A bronze drumhead dating back about 2,000 - 2,300 years ago in the Dong Son civilisation has been discovered in the southern province of Dong Thap.

Belonging to a drum of Type Heger I, the 7.6kg head measures 63cm in diameter and features images of a 12-point star and six birds flying counterclockwise alternated with lines and tangent circles, Thanh nien (Young people) newspaper cited the Dong Thap Museum.

The drumhead was found by a resident in Vinh Thoi commune of Lai Vung district when he was fishing on the Hau River in March this year. He handed over the item to the Dong Thap Museum in late April.

The Dong Son Civilisation got its name from Dong Son village on the bank of the Ma River in the central province of Thanh Hoa, where a number of bronze drums were discovered in 1924, marking the first evidence of this civilisation.

It existed between the 7th century BC and the first - second century AD. Its vestiges have been discovered in various localities, mainly in the basins of the Red River in the north, the Ma River in Thanh Hoa, and the Ca River in nearby Nghe An province. They have also been excavated in central, Central Highlands and southern regions, as well as some other Southeast Asian countries.

Lao Cai hands over wanted criminal to China

Policemen in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai on July 5 handed over a wanted criminal to the Chinese side at the Lao Cai International Border Gate.

Previously, the Chinese Police sent an official dispatch to exchange information about Liang Lei, born in 1990, residing in Honghe county, Yunnan province, China.

In 2019, Liang organised gambling. After being hunted by the Chinese Police, he fled to Myanmar, and then crossed the border to Vietnam in October 2020. He moved to many places in Vietnam and at last hid in Lao Cai.

The Investigation Police Agency under Lao Cai’s Department of Public Security found his hiding place, and succeeded in mobilising him to give himself up.

Hanoi steps up vaccination amid increasing COVID-19, dengue fever cases

Districts in Hanoi have stepped up the communication work on vaccination, given increasing cases of COVID-19 over the past days with the detection of Omicron subvariant BA.5.

Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Health Vu Cao Cuong said between June 28 and July 4, the capital city reported 1,538 cases, up 36.5% as compared with the previous week.

He explained that the rise was due to people’s negligence, along with limitations in the communication work.

Notably, some COVID-19 patients have been also infected with dengue fever, which is at its peak time in Vietnam.

As of July 3, 99.9% of the local population aged over 18 years old got at least one shot of COVID-19 vaccines, 96.5% received the third dose, and 15.6% were given with the second booster (fourth dose).

Addressing a meeting on July 6, Deputy Secretary of the city Party Committee Nguyen Van Phong stressed the need to intensify the pandemic combat with the highest sense of responsibility, and speed up vaccination.

According to the Ministry of Health, from the beginning of this year to June 24, Vietnam had reported around 77,000 dengue fever cases, up more than 10,000 cases compared to that in the previous week, and 30 fatalities.

Hanoi People’s Council adopts important resolution in 7th session

The 16th-tenure People’s Council of Hanoi on July 6 adopted a resolution on key tasks for socio-economic development and budget collection and spending in the six last months of 2022, as part of its on-going 7th session.  

The resolution approved a report of the municipal People’s Committee on socio-economic performance and budget collection and spending estimates in the January-June period.

It outlined five groups of tasks and solutions in the latter half of the year, including effective implementing the Government’s COVID-10 prevention and control programme, basically completing COVID-19 vaccination for children from 5-12 before September, accelerating the disbursement of capital for public investment projects, controlling prices and the market, continuing to carry out support measures for production and business activities, and enhancing the effectiveness of State management of planning, land use, construction, urban order and environmental protection.
 
According to the report of the municipal People’s Committee, Hanoi recorded a 7.79% growth in GRDP in the first six months of the year.

The city completed 56.8% of the year’s budget collection target.

Efforts made to protect My Son Sanctuary ecosystem

The management board for My Son world cultural heritage site is coordinating with relevant parties in planting markers to delineate the boundary between the landscape conservation area and local residents' cultivation land to prevent encroachment and preserve the habitats of animals and plants in the conservation area.

The landscape protection zone for the My Son Sanctuary, a world cultural heritage site in the central province of Quang Nam, covers more than 1,160ha of land, including over 1,100ha of natural forests, in Duy Phu and Duy Hoa communes of Duy Xuyen district.

Forests in this zone are currently home to 37 mammal species, including some listed in the Vietnam Red Data Book like Sunda slow loris, Sunda pangolin, wildcat, and small Indian civet.

