Localities are actively continuing recruiting to meet the teaching needs of high schools. However, the scarcity of teachers especially for music and art subjects remain uneased.

The Department of Education and Training in District 6 has just announced the deadline for applications for education officer recruitment ends on December 19. This year, District 6 needs to recruit 116 additional teachers while the district is thirsting for teachers of subjects such as music, fine arts, English and Information Technology.

This week, District 12 organized recruitment for the second phase of the 2023-2024 school year with a total need to recruit 96 teachers. In particular, the district needs 16 additional preschool teachers, 33 teachers for primary schools and 47 teachers for secondary schools.

Teacher vacancies in District 4 for the second phase of the 2023-2024 school year include 49 preschool teachers, 32 primary school teachers and 18 secondary school teachers. This year, the number of teachers recruited for the second round increased more than last year.

As of mid-December 2023, the two localities with the highest need to recruit teachers for the second round in Ho Chi Minh City are Thu Duc City and Binh Chanh District. A representative of the Department of Education and Training of Thu Duc City said that successful candidates in the first round only met 1/3 of the recruitment needs of educational institutions, not to mention successful candidates who quit the job later.

Therefore, this district is reviewing and calculating the number of missing teachers in schools for the second round of recruitment of additional teachers. Similarly, Binh Chanh outlying district has a need to recruit additional teachers for the second phase of 231 teachers because it had just had over 100 successful candidates in the first phase.

Particularly, Head of the Department of Education and Training in Binh Tan District Ngo Van Tuyen said that the district is facing difficulties in recruiting teachers of some subjects such as English, Information Technology, Fine Arts, Music and integrated subjects at the secondary level (including Natural Sciences, History - Geography) as no teachers have applied for the position due to unattractive income.

This year’s 2023-2024 school year is the first Ho Chi Minh City has organized recruitment of teachers from excellent students for senior high schools. Recently, in the second round of the teacher recruitment exam for excellent students and young scientists organized by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, only two candidates were qualified for the position. According to Mr. Nguyen Bao Quoc, Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, the Government’s Decree 140/2017/ND-CP on policies to attract staff from excellent university graduates and young scientists has helped expand the source of teacher recruitment for schools in Ho Chi Minh City.

However, in reality, the number of candidates eligible for admission is limited due to many strict criteria. From 2018 until now, Ho Chi Minh City has not recruited teachers who are excellent students and young scientists.

Explaining this, Mr. Nguyen Si Long, Deputy Head of the Division of Civil Servants and Employees under the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Home Affairs, said that excellent graduates and young scientists are those who have good academic performance so they have many opportunities to receive scholarships to pursue education at well-known schools in the country and abroad. These students are sought by organizations and businesses outside the public sector which offer attractive income and many career advancement opportunities.

Meanwhile, current regulations on salary regimes and policies for officials, civil servants and public employees in the public sector are not enough to attract and retain good staff. To solve the difficult problem of recruitment resources, representatives of educational institutions all believe that ministries and responsible agencies need to reform salary policies more strongly and increase preferential allowances for teachers to attract more good people contributing to the improvement of teachers’ quality in high schools.

New road use tolls from February 1, 2024

The Government has just released Decree No.90/2023/ND-CP, stipulating toll rates for road use and toll collection methods, to be effective as of February 1, 2024.

Accordingly, the road use toll rate for vehicles with fewer than 10 seats registered in the name of an individual or household business is VND130,000 (US$5.35) per month.

Passenger vehicles with fewer than 10 seats, trucks, specialized vehicles with a total weight of less than 4 tonnes, cargo vehicles, and 4-wheeled motorized passenger vehicles pay a toll of VND180,000 ($7.4) a month.

Trucks, specialized vehicles with a total weight from 19 to under 27 tonnes, trailer trucks with a combined self-weight and towing weight from 19 to under 27 tonnes pay a toll of VND720,000 ($29.6) per month.

Trucks, specialized vehicles with a total weight from 27 tonnes up, trailer trucks with a combined self-weight and towing weight from 27 to under 40 tonnes pay a roll of VND1.04 million ($42.7) a month.

The Decree also regulates that the time to calculate road use fee for first-time inspected cars is from the inspection certificate issuance date. As to renovated or function-converted vehicles or those changing the ownership from organization to individual (or vice versa), the rate is calculated from the date of the new registration certificate.

The road use toll is counted by year, month, or car inspection period. The registration unit is responsible for issuing a toll stamp corresponding to the payment time.

For vehicles having an inspection period of no more than one year, the owner pays the toll for the whole period and obtains a corresponding stamp.

As to vehicles with an inspection period of more than one year (18 months, 24 months, and 36 months), the owner must pay annually or for the whole period. In the latter case, the registration unit issues a toll stamp matching up to the inspection period. When the stamp expires, the owner has to register and pay the toll for the next inspection period.

TikTok Vietnam desires to build safe channels for press agencies, reporters

The Ho Chi Minh City Press Center this morning collaborated with TikTok Vietnam to host a workshop named “Solution to Build and Develop a Safe and Effective TikTok Channel for Reporters”.

At the workshop, representative of TikTok Vietnam Nguyen Lam Thanh shared an overall view of safe campaigns of TikTok during the past year to build a positive, safe network environment for users through the application management toolkits and programs that TikTok Vietnam has implemented through community-based programs comprising #chongluadao, #chobenthanh and so on and these community programs get a huge number of interaction and turns of access.

