The northern province of Bac Giang has set up a 620-bed field hospital for Covid-19 treatment as the locality is experiencing a large pandemic outbreak.

This hospital, the second of its kind in the province, is located at the provincial gymnasium in Bac Giang City. It is scheduled to become operational on Saturday, raising the province’s total number of Covid-19 sick-beds to 2,500-2,700.  

Bac Giang's first field hospital is now home to 220 sick-beds. Meanwhile, the remaining beds for Covid-19 treatment are at other medical facilities including Bac Giang Lung Hospital, Bac Giang General Hospital and the medical centre of Yen Dung and Lang Giang districts.

The province has planned to arrange Covid-19 treatment beds at local military bases, the Hospital of Traditional Medicine and the Psychiatric Hospital.

Provincial authorities urged to ensure equipment and staff for the second hospital field operation. The hospital with 14 areas can mobilise staff from Bac Giang’s different medical facilities for the support.

By late Thursday, Bac Giang recorded 695 Covid-19 locally-infected cases with the majority from some local industrial parks.

Đà Nẵng's first COVID-19 patient in fourth wave released from hospital

The first COVID-19 patient (No 2,982) of the ongoing outbreak in Đà Nẵng was released from the city’s Lung Hospital on Friday after 18 days of treatment and testing negative for SARS-CoV-2 three times.

The city’s health department said the massage ticket salesman at Phú An Hotel in Hải Châu District, who tested positive for SARS-COV-2 on May 3, will be further quarantined for 14 days at the Hải Châu Health centre before going home to Hội An.

The department said the hospital system has treated 169 COVID-19 patients, of which 105 were at the Lung Hospital, since May 2.

Doctors at the Lung Hospital said 19 patients had tested negative with SARS-COV-2 for the first time.

Also announced on Friday, the locked-down private Hoàn Mỹ Đà Nẵng Hospital on Nguyễn Văn Linh Street will resume operation as usual from May 25 after disinfection, cleaning and mass tests.

The hospital asked for PCR-RT tests for all in-patients, while out-patients must follow strict COVID-19 prevention regulations.  

All close contact in the in-patient ward will be banned and patients can only leave the hospital after receiving approval from doctors.

The City’s Centre for Disease Control (CDC) said it tested more than 239,000 people for COVID-19 from May 3-20. 

Vietnam confirms 50 more Covid-19 infections in Friday noon report

Vietnam has recorded 50 more Covid-19 infection cases, raising the total number of patients in the country to 4,883, the Ministry of Health reported at noon on Friday.

According to the ministry's report, all of the 50 newly-confirmed patients are locally-transmitted cases most of whom were detected in quarantine sites or areas under lockdown in some northern provinces, including 45 in Bac Giang, two in Hung Yen, and one each in Hai Duong, Dien Bien, and Hanoi.

The 45 cases in Bac Giang were recorded at some industrial parks of Van Trung, Dinh Tram, Song Khe-Noi Hoang, and Quang Chau which have reported a large outbreak over the last few days. Earlier on Friday morning, 15 infections were also reported in the province. Local authorities have temporarily closed these four industrial parks for Covid-19 prevention and control.

As of Friday noon, 1,835 locally-transmitted cases have been reported since the new outbreak occurred in the country on April 27. The outbreak has so far spread to 28 cities and provinces nationwide.

With these new infection cases, the number of Covid-19 patients in Vietnam has increased to 4,883, including 3,405 locally-transmitted cases.

As of 6 pm on May 20, a total of 2,689 Covid-19 patients had recovered and been discharged from hospital.

So far there have been 40 deaths, most of them being the elderly with serious underlying diseases.

At present, over 129, 000 people who had close contact with Covid-19 patients or returned from virus-hit areas are being monitored at hospitals, quarantine facilities, and at home.

On May 20, an additional 4,897 people were given Covid-19 vaccine in Vietnam, raising the total number of vaccinated people in the country to 1,021,085 including 28,821 people having received two doses.

Ho Chi Minh’s revolutionary journey spotlighted by Brazilian writer

President Ho Chi Minh’s journey to find a way to liberate his country and his influence on revolutionary movements of colonial countries around the world have been highlighted in a story published on the Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB)’s official website earlier this week.

It was written by Rosé Renato Rabelo, President of the PCdoB’s Maurício Grabois Foundation, on the occasion of the late Vietnamese leader’s 131st birth anniversary (May 19, 1890 – 2021).

The story recalled milestones of his nation-saving journey, saying “Ho, the founder of communism in Vietnam, was the real soul of the revolution. His personal qualities and his exemplary simplicity, integrity and revolutionary determination still influence generations of progressive movements worldwide today.”

According to Rabelo, the fundamental perception of Ho Chi Minh’s military thinking was to conceive the struggle against colonialism and neocolonialism as the peoples’ struggle for independence. Vietnam’s victory in the battle of Dien Bien Phu, for example, had a profound impact on the fight against colonialism. From 1954 to the late 1960s, more than 40 nations became independent and the resistances against colonialism freed more than a billion people in over 100 countries.

Another great idea developed by Ho Chi Minh was that the national revolution must go with social liberation. In this regard, the late leader highlighted the need for creative application of revolutionary theories in each country, based on its historical and cultural particularities.

Ho Chi Minh underscored the importance of building a united Communist Party from the grassroots to the central level, Rabelo said, adding that the late president also sought to develop solidarity with neighbouring countries, socialist nations and international community, including the progressive and democratic movements globally.

Under Ho Chi Minh’s leadership, the Vietnamese people defeated the French, the Japanese and the American to achieve independence and construct a modern, industrial and democratic socialist nation.

Against the backdrop of the peoples’ daily struggle around the world, the exemplary revolution of the Vietnamese people and the robust development of the Asian country is the legacies left by late President Ho Chi Minh, he said./.

Vietnam records 24 new domestic COVID-19 cases 

Vietnam documented 24 new cases of COVID-19 over the past 12 hours to 6am on May 21, the Ministry of Health said.

Of the domestically-transmitted cases, 15 were found in Bac Giang province, one in the neighbouring province of Bac Ninh, six in Dien Bien province, and three in Hai Duong province.

The latest cases brought the national count of domestic infections to 3,355. A total of 1,785 cases have been detected since the fourth wave of the pandemic hit the country on April 27.

The number of recoveries and fatalities remained at 2,689 and 39, respectively.

Among the patients under treatment, 63 have tested negative for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 once, 34 twice, and 23 thrice.

As many as 129,502 people who came into close contact with COVID-19 patients or entered Vietnam from pandemic-hit areas are now under medical monitoring nationwide.

