Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Chu Xuan Dung has asked the municipal Department of Culture and Sports to remove hurdles to the preservation and restoration of historical relics suffering deterioration and damage for years.

The capital city has the largest number of national special relics, 21 out of 123 in total. The centuries-old relics, some of which were built thousands years ago, require urgent and special treatment to prolong their lifespan.

Tay Phuong Pagoda, located in Thach That district on the outskirt of Hanoi, is one of the city’s most popular cultural and historic sites. The pagoda has been severely degraded over time and facing the risk of collapse, which could damage the centuries-old statues inside.

Many other relics in Hanoi are also in the same situation. However, several issues are standing in the way of the restoration efforts in the city. In many cases, a lack of expertise in restoration and preservation has led to irreparable damages to relics and loss of authenticity.

Vice Chairman of the municipal People's Committee Chu Xuan Dung ordered the municipal Department of Culture and Sports to issue instructions for properly planning restoration projects and how they should be submitted to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for verification and approval.

NA Standing Committee wraps up law-making session

The National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee concluded its law-making session on August 18 under the chair of NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue.

Addressing the function, Hue stressed that over four days, the committee has completed the agenda for the session, making comments on eight bills and one resolution project containing legal regulations.

The bills included five draft laws to be submitted to the NA for approval at the upcoming 4th session, slated for October. They are the Law on Petroleum (amended), the Law on Domestic Violence Prevention and Control (revised), the Law on Inspection (amended), the Law on Implementation of Democracy at Grassroots Level, and the law amending and supplementing articles of the Law on Radio Frequencies.

Meanwhile, the three other draft laws will be submitted to the NA for the first time during the fourth meeting are the Law on Protection of Consumer Rights (amended), the Law on Civil Defence, and the Law on Anti-Money Laundering (revised).

The top legislator said the success of the August session is an important step in preparation for the NA’s fourth sitting.

He also requested preparations be started immediately for the September law-making session of the NA Standing Committee, which is expected to discuss six draft laws, including the Law on Civil Defence, Law on Land (amended), and Law on Medical Examination and Treatment (amended).

On the same day, under the chair of Standing Vice Chairman of the NA Tran Thanh Man, the NA Standing Committee discussed and approved a resolution guiding supervision activities of People’s Councils.

Vietnamese culture introduced at Army Games 2022

The Vietnamese team, along with the 16 other participating teams in the "Army of Culture" competition at Army Games 2022, set up a national pavilion at the House of Friendship at the Alabino training ground in Moscow, Russia, to introduce the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) as well as the culture, land and people of Vietnam.

The pavilion also displays photos on the traditional relationship and comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Russia, especially in politics and national defence.

The 2022 Army Games, held from August 13-27, gathers 270 teams from 37 countries worldwide. Its competitions are being held in Russia and several countries such as Uzbekistan, Armenia and Belarus.

Vietnam also hosts the Games’ competitions in the category of “Emergency Area”.

Namaste Vietnam Festival underway in Khanh Hoa province

Namaste Vietnam Festival 2022 opened in the south-central province of Khanh Hoa on August 18 night to celebrate the 75th anniversary of India’s Independence Day and the 50th founding anniversary of Vietnam-India diplomatic ties.

Organised by the Indian Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City and the People’s Committee of Khanh Hoa province, the festival will last until August 20 with various activities like art performances, exchanges with Indian artists and lamp lighting – a traditional Indian ritual praying for peace, happiness and prosperity.

Within the framework of the festival, there will be tourism promotion programmes and Farmtrips, said Le Huu Hoang, Permanent Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, adding that through the event, Khanh Hoa aims to promote its tourism to international friends.

World Vision Vietnam holds workshop to combat child labour

The Vietnamese office of the international child-focused agency World Vision on August 18 held a workshop in Hanoi to kick off its Against Child Exploitation (ACE) project in the country.

Funded by the US Department of Labour, the 2.4 million USD project aims to strengthen the capacity of the Vietnamese Government to address Worse Forms of Child Labour (WFCL), including Online Sexual Exploitation of Children (OSEC), and violations of acceptable working conditions.

It is set to run in Dien Bien, Da Nang and Quang Nam from November 2021 to September 2024.

