Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam (right) and other delegates at the opening ceremony of the ninth National Sports Games in Hạ Long City, Quảng Ninh Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Trung Kiên

The opening ceremony of the ninth National Sports Games took place in Hạ Long City, Quảng Ninh Province on Friday evening.

Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyễn Văn Hùng and representatives of provinces and cities across the country attended the event.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Minister Hùng emphasised that Quảng Ninh Province and localities participating in the organisation of the Games had prepared the facilities and logistics for the event which would promote the role and effects of sports in the cause of national construction and defence.

Cao Tường Huy, acting chairman of Quảng Ninh Provincial People's Committee, said that the locality had experience in organising many large-scale cultural and sports events, especially successfully hosting seven sports in the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in May. The province always paid attention to developing culture and people.

The event’s opening ceremony left a deep impression on the audience with the transmission of the sacred flame of the Games taken from the Hồ Chí Minh Museum and performed by nine outstanding athletes who are representatives of the talents of Vietnamese sports from all over the country.

Along with that was a spectacular parade of 65 teams and three special art chapters entitled: Việt Nam Khát vọng (Việt Nam Aspiration); Hội Tụ và Lan Tỏa (Convergence and Spreading) and Vì Một Việt Nam Cường Thịnh (For a Strong and Prosperous Việt Nam).

The art performances focused on depicting the people of Quảng Ninh who are dynamic, creative, generous, civilised and friendly.

This year’s event is the largest sports event in the history of the National Sports Games with more than 17,000 officials, coaches, athletes, referees, service staff of 65 sports delegations.

At the Games, athletes will compete for 933 sets of medals in 43 sports.

The ninth National Sports Games officially started in Hạ Long City, Quảng Ninh Province on Friday evening. — VNA/VNS Photo Trung Kiên

The ninth Games take place mainly in Quảng Ninh and 10 neighbouring provinces and cities, including Hà Nội, Hải Phòng, Hải Dương, Bắc Ninh, Bắc Giang, Hòa Bình, Vĩnh Phúc, Ninh Bình, Nam Định and Thanh Hóa. This is the largest sporting event of Vietnamese sports held every four years.

Before the opening ceremony, 13 sports were held early including rowing, wrestling, football, shooting, karate, volleyball, basketball and billiards- snooker, pencak silat, diving and handball. 

French Senate President wraps up Vietnam visit

President of the French Senate Gérard Larcher and his entourage left Hanoi on December 9 night, concluding a successful two-day official visit to Vietnam at the invitation of National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue.

While in Vietnam, the Senate President held talks with NA Chairman Hue and attended a launching ceremony for a series of celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam-France diplomatic ties.

Larcher also paid courtesy calls to Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, and met with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

At the meetings, both sides stressed the significance of Larcher’s visit as the two countries are looking forward to the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic ties and 10 years since the establishment of the bilateral strategic partnership.

The host leaders affirmed that Vietnam attaches importance to the strategic partnership.

The two sides exchanged views on specific cooperation areas and agreed to step up all-level meetings via all Party, State, parliament and people-to-people exchange channels, and strengthen cooperation between localities.

The legislative bodies of the two countries will also enhance coordination at multilateral forums.

The Vietnamese leaders asked France to soon ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) in order to create an impulse for the bilateral investment ties, and urge the European Commission (EC) to remove its "yellow card" warning on the Vietnamese fishery sector.

The two sides concurred to continue coordinating in and strengthening supervision over the implementation of cooperation projects, including urban railway No. 3, to remove obstacles to the projects.

Vietnam and France will also further close coordination at regional and international multilateral forums to promote their role in the decision making process regarding regional and international matters.

The visit, from December 8-9, was the first high-level one of the two countries’ legislative bodies after the COVID-19 pandemic was brought under control.

It has contributed to consolidating and deepening the strategic partnership between the two countries, as well as the friendship and cooperation between the Vietnamese National Assembly and the French Parliament.

HIV prevention model for factory workers sees positive results

More than 15,000 factory workers at high risk of HIV infection have access to HIV prevention and treatment services through an HIV prevention intervention model called SAFE-ZONE, according to the Vietnam Administration for HIV/AIDS Control (VAAC).

Speaking at a recent workshop held in Ho Chi Minh City, Nguyen Thi Minh Tam, head of VAAC’s Department of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control, said the model is being piloted at four factories in Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai province and has seen positive results.

