The Hanoi City police have caught ten people illegally transporting nearly VND30 trillion overseas, the local media reported.

The Hanoi City Party Committee Secretary has praised the Investigative Police Agency of the city for busting this illegal money transport racket.

Vuong Dinh Hue said this is a great achievement of the Hanoi Investigative Police Agency in the fight against crimes and in protecting the country’s security and social order and ensuring peace and happiness for the people.

This is also special in the city's effort to fight crimes and ensure security and social order before the thirteenth National Congress of the Communist Party commences.

Six of the 10 people that have been prosecuted include Nguyen Van Thang, Pham Anh Tuan, Nguyen Thi Nga, Nguyen Thi Nguyet, Nguyen Van Thuc and Nguyen Thi Ha.

Thang and his accomplices established several companies to illegally transport goods and money through the borders.

The police are conducting an investigation.

Vietnam reports another imported COVID-19 case

Vietnam recorded an imported case of COVID-19 over the last 24 hours, the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control said on December 21 evening.

The new case is a 37-year-old sailor who was quarantined upon his arrival at Nha Trang Port, the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa on December 9.

This brought the national tally of COVID-19 to 1,414, the committee reported.

Vietnam has so far successfully treated 1,269 COVID-19 patients and kept the fatalities at 35.

Among the patients still under treatment, nine have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 virus once, seven twice and four thrice.

A total of 17,616 people who had close contact with COVID-19 patients or arrived from pandemic-hit areas are being quarantined nationwide, with 196 at hospitals, 16,302 at State-designated facilities and 1,118 at home or their accommodations./.

HCMC plans to build 160,000 social houses within 10 years

For the 2021-2030 period, Ho Chi Minh City authorities planned to build 160,000 social houses in the area of 4 million square meters to meet its rising population and demand for affordable housing. 

The municipal Department of Construction has just submitted a housing development master plan for the 2021-2030 period to the city People’s Committee. under the plan, the city targets to build houses on the area on 295 million square meters as it is estimated that the city’s population will be around 11.1 million by 2030.

The city plans to develop social housing, with a total floor area of four million square meters for about 160,000 apartments. Of the figure, the city will build houses on the area of 1.8 million square meters from 2021 to 2025 and on the area of 2.2 million square meters from 2026 to 2030.

To achieve its goal, city authorities will ask investors of projects covering 10 ha or more to allocate 20 percent of their land in each project for social housing. Additionally, using the state-owned land fund to build social housing will be top priority.

Apart from the targets set for social housing, for the 2021-2030 period, commercial housing projects are expected to have a total floor area of 45.2 million square meters, including 19.7 million square meters for the period of 2021 to 2025, and 25.5 million square meters for the 2026 to 2030 period.

Therefore, the government will issue policies to increase international cooperation and call for financial aid to speed up social house construction under the format of Public–Private Partnership (PPP).

Furthermore, city authorities will include social housing projects into lists of projects which the government will call for investment into development of housing projects under the form of PPP.

It is expected that houses which are built by residents for the 2021-2030 period will be on the area of 59.2 million square meters.

Biendong POC’s flag-salute ceremonies set Guinness Vietnam record

The flag-salute ceremonies have been held at Hai Thach-Moc Tinh platform at 6:30 of every first Monday of a month from July 2018 (Photo: petrovietnam.petrotimes.vn)

Bien Dong Petroleum Operating Company (Biendong POC) has set a Guinness Vietnam record by organising flag-salute ceremonies at the farthest oil and gas platform from the mainland.

The ceremonies have been held at Hai Thach-Moc Tinh platform at 6:30 of every first Monday of a month from July 2018, gathering all staff members at the platform.

 Hai Thach-Moc Tinh is about 320km southeast of the southern Vung Tau coast. It is the farthest oil and gas platform from the mainland of the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PVN). 

The ceremony is a declaration of national sovereignty over sea and islands, helping educate participants on patriotism and national pride, inspiring them to work harder for national development.

Biendong POC is currently the second largest supplier of gas in Vietnam and one of the major units of the PVN in oil and gas exploration and exploitation. The firm has shown strong performance in contributing to ensuring security at sea and affirming national sovereignty over sea and islands./.

Cần Giờ-Vũng Tàu ferry to open on Dec 29

A ferry service between HCM City’s Cần Giờ District and Vũng Tàu city in the coastal southern province of Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu will be put into service by the end of December.

Nguyễn Quốc Chánh, director of Quốc Chánh Company, the project developer, said the ferry terminals at both ends of the Cần Giờ-Vũng Tàu route have been completed and the inauguation of the ferry route is planned for December 29.

“The ferry’s test run is expected to take place on December 25,” he said.

The ferry, 45m long and 10m wide, has a maximum speed of 43km per hour. It can carry passengers as well as cargo. 