To achieve its aim, five main groups of interventions have been designed, including awareness raising to increase community knowledge on services available services for children engaged in WFCL; capacity building activities for members of child protection committees, social workers and service providers; community engagement activities; and partnership promotions to detect, remove, and respond to OSEC.

French experts share experience in data digitalisation

French experts shared experience in data digitalisation and the handling of administrative procedures at a workshop in Hanoi on August 18.

The event, jointly held by the Vietnamese Government Office and the French Embassy, is part of a programme on cooperation in administrative modernisation in combination with digital transformation in 2022-2023 within the framework of a memorandum of understanding between the Office and the French Ministry of Economy and Finance on e-government development and administrative modernisation.

The cooperation programme focuses on technical assistance to streamline administrative procedures, improve the business environment, e-governance and digital transformation.

The participating French experts shared the view that digital transformation is taking place quickly in Vietnam and made progress, and suggested the country pay more attention to resources for digital transformation.

The capital city's authorities have pledged to boost the public investment plan for 2021 - 2025 by pouring over 14 trillion VND (602 million USD) into restoring and embellishing a total of 579 relic sites in the area.

Vietnam, India wrap up bilateral peacekeeping exercise

The Vietnam - India Bilateral Army Exercise (VINBAX) 2022 wrapped up with a ceremony held at Engineering Brigade 474 in the Indian state of Haryana on August 18.

During the exercise since August 1, the two countries’ forces focused on performing engineering and medical tasks in UN peacekeeping operations. Each side sent 45 personnel to the drill.

VINBAX 2022, the third exercise on UN peacekeeping between Vietnam and India, was upgraded from two previous sand table exercises held in 2018 and 2019.

HCM City holds requiem for COVID-19 dead

A requiem was held in Ho Chi Minh City on August 18 in remembrance of the people who died of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Most Venerable Thich Le Trang, head of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha in Ho Chi Minh City, said that the requiem aimed to ease the sorrows of the bereaved families and call on people to join hands to build a better Ho Chi Minh City and country.

Phan Kieu Thanh Huong, Vice President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front - Ho Chi Minh City branch, affirmed that the consensus of the local people and the whole country has helped them overcome many difficulties caused by the pandemic.

Japanese association presents gifts to AO victims in Ninh Binh

Representatives of the Association of Japanese in love with Vietnam visited and presented gifts to 10 poor Agent Orange victims, each worth 2.5 million VND (108 USD) and 5kg of rice, in the northern province of Ninh Binh on August 18.

It was the 11th year the association has stood by the side of local AO victims.

On the occasion, the charity group RevivAll from the United Nation International School of Hanoi (UNIS) granted 45 million VND to disadvantaged families of AO victims for house repair in the locality.

Since 2002, the association has organised 1-2 trips to Vietnam each year to learn about the consequences of the chemical war staged by the US forces and share sympathies with AO victims living in need.

Ninh Binh now has 7,073 AO victims, over 5,200 of them enjoy monthly State allowances.

Vietnam’s mainland may be hit by 3-5 storms from now to early 2023

There will be 8-10 storms and tropical depressions in the East Sea from now to February 2023, of which from three to five storms are likely to directly affect Vietnam’s mainland, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

From October-November, the central and southern regions are forecast to experience higher-than-average rainfall. The southern region may also suffer unseasonal rains in the first months of 2023.

The whole nation is warned to maintain their watch against dangerous weather phenomena such as thunderstorms, whirlwinds, and hails.

This year, the northern region is predicted to be hit by early cold waves, with the temperature in the first months of winter likely to be lower than the average of many previous years.

From September-December, two or three heavy floods may hit the central and Central Highlands regions.

People are advised to keep a close watch on weather forecasts and warnings of the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, and seriously follow local authorities’ disaster response measures.

PM to hold dialogue with youth in October

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh is expected to host a dialogue with members of the Vietnam Youth Union and young people on October 15 to mark 66 years of the Vietnam Youth Federation.

The dialogue will be jointly held by the Ministry of the Interior in collaboration with the Vietnam Youth Union Central Committee and relevant ministries and agencies.

President hosts Kazakh Deputy PM and FM

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc hosted a reception for Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi in Hanoi on August 18, during which he suggested both nations should step up cooperation in areas of great potential such as agriculture, tourism and transportation.