It has provided HIV testing and counseling services for 350 workers, connected more than 60 cases with pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) drugs, and transferred 11 cases to ARV to receive anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment at health facilities.

So any locality that has many industrial parks and factories with a network of community-based organisations providing available HIV/AIDS services can consider conducting this model, she said.

The model is an initiative of the Centre for Promotion of Quality of Life (LIFE) and community-based organisations (CBOs), contributing to helping the healthcare sector to achieve the national goal of ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2030.

Nguyen Nguyen Nhu Trang, director of LIFE, said this model was built in the context of increasing the number of HIV infection cases detected among factory workers.

The model updates and provides the factory workers information and knowledge about sexual health, HIV prevention, and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). It also helps connect them to private HIV testing and treatment services provided by CBOs, she said.

China coast guard delegation visits High Command of VCG Region 1

A delegation from the China Coast Guard (CCG) led by its Director Maj. Gen Yu Zhong held a working session with the High Command of Vietnam Coast Guard (VCG) Region 1 on December 8, as part of the first exchange programme “Vietnam coast guards and friends” in 2022.

At the event, Commander of the Vietnam Coast Guard Region 1 Col. Tran Van Tho briefed his guests about outstanding cooperation activities between the CCG and VCG that were held by the VCG Region 1 since they signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in 2016.

Accordingly, both sides have regularly shared information and held biannual joint patrols in the waters adjacent to the demarcation line in the Gulf of Tonkin. They also held friendship exchanges of delegations and young officers, contributing to further deepening ties between the two forces.

Tho suggested that with permission from their superiors, the VCG Region 1 and its CCG counterpart would continue with joint activities next year and subsequent years, including joint patrols at sea, professional exchanges, inspection of fishing vessels, search and rescue, drills against terrorism, human and drug trafficking, and promoting the establishment of a communication line between the VCG Region 1 and CCG’s Nanhai bureau.

Yu vowed to create conditions for the two units to share information related to law enforcement and professional expertise, thus fostering bilateral friendship and solidarity.

He believed that via the visit, ties between the CCG and VCG, and between the High Command of VCG Region 1 and CCG’s Nanhai bureau, will be closer.

Japan’s medical group hopes to open 100-bed medical centre in Ho Chi Minh City

Chairman of Tokyo-based Sanno Medical Centre Takagi Kuninori on December 8 called on Ho Chi Minh City authorities to support the opening of its healthcare centre in the city.

During his visit to the southern metropolis, Takagi, who is also chairman of the International University of Health and Welfare (IUHW), also introduces the potential and advantages of the university in human resources training.

The university offered scholarships for Vietnamese medical students and trained medical workers for Cho Ray Hospital - IUHW Health Evaluation and Promotion Centre (HECI).

Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Duong Anh Duc applauded the effective operation of HECI which helps improve the quality of medical examination and treatment services for people in the city and neighbouring provinces.

He welcomes the plan for the 100-bed high-quality healthcare centre of Sanno Medical Centre in the city.

The city also hopes to co-operate with the centre in developing high-quality medical human resources, Duc said.

Russian expert's book on Vietnam makes debut

A book titled “Memories of 65 years with Vietnam” by Evgeny V. Kobelev, Vice Director of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAN)'s Institute of China and Modern Asia, was introduced at a ceremony in Moscow on December 7. 

The event saw the participation of experts from major Russian research institutes and universities, Russian students studying Vietnamese language, and representatives of the Vietnamese Embassy in Russia. 

Kobelev, who has devoted his life and career to studying Vietnam, has witnessed many important events of the Southeast Asian nation over the last two centuries, as well as those related to the relationship between Russia and Vietnam.

According to Dr. Tatyana Gorchakova, Deputy Director of IKSA, Kobelev was one of the first three Soviet students coming to Vietnam to study Vietnamese language and one of the first Russian people working as Vietnamese language interpreter in 1961. He was also the youngest reporter of TASS news agency in Vietnam from 1964-1967. 

The Russian expert used to work at the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, where he was tasked with studying the relationship with the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV).  

