Vietnam recorded no new COVID-19 cases over the past 12 hours to 6am on March 14, keeping the total number of infections in the country at 2,553, the Ministry of Health said.

Of the total, 1,594 are domestically-transmitted cases, including 901 infections detected since the third outbreak struck Vietnam on January 27.

As many as 39,613 people who had close contact with confirmed COVID-19 patients or entered Vietnam from pandemic-hit regions are being quarantined across the country, including 503 in hospitals, 16,056 in state-designated establishments and 23,054 at their residences.

According to the Treatment Subcommittee under the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, a total of 2,086 patients have recovered from the disease. Among active patients undergoing treatment at medical establishments, 48 tested negative to coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 once, 48 twice and 91 thrice.

Data from the National Expanded Immunisation Programme showed that, by March 13, as many as 10,041 people, all of them are medical workers and members of community COVID-19 prevention and control teams, had been vaccinated.

Most of the vaccinated people (6,287) are in northern Hai Duong province which has been hardest hit by the latest outbreak since January 27./.

Gov't addresses enforcement issues in amended Law on Intellectual Property

The Law on Intellectual Property is being amended to address shortcomings in enforcement, Minister of Science and Technology Huỳnh Thành Đạt said at a workshop held on Friday in HCM City.

“The amendment will create a more sufficient legal framework for activities relating to intellectual property in the country,” Đạt said.“The amended law will help also improve the effectiveness in the implementation of international commitments."

Sam Wood, deputy consul general at the British Consulate in HCM City, said: “Intellectual property enforcement remains a business concern in Việt Nam. The inadequacy of intellectual property enforcement information and resulting lack of transparency is a barrier for foreign investors.”

“I hope that discussions in the workshop will be informative for revisions of the intellectual property law following Việt Nam commitments under international treaties,” he added.

The Intellectual Property Office of Việt Nam under the Ministry of Science and Technology, in co-operation with the Copyright Office of Việt Nam under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Department of Crop Production under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development organised the workshop to collect opinions from experts of agencies and universities as well as enterprises.

Issues related to copyright and intellectual property rights were discussed.

The workshop was organised under the support of the Financial Sector and Intellectual Property Project launched in 2018 as part of the ASEAN Economic Reform Programme.

The project aims to address market inefficiencies and weaknesses that impede South East Asia’s inclusive economic growth.

Wood said that, through the project, UK best practices on intellectual property have been widely shared with Vietnamese stakeholders.

“We are working with the Government of Việt Nam in strengthening legal certainty for its intellectual property owners, ensuring that intellectual property acts as a catalyst for innovation and creativity to support economic growth by providing technical advice and capacity building in relation to legal, practical and enforcement issues,” he added.

The workshop is an expansion of UK-Việt Nam cooperation in the intellectual property area.

The amended law will focus on seven main content areas which the National Assembly has approved.

In January, a similar workshop was co-organised in Hà Nội with the participation of 150 representatives from government agencies, business associations and universities. 

Da Nang hospital, UK firm cooperate in lung cancer treatment capacity building

Da Nang Oncology Hospital and the UK's AstraZeneca Vietnam on March 12 signed an agreement to improve treatment capacity and the quality of medical care for lung cancer patients, targeting those in central Vietnam.

Under the agreement, the two sides will cooperate in conducting clinical studies of cancer, developing and implementing programmes in training for medical workers and patients’ support delivery; and promoting international cooperation in oncology.

Director of the Da Nang Oncology Hospital Tran Tu Quy said the deal will help comprehensively enhance capacity in cancer screening and treatment and benefit patients in not only Da Nang but also surrounding areas.

On this occasion, the two sides partnered in the programme “Vietnam Healthy Lung” between 2021 – 2023, aimed at raising the quality of respiratory disease management in Vietnam. The programme has entered the second phase with expansion into the field of lung cancer.

It is estimated that over 4.2 percent of Vietnam’s population suffers from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. It is worrying that most of them are not currently diagnosed due to a lack of medical facilities, poor awareness of patients and limitations in the professional skills of public health, according to the health ministry.

Vietnam each year reported about 23,667 new lung cancer cases and 20,170 deaths. Most people with cancer in Vietnam visit hospitals for medical examination and treatment in a late stage, making treatment difficult and creating a huge financial burden on patients./.

HCM City: Youths to involve in Earth Hour 2021 activities, projects

Youth volunteers will be involved in a host of activities and projects to raise public awareness of environment protection and promote the efficient use of power in response to this year’s Earth Hour in Ho Chi Minh City.

The 2021 campaign will focus on encouraging the participation of members of the municipal Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCYU) and young people in mobilising the local community to together expand green spaces, reduce plastic waste and cut greenhouse gas emission, Le Hoang Minh from the city’s HCYU, who is head of the organsing board of the city's this year Earth Hour, said at the Earth Hour launch ceremony on March 13.

This will help ease impacts of climate change and pollution and make HCM City a clean, green and liveable city, he said.

All district HCYU chapters will engage in various projects, Minh said, adding that there will be a project to raise awareness among local students and instruct them how to use electricity safely and efficiently while another will help repair and renovate power systems for poor households and policy beneficiaries at high-risk residential areas and encourage them to use energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly devices.

