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The People’s Committee of Hanoi officially opened the elevated section of Ring Road No.2 from Nga Tu So to Vinh Tuy Bridge and the widened ground stretch from Vinh Tuy to Nga Tu Vong to traffic on January 11.
Representing the consortium of contractors, Bui Manh Hung, Director of Trung Nam Construction and Engineering JSC, said the group has successfully applied a mobile movable scaffolding system (MSS), helping complete the project nearly three months ahead of the schedule.
Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Duong Duc Tuan said as one of the key traffic works of Hanoi in the 2016 - 2021 period, the project contributes to reducing traffic jams and giving a facelift to the capital city.
Young Vietnamese win prizes at ASEAN sustainable development awards
Young Vietnamese with creative ideas for sustainable development for ASEAN countries were honoured on Monday in HCM City.
The "Youth ambassador for sustainable development" awards were co-organised by the HCM City University of Social Sciences and Humanities under the Việt Nam National University - HCM City (VNU-HCM), Centre for ASEAN Human Resource Research and Training (CAHRRT), Aid for social protection programme Foundation Vietnam (AFV), and ActionAid International Vietnam (ActionAid).
Nine outstanding initiatives were selected to enter the interview round and pitch in the final round.
The judges' committee evaluated and awarded prizes to initiatives from individuals and groups from Việt Nam and Indonesia.
The value of the prizes was from VNĐ20 million (US$850) to VNĐ100 million ($4,245), which helps the winning teams and individuals realise their initiatives with support from specialists in the upcoming year.
A student team from the HCM City University of Social Sciences and Humanities won first prize with the topic "Improving the capacity to build and develop support networks for women in small-scale production and businesses in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta in the context of digital transformation."
Sleeper bus tickets sold out ahead of Tet
Sleeper bus tickets on the routes from HCMC to central provinces have been sold out as the travel demand surges in the run up to the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday.
Many transport businesses reported that their sleeper buses had been fully occupied for trips from January 17 to 19 (or from the 26th to 28th of the final lunar month) on the routes to Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh and Phu Yen.
Dao Viet Anh, general director of Futabusline, said they still have lots of sleeper bus tickets available for trips prior to January 11. However, the tickets after that day until January 20 are out of stock.
Some 22 travel operators at the new Mien Dong Coach station have registered to sell 71,102 pre-Tet tickets. Currently, only 28,078 bus tickets are still up for grabs.
Tickets for seater buses are still available on the routes from HCMC to Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh and Phu Yen, especially before January 15, according to a representative of the new Mien Dong Coach station.
The new coach station has arranged more buses to serve the rising travel demand before and during Tet and asked the local authorities to strictly handle violations in dropping off and picking up passengers in inner-city areas.
HCMC to accelerate investigation, handling progress of corruption cases
The second session of the HCMC Steering Committee for Corruption and Negative Phenomena Prevention and Control this afternoon approved key contents related to the implementation results of conclusions and directions in the first session.
Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee and Head of the municipal Steering Committee for Corruption and Negative Phenomena Prevention and Control, Nguyen Van Nen chairs the second session of the HCMC Steering Committee for Corruption and Negative Phenomena Prevention and Control
Besides, there were two meetings of the Standing Board of the municipal Steering Committee for Corruption and Negative Phenomena Prevention and Control related to investigation and handling progress of complicated and serious corruption cases particularly concerned by the public.
Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee and Head of the municipal Steering Committee for Corruption and Negative Phenomena Prevention and Control, Nguyen Van Nen chaired the meetings.
Mr. Nguyen Van Nen directed the HCMC Steering Committee for Corruption and Negative Phenomena Prevention and Control and functional agencies to actively remove barriers and obstacles, accelerate the investigation progress, strictly handle corruption cases, especially cases under direction and monitoring by the Central Steering Committee for Anti-Corruption.
