An exhibition of 20 enameled bronze paintings is taking place at the An Dinh Palace in the central province of Thua Thien – Hue’s ancient city of Hue, becoming a magnet to tourists.

Held in response to the local signature Hue Festival this year, the event treated visitors to paintings crafted by Do Huu Triet and his co-workers based on illustrations in the 1925 printed version of “Truyen Kieu” (The Tale of Kieu) – a masterpiece by Vietnamese poet Nguyen Du (1765 – 1820). The illustration was made by painter Manh Hung.

Enameled bronze art, or phap lam in Vietnamese, is the name of an art product with copper core. Its outside is covered with many layers of enamel with decorative images and colors, and then fired at a high temperature. Such works have not only beautiful colours but also high durability.

The art flourished in the reigns of Kings Minh Mang, Thieu Tri, and Tu Duc, but in the reign of King Dong Khanh it gradually declined. In the early 2000s, the restoring and revitalising of this art genre began, with significant progresses seen in recent years. The exhibition lasts until June 30.

NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue starts official visit to Hungary

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue left Hanoi on June 25 on his official visit to Hungary from June 26-28.

He is accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh and many other high-ranking officials in the visit that takes place in the context that bilateral relations saw positive developments after the two countries upgraded ties to a comprehensive partnership in 2018 during a visit by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, manifesting the determination of their leaders in pushing up the relations.

Lao Cai hosts 8th international yoga day

A mass performance of more than 380 practitioners took place in Sapa resort town in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai on June 24 to mark the 8th International Yoga Day.

The performance lasted for 30 minutes in light rain and frog, attracting a huge crowd of tourists.

Earlier, on June 23, Lao Cai held a series of activities to celebrate the date such as a yoga space exhibition, and a yoga exchange festival.

Recognising its universal appeal, on December 2014, the United Nations designated 21 June as the International Day of Yoga with Resolution 69/131, following the proposal of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The International Day of Yoga aims to raise awareness worldwide of the many benefits of practicing yoga.

Vietnamese, Lao, Thai provinces strengthen multifaceted cooperation

A conference promoting collaboration among Quang Tri of Vietnam, Savannakhet of Laos and Mukdahan of Thailand in trade, investment, tourism, labour, and communications took place in the central Vietnamese province’s Dong Ha city on June 24.

At the event, the sides agreed to implement their signed cooperation pact for 2022-2023 in these fields, with a focus on promoting networking among investors, proposing support policies for enterprises, and improving the quality of tourism products, among others.

They said they will boost their management of foreign workers; team up in high-quality vocational training; and exchange information on socio-economic development and experience on trans-national crime fight.

Earlier, the localities signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in these sectors in Savannakhet on November 1, 2019.

Vietnamese jujitsu fighters win four golds at 'beach world cup'

Vietnam won four golds on the first day of competition at the Jujitsu International Federation World Cup Beach 2022, on June 23 on Jomtien Beach, Pattaya, Thailand.

SEA Games champion Dao Hong Son made the most remarkable victories with all three wins by submission in the men's U56kg.

Earlier, world champion Phung Thi Hue secured gold in the women's U45kg category.

Hoang Thi Nhat Que won the women's U70kg class and Pham Tri Dung topped the men's U69kg pool.

The Vietnamese team also brought home one silver by Pham Le Hoang Linh in the men's U85kg and 11 bronze medals.

On the last day, athletes will vie for medals in the men's and women's team events.

Vietnam Stamp Exhibition kicks off

A total of 120 postage stamp collections and 500 stamp frames are on display at the 2020 Vietnam Stamp Exhibition (Vietstampex 2020), the biggest of its kind in the country to date which began in Hanoi on June 24.

Vietstampex, co-organised by the Ministry of Information and Communications, Vietnam Post, and the Vietnam Philatelic Association, is a once-every-five-years event held since 1998. Its 2020 edition was postponed for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vietstampex 2020 introduces viewers to the nature, landscapes, people and culture of Vietnam and the world through the language of art featured on stamps and the painstaking and meticulous work of collectors, said Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Pham Anh Tuan.

