Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Chu Ngoc Anh has signed a plan to prepare 8,000 beds for COVID-19 patients at medium, serious and critical conditions, getting the city ready for a scenario of 40,000 infections.

In a document issued on August 8, Anh, who is also head of the Hanoi Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, asked for the engagement of the whole political system and relevant agencies in implementing the plan.

It will be conducted in three phases, with 2,000 beds prepared in the first phase for the scenario of 10,000 infections, 4,000 beds in the second and 8,000 in third phase for respective scenarios of 20,000 and 40,000 cases.

The classification of patients will be based on the Ministry of Health’s guidance, so that they will be sent to suitable treatment facilities./.

Vietnam reports 5,155 new COVID-19 cases on August 9 morning

Vietnam logged 5,155 new COVID-19 cases, including 15 imported ones, from 6.30pm on August 8 to 6am on August 9, according to the Ministry of Health.

The country’s current largest hotspot Ho Chi Minh City continued to report the highest number of cases with 2,349, followed by its neighbouring provinces of Binh Duong with 1,725, Long An 287 and Dong Nai 183.

As many as 786 infections were found in the community.

The national COVID-19 tally had reached 215,560 as of August 9 morning, with 213,200 domestic cases. 

The number of infections since the fourth wave of outbreaks hit Vietnam on April 27 amounted to 211,630.

A total of 71,497 patients have recovered from COVID-19.

To date Vietnam has administered more than 9.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines. More than 945,800 people have received two full shots./.

Ho Chi Minh City’s private hospitals join hands to treat COVID-19 patients

Ho Chi Minh City leaders have called upon private hospitals to help with the treatment of COVID-19 patients as the city battles a surge in infections driven by the highly contagious Delta variant. The appeal has received a warm response from private hospital around the city.

The FV Hospital has recently applied a “split hospital” model to receive and provide emergency treatment for COVID-19 patients as well as non-COVID-19 patients

It has nearly 100 beds set aside for COVID-19 patients, including those requiring intensive care.

The Hoan My Thu Duc General Hospital, meanwhile, has prepared over 100 beds with modern equipment for COVID-19 patients and installed an oxygen supply system.

Earlier, a 500-bed facility was set up at the City International Hospital. These private hospitals have helped provide timely treatment for COVID-19 patients.

The participation of private hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City in treating COVID-19 will help ease the burden on State-run hospitals, which have been overloaded, and reduce the rate of fatalities./.

Ceremony held to hand over new Lao NA House

A new National Assembly (NA) building of Laos, a gift presented by the Vietnamese Party, State and people to their Lao counterparts, was handed over to the Lao side at a ceremony held in Vientiane on August 8.

The building was finished after nearly 38 months of construction. Vietnam’s Ministry of Construction was the project’s main investor and Corps 11 of the Ministry of National Defence was the constructor.

Spanning 7,000 sq.m at Thatluang Square in downtown Vientiane, a sacred place symbolising Laos’s solidarity, it was built at a total investment of about 112 million USD under the supervision of experts from Vietnam, Laos and Japan.

At the event, the participants agreed that the project to build the Lao NA House serves as proof of the great friendship between Vietnam and Laos which marks a new development in the countries’ special friendly relations./.

More than 71,000 patients recover from COVID-19 in Vietnam

As many as 4,860 COVID-19 patients were discharged from hospital in Vietnam on August 8 after making a full recovery from the virus, raising the total number of recoveries in the country to 71,497, the Ministry of Health said on August 8 evening.

Thousands of COVID-19 patients recover from the disease daily in Vietnam. (Illustrative image)
With more than 4,800 patients discharged from hospital, this is the highest number of the COVID-19 recoveries Vietnam has recorded on a daily basis since the start of the outbreak in January 2020.

Vietnam has since July 28 seen between 3,500 and 4,500 patients recover from the disease daily. Experts say this is a good sign for the COVID-19 treatment system in the country.

According to COVID-19 guidelines, the recovered patients will continue to self-isolate at home, self-monitor their health and immediately report to health authorities if abnormal symptoms develop.

As of 06.00 pm on August 8 Vietnam has documented 206,490 new locally transmitted cases following virus resurgence in late April and 210,405 cases since January 2020.

Vietnam ranks eighth worldwide in IPv6 adoption

Vietnam’s adoption of Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) reached 45 per cent as of the end of July, climbing to the eighth place worldwide and second in ASEAN, according to Vietnam Internet Network Information Center (VNNIC).

The ranking is two notches higher than in 2020. Vietnam now has more than 34 million IPv6 users.

The Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) has announced a national programme on IPv6 transition for state agencies called IPv6 For Gov during 2021-2025, replacing the older IPv4 protocol.

IPv6 is the internet’s latest communications protocol that is essential for 5G adoption, e-government implementation, and massive digital transformation.

IPv6 services in Vietnam are currently provided by four telecommunication giants Viettel Group, VNPT Group, MobiFone, and FPT Telecom. The first three companies are also approved by MIC for piloting 5G commercialisation in Vietnam.

President’s visit to deepen special Vietnam-Laos relationship: Ambassador

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s official friendly visit to Laos from August 9-10 will contribute to deepening the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries, thus better serve the cause of national reform, building and defence in each country, Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Ba Hung has affirmed.

The visit is made at the invitation of General Secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith.

It is Phuc’s first official visit abroad since he became President of Vietnam. This is also the first time Laos has received a foreign State leader since its 11th Party Congress, the ambassador told the Vietnam News Agency correspondents in Laos.

During this visit, the two countries’ leaders will discuss important issues in the bilateral relationship, as well as measures to promote cooperation in all fields of politics - diplomacy, security - defence, investment - trade, socio-culture and regional and international issues of mutual concern.

The Vietnamese State leader is expected to attend the handover ceremony of the Lao National Assembly House – a special gift of Vietnam to Laos, Hung state, adding that this is the demonstration of the two nations’ special relationship.

