Until morale improves the beatings will continue

State-owned Agribank, one of the ‘Big 4’ state-owned lenders, jumped 17 places to 173th in the annual ranking put out by U.K. consultancy Brand Finance.

Fellow state-owned lenders Vietcombank and VietinBank rose 27 and 61 spots to 180th and 216th.

BIDV was at 246th and MB at 374th, up 30 and 12 spots.

Of the private lenders, VP Bank rose 37 places to 243rd and the country’s private player, Techcombank, jumped 57 spots to 270th.

Sacombank and ACB rose 30 and 23 places to 392nd and 397th.

The report said VietinBank was one of 10 fastest growing banks globally last year.

“Vietnam’s banking sector has seen the greatest year-on-year brand value growth of any nation in the rankings with 23 percent,” the consultancy said.

“Vietnam’s ability to effectively control and constrain Covid-19 has allowed it to buck the sector-wide trend of declining brand value.

“Internal reforms have strengthened accountability in the Vietnamese financial sector, which has had the knock-on effect of boosting not just revenues, but brand reputation and trust.”

Vietnam’s banking sector has recorded cumulative brand value growth of 753 percent in the last five years, the second highest rate in the rankings.

“Since the Vietnamese government introduced its strategy to boost accountability and the strength of the banking sector, including more stringent capital requirements and greater transparency, customer perception has improved,” Brand Finance said.

China’s ICBC was the world’s top bank brand.

Chinese banks maintained their dominance in the rankings, accounting for 33 per cent of total brand value and seven of the 10 top climbers.

WORK OF ART: The house of a traditional drum craftsman in Đọi Tam Village. VNA/VNS Photo: Minh Hiếu

At any number of social and cultural events around Việt Nam, especially traditional festivals, drums feature as the centrepiece of almost all activities.

They are often used to offer a warm welcome to guests, signal when school begins or ends, and accompany musical performances at weddings, longevity celebrations, and funerals.

Depending on the event, drums could either create an atmosphere of joyful union or sad separation.

When festival drumbeats fill the air, farmers put on their best clothes and head out to celebrate. Drums have become a key part of many community activities held throughout the length and breadth of the country.

Though drums are readily found in traditional Vietnamese culture, those with the best quality are only made in a few areas, among which is ancient Đọi Tam Village in the northern province of Hà Nam.

Located at the foot of scenic Đọi Mountain in Duy Tiên District, the village is renowned not only for making drums for more than a thousand years but also for creating the largest ‘thunder’ drums in the country, with two of the biggest played at festivals celebrating the 1,000th anniversary of Thăng Long – Hà Nội capital in 2010.

LIVELIHOOD: A villager focuses intently on making a drum. The traditional craft provides a living to all local people. VNA/VNS Photo Minh Hiếu

Đọi Tam is a long-standing traditional craft village that complements the typical features of northern Vietnamese culture via its drums.

All villagers, from old to young, know the legend of their ancestors – the two brothers Nguyễn Đức Năng and Nguyễn Đức Bản.

The legend says that when the two heard about Emperor Lê Đại Hành’s return to their village to hold a royal ploughing ceremony to promote agriculture, they immediately chopped down the biggest jackfruit tree in their garden and killed the biggest buffalo to get wood and leather to make a huge drum in welcome.

Thus, in the spring of the 7th year of Emperor Lê Đại Hành’s reign (987), an unforgettable ploughing ceremony was held in Đọi Tam to the unique drum sounds from Nguyễn brothers.

The resounding beat of their drum saw the two honoured as “Trạng Sấm” (Thunder Masters), in recognition of their skills in making the best large drums.

Throughout history, drum making has always played an important role in communal life in Đọi Tam.

Its drums are special as they are used for a host of different purposes, such as worshipping, folk art performances, and transmitting information.

The village’s 700 households include 600 that are skilled in drum-making, with four recognised as master artisans.

Making a good drum requires great care and expertise in selecting and assembling materials. Precision is key in creating the right sound for each, and the task often involves secrets handed down through the generations.

SOUND SET: The Đọi Tam drum team prepares to perform at a festival in the northern province of Hải Dương. Photo langtrongdoitam.com

Lê Ngọc Hùng, one of the artisans and also the owner of a major drum production workshop in Đọi Tam, said his facility had produced tens of thousands of drums of all kinds for both local sale and export.

He emphasised the importance of selecting the best materials.

“The wood for the body of the drum must come from an old jackfruit tree with a curvature that matches the requirements of each type of drum,” he explained. “The buffalo skin used for the drumhead must be scraped clean and then stretched and dried, so it is tough and will not rot as time goes by.”

