More than 70 executives from 42 technology companies participated in the Australia-Vietnam Tech Forum that opened in Ho Chi Minh City on April 12.

The event introduced Australian expertise in fintech, digital transformation and smart cities.

Assoc Prof Nguyen Quang Trung, head of the management faculty at RMIT Vietnam, said the Government views digital transformation as critical to continued growth and prosperity.

On April 4 the National Action Plan on Digital Transformation was announced, he said.

Vietnam has a national agenda for utilising “Industry 4.0” technologies to improve productivity and accelerate economic growth.

“Vietnam is one of the fastest-growing digital economies and a promising market with a large population and ambitious goals and commitments from the Government.”

According to World Bank data, the country’s digital sector could exceed 200 billion USD by 2045, a huge figure compared with its 2021 GDP of 352 billion USD.

Binh Pham, managing director at BCA Partners, said Vietnam’s fintech payment value increased by 2.98 times between 2017 and 2021 mostly to e-commerce.

The COVID-19 outbreak quarantines and safe distancing requirements changed consumer behaviours, and the number of people buying online has increased tremendously over the past two years, leading to a boom in both e-commerce activities and digital payments, he explained.

Phan Thanh Son, chief business development officer at FPT Information System, said 41 out of 63 provinces and cities in Vietnam have plans for smart cities.

Nearly 40 have been developing smart city services, while 17 have started building or have agreed to build smart city operating centres, he said.

Rebecca Ball, senior trade and investment commissioner at Austrade, said the Australian Government supports ASEAN in its development of sustainable smart cities, including Vietnam.

Legendary nation founders festival to promote culture, tourism values

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the People’s Committee of the northern province of Phu Tho on April 13 held a press conference on the organisation of Hung Kings Temple festival and “Ancestral Land Culture and Tourism Week”.

The events are slated to take place from April 21 to 28 in Phu Tho province’s Viet Tri city to commemorate the legendary founders of the Vietnamese nation.

The ministry and the committee will co-organise the performance of UNESCO-listed intangible cultural heritages from April 21-24 with the participation of artisans, practitioners, and communities in provinces and cities that are home to intangible cultural heritage.

Meanwhile, local authorities and the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO will coordinate to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the implementation of the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (Convention 2003). The celebration is part of Vietnam’s action plan during its membership of the intergovernmental committee for the UNESCO Convention.

Other activities include a workshop on promoting the role of cultural heritage associated with tourism development and an exhibition on cultural heritage, tourism in the capital regions of Vietnam.

The commemoration of the Hung Kings comes on the 10th day of the third lunar month, which falls on April 29 this year and is a national holiday. The practice of worshiping them in Phu Tho province was recognised by UNESCO as part of the world's intangible cultural heritage in 2012.

Main rituals during the event include ceremonies to offer incense to Lac Long Quan and Au Co - the progenitors of Vietnam - as well as flower offerings at the monument featuring President Ho Chi Minh talking with soldiers from the Vietnam People’s Army.

Vietnam, UK eye stronger cooperation in research, knowledge transfer

Hundreds of managers, education experts and representatives of Vietnamese and UK universities gathered at a seminar on education organised by the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK and the Vietnam-UK Higher Education Partnership Network in London on April 13.

The event, held in the hybrid format, is part of activities within the framework of the Vietnam Days in the UK from March 28 - April 27 to celebrate the 50th founding anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The seminar concentrated on evaluating research and knowledge transfer in Vietnam, as well as measures to develop an excellent framework for this work to be suitable for the higher education context in Vietnam.

Participants focused their discussion on solutions to develop an excellent research evaluation system, improve the quality of research, encourage innovation and development, and build trust among stakeholders.

Donna McGowan, Director of the British Council Vietnam, said that the council is committed to supporting Vietnam in its higher education reform agenda, and working closely with the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training to strengthen educational cooperation between the two nations through sharing experience and cooperation in strategic areas such as university leadership, gender equality, and social inclusion; innovation and knowledge transfer; digital conversion; and examination and accreditation of higher education quality.