Regarding bilateral collaboration over the past time and orientations for the following years, the diplomat emphasized that one of the latest and most outstanding results is the signing of the Vietnam - Laos Cooperation Strategy for the 2021-2030 period and the Vietnam - Laos Cooperation Agreement for the 2021-2025 period on the occasion of the official friendly visit to Vietnam by Lao Party General Secretary and President Thongloun Sisoulith at the end of June this year.

The two documents provide the guideline for the cooperation between the two countries in the next 5-10 years to develop in a deeper, more substantive and effective manner, Hung stated.

To preserve and develop the special ties between the two countries, the ambassador suggested the two countries raise bilateral economic and trade ties on par with bilateral political, diplomatic, security, and defence cooperation, and educate their young generations about the tradition and strategic importance of the Vietnam-Laos ties./.

Hospitals in HCM City start using Remdesivir to treat COVID-19 patients

Around 10,000 vials of Remdesivir have been distributed to 10 hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City to treat COVID-19 patients starting today, according to the Ministry of Health.

The southern city is currently the biggest COVID-19 hot spot with 4,000-7,000 cases recorded daily since mid-July, and the main objective right now is to reduce deaths among severe cases as medical facilities strain to handle large inflows of patients.

The ministry noted that through donation sources in the past, the drug appears to help reduce the viral load in the infected, but cautioned that members of public should not look for or stock up on these drugs.

The administration and the doses required must be indicated by doctors.

Luong Ngoc Khue, Director of the Health Ministry's Department of Medical Examination and Treatment, said that Remdesivir is still after all a new drug and the administration of this drug must be closely followed to see its actual effectiveness.

On August 6, the Ministry of Health held a meeting on COVID-19 treatment, in which they discussed the use of anticoagulant (oral drug), antiviral drugs including Remdesivir, monoclonal antibody drugs, and prone positioning.

However, it has not officially approved the drug yet.

Future batches of the drugs will be allocated to HCM City and the southern region, and if other localities need some then adjustments could be made.

Vingroup said it had negotiated successfully for 500,000 vials of Remdesivir from Indian pharmaceutical company Cipla under licensing agreement from US-based Gilead Sciences. The first batch arrived at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCM City on August 5.

A further 100,000 vials are expected to be delivered to Vietnam next week./.

Online theatre - An inevitable development trend of performing arts

Complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic have halted art performances, causing difficulties for artists and units, and a shortage of "spiritual dishes" for the audiences, online theatre or online stage seem to be the most suitable way for performing arts to reach the audiences.

An online art programme titled “To quoc trong tim” (Fatherland in the heart) hosted by the Department of Performing Arts under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on July 28 was connected to five locations: Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Nghe An, Binh Thuan and Paris (France), with the participation of outstanding artists from all northern, central and southern regions.

This was a practical activity to improve the cultural and spiritual lives of the people amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam. It also contributed to promoting the spirit of solidarity and determination to battle the pandemic.

With the participation of artists across the country, the show has attracted the attention of many viewers.

Previously, a special performance programme of the Viet Bac Folk Music and Dance Theater of Thai Nguyen province has been broadcast live on VTV2 channel of Vietnam Television on the occasion of the 74th anniversary of Invalids and Martyrs Day (July 27).

Deputy Director of the Department of Performing Arts Tran Huong Duong said this first stage is being piloted only in art units under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Similar events will be expanded to art troupes throughout the country in the coming time, he noted.

In mid-2020, the Performing Arts Department built Vietnamese performing arts channels on YouTube and Facebook to broadcast live a number of professional art competitions and festivals nationwide.

Duong said in the context of the ongoing  COVID-19 outbreaks, this is only way to introduce art programmes to the audiences.

At the same time, it is also a movement that shows connection among artists who want to bring arts to the public in the fight against COVID-19, he added./.

ASEAN Family Day 2021 held virtually in Hanoi

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the ASEAN Women's Circle of Hanoi (AWCH) on August 8 jointly held the ASEAN Family Day 2021 themed “ASEAN unites and joins hands to fight COVID-19”.

The event, organised virtually, saw the participation of leaders, officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ambassadors and representatives from ASEAN member nations and their families.

In his speech, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Head of Vietnam's SOM ASEAN Nguyen Quoc Dung highly valued and welcomed the initiative of the AWCH to organise the event virtually in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying that it is a testament to the solidarity and close cooperation among ASEAN member nations, and their determination to overcome difficulties and challenges.

Pengiran Haji Sahari bin Pengiran Haji Salleh, Ambassador of Brunei which is Chair of ASEAN 2021, applauded the commitments and efforts of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to hold the event annually, expressing his belief that activities in the framework of the programme will help strengthen mutual understanding, solidarity and friendship among members of the ASEAN family in Hanoi.

He highlighted the significance of the theme of this year's ASEAN Family Day, saying that is very appropriate with the theme of the ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2021 chaired by Brunei “We care, we prepare, we prosper”.

The diplomat spoke highly of Vietnam's leading role as the ASEAN Chair 2020 in working with other countries to respond to COVID-19, especially its proposals and initiatives to deal with the health crisis.

He affirmed that Brunei is willing to coordinate with other ASEAN member nations to promote post-pandemic economic recovery, realise the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and build a more resilient Community for the benefit and prosperity of the region and its people.

The Ambassador expressed his hope that the ASEAN countries will continue to strengthen intra-bloc cooperation and cooperative ties with their partners to implement COVID-19 response initiatives put forward by Brunei and those proposed by Vietnam last year.

Through the event, the ASEAN countries have conveyed a strong message of commitment and determination to join hands to push back the COVID-19 pandemic and recover comprehensively and sustainably./.

Fully vaccinated people from outbreak regions only have to self-quarantine at home for 7 days

A locked down area in Thanh Xuan district of Hanoi, with local law enforcement and health authorities present at the gateways to monitor all entry and exits. (Photo: VNA)

People who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have been declared recovered coming from outbreak regions will not have to undergo concentrated quarantine, according to the latest guidelines from the Ministry of Health to local authorities.

After arrival or returning, they will only need to self-quarantine at home and monitor their health status for seven days, must wear a face mask and keep to distance rules, and would be subjected to two tests – on the first day and the seventh day of the isolation period.

