Vietnam’s CMC Corporation and the Kyoto Computer Gakuin (KCG) exchanged an agreement on cooperation in education and training, within the framework of the Vietnam-Japan Business Forum in Tokyo on December 16.

The event took place in the presence of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and the Vietnamese Government’s high-ranking delegation, who are on a working visit to Japan.

Earlier on December 15 in Kyoto, President of the KCG’s Kyoto College of Graduate Studies for Informatics (KCGI) Hasegawa Wataru and CMC Chairman and Executive President Nguyen Trung Chinh signed the agreement aiming to develop high-quality human resources for the Vietnamese and Japanese markets.

Under the document, the two sides agreed to exchange educational models and management experiences to help CMC develop CMC Education (CMC Edu) into a global educational organisation in training and developing high-quality human resources for both Vietnam and Japan. In addition, they will exchange lecturers and students depending on needs, as well as sharing experiences in IT application in the digital society according to Japan's Society 5.0 model.

Chinh said that this historic cooperation agreement will bring about many effective education and training programmes between the two sides, thereby contributing to the training of more quality information technology experts in the future.

Hasegawa stressed that the agreement will be a premise for the two sides to support each other, and serve the common interests of research and teaching activities in the training of high-quality human resources.

Established in 1963, the KCG is the first educational institution providing computer training in Japan. In 2004, it set up the KCGI, the first school to provide specialised training in information technology at the graduate level in the East Asian country.

PM receives Presidents of International Friendship Exchange Council, JICA

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had a working breakfast with President of the International Friendship Exchange Council (FEC) of Japan Ken Matsuzawa and its members in Tokyo on December 18 on the occasion of his trip to the East Asian country to attend the Commemorative Summit for the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation.

The Vietnamese government leader highly appreciated the FEC's interest in Vietnam as well as its practical substantial and effective contributions to the development of the bilateral relations.

The elevation of the Vietnam - Japan relations to a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia and the World” announced during a recent official visit to Japan by Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong opened up a new chapter in the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Japan, with a forward-looking vision for the next 50 years based on trust and sincerity, he emphasised.

Reviewing the bilateral relationship over the past five decades, PM Chinh the Vietnam-Japan ties have been upgraded and expanded in the scope and scale with deeper understanding.  

He mentioned measures to further intensify the bilateral relations, as well as Vietnam’s developmental orientations, saying that he hoped Matsuzawa and the FEC, with their reputable prestige, will actively contribute to stepping up the Vietnam – Japan relationship.

PM Chinh suggested the FEC continue to organise activities aimed at enhancing mutual understanding, support for economic cooperation, foster cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and actively support Vietnamese people residing, studying, and working in Japan.

He also called on the FEC to provide support for Vietnam in the areas of finance, science - technology, human resources training, management science, and improving institutions, mechanisms and policies, contributing to the Vietnam-Japan relations and to peace, friendship, cooperation, and development in Asia and the world.

For his part, Matsuzawa noted that in recent times, Vietnam has emerged as a nation playing a significant role and holding a crucial position in politics, economy and diplomacy in the region and the world, so garnering attention from the international community.

He highlighted the flourishing development, and important achievements of the Vietnam – Japan relations over the last five decades since they established diplomatic ties, saying that the two countries share the common goal of national building and development, contributing to peace, friendship, cooperation, and development in Asia and the world.

Matsuzawa expressed his belief that PM Chinh’s trip to Japan will be a success, making significant contributions to the bilateral relations in the coming time.

The FEC’s members stated that, apart from promoting people-to-people exchanges and establishing local- and ministerial-level relations with Vietnam, the Japanese business community is interested in investing and expanding investment in Vietnam, especially in the fields of construction, industry, energy, finance, science - technology, food production, healthcare, and education - training. They expressed their desire to diversify the global supply chains through collaboration with Vietnam.

Also on December 18 morning, PM Chinh received President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Tanaka Akihiko, during which he expressed appreciation for the significant contributions of the agency as well as its president in implementing official development assistance (ODA) projects in Vietnam in recent times, saying that the Vietnamese Government and its people always strive to use ODA loans strictly and effectively.

He thanked JICA for effectively coordinating with Vietnam in implementing procedures for a new-generation ODA loan worth 50 billion JPY (over 351.5 million USD), contributing to lifting the ODA value between the two countries to over 100 billion USD for the first time since 2017.