On May 20, 4,897 more people were vaccinated. As of 4 pm on the day, more than 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been injected in the nation./.

Organisers of illegal emigration to RoK imprisoned

The Hanoi People’s Court on May 20 afternoon announced penalties for eight defendants involved in brokering and organising illegal travel on a special flight to the Republic of Korea (RoK) in late 2018.

The eight defendants were given prison sentences, ranging from 16 months and 11 days to five years, for organising and brokering illegal emigration under Article 349 of the 2015 Penal Code.

The jury concluded that in early 2018, taking advantage of several people’s demand for working in the RoK and the State’s policy of creating the necessary conditions for businesses to connect and promote investment and business links with foreign partners through participating in overseas trips by leaders’ working delegations, the defendants received money from six people to disguise them as entrepreneurs to join a business delegation and travel on a special flight to the RoK.

Four of the six people illegally migrating to the RoK have returned to Vietnam./.

Vietnam records the 40th COVID-19 death

A female patient with underlying health problems has died of COVID-19 at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi, the Hanoi Centre for Disease Control said on May 20 evening.

The 70-year-old patient hailing from Hanoi capital was admitted to the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases on May 3 and she tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus two days later.

She died on May 20 of COVID-19, septic shock, hypertension, sequelae of cerebrovascular accident and diabetes.

This is the 40th COVID-19 fatality in Vietnam and the fifth fatality recorded during the current COVID-19 wave.

The fourth COVID-19 wave has struck Vietnam since the SARS-CoV-2 virus resurged in late April. The virus has spread to 30 cities and provinces, with nearly 1,800 confirmed cases.

Uncle Hồ’s memorial space opens at Children Cultural House

A memorial space themed "Uncle Hồ with Children" has opened at the HCM City Children Cultural House.

The venue is set up by the Standing Committee of the Hồ Chí MInh Communist Youth Union and the Hồ Chí Minh Young Pioneer Organisation of HCM City.

The work marks President Hồ Chí Minh’s 131st birthday (May 19) and 80th anniversary of establishment of the Hồ Chí Minh Young Pioneer Organisation (May 15), and 45th anniversary of the city named after the President (July 2).

The memorial space consists of a “Uncle Hồ with Children” statue, a worship room, and an exhibition space featuring the President’s life and career and the love between the President and children.

The statue by artist Diệp Minh Châu and the worship room are set up on the first floor of the cultural house.

The exhibition space on the second floor showcases images, paintings, and documents of the life and career of the President, and important milestones of his historic journey to seek ways to liberate the country from colonialism.

The venue shows documents and images of President Hồ’s activities together with children, and his poems and songs sent to children on the occasion of the Mid-Autumn Festival and the school year’s opening.

The activities between the President and international children during diplomatic visits are featured as well.

The space is set up with interactive smart boards for visitors to easily find information, watch documentaries and movies, and listen to songs about the President.

It also provides a wide range of books telling stories about President Hồ and the Young Pioneer Organisation. 

Deputy PM requires efforts to prevent disruption of production chains in pandemic-hit areas 

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam asked for efforts to prevent the interruption of production chains in COVID-19-hit localities at a virtual meeting with leaders of Bac Giang and Bac Ninh provinces, the current biggest COVID-19 hot spots of COVID-19, on May 20.

He said that the localities should consider piloting home quarantine under supervision for F1 cases if their quarantine facilities become overload.

Currently, after isolating outbreaks in the community, Bac Ninh has been making efforts to keep industrial parks (IP) operating, according to Chairwoman of the provincial People's Committee Nguyen Huong Giang.  

She said that as of May 20, Bac Ninh has detected 371 COVID-19 cases in eight districts and Bac Ninh city, including six in IPs.

Bac Ninh IPs have nearly 500,000 workers, she said, adding that the locality’s testing capacity is still below the requirement.

However, Bac Ninh is determined to avoid the closure of IPs by applying strict preventive and control measures, Giang stressed.

Meanwhile, Bac Giang reported that the number of infections will rise in coming days, but all in quarantine facilities.

According to Chairman of the Bac Giang People’s Committee Le Anh Duong, after closing four IPs and applying social distancing in four districts and Bac Giang city, the province has managed to monitor all workers related to the outbreaks and focused on preventing the pandemic from spreading to the community.

He said that currently, the risks of COVID-19 spreading come from local IPs and the outbreak in Thuan Thanh district of the neighbouring province of Bac Ninh.

The COVID-19 testing capacity of Bac Giang has reached 100,000 samples per day, he said, adding that the province has eight hospitals with 1,280 beds for COVID-19 treatment, while another temporary hospital with 300 beds will be launched on May 25, and another 600-bed hospital is being set up.

Deputy PM Dam, who is head of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, said that Bac Giang should review each company in IPs, and allow those which effectively enforce COVID-19 prevention and control regulations to resume operations, especially those engaging in the supply chain for large-scale and multinational groups like Samsung.

He asked Bac Giang to install camera system and other technology tools in quarantine sites, and Bac Ninh to consider piloting home quarantine for F1 cases when concentrated quarantine sites are overload.

Along with improving its testing capacity, Bac Ninh should consider to give workers instruction on how to take their samples themselves for quick testing under medical supervision, he suggested.

The Deputy PM added that the two provinces should expand health declarations in the community, towards having all residents make such declarations./.

Funds raised by VFF to be used for COVID-19 vaccine purchase

Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai has approved the plan of using financial resources raised by the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) for COVID-19 prevention and control to buy COIVD-19 vaccines.

In Dispatch No. 3295/VPCP-KTTH, the Deputy PM asked the VFF to coordinate with the Ministry of Finance to implement the plan, while instructing its chapters in cities and provinces to collaborate with local Departments of Finance to transfer all the received donations to the State budget for COVID-19 vaccine purchasing.

The Ministries of Foreign Affairs and National Defence were requested to make balance on the allocated resources and bear the responsibility for reviewing the implementation of the scheme in line with the law related to the State budget, thus avoiding the overlapping of beneficiaries.

Deputy PM Khai also underlined the need to allocate, manage, use and balance of the resources in an open, transparent, economical and effective manner to the right groups of beneficiaries./.

Vietnam to host Southeast Asia-Pacific audiovisual archive conference

Hanoi will host the 25th conference of the Southeast Asia-Pacific Audiovisual Archive Association (SEAPAVAA) in both virtual and face-to-face forms from June 20-25, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Under the approved plan, the conference themed “AV Archiving in Changing Times: Successes, Failures, and Challenges” will take place from June 23-24, focusing on theory and practice of audiovisual archive in the field of cinema.

