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* China and India should firmly follow the right path of mutual trust and cooperation between neighboring major countries, and not go astray with suspicion and distrust nor fall back on a road of negative retrogression, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Thursday. Wang made the remarks in a telephone conversation with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, stressing that the two sides should maintain the strategic consensuses reached by their leaders.

* As COVID-19 transmission rates seemingly decline across the European Region, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge expressed health concerns over “long-COVID” or “post-COVID” symptoms at a virtual press conference on Thursday.

* Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation in Armenia in a telephone conversation with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Thursday, the Kremlin said.

* The Pentagon confirmed on Thursday that the US military had conducted airstrikes against infrastructure utilized by Iranian-backed militant groups in eastern Syria. The Pentagon called the operation a “proportionate military response” carried out after consultations with coalition partners.

* China approved two more vaccines for public use, raising the number of domestically produced vaccines that can be used in China to four.

* Japan on Friday is preparing to lift the state of emergency over COVID-19 for five prefectures where the situation has improved, although the Greater Tokyo metropolitan area will likely be kept under the emergency period for the time being, according to government sources.

* The Department of Health (DOH) of the Philippines reported on Friday 2,651 new COVID-19 cases, the highest daily increase since Oct. 17 last year, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 571,327.

* Leaders of the European Union (EU) called for an accelerated production and delivery of COVID-19 vaccines late on Thursday as the bloc is struggling with supply shortfalls.

* Brazil surpassed 250,000 COVID-19 deaths, while France and Germany said COVID-19 is here to stay after European Union leaders discussed ways to fight new variants of the virus, step up inoculations and save Europe’s tourism industry from another ruinous summer.

* Europe’s medicines regulator issued new guidance for drug makers that modify their vaccines to protect against variants of the virus to speed up the approval process.

* France will bring in new restrictions for the Moselle area around its common border with Germany, and impose measures including weekend lockdowns in Paris and 19 other regions from the start of March if signs of the coronavirus accelerating persist.

* Australia’s Victoria state will start easing restrictions from Friday night.

* Republic of Korea launched its inoculation campaign, with shots to be administered in some 200 nursing homes.

* US President Joe Biden’s administration plans to launch a campaign to educate Americans about vaccines in anticipation of a period later this year where supply may outstrip demand because of vaccine hesitancy.

* Brazil will purchase 20 million doses of the vaccine made by India’s Bharat Biotech for delivery between March and May.

* Canada’s vaccination campaign is ramping up after earlier supply disruptions and the number of inoculations last week hit a five-week high.

* Pfizer and BioNTech said they are testing a third dose of their vaccine to better understand the immune response against new variants of the virus.

* Mexico’s economy grew quicker than first estimated during the fourth quarter as the country recovered from its sharpest economic contraction in nearly nine decades.

* Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions have fallen to the lowest level since 1995 as coronavirus restrictions limited travel. Data released by the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources on Friday revealed that emissions fell by 4.4 percent in the 12 months to September 2020.

* Security personnel of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) rescued more than 80 Rohingya refugees who had been onboard a boat drifting in the waters of Andaman Sea for 10 days, and retrieved eight dead bodies.

* Republic of Korea’s quarantine authorities said Friday that it will extend the country’s five-tier social-distancing rules at the third-highest level in the Seoul metropolitan area for two weeks.

* US President Joe Biden said on Thursday that he would work to make US-Saudi relations “as strong and transparent as possible.” Biden made the remarks in the first phone conversation with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud since Biden’s inauguration.

* Germany’s Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure said on Wednesday that more than EUR5 billion (US$6.1 billion) would be invested in the modernization of over 3,000 railway stations across the country.

* Colombian President Ivan Duque announced a decision Thursday night to extend a declared national health emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic by three more months, as the vaccination drive entered its eighth day.

* AstraZeneca boss Pascal Soriot said he hoped to meet the EU’s expectations on the number of vaccines the company can deliver to the bloc in the second quarter.

* The Czech prime minister said people’s movement needed to be “radically” limited over at least the next three weeks.

* Portugal extended until at least mid-March a nationwide lockdown.

* The African Union is backing calls for drugmakers to waive some intellectual property rights on COVID-19 medicines and vaccines.

* Israel has frozen its programme to send vaccines abroad to buy international goodwill, Defence Minister Benny Gantz said, after the initiative came under legal scrutiny.

* Bahrain has approved Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose vaccine for emergency use.

HCM CITY — Việt Nam’s bird-nest exports are expected to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars when the world’s largest market, China, opens up this year.

Chinese demand for bird’s nest is growing, but Vietnamese firms need to take new measures to officially export to that country rather than involve in informal border trade, the Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development (MARD) said.

Đỗ Tú Quân, head of the Việt Nam Swiftlet Farming Association, said Vietnamese exporters hope the two countries would quickly reach agreement and the first order to China could be delivered this quarter.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phùng Đức Tiến said the industry has been developing rapidly in the country, mostly in the south, but the unofficial border trade has been resulting in low value and profits.

There are 20,000 nests farmed in 42 of the country’s 63 provinces and cities with approximately 120 tonnes worth US$450 million harvested annually, according to Tiến.

But exports to China account for only 8 per cent.

China banned import of bird’s nests of unclear origin from Việt Nam in 2011 following a fake products scandal.

It lifted the ban in 2015 and replaced it with tough rules aimed at improving safety and traceability.

Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand have all completed legal procedures to export bird’s nest to China, but Việt Nam cannot export officially due to several reasons, including the lack of quality standards for the product and export standards.

In recent years MARD has sought to promote exports to foreign markets, including China.

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, negotiations to export the product to China have mainly been conducted through online meetings but are almost complete, deputy director of MARD’s department of livestock breeding, Nguyễn Văn Trọng, said.

Many swift breeding places are unhygienic, leading to a very high nitrate content in the nest, which does not meet export quality standards, but the association would help farmers overcome this, she said.

Việt Nam needs to build a brand name for its bird’s nest and develop production chains for it, she said.

Its bird’s nests eligible for exports could meet a third of the demand in China, opening up huge opportunities, she said.

The Vietnamese swift-breeding industry began to thrive in 2010, with its production accounting for 3 per cent of the global output.

While bird’s nests are a speciality with high economic value and one of the 10 most expensive dishes in the world, their production in the country remains far below traditional agricultural products, and they have yet to be classified as a key national product. — VNS

A patient has tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 again after being given the all-clear, the Hanoi Centre of Disease Control (CDC Hanoi) said on February 25.

The 48-year-old patient, who resides in Dich Vong ward in Cau Giay district, has been taken to the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases for further quarantine and treatment.

The case does not pose any risk of community transmission, Deputy Director of CDC Hanoi Khong Minh Tuan said.

Hanoi had reported 36 COVID-19 cases between January 27 and 12pm on February 25, according to the municipal Department of Health.

Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Chu Xuan Dung said relevant agencies have been asked to assess infection risks and put forward solutions to reach the “new normal”./.

Citizen protection provided to Vietnamese affected by record cold in Texas

The Vietnamese Consulate General in Texas and Vietnamese representative offices in the US are keeping a close watch on the record cold temperatures in Texas, have appointed staff on-duty around the clock, and are coordinating with host authorities to conduct necessary citizen protection measures, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang said on February 25.

Hang told reporters that a majority of the 300,000 or so Vietnamese people in Texas have been seriously affected by the record-breaking snow storm and cold spell, which cut power and water supplies.

According to official information from Texas authorities, four Vietnamese Americans were killed in a fire in the state, Hang said, adding that the Vietnamese Consulate General in Houston has contacted Vietnamese people and students in the local area to offer support.

People seeking help are advised to contact the citizen protection hotlines of the Vietnamese Embassy in the US and the Vietnamese Consulate General in Houston, or the Citizen Protection Call Centre of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Consular Department./.

Localities ordered to work harder on child education, protection

Localities ordered to work harder on child education and protection. – Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)

The document states that 2021 is the first year of implementing the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress and many socio-economic development plans in various fields, including the national action programme for children for 2021 – 2030.

The MoLISA asked the People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities to build, promulgate, and organise the implementation of resolutions, programmes, schemes and plans of all sectors and localities, aiming to well perform the child care, education and protection in line with the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress; the Law on Children; resolutions, directives and decisions of the National Assembly (NA) and the Government; and programmes and projects on children in the 2021 – 2025 period, with a vision to 2030.

Accordingly, Party committees and local authorities at all levels were ordered to raise awareness and responsibility, especially of heads, in directing, managing and implementing the Party’s guidelines, and the State’s policies and laws on children’s rights; solving issues related to children, child right violations; and preventing and minimising children’s vulnerability to risks of harm and injury.

Localities need to ensure State management on children, human resources for the work, and allocate local budgets for implementing targets and solutions of the national action programme for children for 2021 – 2030, and local programmes and plans for children.

The People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities were asked to focus on improving and developing child protection service systems, maintaining and expanding models of child protection and care, regularly supervising the implementation of laws, policies, programmes, schemes and plans on children, developing database on children, collecting information and statistics on children, and connecting child database with relevant data systems.

Attention will be paid to promoting interdisciplinary coordination in implementing the child work, and solutions to ensure safe living environment, prevent child sexual abuse, exploitation and violence, and injury accidents, especially drowning./.

Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson: Vietnam appreciates WTO’s central role

Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang has said as a responsible member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Vietnam supports the open, transparent and rules-based multilateral system and appreciates the WTO’s central role.

At the Foreign Ministry’s regular press conference held online on February 25, Hang said Vietnam congratulates Dr. Ngozi Okonjo – Iweala on becoming new General Director of the WTO.

