The Vietnamese team won three gold medals at the 2021 Asian Karate Championship in Kazakhstan which concluded on December 22.

On the final day of the competition, martial artist Hoang Thi My Tam defeated Chinese Taipei rival Ku Tsui Ping 7-2 in the women’s kumite 55kg.

The afternoon of December 22 saw the Vietnamese team made up of Nguyen Thi Ngoan, Ho Thi Thu Hien, and Hoang Thi My Tam clinch a 2-1 victory over the martial artists from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the women team’s kumite category.

Earlier, Tam, 18, took home a gold medal on December 20 in the women’s kumite 55kg in the U21 category.

Vietnam’s housing floor area averages 25sq.m per person in 2021

Vietnam’s average housing floor area reaches 25sq.m per person in 2021, one sq.m higher than that of 2020, according to the Ministry of Construction. Next year, the country targets to raise the figure to 25.5 sq.m per person.

To that end, the ministry will study and complete the law system related to the management and development of housing and real estate market, and create an open and favourable business environment to attract investment for development.

Two kayakers missing off Danang

On December 20 while Danang faced strong wind due to being affected by the Storm Rai, a group of three people comprising two local residents and a female visitor, hired kayaks to go to a beach in Son Tra.

Because of the rough sea, their boats capsized. As a result, the female visitor has been rescued after she had drifted to the Cu Lam Cham area a day later, while the remaining two are still missing.

According to the management board of Son Tra Peninsula and Beaches, Danang is home to around 10 kayaking clubs, however, the city has not yet issued specific regulations on their operation, including the lease of kayaks or adventure sports activities on rivers or beaches.

Quang Ninh to reopen to int’l tourists in first week of next year

The northern province of Quang Ninh plans to reopen to international tourists from the first week of next year.

As scheduled, the first delegation from the Republic of Korea will arrive at Van Don international airport on January 7, 2022.

The province has chosen pilot tourism models to serve foreigners, including cruise tour on Ha Long Bay, Tuan Chau international tourism resort in Ha Long, Yen Tu relic site in Uong Bi city, and Mong Cai – Tra Co tourist site in Mong Cai city.

It also named qualified hospitality providers in the first stage, including FLC Grand Ha Long hotel, Tinh Nghia tourism, trade and transportation JSC, and Viet Way company.

Winners of 2021 Hack4Growth Unlimited honoured

An award ceremony of the 2021 Hack4Growth Unlimited took place on December 22 in Hanoi.

Nanoneem, which studied herb-based pesticides for green agriculture and the application of nano-technology to improve pesticide efficiency, brought home the first prize worth 10,000 USD.

The second prize of 7,000 USD was awarded to a project of CRE Vietnam which aims to prevent transmission of carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae (CRE) in hospitals. The team also bagged a sub-prize presented by Devtify.

SoBanHang project which supports small- and micro retailers to activate e-commerce, clinched the third prize worth 5,000 USD.

National civil defence plan issued for 2021-2025

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on December 22 signed a decision issuing the national civil defence plan for 2021-2025 which sets out tasks to prevent and cope with consequences of catastrophes, as well as major implementation solutions.

The plan is intended to enhance State management in civil defence, utilise resources to prevent, forecast and respond to catastrophes and reduce their losses, maintain socio-political stability, and ensure sustainable development.

During the 2021-2025 period and the years to come are forecast to see the resurgence of such catastrophes as wars, tsunami, storms, typhoons, widespread flooding, sea level rise, saline intrusion, environmental pollution, radiation leak, construction collapse, traffic accidents, fires, widespread forest fires and diseases.

Japan, central Vietnam promote manpower links

To promote job recruitment opportunities in Japan for Vietnamese students in central Vietnam, Dong A University and Japanese partners have inked a series of agreements in human resources education, practical courses and internship programmes in nursing, tourism, automobiles and business management in 2021-25.

The university and the ASK International from Japan had inked a cooperation deal in research and publishing curriculum documents related to Japanese and Vietnamese language training for both Japanese and Vietnamese learners in 2021-25.

