HCMC, Southeast region need outstanding special mechanisms for development

HCMC, the Southeast region and the southern key economic region need special mechanisms in order to become the leading economic locomotive in the surrounding area and the country.

The statement was made by Chairman of the HCMC People’s Committee, Phan Van Mai at a conference reviewing the implementation of the Politburo’s Resolution No.53-NQ/TW, dated August 29, 2005, on promoting socio-economic development and ensuring national defense and security in the southeastern region and the southern key economic region by 2010 with a vision towards 2020, along with Conclusion No. 27-KL/TW, dated August 2, 2012, on continuing to materialize the resolution.

The meeting was held by the Ministry of Planning and Investment in collaboration with the Party Committee and People’s Committee of HCMC, and the Government Office in the city on July 9 chaired by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, with the presence of Minister of National Defense General Phan Van Giang, Secretary of the HCMC Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen, Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung, Deputy Minister of Public Security Colonel General Lương Tam Quang, and participated online by Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai in Hanoi.

The city’s chairman said that resolution 53 helped the Southeast region and the southern key economic region maintain their leading positions in the sectors of society, sciences and technology and take the role of a financial and logistic center and the country’s largest international trade hub.

However, there were challenges that restrained the region’s development and economic growth rate. HCMC donated more than 50 percent to the region’s growth but its slow growth in recent years has affected the region’s growth.

Other reasons were current institutions that are not enough to encourage local authorities to develop their creativity and strengthen connectivity. The role of the Steering Committee and Council of the region has not been properly promoted.

Dong Nai proposes removing three suspended toll stations

The transport authority of Dong Nai Province has sought the Directorate for Roads of Vietnam’s approval to remove three toll stations in the province, which have suspended operations for a couple of years, to ensure traffic safety.

These three comprise the Tan Phu station on National Highway 20, the Dong Nai Bridge station on National Highway 1 and one on the National Highway 1K section passing through this southern province.

According to the provincial Department of Transport, the three stations have ceased operations since 2020 but have yet to be removed, limiting the visibility of drivers and obstructing traffic.

As they are no longer in use, the stations have also not been maintained and are deteriorating. The inactive warning light system at some stations poses a high risk of traffic accidents.

Therefore, the transport department proposed the removal of these stations at the earliest to ensure traffic safety along the national highways passing through Dong Nai.

Additional 12 bus routes to be opened in HCMC

The HCMC government has decided to add 12 new routes to the city’s bus system following the municipal Transport Department’s proposal in early June.

Under the plan, four mini-bus routes and four high-quality bus routes will be developed to connect new residential areas, industrial parks and satellite urban areas in the city, and ease traffic congestion.

Meanwhile, four inter-provincial bus routes will help increase connectivity between HCMC and neighboring cities and provinces, including Tien Giang, Dong Nai and Tay Ninh, and improve public passenger transport services.

The increased connectivity is expected to boost the city’s socio-economic growth.

Opening these public bus routes aims to reduce private vehicles in the city and improve the city’s public passenger transport system, along with metro and bus rapid transit lines.

New club preserves traditional southern music, drama

HCM City’s Trần Hữu Trang Theatre in co-operation with its partner, the city’s culture authority, has opened a new art club offering cải lương (reformed opera) in the city and neighbouring provinces.

The Sân Khấu Tài Năng (Talent Stage) Club is working to offer shows of cải lương and tuồng or hát bội (classical drama), two of Vietnamese traditional theatre genres that began centuries ago.

It attracts young actors, mostly graduates of art schools and training courses at leading theatres in the city.

The artists made their performance debut in Sắc Xuân Gửi Lại (Shape of Love), a cải lương play on love and women directed by celebrated artist Lê Trung Thảo, last weekend.

Young talents Nhã Thy, Nhật Nguyên and Tấn Lộc in lead roles added modern styles to cải lương to meet the taste of young audiences.

According to Việt, the club’s artists will restage a series of famous plays from the 1960 and 1970s featuring the South’s history and culture.

New versions of the historical play Ngô Quyền và Chiến Thắng Bạch Đằng Giang (Ngô Quyền and the Great Victory on Bạch Đằng River) will be released in August.

