National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue on February 25 attended a ceremony to launch the Youth Month 2024 and tree-planting festival at the Truong Bon National Historical Relic Site in Do Luong district, the central province of Nghe An.

The event, held by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCM CYU) Central Committee, saw the participation of representatives from central agencies, Nghe An province, and over 3,000 young people in the central province.

Speaking at the event, the NA Chairman described the Youth Month as a core of the youth volunteer movement over the 20 years of continuous reform and development, saying that it has received warm response of tens of millions of youth union members, young people, and people across the country every Spring.

The Party, State, and political system, and society pay due attention to the youth, especially in Youth Month, he said, while prasing the achievements that the HCM CYU and the youth of the country made in the past Youth Months.

He hailed the HCM CYU Central Committee for choosing the theme "Year of Youth Volunteers" for this year and the theme "Youth Volunteers for Community Life” for the Youth Month.

He called on the youth to promote their strengths and creativity to contribute to national construction and development, while higlighting the role of the youth as a great social force, the pillar of the country, the pioneering force in national building and safeguarding, and one of the factors decisive to the success of industrialisation, modernisation, international integration, and socialism building.

Also at the event, Hue handed over the torch which was carried by 55 outstanding young people of Nghe An province from Nam Dan – President Ho Chi Minh’s hometown to Truong Bon - to First Secretary of the HCM CYU Central Committee Bui Quang Huy who then made flame ignition to officially kick off Youth Month 2024.

Responding to the tree-planting festival, the HCM CYU Central Commitee and Nghe An province planned to plant 10,500 trees, including 70 Ban (Bauhinia) trees, a typical flower of Dien Bien province, at the Truong Bon historical relic site.

On the same day, 67 youth unions in provinces, cities, and organisations across the country launched the tree-planting festival and Youth Month 2024. Youth across the country have registered to plant more than 3 million trees from February 16 to March 10.

“Live green” ambassadors, initiatives announced

An event named “Live Green with Gen G Festival” was held in Ho Chi Minh City on February 24 to wrap up and mark the success of the second season of the “Live Green and Wellness with Gen G” campaign launched by Pananasonic towards a green, wellness and sustainable lifestyle for young generations, pioneering in solving the problem of global warming.

Winners of the “Gen G Ambassador Programme” – a playground for those who are keen to study and propose their own initiatives addressing issues relating to climate change and the environment - were announced. At the event, the winners talked about their initiatives on emission reduction.

The campaign is one of many initiatives being undertaken toward realising the Panasonic Group’s commitment to “Panasonic Green Impact”, which was announced in January, 2022. The group committed to reaching net zero by 2030 in Panasonic operating companies worldwide and reducing CO2 emissions by 300 million tonnes throughout its value chain by 2050, equivalent to 1% of current global CO2 emissions.

In December 2022, Panasonic Vietnam officially launched its “Live Green and Wellness with Gen G” campaign to inspire young Vietnamese people as well as other members of the public to lead an environment-friendly and comprehensively healthy lifestyle, contributing to the wellness and sustainable development of Vietnam. ‘Gen G’ is Panasonic’s new concept of a Leading Green Generation.

The campaign included a variety of online and offline activities aimed at promoting awareness, providing empowerment, and facilitating capacity building for Vietnamese youth in relation to the topics of the environment and climate change.

The Centre for Natural Resources and Environment and Communication under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, other partners such as the United Nations Development Programme, NGOs and youth networks of the Central Youth Union implemented activities including "Gen G Unitour”, “Green Lifestyle Challenges” and “Gen G Ambassador Programme”.

"Gen G Unitour" is the main activityorganised into a series of events at six major universities in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, aiming to inspire green, sustainable lifestyles of Gen G. The events attracted more than 1,600 students and young people, collected more than 900kg of used batteries, 626kg of paper boxes, more than 2,500 plastic bottles.

Walking campaign launched to raise funds for the needy

A campaign named “Million steps of kindness” was launched by the Vietnam Red Cross Society (VRC) and the Vietnam Youth Federation on February 25 to call on the community to engage in physical activities to raise donations to the needy.

The fundraising campaign, held in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory this April, will last for 56 days – from February 25 to April 22.

It aims to attract 70,000 people to walking and jogging for a total of 700,000km and record their results via the app of V-Race.