ODA cooperation is an important content of economic links between the two countries, he stressed, suggesting JICA coordinate more closely with Vietnamese ministries, sectors and localities to concretise the “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia and the World” with specific programmes and projects with more specific and effective roadmaps.

He called for new-generation ODA loans for Vietnam to help the Southeast Asian nation develop strategic infrastructure projects, especially large-scale transport infrastructure projects such as railways, highways, seaports, and air routes; and new sectors such as digital transformation, green transition, semiconductor industry, and innovation.

Akihiko expressed his joy that during PM Chinh's trip to Japan, additional ODA cooperation agreements between the two countries have been signed.

He agreed with proposals made by the Vietnamese leader, affirming that JICA will closely coordinate with ministries, sectors, and localities of Vietnam to deploy cooperation based on the priorities mentioned by the PM. He hoped for Vietnam's collaboration to jointly address obstacles that may arise during the implementation of specific projects.

'Bamboo diplomacy' carves out nation’s achievements: FM

Despite global headwinds with unprecedented and daunting challenges, Vietnam’s foreign policy, adhering to the “bamboo diplomacy” concept, has carved out various achievements, according to Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son.

In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency on the threshold of the 32nd diplomatic conference, Son highlighted that since the previous one in 2021, the diplomatic sector has consolidated an open foreign policy which creates favourable conditions to develop and protect the country in the new situation.

Vietnam’s foreign affairs and international integration have witnessed qualitative developments, he said, attributing them to the success of the visits and phone talks by Party and State leaders, including 45 visits by key officials to neighbouring countries and those with strategic partnership with Vietnam and nearly 50 visits to Vietnam by leaders of foreign nations.  The FM highlighted the visit to China by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and the trips to Vietnam by US President Joe Biden and Party General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping.

The relations with important partners have been elevated to a new high, with political trust firmly consolidated and cooperation expanded in a practical and effective fashion, Son stressed.

He went on to say that the diplomatic sector has promoted its pioneer role in maintaining a peaceful and stable environment and in protecting the nation, elaborating Vietnam has well maintained its relations with partners on the basis of its persistency to a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, and flexibility in strategies and behaviours.

Besides, Vietnam has proactively promoted dialogues and attained important achievements in border demarcation and settlement of an array of border and territorial issues based on international laws, helping safeguarding the nation’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.

The diplomatic sector has also made contributions to the socio-economic development in the past two years, he said, adding free trade agreements and new development trends have been capitalised on to bolster trade activities and attract investment so as to stabilise the macro-economy and promote economic growth, making Vietnam a silver lining in the world’s economy.

Vietnam’s position and prestige in the international arena have been improved as it was elected to many important positions, especially in ASEAN and the UN, such as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, vice chair of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly, and member of the UN Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 tenure. Besides, the country has made positive contributions to many global issues such as climate change response, emissions reduction, sending officials and soldiers to the UN peace keeping operations, and humanitarian support to countries hard-hit by natural disasters and conflicts.

Never before have Vietnam’s international stature, prestige, and images of an independent and resilient country with dynamic development, a trustworthy partner, and an active and responsible member of the international community been standout globally as they are now, he said.

Son described the above-mentioned achievements as a vivid illustration for the Party and State’s sound foreign policy, which has been developed from President Ho Chi Minh’s thoughts, and imbued  with national patriotism, culture, diplomatic tradition, and quintessence of human culture.

He said that the upcoming 32nd diplomatic conference will review and evaluate the results of the implementation of the resolution adopted at the 13th National Party Congress, and propose key missions, tasks, and measures that need to be rolled out for the time to the end of the 13th term and the following years.

It will look at a number of major foreign affairs issues, contributing to summing up 40 years of carrying out the Doi moi (Renewal) process, as well as solutions to build  a strong, professional, comprehensive and modern diplomatic sector.

PM orders measures to ensure warm, safe Lunar Festival for all

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has signed to issue a directive asking ministries, sectors and localities to roll out measures to ensure that all people enjoy a warm, healthy, safe and economical Lunar New Year Festival (Tet), the biggest festival of Vietnamese people in a year, which will be celebrated in mid-February this year.

The PM asked the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) to keep a close eye on the market and actively direct localities to prepare supplies of essential commodities, meeting the demand of people in a full and timely manner, thus avoiding disruption of goods supply and sudden price increases.