With experience and knowledge on finance and trade, the new General Director will succeed in leading the WTO, thus making active contributions to the global trade system, she said.

She added that Vietnam will work closely with the General Director and other members to make effective contributions to the WTO’s activities, thus effectively stepping up its reform process.

About the UK Embassy’s warning on its facebook about the increasing number of attack cases against foreigners in Hanoi, the spokeswoman said the Foreign Ministry’s Consular Department discussed with the embassy in Hanoi to clarify the warning. The ministry also worked with the Vietnamese authorities to verify information and jointly dealt with the issue.

Vietnam always pays attention to ensuring security, social safety and order for domestic citizens as well as foreigners living, studying and working in the country, thus discovering and seriously punishing violators of legal regulations, she affirmed./.

13 Vietnamese COVID-19 patients in Cambodia in stable health conditions

Thirteen Vietnamese people in Cambodia infected by SARS-CoV-2 in the latest outbreak in the country are in stable health conditions, according to Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang.

Hang said that Vietnamese representative offices in Cambodia have contacted local authorities and authorised offices to verify information about the cases and request attention and treatment for the patients to ensure the legitimate rights and interests of Vietnamese citizens.

Right after their infection was confirmed the Vietnamese patients were brought to hospitals of the Cambodian Health Ministry in Phnom Penh capital city and Kandal province for quarantine and treatment.Vietnamese representative offices in Cambodia have also contacted the Vietnamese community and the Khmer-Vietnam Association in Cambodia to get updated information, while stepping up communication activities to persuade Vietnamese people and businesses to strictly follow disease prevention and control regulations in the host country.

The citizen protection hotline of the Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia and the citizen protection call centre of the Foreign Ministry’s Consular Department are ready to receive any information about cases in need, the spokesperson affirmed./.

Hanoi to experience cold and rainy weather in coming days

Due to the impacts of cold air, it turns cold with rain at nights and early mornings in Hanoi and northern provinces from February 26.

Vietnam’s northern provinces, including Hanoi, will experience cold and rainy weather this weekends, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting (NCHMF).

In the first four days of this week, it has been sunny in the North and then scattered rains will occur due to the the arrival of the cold snap at the end of this week.

Due to the impacts of cold air, it turns cold with rain at nights and early mornings in Hanoi and northern provinces from February 26, the NCHMF said.

The temperature in Hanoi will fall below 25 degrees. In the highlands like Sapa town, which is 1,500 meters above sea level, the temperature can drop to 15 degrees Celsius.

Tomorrow, Hanoi will see moderate rain with temperatures ranging from 17 to 24 degrees Celsius, 4 degrees lower than a day earlier. Humidity reached 80%.

From February 27, Hanoi will continue to have light rain but sunny lunchtimes and afternoons. The highest temperatures will rise to 25 degrees, the center added.

From February 26 to 28, provinces in the Red river delta will all have rain with the highest temperatures being 25 degrees. The humidity level in the north will stay at 75-80%.

Vietnam to start covid-19 vaccination for health workers from March 1

Health workers in quarantine wards will be the first to receive Covid-19 vaccine shots for free from March 1, said Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long.

According to Minister Long, the country will receive 30 million doses supplied by COVAX Facility and the Ministry has negotiated to have all 30 million doses in 2021. He revealed Vietnam has ordered 30 million doses of vaccine from AstraZeneca and Pfizer respectively.

The Southeast Asian country has also ordered Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine. The manufacturer of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine announced that it will supply 60 million doses to Vietnam. Therefore, Vietnam will have around 90 million doses of vaccine this year.

He ensured that there will be enough vaccine for all Vietnamese residents and massive vaccination will be carried out as soon as possible.

The Ministry of Health has listed 11 groups of individuals including health workers, staff members of all-level steering committees for Covid-19 prevention and control, quarantine facilities, and reporters in virus-hit areas, diplomats, public security officers, teachers, people over 65 years old, and those with comorbidities who will be the first to receive Covid-19 vaccination next month.

Quang Ninh busts large scale coal theft

50 people have been detained in a massive coal theft in Quang Hanh Ward, Cam Pha City, Quang Ninh Province.

At 8.30 am on February 23, the police in Quang Ninh Province inspected and busted a large illegal coal mining case in the area managed by Ha Long Coal Company, a member of Vinacomin.

About 50 people, 54 vehicles, and 100,000 tonnes of coal that worth VND200bn (USD8.6m) have been seized. After searching the suspects’ houses and offices, the police also seized VND2.7bn and many documents.

Investigation shows that several private firms and individuals colluded with some employees of Ha Long Coal Company and Khe Sim Coal Company to fake a contract to carry rock and soil at the mine to illegally exploit the coal there. Based on the documents, the police in Quang Ninh will start the prosecution against 12 violators for violating regulations on research, exploration and exploitation of natural resources.

The investigation is being expanded.

New Zealand and Viet Nam boost agricultural cooperation

New Zealand and Việt Nam on Wednesday added a new link to their flourishing agriculture relationship by signing an Agriculture Cooperation Arrangement at the first New Zealand – Việt Nam Agricultural Dialogue.

The dialogue was held virtually by Chief Executive of the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries, Ray Smith, and Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) Lê Quốc Doanh.

At the dialogue, the two sides voiced their commitment to the two countries’ deepening agriculture and trade relationship.

Smith and Doanh affirmed that the Strategic Partnership, which was jointly announced by Prime Ministers in July last year, has created a solid foundation for increasing bilateral agricultural cooperation and connections between the two countries.

Speaking at the dialogue, Smith emphasised that this is a valuable opportunity to consider what both sides can do together as they build resilience and vitality back into their agriculture economies following COVID-19.

The Agriculture Cooperation Arrangement will enable both sides to advance their key agricultural interests in enhancing bilateral trade, reducing agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, promoting food safety, utilising agriculture research and technology, and in rural development.

Speaking at the ceremony, Doanh said that agriculture was critical to the economic wellbeing of our countries.

Both nations were strong agriculture producers and exporters, with complementary products, he said, adding that the establishment of the New Zealand – Việt Nam Agricultural Dialogue and the signing of the Agriculture Cooperation Arrangement would boost their connections, cooperation and two-way trade, in line with what the two Prime Ministers highlighted during last years’ Strategic Partnership dialogue.

The New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries is already supporting agriculture cooperation with MARD with activities in plant health, veterinary epidemiology and electronic certification. These activities complement New Zealand’s ongoing development programme, which has a number of agriculture projects including the premium fruit development project in Tiền Giang, the rural dam safety project in Central Việt Nam, and the safe vegetables project in Bình Định.

Smith said that New Zealand has developed one of the most efficient agriculture sectors in the world, with a reputation for cutting-edge research and technology, robust and safe agricultural practices, and delicious and high-quality products.

He expressed his hope that the newly signed cooperation arrangement will help build value and expand investment opportunities between the two countries:

“We recognise that increased trade is not just about exporting more products, it’s about an exchange of knowledge, expertise, technology, services, and investment. This two-way exchange benefits both of us,” he said.

He said New Zealand also looked forward to doing more to assist MARD’s greenhouse gas inventory capability through the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases.

The two leaders confirmed their shared commitment to finalising new fruit access for each other this year so consumers can enjoy New Zealand strawberries and squash in Việt Nam and Việt Nam’s limes and pomelos in New Zealand.

Việt Nam is New Zealands’s 14th largest trading partner, with two-way trade valued at NZD$2 billion, at year-end September 2020. While COVID-19 has posed some challenges, Việt Nam remains a promising market for New Zealand and vice versa due to robust demand for key agricultural products.

Movies releases postponed due to on-going Covid-19 outbreak

The release dates of various movies have been rescheduled due to the on-going Covid-19 outbreak.

On February 22, the producer of Thien Than Ho Menh (Guardian Angel) announced that the release date will be moved to April 9 instead of March 19. Because of Covid-19, all Tet movies this year were affected and other movies have also suffered. The producer said instead of releasing the movie in March, the new date would be in the lead to the start of summer movies.

Song Song (Glitch) starring actress Nha Phuong was also delayed to a yet-decided date.

“Public health is the utmost priority so we decided to move the release date as the situation is still complicated. We’ll announce the new release date as soon as possible,” CJ Entertainment wrote in their announcement.

Kieu, a movie funded, directed by and starring Mai Thu Huyen, is another movie that had its release date postponed.

The movie is supposed to be released in March but as of now, cinemas in HCM City are still closed as part of Covid-19 prevention efforts. Since the situation can be unpredictable, the film producer has not decided on a new date yet.

Four movies, FaceOff:48 Hours, The Royal Bride 5, The Adventures of Trang Ti and Old Father, that were scheduled during Tet have been badly impacted, and there’s still no announcement whether these movies will be re-released in the cinema again.

Border localities exert efforts in tackling illegal entry, exit

Localities have stayed vigilant and made constant efforts in preventing illegal entry and exit at border areas, in a bid to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Border guard forces of the Mekong Delta province of Long An arrested 14 people who were attempting to leave the country illegally on early February 24.

They admitted to trying to move abroad to find jobs. A task force at the Song Trang border post caught them red-handed in Hung Dien B commune of Long An’s Tan Hung district.

Border guard forces also reported the case to the district’s steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control and joined hands with relevant agencies in further investigation.

Meanwhile, authorities of the south central coastal province of Binh Dinh have ordered relevant agencies to tighten inspection and observe COVID-19 preventive measures, carrying out the dual targets of maintaining socio-economic development and repelling the pandemic.

Although the locality has reported no COVID-19 cases so far, it receives a large number of vessels and travellers at seaports.

