Banh cuon (steamed rolled pancakes) has been named one of the top dishes from around the world by Australian daily online Traveller.

According to Traveller, banh cuon is a simple dish and less popular with international tourists compared to pho (noodle soup) and bun cha (vermicelli with grilled pork and fresh herbs). However, making the dish requires a lot of skill.

“There's a certain magic to how these big sheets of steamed rice noodles are made before they're wrapped around savoury fillings and served with herbs and sauce,” it says.

The famous US magazine, Travel and Leisure, also recommended that banh cuon is one among three must-try dishes on a food tour in Vietnam, besides pho and banh mi.

Nine other dishes were also named on the list are grilled turbot of Spain, Oklahoma smash burger from the United States, mole negro from Mexico, short eats from Sri Lanka, sushi from Japan, ragu napoletano from Italy, sarawak laksa from Malaysia, duck sausage sanga from Australia, and tahdig from Iran.

Banh cuon impressed diners with its special cooking style and the harmony of flavours from its ingredients. The dish can be found across Vietnam, but each region has variations in ingredients, cooking methods and tastes.

The most famed variation is said to be found in banh cuon’s cradle, Thanh Tri, an ancient suburb of Hanoi.

Thanh Tri rolled pancakes are paper thin and look almost transparent. Minced pork and wood ear mushrooms are rolled in the rice sheet, and the whole dish is served with dipping sauce.

The sauce served with the rolled pancake is similar to that in bun cha (noodles served with grilled pork) – fish sauce with sugar, water (to lessen the saltiness), chilli and vinegar. They could also be eaten with cha que (orange-hued, roasted cinnamon sausage) or cha lua (Vietnamese classic silky sausages) to boost their taste.

Unlike Hanoi’s version, Phu Ly steamed rolled rice pancakes in Ha Nam province have no stuffing. This type of banh cuun is eaten cold with charcoal-grilled meat instead of roasted cinnamon pork. The meat must be both lean and fatty to be soft, fragrant, and not too dry. The pancakes are dipped in diluted fish sauce and served with various herbs.

In the northern provinces of Cao Bang and Lang Son, rolled pancakes are eaten with pork bone broth instead of fish sauce like in Hanoi. While spreading the wet batter over the steaming basket, cooks would add an egg and then cover the cooked egg with a rice sheet. Diners could add some fermented bamboo shoots and chilli to fortify their broth. 

In central provinces like Nghe An and Ha Tinh, banh cuon is also known as banh muot. Here, the steamed Vietnamese rolls often contain only rice batter, without any pork or mushroom.

In Nghe An, locals often serve banh muot with eel soup, another local delicacy, while in Ha Tinh, the dish is eaten with ram, the local version of spring rolls. To enjoy this dish, diners wrap the crispy spring roll with the rice pancake and dip it into fish sauce.

Ample room for Vietnam-Bangladesh cooperation: ambassador

Vietnam and Bangladesh – two emerging economies with quick growth, big population and market, and abundant, young labour force – see ample room for bilateral cooperation, said Vietnamese Ambassador to Bangladesh Pham Viet Chien.

In an interview with the Vietnam News Agency on the occasion of the two nations celebrating the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations, Chien recommended the sides effectively implement existing bilateral agreements and cooperation mechanisms, particularly the Joint Committee on economic, culture and science-technology cooperation and the Joint Sub-committee on Trade, while building new ones suitable to their new development contexts.
Chien said the countries uphold the role of multilateralism in creating and maintaining a peaceful and stable environment regionally and globally serving cooperation and development. Bearing the brunt of climate change, they show similar approaches to such global issues as climate change response as well as food and energy security, he added.

The two have been closely coordinating at many multilateral forums and continue to support each other in the international arena, the diplomat said, unveiling that their 50th anniversary celebration will take place throughout 2023 with diverse activities.

The traditional friendship between the countries has been continuously consolidated, developed and deepened across all channels of the party, state, parliament and people-to-people exchange. Many bilateral agreements have been signed and a range of cooperation mechanisms formed in different fields like trade, industry, agriculture, fishery, animal husbandry, and science-technology.

Bangladesh is currently Vietnam's second largest trading partner in South Asia. Trade between the countries nearly quadrupled within a decade from about 350 million USD in 2012 to about 1.47 billion USD in 2022, aiming for 2 billion USD set by the senior leaders of the two countries in 2018.

