Photo for illustration (Source: hanoimoi.com.vn)
Besides the AstraZeneca vaccine, Vietnam has negotiated to procure 5 million Moderna doses, 31 million Pfizer doses and 20 million Sputnik V doses.
Specifically, the ministry said June 2 that Russia agreed to provide Vietnam with 20 million doses of its vaccine Sputnik V this year.
In May, US-based Moderna authorised a company to distribute 5 million doses to Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City asked for permission to purchase this kind of vaccine.
Meanwhile, on May 20, the ministry signed a contract with US-based firm Pfizer, under which 15.5 million doses will be supplied for Vietnam in the third quarter and 15.5 million doses in the fourth quarter of 2021.
At present, Vietnam is using the AstraZeneca vaccine, with 1.1 million doses injected. In October 2020, the ministry negotiated with the British-Swedish company to buy 30 million doses.
Also in the third quarter of 2020, the ministry successfully negotiated to secure 38.9 million doses through the COVAX Facility, of which 881,200 doses were delivered to Vietnam on April 1. The second batch of more than 1.68 million doses arrived in the country on May 16.
Minster of Health Nguyen Thanh Long said that since May, the ministry and relevant ministries and agencies have actively engaged in talks to get access to COVID-19 vaccine sources, and made every effort to secure more vaccines, thus bringing people’s lives to normal.
To ensure finance, the Government and the Prime Minister decided to establish a COVID-19 vaccine fund. To buy 150 million doses to inoculate around 75 million people, the fund needs an estimated 25.2 trillion VND (1.096 billion USD).
Vietnamese goods introduced to Thailand at trade exchange
An online trade exchange programme between Vietnam and Thailand on food and building and interior products has been held to introduce local products to Thailand and help domestic producers gain broader access to the market.
At the online trade exchange programme (Photo: VNA)
The exchange was held jointly by the Trade Promotion Agency at the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) and Thailand’s Central Group.
It was part of a series of events held to mark the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Addressing the exchange, Vietnamese Trade Counsellor in Thailand Tran Thi Thanh My said this is the fifth time the programme has been held, aiming to facilitate Vietnamese products and businesses sending goods to the Thai market through the Central Group’s distribution network.
To ensure its effectiveness, she went on, market research was conducted and businesses with products suitable for the Thai market were selected.
Bui Quang Hung from the Trade Promotion Agency said that in recent years it has regularly coordinated with international organisations to conduct trade promotions between Vietnamese businesses and foreign importers, including those in Thailand.
He expressed his appreciation of the efforts made by the Central Group in cooperation with the MoIT in helping Vietnamese businesses penetrate into the Thai market through the group’s distribution network.
Such efforts are even more meaningful given that COVID-19 has had a profound effect on global trade, he added.
Emmanuel Francois Patrick Couronne, Director of Retail Purchasing at the Central Group, said the trade exchange helps the group meet reputable businesses and will see it bring more high-quality Vietnamese products to Thai consumers.
Held for the first time in 2016, the trade exchange has been an effective bridge in sending Vietnamese goods to the Central Group and has opened up many business opportunities for local exporters.
Vietnamese agricultural products such as lychees, dragon fruit, coffee, cashew nuts, and dried fruit have been exported to Thailand and found favour among local consumers.
A programme to promote Vietnamese goods and cuisine, called “Taste of Vietnam”, is to be held in Udon Thani province in northeastern Thailand on June 24-26, aimed at promoting Vietnamese products and creating opportunities for local suppliers to export goods to the market./.
Hanoi to host first livestream on OCOP products
The first-ever livestream promoting products of Hanoi’s “One Commune, One Product” (OCOP) programme will be held in the near future.
Organised by the Hanoi Coordination Office for New-style Rural Area Building together with the ASEAN Digital Conversion Research Institute (ASEAN Academy), the event aims to support stakeholders in the production, sale and marketing of OCOP products through digital technologies and e-commerce platforms, especially against the backdrop of COVID-19, reported VOV.
The three-hour livestream is slated for June 6, starting from 9am, and can be watched on the OCOP Live Facebook page and VTC Now.
It is hoped to motivate stakeholders in the programme in Hanoi and across the country at large to improve marketing skills and offer their products online via livestreaming, so as to reach more customers in the digital era.
The capital city is home to some 1,054 OCOP products.
Hanoi will open 40 more showrooms for goods from the local OCOP programme this year, making them more popular among domestic consumers and foreign visitors.
According to the municipal Department of Industry and Trade, products to be displayed include silk, confectionery, food, safe fruit and vegetable, and handicrafts.
They must be rated at least three-star and have been certificated as typical rural industrial products at the municipal and regional levels.
The Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade will organise five Vietnamese Goods Weeks in Hanoi this year to stimulate domestic demand and increase total retail sales, thereby helping businesses and farmers consume products.
Specifically, the five weeks will have a scale of about 100 standard booths each week.
Notably, Hanoi will support 50% of booth costs for participating units with a maximum of two booths per unit; similar support will be provided to each locality. In which, the city will pay attention to support localities and businesses of Hanoi and other localities in consuming agricultural products, aquatic products, and fruit, which face difficulties in consumption due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the same time, it will also strengthen communication and promotion, create the best conditions for businesses to reach consumers and expand the market.
In 2020, 14 OCOP showrooms were put into operation in the capital city. The city sped up necessary steps to verify and rate 370 more OCOP products in December to raise the total to 1,000 in the year.
Of the city’s recognised OCOP products, 421 have been rated four stars and 195 rated three stars while 14 are expected to earn five-star rankings.
The majority of the OCOP products (74.1%) are foods while souvenirs, furniture and décor products account for 18.3% of the total. The remainders are beverages, herbal medicine, fabrics and apparel.
The OCOP was initiated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in 2008, based on Japan’s “One Village, One Product” and Thailand’s “One Town, One Product” programmes. It is an economic development programme for rural areas and focuses on increasing internal power and values, and is also to help with the national target programme on new-style rural area building.
Vietnam verified, rated, and recognised a total of 3,200 products as OCOP goods last year, 800 higher than planned, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development./.