The district chapters will also take part in projects to improve safety of power transmission line networks and replace lighting systems in local condo buildings, and to call on people to use green and recycled products.

A bicycle parade and one-hour lights off event will be held in the city during the Earth Hour 2021 on March 27./.

Largest whale skeleton on display in Binh Thuan

The largest whale skeleton in Vietnam is on display at Van Thuy Tu Temple. (Photo nld.com.vn)

Vietnam’s largest whale skeleton, over 20 metres in length and weighing 65 tonnes, is on display at Van Thuy Tu Temple in Phan Thiet coastal town, south-central Binh Thuan province.

Hundreds of tourists come here on weekends as everyone is curious about this skeleton and the custom of worshiping whales in Phan Thiet.

The mammal has 63 vertebrae on its spine, along with 15 pairs of ribs and two bones for limbs. The skull is around 2.4 metres wide. The upper jaw is 3.1 metres long and has a V shape. The lower jaw is 3.8 metres long.

The main hall of Van Thuy Tu Temple includes an altar dedicated to the whale gods and fishermen’s ancestors. In the back is a worshipping area that preserves more than 100 whale skeletons, many dating back more than two centuries ago.

Along with the whale skeleton, Van Thuy Tu has many highly valued artefacts like bronze bells and terracotta statues./.

Vietnam strives to ensure 100% COVID-19 vaccination coverage

Despite there being no vaccine that is 100% effective against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), it still represents an essential, proactive, and effective preventive measure that will certainly reduce the spread of the disease providing that 100% of people are vaccinated.

These comments were made by Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son during a meeting held on March 11 to discuss COVID-19 prevention and control activities along with plans to purchase and use vaccines to combat the virus.

The campaign to inoculate citizens marks the start of the largest-ever vaccination drive ever, with the goal of providing over 100 million injections nationwide as part of prevention and control efforts.

According to the data as of February 2021, AstraZeneca's vaccine has an effectiveness of 76% after individuals receive the first injection and 81% after the second jab, with no recordings of any vaccinated people being hospitalised, Deputy Minister Son emphasised.

The COVID-19 vaccine being used in the country’s first inoculation drive is the AstraZeneca vaccine, one of three vaccines recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO) and has already been used in over 50 countries and territories globally. The vaccine will be given to people over the age of 18, with two shots given 12 weeks apart.

At present, the nation has secured large supplies of COVID-19 vaccines, including support from COVAX Facility, a mechanism set up by the WHO, the Global Alliance on Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), UNICEF, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and manufacturers and development partners. The group has been established to ensure that all countries have fair and effective access to vaccines.

According to an announcement made by UNICEF, the COVAX Facility has committed to providing the country with 30 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine this year, with the initial batch of 1.37 million doses scheduled to arrive on March 25, while the second batch of 2.8 million doses arriving on April 25. The remaining 25.9 million doses will be transported to the nation between August and November.

After three days of the COVID-19 inoculation drive between March 8 and March 10, a total of 955 people were successfully vaccinated, with their health remaining stable, with only some recording common post-injection reactions, including a fever, swelling, rashes, muscle pain, a headache, and diarrhea. 

All people who are set to be inoculated are being screened and informed on how to monitor their health and post-vaccination reactions. In the event that abnormal symptoms are detected, individuals must swiftly contact medical facilities for prompt and timely treatment.

As a means of ramping up the vaccination campaign, organisations both inside and outside the health sector must improve co-ordination with international groups such as the WHO, UNICEF, and other agencies to ensure the administration, preservation, and supply of vaccines whilst complying with appropriate procedures, the Deputy Minister of Health stressed.

Along with the COVID-19 vaccination, the Ministry of Health advises people to continue strictly complying with the 5K message of khau trang, facemask, khu khuan, disinfection, khoang cach, distance, khong tu tap, no gathering, and khai bao y te, health declaration.

Vietnam expected to soon welcome back international travelers

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism has recently discussed ways of reopening the country’s borders to international travelers providing the conditions allow.

Support given to localities to fight drought, water shortages, saltwater intrusion

Localities severely impacted by serious drought, water shortages, saltwater intrusion and financial difficulties will receive funding from the Central budget to deal with these issues.

Under a decision signed recently by Deputy Prime Minister Trịnh Đình Dũng, beneficiaries will include organisations managing and using irrigation facilities and rural water facilities.

People’s Committees in districts and communes facing water shortages have been directed to adopt urgent solutions to combat the shortages.

With the financial support, localities in the central, Central Highlands, and Mekong Delta regions must extend water pipes, purchase water containers and filters, and supply water to local residents, hospitals, and schools in disadvantaged areas.

Notably, the central and Mekong Delta regions will receive funding for the building of anti-intrusion dams and water reservoirs.

Funding for mountainous and Central Highlands localities will not exceed 70 per cent of their actual spending.

Funding for other localities will not surpass 50 per cent of their spending on the efforts. 

