The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) set a target of growing about 1 million ha of large-sized timber forests nationwide by 2030.

Of the area, the 500,000 ha of existing large-sized timber forests will be maintained and another 450,000-550,000 ha grown during 2024-2030, according to the MARD’s plan on the development of large-sized timber forests for the period.

The ministry said that the development of concentrated large-sized timber forests aims to ensure sufficient timber supply for processing to serve the domestic market and export, increase forest growers’ income, and help with environmental protection, climate change response, and disaster mitigation.

Productivity of the forests with intensive cultivation of such trees as “keo” (Acacia) and “bach dan” (Eucalyptus) will be raised to an average of 20 cu.m. per ha each year by 2025 and 22 cu.m. per ha each year by 2030. Income from commercial forests will be increased by about 1.5-2 times per unit of area compared to 2020. Besides, the forestry production value chain will also be promoted.

Meanwhile, the 450,000-550,000 ha of new large-sized timber forest will be developed in six socio-economic regions. That comprises 130,000-146,000 ha in the northern midland and mountainous region, 6,000-9,000 ha in the Red River Delta, 280,000-348,000 ha in the north central and coastal central region, 25,000-35,000 ha in the Central Highlands, 7,500-10,000 ha in the southeastern region, and 1,500-2,000 ha in the southwestern region.

To realise those targets, the MARD devised several measures in its plan, including reviewing the land reserves and small-sized timber forests eligible for development, connecting forest growers with businesses, and promoting sustainable forest management and forest certification.

It will also step up the development of high-yield and high-quality plant varieties that meet the market’s demand and are resistant to diseases and adverse environmental conditions to use for afforestation.

Favourable mechanisms and policies such as exempting or reducing land rent and land use tax, supporting investment, and providing soft loans to attract private resources to developing large-sized timber forests.

Illicit drugs found at largest hospital in Quang Binh

Police have found illicit drugs during a search of the Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Hospital campus in Dong Hoi, Quang Binh Province, as part of a drug-related crime investigation.

The search, which took place on February 26, was confirmed by the hospital’s management board.

Local news reports said the police discovered hundreds of ecstasy pills hidden at the hospital.

Two suspects are employees of a company providing services to the Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Hospital in Dong Hoi City, Quang Binh Province.

The Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Hospital is the largest hospital in the central province.

Laws must be developed to concretise the Party’s guidelines and remove bottlenecks for development, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said while chairing the Government’s session on law building on February 27.

At the event, he asked ministries and sectors to improve policy response capacity to timely make adjustments and remove difficulties and roadblocks particularly in the areas of production and business, as well as step up decentralisation, simplify administrative procedures and business conditions right in the process of building laws and ordinances, so as to unleash all resources for socio-economic development. 

Besides, the ministries and sectors were requested to consult with experts and scientists and learn from international experiences in building laws.

Communications work on the policies, especially during the law building and issuing progress, should receive due attention so as to create public consensus, he added.

He added that expressions in the laws must be clear, concise and easy to understand, making them feasible to be carried out.

Additionally, he ordered shortening the process of amending and supplementing legal documents to meet the country’s development requirements, and laid stress on the need to prevent and fight against group interests and policy corruption during law building.

As the Government will submit nine bills to the seventh session of the 15th National Assembly (NA) for consideration and approval, ministries and ministerial-level agencies should mobilise resources to complete the bills in line with regulations, PM Chinh said.

VND300bn earmarked for Hung Kings Temple

Around VND300 billion (USD12.19 million) will be spent on restoring Hung Kings Temple in the northern province of Phu Tho.

Of the total investment, VND88 billion will be sourced from the state budget, while the remainder will be from the province’s budget and other sources. 

The project will focus on upgrading the area linking the Memorial to the Revolutionary Martyrs and Lac Long Quan Temple as well as the area before Gieng Temple.

The project also will consolidate areas vulnerable to landslides on Nghia Linh Mountain and the road section to the Temple of Mother Goddess Au Co.

Some spots on Nghia Linh Mountain have faced landslides several times. Despite being fixed with metal and bamboo stakes, they are still at risk of landslides.

According to the project’s environmental impact report, seven dumping sites have been set up at main areas of the Hung Kings temple.

Covering an area of 845 ha in Nghia Linh Mountain in Phong Chau District, approximately 100km northwest of Hanoi, Hung Kings Temple is a large complex comprising tombs, monuments and temples.

In 2012, UNESCO recognised the worshipping of the Hung Kings as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The anniversary of the death of Hung Kings or Hung Kings Temple Festival is commemorated on the 10th day of the third lunar month annually. It has been recognized as a public holiday in Vietnam since 2007.

