Ho Chi Minh City currently has no plans to vaccinate children aged 12-17 against COVID-19, deputy head of the municipal Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control Pham Duc Hai affirmed on October 18.

According to him, the municipal Department of Health is asking for directions from the municipal People's Committee on the plan.

Regarding the reopening of on-site restaurants, deputy head of the municipal Department of Industry and Trade Nguyen Nguyen Phuong stated that the city also does not have any plan to resume on-site catering in fear of large gatherings.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Van Lam, Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, said that the city has to date provided allowances from support packages for about 5 million people.

There are still about 1.5 million people who have not received assistance. Therefore, the department has proposed and got approval from the municipal People's Committee to extend the support period until October 22, said Lam.

Regarding the return of workers to Ho Chi Minh City, he said that the labour supply will be better in the coming time.

At the meeting, Le Thien Quynh Nhu, Deputy Chief of the Office of the Health Department, stated that there is also a roadmap for the COVID-19 treatment hospitals in the city to stop operating./.

PM praises frontline medical workers for sacrifice in the fight against COVID-19

The Party and the State always acknowledge the contributions and sacrifice made by frontline medical forces in the fight against COVID-19, said Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính yesterday at a meeting with representatives of the forces nationwide.

He said that frontline medical workers are an important force along with the military, police and others in combating the pandemic.

Those who made outstanding contributions deserve to be honoured, he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam said many of those meeting the PM took on double tasks - being a doctor and a manager.

The frontline medical forces are not only military medics, police officers, nurses, students and volunteers who help doctors at hospitals but also nuns and even recovered patients. They have taken on duties similar to those of doctors.

“All medical forces have made extremely noble sacrifices and extraordinary efforts. The biggest reward for them is public recognition. Our fight against COVID-19 has not stopped. I hope we will continue in this spirit,” Đam said.

According to Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long, following the call from Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, hundreds of thousands of medical workers and technicians from pandemic-hit localities and nearly 20,000 doctors and nurses mobilised from central and local healthcare facilities have been on duty for more than five months.

Many doctors and nurses volunteered to offer assistance in COVID hot spots. The voluntary spirit and their sacrifice have been shown through stories of a nurse leaving her child at home with grandparents to take on the duty, retired doctors travelling thousands of kilometres to the south or those who overcame the sorrow of losing relatives in the pandemic to continue their work.

They have made double or triple efforts and overcame challenges of having to save patients in poor medical conditions, even suffering great pressure due to overcrowded facilities, or worked non-stop in environments prone to infection risk and stress, he said.

Those difficulties were not obstacles to their spirit. With the motto ‘Putting patients’ health first’, doctors and nurses all thought they should ‘Never give up’, he said.

“Efforts and sacrifices made by medical workers have achieved good results, contributed to the initial success of containing the pandemic across the country,” Long said.

Praising the medical forces for their contribution, Long sent thanks to sectors including local authorities, military forces, volunteers, local business communities and recovered patients for standing side by side with the medical workers to accomplish their tasks.

He also thanked their families who are always a source of encouragement for doctors and nurses to overcome challenges, even risks to wholeheartedly protect public health.

When the fourth wave of the pandemic was pushed back, doctors and nurses returned home. Meanwhile, those from Cho Ray and Bạch Mai hospitals immediately headed to Ca Mau and Thanh Hoa provinces to continue assistance. Doctors and nurses of the intensive care centres of Cho Ray, University Medical Centre (HCM City), Central Hue Hospital will continue their duties until the end of the year to get ready for any new developments.

It is not time to let down our guard. It is time for medical forces to draw lessons from experience to improve their professional capacity, the health minister said. 

Health Ministry leaders asked to directly provide COVID-19 fight information on mass media

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has asked leaders of the Ministry of Health to provide latest information to the media on daily and weekly basis on COVID-19 prevention and control situation.

According to the Government Office’s Document No. 7540/VPCP-KGVX, the PM, who is also head of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, made the request with a view to ensuring localities, sectors, businesses and the community are kept updated on the pandemic situation, thus reaching social consensus in fighting the pandemic.

In the document, the PM stressed the significance of the timely provision of full information on COVID-19 situation and control measures to sectors, localities, the public and business community in maintaining results of pandemic fight.

The Government leader asked the Ministry of Health to regularly update, sum up and announce information of pandemic developments, pandemic prevention and control regulations and measures, issues related to vaccination and the settlement of arising problems.

Under the document, the PM asked the Minister of Health to directly provide the information to the mas media every week and assign a deputy minister to do the task every day./.

SEA Games Federation updated on plan for SEA Games 31

The Southeast Asian Games Federation (SEAGF) Office held a virtual meeting on October 18, with the participation of representatives from 11 national Olympic Committees and members of the SEAGF Office, according to the Vietnam Olympic Committee.

The event adopted the minutes of the meeting held on September 17, and updated the COVID-19 situation in each country as well as preparations for the 31st SEA Games (SEA Games 31) in Vietnam.

It also gathered opinions on the draft joint statement of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Sports slated for October 28, which aims to improve athletes’ performance and achievements at regional and international competitions.

At the meeting, Deputy General Director of the Vietnam Sports Administration Tran Duc Phan said the Vietnamese Government has approved the postponement of SEA Games 31 until the second quarter of 2022, slated to open in mid-May. The Vietnamese side will soon inform the SEAGF Office and other national Olympic Committees of its official plan, he added.

Preparations for SEA Games 31 are underway, particularly repairs to venues such as stadiums and water sports stadiums, he said.

The organising committee is re-building a roadmap for the holding of the event and its timetable, said Phan, who is also deputy head of the committee.

As originally planned, SEA Games 31 and the 11th ASEAN Para Games would take place from November 21 to December 2 in Vietnam this year./.

HCM City eyes stronger cooperation with foreign countries, localities

Ho Chi Minh City wants to strengthen cooperation with foreign countries and localities to implement its development projects, a local official said on October 18.

Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Vo Van Hoan made the affirmation at a meeting between newly-appointed heads of Vietnamese representative agencies abroad, and representatives from 19 localities in the southern key economic region and the Mekong Delta.

He highlighted development projects in the southern city like those on building smart urban areas, a financial centre and a highly innovative and interactive urban area to the east of the city.

HCM City needs external resources in terms of capital, knowledge, science and technology to realise its socio-economic development targets, Hoan said, suggesting the chief representatives help the city further enhance its collaboration with foreign localities.

The official briefed the chief representatives on ties between HCM City and such countries as the US, Germany, Japan and China, as well as their localities.

HCM City wants to learn from foreign experience in the decentralisation of power and the building of typical mechanisms for the “city in city” model, enabling Thu Duc city in the southern metropolis to bring into full play its potential and strength in development.

At the meeting, the chiefs of Vietnamese representative offices abroad for the 2021-2024 tenure spoke highly of HCM City’s role in boosting diplomatic ties between Vietnamese localities and their foreign counterparts.

They pledged to better connect the localities in the southern key economic region and the Mekong Delta, with foreign partners in delegation exchange and collaboration in economy, trade, investment, and science-technology./.

Over 98% of HCMC residents administered with first COVID-19 vaccine dose

Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) has administered first dose of COVID-19 vaccine to 98.7 percent of residents aged 18 and older, the city’s Center for Disease Control reported Sunday morning.

Since the southern metropolis kicked off vaccination campaign on June 19, the cumulative vaccine doses inoculated reached 12,571,081 doses, with 5,457,798 fully vaccinated people, representing over 75 percent of the eligible population. 

District 5, district 11, Phu Nhuan and Cu chi districts have achieved their target of administering two doses to all residents aged 18 and older while full vaccination coverage rose to 99.8 percent in district 7.

HCMC has been allocated with 14,091,264 doses of COVID-19 vaccines, accounting for 20.39 percent of total vaccines delivered to Viet Nam so far.

The city planned to give vaccine to adolescents aged between 12 and 17 from October 22./.

As of 7:00 pm on Saturday, the city recorded 413,768 infection cases, including 16,151 fatalities since the fourth COVID-19 wave hit Viet Nam on April 27.

The daily number of infections has significantly decreased over the past days, allowing the southern economic hub to gradually reopen economic activities./.

