The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta city of Cần Thơ held a motorbike parade to raise public awareness of the need for social and health insurance last month. – VNA/VNS Photo Trung Kiên

Authorities in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta are seeking to increase the number of people covered by the Government’s health insurance.

The delta, comprising 12 provinces and Cần Thơ, has boosted advocacy to encourage people to participate in health insurance.

Tiêu Minh Dưỡng, deputy director of the Cần Thơ Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, said his agency had sought to enhance public awareness of the need for and benefits of social and health insurance.

Last month the city launched an event to advocate voluntary participation in social and health insurance, including a motorbike parade.

The city had 1.07 million people with health insurance as of the end of April, or 90 per cent of its population, and aims to get another 11,234 sign up this year.

In Long An Province, authorities have regularly undertaken advocacy activities to make people understand the benefits and responsibilities related to health insurance.

The province is improving healthcare services, especially for insured people, and has 186 clinics and hospitals that provide them with healthcare.

Its number of examinations under insurance cover increased from 2.2 million in 2009 to 2.4 million last year.

The province’s 93.2 per cent of its population, or more than 1.6 million people, are insured.

Nguyễn Thanh Hải, deputy standing secretary of the Long An Party Committee, said the quality of treatment for insured people at clinics and hospitals, especially at the grassroots levels, should be enhanced.

The Delta region has a number of policies to help people access health insurance and financial support for people, especially the poor, to buy it.

Trà Vinh Province has adopted resolutions to provide free health insurance to near-poor people, farmers with average incomes, students, and other needy people.

It has improved the quality of healthcare for insured people, and this has helped reduce the number of patients that require to be transferred from local facilities to higher-level ones for treatment.

It aims to have 100 per cent of its population covered by health insurance by 2030 compared to 95.8 per cent now.

Lâm Minh Đằng, deputy secretary of the Trà Vinh Party Committee, has urged commune party and people’s committees to work with district-level social insurance agencies to expand the number of people covered by health insurance.

The province's Department of Education and Training should step up advocacy and encourage students to acquire health insurance, he said.

An Giang Province subsidised health insurance costs by 30 per cent for near-poor people and 70 per cent for ethnic students in 2020-22.

All students now have health insurance.

The rate of insured people in the province increased from just 43 per cent in 2009 to 92 per cent last year.

Lê Văn Nưng, deputy secretary of the province's Party Committee, has instructed localities to financially help people buy health insurance.

Localities should implement health insurance policies well and create favourable conditions for people to access them, he said.

An Giang targets 95 per cent of its population having health insurance by next year.

Embassy advises Vietnamese citizens in Israel on safety measures

The Vietnamese Embassy in Israel on June 23 warned Vietnamese citizens here to increase safety and security measures in the context of the recent increased risk of a full-scale conflict between Israel and the Hezbollah force on the northern border with Lebanon.

From June 11, force has fired hundreds of missiles and launched drones, leading to serious losses in terms of life and property, and causing fires that devastated many areas in northern Israel, while Israel has also increased its offensive activities on Lebanese territory, the embassy said in a statement.

It held that the international community has warned that the recent increase in scale and intensity of mutual attacks and retaliation by the two sides may lead to the risk of a full-blown conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

In the face of this situation, in order to ensure utmost safety for Vietnamese citizens, the embassy advised the them to regularly update news on reputable local media, while minimising travelling to areas with a low level of security and safety as well as zones at risk of attacks by the Hezbollah force, especially northern Israel, strictly complying with regulations and instructions on security and safety measures of the local government, and proactively preparing plans to ensure safety for themselves and their family.

The embassy also recommended that the Vietnamese community keep a close contact with the embassy, and provided its phone numbers and email addresses for the community in case of emergency and seeking support and information about citizen protection plans.

Since October 2023, nearly 400 people have died in Lebanon and 28 in Israel. Particularly, both sides have recently released tough statements, showing the risk of a full-blown conflict. United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned on June 21 that “one rash move – one miscalculation” could trigger a “catastrophe” of a new war.