In addition, it is important to review and propose the cases which should be put under the direction and monitoring of the Ho Chi Minh City Steering Committee for Corruption and Negative Phenomena Prevention and Control, study and propose the Steering Committee to check and monitor sectors prone to corruption in accordance with the working program in 2023 of the Steering Committee.
It is essential to consult the Executive Board of the HCMC Party Committee, the municipal Steering Committee for Corruption and Negative Phenomena Prevention and Control on the removal of difficulties and obstacles in the assessment of assets for clarification and investigation purposes in line with the conclusions of the Inspection Team No.1 of the Central Steering Committee for Anti-Corruption.
Vietnamese people relaxing their pandemic precautions
Many Vietnamese people have started to relax their personal pandemic precautions at least some of the time and participate in some everyday activities again.
In recent days, in offices or public areas across the country, coughs are heard everywhere; Even though many people have signs of cold, fever, and stuffy nose but no one thought about testing against Covid-19. They are all indifferent to the Covid-19 epidemic.
They thought even if they have Covid-19, they will soon recover because they have got vaccinated meanwhile, reoccurrence of Covid-19 epidemics in many countries around the world continue to occur due to new variants. This warned us not to be negligent; especially in the context that Vietnam has recorded the appearance of the XBB variant in the Southern Province of Tay Ninh and Ho Chi Minh City. This is considered a complex variant because the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant can evade immunity, even in those vaccinated against the virus and spread faster than other variants of the Omicron strain.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), so far, over 500 different variants have been recorded, currently, the Omicron variant is the dominant variant of cases worldwide with many sub-variants such as BQ. 1 (with 23.3 percent), BA.5 (with 20.6 percent), BA.2.75 (with 6.8 percent), XBB (with 3.3 percent), BA.4.6 (with 2.8 percent) and some other minor variations. The XBB variant was recognized worldwide in October 2022 and has since spread to more than 70 countries.
Recently, the sub-variant XBB.1.5 is causing a new outbreak in the US, with the incidence of this variant increasing from 4 percent to 41 percent, of which nearly half of these cases were caused by the XBB sub-variant 1.5. This variant is the fastest spreading substrain ever detected in 28 countries and it is expected that the Covid omicron XBB and XBB.1.5 variant will rapidly become dominant because it is highly immune evasive and appears more effective at binding to cells than related subvariants in the near future.
SAR-CoV-2 virus strains mutate rapidly, bringing challenges to global scientists in researching and producing effective vaccines. In Vietnam, the health sector predicted that in the coming time, the development of the Covid-19 epidemic will be rapid due to strains and sub-variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus as immunity from vaccination decreases over time plus the opening and easing of epidemic prevention policies of some countries around the world.
Many people have not forgotten the painful past in 2021, Vietnam and countries around the world went through a painful period when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out. At that time, when everyone was excitedly celebrating Tet and celebrating spring season, the first 2 cases of Covid-19 were recorded on the father and son of Wuhan (China) in Ho Chi Minh City. Since then, the country’s health system started stressful days to fight the disease.
Although there had been many warnings about this dangerous disease before, no one thought about the situation that all life activities were disturbed, and mandate social distancing had to be imposed nationwide. Similarly, during the approaching Tet holiday when people’s demand for travel surges, infection cases will be likely to increase.
To cope with the new wave of the Covid-19 epidemic, in addition to encouraging people to get additional vaccines, controlling the arrival of people from foreign countries has been applied in many countries. The Ministry of Health had field visits to check and monitor epidemic prevention at border gates when China opened its borders and lifted the quarantine.
People-to-people diplomacy greatly contributes to national development
People-to-people diplomacy has contributed to creating a favourable international environment for national development, Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan said on January 10.
She was speaking at the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisation (VUFO)'s meeting with representatives from the diplomatic corps, international organisations, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) on the occasion of the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday.
On behalf of the Party and State leaders and people of Vietnam, Xuan expressed her sincere thanks to the guests for their support to and cooperation with Vietnam in the past time.
