The Government Committee for Religious Affairs released the white book on religions and religious policies in Vietnam at a conference held by the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications in Hanoi on March 9.

A 132-page book consists of three chapters that provides introduction to basic information about religions in Vietnam, its religious policies as well as achievements, challenges and advantages in ensuring the right to freedom of belief and religion.

The book introduces 16 popular religions in Vietnam, including Buddhism, Catholicism, Protestantism, Caodaism, and Hoa Hao Buddhism, among others. It also presents the Communist Party of Vietnam's view on beliefs and religions during the renewal period, the right to freedom of belief and religion stipulated in the Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, regulations on religious activities in current legal documents.

Published by the Religious Publishing House, the book includes an appendix with some images of religions and religious activities in Vietnam, statistics on religions, a list of religious organisations and registered religious activities, and Article 24 of the 2013 Constitution.

Deputy head of the committee Nguyen Tien Trong said Vietnam has a long-standing cultural tradition and is home to 54 ethnic groups with diverse religions. At present, the country is home to over 26.5 million religious followers, or 27% of the population; over 54,000 religious dignitaries and 29,658 places of worship.

The first Constitution in 1946 and its revised editions always affirm that the right to freedom of belief and religion is one of the fundamental rights of human beings. The 2013 Constitution specifies that the right to freedom of belief and religion is a right of all people, he said.

In order to realise the 2013 Constitution, the Vietnamese National Assembly passed the Law on Belief and Religion on November 18, 2016. The Vietnamese Government issued Decree No. 162/2017/ND-CP on December 30, 2017, detailing some articles and measures to enforce the Law on Belief and Religion.

Vietnam has so far recognised 36 religious organisations, issued registration certificates to four religious organisations and one religious sect of 16 religions.

Maintenance centers of automobile business allowed to perform inspection

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha yesterday worked with the Transport Ministry to address serious congestion at automobile registration centers nationwide.

Accordingly, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha asked that the Public Security Ministry and the Transport Ministry devise feasible solutions to eliminate inadequacies and weaknesses at automobile registration centers without negatively affecting the registration process of people in need.

The Transport Ministry was requested to deliver instruction to greenlight eligible maintenance and repair centers of automobile manufacturers, traders, importers to perform vehicle inspection. Newly produced and unused imported motor vehicles are exempted from registration for the first time.

This Ministry was also asked to designate registrars and professional officers from other localities to automobile registration centers in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, along with overtime working schedules, in order to answer the high demands in these cities.

The Public Security Ministry was requested to categorize law violator groups, especially the masterminds, to apply corresponding punishments. From investigations of law-breaking activities in the registration field, it is essential to draw lessons to correct wrongdoings and properly perform the duty of state management units to citizens.

The Transport Ministry reported in the working session that 61 out of 281 automobile registration centers throughout the country have been forced to stop operation. 53 of them are for the sake of investigation while the rest are due to ineligibility according to Decree No.139/2018/ND-CP. Therefore, the operational ones can only answer 40-50 percent of the demands in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

In related news, Hanoi Transport Department yesterday said that it had proposed that the Transport Ministry urgently hold training classes and then assessments to issue certificate for eligible registrars to restore normal operation of registration centers as soon as possible.

Two barges sunk in waters of Phu Quy

Wind gusts and big waves are blamed for the sinking of two barges on the waters of Phu Quy, Phu Quy Island district of Binh Thuan Province.

Three out of seven crew members on the two barges have been rescued while four others are currently missing.

This morning, the Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention and Search and Rescue of Binh Thuan Province sent a dispatch to provide information about the incident.

Particularly, as of 3 p.m. on March 8, Binh Thuan Port Authority received information from Duong Van Hai, the captain of the barge LA-05923. Hai said that the barge carrying four unidentified crew members was sunk by wind gusts and high waves.

Rescue crews defined that the barge in distress was about 17 nautical miles from Phu Quy Island amid the bad weather condition of the northeast monsoon of level 6-9 and big waves of 3-5.5 meters.