The MoIT was also ordered to carry out programmes to stabilise the domestic market and bring Vietnamese products to rural, remote and island areas, while directing businesses to focus on supplying necessities and goods with high demands during the festival, ensuring the continuous and sufficient supply of goods to the market at reasonable prices.

At the same time, the PM stressed the need to ensure power and petrol supply before, during and after the festival, avoiding energy shortages in any circumstance.

Under the directive, the PM requested the Ministry of Finance to coordinate with ministries, sectors and localities to closely supervise price developments and strictly handle violations regarding prices, while working with authorised agencies to prevent and combat smuggling, trade frauds and the trading of fake and low-quality commodities.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development was assigned to monitor weather developments and prepare plans to respond to extreme weather conditions to ensure agricultural production, while cooperating with the MoIT to ensure sufficient supplies of food and foodstuff as well as food safety.

Particularly, the PM asked the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) to provide timely and suitable support to policy beneficiaries during the festival, ensuring that all people can enjoy a warm Tet.

The MoLISA should pay attention to providing optimal conditions for workers at industrial parks, export processing zones and economic zones to return home for the holiday and return to work after that, with special care for labourers who suffer income loss and reduction as well as unemployment due to natural disasters, epidemics and business shrinking, the PM requested.

The Ministry of Transport was ordered to strengthen transport management to meet the rising travel demand of people during the festival.

Alongside, the Government leader also underlined the need for ministries, sectors and agencies to apply drastic measures to prevent epidemics, protect safety for political, social and cultural activities, and ensure defence and security.

PM receives former Japanese PM Fukuda Yasuo

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh received former Japanese Prime Minister Fukuda Yasuo on December 17 on the occasion of his trip to Tokyo to attend the Commemorative Summit for the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation.

PM Chinh expressed his impression of the theory “From heart to heart” initiated by PM Fukuda Takeo, the father of former PM Fukuda Yasuo, in 1977, which laid the foundation for the development of the ASEAN-Japan relationship.

He praised the contributions of the former PM to the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Japan in his capacity as the PM of Japan as well as in different positions. He asked Fukuda to continue support the Vietnam-Japan comprehensive strategic partnership, and invited him to visit Vietnam again.

The former Japanese PM appreciated Vietnam’s role and contributions in the region and the world as a whole, and affirmed that the Japanese Government is willing to work in Vietnam in its modernization and industrialization cause.

Fukuda said Japan considers promoting cooperation with Asian countries, including Vietnam, especially in human resources, a priority in its external relations, and wants to continue collaborating with Vietnam and receive more labour from Vietnam.

He pledged to continue working to further tighten the friendship and enhance mutual understanding between the people of Vietnam and Japan through cultural and people-to-people exchanges. He added that he will continue to support the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan in organising the Vietnam Festival in Tokyo in the years to come.

41st Esperanto youth joint conference held in Vietnam

The Vietnam Esperanto Association (VEA) and the Vietnam Esperanto Youth Organisation (VEJO) on December 16 held the opening ceremony of the 41st Esperanto youth joint conference in Hanoi.

Focusing on the strong development of technology and its impacts on human life, the event is taking place in the capital city and the northern province of Ninh Binh from December 15-18, with the participation of Esperantists from eight countries, namely India, China, Hungary, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, and Vietnam.

Pham Mai Lan, member of the VEA Standing Board, said that the Esperanto youth joint conference was formerly a joint conference between youths of three countries of China, Japan, and the RoK. Vietnam then became the fourth country to participate in it. To date, the conference has attracted the participation of other Asian countries and the interest of Esperantists of all ages.

Delegates discussed issues such as the role of Asian youths in Esperanto development, the future of the Esperanto youth conference, and the use of technology and game applications to learn languages.

Esperanto is an artificial language constructed in 1887 by Ludwik Lazarus Zamenhof, a Polish oculist, and intended for use as an international second language. Over the past 100 years, Esperanto has become the world's most popular international artificial language. According to some studies, there are more than 2 million speakers of this language globally.

This language first appeared in Vietnam in the 20th century, and has contributed to disseminating and promoting cultural exchanges, thus helping boost friendship and cooperation between the people of Vietnam and other countries.

Vietnam attends 26th Greater Mekong Subregion Ministerial Conference

A Vietnamese delegation led by Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Quoc Phuong attended the 26th Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Ministerial Conference (MC26), held on December 15 in Myanmar.

