A book by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Nguyen Phu Trong regarding the fight against corruption and other negative phenomena will be released at a ceremony in Hanoi on February 2, according to the CPV Central Committee’s Commission for Internal Affairs.

The debut is timed for the 93rd anniversary of the CPV (February 3) and the 10th anniversary of the Central Steering Committee on Prevention and Control of Corruption and Negative Phenomena (February 1), the commission said.

The book, entitled Resolutely, persistently fighting corruption and negative phenomena to contribute to building more transparent and stronger Party and State, is jointly published by the commission and the Su That (Truth) National Political Publishing House.

It presents directions of Trong as the Party leader and head of the steering committee in a systematic manner, and demonstrates the Party’s consistent ideology on the prevention and control of corruption and negative phenomena, Party building and rectification, and the improvement of morality and lifestyle of officials and Party members.

With nearly 100 photos, the 600-page book comprises three parts presented in a modern press style.

The first part focuses on issues drawn from the fight against corruption and negative phenomena in Vietnam, featuring the Party chief’s article reviewing the combat since the establishment of the steering committee in 2013, along with his closing remarks made at national conferences on the fight in 2014, 2018, 2020 and 2022, and 36 meetings of the steering committee.

The second introduces 22 articles on Party building and rectification by the Party chief, including four reviewing the work since the first years of Doi Moi (Reform), and eight on the improvement of morality and lifestyle of officials and Party members, including some written in the 1970s.

The last is a collection of opinions and assessments of people from different walks of life, National Assembly deputies, and foreign politicians and scholars on Vietnam’s anti-corruption efforts under the Party leadership.

An electronic version of the book will be available at the website stbook.vn.

In the past decade, relevant agencies nationwide have commenced legal proceedings against 2,657 corruption cases involving 5,841 people, and prosecuted 2,628 cases with 6,199 defendants.

Foreign ministry asked to optimise opportunities for national development

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to actively give advice to the Party and State on external policies as well as suitable measures and steps to optimise opportunities and advantages for national development and defence during a working session with its leaders on January 31 on foreign relations work in 2023.

The Deputy PM hailed the efforts and achievements of the sector over the past time, helping the country deepen relationship with partners, especially strategic and comprehensive partners, traditional friends and other important partners, making great contributions to the country’s socio-economic development and enhancing Vietnam’s position and reputation. 

He requested the sector to continue to follow the external policy adopted by the 13th National Party Congress and Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s direction at the national foreign relations conference in 2021, focusing on maintaining peace and stability, serving national socio-economic development and enhancing the country’s prestige.

The Foreign Ministry should continue promoting extensive, in-depth and comprehensive international integration, firmly consolidating border peace, stability, friendship and development, optimising favourable international factors, outside resources as well as signed international agreements to serve the rapid and sustainable growth of the country, the deputy PM instructed.

Quang lauded the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ efforts to build a strategy on the building and development of the sector until 2030, asking the ministry to pay greater attention to Party building and human resources development.

A report delivered by Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son showed that last year, the sector rolled out comprehensive measures to effectively implement foreign relations tasks in both multilateral and bilateral aspects and in all fields such as economic and cultural diplomacy, border, overseas Vietnamese affairs, external information, and citizen protection.

The sector renovated its mindset and operations for higher efficiency, while staying attached to the Party’s external policy, and focusing on carrying out strategies, programmes and projects in the field of external relations, he said.

HCM City advised to stay vigilant against new COVID-19 variants

The Ministry of Health (MoH) has warned Ho Chi Minh City to stay vigilant against COVID-19 as risks of community transmission of new variants remains considerable.

On January 31, an MoH delegation inspected COVID-19 response at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, the health centre of District 3, and the HCM City Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

They said the southern metropolis performed well in pandemic prevention and control during the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday in late January. However, as new variants are likely to enter and spread in the community after Tet, it needs to have plans readied for preventing disease transmission.

Dr Nguyen Vu Thuong, Deputy Director of the HCM City Pasteur Institute and a member of the MoH delegation, cited the World Health Organisation as saying that COVID-19 remains a global health emergency, and the most worrying thing is vaccine- and drug-resistant variants.

Though the number of hospitalised cases in the city has fallen sharply, but new variants may spread in the community and attack the elderly and unvaccinated persons, he noted.

He suggested local authorities issue strong recommendations at tourist attractions and places of worship to remind people of wearing face masks, and increase communications to encourage locals to get vaccinated against the disease.