Apart from mentioning successes, the event will also point out failures and challenges, as well as experience and solutions to these issues.

Vietnamese and international speakers will present about 20 papers at the event, which will see the participation of representatives from 33 film and audiovisual archive organizations of 23 SEAPAVAA member countries and territories, and those from SEAPAVAA member countries’ embassies, foreign cultural centres and other international organisations in Hanoi.

In the framework of the conference, two seminars on digital preservation and restoration and the role of digital asset management for national heritage archive, and preservation of analog films, will be arranged.

Meanwhile, theSEAPAVAA’s 25th General Assembly will consider admitting new members, and amending, supplementing, and approving the statutes of the association.

Before and during the conference, there will be activities to introduce Vietnam’s cinematic achievements and audiovisual archive activities, and those promote the country’s image of land, people, culture, and tourism potential to international friends, including a Vietnamese and international film week and a Vietnam cinema exhibition from June 21-25 in Hanoi.

SEAPAVAA, founded in 1996, is an association of organisations and individuals involved in, or interested in the development of audiovisual archiving in Southeast Asia and the Pacific as to preserve and provide access to the region’s rich audiovisual heritage./.

Palestinian Ambassador believes Vietnam’s elections will be a success

Palestinian Ambassador to Vietnam Saadi Salama has expressed a belief that the elections of deputies to the 15th National Assembly (NA) and People’s Councils at all levels for the 2021-2025 tenure, scheduled for May 23, will be a success, as pandemic prevention and control work has been implemented drastically and effectively.

In a recent interview with the media, the ambassador said Vietnam will have a new legislature that meets the country’s requirements.

He recalled the first general election in Vietnam in 1981, when he was a student at Song Lo farm in the northern province of Tuyen Quang, saying it resembled a festival, with various cultural activities, and it left an unforgettable impression on his mind.

Vietnam has sent a message to the world, he went on, that the joint efforts of the people and the Government in the fight against the pandemic have been successful.

He said he has closely followed preparations for the elections in localities and seen a lot of information on mainstream media, which encourages citizens to exercise their rights and obligations. Vietnam has an effective communication system that provides large amount of information on the elections, the diplomat said.

With the determination of the entire political system and the people, and with thorough preparations, the election will be an important political activity selecting representatives of the people, he said.

He also expressed a hope that voters will choose representatives with passion, patriotism, and a sense of responsibility to contribute to national development, helping the NA play a more active role in building the future./.

Trial opens in case of organising and brokering illegal travel to RoK

The People’s Court of Hanoi on May 20 opened a trial regarding the organising and brokering of illegal travel to the Republic of Korea (RoK) on a flight transporting a delegation of the National Assembly (NA) in late 2018.

The eight defendants are being prosecuted by the Supreme People’s Procuracy for “organising and brokering illegal emigration” under Article 349 of the Penal Code.

The indictment said that, in 2018, taking advantage of the need of certain people who wished to travel to the RoK for work and the State’s policy of creating the necessary conditions for businesses to connect and promote investment and business with foreign partners through participating in the working delegations of leaders abroad, the defendants organised for six people to travel to the RoK to earn illicit profits.

Four of these people have returned to Vietnam, while two others are still in hiding in the RoK.

The Procuracy said the defendants’ actions violated regulations on administrative management regarding entry and exit and adversely affected the country’s foreign relations.

The Ministry of Public Security has sent a document to the NA Office and the Ministry of Planning and Investment demanding that loopholes be closed and shortcomings addressed in the organisation and management of business delegations abroad./.

Shangri-La Dialogue called off due to COVID-19

The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) on May 20 announced the cancellation of the Shangri-La Dialogue, initially due to take place in person in Singapore on June 4-5, citing the deteriorating global COVID-19 situation.

The dialogue is an annual security summit gathering top-level military officials, diplomats, and arms manufacturers from around the globe to discuss security issues.

This year’s event was set to feature six plenary sessions, one ministerial roundtable, along with many bilateral and multilateral meetings on the sidelines.

The UN’ Indo-Pacific strategy, cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region, environmental and human security threats, artificial intelligence and new technologies in defence were among the topics expected to be under discussion.

First held in Singapore in 2002, the Shangri-La Dialogue was also cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic./.

Dong Nai offers bonus for illegal migration detection

Authorities of the southern province of Dong Nai have offered a bonus of VND10 million (USD434.78) for anyone who detects illegal migrants.

Many cities and provinces in Vietnam have found illegal migrants, which have added complications to the fight against Covid-19. Dong Nai Province has recently discovered many illegal migrants.   

Under the provincial people’s committee decision, people who provide accurate and timely information about cross border movements will be granted a certificate of merit and a VND10-million bonus. People can contact the province’s nearest police station or hotline 0693480100/0693480522 for the information.

On Monday, traffic police in Xuan Loc District, Dong Nai, saw a coach running from Binh Thuan Province. The vehicles were stopped and police discovered five Chinese people hiding in cartons.

The Chinese group admitted that they had illegally entered Vietnam through the northern mountainous province of Cao Bang. They were sent to a quarantine site for Covid-19 prevention.

Vocational schools offer training in new skills

Only around 83,320 ninth grade students in Ho Chi Minh City will sit the 10th grade entrance examinations, and the remaining 16,245 have not registered for the exam, the municipal Department of Education and Training has said.

Most of the latter are likely to apply for vocational and technical colleges and secondary vocational schools, said Le Hoai Nam, deputy director of the department.

Enrolment in technical and vocational education has steadily increased in recent years, according to the official.

Vocational schools have invested heavily in infrastructure and made teaching reforms to meet the demand of students.

Fee incentives they offer also make them more appealing to students.

The city has 57 vocational and technical colleges, 64 secondary vocational schools and 272 vocational training centres.

Vocational and technical colleges are expected to enrol 45,000 students this year.

At the intermediate level, secondary vocational schools are expected to enrol another 36,000 students, while vocational training centres are expected to enrol 295,800 others.

Many vocational schools have started new courses to meet the demands of the labour market.

The Bach Khoa Secondary Vocational School in HCM City has this year begun a beauty care course and expects 200 enrolments.

The Bach Khoa Sai Gon College is this year offering 150 seats in English, Chinese and Japan language courses, part of 17 courses for 540 students.

Hoang Van Phuc, rector of the college, told Nguoi Lao Dong (Labourer) newspaper that with the economic fallout of COVID-19 worsening, enrolment is likely to drop this year.