To fulfil set targets, an inter-sectoral delegation on COVID-19 prevention and control of the province has been set up, being tasked with rolling out preventive measures at Quy Nhon Port round the clock.

Since the start of this year, the border guard post at Quy Nhon Port and other agencies handled entry and exit procedures for 415 ships carrying 1,918 sailors, as well as examined 694,000 tonnes of freights going through the port./.

Vietnam works to ensure equal access to COVID-19 vaccines

Vietnam’s COVID-19 vaccination will be conducted in line with the Government’s resolution, thus ensuring equal access to the vaccines, heard a recent meeting between the Health Ministry and WHO and UNICEF representatives.

The meeting took place after the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines, jointly studied and produced by AstraZeneca pharmaceutical company and the UK’s Oxford University, arrived in Vietnam on February 24.

Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long expressed his thanked for efforts by the COVAX Facility programme to help Vietnam soon approach the vaccines.

Vietnam wishes to get quality vaccines at suitable prices and matching the country’s storage capacity, he said, pledging that his ministry will promptly deal with procedure-related issues to facilitate the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines under the COVAX Facility programme.

The ministry has assigned relevant agencies to put forth communication plans for the vaccination.

Representatives from the international organisations agreed on the need to mobilise the involvement of different economic sectors in the storage of certain vaccines like Pfizer that must be kept at minus 70 degree Celsius and can be refrigerated for only five days.

This has been the biggest vaccination campaign in Vietnam so far, with more than 100 million doses, Long said, informing that the ministry has promptly charted scenarios and mobilised the participation of all units both and outside the medical sector in this campaign.

The participants also stressed the significance of supervising and assessing the body’s reactions to the vaccine.

A plane carrying the first batch of 117,600 doses of COVID-19 vaccine landed at Tan Son Nhat airport, Ho Chi Minh City, on February 24.

Deputy Health Minister Truong Quoc Cuong highlighted the significance of the vaccine delivery at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic is erupting in Hai Duong, Hai Phong and Quang Ninh.

With the delivery, Vietnam has become one of the first countries in Asia to access a prestigious vaccine in the world.

Result from clinical trials showed that 22 days after the first shot, AstraZeneca vaccine could fully protect people from serious illness, hospitalisation and death caused by the novel coronavirus. Within 90 days, the vaccine’s potency could reach 76 percent.

Analyses showed that the vaccine could reduce infection risk by two thirds for cases without symptoms./.

Community-based COVID-19 prevention teams work hard during pandemic

Three times a day, members of COVID-19 prevention teams in Cẩm Giàng District visit every house in every hamlet to check people’s temperature and record those who have symptoms of fevers or coughs to timely detect suspected COVID-19 cases.

The members, who are mostly hamlet officers or volunteers, also tell people about COVID-19 prevention and control measures as well as the latest policies of central and local governments to tackle the disease.

Cẩm Giàng District in the northern province of Hải Dương is now under lockdown for having had more than 60 confirmed COVID-19 cases. Other COVID-19 hot spots in the province are Kinh Môn, Nam Sách and Kim Thành districts and Hải Dương and Chi Linh cities. Within a month time, more than 600 locally-transmitted infections have been reported in the province.

Trần Như Dương, Deputy Director National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, who led the institute’s task force sent to Hải Dương Province, said timely detecting people with typical symptoms of COVID-19 would help a lot in curbing infections and treating patients.

“The establishment of COVID-19 prevention teams based every hamlet is an effective strategical measure for the virus-hit area,” Dương said.

Phạm Xuân Thăng, the secretariat of the provincial Party Committee, asked for improved performance of community-based COVID-19 prevention teams.

He said that the teams were the expanded hands of authorities and the healthcare system, reaching every household and individual.

In Cẩm Giang District alone, 764 community-based COVID-19 prevention teams have been set up with the participation of 1,537 members.

Nguyễn Văn Khoái, head of Đào Xá Hamlet, said the hamlet had five COVID-19 prevention teams to cover 420 households.

“In the rain or under the heat, three times a day, we visit every household in the hamlet,” Khoái said.

He said that in some cases, the teams found some residents with a fever and cough, so they were instructed to submit health declarations and get tested for SARS-CoV-2.

Khoái said those who were found not following disease prevention and control measures would be named via the hamlet’s loudspeaker.

Nguyễn Văn Hùng, 70 years old, of Đào Xá Commune, said thanks to members of the hamlet’s COVID-19 prevention team, he now remembered disease prevention and control measures.

“We are now not taking morning exercises in public places. We also store food for a few days to limit going out,” he said.

Nguyễn Quang Huy, a member of the COVID-19 prevention team of Thu Lãng Hamlet in Ngọc Liên Commune, Cẩm Giàng District, said when families were set to have dinner, they still did their job – calling on every house, recording people’s temperature, asking about their health conditions and reminding them about preventive measures.

The hamlet was home to many workers working in industrial zones, so Huy’s team made a separate list to monitor them easily, he said.

He said that people were willing to co-operate with the teams and some residents had reported those with health problems or who had violated disease prevention and control regulations.

Head of Cẩm Giàng District Party Committee’s Publicity Committee Nguyễn Văn Công said the COVID-19 prevention team members were enthusiastic people.

“Whenever being informed about people with health problems in their neighbourhood, they are willing to go to offer help for both the locals and health officers,” he said.

The teams helped inspect and recommend fines of more than VNĐ92 million to those who violated disease prevention and control regulations in the district, Công said, adding that common violations included not wearing face masks, doing exercises outdoors or littering used face masks.

Celebration of International Women’s Day at IDECAF

The French Institute in HCM City will host a series of activities to celebrate International Women’s Day held at the Institute of Cultural Exchange with France (IDECAF) on March 8.

The celebration will open with a photo exhibition featuring portraits of Vietnamese women taken by 15 young artists who participated in a photography workshop hosted by the French Institute in Huế and Đà Nẵng in January. The photos can be seen until April 9.

A talk show about gender equality will be organised featuring speakers of Julia Levivier, head of the French NGO organisation Planète Enfants & Développement (PE&D) in Việt Nam, psychologist Lý Thị Mai, and Lê Thị Hồng Ánh, head of Human Resources of Sanofi Vietnam.

The show will be hosted by Trần Anh Đào, economist, lecturer and researcher at the University of Rouen in France, and the Research Institute on Contemporary Southeast Asia. It will be presented in both Vietnamese and French.

The event will end with a screening of French documentary Des Femmes Et Des Hommes (Women And Men) by female director Frédérique Bedos with Vietnamese subtitles.

The celebration will begin at  5:45pm at 31 Thái Văn Lung Street in District 1.

Quảng Nam and Đà Nẵng to revive Cổ Cò River

Quảng Nam Province and Đà Nẵng City authorities have started dredging the Cổ Cò River to revive the waterway and promote tourism water traffic between Hội An and Đà Nẵng.

The project will cost VNĐ1.336 trillion (US$58 million).

Chairman of the People’s Committee of central Quảng Nam Province Lê Trí Thanh said the two localities had agreed to the project on a 28km section of the Cổ Cò River from 2019, but work was delayed by the COVID-19 and land clearance till late 2020.

He said reviving the river would help boost tourism links and the tourism property market as well as offer a new tourism route between the two parts of central Việt Nam.

The Cổ Cò River, which was known as the Lộ Giang River in the 16th century, was a major water route connecting the Thu Bồn River in Quảng Nam Province and the Hàn River in Đà Nẵng.

It also served as a trading route from the former busy trading port of Hội An and Đà Nẵng from previous centuries, but the river was encroached by rising sand and water flow change in the 18th century.

The dredging plan was initiated by the two localities in 1994 but the project only commenced construction in 2019.

Đà Nẵng started building a 3.6km concrete dyke system in late 2020 and cleared land for building infrastructure facilities including a boat dock and river cross bridges. The city said it would finish dredging a 7km river section in June this year.

Meanwhile, Quảng Nam commenced the 19km river section earlier this month.

The project aims to expand inner waterway services between the two tourism hubs, which have largely been neglected due to the use of roads.

The tourism waterway project will include 50-seat boats, bridges, wharves and recreational centres.

The launch of the project will also help ease traffic between Hội An – a UNESCO world heritage site – and Đà Nẵng.

In the past, Đà Nẵng and Quảng Nam Province inked an agreement on integrated management of the Vu Gia-Thu Bồn river basin and Quảng Nam-Đà Nẵng coastline with support from the World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Japanese International Co-operation Agency (JICA), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Institute for Social and Environmental Transition-International (ISET-International).

Social distancing order removed in Gia Lai’s four localities

The Central Highlands province of Gia Lai will remove social distancing order at the stroke of February 25 in four localities reporting no new COVID-19 cases in the last 14 days, according to its announcement issued on on February 24.

They include Ayun Pa township and the districts of Ia Pa, Phu Thien and Krong Pa.

Students of the province are set to return to school on March 1 while socio-economic activities will resume in the new circumstance.

Gia Lai had logged no COVID-19 infections as of 5 pm on February 24, marking two weeks without new cases.

The province had tested 50,127 people, of which 27 were positive for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19, while 783 are waiting for results.

Seven patients were given the all-clear. Most of those under treatment are in stable conditions, as three of them have tested negative thrice, 7 twice and 4 once.

Gia Lai has to date completed contact tracing in searching for F1 and F2 cases. Local people are asked to strictly follow the Ministry of Health’s 5K message: khau trang (facemask), khu khuan (disinfection), khoang cach (distance), khong tu tap (no gathering) and khai bao y te (health declaration)./.

