A national action plan on the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands in the 2021-2030 period has been issued, with priority given to recover important wetlands that are under degradation.

The plan aims to complete the investigation, statistics and inventory of the wetland database at the national level.

It also targets to increase from 13 internationally recognised ramsars to 15 sites by 2030, in accordance with Ramsar Convention.

By 2030, at least 25 percent of degrading important wetlands are expected to be restored.

H’mong ethnic cultural day to open in late December

The 3rd H’mong Ethnic Cultural Day will be celebrated on December 24-26 in the northern mountainous province of Lai Chau.

Visitors to the festival can observe H’mong folk singing, folk dancing, traditional costumes, games, and rituals. The festival will also feature activities to promote tourism, trade, and investment in Lai Chau and other provinces. 

The H’mong is one of the most populous ethnic groups in Vietnam. They live mostly in the mountains, 1,000 meters or more above sea level, in the northern region, in the central provinces of Thanh Hoa and Nghe An, and in the Central Highlands.

Hanoi promotes communication activities on ASEAN for 2021 - 2025

The Hanoi People's Committee has issued a plan on promoting information and communication activities on ASEAN in the 2021-2025 period, with a vision to 2030, aiming to effectively implement the Government's action plan in this work.

The plan is also to raise awareness of agencies, organisations and people about the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) in line with the scheme on developing and implementing a plan to realise the ASCC's goals to 2025.

Communications will focus on issues related to important political-diplomatic activities, investment and business, free trade agreements in the ASEAN region, development of human resources, labour - employment, digital economy, digital transformation, education, environmental protection, sustainable development, sub-regional cooperation, collaboration in response to COVID-19 and promote post-pandemic recovery within ASEAN, and between Hanoi and regional countries.

The communication plan will be carried out via culture and sports exchange, fairs, exhibitions, contests on ASEAN, conferences, workshops, training programmes, on mass media, and portals and websites, among others.

AFP unveils stunning beauty of Mu Cang Chai

Agence France-Presse (AFP) has introduced the spectacular beauty of the terraced rice fields of Mu Cang Chai in the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai to a global audience in a recent article. 

In its story titled “Vietnam's spectacular terraced rice fields wait for tourists”, AFP described the breathtaking terraces which are situated up to 1,000 metres above sea level and mostly belong to the Hmong people, a minority group who make up most of the area's population.

AFP also revealed that before COVID-19, Hmong women typically rent their colourful traditional costumes to visitors, while men earned up to US$30 a day driving them up tiny muddy paths through the hills.

The French news agency noted that Vietnam has recently started to open its doors to the outside world, with some international visitors arriving earlier this month on the island resort of Phu Quoc and in other tourist areas in the south.

Phu Tho launches safe tours to welcome Lunar New Year

The northern midland province of Phu Tho has launched a tourism promotion program with the aim of welcoming visitors to the locality during the upcoming Lunar New Year and Hung King Temples festival 2022.

Under the programme, local travel agents are provided with training courses and models of safe tours. Tour operators, meanwhile, are instructed with measures to ensure safety for both their staff and tourists.

The province has asked travel agencies to lower tour price with quality kept unchanged. This is also a measure to lure more visitors to Phu Tho, especially from Hanoi and surrounding areas. 

Over $9 million donated to flood victims

More than 217 billion VND (9.43 million USD) has been distributed between November 2020 and December 2021 to assist 730,164 people across 12 provinces and cities in the central region, which was hit by severe floods in October last year.

With great support from organisations, businesses and individuals in Vietnam and overseas, ten programmes for emergency aid and recovery have been implemented in the 12 localities, with funding totalling 217 billion VND. 

The 12 central provinces and cities benefited were Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Thua Thien – Hue, Da Nang, Khanh Hoa, Binh Dinh, and Phu Yen. 

Farmers to be guided on low-carbon rice production

The ModelRice project’s objective is to transform rice production in Vietnam and Laos to a low-carbon path with modern technologies that are climate-smart, profitable & sustainable.

The project will help increase annual rice income by at least 5 per cent and reduce rice carbon by 20 per cent each year, equivalent to 50,000 tonnes of CO2. In the first three years of implementation, about 15,000 farmers will benefit from the project, rising to 20,000 after six years.