The event will run until June 26 at the Cultural Friendship Palace on Tran Hung Dao street in Hoan Kiem district, featuring a series of workshops on stamp collecting and distribution, as well as exchanges among stamp clubs nationwide.

Food festival attracts visitors’ attention

A food festival themed “Glorifying the past, shaping the future” has attracted a large number of visitors as part of the Hue Festival 2022.

Hundreds of famous artisans and chefs from 19 provinces and cities across the country are taking part in the event, which is being organised by Vietnam Cuisine Culture Association (VCCA) in collaboration with the provincial Department of Tourism and Hue Festival Centre.

According to VCCA vice chairman Le Tan, the event features hundreds of famous specialties from the country’s three regions.

Hue Festival 2022 is scheduled to take place from June 25-30 with eight major programmes and many sidelines events.

Football star gets visa to France

Football star Nguyen Quang Hai has got a working visa for France, according to his representative Nguyen Dac Van, who added that he is expected to back to the European country this week.

The midfielder has signed a contract with a French club in Ligue 2 but he kept its name undisclosed. He returned to Vietnam on June 14 after signing the contract to apply for a working visa.

The contract will be effective after Hai completes the medical examination. He will wear his trademark No 19 jersey at the new club.

Bus route connecting Thailand-Laos-Vietnam in discussion

Thailand is discussing with Laos and Vietnam the opening of bus routes connecting popular destinations of the three countries, according to news website laotiantimes.com.

The website said the Thai government has approved expediting negotiations to open a bus route connecting three countries via route R12 from Nakhon Phanom, Thailand to Thakhek, Laos and on to Ha Tinh, Vietnam.

The distance from Nakhon Phanom to Ha Tinh is about 300km.

The Thai Ministry of Transport says it is doing what it can to expedite the route-opening process, including asking that Laos host the second Trilateral Working Group Meeting as soon as possible in order to discuss the service model and make formal agreements. 

Miss Universe Vietnam 2022 winner to be named tonight

The grand finale of Miss Universe Vietnam 2022 is scheduled to take place at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre (SECC) in Ho Chi Minh City on June 25 night.

From 71 contestants at the beginning, judges selected 41 contestants to the semi-finals and 16 contestants to the final.

Beauty experts said this year’s Miss Universe Vietnam 2022 has a higher quality than previous contests in terms of contestants’ beauty, performance skills, education, general knowledge and eloquence.

The experts predicted the winner of the contest would be one of the top five contestants Thao Nhi, Ngoc Chau, Huong Ly, Hoang Phuong, and Le Nam, while many beauty forums anticipated Ngoc Chau and Thao Nhi would vie for the crown.

Winner of Miss Universe Vietnam 2022 will compete at the 71st edition of Miss Universe 2022 to be held in December this year.

Spectacular yoga performance on Fansipan Mt. peak

More than 1,000 people from nearly 30 yoga clubs nationwide took part in a performance on Fansipan mountain peak known as the ‘roof of Indochina’ in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai on June 24.

The performance was put on in the spiritual complex of the Sun World Fansipan Legend tourist area at an altitude of 2,800m above sea level.

The show was part of activities to mark International Yoga Day (June 6) which is observed by the United Nations General Assembly annually.

In addition to popularising yoga on the eighth International Yoga Day, the performance was to mark 50 years of diplomacy between Vietnam and India, and 15 years of their strategic partnership that fall this year.

Lâm Đồng focusing on tackling illegal sand mining

From the start of 2022, authorities in Lâm Đồng have seized seven illegal sand mining vessels on the Đồng Nai River, dealt with eight cases of violations in construction in sand mining, and issued a total of VNĐ279 million (US$12,276) of fines.

According to Lâm Đồng’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment, there are many locations on the banks of Đồng Nai River in Cát Tiên District with landslides, stretching more than 3km. The cause of the landslides are floods and illegal sand mining.

The 48 kilometre section of the Đồng Nai River in Phước Cát and Phước Cát 2 Commune (Cát Tiên) acts as a border between three provinces (Lâm Đồng, Đồng Nai, Bình Phước). There is currently no valid mining licence for this section of the river. However, illegal sand mining in this area has been persistent.