Representative of TikTok Vietnam Nguyen Lam Thanh desired that the press agencies would join the programs from their TikTok channels.

On the occasion, TikTok Vietnam also introduced the development of a TikTok shop together with user recommendations on personal information transparency, official bank accounts, business licenses and so on.

Apart from the safe campaign on TikTok, social networking platforms have been always trying to control the contents, construct and keep a safe digital platform for communities.

At the workshop, Ms. Nguyen Phuong Anh, representative of the Safety Team of TikTok also shared the community standards of TikTok along with a recommendation of strictly complying with community standards which were built by legal experts of each host country. 

Besides, representative of the operation team of TikTok Vietnam Luu Dang Hai suggested that personal channels must be associated with “hot” brand names and highly concerned events, and he revealed that all of video views stop watching during the first eight seconds and videos are always in vertical format which should be notably posted on prime time of 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. and after 8 p.m.

Representative of the operation team of TikTok Vietnam Luu Dang Hai also said that reporters should pay attention to measures to protect personal information of relevant subjects on TikTok together with private, scary images, attacking others with words and actions and so on in order not to violate community standards.

Especially, reporters need to exploit the advantages of their profession in accordance with the provisions of the Press Law.

Over 432,000 Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine doses remain unused

During the 2023-2025 period, the establishment and execution of the Covid-19 vaccination plan is tailored to specific target groups and immunization schedules, with priority being given to high-risk groups.

On December 20, concerning the Covid-19 vaccination efforts, even though this disease has been categorized as a B group infectious disease, Ms. Duong Thi Hong, Deputy Director of the Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, revealed that the institute's warehouse currently stores over 432,000 doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine, with an expiration date set for the end of September 2024. These Covid-19 vaccine doses are reserved for areas with outbreaks and high-risk regions. Furthermore, across the nation, there are approximately nearly 50,000 individuals registered for the Covid-19 vaccine.

"As per recommendations, individuals in high-risk groups, such as healthcare professionals, those with underlying health conditions, and individuals with chronic illnesses, are advised to receive the fourth dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. The expanded vaccination program is rigorously managing the volume of Covid-19 vaccine doses, adhering to procedures," clarified Ms. Duong Thi Hong. She also highlighted that in the Ministry of Health's sustainable control and management plan for the Covid-19 pandemic during the 2023-2025 period, the establishment and execution of the Covid-19 vaccination plan is tailored to specific target groups and immunization schedules, with priority being given to high-risk groups.

The latest figures from the Ministry of Health reveal that the country has now administered more than 266.5 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, positioning Vietnam among the nations with the highest coverage rates worldwide. Notably, the vaccination rates are as follows: nearly 100 percent completion of basic doses for individuals aged 12 and above; a 69.4 percent uptake of the third dose for those aged 12 to under 18; an 82.1 percent uptake of the third dose for individuals aged 18 and above; an 89.6 percent uptake of the fourth dose for high-risk individuals aged 18 and above; and vaccination rates of 92.5 percent for the first dose and 76.7 percent for the second dose for children aged 5 to under 12.

14,400 doses of 5-in-1 vaccine to be distributed to HCMC

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health said that the Ministry of Health will distribute 14,400 doses of the 5-in-1 vaccine to HCMC.

Accordingly, the Australian Government donated 490,600 doses of the 5-in-1 vaccine to protect children against diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) for the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) through approval of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health informed that the 5-in-1 vaccine has arrived in Vietnam. Of which, it is expected that 14,400 doses will be distributed to Ho Chi Minh City.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health has planned to distribute them to health centers in districts and perform DPT-HBV-Hib vaccination for children right after receiving this vaccine.

Owing to inadequate supplies of this vaccine, children at the age of two months and above will be prioritized for the first shot and booster doses.

The Municipal Department of Health assigned the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC) to prepare for receiving, preserving and distributing this vaccine as well as deploying vaccination for children.

Ministry asked to develop center for disease control and prevention project

The Government requested the Ministry of Health to develop a project of a center for disease control and prevention.

The Government yesterday issued the Resolution No. 218/NQ on the plan to implement the National Assembly’s Resolution No. 99/2023/QH15 on specialized supervision of mobilization, management and use of resources. serving the prevention and control of the Covid-19 epidemic and the implementation of policies and laws on grassroots health and preventive medicine.

Under the Government’s resolution, the Ministry of Health ought to develop a project of a center for disease control and prevention and propose solutions to enhance the ability to provide basic medical care services and preventive health services.

The government’s plan aims to implement Resolution No. 99/2023/QH15 to overcome shortcomings and limitations in the management and use of resources to serve the prevention and control of the Covid-19 epidemic while completing and carrying out policies and laws on grassroots health and preventive medicine for timely and effective response when epidemics re-occur. Moreover, the government’s plan also verified specific work contents, deadlines, completion progress and responsibilities of relevant agencies and organizations in organizing the implementation of the NA’s Resolution No. 99/2023/QH15.

The Government requested the Ministry of Health to develop a project to establish a center for disease control and prevention and make proposed solutions to enhance the ability of grassroots facilities’ supply of basic medical care services and preventive health services. At the same time, the Ministry ought to innovate policies and methods of training to improve health workers' professional skills at grassroots and preventive healthcare centers, especially staff working at commune health stations and villages.

Moreover, the Ministry should take heed of rotating doctors and medical staff of large hospitals to work at grassroots health facilities, especially at commune health stations.