As of January 31, Vietnam recorded 11,526,497 cases of COVID-19, including 10,612,462 recoveries and 43,186 deaths.

Meanwhile, over 266.09 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine were administered, according to the MoH.

Ho Chi Minh City, Cambodia’s localities boost cooperation

Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Phan Van Mai on January 31 received Cambodian Consul General in the city Sok Dareth who came to bid farewell at the end of his tenure.

Speaking at the event, Sok Dareth thanked the city’s leaders for supporting his office, adding the two countries’ relations in general and the relations between Ho Chi Minh City and Cambodia’s localities in particular are developing fruitfully.

He said he hopes the city authorities will continue to support the new Cambodian Consul General and Cambodian students and people.

For his part, Mai appreciated Sok Dareth’s contributions to boosting relations between Vietnam and Cambodia as well as relations between Ho Chi Minh City and Cambodia’s localities.

He affirmed that the municipal administration is willing to support the Cambodian Consulate General and the Cambodian community in the city, adding the city will promote transport linkage and infrastructure to facilitate its trade and cooperation with Cambodian localities.

Vietnam’s foreign, defence policies introduced in Venezuela

The Vietnamese Embassy in Venezuela has held an event to introduce Vietnam’s foreign and defence policies to relevant authorities of the host and foreign countries.

Ambassador Le Viet Duyen said that Vietnam's foreign policy plays an important role in creating and strengthening its foreign relations for international integration, contributing to facilitating its national building and safeguard, and raising its position in the international arena.

The policy upholds the country’s active implementation of regional and international commitments, and increases its role in building and forming multilateral institutions.

Vietnam is a friend, a reliable partner, and an active and responsible member of the international community; promotes the preservation of a peaceful and stable environment; and actively participates in and fulfills its role in multilateral mechanisms such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the United Nations, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and the Mekong sub-regional cooperation. It has to date established diplomatic relations with 190 countries, including three special traditional friends, 17 strategic partners, and 13 comprehensive partners, including four Latin American countries of Venezuela, Brazil, Chile, and Argentina, added Duyen.

Meanwhile, Defence Attaché Col. Vu The Trung briefed participants on the nation’s National Defence White Paper, including organisational structure, and the defence policy.

Defence Attaché of the Mexican Embassy in Venezuela Maj. Gen. Vicente Javier Mandujano Acevedo said that this activity helped participants understand more about the country, people, as well as foreign and defence policies of Vietnam, contributing to enhancing mutual trust as well as increasing opportunities for exchanges and cooperation between countries.

Financing's role in reaching net-zero emissions

Climate change is one of the world’s biggest threats, and reducing emissions is the priority for all countries in the world and the lodestar for investment trends.

Warmer temperatures are altering weather phenomena and disrupting the balance of nature, directly affecting human activities. 

The devastation caused by extreme weather disasters like typhoons, floods, and heat waves is worsening in many nations. 

And the economic damage caused by climate change is also increasing in line with global temperatures. Major storms destroy crops, costing billions of dollars, while rebuilding after each storm and flood requires a huge amount of money. The more extreme the climate, the more it damages economies.

It is a positive sign that many countries have joined the fight for net zero emissions by 2050. 

Many people worry that it is unrealistic given the standard pace we have already set.

However, an expert in the industry believes we are capable of achieving the target of net zero by the set time. 

"We would reduce our emissions by 50% in this decade, not in 20 years. So, in the next seven years, cut by half. Then, by 2050, we will have reached net zero. That sounds like a lot, but the fact is it is entirely doable," Christiana Figueres, co-founder of Global Optimism and former executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, said at a session at the 16th Asian Financial Forum held in Hong Kong earlier this month. 

"We have the capital, we have the technologies, and we know what policies work. The question now is how to align these three."

In the latest move, the US passed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 after leaving the 2015 Paris Agreement in 2017. 

The Act is a climate change and healthcare spending bill worth 740 billion USD, of which 400 billion USD is spent on energy security and climate change programmes over the next ten years.

She also stressed that it is time for businesses to change their mindset and understand the risks and opportunities of sustainable development. 

In fact, many enterprises worldwide have been focusing on green growth in the past few years and using decarbonisation as a strategy to attract consumers and investors.  

The conflict between Russia - Ukraine has led to a spike in fossil fuel prices but also helped increase countries’ energy independence more than ever, Figueres added. 

