Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính has told relevant ministries to review and establish policies to mobilise all resources for early childhood education, especially policies regarding taxation, land access, credit and human resources, as well as enhancing the quality of human resources, to serve early childhood education.

He made the order when he chaired a meeting of the committee on renewal and development of early childhood education by 2030 on Thursday in Hà Nội.

The relevant ministries, sectors and localities were ordered to coordinate with the Ministry of Education and Training to implement the above requirements, he said.

Speaking at the meeting, he also said that education and training were identified by the Party and the State as the top national policies.

He quoted President Hồ Chí Minh’s teaching: “For the sake of ten years, we must plant trees, for the sake of 100 years, we must cultivate people.”

He added that investing in education was investing in development.

There must be fundamental and comprehensive reforms in education and training, including early childhood education, to realise the Party and the State's guidelines and policies on education and training development, in line with the requirements of industrialisation and modernisation of the country.

The renewal of education and training must aim to comprehensively train and develop Vietnamese people, in line with the development trends of the era, adapting to the country's conditions and circumstances.

It also aims to innovate early childhood education, particularly for children aged three to five; and innovate resource mobilisation, with public-private cooperation being the main method to develop education and training, he said.

Also at the meeting, participants said that early childhood education played a particularly important role in the national education system and in the strategic development of human resources and the development of Vietnamese people.

In recent years, the Party and the State have issued many guidelines and policies on education and training development, including early childhood education.

Therefore, early childhood education had achieved commendable results.

Every year, over 5.3 million preschool children are nurtured, cared for and educated in over 15,000 preschools and nearly 16,000 independent facilities nationwide. Nationally, 56.9 per cent of preschools meet national standards.

Successfully achieving the goal of universalising early childhood education for 5-year-old kindergarten children had created mechanisms and motivations to promote the development of early childhood education, step by step meeting the needs of nurturing, caring for and educating children.

However, there was still a shortage of classrooms, teachers and teaching equipment, the meeting heard.

In response to the country's development needs in the new period, early childhood education should be renewed to meet the requirements.

The goal was to innovate the content of early childhood education programmes; especially the mechanisms for mobilising resources and the conditions for implementing innovation and development in early childhood education.

Chính assigned the Ministry of Education and Training to absorb the comments of the Committee’s members; continue to improve reports and submit them to competent authorities to issue appropriate documents on the renewal and development of early childhood education in accordance with the Party's and the State's guidelines, based on the actual situation and overcoming bottlenecks in the development of early childhood education. 

PM orders strengthening forest fire prevention, control

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on April 4 issued a dispatch ordering localities, ministries, and agencies to strengthen forest fire prevention and control measures.

The move is made as unusual hot weather is baking the southern and Central Highlands regions as well as some northern provinces, causing high risk of fire for many forests at dangerous and extremely dangerous levels. Forest fires have been occurring continuously in Lao Cai, Son La, Yen Bai provinces in the north, Khanh Hoa in the central region, Dak Nong, Lam Dong, Gia Lai, Kon Tum in the Central Highlands, and Kien Giang in the south.

According to the National Centre for Hydrometeorological Forecasting, due to the impact of climate change and the El Nino phenomenon, in 2024 severe heat waves will appear in many localities, with higher temperatures than in 2023. Severe hot weather and falling rainfalls pose a high risk of forest fires in many places, causing damage to forests and the environment, and affecting the people’s health, property, and lives.

To proactively prevent and combat forest fires and minimise damage caused by forest fires, the PM requests the Chairpersons of People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities to direct urgent measures, making the work a key task in the time being.

People's Committees at all levels and relevant agencies are required to strictly enforce forest fire prevention and control and intensify inspection and supervision.

They are asked to develop specific, detailed fire prevention and control plans, arrange staff and resources for the work, review and make a list of forests at high risk of fire.

The PM also assigns tasks to ministries and asks the mass media to further popularise information about forest fire prevention and control, especially fire warnings and forecasting./.

Dien Bien Phu Victory celebrated in Algeria

The Vietnamese Embassy in Algeria in collaboration with the national daily El Moudjahid of the African country organised a press conference on April 4 to mark the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 7, 1954 – 2024) and the signing of the Geneva Accords on ending the war in Vietnam (July 21, 1954 – 2024).

