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21/04/2024 11:06 (GMT+07:00)

Vietnam News Headlines April 21/2024

Heatwave forecast to extend in Vietnam

The ongoing heatwave is forecast to continue in many parts of Vietnam, with temperatures soaring close to 40 degrees Celsius in some areas, reports the National Center for Hydrometeorological Forecasting.

From Thanh Hoa Province in north-central Vietnam to Phu Yen in south-central Vietnam, temperatures ranged between 35 and 38 degrees Celsius on April 20, with certain areas suffering from 39 degrees Celsius.

In Hanoi in northern Vietnam, temperatures are expected to rise to 25 to 27 degrees Celsius in the morning, and 33 to 35 degrees Celsius in the afternoon.

Northwestern Vietnam will experience morning temperatures between 22 to 26 degrees Celsius, with afternoon highs of 32 to 39 degrees Celsius.

Similarly, the Central Highlands can expect morning temperatures of 21 to 24 degrees Celsius, climbing to 34 to 37 degrees Celsius later in the day.

Cloudy weather is forecast for southern Vietnam, with morning temperatures ranging from 25 to 28 degrees Celsius, peaking at 34 to 37 degrees Celsius in the afternoon.

The relentless heatwave, fueled by low humidity and intense ultraviolet radiation, creates a stifling environment, raising concerns for residents’ health, including risks of heat strokes and skin ailments.

Goethe Institute Hanoi launches project about inclusive arts for people with disabilities

A talkshow has taken place to highlight how able-bodied and people with disabilities can benefit from the arts.

The event, "Potential of Inclusive Arts: Beyond Pity Love", was organised by the Goethe Institute as part of their inclusive art project to provide insights on art and disabilities.

Oliver Brandt, director of the Goethe Institute Hanoi, told Việt Nam News: “The Goethe Institute believes that arts and culture should be accessible for everyone and that both able-bodied people and disabled people profit from more inclusion.

"In the coming years, the Goethe Institute wants to create more space for reflecting the topic of inclusion through various formats of culture and promote artists with visible and invisible handicaps more strongly.

"In recent years, we have witnessed a new wave of inclusive art practices in both Việt Nam and Germany. These art projects seek to champion the stories of people with disabilities while also advocating to make art activities more accessible to all."

"The Goethe Institute Hanoi believes that this opens up countless opportunities for cultural exchanges and partnerships between the two countries, which will help further our conversations toward better, more inclusive societies."

The talkshow featured stories from three speakers: Bertolt Meyer, a psychology professor at Chemnitz University of Technology; Hiếu Lưu, a techno DJ, disability advocate and photographer: and Hà Phương, a model and actress from the award-winning film Cu Li Never Cries.

Talking about her love of photography, Lưu said: "A lot of people did not think that I could take a photograph because the camera is too heavy for a person with cerebral palsy."

Meyer said: "Being treated with pity is how you learn society does not treat you as equal. People with disabilities are often seen as 'others'. As a result, society has not fully used people with disabilities’ potential and ability to contribute to the arts.

"The language also matters. When we said 'people with disability' instead of 'disabled people' - it meant we have seen them as a person first."

Phú Yên Province will force hand-over of land for expressway project

The People's Committee of Phú Yên Province has directed localities to carry out drastic steps to complete site clearance for the North-South Expressway, including coercive measures for cases of deliberate procrastination.

The North-South Expressway project through Phú Yên Province has a total length of about 91.77km including two component projects of Quy Nhơn-Chí Thạnh and Chí Thạnh-Vân Phong.

Although the local government has made great efforts in clearing land for the component projects, some households still have not accepted the compensation plans.

The component project of Quy Nhơn-Chí Thạnh passing through five communes of Xuân Lộc, Xuân Bình, Xuân Lâm, Xuân Thọ 1 and 2 of Sông Cầu Township with a total length of about 34km, affects 1,079 households and 1,769 graves.

With the consensus and support of the local people, the site clearance has been basically completed in Xuân Bình, Xuân Lâm, and Xuân Thọ 1 and 2. However, in Xuân Lộc Commune, there are more than 20 households that have not yet agreed to hand over the site to the construction unit implementing the project.

