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Regarding the reason why COVID-19 has not been considered an endemic disease in Vietnam yet, the Ministry of Health said that most countries in the world are in a state of unstable cases and deaths, with an erratic increase and decrease trend when new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus appear. At the same time, acquired immunity (due to vaccines and infection) has not been stable for a long time and decreases over time.
In Vietnam, more than 9 million new cases were reported in the first seven months of this year, with over 33,000 cases in July alone, up 22.4% from June. Cases of sub variants BA.4, BA.5 have been recorded and began to account for a large proportion in southern provinces. Meanwhile, the rates of booster shot vaccination and vaccination among children were low in some localities.
The rise in new cases could cause overload of the health system, particularly in the context of other diseases such as influenza type A and dengue fever now entering peak season and the risk of new infectious diseases like monkeypox.
Five-storey building collapses in Hai Phong City
A five-storey building collapsed on Thursday night in the northern city of Hai Phong.
A representative at An Duong District People's Committee, said that the incident occurred 10.20 pm on August 11 in An Dong Commune.
According to some witnesses, they heard a loud noise at that time and came out to see a building behind the Hai Yen Hotel collapsing.
The hotel tilted and some parts of its walls heavily cracked following the building collapse. It is said that the building was inside the hotel precincts. It was built a long time ago and is now abandoned.
The collapse injured a woman who lives next door. Authorities in An Duong have evacuated some residents living around the hotel to ensure safety.
Army major arrested for killing student in traffic accident
Major Hoàng Văn Minh has been prosecuted for fatally crashing into a 12th grader in Phan Rang - Tháp Chàm City in south-central Ninh Thuận Province in June.
Minh, 36, has been detained for three months for further investigation, according to the Police Investigation Agency (PIA) of the Area 3 of the Air and Air Defence Force.
Minh works at Division 370 of the Air and Air Defence Force.
According to initial investigations, at 8:10am on June 28, Minh drove a car on the 16-4 Road in Phan Rang - Tháp Chàm City.
When he arrived near a bank, Minh turned right and crashed into the motorbike of the 18-year-old student, who was driving on the same side of the road. The student fell, hit a lamppost and was later pronounced dead.
The case drew intense public attention as after the traffic incident, the teenager was declared by the Ninh Thuận Province General Hospital to have high level of alcohol in her blood.
The results were later proved to be a mistake following wrongful lab procedures, and the hospital had to make a public apology to the family, whereas the technicians involved in the lab test had received disciplinary action.
Heavy rains continue in northern region, Thanh Hoa on August 12
The northern region and the central province of Thanh Hoa continue suffering heavy downpours on August 12 due to impact of a tropical depression, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.
Sporadic heavy showers and thunderstorms are forecast to hit Hanoi, and there is a possibility of tornadoes, lightning and strong winds during thunderstorms.
Downpours on August 11 evening and August 12 morning have flooded many streets in the capital.
There is also a high risk of flash floods and landslides in mountainous provinces and flooding in low-lying areas.
Vietnam defeat Malaysia, win U19 international friendly tourney
Hosts Vietnam won a U19 international friendly tournament after defeating Malaysia 4-3 in a penalty shootout in the final match on August 11 evening.
Van Tu hammered home with a header, beating the Malaysian goalkeeper in the 11th minute.
Vietnamese players maintained fast-paced attacks after the opening goal, forcing their Malaysian opponents to struggle to resist.
Coach Hassan Waras’ side only had a dangerous chance with Izrin’s long shot, but the ball went out of place.
After the interval, coach Dinh The Nam’s students controlled the ball well but they could not have more scoring chances despite more dangerous counter-attacking opportunities.
On the contrary, they had to pay the price in the 84th minute when Rohisham escaped and passed the ball to Azhad who kicked the ball into the empty net, earning an equalizer for Malaysia.
In the penalty shootout, Vietnam luckily overwhelmed Malaysia, winning the U19 international friendly tournament.
The U19 international friendly tournament sponsored by Thanh Nien (Youth newspaper) has attracted four teams: Thailand, Malaysia Myanmar and hosts Vietnam.