The conference comprised of a plenary session and a retreat.  At the Ministerial Retreat, participants discussed an innovation strategy for development and strengthening the engagement of local governments in the GMS Programme.  

The GMS Programme was official formed in 1992 with the support of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). It aims to facilitate and promote win-win economic cooperation among the GMS countries – namely Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, and China’s Yunnan and Guangxi provinces.

Vietnam, Nepal enhance friendship

President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Associations (VUFO) Phan Anh Son hosted a reception for a delegation from the Nepal Peace and Solidarity Council (NPSC) led by its Chairman Rabindra Adhikari, who is also a member of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) (CPN-UML), in Hanoi on December 16.

At the event, Son spoke highly of the outcomes of the working session between the Vietnam-Nepal Friendship Association and the NPSC delegation, and informed the guests of Vietnam’s situation and people-to-people exchange activities that VUFO and its members are carrying out.

VUFO will create favourable conditions for the Vietnam-Nepal and Nepal-Vietnam Friendship Associations to effectively carry out their cooperation, making contributions to enhancing the friendship between the two countries, Son said.

He went on to stress that Vietnam and the CPN-UML and the NPSC shared similar visions on development, ideology, communism and socialism.

Son said he wishes to promote people-to-people exchange between the two country, which he described as a solid foundation for the bilateral relations, adding VUFO and the Vietnam-Nepal Friendship Association should strengthen connectivity with Nepali partners, especially the NPSC, to carve out practical cooperation.

Rabindra Adhikar Rabindra Adhikar, for his part, highlighted that the Nepali people admire President Ho Chi Minh, and the struggle for national independence and national construction and development of Vietnam.

He said he wants to bolster the Vietnam-Nepal relations through the opening of direct flights, and cooperation in tourism, investment and trade.

At the event, the two sides discussed coordination to organise celebrations of important anniversaries of the two countries, and agreed to continue information exchange as well as discussions on measures and detailed cooperation activities to promote people-to-people exchange.

Japanese Prime Minister vows to promote economic cooperation with ASEAN

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has pledged to cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to promote economic growth of both sides through boosting investment and people-to-people exchanges.

The Japanese leader made the pledge in his remarks at the banquet on December 16 for heads of delegations from ASEAN member countries to the Commemorative Summit for the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation in Tokyo.

Japanese news agency Kyodo reported that PM Kishida also announced the launch of a new initiative for the next-generation auto industry, which aims at mapping out strategies that will enable ASEAN to maintain its position as the world’s hub of car production and export.

To further bolster its partnership with ASEAN, Japan will accelerate the exchange of young business leaders with the region.

The Commemorative Summit for the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation is taking place from December 16-18 in Tokyo, which is considered an important opportunity to enhance the friendship and cooperation between the two sides.

Quang Ngai promotes island, cultural heritage values to boost tourism

With a coastline of more than 130 km, Quang Ngai province in the central region is a land of unique island and cultural heritage values, which is great potential and advantage for the locality to promote tourism and gradually turn it into a spearhead economic sector.

When talking about Quang Ngai, people immediately think of Ly Son. The sacred island located in the middle of the East Sea is not only known as the "garlic kingdom" but also home to a diverse and unique system of tangible and intangible cultural heritage.

The about-10-sq.km island is said to be a place where the quintessence of major cultures such as Cham, Sa Huynh and Dai Viet converge and intersect with a system of six national relic sites, two national intangible cultural heritage sites, and 19 provincial-level sites and many archaeological and religious architectural sites imbued with marine cultural nuances.

According to Dr. Nguyen Dang Vu, former Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the diversity and uniqueness of tangible and intangible cultural systems have created a historical-cultural flow on the island, which seems to be kept intact. In particular, the “Le khao le the linh Hoang Sa” (Feast and Commemoration Festival for Hoang Sa Soldiers) – a national intangible cultural heritage - is a unique festival of Ly Son island that cannot be found anywhere else in the country.

This is the only festival associated with the birth and activities of the Hoang Sa Flotilla, and the history of Vietnam's territorial sovereignty in the East Sea. The event is to pay tribute to the soldiers who sacrificed their lives over the centuries guarding the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly).

With its potential and advantages, Ly Son has become a favourite destination of many domestic and foreign tourists.

