The Department of Traffic Police under the Ministry of Public Security on April 15 launched a national traffic safety month in an effort to make travel safer for all. 

During the month, the traffic police will be mobilised to the fullest extent of forces, vehicles and professional technical equipment to ensure the safety and convenience of road users.

On the road, the traffic police will thoroughly apply technology in patrolling and inspecting traffic vehicles, using scientific and technical measures to detect and handle violations, as well as manage the work of the traffic police forces.

On the railways, the traffic police will ensure safety, actively cooperate with local authorities, police and the railway workers to inspect and handle vehicles that cross red lights, block trains and remove encroaching houses that violate the railway traffic safety corridor.

On inland waterways, the police force will coordinate with agencies to examine key waterways and tourist waterways, illegal ports and wharves; and waterway vehicles transporting students and passengers.

Vietnam to select participants in ASEAN youth photo contest

The Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCYU) will select five entries to represent Vietnam at an ASEAN youth photo competition whose theme spotlighting solidarity for mutual interest.

Eligible candidates are Vietnamese nationals aged 18 – 35, with each submission being a single photo taken in Vietnam with an under-100-words description. Each picture is required to be in JPG or JPEG format and have a resolution from 150 to 300 dpi and a size between 3 and 5 MB.

The deadline for submission is April 25.

Each participating nation is set to select five photos for the regional round, which will award 14 of them with different prizes. The top three will be invited to Cambodia to receive their prizes at the conference on the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community.

E-sports teams to compete at regional tourney prior to SEA Games 31

Six teams from Vietnam, Laos and Thailand will compete at the E-Sports Mobile Legends: Bang Bang tournament titled ‘MSC Mekong Qualifier 2022’, ahead of the upcoming 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) scheduled for May, the Vietnam Recreational E-sport Association (VIRESA) announced on April 15.The competition will take place from April 19-24, with prizes totaling 10,000 USD. The top team will also win a berth to compete at the MSC 2022.The squads will play in the Best of 2 (BO2) match type in the first stage, BO3 in the final round, and BO5 at the final.At the SEA Games 31, e-sports consists of eight games and 10 events, including League of Legends: Wild Rift-Mobile, PUBG Mobile, and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.

Japanese culture to be introduced in HCM City

The Saigon Centre located in downtown Ho Chi Minh City is set to host the Japan Festival, the first of its kind from April 15 to April 24 with the aim of promoting Japanese culture to Vietnamese people.

A wide range of activities are due to take place at the function, including karate, cosplay, and an origami performance.

Most notably, visitors will have the chance to participate in a range of activities such as Maneki Neko painting, and Wagashi cake making.

Additionally, attractive gifts such as Mame Maneki paper cats, Uniqlo face masks, Takashimaya, and Mochi Sweets vouchers will be presented to special guests.

Cold air to hit northern Vietnam this weekend

Two subsequent cold air waves are forecast to strike northern Vietnam, starting this weekend, according to the National Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting Centre.

A cold spell is making its way through China into northern Vietnam and is expected to reach border localities on April 16, said the centre.

Another bitter cold spell is anticipated to blast northern Vietnam again on April 17-18, reinforcing late winter across the region and sending temperatures falling deep.

The cold air waves accompanied by high wind convergence will cause heavy rain across northern Vietnam. Meteorologists warned the cold weather pattern could cause tornadoes, lightning, hailstorms and strong winds.

It will turn cold on April 17-19 with temperatures falling to a low of 13 degrees Celsius in the highlands and 16 degrees in the plain.

People in Hanoi capital will feel bitter cold on April 18-19, with temperatures hovering around 17 – 19 degrees.

Quang Liem to compete at Oslo Esports Cup

Vietnam's leading chess player Le Quang Liem is set to attend the Oslo Esports Cup, the first Major of the Champions Chess Tour 2022.

According to the tournament’s organising board, Liem will compete against seven other talented chess players, including Magnus Carlsen of Norway, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan, Anish Giri of the Netherlands, Jan-Krzysztof Duda of Poland, Jorden van Foreest of the Netherlands, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa of India, and Eric Hansen of Canada.

