Sun devil nation

The Hanoitimes – Repatriated Vietnamese nationals are people under 18, elderly, of poor health condition, and of special cases.

Vietnam Airlines, the national flag carrier, on April 15 brought nearly 100 Vietnamese citizens home after flying more than 100 people of British, Irish and other nationalities to the UK.

Vietnam Airlines’ crew on a flight repatriating Vietnamese citizens. Photo: Vietnam Airlines

The airline also carried 2.5 tons of airfreight consisting 140,000 facemasks and other medical supplies gifted by the Vietnamese government and people to aid the UK in combating Covid-19.

The Vietnamese people on the flight back to their home country included students under 18 years of age, elderly people, and those facing hardships. The plane landed on Van Don airport in the northern province of Quang Ninh, and the repatriated people were taken to quarantine facilities and put under medical check.

Medical supplies to the UK gifted by Vietnam. Photo: Vietnam Airlines

The British Embassy in Cambodia, the Irish Embassy in Vietnam, relevant local authorities, and especially Vietnam Airlines had tried their best to make the flight possible, according to the British Embassy in Vietnam.

Under the request by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Vietnamese diplomatic missions have been trying to repatriate Vietnamese citizens who are stranded abroad with the priority given to people under 18, the elderly, the sick, and those of special cases. The repatriation is required to meet the quarantine capacity domestically.

Inside the flight bringing Vietnamese home. Photo: Vietnam Airlines

Vietnam Airlines said this is the sixth flight bringing Vietnamese citizens home, but gave no details of timeline.

Speaking at an online press conference on April 9, Spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang of the Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Vietnam always creates favorable conditions for foreign diplomatic missions to conduct citizen protection measures and for foreigners who face difficulties to fly back to their home countries.

Vietnam has worked with foreign missions to support citizens of some European countries to return home. In the coming time, the Vietnamese government will continue assisting the repatriation of foreign visitors.

So far, Vietnam has brought back nearly 1,500 citizens, mainly from Europe and the US, the spokesperson said.

National Election Council ‘s third meeting (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – There are 184 constituencies across Vietnam in the election of deputies to the 15th National Assembly (NA), according to a new resolution.

The resolution was adopted by the National Election Council on March 3, specifying the number and list of constituencies and the number of NA deputies to be elected in each constituency nationwide.

Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have the largest number of constituencies, 10. HCM City will have 30 NA deputies, the highest number among centrally-run cities and provinces, followed by Hanoi, 29.

The election is scheduled to take place on May 23, which falls on Sunday./.

The Hanoitimes – In 2020, Vietnam Airlines operated 96,500 flights, down 48% year-on-year amid the Covid-19 crisis.

The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines estimated its parent company’s losses in 2020 at over VND12 trillion (US$522 million), VND2.42 trillion (US$105 million) lower than the previous forecast in August.

Overview of the meeting.

Chairman of Vietnam Airlines Dang Ngoc Hoa revealed the figure at the airline’s extraordinary general meeting of shareholders held on December 29.

As of late December, Vietnam Airlines’ consolidated revenue stood at over VND42.5 trillion ($1.84 billion), including VND33 trillion ($1.42 billion) from its parent company, exceeding their respective targets by VND1.93 trillion ($83.8 million) or 4.8% and VND448 billion ($19.45 million).

“Higher-than-expected revenue help narrow the airline’s losses,” Mr. Hoa stated, adding the losses could further be narrowed by an addition of VND2.85 trillion (US$123.76 million) after completing procedures for depreciation adjustment and funds allocation for aircraft maintenance under the government’s support program.

In 2020, Vietnam Airlines operated 96,500 flights, down 48% year-on-year amid the Covid-19 crisis. This resulted in declines of 51% year-on-year in the number of passengers to 14.23 million and a fall of 47% in the amount of cargo for transportation at 195,000 tons.

For the next five years, Vietnam Airlines targets to resume its operation, while continuing to push for restructuring process.

“The airline is set to streamline its organization structure and enhance efficiency in performance, especially in the sale and leaseback (SLB) of aircraft,” stated Mr. Hoa.

Vietnam Airlines plan to divest a part of its investment capital at businesses with high efficiency in the aviation industry to support the airline’s financial conditions.

