State President Vo Van Thuong and a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam will pay an official visit to Laos from April 10-11.

The visit will be made at the invitation of General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party Central Committee and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith, according to an announcement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Over 2,000 workers in Dong Nai laid off jobs due to scarcity of orders

The Dong Nai Provincial Labor Confederation informed that from the beginning of 2023 until now, three companies in the province have laid off 2,000 workers due to the scarcity of orders.

Particularly, Pousung Vietnam Company Limited, Pou Phong Vietnam Company Limited in Trang Bom District and Taekwang MTC Vina Company Limited in Bien Hoa City have simultaneously laid off 1,000, 227 and 795 workers respectively.

The enterprises have fully implemented assistant policies for those who are cut off from their jobs. For example, Taekwang MTC Vina Company supported half a month's salary each year for workers with a total amount not exceeding 11 months' salary and gave VND14 million (US$600) in cash per employee.

Currently, many enterprises in Dong Nai Province are facing difficulties in production and business activities so they have to reduce the working time of employees by one or two days a week, excluding enterprises in the sector of the wood industry.

Chickenpox among children increases in northern provinces

There has been a recent increase in the number of chickenpox cases in the northern provinces of Việt Nam, particularly in children who have a high susceptibility to the disease.

According to a report by the Bắc Kạn City Medical Centre, an outbreak of chickenpox occurred in the Phùng Chí Kiên Primary School on March 25, with 19 cases identified.

By March 29, the number of cases had risen to 21, and by Monday last week, the number of cases had reached almost 30.

The centre investigated the cases to combat the disease and provided patients and their families with preventive measures.

The Lào Cai Centre for Diseases Control also reported that since the beginning of this year, the province had recorded nearly 400 cases of chickenpox.

The Kim Tân Ward Medical Station in Lào Cai City alone has identified 48 cases so far this year, with the majority of patients being kindergarten and primary school students.

Medical stations across the province have been working with schools to spray chemical substances and clean classrooms, toys, and study materials in an effort to limit the spread of the disease.

Medical workers have also provided teachers and parents with proper care instructions for children who are patients.

In Hà Nội, the municipal centre for diseases control reported that the capital city had recorded 548 cases of chickenpox so far this year, with the disease being reported in 18 out of 30 districts.

More than 36 per cent of the patients are kindergarten students, while 38 per cent are primary students.

Nguyễn Thị Quỳnh Nga, deputy head of the Treatment and Special Care No 1 Ward under the National Paediatrics Hospital, warned that infants infected with chickenpox face a 30 per cent risk of death due to multi-organ damage, which is much higher than in older children or adults.

If children with chickenpox are not treated promptly and properly, they may experience dangerous complications such as respiratory failure, toxic septic shock, and bacterial superinfection.

Furthermore, the disease can cause neurological complications such as meningitis, myelitis, optic neuritis, polyneuritis, adrenal failure, glomerulonephritis, eye damage, and even death.

Diagnosis of chickenpox in children is based on the tell-tale lesions of the skin and diagnosis can be confirmed by detection of the varicella virus in nodule fluid or tissue biopsies.

Medical experts recommend that parents should not treat their children at home when they are infected but should visit a doctor for examination and diagnosis.

Although the disease can be cured in one or two weeks, if not treated properly, it can cause many complications such as skin infections and blood infections.

Currently, the north is in a season transition period, with high humidity and erratic temperature changes providing favourable conditions for chickenpox outbreaks.

As children with immature immune systems are particularly susceptible to chickenpox, parents are advised to provide necessary foods to increase their children's resistance.

Central region continues to brace for sweltering weather

Many places in the Central region are sweltering through hot temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius.

According to the National Center for Hydrology Meteorology Forecasting, the temperature in the North-Central and Mid-Central regions yesterday continued to scorch as the mercury rose to 39 degrees Celsius along with humid conditions of 25 percent to 55 percent in air.

Currently, the provinces of Son La, Hoa Binh, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen and the Central Highlands are bracing for hot and humid weather with the highest temperature of 36 degrees Celsius.

It is forecast that the above-mentioned localities would remain extremely hot days with the highest temperature of up to 38 degrees Celsius from April 5.

