All goods, except for illegal items, must be considered essential and important products to make it easier to transport and circulate goods during the Covid fight, Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The told an online meeting on August 25.

Speaking at the meeting with the ministries of Industry-Trade and Agriculture and Rural Development and the provincial and municipal governments, Minister The also said that all road and waterway routes are considered “green routes”, which vehicles are permitted to use to transport goods.

Officials at the coronavirus checkpoints were asked to ensure smooth traffic while checking vehicles through QR codes and open them up if the areas get heavily congested, The said.

Besides, the minister also asked the provinces and cities to accept a negative Covid-19 quick or RT-PCR test result taken within 72 hours prior and not ask drivers whose vehicles are granted a QR code to show a movement permit, the local media reported.

At the meeting, some officials complained about Can Tho City’s anti-virus measures being imposed on vehicles transporting goods. Under the city’s order, the vehicles must register their operation with the industry and trade agency, undergo goods transshipment and change drivers before entering the city.

For example, on August 25, a vehicle transporting oxygen tanks from HCMC to Soc Trang Province was barred in Can Tho City due to complicated regulations, while Soc Trang Province was in need of oxygen.

Concluding the meeting, Minister The ordered provinces and cities not to undertake the transshipment of goods and to facilitate their transportation so that residents and firms can access them as soon as possible.

Vietnamese, Belgian PMs hold phone conversation

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Belgian counterpart Alexander De Croo shared the same view on the need to ensure global equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines during their phone conversation on Wednesday. 

The two PMs also underlined the need for mutual support in terms of vaccines as vaccination is the key to overcome the pandemic.

PM Pham spoke highly of Belgium’s positive contributions to the COVAX Facility and expressed thanks for Belgium’s valuable support for Viet Nam’s COVID-19 fight over the past time.

He suggested the Belgian Government land a voice to step up COVAX vaccine allocations to Viet Nam at the earliest, prioritize donating or reselling vaccines and providing medical supplies to help Southeast Asian country control the pandemic soon.

The two sides underscored the need to continue solidify cooperation and mutual support at multilateral forums and international organizations like the UN, ASEAN, the Francophonie, ASEAN-EU among others, and to further coordinate closely over regional and international issues.

Regarding the East Sea, the two PMs affirmed the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation, peacefully settling disputes on the basis of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, fully and effectively implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and working toward conclusion of a substantial and effective Code of Conduct in the East Sea.

PM Pham took the occasion to invite Belgian PM Alexander De Croo to visit Viet Nam soon to discuss ways to foster the bilateral ties./.

World Bank, Japan support strengthening pandemic preparedness at grassroots level in VN

The World Bank and the Institute for Social Development Studies have signed an agreement for a US$2.75 million (VNĐ62.6 billion) grant provided by the Japan Social Development Fund for the “Strengthening preparedness and response to COVID-19 at the grassroots level in Việt Nam” project.

The project aims to strengthen preparedness and response capacities for pandemics and other health emergencies at the community level in Vĩnh Phúc, Khánh Hòa and Long An provinces.

It is estimated that 270,000 people will benefit from the project’s interventions with at least 3,500 people from vulnerable groups.

Rahul Kitchlu, the World Bank Acting Country Director for Việt Nam, said: “The grassroots health system plays a crucial role as the front-line defence against epidemics and pandemics.

“The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is exposing some gaps of such a system and highlights the need for capacity upgrades as a country’s COVID response system needs to be strong at all levels.”

The project will focus on strengthening the capacities of commune health stations with the provision of equipment and skills.

It will help health workers get better at early detection of suspected cases and conduct epidemiological investigations while minimising cross-infection within the health facilities. It will also help ensure the continuity of essential health care services provision during the pandemic.

The three-year project until December 2024 will also raise awareness and promote sustainable behavioural changes in preparing and responding to health emergencies through risk communication.

Scientific and fact-based information about COVID-19 transmission modes, suspected signs and symptoms, and prevention measures will be provided to health workers and community members alike. Some expected behaviours include correct mask-wearing, appropriate hand washing, and environmental hygiene.

An innovative element of this project is the pilot interventions to address the needs of the most vulnerable groups during the pandemic. They include elderly people in urban areas, ethnic minorities, informal workers, people living with HIV/AIDS, drug users, and female sex workers.

The project will leverage volunteer networks to reach about 3,500 people of these groups, offering them information about COVID-19 detection and prevention measures, psychological support, and in-kind assistance such as food, medication, and protective equipment.

The Institute for Social Development Studies, which implements the project, is a Vietnamese NGO with 20-year experience in research, advocacy, training, and intervention in public health, gender, and community development.

The Japan Social Development Fund, which is a partnership between the Government of Japan and the World Bank, provides grants in support of community-driven development and poverty reduction projects that empower the poorest and most vulnerable groups not reached by other programmes and improve their lives through direct benefits. 

HCMC suggested to pilot supplying food combos to residents during social distancing

A Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development working group on August 25 suggested HCMC pilot a program to provide farm produce combo packs at affordable prices of VND100,000-150,000 each to residents during the two weeks of stricter social distancing measures.

According to the ministry, more than 1,250 suppliers of agro produce and food products have registered with working group to provide a wide selection of items, such as aquatic products, vegetables, fruits, eggs, meat, foodstuff, processed farm produce and other essential food items.

Besides this, the working group has piloted a program to supply welfare combo packs including five types of farm produce, with each pack weighing 10 kilograms.

The program offers three main combo packs. The affordable combo is priced at VND100,000 and includes root vegetables, pineapples, cucumbers and limes. The average combo, priced at VND150,000, will have root vegetables, green vegetables and eggs. The last combo will comprise root vegetables, green vegetables, rice and eggs, and its price will be a little higher at VND200,000. The other combos will include seafood, meats and eggs.

The program has received a positive response from consumers in the Mekong Delta as well as those in HCMC. It has helped with the authorities’ efforts of restricting residents from going out to shop or visit different places to buy food, thus reducing the Covid transmission risk.

To date, the program supplying 10-kilogram food combo packs has formed a network of food warehouses and can supply 80,000-100,000 food combo packs to HCMC per day, equivalent to 800-1,000 tons of food.

The working group also revealed that localities in the delta can ensure the supply of over 4,500 tons of food and foodstuff to HCMC per day.

Therefore, the group suggested the city prioritize launching the pilot program to help address the farm produce congestion facing farmers in the southern provinces as well as help the city’s residents get easier access to the affordable food combo packs.

The HCMC departments of Agricultural and Rural Development, Industry and Trade were required to pilot the program. They were told to give enterprises participating in the program guidelines on how to register their goods delivery locations, which have to comply with anti-virus regulations.

Vehicles of businesses participating in the pilot program will be given permission to operate during the stay-at-home period.

Rescue vessel SAR 412 saves fisherman suffering stroke in Truong Sa archipelago

The distressed fisherman is brought ashore safely for further treatment (Photo: VNA)

Vessel SAR 412 of the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Center, in collaboration with border guards of the south central province of Binh Dinh, saved a fisherman suffering stroke while fishing in the country's territorial waters to the north of Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago on August 25.

The patient was then handed over to the Binh Dinh General Hospital for treatment.

Earlier, fishing boat QNa 91996 TS, captained by Tran Quang from central Quang Nam province with 24 crew members, sent a mayday signal while fishing the country's territorial waters to the north of Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago. Fisherman Pham Van Lieu, 46, suddenly became paralysed on the right side of his body and could not eat or speak.

Right after receiving the information, rescue vessel SAR 412 was sent to the site to give emergency aid to the distressed fisherman. The vessel reached the fishing boat on August 25.

Initial diagnosis showed that the fisherman suffered a stroke. He was brought ashore safely for further treatment./.