The Department has advised the Lâm Đồng People's Committee to issue solutions to handle illegal sand mining such as removing unlicensed sand mining vessels from the Đồng Nai River and instructing the provincial police to work with authorities to increase patrolling for illegal sand mining in the area.

Illegal sand mining has been occurring in many provinces and cities around Việt Nam. Recently in HCM City, local police discovered a 12-man illegal sand mining operation on June 16 in Cần Giờ District’s Đồng Tranh River. 

Sustainable diet and food system transformation initiative launched

The Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), a global partnership that unites international organisations engaged in research about food security, launched an initiative on sustainable healthy diets in Việt Nam on Friday.

The three-year initiative "Sustainable Healthy Diets Through Food Systems Transformation"(SHiFT) aims to identify effective policy options through research, strengthening capacity, and developing robust metrics and tools that support stakeholders’ decisions when developing pathways to transform food systems toward sustainable healthy diets, improved livelihoods, gender equity and social inclusiveness.

The initiative focuses on understanding consumers and their food environments through characterising food consumption and dietary patterns among marginalised populations and identifying key drivers and inequalities. This will inform the co-design, testing and evaluation of scalable innovations in the food environment-consumer nexus.

According to the International Organisation for Biodiversity and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture, globally and in Việt Nam, poor diets are correlated with all different forms of malnutrition. In Việt Nam, 26.6 per cent of the population cannot afford a healthy diet. Conversely, over the past two decades, Việt Nam has been the country with the fastest increasing rate of obesity among women in the world. Among children aged 5-19 years old, obesity has increased from 8.5 per cent in 2010 to 19 per cent in 2020.

HCM City paediatrics hospitals crowded with respiratory illness patients

Paediatrics hospitals in HCM City are seeing an increase in the number of children diagnosed with respiratory diseases due to the rainy season beginning earlier than usual in the south this year.

The HCM City Paediatrics Hospital No.1 in District 10 is overcrowded with an increasing number of children diagnosed with respiratory diseases such as acute respiratory infections, bronchial asthma, upper respiratory infections, and pneumonia. Common symptoms include runny nose and mild fever at the early stage.

Trần Anh Tuấn, head of the hospital’s respiratory department, told Tuổi Trẻ (Youth) online newspaper that the number of children being hospitalised had increased over recent days due to rainy weather.

Air pollution is also causing an increase in the number of children with respiratory diseases, according to Tuấn.

Cases of respiratory diseases usually spike from August to November every year, but it came earlier this year. Since the beginning of May, the hospital receives about 200 children patients daily, and even more than 300 on the peak days.

Dr Nguyễn Minh Tiến, deputy director of the HCM City Paediatric Hospital in Bình Chánh District, said the number of children aged under 5 with respiratory diseases had increased by 20 per cent to 30 per cent compared to the same period last year. About 5 per cent of the child patients needed to be hospitalised for treatment with severe symptoms. 

HCM City says it ensures adequate vaccines

The health sector in HCM City currently ensures adequate vaccines as part of an expanded vaccination programme.

Any shortage of service vaccines depends on the agencies providing them, not the mandatory programme of the Ministry of Health, according to city officials.

Speaking at a press conference on COVID-19 prevention and control and related socio-economic issues in HCM City on June 23, deputy director of the HCM City Centre for Disease Control (HCDC) Nguyễn Hồng Tâm confirmed two types of preventive vaccines, including vaccines in the expanded vaccination programme and service vaccines.

Accordingly, vaccines in the expanded vaccination programme include 10 diseases according to Circular 38 of the Ministry of Health, which are completely free of charge, such as hepatitis B virus for infants and children under one year of age, tuberculosis, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, Haemophilus influenzae type B, measles, Japanese encephalitis B and Rubella.

With regards to the shortage of hepatitis B, meningococcal, and flu vaccines at health facilities, most of them are service vaccines, Tâm said, adding that children will be given free hepatitis B vaccines.

The Hepatitis B vaccine is required to be administered within the first 24 hours after birth while tuberculosis vaccine is given within one month of birth.

Pop-up travel festival opens in Viet Nam

A two-day festival has started in Tao Đàn Park of HCM City to celebrate the joy of travel in Việt Nam with free entrance.

