The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in coordination with the Enterprise Development Agency under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, organised a training workshop in Ho Chi Minh City on June 29, aiming to provide information relating to greenhouse gas reduction as well as offering solutions to businesses.

The session is part of the project “Improving Private Sector Competitiveness”, with a budget of 36 million USD funded by USAID.

The five-year project, which started in 2021, focuses on building business management capacity and strategies for small and growing businesses (SGBs); improving productivity and trading performance via promoting innovation and application of technologies; improving business environment to create favourable conditions for enterprises and overall economic growth; and strengthening business-to-business and interagency linkages.

It aims at providing technical and financial assistance to 5,000 SGBs to improve their performance; supporting 240 SGBs to successfully participate in domestic, regional and international markets; and offering overall or special support packages to 60 pioneer businesses to create products with added value.

East Sea low-pressure front forecasted to turn into storm

A low-pressure area that has appeared on the East Sea has been forecasted to grow into a storm in the days to come.

As of Monday, the low-pressure area was situated in the south of the Philippino island of Luzon, according to the director of the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting. 

It would become a tropical depression with a 40-60 percent probability of transforming into a storm between Wednesday and Saturday.

By 7 am on Friday, the low-pressure area would be centred around 470 kilometres from the Paracel Islands with a wind speed of 40-60 kilometres per hour.

The Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control has asked coastal localities from Quang Ninh to Ca Mau to actively respond to the low-pressure area.

Rains are set to affect the northern region until early July.

Hanoi set to host ASEAN+ Police Music Festival 2022

The ASEAN+ Police Music Festival 2022 will take place on July 9 – 10 on pedestrian streets around Ho Guom, known locally as the Returned Sword Lake, in Hanoi capital.

The two-day event will bring together police music groups from ASEAN members such as Laos, the Philippines, Brunei, Myanmar, and Vietnam, in addition to those from Japan and China.

They will parade around the lake on the morning of July 9 and perform in a music gala to be held at Ly Thai To flower garden on the evening of July 10. The festival will be broadcast live on Vietnam Television’s VTV1 channel.

Lieutenant Colonel Trinh Anh Thong of the ceremonial troupe of the police said more than 100 policemen had spent two months preparing for the ASEAN+ music gala event, and a rehearsal of the festival will be held on July 2.

Delayed flights add to airport congestion

Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCM City and Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi are increasingly congested these days.

On Monday evening, VietJet Flight VJ149, scheduled to depart at 7 pm at Noi Bai for HCM City, was delayed until 10:30 pm.

On Sunday, Vietnam Airlines Flight VN221 from HCM City to Hanoi was around two hours late. VietJet Flight VJ151 was four hours late, while, Bamboo Airlines Flight QH292 was delayed for one hour on June 24.

Many other flights from Noi Bai or Tan Son Nhat airports to different localities also suffered delays.

Under the Laws on Civil Aviation, in cases where flights are delayed for 4-6 hours, airlines have to provide free food and drinks for passengers. Free accommodation is offered to passengers when flights are six hours late.

Dang Anh Tuan, head of Vietnam Airlines' public relations department, said the rainy season had caused bad weather affecting flights. Tuan added that Vietnam Airlines would ensure the rights of passengers in case of delayed flights.

In early June, VietJet’s check-in system faced technical problems, slowing down many of the firm’s flights at Tan Son Nhat International Airport.

NA Chairman receives leaders of several Hungarian companies

National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue received leaders of several Hungarian enterprises which are operating in Vietnam on June 28 in Budapest as part of his official visit to the European country.

At the meetings with a leader of Gedeon Richter Company – Hungary’s multinational company operating in the field of pharmaceutical manufacturing and biotechnology research and development (R&D), and representatives of Egis Company - a leading pharmaceutical company in the Central Eastern Europe, Hue appreciated the results of their activities in Vietnam, adding that pharmaceuticals is the country’s potential field of cooperation with many preferential policies.

Leaders of Gedeon Richter and Egis showed their hope that Vietnam will speed up and simplify administrative procedures for drug registration so that many new products can be supplied to the Vietnamese market; issue a longer pharmaceutical distribution license; and find solutions to some problems related to drug registration.

Noting their recommendations, the Vietnamese NA Chairman stated that not only the Ministry of Health but also other ministries and sectors are stepping up administrative procedure reform in order to reduce troubles and expenses, as well as create favourable conditions for businesses of all economic sectors operating in Vietnam.

The Vietnamese legislative body has a plan to amend and supplement the Law on Pharmacy, and the adjustment will conform to international law and commitments, he said.