Government law-building session to discuss 11 contents

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired the Government’s law-building session for February in Hanoi on February 27, during which participants will give ideas on five bills, five law-building proposals and a law, and ordinance building programme.

The five bills to be opined over at the meeting are the draft Law on People's Air Defense; draft Law on Management and Use of Weapons, Explosives and Supporting Tools (revised); draft Law on Cultural Heritage (revised); draft law on the amendments and supplementations to a number of articles of the Law on Standards and Technical Regulations; and draft law on the amendments and supplementations to a number of articles of the Pharmacy Law.

Meanwhile, the Government will consider the proposals of building five laws, namely the Diplomatic Ranks Law, Aviation Law (revised); Railway Law (revised); Law on Geology and Minerals; and Law on Digital Technology Industry.

Participants will also discuss a proposal on the law and ordinance building programme for 2025 and an amended version for 2024.

Opening the meeting, on the occasion of the 69th anniversary of the Vietnamese Doctors Day (February 27, 1955-2024), PM Chinh extended greetings and expressed respect to all doctors, health officials and workers across the country.

The Government leader underlined that the law-building workload in February are high as the Government is scheduled to submit to the National Assembly (NA) a law and ordinance building programme for 2025 and an amended version for 2024, and finish bills to be discussed at the seventh session of the 15th NA.

He said that all the contents to be debated at the meeting are important, difficult, and complicated with great influence to the building of a harmonious, completed, and modern legal system, and unlocking resources for development.

The PM asked ministers and heads of ministry-level agencies and Government agencies to seek effective approaches to the issues to ensure good progress and quality of the work.

Along with the building of the laws, it is necessary to promptly design and issue decrees guiding the implementation of the laws, thus quickly bringing them to life.

FM’s Ireland visit to help deepen bilateral ties: Ambassador

The official visit to Ireland on February 28-29 by Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son will mark a new stage of development in bilateral relationship, developing it in a more intensive, effective and sustainable direction, especially in the fields of politics, diplomacy, economics, trade, investment, climate change response, green growth, education and training, and people-to-people exchanges

The statement was made by Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK and Ireland Nguyen Hoang Long in an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency on the threshold of the trip.

Long emphasised that the visit, to be made at the invitation of Irish Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) and Foreign Minister Micheál Martin, is of great significance in promoting Vietnam-Ireland relations, as this is the first by a Vietnamese Foreign Minister to Ireland after 20 years since the one by Minister Nguyen Dy Nien.

During his stay, Son is scheduled to hold talks with Irish Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Defence Minister Micheál Martin, and pay courtesy visits to President Michael D. Higgins and Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann (speaker of the lower house) Seán Ó Fearghaíl.

The two sides will discuss many important issues in bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues, including the East Sea issue.

The diplomat said that the visit will contribute to promoting political trust and the exchange of high-level delegations between the two countries, especially preparations for the upcoming state visit to Ireland by President Vo Van Thuong.

The two sides will discuss measures to intensify cooperation at multilateral forums and close coordination in solving regional and global issues.

Regarding the bilateral relations, Ambassador Long said that the two countries have reaped positive results in economic, trade and investment collaboration. Two-way trade reached 3.5 billion USD last year, of which 340 million USD came from Vietnam’s exports. Currently, Ireland ranks 61st out of the 141 countries and territories pouring capital into the Southeast Asian nation, with a combined registered capital of 44.3 million USD in 41 projects.

According to the diplomat, education and training has an important position and is a bright spot in bilateral cooperation. The two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in higher education and another on collaboration in information technology and communications training in November 2016. Since 2009, the Irish Government has offered Vietnam full scholarships under the Irish Development Experience Sharing Programme (IDEAS).

The two sides are also working to bring into full play advantages in cooperation in health, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, sustainable development, and information technology, he said.

In the “Global Ireland: Delivering in the Asia-Pacific region to 2025” strategy, introduced in January 2020, Ireland considered Vietnam one of its important partners in the Asia-Pacific region in general and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in particular. Vietnam is currently the only country in the region that Ireland has included in its international development cooperation programme called Irish Aid to promote collaboration between the two countries in such areas as climate action, gender equality, settlement of bomb and mine consequences, education, and people-to-people exchanges.

UNESCO helps Vietnam strengthen vocational education for out-of-school children

The UNESCO Office in Vietnam in coordination with the Centre for Vocational Education and Training under the Trade Union of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province on February 26 launched a project on facilitating access to vocational and transferable skills for out-of-school children and youth in Vietnam.

The project, which will be carried out in southern provinces of Dong Thap and Ba Ria-Vung Tau in 2023-2024, aims to narrow the gap in accessibility to schooling by children and youth. It is the third phase of a larger project implemented by UNESCO in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region with the first phase implemented in Indonesia (2018-2019) and Thailand (2020-2021).

