National

The accidents that happened over a one-kilometer-long stretch of the highway in Kim Thanh District, Hai Duong Province, around two hours east of Hanoi, killed seven people between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. on Tuesday. The resulting traffic jams stretched 10 kilometers long and lasted until nearly 1 p.m. In one accident, a man was hit and killed by a bus. A driver was killed when two trucks collided head-on in another case. Five other victims were killed when they were waiting at a crossing and a truck crashed into the street divider, flipped and crushed them. Traffic police try to manage trucks on the 789 Bridge after the accidents, but the sheer number of vehicles made it a very tough task. People on motorbikes weaved in and out of spaces between larger vehicles, trying to find a way ahead. Nguyen Thi Bay, a local resident, made hay when the sun shines, selling drinks and snacks to people stuck in traffic. "The traffic jam began at 6:30 a.m., and it did not stop even until noon, so we brought … [Read more...] about National highway traffic jam lasts hours after three fatal accidents

Local officials say that the population alongside the highway has been getting denser in recent years, and many people are creating their own crossings by breaking the divider despite being warned of the risks. On the 17-kilometer section that passes through the accident-prone Kim Thanh District in Hai Duong Province, there are as many as 17 unauthorized crossings and only five footbridges. "We usually block the crossings people open, but they continue to reopen them," Nguyen Van Huynh, director of the National Highway 5 management board under the road construction company Vietnam Infrastructure Development and Finance Investment Jsc (VIDIFI), told VnExpress. Vu Xuan Phong, head of the traffic safety division under the Hai Duong Transport Department, said that the best solution to prevent people from making their own crossings was to build more footbridges, but its limited budget has prevented the province from doing so. Dao Quang Lap, a resident of Kim Thanh District, said that locals … [Read more...] about Unauthorized crossings make National Highway 5 stretch very dangerous: officials

Dragon boat racing (Illustrative image. Source: vnexpress) Hanoi (VNA) – The capital city of Hanoi will organise a dragon boat racing festival for the first time from 10:00 to 15:00 on February 24. The event is expected to draw 400 athletes from 27 teams of Hanoi’s districts, namely Hoang Mai, Bac Tu Liem, Chuong My, My Duc, Thanh Oai, and Ba Vi and Son Tay town, as well as Hai Duong, Hung Yen and Thai Nguyen provinces. They will compete in different men’s, women’s and mixed categories in the city’s West Lake.  Director of the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports To Van Dong said boat racing is developing in many member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), so the city plans to invite their athletes to partake in the next festivals if the first is held successfully. Hanoi is striving to build the West Lake to into a key tourism area with the dragon boat racing festival as one of the most attractive activities, he … [Read more...] about Hanoi to host first dragon boat racing festival

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)   Hanoi (VNA) – A programme encouraging young people to join hands to protect primates in Vietnam was launched in Hanoi on December 15. The event was co-organised by the Endangered Primate Rescue Centre (EPRC), the Frankfurt Zoological Society, the Vietnam National University of Forestry (VNUF)’s student union and the Green for Future club. EPRC Director Caroline Rowley said the programme is part of activities to support the sustainable community-based preservation at Kon Ka Kinh National Park in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai in December 2019. A seminar on primate preservation in Vietnam and the world and an eloquence contest, themed “Primate preservation in Vietnam – challenges and hope”, were held during the programme. At the seminar, participating students had a chance to listen to reports on primate preservation in Vietnam and the world, opportunities and challenges faced by the EPRC, and share … [Read more...] about Youth programme on primate protection in Vietnam launched

Stripe-headed black langurs (Trachypithecus hatinhensis). (Photo: greenviet.org) Quang Binh (VNA) - Forest rangers in central Quang Binh province on December 6 detained a man who was carrying two stripe-headed black langurs (Trachypithecus hatinhensis), listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as an endangered species. Rangers of the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park detained Dinh Van Tuy, 29, a resident of the province’s Hoa Hop commune with two dead langurs weighing 15kg. One of the two langurs had been skinned and its viscera removed. Tuy admitted to the rangers that he was transporting the langurs to sell as food. The rangers are investigating the case further. The langur is endemic to the national park, which is located in Quang Binh and borders Ha Tinh province. The endangered primate is favoured target of illegal hunts for meat in the area. Vietnamese law prohibits the hunting, killing, storing, trading and transporting of wild animals.-VNA VNA … [Read more...] about Quang Binh rangers detain man with two dead langurs