Quiz jai de la chance

AFP

Military athletes train for the Tien Phong Newspaper National Marathon Championship in Gia Lai Province. The tournament will be held on March 28. Photo tienphong.vn

The 62nd edition of the annual event will be held on March 28 in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai.

The race will set a record with the largest number of participants with about 5,000 registered in both professional and amateur categories.

The organisers offer different distances for runners from 5km to a full marathon of 42.195km.

All 18 members of the long-distance group of the national squad will run along with their coaches.

According to coach Nguyen Van Sy, the Tiền Phong Marathon is one of the three biggest races of the year for his athletes.

It is a baseline that coaches will rely on to select key runners for the regional Games in the winter in Hanoi.

His athletes, now running for their cities and provinces, have prepared for the races for months and are expected to secure up to six titles in the total eight categories for professionals.

The men’s 42km will see a competitive race between defending champion Hoang Nguyen Thanh of Binh Phuoc, and his two runners-up Le Van Tuan of Binh Duong and Le Tan Hi of Lam Dong.

Another threat is Trinh Quoc Luong of the Military team, who won the Marathon Hanoi Midnight in mid-December. With his national best time of 2hr 27.21min made in the 2020 season, he has been called up to the national team for the SEA Games.

Another runner is former champion Bui The Anh also of the Military. Anh took part in two SEA Games in 2015 and 2017 and won the Hau Giang Marathon last November.

The women’s competition will see SEA Games bronze medal Pham Thi Hong Le of Binh Dinh try to take her title back from Hoang Thi Ngoc Hoa from Binh Phuoc. Meanwhile, rising star Leo Thi Tinh of Son La who placed third last year is expected to improve her ranking this time. There are only six runners in this category.

In the 21km event, defending champion Nguyen Van Lai of the Military hopes to win his third title.

“It is the first time I will run in Gia Lai. The weather here is better than it was in Ly Son (last year) but the hilly terrain will bring more challenges to runners,” Lai said.

He will face Nguyen Trung Cuong of Ha Tinh who won 3,000m steeplechase silver at the Manila SEA Games and a title in the 10km race for young athletes at this competition in 2019.

On the women’s side, Pham Thi Thuy Hanh of Ha Nam will not attempt to defend her crown, giving opportunities to Nong Thi Huong of Dak Lak and Nguyen Thi Thuy Duong from Dong Nai to shine after their second and third-placed finishes last year.

Other title favourites are Do Quoc Luat of the Military who will aim for his seventh 10km triumph in a row and Nguyen Thi Oanh of Bac Giang for her fifth consecutive victory in the women’s 5km.

“Tien Phong Marathon welcomes new athletes every year. They are talented and unpredicted, so I can’t look down on anyone. I have worked hard and will run my best,” said Oanh.

Amateurs’ international dreams

This edition will be the first time amateur runners’ results at the Tien Phong Marathon make them eligible to represent Vietnam at international competitions.

“Based on their time in tournaments managed by the Vietnam Athletics Federation, we will pick them as Vietnamese representative in Asian events,” said Nguyen Manh Hung, the federation’s general secretary.

“Running is blooming strongly in Vietnam. Amateur runners’ results are better and approaching those of professional ones. Therefore, we plan to give them opportunities to perform at continental competitions.

“It will be honour and experience that no amateur has had before, carrying the national flag and competing against Asia’s leading runners,” Hung said.

The first event could be the Asian Marathon Championship in July in Thailand.

Hung also said the federation will choose the best 200 amateur marathoners, both male and female, to run at the coming SEA Games in Hanoi but they will be ineligible for medals.

“Per the rules, each participating country can send only two men and two women for the maximum 40 for the marathon (to compete for medals). However, in recent Games, there have been around 10 for this event because some countries did not join,” Hung said.

“We plan to have around 200 athletes who may run the same time with official athletes but will not compete for the top three positions. They will receive Finisher Medals from the organisers.”

He added that for the 31st SEA Games, the Tien Phong Marathon and VPBank Hanoi Marathon in October will be used to select athletes.

VNS

Employees of the Company for Vaccine and Biological Production No 1 work on a COVID-19 vaccine candidate

Level 3 represents a stable, well-functioning, and integrated regulatory system.

The ministry noted that the NRA assessment was conducted by using the Global Benchmarking Tool (GBT) of WHO to ensure the quality, safety, and effectiveness of vaccines.

The NRA of Vietnam was recognised to be well-functioning under the GBT in April 2015.

In 2018, WHO sent a team of international experts to Vietnam to re-assess this system basing on the updated GBT, which requires greater efforts to further complete NRAs, even those already recognised in 2015.

In the latest assessment, the NRA of Vietnam obtained Maturity Level 3 in eight of the nine vaccine regulating functions. Efforts are still being made to improve its maturity in terms of pharmaceuticals and other medical products.

The Health Ministry noted that the Vietnamese NRA has been maintained and developed over the past years to meet domestic vaccine demand, creating a prerequisite for this system to become a prestigious authority and export domestically made vaccines.

Vietnam is now capable of manufacturing 11 vaccines against 11 diseases (tuberculosis, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis, cholera, typhoid, measles, rubella, polio) for the national expanded immunisation programme, along with many other vaccines such as seasonal influenza, H5N1 and rotavirus.

The country also has four developersof COVID-19 vaccines, and two of them are conducting clinical trials so as to debut their vaccines in 2021./.

Vietnam climb one notch in latest FIFA rankings

The Vietnamese national men’s football team have risen one place up to 92nd position in the world, according to the latest rankings released by football’s global governing body FIFA.

Despite playing no international games over the past year due to COVID-19, Vietnam inched up one notch to 92nd due to some other national teams’ losses in FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers in recent times.

The global rankings show Vietnam top the Southeast Asia rankings and remain the 13th best team in Asia.

Thailand have climbed four places to 106th in the world and finished second in Southeast Asia .

Elsewhere in the region, the Philippines are ranked in 125th, while Myanmar and Malaysia are placed 139th and 153rd, respectively.

Furthermore, Singapore have kept hold of 159th spot, followed by Indonesia and Cambodia who are tied in 173rd and 174th places, Laos in 185th, Brunei in 189th, and Timor-Leste in 196th.

Topping the world rankings are Belgium, France, Brazil, England, and Portugal.

ABC to broadcast series promoting Vietnamese cuisine

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) will broadcast a 10-espisode series on discovering Vietnamese culture and people via its traditional cuisine starting April 11.

Hosted by Vietnamese Australian chef Luke Nguyen, the show will run at 8:30 pm every Sunday, featuring renowned dishes of localities across Vietnam.

Luke Nguyen has attached himself to the culinary career for over 30 years. He is renowned for a chain of restaurants worldwide like Red Lantern, Moi Moi by Luke Nguyen and Vietnam House. He judged the Master Chef Vietnam seasons 1 and 2 and was a special guest of chef Gordon Ramsay’s Great Escape programme and Master Chef Australia.

He was once the official food ambassador of Etihad Airways, being responsible for planning menus for the airline’s flights to and from Vietnam./.

No new COVID-19 infections documented on April 8 morning

Vietnam documented no new COVID-19 cases in the past 12 hours to 6:00 am on April 8, making the nation’s tally unchanged at 2,659, according to the Ministry of Health.

Of the total infections, 1,603 were domestically-transmitted cases, including 910 recorded since the latest outbreak hit the northern province of Hai Duong on January 27.

A total 36,971 people who came in close contact with COVID-19 patients or arrived from pandemic-hit areas are under quarantine nationwide, including 516 at hospitals, 20,830 at other quarantine sites, and 15,625 at home.

Among patients under treatment, 22 have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 once, 11 twice, and 17 thrice.

The Treatment Sub-committee under the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control reported that Vietnam has seen 2,429 recoveries so far.

The health ministry said that additional 1,198 Vietnamese got COVID-19 shots on April 7. As of 4:00 pm on the day, 55,151 frontline workers in 19 provinces and cities nationwide were vaccinated.

In a bid to live safely with the pandemic, people should 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)./.

Tat Thanh Cang, Le Van Phuoc expelled from Party

The Party Central Committee’s Secretariat on April 7 decided to expel Tat Thanh Cang, former member of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, and Le Huu Phuoc, member of Phu Yen province’s Party Committee and Secretary of the Party Civil Affairs Commitee of and Chief Justice of the People’s Court of Phu Yen, from the Party.

After considering the proposals of the Party Central Committee’s Inspection Commission, the Secretariat found that while performing his role as a member of the Party Central Committee and Permanent Deputy Secretary of the HCM City Party Committee, Cang committed serious violations of the principle of democratic centralism, working statutes, Party regulations and State laws, causing great damage and loss to the state budget.

Cang had been prosecuted by the city’s Investigation Police Agency for charges of “violating regulations on management and use of State assets, causing losses and wastefulness”.

Meanwhile, Phuoc, with his responsibility as a member of Phu Yen province’s Party Committee and Secretary of the Party Civil Affairs Commitee of and Chief Justice of the People’s Court of Phu Yen, infringed Party regulations as well as the principle of financial management, causing serious consequences. Phuoc was sentenced to 12 and a half years in prison for “Embezzlement” by the People’s Court of Da Nang city.

The two’s violations are serious, frustrating public opinion and badly affecting the prestige of the Party organisation, said the Secretariat./.

Hanoi turns down proposal on pavement business

The Hanoi Department of Transport has opposed the proposal to allow business activities on the pavements of five major streets in the city centre.

The move followed the proposal by Hoan Kiem District’s authorities on piloting business activities on Hai Ba Trung, Ly Thuong Kiet, Tran Hung Dao, Le Phung Hieu and Phung Hung streets for business activities from 6 am to 2 am of the next day.

According to Hoan Kiem District’s authorities, local streets are being encroached upon by unlicensed business activities. So the pilot of licensing business activities in some streets is aimed to deal with the problem as well as help attract more tourists.

However, in a document sent to the municipal People’s Committee, the Hanoi Department of Transport disagreed with the idea, saying that it was inappropriate based on current regulations, particularly the use of pavements for anything other than traffic purposes.

The streets listed have high traffic density, especially at rush hours. So, business services here are likely to worsen the traffic situation, the department stressed.

Voting of Vietnam’s top 10 ICT businesses 2021 launched

The Vietnam Software and IT Services Association (VINASA) launched voting for the annual top 10 leading Vietnamese information, communication and technology (ICT) firms in 2021 in a Hanoi event on April 7.

The programme aims to support the government’s goal of having 100,000 digital technology companies by 2030.

This year’s event will select the 10 best ICT companies in 17 categories, including e-government, smart city, logistics solutions, e-commerce, start-ups, information security, artificial intelligence of things (A-IoT), cloud computer services, blockchain, fintech, property technology (PropTech), education technology (EdTech) and medical technology (MedTech).

Candidate enterprises will be evaluated across seven criteria as followed financial indicators; human resources; products and services; technology and R&D capacity; leadership and business management; awards, titles and recognised achievements; and special assessment for each sector.

The evaluation process features three rounds – profile selection, presentation and verification, final voting. Judges will comprise leading experts in technology, finance, corporate governance, e-Commerce, Start-up and media.

Addressing the event, VINASA Vice Chairwoman and Secretary-General Nguyen Thi Thu Giang said given that digital transformation is in high demand in today’s context, the selection and introduction of reputable solution suppliers and capable partners will quickly connect firms and facilitate their effective cooperation.

This year, the voting categories are expanded with the honouring of leading companies in new sectors – Fintech, Proptech, EdTech, and MedTech, she said, adding that the move does not only keeps up with the latest trend but also helps seek solutions for real-life problems in certain fields.

The presentation round is scheduled on May 15 – 16. The announcement and award ceremony will take place on July 13, prior to the Vietnam ICT Summit 2021. ICT companies may register to join the programme on the website: top10ict.com.

The Top 10 Vietnam ICT businesses programme was launched in 2014.

The software and technology services industry has posted high growth over the last five years, expanding 26.1 percent in average annually.

Last year, the industry earned 120 billion USD in revenue. Of the figure, more than 6 billion USD was generated by software and digital content, twice as high as that in 2015./.

Vietnam, Malaysia seek to promote defence cooperation

The Defence Ministries of Vietnam and Malaysia should consider setting up suitable dialogue mechanisms, including defence policy dialogue at the deputy minister level and joint working group on defence cooperation, thus creating a foundation for practical collaboration activities, officers have suggested.

At their meeting in Hanoi on April 7, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of National Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien and newly-appointed Malaysian Defence Attaché in Vietnam Colonel Ahmad Jais bin Tasliman noted that due to impacts of COVID-19 pandemic, the two sides were not able to implement many military-defence cooperation activities in 2020.

They agreed that after the pandemic is controlled, the two nations will conduct cooperation activities in the fields of personnel training, air force, naval, coast guard, while completing and signing a new memorandum of understanding on bilateral defence cooperation.

Chien showed his delight at the fruitful cooperation between the armies of Vietnam and Malaysia over the years, especially in the areas of personnel training and navy, and at multilateral forums as well as ASEAN-led mechanisms.

For his part, Ahmad Jais pledged that in the new position, he will work hard to promote defence cooperation between the two countries./.

Cat Linh-Ha Dong urban railway to be put into commercial operation on Reunification Day

Hanoi’s Cat Linh-Ha Dong urban railway line, invested in by the Ministry of Transport, is expected to be put into commercial operation on the Reunification Day (April 30), a leader from the ministry has said.

Difficulties in the project have been basically dealt with while safety certification has been completed.

The ministry and relevant units previously checked and handed over the project to Hanoi authorities.

A 20-day trial began on December 12, 2020 for inspection purposes.

Vietnam Register granted registration certificates for 13 trains and related works in September last year.

During the first 15 days of operation, passengers can travel free of charge. Tickets will then cost 15,000 VND per trip.

The 13.5-km railway line, running from Cat Linh in Ba Dinh district to the suburban district of Ha Dong, cost approximately 868 million USD, two-thirds of which were loans from China.

It has a main elevated line of more than 13km, 12 stations, and 13 trains. Each train, whose designed speed is 80 km/h, has four carriages capable of carrying over 900 passengers./.

Hai Duong closes last temporary hospital for COVID-19 treatment

The temporary hospital for COVID-19 treatment No 3 in Hai Duong, the last of its kind in the northern province, was disbanded on April 7 now that the third major resurgence of the coronavirus has been brought under control.

Converted from a vocational training centre at the Sao Do University in Chi Linh city, the hospital began operations on February 26.

It provided treatment to 193 patients and its 21 remaining patients will be transferred to the province’s Hospital for Tropical Diseases for further treatment.