Miki Nozawa, head of the education department at the UNESCO Office in Vietnam, said the project is expected to be a driving force for boosting socioeconomic growth of the localities and the region.

Key occupations for training programmes in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province include basic baking techniques, cooking techniques, welding, civil electricity, basic industrial sewing techniques, basic spa care techniques and restaurant service skills.

In addition to granting vocational certificates, after completing the programme, trainees will get support in securing jobs as well as better integrating into the community.

Tran Quang Vinh, director of the Centre for Vocational Education and Training, said with vocational skills acquired, they can get stable jobs with better income.

To date, the centre has enrolled 210 students. It will organise seven vocational training classes, with 35 students each, which will start in March in Vung Tau city and Xuyen Moc district, he said.

92% of labourers return to work after Tet
 
As of February 15, the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, about 92% of businesses and labourers had resumed operations and returned to work after the Tet holiday, heard a press conference held by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) on February 26.

The VGCL informed the press about activities in support of trade union members and labourers during the Tet festival, the biggest in a year, with priorities given to those in difficult circumstances, social policy beneficiaries and ethnic minorities, among others.

Localities and agencies reported that more than 10.5 million individuals benefited from such activities with total funding of over VND7.02 trillion (US$284.55 million), up 15% year-on-year.  

According to Vu Thi Giang Huong, head of the VGCL's Communications and Education Department, a number of provincial and municipal trade unions received financial support from local authorities with the amount exceeding VND100 billion.

More than 18,000 Tet programmes were held on this occasion, attracting the participation of nearly 4 million trade union members and labourers, of them over 2.1 million presented with gifts worth nearly VND1.3 trillion.

Notably, over VND106 billion was earmarked to help 243,735 trade union members and labourers get train, coach and flight tickets to return home for Tet reunions.

All-level trade unions, agencies and enterprises jointly launched up to 5,049 free buses taking more than 170,150 labourers back to their homes, with funding of nearly VND49 billion.

Some 1,300 needy labourers who are working in southern localities received free two-way train and air tickets valued at over VND7 billion to return to their hometowns in the northern region.

Digital transformation in health care - irreversible trend

An official of the Ministry of Health has called digital transformation in health care an irreversible trend.

Associate Professor, Dr. Phan Le Thu Hang, Deputy Director of the Department of Financial Planning, held that the Fourth Industrial Revolution and smart medical solutions will help Vietnam concertedly improve its health coverage, service quality, and medical costs, dubbed the three vertices of a triangle, which remains a hard nut to crack for every health system.

The health sector will prioritise optimising information-technology and digital transformation to better grassroots health care, with attention to be paid to upgrading infrastructure, personnel training, and perfecting relevant policies, she said.

Vietnam now counts about 11,400 medical facilities at the communal level which have played a crucial role in public health care, helping ease overload for hospitals at higher levels.  

Citing a directive issued by the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee on continuing to consolidate, perfect, and improve the quality of grassroots health care in the new situation, Hang said the document set higher requirements in terms of mindset, responsibility, and action by all-level Party Committees, authorities, and the entire political system in this regard.

The health ministry will coordinate closely with other relevant ministries, agencies, and localities to further consolidate the policy framework and implement core solutions to promote the sustainable development of grassroots health workers.

To effectively mobilise the participation of non-public health care in primary health care, it is necessary to roll out harmonious solutions on governance, technology and finance, Hang suggested.

Đồng Nai to convert industrial park to urban area

Đồng Nai Province has approved a plan to transform Biên Hòa 1 Industrial Park into an urban – commercial – services area and improve the environment around it.

For the purpose, it plans to relocate all the businesses inside the facility, situated in Biên Hòa City, by 2025.

According to its People’s Committee, the makeover of the industrial park is a key feature of plans to change the city’s urban appearance, increase the efficiency of land usage and reduce pollution in the Đồng Nai River.

It is alongside the river and national highways 1A and 51.

It will be developed as two segments: a 44ha political and administrative hub and a 286ha urban – commercial – services area.

For the latter, developers will be selected through land use rights bidding, and the development is slated for completion by 2030.

There will be supportive policies to execute this project, including income tax, land use fee, value added tax, and import tax breaks, access to credit, among others.

The People’s Committee expects the task to be difficult since many of the industrial park’s tenants have long-term lease contracts while land compensation and relocation of businesses and households will cost around VNĐ7.5 trillion (US$302.5 million).

The relocation will factor in regulations and agreements and commitments that Việt Nam has with foreign investors.

Việt Nam’s oldest industrial park was built in 1963, and now has over 70 businesses leasing land, 67 of them until 2051.

