Minister - Chairman of the Government Office cum Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Advisory Council for Administrative Reform Mai Tiến Dũng delivers a speech at the dialogue with the Korean business community. — VNA/ VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam has pledged to work closely with other countries, including the Republic of Korea (RoK), to overcome difficulties amid the COVID-19 pandemic, said Minister - Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tiến Dũng.

During a discussion in Hà Nội on July 17 between the Prime Minister’s Advisory Council for Administrative Reform and the Korean business community in Việt Nam, Dũng said since the beginning of this year, the Government has cut down 239 business conditions, raising the total to almost 3,900 out of nearly 6,200.

The Government of Việt Nam also slashed 6,776 out of 9,926 administrative procedures, as well as 30 out of 120 specialised administrative procedures.

The Government also issued Decree No.45/2020/ND-CP on handling administrative procedures on electronic platforms, which will cut and simplify at least 20 per cent of regulations and 20 per cent of business costs over the next five year.

Together with the opening of the National Reporting Centre on August 15, the 1,000th public service related to motorbike and automobile registration is expected to be launched on the national public service portal, he said.

Korean Ambassador to Việt Nam Park Nok-wan suggested the council should build a mechanism to normalise bilateral exchanges following the pandemic, assist key staff in entering Việt Nam for work, shorten quarantine time, and minimise red tape.

He proposed the Government extend the support time for businesses and improve protection role of Vietnamese trade agencies.

Expressing his belief that the wave of Korean investment in Việt Nam will heat up soon, Park urged Korean firms to actively devise their strategies to meet demand.

The ambassador proposed holding the dialogue twice a year in the near future as the two countries will celebrate the 30th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties in 2022.

Korean enterprises attending the event also offered suggestions including double taxation avoidance agreement, exports-imports, logistics, administrative reform and fast-track services for immigration.

Representatives from ministries and agencies answered questions and introduced resolutions on tackling difficulties for production and trade, disbursement of public investment capital and ensuring social safety amid COVID-19.

A bilateral cooperation plan post-COVID-19 was also tabled for discussions, with a focus on official development assistance used for rural development, education, smart city building, transportation, policymaking and the building of a Việt Nam – Korea industrial park.

According to the General Statistics Office, there were more than 62,000 newly-established enterprises and 25,200 others resumed operations in the first half of this year.

The RoK is now the biggest foreign investor in Vietnam, creating jobs for more than 700,000 workers nationwide.

International experts forecast that the Vietnamese economy could grow by 2.7-4.9 per cent this year. — VNS