Police bust transnational drug trafficking ring

Police in the central province of Thanh Hóa have broken up a drug trafficking ring operating from Laos to Việt Nam, by arresting three suspects and seizing 15kg of ecstasy tablets.

Police from the provincial Criminal Investigation Drug Division on Sunday caught Chẹo Thị Phới, 37, Chẹo Văn Mãn, 41, and Phan Thị Phàm, 39, carrying 15kg of ecstasy tablets in Mường Lát District’s Mường Chanh Commune. 

The police said that Mãn led the ring, and collaborated with the other two suspects to transport drugs meant for consumption from Laos to Việt Nam. 

Investigation into the case is still going on. 

U.S. Embassy to Organize Higher Education Fair

The U.S. Embassy Hanoi’s EducationUSA Advising Center will organize the EducationUSA Higher Education Spring Fair on Friday, March 3rd, 2017, from 14:30 - 18:00 at Hanoi Daewoo Hotel, 360 Kim Ma Street, Hanoi.  Entrance is free to the public. 

More than 60 U.S. universities and colleges will meet with interested students and parents to provide information including application procedures, financial aid, and scholarship opportunities for international students. At the fair, the U.S. Embassy’s Consular Section will provide an information session on U.S. student visas for the public. U.S. Embassy Hanoi will also have information booths to provide information about the American Center and U.S. Government scholarship programs for Vietnamese students, scholars and professionals. 

EducationUSA is a U.S. Department of State-supported network of over 400 advising centers around the world. EducationUSA Advisors provide Vietnamese students and parents with accurate, comprehensive, and current information about how to apply to accredited U.S. colleges and universities. All services are free. 

Young intellectuals join voluntary program

Over 100 activities in a voluntary program called “Knowledge – Young Scientist Volunteers in HCMC” will be carried out from late February to December this year in HCMC’s outlying districts and neighboring provinces.

The program is being organized by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth League of HCMC and the Youth Science and Technology Development Center.

The program will attract young intellectuals and scientists citywide who promote the spirit of volunteerism and apply their scientific, technical and technological knowledge to contribute to the development of the city.

Over 100 activities of the program are divided into themes such as new rural and economic development; urban civilization and improvement of the quality of life; and environmental protection and climate change response.

Some practical activities include 35 seminars on breeding and planting for 600 households, and odor treatment at 475 household landfills and eight polluted sites.

A launching ceremony will take place at the Khanh Hoi Park of District 4 on February 26. The event will introduce 20 intellectual groups from colleges, universities and science clubs, among others.

These groups will be then allocated to the city’s outlying districts. They will implement 14 activities like consulting, training and transferring of breeding and planting techniques, as well as the treatment of garbage and unpleasant odor.

To join the program, visit the website www.khoahoctre.com.vn/trithuctre, contact the center at No.1 Pham Ngoc Thach Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, call 08.38.230.780 – 0948.922.792 (Tuan Anh), or email to khoahoctre@gmail.com.

Ministry promulgates action plan to prevent A/H7N9 avian flu

The Ministry of Health has promulgated an action plan to prevent A/H7N9 avian flu outbreaks in Vietnam, with the focus placed on early detection, timely treatment and limiting death toll.

The plan sets out four scenarios as well as suitable actions for relevant agencies to promptly deploy.

The ministry also publicised a list of measures to tackle the disease, including improving diagnosis capacity and food safety, organising drills for health staff, and raising public awareness through communications campaigns.  

It recommended people to not use poultry or poultry products with unknown origins, and ensure food hygiene. 

People should come to healthcare establishments for check-up and treatment if they have flu-like symptoms, such as fever, cough, chest pain or breathing difficulty, the ministry said.

Vietnam has yet to detect any A/H7N9 patient, however, the long borderline shared with China and busy cross-border trade activities between the two countries are posing a high risk of virus transmissions into Vietnam.

House fire kills four family members around midnight

Four people in a family, including two young children, have been killed in a fire that broke out at their house in southern Vietnam around midnight on the weekend.

