Facilities of Tam Anh General Hospital in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City on March 24 received the first batch of Evusheld, a drug developed by AstraZeneca to fight COVID-19 infection by combining two long-acting monoclonal antibodies.

The shipment has been made on the basis of a contract for 20,000 doses signed with AstraZeneca by the Vietnam Vaccine Joint Stock Company (VNVC) on November 2, 2021.

Evusheld, a long-acting monoclonal antibody, serves as a prevention therapy for people in high-risk groups. It is capable of helping to protect them from COVID-19 infection before they are actually exposed to the virus. It represents the first pre-exposure prophylaxis product created to tackle COVID-19, with the exception of vaccines.

In contrast to typical vaccines which are available, Evusheld helps inoculated individuals by producing a necessary amount of antibodies in order to protect them against COVID-19, with an efficiency rate of up to 83%.

Those who are unable to be given any of the existing COVID-19 vaccines due to potentially serious side-effects to any of its components such as severe allergy and anaphylaxis can instead choose to get the Evusheld injection.

Vietnam wants to contribute more to UN’s common agenda

Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations (UN), has affirmed that Vietnam supports and wants to participate more deeply in implementing proposals in the “Common Agenda” report of the UN.

During a working session with Volker Turk, UN Under-Secretary-General for Policy, Giang said that Vietnam wants to contribute further to common efforts of the international community.

Giang spoke highly of the efforts and leadership of the UN Secretary-General and Turk personally in building the report, as well as in discussing the process with countries.

He stressed that to jointly solve global issues in the current context, countries need to promote multilateralism, adding that proposals of the UN Secretary-General in the report can help realise important common plans of the international community.

Hot air balloon rides promise tourists a memorable trip to Hoi An

The first-ever hot air balloon festival in Hoi An city kicked off on March 25 morning, part of activities marking the Visit Vietnam Year 2022 hosted by the central province of Quang Nam.

At this festival, 17 hot air balloons will fly above fixed locations along the Hoai River to enable tourists enjoy and take photos of the beautiful surrounding landscapes. This is the largest number of hot air balloons in a festival in the central region so far.

During the two-day event, balloon rides are available at 6 - 9am and 5:30 - 6:30pm on March 25 and 6 - 9am on March 26, when weather and wind conditions are the most ideal for ballooning.

In particular, a lantern programme will take place from 7 - 8pm on March 25, during which the balloons will be inflated and become giant lanterns.

Hanoi kick-starts tourism promotion activities

The "Get on Hanoi 2022" tourism programme will take place on March 25-27, with an array of activities to foster tourism recovery in the ‘new normal’ situation.

The programme, to be held at the Ly Thai To Square by Hoan Kiem Lake in downtown Hanoi and other locations, is the first in a series of activities during 2022 to respond to a policy to bolster tourism recovery in the capital city in a safe and flexible manner while keeping COVID-19 at bay, now that Vietnam has officially reopened international tourism.

A highlight of the programme will be a hot-air balloon festival titled ‘"Colourful Hanoi" held in Long Bien district, with 18 one-level hot air balloons (10m high) and four seven-level hot air balloon (22m high). Visitors can experience flying up in hot air balloons to see Hanoi from above.

Floating lanterns with the shape of hot-air balloons will be lit up on the Red River during the "Get on Hanoi - Night of Dreams" event.

The programme will broadcast online through digital platforms: YouTube, the municipal Department of Tourism’s fanpage and the “Get on Hanoi” fanpage.

Vietnam Days in UK 2022 to begin next week

The Vietnam Days in the United Kingdom 2022 will take place from March 28 to April 10, featuring a series of cultural, art, sport and trade-investment promotion events, mostly in London.

The events will focus on enhancing the bilateral cooperation in various areas, ranging from education and training, green transformation, renewable energy, fintech, startup and innovation; and promoting Vietnam as an attractive destination for tourists in the context that the country has reopened its door to international visitors.

