The projects include Chau Doc-Can Tho-Soc Trang, Khanh Hoa-Buon Ma Thuot, and Bien Hoa-Vung Tau, all the first phase.

The deputies discussed in groups the investment plans of Belt Road No.4 in Hanoi and Belt Road. No. 3 in Ho Chi Minh City.

In the afternoon, they adopted a resolution on the legislature’s supervision programme for 2023, with 88.18 percent of approval votes.

The lawmakers then reviewed the implementation of Resolution No. 66/2013/QH13 and opined about the rollout of the next phase of Ho Chi Minh Road.

They are scheduled to engage in a question and answer session on June 7, which will be broadcast live on national television and radio channels, and the NA television channel.

HCM City leader hails ILO support in labour affairs

Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Duong Anh Duc highly appreciated the International Labour Organisation (ILO)’s support for the southern city in labour affairs during a meeting with newly-appointed country director Ingrid Christensen on June 6.

Christensen was in the city for the 4th Vietnam Economic Forum held a day prior.

HCM City acknowledges the significance of ILO-funded projects which aim to facilitate Vietnamese companies to do business internationally and protect legitimate rights and interests of workers, Duc told Christensen.

He emphasised the city will coordinate more closely with the ILO in addressing existing issues hampering the progress of the labour projects. It pays special attention to the project on Technical Support for Enhancing the National Capacity to Prevent and Reduce Child Labour in Vietnam as it is striving to build the best environment for the development of children, he said.

ILO Country Director Christensen, for her part, appreciated the city’s cooperation, saying ILO will coordinate further with the city to protect workers’ rights and provide them with the best working environment.

Long An province, RoK’s Wonkwang University Hospital cooperate in health care

Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Long An province Pham Tan Hoa on June 6 had a working session with a delegation from the Wonkwang University Hospital of the Republic of Korea (RoK).

The two sides discussed humanitarian medical checkups and treatment, and opportunities for cooperation in building a facility of the Wonkwang University Hospital in the Mekong Delta province in the time ahead.

Hoa expressed his hope that the activity will create a premise for the two sides to expand their collaboration, saying Long An always welcomes and facilitates the construction of the hospital.

On this occasion, the Long An General Hospital and Wonkwang University Hospital signed two memorandum of understanding on cooperation.

Non-profit sound workshop build capacity for Vietnamese filmmakers, artists

A non-profit sound workshop called “Sonic Ground” was opened in Hanoi on June 6 for ten micro-budget and independent filmmakers, video artists and artists of other mediums from all over Vietnam.

The workshop is held by UNESCO in collaboration with the Centre for Assistance and Development of Movie Talents (TPD) under the Vietnam Cinema Association until June 10. It also receives support from the General Delegation Wallonia – Brussels (Belgium) in Vietnam, Purin Pictures and Hanoi Grapevine.

The workshop is being led by Arnaud Soulier, a prominent and experienced sound engineer residing in Hanoi. On top of Arnaud’s sessions, there will be screenings and discussions with filmmakers and artists to elaborate on their process and trajectory of creating and mixing images and audio.

Japanese Kokeshi dolls go on show in Hanoi

An exhibition promoting Japan’s Kokeshi Wooden Dolls is opening at the Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Hanoi, offering visitors the chance to explore Japanese culture and the country’s doll making craft.

Kokeshi is a type of wooden doll that originates from the Tohoku region of Japan.

On display are 37 wooden items belonging to two types of Kokeshi dolls: traditional and modern Kokeshi. Five of them are special gifts specifically for Vietnam that were created by 71-year-old Japanese artisan Abo Muchihide, reported the Voice of Vietnam (VOV).

The exhibition, jointly organised by the Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam and the Tsugaru Kokeshi Doll Museum, lasts until June 26.

The Tsugaru Kokeshi Doll Museum was founded in April, 1988, in Kuroishi city of Aomori Prefecture in Japan. The exhibits in Hanoi were all selected from about 4,000 samples taken from the museum.

USAID officials awarded insignia for natural resources and environment efforts

Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Tran Hong Ha on June 6 awarded the insignia “For the Natural Resources and Environment cause” to two US Agency for International Development (USAID) officials.

The recipients were USAID Vietnam Mission Director Ann Marie Yasticshock, and USAID acting director office of Environment and Energy Christine Gandomi.

The insignia is a recognition of contributions made by the two officials to natural resources and environment protection.

Minister Ha thanked USAID for its active support for Vietnam in the field, particularly climate change and environment protection; and for connecting Vietnam with partners in implementing environment protection and climate change response projects.

