Ministries and sectors will continue to stablise prices of goods from now until the end of the year and in the first quarter of 2023, especially before and during the Lunar New Year (Tet) in 2023.

That is the main purpose of the Ministry of Finance's directive on strengthening management and stabilisation of goods and service prices during Tet in 2023 that has just been issued to create advantages and control inflation.

According to the ministry, in the first 11 months of 2022, the world's economic and political situation changed rapidly and complicatedly. Prices of strategic raw materials, including petrol, rose to high levels in the first half of the year, putting great pressure on the target of controlling inflation in Vietnam.

In that context, price management was synchronously implemented by ministries, sectors and localities under the direction of the Government, contributing to inflation control as targeted.

However, until the end of the year and in the first quarter of 2023, many complicated and unpredictable changes are expected in supply, demand and prices of essential raw materials, requiring the State to have solutions for the management and stabilisation of goods and service prices for controlling national inflation next year.

Therefore, relevant State agencies are urged to closely monitor the world economic performance and inflation affecting Vietnam and devise suitable solutions for coping with the effects. They include local departments of finance, customs and tax, the State Treasury of provinces and centrally-run cities, the State Reserve Department, and the National Steering Committee for Anti-smuggling, Counterfeit Goods and Trade Fraud. 

They are also required to keep updated on the situation of supply and demand, and the domestic market prices to suggest measures on managing and stabilising the prices on the domestic market, especially before, during and after Tet. The fight against smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods should be intensified to prevent abnormal fluctuations affecting socio-economic development.

Price management and stabilisation work will focus on essential goods and services, such as food, fresh food, travel and transportation services, and materials for production.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), the supply of essential goods for the coming Tet will be basically enough with stable prices based on preparation from the ministries, sectors, localities and enterprises.

Especially, with a series of trade promotion and consumption stimulation programmes, people in remote and isolated areas and workers in industrial zones will be able to get goods at stable and affordable prices.

Minister of Trade and Industry Nguyen Hong Dien has suggested the Ministry of Finance (MoF) coordinate with MoIT in monitoring price fluctuations and strictly handle violations in price.

Authorities in big cities with large populations and high consumer demand, such as Hanoi, Da Nang and HCM City, have built detailed plans to ensure goods for Tet.

Pham Van Duy, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Product Processing and Market Development under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the supply of food will basically meet the domestic market demand with an increase in output of essential commodities such as rice, vegetables, fruits, meat, milk and eggs.

Phung Anh Ngoc from MoF's Price Management Department also agreed that the supply of essential goods is relatively abundant, ensuring the stability of supply for the domestic market and export.

Many flights canceled due to bad weather

National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has announced the cancellation of many flights owing to bad weather.

According to Vietnam Airlines, the East Sea has been facing violent winds and rough seas caused by a strong cold front in the northern region of Vietnam. Because of this, on Sunday Vietnam Airlines canceled 19 flights from HCM City to Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province’s Con Dao Island and four flights from Hanoi and HCM City to Phu Yen Province’s Tuy Hoa City. 

The carrier also canceled flight VN1898 linking Con Dao and HCM City today, December 19.

The unfavourable weather may last until December 20. Vietnam Airlines will continue rescheduling flights from Tuy Hoa and Con Dao. The firm will frequently update all flight information on its fanpage and website.

On Sunday, Bamboo Airways canceled nine flights, including five from Con Dao to Hanoi, three from Con Dao to HCM City and one from Tuy Hoa to Hanoi. It has also rescheduled 23 other flights between HCM City to Van Don, Hanoi, and Phu Quoc, and between Danang to Phu Quoc and Hanoi.

Hanoi concert to welcome New Year 2023

The capital’s Opera House is set to host the Hanoi concert on January 1 in celebration of the 2023 New Year.

According to organisers Hanoi Television, the concert will be a classical musical event which aims to bring international masterpieces, including “Voice of Spring” by J.Strauss II, "Waltz from Jazz Suite No.2" by D.Shostakovich, "Heia in den Bergen" from Operetta "Die Csárdásfürstin” from E. Kálmán, “Dein ist mein ganzes Herz” from Operetta, and "Das Land des Lächelns" by F. Lehar to Vietnamese audiences.