Highlights among these are a music show entitled “Beautiful Vietnam”, painting exhibitions, investment promotion and travel forums and a friendly golf tournament in London. There will also be an education forum and a workshop for startup cooperation between Vietnam and the UK in Cambridge.

Fisherman saved after accident at sea

Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre brought a fisherman injured during an accident at sea to shore in time for medical treatment on March 24.

At about 7am on March 23, Ngo Tan Loc, 39, suffered multiple injuries after falling from a high place on a boat operating in the waters of Hoang Sa (Paracels) archipelago.

As the man’s condition was serious, the captain sent a request for emergency rescue to the centre.

After receiving the request, the centre dispatched ship SAR 412 with doctors on board to the boat's location. It took one day and a half for the SAR 412 to reach the boat and bring the injured fisherman to the mainland. 

NA Standing Committee’s ninth session concludes

The ninth session of the National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee wrapped up on March 24 after six working days divided into two periods.

Members of the committee debated three bills – the Law on Insurance Business (revised), the Law on Cinematography (revised) and the law on the implementation of grassroots democracy, and adopted one ordinance and two resolutions, one on the 50 percent cut of environmental protection tax rates on petrol, oil and lubricants, aiming to stabilise the fuel market, and the other on raising the cap on monthly and yearly overtime hours of labourers.

Regarding supervision work, the committee considered the results of supervision over the implementation of laws and policies related to thrift practice and wastefulness prevention in 2016-2021; the realisation of NA Standing Committee’s resolutions on re-organisation of district and communal-level administrative units in 2019-2021; and the implementation of laws on citizen reception and the settlement of denunciations and complaints from July 2016 to July 2021.

The NA Standing Committee asked the heads of the supervision teams to coordinate with the NA General Secretary and the NA Standing Committee in designing plans for supervision activities in localities, ministries, sectors and localities in an effective manner.

Reports on ombudsman activities in the first two months of this year were also tabled for discussion, along with the supplementation of the State budget estimate and foreign non-refundable aid in 2020 and 2021.

Border gates between Son La, Lao province to reopen from April

Relevant agencies of the northern border province of Son La stand ready to work with their counterparts of Houaphanh province of Laos to resume operations of the main border gate pairs and an auxiliary one starting April 1.

In a dispatch, the Department of External Relations of Son La stated that the agencies will work to promptly resume operations of the Long Sap-Pa Hang and Chieng Khuong-Ban Dan border gate pairs, together with the Nam Lanh-Muong Po auxiliary pair.

The department requested the Houaphanh side to inform relevant agencies and ask them to collaborate with Son La counterparts, as well as adhere to COVID-19 prevention and control measures.

Son La and Houaphanh have a shared border line of 242 kilometres, with 113 border markers, two main border gates, and two auxiliary border gates. 

Work starts on temple dedicated to Vietnamese, Lao martyrs in Xiengkhuang

Construction of a temple dedicated to heroes and martyrs of Vietnam and Laos began in the Lao province of Xiengkhuang on March 24.

This is the first temple built by the Vietnamese community in Laos to commemorate the two countries’ heroes and martyrs who laid down their lives during the nations’ struggle for independence.

The temple, located in Nhuom village of Pek district, is expected to have its first phase completed tin July, when the two countries will hold many activities marking the Vietnam - Laos and Laos - Vietnam Year of Solidarity and Friendship.

Former Singaporean Ambassador honoured with friendship order, insignia

The Vietnamese Embassy in Singapore on March 24 held a ceremony to hand over the Friendship Order and the insignia “For peace and friendship among nations” to Catherine Wong Siow Ping, former Singaporean Ambassador to Vietnam (2016-2021 term).

Vietnamese Ambassador to Singapore Mai Phuoc Dung, on behalf of the State President and the President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO), presented the noble awards to the former ambassador in recognition of her contributions to consolidating and promoting the Vietnam-Singapore strategic partnership as well as solidarity, friendship and cooperation between their people.

Besides foreign affairs, Catherine organised various activities helping to raise mutual understanding between the people of the two countries such as coordinating with the Vietnam-Singapore Friendship Association and the National Fund for Vietnamese Children to hold a charity run in 2018 that collected some 80,000 USD for the fund, among others, Dung said.