Hai Duong had recorded 726 COVID-19 cases as of April 7, including 685 recoveries and no fatalities.

Some 17,560 people had direct contact with confirmed cases and only four are still under quarantine at concentrated sites, according to the provincial centre for disease control./.

Vietnam’s new leadership makes headlines in Algeria

Algerian media has published extensive coverage of Vietnam’s new leadership as well as the country’s impressive economic achievements amid the adverse impact of COVID-19.

Prestigious newspapers and websites such as El-Moudjahid, Cresus, Reporters, La Patrie-news, Culture-Algerie, Reseau-international, and Algerie360 ran articles saying the newly-elected leaders have high prestige.

They also commended the socio-economic and diplomatic achievements Vietnam recorded during the 2016-2021 period, most notably the successful implementation of the dual goals of containing the pandemic and maintaining economic growth last year.

According to the articles, with his rich experience, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh is expected to help the Government overcome the existing difficulties and challenges to fulfil the strategic targets set for the next five years.

They also lauded Vietnam’s rising position in the international arena, especially it assuming the United Nations Security Council Presidency this month, adding that this is the second time the country has held the seat in the 2020-2021 tenure.

It presents a major opportunity for the country to contribute to peace, security, and prosperity in the region and the world in a more active, proactive, and responsible manner, the articles said.

While highlighting the traditional relations and friendship between Vietnam and Algeria, the articles also noted that many fields of endeavour are yet to match potential, especially in economy, trade, and investment.

The authors believe that the new Government in Vietnam will adopt suitable mechanisms and policies to further step up bilateral ties.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Algeria Nguyen Thanh Vinh said the articles contribute to promoting Vietnam’s image and raising understanding among Algerians, particularly young people, about the country as well as the bilateral relationship./.

Investment in transport key to Vietnam’s economic growth: US magazine

Vietnam is at a crossroads in its development and requires investment in its transportation network to sustain and expand its growth, said US-based Borgen Magazine in a recent article.

Per the article, titled “Developing Vietnam’s Transportation Infrastructure” published on April 6, since the 1986 economic reforms launched at the Communist Party of Vietnam’s (CPV) sixth national congress, Vietnam has experienced incredible economic growth. However, the country’s transportation infrastructure is still woefully behind many other developed economies.

Regarding the links between infrastructure development and economic activity, the article noted that improving travel networks will have a profound impact on Vietnam’s transportation infrastructure by increasing viable economic activity. It will better connect consumers with producers and decrease the transportation costs for moving products and resources by increasing the efficiency of transporting them.

Additionally, developing Vietnam’s transportation infrastructure directly affects those who suffer from poverty by better connecting areas with little economic opportunity to vital economic centres.

The article said the Vietnamese government has responded to this need by creating a nationwide connectivity project, the North-South Expressway. The 5 billion USD project covers the country at 2,109 kilometers of road, more than doubling the 1,000 Kilometers of current Vietnamese highways.

It added that the coming into effect of the local Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Law will strengthen the Vietnamese legal framework for PPP projects. The law aims at making private and foreign investment in Vietnam’s transportation infrastructure projects simpler, less risky and, therefore, more appealing, said the article./.

Vietnamese students win Your World Competition by British Council

Students from Thanh Xuan secondary school in Hanoi have been recognised for their efforts after producing a short view as part of the Your World Competition launched by the British Council.

This marks the first time Vietnam has participated in the event, with entries sent from 127 countries.

The award-winning entry features five students from Thanh Xuan secondary school who make a short live-action video as part of the Resilient Communities category. Most notably, their entry, titled the “COVID-19 epidemic” is a hot topic for this year’s competition.

The Your World” Competition is a flagship activity which is part of the Partner School Global Network (PSGN) programme.

All students aged between 14 and 17 who take UK qualifications, such as International GCSE and A Level, in PSGN schools were invited to participate in the sixth annual PSGN Your World Video Competition.

The event aims to create greater opportunities for students to make use of their creativity and connect with each other, while also providing a window into their unique lives, environments, and experiences.

The video which wins at country level will subsequently progress to the regional finals where a decision will be made to choose the global winner.

Int’l workshop spotlights Vietnam’s role in Asia-Europe partnership

International experts and scholars highly have valued Vietnam’s role and its contributions to connecting the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) with partner countries and regional organisations.

During an international workshop held by the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly (APE) in Moscow, Russia, on April 6, participants also praised Vietnam’s dynamic development and its role in linking projects and development initiatives to further promote the Asia – Europe partnership.

In his speech, APE General Secretary Andrei Belyaninov congratulated newly-elected Vietnamese leaders, noting that the Russian people have always followed Vietnam’s achievements with their sincerity and respect.

Belyaninov said Vietnam has become an “emerging tiger in Asia” with a rapidly growing economy and a large market, expressing his hope that Russia and Vietnam will jointly promote people-to-people diplomacy in the time to come.

Sharing this view, Minister in charge of Integration and Macroeconomics of the Eurasian Economic Commission Sergei Glazyev affirmed that Vietnam is actively participating in the regional integration process, and is a pioneer in establishing a free trade area with the Eurasian Economic Union.

He noted with delight that bilateral trade between Russia and Vietnam has been growing despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

For her part, President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO) Nguyen Phuong Nga briefed participants on Vietnam’s goals and visions set in the Resolution of the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV).

According to Nga, international solidarity and assistance was one of the factors that have helped Vietnam to gain successes in the cause of national construction and protection.

Participants also analysed the possibility to connect development projects and initiatives, as well as ways to further expand partnerships and people’s diplomacy within the Eurasian region.

In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency’s correspondent in Russia, Svetlana Smirnova, First Deputy Secretary General – Head of the General Secretariat of the APE, positively evaluated the results of the workshop, stressing that it opened an important direction for the cooperation between the APE and Vietnam.

She revealed that a festival of Eurasian nations will be organised in Vietnam in the coming time, which will cover a series of activities such as sport exchange, Eurasian business forum, and youth cooperation./.

South African newswire highlights Vietnam’s new leadership

“The Diplomatic Society” newswire of South Africa on April 6 carried an article on the newly-elected leaders of the Vietnamese Party and State.

In the article, founder and Editor-in-Chief of the newswire Kirtan Bhana said world leaders, heads of international organisations and regional bodies have congratulated and acknowledged the election of the Vietnamese leaders. Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue were confirmed in their leadership roles after the deliberations and consultations of the 13th National Party Congress which wrapped up in February 2021.

The author noted that the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress stated that the country will “focus on measures to basically complete the elements of a socialist-oriented market economy, better handling the relationship between the State, the market and society. Vietnam’s development achievements, recognised prestige and elevated status over the past five years have created circumstances to realise its true potential.”

The election of the Politburo, the Secretariat, and the General Secretary of the Party reflected the effectiveness of the preparatory personnel work, which screened out unqualified or undeserving people from the Party Central Committee while including people with morality, talent, and a good reputation.

General Secretary Trong was re-elected to a third term while former PM Phuc was elected as President allowing him to stay among the country’s top leaders, providing a continuity of policy implementation. Hue, former Minister of Finance and former Deputy PM, has been approved as NA Chairman completing the top four roles in the Government.

According to the author, PM Chinh and his Government will prioritise international relations and diplomacy. He cited Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son as saying that Vietnam’s astute and pragmatic international relations and diplomacy has significantly contributed to maintaining a peaceful, stable environment favourable for national development, as well as national security.

The article highlighted that recently, Vietnam has set up comprehensive partnership with five more countries and upgraded relations with two others to a strategic partnership, raising the total number of its strategic partners to 17 and comprehensive partners to 13, including all permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and ASEAN member nations. The conclusion of five free trade agreements (FTA) positions Vietnam at the centre of a network of 16 regional FTAs that will attract significant resources and investment to the country.

Son was quoted as saying that diplomacy has played a significant role in raising the country’s position, as reflected through its hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in 2017, the World Economic Forum on ASEAN in 2018, the 26th Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum in 2018, the summit between the US and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in 2019, its ASEAN and AIPA Chairmanship last year, and non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council for 2020-2021./.

3,000 athletes to join Ba Den Mountain Marathon

The first-ever version of the Ba Den Mountain Marathon is due to be held in Tay Ninh province from April 24 to April 25, drawing the participation of approximately 3,000 athletes.

Athletes participating in the event will compete for a total of 15 prizes worth VND120 million.

According to Nguyen Manh Hung, deputy chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, Tay Ninh province is in the process of launching several activities in an effort to stimulate tourism throughout the locality.

Despite facing complicated developments relating to the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), last year saw Tay Ninh province welcome over 2.2 million visitors. The majority of travelers went to Ba Den Mountain which is widely considered to be the most attractive destination in the province.

Hand, foot, mouth cases with severe complications on the rise

Hospitals in many localities have recorded a surge in hand, foot and mouth disease cases among children in the past month, with the number of patients in serious conditions increasing and at least one death linked to the disease.

HCM City has recorded a significant increase in the number of infected children.

Nguyễn Thị Kiều Dư, a mother of a three-year-old boy in District 4, said she noticed a rash with blisters on her child’s palms and mouth when she picked him up after school.

Dư thought he might have suffered an allergic reaction, but the child soon had a high fever, lost his appetite and more red, blister-like lesions appeared on his hands. She took the boy to the HCM City’s Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

“The doctors said my child had hand, foot, mouth disease and required him to be immediately hospitalised for treatment. He is now under special treatment,” she said.

Dr Dư Tuấn Quy, deputy head of the department, said about 25 infected children were being treated at the hospital daily, a figure four times higher than the previous month.

Most of the serious cases are positive for Enterovirus 71 (EV71), a type of virus causing easily transmitted infection and severe complications.

“The rise in the number of infected children should cause alarm, especially as students have gone back to school after the (COVID-19) pandemic,” he said.

The Children’s Hospital No2 has reported treating 40 infected children every day, and a third of them are in a serious condition.

As many as 14 cases are reported in the City Children’s Hospital at present. Notably, three children are in intensive care and on ventilators.

The city’s Centre for Disease Control estimates that as of March 15, more than 2,560 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease have been recorded, up 2.5 times from the same period in 2020.

Between March 8-11, there were 346 cases recorded among patients from all districts in the city.

The same situation has been occurring in the Central Highlands province of Đắk Lắk and central Khánh Hoà Province.

Đắk Lắk Province’s Centre of Disease Control reported 250 infections in the first three months of this year, mainly in Buôn Ma Thuột City, Buôn Hồ Town and Buôn Đôn District.

In Bình Định Province, a 19-month old baby died in mid-March with suspected hand, foot and mouth disease, two days after being taken to hospital.

In Khánh Hoà Province, 244 cases have been recorded in the same period in Nha Trang City, Khánh Sơn and Diên Khánh districts.

Dr Nguyễn Đông, director of Khánh Hoà Province’s Hospital for Tropical Diseases, said most of the patients were under five years old.

Many parents decided to treat their children at home instead of taking them to the hospital as they were concerned about the spread of COVID-19, which meant the children didn’t receive timely treatment, harming their health, he said.

The centres of disease control of the three localities have warned local health centres to work with the educational sector to prevent the outbreak of the disease at pre-schools.

Pre-schools are required to sterilise classrooms and toys regularly and report to local authorities when new hand, foot and mouth cases are found. Parents should be encouraged to take their children to the hospital if the children show symptoms of the disease.

Hand, foot, mouth disease is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by the Coxsackie virus (A16) and Enterovirus 71 (EV71). The viral illness commonly afflicts children aged under five and has no vaccine or specific treatment.

Campaign to be held for World Intellectual Property Day

An online campaign will be held to mark World Intellectual Property Day 2021 (April 26) themed “Intellectual property and small businesses: Taking big ideas to market”.

According to the Director of the Intellectual Property Office of Vietnam, the campaign will feature a wide range of activities to connect the community, media, schools, and enterprises, including a writing contest and online conferences and forums to provide information on intellectual property to businesses, artists, inventors, and the community.

Various documents will be promoted to introduce the important role of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the economy and how they can use their intellectual property rights to become stronger and improve their competitiveness and resilience.

Other activities include the building of a website providing information on intellectual property, affairs, videos, and Q&As on the subject. Social media users are encouraged to use the hashtag #worldipday to promote activities.

A photo contest will also be organised, along with talks introducing products of businesses, artists, and inventors and matters relating to intellectual property rights.

A number of specific events will also be held, targeting different groups, especially students./.

Various activities planned to celebrate 8th Vietnam Book Day

A series of activities will take place across the country to celebrate the eighth Vietnam Book Day.

An opening ceremony will be held on April 18 on Ho Chi Minh City’s book street, while a national online book festival will run from April 17 to May 15 at book365.vn.

HCM City’s book street will also host a symposium on the development of a reading culture amid digital transformation, and the launch of book collections on the implementation of the resolution from the 13th National Party Congress, HCM City, and digital transformation.

Book lovers can also join a fan meeting with prolific author Nguyen Nhat Anh.

Anh is one of only a few authors in the city to write for children, and has penned many contemporary classics, including “Kinh Van Hoa” (Kaleidoscope) and “Thang Quy Nho” (The Mischievous Boy), which are favourites of thousands of children and teenagers around the country.

Participants at the national online book festival will have the chance to discuss the development of a reading culture and gain an insight into digital transformation in the publishing industry, as well as how to access books in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Then Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc issued Decision No 284/QD-TTg on February 24, 2014, designating April 21 as Vietnam Book Day, in order to encourage a reading culture among the public./.

Opening ceremony of 2021 National Tourism Year slated for April 20

A highlight of the 2021 National Tourism Year will be the opening ceremony slated for April 20, which is expected to see the participation of about 2,000 guests and 7,600 local people and visitors, heard a press conference on the event held in the northern province of Ninh Binh on April 6.

The ceremony will take place at the national special heritage site of Hoa Lu ancient capital and be broadcast live.

It will promote the province’s cultural and historical values, resources, and tourism products, contributing to the recovery and development of tourism amid the adverse impact of COVID-19.

Speaking at the press conference, Director of the Ninh Binh Department of Tourism Bui Van Manh briefed participants of the hosting the 2021 National Tourism Year.

Events will take place throughout the year, with 11 major activities and 27 others hosted by Ninh Binh, while a hundred corresponding activities will be organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism along with 27 cities and provinces nationwide.

Located in the southern reaches of the Red River Delta, Ninh Binh is known for its wondrous natural scenery, with a labyrinth of waterways, mountains, and plains as well as cross-cultural influences from the north to the south and from the mountains to the plains and coastal areas. It is home to 1,821 relic areas, including 81 national relic sites and a world cultural and natural heritage site./.

