Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh demanded substantial progress in administrative reform this year in order to further improve national governance capacity as well as effectiveness and efficiency of ministries, agencies and localities.

Addressing a meeting on administrative reform Wednesday, Pham emphasized that investment in administrative reform means investment in development and such investment must bring about substantive outcomes.

From that perspective, the Prime Minister called for further improving the awareness, role and responsibility of the leaders of ministries, agencies and localities in organizing the implementation of administrative reform.

Subordinate levels need to continue accelerating the review and improvement of institutions on administrative reform, expanding coverage and strengthening the quality of online public services, emphasized Pham.

He also urged ministries, agencies and localities to push ahead with downsizing their apparatuses and step up investment in digital transformation.

VN athlete wins bronze at Asian Youth & Junior Boxing Championships

Vietnamese boxer Tran Thanh Tuyen recently bagged a bronze medal in the girls’ 66kg category at the ongoing 2022 Asian Youth & Junior Boxing Championships after losing out to her Kazakhstan opponent in the semi-finals.

Tuyen made every effort in the bout, she was outplayed by her opponent due to technical faults. Four out of five judges scored the fight 10-8 in favour of the Kazakh boxer.

The continental showpiece in Jordan, where both the age groups of boys and girls are taking place at the same time, has witnessed competitive games with the participation of 352 boxers from 21 countries, including India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

Vietnam has sent five boxers to the tournament. The finals are set to take place on March 13 - 14. 

Vietnam approves AstraZeneca Evusheld treatment for COVID-19 patients

The Ministry of Health licensed AstraZeneca’s Evusheld antibody on March 10 for use as part of COVID-19 prevention efforts to support high-risk people who are most vulnerable to virus infection.

Evusheld, a long-acting monoclonal antibody, serves as a prevention therapy for certain high-risk people that is capable of helping to protect them from COVID-19 infection before they are actually exposed to the virus. It is the first pre-exposure prophylaxis product created to tackle COVID-19, with the exception of vaccines.

Given the rapid spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in Vietnam, including the detection of the Omicron variant, people suffering from underlying diseases such as liver and kidney failure, cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal problems, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and those with moderate and severe immunodeficiency, can be more vulnerable to virus infection,

New priorities in social policy to 2030 to be identified

New social issues and priorities in Vietnam's social policy until 2030 with a vision to 2045 are identified during the process of reviewing 10-year implementation of Resolution 15-NQ/TW on social policy issues.

The task was given during the first meeting of the Steering Committee on reviewing 10-year implementation of Resolution 15-NQ/TW on social policy issues that took place in Hanoi on March 9 under the chair of Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam.

The results of implementing targets until 2020 and 2022 will also be reviewed, while shortcomings and reasons behind them will also be summarised, they said.

Addressing the event, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam stressed the need to clarify the links between social issues and other aspects such as security, defence and external relations.

He underlined that the reviewing work should not be limited in evaluating the outcomes and pointing out reasons, but it should also focus on defining new viewpoints and targets so as to propose suitable solutions, thus contributing to building theoretical foundation in the work.

Measures sought to ease difficulties facing Vietnamese community in Russia

The Embassy of Vietnam in Russia on March 9 held an in-person and online seminar aiming to ease difficulties facing the Vietnamese community in the country.

The event was also to improve the efficiency of associations supporting compatriots who had to flee from Ukraine to Russia, as rising tensions in Ukraine and sanctions on Russia have dealt heavy blows to the Vietnamese community in both countries.

Counsellor Nguyen Tung Lam of the Embassy informed participants that 23 people had reached Russia from Ukraine, and the number will increase in the coming time.

The embassy will help the citizens return to Vietnam on an upcoming flight slated for March 12, he added.

Another 300 Vietnamese evacuated from Ukraine safely arrive home on flight from Poland

A Bamboo Airways flight carrying 300 Vietnamese people evacuated from war zones in Ukraine to Poland safely arrived at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi in the early morning of March 10.

The passengers include 18 children under 2 years old and 48 people aged over 60.

This was the second repatriation flight for Vietnamese people evacuated from Ukraine, and all the costs were covered by the State.

The first repatriation flight with 287 passengers, conducted by Vietnam Airlines, took off in Romania on March 7 and landed in Hanoi at noon on March 8.

After these two flights, there remains about 400 evacuated Vietnamese people in Romania and 700 others in Poland registering to fly to the homeland, the country’s overseas representative bodies said, adding that they are continuing to receive registrations for the next flights.

