A year-on-year drop of 15.4 percent was recorded in the number of traffic accidents from January 15 to February 14 to 1,011 cases, according to the National Traffic Safety Committee.

The committee said that 3.73 percent and 25.4 percent declines were also seen in the number of deaths and injuries, respectively, to 620 and 661.

Of the accidents, 1,000 cases were on road, claiming 614 lives and injuring 657 others, falling by 15.11 percent, 2.69 percent and 25.59 percent, respectively.

Meanwhile, there were seven railway accidents, and four waterway and no maritime accidents.

The figures raised the total number of accidents in the first two months of 2022 to 1,974, with 1,185 and 1,260 injuries. Compared to the same period in 2021, the number of cases fell 21.51 percent, while the number of deaths and injuries dropped 7.06 percent a d 30.88 percent, respectively.

Vietnam’s U23 football team welcomed home

The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) held a ceremony on February 27 in Ho Chi Minh City to welcome home the U23 team who triumphed at the recently-concluded AFF Championship in Cambodia.

Vietnam defeated Thailand 1-0 at the final to earn the title on February 26, winning over the regional rivals twice in the tournament.

It is the first time that Vietnam has triumphed at the regional U23 Championship. The tourney helped the players sharpen their skills, techniques, mettle and competitive spirits, contributing to the development of Vietnam’s football, he added.

At the welcome ceremony, the VFF presented 2.7 billion VND (118,320 USD) to the team, which was also showered with bonuses from firms and sponsors.

Earlier, President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh congratulated the team for overcoming challenges, especially COVID-19, to seize victory and qualify for the final of the 2022 AFF U23 Championship.

Cultural, musical event held at Italian university to explore “Vietnam soul”

A cultural and musical event named “Vietnam Soul” has been held at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Italy, featuring various performances by students who learn Vietnamese language at the Department of Asian and North African Studies.

The performances, directed by Le Thi Bich Huong, a Vietnamese lecturer, were taken to the stage by first to third-year students, who do not want to learn Vietnamese just from books but also from traditional cultures.

The event was opened with a signature Bac Ninh “quan ho” (love duet) folk song called “Moi Trau” to welcome the guests and express the hospitality.

The performers also enthralled the audience with “cheo” (Vietnamese traditional opera) and “cai luong” (reformed opera) singing, a traditional costume fashion show and Vietnamese poem reading, among others.

Students of 1st - 6th grades in Hanoi’s suburban areas return to online learning

Students from the first to sixth grades in the 18 suburban districts and town of Hanoi will return to online learning from February 28, part of local efforts to curb COVID-19 transmission.

The Hanoi People’s Committee made the decision on February 27 basing on the proposal submitted by the Department of Education and Training.

The move was prompted by a surge in the rising number of new infections in the community, including in educational establishments, the fact that students of these grades are yet to be vaccinated against COVID-19, as well as parents’ concern.

The municipal People’s Committee also assigned the district-level administrations to base on the COVID-19 situation in their localities, proposals by local educational establishments, and opinions from students’ parents to flexibly switch between in-person and online learning so as to ensure safety for both students and teachers.

COVID-19: 86,990 cases recorded on February 27

A total 86,990 cases of COVID-19 were recorded in the past 24 hours from 4pm February 26 to 4pm February 27, according to the Ministry of Health.

Hanoi continued to record the highest number of infections with 11,517 cases, followed by Quang Ninh with 5,997.

The national tally now stands at 3,321,005 cases, with a total of 205 infections of Omicron.

The day also saw 35,866 people given the all-clear and 94 deaths.

February 26 witnessed 125,533 doses of vaccines administered, raising the total to 193,408,292.

Embassy delivers supports to needy Vietnamese Cham people in Malaysia

Over 100 relief packages were delivered to disadvantaged Vietnamese Cham people in Charating, the Malaysian state of Pahang, on February 26 as part of a series of charitable events co-held by the Embassy of Vietnam and Thuong Le charity group.