Vietnam presents gift to Cuba over its Presidency of G77 and China

The Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the UN met its Cuban counterpart in New York on February 10 to present Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son’s gift on the occasion of Cuba starting its Presidency of the Group of 77 and China.

The head of the Vietnamese mission, Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, affirmed that Vietnam always values special friendship, mutual trust and loyalty with Cuba.

He expressed his belief that Cuba will successfully assume this role and continue protecting the interests of developing countries, and that the two countries' missions will continue maintaining close and effective coordination at the UN forums.

Ambassador Pedro Luis Predoso Cuesta, head of the Permanent Mission of Cuba to the UN, stressed that the two countries will continue offering mutual support on issues of shared concern.

Founded in 1964, the G77 and China groups 134 members, including developing countries with a view to promoting collective economic interests and strengthening the capacity of member states in economic and sustainable development issues within the UN and South-South cooperation frameworks.

Vietnam is one of the 77 founding members of the group. Cuba was elected as Chair of the Group and undertook this role from January 2023.

PM Pham Minh Chinh’s visit to Brunei spotlighted as testament to close bilateral ties

Brunei media have ran many articles on Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s visit to the country on February 10-11, highlighting the trip as a testament to the strong bilateral diplomatic relations.

The website borneobulletin.com, in its article, described PM Chinh’s visit as a testament to the strong diplomatic relations established between Brunei Darussalam and Vietnam 30 years ago.

It underlined that since joining the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Bandar Seri Begawan in 1995, Vietnam has become one of the fastest growing economies in the region.

Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah lauded Vietnam’s achievements,  achievements, including the national digital transformation programme, saying that the signing of an action plan between the two sides aims to further strengthen bilateral cooperation and support preparation to respond to global challenges.

The Sultan of Brunei expressed his satisfaction that despite facing challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the two countries have still maintained their cooperation in the fields of energy supply, production and trade with the two way trade surpassing the target of 500 million USD set in 2017.

Brunei wishes to further develop trade relations with Vietnam, especially through joint ventures operating in the aquaculture sector, to help build the capacity of local industries and ensure food security, he said.

The article quoted Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah saying that the continuing educational partnership between the University of Brunei Darussalam (UBD) and FPT University in Da Nang, as well as the implementation of visa exemption, will bring people closer together as well as facilitate the movement of goods and services.

The Sultan of Brunei thanked Vietnam for supporting his country during its ASEAN Chair term in 2021, showing his hope that the two countries will strengthen cooperation towards an ASEAN Community Vision by 2025.

He congratulated Vietnam on its election to the UN Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 term, expressing his confidence in Vietnam's contributions to solving human rights issues.

Brunei media also cited Minister of Finance and Economy II of Brunei Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew Abdullah, stressing that Brunei attached importance to its close relations with Vietnam.

He mentioned a great potential to boost economic and trade ties between the two nations.

The minister affirmed that at the regional and international level, the two countries' activities through ASEAN and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum as well as agreements such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), help increase the access to global markets, encourage rules-based trade and economic activities, and facilitates efficient, diversified and flexible supply.

Brunei seeks mutually-beneficial partnerships with countries that it has close ties like  Vietnam to ensure prosperity, especially through cooperation projects in key areas and priorities of the country such as oil and gas, food, tourism, information technology - communication and services, he stressed.

Vietnam-Bangladesh ties grow over five decades

Ties between Bangladesh and Vietnam have been growing in various areas, including trade, investment, agriculture, culture, education and connectivity over the past five decades, Director General of the Bangladeshi Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ South East Asia Wing Najmul Huda has said.

During an interview recently granted to the Vietnam News Agency on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Vietnam-Bangladesh diplomatic ties (February 11, 1973), Huda said traditional friendship, together with the exchange of high-level visits, has created stronger impetus for bilateral ties.

Bangladesh wants to renew and reaffirm its commitments to making the best use of existing cooperation potential in various areas, including priority fields such as agriculture, pharmaceuticals, exclusive economic zones of Bangladesh, information technology, e-commerce, apparel, direct air service connectivity, rattan products, banking and tourism, he said.

He added that both nations could offer the best business environment to their firms to expand operations in each other's markets.