They also harbour 238 plant species, including critically endangered ones such as “cho den” (Parashorea stellata), “gien trang” (Xylopia pierrei), “thanh nganh nam” (Cratoxylum cochinchinense), and “thanh nganh dep” (Cratoxylum formosum).

In addition to border demarcation and marker planting, the management board has also coordinated with schools to regularly organise education sessions to raise awareness in the community about conservation and prevention of illegal hunting and exploitation, thus contributing to the protection of historical and cultural relic sites, conservation and development of forest ecosystems, biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.

Violence against women, children never acceptable: UNICEF Chief Representative

Violence against women and children is never acceptable and has to be made visible and reported in protection of the group, emphasised UNICEF Chief Representative in Vietnam Rana Flowers.

Flowers made her remarks while talking to the press regarding a campaign to enhance public awareness of women and children protection and spread the message of zero tolerance for violence against them.

Co-launched by the Vietnamese Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA), UN agencies, and the Australian Aid on July 5, the initiative was built on a 2020 campaign to raise public awareness and change individual and societal behaviour, helping prevent violence before it begins. According to the organisers, the campaign calls for attention and support from the whole community to create a violence-free environment in families, schools and community as well as on cyber space.

Flowers noted that in Vietnam, there are an increasing number of one-stop shops where women and adolescents can go if they are being abused, to get the full range of support, as well as shelters where women can take their children to for protection.

The survey on Sustainable Development Goals indicators on children and women in Vietnam for the 2020-2021 period showed that more than 72% of children between the ages of 10 and 14 experienced violent discipline.

Meanwhile, a survey by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Vietnam said that in 2019, 62.9% of women in Vietnam experienced one or more forms of violence in their lifetime such as physical, sexual, emotional and economic violence, as well as controlling behaviour by the husband. In addition, violence against women resulted in a deficit of 1.81% of the country's GDP.

New Zealand exporters present fruits to unlucky Vietnamese children, women

The New Zealand Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City and the country’s fruit exporters on July 6 presented 500 fruit boxes for charitable organisations for children and women in the city and Hanoi.

Consul General Joe Nelson, who is also Trade Commissioner at New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, said that chronic malnutrition remains a major concern for disadvantaged children and adults.

The donation of fresh fruit this time aims to contribute to improving nutrition for children and women who are living and working at many charities in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, including Operation Smile, Support Centre for Inclusive Education Development, Blue Dragon Children's Foundation, and Maison Chance.

Earlier, the country’s fruit exporters also presented apples and kiwis to medical staffs and patients in many hospitals during the COVID-19 peak.

High-quality train carriage put into service on Hanoi - Hai Phong route

The Hanoi Railway Transport Joint Stock Company (Haraco) has put into service a high-quality carriage on the Hanoi-Hai Phong route.

Passengers choosing the service, which was started on July 6, can enjoy free Wi-Fi and a bottle of drinking water plus a wet towel.

They can buy tickets at railway stations and train ticket agents nationwide or purchase online via the hotline 1900109, through the sector's websites dsvn.vn and vetauonline.vn as well as mobile wallet apps like Viettel Pay, VnPay, Momo and Vimo.

National high school graduation exam 2022 starts nationwide

The 2022 national high school graduation examination started on July 7 morning with literature being the first subject to be sit for.

This year’s examinees are the ones affected by the COVID-19 pandemic for all the three high school years. In particular, they spent about 70 percent of their 12th grade’s time on learning online.

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Huu Do said this is their disadvantage, so the ministry had ordered localities to make use of the few days of face-to-face learning to help students reinforce knowledge.

Questions will focus on fundamental knowledge and also contain certain queries that can help classify exam sitters so that universities can use test results to recruit students, he noted.

The 2022 exam includes five tests: mathematics; literature; foreign languages; natural sciences (physics, chemistry, biology); and social sciences (history, geography, citizen education) for students following the general education curriculum, or history and geography for those following the continuing education curriculum.

Students can choose either natural sciences or social sciences tests to take.

While mathematics, literature, foreign languages, natural sciences, and social sciences tests are held in the multiple-choice format, literature is in the writing one.

As many as 989,863 examinees, equivalent to 98.75% of the registered, came to examination sites nationwide to handle procedures on July 6 afternoon, according to the Ministry of Education and Training.

