A photo exhibition is underway along four streets in Ho Chi Minh city’s district 1 to celebrate the 47th anniversary of National Reunification Day (April 30) and the 136th anniversary of International Labour Day (May 1).

The exhibition is divided into two parts along four streets. On Nguyen Hue and Dong Khoi street, it displays 90 photos with the theme “Ho Chi Minh City – 47 years together with the country and for the country”, giving visitors an overview of the victory in 1975. Meanwhile, in the area opposite Chi Lang park and Labour Cultural Palace, it features 70 photos on the working class in the struggle for national independence.

Addressing the opening of the event on April 27, Tran The Thuan, director of the municipal Department of Culture and Sports, said by promoting the spirit of victory day, the city has made a significant contribution to the country’s renewal process and its achievements in economic, culture, and the education and training sectors as well as strengthened relations with other countries around the world.

Thanks to the extraordinary efforts and determination of the whole political system and the participation of the entire population in preventing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, the city has recovered and gradually stabilised social life with safe and flexible adaption to and effective control of the pandemic, he said.

The exhibition will run until May 7.

Animated film wins first prize in Film Pitching contest

Truong Hoc Ma Mut (The Mammoth School), an animated film, has won first prize at the Film Pitching contest jointly organised by the Vietnam Film Development Association (VFDA) and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPA).

The film by Ngan Zeta, a young freelance screenwriter, is a story about a 13-year-old girl who goes to a Mammoth School for intelligent animals but is discriminated against for being human.

The second prize was awarded to Tu Luc Van Doan (Once Upon a Time in Hanoi) by Doan Tan Dat, a film about the journey of a young man named Tam, who gets caught in a dangerous and unexpected trip by train to Saigon, then flees to France to form Tu Luc Van Doan, the biggest art and literature movement in Vietnam in the first half of 20th century.

The two winners were selected from 10 finalists with outstanding film projects in Vietnam.

Their names were announced at a Film Pitching Workshop held in Hanoi on April 26 as part of the contest after successfully defending their ideas in front of a jury of Vietnamese and foreign experts.

After the contest, the first prize winner will participate in a short filming course in the United States, while the second will be provided with a set of filmmaking accessories.

SEA Games 31: Table tennis competitions to take place from 10am to 10pm

Table tennis competitions at the 31st Southeast Asian Games will take place from 10am to 10pm at Hai Duong Gymnasium in the northern province of Hai Duong, according to the SEA Games 31 Organising Committee.

The Hai Duong Gymnasium has been selected as the venue for the table tennis competitions of the Games from May 13-20.

Athletes will undergo training from 10am to 10pm at the gymnasium on May 11 and 12.

The competitions of the men’s doubles, women’s doubles, men’s doubles and women’s doubles will take place on May 17. The semi-finals, finals and awarding ceremonies for these categories will be held on the following day.

The men's and women's singles events will be organised on May 18 and 19.

On May 20 - the last competition day, the games will start at 10am but end at 9pm, including the semi-finals and finals of the men's singles and women's singles categories. The winners of the contest will be awarded on the same day.

Table tennis will have seven categories for men and women. Nearly 100 athletes from eight countries, namely Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and hosts Vietnam, have registered to compete.

SEA Games 31, themed “For a Stronger South East Asia”, will be held in the capital city of Hanoi and 11 neighbouring provinces and cities from May 12 to 23.

Featuring 40 sports with 526 events, it is expected to attract around 10,000 participants. The biennial event was initially slated for late 2021 but delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact./.

Hanoi starts work on conserving French-time villa

The People’s Committee of Hoan Kiem district in Hanoi and authorities of France’s Ile-de-France region co-held a ceremony on April 27 to start a project conserving a French-era villa at No. 49 Tran Hung Dao Street – No 46 Hang Bai Street.

Chairman of the district People’s Committee Pham Tuan Long said the conservation of the villa at No. 49 Tran Hung Dao Street – No 46 Hang Bai Street is part of a joint project on conserving the former French Quarter in Hanoi implemented by Hanoi and Ile-de-France region since 2007.

The villa will be restored on the principle of keeping to the maximum original items using both conventional and modern technical solutions.

Following the restoration, the villa will be used as a cultural exchange centre, which is in line with the city’s strategy of conserving and promoting the value of urban heritage sites, Long said.  

With its new function, the villa is expected to become a new tourism attraction, where visitors can explore the formation of the so-called French Quarter in Hanoi, the influence and intermingling between the Vietnamese and French cultures not only in terms of architecture but also lifestyle throughout the first half of the 20th century. 