According to the meteorologists, both the Northern and North- Central regions will have a small chance of cool air and some showers on Wednesday, bringing relief from scorching days.

From April 7, the Mid-Central and the Southeastern region will experience scorching days and more showers.

Gastronomic festival to highlight pleasure and authenticity of French food

Hà Nội residents and visitors to the city will be able to immerse themselves in the vibrant atmosphere of a French market and indulge in high-quality food products from France during an upcoming festival dedicated to French gastronomy.

Scheduled for next weekend, the Balade en France (Walk in France) festival is being co-organised by the French Embassy in Việt Nam and the Hà Nội People's Committee to commemorate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Việt Nam and France.

As the largest French gastronomic festival in Việt Nam, visitors to the event, which begins on April 14, will have the opportunity to meander through a French market boasting more than 40 stalls, where they can explore the French agricultural and culinary heritage.

Restaurant owners, importers and other ambassadors of the French art of living will be presented, such as Paysan Breton, Métropole, Red Apron, Marou, Saint Honoré, and La Table Hanoia.

Tasting activities will allow festival-goers to share a moment of conviviality around excellent products, including dairy products, chocolates, bakery products, cheese, delicatessen products, fruits, wines and spirits.

Some products will also be available for sale, and there will also be coffee shops.

French cuisine will be shown at its best through recipe demonstration workshops led by French chef Marc Ales from École Frerrandi – a school in Paris that offers training courses on gastronomy and hotel management.

In addition to the gastronomic area, Balade en France also includes a variety of interesting stands featuring tourism, hotels and studies in France.

A large cultural programme will accompany this gastronomic event, with performances on the main stage by several singers, DJs, and choirs, screening of French culinary films, painting and hip-hop workshops and mini-games, aiming to give visitors the experience of a real stroll in France.

The opening of the festival Balade en France will take place at 7pm on April 14 with an inauguration ceremony at the Lý Thái Tổ Square by Hoàn Kiếm Lake.

The event will be open to the public from 10am to 10pm on Saturday, April 15, and from 10am to 8pm on Sunday, April 16. 

'The Gardeners' exhibition showcases young artistic talents

Talented young artists from all corners of Việt Nam are showcasing their diverse works, from painting and sculpture to installation and video art, at The Gardeners exhibition.

Organised jointly by the Vincom Centre for Contemporary Art (VCCA) and the Young Artists Club of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association, the exhibition features nearly 100 works by 90 artists.

Inspired by the poems in The Gardeners, written by the Nobel Prize-winning poet Rabindranath Tagore, the exhibition's theme draws parallels between the creative journey of artists and the work process of gardeners, both of which demand patience, calmness, and a harmonious attitude towards nature.

For some artists, creating art leads them to discover new, unexpected values, even if they didn't originally set out to find them.

Tagore's philosophical and poetic lyrics have proven particularly influential in inspiring the latest works of these young artists.

With an open theme and unlimited material, the artists exploit many dimensions of space and time.

The Gardeners exhibition wishes to open a playground where each artist will contribute to express themselves, face the idyllic everyday realities and work creatively to find new values from the simplest things.

Along with the exhibition, the Young Artists Club and VCCA will organise many art events with the participation of young artists featured.

The Gardeners is open for free until May 2 at Vincom Centre for Contemporary Art (VCCA), B1-R3 Vincom Mega Mall Royal City, 72 Nguyễn Trãi, Thanh Xuân District, Hà Nội. 

Stopping the flow: the fight against drugs in the northwestern border

The scourge of drug trafficking has ravaged villages in the northwest region of Việt Nam as criminal organisations across the border seek to turn the country into a transit hub for drugs.

The Border Guards and other authorities have launched a series of operations to crack down on drug trafficking networks, resulting in the arrest of numerous traffickers and the disruption of their operations.

However, this is a difficult and ongoing battle, with the risk of further losses and sacrifices by border soldiers.

Pha Luông Mountain in Lóng Sập Commune, Mộc Châu District, Sơn La, is adjacent to the Pa Hang - Huoi Hieng village clusters of Sop Bau, Houaphanh, Laos.