The Vietnamese State leader hailed the visit to Vietnam by the Kazakh official on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties, and expressed his confidence that the visit will contribute to fostering the traditional friendship and cooperation between the two nations.

Vietnam always places importance on the good traditional friendship with Kazakhstan, the President said, while showing his elation at positive developments of their bilateral political ties, with the regular exchange of all-level delegations through Party, National Assembly and State channels.

He hailed Kazakhstan’s contributions and role at the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), especially its CICA Chairmanship for 2020-2022.

Vietnam and Kazakhstan still have ample room to ramp up their economic cooperation, and they should optimise the Vietnam-Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) Free Trade Agreement, of which Kazakhstan is a member, he said.

The leader lauded the initiative to open a direct air route between Vietnam and Kazakhstan to facilitate delegation exchanges and bilateral cooperation in tourism and transportation.

In response, Tileuberdi congratulated Vietnam on its socio-economic development achievements, international integration and the effective battle against COVID-19.

Vietnam is an important partner of Kazakhstan in Asia-Pacific, he said, emphasizing that Kazakhstan desires to augment cooperation with the Southeast Asian nation in economy-trade, investment, finance, education-training, culture-tourism, transportation, clean energy and high technology.

On the occasion, President Phuc thanked the Kazakh Government for their support to Vietnamese people living in his country, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dien Bien set to host Vietnam-Laos cultural exchange

The third version of the Vietnam-Laos cultural exchange is scheduled to get underway from September 23 to September 25 in the northern mountainous province of Dien Bien.

Thousands of people from across the 10 Vietnamese provinces of Dien Bien, Quang Tri, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Son La, Thua Thien-Hue, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Quang Nam, and Kon Tum will attend the festival.

They will be joined by participants from 10 Laotian provinces, including Luang Prabang, Huaphanh, Attapeu, Sekong, Xiengkhuang, Borikhamxay, Khammouan, Savannakhet, Saravane, and Phongsaly.

The event is scheduled to include musical performances, fashion shows featuring traditional costumes, as well as exhibitions showcasing the numerous cultural products of both countries.

Fourth body found, two arrested relating to Manchester fire

Two people have been arrested in connection with a fire in the UK where it is thought four Vietnamese citizens have perished.

On Thursday, officers from Greater Manchester Police’s Major Incident Team executed warrants at two properties.

Two people were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and drugs and organised crime offences. They remain in police custody for questioning/ have been released on bail.

Earlier, police investigating a fire at a derelict mill in Greater Manchester, UK, have confirmed they have discovered the remains of four people.

Although only one of the bodies has been identified, it is understood all the people who died in the blaze were Vietnamese citizens.

Using fingerprint analysis, police have confirmed that one of them is Nguyen Van Uoc, 31. The other three missing are Chu Van Cuong, 39; Nguyen Van Duong, 29; and Le Thanh Nam, 21.

After the fire broke out on May 7, preliminary enquiries reported that no one was inside the building at the time of the fire.

It was more than two months later that demolitions workers found human remains in the wreckage of the building in the Oldham area, north west England.   

The Consular Department of Việt Nam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs have sent condolences to the family of Uoc. The Vietnamese and UK authorities are collaborating and working hard to identify the remaining victims.

Hanoi rail services relocated for metro construction

Train services for Hanoi Station and Giap Bat Station will be relocated to Hanoi’s suburbs during construction of the Yen Vien-Ngoc Hoi Metro project, according to the Ministry of Transport.

The information was given by Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The in answer to questions of Hanoians related to the construction of Ngoc Hoi Station Complex, part of the Yen Vien-Ngoc Hoi Metro project.
 
According to the minister, Vietnam Railways Corporation and concerned agencies would move services for Hanoi and Giap Bat to the outskirts during the implementation of Yen Vien-Ngoc Hoi metro project.

By late April this year, around USD36.6 million had been disbursed for the project’s technical design work.

The Yen Vien-Ngoc Hoi metro project's first phase was approved by the Ministry of Transport in 2008. It was initially scheduled to be completed in 2017. But was rescheduled for completion in 2024. The VND80 trillion (USD3.44 billion) project uses Japanese Official Development Assistance.

