The Hanoi Department of Health started the Covid-19 vaccination campaign for children aged five to eleven on April 16 afternoon with nearly one thousand sixth graders getting their first shots.

The first batch of vaccines administered to Hanoi’s children in that age group against the novel coronavirus was Australian-funded Moderna doses, which were first rolled out in the city’s three outskirt districts of Ha Dong, Soc Son, and Phu Xuyen.

Besides Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines will be used to vaccine children in the age group by the Ministry of Health’s instructions. The Hanoi Center for Disease Control (CDC) on April 15 received around 73,000 Moderna Covid-19 vaccine doses for children aged 5-11.

People in close contact with COVID-19 patients no longer required to self-quarantine

People who have been in close contact with COVID-19 patients, or F1 cases, are now no longer required to self-quarantine but have to avoid going to places where people gather, according to a new guidance issued by the Health Ministry on April 15.

The new guidance gives new definitions of COVID-19 patients (or F0), and F1 cases, along with medical measures for them, which takes into account the high vaccination coverage and a strong decline in both serious cases and fatalities due to COVID-19.

Accordingly, F0 patients are those testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR method, or those who either show clinical symptoms or have epidemiological factors, and have positive antigen test result.

National Strategy on Environment Protection to 2030, towards 2050 approved

Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh has signed a decision approving the National Strategy on Environment Protection to 2030, with visions to 2050.

The strategy aims to prevent environmental pollution and degradation, handle urgent environmental issues, gradually improve and recover quality of the environment and enhance capacity building to proactively respond to climate change. 

In addition, it targets to ensure environmental security, establish and develop circular, green and low-carbon economic models, striving to reach the nation's sustainable development goals by 2030. 

The strategy also focuses on protecting natural heritages, restoring ecosystems, preventing biodiversity loss, thus contributing to improving climate change adaption capacity and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 

Earlier, at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) held in Glasgow, the UK in November, 2021, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh asserted that Viet Nam will take stronger measures to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. 

France to train military officers for Vietnam

The issue was discussed in the second Dialogue on Strategic Issues and Defense Cooperation (DQSCD) held in Hanoi, aimed to reinforce the defense ties that have lasted for more than three decades.  

The dialogue was co-chaired on April 14-15 by Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Defense Hoang Xuan Chien and Alice Guitton, Director General for International Relations and Strategy, of the French Ministry of the Armed Forces.

First held in 2019, the defense dialogue reflects enhanced defense relations, which becomes one of the key pillars of the Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and France. The discussion covered view exchange on the defense industry, the French Navy making port visits to Vietnam, military medicine, and peacekeeping operations. On the last point,  a French officer appointed by the EU has been working in the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations since 2020.  

The dialogue is the subsequent event of the port call by the Vendémiaire frigate to Cam Ranh Port, Vietnam, on March 1-5, 2022. 

Conditions for appointment of foreign honorary consuls in Viet Nam 

The Government has promgulated Decree No. 26/2022/ND-CP prescribing conditions for appointing foreign honorary consuls in Viet Nam. 

The decree aims to detail the implementation of Clause 2, Article 36 of the Ordinance on the privileges and immunities for diplomatic missions, consular posts and representative offices of international organizations in Viet Nam. 

An individual shall only be appointed as a honorary consul in Viet Nam if he/she meets the following conditions: 

1- Bearing the nationality of the appointing country or the Vietnamese nationality. 

2- Permanently residing in Viet Nam or living and working in the consular district for at least one year. 

3- Neither being a Vietnamese cadre, civil servant, public employee nor an individual who receives wage from the government of any country. 

5- Having clear judicial record. 

6- Being financially capable, social prestige.

Health ministry removes five-day quarantine rules for F1

The Ministry of Health on Friday decided to abolish five-day home quarantine regulation for people who come in close contact with COVID-19 patients or F1 cases.

The move came following high vaccination coverage rate in Viet Nam, sharp drops in the number of critically ill patients and fatalities, and the successful disease containment.   

F1 individuals however are required to wear facemasks, regularly wash hands, avoid close contacts with high-risk people and mass gatherings, and self monitor their health. 

No quarantine required for short-stay visitors

Viet Nam lifts quarantine requirements for foreign arrivalsThey must inform medical centres ìf they have any abnormal symptoms such as coughing, high temperature or breathing difficulty.

