Da Lat University in the Central Highlands Province of Lam Dong

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has just released a report on training and developing human resources for agriculture and rural development in the Central and Central Highlands regions for the strategy of sustainable agriculture and rural development to 2030 and a vision to 2050.

The Central and Central Highlands regions include 19 provinces and cities with a total natural area is about 54,548.3 square kilometers accounting for 16.5 percent of the country's area. The Central Highlands has become a large-scale production area for several key agricultural products, accounting for a high proportion, especially industrial crops and fruit trees.

However, the Central Highlands still has weaknesses, and the region’s development is not commensurate with its potential and advantages. Moreover, economic growth is unsustainable and tends to slow down while its GRDP per capita is still at the lowest level among the 6 socio-economic regions. Worse, the region can’t attract foreign direct investment. The Human Development Index (HDI) is the lowest in the country meanwhile education and training have not almost innovated resulting in poor quality of human resources and low labor productivity.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the above shortcomings are partly due to the lack of attention and investment in human resource development. Currently, the quality of human resources is considered the most barrier and challenge for agricultural, farmer and rural development in Vietnam and the Central and Central Highlands regions in particular.

According to a report of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the labor force aged 15 and over in the Central Highlands in the period 2011-2021 increased from 3 million people in 2011 to 3.5 million people in 2021, an average of 2 years increased by 93,000 people because the population of the region increased steadily over the years.

The labor structure of the Central Highlands is still concentrated mainly in the field of agriculture, forestry and fishery accounting for nearly 70 percent in 2021. The proportion of trained workers in the Central Highlands has improved in the period 2011-2021 increasing from 10.9 percent to 17 percent but is still lower than the national rate.

Most of the inhabitants in the Central Highlands are ethnic minorities who are not fully aware of the importance of education, so the dropout rate is high. The Central Highlands is also the region with the lowest number of educational and vocational training institutions, universities and colleges in the country; thus, it’s little wonder that the region’s percentage of trained workers is low.

The quality of human resources for agriculture, forestry and fishery in the region is still relatively low to improve when the majority of agricultural, forestry and fishery workers in the Central Highlands are untrained workers accounting for 95.45 percent in 2020 and the proportion of trained agro-forestry-fishery workers has increased very slowly over the years only increasing from 2.62 percent in 2011 to 4.55 percent in 2020.

As of December 2022, the Central region has 4,267 agricultural cooperatives, accounting for 22.04 percent of the country while the Central Highlands has 1,488 agricultural cooperatives, accounting for 7.687 percent. However, in the Central Highlands, the proportion of cooperative leaders with university degrees is only about 44 percent, while nearly 20 percent of leaders do not have professional qualifications and the majority of workers in the cooperative have technical expertise but do not have a degree, the number of workers with a degree is less than 2 percent, much lower than the national average.

In recent times, higher education in the Central Highlands has gradually been linked and more suitable to the needs of the socio-economic development of the locality. As of 2022, nine higher education institutions and branches of universities, four pedagogical colleges and 107 vocational education institutions in the region. Amongst them, non-public institutions account for 28 percent.

Universities and colleges in the region are currently training at all levels from college to doctorate with 4 college majors, 133 undergraduate majors, 20 master's majors and 11 Ph.D. majors in agriculture, food, animal husbandry and administration and management.

However, the Central Highlands has the lowest number of university and college students in the country. The rate of university and college students is only 1.8 percent, while the Northern Midlands and Mountains – the fifth region - has 4.14 percent and the Red River Delta - the top region - has 40,9 percent. This shows that the proportion of university students in the region is still very low compared to the national average.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development supposed to create a breakthrough by training high-quality human resources, training and developing human resources in the agricultural sector to build commodity-producing agriculture based on local advantages, in association with promoting the process of research, transfer and application of science and technology to production.

For the Central Highlands region, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development proposed to build high-quality training centers in Buon Ma Thuot City, Da Lat City while expanding the scale of universities and colleges. Tay Nguyen University will be a top priority in the Ministry’s proposal.

As per the Ministry, linkages and cooperation in training highly qualified human resources, industries and occupations should be strengthened to meet regional development requirements. Last but not least, the government should have policies to support students and ethnic minorities to study in boarding and part-boarding and improve the quality of civil servants, public employees and ethnic minority workers.

Following the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s goals for training and developing human resources by 2030, with a vision to 2045 for the Central and Central Highlands regions, the regions ought to strive for 70 percent of trained agricultural workers and about 80 percent of trained cooperative directors have degrees and vocational certificates according to the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 340/QD-TTg dated March 12, 2021.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has requested higher education and vocational education institutions, and schools of agricultural and rural development managers to open new majors related to agriculture and renovate curricula with quality assurance.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development recommended businesses have opinions about training curricula according to their requirements; plus, businesses should support learners by granting cash for tuition fees and scholarships and awards for excellent students, especially students in agricultural majors.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development also proposed the Ministry of Finance have specific mechanisms and policies such as tuition fee exemption or reduction, increased subsidy levels, and policies to support employment after graduation to encourage agricultural apprentices.