In January 2021, it was removed from the country’s plan for industrial parks.

One of the most economically important provinces in the South, Đồng Nai has 31 industrial parks in operation that house investors from 44 countries and territories.

Some have been causing pollution, affecting local residents. 

Draft amended health insurance law offers more benefits for patients

The Ministry of Health has proposed amendments to the draft Law on Health Insurance, which stipulates that patients under 18 years old undergoing treatment for strabismus, myopia and eye refractive errors will be covered by health insurance.

Currently, the Health Insurance Law only covers children from 0 to six years old.

This is one of the ministry’s proposals to expand the age range covered by health insurance in the draft amended Health Insurance Law.

The draft law has adjusted the scope of participants in health insurance; the scope of health insurance benefits; and the health insurance regulations according to the level of technical expertise in medical facilities.

It has also improved efficiency in appraisal management and implementation of health insurance medical treatment contracts and efficient allocation of health insurance funds.

The ministry has proposed to amend some content of Article 22, in which patients who seek medical treatment at hospitals or healthcare facilities not at the appropriate technical level or outside the basic level will have two options for health insurance benefits.

In Option 1, patients with health insurance will be reimbursed 60 per cent of inpatient costs and 40 per cent of outpatient costs, except for district-level facilities which will supply 100 per cent for both inpatient and outpatient.

In Option 2, the current provisions will be applied with 100 per cent reimbursement of inpatient treatment costs and no payment for outpatient costs.

Additionally, the draft law has stipulated not to cover health insurance for the use of substitute medical supplies, including prosthetic eyes, dentures, eyeglasses and mobility aids during medical examination and treatment as well as functional rehabilitation.

Currently, health insurance funds don’t cover the use of substitute medical supplies such as prosthetic limbs, prosthetic eyes, dentures, eyeglasses, hearing aids and mobility aids. Therefore, health insurance participants will only be reimbursed for prosthetic limbs and hearing aids.

The draft law has also retained cases where health insurance does not cover expenses, including nursing at nursing facilities; health check-ups; prenatal diagnostics not intended for treatment.

Use of reproductive assistance techniques, family planning services and abortion are not on the reimbursement list except for cases where pregnancy termination is required due to pathological reasons. The health insurance funds don’t cover cosmetic services, functional rehabilitation in cases of disaster, medical examination and treatment for addiction to drugs, alcohol, or other addictive substances, forensic examination and psychiatric forensic examination.

The draft law has also reduced the allocated amount for management expenses with the excess amount to be transferred directly to medical examination and treatment. Accordingly, the maximum expenses for health insurance fund management activities will be reduced from 5 per cent as currently to a maximum of 4 per cent. The remaining will be immediately added to the health insurance medical examination and treatment.

The draft law is expected to be submitted to the 15th National Assembly for comments at its 7th session in this May. 

TV series look forward a flourishing year

Vietnamese television series seem to be in a flourishing phase as several productions have received much applause from viewers.

Since the beginning of this year, TV audiences have enjoyed several series about diverse topics such as Chúng Ta Của 8 Năm Sau (We Are of 8 Years Later) by director Bùi Tiến Huy, Gặp Em Ngày Nắng (See You on a Sunny Day) by Nguyễn Đức Hiếu, and Duyên Tiên Tiền Định (Predestined Fairy Love) by Bùi Ngọc Nam Phương.

Alongside the series that have been presented currently on VTV3 channel, there are exclusive series that have been invested significantly to have the silver-screen quality to be presented on pay TV and paid entertainment apps.

Notably, Đi Về Phía Lửa (Heading to the Fire) by director Trần Thanh Huy presented on K+ channel; Ước Mình Cùng Bay (Wishing We Will Fly Together) by Phan Đăng Di screened on VieON, and Mất Tích Đêm 30 (Missing on New Year’s Eve) by Hàm Trần presented on Galaxy Play, have received positive comments from audience members.

Each TV and exclusive series has its own interesting stories, offering viewers a variety of choices.

Chúng Ta Của 8 Năm Sau revolves around the lives of four characters – Lâm (played by Mạnh Trường), Dương (Huyền Lizzie), Nguyệt (Quỳnh Kool), and Tùng (B Trần). They once had a passionate love and vibrant youth together, but over time, things gradually change.

Gặp Em Ngày Nắng is about a love story that originates from the service of "renting" a boyfriend or girlfriend to introduce to the family during the Lunar New Year. Two strangers - two main characters - with different backgrounds gradually come closer to each other with growing affection.

Duyên Tiên Tiền Định tells the fantasy story of Phạm Trung – a mandarin who supervises all the matters related to the court’s horses, and fairy Kim Sang. Because of their forbidden love, they violated the laws of the Heavens and had to face punishment.

