Hanoi has nearly completed all preparations for the upcoming 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31), heard a meeting chaired by Chairman of the People’s Committee of Hanoi Chu Ngoc Anh, who is also head of the city's Steering Committee for SEA Games 31 on March 16.

As scheduled, Hanoi will host 18 sport events of SEA Games 31 in 15 localities. As of March 15, the city had basically completed the upgrading of all infrastructure works serving the events.

The city has coordinated with the Ministry of Public Security and Ministry of Transport to ensure security and transport activities for the games. A plan on COVID-19 prevention and control is also being finalised.

Third flight carrying Vietnamese in Ukraine lands in Hanoi

A third flight bringing home Vietnamese people fleeing Ukraine successfully landed at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on the morning of March 17.

Flight VN88, operated by national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines and financed by Sun Group, departed from the Romanian capital of Bucharest on March 16 (Romania time).

The flight with 219 passengers on board is viewed as the last one to bring home Vietnamese people who fled conflict areas in Ukraine to Romania.

This came after Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son talked over the phone with his Romanian counterpart Bogdan Aurescu on March 7 to discuss citizen protection measures for the Vietnamese people and their families who were evacuated from Ukraine to Romania.

Vietnam assumes chair of ASEAN education channel

The Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training took over the chairmanship of ASEAN Education for 2022 – 2023 from the Philippines at a ceremony on March 16.

Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son noted that the health crisis has negatively affected the education sector, causing school closures and difficulties in online learning and teaching, but ASEAN member states have strived to overcome unprecedented “shocks” to minimise negative impacts of the pandemic.

He called on ASEAN member nations to join hands in resuming education activities and better the ASEAN education system’s resilience in the new context.

This is a transition period that requires learners, schools, and parents to be ready to adapt to any form of learning, including both face-to-face and virtual learning, Son stressed, adding that an urgent priority now is to develop a more resilient education system that can withstand and recover from future crises.

Vietnam hopes to receive support from ASEAN member countries and partners during its presidency, Son said, noting that education should be based on the principles of collaboration and solidarity.

Nearly 100 Vietnamese guest workers enter RoK under EPS scheme

Nearly 100 Vietnamese workers arrived in the Republic of Korea (RoK) under the Employment Permit System (EPS) of the country on a flight to Incheon International Airport on March 17.

This is the largest group of EPS workers to the RoK since the country resumed its reception of those people in May last year after a temporary hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The RoK is currently one of the key labour export markets of Vietnam. It is expected that the number of Vietnamese workers under the scheme to the RoK will continue to increase after the Northest Asian country begins applying a new entry regulation from April 1.

Former officials investigated for wrongdoings in expressway project

Seven senior managers at the State-owned Việt Nam Expressway Corporation (VEC) are under investigation for alleged violations.

They have been charged with “violating construction regulations, leading to serious consequences” and “lacking responsibility leading to serious consequences” under the Việt Nam Penal Code 2015.

Those arrested are: Mai Tuấn Anh, former general director and former chairman of the member council of the VEC; Trần Văn Tám, former general director of the VEC and former chairman of the board for acceptance of the Đà Nẵng-Quảng Ngãi Expressway project; Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng, former deputy general director of the VEC; Lê Quang Hào, former deputy general director of the VEC and former chairman of the board for acceptance of the Đà Nẵng-Quảng Ngãi Expressway project; Nguyễn Tiến Thành, former director of the project’s management board; Đỗ Ngọc Ân, former deputy director of the project’s management board and Hà Văn Bình, former deputy director of the project’s management board.

Ham Nghi emperor’s artworks to be showcased in France

As many as 150 artworks painted by Vietnamese Emperor Ham Nghi are set to go on display for the first time from March 19 to June 26 at the Museum of Asian Arts in the French city of Nice.

The exhibition, named L'Art en exil, is being organised by Amandine Dabat, a French postgraduate student of Vietnamese art history and Emperor Ham Nghi's fifth-generation descendant. She was also the author of Ham Nghi - Empereur en exil, artiste à Alger, a book that was published in 2019 in France.

Dabat held an exhibition in France in 2016 to showcase Ham Nghi’s oil paintings and statues.