Along with that, as per the government’s resolution, the Ministry of Health has to coordinate with the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Finance and other ministries, agencies and localities to unify district-level medical centers and manage closely medical institutions to best take care of people's health.

Photo exhibition introducing Can Tho City's construction, development opens

A photography exhibition introducing to visitors the 20 years of Can Tho City’s construction and development was opened at Can Tho City Museum on December 19.

Accordingly, the exhibition with the theme “Can Tho City- 20 years of construction and development” was organized by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Can Tho City.

More than 78 photos introducing achievements in terms of economy, culture, society and national security and defense during the last 20 years of the city's construction and development were displayed at the exhibition.

The event will last until January 12, 2024.

On the same day, Can Tho City Museum cooperated with An Giang Provincial Museum to organize a thematic exhibition named “Tet customs of ethnic groups in the Mekong Delta”.

Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Can Tho City Nguyen Minh Tuan said that ethnic groups comprising Vietnamese, Chinese, Khmer and Cham come to the Mekong Delta to live and bring the traditional customs of ethnic groups of the Mekong Delta region during the Lunar New Year.

On the occasion, the organizers also introduced to visitors a large-sized model “Map of Can Tho City - 20 years of construction, development and integration”.

Mekong Delta provinces expand organic coconut farming

Major coconut growing provinces in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta are developing organic cultivation to improve their farmers’ incomes and meet market requirements.

Bến Tre, the region’s largest coconut growing province, aims to increase the area using organic farming to 20,100ha by 2025, according to its Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

They will be grown mostly in Mỏ Cày Nam, Mỏ Cày Bắc, Châu Thành, Giông Trôm, Thạnh Phú, and Ba Tri districts.

Huỳnh Quang Đức, deputy director of the department, highlights the province's successful establishment of 921.2 hectares of new organic coconut cultivation this year, propelling the total area to an impressive 18,121ha.

Organic coconut now accounts for 23 per cent of the total cultivation area.

More than 12,880 hectares have received organic certificates, according to Đức.

The province has been pro-active in equipping coconut farmers with techniques for organic cultivation and fostering the production of organic fertilisers.

Notably, on a pilot basis, six concentrated coconut cultivation areas spanning 2,202 hectares have not only been effectively implemented but are also expanding.

Bến Tre is also urging farmers to establish co-operatives and co-operative groups, and strong ties with companies for streamlined coconut cultivation and sales.

The province has successfully inaugurated two new co-operatives this year, facilitating linkages among stakeholders to develop value chains encompassing 4,230ha of coconut.

Meanwhile, in Trà Vinh, the second largest coconut cultivation province in the delta, authorities are actively encouraging farmers to embrace organic methods and cultivate value chains.

Lê Văn Đông, deputy director of the Trà Vinh Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said seven companies have formed partnerships with over 5,700 households with almost 5,000ha of organic coconut cultivation.

These companies have committed to purchasing the produce of the organic cultivation areas at 5-15 per cent higher than market rates.

Collaboratively, the department and localities in Trà Vinh are actively developing coconut cultivation areas specifically earmarked for official export to China.

With around 90,000 households cultivating a combined area of 27,380ha, Trà Vinh has 24 coconut cultivation areas that have received production codes for exports.

Notably, the cultivation of organic coconuts has yielded superior outcomes, delivering higher yields, disease resistance, lower production costs, and increased profits for farmers.

In Vĩnh Long Province, farmer Nguyễn Thị Hạnh in Vũng Liêm District’s Trung An Commune transitioned to organic cultivation in 2021 and has witnessed significant improvements in her 3,000-square-metre coconut orchard.

Hà Văn Thái, chairman of the Trung An Commune People's Committee, underscored the growing trend of organic coconut cultivation, with farmers recognising the substantial benefits.

Recognising this shift towards organic practices as an imperative, coconut processing companies emphasise the need for sustainable growth and market expansion.

Nhan Tuyết Trinh, a representative of Thabico Tiền Giang Food Industry Joint Stock Company, highlights the importance of developing organic coconut cultivation areas.

The company, with a processing capacity of 300,000 coconuts daily, is collaborating with coconut-growing communes in Vũng Liêm District to expand organic cultivation areas.

The criteria for organic farming include not using chemical fertilisers and pesticides and not breeding animals in them, she said.

Her company is co-operating with Vũng Liêm District’s coconut growing communes to expand organic farming, she added. 

Cervical cancer screening costs proposed to be covered by health insurance

Cost of cervical cancer screening should be considered for coverage by health insurance to help reduce the financial burden on women and their families, said experts.

The Vietnam Women's Union coordinated with the Social Committee of the National Assembly and the Ministry of Health organised a workshop on Tuesday to propose a policy to include the cost of cervical cancer screening in the list of health insurance coverage.

Cervical cancer is an issue of concern for public health because this disease greatly affects the welfare, health and spiritual life of women and the entire population, Tôn Ngọc Hạnh, deputy chairwoman of the Việt Nam Women's Union, said in the meeting.

Without any intervention, it is estimated that about 200,000 Vietnamese women will die from cervical cancer by 2070, she said.

Cervical cancer treatment is very expensive, but the disease can be completely prevented or eliminated based on HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccination and regular screening to detect and treat pre-cancerous signs early.

However, in Việt Nam, the rate of access to cervical cancer prevention and screening measures among Vietnamese women is still low, she said.

