The police of Hanoi arrested eight Mongolian citizens and are hunting for other accomplices who are accused of stealing property of a Swedish couple in the capital. 
      
The group of Mongolian citizens were said to enter a noodle soup restaurant on Ly Quoc Su in Hoan Kiem district on June 3 not to eat noodle but to approach a Swedish couple and steal their wallet with many documents inside, including ATM cards and credit cards.

The Swedish couple, Andreas Selahattin Vural and Veronica Gonzalez Garcia, had not discovered until they returned to their hotel and found more than VND1 billion had been withdrawn from his bank account through his mobile phone message notification

They immediately contacted the bank for temporary account closure and went to a local police station to inform about the case and ask for help.  Through examinations, the police discovered that a group of Mongolians had caused the theft.

Tipped off by a Mongolian accomplice, the police knew the group of Mongolians had moved to Ho Chi Minh City and prepared to travel to Cambodia.

The police deployed a team and arrested seven of the Mongolians in Tay Ninh province before they carried out their escape plan. They seized US$20,100, 106 maces of gold, and some other related exhibits.

They are continuing to search for the remaining accomplices.  

Wetlands conservation significant as nearly 40 percent of Vietnam’s landmass

Vietnam is home to nearly 12 million hectares of wetlands or 37 percent of the total natural land area. The majority of these wetland can be found in the Mekong Delta region of southern Vietnam.

The Mekong Delta counts four Ramsar sites (wetlands of international importance designated under the Ramsar convention).

The sites are the Ca Mau Cape National Park in Ca Mau province, the U Minh Thuong National Park in Kien Giang province, Lang Sen Wetlands Reserve in Long An province, and Tram Chim National Park in Dong Thap province.

The Ca Mau Cape National Park was established in 2002. It is home to 93 species of birds, 26 species of mammals, 43 species of reptiles, nine species of amphibians, 139 fish species and 53 mollusk species. Of these, many are listed in Vietnam's Red Book and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red Book that heralds the plight of endangered species.

In 2009, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation recognised the Ca Mau Cape National Park as a World Biosphere Reserve. In April 2013, the park became the 2,088th Ramsar site in the world and the fifth Ramsar site in Vietnam.

Founded in 2002, the U Minh Thuong National Park is surrounded by a 60km-long embankment system and covers some 21,100 ha of land in U Minh Thuong district, including about 8,000 ha of the core zone and 13,000 ha of the buffer zone.

The U Minh Thuong National Park is at the core of the Kien Giang Biosphere Reserve, the fifth in Vietnam earning UNESCO recognition. Among the forest ecosystems on acid sulfate soil in the Mekong Delta, only this park contains the characteristics of a purely primeval forest.

The Lang Sen Wetlands Reserve is Vietnam’s seventh Ramsar site, a preserved and unspoiled natural wetland with limited human impact. This wetland area covers 4,802ha in three communes of Vinh Dai, Vinh Loi and Vinh Chau A (Tan Hung district). The reserve is home to about 156 species of wild plants and 149 species of vertebrates, of which 13 are listed in the Vietnam Red Book.

Located in Dong Thap province’s Tam Nong district, the Tram Chim National Park is the fourth Ramsar site in Vietnam and the 2,000th worldwide.

In order to cope with climate change and contribute to socioeconomic development, the surrounding community is looking to long-range planning to preserve and sustainably maintain biodiversity in the wetlands.

Vietnam, Burundi sign agreement on visa exemption

Vietnam and Burundi have signed an agreement on visa exemption for the two countries’ citizens holding diplomatic and official passports.

An agreement to this effect was inked on June 10 by Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations on behalf of the Government of Vietnam, and Ambassador Zéphyrin Maniratanga, Permanent Representative of Burundi to the United Nations on behalf of the Government of Burundi.

Under the agreement, Vietnamese citizens and Burundian citizens holding valid diplomatic or official passports are exempted from visas with a temporary stay of no more than 90 days from the date of entry.

Citizens of the two countries who are members of diplomatic missions, consular offices or representative offices at international organisations located in the other’s territory, and members of their families holding diplomatic or official passports are exempt from visa during the working term.
 
Vietnam attends 28th ASEAN-China Senior Officials' Consultation

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China should utilise their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, established in late November 2021, to cope with traditional and non-traditional challenges amid the present complicated situation, Ambassador Vu Ho, acting head of ASEAN SOM Vietnam, has said.

Speaking at the 28th ASEAN-China Senior Officials' Consultation (ACSOC), held online on June 10, Ho suggested the two sides enhance and deepen their partnership and cooperation in a substantive, effective and mutually beneficial manner, effectively contributing to efforts in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and boosting recovery towards sustainable development, for peace, security, stability and prosperous development in the region and the world.