Initially, two large-sized ferries will be able to carry 350 people, 20 cars, 100 motorbikes and goods. There will be 24 trips a day with one-hour intervals.

The 15km trip will take half an hour. A trip by bus from HCM City’s city centre to Vũng Tàu usually takes two hours.

The ticket price is expected to range between VNĐ50,000 (US$2) and VNĐ70,000 ($3). Different fares will apply, depending on whether customers use motorbikes or cars, according to Chánh.

The ferry was originally scheduled to open on April 30, but was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the provincial Department of Transport, road infrastructure near the ferry terminal in Vũng Tàu will be improved.

Currently, hydrofoil services and coaches operate between the city and Vũng Tàu.

The new ferry will offer a convenient means of travel for locals and visitors travelling between the two cities.

There is huge demand for travel from HCM City to Vũng Tàu, which is 120km away.

Chánh, director of the ferry operator, Quốc Chánh Company Limited, said the sea route would boost tourism in Cần Giờ and Vũng Tàu, which are top tourist destinations in the south.

Developing waterway transport to reduce traffic pressure on roads, especially on weekends and holidays, is one of HCM City’s major transport goals. 

Six more hotels in HCMC requisitioned as paid quarantine centers

A hotel requisitioned as a paid quarantine center in the city. Six more hotels in HCMC have been requisitioned as paid quarantine centers - PHOTO: VNA

The HCMC government has allowed six more hotels to be requisitioned as paid quarantine centers with a combined 170 rooms.

The decision was made by HCMC Vice Chairman Duong Anh Duc on December 17 after the municipal Department of Tourism surveyed many hotels and selected them from a list of lodging facilities signing up to serve as paid Covid-19 quarantine centers.

The six hotels comprise Dong Do, Hoa De Nhat, Hung Huong and Park Royal in Tan Binh District; Eastin Grand Saigon in Phu Nhuan District and New Milano in District 7, the local media reported.

The paid quarantine facilities are directly monitored by the city’s steering committee for Covid-19 infection prevention and control, meet the necessary quarantine requirements and ensure adequate facilities in line with the municipal government’s regulations.

The hotels are told to work with the relevant units to unanimously make a list and receive those who register for quarantine so that people of the same nationality or part of the same family can be quarantined in the same area.

As of this morning, December 19, HCMC has gone 18 consecutive days without any new cases of Covid-19 infection in the community.

Sadeco board member detained over alleged violations at IPC

Nguyen Huu Thanh, a board member of the South Saigon Development Corporation (Sadeco), has been arrested by the HCMC Police Department for his alleged involvement in violations discovered at the Tan Thuan Industrial Promotion Co. Ltd. (IPC).

The municipal police on Thursday, December 17, issued decisions to detain Thanh and search his house for evidence to serve an investigation into violations on the management and use of State assets that caused losses for the State, reported Thanh Nien Online.

According to the investigators, Thanh was board chairman of property firm Eximland, which owns the shares of Sadeco. In 2016, Eximland sold the Sadeco shares to Nguyen Kim Company, at a price of VND57,000 per share.

However, until 2017 when Thanh had joined the board of directors of Sadeco, along with the board, he passed a plan to sell nine million Sadeco shares to strategic stakeholder Nguyen Kim at a price of VND40,000 per share, which was lower than the share price in the previous deal and the market price, causing losses for Sadeco and the State.

Sadeco is a subsidiary of IPC, a wholly State-owned business with a total charter capital of some VND2.9 trillion.

Of the Sadeco charter capital at VND170 billion, the capital from State agencies and businesses accounted for 62.8%, with IPC owning a 44% stake and the Office of the HCMC Party Committee owning 2.6%.

Following a proposal from IPC’s capital management team, the Office managed to seek an approval from Tat Thanh Cang, who was at the time standing deputy secretary of the municipal Party Committee, over a plan to issue shares to the strategic stakeholder to raise Sadeco’s charter capital in mid-2017.

However, the investigators discovered that during the process to choose Nguyen Kim as a strategic stakeholder, Sadeco and IPC leaders had failed to make appropriate and transparent reports, to assess the capacity of the stakeholder, to offer a share price in line with Sadeco’s asset value and to ensure the interests of Sadeco and the stakeholders.

Accordingly, the issuance of nine million Sadeco shares to Nguyen Kim at a low price without undergoing any assessment process caused a loss worth over VND300 billion for Sadeco.

Related to this case, the HCMC police prosecuted 17 people, with most of them holding key positions at IPC and Sadeco and some being former State employees of the HCMC Party Committee’s Office.

On Wednesday, December 16, the police detained Tat Thanh Cang, former permanent deputy secretary of the municipal Party Committee, to serve the investigation.

HCM City authorities ensure warm Tết for needy residents

HCM City plans to spend VNĐ813 billion (US$35 million) in cash and gifts for more than 500,000 needy people during Tết (Lunar New Year) 2021, which falls on February 12.