Japanese conductor Honna Tetsuji is due to conduct the concert.

Furthermore, local opera singers Pham Thu Ha, Dao To Loan, Dang Duong, and members of the VNSO will perform at the Hanoi concert.

The event will be held at 8 p.m. on January 1 at the Hanoi Opera House and will be aired on the Hanoi Television channel, as well as via YouTube and Facebook.

Two children die in Can Tho house fire

Two children have died after a fire broke out at a house in the southern city of Can Tho early Monday morning.

According to a report from local police, the fire broke out at around 1 am in a 240-square-metre house, which was also used as an electronics shop, in Long Dien District.

The house's owner, Pham Thanh Hung, 43, and his wife noticed the fire, which started at the shop while they were sleeping.

They rushed to their children's bedroom but failed to unlock the door, which had been locked from inside. As the fire spread fast, they rushed out of the house to call for help.

Many neighbours arrived to help put out the fire while waiting for the police. However, it took fire police three hours to gain control of the fire, as the shop stored a large amount of electronic devices and equipment.

The bodies of two children, aged 8 and 11, were found inside their locked room. All the goods and furniture inside the house had burnt down.

One of the neighbours, Nguyen Thi Hong, said that she heard screams for help and rushed to the house with many others. They tried to put out the fire but it spread very quickly.

Police are still investigating the cause of the fire.

Experts seek solutions to limit one-time social insurance withdrawal

The State needs comprehensive solutions to promote economic growth, expand production, create jobs to increase income and improve living standards for workers to limit one-time social insurance withdrawal.

Chu Mạnh Sinh, deputy director of the Việt Nam Social Security (VSS), made the statement at the 18th session of the National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee last week.

He said that more than four million people nationwide withdrew social insurance in the 2016-21 period, excluding those resolved by the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Public Security.

The number of people receiving one-time social insurance increased year by year, with an average annual growth rate of about 11.6 per cent.

Thus, in the past five years, on average, about 800,000 people withdraw their social insurance once a year.

Statistics of the VSS showed that the number of one-time social insurance beneficiaries this year was 895,500 people, up 3.7 per cent compared with last year.

Railway sector continues increasing trains to central region on Tet

The Saigon Railway Joint Stock Company has continued operating more trains to central localities on the coming Lunar New Year, or Tet Holiday.

The company will conduct an additional 15 trains with a total of 7,500 seats from HCM City to Phan Thiet, Nha Trang, Quy Nhon, Tam Ky, Danang, and Hue during January 20–25, 2023, or from the 29th day of the 12th lunar month to the 4th day of the first lunar month.

By the third week of December, around 50,000 railway tickets for the Tet Holiday were still available, including 11,000 from HCM City to Hanoi.

The Saigon Railway Joint Stock Company has also announced a rise of 1–6% in the cost of railway tickets against the same period of last year, due to the higher fuel prices. The tickets range from VND1.3 million (USD52.41) to VND2.7 million (USD108.87).

Kiên Giang aims to grow more high-quality rice

The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Kiên Giang plans to grow 3.5-4.4 million tonnes of paddy on 700,000ha of land next year.

The country’s largest rice producer targets growing high-quality varieties on more than 90 per cent of the area and large-scale rice fields with contracts with companies accounting for at least 20 per cent.    

Lê Hữu Toàn, deputy director of the province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the goals are to grow clean and organic rice varieties, develop value chains and adapt to climate change, improving rice quality, value, production efficiency, and competitiveness.

The province plans to increase the area under rice grown to Vietnamese and global good agricultural practices (VietGAP and GlobalGAP), organic and Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) standards to export to the EU, the US and Japan.

It will turn more unproductive rice fields in coastal areas into shrimp-rice farms to improve farmers’ incomes.

Under the shrimp-rice farming model, farmers raise shrimp in the dry season and grow rice in the rainy season on the same fields or even both simultaneously.