According to a report from the Border Guard Command of Binh Thuan Province, another barge LA-05922 carrying three unidentified crew members was also sunk on the waters of Phu Quy. Fortunately, all crew members were rescued by another ship.

The Standing Office of the Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Search and Rescue of Binh Thuan Province requested the Provincial Border Guard Command to continue to direct and inform border guard stations in the province, naval squadron No.2 and boats of Binh Thuan Province for searching and rescuing missing people at sea.

Ha Tinh border guard breaks down illegal immigration ring

The Ha Tinh Province Border Guard Command, on March 8, informed that the Cau Treo International Border Gate had initiated criminal proceedings against a ring that organized illegal entry and exit for others.

Previously, on March 5, at 3 p.m., in the border area of the Cau Treo International Border Gate, authorities detected and caught two Chinese nationals, Dam Luc Thuan and Dam Van Ban, both born in 2008, from Guangxi Province, China, who were attempting to cross the border illegally to Laos. At the time of their arrest, both subjects failed to present their passports and related documents.

During the investigation, the authorities arrested another suspect, Nguyen Canh, 20, from Xuan Loc Commune, Can Loc District, Ha Tinh Province.

According to Nguyen Canh's initial testimony, he stated that he had accepted an offer from a Laotian woman to bring those two Chinese nationals from Can Loc District to the border area of the Cau Treo International Border Gate to receive a payment of VND10 million.

Currently, the case is being investigated further.

Since the beginning of February 2023, the Ha Tinh Province Border Guard Command has dismantled three rings organizing illegal entry and exit from China into Vietnam to Laos, leading to the arrest of 12 suspects.

Heads of int’l organizations, Ambassadors release video for Int’l Women’s Day

On the occasion of International Women’s Day 2023, heads of international organizations and Ambassadors in Viet Nam drop a video, sending voices to promote innovation and technology for empowerment of migrant women to contributing to the achievement of gender equality in Viet Nam.

Around the world, more people are on the move than ever before. Many of them are seeking new opportunities and a better life for themselves and their families. Others are forced to move due to disaster or conflict. Gender is central to any discussion of the causes and consequences of migration, whether forced, voluntary or somewhere in between.

Migration is an integral part of Viet Nam's overall development as reflected in the number of Vietnamese citizens migrating for work, study, marriage, family unification and other purposes both internally and abroad.

Labor migration has become a steady contribution to Viet Nam's socio-economic development. Vietnamese women make up 55.5 percent of the country migrant population according to the Viet Nam Women's Union survey.

In 2020, there were 3.4 million Vietnamese who migrated (3.3 percent of total population), among which 1.71 million were women (50.3 percent of total migrants).

While migration has provided many women with opportunities to improve their lives and families, Vietnamese migrant women at the same time face challenges especially in the face of the Fourth Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR 4.0).

With nearly 80 percent of working-age women in Viet Nam being either low-skilled or unskilled, migrant women workers make up a sizable proportion of the labor force engaged in lower-skilled economic sectors or labor-intensive positions, which account for nearly 74 percent of all jobs in Viet Nam.

As the IR 4.0 is rolled out, automation and technological advancements are forecasted to cause a rapid decline in demand for unskilled and low-skilled labor. Up to 86 percent of workers in Viet Nam's textile and footwear industries are at risk of losing their job within the next 15 years.

In this context, migrant women workers are among the most affected by IR 4.0 as they account for a large proportion of the low-skilled labor force.

In another aspect, women particularly migrant women looking for jobs have faced growing risks on online spaces. This is because on the one hand, the online platform has become an increasingly popular channel for searching job opportunities, on the other hand, technology enables traffickers to easily recruit victims.

Women especially young women and girls with unskilled or low-skilled have been targeted by smugglers and traffickers whose criminal operations are transnational.

In the video clip, the UN Resident Coordinator, IOM Chief of Mission and Ambassadors from Australia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Sweden, UK and the U.S. joined their voices to celebrate the strength of women and girls on the move.