Organised by Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts, the festival, on Friday and Saturday, has a series of pop-up activities designed to bring joy to guests and local residents.

On the first day of the two-day festival, the organiser’s colourful food trucks drive around the city, delivering free snacks to the young and young-at-heart. 

On the second day, there will be many games and entertainment including 50m downtown waterslides, a sport hub truck, mini car racing, a light-up dance mat, and live music performances for a chance to win amazing prizes. 

The festival is the perfect occasion for everyone to come together in a carnival atmosphere and make memories with friends and families, according to the organiser. 

The same programme will be organised from July 2 at Thống Nhất Park in Hà Nội. 

New music series refreshes hit songs

Famous Vietnamese singers, including young ones, will be the guests of a new music series which will debut tonight.

Entitled Giao Lộ Thời Gian (Intersection of Time), the series will feature singers of different generations who will perform together with hits of their own.

A production of FPT Play – a TV app developed by FPT Telecom, one of the Việt Nam’s biggest internet service providers – the series is conducted by music producer-composer Dương Cầm.

According to the composer, who is the music director of the series, unlike previous music series, the new series will pair artists of different generations who have different performing styles on the same stage.

The composer also said that every hit song will have a “rebirth” thanks to the “hit interchange” of the singers.

Alongside the performance, under the guidance of MC Liêu Hà Trinh, the guest singers will also reveal many interesting stories about their careers and life.

The FPT Play Content Director, Nguyễn Thu Hương, said that audience will have a chance to enjoy the old hits which were their favourite during their youth, but now have been refreshed by the top Vietnamese singers.

The series will include 12 shows which will be live-streamed on the second and the fourth Saturday every month.

The debut show tonight will feature the duo of young singer Đức Phúc, winner of The Voice of Vietnam in 2015, and singer Ưng Hoàng Phúc, who is most well-known with V-pop ballads during the 2000s.

Other duos will be invited to join the series include Quang Hà - Hà Nhi, and Khánh Ly - Hồng Nhung.

Diva Thanh Lam will also be among the guest artist of the show. However, the producer hasn’t revealed who will be paired with her yet.

Press photo exhibition to celebrate revolutionary journalism

The first Vietnamese newspapers were published in the early 20th century, bringing together writers, journalists, and intellectuals from across the country.

Despite having a logical operation style, these publications were unable to join a cohesive organisation due to conflicting political preferences.

On June 21, 1925 revolutionary leader Nguyễn Ái Quốc (President Hồ Chí Minh) established the Thanh Niên (Young People) newspaper. This marked the beginning of the unification of the Vietnamese press and the revolutionary press series.

Since the publication of the Thanh Niên newspaper, the Vietnamese press has raised the revolution flag, articulated the desire and ambitions of the Vietnamese people, and pointed out the country's course for independence and freedom from French colonialism.

Since then June 21 has become the Việt Nam Revolutionary Press Day or the Việt Nam Press Day to honour those who work in the field of journalism.

This year, the Việt Nam Women's Museum hosted a press photo exhibition highlighting significant events in Việt Nam on the occasion of the 97th anniversary of Việt Nam Revolutionary Press Day. 

The exhibition of 105 photographs highlights Việt Nam's remarkable all-rounded achievements.

The exhibition will run until June 30.

Hanoi FC manager urges club to keep Chung at all costs

After the departure of number one star Nguyễn Quang Hải, Hà Nội FC coach Chun Jae-ho is keen on keeping his remaining key players for the V.League 1 that will return this Sunday.

Defender Nguyễn Thành Chung is top of the list, particularly as his contract expires in September 2022.

Rumours have been circulating that Hải Phòng wants to sign the 24-year-old, leading to calls from Chun to offer Chung a new contract as soon as possible.

Despite having one of the best squads in the tournament, injuries are currently a big headache for Chun with key players like Văn Xuân, Duy Mạnh and Djuro Zec out of action. 

These injuries make Chung’s contact expansion even more vital for the club.

On June 26, Hà Nội FC will face Nam Định at Thiên Trường Stadium, marking the return of V.League 1.

With seven points, Hà Nội are currently in 4th place, one point behind league-leaders Hải Phòng.