Legal regulations on pharmaceutical management in Vietnam are being applied equally to both foreign-invested and domestic enterprises, with no discrimination, he added.

At the meeting with Robert Forintos, Co-Chairman of the Hungarian Water Partnership (HWP) which is carrying out several clean water projects in Vietnam, Hue appreciated the role of the company in orienting its affiliates to research and learn about water supply and treatment in the Southeast Asian nation.

Forintos expressed his hope that the Vietnam’s relevant agencies will pay attention to removing some obstacles in administrative procedures to facilitate the completion of its two on-ongoing projects in Quang Binh and Vinh Long provinces.

He welcomed HWP and its affiliates to cooperate in transferring advanced and modern technologies in the water sector, as at present, Vietnamese people's demand for using water treatment equipment is huge, especially in rural and remote areas, and the Mekong River Delta.

Within the framework of NA Chairman Hue’s Hungary visit, on the same day, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho Le Quang Manh had a working session with Katalin Bihari, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary.

The two sides agreed on close coordination to step up the progress of the Can Tho Oncology Hospital Project which is using Hungary’s official development assistance (ODA).

Vietnam enhances educational cooperation with Hungary

Within the framework of National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue’s official visit to Hungary, Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son had a working session in Budapest on June 28 with Hungarian Minister of Culture and Innovation Janos Csak to discuss how to intensify education and training cooperation between the two countries in the coming time.

Minister Son thanked the Hungarian Government for providing scholarships for Vietnamese officials and students to study at prestigious Hungarian universities, from five in 2012 to 200 each year since 2018.

He expressed his pleasure at the fine development of the Vietnam-Hungary cooperation in education to become one of the highlights in the bilateral diplomatic cooperation. He took the Vietnam - Hungary Education Cooperation Forum held on June 27 as an example, during which nine memoranda of understanding (MoUs) between the two sides’ universities were exchanged.

Minister Csak emphasised that the Hungarian Government's policy is to expand cooperation with Asian countries, and Vietnam has always been its important partner.

He said that the nine new MoUs will be effectively implemented, thus helping further promote educational cooperation between the two countries.

The exchange of delegations as well as the opening of more educational institutions will receive the participation and support of Hungary, but there need specific and core projects to achieve the highest efficiency, he noted.

Minister Son proposed prioritise the fields of pharmaceuticals and agriculture in training collaboration in the coming time.

He also suggested the Hungarian side open more Hungarian language training programmes, with the engagement of leading Hungarian experts, in Vietnam, adding that this will be an important factor to make the two countries' educational cooperation develop sustainably.

Vietnam, Hungary to further promote trade, politics, people-to-people exchanges: Leaders

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue has said his visit to Hungary is an opportunity to deepen and promote the comprehensive partnership between Vietnam and Hungary, especially the parliamentary ties.

The top legislator made the remarks as he met Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on June 28 in Budapest.

Hue said the visit will open up new cooperation areas between the two countries at multilateral or regional forums.

The two leaders concurred that their countries had enjoyed a close-knit, time-tested and loyal relationship, a valuable asset that not many countries have had, so all present and future leaderships and peoples of the two countries should ensure its continuing growth.

The two sides said the relations had been developing in the right direction on all fronts in recent times, especially after the visit by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to Hungary in 2018.

Nguyen Anh Tu wins silver at regional men’s single table tennis

Table tennis player Nguyen Anh Tu won a silver medal in the men’s singles category at the 12th Southeast Asian (SEA) Table Tennis Championship which wrapped up in Thailand on June 28.

The Vietnamese lost 2-4 to Singapore’s Chew Zheyu Clarence who is 123rd in the world rankings.

Earlier, Tu defeated Pang Yew, also of Singapore, with a score of 4-2 in the semi-finals.

Chew is Singapore's top player who won the men's singles title at the SEA Table Tennis Championship 2013 and took the podium at the regional tournament in men's singles, men's doubles and men's team several times.

Vietnam’s U-19 football team arrives in Indonesia for AFF tournament

Vietnam’s football team arrived in Jakarta on June 29 to attend the 2022 AFF U-19 Boys Championship which will take place from July 2-15.

At the tournament, Vietnam will be in Group A, together with Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, Brunei and the Philippines. Group B includes Malaysia, Laos, Timor Leste, Cambodia and Singapore.

Vietnam will face the hosts Indonesia on July 2, before taking on the Philippines, Brunei, Myanmar and Thailand on July  4, 6, 8 and 10, respectively.

Vietnamese hotels launch plastic upcycling programme

Melia Hanoi and Melia Ba Vi are the first two Vietnamese hotels that have implemented PlasticShreds, a new plastic upcycling programme which seeks to reduce plastic waste.