They also voiced their support for raising awareness of and advocating for empowering migrant women with access to skilling and upskilling opportunities in order to bridge the digital gender divide in migration and strengthen female migrants' resilience and competitiveness in the digital world.

Vietnam puts forth proposals at UN conference on least developed countries

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang suggested improving internal capacity and national competitiveness on the basis of strengths and characteristics of each least developed country at the 5th United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) in Doha, Qatar, from March 5-8.

The role of trade and international integration as growth engines should be promoted, she said, stressing the need to ensure rules-based, equal, transparent and inclusive multilateral trade, and enhancing market access for these countries.

The Vietnamese official also suggested stepping up science-technology and innovation in order to create breakthroughs for growth, and called on developed countries to transfer technology, improve capacity, and provide financially support for the LDCs in green transition and carbon emission reduction.

Hang highlighted the role of peace, international cooperation, and partnerships in addressing global challenges.

She used this occasion to share Vietnam’s experience in socio-economic development, during which internal and external forces are combined together and people are taken as the centre, momentum and target.

Vietnam is willing to work as a bridge between development partners and the LDCs, especially through the South-South and tripartite cooperation models, she affirmed.

The conference was attended by about 5,000 delegates, including heads of state, senior leaders of the LDCs, the UN Secretary-General and the President of the UN General Assembly, and representatives from many international organisations, academia, the press, and the business community.

The participants examined the implementation of the Istanbul Programme of Action since 2011 and set orientations and priorities for cooperation in the 2023 - 2031 period with the aim of helping the LDCs swiftly leave the group and properly implement the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) roadmap.

The conference adopted the Doha Declaration, affirming strong commitments to materialising the Doha Programme of Action adopted by the UN General Assembly in March 2022.

While in Doha, Hang held meetings with bilateral and multilateral partners such as the Cuban Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment, the Foreign Ministers of India, Benin, Uganda and Eswatini, and Deputy Foreign Ministers of Kazakhstan and Venezuela, the World Bank Vice President and the UNESCO Deputy Director General.

They sought ways to strengthen collaboration in different spheres like politics, diplomacy, delegation exchange, economy and trade, and coordination at multilateral forums.

Japan funds three social welfare projects in Vietnam

A ceremony took place at the Japanese Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City on March 7 to sign a contract on the funding of three projects in Vietnam at a total value of 252,528 USD.

The assistance is part of the Japanese Government’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) Programme.

The projects are on providing equipment to support children with hearing impairments at the centre for inclusive education development of Ca Mau province, providing three classrooms and toilets at the primary school of Ward 8/1 in Section C, Ward 8 of Ca Mau city, and supplying echocardiogram machines to Nhan dan Gia Dinh Hospital in HCM City.

The GGP has been implemented since 1989 to meet the diverse needs of developing countries. From 1995 to early 2022, Japan provided assistance to 216 projects in 26 southern provinces and cities, with a total value of 17.4 million USD to meet fundamental requirements of the people such as education, health care, agriculture, and rural infrastructure building.

Barge sinks off Binh Thuan coast, leaving four missing

Four crew are missing from a barge that sunk due to strong winds off the coast of the southern central province of Binh Thuan.

At around 3 pm on Wednesday, Binh Thuan Ports Authority received the information from the captain of Barge LA-05923 that the barge had sunk because of violent winds when travelling in the vicinity of Phu Quy Island. At that time, there were four people on board.

The area where the barge faced the incident was around 17 nautical miles northwest of Phu Quy Island.

On the same day, another barge numbered LA 05923 from Long An Province with three crew on board was on the verge of being sunk by strong winds while being on the way to Phu Quy Island.

Luckily, a nearby coast guard ship helped the barge, saving the crew members who are now in stable condition.

Long Thanh International Airport project checked owing to dust pollution

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment issued a decision on checking compliance with the law on environmental protection to Airports Corporation of Vietnam, the investor of Long Thanh International Airport project for the first phase.

The inspection period will be extended within 15 days.

Previously, in December 2022, the Provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Dong Nai had proposed the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to involve in checking the compliance of legal regulations on environmental protection related to the Long Thanh International Airport construction investment project as the periodic air monitoring results from April to October 2022 showed dust pollution extending the standard level from 1.02 to 18.32 times.