In his book, Kobelev shared his memories of President Ho Chi Minh, especially during the first time he met the Vietnamese leader in 1959 when he was a student, as well as other Vietnamese leaders such as Le Duan, Pham Van Dong, Le Duc Tho, and Xuan Thuy, who he called “great” leaders.

Kobelev, who has also made great contributions to promoting mutual understanding and cooperation between Russia and Vietnam, hoping that the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries will be further strengthened, serving the interests of the their people.

Three Vietnamese hotels named among best in Asia

Three Vietnamese hotels have been listed among the top 30 Best Hotel in Asia, as compiled by Luxury Travel Magazine, one of the world's leading luxury travel websites.

The locations include Alma Resort in Cam Ranh City, Azerai La Residence Hue in Thua Thien-Hue province, and Regent Phu Quoc on Phu Quoc island.

Of these venues, Alma Resort ranked third in the list, while Azerai La Residence Hue and Regent Phu Quoc stood at 12th and 23rd places, respectively.

The selection has been held as part of LLM Readers’ Travel Awards, which was voted on by 31,000 tourists from all over the world. The awards recognise and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the luxury travel and tourism industry.

The three Vietnamese hotels earlier also received international awards and honour by foreign newspapers.

Alma Resort was listed among eight of the country’s hottest new hotels to "lay your head at a range of prices and styles", as reported by news channel CNN of the United States.

Meanwhile, tourism magazine Condé Nast Traveler (CNTraveler) of the US named Azerai La Residence Hue among the top 10 hotels in Southeast Asia for 2022.

Moreover, AFAR magazine, a print and digital publication focused on experiential travel, listed V Regent Phu Quoc among the top seven exciting new retreats throughout Asia.

HCM City among most searched destinations by travelers

Ho Chi Minh City was named among the top 15 most searched destinations by global travelers for the holiday season as complied by Booking.com, one of the world’s leading online travel companies.

The southern city climbed up a total of 2,985 spots to secure 12th place among destinations searched for by global travelers.

“Being one of the first countries in the world to have lifted restrictions on COVID-19 since March 15, 2022, Vietnam has since attracted a great number of tourists,” according to Booking.com.

Elsewhere, London and Paris were the most searched destinations, followed by Dubai (United Arab Emirates), Amsterdam (Netherlands), Barcelona (Spain), Rome (Italy), New York (United States), Tokyo (Japan), and Prague (Czech Republic). Other locations to make the list include Vienna (Austria), Madrid (Spain), Berlin (Germany), Budapest (Hungary), and Istanbul (Turkey).

Booking.com also released a list of the top 10 most searched destinations by Vietnamese nationals for international travel.

They include Khon Kaen, Chiang Mai, Phuket, and Bangkok (Thailand), Singapore, Seoul (Republic of Korea), Taipei (Taiwan - China), Tokyo (Japan), and Melbourne (Australia).

Logo marking 30 years of Vietnam-Israel diplomatic ties announced

The official logo to mark the 30th anniversary of Vietnam-Israel diplomatic ties in 2023 was unveiled in Hanoi on December 7.

The logo design contest is a joint initiative launched by the Embassy of Israel in Hanoi and the Embassy of Vietnam in Tel Aviv.

The logo features the national flags of each country, with letters of peace written in Hebrew to send a message about the friendship and solidarity between both nations.

Israeli Ambassador to Vietnam Yaron Mayer announced there will be more activities to be launched to celebrate 30 years of joint diplomatic relations.

‘Come and Party in France’ exhibition held in HCM City

Consul General of France in Ho Chi Minh City Emmanuelle Pavillon-Grosser on December 7 opened an exhibition titled “Come and Party in France” to introduce 14 popular French festivals.

The exhibition, set to wrap up next April, will take visitors on a journey to the four corners of France, from the city to the countryside and from the mountains to the sea, to discover French festivals without leaving HCM City.

Among them, the Festival of Lights in Lyon, the Christmas markets in Strasbourg, the Carnival of Guadeloupe and the Bayonne festivals will undoubtedly give Vietnamese visitors a reason to travel to France.

A series of photographs of these festivals are posted on the outer walls of the building of the French Consulate General at 6 Le Duan Boulevard in HCM City’s District 1.

