The People’s Committee of the south-central province of Binh Thuan has asked local relevant agencies to ramp up efforts against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in anticipation of the fifth working round with the inspection delegation from the European Commission (EC).

In a document sent to the agencies on January 10, the Chairperson of the provincial People's Committee asked them to concertedly implement tasks and solutions against IUU fishing, and resolutely handle organisations and individuals that have failed to complete their assigned tasks, while commending others with outstanding performance in this regard.  

According to the document, inspections need to be stepped up in La Gi township, Phu Quy island district and Ham Tan district before, during and after the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday.

The handling of violations of fishing regulations, which has yet to be done, must be completed before April 30, 2024, the document said.

It also mentioned round-the-clock work by the provincial vessel monitoring centre, and stepping up inspections and supervisions over fishing boats at ports, estuaries and islands.

The provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development reported that 113 fishing boats are being monitored as they are at high risk of illegally operating in foreign waters. Border guard stations have also been on duty round the clock at six main sites via the monitoring system.

Anniversary of first General Election Day to be celebrated with various activities

National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue on January 10 had a working session with relevant agencies, discussing the organisation of cultural and art activities to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Vietnam's first General Election Day (January 6, 1946 - 2026).

Emphasising the significance of the event, the top legislator asked the steering and organising committees to implement the celebration plan following instructions by the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat, and quickly establish sub-committees to perform specific tasks.

He agreed on the organisation of a songwriting competition on the legislature and People’s Councils, saying young musicians should be encouraged to join the contest, scheduled to be launched within this month.

The leader assigned the NA Office to organise activities, helping musicians learn more about the operation of the legislative body and People’s Councils.

Other activities to be held include a singing contest and an art programme.

HCM City to launch high-speed boat service to Con Dao

A high-speed boat service connecting HCM City and Con Dao Island in the neighbouring province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau will start on February 23.

The information was announced by Ha Thanh Son from the HCM City Transport Department at a Wednesday meeting.

According to the official, the boats will depart from Sai Gon-Hiep Phuoc Terminal Wharf in HCM City's Nha Be District. It will take from five to six hours to reach Con Dao, which is around 230 kilometres away.

Tran Song Hai, Director of Greenlines DP, the service operator, said that they were working on the final preparations for the service launch and will announce the fares and detailed schedules soon.

"We'll also arrange boats to transport passengers between Bach Dang and Sai Gon-Hiep Phuoc wharves," Hai said.

The city Department of Transport said the high-speed boats would help meet growing travel demand, as Con Dao International Airport is going to close for upgrades in the coming time.

Currently travel between HCM City and Con Dao Island is only possible by air. The island is a popular tourist destination with its beautiful beaches and famous historical sites. 

Fight against corruption in localities sees significant results

The Party internal affairs sector and provincial steering committees for preventing and combatting corruption have made significant efforts to successfully complete their tasks last year.

Experts took part in a conference summarising the sector’s work last year and setting up plans for this year, which was organised in Hanoi on January 10.

The conference, held by the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Internal Affairs, was connected with 63 provinces and cities across the country.

The sector’s work helped in maintaining political stability, socio-economic development and strengthening people's trust.

The outstanding work of the sector includes researching, proposing and implementing the policies and orientations of the Party and the State on internal affairs.

The commission has researched, developed and submitted to the Politburo seven major projects on internal affairs, corruption prevention and combat, and judicial reform.

Guiding, inspecting and supervising corruption prevention and judicial reform has seen many innovations. Its quality and efficiency have been improved.

The commission closely inspected citizen reception and resolving complaints and denunciations. It had direct dialogues with the people to handle their feedback and recommendations.

Local committees for internal affairs have coordinated with concerned organisations to carry out 216 inspections focusing on localities with strong public opinion about corruption.

As many as 7,527 socio-economic inspection conclusions were reviewed and 6,132 documents guiding internal affairs, preventing and combatting corruption and judicial reform were issued.

