Traditional festivals of Asian countries celebrated in Hanoi

An exchange programme was held in Hanoi on April 22 to celebrate traditional new year festivals of several Asian countries.

The event was co-held by the Hanoi Union of Friendship Organisations (HAUFO) and the embassies of India, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka in Vietnam.

It drew about 200 participants including representatives from the friendship organisations in Vietnam, ambassadors, businesses and students from these countries.

Nguyen Lan Huong, Chairwoman of the HAUFO, expressed her hope that the cultural activities held by the organisation will enhance mutual understanding and solidarity between Vietnam and other countries.

Lao Ambassador to Vietnam Thongsavanh Phomvihan lauded the significance of the event, saying that it helps foster the relationship among regional countries.

At the event, participants took part in various traditional rituals of countries and enjoyed art performances by Vietnamese artists, embassies’ staff and foreign students.

Child labour problem confounds Dak Lak

Le Van Hong, a member of the H’Mong minority in Krong Bong district of the Central Highland province of Dak Lak, had decided to send his two sons, aged 10 and 15, to work for a garment factory in the south.

He accepted the fact that Le Van Cai and Le Van Khuong would drop out of school so they could bring home a few million VND and help ease the family’s hardship.

However, after two months Hôong had to borrow money to bring his kids home as they could not stand the harsh working conditions. The two have gone back to school in Hoa Phong commune, but many other children are not as lucky.

Le Van Toa, another father from Krong Bong district’s Hoa Phong commune said that he was worried about his 13-year-old daughter working far from home. She called him several times, and spoke about the hard life she had to suffer. 

“She told me that she worked from 6am to midnight, and had only two hours off for meals,” he said.

Nguyen Van Tam, chairman of the Cu Pui commune’s People’s Committee, said these ethnic minority students pay reduced school fees, but some parents let their children drop out of school to earn money.

Most of children have to work for a whole year to make 9 million VND (395 USD), and only get the money once at the end of that year.

Tran Ngoc Hung, deputy head of the district’s Division of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, said that since 2014  students were being sent to work at industrial zones or restaurants in the south. This year, as many as 135 students aged 12 to 16 had quit school and 42 of them were reportedly sent to work in HCM City.

Hung said the division, in co-operation with local authorities, has disseminated information about child labour law and penalties for dropping out of school to all households in the district, but the problem persists.

In 2014, more than 20 ethnic minority people in Cu Kuin district were found working in recruitment of child labourers for enterprises in the south. As many as 206 students from primary and secondary schools in Krong Bong, Lak, Cu Kuin and Krong Pac district, dropped out of school to work.   

Tu Thi Khanh, head of the provincial Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs’s Children Protection and Caring Unit, said that most of the children were between 13 and 15 and were vulnerable to social evils such as  prostitution, abuse, drug use and human trafficking.

Vietnam shares joy with Laos over Bul Pi May festival in Geneva

Ambassador Duong Chi Dung, Head of Vietnam’s permanent delegation to the United Nations, the World Trade Organisation and other international organisations in Geneva, congratulated Lao Ambassador Khan-Inh Khitchadeth on the occasion of the traditional Bul Pi May New Year festival in Geneva on April 21.

Dung highlighted the special traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries, which were founded by Presidents Ho Chi Minh, Souphanouvong and Kaysone Phomvihane, and nurtured by generations of Vietnamese and Lao leaders and people.

He expressed his pleasure at the growing bilateral relations across the fields, noting that 2017 is a special year since the two nations are celebrating the 55th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties.

Ambassador Khan-Inh Khitchadeth underlined the importance of the rapports between the two countries’ Parties, States and people. 

He said the diplomatic delegations of the two countries in Geneva will continuously work together to tighten the long-standing and faithful relationship between Vietnam and Laos.

The ambassador hoped to regularly exchange with Vietnam and share the common viewpoints at international forums.

Association works to promote Vietnam-Romania relations

The Vietnam-Romania Friendship Association under the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) held its sixth national congress for the 2017-2022 tenure in Hanoi on April 22.

During the 2011-2017 tenure, the association made active contributions to propelling the two countries’ relations in culture and economy forward, thus strengthening the bilateral traditional friendship.