Attending the event were Vice President of the People's National Assembly of Algeria Messaoud Ghesri and representatives from the legislature’s committees, the Council of the Nation, the National Federation of Veterans of Algeria, the diplomatic corps, journalists, veterans, and Algerian friends.

Ambassador Tran Quoc Khanh highlighted the immense significance of the victory and the accords for oppressed people worldwide, saying that for the Algerian revolution, it was truly a source of inspiration, faith, and great encouragement for Algerian people to rise up in the revolution on November 1, 1954.

The diplomat affirmed that lessons from the events still hold a huge value today and need to be passed down to the younger generations of the two countries, thus promoting the traditional bilateral relationship in all aspects.

Algerian delegates said many Algerians take the victory a shared triumph of the two nations and their revolutions closely interconnected.

They said the important historical milestones of the Dien Bien Phu Victory, the signing of the Geneva Accords, as well as the words of General Vo Nguyen Giap during his visit to Algeria in 1976 remain fresh in their minds and hearts./.

Tourism fair in full swing in HCM City

A wide range of vibrant activities are being held within the 20th Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Fair, which kicked off on April 4 to promote the southern metroplis as a safe, attractive and hospitable destination for both domestic and foreign visitors.

Over 150 booths are arranged at the four-day fair where 50 vendors from 45 cities and provinces are touting promotion tourism programmes and products to the visitors.

Nearly 400 low-cost tours, travel vouchers and discounted tourism services are on sale at the event, with a total value of some 50 billion VND (2 million USD).

Along with packages with steep discounts, there are many gifts and lucky draws which are expected to bring fascinating experience to visitors.

Travel firms reported handsome sales right on the first day of the fair as their packages were sold like hot cakes, earning them more than 26.3 billion VND in revenue, up 49%  year-on-year.

The event features acoustic and stilt walking performances, an exchange programme to introduce culture and destinations of different localities and various tourism promotion workshops, among others.

A highlight of this year's fair is a tourism career exchange that helps connect travel businesses with workers and students.

According to Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Vo Van Hoan, as a tourism hub of the country, HCM City has worked to develop specific plans and actions to bolster tourism post pandemic.

The fair is expected to enhance cooperation between travel firms and promote regional linkages so as to improve tourism offerings’ quality and competitive edge, he said.

In Q1, HCM City welcomed 1.38 million tourist arrivals, a year-on-year surge of 32.4% and accounting for 30% of the country’s total international visitors. Meanwhile, it served over 8 million domestic arrivals, up 6.6% from the same time last year.

Tourism revenue was 44.7 trillion VND in the period, rising 23.8% year-on-year and making up 23.7% of the country’s total earnings./.

Foreign ministers affirm leading importance of Vietnam - China relations

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son held talks with Wang Yi, member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Director of the Office of the CPC Central Committee’s Commission for Foreign Affairs and Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, in Guangxi province on April 4.

The event, part of Minister Son’s official visit to China, was the first meeting between the two foreign ministers since their countries agreed to elevate the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and build a community with a shared future that carries strategic significance.

The ministers held that since the historic visits by Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to China in October 2022 and by Party General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping to Vietnam in December 2023, bilateral relations have developed strongly and obtained important results. Particularly, the two sides’ senior leaders agreed to identify a new status for the countries’ relations, and issued a joint statement on continuing to deepen and elevate the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and build a community with a shared future that carries strategic significance.

Son and Wang affirmed the leading importance of the Vietnam - China relations in each country’s foreign policy, stressing the need to enhance coordination and effectively carry out the high-level agreements and common perceptions so as to unceasingly develop bilateral ties in a healthy, stable, and sustainable manner.

They agreed to maintain frequent high-level exchanges and meetings, reinforce cooperation between the two Parties, and work together to properly organise high-level diplomatic activities between the two countries in 2024, the 16th meeting of the Steering Committee for Bilateral Cooperation, along with dialogue, exchange, and cooperation mechanisms in the fields of defence - security and justice.

The officials also agreed to foster and improve the effectiveness of economic and trade partnerships, with priority given to promoting strategic transport connectivity, facilitating socio-economic exchanges, and contributing to China’s cooperation with Southeast Asia.

They concurred in increasing people-to-people exchanges, boosting communications about the countries’ traditional friendship as well as each country’s achievements in reform and opening, and stepping up exchange and cooperation mechanisms between Vietnamese and Chinese localities.