According to Việt Nam’s Ministry of Health and UNFPA research in 2021, only 12 per cent of women and girls aged 15-29 were vaccinated against HPV and only 28 per cent of women aged 30-49 were screened, very low rates.

One of the reasons leading to the low rate of access to cervical cancer prevention and screening measures is that the cost of HPV vaccine is very high and it is not included in the expanded vaccination programme, and cervical cancer screening is not covered by health insurance.

According to the World Health Organisation's assessment, eliminating cervical cancer will contribute to the implementation of SDG1 on multi-dimensional poverty, SDG3 on healthy lives, SDG5 on gender equality and SDG10 on reducing inequality.

The global strategy to eliminate cervical cancer announced by the World Health Organisation in 2020 has set a target that countries need to achieve by 2030 to eliminate cervical cancer with 90 per cent of girls fully vaccinated against HPV before age 15; 70 per cent of women receiving highly accurate screening tests at ages 35 and 45; and 90 per cent of women who are identified as having pre-cancerous and cancerous lesions receiving care and treatment.

According to the Department of Maternal and Child Health under the Ministry of Health, cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of death in women. Every year in the world, there are about 604,000 new cases and 342,000 women die from this disease. HPV infection is the main cause of cervical cancer.

Preventing cervical cancer plays an indispensable role in achieving sustainable development goals.

In Việt Nam, cervical cancer is the 4th most common cancer in women and the 2nd most common cancer in women of reproductive age, after breast cancer.

The standard incidence rate by age is about 8.1 per 100,000 women. Each year there are over 400 new cases and over 2,000 deaths from cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer screening methods in Việt Nam include VIA (naked eye observation with acetic acid) that has sensitivity of 40-70 per cent and specificity of 88-95 per cent and tested every three years; cervical cell test (Pap smear) - sensitivity of 50-55 per cent, specificity of 96.8 per cent and performed every three years; and HPV test with sensitivity of 94.6 per cent, specificity of 94.1 per cent and performed every five years.

Thus, HPV testing is one of the effective and long-term valuable disease screening and prevention measures.

The goal of the National Action Plan by 2025 is to have 25 per cent of girls vaccinated against HPV by age 15; 60 per cent of women getting screened with highly effective methods at age 35 and rescreened at age 45; 90 per cent of women with pre-cancer or invasive cancer getting treatment.

The department affirms that cervical cancer is not only an obstetric and gynaecological disease, but also a public health and primary health issue. The participation of authorities and international partners, the health sector, school health systems, the Women's Union, families and individual women are needed.

It is necessary to mobilise resources from sectors and agencies, aiming to include the cost of cervical cancer screening in the expanded vaccination programme and health insurance.

Phan Văn Toàn, deputy director of the Health Insurance Department, Ministry of Health, said that the number of people participating in health insurance by December 31, 2023 is over 91.07 million people, reaching 92.04 per cent of the population.

The health insurance fund ensures balance of revenue and expenditure and has a surplus, Toàn said.

In the draft revised Law on Health Insurance, people with health insurance will have medical examination and treatment costs covered by the health insurance funds, including rehabilitation, regular prenatal check-ups, childbirth, medical examination to assess the risk of certain diseases such as cervical cancer, breast cancer, hypertension, diabetes, hepatitis B and C; prenatal and newborn screening, preventive treatment, and periodic health checks for children under six years old and pensioners, he said. 

Housing support for poor households remains inadequate

According to some National Assembly deputies, the disbursement of housing funds is alarmingly low, and several regions find it challenging to mobilise resources to meet the plan of eliminating temporary housing for the poor by 2026.

Despite the allocation of significant funds in 2023 for Project 5, which supports housing for poor and near-poor households in impoverished districts, the implementation results have been disappointingly low, and many National Assembly deputies have pointed out shortcomings in the project.

In 2023, Project 5 for supporting housing in poor and near-poor households in impoverished districts was allocated over VNĐ1.125 trillion (US$46.3 million).

The National Target Programme for Sustainable Poverty Reduction for the period 2021-2025 aims to provide housing support to a minimum of 100,000 poor and near-poor households in impoverished districts, ensuring safe, stable, disaster-resistant housing, contributing to improving the quality of life and sustainable poverty reduction. The target for the year 2023 is to support 25,500 households.

However, according to the Government's report, in the first seven months of 2023, only 6,051 houses were supported, with 4,406 newly built and 1,645 repaired. The disbursement results for the first six months of the year from the central budget were VNĐ196.188 billion ($8 million), reaching only 19.23 per cent.

Đỗ Thị Lan, a deputy from Quảng Ninh, stated that the work of supporting housing for the poor, near-poor, and newly impoverished households is progressing very slowly. If the pace is not accelerated, it is estimated to reach only 39.7 per cent of the Project 5 plan by the end of 2023. Disbursement is also significantly low, and some regions find it challenging to mobilise resources to meet the plan of eliminating temporary housing for the poor by 2026.

According to reports from localities such as Bắc Kạn, Quảng Nam, Bình Định and Cần Thơ, the central government's slow allocation of funds and delayed issuance of guidelines for implementing poverty reduction housing support policies have led to difficulties in organising implementation.

According to Minister of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs Đào Ngọc Dung, this comprehensive poverty reduction programme allocated VNĐ4 trillion ($164.7 million) to focus on resolving over 100,000 houses for the poor in 74 impoverished districts.