Phan Trần Vạn Huy, chairman of Sông Cầu Township's People’s Committee, said that after people handed over the land, all questions and complaints are still accepted and resolved by the authorities in accordance with the law, ensuring people’s legitimate rights.

In cases where dialogues have been held many times but the people still do not agree to hand over the land, they will be forced according to the law and have to pay all related costs, according to the provisions of Decision 39/2021/QĐ-UBND of the People's Committee of Phú Yên Province, Huy said.

The township’s People's Committee has issued 22 enforcement decisions.

By the end of March, the province has handed over to investors 88.9km of land, reaching 98.65 per cent of the plan.

Prime Minister directs to promote digital transformation in customs field

Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính has asked ministries and localities to promote digital transformation in the customs field, as in the context of global integration and robust e-commerce development, digital transformation is confirmed to play an extremely important role.

In recent times, the Government has issued many guiding documents on digital transformation in the customs field.

The Ministry of Finance (MoF) and the Việt Nam Customs (VNC) have supported people and businesses to improve efficiency and transparency in customs work, import and export management.

But it is expected that the world situation will continue to be complicated.

In Việt Nam, production and trading activities still face many difficulties.

To further enhance digital transformation in the customs field, save costs, and make it more convenient for people and businesses, PM Chính requested the MoF and the VNC to review and upgrade the information technology system towards digitising documents.

The MoF and the VNC are responsible for preparing equipment to serve customs industry modernisation, customs inspection, supervision and control at border gates and seaports.

They must also strengthen cooperation and exchange of customs data information with countries in the region and around the world, especially strategic trade partner countries with large import-export turnover to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese goods to be exported to these countries and vice versa.

Other duties of the MoF and VNC are to regularly organise dialogues, and evaluate the level of satisfaction of people and businesses when carrying out administrative procedures.

They should inspect and handle customs units and officials who violate the law, or cause trouble or harassment for the people.

Ministries and ministerial-level agencies, according to their assigned tasks, review administrative procedures related to licensing of exported and imported goods to propose competent authorities regulations-related amendments and supplements within this year.

The MoF should coordinate with the Ministry of Public Security to implement the PM’s Decision No 06/QĐ-TTg to develop population data application to serve the national digital transformation period 2022-25, with a vision to 2030.

Cross-border import and export procedures will also be digitised, smart border gates will be built to reduce administrative procedures and costs for people and businesses.

The people's committees of border provinces will develop a master plan to modernise management, trade and logistics activities at border gates.

Ministries, ministerial-level agencies, provinces and cities must create a transparent and fair import-export environment, improve national competitiveness, prevent smuggling, trade fraud and illegal goods transportation across borders.

They should report to the PM any issues that are beyond their authority.

All the work will be supervised by the Government Office.

Cà Mau Province expands nature-based shrimp farming

Cà Mau Province is expanding nature-based shrimp farming models that adapt to climate change, protect the environment and produce clean products.

They include breeding shrimp and other aquatic creatures in mangrove forests and rice fields.

The country’s southernmost province also has its largest mangrove area and thus advantages for developing a nature-based model for breeding shrimp and other aquatic species in the forests.

The model helps protect mangrove forests and produce clean products as shrimp and other aquatic species subsist on natural foods from the forests.

Trần Minh Trí in Ngọc Hiển District’s Viên An Đông Commune breeds shrimp in a 15ha mangrove forest and earns VNĐ700 million (US$27,500) a year.

He said: “We only choose the best shrimp fry to breed and they eat natural food. When harvested, the shrimp have guaranteed outlets and are used for processing for exports.”

The district has more than 53,000ha of shrimp-forest farming, including 15,000ha with international quality certificates such as global good agricultural practices (GlobalGAP) and organic standards.

The province, the country’s largest shrimp producer, has 25,000ha with international quality certification.

Châu Công Bằng, deputy director of its Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the income from breeding shrimp in forests, especially to international standards, is stable.

Besides the model’s main produce, black tiger-shrimp, farmers also get an additional income from breeding mud crabs, fish and blood cockles, he said.

“Many households had a difficult life before adopting the model. But now, with international standards, they have become wealthy, are aware of their responsibility to adopt breeding techniques taught to them and not use toxic chemicals and contribute to protecting the forests and environment," Bằng added.