Three new COVID-19 cases recorded in 12 hours

Vietnam confirmed three more COVID-19 infections, including one imported and two in northern Hai Duong province, over the past 12 hours to 6pm on March 13, according to the Ministry of Health.

These new patients brought the country’s total count to 2,553, including 1,594 domestically-transmitted cases.

The Treatment Sub-committee under the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control said that 2,086 patients have been declared clear of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 so far, and the fatalities remained at 35.

Among the active patients undergoing treatment, 48 tested negative for the virus once, 48 twice and 91 thrice.

As many as 39,613 people who had close contact with confirmed COVID-19 patients or entered Vietnam from pandemic-hit regions are being quarantined across the country, including 503 in hospitals, 16,056 in other establishments, and 23,054 at home./.

Troussier calls up four new faces to latest Vietnamese U18 squad

In his role as head coach of Vietnam’s national U18 team, Frenchman Philippe Troussier has named four new young footballers into the squad ahead of upcoming international tournaments which will take place later this year.

The four players include Dang Ba Ha, Phan Duy Hao, Dam Duc Vinh, and Ho Viet Manh, all of whom are aged 17 and play for Song Lam Nghe An (SLNA) FC.

Each of the new call-ups made a great contribution to SLNA FC as they won the national U15 championship in both 2018 and 2019, whilst also representing the national team at both U15 and U16 level in recent times.

Moving forward, the Vietnamese national U18 team will gather on March 15 to start preparations for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U19 Championship 2020 finals which are scheduled to get underway in Uzbekistan between October 14 and October 31.

The competition will see Vietnam participate in Group C, alongside the likes of Australia, Saudi Arabia, and Laos, with fixtures taking place on October 15, October 18, and October 21, respectively.

Most notably, the results of the AFC U19 Championship 2020 finals will ultimately decide which teams qualify for the U20 World Cup. With Indonesia due to host to the U20 World Cup between May and June this year, Asia is being granted five places in the tournament, although one of them will go to Indonesia as hosts.

Efforts made to secure equitable, sustainable management of rivers

In the face of growing pressure on water resources in recent years, authorities in Vietnam, including the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE), have been striving to ensure the equitable and sustainable management of rivers nationwide.

At the First International Meeting of People Affected by Dams, in Curitiba city, Brazil, in March 1997, representatives from 20 countries agreed that the International Day of Action for Rivers would fall on March 14 - Brazil’s Day of Action against Large Dams.

The aim of the day is to raise voices in union against destructive water development projects, reclaim the health of rivers and watersheds, and demand the equitable and sustainable management of waterways.

Vietnam is home to 108 river basins and about 3,450 rivers and streams that are 10 km or more in length. The average amount of surface water stands at about 830 - 840 billion cubic metres, 63 percent of which hails from other countries while only 310 - 320 billion cubic metres is generated in Vietnam.

Economic development and rapid urbanisation over recent years have led to an increase in wastewater discharged from industrial and agricultural activities. Improperly treated wastewater has also put growing pressure on both the quantity and quality of water resources, including rivers and streams.

Many major rivers have been suffering from different levels of pollution, which gets worse in the dry season when water flows naturally fall.

Facing this fact, river basin committees in Vietnam have conducted annual assessments of rivers and discussed solutions to protect the environment. Coordination among localities in river basins remains modest, however.

To ensure water resources security, the MoNRE has built and overhauled rules guiding the enforcement of the Law on Water Resources and the Law on Environmental Protection.

It has also conducted water resources planning and set up river basin organisations with a view to effectively coordinating and monitoring activities related to water resources.

Inter-reservoir operating procedures for certain river basins, proposed by the ministry, were issued by the Prime Minister, providing an important legal basis for regulating the water resources of major reservoirs to ensure interests between power generation, water supply for agriculture, and household use in downstream areas./.

Vietnam fourth in student numbers in Australia

More than 24,000 Vietnamese students were enrolled at Australian educational facilities last year, making the country the fourth-largest source of students in the country behind China, India, and Nepal.

The figure was 2,000 less than in 2019.

Dang Thuy Chi, First Secretary in charge of education at the Vietnamese Embassy in Australia, said a large number of Vietnamese students in the country returned home last year but still took classes online.

According to figures from Australia’s Department of Education, Skills and Employment, COVID-19-related border closures resulted in the number of foreign students in the country standing at 686,104 in 2020, an annual decline of 9 percent. The figure does not include those taking online courses offered by Australian educational establishments from outside of the country.

Australia has largely brought the pandemic under control and begun a vaccination campaign. The Australian Government, however, is yet to make a decision on opening its border to international students, as it is prioritising the arrival of tens of thousands of Australians from overseas./.

Visitors book tours to southern resorts for upcoming national holiday

Recent days has seen the representatives of many domestic travel agencies busy arranging a large number of tours to famous sites throughout the southern region, including Nha Trang city and Phu Quoc island ahead of the April 30 and May 1 holiday, a positive indicator for the recovery of the domestic tourism industry.

Vo Quang Hoang, manager of Ariyana SmartCondotel Nha Trang hotel, shares that some major travel agencies, including Saigontourist and Vietravel, have plans to book 100 rooms each for the upcoming national holiday.