Vietnam culture, tourism festival to take place in RoK later this month

The 2024 Vietnam Culture and Tourism Festival in the Republic of Korea (RoK) will take place from June 29 to July 3, according to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT) under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Within the framework of the festival, there will be a forum on tourism promotion and cultural cooperation between the two countries, a business meeting with the participation of Vietnam’s senior leaders, a space to promote the image of the Vietnamese country, people, and tourism culture, and art performances.

The VNAT said that this will be an opportunity for it, as well as localities, and businesses to introduce attractive policies, destinations, and products, and also a chance for enterprises to establish business cooperation and attract more Korean tourists.

Last year, Vietnam welcomed 12.6 million foreign tourists, including 3.6 million Koreans, making the RoK top in the number of international visitors to Vietnam.

Meanwhile, around 420,000 Vietnamese people chose the East Asian nation as their holiday destination.

According to data from the Booking platform Yeogi Eottae of the RoK, Vietnam is witnessing an increasing number of hotel bookings by Korean travelers for this year's peak summer tourist season

Specifically, the number of hotel bookings by RoK visitors in the Philippines and Vietnam for the June - August period increased by 3.1 times and 3 times, respectively, compared to the same period in 2023.

Statistics from the Yeogi Eottae website released on May 2 indicated that as of late April, the number of hotel bookings in the two Southeast Asian countries was leading in the region.

Law on organisation of People's Courts sails through legislature

The National Assembly (NA) on June 24 approved the revised Law on the Organisation of People's Courts, with 94.25% of the participating deputies voting in favour.

The freshly passed law consists of nine chapters and 152 articles, introducing new policies and regulations on the organisation and operation of the courts, while also pertaining to various agencies such as investigation, procuracy, and civil judgment enforcement agencies. It also interacts with multiple procedural laws.

At the meeting, part of the NA's ongoing seventh session, Chairwoman of the NA's Committee for Judicial Affairs Le Thi Nga reported that the NA Standing Committee issued a full report on June 22, providing explanations on and revisions to the draft for further review and approval. Earlier, in a dispatch dated June 20, the Supreme People's Court concurred with the entire content of the bill and gave several opinions about the explanation report.

The draft law maintains the current regulations regarding province- and district-level People's Courts.

Among the adjusted provisions, it permits audio recording of the entire court proceedings and meetings, while video recording is restricted to the opening of trials and announcement of judgments. Recording activities require the consent of the presiding judge and relevant parties as stipulated.

Vietnam among top Asian travel destinations for Chinese tourists

Vietnam has been named among the top 10 Asian destinations for Chinese tourists heading abroad this summer, according to statistics released by data analytics company ForwardKeys.

The leading Asian destinations for Chinese tourists this summer in order include the likes of Japan, Thailand, the Republic of Korea (RoK), Hong Kong (China), Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan (China), Vietnam, and Macau (China).

ForwardKeys’s statistics indicate that the RoK and Japan have already witnessed a surge of Chinese tourists after their currencies weakened against the CNY, while Southeast Asian countries, including Malaysia and Thailand, lure tourists with factors such as visa-free entry and relatively lower costs.

According to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT), China surpassed the RoK to become the biggest market for Vietnamese tourism in May. More than 357,000 Chinese tourists arrived in Vietnam during the month, while the number of Korean arrivals hit 351,000.

According to digital travel platform Agoda, tourists from China choose to travel to Vietnam mainly due to its rich culture coupled with beautiful natural landscapes. This year saw destinations nationwide such as Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Nha Trang, Da Nang, and Phu Quoc pearl island enter the top five choices among Chinese tourists.

Earlier this month, the World Travel and Tourism Council forecast that Chinese holidaymakers will splurge CNY1.8 trillion, equal to US$250 billion, on overseas trips this year, thereby exceeding pre-pandemic levels for the first time.

Hanoi to host ASEAN military music exchange this December

Military music bands from ASEAN countries will gather together in Hanoi from December 13 to 22 to participate in the ASEAN military music exchange on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Army this year.

Bands from various ASEAN member states will travel through major streets such as Nguyen Tri Phuong-Dien Bien Phu-Doc Lap 2-Hoang Van Thu-Hoang Dieu before returning to the Thang Long Imperial Citadel.

