Four security officers fined for not fulfilling their duties

A still image from a video of the incident shows a Vietjet employee being slapped and punched by three men at Thanh Hóa Province’s Thọ Xuân Airport on November 23. — Photo vietnamplus.vn

The Northern Airports Authority has decided to impose administrative fines on four security staff members for not fulfilling their duties relating to the incident in which a Vietjet employee was assaulted in the central province of Thanh Hóa. Accordingly, each security guard will have to pay a VNĐ4 million (US$172) fine.

On November 23, a group of men including Lê Trung Dũng (34), Phan Hữu An (28) and Lê Văn Nhị (41) went to Thọ Xuân Airport to see off a friend who was flying to HCM City. The group asked a Vietjet employee to take a photo for them and she agreed. Then, the group asked her to join them for a group photo but she declined, saying she was on duty. The men became aggressive, slapping her face and punching her.

The violence finally ended after airport security officials stopped the gang and took them to a local police station.

After the incident, Đinh Việt Thắng head of the Civil Aviation Authority of Việt Nam (CAAV), asked the agencies under his leadership to step up supervision and detect violations early for timely intervention, ensuring the safety of aviation staff and normal operation of their services.

Responsive measures should be adopted by airlines to protect their staff from passengers’ bad behaviour, he said.

Considering the assault was serious because it did not only threaten the health of aviation staff but also affected the security of aviation at Thọ Xuân Airport, the CAAV has issued a one-year flight ban on the three men.

Thanh Hóa Police on November 25 decided to begin criminal proceedings against the three men for disturbing social order. 

Event promoting Vietnam’s tourism held in India

Vietnamese Ambassador to India Pham Sanh Chau speaks at the event 

The Embassy of Vietnam in India held a roadshow promoting Vietnam’s tourism in New Delhi on December 4, aiming to tap into the potential market of India.

The event was attended by representatives from more than 80 Indian travel agents, airlines and media agencies.

Addressing the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to India Pham Sanh Chau said Vietnam is a major tourist destination in Southeast Asia and the world.

He said Indian tourist arrivals to Vietnam have been on the rise over the years, with about 85,000 visitors in 2017, five times higher than 2010’s figure of 16,000. 

However, the figure remained modest compared to the potential of tourism between Vietnam and India, as the two nations have enjoyed friendship and cultural exchange for thousands of years, with various ancient Champa towers and temples in Quang Nam province, the diplomat noted.

Subhir Sobti, Chief Manager of PR and Publicity, Events, Projects, Film Shooting Coordination division under the Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation said the event is a good idea to introduce Vietnam to Indian tourists and bolster people-to-people exchange as well as the two countries’ friendship.

At the event, companies sought new measures to push tourism activities between Vietnam and India. 

This year, the number of visitors travelling between the two countries is estimated to hit 200,000 and likely to increase in the time to come, as about three million Indian holidaymakers come to Southeast Asia each year.

HCM City values Southeast Asia-Japan youth ship visit

Participants of the meeting pose for a group photo (Photo: tienphong.vn)

The current visit of the 45th Ship for Southeast Asian and Japanese Youth Programme (SSEAYP) to Ho Chi Minh City is meaningful to local residents, particularly youths, a municipal official has said.

Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of the city Huynh Cach Mang made his statement while receiving the SSEAYP executive board and representatives of 11 participating countries on December 4.

At the reception, Mang praised the initiative of the governments of Japan and Southeast Asian nations in boosting connection, friendship and mutual understanding among their youths.

Describing young people as a key driving force to turning HCM City into a smart city in the future, he said the visit is an occasion to make the southern economic hub better known among Southeast Asian and Japanese youths as well as to help local youths exchange their experiences with foreign peers.

Administrator of the SSEAYP Yamatani Hideyuki said his delegation took part in various activities in Japan before heading to Brunei, the Philippines, Thailand and Ho Chi Minh City.

