Two more people have died of COVID-19 complications, taking the death toll in Việt Nam since the beginning of the pandemic to 74.

The latest fatalities are a 44-year-old man and 68-year-old woman. The two were both being treated for a number of underlying health conditions.

The 44-year-old patient with type 2 diabetes, of Bình Chánh District, HCM City, tested positive for SARS-COV-2 on June 14.

He was taken to Phạm Ngọc Thạch Hospital with breathing difficulty and had to use an oxygen mask.

The patient was treated in intensive care with mechanical ventilation through endotracheal tube, sedation, muscle relaxant, antibiotics, anticoagulants, anti-inflammatory drugs, insulin and vasopressor.

However, due to the patient's underlying conditions and poor response to treatment, although the hospital tried its best to treat him, the patient died at 1:32am on Tuesday.

His cause of death has been recorded as severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia complicated by acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), septic shock, and multi-organ failure in patients with type 2 diabetes.

The female patient, of An Minh District, Kiên Giang Province, with type 2 diabetes, hypertension and pulmonary tuberculosis that she completed treatment for 10 years ago.

On June 16, the patient, who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, was taken to Phạm Ngọc Thạch Hospital for treatment in a state of respiratory failure and had to breathe through an oxygen mask.

The patient was treated in intensive care with mechanical ventilation through endotracheal tube, sedation, muscle relaxant, antibiotics, anticoagulants, anti-inflammatory drugs, insulin, vasopressor. However, due to her age, severe underlying disease and poor response to treatment, she died at midnight on Wednesday.

Her cause of death has been recorded as severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia complicated by acute respiratory failure (ARDS), septic shock in patients with hypertension, type 2 diabetes and pulmonary sequelae. 

PM requests tighter information coordination to fight IUU fishing

The Prime Minister on June 24 issued a directive on inter-sectoral coordination between ministries, sectors and the People’s Committees of 28 coastal localities in exchanging and handling information so as to prevent and put an end to illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in foreign waters.

The directive noted that on October 23, 2017, the European Commission (EC) issued a “yellow card” warning against seafood exploited by Vietnam and exported to the EU, as the country’s fishing vessels and fishermen violated IUU fishing regulations.

To get the yellow card removed, the Prime Minister has directed ministries, sectors and the People’s Committees of 28 coastal localities to take drastic measures to fight IUU fishing, which has been acknowledged by the commission.

However, the commission assessed that some works are still slow, pointing its finger to the complex developments of Vietnamese fishing vessels’ violations in foreign waters.

One of the root causes of the situation is the loose coordination between ministries, sectors and the People’s Committees of those localities in exchanging information, detecting, preventing, investigating and promptly handling violations, the commission highlighted.

Therefore, the Government leader urged the tighter coordination which needs to ensure the abidance by the Party’s guidelines and the State’s policies and laws.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development was requested to provide information on the management over offshore fishing vessels and fishermen, and the Ministry of Defence, on the outcomes of patrols at bordering, overlapping and disputed sea areas that have not yet been demarcated between Vietnam and other countries.

The Government leader also asked the Ministry of Public Security to provide information on the situation and results of investigation and handling of cases showing signs of organising, brokering, or luring up Vietnamese people and fishing vessels to conduct illegal fishing in foreign waters, or illegally bringing fishing vessels and fishermen back to the country.

The Foreign Ministry was required to provide information on the negotiations on sea border demarcation between Vietnam and other countries, as well as the results of the struggles to ensure legitimate interests of Vietnamese fishermen detained by foreign authorities, while the Ministry of Information and Communication should disseminate knowledge and laws to encourage fishermen not to violate foreign waters.

The People Committees of 28 coastal provinces and cities need to update information on the registration of fishing vessels and the installation of satellite geo-positioning devices./.

285 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday

There were 285 new COVID-19 cases detected on Thursday, raising the total number of patients to have contracted the virus to 14,232.

Six of them are imported cases and were quarantined on arrival. The imported cases are in Khánh Hòa (4), Tây Ninh (1) and Hà Nội (1).

The remaining 279 cases are all local transmissions.

Of those, 162 are in HCM City, 27 in Bình Dương Province, 28 in Bắc Giang Province, five in Nghệ An Province, 20 in Đà Nẵng City, nine in Tiền Giang Province, eight in Phú Yên Province, seven in Bắc Ninh Province, five in Thái Bình Province, two in Hưng Yên Province, two in Tây Ninh Province, two in Long An Province, one in Khánh Hòa Province and one in Hải Phòng City.

As of Thursday, Việt Nam had seen 1,726 imported and 12,506 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases. The number of local infections since the fourth wave of outbreaks hit the country on April 27 is 10,936.

Fifteen out of 63 provinces and cities have not seen any new cases over the last 14 days.

Two new fatalities raised the country’s death toll to 72, according to the subcommittee for treatment of the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

The deceased, both men aged 82 and 88 years old, were from Bắc Giang province with severe underlying medical conditions.

Vietnamese Government gives highest priority to citizen protection: Spokeswoman

The Vietnamese Government always gives the top priority to the protection of Vietnamese citizens living abroad amid complex developments of the COVID-19 pandemic, Spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang has said.

Hang made the confirmation on June 24 in reply to reporters’ query about the information stating that Vietnam has proposed countries and territories to inoculate Vietnamese nationals there.

The Government has directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ask Vietnamese diplomatic representative agencies abroad to regularly keep in touch with, promptly encourage and visit overseas Vietnamese and take citizen protection measures when necessary.

According to the spokeswoman, Vietnamese representative agencies abroad have also discussed with local authorities and proposed them take necessary measures to ensure the health, medical care, vaccination, and legitimate rights and interests of Vietnamese citizens, including Vietnamese guest workers.