The project will enhance the capacities of national partners to adopt and scale up low-carbon rice production as well as enable policies and investment to support expansion of the production model.

The project, which is expected to start in 2023, will focus on major rice-producing regions, including Vietnam’s three leading rice-producing provinces of An Giang, Dong Thap and Can Tho, and the Laos provinces of Khammouan, Bolikhamxai and Xaignabuly.

Cham Islands return two tortoises to nature

Two tortoises, one identified as a critically endangered species, have been returned to the sea off the Cham Islands after being rescued by local people and the Cham Island’s Marine Protected Area (MPA) management board.

The endangered tortoise, which weighed 1.7kg with a 30cm shell size, and the other could return to the local forest a few hours after the health check by the MPA on Wednesday.

It’s the third tortoise that was rescued by MPA and local residents, while four other sea turtles had been returned to nature in 2021. Earlier, the MPA received two pythons and three pangolins donated by local people for release.

Vietnam-Denmark exchange knowledge on sustainable cities

An exhibition titled ‘Nordic Sustainable Cities’ showcasing successful green projects in Denmark and other Nordic countries has been open to the public in Hanoi to promote the continued exchange of knowledge between Danish and Vietnamese professionals, architects, city planners, experts, researchers, university teachers and students.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was held offline in Hanoi with a limited number of participants, and online with participants from Copenhagen, Tokyo, Singapore and Vietnam.

The exhibition will run until December 19 at AgoHub, 12 Hoa Ma Street, Hai Ba Trung District.

The virtual exhibition is open online for public access at nordiccities.ashui.com.

Vietnam chairs meeting of UNSC Informal Working Group on Int’l Tribunals

Ambassador Pham Hai Anh, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of Vietnam to the United Nations, chaired a periodical meeting of the UN Security Council’s Informal Working Group on International Tribunals in New York on December 10.

This is the fourth and also final meeting chaired by Vietnam in its post as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in the 2020-2021 tenure.

The Informal Working Group on International Tribunals was established in June 2000 to deal with a specific issue pertaining to the statute of the International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991 (ICTY).

Runway 1A of Noi Bai airport to be put into use before Lunar New Year

The Thang Long Project Management Board has urged contractors to speed up work on a project to renovate runways and taxiways at the Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi City to put runway 1A into service before the 2022 Lunar New Year holiday.

Runway 1A and taxiways S1, S2 and S7 are over 99% complete, according to the project management board under the Ministry of Transport.

The project to rehabilitate and upgrade the runways and taxiways of the airport got off the ground in late June 2020. Runway 1B, part of the project, was put into use again in September this year.

The project to upgrade runways and taxiways and build lighting systems and some other subprojects at the Hanoi airport cost a total of over VND2 trillion.

Vietnamese student wins first prize at French Olympiad

Ngo Minh Long, a 12th grader from Hon Gai High School in the northern province of Quang Ninh, has won the first prize at the French Olympiad 2021.

The Vietnamese delegation was also ranked second in the contest for making a video clip introducing the country. The video has been appreciated by international jurymen who all expressed their wish to visit Vietnam in the future.

The French Olympiad 2021 was held virtually from December 7-9 with the participation of 94 students from 20 countries in Africa, Europe and Asia.

COVID-19 vaccine transported by air to Con Dao island

Vietnam Air Services Company (VASCO), a subsidiary of Vietnam Airlines Corporation, on December 11 safely transported a batch of COVID-19 vaccine from Ho Chi Minh City to Con Dao island of southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau province.

The vaccine will be used to inoculate adults and children aged between 12-17 in the island district.

VASCO resumed its flights between southern localities and Con Dao in mid-October. The airline has been operating two return flights between HCM City and Con Dao, and one round-trip flight on the Can Tho-Con Dao route everyday.

Vietnam Festival 2021 held in Japan

The Vietnam Festival 2021 was held in Tokyo, Japan on December 11-12, attracting a large number of visitors.

The two-day event aimed to promote Vietnam’s images to Japanese friends, and part of efforts to restart cultural and people-to-people exchanges between Vietnam and Japan. 

This is one of the largest annual festivals in Tokyo, which promotes Vietnamese cuisine and culture to Japanese people, Charge d'Affaires of Vietnam to Japan Lam Thi Thanh Phuong said.

