The Standing Office of the National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control this morning sent an official dispatch to provide a forecast of an upcoming storm in the East Sea to the steering committees of coastal provinces and cities from Quang Ninh to Quang Ngai.

In order to proactively deal with the storm, the agency requested its sub-divisions in coastal provinces and cities to closely monitor information and developments of the dangerous system, timely provide warnings and accurate forecast of the storm for vessel owners and fishermen working near the dangerous zones to avoid, and for farmers to proactively plan suitable production to ensure the safety of people and property, keep contacts with ships to promptly handle bad situations ahead. 

According to the National Center for Hydrology Meteorology Forecasting, a current tropical low-pressure system is operating in the eastern part of  Luzon Island, Philippines which is forecast to intensify into a storm within the next 24 hours.  

It is expected that the storm will enter the eastern territorial waters of the northern East Sea from the evening of August 23 to August 24 to become the third storm of this year’s hurricane season.

Thanh Hoa province helps Laos with human resources training

The central province of Thanh Hoa has trained thousands of Laos students over the past years, contributing to the development of the friendship between the two countries.

Currently, 506 Lao students are studying at universities and colleges in the locality, according to the provincial Department of Foreign Affairs.

The Thanh Hoa Medical College has signed cooperation agreements with eight provinces, training more than 300 students from the neighbouring country.

To attract more students from Laos, in addition to providing a suitable curriculum, the college creates the most favourable conditions for Lao students and cadres, including reducing tuition fees and offering rewards.

Since 2015, the Thanh Hoa University of Culture, Sports and Tourism has trained about 300 Lao students. The university always pays attention to assisting Lao students, especially in accommodation and learning.

Vietnamese youths act in response to climate change

The Department of Climate Change under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) in coordination with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has recently organised a writeshop to update the Special Report “Youth for Climate Action in Vietnam.”

The event, from August 18 to 20, took place at the time when countries are preparing for the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) to seek solutions to issues mentioned in the 6th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

According to UNDP, the Special Report “Youth for Climate Action in Vietnam” was co-written by 20 young authors from diverse backgrounds, representing approximately 900 youths nationwide.

The report points out that youths face four major bottlenecks in undertaking climate action: financial constraints, lack of support from stakeholders, skills limitations, and technological limitations.

To unblock these bottlenecks, the report recommends ten accelerators, which include establishing a youth network for climate, and launching a climate learning hub.

Seminar seeks better Vietnamese language teaching abroad

Solutions to improve the teaching and learning of Vietnamese language among overseas Vietnamese children were tabled for discussion at a seminar in Hanoi on August 20.

The event was jointly held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), the Ministry of Education and Training and the Vietnam Education Publishing House (VEPH) as part of activities in response to the day for honouring the Vietnamese language (September 8).

Addressing the event, VEPH General Director Hoang Le Bach said September 8 has become an annual day for honouring the Vietnamese language under a decision signed by Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh approving a project on the day among the overseas Vietnamese community for the 2023-2030 period.
 
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 maintaining and expanding the coverage of the language among the community, keeping it as a language for communication among the Vietnamese families abroad, and spreading it to foreigners.

Over the past years, the VEPH has compiled and published many books serving the study, research and teaching to improve knowledge and love for the Vietnamese language as well as the literature and culture of Vietnam, he said.

In the future, it will coordinate with the State Commission on Overseas Vietnamese Affairs under the MOFA to implement a range of activities including training and sharing methods of teaching Vietnamese to OV children; building libraries, introducing books and spreading the Vietnamese culture in other countries, he added. Participants at the seminar have exchanged experience in teaching the Vietnamese language for OV children. 

Congratulations to Hungary on National Day

The State, Government and National Assembly (NA) leaders of Vietnam have cabled messages of congratulations to their Hungarian counterparts on the occasion of the National Day of Hungary (August 20).

State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue sent their congratulatory messages to President Novák Katalin, Prime Minister Orbán Viktor and NA Speaker Kövér László of Hungary, respectively.

On the occasion, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son also congratulated his Hungarian counterpart Szijjártó Peter./.

Vietnam enters semi-finals of Int’l Army Game 2022

Tank crew No.3 performed well on August 21, helping the Vietnamese tank team, cruise to semi-finals in Tank Biathlon, one of the competitions of the ongoing eighth International Army Games taking place in Moscow.

The August 21 competition was the last chance for the crew No3 to improve their performance in the qualifying round of Division 1 and secure a semi-final berth.

In their successful attempt, they reached the finish line after 29 minutes and 07 seconds, shooting down four out of five targets. This was also the best performance of the Vietnam Tank team in Tank Biathlon.