Localities on full alert as hand-foot-mouth disease breaks out

The Ministry of Health (MoH) has issued an urgent dispatch detailing prevention and control measures for the hand-foot-mouth disease in an attempt to slow the spread of the disease as case numbers nationwide have increased by four times compared to the same period from last year.

Since the beginning of the year, a total of 17,451 infections have been reported nationwide, in addition to four deaths in the southern provinces of Kien Giang, An Giang and Long An.

The number of infections has quadrupled, warned the MoH adding the surge mainly occurred in the southern region, including Dong Nai, Long An, Dong Thap, An Giang and Ho Chi Minh City.

It is common for cases of the hand-foot-mouth disease to increase in numbers between April and May and between September and October. Indeed, children can be infected with the disease when their personal hygiene and environmental sanitation conditions are not maintained.

The MoH therefore urged localities to strengthen preventive measures this summer, including encouraging people, especially children, to wash hands with soap and keep the living environment clean.

Healthcare facilities were required to avoid disease cross-transmissions and limit the number of deaths.

Khanh Hoa aims to welcome 5 million tourists

Home to the famous beach city of Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa province’s tourism sector has set a goal of welcoming 5 million tourists this year, including 1.5 million foreign tourists, and earning over 760 million USD in revenue. With the tourism season now in high gear, the province is ready to reach its targets.

2020 was a turbulent year given the impact of COVID-19, and Khanh Hoa welcomed only 1.4 million tourists, or 19% of the plan, with foreign tourists standing at just 430,000, an 88% decline. This year, however, Khanh Hoa aims to welcome 1.5 million foreign tourists alone.

Khanh Hoa is working to attract both domestic and international tourists, including foreign workers, specialists, and diplomatic officials working in Vietnam. It will also launch promotional campaigns to show that it remains one of the safest destinations in the country./.

First Vietnam hospital awarded Diamond Status for stroke treatment

Ho Chi Minh City-based People’s Hospital 115 has become Vietnam’s first health facility to achieve Diamond Status certification for its stroke treatment, as issued by the World Stroke Organisation (WSO).

Thang said the Cerebrovascular Ward of the hospital has treated approximately 13,000 stroke patients. More importantly, the hospital has also been able to reduce the average length of stay for patients, going from 5.88 days in 2016 to 4.03 days in 2020. This reduction in treatment time for stroke patients has proved the hospital’s effective treatment procedures.

The WSO award is given to stroke centres worldwide which adopt strict requirements in terms of training, equipment, and the treatment of acute strokes, among other issues.

Entities, individuals working in autism come together in alliance

Vietnam Autism Alliance, a strategic partnership between organisations with expertise or interest in autism spectrum disorder in Việt Nam, has been set up to mark Autism Awareness month in April.

By bringing together organisations and individuals who are experts in fields related to autism support such as medicine, therapy, education, care, and technology, VAA hopes to foster awareness so that people with autism and their families can access timely and appropriate support.

Besides, organisations and individuals working in the field have a place to co-ordinate their efforts and collaborate to support people with autism.

The alliance includes Saigon Children’s Charity (saigonchildren), Vietnam Autism Network, Thanh Bùi of Education Embassy, experts from the Center for Creative Initiatives in Health and Population, National Special Education Center – Vietnam National Institute of Educational Sciences, Hanoi National University of Education, HCM City University of Education, Children’s Hospital 1, Gia Khang International Hospital, CMI International Hospital, Simba development team, and Monstar Lab, Đà Nẵng University of Medical Technology and Pharmacy, and SENIA Vietnam.

Saigonchildren launched www.tukylagi.com at the event to provide information about autism.

It also launched the 2021 ‘The Steps Challenge’ with the message “Step Up for Autism.”

The challenge calls on the community to take part in an online walking challenge to raise awareness of the autism spectrum disorder, with each registration contributing VNĐ130,000 (US$5.6) to activities supporting children with autism in disadvantaged circumstances including knowledge building for parents, training for practitioners and providing free early intervention therapy for children.

First launched in 2019 The Steps Challenge has gained widespread recognition in the community by encouraging people to be active.

In the last two years it accumulated over three million steps and raised over VNĐ1 billion ($43,360) for autism support and emergency support for children with autism affected by COVID-19.

Damien Roberts, director of saigonchildren, said: “Autism Spectrum Disorder in Việt Nam is still a relatively new issue for the majority of the public.

“With projects supporting children with autism and their families, we found that general support for autism is still quite fragmented, and a single organisation cannot undertake the issue by itself.

“It is essential to convene all of the parties working to improve research, pedagogy, therapy, intervention, and support in the field.” VNS

Rapper may miss concert after suffering injury falling off stage

Popular rapper Karik suffered an injury at a concert this past weekend and may be unable to perform his next gig this Saturday, according to his manager.

On Saturday, while performing at an event in Đà Nẵng, Karik tripped on a loudspeaker and fell from a stage with a height of about 1.6 metres.

In a video of the incident posted to YouTube, the rapper appeared seriously hurt and needed help to get back on stage.

The rapper continued performing the song Đêm nay không ngủ (Sleepless Night). However, he was limping and needed a security guard to support his movements on and off the stage.

The rapper flew to HCM City on Monday, but due to his painful and swollen legs, he was unable to walk on his own and had to sit in a wheelchair. Currently, the coach on the hit TV show Rap Việt is resting and monitoring his injury.

The rapper was seriously hurt after stumbled on a loudspeaker and fell from a stage with a height of about 1.6 metre. Screenshot from Vnews24h video on YouTube.

“Karik can’t walk by himself. This morning, the airport staff provided assistance, including a wheelchair on the plane. We are considering the situation, if today, Karik’s leg is less painful and swollen, we will take him to have an MRI scan,” Karik’s manager told zing.vn on Monday.

“Immediately after the incident, the security and the event crew intended to bring Karik to the hospital for a check-up.

“However, according to the agreement with the show, Karik had to perform two more songs. Because of that, he declined the offer and decided to complete the performance. Backstage, he collapsed in pain,” the manager added.

On the much-anticipated Rap Việt All-Star concert set to take place on Saturday in HCM City, the manager said Karik is undecided if he will perform.

At the airport, Karik shared a photo on his personal Facebook account showing him wearing a leg brace and sat in a wheelchair with the caption: “A new companion”. Many other rappers like Binz, Ricky Star and Only C have sent him good wishes.

Doctors reportedly diagnosed Karik with a ligament injury.

A strong return ahead for domestic beach holidays

Local travel firms have recently launched stimulus schemes to meet the increasing demand among holidaymakers for domestic beach vacations during the peak season this summer.

The majority of coastal localities have devised different plans in order to welcome the return of visitors following a hiatus caused by the emergence of COVID-19. National travel firms and other related businesses have also jointly launched promotional schemes, whilst many are offering additional services and running marketing campaigns.

Vung Tau Streetfood Week 2021 is set to be held with a wide selection of options for visitors ranging from high-class restaurants to street food stalls which will introduce numerous types of local cuisine. In addition, local five-star hotels and resorts will be offering huge discounts, with room rates costing from just VND700,000 per day.

The coastal city of Nha Trang is running a campaign titled “Nha Trang – a safe place” which will feature plenty of activities aimed at welcoming travelers. As part of efforts to boost domestic tourism, hotels and airlines have teamed up to provide discounts of between 50% and 70% for room and flight combo deals.

Elsewhere, Phu Quoc Island also represents a popular destination for holidaymakers this summer. Amid increasing demand for beach holidays, local airlines have been increasing flights to the so-called pearl island.

Moreover, Da Nang is planning to develop fresh products in an effort to attract more local visitors and incoming foreign travellers. The central city will also be making use of Bach Dang walking street, along with check-in spots on Nguyen Van Troi bridge, as the city is set to carry out night-time recreational services until 3 a.m. on a pilot basis.

According to the VNAT, the local tourism industry will continue to focus on the domestic market this year,  aiming to attract 80 million visitors.

Mexican newspapers highlight election of top Vietnamese leaders

El Universal and Voces del Periodista e-newspapers of Mexico have recently run an article on the elections of high-ranking leaders in Vietnam.

Newly-elected President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, who served as Prime Minister during the 2016-2021 tenure, is a politician with extensive experience, the article said, citing the effective implementation of macro management policies during his term.

Such policies have contributed to spurring the national economic growth, and accelerating Vietnam’s international integration through major multilateral agreements like the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

Therefore, Vietnam has been one of the few countries in the world that have posted positive economic growth (2.91 percent), according to the article.

It also lauded achievements recorded by the Government headed by PM Phuc in containing the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuring economic development.

Pham Minh Chinh, the new Government leader, had held many important positions and made significant contributions to national economic development, Party building and anti-corruption, the article continued.

The new leaders are expected to adopt sound orientations, decisions and policies in order to create great strides in socio-economic development in the next period, it said.

The article also stressed that the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Mexico are set to be further consolidated, enhanced and elevated to a new high./.

Book on Vietnam – US exchanges before 1946 debuts

A book on Vietnam – US exchanges prior to 1946 was introduced to the public at an event held by the Vietnam-US Society (VUS) in Hanoi on April 6.

The 260-page book consists of 45 stories on the relations between the two countries during 170 years from 1776 to 1946. The author is Nguyen Van Huynh, former Vietnamese Ambassador to Brazil for 2002 – 2006 and a current member of the VUS. Huynh is a veteran diplomat with nearly four decades working in external relations, including people-to-people exchanges with the US.

According to Huynh, he accepted the request to compile the book in late 2019 during a year-end meeting of the VUS that discussed activities to mark the 25th anniversary of Vietnam-US diplomatic ties and 75th founding anniversary of the society in 2020.

Speaking at the book launch, Bui Van Nghi, head of the Americas Department under the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations, said the book is a valuable supplement to the history of the Vietnam – US ties, particularly their people-to-people exchanges that remain unknown to many.

Nghi, also VUS Secretary General, hailed the publication’s significance at a time when the two countries have just marked the 25th anniversary of normalization of ties and the VUS celebrated its 75th founding anniversary./.

2021 National Environmental Report to focus on air quality

The 2021 National Environmental Report will focus on air quality and solutions to improve it.

The Việt Nam Environment Administration said air quality was selected as the focus for its 2021 report because the administration’s initial assessment showed air pollution in some big cities was at poor levels during 2016-20, impacting people’s health.

Per the assessment, the air quality in many localities nationwide has decreased since 2018, especially in Hà Nội and HCM City.

Air pollution in northern provinces, especially Hà Nội, had received a great deal of public attention, the administration said, adding that air pollution was a common issue in major cities in developing countries.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment on March 15 sent a document to the People’s Committee and the Natural Resources and Environment Departments of provinces and cities to ask them to provide information and data related to air quality to serve the compilation of the 2021 national environmental report.

The Natural Resources and Environment Departments of provinces and cities were told to send their air quality data to the ministry before June 31.

The departments were told to report data related to air quality in urban areas, rural areas, craft villages and industrial zones, the ministry said.

The report must show the areas with the most air pollution in each locality, the ministry said.

The report will evaluate the main sources of emissions, including thermal power plants, steel mills, cement plants, incinerators, vehicles and industrial production activities. It will also analyse and identify the causes of air pollution in each locality, the ministry said.

Additionally, the report will point out effective solutions to fix the air quality situation in each locality, the ministry said.

No publication date for the report has been set, though it is usually available a year after the start of the collection of data.

Danang vows to help all disadvantaged children

Danang City authorities targets to provide supports to 100% disadvantaged children in 2021.

This is a part of the Act for Children Programme during the 2021-2030 period. The aims include raising awareness about children protection among local authorities, families, and schools in order to create a better and safer environment for child development.

Many goals have been set up for the period. Including reducing the infant mortality rate to below 5.5%, providing soft skills and defence skills against abusive behaviours against 80% of children and knowledge about child protection to 70% of families with children.

The city has committed itself to helping 100% of disadvantaged children in Danang. The city authorities will also provide support to help disabled children access education and other services more easily. The city authorities vowed to help 100% children who have suffered from natural disasters and reduce the number of abused children.

Danang People’s Committee asked the Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs to work with other agencies to implement and monitor the programme. They must also report the results back regularly.

The people’s committees of districts and wards in the city were asked to develop a child protection plan in accordance with the situation in each locality.

Hundreds of pine trees poisoned in Dak Nong

Authorities in the central highlands province of Dak Nong are investigating a forest destruction case in which some 400 pine trees have just been poisoned and burned.

According to local authorities, many of the trees planted in 2020 in a forest managed by Quang Son Company in Dak-G’Long District were poisoned by herbicides before being burned down.

The burning of the forest occurred on March 27 which caused damage to about 3,000 square metres of the forest before the company was able to control the fire.

“Maybe someone did that to take forest land for farming,” the authorities said. “We are co-operating with the company to investigate the case.”

Many forest destruction cases have occurred recently in the area. Illegal loggers usually cut down or use chemicals to poison the trees and use petrol to burn them down.

A report from the forest protection agency in Dak Nong Province said that between 2010-2019, the forest area in two communes of Quang Son and Dak Ha reduced by 226 hectares including 32 hectares of pine trees being poisoned.

The agency noted that the situation was caused by lax management by local authorities and the support of some local officials.

Cho Ray Hospital becomes Int’l Society of Nephrology training centre

Cho Ray Hospital in HCM City has been selected as one of 21 regional training centres of the Belgium-based International Society of Nephrology (ISN).

The hospital will become a training centre in nephrology (the study of kidneys) over a five-year period to 2026, and that status will be maintained if it fulfils ISN’s criteria.

Cho Ray will provide in-depth specialised training to improve patient care in Vietnam and other countries in the region in the fields of general nephrology, hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and transplants.

Training activities will be in the form of hosting fellows and educational meetings and workshops on regionally relevant topics, and sharing knowledge and expertise via the ISN Educational Ambassadors of Continuing Medical Education programme, among others.

Alongside Cho Ray, other medical establishments selected in Oceania and Southeast Asia include Malaysia’s Hospital Kuala Lumpur and Thailand’s King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital in Bangkok.

ISN Regional Training Centres play a key role in ISN’s continuing efforts to establish and develop nephrology in developing countries./.

Vietnam attends ADSOM+ Working Group meeting

Lieut. Gen. Vu Chien Thang, Director of the Defence Ministry’s Foreign Relations Department, led a Vietnamese delegation to attend a meeting of the ASEAN Defence Senior Officials’ Meeting Plus Working Group (ADSOM+ WG) via videoconference on April 7.

The meeting was chaired by Deputy Permanent Secretary of Policy and Strategy at the Brunei Defence Ministry Haji Adi Ihram Bin Dato Paduka Haji Mahmud, and also attended by heads of ADSOM+ WG of other ASEAN member states and partner countries – Russia, China, the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand and India.

