The Mekong Delta province of An Giang will build three new reservoirs to store freshwater to cope with a shortage of clean water and ensure local residents' quality of life.

A representative of An Giang province’s Traffic and Agricultural Construction and Investment Project Management Board – the investor of the project building the three reservoirs – said that the new reservoirs are located in Tri Ton and Tinh Bien districts with a total capacity of about 1.2 million cubic metres (cu.m).

Of the new reservoirs, Nui Dai 2 and Ta Lot will cover an area of 22 hectares with a capacity of more than 500,000 cu.m each, while the 10ha Co To reservoir will have a capacity of 200.000cu.m.

The project is estimated to cost about 457 billion VND (19.4 million USD). It also includes building dams, flood spillways, sluice water intakes, and operation management houses. Its reservoirs are expected to be completed and put into operation in 2024.

Tinh Bien and Tri Ton are quite far from the administrative centre of An Giang Province, and home to a large number of Khmer people. This area, with a total population of about 270,000 people often suffers from water shortage in the dry season.

Between 2018 and 2020, the province built several irrigation reservoirs, including Ho Soai So, Soai Check, O Thum and O Ta Soc, and three new electric pumping stations for irrigation with a total cost of more than 360 billion VND (15.3 million USD).

Fund-raising exhibition presents paintings by children with autism

Paintings by children with autism will be presented at a fund-raising exhibition in Hanoi that will be opened to the public from June 2.

Entitled Heart for Autism, the exhibition, which aims to spread and inspire the artistic soul of autistic children, bringing their voice to the community, will present 15 paintings by autistic children.

The art event has been co-organised by medical doctor Do Thuy Nga, founder of the Hope Centre, which supports autistic children with specific educational skill development programmes, painter Dinh Cong Dat, and Pan Pacific Hanoi (PPHAN).

According to Dr Nga, children with autism may have difficulty developing language skills.

Visiting the exhibition, guests can discover the colourful inner world of children with autism and their deep sense of creativity and imagination in perceiving the world out there.

Heart for Autism is a fundraising event and an opportunity to call for attentiveness in the community towards autistic children's spiritual life and to create a sustainable future for them.

Playing an important part in the event, artist Dat who has been known for his contemporary artworks is now becoming a regular guest at the Hope Centre.

As a teacher with a lot of experience organising classes for children at the Hope Centre, he shared: “Through the exhibition, I hope people can see the paintings from the autistic children's perspective and open your heart to enjoy the artworks".

To further the cause of fund-raising, artist Dat will present four artworks from his series Flowers on Do (Poonah) Paper. His peer, artist Dinh Quan, has also contributed a large lacquer plate depicting a cat.

The exhibition's opening on Friday evening will feature the presence of young pianist Tran Khoi Viet.

The free-entrance exhibition will open for visitors from 7am to 10pm at Song Hong Bar, Lobby Level, Pan Pacific Hanoi, 1 Thanh Nien Road, Hanoi.

UNCLOS Group of Friends agrees to advance multilateralism, int’l cooperation

Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations, chaired an ambassadorial-level meeting of the 12 founding countries of the Group of Friends on the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in New York on May 31 to review their past activities and launch future tasks.

Ambassadors shared the view that despite various challenges such as COVID-19 pandemic and emerging global issues, the UNCLOS Group of Friends, with its 115 member states, has maintained regular activities and diversified forms of exchanges since its establishment.

Specifically, the group has held various dialogues and discussions on topics related to the UNCLOS 1982, shared understanding and practical experience in ocean governance, raised public awareness of the UNCLOS 1982 adherence, promoted the use of oceans for peaceful and sustainable purposes, and coordinated efforts to elevate its role and contributions in the UN forums. Its efforts and activities have been highly welcomed by friends and the UN.

On the occasion, they debated the group's future orientations as important events on maritime and ocean issues at the UN are to be held, such as the Meeting of States Parties to UNCLOS 1982 (SPLOS 33) and the adoption of the Agreement on the Conservation of Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ).

The diplomats vowed that the Group will continue actively upholding its role, diversifying its operating methods and persistently pursue its objectives, particularly in the context of advancing multilateralism and international cooperation, which are becoming increasingly essential.