The diplomat noted his hope that Catherine, in her new position as Director General of the Southeast Asia Directorate I under the Singaporean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will further contribute to the bilateral relationship, especially at the time when the two countries are working towards the celebration of the 50th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties, and 10 years of the strategic partnership.

VNA, Yonhap to hold photo exhibition celebrating Vietnam-RoK diplomatic ties

The Yonhap News Agency of the Republic of Korea (RoK) said on March 24 that it will coordinate with the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History and the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) to hold a photo exhibition in Seoul next week to celebrate the 30th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

The press photo exhibition will take place at the museum in central Seoul from March 31 to May 5.

The exhibition will feature 86 photos by journalists of the two news agencies, graphic materials showing the 30-year history of the diplomatic ties and videos containing information on the two countries.

Admission is free, and the museum is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day.

The press exhibition will also be available online for those who cannot visit the museum amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The exhibition will also be held in Hanoi in December.

Thua Thien-Hue to launch bicycle-sharing services in April

Hue city in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue will launch a public bicycle hire scheme in downtown areas from April 29, the municipal People’s Committee has announced.

The pilot project will be carried out by the municipal People’s Committee, the German Development Cooperation Organisation (GIZ) and Vietsoftpro software solution company, until December 2023.

This is the first public bicycle-sharing project in Hue city, which will arrange 10-20 bicycles at seven bike rental spots.

People can hire the bikes using a smartphone and pay via QR code to unlock the vehicles.

The municipal People’s Committee said the project together with other modes of public transport will create a better transport network, encouraging people to use public transport so as to reduce urban congestion, especially during rush hours, and improve air quality.

The bicycle hire scheme was previously rolled out in HCM City, and to be launched in Hanoi this year. 

Da Nang to host Routes Asia 2022 in June

The People’s Committee of Da Nang city has recently issued a plan on the organisation of the Routes Asia 2022 in June with a capital of 15 billion VND (656,000 USD).

As the only route development event dedicated to Asia Pacific, Routes Asia, held annually by Informa Routes, provides a platform for the region's airlines, airports, tourism authorities and aviation stakeholders to meet, share best practice and come together to develop network strategies and ensure future air service development across Asia Pacific.

This year’s event will be hosted by Da Nang from June 6-8, introducing the central city’s image and potential to around 500 international participants.

It is also expected to help the city resume international routes after impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and attract more investment in the aviation sector.

Routes Asia 2022 will comprise of 19 activities and events, with three held by Informa Routes and the remaining by the Vietnamese city.

Hanoi moves to speed up smart city project

Secretary of the Party Committee of Hanoi Dinh Tien Dung on March 23 hosted a reception for Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Yamada Takio and representatives of the Sumitomo Corporation of Japan and Vietnam's BRG Group to review the implementation of a smart city project in the northern area of Hanoi.

The Japanese diplomat said the development of green and smart cities will be one of the cooperation priorities between Japan and Hanoi.

The project is a highlight in the cooperation between Japan and Vietnam in general and Hanoi in particular, to practically celebrate the 50th founding anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2023, he stressed.

The smart city project aims to build a city, regarded as the most modern and smartest city in Southeast Asia in the northern area of Hanoi (covering both sides of Vo Nguyen Giap road) as part of the Nhat Tan – Noi Bai Route Planning Project.

It is expected to create a focal point for the space and architecture of the capital’s gateway area, provide impetus for urban development in the northern Red River area, and contribute to the city's socio-economic development. 

Robotics competition held for secondary students of Vietnam, Finland

The first edition of the Master Robot Builders Robot Competition will be held for secondary students of Vietnam and Finland.

The contest is organised by the Satakunta University of Applied Sciences of Finland, within the framework of the Vietnam-Finland bilateral cooperation agreement. It will be held online in English and free of change.

Contestants can register at https://elonake.samk.fi/lomakkeet/11876/lomake.html before April 10. They will be enabled to participate in three robotics training sessions and a guiding session in the robotics industry from April 5-8.