Health sector has solutions to help elderly citizens live healthily

Following the increase in the number of elderly citizens in Ho Chi Minh City, the health sector has many solutions both to adapt to new situation and to help elderly people live healthily.

From 2022, the number of people over 60 years old in Ho Chi Minh City will be 1.033 million, accounting for 11.03 percent of the total population of Ho Chi Minh City - a milestone marking Ho Chi Minh City officially going into the aged population.

Starting from mid-August 2023, Thu Duc City and districts have implemented pilot free health check-ups for senior citizens. This is a part of the plan for health examination and early detection of non-communicable diseases in the elderly across the city in the period 2024-2025 and the following years issued by the municipal People's Committee. Specifically, about VND150 billion (US$6,275,365) are taken from the city budget annually for health check-ups for about one million elderly people to detect and control chronic diseases well and save treatment costs.

Many older people at medical check-up venues were very excited to undergo healthcare check-ups. 70-year-old Nguyen Thi Huong in Ward 9 of District 8 said that before, she only went to see a doctor when she was sick but she now receives a free-of-charge examination. She revealed that after she was examined, she was taken blood for testing and then she underwent ultrasound and X-ray.

Statistics from the Ho Chi Minh City Social Insurance show that currently, there are about 250,000 pensioners and social allowance brackets in Ho Chi Minh City, while 1,033 million people are over 60 years old citywide. Thus, a large number of older people who do not have a pension still have to depend on their children and grandchildren or struggle to make a living.

Head of the Representative Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City Elderly Association Huynh Thanh Lap said that in addition to those with a stable pension and economy, many older people still do not have a good quality of life. Some people even have to do heavy manual work to make a living, such as helping with housework, babysitting, or carrying heavy objects.

Therefore, it is necessary to change the concept and attitude of society about the aged population and oldies. It should recognize that the elderly are not a burden to society but members who make positive contributions to society with the aim to encourage them to participate in activities appropriate to their health and age. In particular, it is necessary to create suitable employment opportunities for the elderly as a method of ensuring income and welfare, especially for the elderly who do not have a pension or low pension.

According to the Department of Population and Family Planning in Ho Chi Minh City, the proportion of the elderly in the area is increasing at a fairly rapid rate in recent years. In 2019, the number of elderly people in Ho Chi Minh City only accounted for 9.3 percent of the total population of Ho Chi Minh City, but in 2022, it increased to 11.03 percent.

Director of the HCMC Sub-Department of Population and Family Planning Pham Chanh Trung pointed out that the low birth rate, the declining death rate, and the constantly improving life expectancy are the culprit of a high rapid population aging. Currently, the population aging index of Ho Chi Minh City is at 49.4 percent, nearly 1 percent higher than the national average. According to the population transition model, people over 60 years old ranging from 10 percent to 20 percent are called the aging population, and if this rate exceeds 20 percent, they become an aging population.

With the current increasing rate of the aging population, many people fretted that Ho Chi Minh City will face the risk of becoming a locality with the earliest aging population in the country. This is a significant economic and cultural challenge for individuals, families, society and communities because it not only poses the risk of future labor shortages, and population aging but also increases pressure on the health care system and the social protection, health care, and entertainment system, said Mr. Pham Chanh Trung.

Voicing his opinion about Vietnam’s increase in elderly people, Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Health’s Department of Population and Family Planning Pham Vu Hoang commented that the rapid increase in the aging population means a decrease in the labor force; thereby, it will inhibit labor productivity. On the other hand, the elderly population tends to use more medical and healthcare services, putting great pressure on the health system.

On average, healthcare costs for an older person are 7-8 times higher than that of a young person. Therefore, when the number of older people increases, the pension and social security systems will face great pressure.

Associate Professor Le Dinh Thanh said that an elderly person on average has 2-3 chronic diseases that require regular care and treatment. The diseases of the elderly often affect each other, one disease becomes risk of aggravating the other, so if retirees don’t receive proper treatment and care, they may become disabled people - a burden for their families and society.

Neonatal tetanus, viral conjunctivitis reported

Neonatal tetanus and viral conjunctivitis were reported in the Southern province of Binh Phuoc and Northern provinces.

The Center for Disease Control of Binh Phuoc Province today said that some cases of neonatal tetanus have been recorded in ethnic minority areas.

Three cases of neonatal tetanus in the province include one child of the S'tieng ethnic minority family in Bu Dop District and two cases in Dong Phu District are the Mong people who come to Binh Phuoc to work seasonally. The local health sector explained for difficulty in vaccination management as immunization work has not been well carried out in some remote and distant communes where a large number of ethnic minority people are living.

In 2023, the Binh Phuoc CDC proposed that the medical centers of Dong Phu and Bu Dop districts urgently collect information on children in the two districts for the detection of neonatal tetanus cases according to the regulations. Moreover, the local healthcare stations should increase inhabitants’ awareness of medical care to eliminate homebirth, midwives and illegally operated medical facilities.