The result means the Vietnamese tank team have qualified for the semi-finals where they are expected to take on heavyweights.

The eighth International Army Games (IAG-2022) has attracted more than 260 teams from 35 countries competing at the military training grounds in twelve countries of Russia, Azerbaijan, Algeria, Armenia, Belarus, Venezuela, Vietnam, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia and Uzbekistan. 

This year’s programme, taking place from August 13-27, consists of 34 competitions, including the Tank Biathlon - a competition for tank crews. Most competing crews use T-72B3 tanks provided by the organizers.

Vietnamese painter holds exhibition in Nepal

Vietnamese painter Binh Nhi is scheduled to host an exhibition in Nepal in late August 2022 after having stayed in the land of Buddha for more than three months.

The exhibition titled Tranquility will introduce more than 30 colourful paintings featuring people and nature in Nepal.

The painter said the landscape, culture and people of Nepal have inspired her to compose artworks in a natural way during her stay.  

On display will be 10 canvas paintings about lotus and 20 gouache paintings on rice paper about the landscape, people and culture of Nepal.

All the paintings are presented in abstract language and are part of the latest series of paintings by artist Binh Nhi in capital Kathmandu (Nepal).

The exhibition will be open to the public at Siddhartha Gallery in capital Kathmandu from August 26 to 28.

National Chess Tournament 2022 begins in Can Tho

The National Chess Championship 2022 kicked off in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on August 21 to vie for the cup named after the Nam A Commercial Joint Stock Bank.

The event, the largest of its kind with the highest professional quality, has attracted as many as 227 high-ranking male and female players selected from various national chess tournaments.

They are competing in standard, rapid, blitz, and super lightning chess. For the first time, Cambodian chess (Ouk Chatrang) is being introduced at the tournament. About 55 best players will be selected to prepare for the 32nd SEA Games to be held in Cambodia next year.

Vietnam accelerating digital transformation in new-style rural building

The Government has approved a national programme on digital transformation in building new-style rural areas, towards smart rural development, for the 2021 – 2025 period.

The programme will be implemented in all rural areas across Việt Nam by the end of 2025, including extremely disadvantaged communes in ethnic minority and mountainous and coastal regions.

It aims to accelerate digital transformation to enhance the effectiveness of the national target programme on new-style rural building, contributing to boosting the rural economy, improving rural living standards, and bridging the gap in service quality between rural and urban areas.

A goal by 2025 is to have at least 90 per cent of central, 80 per cent of district-level and 60 per cent of communal public documents handled online and at least 97 per cent of communes meeting the new-style rural criteria on information and telecommunications.

National action plan to tackle money laundering approved

Deputy Prime Minister Lê Minh Khái has signed a decision on the National Plan of Action on prevention and control of money laundering, terrorism financing and financing of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction for the 2021-2025 period.

The overall aim of the plan is building an effective mechanism for the sake of peace, stability, development and integration, improving Việt Nam’s prestige and position in the international community and fulfilling Việt Nam’s responsibility for being a member of the Asia-Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG).

Under the plan, ministries concerned will propose regulations on administrative fines related to virtual assets as well as enhance inspection in fields under their management. 

Sculpture exhibition 'Kiến' opens in Hanoi

A sculpture exhibition by young artist Nguyen Manh Hung, also called Hung Kien, opens today in Hanoi using the image of ants to feature human life and characters.

About 30 works will be displayed at the exhibition. They are selected from Hùng's hundreds of works created in the past nine years during his study and after graduation from the Sculpture Faculty of the University of Fine Arts in Hà Nội.

Born in 1987 in the northern province of Phú Thọ, Hùng has a deep impression of metal - the material he used to create the works for this exhibition.

He thinks "metal is a miraculous invention of human society and since the discovery of metal, many great civilisations have appeared in the world."

For many years, the sculptor has studied the behaviour of ants and has noticed the social characteristics of this small insect.

In this exhibition, he arranges his ant colonies with both queens and worker ants to express the social relations of ants as complex as the society of humans.

Ants in his works look really strong evoking masculinity in the jet-black colour of metal. They first look a little bit cold and unemotional in appearance but by admiring them more, viewers will find they are hiding strength and sacrifice.

His exhibition opens from 17:30 today until Sunday at the Việt Nam Fine Arts Museum, 66 Nguyễn Thái Học Street, Hà Nội.

Hoi An to host cultural exchange event with Japan

The UNESCO world heritage site of Hoi An will host its 18th “Hội An-Japan Cultural Exchange” from August 26 to 28. The event, which was first held in 2003, aims to honour ties between Vietnam and Japan and promote bilateral cooperation in multiple fields, particularly culture.

