Ho Chi Minh City is set to begin its COVID-19 vaccination campaign on June 19, with priority groups to get injected with about 800,000 AstraZeneca vaccine doses donated by the Japanese Government.

Checking the vaccine preservation at a cold storage warehouse in the Cat Lai Industrial Park on June 17, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son said among the 966,300 vaccine doses donated by the Japanese Government to Vietnam, 836,000 doses were allocated to HCM City.

He noted according to regulations, a batch of vaccine delivered to Vietnam will undergo examination, which will take 48 hours, at the Hanoi-based National Institute for Control of Vaccines and Biologicals, and only when the vaccine gets the quality certificate can it be put into use.

The largest-ever vaccination campaign in HCM City is scheduled to last for about five to seven days, targeting the priority groups identified in the Government’s Resolution No 21.

About 1,000 sites across the city have been ready for the vaccination, he noted, adding that local authorities will mobilise the entire medical workers, including those deployed from central establishments, for the drive.

The deputy minister also assured safety for the vaccination campaign since the doses to be used have a relatively long expiry date./.

121 new cases of COVID-19 added to national tally

Vietnam confirmed 121 new cases of COVID-19, including two imported ones, in the past six hours to 12 pm on June 18, according to the Health Ministry.

Among the 119 domestic infections, 59 were found in Ho Chi Minh City, 36 in Bac Giang, 12 in Binh Duong, ten in Bac Ninh, one in Hoa Binh, and one in Lao Cai. Of them, 110 were detected in quarantine or blocked areas.

So far, the country documented 10,755 domestic and 1,669 imported infections. The number of cases since the fourth wave of the pandemic began on April 27 was 9,185.

The ministry said as many as 4,653 patients have been given the all-clear so far, while the death toll remained at 61.

Among active patients under treatment at hospitals, 407 have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 once, 114 twice and 65 thrice.

Twenty-five provinces have gone through 14 days without detecting new cases. Since April 29, over 5.14 million people across the country have received COVID-19 testing.

More than 1.99 million vaccine doses have been injected to date, with 89,833 people fully vaccinated with two shots./.

OVs support national COVID-19 vaccine fund

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son on June 17 handed over 6.2 billion VND (270,210 USD) to the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee to support the COVID-19 vaccine fund and the fight against the ravaging pandemic.

The sum was donated by overseas Vietnamese (OVs), the Office of the Lao National Assembly, and staff at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam.

Addressing the handover ceremony, Son said that the Vietnamese community abroad always pay attention and stand ready to support compatriots at home in the fight against COVID-19.

In addition to the aforementioned sum, OVs and close to 30 organisations and groups in the US, Canada and France, among others, have launched campaigns to support people in Vietnam, especially frontline forces, to combat the pandemic, the minister said.

As of June 16, OVs offered about 5.3 billion VND to COVID-19 prevention and control efforts and the vaccine fund.

They also have presented medical supplies to health workers and people in Vietnamese localities.

For his part, Chairman of the VFF Central Committee Do Van Chien thanked the donors and pledged to distribute the aid in a prompt, open, transparent and effective manner, with a priority to vaccination for all people.

Previously, the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs under the Foreign Ministry handed over 200 million VND, five tonnes of rice and other necessities to Bac Giang and Bac Ninh provinces, the country’s current largest COVID-19 hotspots./.

Exhibition on President Ho Chi Minh opens in Thua Thien-Hue

A thematic exhibition on President Ho Chi Minh was opened at the Ho Chi Minh Museum in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue on June 17.

On show are more than 300 valuable photos, documents and exhibits classified into eight topics.

The event briefs on the 30-year journey of the late President across nearly 30 countries and territories to seek a path to national salvation and liberation.

Director of the museum Le Thuy Chi said the exhibition is to honour the great contributions of President Ho Chi Minh to the revolutionary cause of the Party and people of Vietnam, and to the international communist and workers' movement.

It also aims to highlight the leader’s strategic vision as he started his journey on June 5, 1911 to look for ways to save the country from colonial yoke; and the theoretical and practical values of his thoughts in the current national construction and defence.

The event will run until the National Day of September 2./. 

Vietnam hopes to receive WB’s continuous support in social welfare: Minister

Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung proposed the World Bank continue to help Vietnam in addressing core issues in social welfare, poverty reduction, and in narrowing the gap between regions at his meeting with WB Country Director for Vietnam Carolyn Turk on June 17.