He further added that while in the city, also the last leg of the ship before returning to Japan, they have gained experiences and understanding on the local culture and lifestyle.

According to the administrator, the 29 SSEAYP delegates from Vietnam have actively engaged in discussions on global and regional issues, while introducing Vietnamese culture to others.  

The 45th SSEAYP started to dock at Cat Lai Port in Ho Chi Minh City on December 2 with 326 young delegates, including the 29 from Vietnam. The youths are scheduled to stay in the city until December 5 to take part in a range of cultural exchange activities, visit schools, interact with the city’s students and youths, and live with local residents to experience the daily life of Vietnamese families.

The SSEAYP is an annual youth exchange programme sponsored by the Japanese Government and supported by the member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) since 1974, during which participants have an opportunity to live together on board the Nippon Maru Ship for over 50 days.

The journey aims to promote friendship among the youths of the participating countries, broaden their perspectives of the world and strengthen their spirit and skills for international cooperation.

This year’s SSEAYP, which takes place from October 23 to December 13, will visit four of the 10 ASEAN nations, namely Brunei, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. 

At each port of call, they are provided with a chance to interact with local youths, pay courtesy calls on leaders, visit local institutions, get involved in community service and experience unique homestay programme.

Kiên Giang to offer vocational training to 10,800 labourers

Ethnic Khmer labourers in Kiên Giang Province use grey sedge to make handicraft products. 

The Mekong Delta province of Kiên Giang will provide vocational training for more than 10,800 labourers living in rural areas in the 2019-20 period.

With the training, the rate of the province’s trained labourers will reach 67 per cent by 2020 compared to 48 per cent this year.         

The province aims to have more than 80 per cent of trainees with jobs related to their vocational skills.

The province’s four key economic sub-regions will provide vocational training according to the demands of each sub-region, the province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said.

The province’s Long Xuyên Quadrangle sub-region will focus on providing vocational training in aquaculture, cultivation, animal husbandry, fishing, seafood processing and boat engine repair.  

The province’s western sub-region near the Hậu River will provide vocational training in seafood processing and other fields to meet recruitment demand for Thạnh Lộc and Vĩnh Hòa Hưng industrial parks and Tắc Cậu fishing port.

The sub-region will also focus on vocational training for rural labourers in fresh water aquaculture, animal and poultry husbandry, and fruit and high quality rice cultivation.

The U Minh Thượng sub-region will provide vocational training related to fish ports and post fishing logistics, rice-rotation cultivation models, and other aquatic species in rice fields, brackish-water and saltwater aquaculture, and animal husbandry.

Vocational training in island and coastal areas will focus on saltwater aquaculture, plant cultivation, animal husbandry, and training of ship captains, ship engine captains, fishermen and sailors.  

Mai An Nhịn, deputy chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said: “For vocational training in rural areas to be effective, the province will provide more consultations on vocational training and jobs”.

Vocational trainees will have jobs in industrial parks and enterprises, or will start their own agricultural production, he said.

The province will also build vocational training curricula suited to the demand of each locality, invest in more equipment used for vocational training and call on investors to join hands.

It will also develop zoned industrial parks, industrial park clusters and its four key economic sub-regions, which will offer jobs for vocational trainees, he said.

The province’s vocational training programmes have increased incomes for rural labourers in recent years.

In An Minh District, a poor district in the province, short-term vocational skill training courses have attracted many labourers and helped them find jobs.

Tạ Chí Nguồn, who learned how to grow ornamental trees and flowers in An Minh District’s Vân Khánh Tây Commune, said besides growing rice, he now has an additional job of planting ornamental trees and flowers.

The district has opened 16 short-term vocational training courses in the agricultural and non-agricultural sectors this year.

More than 75 per cent of the trainees in the courses have found jobs, mostly in their localities, according to the district’s People’s Committee.

Kiên Giang has also organised many efficient agricultural production models for rural labourers.