The small road leading to the top of Pha Luông winds through jagged rocks and narrow mountain passes, making it a challenging and dangerous route for those transporting drugs.

However, this has not stopped criminal organisations from using the area as a key point on their supply chain, highlighting the need for continued efforts to combat drug trafficking and protect communities from the devastating effects of drugs.

Criminal organisations and groups have cut through the border mountains and forests to reach the summit of Pha Luông from two directions: from Laos through landmarks 268 and 269. They then coordinate with partners on the border to arrange the delivery of drugs to agreed-upon locations.

The drugs are then transported inland to provinces and cities throughout the country or to third countries. Some of the drugs are also distributed to addicts in the border area.

According to a local scout, Lóng Sập has a 23-kilometre border with Laos, making it a "hotspot" for drug trafficking. Together with Lóng Luông in Vân Hồ District and Hang Kia-Pà Cò in Mai Châu, Hòa Bình, these areas form a drug trafficking hub.

Drug smugglers take advantage of poor and vulnerable people, including drug addicts in the border villages, to transport drugs illegally.

As a result, there have been many armed confrontations between drug criminals and law enforcement authorities.

After 13 years stationed in Lóng Sập, enduring countless ambushes and pursuits of drug smuggling groups from across the border, Lieutenant Colonel Phạm Văn Tài, Deputy Commander of the Lóng Sập Border Station, shared that the station currently manages nearly 40km of border road with 21 international landmarks, bordering with Sop Bau district of Laos, a hot spot for drug-related crimes.

The activities of these criminals are extremely cunning and violent: they always carry weapons and are ready to fight back against law enforcement when surrounded.

Drug smugglers have targeted ethnic minorities in border areas to bribe them into becoming drug couriers and storers. Some people who have transported drugs have become drug dealers and stored drugs in their homes. In the area under the management of the border station, out of 18 houses in Bản Buốc Pát, 17 houses have people who have been imprisoned or undergone drug rehabilitation.

According to the Border Guard forces, the drug lords in the border areas such as Tàng "Keangnam," Nguyễn Thanh Tuân, and Nguyễn Văn Thuận have been gradually caught.

However, behind the calm surface lies an imminent threat. The drug crime situation in the Lóng Sập, Mộc Châu border areas remains difficult, complex, and dangerous.

Speaking about this complex situation, Colonel Nguyễn Trung Việt, head of the Border Guard's Northern Narcotics and Crime Prevention Team, said that the border areas of some northwestern provinces are very close to the Golden Triangle - a major drug production area, with Sơn La being the most complicated. The Laotian drug lords still have many drug production facilities located near the border with Lóng Sập and Mộc Châu.

To prevent the influx of drug trafficking through the northwestern border, especially in the Mộc Châu border area, for many years, the Border Guard forces have coordinated with other law enforcement agencies to carry out many missions and plans to prevent and eradicate many armed drug trafficking networks.

Only from 2016 to 2022, the Border Guard forces in Sơn La uncovered over 800 cases, arrested more than 1,000 drug criminals, and seized hundreds of kilograms of heroin and other drugs, along with 46 guns and hundreds of bullets.

Faced with the crackdown of law enforcement forces, the recklessness of drug criminals has been exposed.

In Operation 519S on February 2, 2019, the border guard team at Lóng Sập checkpoint coordinated with other law enforcement agencies to catch a suspect named Hoàng Văn Sơn, residing in Bó Sập village, Lóng Sập commune, for illegal drug trafficking and seized 2kg of crystal meth and one grenade.

At the time of arrest, Sơn fiercely resisted and threw the grenade towards the border guard team. Fortunately, the grenade did not detonate. 

UNESCO continues promoting education for ethnic minority girls

The UNESCO Office in Vietnam announced the second phase of the project “We are ABLE – Promoting Gender Equality and Girls’ Education for Children in Ethnic Minority areas of Vietnam” with ABLE stands for the project's slogan "Achieving Better Living and Education", which emphasises confidence in the ability of ethnic minority children, especially girls, to overcome challenges.

