Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (middle) and other delegates at the launching ceremony

A ceremony was held on September 16 in Cam Hieu commune, Cam Lo district of the central province of Quang Tri to launch the construction of Cam Lo-La Son section on the major North-South Expressway.

The 98.35km section spans Cam Lo, Trieu Phong, Lai Lang districts, Quang Tri town, and Dong Ha city of Quang Tri province, and Thua Thien-Hue province’s Phong Dien, Huong Tra, Huong Thuy and Phu Loc districts.

The project is among 11 component projects of the 2,109km North-South Expressway. It has total investment is about 7.66 trillion VND (329.38 million USD), using capital from the Government’s bonds.

In the first phase, the section will be 12m in width with two lanes, which will be expanded to 23m with four lanes when completed.

The Cam Lo-La Son section will help develop transport infrastructure in the region and the country, while promoting the potential of the region, making it more convenient for goods transport among Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue and Da Nang city.

As scheduled, the project will be completed in 2021, combining with the La Son-Tuy Loan section to form Cam Lo-La Son-Tuy Loan expressway, meeting the transportation demand and ease the overload for the National Highway 1A when the Hai Van tunnel and pass section has problems, while helping boost the growth of central localities.

Addressing the ceremony, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc underlined the strategic significance of the North-South Expressway. Building the project is a great determination of the Party and State as well as localities, he said.

He stressed the target of completing four major transport projects of the nation, namely National Highway 1A, Ho Chi Minh Road, North-South Expressway and Vietnam coastal road.

Once completed, the four roads and the North-South high-speed railway will form a complete transport system, helping boost the country’s growth in the future, he said.

The PM asked the Ministry of Transport to continue finalising procedures to implement the remaining component projects of the North-South Expressway. 

Vietnam Airlines Group offers nearly 2 million tickets for Lunar New Year

Vietnam Airlines and VASCO will offer close to 1.4 million seats on 7,600 flights

Vietnam Airlines Group, encompassing the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines, low-cost carrier Jetstar Pacific, and the Vietnam Air Services Company (VASCO), has opened sales of nearly 2 million tickets for domestic flights for the 2020 traditional Lunar New Year from January 9 to February 8.

A representative of the group on September 16 said Vietnam Airlines and VASCO will offer close to 1.4 million seats on 7,600 flights. Meanwhile, Jetstar Pacific will offer nearly 600,000 seats on some 3,000 flights.

The airlines will offer more flights for domestic routes with big travel demand.

Passengers can get more information at www.vietnamairlines.com or www.facebook.com/VietnamAirlines, or call 1900 1100, and www.jetstar.com/vn or www.facebook.com/JetstarVN or call 1900 1550.

Vinh Phuc preserves folk singing to promote tourism

Trong quan Duc Bac singing - response folk singing between male and female groups – has been practised by locals in the northern province of Vinh Phuc for centuries. (Source: vinhphuc.tourism.vn)

Trong quan Duc Bac singing - response folk singing between male and female groups – has been practised by locals in the northern province of Vinh Phuc for centuries and has become a cultural “speciality” of the locality.

The art form involves spontaneous back and forth repartee singing accompanied by drums. The witty response of singers on various topics and in different voices is a unique feature of this folk art.

Each spring, young men in Duc Bac village of Vinh Phuc province and young women from the neighbouring province of Phu Tho gathered on the bank of a river in Duc Bac to engage in Trong quan singing, through which they express their love. The singing then gradually moved to the yard of the communal house.

The singing has played an important role in the spiritual life of residents in Duc Bac, helping them relax after days of hard work.

Through the singing, traditional culture has passed down from generation to generation.

To preserve and promote the genre of music in the modern time, synchronous measures are needed, with attention paid to honouring artisans and encouraging the community to protect and carry forward the heritage’s value.

Notably, to turn the folk art into a unique tourism product for Vinh Phuc, it is necessary to organize performances at cultural-historic sites and popular tourist attractions, and included Trong Quan shows in programmes of community-based tours.

Quang Ninh reintroduces green sea turtle into the wild

Representatives of authorities prepare to release the green sea turtle into the sea

A green sea turtle, a rare reptile species, was released back to nature in Hai Ha district, the northeastern province of Quang Ninh, on September 16.

The animal is over 17kg in weight, about 60cm in length and 44cm in width. It was found by a local fisherman in his net on late September 15.