Responding to a question about the information stating that many Vietnamese people have been implicated or tricked into legal or illegal travelling to Cambodia to work illegally, Hang said that the Vietnamese representative agencies in Cambodia have received relevant information and requests for help from Vietnamese citizens who were induced and illegally worked here.

The Vietnamese agencies immediately worked with local authorities to verify the information and take measures to protect citizens, and to investigate and clarify the related cases to handle in accordance with law, she said.

In order to prevent the arrangement for Vietnamese citizens to illegally go and work abroad, over the past times, Vietnam has actively promoted dissemination on methods and tricks of criminals as well as risks when migrating through unofficial channels to raise people’s awareness about illegal migration, and entry and exit regulations during the fight against COVID-19.

Citizens can contact Vietnamese representative agencies in the host countries or the citizen protection hotline of the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry’s Consular Department if they want to provide information about illegal migration crime, Hang said./.

Vietnam ready to cooperate with EU in human rights issue

Vietnam treasures the comprehensive cooperative partnership with the European Union (EU) and stays ready to discuss and cooperate with the EU on human rights issue in a straightforward, open and respectful manner to increase mutual understanding via the annual human right dialogue mechanism and other bilateral exchange frameworks, said Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang.

She made the statement during the ministry’s regular press conference which was held online on June 24.

Asked to comment about the EU Annual Report on Human Rights 2020, Hang took note of the report’s assessment about Vietnam’s achievements in protecting labour right, preventing child labour and promoting gender equality.

She, however, expressed regret that there remains several biased contents based on information that failed to reflect realities in Vietnam.

The spokesperson stressed that the Vietnamese State always pays attention to protecting and promoting basic human rights, which have been stipulated in the Constitution 2013 and relevant legal documents and been respected and enforced in reality, as demonstrated in the country's socio-economic and health care achievements, especially in the fight against COVID-19.

Such efforts and successes have been acknowledged by the international community via many bilateral and multilateral frameworks, including the third cycle of the Universal Periodic Review by the United Nations Human Rights Council, she said.

"Freedom of speech, press and information in Vietnam has been clearly reflected in the development of the press in both types and contents. In fact, over 70 percent of the Vietnamese population are using the internet, domestic and foreign social networks. In Vietnam, no one has been arrested or brought to court merely for expressing opinions or protecting human rights," the spokesperson affirmed.

Hang added that like other countries worldwide, Vietnam resolutely fights acts that take advantage of the rights to freedom and democracy to violate the law, the State interests and the legitimate rights and interests of individuals and organisations. She affirmed that the process of investigation, trial and detention is conducted in line with the law while rights of the arrestees are ensured./.

Vietnam reports 91 new cases of COVID-19 on June 25 morning

Additional 91 COVID-19 infections, including 12 imported ones, were confirmed in the last 12 hours to 6am on June 25, raising the national tally to 14.323, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH).

Among the 79 new domestic cases, 60 were detected in quarantine sites and sealed off areas.

As of 6am, Vietnam documented 12,585 locally-infected infections and 1,738 imported ones.

The MoH said 5,759 patients were given the all-clear so far, while the death toll stood at 72.

Among the active patients, 388 tested negative for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 once, 126 twice and 137 thrice.

Fourteen provinces have gone through 14 days without new infections.

As of 4pm on June 24, over 2.9 million vaccine doses had been injected. The number of people getting two shots was 143,121./.

Women’s ASIAN Cup 2022 qualifers: Vietnam in same group with Tajikistan, Maldives, Afghanistan

Vietnam is in Group B which also sees Tajikistan, Maldives, Afghanistan following a draw for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2022 Qualifers in Kuala Lumpur on June 24.

The Vietnamese women’s team, the top-seeded in the group, is now placed 33rd in the latest FIFA rankings. Meanwhile, Tajikistan ranks 135th, Maldives 144th and Afghanistan 152nd.

Twenty-eight teams are divided into eight groups with four seed groups.

Champions Japan, second runners-up Australia and third runners-up China together with the hosts India are eligible for the final round.

The tournament is scheduled to take place in India from January 20 to February 6./.

Two Vietnamese universities enter THE Young University Rankings 2021

Two Vietnamese universities – Vietnam National University (VNU), Hanoi and VNU Ho Chi Minh City - have entered the Times Higher Education (THE)’s Young University Rankings 2021, which lists the world’s best universities that are 50 years old or younger.

In the rankings, the VNU Hanoi is placed in the 251st-300th group, while the VNU ranks 401st .

The VNU Hanoi scored a high point in the criteria of teaching, which is higher than the average point of 50 universities placed in the 251st-300th group, and even 6.3 percent higher than the average of those in the 201st-250th positions.

The THE Young University Rankings 2021 is based on the same 13 performance indicators as the flagship THE World University Rankings, but the weightings have been adjusted to give less weight to reputation.

The universities are judged across all their core missions – teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook – to provide the most comprehensive and balanced comparisons available.

The 2021 list includes 475 universities, up from 414 in 2020.

Nanyang Technological University of Singapore is the world’s best young university for the first time this year.

The Republic of Korea has the highest number of universities entering the top positions in the list with three institutions in the top 10.

The UK is once again the most-represented country, with 37 institutions, while India has 34 and Spain has 33./.

HCM City to organise national high school graduation exam as scheduled

HCM City will go ahead with national high school graduation exams for more than 88,000 candidates on July 7-8 based on the Ministry of Education and Training’s schedule despite growing COVID-19 outbreaks, according to its Department of Education and Training.

The department will assign more than 10,000 teachers and educational staff to supervise them.

On June 22 it instructed principals of high schools and managers of examination venues to strengthen communications about safe measures for students and their parents to mitigate infection fears.   

Candidates, teachers and other staff who will invigilate the examination have to strictly comply with COVID prevention regulations.

They will have their temperature checked and need to wash their hands and wear masks.

But unlike past years candidates will not visit the venues one day before the examinations to get information in person about the exam, and instead, information like candidates’ numbers and which classrooms to sit the exam will be published on school websites and sent to them.  

