An exhibition featuring paintings and installations on the image of the cat, the zodiac animal for the upcoming Lunar New Year, is taking place at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum in Hanoi.

The exhibition drew the participation of various famous painters and artists who have made great contributions to Vietnamese fine arts.

The exhibits, which were created using diverse materials including lacquers, oil paints, acrylics and coloured wood carvings, highlighted interesting and unique perspectives about this animal which is very close to humans.

The event marked the hard work and serious creative journey of outstanding painters of contemporary fine arts to produce unique artworks as a gift to art lovers ahead of New Year 2023.

The exhibition will run until January 10.

National athletes win first International Half Marathon on New Year's Day

National athletes Nguyen Thi Oanh and Do Quoc Luat met no difficulty in winning the first Vietnam International Half Marathon, the first sporting event of the year on January 1 in Hanoi.

The tournament was divided into two disciplines for almost 5,000 elite and amateur runners who ran in half marathon, 10km and 5km distances.

Oanh, the multi-time SEA Games champion, led from the start to the end of the women's 21.1km event, finishing first with a time of 1hr 15.23min.

Veteran Chinese Taipei runner Chien-Ho Hsieh and famed Thai marathoner Linda Janthachit were expected to challenge Oanh, but they failed to complete their mission.

Hsieh came second at 1:19.35, and Linda Janthachit third at 1:20.52.

In the men's side, Nguyen Van Lai and Luật of Vietnam and Sanchai Namkhet from Thailand quickly separated from the group to lead most of the race.

Former SEA Games champion Luat overcame his senior national team teammate Lai in the last meters to claim the top podium with a time of 1:07 Lai was one second behind and took second place while Namkhet was third at 1:08.02.

The organisers also held a category for people with disabilities, mainly visually impaired runners. They were escorted by a guide and ran 1.5km.

German newspaper commends ‘Dien Bien Phu in the air’ victory

German newspaper Junge Welt has published an article about the "Dien Bien Phu in the air" victory of the Vietnamese army and people 50 years ago when the US massively bombed the North in a campaign considered to be the fiercest targeting Hanoi.

The author noted in the article that the victory in 1972 was the theme of many events and exhibitions in the capital last December to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the event.

The article also cited Vietnam's data showing that the US lost 81 combat aircraft, including 34 B-52 ones.

Vietnam can proudly speak of it as a ‘Dien Bien Phu in the air’ campaign, a phrase derived from a victory of Vietnam against the French in 1954, it wrote.

In addition, another article also published in the Junge Welt newspaper said the half a century has passed since that war, relations between Vietnam and the US are now very diverse and not only at the state level.

The 1972 triumph played a decisive role directly forcing the US Government to sign the Paris Agreement on ending the war and restoring peace in Vietnam, it noted.

During the historic battle that lasted 12 days and nights, the Vietnamese army and people defeated US airstrikes in the North. The triumph is often called the “Dien Bien Phu in the air” victory, which took the name from the victory of the Dien Bien Phu Campaign in 1954 that put an end to the French colonial rule over Indochina.

Various activities take pace in ethnic culture and tourism village in January

Various cultural activities are being held at the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism at Dong Mo on the outskirts of Hanoi throughout January to celebrate the Lunar New Year, known locally as Tet, the nation’s biggest festival.

The “Spring Festival” programme taking place between January 1 and January 31 is designed to introduce a range of traditional activities and ethnic customs during Tet, featuring hundreds of members of 15 ethnic groups at the village.

The highlight will be the introduction of intangible cultural heritages to visitors, including “Then” singing, known locally as “Hat Then”, which is a distinctive musical genre of the Tay, Nung, and Thai ethnic groups who reside in northern mountainous provinces, such as Ha Giang, Cao Bang, Bac Kan, and Lang Son.

Furthermore, the houses of ethnic groups in the village will be decorated in line with traditional customs as part of Tet celebrations.

Cultural and art performances themed around the “Spring Festival” will also be staged on weekends.

Traditional dishes of the ethnic people will also be served at the village for guests to sample.

The occasion will see visitors given the chance to enjoy playing folk games alongside ethnic people.

This year the Lunar New Year festival will start on January 20, 2023, and last through to January 26, 2023, with the first day of Lunar New Year holiday falling on January 22, 2023.

HCM City’s health sector announces achievements, sets new tasks

Striving to develop a project of building a network of community healthcare collaborators in HCM City, and submit it to city leaders for approval and implementation, is one of the 10 main tasks set out by the city’s health sector in 2023.

