Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has met with leaders of member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Timor Leste, Australia and New Zealand, and the ASEAN Secretary-General on the sidelines of the ASEAN - Australia Special Summit in Melbourne, Australia.

At the meetings, the PM conveyed regards from General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong and other key leaders of Vietnam to the foreign leaders and the ASEAN Secretary-General, and thanked them for their cooperation and support for Vietnam in economic recovery and development.

PM Chinh expressed his hope for stronger cooperation in ASEAN’s major pillars as well as enhanced collaboration with other countries, particularly in politics-diplomacy, economy-trade-investment, national defence-security, education-training, and science-technology.

He stressed the need to maintain close cooperation to build a united ASEAN, strengthen intra-bloc collaboration, and carry forward the group's centrality in settling issues regarding regional security and strategy.

The PM used this occasion to propose the foreign leaders to send ministerial-level representatives to the ASEAN Future Forum, slated for April 23 in Hanoi.

Australian PM Anthony Albanese said he looked forward to his Vietnamese counterpart’s visit, as well as the upgrade of the bilateral ties to a new height.

Lao PM Sonexay Siphandone agreed to step up the implementation of agreements reached by high-ranking leaders of Vietnam and Laos, and thanked Vietnam for its assistance to Laos in taking over the ASEAN Chairmanship 2024.

Brunei’s King Hassanal Bolkiah consented to promote the exchange of high-level visits, and cooperation in the field of halal, saying he hoped to return to Vietnam soon.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo said the two countries should foster cooperation in rice trade and agriculture, specifically aquaculture, suggested Vietnam encourage its VinFast company to invest in electric vehicles in Indonesia.

Thai PM Srettha Thavisin shared PM Chinh’s view on the need to soon hold a joint Cabinet meeting between the two countries, and intensify connectivity between the two economies.

Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. suggested the two countries work closely together in rice variety production, along with climate change response, including the El Nino phenomenon.

Singaporean PM Lee Hsien Loong concurred to push ahead with the construction of Vietnam - Singapore Industrial Parks (VSIP), and strengthen cooperation in digital transformation, green economy, digital economy, and population data building and management.

Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim congratulated Vietnam on its rapid development in various spheres, and noted his wish to learn from Vietnam’s experience in foreign direct investment (FDI) attraction, in which, he said, the two countries should coordinate closely.

New Zealand’s PM Christopher Luxon spoke highly of Vietnam's role in ASEAN, and affirmed that New Zealand will cooperate closely with Vietnam and other ASEAN countries in regional issues.

Timor Leste’s PM Xanana Gusmao expressed his wish to pay an official visit Vietnam at an early date, and appreciated Vietnam's support to Timor Leste to officially join ASEAN soon.

ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn affirmed that he and the ASEAN Secretariat will attend the ASEAN Future Forum and suggested that it should will be held annually and become a leading forum to discuss issues related to the future of the bloc.

Breakthroughs, enhancements needed to boost ASEAN – Australia relations: PM ​

Australia relations to commemorate the 50th anniversary while addressing the plenary session of the Special Summit in Melbourne on March 6. 

While highlighting the significance of the summit, the Vietnamese government leader spoke highly of the close and long-standing relationship between ASEAN and Australia and Australia's cooperation with and support for the bloc over the last five decades.

According to PM Chinh, the two sides need to make breakthroughs in economic, trade, and investment cooperation, aiming to double the trade turnover in the next 10 years; in human resources development cooperation, especially in high-quality human resources and labour cooperation; and in science-technology and innovation cooperation, focusing on developing digital economy, green transformation, circular economy, and emerging sectors such as semiconductor chips, artificial intelligence.

He also emphasised the need to strengthen political trust and cooperation in ensuring global peace and security, promote cultural cooperation and people-to-people exchange, and leverage the strengths of over 1 million ASEAN-origin people in Australia, including over 350,000 overseas Vietnamese (OVs).

ASEAN and Australia should join hands to promote a region that respects and acts on international law, with countries complying with the UN Charter and international law, and respecting ASEAN’s principles and codes of conduct (COC), and accelerate the building of new ones, including a practical and effective COC in the East Sea that makes the East Sea become the waters of peace, stability, cooperation and development.

Leaders of both sides adopted the ASEAN – Australia Leaders’ Vision Statement – Partners for Peace and Prosperity, and the Melbourne Declaration – A Partnership for the Future, outlining orientations to develop the bilateral ties in all areas in the coming time.
Participants expressed satisfaction with the development of the ASEAN – Australia relations and the achievements of their cooperation, especially since the establishment of the Strategic Partnership in 2014 and the upgrade to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2021.

They focused their discussion on future development orientations of the newly-upgraded ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA) agreement and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). They also agreed to intensify cooperation in new areas such as innovation, digital economy, green transition, energy transition, and e-commerce, thus turning these into new growth drivers for the economic relations between ASEAN and Australia.

ASEAN welcomed Australia's approval of an additional 222.5 million AUD (145 million USD) for cooperation with Mekong sub-region countries, the establishment of an investment fund worth 2 billion AUD, and other initiatives to promote trade and investment cooperation with ASEAN countries in the coming time.

The two sides agreed to expand political, security and defence cooperation, maritime cooperation, cybersecurity cooperation, especially within ASEAN-initiated and led mechanisms and forums, contributing to shaping the regional structure based on the rule of law with ASEAN at the centre, implementing cooperation based on the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP).

Participants emphasised the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security and safety of navigation and aviation in the East Sea, peacefully resolving disputes based on international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982). They call for the full implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and efforts to soon achieve an effective and substantive COC in accordance with international law, including UNCLOS 1982.

Thai female cyclist wins first stage of Biwase Cup in Vietnam

Maneephan Jutatip (Thailand) won the yellow jersey in the first stage of the 14th Binh Duong International Women’s Cycling Tournament, the Biwase Cup, on March 6.

On the opening day, the cyclists competed in the 92km-long route around the province. Jutatip topped the first stage after clocking a time of two hours 22 minutes 35 seconds, followed by Kasuga Watabe (Japan) and Nur Asyah Mohammad Zubir (Malaysia).

In the first race, Malaysia took the lead in the team category, followed by a team from Kazakhstan and Vinama Ho Chi Minh City of Vietnam.

In the white jersey category for young racer with the best performance, female Japanese cyclist Kasuga Watabe came first after surpassing Nguyen Thi Be Hong of Vietnam’s Dong Thap province.

Meanwhile, the orange jersey for the best Vietnamese athlete went to cyclist Tran Thi Phuong Dung of Vinama Ho Chi Minh City.

The cyclists will continue to compete in the second stage with a length of 160 km on March 7. They will depart from Binh Duong, travel through Phuoc Long in Binh Phuoc province, before reaching the finish line in ing Thu Dau Mot City of Binh Duong province.

The 14th Binh Duong International Women’s Cycling Tournament that is scheduled to take place from March 6 to 15 has attracted the participation of 11 domestic and nine foreign teams.

With a total length of 1,158 km, the female cyclists will compete in 10 stages, starting from Binh Duong and travelling through to Dong Nai, Lam Dong, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, and Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

Individuals will compete for three jerseys, with the yellow jersey being given to the overall winner who will receive a cash prize of VND45 million, the green for the best sprinter with a cash prize of VND30 million, and the pink for Miss Biwase Cup with a cash prize of VND10 million.

Meanwhile, the winning team who secure the championship trophy will be awarded VND42 million. In addition, the organisers will give special gifts to disadvantaged children during the race.

Panorama depicting historic Dien Bien Phu Victory introduced via QR code

The panorama painting depicting the historical Dien Bien Phu battlefield at different times from late 1953 to May 7, 1954, is introduced to visitors at the Dien Bien Phu Victory Museum in the northern province of Dien Bien through QR scanning.

It is featured in Vietnamese, English, and French.

With a smartphone, visitors can easily scan the QR code and select contents in their preferred language to learn more about the painting.

 With a smartphone, visitors can easily scan the QR code  to learn more about the painting (Photo:  http://dic.gov.vn/) 

The activity aims to enhance the popularisation of the panorama painting, helping visitors, especially foreigners, who are seeking information about the painting.

The artwork, featuring 4,500 characters, depicts the entire army going to battle, the opening combat at Him Lam hill, the A1 hill battle, and the triumph.

The painting was done by about 30 painters drawing continuously and some occasionally. Most of the participating painters are young graduates from the Vietnam University of Fine Art.