In the next tenure, the association pledges to spare no efforts to help Romanian people better their understanding of the land and people of Vietnam as well as the Vietnamese Party and State’s internal and external policies, and renovation accomplishments.

It will focus on expanding Vietnam-Romania cooperation in economy, culture, education, science-technology, and environmental protection.

Vice President and General Secretary of the VUFO Don Tuan Phong recognised the association’s significant contributions to promoting peace, solidarity and friendship between the Vietnamese and Romanian people.

He urged the association to continuously consolidate the bilateral partnership and develop its membership, especially youngsters.

Romanian Ambassador to Vietnam Valeriu Arteni expressed his belief that the sixth congress marks a new milestone in the association’s development and actively contributes to the reinforcement and enhancement of the friendship between the two nations.

On this occasion, Phong presented the “For Peace and Friendship Among Nations” insignia and certificate of merit to collectives and individuals who have made remarkable contributions to people-to-people exchanges in the previous tenure.

Vietnam Journalists Association’s portal makes debut

The Vietnam Journalists Association (VJA) on April 22 officially launched its portal at the sites: www://hoinhabaovietnam.vn, www://nhabaovn.vn and www://chandungnhabao.vn.

At the launching ceremony held in Da Lat city, the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, VJA Vice Chairman Ho Quang Loi said the portal is expected to intensify communication related to the association, and provide right guidelines for press agencies nationwide. 

It will also work to call on its members to abide by law and ethics of Vietnamese journalists, while serving as a useful forum for journalists to share their experience and knowledge. 

The Vietnamese-English bilingual portal will also be an important information channel to prevent corruption, wastefulness and other negative phenomena. 

It is integrated with other portals of member agencies, linking and sourcing news from many press agencies across the country. 

On the occasion, the VJA presented emulation flags to 12 organsations and certificates of merit to 33 organisations and individuals for their contributions to the association’s development in 2016. 

The VJA was established on April 21, 1950 and chaired by the late journalist Xuan Thuy, who was also a diplomat and a Party leader, for two terms from 1950 to 1962. 

The association currently has more than 20,000 members across the nation. 

Over the past 67 years, the VJA has made great contributions to national liberation and development. Its correspondents bravely covered stories firsthand from battle fields and are continuing their tireless efforts to report news, photos and footage daily.

Workshop seeks to improve Vietnamese language teaching in Ukraine

The Embassy of Vietnam in Ukraine hosted a workshop on improving the quality of Vietnamese language education for the Vietnamese community in Ukraine on April 21.

The event aimed at finding a practical and effective approach to enhancing Vietnamese language education for the Vietnamese in Ukraine in an attempt to preserve and uphold the national language and unique culture.

It drew the participation of a number of local researchers, Vietnamese language lecturers, journalists from local Vietnamese newspapers and students’ parents.

Attendees underlined the significance of teaching Vietnamese for overseas Vietnamese, particularly in Ukraine where approximately 10,000 Vietnamese expats are living.

They proposed many solutions, including encouraging the community’s engagement in organising Vietnamese language courses, making curriculum, teaching and learning materials, diversifying teaching methods, and raising funds for teachers.

They also outlined several barriers to Vietnamese teaching and learning in Ukraine such as the lack of capable teachers and proper learning materials, and limited funds.

The Vietnamese Embassy and community in Ukraine have been working to enhance the involvement of the society and international cooperation in the Vietnamese language education as well as push for the establishment a faculty of Vietnamese studies in local universities.

Soc Trang province advised to expand high-yield rice, fruit tree farming

The Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang should expand the cultivation of high-yield rice varieties and fruit trees of its strength, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has told provincial officials.

At the working session on April 23, he elaborated that each hectare of green-skin grapefruit and King orange here reportedly generates an economic value 10 times higher than that of one hectare of rice.

The farming of cattle on a large scale, which is a traditional practice of local residents, is also an advantage of Soc Trang as the global demand for beef is big, he said, considering this another measure to reduce poverty that is still high among ethnic minorities.

He asked the province to strive to become a shrimp production hub of the Mekong Delta while paying more attention to industrial development to create more jobs. He also highlighted the need to develop renewable energy – another advantage of Soc Trang.

Representatives from ministries and central agencies said Soc Trang has developed many high-yield rice varieties, 10,000 dairy cows, and 40,000 hectares of brackish water surface for shrimp farming – the largest area in Vietnam.

