An exhibition entitled “Hawkers and the Shouting on the Streets of Hanoi” is underway at the Da Nang Museum of Fine Arts in the central city of Da Nang until September 11.

Launched on August 19, the exhibition is co-held by the French Institute of Vietnam in Da Nang, the French Institute for Oriental Studies (EFEO), and the Da Nang Museum of Fine Arts.

It introduces a collection of sketches, paintings, and watercolors between 1925 and 1929 made by fifteen students of the Indochina Fine Arts School and their teacher, Ferdinand de Fénis, according to Samuel Delamaziere, Acting Director of French Institute of Vietnam in Da Nang.

Council set up to appraise national master planning for 2021-2030 period

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has signed a decision on the establishment of a council to appraise the national master planning for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision towards 2050.

The council is headed by Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh. Its members include the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, National Defence, Public Security, Planning and Investment, Natural Resources and Environment, Construction, Finance, 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 some Government and National Assembly 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 includes experts who will present their counter-arguments to the planning and an environmental assessment report.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment is the standing agency of the council, which will be dissolved automatically after the planning is approved by the National Assembly.

Vietnam’s great friend passes away

Raymonde Dien, a member of the French Communist Party and a symbol of the fight against the war by the French colonialists in Vietnam, passed away on August 19. She was 93.

Born on May 13, 1929 in the western part of France, she is known by the Vietnamese and other peoples in the world for lying on the rail to block a train carrying tanks and other weapons to Indochina on February 23, 1950. Later, she joined other French communists in their support to the Vietnamese people in their fight against the French colonialists and US imperialists, for the struggle for peace for Vietnam.

On September 2, 2004, she was decorated with a Friendship Order by the Vietnamese state.

Even in her last days, she still joined various events on Vietnam, especially those in support of Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange.

Vietnam, UK promote ties in various areas

The Vietnam – UK Friendship Association of Hanoi held the fourth Congress on August 20 and set out orientations for the 2022-2027 tenure.

The Congress elected an executive board comprising 27 members led by Secretary of Hoan Kiem district Party Committee Vu Dang Dinh.

During the new tenure, the association will continue to build itself with new partners, contributing to friendship and cooperation between the two peoples. It will also strive to have 4-6 more chapters, with priority given to businesses having partnership with the UK.

Friendship exchanges celebrating the National Day of Vietnam, anniversaries of bilateral diplomatic ties, and other political events of the two countries are also planned.

Chairwoman of the municipal Vietnam Fatherland Front and Chairwoman of the municipal Union of Friendship Organisations Nguyen Lan Huong suggested the association actively expand ties with mass and friendship organisations in the UK, and promote cooperation in economy, culture, education and tourism.

Non-stop ETC collection system still encountering errors

Many vehicle drivers reported that they still cannot pass the ETC booth even though their vehicle has attached a valid ETC card and their ETC account still has sufficient money. They have to wait longer as booth staff scan the card and finish the toll collection procedure manually.

In response, the Transport Ministry yesterday requested that the Directorate for Roads of Vietnam direct the Vietnam Expressway Development Investment Corp. (VEC) and BOT investors, service providers to find and fix technical errors of the ETC systems, especially the failure to recognize vehicles’ identification cards.

In addition, service providers must assign sufficient staff and a hotline to cope with any possible incidents immediately.

The Directorate for Roads of Vietnam is in charge of guiding, inspecting, monitoring, and thoroughly handling any inadequacies of ETC systems to avoid traffic congestion that can affect social security and order.

Regarding the case of two ETC service providers blaming each other on the overlapping installation of ETC cards on more than 40,000 vehicles, the Transport Ministry has received related reports from both sides. The Directorate for Roads of Vietnam has confirmed that there are virtual accounts, overlapping installation of ETC cards, and automatic service registration for the sake of reaching the assigned quota, regardless of the wish of vehicles’ owners.

Therefore, the Directorate for Roads of Vietnam has asked that both service providers check and adjust the content of the ETC installation contract between them and vehicle owners, better manage traffic accounts, ensure operation consistency, and immediately stop the activation of virtual accounts as well as overlapping installation of ETC cards.

As to vehicles which have already been attached with overlapping cards or whose cards have been activated without consent, service providers must aid vehicle owners to cancel old ETC cards and register for a new valid one as soon and conveniently as possible.

The Transport Ministry is considering upgrading Decision No.19/2020/QD-TTg by the Prime Minister on collecting toll using ETC systems into a Decree. The new decree will better clarify the relationship between partners in ETC activities, becoming the legal foundation for specific sanctions for violations.