Dung appreciated the WB’s support for Vietnam in general and his ministry in particular, especially in the fields of labour, employment, social welfare, vocational education, and labour market improvement over the past years.

The WB official said that the Vietnamese Government and Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs have effectively carried out social welfare packages amidst complex developments of COVID-19 outbreaks.

She affirmed that in the coming time, the WB will share information and ideas about the social security system, provide technical assistance to the ministry in reforming the pension system, strengthen cooperation with the private sector in building a labour market information system and promote non-cash payments in implementing social protection.

Dung told the WB Country Director that Vietnam is working towards inclusive social security in line with the 13th National Party Congress’s Resolution which stresses the need to ensure economic development and social welfare equality at the same time.

In the coming time, the ministry sets the task of making sustainable development policies so that everyone has the opportunity to participate in and enjoy socio-economic achievements, and reduce the gap between the rich and the poor, especially in ethnic minority areas.

It will also issue social welfare policies to support workers, especially those in industrial zones and labourers in the informal sectors in the time to come.

Regarding a digital transformation project, the minister asked the WB for technical support to carry out digital transformation in vocational education, job change, non-cash payments, and to build the national database on social security until 2030./.

HCM City land-use violation case involving city ex-leader suspended again due to COVID-19

The People’s Court of Ho Chi Minh City on June 17 announced that the second hearing for the case of law violation involving the land lot at 57 Cao Thang street being exchanged for the land lot at 185 Hai Ba Trung street in the city will take place from July 13-19.

The hearing, which was scheduled for May 26 to June 2, was delayed to June 22 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, social distancing measures are being applied in HCM City until the end of June, forcing the trial to be suspended again.

In this case, Duong Thi Bach Diep, Director of the Diep Bach Duong Real Estate Co., is among the key defendants in the trial, and is charged with “fraud, appropriation of assets”.

Nine other defendants in the case are charged with “lack of responsibility, causing serious consequences,” including former Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Tai; former Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Finance Tran Nam Trang; former Director of the HCM City Light Music Centre Vy Nhat Tao; former Director of the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Thanh Rum; former Deputy Director of the department Le Ton Thanh; former deputy heads of the municipal People’s Committee Office Huynh Kim Phat and Le Van Thanh; former Director of the municipal Department of Natural Resources and Environment Dao Anh Kiet; and former Deputy Director of the department Nguyen Thanh Nhan.

According to the indictment, the 185 Hai Ba Trung land lot, owned by the State, was the headquarters of the Light Music Centre under the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism. In 2007, the centre’s then director Vy Nhat Tao contacted Diep to cooperate in upgrading the headquarters.

Diep then proposed exchanging her land lot at 57 Cao Thang street for the 185 Hai Ba Trung land lot, as she owned the land lot at 179 Hai Ba Trung street and wanted to build a five-star hotel complex there.

The property swap was approved by Nguyen Thanh Tai. During the process, Diep used the land use right certificate for 57 Cao Thang as collateral to borrow money from Agribank - HCM City branch.

After being granted a land right use certificate for the property at 185 Hai Ba Trung, however, Diep did not use it to replace the collateral at Agribank to hand over the property at 57 Cao Thang to the Light Music Centre as committed. Instead, Diep used the 185 Hai Ba Trung land lot as collateral for a loan at Southern Bank (now Sacombank) and so far was not able to repay the debt.

The indictment stated that Tai permitted the property swap while he was not responsible for handling and reorganising State assets.

On March 5, 2010, Tai signed a document sent to relevant units approving the exchange of the two land lots, without any request to check and clarify the legal status of the 57 Cao Thang land lot, causing losses of State assets.

The other defendants showed a lack of responsibility in carrying out their duty, thus facilitating Diep’s fraud and appropriation of assets.

The People’s Court of Ho Chi Minh City on March 26 decided to return dossiers of the case for further investigations as new evidence and details were found./.

Defence ministry presents medical supplies to aid Laos’ pandemic-prevention efforts

The Ministry of National Defence presented its medical equipment aid for the Lao Ministry of Defence at a symbolic handover ceremony in Hanoi on June 17, which was attended by Lao Ambassador to Vietnam Sengphet Houngboungnuang.

Speaking at the event, Lt. Gen. Vu Chien Thang, Director of the ministry’s Department for External Relations, lauded efforts of the Lao people’s army in helping the Lao government fight against COVID-19 and ensuring national security.

