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More than 2 million poor households won access to loans worth over 80 trillion VND (3.52 billion USD) from the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP) last year.
The bank said on January 13 that its loans have helped to generate jobs for more than 608,700 labourers, and assisted 1,357 businesses to restore operations and 37,500 students to continue their study.
As of December 31, 2021, its accumulative credit loans reached 256.32 trillion VND, up 22.7 billion VND from late 2020.
Meanwhile, its outstanding balance stood at 247.97 trillion VND, a rise of 9.6 percent.
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WHO officials examine Yen Bai’s COVID-19 vaccination, school health
Officials from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Ministry of Health paid a working visit to Dai Son commune in the northern province of Yen Bai’s Van Yen district on January 12 and 13 to inspect COVID-19 vaccination and school health.
The officials included WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific Takeshi Kasai, WHO Representative in Vietnam Kidong Park and Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan.
Kasai said he was impressed by the performance of the local health facility, and pandemic prevention and control, including the COVID-19 vaccination, of the commune and district.
As part of the trip, the delegation visited Dai Son primary and secondary school; and observed activities of home vaccination against COVID-19 for the elderly and illnesses who cannot go to medical facilities in the commune’s Da Dung village.They also visited the provincial Lung Hospital, General Hospital, and the Center for Disease Control.
Ceremony held for first time to honour wildlife conservators
A ceremony was held on January 13 to honour 21 organisations and individuals with outstanding contributions to wildlife conservation in Vietnam during the 2010 – 2020 period.
The event, the first of its kind, was co-organised by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the World Bank in Vietnam, and the World Wide Fund for Nature in Vietnam (WWF-Vietnam).
According to the department of nature conservation and biodiversity under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, about 51,400 species have so far been detected in Vietnam.
Party inspection commission decides disciplinary measures against many officials
The Party Central Committee’s Inspection Commission meted out disciplinary measures against many officials during its 11th session in Hanoi on January 12-13.
The commission found the Party Delegation of the Can Tho municipal People’s Committee had violated the Party principles, regulations and working rules, shown a lack of responsibility, loosened leadership that resulted in wrongdoings in the procurement of medical equipment, medicines, and the repair and upgrade of hospitals.
The commission reprimanded the Party Delegation of the Can Tho municipal People’s Committee in the 2016-2021 tenure and several incumbent and former officials including Nguyen Van Hong, member of the municipal Party Committee and Vice Chairman of the municipal People's Committee.
The commission gave a warning as a disciplinary measure to the standing board of the Party Committee of the Ba Ria-Vung Tau border guard force in the 2015-2020 and 2020-2025 tenures, as well as to commander Lt Colonel Nguyen Hung Son, Party Secretary and Political Commissar Colonel Dinh Quoc Tuan, and deputy commander Colonel Nguyen Van Tien of the force.
Several other high-ranking officers were also given warnings in connection with the case.
PM stresses need for comprehensive approach to tackling climate change
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has said there should be a comprehensive approach to tackling climate change, with the grassroots level as the foundation for delivering Vietnam's commitment in the field.
Chinh, who is also the committee's head, said Vietnam's commitments made at the COP26 to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050 and methane emission by 30 percent by 2030 is in line with the national economic restructuring programme and the global trend of green, circular and digital economic development.
The Government leader emphasised that people and businesses should be the centre, the subject, the goal and driving force of climate change response.
Hanoi inaugurates Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro line
The Ministry of Transport, in collaboration with the Hanoi municipal People’s Committee and the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam, organised an inauguration ceremony for Cat Linh – Ha Dong metro line – the first of its kind in Vietnam on January 13.
The metro line, one of the eight urban railway projects connecting the city downtown and satellite urban areas, aims to reduce traffic overload in the western part of the capital city. It was put into operation on November 6, 2021.
After more than two months of operation, the metro line has been running smoothly and safely. On average, the line transports nearly 15,000 passengers per day.