After that, the fisherman handed over the reptile to the forestry protection division of Hai Ha district.

The green sea turtle, scientific name Chelonia mydas, is an endangered species in need of protection.

Recently, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has approved a programme for conserving endangered sea turtles species of Vietnam until 2015, with a vision to 2030.

The programme aims to protect and sustainably develop the populations of the endangered species and their habitats, thereby helping to protect biodiversity in the country.

More than 17 million students have health insurance cards

More than 17 million schoolchildren and students nationwide have joined health insurance so far, accounting for 95.3 percent of the total, according to the Vietnam Social Security (VSS).

Deputy Director of the VSS Pham Luong Son said more parents have become aware of the necessity of buying health insurance for their children even when they have good health.

He said social insurance agencies spend nearly 1 trillion VND (43.4 million USD) every year for initial health care, which is mainly for students.

The health insurance fund has paid nearly 3 trillion VND for medical examination and treatment for students, including those suffering from incurable and chronic diseases such as kidney failure, cancer and cardiovascular issues, he added.

Carp to be released into To Lich River

A section of the To Lich River being treated with Nano-Bioreactor technology.

Japanese Koi and Vietnamese carp will be released into the To Lich River in Hanoi on September 16.

According to the Japan Trade and Environment Promotion Organisation, they will co-ordinating with experts and officials from the Hanoi Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Department of Science and Technology and the Hanoi Sewerage and Drainage Company to take water samples at a section of the To Lich River and the West Lake for testing after being treated with Nano-Bioreactor technology.

"Together with water testing which will be carried out on the morning of September 16, we will release Japanese Koi and Vietnamese carp into the river and lake," said technical advisor of the organisation, Kubo Jun on Thursday.

"We will also put on show the process of treating 150,000 cubic metres of waste water discharged from 300 pipes into the 15-kilometre-long To Lich River in 24 hours," he said.

Hanoi started a pilot project to treat polluted water at To Lich River and the West Lake using Japanese Nano -Bioreactor technology since May 16. Positive results have been reported with water become clearer with a less foul smell.

Two districts in Hanoi become new-style rural areas

Newly-build Dang Xa kindergarten in Gia Lam district

Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue has signed decisions recognising two districts of Quoc Oai and Gia Lam in the capital city of Hanoi as new-style rural areas.

During the past eight years, Quoc Oai district has upgraded more than 766 km of rural roads and 80 km of irrigation canals. It has also built new schools and communal houses, along with setting up 15 garbage collection points and two garbage and wastewater treatment facilities.

In 2018, total agro-forestry-fishery production value of the district reached over 1.46 trillion VND (about 62.75 million USD), accounting for 15.2 percent of the district’s economic structure.

Notably, all rural families have access to clean water and health insurance coverage hits 86.56 percent. The rate of poor households has been reduced to 0.46 percent.

Meanwhile, Gia Lam district recorded an average growth rate of 12.7 percent in the 2017-2018 period.

Annual per capita income of the district increased to 48.9 million VND in 2018 from just 17.9 million VND in 2010.

In nearly nine years, the district spent more than 5.01 trillion VND on building new-style rural areas, including 550 billion VND mobilised from social sources. About 227 km of rural roads, 68 km of canals and 151 education establishments were built and repaired in the period.

The National Target Programme on New-style Rural Area Building, initiated by the Government in 2010, sets 19 criteria on socio-economic development, politics, and defence, aiming to boost rural regions of Vietnam.

The list of criteria includes the development of infrastructure, the improvement of production capacity, environmental protection, and the promotion of cultural values.

Quang Tri fishermen to be sued for bad debts

The Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV)'s Quang Tri Provincial branch is intending to sue 10 fish boat owners who have failed to repay their debts, while the fishermen said they have faced many difficulties and needed support.

The fishermen took bank loans to build boats based on government policy outlined in Resolution 67 supporting policies to boost the fisheries industry. By mid-2019, BIDV lent VND178bn (USD7.7m) to the fishermen, VND144bn of which became bad debts.

The bank said they had worked with the fishermen many times because of unpaid debts in the past two years had badly affected their credit quality and performance. They are preparing to sue the fishermen.

Ho Sy Trong, director of the State Bank of Vietnam in Quang Tri, said according to Resolution 67, the fishermen could enjoy a lending interest rate of 1% a year. The repayment period was also raised from 11 to 16 years to be more suitable for fishing work.