Colombia hopes to enhance parliamentary cooperation with Vietnam: lower house leader

President of the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia Andrés David Calle Aguas hosted a reception on March 5 for Vietnamese Ambassador to Venezuela and Colombia Vu Trung My, during which he urged the two countries to consider establishing the Colombia-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group.

He also proposed the two sides promote collaboration between their legislative bodies to contribute to boosting the multifaceted cooperation between Colombia and Vietnam, especially in 2024 as they are celebrating the 45th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic ties.

Thanking the host for inviting him to attend a plenary session of the Chamber of Representatives, My affirmed that he will make every effort to help foster friendship and cooperation between the two countries, including intensifying parliamentary collaboration - one of the important channels that will help the two countries' relations continue to grow stronger in the coming time.

Welcoming the proposal to establish the Colombia-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group, he affirmed that promoting cooperation between the two legislative bodies will also create conditions for the two countries to coordinate closely and support each other at inter-parliamentary forums.

Within the framework of his business trip to Colombia, the Vietnamese diplomat also had meetings with representatives from the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the foreign relations commission of the Colombian Communist Party’s Central Committee.

At the meetings, the two sides discussed measures to promote multifaceted relations on three pillars including Party, State and people-to-people diplomacy.

Colombia is one of Vietnam's most important partners in Latin America, with two-way trade turnover maintaining high growth rates. In 2023, bilateral trade surpassed 700 million USD, doubling the figure in 2018, making Colombia Vietnam's fifth largest trade partner in Latin America.

Binh Duong int’l women cycling tournament opens

The 14th Binh Duong International Women’s Cycling Tournament (Biwase Cup 2024) opened in the southern province of Binh Duong on March 6.

Gathering the strongest riders from 11 local clubs along with nine teams from Asian biking powerhouses such as China, Iran, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand, the tournament is expected to be an exhilarating race.

Right after the opening ceremony, cyclists began their first stage stretching 92 kilometres through Thu Dau Mot city, Thuan An city, Tan Uyen city and Ben Cat town. Jutatip from Thailand won this stage, followed by Karuga Watabe (Japan) and Nur Alsyan Mohamad (Malaysia).

Cyclists will race in 10 stages covering 1,158 kilometres starting from Binh Duong, past Dong Nai, Lam Dong, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan and Ba Ria – Vung Tau, before returning to Binh Duong.

Competitors will have to overcome not only hot weather but also six tough climbs including Bao Loc and Prenn in Lam Dong province, and Vinh Hy in Ninh Thuan province.

The yellow jersey winner will take a 45 million VND (1,800 USD) bonus while the best sprinter will have the green jersey and 30 million VND. The winning team will pocket 42 million VND. Organisers will also present other awards to impressive cyclists.

Along with the race, gifts will be given to local students with difficulties.

Over-200kg bomb successfully deactivated in Hung Yen

An extremely dangerous bomb weighing about 226 kg that remained intact was successfully deactivated in the northern province of Hung Yen on March 6.

The bomb, about 160cm in length and about 30cm in diameter, was discovered by a fisherman while he was fishing on Luoc River in Thien Phien commune in the province’s Tien Lu district.

Be informed of the bomb, and the commune’s military command sent officers to examine, seal off the site, and report to higher authorities.

Sappers from the Hung Yen province’s Military Command moved the bomb to the riverside area in Khoai Chau district to deactivate it in line with regulations.

Women artists depict life stories in paintings

A collection of 135 art works by women artists are on display at the HCM City Fine Arts Association to celebrate International Women’s Day.

The exhibition entitled “Miền Nhớ” (Memory Land) showcases paintings and sculptures in the genres of reality, semi-abstract, abstract and still-life in various materials of oil, acrylic, water colour, lacquer and pottery.

The works feature different topics of landscape, lifestyle, people, portraits and flowers, which are created by 100 members of the association’s Women Artists’ Fine Arts Club.

According to Nguyễn Anh Đào, head of the club, the International Women’s Day exhibition is an annual occasion for women artists to exhibit their new works to the public. It also aims to inspire and encourage women to self-discover and develop their potential, as well as honour women’s role and contribution to the society.

Đào, who uses the traditional material of lacquer, brought to the exhibition a lacquer painting named “Miền An Nhiên” (Peaceful Land).

The work portrays a woman with a lotus flower at night that makes viewers feel peace of mind.

Đào, 44, a native of HCM City, graduated from the HCM City Arts Education College in 2002.

She was a member of the Mekong Art Club and the Ngân Hà Club for Women, and has taken part in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Việt Nam, Singapore, and other countries.

Young artist Tiểu Tân, who comes to the exhibition for the first time, introduces a silk painting called “Tình Yêu Ở Lại” (Forever Love).

It features a veteran couple, who lost each other in an battle in 1968 but two years later met again in Hà Nội. At that time, each of them had lost one leg.

Nguyễn Ngọc Vân, a student of the College of Culture and Arts, said the painting made people believe in love and happiness.

The exhibition also displays works by Đỗ Quyên, Hoàng Thuỳ Dương, and Dương Thị Thuý Hiền.

The art works can be seen until March 8 at 218A Pasteur Street in District 3.

Vietnamese, Lao parliaments step up cooperation

The office of the Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) and the Secretariat of the Lao NA held their 12th annual seminar and exchange in Oudomxay province, Laos, on March 6.

Secretary General of the Vietnamese NA Bui Van Cuong and Vice President of the Lao NA Sounthone Xayachak attended the event.

At the event, participants exchanged experience in developing digital NA library and initiatives to build NA television while discussing practical issues that help improve the capacity of public servants and effective advisory work to serve the NA.

Officials of both sides spoke highly of the bilateral cooperation during 2022-2024, with smooth coordination to arrange the exchange of delegations at all levels, online meetings and seminars, and effective training courses for officials, among others.

Regarding the cooperation plan for the 2024-2026 period, the two sides agreed to continue close coordination, regular experience sharing and exchanges of experts.

They also agreed on plans to improve the Vietnamese language competence for the Lao NA officers and Lao language skills for Vietnamese NA staff. Besides, they reached consensus on cooperating to train Lao officials, providing them with technical and IT knowledge to serve administrative work, and manage, maintain, and use the new parliament building.

The Vietnamese NA Office will support the Lao side to organise the 45th General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly slated for October 18-2 in Vientiane and related conferences.

MoH proposes increase in health insurance premiums

Patients with health insurance under treatment at Sơn La General Hospital in the northern mountainous province of Sơn La. VNA/VNS Photo

The Ministry of Health is seeking feedback from relevant agencies on the draft amended Health Insurance Law, which proposes a roadmap to increase health insurance premiums from 2025 to reach a maximum of 6 per cent of the base salary or monthly income by 2035.

In the policy impact assessment report of the draft amended Health Insurance Law, the ministry stated that the current provisions on health insurance premiums are not balanced with the level of benefits and the scope of coverage for health insurance participants, so it is necessary to consider gradually increasing health insurance premiums.

The ministry said that the current Health Insurance Law stipulates the maximum payment of health insurance premium of up to 6 per cent of monthly salary, but there is no mechanism and roadmap for the Government to apply the increase, while the demand for expanding the coverage scope of the Health Insurance Fund is increasingly high.

Furthermore, the premium level and average nominal value of Việt Nam's health insurance is much lower than many countries in the region and worldwide.

The health insurance fund is formed from contributions from health insurance participants, profit from investment activities of the Fund as regulated by the Social Insurance Law, late payment interest, and other legal revenue sources.

Ninety percent of health insurance premiums collected annually are allocated and used for medical examinations and treatment; 10 per cent are allocated to the contingency fund, and the management expenses of the Health Insurance Fund, with a minimum of 5 per cent of health insurance premiums allocated to the contingency fund.

From 2010 to 2015, the spending rate of the Health Insurance Fund was 80-90 per cent, and the fund continuously had a surplus, with an accumulated surplus by the end of 2015 amounting to VNĐ49.3 trillion (US$1.99 billion).

From 2016 to 2020, after adjusting the prices of medical examination and treatment services by incorporating the salary into the prices, the Health Insurance Fund became unbalanced in terms of revenue and expenditure within the year. In 2017, the spending rate of the fund reached 111 per cent, with an overspending of VNĐ9.3 trillion ($376 million).