Previously F1 individuals were subject to five-day quarantine at home, places of residence or other areas eligible for quarantine from the last date of exposure.

In addition, they were asked to take SARS-CoV-2 tests with PCR or antigen method that are carried out by health staff or themselves under the health staff's direct supervision or indirect supervision through remote devices, on the 5th day.

Adjustments to elephant conservation plan approved

Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh has approved adjustments to an elephant conservation plan in Vietnam that was previously signed off for 2013-2020.

Under the decision, the scheme will be implemented until the end of 2025. Two urgent elephant conservation projects in the central provinces of Ha Tinh and Quang Nam will be added to the plan.

The Deputy PM requested relevant agencies to guide, inspect, supervise and assist localities in order to effectively implement the scheme.

The people’s committees of Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Dak Lak, Dong Nai and Quang Nam provinces will continue to implement objectives and tasks assigned by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 413/QD-TTg and Decision No. 763/QD-TTg.

HCM City Labour Federation to support 200,000 workers in May

The HCM City Labour Federation will spend around VNĐ100 billion (US$4.33 million) on a series of activities to deliver healthcare and financial support to 200,000 blue-collar workers during the 14th Workers Month in May.

The annual programme will focus on protecting the legitimate rights and interests of labour union members and workers.

Labour unions at all levels would identify union members who are in need of support due to severe illness, accidents at work or financial difficulties.

Around 200,000 workers would get meaningful support, he told a conference on April 14.

The federation planned to co-ordinate with the Traditional Medicine Institute to provide health checks for 10,000 workers who contracted COVID.

Startup by two 11th graders aims to help deaf people integrate more into society

Two 11th grade students have won second prize in a national contest for their project "Signtegrate – communication solution for the deaf in Việt Nam by sign language translation application using artificial intelligence". 

The contest, "Students with startup ideas", was organised by the Ministry of Education and Training.

The project was conducted by a group of students from the Hà Nội-Amsterdam High School for Gifted Students, and the authors of the project are Nguyễn Tài Minh and Phạm Ninh Giang, from grade 11 specialised in maths.

Talking about their idea, Minh said: “The idea originated from my neighbour who has been deaf from a young age. I have had a good relationship with him since we were small and I often act as a tutor for him.

"While interacting and studying together, I see that he faces many communication difficulties and that it affects his confidence and ability to integrate into the community.”

When Minh had received support from teachers and family, he decided to develop the application "Signtegrate", to help the deaf community in Việt Nam to integrate.

Talking about his future plans, Minh said that he would soon complete “Signtegrate” and find investors to launch it.

The two young people also successfully connected with doctors and potential investors who were the judges at the contest.

Hanoi advised not to move all coach stations to suburbs

Hà Nội is advised to keep some coach stations in the inner city to create favourable conditions for people to travel, instead of a recently approved plan to move them to suburbs.

The suggestion came after the chairman of the People's Committee of the city, Chu Ngọc Anh, signed Decision No. 1218/QĐ-UBND, approving the planning of coach stations, parking lots, logistics centres and rest stops in the city until 2030, a vision towards 2050.

Under the decision, the current coach stations of Gia Lâm, Mỹ Đình, Giáp Bát and Nước Ngầm are temporarily kept for exploitation in the short term. However, in the long term, they will be replaced by coach stations of Đông Anh, Cổ Bi, Nội Bài and Phùng in the suburb as scheduled.

Khương Kim Tạo, former deputy chief of the National Traffic Safety Committee’s Office, was quoted by Lao động (Labour) online newspaper saying that some coach stations should be kept in the inner city. This will better serve people living in the city as they will not have to use personal vehicles or taxis to reach the coach stations. 

Otherwise, the number of vehicles in the inner city will increase, exactly what the plan is trying to avoid, he said.

Therefore, Hà Nội needs to set up a suitable connection between fixed coach routes with the inner districts to create favourable conditions for people to travel, he said.

HCM City troupe to stage new version of French musical

Young artists with the HCM City-based Chợ Lớn Troupe will enact on a new version of the French musical Notre Dame de Paris starting next week. 

The new Vietnamese version will be produced and directed by Thanh Thuỷ, one of the city’s prominent theatre directors. 

