The Management Board of Ben En National Park in the north central province of Thanh Hoa has been working on plans on preserving and developing a number of rare animals with high-economic values in the park in the 2022 – 2024 period, towards conserving rodent species.

According to Vice Director of the Ben En National Park Management Board Nguyen Dinh Hieu, forest rangers of the unit have focused on conducting surveys and assessments related to the distribution and the habitat of, and identifying threats to rodent species within local forests. They have also collaborated with relevant units to take photographs and collect samples of rare species to serve the investigation and monitoring work.

Training courses and conferences to improve capacity and awareness of biodiversity conservation for officials and residents have been organised, he said.

Forest rangers distributed 1,500 leaflets introducing some rodent species; developed conservation plans and distribution maps; and implemented breeding models of bamboo rats.

The scientific task is expected to help the management board conserve endangered wildlife species and attract visitors, thus generating jobs for local residents and contributing to the locality’s biodiversity conservation efforts.

In the coming time, the management board will continue with surveys, monitoring, and further experimental breeding of more rodent species, thus making more comprehensive assessments.

Statistics from the management board show that among the newly discovered rodent species, the hairy-footed flying squirrel (Belomys pearsonii) and the black giant squirrel (Ratufa bicolor) are rare and critically endangered species listed in Vietnam’s Red Book.

The project is hoped to produce important results serving research on the distribution, habitat preferences, diet and ecological characteristics of rodent species, thus building plans and proposing effective conservation measures for rodent species at the Ben En National Park.

NA to adopt resolution on 2024 supervision programme on June 8

Deputies of the 15th National Assembly (NA) are scheduled to question cabinet members and approve a resolution on the NA supervision programme for 2024 on June 8 during their ongoing fifth plenary session.

The Minister of Transport and Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai will answer the deputies’ question regarding transport issues.

June 8 agenda also includes discussions on an NA draft resolution on the pilot of a number of special mechanisms and policies for the development of Ho Chi Minh City. The draft resolution comprises seven groups of mechanisms and policies with 44 specific contents.

The Government has raised proposals on the city’s use of public investment capital sourced from the city budget and its pilot application of the urban development model towards Transit Oriented Development (TOD).

Implementation of ethnic minority-related policies clarified at National Assembly

Minister-Chairman of the Government Committee on Ethnic Minority Affairs Hau A Lenh clarified issues related to the attraction of investment in ethnic minority-inhabited areas at the ongoing 15th National Assembly (NA) during the fifth plenary session on June 7.

Answering the question by Hanoi representative Vu Thi Luu Mai on a number of documents that do not match the regulations of the law, Lenh admitted that there are still conflicts and overlapping in documents guiding the implementation of policies to encourage investment in ethnic minority-inhabited areas.

The Government has asked ministries and sectors to review all the documents to ensure that they are coherent and suitable with legal regulations, he said, adding that ministries and agencies have completed the work.

Responding to a question on criteria to define mountainous areas, Lenh said that the committee is working on a new set of criteria with major foundation of terrain, administrative border and level of development to make suitable investment in the new period. It will submit a report on the work to the NA Standing committee in September, he said.

Over the concerns of Lang Son representative Chu Thi Hong Thai on whether the current policies are strong enough to encourage residents in border areas, mostly from ethnic minority groups, to stay there and attract labourers to the areas, Lenh said that despite the Party and State’s great attention to border areas in 25 border localities, the socio-economic situation in border communes and districts has remained difficult.

He said that stronger policies are needed to improve the living conditions of border communities in the coming time, along with the reviewing of the implementation of a Politburo’s resolution on strategy on national border protection to design more suitable policies, focusing on infrastructure systems and livelihoods for the communities.

Agreeing with Quang Nam representative Phan Thai Binh on the necessity to design mechanisms and policies to attract investment to ethnic minority-inhabited areas, Lenh said that he hopes localities will stick to central policies to offer incentives to investors, encouraging them to invest in such areas to create more jobs.

Particularly, the NA leader stressed the need to effectively implement the national target programme on boosting socio-economic development in ethnic minority-inhabited and mountainous areas in the 2021-2030 period, as well as policies to provide support in residential and farming land and the change of the way to earn a living to ethnic minority communities.

Bulgarian ambassador awarded friendship medal

The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) presented the commemorative medal “For Peace and Friendship among Nations” to Bulgarian Ambassador to Vietnam Marinela Petkova at a ceremony in Hanoi on June 6, as she is finishing her tenure here.

VUFO President, Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga said the honour is to recognise the Bulgarian diplomat's remarkable contributions to promoting the friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two peoples.

During Marinela Petkova’s tenure in Vietnam, the relations between the two countries have been reinforced and developed, with the diplomat having helped promote high-level political dialogues, support the implementation of Bulgaria's official aid programme to Vietnam, as well as sign cooperation agreements at central and local levels of the two countries.

For her part, Marinela Petkova expressed her pleasure at the honour and thanked the VUFO, Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga and Vietnamese friends for the support they gave her during her stay in Vietnam.

She pledged to continue working to reinforce and develop the friendship and cooperation between the two countries in any position.

Transport minister clears up transport infrastructure, vehicle registration questions

Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Thang cleared up queries regarding transport infrastructure and the registration of road vehicles and inland waterway vessels, at a question-and-answer session of the 15th National Assembly’s fifth session in Hanoi on June 7.