In 2021, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and prolonged social distancing measures, the number of medical visits decreased, leading to a decrease in medical expenses and the Health Insurance Fund returned to surplus.

However, by 2022, the medical expenses covered by health insurance again exceeded the Health Insurance Fund for the year by over VNĐ3 trillion ($121 million).

According to the ministry, in the coming years, there is expected to be a significant increase in expenditures from the Health Insurance Fund due to the increase in the prices of medical services.

The ministry’s Circular 22/2023 has adjusted the prices of healthcare services, in which the salary factor has been updated following the new base salary level.

Additionally, the roadmap for accurately calculating healthcare service costs, including the addition of management cost and depreciation cost, will also increase medical examination and treatment expenses in the future.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of inpatient and outpatient visits has showed signs of returning to a high level.

According to the Vietnam Social Security’s reports, the inpatient rate in 2022 reached 10.4 per cent, even higher than this rate in the pre-pandemic period, while many new technical services and medicines are being considered for coverage by the health insurance fund.

Moreover, the ageing population trend in Việt Nam is happening rapidly with high-cost chronic non-communicable diseases among the elderly group. Therefore, the ministry said that there will be an imbalance between revenue and expenditure within the year, as well as difficulties in ensuring the sustainability of the Health Insurance Fund in the future.

In the policy impact assessment report of the draft amended Health Insurance Law, the ministry has proposed three options.

In the first option, the ministry proposes to increase the health insurance contribution level to 5.1 per cent of the monthly salary or unemployment benefits of employees from January 1, 2025, and to a maximum level of 6 per cent from January 1, 2035.

In the second option, the ministry proposes to increase the health insurance contribution level to 5.4 per cent of monthly salary from January 1, 2025, and to 6 per cent from January 1, 2035.

In the third option, the ministry will keep the maximum contribution level and not include a roadmap for increasing the contribution level in the amended law.

The ministry explained that the third option will not increase expenditure from the State budget or for businesses as budget revenue is still limited and businesses are still facing financial difficulties.

The ministry stated that studying the first and second options will be considered in the amendment of the Health Insurance Law in the future, when there are sufficient economic and social conditions, as well as enough time to study and assess policy impacts in more detail.

The amended Health Insurance Law is expected to be submitted to the National Assembly for passage at the seventh session of the 15th National Assembly in May.

By the end of 2023, nearly 93.7 million people nationwide participated in health insurance, with a coverage rate of over 93 per cent of the population.

Việt Nam aims to cover over 95 per cent of the population with health insurance by 2025. 

Vietnam’s Level-2 Field Hospital in South Sudan provides free health check for women, children on International Women’s Day

Vietnam's Level-2 Field Hospital Rotation 5 has coordinated with units the Bentiu sub-division and a number of departments at the the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) to make a volunteer trip to provide health care for women and children in Bentiu, South Sudan.

The trip is one of the events during the week of action for women and children in commemoration of International Women's Day on March 8, said Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Ha, the hospital’s director.

The volunteer trip undertaken by the hospital on March 5 was aimed at honouring and caring for women in Bentiu Town, with the participation of many officers from the UNMISS, as well as friends of Mongolia’s Level 1 Field Hospital, and notably local doctors.

The examination package includes general health examination with gynecological examination for about 50 women who were provided with general ultrasound, obstetric ultrasound, reproductive health consultation, advices on early detection of abnormalities and common gynecological diseases, especially instructions on proper gynecological care and hygiene for women.

After the examination, the women were given gifts of shirts, sandals, hats and feminine hygiene solution.

During the screening process, several diseases were discovered that the women were unaware of, helping them gain more information about their disease and its treatment, the doctor said.

According to Dr. Huynh Thi Thanh Giang, who is responsible for obstetric examination and consultation, the screening session revealed two cases of gallbladder stones and ureteral stones.

Moreover, one case of early pregnancy was identified (the pregnant woman herself was unaware of her condition), and another case involved a pregnancy that ceased development.

Both cases were scheduled for follow-up examination and treatment, Giang said.

The dedication and professionalism of the Vietnamese doctors and officers were highly commended by the patients, their families, and local organisations.

More interestingly, many local people expressed enthusiasm in taking pictures with the Vietnamese doctors and officers as they were able to interact with and learn about the country and people of Vietnam through the visiting group from Level-2 Field Hospital Rotation 5.

In order for the charitable event to become a festival for the local people, Major Tran Thuan Trang, the hospital’s chief nurse, and nurse Nguyen Thi Thanh Hang came up with ideas for gifts and prepared 50 litres of milk tea for the local women and children.

The initiatives undertaken by Vietnam’s Level-2 Field Hospital Rotation 5 have contributed to building a friendly image of Vietnamese people among international friends.

Bentiu represents the most difficult area in South Sudan. The situation is always unstable due to the struggle for influence among military groups. Many people rely almost entirely on subsidies from the United Nations.

People live almost entirely on subsidies from the United Nations.

Vulnerable groups, such as girls, the elderly, and women, require the most attention and protection.

The UN consistently acknowledges the role of the forces participating in the peacekeeping mission there, especially their volunteer activities that contribute to the well-being of the community and care for vulnerable people.

Tunisia eyes to further beef up relations with Vietnam

Tunisia wishes to further strengthen relations with Vietnam, suggesting the two nations enhance the exchange of all-level delegations in the coming time, Tunisian President Kais Saied has said.

Saied stated this during a reception for Vietnamese Ambassador to Egypt and Tunisia Nguyen Huy Dung, who presented his credentials on March 5. 

Highlighting the long-lasting traditional relationship between Vietnam and Tunisia, as well as the warm relationship between late President Habib Bourguiba and late President Ho Chi Minh, Saied expressed his admiration for the recent socio-economic achievements that Vietnam has made.

For his part, the Vietnamese diplomat affirmed that he would do his utmost to contribute to further developments in the relationship between the two countries.

Previously, in a meeting with Ambassador Dung, Secretary of State in Tunisia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mounir Ben Rjiba affirmed the ministry and the government of Tunisia are ready to coordinate with their Vietnamese counterparts to take measures to deepen the bilateral relationship between the two countries.

Vietnam is a dynamic country in Asia, Rjiba said, stressing that there is ample room for the two countries to step up cooperation on multilateral forums, especially in climate change and water resource utilisation.

Ambassador Dung affirmed Vietnam attaches importance to promoting trade relations with new markets, including the Middle East and Africa regions, adding that Vietnam is willing to collaborate with Tunisia to make existing cooperation more mechanisms substantive and effective.

The diplomat also expressed his desire to promote Vietnam-Tunisia relations across pillars of economic diplomacy, people-to-people diplomacy, cultural diplomacy in addition to political diplomacy.

On his working visit to Tunisia, Ambassador Dung had working sessions with representatives of Tunisian authorities such as the Asia Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Tunisian Export Promotion Centre.

Vietnam attends World Youth Festival in Russia

A mass parade with the participation of youth delegations from around the world has been held within the umbrella of the ongoing World Youth Festival (WYF) 2024), taking place from March 1 to March 7 in Russia's Sochi city.

The Vietnamese delegation, led by Ngo Van Cuong, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee, has spread the message of solidarity and cooperation for peace and development, while promoting the beautiful images of Vietnam and its people at the festival.

A space introducing traditional Vietnamese products, musical instruments, and culture has received warm response from spectators.

On March 4, the Vietnamese delegation met with the Cuban Communist Youth Union delegation, during which, the two sides highlighted the special friendship relations and reaffirmed the deep affection that the youth of the two countries have for each other, which was developed and nurtured by President Ho Chi Minh, President Fidel Castro and many revolutionary predecessors.

First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCYU) Bui Quang Huy acknowledged that youngsters of the two countries have the responsibility to continue to lift the special bond to the next level and proposed the two sides coordinate more closely in the coming time.

On the sideline of the WYF 2024, the Vietnamese delegation held discussions with those from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Venezuela and representatives of the St. Petersburg city government.

They affirmed their desire to promote companionship, briefed each other on activities of their respective youth organisations, and discussed measures to strengthen ties between youth organisations.

VUFO contributes to boosting Vietnam - US people-to-people exchange

The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) hosted a meeting with a delegation from the Communist Party of the US led by Arturo Cambron, member of the National Committee, in Hanoi on March 6 morning.