Besides, the French-era building would be an ideal place to hold promotion events for Vietnam-France trade and economic cooperation.

Hanoi has rich urban heritage, with the Thang Long ancient citadel, the Old Quarter and the former French Quarter. Among them, the former French Quarter has its own charm with tree-lined wide streets and French-style villas that gives Hanoi a unique feel like nowhere else in East Asia.

PM calls for more efforts to accelerate digital transformation

Digital transformation is a driving force for innovation and a foundation for a modern economy, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed as he chaired the National Committee on Digital Transformation’s second meeting on April 27.

PM Chinh, who is head of the committee, stressed that the 13th National Party Congress’s document defines the national digital transformation  as an important task associated with three main pillars of digital government, digital economy, and digital society.

The Party, State, Government and Prime Minister have paid special attention to this work, towards building a digital government, economy and society, and digital citizens, he said.

The leader stated that he had approved the designation of October 10 as the National Digital Transformation Day with three main goals of speeding up the implementation of relevant tasks, improving public awareness of the role, significance and benefits of digital transformation, and boosting the engagement of the entire political system, concerted actions at all level, and the participation of all people to ensure the success of the process.

Emphasising the heavy missions of the national committee, he asked it to direct and carry out policies and mechanisms to speed up the national digital transformation in association with administrative reform; build and develop the e-Government, digital government, economy and society, and smart cities; and facilitate the implementation of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Vietnam.

The committee was also tasked with removing obstacles and perfecting institutions for digital transformation; investing more in technology and infrastructure; mobilising resources, including the public-private partnership; issuing new mechanisms and policies that are suitable to the general ones but also have priorities to create a driving force for rapid development of digital transformation; innovating governance to meet higher requirements; and improving the quality of human resources.

Negative phenomena can easily occur as digital transformation is associated with investment in and upgrading of infrastructure and technology, PM Chinh noted, asking for regular inspection and supervision to prevent corruption.

According to a report on the digital transformation situation in the first quarter of this year delivered by Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Huy Dung, as of late March, all the 22 ministries and sectors and the country's 63 provinces and cities had set up their own steering committees on digital transformation, and 17 ministries and sectors and 57 localities issued five-year programmes/plans/projects on this work.

The rate of adults using smart phones was 70.91 percent, while the proportion of households with broadband fiber optic cable was 68.8 percent.

The e-invoice system is being carried out nationwide, creating favourable conditions for both people and enterprises. In Q1, the taxation agency received and handled over 77.7 million e-invoices.

Total revenue of the digital economy is estimated at about 53 billion USD in Q1, making 10.2 percent of GDP, of which the platform digital economy has a growth rate of 28 percent with 8 billion USD in revenue.

Action month for children calls for efforts in child abuse combat

Activities of the Action Month for Children 2022 this year will call for joint efforts in child protection and child abuse prevention and combat, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) has announced.

The activities will take place throughout June annually to enhance the sense of responsibility among sectors and relevant organisations in child protection and to ensure a safe summer for kids.

In the framework of the action month, a launch ceremony is slated around May 27 to June 1, together with an event responding to the World Day Against Child Labour on June 12.

The People’s Committees of localities nationwide are asked to build plans for activities of the action month suitable to their conditions, and to bolster communication work to raise awareness and skills in child protection.

Measures to fight sexual abuse and violence against children in family as well as locations receiving tipoffs and offering shelters for children, and helpline 111, an emergency telephone number for child protection, must be popularised.

Localities are also required to regularly check so as to detect in a timely manner high-risk locations prone to child-related accidents and to call on organisations and individuals to support victims of abuse, orphans and poor, ethnic and pandemic-hit children.

According to the MoLISA’s report, in 2021, the Ministry of Public Security detected 1,914 child abuse cases nationwide, an annual decrease of 31 cases. However, a number of severe cases that outraged the public took place.

Meanwhile, child protection, particularly against domestic violence, had yet to receive adequate attention. A report by the helpline said children abused by their relatives accounted for the lion’s share of the total cases last year, at 72.84 percent, which represented an annual increase of 5.3 percent./.

Int’l search volume for Vietnam tourism increases remarkably

Foreign visitors’ searches for trips to Vietnam have increased significantly since the reopening of the tourism sector, according to a report from Google Destination Insights.

The report from Google shows that the search volume for flights and accommodation has increased sharply by 25 to 50 percent since Vietnam fully reopened borders to tourists on March 15. This is the second highest growth rate in the world, behind Qatar with more than 75 percent.