The festival was first held in Japan in 2008, when the two countries celebrated the 35th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties, she added.

Hanoi promotes local tourist products 

As soon as the city authorities allowed certain services, accommodations, museums, and parks to reopen, tourist activities in Hanoi began to recover in line with the regulation of safe, flexible adaptation and effective containment of COVID-19.

Hanoitourist has launched a tour called “French architecture in the heart of Hanoi” allowing tourists to explore Hanoi’s mixture of French and Vietnamese architecture. This is the first tour organized since Hanoi removed COVID-19 restrictions.

The Management Board of Sword Lake and the Hanoi Old Quarter has worked with agencies to create electric bus tours to relic sites near the lake and in the Old Quarter. 

VGreen Tourist Club has recently launched cycling tours of Hanoi. The first is called “VGreen bike tour – Quintessence of Trang An." It has also created tours exploring the 4 Sacred Temples of Hanoi, Hanoi’s outskirts, Ba Vi mountain, Duong Lam ancient village, and Bat Trang ceramic village.

The city will add more cultural tourism products and develop more tours of heritages, relic sites, festivals, craft villages, and local cuisine. Tours to explore farms and rural villages, health care tours, and community tours are also being planned.

National Conference on Local Diplomacy held in Hanoi

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on December 13 held the 20th National Conference on Local Diplomacy, with the aim of continuing to reform and increase the efficiency of foreign affairs and international integration of localities.

On the sidelines of the conference, a fair showcasing Vietnam’s products was held, attracting the participation of numerous local businesses.

Australian alumni grant funding applications now open

The Australian Ambassador to Vietnam, Robyn Mudie, has announced the opening of applications for Australian Alumni Grants Funds. 

The Australian Alumni Grants Fund is funded by the Australian Government. It will provide AUD350,000 in funding for alumni-led grants that contribute to Vietnam’s ongoing development across a wide range of sectors. 

Since 2017, more than VND 27.4 billion has been awarded to over 140 alumni projects that support Vietnam’s social and economic development. There are over 70,000 alumni of Australian academic institutions living in Vietnam.

VN-China armies wrap up medical relief exercise 

The armies of Vietnam and China have co-organised a humanitarian and medical relief exercise in Mong Cai border city in Vietnam’s northern province of Quang Ninh.

Major General Nguyen Hung Thang, Deputy Chairman and Chief of the Staff of the General Department of Logistics under the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence, said the exercise took place in line with the schedule and met all set targets.

The event reviewed the collaboration between forces engaging in international disaster relief efforts; and between military medical forces performing international missions and the host nation’s medical capacity.

It reached consensus on procedures in search and rescue operations, first-aid and transportation of the injured to treatment facilities in designated areas, the implementation of measures for the prevention and control of epidemic-prone diseases, and necessary medical equipment.

Vietnam attends extraordinary teleconference of communist and workers’ parties

A Vietnamese delegation led by Nguyen Thi Hoang Van, Vice Chairwoman of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations, attended an extraordinary teleconference of the International Meeting of Communist and Workers’ Parties (IMCWP) held on December 10-11.

Addressing the event, Van reaffirmed Vietnam’s consistent support for the just struggle of nations and called for strengthening international solidarity among communist and workers’ parties and among democratic, peace-loving and progressive forces in the world.

The teleconference, co-organised by the Communist Party of Greece and the Communist Party of Turkey, brought together representatives of 73 communist and workers' parties from 57 countries around the world.

Can Tho  suspends beauty salons, gyms, karaoke 

The Mekong Delta city of Can Tho has suspended non-essential services such as entertainment facilities, beauty salons, gyms, karaoke and massage parlors starting from December 13, given a spike in daily cases.

From 0 a.m. on December 13, the city will ban gatherings of more than 10 people in public areas, at parties, and outside offices, schools, hospitals and factories. People are only allowed to venture out for essential purposes. 

Shopping malls, supermarkets and convenience stores must not serve over 10 customers at a time. Food stores and eateries are allowed to offer dine-in services to no more than 10 customers at a time and must not serve alcoholic drinks at the stores, while the minimum distance between tables must be two meters. 

Further, the city will suspend entertainment facilities, beauty salons, except for hair salons, gyms, yoga studios, billiards, bars, clubs and game shops.

