A ceremony took place on June 12 to bid farewell to the remaining 156 members of Vietnam’s Engineering Unit Rotation 1, as they left for peacekeeping duty at the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA).

The group was scheduled to move to Uganda first then to Abyei.

It was the second deployment of the unit, with the first 28 members leaving Vietnam on May 3 and arriving in Abyei on May 5.

Established in 2014 and debuted in November 2021, the 184-member Engineering Unit Rotation 1 has been the biggest Vietnamese unit to join UN peacekeeping mission to date.

Since the end of March, more than 2,000 tonnes of equipment and goods serving the unit have been delivered to the mission in Abyei by sea./.

NA scrutinizes draft laws on health check-ups, treatment on June 13

National Assembly (NA) deputies will discuss in the hall the draft Law on Medical Examination and Treatment (amended) on June 13 during the 15th NA’s ongoing third session.

The making of the draft law aims to institutionalise the Party’s policies; address shortcomings and limitations of the existing law, deal with newly arising issues to increase the quality of medical services towards fairness, quality, effectiveness, development and international integration; and strengthen the validity, efficiency, order and discipline of State management over health check-ups and treatment.

The draft law includes 10 chapters and 102 articles, one chapter more than the existing one.

In the afternoon session, the National Assembly will cast vote on a Resolution on the Law and Ordinance Building Programme in 2023 and the adjustment of the Law and Ordinance Building Programme in 2022.

The deputies then will discuss in the hall the draft Law on Inspection (amended).

It includes eight chapters and 116 articles, in which 61 are added, 41 revised and 24 removed compared to the 2010 one.

Vietnam attends 4th Asia-Europe political forum, 37th ICAPP meeting

A Vietnamese Party delegation attended the 4th Asia-Europe Political Forum (AEPF) and the 37th meeting of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP), which took place in the Czech Republic from June 10-12.

The forum, founded in 2017, attracted the participation of 28 parties from 21 Asian and European nations. It discussed COVID-19-related experiences, globalisation, and future EU-Asia relations.

It passed a statement highlighting the importance of strengthening the partnership through the important role of political party cooperation towards sustainability and comprehensiveness.

At the 37th ICAPP meeting held within the framework of the AEPF, participants agreed to work together to promote cooperation between political parties in the region as well as their collaboration with their peers in other regions.

On the sidelines of the event, deputy head of the Party Central Committee's Commission for External Relations Ngo Le Van, who led the Vietnamese delegation, had meetings with Jan Zahradil, Vice Chairman of the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade; ICAPP leaders; and representatives of participating parties.

Paintings by overseas Vietnamese artist showcased in Hanoi

The Polish embassy in Hà Nội will organise an exhibition of landscape paintings by a Polish-Vietnamese artist in the city's centre from June 14-18.

Minh Đàm’s exhibit Fantasy on Polish Airs will be running at the Việt Nam Fine Arts Museum, 66 Nguyễn Thái Học Street, Ba Đình District.

The event includes numerous watercolour paintings of landscapes, streets, and people in Poland, where he has been for many years, as well as a number of other European nations he has visited, as well as Việt Nam, where he was born.

Artist Minh was born in Hà Nội and moved to Poland at the age of 7. He is one of the most influential watercolour painters in Poland. He is also the co-founder of the Polish Watercolor Association.

Minh actively participates in international art competitions and events, as well as opening workshops in Europe and China. In addition, he is involved in the fields of architecture, interior design and photography. 

Hanoi embraces high-tech agriculture

Promoting high technology in Hà Nội's agricultural production has significantly boosted the city's agricultural development, forming many concentrated commodity production regions with increased productivity and improving the lives of local farmers.

The types of high technology applied in agriculture in Hà Nội include mechanisation, automation, biotechnology, and computerisation. These helps save costs, increase productivity, improve the quality of agricultural products, protect the environment, and improve economic efficiency.

Many localities and large enterprises in Hà Nội have chosen to embrace high-tech agriculture, such as biotechnology, greenhouse technology, automatic sensing technology, automatic grids and hydroponics.