From the beginning of April, keywords related to Vietnam's tourism, such as "Vietnam tourist", "Vietnam tourism", "Vietnam trip", "Vietnam travel” all increased at 100 percent to 350 percent on Google Trends.

People looking for tourism information in Vietnam mostly came from the US, Singapore, Philippines, Australia, India, the UK, and Canada.

International tourists are also interested in policies on visas, insurance, package tours and keywords "tourist visa Vietnam 2022", "travel insurance Vietnam trip", and "Vietnam tour".

Keywords such as "Saigontourist Vietnam", "Ho chi minh tourist", "Trang An", "Ha Long Vinpearl", "Nha Trang" were also frequently searched on Google.

It is considered a positive sign for Vietnam's tourism sector, especially as it is striving to regain growth momentum.

To promote tourism, the Government is making efforts to organise safe entertainment activities and to issue guidance on treatment of tourists infected with COVID-19 in order to provide friendly and safe tourism services.

Visa and tourism policies are also being reviewed to revive this sector.

Notably, the 31st SEA Games taking place from May 12 to 23 is expected to boost the tourism sector in Hanoi and other provinces by welcoming thousands of fans and tourists from the region and around the world.

Vietnam's engineering unit, field hospital leave for UN peacekeeping missions

Vietnam's Engineering Unit Rotation 1 and Level-2 Field Hospital Rotation 4 left Hanoi on April 27 for UN peacekeeping missions in Abyei and South Sudan.

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Chairman of the Defence - Security Council and Commander-in-chief of the People's Armed Forces, attended the deployment ceremony held by the Ministry of National Defence.

The event also saw the attendance of the UN Resident Coordinator, foreign ambassadors, the Head of the European Union Delegation, and foreign defence attachés in Vietnam.

Departing on the mission are 184 officers and soldiers of the Engineering Unit Rotation 1 and 63 of the Level-2 Field Hospital Rotation 4. This is the first time Vietnam has sent military engineers to join UN peacekeeping operations.
 
Addressing the event, President Phuc acknowledged the positive results that the Vietnamese military has achieved on previous UN peacekeeping missions, which has been highly regarded by communities and the UN.

It could be said that Vietnam’s participation over the past eight years has been a highlight in the multilateral foreign policies of the Government, Party and military, he added.

The President also extended his gratitude to the UN, partner countries and organisations that have contributed to the country, and hoped that Vietnam will continue to receive support during peacekeeping missions.

Presiding over the ceremony, Minister of National Defence General Phan Van Giang said: “During the missions, officers and soldiers will always maintain their solidarity, unity, determination to overcome challenges, and strive to fulfil the tasks assigned."
 
“They will be the true envoy of peace, the symbol of humanism, international solidarity, the embodiment of the noble qualities in a ‘soldier of Uncle Ho’ in the new era, the multinational, multicultural environment of the UN,” he added.

Despite the complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic, the field hospital's staff have completed the medical, military and language training programme in preparation for the deployment.

During their mission in South Sudan, the Level-2 Field Hospital Rotation 4 will focus on applying technology in medical examination and treatment, which will be the premise for them to conduct scientific research.

The hospital will also continue working on public communications and disease prevention in the harsh environment of the area.
 
The 184 staff members of the Engineering Unit Rotation 1 will help provide humanitarian assistance, supporting the UN delegations in keeping and re-establishing peace in the area.

They will also ensure transport, perform road maintenance, help reconstruct the UN base, and provide support for the local community by building community houses, schools, and other public facilities.

Taking into account the latest deployment, Vietnam’s military has sent a total of 76 officers on individual duties, and 436 soldiers in groups on UN peacekeeping missions.

Quang Ninh to reserve five hotels, resorts to serve SEA Games 31

The northern province of Quang Ninh will reserve five hotels and resorts to accommodate members of the Organising Committee, referees and athletes during the time of the SEA Games 31.

During the Games, Quang Ninh will host the events of beach handball, chess, women’s football, indoor volleyball, Chinese chess, beach volleyball, and triathlon, which are slated from May 6-22 with the participation of over 1,400 athletes.

According to the province’s SEA Games Organising Committee, three of the facilities are in Ha Long and Uong Bi cities, namely the five-star Legacy Yen Tu resort with 133 rooms, the five-star FLC Grand Hotel Ha Long with 649 rooms and the four-star Tuan Chau Resort Ha Long with 207 rooms. 

