Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will attend the 13th summit of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM 13) via video conference from November 25-26, according to a statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

PM Chinh will participate in the event at the invitation of his Cambodian counterpart Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, the Prime Minister of the host country of ASEM 13./. 

Hanoi suburban schools ready to receive students back, localities begin vaccination for children

Schools in Hanoi’s 17 suburban districts and towns are ready to receive students back after the city authorities allowed ninth graders in those localities to go to school again on November 22 after months of remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, their peers in 12 urban districts will continue to have online lessons.

Amidst the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the capital city lately, schools have developed teaching plans corresponding to their own conditions, with COVID-19 emergency preparedness taken into account to prevent schooling disruptions.

The Hanoi Department of Education and Training has ordered the schools to strictly comply to pandemic safety requirements and not to offer catering and semi-boarding services at school.

A day prior, the neighbouring province of Ha Nam started vaccinating children aged 12 – 14 against COVID-19, with more than 37,200 children eligible to receive the shots.

Ha Nam rolled out its COVID-19 vaccination programme for children aged 15 – 17 on November 16. Some 92 percent of the children of the age range, or nearly 32,000, have been inoculated since then.

The northern province aims to have over 95 percent of children aged 15 – 17 fully vaccinated with two jabs and 80 percent of children aged 12 – 14 given at least one dose by the end of this year.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health has allocated 99,450 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for the central province of Nghe An to inoculate its children aged 12 – 17./.

France-Vietnam Friendship Association affirms continued support for Vietnam

The France-Vietnam Friendship Association (AAFV) has affirmed its continued support for and solidarity with the Vietnamese people in accordance with the situation of the two countries and the world at large, with the impact of the COVID-19 crisis and global warming, and regional and world tensions taken into account.

The AAFV held its 17th national congress and a ceremony to mark its 60th founding anniversary in Montreuil, on November 19-20.

Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang appreciated the contributions made by the AAFV - one of the oldest friendship associations with Vietnam – over the past 60 years.

He quoted Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh during his working session with AAFV representatives in his recent official visit to France as saying that Vietnam always keeps in mind the sentiments and valuable contributions of many generations of AAFV leaders and members to Vietnam.

In 2019 and 2020, the association carried out 27 projects totaling over 100,000 EUR (112,000 USD) in 16 Vietnamese provinces and cities, supporting poor households, providing scholarships for poor students with good learning performances, and assisting Agent Orange/dioxin victims.

The AAFV said in its report that after its working session with PM Chinh on November 5, it sent a letter to France’s authorised offices showing its wish that the two sides will intensify cooperation within the Strategic Partnership framework and develop cooperation opportunities through the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement, and France will ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement, and propose the EU remove its “yellow card” warning related to illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing against Vietnam.

In the time ahead, the association vowed to step up activities to introduce the image of Vietnam’s nation and people, and support cooperation activities between the two countries.

Within the framework of the congress, a talk themed “Climate change in the 21st century and direct impacts on Vietnam, a photo exhibition featuring Vietnam’s dioxin victims, a lacquer painting exhibition, and another introducing Vietnam’s newspapers and magazines were also held./. 

Tam Giang Lagoon shines at International Drone Photo Awards

The photo “Fishing in mangrove forest” taken by Pham Huy Trung in the central province of Thua Thien Hue’s Tam Giang Lagoon has won the highest prize for the “People” category at the 2021 Drone Photo Awards.

Captured in November 2018, the photo impresses audiences with a mesmerising bird-eye view of a single fisherman paddling through the Ru Cha mangrove forest, which surrounds the lagoon – the largest freshwater lagoon in Southeast Asia. In the shot, the mangroves lose all their leaves in winter, revealing their whitish trunks.

First launched in 2015 within the international Siena Photo Awards, the Drone Photo Awards received around 14,000 photos from over 100 countries this year. In addition to drones, entries were captured from commercial airplanes, helicopters, balloons, parachutes, airships, kites and even rockets.

In addition to the winning shot of Trung, seven other works by Vietnamese photographers entered the final round of the “People” category, introducing the charm of Vietnamese in labour and cultural activities.

Trung, who was trained as an engineer, learned about photography in 2016 and won his first international prize at the 2017 SkyPixel aerial photography contest. He then won several awards including those at the 2018 Siena International Photography Awards, and the Sony World Photography Awards in 2018 and 2019. 

Vietnam set ambitious goal ahead of AFF Cup 2020

The Vietnamese national team will enter the AFF Cup 2020 as defending champions with a strong determination to defend their title.

Head coach Park Hang-seo stated on November 19 that he will send his strongest squad to the tournament with the aim of securing consecutive titles. The list includes 33 Vietnamese players, mainly comprising those who competed in the third round of World Cup qualifiers.

After suffering six consecutive losses in the World Cup qualifying campaign, the Vietnamese team are said to affirm their position in the Southeast Asian region.