The military music bands will also be performing at the second Vietnam International Defence Expo to be held at Gia Lam Airport on the outskirts of Hanoi from December 19 to 21.

They will then join in the closing ceremony for the ASEAN military music exchange due to take place at the Vietnam Military History Museum on December 22.

Localities well prepared for high school graduation exam

Localities nationwide are ready for this year’s high school graduation exam on June 27-28 as preparations for the exam have been completed, according to Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Ngoc Thuong.

Localities have done a good job of assisting candidates in not only making a knowledge revision but also providing necessary support for disadvantaged candidates, said Thuong in a short interview granted to VOV.

According to the official, localities have launched communication campaigns to warn candidates not to use high-tech devices, and authorities will strictly handle cases of intentional violations.

The Ministry of Education and Training, relevant ministries, agencies and localities have made thorough preparations to ensure the exam will take place in a safe, serious manner and according to regulations, the Deputy Minister stated.

More than 1 million students have registered to sit this year’s high school graduation exam across localities nationwide.

They will do four tests, including three compulsory tests (mathematics, literature and a foreign language). They will also sit an optional combined test in either natural sciences (physics, chemistry, biology) or social sciences (history, geography, and civic education).  

The results of the graduation exam will be made public on July 17.

The high school graduation exam is considered the most important event in a student’s life time after they complete 12 years in school. Its results will be used for admission to universities/colleges, which many view as the only way to find professional careers.

Cambodian media highlight Vietnam – Cambodia relations

Cambodia’s national news agency Agence Kampuchea Press (AKP) and some other press agencies like Kampuchea Thmey Daily, Koh Santepheap Daily have recently run articles spotlighting the long-lasting relations between Vietnam and Cambodia on the occasion of the 57th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations (June 24, 1967 - 2024).

On June 20, Kampuchea Thmey Daily ran an article "Cambodia-Vietnam 57 years of good neighbours, long-standing traditional friendship", highlighting that Cambodia and Vietnam are two neighbouring countries in Indochina, in the lower Mekong River region. Both are located in the most important geopolitical positions, the Pacific and Indian Ocean regions.

The two countries always have a close relationship, share and support each other at regional and international forums. They have stood side by sides in the national liberation and unification in the past, as well as the country construction and protection today.

Noting that June 24, 2024 marks the 57th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Cambodia and Vietnam, the article stressed that in the past 57 years, the relations have kept growing despite challenges. The relations have been developing more and more intensively, substantially and effectively in all fields, becoming an invaluable common asset of the two peoples and the two countries.

On June 23, Koh Santepheap newspaper ran an article mentioning the cooperative relationship between the two countries in many fields, especially politics and security.

The article clearly stated that as both Cambodia and Vietnam consider each other one of the top priorities in their respective foreign policy.

Previously, on June 22, the AKP published an article titled "Celebrating 57 years of Cambodia-Vietnam diplomatic relations: New heights of Cambodia-Vietnam political relations". The article provided comprehensively evaluations over the long-standing friendship and cooperation between the two neighbouring countries throughout history. It also introduced and updated new achievements in their relations in specific fields, especially politics.

The two sides affirmed that Cambodia-Vietnam relations are developing well and becoming increasingly deeper, practical and effective in all aspects, becoming a valuable common asset of the two countries' people and the most important factor ensuring their success in national construction and protection, according to the article.

Cambodia's national news agency expressed confidence that the two countries will continue to stand side by side toward the visions that make Cambodia a developed country by 2050, as well as Vietnam a high-income country by 2045.

Event held to connect OV experts, intellectuals for homeland’s development

The Vietnam Innovation Day 2024 has been held at the headquarters of the Vietnamese Embassy in Belgium.

The June 21 event, which was organised by the Vietnam Innovation Network in Europe (VINEU), aimed to connect the Vietnamese experts and intellectuals networks in Europe and promote the sustainable development of Vietnam through innovation.

In his opening remarks, Ambassador Nguyen Van Thao, head of the Vietnamese Mission to the EU, highlighted the significance of innovation, saying that it is not a trend but the key to development for countries in the world and Vietnam needs international cooperation to promote this field.

