HCM City (VNA) – The 10th-tenure People’s Council of Ho Chi Minh City convened its third meeting on October 18to discuss the city’s important and urgent matters.
In her opening remarks, Chairwoman of the municipalPeople’s Council Nguyen Thi Le stressed the significance of the meeting thattakes place at a time when the southern city enters the new normal.
Chairwoman of the municipal People’s Council Nguyen Thi Le speaks at the event. (Photo: VNA)
The council would review the city’s efforts inCOVID-19 prevention and control and adopt major decisions and policies tosupport agriculture and businesses affected by the pandemic.
It would also seek measures to attract moreinvestment and set out the city’s socio-economic development plan for 2022, Le said.
During the meeting, the delegates would look into thecity’s socio-economic development in the first nine months of this year, andkey tasks for the remaining months of 2021.
They are expected to pass a plan on mid-termpublic investment sourced from the local budget for 2021-2025 and the HCMCity - Moc Bai expressway project, among others.
The council would also elect additional members of the municipalPeople’s Committee on this occasion.
According to a report presented at the meeting, thepandemic has forced HCM City to impose social distancing and countermeasuresover the past nearly five months, which has seriously affected production anddaily activities in the city.
The city’s gross regional domestic product (GRDP)decreased some 4.98 percent in the nine-month period, and is forecast to drop5.06 percent this year, the report said.
The total retail sales of goods in the country’sbiggest economic hub stood at around 636 trillion VND (27.8 billion USD), down17.4 percent year-on-year. The industrial production index also contracted 12.9percent, and only 11 trillion VND worth of public investment was disbursed,meeting 32 percent of the set target.
However, the city still made progress in a number ofsocio-economic sectors like State budget collection (up 7.96 percent) to 271.64 trillion VND andproduction value in the city’s high-tech industrial park (up 12.5 percent).
The municipal People’s Committee said about 11 outof 29 criteria set for the year would be fulfilled.
In the closing months of the year, HCM City willcontinue to revamp methods to complete the socio-economic targets, adoptspecific strategies and programmes, and review nearly 50 projects andprogrammes.
The city has issued 11 detailed plans on COVID-19containment and economic recovery in the new period, consolidated andstrengthened the local medical system, especially at the grassroots level, andtaken firm steps in reopening.
It has also rolled out policies to supportenterprises and household businesses affected by the pandemic.
The meeting is scheduled to conclude on October19./.
Travel firms in Ho Chi Minh City have resumed selling tours as the southern metropolis has allowed tourism services in “green zones” after a period of social distancing due to COVID-19.
Leaders of Ho Chi Minh City and the Lao capital of Vientiane on October 15 held talks and witnessed the signing if a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation between the two authorities for 2021 – 2025.
Medical workers from the Cho Ray and Thong Nhat hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City have left for Ca Mau and Ninh Thuan provinces to help with the COVID-19 fight there.
More than 111,000 employees in Ho Chi Minh City have benefited from the Government’s new support package sourced from the unemployment insurance fund, according to the city’s Social Insurance Agency.
State President Luong Cuong’s trip once again reaffirmed the Party and State’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralisation of relations. It also reflected the strong trend of enhanced cooperation among countries of the Global South in shaping a new, more multipolar, fair and equitable world order.
The outcomes of Party General Secretary To Lam's visit will serve as a driving force and source of inspiration for the two countries to inherit, promote, and elevate their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, contributing to the national construction and development cause in each country, and to peace, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on August 9 inspected the construction site of the new Phong Chau bridge, and surveyed a planned route for the Lao Cai – Hanoi – Hai Phong railway section running through the northern province of Phu Tho.
Across print, broadcast, and online platforms, Angolan media portrayed State President Luong Cuong's visit as a warm and historic occasion, strengthening bilateral ties and boosting Vietnam’s presence in Africa through the AU.
The 500kV Lao Cai – Vinh Yen power transmission line has a total investment of over 7.41 trillion VND (282.5 million USD), and a total length of 229.5 km, passing through 31 communes in the two provinces, and comprising 468 transmission tower foundations.
The visits reflected the elevated position of Vietnam’s foreign policy in the new era—aimed at not only advancing ties with key regional partners like Egypt and Angola but also delivering a strategic message about Vietnam’s commitment to deepening relations with African nations as a whole.
At their talks and meetings, President Cuong and Angola’s top leaders affirmed that the close brotherhood and traditional friendship are a valuable shared asset and a solid foundation for the two nations to advance into a new phase of development.
The ruling People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) attaches great importance to the friendship, solidarity, and comradeship with the Communist Party of Vietnam, and voiced her Party’s wish to further deepen and expand relations between the two sides for the benefit of the Vietnamese and Angolan people.
Vietnam pledges to do its utmost to build an ASEAN of solidarity, consensus, and unity in diversity, and to foster a fast and sustainable development path for ASEAN, grounded in science, technology, and innovation, said Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
Party General Secretary To Lam called on the criminal police force to accelerate the application of science, technology, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation in criminal investigation tasks such as crime prevention, detection, tracking and verification, ensuring that no area remains out of their reach.
Many Koreans living, studying, and working in Hanoi see the upcoming state visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK) by Party General Secretary To Lam as an opportunity to generate strong synergy in economic cooperation, people-to-people exchanges, and cultural understanding.
The achievements of the five decades of Vietnam–Angola cooperation provide a strong and enduring foundation, as well as momentum for the two sides to consolidate, expand, and bring their partnership into a new phase of development.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stressed that the emulation and commendation work is a vital driver, fostering patriotism, dedication, and collective momentum in the run-up to the 11th National Patriotic Emulation Congress, Party congresses at all levels, and the 14th National Party Congress.
Emphasising the need for sustainable, long-term collaboration, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man called on Japanese investors not only to bring in capital but also to share expertise and modern technology, especially in areas such as green transformation, the circular economy, and advanced corporate governance.
President Luong Cuong's activities during his state visit to Angola, the celebration of the financial sector's 80th traditional day, and the Foreign Ministry's flag-hoisting ceremony marking the 58th founding anniversary of ASEAN are among news highlights on August 8.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Pham Viet Hung praised the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ meaningful initiative, noting that the ASEAN Family Run was not only a sporting activity but also an opportunity for diplomats and their families to show unity, connection, and solidarity within the ASEAN family.
Politburo member, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on August 8 attended the first congress of the Party Organisation of Tay Ho ward of Hanoi for the 2025–2030 term, during which he called for fresh momentum to turn the ward into a model that takes the lead in all fields.
The size of the economy increased from over 5 billion USD in 1986 to over 476 billion USD by 2024, making Vietnam the fourth-largest economy in Southeast Asia and the 34th largest in the world.
The ASEAN flag-hoisting ceremony is observed by the 10 ASEAN member countries on August 8 every year, aiming to spread and promote the ASEAN identity and affirm the determination to unite and cooperate for the common aspiration of long-term peace and prosperity of Southeast Asian countries under the common roof of the ASEAN Community.
Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Manh Cuong highlighted ASEAN’s nearly six decades of development, during which the region transformed from division to harmony, from confrontation to cooperation, and from poverty to dynamic growth, becoming a global bright spot for regional cooperation.
At the opening of the meeting. (Photo: VNA) 
Chairwoman of the municipal People’s Council Nguyen Thi Le speaks at the event. (Photo: VNA) 