They include breeding marble goby, turtles and snakes in An Minh District, breeding fish in floating cages in Kiên Hải and Kiên Lương districts, and planting pepper and high quality rice in Kiên Lương District.

Labourers who plant pepper or high quality rice in Kiên Lương District can earn an average income of VNĐ3–5 million (US$128-213) a month. 

Vietnamese beauty contestant raises HIV awareness

Miss Universe Vietnam H’Hen Nie (centre) (Photo courtesy of the organiser)

Miss Universe Vietnam H’Hen Nie has called for reducing stigma and discrimination against HIV patients at the Miss Universe 2018 contest that is now being held in Bangkok, Thailand.

H’Hen Nie is participating in the United Nations’ Global Campaign on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) as part of the effort to create “a red ribbon wave” at this year’s beauty pageant. 

By wearing a red ribbon on her arms during the beauty event, which ends on December 17, H’Hen Nie is showing her support to the campaign.

“With support from the international community at the Miss Universe contest this year, I do believe in a more civilised attitude for the future of the community of HIV/AIDS patients,” she told Vietnam News.

The campaign, which marks the 30th anniversary of World AIDS Day (December 1), aims to protect patients and stop the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Since being crowned Miss Universe Vietnam last year, H’Hen Nie, who is from the E De ethnic group of the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak, has taken part in many social activities, especially those related to HIV/AIDS.

H’Hen Nie has also been involved in the U=U campaign (undetectable=untransmittable) funded by the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

The U=U statement has been recognised or endorsed by more than 782 medical and community-based organisations in more than 95 countries. 

The statement builds on evidence-based research demonstrating that HIV treatment is highly effective in reducing HIV transmission and that people living with HIV on ARV (antiretroviral) treatment with an undetectable viral load have effectively no risk of sexual transmission.

Vietnam has consistently shown strong leadership in responding to HIV in the world and the region. 

In recent years, Vietnam has enhanced screening and testing for high-risk people to achieve the UN’s 90-90-90 goals in HIV prevention and control by 2020. 

Under the goals, by 2020, 90 percent of all people living with HIV will know their HIV status. Ninety percent of people with a diagnosed HIV infection will receive sustained ARV therapy, while 90 percent of all people receiving antiretroviral therapy will have viral suppression. 

The number of HIV/AIDS cases in Vietnam continued to be under control this year, with a reduction in new incidences of HIV/AIDS and mortality from AIDS, according to the Ministry of Health. 

Speaking at a recent meeting to respond to World AIDS Day, Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said more than 8,000 new HIV cases were detected every year in Vietnam.

“The country still has nearly 50,000 people with HIV who do not know their status. These are challenges which we still face,” she said.

The rate of HIV infection among users who inject drugs, especially among youth, has seen an upward trend, according to the ministry. 

Stigma and discrimination continue to be a major barrier for people living with HIV to access HIV services in the country.

King Tran Nhan Tong’s entry into Nirvana to be marked this week

Various ceremonial activities will take place in the northern province of Quang Ninh on December 6 and 7 to commemorate the 710th anniversary of the death of King–Monk Tran Nhan Tong, the founder of Vietnam Zen Buddhism.

According to Most Venerable Thich Gia Quang, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) Executive Council, a ceremony will be held at Ngoa Van Pagoda in Dong Trieu district where King Tran Nhan Tong entered Nirvana to pay tribute to the King–Monk and pray for the repose of the souls of deceased people.

A grand ceremony to mark his 710th death anniversary will take place at Truc Lam Palace in Uong Bi city on December 7.

In addition, the VBS will partner with the Vietnam National University, Hanoi and the Quang Ninh People’s Committee to organise an international workshop on King Tran Nhan Tong and the Truc Lam Buddhist sect.

The workshop is expected to bring together more than 400 experts from Vietnam and 10 other countries and territories, including the US, France, India and Russia, to discuss values of the King’s ideological and cultural heritages from the past to present.