An outbreak region is defined as those with community clusters or under lockdown measures like the Government’s Directive 15 or 16, for example, the cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are considered outbreak regions and coloured red in the frequently updated document on the Ministry of Health’s website.

Those who have not been fully vaccinated will have to self-quarantine at home/place of residence for 14 days, and continue to monitor their health status for the next 14 days.

They will be tested three times – the first day, the seventh day, and the 14th day during self-quarantine.

People transiting through outbreak regions but not stopping don’t have to isolate.

People from regions applying social distancing measures under Directive 16 who are deployed to another locality on official Government duties led by a deputy minister or higher don’t have to quarantine, but need to closely observe their own status for 14 days and report to local health authorities immediately if experiencing symptoms like coughing, fever, breathing difficulties, loss of taste or smell. Fully vaccinated delegates only have to monitor their health for seven days.

For people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 or have recovered from the disease in a foreign country, the verification and recognition of vaccination or recovery certificates will follow the instructions of the health ministry.

Earlier this week, the health ministry has also relaxed quarantine rules for fully vaccinated/recovered arrivals into the country, requiring only seven days of centralised quarantine – down from the previous 14 days – and further seven days for self-quarantine and medical observation./.

VPBank hands over more than 1,000 ventilators to pandemic-hit southern region

Vietnam Prosperity Joint Stock Commmercial Bank (VPBank) handed over more than 1,000 ventilators to 19 cities and provinces in the southern region as the fourth wave of COVID-19 infections has caused a severe shortage.

VPBank worked with suppliers to hire three special flights to directly transport the devices to Tan Son Nhat Airport last week.

The first ventilators were sent to Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Tra Vinh, Can Tho, Long An, Vinh Long, Tien Giang and Ba Ria-Vung Tau following the receipt and distribution of the Ministry of Health.

This has been the second time in less than a month that VPBank has provided modern respiratory support equipment for the prevention of COVID-19 in the southern region. In mid-July, the bank completed the delivery of 715 high-functioning invasive and non-invasive ventilators and high-flow oxygen humidification systems to localities.

VPBank has sent a total of 1,715 high-functioning invasive and non-invasive ventilators and 500 high-flow oxygen humidification systems as well as many other equipment and supplies to HCM City and the southern provinces to treat COVID-19 patients.

VPBank expects the modern ventilator system and medical supplies would contribute to increasing resources, effectively supporting the health sector in the southern region in response to the COVID-19 pandemic./.

Infographics featuring Agent Orange/dioxin disaster in Vietnam exhibited in France

Ten pieces of infographics drawn by Vietnamese French painter Vo Tram Anh have been displayed in Paris for the first time, giving visitors a panorama of issues related to Agent Orange/dioxin disaster in Vietnam.

By combining painting and infographics, Tram Anh highlighted the consequences of AO/dioxin in Vietnam, the pain of victims as well as the struggle to claim justice for the victims and efforts to ease their pain, especially support of French friends in this regard.

Several small credit projects to help families of disabled people in AO/dioxin-affected areas in central Quang Binh province were also introduced within the exhibition framework.

Tram Anh said that her engagement in activities to support AO/dioxin victims in France, including the lawsuit logged by Vietnamese French woman Tran To Nga, motivated her to tell stories of AO/dioxin disaster in a friendly, understandable, humorous and moved manner.

She said that due to the COVID-19 pandemic which prevents visitors from joining the exhibition directly, the organising board has made the pictures available online through social media networks such as Facebook and Instagram. Those who are interested in the exhibition can contact the board via email address contact@vietnamdioxine.org until September 18.

From 1961 to 1971, the US military sprayed about 80 million liters of toxic chemicals, 61 percent of which were AO, containing 366 kg of dioxin, on to nearly a quarter of South Vietnam. About 86 percent of the area was sprayed more than two times, 11 percent of the area was sprayed more than 10 times.

As a result, around 4.8 million Vietnamese were exposed to the toxic chemical. Many of the victims have died, while millions of their descendants are living with deformities and diseases as a direct result of the chemical’s effects.

In France, various practical activities have been held by many organisations, including the Association of Vietnamese People in France (UGVF), Union of Vietnamese Youth in France (UJVF) and Collectif Vietnam Dioxine, to support AO/dioxin victims in Vietnam and support struggles for justice for the victims./.

President’s visit affirms special attention to fostering ties with Laos

The upcoming official friendly visit to Laos by President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his spouse will reaffirm Vietnam’s strong and comprehensive support to the process of national reform, defence and construction of Laos.

The visit, to take place from August 9-10 at the invitation of General Secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith, will also highlight Vietnam’s special attention to maintaining and developing the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive partnership between the two countries.

As neighbouring countries, Vietnam and Laos have walked hand in hand through many challenges, reinforcing their solidarity and loyalty. The bilateral ties, founded by President Ho Chi Minh and President Kaysone Phomvihane and nurtured by generations of leaders and people of both nations, have been thriving to be “more stable than mountains, more long-lasting than rivers.”

The relations have become a development rule and a factor ensuring the success of the revolutionary cause of each country and a valuable asset of both Parties and nations, which must be protected and reinforced and transferred to next generations, Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong said while receiving Lao Party General Secretary and President Thongloun Sisoulith on June 28, 2021.

Amid complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic, the two countries have managed to maintain the exchange of visits and communication in different formats.

Defence-security and external relations have continued to be an important pillars in Vietnam-Laos relations, with joint efforts in ensuring security and maintaining a shared border of peace and friendship as well as searching and repatriating remains of Vietnamese volunteers and experts who died in Laos during the war.

The two sides have effectively implemented the annual consultation mechanisms between Chairpersons of the Party Central Committee’s Commissions for External Relations and Ministers of Foreign Affairs, while regularly exchanging information about regional and international issues of mutual concern, and coordinating together and promoting mutual support at multilateral forums, especially within the ASEAN, the UN and sub-regional mechanisms.

In the context of complicated COVID-19 developments in both countries, the bilateral multifaceted partnership has still developed.