"I hope the fishermen will work hard and save money to repay their debts. The debts that are not paid in time will not be allowed to benefit from interest rate incentives," Trong said.

He went on to say that if the fishermen who kept delaying repayments would be punished and their boats may be sold.

However, the fishermen said they wanted to repay their debts but they had faced many difficulties like bad weather, lower outputs, and decreased revenue which meant they did not have enough to offset the cost of their trawling expeditions to find new fishing spots. Ho Van Hoan, a fisherman in Trung Giang Commune, said if the bank sued them and took their boats, they would lose the only means to go to sea and earn money to repay debts.

"It's illegal if we ignore our responsibility for our debts. But we’re facing too many problems. I hope the authorities will work with the bank to help us," he said.

In 2016 and 2017, many fishermen in Quang Tri had been lent money to build boats. 25 new boats were built, 118 boats were upgraded and the banks lent out over VND431bn (USD18.6m). But the outcome has not been as positive as expected as fishermen face losses and the banks face bad debts.

Ha Sy Dong, vice chairman of Quang Tri Province People's Committee, said, "There are no banks claiming the fishermen are avoiding their repayments. There are already regulations about writing off debts, freezing the amount, and even debt reduction. If there is any problem, both parties can follow these regulations."

Wild elephants destroy Nghe An crops

Crops damaged by the elephants in Quy Chau

Wild elephants have destroyed a large area of crops in the central province of Nghe An’s Quy Chau District.

Cao Hoang Hai, chairman of Chau Hanh Commune, said that the commune set up a taskforce to assess the losses and help local residents improve awareness of how to avoid elephant attacks.

On the evening of September 9, when people in Chau Hanh Commune were sleeping, they suddenly heard strange sounds. They awoke and saw two elephants eating their rice and crops. Then they tried to drive the animals away by using drums, music and even burning fire, but still failed.

According to local people, the elephants are the mother and her child living in Quy Hop area of Pu Hung Natural Reserves. They have only ravaged crops and posed no risk to people to date.

On September 11, the elephants continued appearing and damaging crops of a household in Chau Hanh Commune. Until now, crops of around 10 households have been affected by the elephants.

Nghe An has planned to spend VND18.7 billion (USD826,086) on preserving elephants which are at risk of extinction.

At present, there are roughly 13-14 elephants left in Nghe An divided into four small groups in Pu Mat National Park and near Pu Huong Nature Reserve.

Ninh Thuan undertakes drastic measures to combat ASF epidemic

Localities suffering from outbreaks of African swine fever in the south-central province of Ninh Thuan should take urgent measures to localise and stamp out the epidemic as a means of stopping it from spreading to other areas throughout the region, said Tran Quoc Nam, Vice Chairman of Ninh Thuan province People’s Committee at a meeting on September 12.

According to a report released by the provincial steering committee on the prevention and control of animal diseases, ASF outbreaks have been detected in five communes and towns in the three districts of Ninh Son, Thuan Bac, and Bac Ai. The most recent locality to declare an ASF epidemic was Bac Ai which made the announcement on the morning of September 12.

Nguyen Duc Hoa, Vice Chairman of the Ninh Son district People’s Committee, said aside from Tan Son town which had declared free from the epidemic, ASF has spread to the communes of Nhon Son and Luong Son, forcing 190 infected pigs to be culled.

Most ASF outbreaks have been discovered at small households which had not taken any major measures to prevent the epidemic. These outbreaks have led to significant damage to the pig breeding industry.

As of September 12, a total of 279 infected pigs have been culled across the three districts, mostly in Ninh Son, while the other districts have undertaken urgent preventive measures in order to halt the spread of the virus to other areas.

During the meeting, Vice Chairman Tran Quoc Nam said although cases of the ASF epidemic had occurred at small pig farms, other provincial districts should strictly monitor the trading and transportation of pigs and pork products through infected areas as a way of preventing the spread of the epidemic.

Mr Nam emphasised that localities across the region should urgently disinfect their breeding facilities and any surrounding areas, whilst they should also keep a close watch on the transportation of pigs, in addition to making sure culled pigs are taken to burial sites in line with existing regulations in order to avoid environmental pollution.

Fun Run 2019 poised to attract 12,000 participants

The 2019 BBGV Charity Fun Run is scheduled to take place in the Phu My Hung urban area of District 7 in Ho Chi Minh City on September 29.