Council established to appraise national master plan for 2021-2030 period
The Prime Minister has signed a decision to set up a council, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh, to evaluate the national master plan for the 2021-2030 period with a vision towards 2050.
Members of the council include the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defence, Public Security, Planning and Investment, Natural Resources and Environment, Construction, Defence, Transport, Industry and Trade, Agriculture and Rural Development, Science and Technology, Culture, Sports and Tourism, Labour-Invalids and Social Affairs, Information and Communications, Justice, Home Affairs, Education and Training, and Health.
Leaders of several Government, National Assembly and Party agencies as well as the chairpersons of Hanoi, Hai Phong, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, Thai Nguyen, Nghe An and Dak Lak are also among the council members.
The council also comprises experts who will present their counter-arguments regarding the plan and the environmental assessment report of the plan.
The Ministry of Planning and Investment is the standing agency of the council, which will be dissolved automatically after the plan is approved by the National Assembly.
Ferry, helicopter rides to Con Dao to increase during airport upgrade
The frequency of ferry and helicopter services to Con Dao Island off the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau will increase during the closure of the airport there for an upgrade from April to December 2023, said the Ministry of Transport.
Anticipating that the upcoming closure of Con Dao Airport would partly affect air travels, the Transport Ministry will direct the Vietnam Maritime Administration and the relevant agencies to tighten supervision over passenger transport businesses to ensure safety during trips to the island.
The ministry also asked the local authorities to work together to receive passenger ships to the island.
As shared by the ministry, the Southern Vietnam Helicopter Company, under the Vietnam Helicopter Corporation, is currently in charge of operating the Vung Tau-Con Dao helicopters.
On that account, the Vietnam Helicopter Corporation will closely coordinate with the relevant units to offer the helicopter service during the airport upgrade.
HCMC prepares for construction of Beltway No. 4
The HCMC government has asked the municipal Department of Transport to step up procedures to develop the Saigon River-Thay Cai Canal section of the Beltway No. 4 project under the public-private partnership format.
The department was told to collaborate with relevant agencies to complete the prefeasibility study for the 17-kilometer-long section as soon as possible.
The 200-kilometer-long Beltway No. 4, which will pass through HCMC, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Long An and Ba Ria-Vung Tau provinces, will have six to eight lanes and require some VND100 trillion.
In September last year, the prime minister authorized the governments of the five localities to develop their respective sections of the beltway.
Ba Ria-Vung Tau is responsible for the Phu My-Bau Can section with a length of some 18 kilometers, while Dong Nai is in charge of the 45-kilometer Bau Can-Thu Bien Bridge section.
Binh Duong Province was assigned to develop the Thu Bien Bridge-Saigon River section with a length of some 49 kilometers, while HCMC is responsible for the Saigon River-Thay Cai Canal section stretching 17 kilometers.
Long An will develop the 71-kilometer Thay Cai Canal-Hiep Phuoc section.
Resolutions on Hanoi’s Ring Road No.4, HCMC’s Ring Road No.3 to be issued
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh yesterday announced that the Government is going to release resolutions on Ring Road No.4 in Hanoi and Ring Road No.3 in Ho Chi Minh City to accelerate these construction projects. This is his conclusion during the first meeting of the State Steering Committee for Important National Works and Projects in the transport sector.
This State Steering Committee is formed to help the Government, the Prime Minister in the implementation of national key transport projects of Ho Chi Minh Highway, the East part of the North-South Expressway, Ben Luc – Long Thanh Expressway, Khanh Hoa – Buon Ma Thuot Expressway, Bien Hoa – Vung Tau Expressway, Chau Doc – Can Tho – Soc Trang Expressway, Ring Road No.4 in Hanoi, Ring Road No.3 in HCMC, the North-South high-speed rail, Long Thanh International Airport, and other necessary traffic facilities projects.
The effective implementation of these projects would contribute to completing the three strategic breakthroughs set forth in the Resolution of the 13th Congress of the Central Party Committee so that localities can receive sufficient economic boost.