35,000 chip ID cards in Binh Duong yet to find owners

Binh Duong Province’s police said there are some 35,000 chip ID cards awaiting receivers as they and provincial post offices have not been able to contact their owners. The majority of the owners are temporary residents in the province, the police said.

The main reason for this situation is that they gave the incorrect contact information in their identification card applications, especially their addresses and phone numbers. Some residents might have changed their phone numbers and moved to other provinces.

The police will try to find ways to hand out the ID cards to the owners or ask the residents to receive them at the police offices.

Since early this year, the Binh Duong police have found nearly 300,000 ID applications of the temporary residents with the incorrect information, including address and phone number. The Ministry of Public Security has deleted the data of some 11,000 applications which were six months overdue and asked the residents to submit the information again.

Until now, the Binh Duong police have received more than 1.65 million applications for ID card issuance. The Ministry of Public Security has transferred over 1.24 million ID cards to the province. Binh Duong police asked residents to go to the local police station where they registered their residence to correct and update the information if they detect any errors in their ID cards.

Spokeswoman: citizen protection for Vietnamese nationals going on

The Foreign Ministry’s Consular Department is working with domestic authorities to verify the identity of and provide citizen protection measures for Vietnamese nationals who recently escaped from a casino in Cambodia’s Kandal province and swam across Binh Ghi River to return home, said spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang on August 20.

Hang added that the ministry asked the Vietnamese representative agencies in Cambodia to contact the host authorities and inspect the casino in Chrey Thum hamlet, Sampeou Poun commune, Kaoh Thom district.

It also asked the Cambodian side to assist in finding the person who went missing and investigate the case.

The Foreign Ministry and Vietnamese representative agencies in Cambodia will continue keeping close track of the case as well as situation of Vietnamese guest workers, thus offering timely and necessary citizen protection measures and protecting legitimate rights and interests of Vietnamese citizens, she said.

According to her, the Foreign Ministry and Vietnamese representative agencies in Cambodia have saved and brought home over 500 citizens who were lured into working there, as well as offered support in procedures to thousands of others.

The Foreign Ministry asked concerned agencies and domestic press to raise awareness of outgoing Vietnamese guest workers, she said.

Earlier on August 18 morning, a group of Vietnamese nationals were arrested by An Giang Border Guards. They said a total of 42 people tried to escape from the casino. Some have sustained minor injuries. One person is missing and another, a 16-year-old male from Kon Tum province, was caught by the casino staff in his attempt to escape.

More Vietnamese tourists flock to Korea

Today, at the press conference to launch the Hello Korea campaign on TikTok named Travel to Korea begins again taking place in Ho Chi Minh City, Mr. Lee Jae Hoon, Chief Representative of the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) in Vietnam said right after re-issuance of visas for international visitors from June 1, 2022, the number of Vietnamese tourists to Korea has increased impressively.

Since the beginning of the year, more than 71,000 Vietnamese tourists have come to Korea. The Philippines and Vietnam are the two countries with the largest number of visitors to South Korea in Southeast Asia since the beginning of 2022. Especially in the second week of August, the number of visitors has skyrocketed from the average with more than 1,000 visitors per week.

In line with this strong comeback, the Korea National Administration of Tourism in Vietnam organizes a Hello Korea campaign on the TikTok platform from August 20 to September 20, 2022. The campaign's Vietnamese name is ‘Korea, see you soon!’ parallel with KTO's English slogan ‘Travel to Korea Begins Again’ which aims to welcome tourists back to Korea again.

Cultural industry to contribute 10% of Hanoi’s GRDP by 2045

Hanoi aims to earn increasing revenue from cultural business, which are expected to contribute around 10% of the city’s Gross Regional Domestic Products (GRDP) by 2045, according to a plan newly introduced by the municipal People’s Committee.

The city plans to raise the cultural industry’s contribution to GRDP to 5% by 2025 and 8% by 2030.

From now to 2025, Hanoi will focus its efforts on boosting a number of cultural industries in line with local advantages and potential, including cultural tourism, handicraft, performing arts, cinema, designing, culinary, entertainment software and games, advertising, architecture, photography and exhibition, fashion, television and radio and publishing.

By the end of this decade, the capital also sets to turn the cultural industry into a key economic sector driving the others’ growth. This will lay foundation for the capital city to improve local living standards; sustainably, harmoniously and comprehensively boost the economic, cultural and social development; turn itself into a globally-connected, civilized, modern and creative city by 2045.