Consumers are also increasingly aware of climate change. More and more people prefer environmentally friendly products and choose producers that have environmental commitments. 

Therefore, "we need to call all financial sector institutions to move their lending or their investment portfolios from dirty energy to clean energy, clean products, and clean services to secure the value of their assets," said Figueres.

Financing’s role in decarbonising the Asia region

Asia is one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change. 

A report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said that emerging markets and developing economies must invest at least 1 trillion USD in energy infrastructure by 2030 and 3 trillion USD to 6 trillion USD across all sectors per year by 2050 to mitigate climate change by substantially reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

According to Figueres, Asian regulators are actually moving ahead of businesses and financial institutions, which is different from many other parts of the world. 

Asia’s energy demand has grown strongly in the past four decades due to high economic levels and increased urbanisation and industrialisation.

"So that actually means energy is at the heart of both the liability and the opportunity for the region," Figueres said. 

At the moment, fossil fuels are still the main fuel source in the region. "That is the Achilles heel of the Asia region and its financial sector."

"I must say decarbonising the energy sector in Asia is key to sustaining and increasing Asian competitiveness, and the key to decarbonising is whatever decisions are made in the financial sector."

And Hong Kong, as Asia’s premier financial centre, could rise to play a key role in supporting at least the Asian banking sector to reduce climate change’s risks and take advantage of the growth opportunities, the expert said.

African swine fever vaccine to be circulated nationwide from February

The vaccine against African swine fever (ASF) AVAC ASF LIVE developed and produced by AVAC Vietnam Co., Ltd.  is expected to be distributed nationwide from February this year, according to Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien.

Speaking at a meeting on the supervision of quality and the use of 600,000 doses of AVAC ASF LIVE vaccine on January 31, Tien asked AVAC Vietnam to continue evaluating the immunity level of the vaccine after injection, and give strict guidelines and recommendations for livestock farmers.

The testing of the AVAC ASF LIVE vaccine started on pig farms in March 2022, with the efficacy rate reaching 95%. The vaccine was approved for circulation on July 8, 2022 and put into use under supervision at pig farms.

After being approved for circulation, MARD’s Department of Animal Health continues to monitor the quality of 10 vaccine batches to evaluate the effectiveness of the 600,000 doses of AVAC ASF LIVE vaccine on pigs aged between 8-10 weeks.

According to Nguyen Van Diep, Director of AVAC Vietnam, in early January, the first four batches of AVAC ASF LIVE vaccine produced in 2022 were tested and met the quality requirements.

AVAC Vietnam also cooperated with the CP Livestock Joint Stock Company (CP Vietnam) to organise the pilot injection of 600,544 pigs at 545 farms, and took 5,958 samples for testing. The results showed that 93.34% of the samples met the technical requirements.

At the meeting, participants said that AVAC Vietnam and CP Vietnam need to increase the sampling rate for more accurate assessments.

Tien asked relevant units to have detailed technical reports on the administering process of 600,000 doses of the vaccine so that MARD can make accurate assessments before it is to be used on a large scale.

Vietnam has become the first country to successfully develop and produce two vaccines against ASF, a disease that first appeared in Africa in 1921 with a mortality rate of up to 100%.

The evaluation of NAVET-ASFVAC produced by Navetco National Veterinary Joint Stock Company (NAVETCO), and AVAC ASF LIVE is underway.

Party chief chairs meeting reviewing organisation of Tet celebrations

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong on January 31 chaired a meeting of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat to review the organisation of Tet (Lunar New Year) celebrations and look into major tasks in the time ahead.

The leader lauded Party Committees and administrations at all levels for their serious implementation of directives issued by the Secretariat and the Prime Minister regarding the organisation of Tet, the biggest and longest festival in Vietnam.

Regarding the tasks in the coming time, he stressed the need to continue with the forecasting work to take response measures, and asked each agency and locality to map out specific plans for 2023 in order to fulfill targets set for the year.

The Secretariat will direct agencies and localities to resume operations following the holiday, and effectively materialise the Politburo’s Conclusion No. 46-KL/TW on the macro-economic situation and key tasks and solutions for the coming time, the Party chief noted.

He also asked ministries, agencies and localities to focus on industrial production, construction and agricultural development, and provide more support for sectors affected by the COVID-19 pandemic like logistics, aviation, tourism, garment-textiles, footwear, and wood production and processing.

Solutions should be rolled out concertedly to ensure national security, social order and safety, he said, urging them to intensify the fight against crimes, pay more attention to social welfare, and step up the communication work.