Resumption of seal opening ceremony at Tran Temple announced

The northern province of Nam Dinh has announced the resumption of the Seal Opening Ceremony at Tran Temple on the coming Lunar New Year, or Tet, following a three-year suspension due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Seal Opening Ceremony at Tran Temple is among Vietnam’s biggest annual festival on the Tet holiday.
The event is held between the 11th and 16th days in the first lunar month of every year.

The ceremony re-enacts a custom dating back to the Tran Dynasty (1225–1400), when mandarins took out their seals after the Tet holiday, resuming administrative activities, including rewarding and conferring titles. It has become a tradition for Vietnamese to come here and receive a stamp with the hope of good luck and happiness.

The lucky stamps are distributed among visitors starting 5am on February 12.

For this occasion, many sports and cultural activities, as well as folk games, have been organised.

Tran Temple in Loc Vuong Ward, Nam Dinh City, is a place to worship the Tran emperors and mandarins who helped support the Tran Dynasty.

Bac Ninh proposes elevated railway construction

The northern province of Bac Ninh has proposed turning the Lim-Pha Lai railway sub-project into an elevated section.

Provincial authorities have sent the recommendation to the Ministry of Transport for their consideration before being submitted to the prime minister for approval.
 
The Lim-Pha Lai railway section is one part of the railway project linking Hanoi’s Yen Vien Railway Station and Cai Lan Port in the northern province of Quang Ninh. The 131-kilometre project also travels through two neighbouring provinces of Bac Ninh and Hai Duong.

The Ha Long-Cai Lan section has already been put into use, while work on the three remaining sections of Yen Vien-Lim, Pha Lai-Ha Long, and Lim-Pha Lai has been sluggish owing to capital difficulties.

Around 35.3 kilometres of the Lim-Pha Lai section pass through Bac Ninh. According to Bac Ninh authorities, the section needs to be built elevated to avoid conflicting with local urban planning.

Dengue cases decrease but 29 die

Today, the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC) said that last week, the number of dengue fever cases in the city decreased by 24.2 percent compared to the average of 4 weeks ago; however, it is still high compared to the same period of the years. Worse, 29 people succumbed to the fatal disease.

Specifically, the city recorded 1,080 dengue cases last week, a decrease of 24.2 percent compared to the average of four weeks ago, the number of inpatients decreased by 37.8 percent and the number of outpatients decreased by 9.7 percent. During the week, no deaths were recorded.

Since the beginning of the year until now, the city has recorded 77,378 dengue cases, an increase of nearly 7 times compared to the same period in 2021. Amongst 77,378 dengue cases, roughly 1,873 are serious cases; generally, the ratio of severe cases to the total number of dengue cases was 2.42 percent, an increase of more than 3.2 percent over the same period in 2021. The total number of deaths from dengue since the beginning of the year so far is 29 cases, an increase of 23 cases over the same period last year.

In the past week, the city recorded 62 new dengue outbreaks in 49 wards and communes in 15/22 districts and Thu Duc City, a decrease of 15 new outbreaks compared to the previous week. Medical workers sprayed chemicals in 143 outbreaks to kill mosquitoes in a week.

According to the HCDC, although dengue cases tend to decrease substantially, medical workers advised people to be cautious because of unpredictable weather. People should continue to take measures to eliminate mosquito breeding sites weekly at work and in residence.

Regarding the development of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), the southern largest city recorded 225 more cases of hand-foot-and-mouth in the past week, an increase of 90.4 percent compared to the average of the previous 4 weeks. Since the beginning of the year, the city has recorded 18,591 cases of HFMD. The cumulative number of hand, foot and mouth disease outbreak up to week 49 in 2022 is 88.

HCMC to focus on developing worker accommodation, social housing programs

Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Phan Van Mai informed that the city is focusing on implementing 18 projects, reviewing and completing the project of replacing 20,000 houses on and along the canals and developing worker accommodation, and social housing programs.

The Chairman made the statement at today’s eighth session of the tenth tenure of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council which continued the second working day on Thursday. Deputies posed questions about some matters.

Deputy Tang Huu Phong raised the question that in mid-October, right after Ho Chi Minh City controlled the epidemic and moved to a stage of flexibly and safely adapting to the Covid-19 epidemic, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen directed at the Conference of the Executive Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee for the term of 2020-2025 to focus on mobilizing all social resources to build social housing and public accommodation projects. This is an important program that received great attention from people from every walks of life, workers, employees, officials, teachers and businesspersons.

