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Three V. Leagues clubs request prioritized Covid-19 vaccination

March 5, 2021 by e.vnexpress.net

On March 8, the first batch of AstraZeneca vaccines will be administered to groups prioritized by the Vietnam government, with athletes not included.

Vietnam Football JSC (VPF) has requested Viettel FC, Hanoi FC and Saigon FC players to be vaccinated before competing in Asian Football Confederation (AFC) tournaments abroad.

Viettel will compete in the group stage of AFC Champions League (ACL) with Thai club BG Pathum United, ACL title defender Ulsan Hyundai from South Korea and a play-off winner in Bangkok from April 21 to May 7.

In turn, Hanoi will play in the AFC Cup group stage with Indonesian side Bali United, Cambodian club Boeung Ket and a play-off winner. Saigon will compete in another group with Malaysia’s Kedah, Singaporean club Lion City Sailors and a play-off winner. The AFC Cup group stage will take place from June 22 to 28. While Hanoi’s group has still to nominate a venue, Saigon’s group will play in Singapore.

Previously, Saigon had expressed a desire to host their group games, but the requirement of 14 days in quarantine fell short of AFC stipulations requesting players to be isolated for no more than four days when competing in a foreign country.

Earlier, the government had approved a list of prioritized groups to be vaccinated against Covid-19, which included frontline workers, military, and police forces.

Others on the priority list are teachers, diplomatic personnel, customs and immigration officers, those working in essential services like transport, people aged 65 and above, and those with chronic diseases that make them more vulnerable to the disease.

Vu Nhom prosecuted for alleged bribery

March 5, 2021 by english.thesaigontimes.vn

Vu Nhom prosecuted for alleged bribery

The Saigon Times

Phan Van Anh Vu, alias Vu Nhom, is seen in a courtroom. He has been prosecuted for allegedly giving bribes – PHOTO: TNO

HCMC – Ministry of Public Security investigators have filed charges against former property magnate Phan Van Anh Vu, alias Vu Nhom, who is now in prison on multiple charges, for allegedly giving bribes, said Major General To An Xo, chief of the ministry’s office.

Ho Huu Hoa, a 37-year-old man in Nghe An Province, was also prosecuted for allegedly mediating the bribery.

Xo said the ministry’s Investigative Police Agency was investigating a bribery case in Hanoi. The decisions to start legal proceedings against Vu and Hoa were made during the investigation.

This is the fifth case in which Vu is involved. He is serving a total jail term of 30 years for deliberately disclosing State secrets, abusing his power and position, and committing irregularities in the management and use of State assets, causing serious consequences and wastefulness in HCMC and Danang.

Work on two North-South expressway sections to start in June

March 5, 2021 by english.thesaigontimes.vn

Work on two North-South expressway sections to start in June

The Saigon Times

The HCMC-Trung Luong Expressway, part of the Eastern North-South Expressway, is opened to traffic. Work on the National Highway 45-Nghi Son and Nghi Son-Dien Chau sections will begin in June – PHOTO: LE ANH

HCMC – The investment procedures for the National Highway 45-Nghi Son and Nghi Son-Dien Chau sections of the North-South expressway projects are being completed so that work on these two sections will begin in June this year.

On March 4, Nguyen Duy Lam, head of the Transport Engineering Construction and Quality Management Bureau under the Ministry of Transport, said after the Government issued resolutions to transfer the two subprojects from the public-private-partnership model to the public investment model, the bureau started appraising the adjusted investment in the subprojects and choosing contractors and technical designers.

The feasibility studies, technical designs and adjusted investment for the two subprojects are expected to be approved by the Ministry of Transport this month, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

The ministry has asked the subprojects’ management boards to hold public and transparent tenders to select capable and experienced contractors. In addition, the management boards of the two subprojects must issue working regulations for the bidding teams to ensure information security and prevent fraud.

Directors of the management boards must take direct responsibility for the progress and quality of the subprojects.