He went on to say that it is necessary to take advantage of the resource of OV intellectuals through the innovation network.

For his part, Vietnamese Ambassador to Germany Vu Quang Minh affirmed that the Vietnam Innovation Day is an opportunity to create connections between Vietnamese and international intellectuals, expressing his hope that more similar events will be held in the coming time.

Themed “Innovate to success”, this year's version comprised three sessions on artificial intelligence (AI) and digital transformation, the environment and renewable energy, experience in technology transfer to Vietnam and investment capital.

Speaking at the third discussion session related to experience in technology transfer and investment in Vietnam, Vo Xuan Hoai, Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Innovation Center (NIC), noted that NIC is committed to creating favourable conditions for businesses and start-ups to develop. Meanwhile, Boris Bogaert, Vice President of PitchDrive, a venture capital firm, held that Vietnam is an attractive destination for start-up investors with an increasingly favourable business environment.

One of the highlights of the Vietnam Innovation Day 2024 is promoting connections and cooperation between businesses and research organisations. Through meetings and exchanges, the parties have found new directions and potential collaboration opportunities to develop innovative projects, contributing to the overall development of the country.

Malaysia-Vietnam Friendship Association cares for OVs’ health

Members of the Malaysia-Vietnam Friendship Association (MVFA) on June 22 received a free blood test and eye examination package worth 520 MYR (110 USD) from the Sunway Medical Centre, one of the leading modern medical facilities in the host country.

This formed part of the association's activities to care for the Vietnamese community in Malaysia.

Nguyen Thi Ngoc Mai, an overseas Vietnamese living in Malaysia for 12 years, said that the association has always taken care of the health and spiritual life of OVs through many practical programmes such as providing legal consultancy and organising the Spring Festival or Full Moon Festival.

Currently, there are more than 30,000 Vietnamese people living, studying and working in Malaysia, statistics showed. The Vietnamese community here has made important contributions to the local economy, connecting and supporting each other, preserving Vietnamese culture and participating in community and social activities./.

Should minibuses be taken into Hà Nội's old quarters

Voters from Hàng Đào Ward have suggested to city authorities that smaller buses be allowed in the old quarters to reduce congestion.

At the meeting with voters in Hoàn Kiếm District in preparation for the 17th session of the Hà Nội People's Council held recently, a proposal was also made to allocate land outside the Hồng (Red) River dyke or space outside the urban area, for parking.

In response, leaders from Hoàn Kiếm District said that they had proposed to the city that cars be restricted from the old quarter and large buses too be banned from the main radial axis.

The area suffers from traffic jams, particularly on the weekends, so the district has been researching possible traffic solutions for the area.

In the immediate future, local authorities will deploy static traffic arrangements in underground areas such as the Opera House flower garden and the May 1 Square and look at using minibuses, rather than full-sized buses. Hà Nội currently has 154 bus routes in operation, according to the city’s statistics and as many as 11 transport units operate bus routes with more than 2,300 vehicles, transporting tens of thousands of passengers every day.

Last year, the Hà Nội Transport Corporation reviewed and proposed the municipal Department of Transport to adjust the work of eight bus routes to make travel easier and enhance bus connections. The spread of bus services has been expanded, however there is still no bus system in the old quarter.

Nguyễn Hoàng Hải, Deputy Chairman of the Hà Nội Public Transport Association, said that bringing minibuses into the old quarters did not depend on the people’s wishes, but on the infrastructure.

“Buses in Hà Nội come in many sizes, from small to large. If the infrastructure is suitable, putting buses into use would be very good. But I think that bringing buses in is not just about driving, but also about organising traffic, ensuring security, order and safety," said Hải.

With the current traffic situation in the old quarters, Hải acknowledged that it would "not be easy to deploy" buses and authorities would need to make any changes step by step and trial systems which would then be reviewed.

Việt Nam's traffic problem, in particular that in Hà Nội, Hải believes, must be handled in a synchronised way.

The management agency would have to consider what types of vehicles to choose, what route to take and where to arrange stops so as not to obstruct traffic and not affect the lives of people in the old quarters.