He expected the partnership between Vietnam, including his ministry and USAID, will be strengthened. Vietnam and the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources treasures the friendship and partnership with USAID, he said.

Yastishock, for her part, underscored pressing environmental issues facing Vietnam, such as climate change in the Mekong Delta, marine plastic pollution, and biodiversity losses, saying USAID stands ready to cooperate with the Vietnamese ministry and Vietnam at large to tackle these issues.

Conference to focus on future of internet

A conference will be held by the Vietnam Internet Network Information Centre (VNNIC) in the central city of Da Nang from June 22-25 to discuss the future of the internet.

More than 300 leading internet experts, both locally and internationally, are expected to participate in a plenary session and three workshops during the four-day event.

The VNNIC Internet Conference will be a forum for the participants to address internet-related problems and how to exploit values and resources to build a better future for the community.

It will also be a platform for discussions among regulators in IT; providers of internet, mobile, cloud, and content services; members of the Vietnam National Internet Exchange (VNIX) and Vietnam IP addresses; regional internet associations and organisations; and leaders of major internet and IT corporations like Cloudflare, NTT and Inforblox.

The event will touch on various topics, from IPv6-based 5G/6G technologies, the Internet of Things (IoT), and cloud computing and blockchain; IPv6 conversion at government offices and development of local IT infrastructure; expansion of regional and international internet access to make Vietnam a regional connectivity hub.

There will also be presentations on new technologies and services in security and safety of critical infrastructure, routing security, and 5G and cloud; as well as training for university students.

Austria-funded project to strengthen climate resilience in Soc Trang

Three communes in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang will benefit from an Austria-funded project on strengthening climate resilience launched on June 6.

The first phase of the project on strengthening climate resilience of coastal communities in the Mekong Delta will receive funding worth half a million EURO (537,080 USD) from the Austrian Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology via Bread for the World (BfdW).

It will be carried out in the coastal communes of Lai Hoa, Vinh Hai and Lac Hoa in Vinh Chau town until November 2024.

Free cartoons for Hanoi children from summer to year-end

Children in Hanoi can watch cartoons free of charge at the Vietnam National Cinema Centre from this summer until the end of the year.

Jointly organised by the Vietnam National Cinema Centre and the Vietnam Cartoon Company, the screening features 50 works by the Vietnam Animation Film Studio.

They include newly released films, award-winning films and those that have garnered a large number of views on YouTube channel like Ky Nghi He Y Nghia (Meaningful Summer Vacation), Tham Tu Dau Bac (Grey-Haired Detective) and Hiep Si Nghe Vang (Golden Calf Knight).

Notably, a series of four historical cartoons, Cau Be Co Lau (The Boy and Reed Grass), Nu Tuong Me Linh (The Heroines), Dai Hanh Hoang De (Emperor Dai Hanh) and Nguoi Thay Cua Muon Doi (The Teacher Of Eternity), are also included in the programme. The films vividly portray Vietnamese historical figures in-depth and take the viewers on a journey back in time and touch their emotions.

The screening is divided into two phases – at 9:30am every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from now on until June 30, and every Sunday morning from July until the end of the year.

The screening programme is not specialised to any age group, so audiences of all ages could pick up free tickets at the National Cinema Centre, located at No. 87 Lang Ha street, Hanoi.

Legislators pass resolution on NA supervision programme for 2023

The 15th National Assembly adopted a resolution on NA inspection activities for 2023 at its ongoing third session in Hanoi on June 6.

A total of 440 out of 449 deputies present voted for the resolution.

Per the resolution, at its 5th session, the NA will carry out supreme supervision regarding the mobilisation, management and use of resources for COVID-19 prevention and control; as well as the implementation of policies and laws on grassroots health and preventive medicine.

It will also consider a series of Government reports on the conduction of socio-economic development and budget plans in 2022 and in the first months of 2023; the State’s finance in 2021; and the practice of thrift in 2022, among others.

At the 6th session, the NA will supervise the implementation of resolutions on the national target programmes on building new-style rural areas for 2021-2025, sustainable poverty reduction for 2021-2025, and socio-economic development in ethnic-minority-populated and mountainous areas for 2021-2030.

It will also review reports from the Government, including its mid-term assessment on outcomes of implementing the 2021-2025 plans for socio-economic development, economic restructuring, medium-term public investment, and national finance.

In 2023, the NA Standing Committee will supervise two topics on the NA’s resolutions regarding the renewal of high school education programmes and textbooks; and on the implementation of policies and laws on energy development in the 2016-2021 period.