Addressing the event, VUFO President Phan Anh Son briefed the visitors on Vietnam's development direction, the outcomes of implementing the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV)'s innovative policy on foreign affairs, and Vietnam's perspective on people-to-people diplomacy and internationalism.

He highlighted the strong development of the Vietnam – US relations, and the upgrade of the bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership on the occasion of US President Joe Biden’s state visit to Vietnam last September, saying that this is an important step in the relations between the two countries, where people-to-people exchange is one of the 10 pillars of the comprehensive strategic partnership.

Son said in the coming time, VUFO and its member organisations such as the Vietnam-US Society and the Vietnam Peace Committee will continue to strengthen people-to-people exchange activities, towards further promoting mutual understanding, building and consolidating strategic trust between the two nations.

For his part, Cambron said the delegation’s trip aims to earn more understanding about the history, culture, country, and people of Vietnam; as well as the practice and experience in building the Party and socialism in the Southeast Asian nation.

US delegates also inquired on VUFO's role in supporting non-governmental organisations (NGOs) operating in Vietnam; and discussed the international situation, and communist, labour, and peace movements in the world, especially in the US and Latin American countries.

As scheduled, the delegation will visit President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, pay a courtesy visit to Secretary of the Party Central Committee and head of its Commission for External Relations Le Hoai Trung, visit historical sites in Hanoi, and work in Quang Ninh and Hung Yen provinces.

Ministry urges early bidding to choose investors for rest stops on expressways

Minister of Transport Nguyễn Văn Thắng has asked agencies and project management boards (PMBs) to review and soon deploy bidding to select investors for rest stops on the eastern north-south expressway system.

In a document sent to concerned agencies on Monday, the Minister said that with eight approved rest stops, the PMB should proactively review and prepare documents to deploy bidding to select investors.

The investors must construct and finish the rest stops as soon as possible to serve the people.

As for the remaining rest stops on the eastern north-south expressway system, the PMBs must prepare business proposals and bidding documents eligible for appraisal and approved, to shorten the process of selecting investors and ensuring implementation progress.

The Minister also requested the Department of Transport Infrastructure to preside over and coordinate with the Department of Legal Affairs, the Department for Roads of Việt Nam, the Department for Highways of Việt Nam (DHVN) and the Transport Construction Investment Management Authority to draft a circular to replace Circular 01/2023/TT-BGTVT to perform early issuance procedures.

The circular will be a basis for selecting rest stop investors in particular and specialised road service works in general.

The DHVN will work with concerned agencies to minimise delays and speed up the progress of building rest stops in accordance with the laws.

“During the work, departments must carefully review and complete relevant legal regulations to ensure a complete legal framework. In case problems arise, they must report to the ministry's leaders to have solutions,” said Thắng.

Regarding the intelligent transportation system (ITS), Minister Thắng requested the PMBs, with responsibility as project investors, urgently carry out investment in the construction and completion of the ITS, and the National Traffic Management Centre to ensure synchronous operation once the expressway is inaugurated and open for public use.

“The bidding process for selecting contractors must ensure transparency and thrift. Technology and equipment should be synchronous and modern. The PMBs are responsible to the minister if delays continue and project quality is not guaranteed," said Thắng.

The DHVN will preside over and work with other agencies to research and propose models and plans for the ITS National Traffic System Management Centre.

The national centre must ensure connection with local management centres on expressways, including those that have been put into operation and projects run by localities, he said.

Minister Thắng also assigned some other departments and divisions to review and advise on capital sources to invest in the ITS to ensure efficiency.

They must offer consultancy on economic-technical norms to serve the management, exploitation, operation and maintenance of the ITS. 

Mekong Delta strengthens measures to cope with saltwater intrusion

Authorities in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta are strengthening measures to cope with saltwater intrusion to mitigate its impacts on agricultural production in the ongoing dry season.

The delta’s 12 provinces and Cần Thơ are starting the harvests of winter-spring rice, fruits and seafood but are facing the peak period for saltwater intrusion into rivers.

The intrusion in the 2023-24 dry season is estimated to be higher than normal and will reach its peak in April, causing a shortage of water for irrigation and household use in many localities, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorology Forecasting.

At the beginning of the dry season, coastal provinces in the delta, the country’s largest hub of rice, fruits and seafood, built temporary dams and repaired sluices to keep out saltwater and dredged irrigation canals to store more water.

In Kiên Giang, the country’s largest rice producing province, the Irrigation Sub-department and coastal districts are checking saltwater intrusion and repairing sluices and dams.

They have built or upgraded 27 earthen dams to protect the winter-spring rice and freshwater.

Lê Quốc Anh, deputy chairman of the Kiên Giang People’s Committee, has ordered relevant departments, agencies and localities to proactively take measures to cope with saltwater intrusion and drought.

Saltwater has entered deep into the province’s major rivers, and a salinity rate of 4 grammes per litre can be found 40km upstream in the Cái Lớn River.

Most plants can only tolerate a salinity of 1 gramme per litre.

Kiên Giang has harvested some 43,000ha of the winter-spring rice crop, or 15 per cent of the total area, according to its Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The remaining crop is safe from saltwater, protected by sluices, it said.

In Trà Vinh Province, the agriculture department has instructed localities to speed up dredging of irrigation canals and digging of new ones planned for this year.

The province plans to upgrade and build 384 irrigation canals with a total length of 315km and repair 12 embankments with a total length of 5.6km this year.

Localities have completed 10-15 per cent of the plan to upgrade and build irrigation works for this year.

They have collected water hyacinth from nearly 8,300sq.m of water surface in irrigation canals to facilitate the flow of water for irrigating rice fields.

In Sóc Trăng Province, saltwater intrusion is expected to be extremely high between March 1 and 10 with the coastal districts of Trần Đề, Long Phú and Kế Sách facing the highest risk.

Huỳnh Quốc Lâm, deputy chairman of the Long Phú People’s Committee, said salinity level has reached 12 grammes per litre since February, and all 30 saltwater prevention sluices in the district are closed.

Provinces in the delta have also stepped up dissemination of information about saltwater intrusion to the public so that they can take preventive measures.

Huỳnh Ngọc Nhã, director of the Sóc Trăng agriculture department, said it has asked localities to disseminate information about saltwater intrusion and water resources on the media to enable the public to cope with it and efficiently use freshwater.

Localities should check the salinity of water before pumping it for irrigation, and the public should follow instructions from authorities to cope with saltwater intrusion and store water for agricultural and household use, he added. 

Effort concerted to promote Khmer language in Trà Vinh

More than 32 per cent of the southern Trà Vinh Province’s one-million strong population is of Khmer ethnicity. To preserve their language and script, multiple classes teaching the language have been held at schools and Buddhist pagodas in the locality.

According to Director of Trà Vinh’s Department of Education and Training Nguyễn Thị Bạch Vân, Khmer language courses are widely available in the province.

In an average academic year, the locality counts more than 100 general education facilities teaching the language with over 800 classes and 19,000 students in total.

In the 2023-24 school year alone, 125 schools are offering Khmer classes to nearly 36,000 students, including 80 elementary schools, 41 secondary schools and four high schools.

The province has set the goal that by 2030, Khmer classes will be offered at 100 per cent of schools, and all Khmer language teachers will meet the pedagogical requirements.

Trà Vinh also organises supplementary Khmer classes at Khmer Theravada Buddhist pagodas, which are led by monks and achars - senior monks who take on the role of the master of ceremonies in religious rites.

Over the past 10 years, Trà Vinh Department of Education and Training also offered pedagogical training classes for more than 2,000 monks and achars, along with financial support for Khmer language teachers at the province’s pagodas.

One of the notable educational facilities is the School of Southern Khmer Language, Culture and Arts under Trà Vinh University, which was assigned the key national target of human resources training in this sector by the Government.

Dr Tăng Văn Thòn, a Khmer himself, has taught nine language classes with around 200 full-time and 300 part-time students in total.

Many graduates are now working to continue the Khmer language legacy by working as teachers, translators or at government agencies across the Mekong (Cửu Long) Delta.

Since 2020, Dr Thòn has also served as the Vice President of the National Council for the Evaluation of Ethnic Minority Textbooks for the Khmer language.

His aspiration to become a Khmer teacher began when he was ordained at Mé Láng Pagoda in Trà Cú District, according to the customs of the Khmer people, where he learned Khmer writing and speech from the monks.