The phase will be implemented in Cao Bang, Kon Tum, and Ninh Thuan provinces, aiming to empower ethnic minority youth, especially girls and young women, in boarding secondary schools and neighbouring communities to overcome stereotypes and to voice and act on their dreams, hopes, and aspirations in education.

Speaking at the event, Justine Sass, Chief of the Section of Education for Inclusion and Gender Equality of UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, said that education can be a true source of empowerment when it addresses the gender-based barriers, stigma, and discrimination that hold learners back from fulfilling their right to education and future life, work and leadership opportunities.

UNESCO Representative to Vietnam Christian Manhart said that the project is expected to contribute to the Vietnamese Government's new 10-year Education Development Strategic Plan, the Strategy for Ethnic Minority Development, and the national commitment to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially Goal 4 on Education and Goal 5 on gender equality.

The first phase of the project was implemented from 2019 to 2022 in 12 districts of three provinces - Ha Giang, Ninh Thuan, and Soc Trang, reaching about 16,300 students including over 8,000 girls.

Across the 24 beneficiary schools, among ethnic minority learners, drop-out rates dropped from 3.8% to 2.9%, and transition rates to upper-secondary rose from 69.7% to 76.7%.

Over 2,130 teachers and educational administrators were trained on gender-responsive school counseling.

Furthermore, 120 ethnic minority women and youth joined entrepreneurship training courses and received support through the Women's Union in communes.

Sai Gon Railway offers discounts in April

Sai Gon Railway Transport Joint Stock Company (Saratrans) announced that it would offer 5,000 tickets with a discount of 20 percent for passengers traveling from April 1 to April 26.

Sai Gon Railway Transport Joint Stock Company offers 5,000 tickets with a discount of 20 percent for passengers traveling from April 1 to April 26. (Photo: SGGP)

The promotional program will be applied for trains No.SE3/SE4, SE7/SE8 running at the beginning of the week with a distance of 400km or more, and on weekends with a distance of 500km or more; SE21/SE22 with a distance of 400 km or more; SNT1/SNT2 with a distance of 250km or more; SPT1/ SPT2 with a distance of 150km or more.

Tickets will be sold from now unto April 23 and applied for travelers who buy tickets within three days before departure.

The company will also offer discounts on return tickets and tickets purchased prior to departure, and 30 percent discounted tickets to students and passengers under a preferential treatment policy, such as Vietnamese heroic mothers, children with disabilities, disabled people, war veterans, wounded soldiers, and the elderly.

Two arrested in 11kg drug transport from France to HCMC case

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Public Security has just arrested two people involved in the case of transporting over 11 kilograms of narcotics and ecstasy from France to Tan Son Nhat International Airport, Vietnam.

According to a source of Sai Gon Giai Phong Newspaper's reporters, the police forces have not provided the identity of the two arrestees because the case is complicated and the police are clarifying more related details.

Previously, on the afternoon of March 22, the HCMC Police launched a crinimal investigation into the case of “Illegal transport of drugs” to clarify violations and strictly handle relevant subjects in accordance with regulations.

According to the initial investigation, around 08:45 a.m. on March 16, during a routine cargo screening, the Tan Son Nhat Airport Customs Branch detected a suspicious consignment weighing around 60 kilograms, consisting of four suitcases of flight attendants so the functional forces decided to check it.

The functional forces seized a total amount of 327 tubes of unopened toothpaste with various brands, each tube was packaged in a paper box along with 17 bottles of oral rinse. Of these, there were 157 toothpaste tubes containing a total of 11,284.57 grams of ketamine and MDMA.

On March 17, the Tan Son Nhat Airport Customs Branch handed over documents and evidences to the Police Investigation Agency under the HCMC Department of Public Security for further investigation.

On March 21, the authorities had a meeting to evaluate the whole collected documents and evidence and compare them with the provisions of the law.

Initially, the police forces identified that when the four Vietnamese flight attendants stayed in France, a Vietnamese subject had them transport 327 tubes of toothpaste and 17 bottles of oral rinse to Vietnam for that person's relative.

The air hostesses were unknown that among the 327 tubes of toothpaste, there were 157 ones containing narcotics and ecstasy so they agreed to carry them. Therefore, the HCMC Police Department determined that there was insufficient evidence to handle criminal charges.