It helps produces clean rice and shrimp as farmers use few chemicals under the model.

Doctors discuss cutting edge techniques in subclinical diagnosis, treatment

The application of artificial intelligence (AI) and technical advances in subclinical diagnosis and treatment were presented at Chợ Rẫy Hospital’s first Subclinical Scientific Symposium that opened on December 17 in HCM City.

The two-day event themed “Application of artificial intelligence and new techniques in diagnosis and treatment” featured discussions on nearly 40 topics related to cutting edge techniques of subclinical diagnosis and treatment.

Topics under discussion included application of AI in blood cell image analysis and pathology diagnostic, next-generation sequencing applications based on the ionic semiconductor technology, technical advances in endovascular intervention in the treatment of cerebral aneurysms, automatic 3D breast ultrasound, and automation in laboratory operation and management.

The application of AI in pathology diagnostic support will improve the accuracy of diagnostics, according to Dr. Hoàng Văn Thịnh, head of the hospital’s Department of Pathology.

Chợ Rẫy Hospital has pioneered digital pathology in the country, he said.

Next-generation sequencing applications based on ionic semiconductor technology is one of technical advances adopted at Chợ Rẫy hospital.

The next-generation sequencing is becoming more popular due to its effectiveness in multi-target gene diagnosis in only one reaction, helping to shorten the time of diagnosis and save costs for patients, according to doctors.

Vietnam to stop 2G services in 2024 for 5G services development

The Ministry of Information and Communications plans to stop providing 2G services by September 2024 at the latest to pave the way for 5G services.

September 2024 is the right time as it marks the termination of the license for mobile telecommunications services and the license for radio frequency bands to be consistent with the orientation of radio frequency planning, the Telecommunications Department under the Ministry of Information and Communications explained in a statement.

The ministry requested mobile service providers deploy solutions to encourage subscribers to use 4G / 5G services, striving to reduce the number of 2G subscribers to less than 5% by the end of 2023.

It will take measures in 2023 to ensure every citizen owns one smartphone in order to achieve the common goal of turning off 2G services and speeding up national digital transformation.

The ministry will also support businesses to stop 2G mobile technology according to the roadmap, increase 4G coverage and deploy 5G services. It will enhance the quality of 4G coverage and improve the quality of 5G services.

Although the number of smartphone users has begun to increase sharply in the past few years, the number of feature phone users is still relatively large, at 11.7 million.

Vietnam has deployed 5G services on a trial basis in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang.

Politburo’s resolution expected to create impetus for urban development

The Politburo’s Resolution No.6 dated January 24 2022 on the sustainable urban planning management and development is expected to create breakthroughs for the work.

President of the Vietnam Urban Planning and Development Association (VUPDA) Tran Ngoc Chinh commented that the new guidelines and policies will help remove inadequacies and limitations in urban planning, construction, management and development, hence creating a driving force for the development of the urban system and contribution to promoting the sector’s sustainable growth.

Chinh held that priority should be given to completing the master plan on the national urban and rural system as the backbone for socio-economic development.

He recommended paying special attention to cross-cutting issues such as climate change, poverty reduction, affordable housing, inclusive development, and social space integration.

To support the implementation of green, smart, ecological urban construction that is adaptable to climate change, he noted mechanisms and policies are needed to guide and build the brand of Vietnam's urban areas, including the formation of a system of standards and regulations that enable the sector to anticipate and guide new development trends.

It is necessary to strengthen the application of geographic information system (GIS) tools serving digital transformation in planning, he added.

Man prosecuted for trading wild animal parts

The Danang City People's Court announced on Friday that they have prosecuted Nguyen Duc Tai for violating regulations on the protection of endangered, precious, and rare animals.
 
According to investigations from local police, the 33-year-old man, who resides in the neighbouring province of Ha Tinh, set up shell companies using a fake ID card to allegedly smuggle wild animal parts from Africa into Vietnam. He had hired a few other people to help him run the companies.

The companies were all registered to import and export goods but the police could not identify their headquarters or see them undertake any other activity except importing goods from Africa.