She expressed the hope that the partnership with Vietnam will help the British Council share the best British educational practices with Vietnamese universities, at the same time bringing more opportunities for the two countries to expand higher education cooperation.

Prof. Raymond Lee, Co-chair of the Vietnam-UK Higher Education Partnership Network, said there is ample room for the two nations to enhance cooperation in higher education, especially in training, research and knowledge transfer.

The network is working to create the environment and opportunities to connect educational partners of both nations and further develop their partnership in the future, he said.  

Established in October 2018, the Vietnam-UK Higher Education Partnership Network aims to become an innovative network, promoting the internationalisation of higher education in teaching and learning, research and innovation.

Vietnam attends int’l defence, security exhibition in Brazil

A Vietnamese delegation led by Major General Le Quang Tuyen, Deputy Director of the General Department of Defence Industry, is attending the LAAD 2023 Defence and Security international exhibition  now underway in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Taking place from April 11-14, it is a place for presenting state-of-the-art products and solutions in defence and security technology.

Attending the exhibition, the Vietnamese delegation expects to update new technologies, scientific and technical advances, and equipment development trends of the armies in other countries, and seek cooperation opportunities.

The biennial event, the biggest of its kind in the Latin American region, saw the participation of more than 37,000 highly qualified visitors, nearly 200 official delegations, and over 600 brands in the global defense industry.

In the previous edition held in 2015, the programme comprised of 1,233 meetings between delegations and exhibitors.

Vietnamese, French experts discuss conservation, promotion of Thang Long Imperial Citadel’s values

An international symposium was held by authorities of Hanoi, Toulouse city of France, and the French Development Agency (AFD) on April 13 to discuss ways for preserving and bringing into play values of the archaeological site of the Thang Long Imperial Citadel.

Nguyen Thanh Quang, Director of the Thang Long - Hanoi Heritage Conservation Centre, said preserving and bringing into play archaeological heritage values is a challenge to not only Vietnam but also many other countries.

However, thanks to efforts by Hanoi’s authorities and the conservation centre, along with cooperation from agencies, organisations, and scientists, encouraging outcomes in heritage conservation have been recorded, he noted.

According to the official, the Thang Long - Hanoi Heritage Conservation Centre has strong and extensive cooperation in heritage research, conservation, and promotion with the Ile-de-France region and Toulouse city of France. French experts have provided specialised assistance since before the Thang Long Imperial Citadel was recognised as a world heritage site by UNESCO.

In particular, the centre has worked with Toulouse to carry out a project under the AFD’s Funding Facility for Local Authorities (FICOL). The project has transferred modern technology in the conservation, research, and promotion of heritage values, especially of archaeological sites. It has also provided technical support, helped build scientific reports, made proposals for better conservation and management of the Thang Long Imperial Citadel heritage site as well as tourism development, and given training for the site’s personnel.

At the symposium, experts from Vietnam and France discussed issues related to the heritage site and gave recommendations about how to conserve and bring into play its values.

RoK finances upgrading schools for ethnic minority children in Yen Bai

The Republic of Korea (RoK) will provide non-refundable aid worth 500,000 USD for ethnic minority boarding and semi-boarding schools in the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai under a Memorandum of Understanding signed in Hanoi on April 13.

The document was inked by leading officials from the Government Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs, Yen Bai province, and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) in Vietnam.

The aid, offered by the RoK Government via KOICA, aims to improve the education quality of those schools in the locality.

Traditional New Year festival of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand celebrated in Ba Ria-Vung Tau

A festival celebrating the traditional New Year of Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand took place in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau on April 13.

Officials of the province, the Thai Consul General in HCM City Wiraka Moodhitaporn, the Lao Deputy Consul General in HCM City Amphay Souvanhnaseng, and the Cambodian Consul in Ho Chi Minh City Kith Sothearith joined Thai, Lao and Cambodian people and students living in Ba Ria-Vung Tau at the event. 

Addressing the festival, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Dang Minh Thong said the celebration is intended to increase mutual understanding and tighten the friendship and solidarity between Vietnamese people and those from Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand.