Located in the intersection of South Asia and Southeast Asia, Bangladesh expects to make further positive contributions to connecting the two regions via promoting more institutional commitments with ASEAN, he stressed.

He expressed a hope that Bangladesh will soon become a sectoral dialogue partner of ASEAN and wishes to receive Vietnam’s invaluable support in this regard.

New Zealand reporter shares travel experiences on Con Dao Island

Brett Atkinson, a reporter of The New Zealand Herald, has published an article sharing his interesting experiences when visiting Con Dao Island in the southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau.

According to Atkinson, from the late 19th century to 1975, the strikingly beautiful destination was viewed as hell on earth due to the extremely harsh conditions imposed on political prisoners, particularly those incarcerated during French colonial rule.

He suggested that visitors pay a visit to Con Dao Museum to gain a comprehensive overview of this tragic period in the island’s history.

Atkinson added that most guesthouses and hotels are able to arrange speedboat and snorkeling trips to Con Dao’s smaller islands, with March to September being the best time to go diving with the Con Dao Dive Centre.

Furthermore, according to the New Zealand reporter, visitors should not miss out on sampling some of the delicious food on offer on the island, with Con Son town’s covered central market being the best place for breakfast.

For those looking to enjoy a lighter meal, Atkinson recommended Chay’s Day Vegetarian Kitchen that is a simple place serving up meat-free renditions of Vietnamese classics such as pho (noodle soup), spring rolls, and banh xeo savoury pancakes.

Bình Định, a “hidden gem” for tourists: conference

With wild landscapes, clear and turquoise water at beaches and abundant cultural sites, the central province of Bình Định has become a rising star on central Việt Nam’s tourism map, said the vice chairman of the provincial People’s Committee.

Speaking at a conference to promote Bình Định tourism organised late last week in HCM City, Lâm Hải Giang said the event aims to promote tourism in Bình Định to attract more local and international tourists.

Tourism is one of the five pillars of the province’s socio-economic growth in the 2021-2025 period, he said.

The province aims to make tourism a spearhead economic sector with a goal of 8 million visitors by 2025, with tourism revenue contributing 20 per cent to the province’s GRDP.

Bình Định and HCM City have in recent years cooperated in tourism development with the former participating in a number of tourism events organised by HCM City, including the HCM City Tourism Festival, HCM City International Travel Expo, and the Southern Food Festival.

The conference was organised by the Bình Định Department of Tourism and HCM City Department of Tourism to strengthen cooperation in investment, especially in tourism development, between the two localities, according to Giang.

Last year, Bình Định received more than 4 million visitors and revenue of more than VNĐ13.1 trillion (nearly US$556 million).

Bạc Liêu Province develops shrimp cultivation, exports

The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Bạc Liêu is expanding various effective shrimp farming models to increase output and quality.

Bạc Liêu, which is one of the country’s largest shrimp producing provinces, is boosting the application of advanced techniques in intensive shrimp farming models such as two-stage shrimp farming.

Two-stage shrimp farming is a super-intensive farming model that uses multiple ponds for breeding shrimp and treating water. Shrimp fry are first bred in a nursery for a few weeks before being transferred to main breeding ponds.

The main ponds have oxygenation equipment, anti-sunlight nets and plastic sheets covering their beds.

The province had more than 4,000ha of two-stage shrimp farming at the end of last year.

It is expanding shrimp farming models that breed shrimp under Vietnamese good agricultural practices (VietGAP) and other international standards such as GlobalGAP, the Global Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) and Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).

It is also expanding shrimp-rice and shrimp-forest farming as these models produce clean rice and shrimp that meet the requirements of domestic and export markets.

The province has nearly 40,000ha of shrimp-rice farming that produces high quality shrimp and rice north of National Highway No. 1A.

Under the model, farmers breed shrimp in the dry season and grow rice in the rainy season in the same fields, or intercrop shrimp and rice in the same fields.

To encourage farmers to expand the model, the provincial Agriculture Extension Centre has implemented it in several areas in the town of Giá Rai and the districts of Phước Long and Hồng Dân for farmers to learn the model.

The model offers a yield of 250-500 kilogrammes of shrimp per hectare a crop and farmers earn a profit of VNĐ50-80 million (US$2,100-3,400) per hectare a year, according to the centre.