13 COVID-19 patients recover in Hai Duong province

Thirteen patients in a COVID-19 treatment hospital in Hai Duong province, the country’s current largest coronavirus hotspot, were given the all-clear on February 24.

The patients, who were treated at the COVID-19 hospital set up within the campus of the Hai Duong Medical Technical University in Hai Duong city, will undergo 14-day home quarantine under the supervision of local authorities and test for the coronavirus before the end of the quarantine.

The total number of recovered patients in the province now reaches 225.

According to the provincial Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, over the past 24 hours to 16:00 on February 24, Hai Duong had reported 11 cases, raising its count to 636.

The province has collected nearly 300,000 samples for COVID-19 testing so far. It plans to conduct large-scale testing for the novel coronavirus, using Realtime-PCR technology, from February 24.

The move aims to measure the spread of COVID-19 in the province to help it respond better to the disease while identifying safe areas to boost economic recovery.

People targeted by the testing are divided into three groups: the high-risk group who are people from Chi Linh and Hai Duong cities, and Kim Thanh and Cam Giang districts; the medium-risk including people from the districts of Kinh Mon, Nam Sach and Binh Giang; and the low-risk comprising those from Ninh Giang, Thanh Ha, Tu Ky, Gia Loc and Thanh Mien.

Hai Duong now has six labs for COVID-19 testing using Realtime-PCR, located in the provincial Centre for Disease Control, General Hospital, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Children’s Hospital, Tuberculosis and Lung Disease Hospital, and the Hospital of Hai Duong Medical Technical University.

The province is now capable of collecting 50,000 to 60,000 samples and processing as much as 8,500 individual test samples on a daily basis. The results normally come out after 24 hours./.

Voters’ confidence – important criteria for NA, People’s Council candidates

Voters’ confidence is an important measurement of eligibility during the selection of candidates for the upcoming elections of the 15th National Assembly and People’s Councils at all levels, according to Ngo Sach Thuc, Vice President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee.

Thuc said a joint resolution of the NA Standing Committee, the Presidium of the VFF Central Committee and the Government stipulates that the credit of candidates is among major criteria to take into account in sorting out the candidates. Those who have low level of credit at their residential areas and workplace will be expelled, he said.

“We find that the negotiation process has been implemented in a tighter manner. Thanks to the high responsibility of agencies, organisations and individuals, candidates who fail to meet the requirements of eligibility have been detected. Meanwhile, the issues on nationality, income and asset are also focused in evaluating the eligibility, with clearer regulations, stated Thuc.

He underlined the major new feature of the upcoming general elections is the specification of relevant legal regulations, such as the regulation requiring that a candidate must win the confidence of over 50 percent of voters in his residential area.

A candidate to the NA must have at least 10 meetings with voters, while candidates to the People’s Council at all levels should have at least five, so that people will have chances to get better understanding about them, he said.

Thuc said that the VFF is currently working hard for the preparations to perform its supervision role in the upcoming elections, which are slated for May this year.

In order to prepare for the election of deputies to the 15th National Assembly and People’s Councils at all levels in the 2021-2026 tenure, the VFF has recently held an online training conference on the supervision and inspection of the elections, he said.

The VFF is responsible in engaging in this process to ensure that the elections take place in a democratic, fair and successful manner, he said, stressing that this is one of the important tasks of the VFF in the building of the administration.

The affairs that the VFF engages in include popularizing and guiding election contents, holding three rounds of negotiation to introduce nominees, and organising election campaigns of candidates as well as supervising the elections, he said.

Thuc said that the purpose of the supervision is to promote the role of the VFF and its member organisations as well as the people, helping to make sure that the elections are implemented in line with law, creating an excited atmosphere and promoting the active involvement of the people in building the administration./.

Quang Ninh to spend 500 billion VND buying COVID-19 vaccines

The northern province of Quang Ninh will spend at least 500 billion VND (21.7 million USD) on purchasing COVID-19 vaccines, targeting mass vaccinations as soon as possible.

Local authorities announced the information during a meeting between the cabinet, the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, and localities on February 24.

Quang Ninh recently issued a resolution stipulating urgent tasks and solutions in the COVID-19 fight.

It will cut 10 percent from regular spending and increase budget contingency to a maximum of 4 percent per total budget spending in order to provide the resources to fight COVID-19 and other diseases and respond to natural disasters and emergencies.

As of February 24, Quang Ninh had reported 61 COVID-19 cases.

Local departments, agencies, and localities have been urged to remain vigilant and take measures seriously, synchronously, and effectively to prevent the spread of the pandemic.

At a meeting on February 23, the standing board of the provincial Party Committee decided to provide 4 billion VND to the neighbouring province of Hai Duong, which is now grappling with COVID-19 clusters./.

Nearly 21,000 flights operated during Tet holiday season

Vietnamese airlines operated 20,944 flights during the Tet holiday season from January 19 to February 18, when travel demand rose sharply, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV).

The figure represented a month-on-month increase of 7.4 percent.

Vietjet Air conducted the highest number of flights among domestic carriers, with 7,881. It was followed by national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines (6,725), Bamboo Airways (4,008), Jetstar Pacific (1,640), Vasco (518), and Vietravel Air (172).

Overall on-time performance (OTP) reached 94.6 percent during the period, a year-on-year rise of 9.3 percentage points.

Despite the impact of COVID-19, the Hanoi-HCM City route remained one of the world’s busiest domestic routes.

It is ranked second globally, with 1.085 million passengers in February, just behind the Jeju-Seoul Gimpo route in the Republic of Korea, according to a report released in February by OAG, a global travel data provider headquartered in the UK.

Ensuring the safety of flights, passengers, airport staff, and crew members remains the top priority of the airlines.

The traditional Tet holiday took place from February 10 to 16./.

Campaign gets underway ahead of Earth Hour 2021

A countdown has been launched for Earth Hour 2021 due to take place on March 27 to encourage local people to turn off lights in support of nature, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

The Ministry requests that cities and provinces co-operate with each other in order to hold activities in response to this year’s Earth Hour campaign.

All residents and various organisations are also being encouraged to participate in the nationwide event to turn off all lights between 20:30 p.m. to 21:30 p.m. as a way of highlighting the cause of environmental protection.

As part of the event, the country will launch activities in response to Earth Hour, with co-ordination from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, along with support from the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN).

Vietnam first joined the Earth Hour campaign in 2009 as part of efforts to meet its commitments to reducing 8% of greenhouse emissions by 2030 in response to global climate change.

Earth Hour is a worldwide movement organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). It has been described as the largest global grassroots movement for environmental causes, with the involvement of roughly 7,000 cities across 172 countries and territories.

Internationals highlight Vietnam’s strategies for successful response to COVID-19

Vietnam was ranked second for successfully handling the COVID-19 pandemic, and its contact tracing was so good it barely had to lock down, says a headline on the US-based Business Insider.

The newspaper quotes a report published by thinktank The Lowy Institute in January as saying Vietnam was ranked second, behind New Zealand, out of 98 countries in their response to COVID-19.

Kamal Malhotra, a United Nations resident coordinator in Vietnam, said the country’s success in handling the virus came down to three things: contact tracing, strategic testing, and clear messaging.

“Instead of testing everyone, they tested those identified in contact tracing. The borders were shut down and everyone who came into the country was quarantined in government facilities — for free.”

Credendo Group’s offices in Germany and Austria have published a study to evaluate the level of risk in Vietnam, which emphasised that the Southeast Asian country is continuing its successful economic story after its good performance in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic.

The article quoted the latest country study of Credendo, saying that Vietnam has been one of the few highly resilient countries during the unprecedented COVID-19 shock.

Khanh Hoa reclaims 10,000m2 of leased sea surface for public use

The government of Khanh Hoa Province has reclaimed 10,000 square meters of the sea surface in Nha Trang City, which was previously leased to businesses, for public use, said Nguyen Tan Tuan, chairman of the province, on February 24.

The 10,000 square meters of sea surface is located in the Bai Duong area in the eastern part of Tran Phu Street in Loc Tho Ward. The south-central province had earlier leased the water area to the Sovico Khanh Hoa Company to serve the tourists of the Ana Mandara Resort, reported Thanh Nien Online.

As of now, the province has no intention of extending the lease contract and the company is also willing to return the property. Thus, the province took it back and handed it over to the authorities of Loc Tho Ward to manage it as a public beach.

The Ana Mandara Resort was built in 1995, covering an area of 26,000 square meters, with its lease term having expired. The provincial government had handed over the area to an investor at the Bai Dai area to develop a new project. Once the first phase of the Ana Mandara Cam Ranh project reaches completion by the end of this year, the Ana Mandara Resort will have to be relocated.

Transport Dept. proposes banning rudimentary vehicles in HCMC after 2025

The HCMC Department of Transport has written to the city’s government proposing to restrict three-wheeler and rudimentary vehicles from entering downtown HCMC and to eliminate these vehicles from the streets after 2025.

The department suggested the municipal government limit the use of these vehicles in two phases, reported VnExpress news site.

From now until 2022, all three-wheeler and non-motor vehicles are banned from entering the inner-city areas which are confined by the following roads: Hai Ba Trung – Ton Duc Thang – Ham Nghi – Pham Ngu Lao – Nguyen Thi Nghia – Cach Mang Thang Tam – Dien Bien Phu – Hai Ba Trung.

Besides this, these vehicles are not allowed to enter some routes such as Phan Dinh Giot, Truong Son, Nam Ky Khoi Nghia and Vo Van Kiet.

Also, between 5:00 and 13:00 and 16:00 and 22:00, the vehicles are banned from entering the inner-city locations confined by streets such as National Highway No.1, Hanoi Highway, Mai Chi Tho, Dong Van Cong, Vo Chi Cong, Phu My Bridge and Nguyen Van Linh.