After completing the Pali Khmer Intermediate Programme by the Association for Solidarity of Patriotic Monks in Trà Vinh Province, he left the monkhood and continued his general and undergraduate education.

In 2013, he obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Ethnic Minority Cultures in Việt Nam from Trà Vinh University with excellent academic performance and became a specialist at the school’s Gender and Community Department.

After successfully defending his doctoral thesis under a Việt Nam-Cambodia scholarship programme in July 2023, he returned to the school as a lecturer for Khmer classes, continuing to instil in his students a passion for the ethnic language.

Deputy Chairman of Trà Vinh People’s Committee Lê Thanh Bình said that preserving and promoting ethnic cultures is one of the focuses of the Government and the Party, especially ethnic minority languages.

Trà Vinh also shares this perspective, as a locality with a substantial population of Khmer people.

The province therefore has amped up communication and awareness-raising activities regarding Khmer language teaching and the community's responsibilities in preserving the language legacy, including script and speech.

The local education and training sector has also drafted plans to offer capacity training for Khmer language teachers, as well as infrastructure and technology investment for language classes.

Not only contributing to Việt Nam’s cultural identity, the preservation of the Khmer language and its values also strengthens the solidarity between ethnicities, acting as a sound premise for Trà Vinh Province’s growth, said Bình. 

North-South high-speed railway project requires huge human resources

Construction of the North-South high-speed railway project is expected to create up to 332,300 jobs and a further 14,000 positions once trains are up and running.

The Government has assigned the Ministry of Transport to proactively co-ordinate with ministries and agencies to train staff to work in construction and operation of the high-speed railway.

According to the Institute of Transport Strategy and Development (Ministry of Transport), human resources are one of the key factors determining the success of the investment, construction and operation of the project.

This human resource also ensures the ability to receive the technology transferring and master and maintain operation to increase the localisation rate and encourage industrial development.

World experience shows that countries, that do their own research and development of high-speed railway systems such as Japan, France, Germany and Italy as well as those receive technology transfer and move towards mastering technology such as Korea, China and Spain, have to build national programmes on human resources development about up to seven years before investment and construction, according to the institute's research.

The North-South high-speed railway will begin construction in 2027 and put into operation phase 1 in 2032 and phase 2 in 2040.

The institute proposed that the work of developing human resources for the railway project needs prioritising as early as 2025.

The institute and the Việt Nam Railway Corporation (VNR) calculated that during construction, between 263,700 and 332,300 people will be needed, most must be highly skilled.

Budget for training is estimated from VNĐ19.7 trillion to VNĐ24.1 trillion (US$800,000 million to $1 million).

After completion, the project needs about 13,880 people to operate, of which 11,050 are direct workers and about 2,349 engineers.

However, the institute estimates that domestic human resources currently meet 80 per cent of the demand of basic construction works and the remaining 20 per cent ​for specialised techniques of high-speed train such as rail systems and signal information need an in-depth training to meet the requirements.

With such a large amount of money needed for training, the institute has proposed the Ministry of Transport develop and complete a policy for high-quality human resources as well as create appropriate mechanisms to attract foreign capital in human resource development. 

Local cinemas want to screen State-funded movies

Several provinces and city have asked the Department of Cinematography for a chance to show Hồng Hà Nữ Sĩ (Hồng Hà Lady of Letters) at their local cinemas. 

This is a good sign for movies made by State-budget funding like Hồng Hà Nữ Sĩ, because these films did not receive budget for distribution. 

The localities include the mountainous northern Lạng Sơn, Hòa Bình and Hải Dương; the central Nghệ An; Central Highland Đắc Lắc and central city of Đà Nẵng. They want to deliver the movie to commercial cinemas. 

Hồng Hà Nữ Sĩ was one of two movies made last year with State funds. Both of them are historical themed. The other is Đào, Phở và Piano (Peach Blossom, Phở and Piano) which is one of the most popular movies at National Cinema Centre currently. Its revenue is more than VNĐ10 billion (roughly US$440,000) as of March 2, according to the Department. 

"The department should make good use of this chance," said Hồng Hà Nữ Sĩ script writer Nguyễn Thị Hồng Ngát. 

"I think that it is necessary to allow distributors to show these movies in the nation cinemas without contributing all revenue to State-budget. The distributors need to get back some percentage of revenue for covering a screen.

"Plus, financial resource for advertisement and distribution media should be added in total movie making capital. It is a big gap in the State-funded movies distribution and the two mentioned movies above as well. Only with that is it possible to screen the movies in the national cinemas."

Whilst Đào, Phở và Piano's tickets are always sold out, Hồng Hà Nữ Sĩ is not quite so lucky despite being a good movie, according to a female audience.

"The script is good and the movie dialogue impresses me with old words," said Hạnh Nguyễn. "Hopefully there will be more movies about history and I think watching historical movies is an easy way to learn history."

The movie depicts the life of female poet Đoàn Thị Điểm in the 18th century Đại Việt Kingdom - an era of upheaval during the Lê Dynasty - Trịnh Lords. 

Born in 1705 at Giai Phạm Village, Văn Giang District in the northern province of Hưng Yên, she was very gifted. She wrote many poems and a collection of legends in Han-Chinese characters. She wrote under the pen name Hồng Hà. 

She was best known for her translation of Đặng Trần Côn's poem Chinh Phụ Ngâm (Lament of A Soldier's Wife) from Han-Chinese characters into Nôm (Vietnamese ideographic). It is a beautiful poem expressing the inner monologue of a wife who goes through loneliness, sadness, fear, desperation and days and nights hoping for her husband to come back.

"Poet Điểm is one of the most popular female poets," said Ngát. "She is not only a poetry talent but represents Vietnamese women with four virtues - diligent work, beauty, proper speech and moral conduct. 

"She lived three centuries away from me but we are both Hưng Yên natives. She is beautiful, intelligent and knowledgeable, but her life is unlucky. Although her life was short, she left not only poems but also good reputation about sacrifice and morality."

The movie also highlights the relationship between the two poets. Đặng Trần Côn not only respected Đoàn Thị Điểm's talents but he also fell in love with her, even though she was ten years older than him. Đoàn Thị Điểm knew that but she did not have the chance to reply to his love because of incidents occurring in her family. 

Two leading roles Đoàn Thị Điểm and Đặng Trần Côn were filmed by young Anh Đào and Nguyễn Văn Toàn. This is the first leading role for Anh Đào although she appears frequently in television series. 

The role demanded much of her time to learn poet Đoàn Thị Điểm's life and learn by heart the poet's poems. Plus, the actress had to learn how to write Nôm script and how to act like a young woman in the 18th century. 

Actor Toàn is a new face of Vietnamese cinema. Like Đào, Toàn also learned to write Nôm script and researched Đặng Trần Côn to play the character over a long period from youth, royal officer and resigning his office and seclude himself in his native village. 

Veteran artists Trung Anh, Lê Khanh and Vĩnh Xương perform their roles well in the movie. 

Hồng Hà Nữ Sĩ is worth watching, praising the life of poet Đoàn Thị Điểm. The production crew include director Nguyễn Đức Việt, cameramen Vũ Quốc Tuấn - Phạm Văn Khuê and musician Trọng Đài. 

The movie is shown with English subtitles at National Film Centre. 

Festival to honour Vietnamese national dish of phở

A festival dedicating to phở, the quintessence of Việt Nam’s cuisine, will take place in Nam Định Province, regarded as the birthplace of this famous noodle soup.

Taking place in Nam Định City from March 15 to 17, the event aims to honour the traditional craft of cooking phở, and at the same time to provide an opportunity for tourists and locals to learn about and savour the flavours from different regions of the country.

According to organisers, the Nam Định Province’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the provincial Association of Gastronomic Culture, the event is expected to contribute to promoting the cultural value of the dish, establishing phở as a national brand. The festival will also help to spread appreciation for phở, allowing it to reach a wider audience and showcase the culinary excellence of Việt Nam.

“The heritage journey of phở will be recreated through a line-up of activities taking place during the festival,” said artisan Lê Thị Thiết, chairwoman of the Nam Định Association of Gastronomic Culture.

To launch the event, a writing contest themed “Nostalgia of Phở” and a photo competition have been launched by the organisers. The best photos will be selected to go on display during the festival.

So far, 35 popular phở brands in Nam Định and across the nation have registered to participate the festival to showcase their own distinctive phở flavours.