By early 2023, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) and the Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs (MOLISA) had only agreed on the plans, thus the actual allocation of this fund began in 2023.

According to the Prime Minister's Decision 02/2022/QĐ-TTg, the support norm for new construction is VNĐ40 million per household ($1,647), and for house repairs, it is VNĐ20 million ($823.5) from the central budget.

However, many opinions suggest that the support norm is insufficient to meet the requirements of the "3 solid" criteria (solid foundation, solid frame-walls, solid roof) and the lifespan of the house for over 20 years, as specified in the National Target Programme.

Chu Thị Hồng Thái, Deputy Head of the Provincial Farmers' Union office in Lạng Sơn Province, said being a poor household struggling to afford daily meals, having to come up with matching funds to complete the house to meet the "three solid" criteria is an extremely difficult and unsolvable issue. The support funds from many localities are not effectively implemented.

Thái suggested the government study and consider increasing the housing support to 70-80 per cent of the home value to meet the criteria for poor households.

According to MOLISA, in terms of housing support for the poor, outside of the support from the government, localities contribute from 10 to 30 per cent, with support from philanthropists.

Dung added that there are still over 400,000 underprivileged households nationwide. The Central Committee for Emulation and Reward has agreed and coordinated with the Chairman of the Central Committee of the Việt Nam Fatherland Front along with the government to launch the emulation movement "The whole country joins hands with the poor" to eliminate makeshift housing.

Additionally, at the 13th Party Central Committee's 8th plenum held last October, it was agreed that during this term, from now until 2030, 1 million apartments would be built for workers and labourers, and by 2030, all dilapidated and temporary houses for the people will be completely eliminated. 

Fairs to promote tourism and culture in capital city

The Hà Nội Promotion Agency (HPA) has announced a number of activities to popularise local tourism and culture in the capital city in December.

Accordingly, the Hà Nội Department of Industry and Trade, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the People's Committee of Tây Hồ District, Sơn Tây Town and Đông Anh District will coordinate to organise trade fairs to promote local tourism and culture.

The first fair will take place on December 21-24 at the Lạc Long Quân Flower Garden in Tây Hồ District.

As many as 120 booths will be available displaying, introducing, and trading products of enterprises in the district in particular and Hà Nội in general.

There are areas for not only Hanoian products but also typical products and craft villages from other cities and provinces in a decorated landscape space.

Organisers will also set up a welcome gate and stage for enterprises to demonstrate products, promote tourism, and introduce their culture.

The Tây Hồ event's opening ceremony will be held at 7pm on December 22.

Similarly, the second and third fairs will be arranged in Sơn Tây and Đông Anh with the same scale.

Both fairs will officially open at 7pm on December 27 at the Sơn Tây Stadium Square and Đông Anh's Cultural House.

The programmes will be wrapped up on December 30.

HPA said the fairs aimed to strengthen trade promotion activities, introduce products, expand markets, and seek output for typical products of Hà Nội and other localities.

At the same time, they would help to introduce the cities and provinces as interesting tourist destinations to people, partly contributing to promoting the tourism industry.

HPA said the opening ceremonies of all three events would be opportunities for local residents and visitors to enjoy cultural diversity and specialities through music and dance performances and product trials. 

Foreign officials applaud Vietnam’s ties with France, UNESCO

Some French and international officials have applauded the Vietnam - France relations as well as the Southeast Asian country’s contributions to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in 2023.

Talking to the Vietnam News Agency, Senator Jeremy Bacchi, member of the National Council of the French Communist Party (PCF) and Secretary of the PCF organisation in Bouches-du-Rhone department, noted with satisfaction that the two countries have maintained and unceasingly developed close-knit relations across the board, including in economy and culture.

A number of activities have been held in 2023 to celebrate bilateral ties, further enhance friendship, and help the French people learn more about the culture and history of Vietnam as well as the Vietnamese people’s optimism during the realisation of set targets, he said.

Francois Corbin, Vice President of the Movement of the Enterprises of France (MEDEF) International and Chairman of the France - Vietnam Business Council at MEDEF, said he is impressed with Vietnam’s dynamism and growth over the past years, adding that with its current growth, the country will continue developing in the coming years.

Vietnam has businesses with effective operations, high demand for infrastructure development, an expanding middle class, as well as big attention to environmental protection and climate change fight, he opined.

French businesses own sufficient capacity and wish to develop cooperation with Vietnamese firms and leaders to jointly work towards a future of common prosperity, Corbin remarked.

For her part, Helene Luc, Honorary Senator of France and former Chairwoman of the France - Vietnam Friendship Association, cited then French President Jacques Chirac as saying during his visit to Vietnam in 2004 that the voice of Vietnam touched the heart of the French people. This was repeated by President of the French Senate Gerard Larcher when he visited Vietnam in 2022.

Luc said such a comment reflects all the sentiments the two peoples have given to each other, and that she hopes this voice will become even stronger so that the France - Vietnam friendship will grow further.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Baker, who will serve as Chief Representative of UNESCO in Vietnam from January 2024, said the country boasts a diverse culture and has won recognition from UNESCO for not only tangible and intangible heritage but also geo-parks or biosphere reserves.

Bilateral cooperation potential is not limited to heritage preservation but has also covered education, science, and environment for sustainable development. Many educational projects have been carried out fruitfully in multiple localities. Besides, the country is one of the most active partners of UNESCO in terms of environmental protection, especially in biodiversity conservation and water resources protection, he elaborated.