Notably, in the period 2021-2023, the provincial and municipal committees for internal affairs discovered and handled 580 complex cases on security and public order, and 780 corruption cases.

The commission assessed that local steering committees for corruption prevention and combat were newly established, but have urgently consolidated organisation and completed regulations, working procedures and operations.

Their work is becoming more and more orderly and methodical, creating clear changes in combatting corruption at grassroots levels.

Vice chairman of the commission Vo Van Dung said that this year marked special significance in successfully implementing the 13th National Party Congress’ Resolution, requiring the internal affairs sector and localities to make great efforts, with high determination to further promote their work.

The sector will continue guiding, monitoring, inspecting and supervising the implementation of the Party's guidelines and resolutions, policies and laws.

Provinces and cities will review and bring serious corruption cases of much public concern to the steering committees’ monitoring.

Dung confirmed that the sector would proactively review the real situation to give necessary consultancy to leaders, and timely resolve complex and emerging problems regarding national security, social order and safety.

Disadvantaged students, disaster-affected people in Quang Binh receive support

The Vietnam Red Cross Society’s chapter in the central province of Quang Binh and the "Save the Children" in Vietnam have provided assistance to disadvantaged families and students affected by natural disasters in Quang Ninh district and Ba Don township.

The aid package worth nearly 830 million VND (nearly 34,000 USD) funded by the "Save the Children" in Vietnam included relief kits, water purifiers, and school supplies.

At an event held on January 8-10 in the locality, 655 relief kits and 259 water purifiers were presented to households with difficult circumstances and those affected by natural calamities, while 340 sets of school supplies were provided to disadvantaged students in Truong Xuan and Truong Son communes of Quang Ninh district, and Quang Van and Quang Minh communes in Ba Don township.

At the event, beneficiaries were provided with instructions on how to install water purifiers, and information on environmental pollution, especially water pollution and how to treat water at households in urgent situations.

Dao Huu Tuan, Vice Chairman of Vietnam Red Cross Society’s chapter in Quang Binh, highlighted the significance of the event, saying that programme has contributed to supporting households and students in disaster-prone areas, improving their knowledge and awareness of health and environmental protection, and helping them stablise their lives.

President sends cards to centenarians

President Vo Van Thuong has decided to send cards to 1,632 citizens who are 100 years old and above.

According to the President’s Office, those to receive the longevity wishes are from 14 provinces and cities nationwide.

Earlier, at the end of December 2023, the State leader made a similar decision, sending cards to 1,025 citizens of the age group who live in 10 other localities.

More trains to serve Tet travel demand

Eight more train trips will run on the North - South route for the Lunar New Year (Tet) occasion, providing an additional more than 4,000 seats to serve people’s travel demand during the year’s biggest traditional holiday.

Accordingly, the Saigon Railway Transport JSC will operate SE32 from Saigon Station in Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi Station on January 24 and 25 (the 14th and 15th days of the last lunar month in the Year of the Cat), and SE11 from Hanoi to Saigon on January 26 and 27 (the 16th and 17th days of the last lunar month).

SE25 from Quang Ngai Station in central Quang Ngai province and SE29 from Quy Nhon Station in central Binh Dinh province are scheduled to run to Saigon Station on February 20 and 21 (the 11th and 12th days of the first lunar month in the Year of the Dragon).

In addition, carriages will be added to existing trains to supply another over 4,000 seats.

Tickets are sold via all channels, including the websites of www.dsvn.vn and www.vetau.com.vn, e-wallet apps, train ticket apps, stations, and ticket offices.

The company said more than 152,000 tickets have been sold since Tet train tickets for the North - South route were open for sale over two months ago.

The railway sector is offering many ticket discounts to passengers who plan to travel during the Tet occasion.