In his opening remarks, the Bruneian representative emphasised serious impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic that several countries are suffering, and highlighted the implementation of COVID-19 vaccinations which, he said, will make countries get closer to recovery in both regional and international levels.

With the main goal of continuing works of the ADSOM+ WG in February, he showed his hope that this meeting will be constructive and successful.

At the event, participants heard reports of ASEAN Defence Ministerial Meeting Plus (ADMM+) Working Groups on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, marine security, military medicine, anti-terrorism, peacekeeping, humanitarian mine action and cyber security.

They also exchanged views on a draft joint statement of the eighth ADMM+ and agreed on the dates and agendas of the ASEAN Defence Senior Officials’ Meeting Plus and the eighth ADMM+.

On this occasion, the Bruneian side also provided updates on relevant activities and events within the ADMM+ framework in 2021./.

Vietnam, US see fruitful cooperation in overcoming war aftermaths

The Vietnamese Office for Seeking Missing Persons (VNOSMP) held a ceremony to commemorate 16 victims (nine Vietnamese and seven Americans) of a helicopter accident that happened 20 years ago during activities of searching for US soldiers missing in action in Vietnam.

Addressing the event, Le Chi Dung, head of the Department of American Affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Director of VNOSMP highlighted that the Vietnamese martyrs’ sacrifice showed the traditional tolerance and humanity of the Vietnamese people.

It contributed to the development of the friendship between the two nations as well as bilateral partnership in surmounting bomb and mine consequences left from war in Vietnam, he said.

Dung also underlined the need to ensure utmost security and safety for all personnel engaging in the search for MIAs of both sides.

For his part, US Defense Attaché in Vietnam Thomas Stevenson showed his respect for Vietnamese martyrs and US soldiers who died in the accident, and extended his sympathy to families of the victims.

He commented that cooperation in MIA searching between Vietnam and the US have been implemented in a safe and effective manner, with new progresses.

He thanked the Vietnamese Government and people for their good will and humanitarian policy in seeking American MIAs./.

More congratulations flow in for Vietnamese leaders

Leaders of many countries have sent congratulations to newly-appointed leaders of the State, Government and National Assembly.

State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc received messages and letters of congratulations from Singaporean President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong; Indian President Nath Kovind; US President Joe Biden; and UAE President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid Maktoum and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Congratulations to the State leader also came from Mongolian President Khaltmaagiin Battulga; Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega Saavedra and Vice President Rosario Murillo; and Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tarik.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh received congratulatory messages and letters from Singaporean PM Lee Hsien Loong; Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha; Indian PM Narendra Modi; and Premier of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Tok Hun.

Congratulations were extended to National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue from Speaker of India’s House of Representatives Om Birla; Speaker of the Senate of Italy Maria Elisabetta Alberti Casellati; Chairman of the State Great Hural (Parliament) of Mongolia Gombojav Zandanshatar; and Speaker of the Palestinian National Council Saleem Al-Za’anoon./.

Dutch Consulate General holds photo exhibition in HCM City

A special exhibition named “Best of Three Years” was opened by the Consulate General of the Netherlands in Ho Chi Minh City on April 7, showcasing a selection of the best World Press Photo Contest winning images from 2018 to 2020.

In the past three years, the Netherlands-based World Press Photo received about 75,000 photos from 125 countries.

The winning photos have been collected and displayed at many places around the world.

Dutch Consul General in HCM City Carel Richter thanked the municipal People’s Committee for its support for the organisation of the exhibition.

This is an activity in celebration of the fine friendship between the Netherlands and Ho Chi Minh City, he stated, adding that several winning photos features cooperation between his country with Vietnam in general and Ho Chi Minh City in particular, especially in circular economy water management, food safety and sports.

The exhibition will be open for free until April 16 at Le Van Tam Park on Hai Ba Trung street of District 1./.

Opening round of national billiards and snooker tournament concludes

An awards ceremony for the first round of the one-cushion carom billiards event of the national billiards and snooker tournament was held in Vung Tau city on April 6.

The sporting occasion attracted the participation of 400 athletes from across the country. After four days of competitions, Vo Phuoc Thanh of Ho Chi Minh City and Tran Phu My of Da Nang city progressed to the final round.

Phuoc Thanh easily defeated Phu My 80-13, becoming the winner of the one-cushion carom billiards.

The two third-place prizes were given to Tran Duc Minh of Dong Nai province and Le Quoc Vinh Quang of Ho Chi Minh City.

The winners will now qualify for the final round of the national billiards and snooker tournament which is scheduled to take place in June.

MIA helicopter crash commemorated in Quang Binh

A ceremony was held in the central province of Quang Binh on April 7 to commemorate Vietnamese and US officials who died in a helicopter accident 10 years ago while on a mission to search for US servicemen missing from the war.

A ceremony was held in the central province of Quang Binh on April 7 to commemorate Vietnamese and US officials who died in a helicopter accident 10 years ago while on a mission to search for US servicemen missing from the war.

The ceremony was jointly held by the Vietnam Office for Seeking Missing Personnel (VNOSMP) and the US Joint Prisoners of War (POW), Missing in Actions (MIA) Accounting Command (JPAC).

Present at the ceremony on the Vietnamese side were Deputy Foreign Minister and appointed Ambassador to the US Nguyen Quoc Cuong, VNOSMP Management Board and leaders of Quang Binh province while the US guests included Deputy Assistant Secretary Defence for POW/MIA Robert Newberry and JPAC leaders.

On April 7, 2001, a helicopter of the Northern Service Flight Company carrying two Vietnamese officials of VNOSMP and seven Americans of JPAC was crashed in Thanh Trach commune, Bo Trach district.

All nine passengers and seven crew members were killed in the accident.

Addressing the ceremony, representatives of VNOSMP and JPAC expressed their sympathy to the bereaved, affirming the contributions of the late officials to the joint humanitarian programme conducted by the Vietnamese and US governments.

Representative of the US government thanked the Vietnamese government and people for their goodwill, humanitarian policy and efficient cooperation in helping the US settle the MIA issue.

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

A contest for Vietnamese citizens all over the world to study current regulations on elections of deputies to the National Assembly and People’s Councils will go online from 0:00 on April 1 to 24:00 on April 30.

The event, to be held by the Ministry of Justice in collaboration with the National Assembly Office, is part of the activities in response to the upcoming election slated for May 23.

Besides, it aims to raise public awareness of the significance of the elections, while promoting IT application into law popularisation and education.

The contest focuses on the Law on Election of Deputies to the National Assembly and Deputies to People’s Councils in 2015, several regulations under the 2013 Constitution, Law on Organisation of the National Assembly, and Law on the Organisation of Local Governments.

Contestants should access to https://thitimhieuphapluat.moj.gov.vn, the Ministry of Justice’s portal, the National Election Council’s portal, the Vietnam National Assembly Television’s website, Dai Bieu Nhan dan e-newspaper, and Vietnam law e-newspaper to answer 20 questions.

Each contestant is allowed to do the test three times to improve the results.

Excellent contestants will receive certificates and gifts from the organising board, with one first prize worth 6 million VND (261 USD), five second prizes each worth 3 million VND, 10 third prizes each worth 2 million VND, and 20 consolidation prizes each worth 1 million VND./.

Vietnam records three imported COVID-19 cases on March 22 evening

Vietnam saw three imported COVID-19 case in the past 12 hours to 6pm of March 22, raising the national count at 2,575, according to the Health Ministry.

Of the total patients, 1,601 were locally transmitted cases, including 908 since January 27.

Also on the same day, 36 more patients were given the all-clear, raising the total number of recoveries to date to 2,234.

Meanwhile, 37,754 people are being quarantined nationwide, with 490 at hospitals, 18,620 at concentrated quarantine facilities and 18,644 at their accommodations.

The Ministry of Health advised people, included those who have been injected with COVID-19 vaccine, to continue preventive measures, including the “5K message” (in Vietnamese) – Khau trang (facemask) – (Khu khuan) disinfection – (Khoang cach) distance – (Khong tu tap) no gathering – (Khai bao y te) health declaration./.

No new COVID-19 cases reported on March 22 morning

Vietnam saw no new COVID-19 case in the past 12 hours to 6am of March 22, keeping the national count at 2,572, including 2,198 recoveries, according to the Health Ministry.

So far, 10 localities have experienced at least 36 days without any new local infections, namely Hoa Binh, Dien Bien, Ha Giang, Binh Duong, Hung Yen, Bac Giang, Gia Lai, Bac Ninh, Quang Ninh and HCM City.

Hanoi has also been through 33 days of no new domestically-transmitted COVID-19 infections, while Hai Duong, the largest hotspot in the latest wave of COVID-19, three days.

Among the patients still under treatment, 37 have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 once, 18 twice and 63 thrice. Death toll remains at 35.

Meanwhile, 37,174 people are being quarantined nationwide, with 490 at hospitals, 17,990 at concentrated quarantine facilities and 18,694 at their accommodations.

According to the National Expanded Programme on Immunization, as of 4pm of March 21, an additional 1,530 people had received COVID-19 vaccine, raising the total number of vaccinated people to 33,981.

The Ministry of Health advised people, included those who have been injected with COVID-19 vaccine, to continue preventive measures, including the “5K message” (in Vietnamese) – Khau trang (facemask)- (Khu khuan) disinfection- (Khoang cach) distance- (Khong tu tap) no gathering – (Khai bao y te) health declaration.

As the pandemic situation eases, as from 0:00 of March 22, the northern province of Quang Ninh had lifted all COVID-19 checkpoints and re-opened all business activities. As of March 21, the province has gone through 40 days without any new local COVID-19 infections./.

About 4,000 liters of diesel oil pumped out of sunken ship in Mui Ne

About 4,000 liters of diesel oil has been pumped out of the sunken ship carrying 1,500 metric tons of fly ash in the waters off Mui Ne in the South-Central Province of Binh Thuan.

A representative of Truong Tam Maritime Company today said that the company and related competent agencies made concerted efforts to pump nearly 4,000 liters of diesel oil mixed with water out of the wrecked ship safely. The operation was a race against time in 15 minutes.

As media released, the Bach Dang ship, with a capacity of 2,500 metric tons, with seven sailors aboard capsized and sank on its way to carry the fly ash from Vinh Tan 2 thermal power plant in the province to the Southern Province of Dong Nai.

Luckily, all of the sailors were rescued and 4,000 liters of diesel oil remained in the ship’s fuel tank when it capsized. The ship has since been lying upside down on the sea, with neither oil spill nor fly ash spreading.

Foreigner knocks down power poles causing massive blackout in Thu Duc City

The foreign man who knocked down four power poles causing a massive blackout in newly-established Thu Duc City’s Thao Dien Ward confessed that he fell asleep while driving.

The accident left hundreds of households in the ward without power.

Police yesterday announced to be investigating the crash, which could lead to charges for the driver.

He crashed and knocked down many electricity poles resulting in power blackout.

At the local police station, he promised to offer compensation. However, police officers said that in addition to compensation, the driver will face an administrative fine.

As Sai Gon Giai Phong Newspaper released yesterday, a 7-seater sedan ploughed into pedestrians on a pavement and then knocked down four power poles. Luckily, no injuries were reported but the vehicle was seriously damaged and 122 households experienced power cut.

Police quickly arrived at the scene and cordoned off the area as well as asked witnesses for their investigation.

Vietnamese citizens hit by pandemic in Cambodia receive support

Food transported to Vietnamese expats in Kandal province.

Vietnamese expatriates in Cambodia’s Kandal and Prey Veng, who are facing tough challenges during COVID-19 quarantine, received food assistance from the Vietnamese Embassy and Khmer-Vietnam Association in the host country on March 19 and 20.

According to the embassy, markets and essentials services have been available for locals since the first COVID-19 cases were detected in the two provinces.

Livelihoods of the Vietnamese under quarantine have been stabilised gradually, it said.

On March 20, the Khmer-Vietnam Association in Kandal province received and presented 500 gifts, including rice and noodles, to Vietnamese-Cambodian families in Luek Daek, Mukh Kamphool, Lvea Aem, Kien Svay and Ponhea Lueu districts. The gifts were donated by the Associations of Friendship Organisations in Dong Thap province and Tan Chau town in An Giang province, and several Vietnamese philanthropists.

One day earlier, the association in Prey Veng province distributed rice and noodle to 408 Vietnamese households in Prek Sai Kho commune, and presented gifts to 135 Khmer families affected by the pandemic through the local authorities./.

61 laborers illegally enter Vietnam to escape Covid-19 pandemic in Cambodia

Sixty-one Vietnamese laborers illegally entered the country to escape the Covid-19 pandemic in Cambodia, said colonel Nguyen Thuong Le, Head of the border guard station in the Mekong Delta Province of An Giang on March 21.

Border guards in the international border gate Tinh Bien in An Giang Province discovered 61 illicit immigrants including eight children, quarantining them in centralized wards to prevent Covid-19 spread as per the present regulation.

According to police’s primary identification, all of these immigrants are Cham ethnic minority people  who are permanent residents in An Phu District in An Giang Province. They came to Cambodia for working in one year. However, due to complicated Covid-19 outbreaks in Cambodia lately, they tried to return to An Giang Province.

They will receive punishment for illegal immigration.

Nurturing Vietnam-Laos special solidarity

The Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee sent a letter of greetings to the Central Committee of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) on the occasion of the Lao Party’s 66th founding anniversary (March 22, 1955-2021).

In the message, the CPV Central Committee wrote the Vietnamese Party and people are delighted at great achievements gained by the Lao Party and people in the past struggle for national liberation and the current renewal, and national building and safeguarding.

Vietnam believes that under the leadership of the LPRP, Laos will gain new and greater achievements in its renewal process, successfully implement targets set out in its 11th National Party Committee’s Resolution, and successfully build a socialist-oriented State of peace, independence, democracy, unification and prosperity, wrote the letter.

The Vietnam-Laos great friendship, special solidarity and all-round cooperation, nurtured and developed by late Presidents Ho Chi Minh and Kaysone Phomvihane and generations of the two countries’ leaders and peoples, have been continuously consolidated and deepened in all fields, thus contributing practically to each country’s renewal, and national building and safeguarding, it said.

The Vietnamese Party, State and people always treasure and bear in mind the great, valuable and effective support of the Lao Party, State and people, and will do their utmost to, together with the Lao side, maintain, protect and develop the bilateral special solidarity, for the interests of the two peoples, and for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world, wrote the letter.