The high-tech application in agriculture has brought progress and more production efficiency. Farmers and enterprises have taken advantage of science and technology to create high-quality agricultural products and improve economic efficiency in the city's agricultural production.

The value of high-tech agricultural products accounts for 32 per cent of the total value of agricultural production. High-tech agricultural production has positively changed farmers' awareness, helping them feel secure in investing and developing agricultural production.

The city has set a target of increasing the rate of high-tech agricultural products by up to 70 per cent of the city's total agricultural products. The city will also focus on supporting at least 44 high-tech agricultural enterprises to maintain and develop their businesses in cultivation, animal husbandry and fisheries. 
 
Gong classes preserve Central Highlands' gong culture

Lý Thường Kiệt School in Đắk N'Drung Commune, Đắk Song District of Đắk Nông Province, has recently put gong classes on the curriculum to preserve the intangible cultural heritage that is recognised by UNESCO.

Useful information and dedicated teachings are part and parcel of the gong lessons.

The school had recently bought a gong set worth over VNĐ30 million (US$1,300)

With the gong set and a professional gong team in the district, the school decided to maintain regular gong classes and turn them into an optional subject taught by local artisans.

Phạm Văn Tuân, the headmaster, said that the school wished to establish its own gong team to teach students every academic year.

The development of economic, social and religious life has strongly changed the lives of ethnic communities in Tây Nguyên. Many artisans who knew the secret of playing the gong passed away. And the younger generation has little or no interest in the gongs due to a strong attraction to modern life and imported culture. As such, gongs are gradually disappearing.

HCM City considers electric buses for BRT route

The city is researching the feasibility of using electric buses for the bus rapid transit (BRT) route No. 1, says the municipal transport department. 

The department held a seminar on Wednesday to discuss this option in depth under the city’s green traffic development project.

Department director Trần Quang Lâm said that HCM City would launch six BRT routes with a total length of about 100km.

By 2025, the city would expand its bus network from 126 routes with 2,100 buses to 260 routes with 3,000 buses.

HCM City’s green traffic development project, funded by the World Bank (WB), involves the construction of a 23km long BRT main corridor. The corridor will run from An Lạc in Bình Tân District to Rạch Chiếc in Thủ Đức City. 

The transport department said it would consult scientists and WB experts and advise the city People's Committee on selecting vehicles for this project.

Hanoi invests 1.3 billion VND to restore relics

From the beginning of the year until now, the whole city has invested in 111 relics renovations, embellishment and anti-degradation from the budget in addition to socialisation activities, with a total budget of 1.3 billion VND.

The Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports has just announced the city's renovation of relics for 2022.

Hanoi currently has nearly 6,000 relics of all kinds, of which, hundreds of relics are degraded. The investment, renovation and anti-degradation must be carried out regularly and continuously.

After a period of stagnation due to the COVID-19 epidemic, the cultural sector and localities are "accelerating" the implementation of renovation activities.

Specifically, during this time, there are 20 of 30 districts and towns carrying out restoration and embellishment of relics, which are concentrated in the following districts: Hoai Duc, Gia Lam, Nam Tu Liem, Ha Dong, Ba Vi, and Me Linh.

HCMC expands Covid-19 booster eligibility to certain individuals

The People’s Committee of HCMC has issued a document on expanding authorization of the fourth Covid-19 vaccine shot for certain individuals who may be at higher risk for severe infection to build sustainable herd immunity to the disease in the community.

The city previously plans to provide the fourth booster shot to people over the age of 50, people who are over age 18 with a weakened immune system, and people over the age of 18 who are at the greatest risk of infection (such as healthcare professionals, frontline workers, employees working in industrial parks).

The municipal authorities have just decided to expand eligibility for booster shots of Covid-19 vaccines to teachers, State and local government officials.

HCMC has awards to honor teachers in vocational education facilities

The People's Committee in Ho Chi Minh City has decided to present traditional awards to outstanding teams and teachers in vocational training facilities.

The city administration has just issued Decision 1898 promulgating the Regulation on giving Tran Dai Nghia awards to teachers and managers working at vocational education institutions.