In the 2016-2020 period, total trade between the two sides reached about 4.8 billion USD. In the first six months of 2021, the figure hit 670 million USD, up 36.5 percent rise over the same period last year.

Vietnam now has 209 valid investment projects worth about 5.16 billion USD in Laos, ranking third among foreign investors in the country.

The Lao Government has agreed to open the Dak Ta-Ok (Xekong) - Nam Giang (Quang Nam) border gate to promote trade exchange between the two sides.

Along with expanding export activities, both sides have focused on cooperation in personnel training for transport and construction sectors, and energy industry.

Both sides have concentrated on enhancing partnership in education-training and human resources development. The two Ministries of Education and Training have issued plans of cooperation in the 2021-2030 period. This year, Vietnam will give 1,220 scholarships to Lao officials and students, while Laos will offer 60 scholarships to Vietnam. Currently, more than 16,600 Lao students are studying in Vietnam.

Partnerships among localities, especially those along the shared border has been strengthened.

People-to-people exchanges have been increased with various cultural, art and sport activities, contributing to deepening the Vietnam-Laos relationship./.

Unique education model stimulates children’s creativity

Located on Hoang Cau street in Hanoi, Creative Gara is a carpentry workshop for children. It’s a unique education model that promotes children’s imagination, creativity, and patience.

A showroom displaying products made by the children at Creative Gara. (Photo: VNA)
At Creative Gara, children are free to design and build their own toys using their own imagination, without books or theories. 

Creative Gara classes are open mostly on weekends, with a different particular topic each week. There are also courses of four or six sessions that give children enough time to complete a complex project. 

“Creative Gara was opened in response to many parents who were looking for a space where their children could play and unlock their creativity. We offer activities through which children can learn about science, technology, math, and arts,” said Pham Quy Phuc, the founder of Creative Gara.

The class usually begins at 9 a.m. Creative Gara prepares all the materials and tools for the children. At the start of each class, a staff member introduces the project the children are going to be working on and gives some pointers on how to begin. 

“We offer a lot of courses. The course “Looking for an inventor” may last one to three months, while other courses last only a few days. The children express their hopes and dreams through their products,” Phuc noted.

In 2015, wanting to create a place for their own children to play, Pham Quy Phuc and his friends built a storage facility stocked with carpentry tools where their children could experiment with toys made from wood, an environment-friendly material which is easily recycled. 

After three months, the place was attracting many parents wanting to know if their kids could join the activities. Phuc and his friends decided to expand the space into a workshop and named it Creative Gara. It has rapidly grown into a popular place for children.

Phuc revealed that in the early days he and his friends had a hard time designing products and content for the courses. Woodworking is not easy and requires a variety of skills, so each Creative Gara class has volunteers to guide and supervise the children to make sure they work and play safely. The instructors also make carpentry tools that are suitable and safe for kids.

At Creative Gara, children can see with their own eyes how carpenters work with saws, drills and shapers. Then the children are allowed to design and build their own products. Parents can also take part in making products with their children.

Creative Gara is working on a plan to use more recycled materials.

Vietnamese culture to be introduced to international friends at Army Games 2021

In addition to showing off their skills, the delegation from the Vietnam People’s Army will also take the opportunity to introduce the country’s traditional culture to international friends.
An opportunity to advertise Vietnamese culture

Cultural and artistic performances have been listed as a category for competition entitled “Army of Culture” for the first time at this year’s Games.

According to Colonel Dang My Hanh, head of the Vietnamese art troupe to the event, participating in the Army Games not only helps the troupe improve their performance skills but also introduces the land and people of Vietnam as well as the Vietnamese People’s Army to international friends through the performances. 

“We are tasked with featuring the cultural identity and traditional essence of Vietnam as well as the image of the Vietnamese People’s Army in our performances,” Hanh said.

Apart from the artistic performances, the team will host a display entitled ‘Vietnamese People’s Army – Integration and Development’, utilising digital technology to increase the sense of interaction with visitors.

All costumes for the performances as well as musical instruments, and the way to deliver the performance to the audience were asked to highlight the authentic culture of Vietnam, a country on the path of global integration and development.

One of the performances that the Vietnamese art troupe will bring to the stage is a Chau Van (Spiritual Singing) song entitled ‘Co Doi Thuong Ngan’ (Goddess of the Forest). The musical genre is often delivered during the practices related to Viet beliefs in the Mother Goddesses of the Three Realms, recognised as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the UNESCO.

To prepare for the performance, members of the Vietnamese art troupe had to translate the song’s lyric into Russian, making a complete story which can help international friends understand more about Vietnamese people’s Mother Goddesses worship.

The troupe will also introduce the audience to traditional Vietnamese musical instruments such as the bamboo flute and dan t'rung (bamboo xylophone).

Tran Dang Viet, a member of Vietnam’s Field Kitchen team at the Army Games 2021, revealed the team will bring the flavours of Vietnamese cuisine through signature dishes from different regions across the country, such as grilled fish with mac khen pepper, roasted duck, and ‘nom bo kho’ (dried beef salad).

Popular dishes often served in Vietnamese people’s meals will also be introduced to participants at the event, including steamed chicken, beef rolls, fried shrimp with young sticky rice, nem (fried spring rolls), and prawn cracker.

As the ‘Field Kitchen’ category will take place in Uzbekistan, a country with a majority Muslim population, the team will use lamb and poultry as the main ingredients for their dishes instead of pork.

“We made careful preparations for this year’s event in order to promote the best of the team and achieve the best results at the competition,” Viet said.

Nguyen Hong Linh assigned as Secretary of Dong Nai Provincial Party Committee

Nguyen Hong Linh has been assigned as Secretary of the Party Committee of the southern province of Dong Nai.

At the ceremony held in Dong Nai on August 7, Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee (PCC), Head of the PCC Organisation Commission Truong Thi Mai presented the Politburo’s decision to assign Nguyen Hong Linh, member of the Party Central Committee, Permanent Deputy Head of the PCC Commission for Mass Mobilisation to hold the position of Secretary of the Dong Nai Provincial Party Committee for the 2020-2025 tenure.

