Dictionary viet nam

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Phạm Bình Minh during a phone call with Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan. — Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

HÀ NỘI — Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Phạm Bình Minh and Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan discussed measures to boost bilateral relations during their phone conversation held on Thursday.

They shared solutions to increase trade exchanges and economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic, and create favourable conditions for travelling.

They also talked about vaccination plans against COVID-19 and the possibility to apply a vaccine passport.

Foreign minister Minh thanked Singapore for actively supporting Việt Nam as ASEAN Chairman 2020 and a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council during 2020-21 term.

He proposed the two sides to continue promoting exchanges of high-ranking delegations at all levels at the appropriate time.

He said he hoped Singapore will cooperate and support Việt Nam to get access to safe and effective sources of vaccines.

Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian congratulated Việt Nam for its successful organisation of the 13th National Party Congress and for achievements in keeping COVID-19 under control as well as socio-economic development.

He said Singapore attached great importance to the cooperation with Việt Nam, particularly during complicated times both regionally and globally.

He shared Singapore’s experience about the “Changi connection” initiative to create conditions to allow international business people to meet at Changi Airport.

Singapore was willing to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese people to transit in Singapore on their way home to Việt Nam, he said.

The two sides also discussed regional and international issues of common issues, including the Myanmar situation. They said they wished the situation in Myanmar would be soon stabilised for peace and cooperation in the region. They agreed to continue joining ASEAN’s common efforts to contributing to finding solutions for the Myanmar issue. — VNS

Doctors perform the heart transplant surgery on the youngest patient in Việt Nam. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Seven-year-old L.X.H, the youngest-ever heart transplant recipient in Việt Nam, has been discharged from hospital, according to the Hà Nội-based Việt Đức Hospital.

Before the surgery, the child, weighing only 16kg, suffered from dilated cardiomyopathy and end-stage heart failure.

The patient received the heart from a 19-year-old brain-dead donor, with the surgery conducted on February 1.

The child’s mother thanked the family of the donor who, she said, has given her child a new life, and the dedication of doctors and nurses of the hospital.

This is the fifth heart transplant performed on a child at the hospital.

Việt Đức has performed five lung, 36 heart, 92 liver, and nearly 1,100 kidney transplants in total so far.

It is the leading centre nationwide for collecting and transplanting organs. All patients are healthy and have returned home.

In March 2017, a 10-year-old boy in Hà Nội became the youngest heart transplant patient at that time. After getting the heart from a brain-dead donor, he was discharged successfully. — VNS

Cần Giờ District specialties that have been granted Trademark Certificates are part of HCM City’s effort to develop ‘golden brands’ for local agricultural products. – Photo dost.hochiminhcity.gov.vn

HCM CITY — The HCM City Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is building a ‘golden brand’ for its agricultural enterprises, Võ Văn Hoan, vice chairman of the city’s People Committee, has said.

In 2020, none of the 30 enterprises receiving the HCM City Golden Brand Award were in the agricultural sector.

Hoan has encouraged enterprises to develop brands for local agricultural products and services. Cần Giờ District specialties, for example, that have already been branded include dried shark catfish, bird’s nest and mango.

The development of high-value agricultural products together with tourism will benefit the local economy and maintain agriculture.

Đinh Minh Hiệp, director of the municipal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the city will continue to call for more investment in agriculture. The aim is to increase its number of agricultural enterprises to 2,000 from the 1,910 enterprises in 2020.

Ninety per cent of agricultural enterprises in Việt Nam are small or micro sized, with capital of less than VNĐ10 billion (US$430,000).

The country’s agriculture sector targets being ranked in the top 15 in the world, in which the agricultural processing sector would rank among the top 10 countries by 2030. — VNS

A KMS office in the US. — Photo courtesy of KMS Technology

KMS Solutions, a subsidiary of US engineering and software services company KMS Technology, has launched an electronic know-your-customer (eKYC) platform targeting Southeast Asia’s banking sector.

It automates the verification, identification and extraction of data from images and documents.

