The US Agency for InternationalDevelopment (USAID) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) marked their recentprovision of 1 million USD in life-saving equipment and vaccine administrationsupplies to Vietnam to assist its COVID-19 response in a ceremony on March 25.

The equipment and supplies, funded by USAID and delivered through UNICEF between November 2021 and February 2022, include 2.5 millionsyringes, 125,000 N95 face masks and 250 portable patient monitors. Thedonation has come at a timely moment as Vietnam responds to the currentOmicron-fueled wave.

Vietnam works to preserve vulnerable wildlife amid climate change

Scientists have studied, evaluated and predicted the impact of climate change on wildlife species in Vietnam.

The results of the studies conducted by the National Science and Technology Programme on natural resources, environment, and climate change for 2016-2020 showed that 18 out of 51 evaluated animal species were classified as seriously affected by climate change. The primates are the group that suffers the most.

An assessment of 50 bird species also revealed that 16 species, which are distributed in areas at high risk of changes in temperature and rainfall, were feeling the impacts of climate change.

Climate change seriously affected 93 out of 288 plant species examined. Da Lat pine is a precious and rare genetic resource which has been categorised as near-threatened species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

According to scientists, climate change adaptation-related activities in Vietnam are still limited. Knowledge about biodiversity conservation in the context of climate change is still relatively new for staff of protected areas and national parks.

Although there exists a number of conservation action programmes for important species groups such as the one for pangolins, turtles, elephants, primates, and tigers, there is none on protection for species which are vulnerable to climate change.

Given the limited resources for preservation, it is necessary to identify priority conservation areas to focus on technical, financial and technological resources to achieve high efficiency. Twenty-six out of 105 protected areas including the nature reserve and habitat conservation areas are high priority. Most of them are located along the Truong Son mountain range, from Lam Dong province to the north central region.

Top legislators of Vietnam and Cuba hold online talks

Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue held online talks with President the National Assembly of People's Power of Cuba Esteban Lazo Hernández on March 25 night.

The two leaders informed each other about their respective country’s recent situation, and discussed directions and measures to further strengthen the fraternal friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the Parties, National Assemblies and people of Vietnam and Cuba.

They agreed to continue increasing the exchange of delegations at all levels in suitable forms; and organising seminars, talks and exchange of experts to share experience in renewal, especially in law-making, supervision, building and perfecting the rule-governed socialist State and deciding important issues of each country.

The top legislators pledged to create more favourable conditions in terms of mechanism and policy for Vietnamese businesses investing in Cuba, and continue promoting economic and trade relations as well as cooperation in the fields where both nations have advantages and potential such as agriculture, fishery, biotechnology and tourism.

On this occasion, Hue informed that the Vietnamese NA will soon donate informatic equipment to help its Cuban counterpart improve the operational efficiency.

Hue invited Hernandez to pay an official visit to Vietnam, and the Cuban leader also extended his invitation to the Vietnamese NA Chairman to visit Cuba at an appropriate time.

International Francophonie Day marked in Hanoi

The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) organised a ceremony in Hanoi on March 25 night to mark International Francophonie Day (March 20) (March 20) and the 25th anniversary of the seventh Francophone Summit hosted by Vietnam.

On this occasion, the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam was honoured with the annual award of the Group of Francophone Embassies, Delegations and Institutions in Vietnam (GADIF).

Vietnamese antiques on display in Ninh Binh province

An exhibition featuring objects and antiques related to Dong Son Culture and various dynasties in Vietnamese history is being organised at Trang An Antique Association Headquarters.

Themed “Ninh Binh- Thousand years of civilisation”, the exhibition is co-organised by Ninh Binh province’s Department of Culture and Sports and Trang An-Ninh Binh Antique Association as one activity to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the re-establishment of Ninh Binh province (April 1, 1992 - April 1, 2022).

The highlighted objects include collections of bronze coins dating back from the 10th to 20th centuries, items of the Dinh-Early Le, Ly-Tran and Later Le-Nguyen dynasties. There are also ancient objects originating in China and Japan. The exhibition will last until April 1.

Tourists to Hanoi increase by nearly 50 percent

The capital city of Hanoi has welcomed about 2.8 million domestic tourists since the beginning of this year, an increase of 45.3 percent compared to the same period last year, according to the municipal Department of Tourism.

The city earned approximately 7.8 trillion VND (343.1 million USD) in tourism revenue between January and March, up 45.3 percent year-on-year.

To attract more visitors in the coming months, the department will launch a series of tourism programmes before and during the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, the regional largest sporting event slated to take place from May 12 to 23 this year.

The city will organise a culinary festival, a tourism gift festival, and an Ao Dai (traditional long dress) festival, among other events, to bring back tourists.