Alongside the films that are currently airing, some TV series and exclusive series in production and expected to be shown in this year include Lỡ Hẹn Với Ngày Xanh (Missed Appointment with Green Day) by director Trần Hoài Sơn, Trạm Cứu Hộ Trái Tim (The Heart Rescue Station) by Vũ Trường Khoa, Những Ô Cửa Trong Thành Phố (Windows in City) by Lê Đỗ Ngọc Linh, and Nhà Có Ba Anh Em (Family of Three Brothers) by Trịnh Lê Phong.

Some exclusive series that will be launched this year by the entertainment application VieON include Ván Cờ Danh Vọng (The Game of Fame) by director Nguyễn Quang Minh, Tiểu Tam Không Có Lỗi? (Is It Possible That Tieu Tam Is Not At Fault?) by Trần Bửu Lộc, and 7 Năm Không Cưới Sẽ Chia Tay (Will Break up if You Don't Get Married) by Nguyễn Hoàng Anh – a remake production of South Korean movie Secret Love.

The application Galaxy Play will air the third part of the action/martial arts Hùng Long Phong Bá by director Toni Dương Bảo Anh.

Audiences currently have various choices. They can enjoy TV series or exclusive series on domestic and international paid entertainment applications. As a result, competition has become more intense, and any production requires a compelling story, excellent acting and well-invested settings.

"Films must captivate the audience and attract high viewership in order to draw advertising. Therefore, producers must carefully select scripts that meet strict criteria. Many meetings are organised between the screenwriters, producers and directors to discuss and adjust if necessary, aiming to monitor closely the script's content,” said screenwriter Thanh Hương.

According to screenwriter Đông Hoa, films that focus on the topics of youth and start-up business, with a trend towards "healing" and a positive, cheerful outlook, have been favoured by film producers. Films that address social issues, delving into the reality of life, also have gained attention from producers.

“In 2024, we have planned to produce about five to six TV movies. For me, it’s more important to have a good script and the story. I don’t care much about movie genre or topic,” said Vũ Thị Bích Liên, director of entertainment communication MEGA GS Group. 

Deputy Prime Minister approves scheme to improve forest quality

Deputy Prime Minister Trần Lưu Quang has given the green light to new plans to protect and enhance Việt Nam's forests.

He recently approved the Scheme of Enhancing Forest Quality to Preserve Forest Ecosystems and Improve Disaster Prevention until 2030.

Its objective is to enhance the quality of special-use, protective and production forests to fully utilise their functions, preserve their ecosystems and biodiversity, and improve their carbon-stocking capacity.

The scheme also aims to mitigate the impact of natural hazards and climate change and contribute to socio-economic development and national security.

It sets the targets to enhance the quality of 240,000ha of forests in centrally-run and natural-disasters-prone cities and provinces, of which 36,000ha go to special-use forests, 138,000ha to protective forests and 66,000ha to production forests.

Its methods involve picking certain areas of forests and planting various tree species in a multi-layer structure in the areas. Preference will be given to the tree species that are native, multipurpose, resilient to a variety of terrain conditions, and valuable and rare.

Results will be monitored and evaluated, and successful samples will be replicated in areas, with priority being given to those with low or depleted tree stock, declining biodiversity, and high risks of landslides. 

Training course sheds light on emission trading system, carbon market

An ongoing training course on the emission trading system (ETS) and carbon market has gathered 145 participants from relevant state agencies, organisations, and enterprises, making the first capacity-building activity in Vietnam with participation from both public and private sectors.

Taking place on February 26 and 27, it offers a comprehensive programme on the topics and the use of market simulation tools. Leading international experts are set to share insights into global carbon pricing implementation, necessary preparations for operating the carbon market, as well as principles of and measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) requirements within the emission trading system.

In her opening remarks, Deputy Director Mai Kim Lien of the Department of Climate Change said that Vietnam has issued 40.2 million carbon credits for 150 projects and has conducted exchanges on the global market. It is also one of the four countries with the highest number of credit projects registered under the clean development mechanism.

To establish and operate the domestic carbon market, the country’s 2020 environmental protection law stipulates the organisation and development of the market, while the government has issued a roadmap for implementing the domestic carbon market with an important goal of piloting the carbon credit trading floor starting 2025.

According to Lien, the training course is part of activities under a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the department and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), which aims to establish cooperative relations between the sides within the framework of the Southeast Asia Energy Transition Partnership (ETP) managed by UNOPS.