The event brought a warm traditional New Year atmosphere to overseas Cambodian, Lao and Thai people who are working and living in Vietnam while helping people in Ba Ria- Vung Tau to have a better understanding about the traditional culture of neighbouring countries.

Participants were treated to musical and martial art performances, traditional dishes, traditional calligraphy and tea ceremony of Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand.

Hanoi works to improve computer using skills for students​

The Hanoi Department of Education and Training on April 13 had a meeting with the Irish Embassy in Vietnam and the Global Management Organisation of the International Computer Driving Licence (ICDL), the world's leading computer skills certification, to seek measures to improve computer skills for students in the capital city.

The cooperation is expected to contribute to the development of informatics teaching skills and professional knowledge for experts and teachers in the city.

Tran The Cuong, Director of the Department of Education and Training, highly appreciated achievements the organisation has obtained in training and supervising digital technology capabilities in many countries in general and in Vietnam in particular.

He also hoped the ICDL will share experience in managing and implementing international programmes and projects in countries around the world, thereby helping to improve the quality of professional capacity for the city's managers, experts and teachers of informatics.

ICDL Director Damien O'Sullivan said the organisation is ready to accompany, support and advise the city’s education sector to build skilled and capable human resources for the fourth Industrial Revolution, as well as organisation and management models for informatics teaching in accordance with the requirements of the digital era.

The students will have the opportunity to take the ICDL Digital Student International Certificate of Informatics. This certificate is valid for life, and it is recognised and widely used in many countries around the world such as the US, the UK, Italy, Ireland, Portugal, Singapore and Thailand.

On this occasion, the ICDL presented 100 scholarships to the department with the aim of improving local students' computer using skills.

Dong Thap to hold mango festival

The southern province of Dong Thap will organise Mango Festival 2023 on the coming Reunification Day (April 30) and International Labour Day (May 1).

The event will take place from April 28 to May 1 in Cao Lanh City’s Van Mieu Square.  On Wednesday afternoon, the provincial people’s committee held a press conference on the festival.

Nguyen Phuoc Thien, vice chairman of the committee, said that after the Covid-19 pandemic, many localities have faced difficulties in agricultural development, including Dong Thap. The mango festival is among activities to promote the local speciality and tourism.

Mangos are one of five key items in Dong Thap’s agricultural restructuring. Dong Thap tops the Mekong Delta region with 14,000 hectares of mango plantations with a total annual output of 137,000 tonnes. This will also help to connect investors who are interested in mango processing and export.

Many activities are scheduled to be held at the festival, including a virtual reality exhibition, exhibitions of mango products and other local specialities, trade fairs and a display of agricultural equipment, and application of science and technology for the mango industry.

The province will hold a workshop on the value and sustainable development of the mango industry and the launch of the Dong Thap Mango Association as part of the festival. Dong Thap previously organised festivals on lotus and cat fish.

Man in Dong Nai attacked by elephant

Le Van Liem, 34, from Dinh Quan District’s Thanh Son Commune suffered the injuries last week. While Liem was releasing his cows to graze in a local forest, he saw two adult elephants charging towards his cattle herd. He tried to drive them away, but one of them attacked him, injuring his legs and back.  

The forest management board of Dinh Quan District co-operated with some concerned units to help the man and chased the elephants away.

Liem was then quickly taken to Dinh Quan District’s General Hospital for treatment. He has been discharged from hospital.

According to local authorities of Dinh Quan District, they will boost communication activities to ask residents not to release their cattle in areas which elephants often visit. People were also advised not to stay in fields late and sleep in tents in fields at night.

Staff will be mobilised to closely monitor elephants to warn people. Thanh Son Commune will be protected with electric fences to avoid being disturbed by wild elephants.

Danang hotels and restaurants open toilets to tourists

Many hotels and restaurants in the central coastal city of Danang have allowed visitors to use their toilets.

The move followed a call by local authorities as part of an effort to promote the city’s Comfort as Home campaign to provide free bathrooms for travellers.

