From January 31 to February 7, foreign airlines conducted 36 regular and irregular flights transporting 2,055 Vietnamese passengers from Taiwan (China), Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand, Japan and the Middle East and Turkey back home.

The information was released by the Ministry of Transport on February 7.

Earlier on January 31, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh requested the ministry to urgently permit foreign airlines carrying stranded Vietnamese citizens home and issue related guidance.

Right after that, the ministry sent a document to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam to actively coordinate with agencies and units of relevant ministries, sectors and localities to urgently issue permits for the airlines to transport Vietnamese citizens back home, especially from areas where many Vietnamese are still stranded.

Vietnamese women’s football team awarded over US$354,000

Vietnamese women’s football team has been awarded remarkably with a total amount of over VND8 billion (US$354,000) counted by the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) with the achievement of qualifying for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup for the first time.

The total amount of rewards for the Vietnamese women’s football team has so far reached over VND8 billion (US$354,000).

Accordingly, the team has received VND600 million (nearly US$27,000) from the two confronts with the Republic of Korea (RoK) and Japan, VND600 million (nearly US$27,000) from the drawn match with Myanmar, VND300 million (US$13,000) from the match with China, VND1 billion (US$44,000) from the defeat match against Thailand and VND3 billion (US$133,000) from the victory in the play-off against Chinese Taipei on Sunday. Apart from the award source of the Vietnam Football Federation, a group announced to award the team VND3 billion (US$133,000).

Localities asked to complete Abdala vaccine use in February

The Ministry of Health has urged the completion of using the Abdala vaccine against COVID-19 in February.

The ministry recently sent a dispatch to the Secretaries of the Party Committees, and Chairmen of the People's Committees of 12 localities on accelerating the use of the Cuban-made vaccine.

In October and November last year 2021, five million doses of the vaccine were allocated to localities. However, as of January 28, 541,400 doses had been left in those localities.

On September 17, the ministry approved with conditions for the emergency use of Cuba's Abdala vaccine in the pandemic fight.

Abdala is used for people aged 19-65, with three doses and the interval of 14 days.

National biodiversity strategy to 2030 approved

Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh has signed a decision approving the national biodiversity strategy to 2030 with a vision towards 2050.

Under the strategy, the Government targets increasing the area of protected ecosystems to 9 percent of the country's land area, and protected marine and coastal areas to 3-5 percent of the total sea area.

Meanwhile, forest coverage is expected to sustain at 42-43 percent and at least 20 percent of the degraded ecosystem area will be restored.

The Government will give priority to conservation of wildlife species, particularly endangered, rare and precious species of plants and animals.

With a vision towards 2050, major natural ecosystems, endangered species, and precious and rare genetic resources will be restored and effectively preserved.

To that end, the strategy sets out key tasks such as intensifying biodiversity conservation and restoration, conserving and restoring endangered wild species, stepping up the conservation of genetic resources, and controlling activities that would harm biodiversity.

Northern region to get colder from February 8

The northern region and north-central province of Thanh Hoa will experience a chill from February 8 night due to an enhanced cold spell, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

The mercury will drop to 11-14 degrees Celsius and even below 5 in high mountains.

Rains and showers are expected in the northern and north-central regions on February 8-9.

Elderly are advised to stay indoor to avoid risks of stroke and residents of mountainous regions refrain from engaging in outdoor activities and burning coal in closed rooms for heat.

Measures need to be taken to protect and keep crops, cattle and aquatic farms warm, especially in mountainous localities.

From February 8 afternoon, the northern part of the East Sea, including the waters around the Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago, is expected to see strong northeasterly wind and rough sea.

Three Vietnamese women claim Asia Innovation Awards

Three female Vietnamese scientists have been honoured at the Hitachi Global Foundation Asia Innovation Awards.

The Best Innovation Award went to Dr. Pham Thi Thuy Phuong of Vietnam’s Institute of Chemical Technology under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology. She was recognised for her “A Novel Biosensing System for Rapid Estimation of BOD5 and Sensitive Detection of Toxicity in Water (BODTOX)” project.

