An exhibition of 28 images depicting a photographer’s 4,200km journey along the Mekong River will go on display in Da Nang from April 3 to 15.

French-Vietnamese photographer Lam Duc Hien's display will celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between France and Vietnam.

It will also mark the 10th anniversary of the strategic partnership of the two countries as well as promoting a series of cultural and tourism activities in central Vietnam.

À hauteur d’ hommes (Life stories on Mekong River banks) will run at the central city’s Fine Arts Museum from April 3 to 15.

Hien, whose father was Vietnamese and mother Laotian, was born in 1966 on the Mekong River side at the Pakse section in Laos. He then moved to live in France in 1977 after spending two years at a refugee camp in Thailand.

The photographer travelled from the source in Tibet taking pictures documenting the life stories among communities living on both sides of the river.

The collection features portraits and personal memories of people he met on the journey. The river marks as borders of territories and cultural links of lands and people.

Hien, who is a member of Agence VU (Agency of photographers found in 1986), had photographed conflicts and incidents in Romania, Russia, Bosnia, Chechnya, Rwanda, South Sudan and Iraq.

Throughout his career, he has won many awards including Leica prizes and the Great European Award presented to him in Vevey, Switzerland.

The exhibition, which is a collaboration between the museum, the Institute of France in Da Nang and the Embassy of France in Vietnam.

It will be open at 5pm at the museum on April 3. The photographer will take part in an exchange with visitors at 4pm on April 14.

New Vietnamese language teaching programme on air

A ceremony to launch a TV programme “Chao Tieng Viet” (Hello Vietnamese language) and a contest to seek ambassadors of Vietnamese language aboard was held in Hanoi on March 31 by the Vietnam Education Publishing House, Foreign Affairs Ministry’s State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs and Vietnam Television (VTV).

The programme aims to implement the Project "Honouring the Vietnamese language in the overseas Vietnamese community between 2023 and 2030" and the Plan on Day for the Vietnamese language in 2023 approved by the Prime Minister, contributing to honouring the national language and individuals who have made contributions to preserving and spreading the Vietnamese language in the overseas Vietnamese community, as well as improving the effectiveness of Vietnamese language teaching and learning for overseas Vietnamese.

“Chao Tieng Viet” is designed for overseas Vietnamese children in two age groups - from 6 to 10 and from 10 to 15, teachers, and parents who teach Vietnamese in classes or at home.

The weekly 15-minute programme is on VTV4 and its social network platforms.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, Vice Chairman of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs Mai Phan Dung believed that the programme which is easily accessed on TV and digital platforms would be welcomed by overseas Vietnamese and generate positive results in Vietnamese teaching for overseas Vietnamese children.

On this occasion, the committee launched a contest to seek ambassadors of the Vietnamese language abroad. The contest is held for the first time, targeting 5.3 million overseas Vietnamese and foreigners who love and use Vietnamese fluently.

The contest takes place inthree phases from April 1 to August 10, 2023. The five best candidates will be awarded the title of "Vietnamese language ambassador abroad in 2023" at the closing ceremony of Vietnamese language Honouring Day 2023 scheduled for September 8.

NA Chairman, ministry talk preparations for global conference of young parliamentarians

The preparation for the ninth Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians was among the issues discussed at a working session between National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) in Hanoi on March 31.

Chairman Hue said the global conference, to be held in Hanoi this September, is a major diplomatic event which will focus on the youth’s role in promoting the realisation of the sustainable development goals via digital transformation and innovation. Besides, cultural and human values in sustainable development will also form a topic of the conference.

He asked the MCST to send representatives to participate in the organising committee and sub-committees, and coordinate to prepare for the Vietnamese delegation’s participation in the session about cultural and human values in sustainable development.

The ministry was also requested to work with other parties to organise activities introducing Vietnam’s culture and tourism to delegates while holding youth exchanges and dialogues, exhibitions on startup, innovation and digital transformation, along with musical performances as part of the conference.