Last but not least, the health centers of Dong Phu and Bu Dop districts have increased vaccinations for difficult-to-visit communes where a large number of ethnic minority people are living but must follow vaccination guidelines.

According to the Binh Phuoc CDC, on average, 1 to 2 cases of tetanus are detected each year in the province. However, this is a number that is within the allowable rate of the general rule on this disease of 1 in 1,000 newborns. Both districts have a higher number of cases than the prescribed rate of population.

Elsewhere in Hanoi, the National Children's Hospital said that the hospital's ophthalmology department has continuously received more than 50 children with acute conjunctivitis, of which up to 20 percent had severe complications within one recent month.

Viruses are a common cause of viral conjunctivitis – a highly contagious acute conjunctival infection - in patients of all ages. Adenovirus is by far the most common cause in addition to herpes simplex virus and chickenpox. Children spread the disease through direct contact with secretions from the eyes, nose, and mouth, direct contact with the sick person, rubbing hands in the eyes, and sharing personal items with the sick person.

The incubation period (the time between becoming infected and symptoms appearing) for viral or bacterial conjunctivitis is about 3-7 days. Symptoms include irritation, photophobia, and watery discharge. Young children infected with viral conjunctivitis will have symptoms of rhinitis, pharyngitis, respiratory tract infection, and fever.

Dak Nong announces emergency situation of natural disaster on Provincial Way 1

Dak Nong Province People’s Committee yesterday announced another emergency case of natural disaster on Provincial Way No.1 passing Quang Tam Commune (Tuy Duc District).

Lately, this area of Provincial Way No.1 has seen cracks and back-arc subsidence. Until now, these cracks are 20-50cm wide and 1m deep. More cracks are reported in nearby residential areas, causing damages to walls and floors of certain houses. There is a high risk of landslide.

This situation has made travelling on Provincial Way No.1 unsafe, severely impacting the life and safety of 55 households in the area.

Therefore, functional agencies have installed warning signs in the area. Traffic on this route is limited and carefully rerouted. Unauthorized individuals and organizations are forbidden from entering the site. Families now living in the area are gradually relocated to safer places.

Before this, on August 8, the People’s Committee of Dak Nong Province had also announced the emergency situation of natural disaster in the three locations of Dak N’Ting Reservoir (sited in Quang Son Commune of Dak Glong District), the section of Ho Chi Minh Route passing Gia Nghia City, and the landslide in Quang Truc Commune of Tuy Duc District.

Over 600ha of forest in Binh Thuan to be felled for national reservoir project

More than 600ha of forest in the South-Central Province of Binh Thuan will be felled for the national Ka Pet reservoir project.

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Binh Thuan Province yesterday said that in order to complete the procedures for the implementation of the Ka Pet reservoir project, the department and specialized agencies have completed the appraisal and re-evaluation of the local forests which was submitted to the provincial People's Committee for consideration.

The important national Ka Pet Water Reservoir project in My Thanh Commune of Binh Thuan Province’s Ham Thuan Nam District was decided by the National Assembly to invest in 2019.

The nearly 700-hectare project has a total investment of more than VND874 billion (US$36,506,815) with a design capacity of more than 51 million cubic meters. The reservoir construction is expected to start in 2024 and complete in 2025.

More than 619 hectares of natural forests including special-use forests, protected forests and production forests will be cut down for the project construction.

Instead, the locality will have to replant more than 1,800ha of forests in other places in the province according to the Law on Forestry provisions which regulates that the investor must restock the destroyed forests by planting new trees to replace 3 times the area of natural forest that has been converted to other uses.

According to the Binh Thuan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the total cost of reforestation is nearly VND177 billion. Currently, it is directing specialized agencies to survey the area of land that can be afforested instead as well as synthesize the list of forest owners' registration for afforestation to submit to the provincial People's Committee for an implementation plan.

HCMC makes projections of urban population

For the master plan adjustment project of Ho Chi Minh City until 2040, with a vision to 2060, the Department of Planning and Economics yesterday submitted its projection of urban population to the municipal People's Committee.

In its submission of preliminary results of the city’s population review to the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, the Department of Planning and Economics proposed 10 criteria for population distribution of districts.

In the first criterion, districts that have access to national-level traffic works are the driving force for city development. According to the second criterion, the districts can prioritize creating land funds for social and technical infrastructure development while with the third and fourth criteria, the Department said that districts with favorable terrain and geology for construction will be less affected by climate change scenarios and districts around metro stations will be oriented to transit-oriented development (TOD) - a type of urban development that maximizes the amount of residential, business and leisure space within walking distance of public transport.

As per the fifth criterion, districts should register to set aside land funds for social housing development and districts have projects for renovating houses on and along canals in the sixth criterion.

The seventh criterion concerns districts that have projects related to renovating old apartment buildings in the city while the eighth and ninth criterion pays attention to districts to implement urban renovation and embellishment projects and districts are calling for the implementation of new projects to develop many functions for urban areas including logistics, centralized commercial service area, Hi-tech park, and data center respectively. Suburban districts are implementing a project to transform districts into districts or cities directly under Ho Chi Minh City which were mentioned in the tenth criterion.