Elsewhere, the Outstanding Innovation Award was given to Professor Le Minh Thang of the Department of Organic and Petrochemical Technology at Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST). She won the honour due to her "Catalysts from transition metal oxides and technologies for the treatment of exhaust gases and waste water to protect the life on land and below water" project.

Meanwhile, Dang Thi Tuyet Ngan grabbed the Encouragement Award for her project “ESMS – the smart solution to recovery valuable metals (Indium, Cobalt, Europium) from difficult treated wastewater as well as e-waste forward to circular economy in Vietnam”.

Originally launched in 2020, the Hitachi Global Foundation Asia Innovation Award aims to promote science, technology, and innovation which contributes to solving social issues and realising a sustainable society in the ASEAN region.

National sports teams busy with training sessions for upcoming 31st SEA Games

All the national sports teams have resumed their practices from February 6 to prepare for the upcoming 31st SEA Games which will be taken place in the next three months.

Regarding martial arts, all of the national teams have come back for training at the National Sports Training Centers in the capital city of Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Can Tho and some surrounding areas from February 6.

Meanwhile, male and female boxers have soon performed their training resumption. Besides, archers have performed their first training session at Hanoi National Sports Training Center from February 6.

Apart from martial arts, national athletes of badminton, weight-lifting, gymnastics, cycling and other sports have resumed their training.

After the Tet holiday, some national sports teams decided to perform their training sessions overseas, including the shooting team with its short-gun shooting in the Republic of Korea (RoK) and some other contents will be implemented in Thailand.

Boat race festival on Ly Son Island

As part of the national intangible cultural heritage, the Tu Linh boat racing festival in Ly Son island district in the central province of Quang Ngai is organised annually to pay tribute to national ancestors, and soldiers who fought for the country’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos.

The Tu Linh boat racing festival is associated with Vietnam’s long history, when residents from the mainland settled on Ly Son Island between the late 16th century and the early 17th century under the Le Trung Hung Dynasty and the Nguyen Lords.

The Tu Linh boat racing festival has been preserved by the people of Ly Son Island for nearly 200 years. It was designated a national intangible cultural heritage in 2021.

Nguyen Hue Flower Street receives 350,000 visitors during Tet

Nguyen Hue Flower Street 2022 received around 350,000 visitors during the nine-day opening, an increase of 440 percent compared to last year.

During the operation, the organizers sometimes had to temporarily cease the flower street to reduce the number of visitors and ensure Covid-19 pandemic prevention and control requirements. This year’s flower street received many compliments from visitors with many impressive miniaturized miniatures and tiger mascots.

2022 is the 19th year that the Nguyen Hue Flower Street has been organized during the traditional Tet holiday in the city center since the first time in 2004.

Over 19 years of implementation, Nguyen Hue Flower Street has become one of the most expected events for the Tet in Ho Chi Minh City.

Nguyen Hue Flower Street is one of the city’s typical cultural and sports events in the period of 2020-2030 that the leaders of Ho Chi Minh City directed Saigon Tourism Corporation (Saigontourist Group) to coordinate with departments, agencies and businesses for implementation.

New decrees take effect from February, 2022

The Government's new Decree No. 111/2021/ND-CP dated December 9, 2021 on origin of goods is scheduled to take effect from February 15, 2022.

The new Decree was issued to amend and supplement several articles of Decree No. 43/2017/ND-CP dated on April 14, 2017.

Under the new Decree, information on the label of goods include the following phases: produced in, manufactured in, name of the country where the goods is produced, origin, produced by, product of and name of country/territory where the good is produced.

The name of the country or territory from which the goods is produced shall not be written in abbreviated forms.

The Government issued Decree No. 131/2021/ND-CP dated December 30, 2021 on detailed implementation of the Ordinance on preferential treatment for people with meritorious service to the revolution.

Under the Decree, people with meritorious service to the revolution shall be entitled to exemption of land use fees.

These people include heroic mothers, heroes of the people's armed forces, labor heroes during the resistance war, and persons who joined the revolution prior to January 1, 1945.

