Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will deliver a key-note speech during the plenary session of the third version of the annual Industry 4.0 Summit, which is being held virtually at nearly 100 connection points nationwide.

The third Industry 4.0 Summit will primarily focus on sustainable socio-economic recovery and development moving into the post-COVID-19 period, along with accelerating modernisation and industrialisation in the digital era, particularly how it represents an event of great political, economic, and social significance. The occasion is expected to serve as a platform for strategy planning and contribute to the country’s post-pandemic economic development in the new normal in line with conclusions made at the fourth plenum of the 13th Party Central Committee and the Prime Minister’s directions.

Thai Son Nam wins National Futsal Championships again

Thai Son Nam has maintained the championship tittle of the National Futsal Championship for 12 years, after defeating Sahako 3-1 in the finals in Ho Chi Minh City on December 5. All of the three goals of Thai Son Nam were scored in the second half, with two by Nguyen Anh Duy and one by Ho Van Y. Meanwhile, the only goal of Sahako was recorded by Y Zen Nie Dam.

The bronze medal of the tournament went to Zetbit Sai Gon FC. Ho Van Y was honoured as the most outstanding goal-keeper. Phung Trong Luan of Zetbit Sai Gon FC was the top scorer, and the best player was Nguyen Minh Tri of Thai Son Nam.

HCM City hosts International Festival of Volunteers

The 10th International Festival of Volunteers was held in HCM City on December 5, with the theme focused on combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the event, young volunteers helped clean and disinfect condo buildings and residential areas, raised public awareness of the “5K” message and planted new trees. A number of volunteer associations, clubs and groups were honoured by the Vietnam Youth Federation in HCM City in recognition for their outstanding work in blood donation, COVID-19 fight and other charitable activities.

It also included the launch of the city’s second quick response team sent to support the COVID-19 fight in Soc Trang, a photo exhibition on volunteer work, a blood donation event, a space for introducing volunteer ideas and projects and a playground called “I am a Volunteer” featuring game booths and music performances by attendees.

Lao National Assembly begins official visit to Vietnam

Chairman of the Lao National Assembly led by Saysomphone Phomvihane and a high ranking delegation of the Lao NA arrived in Hanoi on December 6 morning, starting a three-day official visit to Vietnam at the invitation of Vietnamese NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue. This is the first overseas trip by Saysomphone Phomvihane in his capacity as head of the Lao legislative body, also the first in-person visit by a foreign legislative leader to Vietnam since the beginning of the 15th tenure of the Vietnamese legislature.

In the coming visit, the two sides will continue pushing up the implementation of the agreement on the cooperation between the two parliaments, exchange ideas on orientations and measures to strengthen cooperation between the two countries and parliaments in the time to come; and share experience in implementing the functions of the National Assemblies in the fields of making laws, supervising and deciding on important issues of the countries.

Eleven sailors rescued in central Vietnam

Eleven sailors and their fishing boat which had been drifting at sea for nearly a day were brought to safety by rescuers from the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre (Vietnam MRCC) on December 5 morning.

They went into distress while in waters off the central province of Quang Tri in early morning the previous day when the main engine suddenly broke down, leaving the sailors struggling for hours to fix the problems. The fishermen failed to regain the control of the boat which started drifting amid strong winds and high waves of up to 3 metres.

Receiving call for help from the ship’s captain, the Vietnam MRCC sent its ship SAR 412 from Da Nang to rescue the sailors. The broken boat was later found 97 nautical miles east-southeast to Quan Tri’s Cua Viet beach and safely brought ashore in Da Nang with all crew members in good conditions.

9th Congress of Vietnamese students' union in France organized

The Union of Vietnam Students in France (UEVF) convened its ninth Congress for the 2021 – 2023 term in Paris on December 4, during which it announced to change its name to the Union of Vietnamese Youth and Students in France.

Founded in 2004, the UEVF gathers more than 7,000 undergraduates and postgraduates living across France. A new 29-member executive committee of the UEVF was elected during the congress, with Nguyen Phan Bao Thuy becoming the new president for the 2021 – 2023 term.

