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By Nhat Minh

VAMA released a report on its members’ sales in May on June 11, which showed VAMA members sold 19,081 vehicles in the month, compared to just over 11,700 in April.

Of the sold vehicles, more than 13,000 were passenger cars, up 67 percent, while 5,810 were commercial vehicles, up 67 percent, and 262 were special-purpose vehicles, down 16 percent, respectively.

Sales of domestically-assembled vehicles reached 11,095 units, up 50 percent, while sales of imported vehicles rose 83 percent to 7,986.

During the first five months of the year, VAMA members sold a total of 83,181 units, down 34 percent year-on-year.

However, the figures were not complete, as many makers did not disclose their sales.

TC Motor – the representative of Hyundai Thanh Cong and not a member of VAMA – sold 4,833 vehicles in May, raising its total sales in the first five months of this year to 22,401.

TC Motor became the best-selling car brand in the month with 4,833 vehicles sold, followed by Toyota with 4,167 units, and Honda with 2,714, VinFast 2,161, Ford 1,858, Mazda 1,745 and Kia 1,551.

The high increase in sales was also partly attributable to various promotional programmes offered by car makers./.VNA

Vietnamese powerlifter Dang Thi Linh Phuong (left) hopes she will take gold medal at the Para Games to be held in Vietnam later this year. Photo thanhnien.vn

Like all athletes, Phuong experienced a very difficult year in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic caused the Para Games in the Philippines to be postponed twice before being cancelled.

“For the past two years, I was focusing strongly on the Para Games 2019. But then the event had to stop. So my plan was also incomplete. I was very sad,” said Phuong.

“Earlier, I quit my work as a nail technician to focus on weightlifting. I couldn’t spend all my time in the nail salon. I decided that weightlifting was my main job to earn a living until I couldn’t continue to compete any more.

“When the pandemic came, tournaments abroad were postponed and I couldn’t compete in any tournaments for a whole year. I was really looking forward to competing. Therefore, I am more determined and wait for the Para Games 2021 to partake in Vietnam as expected,” said Phuong.

As events were postponed, Phuong had to find another job to maintain her passion for weightlifting.

“I work part-time, such as selling toothpicks. Although I couldn’t earn much, it was enough to help me overcome difficulties in the past year,” said Phuong.

Phuong still maintains a scientific diet, nutrition and lifestyle to allow her to achieve peak performance.

“I spend about one hour per day to train with the highest focus. I also maintain the diet of a powerlifter. In the context of the pandemic, training can help us stay healthy,” said Phuong.

Having been involved in weightlifting for about 10 years, Phuong has recorded many remarkable achievements.

In the 2018 Asian Para Games, Phuong bagged a gold medal in her favourite category of the 50kg weight class with a lift of 103kg, far above the lift of 84kg by Indian powerlifter Khatun Sakina.

Phuong was also the first Vietnamese woman to win a medal at a Paralympic Games. She won a bronze medal in the women’s 50kg class with a lift of 102kg.

In the National Sport Games for People with Disabilities in 2012, she took a gold medal in the 48kg division, while in the 2013 event, she won in the 50kg.

Phuong also stood on the top podium at the Asian Powerlifting Championship in 2013 and Para Games 2014.

In the World Para Powerlifting Championship held in Dubai in 2014, Phuong claimed a gold medal and at present, she doesn’t have rivals in Vietnam.

Thanks to all this success, she is tipped to take a gold medal at the upcoming Para Games at home.

“I hope I can get a gold medal at home. That is also my dream and desire. I’ve gained high results in weightlifting, but being able to sing the Vietnamese national anthem on home turf has a sacred meaning,” said Phuong.

Powerlifter Dang Thi Linh Phuong competes at the Rio Olympics 2016. — Photo vov.vn

Endless efforts

“Eight years ago, it was the first time I received a gold medal and I could not hold back my tears. From that moment, I realised that sport would help me integrate better into this life, overcoming the sadness and loneliness without close relatives by my side,” said Phuong.

“Since joining the HCM City team to compete and win medals, my life has become more joyful,” Phuong added.

Phuong was born with her legs shrivelled and she was sent to her paternal grandmother to be taken care of.

Since then, Phuong grew up selling street food with her grandmother.

“Lacking the care of my parents from a young age, I felt down, my grandmother was my only relative,” said Phuong.

Her grandmother passed away more than 10 years ago and Phuong felt very sad and lonely. She could only overcome her sadness when she had a job at a handicraft workshop and especially when training.

Seeing many colleagues participating in sports competitions at the workshop, Phuong began to learn and liked to train.

Vietnamese powerlifter Dang Thi Linh Phuong (middle) celebrates her gold medal at the Asian Para Games 2018. — Photo thethaovanhoa.vn

In 2011, with the encouragement of coach Nguyen Van Phuc of the national powerlifting team, Phuong decided to get involved in the sport. After a year of training, she took a gold medal at the National Sport Games for People with Disabilities in the 48kg category.

“That first gold medal was a driving force for me to follow this sport until now,” said Phuong.

Coach Nguyen Van Phuc said: “In tournaments, Phuong often surprised the coaching staff with her achievements. We appreciate and honour her efforts and responsibilities in the competitions.”

VNS

About 10,613 potential victims were referred to the British government for help last year – three fewer than in 2019 – according to the Home Office (interior ministry), which said the plateau was mainly caused by Covid-19 and lockdown restrictions.

A rising number of children were identified in 2020 – 47 percent of all referrals up from 43 percent- fueled by a rise in reports of “county lines” exploitation, with drug gangs using young people to move their wares from cities into rural areas.

Anti-slavery charities said the pandemic meant frontline professionals – from police to social workers – had fewer opportunities to identify and engage with possible victims, while some resources were diverted into the Covid-19 response.

“Sadly, this decrease in referrals is not due to there being less victims … on our streets. In fact, quite the opposite,” said Robyn Phillips, the London Project and Survivor Lead for the Human Trafficking Foundation.

“The pandemic has exacerbated gaps in intelligence about victims who were being exploited by businesses that are closed; and with … a decline of care services and police operations, opportunities for identification have decreased,” she added.

The Home Office was not immediately available to comment on the statistics. The ministry has previously said it is committed to tackling the crime and ensuring that victims receive support.

People who say they have been enslaved enter the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) and access care, from housing and healthcare to legal aid, while the government considers their claim. The process can take from weeks to several years.

About three-quarters of the suspected victims referred to the NRM last year were male, the data showed, and British, Albanian and Vietnamese were the most common nationalities.

Alex Balch, director of research at the Modern Slavery Policy and Research Center, said the increase in referrals for suspected child victims of the county lines trade – which rose by about a third to 1,371 in 2020 – was “very worrying.”

“It is good that awareness of this form of exploitation is rising, but we need to know more about it in order to improve the protection of children,” Balch said in a statement.

Activists have told the Thomson Reuters Foundation the NRM figure likely represents only the “tip of the iceberg” and that many foreign victims decide not to enter the system because it does not allow them to work or guarantee asylum if successful.

A study last year by charity Justice and Care and The Center for Social Justice think-tank said Britain was home to at least 100,000 slaves – 10 times more than a 2013 official estimate.

Despite being hailed as a global leader in the anti-slavery drive, Britain’s landmark 2015 law has faced widespread criticism that it is not being used fully to jail traffickers, drive companies to tackle forced labor, or help enough victims.