Some 300 free vegetarian meals will be given to visitors who come to pay homage to King Nhan Tong during the two-day event, said Venerable Thich Thanh Quyet, Vice Chairman of the VBS Executive Council.

Tran Nhan Tong, whose real name was Tran Kham, was born in 1258 and died in 1308. He was the third emperor of the Tran dynasty. Ascending to the throne at the age of 21, the King is famed for defeating Yuan-Mongol invaders twice during his 15-year reign.

Yet before engaging in battle, he faced a quandary. He understood that Buddhism prohibits clergymen from taking the life of any living being. To keep his adherence to Buddha's precepts and encourage unity among his people, he rallied the public at the Dien Hong conference to gather their opinions as to whether to fight. Because all of them wanted to combat the enemy, the King acted on his people's wishes and drove off the barbarous Yuan army.

After peace came to the country, the King was determined to lead a religious life. In 1293, he abdicated in favour of his son, Tran Anh Tong, and spent the rest of his life on the Yen Tu Holy Mountain in Quang Ninh practising and propagating Buddhism. He founded the Truc Lam School of Zen, or the Bamboo Forest School.

During that time, the King-Monk worked to unify different sects of Vietnamese Buddhism into Vietnamese Zen Buddhism.

The VBS Central Committee has long observed the day King Tran Nhan Tong attained Nirvana - the first day of the eleventh lunar month - as the national anniversary of Vietnamese Buddhism.

Hue students receive scholarships from Japan

At the ceremony 

Twenty disadvantaged students with outstanding academic results of the Hue University received Japanese-funded scholarships worth 300 USD each at a ceremony held in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue on December 3.

The grants came from the JBVA - Keidanren scholarship fund created by the Japan Business Association in Vietnam (JBVA) and the Japan Economic Association (JEA).

This is the 18th time that the Japanese organisations have presented scholarships to Vietnamese students. Some of the students were awarded the scholarship more than once.

Speaking at the ceremony, Seiji Kato, head of JBAV Social Contribution and Human Resource Development Committee said the JBAV and the JEA have launched the scholarship programme to support Vietnamese outstanding students since 2002 and to date, there have been more than 1,700 recipients.

He added that through the assistance, the Japanese organisations hope to provide excellent students with better learning conditions and access to major Japanese businesses, thus offering them more job opportunities in the future.

2018 marks the 45th anniversary of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic relations, Kato said, voicing his hope that Vietnamese students will contribute to the national construction and the bilateral ties between Vietnam and Japan. 

EVN to provide free installation service to poor households

The Vietnam Electricity (EVN) will bring light to more than 16,000 poor households and policy beneficiaries’ families nationwide in December through providing them with free reparation and installation of electricity supply systems. 

During the final month of the year, the EVN will also install roof-top solar panels in 100 schools and some families, while giving free maintenance services to hundreds of transformer stations of its major clients.

The activities are part of an annual programme that the EVN has held in the recent four years, manifesting gratitude to its customers.

A representative from the EVN said that so far this year, the corporation has recorded positive progress, with a rise in the System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIDI) and System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI).

According to report by the World Bank, Vietnam posts 87.94 points in Power Access Index in 2018, ranking 27th out of the 190 economies, 37 positions higher compared to 2017 ranking, and becoming the country with most giant step forwards in the index in the region.

Vietnam also surpasses the Philippines to rank fourth in the ASEAN in the field. It is in the second position in the region regarding time to provide power services.

In 2018, customers can register for EVN services online, and pay their bill in many methods.

Campaign launched to fight smuggling, commercial frauds

The National Steering Committee on the Prevention and Control of Smuggling, Trade Fraud and Counterfeit Goods (National Steering Committee 389) has launched a peak-season anti-smuggling, commercial fraud and counterfeit goods campaign ahead of the upcoming lunar New Year (Tet) festival.