The Yen Vien-Ngoc Ngoi is among ten Hanoi metro projects planned until 2030. The lines have a total length of 417.8km and would cost over USD40 billion in total. The Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro route was officially put into operation last November, after 10 years of construction.

Quang Nam plans to send 5,000 people abroad between 2022-2025

Quang Nam Province is making efforts to send some 5,000 people to work abroad between 2022-2025.

Speaking at a recent meeting with the local Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, vice chairman of Quang Nam Provincial People's Committee, Tran Anh Tuan, said that they planned to send 5,000 workers abroad, particularly to Japan and South Korea, from 2022-2025.

More than 2,200 people in the province worked abroad between 2019 and 2021, of which over 95 percent went to Japan, with the remaining five percent working in South Korea, Taiwan, Germany and some other countries.

This year, 616 people in the province had gone to work overseas as of August 15, or 61.60 percent of the year's plan. Of the number, over 500 went to Japan, accounting for over 85 per cent.

Phu Quoc man dies trying to save five holidaymakers

A man died after trying to save five people from drowning on Phu Quoc Island.

On Wednesday afternoon Nguyen Van Thai, 56, from Duong To Commune, Phu Quoc Island, and some others suddenly heard the call for help from a group of tourists, including three adults and two children, at Truong Beach.

Immediately, the four rushed into the water. When Thai reached the victims, he tried to take them ashore, but he failed because of the rough waves. At the same time, another man named Do Duy Dung, 35, helped to bring the four victims ashore by boat. The remaining victim, who was a child, was saved by another tourist.

Thai tried to return to shore, but he was exhausted. Despite being brought ashore and rushed to the Phu Quoc Medical Centre he died.

Doctors said that Thai had died from exhaustion before being brought to the centre.

On June 26, On June 26, Lieutenant Colonel Bui Van Nhien from a Ministry of Defence factory died after saving a boy from drowning at Bai Truong Beach.

International conference on life science held in Quy Nhon City

The ‘Rencontres du Vietnam’ Association yesterday organized the 5th Rencontres de Quy Nhon: International Biology Conference 2022 at the International Centre for Interdisciplinary Science and Education (ICISE), sited in Quy Nhon City of Binh Dinh Province, attracting the participation of nearly 400 scientists and students from 16 nations.

Prof. Tran Thanh Van, Chairman of the ‘Rencontres du Vietnam’ Association, shared that this 3-day conference presents 240 scientific reports, 14 of which are of leading doctorates and professors in the world in the field of life science.

The keynote speaker of the conference, Prof. David Jackson from the US, delivered his speech named ‘Using CRISPR Genome Engineering to Enhance Crop Yield Traits’, revealing interesting information on signaling pathways in plants as well as obscured factors by genetic redundancy.

Another important speech is of Prof. Michio Tanaka from Kagawa University in Japan. He discussed ‘Revolutionary Light Sources for Orchid Micropropagation and Acclimatization’, aiming at optimizing the process of hi-tech plant cultivation.

Conference participants are going to discuss on interesting topics of the cell aging mechanisms to improve general health and longevity, the treatments for Staphylococcus aureus infection on humans and animals, the latest technologies in microalgae research technology, and the application of pioneer technologies in orchid micropropagation.

Vietnam reviews greenhouse gas emissions since 2010

Vietnam has reviewed greenhouse gas emissions since 2010. However, due to the lack of requirements for reporting and assessing results, the data on emission reduction has yet to be fully compiled.

A representative from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment’s Department of Climate Change said on August 18 that in the near future, emission reduction criteria will be measured, reported and considered in line with international regulations and then publicised, toward bringing gas emission to zero by 2050, thus making active and responsible contributions to protecting the world climate.

In line with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Vietnam has conducted the work on national gas emissions in 2000, 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2016 in service of building national reports on climate change, which were sent to the Convention Secretariat.

The results showed that Vietnam recorded 150.9 million tonnes of CO2eq in 2000, 264.2 million tonnes in 2010, 259 million tonnes in 2013, 278.7 million tonnes in 2014, and 316.7 million tonnes in 2016.

September 8 set as annual day to honour Vietnamese language

September 8 will become an annual day for honouring the Vietnamese language under a decision signed by Deputy Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính to honour it among the overseas Vietnamese community in 2023-30.