The event also looks to raise 7 billion VND (284,000 USD) in donations to build seven kitchens for semi-boarding students in mountainous areas, assist 70 low-income families to develop sustainable livelihoods, provide essential goods for 700 disadvantaged households, give nutritional advice and assistance to 7,000 children from poor families, and offer free health examination and treatment to 7,000 people in disadvantaged circumstances in the northern mountainous provinces of Dien Bien, Son La, and Thai Nguyen.

Addressing the launch in Hanoi, VRC President Bui Thi Hoa said the “Million steps of kindness” campaign marks the start of a humanitarian journey nationwide appealing to people of all ages and from all social strata to engage in good deeds for the sake of the community.

It calls on Vietnamese people at home and abroad to join in a “peacetime match” held for free. Participants can make group and individual registration via the website https://vrace.com.vn/race/trieu-buoc-chan-nhan-ai or the V-Race app. Each is encouraged to contribute a minimum of 10km.

From February 25 to April 22, the VRC will also hold mass walking events in localities every Sunday, blood donation drives, encouragement of organ and tissue donation registration, and community activities such as waste collection and tree planting, Hoa noted.

She added that the participation by each person is not only a physical act for their health but also a demonstration of the continuation of the traditional kindness and heroism passed down from former generations.

Vietnamese delegation wins five first prizes at International Music Competition

Vietnamese contestants have triumphed over 1,000 counterparts from around the world to win five top prizes of the 18th ZhongSin International Music Competition 2024.

After the regional round held in Vietnam last November, the organising board identified 31 eligible contestants to enter the final round of the international music competition, which recently took place over five days in Singapore.

The Vietnamese contestants are students from both professional and non-professional art training institutions such as the Vietnam National Academy of Music, Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music, CIS International School - HCM City, Alexandre Yersin French High School – Hanoi and Dewey School system – Hanoi, among others.

The final artistic council of the competition comprised 532 professors, lecturers and experts from renowned art schools, leading music training institutions, as well as professional artists from around the world.

The closing and award ceremony of the competition were held at the Star Performing Arts Centre in Singapore, with the participation of nearly 4,000 parents and contestants.

Pianist Nguyen Le Thuyen Ha, head of the organising board for the preliminary round in Vietnam of this music competition, is the first Vietnamese artist to appear on the Final Round judging panel in Singapore.

According to her, competing against over 1,000 contestants from various countries worldwide, the Vietnamese contestants achieved remarkable results, bringing honour and pride to Vietnam on the international artistic stage.

Vietnamese contestants won three first prizes in the Amateur category across different age groups, Piano discipline, and two first prizes in the discipline of vocal music and traditional musical instrument - bamboo flute.

They also secured one second prize in the Open category in the Composition discipline; 10 second prizes in the Amateur category across different age groups, in the disciplines of Piano, Vocal Music, Jazz Drum, and Violin; as well as 13 third prizes in the Amateur category across different age groups, in the discipline of Piano.

In addition, the Vietnamese delegation also achieved a Top 5 ranking in the Open category in the discipline of Piano; and one Best Performance Award in the Professional category, in the discipline of Vocal Music.

This year’s event is the first time a traditional Vietnamese musical instrument, the Mong flute, has appeared. Ly Minh Cuong, a young man from the northern province of Ha Giang, won the first prize in the Traditional Musical Instrument category.

The first Zhongsin International Music Competition was held in Singapore back in 2007. The competition aims to be one of the most professional, all-encompassing international music competitions of its kind. Upon its founding, this competition received tremendous support from the National Arts Council of Singapore and the Singapore Chinese Music Association.

The contest includes preliminary and final rounds, with the preliminary qualifiers having over 50,000 entrants, while 1,000 finalists attend the competition every year. Competitors come from different countries around the world and compete against each other in categories such as piano, voice, strings, guitar, winds, electronic organ, accordion, percussion and folk instruments.

Vietnamese people in Indonesia mark Year of Dragon

Vietnamese people in Indonesia celebrated the Year of the Dragon at a ceremony held in Jakarta on February 24.

Addressing the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Indonesia Ta Van Thong reviewed last year’s situation of the homeland and highlighted the significant results of the two countries’ relations as seen in frequent high-level meetings, thriving economic, trade and investment ties, and the opening of direct air routes that are expected to foster bilateral ties, especially tourism and people-to-people exchanges, in the coming time.