The department also suggested that the vehicles should be banned from travelling on eight streets including National Highways 1, 1K, 13, 50, 22 and the Hanoi Highway between 6:00 and 8:00 and 16:00 and 19:00.

In the 2022-2025 period, the streets limiting the entry of these vehicles will remain unchanged, but the restriction time should be extended. From 2025 onward, these vehicles should be completely banned, said the department.

HCMC sends enlistment invitation to nearly 4,000 young people this year

The Ho Chi Minh City Military Services Council informed that nearly 4,000 young adults in the age group of 18 to 25 were sent enlistment invitations this year.

Accordingly, around 41.95 percent of the enlistees hold intermediate level, college and university degrees and 2.5 percent of them are party members.

The figures were informed at the meeting of the Ho Chi Minh City Military Services Council under the witness of Major General Nguyen Van Nam, Member of the Standing Board of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, Standing Deputy Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Military Services Council on February 25.

In order to ensure strict implementation of the Covid-19 pandemic prevention and control measures, most of enlistees will be taken samples for SARS-CoV-2 testing before the enlistee handover ceremonies on March 3.

Major General Nguyen Van Nam praised activities and practical programs of the party committees and authorities at all levels for recruitment such as granting saving books and gifts to recruited soldiers, supporting enlistees’ families with difficult circumstances with the total funds of nearly VND6 million (US$260) a person.

Amidst the current complicated Covid-19 pandemic situation, the enlistee reception and handover ceremonies in localities are recommended to take place quickly with athe maximum time of 20 minutes as well as minimize their relatives in seeing off ceremonies, emphasized Mr. Nam.

Can Gio sea reclamation project comprises financial, economic subdivisions

The People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City has just approved the detailed plan of 1/500 proportion for four financial and economic subdivisions of A, B, C and D covering on a total area of 2,870 hectares of Can Gio sea reclamation tourist urban area, aiming to turn Can Gio into a sustainable eco-urban area.

Accordingly, subdivision C has a scale of 303.47hectares of land, which will become a financial, economic, commercial and service center with harbors, luxury resorts, villas, skyscrapers. This area will have an estimated population of about 26,300 people.

In addition, theme park, golf course, luxury resorts, townhouses, villas, apartments, commercial services, offices, hotels will be built in 771.05- hectare subdivision A with the maximum population of 65,113 people.

Meanwhile, subdivision B will have residential areas, tourism resorts, service facilities, urban green tree spaces and key technical infrastructure area on 586.88 hectares with a capacity of accommodating around 71,300 people.

Spreading over nearly 450 hectares, subdivision D will become a center for commercial, luxury resort, modern urban area with many townhouses and villas.

Can Gio sea reclamation tourist urban area project covering 2,870 hectares is invested by Can Gio Tourist Urban Joint Stock Company (CTC). After coming into operation, the urban area is expected to serve more than 228,000 residents and welcome nearly 9 million visitors per year.

The project was officially begun construction in 2007, and until now, the investor has completed the first phase with an area of 908 hectares and the second phase is being implemented with a total area of over 1,577 hectares.

The project has a total investment capital of VND217,054 billion (US$9.4 million) after expansion adjustment from 600 hectares to 2,870 hectares.

Source: VNA/VNS/VOV/VIR/SGT/Nhan Dan/Hanoitimes

Blood shortage warned as donations postponed due to COVID-19 outbreaks

The resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic in many cities and provinces in recent weeks has seriously affected the blood supply for medical treatment.

Although many people and organisations responded to the call of blood donation by the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) on February 19, the amount of blood received per day was still only a few hundred units while the average need for treatment each day is from 1,200 to 1,500 units.

There is usually a shortage of blood during the Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday as the holiday lasts long while blood has a short shelf life and many patients still need blood transfusions during Tết.

This year, the pandemic’s resurgence has made the shortage after Tết even worse.

Before Tết, 30 entities requested to postpone or cancel blood donation plans which meant the NIHBT missed out on receiving more than 8,000 units.

After the holiday, the institute received information about the delay of 24 more blood donation plans from now to the end of March with an expected donation of 5,000 units.

In addition, the blood donation schedule in March cannot be confirmed because it depends on the university and college’s return to the school schedule.

This means the blood reserves of the institute are decreasing.

If this situation continues, blood reserves will decrease to an alarming threshold, fell into a state of scarcity and seriously affect the blood supply to health facilities.

The Institute’s director Bạch Quốc Khánh said: “The estimated blood demand for emergency and treatment in February and March of the institute is about 50,000 units.”

“With blood donation schedules maintained up to now, there was still a shortage of about 20,000 units, seriously affecting the provision of 177 medical facilities in 28 provinces and cities in the north with about 41 million people,” said Khánh.

As of February 18, the institute’s blood reserve was about 4,800 units, the director said.

To tackle the scarcity, the institute had to mobilise hundreds of its staff to donate blood both during and after Tết.

Responding to the programme ‘White Blouse – Red Heart’ on the occasion of Việt Nam Doctors’ on February 27 launched by the Việt Nam Medical Trade Union, 33 grassroots trade unions have registered to donate blood.

But due to participating in the control of the COVID-19 outbreak, many units proposed delaying the donation events.

Therefore, from January 28 to February 17, the institute received only 8,152 blood units, with nearly 1,000 blood units donated by medical staff in Hà Nội including the NIHBT, Hà Nôị Oncology Hospital, Hà Nội Heart Hospital, Geriatric Hospital and General Agriculture Hospital and nearly 900 units from relatives of patients who were undergoing donation treatment.

At the same time, the institute has provided 15,700 units of red blood cells (excluding other types of preparations) for health facilities, many of which are remote or COVID-19 affected localities such as Quảng Ninh, Hải Dương, Bắc Kạn, Thái Nguyên, Hòa Bình, Lạng Sơn, Bắc Giang, Thanh Hóa, Nam Định and Ninh Bình provinces, according to the institute director.

Some days, the institute provides up to 2,500 units of blood, double the average daily need of 1,200-1,500 units of blood, although it can only meet 70-80 per cent of the blood demand of hospitals.

To create favourable conditions for people to donate blood, from now to March 7, fixed blood donation points in Hà Nội at No. 26 Lương Ngọc Quyến Street, 132 Quan Nhân Street, and No. 10, Lane 122 Láng Road will open from 8am to 12am and 1.30pm to 5pm every day instead of opening only from Monday to Saturday as before.

The NIHBT called for people with good health conditions to participate in blood donation (especially blood groups O and A) and platelet donation and asked agencies and organisations to maintain blood donation schedules and mobilise officials, employees and people to donate blood to help tackle the shortage.

Schools to reopen in HCM City in early March

Ho Chi Minh City will allow the reopening of schools from March 1, according to a notice from the municipal People’s Committee.

All schools in Vietnam’s biggest southern hub have been closed since February 2, a week before the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday, amid a new spike in COVID-19 cases in the city. Students have shifted to online learning since then.

In the notice, the committee ordered the city’s Departments of Education and Training; Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs; and Health to jointly issue guidelines on COVID-19 preventive measures to ensure safety for students at schools.

It also requested that all students, teachers, and school staff complete health declarations on a daily basis, while educational institutions are responsible for telling students returning from or traveling to pandemic-hit areas to notify local medical units to receive health check-ups and monitoring.

The municipal Department of Education and Training previously issued a document guiding local educational institutions in rigorously enforce precautionary measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including cancelling all extra-curricular activities.

As of February 24, the city has gone through 13 days without any new community transmissions of the coronavirus./.

Can Tho earmarks 30.6 mln USD for poverty reduction

The Mekong Delta city of Can Tho plans to spend 703 billion VND (30.6 million USD) this year on poverty alleviation measures.

The money, to come from the central and local governments, soft loans and other sources, will be used to provide poor households with all basic social services and improve their incomes.

They will include support policies and programmes related to healthcare, education, vocational training, soft loans, and job and poverty reduction models to help poor and near-poor people.

Loans worth 640 billion VND (27.8 million USD) will be provided to 12,974 poor and near – poor households and those that have newly escaped poverty to do business.

The city will provide free health insurance cards to 3,090 poor and ethnic people living in disadvantaged areas, and 34,729 near-poor people, ensuring that this demographic is covered 100 percent.

It will provide scholarships or reduce or waive school fees for 1,870 poor students, and vocational training and jobs for 750 poor and near-poor people.

It will expand 48 successful poverty reduction models, and carry out agriculture extension programmes to benefit 150 poor and near-poor households.

The city has implemented various policies and programmes in recent years to enable poor households to escape poverty sustainably.

Last year it built 485 houses, gifted 43,556 health insurance cards to poor and near – poor households and provided soft loans worth a total of 648 billion VND (28.1 million USD) to poor and near – poor households.

More than 44,900 poor and near-poor households received 33.7 billion VND (1.5 million USD) worth of Government subsidies to overcome the impacts of the COVID- 19 pandemic.

The city reduced its poverty rate by 0.37 percentage points and had only 1,036 poor households last year, or 0.29 percent, according to its Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

The city aims to ensure the rate does not slip this year since the poor households are not able to escape poverty as they have members benefiting from the Government’s social policies or with chronic diseases or have only seniors./.

Vietnamese workers given long-term working opportunity in Japan

Vietnamese guest workers will be granted the chance to work in Japan for a long period of time under the special-skilled labour programme signed by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs with the Japanese government.

Under the scheme, the working period will last longer than the current 1 to 3 years.

Furthermore, Vietnamese migrant workers will also be able to enjoy benefits from these preferential policies, including wages equivalent to native workers at a rate of between VND36 million to VND50 million.