HCMC Heath Dept gets new director

Tang Chi Thuong, deputy director of the HCMC Department of Health, has been picked as director of the department, replacing Nguyen Tan Binh, who will retire on September 1.

HCMC Vice Chairman Le Hoa Binh today, August 25, handed over the appointment decision to Thuong. He will hold the post for five years, starting from September 1, the local media reported.

Thuong, 54, a native of Tra Vinh Province, served as deputy director and then director of HCMC Children’s Hospital 1 for nearly 20 years. From August 2013, he joined the HCMC Department of Health as its deputy director.

On the same day, the vice chairman of the city handed over a decision appointing Nguyen Van Vinh Chau, director of the HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases, as deputy director of the HCMC Department of Health. The decision will take effect from September 1.

Chau, a 55-year-old native of HCMC, has held the post of director of the HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases since April 2011.

He is also a member of many professional councils of the Ministry of Health and the HCMC Department of Health.

At present, the HCMC Department of Health has two deputy directors: Nguyen Huu Hung and Nguyen Hoai Nam.

Transport Ministry urges HCM City to resume upgrade at Tan Son Nhat Int’l Airport

The Ministry of Transport has asked HCM City to resume the upgrade on Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport during the two-week stay-at-home period that started on Monday to ensure that it is completed by the end of the year.

The ministry has asked the municipal People’s Committee to include the work on a list of urgent projects.

Tân Sơn Nhất, one of the two largest airports in the country, has been overloaded for many years and has visible cracks and subsidence of asphalt surfaces.

Since the pandemic has put a halt to most international flights, the city decided to take advantage of the downtime to carry out the upgrades.

The upgrading project started in late June last year, with total investment of more than VNĐ2 trillion (US$86 million).

Work is being carried out in two phases. The first phase finished repairs of the airport’s 25R/07L runway after six months.

The second phase includes upgrade of five existing taxiways and construction of new rapid exit taxiways, and connecting taxiways and parallel taxiways.  It also includes a drainage system, taxiway lights and aviation signboards.

From August 5-13, 27 positive cases of COVID-19 and 76 F1 cases (close contacts of COVID cases) at the project’s construction site were found and treated.

No new COVID-19 cases have been reported since August 13. The project management board asked to resume work on the upgrade project after presenting its pandemic prevention plan to the city.

The ministry has asked authorities of neighbouring Đồng Nai and Bình Dương provinces to allow equipment and materials to be transported to the city.

It said the Tân Cảng-Cát Lái Port in the city should facilitate customs clearance procedures for shipments of imported equipment for the project.

The ministry also said the city should give vaccination priority to the project’s officials and construction workers.

Seven urgent projects in the city, including key traffic projects, have been allowed to continue work during the current stay-at-home order period to ensure completion.

The projects include construction works serving pandemic prevention and control as well as Metro Line No. 1, Thủ Thiêm 2 Bridge, an overpass in front of Miền Đông (Eastern) Bus Station, and technical infrastructure in residential areas and commercial areas in Thủ Thiêm new urban area.

Also included are a new double tunnel below Nguyễn Văn Linh Boulevard and Nguyễn Hữu Thọ Street intersection, and construction of a cardiology centre, neonatology centre and a building for health examinations and surgery at the HCM City Paediatrics Hospital 1.

The city has suspended non-urgent construction projects under social distancing regulations amid the worsening COVID outbreak. 

HCMC proposes allowing private hospitals to charge for Covid-19 treatment services

The HCMC government has written to the Ministries of Finance and Health proposing allowing private hospitals in the city to offer Covid-19 treatment services on demand and collect checkup and treatment fees that would be higher than those at public hospitals.

The proposal was made based on the proposals of private hospitals and the municipal Department of Health, the local media reported.

According to the city, private hospitals charge higher rates than public hospitals as the salaries of medical workers at private hospitals are higher.

If treatment fees at private and public hospitals are kept the same, private hospitals cannot afford to maintain their Covid treatment services.

However, the State cannot pay different fees at public and private hospitals for the same services.

According to private hospitals, many patients are willing to pay treatment fees. This will also help ease the pressure on the State budget.

In case the State budget covers part or all of the treatment fees, the HCMC government proposed the Ministries of Health and Finance look into the payment for private hospitals.

Earlier, the Ministry of Health and HCMC had called on private medical centers to participate in the treatment of Covid-19 patients, including Trieu An and City International Hospitals in Binh Tan District, Xuyen A Hospital in Cu Chi District and Nam Sai Gon Hospital in Binh Chanh District.

Vietnam to push back COVID-19 pandemic soon: Lao Ambassador

Lao Ambassador to Vietnam Sengphet Houngboungnuang has highly valued Vietnam's giving the top priority to protecting people’s health and lives, expressing his hope that the country will stamp out the COVID-19 pandemic soon.

In an interview granted to the Nhan dan (People) Newspaper, the diplomat spoke highly of Vietnam’s efforts against the pandemic, noting that the country’s Party and State have issued drastic directions to strengthen the COVID-19 fight, care for people’s lives, protect public health, and boost socio-economic recovery and development.

He also applauded Vietnam’s issuance of many policies to assist people and enterprises affected by the pandemic. All-level authorities, sectors, localities, and people’s have also applied strict anti-COVID-19 measures, while the vaccine strategy and vaccine diplomacy have been carried out, thereby obtaining certain encouraging outcomes, the ambassador added.

Talking about the Vietnam - Laos cooperation in the pandemic combat, he said since the pandemic broke out, the two Parties and Governments have made strong and right directions and assisted each other in the task, thus gaining positive outcomes in each nation.

Appreciating the timely aid from Vietnam, Sengphet said Vietnam has sent medical experts and supplies to help curb the spread of COVID-19 in Laos. In return, the Party, State, and people of Laos have also offered both material and spiritual support to their Vietnamese counterparts.

He described the two countries’ mutual assistance in COVID-19 response as a demonstration of the special solidarity between the two Parties, States, and people of Laos and Vietnam.

In the recent mutual visits by Lao Party General Secretary and President Thongloun Sisoulith and Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, leaders of both nations affirmed that Vietnam and Laos will help each other resolve difficulties the pandemic has caused for each country as well as bilateral ties, while working closely together in COVID-19 response and socio-economic recovery.

The ambassador voiced his belief that the bilateral partnership will bring about positive results in the COVID-19 fight, thus contributing to the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties, States, and people of Laos and Vietnam./.

Nghe An readies four more Covid field hospitals as infections exceed 1,000

The north-central province of Nghe An is working to set up four additional Covid-19 field hospitals as it forecast that the number of Covid cases will soar.

The province’s Center for Disease Control reported 11 fresh cases this morning, August 25, sending the province’s total since June 13 to 1,073.

Among the new cases, five were detected in the community in Yen Thanh District and Vinh City.

Given a spike in the cases, the province today put into operation its Field Hospital No. 4, which was converted from a hotel in Cua Lo Town, with 270 beds. The local authorities are surveying other locations to set up three more field hospitals. It also plans to open six more quarantine centers that can accommodate some 1,200 people.

Earlier, the provincial government decided to ban local residents in Vinh City from leaving home for seven days starting from August 23 for the city to conduct mass testing. People are also not allowed to enter the city during the period.

Up to now, Vinh City has reported the highest number of cases in the province, at 305, followed by Quynh Luu District with 143 and Yen Thanh District with 130.

Deputy PM wants fruits, porridge to be given to COVID-19 patients to ensure recovery

Aid packages that local authorities provide to COVID-19 patients at home should also include fruits and porridge in addition to other foods and medicines, Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam has said.

Speaking while on a visit to HCM City’s Districts 12 and Hóc Môn on Wednesday to inspect pandemic prevention efforts, he said while treatment and social security measures are excellent, to ensure the best care for patients and prevent their situation from worsening and requiring hospitalisation, authorities need to also pay attention to nutrition.