“The management agency will have to answer many questions from engineers, traffic organisation and work management teams. I think that if Hà Nội surveys carefully and carries out gradually, we can let minibuses run in several sections. In fact, at present some minibuses are running on some inner city streets," he said.

Emphasising that this type of public transport would not take customers from taxi companies, Hải stated that each type of vehicle would serve its own group of passengers.

Taxis serve passengers who need door-to-door pickups over short or medium distances, buses will serve passengers on longer trips, following a fixed route. 

Distinctive development predicted by Deputy PM for Lâm Đồng Province

Deputy Prime Minister Trần Lưu Quang said that with the existing potential, along with the upgrade of Liên Khương Airport to an international airport, Lâm Đồng Province can anticipate robust and distinctive development in the future.

He was speaking while chairing the Lâm Đồng Provincial Planning Conference for the period of 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, and promoting local investment on Sunday.

Deputy PM Quang highlighted that Lâm Đồng has border gates and numerous highways connecting it to other regions, especially the southeast region. The province's successful implementation of high-tech agriculture provided confidence that it would become the standard-bearer and exemplary model for high-tech agriculture.

Vice Chairman of the Lâm Đồng Provincial People’s Committee Võ Ngọc Hiệp said that by 2030, Lâm Đồng aimed to become a comprehensively developed province in Việt Nam and develop Đà Lạt City and its surroundings into a high-quality tourism centre of national and Southeast Asian significance.

Lâm Đồng would accelerate economic growth, focusing on agriculture and forestry as the main pillars, the processing industry as the driving force and tourism as the breakthrough sector. The province aimed to develop a sustainable, modern, high-efficiency, organic agricultural economy, forming large-scale specialised farming areas and becoming a national and international centre for high-tech organic research and production, he said.

Hiệp also stressed that the province would prioritise sustainable development of the bauxite, alumina, aluminium extraction and processing industries, and the processing of agricultural and forestry products. It would invest in modern, comprehensive infrastructure systems to connect regions linking urban and rural areas and develop efficient, sustainable urban spaces.

According to the plan, by 2050, Lâm Đồng aims to meet the standards to become a centrally-governed city that is modern, distinctive, green, smart and worth living in.

Lâm Đồng aims to develop three key sectors, including agriculture-forestry-fisheries, services and industry construction.

Hiệp said the province would focus on becoming a hub for organic agriculture and high-value commodities in the Southeast Asian market. Crop cultivation would prioritise high-economic-value products for export, such as vegetables, flowers, silk, coffee, tea, fruit trees and tissue-cultured plant varieties.

Livestock farming will be developed on an industrial scale, using high-tech, closed-loop systems, according to the plan. Trade will be strengthened through close economic links with the southeast region, HCM City, the south-central coast, the Central Highlands and other key economic regions.

By 2030, Lâm Đồng aims to become attractive top-tier eco-tourism, wellness and sports resorts in Việt Nam and Southeast Asia. Đà Lạt and its surrounding areas will transform into high-quality urban centres, featuring vibrant night economies and achieving international standards.

The industrial sector will establish clusters in priority industries such as mineral processing and food processing. High-tech, large-investment industrial projects will be prioritised, along with expanding and enhancing existing bauxite projects and investing in new alumina extraction projects.

By 2050, Lâm Đồng aspires to become a centrally-governed city, with its urban area encompassing an expanded Đà Lạt City, including the current Đà Lạt, Lạc Dương District, and five communes from Lâm Hà, Đức Trọng and Bảo Lộc City. The suburban area will include three towns of Lâm Hà, Đơn Dương, Di Linh and three newly formed districts of Đam Rông, Bảo Lâm, and Đạ Huoai.

Under this plan, the province will focus on 227 projects, including 36 transportation projects, 11 industrial projects, 34 cultural, sports and tourism projects, 36 healthcare projects, 20 trade and service projects, 62 residential and urban development projects and 12 agricultural development projects. Key projects include the Đankia-Suối Vàng National Tourism Area, the Tân Phú-Bảo Lộc Expressway, the Bảo Lộc-Liên Khương Expressway, the Nha Trang-Liên Khương Expressway, the expansion of Liên Khương Airport, the bauxite mining and alumina processing plant complex, the Đà Lạt High-Tech Agricultural Zone and dry ports in Đức Trọng District and Bảo Lộc City.