Vietnam makes firm steps in post-pandemic recovery: expert

Vietnam has weathered the pandemic storm through a combination of strong yet flexible state leadership that won the confidence and trust of citizens, rapid and nimble response, and innovative use of technology, James Borton of the School of Advanced International Studies under Johns Hopkins University wrote in AsiaGlobal Online.

According to the expert, in early 2020 when the COVID-19 broke out, few expected Vietnam, a country with almost 100 million citizens and recognised as one of the youngest and fastest-growing economies in Southeast Asia, to emerge as a successful model for pandemic preparedness and response.

He quoted Prof. Vu Thanh Van of the Academy of Journalism and Communication in Hanoi as saying that effective policy communication and implementation led to public trust in the government and resulted in citizens’ support for and compliance with the government’s policy. The public trust in Vietnam’s government during the pandemic is a good showcase for this relationship.

James Borton also wrote that at the start of 2021, Vietnam was struck by a fourth wave of infections, propelled by the highly transmissible Omicron variant, which resulted in mandated closures of non-essential businesses and food and beverage outlets and limits on transportation services in cities including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Despite the economic hardships endured by citizens, the government’s rollout of mass vaccination, which started in March 2021, proved to be a significant pathway for the reopening of the country.

Another aspect of Vietnam’s COVID-19 response was the government’s crackdown on pandemic-related corruption. This has included criminal prosecutions for abuse of power relating to the distribution of coronavirus testing kits.

A deputy foreign minister was arrested for allegedly receiving bribes in connection with the repatriation of Vietnamese stranded abroad. By allowing instances of graft by officials to be made public, the government and the Communist Party gained the confidence and trust of citizens not just in their anti-COVID-19 efforts but also in their ongoing campaign against corruption.

Miss Vietnam 2022 beauty pageant launched

The biennial national beauty contest Miss Vietnam 2022 has now opened for Vietnamese young women aged between 18 and 27.

Women who have graduated from high school and are at least 1.63 metres tall and have had no cosmetic surgery are eligible to enter the contest. Participation is to be limited to unmarried women who have never given birth or parented a child.

Entrants who have previously won first, second, or third prizes at local beauty contestants nationwide will progress through to the final round of the Miss Vietnam 2022 pageant.

Moving forward, contestants will compete in parts such as the swimsuit, evening gown, and talent segments, as well as taking part in charity projects for the community and a Q&A.

Along with the ultimate winner of the pageant, there will also be prizes for first runner-up and second runner-up, with the organisation board presenting sub-titles, including Miss Sea, Miss Talent, Miss Communications, Miss Fashion, Miss Tourism, Miss Sport, and Miss Ao Dai.

The preliminary rounds of the competition are scheduled to be held in Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hanoi on September 9, September 16, and September 23, respectively.

The leading 40 contestants will subsequently be selected to compete in the final round slated for between November 29 and December 23.

The contest’s overall winner will receive a crown and a cash prize totaling VND350 million, whilst the first and second runners-up will be awarded VND250 million and VND200 million, respectively. Moreover, each sub-title winner will be given a sum of VND50 million.

Dengue fever cases continue to increase

Việt Nam has so far recorded more than 145,500 cases of dengue fever, including 53 deaths, mainly in the southern region, according to the Ministry of Health.

The number of infected cases witnessed a 3.3-fold rise, while the number of fatalities rose by 39 compared to the same period last year. Dengue fever cases are also increasing in Hà Nội.

The Hà Nội Centre for Disease Control reported that the city has recorded 170 cases of dengue fever over the past week, up 14.1 per cent compared to the previous week, mainly in the districts of Thanh Trì, Phú Xuyên, Ba Đình, Đống Đa, Hà Đông, Thường Tín and Bắc Từ Liêm.

The new infections have brought the total number of dengue cases in Hà Nội to 778 from the beginning of the year, an increase of over 2 times compared to the same period last year. No deaths have been recorded.

Construction on southern expressway section set to start next year

Construction on a section of the Biên Hòa-Vũng Tàu expressway project passing through Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province is scheduled to start in June next year, according to the province’s Department of Transport.

The 53.7km-long expressway running through the south-eastern provinces of Đồng Nai and Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu is a key national expressway project.

With an investment cost of VNĐ17.8 trillion ($758.5 million), the expressway will have four to six lanes in the first phase and six to eight lanes in the second phase.

It will require an area of 519ha and about 3,130 households must relocate.

It will be carried out under three component projects and is scheduled to be completed by 2025 and open to traffic in 2026.