Based on the projection of urban and rural populations, the department calculates the additional population size and the total population size of the districts when making the general planning of the population expected to 2040. For instance, 270,000 residents will live in District 1 while 220,000 inhabitants in District 3, Binh Tan with 697,651 dwellers, Hoc Mon outlying district with 786,554 residents, Cu Chi district with 983,162 population, Can Gio outlying district with 243,237 suburbanites, Binh Chanh district with 1,033,162 people, Nha Be district with 712,065 dwellers and Thu Duc City with 3,000,000 burghers.

According to aggregate data of the Department of Planning and Economics, the total population size of zoning planning projects in the whole city according to statistics in documents of districts and Thu Duc city is more than 11 million people.

According to the Prime Minister's Decision No. 1528/QD-TTg dated September 14, 2021, approving the task of adjusting the Ho Chi Minh City General Planning to 2040 with a vision to 2060, the total planned population of 14,000,000 population. Therefore, the remaining scale for distribution is 1,318,331 people, of which the additional part of the Thu Duc City General Planning project in Ho Chi Minh City is about 1,300,000 people and the reserve fund of 200,000 people is deducted to allocate to projects in the city when required.

Responsible agencies plan to deal with noise violations

Responsible agencies planned to deal with noise violations as per Ho Chi Minh City authorities’ direction.

Following the direction of the municipal People's Committee on continuing to strengthen the handling of noise violations and strengthening the propaganda and handling of noise violations in the area, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Ho Chi Minh City has implemented developing and disseminating the communication support document on the problem of noise and practical actions. The Department had statistical report forms and urged related agencies to implement and report the results.

Departments and people's committees of Thu Duc City and districts across the city have had plans and guidelines for the synchronous implementation of solutions to strengthen the propaganda and handling of noise violations in the city. The implementation has achieved some positive results as all departments and the City Police have issued documents directing the implementation according to functions and tasks within the scope of management.

Moreover, people's committees in Thu Duc City and districts have issued plans and documents directing the implementation of strengthening propaganda and handling of noise violations in the jurisdiction.

New regulations that came into force state that individuals causing noise equal or greater than 40 dBA can be fined up to VND160 million (US$6,833). As well as sidewalk singers, fines can also be issued to noisy restaurants, construction workers, and even people who can't control their chickens.

Enterprises guided on greenhouse gas emission management

The Center for Advanced Application of Science-Technology (under SIHUB) yesterday cooperated with TÜV Rheinland Vietnam to hold the conference ‘Methods for Calculation and Management of Greenhouse Gas Emissions’.

In the conference, Nguyen Manh Tuan from SIHUB introduced legal frames regarding greenhouse gas emissions to businesses and interested people. He especially stressed that from 2024, functional agencies are going to carry out greenhouse gas inventory at grassroots level for biannual reports. Also from 2025, related businesses and organizations have to prepare their own greenhouse gas inventory reports and send them to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

Participants in the conference focused on clarifying regulations on the appraisal of greenhouse gas reports. TÜV Rheinland Vietnam then introduce the ISO 14064 Standard Set to consistently quantify, monitor, report, appraise, and control the amount of emissions to gradually eliminate greenhouse gases. Enterprises and organizations can make good use of this set to prepare their report.

On January 18, 2022, the Prime Minister issued Decision No.01/2022/QD-TTg, promulgating the list of sectors, greenhouse gas-emitting establishments subject to greenhouse gas inventory, namely energy, transportation, construction, industrial and agricultural activities, forestry activities, land use, and sewage treatment.

Observing this legal document and following the global trend on this matter is a great challenge to many domestic businesses, which need active support from the State.

Hanoi aims for urban reslience against climate change by 2030

Hanoi aims to build a cohesive, modern urban infrastructure network that is resilient to climate change by 2030 in the city's action plan to implement the Politburo’s resolution No.06 on sustainable management of Vietnam's cities by 2030, with a vision to 2045.

Other key targets include an urbanization rate of about 60-62% by 2025 and a further increase of 65-75% by 2030. In addition, the ratio of urban construction land to total natural land area should be about 30% by 2025 and 33-36% by 2030.

The capital's socio-economic goals by 2025 include completing 100% of district construction plans, satellite urban zoning plans, functional area construction zoning plans, detailed plans for revitalized areas, renovation programs for old apartment buildings, and urban rejuvenation and development initiatives.

At the same time, efforts will be made to establish a comprehensive system of planning and architectural management regulations and to make adjustments to the master plan to ensure the development conditions of various districts.

In terms of urban transportation and infrastructure, the city aims to achieve a ratio of urban transportation land (including static traffic) to urban construction land of 12% to 15% by 2025, and further increase it to 15% to 20% by 2030.