Candidates who had personal contact with COVID-19 patients and dubbed F1, or F2 for coming in contact with F1 people by health officials, and those living in areas under lockdown will sit the exam later.

After this exam, the city will announce the schedule for the 10th grade entrance examination and tests for enrolling sixth graders at the Trần Đại Nghĩa Secondary School for Gifted Students.   

Nearly 83,000 children are expected to sit the 10th grade entrance examination.

Vietnam, US look to boost comprehensive partnership

Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Ha Kim Ngoc on June 23 met with Republican Senator Dan Sullivan of Alaska state to discuss measures aimed at further promoting the Vietnam - US comprehensive partnership.

During the meeting, the two sides expressed their delight at the strong development of the bilateral relations, and agreed to strengthen economic and trade pillars in the bilateral relationship, especially cooperation in energy, agriculture and tourism.

Senator Sullivan affirmed that Alaska wants to expand cooperation in liquefied natural gas (LNG) trade with Vietnam.

Ambassador Ngoc highly valued the US government's decision to include Vietnam in the list of recipients of the support of COVID-19 vaccines.

He expressed his hope that Sullivan, together with the US Senate, parliament and government, will pay more attention so that Vietnam can soon receive vaccines.

For his part, Senator Sullivan expressed his special affection for Vietnam and deep impressions of his previous visit to the Southeast Asian nation. He said he looks forward to returning to Vietnam, and is very interested in helping Vietnam overcome the COVID-19 pandemic.

The two sides agreed on the importance of maintaining constructive dialogues to iron out differences between the two countries.

The Vietnamese diplomat wished that the US Trade Representative (USTR)'s investigation under Act 1974's Section 301 will not cause adverse actions against Vietnam and economic cooperation between the two countries.

Regarding regional issues of common concern, Ambassador Ngoc suggested Senator Sullivan and the US Senate pay attention to devoting necessary resources to effectively implement the Mekong-US partnership.

They shared the view that the US should continue to play a constructive role in and contribute to maintaining peace, stability, cooperation and development, and rules-based orders in the East Sea and the Indo-Pacific./.

HCM City prioritises seven transport projects for 2021-2025

Ho Chi Minh City will prioritise seven transport projects as part of its smart urban programme during the 2021-2025 period.

The projects aim to apply technologies in urban management in the southern metropolis.

Of the projects, six are expected to use the city’s budget with total funding of 851 billion VND (37.1 million USD), and the other is worth about 5.7 trillion VND from other sources.

To implement such projects, the municipal People’s Committee has assigned the Department of Transport to coordinate with the Department of Information and Communications, the Department of Home Affairs and relevant agencies to raise proposals regarding human resources development in order to bring into full play achievements of the fourth Industrial Revolution in smart urban management.

The committee also asked relevant units to continue rolling out smart urban projects under the project on building HCM City into an urban area during 2017-2020 period, with a vision towards 2025./.

HCM City faces shortage of affordable housing

The supply of affordable and social housing in Ho Chi Minh City continued to be far below the demand due to a shortage in the segment in the first sixth months of this year.

According to Director of the city Department of Construction Tran Hoang Quan, among nearly 12,000 apartments from 14 projects meeting conditions to mobilise investments in the first half of 2021, 7,000 units, or 58.92 percent, are in the high-end segment and the remaining in the middle segment.

Compared to the same period last year, although the number of projects meeting requirements to mobilise investments is unchanged, the number of housing rises 61.5 percent, with a 122.57-percent increase in the high-end segment and a 294.85-percent increase in the middle segment. However, there is no affordable housing project.

According to Le Hoang Chau, President of the HCM City Real Estate Association, said that in recent years, the city has seen an oversupply in the high-end apartment but a shortage in affordable and social housing.

In order to address the problem the municipal People’s Committee has recently approved a housing construction project in the city in the 2021-2030 period. It defined that currently, social housing projects can supply about 2.4 million sq.m of floor with about 27,574 apartments.

In the 2021-2030 period, the city will develop about 4 million sq.m of floor of social apartments, with about 1.8 million sq.m of floor will be developed in the next five years.

To this end, the city will diversify the form of investment in social housing projects for low-income earners, mostly using non-State budget capital.

Meanwhile, the city will review land funds to allocate 20 percent of over 10-hectare commercial housing projects to build social housing./.

COVID-19 vaccines approved for use in Vietnam go through three clinical trial phases: ministry

All types of COVID-19 vaccine approved by Vietnam for emergency use have gone through three stages of clinical trials, the Health Ministry has affirmed.

As of June 23, Vietnam has conditionally approved four vaccines against COVID-19, namely Comirnaty of Pfizer, A2D1222 of AstraZeneca, Sputnik-V of Gamalaya, and Vero-Cell of Sinopharm to serve urgent needs of pandemic prevention and control, the ministry said, adding that Moderna vaccine is also in the process of being approved.

Following international practice, all vaccines, before being put into emergency use in Vietnam, must ensure three factors of safety, immunogenicity and most importantly, protection effectiveness.

All of the above-mentioned vaccines had to go through three phases of clinical trials, of which the third phase involved from 20,000 to 50,000 participants.

Specifically, the third phase of AstraZeneca's vaccine was carried out in 11 countries with 49,626 participants, Vero-Cell vaccine in six countries with over 45,000 participants, Sputnik-V in five countries with 21,977 participants, Pfizer's vaccine in six countries with 43,418 participants, and Moderna vaccine in four countries with 30,420 participants, according to the ministry.

In the context of COVID-19 breaking out worldwide, the urgent authorisation of a vaccine against the disease is necessary. However, this does not mean skipping the mandatory clinical trial stages, the ministry added./.

Vietnam Embassy in Switzerland raises over 32,500 CHF for COVID-19 fund at home

The Vietnamese Embassy in Switzerland raised more than 32,500 CHF (35,395 USD) for Vietnam’s COVID-19 prevention and control fund at an event held on June 21.