The ministry is working hard to materialise the Party’s and the State’s guidelines and strategies on transport infrastructure development to effectively contribute to socio-economic development, ensuring national defence and security, and enhancing international integration, Thang said.

The sector’s disbursement of public investment fulfilled more than 96.5% of the plan in 2022, and more than 30% of the target in the first five months of this year, according to the official.

Mentioning the implementation of projects, especially key ones, he said the progress has been ensured, adding 566 kilometres of expressways have been put into service since the beginning of the tenure, raising the total operational expressways to 1,729 kilometres.

The construction of expressway projects included in the socio-economic recovery and development plan is also expected to begin this month as scheduled, he stressed.

The minister briefed the legislators on the sector’s performance in institutional perfection, administrative reform, e-government building and digital transformation, which have reaped positive achievements over the past time.

Thang, however, pointed to limitations like the high number of traffic accidents, and wrongdoings in vehicle registration, which have triggered public concern.

Responding to a question on the proposals of some provinces to expand seriously -downgraded national highways, using the lobal budget, the minister said the Government and the Prime Minister have proposed the NA Standing Committee issue a resolution in this regard.

The matter has also been included in the reviewed Law on Road Traffic, the minister noted.

Asked about the Yen Vien-Cai Lan railway project, which has been launched since 2005 and has been suspended since 2011, Thang said the Politburo has requested that the railway must be implemented before 2030.

The transport ministry and other relevant ministries and agencies will give consultations to the PM in capital allocation for the project, he said.

Regarding vehicle registration centres, Thang emphasised that they will resume operations no later than the end of this month, and that the transport ministry will propose the PM adjust the registration process in the time ahead.

To help the centres resume their normal operations, it is necessary to review the financial mechanism, continue with personnel training and recruitment, and step up IT applications in the registration work, he said.

NA Chairman urges allocating more resources to vocational training

National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue asked the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) to effectively implement the Party’s guidelines and the State’s policies and laws on vocational training, while concluding a question and answer session of the 15th legislature’s fifth meeting in Hanoi on June 6.

The NA leader pointed out limitations to labour and employment, stressing that the scale of vocational training remains small, and its quality and efficiency, especially in high-quality personnel training, is till low.

The COVID-19 pandemic and uncertainties in the global situation have affected about 500,000 labourers in the country, he said, noting there remained issues in social insurance over the past time.

Hue urged the MoLISA to further review and speed up the perfection of institutions on vocational training, and work to raise the efficiency of State management in this regard.

The MoLISA was also asked to coordinate with other ministries and agencies in reforming training programmes and methods, upgrade training equipment, improve the capacity of teachers and managers, and standardise criteria in vocational training, making them match those of developed countries in ASEAN and the world.
 
The top legislator also suggested increasing resources and prioritising the State budget to vocational training, improving the efficiency in the use of investment capital, mobilisng the engagement of different economic sectors, and enhancing public-private partnership (PPP) in this field.

It is a must to review, study and propose measures to completely handle the cases of social insurance collection and payment that ran counter to regulations within this year, he requested.

Notably, the NA Chairman asked the MoLISA to partner with other ministries and agencies to accelerate the restructuring of sectors, especially labour-intensive industries like garment-textile and leather-footwear, making them go green, and satisfy requirements of competition and international integration.

At the same time, they need to keep a close watch on developments of the economy and the labour market in order to take timely countermeasures and ensure social welfare, he said.

Hue also stressed that it is necessary to consolidate policies and laws on social insurance, and prepare the dossier of the draft amended Law on Social Insurance, which is expected to be submitted to the legislature’s sixth sitting in October 2023.

The People’s Supreme Court will coordinate with the MoLISA, the Ministry of Public Security and the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour in removing bottlenecks to lawsuits relating to social insurance, he continued.

He also suggested reviewing and amending the Law on Employment to create more job opportunities and prevent unemployment, while building a system of information and data on the labour market.

A total of 99 deputies registered to raise questions at the question and answer session, of whom 35 directly put the questions, and 11 others joined the debate.

Vietnam, US promote cooperation in overcoming war consequences

Deputy Minister of National Defence Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien on June 7 received Director of the US Defence Prisoners of War/Missing In Action ((POW/MIA) Accounting Agency Kelly K. Mc Keague.

Speaking at the reception, Chien emphasized that Mc Keague's visit takes place in the context of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Vietnamese Office for Seeking Missing Persons (VNOSMP) and 35 years of joint operations to search for American personnel missing in action (MIA), which is an important milestone in the two countries' cooperation in overcoming war consequences.

Appreciating the contributions of the US agency in promoting the relationship between the two countries over the past time, especially in overcoming war consequences in Vietnam, Chien affirmed that cooperation in searching for US soldiers missing in the war is the bridge and first channel of contact between the leaders of the two countries, helping the two peoples better understand their goodwill and humanitarian policies.

According to him, the two sides are implementing cooperation activities according to the agreed annual plan. Up to now, 150 combined and unilateral MIA search campaigns have been carried out and the 151st is being deployed.

Regarding cooperation in searching and collecting the remains of Vietnamese martyrs, based on the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation signed in July 2021, the two sides actively carried out activities and achieved remarkable results. 

The US side has so far provided Vietnam with more than 30 sets of documents on Vietnamese soldiers who died or went missing in the war, plus many war memorabilia, he said, adding the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense hopes for further support from the US in this regard, especially when Vietnam has about 180,000 missing martyrs.

