Miss Universe 2005 Natalie Glebova will be one of the judges who will accompany and evaluate the contestants of Miss Universe Vietnam 2022 along with other guests, according to the contest’s organiser.

Born in 1981, Glebova was crowned Miss Universe 2005 in Bangkok, Thailand. She is the second Canadian to win this contest and is the Miss Universe with the most support from the Thai public ever.

Glebova said she will not be able to appear in the preliminary round of the contest in March but will participate in the recording of some reality TV activities and judge the semi-final and final rounds.

Miss Universe Vietnam 2022 is taking place from February 22 to June 17. The preliminary round will be held in March while the semi-final will take place on June 13. The final round of the pageant will be organised on June 17 and be broadcast live on VTV3 and other local stations.

HCM City striving to maintain stable prices of staple food until end of March

Ho Chi Minh City will keep prices of staple food and foodstuff stable until the end of March, said Nguyen Nguyen Phuong, Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Industry and Trade at a meeting on March 14.

The regular meeting was held by the city’s steering committee on COVID-19 prevention and control, and economic recovery.

Production costs are on a rise on account of increasing prices of packaging, fuel and inputs, so HCM City is highly likely to see prices of many staple goods surging in the coming time, he said.

The southern hub is maintaining its market stablisation programme for staple food and foodstuff, some of which make up 30-50 percent of the market share, he noted, adding that firms have also committed to stablising prices one month before and after the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday.

Embassy in Russia makes efforts to support Vietnamese fleeing from Ukraine

The Embassy of Vietnam in Russia will continue to closely join hands with Russian relevant agencies to safely receive Vietnamese fleeing to Russia from eastern Ukraine, Counsellor Nguyen Tung Lam from the embassy has said.

About 70 Vietnamese remain in Kherson and 24 families of 80 people in Mariupol of Ukraine, which are war zones, the Vietnamese Embassy said on March 14.

Earlier, a working delegation of the embassy and the Vietnamese Association in Krasnodar received 14 Vietnamese people who fled from Kherson to Krasnodar. The group, including three children, was the first among Vietnamese to leave Kherson.

NA Standing Committee emphasises improving quality of complaint settlement

The National Assembly (NA)’s Standing Committee urged supervision teams to urgently carry out work to ensure the progress and achieve the highest results as it looked into a report on the implementation of legal regulations on the settlement of complaints and denunciations on March 14.

The committee emphasised that supervision work is a very important topic related to the rights and obligations of citizens including major laws such as the law on citizen reception, the law on complaints and denunciations and other laws related to socio-economic life.

The NA Standing Committee also asked the supervision teams and Ombudsman Committee to clarify issues relating to the issuance of legal documents and the operation of staff to improve the quality of the reception of citizens and the settlement of complaints. 

Eighth Japan-Vietnam Festival to become festival of youth

Ho Chi Minh City administration will work closely with Japanese partners to successfully organise the eighth Japan-Vietnam Festival in 2023, with an aim of putting young people at the centre of festival activities, Phan Van Mai, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee said.

He made the commitment at a meeting with Takebe Tsutomu, Special Advisor to the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance (JVFPA) on the organisation of the event.

Mai appreciated ideas raised by Takebe, who is head of Japan-Vietnam Festival organising committee, regarding the matter, saying that in 2023, it is necessary to well organise activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Japan to mark the past journey and open a new one with deeper and higher cooperation and trust.

He expressed his gratitude for the love, sharing and companionship of the people and government of Japan, including the JVFPA and Takebe for Vietnam. In particular, during the recent outbreak of COVID-19, Vietnam received sharing of experience in pandemic prevention and help with vaccines and medical equipment from Japan.

For his part, Takebe said that in 2021, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the seventh Japan-Vietnam Festival was successfully held with the attendance of 240,000 people.

