The 10th session of the Standing Committee of the 15th National Assembly (NA) opened in Hanoi on April 14.

The Standing Committee is expected to opine on five draft laws, including those on oil and gas (revised), domestic violence prevention and control (revised) and inspection (revised), among others.

The lawmakers will discuss the proposed law and ordinance building programme for 2023 and adjustments to the 2022 programme; as well as the promulgation of a decree on personal data protection.

They will also give opinions on a number of reports on socio-economic affairs, particularly regarding credit institutions’ handling of bad debts; the 2020 State finance report; and the capital allocation plan for projects under the socio-economic recovery and development programme; among others.

The legislators plan to discuss the proposed monitoring programme of the NA and the Standing Committee in 2023, and a Government report on thrift practice and wastefulness prevention.

They will also comment on the preparation for the NA’s 3rd session and make decisions on the number of members of the procuracy committee of the Supreme People's Procuracy.

Ministry issues two scenarios for COVID-19 pandemic

The Ministry of Health (MoH) has issued two scenarios for the COVID-19 pandemic based on the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s studies and scientific grounds.

Phan Trong Lan, Director of the MoH’s General Department of Preventive Medicine, said the first scenario is that the virulence of the Omicron variant will gradually ease while the immunity obtained thanks to COVID-19 vaccination and infections will help bring down the numbers of new and severe cases, as well as fatalities.

In that case, Vietnam will shift to the new normal, which means COVID-19 will become an endemic disease, he noted, adding that if every people is aware of their risks and adopts anti-pandemic measures well, the life will be back to normal, and focus will be put on the elderly and those with comorbidities.

In the second scenario, new variants of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 will continually appear and many reduce the effectiveness of vaccines, spread more quickly, and raise the risk of severity.

If that is the case, urgent anti-pandemic measures will be taken like what were done in the past, Lan went on.

Hanoi makes most of SEA Games opportunity to boost tourism

Hanoi will bring into full play the opportunity of hosting the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in May to attract tourists to the city, according to the municipal Tourism Authority.

To anticipate this event, Hanoi has prepared numerous activities, with focus on its typical tourism product and promoting the image of a friendly and attractive capital city.

Director of the municipal Tourism Authority Dang Huong Giang said that it has built and selected several typical tours and programmes to visit famous landscapes and enjoy unique cuisine of the capital to introduce to international sport delegations, athletes and reporters. These tours are built and adjusted to suit the needs of visitors.

A series of events are scheduled to take place in late April and May such as the Hanoi Tourism Gift Festival (April 29 to May 1), Hanoi Tourism Festival (May 13-15), Hanoi Cuisine and Craft Village Tourism Festival (May 18-22).

'The Tale of Kieu' comic book makes debut

A book of the great epic poem “Truyen Kieu" (The Tale of Kieu) by poet Nguyen Du (1766–1820) with 24 paintings by painter Le Thiet Cuong was introduced to the public on April 13 in Hanoi.

This is is a special project carried out by for many years. 

Earlier, many painters had also many works on the Tale of Kieu. 

In his edition, artist Le Thiet Cuong used the minimal art to illustrate the masterpiece of the great poem.

The book consists of two parts. It features 24 paintings inspired by verses from the , attached with the painter's explanations, helping readers understand more about the art work. In addition, each painting features short verses by poet Nguyen Thuy Kha with inspiration from the great poem work. The second part is the entire content of the poem in accordance with the first edition of the Tale of Kieu printed by Vinh Hung Long in 1925.

During the book launch ceremony, 24 paintings by Cuong were also displayed.

On this occasion, Thang Long Gallery introduced a collection of rare and precious Kieu versions by collector Nguyen Duy Cuong, especially the “Nom” version firstly illustrated in Vietnam shortly after Nguyen Du's death.

Miss Universe 2005 Natalie Glebova arrives for local pageant

The Canadian beauty displayed her delight at returning to Vietnam, noting that local people are friendly and the nation’s culture is unique.

She also expressed her impression of the contestants competing in Miss Universe Vietnam this year – a pageant viewed as an interesting experience for contestants.