“We are the AFF Cup defending champions, so our image and reputation need to be maintained,” said Tran Quoc Tuan, vice president of the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF). 

According to the vice president, VFF has changed the schedules and format of both the V.League 1 and V.League 2, creating conditions for selected players to leave their clubs for the national team.

Vietnam stay atop Southeast Asian in the latest FIFA rankings, but Thailand are always their archrivals in the region. In addition, they face fierce competition from other regional rivals such as Indonesia and Malaysia.

Vietnam and Thailand have been drawn as top seeds so they will not play in the same group.

Vietnam will play in Group B alongside Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Laos.

Group A consists of Thailand, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, and the winner of the play-off match between Timor-Leste and Brunei.

AFF Cup, the largest Southeast Asian football tournament, was supposed to take place last year, but was delayed till later this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Singapore has been selected to play host to the tournament which is scheduled to last from December 5, 2021, to January 1, 2022.

Phu Quoc island welcomes first foreign tourists

As many as 204 tourists from the Republic of Korea landed on Phu Quoc island district in the Mekong delta province of Kien Giang on November 20, marking the first group of foreign visitors to the resort island in the “new normal” period after nearly 2 years of closure.

The event is described as an important milestone marking a new step in the efforts to restore the tourism industry.  

During their 4-day stay, the Korean visitors will be accommodated at an exclusive facility to keep away from the community and activities of other tourists.

They will take the second COVID-19 test on the last day of their stay.

Phu Quoc is expected to welcome up to 400,000 visitors, both Vietnamese and foreign, from now to the end of this year./.

Tapping into traditional culture to develop cultural industry

The traditional culture, including folklore, is a valuable resource for the development of the cultural industry if it is carefully exploited, according to experts.

In fact, there have been many products of cinema, literature, fine arts, fashion, tourism that take inspirations from folklore and generate high material value, they said, adding that the unique values of the Vietnamese culture have also become better known among the international community.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has recently approved a strategy for cultural development to 2030, which prioritises a number of potential and advantageous cultural industries. This will encourage more people to tap into the precious folklore and traditional culture to develop the cultural industry, contributing to bringing the beautiful image and unique values of folklore to the world.

According to Associate Professor Bui Hoai Son, former director of the Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts Studies, in the context of globalisation and inter-influence among countries, the cultural industry is a strategic asset for a country's diplomatic and international cooperation policies, and help showcase the country's unique identity.

He emphasised that developing cultural industries is definitely a suitable choice for the country's cultural development in the current context, creating cultural products and services that meet the needs of the market, representing the economic function of culture.

What is more important is that through these cultural products and services, new vitality will be created for cultural heritages, while the nation's cultural capital and the talent of artists will be better exploited, forming the country's soft power as well promoting the country's image and Vietnamese people around the world, he said.

However, the cultural industry is still a relatively new field in Vietnam.

Shifting from the traditional culture to mass production to meet the needs of a large market requires synchronous investment in infrastructure, environmental protection and sustainable development. In addition, it is necessary to create a balance between exploiting the economic and cultural values of culture, so that the community can make a profit from the local resource while conserving and promoting the cultural heritages in their original space./.

Hanoi preserves intangible cultural heritage

Hanoi is among localities with the richest cultural heritage in Vietnam, with 1,793 intangible cultural heritage items, including three UNESCO-recognised Intangible Cultural Heritages of Humanity, one on UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in need of Urgent Safeguarding and one World Documentary Heritage.

As many of the heritages are facing the threat of falling into oblivion, the capital city is busy with activities to protect them.

Within the framework of a project on inventory and protection of intangible cultural heritages during 2015-2016, the municipal Department of Culture and Sports assisted in the popularisation of “Trong quan” folk song in Hat Mon commune, Phuc Tho district; Khanh Ha commune, Thuong Tin district; and Phuc Tien commune, Phu Xuyen district.

Since 2017, the department has also helped organise training courses on folk performance arts in the community such as puppetry, ca tru and cheo singing, gong dances, and others.

Head of the department’s heritage management office Pham Thi Lan Anh said the city has implemented a project on education of intangible cultural heritages to Hanoi’s school students, with the involvement of the municipal People’s Committee Office, the Department of Cultural Heritage, the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology and the municipal Department of Education and Training.

The project has succeeded in integrating four intangible cultural heritages into physics and chemicals subjects for eighth and ninth graders, which are revolving lantern, water puppetry, custom of chewing betel nuts and Bat Trang ceramics.

Hanoi also took the lead nationwide in conducting a general survey of its intangible cultural heritages, thereby determining which type should be given priority in conservation.  As a result, local awareness of protecting and upholding their value has improved considerably.

At present, the city is building a plan to preserve and uphold the value of intangible cultural heritages for the 2021-2025 period, thus laying a foundation to conserve the heritages and pass them down to later generations./. 

PM attends special art programme

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended a special art programme named “Belief and Aspiration” on November 21 evening, which is one of the main activities held by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to welcome the National Culture Conference slated for November 24.