UNDP, Japan partner to advance responsible business practices in Vietnam

The UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Vietnam and the Embassy of Japan (EOJ) jointly launched in Hanoi on July 6 the global strategic partnership between UNDP and the Government of Japan to advance responsible business practices in Japanese companies and their supply chains in Vietnam.

The new project will help strengthen the understanding and capacity of national governments, Japanese businesses, their suppliers, and partners to implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). Vietnam is one of the 17 countries prioritised by the Government of Japan for this global project to advance responsible business practices in Japanese companies and their supply chains in Vietnam.

In Vietnam, the project will focus on promoting Human Rights Due Diligence, a core element of UNGPs, through training and guidance sessions for Japanese companies and their supply chains.

Contest on Vietnam's seas and islands launched

A knowledge contest on Vietnam’s seas and islands and a virtual reality exhibition with the theme of “To quoc ben bo song” (Fatherland by the waves) was launched in Hanoi on July 6.

Addressing the event, Le Hai Binh, Vice Chairman of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Information and Education and head of the steering committee for the contest, said that the contest and the exhibition aim to raise public awareness of Vietnam’s seas and islands as well as the role of seas and islands in the cause of national construction and defence.

They are expected to inspire patriotism, national pride and sense of responsibility to protect national sovereignty and territorial integrity among Vietnamese people inside and outside the country, said Binh.

After passing an online multiple-choice round, 15 most outstanding contestants will be divided into three teams who will compete in the final round in the in-person format.

The contest will take place from July to October. The awarding ceremony is slated for October and will be broadcast live.

Meanwhile, the exhibition features 121 photos chosen from nearly 6,000 entries competing in a national photo contest on seas and islands in 2021, using 3D technology.

Visitors can enjoy the exhibition with their PCs, laptops and tablets, or via “To quoc ben bo song” mobile app that is available on both IOS and Android.

Da Nang-funded secondary school handed over to Lao locality

Representatives of the Lao and Vietnamese governments have officially handed over Laos - Vietnam Friendship Secondary School to the administration of Lamam district in southern Xekong province of Laos, according to the Vientiane Times.

In an article published on July 6, the Vientiane Times reported that the 10-billion-VND (nearly 428,000 USD) school project was funded by the administration and people of the central city of Da Nang.

The two-storey school has seven classrooms fully equipped with educational equipment and materials, an office for teachers, and 10 toilets, it said.

The new school will provide a good educational environment, helping Laos not only promote educational reform but also improve the quality of human resources, importantly contributing to strengthening the traditional relations, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Laos and Vietnam.

British Ambassador bestowed with insignia for environment cause

Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha on July 6 presented a "For the Cause of Natural Resources and Environment" insignia to British Ambassador to Vietnam Gareth Ward in recognition of his contributions to the sector.

Speaking at the handover ceremony in Hanoi, Ha said during the past four years, the British diplomat has become a close friend of Vietnam as well as the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE).

According to the minister, Ward has always accompanied and actively supported Vietnam in protecting the environment and responding to climate change, especially promoting cooperation and attracting investment for sustainable development and climate change adaptation programmes in the Southeast Asian country such as a low carbon energy programme for ASEAN, a project to develop Calculator Tool 2050 for Vietnam, Vietnam National Plastic Action Partnership, and a project to plant 1,000 mangroves to prevent erosion, among others.

Ha highly appreciated the support and close cooperation of Ward and the British Embassy with Vietnam in general and the MoNRE in particular in joining and implementing the results of the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), saying that Ward has acted as a bridge conveying Vietnam's messages and priorities to partners from the UK.

He expressed expressed his hope that the British diplomat will continue to connect and prompt international partners to support Vietnam in implementing its commitments at COP26, especially in negotiating and establishing the Just Energy Transition Partnership with countries of the Group of Seven (G7), as well as in programmes related to environmental protection, climate change response and sustainable development in the coming time.

For his part, Ward highlighted the close coordination between the British Embassy and the MoNRE towards the common goals in the field of natural resources and environment, especially after the success of COP26 where Vietnam showed its strong commitments in achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

The embassy always supports and works closely with the Vietnamese Government and the MoNRE in participating and implementing the results of COP26 as well as environmental issues in general, he affirmed.

Unusual flu season sees jump in cases in Hanoi

Health experts based in the capital are growing increasingly concerned over the recent rise in influenza A cases following a sharp increase in hospitalised patients.

According to Nguyen Thu Huong from Thanh Nhan Hospital, this represents an abnormal flu season due to cases spiking now instead of in the winter and spring.