Chien said that in the coming time, the two sides should continue to promote cooperation in the search for US servicemen missing in the war, and wished the US Government will support Vietnam in overcoming war consequences including those relating to bombs/mines and toxic chemicals, as well as searching and collecting the remains of Vietnamese martyrs.

Given the huge potential for cooperation in various fields between the US and Vietnam, Kelly K. Mc Keague affirmed that the US Government will continue to fulfill its commitments to tackling war consequences in Vietnam.

Roller skaters sharpen skills at national club championship

The National Roller Sports Clubs Championship have found 16 winners who will be national team members in upcoming international competitions.

More than 150 athletes from 12 clubs gathered together at the Quảng Ninh Province's Exhibition of Planning and Expo Centre over the weekend.

They competed in 12 individual and four team categories of different age groups.

Among the winners were Đường Minh Nhượt of Vietpassion club in the men's senior 1,600m; Huỳnh Thị Cẩm Ly of Vietpassion in the women's senior 1,200m; Nhan Ngọc Kiến Huy of District 6 in the men's junior 800m; and Sunskate club won both men's and women's Novice categories.

At the annual event, organisers delivered a total of VNĐ150 million to the winning athletes. 

Vietnamese authorities move to facilitate farm produce exports to China

A Vietnamese delegation led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam has visited and held meetings with the administrations and customs departments of China’s Guangxi and Yunnan provinces in an effort to facilitate farm produce exports via northern border gates of Vietnam.

The move was to implement the Prime Minister’s Official Dispatch No 492/CD-TTg, dated May 31, 2023 that demands urgent measures be taken to ease congestion and promote agricultural product exports via the northern border gates.

At separate talks, the Vietnamese delegation, including officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), the General Department of Vietnam Customs, and some provinces with large exports to and border gates with China, and the administrations of Guangxi and Yunnan agreed to order customs and quarantine units of their respective border gates frequently share information about customs clearance procedures and give priority to the fresh produce entering in the harvest season to reduce congestion and boost farm produce trade via border gates of the Chinese provinces.

The two sides agreed to hold annual cross-border trade promotion fairs in Guangxi, Yunnan, and adjacent Vietnamese provinces on a rotational basis to create more partnership chances to their businesses.

They concurred to promote the establishment of the Vietnam - Guangxi and Vietnam - Yunnan associations of agricultural product businesses.

They also decided to assign relevant units to compile a memorandum of understanding on agricultural cooperation between the MARD and the Guangxi and Yunnan administrations. The MoU is expected to be signed at the China - ASEAN Expo this September.

At the meetings with the two Chinese provinces’ customs departments, Vietnamese and Chinese officials reached consensus on some measures to improve customs clearance capacity such as increasing the prioritised businesses, applying the one-stop-shop model to export and import, exchanging the forms of quarantine certificates, and considering the pilot implementation of a smart border gate system.

Both sides will also assign units to act as liaison bodies to tackle bottlenecks in customs clearance for agro-forestry-aquatic products in a timely manner, and hold rotational annual meetings in every November between the Guangxi and Yunnan customs departments, the MARD, and relevant agencies of Vietnam to review cooperation results in a year and set up orientations for the following year.

They agreed to propose the Chinese General Administration of Customs to permit more fruits and aquatic products of Vietnam to enter this country, licence more Vietnamese exporters of agricultural and aquatic products, and allow raw aquatic products to be exported via border gates of Yunnan.

During the Vietnamese delegation’s visit, a business matching forum also took place, connecting 17 major agricultural and aquatic product companies of Vietnam with almost 120 Chinese firms.

Ambassador calls for more investment from Japan’s Tochigi prefecture

An investment promotion seminar was held in Tochigi prefecture of Japan on June 5 under the chair of Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu and Tochigi Deputy Governor Suenaga Hiroyuki.

Highlighting the two countries’ sound cooperation, Hieu expressed his hope that Tochigi will step up partnerships with and investment in Vietnam in the high technology sector as well as the fields in which the Southeast Asian nation has great demand such as semiconductor and fuel cell industries, logistics, health care, and labour cooperation.

Participants in the event spoke highly of Vietnam’s potential, noting that Vietnamese workers trained in Japan are gradually meeting high requirements from Japanese businesses and they will be the main source of manpower for Tochigi firms to expand operations in Vietnam.

The same day, Hieu had a meeting with Tochigi Governor Fukuda Tomikazu.

They noted with satisfaction that the Vietnam - Japan relationship is now at its prime, and collaboration between Tochigi and Vietnamese localities is also thriving, especially since Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s visit to the prefecture in 2021.

Hieu held that there remains huge potential for Tochigi’s ties with Vietnam to grow further, adding he hopes the prefecture’s leaders will promote the signing of cooperation deals with the Ministry of Planning and Investment and Vinh Phuc province of Vietnam.

The diplomat also suggested the two sides strengthen links in the fields matching Tochigi’s strength and Vietnam’s demand and potential.

Also on June 5, Hieu and Fukuda attended a ceremony marking the establishment of the Tochigi office of the FPT Japan Joint Stock Company.

The ambassador hailed the success of FPT Japan, which has invested in Japan since 2005 and now opens its 15th branch in the Northeast Asian country in Tochigi.