Of the sum, 20,000 CHF were donated by Swiss businessman Urs Angst, CEO of the food processing company Metzgerei-Angst; and 5,000 CHF from Truong Thanh Nguyen, the Vietnamese owner of the Truong Vinh AG company in Switzerland.

Urs Angst told the Vietnam News Agency correspondents in Geneva that he wants to revisit to Vietnam as soon as possible, and his desire could only be achieved if the nation secures enough vaccine for its people.

Nguyen said he donates to the fund to help Vietnamese get vaccinated and Vietnam soon open its border and bring life back to normal.

At the event, Vietnamese Ambassador Le Linh Lan expressed her appreciation for the donors’ contributions in the context that the COVID-19 situation has basically been put under control in Vietnam but the risk of new outbreaks remains high due to the emergence of new coronavirus variants./.

Health official calls for caution in vaccine authorisation

The licensing of a COVID-19 vaccine, even for emergency use, must be based on sufficient scientific data, a Ministry of Health official has said.

Deputy Director of the Department of Science, Technology and Training Nguyễn Ngô Quang was speaking in response to reports that Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology Joint Stock Company had called for an approval for emergency use for its COVID-19 vaccine Nano Covax, the most promising Vietnamese-made vaccine to date which has entered phase 3 human trials, amidst the severe fourth wave of infections in the country.

Quang said before a vaccine can be widely administered to the people, the Ministry of Health needs data on safety, immunogenicity and protective efficacy.

In the case of the Nanocovax vaccine, only 1,000 people have been administered the experimental shot in the phase 3 which started on June 11, still a small number, Quang said.

The four vaccines that are granted conditional approval in Việt Nam - AstraZeneca, Sputnik V, Sinopharm's Vero Cell, and Pfizer - have passed phase 3 which involves 30,000-50,000 subjects.

"In case Việt Nam does not have access to imported COVID-19 vaccine sources until August-September 2021, and if the pandemic situation in the country is still complicated, we will make [decisions] on the data proving the safety, immunogenicity and protective effect on the first 1,000 cases of injection and consider authorisation for emergency use."

However, Quang also noted that  "this is an option only to be considered in case of an emergency". Given that Việt Nam already has access to imported COVID-19 vaccines with clear research results such as Pfizer, Moderna, Sputnik V or other vaccines approved by the WHO, priority will be given to those imported sources instead of vaccines without enough data.

“The view of the Ministry of Health as a whole and the view of myself as an individual is that we are fully supportive of the research and development of locally made vaccines  to ensure supply of vaccines in Việt Nam. This is a very appropriate directive of the Government,” Quang said.

"But we will bear the responsibility to explain to the people about whether this vaccine is effective or not, on what basis to say it is effective and why do we agree to license it? The goal of the health sector is to protect the health of the community, thus benefits and risks should be carefully weighed.”

“This is us being extra cautious, not making it difficult for the enterprise,” Quang said.

The current data shows the COVID-19 vaccine Nano Covax is safe and has immunogenic properties, but facts about its effectiveness have to wait for more research and further testing.

To have enough scientific basis to evaluate a vaccine, it is necessary to follow up 36, 45 and 56 days after the first injection. Only on that basis, it is enough to meet the criteria to evaluate the immunogenicity and protective effect. So we can only evaluate a vaccine at least after two months from its first jab,", Quang said.

More and more young people suffer from lumbar disc herniation

A 35-year-old patient was hospitalised at the City International Hospital in HCM City with severe lower back pain that radiated to his left leg and difficulty moving around.

Doctors diagnosed the patient as suffering from lumbar disc herniation (LDH), a common disorder among adults with degenerated lumbar intervertical discs, and prescribed surgery.  

Dr Lê Trọng Nghĩa of the hospital’s Department of Neurological Surgery said a 90-minute microsurgery, which combines magnification with advanced diploscopes, specialised precision tools and various operating techniques, was performed to remove the herniated portion of the lumbar disc that was putting pressure on a spinal nerve root.  

This method is common around the world and in Việt Nam, and he and his colleagues have used enhanced post-surgery recovery methods by maintaining pre-operative organ function and reducing the stress response, he said.

Thanks to this, the patient recovered rapidly and has been discharged, he said.  

A 27-year-old man in Thủ Đức city was also diagnosed with lumbar disc herniation four years ago. His condition remains severe after he turned down surgery, with the herniated portion of the lumbar disc putting pressure on 50 per cent of the spinal cord, posing a high risk of paralysis of one side of the body.

Like him, many young people in the country suffering from lumbar disc herniation, even if severe, opt for physical therapy instead of surgery.   

Nghĩa said if patients treated with medicines and physical therapy feel worse after one or two months, they should visit a neurosurgeon and quickly get a surgery to prevent paralysis.

The cost of treating severe lumbar disc herniation is very high and the treatment is difficult, he said.

According to Ministry of Health statistics, 30 per cent of the country’s population suffer from the disease, including many aged between 25 and 55. 

Nghĩa said: “Many young people suffer from this disease because of prolonged sitting or standing at work. They do not pay attention to relaxing or spend time on exercising. Moreover, smoking and second-hand smoking causes the spine to age.”

He said there are many causes for lumbar disc herniation, including carrying heavy weights and wrong carrying posture. Many people have the habit of bending down rapidly from a standing position to lift heavy objects, causing the lumbar disc to herniate, he said. Injuries to the spine due to traffic and workplace accidents are also a cause, he said.

With ageing, the disc gradually dries out, losing its strength and resiliency, and herniation occurs easily then, he added.

UNICEF to offer maximum support for Vietnam’s access to COVID-19 vaccines: official

UNICEF Representative in Vietnam Rana Flowers has told the Vietnam News Agency that when COVID-19 vaccines become abundant and are approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for emergency use in children, the UNICEF will do what it can to help Vietnam access suitable vaccines.