Guest workers will also have the chance to work for a long period in Japan, settle, and be able to sponsor their own families to settle in Japan.

All exit expenses will be partly covered by Japanese companies, while costs for learning Japanese and other vocational training fees are to be fully funded by various Japanese companies.

Last December, Japan announced 2 new visa regimes to foreign guest workers, with the working time of employees joining its skill internship programne to be increased to a maximum of 10 years. The new regimes will apply to 14 professions, including construction, nursing and agriculture.

According to the Department of Overseas Labour Management and the Embassy of Japan in Vietnam, the construction sector is set to implement a vocational test at the end of next March.

This also marks the first time that a scheme aimed at recruiting high-skilled workers has been deployed nationwide. Several other industries, such as furniture production, construction machinery driving, tunnel construction, and concrete pumping are expected to recruit additional workers in July.

The Japan Human Resources Society (JAC) recently signed a contract regarding a special-skilled labor programme with An Duong Group (ADG) and a Memorandum of Understanding with five vocational training schools. This is part of the Vietnamese Ministry of Construction’s plan to train “special skilled workers” and to bring additional skilled human resources from the local construction industry to work in Japan.

Ba Ria-Vung Tau to get tougher on illegal fishing in foreign waters

The southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau has ordered its Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to get tougher on illegal fishing in foreign waters by local fishing ships and their owners.

The order was made by Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Le Ngoc Khanh during a February 23 conference to review local measures against the illegal practice under Resolution 12-NQ/TU issued by the provincial Party Committee’s Standing Board over the last two years.

Khanh requested to be provided with a list of ships involved in illegal fishing in foreign waters during 2019 – 2020 and tasked the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and relevant units with adopting stronger actions and sanctions for violators.

Awareness campaigns should be accelerated to educate fishermen and vessel owners that fishing in foreign waters without permission is against the law, he said.

Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Van Cuong reported that the number of local ships caught by foreign countries for illegally entering their foreign waters has declined sharply in recent time, with almost no case reported during August 2019 to March 2020.

According to the official, Ba Ria-Vung Tau has traced origins of catch products and strictly punished those committed to illegal fishing and trading and processing of these products. He added that the province has also cracked down on a number of gangs arranging illegal encroachment of fishing ships into foreign waters.

However, it remained common for ships catching fish in areas along the sea border and in overlapping areas, he continued. Only 86 percent of fishing boats have been installed with cruise monitoring devices, and the percentage is lower than the goal set by the government’s Decree 26/2019/ND-CP on measures to enforce the Law on Fisheries./.

Adjustments to Tan Son Nhat airport planning greenlighted

The Ministry of Transport has approved adjustments to the Tan Son Nhat airport planning for the 2021-2030 period.

Under the planning, a terminal Doppler Weather Radar station will be built in an area of some 1,600 square metres to the northeast of the airport, while a multi-storey car park will be arranged at Terminal 3.

Regarding auxiliary facilities at the airport, adjustments are made to the location of the infight meal preparation areas and sewage treatment stations.

The Ministry of Transport asked the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam to review and update positions, scale and technologies used in the works so as to ensure the connection and uniform development with relevant infrastructure at the airport.

At present, Tan Son Nhat International Airport is the busiest airport in Vietnam. It is the biggest international aviation gate for the nation and centre for passenger and cargo transit in southern area./.

Quang Binh plans over 2 trillion VND for coastal road system

The central province of Quang Binh is planning to spend more than 2.2 trillion VND (95.6 million USD) on completing its coastal road system from now to 2026.

The route, over 85km long and 12m wide, will include 23 bridges, traverse six district-level localities of Quang Binh, and have a design speed of 80km per hour.

Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Tran Thang said the coastal road system is a key and priority project of Quang Binh.

Running through six of the eight district-level localities of Quang Binh, it will help attract investment and tap into local socio-economic development potential and strengths, especially in tourism, services, and sea-based economic activities.

Once put into use, the route will not only connect local coastal economic zones but also help bring into play advantages of the Vung Ang deep-water seaport and industrial park complex in neighbouring Ha Tinh province and Hon La Port of Quang Binh.

It is also expected to contribute to security – defence ensuring, marine sovereignty safeguarding, natural disaster prevention and control, search and rescue, and traffic congestion settlement, Thang noted.

In recent years, Quang Binh has been working hard to develop the local transport system, he said, adding that all the five modes of transport are now available in the province, namely road, rail, air, sea, and inland waterway transport./.

HCM City primary schools flexible with their online learning

Primary schools in HCM City are adopting various online learning tools and resources amid the school closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nguyễn Lệ Thanh Tuyền, a first-grade teacher at the Đống Đa primary school in Tân Bình District, said teachers were using videos, PDFs and Word documents to design lessons.

Video lessons were uploaded on the school’s website and parents can download them, she said.

Teachers also designed homework assignments on Word and sent them to parents on social networks, she said.

Most parents were co-operative and arranged time after work to download the lessons, she added.

This approach combining offline lessons and discussions on social networks between teachers and parents is preferred by many primary schools since young kids can find online classes with dozens of students difficult to focus on.

A principal at a primary school in District 6 said teachers uploaded video lessons of all subjects on the school’s website every Monday and students would have to submit their homework within a week.

Parents could opt for weekday evenings or weekends to help their children with it, the principal said.

Other primary schools offer daily online classes, but many parents have a legitimate complaint that it is hard for them to sit with their children in the morning and afternoon since they are busy at work.

Từ Quốc Tuấn, principal of Lương Định Của primary school in District 3, said that only important subjects such as mathematics, Vietnamese and foreign languages were taught online for first, second and third graders to keep their workload down.

“It is tough for young students to focus on online classes without adults’ assistance,” he said.

“Offline video lessons make it easier for parents to arrange time to help their kids,” he added.

The city Department of Education and Training said online learning was designed using various tools and resources and delivered at the most convenient time for students.

Tan Phu – Bao Loc Highway to connect Dong Nai – Lam Dong provinces

The Tân Phú – Bảo Lộc Highway plan, which connects Đồng Nai and Lâm Đồng provinces, will be carried out by Lâm Đồng People’s Committee, as approved by Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc.

The project runs under the PPP (public-private partnership) model. The PM also agreed that the provincial People’s Committee will take responsibility to monitor the investment process of the project.

The highway, 67 kilometres long with four lanes, is part of the Dầu Giây – Liên Khương Highway, which links Đồng Nai to Lâm Đồng and is now under construction.

The total investment is around VNĐ18.2 trillion (US$789.75 million), which consists of funds from private investors and the state budget.

The project is part of Việt Nam’s infrastructure development plan in the 2020-30 period.

When construction is completed, the highway will help facilitate the development of Central Highlands provinces and reduce traffic congestion on Bảo Lộc Hill where sharp turns and landslides, especially during the rainy season, exist.

Vietnam Airlines ready to transport COVID-19 vaccines

Vietnam Airlines has proposed it be officially permitted by authorised health agencies to transport COVID-19 vaccines from overseas.

The national flag carrier said it has prepared all necessary resources to meet the strictest requirements on vaccine transportation by air. It has sufficient logistics services, modern cold storage systems, and trained human resources that meet international standards.

It is ready to introduce refrigerated container services for carrying vaccines, as poor preservation can affect quality and efficiency.

The carrier will also set up a specialised unit to perform these tasks.

Vietnam Airlines has experience in transporting medical supplies, such as medicine and surgical instruments, as wells organs for transplant, even in time-sensitive emergencies.

It can deploy a fleet of wide-body aircraft such as Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s to transport large quantities of vaccines./.

ASEAN launches regional study report on labour productivity

The Regional Study Report on Labour Productivity in ASEAN was launched virtually on February 23, providing an analysis of the current situations and concepts in the field across ten member states and looking into the feasibility of developing a regional index.

The event, hosted by the ASEAN Secretariat, gathered representatives from member nations’ labour ministries, the International Labour Organization, the ASEAN Confederation of Employers, the ASEAN Trade Union Council, and the Asian Productivity Organization (APO).

In his remarks, Deputy Secretary-General for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Kung Phoak underlined the importance of labour productivity in ensuring a sustainable economy of the region.

“Against the backdrop of the changing world of work, digitalisation of economies, globalisation and aging populations, effective strategies to improve labour productivity are needed. The Study Report provides useful analysis and recommendations in this regard”, he noted.

In the same vein, APO Secretary-General Achmad Kurnia Prawira Mochtan highlighted that human capital should play a more central role in labour productivity growth.

The Regional Study on Labour Productivity in ASEAN is a project in the Senior Labour Officials Meeting’s Working Group on Progressive Labour Practices to Enhance the Competitiveness (SLOM-WG) Work Plan 2016-2020. It was completed with support of the Asian Productivity Organization./.

Endangered sea turtle returned to ocean

A sea turtle that was rescued and cared for by fisherman after it became trapped in a net, has been released back into the ocean.

The endangered species became tabled during storms that hit the central region back in November.

After getting trapped, fishermen rescued the animal before handing him over to the Chàm Island’s Marine Protected Area (MPA) management board who worked in conjunction with Đà Nẵng-based SaSa Marine animal rescue team.

Although the turtle had some cuts, he made a full recovery and was released back into the sea on Wednesday.

Experts say the turtle weighs 10.5kg and is estimated to be around 10 years old.

Last year, a female Olive Ridley turtle (Lepidochelys Olivacea) was rescued and returned to the ocean after five months of care at the MPA.

The Chàm Islands MPA said at least 30 sea turtles have become trapped in fishing nets off the islands since 2018. Two-thirds die after becoming entangled.