Phở Thìn, a famous Hà Nội’s brand that has restaurants in Tokyo, Melbourne and Sydney, will also join the event.

Alongside the popular phở, visitors will have chance to taste vegetarian phở, ginseng phở, artichoke phở, and lotus phở.

“Festival-goers will have chance to taste phở with the noodles made from green banana powder. This unique phở is just available in the remote mountainous A Lưới District in the central province of Thừa Thiên Huế Province,” said artisan Thiết.

Visitors can enjoy different flavours using the coupons offered for free by the organisers. During three days of the festival, organisers will give between 15,000 to 20,000 coupons, each worth 15,000 đồng.

Alongside booths of phở brands, there are also booths displaying other major ingredients of phở, including fish sauce, salt, and spices, among others.

Culinary experts and phở artisans will gather to discuss about the origin of phở and its development through the time during a talk on the theme Con Đường Phở Việt và Sợi Phở (Journey of Vietnamese Phở and Phở Noodle).

Demonstrations of how to create the phở flat rice noodles will also presented, offering an opportunity for visitors to learn about an important step of cooking phở.

Tour to Vân Cù village, where is considered as the "cradle" of Nam Định phở brand, also is available for festival-goers.

Vũ Ngọc Vượng, owner of Phở Ngọc Vượng in Hà Nội, which is in the list ‘Top 10 Most Popular Phở Brands’ in 2020 voted by Tuổi Trẻ (Youth) newspaper readers, is also a native of Vân Cù Village.

Through the festival, the organisers will progress towards the preparation of a dossier to submit to UNESCO for the recognisation of Vietnamese phở as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

To prepare for this step, according to deputy director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Đỗ Quang Trung, since the last year, the department has collaborated with relevant agencies in other provinces to create a dossier to submit to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to recognise phở as National Intangible Heritage. 

Historical Con Dao prison undergoes restoration

The oldest prison in Con Dao Island in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau has been temporarily shut from March 1 for restoration work.

According to the Con Dao National Monuments Conservation Centre, Phu Hai Prison known as Camp 2 was built by the French colonialists in 1862 to detain prisoners who were officials of the Nguyen Dynasty.  

The wax statues depicting prisoners at Phu Hai Prison.

The prison was then a place for imprisoning revolutionaries in the war against French colonialists and the American War.

After Reunification Day, April 30,1975, the prison system in Con Dao Island was transformed into a tourist destination and recognised as a historical site in 1979.

By 2012, the prime minister had signed a decision to list the system as a special national monument. The prisons were restored regularly due to their historical value.

The Phu Hai Prison restoration project will take 10 months.

Phu Hai Prison covers an area of over 12,000 square metres, including 10 collective cell blocks, one special prison room and 20 cells. It was also where many revolutionary soldiers who later became the country's leaders, including the late General Party Secretary Le Duan, former President Ton Duc Thang, and former Prime Minister Pham Van Dong, were detained.

Hanoi to promote tourism through drone light show

Hanoi will inaugurate the Get on Hanoi 2024 programme, aimed at promoting the city's tourism, with a drone light show on 9 March. This event will also celebrate the recognition of the Nhat Tan Tourism Site and take place in the creative space near Trinh Cong Son and Lac Long Quan streets.

In addition to the light show, the event will offer residents and visitors the opportunity to enjoy typical Hanoi foods, participate in folk games, and view the award-winning images from a tourism photography contest on 9-10 March.

The drone light show is just one of over 50 activities scheduled across the capital in 2024 to boost Hanoi's tourism. Other highlights include the Hanoi Tourism Festival 2024, the Hanoi Tourism Gift Festival 2024, the Hanoi Autumn Festival, and the Hanoi Long Dress Festival.

Hanoi aims to attract 27 million visitors this year, with 5.5 million of them being international tourists.

Hot weather causes rash of respiratory, skin diseases in HCM City

The warm weather in HCM City in recent days has caused a high incidence of respiratory and skin diseases, especially for people with underlying conditions.

Dr Trương Anh Vũ, head of Thống Nhất Hospital’s medical examination department, said every year when the weather changes and during the hot season, there is an increase in the number of elderly patients.

Since the beginning of the hot season in February there has been a 20 per cent increase in patient numbers since before Tết, he said.

On average, the outpatient department gets 2,200 – 2,500 patients a day, most of them with respiratory, ear, nose and throat (ENT), and heart diseases.

Tâm Anh General Hospital said the number of patients coming with respiratory-related diseases has also increased, including both children and adults.

Dr Nguyễn Thị Hương of the hospital’s ENT department said it gets over 200 cases a day, 25 per cent higher than before Tết, mainly with acute rhinopharyngitis, tonsillitis and acute rhinosinusitis.

She attributed it to people returning to HCM City after visiting central and northern provinces, and their body being unable to adapt to the change in weather, which causes nose and throat diseases.

She said the hot, muggy weather makes people tired, and many eat poorly, weakening the immune system and posing a risk of illness.

However, many self-treat respiratory diseases with antibiotics and traditional remedies, and the lack of prompt treatment worsens their condition, and subsequently the treatment becomes more expensive and protracted, she added.

The HCM City Centre for Disease Control said people are prone to problems like sunstroke, heat stroke, dyspnea, and stroke in warm weather due to long exposure to hot conditions, not resting and hydrating and sudden temperature changes.

Seniors, children, women, and people with chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer are more vulnerable.

Workers, farmers, athletes, and others spending long period outdoors are also susceptible.

Many people in the city are also getting skin diseases due to the weather.

Dr Đặng Thị Ngọc Bích at Tâm Anh General Hospital’s dermatology - skin aesthetics department said since February there has been a rise in the incidence of skin diseases such as dermatitis, rashes and hives.

Dr Trần Vũ Anh Đào of the HCM City Dermatology Hospital said the hot weather causes conditions like blister and eczema.

On average, the hospital receives 100 patients daily with skin diseases.

Sudden changes in weather can have a variety of effects on the skin like increasing its temperature as well as sweat and sebum production, which increase skin sensitivity.

Hot weather also causes pores to expand, making it easier for dirt to penetrate and clog them, causing acne.

Children’ groin, buttock and armpit areas sweat easily and folds in the neck, elbows and legs are often damp, poorly ventilated and unclean, causing heat rash, fungal infections and acne.

Children scratch more when they are itchy, which worsens the condition or causes it to spread to other parts.

Bích said skin diseases are not life-threatening and so are easily overlooked, but, if not treated promptly, some diseases could become chronic affecting one’s life.

When there are symptoms such as severe itching, rashes, redness, and blisters that last longer or worsen, patients need to see a doctor for diagnosis and treatment instead of medicating themselves, she said.

The HCM Centre for Disease Control said people could prevent diseases during hot weather by drinking adequate water, avoiding exposure to direct heat, having a healthy diet and rest, and regularly exercising to improve resistance. 

Kiên Giang reports strong growth in tourist arrivals

The Mekong Delta province of Kiên Giang welcomed more than 1.95 million tourist arrivals in the first two months of this year, a year-on-year increase of 79 per cent, according to the provincial Department of Tourism.

During the period, foreign visitors rose by 104 per cent compared to the same period last year to reach 215,300 arrivals.

Tourism revenue hit VNĐ5.2 trillion (US$210 million), up 88 per cent year-on-year.  

Phú Quốc Island, the most popular tourist destination in the province, received more than 1.15 million tourist arrivals, including more than 210,000 foreign tourists.

Other tourist destinations in the province such as Hà Tiên, Rạch Giá, Kiên Hải, and Kiên Lương also drew crowds of tourists.

Bùi Quốc Thái, director of the department, said a range of new year celebration activities were organised during Tết (Lunar New Year) holidays to attract tourists.

Phú Quốc has welcomed two cruise ships carrying thousands of foreign tourists to explore the island since the beginning of this year, Thái said.

The province has strengthened tourism linkage with other localities such as Hà Nội, HCM City and Lào Cai Province to boost tourism, he said.

It has carried out marketing and promotion programmes in major foreign markets such as the UK and India.

The province has so far attracted 317 tourism projects with a total investment capital of VNĐ372.4 trillion ($15 billion).

Phú Quốc City has lured 274 projects worth a total of VNĐ367.7 trillion ($14.8 billion).

Contest winners become consuls general for a day

The winners of the "Consul General for a Day" contest had a day to learn how a consulate general functions and participated in a press conference to express their feelings about their experiences and women's rights at the Residence of France on March 4.