He emphasised that Japan wants the festival to become a festival of youth, attracting the participation of the young people of the two countries, thus enhancing their exchange and mutual understanding. The eighth Japan-Vietnam festival is expected to become a symbol of the two countries' victory over the COVID-19 pandemic as well as a symbol of peace and towards the world’s future.

Health ministry asked to quickly adjust entry regulations

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has asked the Ministry of Health to quickly adjust entry regulations, making them match the latest situation.

Such adjustments should be sent to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) before March 15 for perfection and announcement, the Deputy PM requested in a document.

He also urged ministries, agencies and localities to coordinate with the MCST to safely and effectively launch tourism activities, which, he noted, should be convenient for tourists.

Under Resolution No. 25/NQ-CP dated March 7, 2022, the Government assigned the health ministry to review pandemic risk levels and regulations towards COVID-19 cases and those who have close contact with them for timely adjustments.

The Government also suggested the ministry learn from international experience to take appropriate, effective measures to return to normal, with COVID-19 considered an endemic disease.

Photo contest honouring heritages in Ninh Thuan province calls for entries

A photo contest, aiming to honour the beauty of the south central province of Ninh Thuan and inspire the creation of photographers, has opened for entries.

The contest with the theme “Ninh Thuan – heritage region” was organised by the Mekong One Corporation and Vietnam Airlines’s Heritage Magazine.

The event is open to Vietnamese professional and amateur photographers to submit their works which showcase tangible and intangible cultural heritages of Ninh Thuan province including landscape, architecture and daily life of locals.

Each contestant can submit up to eight entries at website http://ninththuan-miendisan.com by April 10.

Winners will be announced on April 16. The organisers will present a total of 36 top prizes in two categories.

Japan wants to help Vietnam develop baseball

PONY Japan Baseball Association (PJBA) wishes to strengthen cooperation with and support the development of baseball in Vietnam, Jin Matsubara, member of the House of Representatives of Japan and President of the association has said.

He made the statement at a ceremony to hand over gloves and baseballs to Vietnamese children's baseball clubs in Tokyo recently.

The association is ready to assist Vietnam's U-14 baseball team including 15 players and three members of the coaching staff to attend the Asia-Pacific PONY Baseball Tournament in 2023, Matsubara said.

He also said that the association is willing to send baseball experts to Vietnam to support the training of players, coaches and referees at the request of the Vietnamese side, and assist the country in organising such a tournament in the future.

At the handover ceremony, the PJBA symbolically presented 300 baseball gloves and 30 boxes of baseball to the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan to transfer to Vietnam's children baseball clubs. These are baseball gloves sewn by the children of PJBA’s baseball team.

A memorandum of understanding on cooperation to promote baseball in Vietnam was also signed by Matsubara and the Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan.  

Vietnamese in Laos commemorate fallen soldiers in Gac Ma battle

Vietnamese in Laos paid tribute to 64 soldiers who sacrificed their lives to defend Gac Ma (Johnson South) Reef in Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago 34 years ago, at a requiem at Phat Tich Pagoda in Vientiane capital on March 14.

Venerable Thich Minh Quang, head of the coordinating board of Buddhism in Laos and head monk of the pagoda, recalled the Gac Ma battle that took place on March 14, 1988, and stressed the significance of the requiem.

He called on young generations to carry forward the tradition of safeguarding the country’s sovereignty over its land, seas, islands and continental shelf, and make contributions to the nation.

Nguyen Thi Dieu Binh, a Vietnamese in Laos, said the requiem reminds youths about Vietnam’s indisputable sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos.

Ba Ria-Vung Tau: Six fishermen aboard sunken boat rescued

Six fishermen have been rescued from a vessel that sank off Vietnam's Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago.

The boat, coded KG 94708TS, from the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang, encountered the incident when fishing in the waters on March 9. Seven fishermen on board managed to escape the boat and drifted on the sea.

The next day, they were saved by a fishing vessel from Binh Dinh province which was operating nearby. However, a fisherman named Huynh Van Hong had died of exhaustion.