Vocational and technical colleges and secondary vocational schools began taking in students in March./.

Additional aid provided for Laos’ COVID-19 fight

The Vietnam-Laos Friendship Association Central Committee has presented more than 600 million VND (26,000 USD) and 225,000 face masks to help Laos fight COVID-19.

Channelled through the Lao Embassy in Vietnam, the aid was mobilised from a campaign launched nationwide by the association from May 6 to 14, according to its President Tran Van Tuy.

The campaign demonstrates the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Laos as well as the fraternity between their peoples, he said.

Vietnam always stands side-by-side with Laos in the pandemic fight, Tuy stressed, expressing his belief that under the sound leadership of the Lao Party and State and with the determination and consensus of relevant forces and citizens, the country will soon overcome the pandemic and recover its socio-economic activities.

Lao Ambassador to Vietnam Sengphet Houngboungnuang thanked the association for its timely support, which, he said, reflects the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries./.

Australian media hails Vietnam’s response measures in latest COVID-19 wave

The Vietnamese government’s COVID-19 management systems kicked back into full swing as the number of domestically-transmitted infection has risen quickly these days, according to an article posted on Australia’s devpolicy.org website on May 19.

Vietnam, with a population of 96 million people, has seen 4,378 COVID-19 cases and 37 deaths, it said, describing this achievement remarkable indeed.

Regarding the proportional impact – the number of deaths per one million population, Vietnam currently has 0.4 as compared to 5 in Singapore, 9 in Thailand, 35 in Australia, and 59 in Malaysia, the article quoted Worldometres’ statistics.

On number of cases per one million people, Vietnam is at only 44, while the figures in Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia are 10,460, 1,623 and 14,500, respectively, it said, adding the difference is staggering.

In the past 18 months with three outbreak waves, the Vietnamese Government has honed a highly proactive approach to managing the spread of the virus in the community, with priority given to addressing degrees of contact, and not simply the manifestation of the illness symptoms.

A wide range of social distancing and movement restrictions were progressively put in place over the past week since the number of COVID-19 infections has risen in this fourth occasion.

They began with closure of schools, then karaoke bars, massage parlours and gyms, with restaurants next required to shift to take-away only and public parks and meeting places closed. People are fined for not wearing face masks in public, and asked to stay at home. Meanwhile, most shops and businesses stay open.

Australian media hails Vietnam’s response measures in latest COVID-19 wave hinh anh 2
Strict punishment is handed out to anyone who does not wear face mask in public places. (Photo: VNA)

The article affirmed that the calm and the orderliness of the system engenders confidence of the nation.

Looking to neighbouring countries in the region and further afield, it seems the Vietnamese public has acknowledged that this approach works, and they get on board quickly.

When there was an outbreak of community spread around the traditional Lunar New Year, the Government was successful to get on top of it within a month, with minimal closures and movement restrictions. All social activities operated again in March.

The article also stated that like everywhere across Asia, Vietnam will suffer long-term impacts of the resulting economic slowdown. However, the Vietnamese economy is expected to recover the fastest in Southeast Asia, and the Government’s ability to keep the virus at bay is the key factor in this success./.

Study confirms important roles of women representatives in national development

A new study has confirmed the important roles and significant contributions of female deputies to the National Assembly and People’s Councils during the 2016-2021 term, and called on voters to select competent and qualified candidates, regardless of their gender.

The study’s findings were shared and discussed on May 19 at a virtual thematic discussion, jointly convened by the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (USSH - Vietnam National University in Hanoi), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Vietnam, and other partners.

The study was funded by the Australian Government’s Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the Irish Embassy and UNDP in Vietnam, through the Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI) research framework.

It provides empirical evidence of how female deputies of the NA and provincial People’s Councils have contributed to the socio-economical and political development of the country over the past five years.

The study was conducted with 248 deputies to the 14th NA (or 50 percent) and 136 provincial People’s Council deputies of Hanoi, Binh Phuoc province and Can Tho city.

Based on qualitative and quantitative research data, the research suggests policy responses and actions to promote gender equity in people-elected bodies in Vietnam during the 2021-2026 period and towards 2030.

During the 2016-2021 term, the NA had its first female chairperson and female delegates accounted for 26.8 percent. Women took up 26.7 percent of seats in the provincial People’s Councils during this term, as a result of the 2016 elections.

The study, “Roles, Performance and Contributions of Vietnamese Women Representatives During the 2016-2021 Period”, shows that given that their areas of focuses and strengths are different, both male and female elected representatives noted that the interest of voters in their constituencies is the most important factor influencing their views of a specific issue.

Women deputies more frequently engage with voters via social networking applications than men representatives. Both of them were confident that they had promptly responded to voters’ proposals and petitions. They noted that their top strength was in performing the legislative mandate. In the meantime, interviewed provincial People’s Council deputies, men and women alike, considered that oversight performance is the top strength.

In terms of values, both surveyed men and women representatives from the National Assembly and provincial People’s Councils valued the merits of ‘listening’, ‘having personal viewpoints’ and ‘having the ability to persuade others’. Women representatives tend to value the merit of ‘having the ability to persuade others’ than their men counterparts.

“Women’s leadership in public sector is an important issue as it is essential to have women’s perspectives and voices involved in the decision-making process. Public policies should fully capture the perspectives of both men and women to ensure equity and fairness,” reiterated Elisa Cavacece, Deputy Head of Mission, the Embassy of Ireland upon the study findings.

The study recommends accelerating implementation of Resolution No. 26-NQ/TW adopted at the 7th plenum of the 12th Party Central Committee which put it that by 2030: “There must be women representatives in the Standing Committee of the Party at provincial level and Party committees at all levels: the proportion of women representatives at all levels should be between 20 and 25 percent. The rates of women representatives in the National Assembly and People’s Councils should be over 35percent”.

To do so, the report suggests having at least 45 percent of candidates of either gender enlisted as candidates for the NA and People’s Councils, building on the current momentum of having 45.28 percent of candidates for the 15th NA.

The study also recommends creating favorable conditions for elected representatives to proactively engage with voters via all channels, especially social networking channels.

In addition, it suggests that elected women and men deputies participate in all fields by introducing gender quotes for all NA and all People’s Councils committees./.

Dak Lak pushes mass mobilisation work ahead of election day

 

Provinces in the Central Highlands have a large number of migrants coming to live and work. To contribute to the overall success of National Election Day, slated for May 23, since March the Dak Lak Provincial Party Committee’s Commission for Mass Mobilisation has strengthened its popularisation work on the upcoming election in remote areas, where there are many ethnic minority people and migrants.
 