Similarly, the city aims to have about 30-35% of the city's commuters carried by public transport by 2025 and about 45-50% by 2030. The average green tree cover per urban resident should reach about 7.8-8.1 square meters per person by 2025 and about 12-14 square meters per person by 2030.

In addition, the average residential floor area per capita in urban areas is targeted to reach 31 square meters per person by 2025 and 33 square meters per person by 2030.

Hanoi also plans to renovate and upgrade existing medical facilities while investing in the construction of new hospitals. The priority is to quickly complete four large general hospitals at the city's entrances and reach the target of 30-35 beds per 10,000 people by 2025. The total number of hospital beds in medical facilities is expected to total around 21,880 beds by 2025 and approximately 24,380 beds by 2030.

It also aims to achieve a ratio of 2.8 to 3.2 hospital beds in city medical facilities per 1,000 residents and at least 15 doctors per 10,000 residents by 2025.

The city also sets a target to achieve a higher average gross regional domestic product (GRDP) growth rate than the national average during 2021-2025. In addition, it projects a GRDP expansion of 8-8.5% per year from 2026-2030. The goal is to achieve a per capita GRDP in the range of US$12,000 to US$13,000.

Specific industrial targets include a 17% share of processing and manufacturing in GRDP by 2025, rising to 20% by 2030.

The city aims to increase the share of the digital economy in the GRDP to 25-30% by 2025 and to 35-40% by 2030. In addition, the contribution of the cultural industry to the GRDP is projected to be 5% by 2025 and 8% by 2030.

Emphasis will be placed on increasing the share of high technology in the value of agricultural production to 70% by 2025 and 80% by 2030. Finally, it is planned to complete Ring Road No.4  by 2027 and prepare for the investment and construction of Ring Road No. 5 by 2030.

The municipal People's Committee has assigned various departments and sectors to orchestrate and implement comprehensive public awareness campaigns, educational initiatives, and extensive public engagement across society to emphasize the importance of planning, construction, management, and sustainable urban development.

These efforts are aimed at translating guiding principles and solutions into concrete actions, leveraging the strength of the political system to implement the proposed strategies effectively. The achievement of these goals would mark another milestone in Hanoi's development, following its administrative boundary expansion 15 years ago. 

The city is committed to refining its regulations and policies to streamline the urbanization process and promote systematic and sustainable urban development. The focus will be on advancing urban governance and development, promoting housing initiatives, and building a cohesive, modern urban infrastructure network that is resilient to climate change.

At the same time, it aims to build and refine the urban governance model, thereby improving the efficiency of urban management and the quality of urban life. This includes ensuring social security and welfare and maintaining urban safety and order.

Hanoi to build Southeast Asian and world-class metropolises

Hanoi’s authorities have set the target to build two or three new urban areas with the criteria of a smart city for the period of 2025-2030, with a vision to have three or five urban areas of Southeast Asian and world-class quality.

The move is one of the targets of Plan No.246 /KH-UBND recently issued by the People's Committee of Hanoi to implement the Action Program on planning, construction, management and sustainable urban development in the city until 2030, vision to 2045.

Under the action plan, the urbanization rate is expected to reach about 60-62% by 2025 and 65-75% by 2030. The ratio of urban construction land to the total natural land area will reach about 30% by 2025 and 33-36% by 2030.

Hanoi strives for the ratio of urban traffic land (including static traffic) on urban construction land by 2025 to reach 12-15% and 15-20% by 2030. The rate of public passenger transport will reach about 30-35% by 2025 and 45-50% by 2030.

The average green tree area per urban dweller will reach about 7.8-8.1 square meters per person by 2025 and around 12-14m2/person by 2030. The residential floor area per capita in urban areas will reach 31m2/person by 2025, and 33m2/person by 2030.

Besides, more hospitals will be renovated, upgraded and built to fulfill the target of 30-35 beds/ten thousand patients by 2025 and ensure human resources and medical staff for the hospitals. The number of public high schools will increase to about 150 by 2030.

The municipal government set the target that the growth rate of GRDP in the period of 2021-2025 to be higher than that of the whole country, GRDP in the period 2026-2030 will increase by 8.0-8.5% per year: GRDP per capita will reach US$12,000-13,000.

Moreover, fiber optic broadband network infrastructure will cover over 80% of households in urban areas by 2025, universalizing 4G, 5G mobile network services and smartphones. By universalizing fiber optic broadband Internet services and accessing 5G mobile network services, the percentage of the adult population in urban areas with electronic payment accounts will reach 100%.

Hanoi will fulfill the targets in line with the urban development project to respond to climate change in 2021-2030 and the program to build a new countryside in 2021-2025.

Regarding the vision for 2045 and 2050, the Hanoi People's Committee noted that specific targets will be further studied and determined during the research phase of the Hanoi Capital Planning for the 2021-2030 period with a vision of 2050. The general planning of Hanoi capital to 2045, a vision to 2065 and the urban development program of the city are reviewed and approved by the competent authorities by regulations.

The municipal People's Committee has requested the city's departments, agencies, and the People's Committees of districts to develop a separate plan for effective implementation.