The campaign was first launched in Danang’s Son Tra and Hai Chau districts in 2015. Now it has been expanded ahead of the peak summer season.

Nguyen My, a tourist from Ha Tinh Province said that it was a nice campaign that would leave a good impression of Danang to visitors.

Huong, owner of the Bao Apartment Coffee shop on Ho Nghinh Street said that she immediately agreed when local authorities came to discuss the campaign.

Manager of NewSky Hotel, Phan Thi Kieu Trang, said that as they are located in a busy tourist area, many tourists just use the toilets.

Vice chairman of Son Tra District People's Committee, Nguyen Hoang Viet, said that they would call on 50 hotels and restaurants in some wards that receive more tourists including An Hai Bac, An Hai Tay, Man Thai to join the campaign

PPP co-operation crucial to accelerating digital transformation

Public-Private Partnership (PPP) co-operation is viewed as an effective measure to speed up digital transformation and green growth in businesses and localities, according to industry insiders.      

The Dien dan doanh nghiep (Business Forum) newspaper cited the success story in digital transformation of the central province of Thua Thien – Hue as an outstanding example of the effective connection that can be made between businesses and authorities.

According to the newspaper, Viettel Military Industry and Telecoms Group has built and put into operation a Smart City Operation Center (IOC) in Thua Thien – Hue, thereby contributing to creating a transparent investment, production, and business environment to attract both local and foreign investors, including technology enterprises.

Co-operation with the locality offers an excellent opportunity for Viettel to pilot its technological solution towards commercialising and transferring those solutions to other localities, as well as making profits.

Pavel Poskakukhin, president of the Digital Sector Committee under the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (Eurocham), underlined the importance of PPP in terms of supporting digital transformation, saying that for projects at national and local levels, no single business or administration can invest in technology solutions that can benefit the economy by themselves.

According to Poskakukhin, as a way of promoting PPP in digital transformation, many countries have decided to transfer some public services to the private sector. However, public services in Vietnam are still being managed by authorities.

UN pledges additional technical assistance to Vietnam

The United Nations will continue to strengthen cooperation, exchange expertise and provide technical assistance to Vietnam in implementing the Strategic Partnership Cooperation Framework towards the realization of the set development goals.

The United Nations Resident Coordinator in Vietnam, Pauline Tamesis, made the statement at a reception hosted by Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang in Hanoi on April 13.

She said the Vietnam-UN relationship is a very strong and special partnership, helping the two sides to overcome past global challenges as well as to be more prepared for upcoming challenges.

Tamesis highly appreciated Vietnam’s dynamism and active contributions as a member of the United Nations over the past 45 years, as well as its recent commitments at the 26th UN Conference on Climate Change (COP26).

HCM City international travel expo to take place in September

The 17th International Travel Expo – Ho Chi Minh City (ITE HCMC 2023) is scheduled to take place from September 7 to 9 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre (SECC) in District 7, heard a press conference in Hanoi on April 13.

According to details given at the event, the ITE HCMC themed “Growing Forward Together” will be the largest and most established travel event in the Mekong Delta region to revive inbound tourism.

The expo will be held in a hybrid format, featuring a combination of physical and virtual booths such as 2D Online Booths, along with Online Appointment Schedules between international buyers and sellers.

ITE HCMC 2023 is expected to attract the participation of over 400 exhibiting companies and 250 high-level buyers from over 40 countries and territories globally, together with more than 25,000 visitors.

US publication reveals attractive journey to Hoi An for US$1,000

Writer Nick Hilden recently released an article in lifestyle and culture publication The Manual of the United States, introducing an attractive journey to Hoi An Ancient Town in Vietnam’s central Quang Nam province for just US$1,000.

According to Hilden, Vietnam has emerged from its war-torn past to become a popular destination throughout Southeast Asia.

Among the country's most popular destinations, the writer added that Hoi An is quickly gaining recognition as one of the top wellness destinations.

He outlined in his article that with US$1,000 holiday-goers will be able to stay at luxury resorts, such as Anantara, where they will pay for a supreme level of serenity, instead of staying in one of the many cheap hotels via Airbnbs.