Lê Minh Tấn, director of the city Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, said the funding is from the city’s budget and mobilising from other sources.

Local authorities, associations and civil social organisations are making efforts to mobilise more resources to better care for those in difficult circumstances during the Tết holiday.

Trần Văn Tuấn, deputy chairman of the Việt Nam Red Cross Society - HCM City chapter, said its officials, members and volunteers will present 50,000 gifts worth VNĐ500,000 to VNĐ1 million ($21-43) each to people in need, especially those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters.

The money comes from many sources, mainly businesses and individuals.

The Việt Nam Red Cross Society - HCM City chapter will help rebuild and repair houses, provide medical consulting and equipment, and organise fairs and donate production tools and equipment for the poor.

Dương Ngọc Tuấn, director of the Youth Social Work Centre under the city's Hồ Chí Minh Communist Youth Union, said the centre will hand out 20,000 Tết gifts worth VNĐ700,000 ($30) each to disadvantaged people.

About 30,000 disadvantaged students and 20,000 workers will receive free bus tickets to return home for the Tết holiday.

The centre will also introduce 8,000 part-time jobs for students during Tết.

It will also organise at least 25 art performances and entertainment programmes for children and young people, meetings for students who are not returning home for Tết, and the market stabilisation programme for Tết.

The Xuân yêu thương - Tết nghĩa tình (Spring of love – Tết with love) programme held by the city Women's Union will spend VNĐ920 million ($39,700) to offer 870 Tết gifts worth VNĐ700,000 ($30) each for needy people.

The city's Việt Nam Fatherland Front Committee plans to spend VNĐ44.3 billion ($1.9 million) to care for citizens and people in other provinces who need care during the holiday.

Of the amount, nearly 27,200 gifts worth VNĐ26.6 billion ($1.15 million) will be given to citizens in need.

Labour and trade unions at all levels are working to support people in difficult circumstances, and workers who have lost their jobs, or are owed salaries.

Through an annual charity programme Tấm vé nghĩa tình (Tickets with love), about 35,000 free air, train and bus tickets will be given to didadvantaged workers returning home for Tết.

In recognition of their outstanding achievements in labour and contributions to the community, workers will receive free Tết air and train tickets.

The Labour Confederation of Gò Vấp District has mobilised VNĐ200 million ($8,600) to support disadvantaged people during Tết. It plans to co-operate with local youth unions and women unions to organise fairs offering 20-50 per cent discount to serve workers.

The Bình Thạnh District’s People’s Committee plans to spend VNĐ10.5 billion ($453,000) from its budget and VNĐ2 billion ($86,300) mobilised from other sources to offer more than 8,000 Tết gifts to local residents.

The Phú Nhuận District’s People’s Committee will spend funds from its budget and raise funds to care for 264 near-poor households and disabled children. 

Tết gifts to reach revolution contributors nationwide

Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has assigned Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Đào Ngọc Dung to submit a plan to present Tết (Lunar New Year) gifts to revolution contributors to the State President.

Under the plan, gifts worth VNĐ600,000 (US$26) each will be presented to people engaging in revolutionary activities, Heroic Vietnamese Mothers, people honoured with the Hero of the People’s Armed Forces and the Hero of Labour titles during resistance wars.

War invalids losing at least 81 per cent of working capability, along with resistance war veterans who were contaminated with chemical toxics and lost 81 per cent or more of work capability will also receive gifts of the same value.

There is also another kind of gifts with a value of VNĐ300,000 each, to be presented to war invalids or war veterans losing 80 per cent or less of their work capability.

Other contributors to the revolution, martyrs’ families, and those worshipping martyrs are also expected to benefit from this proposed plan under certain criteria.

Presenting Tết gifts to revolution contributors has become an annual tradition demonstrating the State and people’s gratitude to the ones who dedicated to the struggle for national independence and reunification.

Vietnam News Agency, Saudi Press Agency sign MoU on cooperation

A memorandum of understanding on information cooperation and exchange was signed between the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) and the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh on December 20.

The pact was inked by Vietnamese Ambassador Vu Viet Dung, who represented the VNA, and President of SPA Abdullah bin Fahd Al-Hussain.

Under the MoU, the two agencies will supply each other with stories and photo with captions in English.

At the signing ceremony, Dung conveyed to the SPA President a letter from VNA Director General Nguyen Duc Loi.

The letter introduces the State-run VNA’s 75-year history and its relationship with more than 40 news agencies and press organisations across the globe.

The diplomat said the MoU not only marks a milestone in the two news agencies’ collaboration but also contributes to strengthening the Vietnam – Saudi Arabica multifaceted ties and mutual understanding.

For his part, the SPA President lauded efforts made by the VNA and support from the embassy for the signing to officially take place.