Trương Văn Tự, who is implementing shrimp-rice farming in the town of Phước Long's Long Hậu Hamlet in Phước Long District, said after his locality restructured agriculture production, farmers have switched to implementing shrimp-rice farming.

With the model’s high efficiency, the district’s area under the model has increased to nearly 14,000ha, 1,000ha higher than its target, he said.

Farmers in the district began implementing the model in 2001.

Implementation of the National Target Progammes in Central Highlands reviewed

Deputy Prime Minister Trần Lưu Quang has emphasised the importance of implementing three National Target Programmes in the Tây Nguyên (Central Highlands) region.

The Deputy Prime Minister chaired an online conference with regional leaders to review the results of implementing these programmes which was held in Gia Lai Province on February 10.

The three National Target Programmes, aimed at promoting new rural construction, sustainable poverty reduction, and socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, have received significant attention from the Party, Government, National Assembly and people.

The Government, Prime Minister, and head of the Central Steering Committee for National Target Programmes have taken various measures to speed up the implementation, including issuing 11 resolutions, two directives, five dispatches, and four conclusions, and holding six online conferences with relevant parties.

Deputy Prime Minister Trần Lưu Quang directed the relevant parties to continue implementing solutions and tasks to overcome any difficulties in the implementation process.

The Central Highlands region, which accounts for about one-sixth of the country's total area and is crucial in national defence and security, has a population of only about 6.3 million people, with 36.5 per cent belonging to ethnic minorities.

Despite efforts, people in some remote areas still face numerous difficulties, with an average poverty rate of more than 8.6 per cent, compared to the national average of 5.2 per cent last year.

The average rate of communes meeting new rural standards in the region in 2022 reached about 52 per cent, lower than the national average rate of about 72 per cent, while the budget revenue was still limited and needed a lot of support from the central budget.

In the period of 2021-25, the central Government has allocated a total capital of over VNĐ11.7 trillion (US$450 million) as development investment to five provinces in the region, accounting for 11.73 per cent of the total investment capital for localities across the country.

Last year, the central budget provided the implementation of programmes in the Tây Nguyên region with funds worth nearly VNĐ3.9 billion ($165 million), with development investment capital accounting for VNĐ2.8 trillion and non-business capital accounting for VNĐ1.1 trillion.

However, the provinces still lacked about VNĐ600 billion ($25.4 million) of the total reciprocal capital of over VNĐ1.4 trillion ($61.7 million) for implementing the programmes. As of the end of last year, the provinces had disbursed more than VNĐ1.3 trillion ($57.2 million), reaching 34.77 per cent of the assigned plan, which was lower than the national average rate of 37.73 per cent.

The online conference in Gia Lai Province was the first of three such conferences to be chaired by the deputy PM with regions of the country to directly monitor the implementation of the national target programmes.

The Central Steering Committee for National Target Programme will have a meeting after these conferences to propose practical solutions to speed up the implementation.

In a recent document dated February 3, 2023, the deputy PM directed the relevant parties to remove any difficulties and obstacles in the programmes' implementation and asked for coordination among relevant parties to prepare reports for the Central Steering Committee's meetings.

The meetings will focus on setting specific tasks and deadlines to remove any difficulties in the implementation process.

Prior to the conference, Deputy Prime Minister Trần Lưu Quang made a survey trip to Đê Kjiêng Village in Ayun Commune of Mang Yang District and A Dơk Commune of Đắk Đoa District of Gia Lai Province. 

Stricter penalties needed for employers evading social insurance payments

Experts have called for stricter penalties for employers delaying or evading social insurance payments.

Measures are needed to make them fulfil their duties to employees and a specific mechanism also necessary to support more than 200,000 affected workers, they said.

It is possible to consider the blocking of accounts of employers and even legal proceedings if they continue violations, they added.

Figures from the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour showed that social insurance debts owed by enterprises have reached roughly VNĐ22 trillion (US$933 million).

Of that, about VNĐ3.5 trillion ($148.4 million) is from more than 30,000 enterprises whose owners went bankrupt, the companies dissolved or fled, greatly affecting the legitimate rights of more than 200,000 employees.

The reports will be submitted to the National Assembly for solutions.

Deputy head of the confederation’s Policy and Law Department Lê Đình Quảng said there are solutions for such enterprises.

Instead of forcing them to refund the entire amount, the law should allow such enterprises to pay smaller amounts.