At the working session, participants also looked into the preparation for the NA leader’s official visits to some Latin American countries. The coming trips will feature such activities as the Vietnamese culture weeks that will include art festivals, photo exhibitions, and film weeks.

They also considered the supplementation of law-making tasks to help perfect regulations in the field of culture.

Symposium seeks to promote Vietnamese signature sandwich for tourism development

Vietnam's banh mi brand is growing rapidly, thus its development should be promoted to help popularise the country’s images and fuel tourism, heard a symposium held in Ho Chi Minh City on March 31.

The event, held by the Tourism Department and the Tourism Association of HCM City, looked into the development of banh mi throughout history.

Experts said banh mi has become a famous food mentioned by multiple domestic and foreign magazines. For example, CNN Travel described the street food as “one of Vietnam's most famous exports” while Fodor Travel called it one of the world’s 30 must-try sandwiches.

Dr Ho Van Tuong, a culture expert, said derived from France’s baguette, banh mi has been made a world-famous food by generations of Vietnamese and become a source of pride of Vietnamese people.

It is now present in almost all eating places, from vendor stalls to luxury restaurants, he noted.

To make use of the brand of Vietnam’s banh mi for tourism development, some tourism organisations suggested HCM City create websites on this food in many languages to introduce it further to international friends.

Production and business establishments should boost promotion activities to bring banh mi closer to tourists. Meanwhile, authorities need to popularise the signature sandwich of Vietnam via tourism and culinary TV shows while increasing management of food safety. Banh mi can also be offered as a fast food to travellers who join tours, they suggested.

Dong Nai-based military medical workers deployed to Truong Sa

Four military medical workers from Military Hospital 7B, based in the southern province of Dong Nai, have been deployed to Truong Sa Dong Island off the central province of Khanh Hoa.

They comprise one surgeon and three nurses who will provide emergency aid, treatment, and care for patients at the clinic on Truong Sa Dong.

Speaking at the deployment decision hand-over on March 31, Maj. Nguyen Giap Minh Duy, appointed head of the clinic, said that despite difficult living and working conditions on the island, his team views the task with great pride and will stay united, uphold the highest sense of responsibility, and continually improve their specialised capacity to become a solid source of support for soldiers and residents on the island.

Col. Nguyen Tuan, Director of Military Hospital 7B under Military Region 7’s Logistics Department, noted that working on Truong Sa Dong, an outpost island of the country, is an honour and also a heavy responsibility. Health professionals, he said, should strive to overcome difficulties and coordinate with the military unit on the island to provide health care for soldiers, islanders, and fishermen.

So far, Military Hospital 7B has sent seven groups of health workers to Truong Sa Dong Island. Its staff members have also been deployed to help perform duties in Naval Region 2 and taken part in Vietnam’s Level-2 field hospital in the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan.

Programme helps strengthen Vietnam-Australia friendship

A friendship exchange programme was held in Hanoi on March 31 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-Australia diplomatic relations (February 26).

Attending the event were more than 150 delegates from the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO), the Vietnam-Australia Friendship Association, the Australian Embassy, and Hanoi authorities.

Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Manh Quyen affirmed that the capital city always attaches importance to its cooperation with Australian localities.

He expressed his belief that with efforts of the two governments and peoples along with the capital city of Hanoi, the bilateral friendship and multifaceted collaboration will reap more benefit.

Australian Ambassador Andrew Goldzinowski said that the anniversary celebration of the establishment of diplomatic ties offered a good chance for both countries to look back on gained achievements and look forward toward the future.

Australia was one of the first countries to set up relations with Vietnam right after the Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam was signed in 1973. Over the past five decades, the relationship has developed sustainably, and gained impressive achievements, and the two countries are striving to upgrade it to a comprehensive strategic partnership level.

Within the framework of the programme, paintings drawn by Hanoi students were showcased, featuring the Vietnam-Australia friendship, and the beauty of the two countries and their capital cities.

