The seventh National Children’s Forum opened in Hanoi on August 6, with the participation of 188 children representing 25 million peers across the country.

The forum is being co-organised from August 5-8 by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA), the National Assembly's Committee for Culture and Education, the Ministry of Education and Training, and the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union's Central Committee under the theme of “Children participate in building a safe, friendly and healthy living environment for children”.

Participants are expected to discuss how to prevent child abuse and violence; prevent and reduce injuries, drowning and traffic accidents; protect children in the cyber space; respond to climate change, epidemics and natural disasters; and fight child labour.

Participating children are also hoped to share initiatives and solutions that their peers nationwide have taken part in implementing to create a safe and healthy living environment for themselves.

In her opening remarks, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Thi Ha shared that the Vietnamese Party, State, Government and MoLISA have paid special attention to and issued many relevant policies, decrees, resolutions and official dispatches to these above-mentioned issues to protect a safe and healthy living environment for children, which have been well implemented by provinces and cities.

Basically, Vietnamese children have been living in an increasingly safer environment, with better learning, playing and entertainment conditions. However, there are still many who are subject to violence and abuse, and forced to work in contravention of the law.

Therefore, the forum would be a venue for children to express their opinions and aspirations or for agencies and organisations to collect children's opinions on issues related to them, Ha added.

Participants' messages and recommendations will then be sent to agencies, organisations, policy makers, and people working for children.

Vietnam can share valuable experience with regional nations: ASEAN Secretary General

General Secretary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Dr. Kao Kim Hourn has highly appreciated Vietnam's positivity, initiative and responsibility for the regional bloc as stating that the nation can share plenty of valuable experience with countries in the region.

Vietnam has played a proactive and responsible role in promoting ASEAN to admit new members, thus helping this organization to bring together all the continental countries and archipelagoes in the region and no longer being geographically divided.

Secretary General Kao Kim Hourn affirmed that Vietnam has been very proactive, not only in participating but also actively contributing to ASEAN in many different ways, especially in building a community on the three pillars of politics and security, economy, cultural and social affairs, as well as enhancing the external relations of the bloc.

The country also engages in all the mechanisms established by ASEAN, and is one of the active participants and plays a key role in the drafting of the ASEAN Charter to ensure that it is a guideline for the development of the ASEAN community.

Dr. Kao Kim Hourn also expressed his impression of Vietnam's strong economic and trade development with the signing of many bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements (FTAs).

According to him, Vietnam has established its own position in this regional organization and won many successes in three times holding the ASEAN Chair in 1998, 2000 and 2020.

The nation also has a lot of experience in ASEAN integration activities, alternately taking on the role of coordinator for relations with dialogue partner countries, and assuming many important roles in global organizations such the United Nations Security Council.

Expressing his wish that Vietnam continue to play a role of active ASEAN member, Kao Kim Hourn said that Vietnam can share many valuable experience with other countries in the region in boosting economic development, improving the quality of human resources, ensuring public health, disaster management, diplomacy and promoting the participation of external partners,

This is in addition to continuing to support the development of ASEAN in a variety of fields and community pillars, as well as the development of sub-regions including the Mekong sub-region, he added.

Vietnam, Philippines set sights on US$10 billion trade target

National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue held a meeting on August 6 with Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives Ferdinand Martin Romualdez on the occasion of the 44th General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-44) held in Jakarta.

During the meeting, the top Vietnamese legislator hailed the strong development made across multiple fields in terms of the Vietnam-Philippines strategic partnership, especially in high-level contacts.

The two leaders therefore consented to strengthen joint ties in a more substantive manner, particularly in economics, trade, and investment, as well as striving to lift two-way trade to reach US$0 billion in the near future.

Amid the current complicated world situation, NA Chairman Hue suggested that the two sides co-operate in developing supply chains and facilitate the import of key Vietnamese products such as rice and construction materials, along with enhancing collaboration in digital transformation and energy transition.

Both sides concurred to continue strengthening linkages between the two law-making bodies and intensifying the exchange of delegations whilst sharing experience in parliamentary activities.

They will also press ahead with co-operation and mutual support within the multilateral framework, support each other's initiatives at the AIPA, work hand in hand to further reinforce ASEAN's solidarity, strength, and centrality, whilst maintaining a common voice in regional security issues, including the East Sea issue.

The Vietnamese NA leader requested that the Philippine parliament send a delegation to the ninth Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians which will be held in Hanoi. For his part, the Speaker of the Philippine lower house confirmed that he will do so.

NA Chairman Hue used the occasion to invite the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate to visit Vietnam. Ferdinand Martin accepted the invitation with pleasure, while stating that he will make a visit to Vietnam soon.

Top legislator meets Philippine lower house speaker in Jakarta

National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue had a meeting on August 6 with Speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, on the occasion of the 44th General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-44) held in Jakarta.

Hue highlighted the robust development in all fields of the Vietnam-Philippines strategic partnership, especially in high-level contacts.

The two leaders agreed to boost the bilateral ties in a more substantive manner, particularly in economics, trade and investment, and to strive to bring two-way trade to soon hit 10 billion USD.