He emphasised the important contributions and role of the Vietnamese community in Indonesia in the homeland’s development, noting that though there are just about 500 Vietnamese people in the archipelago nation, they form a cohesive community who always turn their hearts towards the homeland.

The Vietnamese Embassy in Indonesia will keep coordination with relevant agencies to fruitfully implement the two countries’ agreements and affirm Vietnam’s role and stature at multilateral forums and mechanisms, he added.

At the event, representatives of the overseas Vietnamese thanked the Party and State for caring for the community. They said the Lunar New Year (Tet) celebration was an occasion for them to maintain solidarity and uphold the national identity to contribute to the homeland and the two countries’ relations.

Participants in the ceremony enjoyed musical and “ao dai” performances by Vietnamese people, students, and staff members of the embassy. Traditional dishes like “banh chung” (chung cakes), pork paste, and “pho” were also part of the event.

Laos grants Freedom Order to healthcare board, military hospital of Vietnam

The Freedom (Issara) Order of Laos was bestowed upon the board of health protection and care for central officials and Central Military Hospital 108 of Vietnam at a ceremony held in Hanoi on February 25.

In the Vietnam - Laos and Laos - Vietnam Solidarity and Friendship Year 2022, the Party and State of Laos decided to grant orders and medals to some collectives and individuals of the board of health protection and care for central officials and Central Military Hospital 108 in recognition of their outstanding achievements in caring for senior Party and State leaders of Laos over the recent past, thus considerably helping nurture the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.

At the ceremony, a representative of the Commission for External Relations of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee announced the Lao President’s decision to grant the third-class Freedom Order to the board, the hospital, and Tran Huy Dung – standing deputy head of the board, and to grant the Friendship Order to the department of health protection and care for central officials and the international department at Central Military Hospital 108.

The official also announced the Lao Prime Minister’s decision to bestow the Friendship Medal upon two individuals of the board and the hospital.

On behalf of the Lao President and PM, Thongsavanh Phomvihane, Chairman of the LPRP Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations, presented the orders and medal to the collectives and individuals.

Representing the recipients, Tran Huy Dung expressed their honour to receive the noble rewards and described the orders and medal as a great source of encouragement for the board and the hospital to keep making efforts in their work, thus contributing more to the two countries’ special solidarity.

NA Chairman attends ceremony to launch Youth Month, tree-planting festival

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue on February 25 attended a ceremony to launch the Youth Month 2024 and tree-planting festival at the Truong Bon National Historical Relic Site in Do Luong district, the central province of Nghe An.

The event, held by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCM CYU) Central Committee, saw the participation of representatives from central agencies, Nghe An province, and over 3,000 young people in the central province.

Speaking at the event, the NA Chairman described the Youth Month as a core of the youth volunteer movement over the 20 years of continuous reform and development, saying that it has received warm response of tens of millions of youth union members, young people, and people across the country every Spring.

The Party, State, and political system, and society pay due attention to the youth, especially in Youth Month, he said, while prasing the achievements that the HCM CYU and the youth of the country made in the past Youth Months.

He hailed the HCM CYU Central Committee for choosing the theme "Year of Youth Volunteers" for this year and the theme "Youth Volunteers for Community Life” for the Youth Month.

He called on the youth to promote their strengths and creativity to contribute to national construction and development, while higlighting the role of the youth as a great social force, the pillar of the country, the pioneering force in national building and safeguarding, and one of the factors decisive to the success of industrialisation, modernisation, international integration, and socialism building.

Also at the event, Hue handed over the torch which was carried by 55 outstanding young people of Nghe An province from Nam Dan – President Ho Chi Minh’s hometown to Truong Bon - to First Secretary of the HCM CYU Central Committee Bui Quang Huy who then made flame ignition to officially kick off Youth Month 2024.

Responding to the tree-planting festival, the HCM CYU Central Commitee and Nghe An province planned to plant 10,500 trees, including 70 Ban (Bauhinia) trees, a typical flower of Dien Bien province, at the Truong Bon historical relic site.

On the same day, 67 youth unions in provinces, cities, and organisations across the country launched the tree-planting festival and Youth Month 2024. Youth across the country have registered to plant more than 3 million trees from February 16 to March 10.

State leader underlines crucial role of grassroots health care

President Vo Van Thuong emphasised the importance of grassroots health care while visiting some medical facilities in the northern province of Ha Nam on February 25, ahead of the Vietnamese Doctors’ Day (February 27).