Glebova is a judge for the upcoming Miss Universe Vietnam 2022 pageant which is set to begin on June 17 in Ho Chi Minh City.

The Canadian national often takes on the role of judge or emcee for beauty pageants in Thailand.

She has also appeared in several films and often participates in reality shows, including Amazing Race Asia and Dancing With The Stars in 2013. The beauty is popular photo model and has her own YouTube channel.

In 2018 she was invited to offer guidance to contestants during the Vietnam supermodel competition.

Scientist honoured for contributions to Vietnam-Japan agricultural cooperation

Labour Hero, People's Teacher, Professor and Doctor Vo Tong Xuan - Honorary Rector of Nam Can Tho University was bestowed “the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon” by the Japanese government for his contributions to promoting agricultural cooperation between Vietnam and Japan, at a ceremony in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on April 13.

According to the consul general, Prof. Xuan, who is known as “Dr. Rice”, has contributed to turning Vietnam into a world famous rice exporter from a rice importing country.

Xuan's achievements in rice research are known not only in Vietnam but also in Japan and many countries in the region, Nobuhiro said, adding that many researchers in Japan also received the guidance of Prof. Xuan.

Xuan is an agricultural scientist with many of his research works conducted in the Mekong Delta – Vietnam’s rice granary. He conducted a study focusing in rice cultivation techniques in the tropics in 1974 while he was studying at Kyushu University in Japan. After completing his doctoral degree in agronomy, he returned home and worked at Can Tho University. In collaboration with Japanese researchers, Xuan continued to carry out studies on rice cultivation techniques. 

Hanoi begins COVID-19 vaccination for children aged 5-11

Hanoi began vaccinating children in the age group of five to below 12 against the COVID-19 on April 14.

According to the municipal Health Department, from 6pm on April 12 to 6pm on April 13, the capital recorded 1,727 infections, of whom 629 were community-infected, bringing the total to 1.52 million as from April 29, 2021 when the fourth wave of COVID-19 hit the city.

The first batch of vaccines administered to children aged 5-11 is Moderna, sponsored by the Australian Government. The shipment arrived in Vietnam on April 8.

The other vaccine approved for use on children in the age group is Pfizer-BioNTech.

Sen Village Festival 2022 to return in May 

The Sen Village Festival 2022 celebrating the 132nd birthday of President Ho Chi Minh will be held in Nghe An Province from May 17-19.

Memorial House of President Ho Chi Minh in Kim Lien Relic Site

The three-day festival will include diverse cultural activities such as flower offerings at Uncle Ho’s statue in Ho Chi Minh square in Vinh City, a parade to Uncle Ho’s homeland, incense offerings to Uncle Ho at his memorial house in the Kim Lien relic site and Chung Son Temple in Nam Dan District’s Kim Lien Commune. 

There will also be performances of traditional music, volleyball tournament, martial art competition, Ao Dai performance, exhibition of local dishes and products, and an online photo contest.

The festival is expected to attract a large number of visitors and the participation of art troupes from provinces and cities nationwide. The event was suspended in 2020 and 2021 due to theCovid-19 pandemic

Vietnam, EU work to expand cooperation in priority areas

The second meeting of the political affairs sub-committee of the Joint Committee under the EU-Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation Framework Agreement (PCA) took place virtually on April 13.

Assistant to the Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet and Deputy Managing Director for Asia and Pacific of the European External Action Service (EEAS) Paola Pampaloni co-chaired the event, which was held on the occasion of Vietnam and the EU celebrating a decade of signing the PCA (June, 2012 – 2022).

The sides discussed recent notable situations and a number of key policy orientations for socio-economic development and international collaboration in their respective areas.

Lauding the bilateral ties’ progress despite COVID-19, particularly in trade-investment and pandemic-prevention cooperation, they agreed to further strengthen and expand join works during their recovery phase in such prioritised sectors as trade-investment, sciece-technology, green transition, digital transformation, innovation, agriculture and security-defence.

Hanoi to host Korean culture road festival

A Korean culture road festival organised by the Embassy of Republic of Korea (RoK) in Vietnam will be held in Hanoi from April 16 and April 17, reported the Voice of Vietnam (VOV).