The provision of aid is made considering Laos' need with an aim to assist the neighbouring country in soon bringing back normal life for locals and recovering its economy, Thang said.

According to the official, earlier, the Vietnamese ministry and its units has sent experts and offered medical equipment and materials to Laos in support of the nation’s COVID-19 prevention and control.

As scheduled, the department will hand over the aid to representatives of the Lao Defence Ministry at the Cau Treo international border gate in the central province of Ha Tinh on June 20./.

Vietnam busts drug ring involving Taiwanese

The Drug Crime Investigation Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security announced on June 17 that it had busted a drug trafficking ring with the involvement of some Taiwanese (China).

Specifically, the department arrested five traffickers, and seized 270kg of ketamine.

Earlier, the department received information about a drug ring led by several Vietnamese people living in Cambodia and colluded with some in Vietnam to illegally transport drugs from Cambodia to Ho Chi Minh City and then send them to other countries by road or air.

The arrested confessed that from January 2021, they had transported five shipments, of which three contained drugs, and each contained 90kg of ketamine.

Further investigation is underway. For the masterminds currently in Cambodia and China, the department will coordinate with Chinese and Cambodian police to hunt them.

For those in European countries, through the international cooperation channel INTERPOL, the department will exchange information and strengthen coordination to prevent drugs smuggled by air./.

Ha Tinh halts receiving Vietnamese returnees via Cau Treo border gate

Authorities of central Ha Tinh province will close Cau Treo International Border Gate to Vietnamese citizens returning from Laos starting on June 18, in the wake of increasingly complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ha Tinh has facilitated the travelling of Vietnamese citizens returning home via the Cau Treo International Border Gate and well performed its duties on receiving, transporting and setting up quarantine sites for the returnees, the provincial People’s Committee said in a notice sent to the Vietnamese Embassy in Laos.

However, a recent surge in the number of COVID-19 cases has put more pressure on the province’s capacity in providing quarantine and treatment services for people, according to the notice.

The closure of the border gate will enable the province to focus its efforts on fighting the pandemic.

In the notice, the Ha Tinh People’s Committee asked the embassy to help it widely inform the Vietnamese community and relevant authorities in Laos about the closure, which will remain until further notice.

The Cau Treo International Border Gate is located in the district of Huong Son. A large number of Vietnamese people living in Laos, Thailand and Malaysia have entered Vietnam via the gate.

Ha Tinh detected three more COVID-19 local infections on June 17 morning, raising the total cases recorded in the province since June 4 to 72./.

Over 966,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine to be distributed nationwide

The Ministry of Health on June 17 announced it will distribute a total of 966,320 doses of AstraZenaca coronavirus vaccine to local Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCs), hospitals and medical units, among others, across the country.

The Ho Chi Minh City CDC is the largest recipient in this distribution, the fifth by the Ministry of Health so far, with 786,000 doses. They will be given to priority groups and workers at industrial parks and export processing zones in the city.

Other 20,000 doses will be sent to HCM City to inoculate the local public security force.

A number of hospitals in HCM City and Hanoi will also receive thousands of doses each to provide for priority groups and high-risk people.

Vietnam is accelerating its vaccination efforts to combat the fourth wave of coronavirus which began on April 27, causing as many as 8,780 infections so far.

HCM City has experienced a spike in cases since late May, with more than 1,000 local infections reported as of June 16 afternoon, making it the country’s third largest coronavirus hotspot.

It is estimated that more than 7.2 million people aged 18 and above live in HCM City, and of this number, 1.6 million work in industrial parks. But only 140,000 vaccine doses have been administered, primarily to medical staff and others who are considered a priority./.

Hoang Su Phi terraced fields to be spotlighted in culture week

The northern mountainous province of Ha Giang will hold a cultural week in September to honour its Hoang Su Phi terrace fields which have been recognized as national cultural heritage.

A traditional festival of the Mong ethnic group is set to be reenacted during the cultural week themed Through the legacy of Hoang Su Phi terraced fields.

Along with a variety of sporting activities, including a paragliding competition on September 11 – 12, car and motorcycle races will be held on September 18 - 19 to entertain crowds of both locals and tourists.

Visitors will also have the chance to enjoy traditional specialties at a fair and discover the daily lives of local people through tours to Hoang Su Phi district between September 4 and 30.

The administration of Ha Giang has also announced that organisers are prepared to make changes to the schedule depending on the development of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hoang Su Phi terraced fields were first recognised as a national relic site on September 16, 2012. The site has proved popular among many photographers and travel lovers due to its spectacular landscape.