Previously, Nguyen Phu Cuong, former Secretary of Dong Nai Provincial Party Committee was elected by the 15th National Assembly (NA) as a member of the NA Standing Committee and Chairman of the NA Finance-Budget Committee.

Speaking at the ceremony, Politburo member Mai expressed her belief that in his new position, Nguyen Hong Linh would lead the Dong Nai provincial Party Committee to successfully implementing the Resolution from its Party Congress (2020-2025 tenure), and in the immediate future, focus on leading and directing the implementation of measures to prevent and control the COVID-19 epidemic in the province.

Nguyen Long Hai assigned as Secretary of Central Enterprises Bloc’s Party Committee

Nguyen Long Hai has been assigned as Secretary of the Party Committee of the Central Enterprises Bloc at a ceremony held in Hanoi on August 6. 

At the ceremony, Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee (PCC), Head of the PCC Organisation Commission Truong Thi Mai presented the Politburo’s decision to assign Nguyen Long Hai, an alternate member of the PCC to join the Executive Board, the Standing Board and hold the position of Secretary of the Party Committee of the Central Enterprises Bloc for the 2020-2025 tenure.

In her speech, Politburo member Mai expressed her belief that Nguyen Long Hai would lead the Party Committee of the Central Enterprises Bloc to successfully implementing the Resolution set at its second Party Congress.

On the same day, Politburo member, Chairman of the PCC’s Theoretical Council, Director of the How Chi Minh National Academy of Politics Nguyen Xuan Thang presented decisions on appointing new permanent members of the Central Theoretical Council.

Accordingly, Member of the PCC, President of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences Bui Nat Quango was assigned as part-time Vice President. Prof. Dr. Ta Ngoc Tan, former member of the PCC, former Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, full-time Vice President was appointed Permanent Vice President.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Thanh, former member of the PCC, former Deputy Minister of Public Security, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quang Thuan and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Van Linh were appointed as full-time Vice Presidents. Dr. Bui Truong Giang, former Deputy Head of the PCC’s Commission on Communication and Education was assigned Vice President cum Secretary General.

Literary and artistic creation contest on the fight against COVID-19 launched

The Vietnam Stage Artists Association has just launched an award for literary and artistic works on the topic of Covid-19 epidemic prevention and control.

This is a practical activity to raise the awareness and responsibility of community in strictly implementing regulations and guidelines on the prevention and control of the COVID-19 epidemic; honouring the great contributions and sacrifices of frontline forces in the fight against COVID-19; while at the same time showing the high sense of responsibility of stage artists in the propaganda for the prevention of the epidemic, contributing to creating trust, solidarity and mutual love among the entire people, as well as determination to repel the epidemic.

Accordingly, professional and amateur theatrical units and individuals, as well as Vietnamese citizens or foreigners living, working and studying in Vietnam can submit works.

Works nominated for the award must be new works composed from January 1, 2020 until now, which have been staged, recorded, and released online on digital platforms, including plays, skits, and short plays, songs belonging to theatrical art forms: traditional Tuong (Vietnamese classical opera); Cheo (Vietnamese traditional opera); Cai luong (Vietnamese reformed opera); drama; traditional music; puppetry play; and circus.

The works should show profound content and high aesthetic and artistic value, honouring the great contributions and sacrifices of frontline forces in the fight against COVID-19, must contribute to spread noble values to the public, raising public awareness of epidemic prevention and control and creating trust, solidarity and mutual love amongst the entire people, most importantly a strong determination to win and repel the epidemic.

Units and individuals can submit their works by sending the link of the work to the email of the organising board: tapchisankhau.vn@gmail.com, or inbox the fanpage of the Vietnam Stage Artists Association.

The works can be sent to the organising board from now to August 30.

After receiving the work, the organising board will set up an Appraisal Council consisting of reputable experts, who will score by secret ballot.

In addition to the prizes of the Appraisal Council, there is also the Audience Choice Award ,which will be calculated by the shares, likes and comments gained by each work posted on the Fanpage of the Vietnam Stage Artists Association.

The awards ceremony is expected to take place on the occasion of the anniversary of Vietnam Stage Day in 2021.

Goethe-Institut to introduce Culture Lab's performances on YouTube

Goethe-Institut will live premiere a number of performances online within the framework of the project "Cultural Lab" 2020 on the YouTube channel of Goethe-Institut Vietnam at 8 pm, every Saturday in August 2021, as meaningful spiritual gifts for audience in the context of the complicated Covid-19 pandemic.

Contemporary dance with live music performance named “The Nest” will open the programme. Inspired by the great and widespread influence of the Covid-19 pandemic, Choreographer Vu Ngoc Khai, who is also the creative director of 1648KILOMET, together with musician Tri Minh and viola artist Tran Thi Ngoc Thuy, developed the idea into the performance of "The Nest". With the companionship of the Goethe-Institut Hanoi, “The Nest” was first released to the public in October 2020.

“The Nest” holds the aspiration of those searching for a tranquil space that they belong to a peaceful place to hide, lean on, take a rest in their journey of finding a way to live in harmony with all the unpredictable changes of this modern world.

After nearly a year, the topical message of humanity of "The Nest" is still intact, when Vietnam is applying social distancing measures in localities across the country. Therefore, Goethe-Institut, together with 1648KILOMET, has decided to show the performance on the YouTube platform from 8.00pm on August 7 to 8.00pm on August 14, 2021.

In order to enjoy the show, audiences can simply visit the following link https://www.youtube.com/c/GoetheInstitutVietnam. After the programme on August 7, from 9:00pm, the audience will be able to interact with the artists and production crews through the Zoom platform.

Earlier, at the end of 2020, Goethe-Institut introduced the “Culture Lab” project (Kulturlabor in German) with an aim to support artists while at the same time helping to bring the arts closer to the public.

The Culture Lab was born in the context of the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic around the world. International travel continues to be restricted. International cooperation is difficult. 2020 remains a challenging year for everyone, especially for artists.

The project aims to encourage local creative artists to present and try out new works, as well as to strengthen the cohesion of artists and art lovers to turn the rest of the year into an opportunity for inspiration for everyone.