The two sides agreed to boost educational programmes in tourism, nursing, business management, as well as Vietnamese, Japanese and English language training.

Two Japanese partners – H.I.S travel agency and the We Are ASEAN non-profit association – also inked an agreement on educational programmes transfer in hotel management, tourism and nursing as well as supplying labour for Japan.

The Kameda medical group also re-signed with the Da Nang-based University in human resource training and manpower recruitment, while Will Group and Zensho Holdings company were approached for education in automobiles and tourism, respectively.

WWF Vietnam helps Long An in domestic solid waste management

WWF Vietnam will continue to help Long An in domestic solid waste management as the provincial authorities decided to expand a model of waste separation at source in wards in Tan An city as well as other districts and town in the southern province.

On November 19, the Long An Provincial People's Committee decided to continue maintaining the model of waste separation at source in Ward 3, Tan An city, as well as to expand the model to all wards in Tan An as well as its remaining districts and towns.

In collaboration with Tan An URENCO and relevant authorities, the waste separation at source model will be maintained and implemented in Ward 3 and expanded in Ward 1,2,4,5,6 of Tan An city, even after completion of WWF’s supporting activities.

Ninh Binh kicks off exhibition on Vietnam’s cultural heritage

An exhibition on cultural heritage, scenic landscapes, and traditional handicrafts of Vietnam is in full swing in the northern province of Ninh Binh. The event is as part of the National Tourism Year - Ninh Binh 2021.

Held at the province’s gymnasium from December 17 to 24, the event aims to honour the cultural heritage, relic sites and scenic landscapes, along with traditional handicrafts of Vietnam, thereby helping attract resources for developing tourism and promoting the country’s stature.

It showcases 350 photos of the UNESCO-recognised heritage and famous historical relic sites and landscapes across the country, including terraced fields in the northwest, Ba Be Lake in Bac Kan province, the Huong River and Ngu Mountain in Thua Thien-Hue province, and Tam Coc - Bich Dong in Ninh Binh.

Nearly 200 outstanding products of traditional craft villages is also on display. 

Quang Ninh Museum given highest ranking

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has awarded Quang Ninh Museum with the highest rank in the museum system of Viet Nam.

According to the ministry, the ranking was made in accordance with the Law on Cultural Heritage.

Quang Ninh Museum is one of the few museums in the country which are financially independent. The facility rakes in about 435,000 USD per year from ticket sales and event organization.

The museum was opened to the public in October 2013. It was designed by Spanish architect Salvador Perez Arroyo who got his inspiration from coal – the province’s signature mineral.

The museum is famous for being covered in 14,000 square metres of tempered glass, which reflects its surroundings and the UNESCO World Natural Heritage site of Ha Long Bay.

Vietnam, Cambodia solidify defence cooperation

Vietnamese Minister of National Defence Phan Van Giang and his Cambodian counterpart Tea Banh have agreed to enhance bilateral defence-security ties in the principle of not allowing any hostile force to use one’s territory to sabotage security of the other.

During a bilateral meeting in Phnom Penh on December 22, the two ministers pledged to effectively implement existing defence and security agreements, improve the efficiency of border protection and management, uphold existing cooperation mechanisms and strive to search, unearth and repatriate remains of Vietnamese voluntary soldiers and experts who died in Cambodia.

On the occasion, Minister Tea Banh invited Minister Phan Van Giang to pay an official visit to Cambodia in the near future. 

Cyberattack response drill held for governmental IT experts

Over 150 IT experts from ministries, central agencies and local governments gathered in a symposium and cyberattack response exercise held on the e-meeting platform on December 22.

The events were co-organised by the Authority of Information Security under the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC), the Cyberspace Operations Command under the Ministry of National Defence, and cybersecurity corporation BKAV to build capacity for the national cybersecurity emergency response force.

Vietnam recorded 2,915 cyberattacks in the first six months of 2021, an increase of 898 compared with the same period last year. 

Vietnam targets all people using clean water by 2045

A national strategy on clean water supply and sanitation in rural areas by 2030 with a vision to 2045 was announced on December 22 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Vietnam.