This year’s cultural week, the sixth of its kind, is due to take place on September 18, aimed at honouring the traditional cultural values of local ethnic groups, thereby contributing to socio-economic development.

Viet Nam marks record-high daily increase on Thursday, as COVID-19 caseload tops 12,000

With 503 locally acquired COVID-19 infections reported in the past 24 hours, driven by outbreaks in Bắc Giang and HCM City, Thursday saw the highest daily increase in cases in Việt Nam since the beginning of the pandemic earlier last year.

The northern province of Bắc Giang continues to lead the national tally with 327 new cases today, mostly in locked down areas connected to intense outbreaks in industrial zones, bringing the province's patient total to 5,007 since the start of the fourth wave on April 27, 2021.

HCM City had another 137 cases, also the biggest daily increase, as the city entered the 18th day of social distancing that went into effect on May 31, 2021.

With a caseload of 1,197, mostly detected since late May following the discovery of the cluster connected to a Christian mission group, the southern economic zone is currently the third-largest coronavirus hotspot in the country, following Bắc Giang and its neighbouring province Bắc Ninh (which has seen 12 cases within the last 24 hours also connected to known clusters in industrial zones, bringing the number recorded here to 1,454 patients).

The last biggest daily increase was seen on May 25, 2021, with 444 domestically transmitted infections along with three imported cases.

With the complicated development of the outbreaks here, the Government has decided to allocate the majority of the nearly 1 million doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine received from Japan to HCM City.

Deputy health minister Nguyễn Trường Sơn on Thursday afternoon inspected the 800,000 doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, which were delivered to HCM City earlier in the morning and are currently being kept in the cold storage of May Cosmetic and Drugs JSC, Cát Lái Industrial Zone.

The vaccination drive is expected to start from Saturday and local health authorities have stated that all of the available doses could be administered within a week's time.

In the last 24 hours, the southern province of Tiền Giang has seen 13 new cases, Bình Dương Province seven cases, four new cases in the central province of Hà Tĩnh, two in Lạng Sơn, and one in Nghệ An.

Among the total 515 new cases within 24 hours, 12 were imported cases that have been quarantined upon arrival.

The new cases reported today brought the caseload in the fourth wave to 8,913, while 1,879 have been declared recovered.

Up to 2,311,345 specimens have been collected and processed in this wave of infections.

In total, since the beginning of the pandemic, the national COVID-19 caseload has reached 12,150, with total recoveries at 4,653 and deaths at 61.

A total of 175,480 people in the country, who have either returned from overseas or come into contacts with known COVID-19 patients, are under quarantine. 

Quang Binh treasure trove dates back to 19th century

An amount of 770 kilos of coins recently found in the central province of Quang Binh Province has initially been defined to date back to the Nguyen Dynasty in the 19th century.

The coins, which are made of copper and tin, were discovered underwater by three local fishermen while diving for snails and shells. The divers immediately brought the coins onto their boat to return home. The coins were temporarily handed over to the Roon Border Guard Station.  

According to the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the coins were used during the reigns of Gia Long (1802-1820) and Minh Mang (1820-1840) under the Nguyen Dynasty.

Most of the coins have corroded; while some have remained quite intact with historical and cultural value.

Experts from the Quang Binh Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Quang Binh Museum have analysed a kilo of the coins, while the remainder are still being kept at the Roon Border Guard Station.

Party chief chairs first meeting of Central Military Commission

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong chaired the first meeting of the Central Military Commission (2020-2025 tenure) in Hanoi on June 17. 

The meeting announced the Politburo’s decision on the assignment of members of the commission and its Standing Board.

Accordingly, the Central Military Commission comprises 25 members, while its Standing Board is staffed by six, including the top Party, state and government leaders.

It also reviewed the leadership and instruction over the implementation of military and defence tasks in the first half of 2021, and put forth tasks for the second half.

In his remarks, Trong asked the commission to be well aware of its responsibility, and build an army that is absolutely loyal to the Fatherland, Party, State and people.

He praised the commission, the Ministry of National Defence, and officers and soldiers for achievements they have recorded in the first half of this year.

He also urged the army to drastically protect the Party’s ideological foundation and fight against wrong and hostile views./.

81 new COVID-19 cases confirmed on June 18 early morning

Vietnam logged 81 locally-transmitted cases of COVID-19 in the past 12 hours to 6am on June 18, raising the national count to 12,231, according to the Health Ministry.