They should be visited and examined by healthcare personnel at least twice a day, he said.

Teachers at local schools should cook the porridge for COVID-19 patients, he said.

Meanwhile, Field Hospital No 8 has announced that recovered COVID-19 patients who help take care of other patients would be paid a stipend of VNĐ8 million (US$350) a month.

Nguyễn Ngọc Châu, its deputy director, said participants would also be provided with board and lodging and protective equipment.

They could register online or contact the hospital directly, he said.

The city People's Committee has also called on people who have recovered to help with epidemic prevention tasks.

On Wednesday, the HCM City Centre for Disease Control (HCDC) said that up to now, HCM City has had 93,289 COVID-19 patients who have been cured and discharged from the hospital.

More than 5.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been given so far, or 78.9 per cent of the population aged over 18 years, including 210,536 people who have received two shots.

Traffic accidents, fatalities drop sharply in eight months

As many as 510 traffic accidents were recorded from July 15 to August 14, claiming 257 lives and injuring 342 people, according to the National Traffic Safety Committee.

These represented significant declines of 56.56 percent, 53.36 percent and 61 percent, respectively, compared to the same period last year.

There were a total of 7,647 traffic accidents over the last eight months (from December 15, 2020 to August 14, 2021), killing 3,892 people and injuring 5,326 others. The figures dropped 16.6 percent, 10.36 percent and 20.8 percent, respectively, year-on-year.

Meanwhile, 47 railway accidents left 41 dead and 12 injured during the period. Thirty-two accidents on waterways claimed 22 lives and injured one, while six maritime accidents left nine dead and missing./.

Hung Vuong Hospital opens centre for healthy newborns of COVID-19 patients 

Hùng Vương Hospital in HCM City on Wednesday opened the H.O.P.E Centre at Họa Mi Kindergarten No. 2 in District 5 for healthy babies born to COVID patients.

The hospital previously took care of them, but the facility has become overcrowded with patients.

Dr Hoàng Thị Diễm Tuyết, the hospital’s director, said that more than 50 of 130 babies born to COVID-19 patients at the hospital have been discharged from the hospital. But their relatives, because of restrictions in travelling amid the social distancing period, cannot pick them up now. The mothers are staying at concentrated quarantine facilities in the city.

The Ministry of Health and the city People’s Committee worked with the District 5 people’s committee, the leaders of Họa Mi Kindergarten No.2, and the city Women’s Union to set up the centre.

The hospital has provided centre volunteers with training on how to take care of newborns. Doctors visit the centre to check their health each day, and the hospital offers emergency aid if necessary.

Relatives have to follow strict procedures when picking up the babies to ensure safety.

Since April, the hospital has admitted 1,000 pregnant women, and about 500 of them have had COVID-19. Five of the 500 women with COVID-19 had babies who were diagnosed with COVID-19. 

Vietnamese in U.S. donate over 6.2 tons of medical supplies

Over 6.2 tons of medical equipment donated by Vietnamese people in the United States for Vietnam’s Covid-19 fight arrived at the Noi Bai International Airport today, August 25.

The medical supplies comprise 250 respirators, five ventilators, 9,000 rapid test kits, 600 protective gears, 2,500 face shields and 60,000 medical masks, according to Vietnam Airlines, which transported the batch.

The donation, worth some US$1 million, following the call from the Vietnamese Embassy in San Francisco, was aimed at helping the country put the raging coronavirus under control.

After receiving the shipment, the Ministry of Health will allocate the medical equipment to hospitals and Covid treatment facilities nationwide.

This has been the second direct flight between Vietnam and the United States since the U.S. agency granted a license to Vietnam Airlines to operate 12 flights to repatriate Vietnamese people this year, said the air carrier.

This is also the first time a flight operated by a Vietnamese airline has been licensed for transporting goods between the two countries.

Vietnam Airlines said that it had transported some 6,000 medical workers in many provinces and cities to virus-hit areas to join the Covid fight and transported over 200 tons of medical supplies, including vaccine doses, test kits, ventilators and protective gear, for free.

Soldiers deliver food to pandemic-hit residents

 

Not only providing treatment to COVID-19 patients in Ho Chi Minh City, soldiers are also helping deliver food and aid to households as the city tightens restrictions on movement amid an increasing surge of coronavirus cases. The soldiers in this report are from Division 302, Military Zone 7.

Ho Chi Minh City has not been short of any supplies. What local people must do is to plan a menu, and soldiers will help them buy the ingredients.

The soldiers, who are used to military training, are still good when it comes to selecting food at supermarkets. They then carefully arrange the food in packages for each household.

Ho Chi Minh City has so many alleyways, and it can be hard to find the houses that food is to be delivered to. But with support from the local youth union, the soldiers are able to find the right address.

Despite the formidable challenges ahead, the military has expressed its steely determination to help Ho Chi Minh City and other southern localities stamp out COVID-19./.

Pfizer and Vietnamese health ministry enter agreement for additional 20 million vaccine doses

Pfizer and BioNTech just announced that they have entered into an agreement with the Vietnamese health ministry to provide an additional 20 million doses of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, Corminaty.

In addition to the previously contracted 31 million doses, the newly signed amendment of the definitive supply agreement brings the total number of doses to be supplied by the two companies to Việt Nam to 51 million.

These doses are expected to be delivered through 2021 and the distribution of the vaccine in Việt Nam will be led by the Ministry of Health.

“These additional doses will help the Government of Việt Nam ensure broad vaccine access for Vietnamese to advance our response against COVID-19,” Pfizer Việt Nam said in a statement announcing the deal.

“We continue to work in collaboration with the government authorities and remain committed to ensuring smooth delivery and deployment of our vaccine in the country’s immunisation programme,” it said.

The news came after Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính had a telephone conversation with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla over the weekend, urging the company to accelerate delivery of vaccines to Việt Nam in August and September, the two months where there will be limited shipments of COVID-19 vaccines to Việt Nam from all sources, as the country is battling a serious fourth wave of COVID-19 infections.

About 1.2 million doses of Pfizer have arrived in Việt Nam, according to the health ministry.

Việt Nam to date has administered over 18 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, mostly AstraZeneca. 

More efforts needed to ensure gender equality in enjoying fruits of digital economy

Empowerment and equality for women in all fields are high priorities on the ASEAN agenda. However, in reality, there are still many challenges in narrowing the gender gap in the region and for each member country, said Ha Thi Nga, President of the Vietnam Women's Union.

Speaking to the press on the outcomes of the freshly-ended 42nd AIPA General Assembly relating to women’s empowerment, especially in the context of the pandemic, Nga, who is a National Assembly deputy, said difficulties and challenges are even greater in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic because women and children are still the most vulnerable.

According to Nga, the COVID-19 pandemic is posing many difficulties and challenges for women in the field of information technology because they lack technology application skills and have no experience working in an international environment, while hidden dangers of social networks make women and girls more susceptible to becoming victims of technology crimes.

It is necessary to have a mechanism to assist women in getting access to information and fully understanding the State's support policies and create a channel to provide information suitable to women's habits and conditions, she said.

Nga also underlined the importance of having policies to help women to access information technology to narrow the gender gap in the digital field.

The official highlighted the importance of solutions that ensure effective and substantive participation and equal enjoyment of people in building the digital economy.

To do this, she pointed out some key issues such as diversifying programmes and communication methods to change people's perception of digital transformation and digital economy; implementing training and supporting programmes for people and businesses; and identifying shortcomings, difficulties, and barriers of each population group.

Nga emphasised that the development of the digital economy must be a gender-sensitive process, and narrowing the current gender gap must be considered as a priority to ensure that women and men enjoy equal benefits from the digital economy.

In addition, attention should be paid to ensuring that the female workforce is equipped with essential knowledge and skills to access digital technology.