Vietnamese language course for Lao officers opens in Son La

The Military High Command of the northern mountainous province of Son La on March 31 opened a Vietnamese language course for officers and soldiers of Laos' armed forces.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Vice Chairwoman of the provincial People’s Committee Trang Thi Xuan ordered the provincial the Military High Command to closely coordinate departments and sectors to ensure the best living and learning conditions for the Lao officers and soldiers.

Apart from teaching the Vietnamese language, the nine-month course will also focus on sharing experience in socio-economic development, ensuring defence and security, and addressing social issues, contributing to promoting the friendship between the Military High Commands of Son La and Lao localities.  

Through the course, 120 Lao officers and soldiers will not only learn listening, speaking, reading and writing skills, but also understand more about military terms. They will also visit historical sites, and scenic spots in Son La province.

Remains of over 19,300 martyrs repatriated in past decade

The remains of 19,357 Vietnamese martyrs have been found, repatriated and reburied in the 2013-2022 period, heard a conference in Hanoi on March 31.

The conference was held to review a coordination programme between the national steering committee on search, repatriation and reburial of martyrs and the Vietnam Veterans’ Association in the 2017-2022 period, and sign a new agreement to cover the 2023-2030 period.

Of the total figure, the remains of 9,533 soldiers were found at home, while those of 3,062 martyrs were uncovered in Laos, and those of 6,762 martyrs were located in Cambodia.

The results were attributed to the information sharing and international cooperation to collect information about martyrs and martyrs’ graves, as well as efforts to decipher locations and landmarks from military units during the wartime.

martyrs whose personal information is lacking.

German-funded project supports Vietnam in implementing Paris Agreement

A conference was held in Hanoi on March 31 to review a German-funded project under the moniker “Support to Vietnam for the implementation of the Paris Agreement” (VN-SIPA).

The project was funded by the German Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) under the International Climate Initiative (IKI) and implemented by the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ) from 2019 to 2023.

Addressing the event, Tang The Cuong, Director of the Department of Climate Change under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, said as one of the countries that are hardest hit by climate change, Vietnam has made strong commitments to joining hands with the international community in responding to climate change.

The Government of Vietnam ratified the Paris Climate Accords in 2016 and issued a plan to implement the agreement. At the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), the Vietnamese Prime Minister announced Vietnam’s commitment to net-zero emission by 2050.

As part of efforts to realise the commitment, Vietnam has significantly increased its contribution to greenhouse gas emission reductions in the updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) in 2022. Specifically, the unconditional emission reduction rate was increased to 15.8% in 2022 from 9% in the 2020 NCD. The conditional emission reduction rate was also raised to 43.5% in 2022 from 27% in the 2020 NDC, he noted, attributing the results to the support from the project and partners.

After four years of implementation, the project has made important contributions, especially in consultations, to the building of the policy framework regarding climate change response as well as the updating of the NDC, while helping strengthen capacity for national contact points, ministries and localities in managing and coordinating in implementing the NDC and the Paris Agreement.

Besides, the project has helped build four metering, reporting and verifying systems on GHG emission reduction, while assisting ministries and sectors to design policies and plans in the field, he said.

Meanwhile, Pham Van Tan, Vice Director of the Department of Climate Change said that along with providing assistance in policy development and capacity building for ministries and sectors, the project has helped the pilot of three adaptation solutions based on urban ecosystems in Dong Hoi city of central Quang Binh province, and five agricultural farming models based on ecosystems and smart agriculture adapting to climate change in central Ha Tinh province. These solutions and models have been handed over to localities for use.

Jens Schmid-Kreye from the German Embassy in Vietnam said that German agencies will continue to join hands with Vietnam towards the goal of becoming climate neutral by 2050, implementing the NDC and the specific targets of the just energy transition partnership. The German Government will always support Vietnam in implementing these goals, the official pledged.

Striker Huynh Nhu to join national women’s football team in 2024 Olympics qualifiers

Striker Huynh Nhu, who is playing for Portugal’s Länk FC, will join the national women’s football team at the first qualifying round of the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, the Vietnam Football Federation announced on March 31.

