-coronavirus community groups and the steering committees on COVID-19 prevention and control in 19 cities and provinces.
The MoH has received more than 800,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine sponsored by COVAX Facility after purchasing 117,600 doses of the same vaccine in February 2021, reported VOV.
It is distributing the vaccine to localities to ensure priority groups can get the jab first.
The MoH also announced three imported coronavirus cases on April 14 morning. They are all Vietnamese citizens returning from Germany and the Czech Republic both of which are currently ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The three patients tested positive during their stay in the concentrated quarantine facilities, thus posing no risk to the community,
Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam chairs a regular meeting of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control in Hanoi.
Vietnam will continue to produce of its own coronavirus vaccines, facilitate clinical trials, and prepare vaccine production and funding plans providing the vaccines are effective.
Do Quyet, director of the Military Medical University, announced that the second phase of the Nanocovax human trials is set to end on April 15. The university will send a report to the Ministry of Health and the Biomedical Research Ethics Council in order to review and evaluate the scientific basis of the second phase, while simultaneously starting the third phase./.