He hoped that Vietnamese IT companies in Japan, including FPT, will grow more strongly and cooperate fruitfully with Japanese partners to contribute to the development of the IT industry as well as Tochigi and other Japanese localities, and also help bring the successful technologies and IT applications in Japan to Vietnam to help with the homeland’s socio-economic development.

Ministry asks for more preventive measures for hand-foot-mouth disease

The Ministry of Health (MoH) has sent a document asking provinces and cities to strengthen measures against hand-foot-mouth disease.

The request was released after the number of cases has increased.

The country has seen nearly 9,000 hand-foot-mouth cases and three fatalities so far this year.

The ministry recorded the presence of Enterovirus (EV71), which can cause severe illness in some cases.

To take the initiative in hand-foot-mouth disease prevention and control, minimise the number of cases and deaths, and prevent the disease from spreading, the MoH required provinces and cities to proactively coordinate with the health sector. The preventive work should focus on areas with high incidence and risk of outbreaks.

Localities must closely monitor the disease situation, detect and promptly handle outbreaks.

They should strengthen mobile teams to promptly investigate, verify and handle outbreaks when necessary.

Provinces and cities must declare the disease situation according to Circular No 54/2015/TT-BYT issued on December 28, 2015, of the MoH.

Hospitals should organise treatment classification, paying special attention to severe cases to minimise mortality, and prevent cross-contamination.

Localities should strengthen education on healthcare, organise hand-washing campaigns, and ensure enough medicines and equipment for emergency and treatment work.

More staff training should be conducted at all levels, especially for grassroots medical staff.

Local departments of information and communications, and media agencies must coordinate with the health sector to strengthen communication about hand-foot-mouth disease prevention and control.

Forms of communication should be diversified, such as on loudspeakers, leaflets, newspapers, and television programmes or in village meetings.

Education should also be given at schools, especially pre-schools.

Schools must keep classroom hygiene and environmental sanitation, provide enough clean water and ensure food safety in kitchens.

They are responsible for detecting new cases at their premises, and immediately notify local health authorities to handle outbreaks.

Local departments of finance are required to submit to provincial and municipal people's committees for granting of funds for disease prevention and control.

Inspection teams will be formed to supervise, support localities and promptly direct the work against hand-foot-mouth disease.

After receiving a proposal from the HCM City Department of Health on supporting Immunoglobulin and Phenobarbital medicines to treat hand-foot-mouth disease when the situation was complicated, the Drug Administration of Việt Nam (DAV) under the MoH has replied.

For drugs containing Immunoglobulin, the DAV said that there are 13 drugs containing Immunoglobulin allowed to circulate in Việt Nam.

Importers’ reports said that they planned to import more Immunoglobulin drugs.

As for the Human normal immunoglobulin 100mg/ml drug imported by the Zuellig Pharma Việt Nam Company, the country has 2,344 boxes with 250ml and 215 boxes with 50ml. It is expected that in mid-August this year, the manufacturer will continue to supply Việt Nam with 2,000 boxes of 250ml.

As for the Immunoglobulin five per cent drug imported by the Duy Anh Pharmaceutical Trading Co Ltd, the Chợ Rẫy Hospital still has 300 vials in stock. It is expected that by the end of next month, the manufacturer will supply 5,000-6,000 more vials.

For Phenobarbital medicine, the country has one Phenobarbital drug manufactured by the Danapha Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company.

The DAV licensed the Central Pharmaceutical CPC1 Joint Stock Company to import the Barbit drugs, which have not yet been registered for circulation in Việt Nam, to serve special treatment.

The company's report showed that 21,000 vials of Phenobarbital 200mg/ml will reach Việt Nam early next month.

To ensure the drug supply for treatment, the DAV asked the HCM City Department of Health to come up with a plan to store and receive drugs and ensure enough drugs for treatment.

Hospitals in need should contact importers to order and prepare medicines properly.

Work of female poet Giang featured in live show

Poems by Lê Giang, a leading female poet in revolutionary literature in the South during the 1960s and 1970s, will be featured in a live concert in HCM City on June 8. 

The event, called Lê Giang - Đời Cho Ta Nâng Niu (Lê Giang - Life and Love), aims to introduce the poet’s 50-year career, as well as her life.  

Giang’s works on women and love will be sung by famous artists such as soprano Phạm Khánh Ngọc, opera singer Đào Mác, and folk singer Bích Phượng. 

Love songs based on Giang’s poems by well-known musicians Hoàng Hiệp, Xuân Hồng and Lư Nhất Vũ will also be performed. 

One of the show’s highlighted artists is Soprano Ngọc of the HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO).

Ngọc began singing opera after winning second prize at the National Television Singing Contest in 2013. Three years later, she won second prize at the SLO-ASEAN Vocal Competition in Singapore in 2016. 

She has worked for the 7th Military Zone Arts Troupe, and is now a lecturer for the HCM City Music Conservatory. 

Giang was born in 1930 in Cà Mau Province. At the beginning of the war against the French, she joined the revolutionary activities under the leadership of the Việt Minh (League for the Independence of Việt Nam).

She was sent to study in the North during the 1950s. In 1963, she returned and joined art and literature activities to serve the resistance movement. 

She wrote more than 200 poems on love and women. 

She released two music books, six poet collectors, seven books on folk songs, and worked with her husband, well-know musician Lư Nhất Vũ, to write 13 lyric scripts. 

She was a member of the Việt Nam Writers' Association and Việt Nam Folk Arts’ Association.