Initiated by Vietnam and Germany in 2020, the UNCLOS Group of Friends is an informal exchange and coordination mechanism among countries, particularly at the UN, aimed at collaborating on areas of shared interest.

Its founding members include Argentina, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Jamaica, Kenya, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Oman, Senegal, South Africa and Vietnam. To date, the Group has 115 member states representing all geographic regions.

Hanoi hosts Vietnam - Australia friendship food and culture festival

The Vietnam - Australia friendship food and culture festival 2023 officially opened in Hanoi on May 31, with the event providing delegates and students with interesting experiences about the unique cultures and cuisines of both Vietnam and Australia.      

At the festival, Tran The Cuong, chairman of the Vietnam - Australia Friendship Association in Hanoi, emphasised that the function aims to introduce the typical cultures and cuisines of each country, while simultaneously creating further opportunities for cultural exchanges among the Vietnam - Australia Friendship Associations and the Australian Embassy, as well as the Australian business community in Vietnam.

Most notably, the launch of the Vietnam - Australia Friendship Union branch on trade, tourism, and fashion has contributed to expanding the membership scale for the occasion, whilst also enriching the activities of the association in 2023 and over the coming years.

Dr. Trinh Thi Thu Ha, deputy rector of Hanoi College of Commerce and Tourism, emphasised that the occasion marks the 50th anniversary since the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two sides, as well as contributing to linking the Vietnamese business community with Australian organisations and businesses. This is along with promoting linkages in the field of education and training between the two countries.

At the festival, participants enjoyed excellent performances showcasing Vietnam’s unique culture, visited booths introducing culinary products and a painting exhibition by painter Nguyen Thu Thuy, the author of the project "Hanoi Ceramic Road", as well as viewing rare ceramic products belonging to the Bat Trang Ceramics Museum.

Vietnam – US project for persons with severe disabilities enters new phase

The United States Mission to Vietnam, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and Government of Vietnam partners, including the National Action Center for Chemical and Environmental Treatment (NACCET), on May 31 launched the second phase of USAID’s flagship disabilities project, INCLUSION, in Binh Dinh and Kon Tum provinces.

This phase will run through the project’s end in 2026 and provide targeted assistance to persons with severe disabilities.

Begun in 2021, USAID’s US$65 million INCLUSION project partners with the Vietnamese government, local organizations, and the private sector to strengthen the country’s rehabilitation system and community support networks to ensure that all persons with disabilities have the opportunity to fully participate in society while improving their overall quality of life.

The project provides direct assistance to persons with severe disabilities, improves and expands rehabilitation and social services, and enhances policy implementation. To sustain progress, the project also builds service provider capacity of national and local government disabilities agencies as well as community disabilities organizations. 

In addition to Binh Dinh and Kon Tum, the project works in six other provinces heavily sprayed with Agent Orange during the US-Vietnam War (Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue, Quang Nam, Dong Nai, Binh Phuoc, and Tay Ninh).

Over its five-year run, the project is expected to support a total of 60,000 persons with disabilities with rehabilitation, care, psychological support, assistive devices, and/or livelihood assistance.

For over 30 years, the United States and Vietnam have partnered to improve the lives of approximately one million persons with disabilities. USAID has contributed more than US$140 million toward these efforts to-date. Vietnam is USAID’s largest and longest running disability program in the world, dating back to the creation of the Leahy War Victims Fund in 1989.

This year, the United States and Vietnam are celebrating the 10-year anniversary of their Comprehensive Partnership. Addressing legacies of the war is a foundational element of the strong and growing relationship between the two countries.

VN needs solutions to mitigate plastic waste in agricultural production

Việt Nam needs drastic solutions to plastic pollution caused by agricultural production as it has been putting pressures on the environment, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phùng Đức Tiến said on Wednesday morning.

It is essential to work out practical measures to address the problem, he said at a workshop co-held by the ministry and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Hà Nội.

Nguyễn Giang Thu, deputy director of the ministry’s Science, Technology and Environment Department, pointed out some solutions at the event.

She said both human and financial resources should be arranged and given priority to carry out activities to reduce, collect, classify and reuse plastic waste in the agricultural industry.