According to the Politburo’s Resolution 15/NQ-TW issued by the Vietnamese Government in August 2022, Hanoi is designated to become a center and development hub for the Red River Delta and a key economic region of the north, with high regional and international competitiveness by 2030.

To fulfill the target, the resolution puts forwards some key tasks and solutions, including raising awareness of the significant position, role and importance of the capital city; and developing the capital’s economy rapidly and sustainably based on restructuring the economy, renewing growth models and mobilizing all resources effectively.

Other tasks include improving the quality of planning and promoting the construction of infrastructure, urban development and management. Moreover, effective use of natural resources and environmental protection are key ones.

Vietnam to set up national online job exchange platform

Vietnam is expected to set up a national online job exchange platform that will also allow the inclusion of international employment agencies.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha made the remarks at a government meeting on August 21, noting that such a model would help safeguard the rights and welfare of overseas workers.

"The goal of a national online job exchange platform is to effectively monitor human resource management in both public and private enterprises," he said.

He tasked the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs with standardizing data and establishing links between placement agencies and job exchange platforms. The goal is to provide seamless and comprehensive access to job opportunities for businesses and workers.

As the Deputy Prime Minister noted, the legal framework for employment, real estate, land, science and technology is well defined. Although the model of brokerage centers and trading platforms has partially met the needs over time, it has also shown its limitations.

Le Van Thanh, Deputy Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, pointed out that the country currently has 82 public employment service centers and 500 private recruitment agencies to bridge the gap between labor supply and demand.

"However, the technological infrastructure remains outdated, resulting in an unsynchronized job database. There is a lack of cooperation between agencies and enterprises and limited supervision over the transparency of employment transactions," Thanh said.

In light of these circumstances, Thanh stressed the need to create a national online job exchange that can be seamlessly integrated with existing platforms. He stressed the need for the government to set standards for collecting and updating employment data nationwide on the platform.

Tickets of AFC U23 Asian Cup 2024 Qualifiers’s Group C matches put on sale from Sep. 3

Tickets of Group C matches of the AFC U23 Asian Cup 2024 Qualifiers will be put on sale from September 3-12, according to the organisers.

Group C includes Guam, Yemen, Singapore and hosts Vietnam. The U23 football team of Vietnam will play Guam on September 6, Yemen on September 9, and Singapore on September 12.

All the six matches of this group will take place at the Viet Tri Stadium in the northern province of Phu Tho. Prices of tickets will range from 50,000 VND (2.08 USD) to 200,000 VND.

A total of 47 teams will compete in the qualification round from September 4 to September 12.

Based on their performance in the 2022 AFC U23 Asian Cup, the Vietnamese national U23 team has been put in Pot 1 alongside Australia, Japan, the RoK, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Turkmenistan, Jordan, and Thailand.

The top 16 teams will progress through to play in the final tournament.

Largest model of bread tower in Vietnam recognised

The Khanh Hoa Culinary Culture Association received a national record certificate on August 23 for having the largest bread tower model in Vietnam.

The model was created on June 5 by culinary artist Hoang Thi Anh Tuyet of the HTCHEF Vocational Training School in celebration of the Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa Sea Festival 2023.

The 3.2-m high and 6-m long bread tower was made up of more than 800 loaves of thick bread with sizes of 60cm and 10cm each.

The loaves of bread were made by Pham Dinh Tien who has more than 40 years of experience in making bread in Nha Trang.

The Vietnam Records Organization (Vietkings) announced that the piece set a record for being the largest bread tower model in the country.

Bánh mì (bread) in Nha Trang is a daily favourite dish because of its unique taste not only among tourists, but even locals. It boasts a crispy, stretchy, dense, non-fatty, and buttery crust that has the natural aroma of flour.

Arriving in Nha Trang, visitors can encounter bread stalls on major roads or in small alleys. The dish is sometimes sold in spacious, well-invested shops or found in just simple small bread cabinets by the roadside.

More archaeological findings about Can Chanh Palace revealed

Results of an over-one-month archaeological excavation of Can Chanh Palace, part of the Hue Imperial Citadel in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue, were revealed on August 23.

Hue served as the capital of Vietnam during the Nguyen Dynasty (1802 - 1945), the last feudal in Vietnam, by the name of Phu Xuan.

Findings from archaeological holes, covering about 200 sq.m. in total, show changes in the palace foundation during different restoration periods since it was built under the reign of King Gia Long (1762 - 1820).

According to archaeologists’ preliminary conclusions, Can Chanh Palace was built on a weak geological background, possibly an area of lakes or swamps in the past, so its foundation was reinforced during restoration periods in history.

Nguyen Ngoc Chat, deputy head of the research and collection division of the Vietnam National Museum of History, said from its construction in 1804 to its destruction in 1947, the palace underwent 11 rehabilitations at different levels.

Some experts recommended restoring the palace to the status it was under the reign of King Khai Dinh (1885 - 1925) as it was one of the most beautiful architectural structures of the Nguyen Dynasty at that time.