This working team from the Dak Lak Provincial Party Committee’s Mass Mobilisation Commission and Krong Pak district authorities at all levels is visiting local households to promote the upcoming national election, on May 23.

This gathering in Ea Sup district saw the involvement of nearly 400 ethnic minority people. Mass mobilisation officers used the ethnic minority language to convey information on the election, answer questions, and interact with local people.

The Dak Lak Provincial Party Committee’s Mass Mobilization Commission has also prepared plans to ensure security and order./.

Local photographer wins two medals at Photo Circle 2021

A photograph titled “Buc Tranh Da Van Long” taken by Thang wins a silver medal in the travel category in the Photo Circle 2021.

Vietnamese snapper Ninh Manh Thang secured two silver medals at the globally renowned Photo Circle 2021 competition.

The local man was honoured in the travel and street categories after submitting two photos known as “Buc Tranh Da Van Long” and “Giac Mo Pho”, respectively.

The Vietnamese photographer hails from Ninh Binh province and is notable for being the only local representative to obtain medals in the photo contest.

The Photo Circle 2021 received over 3,000 artworks as entries from 158 authors hailing from 45 countries worldwide.

The competition sees amateur and professional photographers compete across nine categories, including open colour, open monochrome, nature, photojournalism, travel, portrait, wildlife, architecture, and street.

The organisers are set to hand out 131 medals to various winners in June this year.

Study confirms important roles of women representatives in national development

A new study has confirmed the important roles and significant contributions of female deputies to the National Assembly and People’s Councils during the 2016-2021 term, and called on voters to select competent and qualified candidates, regardless of their gender.

The study’s findings were shared and discussed on May 19 at a virtual thematic discussion, jointly convened by the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (USSH - Vietnam National University in Hanoi), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Vietnam, and other partners.

The study was funded by the Australian Government’s Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the Irish Embassy and UNDP in Vietnam, through the Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI) research framework.

It provides empirical evidence of how female deputies of the NA and provincial People’s Councils have contributed to the socio-economical and political development of the country over the past five years.

The study was conducted with 248 deputies to the 14th NA (or 50 percent) and 136 provincial People’s Council deputies of Hanoi, Binh Phuoc province and Can Tho city.

Based on qualitative and quantitative research data, the research suggests policy responses and actions to promote gender equity in people-elected bodies in Vietnam during the 2021-2026 period and towards 2030.

During the 2016-2021 term, the NA had its first female chairperson and female delegates accounted for 26.8 percent. Women took up 26.7 percent of seats in the provincial People’s Councils during this term, as a result of the 2016 elections.

The study, “Roles, Performance and Contributions of Vietnamese Women Representatives During the 2016-2021 Period”, shows that given that their areas of focuses and strengths are different, both male and female elected representatives noted that the interest of voters in their constituencies is the most important factor influencing their views of a specific issue.

Women deputies more frequently engage with voters via social networking applications than men representatives. Both of them were confident that they had promptly responded to voters’ proposals and petitions. They noted that their top strength was in performing the legislative mandate. In the meantime, interviewed provincial People’s Council deputies, men and women alike, considered that oversight performance is the top strength.

In terms of values, both surveyed men and women representatives from the National Assembly and provincial People’s Councils valued the merits of ‘listening’, ‘having personal viewpoints’ and ‘having the ability to persuade others’. Women representatives tend to value the merit of ‘having the ability to persuade others’ than their men counterparts.

“Women’s leadership in public sector is an important issue as it is essential to have women’s perspectives and voices involved in the decision-making process. Public policies should fully capture the perspectives of both men and women to ensure equity and fairness,” reiterated Elisa Cavacece, Deputy Head of Mission, the Embassy of Ireland upon the study findings.

The study recommends accelerating implementation of Resolution No. 26-NQ/TW adopted at the 7th plenum of the 12th Party Central Committee which put it that by 2030: “There must be women representatives in the Standing Committee of the Party at provincial level and Party committees at all levels: the proportion of women representatives at all levels should be between 20 and 25 percent. The rates of women representatives in the National Assembly and People’s Councils should be over 35percent”.

To do so, the report suggests having at least 45 percent of candidates of either gender enlisted as candidates for the NA and People’s Councils, building on the current momentum of having 45.28 percent of candidates for the 15th NA.

The study also recommends creating favorable conditions for elected representatives to proactively engage with voters via all channels, especially social networking channels.

In addition, it suggests that elected women and men deputies participate in all fields by introducing gender quotes for all NA and all People’s Councils committees./.

Workshop on how to turn earth into art 

A workshop on sculpting and drawing on clay will be held by Vietclay Art every Saturday from now until the end of September.

Entitled Màu Mùa Hạ (Colour of Summer), from 9am to 11.30am, attendees will learn about basic clay sculpturing techniques. They will be guided to sculpt clay on a turntable. In this way, they will get in touch with the earth in a different way when they hold it in their hands and form it into the shapes they desire.

As a pottery product also needs colour and ‘soul’, artists at Vietclay will show attendees how to draw on ceramics. The attendees will be shown how to sketch on paper before applying the drawing onto ceramics. Attendees will bring home two of their final products, unbaked or baked.

To join, register at vietclay.com/products/mau-mua-ha.

Fee: VNĐ799,000/person including drinks and necessary tools. Vietclay Art is at 29 Nhà Chung Street, Hoàn Kiếm District. 

Cà Mau focuses on natural shrimp farming to foster exports

The southernmost province of Cà Mau has expanded the areas under the shrimp-forest and shrimp-rice models to farm clean products for export and provide farmers with sustainable incomes.

It has 80,000ha of shrimp-forest areas in which shrimp are bred in mangrove forests and consume natural foods. This helps meet the requirements of choosy markets like the US, EU and Australia.

Cà Mau is bordered by the sea on three sides and has more than 100,000ha of mangrove forests.

It also has 50,000ha under the shrimp-rice model in which the crustacean is bred during the dry season and rice is planted in the rainy season on the same field. Shrimp is also farmed along with rice in many cases.

Under the two models, farmers use few chemicals.

They have helped many farming households earn steady incomes and escape poverty in recent years, according to the province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The shrimp–forest model also helps conserve mangrove forests, it added.

Phạm Thị Ngọc Ánh, who farms shrimp in a mangrove forest in Năm Căn District’s Tam Giang Đông Commune, said in the past she had not been aware of the advantages of breeding shrimp in mangrove forests and paid little attention to the model, and so the creatures on her farm were often affected by diseases.