Vietnam and China will keep strengthening coordination and mutual support within multilateral frameworks, continue working closely with each other in land border management and protection in line with the three legal documents on land border and related agreements; actively open, upgrade, and recognise pairs of border gates; and accelerate the building of smart border gates, they noted.

With regard to sea-related issues, the two sides underlined the importance of seriously implementing the agreements and common perceptions reached between the two Parties and countries’ leaders on properly controlling and settling differences; fully, comprehensively, and effectively implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC); and joining ASEAN countries in promoting negotiations and soon finalising a substantive, efficient, and effective code of conduct (COC) in the waters that matches international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Minister Son asked both sides to bolster balanced and sustainable economic - trade cooperation.

He called on China to continue facilitating and increasing the import of Vietnam’s agricultural products, create conditions for early establishing some trade promotion offices of Vietnam in Chinese localities, and actively tackle problems of some industrial cooperation projects. He also proposed China speed up railway connection with northern Vietnamese provinces, expand economic corridors in the “Two Corridors, One Belt” region to Chongqing of China, soon set up a working group for tourism promotion, increase commercial flights, and further boost people-to-people ties as well as exchanges between border localities of the countries.

For his part, Wang asked the two sides to foster the strategic connectivity between the “Belt and Road” Initiative with the “Two Corridors, One Belt” framework, and tighten economic, trade and investment links.

China will actively consider expanding the import of goods, farm produce, and aquatic products from Vietnam, he said, noting that it supports road transport connectivity and the building of smart border gates to facilitate customs clearance; supports stronger educational and tourism ties. The country will coordinate more closely with Vietnam at regional and international multilateral forums, he added.

Also on April 4, Minister Son examined the pilot operation of the landscape site of Ban Gioc (Vietnam) - Detian (China) Waterfalls./.     

Vietnam co-chairs 28th ASEAN-RoK dialogue

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Head of the ASEAN Senior Official Meeting (SOM) delegation of Vietnam Do Hung Viet and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, SOM Leader of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Chung Byung-won co-chaired the 28th ASEAN-RoK Dialogue on April 4.

The event was attended by senior officials of ASEAN member states, the Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for the ASEAN Political-Security Community, and Timor-Leste as observer.

Participants at the event reviewed the ASEAN-RoK cooperation, proposed directions and measures to further develop the relations in the coming time, as well as discussed the international and regional situation.

Speaking the event, the RoK Deputy Minister emphasised that this year is an important year to comprehensively implement eight key tasks in the Korea-ASEAN Solidarity Initiative (KASI) announced by the RoK in April 2023. The RoK will continue to strengthen practical and mutually beneficial partnerships in addressing regional challenges including traditional and non-traditional security areas such as strategic cooperation, digital transformation, climate change response and development in the future. It will contribute to the establishment of three major communities that ASEAN aims to achieve by 2025.

Jeong Byeong-won also asked for support from ASEAN member countries so that the KASI's core cooperation projects, for example, the "Korea-ASEAN Digital Innovation"  - a project using the ASEAN-Korea Cooperation Fund to strengthen human capacity, use and popularise artificial intelligence (AI), are launched and successfully implemented.
The Korean side supports ASEAN's digital innovation by building customised infrastructure related to AI and supporting human resources development.

At the dialogue, both ASEAN and the RoK affirmed the strategic importance of the relationship to each side and the entire region. The RoK emphasised that ASEAN is the focus of its regional strategy. The RoK said it supports the central role of ASEAN, and affirmed to coordinate with the grouping to effectively implement the KASI.

Meanwhile, ASEAN countries welcomed the RoK's proposal to establish the ASEAN-RoK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) and are actively coordinating with the Korean side towards this goal on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of ASEAN-RoK dialogue relations this year.

Appreciating the positive developments over the past time, ASEAN and the RoK agreed to continue coordinating to implement the ASEAN-RoK Action Plan for the 2021-2025 period effectively. Countries agreed to pay attention and prioritise resources to promote trade, investment and market access; stabilise supply chains; develop business, culture, education and health; and expand their cooperation to new areas with great potential such as innovation, digital transformation, energy transition, climate change response, and green and sustainable development.

ASEAN agreed to work with the RoK to strengthen response to non-traditional security challenges and maritime cooperation. The bloc welcomed the RoK’s  continued commitment to supporting it in narrowing the development gaps and developing the sub-region, including the Mekong-RoK partnership framework.
ASEAN member states and the RoK also exchanged views on issues of common interest and concern, including developments in the East Sea, Korean Peninsula, Myanmar, Ukraine and the Middle East.