AFC lauds U23 Vietnam’s brave performance against defending champions RoK

Vietnam fought back from a goal down to hold the Republic of Korea (RoK) 1-1 in Group C of the ongoing AFC U23 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2022 on June 5, meaning that the defending champions were denied of the opportunity to seal their berth in the knockout stage with a match to spare while Vietnam, runners-up in 2018, are still very much in the race to advance.

An article published on the Asian Football Confederation’s website made such statement on the match. It said the RoK had dominated in their opening day 4-1 win over Malaysia and that trend – despite head coach Hwang Sun-hong making five changes – continued in the match with Vietnam.

Korean players could have taken the lead as early as the eighth minute when Luong Duy Cuong of Vietnam was dispossessed in midfield, with Goh Young-jun pouncing on the loose ball before finding Park Jeong-in in the area, but the Busan IPARK forward could only force goalkeeper Quan Van Chuan into a parry.

It would be the first of several saves by Chuan, as Korea Republic came close again through Jeong Sang-bin and Park Jae-hwan, the article noted.

“Vietnam, however, had moments of their own, with their best chance of the first half coming in the 32nd minute when Vu Tien Long lost his marker to collect Khuat Van Khang’s cross at the near post, only to see his strike rattle the side netting,” it wrote.

According to the article, the RoK should have broken the deadlock three minutes from the break when Jeong surged into the area before pulling back to find an unmarked Eom Ji-sung, but the Gwangju FC midfielder’s tame shot was an easy save for Chuan to make.

After Lee Jin-yong was given his marching orders following his second yellow card for a foul on Nguyen Van Tung in the 78th minute, the young Vietnamese players fully utilised their numerical advantage to press forward and they were rewarded five minutes later when Phan Tuan Tai’s cross flashed across the face of the goal to find Tien Long, who unleashed an unstoppable strike to make it 1-1.

Vietnam, on two points, will play Malaysia in their final group tie on June 8, while RoK face Thailand.

Book on Vietnam-RoK ties debuts

A book on the 30 years of socio-economic cooperation between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK) has been published by the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP) on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Vietnam-RoK diplomatic relations (1992-2022).

It is a collection of researches by Vietnamese and Korean professors and researchers.

Speaking to the Vietnam News Agency, Prof. Dr. Lee Han-woo from Sogang University said that the book provides an insight into the socio-economic partnership between the two countries over the past 30 years and gives objective assessments on the design of a better future for the bilateral ties.

Pointing to bright signs in economic cooperation between Vietnam and the RoK over the past 30 years, Prof. Lee noted that two-way trade rose 150 times and is expected to hit 100 billion USD in 2023.

He said that in the future, Vietnam and the RoK should further reinforce the foundation for their win-win partnership by supporting businesses to strengthen partnership and balancing bilateral trade.

In the field of socio-culture, he proposed that the two sides should work together to increase the promotion of the Vietnamese culture, art and literature in the RoK.

Vietnamese culture, foods popularised at ASEAN Sports and Family Day in South Africa

Members of the Vietnamese Embassy and representative agencies in South Africa recently attended the ASEAN Sports and Family Day hosted by the ASEAN Committee in Pretoria (APC).

They introduced Vietnamese cuisine and interacted with about 250 members from embassies and representative agencies of other ASEAN member countries in South Africa.

The event offered a chance for participants to enjoy traditional foods of Southeast Asian nations, thus getting insights into the culture, land and people of the countries.

Vietnam attends int’l peace forum

Vietnam has attended an international forum on peace, friendship, and development in Russia’s Republic of Bashkortostan, with the participation of more than 500 officials, public figures, and experts from many nations.

The event was held by Russia's International Fund – The Way for Peace from June 1-4 on the occasion of the 100th founding anniversary of the Soviet Union and the Year Of Cultural Heritage of Peoples of Russia 2022.

Joining the plenary session, Nguyen Quoc Hung, Director of the Russian-Vietnamese cooperation development fund "Tradition and Friendship", delivered a presentation on late Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh’s thoughts on peace, friendship and development, considering them a solid foundation of the Vietnam-Russia cooperation.

Hung emphasised that the President was the one who laid the foundation and worked hard to cultivate the nations’ friendship.

Director of the Russian International Fund and head of the forum’s organising board, Professor Dr. Irina Umnova spoke highly of the cooperation with Vietnam.

She said since 2012, the fund has collaborated with Vietnam across diverse fields, including education, science, and culture.

The forum also featured international and domestic roundtable discussions on security and sustainable development, green economy, cultural heritage preservation, and protection of families and children, among other topics.