PM Phuc said as it is one of the three most disadvantaged provinces in the Mekong Delta, Soc Trang should pay more heed to encouraging start-ups and improving human resources quality.

The number of businesses here is just one in every 565 people, compared to the national average of 1/140. While infrastructure hasn’t been developed well enough, the province ranks 40th among the 63 provinces and cities in terms of favourable public administrative procedures.

The Government leader suggested Soc Trang capitalise on its own advantages that cannot be found in other localities amid limited resources. It should be more active and creative to find out the growth momentum for itself, instead of waiting for support from the Government.

He promised that more autonomy will be granted to local administration so that they can design their province’s development plans to fully tap local potential.

Soc Trang is home to nearly 1.3 million people, about 65.2 percent of which are Kinh people, another 28.9 percent are Khmer ethnics, and the remaining 5.9 percent are from the Hoa ethnic group.

In 2016, it attracted 1.13 million tourists, including more than 34,000 foreigners, and recorded 339 new businesses, raising the total number of enterprises to 2,366. The household poverty rate declined to 15 percent under the multidimensional poverty criteria.

However, due to severe impacts of drought and saltwater intrusion, the province suffered total loss of almost 1 trillion VND (44 million USD) last year, leading to an economic growth rate of 5.22 percent – lower than the target of 5.62 percent, statistics show.

Also on April 23, PM Phuc visited the Thanh Tin food processing factory in Soc Trang city and a shrimp farm of the Khanh Sung Co. Ltd in Dai Tam commune of My Xuyen district.

On April 22, he attended a ceremony marking 25 years since the re-establishment of Soc Trang province.

Khau Vai love market – unique identity of Ha Giang province

The Khau Vai Love Market festival has taken place in Khau Vai commune of Meo Vac district, giving visitors an insight into the unique market in the northernmost province of Ha Giang.

Khau Vai Love Market is almost a century old and traditionally opens for only one day – the 27th day of the third lunar month, which is April 23 this year.

Speaking at the festival’s opening ceremony on April 21, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Van Son said Khau Vai Love Market honours innocent and faithful love. It is where men and women make friends while lovers who could not marry also come here to meet each other and share their feelings.

The Khau Vai Love Market festival is among cultural events the province wants to introduce to domestic and foreign tourists, he noted, adding that it also aims to preserve and promote traditional cultural values of local ethnic minority groups.

During the festival, visitors had a chance to enjoy a number of cultural programmes such as incense offering rituals, giao duyen (love affairs) singing, and Mong ethnics’ khen (panpipe) performances, while engaging in folk games.

They also experienced local daily activities, learned about newly discovered geological values in Ma Pi Leng hamlet of Pa Vi commune, tasted typical dishes and tried traditional craft products of residents here.

Traditional festivals of Asian countries celebrated in Hanoi

An exchange programme was held in Hanoi on April 22 to celebrate traditional new year festivals of several Asian countries.

The event was co-held by the Hanoi Union of Friendship Organisations (HAUFO) and the embassies of India, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka in Vietnam.

It drew about 200 participants including representatives from the friendship organisations in Vietnam, ambassadors, businesses and students from these countries.

Nguyen Lan Huong, Chairwoman of the HAUFO, expressed her hope that the cultural activities held by the organisation will enhance mutual understanding and solidarity between Vietnam and other countries.

Lao Ambassador to Vietnam Thongsavanh Phomvihan lauded the significance of the event, saying that it helps foster the relationship among regional countries.

At the event, participants took part in various traditional rituals of countries and enjoyed art performances by Vietnamese artists, embassies’ staff and foreign students.

Three Nepali cyclists on green tour arrives in Ho Chi Minh City

Three Nepali men embarking on a cycling tour across Asia to spread the message of environmental protection have arrived in Ho Chi Minh City.

Anish Dhakal, 22, Dilip Chhetri, 22, and Nirmal Baral, 39, started their ‘green’ cycling from Nepal in December 2016, having ridden across India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia before reaching Vietnam on April 19.

Anish Dhakal, an environmental activist, is the team leader while the other two members are social workers from different organizations.