Set to run from December 1, 2018 to February 28, 2019, the campaign aims to intensify the instruction and inspection work by the National Steering Committee 389 as well as the Steering Committees 389 of ministries, sectors and localities on smuggling, commercial fraud and counterfeit goods prevention and control.

The steering committees of ministries, sectors and localities must follow directions of the Government, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and the National Steering Committee 389, and urge relevant units to step up the fight against smuggling, commercial fraudd and counterfeit goods, especially during the lunar New Year festival, which will last from February 2-10.

The campaign focuses on hot spots for smuggling, commercial frauds and counterfeit goods, while intensifying inspections at border gates, seaports and airports.

Agencies and relevant units shall intensify patrols, inspections and controls to prevent the crimes.

The Ministry of Public Security should direct its units and police forces in localities to detect places where smuggled and counterfeit goods are gathered, and investigate and start legal proceedings in cases related to smuggling, trade frauds and counterfeit goods.

The National Steering Committee 389 asked the Ministry of National Defence to instruct the Border Guard High Command to monitor border areas and work with the customs force to patrol roads where violations are likely to occur.

Meanwhile, the Vietnam Coast Guard was told to intensify patrols in Vietnamese waters, especially in the northeastern, central and southwestern regions.

The National Steering Committee 389 also urged the Ministry of Industry and Trade to work with the People’s Committees of centrally-run provinces and cities to monitor the supply and demand for goods to ensure enough commodities during the lunar New Year holiday.

The Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development, Health, and Science and Technology were requested to coordinate in product quarantine to ensure food safety and avoid harming public health, and intensify management over the quality and origin of pharmaceutical products, cosmetics, and functional food

The National Steering Committee 389 also called for information campaigns in newspapers, radio and mass media to facilitate the effectiveness of the fight against smuggling, commercial fraud and counterfeit goods.

Thua Thien-Hue takes steps to preserve Phuoc Tich ancient village

The central province of Thua Thien-Hue has invested over 2 billion VND (85,700 USD) on a master plan to preserve and promote the historic and architectural values of the Phuoc Tich ancient village. (Source: dulich24.com.vn)

The central province of Thua Thien-Hue has invested over 2 billion VND (85,700 USD) on a master plan to preserve and promote the historic and architectural values of the Phuoc Tich ancient village in tandem with sustainable tourism development.

The master plan will identify relics of the ancient village that need protection and preservation, provide guidance on the reconstruction of the architectural space and landscape surrounding the relics, and develop tourism services for the benefit of the local community.

Earlier this year, the province spent more than 3.6 billion VND (nearly 155,180 USD) to restore five “nha ruong” (old garden houses built with wooden beams and pillars) in Phuoc Tich. The move forms part of the province’s project to safeguard and promote the values of Hue’s iconic garden houses.

Once the restoration was completed, the management board of Phuoc Tich discussed with historic house owners on how to tidy them up and improve their landscape design before they are opened to the public, said Doan Quyet Thang, the management board’s Deputy Director.

The wooden houses are also expected to serve community-based tourism and be used for homestay services, he added.

Phuoc Tich, 50km from Hue city, is one of only two ancient villages in Vietnam recognised as national cultural-historical relics by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, together with Duong Lam in Hanoi.

Located at Phong Hoa commune in Phong Dien district, the village was formed under the reign of King Le Thanh Tong (1460-1497) where it was initially called Dong Quyet, only to be subsequently renamed Phuoc Tich during the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945).

It has maintained its traditional craft of pottery throughout the centuries.

Families in the village have earned a living from making ceramics for the past 500 years. Phuoc Tich ceramics used to be very famous, once used by the Nguyen kings. 

Phuoc Tinh also boasts 26 century-old houses carved with sophisticated patterns, which have invaluable architectural and cultural values. 

These ancient wooden houses were built with three compartments and two lean-tos, surrounded by a garden with rows of green tea bushes serving as a fence for the brick-covered courtyard. Many of them are now in very poor condition, requiring urgent restoration.