Da Nang to bloom with frantic activities to welcome summer

"Enjoy Da Nang Summer Festival 2022” is scheduled to be held from June 11 to August 15 that will feature a wide range of exciting events to promote local tourism, the Da Nang Municipal Department of Tourism announced on June 6.

The festival will introduce three main themes to guests, namely music, sea, and traditional cuisine.

A number of interesting music events will also be held, such as “Take me to the Sun”, “Street Carnival Sun Fest”, “Electronic Dance Music (EDM) International Festival”, and “DJ Show”.

Most notably, the highlight of the summer festival will be a fireworks show which is scheduled to take place at Sun Wheel in Asian Park of Hai Chau district.

Vietnam attends IAEA Board of Governors meeting

The Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is holding a regular meeting from June 6 – 10 with the participation of representatives of 35 member countries and international organizations as observers.

Addressing the meeting, Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Trung Kien highlighted the country’s policies and efforts in ensuring nuclear safety and security and the application of atomic energy for peaceful purposes and sustainable development.

He affirmed that the promulgation of Decree 81 in 2019 on prevention and control of weapons of mass destruction has created a legal corridor for preventing the proliferation of these weapons.

Vietnam values the IAEA’s central role in these efforts, and together with other member countries it shares voices and interests in the potential of new technologies for small modular reactors (SMR), transportable nuclear power plants (TNPP) and floating nuclear power plants (FNPP), as well as assessments of their challenges to the international legal framework, and consequences for the environment, said Kien.

The Ambassador asserted that the research, development, licensing, operation and deployment of those new nuclear technologies should be considered carefully, with a legal framework be formulated soon in accordance with international law.

He voiced Vietnam’s support for the IAEA’s leading role in this process with the participation of all member states.

On this occasion, the Ambassador suggested that the IAEA continue to support member countries, especially developing countries, in improving their capacity in atomic research and application, response to radiation and nuclear incidents, and in perfecting the domestic legal framework on nuclear law.

Heavy rain set to lash northern Vietnam this week

Vietnam’s northern localities are forecast to experience a deluge of heavy rain over the coming days, according to the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting.

The northern midland and mountainous regions are predicted to endure moderate and heavy rain over June 6 – 7, with rainfall to reach between 40 – 90mmmm and even reaching over 120 mm in some places.

Heavy downpours will send daytime temperatures falling to between 23 – 26°C.

Hanoi capital will witness heavy rain on June 6, with the possibility of thunder and lightning as temperatures nosedived to 32°C, according to meteorologists.

The downpours are expected to hit the northern region until June 12.

Meanwhile, the heat wave will continue to bake central provinces from Quang Binh to Phu Yen, with a high of 37°C before rain will set in over coming days.

Showers and thunderstorms, coupled with whirlwinds, lightning, and hail stones are expected to strike the Central Highlands and southern regions over the next few days.

Exhibition introduces books on Vietnam’s sea and islands

The Su That (Truth) National Political Publishing House in coordination with Nha Trang University held an exhibition on Vietnam’s sea and islands in Nha Trang City on June 5.

The exhibition displays more than 80 books, including about 70 titles released by the National Political Publishing House of Truth.

The books focus on the potentials and strengths of Vietnam's seas and islands, the country’s effort to safeguard national sovereignty over its seas and islands, and sustainable development strategy for Vietnam's maritime economy.

The event, which will run until June 8, is among the activities in celebration of Vietnam Sea and Islands Week (June 1 to 8), World Oceans Day (June 8), and the 70th anniversary of the book publishing – printing and distributing sector.

Public bike sharing service launched in Hue

A technology-based public bike sharing scheme has been launched in the central city of Hue, offering tourists a new way to explore Vietnam’s former imperial capital.

The initiative is a joint effort between the Hue government, the German development agency GIZ, and Vietsoftpro.

Bikes in this scheme, which will be piloted from June 2022 to December 2023, are managed by GPS and unlocked by scanning a QR code with a mobile app.

In the first stage, seven bike stations will be installed along Perfume River and inside the Imperial Citadel, after which the scheme will be expanded to cover a wider area with about 19-20 stations.

Bike stations are set up at easily accessible locations near public bus stops, car parks, marinas, cultural and historical sites, scenic spots, trade villages, old streets, and garden houses.

Each station will feature about 10-20 bikes.

Huge fire rips through tire factory in HCMC

A blaze erupted at a tire recycling factory in District 12 in HCMC today, June 6, creating a giant column of black smoke.