Ngô Quyền và Chiến Thắng Bạch Đằng Giang is a historical story featuring the victorious naval battle of Vietnamese troops led by Gen Ngô Quyền on the Bạch Đằng River in 938 against Chinese Southern Han invaders.

Việt invited veteran artists to help young talents improve their vocal and performance skills in the hopes that they will renew the art.

New shows by actors of Sân Khấu Tài Năng Club are scheduled to be staged every Sunday in July and August at Trần Hữu Trang Cải Lương Theatre, 136D Trần Hưng Đạo Street in District 1.

Ho Chi Minh City launches third Innovation Award 2023

The People's Committee in Ho Chi Minh City has just issued a plan to organize the third HCMC Innovation Award in 2023, which is expected to be announced and awarded on September 2, 2023.

The awards are for works focusing mainly on seven fields including economic development, security - national defense, state management, creative communication, art literature, science technology, and creative startups.
The award entries must be creative, put into practice or the work or composition must be built, performed, or published within the time from the deadline of receiving entries of the prior award to the launch of the award this year.

The deadline for receiving entries is March 31, 2023. The award first prize winner will capture VND200 million, the winner of the second prize will receive VND150 million and the third prize winner will be presented VND100 million.

The Ho Chi Minh City Innovation Award is held every 2 years to honor collectives and individuals with research, solutions, and creative works in many fields.

The award aims to arouse and promote the tradition and creative potential of sectors, agencies, units, and localities. At the same time, it affirms city dwellers' creativeness which has contributed to the construction and development of Ho Chi Minh City into a smart and modern city.

After it has been organized twice, the Ho Chi Minh City Innovation Award has attracted 306 projects including 94 winning projects. The winning projects of the HCMC Innovation Award emphasize the applicability to real-life and practical value and contribute to solving urgent problems in the construction and development of Ho Chi Minh City.

Health insurance buyers decreasing

The number of health insurance buyers is decreasing dramatically, according to Mr. Tran Quoc Tuy, an official from Vietnam Social Security.

He made the statement this morning at a conference held in Hanoi by the Vietnam Social Security to provide information on health insurance policies.

Chairing the conference, Deputy General Director of Vietnam Social Security Dao Viet Anh said that on June 16, 2009, the Prime Minister issued the Decision No. 823 on taking the date of July 1 every year as ‘Vietnam Health Insurance Day’.

Mr. Dao Viet Anh said that from 2009 to 2015, health insurance coverage reached 57 percent and 74.7 percent of the population respectively; however, by the end of 2021, health insurance coverage has reached about 91 percent of the population.

The Deputy Director of Vietnam Social Security also said that on average, each year, about 180 million health-insured patients are enjoying their benefits. In the year 2020-2021, due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic, the Health Insurance Fund and the State budget have contributed significantly to the remedial work and the prevention of the Covid-19 epidemic, continuing to affirm the pivotal role of the national social security system.

The sector aims that all people will buy health insurance, of which, by the end of this year, striving to reach about 92 percent.

According to Mr. Tran Quoc Tuy from Vietnam Social Security, from 2017 to 2020, the number of people participating in health insurance increased by more than 2 million people, an average increase of about 3 percent a year.

However, from 2021 the  number of people participating in health insurance has reduced drastically due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the policy of buying health insurance cards for people living in communes in ethnic minority groups and mountainous areas in the 2021-2025 period according to the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 861 dated June 4, 2021, and people living in poor districts, communes with special difficulties in flatlands, coastal areas and islands from 2021 to 2025 according to the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 353/2022 dated March 15, 2022.

Specifically, the number of people participating in health insurance decreased sharply in some localities. For instance, the Central Highlands Province of Dak Lak decreased by 225,500 people, the Mekong Delta provinces of Soc Trang and Tra Vinh decreased by 309,500 people and 243,600 people respectively and the Northern provinces of Thanh Hoa and Son La decreased by 183,300 people and 180,000 people respectively.

Up to now, about 2.65 million people out of 3.1 million people have not yet bought health insurance.
Regarding this matter, Mr. Dao Viet Anh said that the Vietnam Social Security has reported to the Prime Minister.

Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh has directed that the Ministry of needs to coordinate with the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs and the Ministry of Finance and relevant agencies to study and propose specific policies to provide support in accordance with the law on health insurance and relevant regulations. These bodies will send their reports to competent authorities for consideration.