King Ham Nghi, who lived from 1871 to 1944, was the eighth emperor of Vietnam’s last dynasty, the Nguyens.

Vietnam calls on sides to ease tensions in Ukraine

As a traditional friend of both Russia and Ukraine, Vietnam hopes that the sides will exercise restraint, ease tensions and continue dialogue efforts to seek a long-term solution in conformity with international law, with legitimate interests of each side taken into account, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son has said.

Vietnam stands ready to join hands with the international community to contribute to the process, Son told Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Foreign Minister of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba during his separate phone talks with them on March 15 and 16, respectively.

He affirmed Vietnam’s consistent stance that international disputes and differences should be addressed by peaceful measures in line with basic principles of the UN Charter and international law, especially those on respecting independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries.

The FM suggested Russia and Ukraine continue to organise humanitarian corridors and take measures to ensure safety for civilians, including Vietnamese people in Ukraine, helping them to evacuate from battle zones.

Vietnam calls for dialogues at UNESCO’s session on Ukraine crisis

Ambassador Le Thi Hong Van, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to UNESCO, stressed that cultural heritage sites need to be protected in any forms while addressing an extraordinary session of the UNESCO Executive Board, held in Paris on March 15 and 16 to "examine all the consequences of the current situation in Ukraine, in the different aspects of UNESCO's mandate."

The ambassador expressed her concern over the ongoing armed conflict in Ukraine, saying it is an urgent need to exercise restraint and stop using force to avoid causing more casualties and losses to civilians.

She also emphasised the need to ensure security and safety for civilian facilities such as schools, memorial sites, and culture, information and communication establishment in accordance with international humanitarian law.

Van called for the observance of the UN Charter, especially the principles on respecting independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries, not intervening in each other’s internal affairs, not using or threatening to use force in international relations, and addressing disputes by peaceful measures.

Vietnam appeals to relevant sides to de-escalate tensions and resume dialogues and negotiations via all channels to reach long-term solutions in conformity with international law, she noted.

The ambassador continued to say that Vietnam calls for the international community to further support and facilitate dialogues between parties, and increase humanitarian aid to civilians.

Quang Ngai hospitals receive medical supplies from RoK

The General Hospital and the Hospital for Children and Women in the central province of Quang Ngai have received two medical equipment packages worth nearly 1.7 billion VND (74,300 USD) from benefactors of the Republic of Korea (RoK).

The donors are Doosan Heavy Industries Vietnam Company (Doosan Vina), Chung-Ang University and the Community Chest of Korea nonprofit organisation.

The medical devices are expected to help the hospitals to increase their efficiency of examination, diagnosis and treatment.

Woman in An Giang imprisoned for attempting to overthrow people’s administration

The People’s Court of southern An Giang province sentenced a 63-year-old woman to six years in prison for “attempting to overthrow the people’s administration” at a first-instance trial on March 16.

Le Thi Kim Phi, from My Binh ward, Long Xuyen city, An Giang province, used her Facebook account named “Phi Kim” in September 2020 to make friends with several members of "Chính phủ quốc gia Việt Nam lâm thời" (Provisional National Government of Vietnam) - a reactionary organisation led by Dao Minh Quan, according to the indictment of the provincial People’s Procuracy.

From September to late December 2020, Phi regularly followed, commented, liked and shared articles, video clips and images with contents aimed at sabotaging the Party and State on her account.

After joining the Provisional National Government of Vietnam in late 2020, she was assigned to popularise the organisation and Quan to connect with and incite others to join it.

Phi was arrested and prosecuted on July 15, 2021. Competent forces found objects relating to the case in her house.

Quang Ngai remembers victims of Son My massacre

An incense offering ceremony took place on March 16 to commemorate 504 victims of a massacre by US troops 54 years ago in Son My village, Tinh Khe commune of Quang Ngai city in the central province of the same name.

At the Son My relic site, participants, including leaders of the province, city, and commune, alive witnesses, and local residents, paid respect to the 504 civilians killed in the massacre.