The province has determined that island resources and Sa Huynh Culture are the core values of the Quang Ngai tourism brand.

According to Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Dang Van Minh, in recent years, island tourism has become the main type of tourism in Quang Ngai's tourism development strategy, contributing to promoting marine economic resources, and unique maritime culture of coastal communities.

The province has signed cooperation agreements with other localities in the region, inked a tourism development cooperation agreement for the 2020-2025 period between Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and the central key economic region, thereby creating opportunities for businesses to connect, survey, and build products to stimulate tourism.

Quang Ngai has also identified tourism development as one of the key tasks of the 2021-2025 term. The provincial Party Committee has issued Resolution No. 05 on promoting tourism development to make it gradually become a spearhead economic sector while the provincial People's Committee has promulgated plans to restructure and develop tourism that features professionalism, modernity, quality and sustainability, so as to become one of the attractive destinations in the south central coastal region, and create a brand on the tourism map of the country.

It addition, the province is focused on attracting investment to develop the Dung Quat-Ly Son area into a national island tourism centre. They also want to develop the My Khe beach into a national tourist area, and preserve the unique cultural values of Sa Huynh Culture, dating back 2,500-3,000 years ago, to build a dossier to submit to UNESCO for recognition of it as World Cultural Heritage.

New HCM City project to promote tài tử clubs

A new project that aims to preserve đờn ca tài tử (Southern folk music) will be launched by HCM City’s Department of Culture and Information in 2024 as part of the city’s efforts to keep traditional genres of Southern theatre alive.

The project is part of the strategy of the city’s cultural industry between 2020 and 2025 approved by the municipal People’s Committee.

It focuses on giving financial support to help tài tử clubs boost their operations and quality. Building public spaces to help tài tử artists introduce their art to local people is also included.

Under the project, outdoor performances will be launched monthly at cultural centres, parks, and residential areas around the city.

“Tài tử clubs attract professional and amateur artists who have worked to bring tài tử, an unique type of folk art in the South, closer to children and teenagers and help them understand the role of traditional arts,” said Meritorious Artist Hoàng Tấn of District 3’s Tài Tử Club.

According to Tấn, his club’s members are working to build a special playground for children and inspire the preservation of cultural folk activities.

Đờn ca tài tử originated in southern Việt Nam 100 years ago. It is the prototype for vọng cổ and cải lương, which is often performed during festivals and special occasions in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta provinces of Cần Thơ, Vĩnh Long, Bạc Liêu and Cà Mau.

The music is performed at traditional festivals, weddings and death anniversaries in the region.

In 2013, the music was recognised as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

Dạ Cổ Hoài Lang (Night Drumbeats for an Absent Husband) is a popular tài tử song written in 1919 by well-known composer Cao Văn Lầu, a native of the Mekong Delta province of Bạc Liêu.

The song tells of the love, anguish and pride of a young woman watching her husband fight for the country.

HCM City has 229 traditional art clubs, including 84 tài tử clubs, attracting more than 1,220 members.

Tài tử clubs offer training courses on folk singing and tài tử music for several thousand children during summer, so that the youth can learn and understand more about the art.

Through these courses, the students learn to play tài tử music (a traditional type of music in the South) and sing vọng cổ (nostalgic tunes) and cải lương (reformed opera).

They also learn to play traditional instruments, such as the kìm (two-stringed guitar), cò (vertical violin with two strings), tranh (16-chord zither) and bầu (monochord zither). 

Đà Lạt to host year-end celebration

Đà Lạt, the resort city in the Tây Nguyên (Central Highlands) province of Lâm Đồng, will launch cultural and art activities through year-end to serve residents and tourists.

The programme is part of the city’s celebration of the 130th anniversary of its establishment (1893 – 2023).

The celebration will begin with a fashion show entitled “Nghệ Thuật Thời Trang Tơ Lụa” (The Art of Silk in Fashion) at Đà Lạt College on December 16.

The show will present 360 áo dài (Vietnamese traditional dress) for both men and women, and other designs created by veteran designer Minh Hạnh and her partners.

The designs will tell stories of the city’s history, architecture, flowers and foggy pine forests.

Hạnh is globally known for pioneering designs honouring the beauty of áo dài and Vietnamese brocade fabric made by ethnic groups in the northwestern and Central Highlands regions.

The arrangement of flowers with the theme of “Không Gian Hoa” (Flower Space) will be set up across the streets of the city's downtown from December 20 to January 3.