A representative of the ETP, Fritzie Vergel, held that through the course, stakeholders will have a clear understanding of the operations of the emission trading system and actively prepare to participate when the Vietnamese carbon market officially operates in 2028 as stipulated by law.

Hai Duong, Rok’s Suwon city explore deeper cooperation

Authorities of northern Hai Duong province hosted a local reception on February 26 for a delegation from the Republic of Korea (RoK)’s Suwon city.

Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Minh Hung highlighted the existing strong economic partnership between the two localities, noting that Hai Duong currently hosts 126 investment projects from the RoK, with a total registered capital of 1.4 billion USD. This makes the RoK the leading source of foreign investment in terms of project number and the third in capital value. These investments, primarily in electronics, electrical appliances, molds, logistics services and apparel, have created over 70,000 jobs in Hai Duong.

Beyond economic ties, Hung underlined their fruitful cooperation in recent years, spanning various areas such as friendly visits, culture, sports, tourism, education, sustainable development, and locality-to-locality cooperation.

Additionally, Hai Duong leaders proposed several avenues for further cooperation, including inviting Suwon city's businesses to invest in the province, establishing a high-quality international hospital leveraging Hai Duong's strategic location in the Red River Delta, supporting the training of skilled human resources, and nurturing table tennis and archery talents.

They also suggested Suwon city invite its art troupes to perform at the Con Son-Kiep Bac Spring Festival to promote Korean culture to local people and tourists.

In response, Vice Mayor of Suwon City Hwang In Guk expressed his commitment to deepening cooperation between the two sides across multiple sectors. He pledged to discuss with Suwon's top leaders and departments to devise concrete plans for partnership with the Vietnamese province.

Leaders of both sides signed a Memorandum of Understanding on local cooperation for the 2024-2026 period. This MoU signifies their commitment to creating opportunities for youth and citizen exchange, promoting mutual understanding through cultural and sporting activities, and exploring potential collaboration in various fields such as education, trade and sustainable development.

Hai Duong and Suwon established their friendly and cooperative relationship in July 2004.

Việt Nam an example of dangerous epidemic containment

Việt Nam has established itself as one of the leading countries in the fight against emerging diseases in the context of a number of dangerous and fast-spreading epidemics in the world over the past years like COVID-19 and earlier, SARS or MERS-CoV.

Over the past 30 years since the inception of the national Expanded Immunisation Programme, Việt Nam has significantly enhanced its capacity for monitoring, detecting, diagnosing, and responding to disease outbreaks swiftly and effectively. Despite socio-economic challenges, improvements have been recorded in the prevention and control of dangerous and emerging diseases, reception and treatment of patients, as well as the preparedness to respond to dangerous epidemics.

As a result, many deadly contagious diseases have been brought under control and eradicated such as smallpox eliminated in 1978, polio in 2000, and neonatal tetanus in 2005 while no new cases of bubonic plague have been reported since 2002.

Infections of other epidemics like diphtheria, whooping cough and measles have also been reduced by hundreds or even thousands of times compared to the time prior to the Expanded Programme on Immunisation. Many other endemic diseases, such as dengue fever, viral encephalitis, tuberculosis, typhoid, and cholera, have been curbed. Infections and fatalities have been minimized, with no major breakouts occurring.

Việt Nam was one of the first countries to succeed in containing the SARS, A/H5N1, and A/H1N1 outbreaks. It also successfully prevented some dangerous and emerging diseases like A/H7N9, Ebola, and MERS-CoV from entering the country.

In particular, after more than three years, Việt Nam has managed to contain the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic that spread around the globe, thus greatly helping with its socio-economic recovery and development.

Monitoring and testing capacity has also been promoted when it comes to emerging communicable diseases, from MERS-CoV, Ebola to A/H7N9 and COVID-19. The communicable disease surveillance system, including surveillance in the community, at border gates and at laboratories, along with surveillance in areas with abnormal epidemiological factors has proved effective.

The achievements of Việt Nam have earned worldwide recognition. The country’s good performance has enhanced people’s trust and won admiration from the international community.

Pointing out complex developments of communicable diseases in the world, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyễn Thị Liên Hưong said the tropical monsoon climate and growing trade and tourism make Việt Nam highly vulnerable to different epidemics.

To prevent diseases from becoming epidemics and gearing up for future pandemics or health emergencies, the Ministry of Health (MoH) will push ahead with implementing tasks and solutions as assigned by the Party Central Committee, National Assembly, Government, and Prime Minister, she noted.