Activities bring early Tet atmosphere to Bach Long Vi island

A series of activities were held in Bach Long Vi island district in the northern city of Hai Phong by Squadron 11 of the Coast Guard Region 1 Command on January 9 and 10 ahead of the Lunar New Year (Tet) Festival.

The activities included a ceremony to offer incense in tribute to martyrs at the Bach Long Vi Heroic Martyrs’ Monument, visits to agencies and units of the armed forces on the island, a contest to make “chung” (glutinous rice square cake) in association with the presenting of gifts to local policy beneficiaries and poor students.

Besides, the organising board also held a “0 VND” trade fair to provide food, foodstuff and necessary commodities to needy people in the district.

It also popularised the law to nearly 200 local fishermen, and presented them with 500 national flags, 10 life vests and 1,000 leaflets on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing prevention and control regulations, and Tet gifts.

The total value of the activities was over 120 million VND (4,900 USD).

Bui Trung Tien, Secretary of the Party Committee of Bach Long Vi district, said that the activities were of practical significance, helping to foster close relations among the military, administration and locals on the island, thus firmly safeguarding the national sovereignty over the sea and islands.

Vietnam treasures cooperative ties with Mozambique

Vietnam attaches importance to relations with Mozambique, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang told Mozambican President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi during their meeting in India on January 10 on the sidelines of the 10th Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit.

Quang expressed his elation at the positive development of bilateral relations in recent times, including the Mozambique visit by the Vice President of Vietnam in September 2023, and said Vietnamese leaders were looking forward to receiving the President on an official visit to Hanoi.

He requested that the two countries soon sign documents on minerals, fisheries and digital partnership cooperation, and at the same time support Movitel, a joint venture telecom company between Vietnam’s Viettel and Mozambique’s SPI, to engage in digital transformation projects in the country.

President Nyusi affirmed Mozambique’s policy of highly valuing the traditional friendship with Vietnam, and said he would soon arrange an official visit to Vietnam in 2024.

He agreed with Quang’s proposals and said he would direct the country’s relevant agencies to work closely with Vietnamese agencies to this end. He at the same time proposed that Vietnamese businesses directly exploit and process minerals in Mozambique for export to Vietnam.

He expressed hope that Vietnam would share its experience in agricultural production, especially for rice, sweet potatoes, and other high-yield agricultural products.

Hanoi takes actions to improve population quality

The People's Committee of Hanoi is putting forward measures to stabilise population size, maintain replacement level fertility, minimise gender imbalance at birth, and improve population quality and health care for the elderly, thus contributing to fulfilling local socio-economic targets.

This year, the capital city is striving to reduce the third child birth rate by 0.15% year-on-year, and achieve 88% of the elderly having their health checked-up, 84% of pregnant women receiving four common disease screening, and 89% of new-borns receiving five common disease screening. The rate of elderly people receiving regular health checks is 88%.

The sex ratio at birth is expected to be 111 boys/100 girls, the rate of couples receiving consultation and health examination before marriage will be 65%, and the number of people using new contraceptive methods will be 403,730.

To that end, the municipal People's Committee continues to implement a project to promote and expand the society's involvement in supplying contraceptives, family planning commodities and reproductive health services to 2030; and plans to approve another to expand the screening, diagnosis, and treatment of several prenatal and neonatal diseases in the city to 2030; and implements activities and models to improve population quality in the new situation.

Hi-tech waste-to-energy plant opens in Bac Ninh

A hi-tech waste-to-energy plant was inaugurated in Ngu Thai commune, Thuan Thanh township in the northern province of Bac Ninh on January 11.

The plant, a cooperation project between Thuan Thanh Environment Joint Stock Company and Japan’s JFE Engineering Corporation, can deal with 600 tonnes of solid waste and generate 13.5 MW of electricity daily. It is estimated that it will add about 100 million KWh each year to the national grid.

The construction of the plant started in January 2022 and completed in October 2023, costing 74 million USD.