Moreover, if visitors are looking to eat healthy then Hoi An can deliver as local people’s typical diet features plenty of fish and seafood.

He shared that holiday-goers can simply spend their time walking around markets, alleys, and canals, taking in the unique Hoi An aesthetic and shopping for random mementos to bring home.

PVI Insurance pays $50,000 in advance to helicopter crash pilot’s family

PVI Insurance has paid in advance compensation of US$50,000 to the family of Chu Quang Minh, the pilot who was killed in a helicopter crash in the Hạ Long Bay last Wednesday afternoon.

Under the insurance contract, the insurance company will pay a total compensation of $200,000 to the pilot’s family.

The rest amount of the compensation will be sent to the family after completing the relevant procedures.

The Việt Nam Helicopter Corporation purchased human accident insurance for pilots, which clearly states the insurance coverage and the level of compensation, therefore, the insurance company has enough information to pay in advance compensation quickly for the pilot's family after a serious incident occurred.

The corporation also purchased insurance with limited liability for the loss of passengers and other third parties, with a total value of $30 million.

The amount of compensation that each passenger's family will be paid depends on the provisions of the Law on Civil Aviation of Việt Nam and the agreement between the company and the passengers' families.

The insurance package includes fuselage insurance, airline liability insurance for passengers and third parties, and accident insurance for pilots.

In addition to personal insurance, the aircraft body also has insurance coverage of more than $1.65 million.

Việt Nam tattoo books celebrated by VietKings

Sự Mê Hoặc Từ Nghệ Thuật Xăm Mình (Enchantment from Tattoo Art) by tattoo creator Trần Nhật Trung, aka Trung Tadashi, was hailed as the first Việt Nam book about oriental tattoo art in Vietnamese and English by the Viêt Nam Records Organisation (VietKings).

A ceremony was held at Capella gallery hall in District 10 on April 12.

Enchantment from Tattoo Art, published by HCM City General Publishing House, will help readers learn about Asian-style tattoos, including Vietnamese cultural beauty themes, epic Chinese mythology themes, and Japanese cultural themes.

A representative of VietKings, Võ Lưu Lan Uyên, said that Tattooing originates from the ancient customs of Việt Nam and had a strong development in the Lý - Trần dynasties. The book's price is VNĐ500,000 (US$21). 

Bonuses high for SEA Games winning table tennis players

Any athlete who wins a gold medal from the 32nd Southeast Asian Games' table tennis will receive big bonuses, the Việt Nam Table Tennis Federation (VTTF) has announced.

Earlier, a famous table tennis website representative also promised to give a $1,000 award to every SEA Games table tennis champion.

The national team will also receive sponsorship of training equipment and uniform until the end of the year, along with financial support from different companies and individuals.

On April 11, the team left for Guangzhou, China, for a short training course, a last touch to their SEA Games preparation.

They will return home on April 30 and will join the Việt Nam Delegation to depart for Phnom Penh Games, which will be kicked off on May 5.

Vietnamese athletes compete in all seven categories of men's and women's singles, doubles and teams and mixed doubles.

Busy month ahead for national volleyball team

The Women's AVC Club Volleyball Championship 2023 later this month will be an important test for the national team of Việt Nam ahead of the 32nd Southeast Asian Games next month in Cambodia. The tournament, or VTVcab Cup, will be held in Vĩnh Phúc Province from April 25 to May 2. 

The Việt Nam national team, named Sports Centre 1 for the tournament, have stepped in to replace domestic champions Geleximco Thái Bình.

The tournament, sponsored by Đại Nam University, will be broadcast live on VTVcab channels and apps such as ON Sports News, ON Sports+ and ON Plus.

They will play in Group A against Hisamitsu Springs of Japan, King Whale Taipei of Chinese Taipei and Paykan of Iran.

Group B will feature five clubs Liaoning Donghua from the Chinese mainland, Diamond Food Fine Chef Sports Club from Thailand, Altay of Kazakhstan, Khuvsgul Erchim from Mongolia, and Hip Hing VC of Hong Kong.