Beyond materials, he said, a superior-quality drum very much depends on the skill of the artisan, as different drums produce different sounds.

Hùng is also focusing on training the younger generation in the village, to preserve the traditional craft.

The most important thing about drum making, he believes, is not the craftsmen’s reputation but their heart and soul.

Craftsmen not only need to be enthusiastic and creative and possess a sense of exploration, but also be keenly aware of the need to preserve the village craft by motivating the generation that follows.

Meanwhile, artisan Phạm Chí Khang, chairman of the village’s Association of Đọi Tam Drum Making and Trading, said that assembling the drum barrel is the most important stage.

“The biggest drum I ever made was a royal drum 3.1 metres high and 2.35 metres in diameter,” he recalled. “The largest drum in Southeast Asia was made by Đọi Tam villagers. The larger the drum, the more precision required and the more time needed.”

If there is ever a flood, fire, or death in the village, a drum is used as a call to arms or to announce a period of mourning.

During Việt Nam’s resistance wars against foreign invaders, the sound of a drum roused soldiers into action around the countryside.

A drum is also used as a mark of respect during chèo (traditional opera) or ca trù ( ceremonial singing) performances, with a connoisseur hitting the side of the drum with a drumstick at appropriate moments to express his appreciation.

Trần Đình Tiến, head of the Culture and Information Section in Duy Tiên District, said that, in the past, drums were also used in combat against foreign invaders.

“Drumming attracts people to participate in community activities,” he said. “The drum is an indispensable part of festivals because it rouses the spirits of the ancestors.”

Đọi Tam produces many types of drums, ranging from those for chèo singing to those for festivals or schools, in sizes ranging from 20cm to 2m in diameter. Village craftsmen made the largest drum in the country, which is now at the Temple of Literature in Hà Nội and is more than 2m in diameter, 2.65m in height, and 10 cubic metres in volume.

According to artisan Khang, the village produces about 25 different types of drums. Those for rituals or sacrifice rites are called spiritual or worship drums, and those used at community festivals are called festival drums, while those used at pagodas differ from those used in temples or communal houses.

“For example, a drum used in a communal house should be big,” he explained. “Its sound represents the tutelary god who rules the village. The drum in a temple, meanwhile, should be of medium size. And a pagoda drum can be small.”

A drum is made in three stages: leather tanning, barrel making, and drumhead stretching. Craftsmen use buffalo skin for the drumhead. They first shave the buffalo skin until it becomes quite thin, and then dry it in the sun. The barrel is made from jackfruit wood. Stretching the drumhead is the most difficult task, because it requires skill on the artisan’s part to assess the sound being created.

According to Khang, drum makers choose a certain pattern to suit each type of drum.

“The pattern will also depend on the drum’s purpose,” he said. “For example, clouds are often drawn on festival drums. For pagoda, temple, or communal house drums, common patterns include dragon-shaped clouds. Temple drums may also have phoenixes. The patterns on drums used in art troupes will have brocade designs or something similar to the motifs of bronze drums. Drums for cultural events, meanwhile, are decorated with cranes. The drumheads for festival drums must also, of course, have light rays breaking through to symbolise the world.”

The village has also formed a drumming team with dozens of members that perform at festivals nationwide.

In the decade since its establishment, the team has become widely known for its jubilant sound, which at times resembles troops setting off for battle.

There are 62 companies involved in drum production and trade in Đọi Tam, which help improve local living standards.

Thanks to the traditional occupation, no one in the village is unemployed and local living standards have indeed been rising in recent years.

“In 2007, Đọi Tam was one of the first 12 handicraft villages granted the title ‘Outstanding Craft Village of Việt Nam’ by the Việt Nam Craft Village Association,” Khang said.

“Other villages also make drums but they can’t match the characteristics of ours. Many unsuccessfully try to imitate our style.” – VNS

Q: The draft documents submitted to the 13th Congress outlining the social orientation in the country development for the period 2021 – 2030 mention the content “focusing on improving the quality of translation, health services, population quality and linking population with development”. From the reality of your work locally, how do you assess our country’s medical achievements over recent times?

Dr. Phan Huy Anh Vu: Continuing to renovate and perfect the health system of our country in the direction of equity, efficiency and development, especially at grassroots level, preventative medicine network; and ensuring the health of the people are an important policy of the Party and State. Increasing investment and innovation in the health sector will make an important contribution to the successful implementation of the country’s goals in socio-economic development in the new period (2021 – 2030).

