Minister of National Defence Gen. Phan Van Giang hosted a reception in Hanoi on March 16 for Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Sandeep Arya, during which they discussed measures to strengthen the two countries’ defence cooperation.

Congratulating Sandeep Arya on his appointment to this post, Giang said he believed the diplomat will make important contributions to promoting the bilateral relations in various fields, including defence.

Affirming Vietnam attaches importance to its comprehensive strategic partnership, the minister said that based on the fine relations and mutual political trust, the bilateral defence cooperation has developed continuously, bringing about practical results, and becoming an important pillar in the two nations’ ties.
He proposed the ambassador pay attention to boosting defence cooperation activities to further enhance the relations between the two countries in general and the two armies in particular, for peace and stability in the region and the world. He affirmed the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence always creates favourable conditions for the diplomat to fulfil his missions.

Sandeep Arya asserted that in his position, he will exert efforts to contribute actively to fostering the two nations’ relations in general and their defence cooperation in particular.

NA Vice Chairman holds talks with leaders of Spanish parliament

Permanent Vice Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) Tran Thanh Man held separate talks with Vice President of the Senate Cristina Narbona and First Vice President of the Congress of Deputies of Spain Alfonso Rodriguez in Madrid on March 16.

Man, who is on a visit to Spain, congratulated the country on its holding of the rotating European Council Presidency in the second half of 2023 and asked it to further promote and turn the ASEAN - EU cooperation into a priority in the EU’s agenda.

He thanked Spain for ratifying the EU - Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) early and called on the country, during its European Council Presidency, to help promote the ratification of the EVIPA by the parliaments of other EU members, thus creating momentum for bilateral investment on the basis of equality and mutual benefits and helping provide optimum conditions for European firms operating in Vietnam.

The leader proposed Spain continue supporting Vietnam’s candidacy for membership in suitable UN mechanisms and keep close coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums and international organisations, especially the UN, the ASEAN - EU framework, and the Asia - Europe Meeting (ASEM).

Appealing for Spain’s support for the European Commission’s early removal of its “yellow card” warning against Vietnam’s seafood exports to bring about benefits to both sides, Man affirmed that Vietnam has been exerting efforts to fully and seriously implement the EU’s recommendations related to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing to sustainably develop the fishery sector.

The NA Vice Chairman also expressed his hope that Spain will keep raising a strong voice advocating ASEAN and Vietnam’s stances and viewpoints, including those on ensuring security and safety of navigation and overflight in the region; peacefully resolving disputes in line with international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); and supporting negotiations on a Code of Conduct (COC) in the East Sea.

He thanked and suggested Spain continue creating favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community to live and integrate into the local society so that they can help strengthen the two countries’ friendship and cooperation.

In terms of relations between the Vietnamese and Spanish parliaments, both sides voiced their delight at the flourishing cooperation as seen in the maintained coordination and mutual support at multilateral parliamentary forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Asia - Europe Parliamentary Partnership (ASEP), along with delegation exchanges, especially at high levels.

Welcoming the Vietnamese delegation, Vice President of the Senate Narbona said both the Senate and the Congress of Deputies of Spain have some parliamentary friendship groups, so the two countries can establish similar groups to boost exchanges.

Spain opened a trade office in Vietnam in 2022 to facilitate Spanish businesses’ operations and contribute to bilateral economic ties, she noted, adding that it is strong at expressway construction, energy, electricity, and water treatment and ready to take part in projects in Vietnam.

Regarding Vietnam’s proposals, she promised to deliver them to the Senate and related ministries and agencies for consideration to help further enhance all-round relations.

For his part, Vice President of the Congress of Deputies Rodriguez suggested the two sides promote high-level mutual visits, saying amid the volatile global situation, both Vietnam and Spain hold many advantages to jointly tap into, including Vietnam’s important geographical location in the Asia-Pacific region.

During its EU Council Presidency, Spain will focus on four priorities, namely cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, cooperation in guaranteeing maritime security, the connectivity of economies, and natural disaster response, Rodriguez said.

Also on March 16, Man had a working session with Spanish Minister of Consumer Affairs Alberto Garzon, during which he said Vietnam always treasures and wants to strengthen relations with Spain.

Vietnam pledges to closely cooperate with ASEAN, UN in supporting Myanmar

As a member of ASEAN and the United Nations Human Rights Council for 2023-2025, Vietnam will continue its close coordination with the 10-member grouping and the international community to help Myanmar overcome difficulties, promote dialogues, enhance understanding and narrow differences, the Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN has said.

Speaking at an informal meeting of the 77th UN General Assembly in New York on March 16, Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang noted Vietnam’s concern over the situation in Myanmar which saw no improvements over the past two years, with a fragile economy and a severe humanitarian crisis which have greatly impacted women and children.