In the context of the current complicated world situation, Hue suggested Vietnam and the Philippines cooperate in developing supply chains and facilitate the import of Vietnam's key products such as rice and construction materials, and enhance collaboration in digital transformation and energy transition.

The two sides agreed to continue promoting cooperation between the two parliaments, and stepping up the exchange of delegations as well as the sharing of experience in parliamentary activities.

They will also continue cooperation and mutual support within the multilateral framework; back each other's initiatives at the AIPA; and work together to further strengthen ASEAN's solidarity, strength and centrality, and maintain a common voice in regional security issues, including the East Sea issue.

Hue proposed the Philippine parliament send a delegation to the 9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians to be held in Hanoi. The Speaker of the Philippine lower house confirmed that he will do.
 
The Vietnamese top legislator took the occasion to invite the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate to visit Vietnam. Ferdinand Martin accepted the invitation, adding that he will visit Vietnam at an appropriate time.

Regional media stresses significance of NA leader’s visit to Indonesia

Regional media outlets have highlighted the significance of Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue’s official visit to Indonesia and attendance in the 44th General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-44).

In its article, Indonesia's Antara news agency wrote that the visit is very important and shows that Vietnam’s foreign policy attaches importance to bilateral relations with Indonesia and wants to contribute to building a peaceful, stable, and prosperous environment in the region.

Regarding the two countries’ relations, the news agency said the Vietnamese and Indonesian people joined hands in solidarity to fight for national independence. This was the result of intelligent leadership and friendship between Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh and Indonesian President Sukarno.

This year, the two countries are celebrating the 10th anniversary of their strategic partnership with the hope of further enhancing cooperation in all areas ranging from diplomacy, politics, economy, and culture to people-to-people exchanges.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, people of both countries promoted a spirit of mutual love, support, and help to fight the pandemic together.

At the height of the pandemic, the most tense and difficult time, leaders of Vietnam and Indonesia regularly maintained diplomatic channels, exchanged views to overcome difficulties, and discussed solutions to prevent the spread of the virus and disease outbreaks.

The two countries also shared the burden with other ASEAN member states to establish a cooperation mechanism to contain COVID-19 and gradually expand vaccination networks for the public. Fighting and winning against the COVID-19 pandemic, people of Vietnam and Indonesia joined hands to rebuild the national economies, according to the article.

Antara noted that the strong economic cooperation can be seen from bilateral trade turnover in 2021 reaching 11.5 billion USD, an increase of 40% compared to 2020, exceeding the 10 billion USD target set by the two sides in the action plan to implement the strategic partnership.

To further strengthen the partnership in the future, the two sides agreed to promote the completion of the action plan for the 2024 - 2028 period as the future orientation of bilateral cooperation, aiming for the value of two-way trade to reach 15 billion USD by 2028.

Bilateral trade in the future is expected to continue to grow in line with the economic growth of each country.

Regarding parliamentary cooperation with other legislative bodies, Vietnam has actively participated in multilateral forums, regional and international inter-parliamentary organisations. The Vietnam NA and the Indonesian People's Representative Council signed a cooperation agreement in March 2010.

The Vietnamese NA wants to deepen the two countries’ strategic partnership by further promoting cooperative activities with the Indonesian legislature, such as increasing the exchange of delegations at all levels and promoting exchange and cooperation between professional committees, as well as friendly parliamentary groups.

The Vietnamese NA also wishes to promote the exchange of information and experiences with the Indonesian parliament in the legislation work, oversight of issues related to post-pandemic economic and social recovery, and global issues such as digital transformation.

Antara said that in the multilateral field, Vietnam expressed its support and appreciation for Indonesia's role and initiatives in the ASEAN Chair throughout 2023 and Jakarta's efforts to continue to maintain peace, stability and prosperity at the regional level, especially in the Southeast Asian region and at the global level.

With regard to the East Sea issue, Vietnam and other ASEAN countries are promoting practical and effective negotiations on a Code of Conduct (COC) in the East Sea and respecting the sovereignty and interests of the parties concerned in line with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

In a commentary posted on Asia Review, Kompasiana and Republik Merdeka, Veeramalla Anjaiah, a senior research fellow at the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS), said NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue’s visit clearly demonstrates the interest of Vietnam’s leadership in its relations with Indonesia. The visit symbolises the spirit of solidarity and trust between the leaders of the two countries, who are willing to work towards deeper cooperation for the sake of the people as well as peace and stability within Southeast Asia. It will enhance cooperation between the legislative bodies of Vietnam and Indonesia.

Since assuming the post of NA Chairman in 2021, Hue has been trying to innovate the quality and operational efficiency of the legislature to help Vietnam reach new heights and become a prosperous, powerful, democratic, fair, and civilised country known today. He and his institution have been making great efforts to renew work styles, significantly contributing to socio-economic development.

Anjaiah said Vietnam and Indonesia established their diplomatic ties on December 30, 1955. In 2013, they elevated their ties to a strategic partnership.