Tan Son Nhat, Noi Bai airports serve up to 100,000 passengers on Feb. 7

The number of passengers passing through Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat International Airports is projected to reach nearly 100,000 on February 7, the first working day after the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday.

The Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) said airports across the country operated 1,900 flights with 290,000 passengers on February 6, the last day of the nine-day Tet holiday, representing an increase of 20 percent in term of flights and a surge 73 percent in terms of the number of passengers compared with the same day of the 2021 Lunar New Year.

Airlines plan to make an increase of more than 100 flights, mostly on the Hanoi – HCM City route, from February 6 to 12 to serve travel demand after the Lunar New Year holiday ended, the CAAV said, adding that it suggested airline operators add more night flights as there were a high number of daytime flights already.

COVID-19: Additional 16,815 cases confirmed on Feb 7

Vietnam logged 16,815 new COVID-19 infections on February 7, including six imported cases.

The new figure brings the national tally to 2,358,786.

Hanoi continued to top the country with 2,988 cases, followed by Nghe An with 1,247 and Da Nang with 935.

The country registered 100 COVID-related deaths. The pandemic has claimed a total of 38,424 lives in Vietnam.

As many as 9,665 patients were announced as having made a full recovery on the day, raising the total number of recoveries to 2,122,380.

Vietnamese “blue beret” soldiers join charity trip in South Sudan

The level-2 field hospital No.3 of Vietnam engaging in the United Nations peacekeeping mission together with Ghana’s Formed Police Unit (FPU) recently arranged the first charity trip of the year to Bentiu Central Prison in South Sudan.

The trip was organised on the occasion of the 92nd founding anniversary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and Tet (Lunar New Year), the most important festival of Vietnamese.

The prison is the largest one in South Sudan’s Unity State, holding more than 120 inmates, and facing shortages of food, medicine and health care for prisoners.

In addition to aid packages and necessities, Vietnamese medical soldiers provided free checkups and medicine for prisoners and handed over medical supplies to wardens.

Bai Dinh Pagoda Festival begins in Ninh Binh

The Bai Dinh Pagoda Festival kicked off in Gia Sinh commune, Gia Vien district of the northern province of Ninh Binh on February 6, or the sixth day of the Lunar New Year.

This has been the eighth edition of the annual festival since the Trang An Landscape Complex in the locality was recognised as the World Cultural And Natural Heritage Site by UNESCO.

This year, due to COVID-19, only basic rituals are conducted, while festive activities are restricted.

The ancient Bai Dinh Pagoda, built thousands of years ago, is located on Bai Dinh Mountain.

According to the Vietnamese concept, the ancient Bai Dinh Pagoda is located on an area regarded as a sacred land given it is the birth place of the eminent figures of the nation, including kings, saints and divinities.

The festival will last until the end of the third lunar month.

Needy Vietnamese nationals abroad to get support to fly home

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has requested relevant ministries, agencies and localities to create the best conditions for needy Vietnamese nationals living abroad wishing to fly back to their fatherland.

In a dispatch dated February 7, Dam requested the designated agencies and localities to strictly follow the direction of the Prime Minister regarding reopening of regular international commercial air routes and creating favourable conditions for Vietnamese citizens to return home.

For those who are unable to return home via commercial flights, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was assigned to work alongside relevant ministries, agencies and localities to report to the Prime Minister on policies and measures to protect and ensure legitimate rights and interests of Vietnamese citizens.

The request comes hot on the heels of news surfacing on social medial that Vietnamese nationals wishing to return home have to get very expensive airfares.

Just two weeks ago the investigation agency detained four senior officials of the Consular Department under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for investigations on a charge of ‘taking bribes’ according to the provisions of article 354 of the Penal Code.

Statistics show foreign airlines have operated 36 flights to bring back 2,055 Vietnamese expatriates wishing to return to the fatherland between January 31 and February 2 which coincided with the traditional lunar New Year holiday of Vietnamese people.

Most of the passengers came from Taiwan (China), Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand, Japan and the Middle East.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there are many Vietnamese citizens left stranded overseas and they are unable to return home for the lunar New Year holiday.