Given this, all relevant sides need to exercise maximum restraint, stop violence and kick-start meaningful, inclusive dialogues in order to reach peaceful, sustainable solutions that match Myanmar people’s will and interests, Giang said.

Vietnam appeals to all parties to fully and effectively implement the Five-Point Consensus on Myanmar approved by ASEAN leaders, ensure the access to humanitarian and medical aid to all, observe the International Humanitarian Law, and particularly protect civilians, the ambassador said.

Regarding ASEAN’s role, he stressed that Vietnam lauds efforts by Indonesia - ASEAN Chair 2023 – and backs the close cooperation between ASEAN and the UN in accelerating the settlement of the Myanmar issue, including the collaboration between their special envoys, and between the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre) and UN agencies in humanitarian aid.

Vietnam calls on the international community to assist ASEAN’s efforts and promote dialogues and reconciliation on the basis of respect for Myanmar’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, he continued.

Vietnam also calls for greater efforts in addressing the root causes of the refugee situation in Rakkhine state, and creating favourable conditions for people to return home safely and voluntarily, and reintegrate into the community, Giang said.

Diverse activities promote Vietnamese culture in France

A series of cultural, culinary, musical, seminar and cinema activities about Vietnam were organised in France’s Fontainebleau city under a programme named "Vietnam rendezvous on stage".

The event taking place on March 14 at the Municipal Theater of Fontainebleau attracted crowds of people in the city and neighbouring areas.

Dr. Pierre Journoud, a lecturer at Paul Valéry Montpellier University 3 and an expert in Vietnamese studies, talked about special milestones in the relationship between Vietnam and France at a symposium "France - Vietnam relations, from the Fontainebleau Conference in 1946 to French Prime Minister Edouard-Philippe's historic visit to Vietnam in 2018."

Amandine Dabat, a 5th generation descendant of King Ham Nghi, delivered a speech "Ham Nghi, exiled king, artist in Algeria" to help the French public understand more about the king as an artist – an aspect that few people know about.

Visitors to the event also had a chance to enjoy performances of traditional Vietnamese musical instruments and music, as well as explore the presence of Western classical music in Vietnam through the documentary film "Once upon a bridge in Vietnam" by young filmmaker François Bibonne.

The Vietnamese Embassy in France highly appreciated the initiative and efforts to organise the activities, especially when Vietnam and France are celebrating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations and 10 years of strategic partnership.

These activities are more meaningful as they were held in Fontainebleau city where the Franco-Vietnamese negotiation conference took place in 1946 and also the city where President Ho Chi Minh traveled to during his visit to France the same year.

More cherry blossom trees planted in Hanoi park

As many as 110 cherry blossom trees – a symbol of Japan – were planted at the Hoa Binh (Peace) Park in Hanoi on March 16, marking the 10th anniversary of a project presenting Sakura cherry trees to Vietnam initiated by the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Association in Japan’s Chukyo region.

The event, held by the Hanoi Union of Friendship Organisations (HUFO), celebrated the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Japan.

In her remarks, Permanent Vice President of the HUFO Tran Thi Phuong noted that the Vietnam-Japan relations have been developing rapidly across spheres since the establishment of the diplomatic ties, and have been growing more substantive and intensive.
 
 Permanent Vice President of the HUFO Tran Thi Phuong speaks at the event. (Photo: VNA)
The political, economic and cultural ties as well as people-to-people exchanges have been expanded and advanced, she said, calling the tree planting event a hallmark contributing to consolidating the bilateral relations.

Maeda Toshimichi, President of the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Association in the Chukyo region, said during the 10-year implementation of the project, the Japanese side has received the warm response and support from Vietnamese partners.

After Hanoi, the project will be rolled out in the northern provinces of Bac Ninh and Bac Giang, he said.

Training course for Party Central Committee’s alternate members concludes

The Party Central Committee’s Organisation Commission and the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics (HCMA) on March 16 held a closing ceremony for a training course that updated knowledge for alternate members of the 13th Party Central Committee.

Addressing the event, Politburo member Truong Thi Mai, Permanent member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat and Chairwoman of its Organisation Commission, believed that the participants will apply the knowledge and experience gained from the course to improve the efficiency in performing their assigned tasks in localities and units in the time to come.

Considering 2023 a pivotal year for the implementation of the 13th National Party Congress’ Resolution, Mai asked the alternate members, who hold the positions as strategic-level officials, to actively research, propose and implement practical solutions, as well as effectively carry out their assigned tasks, contributing to the common affairs of the Party.