Hoang Viet Trung, Director of the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre, said conducting archaeological studies is a compulsory step during the restoration of relic sites. This time’s excavation has provided much scientific data supplemented to a study serving the palace restoration.

Can Chanh Palace has been researched for more than two decades, with support from experts of Japan’s Waseda University. The conservation centre will strive to complete procedures soon so as to start the restoration project in 2024, he added.

The palace was a site where Nguyen kings worked and granted audiences to mandarins. It was destroyed in February 1947, with only the foundation left.

In 2021, the Thua Thien-Hue provincial People’s Council approved a project on Can Chanh Palace rehabilitation with estimated total investment of 200 billion VND (8.3 million USD) funded by the provincial budget.

Hue city is home to five world heritages, namely the Complex of Hue Monuments, Nha Nhac (Vietnamese court music), the woodblocks of the Nguyen Dynasty, the imperial archives of the Nguyen Dynasty, and the royal literature on the Hue royal architecture.

ASEAN honours two eco-schools, two young eco-champions of Vietnam

Two schools and two people in Vietnam were honoured at the 4th ASEAN Eco-Schools and 2nd ASEAN Youth Eco-Champions Awards, respectively, within the framework of the 17th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on the Environment in Vientiane on August 23.

Nhon Nghia 1 in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho was honoured in the primary school category, while Yen Lac in the northern province of Vinh Phuc was named in the list of eco-secondary schools.

Nguyen Hong Minh, an activist in sea turtle conservation, the founder of the Simple Heart old paper and plastic bottle recycling project, was named as an ASEAN youth eco-champion in the age group of 26-35; and Nguyen Chau Bao, leader of Act-Now Team which gathers many young people to participate in the campaign against littering in the community in Lam Dong province’s Da Lat city, in the age group of 18-25.

To date, Vietnam has had eight eco-schools, and four young eco-champions.

The ASEAN Eco-Schools and ASEAN Youth Eco-Champions Awards are held every four years, honouring primary and secondary schools and young individuals from ASEAN member states with outstanding achievements in environmental education activities./

Hanoi bolsters investment attraction to hi-tech industry

A symposium on bolstering investment attraction to hi-tech, supporting industries opened in Hanoi on August 23.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Industry and Trade Nguyen Dinh Thang said the event aims to help managers and enterprises access the latest trends of supporting industry both at home and abroad in order to introduce plans and perfect development policies, while promoting investment attraction in the field.

He emphasised that participants will have a chance to learn experiences and apply them in their business, production and development to participate in the supply chain in the capital economy and the global supply chains of multinational corporations, domestic and international FDI enterprises. To date, Hanoi has about 960 supporting enterprises, of which more than 320 firms owning production systems and products meeting international standards.

Delegates stressed that the supporting industry plays a vital role, contributing in reducing imports, limiting the export of resources and raw products, and enhancing the added value of industrial products. Besides, it also helps shrink  trade deficit, ensuring balance between import and export; and increase the ability to attract foreign direct investment while developing small and medium enterprises' system.

Noboru Kinoshita, International Advisor of Industry Promotion Organisation of Aichi Prefecture, Japan, shared that Japanese small and medium enterprises are increasingly interested in investing in Vietnam. Every year, the number of inquiries that need advice related to investment in Vietnam sent to the organisation is increasing, mainly in the fields of computer repair, network maintenance, and applying IT services to production.

Work on Long Thành, Tân Sơn Nhất airport terminals to start on August 26

Construction of a passenger terminal at Long Thành International Airport in Đồng Nai Province and the third terminal (T3) of Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport in HCM City is set to begin on Saturday (August 26).

The information was revealed on Wednesday by Lại Xuân Thanh, the chairman of the board of the State-owned Airports Corporation of Việt Nam (ACV), the investor of the two projects.

Covering 150ha, Long Thành International Airport terminal project is expected to be completed and put into operation in 2026. The estimated investment capital for the project is VNĐ35 trillion (US$1.5 billion).

Various components of the airport, such as the runway, taxiway, apron, and connecting roads, will also start in August, according to ACV.

The Long Thành International Airport, which is expected to become the country's largest airport, is estimated to cost about VNĐ336.6 trillion ($16 billion).

Once fully completed by 2050, the airport will be able to handle 100 million passengers and five million tonnes of cargo per year.

Located 40km east of HCM City, it is expected to ease overcrowding at Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport, now the country’s largest airport.

Its construction is divided into three phases.

In the first phase, a runway and one passenger terminal along with other supporting facilities will be built at a cost of VNĐ114.5 trillion ($5.5 billion) to serve 25 million passengers and 1.2 million tonnes of cargo each year.

On August 26, work on the third passenger terminal project at Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport in HCM City will also start, including passenger terminal, multi-story parking building with non-aviation services, and the front apron system.

The project, at a cost of nearly VNĐ11 trillion ($471 trillion), began construction in December last year, and is expected to be put into operation in the second quarter of 2025.

Once operational, the new terminal will be able to serve domestic flights and up to 20 million passengers annually.