With total investment of around 886 million USD, funded by Chinese ODA, the elevated line is more than 13km long and has 12 stations and 13 trains. Each train, whose designed speed is 80 km per hour, has four carriages capable of carrying over 900 passengers.
COVID-19: New cases on January 13 total 16,725
Vietnam recorded 16,725 cases of COVID-19 across all 63 localities during 24 hours from 4pm January 12 to 4pm January 13, including 25 imported cases, according to the Ministry of Health.
Hanoi continued to record the highest number of infections with 2,968 cases, followed by Binh Phuoc with 726 and Binh Dinh 709.
The national tally reached 1,975,444, including 50 infections of Omicron.
On the day, the country saw 206 deaths from the disease. The death toll now hits 35,170.
There are 6,006 patients in critical conditions, with 726 requiring invasive ventilation and 19 on ECMO support.
A total 26,031 patients were given the all-clear, taking the total number of recoveries to 1,661,930.
President visits medical wokers in Da Nang
President Nguyen Xuan Phuc visited and presented gifts to medical workers at Da Nang and Da Nang C hospitals in the central city of Da Nang on January 13.
A leader of Da Nang Hospital informed the President that with 2,000 beds and 2,200 staff members, the hospital is a health care centre of the central and Central Highland regions.
The hospital has received and treated 10,000 COVID-19 patients so far, with only two related deaths.
The Da Nang C hospital, which has 631 beds and over 700 staff members, also accomplished its tasks of caring for high-ranking Party and State officials in the central and Central Highlands regions, fighting the pandemic and conducting vaccination.
Painting exhibition shows French artist’s love for Vietnam
An exhibition by Vietnamese-French painter Vincent Monluc is underway in Ho Chi Minh City, featuring art paintings depicting Vietnamese nature, people and daily life.
The exhibition named “Dream” will be running through January 20 at Ngo Art Gallery at 21 Vo Truong Toan Street in Thu Duc City.
On display are 95 watercolour and oil paintings created by the 70-year-old artist over the last five years, through which he conveyed his deep love for his homeland Vietnam. Some of them describe the beauty of natural landscapes in Vietnam while others depict daily life of urban Vietnamese.
Monluc was born in Vietnam in 1952. He and his family left Vietnam to live in France when he was just 12 years old. He graduated from the French National School of Decorative Arts (École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs) with a degree in cinema.
He returned to Vietnam to establish a company for animation production in HCM City in 1994 and decided to settle down in his motherland in 2019.
New programme aims to raise awareness on domestic violence prevention, control
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam on January 13 signed a decision approving a programme on domestic violence prevention and control to 2025.
The programme aims to have 40 percent of households participate in talks on this issue organised by the commune People's Committees in villages and residential areas and over 70 percent of people at risk of domestic violence be equipped with knowledge and skills on coping with this matter.
At least 50 percent of main television channels of central and local governments should have a regular programme on domestic violence prevention and control, while 95 percent of detected victims should be able to receive legal support and health care, according to the programme.
In addition, more than 80 percent of people who commit acts of domestic violence should be given consultations and knowledge and skills to control themselves.
Centrally-run cities and provinces are requested to have 95 percent of their communes, wards and towns maintain the operation of family violence prevention and control models, and 90 percent of staff in the work should receive training.
Bright Future Fund benefits 32,000 cancer patients over last decade
The Supportive Fund for Cancer Patients, or Bright Future Fund, has provided relief aid for over 32,000 impoverished cancer patients nationwide over almost a decade, heard at conference held on January 13 to review its performance in 2021 and map out tasks for this year.
Last year, the fund donated nearly 700 million VND worth of medical supplies and coronavirus test kits for hospitals and gave cash to 653 disadvantaged cancer patients. It also offered free breast cancer screening for over 2,700 people, worth 2.77 billion VND, which has detected eight cases, Xuyen said.