OIF Secretary General attends launch ceremony of Francophone space in Hanoi

Secretary-General of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) Louise Mushikiwabo attended the launch of a Francophone space at the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV) on March 25.

At a working session after the launch ceremony, DAV Acting Director Dr Pham Lan Dung informed her guest that after the inauguration of a new building last November, the DAV and the Asia-Pacific Regional Office of the OIF and some French-speaking countries decided to realise an idea on a Francophone space at the DAV, one of the long-time French teaching facilities in Vietnam.

Mushikiwabo affirmed that the newly inaugural space will be a symbol of the cooperation between the OIF and the DAV, as well as the friendship between the Francophone community and Vietnam at large.

The OIF Secretary General said this time, her entourage comprises about 60 firms in the Francophone community, which are keen to select Vietnam as the first country to carry out a new economic programme, because the country boasts a dynamic economy that catch the attention of many African nations. 

Mobile phone app for Vietnam Shrimp Forum released

A mobile phone application for the Vietnam Shrimp Forum made debut on March 25.

The forum is an initiative of the International Collaborating Centre for Aquaculture and Fisheries Sustainability (ICAFIS) within the framework of implementation of the Sustainable and Equitable Shrimp Production and Value Chain Development in Vietnam (SusV) project and the Gender Transformative and Responsible Agribusiness Investments in South East Asia (Graisea) project funded by the European Union, the Swedish Embassy in Vietnam and OXFAM.

Since 2016, the forum has become an annual event jointly organised by the Directorate of Fisheries, ICAFIS, OXFAM and WWF Vietnam to share, discuss and offer solutions in sustainable development of the Vietnamese shrimp industry with the focus on science and technology, policies, farming models, markets, organic agriculture and pressing issues of this industry.

Nam Dinh invests over 1 million USD in Thien Truong Stadium renovation

The northern province of Nam Dinh has spent over 25 billion VND (1.09 million USD) on renovating Thien Truong Stadium which will host men’s football group-stage matches during the upcoming 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31).

The repair and renovation of the stadium and training ground for players have almost completed while finishing touches are being put to some components, such as meeting rooms and dressing rooms. The project is expected to finish before April 15.

The 20,000-seat stadium was selected to host the opening match of the 2021 and 2022 V. League 1 season.

The men’s football tournament at SEA Games 31 will take place from April 6 to May 22. Thien Truong Stadium will host B group-stage matches while Hanoi’s My Dinh National Stadium will be the venue for semi-final and final matches. SEA Games 31 is scheduled to begin on May 12 and run through May 23.

Ninh Thuan: Endangered sea turtle trapped by fishing net set free

An endangered green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) that became trapped in fishing nets has been released back into the wild, according to the authority of the Nui Chua National Park in the south-central coast province of Ninh Thuan.

The 90-kg turtle had been net-trapped by fishermen in Binh Hung Island, the neighbouring province of Khanh Hoa and about to be slaughtered for meat before it was rescued by a tourist two days earlier, Pham Anh Dung, an official from Nui Chua National Park’s authority. The woman, from Ho Chi Minh City, spent some time to talk to the fishermen about the endangered animal and finally convinced them to transfer it to the national park.

The turtle was in good health when it was handed over to the Nui Chua National Park’s staff, Dung said. It was later released back to the nature in the Park.

TikTok contest launched to promote COVID-19 prevention work

The General Department of Population and Family Planning (GDPFP) under the Ministry of Health, in coordination with Aiken Vietnam Co. Ltd, has launched a TikTok video contest to promote the effectiveness of communications on improving people’s awareness on maintaining 5K messages and being proactive in the injection of COVID-19 vaccine.

The contest is open to all Vietnamese who are living and working in the country.

Contestants create video clips of their performance of a dance with the music “sach khuan toan dien, an tam moi ngay” (comprehensive cleaning, feeling secure everyday), posting the clips on TikTok or their facebook in public mode, calling their friends to join the contest.

Entries must be uploaded to fanpage of the Communication Education Department under GDPFP at https://www.facebook.com/vutruyenthonggiaduc or that of Aiken Vietnam Co.Ltd at https://www.facebook.com/aikenvietnam between March 25 and April 25, 2022.

Virtual exhibition marks Earth Hour 2022

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has organised a virtual exhibition using VR360 virtual reality application to mark Earth Hour 2022.

The exhibition, themed “Shape the future”, is available at vr.trienlamgiotraidat.vn through the website: trienlamgiotraidat.vn.

More than 100 photos and video clips on display carry the message regarding climate change.

On March 26, from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm local time, everyone should switch off lights in response to Earth Hour 2022 themed "Creating the future - Now or never”.