The province, in co-operation with shrimp processing companies, also guarantees outlets for their shrimp and improves the added value.

To further develop the model sustainably, the province began a project to expand it to adapt to climate change at the beginning of this year.

The project is implemented on 2,500ha and 700 households in Năm Căn District’s Lâm Hải Commune are participating in it.

The province, bordered by the sea on three sides, is severely impacted by climate change, especially saltwater intrusion in coastal areas, which affects rice farming in the dry season but is conducive for shrimp farming.

Farmers here breed organic shrimp in rice fields in coastal areas in the dry season and grow rice in the rainy season.

Thới Bình District has the largest area under rice-shrimp farming in Cà Mau, 20,000ha.

The Trí Lực rice-shrimp co-operative in the district is carrying out organic farming on 50ha.

Its shrimp have been granted the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) certificate.

“When rice is certified as organic and shrimp gets ASC certification, they are guaranteed outlets and have prices higher than market prices,” Lê Văn Mưa, the co-operative’s director, said.

“So the co-operative’s members have high incomes averaging VNĐ150 million (US$5,900) per hectare per year.”

The province has more than 40,000ha of rice-shrimp farming area.

Mã Huy, deputy director of the Cà Mau Agriculture and Fishery Extension Centre, said rice-shrimp farming is a “smart, unique” and nature-based model.

The rotation between rice and shrimp has prevented the spread of disease pathogens.

After the shrimp crop, the creatures’ wastes fertilise rice plants, and after the rice crop, straw and stubbles decompose and stimulate the growth of small organisms that serve as food for the crustaceans.

Farmers do not use pesticides and use only a little fertiliser for growing rice under the model, and it makes for clean rice and shrimp.

The province has a total of 280,000ha of shrimp, or 40 per cent of the country’s total, and output of more than 200,000 tonnes a year.

HCM City launches Action Month for Food Safety

The HCM City Department of Food Safety has launched "Action Month for Food Safety" campaign in 2024 with the theme ‘Maintaining Food Security and Safety in the New Context’.

Inspectors will pay visits to food production and processing businesses in the city. At the same time, the department will increase information on food safety, improve people’s awaireness about food safety, and prevent food poisoning.

In addition, there will be more inspections of school kitchens.

Phạm Khánh Phong Lan, director of the department, said April is the hottest time as the season changes, and this creates many potential food safety risks.

Currently, food safety control activities are increasingly facing many difficulties and challenges. Localities in general and HCM City in particular are not completely immune from outbreaks of food poisoning.

In addition, according to the director of the department, to ensure food safety, it is necessary to raise people's awareness when choosing to buy food at reputable establishments, along with knowing how to properly preserve and process food.

When receiving information or witnessing unsafe food practices by production and business establishments, the Department urges people to report to relevant management agencies via the hotline 02839301714.

The Action Month for Food Safety this year will take place nationwide from April 15 to May 15. Its major aim is to improve the awareness and responsibility of the whole political system and the community on this matter.

Food safety has always attracted much attention from the Party, the State, ministries, and functional agencies, leading to fruitful results. However, there are still inadequacies that need addressing.

Actions needed to improve vocational training support for job seekers

Vocational training support is part of the unemployment insurance policies, but job service centres report that on a yearly average, less than 5 per cent of job seekers opt for these courses.

Job seeker Dương Thu Hà told Vietnam News Agency at a mobile job fair in Hai Bà Trưng District in Hà Nội: “I am on unemployment benefit, but I don’t go to vocational training courses because what they offer – cooking, baking, driving, doesn't suit me.

“The vocational training support is VNĐ1.5 million (US$60) per month at six months maximum. This amount and complicated procedures make it difficult to attend these classes.”

According to the Hà Nội Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the number of unemployment policy beneficiaries rises through the years, but the number of those receiving vocational training support from these policies is on a decline.

Data from the Hà Nội Centre for Employment Services (HCES) showed that the number of people receiving unemployment benefits increased from 63,363 in 2021 to 71,717 in 2022 and 84,984 in 2023.