According to preliminary information, the inferno occurred at about 1:00 am on February 26 at a house situated down an alley on 30-4 Street in downtown Thu Dau Mot City, Binh Duong Province.

Local residents notified competent agencies as soon as they spotted the raging fire from the house.

Firefighting units were dispatched to the scene to control the fire, later discovering four bodies in different parts of the residence.

Accordingly, a young boy was found dead near the main door, while the bodies of a woman and a girl were retrieved from the bedroom.

The corpse of a man was also spotted on the stairs.

The victims were later identified as Ho Hong Diep, 39, and his wife Doan Thi Phi Yen, 33, along with their 9-year-old son, Ho Gia Bao, and three-year-old daughter, Ho Bao Chau.

Authorities were still probing the scene and carrying out a post-mortem at 5:00 am on the same day to determine the cause of the conflagration.

Vietnamese doctors establish association in Cambodia

The Vietnamese Doctors’ Association in Cambodia was established at a ceremony in celebration of Vietnamese Doctors’ Day (February 27) in Phnom Penh on February 26.

The association aims to connect Vietnamese doctors in Cambodia and provide free medical services and humanitarian aid to Vietnamese expatriates in the country.

Under the General Association of Vietnam Cambodians, the association is currently led by a temporary seven-member board, with Hoang Hoa, director of Clinic 215 Phnom Penh, as chairwoman.  

The board will design the group’s working plan, recruit members, and hold its first congress to elect an executive board. 

Speaking at the ceremony, Hoa said Vietnamese doctors in Cambodia have annually met up to exchange experiences, but the activities were small scale and had yet to tap the group’s full potential in supporting the community.

Hoa pledged to quickly structure the organisation and to support Vietnamese expatriates in Cambodia.

Vietnamese tour provider fined for deadly Da Lat waterfall tragedy

Polish tourist and his Vietnamese guide died during a climbing accident in the resort town of Da Lat this week.

Authorities will fine a local travel agency for illegally offering a waterfall tour that resulted in the deaths of a Vietnamese guide and a Polish tourist, according to Lam Dong Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The Giac Mo Vang (Golden Dream) Limited Company received a cumulative fine of VND100 million (US$4,380) for illegally soliciting foreign customers for an unlicensed adventure tour and illegally employing an unlicensed tour guide.

Police say Giac Mo Vang illegally distributed brochures to local hotels that promoted an adventure tour at the Cop Cave Waterfall to foreign tourists for US$20 per pax.

Prior to the accident, local authorities fined three other tour companies for leading adventure tours into Cop Cave and posted notices in both Vietnamese and English that prohibited foreigners from rappelling down the cave's waterfall, which tumbles roughly 50 meters into the cave.

The director of the province's tourism department,  Nguyen Thi Nguyen, told VnExpress that only licensed operators may offer adventure tours in monitored areas around the Datanla Waterfall. All other adventure tourism is considered expressly illegal.

The Giac Mo Vang Company never signed labor contracts with the unlicensed guides it hired, according to police who interviewed the company's director, Do Tuan, during the course of their investigation.

Police identified the individuals who died in Thursday's tragedy as Rafal Cwiakala, 33, of Poland, and Nguyen Quoc Khanh, 24, of Lam Dong Province.

Three other Polish tourists accompanied them on the fated tour, Lam Dong police said, along with two others from the UK and two from the Netherlands.

The deceased appeared to have fallen from a rope while climbing down the waterfall in Tho Xuan Commune.

Their bodies were discovered around 600 meters downstream and were taken to a local hospital.

PM: Da Nang University must continuously improve training quality

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc stated that the top priority of the University of Da Nang (UDN) is continuously improving training quality, towards becoming one of the top 50 research universities in Asia by 2035, during a working session with UDN on February 24. 