Hai Duong and Hanoi's players win National Table Tennis Championships 2021

Nguyen Duc Tuan from Long Hai team in Hai Duong won the gold medal at the men’s single and Tran Mai Ngoc from Hanoi T&T championed the women’s single event of the 39th National Table Tennis Championships 2021, which closed on December 4.

Long Hai and Ho Chi Minh City teams grabbed the gold medals at the men’s and women’s group categories, respectively.

The tournament brought together 110 players from 11 teams nationwide, competing in seven categories.The championships is expected to help the country select capable athletes to compete at the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) to be hosted by Vietnam and international events in 2022.

Hanoi wins National Boxing Championships 2021

Hanoi and military teams won big at the National Boxing Championships 2021 which wrapped up on December 4 evening. The military team ranked first at the men’s competitions of the 17-18 and 19-40 age groups while the Hanoi team championed the women’s competitions of both age groups. Launched on November 29, the tournament attracted 311 boxers from 25 teams nationwide, with male competitors competing in 14 weight categories from 46-92kg and females, in 13 from 45-81kg.

Daily number of COVID-19 cases reaches over 14,000 on December 5

As many as 14,314 cases of COVID-19, including two imported, were recorded in Vietnam in 24 hours as of 4pm on December 5, according to the Ministry of Health. This figure, up 319 from the previous day, includes 8,142 cases of community transmission. Ho Chi Minh City still saw the most (1,491), followed by Can Tho (1,132), Tay Ninh (792), Soc Trang (775), Ba Ria - Vung Tau (710), and Dong Thap (690), all of which are in the southern region.

Vietnam has recorded 1,309,092 COVID-19 infections so far, ranking 35th among the 223 countries and territories. That includes 1,303,823 cases reported since April 27 when the fourth wave of outbreak began, with 1,006,460 recoveries. Up to 1,711 patients were given the all-clear during the 24 hours, raising the total number of recoveries to 1,009,277. Meanwhile, 199 patients succumbed to the coronavirus disease, adding up to the total deaths of 26,260.

On December 4, 502,169 doses of COVID-19 vaccine were administered. That increased the total vaccine doses injected so far to 127,353,020, with 73,251,913 people given at least one shot and 54,101,107 fully vaccinated.

Binh Duong to provide all public services online by January 2022

The southern province of Binh Duong targets providing 100 per cent online public services at provincial and district levels by January 2022.

Speeding up administrative reform is one of the important goals of the province to create favorable conditions for businesses and people. Currently, it has a total of 1,942 administrative procedures, of which 1,557 are at provincial level, 258 at district level and 127 at communal level. Binh Duong ranks fourth among Vietnam's 63 provinces and cities in terms of information technology (IT) application in state agencies. The province rose to the top of the Southeast region thanks to agencies working hard to apply IT solutions.

HCM City successfully reduces groundwater exploitation

HCM City has reduced groundwater exploitation by 14,300cu.m per day compared to the target of 16,650cu.m per day this year, reaching more than 85 per cent of its plan for 2021. The target by the end of the year includes a reduction of 8,000cu.m per day for use by households, 4,650cu.m per day for industrial production and 4,000cu.m per day for the State-run Saigon Water Supply Corporation (Sawaco).

To achieve the goal, the HCM City Department of Natural Resources and Environment did not grant licensing to 74 groundwater exploitation works that belong to companies, industrial parks and export processing zones. In addition, the department urged households to fill up wells in areas where clean tap water is accessible. The city’s water sector covered the costs for filling up wells.

HCMC public hospitals set aside beds for COVID-19 patients

The HCM City Department of Health has asked all public hospitals in the city to set aside at least 10 per cent of hospital beds for treatment of COVID-19 patients amid a surge in hospitalisations and deaths and the emergence of the Omicron variant. 