The programme, held at the Hanoi Opera and broadcast live on VTV1 channel, is designed to reiterate the position of culture in the national development process thanks to the Party’s policies of building and developing a flexible and innovative culture.

The 100-minute event was a combination of music, dances and documentary clips to highlight the leadership role of the Party and State in cultural development, and emphasise the diversity and richness of the cultures of different regions in the country.

Ten professional artistic troupes and establishments in Vietnam took part in the programme./.

Smart & Sustainable Cities Forum to take place this week

Smart & Sustainable Cities Forum will take place this week, bringing together speakers from the public and private sectors to share practices and knowledge about critical sustainability issues related to the development of Vietnam’s urban centres.

It will be held by RMIT University in collaboration with the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM) and DXCentre, a Ho Chi Minh City-based provider of consultation and support in digital transformation, via video teleconference on November 24.

With over 3.5 billion people living in cities globally now and a projected 70 percent of humanity living in cities by 2050, developing smart and sustainable cities is at the forefront of urban development and planning globally.

In Vietnam, urban centres have also witnessed rapid expansion. Based on the latest census, the population of the two biggest cities – Hanoi and HCM City – are about 8 and 9 million respectively, and both metropolises are expected to grow further. Moreover, two thirds of the country’s provinces and municipalities have started building smart cities.

The United Nations define “smart sustainable city” as an innovative city that uses information and communication technologies (ICTs) and other means to improve the quality of life, efficiency of urban operation and services, and competitiveness, while ensuring that it meets the needs of present and future generations with respect to economic, social and environmental aspects.

As such, the forum will demonstrate in detail the symbiotic relationship between smart cities and sustainability, and why they are the only way forward for Vietnam’s cities.

The morning session will focus on the linkage between smart cities and sustainability, exploring how the two concepts are critical for sustainable development.

The afternoon programme will feature six separate tracks showcasing case studies and developments from both local and international academics, practitioners, and innovators.

The first two parallel tracks will explore blockchain innovation and the concept of liveable cities in the Australian context.

The second set of parallel tracks will examine the smart energy and climate change solutions, and three critical areas of smart development – specifically, logistics, tourism, and governance.

The final parallel tracks will see experts share the necessity of moving toward a circular economy and showcase solutions for a critical existential problem facing humanity: plastic pollution. 

As part of the event, RMIT University will launch its newest whitepaper “Digital Transformation in Vietnam: the SME and SOE experience”, based on findings from surveys, interviews and focus groups conducted with middle- to senior-level managers at state-owned enterprises and small- to medium-sized enterprises operating in Vietnam./.

Japanese expert believes in further growing Vietnam-Japan ties

Former General Secretary of the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Association Ryokichi Motoyoshi, who is currently a legal consultant for Vietnamese people in Japan, has assessed that the relationship between Vietnam and Japan has maintained a good development pace in recent years.

In an interview granted to Vietnam News Agency correspondents in Tokyo on the occasion of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's official visit to Japan from November 22-25, Motoyoshi said that Japan’s provision of a large number of vaccines against COVID-19 for Vietnam manifests the good friendship between the two countries.

Regarding PM Chinh's official visit to Japan this time, Motoyoshi said that Chinh is quite familiar with Japanese politicians and parliamentarians when he used to assume the role as Chairman of the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group. Last year, Yoshihide Suga, the predecessor of the current PM Fumio Kishida, chose Vietnam as the first destination for his foreign visit after taking office. This time, PM Chinh is the first foreign leader to visit Japan after PM Kishida took office. This clearly reflects the good and increasingly close friendship between Vietnam and Japan, stressed Motoyoshi.

In addition, Chinh's visit comes after Japan has just eased pandemic prevention measures and is gradually resuming socio-economic activities.

Therefore, Motoyoshi expressed his belief that cooperation opportunities between the two countries will be further expanded in the fields of economy, trade and human resources./.

School culture helps improve education quality, develop human resources: NA Vice Chair

School culture contributes to promoting and improving the quality of education, and developing qualified and talented human resources that can meet the increasing requirements of the renewal cause and international integration, National Assembly (NA) Vice Chairman Tran Thanh Man told the Vietnam Education Conference on November 21.

Therefore, improving the school culture is an urgent and important task, especially in the context that the COVID-19 pandemic is seriously affecting all aspects of the social life, including the education and training field, Man stressed.

Over the past time, the education sector has had many solutions to build school culture, creating a healthy pedagogical environment. However, he pointed out several shortcomings, including the dishonesty in teaching and learning and in testing and evaluation, unstandardised behaviours of a few number of students and teachers, as well as school violence and child abuse in some educational institutions, thus affecting the quality of teaching and learning.

The NA Vice Chairman showed his hope that the conference would propose practical solutions and policies to create a change in both awareness and action, towards a positive school culture environment.