Nhu, who has earned Vietnam’s Golden Ball for five times, will fly from Portugal to Kathmandu, Nepal, to join her teammates who are scheduled to depart for the South Asian nation on April 2.

Vietnam will play two matches against host Nepal on April 5 and April 8.

The presence of Nhu is expected to contribute to increasing the strength of the Vietnamese women’s team, who have qualified for the first time for a Women's World Cup. They are in the same group with defending champions US.

Vietnamese painting sold for EUR200,000 at French auction

The oil painting "Portrait of my mother” by the late veteran painter Nguyen Nam Son fetched EUR200,000 as it was sold on March 30 by auction house Art Research Paris in France.

This iconic portrait featuring the artist’s mother represents a classical local art masterpiece. The painting won the silver medal at the Fine Art exhibition in France back in 1932 and was subsequently bought by a French person a year later.

The painting features the historical value of the country's fine arts and has a deep meaning in terms of the culture of the Vietnamese people.

Painter Nguyen Nam Son, whose real name was Nguyen Van Tho, was born in 1890 in Hanoi.

Nguyen Nam Son and Victor Tardieu are the two founders of the Indochina Fine Arts College, the first Fine Arts school in South-East Asia which ran from 1925 to 1945. The talented artist had been a teacher of many Vietnamese painters and contributed to the development of fine arts locally.

He passed away on January 26, 1973, at the age of 83 in Hanoi.

Huynh Nhu to play for Vietnamese national squad in Nepal

Local female striker Huynh Nhu, who is currently playing for Lank Football Club in Portugal, will travel to Nepal on April 2 to join up with the Vietnamese national women’s football team as they take part in qualification for the 2024 Olympics.

According to her schedule, the female football star will play two matches for the Vietnamese team. After that, the striker will then return to Europe on April 9 to play for Lank FC in the Portuguese league.

Due to the withdrawal of both Afghanistan and Palestine, Vietnam will play Nepal on April 5 and April 8 at Dashrath Rangasala stadium in Kathmandu in order to determine which team will progress to the next qualifying round.

Moving forward, the second and third rounds of qualification for the 2024 Olympics will be held in October and November this year

The 2024 AFC Women's Olympic qualifying round will determine which women's national teams from Asia qualify for the upcoming Olympics.

The top two teams from the qualifying stage will represent Asia at the 2024 Olympics in France.

New national-standard schools in Hanoi accredited

The number of national-standard schools in Hanoi has increased to 1,620, or 72.3% of all the schools in the city.

Hanoi aims to have more than 170 new national-standard schools this year, an increase of 22% from the previous year, according to the municipal Department of Education and Training.

A total of 130 new national-standard schools, including 46 kindergartens, 53 elementary schools, 28 secondary schools, and three high schools, were to be built this year under the original proposal from the department.

As of the end of February, local authorities expected the city's overall number of national-standard schools to rise by 40 units to 173 for the year.

In 2022, Hanoi had 142 new national-standard schools certified, more than doubling the target of 70 new national-standard schools established at the start of the year.

Despite challenges, the districts of Ba Vi, Bac Tu Liem, Ha Dong, My Duc, and Me Linh had at least doubled their estimates for the number of new national-standard schools by the beginning of 2022.

Hanoi now has over 1,620 national-standard schools, accounting for 72.3% of all institutions in the city.

The proportion is highest in the secondary sector, where 80% of all schools satisfy national requirements. Kindergarten (71.3%), primary level (67.9%), and high school level (66.1%) follow.

Tran The Cuong, Director of the Hanoi Department of Education and Training, credited the schools for their accomplishments.

"National-standard schools hold an important role in the city’s educational quality," he said at a ceremony that honored the new national-standard schools on March 29.

The director asked local authorities to support and facilitate the schools to renovate and improve their facilities and better serve the students.

"Local authorities need to better implement their plans for the development of the local school network, and hasten the construction of the school projects as approved," he said.

According to the Ministry of Education and Training, national-standard schools are subject to circulars 17, 18, and 19, dated August 22, 2018.