ASEAN and China should step up dialogues, continue to build trust, promote mutually beneficial and equal cooperation, respect each other and observe international law, in order to ensure an environment of peace, security and stability and facilitate the handling of existing and emerging challenges, the ambassador noted.

ASEAN will continue its close coordination with China to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and strive to build a substantive, effective and efficient Code of Conduct (COC) in the East Sea in line with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS), for the East Sea of peace, cooperation and development, he affirmed.

Ho also called on the two sides to effectively fulfill their cooperation commitments through the sharing of experience and information and coordination between law enforcement forces, while working together to spur sub-regional development, ensure inclusive growth and equal, sustainable development.

Vietnam makes continuous efforts to fight IUU fishing

Over the past four years, the Vietnamese fisheries sector has been implementing recommendations from the European Commission (EC) to fight illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

The southern province of Kien Giang, one of 28 coastal localities, has rolled out various policies and activities to raise local awareness of the 2017 Law on Fisheries.

Since late 2021, no violations have been detected in the province, the official said, adding that Kien Giang will continue efforts to deal with limitations in the fight against IUU fishing this year.

The south central province of Ninh Thuan has also taken measures against illegal fishing, including communication activities and warnings.

Over the past two years, Ninh Thuan has organised 70 training courses for 3,000 boat owners, captains and fishermen, with 2,300 boat owners committing not to operating illegally in foreign waters.

Thanks to free trade agreements (FTAs) and advantages of quality and diversity, Vietnamese seafood products have seen their competitiveness improve across the world market.

To ensure sustainable maritime economic development, localities like Kien Giang, Ca Mau, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, Khanh Hoa and Phu Yen have stepped up aquaculture efforts.

The Directorate of Fisheries under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said as of late 2021, aquaculture farms covered 260,000ha with a combined output of 600,000 tonnes.

Sekong province of Laos keen to step up cooperation with Thua Thien - Hue

Secretary of the Party Committee and Governor of Sekong province of Laos Leklay Sivilay paid a working visit to the central province of Thua Thien - Hue on June 10. 

During a working session with Thua Thien - Hue’s officials on the same day, Leklay highly valued cooperation between the two localities, especially support of the Vietnamese locality for Sekong in the fields of human resources training, education, healthcare, and infrastructure development. 

The two sides briefed each other on the potential and strengths in socio-economic development in their respective localities, and discussed opportunities for bilateral cooperation in the coming time.

In recent times, the authorities of Thua Thien - Hue and Sekong have regularly organised friendship visits, and effectively performed the border work and the search for and repatriation of remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who died in Laos.

The two sides have also boosted cooperation in economic development, education, health, culture, border trade. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they maintained connection in flexible forms, and actively supported each other in the fight against the pandemic. 

15th working day in third session of 15th National Assembly

The National Assembly spent the 15th working day at the third session (June 10) discussing a number of key road projects and specific mechanisms for the development of the central province of Khanh Hoa.

In the morning, the focus of discussion was on Hanoi’s belt road No 4 and Ho Chi Minh City’s belt road No 3.

Later, NA deputies also looked into investment policies for the Chau Doc-Can Tho-Soc Trang highway (phase 1) in the Mekong Delta, the Khanh Hoa-Buon Ma Thuot highway (phase 1) in the central and Central Highland regions, and the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau highway (phase 1) in the southern region.

In the afternoon, a draft resolution on a number of pilot mechanisms and policies for the development of the central province of Khanh Hoa was tabled for debate.
 
After the weekend, the NA will resume working on June 13. As scheduled, the legislature will consider the draft law on medical examination and treatment (revised) in the morning. The discussion with be broadcast live on the NA’s TV channel.

In the afternoon, the NA will vote on a resolution on the law and decree building programme for 2023 and adjustments to the law and decree building programme for 2022. After that, the draft law on inspection (revised) will be tabled for discussion.

19th Shangri-La Dialogue: Defence Minister meets with Singaporean, US, Canadian counterparts

Defence Minister Gen. Phan Van Giang on June 10 had bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Singapore, the US and Canada on the threshold of the 19th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

During the meeting with Singaporean Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, the Vietnamese and Singaporean officials highlighted the effective development of the  Vietnam-Singapore strategic partnership, saying that relations have developed fruitfully across all fields with increasing political trust.

On the basis of a good relationship between the two states, bilateral defence ties have also been further promoted, they said.
 
The ministers agreed on orientations for cooperation, focusing on strengthening coordination to effectively implement signed agreements and strengthening cooperation between their armies.

Regarding multilateral cooperation, the ministers discussed contents related to the upcoming ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and global and regional issues of mutual concern.