The city of Hội An has been building sea turtle conservation centres on beaches of the Chàm Islands, and expanding the core zone for special protection to 30 a total of 33,000ha.

Only seven species of sea turtle exist in the world, and five of those are found living in Việt Nam.

Hundreds of boats in Ha Long wait for end of Covid-19 outbreak

Hundreds of tourist boats are lying idle in Ha Long Bay due to the lack of customers amid Covid-19 pandemic.

There were over 800 boat trips were organised in Ha Long Bay each day, serving thousands of tourists and bringing much profits to the boat service providers and local tourism sector in general. However, hundreds of boats have been idle ever since the pandemic started.

Nguyen Tung Kha, director of a private tour boat company in Ha Long said he had just put two expensive ships into use when the situation turned for the worse. “We were hard hit by the first outbreak in 2020 and the latest outbreak has knocked us out,”‘ he said. “Every day the vessels lie idle, we lost tens of millions of VND on each boat.”

Many firms in Ha Long are on the brink of bankruptcy due to huge debts, docking and maintenance fees. Various other related services also suffer. Crew members tried to find other jobs and chefs on the ships became food traders.

Vu Manh Long, director of the Inland Waterways Department confirmed the depressing picture, saying that they had hoped for a better development in 2021 but the latest outbreak ruined any hope.

Quang Ninh People’s Committee said they would launch support packages to help the local businesses alongside with the government’s support package for firms in Vietnam.

They may lower VAT, environmental fees and other taxes and fees for the boat service providers. They will also ask banks to extend the deadlines for loans or lower the interest rates.

Hanoi to operate 10 electric bus routes in Q2

The capital city of Hanoi will introduce 10 new bus routes using electric vehicles in the second quarter of this year, aimed at diversifying the modes of public transport and protecting the environment.

These bus routes will connect densely populated new urban areas, where there is a high demand for public transport, according to the Hanoi Public Passenger Transport Management and Operation Center, under the Hanoi Department of Transport.

Specifically, the new routes include the Long Bien-Tran Phu-Smart City Urban Area, the Smart City Urban Area-Ho Tay (West Lake) Water Park, the Giap Bat Coach Station-Smart City Urban Area, the Long Bien-Cau Giay-Smart City Urban Area, the My Dinh Coach Station-Ocean Park Urban Area and many others.

Earlier, VinBus JSC under the Vietnamese conglomerate VinGroup had registered to operate the 10 new bus routes using its electric buses and pledged to invest in 150-200 premium electric buses deploying advanced technology. The local bus maker is working with Vietnam Register to ensure the electric buses meet all the technical standards.

Aside from manufacturing electric buses, VinBus recruited personnel and is building infrastructure facilities so that it can operate the new routes right after seeking an approval from the authorities.

Le Dinh Tho, Deputy Minister of Transport, said the launch of the electric buses is in line with the country’s strategy to develop the auto industry by 2025 with a vision toward 2035, the national action plan on the management of air quality by 2020 with a vision toward 2025 and the plan of ensuring traffic safety and order in the country.

Therefore, the Ministry of Transport approved the proposal to operate electric buses for public transport in both Hanoi and HCMC, Tho added.

Data from the center showed that the capital city’s bus network had met some 15% of the locals’ travelling demands as of 2020. To encourage the use of public transport, the city will map out and revise plans, including collecting fees from vehicles which enter congestion-prone streets to limit the number of vehicles using the streets and researching the operation of bus-only lanes on certain streets.

Most of workers in Northern region resume to work

Most of workers and labors have come back to factories and industrial parks in the capital city of Hanoi, the Northern region and Covid-19 pandemic-hit provinces of Hai Duong, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, etc as from February 16.

The Industrial Zones Trade Union of Vinh Phuc Province reported that the production activities of factories have been stable with more than 92 percent of returners.

Enterprises, factories along with their employees are strictly implementing the requirement of 5K (face mask, disinfection, distance, no gathering and health declaration) of the Ministry of Health on the Covid-19 pandemic prevention and control. Around 255 workers are absent from their working places because they came from the Covid-19 affected areas of Hai Duong, Hung Yen and Dien Bien and have been isolated according to the regulations.

As for Thai Nguyen Province, about 95 percent of workers came back to factories and industrial parks from February 19.  For domestic enterprises, there were approximately 100 percent of returners to work. The most of workers at large-scale firms such as Samsung Vietnam- Thai Nguyen, Glonics Vietnam resumed to work.

In the pandemic-hit province of Hai Duong under regulation implementation of social distancing, the Provincial Steering Committee for Covid-19 pandemic prevention and Control and the Management Board of industrial zones of Hai Duong Province directed enterprises to use maximum means of transport to hop on and hop off workers to their working places, minimize personal vehicles, adjust the working hours of the production lines to reduce the number of workers on shifts, after shifts.

Additionally, the Management Board of industrial zones of Hai Duong Province regularly updated and promptly provided a list of re-operated enterprises in industrial zones after Tet to the Hai Duong Police to monitor and respond to the risk of spreading Covid-19 pandemic.

Binh Phuoc Province proposes construction of dual-use airport

The south-eastern province of Binh Phuoc has proposed the construction of a dual-use aiport on an area of 500 hectares in Hon Quan District in the form of public-private partnership (PPP).

The provincial People’s Committee and specialists made a survey of the location of the airport project. Accordingly,  the 100-ha Hon Quan airfield will be widened to about 400-500 hectares.

The local authorities have proposed the Prime Minister,  the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Transport for an approval on managing the current airfield and building the expansion project of a dual-use airport for both economic development and defense tasks.

The construction of the new airport aims to redirect to the industrial development that has been submitted to the Prime Minister to expand and set up planning for new industrial zones in the province.

HCMC to pilot bus priority lane

Buses are running on Dien Bien Phu Street – one of the main streets in HCMC. (Photo: SGGP)

Due to the dense population in HCMC, leading to the large number of private vehicles, urban traffic at the moment has to shoulder a heavy burden, and the average velocity of vehicles in the downtown is just 20-25km per hour.

To tackle this problem, the municipal authorities have adjusted the planning of the urban transport system to implement the Transit Oriented Development (TOD) model. This model maximizes the link between residential, business, manufacturing areas and the existing public transport system.

HCMC is going to apply this model along Metro Line No.1 (from Ben Thanh in the downtown to Suoi Tien in Thu Duc City), Metro Line No.2 (the first phase: Ben Thanh – Tham Luong in District 12; the second phase: Tham Luong – Cu Chi District) and Metro Line No.5 (the first phase Bay Hien Intersection in Tan Binh District – Sai Gon Bridge; the second phase: Can Giuoc Coach Station in Long An Province – Bay Hien Intersection).

The HCMC Management Center of Public Transport (MCPT) is going to introduce 21 high-quality bus lines. This is expected to rebuild the community’s trust towards buses, and thus increasing their bus use.

In order to fulfill the goal, these buses must maintain their route schedule and are not allowed to skip bus-stops or passengers under any circumstances. They have free Wi-Fi, a route monitoring device, a sound system automatically connected to MCPT to announce destinations, free newspapers to serve passengers.

Bus attendants must have good manner, especially towards the senior, the disabled, the ill, and the invalids. Bus drivers must ensure safety by strictly obeying traffic laws and minimizing disorder inside the bus.

The new 21 lines must have sufficient infrastructure, including bus stops, stopping space, regularly updated information boards about current routes and schedules. These facilities must be clean and not illegally occupied by peddlers.

As suggested by Associate Prof. Dr. Pham Xuan Mai from HCMC University of Technology (Vietnam National University – HCMC), it is critical that bus route schedules be maintained so that customer confidence is regained, and people come back to this common public transport.

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Canh from the University of Economics and Law (Vietnam National University – HCMC) said that the formerly piloting scheme of bus priority lane on Tran Hung Dao Street encountered certain objection from the community. However, it is this practice, along with careful planning, that is implemented widely in developed countries to help buses be more welcomed by the public.

Experts in the field suggested that HCMC should launch the piloting scheme for bus priority lane on some major streets like Dien Bien Phu (from Ly Thai To Roundabout – Sai Gon Bridge) or Vo Thi Sau (from Dan Chu Roundabout – Dinh Tien Hoang Street), which has many bus lines.

Simultaneously, better private vehicle restriction rules should be introduced on these two streets to make the scheme more effective.

Accepted the recommendation, MCPT is going to pilot bus priority lanes on the mentioned streets at morning and afternoon peak hours on weekdays. Each lane is supposed to be 3.25m wide, separated with other lanes by road fence. These lanes are for buses, ambulances, firetrucks, mini buses, and passenger vehicles 12-seat+.

Lately, HCMC has built several new streets; yet the proportion of traffic space in the urban land use is a tiny minority of 10 percent, which is not even 1/2 of the standard. Adding to the problem is the ever-increasing number of private vehicles, reaching 9 million at present (including 7.2 million scooters).

With such a high traffic density, with a priority lane, it is truly challenging for buses to maintain their schedules. Some bus companies reported that 80 percent of their buses cannot fulfill this goal. Some are even 1 hour late.

Just 3 years ago, buses were the most favorite choice of students coming to Thu Duc University Village, and there was a bus running each 10 minutes. Sadly, over 1/2 of those lines are canceled now since they cannot ensure the precise arrival time.

Obviously, the development of public transportation must go along with a more logical control of private vehicle growth.

Vietnam to digitize libraries

Vietnamese government has approved library digitalization program to 2025 with the vision to 2030.

This move is considered as a significant step to promote information technology application especially digital technology with the aim to ensure library continuity as Covid-19 puts brake to academic activity.