He expressed his wish to visit Vietnam as soon as possible.

The Vietnam News Agency (VNA), a government agency with the function as the state news agency, operates under the consortium model.

With representative offices in all 63 cities and provinces nationwide and 30 overseas bureaus across the five continents, the VNA has a strong contingent of reporters working across the country and in most of the key areas around the world. This is a unique advantage that no other press agency in Vietnam has.

With more than 60 media products made by more than 1,000 reporters and editors out of the over-2,300-strong staff, the VNA is the press agency with the largest number of information products and forms in the country, from source news in the forms of text, photo, television, infographics and audio to publications such as dailies, weeklies, magazines, pictorials, books, e-newspapers, websites, online and print newspapers, and information on mobile platforms and social networks, among others.

As the key national press agency for external affairs, the VNA provides domestic and foreign media outlets with news in Vietnamese, Chinese, English, French and Spanish. It also has print newspapers and e-newspapers in 10 languages: Vietnamese, Lao, Khmer, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, English, French and Spanish./.

An Giang takes proactive measures against Chikungunya virus

Le Van Phuoc, vice chairman of the provincial People's Committee, issued an official dispatch on December 18 regarding taking proactive preventative measures to combat the disease caused by the Chikungunya virus which has spread into the nation from Cambodia.

The decision was issued following two Chikungunya cases being detected in Tan Khanh hamlet of Long Binh town.

The dispatch was sent to departments, agencies, and the People's Committees of various districts, towns, and cities throughout the province in an effort to increase alertness and monitor the spread of the Chikungunya epidemic in Cambodia.

He also requested communication to allow media agencies in the province to disseminate information about the dangers of the disease, as well as to take proactive preventative measures against outbreaks of the Chikungunya virus.

The provincial leader also asked the province to fully prepare a variety of drugs, materials, means, and chemicals to be deployed in disease prevention and treatment for all potential situations.

The Chikungunya virus is an arthropod-borne virus that is transmitted to humans by Aedes mosquitoes. Its symptoms may include acute fever, severe joint pain, muscle pain, a headache, nausea, fatigue, and a rash.

Changing competition format of AFC Cup 2021 could benefit Hanoi FC

V.League 1 runners-up Hanoi FC are set to gain an advantage when participating in next year’s Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup 2021 following organisers moving to change the competition format.

The AFC have decided to change the format of the AFC Cup’s group stage and knockout rounds in an effort to guarantee safety amid the global spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The changes will see the group stage shortened, with teams only playing a single game in each round as opposed to the usual home and away ties.

A similar competition format will also be applied in the knock-out stage, including the final. All matches will therefore be held at centralised venues that will be decided by the AFC.

As a result of the changes, Hanoi FC will potentially only compete in nine matches at the AFC Cup 2021 instead of 14 matches that they did in the 2019 version of the tournament.

 The group stage of the AFC Cup 2021 in the Southeast Asian region is scheduled to begin from June 22, 2021.

The 2019 version of the tournament saw Hanoi FC make it to the final inter-regional match of the AFC Cup.

FabLab opened at University of Science and Technology of Hanoi

The University of Science and Technology of Hanoi (USTH) yesterday announced the inauguration of FabLab which is expected to become an open, creative space for local students. 

The University of Science and Technology of Hanoi announced the inauguration of FabLab on December 17.

The event saw the attendance of Ph.D. Jean-Marc Lavest - Director of the Francophone University Association (AUF) in Asia-Pacific, Ph.D. Etienne Saur - Principal Rector, representatives of the University, with all Fablab members and students of USTH.

Within the framework of the C-NEUF project entitled "Support for the spirit of innovation and the strengthening of skills in new technologies", co-supported by AUF and USTH, FabLab USTH aims to promote the innovative spirit of the students through a new pedagogical approach.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, USTH Principal Rector, Etienne Saur, said that with this project they wanted to build an open and creative space for young people in the digital revolution.

"FabLab USTH always welcomes students from USTH as well as from other schools, and all other people who want to learn about sciences and technology," he said.

According to the university, there are now more than 1,600 Fablabs around the world. Vietnam has 14 Fablabs in 5 provinces and cities, namely Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Binh Duong and Can Tho.
Fablab USTH is the first Fablab project in Vietnam being implemented based on the cooperation between USTH and the Francophone University Association.

Fablab USTH is equipped with machines and tools for designing modern technical products such as 3D scanners, 3D printers, CNC machines, milling machines, lathes, boards, and electronic components, automation equipment, Arduino, supporting software for designing 2D and 3D models before productions.

In recent years, Fablab USTH has organised many activities such as 24 hour Hackathon Creative Contest, STEM festival, 3D printer training courses, soft skills workshops, etc.

Gia Lai vegetation threatened by golf course project

The Vietnam Administration of Forestry under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has asked Gia Lai Province to reconsider their proposal to use 174 hectares of forest land for a golf course project due to its environmental impact. 