At the conference, the Lâm Đồng Provincial People's Committee presented investment registration certificates, investment policy approval decisions and investment memorandums of understanding to several businesses and investors preparing to invest in the province.

On Sunday morning, Deputy PM Quang attended the ceremony announcing the official upgrade of Liên Khương Airport to an international airport, an event organised by the Ministry of Transport and the Lâm Đồng Provincial People's Committee.

Liên Khương Airport is currently classified as a 4D airport according to the regulations of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). The airport features a runway that is 3,250 metres long and 45 metres wide.

During the 2021-2030 period, Liên Khương Airport is projected to handle approximately 5 million passengers and 20,000 tonnes of cargo annually. The current runway configuration will remain unchanged.

Looking ahead to 2050, the airport's capacity is expected to increase to 7 million passengers and 30,000 tonnes of cargo per year. Additionally, the existing runway will be extended 350 metres to the west, making it 3,600 metres long and 45 metres wide. The total planned area for the airport will exceed 340 hectares. 

Farmers from Hà Nội competing in the transplanter operating contest

In recent years, Hà Nội's agriculture sector has promoted synchronous mechanisation in rice production and formed many quality commodity rice production areas, on a concentrated scale, aimed at export.

According to the data from the Hà Nội Agricultural Extension Centre, Hà Nội currently has an annual rice growing area of about 160,000 hectares, and is one of the provinces and cities with a large rice growing area in the north.

In order to encourage farmers and cooperatives to actively apply mechanisation in agricultural production, especially synchronous mechanisation in rice production, on June 26, in Nam Phong Commune, Phú Xuyên District, Hà Nội's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development organised the "Good Crop Transplanter Operator of 2024" contest.

Its aim is to create a platform for farmers to exchange their knowledge and learn from others’ experience and new technical advances, contributing to agricultural productivity and agricultural product quality improvement, as well as to sustainable agricultural development.

According to Vũ Thị Hương, the Director of the Hà Nội Agricultural Extension Centre, the "Good Crop Transplanter Operator of 2024" contest has ten teams from different districts such as Phú Xuyên, Ứng Hòa, Thường Tín, etc.

Each team consists of five people participating in operating rice transplanters on an area of 1,800 square metres, equivalent to five acres. The organising committee selected rice varieties based on needs, soil, and local farming practices and provided seedling trays for transplanters for each competing team.

During the competition, each team must ensure that they follow the judges' scoring criteria such as the uniformity between rows of transplanted rice (the distance between rice clusters); the precision ratio of transplanted rice clusters; the planting depth and the completion time.

The 50 contestants are all farmers directly involved in agricultural production. They have deep understanding of science and technology, a lot of creative farming work experience and are exemplary faces representing hundreds of diligent and creative farmers in Hà Nội City.

Nguyễn Văn Thắng from Nam Phong Commune said: "I learned about this contest through information from the Hà Nội Agricultural Extension Centre.

"This year, Nam Phong Commune was chosen as the pilot commune to apply the machine transplanting model, promising to increase productivity and rice yield. Through this contest, I hope this model will be further replicated in agricultural production in Hà Nội."

Nguyễn Mạnh Phương, Deputy Director of the city's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development added: "The contest provides a chance for farmers to directly experience machine planting, thereby helping them see the optimal effectiveness of this method, which is liberating labour, reducing costs, increasing production efficiency and protecting the environment. The contest also gives farmers access to new science and technology, thereby gradually changing their production methods.

"For the city’s agriculture sector, this brings about a solution to gradually remove the difficulties of labour shortage for agricultural production in rural areas, promoting mechanisation to become a key factor in Hà Nội's agricultural production."

Phương also said: "Recently, Hà Nội's agriculture sector has focused on supporting and encouraging farmers to apply synchronous mechanisation in rice production, with priority given to the mechanisation of sowing and transplanting.

"In addition, the city's agriculture sector also supports farmers in bringing new rice varieties with high yield, good quality, and adaptation to climate change into production, increasing the proportion of high-quality rice to meet consumer expectations and aim for export."