There are seven garden houses in Phuoc Tich currently engaged in tourism, four of which provide homestay services. Visitors to the village can also enjoy sightseeing tours around the garden houses and experience traditional cake making, ceramic making, lantern floating, and a boat ride along the O Lau River.

By 2020, the province aims to restore a total of 25 “nha ruong” in the village . Last year, the village welcomed nearly 2,700 visitors. 

Culture-tourism village welcomes 500,000 visitors

The Culture-Tourism Village for Vietnamese Ethnic Groups  welcomes its 500,000th visitor.

The Culture-Tourism Village for Vietnamese Ethnic Groups on the western outskirts of Hanoi welcomed some 500,000 visitors from the outset of this year, up 20 percent from the same time in 2017, the village’s management board said on December 3.

A wide range of activities have been organised to promote their intangible cultural heritages. Ethnic groups from 39 localities across the nation and 500 artists from central theaters have contributed to the kaleidoscope of cultures at the village, where a broad range of intangible cultural heritages are promoted. 

This month, the village will dazzle its visitors as it is becomes covered in Mexican sunflowers and buckwheat flowers, hosting a variety of cultural activities from different ethnic groups to welcome in the new year under the “Sac hoa” (beauty of flowers) programme.

In particular, the mountain market – which features the traditional cuisines and folk games of the Mong, Lao, Khang, Thai, Tay, Dao, and Kho Mu ethnic groups – promises to be a fascinating event for visitors.

In addition, the Ruou Can festival, which is centred on a special wine stored in a large jar and drunken with a long pipe, will be acted out by the Khang ethnic group in Son La province’s Quynh Nhai district. The festival is organised from the first to the third month of the Lunar calendar, praying for good health and prosperous villages.

Stellar artistic performances of the ethnic people will be staged at the village as well. 

Hai Duong gains another new-style rural district

A school in Cam Giang district 

Cam Giang district has become the third district in the northern province of Hai Duong recognised as a new-style rural area under Decision No.1595/QD-TTg recently inked by Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue, head of the Steering Committee for the National Target Programme.

Secretary of the district Party Committee Tran Van Hao said that all 17 of the communes in the district were certified as new-style rural areas as of August 2018. The district’s efforts to complete the criteria for new-style rural districts helped cast a new look to the locality, with positive economic structure shifting, robust agricultural production, and significant improvements in local livelihoods.

Since 2011, the district mobilised more than 1.97 trillion VND (84.5 million USD) towards the building of its new-style rural area programme, of which 618.7 billion VND (26.5 million USD) came from the State budget. The money was used to concretise local roads, develop national standard schools, provide a telecommunications service for residents, and build cultural and sports zones, among others.

In 2018, the district’s income per capita reached more than 42 million VND (1,800 USD), doubling the amount recorded in 2011. Meanwhile, the rate of impoverished households fell to 1.47 percent.

The district has formed a number of agricultural production models, which bring high economic efficiency, including the cultivation of carrot, watermelon, and many other vegetables and fruits.

In the coming time, the district will continue its agricultural shakeup, attract further investment in the sector, and branch out services and handicrafts to improve the incomes of local people. It will also work to upgrade infrastructure and better its healthcare services.

The national target programme on building new-style rural areas has set 20 criteria on socio-economic development, politics, and defence; with the goal of developing rural regions. 

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

Photo exhibition on Cuban revolution leaders opens in Hanoi

Cuban journalist Perfecto Romero Ramirez, the photographer on exhibition and founder of the UPEC. 

A photography collection on Che Guevara and Fidel Castro were displayed in Hanoi on December 3 on the occasion of the delegation of the Union of Journalists of Cuba’s (UPEC) visit to Vietnam from December 2-8.  

Addressing the opening ceremony, Ho Quang Loi, Vice President of the Vietnam Journalists Association (VJA), highlighted the special sentiments of Che Guevara and Fidel Castro towards Vietnam.