The main objective of the strategy is that by 2030, 65 percent of the population will have access to clean water that meets the standards set by the Ministry of Health; and 100 percent of households, schools and health stations have basic toilets.

By 2045, 100 percent of people will gain access to clean water and safe and sustainable sanitation; and 50 percent of rural residential areas will have domestic wastewater collection systems.

Vietnam urges promoting Middle East peace process

Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations (UN), has called on parties concerned to promote the peace process in the Middle East when addressing a meeting of the UN Security Council (UNSC) regarding the situation in the Middle East on December 21.

The Vietnamese diplomat expressed concern about rising violence, especially in the West Bank, saying that the people of both Israel and Palestine should enjoy equal protection measures.

He affirmed that Vietnam will continue to strongly support the just struggle of the Palestinian people and the two-State solution with the establishment of a State of Palestine that co-exists in peace with the State of Israel along the pre-1967 border and with East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine, in line with international law, the UN Charter and relevant resolutions.

About 12.8 million pandemic-hit workers receive support from unemployment insurance fund

Nearly 12.8 million pandemic-hit workers have received support worth a total 30.31 trillion VND (1.32 billion USD), from the unemployment insurance fund so far, according to the Vietnam Social Security (VSS).

The VSS said that as of December 21, it had agreed to allow 842 establishments with nearly 159,900 labourers in 57 localities across the country to temporarily postpone payment of retirement and survival insurance premiums with total amount of over 1.11 trillion VND.

The VSS also approved a list of 2.93 million workers from about 70,150 companies eligible for support stipulated in the Government's Resolution 68/NQ-CP and the Prime Minister’s Decision 23/QD-TTg.

Grand ceremony marks 110th birthday of General Vo Nguyen Giap

A national-level ceremony was held in Dong Hoi city, the central province of Quang Binh, on December 22 to mark the 110th birth anniversary of General Vo Nguyen Giap (August 25, 1911 - 2021), the “Eldest Brother” of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA).

The celebration coincided with the 77th founding anniversary of the VPA (December 22, 1944 - 2021) and 32 years of the All People’s Defence Festival (December 22, 1989 - 2021).

Hat boi performance introduced to international friends

Fifteen typical types of characters in Vietnamese Hat boi (classical opera) are being introduced at https://ichlinks.com/exhibition/hat-boi/, offering audience an insight into this genre of traditional music.

This is a project jointly held by Cultura Fish (Hieu Van Ngu) and the Networking Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region under the auspices of UNESCO (ICHCAP).

Artists and instrumentalists of the Ho Chi Minh City Hat boi Theatre, including Meritorious Artists Huu Danh, Linh Phuoc, Linh Hien and Thanh Trang, join the project.

“Hat boi”, a traditional performance art of Vietnam, has a rich historical foundation, and quite an influence on the community. Just like any traditional art form, the stage of Hat boi also consists of Vietnamese aesthetic values, reflecting the life, stories, and aspirations of the common Vietnamese people.

Vietnam, Germany boost co-operation in science and technology

The Vietnam-Germany Innovation Network (VGI) and Bach Khoa Hanoi Technology Investment and Development One Member Company Limited (BK-HOLDINGS) signed an agreement on December 22 to strengthen co-operation in the fields of science, technology, and innovation.

The agreement was inked online at the headquarters of the Vietnamese Embassy in Berlin in the presence of representatives of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Startup Support Center (NSSC), and a support network of Vietnamese science and technology offices abroad.

Under the agreement, both sides have agreed to provide information and consultancy on activities related to science, technology, and innovation, including the organisation of co-operation programmes and the implementation of joint projects.

Lao Cai aims to welcome four million tourists next year

The northern mountainous province of Lao Cai has set a target of welcoming four million visitors and grossing over VND15,000 billion from tourism activities throughout 2022.

Lao Cai plans to expand the Sa Pa National Tourist Site to the districts of Y Ty and Bat Xat. This will be done whilst simultaneously accelerating investment in infrastructure, especially in major transport projects such as Sa Pa Airport, the road connecting Noi Bai - Lao Cai Expressway to Sa Pa, and the Noi Bai - Lao Cai Expressway intersection to Pho Lu street.