In the future, the agriculture sector will step up propaganda, promotion, building and strengthening chains of rice production and consumption, promoting trade and product consumption to attract domestic and international investors to sign consumption contracts with cooperatives, contributing to improving the value of rice grains, as well as increasing the income of farmers in Hà Nội.

The city's agriculture sector also identified this as one of the key tasks to increase economic value from rice growing, pulling farmers back to the fields, ensuring food security and enhancing the city's rice brand.

In addition, the city’s agriculture sector will continue to bring high-quality rice varieties into production. In particular, in the period of 2021-2025, Hà Nội strives to have its high-quality rice seed structure reach over 80 per cent of the cultivated area, forming three to five domestic and rice export chains. 

Festival planned to honour Vietnamese family values

The Việt Nam Family Day (June 28) will be marked with a five-day festival taking place this week in the northern port city of Hải Phòng.

The event, organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will be held from June 25 to 29 at the Hải Phòng Information, Exhibition and Cinema Centre.

This is a practical activity to celebrate the day, honouring the traditional cultural values ​​of Vietnamese families.

With the theme "Happy Family - Prosperous Nation", the festival contributes to raising community awareness about the role and position families play in building and protecting the homeland.

This is also an opportunity for localities to exchange and share experiences in family work, aiming for the sustainable development of the family in the period of industrialisation, modernisation and international integration.

Family cultural traditions in the Vietnamese ethnic community have been forged over thousands of years of history. This is also the cradle that nurtures the formation and development of each individual's personality, the foundation for social development.

During the festival, many meaningful activities will take place. There will be an exhibition displaying documents, images and artefacts about the care, building and development of the Vietnamese family by the entire society.

Over many generations, traditional cultural beauties in families, clans and residential areas have been formed and developed with value standards.

Those values ​​are always respected and preserved as the foundation for sustainable development.

Therefore, displaying images of "Beauty in Vietnamese Family Culture" reflects the daily life of families across regions and regions of the country.

Thereby portraying and reflecting the love, harmony, joy and warmth in each family, the filial piety and kindness of children and grandchildren to their parents and grandparents, the spirit of mutual love and affection in the community, the beauty in weddings, festivals and cultural behaviour in the community.

The special display "Mother Love You" contributes to describing the mother-and-child relationship, stories about motherly love and the simple but sacred bond of mothers across the country, from remote villages, foggy highlands to plains, which is very ordinary but warm and loving.

The committee has also organised an exhibition cluster called "Women of Families on the Border and Islands Areas" with images, documents, and memorabilia about the lives of families on the border and islands areas, especially the "firekeeping" role of the women in families.

Provinces and cities participating in the festival including Hải Phòng, Yên Bái, Sơn La, Vĩnh Phúc, Thanh Hóa, Bình Định, Đắk Lắk, An Giang, Hậu Giang, and Bạc Liêu will have their own exhibition space to introduce the cultural beauty in families of each locality.

It highlights the content of family work, preventing and combating domestic violence, women and gender equality, protecting and caring for children and the elderly and achievements in household economic development.

There is also an area to display traditional handicrafts, regional specialities to serve families such as agricultural products, garments, clean foods, books, and cultural products.

Including an area displaying handicraft products, artisans of Hương Canh pottery village (Vĩnh Phúc), Nam Cao weaving (Thái Bình), crocheting (Hải Phòng), Chuông village conical hats, Bát Tràng pottery, jewellery and gold painting art (Hà Nội), and traditional áo dài (Thừa Thiên Huế).

Within the framework of the festival, many unique cultural and artistic exchange programmes will also take place such as meeting with idols with the theme "Sports in the Vietnamese Family", "Family Fun" art festival, and traditional folk art exchange.

These exciting activities will contribute to making the atmosphere of the Việt Nam Family Festival more unique and meaningful. 

Kiptoo wins with ease, Chang secures first full marathon title at Marathon Quy Nhơn

Edwin Kiptoo left all runners far behind to win the VnExpress Marathon Quy Nhơn, his second title in a row in Việt Nam, on June 23.