The same day, the Navy High Command ordered a boat to pick up the fishermen back to the mainland.

On March 14, the boat carrying six the fishermen and the dead body arrived at a port of Ba Ria-Vung Tau after a 70-hour journey. 

Can Tho calls for JICA’s support in transport projects

The Mekong Delta city of Can Tho has called on the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to help with the research of two important transport projects.

One of the projects is the O Mon bridge linking Can Tho with Kien Giang, Vinh Long and Dong Thap, and the other is the western belt route.

The O Mon bridge, worth about 10 trillion VND (436.68 million USD), has been included in the Mekong Delta development planning scheme approved by the Prime Minister.

Meanwhile, 19km of the western belt road have been constructed, using the local and central budget. The construction of the remaining 30km is projected to cost some 6 trillion VND.

Can Tho will assign the Transport Department and other relevant departments and agencies to provide information about major projects in Can Tho, as well as the possible utilisation of Japan’s official development assistance (ODA) in the city, according to the official.

Requiem held in Thailand to commemorate fallen soldiers in Gac Ma battle

The Vietnamese association in Thailand’s Udon Thani province, and monks and nuns of Khanh An pagoda on March 14 held a requiem for 64 soldiers who sacrificed their lives to defend Gac Ma (Johnson South) Reef in Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago 34 years ago.

This is the seventh consecutive year such a requiem has been held by the Vietnamese association in Udon Thani province, its President Luong Xuan Hoa said.

Hoa affirmed that Vietnamese in Udon Thani always keep in mind the fallen soldiers’ sacrifice for the country’s sacred sovereignty.

He called on the Vietnamese community in the province to promote solidarity and make more contributions to safeguarding Vietnam’s sovereignty over its seas and islands.

Lai Chau: Culture - tourism week to take place in mid-April

A culture and tourism week is scheduled take place in the northern mountainous province of Lai Chau from April 14 – 17, according to Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Tong Thanh Hai.

The event is set to feature a series of activities, including a famtrip programme, a seminar to promote links in tourism development, and a photo exhibition, among others.

Visitors will have the chance to understands more about traditional costumes and rituals, and cultural identities of ethnic groups; and play folk games and enjoy local OCOP products of the locality.

Tam Duong district will also host the third Putaleng international paragliding tourney with the participation of 100 domestic and foreign pilots.

Remains of martyrs reburied in Kon Tum

A reburial service was held in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum on March 14 to rebury the remains of five Vietnamese soldiers who laid down their lives in the resistance war against American imperialism.

The event took place at the war martyrs’ cemetery in Ngoc Hoi district.

The remains were discovered in Ya Yang forest, Ya Xier commune (Sa Thay district) by a search team of the Army Corps 3 on February 22-23.

According to the team, the fallen soldiers were likely from Regiments 209 and 66, and some other reinforcement units, which joined the battlefield in the Central Highlands in March, 1968.

VN contestant finishes in top 10 of Miss Trans Star International

Vietnamese beauty Vicky Chow finished among the top 10 of Miss Trans Star International 2022 during the gala night of the pageant recently held in Spain.

As well as her strong finish, she also won the Miss Elegance sub-title.

The 28-year-old girl stands at a height of 1.72 metres and measures 89-65-95. She won a photo contest for the LGBT community that was held as part of the Miss Eco Vietnam 2022.

During Miss Trans Star International, Chow impressed both judges and the audience with her wonderful figure and self-confidence. However, her skills were not good enough to help her progress to the top three of the competition.

The Miss Trans Star International contest was first held in 2010 in Barcelona, Spain. This year, the beauty pageant attracted the participation of 30 transgender contestant from across the world. It is the second largest beauty pageant of the transgender community, behind only Miss International Queen.

Fine art ceramics exports on the rise

Vietnam’s exports of fine art ceramics over the initial two months of the year surged by 17.6% year on year to reach US$48.45 million, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

By the end of this year the export of fine art ceramics is forecast to rise by 20% to 25% in comparison to figures recorded last year.