However, only a small percentage of them attended vocational training courses, with 558, nearly 1,120 and 487 people in 2021, 2022 and 2023, respectively.

Trần Việt Hùng, dean of Hà Nội Vocational Secondary School of Public Transport, said that only 172 students have been admitted to the institution since 2021.

The number of admissions dropped from 96 in 2021 to 44 in 2022 and 27 in 2023, all are enrolled in car driving courses.

The school has been working with HCES for career consultation, admissions and training for unemployment policy beneficiaries.

The school leader said that vocational training for unemployment policy beneficiaries at the institution and elsewhere are encountering multiple challenges, such as different application times which affect enrolment and class schedules.

The limited financial support also means students have to cover a portion of tuition fees themselves, in addition to the high costs of living in the city.

According to Deputy Director of Hà Nội Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyễn Tây Nam, the current laws and regulations have included many preferential policies for the unemployed.

However, a majority of job seekers want to quickly find new employment rather than taking vocational courses and do not take full advantage of this support.

Nam said that employment service centres need to improve consultation and communication with people on unemployment benefits and vocational training institutions to offer a flexible mode of learning, which should allow job seekers to arrange their schedules and register for courses that suit their capacity.

These centres should also strengthen cooperation with businesses for training.

The amendment to the current employment law also plans to offer more support to employers in improving their staff capacity, especially in cases of disasters, changes of operation location, scale or structure due to orders from authorities or law requirements.

The current vocational training support addresses the educational needs of job seekers but has not been able to improve their professional skills.

In addition to covering living cost and transportation expenses for vocational students who reside far from educational facilities, the employment law amendment also proposes expanding the scope to upskilling job seekers.

Over 130ha post bauxite-mining land to be returned for building resettlement areas

Over 130ha of post bauxite-mining land was proposed to be utilised to construct resettlement areas for households whose land was revoked for bauxite ore exploitation, and for high-tech agricultural production in the Central Highlands province of Đắk Nông.

The proposal was made after Đắk Nông Aluminium Company under Việt Nam National Coal - Mineral Industries Holding Corporation Limited recently submitted a report to the Evaluation Council of the Mineral Mining Closure Project under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, regarding the return a portion of the area used for bauxite ore extraction at Nhân Cơ bauxite mine, which is located within the administrative boundaries of several communes and a town in Đắk R’lấp district in the province.

Upon completion of the procedures, the company is expected to return the land to the local authorities for use according to the approved land use plans by the provincial People's Committee.

According to the provincial People's Committee, the closure of mines to return the land to the local authorities has been rather slow.

Therefore, the committee has proposed that the ministry pay attention to and expedite the approval of phased mine closure projects, allowing the corporation to return the land to serve the province's socio-economic development.

Earlier, during a meeting with leaders of the province on March 12, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Đặng Quốc Khánh instructed the subordinate units of the ministry to coordinate with the provincial People's Committee to review the adjustment of returning post bauxite-mining land to align with reality and current regulations.

Khánh also said that for land areas already mined for bauxite, those meeting the closure criteria must be closed immediately and handed over to the local authorities for management and use, avoiding the waste of land resources.

According to the mineral mining licence 2624/GP-BTNMT, dated November 11, 2016, issued by the environment ministry, the corporation is permitted to mine bauxite ore using open-pit methods at the Nhân Cơ bauxite mine in communes of Kiến Thành, Đắk Wer, Nghĩa Thắng, Đạo Nghĩa, Đắk Sin, Nhân Đạo, Nhân Cơ, and the township of Kiến Đức in Đắk R’Lấp District in the province.

The total licensed mining area is 3,074 ha, with a 30-year mining period and reserves of nearly 55 billion tonnes of bauxite ore.

University of Economics HCM City promotes innovation, start-up incubators

The Institute of Innovation under the University of Economics HCM City will foster a dynamic ecosystem of innovation and creativity and deeper integration into national and regional innovation networks, the university’s leaders said.

Speaking at a ceremony to mark the five-year operation of the Institute of Innovation on Wednesday, Prof. Dr. Nguyễn Đông Phong, chairman of the University Council, said the institute has pioneered training programmes for innovation, start-up incubators, scientific research, innovative consulting and transferring activities.