According to a report presented at the meeting, the Secretariat issued the directive on Tet celebrations at an early date and made good preparations, thus bringing about a happy, healthy, safe and economical festival to all.

The localities nationwide earmarked about 9.5 trillion VND (404.81 million USD) to support over 25 million needy people during the festival, the report said.

Vietnam pledges to contribute to formation of Global Digital Compact

Vietnam pledges to actively participate in and contribute to the building of the Global Digital Compact (GDC) to promote the implementation of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda, a Vietnamese representative told the first Informal Consultations on GDC in New York on January 30.

The building of the compact is necessary to promote a safer, fairer and more developed digital world for all. Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, said at the event.

It is also important to ensure the goal of universal connectivity by 2030, so that everyone can have access to the Internet, digital technologies and services at affordable costs.

Although this is an intergovernmental process, it is necessary to create conditions for the participation of the private sector to make the process more comprehensive.

The GDC needs to ensure the basic principles of the UN Charter and international law, under which all countries and stakeholders must fully comply with national sovereignty in cyberspace and territorial integrity, and not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, added Giang.

The GDC is one of 16 processes being discussed at the UN to implement the UN Secretary-General's report ‘Our Joint Agenda’ (OCA) that will outline shared principles for an open, free and secure digital future for all.

The process on the compact will take place from February 2023 until its approval at the Summit of the Future in September 2024.

Vietnam to attend ASEAN Tourism Forum 2023 in Indonesia

Vietnam will participate in ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) 2023 themed “ASEAN: A Journey to Wonderful Destinations”, and the Travel Exchange (TRAVEX) trade fair in Yogyakarta, Indonesia from February 2 – 5, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).

At the forum, Vietnam will introduce tourism development, mechanisms and policies, tourism products and services after the COVID-19 pandemic, and the message of Vietnam tourism through the slogan "Vietnam - Timeless Charm" and the campaign "Live fully in Vietnam".

TRAVEX is one of the most important activities within ATF 2023, attracting the attention of international partners, businesses and tourists. It will feature exhibitions and symposiums.

Vietnam’s booth at the exhibition will highlight the National Tourism Year 2023 in the south – central province of Binh Thuan.

The events are expected to offer a good chance for the tourism sector to introduce Vietnam’s attractive destinations, and help travel agencies to seek partners, towards speeding up tourism recovery.   

ASEAN is one of the most dynamic tourism development regions in Asia and the Pacific. Most of ASEAN member countries consider tourism an important economic sector.

According to data from the ASEAN Secretariat, in 2019, international tourist arrivals in Southeast Asia reached 143.5 million, accounting for 9.6% of global international tourists. The growth rate reached 6.1%, 2.1% higher than the world's average rate.

For Vietnam, ASEAN is one of the most important markets and partners. In 2019, visitors from ASEAN to Vietnam hit nearly 2.1 million, accounting for about 11.6% of the total number of international arrivals to the nation. Multilateral cooperation within ASEAN plays an important role in Vietnam's international tourism cooperation.

Within the framework of ATF 2023, a series of activities will be held, including the 22nd ASEAN Plus Three Tourism Ministers MeetingASEAN – India Tourism Ministers Meeting, the 2nd ASEAN – Russia Tourism Ministers Meeting, the 57th Meeting of ASEAN National Tourism Organisations, the 42nd Meeting of ASEAN 3 National Tourism Organisations, the 29th ASEAN - India National Tourism Organisations, the 13th ASEAN-Russia Federation Tourism Consultation Meeting, the ASEAN Tourism Awards Ceremony, and a press conference of ASEAN tourism ministers and other activities.

Institute to promote atomic energy research, application for peaceful purposes

In 2023, the Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute (VINATOM) will push ahead with researching and applying atomic energy for peaceful purposes and socio-economic development.

According to its 2023 plan, VINATOM is set to step up scientific studies and application of research findings to health care, industry, agriculture, and the environment, helping with national socio-economic recovery and development after the COVID-19 pandemic.

It will focus on its strong research areas, including nuclear physics, neutron physics, nuclear reactor physics, nuclear safety, nuclear fuel, environmental radioactivity monitoring, radiochemistry, and radiobiology in order to increase scientific reports on reputable international journals.

The institute will also boost research and application of artificial intelligence and machine learning to the studies on nuclear structure and reaction, nuclear safety, environmental monitoring, and nuclear medicine.