Reviewing the UDN’s 20-year path, he expressed his delight that the university has become a provider of important personnel, including managerial staff, engineers and skilled technicians, in service of the development of the nation and the central and Central Highlands, with 70 percent of graduates landing their own jobs. 

He hoped that the UDN would take the lead in the autonomy trend and soon put an end to the suspended planning for 20 years. 

The university needs to grow in regional, national, Southeast Asia and global stature, he said, adding that it should strive to have 80 percent of its students employed within six months from graduation as well as help other regional universities improve training quality 

The Government leader also agreed with its medium-term investment plan, focusing on site clearance to build UDN and Central – Central Highlands University urban areas. 

The UDN’s facilities were built on six premises in Da Nang and Kon Tum city with a total area of more than 60ha. It is the only university in the central – Central Highlands to train interdisciplinary engineers and has a lot of experience in training economic management officials in the region. 

It currently records more than 60,000 students and 1,600 lecturers providing training in 12 majors at doctoral level, 20 majors at master level, 70 majors at bachelor level, and 20 majors in colleges and vocational training establishments. 

On the occasion, the PM also visited UDN’s College of Technology and University of Science and Technology.

Vietnamese students hold art show in Singapore

The final round of Sparktacular 2017, a talent show for Vietnamese university students in Singapore, was held on February 25 at the Singapore Institute of Management.

The final show featured the best seven teams selected among 30 teams, with the two-member team “BeMe” from Kaplan University won the first place with a prize worth 2,500 SGD (about 1,780 USD).

Vuong Duy Khanh, Chairman of the Vietnamese student association at the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM VNC) said that the show provides Vietnamese students with a platform to show off their artistic talents and passion. The event also aims to promote the rich Vietnamese culture to international friends in Singapore.

The SIM VNC, established 10 years ago, currently has 500 members and is one of the leading student organisations in Singapore’s universities. The organisation has held several cultural activities for the Vietnamese community in Singapore.

Government to give youth encephalitis booster shots

The national immunisation programme will give supplemental vaccinations against Japanese encephalitis to children between six and 15 years old, who did not receive the vaccine, or are not sure about their vaccination schedule previously, in districts facing high risks of the disease.

The plan will be carried out in 2017-18.

The information was released by associate professor Tran Nhu Duong, deputy director of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology.

Duong said that Vietnam saw about 1,000 cases of encephalitis per year, and 10 percent of them were Japanese encephalitis.

Nearly 60 percent of the cases were in northern provinces.

Most patients are between one and 10 years old and were unsure if they had received the vaccination or not.

Under the plan, children between six and 15 years old will receive three doses of the vaccine.

The plan will cover several districts in Son La, Dien Bien, Lang Son and Bac Kan northern provinces, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Nam and Quang Ngai central provinces.

The districts had at least one problem related to the disease, including the rate of vaccination against Japanese encephalitis being under 80 percent, the rate of Japanese encephalitis equal to or more than 1/100,000 residents, and fatalities caused by Japanese encephalitis in two consecutive years.

The national programme will provide vaccinations for about 3.4 million children, who are from one to two years old, per year nationwide.

Experts from the Preventive Medicines Department under the Ministry of Health said that Japanese encephalitis could occur year-round, and the epidemic often occurs in summer months, because mosquitoes can develop during those months.

Anyone who is not vaccinated can suffer from the disease.

Experts warned that to prevent the disease, people should ensure environmental hygiene, clean accommodation, use mosquito nets while sleeping and not let children go near animals.

Vaccination is the most effective preventive measure.

But only one dose of the vaccine is not strong enough, so children should receive three basic doses. The first dose is when they are one year old, the second one or two weeks later, and the third one year later. Children should also receive booster injections every four years until they are 15 years old.

Hanoi to focus on developing hospitals

The capital city of Hanoi will spend big on hospital development, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung said at a meeting to celebrate the 62nd anniversary of the Vietnamese Doctors’ Day (February 27) in Hanoi on February 23.