Phu Tho province deploys wide-scale testing after recording 92 cases in 5 days

Authorities of Phú Thọ Province have recorded 38 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the province from October 13 to 92, according to the provincial Department of Health.

The initial infection source has not been discovered.

To combat the outbreak, Phú Thọ province has enacted a wide-scale testing programme. 1,000 medical workers from 12 medical facilities were mobilised to test people in the areas of Việt Trì City, Lâm Thao and Phù Ninh districts, discovering 112 suspected cases. All suspected cases are subjected to quarantine at home, while they await their RT-PCR test results.

The province ordered related authorities to move all new cases to the province’s field hospitals, as well as enacting temporary lockdowns and quick tests for related areas. 

According to a new document published on October 17 by Phú Thọ province on preventing COVID-19 community transmissions, all mass gathering events in Phú Thọ are cancelled; and cinemas, disco halls, karaoke bars, internet cafés, gaming centers, spas are closed. People can only order takeaways in restaurants and food stalls. All schools and universities in Việt Trì City and Lâm Thao District are closed and classes are held online until further notice.

Phú Thọ has also prepared for a mass vaccination campaign in Lâm Thao District, starting on Monday, with a goal of 30,000 shots to be administered.

The province prepared 400 ICU beds at local medical facilities for COVID-19 treatment. 

HCM City aspires to promote external relations for socio-economic development

Ho Chi Minh City desperately needs external resources in terms of capital, knowledge and science and technology to carry out its targets for socio-economic development in the time ahead.

Vo Van Hoan, vice chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee made the affirmation at an online conference held on October 18 between 28 heads of Vietnamese diplomatic missions abroad for the 2021-2024 term and representatives of 19 localities in the key economic regions in the South and the Mekong Delta.

Vo Van Hoan suggested the new heads of diplomatic missions in countries whose localities are identified as key points in foreign relations, continue to help deal with issues of the city's concern

Specifically, the southern metropolis desires to step up cooperation with the US in the fields of smart cities, renewable energy, and innovation.

It also pays special attention to connecting with successful Vietnamese start-ups in the US, strengthening educational cooperation, and calling for the Vietnamese community in the US to continue their greater contributions to the national development.

This is addition to boosting cooperation activities between Ho Chi Minh City and San Francisco, the locality has maintained friendly and cooperative relations with HCM City since 1995 in in terms of high technology and education.

Furthermore, HCM City hopes that diplomatic representative agencies in Germany will continue to help promote the relationship between the city and Frankfurt and Leipzig as well as other German localities in the implementation of memorandum of understanding (MOU) on cooperation in information technology, investment, trade, science, the environment, adaption to climate change, and tourism.

It also aspires to receive more support in calling partners to invest in the financial sector, building a financial, science and technology centre, the fields which are the strengths of Germany.

Municipal leaders proposed the diplomatic missions in Japan continue to support and create favorable conditions for the city to share experience and study Japan's smart urban development models, typically those within the framework of the Japan-ASEAN Smart Cities Network.

They also underlined the need to augment cooperation in supplying medical equipment, transferring vaccine production technology, connecting businesses in the field of the environment and climate change to continue realizing a low-carbon city development plan between the City and Osaka.

The city also wants Japanese localities to support its annual organization of cultural festivals  in Japan, while helping implement effectively agreements on tourism cooperation, attract more Japanese visitors to the city in the new normal, enhance cultural exchanges and Japanese teaching, and train municipal educational administrators and teachers.

As for Shanghai (China),  the southern city wishes to ramp up cooperation in the fields of construction, financial center development, policy formulation, reform, education management, youth exchanges, and cooperation in general and tertiary education, vocational training.

Besides, the city is keen to bolster cooperation with all countries and foreign localities in the successful implementation of municipal development projects, especially smart city projects, a financial center development project, a project on formation and development of an innovative, highly interactive city in the East of the city.

In his remarks, To Anh Dung, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, acknowledged municipal leaders' proposal on the need for international cooperation relations to well perform its role in connecting with foreign partners for socio-economic development activities in the city.

New Vietnamese Ambassadors and Consul Generals pledged greater efforts to well realise contents regarding foreign affairs as proposed by localities, to fulfill the role in connecting between localities in the southern key economic region, provinces in the Mekong Delta and foreign partners in the fields of economics, trade, investment, and science and technology.

HCM City yet to vaccinate children against COVID-19

Ho Chi Minh City, the largest coronavirus hotspot in Vietnam, has yet to inoculate its children aged 12 to 17 against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, said Pham Duc Hai, deputy head of the HCM City Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control at a press briefing on October 18.

The municipal Department of Health has made a proposal to launch a vaccination campaign for children, starting on October 22. However, the municipal administration has not approved the plan, noting it is awaiting additional guidance from the Ministry of Health, said Hai.

The Ministry of Health has recently encouraged localities to vaccinate children aged 12 to 17 without giving details of the vaccine and vaccination procedures.

Only when the ministry gives more details, will the municipal administration approve the vaccination campaign for children, Hai told media workers.

According to the municipal Department of Health, HCM City has approximately 780,000 children aged from 12 to 17. Under its proposal, the city will be given their first shot in five days and their second shot in 15 days.

In the world, the Pfizer vaccine called Comirnaty has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for emergency use in children aged 12 and above.

The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine requires two injections given 21 days apart. The second dose can be given up to six weeks after the first dose, if needed.

Civil aviation authority proposes increasing domestic flights after October 20

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has proposed increasing the number of domestic routes from October 20.

The CAAV sent the proposal to the Ministry of Transport for when the first phase of the pilot period of reopening domestic flights ends.

Previously, the CAAV proposed a four-phase plan to resume domestic flights. In the first phase, to be carried over ten days from October 10 to 20, airlines resume routes with a flight frequency not exceeding half of that in the first 10 days of April, the time before the fourth coronavirus wave in Việt Nam. Passengers on the planes must be distanced as well.

In the second phase, the CAAV proposed to continue opening flight three routes from Hà Nội-Đà Nẵng, Hà Nội-HCM City, and Đà Nẵng-HCM City from October 21 to November 30.

The frequency on each route would increase to not exceed 70 per cent compared to the first 10 days of April.

Six flights from Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet, Bamboo Airways and Pacific Airlines (two flights for each airline) would be allowed to operate each route per day.

On other routes, there would be no more than one round trip for each airline on each route.

The CAAV said it would evaluate the COVID-19 situation in these localities and other localities and adjust the flight frequency. In case the pandemic is controlled, the airlines would be allowed to operate normally like in pre-pandemic times from early December.

The CAAV also proposed to remove the seat spacing in this phase.

Results of the first days of piloting the reopening of domestic routes showed that the rate of flights remained low at about 49 per cent compared to the CAAV’s expectation.

In the first five days, four airlines including Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet, Bamboo Airways and Pacific Airlines only performed 98 one-way flights out of a total of 200 planned flights to Điện Biên, Nội Bài, Cát Bi, Thọ Xuân, Vinh, Đồng Hới, Phú Bài, Đà Nẵng, Chu Lai, Phù Cát, Tuy Hòa, Cam Ranh, Pleiku, Tân Sơn Nhất, Rạch Giá and Phú Quốc.

The total number of passengers was 5,924.

The reason, according to the CAAV, was that the airlines had to wait for the official documents of the Ministry of Transport on conditions for passengers before launching ticket sales.

Strict conditions requiring passengers to be fully vaccinated is another reason because of the low rate of vaccination in many localities.

Passengers would be required to follow the “5K message”, make health declarations, and present a negative COVID-19 test result issued at most 72 hours before departure.

Passengers on flights from other localities to Hà Nội must meet one of three conditions, including being fully vaccinated, having recovered from the disease in the last six months, or presenting a negative COVID-19 test result issued within 72 hours before departure.

The proposal has been sent to the Ministry of Transport, and once approved, would be applied from October 20. 

NA Chairman requests best preparations for legislature’s year-end session

National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue on October 18 asked relevant NA agencies to make the best possible preparations ahead of the legislative body’s second session which is due to start on October 20.

Working alongside leaders of the NA Office and relevant agencies, NA Chairman Hue said that the legislature’s primary goal is to cut short the year-end session’s working time to 17 days in comparison to the usual timeframe of one month whilst ensuring the quality of its responses to national development in 2022 and beyond.