The Vietnam Education Conference was jointly held by the NA Committee for Culture and Education, the Ministry of Education and Training and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Delegates touched on school culture from State management agencies’ viewpoints; Vietnamese and foreign experts’ opinions on the issue; and challenges, policy recommendations and solutions. They also scrutinised school culture and its relations with internal and external factors, and in the context of digital transformation and integration.

Since 2017, the annual conference has offered a forum for NA deputies, domestic and foreign experts, and educators to share experience and discuss education-training issues and put forward solutions, mechanisms and policies for effective implementation./.

Efforts made to strengthen ASEAN-China relations

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will attend the ASEAN-China Special Summit commemorating the 30th year of the ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations, which will be held virtually on November 22, at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Leaders of the two sides will review the ASEAN-China cooperation in the past three decades and devise orientations for the new period to deepen their relations so as to match the comprehensive strategic partnership, established during the 24th ASEAN-China Summit held in October.

ASEAN and China set up their ties in 1991 and upgraded the relations to a strategic partnership in October 2003.

The ASEAN-China relationship has been realised through many mechanisms including the annual summit, ministerial meetings, and five-year action plans.

China has fully participated in regional mechanisms initiated and led by ASEAN, affirming the organisation’s central role and solidarity in regional cooperation processes and supporting ASEAN to uphold its role at international multilateral forums.

ASEAN and China signed the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) in November 2002 and vowed to exert efforts to fully and effectively implement the DOC and accelerate the building of an effective and practical Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) that is in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Two-way trade surged 80-fold in the past 30 years. China was the largest trade partner of ASEAN in 2009-21 and the bloc became China’s leading trade partner for the first time last year.

China was the fourth biggest FDI investor of ASEAN in 2020, with 7.6 billion USD.

China donated 1 million USD for the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund and committed to earmarking 5 million USD from the ASEAN-China cooperation fund for public health programmes and projects in collaboration with ASEAN.

As an active member of ASEAN, Vietnam serves as a gateway to the ASEAN-China free trade area. Vietnam-China trade revenue posted an average growth rate of 20 percent annually in the past five years./.

Sedge harvest season in Phu Tan village

Across Vietnam’s Central Highlands and south-central provinces, sedge mats are widely used. For many residents, these mats, made from sedge, a plant like grass that grows in temperate and cold regions, are the preferred, comfortable option to sleep on. Photographer Le Chi Trung, 32, captured sedge harvest season in Phu Tan village in the south central province of Phu Yen.

Seminar looks to bolster OVs’ pride in protecting sea and island sovereignty

The State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a seminar to foster the pride and responsibility of OVs in the protection of the country’s sovereignty over its seas and islands on November 20.

The event, held in both in-person and online forms, offered chances for OVs across the globe to exchange with naval officers and soldiers. It was part of the implementation of the Politburo’s Conclusion No.12-KL/TW regarding OVs affairs.

Addressing the event, Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Hieu said that from 2012 to 2019, the committee in conjunction with the Vietnamese Navy High Command arranged eight delegations comprising nearly 600 OVs to visit soldiers and people residing in Truong Sa island district and DK1 platform.

Many activities have been carried out after each journey. Since 2012, OVs have raised in excess of 10 billion VND (441,000 USD) for Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago.

Hieu, who is also head of the committee, voiced his hope that the trips will be resumed once COVID-19 is brought under control.

A photo exhibition on Truong Sa and DK1 Platform was held prior to the beginning of the seminar./.

Vietnam-Japan ties thriving despite pandemic: Ambassador

The Vietnam-Japan extensive strategic partnership has been developing more solidly and practically than ever, even against the backdrop of COVID-19, Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Vu Hong Nam has affirmed.

He made the remark during an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency on the threshold of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s official visit to Japan from November 22-25 at the invitation of his Japanese counterpart Kishida Fumio.

Vietnam remains a trustworthy destination of Japanese investors, the ambassador stated. Amid demand for a stable supply, hundreds of Japanese firms have decided to open or expand factories in the Southeast Asian nation.

Japanese investors channelled more than 3.4 billion USD in Vietnam in the first 10 months of this year.

Despite the negative impacts of the ongoing pandemic, trade between Vietnam and Japan hit 34.3 billion USD in the period, up 6.4 percent year on year.

Japan has so far been the largest ODA provider for Vietnam, focusing on such fields as infrastructure construction, transport, energy, health care, poverty reduction in mountainous areas.

The countries have stood side by side in the COVID-19 fight. In the peak times of the pandemic, Vietnam presented more than 2 million face masks and personal protective suits to Japan.

Japan offered nearly 4.1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine for Vietnam, together with over 4 billion JPY (35.09 million USD) to help the latter improve capacity of the medical system.

In the upcoming visit, PM Chinh will join talks with his Japanese counterpart Kishida and meet high-ranking officials of Japan.

The two PMs are set to discuss orientations of the countries’ relations in the post-pandemic period, towards the 50th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties in 2023.