This year’s festival will feature booths introducing a range of Korean products such as fruits, ginseng, nutritious drinks, mixed noodles, tokbokki, and other traditional Korean dishes.

Along with various culinary activities, many recreational activities will also take place, including K-Pop music performances and the chance to don the traditional costume Hanbok.

Visitors will have the opportunity to receive special gifts while participating in events such as K-Pop Random Dance and taking photographs at popular check-in spots during the two-day event.

President bestows Bravery Order upon firefighter in Dong Nai

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on April 13 signed a decision to present the Bravery Order to Captain Thai Ngo Hieu, a firefighter from the southern province of Dong Nai for saving four men who faced drowning while bathing in the sea in the southern province of Ba Ria - Vung Tau’s Long Dien district on April 10.

The President’s signing followed Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh’s proposal for the granting of the order on the same day.

Hieu, born in 1989 and currently working at the provincial fire prevention and rescue police division, is given the order as his act has contributed to the cause of building socialism and defending the Fatherland.

In addition to saving the men, he also coordinated with local forces and people to search for the body of a remaining victim.

On April 11, the President lauded his effort, considering it brave, noble, and admirable. On the same day, General To Lam, Minister of Public Security, signed a decision on promoting the rank of Hieu from Lieutenant to Captain.

Also on April 13, Deputy PM Minh signed a decision regarding granting the PM’s certificate of merit to Nguyen Duc Chinh, residing in Nam Dinh province’s Hai Hau district, for saving a girl from drowning in Ninh Co River.

On April 9, Chinh jumped from Thinh Long Bridge at a height of about 30m into the river to rescue an 8th grade girl who was struggling in the fast-flowing water.

Private theatre group preserves cải lương

A series of cải lương (reformed opera) shows have staged in HCM City to mark the 23th birthday of Vũ Luân Troupe, one of the region’s leading private traditional theatres. 

The shows include excerpts from famous plays featuring national heroes and historical events in different periods. 

Highlighted performances star veteran artists such as Vũ Luân, Thanh Ngân and Phượng Loan. Young talents are featured. 

Vũ Luân Troupe is offering performances at weekend at the Trần Hữu Trang Cải Lương Theatre, 136 Trần Hưng Đạo Street in District 1.

Decree clarifies conditions to set up foreign-invested vocational training institutions in Vietnam

The Government has issued Decree No. 24/2022/ND-CP revising and supplementing regulations on the conditions required for the establishment of branches of foreign-invested vocational education institutions in Vietnam.

Under the document, in order to launch a branch in Vietnam, a foreign-invested vocational education centre must obtain land of at least 0.1 hectare, while an intermediate school must have an area of 1 hectare inside urban areas, or 2 hectares outside cities, and a college must have an area of 2 hectares in urban areas or 4 hectares outside urban areas.

Meanwhile, the investor must hold investment capital of at least 5 billion VND (218,450 USD), excluding the land value, for a vocational education center, 50 billion USD (USD 2.18 million USD) for a vocational intermediate school, and 100 billion VND (USD 4.36 million) for a vocational college.

The location of the new branch must be different from the place where the foreign-invested vocational education institution's headquarters is based.

Requests for registration should be submitted online or mail or directly at the General Directorate of Vocational Training (for colleges) and the Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (for intermediate schools).

The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs as well as provincial-level People’s Committees will make public the decision to allow the establishment of branches of foreign-invested intermediate schools and colleges on their online portals.

Government leader praises self-sacrificing men for saving lives

Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh has signed a decision regarding granting the Prime Minister’s certificate of merit to Nguyen Duc Chinh, residing in Nam Dinh province’s Hai Hau district, for saving a girl from drowning in Ninh Co River.

On April 9, Chinh jumped from Thinh Long Bridge at a height of about 30m into the river to rescue a 8th grade girl who was struggling in the fast-flowing water.

Deputy PM Minh also signed a document proposing the State President present the Bravery Order to Captain Thai Ngo Hieu, a firefighter at Dong Nai province’s fire prevention and rescue police division, for saving four men who faced drowning while bathing in the sea in the southern province of Ba Ria - Vung Tau’s Long Dien district on April 10.