On this occasion, Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong sent flowers to Lao Party General Secretary and Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, and the Vietnamese Party Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations sent a message to its Lao counterpart./.

Tien Giang focuses on administrative reform

The Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang is focusing all resources on speeding up the reform of administrative procedures and expanding the use of information technology (IT), which has effectively contributed to fostering local socio-economic development.

According to assessments from the provincial People’s Committee, administrative reform has been carried out effectively by all local departments and sectors.

The year 2020 was also the fourth year Tien Giang implemented a project on “Application of information technology in State offices”. All local offices have used software to receive and handle documents, and applied the province’s “single window” software to receive, handle, and return documents.

To better serve locals and businesses, the provincial People’s Committee has asked leaders of units and localities to continue stepping up administrative reform and IT application at State offices, which are considered important solutions to realize three breakthrough missions set out in the resolution of the 11th provincial Party Congress.

The resolution requires that the top leaders of offices and units must play the leading role in the work.

Besides, the province will continue revising legal documents and administrative procedures to ensure their legality and feasibility./.

Vietnam records no new COVID-19 in March 21 afternoon

Vietnam had no new COVID-19 cases to report in the past 12 hours to 6pm March 21, according to the Health Ministry.

This keeps the national count at 2,572, and the death toll remains at 35.

As of March 21, 2,198 patients have been given the all-clear. The death toll remains at 35.

Among the patients still under treatment, 37 have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 once, 18 twice and 63 thrice.

Meanwhile, 37,174 people are being quarantined nationwide, with 490 at hospitals, 17,990 at concentrated quarantine facilities and 18,694 at their accommodations.

Metro Line No1 in HCM City likely to be completed after 2021

Metro Line No1 in HCM City likely to be completed after 2021. Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)

The completion of Metro Line No1 project in Ho Chi Minh City linking Ben Thanh Market in District 1 with Suoi Tien Tourist Park in District 9 is likely to be delayed to after 2021, the municipal Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR) has stated.

According to a recent report of the MAUR on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on urban railway projects in the city, NJPT Association, the general consultant for the project, has repeatedly informed the investor about the impact, which may delay the construction and installation packages from 4-6 months and the package of equipment from 6 – 8 months.

Only 82 percent of the construction work was completed in 2020 due to effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, 3 percent lower than the set plan. The reason behind the delay is that foreign experts could not arrive in Vietnam for working, the MAUR noted.

The 2.05- billion-USD Metro Line No 1 is the first of at least six to be built in the city and aims to ease traffic congestion in its north-eastern gateway.

Including four major bidding packages using official development assistance (ODA) and funds from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the project is designed to have 14 stations, three of them underground.

There will be 17 three-carriage trains plying the route, running at a maximum speed of 110 km/h above ground and 80 km/h below ground./.

Visitors book tours to southern resorts for upcoming holiday

Recent days has seen the representatives of many domestic travel agencies busy arranging a large number of tours to famous sites throughout the southern region, including Phu Quoc island ahead of the April 30 and May 1 holiday, a positive indicator for the recovery of the domestic tourism industry.

Tourists need only to spend between 36.9 – 65.2 USD, on staying one night at a luxury accommodation, meaning that they are fully booked these days.

Along with lodging establishments enjoying a boost in business, travel agencies have also seen an increasing number of tourists in recent times. Phu Quoc island, Con Dao, Quy Nhon, and Da Nang are among the most popular holiday destinations at present.

A combo deal including air tickets, hotels, and breakfast would serve to attract customers. Tourists often gather in groups of families and friends at weekends, with a tendency to travel to places which are far from city centres and have few guests, large green space./.

HCMC to stabilize tuition fee in non-public schools

The education sector in Ho Chi Minh City will recheck and stabilize tuition fee in non-public preschools and high schools in 2021.

The Department of Education and Training organized a meeting to review its planning – financing mission in 2020 and implementation of new tasks for 2021.

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Head of the Division of Planning – Financing Mai Phuong Lien said that to attain the goal of 300 classrooms per 10,000 population in the age of three to 18 as per the resolution of the tenth Congress of the Communist Party of Ho Chi Minh City, local administrations in 21 districts and Thu Duc City must devise  their public investment plan for the 2016-2020 period with 832 projects to build 15,940 classrooms with a total cost of nearly VND70 trillion (over US$3 billion).

As of December, 2020, the city education sector has so far built 292 classrooms per 10,000 population in the school age , achieving 57.84 percent of the year’s plan.

In 2020 alone, the city had 90 projects to build 1,371 classrooms totaling VND4,575 billion. Specifically, the city has built additional 429 , 381, 357 and 116 classrooms for primary schools, preschools, junior high schools and senior high schools respectively.

According to the Department of Education and Training’s statistics, the spending for school construction in 2020 increased by 4.66 percent compared to 2019. As scheduled, total spending for repairing facilities and purchase of equipment in 2021 for schools will be nearly VND190 trillion.

The Department said that the private schools developed without strategy; as a result, school system in the city has ensure its plan.

When it comes to construction of public schools, the progress of upgrade and building of schools has fallen behind the plan and the proportion of national-level schools is still low.

This year, the city will issue decision on appropriate tuition fee and complete financing mechanism in a bid to build advanced schools to keep pace with other nations in the Asian region and in the world.

Quang Hai voted as best midfielder in AFC Cup history

As the nation’s star player in midfield, local footballer Quang Hai has received the most votes in a poll among fans to find the best midfielder in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup’s history.

The talented Vietnamese playmaker finds himself in first place for the best midfielder award after gaining 60.01% of the overall votes.

Coming in behind the Vietnamese midfield maestro, Hasan Abdel-Fattah of Jordan ranked in second place with 21.76% of the vote, followed by Safiq Rahim of Malaysia with 11.04%.

The poll was organised by the AFC and ran from March 12 to March 18.

“Nguyen Quang Hai has already left a significant mark on the AFC Cup, particularly in his exceptional 2019 campaign,” the AFC’s wrote on their website.

“The then 22-year-old was simply devastating throughout the tournament, setting up a hatful of goals in the group stage and scoring two screamers in the Inter-zone play-off semi-final against Altyn Asyr, with only an away goals defeat to 4.25 SC preventing Hanoi from becoming the first Vietnamese club to reach the final. Quang Hai is scheduled to return to the AFC Cup in 2021,” it added.

This year is set to see the return of Quang Hai to the competition due to his club side Hanoi FC qualifying for the 2021 version of the continental tournament.

Hanoi FC have been drawn in Group G alongside Boeung Ket Angkor FC of Cambodia, Bali United FC of Indonesia, and the winner of an upcoming play-off match.

HCM City: Pandemic-hit workers to receive free vocational training

Workers in Ho Chi Minh City who were laid off or had their hours cut as a result of COVID-19 will have the opportunity to attend free vocational training courses under a new programme initiative, according to Vice Chairman of the municipal Federation of Labour Pham Chi Tam.

Jointly launched by the city’s Federation of Labour and the Cao Thang Technical College, the programme aims to help affected workers make a career shift, improve their professional skills, and seek new employment.

Courses will be held from April 1 to June 30 on weekday evenings and weekends.

Tam said courses will be offered on 24 simple professions in seven industries: information technology, heat engineering and refrigeration technology, mechanics, electricity, electronics, transportation mechanical engineering, economics, and foreign languages.

Not only are the courses free, they will also enable trainees to practice on advanced equipment, he noted, adding that they will even be paid for apprenticeships at companies and receive certificates of completion.

Each person is allowed to attend a maximum of two courses./.

HCM City posts solid performance in Overseas Vietnamese affairs

The Ho Chi Minh City Committee for Overseas Vietnamese (OV) Affairs must continue to perform well in implementing State management over OVs in the city, giving advice on caring for poor Vietnamese abroad and connecting city leaders and OVs, and strengthening communications on Party and State policies and laws among the community, a city leader has said.

Addressing a conference to kick-start the committee’s tasks in 2021, Vice Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee Duong Anh Duc said the committee and the OV community made major contributions in 2020 to the city’s success in implementing the “twin targets” of combating COVID-19 and boosting economic development.

He noted that the city’s gross regional domestic product (GRDP) grew 1.39 percent during the year, while exports hit 43.8 billion USD, up 3.1 percent year-on-year.

It granted licences to 950 foreign-invested projects worth 4.36 billion USD, he noted, adding that remittances last year reached 6.1 billion USD, a 15 percent increase against 2019.

He asked the committee to continue reforming operational content and methods, focusing on the city’s 2021 motto of building urban administration and improving the investment environment, while continuing to give advice to city leaders on the gathering of ideas from OVs regarding digital transformation, digital economy, and other programmes of the city.

Speaking at the event, Ambassador Luong Thanh Nghi hailed the success of the city’s Committee for OV Affairs in 2020 and underlined the potential the OV community holds as well as their aspirations to contribute to national construction, defence, and development.

He said he hopes that the committee will continue to promote its achievements, supporting the Vietnamese community abroard in maintaining traditional cultural activities and strengthening their connectivity to help them make more contributions to the development of the city and the country as a whole in the current period.

In 2021, the committee aims to continue expanding activities for the community, including organising exchanges and get-together programmes as well as other events to gather their ideas on the city’s development.

On the occasion, the city’s committee presented Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Certificates of Merit to Vo Thanh Chat, Vice Chairman of the HCM City Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs, and a number of collectives and individuals showing outstanding performance in people diplomacy./.

Forest God worship ritual recognised as intangible cultural heritage

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has officially recognised the Forest God worship ritual carried out by the Mong ethnic people of Si Ma Cai district in the northern province of Lao Cai as part of national intangible cultural heritage.

The tradition typically takes place in February and June each year in accordance with the lunar calendar.

Through the Forest God worship ritual, the Mong ethnic community prays for good weather, a good harvest for a new crop, wealth, and solidarity.

The ritual also helps to educate local people about the need for greater environmental protection and to love both nature and the motherland.

Thanks to the practice, many forests of the Mong ethnic people throughout Si Ma Cai district remain intact.

Hanoi vows to make SEA Games, ASEAN Para Games 2021 a success

The administration of Hanoi remains highly determined to successfully host the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games and the 11th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Para Games later this year.

This statement was made by Chu Xuan Dzung, vice chairman of the local administration, during a meeting held on March 18 in Hanoi with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

He noted that the hosting of such an important regional sporting event is an honour for the capital, adding that the city is establishing various sub-committees and devising organizational plans to ensure the event will be a great success.

Due to fears relating to the potential spread of COVID-19, detailed plans must be carefully prepared, including the organisation of both the opening and closing ceremonies, the arrival of participating teams, and the accommodation of foreign athletes, said Dzung.

Improvements to eight sporting venues which will host various events in the competition will also get underway across Hanoi, with work set to be completed before June ahead of the games, according to Tran Thi Van Anh, deputy director of Hanoi’s Department of Culture and Sports.

The 31st SEA Games is scheduled to be held between November 21 and December 2 and will feature 40 sports which will take place across Hanoi and 11 neighbouring localities.

The 11th ASEAN Para Games will run from December 17 to December 23 with 11 sports being held in Hanoi.

Expert discusses Lee Nguyen’s slow start in V.League 1

Despite making a big splash with major signings including former US national team player Lee Nguyễn, HCM City FC have had a poor start to the V.League 1 season.

The team currently sit 10th in the table with three points in three matches and perhaps most concerning is star player Nguyễn’s struggles in his two matches.

“First, his stamina is not ensured and this is a critical issue,” football pundit Vũ Mạnh Hải told thethao247.vn.

“After quarantine, his training was not fully complete, so on the pitch, he could neither move much not nor show any skill.

“If the fitness is not there, it will lead to poor technical play and work rate. That’s why Lee Nguyễn has underperformed,” Hải said.

According to Hải, the development of the V.League 1 is also another reason why the 35 is facing difficulties.

“Although he used to play football in Việt Nam, that was a long time ago. When he returned, the Vietnamese players’ expertise has improved a lot so when being pressed, he will face many challenges.

“Overall, I think age has affected him a lot because Lee is already 35. He is not weak yet, but his physical ability has been decreasing. Without good preparation and training, along with lifestyle problems, it’s tough for him to perform his best.

“That’s why fans are very disappointed after watching the former MLS star’s performance at the beginning of the season,” He added.

City’s only victory was the match against Hồng Lĩnh Hà Tĩnh at home at Thống Nhất Stadium on January 24.

They face huge tests over the coming days, with the HCM City derby today against Sai Gon FC and a match with heavyweights Ha Noi FC on Tuesday.

The two blockbuster matches are a chance for Lee Nguyễn to show his quality and prove the early-season struggles are nothing to be concerned about, or they could mark an early end to HCM City’s title ambitions.

Bruno Cunha brace leads Hanoi to win over Thanh Hoa

Hà Nội FC made it two wins from their last two on Thursday night against Thanh Hóa, with a 3-2 win going some way to dispelling concerns about their early season struggles.

The country’s most successful team in recent years had started the season in January in an abysmal form with two losses, but the COVID-19 pandemic-imposed mid-season break seems to have done wonders for them with wins over Hải Phòng and now Thanh Hóa since football restarted earlier this month.

Bruno Cunha celebrates one of his goals against Thanh Hóa. — Photo thethaovanhoa.vn

Three minutes in Thanh Hóa goalkeeper Nguyễn Thanh Điệp spilled Nguyễn Văn Quyết’s tame shot straight into Ngân Văn Đại’s path, and the forward made no mistake from point-blank range for his second goal in two games.

A mere three minutes later the lead was doubled as Brazilian forward Bruno Caunha lashed in his first goal for Hà Nội when Đỗ Hùng Dũng laid the ball off after a goalmouth scramble.

Rather than let their heads drop Thanh Hóa dug deep and played some good football which was rewarded with a goal in the 35th minute, veteran striker and captain Hoàng Vũ Samson prodding home from a yard out after Hà Nội made of mess of defending a corner.

Curiously, Thanh Hóa coach Ljupko Petrovic substituted Gramoz Kurtaj at half-time, despite the midfielder putting in a composed performance.

Nevertheless, Petrovic’s men could have equalised in the 53rd minute when Nguyễn Văn Vinh got on the end of a free-kick on the edge of the six-yard box, but the defender’s header went just wide.

Hà Nội punished the away side’s profligacy 10 minutes later when Cunha netted his second by heading home Trần Văn Kiên’s deep cross from the right at the back post.

Thanh Hóa kept fighting right until the end and pulled another goal back in the 90th minute through Hoàng Đình Tùng, however it was too little too late and Hà Nội held on to secure all three points.

While the visitors and their vocal support will feel unlucky not to have come away with something from the game, Hà Nội showed part of why they’ve been so formidable in recent years, as despite failing to hit top gear they ground out three points.