In order to create conditions for people to reduce difficulties, and continue to develop health insurance participants, toward the goal of universal health insurance, the Vietnam Social Security proposed to add participants to compulsory health insurance for workers, employees, employers, and executive managers of a cooperative without salary, owners of individual business households.

At the same time, it is proposed to increase the level of support for paying health insurance premiums from the budget for some subjects such as students, agricultural - forestry - fishery - salt production households with average living standards from 30 percent to 50 percent of the health insurance premium.

HCMC increases investment capital in school building projects

The People’s Council of HCMC passed many important resolutions making big impacts on socio-economic development and the living of people, including adjustment of investment capital in construction projects of schools.

The municipal People’s Council also passed resolutions in the education sector, such as releasing the list of public services using State capital, adjusting state budget estimates in 2022, and extending the time for the implementation and disbursement of the public investment plans in 2021.

Delegates came to an agreement on adjusting investment projects of schools in Binh Chanh District, including the Vinh Loc A secondary school, Tan Kien primary school, Vinh Loc A kindergarten, and project of investment and construction of technical infrastructure of Tan Kien medical complex.

The investment capital of the Vinh Loc A secondary school, Tan Kien primary school, Vinh Loc A kindergarten has increased from VND139.3 billion (US$6 million) to VND186.181 billion (US$8 million); from VND100 billion to VND138.613 billion; and from VND60 billion to VND9.855 billion respectively from now until 2025.

“For a worth living Hanoi” Award kicked off

“For a worth living Hanoi” Award was launched last weekend at the APD Center for Art Sponsorship and Development in the city’s downtown district of Hai Ba Trung.

The award is aimed at honoring specific actions of organizations and individuals that have contributed to Hanoi’s cause of conservation and development in many fields, including culture, environment, society, among others.

“For a worth living Hanoi” is a network that gathers a large number of members from many different fields with one thing in common is the love for Hanoi and the purpose of building and implementing community activities, towards a more livable Hanoi.

The award consists of three major categories including the cultural - art category honoring cultural and artistic works, programs and projects which contribute to improving the cultural life for local citizens.

 Organizers announce rules of the award. Photo: Thao Nguyen

It also comprises a category of environment - urban space seeks to reward activities and projects that contribute to improving the city’s environment, expanding and renovating urban space, and increasing life quality for people.

Lastly, the integration category focuses on honoring activities and projects that support disadvantaged groups or actions that promote empathy and non-discrimination, respect for diversity and equality in order to build humane culture in the city.

In particular, the award also has a separate category for “Person of the Year”, honoring individuals who make outstanding cultural, social and environmental contributions to Hanoi.

Candidates selected for the award are those whose activities are creative and have the ability to inspire and attract many participants as well as a positive influence on people's lives and do not go against human values.

Nominations will be sent to the award’s Organizing Committee and disseminated widely in mass media.

Hanoi Sales Promotion 2022 underway

Hanoi Sales Promotion 2022 is underway until July 12, attracting local consumers to visit and shop key industrial products from 100 participants. 

The fair is part of a series of the city’s Concentrated Promotion Program with the aim of stimulating domestic demand, recovering production and business, thus contributing to municipal socio-economic development in post-pandemic, according to Tran Thi Phuong Lan, Acting Director of the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade. 

The event drew the participation of more than 100 companies that offer handicrafts and industrial products under the One Commune One Product (OCOP) program, food, telecommunications, information technology, education and training. Some displays essential goods and local specialties. Exhibitors include Hanosimex, Garco 10, Dvmotor, Winmart, Central Retail, Kangaroo, Ba Vi Milk JSC, and others offering discounts from 30% to 100%.

Within the framework of the city's Concentration Promotion Program, the municipal Department of Industry and Trade will continue to host many fairs and exhibitions to boost domestic consumption, such as the 2022 Cashless event in July and the Hanoi MidNight Sale 2022 in November, and another Hanoi Promotion Month 2022 in November and December. 

More than 5,000 firms working in food sector, home appliances, apparel, electronics, banking, and real estate have registered to join the program. The total promotional value was estimated at more than VND8 trillion (US$342.4 million). A Concentrated Promotion Program 2022 was already hosted in Hanoi last  April.

COVID-19 cases are rising – should we wear masks again?