The embassy staff also took the occasion to help the people resolve consular issues in an attempt to allow them to better integrate into the local community.

There are about 2,000 Vietnamese Cham people living in Malaysia, many of whom moved here before 1980 while the others about a decade ago.

Vietnam’s naval officers attend int’l maritime seminar in India

A delegation of the Vietnam People’s Navy (VPN) on February 27 attended an international maritime seminar that was part of the multilateral naval exercise MILAN 2022 in India, the Quan doi Nhan dan (People’s Army) daily reported.

The event was attended ambassadors and naval representatives of the 39 countries participating in MILAN 2022. Vietnamese Ambassador to India Pham Sanh Chau and the VPN delegation led by Colonel Nguyen Van Ngan, Deputy Chief of the Staff of Naval Region 4, took part in the workshop.

The Vietnamese delegation’s presence at MILAN 2022 demonstrated the country’s sense of responsibility as an active member who is ready to cooperate with others for common interests as well as for maritime stability, safety, and security in the region and the world at large, according to Quan doi Nhan dan.

National Film Festival on Traffic Safety honours 22 outstanding works

Winners of the 2021 National Film Festival on Traffic Safety were announced at a ceremony on February 27 in Hanoi.

The organising board presented two first, four second, six third prizes as well as ten consolidation prizes to outstanding works chosen from 210 entries.

The first prize went to “Nhanh hay cham” (Quickly or slowly” reportage video by journalists from Dong Thap Radio and Television Station and “Nga ba duong” (T-junction) by some authors from Cam Le District's Youth Union (Da Nang City).

Five most favourite works voted by the audiences were also presented at the ceremony.

Czech forum opens up study opportunities for Vietnamese youths

The Vietnam Youth and Students Association, in collaboration with the Vietnamese Students Association in the Czech Republic, recently held the Study in Czech Republic Forum 2022, opening up learning opportunities for young Vietnamese people.

The organisers and speakers provided participants with an overview of studying in the Czech Republic such as registration procedures, information about training institutions, majors, languages, scholarships and tuition fees, as well as accommodation, Czech customs and habits and career opportunities.

Speakers also answered questions from parents and young Vietnamese who are interested in studying in the Czech Republic in 2022 and the coming years. At the forum, Vietnamese students and alumni also shared their own practical experience during their study and research in this country.

613,000 USD allocated to add GPS signal lighting on waterways

Nearly 14 billion VND (613,228 USD) has been allocated to replace and install new GPS signal lighting systems using solar energy on more than 30 national waterways in the northern and central regions in 2022, according to the Vietnam Inland Waterways Administration.

From 2017 – 2019, the administration installed more than 2,500 night-time GPS signal lights using solar power on a trial basis. The automated lights are connected with the centre for monitoring waterway traffic safety.

The project receives about 6.8 billion VND in funding provided by the Government of Australia’s Aust4Transport Programme.

National Music Festival 2022 to start in March

The National Music Festival 2022 will start next month in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak, the Vietnam Musicians’ Association (VMA) has announced.

Music composers, artists, producers and music-lovers from 19 provinces and cities nationwide will compete in the festival, slated for March 10-12 in Buon Ma Thuot city.

The event is organised by the VMA in collaboration with the provincial People's Committee, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Association of Literature and Arts and the VMA branch in Đak Lak.

It aims to honour outstanding artists, promote their new musical works and continuously encourage their exploration and creation in the fields of composing, producing, performing, music theory and training.

Within the framework of the festival, there will be a seminar themed “Central Highlands’ Folk Music in Today’s Musical Life,” which aims to find out ways to create musical works that are in tune with the current life and honour the unique identity of folk and traditional music of the Central Highlands ethnic groups.

Bamboo Airways ready to repatriate Vietnamese citizens from Ukraine

Bamboo Airways has developed plans to bring home Vietnamese citizens from Ukraine if it gets the green light from authorities, according to a CEO of the budget airline.