Two others, Hai Yen and Hoang Tam, are in Cam Pha city.

All the five are in city downtown or near competition venues.

The province considers hosting the regional sporting event a great opportunity to promote local tourism to international friends.

SEA Games 31, themed “For a Stronger South East Asia”, will be held in the capital city of Hanoi and 11 neighbouring provinces and cities from May 12 to 23.

Featuring 40 sports with 526 events, it is expected to attract around 10,000 participants. The biennial event was initially slated for late 2021 but delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact.

Vietnam, China seeks to facilitate customs clearance at border gates

Consul General of Vietnam in Nanning Do Nam Trung on April 27 received Mayor of Pingxiang city (Guangxi province) Wu Xiaohui, to discuss measures to improve the efficiency of customs clearance at border gates between the two countries.

Trung affirmed that Vietnam attaches great importance to ensuring smooth border trade between Vietnam and China, especially at border gates between Vietnam and Guangxi, including Pingxiang city. He noted leaders of relevant ministries, agencies and localities of the two sides have repeatedly exchanged ideas aimed at easing congestion and ensuring smooth border trade.

Localities, especially those bordering Guangxi, have thoroughly realized the common perception between the two sides, placing emphasis on cooperation with Guangxi in cross-border epidemic prevention and control.

He requested that Pingxiang city continue to closely coordinate with Lang Son province of Vietnam to facilitate border trade and improve customs clearance efficiency so as to bring practical benefits for the two sides in the context of the complicated development of the epidemic.

The two sides need to continue to closely coordinate and strengthen the exchange of effective measures on all channels to ensure cooperation in pandemic control in the border area on the one hand, and develop pandemic control measures on the other hand, in order to ramp up border trade, contributing to socio-economic development of each side, he said.

Sharing the view, Mayor Wu Xiaohui affirmed that the authorities of Guangxi province, including Pingxiang city, are keen to deal with the backlog to facilitate customs clearance in the border area between the two sides.

He proposed several specific measures to gradually improve the efficiency of customs clearance, saying the two sides need to well implement the common perception regarding COVID-19 control agreed upon over the past time.

Vietnamese delegation send off to SEA Games 31 today

A send-off ceremony for the Vietnamese sport delegation to the 31st Southeast Asian games (SEA Games) will be held at the Hanoi National Sports Training Centre this evening (April 28).

Vietnam will host the SEA Games 31 from May 12 to 23 with the participation of 11 Southeast Asian sports delegations. Athletes will compete in 40 sports in Hanoi and 11 neighbouring localities.

The Vietnamese delegation comprising a total of 1,341 people, including nearly 1,000 athletes, will take part in the event.

Many of the athletes are veteran competitors, including Huy Hoang in swimming, Quach Thi Lan, Nguyen Thi Oanh, Bui Thu Thao in athletics, Thanh Tung in gymnastics, Vu Thanh An in fencing, Nguyen Thi Tam in boxing or Truong Thi Kim Tuyen in taekwondo.

In addition, Vietnam has sent young athletes to the regional sport arena to create opportunities for them to hone skills for big tournaments in the future.

At this SEA Games, organizers have selected as many sports close to the Olympics and Asian games (ASIAD) as possible. Vietnamese athletes will compete in all 40 sports of the event.

The opening ceremony of the games is scheduled to take place on May 12, but some sports start from May 6.

“Queen of Speed” Le Tu Chinh to miss SEA Games 31

25-year-old track and field athlete Le Tu Chinh is set to miss the upcoming SEA Games 31 due to a meniscus injury in her right knee.

According to details given by the Vietnam Athletics Federation (VAF), Chinh requires immediate surgery that requires a break of several months.

The absence Chinh is said to seriously impact the achievements of Vietnamese athletics at the SEA Games 31 as she had been expected to win several gold medals for the national track and field team in the women's 100 metre and 200 metre events.

Chinh is widely considered to be the “Queen of Speed in Southeast Asia” as she won three gold medals at the 29th SEA Games in Malaysia in 2017. In 2016, Chinh also won her first gold medal in the women’s 100 metres.

Furthermore, the Vietnamese athlete was also the defending 100 metre SEA Games champion after winning the competition in 2019.

The nation dominated the athletics competition in the Philippines two years ago, winning a total of 16 gold medals, four ahead of regional powerhouse Thailand and surpassing their SEA Games target by five golds.