The Seahorse resort in Mui Ne of Phan Thiet city is nearly fully booked for the April 30 to May 1 period. Indeed, as this holiday coincides with the weekend, the room occupancy rate is anticipated to reach 75%, according to Tran Anh Thi, the director of the resort.

Other hotels and resorts have also shown positive signs following the third wave of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Pham Tuan Binh, owner of Ann hotel on Phu Quoc island, says the average occupancy rate has now reached roughly 70%, with some days even being fully booked, such as March 11 & 12. 

At present, four-star and five-star hotels and resorts are viewed as the most attractive locations due to the launch of discount programmes.

According to a representative of Binh Thuan province’s Department of Culture and Sports, tourists need only to spend between VND850,000 and VND1.5 million, equivalent to between US$36.9 -  65.2, on staying one night at a luxury accommodation, meaning that they are fully booked these days.

Along with lodging establishments enjoying a boost in business, travel agencies have also seen an increasing number of tourists in recent times. Khanh from Vietravel agency points out that the number of tourists between February 22 and February 28 increased three times in comparison to the previous week. 

Nguyen Minh Man from TST Tourist travel agency also says his agency would organise tours for over 800 travelers in March and April, with the number of tourists keeping increasing.

Phu Quoc island, Con Dao, Quy Nhon, and Da Nang are among the most popular holiday destinations at present.

Man explain that a combo deal including air tickets, hotels, and breakfast would serve to attract customers. When traveling tourists often gather in groups of families and friends at weekends, with a tendency to travel to places which are far from city centres and have few guests, large green space, and high-quality services.

Young Photography Festival 2021 launched

The recently-launched Young Photography Festival 2021 is open to all Vietnamese citizens aged between 18 and 35 who live both inside and outside the country.

The event is organised every two years by the Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibitions under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The festival aims to encourage local photographers to reflect on the contemporary life of young people, while also helping to promote the image of Vietnamese landscape and people around the world.

Themed Tu Do (Freedom), organisers hope that young photographers entering the competition will show their unique creativeness through photographs taken during 2020 and this year, with an insight into the modernity and dynamism of life.

Contestants will be able to compete in two categories, realistic and conceptual photos.

In total, 19 prizes will be awarded, including two first-place prizes, three second-place prizes, five third-place, and nine consolation prizes.

An awards ceremony followed by an exhibition featuring the competition’s winning photos is scheduled to take place in October in Hanoi.

Chăm uses asparagus to lift community out of poverty

A Chăm ethnic minority woman in the southern province of Ninh Thuận has helped her community prosper by growing asparagus on sandy soil.

Châu Thị Xéo lives in Phước Hải Commune, Ninh Phước District and her business earns high and stable profits, while also helping many local Chăm households flourish as well.

She said she understood how hard local people had to work in the sandy =region, where the climate is dry and hot year-round.

"The difficult life forces many women to leave their homeland to work away from home," she said.

In an effort to help her community develop economically, she scoured documents and books and sought out other farms to learn about drought-adaptive production models.

She discovered the local land had potential to grow asparagus trees and help her community escape poverty.

In late 2016, she rehabilitated her arid land ti plant plant one sào (1,000 sq.m) of asparagus.

She applied an advanced irrigation system and technical planting process, so the asparagus grew well with high yield.

From the initial economic efficiency, she decided to expand her production area to five sào of asparagus.

"My family earns more than VNĐ40 million a month, much higher compared to the average income of local farmers.”

Realising the potential to grow asparagus on the local sandy soil, she urged other households to get inviolved.

“I see that women who have jobs and stable incomes will be respected in their families and the society," she said.

She worked with the communal Women's Union and People's Committee to establish Châu Rế Agricultural Service Cooperative in 2018.

The co-operative, with Xéo elected as director, mainly connected asparagus growers, farms and traders to help local people, especially women, have stable jobs and escape poverty.

To help members get their farms off the ground, the co-operative provided seeds, fertiliser and insecticides and officials gave instructions on planting techniques according to VietGAP standards to farmers.

It also checked and purchased all products from farmers.

Từ Thị Tuyết Trinh, a farmer, said: "Previously, my family grew many different plants on three sào of land but withlow productivity and income due to sandy soil and a lack of water for irrigation.”

Since Trinh’s family joined the co-operative, they were encouraged to invest money to drill wells, devise an economical watering system and convert to growing asparagus.

“Asparagus is quite easy to grow, and growers periodically fertilise but only need to water, check for pests, and harvest bamboo shoots in the morning,” she said.

“Growers harvest for three months and then take a month off to nourish the plants.”

“I have a stable harvest, on average, each day, I collect more than 30kg of shoots. The cooperative purchases all at VNĐ50,000/kg, and my family has a turnover of more than VNĐ1.5 million per day.”

From 37 original members, up to now, the co-operative has 83 members, including 63 women.

The members work together to produce asparagus on nearly 20 hectares.

Every day, the co-operative purchases more than 300kg of asparagus, and vegetables, beans, and tomatoes.