The Government should develop technical guidelines on the reduction, collection, classification and reuse of plastic waste in the agricultural sector, she said.

Disseminating information to raise awareness of plastic waste for agricultural officers, organisations and individuals engaged in agricultural activities and residents living in coastal areas is also one of the solutions, she said.

The country is advised to conduct more research on technology, alternative materials for plastic materials in agricultural production, prioritising environmentally friendly and low-cost technological solutions so that it can encourage people to use the alternative materials, she said.

It is also necessary to pilot models to reduce plastic waste, and expand international cooperation in the mitigation, collection, classification and reuse of plastic waste in the agricultural industry, she said.

Mobilising the private sector to participate in activities to reduce, collect, classify and reuse plastic waste in the agricultural industry is important, she said.

Ramla Khalidi, UNDP resident representative in Việt Nam, recommended that Việt Nam build data on plastic pollution and plastic waste as well as a feasible monitoring system from national to provincial level to evaluate the process of reducing plastic waste in the agricultural sector.

It has to promote efficient models to collect and recycle plastic waste, use alternative materials to replace single-use plastics in the field, and train farmers and agricultural stakeholders on the environmental impact of plastics, she said.

Statistics from the ministry showed that the agricultural sector’s export turnover reached over US$53.5 billion last year. It has contributed to stabilising lives and ensuring social security for the people and developing the country.

However, waste generated from agricultural production, such as wastewater, agricultural by-products and plastic waste, has caused significant environmental pollution.

Under the 2021 National Environmental Report, the total amount of solid waste generated from farming activities (nylon, fertiliser packaging and plant protection drugs) reaches approximately 661.5 million tonnes each year.

Solid waste generated from raising buffaloes, cows, pigs and poultry reaches about 67.93 million tonnes each year.

Aquaculture activities generate about 880,000 tonnes of sludge and 273,000 tonnes of animal feed packaging each year. 

Kamil looks for knockout win in trilogy bout with 70kg champion Loc

This weekend's trilogy bout between Trần Quang Lộc and Kamil Michal Nguyễn Văn is the main event at Lion Championship 6 (LC6), and Kamil is looking to tilt the scales in his favour with a knockout win in Hà Nội.

It will be the third time Lộc and Kamil have met in the cage, with Lộc 2-0 up. He is the men's 70kg champion, while Kamil is the number one contender. 

Lộc has dominated national competitions for years. He defeated Kamil in the Mekong Fighting Championship in 2018, when Kamil was a new face on the scene.

In last year's final, Lộc won again, though many saw the judges' scorecards of 50-45, 48-46, and 48-47 as controversial. 

Before this Saturday's match, both Kamil and Lộc won at CL4 in April.

Kamil quickly defeated his Nghiêm Tùng Lâm with a guillotine submission in the first round. Meanwhile, Lộc easily took Chinese Li Xiao Long down with a technical knockout.

Speaking about the previous final, Kamil believed he was a better fighter in that match and deserved to take the belt.

There will be 15 matches across different weight categories at the Tây Hồ District Gymnasium. Class B fighters will fight in nine matches in the afternoon, while five class A bouts will be organised in the evening.

Trần Ngọc Lượng will also be back in the cage to fight Lại Thế Toàn in the men's 60kg class.

Lượng won a controversial decision against Brazilian Robson Oliveira at CL4. He was pushed to class A after the win, but the organisers decided to run it back between Lượng and Oliveira in the future. 

While Lượng is a new face of the sport, his rival Toàn is No 10 in the 60kg class ranking. 

Asian sanshou champion Đinh Văn Hương is also back in action after he rested last year after two wins because of an injured hand.

The No 7-ranked athlete will face veteran Muay Thai fighter Trần Trọng Kim, who knocked out Đặng Văn Quý at the LC4 in the men's 56kg. 

In class B, matches to watch are between Bianaka Balajti vs Lê Nguyễn Khánh Linh (women's 56kg), Trịnh Văn Tú vs Phan Trọng Quý (men's 56kg) and Trần Hoàng Dương vs Đinh Quốc Dũng (men's 60kg). 

All matches will be broadcast live on VTVcab channels and the app ON Sports.