On behalf of the 20 participants, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Central Enterprises Bloc Nguyen Long Hai pledged to capitalise on the knowledge learned from the course, and continue to constantly study, practice and make efforts to meet the requirements and tasks in the new period.

Beginning on February 5, the six-week course focused on 29 topics covering the fields of society-economy, national defence and security, foreign affairs, and Party building.

Lecturers are those who hold leadership and management positions in the Party and State. Participants also took part in research programmes and field trips in Nghe An, Thanh Hoa, Hoa Binh, Hanoi, and the Ministry of Public Security’s national population data centre, among others. They engaged in the study of two thematic reports on energy transition in Germany and the Chinese Communist Party’s experience in party management.

Minister of Foreign Affairs holds talks with Polish counterpart

Vietnam always attaches great importance to and wants to strengthen multifaceted cooperation with Poland, a traditional partner and friend of the Southeast Asian country in Europe, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son said during his talks with his Polish counterpart, Zbigniew Rau, in Hanoi on March 16.

Son highly evaluated Rau's visit, describing it as an important milestone in promoting the development of good traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and Poland.

At the meeting, the two sides held that room remains huge to further strengthen their bilateral cooperation as well as measures to boost collaboration in potential fields in the future. They also agreed to promote the exchange of delegations, closely coordinate and support each other at multilateral and international forums, including the United Nations, Asia-Europe Meeting and ASEAN-EU.

The two sides highly appreciated that Poland is currently Vietnam's biggest trading partner in Central Eastern Europe and that Vietnam is Poland's fourth largest trading partner in Asia. Despite being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, economic and trade cooperation between the two countries has continued to maintain growth momentum in the past two years. Two-way trade turnover between the two countries reached a record level of over 2.5 billion USD in 2021 and 2022.

The two ministers also agreed to promote bilateral cooperation in the fields of education and training, agriculture, natural resources - environment, culture, tourism, health and information technology.

Son suggested the two sides work closely to make the best of opportunities from the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), expecting that Poland would create favourable conditions for Vietnam's agricultural and aquatic products and seasonal tropical fruits to expand their presence in the Polish market.

He also called on Polish businesses to invest in fields where Vietnam has demand and Poland has strength such as pharmaceuticals, animal husbandry, food processing and mining.

The Vietnamese minister suggested Poland soon ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and prompt the European Commission (EC) to remove its yellow card warning against Vietnamese seafood exports.

For his part, Rau expressed his impression of Vietnam's socio-economic development achievements in recent years and highly appreciated the increasingly important role and position of the Southeast Asian country in the region and in the world.

He said Poland always treasures and wishes to step up relations with Vietnam, a leading important partner of Poland in Southeast Asia.

The Polish diplomat evaluated Vietnam as one of the most potential markets of Poland in Southeast Asia and proposed Vietnam create favourable conditions for Polish products such as beef, poultry and blueberries to enter the Vietnamese market. He also expressed his wish that the two sides promote cooperation in the fields of information technology, smart city, green technology and environmental protection.

Son took this occasion to thank the Polish Government for creating favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community to integrate and live stably in Poland.

A memorandum of understanding between the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam and the Polish Diplomatic Academy was signed on this occasion.

President presents promotion decision to military officer

President Vo Van Thuong handed over a decision on promoting Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) Nguyen Van Nghia from the rank of Lieutenant General to Senior Lieutenant General at a ceremony in Hanoi on March 16.

In his remarks, the State leader praised Nghia for his competence and outstanding achievements during his military career, contributing to building the army and consolidating national defence.

He asked the officer to continue improving the mettle of a Party member and a military general, and stay absolutely loyal to the Party, State, and people.

Thuong also urged Nghia to further promote the spirit of solidarity and unity within the VPA's General Staff to lead and direct an effective implementation of the Party's guidelines and orientations and the State's policies and laws on military and national defense tasks, meeting the requirements of building a revolutionary, regular, elite, and gradually modernised People's Army.

He said he believes the officer will continue to excellently fulfill his assigned missions.

PM meets with chiefs of Vietnamese representative offices abroad

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had a meeting with 16 ambassadors and chiefs of Vietnamese representative agencies abroad for the 2023-2026 tenure in Hanoi on March 16, before they set off for work in 48 countries and territories worldwide.

Speaking at the meeting, the PM lauded significant contributions by the diplomatic sector to the cause of national construction, including those by representative agencies abroad.

He asked the diplomats to persistently and flexible implement the foreign policy of the Party and the State, and thoroughly grasp Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s instruction that is “serving national development is the key task of the diplomatic sector.”

Each of the mission chiefs should regard economic diplomacy as a high priority during their term, with the organisation of all-level external activities being the top focus, the leader said.
 