The contest was launched at the end of February and organised by several consulates general in HCM City, including Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States, based on the idea of the Consul General of Germany, Josefine Wallat.

The five winners include Lê Nguyễn Thúy Vy (Consul General of France), Lưu Thu Hằng (Consul General of Germany), Nguyễn Thị Trúc Ly (Consul General of British), Nguyễn Thị Thiên Nga (Consul General of the Canada), and Nguyễn Thị Bảo Ngọc (Consul General of the United States).

All the winners emphasised that the competition is an opportunity to boost confidence, gain more experience, and inspire women as well as young girls to pursue their dreams and goals.

Lê Nguyễn Thúy Vy, the winner of the Consul General of France contest, mentioned that her life faced difficulties in the past, leading her to always feel like a small individual in society. Therefore, winning the competition initially made her a bit fearful.

However, the experiences gained during the day, along with encouragement from Emmanuelle Pavillon-Grosser, the Consul General of France and the entire staff of the consulate, have boosted Vy's confidence, making her feel more "grown-up" than before.

At the conference, the five winners also agreed that gender equality is one of the most pressing issues today, but no significant change can happen without starting from smaller changes.

The competition to celebrate International Women's Day was open to girls from Việt Nam aged 13 to 22, and winners from each consulate are selected based on their responses to questions posted on the social media pages of each consulate.

Vietnamese players among top seeds at Vietnam International Challenge 2024

Vietnamese athletes Nguyễn Hải Đăng and Lê Đức Phát are among top seeds at the CIPUTRA HANOI - YONEX SUNRISE Vietnam International Challenge 2024 badminton tournament.

The annual competition will be held from March 12-17 at the Tây Hồ District Gymnasium.

Đăng, who is the national best athlete currently, is No 5, while Phát who just won his first title at the recent Uganda International, is No 6 in the men's singles event.

Both of them are racing to win an official spot at the upcoming Paris Olympic Games.

In the first matches, Đăng will play Kok Jing Hong of Malaysia, while Phát will serve Shogo Ogawa of Japan.

Top three of the men's singles are No 1 Shesar Hiren Rhustavito of Indonesia, No 2 Ayush Shetty of India, and Wang Po-Wei of Chinese Taipei. 

Last year, Đăng was stopped at the second round while Phát advanced to the final where he lost to Japanese Takuma Obayashi and took silver.

In the women's side, reigning champion Nguyễn Thùy Linh of Việt Nam will not defend her title as she is busy with her international tour that will keep her in Europe till the end of this month.

Vietnamese representative in the main round is Vũ Thị Anh Thư, world No 113 which does not make her a seeded player in this tournament. She will play Yeung Sum Yee of Hong Kong in the first match.

Another player, Vũ Thị Trang, former Việt Nam No 1, will have to begin from the qualification. Trang will have to beat Rakshitha Sree Santhosh Ramraj of India to reach the main round. 

Trang is currently world No 199 and Ramraj is 23 steps higher than her.

Nguyễn Đình Hoàng and Trần Đình Mạnh are host duo in the men's doubles event.

But their draw is tough as they will play No 2 seed Chiang Chien-Wei and Wu Hsuan-Yi in the first match.

No Vietnamese pair is in the main round of the women's doubles. Phạm Thị Diệu Ly and Phạm Thị Khanh will have to play from the qualification where they fight Indian Kavya Gandhi and Saumya Singh.

In the mixed doubles, host Phạm Văn Hải and Thân Vân Anh is No 7 seed. They will face Indonesian Marwan Faza and Felisha Alberta Nathaniel Pasaribu in the opening game.

The Vietnam Challenge is one of three international tournaments in Việt Nam. It is an official event of the Badminton World Federation where players will earn points for their world ranking.

In the 2024 edition, a total bonus of US$15,000 will be delivered to medal winners, of which the champions will take US$1,200. 

Second football division kicks of with 14 participating clubs

Kon Tum and SHB Đà Nẵng's youth team will play in the opening match of the national second football division's group A on March 28.

The Việt Nam Football Federation conducted a draw for the tournament on March 4. The tournament gathers 14 teams divided into two groups.

They will compete in the two-leg round robin qualification round from March 28 to June 10. The two best teams of each group will advance to the semi-finals on June 17. Winners of the semi-finals will secure VNĐ200 million (US$8,600) each and places in the V.League 2 next season.

"The second division is the highest level of the non-professional football system of Việt Nam. It plays important role in finding the best teams for the V.League 2," said Nguyễn Minh Châu, VFF Depute General Secretary.

"It is a playing ground for amateur players and clubs, helping develop the football movement in localities and giving players opportunities to sharpen their skills. VFF believes that with the serious investment and preparation of the clubs, the tournament will be competitive and high quality to attract many supporters, contributing to the development of Vietnamese football. 

Visit Vietnam Year - Dien Bien 2024 - a boost for tourism industry

Visit Vietnam Year - Dien Bien 2024, themed “Glorious Dien Bien – Infinite Experiences” is expected to be a leverage to boost the local socio-economy, contributing to promoting the country's tourism development, Vice Chairman of the Dien Bien provincial People's Committee Vu A Bang has said.

The province will host 28 out of 169 programmes and activities throughout the year, Bang said.

The highlight of the year is the Ban (Bauhinia) Flower Festival which is scheduled to take place on March 16, he said, adding that there will be also a special art programme and a high-altitude fireworks display on May 6 evening and a ceremony to mark the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu victory on May 7.

Besides cultural tourism resources associated with key relic sites in the locality such as the headquarters of Dien Bien Phu - Muong Phang Campaign, A1, C1, D1 and E1 hills and the central area of the French stronghold, Dien Bien province is creating a highlight for the northwest region with various new tourism products, exploiting the strength of natural resources.

The provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said that in recent years, Dien Bien has worked with many travel agencies to building new tourism products with regional linkages, such as Caravan (self-driving tour) on Hanoi - Son La - Dien Bien route and Ban flower season tour.

Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Travel Association Phung Quang Thang suggested said that Dien Bien province needs to soon connect with travel agencies to have a strategy for promoting local tourism products to exploit the large tourist flow.

According to head of the Travel Department at the UNESCO Travel Club, Director of VietSense Travel Company Nguyen Van Tai, from this month, tourists booking services to Dien Bien will increase, including a large number of tourists in Hanoi. To let tourists to have a longer experience, Dien Bien province needs to strengthen links with provinces in the northwest region, building interline tourism products starting from Hanoi.

Responding to Visit Vietnam Year - Dien Bien 2024, as well as welcoming the number of tourists coming to this province, airlines have increased flights from Hanoi to Dien Bien. National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has doubled its frequency to two flights a day on the route connecting the capital city of Hanoi and the northwestern province of Dien Bien from March 6 to 30. Vietjet airline has opened a direct flight between Hanoi and Dien Bien from March 1.

Visit Vietnam Year - Dien Bien 2024, which will open on March 16, is expected to attract a large number of tourists to Dien Bien. The locality aims to receive 1.3 million visitors and raked 2.2 trillion VND (89.32 million USD) from tourism.

According to Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Trinh Thi Thuy said  that Visit Vietnam Year - Dien Bien 2024 will be a boost not only for the local tourism sector, but also contribute to enhance the attractiveness of Vietnam tourism to international visitors. Thus, it is necessary for Dien Bien province to quickly overcome shortcomings in terms of infrastructure, accommodations, and human resources and conduct dissemination campaign so that ethnic communities can join in the event, luring more domestic and foreign tourists to Dien Bien in particular and Vietnam in general, she said.

Vietnamese, Chinese localities intensify border health cooperation

A talk exchanging information on disease prevention and control, and healthcare activities between delegations of the Department of Health of Vietnam's Cao Bang province and the Health Commission of China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region was organised in Cao Bang city on March 5.

According to Nong Tuan Phong, Director of the Department of Health of Cao Bang, the talk aimed to further promote the comprehensive implementation of the joint statement on continuing to deepen and elevate the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Vietnam and China, and important common perceptions reached by the two countries’ leaders.

Both sides were committed to implementing the outcomes reached at the 2024 spring meeting between secretaries of the Party committees, the 15th meeting of the Joint Working Committee of, and the medical exchange conference of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and the four Vietnamese provinces of Ha Giang, Quang Ninh, Lang Son and Cao Bang in 2023; and a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on medical cooperation between the four Vietnamese border provinces and Guangxi.