This is one of the typical projects as a result of a series of investment promotion activities between Vietnam and Japan. The plant uses Japanese waste treatment technology which is the most modern so far. When put into operation, it will help reduce the amount of waste dumped in landfills in Bac Ninh province in particular and in Vietnam in general.

About 1,200 tonnes of domestic waste is discharged in Bac Ninh every day plus hundreds of tonnes of industrial waste. The province currently has four waste-to-energy plants with a total processing capacity of 1,300-1,500 tonnes each day. It strives to have almost all daily domestic waste treated properly with modern technologies from 2024.

Vice President presents gifts to social policy beneficiary households in Thai Binh

Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan visited and presented gifts to social policy beneficiary households and disadvantaged labourers residing in the northern province of Thai Binh’s Vu Thu district on January 11.

On this occasion, the Vice President and the delegation also visited a modern confectionary production line of Bao Hung International Joint Stock Company in Tan Minh Industrial Cluster in Vu Thu district, where they delivered 20 packages of gifts to 20 workers from disadvantaged circumstances. 

Phan Thi Cham, chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the company, briefed the Vice President about the company’s achievements over the past 30 years, saying its products have gained a strong foothold on the market and are exported to nearly 30 countries around the world.

The Vice President also visited the family of Do Van Tiep, a war invalid in Vu Thu township.

Cambodian delegation extends New Year greetings in Vinh Long

A delegation from the Development Department under the Cambodian Ministry of National Defence led by Lieut. Gen. Ouk Hoeunpisey visited and extended Lunar New Year wishes to the authorities of Vinh Long province in the Mekong Delta region on January 11.

At the reception, Vice Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Nguyen Van Liet wished that the fine neighbourliness, traditional friendship, comprehensive, sustainable and long-term cooperation between Vietnam and Cambodia will keep growing.

Congratulating Vinh Long on its notable socio-economic achievements, Hoeunpisey expressed his desire for increased collaboration in education-training and agriculture between the department and Vinh Long in the coming time.

He extended greetings and Tet wishes to the provincial Party Organisation, authorities and people and wished for enduring solidarity, friendship and cooperation between Cambodia and Vietnam, as well as closer ties between the department and Vinh Long in particular.

OVs gather in Lunar New Year extravaganza in Hong Kong

The Vietnamese Consulate General in Hong Kong and Macau (China) set the stage for Lunar New Year festivities with a gathering on January 10, attracting nearly 500 guests.

Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Consul General in Hong Kong (China) Pham Binh Dam expressed his delight at the establishment of the Vietnamese Association in Hong Kong, highlighting it as a noteworthy stride in the Consulate General's community engagement initiatives.

He noted that in October 2023, the Consulate General effectively advocated for the removal of visa restrictions by Hong Kong authorities, clearing the path for the formation of new community groups.

According to him, the Vietnamese Students’ Association in Hong Kong (VSAHK) was also established last year, uniting existing students and welcoming a new influx of members.

Highlighting the academic realm, Dam said the top two universities in Hong Kong, the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), have initiated exclusive scholarship programmes for Vietnamese students, presenting an unprecedented number of over 120 scholarships.

On the occasion, the VSAHK debuted its new executive board.

The Consulate General also presented certificates of merit to a number of Vietnamese residing and working in Hong Kong, in recognition of their active contributions to the homeland.

Spokeswoman highlights significance of Indonesian President’s upcoming visit

The welcoming of Indonesian President Joko Widodo for a state visit to Vietnam underscores Vietnam's consistent policy of treasuring relations with neighbouring countries and ASEAN, including Indonesia, said Vietnamese Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman Pham Thu Hang.

Responding to reporters' inquiries at the ministry’s regular press conference in Hanoi on January 11, Hang said that the visit, scheduled from January 11-13 at the invitation of Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong, underscores the robust and positive growth of the traditional friendship and strategic partnership between Vietnam and Indonesia.