Driver dies after landslide sweeps truck off Ha Giang road

A truck plunged off the Ma Pi Leng Hill in the mountainous province of Ha Giang on Wednesday, killing the driver.

A truck plunged off the Ma Pi Leng Hill in the mountainous province of Ha Giang on March 8.

According to Meo Vac District police, the accident occurred on National Road 4C at 10 am on March 8 when the truck carrying plywood was running along Ma Pi Leng Hill. A landslide suddenly occurred on the road and the truck was swept off the road along with road barriers into a valley some 120 metres below.

The driver was found with various injuries in his cabin and was rushed to a local hospital. However, he died shortly after due to serious injuries, the police said.

Exhibition spotlights woman’s emotions

An exhibition on a roller coaster of emotion of an ordinary woman in Vietnam is underway at Vietnam Women’s Museum in Hanoi to mark the International Women’s Day (March 8).

The event, which opened on Mach 7, showcases 24 colour and black-and-white photos by Salvador Perez Arroyo, a Spanish artist and architect, of Huong Thi Cao, also known as Lily, a nonprofessional model, through her facial expressions. It reflects the mind and role of women in  the society, especially the transfer of knowledge and value to their children.

The centerpiece of the exhibition is a portrait of Lily in Vietnamese traditional "Ao dai".

Arroyo has worked in Vietnam for 12 years, engaging in many architectural and cultural projects. One of his outstanding designs is the Quang Ninh Museum in Ha Long city, Quang Ninh province.

In 2019, he published a photo book called "Happy Streets" and held a photo exhibition of the same name in Hanoi.

The exhibition will last until March 31.

HCM City: Eight posthumously honoured with "Heroic Vietnamese Mother"

Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City held a ceremony on March 8 to posthumously confer the title of “Heroic Vietnamese Mother” to eight women whose husbands and children laid down their lives in the struggle for national liberation and protection.

Addressing the ceremony, Phan Van Mai, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, said the Party and the State always pay attention to caring for alive heroic mothers as well as policy beneficiary families and those who rendered service to the revolution. 

The awarding of the title reflects the motherland’s recognition of the sacrifice of these women, he said.

He asked local authorities to take better care of the mothers and contribute to helping improve their lives.

Vietnam attends meetings between ASEAN and partners

Ambassador Vu Ho, Acting Head of ASEAN SOM Vietnam, on March 7-8 led a delegation to attend the 35th ASEAN-US Dialogue, the 25th ASEAN-India Senior Officials’ Meeting (AISOM), the ASEAN Plus Three Senior Officials’ Meeting (with China, Japan and the Republic of Korea) and SOM East Asia Summit (with China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Russia, India, Australia and New Zealand).

Participants to the meetings reviewed and agreed on the orientation of cooperation between ASEAN and its partners and reviewed the preparation for the Foreign Ministers' Meeting and the summits between ASEAN and its partners in 2023.

ASEAN countries proposed partners step up cooperation and effectively support ASEAN in building the community, contributing to peace, stability and common prosperity in the region. The partners reaffirmed their support for ASEAN's central role in leading dialogue and cooperation in the region, committed to participating and constructively contributing to ASEAN-led mechanisms, and shaping a region of open, inclusive, transparent, and based on international law.

The ASEAN partners proposed a variety of broad and diverse cooperation measures. The US and India were committed to working with ASEAN to effectively implement the new comprehensive strategic partnerships established in the past year.

Within the framework of ASEAN 3 and East Asia Summit, the partners proposed promoting market opening and trade liberalisation, ensuring smooth economic - trade - investment, and expanding cooperation in digital transformation, energy, food security, green and sustainable development and response to climate change. They also proposed strengthening regional health capacity against future epidemic risks, creating conditions for expanding people-to-people exchanges and connectivity after the pandemic. At the same time, members were committed to devoting resources to sub-regional cooperation and narrowing the gap in ASEAN.