It has developed a vibrant startup community with more than 6,000 members and organised more than 300 community engagement events over the past five years, he said.

Its training, incubation, research, consulting and knowledge transfer activities have created much value for the startup community and students.

It has helped domestic start-up companies and projects to develop sustainably and access global markets.

Total funding raised for start-ups in the past three years was estimated at more than US$520,000.

During the period, the institute has become a start-up and innovation hub in Việt Nam, with a network of more than 50 domestic partners, 20 international partners, more than 40 international publications and more than 30 scientific papers.

It was recognised as an I-Star 2021 Award winner in HCM City and one of the ten Best Start-up Support Organisations in Southeast Asia (AsiaStar 10x10 Launchpad) in 2022.

The Institute of Innovation was established in 2019 on a foundation of co-operation between the University of Economics HCM City and Singapore Management University.

3x3 basketball tournament to take place next month

The 3x3 Hanoi Open Cup 2024, Powered by MB, will feature 36 teams competing in May in the capital city.

The annual event is in its fifth edition which is organised by the city's Culture and Sports Department, Hà Nội Basketball Federation and Amita Sports.

Teams will compete in men's and women's pro categories and U16 and U18 men sides on May 4-5 at the Trần Nhân Tông walking street.

The event will be aired live on FPT Play, FPT Bóng rổ and the Facebook and Youtube channels of the federation.

Russian, Vietnamese university rectors gather in Moscow

The second forum of rectors of Russian and Vietnamese universities took place at the Lomonosov Moscow State University (MGU) on April 18.

Attending the event were Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Konstantin Mogilevsky; Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Education and Training Hoang Minh Son; President of the Russian Rectors' Union and MGU Rector Viktor Sadovnichy; President of Vietnam’s University of Transport and Communications Nguyen Ngoc Long, who is head of the delegation of Vietnamese rectors; and representatives from around 40 Russian universities and 21 Vietnamese ones.

This forum offered a chance for delegates to discuss bilateral cooperation in the field of science and education, and exchange experiences and best practices to promote collaboration in education and training - one of the top priorities in the traditional relations between Vietnam and Russia.

In his opening remarks, Mogilevsky said that there are currently about 3,000 Vietnamese students in Russia, of whom 70% go to Russia with scholarships between the two governments, and every year the Russian Government grants 1,000 scholarships to Vietnamese students.

Affirming that Vietnam is Russia’s traditional partner in the field of education and training, he proposed the two countries consider updating the admission system so that more and more Vietnamese students can go to Russia to study and research.

Son stated that cooperation in education and training in general and between universities in particular are still not commensurate with the potential and desires of the two sides.

He suggested participating rectors to evaluate the results achieved in education cooperation to find limitations and obstacles and propose measures to improve the effectiveness of collaboration in the coming time.

At the forum, about 30 cooperation documents between universities were signed./.

Binh Duong to have fifth city

Ben Cat Town in Binh Duong Province will become a provincial-level city on May 1, the fifth such city in the southern province.

The announcement was made during a press briefing held by the Ben Cat People’s Committee on April 17.

The upgrade of Ben Cat to city status follows the issuance of Resolution No. 1012/NQ-UBTVQH15 by the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on March 22.

Ben Cat has eight industrial parks covering 4,030 hectares and a concentrated industrial production zone spanning 47.7 hectares. These facilities have generated job opportunities for 180,000 individuals.

In 2023, Ben Cat attracted 634 domestic investment projects worth nearly VND3.9 trillion and 37 foreign-invested projects capitalized at around US$80 million.

Ben Cat now has 5,625 domestic projects with total capital of VND65 trillion and 816 foreign-invested projects worth nearly US$10 billion.

Weight loss products found to contain banned substance Sibutramine

A weight loss product was found by food watchdog to contain banned substance Sibutramine which was not allowed to be sold in the market.

Following a hospitalization of a young woman, a weight loss product was found to contain banned substance Sibutramine which was not allowed to be sold in the market. The Vietnam Food Safety Authority under the Ministry of Health today announced the analysis results of the National Institute of Forensic Medicine that Detox Apple supplement for weight loss contains banned substances.