Vietnam takes 32 swimmers to upcoming SEA Games

Thirty two Vietnamese swimmers will compete at the upcoming 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games), head of the swimming department of the Vietnam Sports Administration (VSA) Le Thanh Huyen has announced.

They aim to win 6-8 golds across all 40 categories, the official added. Nine members of the team, including gold medal hopeful Nguyen Huy Hoang, are training in Hungary until April 24.

Vietnam is striving for 140 gold, 77 silver and 71 bronze medals at the regional sporting event, to be hosted by the country this May. Swimming is set to take place on May 14-19 at My Dinh water sports stadium in Hanoi.

SEA Games 31 will feature over 40 sports, and 526 events with the attendance of some 10,000 athletes and officials from the 11 Southeast Asian countries.

Respects paid to Algerian journalist victims in 1974 Hanoi plane crash

Ambassador Nguyen Thanh Vinh has laid flowers at a monument on Journalistes du Vietnam 8/3/1974 Street in Algiers to commemorate Algerian journalists who died in a plane crash on the outskirts of Hanoi in 1974.

Fifteen Algerian journalists, their nine Vietnamese counterparts and three crewmembers covering Algerian President Houari Boumediene’s official visit to Vietnam died on March 8, 1974 after their plane crashed in Hanoi’s Soc Son district.

Both Vietnam and Algeria have established monuments in each respective country to commemorate the accident. One was erected at the scene in Soc Son on the occasion of late Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s State visit to Vietnam in October 2000 and the other, in a street in Algiers.

Environmental protection law promotes waste sorting at source

The 2020 Law on Environmental Protection stipulates that before December 31, 2024, all households must sort domestic waste prior to discharge.

The work has been piloted in Ho Chi Minh City over the past 10 years, and officially rolled out in southern economic hub since 2018.

Nguyen Hung Thinh, deputy head of the Vietnam Environment Administration under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE), pointed out limitations in solid waste management regarding policies, infrastructure and implementation.

The high rate of solid domestic waste buried is partially due to the lack of attention to the waste sorting, he said, adding that poor infrastructure has also affected the efficiency of small-scale waste separation models in localities.

To deal with these shortcomings, the 2020 Law on Environmental Protection prescribes volume-based fees on collecting, transporting and treating domestic solid waste.

Additional 164,596 COVID-19 cases reported on March 9

Vietnam recorded 164,596 new COVID-19 cases, including 20 imported infections, in the past 24 hours to 4pm on March 9, the Ministry of Health announced.

The capital city of Hanoi continued to log the highest number of infections with 31,365 cases.

It was followed by central Nghe An and northern Bac Ninh provinces, with 10,296 and 9,068 cases, respectively.

The new infections brought the country’s total caseload since the pandemic broke out to 5,042,036.

Meanwhile, 109 fatalities were reported, raising the death toll to 41,086, equivalent to 0.9 percent of the total infections.

Exhibition highlights Vietnam Women’s Union's achievements

An exhibition showcasing the achievements of the Vietnam Women's Union in the struggle for national independence and reunification and the cause of national construction and integration kicked off in Hanoi on March 9.

Themed “Vietnam Women's Union - Continue to create dreams”, it is organised by the Vietnamese Women’s Museum on the occasion of the 13th National Women’s Congress which is taking place in the capital city from March 9-13.

The exhibition is divided into three parts which include impressive figures and photos as well as outstanding achievements that the VWU has gained over the past years.

The exhibition will run until March 11 at the Vietnamese Women’s Museum. 

Vietnamese associations abroad pledge coordination to support Vietnamese in Ukraine

Vietnamese associations in Ukraine, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Germany and Hungary have pledged to work closely in citizen protection and support for the Vietnamese community in Ukraine.

The statement was made by representatives of the Vietnamese community in some countries during an online working session on March 8 with leaders of the Foreign Ministry's State Commission for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs (SCOV); the Vietnamese embassies in Ukraine, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Germany, and Hungary; and the union of Vietnamese associations in Europe.

On the occasion, the Vietnamese association in the Czech Republic donated 10,000 EUR each to the Vietnamese embassies in Poland and Romania to help Vietnamese evacuated from Ukraine.

A representative of Sun Group in Ukraine said that the business is ready to contribute and support the Vietnamese Government in organising flights to bring Vietnamese home.

New criteria for basic, advanced new-style rural communes issued

A new set of criteria for new-style rural communes and another for advanced new-style rural communes for the 2021-2025 period were issued on March 8 following Decision No.318/QD-TTg.