Thuỷ’s play is based on the famous novel by Victor Hugo, set in 15th century Paris. 

Her work uses some elements from the musical Notre Dame de Paris composed by Richard Cocciante with lyrics by Luc Plamondon that debuted in France in 1998. 

The Chợ Lớn Drama Troupe was founded in 2020 by People’s Artist Hồng Vân, who is also its art director. It has attracted 15 young actors who are graduates of leading art schools in the city, like the HCM City University of Theatre & Cinematography and HCM City University of Culture. 

The Vietnamese version of Notre Dame de Paris will be staged every Sunday starting on April 17 at the Phú Nhuận Cultural House, 70-72 Nguyễn Văn Trỗi Street, Phú Nhuận District. 

Informal female workers key to waste management

The informal sector plays a pivotal role in Việt Nam's solid waste management system as over 30 per cent of the waste is estimated to be collected through this channel, and knowledge of the role and the needs of informal networks in the waste management systems in Việt Nam is needed to prepare for their potential integration into the evolving national and international policy frameworks.

This information was shared at a recent workshop on "Lessons Learned from Pilot Projects Working with Women Informal Waste Workers in Việt Nam" in the central coastal Bình Định Province.

In Việt Nam, the government issued Decree No. 08/2022/ND-CP on January 10, 2022, comprising chapters on waste management, Extended Producers Responsibility (EPR) and incorporating the roadmap for the circular economy. ​​

The introduction of a mechanism in the Law will reduce environmental leakages and generate additional financial flows for increased collection and recycling of packaging. The EPR may create opportunities and pose challenges for the collectors and aggregators.

Đồng Nai forest supported in elephant protection

The Forest Protection Department in the southern province of Đồng Nai on Friday received equipment, including 10 cameras and 60 camera traps, to better manage and protect elephants in the province.

This is a part of the project "Protecting Asian elephants in Đồng Nai through solutions to reduce and prevent human-elephant conflict in a sustainable way" implemented by the province’s Department of Forest Protection, the Việt Nam Administration of Forestry and Humane Society International (HSI).

On Friday, the agencies also signed an agreement to cooperate in research on the ecology and behaviour of elephants with a branch of the University of Forestry in Đồng Nai to ensure the continuity and sustainability of the programme on elephant monitoring.

Exhibition spotlights lotus in Vietnamese cultural life

An exhibition, themed “Lotus in Vietnamese cultural life”, is taking place at the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism at the Dong Mo Tourism Area in Son Tay Town, Hanoi, on April 16-19.

The event is a practical activity to celebrate the 2022 Vietnam Ethnic Group Cultural Day.

At the event, thousands of fresh lotus flowers from Dong Thap and Hue as well as the lotus made of natural materials will create a beautiful scene for visitors to take photos.

Professional and amateur models will show graceful designs of Ao Dai (Vietnamese traditional long dresses) with patterns of lotus.

In addition, 100 photos of lotus by domestic photographers, which were selected from 500 photos of lotus collected by Nguyen Thi Thanh Tam, Director of the Fund for Cultural Heritage Conservation, will be displayed at the exhibition.

Winners of the 16th Vietnamese Talent Awards honoured

Outstanding initiatives in various fields were honoured at the 16th Vietnamese Talent Awards ceremony held in Hanoi on April 15.

The first prize in the category of successful information technology product went to Be ride-hailing app by Be Group Joint Stock Company, which recorded 15 million downloads and 3-4 million regular users.

In the field of information technology start-ups and promising digital transformation, two second and three third prizes were awarded.

The technical app for heart transplants from brain-dead multi-organ donors at Cho Ray Hospital was honoured with the first prize in the category of medicine and pharmacy.

Two projects of ‘Building a map of CO2 greenhouse gas emissions in Ho Chi Minh City and proposing solutions to build a low-carbon city’ and ‘Wastewater treatment by aquarium covered with new flora of fescue grass and wastewater treatment solution for industrial park focusing on sustainable development’ won the top awards in the category of natural resources – environment.

The first prize in the science-technology field was presented to the project of researching, designing and manufacturing energy-saving and environmentally-friendly equipment for processing maize seed on an industrial scale.