Lao Cai will host an international tourism fair, as well as strengthening linkages with eight northwest provinces to co-operate in tourism development, while making use of digital platforms to disseminate information on  developing the locality into a safe and unique destination.

Third COVID booster shot given to adults three months after second dose in HCM City

On Tuesday, the city’s Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control officially announced the new schedule for booster doses. Following the Ministry of Health's guidelines for booster shots, the city is the first locality in the country to administer boosters to fully vaccinate people aged 18 and over.

Priority is for people aged 50 and older, medical workers, people directly involved in collecting samples for COVID-19 testing and treating COVID-19 patients, and frontline forces working in the pandemic fight.

Immunocompromised people such as those with cancer or HIV, as well as organ transplant recipients, and people who have used immunosuppressive drugs within the last six months and have received the Sinopharm Vero Cell or Sputnik V vaccine can receive a booster shot 28 days after their last dose.

People who are newly infected with COVID-19 will be given the third vaccine dose after they recover and complete mandatory quarantine period.

Limited school reopening assessed

The HCM City People’s Committee will decide if all students can return to school on January 3 after it receives a safety evaluation of the two-week period this month when ninth and 12th graders attended classes, a city leader has said.

Dương Anh Đức, deputy chairman of the People’s Committee, inspecting Trưng Vương High School in District 1 on Tuesday, said the ninth and 12th graders started attending school on December 13, and the participation was much higher than opinion surveys had indicated.

Thirty four infections were found in schools, including 27 students, during the first week, according to the city Department of Education and Training.

Tien Giang starts second phase of Chợ Gạo Canal upgrade project

The Ministry of Transport and the People's Committee of Tiền Giang Province recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for phase two of the upgrade project for Chợ Gạo Canal, the key waterway used to transport goods between HCM City and the Mekong Delta region. 

The project includes dredging the canal and building a stone embankment on the southern side of the canal and roads along its two banks.

The construction project will be completed by the end of 2023, with a total investment of more than VNĐ1.3 trillion (US$58 million).

Covering nearly 30 hectares of land, the project will widen 9.85 kilometres of the canal’s southern bank and reinforce the bank. Bridges and roads along the canal’s two banks will also be built.

Health ministry issues new COVID-19 vaccination guidelines

The Ministry of Health has postponed vaccination for those with acute diseases and women who are under 13 weeks pregnant. The guidelines do not cancel vaccinations for those who contracted COVID-19 in the past six months.

The Ministry of Health has also sent an urgent message to guide localities to manage and protect high-risk groups, amid the complicated development of the pandemic with the appearance of highly transmissible and dangerous variants such as Delta and Omicron.  

The group with high risk of suffering critical conditions and death after getting COVID-19 is people who are over 50 years old, have underlining conditions, or are unvaccinated or partly vaccinated, according to the ministry.

It requires medical supervision and management for early detection and treatment to mitigate the fatality rate, particularly while the country is implementing safe and flexible adaptation and effective control of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ministry said.

Mekong Delta farmers face low profits from winter – spring rice crop

Farmers in the Mekong Delta are concerned about low profits from the ongoing 2021–22 winter – spring rice crop because of increased prices for input materials.

The delta, which is the country’s rice granary, planned to grow 1.52 million hectares of winter - spring rice, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Plant Cultivation Department.

Under instructions from the ministry, farmers in the delta started sowing the crop in October and will finish sowing the winter – spring rice crop by the end of December.

National Innovation Contest for Youth and Children honours 106 projects

A total of 106 projects were honoured at an award ceremony for the National Innovation Contest for Youth and Children 2021 in Hanoi on December 22. Accordingly, 5 first, 10 second, 30 third and 60 consolation prizes plus 1 special prize worth 735 million VND in total were presented to the most outstanding initiatives.