The event will see players go head-to-head in one four-game match a day for the course of seven days, with the winner being the player who accrues the most points, and cash, overall.

The US$210,000 tournament is scheduled to run from April 22 to April 28 and will be the third of nine elite-level events happening this season.

The overall Tour winner will be crowned as the world’s best online chess player.

VN to become model of inclusive, green growth: UNDP Representative

VN has the opportunity to develop a pathway for inclusive, green growth that others can learn from, United Nations Development Programme Resident Representative Caitlin Wiesen has said.

Wiesen told the press on the sidelines of the launch of the Stockholm 50 National Consultations in Việt Nam in Hà Nội on April 13 that Việt Nam has recorded improvements on a number of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) related to the environment such as clean water and sanitation.

According to the UNDP official, the country has experienced “extraordinary” successful growth, with the exception during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She, however, stressed that it is absolutely vital for Việt Nam to build resilience in the ways that are environmentally sustainable, as it is one of the most climate vulnerable countries in the world.

The country can grow very rapidly and increase the percentage of renewables, Wiesen said, noting that in the 2018-19 period, there was extraordinary growth in solar and wind power.

However, for further growth and renewables, it is necessary to address some of the issues relating to the extension of the power grid and the reform of Vietnam Electricity (EVN).

Wiesen also spoke highly of the commitments by Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, the UK, especially the commitments to net zero emissions by 2050.

HCM City to increase funding for embattled grassroots medical centres

HCM City has decided to earmark around VNĐ138.5 billion (US$6.06 million) a year until 2025 to pay stipends to trainee doctors, nurses and others working at grassroots medical stations as an incentive to attract personnel. 

Around 300 newly graduated doctors will each get paid VNĐ60 million over 18 months. 100 new nurses and midwives will get VNĐ30 million over nine months.

The programme began in February to help new medical personnel get hands-on experience.

It will also hire retired medical staff on 12-months contracts on salaries of up to VNĐ9 million a month.

Besides, all 310 ward- and commune-level medical stations will be provided with funds to hire janitors and security guards to help improve their service.

Ball with signatures of Vietnamese male players presented to Japanese PM

On behalf of the Vietnamese men’s national football team, Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Vu Hong Nam on April 15 handed over a ball with the footballers’ signatures to Takehiro Kano, head of the Southeast Asia and Southwest Asia Department under the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to convey it to Prime Minister Kishida Fumio.

Nam said that the Vietnamese national team were honoured to compete with a strong team like Japan in the third and also final round of the World Cup 2022 Asian qualifiers. In the match at Saitama Stadium on March 29, the Vietnamese footballers played their best and had a draw against Japan.

On this occasion, the Vietnamese team would like to send the ball to PM Fumio to express their respect to the head of the Japanese Government as well as their wish to promote the bilateral friendship.

Vietnam Book and Reading Culture Festival 2022 opens

The Vietnam book and reading culture festival 2022 officially kicked off on April 15 at the National Library of Vietnam in Hanoi to celebrate the Vietnam Book and Reading Culture Day (April 21) and the World Book and Copyright Day (April 23).  

The festival features face-to-face and livestream activities to suit the needs of people and readers to access information amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

As many as 1,000 book titles are being displayed on the occasion in the National Library of Vietnam.  

In the framework of the event, a number of meetings and talk shows with writers are also arranged, along with a writing contest for young people to express their perception of a book.

An online awarding ceremony was held for winners of a book-based painting contest for students aged 6-13 in Hanoi.

On the occasion, the embassies of 10 Spanish-speaking countries in Vietnam presented books to the National Library of Vietnam.

Volunteers ready for SEA Games 31: organiser

Some 3,000 volunteers serving the upcoming 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) have completed training, a representative of the organising board for the regional sporting event said on April 15.

Of them, about 1,900 will be working in Hanoi while the rest are assigned to 11 other host localities.

Nguyen Hai Duong, vice head of a sub-committee in charge of the ceremonies at the SEA Games 31, said the volunteers are primarily university students in good health conditions and having strong command of foreign languages.