If they beat Nam Định, the capital side will go top of the table, at least temporarily, for the first time in over two years. 

Husband and wife to compete at World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Tunis

Husband and wife duo Cao Ngọc Hùng and Nguyễn Thị Hải expect good results at the 2022 World Para Athletics Grand Prix, which serves as qualifying for the Paris Paralympics in 2024.

The Grand Prix, hosted by the Tunisian Athletics Federation, is organised on June 27-30 in Tunis City's Rades Stadium.

The Vietnamese team of six athletes and one guide will compete in 14 events for both men and women.

Athletes have three days to get familiar with the field and train.

Hùng and Hải represented Việt Nam at the Tokyo Paralympics. The duo have grabbed remarkable results in both domestic and international competitions.

At the Grand Prix in 2019 in China, Hùng won one gold, one silver and one bronze, and Hải also took a gold. 

First lobster festival to be held in Phu Yen

Vietnam’s first lobster festival is scheduled to take place in the southern central province of Phu Yen on July 30-31.

The 2022 Lobster Festival will be organised at Xuan Dai Bay Urban Area, Song Cau Town.

Song Cau Town, Phu Yen’s lobster hub, is home to lobster farms which cover a total area of 1,000 hectares.

In the first six month of this year, the town’s total lobster productivity reached around 630 tonnes.

The 2022 Lobster Festival will also discuss the application of blockchain technology and digital transformation in lobster breeding.

At the event, a Vietnam Guinness book record 100 dishes made from Song Cau lobsters will be announced.

Phan Tran Van Huy, Chairman of the Song Cau Town People’s Committee, said that the locality will try to develop the festival into a Phu Yen attraction. This is also an opportunity to promote Vietnam’s lobster breeding and the sale of Vietnamese seafood products.

200-kilo wartime bomb found at Ha Tinh dam

A 227-kilo bomb from the American War has been discovered at a dam in the central province of Ha Tinh.

At around 11 am on Friday, while driving an excavator and dredging a reservoir in Bai Sao area in Ky Phong Commune, Nguyen Tien Trung detected the bomb at the depth of 40 cm.

He quickly informed local authorities of the case.

Vo Tien Suu, chairman of Ky Phong Commune said that the location where the bomb has been found has cordoned off.

The bomb is 1.8 metres long and has a diameter of 25 cm and dates back to the American war, Suu added.

Agro ministry seeks support for fishermen hit by fuel price rise

As around half of 90,000 fishing boats nationwide are stranded ashore due to spiraling fuel costs, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is seeking support for fishermen whose incomes and daily lives have been impacted by the fuel price spike.

In a dispatch sent to the ministries of Industry-Trade, Labor-Invalids-Social Affairs yesterday, June 24, the agriculture ministry proposed they seek the prime minister’s approval to offer support to the affected fishermen for six months, reported the local media.

According to the agriculture ministry, the fishing industry has made an important contribution to the country’s agriculture development. Vietnam’s fishing output last year totaled 3.92 million tons and the seafood export turnover exceeded US$3.4 billion.

Besides, the fishing industry has offered employment to over 600,000 fishermen directly involved in fishing activities and almost four million employees offering coastal fisheries services. Further, the operations of fishing vessels at sea have contributed to protecting the nation’s sovereignty over seas and islands.

However, since the end of last year to date, domestic fuel prices have been rising and are expected to soar further in the coming time that could adversely affect business, production and the daily activities of the local people, including the fishing community.

The fuel consumption to serve fishing operations is estimated at some 330 million liters per month, with the price of diesel oil 0.05S, the main fuel for fishing vessels, surging as much as 65%, or VND11,441 per liter, since December last year to date.

Fuel costs usually account for 45-60% of the input costs of fishing ships.

The fuel price spike has also led to a 10-15% increase in the prices of other commodities to serve fishing operations, resulting in the total input costs soaring by 35-48%. Meanwhile, seafood prices have went up insignificantly.

These obstacles have forced many fishing boats to suspend operations as revenues could not offset the higher input costs.

Up to now, some 55% of the fishing vessels have been sitting idle, especially those consuming a large volume of fuel, the ministry said.

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