More than 100 kinds of flowers from Đà Lạt will be used for arrangements at the public parks of Yersin, Trần Hưng Đạo, Trần Quốc Toản, and Xuân Hương Lake.

In addition, the city will host a cultural exchange between Việt Nam and South Korea at Lâm Viên Square on December 28 to introduce the cultural traits of both countries.

The event will feature performances of traditional music played by artisans from Đà Lạt and Korea.

The main ceremony and music gala will be held on December 30 at Lâm Viên Square, highlighting songs about the city with performances by leading singers and performers in Việt Nam.

Trần Thị Vũ Loan, deputy chairwoman of the city’s People’s Committee, said the event aims to promote Đà Lạt’s potential and advantages to attract more local and international visitors.

The city is expected to welcome more than 400,000 visitors during Christmas and New Year. 

Hà Nội beats reigning champion 3F Galaxy in HBC’s opener

Hà Nội successfully beat defending champion 3F Galaxy in the opening match of the second Hà Nội Basketball Championship on December 16.

Although a reigning champion, 3F could not set up their domination on their rival.

3F took lead from the beginning and extended their gap to a two-digit number in the third quarter of the match.

Their key players such as Đinh Tiến Công, Lê Hiếu Thành and Nguyễn Tiến Dương made the audience crazy with their perfect three pointers. Their powerful dynamic attacks left Hà Nội's defence in mess.

However, Hà Nội were never an easy rival. They also had VBA players like Tô Ngọc Khánh, Vũ Ngọc Khánh and Nguyễn Huy Hoàng to face the winner of the Vietnam Basketball Championship.

They did not have many three-pointers but their effective attempts always brought points home.

After being under level in the first three rounds, Hà Nội fought back strongly in the fourth. They gradually narrowed the gap and levelled the score at 79-all. The match went to extra time when Hà Nội eliminated 3F at 90-84.

Overcoming all the stars, Hoàng was the most valuable player of the match as he scored 26 points along with two rebounds and three assists.

In other matches of the first day, Ba Đình beat Phòng Không Không Quân 90-63; Scorpius won 89-76 against Basket Sags; and The Zoo lost 62-81 to Dwarf.

The Hanoi Basketball Championship 2023 SEASON 2 by VNPAY features 15 teams competing in men's and women's disciplines from December 16 to 31 at the Thanh Trì Gymnasium.

The tournament has made breakthrough change and improvement with increasing the number of participants to 10 teams in the men's category.

The appearance of a new and professional team VBA Thang Long Warriors will help upgrade the quality of the event. At the same time, non-professional but rich in tradition clubs such as Ba Đình and Basket Sags have the opportunity to compete in an official tournament against rivals who only participate in the framework of the National Basketball Championship such as the Hà Nội and Phòng Không Không Quân.

The winner of the HBC will receive VNĐ100 million and a slot in the grand finale Vietnam Basketball Championship in October, 2024.

Tô Duy, head of the organising board, said the tournament was back and expected to bridge amateur and professional basketball of Việt Nam.

"It is considered a playing ground where talented players will be picked for national teams and a foundation for young players to develop and shine. It is an activity to push the development of basketball and sport generally in Việt Nam," he said.

Supporters of the HBC will be treated with quality matches and exciting music and dance performance for free. Those who choose paid seats at the courtside area will receive cute gifts and delicious food during matches running all day.

For those who could not come to the gymnasium in person, live broadcast matches are available on VTVcab's multi channels such as ON Sports; App: ON, ON Sports TV; Facebook: ON Sports; and Youtube: ON Bóng rổ.

The tournament is a jointly organised event of Next Sports and VTVcab. 

Viet Nam to have good preparation in Asian Futsal Cup

Việt Nam will begin their 2024 AFC Futsal Asian Cup campaign in Group A following a recent draw held at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The former World Cup participant will face hosts Thailand, Myanmar and China at the tournament scheduled for April 17-28, 2024. 

Group B will see four-time runners-up Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Australia battling for the two quarter-final spots.

Japan will begin the defence of their title in Group C. The four-time champions are the top seeds, along with Tajikistan, South Korea and Kyrgyz Republic.

Iran, runners-up in 2022, lead the Group D cast, with Kuwait, Bahrain and debutants Afghanistan for company. 