Le Huu Tan Tai, digital banking solution director at KMS Solutions, said: “Banking needs to stand at the forefront of digital transformation as it directly impacts the economy at large. However, Southeast Asia, and Viet Nam in particular, still faces certain challenges when undertaking digital banking.

“Thanks to our experience in implementing digital banking for established banks across the world, KMS is well-positioned to support banks in the region with accelerating their digital transformation faster, more effectively and more securely.”

eKYC allows banks to reduce the time needed to verify customer’s information, which otherwise might take days to weeks using traditional methods.

Customers will no longer have to wait in long queues at counters because all the processes are done online.

The solution is researched and developed based on 4.0 technologies such as optical character recognition, face matching, liveness detection, and artificial intelligence.

Le Tran Bao Duy, general director of KMS Solutions, said, “As banks, financial institutions, e-wallets, and securities companies in Viet Nam are actively going digital, the prospects for eKYC solutions are huge.”

eKYC could support at least 35 per cent of the automation process at banks in Viet Nam by 2025, he added. — VNS

Director Nguyễn Phương Điền on set for the “Lưới Trời” TV drama series. Photo courtesy of nld.com.vn

HCM CITY  Though cinemas have been temporarily closed due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, many television crews have begun producing new content.

Safety at filming studios has been prioritised to reduce the spread of COVID-19, and crews are more flexible about their schedules.

Local TV drama crews have become more experienced working in such a difficult time.

Film director Nguyễn Phương Điền said his crew has gone to Gò Dầu in Tây Ninh Province to film the next scenes of Lưới Trời after the Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday.

Lưới Trời consists of 40 episodes, 20 of which were completed by last December.

“Due to the pandemic, we have yet to film footage in crowded residential areas, but have given priority to scenes along the river wharf, village roads or outdoor areas without any people,” he said.

“We have constantly worked with authorities and informed them of our filming schedules while following epidemic prevention regulations. In addition to masks and sanitisers for the whole crew, we have set up barriers outside filming locations to avoid curious crowds,” he added.

The crew plans to stay in Tây Ninh for about 18 days before going to Dầu Giây in Đồng Nai Province and Tấn Châu in Đồng Tháp Province. Since most of the important scenes were filmed before Tết , it is easier for them to film now.

All are serious about protecting their own safety for a smoother filming process, Điền said.

Meanwhile, Vũ Thị Bích Liên, managing director of Mega GS Entertainment and Communication Complex, said that filmimg of director Hoàng Tuấn Cường’s movie, called Thương Con Cá Rô Đồng ”, resumed right after Tết .

Thương Con Cá Rô Đồng is mostly being filmed outdoors without crowds, she said, adding that another movie would be produced in mid-March.

Actress Văn Phượng is currently trying to finish the filming of Phía Cuối Con Đường while preparing for another 50-episode TV drama project in late March.

“I feel under pressure working during the pandemic because I cannot wear a mask while filming with my colleagues. But my crew has been very supportive and has encouraged constant disinfection at the studio. Strangers are not allowed as well,” she said.

Hope for the best

It has been more expensive producing a TV drama during the pandemic compared to other times, experts said. Actor Văn Phượng said that complex scenes with the participation of many people had to be postponed, which added to the cost of production.

“I hope the epidemic will be over soon, the pace of life will return to normal, and locals will feel more secure when it comes to work,” she added.

Writer Thanh Hương said since only a certain number of people could be allocated on set, the organiser must be very efficient.

“I believe the TV drama industry in HCM City will thrive in 2021. Many projects are about to start shooting, unlike the situation where TV dramas have mostly been produced in the North. I am currently completing the script for Nơi Bình Yên Sóng Gió , a TV drama with 100 episodes. The first part, consisting of 40 to 45 episodes, will be filmed in days to come,” she added.

Director Huỳnh Tuấn Anh is also certain about the positive growth of TV dramas and web dramas this year, considering that the pandemic might have caused many investors to hesitate about producing movies.

The number of dramas with large investments and quality casts is gradually increasing, which is  expected to create a new look for the local drama market. – VNS