For example, he said, an enterprise that owes social insurance of VNĐ500 million to 100 employees should be allowed to pay part of it for employees who want to close their social insurance books instead of paying the whole amount as currently.

However, he admitted that it was difficult to apply this method for enterprises that declared bankruptcy or their owners fled because when liquidating assets under the Bankruptcy Law, social insurance contributions are not a priority.

Quảng said the confederation has proposed a specific policy for more than 200,000 employees who are owed social insurance payments.

He also said that when amending the Law on Social Insurance, it is necessary to make appropriate adjustments to solve the problem and at the same time attract employees to join social insurance.

The revised Law on Social Insurance must ensure transparency, in which employees know exactly how much insurance premiums are paid by employees and by businesses. In addition, it is necessary to strengthen the responsibility of authorities on this issue.

In the long term, he said, authorities should strengthen inspections and strictly handle violators. Those who are found to relapse six months after their previous violations should face legal proceedings under article 216 of the Penal Code. 

AI-based tech must be used with caution: experts

In recent weeks, an application named ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence (AI) based chatbot from OpenAI, has been taking the internet by storm.

Many people have shared their positive experiences using ChatGPT for conversations, research, writing articles, poetry, or even seeking personal advice.

The technology behind ChatGPT has brought many interesting benefits, but experts have warned that AI is not always right, and information might sometimes be incorrect.

Curious about ChatGPT, a student named Nguyễn Hoài Bảo downloaded an app with a similar name on the App Store. However, after installation, the app asked him to pay for registration.

Many counterfeit apps with the same logos as the OpenAI project and the ChatGPT brand have been popping up lately, garnering millions of downloads. However, ChatGPT currently does not have an official mobile app, and the service is only available on the ChatGPT website.

ChatGPT is a computerised system using AI technology to answer users' questions in many languages. The system can even generate sophisticated documents similar to those written by humans from just simple keywords.

However, experts recommend that people need background knowledge of technologies to use ChatGPT and OpenAI correctly and safely.

ChatGPT has been hailed as an evolutionary step for online search engines, said Nguyễn Thế Trung, CEO of DTT Technologies.

According to Trung, as ChatGPT can answer questions in a human-like manner, that means the AI can understand the context of the questions and return comprehensible answers.

However, one important detail that Trung noted is that ChatGPT cannot make counterarguments for incorrect information or fake news. The chatbot itself admits it can only answer from the database it has learned from, and these answers might not always be correct.

The AI application recommends users fact-check the information with credible sources before using the answers it has given.

For example, in a comedic entry on Facebook, a user asked ChatGPT to write an article about the literature work Tắt đèn (When the lights are out) by famous writer Ngô Tất Tố.

The chatbot returned a piece that incorrectly labelled Ngô Tất Tố as an environmentalist, and Tắt đèn, a fictional novel about colonialism in the 20th century, as Ngô Tất Tố's non-fiction scientific work.

Rabies vaccinations on the rise in HCM City

Increasing cases of animal attacks have resulted in a rise in rabies vaccinations at hospitals and immunisation centres in HCM City, doctors said.

The Hospital for Tropical Diseases in HCM City received nearly 1,900 people getting rabies vaccines during the Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday.

Bùi Hoàng Trương, deputy head of the hospital’s General Planning Department, attributed the increase in rabies vaccinations to rising attacks of domestic dogs or cats during Tết when people came to visit their relatives and friends.

The public awareness of the disease has been raised significantly, pushing them to get rabies vaccines after an exposure, Trương said.

Chương Anh Đức, from the city’s Tân Phú District, came to the hospital for vaccination on February 7 after he was scratched by a domestic dog at his friend’s house one day earlier.

His father worried that the dog has not been vaccinated against rabies and took him to the hospital to get the rabies vaccine.

VNVC’s network of 101 immunisation centres nationwide reported that it saw an increase in the number of patients by more than 300 per cent in the first week after the one-week Tết holiday that ended in January 26 compared to the previous month.

Doctors said there is currently no effective treatment for rabies, but the disease is preventable through vaccination.

Dr. Nguyễn Thị Cúc, head of VNVC Hoàng Văn Thụ Vaccination Centre, said if you’ve been bitten or scratched by a wild animal or unvaccinated pet, you should wash animal bites or scratches immediately with soap and water and then visit a medical facility as soon as possible. 