PlasticShreds is the newest sustainability programme put into practice by Diversey, an American provider of cleaning and hygiene products.

The programme takes single-use plastic wastes and shreds them into plastic chips. These chips are then used as a gravel replacement for the mixing of building materials used in horizontal structures such as basketball or badminton courts, village roads, pavement, or simply to fill in potholes.

HCM City students join 2022 Green Summer Campaign

Nearly 800 university students and members of the Hồ Chí Minh Communist Youth Union opened the 2022 Mùa Hè Xanh (Green Summer) Campaign on Tuesday in HCM City. The annual event is the year’s biggest social and charity programme launched by the union.  

The volunteers are working in remote areas of Tam Nông District in Đồng Tháp Province, and Phú Quý island in Bình Thuận Province. Some villages in Laos are also included. 

They have worked to clean and upgrade canals, alleys, roads and irrigation systems. Free health check-ups and medicine for poor residents, children and women are also provided. They have also participated in cultural and community activities to promote environmental protection, and offered illiteracy eradication and foreign language teaching. 

The Mùa Hè Xanh Campaign in HCM City this year has attracted 360,000 young volunteers, who work in HCM City, Thủ Đức City, 15 southern provinces, Tây Nguyên (Central Highlands), and Phú Quý Island in Bình Thuận.  

They will help build 50 charity houses for the poor, repair electrical wiring for several hundreds of households, and create 120 playgrounds for children.

They will also open training classes on social skills in self-defence for emergencies, sexual abuse prevention, and rescue, fighting and preventing fires for teenagers and children. The campaign will end on August 7. 

High-speed boats to link HCM City with Mekong Delta provinces

High-speed boat services from HCM City to the provinces of Tiền Giang and Bến Tre and back are expected to start operating in the third quarter this year.

The HCM City Department of Transport has worked with counterpart agencies in Tiền Giang and Bến Tre to organise the new waterway routes.

The service will start from Bạch Đằng Wharf in District 1 or the Sài Gòn and Nhà Rồng wharves in District 4. The boats will sail on the Sài Gòn River, Nhà Bè River, Soài Rạp River, the Vàm Cỏ River, the Chợ Gạo Canal and the Tiền River… to ports and inland waterways in two Mekong Delta provinces.

Tiền Giang and Bến Tre Province are 110km and 120km away from HCM City.

The schedule for the high speed boat service will be adjusted by relevant agencies after assessing actual needs.

The boat routes are likely to be operated by the Saigon Tourist Company, DP Green Technology Company and Thường Nhật Company at reasonable prices to attract tourists. Each company mentioned have prepared two boats accommodating from 75 to 151 guests each. 

The high-speed boat service is expected to run from 6am to 6pm daily at first.

In addition to the two routes, HCM City is looking into the possibility and feasibility of operating another high-speed boat service from HCM City to Côn Đảo Island.

Food market and ancient exhibition enlivens Huế Festival Week 2022

A food festival featuring 100 delicious dishes from the central province of Thừa Thiên - Huế is being held at the pedestrian street along the Hương River.

“100 Dishes of Huế Street Food 2022” is organised by the Thừa Thiên – Huế Tourism Association, in collaboration with the provincial Department of Tourism and Huế Festival Centre.

It is part of the celebration of Huế Festival Week 2022 that is ongoing at the ancient capital until tomorrow (June 30).

Chefs from restaurants and hotels in the city have elaborately prepared dishes and artistically presented them, creating a rich culinary space for visitors. At the same time, this activity also honours and promotes the unique culinary and cultural values of Thừa Thiên – Huế.

Also within the framework of activities of Huế Festival Week 2022, an exhibition showcasing artefacts and documents about royal costumes of the Nguyễn Dynasty (1802–1945) has been launched at the Huế Museum of Fine Arts.

Visitors to the event will be introduced to over 120 documents, images and artefacts that are being preserved at National Archives Centre I, HCM City Museum of History, Huế Museum of Royal Antiquities or belong to private collections.

The exhibited items include 50 top-secret administrative documents in Hán Nôm Scripts – parts of the Nguyễn Dynasty’s official administrative papers. It is the first time that the World Documentary Heritage, recognised by the UN cultural agency UNESCO, has been displayed to the public.

Nguyễn Dynasty’s royal costumes festival will run until July 7.

Celebrating the Huế Festival Week 2022, the People's Committee of Hương Thủy Town has organised a "Rural Market" festival, featuring a variety of exciting cultural activities to entertain visitors to Thanh Toàn Tile-roofed Bridge.