Both are important member states of ASEAN and are striving to achieve high-income country status by 2045 through a shift from resource-based industries to high-tech industries as well as increased educational cooperation and knowledge-sharing between the two countries.

The researcher noted both countries have made major contributions to ASEAN and are committed to fostering ASEAN’s relevance amid global challenges. Both have similar perceptions about the settlement of disputes by peaceful means in accordance with international rules, including the 1982 UNCLOS.

Voluntary blood donation helps save lives

Many people across Vietnam, regardless of their ages and jobs, have actively donated blood to save lives of many others.

In late July, 100 outstanding blood donors nationwide were honoured at a three-day programme in the capital city of Hanoi.

Among them, there are 20 female delegates, 16 representatives from the education sector, eight medical staff, seven from the armed forces and three ethnic minorities. The oldest delegate is 61 years old and the youngest is 22 years old.

There were 10 delegates who donated blood 19-29 times, 60 delegates 30-49 times, 20 delegates 50-69 times, eight 70-99 times, and two at least 100 times.

Tran Minh Men, a 52-year-old man, has donated blood 102 times over the past 22 years. He is now head of the Blood Bank Team in Nghi Duc commune, Tanh Linh district, the south central province of Binh Thuan.

He shared at a meeting with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh that he has also encouraged more than 3,000 others to participate in blood donation campaigns.

According to him, the greatest joy of those who participate in those campaigns is that patients are healthy and return to a normal life.

Meanwhile, Ho Kim Phuong from Ho Chi Minh City is the female donor with the most times donating blood at 78 times. She has participated in blood donation once every 3 months since 1997.

“Having witnessed many difficult and extreme situations, I always think "I can give what I can give, I can help someone with what I can". My blood is available in my body, I can help people, help life until there is no health left. My family has four members, and all of us have donated blood more than 250 times, my husband has donated 72 times and is now over the age to donate blood, my daughter 52 times, my son 48 times,” Phuong said.

Over the past 15 years, as many as 1,500 voluntary blood donors nationwide have been honoured.

Last year, over 1.43 million units of blood were donated nationwide, 99% of which came from voluntary blood donors.

Since early this year, about 900,000 units of blood have been collected through various campaigns.

Former Russian military experts working in Vietnam meet in Moscow

Former Russian military experts who worked in Vietnam during the war met at their 51st traditional gathering in Moscow on August 5.

The meeting on August 5 annually coincides with the anniversary of the first victory by Vietnam’s air defence force during the bombardments staged by US imperialists in northern Vietnam.

On behalf of the Vietnamese Party, State and people, Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Dang Minh Khoi expressed his sincere gratitude to the experts, affirming that the Vietnamese people never forget great contributions of the experts who came to help Vietnam in difficult times.

Nikolai Kolesnik, chairman of the association of Russian veterans who worked in Vietnam, affirmed that the veterans will continue holding this annual meeting, as long as they live and have an opportunity to meet.

Top Vietnamese legislator visits FPT office in Indonesia

National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue visited the office of Vietnam’s FPT group in Jakarta on August 6 as part of his official visit to Indonesia.

FPT CEO Nguyen Van Khoa, Director of the FPT Software branch in Indonesia (FPT Indonesia), said established in 2017, FPT Indonesia has gradually gained a foothold in this market, which has a population of 280 million, and become the biggest and fastest-growing Vietnamese IT company in the country.

It has also diversified services in the Indonesian market to supply new and innovative technologies in such fields as finance, banking, consumption, and health care, he noted.

Hue expressed his delight that FPT is one of the first Vietnamese businesses to have invested in Indonesia and also gained good revenue and set up a business network in the country.

During his meetings with leaders and major enterprises of Indonesia, he said, they showed great interest in and willingness to enhance cooperation with Vietnamese firms to form supply chains in new sectors like electric vehicle production and telecommunications. The two sides also agreed to maintain existing supply chains and develop new ones.

As restructuring markets and investment flows is a new trend in the world, in this context, Vietnam has opportunities to join partners in establishing specific supply chains. Meanwhile, to Indonesia and the world at large, digital transformation and energy transition are currently key fields. Given this, FPT should proactively work with Indonesian partners in these areas, he recommended.

Stressing that the national digital transformation strategy targets the digital economy contributing to 20% of GDP by 2025 and 30% by 2030, the top legislator said this is a big challenge and that Vietnam cannot singlehandedly carry out digital transformation. Meanwhile, Indonesia has proposed many initiatives, including QRcodeASEAN to connect QR codes for payment of ASEAN members.

Hue suggested FPT thoroughly consider the ASEAN cooperation frameworks on digital transformation to help connect Vietnam with regional countries.

He added that this September, the Vietnamese NA will host the 9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians, themed “The role of youths in accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals through digital transformation and innovation”, FPT should engage in relevant activities such as an exhibition on the country’s achievements in innovation, startup, and digital transformation.

Indonesia is currently the third largest ASEAN trading partner and ranks fifth in the region and 30th in the world among foreign investors in Vietnam. However, Vietnam’s investment in the archipelago nation remains modest. Being one of the first Vietnamese investors in Indonesia and having gained a foothold here, FPT needs to lend a hand to the two countries’ businesses to invest in each other’s markets and coordinate to boost cooperation in supply chains, according to the NA leader.