Preparations are underway following the Prime Minister’s February 26 telegram on the protection of Vietnamese citizens and legal entities in Ukraine where growing armed conflicts are occurring, said Huong Tran Kieu Dung, vice president of Bamboo Airways’ Board of Directors.

The PM’s telegram states that the armed conflict in Ukraine is occurring in a complicated manner, directly threatening the safety of life and property of people and businesses, including about 7,000 Vietnamese expatriates residing there.

One of Vietnam’s top concerns is to ensure the highest security and safety for Vietnamese citizens and legal entities in Ukraine, said the PM in the telegram.

The Prime Minister directed relevant ministries and agencies to carefully prepare necessary options, including repatriating home Vietnamese people and family members from Ukraine. He reminded the Ministry of Transport to direct airlines to prepare such a repatriation plan.

Vietnam wins 9 gold medals at SEA Pencak Silat Champs 2022

Vietnamese martial artists have brought home nine gold medals from the eighth Southeast Asian Pencak Silat Championship which was held in Singapore from February 25-27.

After winning two gold medals in their opening games on February 26, nine Vietnamese athletes qualified for the final games in the Tanding (combat) event, and seven of them clinched golds in different weight categories on the last day of the competition.

It is noteworthy that young Vietnamese athletes such as Nguyen Tan Sang, 23, Le Thi Van Anh, 22, and Vu Van Kien, 24, all secured victories, cherishing Vietnamese hope at the 31st Southeast Asian games (SEA Games) due to be held in May 2022.

Vietnamese man stabbed to death in Japan

A Vietnamese man has been stabbed to death at JR Asahikawa station of Japan’s Asahikawa city in Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan’s NHK reported on February 27.

The police received a report at around 4:40 pm on February 27 (local time) that someone had been stabbed with a knife in the station premises.

According to the police, the person who was stabbed is a Vietnamese national who is 35 years old and living in the locality. The man was transferred to a nearby hospital but he did not survive.

Security camera footage shows the victim had been stabbed by a Vietnamese man in his 20s, who is also living in Asahikawa city, NHK reported.

Several hours later the police arrested the suspect and brought him to the police headquarters for investigation. The weapon has yet to be found. 

HCM City proposes faster work on key traffic projects

The proposal, submitted to the Ministry of Transport, refers specifically to several projects including the 58-km Bến Lức-Long Thành Expressway running through the city and the provinces of Long An and Đồng Nai; and expansion of the HCM City-Long Thành-Dầu Giây Expressway.

The city has also proposed that a pre-feasibility study for the high-speed HCM City-Cần Thơ railway be speeded up.

With regard to the HCM City-Mộc Bài Expressway, the Government has been requested to allocate VNĐ5.9 trillion ($258 million) for site clearance, compensation and resettlement work on the section that runs through the city.

The 53km-expressway has an estimated total capital investment of VNĐ15.9 trillion ($695.3 million). It is expected to begin construction in 2023 and be completed in 2026.

The total capital allocated under the city’s mid-term investment plan for the 2021-2025 period is VNĐ142 trillion ($6.23 billion), which is only 20 per cent of its actual need.

It is, therefore, proposing that the Government increase its capital allocation under the plan to ensure implementation of planned projects or remove some projects from the list.

HCM City prepares to tackle rising COVID-19 infections among children

Early detection of infections, vaccination and preparation of hospital beds for treatment are two main measures in HCM City’s response to the rising number of children infected with COVID-19.

The HCM City Department of Health has sent to relevant units an urgent document on guidance and care for COVID-19 infected children.

According to the city’s Centre for Disease Control, between February 14 and 22, the number of infected children was three times that of the previous week (February 7-13). Most of the positive cases detected in children were infections with the Omicron strain, identified as a worrying variant by the World Health Organization (WHO) because of rapid transmission.