It donated 237 billion VND worth of cancer treatment drug Keytruda for 23 hospitals, benefiting about 560 patients. Additionally, it started to offer other cancer medicine called Lenvima to nine hospitals last December, she added. The Bright Future Fund started operation in June 2012.
Localities hasten in-home vaccination for vulnerable groups
Many localities are stepping up COVID-19 vaccination for vulnerable groups, including the elderly and people with underlying health conditions.
In Hanoi, the work is being accelerated, especially for the high-risk groups, with medical workers sent to provide in-home vaccination for those who are unable to get to an inoculation location.
People of the targeted groups receive check-ups and advice before getting the jab and have their health monitored after that.
As of late January 13, Vietnam recorded 1,975,444 cases of COVID-19 in total, including 1,661,930 recoveries and 35,170 deaths.
By January 12, the country had administered over 164.48 million doses of vaccines , with more than 71.70 million people now fully inoculated and over 14.31 million the third shots, according to the Ministry of Health./.
Northern region to endure severe cold spell from Jan.14
Northern and northcentral regions are anticipated to experience a severe cold spell last for roughly 10 days, bringing with it rain and a general drop in temperatures, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.
The northern region will start to experience bitterly-cold weather, with temperatures ranging from 13 to 16 degrees Celsius at its lowest, even dropping to below 11 degrees Celsius in some mountainous areas, from the night of January 14.
Furthermore, rain and thunderstorms are forecast to strike the region, with whirlwinds, lightning, hail, and strong winds expected to occur in some locations.
Hanoi will endure a long cold spell, with temperatures falling to as low as13 degrees Celsius. In addition, drizzle and fog will hit the capital at nights and in the mornings.
Health ministry eyes Pfizer COVID vaccines for children aged 5-11 years
Vietnam is exercising caution in consideration of COVID-19 vaccinations for children aged 5-11 years, Minister of Health Nguyễn Thanh Long told local media.
The health ministry has submitted a tentative inoculation plan to the Government awaiting approval, however, Long stressed the World Health Organisation (WHO) has not issued official guidance for vaccinations for children aged 5-11 years yet.
To date, Viet Nam has administered over 14 million COVID-19 vaccine shots for children in the 12-17 age group, with first-dose coverage hitting 90 per cent and second-dose coverage reaching 68.5 per cent.
HCM City to focus on care for people with post-COVID conditions
Caring for people with post-COVID conditions is one of the key tasks for the healthcare sector this year, HCM City authorities have said.
Nearly 2 per cent of the country’s population has been infected, Nguyễn Anh Dũng, deputy director of the city Department of Health, told a meeting held on Wednesday to review last year’s performance and set goals for 2022.
The city had had more than 500,000 infections, including 300,000 recovering.
Many recovered patients suffered from post-COVID conditions and needed treatment, which posed a huge challenge.
The healthcare sector would develop a three-level management protocol for this. At the first level, health facilities would treat patients with mild complications. At the second, district-level hospitals would take in and treat patients with slightly more serious conditions. Patients with severe complications would be sent to specialised and general hospitals.
Not only older people with severe COVID-19 but also younger ones aged 30-40 with mild symptoms experienced post-COVID conditions.
COVID patients must get timely access to treatment
The Ministry of Health has requested the health departments of cities and provinces and health facilities nationwide to get ready for the possible spread of the Omicron variant during the Lunar New Year holiday.
In Directive 01 on COVID-19 prevention and control, Minister Nguyễn Thanh Long has requested health departments and health facilities to prioritise vaccinations for those who had received only one dose of vaccine.
He also requested hospitals to be on duty around the clock and publicly post the list of daily duties in order to promptly and effectively handle problems arising during the holiday.
The ministry has asked the departments of health of cities and provinces to work with local people's committees to focus on pandemic prevention and control in densely populated areas and industrial parks, especially when people move between their hometowns and cities before and after the holiday.
The ministry has also directed health units to closely coordinate with local authorities and police at grassroots levels to make a list of people in high-risk groups and develop a support plan.