Kiên Giang seeks to remove EC "yellow card" on fisheries sector

The Mekong Delta province of Kiên Giang has implemented a 180-day action programme of European Commission recommendations to lift the Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing (IUU) of the fisheries sector until May 2023.

According to the Deputy Chairman of the Kiên Giang People's Committee Lê Quốc Anh, the province is requiring local authorities to inspect all fishing boats entering or leaving the province for necessary documents such as a safety certificate, a fishing licence, and food safety certification.

In addition, there is also a requirement to make a list of those at high risk of engaging in IUU fishing so as to monitor them, such as ships that do not activate vessel monitoring systems (VMS) for 10 days or violate foreign waters. 

Local authorities are also arranging more inspectors to track the origins of seafood at the Tắc Cậu fishing port in Châu Thành District and An Thới Port in Phú Quốc Island. 

The European Commission's working delegation on the four recommendations for lifting IUU in Việt Nam is expected to visit Kiên Giang Province by the end of the second quarter of 2023. 

According to the Steering Committee on IUU in Kiên Giang Province, the province currently has 3,642 fishing vessels longer than 15 metres in length that have tracking devices. 

Foodborne bacteria causes food poisoning in An Giang: public health institute

A type of bacteria called Bacillus cereus, a foodborne pathogen that can produce toxins, has been identified as a cause of the food poisoning that killed one and affected more than 80 others in the southern province of An Giang.

They became ill after eating white bean soup, according to the province’s Food Safety and Hygiene Division on Friday.

The soup sample was sent to the Institute of Public Health Hồ Chí Minh City, which then concluded that the soup contained Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Coliforms, Shigella and Bacillus cereus.

Food poisoning caused by Bacillus cereus is an acute intoxication that occurs when this microorganism produces toxins, causing two types of gastrointestinal illness: an emetic (vomiting) syndrome or a diarrhoeal syndrome.

On February 4, as many as 84 people in Long Điền Commune suffered a range of health diseases including stomach ache, vomiting, and fever after eating the soup delivered for free by a local woman.

Among them, 53 people recovered after taking medicine and 31 were sent to health facilities for treatment, of which four were transferred to the general hospital due to the severity of their conditions.

The woman delivering charitable soup said she prepared 20kg of white bean, 8kg of sticky rice, 10kg of coconut flesh, and 24kg of sugar to make soup on February 3 and deliver it for free to local residents and passersby. 

Security cooperation contributes to Vietnam - Singapore ties: official

The multifaceted cooperation between the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security (MPS) and the Singaporean Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), especially in security, has helped intensify the two countries’ strategic partnership as well as regional and global stability and peace.

MPS Deputy Minister Le Van Tuyen made the statement during a courtesy call on Minister of State for the MHA Muhammad Faisal Ibrahim on February 9. Tuyen is accompanying Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, who is on an official visit to Singapore.

Voicing his satisfaction with flourishing relations between the two countries, he proposed the two ministries effectively carry out cooperation aspects on the basis of high-level agreements and other documents, with a focus on increasing all-level delegation exchanges; assisting Vietnam in training personnel on cybersecurity, fire prevention and control, search and rescue, and administrative management; and solving non-traditional security challenges.

Both sides should have a good grasp of the regional and international security situations that may affect Vietnam and Singapore while ensuring timely sharing of information to cope with common challenges, Tuyen noted, calling on the Singaporean side to continue supporting Vietnam at regional and international forums.

He suggested the MHA consider promoting the signing of extradition and anti-human trafficking agreements to facilitate the fight against transnational crimes.

The Deputy Minister also expressed his hope for stronger cooperation in protecting cyber security and safety, sharing experience in e-Government and smart city building, guaranteeing security and safety for bilateral investment and business activities as well as for each other’s citizens, firefighting, and search and rescue.

For his part, Ibrahim highly valued the MPS’s cooperation proposals, adding that he hopes the two sides will work more closely in combating drug crime, terrorism, and other transnational crimes.

He affirmed the MHA’s readiness to assist the MPS in improving law enforcement personnel’s capacity of fighting transnational crimes.

The host official also called on the MPS to support Singapore’s candidacy for membership of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs for 2024 - 2027.