Between February and September last year, police at Tien Sa Port checked consignments declared as containing wooden floors and cashew nuts imported from South Africa and Nigeria by one of the companies set up by Tai, and found inside 52 rhino horns weighing more than 138 kilogrammes, lion bones weighing 3.10 tonnes, 456 kilogrammes of ivory, and 6.23 tonnes of pangolin scales. The goods were estimated to be worth VND300 billion.

Searching Tai's residence, police also found 10 pangolin scales he had kept as a sample to show buyers.

Tai was arrested in June this year for the investigation, which police said is one of the largest transnational wildlife trafficking cases ever busted in Vietnam.

Binh Dinh seeking to expand Phu Cat Airport

Authorities of the southern central province of Binh Dinh are seeking approval from the Ministry of National Defense for expanding Phu Cat Airport.

On Friday, the provincial People’s Committee sent the Phu Cat Airport development plan for the 2021–2030 period to the Ministry of National Defense.

Accordingly, by 2030, the airport is expected to serve 5–7 million passengers and process 12,000 tonnes of cargo annually. It will also be able to handle large aircraft such as Boeing 787s and 777s and Airbus A350s.

By 2050, the airport will be upgraded to meet 4E standards, enabling it to raise its capacity to 12–15 million passengers and 27,000 tonnes of cargo annually.

According to the committee, the airport now covers 860 hectares, with a mere 15 hectares being managed by civil aviation authorities, while the military manages the remainder.

The committee has proposed that the ministry turn over 153 hectares of the airport's military land to serving civil aviation activities.

Currently, with the designed capacity of 2.5 million passengers per year, Phu Cat Airport is facing overload, particularly during the peak tourism times and holidays. Therefore, the expansion is necessary.

Nearly 1,000 domestic flights a day planned for Lunar New Year

Vietnamese air carriers expect to operate 950-990 domestic flights per day before and during the Lunar New Year holiday to meeting the strong spike in air travels, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV).

The number of daily domestic flights will increase by 250-290, with some 50,000-60,000 additional seats each day, compared to the regular flight schedules for the winter of 2022-2023.

The local carriers will offer around 1.7 million more seats on domestic services during the Lunar New Year holiday, or Tet, which starts on January 21. This represents an increase of 33% compared to the regular flight schedule during winter this year.

Before Tet, the country’s biggest and longest annual holiday, the aviation authority will conduct inspections of various airlines and airports in the country, especially the international airports of Noi Bai, Danang and Tan Son Nhat, to ensure service quality, aviation safety and security.

The CAAV has asked Vietnamese carriers to allocate more human resources and add night flights to ease congestion at airports during the day, especially at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport.

Moreover, CAAV confirmed more airport slots from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. the following day, allowing airlines to double their night flights to 204 on the routes from HCMC to Hanoi, Haiphong, Thanh Hoa, Vinh, Quang Binh, Hue, Danang, Dak Lak, Gia Lai, Quang Nam, Phu Yen and Lam Dong during this peak season.

Vietnamese win big at int’l photo contest for combating drink driving

An international photo contest award ceremony themed “Friends don’t let friends drive drunk” was held online on December 15, naming Vietnamese photographers as winners in some categories.

The event was part of the “Power of No” campaign against drink driving, conducted by an alliance of 28 partners representing multilateral organizations, community nonprofits, the private sector, governments and social organizations.

Vietnam’s most popular “Audience Vote” photo came from Duy Toan Nguyen, who pretended to take a friend’s motorcycle keys and order them a taxi home instead of driving drink. The first prize was secured by Tran Thi Tu Nhi. Other winning photo ideas to stop a friend from drink driving were tying a friend’s hands with rope, stealing a friend’s keys and running away and wrapping a friend in plastic wrap.

People urged to donate platelet for patients with dengue fever

Amid the dengue fever epidemic remaining complicated with a number of serious cases, the organizing board of the Red Sunday campaign has called on those who are healthy enough to actively participate in platelet donation.