Hanoi receives 105,000 visitors during Lunar New Year holiday

The capital city of Hà Nội served over 105,000 tourists during the nine-day Lunar New Year (Tết) holiday which lasted from January 31 to February 6, according to the municipal Department of Tourism.

The favourite destinations included Hà Nội Zoo (28,000 visitors), Bảo Sơn Paradise Park (15,000 visitors), and Ba Vì National Park (13,000 visitors), between January 31 and February 3.

Tourists were mainly local residents and those from adjacent localities. Most were small groups and families.

According to the tourism department, during the holiday, cultural destinations in the city are still temporarily closed while many popular spring festivals like Sóc Temple festival, Đống Đa festival or Tản Viên Sơn Thánh festivals have been halted due to COVID-19.

Some destinations such as Vả Temple (Sơn Tây Township) and Ngọc Sơn Temple (Hoàn Kiếm District) are still open for visitors.

In the Old Quarter, the pedestrian streets around Hoàn Kiếm Lake, Red River rock beach, West Lake flower valley and several traditional craft villages, the number of tourists visiting and shopping decreased sharply compared to previous years.

Minister urges to speed up investigation of corruption cases

On the morning of February 7, in Hanoi, the Ministry of Public Security held an online briefing to police units and localities to assess the situation and results of work to ensure security and order on the occasion of the Lunar New Year.

At the conference, Minister of Public Security To Lam asked police units and localities to promote the achievements by strictly implementing the direction of the Party Central Committee, the Government, the Ministry and the tasks of the police sector soon in the first days and first months of the New Year of the Tiger 2022 to create breakthroughs and pave the way for the future work in 2022.

According to the Ministry of Public Security's report, during the first ninth days of the Lunar New Year holiday in 2022, police units and localities have taken preventative measures against crimes.

Specifically, they carried out an investigation of more than 190 cases, arresting more than 270 criminals, over 180 drug traffickers, roughly 2,700 gamblers; seizing more than 800kg of firecrackers of all kinds as well as seizing more than 300 guns and 10,000 bullets.

Book collection on Party’s ideological foundation debuts

The National Political Publishing House has released a collection of more than 160 book titles on the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV)’s ideological foundation.

Apart from the collection, a book series titled Bien Nien Su Kien Lich Su Dang Cong San Viet Nam (Chronicle of historical events of the CPV) was introduced to the public on the occasion of the 92nd anniversary of the Party (February 3, 1930).

The collection includes works by President Ho Chi Minh and those on the late leader, the Party and political system building, socialism and Vietnam’s path towards socialism.

The bookcase showcasing the collection is located on December 19 Book Street in Hanoi, and will be updated and supplemented on a regular basis.

Meanwhile, the book series features the Party’s leadership during the past struggles against French and US forces, socialism building and the cause of reform, industrialisation, modernisation and international integration.

Hue-Hoi An road trip voted one of the best travel experiences in the world

The Tripadvisor Travelers' Choice Awards has ranked a motorbike ride from Hue to Hoi An as the 12th best tourist activity in the world, under the 'Travel Experience' category.

The tourist information website says that riding a motorbike is the best way to experience the daily life of local people, and discover interesting things in Vietnam.

The Hue-Hoi An route connects the two famous cultural heritage sites, which have been popular among backpackers and tourists for many years.

This route not only has beautiful natural scenery, like the Hai Van Pass, but also connects famous monuments such as the Hue Royal Palace, Tomb of Nguyen Dynasty Kings, Trang Tien Bridge and Hoi An Ancient Town.

According to Tripadvisor, booking a motorbike tour to conquer this road costs around 75 USD per person, with a tour duration of 7 hours and 30 minutes. The trip departs from Lang Co beach before leading to the Hai Van Pass, Da Nang city, Ngu Hanh Son Mountain and stopping in Hoi An.

Source: VNA/VNN/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/Hanoitimes

VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES FEBRUARY 7

All students in HCM City to go back to school by Feb. 14 at the latest