Groups comprising 3-5 members will work together to build their robots and submit to the jury by May 8.

The most 20 outstanding works will qualify for the final slated for May 20. The top three winners will walk home with prizes of 150 EUR (165 USD), 100 EUR and 50 EUR, respectively. 

National trade repository to ensure ASEAN information transparency compliance

The Vietnam National Trade Repository (VNTR) is expected to go live on March 30, with the event being jointly organized by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) and the British Embassy in Vietnam.

The VNTR will be a free-to-access online portal that will provide all of the latest trade information in both English and Vietnamese.

The UK's Global Trade Programme (GTP) supports the (MoIT) in developing the VNTR which will be linked to the ASEAN Trade Repository (ATR) https://atr.asean.org/.

This will ensure that the country fully complies with ASEAN information transparency obligations as outlined in Article 13 of the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA).

Opening for Vietnamese pomelo and lemon to enter NZ market

In order to export two types of fruit, pomelo and lemon, to the New Zealand market, the Plant Protection Department has finalised a technical dossier and consulted all relevant units.

The Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, along with organizations and individuals producing and exporting fresh fruit, requested opinions on the draft export programme on phytosanitary requirements for two fresh fruits being exported to New Zealand.

Accordingly, the Plant Protection Department has proposed two steps in which to manage pests both in fields and after harvest.

Hoang Trung, head of the Plant Protection Department, said that before exporting fresh fruit to New Zealand or any other country, it remains necessary to meet all regulations set by importing countries. This includes things such as product information, varieties, cultivation procedures, plant protection measures, and phytosanitary work.

Vietnamese historical book published in Spanish

Biên Bản Chiến Tranh 1-2-3-4.75 (A War Account 1-2-3-4.75), a historical book by Vietnamese writer-journalist Trần Mai Hạnh, has been released in Spanish.

The book reveals historical truths about the fall of the Republic of Việt Nam (led by President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu) in 1975, based on original top-secret documents of both the Sài Gòn regime and the US government.

The Spanish version of the book has been published by the National Political Publishing House and presented to the Cuban Embassy in Việt Nam. Earlier, it was translated into English in 2017 and Lao in 2018.

The translation and publication of the Spanish version was undertaken by the National Political Publishing House and completed by the end of 2021. Both of its translators, Trần Thị Oanh và Nguyễn Mai Anh, are lecturers of the Spanish Department, the National Hà Nội University.

Hanoi will strengthen development of underground spaces in 20 districts by 2030

Hà Nội will strengthen the development of underground spaces within the administrative boundaries of 20 districts by 2030.

Those districts are Hoàn Kiếm, Ba Đình, Đống Đa, Hai Bà Trưng, Cầu Giấy, Tây Hồ, Thanh Xuân, Hoàng Mai, Hà Đông, Nam Từ Liêm, Bắc Từ Liêm, Long Biên, Mê Linh, Đông Anh, Gia Lâm, Đan Phượng, Hoài Đức, Thanh Oai, Thanh Trì and Thường Tín.

The move comes after the People’s Committee of Hà Nội recently approved the planning of urban underground construction space in the city by 2030, a vision towards 2050.

The plan is expected to contribute to accelerating the development of urban underground spaces in the capital.

Hanoi decides C9 metro station location

The Hà Nội People’s Committee on Wednesday decided on the location of C9 station that is part of the planned Nam Thăng Long – Trần Hưng Đạo urban rail line (Line 2).

The station will be built outside of the protection area of Hoàn Kiếm Lake area as stated under the heritage law.

In the original plan, the main body of the station and one of its entrances was proposed to be entirely within the protection area of Hoàn Kiếm Lake and Ngọc Sơn Temple.

In the newly approved plan, the design and location of the station will be modified to comply with the heritage law while still ensuring technical feasibility.

The underground station is now planned to be located under Đinh Tiên Hoàng Street, in front of the headquarters of the Hanoi Electricity Corporation and the city’s People’s Council and People’s Committee.