Both sides emphasised the need to strengthen coordination, particularly at mechanisms chaired by ASEAN, to strive to ensure peace, security and stability in the region, facilitate development, and uphold international law compliance, resolve disputes and conflicts by peaceful means on the basis of the UN Charter and basic principles of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982).

Vietnamese Deputy FM Do Hung Viet asked the RoK to keep supporting ASEAN's common stance on the East Sea as well as efforts to fully and effectively implement the Declaration of the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and soon finalise a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) that is effective, efficient, substantive and in accordance with international law, including UNCLOS 1982.

Regarding the topics of science, technology, innovation and digital transformation, Viet said cooperation in the areas has become increasingly urgent for each country and every citizen, towards a self-resilient and sustainable future. He spoke highly of the RoK's support to ASEAN, especially its commitment of 30 million USD for the Korea-ASEAN Digital Innovation Framework (KADIF).

ASEAN has proposed directions and solutions to promote its cooperation with the RoK in the coming time, with focus on digital infrastructure development, human resources, digital economy, as well as strengthen cooperation in emerging fields such as semiconductors, AI, digital data, cyber security and information safety, and AI governance, he said.

Regarding the transfer of the coordinating role of ASEAN-RoK relations to Thailand at the ASEAN Post Ministerial Conferences (PMC) with the RoK in July 2024, Viet affirmed that Vietnam will coordinate closely with Thailand in this process, ensuring continuity and efforts to promote ASEAN-RoK relations to new heights./.

Mongolia seeks closer tourism links with Vietnam

The Mongolian Ministry of Environment and Tourism is holding tourism promotion activities in Vietnam from April 4 to 7 during the first time this landlocked country takes part in the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Festival.

This also marks the start of activities to be held on the threshold of the 70th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic relations (November 17, 1954 - 2024).

At the festival, a programme named "Go Mongolia Roadshow 2024” is organised to introduce the Mongolian culture, tourism and cuisine; and explore tourism cooperation opportunities between the two countries.

Galbaa Davkharbayar, Second Secretary of the Mongolian Embassy in Vietnam, said the HCM City Tourism Festival is a chance for his country to introduce its culture and people to the Vietnamese and help travel businesses of Mongolia seek partnerships with Vietnamese firms to increase visitors to each other’s markets, thus contributing to economic ties and friendship between the two countries.

The numbers of Vietnamese visitors to Mongolia and Mongolian visitors to Vietnam have been on the rise over the past years, but that has yet to fully live up to the countries’ huge tourism potential, he noted.

He cited statistics as showing that more than 2,000 Vietnamese tourists came to Mongolia in 2023, when the number of Mongolian travellers to the Southeast Asian nation topped 15,000.

Zolkhuu Ulambayar, Director of Mongolian travel company TMD Tourist LLC, perceived that aside from each country’s tourism advantages, the bilateral visa exemption agreement, which came into force on March 7 this year, will also create favourable conditions and good opportunities for businesses to strengthen trade, investment and tourism ties, as well as people-to-people exchanges.

HCM City is a big tourism centre of Vietnam and also has a large number of tourists travelling abroad. Given this, an Ulaanbaatar - HCM City air route expected to be opened by Mongolian Airlines this November will help encourage more Mongolians and Vietnamese to visit each other’s countries, he added./.

EPR – a motive for Vietnam’s circular economic development: Norwegian diplomat

The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is among the solutions that will help Vietnam realise its ambition of boosting the circular economy and green transition, according to Deputy Head of Mission at the Norwegian Embassy in Vietnam Mette Moglestue.

Talking to a Vietnam News Agency reporter on the sidelines of the seminar “Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): From Policy to Implementation” held in Hanoi on April 4, Moglestue noted that Vietnam has several related regulations, describing this as a sound beginning to consolidate its own policies to ensure effective implementation of the EPR regulations. 

Among the first Southeast Asian countries applying the tool, Vietnam requires producers and importers of electronic products, lubricants and various types of packaging to recycle or pay fees to support waste recycling activities from January 1, 2024. Meanwhile, they are required to implement recycling from January 1, 2025, and manufacturers and importers of transportation vehicles from January 1, 2027.

Sharing Norway’s experience in carrying out the EPR regulations, Moglestue said setting ambitious policy targets is crucial to promote innovations in the private sector.