“Shrimp bred under the shrimp-forest farming model has few disease threats and offer high and steady incomes.”

Her family has been earning nearly VNĐ200 million (US$8,600) a year in recent years after adopting the model, she said.

Shrimp farmed in mangrove forests can be harvested in four months.

Besides shrimp, farmers also breed creatures like mud crabs and fish in mangrove forests.

Quách Văn Ấn, director of the province’s Investment Promotion and Enterprise Support Centre, said his agency has worked with 65 foreign investors in the last two years, and their interests include high-tech agriculture.

Many are keen on eco-tourism and agricultural tourism, and the province has made them part of its development strategy, developing farming of clean shrimp as a result, he said.

Bùi Thanh Phương, deputy chairman of the Đất Mũi Commune People’s Committee in Ngọc Hiển District, said the trend of living green and getting back to nature has created advantages for localities with mangrove forests that breed shrimp to develop eco-tourism.

The commune’s farmers are focusing on tourism, especially the ecological variety, and have great awareness of protecting mangrove forests and exploiting them sustainably, he said.

The commune offers tours for visitors to explore the mangrove forests.

The province People’s Committee has allowed the Minh Phú Seafood Corporation and Lộc Trời Group to tie up with the Thới Bình District People’s Committee and other localities to implement on a pilot basis a link-up between companies and farmers adopting the shrimp-rice model.

It will first be implemented on nearly 75ha owned by 35 farmers in Thới Bình’s Tân Bằng Commune.

If it proves efficacious, the People’s Committee will expand it to other districts.

Thới Bình has 18,500ha under the model, the largest area in the province.

Farmers there breed black tiger shrimp or white-legged shrimp in the dry season and grow rice in the rainy season on the same fields.

Many have also been intercropping giant river prawns and rice for almost five years now.

To improve the efficiency of the model, district authorities have trained nearly 2,000 farmers since last year.

The district has also supported farmers by providing more than 500 tonnes of new, high-quality rice seeds.

The varieties, which include ST 25 and ST 24, two of the world’s best, have short maturity periods and can resist saltwater and drought.

Gender-responsive play-based learning for preschoolers
 
The Ministry of Education and Training and VVOB, a Belgium-based non-profit organization, jointly organized a virtual conference about gender-responsive play-based learning. 

The conference was opened to share the experience and valuate the two projects including the Gender-responsive teaching and learning in the early years (GENTLE) and the Mitigating Preschool Children’s Barriers to Learning in Disadvantaged and Ethnically Diverse Districts carried out in ethnically diverse districts of Kon Tum, Quang Nam, and Quang Ngai provinces.

The two projects aim to mitigate gender bias in preschools ensuring equal opportunities for all Vietnamese children, both boys and girls from the early stages of the education process.

Through play-based learning, the EU-and Belgium government-funded GENTLE projects will focus on solving gender-related violence with parental involvement.

The projects were carried out in 153 preschools in 15 districts in Quang Ngai and Quang Nam with the participation of more than 1,900 teachers and 32,000 children.

Vietnam welcomes supercomputers to boost AI development
 
Supercomputers that can perform over hundreds of quadrillions of floating-point operations per second (FLOPS) have appeared more and more in major Vietnamese technological corporations. This is expected to aid those organizations to better develop AI implementations in life.

Recently, Viettel Cyber Space Center (a member of Viettel Group) has operated its high-performance calculation system in its Database Center. This system can perform 20 petaFLOPS , allowing the Cyber Space Center to simultaneously run various complicated training models.

Viettel’s supercomputer uses computational acceleration technologies, network switches, and synchronous software that are similar to those of the Top-500 supercomputers in the world.

Deputy General Director of Viettel Group Nguyen Dinh Chien shared that his organization determinedly invests in AI to fulfill its role as the main force in establishing a digital society. This investment lets Viettel easily attract AI talents and experts, ready to take on important AI missions of the nation. It is also a tool to turn Viettel into a global pioneer in implementing AI solutions in life and to positively boost the overall revenue.

Similarly, VinAI Research (a member of VinGroup) has just installed the most powerful AI supercomputer system in Southeast Asia named NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD. This supercomputer, which is 10 times as fast as the current NVIDIA DGX A100 system owned by Vin AI, will aid in the development of self-propelled electric vehicles and medical care devices for not only domestic demands but also international ones.

Head of VinAI Research Bui Hai Hung expressed his hope that in this May, a cluster of 20 new DGX A100 systems will be connected to NVIDIA Mellanox HDR, an InfiniBand network at the speed of 200Gb/second. The appearance of DGX SuperPOD is supposed to offer a favorable environment to nurture global-leveled Vietnamese AI talents.

Since 2018, FPT Group has been one of the pioneers in Vietnam to employ supercomputers in its AI research, focusing on the tasks of language and image processing. At that beginning stage, DGX-1 was the latest supercomputer by NVIDIA, and FPT Group was the first in the country to own such a powerful machine. Thanks to that, FPT Group was able to save much cost and effort in carrying out its projects, speeding up its research, and creating useful products.

The Management Board of FPT Group stressed the critical role of supercomputers in AI research, saying that they can accelerate the research process by 96 times compared to using the deep learning model on the traditional CPU machine. This means a task that usually takes a month to finish can now be done in one to two days, which is extremely time-efficient.

Vietnam to become innovative, science-respect society: Minister
 
Minister of Science and Technology (MoST) Huynh Thanh Dat yesterday sent a formal message to all people in the science-technology field in Vietnam in celebration of the Vietnam Science and Technology Day.
Minister of Science and Technology Huynh Thanh Dat

Observing the instruction of President Ho Chi Minh 58 years ago in the first meeting of the Association for Science and Technology Dissemination about the use of science in increasing the work performance and living standards of the public, the Government and the Central Party always give high priority to science-technology development.

Explaining the meaning of this year’s motto ‘Science, Technology, Innovation – Arousing Aspirations, Creating Better Future’, Minister Huynh Thanh Dat shared that this is the trust as well as the pride of the whole society towards the talented and creative human resources in the science-technology field.

The Minister stated that in order for science-technology to have meaningful breakthroughs and to become the main force for socio-economic growth so that Vietnam owns a modern industry in 2030, in the upcoming time, we need to keep on updating our thoughts, to synchronously carry out major solutions to promote the national innovative system, to renovate the management mechanism for science-technology, to upgrade the professional level of science-technology of the Vietnamese, to boost the growth of the innovative startup ecosystems, and to increase cooperation with other nations in this field.