Gia Lai People's Committee proposed to the PM to convert forest land into commercial land to build a golf course in Dak Doa. However, according to the Vietnam Administration of Forestry, the golf course project will take up to 174ha of forest land and completely destroy 50-year-old vegetation.

Moreover, Gia Lai People's Committee didn't include the golf course project-related papers in their proposal so their proposal didn't meet the requirement to be reviewed. The administration also sent an official document to Gia Lai People's Committee, asking them to carefully reconsider the project.

"Climate change has caused extreme weather phenomena and disasters to occur more frequently. We have had severe flooding and landslides in several provinces, killing many people. Even though there is no official conclusion yet, the NA deputies and experts have questioned if the decreasing forest areas is the cause which badly affected the sustainability of the forest in the Central Highlands," the administration wrote in the document.

Dak Doa Golf Course Project is a part of the high-class eco-tourism resort and entertainment complex plan. It aims to meet international standards and become a tourism hotspot of North Central Highlands. The plan will cover 197.3ha and the land will be leased for 50 years. The total investment cost is over VND1.3trn (USD56m).

According to Gia Lai People's Committee, if the project is approved, the collected tax would be over VND13bn (USD560,000).

Ministry urges handling of polluting facilities

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment held a meeting in Hanoi City today, December 18, to prompt the relevant agencies to quickly crack the whip on many facilities polluting the environment.

To date, 82 facilities causing pollution have yet to be handled, said Nguyen Pham Ha, deputy head of the Waste Management Division under the Vietnam Environment Administration.

Some 17 of the total comprise production facilities, industrial parks and industrial clusters in  Bac Ninh, Binh Thuan, Dak Nong, Long An, Nghe An, Quang Binh, Tra Vinh, Yen Bai and Quang Tri provinces, while 65 others are public facilities such as hospitals, landfills and education and training facilities.

Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Vo Tuan Nhan said that the handling of environmental pollution has failed to meet requirements, so relevant agencies should pinpoint the reasons for the failure and clarify the responsibility of units to speed up the handling effectively.

Some ministries and departments proposed that leaders of localities be held responsible for the handling and conduct an annual inspection over facilities to find those that are polluting the environment and add them to the list of polluting facilities.

The facilities that have successfully stopped polluting the environment should be publicized and monitored regularly, while localities should map out plans to handle those that continue to pollute, VietnamPlus news site reported.

The ministry also urged the competent agencies of these provinces, which are home to polluting facilities, to impose sanctions on them in line with the prevailing regulations and suspend the operations of these facilities until they address environmental pollution problems.

Besides, the governments of provinces and cities were told to proactively spend the local budget to handle pollution to avoid delays and penalize the heads of public facilities that were allocated funding to stop pollution, but failed to do so. 

Two HCMC Eye Hospital execs suspended from work

The HCMC government has suspended Nguyen Minh Khai, director of the HCMC Eye Hospital, and Vo Thi Chinh Nga, deputy director of the hospital, from work for 90 days upon the request of the Ministry of Public Security.

The suspension took effect from December 15, according to a decision signed by Duong Anh Duc, vice chairman of the municipal government, reported Tuoi Tre Online.

The suspension is aimed at serving an investigation into violations on bidding regulations related to the price gouging of intraocular lenses.

Earlier, on November 4, the ministry’s Investigative Police Agency searched the hospital as part of the investigation.

During the search, the police worked with Khai, Nga and some relevant individuals, seizing multiple documents and paperwork.

Participants in Covid-19 vaccine clinical trials to get insurance of up to VND100 million

An insurance provider and Nanogen, which has developed a Covid-19 vaccine, cut a deal today, December 16, to provide insurance packages valued at a maximum of VND100 million each for accidents during the Covid-19 vaccine clinical trial.

A representative of the insurer told Tuoi Tre Online that the deal was aimed at insuring volunteers joining the vaccine trials if their health is affected by the Covid-19 vaccination.

The insurance program is set to last until the three phases of the Covid-19 vaccine clinical trials end. The program, valued at up to VND20 billion for the three phases, will be sponsored by the insurer.

Do Minh Sy, a member of the group of Covid-19 vaccine researchers, said that after the first phase of the trial at the Vietnam Military Medical Academy, in which the first injection is set to start tomorrow, December 17, the HCMC Pasteur Institute and the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology will join the second and third phases of the trials.

Vietnam is one of 42 countries in the world to test its Covid-19 vaccine on people this year, according to the Ministry of Health.

Defence Ministry leaders salute soldiers on 76th anniversary of Vietnamese People’s Army

Minister of Defence, General Ngo Xuan Lich had a working visit to the Commando Arm on December 20, on the occasion of the 76th founding anniversary of Vietnamese People’s Army (1944-2020) and the 31st Whole-People Defence Festival (December 22, 1989-2020).