The event will begin with an opening ceremony at 7:30pm at the An Hội Sculpture Garden on August 26. At the ceremony, famous Japanese singer Ueno Yuuka, who was appointed the Goodwill Ambassador for the Hội An-Japan Cultural Exchange, and Youtuber Nakatani Akari who acted in Em và Trịnh, the much-awaited film about the celebrated songwriter Trịnh Công Sơn, will share a stage with Vietnamese singer Noo Phước Thịnh at the An Hội Sculpture Garden.

It takes place along with traditional music and dance performances from local performers. It will also include a performance of Princess Anio, a joint-opera project between Japan and Việt Nam staged by Japanese and Vietnamese artists.

The opera is based on the love story between Sotaro Araki, a merchant from Nagasaki, Japan, and Princess Ngọc Hoa (called Princess Anio by Japanese) in Hội An, Việt Nam, during the era of the Shuinsen in the early 17th century. It will premiere at the Hanoi Opera House in September 2023.

The wedding procession of Princess Ngcc Hoa and Araki Sotaro will be re-enacted at 4pm on August 27 at Cau Pagoda as well.

The event will also include Vietnam-Japan Culinary Space at the An Hoi Sculpture Garden every evening, and a boat race will be held along the Hoài River at 8am on August 27. Visitors can watch performances of cosplay, calligraphy and paintings, and participate in tours around Hoi An. A showcase of Japanese manga, and a farmers’ market featuring Japanese and local food will be set up as well. 

HCM City donates books to rural schools

Five rural districts of HCM City will receive more than 52,500 books for free in September as part of the programme ”Give books to libraries in rural districts.”

The programme is launched by the city Department of Information and Communications and the Việt Nam Publishers’ Association (VNPA). 

The organisers will give 48,200 books to libraries of 50 schools in the districts of Hóc Môn, Củ Chi, Bình Chánh, Nhà Bè, and Cần Giờ, and more than 4,300 books to their public libraries.

Golfers to take on beach-front BRG course

Around 150 golfers from Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Việt Nam will tee off at the BRG Đà Nẵng Open Golf Championship – an event of the Asian Development Tour (ADT) – at the Nick Claus-designed BRG Đà Nẵng golf clubs, from August 29 to September 2.

The tournament organisers say it’s the first time the central city has hosted an Asian golf level tour with the participation of professional golfers from Asia and top Vietnamese amateurs and national team members.

A Pro-Am event will be drawing 30 amateurs, guests and KLOs, and will prelude the main tournament with a scramble rule on August 30.

The first round of the professional event will start on the morning of August 31, and the award ceremony will be held on September 2.

Charity walk raises VND4.5 billion for the poor

A charity walk which was held by the People’s Committee of Tan Phu District in Ho Chi Minh City on August 21 collected around VND4.5 billion (US$193,000) for the poor.

A charity walk which held by the People’s Committee of Tan Phu District in Ho Chi Minh City on August 21 collected around VND4.5 billion (US$193,000) for the poor.

The event attracted more than 3,000 people, including State officials, employees, laborers, students and local residents in the district.

HCMC to host collective wedding for 100 worker couples on National Day

With the theme "Honoring the beauty of Vietnamese culture", the 2022 collective wedding ceremony will take place on September 2, with 100 couples of underprivileged young workers and volunteers participating in the Covid-19 pandemic prevention and control.

The Ho Chi Minh City Youth Workers Support Center, on August 21, held a press conference to introduce the "Mass wedding" program in 2022 for 100 young couples of workers and volunteers participating in Covid-19 prevention and control. The mass wedding ceremony in 2022 will be held on September 2.

According to the organization committee, the collective wedding program will take place at the Long Bien Palace Wedding Convention Center in HCMC. Couples will perform a ceremony to offer flowers to late President Ho Chi Minh at Nguyen Hue Walking Street in District 1, then parade by double-decker buses from the city center to the wedding ceremony area. In addition, the wedding ceremony is also expected to set a record for the largest traditional wedding gate with a gate length of 14 meters and a height of 6 meters with a five-meter high dragon and phoenix fruit sculpture.

Couples participating in the collective wedding ceremony will be given many wedding items, shopping vouchers, and health care vouchers. The organization committee will also support one year free of house rent for couples in extremely difficult circumstances.

ASEAN Day 2022 held in Washington D.C.

The ASEAN Family Day 2022 has been organised in Washington D.C., drawing the participation of nearly 200 ASEAN embassy members and their families, as well as representatives from the US Department of State.

Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Nguyen Quoc Dung and his spouse also joined the event which is part of the activities to celebrate the 55th founding anniversary of ASEAN.