According to the legislative leader, at present the latest COVID-19 outbreak has been basically brought under controlled, although the risk remains imminent. Therefore he said the National Assembly’s goal to shorten the working time as much as possible is to create conditions for the Government, ministries, sectors, and localities to focus on disease prevention and control and socio-economic recovery.

He requested that the NA General Secretary review all reports and documents before sending them to all NA deputies for later discussions to ensure the year-end session is more effective and practical.

Hue also suggested that the NA Secretary General, the Secretariat of the legislative body, and the NA Office continue to listen to voters’ thoughts and aspirations regarding the legislature’s activities and duly make recommendations to renovate the body’s overall performance.

The NA is scheduled to convene its year-end session in Hanoi on October 20 in order to examine the implementation of socio-economic development tasks for the year and set key targets for 2022. Lawmakers will also conduct a review and pass a number of bills.

Thua Thien-Hue tourism sector speeds up digital transformation, adapts to COVID-19

As one of the major tourist destinations of Vietnam, the central province of Thua Thien-Hue has managed to maintain operations by applying various measures to adapt to COVID-19 pandemic situation.

According to the provincial Department of Tourism, so far this year, the locality has welcomed 16,000-19,000 visitors each month. A number of small accommodation facilities have shut down, but four and five-star hotels as well as coastal resorts have still opened for visitors.

Director of the department Tran Huu Thuy Giang said that the Thua Thien-Hue tourism sector is speeding up digital transformation and creating more interesting tourism products for visitors on the Internet space. The sector has made a 3D map on its destinations. At each site, automatic presentation is provided, from which visitors can hear after scanning the QR code using their smartphones.

Particularly, the digital transformation has been made in association with tourism promotion activities, thus optimising advertising activities on outstanding tourism products of the locality, Giang said.

Giang added that leaders of the provincial Department of Tourism have worked with major social media networks in Vietnam such as Facebook, Tik Tok, Zalo and Youtube to seek support in promoting Hue tourism image.

Through their technology and data in tourists, those platforms will help popularise Hue tourism through particular tourism products, according to Giang who took the promotion of “Hue - Capital of Ao Dai” and “Hue - Capital of Cuisine” programmes as examples. Giang said that the promotion of local tourism will be made in association with the introduction of destination for hiring and tailoring Ao Dai (Vietnamese long dress) as well as best locations for taking pictures with Ao Dai, along with outstanding restaurants and hotels serving royal dishes and foods for vegetarians, making it easier for tourists to explore and enjoy the specialties.

Besides, the provincial tourism sector is designing a programme to promote the heritage and culture of the Hue ancient capital city in foreign countries in a hope to actively prepare for the recovery of international tourism markets when COVID-19 is put under good control.

The Department of Tourism of Thua-Thien Hue will coordinate with the US-based CNN channel to conduct a tourism promotion package in eight weeks in 2022, with 30-second advertisement on tourism of Thua Thien-Hue to be aired in major programmes and digital platforms of CNN, targeting major markets such as the Republic of Korea, Thailand, Germany, the US, the UK and Taiwan (China).

Along with efforts in speeding up digital transformation, the province has paid great attention to human resources training to serve tourism sector. The provincial Department of Tourism has shaken hands with the Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs to organise training courses for chefs serving royal and vegan dishes, as well as courses on community-based tourism.

Commenting on the prospect of tourism recovery in the rest of the year and in 2022, Giang said that it will greatly depend on the capacity in controlling the pandemic and the COVID-19 vaccine coverage in the province. Weather conditions is also a factor affecting the tourism sector of central localities, particularly in the flooding season, Giang added.

Hue, which was the imperial capital of Vietnam for over 100 years, is home to five heritages recognised by UNESCO, which are the Hue ancient citadel relic complex – a World Cultural Heritage site; Nha Nhac (Hue royal court music)- an intangible cultural heritage item; Nguyen Dynasty’s wood blocks – a documentary heritage item; Nguyen Dynasty’s Chau ban (royal administrative documents) – part of the Asia-Pacific Register of UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme; and literature on Hue royal architecture - a documentary heritage.

The Hue imperial citadel relic was ranked second among top seven tourism attractions of Vietnam in 2017./.

Consistency in pandemic prevention rules needed for tourism revival

With domestic demand anticipated to rebound after months of COVID-19 stagnation, the tourism industry is in dire need of a safe tourism model to welcome back holidaymakers when Vietnam moves into a new normal.

Many localities moving into post-pandemic period have drawn up pilot plans to welcome back holidaymakers. 
Experts suggested that Vietnam should formulate a clear set of tourism safety criteria that can be applicable to all localities as travelers are now facing numerous hurdles in relation to pandemic regulations, which include vaccination, rapid or RT-PCR tests, and the strict implementation of medical declarations or quarantine rules.

Pham Ha, CEO of Lux Group, said tour operators remain confused and have not been updated on regulations to receive tourists, noting there are no clear regulations for people looking to travel.

Phung Quang Thang, chairman of the Hanoi Travel Association, stressed safety matters should be given priority, and local tour operators should be encouraged to work together to connect safe destinations in order to form a chain of safe products for tourists.

In his opinion, travel firms should grasp information regarding green, yellow, orange and red coloured zones, along with the requirements of each locality, as well as other pandemic regulations, in a bid to ensure safe tourism throughout the country.

Vu Giang Bien, vice chairman of VGreen Sustainable Tourism Club, also underscored the importance of travel firms strengthening connectivity and ensuring the safety of the service supply chain for tourists from destinations, restaurants, hotels, and their accommodation.

Sharing this viewpoint, Bui Van Manh, director of the Ninh Binh Department of Tourism, also underlined the necessity of developing a common set of criteria for safe tourism, with a consensus needing to be reached by all localities.

Most notably, several localities have achieved positive results after deploying a range of pilot tours aimed at serving domestic tourists, all of which have been established though an inter-regional green corridor aimed at restoring local tourism services.

Many localities have drawn up their own pilot plans to receive back holiday-makers from now till the end of the year. However, different rules laid down by different localities prevent tourists travelling from one place to another. Only when a consistent safe model is formulated, can tourism services get back on track.

Support provided to counter teenage mental health decline during pandemic

One of the most urgent priorities in the new normal will be helping teenagers whose mental and physical health has been damaged by the changes and uncertainty of the pandemic, an expert in the field has warned. 

Speaking at a virtual conference on the topic on Saturday, Trương Thị Thu Thủy, Head of the Family and Social Affairs Department of the Vietnam Women’s Union, said that recognising the physical and mental health impact of the pandemic on adolescents is vital to ensuring their long-term wellbeing.  

“Adolescents have been suffering life changes such as school closures and lack of social contact. They have had to learn how to adapt to new learning skills and a new lifestyle, attending online classes and missing out on extracurricular activities and being exposed to cyberbullying. This may be especially difficult for them and easily make them feel anxiety and depression,” she said.

UNICEF in Việt Nam recently conducted a study on the mental health and wellbeing of students in schools. Results showed that after 18 months of lockdowns and pandemic-related restrictions, many children are feeling afraid, lonely, anxious, and very concerned about their future.

The pressure of keeping themselves in school and catching up on schoolwork after the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a deterioration in the mental health of many young people. 

In Việt Nam, an earlier epidemiological survey conducted in 10 cities and provinces found that around 12 per cent of young people are suffering from poor mental health, around three million children.

The most common types of mental health problems among children include anxiety, depression, loneliness and externalising problems.

“Adolescents have become more vulnerable during the pandemic, so they need reliable people to speak to about their problems, get information, advice or support to solve their problems properly,” Thủy said.

A virtual forum, launched on the same day as the conference, will be a place for roughly 2,000 students and teachers from five secondary schools in Hà Nội, including Marie Curie, Nguyễn Trường Tộ, Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, Lê Quý Đôn and Ban Mai, to share their problems and get support. Those who seek help will receive assistance from psychologists.

Thủy said the forum will provide knowledge on early life stress, helping adolescents become equipped with the skills to overcome anxiety and depression. Parents will also be welcomed to join in, to better understand how their children feel and give them tools to help their children, she said.

The virtual conference was held by the Việt Nam Women’s Union and Abbott Laboratories.