Of which, the special prize went to quartet Tai Thi Khanh, Sung Seo Hong, Hoang Thi Luyen and Then Thi Doanh, who are fifth graders from Nam Mon 1 Boarding School in Bac Ha District, Lao Cai Province, for their mock-up re-enacting the historical Dien Bien Phu Campaign.

The contest, the 17th of its kind, is organised annually by the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations (VUSTA), the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Finance.

New tourism address launched in Hoi An

The Hoi An Centre for Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation in Quang Nam Province launched the “Hoi An Prison” gallery on December 21 to introduce visitors to the prison relic in combination with educating younger generations on the nation’s traditions.

Hoi An Prison, commonly known as Xom Moi Prison or Quang Nam Correctional Centre, was built by the US imperialists in 1960 to detain Vietnamese cadres, soldiers and compatriots in Quang Nam and other provinces during the national revolution.

The maximum capacity of the cells totals about 500 people, but the actual number of prisoners was more than 1,000 people, consisting of many different groups and ages, including the elderly and children.

This relic was recognised by the People's Committee of Quang Nam Province as a provincial relic on February 8, 2007. The restoration project commenced in 2012 on the basis of thousands of pages of collected documents and hundreds of opinion votes.

Light art installation "Dai the" debuts

The light art installation entitled “Dai the” by visual artist Nguyen Duc Phuong (aka Phuong Gio) and architect Nguyen Ha will be on display at the Centre for Art & Culture in Hanoi from December 24 until the end of February 2022.

“Dai the” comprises a series of five installations composed of 180 lamps in the form of everyday objects often found in rural areas such as bamboo baskets, ax blades, earthen cooking tripods, flintstones, among others as well as items used in spiritual activities in the Northwest Mountains such as bamboo cards, seals, stamps and fish-shaped wooden tocsins.

“Dai the” light art installation is part of “Unleashing Creativity Week 2021” cultural event, which is jointly held by the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports and the Architecture Magazine in collaboration with UNESCO in Vietnam and Hoan Kiem District People’s Committee from December 24-31, 2021 in Hanoi.

People not to receive preferential fees on issuing chip-based ID cards from 2022

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Public Security said that citizens will have to pay fees on issuing chip-based ID cards as regulated instead of enjoying preferential ones as earlier, beginning from January 1, 2022.

At the same time, the public security department is preparing for integrating the database to the national database on the population to provide the identification and e-verification serving for people’s utilities.

In addition, the police forces are promptly implementing the application of the chip-based ID cards on online public services of Ho Chi Minh City from 2022 which would ultimately limit the administrative procedures and distractions for people when they perform the procedures in the upcoming time.

Another information leak related to Bkav website reported
 
A member of Raidforums nicknamed seasalt123 has lately posted a user database supposedly belonging to Breport.vn of Bkav. The database contains sensitive information like user IDs and emails, full names and phone numbers.

Breport.vn was established by Bkav in September 2021 for Bphone’s owners to report any possible errors related to the products. Therefore, it has confidential data of its members such as full names, personal phone numbers, sign-in emails, and account IDs.

This is the second time in four months that Bkav has endured information hack, the first one being internal data leak by another member of Raidforums nicknamed chunxong in August.

Receiving that news, Bkav has filed a lawsuit to the Department of Cybersecurity and High-Tech Crime Prevention (A05 – under the Ministry of National Security) and the Authority of Information Security (under the Information and Communications Ministry) for investigation. As to this case, on December 21, Bkav posted an apology to its clients who have an account on Breport.vn.

Underground parking lot project in Le Van Tam Park proposed to terminate

The People’s Committee of District 1 has just sent an official letter to propose the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee terminate the implementation of the underground parking lot project at Le Van Tam Park to review, adjust the plan serving for investment invitation.

Earlier, the Municipal People’s Committee directed the functional agencies to terminate the BOT contract on the implementation of the underground parking lot project at Le Van Tam Park as the investor had not had enough capacity and violated the terms of the contract.

According to the Municipal Department of Transport, the investor has not completed the investment procedures and has not implemented the project as guaranteed.

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

VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES DECEMBER 22

National Steering Committee for implementing commitment on climate change established