Ceramics continue to represent an important export item in the export structure of Vietnamese handicraft products.

Vietnam is home to famous ceramic villages which offer a variety of products and sophisticated processing techniques, with local exporters expected to take these advantages to push for greater exports of local ceramics globally.

Da Nang marathon set to resume

More than 5,000 local runners have registered to race in the 2022 Manulife Đà Nẵng International Marathon – one of the top marathon destinations in Southeast Asia – on March 20, after a two-year suspension due to COVID-19.

The race organisers, the World Marathon Company and Pulse Active, said the marathon would mark the COVID-19 recovery in Đà Nẵng and one of the largest sporting events in central Việt Nam.

The beach track will offer divisions for a men’s and women’s full marathon (42km), a half marathon (21km), a 10km course, a 5km FunRun and a kids’ run (1.5km).

A total of 900 runners have already registered in the full-marathon 42km, while 1,700 athletes have signed up for the 21km event, and more than 1,000 people for the 10km race.

This year there will also be a 1.5km pre-marathon race on March 19.

Australian initiative to advance gender equity comes to VN

Panel Pledge, an Australian gender parity initiative, has been launched in Việt Nam.

It was done at a conference titled ‘Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’ organised by Procter & Gamble and a number of foreign business chambers in Việt Nam.

Leaders of the chambers, consuls general and opinion leaders signed on a pledge to actively challenge the absence of women speakers at events, roundtable discussions and public conferences and forums by discussing panel composition with event organisers, recommending women speakers and creating a positive mindset for the inclusion of women in all discussions.

The event also explored how companies could build diversity, equity and inclusion as a business imperative, and practical ways in which businesses could turn strategies into actions.

Stuck for years, work on Ring Road 3 to restart next year

After prolonged delays, construction of Ring Road No. 3, passing through HCM City and the provinces of Đồng Nai, Bình Dương and Long An, could restart next year.

The first phase of the project, expected to start in the third quarter of next year, will cost VNĐ75.4 trillion (US$3.3 billion).

According to a pre-feasibility study report of the project submitted to the Prime Minister by the HCM City People's Committee for approval, around VNĐ41.5 trillion ($1.8 billion) of this amount will be used for land clearance.

About VNĐ38.7 trillion ($1.7 billion), about 50 per cent of the total amount, will be sourced from the central Government and the remaining from local budgets of the four localities that the road will run through.

The four-lane ring road, running nearly 92km, will be built in four phases.

Khanh Hoa cracks down on Covid test kit smuggling ring

The anti-smuggling forces of Khanh Hoa Province have busted a smuggling ring of Covid test kits and face masks with unknown origin in Nha Trang City.

After examining a warehouse owned by Vo Thi Nhu Lan, aged 52, on Thong Nhat Street in Van Thang Ward on March 9, the competent forces found 3,900 Covid test kits, 65,900 face masks and 200 bottles of sanitizer, while Lan failed to show the documents of the goods.

Lan admitted to the police that she started hoarding test kits from many cities and provinces to sell them in Nha Trang City in November last year. She earned VND4,000-6,000 from each kit sold.

The preliminary investigation results showed that these test kits were manufactured in China’s Guangdong Province, the local media reported.

Binh Phuoc CDC director stripped of all Party posts

Nguyen Van Sau, director of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) of the southern province of Binh Phuoc, has been stripped of all his Party posts for his involvement in the purchase of Covid-19 test kits from Viet A Technology Corporation, which was found to have gouged the Covid test kit prices.

The provincial Party Committee’s Inspection Commission has also reprimanded the Binh Phuoc CDC’s Party Committee in the 2020-2022 tenure, the local media reported.

According to the inspection commission, the Binh Phuoc CDC’s Party committee showed a lack of responsibility, slack leadership and poor supervision, letting some employees of the center violate the Party’s rules and the State regulations on the purchase of medical equipment and supplies for the anti-Covid fight.