At present, population health indicators are at the same level or better than in countries with the same level of economic development. The preventative health system’s achievements have significantly contributed to control control of dangerous diseases, such as: SARS, Influenza A virus subtype H5N1, and especially the Covid-19 pandemic, which is causing great damage to many countries around the world. We were one of the first four countries to have isolated the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the first to make a kit to detect the virus.

Medical examination and treatment have been integrated with many technologies, on a par with the rest of the region. In order to ensure sufficient supply of essential drugs for the people’s medical examination and treatment needs; many units in the health sector have applied information technology to the management of minimizing the labor force, towards smart health. Human resources for health and the number of trained health workers have increased, of which the number of highly qualified doctors, pharmacists, nurses and medical technicians has been improved.

Major hospitals have successfully conducted many difficult and complicated cases such as twins, organ transplantation, and multiple organ transplants at the same time. The grassroots medical network, the system of hospitals, medical centres, and medical stations from central to local level has been paid attention to and is capable of meeting the health care needs of the people, improving the quality of examination, treatment and epidemic prevention. The State has adopted a policy of supporting the poor and vulnerable groups in medical examination and treatment.

In Dong Nai province, in the most recent term, all indicators in the field of health assigned by the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial People’s Committee were achieved and exceeded. Health care services for the people were gradually improved, with modern technology that about 15 years ago was absent, such as coronary artery disease treatment, heart surgery and radiation therapy letters. Dong Nai is one of the leading localities in digitization, all medical stations now manage people’s health records; all pharmacies and drugstores have software to manage the import and export of drugs. Notably, Dong Nai’s health sector has successfully implemented electronic medical records at Long Khanh General Hospital.

Q: According to you, what solutions need to be taken to improve the health sector’s capacity to meet the requirements of national industrialization and modernization in the coming time?

Dr. Phan Huy Anh Vu: In order to improve the capacity of the health sector, to meet the requirements of national industrialization and modernization in the coming time, I think it is necessary to strengthen the leadership of the Party and government, and promote the participation of socio-political associations in the protection, care and improvement of the people’s health. It is necessary to improve the effectiveness of epidemic prevention and control, and promptly respond to emergency situations. It is necessary to ensure sufficient vaccines for all.

At the same time, it is necessary to continue to consolidate the organization, network and equipment for the preventative medicine system, ensuring that preventative medicine facilities are qualified and capable of performing their professional tasks, meeting and responding to disease prevention requirements for the people. It is necessary to improve the quality of medical examination and treatment, to basically overcome the hospital overload.

In addition, it is necessary to continue to renovate and consolidate the medical network, perfect the system of medical organizations from central to local level in the direction of streamlining effectiveness, efficiency and international integration. It is necessary to increase investment and accelerate the process of restructuring the state budget in the health sector in order to have the resources to comprehensively implement the protection, care and improvement of the people’s health, especially in remote areas.

In particular, we need to pay attention to training a team of health workers with an excellent work ethic in all fields, paying attention to the grassroots medical teams in particular. In reality, our grassroots health remuneration is still low, not strong enough to motivate, develop and specialize sufficiently in terms of our grassroots health human resources. Currently, the number of doctors per capita compared to the world average is still low, so it is necessary to continue to have high-quality medical universities to train and promptly supplement the number of doctors in the near future.

Thank you very much!

* Second-half goals from Danny Ings and Stuart Armstrong earned Southampton a 2-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Thursday and a place in the FA Cup quarter-finals.

* Chelsea reached the FA Cup quarter-finals with a hard-fought 1-0 win at Championship side Barnsley on Thursday settled by a goal from centre forward Tammy Abraham as the Blues notched up their fourth win in five games under new manager Thomas Tuchel.

* Daniil Medvedev continued his impressive run of form as he celebrated his 25th birthday with a clinical 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 victory over Roberto Carballes Baena to reach the third round of the Australian Open on Thursday.

* Rafael Nadal shrugged off any lingering back soreness to storm past American qualifier Michael Mmoh 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 on Thursday for the loss of just seven games, brushing off a bizarre incident that saw fan thrown out.

* Reigning champion Sofia Kenin crashed out of the Australian Open in the second round on Thursday, slumping to a 6-3 6-2 defeat at the hands of world number 65 Kaia Kanepi on Margaret Court Arena.

* A Greek tragedy threatened to befall Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Australian Open on Thursday before the fifth seed steadied to fend off local wildcard Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-7(7-5), 6-4, 6-1, 6-7(7-5), 6-4 and reach the third round.

* Ukrainian fifth seed Elina Svitolina made good use of limited opportunities against American teenager Coco Gauff to reach the Australian Open third round with a 6-4, 6-3 victory on Thursday.