Accordingly, through searching, the food watchdog has not yet issued a product declaration registration receipt for the Detox Apple product. Therefore, the food authority recommended that consumers do not buy and use the above-mentioned Detox Apple weight loss product.

The authority advised that anyone who discovers the product on the market should immediately notify the authorities who will impose punishment according to the present law.

Recently, the Bach Mai Hospital’s Poison Control Center received a 26 year old female patient who was poisoned because she took weight loss supplement. She was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. According to the patient, because she wanted to lose weight, she bought Detox Apple weight loss product on the internet. This young girl took tablets for 10 days and had ligament pain, her eyes suddenly couldn't see anything.

According to Doctor Nguyen Trung Nguyen, Director of the Poison Control Center, this female patient has only used the weight loss product for about 10 days and has clearly shown signs of neurological, eye, and brain damage; therefore, if she used the supplement for weight loss for a long time, she will face a risk of her life.

According to the Ministry of Health, Sibutramine is an active ingredient indicated in the treatment of obesity including weight loss and weight maintenance, but it is a substance that is dangerous to the cardiovascular system in people at high risk. Therefore, Sibutramine has been banned from circulation by the US Drug Administration since October 2010. In Vietnam, since June 2010, the Drug Administration of Vietnam has stopped licensing the import of Sibutramine and subsequently suspended circulation, withdrew registration numbers and recalled drugs containing the active ingredient Sibutramine due to unwanted effects.

Movie making competition for young filmmakers returns

The 5th edition of the 2024 CJ Short Film Making Project, a prominent national contest for young directors, has kicked off in HCMC.

This year’s contest themed “Golden Moments, Radiating Passion” will be judged by the country’s leading directors and producers, including Phan Dang Di, Trinh Dinh Le Minh, Tran Thi Bich Ngoc, Ham Tran, and Tran Thanh Huy.

Vietnamese residents aged 18-40 are encouraged to send their entries to the short film competition by May 31. The Q&A session for the top 10 finalists will take place on June 18.

The CJ Short Film Project organized by CJ Cultural Foundation and CGV Vietnam has been kicked off. The best five projects will be given a total capital of VND1.5 billion (US$) to make the films.

Vietnam makes steady progress in innovation, says UN official

Vietnam has achieved steady progress in realising its vision of innovation, technology and digital transformation, said Pauline Tamesis, UN resident coordinator, at a meeting in Hanoi on April 19 marking World Creativity and Innovation Day.

Tamesis cited the World Intellectual Property Organisation saying Vietnam clinched two notches up in the Global Innovation Index 2023 compared to the 2022 edition, ranking 46th out of 132 listed economies.

This progress is critical for Vietnam to achieve its vision of becoming a high-income developed country by 2045, and the United Nations supports the country’s endeavour towards this goal, she affirmed.

According to Minister of Science and Technology Huynh Thanh Dat, the United Nations General Assembly has since 2017 chosen April 21 every year as World Creativity and Innovation Day, aiming to raise awareness of the role of creativity and innovation in sustainable socio-economic development.

The Ministry of Science and Technology has since 2022 organized activities in response to World Creativity and Innovation Day and received enthusiastic attention and participation from many ministries, sectors, localities and organizations throughout the country, said Dat at the meeting.

He went on to say the 2024 event themed ‘Inspire’ was held to encourage organizations and individuals to join hands to promote innovation activities in all social and economic sectors.

Currently, the legal system on intellectual property in Vietnam is increasingly improving, creating motivation to promote and support innovation activities, including the application of scientific and technological research results to business production, contributing to the country’s socio-economic development.

The World Bank held that Vietnam still has much room to step up innovation in businesses, especially amongst small and medium-sized enterprises.

In the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, innovation is considered a new driving force for rapid and sustainable development of the country. Experts said Vietnam needs to focus on developing high-quality human resources and improving research capacity on innovation. To achieve the goal, they suggested Vietnam should address difficulties in mechanisms and policies for developing innovation and creative skills, and at the same time solve urgent practical problems.

Minister Dat also said Vietnam should continue to improve its innovation capacity in the coming period, in order to directly contribute to increasing labour productivity and product quality, ensuring environmental protection, and spurring sustainable development.