Regarding regional and international issues of common concern, the countries emphasised that the complex and unpredictable developments in the geopolitical and geo-economic picture in the region posed great challenges for ASEAN as well as cooperation mechanisms chaired by ASEAN.

Accordingly, ASEAN and its partners need to maintain dialogues, build trust, comply with international law, the values and principles of the United Nations Charter, the ASEAN Charter, and the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC). The partners need to restrain, avoiding disagreements and conflicts that affect the atmosphere of dialogue and cooperation efforts in the region. ASEAN welcomed the partners to support the ASEAN Perspectives on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and effectively implement cooperation in the region.

The partners supported the role and efforts of ASEAN over the past time in assisting Myanmar to find a feasible and sustainable solution to the current crisis through the implementation of the 5-Point Consensus of ASEAN leaders; and reaffirmed their support for the principled stance of ASEAN on the East Sea, fully and effectively implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and soon developing a Code of Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (COC) that is effective and practical, in line with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). 

Speaking at these meetings, Vietnamese Ambassador Vu Ho pointed out the priorities and measures of cooperation between ASEAN and partners including the US, India, ASEAN 3 and East Asia cooperation.

He emphasised the need to promote appropriate strengths and resources to accelerate the recovery and growth in the region, narrow the development gap and develop sub-regions including the Mekong sub-region.

Regarding the East Sea, Ho reaffirmed ASEAN's principled stance, emphasised the importance of complying with international law and 1982 UNCLOS; and supported the full and effective implementation of the DOC and the promotion of negotiations to build an effective and pracatical COC in accordance with international law and 1982 UNCLOS.

The Ambassador emphasised that ASEAN and China have promoted the COC negotiation process in 2023, showing the determination of the parties to build trust, towards building the East Sea into a sea of peace and cooperation.

Indonesia, Chair of ASEAN 2023, announced that it will organise the Foreign Ministerial Meetings between ASEAN and its partners in July 2023 and the summits between ASEAN and its partners in September 2023.

Deputy PM hosts leader of major Chinese high-tech group

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang on March 8 received Ye Liaoning, Chairman of the Sunny Optical Technology Group of China, which is currently investing in the northern province of Thai Nguyen.

While acknowledging the group's investment, development and expansion plan worth between 2-2.5 billion USD in Thai Nguyen, Quang said the province is experienced in attracting and creating favourable conditions for high-tech enterprises.

The Deputy PM suggested the Chinese group have plans to invest in other localities to create its ecosystem in Vietnam, and create favourable conditions for Vietnamese high-tech enterprises to participate in its auxiliary equipment supply chain.

With an investment of 2-2.5 billion USD, the Sunny Group can establish a high-tech research and development centre in Thai Nguyen to immediately apply new technologies in production and to easily transfer the technologies to Vietnam, Quang recommended.

He requested Thai Nguyen authorities further facilitate the Sunny Group’s operations and expressed his belief that such a favourable business climate will prompt Sunny to devise an investment expansion plan in Vietnam.

For his part, Ye wished to receive support from the Vietnamese Government, ministries, and sectors in implementing the project, and pledged to strengthen cooperation between Sunny and localities of Vietnam to help promote the group’s business partnership in the country.

At the meeting, the Deputy PM witnessed the exchange of a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the Thai Nguyen People’s Committee and  Sunny concerning the implementation of the group's investment project valued between 2-2.5 billion USD.

Relations between HCM City, US flourishing: official

Chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Council Nguyen Thi Le on March 8 received Melissa Brown, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the US Department of State, who is on a working visit to the city.

Highlighting the strong progress in Vietnam - US ties, Le said relations between HCM City and the US have also been flourishing, especially in economy and trade.

The US is currently the 10th biggest foreign investor in the southern largest economic hub with over 500 direct investment projects worth almost 1.3 billion USD in total. It is also a leading trading partner of the city with about 9.3 billion USD in bilateral trade in 2022, up 3.8% year on year.