Her famous poem collections include Phím Đàn Xanh (Blue Notes) and Ơi, Anh Chàng Hát Rong (Hey, Street Male Singer), which highlight themes about the country, women and love.

The show Lê Giang - Đời Cho Ta Nâng Niu will begin at 7:30pm on June 8 at the Hồ Chí Minh Television Theatre, 14 Đinh Tiên Hoàng Street, Distric 1.

VBA returns under new format, players have more games to play

The eighth Vietnam Basketball Association (VBA) season will be back with a new format and changes that promise more exciting games for fans.

The annual tournament will tip off on June 10 in Hà Nội with teams playing more games than previous season after the organisers decided to lengthen the season with a 50 per cent increase of matches.

According to organisers, it is to increase the connectivity and meet the needs of fans.

Seven teams will compete in three games each instead of two previously.

In the qualification round, teams will compete in two stages. The first stage will be in centralised format with 21 matches from June 10-30. They will take in a round robin style at the Cầu Giấy Gymnasium.

Hanoi Buffaloes and Saigon Heat will see each other in the opening match, in what will be a rematch of last year's championship match.

Saigon Heat beat Hanoi Buffaloes 3-0 in all three game-final to lift the trophy. The national first pro basketball club have dominated the tournament since 2019.

The second stage's 42 matches from July 8 to September 3, will be a home-and-away competition.

The Play-off round, which is expected to have six matches, will be from September 7-15, and the Finals, scheduled for five games, will be from September 17-30.

This year, teams are allowed to sign contract with no more than one imported and two heritage players – players born in other countries but with Vietnamese ancestory. 

The organisers have also changed rule of homegrown players. U18 athletes are allowed to register to compete at the VBA from the 2023 season instead of U20 previously.

Earlier, the VBA 3x3 Prime tournaments were organised from March 18 to April 2. 

In the men's pro category, Hanoi Buffaloes took the title, winning all three stages of the tournament. 

The women's crown went to Rohto Saigon Heat while the U20 top place belonged to Hanoi Buffaloes' junior team.

Hand, foot and mouth cases on the rise

Vietnam has recorded 8,995 hand, foot and mouth patients so far this year, including three deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.

Recently, the Children Hospital 1 in HCM City has witnessed an increase in hand, foot and mouth disease. In May, the hospital received 450 hand, foot and mouth cases compared to 350 in April. 

According to the HCM City Department of Health, enterovirus 71, a virus which most commonly causes hand, foot and mouth disease, has once again been found in HCM City. The virus can cause severe complications for hand, foot and mouth patients. It is also easily communicable.

The Ministry of Health has asked cities and provinces nationwide to co-operate with concerned agencies to take drastic measures against hand, foot and mouth disease.

Localities need to set up mobile teams to support disease prevention and control.

The department of education and training has been urged to instruct local schools to conduct measures for disease prevention.

Three die in Gia Lai traffic accident

Authorities in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai on Tuesday offered condolences to a local family who lost three members in a traffic accident.

Nguyen Quang Hoa, 35, his wife Nguyen Thi Kieu, 31, and their three-year-old son were all killed after their motorbike collided with a truck on Monday afternoon.

The tragic accident occurred while Hoa was carrying his wife and son home and they were only a kilometre from their home in Ia Phin Commune, Chu Prong District. Their motorbike was struck from behind by a truck that was transporting fertiliser on a wet and slippery road caused by nearby drain-ditch construction.

The truck driver tested negative for alcohol and drugs.

According to the family, the couple had four children. They died with their youngest son, leaving two sons aged 14, 12, and a six-year-old daughter.

Aviation sector gets ready for air transportation of exam questions

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) sent a document proposing cooperation in transporting exam questions for the national high school graduation exam and university entrance examination to aviation organizations and businesses.

The proposal calls the Ministry of Education and Training, airport authorities, Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), Van Don Airport, and Vietnamese airlines to create favorable conditions for air transportation of exam questions of the national high school graduation exam, university entrance examination, and vocational school admission test.

The CAAV suggested airport authorities in the North, Central, and South grant short-term cards and licenses for airport and aviation security checks to those who are on duty for transporting exam questions of the Ministry of Education and Training.

The ACV and Van Don Airport must delegate their units to create favorable conditions for officials and cadres of the Ministry of Education and Training to promptly carry out aviation procedures and security checks in transporting exam questions, and allow vehicles to pick up the Ministry’s employees at the aircraft stairs.

According to the Ministry of Education and Training, high-school students across Vietnam will take part in the national high school graduation exam for the academic year 2022- 2023 on June 27-30. University entrance examination and vocational school admission test will be held after that and run until December 31.

Several hydropower plants forced to temporarily stop electricity generation

Due to the shortage of water, hydropower plants had no choice but to stop electricity generation, even temporary turbine stoppage, resulting in alternating power cuts in the suburbs of Hanoi and many localities in the North on June 6.

Although the heat wave has abated, many places across the country have had showers, the scorching summer parched hydroelectric reservoirs in Vietnam resulting in dwindling water levels.

As a consequence, hydropower plants had no choice but to stop electricity generation resulting in alternating power cuts in the suburbs of Hanoi and many localities in the North.

The total electricity output used is up to nearly 800 million kWh per day, but of which hydroelectricity can only meet more than 14 percent as many hydropower plants have to temporarily stop operation of turbines. The rest is from coal and gas thermal power accounting for nearly 73 percent.