She commended the VUFO and the Committee for Foreign Non-Governmental Organisations Affairs for their achievements, especially in 2022, which contributed to strengthening and fostering the friendship, solidarity, and bonds between the Vietnamese people and those of other countries around the world.
The Vice President also affirmed the important role of people-to-people diplomacy in implementing Vietnam’s foreign policy.
She said that she hopes diplomatic agencies, international organisations, and NGOs will continue cooperating with Vietnam for the sustainable and prosperous development of the country and others on the globe.
Palestinian Ambassador Saadi Salama, head of the diplomatic corps in Vietnam, appreciated the VUFO’s role in boosting the solidarity, friendship, and cooperation through people-to-people diplomacy. He expressed his belief that the union will continue promoting the work to further enhance the collaboration with diplomatic corps, international organisations, NGOs and peace lovers all over the world.
Over 100 disadvantaged workers return home for Tet on Vietnam Airlines free flight
Vietnam Airlines has operated a free flight carrying over 100 disadvantaged workers from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi to re-unite with their families on the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet) festival.
The carrier also funded travelling costs for them to return to their home villages as well as airfares for return flights to Ho Chi Minh City after Tet.
The workers on the flight are all live in difficult circumstances, have relatives in need of special care, and have not been able to return to their home villages for Tet for years.
As part of the “Flights of Love” campaign, the flight was a joint effort of Vietnam Airlines, Frequent Flyer Programme Lotusmiles members and partners, to spread humane value for the community and social responsibility that the carrier has been promoting for years.
Over 50 hectares of land cleared from war-time UXO in Thua Thien-Hue
More than 50 hectares of land in A Luoi district in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue have been cleared from war-left unexploded ordnance (UXO), giving more farming land for local residents.
This was the outcome of the third phase of a project on clearing UXO in A Luoi district conducted by the Vietnam National Mine Action Centre (VNMAC), which was reported at a meeting on January 10 to review the 10-month implementation of the phase.
US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc E. Knapper and Norwegian People's Aid to Vietnam Country Director Jan Erik Stoa were among participants at the event.
In his remarks at the meeting, Phan Quy Phuong, vice chairman of the provincial People’s Committee thanked the US Department of State and donors for their technical support for the project to be carried out effectively and safely.
The official expressed his wish that donors will continue to help the province access various resources to carry out demining and development programmes, noting that the locality is heavily affected by bombs and mines left over from the war while local residents need land for socio-economic development.
Vietnamese team comes first at Southeast Asian Fencing Championship
Local athletes bagged a total of eight golds, six silvers, and five bronzes to top the medal tally at the Southeast Asian Fencing Championship which was recently held in Malaysia.
The Philippines’ team came second with two golds, two silvers, and three bronzes, whilst third position went to Malaysia with one gold, one silver, and seven bronze medals.
The tournament saw strong performances put in by female fencers from the nation, including Phung Khanh Linh who won the first gold medal in the women's sabre, Nguyen Thi Thu Phuong who earnt a silver in the women's foil, and Pham Thi Huyen who claimed a bronze in the women's sabre.
Elsewhere, multi-time SEA Games champions Vu Thanh An who was dismissed from the national team after fighting with a teammate in October, was recalled to the team for the event and was able to win a gold medal for the nation.
The tournament is considered as a pre-32nd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 32) event, with Vietnam sending 47 athletes to compete in all categories for both individuals and teams.
This year, the Vietnamese national fencing team are aiming to gain at least three gold medals at SEA Games 32, with the regional event scheduled to take place in Cambodia in May.
Official receives new Australian Ambassador
Politburo member and Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics (HCMA) Nguyen Xuan Thang has asked the new Australian Ambassador to Vietnam, Andrew Goledzinowski, to continue promoting the cooperation between the HCMA and Australian partners, including the Australian Embassy in Vietnam, during his tenure.