According to Nga, in the current context, AIPA member parliaments need to cooperate more closely to be able to support women in dealing with the problems of the pandemic, natural disasters, and the digital transformation process to promote their contributions and creativity. 

She also made several proposals such as prioritising and protecting women against the pandemic, especially disadvantaged women and those on the front lines against the pandemic.

Nga called for strengthening research on the impacts of COVID-19 on women, adopting measures to coordinate and comprehensively support job opportunities, start-ups, income, and family care for groups of migrant women, female workers in industrial zones, and women-owned enterprises./.

Romania presents Viet Nam with 300,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine

Việt Nam has received 300,000 doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine donated by the Romanian Government on Wednesday.

Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Foreign Minister Tô Anh Dũng expressed sincere thanks to the Romanian Government and people for the valuable and timely support to Việt Nam.

He affirmed this was a noble gesture that proved the loyal friendship between the two countries, which has been cultivated by generations for more than 70 years.

Dũng highly appreciated Romania as the first European Union member to donate vaccines to Việt Nam, saying that it would make a practical contribution to the prevention of COVID-19 in Việt Nam.

He expressed his thanks to Romanian Ambassador Cristina Romila for playing an important role in mobilising the Romanian Government to donate vaccines to Việt Nam. He also asked the Romania Government to consider the possibility of ceding the surplus vaccines to Việt Nam.

Deputy Minister of Health Trần Văn Thuấn affirmed that the Ministry of Health would soon put this batch of vaccines into use in the most effective way.

Romania Ambassador Cristina Romila said that after the phone call between President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on July 14 as well as the letter from Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính to Romanian Prime Minister Florin Citu on July 19, the Romanian Government decided to increase the donated number of vaccines to 300,000 doses, three times higher than the original plan.

She said the Romanian Government always remembered the valuable support of medical face masks and medical supplies from the Vietnamese Government and the Vietnamese community in Romania in their early stages of the pandemic.

Việt Nam was the first Asian country Romania donated COVID-19 vaccines to, she said.

She affirmed that Romania would continue supporting Việt Nam and firmly believed that Việt Nam would soon put the pandemic under control. 

Vietnam calls for ensuring security of elections in Iraq

Vietnam welcomes efforts of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and international organisations and partners to assist Iraq in organising early elections scheduled for this October, said Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, head of the Vietnam’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations.

Addressing a meeting of the UN Security Council on August 25 on Iraq situation and activities of the UNAMI, Quy spoke highly of the Iraqi government’s preparations for the upcoming elections.

He expressed his delight at the Iraqi government’s efforts to boost cooperation with regional and global partners, and urged parties concerned to respect Iraq’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, promote its security and stability via collaboration and dialogue.

The Vietnamese side also hailed the UNAMI’s activities over the past time time and expressed support for the UN’s mission and agencies in assisting Iraq.

On the occasion of the 18th anniversary of World Humanitarian Day, Quy called on the Iraqi government and countries worldwide to attach importance to protecting security and safety of humanitarian relief staff in any circumstance.

Participants at the event wished that the elections would be held in a fair, free and transparent manner, thus meeting public aspirations and contributing to national stability.

They also urged the international community to enhance support for Iraq and back the UNAMI’s efforts.

Flight carrying repatriated citizens and medical supplies from US lands safely

A flight bringing 277 Vietnamese citizens home from the US landed safely at the Nội Bài International Airport in Hà Nội in the early hours of Wednesday.

The flight, operated by Vietnam Airlines from San Francisco, also transported more than 6.2 tonnes of medical equipment and supplies from overseas Vietnamese in the US to compatriots in Việt Nam for COVID-19 prevention and control.

This is the second direct flight between Việt Nam and the US conducted by Vietnam Airlines this year after the airline was licensed by the US authorities to operate 12 flights to bring Vietnamese citizens home.

More specifically, this is also the first time that a flight operated by a Vietnamese airline has been licensed to transport goods between the two countries.

The special goods on the flight included 250 ventilators, 9,000 COVID-19 rapid test kits, 600 sets of medical protective clothing, 2,500 anti-droplet masks and 60,000 medical masks.

The estimated total value of the shipment is about US$1 million.

All of these goods are contributed by the Vietnamese community in the US in response to the call of Consulate General of Việt Nam in San Francisco to support pandemic prevention and control in Việt Nam.

Vietnam Airlines has urgently worked with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the State Committee on Overseas Vietnamese Affairs, the US Embassy in Việt Nam, the Consulate General of Việt Nam in San Francisco and the US authorities to complete procedures for transporting the goods.

The Ministry of Health will receive the goods and distribute them to medical stations all over the country.

Algiers exhibition commemorates General Vo Nguyen Giap

The Vietnamese Embassy in Algeria opened an exhibition on late General Vo Nguyen Giap on August 25 to mark his 110th birth anniversary (August 25, 1911 - 2021).

The opening ceremony saw the presence of Bouzid Mohamed Yazid, Director for East and Central Asia at the Algerian Foreign Ministry’s General Department for Asia - Australia; Mourad Lamoudi, member in charge of external relations at the National Liberation Front (FLN) of Algeria Central Committee; leaders of the Algeria - Vietnam Friendship Association; along with representatives of traditional martial arts associations, press agencies, and other partners.

Addressing the event, held at the embassy’s headquarters in Algiers, Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Thanh Vinh said the exhibition aimed to pay tribute to General Giap’s enormous dedication to the country’s revolution and was also an occasion for international friends to express their sentiments towards and admiration for him.

The diplomat also thanked the Foreign Ministry and people of Algeria for sharing historical materials about the legendary general of Vietnam.

Reviewing the general’s life and revolutionary career, Vinh highlighted General Giap’s great contributions to not only Vietnam’s revolution but also national liberation movements around the world.

General Giap was a great source of support for the revolution in Algeria and also an outstanding person in developing the two countries’ relations, the ambassador said.

Talking to the press, Mourad Lamoudi, member in charge of external relations at the FLN Central Committee, said General Giap was a demonstration of the crucial role of the people’s will in the fight for national independence.

To the Algerian people, he noted, the victory of the Dien Bien Phu Campaign under General Giap’s command in 1954, which put an end to the French colonial rule over Vietnam and Indochina, awoke the colonised peoples and encouraged them to rise up against colonialism.

These are priceless lessons for the traditional friendship between Algeria and Vietnam, as well as the close-knit ties between the FLN and the Communist Party of Vietnam, Lamoudi added.

Other guests at the exhibition also held that General Giap and President Ho Chi Minh were always a great source of support for the Algerian people, as well as symbols of the struggles for independence and peace in the world.

The display is scheduled to last through August 30.

General Vo Nguyen Giap, whose real name is Vo Giap (alias Van), was born in Loc Thuy commune of Le Thuy district in the central province of Quang Binh on August 25, 1911. He passed away in Hanoi on October 4, 2013./.

Hanoi students to have online academic year kick-off ceremonies

Students in Hà Nội will begin their academic year on September 5 with virtual opening ceremonies.

And to halt the spread of COVID-19, all classes will take place online, according to the Hà Nội Education and Training Department.

The academic ceremonies will start at 7.30am on September 5 and will be broadcast live on radio and television stations and other online platforms.

The department asked all schools to prepared effective plans of online teaching at all levels, especially for the first grade students.

The department is developing specific and detailed programmes to guide schools to carry out meaningful academic opening ceremonies for students and parents.

Đồng Nai and Khánh Hoà provinces will start the academic year on September 12 and 13, respectively.

Online Ehon book reading to entertain children amid pandemic

The library of the Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam will organise an online Ehon (picture book) reading event to bring joy to children in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Attending the event, participants aged between three and six accompanied by their parents will enjoy an interesting book on the rain theme.