Under the decision, a new-style rural commune has to meet 19 criteria in many fields, including planning, socio-economic infrastructure, economy and production, socio-culture and environment. The criteria are specified for different regions.

Specifically, a new-style commune must have 80 percent of its farming area with active irrigation systems. In general, per-capita income must be 48 million VND (2,100 USD) per year on the average in 2022. In particular, the per-capita income is 39 million VND for northern mountainous and north central regions, while it is 53 million VND for the Red River Delta and Mekong Delta regions, and 63 million VND for the south eastern region.

A light-turning off event is set to be launched this March across the country for Earth Hour 2022 in a bid to encourage local people to save electricity and work together to protect the environment, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

All residents are therefore due to turn off all lights between 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on March 26 as a way of responding to the Earth Hour 2022 campaign.

Thuy Tien cancels trip to South America due to COVID-19 infection

A trip to South America by Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien, Miss Grand International 2021, has been rescheduled after she recently tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, announced the event’s organisers on the beauty pageant’s fan page on March 8.

Thuy Tien had returned to Thailand on March 7 ahead of her mission to South American countries, including Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador.

She is due to participate in the Miss Grand Thailand 2022 pageant in Thailand in April before continuing her mission in Spain in May.

The Ho Chi Minh City native was crowned Miss Grand International 2021 in the grand final held in Thailand in December, 2021.

Vietnamese cuisine introduced to Sri Lanka consumers

The Vietnamese Embassy in Sri Lanka recently held a Day of Vietnamese Pho (noodles) in the capital of Colombo as part of activities to popularise Vietnamese cuisine as well as tourism potential among local people and international friends.

The event attracted various representatives from relevant ministries of Sri Lanka, international organisations, the Sri Lanka-Vietnam Friendship Association, and several Sri Lankan businesses.

Chefs from two Vietnamese restaurants in Colombo introduced the history of Pho, Vietnam’s world-famous traditional noodle dish. They practiced cooking the delicious dish in front of visitors to the event.

Most notably, visitors and their family members also had the opportunity to cook Pho Bo (noodles with beef) and pho Ga (noodles with chicken) themselves.

More than 20 reporters from numerous press and media agencies were on hand to cover the event, helping to bring Vietnamese cuisine closer to Sri Lankan people in Colombo.

VFF to sell tickets online for match against Oman

The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) is set to sell tickets online for the upcoming game against Oman in the final round of Asian qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, with the fixture set to take place on March 24 at the My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi.

Fans can purchase tickets from 9 a.m. on March 11 at the VFF’s website.

The closing time of online ticket sales is set to be 00:00 a.m. on March 15, or until tickets are sold out.

This comes after the organising board of the match and the VFF made a proposal aimed at welcoming 20,000 local fans back to the My Dinh National Stadium for the game on March 24.

There will be four prices for available tickets, including VND500,000, VND700,000, VND900,000, and VND1.2 million. Each fan is able to buy a maximum of four tickets.

The Vietnamese team are due to gather on March 14, while the 49-member Oman team will fly to Hanoi on March 20 to prepare for the upcoming World Cup qualifier. 

Unpublished artwork by painter Phan Ke An to be displayed

A series of paintings that have never been seen before by the late artist Phan Ke An (1923-2018) will go on display at an exhibition on March 11.

“Phan Kế An – Kho tàng ẩn giấu” (Phan Kế An – Hidden Treasure) will take run until April 16 at the French Cultural Centre (L'Espace) in Hà Nội.

The event promises to give the public another perspective on the career and life of the famous painter through his unpublished works.

These artistic legacies include three lacquer paintings, one oil painting, one silk painting and a series of unique sketches from the second half of the 20th century. All of them have been carefully preserved by the family for many years to this day.

An’s studies at Repin Academy of Fine Arts of Russia will also be introduced, and visitors will have the opportunity to discuss them at a seminar held on the sidelines of the event.

Health ministry proposes easing access to Molnupiravir for COVID-19 patients

The Ministry of Health has proposed that pharmacies and drugstores be allowed to prescribe the antiretroviral COVID treatment drug Molnupiravir, under certain situations.

According to the proposal sent to the Prime Minister and the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control, if patients have confirmation from a medical facility that they have tested positive for COVID-19, via PCR or rapid testing, they could be prescribed the drug.

Patients can also record a video of themselves performing the antibody test at home to prove a positive result.