During a reception for the diplomat in Hanoi on January 10, Thang, who is also President of the Central Theoretical Council, told his guest that bilateral ties between Vietnam and Australia have been growing over the past years, especially since the establishment of a strategic partnership in 2017.
He highlighted the fine cooperation between HCMA and Australian partners, notably a project on establishing and improving the capacity of a Vietnam-Australia Centre.
Since 2019, HCMA has also partnered with the Australian Embassy and Aus4Skills Programme to hold pilot English training courses for Vietnamese officials as well as sign memoranda of understanding on cooperation with Australian partners in the fields of human rights and human resources development, he said.
Goledzinowski, for his part, expressed his honour to be appointed as Australian Ambassador to Vietnam at a time when the two countries are preparing for the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties and the fifth anniversary of strategic partnership this year.
He affirmed that the most important task during his tenure is to further consolidate and strengthen bilateral political trust which is an important foundation for Vietnam-Australia ties.
Following the reception, host and guest co-chaired the second meeting of the Steering Committee for the Vietnam-Australia Centre Project and attended an inauguration ceremony for the centre's office at the HCMA.
Lunar New Year’s Eve fireworks to be set off across Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City is set to hold 15-minute fireworks displays at six venues across the city in order to welcome the Year of the Cat on Lunar New Year’s Eve on January 22.
The Municipal Department of Culture and Sports recently announced that at the six sites, a high-range firework show will light up the skies over the entrance of the Saigon River Tunnel in Thu Duc City for local people to enjoy.
Elsewhere, low-range fireworks will be put on display at Ben Noc Memorial Temple in Thu Duc City, Dam Sen Theme Park in District 11, Ben Duoc Memorial Temple in Cu Chi district, Can Thanh Town in Can Gio district, and a memorial of martyrs in Binh Chanh district.
The fireworks displays will be available at 0:00 on January 22 to mark the beginning of the Lunar New Year, known locally as Tet.
Local authorities have assigned competent agencies to make thorough preparations for the show to ensure the utmost safety and security at designated venues.
Toll fee changes on major expressways cause concerns among drivers
With VAT returning to 10 per cent at the start of 2023, toll price changes on several major expressways across Việt Nam have caused confusion and discontent among motorists.
On OF.FB, a one-million membership Facebook group for motorists in Việt Nam, Nguyễn Võ Đạt posted screenshots of the price change announcement from the Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC), asking group members about the confusing fluctuation.
Đạt said that before 2022 when VAT rate was 10 per cent, the toll ticket for the entire route of Long Thành - Dầu Giây Expressway cost VNĐ100,000 (US$4.30).
When VAT was changed to 8 per cent, the price was VNĐ98,000. However, when VAT changed back to 10 per cent as of January 1, 2023, the ticket is now VNĐ102,000.
“Then where does the surplus of VNĐ2,000 per vehicle come from?” asked Đạt.
Many other drivers also expressed their annoyance at the price differences when VAT went back to 10 per cent.
On Pháp Vân - Ninh Bình Expressway, a toll ticket for small cars before 2022 (at 10 per cent VAT) was VNĐ105,000 per vehicle ($4.50). At 8 per cent VAT, this figure is VNĐ103,000.
However, the ticket now costs VNĐ110,000, meaning VNĐ5,000 higher than the pre-2022 pricing despite the same VAT rate.
On the section from Km6 to IC7 of Nội Bài - Lào Cai Expressway, toll ticket price for small cars also jumps from VNĐ69,000 ($3) at 8 per cent VAT to VNĐ73,000 ($3.10) at 10 per cent VAT.
In response to the comments, a VEC representative said that the pre-2022 prices were rounded to facilitate toll payment, when electronic toll collection (ETC) was not yet available on these expressways.
The representative said: “To fit the banknotes in circulation and easy payment, VEC made calculations on the principle of rounding the toll fee rates, most of which became lower than the actual prices to benefit motorists.”