The Prime Minister informed that the total investment capital for all of the above projects reaches over VND500 trillion (US$21,4 billion), not to mention public-private-partnership projects or loans.
Rent support for laborers reaching nearly 99 percent of plan
Vietnam Social Security yesterday announced that its local units nationwide have finished the procedure to confirm over 3.3 million eligible laborers to receive rent support (participating in mandatory social security program) in accordance with Decision No.08/2022/QD-TTg.
The number of eligible laborers to receive VND500,000 per person per month (US$21.4) for no later than 3 months using Form No.2 is 3,162,600. The figure to receive VND1 million ($42.8) per person per month for no later than 3 months using Form No.3 is 196,143.
Compared to the estimated quantity of 3.4 million laborers entitle to this financial support of VND6,600 billion in total ($282 million) from the national budget, the confirmed cases account for nearly 99 percent. However, the progress of rent support distribution in localities is extremely slow (only one-tenth of the confirmed figure).
In July, Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai directed the People’s Committees of all provinces and municipalities urgently finish this task. Recently, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh also requested that the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, and related state units immediately identify the reason for this tardiness and address it.
Vietnam announces more national intangible cultural heritages
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has issued a decision to add 10 additional national intangible cultural heritage elements.
The newly recognised national intangible cultural heritage include brocade weaving of the M'Nong people in Binh Phuoc province, Chua Ba Festival in Binh Dinh province, Ba Trieu Temple Festival in Thanh Hoa province, the decorative art on costumes of the Mong Hoa people in Tuyen Quang Province and tofu making craft in Vinh Long Province.
The intangible cultural heritage elements have been divided into the four categories of traditional handicrafts, traditional festivals, social practices and beliefs, and folklore knowledge.
Viet Nam plans to cut methane emissions by 30% by this decade's end
Viet Nam strives to reduce at least 30 percent of methane emissions by 2030 in comparison with 2020, according to the Government's latest plan of action.
By 2025, the total methane emission volume should not exceed 96.4 million tons of CO2 equivalent, a decrease of 13.34 percent from 2020.
The limits on CO2 emissions will be applicable to such areas as cultivation (42.2 million tons), animal husbandry (16.8 million tons), solid waste management and waste water treatment (21.9 million tons), oil and gas exploitation (10.6 million tons), coal mining (3.5 million tons) and fossil fuel consumption (1.3 million tons).
HCM City to host World Travel Wards 2022’s Gala Ceremony
Ho Chi Minh City has been chosen as the venue for a gala ceremony of the World Travel Awards for Asia and Oceania region scheduled to take place on September 7, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.
The World Travel Awards acknowledge excellence in the travel and tourism industry. They are based on votes from the public and travel professionals across the globe.
This year, Vietnam has received a series of nominations for different categories at the Awards 2022.
Hanoi was shortlisted as Asia’s Leading City Break Destination and Asia’s Leading Cultural City Destination.
Miss World 2021 to attend finale of Miss World Vietnam 2022
Miss World 2021 Karolina Bielawska will be present at the finale of Miss World Vietnam 2022, scheduled to take place in Quy Nhon city, the central province of Binh Dinh, on August 12 evening.
At a press meeting in Binh Dinh on August 11, Pham Kim Dung, head of the beauty pageant’s organising board, said the Miss World 2021 will also join charitable activities in Quy Nhon.
Karolina Bielawska said this is the first time she has set foot in Vietnam, and that she can feel the warm welcome for her from all people.
She comes to the contest’s finale to show her support for all contestants so that they can achieve their goals, she added.
With 37 contestants, the finale is set to begin at 8pm on August 12 at Hai Giang Peninsula of Quy Nhon city.
Hanoi, Vientiane share working experience of people-elected agencies
Officials from the Hanoi and Vientiane People’s Councils held talks in Hanoi on August 11 to share experience.
At the event, Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Council Nguyen Ngoc Tuan suggested the two sides continue facilitating the exchange of delegations and meetings to share experience in building legal documents, and overseeing important issues to improve operational quality and efficiency.