Moving forward, the SEA Games 31 will take place in Hanoi and 11 northern provinces from May 12 to May 23, with a total of 526 sets of medals on offer across 40 sports. The track and field competition is set to take place at the Hanoi-based My Dinh National Stadium between May 14 and May 19 with 47 sets of medals up for grabs.

Security tightened at HCM City airport for month-end holidays

Authorities in HCM City’s Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport are strengthening deployment of personnel during the upcoming holidays to ensure smooth movement of people and vehicles.

The National Reunification Day (April 30) and International Labour Day (May 1) holidays fall on a Saturday and Sunday and so the next two days are national holidays.

The long weekend means people will travel in huge numbers and airports are likely to be congested.

Đặng Ngọc Cương, director of Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport, said six domestic airlines and 39 international ones operate routinely at the airport.

Some 10,000 international visitors and more than 58,000 local passengers pass through it daily.

More than 9,000 contracted cars and traditional and technology-based taxis serve them every day.

The authorities recommend that passengers book a car in advance or travel by public buses.

It plans to open more D1 and D2 lanes for technology-based vehicles and more exits from the terminals.

To ensure the safety of passengers and staff, the airport authorities have asked all airlines, especially domestic, to provide accurate flight schedules and passenger volumes during peak days to have enough security personnel on duty.

There will be regular patrols to promptly clear congestion both inside the airport and on roads outside.

The airport’s two runways have been reopened after extensive upgrades, enabling an increase in the frequency of flights from 32-33 an hour to 40-44.

Vietnam Airlines, Pacific Airlines, VASCO, and Bamboo Airways have all increased the frequency of flights on key routes during the holidays.

They also have late-night flights to meet the skyrocketing demand. 

Measures needed to solve plastic pollution at waste recycling village

Plastic waste recycling has brought a better life to thousands of people in the suburban area of Ứng Hòa District in Hà Nội, but has caused serious plastic pollution to the environment and affected people’s health.

Quảng Phú Cầu Commune used to be a craft village for black incense making. Due to the unstable income of incense making, many households in the village switched to collecting and disposing of plastic waste.

The new job has improved many villagers’ life, and the commune has become the largest plastic waste recycling area in the capital city. However, local people have suffered severe plastic pollution.

Lý Đinh Tuấn, a resident in Xà Cầu Village, said that there were many jobs available for people of all ages to earn money.

"In our village, only sick people can't make money. No matter how old or young, people can do it because the job is very simple,” he said.

“Strong people work with the plastic crusher or load and unload plastic goods while the elderly and even children classify, peel-off labels of bottles and clean them. They can earn at least VNĐ100,000 per day.”

Households in Xà Cầu Village take advantage of everything made of plastic. Frames of cars or motorbikes, cans, barrels, pots, bottles, water pipes, roofing sheets, or tiny plastic caps are collected, classified and recycled.

But things that can't be recycled are illegally dumped along the roads or burned to limit transportation costs, seriously affecting the lives of local people due to the burning smell of plastic.

In addition, people are also tortured by the noise of plastic crushers all day long. Hundreds of households live in a severely polluted environment with hundreds of tonnes of waste around the commune.

Lý Thế Hạnh, who has worked as a recycler for nearly 10 years, said: “Every day, I earn more than VNĐ200,000 (US$7.8). I can’t work in the rice fields due to the water pollution and rat and bugs.”

“There is no other job for me to do. Due to the daily exposure to the garbage and residual chemicals, many people in the village suffer from respiratory diseases or even cancers.”

Nguyễn Tiến Thi, another resident, said: “I have seen many people die from cancers although the job has been the main source of income for many residents. We hope local authorities will have solutions to ensure people's livelihood and health at the same time."

Trang Văn Viễn, vice chairman of Quảng Phú Cầu Commune’s People's Committee, said that about 180 households were doing plastic waste recycling.

Plastic waste was collected everywhere and brought back for recycling.

Viễn said Bắc Sơn Urban Joint Stock Company previously had signed a contract with the Commune People's Committee to collect and treat plastic waste. In early April, the job stopped collecting waste when the contract ended, causing a backlog of non-recyclable plastic waste of up to 150 tonnes.

Viễn said on the afternoon of April 22, the committee worked with the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Ứng Hoà District and a representative of Hoà Bình Hi-tech Company to agree on a plan to treat non-recyclable plastic waste to address the situation.

According to Hà Nội’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment, about 4,000-5,000 tonnes of waste are discharged every day, about 80 tonnes of which are plastic. Only a small amount of plastic waste is incinerated, and most is buried directly in landfills or even discharged into rivers and seas.