Coming to the health centre of Thanh Liem district, the State leader highly valued the achievements by local medical workers as well as their dedication to the job.

He said medical establishments at the communal and higher levels have properly carried out the national programmes on grassroots health care, vaccination, primary health care, provision of adolescent health advices, screening, and care for patients with chronic illnesses. Particularly, the health centre of Thanh Liem joined the entire health system of Ha Nam in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stressing the importance of grassroots health care, President Thuong noted there are over 11,400 communal-level health stations nationwide.

Those facilities are the closest to the people and work in the frontline. If they perform well, a number of diseases will be prevented while patients with severe illnesses reduced, thus helping ease pressure on medical establishments at district, provincial, and national levels and most importantly, cut healthcare costs for people, especially in terms of chronic diseases, he said.

With good performance, grassroots health facilities will help build a sustainable future for the country, he stated.

The leader also expressed empathy with the difficulties and pressure on medical workers, encouraging them to keep exerting efforts to further improve their capacity, uphold a high sense of responsibility, and wholeheartedly care for patients.

He asked medical workers to continue seeking therapies for new diseases, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. He also highly valued the digital transformation at the Thanh Liem health centre, asking it to push ahead with the work to further facilitate health examination and treatment.

Besides, President Thuong also told authorities of Ha Nam province and Thanh Liem district to invest more in developing human resources, infrastructure, equipment for grassroots health care.

The same day, he visited and extended congratulations on the Vietnamese Doctors’ Day to medical workers of the health station of Thanh Phong commune, Thanh Liem district.

Activities mark 50th anniversary of Vietnam – Malta diplomatic ties

The Vietnamese Embassy in Italy and Malta held activities in Malta’s capital of Valetta from February 21-23 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Vietnam-Malta diplomatic ties.

Receiving the Vietnamese Ambassador to Italy and Malta Duong Hai Hung at San Anton Palace, President of Malta George Vella expressed his delight at and support for the coordination between the Vietnamese embassy and Malta's partners to organise activities marking the 50th anniversary of the two countries' diplomatic ties, thereby helping consolidate friendship and political trust and strengthen economic and cultural relations and people-to-people exchange between Vietnam and Malta.

Ambassador Hung said that the activities aim to consolidate traditional friendship between the two countries as well as exploit potential cooperation opportunities in all fields.

On February 21, a “Vietnamese Film Day” was held with the screening of movie “Yellow Flowers on Green Grass” by director Victor Vu at Spazju Kreattviv National Cinema.

The film was Vietnam’s only representative at the TIFF Kids International Film Festival, part of the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival in April, 2016. It bagged the best film award at the second Silk Road International Film Festival and the Golden Kite at the Vietnam Film Festival in 2015.

Speaking at the event, Ambassador Hung emphasised that in addition to economic and political cooperation, culture, education, tourism, cinema and art exchanges serve a bridge to help enhance mutual understanding and consolidate traditional friendship between the two countries' people.

On behalf of Malta's Minister for the National Heritage, the Arts, and Local Government Owen Bonnici, Executive Chairman of the Malta Arts Council Albert Marshall conveyed a congratulatory message to the event, while highlighting the significance of Vietnamese Film Day in Malta.

Meanwhile, on February 22, the Vietnamese Embassy coordinated with Malta's economic agencies to organise the Vietnam-Malta cooperation forum.

Delegates at the forum spoke highly of the potential for cooperation between the two countries in the context of the dynamic economic development of both sides. They made specific proposals to boost the two countries’ cooperation, particularly in trade, such as footwear and garments, maritime, marine economy, finance, English training, tourism, health care, and labour export.

During his working trip to Malta, Ambassador Hung visited and worked with the Director of the International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI) of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) located in Malta. He wished the IMLI to continue to support training and capacity enhancement for Vietnam through granting scholarships and cooperating in organising specific professional training courses.

Top legislator commemorates President Ho Chi Minh, war martyrs in Nghe An

Chairman of the National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue and other officials paid tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at the special national relic site of Kim Lien and to war martyrs at the national historical relic site of Truong Bon in the central province of Nghe An on February 25.