Hot air balloon rides promise tourists a memorable trip to Hoi An

The first-ever hot air balloon festival in Hoi An city kicked off on March 25 morning, part of activities marking the Visit Vietnam Year 2022 hosted by the central province of Quang Nam.

At this festival, 17 hot air balloons will fly above fixed locations along the Hoai River to enable tourists enjoy and take photos of the beautiful surrounding landscapes. This is the largest number of hot air balloons in a festival in the central region so far.

During the two-day event, balloon rides are available at 6 - 9am and 5:30 - 6:30pm on March 25 and 6 - 9am on March 26, when weather and wind conditions are the most ideal for ballooning.

In particular, a lantern programme will take place from 7 - 8pm on March 25, during which the balloons will be inflated and become giant lanterns.

Thousands to throng Mỹ Tâm's live concerts in Đà Lạt

As many as 2,000 concert tickets were sold within a minute for two live concerts by pop star Mỹ Tâm in Đà Lạt City this weekend.

The concerts, held on March 26 and 27, are titled “My Soul 1981”.

Tickets were snapped up as soon as sales opened on March 16.

Tâm, known as the Vietnamese Queen of Pop, will perform new songs like Nước Ngoài (Overseas) and Hẹn Ước Từ Hư Vô (A Promise from Distance Days) composed by Phan Mạnh Quỳnh, and several of her previous hits like Sự Thật Ta Yêu Nhau (The Truth).

The singer has invited leading Vietnamese composers and singers to join the concerts.

Canada-funded project supports Vietnamese co-operatives

Co-operatives supported by the Việt Nam Cooperative Enterprise Development (VCED) project succeeded in connecting farmers to global value chains and increasing farmers' incomes in the pandemic, said Brian Allemekinders, Head of Cooperation, Embassy of Canada to Việt Nam.

Starting in 2015, the VCED project is funded by the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada and jointly implemented by SOCODEVI and the College of Management for Agriculture and Rural Development II.

The project’s ultimate goal is to help improve the livelihoods of farmers through the development of agricultural value chains in the new co-operative model.

The VCED project has a total investment of 12.9 million Canadian dollars from the Government of Canada and SOCODEVI.

Young patient saved by new liver transplant technique

Five-year-old Đ.N.M was diagnosed with liver cancer and went under an operation to replace his left liver lobe on March 17.

He is the youngest patient ever to receive a liver transplant with a sophisticated medical condition at the 108 Military Central Hospital in Hà Nội.

The five-year-old was diagnosed with a rare malignant hepatoblastoma in July 2021 and underwent a hepatectomy at HCMC's 2nd Children's Hospital.

After the operation, cancer still spread to the remaining parts of the liver. Đ.N.M. then went through 10 cycles of chemotherapy in Thailand, but the tumour did not only respond to treatment but continued to grow faster.

The PET/CT scan in Thailand showed that the prognosis for the boy was not favourable. After discussions, doctors concluded that a liver transplant was the only way to save him.

The family then returned to Việt Nam to 108 Military Central Hospital for a liver transplant, where the boy's aunt agreed to be the donor.

Laparoscopic graft surgery is one of the most problematic techniques, requiring experienced surgeons and modern equipment and machinery.

This method brings many benefits to liver donors, such as less invasive intervention helping to reduce postoperative pain better than open surgery, faster recovery time, and providing the same results as an open surgery without the scars.

The donor can be discharged from the hospital about 5-6 days after surgery.

After 7 hours, the transplant operation was a success. The five-year-old is now stabilised with good liver function and normal vital signs.

He was transferred to the Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery for continued treatment.

This is the third time the 108 Military Central Hospital has successfully performed laparoscopic surgery to conduct a liver transplant.

As this technique can only be achieved in countries with advanced medical facilities such as the United States, Japan and Korea, success by the 108 Military Central Hospital is a giant leap for liver transplants in Việt Nam.

HCM City signs up Viettel for help with digital transformation

The HCM City People’s Committee and military-owned telecom group Viettel on March 24 signed agreements to develop the southern metropolis into a smart city by 2025.

Under the agreements, six in all, Viettel will help improve the city's ranking in the Digital Transformation Index and organise digital transformation training and propagation programmes for city leaders and officials to raise awareness.

Viettel will also share experiences in applying digital transformation to management, operation and production for businesses and corporations under the City Party Committee and the People's Committee, digital transformation solutions in the fields of healthcare, education, traffic, environment, natural resources, logistics, and e-commerce.

The collaboration will also focus on R&D activities related to designing and manufacturing microchips.

Source: VNA/VOV/VNS/SGT/Dtinews

VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES MARCH 25

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