Large-scale power outages occured in many areas in Hanoi and the North on June 6. Many places have announced the power outage schedule in advance from 8 am to 4 pm or 9 pm so that people and businesses can actively arrange work. In some places, people suffered power outages 2-3 times over the past week.

Data on water levels at hydroelectric reservoirs of the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) updated on June 6 showed that 6 out of 7 hydropower plants in the North almost stopped generating electricity.

Even large hydropower plants such as Son La, Lai Chau, Tuyen Quang, and Thac Ba stopped generating electricity. Currently, only Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant is still discharging water to generate electricity. Previously, on June 5, Son La, Lai Chau, and Tuyen Quang hydropower plants also did not generate electricity.

According to the National Load Dispatch Center, it has proposed to suspend using hydroelectricity at some moments in order to use renewable energy such as wind power, wind power, and solar power instead in recent years.

Worse, the power shortage occurred this year because the water level in hydroelectric reservoirs had severely reduced and the amount of water in hydroelectric reservoirs in many places plunged to its lowest. As a result, some plants had to temporarily stop generating electricity to reserve for more stressful times.

At 11 a.m. on June 6, the volume of water in Huoi Quang hydropower reservoir was only 28.1 cubic meters per second while the volume of water in Ban Chat hydropower reservoir was 11.7 cubic meters per second, Thac Ba reservoir was 60 cubic meters per second, and Tuyen Quang hydropower plant was 110 cubic meters per second.

Because Son La and Lai Chau reservoirs do not discharge water, the amount of water in the Hoa Binh hydropower reservoir is only 380 cubic meters per second, while this plant has to discharge 886 cubic meters per second downstream for power generation. The discharged volume of water is 2.3 times the amount of water flowing into the reservoir.

The Thac Ba hydropower reservoir water level on June 6 was still below the dead level with only 60 cubic meters per second. On June 5, Thac Ba Hydropower Plant still generated electricity with a flow rate of 112 cubic meters per second but on June 6, it was temporarily closed.

According to an investigation of the SGGP Newspaper, a number of hydropower plants in the Central region were suspended from electricity generation on June 6. Only most hydropower plants in the South Central region, Central Highlands and Southeast are still in operation.

The National Load Dispatch Center reported that the largest capacity on June 5 was 37,950.3MW whereas 789.8 million kWh was consumed on the day. Electricity mobilized during the day includes 113.3 million kWh from hydropower, 482 million kWh from coal thermal power, 92.1 million kWh from oil and gas energy, 1.3 million kWh from thermal power plants, 71.1 million kWh of solar power, 17.2 million kWh of wind power and 1.8 million kW of other sources. Vietnam also bought 11 million kWh of electricity.

In the context of a very difficult power supply, in its written request to its member units in the North, the state power utility EVN urged to implement urgent power-saving measures from now until August 2023. At the same time, officials and employees of EVN have to encourage people to save electricity.

HCMC increases immigration control, establishing border e-procedure

The Party Committee of HCMC Border Guard yesterday held its mid-term meeting to evaluate results of the adoption of its Resolution in the congress for the term 2020-2025.

In his speech at the meeting, Chairman of HCMC People’s Committee Phan Van Mai proposed that the Party Committee of HCMC Border Guard focus on its priorities when carrying out policies and regulations set forth by the city and the Central Government.

In particular, HCMC Border Guard should concentrate on the action plan of the HCMC Party Committee in implementing Resolution No.33 of the Politburo about strategies to protect the national borders. The HCMC Border Guard should strengthen its control over migration activities and apply information technology to develop suitable border e-procedures.

Reports of HCMC Border Guard reveal that in the first half of the term, HCMC Border Guard actively developed and carried out its own action plan to implement the congress’ resolution, achieving positive results in various aspects. It was able to firmly protect sovereignty and security at both sea borders and land borders, greatly contributing to the stable economic growth and the international integration of HCMC.

HCMC accelerating inspection of corruption cases

The Standing Committee of the HCMC Steering Committee for Corruption and Negatives Prevention yesterday held its monthly meeting to summarize results of the tasks done in May.

In the meeting, Secretary of HCMC Party’s Committee and Head of the Steering Committee Nguyen Van Nen demanded that all members of the Steering Committee urgently and strictly adopt the conclusion of the General Secretary of the Party Central Committee cum Head of the Central Steering Committee for Corruption and Negatives Prevention, released on May 10.

The HCMC Steering Committee must speed up inspections and handling of illegal cases under its supervision related to corruption in the city. It must also summarize results after one year going into operation.

The Standing Committee then agreed upon the list of cases under the Steering Committee’s supervision. Member units of the Steering Committee were asked to quickly complete the project ‘Solutions to Prevent Corruption, Negatives, and Waste in the Political System and State-owned Businesses’. These units should continue to review and advise the Steering Committee on how to effectively conduct assigned missions in the upcoming time to ensure the progress.

Hanoi's hotels listed among world's best

Two of the hotels in Hanoi have won prestigious regional and international awards in the hospitality industry.

 Located in the Old Quarter, La Sinfonía del Rey Hotel & Spa is the only representative from Vietnam to be included in the list of the world’s top 25 hotels in 2023, according to TripAdvisor.

With 1,213 five-star ratings, the hotel ranks 16th, bringing honor to Vietnam's tourism service industry in general and Hanoi in particular. 