Hieu then coordinated with local forces and people to search for the body of the remaining victim.

Thanks to his brave efforts, he was promoted from Lieutenant to Captain one day later.

Their actions are truly brave, noble, and admirable. Examples of self-sacrificing people in the community need to be shared to encourage community spirit.

Vietnamese, Canadian FMs seek ways to boost bilateral partnership

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son and his Canadian counterpart Mélanie Joly discussed measures to further deepen the Vietnam-Canada partnership during talks in Hanoi on April 13.

Son welcomed the first Vietnamese visit by Joly as Vietnam and Canada celebrate the 5th anniversary of their comprehensive partnership, affirming that the visit will contribute to reinforcing ties between the two countries and the two ministries.

Joly said that her country attaches great importance to relations with Vietnam and hopes to expand the bilateral partnership, especially in economy and trade.

She affirmed that Canada will strengthen cooperation with and support for Vietnam in responding to climate change and realising the commitments that it made during the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26).

Both sides shared delight at the positive growth of Vietnam-Canada ties across all fields, with two-way trade reaching over 6 billion USD in 2021, up 19 percent over 2020 despite the difficulties brought by COVID-19. Coordination in education, training, climate change response and pandemic control has also been strengthened, they noted.

Son proposed that the two sides continue to increase delegation exchanges at all levels, resume bilateral dialogue mechanisms and make full use of opportunities from the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). He suggested Canada continue to open its door for Vietnamese products and farm produce, while increasing support to Vietnam during its post-pandemic socio-economic recovery and development. Canada should recognise Vietnam’s vaccine passport, while creating favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community in Canada to settle down, he added.

Stockholm+50 national consultations in Vietnam launched

The official launch of the Stockholm+50 National Consultations in Vietnam was organised on April 13 in Hanoi by the Embassy of Sweden in Vietnam, the Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural Resources and Environment (ISPONRE) under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Vietnam.

The event aims to bring the views of the Vietnamese people to the global stage on the key challenges that people and the planet are facing. 

The UN General Assembly has decided to convene a high-level meeting entitled “Stockholm +50: a healthy planet for the prosperity of all – our responsibility, our opportunity”, to define urgent, concrete actions that all people can take to protect the planet to ensure a strong, long-term foundation for a green, inclusive future. The meeting will be hosted by the Government of Sweden with the support from the Kenyan Government in Stockholm on June 2 and 3 this year. 

Casa Italia hosts ceramic boot exhibition

A collection of ceramic boots created by the late People's Artisan Vũ Thắng is on display at a show entitled The Bát Tràng Ceramic Boots – An Inspiration From Italy for the first time at Casa Italia.

The full collection includes 12 boots which were made in ceramic and embossed with traditional Vietnamese motifs. The collection was made by Thắng and a partial showcase took place at the Đẹp Fashion Show in 2011.

Classical Vietnamese elements and colours blend with Italian elegance and style making every ceramic work an extraordinary piece of art. 

The boots are set in 12 poles at the exhibition, drawing inspiration from Italy's Leaning Tower of Pisa.   

The exhibition runs until May 3 at Casa Italia, 18 Lê Phụng Hiểu Street from 9am to 10pm daily. 

Nui Chua receives UNESCO world biosphere reserve certificate

The southcentral province of Ninh Thuan has received a certificate recognising Nui Chua as a world biosphere reserve from the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

At a ceremony held on April 14, representatives from UNESCO and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs granted the certificate to Le Huyen, vice chairman of the Ninh Thuan Provincial People's Committee.

Nui Chua Biosphere Reserve lies within Nui Chua National Park and boasts a total area of ​​more than 106,646 hectares, as well as a core area of more than 16,400 hectares. The site spans the two districts of Ninh Hai and Thuan Bac, roughly 30 kilometres northeast of Phan Rang - Thap Cham in Ninh Thuan province.

The reserve is notable for having a peculiar topography converging three natural areas of forest, sea, and semi-desert. It is also considered to have the harshest climate in Vietnam with a low rainfall and hot weather throughout the year. 