The top four finishers at the Cup will qualify for the FIFA Futsal World Cup Uzbekistan 2024, which will take place between September 14 and October 6, 2024, marking the first time the global showpiece will be held in Central Asia. 

Should Uzbekistan, who have already qualified for the World Cup as hosts, advance to the semi-finals, the four losing quarter-finalists will playoff for the fourth ticket. 

After the draw, pundits said Group A was easy for Việt Nam. Thailand have always been a tough rival in the world, while Myanmar and China are not as good as Việt Nam, meaning a door to the next stage is wide open to coach Giustozzi Diego Raul and his team.

“We will play totally different rivals compared to the 2022 tournament. Since the previous event, players showed strong progress and we are ready to play any team that we could not do previously," said Raul.

Giustozzi Diego Raul believes in his team after they have gained fluency with his playing style and shown their progress.
"I feel well when knowing the draw result. It is because I have built up a team that can make me feel at peace and confident in competition."

The former World Cup champion coach said in fact Thailand were still a biggest rival of Việt Nam in Group A. China were next as they played in 13 final rounds. Myanmar would play their second time at the Cup but they grew strongly recently. At the regional championship in 2022 Myanmar topped the group round which included Việt Nam. They also created challenges before losing to Việt Nam in the penalty kicks in the third place playoff.

"Thailand will play on home ground. They beat Việt Nam in all meets. But this time, I have good feeling with my team," said Raul.

"China are developing as their national championship have had foreign players and coach. It makes them stronger. Myanmar are still a rival to watch in all events.

I have set up my team playing style. Players knew my tactics and they make me confident. There is some work to do in the next period where my team would have nine to 10 matches for practice."

The team will gather for training in mid-March in HCM City. They will sharpen their skills at an international friendly tournament with three quality teams on March 28-31.

According to VFF Vice President Trần Anh Tú the team would have a training course in Thailand and they would have more friendly matches as a final touch for the Asian Cup.

“VFF believes that our good preparation will help Việt Nam complete a mission of winning a World Cup ticket for the third time in history," Tú said. 

Comprehensive strategic partnership adds fresh impetus to Vietnam-US cooperation

Vietnam and the US officially upgrading their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership is a historic milestone in their relationship, bringing both long-term and immediate benefits to both sides while also making positive contributions to security, peace, cooperation and development in the region and the wider world.

Vietnamese Ambassador to US Nguyen Quoc Dung shared this in a recent interview granted to VOV regarding the necessary steps to concretize the points mentioned in the joint statement on upgrading relations between the two countries.

The year 2023 is viewed as a memorable milestone in Vietnam - US relations when both nations celebrate 10 years of establishing their comprehensive partnership and upgrading the relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

Talking about this historical milestone, the Vietnamese diplomat said.

There have been important historic milestones in Vietnam-US relations. In 1995, the two countries normalized relations and opened diplomatic representative agencies. In 2013, they established a comprehensive partnership.

During that process and especially over the past 10 years, bilateral have developed dramatically, bringing many benefits to both nations’ people, and contributing to peace, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

After 10 years, in addition to many results in cooperation to overcome the consequences of war, trade between the two countries increased more than 4 times, from US$30 billion in 2013 to over US$130 billion in 2022, not including investment through third countries.  Direct investment from the US to Vietnam by 2023 is nearly US$12 billion. It is worth noting that most major US firms have been already present in the Southeast Asian nation.

Every year, roughly 1 million Vietnamese and Americans travel to each other. There are currently nearly 30,000 Vietnamese students studying in the US. Vietnamese businesses have started to invest in the US, the largest of which is VinFast, which is currently building an electric car facility in North Carolina.

​Based on those good results, on the official visit to Vietnam by US President Joe Biden, on September 10, 2023, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Joe Biden agreed to upgrade Vietnam-US relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership for peace, cooperation and sustainable development.

This important milestone opens up a new historical period with an open framework and new momentum for stronger cooperation between the two countries across a variety of fields, especially economics-trade, science-technology, and people-to-people exchanges, Dung went on to say.

Regarding the steps that the two countries need to concretize the points mentioned in the joint statement on upgrading relations between the two countries, Dung stated that

the joint statement on the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for peace, cooperation and sustainable development identifies 10 major pillars of cooperation in the two countries' relationship, along with their goals, desires and commitments.