HCM City is an economic, cultural, educational, scientific and technological hub, a gateway to the world of Vietnam, and an attractive destination for US investors, the Chairwoman said, expressing her hope that the US Department of State will suggest US enterprises come to explore investment opportunities in areas matching HCM City’s priority and their potential such as smart city building, digital transformation, innovation, and environmental issues.

The city’s cooperation with US partners and localities in education, people-to-people exchanges, and cultural cooperation has also been growing well, helping enhance mutual understanding and trust between the two countries' people, she added.

For her part, Brown expressed her delight at the development of the Vietnam - US relations at not only the governmental level but also in such a big and dynamic city as HCM City, noting that her visit aims to step up the US’s cooperation and investment activities here more strongly.

She said the bilateral relations have reaped great achievements in multiple spheres, and that she hoped the two countries’ partnership will develop in an effective and practical manner.

The US is proud of the achievements in the bilateral ties and wishes to elevate its partnership with Vietnam in 2023 as the two nations are celebrating the 10th anniversary of their comprehensive partnership, the official went on.

Highly evaluating HCM City’s cooperation with US localities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles, she stressed the importance of people-to-people diplomacy and locality-to-locality cooperation to the two countries’ relations.

The US Department of State supports the continuation of mutual visits and people-to-people exchanges to help promote the bilateral relationship, Brown added.

Ba Ria-Vung Tau determined to end IUU fishing

Authorities of Ba Ria-Vung Tau held a meeting on March 8 discussing the southern province’s preparations for its fourth working session with the European Commission (EC)’s inspection team on the local fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

At the meeting, Pham Thi Na, Vice Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said Ba Ria-Vung Tau has implemented an action plan to combat IUU fishing and prepared to work with the EC delegation.

As per the plan, by May, the department and other relevant agencies and sectors have to review and count the entire number of fishing vessels in the province, and complete the registration and marking of and granting of licences for these boats. The installation of monitoring equipment on local fishing vessels in line with the regulations must also be completed, while the traceability of aquatic product exports to the EU market and others must be ensured. Also by that time, the province is expected to put an end to local vessels’ illegally fishing in foreign waters.

The plan includes long-term solutions that cover the performance of approved planning schemes and projects on sustainable maritime development; and proper investment in the conservation and restoration of marine ecosystems and restructuring of the fishery industry.

Addressing the event, Nguyen Cong Vinh, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, requested the immediate implementation of tasks in the plan.

Such efforts require the engagement of the entire political system and are considered an important political task to have the EC's “yellow card” warning against Vietnamese seafood removed at the earliest time, the official affirmed.

Embassy commemorates Algerian journalists dying in 1974 Hanoi plane crash

A delegation of the Vietnamese Embassy in Algeria visited the memorial on the street named Journalistes du Vietnam 8/3/1974 in Algiers capital city on March 8 to commemorate the Algerian journalists who died in a plane crash on the outskirts of Hanoi in 1974.

The commemoration was attended by representatives of the local administration, the Algeria - Vietnam Friendship Association, and the provisional liaison board of the Vietnamese People Association in the North African country.

On March 8, 1974, 15 Algerian journalists and technicians of Algeria’s press agencies, nine Vietnamese journalists, and three crewmembers died in a plane crash in Hanoi’s Soc Son district while accompanying then Algerian President Houari Boumediene on an official visit to Vietnam

Both Vietnam and Algeria built monuments in each country to commemorate the accident. In Vietnam, a monument was inaugurated at the scene of the accident in Soc Son during then Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s State visit in October 2000. In Algeria, the memorial was placed on the Journalistes du Vietnam 8/3/1974 street in Algiers in 2013.

The annual commemoration reflects Vietnamese people’s tradition of expressing gratitude to those who contributed to the development of the two countries’ long-standing friendship.

On March 7, Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Thanh Vinh attended a forum held by Algeria’s national daily El Moudjahid to pay tribute to the journalists who died in the 1974 accident. The event also saw the presence of former Algerian Ambassador to Vietnam Cherif Chikhi, colleagues of the victims, war veterans, and representatives of local media agencies.