HCM City businesses told to prepare for extended responsibilities on environment

Manufacturers and importers in HCM City need to be ready to take on extended producer responsibilities for their products’ environmental impacts, including recycling and treating toxic wastes, a top Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment official has said.

Phan Tuấn Hùng, head of the ministry’s legal affairs department, said extended producer responsibility (EPR) means that businesses had to be responsible for the environmental impacts during the entire life cycles of their products.

The 2020 Law on Environmental Protection devolves two types of environmental responsibilities on businesses and importers: for recycling and treatment.

The first covers recyclable products and packaging such as electronics, vehicles and packaging of foods, makeup products and fertilisers, and their recycling is mandatory from 2024.

Producers can also choose to pay the Việt Nam Environmental Protection Fund to have their products recycled.Th e Government will announce the fees for recycling various items next year.

The other responsibility involves treating wastes from products and packaging that contain toxic elements or are difficult to be gathered and recycled such as single-use batteries, hygiene products, cigarettes, and products with plastics.

Starting this year businesses needed to pay the Việt Nam Environmental Protection Fund to finance waste gathering and treatment activities. Failure to pay entails fines of up to VNĐ2 billion (US$85,162).

Vung Tau bans soap and shampoo at public beach showers

Authorities in the southern coastal city of Vung Tau have just issued a ban on the use of soap, shampoo, and other cleaning chemicals at public beach showers in the area.

Since August 11, people who use soap, shampoo, and other cleaning chemicals at public beach showers in the city will be fined, Vung Tau City People's Committee announced.

According to the committee, many people have been using soap and shampoo at the showers which are placed on the beaches. The water then runs directly onto the beaches together with the wrappings, causing environmental pollution.

Showers were installed at many public beaches in Vung Tau City in 2017.

Vietnam Airlines launches check-in online service at Phu Bai Airport

National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines launched online check-in services at Phu Bai International Airport in the central province of Thua Thien Hue on August 16 in order to improve passengers’ convenience when travelling through the airport.

This move duly brings the number of airports with Vietnam Airlines’ online check-in service to 17 domestic and 30 international airports.

Moving forward, the airline plans to deploy the convenient service throughout its entire network as part of its efforts to move towards the goal of becoming a digital airline.

Previously, Vietnam Airlines has launched online check-in services for passengers departing from such airports as Noi Bai, Tan Son Nhat, Da Nang, Cam Ranh, Van Don, Cat Bi, Vinh, Chu Lai, Con Dao, Phu Quoc, Da Lat, Dien Bien, Can Tho, Tho Xuan, Pleiku, and Phu Cat.

National Strategy on Climate Change for 2050 approved

Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh has signed a decision approving the National Strategy on Climate Change for 2050.

The overall objective of the strategy, set out in Decision 896/QD-TTg, is to proactively and effectively adapt to climate change, reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero, and deal with vulnerabilities and risks caused by climate change.

The strategy also aims to make active and responsible contributions to the international community in protecting the Earth's climate, take advantage of opportunities from climate change response to transform growth models, as well as improve the competitiveness of the economy.

The strategy expects that by 2050, Vietnam will effectively manage water and land resources, improve environmental quality and prevent natural disasters affecting socio-economic development, firmly ensuring the security of national water resources.

It includes maintaining stable forest cover at 43 percent; 100 percent of the population is provided with clean water, 100 percent of households in disaster-prone areas have safe houses and disaster risk insurance for production and business activities of enterprises.

Government approves HCMC Beltway No. 3 project timeline

The Government on August 16 issued a resolution to carry out the National Assembly’s decision on the construction of the HCMC Beltway No. 3 project.

The authorities of HCMC, Dong Nai, Binh Duong and Long An are allowed to pick contractors for consulting, compensation and resettlement packages, instead of inviting competitive tenders. The local authorities could simultaneously do necessary work to expedite the project’s execution.

Site clearance will start on October 1, 2022, and end on March 30, 2024. The technical design, selection of contractors and other pre-construction processes will take place between November 30, 2022, and June 30, 2023, and construction will have been completed by June 30, 2026.

Beltway No. 3 is planned to stretch over 76 kilometers across HCMC and three provinces, namely Dong Nai, Binh Duong and Long An. The project will be financed by the State with total capital of some VND75,378 billion.

The city has a Beltway No. 2 project under construction with a total length of more than 64 kilometers. It is expected to be completed by the end of 2026, with around 50 kilometers already completed.

In addition, the 200-kilometer Beltway No. 4 is expected to cost some VND100,000 billion under the public-private partnership format. The road with six to eight lanes will connect HCMC, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Long An and Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

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