Among the new infections, 60 were found in Ho Chi Minh City and 21 in Bac Giang. Of them, 76 were detected in quarantine or blocked areas.

So far, the country documented 10,564 domestic infections and 1,667 imported ones.

The number of cases since the fourth wave of the pandemic began on April 27 was 8,994.

The ministry said as many as 4,653 patients have been given the all-clear so far, while the death toll remained at 61.

Among active patients under treatment at hospitals, 407 have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 once, 114 twice and 65 thrice.

Twenty-five provinces have gone through 14 days without detecting new cases.

Since April 29, over 5.1 million people across the country have received COVID-19 testing.

On June 17, additional 200,263 people in 50 provinces and cities were vaccinated against COVID-19. A total of nearly 2 million vaccine doses have been injected to date, with 89,833 people getting full two shots./.

RoK football body praises Vietnam’s achievements

The Korean Football Association (KFA) has congratulated the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) on the achievements of the national men’s football team at the recently wrapped-up World Cup Asian qualifiers’ second round.

In a letter, KFA President Chung Mong-gyu congratulated Vietnam on advancing to the final qualifying round in Asia of the 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup.

The players went through a difficult journey amid the ravages of COVID-19 across the globe and a berth to the final round demonstrates quality and determination of the team as a whole and the VFF, he underlined.

He spoke highly of the squad’s spirit during the entire tournament, adding that the KFA takes pride in head coach Park Hang-seo, who has helped create a new era for Vietnam’s football.

The KFA President also wished for the team’s success at the final round.

Vietnam made history as they entered the third round of the World Cup qualifiers for the first time ever as one of the best five group runners-up.

They also qualified for the finals of the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup slated for 2023 in China./.

Smartphone app launched to aid persons with disabilities

A new smartphone app is aiming to make the lives of disabled people in Vietnam easier by giving them better access to support.

The NKT app gives people with disabilities, particularly survivors from accidents with explosive ordnance, the chance to provide and access data about their disabilities and print a disability certificate to receive Government assistance and communicate other needs to authorities.

The digital platform at nkt.btxh.gov.vn for registry and information management for persons with disabilities (PwD) was launched on June 15 in Hanoi as part of the Korea-Vietnam Mine Action Project (KV-MAP).

The project partners are the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Vietnam National Mine Action Center (VNMAC) with support from the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA).

An estimated more than 6 million people in Vietnam, accounting for 7 percent of the population, live with a disability.

The digital platform aims to make their lives easier and support the provision of needs-based assistance.

Information registered in the database will be kept confidential.

“This application is very user-friendly and easy-to-navigate. This is a great application for persons with disabilities,” said Tran Le Quyen, a sign language teacher at the Support and Connect Deaf People to Society (SCDeaf) organisation.

“With this application, I can update and access data anytime, anywhere I want,” said Cao Ngoc Hung, a 31-year-old javelin athlete who won a bronze medal at the 2016 Paralympics in Brazil.

“When logging into this application, I can register my information on my disability level with the local authority. For people with disabilities in remote areas, using this application saves them from travelling and enables them to update their needs and then receive appropriate support from the Government and different projects."

For social protection officers, the digital platform transforms the management of support for persons with disabilities. It enables MOLISA and its provincial departments to develop the national database with timely and accurate information on persons with disabilities in support of evidence-based policymaking and targeted assistance.

The digital platform has been successfully tested in Quang Binh, Binh Dinh, Khanh Hoa, Thanh Hoa, Quang Ninh, Quang Nam and Vinh Long provinces, as well as Hue and Da Nang cities, with 90,000 persons with disabilities having already agreed to be registered.

These include the 75,000 people who decided to register when the initial district-level pilot was scaled up to a provincial-level assessment covering both Quang Binh and Binh Dinh, thanks to the Korea-Vietnam Mine Action Project.

This experience helped make the online platform ready for use throughout Vietnam, and this has become easier with the launch of the app for smartphones using either iOS or Android operating systems.

“We will promote these applications widely, while at the same time continue developing the skills of social workers enabling them to meet the needs of those they serve,” said Nguyen Van Hoi, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

The platform is entirely web-based and the data is centrally stored and managed. With 70 per cent of Vietnamese people owning a smartphone, the app was developed for such devices, enhancing the access to services for the population.

The application is currently being upgraded with additional support functions to assist people during registration.