The boutique hotel, ideally situated in a prime location just steps away from Hanoi's iconic Hoan Kiem Lake, has 48 rooms with prices ranging from VND2,000,000 (US$85) to VND4,000,000 (US$170) per room per night.

The "Top 25 Best Hotels in the World" list is a category of TripAdvisor's annual "Travelers' Choice Best of the Best"  Awards.

In addition to the world's best, TripAdvisor also ranks the best hotels in the region and country.

This year's TripAdvisor Champion is the Rambagh Palace in the city of Jaipur, India. Other Asian hotels in the top 25 include Ozen Reserve Bolifushi (Maldives), Hotel Colline de France (France), Shangri-La The Shard, London (UK).

The Travelers' Choice Best of the Best Hotels Awards is presented by the TripAdvisor platform based on customer satisfaction, quality and the highest level of excellence in hotel and restaurant services.

Capella Hanoi Hotel won the title of #1 City Hotel in Travel + Leisure Asia Pacific Awards 2023. Photo: Viet Anh
In 2022, a hotel in Hanoi also made the list of the top 25 best hotels in the world.

In addition, another hotel in the city, Capella Hanoi, has been named the #1 City Hotel in the prestigious Travel + Leisure Asia Pacific Awards 2023.

The hotel triumphed over 24 other renowned and respected hotels in the region at the awards ceremony held on June 5 in Bangkok, Thailand.

Designed by renowned visionary Bill Bensley, the hotel's architecture and interiors pay homage to the city's rich history and proximity to the iconic Hanoi Opera House, with a captivating 1920s opera theme running throughout. Accommodation at the luxurious hotel starts at VND15,000,000 ($643)/per room per night.

The Co Loa Special National Relics to undergo further excavation

An excavation will be carried out at Co Loa Special National Relic, Co Loa Commune, Dong Anh District, Hanoi, from June 10 to August 20, according to the decision of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The excavation will be conducted by the Thang Long-Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center in coordination with the Institute of Archaeology in the 100-square-meter area where the Ngo Quyen Temple is planned. The team is led by researcher Trinh Hoang Hiep, Institute of Archaeology. According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, this excavation will clarify the value of the ancient monument and King Ngo Quyen's era.

It's expected that the archaeologists will find more artifacts in this area before building Ngo Quyen Temple.

The excavation must respect the stratigraphy of the monument, and its results will be announced with the prior approval of the Department of Cultural Heritage.

Thang Long-Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center is responsible for preserving artifacts collected during excavation and reporting to the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism the plan to protect and promote their value.

Ngo Quyen is the founding king of the Ngo Dynasty. He reigned from 939 to 944. In 938, he defeated the Southern Han Chinese army at the battle of the Bach Dang River, north of the present-day city of Haiphong.

The battle is celebrated in Vietnamese national history, ending 1,000 years of Chinese rule over Vietnam.

Ngo Quyen was proclaimed king and established the capital at Co Loa. For this reason, the Hanoi Government is considering a plan to build the Ngo Quyen Temple in Co Loa special national relics.

Experts have confirmed that Co Loa is Southeast Asia's oldest and largest earthen citadel. It shows the creativity of the ancient Vietnamese in the art of fortification.

Archaeologist Tong Trung Tin said that archaeological excavations in recent years had yielded important results. In particular, experts have unearthed hundreds of Co Loa copper arrow molds and thousands of stone sketches, raw materials, and debris from the copper arrow-making process at the Thuong Temple Relic.

According to Tin, the presence of a large number of artifacts confirms the casting of bronze arrows by the people of Au Lac during the reign of King An Duong Vuong, a testament to the legend of the divine crossbow protecting the citadel of Co Loa.

Bodhisattva Thich Quang Duc’s self-immolation commemorated in HCM City

A ceremony to commemorate Bodhisattva Thich Quang Duc, who set himself on fire 60 years ago to protest against the repression of Buddhists by the American-supported Saigon Government, was held at Viet Nam Quoc Tu pagoda in Ho Chi Minh City on June 7.

The event was jointly organised by the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) Central Committee and the VBS Executive Board in HCM City.

VBS Supreme Patriarch Most Venerable Thich Tri Quang recalled his memories with Bodhisattva Thich Quang Duc before the day of self-immolation, emphasising that the Bodhisattva's simple lifestyle with a noble soul and his wisdom is a shining example for future generations of monks and nuns to follow.

Most Venerable Thich Quang Duc was born as Lam Van Tuat in Van Khanh commune, Van Ninh district, the central province of Khanh Hoa in 1897.

He actively fought for religious freedom and equality in the southern region when it was governed by the US-backed Saigon administration.

On June 11, 1963, when a procession of over 800 Buddhist monks, nuns and followers arrived at the intersection of Phan Dinh Phung boulevard (now Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street) and Le Van Duyet Street (now Cach Mang Thang Tam Street), Thich Quang Duc soaked himself in petrol, struck a match and set himself on fire.

He was honoured as a Bodhisattva in 1964 after the unified VBS came into being.

Chairman of the VBS's Executive Council Most Venerable Thich Thien Nhon stressed that Thich Quang Duc’s self-immolation is a noble example of sacrifice and pure patriotism for the independence and unification of the country, the survival of the Buddhism and freedom of belief, sparking a sense of national solidarity among Buddhist sects across the country.