Unique rock paintings by Kon Tum students auctioned to raise funds

Authorities in Tu Mơ Rông District, Kon Tum Province, have auctioned 10 paintings made on rocks by students to raise funds for disadvantaged people, including for their education, at the province’s Ngọc Linh ginseng fair. 

They were chosen from a contest organised on February 2 by the province Department of Education and Training to foster creativity among ethnic Xơ Đăng students and teachers, who collected the rocks from riverbanks and glued them together to paint.

The works are about Xơ Đăng culture, Ngọc Linh ginseng and Tu Mơ Rông landscapes.

Ten outstanding works chosen by the department for prizes were auctioned at the fair on February 7, and they fetched a total of VNĐ125 million, which will be donated to poor people, especially to fund their children's education.

The chairman of the district People’s Committee, Võ Trung Mạnh, said the student artists were happy to know their paintings would help others. 

According to the director of Kon Tum Department of Education and Training, Phạm Thị Trung, the rock painting contest had sought to help students understand nature's beauty and create works of art from everyday items.

Tu Mơ Rông District also plans to support all the talented students discovered through the contest. 

The Ngọc Linh ginseng fair is being organised by the province from February 6 to February 9 to promote the medicinal herb. 

Đà Nẵng unveils exciting lineup of cultural activities

Residents and visitors to the central city of Đà Nẵng are in for a treat this year, with a lineup of cultural activities set to take place.

Over the next several months, cultural and festive programmes will be held on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings until the end of October.

The city's People's Committee has taken the initiative to both preserve and promote the traditional cultural values of the region, as well as to attract both residents and tourists.

The diverse array of events will include street masquerade parades with a mix of Vietnamese and international music performances, street magic shows, and dance performances.

Audiences will have the opportunity to experience performances of traditional dance and musical instruments, presented by artists from the Nguyễn Hiển Dĩnh Tuồng (Classical Opera) Theatre, Đà Nẵng City's Culture and Cinema Centre, the city's Association of Dancing Artists, and other local art clubs.

Alongside these shows, nearly 50 other cultural activities, which have become annual fixtures in celebrating national and city-wide events, will also be held.

To appeal to both domestic and international tourists, all performances, shows, and activities, particularly those taking place along the Hàn River, will feature innovative elements such as state-of-the-art lighting technology, a revolving stage, and scenic floatings.

According to the Đà Nẵng People's Committee, the investment in these cultural offerings aims to create unique cultural experiences along the Hàn River and aid in the recovery of the city's tourism industry, a crucial economic sector after COVID-19 lockdown. 

The city in January offered accommodation for more than 350,000 tourists – six times higher than in the same period of last year, and 88,500 were foreign tourists.

MoT targets reducing traffic accidents by 10 per cent in 2023

The Ministry of Transport on Thursday launched the Traffic Safety Year 2023, which aims to decrease the annual number of accidents, deaths, and injuries by five to ten per cent.

The initiative, with the theme "Understanding the Law to Build a Safe Traffic Culture," was launched at a ceremony in the capital.

The campaign's objective is to promote a safer traffic culture by increasing public awareness of traffic laws and order, mitigating prolonged traffic congestion and reducing the number of accidents.

During the launch, Minister of Transport and Standing Vice Chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee Nguyễn Văn Thắng reported that the previous year's efforts to improve traffic safety had already significantly reduced accidents, deaths, and injuries.

Thắng said that last year, many large-scale political, cultural and sports events were held after the COVID-19 pandemic was brought under control, leading to a strong increase in transport demand and the number of vehicles on roads and waterways.

The target could be reached with the resolute implementation of comprehensive measures on traffic accident prevention and control and with the participation of the whole political system and society, he said.

This year is expected to increase the number of vehicles, posing more challenges for ensuring traffic order and safety. He warned that the risks of traffic accidents would be high if there were no drastic solutions to the issue.

Thắng asked ministries, branches and localities to be very cautious and make greater efforts to curb traffic accidents, ensure traffic safety and strengthen inspection and handling violations of traffic regulations.

Addressing the conference held by the National Committee for Traffic Safety on reviewing traffic safety in 2022 and launching tasks for 2023 on Thursday, Thắng requested ministries and sectors propose specific tasks and solutions to achieve the goal of reducing traffic accidents by at least 10 per cent in each locality and gradually reducing traffic congestions in traffic hubs in big cities.