She made the statement during an inclusive interview with the State-run news agency on the occasion of the action month for children, which is ongoing under the theme of joining hands to ensure children’s rights and protect children in natural disasters and pandemic.

Praising the Vietnamese Government’s drastic actions and measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 and to quickly implement its vaccination drive, starting with prioritised groups, Flowers said the Government has made efforts to cooperate with social and international organisations, including UNICEF, to ensure prompt assistance for children against COVID-19-related impacts.

According to her, amid social lockdown and distancing, measures have been implemented to save local children from abuse, violence, accidents and psychological trauma.

The official stated the UNICEF stands side by side with the Vietnamese Government in protecting children and women in all circumstances, helping the nation strengthen its psycho-social support for children and families via capacity building and communications activities on mental health, psychological support and positive parenting skills .

The UNICEF is aiding the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs to develop guidelines and training programmes for social workers during the pandemic to ensure that local child protection systems can function properly even during social distancing periods.

Maximum assistance for Vietnam to access vaccine sources

Regarding Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long’s announcement on Vietnam’s wish to buy COVID-19 vaccine to vaccinate children aged 12 – 18, Flowers congratulated the ministry on its successful negotiation for the procurement of 31 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, which is affirmed by Pfizer to be safe for teenagers.

She took the occasion to recommend that priority should be given to people at the front of the fight against the pandemic like health workers and vulnerable groups such as the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions.

It is necessary to follow the Health Ministry’s 5K message – khau trang (face masks), khu khuan (disinfection), khoang cach (distancing), khong tu tap (no gatherings), and khai bao y te (health declarations) – and to ensure that all children are given regular vaccines under the nation’s extended vaccination programme, she concluded./.

Japanese business associations donate to COVID-19 vaccine fund

The Japanese Business Association of Ho Chi Minh City (JCCH) has donated 20,000 USD to Vietnam’s COVID-19 vaccine fund, an initiative aiming to provide enough vaccines for the inoculation of at least 75 percent of the country’s population.

The JCCH has also called on its member companies to contribute to the fund. Together with the JCCH, the Japan Business Association in Vietnam and the Japanese Business Association in Da Nang have donated to the fund.

The contribution demonstrates the Japanese business community’s support for the Vietnamese government’s drive to speed up the purchase of vaccines and mass vaccination against the coronavirus.

Earlier this week, the Japan-based AEON Group announced it would contribute 25 billion VND (around 1.08 million USD) to Vietnam’s COVID-19 vaccine fund, joining hands with the Vietnamese Government to stamp out the pandemic.

The national COVID-19 vaccine fund had received over 7.4 trillion VND (321.7 million USD) as of 5pm on June 23. The sum was donated by 338,346 individuals and organisations./.

MSA and Embassy of Denmark sign health education collaboration

The health ministry’s Medical Services Administration (MSA) and the Embassy of Denmark in Việt Nam will continue a strategic collaboration on education on diabetes and other non-communicable diseases for the 2021-23 period.

With support of Novo Nordisk in Việt Nam, the collaboration will focus on capacity building and technical updates for healthcare professionals via virtual courses. It will strengthen disease awareness education for patients and the public on diabetes and other non-communicable diseases via a website on diabetes at http://daithaoduong.kcb.vn.

It will also further facilitate collaboration, best practice and information sharing to improve quality of care for diabetes and other non-communicable diseases.

“Currently, the whole country and the health sector are fighting against the 4th wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. People at high risk during a pandemic are those with underlying medical conditions such as non-communicable diseases including diabetes. Therefore, improving diabetes care is very important in diabetes treatment and COVID-19 pandemic prevention in Việt Nam,” said MSA director Associate Professor Lương Ngọc Khuê.

“The Embassy of Denmark in Việt Nam is glad to see the collaboration on health between Denmark and Việt Nam being strengthened, and hopes that this MOU, along with the recently signed Strategic Sector collaboration in Health, will make a valuable contribution to the Vietnamese people,” said Troels Jakobsen, Counsellor at the Embassy of Denmark in Việt Nam.

“We are proud to have this opportunity to continue our support for the bilateral partnership between the Danish Embassy and Ministry of Health to raise public awareness of diabetes and improve the quality of care for diabetes at all levels, especially primary care, through different e-health education initiatives such as diabetes journey application and diabetes website,” said Hassan Mahmoud Fahmi, Chief representative of Novo Nordisk office in Việt Nam.

Diabetes is one of the most common non-communicable diseases worldwide. Diabetes leads to many serious complications, and is the leading cause of heart disease, blindness, kidney failure and amputation.

According to the World Diabetes Federation, 463 million adults (age 20-79) or one in 11 adults was living with diabetes in 2019 globally. It is estimated that this number will increase to about 700 million people by 2045. However, nearly half of people living with diabetes (age 20-79) are undiagnosed (46.5 per cent) and 52.1 per cent in the Western Pacific region. 

First-ever virtual cycling race held on V-race platform

Hundreds of cyclists have registered for the first-ever virtual cycling race on the V-Race platform that opened for registration from June 23 noon, according to the organising board.

The "Ride safe, stay safe" event aims to inspire exercise and passion for cycling amid impacts of COVID-19 that have resulted in the restriction of sport activities.

Different from other V-Race campaigns that allow participants to run immediately the next day, the "Ride Safe, Stay safe" virtual tournament kicks off after registration closes at 0 am on July 15. With four distances of 50 km, 150 km, 300 km and 500 km, athletes have 22 days to complete or exceed the registered goal.

Cycling is becoming a favourite and easy-to-practice sport for everyone and the cycling community is thriving all over the country.

For the "Ride safe, stay safe" campaign, participants will need to install the Strava app on their phone and connect to VnExpress's V-Race platform to record their results.

After completing the challenge, cyclists will receive a virtual certificate and a virtual medal to celebrate a meaningful journey./.