The city Department of Health has announced its outstanding achievements in 2022, and set its main tasks for 2023.

Next year, the city’s health sector will strengthen epidemic prevention, care and management of non-communicable diseases, and community health programmes.

It will continue improving the capacity of the city’s Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, and supporting the construction of the Regional Centre for Disease Prevention and Control Southeast Asia Regional Office.

It will promote digital transformation, focusing on building a shared data warehouse and starting the roadmap for making electronic health records of residents.

It will learn from successful pharmaceutical industry models of other countries in the region in order to develop the pharmaceutical industry in the city by 2030, with a vision to 2045, and submit it to the municipal People's Committee for approval.

Learning from other countries' experiences, the city will develop its “Centre for screening and early diagnosis with high technology” project.

The city health sector will accelerate reform of administrative procedures and online public service provision, ensuring disbursements on schedule.

Health inspectors will strengthen checks on private medical practices and solutions to prevent illegal advertising activities.

It will develop an out-of-hospital emergency network with a focus on developing modern infrastructure for 115 emergency centres and applying information technology in the ambulance network.

A project to improve the medical capacity of Cần Giờ outlying district will be developed, including a plan and roadmap for the re-establishment of the district’s hospital.

Sa Pa draws nearly 42,000 visitors during New Year holiday

Sa Pa, a famous tourist destination in the north of Vietnam, welcomed nearly 42,000 visitors in the three-day New Year holiday, according to Hoang Thi Vuong, head of the Culture-Information Office of the town in Lao Cai province.

Vuong said that the figure is 2.7 times higher than that recorded in the same time last year, while revenue is also higher at about 126 billion VND (5.33 million USD).

The official said that local accommodation facilities meet the demands of tourists, while drastic measures have been applied to ensure traffic safety and food safety during the holiday, which spans from December 31, 2022 to January 2, 2023.

Despite the freezing cold weather on top of Fansipan Mount, the highest mountain in Indochina has still been a favourite check-in destination for a large number of visitors. 

Located 350km northwest of Hanoi, Sa Pa is 1,600m above sea level, with an average temperature of 15-18 degree Celsius. The town is among the few locations in Vietnam where snow and ice sometimes appear in winter. The Travel, a well-known travel site in Canada, recently listed Sa Pa among the 10 most attractive snow-covered destinations in Asia.

SEA Games 31 leaves strong imprints among foreign friends

The successful hosting of the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31), the biggest sporting event in the region in 2022, affirmed the position of Vietnam on the regional sport map and its readiness as well as great efforts to welcome back foreign tourists.

With the engagement of the whole political system, the right, flexible and drastic measures taken by the Government, ministries, sectors, and localities, the COVID-19 pandemic has been effectively controlled, helping people calmly return to their normal life after the two-year fight against the health crisis.

By the end of 2021, when the pandemic was basically controlled in Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries, the date for SEA Games was fixed.

Members of the Vietnamese Taekwondo squad celebrate first gold medal at the poomsae event on the first competition day at SEA Games 31 on May 15, 2022. (Photo: VNA)
The biennial regional sporting event, featuring 40 sports, took place in Hanoi and 11 nearby localities from May 12 to 23, 2022.

SEA Games 31 not only spreads the sports spirit, solidarity and friendship to more than 600 million people of 11 countries in the region, but also gave proof of Southeast Asia’s strength after two years of combating the pandemic.

There was a fear of a SEA Games with no-audience due to COVID-19. The fear was really removed when the Vietnamese Government decided to fully re-opened borders to tourists from March 15, which means that foreign tourists, sports lovers and fans can come to Vietnam to enjoy the atmosphere of the largest sporting event in the region. The decision aims to bring life back to normal, promote recovery of economic development at the same time do not miss the opportunity to organise major international events like SEA Games.   

On April 28 last year, the General Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health issued a document on the suspension of the COVID-19 health declarations in service of SEA Games 31. 

This was applicable at all of Vietnam’s border gates. Therefore, all people entering Vietnam to participate in SEA Games 31 did not have to make COVID-19 health declarations.

On the evening of May 12, thousands of athletes and audiences at My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi, and millions of Southeast Asian spectators together witnessed the impressive opening ceremony of SEA Games 31.

Foreign athletes and tourists had the opportunity to experience various modern competition venues, witness the socio-economic development of Vietnam and visit attractive destinations in the host country.

With hospitality and sportsmanship, Vietnamese fans also presented a beautiful image to foreign athletes and fans.