At the launch of the digital platform, UNDP Resident Representative Caitlin Wiesen emphasised the importance of promoting innovative solutions to solve issues for persons with disabilities, who are among the most vulnerable populations in society and have been disproportionally affected by COVID-19.

“The UNDP rapid assessment of socio-economic impacts of COVID 19 on PwD showed that 24 per cent of the respondents did not have a disability certificate, which limited their ability to access the services and assistance they need,” she said.

Cho Han-Deog, Country Director of KOICA Vietnam Office, said the availability of the app was a commendable initiative contributing to the greater goal of Vietnam to make society more inclusive.

“I am happy to see persons with disabilities, including survivors from accidents with explosive ordnance, now will have easier access to social assistance,” he said./.

Safety first priority of SEA Games 31, ASEAN Para Game 11

Health safety for athletes, members of delegations and audience is the top priority of the sport sector of Vietnam during the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) and the 11th ASEAN Para Games (ASEAN Para Games 11), amid complicated COVID-19 developments, Tran Duc Phan, Deputy General Director of the Vietnam Sports Administration has said.

As the host of the regional events, the sport sector has been discussing and adjusting plans in order to propose optimal plans to the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, and the Government for consideration, Phan told the Vietnam News Agency's reporters in a recent interview.

The sector has closely coordinated with relevant ministries, agencies and localities to make careful preparations for the events, slated in Vietnam later this year.

He noted that before April 27 when the fourth COVID-19 wave hit Vietnam, the sector had worked with localities to prepare for the regional events as scheduled, but after the detection of a number of COVID-19 cases in some localities that were chosen to host some sports, the administration had halted the preparation work.

Regarding difficulties facing the sector in the current situation, Phan said all countries in the region are suffering the COVID-19 pandemic. So the travelling among countries becomes complicated due to entry-exit regulations and pandemic prevention and control measures.

Besides, venues for SEA Games 31 are arranged in 12 cities and provinces, and there are no athletes’ villages in Vietnam to host members of delegations from participating countries. So that, they will stay in 40 different hotels and have to move to competition locations, making the pandemic prevention and control more difficult, he stressed.

According to initial calculations, in the context of no outbreak, the two events will welcome about 25,000 athletes, coaches, officials, referees, reporters, fans and tourists, said Phan, adding that ensuring safety for such a large number of people at the same time is a great challenge for the organising board.

Phan said postponing the events to 2022 must be calculated appropriately, adding the events should be held in the first half of 2022, so that Cambodia can prepare to hold the 32rd SEA Games in 2023./. 

International WeLoveU assists Vietnam in combating COVID-19

The Vietnam Red Cross Society (VRC) Central Committee on June 17 received 35,000 medical face masks and 1,000 Nano silver disinfectant bottles presented by the International WeLoveU Foundation to support the country’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

VRC President Nguyen Thi Xuan Thu expressed her thanks to the foundation, hoping that the two sides will maintain cooperation in humanitarian activities in the time to come.

Xuan said that the gifts will be allocated to provinces and cities that recorded positive cases, particularly those just reported pandemic outbreaks.

Jin Hyun-ok, Secretary-General of WeLoveU Hanoi, affirmed that the organisation will continue coordinating with the VRC in rescue activities in Vietnam.

WeLoveU started in the Republic of Korea in the 1990s as a non-governmental organisation. Since its official launch in 2001, more than 155,000 members in 239 regions of 64 countries have been making multidimensional efforts to improve the well-being of the socially underprivileged such as children, women, senior citizens, the disabled, disaster victims, refugees, and the poor, and to create communications and harmony of communities./. 

Exhibition on President Ho Chi Minh opens in Thua Thien-Hue
A thematic exhibition on President Ho Chi Minh was opened at the Ho Chi Minh Museum in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue on June 17.
VNA Thursday, June 17, 2021 18:41
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Exhibition on President Ho Chi Minh opens in Thua Thien-Hue hinh anh 1
Visitors at the exhibition (Photo: VNA)
Thua Thien-Hue (VNA) - A thematic exhibition on President Ho Chi Minh was opened at the Ho Chi Minh Museum in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue on June 17.

On show are more than 300 valuable photos, documents and exhibits classified into eight topics.

The event briefs on the 30-year journey of the late President across nearly 30 countries and territories to seek a path to national salvation and liberation.

Director of the museum Le Thuy Chi said the exhibition is to honour the great contributions of President Ho Chi Minh to the revolutionary cause of the Party and people of Vietnam, and to the international communist and workers' movement.