At the special national relic site of Kim Lien in Kim Lien commune of Nam Dan district – the hometown of President Ho, the delegation offered incense to express their endless gratitude and profound respect to the late leader, who devoted his entire life to the struggle for national and class liberation, along with peace and happiness of the Vietnamese people.

The commemoration took place prior to the launch of the Youth Month and the tree planting festival 2024 held at the national historical relic site of Truong Bon by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCYU) Central Committee.

During his life, President Ho always reserved special sentiment and attention towards young people. He used the image of spring, the most beautiful season of a year, to describe the youth, and affirmed that the youth is the future master of the nation, whose strength and prosperity depend largely on the youth.

Following his teachings, the Party and State have always cared for the youth and the youth-related work. The HCYU has unceasingly reformed and effectively carried out revolutionary and youth action plans to contribute to national liberation, reunification, construction, and defence.

The same day, the delegation came to commemorate war heroes and martyrs at the national historical relic site of Truong Bon in My Son commune of Do Luong district.

During the resistance war against the US, National Highway 15A, on which Truong Bon is located, was a strategic place of special importance as it connected North - South transport arteries. Therefore, it was a target of the US’s bombings that aimed to block the routes for transporting human and material supplies from the North to the battlefield in the South.

As many as 1,240 officers and soldiers, including a number of pioneering youths, bravely fought and laid down their lives in this place.

Vietnamese students in Singapore hold career fair

The Vietnamese Youth Alliance in Singapore held a career fair on February 24-25, aiming to provide support for Vietnamese students in the Southeast Asian country to seize job opportunities and have better career orientations.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Singapore Mai Phuoc Dung, representatives from Kaplan Singapore, Vietnamese experts, and more than 200 Vietnamese students attended the event.

At the event, the students attended a workshop on building a personal brand, and joined a “Coffee Chat” with 20 speakers who have years of experiences working at prestigious corporations in Singapore.

Speaking at the event, Ambassador Dung highly valued the benefits that the career fair brings to the Vietnamese student community in Singapore. He expressed his hope that the young generation of Vietnam will develop strongly not only in Singapore, but also wherever they study and work in the world.

Career Fair is organised annually by the Vietnamese Youth Alliance in Singapore to provide opportunities for students to expand their job network, meet industry experts, and gain experience for future job interviews.

Legal frameworks for science, technology, innovation to be improved in 2024: MoST

The Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) has defined the year 2024 as a key milestone in perfecting the legal framework for science, technology and innovation, which will pave the way for future sectoral development.

According to Minister of Science and Technology Huỳnh Thành Đạt, the core missions to be carried out this year include the Politburo’s and central government’s resolutions on science and technology, amending laws concerning the sector as well as the government’s decrees regarding investment, finances and autonomy models.

The MoST will also coordinate with other ministries and departments to continue implementing the Party Central Committee’s and Politburo’s direction of science-technology development for modernisation and urbanisation in a socialist-oriented market economy, alongside international integration.

The amendment of the Law on Science and Technology is seen as a top priority project for the sector in 2024.

Amid the growing demands for industrialisation and modernisation, changes to the law are aimed at perfecting the legal framework to accelerate science, technology and innovation activities in alignment with the national context.

The amendment is expected to focus on six key areas: regulations on the establishment, registration and operation of science-technology organisations; individuals working in the sector; science-technology missions; funding and finances for science-technology and innovation development; promoting innovation and start-ups; and accelerating international integration in the sector.

Deputy Science and Technology Minister Trần Hồng Thái said that the adjustments would remove existing barriers in terms of policies and finances in the sector in accordance with the market mechanism and international practices.

One of the most important solutions in response to sustainable development requirements is specific, outstanding policies and frameworks that allow science, technology and innovation to become a strategic breakthrough, according to Thái.

In practice, science-technology application and development still see shortcomings, such as incomprehensive mechanisms for autonomy and responsibility among research facilities, modest remuneration for researchers, and the utilisation of science-technology advancements in national growth.

Meanwhile, science and technology tasks, programmes and research topic selection also encounter bottlenecks in management and determining completion deadlines, in addition to the lack of incentive policies for commercialisation.

Thái said: “In particular, the risks in scientific research should not be simply understood as failures, as an unsuccessful study can also contribute to other research in the scientific community.

“Therefore, a specific mechanism is needed to acknowledge the risks and delays in scientific research and technology development.”