This is just one of the many activities the Vietnam Women’s Union has launched to help people affected by COVID-19. Earlier this month, 430,000 sets of gifts worth VNĐ130 billion (US$5.7 million) were given to women and children who have been impacted by the pandemic.

The union provided 500 books for children in quarantine areas and 700 scholarships worth VNĐ730 million ($32,056) for children orphaned by COVID-19. 

Winners of Viet Nam Women’s Awards honored

Six groups and 10 women were presented with the 2021 Viet Nam Women’s Awards at a ceremony held by the Viet Nam Women’s Union (VWU) on Friday.

The awardees are those who made outstanding performance in such fields like economy, education, culture, healthcare, and community development. 

Initiated in 2002, the Viet Nam Women’s Awards is one of the major prizes designed to encourage women to carry forward their talents and knowledge in the cause of national industrialization and modernization.

A total of 93 groups and 164 individuals have won the awards over the past 19 years thanks to their outstanding performance in education, arts, sports, business, agricultural production, management, research, healthcare, humanitarian and charitable activities, and national defense and security.

The same day, the VWU also announced 24 winners of the 2021 Women Entrepreneur Awards which was first introduced in February 2021.

Addressing the award handover ceremony, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh extended best wishes to all women across the nation on the occasion of the Vietnamese Women’s Day (October 20).

Pham congratulated the award winners this year, hailing them as women with strong thirst for sowing good deeds for brighter future of themselves and for others.

He said it is encouraging to learn that 45 percent of the initiatives competing for the Women Entrepreneur Awards come from ethnic women living in disadvantaged areas.

Pham took the occasion to urged ministries, agencies and localities to better implement policies designed to promote the development of women and female entrepreneurship.

US$6 bln needed to boost development in ethnic minority areas over next five years

The Government estimated that it needs nearly VND 137.7 trillion (US$6 billion) to finance 10 major socio-economic development projects in ethnic minority and mountainous areas for the 2021-2025 period.

The capital volume was figured out in the latest national target program on socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas for the 2021-2020 period released Thursday.

The total investment capital includes more than VND 115 trillion from central and local budget while the rest will be mobilized from other sources.

The capital will be used to finance projects on development of housing, agriculture, infrastructure, human resource, protection of fine cultural values in association with tourism development, healthcare and gender equality.

Over the next five years, the program targets to double the income per capita of people from ethnic minority groups compared to that of 2020, and to cut annual poverty rate by over 3 percent.

The program also targets to raise hygienic water access rate by ethnic minority groups to 90 percent and TV and radio coverage to 100 percent while relocating 60 percent of ethnic minority groups away from vulnerable areas to floods and landslides. 

Viet Nam’s population exceeded 96.2 million people, of whom ethnic people account for 14.7 per cent, according to the results of the 2019 population and housing census. 

Poverty rate among the ethnic groups dropped from 9.88% in 2015 to 2.75% in 2020.

Thai Binh stops operation of COVID-19 checkpoints from October 17

COVID-19 checkpoints at the gateways to and from the northern province of Thai Binh have been temporarily closed as from 12:00 am October 17, 2021, according to an official dispatch issued by the provincial People’s Committee.

Under the document, all previous regulations contrary to the dispatch are annulled. People arriving in or returning to Thai Binh province must fill health declarations and strictly comply to COVID-19 prevention and control measures.

At the same time, the provincial People’s Committee required local authorities to further speed up the distribution of vaccines and the progress of vaccination against COVID-19.

Passenger and goods transport activities in the locality must comply with the direction of the Prime Minister and the guidance of the Ministry of Transport.

Chairpersons of People's Committees of Thai Binh city and districts have been requested to urgently approve plans for COVID-19 prevention and control at business and service establishments, entertainment establishments, tourist sites, and religious and worship establishments, historical sites, towards resuming activities at these establishments.

Local residents are asked to promptly notify the local authorities if they detect any arrivals who do not make medical declaration or abide by COVID-19 prevention regulations.

The provincial People's Committee said the locality has basically controlled the pandemic, with no new cases detected for many consecutive days.

According to Notice No. 118 dated October 16, 2021 by the provincial Department of Health, the pandemic risk of Thai Binh city, 260 communes, wards and towns, and eight districts, are at Level 1(new normal)./.

New Chairman of National Traffic Safety Committee named

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has signed a decision assigning Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh as new Chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee (NTSC).

Three Vice Chairmen of the NTSC are Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The (Standing Vice Chairman), Khuat Viet Hung (Executive Vice Chairman), and Deputy Minister of Public Security Le Quoc Hung. 

Permanent members are Deputy Minister of Transport Le Dinh Tho, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son, Deputy Minister of Finance Vo Thanh Hung, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Pham Anh Tuan, and Vice Chairman of the Government Office Cao Huy. 

Under the Prime Minister's Decision 22/2017/QD-TTg, dated June 22, 2017, the NTSC is an inter-agency coordinator responsible for assisting the Prime Minister in directing ministries, sectors and localities to implement national strategies and projects on ensuring traffic safety and order as well as deploy interdisciplinary solutions in this field on a national scale.

The committee is also tasked with instructing and inspecting the implementation of plans and solutions to ensure traffic safety and order by the traffic safety committees of the provinces and centrally-run cities.

Permannent Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh is also leading several other national committees including the National Steering Committee on International Integration, the Steering Committee on Viet Nam-China Bilateral Co-operation; the Viet Nam - Laos Intergovernmental Committee; the State Steering Committee for Land Border Demarcation and Border Marker Planting; and the Steering Committee on Human Rights./.

HCMC to take care of 1,200 children orphaned by Covid-19 up to 18 years of age

The HCMC Women's Union in coordination with of the Phu Nu TPHCM (HCMC Women) Newspaper and the Association of Young Vietnamese Entrepreneurs on October 16 has launched a program caring for 1,200 orphaned children by Covid-19.

With the support of the HCMC Young Physicians Association and the HCMC Children's Rights Protection Association, the sponsorship program will give cash assistance worth VND18-24 million per year for one child until they are 18 years old.

Speaking at the event, Chairwoman of the HCMC Chapter of the Vietnam Fatherland Front To Thi Bich Chau stressed that the program help relieve the pain of children to overcome this challenging period and cope with the challenges of caring for themselves.

Female medical workers dedicated to fight against COVID-19

Leaving behind their families, female medical workers at Huế Central Hospital in the central province of Thừa Thiên-Huế did not hesitate to join the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Overcoming all obstacles, their high sense of responsibility and medical ethics have helped them continue to fight over the course of many sleepless nights.

Doctor Mai Thị Hồng Vân volunteered in HCM City. Her parents are in Thừa Thiên-Huế Province, which is more than 1,000km from the city, and they look forward to Vân’s phone calls every day.

Vân’s calls are often very short, only to inform her parents about her health, but enough to keep her parents calm. They feel proud of their daughter.

Leaving her family for nearly two months, Vân was one of the first medical workers at the COVID-19 intensive care units (ICU) in HCM City, when the city was in the most critical period of the pandemic.

Many groups of doctors alternated shifts, but Vân was determined to stay.

“I want to stay here so that every day I can help patients recover and return to normal life. I don't know how long this battle will take, but I am determined to fight and complete my mission,” she said.

Vân can't help but worry when she has direct contact with patients every day. But just seeing the patients' take a few steps after a critical illness, or waving goodbye when they get discharged from the hospital, Vân has more strength and motivation to continue.

Most of the patients treated in the ICU are seriously ill, with respiratory failure, organ failure or coma. Most need ventilation. To treat the patients, who are struggling for each breath, it is necessary to have machines and medical equipment, said Vân.

“I still remember a middle-aged female patient’s look when experiencing difficulties breathing. Sometimes she fell into critical condition. Then, with doctors’ dedicated work and her efforts, she started to improve. Seeing her being able to walk is a great source of happiness, not only for me but also for all medical staff,” she said.

The task of treating patients is the same everywhere, as it is a dangerous job, many live far from family and are quarantined from society. In Thừa Thiên-Huế Province, the female medical workers’ task in Huế Central Hospital is no less difficult.

Deputy director of the hospital Hoàng Thị Lan Hương told Vietnam News Agency that on every “front”, people could see the small but resilient silhouettes of female medical workers.

