Top 10 domestic events in 2016 selected by Voice of Vietnam
1. Success of the 12th National Party Congress
The 12th National Party Congress from January 20 to 28 was a political event of paramount importance.
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The 12th National Party Congress took place in Hanoi, January 20-28
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It defined the six key tasks for the 2016-2021 period to enhance Party building and rectification and boost socio-economic development, turning Vietnam into an industrial country and safeguard national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. Mr. Nguyen Phu Trong was reelected General Secretary of the Communist Paty of Vietnam.
2. National Assembly and People's Council Elections
67 million voters cast their ballots on May 22 to elect deputies to the 14th National Assembly and People’s Councils at all levels for the 2016-2021 tenure.
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Mr. Tran Dai Quang was sworn in as Vietnam's State President
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The success of the elections was a major step in the process of building a socialist State governed by law. Mr. Tran Dai Quang was elected President, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Phuc Prime Minister and Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan National Assembly Chairwoman. The new leaders vowed to build an integral, transparent and strong State.
3. Party determination to fight corruption
The 4th plenum of the 12th Party Central Committee adopted a resolution that defines strong measures to enhance Party building and rectification and prevent degradation of political ideology, morality and lifestyle and signs of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation”.
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Former Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang is disciplined
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3 former Party Central Committee members and several senior officials involved in corruption were disciplined.
4. Record number of new businesses
The national year of startup 2016 resulted in the establishment of more than 103,000 new businesses, a record number in a single year. 24,500 businesses also restored their operations, up 32% from 2015.
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2016 saw a record number of new businesses in Vietnam
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With improvements in indicators such as protecting minority investors, getting electricity and paying taxes, Vietnam jumped 9 spots in the World Bank’s Doing Business 2017 report.
5. Early inauguration of Lai Chau hydro-power plant
The Lai Chau hydro-power plant, the third biggest on the Da river, became operational one year ahead of schedule.
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The inauguration ceremony for the Lai Chau hydro-power plant
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With 3 turbines, the 1,200 MW plant is expected to generate 4.7 billion kWh and earn 230 million USD annually.
6. More Vietnamese heritages honored by UNESCO
The practice related to the Vietnamese belief in worshiping Mother Goddesses of Three Realms was recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
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The royal literature on Hue royal architecture
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“The royal literature on Hue royal architecture” and “Phuc Giang School Woodblocks” were also included on UNESCO’s list of documentary heritage.
7. Vietnam welcomes 10 million foreign visitors
In 2016, Vietnam's tourism sector received a record 10 million foreign tourists and served 62 million domestic visitors.
Vietnam is emerging as an attractive, safe and hospitable tourist destination in Asia-Pacific.
8. Maritime environmental incident in the central region
Wastewater discharged illegally from Taiwan’s Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation seriously polluted the marine environment of the central provinces of Thua Thien-Hue, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh and Quang Tri, affecting the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people.
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The marine environment in the central region is heavily damaged by Formosa's wastewater discharge
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Formosa accepted full responsibility for the incident and agreed to compensate for the losses.
9. Heavy consequences caused by natural disasters
The worst drought and saline intrusion in 100 years heavily impacted tens of millions of people and caused losses of billions of USD.
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A drought-stricken rice field in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum
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70% of cultivation land in the Central Highlands and south central region was hit by drought while saline water intruded as far as 90km in the Mekong River Delta. Recent floods left 100 people dead or missing in the central region. Damage was estimated at 450 million USD.
10. Losses caused by negligence and ill intent
Fires and traffic accidents led to heavy casualties in Vietnam in 2016. Meanwhile, traditional fish sauce producers were hurt by false information about arsenic content. The Vietnam Standards and Consumers Association sparked public concern by announcing 101 of the 150 fish sauce samples collected on the market for testing contained arsenic content exceeding safe levels.
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False information harms traditional fish sauce producers
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But the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development released a statement confirming that its test results showed that fish sauce is safe for consumption.The Ministry of Health also said that reports of fish sauce containing arsenic are inaccurate and have affected fish sauce production around the country. It’s widely believed that a “dirty” communications campaign was launched to harm the traditional fish sauce industry.