In addition to accelerating digital transformation and advanced technology such as artificial intelligence and big data, the MoST also identifies the possible consequences of these tools to design policies accordingly, especially from an ethical and humanistic perspective.

Science and technology solutions are expected to not only increase economic competitiveness and productivity, particularly in crop and livestock farming, but also improve people’s quality of life.

In 2023, Việt Nam’s ranking in the Global Innovation Index (GII) jumped 2 positions compared to the previous year, placing 46th out of 132 countries and economies, and retaining its second rank among the lower middle-income group.

The country also introduced its Provincial Innovation Index (PII) in 2023, which is aimed to be an effective instrument for measuring innovation capacity and results at the local level.

Initiatives to develop an innovative start-up ecosystem were also executed with the aim of creating a new generation of businesses that rely on intellectual properties and are capable of accessing the international market.

This ecosystem is considered one of the most dynamic in Asia and ranked 58th globally.

The development strategy for science, technology and innovation by 2030 has been specified through 44 national-level programmes, with a balance among all three aspects of natural sciences, social sciences and technological science.

VNRC launches walking campaign, starting the National Humanitarian Month 2024

The Việt Nam Red Cross Society (VNRC) officially launched a walking campaign, called Triệu bước chân nhân ái (Million Steps of Kindness), in Hà Nội on February 25.

The 56-day campaign is within the framework of a series of activities in response to National Humanitarian Month 2024. It aims to promote the spirit of physical exercise, active lifestyle and community engagement while marking the 70th anniversary of the Điện Biên Phủ victory.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, VNRC President Bùi Thị Hòa said that the campaign aimed to spread the message of solidarity, kindness, creativity, determination and perseverance of Vietnamese people.

“Every step of participating organisations and individuals will spread compassionate messages about blood donation, tissue and organ donation, human body donation, and environmental protection. It especially will raise funds to carry out humanitarian work and projects, helping disadvantaged children, disabled people and poor people have the opportunity to improve in study, work and life,” said VNRC president Hòa.

Hòa hoped the campaign would bring about the spirit of sportsmanship, solidarity, kindness, and sharing to all the social communities of Vietnamese people at home and abroad.

During 56 days and nights from February 25 to April 22, the campaign organiser calls on Vietnamese people inside and outside the country to join the "peacetime march" movement organised for free on the vRace online platform. Each individual is called upon to contribute a minimum of 10 km.

Participants can register in groups or individually at https://vrace.com.vn/race/trieu-buoc-chan-nhan-ai or on the vRace application.

The campaign organiser expected to attract 70,000 people to participate in sports activities like walking or jogging and record achievements reaching 700,000 km, corresponding to a campaign budget of VNĐ7 billion for humanitarian activities.

The collected money will be used to build seven boarding kitchens for highland students, support sustainable livelihoods for 70 poor families, provide necessities for 700 disadvantaged families, consulting and nutritional support for 7,000 poor children, and provide medical examinations and free medicine for 7,000 people in difficult circumstances in Điện Biên, Sơn La and Thái Nguyên provinces.

In 2024, the VNRC strives to mobilise resources to reach VNĐ400 billion to implement activities in Humanitarian Month and be ready to meet humanitarian assistance requests in 2024.

During National Humanitarian Month 2024, the VNRC from central to local levels plans to support 100,000 humanitarian addresses (individuals and groups). In particular, each province and city society mobilises financial support to build and repair a boarding kitchen at preschools and primary schools with especially difficult conditions, worth at least VNĐ150 million; build or repair two Red Cross houses for the poor and people in extremely difficult circumstances, worth a minimum of VNĐ50 million; and livelihood support for at least 50 poor households and households in extremely difficult circumstances. 

Iwamasa enjoys first V.League win at Hà Nội FC

Daiki Iwamasa pocketed his first win five weeks after taking charge of Hà Nội FC on Saturday at the Hàng Đẫy Stadium.

The former champion defeated 10-man HCM City 3-1 to jump up to the middle of the ranking table, maintaining their opportunity to vie for the national premier league trophy.

HCM City suffered a big loss when Ivorian forward Cheick Aymar Timité was sent off after his headbutt against Brandon Wilson just three minutes into the game.

The host side converted their advantage into lead at the 15th minute.

Captain Nguyễn Văn Quyết sent a perfect ball to Deni Jr. who headed home to open the score.

About 20 minutes later Phạm Xuân Mạnh found the back of HCM City's net but he was in offside trap.