According to VEC, the toll rates are determined based on the number of kilometres a vehicle travels on an expressway.
VEC said that since August 1 last year, when the ETC went into operation on all expressways, transactions are made automatically on drivers’ accounts and no longer depended on the available banknotes.
The company’s representative said: “VEC only rounds the fee pricing to the thousands of đồng.
“Adjustments in the calculation methods lead to small changes in the previous and current prices. The adjustment is for correct and sufficient calculations, not a price increase.”
However, on Hà Nội - Hải Phòng Expressway, which is managed by a different company named Vietnam Infrastructure Development and Finance Investment JSC (VIDIFI), the toll price increased by exactly 2 per cent VAT upon the tax rate changes, from VNĐ206,000 ($8.8) to 210,000.
A VIDIFI manager said that when the VAT rate was reduced to 8 per cent in 2022, the company reduced toll price by two per cent, and when the VAT changed back to 10 per cent the toll ticket also returned to the previous rate.
Nguyễn Văn Thanh, former president of Vietnam Automobile Transportation Association believes that if a company wants to adjust the pricing, it must be transparent and make public the information prior to the change.
He said: “VEC explained that the previous prices were rounded, and now with ETC the calculations are correct and sufficient.
“However, the fact is that the company has increased the toll fees compared to the previous pricing.
“The increase is not a lot, customers are not greatly affected, but companies must not be ambiguous.”
Thanh said that with the old manual toll collection method, this situation would definitely “cause a scene,” but with the new non-stop automatic system, drivers are in a passive position and only find out about the change when they arrive home.
VEC currently manages the largest number of expressways across the countries, with four routes in the northern, central and southern regions. Those are Nội Bài - Lào Cai, Cầu Giẽ - Ninh Bình, Đà Nẵng - Quảng Ngãi and HCM City - Long Thành - Dầu Giây.
According to the company’s 2022 report, the total traffic on these four highways reached 53.3 million, an increase of 41.3 per cent compared to the previous year.
Along with the increased traffic, VEC’s total revenue from toll collection (VAT included) is VNĐ4.5 trillion, rising by 36.4 per cent compared to 2021.
It is estimated that with the traffic of 50 million vehicles per year, an addition of VNĐ2,000-5,000 ($0.08-0.2) in toll price per vehicle could result in VNĐ100-250 billion more in the annual revenue.
Futsal team gather for first training session of 2023 ahead of AFC Futsal Asian Cup qualifiers
The Vietnamese futsal team have gathered for their first training session of 2023 in HCM City, as they ramp up their preparations for the 2024 AFC Futsal Asian Cup qualifiers.
Head coach Giustozzi Diego Raul called up 23 players, including some new players. They are Trần Tuyên, Nguyễn Trần Duy of Sài Gòn FC, Hoàng Sỹ Linh, Nguyễn Văn Tuấn of Thái Sơn Bắc, Nguyễn Văn Cố Phát Cổn of Cao Bằng, Đinh Công Viên, Trần Quang Toàn, Lưu Thanh Bảo of Sahako and Dương Ngọc Linh of Thái Sơn Nam.
The team will hone their skills until February 15, when the players will return to their clubs to prepare for the 2023 National Futsal Championship which will start in March.
Unlike previous editions, at the 2024 AFC Futsal Asian Cup qualifiers, teams will be divided into groups and participate in a single qualifying round, instead of being divided into regions like East Zone, West Zone, or the ASEAN Zone. This also means that the Southeast Asian futsal championship is no longer as decisive to the ticket to the Asian futsal finals.
The Việt Nam Football Federation (VFF) has taken steps to ensure that Coach Giustozzi has the best preparation and can develop a winning playstyle for the team as they aim to qualify for the 2024 Asian futsal finals and compete in the 2024 FIFA futsal World Cup. These efforts include creating conditions for the team to come together in various phases throughout the year.