Sau, as a Party member of the Binh Phuoc Department of Health’s Party Committee and secretary of the Party Committee and director of the provincial CDC, must bear responsibility for the shortcomings and violations of the CDC’s Party Committee.

In addition, Sau was found to have violated the regulations on what Party members are banned from doing.

These violations were serious, damaging the prestige of himself and the Party, according to the provincial Party Committee’s Inspection Commission.

Goethe Institut-supported ‘Through the looking glass’ displays contemporary art 

The solo show titled ‘Through the looking glass’ by Hanoi-based visual artist Nguyen Tran Nam to be displayed at Manzi Art Space in Hanoi from March 16 to April 9 will bring both pure fantasies and unreal chronicles.

Consisting of a stop motion film, a few sketches and a series of found objects, the exhibition questions the relationship between human belief, power and violence, and between loss and oblivion.

According to the organizers, in the works on display at Manzi, the film - the only moving element of the exhibition - is composed of pure fantasies and unreal chronicles, like an aimless journey through an unknown tunnel with various exits.

The other parts of the exhibition feature left-over elements that were used in making the film and its motions.

They are the paper sheets revealing the figures and traces of the drawing process; the bone fragments collected by chance around the walls of Hue Imperial Citadel; and The Landolt C chart, developed by the Swiss-born ophthalmologist Edmund Landolt for vision testing that can readily be found in any ophthalmology clinic in Vietnam, among others.

Exhibition shows artist love for scallop paper 

The solo painting exhibition titled “Sparkling of scallop paper” is the debut one by young talent painter Mifa that is on display at Mo Art Space in Hanoi until April 4.

Mifa or Le Vu Anh Nhi, is a Danang-based visual artist and researcher who specializes in painting with acrylics on traditional giay diep or scallop paper.

According to curator Asheem Singh, the playfulness and peace of childhood and the terrors of modernity find a unique intersection in Mifa’s work, which applies ultra-modern paint and transfers techniques to beautiful and simple folk paper.

The exhibition features over 120 acrylic works on placards created by Mifa since 2018. Her works are crafted based on two main inspirations: the beauty of nature that is depicted in bright colors paintings; and the loneliness of people in the days of social distancing because of Covid-19 shown in dark and cool colors.

Norway donates US$1.3 million to demining in Vietnam most affected area
 

The central province of Quang Tri will receive nearly VND30 billion (US$1.3 million) in non-refundable aid by the Norwegian People's Aid (NPA) for mine clearance in 2022-2025.

The funding comes under an agreement recently signed between NPA and the People’s Committee of Quang Tri on implementing a project for environmental recovery and repairing the consequences of war.

It also targets minimizing unexploded ordnance (UXO) accidents, injuries and deaths caused by mines and explosive remnants that are still happening more than four decades after the end of the war.

Under the project, the locals will be provided with internationally-standardized skills to safely destroy mines and explosives, and reclaim mine-polluted land, as well as create a safe environment for local economic activities.

At the signing ceremony, Chairman of the People's Committee of Quang Tri Province Vo Van Hung pledged to closely co-operate with NPA to effectively carry out the program.

Talk on Vietnamese contemporary art goes online on March 18

A talk on Vietnamese contemporary art with the participation of Professor Nora Taylor will be held online at the Facebook page of the Nguyen Art Foundation on March 18.

The event themed “From Ethnography to the Archives: Researching Contemporary Vietnamese Art” will provide an introduction to Vietnamese art from the colonial period to the present and the ways in which art has been studied and researched since the open door policy known as Doi Moi (renewal).

Additionally, the talk will also present individuals and organizations who have contributed to the development of contemporary art and artistic ideas in the country.

Professor Nora Taylor is a Professor of South and Southeast Asian Art at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is author of ‘Painters in Hanoi: An Ethnography of Vietnamese Art’, ‘Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Art: An Anthology’ and numerous articles on Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian and Vietnamese Art.