The ministry has coordinated with the Thanh Hoa and Nghe An provinces to accelerate the site clearance work, complete resettlement areas and relocate infrastructure facilities to hand over the site for the subprojects to contractors as early as possible.

In 2020, the Ministry of Transport held tenders to choose investors for the two subprojects but in vain. The National Assembly Standing Committee later decided to transfer them to the public investment model.

The National Highway 45-Nghi Son section was designed to be 43 kilometers long and require an estimated investment of nearly VND7.8 trillion, while the Nghi Son-Dien Chau section will have a length of 50 kilometers and need an investment of VND8.6 trillion.

When being done under the public investment model, the investment in the two subprojects is expected to fall by over VND1 trillion.

Vietnam to start Covid-19 vaccination on March 8

March 5, 2021 by english.thesaigontimes.vn

Vietnam to start Covid-19 vaccination on March 8

The Saigon Times

Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long speaks at a meeting of the national steering committee for Covid-19 infection prevention and control today, March 5. Vietnam will start the Covid-19 vaccination on March 8 – PHOTO: VNA

HCMC – The first doses of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine will be administered to Vietnamese people on March 8, said Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long.

After over 117,600 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine produced by British drugmaker AstraZeneca arrived in Vietnam on February 24, the Ministry of Health assigned a specialized unit to check the vaccine.

It is high time to vaccinate Vietnamese people against Covid-19, Minister Long told a regular meeting held by the national steering committee for Covid-19 infection prevention and control today, March 5.

The vaccination will be conducted at 18 healthcare facilities which are treating Covid-19 patients. Those who directly participate in the treatment process will be prioritized for vaccination.

Besides, the 13 Covid-19-hit provinces and cities nationwide will be prioritized for receiving the vaccine, with Hai Duong Province identified as the top priority. Those vaccinated will be monitored through their online health records.

Some 1.3 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine to be provided by Covax Facility are set to be shipped to Vietnam in April.

The Covid-19 vaccination will not be 100% effective against Covid-19, Minister Long said, adding that as such, the safety protocols should be maintained after the injection.

As planned, on March 6, the Ministry of Health will organize a conference to deploy a Covid-19 vaccination plan, offering a national training course for healthcare employees, the local media reported.

Vietnamese footballers proposed to get Covid-19 vaccine

March 5, 2021 by sggpnews.org.vn

Accordingly, the Vietnamese football players from Viettel, Hanoi and Saigon football clubs are eligible for the two sport events.

AFC Champions League will officially kick off next month. If the players are not injected the Covid-19 vaccine, they will be quarantined upon arrival in the host country and that will affect their performance before the match.

Besides, the football players must conduct 14-day quarantine requirement as returning to Vietnam if they are not injected the Covid-19 vaccine. That will also affect to plans for local competition tournaments.

As this reason, Vietnam Professional Football Joint Stock Company proposed Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) to seek the Government’s approval for prioritizing vaccinations for football players and training staffs.

Recently, AFC announced that Saigon Football Club will compete in AFC Cup 2021 in Singapore.

By Cao Tuong- Translated by Huyen Huong

Total retail sales of goods and services up 5.49% in two months

March 5, 2021 by en.nhandan.org.vn

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the seven-day Lunar New Year holiday and the outbreaks of the COVID-19 pandemic in several localities in February 2021 slowed down trade and service activities in February compared to the previous month.

Total retail sales of goods and services in February was reported at VND439.7 trillion, down 5.4% from the previous month but up 8.2% over the same period in 2019.

During the two-month period, total retail sales of goods was reported at VND722.1 trillion, up 7.8% over the same period last year, accounting for 79.8% of total retail sales of goods and services in two months.

Meanwhile, total retail sales of accommodation, catering, travel and tourism services all decreased in the first two months of this year, with a 4.3% decrease in the revenue of accommodation and catering services and a 62.1% decrease in the revenue of tourism and travel services.

Retail sales of other services was posted at VND91.5 trillion, up 3% over the same period in 2020, accounting for 10.1% of the total retail sales of goods and services.