Deputy PM welcomes delegation of Japan’s Kyushu Economic Federation

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang received a delegation of Japan’s Kyushu Economic Federation, led by Honorary Chairman Aso Yutaka, in Hanoi on March 8.

The Deputy PM congratulated the delegation on the inauguration of the Kyushu promotion centre in Hanoi, believing that the centre will be helpful in developing the cooperation between Kyushu region and Vietnam.

He recommended both sides cooperate to export Vietnamese agricultural products that are in demand in Japan and called for Japanese experts’ assistance in transferring farm produce processing technologies so that Vietnam can meet the Northeast Asian country’s import standards.

Regarding cooperation in human resource development, Quang considered bilateral cooperation in training nurses as positive, adding the partnership can help Vietnam acquire new healthcare technologies from Japan.

Besides, the Deputy PM also called on the Kyushu Economic Federation and its Honorary Chairman to further facilitate people-to-people diplomacy between the two countries’ localities and share experience in the fields of common concern.

At the meeting, Aso spoke highly of the two countries’ cooperation and thanked the Vietnamese Government for creating conditions for the establishment and inauguration of the Kyushu promotion centre.

He pledged to make more contributions to the growing ties between Japan and Vietnam and pay more attention to the areas where Vietnam has strength and Japan has demand in.

Vice President meets with female ambassadors, chief representatives of international organisations

Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan on March 8 met with female ambassadors and chief representatives of international organisations in Vietnam on the occasion of International Women’s Day.

Speaking at the meeting, Xuan extended the best wishes to the guests and thanked them for their contributions to peace and development in the world in general and in Vietnam in particular.

The Vice President said that she hoped through culture, the female ambassadors and chief representatives of international organisations in Vietnam will continue to connect and promote friendship and cooperation with Vietnam for peace, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.

She emphasised the key areas, including preserving and creating an environment of peace and stability, cooperation for development, compliance with international law in solving current problems; promoting post-pandemic economic development, taking advantage of the fourth Industrial Revolution, digital transformation to promote practical cooperation between Vietnam and other nations and peoples; cultural cooperation and people-to-people exchanges that are soft power to connect nations and peoples sustainably; cooperation in education, training, science, and technology to seize new development trends.

Samina Naz, Ambassador of Bangladesh to Vietnam, affirmed that empowering women and girls is the common responsibility of each person.

The whole society will benefit when women are empowered as they can make meaningful contributions to their families, communities, and countries.

Appreciating Vietnam's achievements in implementing gender equality in all fields, she affirmed that Vietnam is one of the top 10 countries in the world in terms of gender equality and empowerment for women and girls.

The International Women's Day is an opportunity to look back on the implementation of national and international commitments on empowerment for women and girls as well as heading to the way ahead, she said.

Quang Ngai officials meet photographer taking pictures of Son My massacre

Officials of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of central Quang Ngai province had a meeting on March 8 with photographer Ronald L. Haeberle, who took pictures of the Son My massacre on March 16, 1968.

At the meeting, Haeberle agreed to the display of his photos at Son My memorial site.

The two sides also discussed and agreed on the captions for the photos exhibited at the site.

On this occasion, leaders of Quang Ngai province presented a gift and thank-you letter to Haeberle acknowledging his contributions to peace building and anti-war efforts via his photos.

On March 7, the US photographer and international friends returned to Son My, an area in Tinh Khe commune of Quang Ngai city, where he took 60 pictures of the mass killing by US troops 55 years ago.

On March 16, 1968, US troops marched to Son My village with the aim of killing all and destroying all. Within just four hours, 504 innocent civilians there, including 17 children and 182 women, were slaughtered. The incident went down in history as a piercing pain of people in Son My and Vietnam as a whole.

HCM City, Association of Francophone Universities boost cooperation

Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Phan Van Mai has vowed to do his best to promote cooperation between local universities and the Association of Francophone Universities (AUF).

At a reception for AUF President Prof. Slim Khalbous on March 8, Mai expressed his pride that HCM City’s universities have contribute to the common development of the Francophone community and AUF in particular.

