Vietnam News Highlights for August 7, 2023

Second army engineering team to depart for Abyei

Vietnamese combat engineers prepare to depart for Abyei on August 8. Photo: tienphong.vn

Vietnam's second team of 184 combat engineers will depart on August 8 for Abyei, an area on the border between South Sudan and Sudan, to carry out their peacekeeping duties for the next four to five months. The military engineers will take about 300 tons of items for their tasks and daily activities.

In 2022, Vietnam sent the first team of combat engineers to Abyei, bringing 2,000 items to perform their international duties in the area.

Vietnamese citizens without pensions eligible for pension subsidies

The Government has proposed lowering the age of eligibility for social pension subsidies from 80 to 75 in the amended Social Insurance Law. The move aims to extend pension subsidies to an additional 800,000 to 1 million elderly people, providing them with financial support and health care.

By the end of 2022, Vietnam will have approximately 14.4 million people reaching retirement age (55 and above for women; 60 and above for men). However, only about 5.1 million people, or about 35% of retirees, currently receive monthly pensions, social insurance benefits, or social pension subsidies.

PM to ensure national food security

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has asked ministries to take measures to ensure national food security and rice exports at the same time amid growing demand for rice in the global and Vietnamese markets.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam can harvest a total of 43 million tons of grain and produce about 20 million tons of rice in 2023, with 75% of it to be exported. From January to July, all localities completed 56% of the annual harvest plan.

One dead in Laos landslide on national road: border guard chief

One driver was killed in the landslide that occurred on Laos' National Road No. 8 between Bolikhamsai Province and the Cau Treo international border gate in Ha Tinh Province, Captain Vo Anh Tuan, chief of the Cau Treo border guard station, confirmed on August 6. He added that six drivers found their way back to Vietnam through the forest. Meanwhile, Lao authorities said on August 5 that they had rescued 45 Vietnamese drivers and passengers from the site of the landslide.

The road connecting the two provinces collapsed on August 3, trapping many drivers and passengers in the mud. Lao authorities announced a traffic ban on August 4 to search for and rescue the victims.

Prime Minister's Task Force on Administrative Procedures Reform established

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has signed Decision No. 932 to establish the Prime Minister's Task Force on Administrative Procedure Reform. The task force is headed by Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang.

The Task Force will assist the Prime Minister in studying and proposing initiatives and solutions to accelerate administrative procedure reform, strengthen administrative discipline and policy responsiveness, and carry out other tasks assigned by the Prime Minister.