Hà Nội were in comfortable condition in the second half before young midfielder Nguyễn Hai Long made it 2-0 in the 69th minute.

HCM City tried hard to fight back and narrowed the score in the 87th when Brendan Lucas left three Hà Nội defenders behind to beat goalkeeper Quan Văn Chuẩn.

It was an end for HCM City when captain Quyết scored at the fourth minute of additional time.

The win helped Hà Nội replace HCM City at sixth place with 13 points, narrowing the gap with the top three teams.

"The red card was a big problem for us. It strongly affected our plan and tactics," said coach Phùng Thanh Phương of HCM City, which now stand at seventh.

"After two games in the North, we have suffered big loss as players were sent off. We will have to work out a solution finding better foreign players when the transfer market opens.

"We need to have new factors that could make our front line better.”

On the other side, Iwamasa said he felt easy after the win but his club still needed improvement.

"There are some issues that I don't like. I will make up a different style for the team and fix our problem," he said.

In the earlier match, leader Nam Định received a 2-1 defeat from host Bình Định at the Quy Nhơn Stadium.

Brazilian Rafaelson Bezerra Fernandes opened the score for the visiting side in the 22nd minute. His country fellow Leonardo Artur and Vietnamese Hà Đức Chinh fought back for Bình Định at the 42nd and 52nd minutes.

Coach Lê Hồng Việt pushed his players to find an equaliser but despite several opportunities they could not complete the mission.

Nam Định are still in top place but they have only one point more than second-placed Thanh Hóa which beat Hải Phòng 3-2 on Friday.

Bình Định are at fourth with only a one-point gap with the top three.

In other matches, LPBank Hoàng Anh Gia Lai maintained at the bottom position after a goalless match against Quảng Nam 0-0;

Hồng Lĩnh Hà Tĩnh beat Khánh Hòa 1-0 and escaped from the bottom three area.

Playing in Vinh, Sông Lam Nghệ An were defeated by reigning champion Hà Nội Police.

Thể Công-Viettel suffered their fifth loss of the season after being punished by a strike of Becamex Bình Dương's Congolese Ibara Doniama Prince Vinny in early time at Hàng Đẫy.

While Bình Dương entered the top three and became a candidate for the winning title, Thể Công dropped to bottom three and needed strong effort to get back. 

Noi Bai airport sees international passenger surge after Tet

Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi has seen a sharp rise in international passengers after the Tet Lunar New Year Holiday.

Over the past week, the airport served 531 flights per day with a total of 94,100 passengers per day, up 8.8 percent and 19.8 percent against the week earlier. International passengers reached 36,000 per day, surpassing the peak of 34,000 in 2019.  

Passengers are advised to arrive at the airport at least three hours before departure. After check-in, passengers are urged to quickly move to the restricted area to complete subsequent procedures.

The airport also recommends passengers to limit the number of family members accompanying them for arrivals or farewells to help ease the overcrowding.

Rare rhesus monkey released into natural environment

A rare rhesus monkey, whose scientific name is Macaca mulatta, has been released into natural forest environment in the Chí Sán Nature Reserve in Hà Giang northern mountainous province.

The Mèo Vạc District Forest Ranger Department on Thursday said that the rhesus monkey was discovered by Thò Mí Sì, who lives in Há Súa Village, Tả Lủng Commune, Mèo Vạc District.

He caught the monkey in his garden before the Lunar New Year holiday.

After a period of nurturing, the monkey grows bigger and healthier.

Sì’s family handed it over to the forest ranger force.

Recently, the Mèo Vạc District Forest Ranger Department has released many rare animals into the natural forest as part of their conservation efforts.

This meaningful work protects forest animals at risk of extinction while also enriching the natural environment of primeval forests.

The work also helps raise awareness and social responsibility of individuals and organisations in the mission of protecting wild animals at risk of extinction.

The Rhesus monkey is a primate species widely distributed throughout the country that needs protection as regulated in Appendix IIB, Decree No 06/2019/NĐ-CP of the Government.

The decree regulates management of endangered, precious and rare forest plants and animals, and implements the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

​Releasing wild animals back to their natural habitat is an important and necessary measure that contributes to the conservation and development of wild animals in the Chí Sán Nature Reserve.

Forest managers also advise against keeping wild animals with unknown origins, as they pose numerous risks and can affect both human and animal health and safety.