Nhon said Buddhist monks and nuns, and the VBS will make every effort to develop the VBS, and promote the patriotic tradition and the bonds between Buddhism and the nation, thus making more contributions to the nation’s development.

Vietnam shows responsible engagement at ASEAN Chiefs of Defence Forces Meeting

A high-ranking Vietnamese defence delegation led by Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army (VPA) and Deputy Minister of National Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Tan Cuong attended the 20th ASEAN Chiefs of Defence Forces Meeting (ACDFM 20) that opened in Bali, Indonesia on June 7.

Addressing the event, Sen. Lieut. Gen. Cuong said that as a responsible member of the international community and ASEAN, Vietnam has joined cooperation activities among militaries of ASEAN countries.

He called on relevant parties to continue their commitments in maintaining peace, security, stability, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Sea, while strengthening trust building and fully and effectively implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and soon finalising negotiations for a substantial and effective Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in line with international law.

On the occasion, Cuong invited regional countries to join important military-defence cooperation activities hosted by Vietnam in 2023, including the eighth meeting of the ASEAN Peacekeeping Centres Network (APCN), a volleyball tournament for ASEAN militaries and end-of-term activities of the ADMM Experts’ Working Group on Peacekeeping Operations Cycle 4 (2021 - 2023).

Vietnam will also hold a ceremony to mark the 80th founding anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Army and an international defence exhibition in 2024, he said.

The Vietnamese official underlined that the ADMM theme of “peace, prosperity and security” chosen by Indonesia as ASEAN Chair in 2023 showed the common wish of all countries in the ASEAN Community to uphold the close bond and solidarity towards a people-centred future, thus affirming ASEAN militaries as an inseparable part of the bloc in dealing with common challenges in the region, especially amid the current complicated security situation.

Participants at the event listened to a report on the outcomes of the 20th ASEAN Military Intelligence Meeting (AMIM 20) and the 13th ASEAN Military Operations Meeting (AMOM-13) that took place on June 5-6. The results include the approval of a Concept Document on the foundation of ASEAN Military Intelligence Community (AMIC) at the AMIM 20 and the organisation of an AMIC leaders’ meeting in Vietnam at an early date.

Sen. Lieut. Gen. Cuong welcomed participants' support for the AMIC initiative given by Vietnam and Indonesia.

Vietnam commits to ILO’s universal values: ambassador

Ambassador Le Thi Tuyet Mai has reaffirmed Vietnam's commitment to the universal values of the International Labour Organization (ILO), at its ongoing 111th International Labour Conference in Geneva which lasts from June 5–16.

In her speech, the head of the Vietnamese Delegation to the UN, WTO and other international organisations in Geneva held that Vietnam supports ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo’s report on the promotion of social justice, as well as his efforts and initiatives for boosting employment and social security towards decent work and an equitable transition serving the realisation of the goals set by the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and of the ILO's mission of promoting social justice and decent employment for all.

The ambassador took the occasion to brief participants on Vietnam’s significant progress in ensuring post-pandemic social welfare via the creation of jobs. The unemployment rate of local people in the working age was 2.25% in the first quarter of 2023, down by 0.07 percentage points from the end of 2022.

Mai stated that Vietnam is committed to further overhauling and completing related policies and laws as well as joining hands with other ILO members to tackle challenges facing the future of employment and promote social justice.

At the conference, worker, employer and government delegates from the ILO's 187 member states are addressing a wide range of issues, including a just transition towards sustainable and inclusive economies, quality apprenticeships, and labour protection.

The event also considers amending 15 international labour documents after the ILO included a safe and healthy working environment within the framework of fundamental principles and rights at work, and discussed equality between men and women in the workplace.

Friendship order to Kaysone Phomvihane museum

A ceremony was held at the Embassy of Vietnam in Vientiane on June 7 to present the Friendship Order to the Kaysone Phomvihane museum for its vigorous activities to honour President Ho Chi Minh.

Speaking at the ceremony, Ambassador Nguyen Ba Hung praised and thanked the museum for its effective activities over the past time, contributing to honouring the late Vietnamese leader, who is hailed as a national liberation hero of Vietnam and a great man of culture of the world, an embodiment of the special friendship between the two countries.

He also expressed his hope that the museum will continue to promote the sound work, helping to cement the special solidarity between Vietnam and Laos.

In response, Xayalath Phoneyalak, Director of the Kaysone Phomvihane Museum Department, expressed his honour as the museum received the noble order of the State of Vietnam.

He also emphasised works carried out between the two sides have contributed to further strengthen the great and long-standing friendship relations between Vietnam and Laos.

Hand, foot and mouth cases on the rise

Vietnam has recorded 8,995 hand, foot and mouth patients so far this year, including three deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.

Recently, the Children Hospital 1 in HCM City has witnessed an increase in hand, foot and mouth disease. In May, the hospital received 450 hand, foot and mouth cases compared to 350 in April. 

According to the HCM City Department of Health, enterovirus 71, a virus which most commonly causes hand, foot and mouth disease, has once again been found in HCM City. The virus can cause severe complications for hand, foot and mouth patients. It is also easily communicable.

The Ministry of Health has asked cities and provinces nationwide to co-operate with concerned agencies to take drastic measures against hand, foot and mouth disease.

Localities need to set up mobile teams to support disease prevention and control.

The department of education and training has been urged to instruct local schools to conduct measures for disease prevention.

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