The department has asked all public and non-public medical clinics, hospitals and treatment facilities in the city to ensure early detection of infections among children as well as prompt treatment for those with abnormal signs.

To better protect children, especially children under 12, the city has developed a plan on vaccination for children aged 5-11.

The city’s Department of Education and Training has asked all kindergarten, primary and secondary schools to make a list of students aged 5-11 years to prepare for vaccinations. The plan is to vaccinate all children born on and before April 1, 2017.

HCM City targets comprehensive digitisation

HCM City plans to speed up digital transformation to achieve its goals of becoming a digital government and smart city this year.

City leaders have pointed out three major areas of focus: governing the city in the new situation (after the pandemic), building databases and linking all databases related to governance and reforming governance and finding new driving forces for future growth.

According to the Department of Information and Communications, the city will implement comprehensive technology solutions and exploit shared data for the prevention and control of COVID-19 and hastening economic recovery.

The databases contain information about the public, enterprises and land.

Vinh Phuc works to promote values of Dong Dau archaeological site

The northern province of Vinh Phuc has decided to invest in a project to construct Dong Dau Park in Yen Lac township of Yen Lac district to develop the cultural and historical values of its Dong Dau archaeological site.

The project, which has a total investment of 90 million VND (3,943 USD), covers over 5.4 hectares.

Scheduled to be completed in 2025, tt is expected to contribute to promoting the historical and cultural values of the site, thus combining with the Gia Loan temple and Bien Son pagoda to create a highlight for the spiritual tourism of Yen Lac district and Vinh Phuc province as a whole. It is also designed to expand the green space for local residents.

The site has total area of 8.5 hectares in Dong village of Yen Lac township. It was uncovered in 1962 and became a national-level historical-cultural relic site in 2000. Through repeated work, archeologists have found a large number of items typical for four cultural periods of Phung Nguyen, Go Dau, Go Mun and Dong Son.

More areas in Hanoi face high risks for Covid-19 infection

According to the Hanoi People’s Committee, by Friday, 283 communes, wards and towns in Hanoi were listed as areas at low risk of Covid-19 infection; while the figure for medium and high risks was 222 and 74 areas respectively.

The high-risk areas are located in Ba Dinh, Bac Tu Liem, Chuong My, Dan Phuong, Dong Anh, Dong Da, Gia Lam, Ha Dong, Hai Ba Trung, Hoai Duc, Hoan Kiem, Hoang Mai, Long Bien, Me Linh, Nam Tu Liem, Quoc Oai, Soc Son, Tay Ho, Thach That, Thanh Oai, Thanh Xuan and Thuong Tin districts.

Hanoi has topped the countries in daily Covid-19 cases. On Saturday, the city recorded the highest number of infections with 10,783 cases.

Omicron now the dominant variant in HCM City

New COVID-19 infections have been on the rise in Ho Chi Minh City in recent days, and Omicron is currently the dominant variant here, according to the city’s centre for disease control (HCDC).

The southern hub recorded 1,356 new infections and 334 cases of hospitalisation on February 22, both higher than the previous days, but the numbers of severe cases and deaths are still low.

The HCDC said from February 10 to 17, 70 of the 92 samples sent to the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU) and the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, equivalent to 76 percent, tested positive for Omicron. Gene sequencing results also showed that all the 26 samples randomly selected from those 70 samples were positive to this variant.

Facing the spread of Omicron, HCM City is stepping up anti-pandemic measures, including the second phase of the spring vaccination campaign, scheduled to wrap up at the end of February, during which it has administered the first dose to more than 6,000 people, the second to over 26,000, and additional and booster to over 85,000.

MPI and UNDP collaborate on launching climate guidance book

On February 23, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment  Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc received UNDP resident representative Vietnam Caitlin Wiesen.