An Giang Police prosecute four internees linked to cross-border money transfer

The Investigation Police Agency under the Department of Public Security of An Giang Province has just issued a prosecution decision to four internees involved in illegal cross-border money transfer led by Nguyen Thi Kim Hanh.

Earlier, on June 24, 2019, the border guard forces of An Giang Province had detected and arrested a motor-boat carrying four people and US$470,000 at Trac Ri Channel, Vinh Chanh 1 Hamlet, Vinh Nguon Ward, Chau Doc City.

An Giang Police prosecute four internees linked to cross-border money transfer ảnh 1
The border guard forces seized US$470,000 from four internees linked to a cross-border money transfer.

Through the investigation process, the four people including Pham Thanh Sang, Nguyen Van Le, Ho Tuan Linh and Nguyen Van Minh, based on Da Phuoc Commune, An Phu District, An Giang Province who admitted that the amount of money above had been transported from Cambodia to Vietnam. During the investigation process, police officials uncovered they all related to the ring led by Nguyen Thị Kim Hanh.

On July 6, Nguyen Thi Kim Hanh, also known as Muoi Tuong, 1969, and other members of the ring illegally transporting 51-kilogram of gold across the border Vinh Chanh 1 Hamlet, Vinh Nguon Ward, Chau Doc City were arrested by An Giang Province Police.

The functional forces of An Giang Police issued a prosecution decision for four internees and continue the investigation for the case.

Hanoi appoints new leaders of education and culture sectors 

The newly-appointed heads of departments are expected to make a great contribution to the city's socio-economic development.

Chairman of Hanoi People's Committee Chu Ngoc Anh handed over appointment decisions to new leaders of two departments of Culture and Sports, and Education on August 6.

Accordingly, Tran The Cuong, 48, was designated the new head of the Department of Education for the 2021-25 tenure. Prior to this appointment, Cuong held the position of Director of the Department of Culture and Sports.

Do Dinh Hong, 56, is assigned to lead the municipal Department of Culture and Sports for the 2021-25 tenure. Hong was Secretary of the Party Committee of Me Linh District in the previous tenure of 2017- 21.

Speaking at the appointment ceremony on August 6, Chairman of the municipal People's Committee Chu Ngoc Anh said he believed the new directors will fully play their competencies and experiences to successfully lead these departments in attaining the set targets.

“They are both well-trained officials, who are always active and creative in their work and have the practical experience to successfully fulfill their tasks,” Ngoc Anh said.

The Hanoi mayor also believes that the newly-appointed directors will keep promoting their strengths, especially in the context that the capital city is making efforts to prevent and control the Covid-19 pandemic.

For their parts, Tran The Cuong and Do Dinh Hong said they will do their best, be the nucleus of solidarity and unity at the grassroots to best perform the responsibility assigned by the city’s leaders, and be worthy of the local people's trust.

Designing contest of Temple of Literature calls for participants

People of all nationalities living in Vietnam are invited to join the Designed by Vietnam 2021 contest, themed ‘Awakening Traditions’.

In order to preserve and promote the values of cultural heritage, to improve the quality of tourism products of Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam relics, the Center for Scientific and Cultural Activities of Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam offers a sideline contest called “Designing souvenirs about the Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam”.

Submissions are the souvenir and gift designs that symbolize Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam relics. They should have creative and artistic values and be made of environmentally friendly and highly applicable materials.

The results of the contest will later be mass-produced by the Center for Scientific and Cultural Activities Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam and the Organizing Committee of Vietnam Design Week.

Designers can submit up to five entries in the form of sketches and photographs. Entries must be original and have not yet participated in any creativity and design competitions.

Designers can also send entries directly to the email designedbyvietnam@gmail.com until August 31, 2021.

Following the success of the Design by Vietnam contest held for the first time in 2020, this year contest with the theme ‘Awakening Traditions’ will focus on five areas of ‘Communication Design’, ‘Living design’, ‘Decor & Object design’, ‘Clothing design’ and ‘Public design’.

“Designers, whether Vietnamese or foreigners residing in Vietnam, while being inspired, searching, exploiting and applying the elements and characteristics of culture - history - ancient crafts or local materials, stories of the past and present, modern urban rhythms or emotions from nature, and then breathe them into new creative products, are all ‘Designed by Vietnam’," according to the organizing committee of the contest.

The Jury Board will choose 20 designs for further completion for the final round taking place within the framework of Vietnam Design Week 2021 to be held in Hanoi, Hue, and Ho Chi Minh City from November 15 -21.

There will be 11 prizes, with a value from VND10,000 (US$430) to VND50,000,000 ($2.185) to be awarded at the Designed by Vietnam 2021 contest.

Twenty designs selected for the final round will be published for online voting at https://vietnamdesignweek.com from October 15 to November 15.

Hà Nội craft villages innovate to limit impact of COVID-19

Workers make bamboo and rattan products at Bảo Minh Production Joint Stock Company in Đông Phương Yên Commune, Chương Mỹ District in Hà Nội. Photos courtesy of the Hà Nội

Handicraft villages in Hà Nội are trying to maintain the quality of their products while catching up with modern business practices to survive the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nguyễn Văn Chí, head of Hà Nội's Rural Development Division under the municipal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the city has more than 1,300 craft villages with many products like porcelain, ceramics, lacquer, mosaic, silk, embroidery, bamboo and rattan. The products are diverse in design and are of good quality. They have been developed under the city's One Commune One Product (OCOP) programme.

OCOP does not only standardise quality and design but also allows producers to access more markets and have better support to develop, Chí said.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, handicraft villages have faced many challenges.

Khương Thị Minh, an artisan making bamboo dragonflies in Thạch Xá commune, Thạch Thất District said the pandemic had seriously impacted her family’s business.

"In the past, every month, my family sold thousands of bamboo dragonflies to the southern provinces, not to mention the local consumption of tourists visiting Tây Phương Pagoda. Now the market is almost frozen,” Minh said.

However, Minh said her family still produced and packed the products carefully, waiting for the day when the pandemic is over and tourism recovers.