Since they set up diplomatic ties on December 2, 1960, Vietnam and Cuba have stood side-by-side during the past struggle for national independence and freedom, as well as the present national construction and defence of each nation, he said. 

Their friendship and solidarity is a valuable asset shared by the two parties and peoples, he noted. 

Loi said the UPEC and the VJA officially signed the bilateral cooperation agreement on December 21, 2014, opening up a new period of exchange between Vietnamese and Cuban journalists, while helping to increase mutual understanding and tighten diplomatic ties between the two countries. 

Within the framework of the event, 82-year-old Cuban journalist Perfecto Romero Ramirez, the photographer on exhibition and founder of the UPEC, held an exchange with his Vietnamese colleagues. 

He said after hearing Fidel Castro’s stories about Vietnam, he has always wanted to visit the country and convey these sentiments. 

On this occasion, the UPEC and Perfecto Romero Ramirez presented the 36 photographs on display to the VJA. 

Short film highlights ongoing bear protection efforts

A scene in the film

A short-film has been released by the Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV) in an effort to raise public awareness of the mistreatment of bears and calling for the end of bear bile consumption. 

According to Vice Director of ENV Nguyen Thi Phuong Dung, the film is part of a campaign run by her agency, the World Animal Protection organisation, and FOUR PAWS Viet to stop the captivity of bears and protect wild bears in Vietnam. 

The film will be screened on national and local television channels across the country. It will also be posted on EVN’s Youtube channel. 

Since 2005, the Vietnamese Government and non-governmental organisations operating in conservation and protection work have gained remarkable achievements in eliminating the captivity of bears.  

According to ENV, the number of bears in captivity in Vietnam sharply declined between 2005 and July 2018 from 4,300 to 780. They had been caged to harvest their bile, a digestive fluid used in some traditional Southeast Asian medicines. Bear bile farming was outlawed in the country in 1992, but owners were not forced to give up the bears they held, only serving to prolong the harmful practice.

In 2017, the Government of Vietnam agreed a plan with the non-profit group Animals Asia to shut down all bear farms in the country and move all remaining captive bears to sanctuaries.

Vân shots a record at National Games

Nguyễn Thu Vân wins a gold and set a record in the women’s 25m sport pistol event. — Photo sfs.vn

Nguyễn Thu Vân set a new record in the women’s 25m sport pistol event at the National Sports Games yesterday in Hà Nội.

The athlete of the Ministry of Public Security shot 581 points to win a gold medal. It was the highest score in the competition since Nguyễn Hoàng Ngọc of the Military shot 574 in 2014.

In fencing, two gold medals were also presented yesterday.

Bùi Thị Thu Hà of Hà Nội won the women’s sabre event after beating Phùng Thị Khánh Linh from Thanh Hóa 15-7.

Nguyễn Tiến Nhật secured the men’s epee title defeating Nguyễn Phước Đến 15-6 in an all-HCM City final.

In cycling, An Giang proved their strength winning both team and individual titles in the women’s 76km road race events.

The team came first with a time of 5hr 50.36min. HCM City and Bình Dương were second and third, respectively.

Nguyễn Thị Thật pocketed the individual title, clocking 1:56.52. It was her third gold at the tournament.

Phạm Thị Thúy Liên of HCM City and Bùi Thị Quỳnh of Bình Dương were behind.

Judo was last activity yesterday. Nguyễn Châu Hoàng Lân of HCM City beat Lê Đình Vũ of the Military in the men’s over-100kg class. Nguyễn Diệu Tiên of Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu defeated Nguyễn Thị Diễm Hương of Sóc Trăng in the women’s U70kg. Nguyễn Hoàng Dương from HCM City trounced Lưu Minh Thiện of Bình Dương in the men’s U100kg.

In sepak takraw, Hà Nội beat Yên Bái 2-0 to take the team of four event title, the first gold of the sport, at the Hoàng Mai District Gymnasium.