VN hailed for high rate of female participation in UN peacekeeping mission

An international workshop was held in Hà Nội on Tuesday, discussing challenges and opportunities for female police officers joining the United Nations peace operation.

The event was organised by the People's Security Academy and UN Women with the support of the Canadian Embassy in Việt Nam.

The workshop is part of the regional project, ‘Empowering Women for Sustainable Peace: Preventing Violence and Promoting Social Cohesion in ASEAN (2021-2025)’.

Caroline Nyamayemombe from UN Women said she was impressed by the Vietnamese government’s deployment of personnel, especially female officers in UN peacekeeping operations.

The workshop offered a unique platform for delegates to address the challenges and opportunities related to the engagement of women police officers in UN peacekeeping operations. It highlighted the unwavering commitment of the Ministry of Public Security and Vietnamese women in promoting gender equality and women's empowerment in their meaningful participation in all aspects of peace and security.

She stressed that the gathering provided a valuable opportunity to underscore the indispensable role of women police officers in peace operations and learn from the experiences of countries like Canada, and others that have successfully integrated into their peacekeeping efforts.

Canada’s ambassador for Women, Peace and Security, Jacqueline O’Neill, said: “Women's full participation in the integration of gender perspective is key to achieving goals in all of these areas, and especially in peace and security.”

Jacqueline noted that Việt Nam was the leader in deploying women to peacekeeping missions, with a rate of participation that was above the UN target, and important for staff officers.

Overall, the numbers were still low, with most countries struggling to meet the UN's target, or minimum of 25 per cent women in peacekeeping by 2028, she said.  

The Canadian diplomat noted the importance of continuing to strengthen the participation of women in all aspects of peace and security.

Colonel Trịnh Ngọc Quyên, director of the People's Security Academy said, the number of Vietnamese female officers joining UN peacekeeping accounted for more than 13 per cent, higher than the average level of countries, which stood at around 9 per cent.

The rate was even increasing as Việt Nam had expanded its participation in peacekeeping operations, Quyên said.

He also expressed his wish to receive support to expand cooperation with Canada’s training institutions or law enforcement agencies in areas of mutual interest, including training activities for UN peacekeeping forces of the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security.

At the workshop, local and international delegates discussed solutions to increase the participation of female security and police officers, as well as promote gender equality in UN peacekeeping operations.

They also emphasised the important role that female security and police officers play in UN peacekeeping operations, and the importance of promoting diversity in conflict resolution and peace building activities.

In addition to discussing the above barriers and challenges, the delegates also pointed out the positive changes due to the participation of female officers in UN peacekeeping activities such as strengthening community cohesion, access to justice and gender-sensitive conflict resolution, thereby building trust and promoting peace in conflict-affected countries and territories.

As of late 2022, among 512 Vietnamese officers and soldiers sent to the UN peacekeeping missions, more than 70 are women. 

Nghe An faces widespread drought as El Nino drains reservoirs

The central province of Nghe An is facing the risk of water shortages and widespread drought this summer as major reservoirs are running out of water.

Nguyen Truong Thanh, head of Nghe An Irrigation Division, said that this year’s summer-autumn rice crop would face difficulties in water source for irrigation.

According to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, there is a probability of about 80-85 percent that the El Nino phenomenon would likely appear in the second half of summer 2023.

The average temperature in Nghe An this June would be 0.5 degree Celsius higher than previous years.

From July to September 2023, the common temperature would be 0.5 to 1 degree Celsius higher than the average of previous years.

Water flow into Nghe An’s large reservoir of Ban Ve has been 35-38 percent lower than average.

Nghe An Province has more than 1,061 reservoirs.

Of them, 709 reservoirs at half of their capacity while the remaining reservoirs have less.

National budget prioritizes urgent scientific projects, missions

The Ministry of Science and Technology has just released Circular No.06/2023/TT-BKHCN, stipulating the procedures to identify nation-scale scientific-technological missions that use the national budget.

Accordingly, the general requirement for scientific projects is that they must answer the urgent demands of society or have significant meaning to the national socio-economic development, the national defense and security.