Social housing construction was then repeatedly mentioned in city conferences, meetings and working sessions of city leaders with localities. On June 24, 2022, at the city People's Committee's monitoring session of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council on the housing development program for the 2016-2025 period, Chairman of the municipal People's Committee Phan Van Mai continued to affirm that the housing development program, especially social housing program is a crucial task which city authorities will focus on doing better.

At the 19th expanded meeting of the Party Executive Committee of Ho Chi Minh City on November 30, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen once again emphasized the requirement to focus on building social houses.

Deputy Tang Huu Phong suggested that the HCMC People's Committee Chairman should inform how the city will implement the Housing Development Program in the 2021-2030 period.

Thu Duc City to open book street

The People's Committee of Thu Duc City has just deployed and invited units to participate in activities at Thu Duc City Book Street, which is located on Ho Thi Tu Street in Hiep Phu Ward, Thu Duc City with a total length of 286 meters. 

It is expected that Thu Duc City Book Street will be started work on December 28 to mark the second anniversary of Thu Duc City's establishment (January 1, 2021 - 2023) and it will be inaugurated in April of 2023 to celebrate the 48th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and the National Reunification (April 30, 1975 - 2023) and the Vietnam Book and Reading Culture Day on April 21, 2023.

Accordingly, Ho Chi Minh City Book Street Company Limited will manage and operate activities at the book street. The model and mechanism of formation and operation of Thu Duc City Book Street will be similar to the current Ho Chi Minh City Book Street.

25,000 job openings offered to laborers in HCMC

The Ho Chi Minh City Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention – Control and Economic Recovery yesterday held a meeting on current socio-economic issues and pandemic fighting state in the city.

Deputy Director of the HCMC Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Van Lam informed that until November 2022, 28 businesses in the city laid off nearly 3,000 employees, including 1,425 and 1,185 laborers in Samho Vietnam Co. Ltd. and Ty Hung Co. Ltd.

Therefore, HCMC Employment Service Center has actively cooperated with the local authorities to consult about procedures to claim unemployment aid and introduce jobs for those just been out of work. In particular, the Center was able to help 770 people of Samho Vietnam Co. Ltd. and 184 of Ty Hung Co. Ltd. Others neither need job seeking help nor wish to stay in the city in the future.

Deputy Director Lam added that at present, there are around 23,000-25,000 job offerings in the service and industrial processing sectors in HCMC. Also, the human resources need in Saigon Hi-tech Park this December and the first quarter of 2023 is around 2,400 positions, while the demands from export processing zones and industrial parks here are nearly 13,000.

In the near future, the HCMC Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs will closely collaborate with corresponding state agencies to timely address any arisen labor-related issues. The distribution of bonus for Tet holiday will be under monitor.

HCMC strengthens cooperation with foreign partners in health, education fields

Vice Chairman of the HCMC People’s Committee Duong Anh Duc received Mayor of Gold Coast city in Australia’s Queensland State, Tom Tate on December 8.

Speaking at the reception, Mr. Tom Tate said that the visit aims to seek cooperation opportunities between the two cities in areas of mutual interest, including tourism, education and culture, especially wastewater treatment and turning Waste into Energy.

Vice Chairman of the city Duong Anh Duc emphasized tourism development is the main mission of HCMC in the coming time. The opening of direct flights connecting the southern economic hub and Australian localities will contribute to promoting tourism of the two sides.

HCMC gives priority to the development of high-quality human resources. Therefore, the city wants to strengthen cooperation with countries with the leading education systems in the world, including Australia, he noted.

He also suggested the Mayor of Gold Coast city bridge enterprises from the city as well as from Australia and investment opportunities in HCMC.

On the same day, Vice Chairman of the HCMC People’s Committee Duong Anh Duc hosted a reception for Chairman of the International University of Health and Welfare (IUHW), President of Sanno Health Group, Takagi Kuninori.

Smuggling of live buffaloes, cows into Vietnam must be strictly handled

The Vietnam Ruminant Husbandry Association has recently requested the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) to check and re-evaluate the information posted online that imported live cows that have not been checked, quarantined, disinfected, and decontaminated but still have quarantine paper; if it is true, there will be a risk of spreading many dangerous diseases to domestic livestock, causing great damage to the domestic livestock industry.