Vietnamese athletes shine at Da Nang International Marathon

Vietnamese runners on August 6 won a lot of titles at the Manulife Da Nang International Marathon 2023 held in the central city of Da Nang.

The tournament attracted nearly 9,000 athletes, including nearly 1,500 foreigners from 50 countries and territories, along with roughly 800 children joining in the 1.5km race.

In the men's 42km full marathon, Ethiopian athlete Takele Ebisa won the first prize with a time of 2 hours 26 minutes 11 seconds, breaking the old record of 2 hours 32 minutes 16 seconds held by a Japanese athlete. Kenya’s Kipsang Charles Kipkorir and Vietnam’s Tran Duy Quang got the second and third prizes, respectively.

In the women's 42km full marathon, Ethiopia’s Birehan Marta Tinsae came first with 2 hours 58 minutes and 26 seconds, followed by Vietnam’s Duong Thi Khanh and Japan’s Uchino Satomi.

In the men's 21km half marathon, all of the three highest prizes were grabbed by Vietnamese athletes. Pham Tien San finished first with 1 hour 17 minutes 14 seconds. He was followed by Le Van Thanh and Trinh Minh Tam.

Meanwhile, with 1 hour 21 minutes 53 seconds, Shelmith Muriuki Nyawira of Kenya came first in the women’s 21km half marathon, followed by Vietnam’s Thai Thi Kim Ngan and Le Thi Kha Ly.

With 35 minutes 11 seconds, France’s Charnet Stephane finished first in the men’s 10km run, while Vietnam’s Nguyen Khanh Ly came first in this distance for women, with 40 minutes 33 seconds.

In the men’s and women’s 5km run, Tran Minh Quy and Nguyen Thi Thu Ha, both of Vietnam, won the titles, with 17 minutes 51 seconds, and 19 minutes 16 seconds, respectively.

Winners of the 42km and 21km races earn slots to participate in the Kuala Lumpur Marathon in Malaysia in late September.

Vietnam, Venezuela enhance cooperation in ethnic affairs

A delegation of the National Assembly (NA)’s Council for Ethnic Affairs paid a working visit to Venezuela from August 3-5 at the invitation of the Standing Commission on Indigenous Peoples of the Venezuelan NA and the Venezuela - Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Group.

During the trip, the delegation made a courtesy call on First Vice President of the Venezuelan NA Pedro Infante; met with Second Vice President of the Venezuelan NA America Perez; held talks with head of the Standing Commission on Indigenous Peoples Aloha Nuneza and President of the Venezuela - Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Group Saul Ortega; and had a working session with Deputy Minister of Indigenous Peoples Marianne Romero.

At the events, Nguyen Lam Thanh, Vice Chairman of the Vietnamese NA’s Council for Ethnic Affairs and Chairman of the Vietnam - Venezuela Parliamentary Friendship Group, said the visit aimed to enhance the friendship and cooperation between the Vietnamese NA’s Council for Ethnic Affairs and the Venezuelan NA’s Standing Commission on Indigenous Peoples, as well as between the two parliamentary friendship groups, thereby helping further intensify the two countries’ traditional friendship and comprehensive partnership.

Giving an overview of the Vietnamese Party and State’s policies on ethnic minority and mountainous areas, he affirmed that the Government of Vietnam has always paid attention to and carried out a number of policies to help develop and improve the material and spiritual lives of all ethnic minority groups.

Ethnic affairs and solidarity always play a strategic role in the Vietnamese revolution so as to promote equality and solidarity among ethnic groups, he noted.

Thanh added that the Communist Party of Vietnam always attaches importance to external relations via the party channel, which will create solid political stepping stones for state-to-state ties and define orientations for Vietnam’s relations with other countries to develop stably and sustainably.

Thanking the Venezuelan people and progressive forces for their solidarity with and support for Vietnam throughout history, he expressed his hope that the two sides will continue increasing all-level mutual visits, maintain the existing mechanisms and agreements such as the political consultation between the two foreign ministries and the Inter-Governmental Committee, further reinforce and expand multifaceted cooperation, and work closely together at international forums and organisations.

Welcoming the Vietnamese delegation, officials of the Venezuelan NA expressed their admiration for Vietnam’s struggle for national liberation and reunification in the past and the cause of Doi moi (Renewal) under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

They stressed that the Venezuelan NA treasures and wishes to further intensify relations with the Vietnamese NA through increasing mutual visits at all levels, especially between their NA leaders, enhancing cooperation between parliamentary agencies, and boosting joint activities in all aspects.

First Vice President of the Venezuelan NA Pedro Infante suggested building coordination mechanisms between the two NAs, their specialised committees, and the two parliamentary friendship groups.

He offered thanks to Vietnamese NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue for the invitation to the Venezuelan NA to attend the 9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians, scheduled to take place in Hanoi from September 14 to 17. He affirmed that his country’s legislature will send a high-level delegation to the event.