Projects to research and implement technologies (natural science, engineering science and technology, medical science and pharmacy, agricultural science) must satisfy one of the following criteria:

_The technology or scientific product should have a great potential in making breakthroughs in performance, quality, efficiency but has not been studied or applied in Vietnam;

_There is a feasible measure to develop the technology or scientific product in its piloting time.

Projects in other fields must ensure the novelty and advancement compared to existing results created in Vietnam or in other countries via national and international publications. These projects must have significant meaning to the national socio-economic development, the national defense and security.

The Circulate comes into effect as of July 9, 2023.

Police detect violations at 10 business facilities in Bui Vien Walking Street

The Police of District 1 in Ho Chi Minh City have just checked 32 business facilities in Bui Vien Street, Pham Ngu Lao Ward.

Through the administrative checking, the police forces found ten out of these facilities supply funky balloons and shisha.

Besides, the functional forces seized 16 metal bottles containing funky balloons, 61 shisha bottles and 41 boxes of shisha cigarettes of all kinds.

In addition, the business facilities in the street also committed violations comprising the acts of organizing entertainment beyond the regulated time, occupying the roadside and sidewalk as a place to do business, and causing loud noises at public places after 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. on the following day and so on.

The police have made a record, sealed off, seized the material evidences and handled the violations in accordance with the regulations.

Previously, at the end of April 2023, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Public Security swooped on beer clubs and bars in Bui Vien Walking Street and detected nitrous oxide N2O containing unknown origin funky gas and shisha without any invoice.

HFMD at peak of the first wave: Medical workers

Health experts recommend that hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is at the peak of the first wave of the year and there have been many cases of severe complications.

Children's hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City have lately received many cases of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD). At Children's Hospital 2, Dr. Nguyen Dinh Quy, deputy head of the Infection Department, said that the department is currently treating 24 inpatients. In addition, the hospital provides also examination and treatment for dozens of hand, foot and mouth outpatients every day.

Elsewhere in the southern metropolis, Dr. Du Tuan Quy, Head of the Children's Hospital 1’s Infection Department, said that the department is currently treating 14 children with HFMD, including 2 severe cases. Though not many children with HFMD have been hospitalized, the rate of severe progression accounts for 30 percent.

This is worrisome because children may face the risk of dangerous complications such as encephalitis, meningitis, pneumonia, and myocarditis.

Symptoms of hand, foot, and mouth disease usually include fever, mouth sores, and skin rash. The rash is commonly found on the hands and feet. Hand, foot, and mouth disease is common in infants and children younger than 5 years old. Most children have mild symptoms for 7 to 10 days.

When a child experiences nausea and vomiting, it is an unusual sign that signals a serious change; or see children with weak arms and legs, parents need to take their children to hospitals immediately. If it's late, the virus will enter the brain, causing encephalitis, which will be difficult to treat and cause complications, said Dr. Quy.

According to Dr. Tran Ngoc Luu, Department of Infection, Children's Hospital 2, many children have recovered from HFMD, but if they are exposed to infectious sources, they still get the disease again because children's immunity to HFMD is not sustainable.

There is no vaccine to protect against the viruses that cause HFMD, so parents should be cautious to keep their children from close contact with sick people. If any children get sick, they should be kept at home to avoid spreading the disease to their classmates. Personal hygiene by washing hands regularly is needed.

Children, women to get supplementary vaccine shots: Health Minister

Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan said that children and women nationwide would get supplementary vaccine shots later if they skipped the recommended childhood immunization schedule due to vaccine shortage.
 
Health Minister Lan made the statemetn at the National Assembly’s discussion session on socio-economic yesterday afternoon.

Regarding the lack of vaccines in the expanded immunization program in 2023 that the National Assembly deputies worry about, the Health Minister said that the Ministry of Health has implemented the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) to make immunization against 10 dangerous infectious diseases for children and women across the country for many years. In the 2016-2020 period, the Ministry of Health was given funds to conduct concentrated procurement of vaccines for the expanded vaccination program, anti-tuberculosis (TB) drugs, and anti-HIV drugs.

Between 2021 and 2022, the Ministry of Health was assigned an estimate for procurement to supply vaccines for the expanded vaccination program for the two years 2021 and 2022.