The Kenyan finished the 42km distance in a time of 2hr 34.41min, followed by Vietnamese Đan Quyết and Hoàng Văn Hơn.

It was local title candidate Nguyễn Văn Long who sped up from the beginning to take lead of the race. But his tactic did not work because of his unrecovered physique after a long marathon that across Việt Nam in April.

Kiptoo and Shohei Miyamoto of Japan caught up with him at the mark of 10km about 30 minutes later. The duo was together for 5km before Kiptoo who won the Imperial Huế Marathon in April left his companion behind to run solo to the finish line.

Quyết and Hơn, who are a famed amateur runners of Việt Nam with many time on podiums, passed Miyamoto in the last kilometres and came second and third respectively.

On the women's race, Nông Thị Chang separated away from the crowd from the beginning. She maintained high speed throughout 42km and crossed the line in a time of 3:02.56.

Phạm Thị Mỹ Duyên and Nguyễn Thị Minh Hiền were her runners-up.

In the half marathon categories, Lê Đình Tường took an easy win for the first time in the men's side while it was Lê Thu Hà sprinted to win the women's title just a hair gap faster than her two closest rivals.

Lê Hoàng Tân and Nguyễn Thị Kim Luyến bagged men's and women's 10km podiums. Trương Thanh Bình and Nguyễn Thị Duyên were winners of the 5km classes.

The 2024 VnExpress Marathon Quy Nhơn featuring 8,000 runners has become a big sport event in the province with increasing number of participants after five editions.

Local authority briefed that the running movement in Bình Định strongly developed, rising from several hundreds in the past to thousands currenly.

The race was also an activity of the province's plan to build Bình Định a leading sport tourism destination.

Nam Định to compete in AFC Champions League Two, hope to win first V.League 1 title

Thép Xanh Nam Định will be Việt Nam's first representative to compete at the AFC Champions League Two in the 2024-25 season.

Each country has two places in the continental tournament, one for the champions of the V.League 1 and the other to the winners of the National Cup.

Currently, Nam Định and Bình Định are two candidates for the V.League title as the league will come to the end on June 30.

However, Bình Định is one of several Vietnamese clubs that are not allowed to compete in Asian competitions because they did not meet tournaments' requirements.

As a result, Nam Định will take their place regardless of their final position.

It is the first time after 16 years that Nam Định has earned the opportunity to compete continentally.

Their first time was in 2008 after they secured the 2007 National Cup title.

Nam Định are on top of the ranking with 47 points, two more than Bình Định with only two matches left.

Nam Định can decide their fate on June 25 if they can beat Khánh Hòa in the penultimate game at home.

A win over the relegated visitors will bring Nam Định's first-ever national premier league trophy with one game in spare ignoring the results of all other matches.

The V.League 1 organisers have also arranged for the cup to be ready for presentation if Nam Định win.

Nam Định have announced that the Thiên Trường Stadium will be open for free to all supporters to encourage the host side and celebrate their first V.League 1 victory.

"During this year's V-League 1 journey, Nam Định FC has received great love from fans from all over the country. Thiên Trường is often the stadium with the largest number of spectators," posted a statement of Nam Định on its fanpage.

"It is fans' support that has contributed to players' high spirit and performance, leading to our good results. Nam Định FC is very close to the finish line and we hope to continue receiving your love and support to turn dreams into reality."

In addition to the team's win, Nam Định will also wait to see their striker Rafaelson Bezerra Fernandes extend his scoring record.

Rafaelson will surely take the top scorer title of the season with 28 goals after 24 matches. He scored 12 more than his closest rival Sebastiao Alexandre of Bình Định.

The Brazilian has become the best scorer in V-League 1 history and is currently seventh in the world ranking for the 2023-24 season.

He would not only set a new record in the domestic league but also improve his world ranking if he could secure more goals on June 25.

Other matches of the day will feature defending champion Hà Nội Police FC vs LPBank Hoàng Anh Gia Lai; Sông Lam Nghệ An vs neighbour Hà Tĩnh; HCM City vs Quảng Nam; Hải Phòng vs Hà Nội; Bình Dương vs Bình Định; and Đông Á Thanh Hóa vs Thể Công-Viettel.

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