400 taxis used to transport patients in Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee have just approved the municipal Department of Transport's proposal to use 400 taxis to transport patients at local hospitals. 

The department said it was necessary as the city had applied social distancing and taxis and app-based car services were already temporarily stopped.

According to deputy director of the municipal Department of Health, Nguyen Hoai Nam, there are over 100 hospitals in the city and some have big demand for taxis.

The taxis have been required to strictly follow virus prevention regulations including ensuring distance between drivers and patients and disinfecting the vehicles after each trip. They will not stop to pick up passengers on the streets.

Passengers are advised to pay by card via VNPAY-QR installed on the taxis.

Ho Chi Minh City authorities have suspended taxis and app-based car services since June 20 as one of various measures to contain the widespread coronavirus spread that has so far infected over 2,000 people citywide.

In April last year, the city also used 200 taxis for patient transportation during the social distancing period.

Da Lat-Nha Trang highway project proposed

The southern central province of Khanh Hoa has proposed the construction of an expressway linking Nha Trang and the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong’s Da Lat City.

Under the recommendation of the Khanh Hoa People’s Committee, the project, which belongs to Vietnam’s road network planning in the 2021-2030 period, will be carried out between 2021 and 2025.  

The 85-kilometre route will be conducted in the form of public-private partnership (PPP) with half of the total investment to be sourced from the state budget.

According to the committee, the project should shorten the distance between the two cities, which will help to spur socio-economic and tourism development.

At present, Khanh Hoa's budget remains limited, so the province has proposed the Ministry of Transport to consider the state budget allocation for the project implementation.

The Ministry of Transport also agreed on adding the 113-km Buon Ma Thuot-Nha Trang expressway project into the national road network planning during the 2021-2030 phase.

More field hospital and quarantine facilities set up in HCM City

A new field hospital for Covid-19 patients and 10 more quarantine facilities have just been set up in Ho Chi Minh City.

Vice chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, Duong Anh Duc, has just signed two documents to establish Pham Ngoc Thach Field Hospital for Covid-19 patients and quarantine areas at 10 hotels in District 3 and Thu Duc City.

The Pham Ngoc Thach Field Hospital which is based in Hong Bang Street in District 5 is set up with 550 beds and 450 health workers.

10 hotels in District 3 and Thu Duc City will be used for paid quarantine activities for Covid-19 prevention and control.

Ho Chi Minh City authorities have taken various measures to contain the widespread coronavirus spread that has so far infected over 2,000 people citywide.

MSA and Embassy of Denmark sign health education collaboration

The health ministry’s Medical Services Administration (MSA) and the Embassy of Denmark in Việt Nam will continue a strategic collaboration on education on diabetes and other non-communicable diseases for the 2021-23 period.

With support of Novo Nordisk in Việt Nam, the collaboration will focus on capacity building and technical updates for healthcare professionals via virtual courses. It will strengthen disease awareness education for patients and the public on diabetes and other non-communicable diseases via a website on diabetes at http://daithaoduong.kcb.vn.

It will also further facilitate collaboration, best practice and information sharing to improve quality of care for diabetes and other non-communicable diseases.

“Currently, the whole country and the health sector are fighting against the 4th wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. People at high risk during a pandemic are those with underlying medical conditions such as non-communicable diseases including diabetes. Therefore, improving diabetes care is very important in diabetes treatment and COVID-19 pandemic prevention in Việt Nam,” said MSA director Associate Professor Lương Ngọc Khuê.

“The Embassy of Denmark in Việt Nam is glad to see the collaboration on health between Denmark and Việt Nam being strengthened, and hopes that this MOU, along with the recently signed Strategic Sector collaboration in Health, will make a valuable contribution to the Vietnamese people,” said Troels Jakobsen, Counsellor at the Embassy of Denmark in Việt Nam.

“We are proud to have this opportunity to continue our support for the bilateral partnership between the Danish Embassy and Ministry of Health to raise public awareness of diabetes and improve the quality of care for diabetes at all levels, especially primary care, through different e-health education initiatives such as diabetes journey application and diabetes website,” said Hassan Mahmoud Fahmi, Chief representative of Novo Nordisk office in Việt Nam.

Diabetes is one of the most common non-communicable diseases worldwide. Diabetes leads to many serious complications, and is the leading cause of heart disease, blindness, kidney failure and amputation.

According to the World Diabetes Federation, 463 million adults (age 20-79) or one in 11 adults was living with diabetes in 2019 globally. It is estimated that this number will increase to about 700 million people by 2045. However, nearly half of people living with diabetes (age 20-79) are undiagnosed (46.5 per cent) and 52.1 per cent in the Western Pacific region. 

Two Vietnamese universities enter THE Young University Rankings 2021

Two Vietnamese universities – Vietnam National University (VNU), Hanoi and VNU Ho Chi Minh City - have entered the Times Higher Education (THE)’s Young University Rankings 2021, which lists the world’s best universities that are 50 years old or younger.

In the rankings, the VNU Hanoi is placed in the 251st-300th group, while the VNU ranks 401st .

The VNU Hanoi scored a high point in the criteria of teaching, which is higher than the average point of 50 universities placed in the 251st-300th group, and even 6.3 percent higher than the average of those in the 201st-250th positions.

The THE Young University Rankings 2021 is based on the same 13 performance indicators as the flagship THE World University Rankings, but the weightings have been adjusted to give less weight to reputation.

The universities are judged across all their core missions – teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook – to provide the most comprehensive and balanced comparisons available.

The 2021 list includes 475 universities, up from 414 in 2020.

Nanyang Technological University of Singapore is the world’s best young university for the first time this year.

The Republic of Korea has the highest number of universities entering the top positions in the list with three institutions in the top 10.

The UK is once again the most-represented country, with 37 institutions, while India has 34 and Spain has 33./.