Meanwhile, Minister Giang and US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, in their meeting, affirmed that the defence cooperation between Vietnam and the US  has achieved positive results in a number of areas, including war aftermath settlement, delegation exchanges, maritime security, training, search and rescue and humanitarian assistance, and UN peacekeeping.

The two ministers agreed to continue promoting cooperation in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding on Promoting Defence Cooperation signed in 2011 and the Joint Vision Statement on Defense Relations signed in 2015, prioritising overcoming war consequences, including accelerating and mobilising resources for  the dioxin remediation project at Bien Hoa airport.

Minister Giang said that effective cooperation between the two sides will help strengthen trust and create motivation to expand cooperation to other areas. 

Meeting with Canadian Defence Minister Anita Anand, the Vietnamese minister affirmed that Vietnam always attaches importance to the comprehensive partnership with Canada, of which defence cooperation is a pillar.

The officers stressed that the bilateral defence relationship is being actively implemented, in line with the MoU on Bilateral Defence Cooperation signed in 2019 and the 3-year defence cooperation plan in the 2021 - 2023 period.

Both sides agreed to continue prioritising high-level meetings, and strengthen cooperation in consultation-dialogue, training, UN peacekeeping and marine security.

Minister Giang highly valued the effectiveness of cooperation with Canada in training advanced English and UN peacekeeping.

On the same afternoon, the Vietnamese official  attended an informal meeting between the US Secretary of Defence and  heads of delegations of ASEAN countries at the invitation of  US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin.

PM urges efforts to achieve national target programmes

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has asked ministries, agencies and localities to take action to drastically and effectively implement national target programmes.

The request was made in Dispatch No. 501/CD-TTg, signed by Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh on June 10 and sent to leaders of ministries, agencies and municipal and provincial People’s Committees.

PM Chinh on May 28 issued Decision No. 652/QD-TTg on the allocation of development investment capital sourced from the 2021-2025 central budget to localities, and Decision No. 653/QD-TTg allocating capital from the 2022 central budget to the three national target programmes that cover socio-economic development in ethnic-inhabited and mountainous areas, sustainable poverty reduction, and new-style rural area building.

The agencies in charge of the programmes are required to urgently make and approve plans on capital disbursement in accordance with the Law on Public Investment, the Law on the State Budget and Decree 27/2022/ND-CP dated April 19, 2022.

Meanwhile, a plan on the allocation of the remaining 7.94 trillion VND for development investment from the 2021-2025 central budget must be sent to the Ministry of Planning and Investment no later than mid-July.

Ben Tre intensifies efforts to conserve migratory wild birds

Vice Chairman of the Ben Tre People’s Committee Nguyen Minh Canh has signed an official dispatch requesting state agencies and localities in the Mekong Delta province to implement urgent measures to preserve migratory wild birds in Vietnam.

Accordingly, communications campaign to raise public awareness of the PM’s Directive No. 4/CT-TTg and the implementation of related legal documents are prioritised.

The provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment is assigned to coordinate with relevant sectors and localities to guide, examine and support the implementation of the directive.

According to a project accessing Ben Tre’s bio-diversity and outlining related tasks for 2021-2030, the province houses 219 bird species, including 60 rare ones.

Hue Monuments Conservation Centre marks 40th anniversary

The Hue Monuments Conservation Centre celebrated its 40th founding anniversary on June 10, a milestone on the path to recover and bring into play values of the Nguyen Dynasty’s tangible and intangible cultural heritages.

At present, Hue is home to five UNESCO-recognised world cultural heritages, namely the Complex of Hue Monuments (a world heritage site), “Nha nhac” or Vietnamese court music (Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity), the woodblocks of the Nguyen Dynasty (part of the Memory of the World Programme), the imperial archives of the Nguyen Dynasty (part of the Memory of the World Programme), and the Literature on Hue Royal Architecture (part of Documentary Heritage in the Memory of the World Programme).

Over the last four decades, the centre has preserved and rehabilitated hundreds of relics in the complex, including Ngo Mon (Noon Gate), Hien Lam Pavilion, The Mieu Temple, Duyet Thi Duong Theatre, and Dien Tho, Thai Hoa, and Kien Trung palaces. It has also recovered some of the most important royal festivals of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802 - 1945).

The centre now has cooperative ties with over 30 international organisations and tens of institutes, universities, and sectors of Vietnam to carry out studies, heritage conservation, and cultural exchange.

Vietnam affirms efforts to use atomic energy for sustainable development

Vietnamese officials affirmed the country’s consistent efforts to guarantee nuclear safety and security and to apply atomic energy in service of sustainable development during a recent meeting with representatives of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the IAEA Board of Governors’ regular meeting held in Vienna on June 6 - 10, according to the Chemicals Arm under Vietnam’s Ministry of National Defence.