While applauding the achievements made by officers and soldiers of the force in recent years, the Defence Minister asked the force to focus on enhancing their fighting capacity and preparedness for combat, while keeping close watch on the situation in their stationed areas in order to fulfil their assigned tasks.

He stressed that the Party Committee and High Command of the force to thoroughly grasp and effectively implement military and defence strategies, as well as the resolution of the 11th Congress of the Army's Party Organisation in a bid to build the Commando Arm into a strong force deserving of the Party, State, army and people’s trust.

At the event, General Ngo Xuan Lich presented a painting of President Ho Chi Minh to the High Command of the Commando Arm.

On December 19, a working group of the Central Military Commission and Defence Ministry led by Senior Lieutenant General Tran Quang Phuong, who is also Deputy Chairman of the General Political Department of the Vietnamese People's Army, visited and presented gifts to army units stationed in Ha Giang Province.

The working group also offered gifts to local disadvantaged households and paid tribute to fallen soldiers at the Vi Xuyen Martyrs Cemetery in Vi Xuyen District.

Exhibition highlights Hanoi’s traditional trade streets

The exhibition attracts a large number of visitors.

An exhibition, themed “Hanoi’s Old Quarter – traces of ancient trade villages”, officially opened at Kim Ngan Temple in Hanoi on December 18.

On display are hundreds of photos and artefacts showcasing the formation and development of trade streets of Hanoi (Thang Long in the past).

With its geographical location and favorable natural conditions, Thang Long - Hanoi has become an attractive place to attract talented and skillful craftsmen from many trade villages around the country.

Craftsmen for each handicraft gathered in a certain area and created trade streets. They also built temples to worship the ancestors who found their professions.

There are now 14 temples worshipping the ancestors of the professions in Hanoi Old’s Quarter.

The exhibition will last until January 15, 2021.

Dramatic decline in HCMC total fertility rates predicted

Continuing decline in fertility rates was predicted at a meeting themed “ Improving population quality for the country’s growth” organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Bureau of Population and Family Planning under the Department of Health yesterday in response to the National Month for Population.

Deputy Director of the municipal Population and Family Planning Department Pham Chanh Trung said that over 80 percent of pregnant women and babies are screened annually. It helps to early treat digestive disorders or hereditary diseases; therefore it is needed to reduce the number of babies with disabilities and mental health problems for improving city population quality.

Additionally, good healthcare task for senior citizens has contributed to old people’s life standard. Overall life expectancy has improved slightly. Specifically, as of 2019, life expectancy in HCMC reached 76.6 years while it was 73.6 years in the country. However, senior citizens face barriers that limit access to needed health care services.

According to statistics from the General Office for Population and Family Planning under the Ministry of Health, Ho Chi Minh City’s fertility rate presently is 1.39 children. Worse, the birthrate is predicted to continue declining in the future, badly affecting the city’s population structure.

It is forecasted that the population growth rate in Vietnam will be less than 1 percent per year in the next ten years. Currently, the country is maintaining the replacement-level fertility (of 2.09 children). Nevertheless, there is a gap in birthrate between regions. The South-eastern region and the Mekong Delta are two places with the country’s lowest birthrate.

In related news, the General Statistics Office organized a conference yesterday in Hanoi to announce the results of the in-depth study of the 2019 population and housing census. The results were released on December 19, 2019, Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong, Director General of the General Statistics Office said.

Specifically, there have been researches on fertility, sex imbalances at birth, migration and urbanization, aging population, population forecasts in Vietnam for the period of 2019-2069.

Forecasts show that if the sex ratio at birth remains stable as at present, males aged from 15 to 49 will be redundant compared to females of the same age group in 2034 (around 1.5 million people and 2.5 million people in 2059).

Furthermore, according to the medium level, Vietnam will end the period of golden population structure by 2039. It is estimated that the period of aging population will last for 28 years from 2016-2054, followed by the rate of people who age 80 years or above in the period of 2055-2069.

Sales of live poultry still rampant in streets in HCMC

Chickens are illegally sold in a street in HCMC (Photo: SGGP)

Though Ho Chi Minh City authorities have made efforts to curb illegal sales and slaughter of poultry in sidewalks in districts to prevent potential spread of an avian influenza epidemic, the situation has not been improved in the year-end.

Multiple makeshift poultry markets have mushroomed in several Ho Chi Minh City’s districts, including 2, 8, 12, Hoc Mon, Binh Chanh, Thu Duc, Go Vap, and Binh Thanh. It is easily to see baskets of live chickens on the streets; consumers just wait for ten minutes while street vendors kill the hen for them at a small alley behind Pearl Plaza Building at 561 Dien Bien Phu Street in Binh Thanh District.