The 19th version of the annual event will include several categories for youth, men, and women, although the five km event will be open to all.

The Fun Run 2019 will draw an estimated 12,000 participants and is expected to raise approximately VND1 billion that will go towards a charity fund.

The event to be held by the British Business Group Vietnam (BBGV), aims to raise funds for charity projects that will reach a variety of sectors throughout Vietnam, including education, health care, and risk management.

The BBGV Charity Fun Run has been an annual feature for both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City over the past 18 years. To date, it has attracted 110,000 participants and raised more than VND11 billion for the purpose of charitable activities nationwide.

Rescue forces save foreign sailor in Danang

A sailor who fell severely ill onboard a Panamanian vessel received emergency aid after being brought ashore in Danang on September 10.

According to the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC), Dorde Perunovic, a 50-year-old from Montenegro, was aboard the Panamanian ship MSC Esthi when he suffered a stroke. The incident happened as the ship was in the southern waters off of the Hoang Sa archipelago, also known as the Paracel islands.

The ship had been on route to China from Singapore, but with the life of the sailor in danger, the captain immediately sent a mayday signal to the MRCC.

Upon receiving the alert, the centre contacted the vessel and instructed the ship’s personnel to provide first aid to the crewmember. It also mobilised Ship SAR 412, along with a medical team from the Da Nang city Health Emergency Center and sent them directly to the scene.

Upon approaching the vessel, the joint forces could successfully give the sailor emergency aid before moving him to Ship SAR 412 which took him to the port of Da Nang.

The centre also collaborated with local authorities in order to finalize necessary procedures to return the fisherman to his home country.

Prime Minister offers incense to commemorate fallen soldiers in Quang Tri

Prime Minister offers incense to commemorate fallen soldiers in Quang Tri hinh anh 1Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) and Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung offer incense to commemorate fallen soldiers in Quang Tri province

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has offered incense to commemorate fallen soldiers at Truong Son National Martyrs’ Cemetery and Road 9 National Martyrs’ Cemetery in the central province of Quang Tri.

Truong Son National Cemetery is the resting place of soldiers who were killed during mission on the Ho Chi Minh Trail during the anti-American war. There are more than 10,000 tombs at the cemetery.

Meanwhile, Road 9 was a strategic route connecting Vietnam-Laos border with Dong Ha in Quang Tri during the resistance war against the US. The enemy built a lot of military bases along the road to cut off the flow of supplies from the north of Vietnam for the southern battlefield.

Earlier, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc paid tribute to fallen soldiers at the Quang Tri Ancient Citadel relic site on the occasion of the Day designated to commemorate war martyrs who died during the battle at the ancient citadel (September 16).

In the resistance war of the Vietnamese people against the invading American imperialism, Quang Tri was the site of several of the fiercest battles, typically the 81-day-and-night battle to defend the ancient Citadel of Quang Tri from June 28, 1972 to September 16, 1972.

The battle significantly contributed to the liberation of the south and the national reunification.

USAID project assists Thua Thien – Hue in forest management

Forest rangers in Thua Thien - Hue are trained to use the forest management system (Source: baotainguyenmoitruong.vn)

The US Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Green Annamites Project has recently equipped the central province of Thua Thien-Hue with a forest management system.

As part of the nearly 10 million-USD-project, the system allows automatic connection to the Google Earth Engine (GEE) based-tool developed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency’s Project for Sustainable Natural Resource Management (SNRM).

On a 10-day basis, the system uploads warnings on new deforestation sites on Webgis, which offers free access to information and resources for geographical information systems, while sending the data to forest management agencies and forest owners.

Nguyen Dai Anh Tuan, head of the provincial Forest Ranger Depart, said his department is monitoring the system and a list of administrative units and forest owners to receive frequent updates via SMS and email.

The tackling of any obstacles or technical problems detected during the implementation of the system requires collaboration between the department and the Green Annamites Project, he said.

Thua Thien – Hue is home to 283,000 ha of forest, including 212,000 ha of natural forest. Prolonged drought, fire-fallow cultivation practice, and deforestation are major causes of forest losses.

Vietnamese corporate culture campaign launched in Czech Republic

Sapa shopping centre in Czech Republic, which houses 3,000 Vietnamese businessmen

A campaign to build Vietnamese corporate culture was launched at a conference in Prague, in the Czech Republic, on September 15.