Hang highlighted the substantial progress in two-way trade between the countries, with Indonesia ranking as Vietnam's third largest trade partner in ASEAN, while Vietnam is the fourth biggest of Indonesia. The exchange of all-level delegations has been a regular practice, especially during 2023 when they marked the 10th anniversary of their strategic partnership.

Cooperation in vital sectors like transportation, agriculture, people-to-people exchange, and regional connectivity is on the rise, rebounding from the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, she said, adding that the two countries have closely coordinated on stances at global and regional forums like ASEAN, the United Nations, APEC, and the Non-Aligned Movement.

About President Widodo's agenda during the visit, she said he will hold talks with President Vo Van Thuong, have meetings with other high-ranking Vietnamese leaders, and engage in various important activities.

According to her, discussions between the leaders of the two countries will encompass diverse areas such as the economy, trade, investment, national defence-security, transportation, and agriculture. The aim is to deepen and enhance the bilateral traditional friendship and strategic partnership.

Both sides will also discuss global and regional issues of shared concern, she said.

Vietnamese language training to get due attention among OVs: official

The State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs will support and encourage overseas Vietnamese (OVs) to preserve traditional culture, especially Vietnamese language, in 2024, according to Le Thi Thu Hang, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairwoman of the committee.

Speaking at a press briefing on January 11, Hang informed that there are currently around 6 million Vietnamese people living in 130 countries and territories, and the number of overseas Vietnamese will increase in the future.

In 2023 – the first year celebrating the Day for Honouring Vietnamese Language in Vietnamese Communities Abroad, activities were held around the world to step up the Vietnamese-speaking campaign among OVs, including forums and seminars on innovating the teaching and learning of Vietnamese language.

The deputy minister stated that last year, external affairs, including the OV work, was comprehensively implemented on all channels and at all levels.

During foreign trips, the country’s leaders spent time to meet with the Vietnamese community in the host countries, showing their responsibility and affection for OVs. They also proposed leaders of the host countries pay attention to, support, and create favourable conditions for Vietnamese expats.

Overseas Vietnamese are a very important bridge in the friendship between Vietnam and other countries, stressed the official.

Regarding the annual “Xuan Que Huong” (Homeland Spring) programme - the biggest external and cultural event for OVs, Hang said that the event will be held in Ho Chi Minh City on February 1-2, or the 22nd and 23rd days of the last lunar month.

The programme will see the presence of leaders and former leaders of the Party and State, and officials from the Foreign Ministry and other ministries and localities, as well as a large number of OVs returning from around the world, she added.

Kien Giang acts to combat IUU fishing

The Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang will intensify measures to fight illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing ahead of the fifth working round with the inspection delegation from the European Commission (EC) in April.

It is part of the efforts to have the EC’s “yellow card” warning against Vietnam’s seafood exports lifted.

The province will drastically prevent fishing vessels from violating foreign waters and illegally fishing, resolutely handle any violators in this regard as well as those without the vessel monitoring system (VMS) connections. It will also improve the efficiency of law enforcement and the responsibility of organisations and individuals involved in investigating, verifying and handling IUU fishing.

According to Le Quoc Anh, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, the province asked the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to inspect and establish an information channel to manage all fishing vessels in the locality.

The department was ordered to strictly handle fishing vessels that do not register or have no licence and registration as well as those that are not eligible for fisheries exploitation. It must supervise all fishing boats operating at sea via VMS, ensuring that 100% of vessels with a length of 15m or more must have all the required documents and VMS equipment installed.

The provincial Border Guard Command was tasked with inspecting and controlling fishing vessels entering and leaving border checkpoints as well as exchanging information with other localities to prevent and deal with IUU fishing promptly.

The provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development reported that at present, 99.3% operating fishing vessels in Kien Giang are equipped with the VMS device.

Last year, 16 cases of fishing vessels encroaching on foreign waters were reported in the province. Of these, five have been fined a total of 5.6 billion VND (229 million USD). Local authorities have also seized six vessels.