Huong said that the number of people, especially children, who are seeking treatment for the seasonal flu virus at the hospital are on the rise. She added that the department typically receives 10 influenza A cases each day as opposed to a few patients as was the case before. Indeed, the majority of patients were hospitalized with a high fever, a sore throat, bronchitis, or even pneumonia and respiratory failure.

The Department of Pediatrics of National Hospital of Tropical Diseases has also seen the number of pediatric patients suffering from influenza flu type A this year rise to significantly higher levels compared to previous years.

According to health experts, the flu virus type A represents the most frequently mutated type and could potentially develop into dangerous new strains, with examples showing that some types of influenza A can lead to a pandemic.

Influenza A/H1N1 is a seasonal flu and can penetrate deeply into lung cells, causing pneumonia, multi-organ failure, and even death if not treated promptly.

Schedule for AFF Cup 2022 announced

The ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2022 is due to get underway between December 23 and January 15, 2023, with the competition following the format of the 2018 version.

The tournament is set to feature 10 national teams from regional countries who will be divided into two groups and compete in a round-robin format.

In the group stage the two leading teams from each group will progress to the semi-finals.

In both the semi-final and final rounds, participating sides will play home and away fixtures, with the away goals rule being applied to decide the winners in the event of a draw.

In the AFF Cup 2018, Vietnam lifted the trophy after trouncing Malaysia 3-2 over two legs in the final.

AFF U19 Champs: Vietnam trounce Brunei 4-0, stay atop Group A

Vietnam won a second victory at the 2022 AFF U19 tournament after crushing Brunei in their third match of Group A in Indonesia on July 6.

Coach Dinh The Nam made 10 substitutions in the starting lineup to offer newcomers the chance to hone skills in a clash with underdogs Brunei.

Vietnamese players scored two goals in each half, and the score could have been higher if the players took advantage of scoring chances.

Goalkeeper Ho Tung Han received a red card for using his hand to block the ball outside the penalty area.

This was Vietnam’s second big win at the AFF U19 Championship following their 4-1 victory over the Philippines and a goalless match against Indonesia.

The convincing victory helped Vietnam jump to the top of Group A with seven points after three matches, while Thailand finished second with seven points but on goal difference.

Vietnam are scheduled to take on Myanmar, while Thailand will clash against Indonesia on July 8.

Group winners will be named after the Vietnam vs Thailand clash slated for July 10.

VN women’s 3x3 basketball team compete in Fiba 3x3 Asia Cup

The Vietnamese women’s 3x3 basketball team with four players and one head coach departed for Singapore yesterday to compete in the Fiba 3x3 Asia Cup 2022.

Compared to the squad that competed at the 31st SEA Games, the team this time is full of new faces.

In the position of head coach is Trát Thị Nguyệt Nga, who has approximately 20 years of experience in competition and coaching.

The four players are Bùi Kim Nhạn, Võ Thị Ngọc Hậu, Nguyễn Thị Cẩm Tiên and Nguyễn Ngọc Bích. All of them were on the call-up list for the 31st SEA Games.

In particular, Kim Nhạn and Ngọc Bích played 3x3 basketball for the Vietnamese team at the 30th SEA Games in 2019 in the Philippines.

Việt Nam will meet Uzbekistan and Malaysia in the group stage on July 7.

Young taekwondo artists to fight for medals in Age Groups Championship

The National Taekwondo Age Groups Championship-CJ 2022 will be held at the HCM City's Military Zone 7 Gymnasium on July 7-14.

The tournament will see the participation of more than 1,000 athletes and coaches from 43 teams nationwide.

Athletes will compete in three age groups 12-14, 15-17 and 18-20. For the two latter groups, electronic equipment will be applied to ensure fairness.

This championship is the first event for young and junior taekwondo athletes re-organised after many postponements and cancellations because of the pandemic over the last two years.

According to Vũ Xuân Thành, general secretary of the Việt Nam Taekwondo Federation, the tournament is one of the key events in the national competition system.

It is a source to provide talented athletes for the national youth squad and the national team.

Việt Nam will compete in several events, such as the world youth championship in Bulgaria later this month and the Asian youth championship in early August in HCM City.

Brave rail worker rescues man who fell on railway line

A man narrowly escaped death after being saved by a rail worker at a level crossing on Tuesday night in the southern province of Đồng Nai.