They are to support delegations of officials, athletes, coaches, referees and foreign news agencies. Some of them will work as emcees and interpreters during competitions, medal ceremonies and related events, as well as working sessions and press conferences.

SEA Games 31: Indonesia not to compete in women’s football, women’s futsal

The Indonesian Olympic Committee has sent an official document to the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games Organising Committee announcing that Indonesia will not participate in the women’s football and women’s futsal, according to the Vietnam Football Federation.

The committee affirmed that among the football events, Indonesia will only compete for medals in the men’s football and men’s futsal.

With its decision, the women’s football will see the competition of seven teams, namely Vietnam, the Philippines and Cambodia (Group A), and Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Singapore (Group B).

Meanwhile, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Myanmar will vie for medals in the women’s futsal.

The schedule of the football matches of the two events will be adjusted.

Photo exhibit features black-white art

An exhibition of black and white photographs on Vietnamese people and culture especially the daily life of ethnic minority communities, is now open.

The event, organised by the HCM City’s Photography Association, is titled Cảm Xúc (Feeling). It features 59 photos from latest collections by members of the Gia Định Photography Club. 

Many of the displayed photographs are of women and children in remote areas. 

They include works by prize-winning photographers like Thái Phiên, Hoàng Thạch Vân and Nguyễn Á.  

The exhibition has being held at the HCM City’s Photography Association, 122 Sương Nguyệt Ánh Street, District 1, HCM City.

Visitors warned of dangerous roads in Son Tra Peninsula

Authorities in the Son Tra Peninsula in Danang City have warned visitors of falling stones from surrounding mountains which may cause danger for travellers.

According to Tho Quang Ward People's Committee Chairman Le Tan Thanh, a clip shared by a visitor on her social media account showed stones falling onto the Hoang Sa Road from a mountain while she was driving on April 14.

"The visitor, Ngo Huyen, said that she was driving from the peninsula to the city centre at 10.30 am and suddenly saw some large stones falling from the mountain onto the road," the official said. "She said that luckily she was driving at low speed to avoid some monkeys on the streets and so hadn't been hit by the stones. Fortunately, there were no other travellers on the road at that time."

Thanh said that he had sent a team to the site to clear the road and put up warning signs.

"We have recently sent warnings via various media channels to local residents and visitors about the dangerous roads in the area," he said.

Artist Le Thu Huong released the first flute vinyl in Vietnam

Immediately after completing her doctoral thesis, Le Thu Huong released an album entitled Le Parys Fantasies for Flute and Piano with vinyl and CD versions.

It is the first flute CD by a Vietnamese artist and was produced and released in the US.

Le Parys Fantasies includes 7 works, including works familiar to Vietnamese music lovers such as: Claude Debussy: La fille aux cheveux de lin (The girl with the flaxen hair); Francois Borne: Fantasie Brillante (on Themes from Bizet's Carmen).

Born into a musical family, Le Thu Huong began her flute education at the age of eight and graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree from the Royal Danish Academy of Music, a master's degree in music from the Vietnam National Academy of Music, and a Doctorate in Flute Performance at the University of North Texas, the US.

Le Thu Huong is currently a lecturer at the Department of Percussion, Vietnam National Academy of Music and flute conductor of the Hanoi Symphony Orchestra.

Upgrade project of Ho Chi Minh Highway in shortage of materials

Head of the Department of Road Management No.4 under the Directorate for Roads of Vietnam Nguyen Van Thanh yesterday said that the agency had required the construction unit to take advantage of the currently favorable weather condition for accelerating the work progress and soon completing the upgrade project of Ho Chi Minh Highway, at Nam Can – Dat Mui section through Ca Mau Province in May.According to him, during the passing time, untimely rain along with massive transport projects in the Mekong Delta under construction had triggered construction materials shortage affecting the progress of the upgrade project.

The 58-kilometer-long Ho Chi Minh Highway's Nam Can – Dat Mui section was put into exploitation in 2016. However, a 12-kilometer-long section has regularly suffered from flooding which would need a capital of over VND77 billion (US$3.3 million) for upgrade.