The first necessary thing is to disseminate the content and spirit of these agreements to help authorities, parliaments, localities, businesses and people in both countries gain a better understanding and become involved in the implementation process.

Talking about the contribution of high-level business trips between the leaders of the two countries with a view to promoting bilateral relations as well as Vietnam's foreign policy in general, the Vietnamese diplomat said during the meetings with US leaders, Vietnamese leaders strongly affirmed Vietnam's determination to effectively implement the comprehensive strategic partnership for the benefit of both sides, as well as contribute to the region and the world.

This has created a positive effect, attracting widespread attention and support in US society for Vietnam-US relations.

On the occasion of these visits, Vietnamese ministries, sectors, localities and businesses also actively have launched connection activities with US localities and partners. As a result, dozens of agreements have been signed. This is both a result and a concrete implementation of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, he added.

The visits of Vietnamese senior leaders to the US to attend the United Nations General Assembly meeting and the APEC Summit continue to demonstrate a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, and diversification and multilateralization, affirming that Vietnam is a responsible, determined partner and a real contributor to the handling of regional and global issues.

The upgrading of relations between Vietnam and the US will also have a positive impact on the activities of these organizations, especially when both nations have identified coordination at regional and international forums as a pillar in their comprehensive strategic partnership.

​Concerning plans or priorities to contribute to implementing the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, Dung said with its role and tasks, participating in building, determining the content, concretizing and accelerating the implementation of the Vietnam-US comprehensive strategic partnership over the past time as well as at present is always a top priority of the Vietnamese Embassy and representative agencies in the United States.

Specifically, the major tasks of the Embassy and representative agencies in the US are to disseminate information regarding the comprehensive strategic partnership opportunities and potential in order to help localities, local governments, businesses and people of both sides create close links.

​This is in addition to lobbying the US government and Congress to prioritize resources for programs and projects with Vietnam and properly implement committed agreements, engaging in monitoring the progress and contributing to speeding up the implementation of the Joint Declaration and action plans of the Vietnam-US comprehensive strategic partnership, he added.

Vietnam’s position and reputation elevated globally, says Foreign Minister

Vietnam has welcomed many foreign leaders and it has been elected to many important international organisations over the past few years, showing the country’s enhanced status and prestige globally, said Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son.

Talking to the press ahead of the 32nd national diplomatic conference in Hanoi on December 18-23, Son revealed that the past two years saw key Vietnamese leaders make 45 working trips to neighboring countries, traditional friends, and strategic partner countries, including a historic visit to China by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

Meanwhile, world leaders paid nearly 50 trips to Vietnam in the reviewed period, including visits by Chinese Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden.

These activities create new qualitative developments in Vietnam’s foreign affairs and international integration, said the diplomat chief, adding that the relationship between Vietnam and many important partners has been raised to new heights, with political trust firmly consolidated, and cooperation increasingly expanded.

According to the Foreign Minister, Vietnam’s reputation has increasingly been elevated after it was elected to many important international positions, especially in ASEAN and the United Nations such as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, vice chair of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly, member of the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 term, member of the World Heritage Committee, and member of the International Law Committee.

Vietnam has made an active contribution to common issues, such as combating climate change, cutting greenhouse gas emissions, sending officers and soldiers to UN peacekeeping missions, and providing humanitarian support to countries suffering from natural disasters or conflicts.

In his view, the Minister said although the world has gone through complicated changes, Vietnam has properly handled foreign affairs and relations with partners on the basis of independence, self-reliance, and peace, and at the same time flexibility in strategy and behaviour.

Vietnam has proactively promoted dialogue and recorded important results in border demarcation and settlement of a number of border and territorial issues on the basis of international law, thus firmly protecting national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, he stressed.

He went on to say the diplomatic sector has taken its vanguard role in pooling external resources for COVID-19 control and socio-economic development. In addition, Vietnam has also taken advantage of free trade agreements and new development trends to promote import and export, and attract investment, scientific and technological advances, contributing to maintaining macroeconomic stability, promoting economic growth, making Vietnam a bright spot in the groomy picture of the world economy.

The 32nd national diplomatic conference is expected to review the results of implementing the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress, draw lessons, and propose tasks and measures to be implemented until the end of the 13th term and the following years.

This conference will also look at a number of major and new issues in foreign affairs to contribute to summarizing 40 years of implementing the Doi Moi (Renewal) process.

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