PM Chinh asked them to maintain close links with ministries, agencies and localities at home to facilitate investment attraction as well as market and supply chain expansion and diversification.

The diplomats were also requested to deepen relations with partners and identify key cooperation areas with each of them, while paying more attention to citizen protection and overseas Vietnamese affairs, thus encouraging OVs to contribute more to the home land and strengthening the great national unity bloc in national construction and defence.

The PM urged them to promote the image of Vietnam through diverse forms as well as Vietnamese language teaching in foreign countries.

The leader expressed his belief that the mission chiefs will maintain the solidarity within their circle and with other representative offices, carry forward traditions of the diplomatic sector and well implement diplomatic guidelines set by the Party and the State.

Vietnam wants to strengthen multifaceted cooperation with Poland: PM

Vietnam always treasures and wants to strengthen its multifaceted cooperation with Poland, a traditional friend and partner in Central Eastern Europe, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said while receiving Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Zbigniew Rau in Hanoi on March 16.

The PM thanked the Government and people of Poland for their donation of nearly 1.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine and 8 tonnes of medical equipment to help Vietnam overcome the pandemic and boost economic recovery, stressed that the move reflected sincere affection and deep attachment between the people of the two countries.  
For his part, Rau said he is impressed with Vietnam’s socio-economic development achievements and stated that Poland wants to fortify its collaboration with the nation, the most important partner of Poland in Southeast Asia.

Regarding the Vietnam-Poland relationship, PM Chinh expressed his pleasure to see its positive progress over the past time and suggested the two sides increase the exchange of delegations, especially high-level ones and between sectors and localities, to boost political trust and mutual understanding, forming a basis for their bilateral cooperation expansion across all fields.

Poland has been Vietnam’s biggest trade partner in Central Eastern Europe for years and the two countries’ economic and trade cooperation maintains a strong growth momentum despite COVID-19, the Government leader said, adding that bilateral trade stood at a high level in 2021 and 2022, over 2.5 billion USD.

PM Chinh recommended Poland to create favourable conditions for Vietnam's agro-forestry-aquatic products to penetrate deeper into the Polish market; and encourage Polish businesses to step up investment in Vietnam’s pharmaceuticals, food processing, and manufacturing industries.

He proposed the European nation soon ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) to facilitate equal and mutually beneficial investment cooperation between the two countries; and urge the European Commission (EC) to soon remove its yellow card warning on Vietnam's seafood exports, meeting the interests of Polish and EU consumers and ensuring livelihoods for hundreds of thousands of workers in the Vietnamese fishing industry.

The host and guest exchanged views on a number of measures to beef up cooperation in education-training, culture-tourism, agriculture, and science-technology.

Rau pledged to encourage Polish ministries and branches to coordinate with the Vietnamese side to concretise the PM’s recommendations, contributing to making the bilateral cooperation more practical and effective.

He expressed his desire to strengthen the bilateral partnership in areas where Poland has strengths such as IT, smart cities building, green technology, and environmental protection.

The PM and the Polish minister agreed that the two countries should strengthen cooperation at multilateral and regional forums.

Regarding the East Sea issue, they emphasised the importance of ensuring security, safety and freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Sea as well as settling disputes by peaceful means on the basis of international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

PM Chinh thanked the Polish Government’s support for Vietnamese expatriates in Poland as well as Vietnamese people in Ukraine who evacuated to the country. He proposed Poland further create favourable conditions for the expatriate community to stabilise their lives and make practical and effective contributions to the fine traditional friendship between Vietnam and Poland.

On this occasion, Rau conveyed Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki’s invitation to PM Chinh to pay an official visit to Poland soon. The Vietnamese leader said he will arrange a trip to Poland at an appropriate time.

Photo exhibition reveals daily life of late composer Trinh Cong Son

A photo exhibition featuring late composer Trinh Cong Son opened on March 16 at the Centre for Culture, Information and Sports in Hue City, the hometown of the composer, in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue.

The exhibition, Trinh Cong Son- Lan Dau Gap Lai (Trinh Cong Son- Meeting you again for first time), features 35 black-and-white photos taken by photographer Duong Minh Long which capture the everyday moments of the musician. 

All works in the exhibition are introduced to the public for the first time, including those of the musician and relatives and friends, such as late composer Van Cao, Vietnamese-French film director Tran Anh Hung and singer Liz Mitchell of the German-Caribbean vocal group Boney M.  They are selected from over 9,000 photos that Long took of the late composer over 11 years, from 1990 to his death in 2001.

The exhibition offers an opportunity for viewers and Son's music lovers to know more about his life, said Director of the Centre for Culture, Information and Sports of Hue city Tran Viet Hung.