It also aims to highlight the leader’s strategic vision as he started his journey on June 5, 1911 to look for ways to save the country from colonial yoke; and the theoretical and practical values of his thoughts in the current national construction and defence.

The event will run until the National Day of September 2./. 

OVs support national COVID-19 vaccine fund

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son on June 17 handed over 6.2 billion VND (270,210 USD) to the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee to support the COVID-19 vaccine fund and the fight against the ravaging pandemic.

The sum was donated by overseas Vietnamese (OVs), the Office of the Lao National Assembly, and staff at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam.

Addressing the handover ceremony, Son said that the Vietnamese community abroad always pay attention and stand ready to support compatriots at home in the fight against COVID-19.

In addition to the aforementioned sum, OVs and close to 30 organisations and groups in the US, Canada and France, among others, have launched campaigns to support people in Vietnam, especially frontline forces, to combat the pandemic, the minister said.

As of June 16, OVs offered about 5.3 billion VND to COVID-19 prevention and control efforts and the vaccine fund.

They also have presented medical supplies to health workers and people in Vietnamese localities.

For his part, Chairman of the VFF Central Committee Do Van Chien thanked the donors and pledged to distribute the aid in a prompt, open, transparent and effective manner, with a priority to vaccination for all people.

Previously, the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs under the Foreign Ministry handed over 200 million VND, five tonnes of rice and other necessities to Bac Giang and Bac Ninh provinces, the country’s current largest COVID-19 hotspots./.

ASEAN’s business information gateway debuts

The ASEAN Coordinating Committee on Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (ACCMSME) recently launched ASEAN Access, a one-stop business information gateway for international-oriented firms to expand their market outreach within the ASEAN and beyond.

The launch took place in commemoration of the upcoming International MSME Day, celebrated every June 27 annually.

Deputy Secretary-General for ASEAN Economic Community Satvinder Singh welcomed the ASEAN Access as the latest addition to ASEAN’s trade facilitation support for businesses operating in the region.

He called on the national focal points to actively play their roles to promote, contribute contents, and secure quality service providers to ensure the ASEAN Access serves its purpose for the ASEAN business community.

In her remarks, Dato Ahmad, Chair of ACCMSME and Secretary-General of the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives of Malaysia, noted that the launch of the ASEAN Access is timely, given the prevalent use of digital platforms among businesses as one of the adaptive measures employed to survive the pandemic.

With the tagline “Your Business Information Gateway to ASEAN and Beyond”, ASEAN Access sets to facilitate internationalisation efforts among MSMEs.

To help mitigate the risks of entering a new market, the portal is designed to connect businesses to service providers in areas of distribution, transportation and logistics, market research, and consultancy on intellectual properties, laws and regulations, among others.

The team behind the ASEAN Access, comprising the public and private sectors, would pool their resources to operationalise and provide services to the portal, including business matching services, which is scheduled to be available by the end of 2021.

The ASEAN Access contributes to the implementation of the ASEAN Strategic Action Plan for SME Development 2016 – 2025 which aims to create globally competitive MSMEs./.

Theatre tries to reach a young audience

Since COVID-19 has resulted in many cultural activities being suspended, it has become much more difficult for theatres to reach out to young audience members, who have largely lost interest in the theatrical arts. Management agencies and stage artists have, for many years already, tossed and turned about identifying ways to develop a new generation of audience.

During these tough times for theatre, and especially traditional arts, the Vietnam Theatre Artists Association has been working to complete a project to build a young audience for the local stage.

Under the project, local arts units and stage performers will be more creative and develop more quality products to reach a younger audience.

Many experts have said it is necessary to boost interest in the theatrical arts among young people from when they are still at school.

The project of the Vietnam Theatre Artists Association includes a wide range of activities, such as holding forums, developing scripts for children, and introducing various types of traditional art forms in schools. A children’s theatre festival has also been scheduled for Hanoi at the end of the year./. 

COVID-19 situations remain complex in SE Asia

Southeast Asian nations reported an increasing number of new COVID-19 infections on June 17.

Indonesia recorded 12,624 new COVID-19 cases on the day, the highest daily figure since January 30 this year, announced the Ministry of Health.

The country’s national tally reached 1.95 million, with a death toll of 53,753.

COVID-19 cases were detected in all 34 Indonesian localities. Jakarta capital logged 4,144 new cases on June 17, while West Java 2,800 and Central Java 1,752.