According to the award regulations, outstanding teams and individuals in vocational training institutions citywide are honored based on their contributions to the teaching and training of the vocational training field. Those with scientific research topics, patents, and useful solutions that contribute to the development of vocational training in Ho Chi Minh City will be selected for the Tran Dai Nghia awards.

It is expected that the first 50 Tran Dai Nghia awards will be given in October 2022. The award will be held biennially.

Contest for digital teaching equipment design launched for first time

The Ministry of Education and Training yesterday launched the first digital teaching equipment design contest in 2022. Contest products will be selected to share freely with the community so that educational institutions, teachers, and students can choose quality digital teaching devices to use in teaching and learning.

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Ngoc Thuong said that over the past two years, the education sector has experienced many difficulties and challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Covid-19 has disrupted schooling for children and young people around the country; face-to-face learning was impossible but online teaching and learning were used as a final resort.

Accordingly, more than ever, the need to promote the application of information technology and digital transformation in the country in general and the education sector, in particular, is urgent.

In order to strengthen the application of information technology in teaching and learning activities, contributing to promoting digital transformation in the field of education, the Ministry of Education and Training has determined one of the important tasks is to build and develop a repository of quality digital teaching equipment which will be widely shared and used in educational institutions.

Entries must be registered and submitted online at the Contest's website: http://tbdhs.moet.gov.vn from July 1 to August 15. Winners will be awarded certificates of merit from the Minister of Education and Training.

Education Ministry launches safe swim campaigns to prevent drowning

The Ministry of Education and Training today held a ceremony to launch a campaign to learn to swim safely to prevent drowning and to open the National Swimming Tournament for high school students in 2022 in the Central City of Da Nang.

In the country, an average of about 2,000 children and students die from drowning every year, accounting for the highest rate compared to Southeast Asia and 8 times higher than developed countries.

In recent years, the drowning tragedy during summer vacation is heartbreaking. In the first five months of 2022, 113 children and students died from unintentional drowning.

In 2022, the Ministry of Education and Training organized professional training for 400 key staff and teachers of 63 Departments of Education and Training on drowning prevention, teaching swimming, and safe drowning. However, teaching swimming is still difficult for the shortage of swimming pools in schools.

Therefore, the percentage of students who know how to swim accounts for about 30 percent of high school students nationwide.

The Swimming Tournament has taken place from June 8 to 13 with the participation of about 700 students in 26 provinces and cities across the country.

Int’l Day of Yoga marked with Da Nang, Binh Thuan events

The 8th International Day of Yoga (June 21) was celebrated with activities held in central Da Nang city and Binh Thuan province on June 11 and 12.

The two-day programme in Da Nang was held in coordination with the Indian Embassy at Bien Dong (East Sea) Park. The International Yoga Festival - Da Nang 2022 featured yoga performances, along with exhibitions on the Vietnam - India friendship achievements and local tourism products.

Meanwhile, the Binh Thuan provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism coordinated with the Indian Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City held a similar event in Phan Thiet city on June 12.

More than 500 people who are yoga practitioners and visitors from the province and nearby localities took part in mass performances, aiming to encourage a positive lifestyle with frequent physical exercise.

Exhibition connects souls of Vietnamese, Italians

A painting exhibition by renowned Vietnamese artist Van Duong Thanh is underway in Italy’s Passignano sul Trasimeno town, offering visitors an insight into memories of her childhood on Vietnam.

On display are 30 oil and lacquer paintings featuring the country and people of the Southeast Asian nation.

Along with Passignano, the exhibition is being organised in Perugia province’s Umbria and Assisi towns from June 11-15.

Considered among Asia’s talented international female artists, Thanh grew up in Hanoi and studied for 12 years at l’Ecole de Beaux Arts, Indochine and at the Vietnam Academy of Fine Arts.