At the 15th Red Sunday 2023 blood donation campaign which took place on December 18 in Hanoi, Associate Professor Nguyen Ha Thanh, director of the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT), noted that although the platelet counts remain adequate, the sharp increase in dengue fever cases has put pressure on the blood supply work. Indeed, this is necessary for people receiving emergency treatment.

He therefore stressed that the campaign is also part of efforts to overcome the blood and platelets shortage, which has hit hospitals amid dengue fever cases peaking across the country.

Assoc. Prof. Thanh also noted that the blood and platelets collected from the Red Sunday series of voluntary blood donation festivals had greatly helped patients who required blood and platelets in order to save their lives.

Labour unions prioritise supporting workers on Tet
 
Helping workers in disadvantaged circumstances to have a warm and sufficient Lunar New Year holiday (Tet), Vietnam’s biggest traditional festival, is a key task for trade unions at all levels.

At the recent 12th meeting of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL)’s Executive Board, VGCL President Nguyen Dinh Khang noted that with more than a month left until Tet, trade unions at all levels need to closely monitor the employment situation, especially the cutting of working hours or employment, in order to promptly propose and issue proper care policies for affected workers. 

Localities housing large numbers of migrant workers should pay attention to those who cannot return to their hometowns for Tet and devise appropriate measures to ensure the group can enjoy the traditional festival like others, he said.

Labour federations across the country will spend about VND500 billion (over US$20.1 million) on organising activities and presenting gifts to labourers on Tet, according to the VGCL. Under a plan set by the general confederation, 1 million workers in difficult circumstances, including those who lost their jobs or were affected by natural disasters, will receive financial support worth at least VND500,000.

Trade unions at all levels will implement programmes to help poor workers to return to their home villages for Tet, and hold Tet celebrations for those who cannot return. Tet markets offering essential Tet goods at discount prices will be organised by the VGCL from the 15th – 25th day of Lunar December nationwide, especially in mountainous and remote areas.

NA Vice Chairman extends Christmas greetings to Catholics in Da Nang

Permanent Vice Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Tran Thanh Man visited the Da Nang Diocese and the Vietnam Christian Mission on the occasion of the upcoming Christmas festival on December 19.

Man wished Bishop of the Da Nang Diocese Joseph Dang Duc Ngan and other dignitaries and Catholics good health and a merry festival.

Lauding their contributions to the fight against COVID-19 and the economic recovery, the official said the diocese of Da Nang and local Catholics have played an important role in social activities, especially by supporting the elderly, persons with disabilities and orphans.

For his part, Joseph Dang Duc Ngan thanked the support of the Party, NA, State and front agencies and associations for the Catholic community, and praised them for their leadership during the pandemic.

On behalf of the Party, NA, Government and leaders, Man also extended wishes and regards to Pastor Nguyen Quang Duc, head of the Vietnam Christian Mission, and dignitaries and followers, hailing their contributions to national construction and development.

He urged Pastor Nguyen Quang Duc and other dignitaries to continue encouraging followers to abide by the Party’s guidelines and State laws, and respond to emulation movements launched by the State.

In reply, Pastor Nguyen Quang Duc said he and other dignitaries and followers will make greater efforts to lead good religious and secular lives.

Vietnam – RoK culture exchange takes place in Da Nang

A culture exchange programme to celebrate the 30th founding anniversary of the diplomatic ties between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK) (December 22, 1992 – 2022) was held at the Vietnam-Korea University of Information and Communication Technology (VKU), Da Nang University, on December 19.

A series of activities were arranged in the framework of the event, including performance of Taekwondo, K-Pop, and traditional musical instruments, singing and dancing.

Various activities have been organised from November 2022 in celebration of the relations such as Korean handwriting and poster design contests, and a friendship football tournament.

Addressing the event, Cho Han-deog, Country Director of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) office in Vietnam, spotlighted fruitful development of the bilateral relations over the past 30 years, especially the upgrade of the relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

The event contributes to promoting sustainable development of the bilateral relations based on the long-term cooperation with KOICA, he said, expressing his hope that the exchange will help popularise customs and cultural identities of the RoK to Vietnamese friends.

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