Due to the complexity of the current global Covid-19 pandemic, along with the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Vietnam needs to be more active, innovative, and flexible to better adapt to the swift changes of all fields in the world.

Therefore, the scientific-technological human resources must be well-prepared with sufficient professional knowledge in order to satisfy any possible demand of the society and tackle any problem arisen. This will help them fulfilling the dual target set by the Government to both safeguard the nation from the pandemic and develop the economy simultaneously.

Obviously, there is a need of close collaboration between scientists and the community, under the proper guidance of MoST, which facilitates scientific research, technological development, and innovation.

The Minister hoped that the Vietnam Science-Technology Day becomes a meaningful annual event to attract the participation of educational institutes, businesses, the young science lovers.

“Scientific knowledge will forever stay lonely in its ivory tower if not being widely spread and effectively implemented in life. The media must become a better tool to introduce this valuable knowledge and advanced technologies to the public, inspire their passion towards science, and help form an innovative culture among the community, especially the young. Vietnam must become a society that respects science and owns innovative thinking for a sustainable development”, insisted Minister Huynh Thanh Dat.

Nearly 35,000 Vietnamese workers sent to work abroad in four months

Viet Nam sent 34,912 workers abroad over the first four months of 2021, reaching 38.79 percent of the year’s plan, according to the Department of Overseas Labor of the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs.

During the reviewed period, Japan received the largest number of Vietnamese laborers, with 18,355 ones, followed by Chinese Taipei 15,055, China 415, the Republic of Korea (RoK) 289, Hungary 204, Romania 202, Singapore 129 and the UAE 43. 

In April only, as many as 5,371 Vietnamese laborers were exported, including 4,722 to Chinese Taipei, 177 to Japan, 154 to the RoK, 150 to China and 48 to Singapore. 

However, Chinese Taipei has decided to temporarily suspend entry of all foreigners from May 19-June 18 due to fresh outbreaks of COVID-19, which may interrupt Vietnamese labour exporters' sending of Vietnamese workers to this market in May and June. 

78,641 Vietnamese laborers were sent abroad in 2020, reaching 60.5 percent of the Government target amid border closures imposed by many countries due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs expects to send 90,000 laborers to work abroad in 2021, mainly to high and stable income countries.

Webinar shares poems and memories of President Ho Chi Minh

Stories about President Ho Chi Minh’s wise mind and vision and his simple lifestyle and humanity were shared at a webinar held by the permanent mission of Vietnam to the United Nations with renowned poet Tran Dang Khoa on the occasion of the late leader’s 131st birthday on May 19.

Entitled “Tho, hoi uc ve Nguoi - Mot nhan cach lon” (Poems and memories about President Ho Chi Minh - A great figure), the webinar featured Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, and officials from Vietnamese embassies and representative offices worldwide.

Six-three-year-old Khoa has spent years studying and writing about President Ho Chi Minh. One of his first poems about the Vietnamese leader - “Anh Bac” (a Photo of Uncle Ho) - was written when he was eight years old and in Grade 2. The pure and simple poem of a child was published in newspapers and won the hearts of millions of readers around the country.

He said he is particularly impressed by how the President used talented people. He made Vo Nguyen Giap, who then was a history teacher and had never received formal military training, an army general.

American journalist Lady Borton once asked President Ho Chi Minh why he promoted Giap, and he replied simply: “We have been fighting guerrilla style, and so are our appointments. Giap has defeated all of the French Generals so he must be a General.”

President Ho Chi Minh was a major inspiration for writers and music composers, Khoa said, adding that most works about him are touching and meaningful. The poet who wrote the most poems about President Ho Chi Minh was the late To Huu, while the most beautiful works included those by late poets Viet Phuong from Hanoi and Felix Pita Rodriguez from Cuba.

Ambassador Quy said that for people of his generation, born in the 1960s, poems about Uncle Ho, especially those from Tran Dang Khoa, are the most beautiful and unforgettable, regardless of time./.

Armed forces in Can Tho city cast ballots early

Nearly 5,000 voters from armed forces in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho began to go to the polls on May 20 morning to elect deputies to the 15th National Assembly and People’s Councils of all levels for the 2021-2026 tenure.

They cast their ballots early as they will be on duty to ensure safety and security for the national Election Day on May 23.

Voters strictly followed COVID-19 prevention measures at the polling stations, including health declaration, body temperature measurement and social distancing.

The National Election Council has allowed the early voting in four districts of Ninh Kieu, Cai Rang, Binh Thuy and O Mon.

Voters nationwide will go to the poll to select 500 deputies to the 15th NA from 866 candidates on Sunday May 23./.

Early voting organised in 16 cities and provinces

Certain areas in the northern province of Bac Ninh will hold early elections of deputies to the 15th National Assembly (NA) and People’s Councils at all levels, under a newly-issued document from the National Election Council (NEC).

The council accepted the province’s proposal to allow voters in Bac Ninh city, Tu Son township, and the districts of Tien Du and Gia Binh to cast votes on May 22, one day ahead of the scheduled date, due to the growing complexity of the local COVID-19 situation.

Early voting has also been permitted in a number of constituencies in a total of 16 cities and provinces so far: Hai Phong and Can Tho cities and Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Binh Dinh, Ca Mau, Dak Nong, Hau Giang, Kien Giang, Khanh Hoa, Quang Nam, Quang Binh, Nghe An, Kon Tum, Dak Lak, Bac Lieu, and Bac Ninh provinces.

Voting has wrapped up in certain constituencies of four localities, mostly islands and remote and border areas, with the earliest having been organised in Vung Tau city in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province on May 4.

Voters nationwide will go to the polls on May 23 to select 500 deputies of the 15th NA from 866 candidates. Polling stations will be open from 7am to 7pm./.

Vietnam offers medical supplies to Cambodia amid COVID-19

Vietnam has offered medical supplies, including 800 ventilators, 2 million medical masks and 300,000 N95 surgical masks to Cambodia to support the neighbouring country in COVID-19 fight.

Addressing a ceremony on May 20 to symbolically hand over the supplies to the Cambodian side, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung expressed his deep sympathy toward Cambodia over the complicated developments of the pandemic in the country.

With a mutual support spirit, following the financial assistance that it provided for Cambodia in April, Vietnam will promptly transport the medical supplies to Phnom Penh with a hope to help the Cambodian Government and people effectively control COVID-19, he said.

Deputy FM Dung hailed the effective COVID-19 prevention and control measures that Cambodia is applying, with a decrease in the number of infections in recent days. He said he believes that with the drastic direction by Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen’s Government, Cambodia will soon contain the pandemic, thus recovering socio-economic situation and continuing the country’s sustainable development.