“The devastating earthquake in 2015 [in Nepal] made me think a lot. The Mother Nature has protected us for years, but what we have returned to her is just destruction of the environment,” Anish told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

The trio has rented a small house in Cu Chi District and they were scheduled to cycle to various popular destinations in downtown Ho Chi Minh City including the Reunification Palace and some museums.

They will also drop by some schools to spread the ideas of environmental protection to children.

The Nepali cyclists told Tuoi Tre they were very surprised with the warm welcome from the Vietnamese, besides finding local food particularly good and cheap.

“On our way, we were very tired and thirsty because of the heat. A male Vietnamese brought us various bottles of energy drink and soft drink. Wherever we go, the locals welcome us very warmly,” Anish said.

The three Nepali cyclists will stay for four days in Vietnam and they plan to continue their cycling tour to other Asian countries in the next five years.

“After Vietnam, we will come to Brunei. Our group will finish the tour in 2021. We feel happy because we have done something meaningful,” Anish expressed.

U.S. Ambassador & 1,000 volunteers join environmental protection

The United States Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius and 1,000 young people joined in environmental protection at Thong Nhat (Reunification) Park in Hanoi to respond to the Earth Day program 2017.

This year's Earth Day was held on April 22 by the Center for Environment and Community Research (CECR) under a message of "Let’s participate and take action for Vietnam’s fresh water source".

Attending in the activity also were the General Department of Environment, the US Embassy in Vietnam, Standard Chartered Bank Vietnam, Lock & Lock Vietnam Company and New Quantum Vietnam Company.

1,000 students from universities in Hanoi participated in cycling, cleaning- up lakes and park, bringing garbage from their household in exchange for gifts, and educational mini- games about the environment protection.

Severe landslides occur in An Giang

Severe landslides over 70m long that occurred in My Hoi Commune in My Hoi Dong Ward of Cho Moi District in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang swept 16 houses into Hau river on April 22. 

The landslide formed a big hole which is several hundred meters long. Local authorities have asked households located near the landslide to move to safer locations and launched a landslide emergency.

The disaster caused a loss of about VND 8.8 billion.

Many localities respond to Vietnam Book Day

A wide range of activities have been held in many cities and provinces across the country in response to the Vietnam Book Day, which officially kicked off on April 6, at Thong Nhat Park in Hanoi, highlighting the importance of books and a reading culture in society.

A street book fair was held at the Hai Phong Exhibition and Art Centre, which saw the participation of thousands of book lovers in the city. Also, on this occasion, many activities in response to the Vietnam Book Day took place in districts, schools, agencies and units in Hai Phong.

The northern port city also organised an awards ceremony for the contest entitled, "Writing about my favourite book". The first prize went to Le Thanh Hang, a 10th grade student from Vinh Bao High School. Two second prizes were awarded to Trinh Phuong Anh, an 11th grade student from An Hai High School and Le Vu Quynh Anh, a 7th grade student from Van Son Secondary School. One month since its launch, the contest attracted over 5,500 entries of students in Hai Phong.

An opening ceremony of the Vietnam Book Day was held in the central province of Quang Tri on April 21. The Quang Tri provincial People's Committee also took this occasion to present 5,000 books to four primary schools in Dakrong district and four high schools in the province.

In the northern province of Bac Giang, a number of book exhibitions opened in response to the Vietnam Book Day 2017.

The provincial library also organised a book exhibition entitled, “Party, Uncle Ho - Knowledge and Culture”, which is scheduled be on till April 30. 

Customs Information Portal launched

The General Department of Viet Nam Customs has officially launched the Customs Information Portal to facilitate activities of management agencies and businesses since March 2017.

The portal aims to provide electronic Customs declarations to carry out tax procedures and issue certificates of origin and payment procedures through banks and other administrative procedures; and prove the legality of goods circulated in the market.

With the operation of the Customs Information Portal, relevant agencies can easily receive electronic declaration information by using the account issued by the General Department of Customs via  http://tkhqdt.customs.gov.vn or phone 0869.600.633 to look up information.

The use of electronic Customs declaration information will actively contribute to implementing the following contents: Minimizing paper, shortening time, reducing the cost of administrative procedure implementation in the field of import and export; and connecting and sharing information between management and specialized inspection agencies and organizations with Customs agencies.