According to the circulars, a school must meet the requirements regarding the number of teachers, teaching qualifications, playing and learning areas per student, teaching and learning qualities, and physical and mental targets that each student must fulfill after a certain time.

Threat of explosive war remnants discussed in Việt Nam

Landmines and other explosive remnants of war remain a threat to life and sustainable development in Southeast Asia, said experts at a two-day conference in Hà Nội.

The conference, named "Mine Action for Sustainable Peace and Development: Exchanging regional experience and global innovations in mine action", was organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Việt Nam.

The event featured seven sessions discussing diverse topics, including sharing experience of Việt Nam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand in the effort; the importance of effective information management; the tripartite cooperation model of UNDP/KOICA/Việt Nam, overcoming the consequences of landmines in the overall fulfillment of the sustainable development goals, technological advances and regional cooperation mechanisms in the field.

Đỗ Hùng Việt, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, said: “Mine action should not be seen as a short-term, temporary humanitarian solution, but as an inclusive and comprehensive process towards post-conflict recovery, reconstruction, and peacebuilding, realising the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while being people-centered and leaving no one behind.”

Within the framework of the National Action Programme on Settling Consequences of Unexploded Ordnance (Programme 504) for the 2010-2020 period, Việt Nam has pooled resources worth more than VNĐ12 trillion (US$521 million) and cleared more than 500,000 hectares of contaminated land to create space for development, he said.

UNDP Resident Representative in Việt Nam Ramla Khalidi said: “Mine action saves and changes lives. Our goal is not only to clear contaminated land but also to ensure that cleared land is integrated with rural development planning efforts and is a vehicle to promote peaceful and sustainable communities.”

Country director of KOICA Việt Nam Han-Deog Cho said: “We have launched the second intervention project for mine action, which is called KVPVP (Korea-Việt Nam Peace Village Project) in Việt Nam on a bigger scale and adding a livelihood support component.

“KVPVP will inherit the positive results from the 1st phase and bring about inclusive, safe, and resilient local development by reducing the impacts of explosive ordnance,” he said.  

New technology on mine action in Southeast Asia can contribute to sustainable changes on the ground, according to experts.

In Cambodia, the government is using drones to detect landmines and thereby ensuring that surveys are cheaper, faster and safer than before. In Việt Nam, an online registry and information management system for persons with disabilities and unexploded ordnance survivors has been established to conduct an assessment in the country’s most contaminated provinces of Quảng Bình and Bình Định.

Half a century after the Paris Peace Accords were signed, millions of people in Việt Nam, Cambodia, and Laos PDR remain at risk. Between 1964 and 1973, 7.5 million tonnes of ordnance fell on the three countries. Nearly a fifth of Viet Nam, 5.6 million hectares, is potentially contaminated by explosive ordnance. Approximately 600,000 to 800,000 tonnes of unexploded ordnance could still be hidden underground.

KOICA and UNDP have worked with the Government of Việt Nam to overcome the consequences of landmines and unexploded ordnance. In three years, the project has surveyed 17,000 hectares of land, equivalent to 20,000 football fields, and 10,000 contaminated hectares were cleared. Meanwhile, 450,000 local people have received education on the risk of unexploded ordnance.

Việt Nam has set the goal of having no more landmine accidents or explosions nationwide by 2025. 

Military land to be handed over to Tan Son Nhat airport by end-June

Military Region 7 has accepted plans and mutual commitments on administrative procedures, financial support and the handover of all sites to the local authority before June 30 this year.

According to the Vietnam News Agency, the Command Headquarters of Military Region 7 and Tan Binh District People’s Committee held a conference in HCMC on March 30 to hand over military land for the locality to implement the construction of the road connecting Tran Quoc Hoan Street with Cong Hoa Street which will link to Terminal T3 of the Tan Son Nhat International Airport.