During the visit, the delegation of the Vietnamese NA’s Ethnic Affairs Council and the Vietnam - Venezuela Parliamentary Friendship Group laid wreaths at the monument to President Ho Chi Minh in Caracas, paid tribute to Liberator Simon Bolivar and late President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, visited some establishments of local people, and met with the staff of the Vietnamese Embassy and representatives of the Vietnamese community in Venezuela.

Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman receives Jakarta Governor

Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) Vuong Dinh Hue received Governor of Jakarta Heru Budi Hartono on August 6 within the framework of his official visit to Indonesia.

Hue told the governor that his visit aimed to strengthen relations between the two countries on all channels and at all levels, including via party, parliament, and government channels, locality-to-locality cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

He expressed his hope that the capital cities of Hanoi and Jakarta will intensify cooperation and exchange development experiences, especially when a direct air route between them is expected to be launched soon.

The top legislator shared that the National Assembly of Vietnam has just approved the extension of tourist e-visas from 30 to 90 days, and increasing temporary residence of foreigners from 15 days to 45 days from August 15, which will facilitate the travel of the two countries’ businesses and people.

The Vietnamese NA’s agencies and Hanoi are in the process of developing the Capital Law (amended) and want to learn from Jakarta's experience, especially its specific policies, Hue added.

Hartono expressed his hope that Hanoi and Jakarta, which set up twinned relations in 2004, will continue stepping up the exchange of experience and cooperation in the fields of transport, city administration, service industry; and promote collaboration through the Jakarta Chamber of Industry and Commerce as well as relevant agencies of Hanoi.

Significant activities mark 10th anniversary of Vietnam-Thailand strategic partnership

The Consulate General of Vietnam in Khon Kaen in collaboration with authorities of Nakhon Phanom province and the association of Thai people of Vietnamese origin in the province held a ceremony on August 6 to mark the 47th founding anniversary of diplomatic relations and the 10th anniversary of the strategic partnership between Vietnam and Thailand.

Before the opening ceremony, delegates offered incense at President Ho Chi Minh Monument in Nakhon Phanom’s Nong Yat commune.

In his opening remarks, Consul General Chu Duc Dung affirmed that Vietnam and Thailand have made continuous efforts to jointly develop the bilateral relationship strongly and practically in all fields, and build trusted, equal and mutually beneficial cooperative ties.

Thailand has become a leading important partner of Vietnam in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The two countries have regularly maintained mutual high-level visits and exchanges; always cooperated closely and supported each other at regional and international forums, especially in ASEAN and the Mekong sub-region, thus contributing to building a peaceful, stable and prosperous ASEAN.

Sharing the same view, Governor of Nakhon Phanom province Wanchai Chanporn said that since the two countries upgraded their ties to a strategic partnership 10 years ago, Thailand and Vietnam have maintained close relations both at the bilateral level and within the framework of the ASEAN Community.

On this occasion, delegates attended an inaugural ceremony of the water tower and solar power system invested and supported by some overseas Vietnamese business families in Khon Kaen province to provide electricity and water for the President Ho Chi Minh Monument and the Thai-Vietnamese Friendship Village, and a project to renovate the Thailand-Vietnam exhibition area in the village.

On the same day, a programme was held to discuss trade cooperation and cross-border trade along the Northeastern region of Thailand connecting with Laos and Vietnam.

President Vo Van Thuong attends HCM City River Festival

President Vo Van Thuong attended the “The river tells stories”, a spectacle art show which is a highlight of the Ho Chi Minh City River Festival, on August 6.

Speaking at the event, Chairman of municipal People’s Committee Phan Van Mai said that the programme is intended to be the greetings of the city, a peaceful, open and dynamic river locality which is rich in internal resources and ready to cooperate with friends from all over the world to optimise its water resources for economic development.

The first special art show taking place on the Saigon River, a commercial port that was formed 160 years ago.

It retraced the story of the formation and development of Saigon – Cho Lon – Gia Dinh – Ho Chi Minh City over the past 300 years through five chapters, including “Empty land”, “City building”, “On the wharf under the boat”, “A prosperous commercial port” and “A brilliant city by the river” with the participation of more than 700 actors and folk artists. 

In addition, the programme also used modern performing and interactive technologies including 3D lighting art; water music system on the river surface; large-capacity laser lights, drone shows and fireworks, among others.

Hoi An hosts cultural exchange event with Japan

The 19th “Hoi An-Japan Cultural Exchange” was held in the UNESCO world heritage site of Hoi An in the central province of Quang Nam from August 4-6.

The event that mark the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Japan (September 21, 1973- 2023), was kicked off with a lacquer painting exhibition named “Microcosmos – Macrocosmos- Hoi An” by Japanese artist Saeko Ando.

A series of cultural activities were also held during the festival such as a Vietnam-Japan art exchange, a boat race “Hoi An, Japan and tourists” on the local Hoai river, a re-enactment of the wedding procession of Princess Ngoc Hoa and Japanese merchant –Araki Sotaro, and a Japanese flower arrangement instruction activity.