Foreign media praised Vietnam’s preparations for the Games, saying that despite the complex developments of the global health crisis, the country demonstrated responsibility in preparing thoughtfully, safely, and securely. 

Vice Chairman of the World Vovinam (Vietnamese martial arts) Federation and Chairman of the African Vovinam Federation Mohammed Djouadj expressed his impression with Vietnam’s organisation of SEA Games 31, to which he was invited to serve as an international supervisor of the sport at the Games.

Commenting on the event, Chairman of the Singaporean National Assembly and also Chairman of the Singapore National Olympic Committee, Tan Chuan-Jin, who attended the opening ceremony and matches of SEA Games 31, said it was difficult to organise a huge event like SEA Games amid the lingering effects of COVID-19, not to mention many other challenges. 

To be able to pull off such a feat, Vietnam has proven their top-notch level capability, he stressed, adding that it delighted him that Vietnam has hosted and organised such a successful SEA Games for the region.

Ensuring and protecting human rights a focal point in Vietnam

With the success in running for a seat at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for the 2023-2025 tenure, Vietnam’s efforts to ensure and promote human rights have been recognised globally by the international community.

After Vietnam was elected to the UN Human Rights Council, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his belief that Vietnam will continue to actively promote and protect human rights.

He called Vietnam one of the indispensable members of the UN, noting the country will make meaningful contributions to the common affairs of the UN in solving global challenges, towards peace and development in the world.

Meanwhile, Palestinian Ambassador to Vietnam Saadi Salama said that Vietnam deserves to have a seat at the UNHRC as the country has worked tirelessly to promote and protect human rights in any circumstance.

The international community also expressed the belief in Vietnam’s substantial contributions during its second tenure at the UNHRC. The contributions reflect the community’s recognition of Vietnam’s efforts in preserving and promoting human rights.

Over the years, Vietnam has paid great attention to ensuring human rights. As of 2021, the country ratified and joined seven out of nine UN basic conventions on human rights. The consistent view of the Party and State of Vietnam is to place people at the centre and consider the people as the subject, the most important resource and the goal of development, ensuring all enjoy human rights. The policy has been demonstrated and institutionalised in the Constitution and laws, and specified in socio-economic development policies and plans.

According to the UNDP report on human development in the 2021-2022 period, during the most trying times of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam performed well in protecting human rights. The Human Development Index leapt two places in the global ranking in 2021.

Caitlin Wiesen, former Resident Representative of UNDP in Vietnam, affirmed that Vietnam has realised the Government’s commitments on placing the people at the centre of development following UN guidelines. This has been revealed in all aspects and reflected in all socio-economic development policies.

Vietnam has always taken full responsibility, and maintained transparency in realising international commitments on human rights protection, including the implementation of recommendations that the country has accepted within the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism.

Over the past 13 years, Vietnam has actively and responsibly participated in the UPR mechanism. It has accepted and implemented an increasing number of recommendations through the three cycles of its membership. This represents the country’s increasing capacity in institutions, resources and finances.

At a recent conference to update the implementation of UPR third cycle recommendations in the fields of labour and society, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Thi Ha said despite the adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, Vietnam completed 82.6% of the recommendations. There are many positive results in terms of ensuring and promoting human rights in the fields of labour, society, gender equality and in the fight against human trafficking.

However, there are still hostile forces targeting Vietnam in the hope of derailing democratic and religious affairs to distort the human rights situation in the country. A number of organisations, including the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), have regularly released reports with wrongful, one-side and ungrounded comments about Vietnam. They accused the country of “limiting” religious freedom or “repressing” religions.

These organisations used information from outdated documents provided by unrecognised religious groups and religions. They often quoted the opinions of religious extremists who are discontent with the regime. These extremists supported illegal religious activities, which are not registered with the government and operate without permission. They promoted "evil" religious activities in remote areas, aiming to increase superstitious and illegal religious activities.

Regretfully, the US Department of State, based on such inaccurate and biased reports, has recently put Vietnam in the group of countries on the Special Watch List for religious freedom.

In fact, respecting beliefs and religious freedom of all people has been a consistent and thorough policy of the Vietnamese Party and State. The concept of religious freedom has been institutionalised in Vietnam’s legal system. Vietnam is home to many religions with about one fourth of the population following a number of faiths.

Vietnamese people are free to choose to follow or not follow any religion, and all are equal before the law without any religious discrimination.

To date, the Vietnamese State has recognised and granted operating licences to 43 organisations, belonging to 16 different religions. These religious groups encompass more than 27 million followers, or nearly 30% of the population. They include over 55,000 dignitaries, about 135,000 religious workers, and close to 30,000 places of worship right in Vietnam.