He added that Saint Paul Hospital, a large multi-field medical complex, is expected to meet international standards in 2019, while the Hanoi Heart Hospital, Hospital of Pediatrics and Obstetrics & Gynecology Hospital will satisfy European standards.

The city will call for social investment to improve infrastructure and equipment at medical facilities and help the health sector develop high-quality human resources through providing professional training for doctors and inviting experts to share experience.

According to Director of the municipal Health Department Nguyen Khac Hien, 560 out of the 584 communes in the city have met national health standards. Hanoi strives to have all the communes satisfying these standards this year.

Hanoi has also effectively carried out family doctor models and is planning to develop an individual medical records system for locals.

It opened a hi-tech and digestive centre in November 2016 after five months of construction, which applies the latest technologies to diagnose and treat gastrointestinal cancer.

Apart from improving the quality of medical examination and treatment, the capital has paid attention to preventing diseases and implementing vaccination and food safety management programmes effectively.

On the occasion, the municipal People’s Committee presented certificates of merit to outstanding collectives and individuals in the health sector.

Documentaries on wars in Vietnam screened in France

Two documentary films featuring the wars in Vietnam were screened recently in Choisy-le-Roi city in the southeastern suburb of Paris. 

The audience at the film screening on February 23  also had a chance to talk with director Daniel Roussel and the filming crew. 

The movie “Only the watchman knows that the night is long” by director Daniel Roussel and film maker Yann de Sousa describes a fierce battle of wits at the negotiating table and favourable factors that pushed the US to sign the Paris Agreement, putting an end to the war and restoring peace in Vietnam.

Meanwhile, the documentary “Vietnam war: in the centre of secret negotiations”, also by director Daniel Roussel, unveils secret negotiations between Vietnamese special advisor Le Duc Tho and US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.

A total 45 secret negotiations were held in Paris suburban cities of Choisy-le Roi, Gif-sur-Yvette, and Saint-Nom-la-Breteche.

To reach the Paris Agreement, the involved parties got involved in 247 open and secret talks from March 15, 1968 to January 27, 1973. This is considered the longest diplomatic negotiation in the history of Vietnam.

Daniel Roussel said to complete the films, he had to arrange a lot of meetings and interviews with historical figures, including special advisor Le Duc Tho, former Vice President Nguyen Thi Binh, and former Vietnamese Ambassador to France Trinh Ngoc Thai, as well as other witnesses from Choisy-le-Roi and Vietnamese community in France.

He told reporters from the Vietnam News Agency that he admired the burning desire for peace and the high will of the Vietnamese people to defend the country’s independence.

The two movies show that Vietnam is an exemplary model proving that any conflicts could be settled through political and peaceful solutions, he said.

Mayor of Choisy-le-Roi Didier Guillaume said the movie screening aims to raise public awareness of the historical close-knit ties between the city and Vietnam, especially among youngsters, and demonstrate the bilateral solidarity.

Japan to fund robotics training facility in HCM City

The Japanese government has recently approved a JPY100 million (US$887,000) project to establish a robotics training facility in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s largest economic hub.

The facility, located 15 kilometers (9 miles) from downtown Ho Chi Minh City, will train a pool of engineers in the fields of automation and robotics. It will also help to transfer cutting-edge technology from Japan to local enterprises.

The facility is expected to boost Vietnam’s supporting industries and reduce its reliance on imported parts, given that the country has set a target to eliminate tariff barriers within the ASEAN region in 2018 and become an industrialized nation by 2020, said Toshifumi Sakai from the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

The investment of 100 million yen, of which nearly 41% is non-refundable, will be spent on four training centers and four industrial robots.

Details of when the facility will be completed and be put into operation have yet to be announced.

Ho Chi Minh City is aiming to become a major economic center in Southeast Asia. The city has set a target of 6.5% productivity growth for 2020 from 5.6% in 2016.

APEC delegates impressed by Nha Trang city

Many representatives from 21 APEC member economies have showed a good impression about Nha Trang city in the south central province of Khanh Hoa, which is hosting the first APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM1) and related meetings.