With COVID-19 infection levels increasing and hospitalizations following suit along with the rise of the Omicron sub-variants BA.4 and BA.5, medical experts still weigh in on benefits of face coverings.

Dr. Tran Dac Phu - former Director-General of the Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health attributed increasing COVID-19 cases in Viet Nam to reduced immunity from either infection or vaccination, people's negligence of 5K message compliance when restrictions were loosened and mobility has risen again.

Especially, the expert also blamed the two Omicron sub-variants to rising daily COVID-19 count (up by about 200 cases on average) over the past few days.

Ha Noi for example recorded 1,538 infections from June 28 to July 4, representing a week-on-week increase of 36.5 percent.

Tran said mask wearing remains a preventive measure against respiratory diseases, including COVID-19. 

He suggested people flexibly wear medical and fabric masks. In high-risk areas like indoor and close-contact environments with suspected patients, medical masks should be used. In outdoor or low-risk areas, fabric masks should be used. 

The Ministry of Health has kept a close watch on the evolution of the pandemic worldwide and urged localities to speed up vaccination rollout to provide third doses for over 12-year-old population, fourth shots for eligible people, and accomplish primary doses for children aged 5-11.

Traditional craft village development program towards 2030 approved

Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh has signed a Decision approving the Viet Nam traditional craft village preservation and development program for the 2021-2030 period.

The program aims to protect and uphold the values and characteristics of Viet Nam's traditional craft villages, promote production and increase competitiveness and added value for craft village products.

It targets to create more jobs and increase incomes for locals, making contribution to enhancing sustainable rural socio-economic development.

During 2021-2030, production value of craft villages is expected to expand 10 percent on average per year.

The export value of handicrafts made in craft villages is projected to reach US$6 billion while all of the household business establishments in the craft villages meet requirements on environmental protection.

The Government planned to develop 301 traditional craft villages linked to tourism by 2030. 

A report from the Viet Nam Traditional Craft Village Association shows that there are more than 5,400 craft villages across the country.

The number of households and business establishments in rural areas increased annually between 8.8 percent and 9.8 percent. The production value of craft villages grow about 15 percent on average per year.

The handicraft industry alone has attracted about 1.5 million workers, generating annual export value of about US$1.7 billion.

Member of European Parliament highly values Vietnam’s stature

Jan Zahradil, a member of the European Parliament (EP), has highly valued Vietnam’s role and stature, as well as its relations with the European Union (EU) and the Czech Republic, during a recent meeting with some Vietnamese ambassadors.

Talking to the Vietnamese ambassadors to the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Belgium at the event in Mikulov town of the Czech Republic on July 8 - 9, Zahradil said the EP has passed a report on the Indo-Pacific strategy in the area of trade and investment which highlights the situation in the Indo-Pacific region and stresses the importance of the EU’s free trade agreements with partners in the region.

Notably, he said, the report calls on EU members to ratify the EU - Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) so that it can take effect early and create optimal conditions for promoting the EU’s investment in the region and Vietnam.

Zahradil, a representative of the Czech Republic’s Civic Democratic Party (ODS) at the EP, noted Vietnam holds a special position in this report when it is a member of both the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

He also said he is impressed with Vietnam’s economic development achievements, particularly the GDP growth of 7.72% in the second quarter and inflation kept under 3%.

Addressing the meeting, Vietnamese Ambassador to the Czech Republic Thai Xuan Dung said Vietnam and the EU have paid attention to intensively and extensively developing their comprehensive partnership and cooperation.

The EU is currently the fifth largest trading partner and the second biggest importer of Vietnam. Bilateral trade grew 14.8% to 63.6 billion USD in 2021 despite impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, he noted.

Zahradil told Vietnam News Agency that as Vietnamese people in the Czech Republic is one of the largest Vietnamese communities in the EU, he has the responsibility for consolidating Vietnam’s relations with the Czech Republic and the EU as a whole.

Vietnam holds a special position in Southeast Asia when it is the only country to have a free trade agreement (EVFTA) and an investment protection agreement (EVIPA) with the EU, an advantage for it to capitalise on development opportunities, according to him.

He said Vietnam and the Czech Republic boast long-standing and sound relations, adding that serving in the EU Council’s presidency from now to the end of 2022, his country will have more chances to further promote bilateral and EU ties with Vietnam.

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