The Huế Festival Week includes art performances by many domestic art troupes, a re-enactment of a traditional rural market, áo dài (Việt Nam’s traditional long dress) performances, boat racing, photo exhibitions, an exhibition of local specialities and a ceremony to honour Trần Thị Đạo, who was credited for the building of the iconic bridge in 1776.

On the occasion, the History Museum of Thừa Thiên – Huế has held a ceremony to announce the national and world records for the Phú Diên Chăm Tower. It has been recognised as the first ancient Chăm tower to be excavated and preserved in the world.

The tower was discovered 5-7m under the sand dunes of Phú Diên Commune, Phú Vang District in April 2001.

Initiative to protect food systems in Asian mega delta launched in Can Tho

The “Securing the Food Systems of Asian Mega-Deltas for Climate and Livelihood Resilience” Initiative (AMD) was launched at a conference in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on June 28.

Home to 177 million people, of whom 36% are poor, the densely populated Asian mega-deltas are biodiverse, fertile and productive food baskets dominated by rice, fisheries and aquaculture that support millions of people beyond the delta dwellers themselves.

However, tens of millions of small-scale producers living in Asian mega-deltas face risks to food and nutrition security and livelihoods from impacts of climate change. The deltas are also severely affected by more frequent and more intense floods, sea-level rise and salinisation of freshwater and soil.

Therefore, this initiative aims to create resilient, inclusive and productive deltas - which maintain socio-ecological integrity, adapt to climatic and other stressors, and support human prosperity and wellbeing - by removing systemic barriers to the scaling of transformative technologies and practices at community, national and regional levels, said Dr. Björn Ole Sander, Chief Representative of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Vietnam and also head of the initiative.

It will focus on three major deltas in Asia, namely the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta in Bangladesh and India, the Irrawaddy Delta in Myanmar, and the Mekong River Delta in Vietnam and Cambodia.

RoK shares experience in managing residence registration with Vietnam

A delegation of the Ministry of Public Security led by Director of the Police Department for Administrative Management of Social Order To Van Hue is on a working visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK) to learn from the country’s experience in managing residence registration.

The Ministry of Public Administration and Security (MOPAS) said on June 27 that it planned to share experience in operating residence registration systems and public services related to residence registration, protecting personal information related to residence registration information, and issues related to the security function of the residence registration card.

MOPAS will arrange for the Vietnamese delegation to visit six establishments related to residence registration from June 27 - July 1. The Vietnamese delegation will also visit public service facilities of local governments, the national information resource management agency, and the Korea Local Information Research & Development Institute.

Pham Van Mach to attend Asian bodybuilding competition next month

SEA Games champion Pham Van Mach is targeting a gold medal in his return to the 54th Asian Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Championship next month in the Maldives.

Mach is one of the best bodybuilders in Vietnam, competing in the men's 55kg category and having won several national championships. The An Giang province-born athlete grabbed five world championship gold medals in 2001, 2009, 2010, 2014 and 2017.

He also triumphed in the continental competition eight times, taking seven titles in a row from 2004 to 2012, and another in 2014.

At last month's SEA Games 31, the 46-year-old athlete overcame all other rivals to secure his second Games gold.

The title was a strong push for him to train hard in preparing for the Asian event on July 15-21. A total of 51 events will be organised in the first three days before the Annual Congress from July 17.

Vietnam pledges to effectively manage small arms, light weapons

A Vietnamese representative affirmed the country's commitment to effectively manage small arms and light weapons, while attending an ongoing meeting held at the UN headquarters in New York.

The 8th biennial meeting of states to consider the implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects (PoA) kicked off on June 27.

In her remarks, Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Tra, Deputy Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, shared other states’ concern about multifaceted impacts of illegal activities related to small arms and light weapons on global security, stability, and development.

She highly valued recent efforts, including the PoA implementation, to prevent the illicit trade in small arms, pointing out the necessity to augment international cooperation on the basis of each state’s demand and resources, including in helping with capacity building.

Apart from ensuring states’ leading role in preventing, combating and eradicating the illicit trade, international cooperation in this area also needs to take into account their right of self-defence, the diplomat noted.

Tra re-affirmed Vietnam’s commitment to fully implement the PoA, adding that it has been building a legal framework that covers the management of small arms and light weapons and also taking part in relevant regional mechanisms.

Conference to enhance unity of awareness, action regarding OV affairs

The upcoming conference on implement the Politburo’s Conclusion regarding overseas Vietnamese (OV) affairs aims to ensure the coherence in awareness and actions among agencies and organisations and enhance their understanding of the significance of the matter to great national unity, according to Ambassador Ngo Trinh Ha, Vice Chairman of the State Committee on OV Affairs.