Mohamad Iqbal Djamil, a delegate of Indonesia, said he had visited Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City before, but this was the first time he has come to Nha Trang.

Djamil said Vietnam is beautiful, and its people are friendly and hospitable. While goods for sale here have reasonable prices, local beaches are picturesque and clean. He said after SOM 1, he would spent time exploring Nha Trang, especially its street foods.

Vietnam is always a great destination, Anne Veronica Craig from Australia said, noting that although she has been rather busy with SOM 1 activities, she still strolled along beaches and learn about streets in Nha Trang.

Craig said local residents are polite, friendly and willing to help visitors. She received wholehearted help from locals in all the three times she came to Vietnam.

Meanwhile, Andrey Klochenko from Russia said the organisers of SOM 1 worked professionally and effectively, giving convenience to delegates from the APEC economies.

Showing his eagerness to explore Nha Trang, Klochenko said he had three days for SOM 1 events and would spend the remaining two days discovering this place.

Khanh Hoa designated five hotels as the venues for SOM 1 meetings. While the province’s conventional centre was converted into a press centre, 180 volunteers were selected and underwent training to prepare for the events.

The province has offered videos and books and organised exhibitions at the venues to popularise local potential, socio-economic advantages, and cultural beauties.

It has also invited APEC delegates to visit four famous destinations: Ponagar Towers, Hon Chong (Husband Island), Alexandre Yersin Museum, and an aloes wood processing centre.

As the host of the APEC Year 2017, Vietnam is set to organise about 200 meetings, including 20 meetings at the ministerial and higher levels and the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week. This is believed to be a “golden” chance for the country to promote tourism.  

Vietnam leaves impression at cultural festival in Egypt

Vietnam left strong impression on visitors at the 14th Sakia International Cultural Festival in the Egyptian capital city of Cairo.

The festival drew the participation of nearly 30 countries and territories across the world. This is the second time Vietnam has attended the event.

The Vietnamese Embassy in Egypt introduced many documents, books, photos and objects on culture, history, country and people of Vietnam, especially its heroic history and outstanding achievements after 30 years of reform.

Besides books on tourism introducing exciting destinations and unique features of regions, there also were maps and documents on Vietnam’s islands. A video clip entitled “Welcome to Vietnam” and a short film on President Ho Chi Minh’s life and career were screened at the festival.

Vu Thien, Minister Counsellor of the Vietnamese Embassy, said Egyptian and international friends are very interested in and highly evaluate Vietnam’s unique cultural features.

In 2017 and upcoming years, the embassy will organise a series of events under the theme “Following Uncle Ho’s Footsteps.”

The Sakia International Cultural Festival was organised annually and is an occasion for delegations to exchange cultural activities and boost unity and understanding.

Khánh Hòa score first win on home turf

Sanna Khánh Hòa enjoyed their first win on home turf beating 10-man Hải Phòng 2-1 yesterday in Nha Trang City in an early match of the V. League’s seventh round.

Hải Phòng were considered a stronger team when they welcomed back striker Errol Anthony Stevens after his ban. Khánh Hòa, on the other hand, pinned their faith on foreigner Diao Sadio.

However, in the first 45 minutes, both sides failed to net a single goal although they had their opportunities.

It continued on the same lines in the first 25 minutes after the break.

The turning point came in the 70th minute when Nguyễn Hoàng Quốc Chí made a straight shot which touched Hải Phòng’s midfielder Đặng Khánh Lâm in the box and changed its direction to enter the net.

Goalkeeper Đặng Văn Lâm could not react fast enough to save the goal.

Hải Phòng pushed up their lines and just needed six minutes to find the equaliser.

Andre Diego Fagan’s header gave goalie Nguyễn Tuấn Mạnh no chance. It was 1-1.

Sixty seconds later Hải Phòng’s midfielder Lê Ngọc Nam received his second card and was sent off.