The person in charge of prescriptions at the establishment can then determine the patient's risk of severe disease, and prescribe the drug as appropriate. The patient, or those collecting it on their behalf, must sign an agreement which contains information about the patient, test date, test results and instructions on how to administer the drug, which is attached to a copy of the citizen identity card of the patient.

According to the ministry, Molnupiravir is a new drug, so it is necessary to continue to monitor the quality, effectiveness and safety of the drug during circulation.

Nearly 6.4 million households become beneficiaries of policy credit

Despite the surging outstanding loan balance of policy credit programmes, debt quality across the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP) system continues to be stable, with overdue and frozen debt accounting for a mere 0.7 per cent of total outstanding loans.

As of the end of last year, total credit volume across its system reached just over $11 billion, an increase of around $990 million compared to the previous year. Total outstanding loan balance of policy credit programmes amounted to $10.8 billion, showing a 9.6 per cent jump of almost $947 million on-year.

Within this, outstanding loan balance of credit programmes assigned by the prime minister reached $9.1 billion, up 8 per cent ($675 million) compared to the year before. This met the set target, with nearly 6.4 million needy households and other policy beneficiaries taking out loans.

VBSP also introduced lending programmes to support employers facing difficulties due to the pandemic. It made around $100 million available to nearly 2,500 employers, allowing them to make payments to roughly 600,000 staff members.

North-South expressway project must reach progress with 361km in 2022

The Government’s Steering Committee for implementation of the Eastern North-South expressway and Long Thanh International Airport construction project yesterday had the first meeting under the chairmanship of Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh, Head of the Government’s Steering Committee.

Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh emphasized that the progress of the entire project and sub-projects must be completed with set goal of 654 kilometers by 2024 as scheduled. Of which, 361-kilometer expressway must be completed in 2022 with four expressway projects of Mai Son - National Highway No.45, Cam Lo - La Son, Vinh Hao - Phan Thiet and Phan Thiet – Dau Giay which will be inaugurated.

If the contractors do not comply with the schedule, they must be replaced to ensure the project process. In case the project management boards do not propose solutions to compensate for the progress and reach the set goals, they must take full responsibility for the problem to the Minister of Transport.

The second phase of the Eastern North-South expressway construction project has a total length of around 729 kilometers spanning 12 provinces and cities with three sections, including Ha Tinh-Quang Tri (267km), Quang Ngai - Nha Trang (353km) and Can Tho - Ca Mau (109km). Its investment capital is estimated at VND146.99 trillion (US$6.4 billion) which will be implemented under the form of public investment with 12 component projects. It is expected to be completed in 2025 and put into operation from 2026. 

Labour markets of Taiwan, RoK, Japan re-opened to Vietnamese workers

Taiwan (China), Japan and the Republic of Korea (RoK) have re-opened their labour makets to Vietnamese labourers and apprentices, according to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA)’s Department of Overseas Labour Management.

Accordingly, the Japanese government has officially announced the easing of entry restrictions, permitting foreign labourers, international students and family visa holders to enter the country.

The country allows a maximum of 5,000 people to enter per day from March instead of just 3,500 like before.

Japan’s authorities have also allowed online applications for entry permits through the Entrants, Returnees Follow-up System (ERFS), starting from 10am on February 25, 2022.

Regarding the number of Vietnamese guest labourers working abroad in the first months of 2022, the Department of Overseas Labour Management said although foreign markets have begun to resume the reception of Vietnamese workers, requirements for COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control are more stringent.

Vietnam calls for full implementation of climate finance commitments

A diplomat of Vietnam underlined the importance of ensuring equality and justice in climate change response, with climate finance commitments being fully implemented on the basis of common but differentiated responsibility.

Le Thi Minh Thoa, Deputy Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations, laid the emphasis while attending an Arria-formula meeting held by the UN Security Council (UNSC) on March 9 to discuss climate finance for sustaining peace and security.

She shared other countries’ concern over climate change challenges that have rendered tens of millions of people homeless and worsened transboundary security challenges, especially in conflict-hit regions.

The diplomat pointed out the need to fully consider the demand and priorities of developing countries, particularly those affected by conflicts, appealing for stronger partnership and coordination in the entire UN system to solve climate change issues.

Thoa also voiced Vietnam’s support for the UNSC to continue discussion climate security and the role of climate finance in conflict prevention, peacekeeping, humanitarian aid, and post-conflict reconstruction.

Source: VNA/SGT/VNS/VOV/VGP/SGGP/Dtinews

VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES MARCH 9

Two military officials detained for involvement in Viet A case