* FIFA president Gianni Infantino said for the first time on Thursday that COVID-19 containment measures could still be in place during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, but he insisted stadiums would be full.

* Newcastle United striker Callum Wilson will be sidelined for six to eight weeks with a hamstring injury suffered in last week’s home win over Southampton, manager Steve Bruce said on Thursday.

* Liverpool must pay Fulham up to £4.3 million (US$5.94 million) for Harvey Elliott’s transfer, a record fee for a 16-year-old, the London club said on Thursday following a ruling by a compensation tribunal.

* Paris St Germain forward Neymar will be sidelined for four weeks due to a groin injury, the French Ligue 1 club said on Thursday, ruling him out of next week’s Champions League trip for their last-16, first leg against his former club Barcelona.

* Formula One teams and manufacturers voted unanimously on Thursday to end development of the current engines after this season in a move that paves the way for Red Bull to continue using Honda-designed power units.

* Eight overseas players and two Indian players have chosen to be slotted in the highest bracket of the Indian Premier League auction with a base price of two crore rupees (US$275,000), India’s cricket board said on Thursday.

Torben Minko, chairman of the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam’s (EuroCham) Medical Devices and Diagnostics Sector Committee

Healthcare is among the sectors said to be less impacted by the global health crisis in 2020. How did members of EuroCham’s Medical Devices and Diagnostics Sector Committee (MDDSC) play during the year?

Expectations for 2020 were high. However, in a world where normal business operations have been altered because of COVID-19, growth in the entire global economy is under threat. This affects medical device companies in the same way, globally and in Vietnam.

We highly value all proactive, transparent, and effective efforts made by the government in the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam. The actions have been successful and recognised internationally.

Since the first outbreak in Vietnam, MDDSC members have ensured a stable supply and import of sustainable, innovative and high-quality healthcare products to meet the demands of effectively preventing and fighting against the pandemic as well as treatment activities.

At that critical moment, we made a practical contribution, donating test kits to detect COVID-19 worth $25,000 to support the government.

We understand that medical device and diagnostic sectors are considered systemically important for the country’s healthcare infrastructure. In the coming time, those efforts will be continued and enhanced even further.

Domestic and foreign-invested enterprises here have looked into new business models to stand firm and develop. Have you seen any similar moves among MDDSC member companies?

Vietnam’s healthcare infrastructure has developed rapidly in recent years, thanks to the significant efforts of the Vietnamese authorities to improve public infrastructure across the country and to open the market to private healthcare providers.

The related double-digit growth of the medical devices and diagnostics market has stimulated multinational corporations to better serve the market through investments in a solid local network of partners.

This has involved the set-up of representative offices or, very often, the creation of local branches employing and training highly-qualified Vietnamese experts. It has also created opportunities for some of the multinationals to establish local production to serve the market with high-quality healthcare products.

The Vietnamese government, especially the Ministry of Health, has made a number of legal changes in a move to further facilitate business activities. Are they yet good enough for EuroCham members, and what other changes should Vietnam focus on in this regard?

Continuous improvements in regulations are the key to access innovations for the healthcare community, as well as an increase in pre-sales and post-sales service levels to healthcare providers. Decrees on medical device management, which have been largely aligned to international standards, are only some examples and significant milestones for the improvement of the regulatory landscape.

Consistent implementation will foster a more efficient and quality-oriented supply of medical devices and diagnostics solutions in Vietnam for the benefit of patients. A number of issues still need to be addressed in order to stay on the path to a state-of-the-art healthcare system, giving efficient access to innovative and high-quality healthcare to all citizens. We will continue working with regulators on improving the regulatory and legal framework. Our four cornerstones for 2021 will be digital transformation; remote care access for patients and looking at infrastructure, reimbursement, and capability building; policy framework for value-based procurement to provide top access to high-quality medical devices; and training for healthcare providers and professionals.

The EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement has been in effect for around six months. Have you seen any movements among MDDSC members to tap into its benefits, and what other investment activity trends do you foresee?

We welcome the opportunities created by the agreement. It comes with further improvements of regulatory standards, exchanging information on customs requirements, investing in the modernisation of customs procedures, and ensuring transparency. New market access opportunities will be created to become long-term partners across Vietnam. Our mission is to engage with governments, regulators, healthcare providers, and many others in order to advocate good practice, promote high industry standards, and help develop policies which will shape the future of healthcare in Vietnam. This will enable timely access to sustainable, innovative, and high-quality healthcare for all.

The MDDSC, which consists of 26 global groups responsible for the majority of the medical device and diagnostic market, is happy to work with respective departments for the benefit of Vietnamese patients.

By Minh Anh