The C9 Station has two gates, 202.4 m long, 15 m wide, and 31 m deep. The station structure is about 3 m from the nearest building.

The station is designed with four floors, in which the waiting hall and ticketing system are on the first floor, while its second and fourth floors will be for picking up and dropping off guests, and the third floor contains equipment.

The station location is 97m away from the Bút Tháp Tower. The station’s entrance and exit are not in the historical site’s protection area.

Vietnam sees fall in workplace accidents

Vietnam witnessed a sharp decline in the number of workplace accidents last year, down 1,800 cases or 22.4 percent on-year.

According to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs 780 people were killed in 740 workplace accidents, down 18 percent on-year.

Around 1,500 people were seriously injured at their workplaces in 2021, down 400 people from 2020. HCM City, Hanoi, Hai Duong, Thanh Hoa, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Quang Ninh and Thai Nguyen all ranked highly in terms of the number of deaths related to workplace accidents.

The most serious workplace accidents were involved in construction and mining activities. Ten incidents are facing prosecution.

Flight carries first Mongolian visitors to Vietnam since COVID-19 outbreak

A flight carrying more than 130 Mongolian visitors landed at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on the morning of March 24, marking the first Mongolian tourists to visit Vietnam since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is the initial achievement of the Vietnamese Embassy in Mongolia’s in the promotion of Vietnamese tourism to Mongolia’s State agencies and tourism businesses.

Hanoi creates over 50,000 jobs in first quarter of 2022

Hanoi provided jobs for 50,019 workers in the first three months of 2022, up 29.2% compared to the same period last year, according to the municipal labour department.

This figure is equivalent to 31.3% of the target for the whole year.

Hanoi’s job market saw positive improvements thanks to the strong economic recovery in March when the capital city took steps to gradually adapt to the pandemic flexibly and safely.

In March alone, nearly 27,000 jobs were created, accounting for more than half of all jobs created in the first quarter.

In 2022, Hanoi aims to create jobs for at least 160,000 people, raise the proportion of skilled workers to 72.2%, and maintain an urban jobless rate of under 4%. 

6th Italian Design Day in Vietnam to feature creative activities

Italian Design Day (IDD), launched in 2017 by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, is held in more than 100 cities around the world. 

This year’s theme of “Re-Generation: Design and new technologies for a sustainable future” is of great importance for our times as design can help reinvent the habitat and mobility of our cities by combining innovation and culture, technology, and sustainability.

In Vietnam, IDD 2022 is set to include seminars, exhibitions, and film screenings. On March 25, Hanoi University of Civil Engineering will hold an online seminar with the theme of IDD 2022 and its applicability in Vietnam with the participation of Architect Marco Lambri - Italian Design Ambassador in Vietnam in 2022 and Design Director of Piaggio Group. He will give an important speech on industrial design and transformation.

The conference will be livestreamed on the Facebook page of the Italian Embassy (www.facebook.com/ItalyinVietnam) as well as the Zoom platform.

In addition, other events will be organised in Hanoi, including a Vespa and Piaggio Design Exhibition (March 25-26, at Hanoi University of Civil Engineering) and a screening of the film "Enrico Piaggio - An Italian dream" (March 25 at Casa Italia, 18 Le Phung Hieu).

In Ho Chi Minh City, an exhibition of iconic objects of Italian industrial design will take place in the lobby of Caravelle Hotel from March 25-27, with the contributions of Piaggio, Eurasia Concept and Ly Gia Vien. In addition, a seminar on this year's Italian Design Day and the importance of the design industry to bilateral trade relations between Vietnam and Italy will also take place at the Caravelle Hotel on March 25, with the participation of many speakers. 

Fine art exhibition honours Vietnamese lacquer

An exhibition honouring the development of Vietnamese lacquer officially opened at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum in Hanoi on March 23.

The exhibition featured 43 lacquer paintings by ten painters, including Ly Truc Son, Nguyen Van Bang, Tran Tuan Long, Nguyen Manh Cuong, Nguyen Tuan Cuong, Can Manh Tuong, Nguyen Duc Dan, Tran Ngoc Hung, Nguyen Dinh Van and Nguyen Xuan Luc.