The tournament will apply the Video Eyes Challenge, and all participants will play their pool round-robin preliminaries between April 25 and 29. The best two clubs of each group will advance to the semi-finals. The rest will compete in the classification matches.

Apart from prizes for the top teams, organisers will present awards for outstanding individual players.

The tournament winner will qualify for the 2023 FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship.

In the last edition held in Kazakhstan, Kuanysh edged past Altay VC 3-2 in the all-Kazakh final, with Thailand's Diamond Food-Fine Chef Sports Club taking the bronze medal and Iran's Barij Essence in fourth place.

Film screenings to be held to celebrate major holidays

Five Vietnamese films are set to be shown in cinemas nationwide during the national holiday marking National Reunification Day on April 30, Labour Day on May 1, Dien Bien Phu Victory Day on May 7, and late President Ho Chi Minh’s birthday on May 19.   

Films which will be shown include "Maika - Cô bé đến từ hành tinh khác" (Maika-The girl from another galaxy), documentaries "Trở về miền ký ức" (Return to the memory) and "Lửa từ thành cổ" (Fire from the citadel), as well as cartoons "Bạch Đằng nổi sóng" (Bach Dang Wharf) and "Giải cứu bò con" (Rescuing calves).

The fantasy movie represented Vietnam at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, which was held in the United States.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has assigned the Cinema Department to co-ordinate along competent agencies and centrally-run cities and provinces to organize various screenings nationwide from April 28 to May 20.

HCMC updates first metro line’s construction plan

Work on HCMC’s Metro Line No. 1 connecting Ben Thanh Market and Suoi Tien Theme Park could be completed in the last quarter of this year.
The HCMC government asked the project contractor to fulfill its warranty obligations and to provide technical support during the operation of the urban rail line between 2024 and 2028.

The city tasked the Management Authority for Urban Railways to work closely with relevant agencies to address the route’s financial issues.

The 19.7-kilometer line, which started construction in August 2012, costs VND43,700 billion.

There are 14 stations along the route, with three of them underground. The project is now 94% complete.

The city previously recommended the Ministry of Finance eliminate obstacles in capital allocation for the operation of the HCMC Urban Railway No. 1 Co. Ltd. (HURC1), the metro line operator.

HCMC, AstraZeneca strengthen healthcare cooperation

The HCMC government and the global drug firm AstraZeneca want to enhance cooperation in developing biotechnology, and vaccine and medical equipment production.

There are ample opportunities for healthcare cooperation between HCMC and AstraZeneca, said Phan Van Mai, chairman of the city’s People’s Committee, during a meeting with Pascal Soriot, CEO of AstraZeneca, yesterday, April 12.

The city government pledges to provide favorable conditions for expanding local and international biopharmaceutical businesses.

Mai praised the efficacy of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, which has helped protect Vietnamese people against Covid.

Soriot said disease prevention and early detection remain the firm’s top priorities, in addition to the provision of sustainable development solutions.

AstraZeneca has promoted cooperation with many countries in technology transfer and digital transformation, he added.

The firm has committed US$310 million to Vietnam in the 2020-2030 period, focusing on enhancing human resources and fostering domestic biopharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities.

Hanoi strengthens inspection to ensure food safety in school canteens

 Hanoi's authorities have stepped up food safety inspections and supervision in school canteens to prevent food-borne diseases among children and ensure food safety and hygiene standards.

The move has become urgent after Hanoi hospitals reported a significant increase in Covid-19 cases in recent days.

The city's government has asked all district education and training sections to strengthen regular and unexpected inspections to control the origin of food in schools strictly.

The district education and training sections must publicly announce qualified food suppliers to students so that schools can choose those that ensure food safety in accordance with regulations. 

According to the city's Health Department, Hanoi set up five inspection teams to check nearly 58 of the city's 4,400 school canteens in the first quarter of 2023. Most met food safety and hygiene requirements, and three that didn't were fined VND250 million ($10,665) each.