Entertainment, cultural and culinary exchanges included an exhibition of documentary photos about the friendly cooperation relationship between Hoi An and Japan, a wood carving exhibition “Hoi An ancient trading port”, a tempura art exhibition, a Japanese calligraphy demonstration, Origami paper folding and Yukata rental service, among others.

Nguyen Van Son, Chairman of Hoi An city’s People Committee, Quang Nam province, highlighted the ancient city is known as a cradle of the Japan- Vietnam relations 400 years ago, when Japanese traders came to do business at the busy port town, making it their second home. Since then, the locality has continuously promoted collaboration, friendship exchanges with Japanese localities.

The event created an opportunity to popularise and honor traditional cultures, enhance mutual understanding, and affirm the strong relationship between Vietnam and Japan while also attracting tourists to Hoi An - a city with a long history, convergence and absorption of international cultures and retaining the local traditional beauty.

Tây Ninh Province developing more animal farms

The southeast province of Tây Ninh has gradually switched from breeding livestock on a small scale to farms.

It has 572 farms breeding pig, buffalo, cow and oxen and poultry.

Of the farms, 123 are pig farms with 209,575 heads, 48 are buffalo farms with 1,359 heads, 401 are cattle farms with 18,801 cows and oxen, 78 are chicken farms with 6.76 million heads and 30 duck farms with 167,300 heads.

The province has 26 chicken farms, 41 pig farms, and four beef cattle farms which have been granted certificates of Vietnamese good agricultural practices (VietGAP) standards.

Livestock breeding in the province has faced many difficulties this year but is still developing stably, according to the province’s Animal Husbandry and Animal Health Sub-department.

The province has bred 9,700 buffaloes so far this year, equal to 97 per cent of the same period last year, and bred 101,000 cows and oxen, and 250,000 pigs, up 13 per cent against the same period last year.

The sub-department, in co-operation with localities, has tightened inspections of the production and trade of animal food and veterinary medicine, and breeding, slaughtering and transportation activities to secure food safety.

It has focused on the task of preventing and controlling diseases in animals, poultry and aquatic species.

It has implemented this year a plan of supporting small- and medium-size animal breeding enterprises to improve management capacity and develop value chains for their products.

The enterprises are assisted with 100 per cent of the cost of the contract that consults and evaluates their capacity to develop linkages and value chains, but the support does not exceed VNĐ30 million (US$1,300) per contract per enterprise a year.

Tây Ninh is located in the southern key economic zone, has a 240 kilometres of border with Cambodia, two international border gates of Mộc Bài and Xa Mát, flat terrain, fertile soil and sufficient irrigation canals for developing agriculture and animal husbandry.

These factors have helped the province attract many large-scale animal breeding projects in recent years and develop animal husbandry significantly.

It has attracted 162 registered animal breeding projects since 2016, 113 of them large-scale.

They breed 9.4 million chickens, 959,000 pigs, 450 beef cattle and 8,050 dairy cows.

Animal husbandry reached a production value of VNĐ5.1 trillion ($2.1 billion) last year, up 10 per cent against 2021, according to the province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Animal husbandry accounts for 19.5 per cent of the province’s agriculture production value, and the province aims to increase this rate to 25-30 per cent by 2030.

The province will create conditions for investors to invest in modern animal breeding projects that develop closed production chains.

First film teaser, poster by việt kiều director Vũ released

The first poster and teaser of Người Vợ Cuối Cùng (The Last Wife), a production by blockbuster Vietnamese-American director Victor Vũ, have been released. 

The teaser includes beautiful images of Ba Bể Lake, one of the world’s 20 largest freshwater lakes, located in the Ba Bể National Park of Bắc Kạn Province. 

It has attracted more than 3,000 views and many comments on YouTube. 

Ba Bể Lake has a surface area of about 500 hectares and is more than 8 kilometres in length. The widest part is nearly two kilometres and the deepest 35 metres.

It is called Ba Bể (three lakes) because its bed is divided into three lakes: Pé Lầm, Pé Lù and Pé Lèng. Pé means lake in the language of the local Tày ethnic group.

 
PERIOD PIECE - The culture and lifestyle of northern people living in the 19th century are featured in the film Người Vợ Cuối Cùng (The Last Wife) by director Victor Vũ. Photo courtesy of the producer. 
The film Người Vợ Cuối Cùng is about Vietnamese women under the last feudal Nguyễn dynasty in the 19th century. 

It tells the story of a young woman, played by Kaity Nguyễn, who is in a wealthy family during the semi-feudal colonial society of Việt Nam. Love and betrayal are featured. 

The culture and lifestyle of northern people are also highlighted.

The film stars young actress Kaity Nguyễn, winner of the Best Actress award at the 20th National Film Festival by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2020. 

Nguyễn earned her big break in the film Em Chưa 18 (Jailbait) in 2017, which raked in VNĐ13 billion (US$570,000) in its first three days. 

One year later, she returned in the blockbuster Hồn Papa, Da Con Gái (Daddy Issues), a production by Japanese director Ken Ochiai. The film was in cinemas in Japan. 