Although enterprises could say it is difficult to comply with the EPR scheme, they are able to effectively carry out the regulations and do very good business, she stressed.

Norway also continually held consultations and dialogues with research institutes, private enterprises and press agencies during policy development so as to ensure the rights of the stakeholders, she said, adding platforms and forums were organised for relevant parties to share knowledge and opinions to complete the policies.

She went on to say that Norway stands ready to share its experience with Vietnam to improve the building and enforcement of EPR regulations, expressing her hope Norwegian enterprises will share their technologies with Vietnamese partners to help them effectively implement the State policies./.

9th Vietnam Executive Leadership Programme practical, useful for Vietnam: Deputy PM

The 9th Vietnam Executive Leadership Programme (VELP) in the US, featuring 10 open and frank panel discussions, has been practical and beneficial for various ministries, agencies, localities, and enterprises in Vietnam, according to Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai.

In his remarks concluding the programme on April 3 (local time), Khai stated the enhancement of internal capacity, resilience, adaptability, and risk management capabilities of the economy is an essential and urgent requirement for Vietnam in the face of the rapid, unpredictable, and complex global developments.

He ordered his working delegation to take into account recommendations by participating experts in their work regarding macroeconomic management, particularly the formulation of policies and national strategies to promote new growth drivers and implement the Vietnam-US comprehensive strategic partnership for peace, cooperation, and sustainable development.

At the discussions, taking centre stage were the impact on Vietnam of global economic outlook and notable trends in the Asian economy, the promotion of new growth drivers in the country, particularly innovation, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, and emerging technologies, as well as measures to overcome the middle-income trap and transition to a new growth model.

Notably, this year's edition dedicated significant time to delve into the development trends of emerging technologies such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and the semiconductor industry.

Participating experts said Vietnam's economic growth prospects for 2024 are positive, with forecasts hovering around 6.4% and potentially reaching 6.8% if the recovery of major economies is well utilised, domestic investment promoted, and domestic consumption expanded.

In the long term, they expressed optimism regarding the nation’s potential for sustainable development thanks to its abundant labour force, capacity to absorb emerging technologies, promotion of innovation, and extensive network of multilateral economic cooperation with economic powerhouses worldwide. They also commended the Vietnamese government's planning, policy formulation, and management capacity.

Launched in 2008, the VELP is a high-level policy forum co-organised by the Harvard Kennedy School and Fulbright School of Public Policy and Management. It provides a forum for high-ranking policymakers and executives to deliberate on the most significant global socio-economic trends based on up-to-date practical research and to discuss policy challenges for Vietnam’s development./.

Hanoi builds, repairs houses for poor families

A series of groundbreaking ceremonies to build and repair houses for poor and near-poor households were organised in Hanoi's 15 districts and townships on April 3 as part of activities to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the capital’s Liberation Day (October 10, 1954-2024) and welcome the Congresses of the Vietnam Fatherland Front at all levels for the 2024 - 2029 tenure.

Under the programme, as many as 725 poor households will receive support to build and repair houses with a total cost of nearly 62 billion VND (2.5 million USD). With timely and special attention of the city, poor and near-poor families will have spacious houses and have a better life.

Vice Chairwoman of the municipal People's Committee Vu Thu Ha said the programme holds a significant and practical meaning, demonstrating the tradition of solidarity and joining hands for the poor of the whole political system.

She also asked departments, sectors and localities regularly direct, inspect and urge relevant units to ensure the quality and progress of the construction and repair of the houses for poor and near-poor households so as to complete the works before September 30, 2024.

According to the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Committee of Hanoi, from 2021 to 2023, the "For the Poor" Fund at all levels mobilised over 193 billion VND. Of which, over 177 billion VND has been allocated to support poor, near-poor and extremely difficult households to build and repair 2,037 houses; children of 10,561 households received assistance in study; 3,165 households received livelihood support and 3,383 households received medical examination and treatment

In 2023, the number of poor households in the city reduced by 1,456 poor households, bringing the poverty rate down to 0.03% and the near-poverty rate to 0.7%. Eighteen out of the city's 30 districts now have no poor households while five districts have recorded no near-poor families./.

Two rare lorises discovered in Bac Kan

A loris (Nycticebus pygmaeus) was discovered by an official of the Nam Xuan Lac Species and Habitat Conservation Area in Cho Don district, the northern mountainous province of Bac Kan, on April 3.