The ceramic industry in Bát Tràng Commune, Gia Lâm District creates jobs for tens of thousands of labourers inside and outside the locality.
Nguyễn Văn Vinh from Phú Vinh craft village in Phù Nghĩa Commune, Chương Mỹ District shared a similar situation.

"Phú Vinh village has a long-standing tradition of bamboo and rattan craft, before the COVID-19 pandemic, every month we exported dozens of containers of goods to the US and Japan,” he said.

Vinh said most of the business households and enterprises in the village had to overcome the limitations in product design and traditional business methods.

“In the trend of integration, enterprises must regularly change the design of their products, and actively promote products to meet the tastes of domestic and foreign customers,” he said.

Veteran artisan Nguyễn Văn Tĩnh in Phú Nghĩa Commune, Chương Mỹ District, who produces 12 bamboo and rattan products that have been recognised as OCOP city-level products, said craft products design change constantly.

“We are focusing on designing new products to meet market requirements,” he said.

Chairwoman of the Association of Handicrafts and Crafts of Hà Nội, Hà Thị Vinh, said market requirements are increasing every day.

“We need to pay more attention to social and environmental impacts when making the products, which are using environmentally friendly materials that are safe for people’s health as well as clean production," she said.

“In Bàt Tràng craft village in Bàt Tràng Commune, Gia Lâm District, production households have converted from traditional coal-fired furnaces to gas furnaces, improving product quality and limiting the impact on the environment.”

Director of the Hà Nội Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Chu Phú Mỹ (white shirt, middle) visits the handicraft display area at a fair to display, promote the trade in OCOP products in Hà Nội in 2020.

Hà Nội City’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has coordinated with the Department of Industry and Trade to bring the products to 14 exhibitions of OCOP products in the city. Among these, many are located in tourist areas such as Mông Phụ Village (Đường Lâm Commune, Sơn Tây Town), Bát Tràng Village (Gia Lâm District), Vạn Phúc Village (Hà Đông District). They are held to introduce and promote featured products to domestic and foreign tourists.

HCM City applies Covid-19 mitigation technologies

HCM City authorities have used several technologies in order to bring the Covid-19 outbreak under control.

According to the Department of Science and Technology, they have successfully applied the geographic information system (GIS) system which creates, manages, analyses, and maps all types of data in Thu Duc City and will start to expand the project to other districts.

The system helps analyse positive cases, locked-down areas, checkpoints and quarantine centres. The authorities can see how the situation changes day by day and assess the virus spreading speed and new outbreaks. Chu Van Hai, deputy head of the Department of Science and Technology, said the GIS can also help with online shopping and show charity spots.

The system was launched by the Centre for Applied GIS of Ho Chi Minh City per request from Thu Duc City.

During this time, the Department of Information and Communication launched the 1022Call Centre to receive Covid-19 calls from the public. The line was overloaded with calls when it was first launched. On July 30, the department used 30 AI bots to fix the problem.

After five days, the centre received 19,767 calls. Of which 12,000 calls were dealt with by the AI bots. The number of received calls saw a 1.5-fold increase compared to before.

Director of the Department of Information and Technology Lam Dinh Thang said, "In the coming time, we'll increase the number of AI bots to 300 and the number of operators to 40-45. Local telecommunication firms have waived all fees for calls to the centre."

AI proves practical during Covid-19 fight in Vietnam

The Prime Minister right at the beginning of this year released the national strategy for AI research, development, and implementation until 2030, in hope of making breakthroughs in the field in Vietnam. During the Covid-19 pandemic in the country, AI has played an important role to help relieve the burden of the medical staff and disease prevention forces.

Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Bui The Duy stated that AI was formerly considered quite academic and was only for senior mathematicians, IT experts to research. Lately, however, thanks to the appearance of advanced technologies like Big Data, Cloud Computing, Deep Learning, AI has become more practical to the real life than ever, with several meaningful applications.

Deputy Minister Duy, who is also the Leader of the Information Quick Response Team under the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, shared that many technological businesses, organizations have successfully developed useful AI-based apps to aid the pandemic prevention forces in tracking infected people, their contacts and digitalizing health declaration forms for easy access. Robots are also used to disinfect high-risk areas and distribute medication to Covid-19 patients.

In HCMC, AI is implemented in the latest Covid-19 fight, such as the callbot of the 1022 Hotline to answer basic questions related to Covid-19. There are also a series of new AI-based products from Quang Trung Software City like Homa’s smart camera system management to monitor gatherings of the public in lockdown areas or the solution to monitor people access in public places by a research team in the Medical Faculty of the Vietnam National University – HCMC.

However, Vietnam does have certain challenges implementing AI in real life. Dr. Vo Sy Nam from VinBigData of VinGroup stated that the data quality is the key in AI research since 80 percent of the job is related to data processing. Similarly, Prof. Vu Ha Van – Scientific Director of VinBigData shared that the collected data must be large enough with clear labels, reliable, accessible, clear, and representative. Data and capable human resources are the basic factors to create high-quality made-in-Vietnam AI products.

Experts in the fields said that there are now four matters to focus on to develop AI: sufficient high-quality human resources, in-depth research teams, professional AI training for the next generation, and a strong connection between AI research and application to make usable products.

Director of Vietnam National University – HCMC Vu Hai Quan shared that most IT knowledge taught in universities here is about software development, not much about AI. It is high time to adjust the current curriculum to adapt to the new global technological trend. The first logical action could be the establishment of an AI faculty or the subjects of Computer Vision, Speech Processing, Natural Language Processing, Big Data, Robotics.

Right now, the Science & Technology Ministry is adding needed legal documents about intellectual property rights related to AI, launching the public-private cooperation model, supporting AI research institutes, forming key AI and data science research teams in certain state universities and research centers, building several AI innovation centers. These plans are supposed to create globally renowned made-in-Vietnam AI brand names in the near future.

HCMC authorities decide not to raise tuition fee for academic year 2021-2022

The People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City decided to maintain tuition fees for the academic year 2021-2022.