The lowest income of members is VNĐ10 million per month and the highest is up to VNĐ90 million each month.

Initially, the cooperative had seven poor households. Now, all of them have escaped from poverty.

Huỳnh Thanh Huy Thái, Vice Chairman of the comunal People's Committee, said that Xéo has received many certificates of merit from the local authorities.

“She is a typical individual with outstanding achievements in building Ninh Phước District to reach the standards of new-style countryside,” Thái said. 

Movie screening about famed 12th century German nun

The Goethe Institute will present a screening of the movie Vision – From the Life of Hildegard von Bingen, by director and writer Margarethe von Trotta, at 7pm on Monday.

The movie is about the life story of the remarkable 12th-century German nun Hildegard von Bingen, who became famous as a curative practitioner as well as an early pioneer for women’s rights. Hildegard von Bingen is considered the first representative of medieval German mysticism. Her works deal with, among other things, religion, medicine, music, ethics and cosmology.

The movie features German actress Barbara Sukowa as von Bingen. Sukowa also collaborated with director von Trotta in five other films, most notably Marianne and Juliane, for which she won Best Actress at the 1981 Venice Film Festival; and Rosa Luxemburg, for which she received the Best Actress honours at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival.

The Vision will be presented in German with English and Vietnamese subtitles. Free entry, no registration required. The Goethe-Institute Hanoi is at 56-58-60 Nguyễn Thái Học Street.

MPI proposes PM to approve expanded Dien Bien Phu Airport

After appraising the investment planning of the expanded Dien Bien Phu Airport, the Ministry of Planning and Investment proposed the prime minister to approve this planning.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) has also proposed the prime minister to assign Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) to develop the project.

The expanded airport would have a total investment capital of VND1.547 trillion ($67.26 million). The airport is expected to have an annual capacity of 300,000 passengers and 500 tonnes of cargo and an apron that can accommodate three A320 and A321 aircraft.

The construction is expected to be implemented within 34 months of the project's investment planning being approved.

The MPI also proposed the prime minister to assign Dien Bien People’s Committee to be in charge of land clearance while simultaneously monitoring the construction process.

“The Ministry of Transport would be in charge of co-operating with and guiding ACV in completing the dossier for the pre-feasibility report and exploit the project with maximum efficiency,” the MPI’s proposal read.

Previously, both Vietjet and ACV submitted documents to the MoT and Dien Bien People’s Committee to express interest in developing the project. ACV claims they have arranged sufficient capital to develop comprehensive infrastructure for the project, including a flight and civil aviation area, fully in compliance with the planning of the project.

Meanwhile, Vietjet proposed sourcing over VND1.85 trillion ($80.43 million) from the state budget (41.5 per cent of the capital requirement) and contributing nearly VND2.61 trillion ($113.5 million or 58.5 per cent) from its own equity. Under this arrangement, Dien Bien People’s Committee would be in charge of land clearance and resettlement, as well as constructing the runway. Regarding the terminal segment, Vietjet proposed developing it under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model.

Quang Binh to develop coastal road to promote economic development

Quang Binh province will develop a coastal road and Nhat Le 3 Bridge with the total investment capital of VND2 trillion ($86.96 million) to promote the marine economy and attract investment capital.

Quang Binh People’s Committee recently joined a working session with departments and relevant authorities to discuss plans to develop the first phase of the coastal road and Nhat Le 3 Bridge.

According to the plan, the projects will have a total investment capital of VND2 trillion ($86.96 million). The construction will be implemented during 2021-2026, with the road crossing the districts of Quang Trach, Bo Trach, Quang Ninh, Le Thuy, Ba Don town, and Dong Hoi city.

Once completed, the project is expected to contribute to promoting the marine economy. It will go along the planned urban area and several tourism areas, thus it will motivate investment activity, promoting the exploitation of sea ports, as well as Vung Ang and Hon La economic zones. Besides, it will create convenient connections to the other regions of the country.

“The project plays a crucial role in realising the province's socioeconomic development targets. Parties need to co-operate with each other so that the construction will go smooth,” said Tran Thang, Chairman of Quang Binh People’s Committee.

Quang Binh gave the green light to 35 projects with the total capital of about VND93 trillion ($4.04 billion).

The province is calling for investment in 62 projects in agriculture, industry, energy, trade, tourism, and infrastructure development in 2021-2023.

Notably, there are a number of large-scale projects, including the 3,000MW LNG-to-power project worth $4 billion, Hon La Non-Tariff Zone, the third phase of the $155 million Le Thuy 3 wind farm, a $86 million automobile assembly and production plant, and the VND1.8 trillion ($78.26 million) Hon La Industrial Park.

Hue to resume search for missing victims of flood disaster

At a meeting on March 10 to map out a plan to search for the missing victims of a landslide at the Rao Trang 3 Hydropower Plant in Phong Xuan Commune, Phong Dien District, Thua Thien Hue Province, late last year, the authorities and related parties of Thua Thien Hue noted that the search would have to be completed by June 2021 when the first tropical storms of the year are expected.

The search for 11 of the 17 victims has been put on hold for several weeks due to the Covid-19 outbreak and bad weather.