Plastic waste is challenging to decompose and has a huge life span. 

Vietnam urged to expand social insurance coverage, limit lump-sum claims

Experts have recommended Vietnam work to expand the coverage of social insurance and limit the number of people claiming lump-sum payments.

Addressing a seminar in Hanoi on April 27, Le Hung Son, Deputy General Director of the Vietnam Social Security, said the 7th meeting of the 12th-tenure Party Central Committee issued Resolution No. 28-NQ/TW on reforming the social insurance policy so as to turn social insurance into a truly main pillar of the country’s social security system and gradually expand its coverage towards universal social insurance coverage.

According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), this resolution features many progressive regulations that approach the social security standards in international conventions and the ILO’s recommendations. Therefore, to institutionalise the Party and State’s viewpoints stated in the resolution, it is necessary to amend and supplement many relevant legal documents, including the Social Insurance Law, in a road map matching the country’s socio-economic conditions.

Robert J. Palacios, a social security expert for East Asia and the Pacific at the World Bank, said amending the Social Insurance Law is highly important, noting that Vietnam has the fastest population aging speed in Asia, and that is why social insurance coverage needs to be expanded and the law revised.

Vietnam should increase measures for raising the rate of participants in the social insurance system, he noted.

Christophe Lemiere, Programme Leader for Human Development for Vietnam at the WB, attributed the modest participation in compulsory social insurance in the country partly to the long minimum time of insurance contribution needed to claim pensions (20 years).

Vietnam is also the only country to allow workers to claim lump sums, which has boosted pressure on the social security system, he said, pointing out that the State has also had to provide income support for a large number of elder people not taking part in the system.

If the Social Insurance Law expands the groups subject to compulsory social insurance to all salary earners (the public sector, private companies, and business households), the number of participants in social insurance will also grow.

The Government should also limit the number of people claiming lump-sum payments while covering 30 - 50 percent of voluntary insurance premiums for low-income earners. Only by doing so can Vietnam reach the target of 60 percent of its workforce participating in social insurance by 2030, Lemiere added.

Nghe An reviews elephant conservation work

The Pu Mat National Park in the central province of Nghe An has just had a meeting with the Fauna & Flora International (FFI) on elephant conservation work in the area.

According to a report released by FFI at the Tuesday meeting, Vietnam had around 2,000 elephants in 1990, but the figure sharply fell to just 130 in 2013. Elephants were seen in eight provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Nam, Dak Lak, Lam Dong, Dong Nai, Binh Phuoc and Son La.

In 2013, the Vietnamese government carried out a project to preserve and develop wild elephants during the 2013-2020 period in Nghe An and two other provinces

Director of Pu Mat National Park, Tran Xuan Cuong, said that there were some 15-16 elephants in Nghe An Province, including 12-13 in the park and three others at Pu Huong Nature Reserve. One wild elephant was found in 2013 in Anh Son District.

"Since 2014, we have implemented some urgent measures to preserve and develop wild elephants at the national park," Cuong said. "Teams have been set up to raise people's awareness on elephant preservation, local residents have been taught to avoid conflicts with the animals; and facilities have been built to protect elephants."

The official said that the project has helped reduce conflicts between humans and elephants in the area.

"Due to their reduced environment and food shortages, hungry elephants used to leave the forest and enter people's surrounding farms and villages," he explained. "This caused damage and posed a danger to local residents. But the problem now no longer occurs after the project was carried out.

FFI's programmes manager in Vietnam, Hoang Van Lam praised efforts by authorities in Nghe An to protect local elephants.

"We should continue to raise people's awareness on protecting the proper environment for the elephants," he noted.

Hanoi, Phnom Penh agree new bilateral cooperation orientations

Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Dinh Tien Dung and Cambodia’s Phnom Penh governor Khuong Sreng promised to jointly seek new orientations to promote practical ooperation between the two cities in various fields during talks on April 27 in Phnom Penh.

The two officials agreed to further enhance cooperation in investment and tourism between enterprises in the two cities.

The Hanoi side pledged to enroll more Cambodian students to its universities; boost information sharing and experience in urban management and people-to-people exchanges; and enhance education and popularisation activities to raise awareness of younger generations of the fine traditional relationship between Vietnam and Cambodia.

For his part, Sreng highlighted the significance of the Hanoi delegation’s visit as it takes place when the two nations are celebrating the 55th anniversary of diplomatic ties (June 24, 1967-2022), affirming that it is a testament to the good traditional relationship between the two Parties, governments and peoples, especially the long-standing cooperation between Phnom Penh and Hanoi.