Born in Hue in 1939, Son became popular in 1957. His lasting legacy includes albums of romantic love songs, such as Diem Xua (Diem, My Cherished Old Flame) and Ru Tinh (Lullaby to Love), released in the 1960s and 70s.  

Diem Xua is well-known in Japan, where it was introduced through well-known singer Khanh Ly in Osaka in 1970. Later, the song was written in Japanese, titled Utsukushii Mukashi, and was listed among Japan’s top 10 favourite love songs.

Son went on to become southern Vietnam’s most famous songwriter of anti-war music collections, including Ca Khuc Da Vang (Yellow Skin Song), Kinh Viet Nam (Vietnamese Prayer) and Ta Phai Thay Mat Troi (We Must See The Sunlight).

He died in HCM City in 2001 after a prolonged illness.

The exhibition will remain open until April 2.

Numerous activities to be held at Hung King Festival 2023

Various activities will be held in the northern province of Phu Tho to mark the death anniversary of Hung Kings, considered the founders of Vietnam, heard a meeting organised by the provincial People’s Committee on the matter.

The 10-day event, beginning on April 20, will also be a platform for the Culture and Tourism Week of Ancestral Land in the locality.

The death anniversary of the Hung Kings is commemorated on the 10th day of the third lunar month, which falls on April 29 this year, and is a national holiday. The practice of worshiping the Hung Kings in Phu Tho province was recognised by UNESCO as part of the world's intangible cultural heritage in 2012.

Main rituals during the event include ceremonies to offer incense to Lac Long Quan and Au Co - the progenitors of Vietnam as well as flower offering at the monument which features the President Ho Chi Minh talking with soldiers from the Vietnam People’s Army.

Other activities include an international conference on Vietnam’s tourism, culture, heritages and sustainable development, a swimming and stand-up paddle board competition, the northwest tourism fair 2023, and football and volleyball tournaments. 

Visitors can also enjoy the Northwestern Tourism Fair in 2023, the Northeast - Phu Tho trade fair in 2023, the Land Father Food Culture Festival, and a Cultural Camp and Art Festival to celebrate the legacy of the Hung Kings.

13 left injured after truck crashes into coach

As many as 13 people have been injured after a truck collided with a passenger bus in Quy Nhon city of Binh Dinh province in central Vietnam.

According to local police, the accident happened at 20:32 p.m. on March 15 when the coach was hit by a truck at the Long Van intersection of National Highway 1D.

After the crash, the coach was left overturned on the road, leaving 12 passengers and the truck driver injured. They were subsequently transported to a local general hospital to undergo treatment.

The rescue work lasted for more than three hours and traffic returned to normal on National Highway 1D shortly afterwards.

The cause of the accident is currently under investigation.

Over 1,000 coffee trees felled down due to land disputes in Gia Lai

Thousands of coffee trees in the central highlands province of Gia Lai have been felled down, which was allegedly due to land disputes.

Local authorities in Dak Doa District are investigating the case which occurred at the farms of some families on the evening of March 13.

Vice chairman of Ia Bang Commune People's Committee, Tran Van Hung, reported that a total of 1,069 trees had been destroyed. The trees which are aged between 2-5 years were planted by nine households in the commune.

Earlier in 2020, nearly 2,000 coffee trees of three years old were also destroyed when they were going to have fruits.

Local authorities are further investigating the incident.

Roundtable on Vietnamese and French cuisine set for March 23

French and Vietnamese chefs will be given a platform to share their unique delicacies during an exceptional roundtable to be held in Ho Chi Minh City on March 23 as part of gastronomic exchanges between the two countries.

According to the organisers the French Institute in Vietnam, French and Vietnamese cuisines are widely considered to be among the best in the world, and the rendezvous of the chefs is expected to lead to an explosion of flavors and creativity.

Participants will discuss the contributions and borrowings from one cuisine to another, the combination of the two cuisines, local products, the perception of Vietnamese cuisine in France, as well as the borrowing of French in the Vietnamese culinary vocabulary.

The roundtable will be moderated by renowned French and Vietnamese chefs, including Didier Corlou, a master chef from France and owner of the restaurants “Sices Verticale” in Hanoi, and “Co Mai” in Hoi An, Alain Nguyen, a gourmet chef who graduated from the Ecole Supérieure de cuisine Française Ferrandi; and Thao Na, a chef at the Lavelle Library restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City.

Dr. Tran Le Bao Chan, professor of Literature and Head of the Translation-Interpretation sector of the French Department of the University of Pedagogy in Ho Chi Minh City, will also participate in the event.