In addition, it will continue training personnel for safely and effectively operating new reactors, and enhance the capacity of researching nuclear power safety technology.

Tran Ngoc Toan, Deputy Director of VINATOM under the Ministry of Science and Technology, said that last year, the Da Lat nuclear reactor operated for 4,530 hours, nearly 51% higher than the target and also the highest number of hours it worked for so far, to generate radiopharmaceuticals for cancer diagnosis and treatment in Vietnam.

First Vietnamese painter honoured at US’s watercolour awards

Local painter Nguyen Toan has been announced as the winner of the acclaimed Best of Show prize for his piece ‘Vô thường’ at an international watercolour awards organised by Watercolor Artist magazine of the United States.

Through the painting the artist sends a message of happiness as life gets back to normality after the COVID-19 pandemic.

His piece beat off competition from nearly 2,000 entries submitted by 1,000 painters from around the world to win the Best of Show prize.

Nguyen Toan was born in Hung Yen province and graduated from the University of Arts and Design in 2015.

Through ‘Vô thường’, he has become the first Vietnamese painter to be honoured at the US’s watercolour awards.

World Wetlands Day 2023 to be observed in Vietnam with various activities
 
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has issued a document, calling for response to the World Wetlands Day 2023, celebrated annually on February 2.

World Wetlands Day aims to raise global awareness about the vital role of wetlands in the life of the people and its importance to the planet. This day also marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on February 2,1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar.

This year’s theme is “It’s Time for Wetlands Restoration” which highlights the urgent need to prioritise wetland restoration.

With high biodiversity, wetlands in Vietnam have played an important role in the agriculture-based economy as well as socio-economic activities.

In the document, the ministry urged communication activities to promote values and significance of wetlands, and called on people to commit to protecting and using wetlands sustainably.

The activities would be celebrations, competitions, exhibitions and drives in line with the theme of World Wetlands Day 2023, according to the document.

Decree No. 109/2003/ND-CP was the first legal document directly stipulating the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands, contributing to the effective implementation of Vietnam's commitments as a member country of the Ramsar Convention.

The Prime Minister approved Decision No. 1975/QD-TTg in November 2021 regarding the issuance of a national action plan on the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands for 2021-2030.

Vietnam expects to complete a survey of wetlands nationwide and build a database on the wetlands by 2025, and effectively control important wetlands and further promote eco-tourism by 2030.

To that end, the country will work to perfect relevant policies and legal documents, improve the efficiency of wetland management, diversify resources for the sustainable use and preservation of wetlands, step up the information work, enhance research studies and boost international cooperation in this regard.

Vietnam became a member of the Convention on Wetlands, known as the Ramsar Convention, in 1989. So far, nine wetlands in the country have been recognised as Ramsar sites – wetlands of international importance, namely Xuan Thuy National Park – important bird sanctuary, Bau Sau Wetlands and Seasonal Floodplains – habitat of Siamese crocodiles, Ba Be National Park – green jade of northeastern mountains, Tram Chim National Park, Mui Ca Mau National Park – three sides bordering the sea, Con Dao National Park – first maritime Ramsar site in Vietnam, Lang Sen Wetlands Reserve, U Minh Thuong National Park, and Van Long Wetland Nature Reserve – habitat of biggest langur community in Vietnam.

Film week set to mark Party’s 93rd founding anniversary

A film week is scheduled to take place in Hanoi from February 1 to 5 to celebrate the 93rd anniversary of the Communist Party of Vietnam that falls on February 3.

A documentary and a feature film will be screened during the week.

Đoàn kết là sức mạnh (Unity is strength) produced by the Vietnam People’s Army is part of the 22-episode series of documentary film entitled Con đường đã chọn (The Chosen Path). It provides thorough and systematic information detailing several historical events during the country’s struggle for national independence, affirming the right path that Vietnam has chosen.

Meanwhile, renowned feature film Tôi thấy hoa vàng trên cỏ xanh (Yellow flowers on the green grass) directed by Victor Vu and produced in 2015 portrays the love and affection of a teenager for their hometown, family, and youth. During the 19th Vietnam Film Festival in 2015, the movie first rose to prominence by winning the Golden Lotus award, the highest honour given to a Vietnamese movie.

The film screenings are due to be held at 7:40 p.m. every day between February 1 and 5 at the National Cinema Centre - 87 Lang Ha street. Admission is free.

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