In a document to the Department of Finance, the Department of Education and Training, the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, the People's Committee of Thu Duc City and districts on the mechanism of collection and use of tuition fees and other parents’ payment for the 2021- 2022 school year in public education and training institutions, Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Duong Anh Duc approved to keep the tuition fee for the school year 2021-2022 as the school year 2020-2021.

Regarding parents’ payment, the City People's Committee assigns the Department of Education and Training to coordinate with the Department of Finance based on current regulations guiding the collection and use of fees in advanced schools before the new school year.

In addition, the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City also assigned the city Department of Education and Training to instruct the collection and use of tuition fees and other payments such as online teaching fee, the time of collection as per the regulations and the development of the Covid-19 epidemic in the city.

As for the exemption and reduction of tuition fees and support for study expenses for students, Ho Chi Minh City continues to comply with the regulations and guidelines of the Department of Education and Training, the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, the Department of Finance from the 2016-2017 school year and the regulations on compensation for organizing two learning sessions a day of the City People's Committee implemented from the 2017-2018 school year until now.

In the respect of non-cash payment, the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City proposed the People's Committee of Thu Duc City and the districts and units under the City Department of Education and Training to continue promoting the collection of tuition fees and other fees by non-cash payment method.

Vietnam to carry out general education program

In the school year 2021-2022, the whole country will continue to implement the General Education Program (GET) 2018 for grades 2 and 6.

Presently, 21 districts and Thu Duc City (HCMC) are implementing many solutions to ensure resources to implement the new program.

Currently, most of the districts, teachers of grades 1 and 2 for the 2021-2022 school year have completed the online training course of the 2018 curriculum. Specifically, from July 19-24, textbook publishers organized the online training course for teachers of grades 1 and 2 according to the 2018 curriculum. Each teacher participated in the training course under the direct supervision of the principal.
 
Deputy Director of the city Department of Education and Training Nguyen Van Hieu said that principals are responsible for assigning teachers who missed the first refresher course to attend the next training session before August 10, 2021. Teachers who have completed online training and are assessed as "pass" by the principal are eligible to participate in face-to-face training course organized by the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City. The face-to-face training course will take place after the coronavirus pandemic is under control.

He noticed that teachers who do not participate or do not meet the requirements will not be assigned to teach grades 1 and 2 in the 2021-2022 school year. Previously, from July 12 to July 16, administrators and teachers of grades 1 and 2 of primary schools in Ho Chi Minh City fostered themselves through studying documents, watching video clips provided by textbooks publishers. Teachers are only allowed to participate in online training when they have completed self-training and are assessed by the software system or their principal as "pass" according to the new program’s criteria.
 
For grade 6, from July 29, English teachers will participate in an online training course through the lms.hcm.edu.vn system platform of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, with the option of each bridge point being a teacher. Previously, from July 14, teachers in other subjects participated in online training. Teachers having joined the examination board for the first round of the high school graduation exam in 2021 missing the online training course will learn later. At the same time, in order to implement the Project "Improving the capacity, knowledge, and skills of applying informatics for high school students in Ho Chi Minh City in accordance with international standards in the 2021-2030 period", in August 2021, the Center for Information and Education Programs will organize online training courses for educational administrators and teachers on the subject of Informatics in the 2018 National Curriculum.
 
In the middle of last week, the People's Committee of District 1 issued a decision approving the Project on ensuring facilities for preschool and general education programs in the 2021-2025 academic year in District 1. Accordingly, the locality authority is determined to have enough school facilities and equipment for the implementation of the preschool education program and the educational program according to the roadmap for reforming the curriculum and textbooks.

In Go Vap District, the school year 2021-2022, the locality has no new preschool, primary and secondary schools, but just only 12 new classrooms have been added at Vo Thi Sau Primary School to increase study space for students. Thus, in the coming school year, Ward 9 and Ward 12 in Go Vap District do not have public primary schools.

Similarly, District 12 and Binh Chanh District which are under high pressure on mechanical population growth, will not have any newly- built schools in the next school year. 
 
A representative of the Bureau of Education and Training in Binh Tan District said that from now until the end of 2021, the district planned to build 30 new classrooms to meet the needs of people's learning. In the period from 2022 to 2025, the locality will invest in building 48 new school projects at all levels with 1,072 classrooms. To achieve that goal, the People's Committee of the district has reviewed and recommended the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City to relocate the public land that is not used effectively as the land fund for the construction of schools and classes. 

Lao newspapers hail Laos-Vietnam traditional friendship,comprehensive cooperation

Lao newspapers have given front-page treatment to a two-day official visit to Laos on August 9-10 by President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his spouse and a high-ranking delegation of the Vietnamese Party and State.

They affirmed that the visit is aimed at further consolidating and strengthening the traditional friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between Laos and Vietnam in a deeper and more effective manner.

PathetLao Daily, a publication of the Laos News Agency (KPL) published an article welcoming the official visit to Laos by the President of Vietnam, which noted that the visit takes place when the Party, Government and people of the two countries are implementing the Laos-Vietnam bilateral cooperation strategy for the 2021-2030 period. The strategy has just been agreed by the two countries' senior leaders on the occasion of an official friendship visit to Vietnam by the Party General Secretary and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith at the end of June.

President Phuc's official friendship visit to Laos aims to reaffirm the consistent stance of the Party, State, and people of Laos and Vietnam to continue promoting the development. the traditional and close relationship between the two countries. It contributes to strengthening the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between the two parties, the two states and the peoples of Laos and Vietnam, the newspaper said.

Amid complicated developments in the world region due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the two parties and States of Vietnam and Laos will continue to work together to protect, preserve and cultivate the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between Laos and Vietnam, which are increasingly fruitful and effective, and pass it on to future generations, it said.

In its article published on the same day, The Pasaxon - the newspaper of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, affirming that Laos - Vietnam relationship is an invaluable asset and a decisive factor in victories of the Vietnamese and Laos.

It emphasised that the two parties, the two states and the people of the two countries are always of the same mind and stand shoulder to shoulder to overcome all difficulties, move forward together to socialism, continue to develop the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between Laos and Vietnam forever./.

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

VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES AUGUST 8

HCM City – Hanoi passenger flights suspended