Hai Phong orders suspension of employment of partially vaccinated people

Given the spike in Covid-19 cases, the northern city of Hai Phong has ordered a stop to recruiting employees who have yet to receive two vaccine shots. The municipal government sent this request to the Haiphong Economic Zone Authority, the municipal Department of Industry and Trade on December 10.

According to the municipal government, new Covid infections linked to the unvaccinated at industrial zones are rising. Up to now, Hai Phong has administered over 2.7 million doses, with 1.5 people receiving the first shot and 1.2 million people getting two shots.

Indian man leads online gambling ring with scale of nearly US$4 billion

During the investigation expansion of an online gambling ring with its scale of up to nearly US$4 billion, the subjects declared that the ring leader was an Indian man named Mohit who was born in 1991.

The foreign subject’s wife is Vietnamese. Mohit had lived in Vietnam for many years. Before the online gambling ring was detected, he had left Vietnam.

The police forces said that Mohit was a person behind the gambling website Sw....live; meanwhile, Huynh Long Nhu, who was born in 1993, based in Tan Binh District, managed the gambling website Naga....com. Nhu and his accomplices admitted to contacting Mohit via social media.

The police forces affirmed that the gambling ring had been operated under a multilevel model on online gambling. At least 38 people involved in this ring have been arrested.

Four projects win Vietnam Urban Planning Awards 2020

Four special prizes were presented to the most excellent projects at an award ceremony for the Vietnam Urban Planning Awards (VUPA) 2020.

A total of 18 gold, 16 silver, 25 bronze and 25 consolation prizes were also presented to other outstanding entries at the ceremony.

They were selected from more than 180 submissions sent to the organising board in five categories of construction planning projects, completed projects, publications on planning, urban development management, and urban environmental quality.

The winning projects proposed creative planning ideas and solutions with the aim of providing a good living space for the community while preserving traditional values and protecting the natural environment.

Winners of national skills competition honoured

The winners of the 2021 National Skills Competition were honored at a ceremony held on Deceber 12. 

The competition drew the participation of 109 contestants from 14 delegations competing in 11 skills. After 11 days of competition, the organisers awarded 14 gold medals, 10 silver medals and 15 bronze medals.

Through the competition, the organisers have selected the best contestants for the national team to prepare for the 46th edition of the WorldSkills competition to be held in Shanghai, China, next year.

Vietnam's culture introduced at EXPO Dubai

The art programme with the theme "The Eternal Flow" will take place on Vietnam Day, December 30, 2021, within the framework of the World Expo 2020 Dubai.

There are also activities such as: Vietnam Film Week, an exhibition of paintings by "painting prodigy" Xeo Chu, a programme to introduce the country and provide information on foreign policy, economy, investment, trade and tourism in Vietnam.

The art programme "The Eternal Flow" aims to introduce the world to Vietnam with rich cultures, imbued in national identity, the cultural quintessence formed and summarised over thousands of years of history and traditional cultural values of 54 ethnic groups.

Vietnam Day is the most important event for Vietnam at the World Expo 2020 Dubai, with a variety of activities such as the flag-raising ceremony and parade. 

Three research books on international relations launched

Titled “Diplomacy - Theory and Practice”, “National Identity in the Process of International Integration of Vietnam: Some Theoretical and Practical Issues”, and “Theory of International Politics”, the three books are expected to provide new and in-depth knowledge and reference sources for a wide range of readers, especially for officials and researcher students who are working and studying in the field of international politics and diplomacy.

The books are a compilation of research works, lectures and reflections from the practical experience of a group of authors - professional diplomats, who have worked in many positions over many areas in the world.

Festival "Dance on the white plateau" Bac Ha opens

The People's Committee of Bac Ha district (Lao Cai) opened the Bac Ha Winter Festival with the theme "Dance on the white plateau", at Hoang A Tuong palace, a 100-year-old architectural monument, on December 11. The festival aims to stimulate demand and to restore tourism in the locality with regards to safe adaptation of the COVID-19 epidemic.

Bac Ha Winter Festival includes a series of activities, including Hmong brocade pattern making art combined with fashion design, food stall "Bac Ha rice tray" combined with the rose-wine festival, winter night prom combined with Ta Chai fire festival and horse racing.

VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES DECEMBER 11

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