The Hanoi People's Committee has issued a decision to set up an intersectoral inspection team during the "Action Month for Food Safety 2023," which will run from April 15 to May 15.

Hanoi to add 4.1 million sq.m to housing space by 2023

Hanoi is set to have an additional 4.1 million square meters (sq.m) of housing floors this year, part of efforts to have a total of 89 million sq.m by 2030, according to the municipal Department of Construction.

A report from the agency revealed that the city has added 1,340,000 sq.m of residential floors in 2022, which is 109% of the original plan. This includes 985,000 square meters of commercial floors from 16 projects and 257,000 square meters of social housing floors from three projects.

To meet the city's plans, the Department of Construction has focused on encouraging project investors to invest in the development of housing and urban areas.

The department is also implementing various plans, such as the Housing Development Plan for Resettlement, the Temporary Accommodation Arrangement for Affected Households during the Old Building Renovation Project in 2021-2025, and the City's Social Housing Development Plan for the period 2021-2025.

For 2023, the city targets to complete 21,100 houses and 4.11 million sq.m of housing area, as well as 400 houses and 28,000 sq.m of social housing. This is equivalent to an average housing area of 28 sq.m of floor space per person.

From 2010-2020, the city completed approximately 50 million sq.m of residential floors. However, it is predicted that from 2021 to 2030, people in the capital area will need around 89 million sq.m of floor space for housing.

The housing demand for 2021-2025 is projected to be about 44 million sq.m, while the demand for 2021-2030 is estimated to be around 45 million sq.m. To meet these demands, approximately VND880 trillion (US$37.5 billion) of investment capital is expected to be necessary, with VND11.7 trillion ($500 million) coming from the city’s budget.

HCMC’s 2nd Vietnam Book and Reading Culture Day to open next week

The 2nd Vietnam Book and Reading Culture Day 2023 will take place with various activities at Cong Xa Paris (Paris Commune Square) situated at the intersection of Nguyen Du and Le Duan Streets and HCMC Book Street in District 1 from April 19-23.

The book show includes activities, such as book signing days, exchanges between writers and readers, the introduction of books, and seminars with the participation of around 30 publishing houses.

The Vietnam Book and Reading Culture Day affirms the role and importance of books in improving residents' knowledge, skills and thinking as well as educating human personality. The day aims to encourage and promote reading habits in the community and raise awareness of using books as a tool for critical thinking as well as enhance the responsibility of all departments, units and organizations at all levels for building and developing a reading culture in Vietnam.

Many new public restrooms to be built in downtown HCMC

Vice Chairman of the HCMC People’s Committee Bui Xuan Cuong on April 12 approved a construction project of temporary public toilet facilities in District 1 with a total cost of VND3 billion (US$129,000).

Accordingly, the People’s Committee of District 1 has built a detailed plan on locations, area, investment model, and design to build new public restrooms, and will work with investors to implement the plan.

The facilities will be located at No.8-12 Le Lai Street, No.2-4-6 Hai Ba Trung Street, No.135 Nguyen Hue Street and No.2-4-6 Nguyen Hue Street in Ben Nghe Ward; and No.8 Nguyen Trung Truc Street in Ben Thanh Ward. A public toilet cabin is designed to be 7.5 meters long and four meters wide.

The Department of Planning and Investment will give instructions for selecting investors while the Department of Natural Resources and Environment must submit proposals of the relevant departments and units, districts and Thu Duc City on investment, construction and management of public toilets in the city.

Online enrollment process for preschool, primary, secondary schools in HCMC

On April 13, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training announced details about the online enrollment process for preschool, primary, and secondary schools for the 2023-2024 school year.

Accordingly, from May 1 to 10, 2023, parents and students can learn about and make experimental registration. Then, on May 11, the system will be completely reset, deleting all data registered in the test phase.

From May 11 to 31, 2023, parents of students can officially check, review the information and register for enrollment.

Specifically, parents and students can access the first-level enrollment system using their identification details, along with their registered date of birth with the local government and educational institution, at http://tuyensinhdaucap.hcm.edu.vn.