The Czech Republic is the first overseas destination of the campaign, initiated by the Vietnamese Government. The conference gathered a large number of Vietnamese businesses in the country.

Speaking at the event, Nguyen Duy Nhien, Chairman of the Vietnamese Association in the Czech Republic, said Vietnamese expatriates in the European nation are a business community, as more than 90 percent of them run enterprises.

Noting corporate culture is key to firms’ existence and long-term growth, he welcomed the implementation of the campaign within the community.

Hoang Dinh Thang, Chairman of the Vietnamese Association in Europe, highlighted the importance of building corporate culture as Vietnam is integrating further into the global economy, adding that it will help affirm the position of Vietnamese expats in their host nations.

Concluding the conference, a coordination plan was signed between the campaign organising board and the Vietnamese Association in the Czech Republic. The sides will work together in carrying out communications work to raise public awareness on corporate culture, encouraging Vietnamese firms to join the initiative, and assessing the implementation at Vietnamese companies in the Czech Republic to suggest measures for improvement.

Vietnamese embassy raises funds for flood-hit people in Laos

The Embassy of Vietnam hosts an event on September 15 to raise funds for flood-hit people in central and southern Laos.

A total of close to 24,800 USD has been raised within three hours after the Embassy of Vietnam launched a fundraising event in Vientiane on September 15 to support flood-hit people in central and southern Laos.

Donors included Vietnamese expats and businesses in Laos.

Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Ba Hung spoke highly of donation from the Vietnamese community to Lao people severely affected by floods in the central and southern regions earlier this month, which demonstrates the brotherhood and sharing between the two peoples.

He said he expects the Vietnamese community in Laos will keep up the good deed, together supporting the locals recover from consequences of the disaster and making Laos more prosperous.

Floods in southern and central Laos in early September killed 14 people and affected lives of more than 175,000 families in about 1,400 villages across six provinces, according to the Lao Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare.

The natural disaster also destroyed around 150,000 hectares of rice and 251 hectares of crops and damaged many houses, bridges and roads.

Southern provinces raise over 932 trillion VND for new rural area building

Long Duc commune in southern Dong Nai province was recognised as new-style rural area. (Source: baodongnai.com.vn)

The Southeast region and the Mekong Delta have mobilised over 932 trillion VND (40 billion USD), accounting for 40 percent of the total investment for the purpose nationwide, to build new-style rural areas in 2010-2019.

The figure includes more than 81 trillion VND from the local corresponding capital and 79 trillion VND from local communities and residents, according to the Central Coordination Office on New Rural Area Development.

Localities have focused investment on upgrading socio-economic infrastructure, thus creating remarkable improvements in production and living conditions of local life.

So far, 98 percent of rural communes in the Southeast region have their main roads concretised and the rate in the Mekong Delta is 96.5 percent.

This has facilitated sales of farm produce and attracted major businesses to invest in the rural region, including remote areas.

Particularly, the One Commune, One Product (OCOP) programme has received great attention from localities and gained certain outcomes.

Thirteen provinces and centrally-run cities in the Southeast and Mekong Delta regions have approved provincial-level OCOP projects covering the standardisation of 369 products through 2020. Ben Tre is the only province in the two regions to implement the classification of OCOP with 31 products gaining 4-star standards and 14 ones earning 3-star standards.

As of July 2019, the Southeast region and the Mekong Delta had 874 out of the 1,731 communes, or 50.49 percent, recognised as new-style rural areas, which is almost equal to the national rate of 50.8 percent.

Dong Nai became the first locality in the nation to recognise 31 new advanced rural areas.

The two regions had 30 districts meeting the new-style rural building standards, including 18 in the Southeast region. In particular, Dong Nai has all districts recognised as new-style rural areas.

The National Target Programme on New Rural Development, launched in 2010, set out 19 criteria for new-style rural areas covering infrastructure, production, living standards, income, culture and others.

Thua Thien-Hue pushes ahead with new-style rural area building

The central province of Thua Thien-Hue aims to raise the number of new-style rural areas from 44 at present to 54-58 by the end of this year.

The locality expects to have 61 out of 104 communes recognised as new-style rural areas during the 2016-2020 period.

Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Van Phuong said since the beginning of 2019, Thua Thien-Hue has mobilised resources worth more than 2.15 billion VND (92,450 USD) for national target programmes.