“From screening, examination, medical declarations to nutritional care and treatment, personal hygiene and rehabilitation for COVID-19 patients or vaccination, female nurses and doctors of the hospital always successfully complete their tasks with determination and dedication,” said Hương.

When the pandemic spread, the hospital received dozens of serious and critical COVID-19 patients from central provinces.

Nearly 500 medical workers in the Thừa Thiên-Huế Province were assigned to support in treatment, and half of them are female.

As the chief nurse of the COVID-19 Quarantine and Treatment Centre under Huế Central Hospital, Nguyễn Thị Ngọc starts her day when her baby is still asleep. When she returns, her child is already in bed for the night.

The baby is in need of a mother's care, but Ngọc must ask for help from her family to take care of the baby while she takes part in anti-pandemic work.

Ngọc said that although she faced lots of difficulties, when shé was assigned, she was ready to join the battle against the pandemic and was ready to offer the best care to patients.

Knowing that patients are very scared, Ngọc and other nurses always encourage them to overcome the difficulties. Many times, Ngọc and other medical workers had to stay up all night to check on patients, as well as help them eat and drink.

Those warm gestures revived the patients’ spirits, enhancing the connection between patients and medical staff even though they never saw each other’s faces.

Vân and Ngọc are only two out of many female medical workers at Huế Central Hospital who did not hesitate to take on difficult and dangerous work.

Dressed in suffocating protective gear all day, they all experienced suffocation and exhaustion. But they still smile and stay optimistic, even though their hands are wrinkled, cracked and their shirts are soaked with sweat.

Ministries unify vaccination data

The Ministry of Health, on the evening of October 16, informed that the National Covid-19 Case Management System recorded 3,221 new infections in the past 24 hours. Of which, ten were imported, and 3,211 were infected domestically, down 578 cases compared to the previous day, in 47 provinces and cities, including 1,172 community transmission cases.

Along with that, the whole country had 1,581 more recovered patients and 88 deaths. The Covid-19 death toll in Vietnam now hits 21,131, accounting for 2.4 percent of the total number of infections.

The Medical Center of Thu Duc City said that it had administered the Sputnik V vaccine from the morning of October 16 at three places, including the Medical Center Region 2, Thu Duc Agricultural Wholesale Market, and the Postal Hospital.

The HCMC Center for Disease Control (HCDC) said that since the day the city started organizing the first round of vaccination to October 15, 12,540,097 injections had been administered, of which 5,431,683 people received the second dose.

On the afternoon of October 16, the Ministry of Health, in association with the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Information and Communications, held an online conference with localities to thoroughly understand some contents of Covid-19 vaccination and solutions to authenticate and link vaccination data with the national database on population.

Up to now, 12,000 accounts have been issued for medical workers nationwide, with 59 million vaccination entries being updated. Because the platform uses public internet with a large number of accounts, vaccination data has not been updated fully in terms of the number of injections and information of people being injected.

Mr. Nguyen Manh Hung, Minister of Information and Communications, said that from October 20, provinces and cities must use only one application to update vaccination data and strive to complete reviewing vaccination data by November 11 for people to update information accurately.

Iconic Vietnamese play to be performed again a century after first showing

After 100 years, Chén Thuốc Độc (A Cup of Poison), the first Western-style play in the history of Việt Nam, will once again be performed in Hà Nội.

On October 22, 1921, the famous three-act play was first performed at the Hà Nội Opera House.

This event is considered the starting point for dramatic art in Việt Nam, and its author Vũ Đình Long (1896-1960), has been widely recognised as the “Father” of Vietnamese theatre.

A century later, Long’s iconic play will once again be performed thanks to a group of talented veteran artists from the Viêt Nam Stage Artists Association, in collaboration with the Việt Nam National Drama Theatre and Việt Nam Youth Theatre.

The play will be edited by screenwriter Đỗ Trí Hùng and choreographed by the director, Meritorious Artist Bùi Như Lai, with the cast of acclaimed artists, including Lê Khanh, Nguyễn Việt Thắng, Nguyễn Trung Hiếu, Trịnh Mai Nguyên, Nguyễn Xuân Bắc, Hoài Thu and many other actors.

Artists in the production team of the new “A Cup of Poison”, which will be performed again this October. Photo courtesy of the Vietnam National Drama Theatre
Bùi Như Lai can't hide his emotion when talking about directing this play.

“I believe we all feel proud to be a part of this play,” Lai said.

"A Cup of Poison marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Vietnamese drama, so we decided to choose the Việt Nam National Drama Theatre because it is the pioneering stage, the initiator, and the foundation for everything.

“Of course, I can feel the pressure as Vietnamese drama has gone through 100 years of formation and development. Many generations of artists have been and we are always responsible for bringing the best contemporary rhythm of life into the plays.”

For Lê Khanh, this is a great honour, especially after everything was closed down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In the past, whenever going with my father (People's Artist Trần Tiến) to the Vietnam National Drama Theatre, I always wished to have the opportunity to stand on this stage,” said the 58–year-old artist.

“Without the "handshakes" linking theatres together after the pandemic, perhaps my dream could not come true. This is a wonderful opportunity for artists to exchange and learn from each other.

“With all these meanings hopefully we will together make a beautiful play, honouring the older generation who have left us a glorious stage like today.

“From there, we can both be proud of yesterday and encourage each other to strive,” she added.

A Cup of Poison is about the family of Thông Thu, a well-off civil servant. Living in a society that is half Western, half Vietnamese, each family member pursues their own trivial goals which lead to a broken family life and heavy debt.

In his distress, Thu decides to drink poison to free himself.

As his death approaches, a younger brother suddenly returns from a faraway place with money for the family. That gift helped him escape death, pay the debt and save his family.

The play serves as a warning to all to wake up and choose a better life.

The play will run at the Việt Nam National Drama Theatre from October 20 to 27, 2021.

Students learning vocational subjects must have injected two doses of vaccine

Students in universities in Ho Chi Minh City, a hotspot of the fourth wave of Covid-19 pandemic, participating in classrooms of vocational subjects must have injected two doses of vaccines.

Nguyen Quoc Anh, Vice Principal of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, said that at present, the university has registered to prepare 30,000 doses of vaccines for lecturers and students with the Department of Health. Students who have to learn practical subjects will be given priority over others because they will do on-campus learning of practical subjects.

According to Dr. Phan Hong Hai, Principal of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry, the school has planned for classrooms of practical subjects when the epidemic is well controlled. For students preparing to graduate, the school will arrange classes for practical subjects to keep up with the graduation schedule.

However, these students must receive two doses of the vaccine after 14 days and have negative test certificates. The school will divide students in groups each with no more than 10 students for classes of practical subjects.

Meanwhile, vocational schools will lecture virtual theoretical lessons while students will be also divided into small groups for classrooms of practical subjects and internships. The school supports and guides students who must do graduation projects online as well as connects with businesses in recruiting them after graduation.

Poor students still lack tablet computers for online learning

The program “Internet and computers for students" is of great significance, especially in the context of the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic when students had to learn on the internet for the new school year 2021 but many students of low-income families lack tablet computers and learning equipment.

According to the Ministry of Information and Communications, the program "Internet and computers for students" launched by the Ministry of Education and Training and the Ministry of Information and Communications to support online resources and tools for learners, teachers and educators in disadvantaged areas during the outbreak of Covid-19 aims to have the internet to all households and computers for children from poor households.

In response to the program, other technology enterprises had practical supporting acts by offering free six online teaching and learning platforms, including VNEdu, ViettelStudy, MobiEdu, Onluyen, Hocmai, Misa EMIS worth up to VND200 billion.

Moreover, FPT Software, a leading Vietnamese tech company, immediately supported 100 computers and 1,000 online learning devices for disadvantaged children in the Central City of Da Nang.

This company has also gratis provided 3,300 tablet computers, FPT internet package, VioEdu online learning platform for disadvantaged students in seven southern provinces and cities including Can Tho, Dong Nai, Dong Thap, Tra Vinh, Tay Ninh, Ben Tre, and Ba Ria - Vung Tau.