The ceremony was held by the Quang Ngai Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

On March 16, 1968, US troops raided Son My village and killed the innocent civilians, including many old people, women and children, within four hours. A total of 247 houses were burned down, thousands of livestock and poultry were killed, and crops were completely destroyed on fire.

The incident went down in history as a pain of Son My residents, as well as the Vietnamese people.

Quang Nam’s goddess festival listed as national intangible cultural heritage

The Thu Bon Goddess Festival in Duy Xuyen district of central Quang Nam province has been recognised as part of the national intangible cultural heritage.

The festival shows the respect for and gratitude to the river goddess and ancestors for their land exploration and village establishment, which laid the foundation for following generations to settle down and develop. It also reflects the solidarity of Cham, Co Tu, and Kinh ethnic groups living in the upper river basin.

The Thu Bon Goddess Festival features precious humane values and is deeply imbued with traditional belief, history, and culture, Duc said, highlighting the need to preserve and bring into play the festival so as to help educate love for humanity and patriotism.

HCM City to further streamline administrative procedures

The chairman of HCM City People’s Committee has pledged to further administrative reforms this year as part of efforts to revive the economy.

The city has focused on public administrative procedures online to avoid disruptions due to the outbreak, he added.

It has also focused on e-government, smart cities, a digital economy and society, and digital transformation in various fields as it seeks to provide a range of online public services in various sectors, he said.

He has called on government agencies and districts to create a unified data system linked with various industries to enhance interactions between them and the public and businesses and forecast economic trends.

The city last year began an urban administration model that aims to address some serious problems it faces such as flooding, pollution and traffic congestion.

More land handed over for Long Thanh airport project

The southern province of Dong Nai has handed over another 304 hectares of land for the implementation of the first phase of Long Thanh International Airport project.

Dong Nai’s Long Thanh District is boosting site clearance work to allocate more land for the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) to carry out airport construction.

The district has planned to hand over another 300 hectares of land for the project.

To date, Dong Nai has handed over around 1,800 hectares out of the total 2,532 hectares of land for Long Thanh International Airport project’s first phase. The remainder will be given to the project within this month.

Tan Son Nhat airport still quiet despite full tourism reopening

Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCM City has remained deserted although the country has fully reopened the local tourism sector since March 15.

On March 15-16, the airport’s international terminal was quite deserted. Most of the passengers were overseas Vietnamese and local workers, but not foreign tourists.

According to a representative from the airport, at present, the domestic terminal was busier than the international terminal. On March 15-16, the airport served around 400 flights with a total number of 46,700 passengers per day. However, the majority of them were domestic flights.

On March 16, the airport served 41 international flights with 4,600 passengers in total. The figure was 3,800 passengers on March 15. Outside the airport, vehicles are ready to serve passengers.

Most outstanding Vietnamese photos in 2021 honoured

A ceremony was held by the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists (VAPA) in Hanoi on March 14 to present awards to the most outstanding photos in 2021 on the occasion of the 69th anniversary of the traditional day of Vietnamese photography (March 15, 1953-2022).

The jury council selected the 28 most outstanding photos in 2021 following many rounds of judging. Specifically, the VAPA Cup was granted to the set of photos titled "Border checkpoints of COVID-19 prevention and control" by Huynh Van Truyen (from Da Nang).

To date, the association has had over 1,000 members with 78 branches and a system of photography clubs in almost all provinces and cities around the country.

Public bicycle-sharing service in Hanoi in the offering

The government of Hanoi has approved the municipal transport authority’s plan to offer a public bicycle-sharing service in five inner-city districts in the capital city. According to the city’s Department of Transport, the plan will be implemented in two phases.

In the first phase from 2022 to 2023, the city will provide 1,000 bicycles, including 500 traditional vehicles and 500 electric ones at 70-80 locations in the districts of Ba Dinh, Tay Ho, Dong Da and Thanh Xuan and other places near the Cat Linh-Ha Dong urban railway stations.

In the second phase from 2023 to 2024, the service will be expanded to other districts, with around 3,000 bicycles offered at 350 locations.

This pubic bicycle-sharing project requires some VND26 billion in investment backed by the investor. The project will be piloted in 18 months. Proposed fees for electric bicycles are approximately VND20,000 per hour or VND200,000 per day. The project’s investor proposed the municipal government support it in selecting some places to set up charging stations.