Authorities visit, present gifts to Hoang Sa witnesses

The People’s Committee of Hoang Sa district, the central city of Da Nang, on January 11 visited and presented gifts to witnesses who have had a hand in the development on Hoang Sa (Paracels).

This is an annual activity of the local administration that aims to affirm Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa.

The delegation visited Truong Van Quang, who used to serve as a technical serviceman on battleship HQ.400, in Hoa Hai ward of Ngu Hanh Son district.

Quang said that between 1959 and 1973, he worked on the HQ.400 and went to Hoang Sa more than 10 times to deliver supplies to a platoon and the meteorological staff there.

Local officials also visited Pham So in Binh Hien ward of Hai Chau district. In 1957, So was in Hoang Sa for about four months to build a lake for storing rain and fresh water for the meteorological centre and soldiers stationed on the islands.

The same day, the delegation offered incense to another man who used to perform duties on Hoang Sa.

Presenting the witnesses and their families with copied documents about Hoang Sa, Chairman of the district People’s Committee Vo Ngoc Dong said the documents include precious writings, images, and other materials showing Vietnamese people’s determination on national defence and the country’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa.

On this occasion, the People’s Committee delegation also visited some other witnesses and families of some witnesses who have passed away in Da Nang and the neighbouring provinces of Quang Nam and Thua Thien - Hue.

Wild animals handed over to Bu Gia Map National Park

Police of southern Binh Phuoc province's Binh Long town said on January 11 that they had handed over several wild animals to the Management Board of Bu Gia Map National Park, the southern province of Binh Phuoc.

The animals are ten birds weighing 1kg each, a 1.8kg snake and a 3.2kg pangolin.

Previous the local police force discovered and arrested a subject who was illegally transporting the wild animals on National Highway No.13 in Thanh Phu commune, Binh Long town.

The Bu Gia Map National Park will nurture and care for the animals before releasing them back to nature in accordance with regulations.

Covering an area of over 25,601 ha, the Bu Gia Map National Park is home to 832 species, including 106 mammal species, 248 bird species, 59 reptile species, 28 amphibian species, 342 insect species and 49 fish species.

Vietnam, China promote cooperation in culture, academic exchange

A cultural and academic exchange forum was held between Vietnam and China in Hanoi on January 11, drawing the participation of many experts, scholars, intellectuals and artists from the two countries.  

The event was chaired by Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and head of its Commission for Communication and Education Nguyen Trong Nghia, and Politburo member, Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee’s Secretariat and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee Li Shulei.

The two sides exchanged their viewpoints and shared experience in the areas of economy, politics – society, literature and art.

Li spoke highly the research achievements that Vietnamese experts and scholars have carved out in various fields, making positive contributions to the Vietnam – China friendship.

Competent authorities in China are willing to bolster the exchange of ideas with the Vietnamese sides in the issues of mutual concerns, he added.

Concluding the forum, Nghia expressed his belief that cooperation between the two Parties and states in culture and academic exchange will help enhance mutual understanding and trust, while tightening the friendship between the two peoples, helping build the international community on the base of understanding, respect and close collaboration.

Over 2.6 million USD to support Hanoi poor labourers on Tet occasion

The Hanoi Federation of Labour plans to provide support for over 115,000 trade unionists and labourers living in difficult circumstances in the city on the occasion of the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival, with a total amount of 65 billion VND (2.65 million USD), according to the federation’s Chairman Pham Quang Thanh.

They will receive Tet gifts, and those with difficulties in housing will be aided to build their own homes.

Notably, a large-scale Tet market will be held from January 20-22, with 120 booths, a 1.5-fold increase compared to 2023.

In addition to four zero-dong booths and three for free medical check-ups, the federation will present shopping vouchers worth 500,000 VND each to 7,800 trade unionists and labourers coming to the market.

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