In 2023, the Cao Bang Department of Health and the Health Commission of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region engaged in numerous friendly exchange activities and cooperation in health care. The two sides stepped up information sharing and coordination in preventing and controlling infectious diseases such as the COVID-19 pandemic, plague, and monkeypox, especially cross-border infectious diseases.

The two sides also enhanced coordination and control for disease-carrying intermediate hosts at land border checkpoints between the two countries; managed health quarantine for humans, vehicles crossing the border, exported and imported goods, medical microbiological samples, biological products, human tissues and organs transported through pairs of land border gates between the two countries.

Du Zhenzong, Head of the Health Commission of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, said the two sides have collaborated effectively, especially in preventing and controlling infectious diseases, minimising the risks of cross-border infectious diseases, and deepening the relationship between the people of Vietnam and China.

He expressed his hope that the two sides will continue to maintain their relationship, information exchanges, and boost cooperation to reduce the spread of diseases that can be transmitted across the border.

The official hoped to cooperate with the Department of Health of Cao Bang in personnel training, especially in providing further training and technical skills for medical officials and health care givers.

He suggested the two sides discuss developing specific plans for improving the quality of medical examination and treatment, public health, treatment techniques, and traditional medicine and strengthening cooperation in treating cross-border infectious diseases.

Quangxi welcomes Vietnamese citizens to experience its advanced healthcare services and will create the most favourable conditions for these tourists, Du affirmed.

The two sides’ medical agencies are considering establishing and implementing win-win cooperation mechanisms and partnerships between Cao Bang and Guangxi, tapping their resources and harnessing potential to bring a brighter future to the health sector of the two countries.

Additionally, they can conduct emergency response drills, share information on infectious diseases, and traditional medicine, especially in preventing and treating Mediterranean anemia; and agree on a collaborative model to ensure patients receive the best possible healthcare services available today.

President attends announcement of People’s Artist, Meritorious Artist title winners

President Vo Van Thuong attended a ceremony in Hanoi on March 6 to present the titles of People’s Artist and Meritorious Artist - the noble rewards of the Party and State given to individuals with outstanding contributions and long-term commitment in the field of culture and art - to 389 artists.

Addressing the event, President Thuong highlighted the great cultural values and various unique art forms of the nation, stressing that culture and arts have become a strength helping Vietnamese people overcome hardships and challenges and defeating all enemies.

According to him, the nearly 40-year cause of national renewal and historical achievements of the country have become limitless sources of inspiration for artists in different areas, prompting them to make contributions to the building of the spiritual foundation for the society.

Hailing the working spirit and creativity of generations of Vietnamese artists, the State leader said that artists winning the People’s Artists and Meritorious Artists titles are priceless treasures of the nation. Though they are at any age and from any ethnic group, they have made great contributions to the Vietnamese culture and achievements of the country, he stated.

Underlining that the country is experiencing a new development stage, requiring the strong promotion of Vietnamese culture and people, President Thuong asked the artists to work hard to renovate culture and art activities to reach the region and the world, meeting the increasing demand of the people, narrowing down the gap in cultural enjoyment between urban and rural areas and among regions, and enhancing the living quality and the happiness index of Vietnamese people.

The President also emphasised the need to discover and nurture talents, especially young talents, in literature and arts, along with adequate support policies for them and a healthy development environment for them.

At the ceremony, 125 artists were presented with the title of People’s Artist, while 264 others received Meritorious Artist title.

VUFO contributes to boosting Vietnam - US people-to-people exchange

The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) hosted a meeting with a delegation from the Communist Party of the US led by Arturo Cambron, member of the National Committee, in Hanoi on March 6 morning.

Addressing the event, VUFO President Phan Anh Son briefed the visitors on Vietnam's development direction, the outcomes of implementing the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV)'s innovative policy on foreign affairs, and Vietnam's perspective on people-to-people diplomacy and internationalism.

He highlighted the strong development of the Vietnam – US relations, and the upgrade of the bilateral relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership on the occasion of US President Joe Biden’s state visit to Vietnam last September, saying that this is an important step in the relations between the two countries, where people-to-people exchange is one of the 10 pillars of the comprehensive strategic partnership.

Son said in the coming time, VUFO and its member organisations such as the Vietnam-US Society and the Vietnam Peace Committee will continue to strengthen people-to-people exchange activities, towards further promoting mutual understanding, building and consolidating strategic trust between the two nations.

For his part, Cambron said the delegation’s trip aims to earn more understanding about the history, culture, country, and people of Vietnam; as well as the practice and experience in building the Party and socialism in the Southeast Asian nation.

US delegates also inquired on VUFO's role in supporting non-governmental organisations (NGOs) operating in Vietnam; and discussed the international situation, and communist, labour, and peace movements in the world, especially in the US and Latin American countries.

As scheduled, the delegation will visit President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, pay a courtesy visit to Secretary of the Party Central Committee and head of its Commission for External Relations Le Hoai Trung, visit historical sites in Hanoi, and work in Quang Ninh and Hung Yen provinces.

Numerous Hanoi activities celebrate International Women’s Day

A wide range of activities to honour the beautiful values of Vietnamese women have been organised by women’s organisations in Hanoi on the occasion of the 144th anniversary of International Women’s Day (March 8, 1910 – 2024).

These activities are also in celebration of the 1984th anniversary of Hai Ba Trung (Trung Sisters)'s uprising, and in response to the annual Vietnam Ao Dai Week 2024 launched by the Vietnam Women's Union.

A festival highlighting the role of Hanoi women in peace and development kickstarted the chain of activities, attracting the participation of thousands of local women. The festival featured various activities, including exhibitions to introduce Hanoi's culture, products, and cuisine as well as those from other countries.

The highlight of the festival is a walking competition, which saw the participation of over 300 male and female athletes aged between 18 - 60.

Many activities to raise women’s awareness of socioeconomic issues were arranged in districts and towns. Notably, a festival for the advancement of women was held in Hanoi's outlying districts of Dong Anh and Me Linh. 

According to President of the Hanoi Women’s Union Le Kim Anh, the number of women in Hanoi accounts for 50.4% of the capital city’s population, and nearly half of the city's labour force.

They have proactively contributed to startup movements and initiatives, and played an important role in preserving and promoting the thousand-year-old cultural traditions of Thang Long – Hanoi, she added.

Vice President meets with female ambassadors, representatives of int’l organisations in Vietnam

Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan hosted a meeting in the northern province of Bac Ninh on March 6 with female foreign ambassadors and chief representatives from international organisations in Vietnam on the occasion of the International Women’s Day (March 8).

Addressing the meeting, Xuan extended greetings to the ambassadors and representatives. She said that during the different periods of national construction and defence of Vietnam, women played a crucial role with great dedication.

She highlighted the Party and State’s efforts to complete and implement policies to narrow down gender gaps and create favourable conditions and opportunities for the promotion of gender equality in all aspects of the social life.

With over 50 million and accounting for more than 50% of the country’s population, Vietnamese women have continued to play an important role in the process of national renewal and international integration, she said.

The Vice President took this occasion to thank the ambassadors and representatives for their warm sentiments and contributions to Vietnam and its people, as well as their efforts to join hands with Vietnam in overcoming difficulties and gaining important achievements in all areas with many outstanding successes in 2023, and their contributions to promote the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and countries and international organisations.

She expressed her hope that the ambassadors and representatives will continue to accompany, cooperate with, and support Vietnam in securing rapid and sustainable socio-economic recovery, successfully implementing reform and international integration, and actively contributing to the common goals of the UN, including those in gender equality.

On behalf of the ambassadors and representatives, Ambassador of Timor Leste Maria Olandina Isabel Caeiro Alves described Vietnam as a successful model in the world in promoting gender equality following the UN's sustainable development goals.

 Female foreign ambassadors and chief representatives from international organisations in Vietnam experience the making of Dong Ho paintings in Dong Ky village, Bac Ninh province. (Photo: VNA)
Vietnam has issued many policies to ensure the rights, enhance the position, and promote the role of women, she said, noting that Vietnamese women have been present in all sectors of the economy and actively contributed to the country's development.

During their stay in Bac Ninh, the participants toured the relic site of Dong Ky temple, common house and pagoda, experienced the making of Dong Ho paintings, and enjoyed Quan ho (love duet) singing – a UNESCO-recognised intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

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