The exhibition will run until March 29. 

Sri Lanka tour for Vietnamese tourists to be built

Sri Lanka tour packages are expected to be exploited as a new tourism product for Vietnamese tourists in the near future.

According to the Sri Lankan Embassy in Hanoi, although there is a lot of potential to attract European and Asian tourists, Vietnamese tourists still know little about Sri Lanka.

In order to attract more Vietnamese tourists, on March 13, the Embassy of Sri Lanka in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Agency and the Hanoi Travel Association organised the first famtrip for 13 travel agencies of Vietnam, helping them learn more about the destination of Sri Lanka and thereby build attractive tourism programmes for Vietnamese tourists in the coming time. 

HCMC signs collaborative agreement with telecom giant

Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Phan Van Mai yesterday signed a collaborative agreement between HCMC and Viettel Military Industry and Telecoms Group (Viettel) in the period from 2022-2025 for digital transformation promotion.

Chairman Phan Van Mai first thanked Viettel for its practical IT solutions to help HCMC in Covid-19 prevention and control tasks. He hoped that both partners will continue this cooperation during the digital transformation process of the city, as well as the establishment of smart urban areas and electronic government here, which closely connected to the fulfillment of the city’s strategic breakthroughs.

Dong Nai completes site clearance for Ben Luc – Long Thanh expressway project

The People’s Committee of Dong Nai Province yesterday said that the Southeastern province had completed the compensation and site clearance process serving for the Ben Luc – Long Thanh expressway project.

The last six households whose lands were affected by the construction of an intersection crossing the National Highway No.51 under the Ben Luc – Long Thanh expressway project through Long Thanh District received the compensation.

Currently, the Provincial People’s Committee of Dong Nai is directing the People’s Committee of Long Thanh District to closely collaborate with the Management Board of Southern Expressway Projects which is the investor of Ben Luc – Long Thanh Expressway project to accelerate the work items to finish the project in December 2023 in accordance with the Prime Minister’s direction.

Students eligible for monthly loans of VND4 million

From May 19, 2022, students are eligible for asking for the monthly maximum loan of VND4 million (US$176) under Decision No. 5/2022/QD-TTg signed by Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai.
Students eligible for monthly loans of VND4 million

The amending decision has supplemented several articles of the Prime Minister's Decision No. 157/2007/QD-TTg on credit for students; accordingly, the loan amount will increase from VND2.5 million a month to VND4 million a month.

The decision also amends regulations on loan principal and interest repayment. Specifically, from the date a student finishes the 12-month course as prescribed, student loan borrowers must pay the original amount of their loans and interest for the first time. Borrowers can repay their loans early without paying interest on early repayment.

Publishing industry in 2022: Finding opportunities from digital transformation

Digital transformation was identified to be the focus of the publishing industry in the coming time, in order to make electronic publishing a spearhead of development.

The Authority of Publication, Printing and Distribution held a conference on the publication and publication of publications in 2022 on March 23 in Ho Chi Minh City to review the publication work in 2021 and set a set many tasks for the development of the industry in the current context.

Like other sectors, the publishing industry had to face the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021. However, publishers have made great efforts from grasping the market and readers' needs to adapting quickly to transform business forms, propagandize and promote books. As a result, the total revenue and profit of the publishers both increased compared to 2020.

Data from the Authority of Publication, Printing and Distribution (hereinafter referred to as the Department of Publication for short) shows that by the end of December 31, 2021, the total number of publications deposited in the deposit is 32,948 publications with more than 400 million copies. In which, publications in print form are 29,274 books with 350 million copies, electronic publications are 2,300 publications with an estimated 25 million copies, an increase of 16 times compared to 2020. Total industry revenue reached nearly VND2,997 billion, up by 12.4 percent.

Source: VNA/SGGP/VOV/VNS/SGT/Dtinews

VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES MARCH 24

COVID-19 F1 cases allowed to go to work, school in HCM City