In Thursday’s other match, Sông Lam Nghệ An defeated Quảng Ninh 1-0. On Friday evening, Bình Định take on SHB Đà Nẵng, Nam Định face champions Viettel and HCM City FC face local rivals Sài Gòn FC.

Bat Trang craft village centre nearly complete

The Centre for Quintessence of Vietnamese Craft Village in the Bat Trang Ceramic Village is being completed in Hanoi to showcase craft village products.

The centre has been built since 2018 and designed by architect Hoang Thuc Hao. The complex covers 3,700 square metres and cost VND150bn (USD6.5m). It is expected to be opened in June to showcase the products of Vietnamese craft villages and preserve the traditions of Bat Trang Ceramic Village.

Pham Thuy Duong, the centre’s CEO, said, “We want to build the centre to honour our ancestors, our crafts and hometowns. This will be like a common house of Bat Trang Village where the village’s quintessence is preserved and promoted to visitors.”

The building has a shape of seven swirly blocks resembling seven on-going works on the pottery wheels. The centre will work as both a museum and a commercial gallery.

The ground floor will exhibit general craft products and the higher floors will exhibit famous ceramic types of Bat Trang Village.

An Giang aims for sustainable poverty reduction

The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of An Giang will spend more than VNĐ30.5 billion (US$1.3 million) this year to implement projects under the National Target Programme on Sustainable Poverty Reduction.

Poor households will receive support to pursue agricultural production or business, while poverty-reduction models will be expanded in border communes, according to the province’s Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

Media campaigns raising public awareness about poverty reduction will also be launched, and officials will learn how to better evaluate poverty reduction efforts.

In An Giang, poor and near-poor households live mostly in mountainous or remote areas and in ethnic-minority dominated areas.

The province in recent years has implemented various measures to help poor households escape poverty. Its Fund for the Poor mobilised more than VNĐ948 billion ($40.8 million) from various sources over the past five years.

Last year, the province provided soft loans worth more than VNĐ900 billion ($38.8 million) to 2,400 poor households, 7,300 near-poor households, and 3,900 newly escaped poor households.

The province provided free health insurance cards for poor and near-poor households, and reduced and exempted school fees for children of poor and near-poor households last year.

It also invested in 75 infrastructure projects worth VNĐ26 billion ($1.1 million) in highly disadvantaged communes and border communes last year.

Last year it expanded five poverty-reduction models under the National Target Programme on Sustainable Poverty Reduction for 120 poor and near-poor households in highly disadvantaged communes and border communes.

The province also helped poor and near-poor households diversify their livelihoods, and expanded another 17 poverty-reduction models not under the National Target Programme on Sustainable Poverty Reduction to 417 poor and near-poor households last year.

The poverty-reduction models include breeding animals, growing short term crops, and making handicraft products.

More than 80 per cent of households applying poverty-reduction models escaped poor or near-poor status over the past five years.

Around 4,000 poor households escaped poverty last year. The province now has 10,200 poor households, accounting for 1.9 per cent of the province’s total households.

Though the province has achieved positive results, some poor households have waited for assistance from the State and community even after receiving vocational training, jobs and soft loans for doing business, according to the province’s Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

Châu Văn Ly, director of the department, said: “The province will strengthen communication with poor people to understand their wishes and have measures to help them do production or business to improve their income and life.”

It will also help more poor households access soft loans for doing production or business, provide vocational skills and jobs for the poor, and create favourable conditions for the poor to escape poverty on a sustainable basis.

The province will set up a criteria system to monitor and evaluate poverty-reduction work at all levels, especially in districts and communes.

Hai Phong beat Binh Duong to top V .League

Jeremy Lynch scored the only goal to help Hải Phòng beat Bình Dương 1-0 on Saturday and take them top of the V.league 1.

This was Bình Dương the second consecutive defeat in the national premier league, leaving coach Phan Thanh Hùng smarting.

“Hải Phòng actively waited for the opportunities to counterattack with the aim of playing for a draw. We controlled the ball well, but the performance of attackers like Nguyễn Tiến Linh, Victor Mansaray,  Pape Omar  or Tô Văn Vũ in this match wasn’t good. We couldn’t make the most of our chances and were beaten by Hải Phòng’s counterattack.”

Talking about the strength of Hải Phòng, coach Phan Thanh Hung added: “Hải Phòng have only lost one match from the beginning of the season. They won against defending champions Viettel at Hàng Đẫy Stadium. Hà Nội FC also struggled to defeat Hải Phòng. I think that from now on the remaining teams in the league will know the true strength of Hải Phòng.”

With this loss, Bình Dương dropped to 10th place with just six points after four matches.

In the other match, Hồng Lĩnh Hà Tĩnh tied with Hoàng Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) 0-0.

“For the first time, I looked forward to the end of the match,” coach Phạm Minh Đức said after the match.

“Hà Tĩnh haven’t won for three matches. The 1-2 loss with Quảng Ninh Coal had a great influence on the next matches of the team. That is why the result of this match has a very special meaning,” Đức said.

As for coach Kiatisuk Senamuang of HAGL, he said that his team only aimed to earn one point and his team achieved that goal.

Yesterday, HAGL traveled to Hà Nội to prepare for the match against Viettel on March 24. This is expected to be a difficult match for HAGL because in fixture last year at Hàng Đẫy Stadium, HAGL lost to Viettel 1-4.

Two girls found dead at Topaz Home Apartment

Police of District 12 and functional forces of the city police this morning came to Topaz Home Apartment in Phan Van Hon Street, Tan Thoi Nhat Ward, District 12, Ho Chi Minh City where two girls had died in a suspicious falling-down.

According to the initial information, some security officers of Topaz Home Apartment found two girls with motionless nearby the apartment’s parking area.

After checking the site, the two girls were confirmed to die with a suspicious falling-down.

Currently, the police forces are at the site for investigation.

Literary works on border, sea and island displayed

A programme named ‘Homeland’s seas and islands Space’ opened at the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism in the Dong Mo tourism area of Son Tay town, Hanoi, on March 20, showcasing over 50 literary works on Vietnam’s borders, seas and islands.

Under the framework of the event, ‘A Little Spring’ is taking place at the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism, the programme featuring the participation of young writers from the Vietnam Writers Association and the Youth Club for the Homeland’s seas and islands as part of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee.

‘The Homeland’s seas and islands Space’ introduces more than 50 literary works on the nation’s borders, seas and islands, across various genres – poems, school songs, short stories, novels, autographs, notes and dissertations, including many compositions from young writers and poets.

Of particular note, many works have received awards such as the Vietnam Book Award, the Literature and Arts Award of the Ministry of Defence as well as commendations from the Naval High Command and the Vietnam Writers’ Association from 1974 to the present day.

In addition, the programme also displays 33 national flags used in the Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago; 36 photos showing beautiful moments and images of soldiers’ trips to the Truong Sa archipelago, the lives of soldiers and people on the islands, the love between the soldiers and local people and the love of the mainland for the islands.

The artifacts and pictures vividly prove Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Truong Sa and Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelagos; reflecting the life and work of the naval army. Many artifacts and images, meaningful gifts from journalists who used to work in Truong Sa, are featured.

On the opening day, the programme received significant attention from ethnic minorities, currently living and promoting their community’s identity at the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism.

Exhibition introduces beauty of Vietnam’s old features

The Vietnam Fine Arts Association alongside the Hanoi Fine Arts Association, have opened an exhibition named ‘Net Xua’ (Old Features) at the Fine Arts Exhibition House, No. 16 Ngo Quyen, Hanoi, on March 19.

The exhibition displays nearly 50 works from authors who are members of the ‘Bui Coffee’ art group – an association that regularly organises exhibitions, connecting art lovers and artists.

Works made from a variety of materials such as lacquer, oil paint, silk, acrylic, rekindle viewers memories through beautiful images rich in traditional cultural value, such as communal roofs, banyan trees, water stations, temples, traditional festivals, old women and traditional markets.

The exhibition runs until March 28.

Hoi An restarts many interesting tourist events

Hoi An ancient city in Quang Nam province will host a wide range of tourist events and activities from March 20 to May 1 to welcome visitors back at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has basically been brought under control in the city.

Visitors to the city during this time will be invited to join a programme held on March 20 in response to the International Day of Happiness, a lantern night in the old quarter on March 26, a visual arts programme on March 28, and a music night on April 1 in commemoration of celebrated musician Trinh Cong Son.

Tourists will also be offered a 50% ticket discount when visiting the old quarter, Thanh Ha ceramic village and the Tra Que vegetable in the city.

In addition, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea (ROK) in Vietnam and the Korean Cultural Centre will also coordinate with Hoi An city authorities to host an ‘ROK Cultural Days in Quang Nam’ event from April 9 to 11, featuring many exciting exchange events and arts performances.

On the occasion, the city’s hospitality sector will introduce several new tourist products, including a fashion show and a stage programme entitled ‘A Moony Night on Hoai River’, aiming to provide travellers with unforgettable memories during their stay in the city.

According to Truong Thi Ngoc Cam, Director of the city’s Centre for Culture, Sports, Radio and Television, the city always places as a top priority the safety of visitors and the prevention of the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, aiming to make Hoi An a safe and friendly tourist destination.

Over 300 residents in Binh Dinh poisoned including nine hospitalizations

Over 300 residents in the Central Province of Binh Dinh were poisoned including nine hospitalizations; therefore, authority in the province has jumped into investigation of the cause of the incident.

More than 300 residents in mountainous communes in Tay Son District; nine of them were brought to the local hospital for treatment. A leader of the local medical center in Tay Son District this morning confirmed that over 300 people in Binh Tuong and Vinh An communes have been experiencing abdominal pain, vomiting, and headache. Seriously, nine of them had to be taken to infirmaries for further treatment.

Presently, the medical center in Tay Son District reported the incident to the provincial Center for Disease Control and carried out probe into the case.

According to primary information, poisoned victims all used water from a water plant in the two communes; as a result, health authority said water contamination is highly likely to be the source of poisoning cases.

Ministry adds Korean in national high school exam in 2021

Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training has just decided to add Korean in the national high school examination so that candidates can sit for Korean test for graduation as well as applying for universities in 2021.

With the recent inclusion of Korean, there will be more foreign languages such as English, Chinese, German, Japanese, French, Russian, and Korean for candidates to choose for the national high school examination.

Moreover, to assist candidates to use their exam results and apply for universities in 2021, the Ministry of Education and Training required schools to review and add major code of Korean for admission to different majors as per the current admission regulations.

The national high school exam is expected to consist of Math, Literature, and Foreign Language. Noticeably, senior high schoolers must take natural science tests including Physics, Chemistry, and Biology and social science test including History, Geography, and lessons for citizenship education for candidates pursuing general education while History and Geography for candidates pursuing continuous education .

Four trains for first metro line to arrive in HCMC before July

The next four trains for the first metro line project in HCMC are expected to be transported from Japan to Vietnam between April and July this year if the Covid-19 pandemic is brought under control, said Huynh Hong Thanh, deputy head of the Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR) of HCMC.

During an inspection by a team led by HCMC Chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong on March 16 into the construction site of the Ba Son underground station, part of the first metro line project, Thanh said two trains were scheduled arrive in Vietnam in April or May. Two months later, the next two trains would be handed over to Vietnam, news site VnExpress reported.

After arriving in HCMC, the four trains, together with the first one which was transported to Long Binh Depot in Thu Duc City in October last year, will be operated on a trial basis.

MAUR had earlier planned to run the trains on a trial basis in the last quarter of this year. They will run on an elevated section from Binh Thai Intersection to Long Binh Depot before the entire system is put into trial operation.

At the same time, other works serving the metro line’s operation will also be conducted, such as training laborers, transferring technology, checking and handing over the project.

The first metro line in HCMC was designed to have 17 three-carriage trains. Each train is capable of carrying 930 passengers and can move at a maximum speed of 110 kilometers an hour on elevated sections and 80 kilometers an hour on underground sections.

The average distance between every two stations is over one kilometer, so trains will run at a speed of some 40 kilometers per hour.

According to Thanh, the project is facing some obstacles. However, the progress of some packages has been ensured, such as the CP1b package to build an underground section from the Opera House station to the Ba Son station, which is expected to be 99% complete by the middle of this year.

He added that the project was still expected to be completed by the end of this year as planned. Due to the pandemic, MAUR will come up with another detailed plan on the project’s progress, assess the impact of Covid-19 on its execution and propose new solutions.

HCMC Chairman Phong said the city had directed MAUR to determine when the project would be put into commercial operation, which will be a foundation to work out difficulties.

The first metro line project requires an investment of VND43.7 trillion. It was designed to be nearly 20 kilometers long with three underground stations and 11 elevated stations.

The project is some 83% complete and is expected to be put into operation next year.

Vietnam works with foreign countries to adopt vaccine passports

As many countries are planning to roll out Covid-19 vaccine passports to rekindle commerce and travel with foreign markets, Vietnam is in the process of working with foreign countries to accept vaccine passports via QR codes.

Before getting Covid-19 vaccines, residents will have to download the e-Portfolio app and re-declare their information, making it easier for QR scanning, it was announced at a meeting held by the national steering committee for Covid-19 infection prevention and control on March 19.

After being injected with two shots of the Covid-19 vaccine, the system will be updated and the vaccinated will be verified. When travelling abroad, residents will have their vaccination passport QR codes scanned.

Besides, representatives of competent agencies and mobile carriers said that the technical infrastructure system of vaccine passports for foreigners is almost complete and will be ready for use in April.

The national steering committee said that the infrastructure system must be deployed after detailed policies on vaccine passports are adopted.

The Ministry of Health was told to continue working with foreign health agencies to join the international joint effort to reopen doors for commerce and travel.

In addition, State agencies’ preparation for technical infrastructure and vaccine passport policies, local transport operators, airlines and tour operators said they were ready for a vaccine passport pilot.

National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines said that it was willing to team up with competent agencies to study and pilot a vaccine passport scheme to gradually reopen international air routes.

Anti-Covid-19 measures adopted by Vietnam Airlines were assessed to meet safety standards, even higher than those set by global airline alliance SkyTeam.

On March 18, Cao Thi Tuyet Lan, head of the department for market development and foreign relations at the HCMC Tourism Association, said that adopting vaccine passports would offer convenience for foreign and local travelers.

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

The 79-year-old patient leaves Da Nang hospital for Ho Chi Minh City where doctors will treat her underlying illnesses.

A Vietnamese coronavirus patient described as the most critically ill in Vietnam has been discharged from hospital after making a full recovery from the disease, doctors said on March 27.