In 2022, the Covid-19 epidemic affected the implementation of some program contents in many localities. Currently, the Ministry of Health has directed provinces and cities to deploy regular injections in the last months of the year and review children and women who have not received vaccines as per recommended childhood immunization schedule to administer supplementary and compensatory injections nationwide.

The Ministry of Health has requested the Ministry of Finance to develop a state budget estimate in 2023 for the implementation of the content of 2023 such as purchasing vaccines for the Expanded Immunization Program, anti-TB drugs, anti-HIV drugs, ARVs and vitamin A as well as to supply vaccine for localities.

In particular, the Ministry has proposed to allocate funds to carry out the tasks of shifting from the target program on health and population to regular tasks to buy vaccines for the Expanded Immunization Program, and anti-TB drugs for those who do not have health insurance cards, ARV drugs and vitamin A for children. However, according to the provisions of the Law on Public Investment, the Ministry of Health is not allowed to allocate funds to carry out this task.

The Minister said that the Ministry of Health has also reviewed the source of the vaccine for 2022 to now. The Expanded Immunization Program has provided a sufficient number of domestically produced vaccines for 2022 and it is enough until July 2023.

Particularly, hepatitis B and tuberculosis vaccines are enough for demand until August 2023, while Japanese encephalitis vaccines, measles, rubella, and bOPV vaccines are enough for the demand until the third and fourth quarters of 2023 and tetanus and polio vaccines are adequate until the end of 2023. Currently, people can get vaccines from the Expanded Immunization Program which is administered at vaccination venues in communes and wards.

To ensure the supply of tuberculosis drugs, ARVs, and high-dose Vitamin A, the Ministry of Health has been working with donors and using available drug sources.

The Ministry of Health is also implementing a campaign to supplement vitamin A for children nationwide, starting from International Children's Day on June 1.

Explaining why the 5-in-1 imported vaccines are short in the market, Ms. Lan said that the bidding and procurement procedures were carried out in 2022 according to regulations, but no one took part in the bidding resulting in a shortage in the market.

To ensure enough supply of vaccines in 2023, the Ministry of Health has submitted to the Government a draft resolution on this content, then the Vietnamese Prime Minister directed the Ministry of Health to coordinate with the Ministry of Finance to arrange funding and central budget of 2023 for the performance of procurement according to regulations.

Currently, the Ministry of Health aggregates all the needs of 63 provinces related to the request to buy vaccines. On the other hand, the Government and the National Assembly's monitoring team agreed to propose the National Assembly for the allocation of the state budget to carry out the program in the context that the population health target program has ended.

Regarding the issue of rare drugs, the Ministry of Health is developing regulations related to the storage of special rare drugs to apply nationwide. It will report to the Government on the regulation of storage of special rare drugs in the third quarter of this year.

Housing administrative fees increase dramatically from June 1

Housing administrative fees in Ho Chi Minh City increases dramatically, which is one of the main contents of the resolution on fees for appraisal of land use right certificates approved by the municipal People's Council.

The regulation approved by the municipal People's Council will be effective from June 1. Specifically, in the case of appraisal of documents for transfer, an individual seller needs to pay a fee of VND1,010,000-VND1,400,000 instead of VND650,000-VND950,000 as before while organizations have to pay VND1,800,000- VND 2,250,000 instead of VND950,000-VND1,650,000 as before.

Anyone who has a demand for appraisal of dossiers for first re-issuance, new issuance, renewal, re-issuance, and other changes must pay VND600,000-VND2,850,000 while agencies and organizations and religious establishments are charged VND1,000,000-VND3,000,000 million.

Children, poor households, the elderly, the disabled, people serving the cause of the nation’s revolution, and poverty-stricken ethnic minorities are eligible for enjoying an exemption of fee according to the new resolution. People's committees in districts and Thu Duc City will collect all kinds of fees for land allocation or land lease of individuals, households and communities. The Department of Natural Resources and Environment will collect fees for land allocation, land leases by organizations, religious establishments and cases of registration for issuance of certificates of land use rights and properties on land.

In addition, the resolution on the fee for the registration of secured transactions performed by local agencies with land use rights and land-attached assets also takes effect from January 1. 6.