The Vietnamese officials, including Ambassador Nguyen Trung Kien, Governor - Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the IAEA, and Col. Nguyen Dinh Hien, Deputy Commander and Chief of the Staff of the Chemicals Arm, appreciated the IAEA’s assistance to its member states, including Vietnam, to apply nuclear technology to responding to global issues and serving sustainable development, especially in the COVID-19 combat.

They stressed the need for promoting personnel training as well as bilateral and multilateral cooperation in dealing with radiation and nuclear incidents.

Vietnam expressed its attention to the application of nuclear energy and technology to such areas as health care, biology, agriculture, industry, and environment so as to boost socio-economic development and improve people’s living standards.

It noted that developing nuclear energy will help ensure energy security, particularly amid soaring fossil fuel prices, and realise the international agreements on climate change response and environmental protection to which Vietnam is a party.

The Vietnamese side proposed the IAEA continue helping the country perfect the relevant legal framework and develop nuclear technology to achieve sustainable development, build response plans for nuclear incidents, and train high-quality manpower in this field.

Vietnam placed in Group B at AFF U-19 football tournament

Vietnam’s U19 football team will be in Group A, together with Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, Brunei and the Philippines, at the AFF U19 Boys Championship 2022, according the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF).

Group B includes Malaysia, Laos, Timor Leste, Cambodia and Singapore.

Head coach Dinh The Nam has called up players for training at the Hanoi-based Vietnam Youth Football Training Centre since June 6.

The 2022 AFF U19 Boys Championship will take place in Indonesia from July 2 – 15.

Vietnamese Ambassador presents credentials to Uzbekistan's acting FM

Vietnamese Ambassador to Uzbekistan Dang Minh Khoi presented a letter of credentials to Uzbekistan's acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir I. Norov at a ceremony in the capital city of Tashkent on June 9.

At the talks following the ceremony, the two sides affirmed their willingness to strengthen ties in all fields.

The two diplomats also exchanged views on a lot of issues relating to policies, aiming to promote the strong development of bilateral relations in the coming time.

Norov highlighted the long-standing friendly ties between the two countries, reflecting by the fact that thousands of Vietnamese students had studied in Uzbekistan and the first President of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov, visited Vietnam in 1996, laying the foundation for their close relations.

For his part, Khoi said that it was an honour for him to be appointed as the Vietnamese Ambassador to Uzbekistan. He pledged to make every effort to further promote the relationship between the two countries to a new height.

AFC spotlights Nham Manh Dung’s goal at U23 Cup

The Twitter page of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has praised the spectacular header of Vietnamese forward Nham Manh Dung in the match against Malaysia in Tashkent on June 8.

The goal, the outcome of a joint work between defender Nguyen Thanh Nhan and Dung, sent Vietnam to the quarterfinals of the ongoing AFC U23 Championship 2022, the body twitted.

U23 Vietnam defeated their Malaysian rivals 2-0 to earn a ticket to the knockout round.

At the just-ended 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) in Vietnam in May, Dung’s header helped Vietnam defeat Thailand to win the gold medal.

Uzbek version of Ho Chi Minh’s prison diary published

A Uzbek version of late Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh’s collection of poems “Nhat Ky Trong Tu” (Prison Diary) was made public at a ceremony which took place at Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies (TSUOS) in Uzbekistan on June 9.

“Nhat Ky Trong Tu” features more than 100 poems written in Chinese characters during the 12 months between 1942 and 1943 when Ho Chi Minh was imprisoned in China's Guangxi province.

At the ceremony, six freshmen studying the Vietnamese language at TSUOS recited many poems in the collection in both Vietnamese and Uzbek.

TSUOS now offers Vietnamese language training to 15 students.

Vietnam calls for responsibility for peace, stability at ARF SOM

The sides should show their sense of responsibility for peace and stability in the region and the world, Ambassador Vu Ho, acting head of ASEAN SOM Vietnam, stressed at the ASEAN Regional Forum Senior Officials’ Meeting (ARF SOM).

Ambassador Ho said dialogues should be enhanced through such mechanisms as the ARF to build trust, ease differences and seek effective solutions to the current issues.

The ambassador also affirmed Vietnam’s willingness to coordinate with countries to contribute to international efforts in handling the problems.

Regarding the East Sea, Ho noted that the recent developments in the waters have harmed peace, security, stability and maritime environment, and reiterated ASEAN’s stance on the significance of peace, security, stability and safety of navigation and aviation in the East Sea, the settlement of disputes by peaceful measures, adherence to international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS), and the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) to facilitate negotiations of an effective, substantive Code of Conduct (COC) in the East Sea in line with international law, including the UNCLOS.

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