The Indonesian government is mulling over a lockdown on headquarters of ministries and sectors in the capital city.

On the day, Malaysia had an additional 5,738 cases and 60 fatalities, raising the national count to 678,764 and 4,202, respectively.

Meanwhile, Cambodia saw 625 new infections on June 17, including 591 local ones, according to the Health Ministry.

The country to date has had 40,782 COVID-19 infections and 380 deaths.

In Phnom Penh, most of the plants are operating as normal despite COVID-19 developments. Local authorities are calling for vaccination for workers and regular disinfection at the factories.

The Philippines reported 6,637 new cases and 155 fatalities on June 17, bringing the total counts to nearly 1.34 million and 23,276./.

New project scales up waste management models in Vietnam

The Norwegian Embassy and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have just signed the agreement for a new project on scaling up integrated and inclusive waste management models through empowering the informal sector and fostering the circular economy.

This 3-year project is to deploy and test interventions, including direct support for informal waste workers, a management model in the fishery sector, and an ecosystem-level approach of value chains through the establishment of a material recovery facility, which will be piloted in the south-central province of Binh Dinh province’s Quy Nhon city.

Grete Lochen, Norwegian Ambassador to Vietnam (left), and Caitlin Wiesen, UNDP resident representative in Vietnam (right), signs a deal to implement a project on scaling up waste management models in the country
Financed by the Norwegian government with a grant of $1.3 million, this project illustrates the strong commitment and extensive collaboration between Norway and the UNDP to tackle the growing issue of waste management in Vietnam and accelerate the transition to an inclusive circular economy.

It is the continuation of the first phase of the successful Norway-funded project “Scaling up a socialised model of domestic waste and plastic management”, aiming to develop integrated, green, and fair models to improve domestic waste and plastic management in five Vietnamese localities including Quang Ninh, Binh Duong, Binh Thuan, Binh Dinh, and Danang.

“We are very happy with the success of phase 1 of the project and to see the project being expanded. It is great that more local communities, particularly women, will take part in the common efforts to tackle plastic waste and build a circular economy. This is very important in the context of post-pandemic green recovery,” said Grete Lochen, Norwegian Ambassador to Vietnam. “Norway takes pride in our partnership with the UNDP in Vietnam and the Vietnamese government to take actions to combat plastic waste, build back greener, and leave no one behind.”

The 3-year project or "phase 2 project" responds to the need of scaling up local waste and recycling collection centres that respect environmental and social standards while engaging the informal sector in waste collection and segregation.

Through the project, community capacity for waste management will be enhanced when supported by an effective enabling environment and the adoption by municipalities and businesses of the circular economy principles.

“The UNDP is proud of our strong partnership with the Vietnamese government and the Norwegian government for accelerating circular economy. This new phase of the project will strengthen waste and plastic value chains in Quy Nhon by establishing a material recovery facility, a waste management model in the fishery sector, and piloting a portfolio of interventions to boost the livelihoods and inclusion of waste workers, particularly women,” said Caitlin Wiesen, UNDP resident representative in Vietnam.

According to her, building on the project’s establishment of the Vietnam Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform, phase 2 will continue to convene stakeholders, curate knowledge of the circular economy, foster exchanges and partnerships in line with the revised Law on Environmental Protection 2020 and the National Action Plan for Management of Marine Plastic Litter.

“We believe that by bringing together sustainable and inclusive waste management models, innovation and policy advice, the new phase of the project will further accelerate the achievement of a low-carbon and circular Vietnam,” Wiesen said.

The project comprises two mains outcomes: the first aims to implement sustainable models of waste management that increase livelihoods of waste workers (with a focus on informal women workers) while the second intends to scale up sustainable and inclusive waste management models and interventions through replication support, capacity development, and knowledge-sharing.

Overall the project will contribute to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as the prevention of marine plastic pollution, through increased engagement of the fishery, contributing to life below water (SDG14); poverty reduction (SDG1), through increased income and livelihood opportunities of women waste workers; promotion of women empowerment, through training and access to revolving funds contributing to gender equality (SDG5), contribution to environmental protection, through the implementation of sustainable value chains that reduce the amount of waste burned or landfilled, fostering the collecting and reuse of recyclable materials contributing to sustainable consumption and production (SDG12) and sustainable cities and communities (SDG11).

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

VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES JUNE 17

133 local COVID-19 cases reported on June 17 evening