Illustrative image (Source: baodautu.vn)
According to Vietnam News Agency, in 2020, Vietnam was in the 64th position out of 73 countries in the rankings.
The top 10 countries in the 2021 global rankings are the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, France, Switzerland, Japan, Australia, Sweden, and the Netherlands.
The US News ranking results are based on a global survey on criteria such as having a well-developed public education system and the ability to offer top-quality education.
Photo for illustration (Source: VNA)
Last month, seven Vietnamese universities were also listed in the Impact Rankings 2022 released by the Times Higher Education (THE).
In 2020, only two Vietnamese education institutions were on the list and the figure was double last year.
Of them, Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU-Hanoi), Ton Duc Thang University and Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST) are in the group of 601-800 while Phenikaa University is among 801-1,000.
The three new institutions that are on this year’s list are Duy Tan University and National Economics University (601-800) and FPT University (801-1,000).
Vietnam Airlines resumes Kuala Lumpur-Hanoi route
A Vietnam Airlines flight from Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur landed safely at Noi Bai international airport in Hanoi at night on May 7, making it the first operated by the national flag carrier between the two capitals after 26 months due to COVID-19 pandemic.
A Vietnam Airlines aircraft (Source: VNA)
Talking to the Vietnam News Agency in Kuala Lumpur, Hoang Minh Tri, head of the airlines’ branch in Malaysia, said there will be three flights on the route per week.
The resumption is necessary, as demand is recovering thanks to the control of the pandemic, Tri said.
He said that Malaysia authorities request passengers to present a negative COVID-19 test result prior to boarding.
According to the manager, between now and the end of the year, Vietnam Airlines will also gradually increase its frequency on the Kuala Lumpur – Ho Chi Minh City route to a maximum of two flights a day.
Tri said he hopes in 2023, demand for travel between the nations will get back to the level before the pandemic.
The branch stopped operating flights from Malaysia to Vietnam from March 17, 2020, due to the former’s pandemic-induced border closure. On February 18 this year, it reopened the air route.
First quarter pepper exports to EU market surge by 92.9%
The EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) is being effectively utilized by local enterprises amid the export turnover of peppers to the EU market expanding by 92.9% during the opening quarter of the year, reported the Voice of Vietnam.
The share of Vietnamese pepper exports to the EU increase from 20.21% in the first quarter of 2021 to 28.08% in the first quarter of this year.
Statistics compiled by the General Department of Customs indicate that pepper exports during the first quarter of the year reached 53.8 thousand tonnes, worth US$ 250.8 million, a drop of 12.1% in volume but up 40.3% in value compared to the same period from last year.
Most notably, the first quarter of the year saw, the export speed of pepper to the European region increase the most with a rise of 92.9%, whilst strong growth was seen in the Americas, up 63.5%, Africa, up 10.3%, and Asia, up 6.4%.
Furthermore, the share of Vietnamese pepper exports to the EU increased from 20.21% in the first quarter of 2021 to 28.08% in the first quarter of this year.
According to the EVFTA, EU countries pledge to eliminate all tariffs placed on pepper products (HS code 0904) as soon as the deal comes into effect.
Experts note that the effective implementation of the EVFTA will serves as extra leverage for Vietnamese businesses to increase exports to the EU market, especially for processed products that previously had a tax rate of between 5% and 9%.
Moreover, the incentives from the agreement are being effectively utilised by local businesses, particularly as pepper export turnover to the EU has seen consistent growth over recent years. It is therefore anticipated that the bloc will continue to increase pepper imports from the Vietnamese market in the year ahead.
Moving forward, Vietnam is anticipated to take advantage of opportunities to develop the pepper processing industry when investors in the EU move their processing plants to the nation in order to take advantage of cheap raw materials and labour, thereby creating a driving force to promote pepper exports to the EU.
According to experts, the EU represents a potential but fastidious market. Therefore, local businesses operating in the pepper industry must establish production linkages in terms of raw material areas, build trade brands by improving product quality, and maintain sustainability based on product certifications.
Vietnamese wood exports forecast to enjoy positive growth in first half
According to the Voice of Vietnam, among the top 5 agro-fishery products with an export turnover of over one US$ billion, wood exports are anticipated to grow by between 5% and 8% in the first half of 2022.
Vietnam fetches US$5.48 billion in wood export turnover during the first four months of this year, posting a year-on-year rise of 4.9%.
According to data provided by the General Department of Customs, the export turnover of wood and wood products in April alone reached an estimated US$ 1.5 billion, up 7.3% compared to the same period from last year, bringing the export turnover during the first 4 months of 2022 to US$5.48 billion, an increase of 4.9% on-year.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said that throughout the reviewed period, there were 5 products and product groups with export value of over US$1 billion, including timber and wood products.
According to the Vietnam Timber and Forest Product Association (VIFORES) currently, the export trend of wood and wood products is focusing on high value-added items such as wooden frame chairs, living room and dining room furniture, and bedroom furniture which are all products of Vietnam's strengths.
In the face of the current situation, despite facing plenty of difficulties, such as the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic causing labor shortage, the Russia-Ukraine conflict pushing up gasoline prices, resulting in increases in the price of petroleum products, wood materials and production costs, wood industry businesses had to go ahead with production activities as numerous orders had been placed previously.
However, with constant efforts, wood industry enterprises have overcome difficulties, serving as extra leverage for the wood industry to record positive growth during the first months of 2022.
According to Do Xuan Lap, chairman of the VIFORES, Vietnam's wood production and export activities are promoted by a series of free trade agreements (FTAs) being carried out such as the EU-Vietnam Fee Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), thereby creating competitive advantages for wood products when the tax rate is gradually reduced to 0%.
Besides, China - the largest wood export market in the world, is pursuing the "Zero COVID" strategy, causing production and export disruptions. On the other hand, China does not encourage wood furniture development due to rising costs.
Meanwhile, Italy, Germany and other developed countries are narrowing production due to the impact of recession and growing costs as a result of limited wood supply caused by many other factors. This is viewed as an opportunity for Vietnam to increase the export of this item.
According to experts, there are still certain difficulties for the wood industry, which slows down production activities of enterprises and directly reduces their competitive advantage.
Therefore, in addition to developing domestic material areas, businesses need to maintain and expand export markets by effectively implementing FTAs, they emphasized./.