Nguyen Van Phuong, Vice Chairman of Thua Thien Hue Provincial People's Committee, said that from now until May 2021, the weather will be quite peaceful. However, in June and July, the first tropical storms are likely to hit the East Sea, affecting the search for the missing victims.

Therefore, he requested the Rao Trang 3 Hydropower Plant Joint Stock Company to expedite the procedures to begin the construction of the hydropower dam on time, paving the way for the search.

The company must immediately deploy the search for the missing victims in the shore area (places that have not been searched before). Next week, the Provincial People's Committee will establish a delegation of related departments, agencies and experts to conduct field surveys and assessments in order to carry out the search at the mudflats.

The search in the river bed and river basin will be done after the construction of the dam is completed, which is expected to be by the end of June or early July 2021.

At the meeting in Thua Thien Hue, Duong Van Quy, the company’s deputy director, said it had cooperated with the Institute of Engineering Construction and the University of Water Resources to conduct a survey of the safety level at the main dam. After arriving at an official conclusion, the company will start works on the construction of the dam.

Reportedly, after three phases of search operations, by the end of December 2020, the competent forces had found only six of the 17 missing victims in the Rao Trang 3 hydropower plant area.

Police file charges against asset appropriation case in HCMC, Dong Nai

The Investigative Police Agency under the Ministry of Public Security has launched criminal proceedings against swindling to appropriate assets, involving Tran Uyen Phuong and Tran Ngoc Bich, the daughters of Tan Hiep Phat Group Chairman Tran Qui Thanh, and some others.

According to the ministry, the prosecution was based on a letter of denunciation of Le Van Lam, general director of Kim Oanh Dong Nai Investment and Development JSC, and some others. The assets being appropriated are big-ticket real estate projects in HCMC and Dong Nai.

In October last year, the ministry received the letter of denunciation, accusing Phuong, Bich and some others of abusing trust to appropriate assets and evading taxes through the transfer of projects and shares, causing losses of more than VND1 trillion for Kim Oanh Dong Nai.

In December 2020, the ministry asked the HCMC government to maintain the status quo and prevent the transfer, sale, purchase, mortgage and giving of 33 land lots owned by Tran Uyen Phuong in Binh Tan and Thu Duc districts and to provide all documents relating to these land lots.

Meanwhile, the Dong Nai government has asked the relevant departments and agencies and Long Thanh District to suspend Minh Thanh Dong Nai Real Estate JSC, its residential project in An phuoc Commune, Long Thanh District.

Over US$60.14 million proposed for three land management-related projects

The Department of Natural Resources and Environment in Ho Chi Minh City has proposed VND1,393 billion (US$60.14 million) for three projects approved by the municipal People’s Committee in the field of land management for the 2021-2024 period.

The funds will be spent on the construction project of smart management and digitalization database of the city land registration office, the Department’s smart management center and the smart data system project to facilitate administration formalities in the field of land.

At a yesterday working session with Deputy Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Le Hoa Binh and leaders of related agencies and departments, a representative of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment spoke that the Department is completing bidding formalities for land use right of 22 land lots,  comprising of a 3.49 hectare area as per the government’s decree 167, 18 other land lots in Thu Thiem new urban area, 22 land lots in Thu Duc City and Binh Thanh District. As scheduled, the city will invite bidding for 16 land lots of 42.59 hectares.

The Department also announced to take back land lots which the city People’s Committee has given to the Land Fund Development Center or district site clearance boards. Fourteen land lots are planned to be taken back and the department will measure 27 other land lots in 47.9 hectares.

At the meeting, Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Nguyen Toan Thang also delivered a petition for some land management issues to well carry out its tasks. He petitioned early solutions for the Department’s proposal on land management formalities to facilitate land use.

If the Department’s proposal on land management formalities is approved, the Department will work with the Department of Construction and the Department of Planning and Investment on the addition of land demand, condition for land lease, and land use right transferring into the formalities of investment projects.

In regard to households’ land formalities, the Department proposed the city People’s Committee to early issue some amendments to streamline regulations of land giving and land use right transferring.

Deputy Chairman Le Hoa Binh basically agreed with the Department’s proposals provided that they make management tasks more effective; yet, he ordered to place priorities on each task and ensure the connections between departments.

Harsh punishment to be imposed on pharmacies selling bad nutritional supplements

Harsh punishment will be issued on pharmacies selling poor-quality nutritional supplements under a direction of the deputy chairman of the city People's Committee.

Deputy Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh People’s Committee Duong Anh Duc requested the Food Safety Management Authority of HCMC to increase supervision on sale of nutritional supplement.

Moreover, the Food Safety Management Authority of HCMC should coordinate with relevant competent departments and local administrations to ensure food safety and prevention of food poisoning in flea markets or food stalls in sidewalk.

Simultaneously, the Food Safety Management Authority must work with the Department of Health and related agencies to pay visit to drug stores and private healthcare facilities to check the quality of nutritional supplement for protection of consumers’ health.

The Food Safety Management Authority will consult the municipal People’s Committee about the establishment of a professional organization on food safety before the Food Safety Management Authority must end its pilot activities.