Mr. Phung Duc Tien, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, has sent documents to request the People's Committee of provinces and cities to strictly control and handle violations to prevent illegal trade and transportation of live buffaloes and cows into Vietnam.

Especially, the provinces bordering Laos and Cambodia must strictly handle cases of violations of legalizing the origin of smuggled buffaloes and cows and faking import veterinary certificates and animal quarantine papers for transportation between provinces.

Vietnam, UAE sign a MoU on joint parliamentary cooperation

Vice Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Tran Quang Phuong and his delegation held talks with the First Vice President of the Federal National Council (FNC) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on strengthening ties within the framework of parliamentary diplomacy in the UAE from December 6 to December 9.

During the course of discussions, Hamad Ahmed Al Rahoumi, FNC First Vice President of the Federal National Council, and NA Vice Chairman Phuong discussed strengthening the friendly co-operation between the two sides, as well as the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) relating to joint parliamentary co-operation.

Al-Rahoumi used talks to highlight the importance of establishing a Joint Parliamentary Friendship Committee in a bid to develop a framework and action plan for parliamentary visits and meetings as a means of contributing to promoting bilateral parliamentary dialogue.

NA Vice Chairman Phuong praised the development, progress, and prosperity of the UAE, as well as highly outlining Vietnamese appreciation for the developing relationship between the two countries, and the two parliaments, emphasising the importance of intensifying the exchange of visits and expertise between the two parliaments, thereby enhancing co-ordination on issues of mutual concern.

Cities work to preserve tuồng

HCM City and the city of Quy Nhơn of Bình Định Province have co-operated on a new project to preserve the values of tuồng (classical drama), a traditional genre of Vietnamese theatre that began in the 17th century.

Under the 2022-2025 project, tuồng troupes and artists will receive financial and human resource support to perform, record, shoot and release content online. The money will come from local authorities and theatre associations.

Local authorities will work to integrate performances of tuồng with other cultural activities, festivals and concerts in order to create opportunities for the artists to expand their art.

State-owned and private theatres and entertainment centres will be encouraged to produce DVDs of tuồng performances for release online to keep the art alive.

Books on the history of the art will also be published and offered in libraries, museums and schools as a way to bring the art closer to young audiences.

VN Journalists Association honours the best press photos

A series of photographs taken by Lưu Trọng Đạt, a resident photographer with the Vietnam News Agency, showed Hòa Bình Lake drying up in response to the detrimental consequences of climate change and human impacts on the upstream Đà River, won a special prize at the "Press Moment" awards.

The Organising Committee has chosen the 50 finest press images from the many entries this year.

Prize A was given to Đinh Đức Long of Dân Trí Newspaper for his photo essay "Stay up all night in the last 'fort' to stop COVID-19 in Hồ Chí Minh City."

The Organising Board also awarded two B prizes and three C prizes, and recognised the top 10 "Press Moments" of the winning authors.

Bùi Cương Quyết, another Vietnam News Agency photographer, received a C prize for his piece "Let's Fly Việt Nam".

VN to play Philippines in friendly next week

The Vietnamese national team will play a friendly against the Philippines on December 14 at the Hàng Đẫy Stadium in Hà Nội.

The Vietnamese team are training in Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu ahead of the fixture with midfielder Bùi Tiến Dũng returning to the squad after an injury.

However, prolific goalscorer Nguyễn Hoàng Đức suffered a knee injury and will miss the match, though he is expected to recover in time for the AFF Cup 2022.

The upcoming friendly match will be the final test for the South Korean coach Park Hang-seo and the Vietnamese team before the cup.

The Việt Nam Football Federation (VFF) announced tickets will go on sale for VNĐ200,000, VNĐ300,000, and VNĐ500,000, depending on the seats.

Fans will be able to purchase tickets at the headquarters of the VFF from December 9, as well as from Hàng Đẫy from December 12.

The AFF Cup 2022 will take place between December 21 to January 16, 2023. Việt Nam are in Group B alongside Malaysia, Laos, Myanmar, and Singapore. Việt Nam will play away against Laos on December 21 and Singapore on December 30. They will face Malaysia and Myanmar in their home grounds on December 27 and January 3, 2023, respectively.

Source: VNA/SGT/VNS/VOV/Dtinews/SGGP/VGP/Hanoitimes