Deputy Director of Vietnam's telecoms giant VNPT Nguyen Nam Long said that the company has committed itself to giving 37,000 tablet computers for underprivileged students in the program as well as accompany the education sector to reduce the gap between rural and urban areas and distant areas to ensure that no student will be left behind by remote learning.

According to the Ministry of Education and Training, 7.35 million students in all grades in 26 provinces and cities are learning on the internet. Around 1.5 million students in 26 cities and provinces need learning equipment for distance education.

Ministry issues new circular on enrolment and training for master’s degrees

The Ministry of Education and Training has issued a new circular on enrolment and training for a master’s degree in 2021 with changes to suit the country’s present conditions when it has been hit by Covid-19.

Changes in the newest circular on enrolment and training for master’s degrees include enrolment on the internet and online training with some requirements.

Simultaneously, the circular 23 adhered to the Law for Higher Education No.34 which allows educational institutions to conduct blended learning, a combination of learning at a distance and the traditional on-campus learning along with requirements to improve training qualities.

Moreover, according to the latest circular, lecturers should provide less than 30 percent of the program volume when conducting online teaching. Additionally, master graduates must achieve the fourth level of the Vietnam National Qualification Framework comprised of six levels.

The new circular also says instructors of university graduates who wish to pursue a master's course must obtain Ph.D degree, especially in art schools. However, in reality, only excellent artists or people’s artists who have not obtained Ph.D degrees yet but have invaluable experience in the field. Therefore, the new circular’s article 8 assigns training institutions to set regulations on criteria for instructors of master students.

According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thu Thuy, Director of the Higher Education Department under the Ministry of Education and Training, a master's degree program must comply with the standard regulations on research-oriented or application-oriented training programs. The duration of master's degree training is determined on the basis of the number of credits that must be accumulated for each program and prescribed by principals of the training institution. It should be two years.

Regarding the admission method, the training institution will base on the university study results and propose research with a research-oriented master's program. Schools promulgate regulations on organizing admission examinations to suit their schools and training majors, such as reviewing academic records, work experience, essays about themselves, and letters of recommendation from lecturers or managers.

Dr. Nguyen Trung Nhan, Head of Training Department, Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry, said that the new Circular 23 allowing online enrollment and training at master's level is in line with the current trend.

In his opinion, two important new points in this regulation are flexible enrollment methods which allow training institutions can organize entrance exams or admission and allows online training 30 percent of the program volume. This will reduce exam pressure and create conditions for both learners and training institutions in the context of the epidemic. Certainly, training institutions must be responsible for their training quality.

According to a leader of Vietnam National University in Ho Chi Minh City, the Circular 23 has many good points approaching international standards such as allowing credit accumulation, switching training institutions, diversifying forms of enrollment and training...

However, the Ministry of Education and Training should continue to improve some points in the future. Firstly, the Ministry should explain why online training must not exceed 30 percent of the volume of training programs but 10 percent or 80 percent. Moreover, how a school calculates the percentage of training program volume when it conducts both on-campus learning and online learning. More importantly, there should be 100 percent online training with specific regulations on quality assurance conditions.

Second, regulation makers should consider the learner's current job as a criterion. For example, if you graduated from Computer Science but worked as an educational manager for more than 3 years, you can study a master's program in Educational Management. Such additional regulations both encourage lifelong learning and are practical.

Third, in terms of training locations, the Ministry of Education and Training should allow local training of applied master's programs, instead of compulsory training at training institutions. This approach ensures the right to access new knowledge at low cost for many learners, making the most of online training. It is more effective to have the specific geographical scope and quality requirements (such as accreditation) and to closely monitor the training process.

Google warns that ransomware in Vietnam is increasing by 200 percent

According to a research on ransomeware globally conducted by VirusTotal and Google, ransomware has increased by nearly 200 percent lately in Vietnam.

The report also recorded data from 140 countries and shows that from 2020 to July 2021, more than 130 families of ransomware - a type of malicious software designed to block access to a computer system until a sum of money is paid - have been activated, of which GandCrab is the most powerful kind.

To protect businesses from cyberattacks including the growing threat of ransomware, Google’s platforms and products are designed to be secure by default. Google and the National Cyber Security Monitoring Center (NCSC) yesterday launched Phishing Quiz, a quiz that tests users’ awareness of phishing scams.

Vietnamese users can access https://congcu.khonggianmang.vn/phishing-quiz to take the test and improve their knowledge, beware of phishing emails.

Due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, businesses and individuals around the world are digitally transforming, getting used to working online, and facing many risks in cyberspace, especially in ransomware or phishing emails.

In addition, according to data from the National Cyber Security Monitoring Center (NCSC), in the first eight months of 2021, the Information Security Administration recorded 5,082 cyber attacks that caused problems on systems of information in Vietnam up 25.82 percent over the same period in the first eight months of 2020.

Tran Temple special national relic site in Thai Binh Province to be restored

The Prime Minister has just signed a decision approving the task of planning the preservation and restoration of the tombs and temple dedicated to the Kings of the Tran Feudal Dynasty in Hung Ha District in the northern province of Thai Binh, which has been recognised as a Special National Relic Site.

A new feature in this approved plan is the confirmation of the archaeological site dedicated to Tran Dynasty (1225-1400) with an area of 76.54 hectares in Hong Minh Commune, Hung Ha District, which is about 10 km far from Tran Temple.

The planning aimed to study, supplement and clarify the historical, cultural, architectural and artistic values of the Special National Relic Site as well as related archaeological sites in Hung Ha District.

In addition, the preservation and restoration of the relic will also contribute to further highlighting the role of Tran Dynasty in the development of the nation’s history.

This is considered an important work to connect the relic sites dedicated to Tran Dynasty in Thai Binh with other surrounding famous landscapes to form a chain of diverse tourism products, thus contributing to the socio-economic development of Hung Ha District and Thai Binh Province.

Within the approval, the PM requested for the research of the archaeological site in Hong Minh Commune and neighbouring localities in order to clarify the historical, cultural and spatial relationship between this site and the tombs and temple of Tran Kings in Tien Duc Commune as well as the role of these relics in the system of relic sites dedicated to Tran Dynasty around the country, including those in Ninh Binh Province and Nam Dinh Province.

Efforts made to attract public to museums

COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing periods have caused many museums nationwide to find adaptation measures, especially the application of technological advances to organise “virtual” museums and exhibitions via digital platforms to promote the heritages’ values.

Vietnam Fine Arts Museum has launched a free virtual 3D Tour. Meanwhile, the Vietnam National Museum of History has held a 3D virtual interactive exhibition themed "National Treasure”. These are really great efforts by the museums to attract visitors during the social distancing days. The audios, records, images, virtual reality and augmented reality technologies have helped viewers enter the virtual space and interact more with the photos, artifacts and documents displayed at the exhibitions.

However, the attraction of “virtual” museums is still very limited. The experts said that the digitised data and documents must be unique and diverse. In addition, the tours to “virtual” museums should be also enough attractive to get visitors to sit in front of computers and phone screens for hours. However, it is not easy to achieve the above factors.

The effective development of displayed exhibits via digital technology apps is a challenge for the museum industry. For example, many artifacts and documents are valuable in terms of history and culture but have little aesthetic or artistic value, so it is difficult to make them attractive via 3D and 4D “virtual” technology.

Digital technology has been increasingly developing; meanwhile, the database storage platform, technical infrastructure (internet), the investment funds for preparation of contents and digitalisation of documents and artifacts, and human resources in Vietnamese museums are still very limited. They keep a large number of antiquities and artifacts with high cultural and historical values; however, the operation of “virtual” museums requires qualified personnel who have high absorbability and understanding of technological trends. Almost all museums currently lack these human resources. The operating cost of the system is also a factor that has caused many museums, even large-scale ones, to be afraid of it.

After all, technology is just a tool to convey the contents and the effectiveness and attractiveness of exhibits to the public. If the contents are poor, the application of technological advances cannot guarantee the vividness and attractiveness as the viewers will be bored if they watch a content and experience an app for a long time. Not to mention, the "virtual" display technology will quickly become obsolete due to the rapid development of new technologies. In the case that the museums’ technology partners no longer operate, the technology products would become useless, even "technological waste", and the museums would have to “handle” them. Therefore, they should carefully consider their investment in developing “virtual” museums. It is easy to understand why the number of museums with 3D virtual tour experiences and online programmes that can "hold" viewers for more than 30 minutes, can be counted on the fingers of one hand.