He also mentioned the possibility of mutual support in personnel training.
Chairman of the Vientiane People’s Council Anouphap Tounalom informed the hosts about the council’s work in the first half of this year, saying that despite initial successes, they still face difficulties and want to learn from Hanoi’s experience.
Officials from Hanoi shared experience in supervision, question-and-answer activities, coordination with departments, building legal regulations and improving the capacity of full-time deputies to the People’s Council, and evaluating its socio-economic development plan with budget expenditure.
Both sides agreed to continue facilitating visits and sharing experience in building legal documents, as well as offering mutual support to make contributions to the two cities and countries as well.
NA Standing Committee’s 14th meeting wraps up
The 14th meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee wrapped up in Hanoi on August 11 after two and a half days of sitting.
NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue said the meeting had completed all tasks as scheduled.
He asked the Secretary General and Chairman of the NA Office to work closely with competent agencies to submit four resolutions passed at the meeting to him for signing, namely a resolution on the question-and-answer sessions; a resolution on the establishment of Binh Phu township in Cai Lay district, Tien Giang province; a resolution on the establishment of Chon Thanh town and its wards, Binh Phuoc province; and a resolution on continued payment for labourers in line with the NA Standing Committee’s Resolution No.03/2021/UBTVQH15 dated September 24, 2021 on support policy for labourers and employers hit by COVID-19.
The draft resolution on continued payment for labourers in line with the NA Standing Committee’s Resolution No.03/2021/UBTVQH15 dated September 24, 2021 on support policy for labourers and employers hit by COVID-19 was discussed earlier the same day. Under the resolution, over 1.15 trillion VND (50 million USD) from the unemployment insurance fund will be used to support eligible workers.
The NA Standing Committee directed the Government speed up and report the implementation of the Resolution No.03 in its September meeting and the fourth plenary session of the legislature.
Mai Phan Loi has jail term reduced by three months
The High-Level People’s Court of Hanoi has reduced the prison sentence handed down to Mai Phan Loi, Chairman of the Scientific Council of the Centre for Media in Educating Community (MEC), by three months in an appeal trial on August 11.
Accordingly, Loi will spend 45 months in prison for tax evasion instead of 48 months in the first-instance verdict.
His accomplice Bach Hung Duong, MEC Director, also received a revised sentence of 27 months, down from 30 months.
MEC was founded in 2012 under a decision by the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations. It is funded mostly by grants and donations from domestic and foreign organisations.
As a stakeholder, Chairman of the Founding Board and Chairman of the Scientific Council of MEC, Loi directed MEC’s all activities.
From 2012 to March 2021, MEC recorded funding of over 19 billion VND (826,000 USD), but whenever MEC received financial support, Loi instructed Duong and his subordinates to hold back financial statements and avoid submitting corporate income tax and value added tax declarations to tax agencies in line with regulations.
As the main culprit, Loi was found to avoid tax payment of over 1.9 billion VND. He has so far paid back a total 1.2 billion VND to the court.
Project to develop natural disaster-resilient community
A project to develop a comprehensive model in building safe community against natural disasters in Vietnam, which is funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), was launched during a conference in Hanoi on August 11.
The project, implemented from October 2021 to September 2023 in 16 communes and wards in Ha Giang, Son La and Thua Thien-Hue provinces, aims to enhance the capacity of the communal authorities and community organisations in supporting the community in preventing and minimising impacts from natural disasters as well as responding to the disasters, while improving the capacity of provincial authorities to coordinate resources for disaster prevention and response.
School staff and teachers have also been provided with knowledge and skills on mainstreaming safe school initiatives.
The project, which has a total cost of 2.4 million USD, is expected to benefit 57,250 people indirectly and more than 9,800 others directly.
HCM City, Singapore enhance cooperation on human resources development
Ho Chi Minh City wishes to promote cooperation with Singapore in the field of human resources development, including cadre training for the administration system, said a municipal leader.
Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Phan Van Mai hosted a reception for Tan See Leng, Singapore’s Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Trade and Industry on August 11.