The Ministry will enhance access to global health security in disease prevention and control by sharing information and experiences through bilateral and multilateral cooperation mechanisms. This demonstrates its commitment to international cooperation in epidemic response, as stated by the official

At a ceremony held on December 27, 2023 in response to the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness, the MoH asked provinces and centrally-run cities to enhance disease prevention and control; ready response plans in case of pandemics or health emergencies; improve the capacity of anti-epidemic systems at all levels, especially in disadvantaged, remote, mountainous, border, maritime, and ethnic minority areas; and engage all sides, including authorities, sectors, and socio-political organisations, in the work.

The MoH also called on the entire people and community to better disease awareness, improve their health, and actively join in disease prevention efforts.

Fetal cardiac intervention technique wins Vietnam Medical Achievement Award

Following two successfully fetal cardiac interventions conducted by Tu Du Hospital in collaboration with Children's Hospital 1, the technique has received the Vietnam Medical Achievement Award, according to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health.

This marks the fourth consecutive year that the Vietnam Medical Achievement Award has been held, with the event aiming to honour advanced medical projects and high technology applications carried out by Vietnamese physicians in providing health check-ups for people.

The jury panel of the 2023 Vietnam Medical Achievement Award has received a total of 86 medical entries from 42 medical stations from Thu Duc city and hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City, Long An, and Hau Giang.

The judging panel has presented the award to the Tu Du Hospital and the Children's Hospital 1 for the technique of fetal cardiac intervention in order to save the life of a fetus with severe heart abnormalities.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health said that these are new advancements in fetal cardiac intervention by Vietnamese doctors, which are on par with developed countries in the region.

In fact, only a few countries in the world such as Brazil and Poland have successfully performed the surgery, while other regional countries such as Singapore and Thailand have not yet implemented the fetal cardiac intervention technique.

Vietnam wins big on first day of Asian Age Group Championships

Vietnamese swimmers pocketed four gold medals on the first competition day of the 11th Asian Age Group Championships, which is currently taking place at New Clark City in Capas in the Philippines. 
      
Vietnamese swimmer Tran Hung Nguyen wins gold medal in the men's 200m individual medley aged above 18 (Photo: Kha Hoa/thanhnien.vn)
According to the competition results on February 26, Pham Thanh Bao brought home the first gold medal for the Vietnamese team in the men’s 100m breaststroke aged above 18 after clocking a time of 1’01”31.
 
Elsewhere, Tran Hung Nguyen and Duong Van Hoang won two other gold medals in the men's 200m individual medley aged above 18 and medals in the men's 200m individual medley aged 13 to 14 with times of 2’03”35 and 2’08”21, respectively.

The last gold medal won on the first day of the tournament by Vietnam went to Nguyen Huy Hoang in the men's 800m freestyle event aged above 18 with a time of 8’01”65. In addition, the Vietnamese team also grabbed seven silver and five bronze medals.

The Asian Age Group Championships has attracted he participation of about 1,300 athletes from 31 countries, competing in four disciplines such as swimming, artistic swimming, and water polo.

The tournament is scheduled to last through March 9.

Luxury cruise ship brings 2,800 tourists to central localities

The cruise ship Celebrity Solstice carrying nearly 2,800 passengers and crew members on board berthed at Chan May port in the central province of Thua Thien – Hue on February 26.

Upon arrival at the location they were warmly welcomed and presented with special gifts by local authorities and Cham May Port leaders.

During their stay, the visitors are scheduled to take tours of major tourist destinations and sample specialties in Thua Thien-Hue province, Quang Nam province, and Da Nang city, all of which are home to UNESCO-recognised World Heritage sites.

In 2023, Chan May Port received a total of 24 cruise ships, bringing 51,307 international tourists to Thua Thien-Hue and adjacent areas. In the year ahead, the port is expected to welcome 40 cruise ships with nearly 73,097 passengers and more than 31,228 crew members on board.

Côn Sơn-Kiếp Bạc Spring Festival 2024 opens in Hải Dương

Thousands of visitors have flocked to the northern province of Hải Dương to attend the Côn Sơn-Kiếp Bạc Spring Festival 2024 being held at Côn Sơn-Kiếp Bạc Special National Relic Site in Chí Linh City.

This year, the festival takes place to commemorate the 690th death anniversary of Huyền Quang (1334 - 2024), the third progenitor of the Trúc Lâm Zen Buddhism sect. 

Various cultural and spiritual activities including a water procession ceremony, a sacrifice ceremony on Ngũ Nhạc mountain, a food contest featuring the making of local handmade cakes, and some folk games and traditional sports are being held at the festival.

In particular, at an opening ceremony on Monday, the provincial authorities announced the Prime Minister's decision to recognise a set of three Buddha statues at Côn Sơn Pagoda as a national treasure.

Speaking at the ceremony, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Hải Dương,Triệu Thế Hùng, said that Côn Sơn has become one of the major Buddhism centres of the Vietnamese Trúc Lâm Zen Buddhism sect since the 14th century.