The hosts Khánh Hòa took full advantage and had no difficulty making it 2-1. Their consecutive attacks confused Hải Phòng defenders. In an attempt to kick the ball away, Đặng Quang Huy  unintentionally kicked the ball into his own goal. Keeper Lâm tried his best but failed to stop it.

The win helped Khánh Hòa jump to No 7 in the ranking with nine points while Hải Phòng stayed on fourth, with 10 points.

Six other matches of the seventh round will be held today and tomorrow.

Overseas Vietnamese gather in Geneva

Hundreds of Vietnamese people living and working in Switzerland came together at a meeting in Geneva on February 25.

Ambassador Duong Chi Dung, Head of Vietnam’s permanent delegation to the United Nations and other international organisations in Geneva, highlighted Vietnam’s achievements in 2016, including gross domestic product growth of 6.21 percent, receiving 10 million international tourists, and attracting more than 15 billion USD in foreign direct investment.

He also underlined sound relations between Vietnam and Switzerland with the celebration of the 45th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties in October 2016.

Bilateral relations witnessed remarkable strides over the past five years, especially in economics, he said, citing two-way trade surpassed 1.3 billion USD in 2016.

Apart from regular high-level delegation exchanges, both nations have recorded progress in culture, science-technology and training, he said.

Over the past year, Vietnamese expatriates worked with Vietnamese representative offices in Switzerland to host activities to nurture the rapport between Vietnam and Switzerland, and other countries and international organisations, including the UN.

Vietnam’s protection of sea and island sovereignty is drawing the attention of the Vietnamese communities in Switzerland and other nations, he said.

He called on overseas Vietnamese to make more contributions to the country’s development.

The Ambassador also confirmed that the Vietnamese Party and State consider Vietnamese abroad an indispensable part of the nation and a bridge to connect Vietnam with other countries.

The Vietnamese government welcomes overseas experts and intellectuals to contribute to national development, he added.

PM urges Tuyen Quang to tap forestry economy

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc advised the northern mountainous province of Tuyen Quang to promote forestry economy and make it a national model in the field while working with provincial authorities on February 26.  

Together with forestry economy, the province should develop tourism and hi-tech agriculture, he said.

Located between the northwestern and northeastern regions with 22 ethnic minority groups, the province’s economy has yet to match its potential, recording only 1.59 trillion VND (71.4 million USD) in revenue in 2016.

It recorded a planted forest area of over 10,500 hectares, up 104 percent in the year. Its forest coverage has been maintained soundly at 64 percent.

In 2016, Tuyen Quang welcomed 1.4 million tourists and got over 1.22 trillion VND (55 million USD) in revenue.

Tuyen Quang should prioritize developing roads and improving the quality of workforce and managerial capability in a bid to achieve sustainable socio-economic growths, the PM noted.

He advised the province to rearrange residential areas to cut infrastructure costs and pay more heed to vocational training, especially for ethnic minorities.

The province should constantly improve its investment environment and competitiveness, and continue growing forests, the PM said.

Tuyen Quang authorities asked the Government to allocate capital for land clearance and compensation to build the road connecting the locality with the Hanoi-Lao Cai Highway, saying the project is crucial to its socio-economic and tourism development.

During the working visit to Tuyen Quang, the PM and his entourage visited Tuyen Quan garment plant in Phuc Ung commune. The plant, which was invested by the Vietnam Garment and Textile Group, generated jobs for 600 local people. 

Vietnam joins charity fair in Indian

The Vietnamese Embassy in India participated in a charity bazaar in New Delhi on February 26 with other embassies based in the capital city.

The Vietnamese booth showcased traditional agricultural products and handicrafts. Vietnamese food, tourism and cultural products were also on display. 

The annual event, held by the Commonwealth Women’s Union in New Delhi, aims to raise funds for disadvantaged women, children, elderly and disabled people in India. 

It also serves as an opportunity for international organisations to boost cultural exchanges and strengthen ties with India.