The management board of the conservation area is currently processing procedures to release this mammal back to nature.

Previously, on March 28, an official of the People’s Committee of Ban Thi Commune in Cho Don district also found another loris. 
 
The animal is listed as endangered, precious, and rare prioritised for protection belonging to Group IB following the Government’s Decree 84/2021/ND-CP dated September 22, 2021.

The management board of the conservation area coordinated with the People’s Committee of Ban Thi commune to release the lorises into nature within the special-use forest area managed by the unit.

A representative of the management board said the agency and local authorities have increased patrols, protection efforts, and public awareness campaigns to ensure that residents living around the conservation area refrain from any actions that may harm the lorises in particular and wild animals in general./. 

Ministry still requires health checks for driver's license issuance

The Ministry of Health affirmed that when taking a driver's license test or changing a driver's license, people still need to have a health check and produce driving health certificates.

Following the news that the Ministry of Health abolished the administrative procedures of issuing health examination certificates for drivers and periodic health examinations for car drivers, many people believed that taking a test or renewing a driver's license does not require a medical examination.

However, the Ministry of Health has just rejected this news. According to the Ministry of Health, it has sent a document to health departments of 63 provinces and cities nationwide and hospitals on guiding procedures related to health examinations.

The Ministry of Health requested heads of health departments and hospitals to disseminate the Ministry’s guidance as well as inspect organizations and individuals under the Ministry to strictly implement the provisions of the Law of Medical Examination and Treatment in 2023 in particular and related regulations in implementing examination and issuing health certificates in general.

The Ministry of Health affirmed that when taking a driver's license test or changing a driver's license, people still need to have a health check and produce a driving health certificate. According to the Ministry of Health, the abolition of the above administrative procedures does not mean that from now on, people don’t need to have a medical examination when taking a driver's license exam.

Explaining this, the Ministry of Health said that according to the old regulations, the procedures of ‘issuing a health examination certificate for drivers’, ‘periodic health examination for car drivers’ or ‘periodic health examination’ are considered administrative procedures. As per the new regulations (Article 2 of the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment 2023), these procedures are no longer administrative procedures but a professional process and techniques implemented by medical staff.

Kien Giang closes sluice gates to prevent saltwater intrusion

In response to the escalating saltwater intrusion during the dry season, the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang has closed sluice gates along the Cai Be and Cai Lon rivers.

From April 2 to 4, inland waterway traffic near the Cai Be and Cai Lon sluice gates will be restricted, as announced by the Inland Waterways Administration Branch III under the Vietnam Inland Waterways Administration.

This measure is aimed at facilitating the operation of the sluice gates to regulate river water flow, thereby mitigating the impact of saltwater intrusion. During the closure period, vessels will be permitted to navigate through the sluice gates only via designated navigation locks.

To ensure safety, an inland waterway signaling system will be activated, with regulatory forces overseeing traffic in the vicinity of the sluice gates.

The decision to implement this measure stems from declining water levels upstream in the Mekong River, exacerbating saltwater intrusion into coastal areas. This phenomenon, coupled with soaring temperatures and intense evaporation rates, poses a significant threat to shrimp farming.

If the drought persists, salinity levels will exceed allowable thresholds in Vinh Thuan, An Minh, and An Bien districts of Kien Giang Province, severely impacting production.

Documents guiding implementation of Real Estate Business Law, Housing Law being drafted: Official

The Government has issued plans and lists of tasks to build documents guiding the implementation of the newly-approved Law on Real Estate Business and Law on Housing, said Deputy Minister of Construction (MoC) Nguyen Van Sinh.

For the Law on Housing, the MoC has been assigned to build three decrees, one circular and one decision to detail the law, the official said at the Government’s regular press conference in Hanoi on April 3.

Alongside, the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Public Security were asked to build circulars detailing a number of articles of the law related to their authority.

For the Law on Real Estate Business, the MoC was requested to build two decrees and one circular, while the Ministry of Finance was tasked to design a circular on the use of financial resources for the collection of information and operations of the information system and database on housing and the real estate market, the price of information system and database supply services and the use of money from the services.

At the same time, the Government also asked localities to specify a number of regulations related to the Housing Law, and design regulations to support investors in social housing development in their locality, said the official.

Sinh added that the MoC has established a drafting committee to build the documents, while making public the contents of the draft documents to gather ideas from people, businesses, ministries, sectors, localities, associations, and other relevant agencies.