In the first six months of 2022, the administrations at all levels granted licences to the construction and upgrading of 152 places of worship. It also issued registrations to 183 facilities to organise concentrated religious activities. Religious activities have been held regularly with the participation of a large number of followers across the country.

Recently, in late November, President Nguyen Xuan Phuc attended the ninth National Buddhism Congress for the 2022-2027 tenure. This was an important event in Vietnamese Buddhism, showing the Party and State’s care for religions that have positive orientations and walk in step to help build the nation. This is a fact that is not up for debate on the topic of religious freedom in Vietnam.

This year, the International Human Rights Day (December 10) is themed “Dignity, Freedom, and Justice for All”. This is also a goal that Vietnam pursues with respect to the protection of human rights. As a member of the UNHRC for the 2023-2025 tenure, Vietnam will make direct contributions to protecting and promoting human rights all over the world.

Head of HCMC auto inspection center detained on bribe-taking charges

Tran Buu Tung, 64, director of the 50-19D auto inspection and registration center in HCMC’s Binh Tan District, has been detained for allegedly taking bribes.

The Binh Tan District police yesterday, December 30, pressed the same charges against Nguyen Huynh Phong, deputy director of the center, and three auto inspectors, namely Nguyen Quynh Tuan, Nguyen Van Cuong and Tran Minh Hieu. In addition, Nguyen Tan Thanh was accused of giving bribes, the local media reported.

The arrests came after the Binh Tan District police teamed up with the HCMC police to expand a probe into bribe brokering, giving and taking and falsification of documents found at multiple vehicle inspection centers in HCMC and other provinces.

Earlier, the police had prosecuted 43 suspects and searched 13 auto inspection centers, whose violations were unearthed after the HCMC police discovered lots of vehicles failed to meet technical safety standards but were still certified as meeting standards on technical safety and environmental protection.

Investigation results from the police showed that a host of auto inspection centers had allegedly received bribes to overlook failures of around 70,000 autos to meet technical standards and make illicit gains of nearly VND10 billion.

The 50-19D auto inspection center is operated by Phu An Vien Joint Stock Company, headquartered on Tran Hung Dao Street, District 5.

Vietnam rising to new position with new footing, new desire

Vietnam has become a reliable friend and partner as well as a responsible member of the international community over the years. Its immense fortune has created a solid foundation to achieve its goal of rapid and sustainable development in the future.

“Vietnam bucks Asia’s weakening growth trend”, and “an exception to the general rule in the region”, are descriptions used by international organisations and media, to refer to Vietnam’s economic development in 2022.

Vietnam’s economy posted growth of 8.02% in 2022, far exceeding the target of 6-6.5%. The high growth is noteworthy given that, most economies around the world are in decline.

Per capita income has risen over the years, while the poverty rate has fallen to under 3%. Freedom of speech and the press, and access to information are also clear to see.

Vietnam is a multi-faith country, with 95% of its population practicing a religion, of which, 26 million are followers.

It has performed well in terms of gender equality, ranking 65th out of 162 countries, in the Gender Development Index.

The country successfully controlled the COVID-19 pandemic, and is among countries with the highest vaccine coverage.

It was also one of the first to re-open its borders, after a long period of closure due to the pandemic.
With dogged determination, Vietnam successfully organised the 31st SEA Games, and left an indelible impression on international friends.

Rosy results in the corruption fight have been a highlight of the country’s socioeconomic achievements in 2022.

Vietnam’s anti-graft campaign has gained international media coverage.

In its article “In Vietnam, the anti-corruption fight is in full swing”, France’s Le Monde highlighted that, “The fight against lies, and corruption in the Vietnamese justice system, has accelerated, and now spares neither the big bosses of the private sector, nor the high officials of the Communist Party.”

Bloomberg also placed emphasis on the Party’s fierce determination to fight corruption, which is made in a spirit of “no restricted zones, full coverage, and zero tolerance”.

Praising Vietnam’s anti-corruption fight, The Times of India said, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong is well aware that, “the anti-corruption drive has to be a continuing process - an essential element for anticipating the challenges in the coming period.”

Ending the article, headlined “Vietnam’s anti-corruption campaign: Progress and challenges”, the Indian newspaper wrote that, “The Vietnamese example provides a valuable lesson that can be followed by other nations, as corruption is endemic globally.”

Vietnam’s anti-graft crackdown has been expanded to the private sector, with corruption cases such as Viet A, FLC Group, Tan Hoang Minh, among others.