He stressed that the Cambodian people never forget the Vietnamese volunteer soldiers' help to bring his country out of the Pol Pot genocidal regime.

He briefed on the socio-economic reforms of Phnom Penh in recent years, saying that the city needs assistance in tourism and transport development.

While congratulating Cambodia for its great achievements in maintaining political stability, security, socio-economic development and constantly improving its international position, Dung highly valued Cambodia’s measures to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and its high COVID-19 vaccination coverage, as well as its positive achievements after fully reopening the economy.

Regarding efforts to recover post-pandemic, the Hanoi official said Vietnam in general and Hanoi in particular have been implementing solutions to remove the difficulties facing businesses, improve the business and investment environment, and attract foreign and domestic resources.

The Hanoi authority has also focused on allocating a budget to invest in key projects in areas that can help ensure the sustainable development of the capital, he noted.

Hanoi aims to become green, civilized, modern and competitive city in the region and the world, and maintain its “City for Peace” title, Dung added.

Earlier the same day, Dung paid courtesy visits to President of the Cambodian People's Party and Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen, CPP Honorary President and Chairman of the Cambodian National Assembly Samdech Heng Samrin, and CPP Vice President and President of the Senate of Cambodia Samdech Say Chhum.

Book exhibition features President Ho Chi Minh’s imprints

A book exhibition themed “Ho Chi Minh Imprints” opened in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on April 27, introducing more than 800 book titles featuring the life and career of President Ho Chi Minh published by Su That (Truth) National Political Publishing House.

According to Director of the publishing house Pham Minh Tuan, the exhibition will run until May 21 to celebrate the 47th anniversary of the Liberation Day and 123rd birthday of the late leader.

Books displayed at the event have high theoretical and practical values, giving visitors, especially youngsters, better understanding on the life and devotions of President Ho Chi Minh to the nation and people of Vietnam, encouraging them to study and follow the leader’s teachings.

Along with exploring the books directly, visitors can find them online at website stbook.vn, he said.

Nguyen Thi Thu Trang, a student from Can Tho Technical Economic College, said that through the exhibition, she feels more proud of the national leader and grateful to previous generations, while being inspired to make more contributions to the national construction.

European Literature Days offer valuable literature

The European Literature Days 2022 will take place in Hanoi from May 5 to 15, offering valuable literature for everyone.

The European Literature will be presented through literary translations from Belgium (Wallonie-Bruxelles), the Czech Republic, the UK, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Spain, and for the first time - Ukraine.

Visitors can experience the writings at Casa Italia and the Goethe-Institut, and Nha Nam Book & Coffee on Nguyen Quy Duc Street.

Vietnamese writers will also be invited onto the stage of the European Literature Days to introduce their latest poems and prose to a curious readership. As always, European Literature Days are a marketplace, a platform for cultural exchange, and a fun place to be. The cultural exchange between Vietnam and Europe, with new creative products from Europe in excellent translation, will be the heart of the festival.

The festival will be opened simultaneously on May 5 at Casa Italia and the Goethe-Institut. The Embassy of Ukraine is a special guest at both the Literature Days and the Film Festival 2022. Ukraine will be launching the anthology of Ukrainian and world poems, translated and produced for the 30th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Ukraine.

Readers will also meet authors of novels from the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, and Italy, some of them very popular and with a readership in Vietnam. From France Delphine de Vigan will present her psychological detective novel “D’après uns histoire vraie” at Nha Nam bookstore. From Germany internationally acclaimed lawyer-became-writer Bernhard Schlink who has gained a loyal readership in Vietnam will be present with his latest short stories. He will be followed by another lawyer-became-writer Ferdinand von Schirach. His book will introduce the Vietnamese audience to the European legal and value system in an entertaining and often thrilling way as no writer before has ever achieved. A new name for the international book market is German Viet-Kieu Khue Pham. She will be introduced through an excellent translation of an excerpt from her book to the Vietnamese readership by ZZZ Review. Last but least we expect online, the recipient of the famous German Book Prize and visiting writer to Vietnam in 2018, Julia Franck.

In addition, a round-table on Nobel Prize winner Kazuo Ishiguro will be held by Nha Nam publishing and the British Council. This event will be joined by the translators and an open a discussion on what is hidden in the ambiguities in Ishiguro’s works.