Accordingly, the fee for a mortgage will increase from VND 80,000 to VND720,000- VND 1,000,000 for individual households, or the increase rate is from 9-12.5 times while it increases from VND1,550,000 to VND1,950,000 for agencies and organizations or the increase rate from 19-24 times. If anyone wants to change mortgage content, they also pay the same costs applicable as for the mortgage while the old fee was VND 60,000.

The remaining cases do not change the fee.

Explaining the increase in the housing administrative fee, Chairman of the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City Phan Van Mai, said that the old fee level only applies to 33 percent of workloads for appraisal while 67 percent of the remaining workloads are still not met. In addition, the old level of revenue does not guarantee the basic expenditure level and lacks receivables according to the new regulations of the Ministry of Finance, only meeting 10 percent of the spending level.

Hanoi to ensure food safety for ten million residents

 The Hanoi People's Committee has issued a plan to ensure food security for ten million people in the capital by 2030.

The plan, signed by Deputy Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Nguyen Manh Quyen, aims to strengthen the responsibilities of local governments and socio-political organizations to ensure food safety and security in Hanoi in all circumstances.

The plan also aims to promote the resources of all economic sectors and support from the State to develop agriculture in a sustainable way. 

According to the plan, by 2030, Hanoi will have approximately 55,000 hectares of rice production with an annual output of at least 660,000 tons of rice. In addition, the city has set targets to increase food consumption, reduce the rate of child malnutrition, and meet nutritional needs through balanced and scientific diets.

The Hanoi People's Committee has identified eight tasks and solutions to achieve the above goals, including restructuring production, improving the efficiency of agricultural land use, and steadily increasing residents' income; improving the leadership and direction of Party committees, organizations, and agencies to ensure food security. 

Renovating mechanisms and policies to ensure food security is the third mission of the plan. This includes increasing people's capacity and access to safe and nutritious food, improving the quality of human resources and research skills, and promoting applied research and the transfer of science and technology.

The city's plan also aims to realize food security goals, effectively manage and utilize resources, and protect the ecological environment from climate change. Attracting international resources and cooperation in food security will also be a focus.

The plan also stressed that Hanoi would apply many solutions to improve the efficiency of food security in 2023 and the years to come.

In recent years, the Hanoi People's Committee has led the task of maintaining food safety by providing information and training on legal guidelines for safe food production and business practices.

Customers are encouraged to purchase quality products at reasonable prices to support business development, production, and economic recovery.

Vietnamese brands listed in Asia Architecture Design Awards' Top 100 Outstanding Projects

Some representatives from Vietnam have garnered an overwhelming response from a remarkable total of over 436 registered projects at the regional event which shows a resurgence of architectural excellence in India, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

Mai Chau Culture Resort, Grand Tourane Nha Trang Hotel, and Ambassador Cruise Restaurants are several brands among the finalists of the Asia Architecture Design Awards 2023 (AADA).

AADA categories include Best Resort Architecture Design, Best Hotel Architecture Design, Best Resort Interior Design, Best Lighting Design, and Best Furniture Accessories, among others.

Those from Vietnam made an impressive display on the shortlist, demonstrating their architectural prowess.

From May 30 to June 25, the jury will begin their work with 20 influential experts from various fields, including architecture, design, and real estate from Singapore, Thailand, Italy, and the UAE.

The Asia Architecture Awards 2023 winners will be officially announced on the official AADA website (https://aadawards.com/) and various social media platforms on July 10, allowing the recognition of exceptional talent to reach a wider audience.

Vietnam Women’s Union delegation pay working visit to France

A delegation from the Vietnam Women's Union (VWU) led by its Vice President Nguyen Thi Minh Huong paid a working visit to France from May 30 to June 1, during which they met and discussed with representatives from international organisations and Vietnamese associations in France. 

On June 1, the delegation and Ambassador Le Thi Hong Van, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to UNESCO, met Chairperson of the UNESCO's Executive Board Tamara Rastovac Siamashvili and Begona Lasagabaster, Director of UNESCO Division of Gender Equality.

The VWU delegation also worked with Vietnamese organisations and associations in France on the role of Vietnamese women abroad in promoting economic development, preserving traditional culture, and boosting Vietnamese language teaching.

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