After the reading session, they will participate in an interesting craft activity of learning how to make Teru Teru Bouzu (fine weather doll) – a very familiar friend of Japanese from adults to children.

The event is scheduled to take place on August 28 morning via Zoom app, with registration available at https://forms.gle/mjU5u21tKGtaLEf27 between August 23 and 27./.

Visiting Le Thuy to commemorate legendary General Vo Nguyen Giap

People have paid tribute to General Vo Nguyen Giap on the occasion of his 110th birthday at his rustic house in An Xa village, Le Thuy district, in central Quang Binh province. To the Vietnamese people, he was not only a wartime hero but also an icon who dedicated his life to the development of the country.

Le Thuy held a festival most times General Giap visited. Local people stood along the roads to welcome him. It is proud of its famous son, who has received admiration and respect from around the world.

The commemorative house of General Vo Nguyen Giap has become a popular destination for people from around the country as well as international friends.

General Giap, whose real name is Vo Giap, was born in Loc Thuy commune in Le Thuy district on August 25, 1911. He passed away in Hanoi on October 4, 2013, at the age of 103.

The General’s military career began with his appointment to lead the first Vietnamese revolutionary army unit, with just 34 soldiers, in 1944. He then became Commander-in-Chief of the Vietnam People’s Army and led the army from victory to victory during Vietnam’s resistance wars.

To the Vietnamese people, he was not only a wartime hero but also an icon who dedicated his life to the development of the country./.

Thai Binh exerts efforts for pandemic control, economic development

The northern province of Thai Binh is making every effort to well control the COVID-19 pandemic and maintain socio-economic development. In the first half of 2021, the locality’s economy recovered at a high level compared to that of the same period last year.

Taking the initiative in COVID-19 prevention and control

May 6 can be said to be a "special" day of Thai Binh when it recorded the first COVID-19 infections after nearly one year and a half it had stood firm amid the dangerous pandemic. Thai Binh was also the first province to immediately impose social distancing in the whole province under the Prime Minister’s Directive No.15 in the fourth outbreak of the pandemic. Right after five cases were detected on May 6 morning, the province decided to implement social distancing across the province in accordance with Directive No.15 from 12:00 the same day.

The entire political system and local people from all walks of life actively took part in pandemic prevention and control with the spirit of “Fighting the pandemic like fighting the enemy”, with the aim to successfully achieve the dual goals of pandemic prevention and control and socio-economic development in the new normal, and quickly trace all people with possible contact with positive patients to zone off affected areas and quarantine them as regulated.

Pham Quang Hoa, Director of the provincial Department of Health, said amidst the complicated developments of the pandemic, the health sector intensified dissemination on the pandemic situation and prevention and control measures, mobilised all human resources to synchronously perform assigned tasks, prepared necessary and sufficient conditions for dealing with a possible more complicated situation, and at the same time made personnel ready to provide aid to localities with complicated developments.

With the active participation of the entire political system, the province has basically controlled the outbreaks in the community. By 5:30 pm on July 25, Thai Binh had recorded 38 COVID-19 infections since April 28, of whom 31 were founded in the community; 5,560 cases returning from pandemic-hit areas since June 26; 788 suspected cases that have been quarantined and treated at medical facilities; and 4,124 monitored at concentrated quarantine facilities since January 1, 2021.

Economic growth maintained

The proactive prevention and control of the pandemic has helped all sectors, localities, the business community and locals overcome difficulties caused by impacts of the pandemic in order to maintain and develop production and business and promote local economic recovery.

In the first six months of this year, the industrial sector still enjoyed the largest growth with an estimated production value of 36.1 trillion VND, up 10.8 percent year-on-year and equal to 45.3 percent of the yearly plan, in which the mining industry grew by 10.6 percent, and processing industry expanded by 11.4 percent. The number of newly-established enterprises and branches and representative offices rose by 14 percent over the same period last year with a total of more than 420 enterprises, branches and representative offices and a total registered capital of 3.8 trillion VND, up 13.8 percent year-on-year.

In the total local budget revenue in the period, domestic revenue reached 67 percent of the estimate with an amount of more than 4.56 trillion VND, a year-on-year jump of 50.1 percent. Disbursement of construction investment during January-June reached 77 percent of the yearly estimate, making Thai Binh rank second in the country, after Hai Phong city, in terms of construction investment disbursement in 2021.

The agro-forestry-fisheries and services sectors also posted growth with 1.71 percent and 4.35 percent, respectively. Total retail sales of goods and revenue from consumer services were estimated at 24.4 trillion VND, up 7.6 percent over the same period in 2020./.

Italy grants 801,600 doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Vietnam

The Italian Government on August 25 decided to present Vietnam with 801,600 doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine via the COVAX Facility to aid the nation’s fight against the pandemic.

The batch of vaccine, expected to be delivered to Vietnam in early September, is the result of the efforts of senior leaders, including Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh who sent a letter to his Italian counterpart Mario Draghi, asking for vaccine support, as well as the endeavours of the Government’s working group on vaccine diplomacy in the past time.

The donation is evidence of the Vietnam - Italy strategic partnership and shows the solidarity the Italian Government and people have reserved for Vietnam.

Amid complicated developments of COVID-19 with the appearance of new variants, the Vietnamese Government has identified accessing many vaccine supplies for the quickest implementation of the large-scale vaccination rollout is the solution and top priority to push back the epidemic.

Currently, Italy is the European Union's second biggest donor of the COVAX Facility with a commitment to provide 15 million doses of vaccine and 359 million USD.

As a development partner of ASEAN, Italy recently pledged to donate an additional 2 million USD to the bloc’s special fund to cope with COVID-19.

THACO donates ambulances, mobile vaccination trucks to HCM City

Truong Hai Auto Corporation (THACO) has decided to present 30 ambulances and 25 mobile vaccination trucks to support Ho Chi Minh City’s COVID-19 prevention and control, its Chairman Tran Ba Duong said on August 25.

The European-standard IVECO ambulances are also equipped with disinfection and cleaning devices to serve the transport of COVID-19 patients in critical conditions.

Meanwhile, the six-seat trucks can facilitate the conduction of in-place rapid testing and vaccination at residential areas in the context of the city launching strict social distancing and restriction measures.

According to Duong, the company will also present 500,000 rapid test kits to the southern city serving its mass testing campaign. The made-in-Germany kits are rated by the Ministry of Health as the most accurate to date.

The donations are worth 131 billion VND (5.74 million USD) in total.

THACO has so far donated medical equipment and supplies worth 161 billion VND for prevention and control work nationwide./.

PM assigned as Head of National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on August 25 chaired a ceremony to announce Decision 1438/QD-TTg on strengthening the apparatus of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

According to the Decision, PM Chinh was assigned as the head of the committee, with his deputies consisting of Deputy PM Le Minh Khai, Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam, Deputy PM Le Van Thanh and Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Khac Dinh. The committee also includes ten other members.

The committee is responsible for building plans and setting out tasks and measures for drastic, timely, suitable, and effective pandemic prevention and control following directions and conclusions of the Party Central Committee, its Politburo and Secretariat, the National Assembly, and the Government.

It is also set to lead and make directions regarding COVID-19 prevention and control and health care tasks, ensuring social security and social safety and order.

In addition, the committee will closely coordinate activities of ministries, ministerial agencies and agencies under the Government, Party, and Vietnam Farther Front, and other socio-political organisations involved for the implementation of pandemic prevention and control plans and tasks as well as mobilisation and distribution of legal domestic and overseas resources for the work.

Speaking at the ceremony, PM Chinh said the strengthening of the committee's apparatus aims to continue performing directions, directives and resolutions issued by the Party, National Assembly, Government, and Prime Minister on pandemic prevention and control.

The Government leader affirmed the top priority is to control the pandemic, however, attention must be paid to such other tasks as ensuring national sovereignty and security, and Party building.