Cool actions of AC engineer save child from house fire
An air-conditioning fitter is being hailed a hero after proving to be super cool under pressure by pulling a child to safety from a burning building.
Trung Văn Nam, 34, leapt into action after seeing flames quickly engulf the property in Hà Nội’s Hoàng Mai District on Wednesday.
At first Nam tried to extinguish the blaze from the ground floor, but with flames taking over the whole house, and black smoke billowing into the air, he realised he was fighting a losing battle.
Instead he climbed onto a neighbouring property and tried to smash his way into the first floor window, knowing a child was inside. Unbeknown to both Nam and the child, her brother had managed to escape the house. Now he is being hailed a hero, and is in line to receive an award for his selfless actions.
All HCM City Omicron cases discharged from hospital
Twelve people who had contracted the Omicron variant of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 after entering HCM City from abroad have been discharged from hospital.
The information was given by Nguyen Huynh Manh, office manager of the municipal Department of Health at a press conference held on Thursday on the Covid-19 pandemic situation. According to Mai, the city had recorded 12 Omicron patients who were all from abroad and had been quarantined on their arrival to HCM City.
Among those, only two had light symptoms such as a cough and runny nose, while the others were asymptomatic.
Meanwhile, more than 2,000 people who shared the same flights with the patients tested negative for Omicron Mai added.
Landslide isolates Dien Bien districts
A serious landslide has isolated areas in the two districts of the northern mountainous province of Dien Bien, affecting traffic for many hours.The incident occurred on January 13 at National Highway 1A which runs through Phin Ho Commune, Nam Po District.
As a result, the whole border district of Muong Nhe and seven communes of Nam Po District have been isolated.
Thousands of cubic metres of soil and stone have covered the road section, blocking traffic for many hours.
According to workers from a construction company who worked near the landslide area, the incident happened at around 2 am. It could have been the result of the use of explosives by the company earlier.
Many people had to wait hours to travel through the affected section of the road.
Cat Ba tourist site temporarily closed due to Covid-19
Cat Ba tourist site in the northern city of Haiphong has temporarily stopped receiving visitors due to a new Covid-19 outbreak.
According to local authorities, as of 3 pm on Wednesday, Cat Hai District had nine more Covid-19 cases, including four in Cat Ba Town, one in Cat Hai Town and one in Nghia Lo Commune. Currently, 107 Covid-19 patients are being treated in Cat Hai District.
Cat Ba Town and the communes of Van Phong, Nghia Lo and Dong Bai in Cat Hai districts have been turned into high-risk areas for Covid-19 spread. Local authorities have decided to suspend tourism services and activities in Cat Ba. Meanwhile, gathering and outdoor physical activities and wedding parties in the district have also been temporarily halted.
Local restaurants are only allowed to offer delivery services and passenger transportation activities are also banned. The town has only reopened passenger transport services to cities and provinces nationwide at Thuong Ly and Do Son Station, while those at other local stations have still been prohibited.
The Dance in Mercy painting on display in Vietnam
A series of abstract paintings by artist William Pham are on display at the exhibition The Voyage to Freedom. Among pieces presented there, the Dance in Mercy takes the spotlight as it was previously introduced at World Leader in AI World Society (AIWS) Award 2021, under the UN centennial initiative.
The painting receives thankful letter from Governor Michael Dukakis, US Democratic Party's nominee for president in 1988, Chairman of the UN Centennial Initiative - a Vietnam supporter and lover.
Art lovers can contemplate the paintings at Ngo Art Gallery in Thao Dien Ward, Thu Duc city, HCM City.
The Voyage to Freedom exhibition is the second series of events by artist William Pham, showing his strength and new breakthroughs in the period of harmony between the old year 2021 and the new year 2022, which is attracting the attention of the art lovers.
Source: VNA/VOV/VNS/SGGP/VGP/SGT/Hanoitimes
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