It can be seen that the collection of entrance fees from digital exhibitions, online exhibitions and “virtual” museums is a far-fetched story. In order to collect entrance fees from virtual exhibitions, the museums must have sources of unique, interesting, profound and vivid documents and artifacts. Their websites and online platforms must be completed so professionally that they can satisfy viewers. Importantly, their contents must be truly attractive, different and exclusive.

Obviously, "virtual" museums cannot replace the real ones. The museums express the culture and history of a land or a country more broadly. Therefore, tourists still want to come there to admire and access the images dedicated to the past to learn more about the history and culture of a locality and a nation. The real display of objects in museums has a special significance that cannot be replaced by any other forms or methods because they bring a different range of emotions, historical feelings, pride and patriotism to viewers. Therefore, the application of technological apps in “virtual” exhibitions should be in harmony with real displays. The “virtual” museums aim to lead and attract the public to the real museums.

Viet Nam urges protection of children at UNSC Committee on South Sudan’s meeting

Ambassador Đặng Đình Quý, Permanent Representative of Việt Nam to the UN, on October 15 chaired a meeting of the UN Security Council (UNSC)’s Committee on South Sudan (Committee 2206) with Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict Virginia Gamba in attendance.

Quý, who is Chairman of the committee, highly spoke of the political-security progress in South Sudan since the transitional government was established, setting the scene for the protection of vulnerable people, including children.

South Sudanese children still face many challenges, he said, calling on the country’s government and concerned parties to continue to implement its joint action programme on child protection with the UN.

The diplomat also urged concerned parties in South Sudan to ensure children’s access to food, education and healthcare, and to further promote the reintegration programme for children recruited by armed groups.

He voiced his hope that the UN, its members, regional organisations and other international partners will continue providing support for South Sudan in its transition process, particularly in protecting the children.

Committee 2206, established pursuant to the UNSC’s Resolution 2206, is mandated to supervise the implementation of measures of the UNSC to enhance assurance of peace and security in South Sudan.

Peace solutions for Kosovo

Việt Nam underscored the importance of dialogue and the search for long-term peace solutions for Kosovo during an UN Security Council (UNSC) meeting of the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) on October 15.

Ambassador Phạm Hải Anh, Deputy Permanent Representative of Việt Nam to the UN, welcomed the resumption of high-level dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade under European Union auspices, but expressed regret that the dialogue has yet to produce satisfactory results due to differences between the two sides. 

He emphasised the importance of peaceful dialogue and the search for lasting solutions for Kosovo on the basis of international law, the UN Charter, and the UNSC’s Resolution 1244 on the deployment of international civil and security presence in Kosovo, for peace, stability and development of Belgrade, Pristina, the Balkans and Europe.

The diplomat urged the sides concerned to work harder to explore opportunities for high-level talks and implement reached agreements, especially the Brussels Agreements. He also acknowledged the UNMIK’s crucial role in the promotion of security and stability in the area, efforts to build trust among the communities in Kosovo and discussions with Belgrade and Pristina.

The UN Security Council, by its Resolution 1244 (1999), authorised the UN Secretary-General to establish an international civil presence in Kosovo – the UNMIK – in order to provide an interim administration for Kosovo under which the people of Kosovo could enjoy substantial autonomy.

Another 3,168 new COVID-19 cases on Monday

The Ministry of Health announced 3,168 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, bringing the country's tally to 867,221. 

A further 75 deaths were also announced, mostly in southern provinces (51 in HCM City and 14 in Bình Dương Province). The national death count is now 21,269, about 2.5 per cent of the total confirmed cases.

Five southern localities saw three-digit numbers of new cases today; HCM City (968 cases), Bình Dương (439), Đồng Nai (393), Sóc Trăng (174), and An Giang (109), followed by four more Mekong Delta provinces; Kiên Giang (99), Tiền Giang (94), Cà Mau (77), Long An (68) and Đồng Tháp (61), showing that the southern regions continue to be the country's biggest hot spot.

The breakdown in daily new cases in the rest of the country is as follows; Phú Thọ (58), Bạc Liêu (48), Đắk Lắk (46), Quảng Nam (45), Thanh Hóa (42), Gia Lai (40), Trà Vinh (33), Khánh Hòa (31), Hậu Giang (28), Bình Thuận (28), Cần Thơ (27), Nghệ An (25), Nam Định (22), Kon Tum (20), Hà Nam (20), Quảng Ngãi (19), Tây Ninh (18), Bình Định (15), Quảng Bình (15), Vĩnh Long (14), Thừa Thiên Huế (12), Bến Tre (9), Bình Phước (9), Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu (8 ), Quảng Trị (8 ), Phú Yên (6), Ninh Thuận (6), Tuyên Quang (6), Hà Nội (6), Đắk Nông (4), Bắc Ninh (4), Thái Bình (3), Ninh Bình (1), and Hà Giang (1). Nine cases were imported. 

Việt Nam's seven-day average of daily new cases stands at 3,260, down by nearly 1,000 from the average of 4,183 noted a week before.

In the past 24 hours, 107,224 pooled COVID-19 tests were performed on 202,147 people. The number of tests during the fourth wave of infections (starting from April 27) has reached 20,938,514, with 57,727,568 people tested.

The Health Ministry also announced the recovery of 1,136 patients on Monday, bringing the total to 792,980.

Of the current patients hospitalised, 3,543 are in a serious condition, 534 require invasive ventilation and 21 are on life support (ECMO).

Việt Nam to date has received 92.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines of various types. A total of 63.4 million doses have been administered (1.31 million doses on October 17), with 18.1 million people now fully vaccinated. 

Health experts believe COVID-19 risk remains imminent

Vietnam is likely to face a considerable risk of another COVID-19 outbreak, although it may not be as large as the current one, according to Tran Dac Phu, former head of the Preventive Medicine Department under the Ministry of Health.

Localities throughout the country have now acquired experience and enhanced their capacity regarding COVID-19 prevention and control, therefore it is unlikely that another major pandemic outbreak will occur in the near future, Phu told zingnews.vn on October 18.

However, he warned that COVID-19 cases could still be sporadically recorded in many localities, as seen in the recent infections detected in Ha Nam and Phu Tho provinces in the north, and other western provinces in the south.

“The most important thing is that we need to detect these outbreaks as early as possible,” said the health expert, “If such an outbreak occurs, localities will have to scale down their blockade to a smallest extent so that measures to be adopted do not affect the local economy as well as social security.”

According to Phu, Vietnamese people now have greater awareness of strictly abiding by COVID-19 guidelines, including wearing a facemask, washing their hands with sanitizer, and avoiding large gatherings, all factors which can help to minimise risk.

Concurring with Phu’s view, Dr. Do Van Dung, head of the Public Health Department of Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy, said localities that have yet to record an outbreak or have a low vaccination rate may be at risk of virus transmission within the community.

“The risk varies in different localities. Localities with a low vaccination rate must be well prepared if another outbreak occurs,” he warned.

The current COVID-19 outbreak is showing signs of abating in Vietnam, with the daily caseload falling significantly from over 10,000 several weeks ago to just around 3,000 at present. The mortality rate has also declined considerably, dropping from more than 300 to fewer than 100 at present.

Vietnam is also speeding up vaccinations nationwide, although vaccination coverage remains low as approximately 44 million people aged 18 and above have only received their first shot, and nearly 18 million people have been given their second shot.

Vietnamese, Lao legislators exchange experience in law making

A webinar was held on October 18 for Vietnamese and Lao legislators to exchange experience in building the Law on Survey and Mapping, and the Law on National Border.

The event was part of a cooperation agreement between the Vietnamese and Lao National Assemblies.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Chairman of the Vietnamese NA’s Committee for Science, Technology and Environment Le Quang Huy said the Lao legislature is considering the issuance of the Law on Survey and Mapping, and the Law on National Border so that its committees want to learn from Vietnam’s experience in the field.

Chairman of the Lao NA’s Committee for Foreign Affairs Sanya Praserth said the draft Law on Survey and Mapping will be submitted to the second session of the Lao NA for consideration.