Accessibility Design Competition to support people with disabilities in Vietnam

The second Accessibility Design Competition (ADC), hosted by RMIT University, offers students a chance to cultivate an inclusive mindset, make use of problem-solving skills, and learn about different perspectives through workshops, networking, and mentoring sessions. 

Students across Vietnam will be teamed up with RMIT industry partners to innovate their ideas, designs, and solutions aimed at ensuring greater inclusivity and breaking down barriers for persons with disabilities (PWDs). The nationwide design competition is running until June 11. 

The ADC itself runs for two months with access to a range of workshops and two group mentoring sessions to nurture students’ skills from ideation to design/prototype.

Quang Ninh exhibition highlights Ao Dai made of silk, hemp

An exhibition featuring Ao Dai (Vietnamese traditional long dress) made of silk and hemp fabric by famous designers and well-known tailors of Quang Ninh province opened at the Quang Ninh Museum in Quang Ninh's Ha Long city on April 16.

The exhibition introduce the process of making silk of locals in Bao Loc district of the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, and the craft of weaving hemp fabric.

The exhibition will run until May 5.

U23 football team offer incense in tribute to Hung Kings

Members of the training board and Vietnam's U23 football team led by Vice President of the Vietnam Football Federation Le Van Thanh offered incense at the Hung Kings Temple Relic Site in the northern midland province of Phu Tho on April 16.

Over the recent years,  the national men's football team achieved prominent achievements at regional and continental tournaments, including being runners-up at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U23 Championship in 2018, champions of the VFF U23 cup for the second time, and champions of the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in the Philippines.

The team members promised to train and perform to their best at the upcoming 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31).

The team arrived in Phu Tho earlier during the day to prepare for an international friendly match with the U20 team of the Republic of Korea, which will take place at Viet Tri Stadium on April 19. The teams will re-play at Hang Day Stadium in Hanoi on April 22.

Hanoi: Kim Lien temple recognised as special national relic site

The People’s Committee of Hanoi's Dong Da district held a ceremony on April 16 to receive a certificate recognising Kim Lien temple as a special national relic site.

Kim Lien temple is among the four sacred temples dedicating to the gods who guards at four gates of the Thang Long Citadel. Located at the north entrance of Thang Long citadel, Kim Lien temple was built in the 16th - 7th century during the Ly Dynasty, later than the three others. 

The three other temples which guarded other three entrances are Quan Thanh, Bach Ma and Voi Phuc. 

Kim Lien temple (or Cao Son temple) is located in Phuong Lien ward, Dong Da district. It is dedicated to Cao Son Dai vuong (Mountain spirit) - a deity who take care of farming works as well as protecting people from natural disasters.

The temple also conserved 39 imperial edicts of the Le and Nguyen dynasties conferred to God Cao Son, among them 26 date back to the Le Trung Hung dynasty (1533 – 1789), and the remaining 13 were issued under the Nguyen dynasty (1802–1945). The oldest one dates back in 1620.

Vietnamese calligraphy highlights nation’s culture

Van, a resident in the Ecopark urban area in Hanoi, has had a passion for Vietnamese calligraphy since reading a lot Buddhist books and scripture. She then took an online calligraphy course.

Since calligraphy requires great accuracy and meticulousness, Kieu Quoc Khanh uses a wide range of equipment so his trainees can acquire all the necessary techniques.

Born to a family with a long-standing calligraphic tradition, Khanh was exposed to the art form from an early age. He is one of the pioneers in calligraphy development in Vietnam’s north.

According to Khanh, for every calligrapher, making viewers understand the artistic values in a calligraphic work is the most challenging part.

There was a period when the art of calligraphy fell by the wayside. However, thanks to the efforts of calligraphy lovers like Kieu Quoc Khanh, the art form has been preserved and gained renewed popularity among young people.

HCM City starts COVID-19 vaccination for 5-under-12 children

Ho Chi Minh City on April 16 started to vaccinate children aged from 5 to under 12 against COVID-19, with 109 vaccination stations set up across the city.

About 30,000 sixth-grade students are the first to get the shots.

Luyen said that 93.5 percent of parents of sixth-grade students in the school agreed to bring their children to vaccination.

As scheduled, on April 16, 200 students of the school will be vaccinated, he added.

Under a plan adopted by the municipal People’s Committee earlier this month, HCM City is to inoculate 898,537 children in the 5-under 12 age group, and the inoculation is expected to be completed by September this year.