Through her distinctive style of using a subtle combination of Asian and European heritage in which Western techniques depict traditional motif of the natural world, women, children and flowers in more than 1,800 paintings, Thanh successfully inspires a large number of both domestic and international art lovers. The harmonious composition of vibrant colours, reflection of its emotional value and touches of expressive semi-abstraction make her paintings unique.

She has received, among other awards, the highly regarded ‘International Excellence of Art of CFMI’, US-France in 1995 and 1997, and ‘Glory of the Nation’ of Vietnam in 2007.

Vietnam attends Fetes Consulaires in Lyon

Vietnam for the first time attended the Fetes Consulaires, which took place in the French city of Lyon on June 11 and 12.

The Asia New Generation - Vietnam has cooperated with the Vietnam Cultural Centre in France and associations of Vietnamese in France to stage an impressive dragon dance and traditional music programme, an Ao dai show and a tourism exhibition at the event. Vietnam's food was also offered to visitors.

Roland Beaumont, President of the Asia New Generation - Vietnam Association, said it is a great honour and pride of Vietnamese people in this city to join the event for the first time.

Director of the Vietnamese Cultural Centre in France Nghiem Xuan Dong said that at very short notice, the centre had done its best to mobilise all resources to introduce the image, country and people of Vietnam to the world.

This annual event aims to honour the presence of consular delegations in the city, helping local residents discover the diversity of the communities in Lyon, contributing to its dynamism and development.

Hanoi special music night to showcase Tale of Kieu

A special music night running with the theme of "Moments in the Tale of Kieu" is scheduled to be held on June 17 at the Manzi Art Space in Hanoi through a series of works by talented composer Do Kien Cuong.

The pieces which are due to be played during the music night will be part of a project which has been initiated by popular artist Do Kien Cuong since 2020 and draws inspiration from Truyen Kieu (the Tale of Kieu) by famous poet Nguyen Du. 

The Vietnamese epic by poet Nguyen Du will be recreated through several excellent performance by local artists, thereby helping local audiences gain greater insights into the turning points of Kieu's life.

The show is sponsored by the Goethe-Institut and will feature the participation of popular artists such as Nguyen Chanh and Mai Pham on the cello, Thuy Tran on the violin, Lavender on the piano, Coco on the guitar, Zin Nguyen on the drums, Bill Mukang on percussion, Dattie on vocals, and Thu Phuong performing xam singing, a traditional art form which originated in the country’s northern regions.

Northern region to face heavy rains from Monday evening

The northern and northern central region will face heavy rains in the next three days from Monday evening, according to the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting.

It is forecasted that Hanoi and surrounding localities may see rainfall of between 40-80mm with some areas rising up to 120mmm from the evening of June 13 to 14.

From the evening of June 14 to 15, some provinces including Dien Bien, Lai Chau, Son La, Hoa Binh, and Thanh Hoa will also experience downpours with rainfall of between 30-80mm.

Besides showers, thunderstorms, coupled with whirlwinds, lightning, hail and strong winds will also occur during this time.

There is a high risk of flash floods and landslides in the mountainous localities, and flooding in low areas.

Music festival entertains Hanoi fans with power-packed performances

The ‘Thank you, Vietnam by VinaPhone’ music festival was staged at Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square in Hanoi on June 11, attracting nearly 30,000 live audience members and hundreds of thousands of views on social media platforms.

The event was held to celebrate the 26th anniversary of the mobile network operator VinaPhone.

It featured some young favourites such as JustaTee, Erik, Vu Cat Tuong, DaLab band, DJ Tuan Kruise, and rapper Hoang Anh, who ignited the stage with exciting and power-packed performances.

The combination of choreography, music and stage technology brought about a fancy party of music, awakening all senses and excitement among the audience attending the show.

Armed forces contestants win Oraichain Hackathon contest 2022

The 1877 team with contestants from the police and military forces of Hanoi and Quang Nam province won the first prize of the Oraichain Hackathon contest 2022, a programming contest held for the first time for members of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union.

The contest, which was organised by the Centre for Vietnam Youth Talents, Science and Technology under the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and Oraichain Labs Company, concluded in Hanoi on June 12.