The next team gathering will take place in April when the Vietnamese team will compete in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.
Coach Raul, an Argentine born in 1978, led his native country to win the 2016 Futsal World Cup in Colombia. It is hoped he can lead Vietnamese futsal to new heights.
In recent years, Vietnamese futsal has made strong developments, participating in the FIFA Futsal World Cup in Colombia in 2016. The national team appeared at the World Cup again in 2021 under the guidance of coach Phạm Minh Giang. At both tournaments, Việt Nam reached the round of 16.
Pedestrian-only streets set up around Ho Con Rua
The streets around Ho Con Rua roundabout in in District 3, HCMC have become a pedestrian area on the weekend.
The pedestrian streets are open from 18:00 to 22:00 on Saturdays and Sundays, starting January 8.
The streets are aimed at developing the area into a public cultural space, meeting the entertainment demand of residents and developing the city’s night economy.
This pedestrian quarter features outstanding historical and cultural events of the city and the country.
A cultural space with one topic for every month will be held on Pham Ngoc Thach Street near the pedestrian streets. Besides, there will be photo exhibitions, a book reading space and a playground for startup business owners to exchange information.
District 3 is also considering launching a new food street on either Tran Cao Van or Vo Van Tan street.
Funding for operating the Ho Con Rua pedestrian streets will be sourced from the private sector and the State budget.
HCMC police warn citizens against illegal bank account trading
The Ho Chi Minh City Public Security Department notified that as Tet holiday is approaching, hi-tech criminals are using diverse sophisticated tricks to steal properties.
The Public Security Division of Binh Thanh District has just received a report from Ms. C about being approved a loan by a person posing as a bank officer. Accordingly, this person asked her to carry out a procedure ending with the step of money depositing to a certain account for disbursing her loan. Trusting that person, she transferred VND55 million (US$2,345) to this scammer. A while later, realizing that she was tricked, Ms. C came to the police.
After identifying the criminal, the Binh Thanh District Public Security Division quickly arrested and then prosecuted 8 subjects in the criminal line of appropriating property via electronic devices and the Internet. The police seized many computers, mobile phones, more than 50 sim cards, and other Internet-connected devices.
At present, citizens can easily open multiple accounts at different commercial banks, yet are unable to foresee possible risks of law violation when trading these accounts due to lack of law understanding. Therefore, they are highly vulnerable to criminals’ tricks whenever receiving lucrative account buying prices and agreeing to trade their accounts to unidentified subjects.
By doing this, these account owners have unintentionally aid criminals to carry out illegal activities such as money laundering, property appropriation via fraudulence or high technology use, not to mention that those account trades might be directly or indirectly unlawful.
Since August 2022, various foreign subjects have bought 118 bank accounts for the purposes of transferring money obtained via crimes.
Southern region records dangerously high level of UV radiation
The ultraviolet (UV) radiation index in the southern region reached extreme levels, posing health risks to people exposed to the sun, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.
The centre's report showed the index was at the high-risk level of 7 and above in Nha Trang City, HCM City and Cần Thơ City on Wednesday while it was at 6 in Huế City and Cà Mau Province.
The ultraviolet index in the north remained at a low level. But it was still high in Hà Nội and Đà Nẵng cities, at level 5 and above.
From Thursday to Saturday, the index will be at a moderate and high-risk level of 3 and 6 in the north and at a high and very high level of 6 and 8 in the central and southern regions.
Strong UV radiation will be recorded mostly from 11am to 3pm.
People are advised to shield themselves when going outdoors and avoid long-term sunlight exposure.
People should eat plenty of fresh fruit rich in vitamin C and use sunscreen regularly, even when it is cloudy.
If exposed to high temperatures for a long time, people could become dehydrated, exhausted, and suffer heat stroke.
Source: VNA/SGT/VNS/VOV/Dtinews/SGGP/VGP/Hanoitimes
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