On March 22, the Department of Public Security of HCMC issued a decision to release the four flight attendants.

Children’s bilingual picture books on Trường Sa published

A set of two bilingual picture books on the beauty of the Trường Sa (Spratly) Archipelago for children has just been released at the HCM City Book Pedestrian Street.

The books, titled Phong Ba Nơi Đầu Sóng (Phong Ba at Rough Sea) and Biển Ấy Là Của Mình (Our Beloved Seas), are written by author Bùi Tiểu Quyên and illustrated by painter Thanh Phan.

The works are published by Lion Books, a book distributor in Hà Nội who releases many popular publications for children.

They depict an adventure had by a dog named Phong Ba living in Sinh Tồn Island of the Spratlys.

Phong Ba and his friends travel across the archipelago to learn about history, beauty and a life full of joy and hopes in the place where he was born.

He also shows his admiration to soldiers stationed on the archipelago who dedicate their life to protecting the nation’s sovereignty.

Author Quyên told local media that “the books contain simple stories with lovely illustrations which are easily understandable to young readers.”

She encouraged parents to read the books together with their children and answering their questions. It helps them learn about the protection of the nation’s sovereignty in the seas and islands, and nurtures their love for the country.

Quyên visited the Trường Sa Archipelago in April 2019.

She said, “the trip left a very deep impression on me and inspired me to write new books, especially works for children.”

The author wrote her first book on Trường Sa titled Cà Nóng Chu Du Trường Sa (Cà Nóng Travels to Trường Sa) published by the Kim Đồng Publishing House in 2021.

The book features a trip by a camera named Cà Nóng, who has an opportunity to visit Trường Sa with its owner, a young journalist.

The work helped Quyên win a C prize at the 2022 National Book Awards.

She also won an award for Best Children’s Book given by the HCM City Writers’ Association in 2021, and the Mai Vàng (Golden Ochna) Awards for Best Literary Work given by the Người Lao Động (Labourer) newspaper in 2022.

The books Phong Ba Nơi Đầu Sóng and Biển Ấy Là Của Mình are available at bookstores nationwide and on e-commercial platforms.

A series of workshops called “Lớp Học Bác Ba Phi” (Uncle Ba Phi’s Classes) will also be held at schools in Hà Nội, HCM City and the provinces of Đồng Nai and Bà Rịa Vũng Tàu.

The programmes will include painting exhibitions on Trường Sa, storytelling and postcard making to help students learn more about Việt Nam’s seas and islands. 

Entries open for prestigious literature awards

The search is on to find the best writers across Việt Nam.

An annual competition has been launched looking for the best works for children and written by children.

Entries are now open for The 4th Dế Mèn (Cricket) Award 2023.

This award is named after the character in the Vietnamese famous literary work "Diary of a Cricket" by writer Tô Hoài.

Entries can be literature, art or entertainment such as movies, music, photography, comics and traditional or electronic games.

The award is intended for compositions that are innovative in content, form, and style and are well received by children.

Over three seasons, one "Cricket Knight" award was given to writer Nguyễn Nhật Ánh, and 14 "Cricket Desire" awards were given to domestic and international writers and artists. Four of the award winners are children's authors.

According to the organiser, people whose works or manuscripts were completed or published in 2022 and 2023 have the right to participate.

The deadline for registration is 12pm on April 20. This year's ceremony is scheduled to coincide with International Children's Day (June 1st).

Drafts can be sent to giathuongdemen@thethaovanhoa.vn.

Hard copies (printed books, tapes, etc.) should be sent to Thể thao Văn hóa (Sports & Culture) newspaper, 11 Trần Hưng Đạo, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội. 

Delayed implementation of education projects results in shortage of classrooms

According to the education sector’s report, the implementation of 117 education projects citywide has been delayed due to many reasons resulting shortage of imminent classrooms.

One of them is that the locality has not focused on investing in school construction projects. Many projects have had problems with compensation and site clearance, leading to delayed implementation.

This morning, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training held a conference to report the results of the implementation of the target of 300 classrooms per 10,000 population of school age in Ho Chi Minh City in the period 2021- 2025. Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City Duong Anh Duc was attending.

Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training Le Hoai Nam said that by December 2022, the city had a ratio of 294 classrooms per 10,000 population of school age. Amongst them, 12/22 districts and Thu Duc City reached the target of 300 classrooms per 10,000 people.

Districts 4, 8, 12, Binh Thanh, Go Vap, Tan Binh, Tan Phu, Binh Tan, Binh Chanh and Hoc Mon have not built enough classrooms as required.

Especially, District 4 has had 286 classrooms, District 8 with 292 classrooms, District 12 with 235 classrooms, Binh Thanh District with 297 classrooms, Go Vap District 205 classrooms, Tan Binh District 288 classrooms, Tan Phu District 255 classrooms, Binh Tan District 288 classrooms, Binh Chanh District 260 classrooms and Hoc Mon District 211 classrooms.

Vice Chairman of the District 4 People's Committee Vo Thanh Dung informed that it is expected that by 2025, it is difficult for the locality to fulfill the target of 300 classrooms per 10,000 residents because so many school construction projects have been carried out simultaneously, which must adjust the planning. Subsequently, the project implementation period lasted so long.

Similarly, Vice Chairman of Go Vap District People's Committee Dao Thi My Thu expressed that in order to meet the target of 300 classrooms over 10,000 residents, the locality needs to add 1,300 classrooms.

As a result, the Department of Education and Training of Ho Chi Minh City proposed that districts and districts prioritize the allocation of budget capital to speed up the implementation of investment projects on the construction of schools according to land use plans and the approved plan is in accordance with the development requirements and reality of each district.

In particular, authorities in Districts 7, 9, 12, Binh Tan District, Go Vap, Thu Duc and Binh Chanh with high mechanical population growth or industrial parks and export processing zones should pay attention to building schools to meet students’ study needs.

Vice Chairman of the municipal People's Committee Duong Anh Duc affirmed that the target of 300 classrooms over 10,000 population in school age is one of the important goals that the city is determined to implement during the tenth-tenure Party Congress of Ho Chi Minh City.

Generally, the city has so far reached the rate of 294 classrooms per 10,000 population, which has approached the target. But in fact, this ratio is not uneven between districts and levels.

Mr. Duong Anh Duc asked localities to focus on resolving the problem of building schools; if they have bumped into hiccup along the way, they should send reports to related departments in particular and the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City in general proposing assistance for the goal.

Community makes concerted efforts to limit decline, extinction of wildlife species

State management and law enforcement agencies, and non-governmental organisations have taken actions to limit the decline and extinction of wildlife species in Vietnam.

On June 17, 2022, the last captive bear in the southern province of Binh Phuoc was handed over to a bear rescue centre of Cat Tien National Park.

Last year, the northern provinces of Thai Binh and Ha Nam became the next localities in Vietnam to officially put an end to bear bile farming. Notably, Ho Chi Minh City, which was previously the second largest hotspot of bear bile farming in the country, now only has 13 bears in private facilities.

As of October 2022, the capital city of Hanoi still recorded the highest number of bears in captivity nationwide, with 140 bears in private facilities, accounting for 54.5% of the total number of bears in captivity across the country.

Bui Thi Ha, Deputy Director of Education for Nature Vietnam (ENV), hoped that in the near future, Hanoi's authorities would take more decisive actions to step up the elimination of bear captivity activities in Hanoi and Phuc Tho outlying district in particular. She also expected that by 2025, Vietnam will successfully end the situation thanks to the efforts of the municipal authorities.

Also last year, ENV recorded 399 tiger-related violation cases, over 88% of them were discovered on the cyber space.

With the support of ENV, competent agencies confiscated or received the transfer of 2,101 live wild animals, including 97 monkeys, 22 bears, 12 tigers, 295 tortoises of different species and many others.

Do Quang Tung, Director of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD)’s Endangered Wildlife Conservation Project, said the current legal framework for controlling the exploitation and trading of wildlife is basically complete, comprehensive, and appropriate for practical requirements, such as the 2017 Forestry Law and related legal documents.