At the ceremony, members of the committee vowed to spare no effort in fulfilling their missions and joining hands with the entire nation to contain and push back the pandemic./.

Official highlights outstanding results of AIPA-42

Chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee for External Relations Vu Hai Ha has highlighted outstanding results of the 42nd General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-42) that closed on August 25 after three days of sitting via videoconference.

Talking with the press the same day, Ha said the event, themed “"Forging Parliamentary Cooperation in Digital Inclusion towards ASEAN Community 2025”, attracted the attention of member parliaments, observers and guests.

In speeches, heads of delegations said the theme suits the current realities in ASEAN. Based on which, committees actively helped with bringing ideas and measures to carry out plans and action programmes on digital transformation towards the ASEAN Community by 2025, he said.

According to him, the event attracted full and active participation of member parliaments and guests. The ASEAN Secretary General delivered a speech hailing the AIPA’s role in the process of building the ASEAN Community. All members affirmed that the AIPA will partner with ASEAN in this difficult period to build an united, prosperous and self-resilient bloc, towards building the ASEAN Community by 2025 and upholding ASEAN’s central role in regional architecture.

About Vietnam’s suggestions at the event, Ha said NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue offered several issues for discussion, including fine-tuning legal framework for inclusive digital transformation towards the ASEAN Community, narrowing digital gap, pooling suitable investment forms to build digital infrastructure and develop ecological system, enhancing collaboration in building legal framework and reinforcing digital trust in the region, empowering governments with unprecedented rights to be more flexible in the fight against COVID-19, and how to use the ASEAN’s COVID-19 prevention and control fund most effectively.

Countries positively responded to Vietnam’s proposals, especially those regarding perfecting legal framework, Ha said, adding that the AIPA discussed how to harmonise laws to facilitate digital transformation in an effective manner.

Asked about Vietnam’s role in this AIPA meeting, Ha said the country’s proposals were agreed by delegations and will be included in the AIPA’s resolutions and documents./.

Official highlights outstanding results of AIPA-42

Chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee for External Relations Vu Hai Ha has highlighted outstanding results of the 42nd General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-42) that closed on August 25 after three days of sitting via videoconference.

Talking with the press the same day, Ha said the event, themed “"Forging Parliamentary Cooperation in Digital Inclusion towards ASEAN Community 2025”, attracted the attention of member parliaments, observers and guests.

In speeches, heads of delegations said the theme suits the current realities in ASEAN. Based on which, committees actively helped with bringing ideas and measures to carry out plans and action programmes on digital transformation towards the ASEAN Community by 2025, he said.

According to him, the event attracted full and active participation of member parliaments and guests. The ASEAN Secretary General delivered a speech hailing the AIPA’s role in the process of building the ASEAN Community. All members affirmed that the AIPA will partner with ASEAN in this difficult period to build an united, prosperous and self-resilient bloc, towards building the ASEAN Community by 2025 and upholding ASEAN’s central role in regional architecture.

About Vietnam’s suggestions at the event, Ha said NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue offered several issues for discussion, including fine-tuning legal framework for inclusive digital transformation towards the ASEAN Community, narrowing digital gap, pooling suitable investment forms to build digital infrastructure and develop ecological system, enhancing collaboration in building legal framework and reinforcing digital trust in the region, empowering governments with unprecedented rights to be more flexible in the fight against COVID-19, and how to use the ASEAN’s COVID-19 prevention and control fund most effectively.

Countries positively responded to Vietnam’s proposals, especially those regarding perfecting legal framework, Ha said, adding that the AIPA discussed how to harmonise laws to facilitate digital transformation in an effective manner.

Asked about Vietnam’s role in this AIPA meeting, Ha said the country’s proposals were agreed by delegations and will be included in the AIPA’s resolutions and documents./.

Vietnam further promotes multifaceted cooperation with African countries

Vietnam always attaches great importance to further tightening the traditional friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation with African countries, said a Vietnamese official.

Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Hieu made the statement during his virtual meeting on August 24-25 with Ambassadors and Chargés d'Affaires of African countries to Vietnam.

At the event, the largest of its kind since 2019, with the participation of 43 Ambassadors and Chargé d'Affaires of African countries to Vietnam, Hieu informed them of Vietnam's policies for foreign relations and economic development after the 13th National Party Congress as well as its main orientations in cooperation with African countries and measures to promote cooperation between the two sides.

According to the Vietnamese official, despite facing many difficulties caused by COVID-19, the relationship between Vietnam and African countries has still achieved many encouraging achievements. The two sides have well maintained their political-diplomatic cooperation through online meetings and phone talks at all levels. They also recorded an encouraging growth in trade in 2020 and the first half of 2021. Cooperation in agriculture, energy and telecommunications continued to see positive changes.

The Ambassadors and Chargé d'Affaires of African countries affirmed the importance of the good traditional relationship between Vietnam and Africa, and expressed their wish to further promote collaboration in fields of mutual interest.

They said they are impressed by Vietnam's socio-economic development achievements and appreciated Vietnam's role as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2020-2021 term as well as its contributions to maintaining peace and stability in Africa.

Hieu and the African diplomats applauded the active cooperation between Vietnam and African countries at multilateral forums, especially the United Nations, hoping that the two sides would continue to support each other, as well as enhance information sharing and consultations on regional and international issues of mutual concern.

In order to further improve the cooperation efficiency, they held that it is necessary to increase the exchange of delegations at all levels when the pandemic is put under control. In the near future, the two sides need to increase online exchanges and strengthen cooperation in priority areas such as trade, investment, telecommunications, energy, agriculture, health care, education, cultural and people-to-people exchange.

They should pay attention to expanding collaboration to potential fields like tourism, banking, aviation and digital economy, while promoting ties within the South-South Cooperation framework, especially in agriculture and COVID-19 combat.

It is necessary to review and accelerate negotiations for the signing of agreements in order to create a favourable legal framework for cooperation, they said./.

Reburial service held for fallen combatants in Ha Giang province

Remains of three soldiers who laid down their lives in the struggle to safeguard the northern border were reburied at Vi Xuyen National Martyrs’ Cemetery in the northernmost province of Ha Giang on August 25.

The remains were unearthed by the search team for martyrs’ remains from the provincial Military Command in Nam Ngat village, Thanh Thuy commune, Vi Xuyen district.

Speaking at the event, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Van Son expressed his deep gratitude toward the sacrifice and contributions made by martyrs, war invalids and sick soldiers, and their families for the national protection cause.

He said the provincial authorities always pay attention to supporting the groups via martyrs’ remains finding work, financial assistance and charity house building, among others.

Ha Giang was the fiercest battlefield in the fight to protect the northern border, during which more than 4,000 officers and soldiers sacrificed their lives and over 9,000 others were injured. To date, remains of more than 2,000 martyrs have yet to be found./.

42nd AIPA General Assembly wraps up

The 42nd General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-42), themed "Forging Parliamentary Cooperation in Digital Inclusion towards ASEAN Community 2025”, concluded on August 25 after three working days via videoconference.

The Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) delegation, led by Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, attended the closing ceremony.

Concluding the event, head of the parliaments of 10 Southeast Asian countries signed a joint communique of the 42nd AIPA General Assembly.

They also adopted a resolution admitting the parliaments of Ukraine and Pakistan as the new observers.

Following the closing ceremony, Brunei handed over the role of AIPA 2022 Chair to the Cambodian National Assembly.

President of the National Assembly of Cambodia Heng Samrin underlined that ASEAN is being hard hit by COVID-19, forcing the association to promote digitalisation to ensure economic recovery and further strengthen regional cooperation in the new situation.

He said that Cambodia will host meetings within the the 43rd AIPA General Assembly from September 12-16, 2022./.