The Chí Sán Nature Reserve was established in March 2015 with a total area of nearly 5,500ha. It covers five communes and one town in Mèo Vạc District.

The reserve carries out the task of preserving forest ecosystems; conserving and developing plant and animal species, especially rare ones; strengthening watershed and environmental protection capabilities; conserving the nature; and ensuring sustainable development in the northern border mountainous area.

In particular, the reserve maintains water sources for the Mèo Vạc Town. 

Egyptian locality looks to expand cooperation with Vietnam

Vietnamese Ambassador to Egypt Nguyen Huy Dung had a working session with Governor of Luxor Mustafa Mohamed Alham Khaled on March 25 to discuss measures to further strengthen cooperation between the two countries.

According to the ambassador, Vietnam and Egypt have great potential for cooperation in areas where both sides have strengths, such as agriculture, industry, garment and textile, logistics, aquaculture, tourism, and maritime economy. The two countries are striving to lift bilateral trade turnover to 1 billion USD in the coming time.

The two sides agreed that Luxor and Ninh Binh should review and add more content of cooperation in the friendship and cooperative agreement between the two localities, and soon renew this document.

Ambassador Dung suggested the Egyptian locality strengthen cooperation with not only Ninh Binh but also other localities of Vietnam.

Alham Khaled said he hopes that Luxor and Ninh Binh will enhance cooperation in agriculture, education, and tourism. He also called on Vietnamese businesses to increase investment in industrial parks of Luxor.

The two suggested that the countries create favourable conditions for travel firms from both sides to open representative offices and promote tourism promotion activities in each other's territories.

The same day, the Vietnamese Embassy in Egypt and the Chamber of Commerce in Luxor jointly held a workshop to further promote cooperative relations in areas of economics, trade, investment, tourism, culture, agriculture, and education between the two countries, and their localities.

Ambassador Dung introduced Vietnam's economic situation and investment attraction policies, while calling on businesses from both countries to expand connections to better understand the market and seek opportunities for business cooperation.

For his part, Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce in Luxor Muhammad Yehia proposed the two countries further strengthen cooperation in the areas of economy, trade, investment, tourism, culture, and people-to-people exchanges. He expressed his hope that Vietnamese businesses will consider investing in industrial parks in Luxor.

Vietnam attends Raisina Dialogue 2024 in India

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet has recently attended the 9th Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi, India, where he highlighted multilateral cooperation for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Raisina Dialogue is India’s premier conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics committed to addressing the most challenging issues facing the global community.

It is hosted annually by the Observer Research Foundation in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Government of India. This effort is supported by a number of institutions, organisations and individuals, who are committed to the mission of the conference.

Themed "Chaturanga: Conflict, Contest, Cooperate, Create," this year’s event took place on February 22 and 23, bringing together 2,500 delegates, including many leaders, senior officials, researchers and scholars from more than 100 countries in and outside the region.

Addressing a session titled “Desecuritising Development: Resilience in the Indo-Pacific,” Viet pointed to ongoing “hot spots” and conflicts in the region and the world, along with non-traditional security challenges, complex developments in the East Sea, and severe climate change, and unsustainable use of natural resources in the Mekong sub-region, which have posed challenges to sustainable development and efforts to maintain long-term peace and stability in the region.

The context presents a message that the Indo-Pacific is not only an area of strategic competition between superpowers but also a place where countries strive for multilateral cooperation for peace and stability, and join hands to settle common challenges, he stressed.

Vietnam and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are committed to building the message by creating a resilient and comprehensive community network, where every country can grow in peace, stability and sustainable development, while promoting the importance of multilateral cooperation, constructive dialogue and prosperity for all, the official stressed.

The Raisina Dialogue 2024 further focused on initiatives of the Group of 20 (G20) where India held the 2023 Presidency, and looked into security and economic challenges worldwide.

The participants shared the view on the significance of cooperation, dialogue, trust building and respect for international law and multilateralism, including the acceleration of United Nations reform.

Within the framework of the dialogue, Viet had bilateral meetings with Polish Secretary of State Władysław Teofil Bartoszewski, Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik, Secretary-General of the European External Action Service Stefano Sannino, and Director-General of the Office of National Intelligence of Australia Andrew Shearer.

At the meetings, they touched upon bilateral relations, as well as regional and international issues of shared concern.

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