French students learn about Vietnamese relations with France, EU

The Vietnamese Embassy in France and the Society for East Asian Affairs co-organised a seminar on April 13 to help French students gain greater insights into Vietnamese relations with both France and the European Union.

During the event, French students raised questions regarding regional and international political issues, from the East Sea to co-operation mechanisms between Vietnam and France and the EU.

Ambassador Dinh Toan Thang used the event as a platform to highlight the country’s independent and self-reliant foreign policy with the goal of becoming a friend and reliable partner to all countries, as well as the policy of settling all disputes by peaceful measures in line with international law.

These moves have contributed to ensuring peace, security, stability, co-operation, and development throughout the region and across the world, he noted.

Hanoi to host Korean culture road festival

This year’s festival will feature booths introducing a range of Korean products such as fruits, ginseng, nutritious drinks, mixed noodles, tokbokki, and other traditional Korean dishes.

Along with various culinary activities, many recreational activities will also take place, including K-Pop music performances and the chance to don the traditional costume Hanbok.

Visitors will have the opportunity to receive special gifts while participating in events such as K-Pop Random Dance and taking photographs at popular check-in spots during the two-day event.

The occasion also aims to commemorate 30 years since the establishment of joint diplomatic ties, providing an excellent chance for anyone who loves the RoK to explore the country's rich culture and exquisite cuisine.

Australia supports Vietnam's vocational education and training

The Australian Embassy in Vietnam and Vietnam’s Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) on Thursday launched Australia’s next phase of support for Vietnam’s vocational education and training (VET).

Mr. Le Tan Dung, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs; Ms. Bridget Collier, Acting Deputy Ambassador of Australia to Vietnam; Mr. Truong Anh Dung, Director General of the General Directorate of Vocational and Training; Ms. Tran Thi Lan Anh, General Secretary of the VCCI, launched the project.

Over the past four years, Aus4Skills strengthened the engagement of Vietnam’s logistics industry in VET to help ensure that students graduate with the skills required by logistics employers.

Since 2017, more than 5,300 Vietnamese vocational students have benefitted from improved teaching quality in colleges supported by Aus4Skills. Enrolments in logistics courses in these colleges have increased eight-fold. Graduates from these colleges are in higher demand due to their job readiness.

This next phase of support, valued up to AUD13.8 million (roughly equivalent to VND246 billion), commenced in 2021 and will see this successful model extended over four years (2021-2025). The program is designed to help Vietnam upskill its workforce – a crucial ingredient for Vietnam to meet its ambitious 2045 target of being a high-income country. This work will focus on the logistics sector. Logistics is a priority for Vietnam as it is expected to contribute 8-10 per cent of GDP by 2025.

Vietnam’s futsal team jumps to 38th in world futsal rankings

The Vietnamese national futsal team is currently ranked the 38th while Thailand’s futsal team suddenly slips to the 21st place in the world futsal ranking. 

Although the Thai national futsal team slipped down the 21st place, the team remains the third in Asia and the first in Southeast Asia. 

As for the Vietnamese futsal team, the team of Coach Pham Minh Giang jumped one step with 1,096 points as the team was left nine points from 1,105. 

The teams are listed on the top including Iran, Japan, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Australia, Vietnam and Indonesia, respectively. Next month, the Southeast Asian futsal teams will compete in the 31st SEA Games in Vietnam; and four months later, three teams from Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam will represent Southeast Asia to attend the 2022 Asian Futsal Finals in Kuwait.

Festivals attract nearly one million tourists to Can Tho

A series of cultural events and festivals saw the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho receive over 950,000 visitors in six days, from April 6 to 11, showcasing an impressive figure after a long halt on tourism induced by the Covid pandemic.

During the six-day period, the third National Southern Amateur Music Festival and the ninth Southern Folk Cake Festival were held. Besides, the city also had the inauguration ceremony of the Hung Kings Temple on April 7, according to the organizer.

The city’s total tourism revenue amounted to VND380 billion within the six days.

Between April 6 and 11, many tourist sites in the city served some 65,000 travelers. My Khanh, Ong De and Phi Yen tourism areas and the Cai Rang Floating Market were most visited by guests.

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