Captain, vice captains of men’s football team for SEA Games 31 announced

Members of the Vietnam's U23 football team who will play at the upcoming 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) were announced on April 15, with the captain’s armband given to Do Hung Dung.

Midfielder Ly Cong Hoang Anh and striker Nguyen Tien Linh will be vice captains of the team at this regional sports event.

The VFF, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and all fans hope the U23 Vietnam to have a successful tournament, he said, adding that the team really aspires to do this.

All member of the team have trained hard, aiming for a successful tournament, Dung said.

As scheduled, Vietnam’s U23 football team moved to Phu Tho on April 15 evening to prepare for an international friendly match with the U20 team of the Republic of Korea, which will take place at Viet Tri Stadium on April 19. The teams will re-play at Hang Day Stadium in Hanoi on April 22.

Ly Hoang Nam advances to final of M15 Chiang Rai 2022

Top local tennis player Ly Hoang Nam enjoyed an easy win over Ajeet Rai of New Zealand on April 16 in the semi-final match of the M15 Chiang Rai 2022.

The match saw Nam take only 67 minutes to beat his opponent, world No.892 Ajeet Rai, with a final score of 6-1.

Moving forward, the Vietnamese tennis player will face Hong Seong-chan of the Republic of Korea, who ranks world No.695, next in the final match.

This will mark the second time that Nam has qualified for the final round. In late March, the leading Vietnamese player achieved a runner-up position in the final clash of the M25 Toulouse-Balma in France. Nam is now trying his best to win the first title of the year.

He will attend another tournament in Thailand before returning to Vietnam in May to prepare for the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games).

HAGL lose 2-1 in AFC Champions League return

Hoàng Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) have been beaten by Yokohama F. Marinos in their opening game of the Asia Champions League.

Just five minutes in, HAGL had a glorious opportunity to take the lead but Văn Thanh’s effort hit the post.

Yokohama gradually regained a strong hold in the game and began to dominate possession. In the 19th minute, from the corner of the right wing, Brazilian striker Leo Ceara took a swipe at the ball and it nestled in the corner, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead.

Ceara doubled the lead shortly after, heading home from a free kick on the edge of the penalty area.

HAGL hit back in the first half, and their pressure paid off on the 31st minute when after good pressure from the home team, Yokohama's captain Kida headed into his own net to offer hope to HAGL.

After the break, Yokohama continued to press, Ceara hit the bar just three minutes after the restart. In the 67th minute, HAGL keeper Tuấn Anh saved at close range to keep the score at 2-1.

Marcos Junior of Yokohama missed a glorious opportunity to put the visitors ahead as the minutes ticked away.

It may be a home defeat, but with a second leg looming, HAGL still have all to play for. 

Chamber music in the Saigon Opera House

HBSO has announced a concert of chamber music to be given in the Saigon Opera House on April 23.

With items by Bach, Prokofiev, Webster, Grieg, Wagner and Dvorak this will be a varied event with plenty to please everybody.

In chamber music, every instrumentalist is a soloist. So it is that 18 members of the HBSO Symphony Orchestra will appear, some only once, others more than once, in this rich program.

Tickets are from 400,000 VND to 750,000 VND, with a special concessionary rate of 80,000 VND for students, on production of a valid student card. The concert begins at 8pm.

Photo exhibition to be held on rice field in Hoi An

Tourists to Quang Nam Province’s Hoi An City in April can leisurely enjoy Vietnam’s landscapes through an exhibition of photos in the framework of the “Vietnam’s impressions through heritage areas” program held by Sai Gon Tiep Thi, a publication of The Saigon Times Group, in association with the Quang Nam Tourism Association and The Field Restaurant, on April 20-22.

The exhibition will feature photos of impressive destinations voted by readers of Sai Gon Tiep Thi in 2021, including the top seven attractions with breathtaking sceneries, the top seven venues with beautiful city views at night, the top seven marvelous waterfalls, the top seven magnificent mountain passes and the top seven destinations with extravagant aerial views.

The Vietnam’s Top 7 Impressions program initiated in 2020-2021 is a non-profit vote with an aim to help the local tourism sector recover after being hit by the Covid-19 pandemic for two years.

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