The Trúc Lâm Zen sect contributed to empowering the Đại Việt army and people in maintaining independence and sovereignty against foreign invaders.

Every Spring, Côn Sơn Pagoda receives a large number of visitors and compatriots from across the country and abroad who come to celebrate, light incense to commemorate the founder Zen Master Huyền Quang and enjoy the beautiful landscape.

Huyền Quang, whose real name was Lý Đạo Tái, was born in 1254, originally from Vạn Tư village, now in Thái Bảo Commune, Gia Bình District in the northern province of Bắc Ninh. He was a talented intellectual and famous for his poetry and literature. He obtained his doctorate at the age of 21, and then followed Buddhism. Together with Monk King Trần Nhân Tông, he wrote Buddhism scriptures, popularised Buddhism across the country and became the third progenitor of the Trúc Lâm Zen sect. He spent his last days and died at Côn Sơn Pagoda.

Côn Sơn-Kiếp Bạc was recognised as a national heritage site in 1962 and a special national heritage site in 2012. In 2013, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism named the Spring Festival in Côn Sơn Pagoda and the Autumn Festival in Kiếp Bạc Temple as national intangible cultural heritages.

Currently, Hải Dương, Quảng Ninh and Bắc Giang provinces are working together to promote the value of the Côn Sơn-Kiếp Bạc special national relic site, and finalising dossiers for the Yên Tử-Vĩnh Nghiêm-Côn Sơn Kiếp Bạc landscape and relic complex to seek UNESCO recognition as a world heritage site. 

Túy Loan rice paper-making village designated national heritage

Túy Loan rice paper village in Hòa Phong Commune, Hòa Vang District, Đà Nẵng City has been recognised as a national intangible cultural heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has proposed that the authorities at all levels carry out state management in compliance with the provisions of the law on cultural heritage to preserve and develop the Túy Loan rice paper village.

In Túy Loan, the craft of producing rice paper is rooted in the over 500-year history of exploration and settlement by the forefathers and passed down through many generations.

Túy Loan rice paper is made entirely by hand, mainly using rice flour and ingredients such as sesame, ginger and garlic, creating a unique flavour for the rice paper.

Túy Loan rice paper is familiar in the Central Region cuisine, and is especially served with Quảng noodles.

In the village, 15 households maintain and promote the traditional craft of making handmade rice paper. Every year during the Tết (Lunar New Year), Hòa Phong Commune has over 40 households participating in making rice paper to meet the demand of supplying rice paper to the market.

In recent years, a plan to revitalise artisan communities has been devised by Hòa Vang District, which offers advantageous financing to individuals and households who want to invest in making rice paper.

The local authorities aim to combine tourism and hands-on experiences in the village with the development and rehabilitation of craft communities. 

Vietnam - Cambodia Friendship Monument inaugurated in Svay Rieng

A Vietnam - Cambodia Friendship Monument  was inaugurated on February 27 in Svay Rieng province, about 100 kilometres to the southeast of Phnom Penh.

This is the 18th monument completed under a project to build 23 Vietnam – Cambodia Friendship Monuments across Cambodia.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia Nguyen Huy Tang affirmed that the friendship monuments are the Cambodian people’s recognition of the assistance that the Vietnamese people have given to the neighbouring country during the struggle to topple the Pol Pot regime as well as national construction nowadays.

He stressed that the works have played an important role in educating younger generations of both countries about the value of peace and freedom as well as raising their awareness of the traditional Vietnam – Cambodia friendship.

Samdech Men Sam An, Vice President of the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), Chairwoman of the National Council of the Solidarity Front of Development of the Cambodian Motherland and Chairwoman of the Cambodia – Vietnam Friendship Association, laid stress on the sound neighbourliness between the two countries who stood shoulder to shoulder with each other to overcome formidable challenges in various stages of the history to gain peace, territorial integrity and development, and contribute to peace, cooperation, prosperity and economic development in the region and the world.

Expressing her gratitude towards the Vietnamese Party, State, Fatherland Front, military and people for helping Cambodia liberate itself from the brutal genocidal regime, and making contributions to the country’s process to seek peace.

The inauguration of the friendship monument aimed at honouring the traditional solidarity, friendship and cooperation between the two nations, she said, adding it was a vivid illustration for the efforts to continue nurturing, consolidating and enhancing the time-honoured Vietnam – Cambodia relations.

Construction of the 23 friendship monuments began in 1980. Among them, 18 have been completed in Phnom Penh and other localities, while five others are under construction and will be inaugurated in Oddar Meanchey, Prey Veng, Siem Reap, Pailin and Tbong Khmum.

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