They will also exchange views on new policies facilitating border re-opening, maintaining exports-imports and supporting investment.

In addition, the Government leader of Vietnam will join working sessions with leaders of Japan’s major economic organisations such as the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren) and conglomerates in the fields of green energy, transport infrastructure and health care, among others.

The PM is set to participate in the Vietnam-Japan business forum in Tokyo and a trade promotion event linking localities of the two countries in Tochigi, during which he will inform Japanese firms about investment incentives and potential of the Vietnamese market.

He will meet with the Vietnamese community in Japan to affirm the consistent policy of the Party and State on consolidating the great national solidarity and upholding the strength of the whole nation.

The Vietnamese diplomat believed that the Japan visit by PM Chinh will be a success, creating momentum for the Vietnam-Japan ties and becoming a hallmark in the bilateral relations./

Fourteen people trafficked to Myanmar return home

Fourteen Vietnamese nationals trafficked to Myanmar were brought home on November 21.

Previously, the victims were rescued and brought back to Vietnam by the Blue Dragon Children's Foundation, a non-government organisation based in Hanoi, the Vietnamese Embassy in Myanmar, and relevant agencies of the country.

They are from Hanoi, Lao Cai, Binh Duong, Kien Giang, Yen Bai, Tuyen Quang, Nghe An, and Thanh Hoa.

After returning to Vietnam, they were quarantined for 14 days in the northern province of Tuyen Quang./.

Vietnam moves to widely popularise tra, basa fish in Australia

A programme on branding and market development for Vietnam’s frozen tra and basa (Pangasius) is being held in Australia in November and December.

This is part of economic diplomatic activities implemented by the Vietnamese Embassy in conjunction with the Vietnam Trade Office in Australia.

Speaking at a ceremony to launch the programme in Melbourne on November 20, Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Nguyen Tat Thanh said that Vietnam's tra and basa have long been popular in many choosy markets such as the US, Europe and Japan. In Australia, these products are also very famous and present in most supermarkets and food stores across the country.

The programme is expected to be carried out in many different locations in Australia, including an online “Pangasius Expo” with the participation of nearly 100 businesses in early December.

On the same day, Ambassador Thanh announced a plan to develop the brand of Vietnamese frozen passion fruit in the Australian market. He said that three tonnes of the fruit are being shipped to Australia.

This shipment will soon arrive at the Australian port in the coming days, marking the first time Vietnam's frozen passion fruit has been present in the country.

The ambassador shared that the embassy is actively negotiating with Australia so that Vietnam's fresh passion fruit can be licensed to be imported into the country./.

Primorsky Krai-Vietnam friendship association marks founding anniversary

A get-together was recently held to mark the 50th founding anniversary of a friendship association between Russia's Primorsky Krai province and Vietnam.

An exhibition on Vietnam was arranged on the occasion, featuring Vietnamese costumes, tools and more than 200 drawings by Russian students.

Musical performances and an ‘ao dai’ (traditional long dress) show were also staged at the event.

Deputy Director of Primorsky Krai’s department of culture Olga Maximchuk voiced a hope that more young people of Russia will travel to Vietnam, and vice versa.

Half a century ago, workers of five largest firms in Vladivostok and others joined hands to set up a branch of the Soviet Union-Vietnam Friendship Association in Vladivostok so as to support Vietnamese people during the resistance war against the US. The organisation changed its name to Primorsky Krai-Vietnam Friendship Association in 1992.

A Vietnamese culture-education centre established by the association has introduced the country’s history and culture as well as and taught Vietnamese language for 20 years./.

Golden Lotus winners at 22nd Vietnam Film Festival announced

The 22nd Vietnam Film Festival award ceremony took place in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue on November 20 evening, with “Mat biec” (Dreamy Eyes) winning the Golden Lotus title for the movie category.

In this category, “Bo Gia” (Dad, I’m sorry) got the Silver Lotus prize.

In the documentary category, “Ranh gioi’ (The Bourdary) made by the Vietnam Television (VTV) pocketed the Golden Lotus title, while “Diem mu giao thong” (Traffic blind spots), also by VTV, won the Golden Lotus title for the science fiction category.

The Golden Lotus prize in the category of Animation went to the film "Con chim go” (Wooden Bird) produced by Vietnam Animation Joint Stock Company.

The best main actress and actor awards in the movie category went to People's Artist Le Khanh, in the movie “Gai gia lam chieu V – Nhung cuoc doi vuong gia” and Tuan Tran (Tran Duy Tuan) in the movie “Bo Gia”. The best supporting actress and supporting actor awards were presented to Ngan Chi in the movie "Bo Gia" and Otis (Do Nhat Truong) in the movie “Bang chung vo hinh” (invisible evidence).

Under the motto of “Building a Vietnamese film industry with rich national identity, modernity and humanity”, the 22nd Vietnam Film Festival featured 127 films from 40 units./.