The film’s director Vũ is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University in the US. He began his career in Việt Nam in 2008. He combines Vietnamese and Hollywood styles in his art. 

His films have been distributed in countries such as Australia, Canada, Hungary, France, Ireland, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the UK and US.

His blockbuster Mắt Biếc (Dreamy Eyes) was chosen by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to compete in the Best Foreign Language Film Category at the Oscar awards ceremony in 2020. 

Last year, Vũ’s TV thriller series called Trại Hoa Đỏ (Red Flowers Farm) attracted American director of photography Dominic Pereira and composer-music producer Garrett Crosby.

Vũ’s Người Vợ Cuối Cùng will be in cinemas on November 3. 

Conference discusses promoting, developing Đồng Tháp agriculture tourism

A conference discussed how to promote and foster collaborations for the development of agriculture tourism products in the Cửu Long Delta province of Đồng Tháp last week.

Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Phan Thiện Nghĩa said that agricultural tourism has enriched the province's tourism offerings and boosted the province's tourism.

It also helps preserve provincial values and natural resources and creates more jobs for locals.

However, the province's tourism industry faces difficulties, such as infrastructure, labor, and lack of connections for local tourism development.

The province's authority is working on policies to support agritourism development and has called for investment in local tourism and the accommodation sector.

Trần Văn Túy said the province has great potential in not only agritourism but also ecotourism and community-based tourism, which help protect resources and promote the indigenous culture of Đồng Tháp province.

Experts at the conference also highlighted some of the solutions, the economic components the province needs to connect and ecosystems needed to serve tourism effectively.

In addition, the province must develop infrastructure and embrace digital transformation in tourism development.

Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Lê Quốc Phong said that the province is in the phase of developing and perfecting its transportation network, which is considered a crucial foundation for the development and breakthrough of Đồng Tháp tourism.

The conference was co-organized by the Đồng Tháp Province People's Committee and the Việt Nam Union of Science and Technology Associations in Đồng Tháp province.

In 2016-22, the province’s agricultural tourism received more than 4.3 million tourists and earned total revenue of VNĐ519 billion (US$22 million).

Đà Nẵng face relegation in V.League 1

The loss to Sông Lam Nghệ An (SLNA) over the weekend has brought Đà Nẵng perilously close to the brink of relegation from the V.League 1.

Despite enjoying the advantage of playing at home, Đà Nẵng failed to find the back of the net against SLNA, resulting in a 0-1 defeat.

Following the match, coach Phạm Minh Đức of Đà Nẵng expressed, "My players had an overwhelming desire to win, which led to a tense mentality and poor decision-making in crucial moments. We made mistakes in the dying minutes, allowing our opponents to emerge victorious. I think, we had a heavy burden in terms of psychology in this match."

This loss has significantly complicated Đà Nẵng's situation, as both Bình Dương and HCM City, direct competitors in the battle to avoid relegation, secured victories.

Currently, Bình Dương are in 12th place with 14 points and a goal difference of -4, HCM City in the 13th position with 14 points and a goal difference of -11, while Đà Nẵng at the bottom with 11 points and a goal difference of -10.

Đà Nẵng no longer has the right to self-determination in the final match. They are required to win against Khánh Hòa and wait for the results of the match between Bình Dương and HCM City.

According to the event’s rules, teams with equal points will be ranked based on goal difference and fair-play score (yellow cards and red cards given).

Đà Nẵng will be relegated if Bình Dương and HCM City draw (both have 15 points) because if Đà Nẵng wins against Khánh Hòa, they can only get a maximum of 14 points. Đà Nẵng only has a chance to stay in the league when the match between Bình Dương and HCM City has a win-lose result.

In the case Đà Nẵng win Khánh Hòa in the final match and HCM City lose to Bình Dương, Đà Nẵng will successfully avoid relegation. At this time, Đà Nẵng will have 14 points and of course will be better than HCM City (also 14 points) in terms of goal difference.

If Bình Dương lose to HCM City, Đà Nẵng must beat Khánh Hòa by a big score to be able to stay in the relegation. 

S-Race to lure national students to run for better health

The S-Race, an annual running competition for students nationwide, will be organised later this month and is expected to lure millions of participants. 

In its third edition, the tournament is also open for teachers, lecturers and parents at two events, one in Lâm Đồng Province on August 12 and Hải Phòng City on November 12.

The organisers expect to gather more than 10,000 runners taking part directly at the spots while many others would run in all other cities and provinces nationwide at the same time.

The S-Race aims to encourage students to practise sports and strengthen relationships between families and schools and the community through physical training activities.

There are two distances of 1.5km and 3km for runners who will compete in three different age categories 11 to 14 for secondary-school students, 15 to 17 for high-school students and 18 to 23 for students of colleges and universities. 

 
The S-Race aims to encourage students to adopt better habits in sports and exercise.
In the open classes which are organised online, the S-Race Family is for primary school and sixth and seventh graders and their parents while the S-Race Teacher is for sixth and seventh graders and their teachers who run 1km races.

Each challenge will be held over  30 days through the app UpRace.

A total purse of VNĐ264 million along with 1,000 smartwatches and thousands of gifts are available for high-ranking runners.