Ha said that the conference will gather more than 500 delegates from ministries, sectors and localities at all levels both inside and outside the country.

He said that the conclusion further clarifies specific solutions to deal with problems and shortcomings in OV affairs, showing the sentiments and responsibility of the Party and State towards the OV community.

The ambassador said that the document underlines that fostering great national solidarity is among the major tasks of the country in the time to come, adding that the Foreign Ministry is working with other ministries and sectors to build a project to enhance national solidarity among  the Vietnamese people inside and outside the country, while taking actions to care for the OV community.

Cashew warehouse fire causes losses of VND3 billion

A blaze erupted at a cashew warehouse in the southern province of Binh Phuoc today, June 28, causing an estimated loss of VND3 billion.

Residents on Phuoc An Street in Phuoc Long Town’s Phuoc Binh Ward discovered a giant column of black smoke from the cashew nut warehouse at 6:00 a.m. on the day. The fire quickly ripped through the facility.

Five fire trucks and 30 firefighters were dispatched to the scene to extinguish the ferocious flames. They brought the fire under control after two hours.

No casualties were reported in the inferno. The police are determining the cause of the fire, the local media reported.

HCMC forms taskforces for Ring Road No.3 construction project

Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Phan Van Mai has just approved the proposal from HCMC Transport Department on the establishment of taskforces for Ring Road No.3 construction project.

A taskforce is going to be created especially for Ring Road No.3 project as requested by the Prime Minister. This taskforce will supervise critical matters like technical issues, construction materials, compensation policies. It will hold meetings when there is a need for cooperation between localities and ministries or among localities.

HCMC is planning to also form a project management committee, aiming at immediately addressing problems during the implementation of sub-projects in the city. Its steering committee is responsible for administering and instantly handling arisen trouble when the project is being carried out, especially those related to land clearance compensation.

Mai also asked for the cooperation among the HCMC departments of Transport, Natural Resources & Environment, Planning & Architecture to develop a detailed plan for the meeting to officially launch Ring Road No.3 construction project by July 1, 2022; and requested HCMC Natural Resources & Environment Department to prepare a detailed plan on compensation, resident relocation by June 30, 2022.

Vehicles to be temporarily banned from HCMC downtown area in July beginning

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport yesterday announced a temporary adjustment of traffic flow on Nguyen Hue Street (section from Le Thanh Ton Street to Ton Duc Thang Street) from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on June 30 and July 1-2.

This temporary vehicle ban is to ensure traffic order during the 46th anniversary of city name change from Saigon – Gia Dinh to Ho Chi Minh (July 2, 1976 – July 2, 2022) and the events to honor the role of family in social life in HCMC. These activities will be held on Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street in District 1. Therefore, from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on June 30 and July 1-2, all vehicles are temporarily banned on this street.

The alternative routes are as follows:

- Vehicles move from Le Thanh Ton St. – Ton Duc Thang St. – Dong Khoi St. 

- Vehicles move from Ton Duc Thang St. – Pasteur St. – Le Thanh Ton St. – Ham Nghi St. or from Ton Duc Thang St. – Me Linh Roundabout – Hai Ba Trung St. – Le Thanh Ton St.

Drivers need to comply with the instructions of the traffic police or the traffic signal system as they travel through the above-mentioned areas.

People living or working in the event areas should contact the HCMC Department of Culture & Sports (at the address of 164 Dong Khoi St. in Ben Nghe Ward, District 1) for support on traffic needs.

Photo exhibition marks poet Nguyen Dinh Chieu’s 200th birth anniversary

A photo exhibition of the life and literature career of poet Nguyen Dinh Chieu opened at his tomb and monument that was recognized as a special national historical relic site on June 28, marking his 200th birthday (July 1, 1822).

The exhibition displays more than 300 images and valuable materials about the life, literature career and family of poet Nguyen Dinh Chieu – enthusiastic teacher, traditional medical practitioner, and poet – owning masterpieces like Luc Van Tien (the tale of Luc Van Tien), Duong Tu – Ha Mau, Ngu Tieu y thuat van dap (medical discussion between fisherman and woodcutter), Van te Nghia si Can Giuoc (funeral oration for partisans in Can Giuoc uprising).

The exhibition using 360-degree virtual reality technology allows visitors can view on smartphones.

A proposal for the celebration of Vietnamese poet Nguyen Dinh Chieu’s 200th birth anniversary was adopted at a session of the UNESCO General Assembly that was held in Paris last November.

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