He added that the dissemination of legal regulations and coordination among the stakeholders in legal enforcement and settlement of violations have been carried out concertedly, resulting in strict punishments for a number of violations and a significant reduction in demand of wildlife and their products for food, medicine, and jewelry.

According to ENV’s 2022 report, up to 1,247 online advertisements for the sale of wild animals were successfully removed.

Since early 2022, a total of 92 online groups specialised in wildlife trading with 243,336 members have been disabled.

Ha added that 71% of the total 1,509 violations detected and reported to the authorities via ENV’s hotline have been successfully dealt with.

New policy might eliminate mandatory mechanic inspections for new cars

Starting July 1 of this year, newly acquired vehicles might no longer be required a mandatory mechanic examination during registration for road use under a new policy being mulled.

According to Vietnam Register, new vehicle owners would need only present the vehicle registration certificate to a local registration centre to obtain the necessary registration stamp and purchase the road maintenance fee.

The motivation behind this policy shift is to streamline the registration process and provide greater convenience for individuals and businesses.

By eliminating the need to bring new cars to registration centres physically, significant time and cost savings are expected to be realised.

The agency said that cars under nine seats are exempt from the first registration fee for 30 months, while trucks are exempt for 24 months.

According to the agency's calculation, each vehicle owner will save from 250,000-570,000 VND (10.50-24 USD), depending on the type of vehicle, if they are exempt from the first registration fee.

Previously, the agency submitted an amendment draft to Circular 16/2021/TT-BGTVT of the Ministry of Transport on the verification of technical safety, and environmental protection and speeding up the completion of regulations on the first-time registration exemption for new vehicles.

In addition, the agency will continue to build a more comprehensive management system through the registration application, where people can book a verification appointment and pay all fees online.

The National Traffic Safety Committee statistics show that about 548,000 new cars were registered nationwide last year.

If the proposal had been applied since last year, hundreds of billions of VND could have been saved.

Currently, many vehicle registration centres have been closed down amid a widening investigation into systemic corruption case taking place at Vietnam Register.

As of March 1, 2023, there are 281 registration centres across the nation with 489 evaluation systems. 59 centres have been suspended, mostly in Hanoi and HCM City, leading to serious backlog of vehicles waiting for their turns.

About 1,500 vehicle inspectors are currently working, while there need to be at least about 2,000 inspectors to meet the public demands, according to authorities.

Vietnam takes drastic action to hunt down wildlife trafficking

Aware of wildlife trafficking and its threat to biodiversity preservation, Vietnam has taken drastic action to fight the use of wildlife and their products, such as fine-tuning laws, raising public awareness, strengthening legal enforcement, and strict punishment for violations.

Do Quang Tung, Director of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD)’s Endangered Wildlife Conservation project, said the current legal framework for controlling the exploitation and trading of wildlife is basically complete, comprehensive, and appropriate for practical requirements, such as the 2017 Forestry Law and related legal documents.

He added that the dissemination of legal regulations and coordination among the stakeholders in legal enforcement and settlement of violations have been carried out concertedly, resulting in strict punishment for a number of violations and a significant reduction in demand of wildlife and their products for food, medicine, and jewelry.

Statistics from the Forest Protection Department showed that the number of violations related to wildlife nationwide decreased by 147 cases on average per year from 2018-2022 compared to the 2013-2017 period. However, illegal trading, transportation, and consumption of wildlife still occurs with much more sophisticated tricks to evade law enforcement, notably the case of 17 captured tigers in the central province of Nghe An in 2021.

Tung admitted that the illegal trade of wild animals across the border remains a complex issue, requiring increased coordination and cooperation at the national, regional, and global levels. Prevention also involves the improved capacity of law enforcement agencies and higher awareness among the consumers.

Last year, the MARD and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) launched a project to protect endangered wildlife species over a span of five years.

The project will coordinate with the Coalition to End Wildlife Trafficking Online, the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), and the Vietnam E-commerce Association (VECOM) to effectively adopt measures to prevent content related to wildlife trafficking crimes on social media platforms, advertising websites, and actions that encourage wildlife consumption. 

It will also help raise awareness among the public and businesses on the risks associated with illegal wildlife trade, assist enterprises in building technical barriers, and take specific actions on each platform and website.

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