Accordingly, Tay Nam Company and Textile and Garment 7 Company, under the management of Military Region 7, have handed over 5,100 square meters of land in Ward 13, Tan Binh District, under the land revocation decision of the Tan Binh District People’s Committee. The delivered land includes 2,830 square meters of Textile and Garment 7 Company and 2,335 square meters of Tay Nam Company.

Pursuant to the handover minutes, the companies will take responsibility for providing documents in full and in compliance with the law, comprising dossiers supporting the removal of assets attached to the land; financial aid for dismantling, installation, relocation of machinery and equipment and other subordinate systems; and fees for technical experts, employee aid and operational costs.

The Tan Binh District team in charge of  supporting and receiving site clearance compensation, will assess documents to be submitted to the competent authorities for approval and compensate the companies in compliance with the timelines as mutually agreed.

Till now, Textile and Garment 7 Company has actively cleared sites and planned to remove machinery and equipment in preparation for site delivery to the locality.

Record number of runners to take part in Tây Hồ Half Marathon 2023

The Tây Hồ Half Marathon 2023 is expecting a record 5,000 participants in its third edition on April 9 in Hà Nội.

The number of runners has increased yearly, from 1,500 in 2020 to 3,000 last year.

The tournament, organised by the Tây Hồ District People's Committee and VRace Company, was cancelled twice in 2021 because of the pandemic.

The annual event, sponsored by BIM Group, offers three categories of 6km, 15km and 21km, with more than half of the competitors taking the half marathon challenge.

All routes are designed to give participants the best experience of the lake’s historical and cultural relics and ancient structures, such as Trấn Quốc Pagoda and the Tây Hồ and Quan Thánh temples.

Speaking at the event, VRace Director and deputy head of the organising committee Vũ Văn Phong said the 2023 race would not have the participation of famous runners such as Nguyễn Thị Oanh, Phạm Thị Hồng Lệ and Đỗ Quốc Luật like previously as they are preparing for the 32nd SEA Games.

However, professional athletes from Hà Nội and other localities will vie for attractive prizes, promising a competitive marathon.

This year, the organisers, in coordinating with the United Nations International School (UNIS) especially hold an event entitled Kids RUN the EARTH for about 1,000 children from four to 15 years old from 30 countries. They will race in three disciplines of 700m, 1,500m and 3,000m based on their age groups.

The free-of-charge run on April 8 aims to spread the spirit of sport and convey the message of protecting the earth and building a good and healthy life for children.

Local governments more responsive to land information request: study

Though local authorities have become more responsive to citizens' requests for land information, more must be done by provincial and district authorities to meet the mandate of disclosing information online.

The findings of a recent study were announced at a discussion in Hà Nội on Thursday to review local governments’ performance in disclosure of district land use plans and provincial land pricing frameworks.

“Information asymmetry about local land plans and land pricing frameworks is one of the key triggers for land-related complaints," said UNDP Resident Representative in Việt Nam Ramla Khalidi at the discussion, which UNDP organised at the Việt Nam and the Center for Education Promotion and Empowerment of Women (CEPEW).

“International good practices show that when land-related information is disclosed in an open and transparent manner, and citizens have the opportunity to discuss draft land plans and price frameworks, the risks of land corruption and the prevalence of land conflicts are better controlled," she said. "As a result, citizens’ trust in local governments increases.”

To promote the disclosure of land information by state agencies, the research team emphasises the need to develop, improve and synchronise legal provisions and policies related to land information disclosure between the Law on Information Access and the Land Law.

At the same time, relevant agencies at the provincial and district levels should fully implement the disclosure of land information online in addition to face-to-face settings.

Deputy Director of CEPEW Nguyễn Thanh Phương, a representative of the research team, said: “It is necessary to add the procedure of information providing upon request of citizens as stipulated in the Law on Access to Information 2016 into the current set of administrative procedures.”

She also suggested the responsibilities of information-holding agencies in some specific cases be stipulated.

It is also important to supplement regulations when approving district-level land use master plans to ensure timeliness and synchronisation.