He affirmed that the cooperation between HCM City and Singapore not only brings benefits to the city but also is an important factor contributing to the common development of Vietnam-Singapore relations.
Along with potential fields such as smart city building, urban management and green economy, the city expects to strengthen collaboration and share experience in startup development, helping the city become an innovative start-up centre of the country and the region, the official said.
He hoped that Singapore will share experience to improve the dialogue mechanism between the government and foreign businesses in a bid to remove difficulties in the investment process.
The city leaders also pledge to create the most favourable conditions for Singaporean enterprises to do long-term business in the city, Mai said.
For his part, Tan said that Singapore is ready to collaborate and exchange experience with HCM City in human resources development as it is the most important resource of each nation.
Singapore was willing to share its experience with HCM City in supporting the development of innovative start-up incubators, contributing to the sustainable development of the city in the future, he noted.
Seminar to spotlight Vietnam – France culture interference
A seminar on the Vietnam – France culture interference from the perspective of writer Nguyen Ngoc will be held by the French Institute in Vietnam and Nha Nam Culture and Communications Company on August 13.
In his miscellanea “Doc duong”, including 34 articles and literary notes recently released, the writer highlights the culture interference between Vietnam and France in the early 20th century, and prominent intellectual figures of Vietnam in the period.
The early 20th century was a period of important historical movements, which witnessed the strong culture interference between France and Vietnam, and the coming into being of a generation of outstanding intellectuals such as Phan Boi Chau, Phan Chau Trinh, and Huynh Thuc Khang who approached both Eastern and Western cultures.
Ngoc's work features articles related to his literary and cultural activities, and excerpts from his life memoirs.
MICE tourists from South Africa explore HCM City destinations
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism unveiled on August 11 that it has received a group 123 MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and events) tourists of ABSA company from South Africa.
At the welcoming ceremony, Geoffrey Christian Lee, head of the MICE delegation, revealed that Ho Chi Minh City represents a special destination for him as the metropolis boasts a wide range of historical, cultural, architectural works.
Local residents are well known for being both friendly and hospitable, while local food is extremely delicious, he added.
According to the programme, the delegation will stay at a five-star hotel, attend a series of conferences, sample delicacies, and take part in a city tour via a double-decker bus or Vespa motorcycle, along with savouring the scenic views of the Saigon River by boat.
Viettel deserve more after AFC penalties loss: Bae
Viettel FC are out of the AFC Cup after losing to Kuala Lumpur City FC in the zonal semi-final, but coach Bae Ji-won said his team deserved a better result.
The two teams could only be separated in sudden death penalties with Kuala Lumpur coming away as 6-5 winners at the Thống Nhất Stadium in HCM City.
Goalkeeper Azri Ghani kept out Bùi Duy Thường’s penalty in the seventh round of penalties to take the Malaysian side into the next phase.
Earlier, Kuala Lumpur’s Irfan Zakaria fired over the bar in the second round while Trần Danh Trung hit the crossbar for Viettel.
The loss was hard on the Vietnamese side, who set the pace throughout a tense encounter, dominating in midfield but rarely finding a way through the well-organised defence of Kuala Lumpur City.
Viettel controlled large portions of the match with a total of 25 shots, five times more than Kuala Lumpur, but the Malaysians were resilient with disciplined defending.
"We fielded the best players who delivered our tactics for the whole match. With my players' performance, the result was most disappointing," coach Bae told reporters at the post-match conference.
"To Viettel, every match is important; we always want the best results in all tournaments. In this match, the result was worth what we did. We deserved to win," he said.
Goalkeeper Trần Nguyên Mạnh couldn't hide his disappointment.
"I believe that we played a good match. My teammates and I tried our best, hoping to take a win. However, we lacked a little luck," he said.
Kuala Lumpur City will face PSM Makassar of Indonesia, who beat Malaysian Kedah Darul Aman 2-1 in the other semi-finals, in the ASEAN Zonal final on August 24.
Source: VNA/SGT/VNS/VOV/Dtinews/SGGP/VGP/Hanoitimes
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