The number of passengers going through Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport has surged in recent years to nearly double its designed capacity.

The airport was designed to handle 25 million passengers a year by 2020, but it has been receiving almost 40 million a year since 2017.

The airport now has two terminals. The first terminal can serve about 15 million passengers a year and and the second terminal 10 million.

Badminton tournament held for Vietnamese people in Laos

A national badminton tournament for Vietnamese people in Laos kicked off on August 26 in Vientiane on the occasion of the 78th anniversary of Vietnam’s August Revolution and National Day (September 2).

The two-day event, which was organised by the General Association of Vietnamese people in Laos, attracted the participation of Vietnamese people and employees of Vietnamese businesses in the country.

Pham Van Hung, Chairman of the General Association of Vietnamese people in Laos, said this is the first time the association has organised a national badminton tournament, aiming to offer an opportunity for Vietnamese people in Laos to meet and join in exchanges, thereby helping to tighten solidarity and improve the position of the Vietnamese community in Laos.

It is also expected to create a movement for them to do exercise, helping them have good health, he said.

Vietnam Coast Guard honoured for outstanding performance in drug combat

The Vietnam Coast Guard High Command has been honoured with a second-class Feat of Arms Order for its outstanding performance in the fight against drug crimes.

The unit organised a ceremony in Hanoi on August 26 to receive the order and celebrate the 25th traditional day of the Vietnam Coast Guard (VCG) (August 28, 1998 - 2023).

Addressing the function, Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Tan Cuong, Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army and Deputy Minister of National Defence, lauded the VCG's efforts and achievements over the past 25 years, saying the force has well performed in patrols, law enforcement, crime combat, search and rescue operations, defence diplomacy, and the communications work.

Apart from defending national sovereignty, the VCG has coordinated with other competent forces in handling defence and security incidents emerging at sea, contributing to consolidating national defence and security, he said.

The officer asked the unit to better work as an advisor to the Party, the State, the Central Military Commission, and the Ministry of National Defence in maritime policies and guidelines, make comprehensive reforms, and improve personnel training.

According to Political Commissar of the VCG Lieutenant General Bui Quoc Oai, the VCG is now able not only to complete the tasks of protecting national sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction, and safeguarding security, order and safety at sea, but also to patrol and control the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf and cooperate in search and rescue operations in the waters beyond 200 nautical miles in a timely and effective manner.

The force has prevented thousands of foreign boats from infringing upon Vietnam’s territorial waters, seized and handled hundreds of cases of smuggling and trade fraud, coordinated in busting many drug rings, and saved hundreds of fishermen who were in distress at sea.

The VCG has set up bilateral and multilateral relations, and hotlines with law enforcement forces of countries in and outside the region, significantly contributing to Vietnam’s defence diplomacy and international integration.

Papua New Guinea wants to upgrade relations with Vietnam: Governor-General

Vietnamese Ambassador to Papua New Guinea Nguyen Tat Thanh presented President Vo Van Thuong's credentials to Governor-General Bob Dadae in the city capital of Port Moresby on August 24.

Receiving Thanh, Dadae expressed his deep admiration for President Ho Chi Minh and Vietnam's outstanding socio-economic development achievements over the past decades.

He affirmed that Papua New Guinea highly appreciated Vietnam’s foreign policy as well as its role and position in the Indo-Pacific region and the international arena. The Governor-General expressed his wish that the two countries will upgrade their relations, and focus on economic cooperation and climate change response.

He suggested the two governments exchange experiences in building an independent and self-reliant economy and international integration.

The Governor-General also expressed his wish to visit Vietnam when the two countries celebrate the 35th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations in 2024.

On this occasion, Thanh paid courtesy visits to some leaders of Papua New Guinea.

Meeting with Thanh, Acting Prime Minister John Rosso emphasised that the Government of Papua New Guinea advocates expanding its relations with Vietnam. The country is considering opening diplomatic and trade representative offices in Hanoi soon, and is ready to exchange delegations with Vietnam at all levels, he said.

Rosso said the country will consider facilitating the granting of citizenship to Vietnamese nationals who wish to make long-term contributions to Papua New Guinea.

The ambassador also had a meeting with Minister for International Trade and Investment Richard Maru, who said he is planning to visit Vietnam this year to define practical cooperation areas and seek trade exchange opportunities between the two countries.

At these meetings, Thanh congratulated Papua New Guinea on its socio-economic achievements, especially important changes recognised by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as well as key economic and infrastructure projects that the country is planning to carry out.

The ambassador welcomed the results of cooperation between the two countries over the past 30 years and thanked Papua New Guinea for presenting COVID-19 vaccines to Vietnam in September 2021.

Thanh suggested the two sides review and accelerate the implementation of a Memorandum of Understanding on fishery cooperation signed in 2017, and at the same time promote the negotiation of cooperation agreements in potential fields.

During his visit to Port Moresby, Thanh also met with representatives of the Vietnamese community who are living and working in Papua New Guinea.

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