Lao Cai festival highlights northwestern region’s quintessence

A festival honouring the quintessence of ethnic groups in the northwestern region is underway in Sa Pa national tourist site of Lao Cai province.

The three-day event, initiated by Lao Cai and supported by eight northwestern localities, also aims to promote tourism development.

It is hoped to become an annual festival which introduces cultural traits, costumes and cuisines of local ethnic groups in the region.

Director of the Lao Cai provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ha Van Thang said this is the first year the province has hosted such an event, which includes musical programmes and activities promoting brocade weaving, specialties of Lao Cai and Sa Pa love market.

Lao Cai in particular and eight northwestern provinces at large hope that it will help local ethnic groups bolster solidarity and honour their cultural values, he added.

The festival, running until November 21, is expected to mark the resumption of tourism activities in Lao Cai and at the same time promote its tourism programmes while exerting efforts to keep COVID-19 under control, affirming the province as a safe destination./.

Quang Ninh opens Vietnam Circus Festival

The Vietnam Circus Festival kicked off in the northern province of Quang Ninh on November 20 evening under the theme “Quang Ninh - The convergence of Vietnamese circus stars 2021”.

This is a national cultural event held annually in Ha Long city, drawing the participation of nearly 100 artists from the Vietnam Circus Federation.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Culture and Sports Tran Tien Dung emphasised that the festival is an activity in response to Quang Ninh's tourism recovery programme in 2021 to attract more visitors to the locality.

This event also contributes to popularising and promoting the image of Quang Ninh’s culture and people, as well as Ha Long as a safe, friendly and attractive destination in the context that the province is effectively controlling the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The Vietnam Circus Festival will take place until the end of November 21./.

Exploring one of the most beautiful Vietnamese ancient villages in Thanh Hoa

Lying on the southern bank of Ma River in Ham Rong ward, Thanh Hoa city in the north central province of same name, Dong Son ancient village has been viewed as one of the ten most beautiful ancient villages in Vietnam.

It is attractive to visitors for its peaceful beauty, historical architecture, and Dong Son archaeological relics.

With a total area of nearly 4sq.km, Dong Son ancient village is home to 330 households whose main earnings come from farming.

The history of the village is associated with the ups and downs of the history of Thanh Hoa. It reflects the development of the locality from the time of Hung Kings to the modern age.

Touring the thousand-year village, tourists will be firstly impressed by the archaeological vestiges of Dong Son Culture, which has been famous all around the world since mid-1920s. They will be then impressed by characteristic elements of Vietnam’s traditional villages with small lanes, ancient pagodas, temples, communal houses, and wells. To reach small lanes, tourists can only enter the village through a main gateway.

Dong Son ancient village is considered as a typical Vietnamese village as it retains a system of tangible and intangible cultural values and villagers observe a 100-article village convention on communal land management, funeral and wedding. In addition, the village is divided into sub-villages which classify locals by their spiritual life. For example, Van (Literature) sub-village is home to Chinese script learners, while Vo (martial arts) sub-village gathers those who serve in the military, and Nhac (Music) sub-village is for those who are interested in music.

Together with keeping the values of religious relics, including temples, communal houses, and epitaph, the village preserves its annual festival on the third day of the third lunar month with a wide range of rituals in commemoration of the village founder.

The Thanh Hoa provincial People’s Committee has organised a tour of the village as an effort to preserve and promote cultural values and create an interesting tourism product of the province. Joining the tour, visitors have an opportunity to learn about and experience Dong Son Culture and visit interesting tourism destinations, including the national relic of the Le Uy - Tran Khat Chan temple, Dong Son archaeological relics, the provincial-level relic of Dong Son pagoda, and an over 200-year-old ancient house of Luong Trong Due's family. Tourists will ramble through the village’s four lanes, including Nhan (Humanity), Nghia (Righteousness), Tri (Wisdom), and Dung (Bravery)./.

One more song composed to spread optimism during COVID-19

The latest song composed by poet Ngoc Le Ninh has made a contribution to promoting national pride and encouraging all forces in the country to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Bai ca thang giac Corona” (or a song encouraging people to stamp out the coronavirus) made its debut not so long following the song “a march to put out the coronavirus). With lively lyrics, “Bai ca thang giac Corona” helps lift people’s spirits to fight against the pandemic.

"Spirit is an important source of power in fully defeating the virus. I wrote this song to encourage all forces to make a concerted effort to win the fight," said Poet and Composer Ngoc Le Ninh.

"The song talks about national solidarity during tough times. We made a music video to pay tribute to frontline forces and to share the difficulties with the whole country, particularly pandemic-hit localities such as Ho Chi Minh City and southern provinces," Meritorious Artist Tran Tua said.

The music video attracted the participation of famous artists, together with director Bao Bao and primary school students.

Meritorious Artist Hong Lien said: "I was happy to take part in the music video. The song encourages people to carry out the “5K message” to prevent the spread of the virus, helping life to return to normal soon."