The department has designated nine major hospitals in the city to receive severe cases from lower-tier hospitals, including Cho Ray, Thong Nhat, HCM City Medical University, Hue Central Hospital in HCM City, Gia Dinh People, People 115, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, 175 Military Hospital, and Phuoc Loc field hospital. Six hospitals which partly shifted to COVID-19 treatment, including Municipal Children Hospital, Eastern People Military Hospital, and Pham Ngoc Thach, Tu Du, Hung Vuong and Nguyen Tri Phuong, have also maintained operation.

These 10 hospitals are operating with 4,300 beds set aside for COVID-19 patients.

HCM City sets numbers of students for in-person lessons per week when schools reopen

Secondary and high school students in HCM City will have 12 to 30 in-person lessons per week, depending on COVID-19 risk levels, when the city allows schools to reopen.

Students attending schools in areas of low risk would have no more than 30 in-person lessons per week, while extra classes will be held online. Students in the sixth, ninth and 12th grades in medium-risk areas will be allocated more in-person lessons, but no more than 24 per week.

The city will begin a pilot school reopening period of two weeks beginning on December 13 when students from the first, ninth and 12th grades will be allowed to return to school. Five-year-old children will be permitted to attend kindergarten on December 20. Students in other grades will gradually be allowed to return to schools beginning on January 3.

Vietnam's Trang An and Tam Coc named among most beautiful movie locations in the world

Trang An Complex and Tam Coc-Bich Dong caves in Ninh Binh province have been listed among the top 50 most beautiful movie locations worldwide by travel guide website Bigseventravel.

According to this website, the majority of 2017’s “Kong: Skull Island” took place in the wetlands of the northern province of Ninh Binh. The various peaks and rivers were transformed into the legendary home of numerous supersized monsters and King Kong.

Rounding on the world’s top 50 most beautiful movie locations are Angkor Thom of Cambodia which featured in “Lara Croft: Tomba Raider”, Salzburg of Austria in “The Sound of Music”, Skiathos of Greece in “Mama Mia!”, and Petra of Jordon in “Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade”. 

Writing contest for Vietnamese students at home and abroad launched

The contest, entitled Tết 5k (Lunar New Year Festival with 5K anti-coronavirus rules), has been launched by the HCM City-based Ao Trang (White Long Dress school uniform) magazine. It will offer offer prizes in the categories of essay and short stories.

The organiser seeks works with themes about people’s daily life during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly living safely in the "new normal” state with the anti-coronavirus rules 5Ks, which in Vietnamese stands for: Khẩu trang (facemask), Khử khuẩn (disinfection), Khoảng cách (distance), Không tụ tập (no gathering), and Khai báo y tế (health declaration).

The stories, challenges and sacrifices that doctors, nurses and other health workers have faced in quarantine zones are encouraged. Themes on love, solidarity, mercy, energy and belief are also included. Entries should be no less than 800 words and no longer than 1,500 words, and postmarked by January 1, 2022. 

No Omicron case in Phu Quoc: local authorities

Vice Chairman of the southern province of Kien Giang on December 5 silenced rumours surfacing on social media platforms that Phu Quoc city had recorded the first Omicron case. “The information was incorrect, and if it had been true the Ministry of Health would have issued warnings,” said the official - Mr. Nguyen Luu Trung.

Phu Quoc is one of the five localities in Vietnam that have been green-lighted by the Prime Minister to welcome back foreign visitors with a vaccine passport following a hiatus caused by COVID-19. 

First reported in southern Africa more than a week ago, the Omicron variant has since spread to dozens of countries globally. Vietnam has yet to detect any cases of the Omicron variant, although experts have warned that the variant may enter the country unless prevention measured are tightened.

Vietnamese movie “Father and Son” to be screened in UAE

This movie has been selected to be screened in late December at the World Expo 2020 Dubai, which is taking place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The film has been adapted from a short story of the same name which was written by Luong Dinh Dung in 1995. The film has won the Best Cinematography award at the 17th Milano International Film Festival, the Best Foreign Feature and Special Jury Award for Outstanding Cinematography at the 26th Arizona International Film Festival, along with the Indie Spirit Best Storyline award at the 15th Boston International Film Festival.

Compiled by Thanh Van