Dong Nai hands over 2,184 hectares of land for Long Thanh airport project

A working delegation of the Government led by Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh yesterday had a site inspection and worked with the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), the People’s Committee of Dong Nai Province about the work progress of Long Thanh international airport project.

According to ACV’s report, by April 24, 2022, the contractor mobilized 1,211 staff and arranged over 907 machines and equipment to implement 32 work chains in the project.

By April 24, the volume of excavation and backfilling of soil has been reached 6.6 million cubic meter and strives to exceed the plan of one more million cubic meter of excavation and backfilling this month. Meanwhile, pile foundation package with 1,560 piles will be under construction from March to October of 2022, ensuring joints synchronizing with the construction of the terminal in October.

Deputy Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee of Dong Nai, the Southeast province has handed over the area of 2,184 out of 2,532 hectares, reaching over 86 percent. The rest areas of 347.28 hectares under the first phase of the project is expected to be handed over next month.

Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh required the ACV to promote its role of operating the entire project instead of one bidding package; the project management board must closely supervise the contractor while the contractor must commit to ensure the progress of each work and pay special attention to the work quality, and absolutely avoid the acts of self-interest and negativity.

Dong Nai Province must hand over the whole area serving for Long Thanh International Airport by the end of June.

On the occasion, Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh and the delegation offered gifts to the construction unit and workers and performed site surveys at some key national transport projects in the locality.

Vehicles to be banned from driving through city center during holidays

In order to ensure traffic order during sports events marking the 47th anniversary of the Liberation of South Vietnam and National Reunification Day (April 30, 1975-2022) and the 136th anniversary of May Day (May 1), Vice Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport Vo Khanh Hung said that the unit will perform traffic adjustment through many streets in the city center.

Particularly, vehicles will be restricted from traveling through some streets of Le Duan, Dong Khoi, Le Loi, Nguyen Hue, Le Thanh Ton, Ton Duc Thang, Vo Van Kiet, the road under Khanh Hoi Bridge, Nguyen Huu Canh, Dien Bien Phu, Sai Gon Bridge and Hanoi Highway within two hours from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on April 30. 

Starting from 6 a.m. to 12 a.m. on April 30, Ho Chi Minh City will ban all vehicles to drive on Le Duan Street, a section from Pham Ngoc Thach to Pasteur Street; restrict means of transport on Nguyen Binh Khiem Street, a section from Le Duan Street to Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street and a section from Nguyen Binh Khiem Street to Pasteur Street. 

Drivers need to comply with the instructions of the traffic police or the traffic signal system as they travel through the above-mentioned areas.

Vietnam urged to expand social insurance coverage, limit lump-sum claims

Experts have recommended Vietnam work to expand the coverage of social insurance and limit the number of people claiming lump-sum payments.

Addressing a seminar in Hanoi on April 27, Le Hung Son, Deputy General Director of the Vietnam Social Security, said the 7th meeting of the 12th-tenure Party Central Committee issued Resolution No. 28-NQ/TW on reforming the social insurance policy so as to turn social insurance into a truly main pillar of the country’s social security system and gradually expand its coverage towards universal social insurance coverage.

According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), this resolution features many progressive regulations that approach the social security standards in international conventions and the ILO’s recommendations. Therefore, to institutionalise the Party and State’s viewpoints stated in the resolution, it is necessary to amend and supplement many relevant legal documents, including the Social Insurance Law, in a road map matching the country’s socio-economic conditions.

Robert J. Palacios, a social security expert for East Asia and the Pacific at the World Bank, said amending the Social Insurance Law is highly important, noting that Vietnam has the fastest population aging speed in Asia, and that is why social insurance coverage needs to be expanded and the law revised.

Vietnam should increase measures for raising the rate of participants in the social insurance system, he noted.

Christophe Lemiere, Programme Leader for Human Development for Vietnam at the WB, attributed the modest participation in compulsory social insurance in the country partly to the long minimum time of insurance contribution needed to claim pensions (20 years).

Vietnam is also the only country to allow workers to claim lump sums, which has boosted pressure on the social security system, he said, pointing out that the State has also had to provide income support for a large number of elder people not taking part in the system.

If the Social Insurance Law expands the groups subject to compulsory social insurance to all salary earners (the public sector, private companies, and business households), the number of participants in social insurance will also grow.

The Government should also limit the number of people claiming lump-sum payments while covering 30 - 50 percent of voluntary insurance premiums for low-income earners. Only by doing so can Vietnam reach the target of 60 percent of its workforce participating in social insurance by 2030, Lemiere added.

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