Vietnam has been strict in the fight against corruption and is on the right track. I support the Vietnamese Government’s efforts to reform the legal framework to prevent and combat corruption. To ensure transparency, it is necessary to clarify the roles and responsibilities of officials. 

We always follow developments in the fight against corruption in Vietnam. The country has proven itself to be a great example to the world in this fight, with important voices from the Communist Party of Vietnam and correct State policies. Vietnam always upholds honesty and solidarity and says “no” to individualism.

Vietnam’s socioeconomic achievements coupled with its sound global integration have created the resources necessary for the country to better ensure the fundamental rights of its citizens.

In its orientations for national development in the 2021-2030 period, the Communist Party of Vietnam affirmed that “Vietnam continues to pursue a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification, and multilateralisation of external relations; proactively integrating into the world; maintaining peace and stability; and promoting Vietnam’s position and prestige in the international arena.”

To date, Vietnam has established diplomatic relations with 189 of 193 countries and economic and trade ties with over 230 countries and territories.

In recent years, it has been an active and responsible member at regional and international forums and organisations, as it holds important positions such as ASEAN Chair and non-permanent member of the UNSC, and has joined the UN’s peacekeeping force.

Vietnam’s recent election to the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 tenure is testament to the international community’s recognition of the tireless efforts Vietnam has made in fulfilling its international human rights commitments.

The remarkable achievements Vietnam has reaped after more than 35 years of “Doi Moi” (Reform) have resulted in sweeping changes in its intrinsic strength and position.

With the country’s rising position and prestige in the international arena, the Party’s sound leadership, and great national solidarity, Vietnam is certain to turn its desire to become a developed country by 2045 into reality.

It will be a country with a strong economy in parallel with cultural traditions being preserved and an innovative population. All target the common goal of people’s happiness and prosperity.

Da Lat Heritage celebrates the mountainous city

Da Lat Heritage is an art book by a group of authors including Nguyễn Vũ Ngọc Châu as an editor and photographers Lý Hoàng Long and Bình Nguyễn. 

The artbook sparkles with the sweat from their hard work and is imbued with the love of the authors for nature and the land of Đà Lạt. 

The book radiates happiness and positivity, and has received respect from readers.

According Châu, after over 300 days of brainstorming ideas and searching for documents related to Đà Lạt, the art book Đà Lạt Heritage was born.

The book is like a text with pictures about Đà Lạt and its people, viewed from many different angles, spaces and times. 

The art book also applies modern printing technology in book printing. Readers can use smartphones to scan QR codes to experience the images contained in the book thanks to virtual reality technology.

At the book launch, the authors shared their love for this mountainous land, as well as the wish that through this book, people will continue to preserve cultural and natural values. 

This is an images-and-text book that is delicate enough to tap into emotions and entice readers to discover the living treasure of a city with its special imprints of culture and history. 

Strong runners to take part in Bà Rá Mountain Climbing

The 28th National Bà Rá Mountain Climbing Tournament will see the participation of almost 1,000 amateur and elite athletes on January 6 in Bình Phước Province.

They will compete in 18 categories for men, women and different age groups with distances ranging from 4km to 7.7km. Athletes will have to climb 1,767 steps to the mountain, which is 723m high.

Teams such as the Military, HCM City, Đắk Lắk, Khánh Hòa and Bình Phước have registered strong runners to the event.

Among them are SEA Games marathon champion Hoàng Nguyên Thanh of Bình Phước who just secured his title at the recent National Sports Games (NSG). Thanh has won the tournament on his home ground six times. 

Former SEA Games 3,000m steeplechase champion Đỗ Quốc Luật and veteran runners Trịnh Quốc Lượng, Bùi Thế Anh and Đào Minh Thiện of the Military team will compete for the men's title.

NSG 3,000m steeplechase and 5,000m champion Nguyễn Trung Cường of Hà Tĩnh will vie for the top position after many years finishing out of top three.

The tournament will be broadcast live on channel BPTV1 of Bình Phước Television and some other regional TV channels. 

Sleeper bus ban in HCM City’s city centre approved

Vice chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee Bui Xuan Cuong has signed a decision to approve the ban of sleeper buses in the city centre from January 10.

The move came after the proposal from the Department of Transport to prevent illegal passenger pick-up points.
 
Under the proposal, sleeper buses would not be allowed to enter within the boundary of National Highway 1A, Nguyen Van Linh, Vo Chi Cong, Nguyen Thi Dinh, Dong Van Cong, Mai Chi Tho and Hanoi Highway between 6 am and 10 pm.