The patient who returned from the United States was admitted to the hospital on January 15 following positive tests for the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

She was diagnosed with severe pneumonia due to the novel coronavirus plus other underlying illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes (type II), heart failure, and blood clotting disorders.

During treatment, the patient suffered from respiratory failure, forcing doctors to put her on a ventilator and prescribe her ECMO intervention in order save her life.

Leading Vietnamese specialists have held a total of seven national consultations to examine the best treatment therapy for the patient.

To doctors’ surprise, the patient recovered day by day and stopped using the ECMO therapy after 26-day extensive treatment.

The patient was on March 27 transferred to Cho Ray hospital in Ho Chi Minh City for treating the underlying illnesses at her family’s request.

COVID-19: Four imported cases reported on March 28 morning

A medical worker gets health check before vaccination

Two of the new patients entered through the Moc Bai international border gate and are being quarantined in the southwestern province of Tay Ninh. The other two were Filipino specialists who arrived at Noi Bai international airport in Hanoi.

The national count increased to 2,590, of which 1,603 cases were domestic infections.

Meanwhile, 2,308 COVID-19 patients have been given the all clear by now, and the death toll remains at 35.

Among those still under treatment, 30 have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 once, 38 twice and 57 thrice.

A total of 44,833 people are being quarantined nationwide, with 483 at hospitals, 18,412 at concentrated facilities and 25,938 at their accommodations.

According to the National Expanded Immunisation Programme, an additional 278 people received COVID-19 vaccine shots, bringing the total number of people having got the shots to 44,278. Vaccination work is underway from March 8 to 27 in 19 provinces and centrally-run cities./.

Ethnic culture upheld through traditional craft

Van Ho district in Son La province is home to five ethnic groups: the H’Mong, Thai, Muong, Kinh, and Dao. It has been working to preserve their diverse and exotic cultures, including their traditional outfits.

83% of the population in Long Luong commune, Van Ho district in the mountainous province of Son La belongs to the H’Mong ethnic group. As they wear their traditional outfits in daily life, each household has a sewing machine.

As community tourism has become popular in Van Ho district, making traditional clothing is not only for personal use but also a cool experience for visitors. Some buy the clothes as souvenirs, while others just rent them to take photos.

Upholding the traditional crafts of ethnic minority communities in Van Ho district not only contributes to preserving and promoting their cultural traits but also opens up opportunities for tourism development./.

Better control of illegal immigration to prevent COVID-19

It is crucial to strengthen the management of immigration activities in border localities, while increasing support measures and cooperation with the localities, heard a meeting of the standing board of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control in Hanoi on March 26.

According to representative from the Ministry of Health, after six consecutive days with no new domestically-transmitted COVID-19 infections, on March 25, Vietnam saw two new cases who entered illegally the country.

The ministry asked localities related to the new cases to promptly trace people having close contacts with the patients and give them testing.

Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long underlined the need for border localities to work hader to supervise entry activities and draw out scenarios for COVID-19 testing, quarantine and treatment, minimising impacts on socio-economic situation and locals.

Along with following the Ministry’s Health’s 5K message, people were advised to actively report cases of people returning from pandemic-hit areas or foreign countries who fail to make health declarations.

The board asked ministries, sectors and localities to create conditions for those who wish to enter Vietnam after receiving COVID-19 vaccine shots, with the strict implementation of preventive measures.

Amid the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic, border guards of the northern province of Lao Cai have coordinated with their Chinese counterpart to strengthening patrol along the shared border.

Vietnamese and Chinese patrolling forces have set up nine joint teams to prevent and combat cross-border crimes and end illegal immigration activities.

Also on March 26, the northern province of Hai Duong – the largest hotspot of the recent COVID-19 outbreak, removed the lockdown for its last location – the Van Xa resident area in Nguyen Ai Quoc ward of Hai Duong city./.

71st anniversary of Vietnam-China diplomatic relations celebrated in Beijing

The Vietnamese Embassy in China on March 26 held a ceremony to mark the 71st anniversary of Vietnam-China diplomatic relations.

The event drew Chinese Assistant to Foreign Minister Wu Jianghao, representatives of the host country’s ministries, sectors, agencies and localities, as well as the Vietnamese community and businesses in China.

Addressing the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to China Pham Sao Mai reviewed the 71 years of the diplomatic ties as well as major cooperation outcomes between the two countries in recent years.

He noted that since the beginning of 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, senior leaders of the two Parties and States have maintained regular meetings with flexible forms, while bilateral partnership in all fields have been promoted, including collaboration in economy, trade and investment.

Vietnam has been the largest trade partner of China among ASEAN member countries with two-way trade hitting 19.2 billion USD in 2020, up 18.7 percent year on year, according to statistics from China’s Customs. Meanwhile, China was the third biggest investor of Vietnam last year.

Ambassador Mai underlined that 2021 is a year of significant importance to both side as this is the first year that Vietnam implements the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress, the socio-economic development plan for the 2021-2025 period, and the socio-economic development strategy for the 2021-2030 period. Meanwhile, this year, China celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China and begins the implementation of the 14th socio-economic planning for the next five years with a vision to 2035, he added.

The diplomat recalled that on February 8, few days before the Lunar New Year, Vietnamese Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong and General Secretary of the Communist Party of China and Chinese President Xi Jinping held an phone talk to sketch out major orientations for the development of the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic partnership in the future.

Ambassador Mai proposed that both sides fully and effectively implement the common perspectives reached by senior leaders of both countries, strengthen political trust, expand and enhance the efficiency of cooperation in fields, promote people-to-people exchange, control and satifactorily address disagreements on the basis of respecting each other’s legitimate interest in line with international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), thus further boosting the growth of the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic partnership in a healthy, stable and in-depth manner, contributing to maintaining peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

During the ceremony, participants had a chance to enjoy Vietnamese traditional dishes./.

Youngsters’ trust helps promote Vietnam-Russia ties: Saint Petersburg Governor

Governor of Russia’s Saint Petersburg Alexander Beglov has stressed the common task of helping youngsters build the realiable partnership between Vietnam and Russia, saying that stronger trust among Vietnamese and Russian youngsters will ensure the development of friendship between the two countries.

Beglov made the statement at an online conference to mark the 90th founding anniversary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCMYU) held in Saint Petersburg on March 26.

He said that youth projects are important part of the working programmes of the city. In 2018, Saint Petersburg gave the initiative of organising the first Vietnam-Russia Youth Forum, which was lauded by leaders of both sides.

Recently, an online conference was held between the Ho Chi Minh City’s HCMYU and the Committee for External Relations of Saint Petersburg, he noted.

According to Beglov, he has asked Saint Petersburg’s Committee for Youth Policies to strengthen cooperation with Vietnamese youth, including the signing of cooperation agreement with Ho Chi Minh City’s HCMYU.

For his part, Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Ngo Duc Manh affirmed that the partnership among localities of Vietnam and Russia is growing strongly, with Saint Petersburg being the pioneer in setting up twin relations with Ho Chi Minh City and Khanh Hoa province.

Saint Petersburg has coordinated with Vietnamese partners to organise various activities on special occasions such as the 95th anniversary of the first trip of President Ho Chi Minh to Russia, the ceremony to place a stone in the location defined to erect President Ho Chi Minh in the city, he noted.

The diplomat underlined the special meaning of the conference which was held on the founding anniversary of the HCMYU, stressing that many generations of both sides have stood side by side and provided mutual support, contributing to fostering the traditional friendship between people of the two countries over the past more than seven decades.

Within the conference’s framework, a book by Ambassador Ngo Duc Manh on the glorious 70-year path of the Vietnam-Russia ties was introduced. The book comprises of more than 700 photos and documents featuring the Vietnam-Russia cooperation over the past 70 years.

Earlier, Ambassador Manh had a working session with Saint Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov, during which they sides highly valued the sound relationship between Vietnam and Russia in general and between Vietnam and Saint Petersburg in particular. They affirmed that local collaboration is a bright spot in the relations between the two countries over the years.

Both sides shared delight at effective joint projects, especially Saint Petersburg’s plan to erect President Ho Chi Minh’s statue in the city.

Governor Beglov thanked Ambassador Manh and staff of the embassy for making contributions to elevating the ties between Veitanm and Saint Petersburg to a new height. He said he and a business delegation of the city plan to visit Vietnam in the fourth quarter of this year.

Both sides showed their hope that in the future, the project to build Ho Chi Minh City’s culture-trade centre in Saint Petersburg will be conducted after COVID-19 pandemic is thoroughly controlled./.

Over 1,500 people take part in running day in Da Nang

Over 1,500 runners joined the Olympic Run Day for Public Health 2021 in the central city of Da Nang on March 27, which was held by the municipal Department of Culture and Sports.

The runners were from local governmental bodies, armed forces, associations, societies and agencies in the city.

The event was organised to mark the 46th anniversary of Da Nang city’s Liberation (March 29) and the 75 years of the Vietnam Sports Day.

Director of the municipal Department of Culture and Sports Pham Tan Xu said the event is part of activities to respond to and promote the “All people take exercises following the example of great Uncle Ho” campaign.

It becomes an annual activity, attracting more and more people from all walks of life, contributing to promote movements of physical training and sports in the local community, he added.

Conferences to promote conservation of UNESCO-recognised intangible culture heritages

A chain of conferences to assess the management, protection and promotion of the value of Vietnam’s intangible cultural heritage recognised by UNESCO, is scheduled to take place in April 2021, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

These events aims to review the State management in protecting and promoting the values of the three heritages: the cultural space of gong in the Central Highlands, the “don ca tai tu” art form (southern amateur singing) in the southern region, and Vietnam’s traditional practice of “Tho Mau Tam Phu” (the Worship of Mother Goddesses).

Ways to improve personel capacity and management efficiency for Vietnam’s UNESCO-recognised heritages, and enhance coordination among agencies, localities in protecting heritages, will be under discussion.

Participants to the conferences will focus on assessing the current situation of heritage management, and the building of projects to protect heritages.

They will also share experience in heritage management and preservation and difficulties facing localities in the works, as well as proposed solutions to those issues.

As planned, representatives from localities boasting the heritages, experts, cultural researchers and those from relevant departments and sectors will gather together at the conferences.

Adopting green lifestyles through short getaways

Green tourism has become increasingly popular over recent times given that protecting the environment has become an urgent issue within society.

Apart from enjoying the tranquil atmosphere of Hoi An ancient town, visitors can also enjoy fun activities such as growing vegetables, riding buffaloes, and rowing coracles, among others.

Local tourism service providers have also taken a step forward in promoting environmental protection by collecting bio-waste from restaurants and hotels to make compost. Many have invested in technology to save energy and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Forty local tourism companies have undertaken to apply the circular economic model, which aims at eliminating waste and the continual use of resources. Local green community tourism models, with no plastic use, have also been developed.

Green tourism is not just a cash cow but also brings sustainable benefits to local residents. Indeed, many farmers in Hoi An have earned handsome profits from providing agro-tourism services.

Green tourism not only benefits tourists by providing exotic experiences, it also inspires them in environmental protection and green lifestyles./.

National conference popularising resolution of 13th National Party Congress

The Party Central Committee’s Secretariat opened an online national conference to popularise the Resolution adopted at the 13th National Party Congress on March 27, with the participation of the 67 Party Committees of centrally-run cities, provinces and central agencies, and more than 7,300 committees at local levels.

Addressing the event, Vo Van Thuong, Poliburo member and Standing member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat, stressed the significance of in-depth study and popularisation, and implementation of the Resolution, which should become a regular activity throughout the tenure and one of the major tasks for 2021.

He said that the proper and creative implementation of the Resolution from State officials and Party members will create consensus among the people, thus promoting patriotism, self-reliance and the great national solidarity strength and the desire for national development, contributing to successfully implementing the Resolution.

Participants at the event heard a number of reports on different topics related to major documents of the 13th National Party Congress.

The conference will run until March 28./.

Ninh Thuan moves to promote community-based tourism

With advantages of natural beauty, history, and rich culture, the south-central province of Ninh Thuan is striving to promote tourism development, especially community-based tourism, towards becoming an attractive destination with diverse tourism products.

It has recently seen strong development in community-based tourism, and strong investment has been landed in agricultural land areas, turning them into new tourist destinations.

According to the Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Nguyen Van Hoa, the province boasts substantial potential for developing community-based tourism.

Besides its diverse natural landscapes, with mountains, sea, plains, semi-desert terrain, and popular destinations such as the Nui Chua and Phuoc Binh National Parks, Ninh Thuan is also a land of rich history and culture gathering the customs and traditions of the Cham and Raglai ethnic people.

It is focusing on developing local agricultural products and specialties to serve the development of community tourism.

Many community-based models have proven effective, benefiting the local community and contributing to promoting the consumption of local farm produce and handicrafts, creating more jobs and improving incomes for local residents.

The provincial People’s Committee has launched a project to support community-based tourism development in 2019-2022, with a total budget of over 20.4 billion VND (884,000 USD).

The project has been implemented in 13 areas, including Raglai eco-tourism, grape-planting, ceramic and brocade-weaving villages of the Cham people.

Rural transport infrastructure has been upgraded and developed in project areas.

The training of local people serving tourism development has been focused, while attention has also been paid to ensuring safety and strengthening tourism promotion activities.

Ninh Thuan has targeted welcoming 2.5 million visitors this year, including 200,000 foreigners, raking in 1.25 trillion VND (over 54.1 million USD).

To that end, local authorities will continue to improve the quality of tourism products and services.

They have also mobilised resources from organisations, individuals and economic sectors in implementing tourism development projects, and organised field trips with the participation of travel agencies to help localities develop new tourism products.

Argentine national news agency wishes to boost cooperation with VNA

Vietnamese Ambassador to Argentina Duong Quoc Thanh had a working session with President of the Argentine National News Agency (Telam) Bernada Llorente on March 26 to discuss measures to promote information on all areas of each country to both Vietnamese and Argentine readers.

At the meeting at the embassy, Ambassador Thanh highly valued the role of Telam, as a national news agency, in providing readers with official and timely information on Argentina’s political, economic, social and cultural aspects.

He expressed his belief that Telam will play an important role in providing information on land and people of Vietnam, as well as the country’s achievements on socio-economic development to the Argentine people.

According to the diplomat, based on agreements signed between the VNA and Telam, the two agencies can continue to strengthen the exchange of information, and coordination in producing programmes to introduce culture, economic, investment and trade potential of each country on their press products.

Telam President Llorente said expressed her impression on the land and people of Vietnam as well as the country’s economic achievements after her two visits to the Southeast Asian nation.