The roundtable is open for free at the Sofitel Saigon Hotel. Visitors will have the chance to enjoy sampling different dishes and attend a cooking demonstration.

Vietnam to vie for medals at SEA Karate Federation Championships

Vietnam will send 73 martial artists to compete in the upcoming Southeast Asia Karate Federation (SEAKF) Championships 2023 which is due to get underway in the Philippines from March 17 to 19.

They will flex their muscle in competitions with opponents from seven other regional countries, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and hosts the Philippines.

The martial artists will take part in the men’s and women's kata and kumite categories.

The tournament is considered to be a key warm-up event for karate fighters as they prepare for SEA Games 32 which will be held in Cambodia this May.

This year marks the 10th edition of the Southeast Asia Karate Federation Championships.

In its 2022 tournament in Cambodia, Vietnam topped the medal table, bagging five golds, while Indonesia and Malaysia were placed in second and third positions, respectively.

Vietnamese U17 women’s football team trains in Japan

The Vietnam U17 women’s football team headed to Okinawa Prefecture in Japan on March 14 for a training camp in order to prepare for the 2024 AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup.

Accordingly, head coach Akira Ijiri selected 16 out of 30 players to fly to Japan to attend the U17-ASEAN Jenesys international tournament following an invitation of Japan Football Association (JFA) from March 17 to March 21.

They will join with 12 other U17 football teams from Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Singapore, Myanmar, the Philippines, Timor Leste, and Japan, as well as Japanese female football club Okinawa.

The teams have been divided into four groups, with Vietnam in Group 1 where the local players will face off against Malaysia and Okinawa FC on March 17 and March 18, respectively.

The final round of the Jenesys international tournament is expected to be held on March 20 and March 21.

After the tournament, the Vietnamese team will head to Tokyo to continue their training camp before returning to Hanoi on March 25.

After that, they will join with the remaining players in Vietnam to prepare for the qualification round for the 2024 AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup.

There will be two rounds of qualification matches for the 2024 AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup, with the first round scheduled to be played between April 22 and April 30, and the second round slated for September 16 to September 24. 

In the first round, the Vietnamese team have been drawn in Group C alongside Bahrain, Palestine, and Uzbekistan. All matches of Group C will be held at Vietnam Youth Football Training Center on April 22, April 24, and April 26, respectively.

Ben Tre declares state of emergency over landslide

The People’s Committee of the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre on March 14 announced an emergency state as landslides have occurred in many areas in Mo Cay Nam District with a total length of around 680 meters.

The first erosion area which is 200 meters long has formed a big hole running from Dinh Hoi Yen drain in Mo Cay town to a petrol depot and put State agencies at risk, including the Social Security Agency, the Statistics office, the People's Procuracy and a medical station.

The second landslide is 480 meters long and has occurred from Ong Dinh Bridge to the state treasury of Mo Cay Nam District. It has an impact on local people's lives along National Highway 57.

The provincial People’s Committee has asked households located near the landslide to move to safer locations and launched a landslide emergency.

The local functional agencies have carried out measures to prevent landslides and built emergency plans to ensure safety for the dyke system, protect people and property from the effects of erosions.

HCM City, UK agree to enhance trade, investment ties

Ho Chi Minh City and the UK should strengthen cooperation in trade and investment, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Phan Van Mai said on March 16.

The collaboration should focus on the exchange of experience in building legal mechanisms, the implementation of a project on building the HCM City financial centre, the establishment of an innovation centre of HCM City, first in health care, and the research and manufacturing of drugs and medical equipment, Mai told Mark Garnier, the British Prime Minister's Trade Envoy for Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar and Brunei.

The official stressed that HCM City benefits from good relations between Vietnam and the UK, and that the city wishes to work together with the UK to step up trade activities to soon fulfill the target of raising bilateral trade to 1 billion USD right in 2023 when the two countries celebrate the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic ties.

HCM City will coordinate with the British Consulate General in the city and British partners to implement the agreements, contributing to consolidating and promoting the Vietnam-UK relations, he affirmed.  

For his part, Garnier expressed his impression on the dynamism and development potential of Vietnam and its southern economic centre in particular, and pledged to work harder to enhance the trade and investment links between the UK and Vietnam and the city as well.
British firms are always interested in and ready to cooperate with HCM City in materialising the plan of building the city into a regional financial centre which is competitive globally, he said.

They are also fully aware of HCM City’s potential and demand in health care and drug research, and wish to step up cooperation with the city in this regard, and promised to support the southern metropolis in development, the envoy continued.

The UK is willing to cooperate and assist HCM City in high-quality personnel training in service of banking, financial and medial sectors, thus contributing to fostering the trade and investment ties between the two sides and the two countries at large, he stressed.