At the same time, it is crucial to continue strengthening information, communication and education on the Law on Access to Information 2016 and Decree No. 13/2018/ND-CP to cadres and civil servants of state agencies as well as citizens, she said.

Disclosure of land information among localities

The second round of research, part of an annual series of action research on land information disclosure in Việt Nam by local authorities from 2021, was carried out from October 2022 to February 2023 through reviewing the official websites or portals of 63 provinces and 705 districts and towns nationwide.

The level of land information disclosure of the provincial and district authorities is evaluated based on five criteria: information disclosure, searchability, timeliness of information, completeness of information and information usability.

Regarding the disclosure of the provincial land pricing frameworks, as of October 6, 2022, 41 out of 63 provinces (65 per cent) have publicly posted the land pricing frameworks on their websites, an increase of 22.2 per cent compared to the review findings in 2021.

However, information in some of these portals is stored in the form of compressed documents and archived non-systematically, leading to difficulties for users searching for land pricing frameworks.

Among localities with good practices, Bắc Giang and Phú Yên had 100 per cent of their districts disclose their 2021-2030 land use master plans.

Ninh Thuận and Kon Tum had 100 per cent of their districts disclose their 2022 annual land use plans.

Ba Bể District in Bắc Kạn Province; Đức Cơ District in Gia Lai Province; Nghĩa Lộ District in Yên Bái Province; and Krông Nô District in Đắk Nông Province used various ways to support and assure information is provided to request sender, according to the study, which is funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the Embassy of Ireland, and UNDP. 

Students in Đà Nẵng take part in Japan-Việt Nam cultural day

More than 5,000 students and visitors joined the annual Japanese-Vietnamese Culture Exchange Day in celebration of the 50th diplomatic ties of Japan and Việt Nam at the central city’s Đông Á University on March 9.

It’s one of a series of activities organised throughout the year in the city to mark the Japan-Việt Nam friendship and cultural cooperation.

Student groups staged traditional art performances of Việt Nam and Japan (Yasakoi dance and Taiko drum play) to the piano of the Japanese Keiko Borujeson, while fashion shows of áo dài (long dress), yukata and cosplay were displayed by Vietnamese and Japanese artists on the main stage.

Demonstrations of Japanese calligraphy, paintings, cuisine (Nagashi Somen–Japanese noodle at bamboo gut) at 12 pavilions and a folk dance competition drew participation from 38 teams.

Head of the Japanese General Consulate, Yakabe Yoshinori, said Đà Nẵng’s Đông Á University had early developed high-quality human resources for both technical knowledge and the Japanese language in the region.

He said internship programmes in Japan helped provide quality manpower for Japanese businesses.

Yakabe Yoshinori also said the university introduced and promoted Japanese culture, building a trusting relationship with the Japanese General Consulate and the Japanese business community in Đà Nẵng.

During the Cultural Exchange Day, Japanese businesses successfully recruited 500 qualified students working in Japan, and five more partners from Japan inked agreements on human training with the university.

The Việt Nam-Japan Cultural and Sports Exchange Association (Favija) also presented a scholarship for a 10-day life experience tour in Japan for the winner of the Japanese language contest in 2022.

Đà Nẵng is seen as a favourite rendezvous of art troupes and artists from Sakai, Yokohama, Kawasaki, Kisarazu, Mimasaka, Nagasaki and Kushiro in Japan at the annual Việt Nam-Japan Culture Exchange since 2014. 

British Council opens new IELTS test center in HCMC

The British Council, the UK’s international organization for education and culture, has opened its new IELTS test center at 2A Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, District 1, HCMC on March 28.

With the opening of this new IELTS test center, the total number of British Council test locations approved by the Ministry of Education and Training has increased to 15 in eight provinces and cities nationwide.

The new venue is the largest one operated by the British Council in HCMC, featuring spacious areas and modern facilities to ensure an optimal testing experience. It boasts a roomy campus on seven floors offering paper- and computer-based tests.

In response to the growing demand for IELTS testing, the British Council is working closely with the Ministry of Education and Training to continue expanding the number of test centers in the near future.

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