Based on the consultation, city authorities will send its submission to the Prime Minister proposing the establishment of a professional organization on food safety.

Veteran artist and beauty share photos portraying Queen Duong Van Nga

Miss Universe Vietnam 2019, Nguyen Tran Khanh Van and People’s Artist Bach Tuyet share their latest photographs in which they portray Queen Mother Duong Van Nga, one of the Vietnamese historical figures. 

The photo collection is an art project of Vietnamese traditional royal clothes, featuring the style of Cai luong (reformed opera), a traditional theatre genre originating in the southern region that is carried out by designers Le Long Dung and Than Nguyen An Kha.

The project also sees the participation of violinist Son Mach and the TUSO (The United Saigon Orchestra).
The art project is expected to promote cai luong, a traditional southern Vietnamese form of theater as well as keep it alive in the community and foster a love for the folk music among young people.

People’s Artist Bach Tuyet is one of the leading Cai luong singers in the South. She won the Thanh Tam Award’s gold prize for the best actress in 1965 and was honored with the title “People’s Artist” in 2012.

She has participated in hundreds of cai luong plays and is well-known for main roles in works, such as Thai Hau Duong Van Nga (Queen Mother Duong Van Nga), Doi Co Luu (The life of Ms.Luu), Tan Nuong That, Ly Chieu Hoang, Tuyet Tinh Ca ( Immortal Love Song) and more.

Bach Tuyet graduated as a stage director from the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts in Sofia, Bulgaria in 1988. She then completed a doctoral study and defended a research dissertation on “The adaptation of the traditional theatrical art of Southeast Asian countries with modern living conditions of the audience in the 21st century” at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in Britain and the National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts in Bulgaria. She has become the first and unique Cai luong artist to have a Ph.D degree in the country.

Nguyen Tran Khanh Van was announced as the winner of the 2019 Miss Universe Vietnam beauty contest. The beauty has been chosen to represent Vietnam at Miss Universe 2020 which is expected to take place in Miami, Florida, USA in the first trimester of 2021.

Duong Van Nga is the first queen in Vienam who was married to the emperors of the Dinh and Le dynasties, Dinh Tien Hoang and Le Dai Hanh. Her life was turned into a popular cai luong play, Thai Hau Duong Van Nga in 1977 and a movie titled Quynh Hoa Nhat Da (Queen of the Night) that is expected to be shot in the coming time.

The story tells about the queen’s life. After Dinh Tien Hoang’s death in 979, Queen Duong Van Nga took power because her son just was six years old. Nga decided to cede the Dinh dynasty’s throne to General Le Hoan in 980 to fight the Chinese Song dynasty. After deafeating the invader, Le Hoan later became the first emperor of the Early Le dynasty, took the title Le Dai Hanh and married with Duong Van Nga.

HCMC to exploit AI for sustainable development

Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) People’s Committee has just issued Decision No.575/QD-UBND to green-light the program ‘Researching and Developing AI Applications in HCMC from 2020-2030’, aiming at turning this advanced technology into one of the cores for establishing smart innovative urban areas and promoting digital economy growth in the city.

AI so far has been used in various fields in HCMC. Take healthcare as an example. AI is a practical means in stroke diagnosis and treatment in People’s Hospital 115, Gia An 115 Hospital as well as in cancer diagnosis and treatment in HCMC Oncology Hospital. Many other hospitals in the city are using AI in their management tasks to monitor prescription processes.

Similarly, Dr. Thoai Nam from HCMC University of Technology reported that the whole traffic system in HCMC is closely monitored by a series of camera systems, which send data continuously to the Smart Traffic Control Center. AI is then implemented in data analysis of vehicle types, traffic density, traffic volume, and traveling directions so that timely traffic instructions, especially those related to congestions, could be delivered to people in need.

These years, HCMC has constantly organized various large-scaled conference on AI to collect useful ideas for the preparation of the city’s AI program.

In the festival for IT and AI businesses in HCMC in 2020, Vice Chairman of HCMC People’s Committee Duong Anh Duc shared that the implementation of AI and the launch of the digital transformation process was a great contribution to the socio-economic development of the city. Entering the second phase of transforming HCMC into a smart city, innovative IT startups are wholeheartedly promoted here.

Vice Chairman Duc reported that among 45,000 IT companies in the city, only 2 percent own the capital of over VND100 billion (approx. US$4.4 million). This means the application of AI and digital transformation may prove a serious challenge to others.

Therefore, the program ‘Researching and Developing AI Applications in HCMC from 2020-2030, with a Vision to 2030’ is initialized to turn AI to the core technology in establishing smart urban areas and smart city, promoting the development of the digital economy in HCMC, forming a sustainable ecosystem for researching and applying AI in life, making AI the key industry in GRDP growth of the city.