HCM City Buddhist Sangha donates ambulances to help with COVID-19 prevention, control

Responding to the call of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, the Ho Chi Minh City Buddhist Sangha has donated six ambulances to support the prevention and control of COVID-19.

The ambulances, worth some 7.2 billion VND (around 316,000 USD), will be handed over to hospitals in the city serving the transportation of COVID-19 patients.

At the handover ceremony, Nguyen Thanh Nhan, Director of the Department of Home Affairs of Ho Chi Minh City, sincerely thanked the city's Buddhist Sangha for the timely and meaningful support.

He said with the support from the central and local governments, the efforts of the city government and the cooperation of the people of all ethnicities and religions, Ho Chi Minh City will soon eradicate the epidemic.

Funding for the purchase of the ambulances is contributed by the Tuong Nguyen Pagoda Charity Association and various benefactors.

Over the past two months, the Tuong Nguyen Pagoda Charity Association has provided more than 1.2 million free meals, distributed more than 25,000 gifts including necessities and rice to residents affected by the pandemic, and donated thousands of oxygen tanks, 50 ventilators, hundreds of thousands of N95 masks, protective suits and other goods worth a total over 72 billion VND./.

AVERP project honours successful agricultural enterprises in reducing GHG emissions

The ThaiBinh Seed company has won the first prize of the the AgResults Vietnam Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Pilot (AVERP) project with reward of 750,000 USD.

An Dinh Technology Development and Investment Ltd. Won the second prize and receive 400,000 USD, while the Seed Joint Stock Company for Food Crop bagged the third prize with 200,000 USD.

An award ceremony was held on August 25, during which the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development also presented certificates of merit to one collective and one individual, while the Thai Binh People’s Committee honoured one collective and nine individual with outstanding performance in implementing the AVERP project.

The AVERP project is funded by the Netherlands Development Organisation in northern Thai Binh province in the 2016-2021 period. It aims to seek advanced technologies, tools and solutions to rice production with an aim to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, thus improving livelihood for farmers and contributing to environmental protection and climate change mitigation.

It is implemented in two phases, involving 47,762 farmer households and 85 co-operatives with 4,937 hectares of farm.

The project has helped reduce GHG emission by 0.5 tonne per hectare of rice farm and increase productivity by 0.2 tonne per hectare.

The project’s technology packages also contributed to cut 15 percent of cost for farmers.

Chairman of the Thai Binh People’s Committee Nguyen Khac Than highly valued the effectiveness of the project in Thai Binh’s rice production, opening a new, safe, sustainable and effective development orientation for the province’s rice sector.

Head of the Department of Crop Production under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Nhu Cuong said that on the foundation of the project’s results in Thai Binh, the department will assign award-winning firms to continue to expand the model to other localities.

The department will also coordinate with other international organisations to seek new orientations and advanced solutions to the agricultural sector, he added./.

Lao top legislator appreciates Vietnam’s proposals at AIPA-42

Chairman of the Lao National Assembly (NA) Saysomphone Phomvihane has highly valued contributions as well as constructive initiatives and proposals of the Vietnamese NA at the 42nd ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) General Assembly held from August 23-25 via videoconference.

He said that the Vietnamese legislature has made positive and constructive contributions to AIPA’s activities, especially at this AIPA General Assembly.

He agreed with and supported five proposals made by Vietnamese NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue this time, including the need to develop the law system of each country to manage and use the digital system in a harmonious manner among ASEAN member countries, encouraging the governments of ASEAN members to carry out concrete programmes, action plans and strategies pertaining to digital development; and facilitating the application of science and technology in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic; and promoting cooperation to maintain peace, stability and security in the region.

Welcoming Brunei’s decision to hold the AIPA general assembly via videoconference, the Lao top legislator affirmed that AIPA-42 has achieved its set goals and gained success thanks to the application of a modern digital system in the organisation.

He also appreciated the theme “Forging Parliamentary Cooperation in Digital Inclusion towards ASEAN Community 2025” of this general assembly.

Laos also attaches great importance to the use of digital systems in socio-economic development, thus creating favourable conditions for people in remote rural areas, the disadvantaged and the whole society to have access to information and communication technology in a comprehensive and equal manner so as to improve people's living standards and reduce the development gap between rural and urban areas, he added./.

Vietnam attends meetings of ASEAN Connectivity Coordinating Committee

A Vietnamese delegation led by Ambassador Nguyen Hai Bang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to ASEAN, attended meetings of the ASEAN Connectivity Coordinating Committee (ACCC) held in a virtual format from August 23-25.

At the third meeting of the ACCC this year, countries welcomed progress made in the implementation of the ASEAN Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) 2025, although many projects face difficulties in the context of COVID-19. 

Delegates focused on measures to roll out recommendations by the Mid Term Review and voiced opinions for the third draft of the Progress Review Report for the MPAC 2025 to submit to the 30th meeting of the ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC) slated for October.

Particularly, 14 out of 15 initiatives in the master plan’s strategic areas, namely sustainable infrastructure, digital innovation, seamless logistics, regulatory excellence and people mobility, are being carried out.

The fourth meeting on Monitoring, Review and Evaluation (MRE) of the MPAC 2025 saw the participation of representatives from relevant agencies in the implementation of 15 initiatives in the MPAC 2025.

With the projects’ cross-sectoral and cross-pillar characteristics, MRE promotes cohesiveness between agencies and raises awareness of sharing responsibilities in the implementation of initiatives and projects of the MPAC 2025. 

It is also to discuss and seek solutions to challenges and obstacles in the MPAC 2025 implementation.

At the ACC Consultations with Dialogue Partners and Other External Partners on Connectivity, heads of ASEAN partner nations spoke highly of ASEAN’s efforts in the recent past in promoting connectivity in the organisation and the region at large. 

They affirmed to further support ASEAN to carry out projects in the MPAC 2025 and others, in order to accelerate the building of the ASEAN Community and connection between ASEAN and partners, thereby stepping up recovery and economic development in the region.

The countries also discussed measures to promote the MPAC 2025 in the backdrop of COVID-19, underlining that strategic fields of the plan are in line with the ASEAN recovery plan in the post-pandemic period.

At the 28th ASEAN Summit in Vientiane, Laos, in September 2016, ASEAN leaders adopted the MPAC 2025 with a vision of a seamlessly and comprehensively connected and integrated ASEAN.

The ACCC was established to oversee, assess and make periodic reports to the ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC) and the ASEAN Summit on situation and challenges in implementing the MPAC 2025./.

National conference highlights military talent, moral example of General Vo Nguyen Giap

A national scientific conference was held via videoconference on August 25 to highlight the military talent and the prestige of General Vo Nguyen Giap.

The event, jointly organised by the Ministry of National Defence, the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Information and Education, the Government Office and the Party Committee of Quang Binh province (the home province of the late General), saw the participation of more than 600 delegates. President Nguyen Xuan Phuc sent flowers to the event.

Opening the conference, Sen. Lieut. Gen Nguyen Trong Nghia, head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Information and Education underlined that the over 80-year revolutionary career of General Vo Nguyen Giap was closely linked with significant milestones of the Vietnamese revolution.

With his sharp mind and strategic vision as well as rich experience, General Giap made great contributions to the success of the country’s revolution. He is also a model of the morality and personality of a communist, said Sen. Lieut. Gen Nghia.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister General Phan Van Giang underlined that General Giap is one of the great leader of the Vietnamese revolution and an outstanding military talent who played an important role in the formation and development of the Vietnam People’s Army. His name is associated with many victories of Vietnam in the Ho Chi Minh Era.

General Giang suggested that participants focus on analyzing General Giap’s contributions to the country’s victory in the war against American imperialists and French colonialists, and clarifying General Giap’s ideology on people-based war and people-based defence as well as the Vietnamese military art.