The ministry has held many conferences in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to discuss the documents, especially the decree on upgrading and rebuilding old apartment buildings, he said.

As scheduled, the ministry will send the draft documents to the Ministry of Justice on April 20 for verification after competing them and submitting them to the Government for approval in May, said Sinh./.

Việt Nam aims for first Asian Cup medal, World Cup slot

Captain Phạm Đức Hòa says Việt Nam has a double target when they take part in the AFC Futsal Asian Cup later this month in Thailand.

Preparations for the tournament are almost complete after their third-place finish at a four-side international friendly event on March 31.

One high note was the match against a powerful Iran team. Despite a 3-1 defeat, the result was much better than previous meetings between the two sides.

"I think Việt Nam are ready for the Cup," said coach Diego Giustozzi.

"Iran are not only No 1 in  Asia but also in the world leading group. In the Asian Cup not every team could play as well as Iran. So I believe that we will have chance."

In Bangkok, Việt Nam will play Myanmar, China and the hosts in Group A on April 17, 19 and 21, respectively.

The top four teams will qualify for the 2024 FIFA Futsal World Cup in Uzbekistan in September.

Hòa and his team are determined to help qualify for the World Cup for the third time and outrank their previous best showing at the continental championship of fourth position in 2016.

“The goal is clear and that’s to get one of the spots at the World Cup, but we’re also aiming for our first medal at the Asian Cup," said Hòa who has a pair of FIFA Futsal World Cup appearances under his belt, a slew of individual honours.

"We know that in order to improve on that fourth-place finish from 2016 we will need some luck, but as the captain of the team I always believe and have full confidence in my teammates,” he was quoted as saying on FIFA.com.

Under the guidance of Colombia 2016-winning coach Giustozzi, Việt Nam, with domestic league having come on leaps and bounds, have strongly transformed.

Hòa, the 2023 Futsal Player of the Year, is optimistic that those changes will be strong base for brighter future of Vietnamese futsal.

“Our national team squad has changed a lot this year and we now have a lot of young players competing for places,” he said.

“Vietnamese futsal has also changed a lot. The league has a new format now where we play home and away matches and the season runs much longer than was previously the case. We also have foreign players in the league, so the development is really positive and I hope we can continue to build on that,” said Hòa who will be 33 several days before the first Asian Cup match."

In the tournament, Việt Nam will face a veteran coach who worked with the team in the past but is in charge of one of their rivals.

Giustozzi said: “We will face Thailand at the Asian Cup with their coach Miguel Rodrigo, who was our coach before.

"He’s a good coach, a friendly person and I’m sure that will be an exciting match against Thailand, but I hope that we win!

“In terms of what comes next, it’s always difficult to find time to relax away from the game, so I’m looking forward to spending time with my family and I also enjoy catching up and playing football with my old teammates. I have a lot of interest in becoming a football or a futsal commentator, but I think I should learn and practice a lot before I can become professional.” 

Dien Bien Phu Historical Victory Museum to extend opening hours

The Dien Bien Phu Historical Victory Museum, a must-see destination in the north-western province of Dien Bien, has decided to extend its opening hours, catering to increasing demand in the upcoming National Reunification Day (April 30) and May Day holidays as well as the 70th anniversary of the victory (May 7).

The museum will apply evening hours from 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM every Friday and Saturday between April 5 and May 31 as well as on May 6 and 7.

Its director, Vu Thi Tuyet Nga, revealed that in March, the museum hosted over 50,400 visitors, including many groups of veterans, officials, soldiers, and students from across the nation.

Boasting modern architecture, its 1,250-square-metre exhibition area on the first floor displays nearly 1,000 documents, artifacts, photos, and maps.

The highlight of the museum is a panorama painting depicting the Dien Bien Phu campaign, the largest in Southeast Asia and one of the three largest in the world. Painted with oil on canvas, it features 4,500 figures and mountainous landscapes, vividly portraying significant battles of the period.

On March 13, 1954, the Vietnamese revolutionary army launched the first attack against the French colonialists’ heavily fortified base of Dien Bien Phu, starting the 56-day historic campaign whose victory directly led to the signing of the Geneva Accords on ending the war and restoring peace in Indochina./.

Transport Ministry issues new standards for expressways

The Ministry of Transport yesterday released Circular No.06 about new national technical standards for expressways, effective as of October 1, 2024.