The project aims to enhance the community’s awareness of the Vietnamese language’s beauty and value while honouring individuals and organisations that make positive contributions to expanding the coverage of the language among the community, keeping it as a language for communication among Vietnamese families abroad, and spreading it to foreigners.

It is expected to enhance the quality of Vietnamese teaching and learning among the community while encouraging host administrations to bring Vietnamese into educational facilities in Vietnamese areas.

Vietnamese studies and research will be strengthened through the project, contributing to making the language official alongside others in areas with favourable conditions.

The project will be implemented in parallel with the cultural diplomacy strategy until 2030, which the Prime Minister approved on November 30, 2021.

Red River promotes tourism and creativity spaces

The Red River originates in China and flows for around 510km through Hà Nội and eight provinces in northern Việt Nam, where agriculture plays an important role in the country's economy.

It has become a popular tourist attraction and is always bustling with weekend camping activities and cruise boats.

Along the Red (Hồng) River, tourists can enjoy the fresh atmosphere with views of the fields of sugarcane and maize along the river bank.

In the future, Hà Nội authorities plan to tap the river's potential with infrastructure projects, culminating in the construction of a city on both banks of the river.

According to experts, when the zoning plan on both sides of the river is approved, the plans will create a driving force for socio-economic development, population management and investment attraction helping improve local quality of life.

Japan’s first manga about Vietnamese football launched

Sơn, Goal!, the first manga series about Vietnamese football, has been released in Việt Nam.

The series is produced and published by Kadokawa JSC of Japan in coordination with the Kim Đồng Publishing House of Việt Nam.

According to Vũ Thị Quỳnh Liên, Deputy Director-Editor-in-Chief of Kim Đồng Publishing House, Sơn, Goal! is the first Japanese-Vietnamese cooperative manga series. It has been launched on the 65th anniversary of the establishment of the publishing house and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two nations.

Sơn, Goal!, illustrated by Baba Tamio, is about the journey of a boy named Sơn whose father is a Brazilian and mother Vietnamese. His family moved to Việt Nam when his father took up a job in the country. Here, Sơn met and made friends with a group of teenagers, and helped their football team become stronger.

Aoyagi Masayuki, Publishing Director of Kadokawa, told Vietnam News Agency that his company took part in a festival of Japanese manga publishers in Asia in 2018. Coming to Việt Nam, they realised that Japanese manga is popular among local children.

Photo contest highlighting beauty of Vietnamese islands kicks off

Professional and amateur photographers across Việt Nam are encouraged to compete in a photo contest highlighting the beauty of Vietnamese Hoàng Sa and Trường Sa islands.

The contest themed “Hoàng Sa - Trường Sa - Nhà giàn DK trong trái tim tôi” (Paracel and Spratly Archipelagos and DK Platforms in My Heart) is co-organised by the Vừ A Dính Scholarship Fund, the HCM City Photography Association, and the “For Hoàng Sa - Trường Sa” Club.

According to the organisers, photos should feature the daily activities of people and soldiers in the Hoàng Sa and Trường Sa archipelagos and the DK platforms who are protecting the country’s sovereignty in the sea and islands.

The photos should also reflect the people’s love and gratitude for soldiers and people in the archipelagos and platforms.

Each contestant can submit up to two collections or 10 single photos in colour or black-and-while at hoangsatruongsanhagian.com by August 15.

Entries must be sent in a digital file in JPG format, with a maximum file size of 3 Megabytes and a resolution of 300dpi.

The winners will be announced on August 20.

Hanoi adopts five-year public investment plan

The People’s Council of Hanoi has approved a resolution on middle-term public investment plan for the 2021-2025 period.

According to the municipal People’s Committee, the disbursement of public capital of a number of projects has lagged behind schedule, with some stagnant projects in the 2016-2020 period cancelled. Meanwhile, the demand for middle-term public investment remains huge.

In March, the committee asked local departments, districts and investors to make updates and adjustments to the city's plan.

Along with requesting local authorities to apply measures to speed up the progress of projects from all stages, municipal authorities have asked for the allocation of enough capital for underway projects, the adjustments of stagnant projects and the careful consideration of new projects to match the city’s capacity in resource balancing.

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