61 beauties shortlisted for 2022 Miss World Vietnam’s semi-final round

The organization board of the 2022 Miss World Vietnam beauty contest just revealed a list of 61 contestants who have been selected, after the preliminary stages, to compete in the semi-final round of the pageant that will start at the end of March.

The primary rounds were held at the HCMC University of Technology (HUTECH) on March 13 with the participation of jury members, including journalist Tran Huu Viet, Miss Vietnam 1992 Ha Kieu Anh, Miss Vietnam 2018 Tran Tieu Vy and Miss World Vietnam 2019 Luong Thuy Linh.

The semi final round will take place in HCMC on April 9 and the climax night of the final round will be held in the Southern coastal city of Vung Tau, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province on May 27.

More than 1,100 Vietnamese citizens in Ukraine brought home safe

Two flights carrying nearly 600 Vietnamese citizens who travelled to Poland and Romania from Ukraine landed in Ha Noi on Sunday morning.

One of the flight with 288 people onboard departed from Poland's Warsaw and the other with 291 passengers from Romania's Bucharest.

They are the third and the fourth repatriation flights over the past week.

The first two repatriation flights were arranged on March 8 and March 10, bringing home more than 550 nationals home.

As of 4:00pm on March 12, more than 4,500 Vietnamese in Ukraine reached nearby countries, including 950 to Romania, 2,800 to Poland, 660 to Hungary, nearly 130 to Slovakia and over 40 to Russia.

Vietnam registers 66 athletes for track and field at SEA Games 31

Vietnam will send 66 athletes to compete in the track and field events at the upcoming 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31).

The finalisation of the team was based on the performance of the athletes in last year’s tournaments as well as in the recent selection event that took place from March 4-6, 2022.

The national track and field team to SEA Games 31 will be coached by long jump trainer Nguyen Manh Hieu, who is also training the 2018 Asian Games gold medallist Bui Thi Thu Thao. SEA Games 31 will mark the return of the 29-year-old jumper following her absence from the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines due to pregnancy.

Among those registered, there are many popular athletes, including Nguyen Thi Oanh (triple gold medallist at SEA Games 30 in the women’s 1500m, 5000m run and 3000m steeplechase), Nguyen Thi Huyen (SEA Games title holder in both the women’s 400m and 400m hurdles), and Le Tu Chinh (the defending 100m SEA Games champion).

Several veterans will also feature, including 36-year-old Nguyen Van Lai, who dominated the men’s 5000m and 10,000m distance in three successive SEA Games editions (2013, 2015, 2017); and Nguyen Thi Thanh Phuc, the women’s 20km race-walking champion in 2011, 2013 and 2015.

2022 National Tuong and Folk Opera Festival to open in Nghe An

The 2022 National Classical Drama and Folk Opera Festival will take place in Vinh City, Nghe An Province, in May, 2022.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has issued Plan No. 491/QD-BVHTTDL on the organisation of the 2022 National Tuong (classical drama) and Folk Opera Festival.

According to the decision, the Ministry has assigned the Department of Performing Arts to assume the prime responsibility, and to coordinate with the Vietnam Stage Artists Association, the Department of Culture and Sports of Nghe An Province and relevant agencies and units, in the organisation of the 2022 National Tuong and Folk Opera Festival.

Nearly 6.4 million poor households provided with social policy loans

Nearly 6.4 million poor and near-poor households had access to loans from the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP) as of December 31, 2021.

Total outstanding loans reached 247.97 trillion VND (10.83 billion USD), up 9.6 percent compared to the end of 2020.

Notably, the VBSP’s chapters nationwide focused on a credit programme to support employers facing difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 2.31 trillion VND being disbursed for 2,474 employers in order to pay for over 603,000 labourers.

According to Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) Nguyen Thi Hong, who is also Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the VBS, since the beginning of this year, the VBSP has taken prompt actions to implement the task assigned by the Party and State.

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

VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES MARCH 14

Dien Bien shaken by magnitude 4.5 earthquake