Thai Binh works hard to have EC's "yellow card" against seafood removed

Authorities of the northern coastal province of Thai Binh have instituted a series of measures to better manage fishing ports, inspect and monitor fisheries activities, in an effort to have the European Commission (EC)’s “yellow card” warning against Vietnam’s seafood exports lifted.

Thanks to its tireless efforts, the province has recorded positive changes in fishery management.

The provincial People's Committee has issued plans with specific roadmaps and assigned tasks to relevant departments, sectors and localities.

Hoang Minh Giang, Director of the provincial Fisheries Sub-Department, said that as of March 2023, as many as 763 local fishing vessels were registered and relevant data was synchronised with the Vietnam Fisheries database system (VNFishbase).

There have been 174 out of 182 offshore fishing vessels (95.6%) eligible for food safety certificates. Meanwhile, as many as 692 (90.69%) out of the 763 fishing vessels have been granted fishing licences.

Authorised forces have regularly inspected and strictly control the management of fishing ports and fisheries activities in line with the recommendations of the EC and the Directorate of Fisheries.

The locality targets completing 100% of the registration and marking of fishing vessels, the granting of fishing licences, and the installation of cruise monitoring equipment (VMS); and the update the data of all fishing ships into the VNFishbase.

The local authorities will also pay attention to inspecting and controlling fishing vessels entering and exiting berths; monitoring fishing vessels operating at sea through the vessel monitoring system, controlling fishing vessels operating outside the province; and implementing origin-tracing for 100% of fisheries outputs.

Vung Tau seeks stronger tourism links with other Asia-Pacific cities

Chairman of the People’s Committee of Vung Tau city, the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Hoang Vu Thanh on March 16 had a meeting with a visiting delegation of the Tourism Promotion Organisation for Asia-Pacific Cities (TPO) led by Secretary-General Woo Kyoung-ha.

He called for stronger cooperation among the TPO member cities, suggesting them send delegates and art troupes to cultural, sports, festive, and tourism events in Vung Tau and other cities, and increase popularising the land and people of their cities and countries.

Vung Tau city hopes to receive assistance from TPO Secretary-General and other member cities to create opportunities for travel companies to seek partnerships, he said.

It wishes to be connected with the Republic of Korea’s enterprises in such fields as urban infrastructure development, smart city building, industrial park infrastructure, information technology, biotechnology, education, health care, logistics, finance, and trade, the official added.

For his part, Woo expressed his delight that the TPO regional meeting 2023 for Vietnamese members will be held in Vung Tau on March 17, saying it will give him a chance to directly learn about local tourism and policies.

He also highlighted the willingness to assist Vung Tau to build a strategy for the future.

The TPO, a network of tourism cities in the Asia-Pacific region, was established at the fifth Asia Pacific Cities Summit in Fukuoka, Japan, in 2002.

Vung Tau became the 124th member of the TPO in 2019, becoming the sixth Vietnamese member of the organisation.

Rare, endangered animals rescued in Ninh Binh

The Cuc Phuong National Park in the northern province of Ninh Binh said on March 15 that it has received and rescued many rare and endangered animals from localities nationwide. 

From March 5-12, the park's Centre for Rescue, Conservation and Development of Creatures received five pangolins and one masked palm civet from authorised units in the central provinces of Quang Tri, Thanh Hoa and Ha Tinh, and Da Nang city.

Most recently, on March 13, the centre received two individuals suspected to be masked palm civets from the neighbouring province of Hoa Binh.

All these animals have been treated and cared by the centre before they are released to the wild.

According to the park, in recent years, many wild animals have been discovered, rescued and handed over to the centre by not only competent forces but also people across the country. It is a positive signal for the wildlife rescue and conservation work in particular and nature conservation in general.

One dead and dozens hospitalised with methanol poisoining after industrial accident

One person has died and 37 others have been hospitalised at Bạch Mai Hospital in Hà Nội due to methanol poisoning after an industrial accident in Bắc Ninh.

The patients, who work for HSTECH Vina Co., Ltd in the northern province of Bắc Ninh’s Thuận Thành 3 Industrial Park, inhaled methanol-contaminated air or had direct contact with the toxic substance through their skin.

Six of the patients are in severe condition.

HSTECH Vina Co., Ltd is an electronics components manufacturer with a product line that includes metal components produced through knife cutting.

According to the patients, in the cutting stage, an ethanol sprayer cools the cutter. Workers also wipe some components with ethanol.

From the last week of February, the company began using a new batch of ethanol. Workers began reporting feeling tired and suffering from headaches.