Not only live chicken and ducks but also doves, quails and rabbits are sold in a makeshift market Binh Trieu. Sellers offer competitive prices; therefore, these stalls are crowded with buyers.

Around tens street vendors display their baskets of live chickens in Duong Thi Muoi Street in Tan Chanh Hiep Ward in District 12 and Nguyen Van Cong Street in Binh Thanh District in the morning and afternoon everyday.

Most of illegal live poultry spots are small business locations in traditional markets; such activities pose a high risk of spreading an avian influenza outbreak, threatening the health of the community especially in the context of complicated bird flu development. Market management boards said that because street vendors sell poultry illicitly outside the market, they can’t intervene into their business.

In the city Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s document 2321 sent to related agencies and people’s committees in districts in October, 2020, it quoted the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s figure that from the beginning of the year till now, 67 communes in 24 cities and provinces have reported outbreaks of bird flu.

The number of bird flu outbreaks in the country doubled last year and the number of  poultry which died of bird flu in the country tripled last year. 

Accordingly, the Department proposed the HCMC People’s Committee to reinforce its preventative measures against bird flu and handle illegal sales of poultry in districts. Chairpersons of people’s committees in districts will be held accountable if the disease occurs in the area under their management.

Simultaneously, the Department of Industry and Trade also proposed market managers in its document to encourage traders to sell safe poultry meat and poultry products with clear indications of origin. Violators will be punished if they sell unsafe products.

4 HCMC female students win scientific awards
 
The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and the Ministry of Science & Technology has just co-organized an awards ceremony for 20 outstanding female students in the field of science and technology. Among them are 4 students from Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh City.

Of all 4 honored students coming from HCMC, 3 are in the field of Information Technology, namely Tran Thi Anh Thu, Nguyen Ngoc Bang Tam, and Nguyen Thi Kim Phuong. They are students in the IT Department of the University of Science.

The other is from the Electrical and Electronic Engineering Department of HCMC University of Technology.

In 2020, the organization board of the Awards received 32 nomination documents from 19 universities and academies nationwide.

The candidates are excellent students with high academic results, having articles published in Scopus and ISI journals. Many of them are leaders in scientific research teams for department, university-, and ministry-leveled projects that are highly practical.

The contest has been held annually since 1999 to honor female students with outstanding academic and research results in the fields of IT, electrical and electronic engineering, and mechanics.

HCMC to not organize citywide camp on Vietnamese Students’ Day
 
The Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) Department of Education and Training yesterday released an official document about not holding the annual citywide camp in 8 locations to celebrate the 71st anniversary of Vietnamese Students’ Day.

Before this decision, on November 9, 2020, the HCMC Department of Education and Training approved Plan No.3721/KH-GDDT-CTTT regarding the organization of the 15th traditional camp on January 9 in 2021 to celebrate Vietnamese Students’ Day as usual.

However, due to the complicated development of Covid-19 pandemic lately in HCMC, this Department has to cancel the camp. Instead educational institutes are encouraged to hold an informal meeting on their own for the same purpose.

Accordingly, from January 4-9 of 2021, schools and universities are supposed to host a meeting locally to review the history of Vietnamese Students’ Day and give awards to outstanding students.

These meetings are also to propagandize Instruction No.05/CT-TW, issued on May 15, 2016 by the Politburo, about ‘Observing Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, morality and lifestyle’; to promote the campaign ‘Forming a friendly school with active students’, launched by the Ministry of Education and Training; and to introduce Instruction No.19-CT/TU about the scheme ‘HCMC residents stop littering on streets, channels for a greener city and urban flooding reduction’.

Vietnamese expats can register for repatriation flights

Overseas Vietnamese who want to return home during the coronavirus outbreak can contact with Vietnamese representative agencies abroad, the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) to be given instructions for completing procedures of flight registration, said Colonel Vo Chien Thang, deputy head of the Immigration Office under the Ho Chi Minh City Police Department. 

Starting at the beginning of a year to the present, Tan Son Nhat International Aiport received nearly 812,000 passengers, including 82,000 overseas Vietnamese while the last year saw about 5 million travelers, including 438,000 overseas Vietnamese, he added.

Overseas Vietnamese travelling to Vietnam with 5-year visa exemption, who stayed more than 180 days and stuck in the country due to the pandemic should contact with the Immigration Office for applying extension of stay.
Foreigners and overseas Vietnamese who entered Vietnam from March 1 and stranded in Vietnam due to the pandemic will receive an automatic stay extension until December 31.

The measure will be aslo applied for foreign tourists who travelled to Vietnam before March 1 and are confirmed they are stuck during the coronavirus pandemic by foreign affairs officies of their countries.

As of December 15, there were over 153,600 flights carryring 21 million arrivals from and to Tan Son Nhat Aiport, falling nearly 50 percent of flights and 51 percent of travelers compared to last year, said Deputy Head of the Department of Inspection and Legislation under the Southern Airport Authority, Dao Duy Duong.