In addition to the online and offline runs, many sideline activities will also be held during this time.

Speaking at the launch event, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Ngô Thị Minh strongly supported the tournament and hoped that students would enjoy the running.

"Physical training and sports activities play a key role in building and educating a person. During the revolutionary period, late President Hồ Chí Minh and the Party leaders always pay special attention to sports and physical education in schools," she said.

Around 92,000 workers in HCM City lose jobs in first half

As many as 91,968 workers in HCM City lost their jobs between January and June this year, said Le Van Thinh, director of the HCM City Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

According to Thinh, of the figure, the trade service sector topped the list of workers losing jobs with 26,454, followed by the processing and manufacturing sector with 23,969, the construction sector with 1,854 and the finance, insurance and banking sector with 1,266.

Among people losing their jobs in the first six months of the year, 30,923 were unskilled, accounting for 52.41 percent of the total. Meanwhile, 17,752 people are over 40 years old, accounting for 30 percent.

Thinh added that during the phase, 29 enterprises in the city had reduced staff numbers by 500 people.

The cuts have been blamed on post-Covid-19 pandemic business operations.

The HCM City Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs has organised 59 online job fair sessions and provided job counselling services for nearly 70,000 individuals. This has helped 43,000 people to be successfully employed.

Seven tigers at Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park moved to new home
 
Seven Indochinese tigers at Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park’s Wildlife Rescue Centre have been relocated to a new and larger conservation area.

Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park Deputy Director Dinh Huy Tri said the animals were given medical check-ups before being moved to the new home.  

The tigers were rescued from illegal wildlife traders in the central province of Nghe An in August 2021. At that time, the animals were between 1-1.5 months old and each cub weighed a mere 2.9 to 4.5 kilos.

To date, each tiger weighs up to around 100 kilos.

The animals will be taken to a new conservation area at Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park with cages of 40 square metres. The site includes nine cages, bathing ponds and relaxing areas for the tigers.

Tri added that two German experts supported the national park in the tiger relocation.

Ben Tre to build VND1.50-trillion waste treatment plant

The southern province of Ben Tre is planning to build a waste treatment plant with a daily capacity of 650 tonnes of rubbish as local dumping sites are facing overloading.

The VND1.50-trillion project, which will be carried out by Amacco Group, is expected to operate from 2026 with a daily capacity of 650 tonnes of rubbish.

According to the Ben Tre Provincial People's Committee, they've been trying to deal with the pollution at An Hiep dumping ground.

"We've fixed the walls to prevent wastewater from flowing into surrounding areas," the committee said. "We've also installed fences and covered the rubbish using plastic tarps."

The committee is considering building a wastewater treatment system with a capacity of 30 cubic metres per day and an incinerator with capacity of 48 tonnes per day.

Many roads in Ben Tre have faced serious pollution over the past 20 days due to a rising amount of rubbish since local people blocked ways to the An Hiep Dumping Ground which has already been overloaded.

Ben Tre Provincial People's Committee on July 23 alerted an urgent environmental issue at An Hiep dumping ground.

The dump has received household waste from Ba Tri District for the past 13 years. Since the Ben Tre Waste Treatment Plant closed last October for causing pollution, more rubbish from Chau Thanh District and Ben Tre City has been taken to An Hiep for burying, with an estimated amount of over 200 tonnes per day.

The huge amount of rubbish has overloaded the dump while its facilities have already deteriorated. More wastewater from the dump has leaked outside, seriously affecting the surrounding environment. Some 132 households who live within a kilometre of the dump have complained about the serious pollution and blocked vehicles from transporting more rubbish to the dump over the past 20 days.

Statistics from Ben Tre Provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment showed that in 2022, the whole province generated over 1,000 tonnes of rubbish daily of which only 420 tonnes were collected for treatment.

Ben Tre targets to collect 95 percent of rubbish in urban areas and 80 percent in rural areas by 2025.

Two to three tropical storms, tropical depressions to batter Vietnam this August

The East Sea is anticipated to brace for two to three tropical storms or tropical depressions in August 2023 that are likely to pound the coast of Vietnam, according to the National Centre for Hydro Meteorological Forecasting.They will probably strike the northern and north-central provinces of Vietnam, reported the National Centre for Hydro Meteorological Forecasting.

The centre said the number of tropical storms and tropical depressions that hit the East Sea and Vietnam might be lower than the annual average.

Between 11 and 13 storms or depressions are likely to form in the East Sea, of which five to seven will probably hit Vietnam, said the centre.

Tropical storms are forecast to be more active in the East Sea from August to October 2023 and gradually subside from November 2023.

In July 2023, two tropical storms formed from tropical depressions in the waters off the coast of the Philippines.

Typhoon TALIM slammed into the southern part of China’s Quangxi province on July 18 before moving along the Vietnam – China border, weakening and dissipating in northern border localities of Vietnam.

Meanwhile, DOKSURI strengthened into a super typhoon before the northern part of the East Sea. the super typhoon swept across the Philippines and then pounded Taiwan (China), but did not hit the northern coast of Vietnam.

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