The UNESCO official expressed his hope that Vietnam, which has recorded booming economic development, will establish itself as a bright spot in the region and the world in terms of connecting economic development with social security ensuring, cultural preservation, and environmental protection.

Baker added that he hopes among the many cooperation opportunities in the time ahead, Vietnam and UNESCO will join hands to successfully carry out cultural, educational, and scientific programmes.

Vietnam, South Africa should further bolster economic ties: Diplomat

Vietnam and South Africa should further tap their economic cooperation potential to make their economic partnership match the sound bilateral political relations, said Vietnamese Ambassador to South Africa Hoang Sy Cuong in an interview granted to Vietnam News Agency.

The diplomat said that the two sides should promote collaboration in areas of each other’s strengths and demand such as mining, agriculture, energy, education-training, trade, logistics, and finance-banking, as well as new areas such as digital transformation and green economy.

He suggested that in the immediate future, the two countries should continue to create favourable conditions for their goods to access each other’s market, while generating more chances for businesses of the two countries to meet and strengthen investment cooperation.

At the same time, Vietnam and South Africa should continue to enhance the efficiency of the Inter-Governmental Forum, the Joint Committee and other cooperation mechanisms, while paying special attention to reviewing, updating, negotiating and signing bilateral cooperation agreements across all fields, he said.
Besides, the diplomat said two countries should increase delegation exchanges through all levels, while promoting their coordination at multilateral forums, especially the UN, the Non-Aligned Movement, and South-South Cooperation, thus reinforcing political trust.

Cuong also underlined the need to bolster locality-to-locality cooperation, as well as partnership in tourism, culture and people-to-people exchange.

Looking back on the Vietnam-South Africa ties over the past three decades, the diplomat said that the bilateral relations have been reinforced and become more substantial and effective.

After COVID-19 pandemic, ties between the two countries have been promoted through the Party, State and people-to-people channels and at all levels, Cuong said, highlighting Vietnamese Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan’s visit to South Africa in mid-September and the Vietnam visit by South African Vice President Paul Mashatile in mid-December this year.

South Africa has been the largest trade partner of Vietnam in Africa, and bilateral cooperation in defence-security, science-technology and innovation, education-training, justice, tourism, wildlife management and biodiversity, and wildlife trafficking prevention and control have been fruitful.

Vietnam and South Africa have maintained close coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums. Vietnam has supported South Africa to become a dialogue partner of ASEAN, while South Africa assisted Vietnam in acting as an observer at the African Union. This year, when South Africa serves as the BRICS President, Vietnam was among few countries invited to the BRICS Summit.

To date, South Africa is the only African country sharing a partnership for cooperation and development with Vietnam, said the Ambassador.

He also highlighted a number of activities that Vietnam and South Africa have conducted to celebrate the 30th anniversary the bilateral ties, including those in trade and investment. Particularly, the first-ever Vietnam Day in South Africa which comprises a Vietnam-South Africa Business Forum, as well as the first ASEAN Film Festival and Vietnamese Day of Pho (rice noodle) were held in South Africa, introducing to local friends a dynamic, hospitable nation of Vietnam with unique culture.

The activities created new impetus for the elevation of bilateral ties to a new height, Cuong underscored.

Bắc Giang handles violations of laws on dykes and sand, gravel exploitation of river beds

Bắc Giang is strengthening management and strictly handling cases of legal violations on dykes and natural disaster prevention, cases of overloaded vehicles, and cases of sand and gravel exploitation on river beds that affect the locality's dyke system.

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is increasing inspections and coordinating with localities and sectors to handle cases of sand and gravel gathering that violate protection corridors for dykes and irrigation works according to regulations, strengthening management on dyke routes to promptly detect and resolutely handle violations as soon as they arise.

The Provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment checks, verifies, and handles cases of illegal land allocation, land allocation in dyke protection corridors, and riverbank areas at high risk of landslides. The department also inspects and supervises inland waterways maintenance combined with riverbed minerals recovery projects, sand and gravel mining projects on riverbanks to handle violations.

The Provincial Department of Transport coordinates with relevant units to inspect inland waterway wharf operations of construction materials gathering and transporting yards; revokes licenses or suspends inland waterway wharf operations for construction materials gathering and transporting yards that are not in accordance with planning and do not comply with permits.

The Provincial Police strengthen inspection, detect and promptly handle organisations and individuals that violate the law on dykes, illegal mineral resources exploitation on river routes in the area. They also strengthen inspection, detection, and prevention to handle cases of overloaded vehicles on the dike.

People's Committees of districts and cities are directing specialised agencies and local authorities to thoroughly handle cases of dyke violations and prevent natural disasters on dyke routes. For cases of pressing and prolonged violations, the committees recommended establishing administrative sanction records in accordance with the guidelines outlined in Decree 03/2022/NĐ-CP dated January 6, 2022, and enforcing them in accordance with the prevailing legal provisions.

Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Nguyễn Văn Dĩnh, said that from the beginning of this year, localities in the province have handled 126 cases of dyke violation, imposing administrative penalties amounting to over VNĐ740 million (US$30,833); the localities also handled 10 sand and gravel trading yards; repaired and installed barriers, installed load limit signs in 134 positions.