He also noted that people should be wary of advertising scam that recently has appeared. Scamsters said that they are selling tickets of repatriation flights for Vietnamese nationals conducted by foreign carriers.

HCMC currently provides types of quarantine, including home isolation, hotels served as paid quarantine facilities and quanrantine areas in 24 districts throughout the city, said Deputy Director of the HCMC Center for Disease Control, Phan Thanh Tam.

WHO and EU support Vietnam’s Covid-19 fight  

The South-East Asia Pandemic Response and Preparedness program, executed in 42 months, is part of the EU's €350 million solidarity response to support ASEAN nations in tackling the Covid-19 pandemic.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Union (EU) has recently announced a new €20 million program to support the preparedness and response capacities of ASEAN nations, including Vietnam, as part of Team Europe's global response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The grant is aimed at continuing supporting the governments of Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam in enhancing regional coordination of the Covid-19 response and strengthening the capacity of health systems in South-East Asia, while paying special attention to vulnerable populations.

Vietnam is among the few countries to have successfully contained Covid-19. 

The South-East Asia Pandemic Response and Preparedness program, executed in 42 months, is part of the EU's €350 million solidarity response to support ASEAN nations in tackling the Covid-19 pandemic.

The program will strengthen monitoring and testing capacities of ASEAN member states, as well as the capacity of their health institutions and workers to manage the caseload while maintaining essential health services.

The program will also support timely and transparent communication about the pandemic, and help reach people living in rural and remote areas with information about the preventive measures, symptoms and risks.

To address the health and socio-economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, the EU has reoriented programs in South-East Asia, while focusing particularly on the need for public communication and research.

The EU is one of WHO's key partners, especially in response to medical emergencies. The partnership will go a long way to ensure that Southeast Asia will be stronger and more resilient during the pandemic, said Dr. Bonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO regional director for Southeast Asia.

For Vietnam, he commended the country’s quick and effective emergency response to the Covid-19 pandemic, adding it was among the few countries to have successfully contained the virus.

Vietnamese researchers are working hard to get a Covid-19 vaccine ready for human clinical trials by the end of this year. A Vietnamese Covid-19 vaccine named Nanocovax, developed by Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology JSC, commenced human trials last Thursday, with a planned national distribution date of May next year, should results prove positive.

The country has gone more than two weeks without fresh community transmissions.

Hanoi residents must don face masks in churches during Christmas: Official

Localities and units in Hanoi need to monitor crowded events and map out plans on the pandemic prevention during the occasions of Christmas and New Year.

Hanoi's residents must wear face masks in churches and public places during Christmas as a measure to strengthen the Covid-19 pandemic prevention and control.

The requirement was made by Vice Chairman of the municipal People's Committee Ngo Van Quy at an online meeting on December 18.

The vice chairman highly valued the anti-pandemic actions taken by the city’s authorities so far. However, he pointed out that many people still flout the Covid-10 prevention protocols.

The risk of another Covid-19 outbreak is quite high due to its serious evolution in the world, Mr. Quy said, adding that at the end of the year, many events and activities will take place allover the country, gathering large groups of people - a situation which is prone to Covid-19 spreading.

He added that the city’s agencies should keep disseminating the "5K" message of the Ministry of Health since the good observance of the 5K is a "steel shield" to protect people from the Covid-19 pandemic. 5K means "Khau trang" (face mask) - "Khu khuan" (disinfection) - "Khoang cach" (distance) - "Khong tu tap" (no gatherings) - "Khai bao y te" (health declaration).

In particular, Mr. Quy emphasized that in the coming days, localities and units need to monitor crowded events and map out plans on the pandemic prevention during the occasions of Christmas and New Year.

Moreover, the authorities must strictly handle cases defying face mask regulations, prepare supplies for Covid-19 prevention and strictly control concentrated quarantine establishments, Mr. Quy noted.

For his part, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Health Hoang Duc Hanh said that nationwide, from December 11-18, there were 16 imported cases of Covid-19 who were quarantined immediately upon entry.

Hanoi has recorded three new cases from abroad and two cases of re-positive Covid-19 patients.

Meanwhile, Hanoi has gone four months without detecting any new cases of Covid-19 in the community since August 17. However, according to experts, the risk of a resurgence of the Covid-19 pandemic is latent, so staying vigilant is a must, as cold and dry winter conditions favor the transmission of the virus, Mr. Hanh added.

He stressed that people are still recommended to regularly wash hands with soap or hand sanitizers, clean surfaces and frequently touched objects (door knobs, mobile phones, tablets, tables, and chairs). People are also asked to keep safe distance with each other and avoid mass gatherings.

Source: VNA/VNN/VNS/SGGP/VOV/NDO/Dtinews/SGT/VIR