According to National Assembly Secretary General Bui Van Cuong, four major contents will be presented to the National Assembly at this extraordinary session, including: draft amended laws; the project to build the eastern segment of the North-South expressway in 2021-2025; the Government's report on fiscal and monetary mechanisms and policies to promptly support the implementation of the socio-economic recovery and development program; and a draft resolution on piloting a number of mechanisms and policies for the development of Can Tho city.

The 3.5-day long meeting is scheduled to be held on December 27-31, or December 27 to January 4 or January 4-11.

Hanoi to strictly control construction of high-rise buildings to reduce traffic congestion

On December 10, the Hanoi People's Council approved a Resolution on the target program to reduce congestion and ensure traffic safety in the city in the 2021-2025 period.

Hanoi plans to handle seven to 10 traffic jam sites annually, prevent the formation of new traffic congestion points or traffic jams lasting more than 30 minutes; and abolish sites where many traffic accidents occur, thereby reducing accidents by 5-10% annually. The city also set 10 solutions and missions.

The total budget for the program is more than VND1,865 billion, and is from the city budget.

All adults must be fully vaccinated by Dec. 31

At a meeting on December 10, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh instructed relevant agencies to give the second dose of Covid-19 vaccine to people aged 18 and older by December 31 and to children aged 12-17 by January 31.

The goal is to also give a third (booster) jab to priority subjects (frontline workers, people aged over 50 and people who have underlying diseases) until the end of the first quarter in 2022.

Regarding vaccination for children aged 5 - 11, agencies have been told to urgently report and consult competent authorities, study recommendations of international organizations and experiences of other countries to set the vaccination schedule, striving to complete in Q1 2022.

HCM City seeks assistance from military medical forces

Ho Chi Minh City has asked the Ministry of Defense to send 537 military doctors for 179 mobile medical stations in the city to take care of Covid-19 patients at home. The proposal was made because the number of Covid cases is rising and number of patients being treated at home is relatively high.

Previously, the municipal Department of Health proposed that the HCM City People's Committee ask the Ministry of Defense for assistance to maintain 85 mobile medical stations with 153 medical staff in the city until the end of December 2021.

Hanoi moves from 'zero Covid' strategy to reducing number of Covid-19 deaths

Speaking at a meeting of the Hanoi People’s Council on December 9, Hanoi Mayor Chu Ngoc Anh said that along with a change of mindset to adapt to epidemic development, the capital city is monitoring the situation, especially the new variant Omicron, and preparing response plans and scenarios.

He said the number of new cases has increased rapidly, but the city has only 69 sites under lockdown with the smallest possible scale, following the principles of flexibility, safety and effective control of disease.

Vietnam to have nuclear science and technology research center

The news was revealed by Dr. Tran Chi Thanh, Director of the Vietnam Institute of Atomic Energy under the Ministry of Science and Technology. This center, to be built to replace the Da Lat nuclear reactor, will promote nuclear applications in Vietnam.

Former director of Hanoi Heart Hospital arrested

The police have arrested Nguyen Quang Tuan, former director of the Hanoi Heart Hospital, for his role in the case of "Violation of regulations on bidding, causing serious consequences at the Hanoi Heart Hospital and related units". This is a major case under the supervision of the Central Steering Committee for Anti-corruption. Earlier, Tuan was banned from moving away from his residence.

Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum to be held in Hanoi next year

The Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF) is one of the largest open forums in space activism with participation of space agencies, government agencies, industries, institutions, and other space-related organizations in the space industry in the Asia-Pacific region.

Due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic, APRSAF 2021 was recently organized in an online format by the Vietnam Space Center, the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, the Vietnam Space Agency, the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and the Japan Aerospace Agency (JAXA). The event attracted about 600 delegates from more than 40 countries such as Japan, India, Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, China, USA, UK, Australia.

Next year, the APRSAF will be held in Hanoi before taking place in Indonesia in 2023.

Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The reported to the National Assembly Standing Committee on December 10 that the NA previously allowed 8 of 11 component projects of the North-South Expressway project to be implemented in the form of PPP (public-private partnership). Five of them were later transformed into public investment projects. The remaining three projects face difficulties in seeking investors. So far, only one project has signed a credit contract, while the remaining two projects are under negotiation.

PV

VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES DECEMBER 10

Conference on nuclear science, technology opens