For residential areas located in the dyke protection corridor, districts and cities continue to review and make concentrated or mixed relocation plans; they also check and clarify the issuance of land use rights certificates in the dyke protection corridor to find appropriate solutions.

Additionally, districts and cities focus on the oversight of planning and construction activities along river banks in accordance with regulations. They are committed to implementing stringent measures to address construction projects on river banks that have been authourised without proper approval or conduected illegally.

Dozens of rare animals captured in Ha Tinh national park through camera traps

The Vu Quang National Park in the central province of Ha Tinh announced on Wednesday that the 85 camera traps they have installed to monitor biodiversity have captured 58 rare and endangered wildlife species, including nine exclusive to the Truong Son Range.

In particular, some species play a vital role in regional conservation and demand rigorous protection measures. These include the Giant Muntjac (Muntiacus vuquangensis), Truong Son Muntjac (Muntiacus truongsonensis), Annamite Striped Rabbit (Nesolagus timminsi), Owston's Palm Civet (Chrotogale owstoni), and Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus).

The species appeared in the camera traps include the Asian Elephant, Stump-tailed Macaque (Macaca arctoides), Rhesus Macaque (Macaca mulatta), Northern Pig-tailed Macaque (Macaca leonina), Assam Macaque (Macaca assamensis), Truong Son Muntjac, among others.

Established in 2002 on a total area of over 75,000 hectares, the three districts of Vu Quang, Huong Khe, and Huong Son, Vu Quang National Park was designated an ASEAN Heritage Park in 2018.

The park is a vital biodiversity hotspot in Vietnam, preserving crucial genetic resources necessary for conservation initiatives. It is home to a wealth of endangered and rare species of plants and animals, documented in the IUCN Red List and the Vietnam Red Data Book, warranting dedicated and stringent conservation and protection measures.

New crown for Miss Earth 2023 unveiled

A new crown for the upcoming Miss Earth 2023 has been unveiled by the pageant’s organising board. Made of white gold, the tiara features a total of 87 precious pearls which symbolise peace, lasting prosperity, and eternity.

The highlight of the crown is six South Sea pearls combined with the outer-coloured stone circle, serving to create an eternal and constant movement of the Earth.

Furthermore, the three crowns for the runners-ups, Miss Earth Air, Miss Earth Water, and Miss Earth Fire, are also elegantly designed to feature beautiful pearls.

The final night of the event is scheduled to take place in the southern city on December 22. This comes after Vietnamese contestant Do Thi Lan Anh become the winner of the “Best Appearance” award at the opening day of Miss Earth pageant.

Lan Anh, 26, is currently residing in the United States and stands at 1.71 metres tall with body measurements of 85-60-95cm. She left her hometown at the age of one for Europe before then moving to the US to settle down there with her family.

The beauty graduated from California State University Fullerton and has many Vietnamese friends and loves Vietnamese food.

Trial for deadly fire in HCM City apartment building resumes

The trial for a deadly fire in the Carina apartment building in HCM City, which took place more than five years ago and resulted in the deaths of 13 people and injured 72, resumed on Thursday after an eight-month delay.

The former director of Hùng Thanh Company, Nguyễn Văn Tùng, 46, and the former head of the Management Board, Nguyễn Quốc Tuấn, are being tried for violating regulations on fire prevention and fire fighting.

If found guilty, they face a penalty of seven to 12 years in prison.

The trial convened 640 victims and 70 other involved persons, but only eight people attended the court session.

Investigators found the cause of the fire was determined to be a malfunction in the electrical system of a vehicle.

According to the investigation, the fire started at midnight on March 23, 2018, from a scooter in the building’s basement parking lot, and spread for over 13 minutes without any alert as residents were asleep.

The fire quickly spread, resulting in 13 deaths, 72 injuries, and significant property damage.

The fire alarms did not go off, the automatic sprinklers in the building failed to deploy and the emergency lights did not come on.

All fire doors in the building had also been wedged open with bricks, allowing smoke to billow up to houses, causing most of the deaths.

So far, the developer of the Carina apartment complex has compensated victims of the fire with over VNĐ108 billion.

Prosecutors stated that Tùng was aware of the non-functioning fire alarm and fighting system but did not request for it to be repaired or replaced, while Tuấn, as the head of the building’s management board, did not fulfil his responsibilities in managing the safety systems.

Police said the fire could have been put out with a small extinguisher if there had been someone on guard at the time.

The trial is expected to last until December 25.

Eight students injured in Nghe An classroom ceiling collapse

Eight students were injured when the ceiling of a classroom at the Hermann Gmeiner High School in the central province of Nghe An suddenly collapsed on Thursday morning.

According to the vice head of Vinh City Department of Education and Training, Le Truong Son, who was present at the 115 Nghe An General Hospital on December 21, eight students of grade 11th had been sent to the hospital for treatment following the collapse the same morning.

"Six among the eight injured students have been discharged after some treatment while one who suffered serious injuries had to be transferred to a higher level hospital in Hanoi for further treatment," Son said.

Reports from the school showed that the incident occurred at 7.40 am in the 11A9 classroom when dozens of students were inside the room. Many parents rushed to the school after hearing about the accident.

Local authorities are investigating the cause of the accident.

Vietnam sends record workers to Japan

 Vietnam sent a record number of workers to Japan in the first 11 months of this year, according to the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs.

More than 74,000 Vietnamese workers left their home country for Japan, out of a total of more than 146,000 workers who went abroad between January and November, accounting for more than half of the workers sent aboard, leading all destinations for Vietnamese guest workers.