She affirmed that Vietnam is always a priority partner of Argentine in Asia. As a national news agency, Telam has proactively provided information on Vietnam for readers in Argentine.

Particularly, Telam has introduced Vietnam’s experience in dealing with the COVID-19 epidemic as the country became a bright spot in the fight against COVID-19 in 2020.

She reaffirmed Telam will further promote its relationship with the VNA in order to move towards the signing of a more practical and effective cooperation agreement between the two sides.

National conference popularising resolution of 13th National Party Congress

The Party Central Committee’s Secretariat opened an online national conference to popularise the Resolution adopted at the 13th National Party Congress on March 27, with the participation of the 67 Party Committees of centrally-run cities, provinces and central agencies, and more than 7,300 committees at local levels.

Addressing the event, Vo Van Thuong, Poliburo member and Standing member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat, stressed the significance of in-depth study and popularisation, and implementation of the Resolution, which should become a regular activity throughout the tenure and one of the major tasks for 2021.

He said that the proper and creative implementation of the Resolution from State officials and Party members will create consensus among the people, thus promoting patriotism, self-reliance and the great national solidarity strength and the desire for national development, contributing to successfully implementing the Resolution.

This will also help combat degradation in political ideology as well as signs of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” among Party members, while protecting Party ideological foundation and fighting wrongful and hostile arguments.

Highlighting the need to roll out strict and high-quality popularisation of the Resolution, Thuong asked participants to clarify major contents and new policies in documents of the 13th National Party Congress, thus pointing out advantages and difficulties as well as challenges facing the national revolution in the future, while applying the policies to suit specific conditions of each locality, and successfully realising political tasks in the 2021-2025 period.

He underlined that during the popularisation of the Resolution, it is necessary to have timely reply to questions from officials, Party members and people regarding contents of the Resolution, thus orienting public opinion and creating consensus in society.

Meanwhile, it is crucial to soon apply the Resolution into life, he stated, asking Party Committees and organisations to soon build their action plans to specify the Resolution.

He also asked for the strengthening of inspection and supervision as well as evaluation of activities to popularise the document, as well as the building of action plans to implement it in each locality and agency.

Participants at the event heard a number of reports on different topics related to major documents of the 13th National Party Congress, focusing on core issues, new features and mindset shown in the documents, affirming achievements and lessons drawn from the 35 years of national reform, especially five years of implementing the Resolution of the 12th National Party Congress.

The conference will run until March 28.

Everygolf launched to improve golf quality in Viet Nam

Everygolf Studio, an advanced golf training centre, has opened in Hà Nội aiming to increase the number of golfers in Việt Nam as well as improve the quality of the current players.

Launching in the capital city on Friday, Everygolf is one of few locations with advanced golf training and learning technology in the country. Golfers and people who love the sport will have the chance to use the 3D training rooms with modern and advanced systems such as Trackman, Foresight and Putview.

Experts led by PGA Australia coach Phạm Minh Đức will be on hand to offer guidance.

The centre will hold events and tournaments, game shows and reality shows focusing on golf. It also provides an application, Everygolf Swing, that connects coaches and athletes.

“People will have the chance to access high-performance training and practising golf at Everygolf. The advanced technology will be updated regularly to bring the best experience to golfers, improve their strength and reduce the risk of injuries as well as lift up their technology,” said Nguyễn Thị Thảo Nguyên, general director of Everygolf Việt Nam.

Speaking at the opening, coach Phạm Minh Đức said he really wanted to have such a project like Everygolf in Việt Nam since his return home from Australia several years ago.

Việt Nam needs more such centres to speed up the golf industry development to reach the international level, he said.

Meanwhile, Nguyễn Huy Tiến, head coach of Hà Nội Golf Team, said the technology at Everygolf will help not only new golfers but also fix technical mistakes for veteran players.

In the coming months, Everygolf plans to be the training venue to the national team ahead of the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hà Nội this winter.

Decade-long master plan to tackle climate change gets go-ahead

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has recently granted approval to a master plan aimed at developing Vietnamese cities towards the year 2030 in response to climate change challenges.

The scheme will be divided into three phases, with the first set to be implemented from 2021 to 2025 in five centrally-run cities, namely Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Can Tho, Hai Phong, and Da Nang, as well as cities in seven northern, central, and Mekong Delta provinces and seven northern mountainous and Central Highland provinces.

In the period between 2026 and 2030, the plan will be implemented in coastal urban areas and deltas which are prone to flooding and flash floods, as well as landslides in northern mountainous, central coastal, southeastern, and Central Highland regions.

Other localities will see similar schemes put in place beyond 2030.

In order to meet the goal, there is an urgent need to investigate and assess the impact of climate change on the development of the existing urban system, whilst also competently planning new urban areas likely to be formed over the next 10 years. This is necessary in order to calculate self-adaptive capacity, propose response solutions, and to draw up an adequate risk warning mapping system.

Relevant agencies will also be required to integrate climate change adaptation into urban development planning and other programmes, while also completing legal frameworks regarding urban and housing management and development, taking into account increased risk caused climate change.

The scheme underlines the importance of forming a flooding control system within urban areas, building dykes, embankments, and large-scale underground water storage works, and finding solutions to resettle and relocate residents in risky areas. Indeed, the plan will see the development of houses that are highly resistant to flooding, strong winds, and storms.

According to the plan, it is imperative to enhance the overall building capacity of local authorities with regard to urban management and development in response to climate change.

In addition, it is necessary to accelerate scientific and technological research cooperation, pilot green and smart urban development, build energy saving and emission reduction models, and develop environmentally friendly materials.

Cyclists to race at HTV Cycling cup to mark Reunification Day

The annual HCM City Television Cycling Tournament will be held in April with VNĐ2 billion (US$86,600) up for grab.

In its 33rd edition, the race has attracted more than 100 participants from 15 teams. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organisers have not invited international teams as in the past, but local teams are allowed one foreign member each.

The Việt Nam national team will join the race as they are preparing for the 31st Southeast Asian Games later this year.

The tournament is part of activities to celebrate the 46th anniversary of Southern Việt Nam’s liberation and Reunification Day on April 30.

Running from April 6 to 30, cyclists will race across 22 stages covering 2,450km from Cao Bằng Province to HCM City.

The first stage will be a 45km lap around Cao Bằng City on April 6.

Among the stages, the route from Nghệ An Province through Hà Tĩnh to Quảng Bình Province will be the longest one at 199km on April 15.

Earlier, the team time trial stage will be in Cửa Lò Beach of Nghệ An while athletes will take part in the individual time trial event at the 14th stage in Tam Kỳ City, Quảng Ngãi Province.

The race will end on April 30 when cyclists reach the Independence Palace in HCM City.

The winner of the tournament will take the yellow jersey and a purse of VNĐ200 million ($8,660) while the winning team will bank VNĐ100 million ($4,330)

The organisers will also deliver prizes for athletes who win stages and take the green, red polka dot, and white jerseys.

All stages will be live aired on HTV9, HTV Thể thao and other platforms.

About VNĐ1.5 billion ($65,000) will be used for charity activities in localities that the race passes by.

Last year, Javier Sarda Perez of HCM City took double titles winning both the yellow and red polka dot jersey while his crew took the team title.

Photo exhibition marks 60 years of Vietnam-Morocco diplomacy

The Moroccan Embassy in Hanoi and the Vietnam News Agency are co-hosting an online photo exhibition in celebration of the 60th founding anniversary of the diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Morocco.

Vietnam and Morocco established diplomatic ties on March 27, 1961. Bilateral relations have since been strengthen in various areas, especially in economics, trade, investment, culture and tourism.

The two countries have maintained high-level visits to promote their cooperation. In 2006 they decided to open their embassies in each other’s capitals, marking a milestone in bilateral cooperation.

The photos can be seen on the website of the Moroccan Embassy at http://moroccoembassy.vn from March 27 to April 30.

HCM City residents cycle in response to Earth Hour

The Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union hosted a bicycle parade on March 27 in response to Earth Hour 2021 with the event attracting the participation of over 300 volunteers, Youth Union members, and residents from the southern city.

Le Hoang Minh, head of the organising board of Earth Hour 2021, says 2021 is the 13th year in which Ho Chi Minh City has participated in the event alongside 7,000 cities in more than 200 countries globally.

Along with the ongoing activities in Ho Chi Minh City, the campaign has also received support from a large number of online volunteers who are helping to spread the message across 63 provinces and cities nationwide.

All of these activities are primarily aimed at responding to the “10th Anniversary of Earth Hour in Vietnam – Join Global Lights Off” event on the evening of March 27 which will take place in the city at the Youth Cultural House, AEON Mall Binh Tan, and Hoan Cau Hotel.

The function is anticipated to attract the participation of more than 2,000 teenagers and residents from Ho Chi Minh City.

Nat’l futsal championship to kick off today

The National Futsal HDBank Championship 2021 is scheduled to kick off on Sunday in Buôn Ma Thuột City in Đắk Lắk Province.

At a press meeting on Wednesday, the organisers of the tournament, Việt Nam Football Federation (VFF) and Radio the Voice of Việt Nam (VOV), said the tournament would be divided into two stages with the participation of 12 teams.

The first stage of qualifying rounds will take place from March 28 to April 5 at Đắk Lắk gymnasium in Buôn Ma Thuột City.

Audiences will see competition among six teams Cao Bằng, Hưng Gia Khang Đắk Lắk, Tân Hiệp Hưng, Quảng Nam, Việt Football and Luxury Hạ Long. They will compete in a round robin format that will decide the four teams to join the second stage.

The second stage will include participation of the four winners in the first stage and the top six teams from last year’s National Futsal HDBank Championships, which include Thái Sơn Nam, Sahako, Sanvinest Sanatech Khánh Hòa, Zetbit Sài Gòn FC, Hiếu Hoa Đà Nẵng, and Thái Sơn Bắc.

The first leg of the second stage will be held at Đắk Lắk gymnasium from April 4 to April 30, while the second leg is expected to take place from July 5 to 26 in Cần Thơ city.

The winner of the tournament will represent Việt Nam at the AFC Futsal Championships 2021.

Last year, Thái Sơn Nam took the trophy, and the runner-up was Sanvinest Sanatech Khánh Hòa.

The organiser has also announced that the National Futsal HDBank Cup will kick off in the Central Highlands province of Lâm Đồng from September 5 to 16.

Both tournaments are sponsored by HDBank. The winner of the National Futsal HDBank Championship will receive a VNĐ500 million (US$21,400) prize.

This is the fifth time that VFF has worked with VOV to organise the tournament.

Trần Anh Tú, head of the organising board, said at the press meeting that the tournament is expected to offer exciting, highly professional matches.

Children’s awards open for entries

Compositions, art performances and entertainment programmes created by children or for children have the chance to compete at the Dế Mèn Awards.

The awards launched by the Vietnam News Agency’s Thể Thao Văn Hóa (Culture & Sport) newspaper aims to honour the best works by and for children.

Entitled Dế Mèn (Cricket), the award is named after the character in one of the most popular stories for children in Việt Nam, Dế Mèn Phiêu Lưu Ký (Diary of a Cricket) by Tô Hoài.

The awards will include one grand prize named Hiệp Sĩ Dế Mèn (Cricket Knight) and several other awards called Khát Vọng Dế Mèn (Cricket Desire).

The Cricket Knight award will honour the lifetime achievements of authors who have contributed to work for children.

The awards will be presented for works that meet either of these two criteria: compositions, art performances and entertainment programmes by children or composers, or art performances and entertainment programmes for children.

International authors with works created for Vietnamese children are also eligible.

Eligible works must be announced or discovered from May 15 of last year to May 15 of 2021. Literature drafts created within this period can be sent to the contest.

The entries can be in one of several forms like literature, cinema, music, arts, theatre, photography, comic, traditional games or electronic games.

The judges will receive all entries by photo, video clip and book at 11 Trần Hưng Đạo Street in Ha Noi or via email to [email protected]

At the first Dế Mèn Awards last year, writer Nguyễn Nhật Ánh won Cricket Knight for his book Làm Bạn Với Bầu Trời (Being Friends with the Sky) and four Cricket Desire awards were given to primary school students Nguyễn Đới Chung Anh and Cao Khải An, teacher Nguyễn Chí Ngoãn, and musician Nguyễn Văn Chung.

The awards ceremony will be held on Children’s Day on June 1.

Mekong Delta has excellent winter – spring rice crop

The Mekong Delta has harvested the 2020 – 21 winter – spring rice crop with farmers successfully avoiding the impacts of saltwater intrusion and managing high yields and getting high prices, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

More than one million of the 1.59 million hectares planted have been harvested so far, with an average yield of seven tonnes per hectare, 214kg higher than the last winter – spring rice and the highest in the last five years.

The country’s rice granary reduced the area under the grain by 27,210ha this season, fearful of possible saltwater intrusion in rivers.

Fragrant and speciality varieties accounted for more than 21 per cent and high-quality varieties for 60 per cent, a slight increase from last year.

On the instructions of local authorities, farmers started sowing the crop in October last year, 20 – 30 days earlier than normal, hoping to avoid the saltwater intrusion that often occurs at the end of the crop.

This and prompt forecasts of saltwater intrusion have helped farmers get high yields, according to the ministry’s plant cultivation department.

Speaking at a seminar in Cần Thơ City on Wednesday, Lê Thanh Tùng, deputy head of the department, said saltwater intrusion is still severe but the winter – spring crop was not affected, and farmers earned 45 per cent profits.

Nguyễn Ngọc Hè, deputy chairman of Cần Thơ City, said the harvest was basically complete and the average yield had been 7.6 tonnes per hectare, the highest in a long time.

The city’s farmers planted mostly speciality, fragrant and high-quality varieties, he added.

Delta farmers adopted various effective farming models like large-scale rice fields and organic rice farming models and grew rice to Vietnamese and global good agricultural practice standards.

Large-scale rice fields accounted for 160,000ha with the land owners linking up with food companies to grow rice to their requirements but with purchase guaranteed.

The delta plans to plant rice on 1.52 million hectares in the summer – autumn and 725,000ha in the autumn – winter crops this year, according to the ministry.

The former is more than 3,700ha down from last year due to restructuring and fears of saltwater intrusion.

Farmers have already sown more than 300,000ha.

They expect a yield of 5.6 tonnes, up 740kg from last year.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Lê Quốc Doanh said the crop would be very important and farmers should be focused on growing area, yield and output.

They and local authorities should comply with approved sowing schedules and stick to varieties suitable for their respective areas to escape the impacts of saltwater intrusion and diseases, he warned.

The latter should foster advanced rice farming techniques to reduce the use of seeds and water and prevent diseases, he added.

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