However, sleeper buses would be permitted to operate on those roads without any restriction on their way to the new Mien Dong (Eastern) Bus Station in Thu Duc City and Mien Tay (Western) Bus Station in Binh Tan District on fixed routes regulated by the Transport Department.

The Department of Transport has been instructed to tighten inspections of sleeper buses.

Huong Pagoda Festival to be start late January

Hanoi will organise the Huong Pagoda Festival in the outlying district of My Duc on January 27, the second day of the lunar New Year.

The festival will last until April 23. 

The opening ceremony of the festival will be held on January 27 at Thien Tru Pagoda.

The organisers will charge VND80,000 (USD3) per adult and VND40,000 per child for entry fee.

My Duc District’s authorities have proposed moving to e-ticketing.

In 2020 and 2021, Huong Pagoda Festival was closed due to Covid-19. After the Tet Holiday 2022, Huong Pagoda was still open to visitors, but they were required to obey strict Covid-19 prevention and control regulations.

10,000 national flags presented to fishermen in Ninh Thuan

Nguoi Lao Dong (Labourer) Newspaper and the People’s Committee of the south-central coastal province of Ninh Thuan on December 31 presented 10,000 national flags to local officers, soldiers, and fishermen.

To Dinh Tuan, Editor-in-Chief of the Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper, said that being inspired by patriotism, the responsibility of journalists and the desire to contribute to the protection of national sovereignty over seas and islands, the newspaper has implemented a flag-giving programme named “Proud of national flags”.
 
The flags from the programme are expected to add motivation and pride to fishermen and soldiers in Ninh Thuan, joining them in protecting the national sovereignty over seas and islands, he said.

According to the provincial People’s Committee, there are four coastal districts and cities in Ninh Thuan with nearly 18,000 fishermen. The province has 2,270 fishing vessels, of which, 1,018 vessels joined 170 united groups.

Thanks to the programme, the fishermen's awareness has been improved and they have been combining marine resource exploitation with national sovereignty protection. Local fishermen are reported to strictly follow laws and regulations on marine resource exploitation and protection as well as regulations against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

In recent years, no vessels of the province have violated foreign waters.

Also on this occasion, the newspaper gave 50 gifts worth a total 100 million VND (4,230 USD) to disadvantaged students in the province.

Traffic accidents kill 14 people on first day of New Year holidays

Twenty six traffic accidents occurred nationwide on December 31 - the first day of the 2023 New Year holidays (December 31-January 2), killing 14 people and injuring 11 others, according to the Ministry of Public Security’s Traffic Police Department.

The figures showed a rise of five accidents, but decreases of one fatality and one injury from the first day of the same holidays last year.

Of the total, 25 accidents happened on roads, claiming 13 lives and injuring 11 others, up five cases but down one death and on injury compared with the figures last year.

Meanwhile, one person was killed in one railway accident in souther Binh Duong province.

Traffic police officers across the country handled a total of 8,365 traffic law violations and imposed fines worth 14 billion VND (592,000 USD).

Five jailed for tiger trade

A couple from the northern central province of Thanh Hoa and three others from the neighbouring province of Nghe An have been sentenced to a total of 69 months for trading a tiger carcass and making bone glue.

The trial was held in Thuong Xuan District on December 28-29. 

According to the local police, by late March this year, Do Van Lan, 48, and his wife Nguyen Thi Oanh, 42, from Xuan Duong Commune in Thuong Xuan District wanted to buy a tiger for making tiger blue bone for sale.

The couple asked Nguyen Van Tuan, 56, to search. Tuan then took them to Hoang Van Hien’s house in Nghe An City to buy a 62.9-kilo frozen tiger at VND145 million (USD6,144).

They then hired Nguyen Van Lieu to transport the animal from Nghe An to Thanh Hoa.

The couple then used their mobile phone to take photos and make clips to advertise the tiger. On April 15, the police caught Lan and Oanh preparing to cut the dead tiger up at their home before they could cook it.

Greetings to Cuba on National Day

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on January 1 extended their congratulations to First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee and President of Cuba Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez on Cuba’s 64th National Day (January 1, 1959 - 2023).

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh cabled a message of congratulations to his Cuban counterpart Manuel Marrero Cruz; and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue sent his greetings to President of the National Assembly of People's Power of Cuba Esteban Lazo Hernández.

The same day, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son sent his congratulations to his Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodriguez Parilla.

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