He said HCM City is the second biggest hub of universities in Vietnam, just behind Hanoi. They have connected closely with the local authorities so that it is easy for them to join AUF’s programmes.

The official agreed with the idea of building a career orientation and human resource training centre for the city, and establishing a joint task force with AUF’s experts to set goals of building a smart city, thus making significant contributions to the city’s development.

Khalbous, for his part, hoped that more local universities will become AUF’s members. He wished to hold more cooperation activities with the city this year on the occasion of the 30th founding anniversary of the AUF office in Vietnam.

He said AUF currently has three Francophone employment support centres in Vietnam, including those in Hanoi, HCM City and Da Nang. They are among the nine centres established in seven countries in Asia-Pacific, with the aim of providing career guidance for high school students to choose appropriate university majors and helping Vietnamese university students easily integrate into the job market.

Founded in 1962, AUF brings together Francophone higher education and research associations with headquarters in Montreal, Canada. It is now the world’s largest association of universities and research institutes with 1,007 members from 119 countries.

Vietnam, Scotland seek to promote collaboration

The Vietnamese Embassy in the UK, in collaboration with the Scottish Government and the Scotch Whisky Association, held an event named “Connecting Vietnam-Scotland” on March 7 evening (local time).

The event took place within the framework of the Vietnam-UK Friendship Year celebrating 50 years of bilateral diplomatic relations, aiming to boost cooperation between Vietnam and Scotland, particularly in trade, investment, renewable energy, education and tourism.

It also introduced and promoted cuisine culture of Vietnam – one among the 10 countries with best food in the world selected by Canadian magazine The Travel, and Scotland – the world’s biggest whisky producer.

Speaking at the event, Ambassador Nguyen Hoang Long said that the Vietnam-UK relationship is at its best-ever development stage, with two-way trade hitting 6.8 billion USD last year.

He highlighted potential in cooperation between Vietnam and the UK, including Scotland, in the fields of tourism, education, digital transformation, and renewable energy.

Mark Boyce, Head of Economic Diplomacy and Engagement at the Scottish Government, affirmed that Scotland attaches importance to its relations with Vietnam.

He agreed that there remains an ample room for bilateral collaboration in trade, tourism, wind energy, higher education, particularly in climate and environmental studies which are Scotland's strengths.

Project on upgrading road connecting Quang Nam, neighbouring areas, countries launched

A road upgrade project connecting central Quang Nam province to the Central Highlands region and neighbouring countries was launched on March 7 by the Ministry of Transport and the provincial People’s Committee.

National Route 14E, which measures 90km in length, connects the east and west sides of Quang Nam and links the province to the Central Highlands region and Laos, Cambodia and Thailand through Ho Chi Minh Road.

Quang Nam has invested to upgrade 15km of National Route 14E, which is connected to National Route 1 and the Da Nang – Quang Ngai Expressway.

The remaining section is seriously deteriorated, which increases traffic congestion and risks of accidents.

Under the upgrade project, 74km of the route will be renovated with a total investment of over 1.8 trillion VND (75.8 million USD) from 2021 to 2025. The Directorate for Roads of Vietnam (DRVN) is the head investor.

Le Tri Thanh, Chairman of the Quang Nam People’s Committee, asked that localities included in the project must work with the people and the head investor, while closely coordinating with the project’s management board for construction and land clearance.

Transport Minister Nguyen Van Thang emphasised that the route will not only connect the plains and highlands but also expand the development space of Quang Nam and the Central region, promoting trade along the East-West Economic Corridor.

Once completed, the project will shorten the distance for travel and transport of goods between Vietnam’s Central Highlands, northern and south-central coastal provinces and southern Laos, northeastern Cambodia and Thailand.

The minister also asked DRVN to effectively coordinate with Quang Nam province, in addition to supervision and management to ensure quality and progress.

He said this project is of special focus for people and businesses.

He requested the DRVN, the project management board, consulting firms and contractors quickly to develop detailed plans and suitable construction options, mobilising human resources and equipment to ensure quality, progress, safety and a clean environment.

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