The incident was caught on CCTV footage. At 7.35pm on Wednesday, the level crossing guard rushed to pull an apparently inebriated man to safety after he stumbled and fell on the rail track. This happened just four seconds before a speeding train passed through.

The dramatic rescue took place at Km 1656+004 crossroads of Thống Nhất railway line in Xuân Lộc Ward, Long Khánh City.

After being pulled from the track, the man was given first aid for cuts and bruises and was able to return home.

The rail worker was named as Trịnh Văn Tài from Biên Hòa Railway Team, Saigon Railway Joint Stock Company.

He told online newspaper Zing: “I was just thinking that I have to save him by all means without any fear of danger.

“The man appeared to be drunk. He did not intend to commit suicide but just tripped over. Only after saving him did I breathe a sigh of relief.”

Lê Đình Hà, Director of Saigon Railway Joint Stock Company, said that when hearing about the incident, the company immediately reported it to the leaders of the Vietnam Railway General Corporation asking for the rail worker to be rewarded for his bravery and selflessness.

Hanoi's lakes affected by mass fish deaths

Mass fish deaths have occurred over the past few days in Hà Nội's lakes, polluting surrounding areas. 

Hà Nội Sewerage Co Ltd, which manages the lakes, said that from June 22-26, said workers have been collecting 200-350kg of dead fish per day in Yên Sở Lake, Hoàng Mai District. 

Dead fish could be seen floating on an area stretching across dozens of metres on the lake, causing a foul smell.

By June 27, the number of dead fish had gradually decreased, with an average volume of about 150-200kg per day, the company's representative said.

On June 6-7, dead fish were also found in Thống Nhất Park's lake in Hai Bà Trưng District. 

The company's representative said the fish may have died due to hot weather and the company discharging water to regulate flood levels in the city, due to recent heavy rains.

This is not the first time the lakes have reported mass fish deaths. The same problem occurred in 2020 and 2021 when local authorities concluded that hot weather was the cause.

Experts applaud MoET proposal to waive tuition fees for secondary school students

Many experts have applauded a proposal from the Ministry of Education and Training to waive tuition fees for secondary school students up between grades 6 and 9 nationwide from the beginning of the 2022-23 school year.

On Monday, Minister of Education and Training Nguyễn Kim Sơn made the proposal at the conference between the Government and localities.

Professor Đinh Quang Báo, former principal of the Hà Nội National University of Education, told Dân Trí online newspaper that he agreed with the proposal, even if it could have come sooner. Báo said secondary education is the basic level of education.

The National Assembly Resolution 88/2014/QH13 has shown that general education is divided into two stages. The basic education stage is from grade 1 to grade 9. The goal of the stage is to provide students with basic knowledge, he said. The next stage is at the high school level, which provides students with deeper knowledge, he said.

With the abolition of tuition fees up to grade nine, every person in Việt Nam will be able to benefit from basic education without tuition fees, he said.

Trần Xuân Nhĩ, former Deputy Minister of Education and Training, said that if the State's economic conditions allow, this is a necessary and reasonable proposal.As tuition fees for primary school have been removed, secondary schools should be the next step, he said. The tuition fee exemption will create conditions for all children in the country to be able to go to secondary school, he said. Currently, the State sets a target that every citizen has to finish secondary-school education level, if we waive the tuition fees for the secondary students, it will be very reasonable, he said.

Data from the ministry shows that the country has 5.5 million secondary students.

Miss Vietnam 2022 beauty pageant officially launched

Miss Vietnam 2022 officially got underway with a press conference held Ho Chi Minh City on July 6 by Tien Phong (Pioneer) newspaper, the organiser of the pageant.

This year, apart from charity projects, contestants will join in several tourism activities to popularize Vietnam as a safe and friendly destination for visitors. They will also participate in activities to help them improve their skills in international beauty contests, according to Pham Kim Dung, general director of Sen Vang Entertainment Co. Ltd., the co-organiser of the contest.

Miss Vietnam 2022 is a biennial national beauty contest which is open for Vietnamese young women aged between 18 and 27.

This year’s competition will see the pageant’s qualifiers and semi-final round take place nationwide throughout October and December. In addition, a range of sub-categories will also be held for the titles of Miss Sports, Miss Fashion, and Miss Talent ahead of the grand finale which is scheduled to be held in mid-December in Ho Chi Minh City.

Since its inception in 1988, Miss Vietnam has emerged as one of the most prestigious national beauty contests aiming to honour Vietnamese women’s beauty, spirit, lifestyle, and talent.

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