Hanoi completes preparations for SEA Games 31

Hanoi has completed the majority of preparations for the upcoming 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) ahead of the important regional sporting event,  Tran Thi Van Anh, Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Culture and Sports, has said.

The capital city will host 18 events at 15 venues. The venues are all existing facilities, including 12 managed by district-level People’s Committees and five by the municipal Department of Culture and Sports. Upgrades to most venues have been carried out on schedule.

Dan Phuong district has completed facilities for the gymnastics that not so long ago were used as a COVID-19 treatment centre.  It has also planted trees as well as installed lighting and electrical systems around the gymnasium.

As of April 15, Hoai Duc district had finished upgrades to infrastructure at Hoai Duc Gymnasium, which will host the Judo and Kurash events.

Decorations, communications and other works related to the tournament are being accelerated to create a jubilant atmosphere, reflecting the hospitability of the host country.

The city has also been striving to ensure logistics, transport, tourism, health care and ICT services, while coordinating with the ministries of public security and transport to guarantee security, safety and smooth travel for the delegations in order to promote Hanoi as an attractive, safe and friendly destination.

The SEA Games 31 will take place from May 12-23 in Hanoi and 11 other cities and provinces.

Vietnam attends Southeast Games Federation Council meeting

Vietnam joined other members of the Southeast Games Federation (SEAGF) Council at a meeting in Cambodia recently. 

Hosted by the Cambodian SEA Games Organising Committee (CAMSOC), the meeting focused on updates regarding preparations for the 31st SEA Games in Vietnam.

It also looked at preparations for the 32nd  and 33rd SEA Games in Cambodia and Thailand, and information related to the hosting of the 34th and 35th events.

In its report on preparations for the SEA Games 31, the Vietnamese side said the event will take place on May 12 – 23 in 12 northern localities, namely Hanoi, Bac Ninh, Hai Duong, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Ha Nam, Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh, Hoa Binh, Vinh Phuc, Phu Tho and Bac Giang.

This year’s games in Vietnam will features 40 sports across 525 categories, and is expected to attract 10,000 participants.

National Press Festival wraps up

The National Press Festival concluded in Hanoi on April 15 after highlighting some of the most outstanding works in the sector.

Organisers presented awards for the best Tet (Lunar New Year) magazine cover photo, the best news website design, and the best TV and radio programmes.

E-newspaper VietnamPlus of the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) won the B prize in the best news website design category.

Eighteen collectives that made significant contributions to the 2022 National Press Festival were also presented with certificates of merit.

More than 900,000 doses of Moderna vaccine for children allocated to localities

The National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology has just decided to allocate 921,600 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for children 5-11 years old in 63 provinces and cities across the country.

Ho Chi Minh City will receive the largest number of vaccines at 87,500 doses, followed by Hanoi at 72,700 doses and Thanh Hoa at 35,700 doses.

The remaining provinces and cities will receive about 4,000-35,000 doses each.

The vaccines are sponsored by the Australian Government to administer to children from 5 to under 12 years old.

Quang Ninh was the first locality in the country to implement the Moderna vaccine for children aged 11 years old on April 14.

Hanoi is scheduled to conduct the Moderna vaccination for children aged 5-11 on April 17. The city is estimated to have about 950,000 children from 5 to 11 years old.

Three tremors hit Kon Tum

Kon Plong District in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum was struck by three tremors on April 15, according to the Institute of Geophysics.

The first tremor measuring 3.3 on the Richter scale happened at 0:43 a.m., with a depth of some eight kilometers. The second and third quakes took place at 1:39 and 2:55 a.m., with a respective magnitude of 3 and 3.1.

The institute’s Earthquake Information and Tsunami Warning Center is monitoring the tremors.

Since April last year to date, Kon Plong District has reported tens of earthquakes. In November last year, it was hit by 10 tremors. In June 2020, the institute dispatched officials to Kon Tum to set up monitoring stations, collect data for research and issue alert warnings.

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