At the same time, General Giap is also a great man of culture and a typical example on revolutionary ethics, he added.

The Defence Minister said that the outcomes of the conference will support the education of patriotism and national pride among military officers and soldiers as well as the public, especially young people.

General Vo Nguyen Giap, whose real name is Vo Giap (alias Van), was born in Loc Thuy commune, Le Thuy district, the central province of Quang Binh on August 25, 1911. He passed away in Hanoi on October 4, 2013 at the age of 103.

He once served as a Politburo member, Secretary of the Central Military Commission, Standing Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of National Defence, Commander-in-Chief of the Vietnamese People’s Army and a National Assembly deputy from the first to seventh tenures.

The General, whose military career starting with his appointment to lead the first Vietnamese revolutionary army unit with only 34 soldiers in 1944, led the Vietnamese people's army from victory to victory during the resistance war against French colonialists and then American imperialists./.

Phu Yen man sentenced to 10 years in prison for subversive activities

The People’s Court of the south central province of Phu Yen on August 25 sentenced Ngo Cong Tru, a resident in Hoa Binh 1 commune of Tay Hoa district, to 10 years in prison on the charge of “engaging in activities to overthrow the people's administration” in accordance with Clause 1 of Article 109 of the Penal Code 2015.
 
According to an indictment by the Phu Yen People's Procuracy, when living in HCM City and Phu Yen between June 2020 and January 2021, Tru volunteered to join the US-based called "Chinh phu quoc gia Viet Nam lam thoi" (Provisional National Government of Vietnam) led by Dao Minh Quan despite being aware that it is an exiled reactionary organisation.  

Via his social media accounts, the 33-year-old Tru posted contents defaming Vietnamese leaders, and persuaded his family members to join the so-called "Chinh phu quoc gia Viet Nam lam thoi" which aims to overthrow the leadership role of the Communist Party of Vietnam and destroy the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and then elect Quan as the president of the so-called "De tam Viet Nam cong hoa" (Third Republic of Vietnam).

In February, police in Phu Yen launched legal proceedings against and detained Tru to investigate his role in “activities to overthrow the people’s administration,” under Clause 1, Article 109 of the 2015 Penal Code./.

Technology project helps connect doctors with COVID-19 patients

The Help Me! project, a member of the National Technology Centre for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, has been recently launched, connecting many IT engineers and over 150 volunteers in Vietnam and around the world to support Vietnamese people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

From the end of July, Ho Chi Minh City has allowed asymptomatic patients to be quarantined at home. Realising the urgent need of tens of thousands of patients in need of telemedicine support as well as the pressure facing the medical force, the Help Me! project was born to serve the community for free.

The project not only responds to people's need for quick support and advice, but also pioneers in applying technology to connect people who "can help" with those who "need help".

The volunteers can provide support around the clock. Bringing into full play the time and expertise of consulting volunteers across Vietnam will significantly reduce the load on the national health system in general, as well as medical facilities in pandemic-hit areas in particular.

The project is still calling on volunteers who are doctors, medical professionals of all specialties and ages across the country to join its work./.

State Audit of Vietnam enjoys high efficiency in multilateral cooperation

The partnership among State audit agencies of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, initiated by the State Audit of Vietnam (SAV), aims to build a long-term cooperation mechanism for higher efficiency of collaboration in State auditing activities, contributing to promoting the traditional ties among the three countries.

After 12 years, major targets of the partnership have been completed, including the promotion of traditional relations and enhancement of professional capacity of the three countries, helping raising the position of State Audits of the three countries in the region and creating a suitable playground for them to learn experience to join larger multilateral forums.

Long-term cooperation programmes

On June 1, 2009, the State audit agencies of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia signed a memorandum of understand on the outcomes of talks among leaders of the three agencies in Hanoi. They agreed to strengthen the implementation of contents of the signed bilateral deals, while increasing the organisation of trainings, conferences, surveys, and experience exchange in building standards, procedures and method of auditing, and conducting joint programmes and projects.

They concurred to organise rotated talks to improve the efficiency of their cooperation activities, and propose the government of each side to consider their adding collaboration contents to inter-governmental cooperation programmes.

Since their partnership was set up, the three sides have maintained annual conferences in a rotation format to share their knowledge and experience in matters of common interest.

As of 2014, five conferences had been held to discuss different topics. This is an useful forum for all parties to enhance their professional capacity and reinforce their cooperation and friendship for common development.

In order to further lift up the coordination efficiencies among the three agencies, at the sixth tripartite conference held in Vientiane, Laos, from November 11-12, 2014, they agreed to hold the conference every two years instead of annually. Alongside, they also reached consensus of the changes in the organisation form of the event, dividing the event into two separate meetings, one on issues of shared concern in line with the conference’s theme, and the other gathering top leaders of the three agencies to reach agreements of discussed issues and evaluate outcomes of their cooperation in previous year and sketch out future cooperation orientations.

The conferences have focused on topical issues of shared concern, including the strengthening of management efficiency, the enhancing of collaboration between State Audit and parliament, and the elevating of quality of audit reports and auditing activities, and the sharing of experience in applying the International Standards of Supreme Audit Institutions (ISSAI).

Particularly, recently, the eighth conference of the State audit agencies of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia focused on the implementation of sustainable development goals of the supreme audit institutions (SAI). After years of effective collaboration, the ties among the three agencies have become tight with high level of mutual understanding and support at international forums.

Meanwhile, leaders of the three agencies have regularly held their talks to bolster their cooperation.

State Audit of Vietnam’s role

In November 2018, the eighth tripartite meeting among three State audits of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia was held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia with the theme of “Audit of preparedness for the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”.

At the event, Vietnam shared experience in associating the design of auditing plan with the evaluation of the implementation and outcomes of SDGs.

At the same time, Vietnam also highlighted its experience in applying the guidelines on the audit of SDGs of the INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI) in the auditing of Vietnam’s implementation of the goals.

As an independent audit agency, the SAV has accompanied with the Government of Vietnam in realising SDGs, while making indirect contributions in the completing of a number of goals, including reducing the multidimensional poverty rate, improving the quality of living conditions of ethnic minority communities, and increasing health insurance coverage.

Contributions by the SAV helped Vietnam sustain high GDP growth in the 2018-2020 period, while ensuring the stability and sustainability of the national finance, and raising the role of Vietnam in the region and the world./.

Oversea Vietnamese in US donates 250 ventilators to homeland

David Duong, president of California Waste Solutions (CWS) and CEO of Vietnam Waste Solutions (VWS) has handed over 250 ventilators to the Consulate General of Vietnam in San Francisco to aid anti-pandemic efforts in the homeland.

When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in Vietnam, in response to the call of the Vietnamese government, his company has made contributions by donating cash. However,  Duong said, this time, he decided to buy ventilators because there is a shortage of medical equipment, especially ventilators, when too many people are hospitalised.

With the help of the Consulate General of Vietnam and Vietnam Airlines, ventilators were transported to Vietnam within two days, he said.

According to Duong, VWS representatives in Vietnam have also donated medical supplies and equipment for pandemic prevention and control, such as antibacterial hand sanitizer and N95 face masks, SARS-CoV-2 virus antigen rapid test kits, and food to support people who are in need. 

Besides donating 250 ventilators to Vietnam, he is traveling to many states in the US, meeting with state and federal government officials to advocate for Vietnam to receive more vaccine aid from the US through COVAX Facility.

In the near future, he plans to call for contributions from Vietnamese communities and businesses in the US as well as members of the Vietnamese American Business Association to present 1,000 ventilators to Vietnam.

Duong said he hoped that his action will serve as a motivation for the overseas Vietnamese community and businesses to join hands to support the country in the fight against COVID-19./.

Source: VNA/VNS/VOV/VIR/SGT/SGGP/Nhan Dan/Hanoitimes