Ngoc Le Ninh’s poems, with new and vibrant genres, have breathed fresh air into contemporary poetry.

According to Ninh, writers and artists are soldiers on the frontline of culture and art. They should do more to raise public awareness and encourage their involvement in the fight against COVID-19. 

Ngoc Le Ninh is now working at the Vietnam Environment Administration. He has published a wide range of poems, many of which were warmly received by readers./. 

Vietnamese intellectuals in Japan share ideas for post-pandemic development

Nearly 1,000 Vietnamese intellectuals in Japan are gathering at a forum opened on November 20 to contribute opinions to help with national development in the post-pandemic period.

The two-day Vietnam Summit in Japan, the second of its kind so far, is also attended by many Vietnamese intellectuals’ associations around the world.

It features a plenary session and eight panel discussions, focusing on current issues such as how to live with the COVID-19 pandemic in the new normal, online learning, digital transformation, building smart cities, and developing the agricultural economy in the Mekong Delta.

At the opening ceremony, the Vietnamese Academic Network in Japan unveiled a collection of 35 articles by scientists and experts working in different fields in Japan. The writings look into the strengths and technologies of Japan that can help deal with existing problems in Vietnam.

In November 2019, the Vietnam Summit in Japan was held for the first time with the participation of nearly 900 Vietnamese intellectuals in and outside the Northeast Asian nation.

By the start of 2021, there were about 448,000 Vietnamese people living, studying, and working in Japan. More than 50 percent of them are intellectuals such as students, scientists, and experts in various areas, according to the Japanese Ministry of Justice./.

HCM City book street celebrates Teachers’ Day

A series of cultural activities to celebrate Vietnam Teachers’ Day on November 20 are being held at the Ho Chi Minh City Book Pedestrian Street in District 1 until November 28.

The celebration is organised by the HCM City Book Street Company and its partners, including city-based publishing houses and book companies, to promote the habit of reading in the community, especially children.

The event features an exhibition of 24 award-winning books from the National Book Awards 2021, announced in Hanoi earlier this month.

The books feature topics on politics-economics, natural sciences and technology, social sciences, humanities, culture, and literature.

Around 20 children’s books, which won National Book Awards from 2018 to 2020, are also on display.

In addition, the organisers are introducing a special collection of quality reference books for teachers, children and parents.

They will introduce two song books along with music performances from child singers.

An exhibition showcasing children’s paintings conveying messages of love to frontline workers and doctors fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic will be held from November 21-28./.

State leader attends opening ceremony of new school year at National University of Agriculture

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc attended a ceremony marking the Vietnamese Teachers’ Day and the new academic year 2021 - 2022 at the Vietnam National University of Agriculture (VNUA) in Hanoi on November 20.

Applauding the university’s achievements, the State leader underlined the challenges facing Vietnam’s agriculture in the time ahead and asked the VNUA to help the country’s agriculture gain a foothold, catch up with changes of the era, including digital transformation, and turn challenges into opportunities.

He affirmed education - training is a national policy and science - technology the key to national development.

The Party and State always trust and hope the VNUA will keep upholding its glorious tradition and making practical and effective contributions to sustainably developing agriculture, building new-style rural areas, and forming a class of civilised farmers, he highlighted.

President Phuc requested the university strive to soon become an exemplary research university while boosting the combination of research activities with training and working to serve demand in society.

He also asked relevant ministries and sectors to assist the VNUA to become an exemplary university and take part in the national target programme on new-style countryside building, the one on socio-economic development in ethnic minority areas, as well as other programmes in the time ahead.

The leader expressed his hope that VNUA teachers and students will turn their enthusiasm and intelligence into an endless source of energy lighting up rural areas in Vietnam.

On this occasion, the President presented the Meritorious Teacher title to 12 lecturers of the university./.

Vietnamese-origin teachers in Cambodia honoured on Teachers’ Day

The Consulate General of Vietnam in the Cambodian province of Preah Sihanouk in collaboration with a private company has visited two Vietnamese-origin teachers on the occasion of the Vietnamese Teachers’ Day (November 20).

The Consulate General of Vietnam in the Cambodian province of Preah Sihanouk in collaboration with a private company has visited two Vietnamese-origin teachers on the occasion of the Vietnamese Teachers’ Day (November 20).

Nguyen Thi Suong and Tran Thi Hoai An (Sok Ann) have been teaching language classes for Vietnamese expats in Cambodia at the headquarters of the Khmer-Vietnam Association in Preah Sihanouk’s Executive Board for years.

69-year-old Suong has been offering Vietnamese language lessons for Vietnamese-born and Cambodian children for nearly 15 years. Her Vietnamese students have been taught to speak their mother tongue and explored their roots and fatherland’s traditional customs.

The Cambodian alumni, meanwhile, have learnt Vietnamese to be able to work at Vietnamese companies in Preah Sihanouk and act as a bridge between these firms and local government and people.