In the first 11 months, Taiwan (China) was also a top destination receiving 54,769 Vietnamese workers, followed by South Korea with 7,830 workers, China (1,785), Hungary (1,463), Singapore (1,333), among others.

Japan is also one of the destinations having the best working conditions and income for Vietnamese workers, according to the Department of Overseas Labor.

According to the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, there are now more than 500,000 Vietnamese workers in Japan under various programs such as skilled internships, specified labor, nurses, and medical workers sent to Japan under the Vietnam-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (VJEPA), technicians and interpreters.

Speaking at the Vietnam-Japan Labor Cooperation Forum in Tokyo on December 16, Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung said that labor cooperation between Vietnam and Japan has developed rapidly and extensively in many areas, including labor export, vocational training, and social welfare.

In more than 19 years of running these non-profit programs under the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, 8,718 Vietnamese workers have been in Japan for technical internships under the Employment Permit System (EPS) program and those under the International Manpower Development Organization of Japan (IM Japan), said Dang Huy Hong, Director of the Center of Overseas Labor under the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, said at a job fair for workers in November.

He said the program has provided good job opportunities and high incomes, improving the lives of workers and their families and contributing to the country's socio-economic development.

Vietnamese Spoonbill painting display in Hanoi and UK cities

The Return of the Spoonbill Painting Exhibition is underway at Lotte Mall West Lake Hanoi, showcasing outstanding works by 15 Vietnamese artists in the Children's Picture Book Illustration Project.

The artworks introduced the community, especially children, to the endangered Spoonbill, raising awareness and encouraging them to take action to protect these small but precious birds that are important to the Earth's ecosystem.

It's the result of cooperation between Vietnam's Nha Nam Culture and Media JSC and the British Council in Vietnam, in which international experts are involved in teaching participants how to paint for children's books.

This is the first time that Nha Nam Company has organized such a special and free course. This project is the result of more than a year of discussion and planning between Nha Nam Company and leading experts from Simon & Schuster Publishing House (one of the five largest publishing houses in the world) and Pop Up Organization.

It's a project within the UK/Vietnam Season program to celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations between the UK and Vietnam and 30 years of the British Council in Vietnam.

According to Dao Phuong Thu, editor of Nha Nam Company, the artists created excellent works that were highly appreciated by international experts and prestigious British publishers. These vivid and emotional paintings have also been shared with international friends through art exhibitions in London and Manchester.

"We hope that this exhibition and project will help Vietnamese artists become more confident in their careers. We want to support the training of a new class of talented artists, not just illustrators, who can also tell stories and create impressive picture books with their own hands that can be published not only in Vietnam but also around the world," Thu said.

The exhibition runs until December 29 at Lotte Mall West Lake Hanoi, 272 Vo Chi Cong Street, Hanoi.

The paintings are also displayed at the Royal Over-Seas League in London from November 24 to December 3, and at the Vertical Gallery of Manchester School of Art at Manchester Metropolitan University from December 11 to January 7.

ASEAN handicraft exhibition to promote people-to-people exchanges

An exhibition titled ASEAN Handicrafts Associated with Environmental Protection was opened at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnic Cultures in Vietnam's Thai Nguyen Province on December 19.

Gathering nearly 150 photographs, the event introduced the history of ASEAN handicrafts and development directions related to natural materials for environmental protection. The exhibition is expected to contribute to the preservation and development of traditional crafts and inspire the community to take action to protect the environment.

To Thi Thu Trang, Director of the museum, said the thematic exhibitions are regularly organized to innovate and attract visitors. Meanwhile, Tran Hai Van, Deputy Director of the Department of International Cooperation under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said that together with the ASEAN Corner or ASEAN Textile Festival, the museum has become a place for many artisans and international friends, demonstrating proactive approach in organizing exchange activities within ASEAN.

In addition to the photo exhibition, the program also included hands-on activities such as batik drawing, printing patterns on fabric with beeswax, embroidering patterns on fabric, weaving straw hats, and other everyday items.

"Without such activities, the next generations will not know about these unique cultural identities of the nation. Therefore, inviting artisans to participate in traditional craft experience activities like this is very meaningful for artisans like us," said Nguyen Luong Bang, a rattan and bamboo weaver from Nam Tien Ward, Pho Yen City, Thai Nguyen Province.

Experiencing the exhibition firsthand, Frank and Liz - travelers from the Philippines - were excited to draw patterns on fabric with beeswax. They found the event very attractive and meaningful. Through the exhibition, the duo understood more about the traditional handicrafts of their homeland and learned more about those of other ASEAN member states.

Handicrafts are one of the key areas of cultural cooperation and people-to-people exchanges within ASEAN, creating strong links between artisans and creative artists, businesses and consumers, and contributing to the livelihood of artisans and the community.

Statistics by the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development showed that Vietnam is home to more than 5,000 handicraft villages and 1.58 million artisans and craftsmen.

Among them, many of Hanoi's typical handicraft villages have a history of 500 to 1,000 years and produce unique handicrafts that are highly sought after by both locals and international consumers, such as Van Phuc Silk Village, Dong Ho Folk Painting Village, Bat Trang Ceramics Village, and others.

On this occasion, the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology also launched a tour guide mobile application to provide visitors with a new, modern, and convenient approach to explore the cultures of Vietnam's ethnic groups at the museum. 

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