Work starts on expanding Hai Van tunnel

The Deo Ca Investment Joint Stock Company, the Hai Van Tunnel Management and Development Company and the Project Management Unit 85 held a ceremony on February 25 to broaden the single-lane Hai Van rescue tunnel parallel to a two-lane traffic route.

As part of the second phase of Hai Van tunnel expansion project, the project was approved by the Ministry of Transport in February, 2016.

It is scheduled to be up and running by 2020.

Under the project, which is to be implemented in the form of build-operate-transfer (BOT), the current emergency lane which is 6.2 kilometers in length will be turned into a main tunnel with two traffic lanes.

The project will also see the construction of a 1.79km-long path leading to Lang Co Town, located in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue, as well as a 4.06km-long path leading to Da Nang.

The Hai Van tunnel expansion project includes two phases, reinforcing Hai Van Tunnel and expanding an emergency rescue tunnel, with a total investment of nearly VND7.3 trillion (US$326.8 million).

Street art festival in Hanoi features various activities

The fourth street art festival, featuring exciting and animated performances in diverse styles, took place in the pedestrian streets around Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi on February 25.

Organised by the Hanoi Youth Union, the event attracted many artists, bands and street art performers, as well as young people and foreign visitors.

Young participants competed in three types of street entertainment, namely Free Style Football, Freestyle Showcase, Art Patin, Street Prestidigitation and other Folk Games contests.

Concluding the festival, the organisers awarded the first, second, third and consolation prizes to outstanding teams and individuals in each category.

As a meaningful playground for the youth in Hanoi, the even offered a chance for young people to share their passions and show off their skills.

Exhibition on trade relation between Japan, Vietnam to open in Hue

An exhibition on ““Trade Relation between Japan and Vietnam in History” celebrating the Emperor and Empress of Japan on their visit to Hue at the beginning of March will be open at Hue Royal Antiquities Museum in Hue City on February 27.

In history, the trade relation between Japan and Vietnam had been established and developed since the late of XVIth century, especially in the period of the Shuin-sen trade (Japanese ship-licensed trade). In this period, Japanese merchant ships were granted Shuin-jo (Commercial license for merchant ships) by Shogunate government of Japan to go abroad for doing business. They imported minerals into Vietnam (former Dai Viet) and bought pottery, frankincense, silk and agricultural products from Dai Viet to transport to Japan.

The exhibition will introduce antiquities reflecting the close relation between Japan and Vietnam in trading between the XVII and XVIII centuries.

The event that is held with the support of Vietnam National Museum of History for the loan of some exhibits will run until March 5.

VN among pioneers of sustainable city model

Deputy PM Vuong Dinh Hue thanked the Global Environment Facility (GEF) for supporting Viet Nam in terms of experience and financial assistance to realize environmental protection and climate change adaptation.

At his reception for GEF CEO and Chairperson Naoko Ishii on Friday, Deputy PM Hue said Viet Nam always strives to become an active and responsible member of any international organizations.

Viet Nam is now pursuing a growth model based on innovation and creativity without sacrificing environment for economic benefits as it is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change, he added.

He took the occasion to call for more support from GEF to realize the socio-economic development strategy and the UN-led sustainable development agenda.

The Government will direct relevant agencies and Da Nang City to successfully the seventh GEF Council Meeting by 2018, Deputy PM Hue pledged.

Approval of GEF’s resource allocation to Viet Nam reached 72% compared to the average of just 50% thanks to the Southeast Asian country’s quick disbursement, noted Ms. Naoko Ishii.

The GEF acknowledged Viet Nam is one of leading nations in implementing the sustainable city model and hosting the GEF Council Meeting in 2018 in Da Nang City reflects the country’s interests in environmental protection and sustainable development, she added.

Viet Nam has mobilized US$159 million to carry out 57 environmental projects and joined 46 GEF-led global and regional projects worth US$456 million.

The GEF’s assistance has made crucial contribution to addressing environmental issues in Viet Nam in particular and global issues in general.

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