Vietnam joins ASEAN-Japan cybersecurity drill

The Vietnam Cybersecurity Emergency Response Teams/Coordination Centre (VNCERT/CC) on June 24 took part in the 2021 ASEAN-Japan Drill with the aim of enhancing cooperation between Japan and 10 ASEAN countries in addressing trans-national cybersecurity incidents.

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the exercise was held in both online and in-person formats. It was connected with 200 locations across the country for IT units of ministries, agencies, provinces and cities to join the event.

This year’s drill focused on coordination in dealing with cyber attacks targeting state agencies through Virtual Private Network vulnerabilities and in preventing ransomware attacks on medical institutions.

Hoang Minh Tien, Deputy Director of the Information Security Authority under the Ministry of Information and Communications, said that in the past two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused impacts on cybersecurity.

Cyber attacks are becoming more and more sophisticated. Even the health systems that are struggling to fight the pandemic are still subject to this kind of attacks.

He stressed the need for countries and organisations to strengthen protective measures, coordinate in responding to arising incidents, especially to support and protect the health systems./.

More donors contribute to national COVID-19 vaccine fund

The national COVID-19 vaccine fund received over 6.6 billion VND from 17 sponsors at a ceremony on June 24.

Among the donors, Tan Viet Securities JSC contributed over 3.3 billion VND, Fubon Vietnam Insurance Co. Ltd 1 billion VND, Hoa Linh Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd 500 million VND, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development 500 million VND.

The fund’s management board has opened 21 accounts for donations made in VND, USD, EUR at the State Treasury and six commercial banks namely BIDV, Vietcombank, VietinBank, HDBank, Agribank and TPBank.

Since its inception, the fund had accumulated over 7.5 trillion VND (326 million USD) as of 5pm on June 24, according to its management board.

The sum was donated by 339,650 individuals and organisations.

The use, management and opening of accounts at the State Treasury is publicised on the mass media daily.

Vietnam will need 22.5 trillion VND to buy 150 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to inoculate 75 million people in order to achieve herd immunity./.

Vietnam informs outcomes of Party Congress to Germany’s The Left party

Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations Le Hoai Trung chaired a teleconference on June 24 to inform the outcomes of the 13th National Party Congress to the The Left party of Germany. 

Co-chairing the event were Co-Chairwomen of The Left Janine Wissler and Susanne Hennig-Wellsow.

Trung briefed participants about major contents of documents of the Congress on socio-economic and cultural development, the building of the Party and political system. 

He introduced the article “Some theoretical and practical issues about socialism and the path towards socialism in Vietnam” by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and the leader’s speech at a national teleconference reviewing five-year implementation of the Politburo’s Decree No.05-CT/TW on a campaign on studying and following the thought, morality and lifestyle of President Ho Chi Minh on the occasion of his 131st birth anniversary. 

The Vietnamese official affirmed that Vietnam treasures relationship with Germany – one of the leading partners of Vietnam in Europe, and wished that ties between the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and The Left will contribute to developing Vietnam – Germany strategic partnership in an active, practical and effective manner. 

He suggested The Left supports economic ties between Vietnam and the EU, including the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement and the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement. 

Wissler and Hennig-Wellsow congratulated the CPV on the success of its Congress and expressed their belief that under the leadership of the CPV, Vietnam will achieve goals and national development vision set by the Congress. 

Speaking highly of the substantial ties between the CPV and The Left, they affirmed that the CPV is an important part in The Left’s external relations. 

They also briefly informed the Vietnamese side on the outcomes of the seventh Congress of The Left, the political situation in Germany before the federal parliament election in September and the political landscape in Europe. 

The two sides also discussed measures to promote ties between the two Parties and nations./.

PM proposes WHO support and prioritise vaccine delivery to Vietnam

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh proposed the World Health Organization (WHO) support and give priority for Vietnam to soon receive the next batches of COVID-19 vaccines as committed under the COVAX Facility during his phone talks with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on June 24.

PM Chinh affirmed that Vietnam will implement the vaccination strategy effectively and safely in a timely manner.

He also proposed the WHO to support and assist Vietnam to become one of the vaccine production centres in the Asia Pacific region, adding that with the capacity of the medical sector of Vietnam as well as potential of some Vietnamese businesses, Vietnam could produce vaccines meeting international standards. He applauded the WHO Director-General’s suggestion to send WHO experts to support Vietnam in this process.

He appreciated the cooperation and support of the WHO for the development of the medical sector of Vietnam over the past 45 years.

Vietnam supported global medical efforts and appreciated the role of the WHO and the Director-General in coordinating international cooperation in disease prevention and control, particularly in COVID-19 prevention and control and in promoting equal COVID-19 vaccine access across the globe, he said.

During the pandemic, Vietnam has strived to implement the “dual goal” of fighting against the COVID-19 while recovering socio-economic development with support and cooperation of the international community, including the WHO, and of the Vietnamese people, and has achieved initial positive results, PM Chinh said.

For his part, Tedros spoke highly of Vietnam’s success in implementing the “dual goal”, particularly the country’s active and creative measures, resolute leadership of the Government and the participation of the whole political system, contributing to Vietnam’s pandemic prevention and control efforts to make the country an effective COVID-19 prevention model in the world which was widely popularised by the WHO.

He applauded Vietnam’s assistance to international friends in the fight against COVID-19 and thanked the Vietnamese Government for its commitment to contribute 500,000 USD to the COVAX programme.

The WHO Director-General also thanked Vietnam for receiving and successfully treating a UN staff member who contracted COVID-19.

Tedros said Vietnam would be prioritised to get quick access to sources of vaccines as well as become a vaccine production centre in the region. The WHO would send experts to support Vietnam’s vaccine research and production efforts meeting international standards, he added./.

Vietnam congratulates Communist Party of China on 100th anniversary

Vietnam congratulates the Communist Party of China (CPC) on its 100th founding anniversary, the Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said at a regular press conference held online on June 24.