On the occasion, Dung once again thanked the Cambodian Government for supporting the Vietnamese community as well as Vietnamese representative offices in the country during tough times.

For his part, Cambodian Ambassador to Vietnam Chay Navuth said that Vietnam’s provision of finance and medical supplies to Cambodia manifests the sound friendship, solidarity and neighbourliness between the two nations. It is helpful for Cambodia in the fight against COVID-19.

This is the third time Vietnam has given assistance to Cambodia to help the country respond to the pandemic. Earlier in April, Vietnam also presented Cambodia medical supplies and cash worth 500,000 USD./.

NA Chairman receives more congratulations from foreign parliamentary leaders

Foreign parliamentary leaders have sent letters of congratulations to Vuong Dinh Hue on his election as Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly.

They comprise President of the National Assembly and Speaker of the House of Representatives of Thailand Chuan Leekpai, President of the European Parliament David Maria Sassoli, and Speaker of the National Assembly of South Africa Thandi Modise.

Vuong Dinh Hue, a Politburo member, was elected as Chairman of the National Assembly at the 11th sitting of the 14th legislature on March 31 morning. Earlier, he served as Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee./.

President Ho Chi Minh remembered around the world

Representatives from the Vietnamese Embassy in Cuba and the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP) laid a wreath at the statue of President Ho Chi Minh at the Peace Park in Havana on the occasion of the Vietnamese leader’s 131st birthday (May 19).

Addressing the ceremony, Vietnamese Ambassador to Cuba Le Thanh Tung noted that the late Vietnamese leader's birthday coincides with the 126th anniversary of the fall in combat of Cuban National Hero José Martí, and the two historical figures share many similarities, such as the passion for freedom of their respective peoples and the tireless struggle and consecration of that cause.

He affirmed that the desire for peace and independence of each nation and the progressive thoughts of historical leaders laid a firm foundation for both countries to reinforce their great friendship.

The ceremony was attended by Hero of the Republic of Cuba and President of ICAP, Fernando Gónzalez Llort, and head of the Foreign Relations Commission of the Cuban National Assembly, Yolanda Ferrer, as well as local residents.

Also on May 19, the Vietnamese Embassy in Russia laid flowers at President Ho Chi Minh’s statue at Ho Chi Minh Square in Moscow.

Participants observed a minute’s silence to commemorate the great leader and his contribution to Vietnam’s revolution and struggle for liberation.

Similar activities were held in Saint Petersburg to mark the occasion, including a ceremony paying tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at the Saint-Petersburg State University.

The Ho Chi Minh Institute at the university announced the winners of the “Bac Ho trong tim toi” (Uncle Ho in my heart) contest, which received entries from students at various universities in Russia.

Leaders from Ho Chi Minh City and Saint Petersburg held an online conference to review the two decades of strategic partnership between Vietnam and Russia and to sketch out the two cities’ future cooperation orientations as well as the heritage left by President Ho Chi Minh for the youth of both sides.

In Switzerland, meanwhile, the Vietnamese Embassy held a discussion on the study and pursuit of Ho Chi Minh thought and his moral example and lifestyle, as well as the major contents of the Resolution from the 13th National Party Congress.

After offering incense to the late leader, participants watched documentary films on the diplomatic lessons left by President Ho Chi Minh, who formed a unique external relations ideology.

They also planted trees at the embassy’s grounds in his honour./.

Experts clarify Party’s role in Vietnam’s development

Scholars and experts from Russia, France, Japan and Vietnam attended a roundtable held on May 20 to discuss the role of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) in national construction as well as the outcomes of the CPV’s 13th National Congress.

Addressing the event, held by the Centre for Vietnamese and ASEAN Studies in the Far East Institute at the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vietnamese Councillor in Russia Nguyen Tung Lam reviewed a number of achievements Vietnam has recorded since the “Doi Moi” (Renewal) process was launched in 1986 and the national development goals set at the CPV’s 13th National Congress.

He underlined Vietnam’s external policies of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation, and diversification for peace, friendship, cooperation, and development.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Council of Experts at the Eurasian Research Fund, Grigory Trofimchuk, said Vietnam has been persistent in implementing decisions made by Party congresses and has won the respect of the international community. This was shown in its effective performance as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in the 2020-2021 tenure, he said.

He underscored that Vietnam becoming a pioneer in cooperation with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) has opened up new opportunities for the union.

Speaking to a Vietnam News Agency correspondent in Russia, Director of the Centre for Vietnamese and ASEAN Studies Vladimir Mazyrin said the 13th National Party Congress drew major attention as it was an important political event in Vietnam.

The congress was of special significance as it decided the socio-economic strategies for Vietnam for the next ten years and a longer strategy to 2045.

This is a sign of maturity in the CPV in both theoretical and practical aspects, as it sketched out missions for a very long term, he said.

Participants at the two-day roundtable heard nearly 30 speeches on historical, present, and future features of Vietnam in the fields of politics, external relations, economy, and society, along with recommendations to promote the Vietnam-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership./.

Vietnam, Russia forge cooperation in political education in military

The General Department of Politics under the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) and the Main Directorate for Political-Military Affairs of the Russian Armed Forces will enhance cooperation in such priority areas such as political and ideological education.

The agreement was reached during an online talk between General Luong Cuong, head of the VPA General Department of Politics and Senior Lieutenant General Andrey Kartapolov, Russian Deputy Defence Minister and Chief of the Main Directorate for Political-Military Affairs, on May 20.

The two sides will also maintain meetings between their leaders, exchange experience in military communication work, further cooperate in personnel training, support each other in international activities hosted by Russia, and promote collaboration in military history.

They also concurred to provide mutual support at multilateral military and defence mechanisms and forums within ASEAN or those where the grouping holds the central role, particularly the ASEAN Defence Minister’ Meeting Plus (ADMM ), in order to contribute to peace, stability and development in the region and the world at large.

The officers shared the view that cooperation between the two defence ministries and their agencies in particular has been strengthened over the past time, significantly contributing to the traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

Cuong affirmed that the Vietnamese Party, State, people and army always remember the great and effective assistance of people of the former Soviet Union and present Russia, as well as Russian armed forces during Vietnam's struggle for national liberation and the cause of national construction.

He lauded the role played by Russia, particularly its defence ministry, in settling international issues to maintain peace, stability, cooperation and development in the world and Asia-Pacific.

The General expressed his hope that the Vietnam-Russia ties, including defence cooperation, will grow stronger in the time ahead./.

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