In fact, library digitalization is not a new concept, but the concept has been mentioned a few years before.

Some libraries including the National Library of Vietnam and the General Science Library in Ho Chi Minh City have applied digital library ; however, digitalization results seemed not to meet their goals. Limited spending and small human resources are two of culprits of failure in digitalization of the two libraries. Asynchronous implementation of digitalization amongst libraries is the main culprit of the failure in IT application.

Pham Quoc Hung, Deputy Director of the Library Department under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said that library digitalization, a process in which materials are converted from hard copies to electronic copies, is a lengthy and costly endeavor; worse, it has not generated good result as just some libraries in several localities implement digitalization like in the past time.

People can access the giant digital database only when all libraries are connected together; therefore, the government-approved program is expected to contribute to formation of a giant database.

The program goal is to complete and develop infrastructure of digital and digital data in all public libraries nationwide by 2025. Moreover, 70 percent of valuable materials, documents and collections on history, culture, science will be digitalized in the first phase of the program.

Hanoi proposes vaccine purchase for locals

Since early February, Hanoi’s top leaders have planned to buy vaccines for the locals.

Authorities in Hanoi have proposed the Vietnamese government’s authorization for purchasing Covid vaccines for its residents.

The government should grant mechanism to enable cities and provinces nationwide to buy vaccines for the inoculation in their localities, Deputy Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Chu Xuan Dung said at a government meeting on February 24 chaired by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Two days ago, the municipal Department of Health has sent a request to the Ministry of Health for the purchase of 15 million doses of vaccines with an aim to administer to the city’s residents at the age of 18 and above.

With the proposal, Hanoi expects to provide vaccination to 95% of its population.

According to Deputy Director of the Hanoi’s Department of Health Hoang Duc Hanh, the Covid-19 pandemic in Hanoi is temporarily under control but risk of transmission remains high as roughly 85% of confirmed cases were asymptomatic carriers.

“It means that only testing help detect infections which requires efforts,” Hanh said.

A plan to buy vaccines came in early this month when Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Vuong Dinh Hue asked local authorities to build a roadmap for it. Finance for the purchase will come from the city’s budget and other financial sources.

Since the resurgence of SARS-CoV-2 in Vietnam late January, Hanoi has reported 34 cases. Local experts attributed Hanoi’s virus containment to massive testing and contact tracing. The city has set up 10,000 Covid-19 prevention and control groups to sort out people from affected areas and keep surveillance on them. So far, it tested more than 51,000 people coming from Hai Duong, the epicenter of the fresh wave.

Hanoi students may return to school from next week

Hanoi has gone seven days, from February 16, without confirming any new Covid-19 cases in the community.

Students in Hanoi may return to school on March 1 after a long time stay at home to prevent the Covid-19 pandemic while attendlung online schooling, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Health Hoang Duc Hanh said at a meeting held in Hanoi on February 22.

The deputy director said that the capital city will monitor the pandemic situation until the end of this week and on the basis of Covid-19 test results and evolution, Hanoi may loosen social distancing.

“Students can return to school; festivals can be held. Therefore, the municipal departments of Education and Training, Culture and Sports, Industry and Trade must always stand ready to take prompt decision in the new situation,” Hanh said.

He added that Hanoi has gone seven days, from February 16, without confirming any new Covid-19 cases in the community.

The municipal health sector has carried out Covid-19 test for all returnees from Hai Duong province, the biggest epicenter of the pandemic, with a total of 51,595 people. Of them, 41,180 have tested negative, the others’ results are pending.

Besides, the test results of 17,528 people at 18 pandemic-hit areas in Hanoi have all come back negative.

The disease situation in Hanoi has been basically put under control; however, the potential risk of Covid-19 spreading is still high as some people from the Covid-19-hit-provinces who have not made medical declaration, Hanh noted.

In the 2020-2021 school year, more than two million Hanoi students had been scheduled to return to school on February 17 following the Lunar New Year holidays, but the Covid-19 pandemic prolonged school closures across the city. Many schools have resorted to remote learning during the break.

Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Health Hoang Duc Hanh said that the city would buy 15 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine to administer all its local residents aged 18 and over with finance from its own budget.

Hanh added that his department had consulted the municipal People’s Committee to send an official dispatch to the Ministry of Health asking for support in purchasing Covid-19 vaccines.

Taking into consideration the population and migrant people living in the capital city, Hanoi would need 15 million doses of vaccine to give two shots for adults aged 18 and over, reaching 95%, Hanh noted.

Hanoi, home to more than eight million people, has recorded 36 infections in the latest community transmission outbreak, which emerged in northern Vietnam in late January and has spread to 13 cities and provinces. The country’s total coronavirus carriers currently stand at 2,395.

Source: VNA/VNS/VOV/VIR/SGT/Nhan Dan/Hanoitimes

The managers of a large corporation, for example, are busy these days with meetings discussing solutions to speed up the implementation of the VND2 trillion wind power project in Quang Tri province.

They are doing so in order to enjoy the FIT (feed-in-tariff) rate. The preferential prices will be applied to part or entire power plants to be put into commercial operation prior to November 1, 2021 and will be valid for 20 years.

Under the Prime Minister’s Decision No 39 dated September 10, 2018, Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) will buy electricity at VND1,927 per kwh, or 8.5 US cents, from onshore wind power projects, and VND2,223 per kwh, or 9.8 cent, from offshore projects.

As such, investors have to gear up with project implementation, because they don’t have much more time. But it is not easy to negotiate with the top five equipment suppliers in the world to buy equipment and turbines at this time. The equipment price has increased by 10 percent.

After signing equipment procurement contracts, they have to seek companies to install the equipment, hire transport, and do other things at the same time. They are running at full speed to put their plants into operation prior to November 1, 2021. No one knows what the electricity price will be like after the date.

The number of solar and wind power projects has been increasing rapidly in the last three years, from the north to the south, from Lang Son to Ca Mau Cape, and both onshore and ashore. Large international groups have also been flocking to Vietnam to exploit the potential market. The heat of the market seems to be beyond all expectations and predictions by policy makers.

According to EVN, as of December 31, 2020, the total installation capacity of solar projects had reached 19,400 MWp, including 9,300 MWp of rooftop solar systems, or 16,500 MW, or 25 percent of total installation capacity of the national electricity sources.

The total consumed electricity output from solar power plants in 2020 was 10.6 billion kwh, including 1.16 billion kwh from rooftop solar power systems, which accounted for 4.3 percent of total electricity output mobilized.

Meanwhile, there are fewer operational wind power projects because of difficulties in investment. The total existing onshore wind power output is 500 MW, while thousands of MW of wind power plants are under implementation.

Hundreds of trillions of dong worth of private capital have been poured into solar and wind power.

Risks

The total consumed electricity output from solar power plants in 2020 was 10.6 billion kwh, including 1.16 billion kwh from rooftop solar power systems, which accounted for 4.3 percent of total electricity output mobilized.

Mentioning the renewable energy boom, BloombergNEF commented that Vietnam’s story shows that small markets can quickly shift to use clean energy. Six GW of rooftop solar systems was installed in December 2020 and 4.6 GW installed in the last week of 2020 alone.

The figure was three times higher than that predicted by BNEF earlier that year and the new capacity is enough to put Vietnam into the third position among the largest solar power markets in the world.

Does the high number of renewable power projects mean an exploitation of Vietnam? The answers vary.

Investors and environmentalists believe that more renewable power projects are needed as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, some experts have warned of the problems of the overly hot development of renewable power.

In the last months of 2020 and early 2021, many investors complained they had to reduce the capacity provided to the national grid because of electricity excess in some periods (from 10 am to 2 pm, especially on weekends and holidays).

Prior to that, many solar power plants had to cut down the capacity because of transmission line overloading.

As investors could not provide all their electricity output to the national grid, they are at risk of taking a loss and failing to implement their financial plans.

Vietnam cannot use only solar and wind power because of the instability of the power sources. A mass of clouds or a rain would be enough to affect the entire system.

The fact that many investors face the risk of loss is also a problem that policy makers need to pay attention to. It is necessary to develop renewable power at a reasonable level which ensures the benefits of all parties – the state, investors and electricity users.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT), the total capacity of solar power projects added to the national power development plan has reached 10,000 MW. Of this, 8,000 MW is expected to become operational prior to 2020 and 2,000 MW after 2020.

Besides, investors have registered another 25,000 MW but this has not been added to the development plan, including 12,300 MW to be operational prior to 2020 and 12,900 MW after 2020.

Luong Bang

Twenty-seven more COVID-19 patients in Hai Duong province have been give the all-clear from coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (Photo: VNA)

The new infections brought the total number of patients in the country to 2,426, including 831 domestically-transmitted cases since new outbreaks hit Vietnam on January 27, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

By the afternoon of February 26, 10 provinces and cities, which had been previously struck by the latest outbreaks, had seen no new locally-transmitted cases for 14 days, including Hoa Binh, Dien Bien, Ha Giang, Binh Duong, Hung Yen, Bac Giang, Gia Lai, Bac Ninh, Quang Ninh and Ho Chi Minh City.

The Subcommittee for Treatment reported that 35 more patients were declared to recover from the disease on February 26, raising the total number of recoveries to 1,839.

Meanwhile, the number of deaths related to COVID-19 was still kept at 35.

Among active patients undergoing treatment at medical establishments, 45 tested negative for coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 once, 60 twice and 72 thrice.

As many as 76,495 people who had close contact with confirmed patients or entered Vietnam from pandemic-hit region are being quarantined nationwide, including 580 in hospitals, 12,038 in concentrated quarantine establishments and the remaining 63,877 at their residences./. VNA