At the meeting, shareholders have approved the plan to sell additional shares of Vietnam Airlines worth VND8 trillion (US$347.2 million) to existing shareholders. As such, the government would assign its investment arm State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC) to buy Vietnam Airlines shares.

The move was previously approved by the National Assembly on November 17 to help the airline ease the Covid-19 fallout.

Following the deal, Vietnam Airlines’s equity would be around VND8.27 trillion (US$357.46 million) by the end of 2020 and VND8.24 trillion (US$357.6 million) by the end of 2021, reducing the debt-to-equity ratio from 6.19 to 5.22 by late 2021.

Vietnam Airlines is expected to use the proceeds from shares issuance to pay overdue debts and maintain operation.

The Committee for State Capital Management (CSCM) is the state capital’s representative at Vietnam Airlines, holding the largest stake at 86.19%, followed by Japan-based ANA Holdings with 8.77% stake.

An online training session on the examination and monitoring of the elections of deputies to the 15th-tenure National Assembly and all-level People’s Councils for the 2021-2026 tenure (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Committees of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) at all levels are promptly making preparations for the second consultative conferences on the nomination of candidates for the upcoming general elections, following the first ones in February.

The elections of deputies to the 15th-tenure National Assembly and all-level People’s Councils for the 2021-2026 tenure are scheduled to take place on May 23, which falls on Sunday.

This is an important political event aimed at selecting outstanding and deserving deputies who represent the people’s will, aspirations, and right to mastery in the NA and all-level People’s Councils in the new tenure, which is expected to help build, consolidate, and perfect a law-governed socialist State of the people, by the people, and for the people under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

First consultative conferences: Democratic, in line with law

The first consultative conferences were held in all 63 cities and provinces nationwide from February 3 to 17.

They showed true democracy, as seen through the contribution of opinions to the NA Standing Committee and People’s Council Standing Boards’ draft plans on candidacy structure, along with the criteria for deputies at the NA and People’s Councils.

The VFF Central Committee said the first conferences agreed that 1,076 candidates will be nominated for seats in the NA, equivalent to 2.15 times the number of deputies planned to be elected. The difference between the numbers of candidates and deputies elected was 2.04 times in the 14th NA election and 2.2 times in the election to the 13th legislature.

Meanwhile, the number of candidates for membership of all-level People’s Councils in the new tenure will be 7,656; 2.06 times higher than the 3,715 deputies to be chosen. This difference was 1.66 times and 2.02 times in the 2016 and 2011 elections, respectively.

Among the 7,656 candidates to be nominated for all-level People’s Councils, there are 1,690 women (22.1 percent of the total), 748 ethnic minority people (9.8 percent), and 555 who are not Party members (7.2 percent).

Increasing examination, monitoring to promote quality of second consultative conferences

A view of the online training session on the examination and monitoring of the general elections (Photo: VNA)

On the basis of the first consultative conferences’ outcomes, preparations for the second conferences are being promptly made by VFF committees at all levels, so as to ensure that upcoming events will take place in a democratic and quality manner and be in line with the law.

Hau A Lenh, member of the Party Central Committee, Vice President and Secretary-General of the VFF Central Committee, and deputy head of the VFF Central Committee’s steering board for election affairs, said that to gear up for the second conferences, the VFF has provided instructions to central agencies and localities on the nomination of their candidates, the organisation of voters’ meetings to look into candidates’ dossiers, and the selection of eligible and outstanding persons for candidacy.

To choose moral and talented persons, the NA Standing Committee issued a new regulation stating that a deputy of the NA or People’s Councils must receive support from more than 50 percent of voters in their residential area.

Vice President of the VFF Central Committee Ngo Sach Thuc said voter confidence is an important measurement of the eligibility of NA and People’s Council deputies.

Given this, the recent joint resolution of the NA Standing Committee, the VFF Central Committee’s Presidium, and the Government paid great attention to candidates’ creditability. Those with a low level of creditability in their residential areas or workplace will not be included on the lists of candidates, he said.

The reception and consideration of candidates’ dossiers are scheduled to conclude at 5pm on March 14, and the second consultative conferences will take place five days later, on March 19.

The VFF is now stepping up monitoring and examination to gain a good grasp of the implementation of election affairs in localities, thereby identifying any difficulties or violations of election regulations or electoral rules and taking timely measures to ensure that elections are truly democratic and accord with the law./.