Around 9:00 a.m. on the day, the fire was found and rapidly engulfed the facility near several wood and paper manufacturing factories on Street T15 in An Phu Dong Ward. Many residents and workers tried to extinguish the inferno but in vain, the local media reported.

Many fire trucks and fighters were dispatched to the scene to put the fire out. At 11:00 a.m., dozens of firefighters were still making progress against the blaze at the tire plant covering over 1,000 square meters.

The police are investigating the cause of the fire.

Two vessels detained in Kien Giang for suspected oil smuggling

The High Command of the Coast Guard Region 4 in Phu Quoc City off the southern province of Kien Giang has detained two vessels for illegally transporting 130,000 liters of diesel oil.

At 21:20 on June 5, a working group of the High Command of the Coast Guard Region 4 while patrolling stopped two fishing vessels, TG 93979 TS and TG 92267 TS, for inspection, reported the Vietnam News Agency.

At the time of inspection, the TG 93979 TS vessel had five crew members, including captain Truong Van Phong, a native of Tien Giang Province, and the vessel owner Do Hoang Phong, another resident of Tien Giang. The TG 92267 TS had four crew members, with Vo Van Hoang serving as captain and Do Hoang Ly being the vehicle owner. Both of them reside in Tien Giang.

According to the two captains, the TG 93979 TS vessel was carrying some 70,000 liters of diesel oil and the TG 92267 TS vessel was transporting around 60,000 liters of the oil. They failed to show invoices and legal documents on the origin of the oil.

The force took the two vessels to a local port in Ca Mau Province for further investigation.

Three killed in truck overturn in Hoa Binh

Three people died and one other was injured when an overloaded truck overturned and fell onto a car in the northern province of Hoa Binh.

The tragic accident occurred on June 4 on the Ho Chi Minh Road in Yen Thuy District when a truck carrying soil overturned and fell onto a car with four people inside. The car driver Pham Van Toan, 31, and two women aged 37 and 60 were found dead in the car while a man aged 20 was injured.

The truck driver, Nguyen Van Doanh, told Yen Thuy District Police Department that the accident occurred when the truck had problems with its brakes and he lost control. Doanh tested negative for alcohol or drugs.

However, a Vietnam Register (VR) inspection revealed that the truck had the sides increased two-to-three times higher than legally allowed.

"The Made-in-China Howo truck was made in 2021 and registered on September 28, 2021 by the Van Phu Trade and Transportation Company, the report by VR said. "The registered body size was 6.5 metres long, 2.3 metres wide and 72 centimetres high. But at the time of the accident, the truck body was measured at 6.78 metres long, 2.31 metres wide, and 1.85 metres high. That means the truck body had been enlarged by an additional 28 centimetres in length and 1.13 metres in height."

Deputy PM Pham Binh Minh and transport minister Nguyen Van The have asked the National Traffic Safety Committee to deal with the violations.

Three fishermen die in boat collision in Quang Nam

Three fishermen drowned after two fishing boats collided off the central province of Quang Nam's coast early Monday morning.

According to a report from Quang Nam Border Guard Department, the collision occurred at 3.30 am when a boat owned by Tran Van Cong collided with another boat some seven nautical miles from Binh Duong Commune coast in Thang Binh District.

Cong's boat sank with eight crew members on board.

Receiving the news, Quang Nam Border Guard sent rescue forces to the site and save five people and recovered three bodies.

The three dead fishermen were identified as Vo Dinh Nam, 59, Tran Guong, 61, and Nguyen Van Thanh, 54, who are al from neighbouring Quang Ngai Province.

Quang Nam Border Guard are looking for the boat involved in the collision.

Gov’t asks for prompt actions to prevent avian influenza outbreaks

Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh has recently requested the Ministry of Health to craft a plan to prevent transmission of avian influenza to humans.

The Deputy Prime Minister also tasked the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to work with the Ministry of Health, relevant ministries and localities to keep a close watch on the disease. 

The World Organization for Animal Health reported that avian influenza outbreaks on poultry and wild birds had been reported in 27 countries and territories, mainly in Europe from March 10 to April 16, 2022. In addition, some others were detected in Asia, the Northern America, and Africa.  

Highly virulent strains including H5N1 and H5N8 are the pathogens of the epidemic.

Although neither the world nor Viet Nam has recorded any human infection case with avian influenza, the country is coping with remarkable risks of transmission from birds to humans.

The MoH reported that Viet Nam has  recorded six H5N1 avian influenza outbreaks in Ha Noi, Ninh Binh, Vinh Phuc, Khanh Hoa, and Kon Tum which have yet gone through 21 days as recommended.

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