Of the workers being taken to Bạch Mai Hospital, the female patient named N.T.H., 42 years old, residing in Thuận Thành District, Bắc Ninh Province, suffered the most methanol poisoning.

She started getting sick on February 27 with symptoms of blurred vision, headaches, nausea, and then lethargy.

She was taken to the province’s Thuận Thành General Hospital before being quickly transferred to Bạch Mai Hospital for further treatment on February 28.

The patient was admitted to the Poison Control Centre under Bạch Mai Hospital with symptoms of coma, hypotension, severe metabolic acidosis, blood methanol concentration of 123.16 mg/dL, and severe brain damage on both sides.

Although doctors did all they could, the brain damage was severe. Her family asked to bring her home, and she passed away shortly after.

The second most serious patient, T.V.N., a Dao ethnic man from the mountainous province of Cao Bằng, was taken to Bắc Ninh Province’s General Hospital on February 24.

He was transferred to the poison control centre under Bạch Mai Hospital with symptoms of coma, hypotension, severe metabolic acidosis, severe brain damage on both sides and a blood methanol concentration of 125 mg/dL.

The patient was given resuscitation and dialysis. Currently, his consciousness has improved, but his brain is still damaged. He also suffered damage to his eyes.

Filming begins for Russian movie on Vietnam War

“Lien Xo” - the first Russian film about the Vietnam War - has started shooting at the Military Aviation and Space Defense Academy (VKS) named after Zhukov in Tver.

The film tells the work of Soviet military experts who arrived in Vietnam in 1965.  The script is based on the memories of Soviet missile officers who were called in to train the Vietnamese soldiers to work on the S-75 Dvina air defence systems. The prototypes of the main characters were Soviet officers Fyodor Ilinykh and Boris Mozhaev.

The systems, used during the war in Vietnam, were capable of helping against single targets and clusters, and low-flying and high-speed targets. They were also used to suppress the operation of anti-radar missiles such as Shrike.

Veterans of the air defense forces who participated in the military operations of the Soviet Union also attended the film-making team. At the academy, filmmakers shot instructional videos to assist participants in the filming process for later production.

Online film screening program to promote the human right to love

The British Council in Hanoi has launched an online film screening program entitled "Five Films for Freedom", featuring five short films by international filmmakers.

The organizers of the event said they encourage people to watch the films in solidarity with LGBTQIA+ communities, especially in places where freedom and equality are limited, in recognition of the fact that love is a human right.

"Five Films For Freedom" is an online celebration of global LGBTQIA+ stories in support of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual rights, in partnership with BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival.

Now in its ninth year, the program will showcase five LGBTQIA+-themed short films and make them available to the world for free online viewing over the 12 days of BFI Flare.

Since its inception in 2015, this much-loved program has reached over 20 million people worldwide. The films have been watched in more than 200 countries and principalities, including many parts of the world where homosexuality is still criminalized, and in some cases, punishable by the death penalty.

This year’s “Five Films for Freedom” consists of five films, including: “Buffer Zone” by Stavvas Stavrou (Cyprus/ UK); “Eating Papaw on the Seashore” by Rae Wiltshire and Nickose Layne (Guyana); “All I Know” by Obinna Robert Onyeri (Nigeria); “Just Johnny” by Terry Loane (Northern Ireland) and “Butch Up!” by Yu-Jin Lee (South Korea).

The 16-minute film "Buffer Zone" tells the story of two young gay Cypriot soldiers, one Greek, and the other Turkish, serving on opposite sides of enemy lines. As they fall in love, they find that music is their escape from their oppressive environment.

"Eating Papaw on the Seashore" is a coming-of-age film about Asim and Hasani, two queer Guyanese boys, navigating their feelings in a homophobic society. This short film was developed through the Commonwealth Foundation's Commonwealth Shorts, Caribbean Voices workshop.

The short film "All I Know" tells the story of two friends who meet for dinner, one goes to meet a stranger for a date while the other goes home. The story follows one man's search for his friend, which puts him at risk of revealing the life-changing secrets they both share.

Meanwhile, “Just Johnny” is about a young guy Johnny with his desire to be a girl. The family of Maria and Dermot’s straightforward family life takes a sudden turn when their son Johnny announces that he wants to wear a dress for his Holy Communion. Both parents are keen to do what is best for Johnny, but their different opinions almost pull the happy family apart.

“Stop being miserable.” After hearing her ex’s last words to her, Mi-hae, a lead singer of an independent band in the film titled “Butch Up!”, cannot bring herself to sing the band’s most popular song, ‘Oppa’s Girl’.

“Five Films For Freedom 2023” runs from 15-26 March 2023. Visit http://www.britishcouncil.org/five-films for detailed information and film showtimes.

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