The 1877 team secured the first-place prize worth 100 million VND in cash. Meanwhile, the REVERT team from Hanoi University of Science and Technology won the second-place prize worth 60 million VND and R&D-Viettel Solutions team from Viettel Da Nang seized the third-place prize worth 40 million VND.

For nearly two months, the contest saw the participation of 57 teams from all regions throughout the country, especially young people who are passionate about programming and have creative ideas about blockchain technology.

Vietnam Children's Ao Dai Festival 2022 kicks off

A national Ao Dai festival for children kicked off for the first time at Van Lang Park, Viet Tri City, Phu Tho last weekend.

With the theme "Huong Ve Coi Nguon Dan Toc Viet Nam" (Towards the roots of the Vietnamese nation), the Vietnam Children's Ao Dai Festival 2022 is expected to contribute to preserving and promoting the image of the Ao Dai in particular and the quintessence of national culture in general, making the Vietnamese Ao Dai a symbol of generational connection.

The jury includes many famous faces: People's Artist Trong Trinh - Head of the Jury, Designer Ta Linh Nhan, reigning Miss Vietnam Do Thi Ha, Dao Xuan Quynh - Deputy Director of Radio and Television Station of Phu province Tho and 2019 Vietnam Fitness Model Winner Bui Xuan Dat.

The programme started with a welcome performance by 100 child models.

The programme will organise two nights in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Next, the programme will return to Viet Tri City with the main Gala, scheduled to take place from September 2 to 4.

U.S. aids Vietnam with liquid oxygen systems

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will provide 13 liquid oxygen systems to healthcare facilities across Vietnam to support the care of severe Covid patients.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman on June 12 joined Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan to celebrate the start of the installation of a new liquid oxygen system provided by USAID at the Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi City.

The Bach Mai oxygen system is the largest of 13 such systems being provided by USAID to hospitals in the country, the local media reported.

The system is aimed at providing a safe and reliable source of medical oxygen for up to 1,000 patients per day at the hospital.

USAID is also providing related staff training, equipment, and supplies to administer the oxygen, such as high-flow nasal tubing and patient monitors, which allow hospital staff to efficiently track patients’ vital signs and quickly respond to changes in patient conditions.

Huge fire engulfs French garment factory in Thua Thien - Hue

The fire was still blazing eight hours after it broke out at a French garment factory in the Central Province of Thua Thien - Hue’s Phong Dien Industrial Park at 2.30 am this morning.

Firefighters in the province have mobilized many officers and soldiers with fire trucks to the scene to control the fire and prevent it from spreading.

Until 7:00 am, firefighters were still making effort to extinguish the fierce fire that occurred at Scavi Hue Company in Phong Dien Industrial Park.

Currently, many officers, soldiers, and fire trucks are dispatched to stop the fire from spreading; however, because this is a textile enterprise with many flammable materials, the fire is still burning.

Hanoi accelerates construction of key transport projects

Hanoi is pushing for the construction of key transport projects with high spillover effects to accelerate the disbursement of public funds.

With public investment seen as a key measure to boost socio-economic recovery, Hanoi had set up a task force specialized in speeding up public investment in late 2021, which has been essential in helping the city’s disbursement rate above the national average.

In the first quarter, Dong Da District posted a disbursement rate of 72.1% of the year’s target, while those of Ba Dinh, Tay Ho, Thanh Oai, and My Duc had the rate from 22-44%.

As of present, Hanoi is working with Government agencies to accelerate the construction of key projects, including the Vinh Tuy Bridge Phase 2, Le Van Luong underground tunnel, and Ring road No.3, and the upgrade of sporting infrastructure for the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31).

Meanwhile, the metro line section Nhon – Hanoi station with a length of 12.5 kilometers and investment capital of VND33 trillion ($1.42 billion), is scheduled to complete in 2022 as 75% of the work volume has been completed.

The authorities expected to complete the Vinh Tuy Bridge phase 2 before June 30 to avoid the rainy season. The project with an investment capital of VND2.5 trillion ($108 million) and a length of 3.5 kilometers, is scheduled to complete in mid-2023.

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