However, the disbursement of the budget for new-style area building reached only 53.2 percent.

The locality has diversified sources of capital and allocated the funding suitably, ensuring the efficiency of investment in new-style rural area building, according to the official.

The National Target Programme on New-style Rural Area Building, initiated by the Government in 2010, sets 19 criteria on socio-economic development, politics, and defence, aiming to boost rural regions of Vietnam.

The list of criteria includes the development of infrastructure, the improvement of production capacity, environmental protection, and the promotion of cultural values.

Cambodian students meet Vietnamese sponsor families

A Cambodian student speaks at the meeting

As many as 68 Cambodian students in Vietnam were introduced to their Vietnamese sponsor families at a meeting in Hanoi on September 15.

Speaking at the meeting, the fifth of its kind, President of the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Association Vu Mao praised the initiative to find sponsor families for Cambodian students in Vietnam.

Initiated in Hanoi, the programme has come to other localities like the northern province of Thai Binh and Ho Chi Minh City, he said.

Not only families whose members were volunteer soldiers in Cambodia but other families have also registered for sponsoring the students, according to the official.

In his remarks, Cambodian Ambassador to Vietnam Op Sophy highlighted the fine relations between the Vietnamese and Cambodian Parties, States, Governments and peoples.

He said the sponsorship has helped the Cambodian students understand more about the language and traditional culture of Vietnam, expressing his hope that the programme will contribute to preserving and enhancing the long-standing relationship between the two countries.

Con Son-Kiep Bac Autumn Festival opens

The Con Son-Kiep Bac Autumn Festival 2019 kicked off in the northern province of Hai Duong on September 15 or the 17th day of the eighth lunar month.

The festival aimed to mark the 719th death anniversary of General Tran Hung Dao (or Tran Quoc Tuan), one of the most revered figures in Vietnam’s history.

Under the Tran Dynasty (1225 – 1400), the Supreme Commander led the Dai Viet (Great Vietnam) army to victories over three major Mongolian invasions, making him one of the most accomplished military strategists in the world history. He passed away on the 20th day of the eighth lunar month in 1300 at the age of 70.

The festival featured a range of traditional rituals and cultural activities such as incense-offering ceremonies and military parade with the participation of 1,500 fishermen and martial artists along with around 50 boats on Luc Dau River. The event aims to re-enact the Tran Dynasty army during the three struggles against Mongolian invaders and honour contributions of General Tran Hung Dao.

Covering a total area of eight hectares in Chi Linh district, the Con Son-Kiep Bac historical site is entwined with the lives and causes of Tran Hung Dao and the Great Man of Culture of the World, Nguyen Trai.

The site was a defence line built at the end of the 13th century to protect the Thang Long Imperial Citadel. It witnessed important battles between the Tran dynasty army and the Yuan-Mongol invaders.

Con Son, surrounded by pine trees, saw the pure and upright life of Nguyen Trai (1380-1442), one of Vietnam’s most famous poets and writers.

With its special values, the Con Son – Kiep Bac was recognised as a national heritage site in 1962 and a special national heritage site in 2012. In 2013, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism named the Spring Festival in Con Son Pagoda and the Autumn Festival in Kiep Bac Temple as national intangible cultural heritages.

Nhan Dan Newspaper returns to L’Humanité festival in France

Member of Nhan Dan Newspaper’s Editorial Board Pham Song Ha speaks at the opening of Nhan Dan (People) Newspaper's booth at the 84th Fête de l'Humanité in France.

Nhan Dan (People) Newspaper has launched a booth at the 84th Fête de l'Humanité, an annual festival of French newspaper L’Humanité, which is underway at La Courneuve Park in the suburbs of Paris.

The opening, which took place on September 13, saw the presence of member of Nhan Dan Newspaper’s Editorial Board Pham Song Ha, Politburo member of the French Communist Party (PCF) Denis Rondepierre, Vietnamese Ambassador in France Nguyen Thiep, and Lao Ambassador Yong Chanthalangsy.

In his remarks, Ha said it is an honour for Nhan Dan Newspaper to attend the festival, adding Vietnam always treasures long-standing relations with the PCF which have been nurtured by President Ho Chi Minh and many generations of leaders from the Communist Parties of Vietnam and France.

Rondepierre, for his part, said he appreciated Nhan Dan Newspaper for attending the festival every year, noting it demonstrates the close ties between the two Parties and newspapers.