Deputy Director of the HCMC Department of Information and Communications Le Quoc Cuong said that the program has these specific goals of:

·         Developing suitable mechanisms and policies for the AI market

·         Building computing infrastructure (including the digital and supercomputer infrastructure to serve AI analysis tasks, researching and piloting projects)

·         Creating necessary databases (comprising of the common database, the state-managed open database of various fields, and the community database)

·         100 percent of state organizations have their own professional database that are linked, shared and open to serve the implementation of AI

·         Researching and piloting AI applications in solutions related to smart urban areas, smart city, current thorny issues

Introducing Decision No.575, the municipal authorities hope that it can boost the quantity of AI startups, small and medium-scaled AI businesses, as well as the capital attraction into this field.

In this program, there are 9 projects to speed up the economic development of HCMC. They include: building the digital infrastructure, constructing highly performed computing facilities, developing a portal for AI-related Solutions and Applications, hosting the IT and AI Business Festival, surveying the demands for AI applications, forming suitable mechanisms and policies concerning AI, creating a center for AI development and AI technology transfer, establishing a network of AI research centers in educational institutes, and train proper AI human resources.

Can Gio to open high-speed cano service

The People's Committee of Can Gio District is eager for the proposal of opening waterway route via high-speed cano service connecting Tac Xuat inland ferry wharf in Can Thanh Commune and Thanh An Island Commune. 

In order to approve the proposal, the People's Committee of Can Gio District requested GreenlinesDP Technology Co., Ltd to contact with the Department of Transport of Ho Chi Minh City for document and procedure guidance as regulated.

If the waterway route is approved, the company will actively work with related parties and vehicle owners to exchange agreements on exploitation activities without any disputes and complaints.

Currently, there are three ferries to serve passengers and vehicles linking Tac Xuat inland ferry wharf to Thanh An Commune daily.

20th Century Music Concert Series: Concert No.1

The Goethe-Institut Hanoi and Inspirito School of Music introduce a Series of Music programs from the 20th century to Hanoi audiences, starting from March 22.

Series of Music programs from the 20th century will present to the audience the works from authors that have not performed much in Vietnam yet, especially musicians during the volatile length of the 20th century.

This is the stage of unlimited creativity, the rich and extremely diverse development of different musical colors and composition tactics. Participating in this series will be artists and lecturers of Inspirito School of Music.

In this first performance, the artists will provide an overview of musical languages from different countries around the world during the 20th century, from Japan to Eastern and Western Europe and America.

The Concert No.1 features “Six Metamorphoses after Ovid” (Benjamin Britten) performed by Vietnamese oboist Hoang Manh Lam; the Etude No.4 “Fanfares” (György Ligeti) played by pianist Ngo Phuong Vi; the “Path” (Toru Takemitsu) played by Japanese trumpeter Yuki Urushihara, among others.

The concert will take place at 7pm on March 22 at Goethe-Institut Hanoi (No 56-58 Nguyen Thai Hoc street, Hanoi). It opens free to public but a donation is encouraged. Recommended donation is VND100,000 ($4.3). Participation upon registration here. 

Pianist Ngo Phuong Vi studied at the National Academy of Music. She holds a Bachelor Degree of Piano Performance at the prestigious Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University, USA with a full scholarship and is currently a graduate student at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, Austria.

Throughout her musical journey, Vi has been an annual guest at concerts with the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra. She also gained national and international awards and played in masterclasses for celebrated piano professors including Dang Thai Son, Bernd Goetzke, Boris Berman and Michel Beroff, among others.

Meanwhile, Japanese artist Yuki Urushihara had graduated from Trumpet University and Graduate School in Germany. He has performed in many orchestras such as Tokyo Junior Philharmonic Orchestra and Asian Youth Orchestra. He currently works at the Sun Symphony Orchestra and teaches Trumpet and Ensemble at the Inspirito School of Music.

Foreign ministry hosts gathering for female diplomats

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) on March 12 held a gathering with the participation of female diplomats and representatives of international organisations, spouses of ambassadors, and the ministry’s officials to celebrate the 111th International Women’s Day.

In his remarks, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung spoke highly of contributions of female diplomats and spouses to foreign affair activities, especially against the backdrop of COVID-19.

He noted that promoting gender equality and women empowerment are among consistent priorities of Vietnam, for inclusive and sustainable development, as well as an important pillar of the country’s diplomacy.
Foreign ministry hosts gathering for female diplomats hinh anh 2Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung speaks at the event (Photo: qdnd.vn)
In 2020, Vietnam voiced its support for gender equality and women empowerment in all multilateral forums, the diplomat added.

For the first time in the frameworks of the United Nations and ASEAN, Vietnam initiated and successfully held the ASEAN Leaders' Special Session on Women's Empowerment in the Digital Age, and an international conference on women’s role in building and sustaining peace.

For her part, Sara Valdés Bolano, Mexican Ambassador to Vietnam, who is co-president of the Ambassadors Group for gender equality, congratulated Vietnam on its achievements in the field, re-affirming a commitment to helping the country continue efforts towards gender equality.

Ambassador Nguyen Nguyet Nga, spouse of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, said that the MoFA set up a network of female diplomats of various generations last year to foster their bond as well as international efforts in women empowerment./.

Source: VNA/VNS/VOV/VIR/SGT/Nhan Dan/Hanoitimes