Gia Lai seizes trucks transporting 10,000 liters of fuel without license

The police in Gia Lai Province seized a tank truck which was transporting 10,000 liters of diesel oil without a flammable materials transportation license.

At 22:55 on March 14, while patrolling a street in this Central Highlands province, the traffic police of Krong Pa District stopped and examined a tank truck en route from Phu Tuc to Dat Bang Commune.

The police discovered that the truck was carrying 10,000 liters of diesel oil in its tank covered with a tarpaulin outside to trick the competent forces.

At the time of the inspection, the driver failed to show a petroleum and flammable materials transportation license as stipulated in the prevailing regulations.

The force imposed administrative sanctions on the driver for transporting flammable materials without a license. They then handed over the truck and the oil to the local investigators to further handle the case.

VFF leaders work with German Football Association

A working delegation of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) led by Acting President of VFF Tran Quoc Tuan to visit the headquarters of the German Football Association (DFB) and worked with the leaders of DFB on football cooperation and development on the occasion of its visit.

The delegation also worked with representatives of the German Football League (DFL) responsible for the management of the Bundesliga Bundesliga competition and football clubs participating in the German football leagues.

At the meeting with the DFB representative, VFF's Acting President Tran Quoc Tuan was on behalf of the VFF Standing Committee to congratulate the success of the recent DFB Congress on March 11 as well as to send his congratulations to Mr. Bernd Neuendorf – the newly appointed President of German Football Association.

The two sides exchanged information about the two countries' football and discussed the upcoming cooperation opportunities for football development, especially in important fields of football such as youth training, women's football, coach training, training tours for national teams.

Deputy PM urges building roadmap to apply Euro 4 emissions standards for motorbikes

Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh has just urged the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to work with the Ministry of Transport and other relevant ministries and sectors on the building of a roadmap to apply Level 4 emission standards (equivalent to Euro 4 standards) for new motorcycles and motorbikes produced, assembled, and imported.

Automobiles and motorcycles are among the major sources of emissions such as carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxide, particle pollution, and toxins in fuel, such as benzene. These cause air pollution, especially urban air pollution, directly affecting people’s health.

Meanwhile, Vietnam is a typical country in the region and the world in terms of using motorbike as it accounts for 95 percent of the total number of motor vehicles. Therefore, building the roadmap is a necessary task.

Euro 3 exhaust emission standards have been applied on two-wheeled motorcycles since January 1, 2017.

Vietnam welcomes EU’s engagement in Mekong subregion’s development

The Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV) and the delegation of the European Union (EU) in Vietnam held the EU-Mekong Cooperation Conference on March 16 in both in-person and virtual forms.

Addressing the event, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Quang Hieu reiterated that Vietnam welcomes the participation of development partners, including the EU, in the sustainable development of the Mekong subregion, expressing a hope for more effective collaboration and coordination in the coming time.

Head of the EU Delegation Ambassador Giorgio Aliberti pointed out that numerous global challenges emerge in the Mekong River basin, adding that the EU hopes to join hands with regional partners to achieve solutions to climate change, water security, and clean energy, among others.

From EU headquarters in Brussels, Managing Director for Asia and the Pacific at the European External Action Service (EEAS) Gunnar Wiegand said the EU wants to enhance its involvement in the Mekong subregion and will promote green investment into the region as well as support the region’s recovery in the post-pandemic period.

Discussions at the forum underscored contributions of the EU and member countries to the Mekong subregion’s sustainable development over the recent past.

Vietnam Red Cross Society’s campaign supports millions of needy people

More than 28.9 million gifts worth over 9.99 trillion VND (436.61 million USD) have been presented to poor households, Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin victims and other needy people through the “Tet (Lunar New Year) for the poor and AO victims” campaign over the past 23 years, the Vietnam Red Cross Society (VRSC) Central Committee reported.

During the 2022 Tet festival alone, the association handed over some 2.555 gifts valued at more than 1.56 trillion VND to the poor and AO victims.

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

VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES MARCH 15

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