He said he wanted to acquire theoretical and practical experience in the drafting as well as Vietnam’s application of countries’ experience in the building and enforcement of the law.

Participants at the event discussed State policies on survey and mapping, process of tool registration, and business conditions, among others, in the field.

Vietnamese lawmakers also shared experience in designing regulations on national border protection in Vietnam’s National Border Law, and those related to forces participating in safeguarding the national borders.

Sanya thanked the Vietnamese NA for sharing experience in building and enforcing the law on national border management and protection stressing that they provide important materials for Laos to continue fine-tuning its bill in the near future./. 

President commends contributors to UN peacekeeping mission

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Chairman of the National Council of National Defence-Security, attended a ceremony in Hanoi on October 18 to honour individuals and organisations who made outstanding contributions to the United Nations peacekeeping missions.

Since June 2014, Vietnam has sent 246 officers from the Vietnam People’s Army to the UN peacekeeping missions in South Sudan, Central Africa and the UN headquarters in New York.

The UN has highly valued the expertise of the Vietnamese medical staff who left impression on patients for their high sense of responsibility and dedication.

In June 2018, the UN recognised the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations as one of the four international training centres in the region to carry out training under a three-party partnership among Vietnam, the UN and several partners.

In his speech, President Phuc commended initial encouraging results by the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations, especially officials, officers and staff of the level-2 field hospital, for fulfilling their tasks assigned by the UN and Vietnam.

He affirmed that the deployment of the Vietnamese officers to the UN peacekeeping mission marks a new development in Vietnam’s efforts to follow international obligations, showing itself as a responsible member, contributing to improving the global stature and prestige of the country and the Vietnam People’s Army in particular, as well as enhancing international cooperation in national defence-security.

At the event, President Phuc presented the second-class Fatherland Defence Order to the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations, the first-class Fatherland Defence Order to four individuals and other noble distinctions to several others for their contributions to the UN peacekeeping missions./.

ASEAN Economic Community Council convenes 20th meeting

The 20th ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Council Meeting took place virtually on October 18 in preparation for the upcoming 38th and 39th ASEAN Summits and Related Summits slated for October 26 – 28.

At the event, the council discussed a mid-term review of the AEC Blueprint 2025. Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade acts as the agency holding the responsible for the implementation of the blueprint.

Participants also talked about the building of the post-2025 ASEAN vision, regional and global trends. They agreed to continue to strengthen inter-sectoral and inter-pillar coordination as well as cooperation with all components of the ASEAN Economic Community in building the vision to ensure inclusiveness and practical benefits for member countries, towards the goal of building a strong ASEAN Community as well as consolidating ASEAN's centrality in the Asia-Pacific region and in other regional linkages.

The implementation of Brunei’s economic collaboration initiatives, the preparation for the upcoming summits, and Cambodia’s orientations for building economic collaboration initiatives for 2022 were also tabled.

Based on the results of the discussion, the conference approved a number of documents to be presented at the 38th and 39th ASEAN Summits, such as the Bandar Seri Begawan Roadmap on ASEAN digital transformation to accelerate the bloc's economic recovery and digital economy integration; an AEC circular economy development framework; and an ASEAN cooperation framework towards consolidating policies on micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises./.

Preparations for 15th NA’s second session basically completed: Official

Secretary General of the National Assembly (NA) and Chairman of the NA Office Chairman Bui Van Cuong has said preparations for the second session of the 15th legislature scheduled to open on October 20 have been basically completed.

During a working session in Hanoi on October 18, Cuong said following the first session, NA officials and organs have directed making thorough preparations for the second session.

Chairing the event, NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue said the session must have working hours reduced but still ensure the quality of decisions on national development in 2022 and subsequent years, as well as ensuring COVID-19 prevention and control regulations.

He requested fully making the most of time for discussions, continuing to improve the quality of collecting opinions and clearing up issues at the event.

NA officials and organs must continue listening to voters’ aspirations via channels to actively offer consultancy to NA leaders and effectively implement the information work, he said./.

Behaviour change a must to safely live with COVID-19: Deputy PM

As Vietnam has entered the “new normal” phase, people must change their behaviours to safely live with COVID-19, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam told a meeting in Hanoi on October 18.

The meeting was held by the Ministry of Science and Technology to discuss impacts of COVID-19 on the socio-economic development and what the science and technology sector has done to support the COVID-19 fight, as well as to propose tech solutions for issues arising in the “new normal.”

The Deputy PM highly appreciated the contributions made by scientists across Vietnam to the pandemic fight, noting drugs and vaccine remain key to the current COVID-19 prevention and control.

In his remarks, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Bui The Duy said the science and technology sector has conducted research and developed products to assist the country’s COVID-19 response since the outset of the pandemic.

Vietnam was among the first countries in the world to successfully isolate and culture the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, he said, adding that the Ministry of Science and Technology has also coordinated with relevant ministries and agencies to launch a digital knowledge system and information team for rapid response to the COVID-19 situation.

During the meeting, scientists and specialists put forward various solutions to contain the COVID-19 in the coming time, several of which are AI-based solutions for helping with the treatment of COVID-19 patients at home. Some participants suggested mechanisms to engage private healthcare providers in COVID-19 fight.

Minister of Science and Technology Huynh Thanh Dat said his ministry plans to focus on developing home-grown vaccines and medicine against COVID-19 while implementing the national programme on human vaccine R&D by 2030./.

Deputy Defence Minister meets heads of Vietnamese rep. offices abroad

Deputy Minister of National Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien hosted a reception for heads of Vietnamese representative offices abroad in Hanoi on October 18.

Chien congratulated the officials on being appointed to such positions for the 2021-2024 term, and stressed that defence external affairs forms an important part of the Party and the State’s external work as well as people-to-people diplomacy.

The Central Military Commission and the Defence Ministry highly valued the attention and close coordination of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in international integration and defence external affairs over the past time, contributing to implementing the defence external work comprehensively, he said.

The Deputy Minister expressed his hope that the chief representatives will fulfil their assigned tasks outstandingly, helping to enhance diplomatic ties between Vietnam and countries and international organisations, and promote collaboration in military and national defence./.

Vietnam-Switzerland cultural festival marks 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties

A Vietnam – Switzerland cultural festival took place on October 16 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic relations (1971 – 2021), and enhance people-to-people exchange and cultural and economic cooperation.

Present at the event were Vice President of the Council of the State of Geneva Mauro Poggia, and Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

In her welcoming remarks, Vietnamese Ambassador to Switzerland Le Linh Lan highly spoke of the achievements in the bilateral relations, saying 2021 holds a special meaning as the year marks the 50th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic ties and the 30th anniversary of their development cooperation.

Switzerland was among the first Western nations to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam, she said, noting the bilateral ties have seen dynamic development in all areas, from politics, diplomacy, trade and investment, to culture, education and training, and community exchange.

She further said that development cooperation projects funded by Switzerland have greatly contributed to Vietnam’s socio-economic growth and its realization of the UN Millennium Goals and Sustainable Development Goals.

Lan took the occasion to thank Switzerland for donating 5 million CHF (5.4 million USD) worth of medical supplies to help Vietnam fight COVID-19. The donation demonstrates the solidarity with Vietnam in the time of hardships, she stated.

Ambassador Le Thi Tuyet Mai, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations, the World Trade Organization and other International Organizations in Geneva, also expressed her delight at the growing friendship between Vietnam and Switzerland, saying from Geneva, the two countries have been actively promoting multilateralism and stepping up multifaceted cooperation.

Both ambassadors pledged that the Vietnamese Embassy to Switzerland and the Permanent Mission of Vietnam in Geneva will do their best to together with Swiss friends strengthen the long-standing friendship and partnership as well as economic and cultural exchanges between the two countries and their localities.

Mauro Poggia, Vice President of the Council of the State of Geneva, said the 50-year relations will lay a solid foundation for further bolstering the bilateral cooperation, particularly economics, trade, sustainable development and post-COVID-19 humanitarian assistance.

Vietnam is a very dynamic partner with promising economic outlook for Switzerland, Poggia said.

He unveiled that the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs will sponsored the building of a world-class conference hall at the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, called Geneva Conference Hall. The gift is a tribute to international dialogue and “Geneva Spirit,” he noted./.

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