Bangkok (VNA) – Thailand’s National Energy Policy Council (NEPC) plans to increase the number of new waste-to-energy (WTE) projects next year to ease worries about the growing volume of garbage. The council is preparing to invite investors to propose new projects, with total capacity of 400 megawatts, early next year. WTE plants, which were already granted licences in previous...

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam and China co-chaired the 18th East Asia Forum which was held via video conference on December 10 under the theme of “Strengthening the ASEAN Plus Three Cooperation for Economic and Financial Resilience in the face of Emerging Challenges”. Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung (L) (Source: VNA) Attending the event were high-ranking officials, prestigious scholars...

Vientiane (VNA) – A grand ceremony was held in Vientiane on December 2 to celebrate the 45th National Day of Laos and the 100th birthday of President Kaysone Phomvihane. An art performance at the ceremony (Photo: VNA) Lao Party General Secretary and State President Bounnhang Vorachith, National Assembly Chairwoman Pany Yathotou, and Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, attended the event....

Berlin (VNA) – German newspaper Neues Deutschland (New Germany) published an article on November 28 by Julia Behrens highlighting Vietnam's rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the fact that the Vietnamese government has put the health of the people ahead economic benefits. Illustrative photo. (Source: VNA) Vietnam has had no community infection cases of COVID-19 to...

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam will be one of the few nations worldwide to record positive economic growth in 2020 despite a global collapse in trade, travel and investment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an article recently published by the English language news media publishing group Asia Times. Workers at a fish processing factory in Vietnam (Illustrative...

Hanoi (VNA) - The disputes in the East Sea (South China Sea) need to be resolved by the concerned parties, with cooperation of the international community as well as the region, said a Vietnamese expert. The 12th East Sea international conference takes place in Hanoi on November 16-17 (Photo: VNA) Ambassador Nguyen Hong Thao, Second Vice Chairman of the...

Hanoi (VNA) – Ministers from 15 countries spanning the Asia-Pacific region on November 15 signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement after eight years of talks. At the signing ceremony in Hanoi (Photo: VNA) The trade pact involves 10 ASEAN member nations - Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, and the...

Seoul (VNA) - ASEAN Korea Centre (AKC) Secretary General Lee Hyuk has appreciated the role of Vietnam in ASEAN and as ASEAN Chair this year as well as the prospects of ASEAN-ROK ties in the future in an interview given to the Vietnam News Agency on the threshold of the 37th Summit and related summits scheduled for November 12-15....

Tokyo (VNA) – Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide will convey his country’s willingness to provide assistance to ASEAN member countries to cut their emissions while attending the upcoming ASEAN-Japan Summit, Japan’s national broadcaster NHK said on November 11. Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide (Photo: AFP/VNA) Suga is also expected to explain Japan’s commitment to reducing the country’s carbon emissions...

Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesia has officially entered its first recession since the 1998 Asian financial crisis as its economy contracts again in the third quarter of this year, albeit at a slower pace. Illustrative photo. (Source: MarketScreener) Southeast Asia’s largest economy shrank 3.49 percent year-on-year in the third quarter amid the persistent rise in COVID-19 cases, Statistics Indonesia (BPS)...