According to the report made by the National Committee for Traffic Safety, in 2022, 11,457 traffic accidents occurred nationwide, causing 6,397 deaths and 7,804 injuries.

The numbers represent a drop of 38 accidents (0.33 per cent), an increase of 598 in fatalities (10.31 per cent) and a reduction of 214 injuries compared with the previous year.

Of the accidents, 11,323 cases were on the roads, killing 6,265 people and leaving 7,777 people injured; 32 traffic accidents on waterways, killing 45 people and leaving six others injured; 95 cases of railway accidents, killing 74 people and injuring 21 others; and seven traffic accidents in the maritime sector, killing 13 people.

Analysis showed that 14.56 per cent of accidents were caused by driving in the wrong lane; 3.22 per cent by speeding; 2.02 per cent by drunk driving; 0.03 per cent by using addictive substances; and 0.45 per cent due to illegal parking.

Khuất Việt Hùng, vice chairman of the committee, said the work of ensuring traffic safety in 2022 had shortcomings and had not met targets.

For example, railway traffic safety corridor violations have not been handled promptly. He added that overloaded trucks, illegal motorbike racing and traffic jams in big cities have remained unsolved.

Low awareness of traffic participants, a shortage of human resources, and inadequate public infrastructure also contributed to the issue.

100 more bridges by 2025: Hải Phòng looks to improve regional linkages

Construction has begun on two crucial infrastructure projects in Hải Phòng as part of the city's ambitious plan to construct more than 100 bridges by 2025 and bolster its transportation network.

The projects include the Lại Xuân Bridge and the expansion of Provincial Road No. 52, which will connect the Thủy Nguyên District of Hải Phòng City with Đông Triều Town in Quảng Ninh Province.

Nguyễn Đức Thọ, Chairman of the Hải Phòng City People's Committee, emphasised the significance of these initiatives as part of a broader effort to enhance regional linkages through investments in transportation infrastructure.

This includes the Hạ Long-Hải Phòng Expressway and the upgrade to Highway No. 10 from Đá Bạc Bridge to Kiền Bridge, both of which are part of a series of inter-provincial transport projects being launched by Hải Phòng and Quảng Ninh.

He said that those projects are expected to improve transport capacity and strengthen regional linkages, meeting the logistics demand of industrial centres and the travelling demand of local people.

The projects will also help complete the transport network of Hải Phòng City, Quảng Ninh Province and the northern key economic zone.

Other transport projects connecting Hải Phòng with neighbouring localities, such as Hải Dương and Thái Bình, have started to make breakthroughs in the development of the northern key economic zone.

Two bridges - Quang Thanh and Dinh – connecting the neighbouring province of Hải Dương opened to traffic in 2021.

Chairman of the city People's Committee Nguyễn Văn Tùng said the two bridges being put into operation at the same time contribute to completing the inter-provincial transport system between Hải Phòng City and Hải Dương Province and other localities in the region. It creates a driving force to promote socio-economic development, expand economic space, and strengthen solidarity between the two localities.

A new bridge on Highway No 37 has replaced a degraded floating bridge which connects Hải Phòng with Thái Bình Province.

Central Highlands to host Buôn Ma Thuột Coffee Festival in March

The 8th Buôn Ma Thuột Coffee Festival will take place in the Central Highlands province of Đắk Lắk from March 10-14.

The festival themed “Buôn Ma Thuột - Destination of the Coffee World” will promote Buôn Ma Thuột’s coffee brand and develop Vietnamese specialty coffees.

It will honour domestic coffee growers and businesses as well as bolster the image of attractive tourist destinations in the province.

A contest of video clips introducing Buôn Ma Thuột coffee, art photo exhibitions on Vietnamese coffee culture and world coffee history, and contests of blending specialty coffees and making fine art products from coffee trees are also included.

Miss Universe Vietnam 2017 H’Hen Niê continues to take a role as a communications ambassador of the festival this year.

Coffee has become one of the country’s key export commodities, ranking second in terms of turnover only after rice, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Việt Nam exported 1.68 million tonnes of coffee of all kinds with a total value of over US$3.9 billion last year.

Regarded as the “Capital of Coffee” in Việt Nam, Buôn Ma Thuột has the largest coffee farming area of 210,000 hectares with annual output of more than 520,000 tonnes or 30 per cent of the country’s annual yield. 

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