An, 28, is a graduate from Preah Sihanouk’s university of economic management and an employee of a local telecom company. She has been teaching Khmer language for Vietnamese people in the province.

Both teachers showed their gratitude for the Vietnamese Consulate General’s gesture, saying they will do their best to help Vietnamese people, particularly children, living in the Cambodian province learn both languages and integrate well into the local community.

The Vietnamese Consulate General and its partner company also took the occasion to present gifts to Vietnamese-origin teachers in the provinces of Koh Kong, Kampot, Kep, Takeo and Kampong Speu, and send Vietnamese books to Vietnamese-born children in Cambodia./.

PM urges consistency in pandemic adaptation, socio-economic development measures

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on November 20 pointed out a high risk of COVID-19 resurgence, demanding all-level authorities and sectors to take measures for pandemic adaptation and socio-economic development in a uniform and consistent manner.

The leader, who is also head of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, made the request while chairing a national teleconference with the 63 provincial-level committees nationwide.

As of November 19, Vietnam recorded more than 1 million COVID-19 cases in the fourth wave of infections that started in late April, including 880,000 recoveries (or 82 percent) and 23,500 deaths, according to the national committee.

In more than one month of taking measures for safely and flexibly adapting to and effectively controlling the pandemic, the country has seen 105,543 cases of community transmission, including 90,442 in the southern region (85.6 percent).

The number of community infections increased 2.9 percent, fatalities declined 46.3 percent, those under treatment at hospital down 25.3 percent, and the cases in critical conditions down 40.8 percent month on month.

The national committee said the pandemic has been basically brought under control nationwide. However, community transmission of the coronavirus tends to grow in many localities, with many cases showing no symptoms, having unknown infection sources, or being linked with people returning from pandemic-hit areas.

Blaming subjective factors for the recent unwanted situation, PM Chinh warned about COVID-19 resurgence, asking all-level authorities and sectors to have a better grasp, forecast and analysis of the situation so as to carry out feasible and effective anti-pandemic actions.

He told the Ministry of Health to complete a general strategy for COVID-19 prevention and control, and authorities and sectors to overhaul the legal basis for implementing measures for safe and flexible adaption to and effective control of COVID-19, as well as for socio-economic recovery and development, in a uniform and consistent manner at all levels.

He requested that in the immediate future, localities and sectors seriously carry out the resolution and the temporary regulations on safe and flexible adaptation to and effective control of the pandemic.

The Government leader demanded localities assist one another in COVID-19 response, step up vaccination so that all people aged 18 and above will be fully inoculated by the end of 2021, build vaccination plans for children, give the third dose of vaccine for adults, and ensure sufficient and timely supply of drugs.

The PM also ordered continued communications to raise people and businesses’ awareness, effectively apply technology to COVID-19 prevention and control, issue appropriate regulations on entry into and exit from the country, and especially fight corruption and group interests during the implementation of anti-pandemic and socio-economic policies./.

Ba Ria - Vung Tau promotes eco-tourism at national park

The southern province of Ba Ria - Vung Tau has planned to establish 17 eco-tourism areas under a tourism development project at its Con Dao National Park until 2030.

The project includes ecological, leisure and entertainment areas at the national park.

The authority of Con Dao island will promote eco-tourism and raise public awareness about the locality’s natural, cultural, historical and humanitarian values through tourism activities.

Park Director Nguyen Khac Pho said the park is pioneering eco-tourism in combination with nature education. It will work with local authorities and agencies to enhance forest and maritime resource preservation, and build a database on forest resources, along with a map of natural resources.

The province expects the new activities will attract more investment in tourism in Con Dao.

The 16-island archipelago of Con Dao is located at 180km from Vung Tau city, and about 230km southeast of Ho Chi Minh City. It has a land area of nearly 6,000ha and water surface of 14,000ha. 

It is well known for its beaches with white sand, deep blue water and colorful coral reefs. French colonialists and the Americans turned the island into a prison to jail Vietnamese revolutionary soldiers in wartime. The former prison facility has attracted many local and foreign visitors in recent years.

The national park is home to 1,077 species of vascular plants and 155 species of fauna. Many bird species in Con Dao cannot be found anywhere else in Vietnam, such as the red-billed tropicbird, masked booby, and pied imperial pigeon.

Surveys conducted by the Nha Trang Institute of Oceanography found more than 1,300 maritime fauna and flora species, including 44 in Vietnam’s Red Data Book, in the park. Con Dao is home to a small population of dugongs that are vulnerable to extinction worldwide.

Con Dao National Park is also an important nesting place for olive ridley sea turtles and hawksbill sea turtles, two species threatened with extinction globally.

The national park, a Ramsar site of wetlands of international importance, has more than 340 species of corals and is one of the richest and most diverse coral reefs in the country.

However, many of its reefs suffered from bleaching and died on a large scale because of rising sea temperatures in 1998, 2010 and 2016 and because of low salinity in 2005.

Many of the affected reefs could not recover naturally./.

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

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