Wiesen announced organising a conference for the launch of the CPEIR. With the assistance of six ministries and 29 cities and provinces, the review provides trends on allocating climate change finance and a proper way for mobilising resources for Vietnam. The CPEIR is a useful reference for all ministries and agencies of Vietnam to review and assess the mobilisation and allocation of finance in the global fight against climate change.

Caitlin Wiesen said that UNDP would like to work with the MPI to carry out research projects, develop a climate finance strategy, mobilise climate finance for strategic development in Vietnam, and develop a national programme.

MPI Deputy Ngoc highly emphasised that the MPI will work closely with UNDP to successfully organise the CPEIR announcement workshop.

The deputy minister stated that the MPI will closely coordinate with UNDP to implement all activities. UNDP is expected to continue to act as a bridge to help the ministry access appropriate financial resources such as the Green Climate Fund, develop an appropriate climate finance strategy for Vietnam, and effectively implement the national strategy on climate change and green growth. 

Meteorologists recommend proactively dealing with cycle of natural disasters

Meteorologists considered that the recent bitterly cold front over the Northern and North- Central regions was the coldest wave since the beginning of the winter-spring season of 2021-2022.

The statistics showed that there have been four record cold spells in history from 2008 to now. According to the experts, severe or extreme colds have changes in the cycle; therefore, the localities need to proactively deal with ahead natural disasters to minimize damages.

According to Head of the Climate Forecast Division under the National Center for Hydrology Meteorology Forecasting (NCHMF) Nguyen Van Huong, temperatures in the Northern region will tend to decrease gradually from next month.

It is forecast that weather and natural disasters will have many changes in the cycle compared to every year falling from March to August. Particularly, the average temperature in the country will reduce by 0.5 degrees Celsius to 1 degree Celsius lower than the average of many years in March and April.

As for March, temperatures in the Northern, North- Central and Mid-Central regions will decrease 0.5 degrees Celsius to 1 degree Celsius as low as the same period annually.

Central region in short supply of Covid-19 rapid test kits

In recent days, the Central provinces have continuously recorded a high number of Covid-19 cases in the community, with more than 1,000 community transmissions per day in some provinces. Therefore, the demand for rapid testing has surged drastically, leading to a scarcity of rapid test kits in some localities, such as Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, and Binh Dinh provinces, or even out of stock in some places.

At large pharmacies in Nui Thanh District in Tam Ky City of Quang Nam Province, rapid test kits are scarce. The prices of test kits have increased continuously from suppliers in Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi, so local pharmacies dare not to import a large volume of test kits. Along with that, recently, the number of people infected with Covid-19 has climbed quickly, causing test kits to be out of stock sometimes.

As for the inner cities and rural areas of Quang Ngai and Binh Dinh provinces, the prices of Covid-19 test kits of all kinds have soared sharply, and many localities were almost out of stock. In Phu Cat District in Quy Nhon City of Binh Dinh Province, the test kit price jumped from VND60,000 per kit to VND110,000 per kit. In Quy Nhon City alone, at Long Chau Pharmacy in Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, test kits were sold at VND85,000-VND110,000 per kit on the morning of February 26. Many other pharmacies no longer have test kits for sale.

Many medical facilities in Quang Nam Province have also stopped providing rapid testing service due to the shortage of test kits because the number of F0 and F1 cases has surged rapidly after the Lunar New Year, causing the units to run out of medical-biological products. According to Dr. Pham Thanh Binh, Director of Tam Ky City Medical Center, currently, the number of allocated test kits is only enough to use for F0 cases in concentrated treatment facilities. The center has proposed to allocate more test kits because the number of people infected with Covid-19 in the area is increasing day by day.

A leader of the Quang Nam Department of Health said that the department has been actively looking for sources to increase the necessary reserve of test kits. Localities also need to strengthen searching supplies, at the same time, propagandize people to only test following the new guidelines of the Ministry of Health. Particularly, F1 cases injected enough doses of the Covid-19 vaccine only test on the last day of the isolation period to avoid causing waste and scarcity.

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

VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES FEBRUARY 27

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