Commenting on the CPC’s development achievements over the past 100 years, Hang said the CPC has led the Chinese people to great victories in the struggle for national liberation and in the cause of national construction and development.

Vietnam also congratulates the Chinese people, under the leadership of the CPC, on completing the comprehensive building of a well-off society and continuing to head towards the next development goals, she said.

The spokeswoman also added that the Vietnamese Party, State and people always treasure friendly neighbourliness and comprehensive cooperation with their Chinese counterparts, respect the support that the two Parties, countries and peoples offered to each other in the past struggles for national liberation as well as in the present cause of national construction and development./.

Vietnam Youth Federation presents 5,000 masks to Cambodian counterpart

Chairwoman of the Youth Federation of the southwestern province of Tay Ninh Nguyen Thi Truc Mai on June 24 handed over 5,000 cloth masks to support the Cambodia Union of Youth Federations in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The gifts are worth 360 million VND (15,600 USD) sourced from the epidemic prevention and control fund of the Vietnam Youth Federation's Central Committee.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Mai said through the donation, the Vietnam Youth Federation wants to stand side by side with the Cambodia Union of Youth Federations in preventing the spread of COVID-19.

She expressed her belief that with the great unity from both the Cambodian government and people, the country will soon overcome difficulties and challenges posed by the pandemic.

In recent times, the Vietnam Youth Federation had also donated 25,000 masks to the Cambodian Union of Youth Federations through the Cambodian Embassy in Hanoi in order to contribute to the COVID-19 combat in the neighbouring country/. 

Bắc Giang City lifts social distancing measures

Bắc Giang City, in the province hit hardest by the ongoing fourth wave of COVID-19, has ended social distancing from 6am on Thursday after more than a month of applying the measures.

Lê Ánh Dương, chairman of the provincial People's Committee, said the committee has delegated local authorities in districts and Bắc Giang City to make their own decision on the reopening of commercial and service activities based on the actual situation in each locality.

According to the Bắc Giang City’s People’s Committee, the city would continue banning religious activities, festivals or ceremonies and sports tournaments. Public gatherings and religious, belief and worship facilities would also be stopped.

Restaurants would begin operating at 50 per cent capacity while street food stalls would not be allowed to operate. Entertainment services such as beauty salons, karaoke venues and gyms would still be closed.

Bắc Giang Province had applied social distancing since May 19 when it became the hot spot of the pandemic with hundreds of new cases reported every day.

Figures from the provincial Centre for Disease Control showed that the number of new cases has decreased in the past several days. On Wednesday, the province reported 11 cases and three more cases on Thursday morning. 

Most of the new cases were involved in the outbreak of Bằng Công Village, Kiên Thành Commune in Lục Ngạn District, which were already in quarantine.

The centre forecast there would be new cases in the next days, but not many.

The province has switched from lockdown to social distancing in Yên Thế, Lục Nam, Lạng Giang, Hiệp Hoà and Yên Dũng districts. Currently, only Việt Yên District is under lockdown.

Chairman of the provincial authority Dương has asked localities to carry out the dual task of pandemic containment and economic development. 

Particularly in Lục Ngạn District, it was necessary to trace and take samples of suspected COVID-19 cases for testing in the community, and create conditions for farmers to sell lychee.

The province would give full support so that the district would bring the pandemic under control by June 30.

Việt Yên District would continue disinfection in Núi Hiển Village and build accommodation for workers.

The province targeted to have no new infection cases by the end of this month and resume business operations from July 1. 

HCM City makes online health declaration mandatory at public sites

Everyone entering commercial establishments, work sites and other public sites in HCM City are required to fill ‘Hệ thống khai báo y tế điện tử’ (electronic health declaration system) starting on Thursday.

According to the city People’s Committee, work sites include offices, industrial parks, export processing zones, hi-tech parks, and factories.

Public sites include health facilities, apartment towers, educational establishments, train and bus stations, supermarkets, traditional markets, commercial centres, wholesale markets, and stores selling essential goods and services.

It has instructed Thủ Đức city and districts to co-operate with the Department of Health and other relevant agencies to monitor implementation. 

The Department of Information and Communications has been instructed to guide other agencies and local authorities in the use of the electronic health declaration system and ensure its security.

It has stepped up communication about the online health declaration and encourage the public to instal it on their phones.   

The software is being used at all health facilities in the city to enable suspected cases be more rapidly traced than through the use of paper forms.

It has already helped quickly trace many COVID patients and suspected cases to prevent the spread of the infection.       

On June 21 the Department of Information and Communications put up a new version of a digital map at https://bando.tphcm.gov.vn to replace the existing one.

Using the map, users can find optimal travel routes to avoid COVID-hit areas and limit going to high-risk transmission ones.

Increasing beds

Because of the complex development of the pandemic in the city, the number of COVID cases in the city topped 2,100 by Thursday afternoon.

The Department of Health has increased the number of beds available for treatment from 3,500 to 5,000.   

There are nine hospitals with 3,500 beds, and it has designated Bình Chánh Hospital with 500 and Thủ Đức Regional General Hospital with 1,000 to treating COVID patients.    

The health staff at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases’ department for contagious diseases and Nguyễn Tri Phương’s resuscitation and emergency department have been assigned to assist them.

Bình Chánh Hospital has stopped admitting other patients while the Thủ Đức Regional General Hospital has earmarked a separate facility for treating COVID.   

Vice chairman of the city People’s Committee, Dương Anh Đức, earlier approved converting Phạm Ngọc Thạch Hospital into a dedicated COVID facility.

Trưng Vương Hospital is also treating COVID patients.

The city has set up 10 more quarantine sites at hotels in the districts of 1, 3 and Tân Bình and Thủ Đức city.

Health officials are taking large numbers of samples from the community in the districts of Bình Tân, Tân Bình, Tân Phú, Hóc Môn, 8, and several others for screening. 

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