The booth helps introduce Vietnam’s achievements to French and international visitors and shows friendship and solidarity for a world of equality, fairness, progress, happiness and peace, he said.

On display are various newspaper publications and books telling stories about President Ho Chi Minh and Vietnam’s economic development and depicting the country’s nature, culture and people.

The Fête de l'Humanité, held in mid-September annually, is viewed as a gathering of French communists and left-wing activists from all over the world to celebrate and debate.

It is not only an important political event but also a festival of French people, especially the youth, as it provides a platform for participants to introduce their countries’ culture, tourism and cuisine.

The festival attracted around 600,000 visitors from across France and many parts of the world every year. This year, it runs through September 15 (local time).

Thanh Hoa organises first international tourism festival

At the opening ceremony of the event (Photo: http://baodansinh.vn)

The Thanh Hoa International Tourism Festival opened on September 14, drawing a large number of travel and aviation firms as well as representatives from diplomatic and tourism promotion agencies from many countries.

The event, the first of its kind held in the north central province of Thanh Hoa, introduced many new tourism trends and products, along with attractive tours and services at good prices.

The fair, which ran through September 15, also included various activities, including a food festival, folk art performances, Thanh Hoa’s traditional craft product exhibition, and an exchange between domestic and foreign travel firms.

Alongside, visitors had a chance to explore the culture and tourism of various countries such as the Republic of Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Japan, as well as join a lucky draw with total award valuing 10 billion VND.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Thanh Hoa Le Thi Thin lauded the activeness of the Flamigo Group and Hanoi Redtours in coordinating with the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to hold the event.

She expressed her hope that the event will help Thanh Hoa’s tourism sector to fulfil the target of welcoming 11.2 million visitors in 2020 with revenue reaching 20.5 trillion VND.

Within the opening of the event, a memorandum of understanding was signed among the Thanh Hoa Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Korean Tourism Organisation and the Hanoi Redtours, and others between the department and Flamingo Group, and between the Thanh Hoa Tourism Association and Hanoi Redtours.

Bestowed with gorgeous natural landscapes and diverse cultural space, Thanh Hoa has huge potential to branch out a wide range of tourism products.

Many renowned enterprises like FLC and Sun Group have poured capital into the local tourism sector. During 2015-2017, 18 tourism infrastructure projects were carried out while investment licenses were granted for 61 tourism projects with total registered capital of nearly 62.5 trillion VND (2.75 billion USD).

Fair introduces Vietnam’s culture in Singapore

Overseas Vietnamese in Singapore organised a cultural fair titled “Vietnam Lah! 2019” in the city-state on September 14, drawing the participation of more than 1,000 people.

The fair, held on the occasion of the 74th National Day of Vietnam and the mid-Autumn festival, aims to introduce Vietnamese culture to international friends and Singaporean people in particular.

Visitors to the event can experience diverse cultural traits with various folk games and specialties of all regions of Vietnam.

President of the Vietnamese Students Association in Singapore Mai Tuan Minh said the fair is hoped to connect the Vietnamese community and promote the country’s images in Singapore.

Meanwhile, Nguyen Tri Khue Phuc, who has lived and worked in Singapore for 17 years, said the event has helped her children understand more about Vietnamese culture and reach out to other OVs in Singapore./

Cao Dai followers celebrate festival in Tay Ninh province

Cao Dai followers in the southern province of Tay Ninh celebrated their biggest festival in the year to pray for good weather, national peace, and prosperity on September 13 – the 15th day of the 8th lunar month.

More than 100,000 visitors and Cao Dai followers flocked to the festival namely “Hoi Yen Dieu Tri Cung”.

Cardinal Thuong Tam Thanh, Head of the Executive Council of the Cao Dai Church in Tay Ninh, thanked the Party and State for paying attention to and creating favourable conditions for Cao Dai followers to practice their belief and live a happy and peaceful life.

He called on Cao Dai followers to strengthen solidarity and actively join poverty reduction programmes and charitable activities as well as build a healthy cultural lifestyle at residential areas and protect the environment.

“Hoi Yen Dieu Tri Cung” is a great religious banquet for the Great Mother and nine female immo immortals of the Dieu Tri Palace (Jasper Pond Palace) held annually on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month.

Cao Dai followers believe the banquet implies a practice that enables them to achieve their goal of liberating themselves from the cycle of birth and death.