ASEAN Family Day is an annual event that aims to strengthen unity and friendship of ASEAN community in Washington D.C.

An Giang police expands investigation after Cambodian casino escape case

The Department of Public Security of An Giang province said on August 21 that the case in which 40 Vietnamese had illegally entered the country after an escape from a Cambodian casino shows signs of human trafficking and organisation of illegal migration for others.

Therefore, the provincial police are collecting information and documents to arrest related criminals, thus contributing to stabilising order and security, especially in border areas.

On August 20, the Investigation Security Agency of the provincial Department of Public Security said that it issued decisions to temporarily detain Nguyen Thi Le (born in 1980) and Le Van Danh (born in 1988), both residing in Long Binh township, An Phu district, on the charge of organising illegal exit for others.

The two confessed that they had organised illegal exit for six among the above 40 arrested people, and many others.

On August 18, 40 Vietnamese nationals, including five women, were arrested by An Giang Border Guards after illegally entering the country from Cambodia.

According to their testimony, a total of 42 people tried to escape from a casino in Sampeou Poun commune, Kaoh Thom district, Kandal province in Cambodia and swam across Binh Ghi River to return to Vietnam. However, one person went missing and another, a 16-year-old male from Kon Tum province, was caught by the casino staff in his attempt to escape. On August 20, a body suspected of the missing person in this case was found in Binh Ghi river.

They said they had previously entered Cambodia to work at a casino. Their job was to make online games and go to social media websites at the instruction of the people at the casino but they were constantly forced to work overtime without any payment.

Recently, many Vietnamese have been tricked into working in Cambodia. They are often promised jobs with lavish payments but are actually sold to gambling and virtual currency trading organisations where they are exploited. Many people have to pay a large sum of money in order to return home.

Experts outline carbon-neutral road map

Considering the effects of carbon dioxide on the global climate and environment, becoming carbon-neutral is increasingly seen by governments as an urgent task to achieve sustainable development, the 11th Congress of the Asian Association of Environmental and Resource Economics heard.

The two-day congress that wrapped up in HCM City on Saturday brought together economists, Vietnamese and foreign policymakers and officials from universities and research institutes in the country and abroad.

Hosted by the Institute of Environmental Economics in Southeast Asia and the University of Economics HCM City, the congress, with the theme ‘A pathway towards Carbon Neutrality in Asia’ brought together scientists and policymakers for in-depth discussions to find possible solutions for a sustainable future road map.

They also spoke about topics beyond carbon emissions such as bio-diversity, water quality, waste management, and environmental and sustainable development.

It featured a session in which universities shared strategies and action programmes for carbon neutrality and building and developing a network of sustainable universities.

Many speakers agreed that reaching carbon neutrality requires tremendous changes in the energy sector in all countries as the process involves reducing fossil fuel use, switching to low-carbon or renewable energy, increasing energy efficiency, forest conservation and afforestation, and generally changing to a low-carbon lifestyle. This process is particularly challenging for Asian countries, whose economies are fuel-based and have competing development goals.

Việt Nam has announced a solid commitment to responding to climate change with a goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. 

Three arrested in UK for people smuggling

Two are being held on suspicion of holding a person in slavery or servitude, production and supply of a controlled drug and cultivating cannabis. The third suspect was arrested on suspicion of arranging the travel of another person with a view to exploitation.

Three people have been arrested in the UK as part of an investigation into the smuggling of mainly Vietnamese migrants to work in illegal cannabis farms.

Officers from the National Crime Agency (NCA) raided addresses in the city of Birmingham and took three men into custody.

Two are being held on suspicion of holding a person in slavery or servitude, production and supply of a controlled drug and cultivating cannabis.

The third suspect was arrested on suspicion of arranging the travel of another person with a view to exploitation.

The nationalities of the men detained have not been revealed.

At one address, officers seized around 25,000 GBP (VNĐ700,000,000) in cash.

Can Tho to build two overpasses to ease traffic congestion

The Mekong Delta city of Can Tho will develop two overpasses in Ninh Kieu District in an attempt to reduce traffic congestion5.

The municipal government has assigned the Can Tho Department of Transport to build the overpasses at the Nguyen Van Linh-Ba Thang Hai and Mau Than-Tran Hung Dao-Ba Thang Hai intersections, according to Le Tien Dung, director of the department, reported Tuoi Tre Online.

The overpass project will cost over VND1.2 trillion financed by the city’s budget. It will be implemented in the 2021-2025 period.

The overpasses are part of a project to upgrade and expand five key T-junctions that had been approved by the municipal People’s Council earlier.

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