Accordingly, all newly built expressways must have at least four lanes (two for each directions) and an emergency lane along all the route.

Associated works with an expressway include a management center to control traffic for the whole route, a non-stop electronic toll collection system for tolled routes.

As to the design speed, the new standards stipulate that an expressway has three levels of 120km/hour, 100km/hour, and 80km/hour. In locations of special terrains, the allowed design speed is 60km/hour.

The Ministry of Transport said that any expressway construction projects whose investments were approved before the effective date of this Circular continue to be carried out. Currently operating expressways with a design speed of 80km/hour and below are allowed to apply technical elements to projects approved before the effective date of this Circular.

Dozens of houses illegally built on Lam Dong hill

Dozens of houses have been built without permission on a hill in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong.

The group of 22 buildings were being built based on the same design as those on a hill in Loc Thanh Commune, Bao Lam District. The two-storey houses are painted white and surrounded by coffee gardens.

According to a report from the Loc Thanh Commune People's Committee, the houses have different investors but all hired Doan Tri Khoa to manage the construction work.

"None of these have construction permits," the committee said. "They're not local planning. When they held a ground-breaking ceremony for the house in May 2023, we demanded the investors stop and provide documents related to their land. However, they failed to submit the documents and continued construction."

By October 2023, when all the 22 houses had completed the first stage of construction, Loc Thanh authorities arrived again asking the investors to stop the work and summoned Doan Tri Khoa.

Chairman of Loc Thanh Commune People's Committee, Do Ngoc Can, said that the investors refused to follow the instructions from local authorities.

"We've reported the situation to the Bao Lam District People's Committee," he said.

The Bao Lam District People's Committee on March 21 asked the concerned departments to check and deal with the case. The district authorities also suspended Loc Thanh Chairman Do Ngoc Can and a local land management officer Tran Ngoc Hoan during the investigation.

Hue among top 20 most underrated travel destinations in Asia

Yahoo! Finance has named Hue in central Thua Thien-Hue province among the top 20 most underrated travel destinations throughout Asia.

According to the website, the central city was once the imperial capital of the Nguyen Dynasty.

“Many of the city’s historical sites are well preserved, including the citadel. The city is home to several UNESCO heritage sites, including shrines, palaces, and pagodas, that embody the strength and tradition of the country’s former kingdom,” the website revealed.

Yahoo! Finance also suggested that travelers should visit the city during the autumn when it is filled with the sweet fragrance of the perfume river, making an even more delightful experience for guests.

Other destinations included on the list were Luang Prabang of Laos, Bagan of Myanmar, Ipoh of Malaysia, Koh Rong of Cambodia, Koh Kood of Thailand, Kerala of India, Busan of the Republic of Korea, Skardu of Pakistan, Leshan of China, Dhaka of Bangladesh, and Hachimantai of Japan.

2023 war aftermath alleviation efforts reviewed

The standing office of the National Steering Committee on the Settlement of Post-War Unexploded Ordnance and Toxic Chemical Consequences (Steering Committee 701) has held a meeting to review the alleviation work last year and launch new tasks for 2024.

As heard at the April 3 event, in 2023, relevant authorities conducted surveys as well as the clearance and disposal of landmines and explosives in several areas covering approximately 40,500 hectares. They also treated about 12 hectares of land contaminated with chemical/dioxin residues at A So airfield in A Luoi district, the central province of Thua Thien-Hue province, and Bien Hoa Airport in the southern province of Dong Nai. Nearly 300 tonnes of CS toxic agents, CS hydrolysis products, and CS-contaminated materials were also successfully disposed of.

Policies and regulations addressing the rights and benefits of the victims were effectively implemented. The Vietnam - US cooperative project supporting the improvement of living standards for the disabled and chemical/dioxin victims in eight localities heavily sprayed with Agent Orange is progressing as planned. Additionally, a community-based healthcare and functional rehabilitation project for the groups and the elderly across 12 provinces and cities for 2024 – 2028 was developed and approved.

In his remarks, Deputy Minister of National Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen Hoang Xuan Chien urged all parties involved to focus on perfecting the legal framework for the efforts, especially in drafting an ordinance on post-war mine remediation.

The head of the standing office also stressed the need to enhance communications efforts, actively engage in international cooperation, mobilise maximum resources, and leverage IT and digital transformation in addressing the consequences of landmines and chemical contamination on human beings and the environment in Vietnam./.

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