The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has agreed to proceed with the biometric identification (facial recognition), authentication and use of electronic chip-embedded citizen identity cards and passports and level 2 e-identification accounts for passengers at Phu Bai International Airport in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue.

In its document sent to the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), the CAAV also agreed with the trial application of biometric technology for procedures at the airport, under a plan put forth by the ACV. The piloting period will last from now until June 13.

The ACV was also asked to launch the trial plan at Cat Bi and Noi Bai international airports in Hai Phong and Hanoi, respectively, based on the plan at Phu Bai airport, with adjustments to accommodate the unique characteristics of each airport if necessary.

Previously, the CAAV asked the ACV to work closely with Van Don international airport, relevant aviation units and State management agencies to launch biometric identification when passengers check in at airports.

The high-tech method aims to contribute to ensuring social order and security, reduce time for check-in procedures, and increase accuracy. Facial recognition technology can also improve the prevention and detection of passengers using fake documents, and detect those who are banned from flying or wanted criminals that cross borders.

Remains of Vietnamese martyrs repatriated from Laos

Remains of 96 Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts, who laid down their lives in different periods in the Lao provinces of Vientiane, Xaysomboun and Xieng Khouang, have been repatriated following ceremonies in Xieng Khouang on May 16-17.

The remains were found by a search and repatriation team of the Military Command of the Vietnamese central province of Nghe An during the 2022-2023 dry season.

In the eulogy delivered at a ceremony on May 16, Xieng Khouang’s Deputy Governor Sivilay Sengchaleun, on behalf of Party Committees, authorities and people of the Lao localities, expressed his gratitude to the Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who devoted their lives to the revolutionary cause of Laos in particular and revolutions of the two countries in general.   

He also praised the wholehearted support of the Vietnamese Party, Government, army and people for the revolutionary cause of Laos and the three provinces.
 
Vice Chairman of the Nghe An province People’s Committee Bui Dinh Long thanked the Lao side for its coordination and support in searching and repatriating the remains of the martyrs.

Established in 1984, the search and repatriation team of Nghe An province’s Military Command have brought home and reburied remains of 13,025 martyrs.

The 96 are to be laid to rest at a cemetery in Nghi Loc district, Nghe An province.

Wartime bomb found in Quang Binh

A bomb weighing 334 kilos has been detected at a construction site in the central province of Quang Binh.

A man in Truong Thuy Commune saw the bomb at a depth of 1.5 metres while levelling the ground to build a livestock barn.  

He quickly informed local authorities.

Following the report from Quang Binh’s Military Command, a team from the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) project came to the site to relocate the bomb.

It took the team two hours to extract the bomb. It is now waiting to undergo a controlled detonation.

Large numbers of wartime bombs have also been detected in Quang Binh.

The Ministry of Defence said that nearly 225,000 hectares of land across Quang Binh were affected by unexploded ordnance (UXO). Landmine or UXO accidents have claimed more than 2,930 lives in the province.

Mid-term reviews of Politburo, Secretariat discussed by Party Central Committee

The 13th-tenure Party Central Committee discussed a mid-term report reviewing the leadership and direction of the Politburo and the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat, and on some focal tasks until the end of the Party’s 2021 - 2026 tenure on the second working day of its mid-term meeting in Hanoi on May 16.

The committee also looked into the self-performance reviews of the members of the Politburo and the Secretariat in the 13th tenure.

Politburo member and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, on behalf of the Politburo, chaired the discussion.

The mid-term meeting, opened on May 15 and scheduled to last until May 17, is set to cast a vote of confidence on members of the 13th-tenure Politburo and Secretariat, and consider other important matters.

Participants will analyse the new situation with both opportunities and challenges to put forth policies and decisions for the last half of the term.

They will also review and roll out decisions on various issues of great significance to the completion of the political tasks of the 13th Party Central Committee from now to the end of the term.

Ba Ria-Vung Tau: Rare sea turtle released back to wild

A 3kg hawksbill sea turtle that was accidentally caught by a local man has been released back to the sea off the coast of the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

Soldiers from the border guard post in Phuoc Thuan port collaborated with the authorities of Xuyen Moc district’ Phuoc Thuan commune to organise the release on May 15.

Earlier on the same day, the wild animal was handed over by a local man who accidentally caught it near Ho Tram beach.

The turtle, scientific name Eretmochelys imbricata, is one of the five sea turtle species in danger of extinction in the world and Vietnam. Many of them are living in the territorial waters of the province's Con Dao district.

In Vietnam, any act of illegally hunting, killing, raising, confining, possessing, transporting, or trading of sea turtles or their parts and products is a serious violation of the law and may be subject to prosecution with a penalty of up to 15 years in prison.

Village teacher helps ethnic students keep going to school

An ethnic teacher in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai finds many ways to encourage poor ethnic students to overcome difficulties to pursue studying.

Born in a poor village, Nay Khon – a Jrai ethnic man of Chu Gu commune in Krong Pa District overcame difficulties trying to study with a desire to return to teach the ethnic children in his hometown.

Understanding the difficulties of the ethnic students, since graduating from school to teaching until now, Khon has helped many poor students pursue their studies.

In 1995, Khon graduated from a three-year training course of pedagogy at Gia Lai Pedagogy College and then was assigned to work at a number of elementary schools in difficult areas of Krong Pa district.

In the 2022-23 school year, he was transferred to teach at a school in the Ia Jip ethnic hamlet, 24km from the centre of Krong Pa district.

Since the school was built in 2002, the classrooms had degraded.

Responding to the movement of building green, clean, beautiful and safe classrooms launched by the school’s principal, Khon determined to re-design the classrooms with his students.

The moldy, dirty walls were cleverly covered by wallpaper. The teacher also encouraged students to bring branches of wild orchids, flowers and plants to decorate and create natural corners in the classrooms and the school's balconies.

In the dry season, he also instructs students to bring water bottles from home to take care of the plants.

Thanks to the perseverance of the teacher and students, anyone who visits the school is surprised and admires Khon and his students’ efforts to build a green, clean, beautiful and safe school.

In addition, in an effort to maintain the number of students in class, Khon often goes to remote hamlets to persuade parents to send their children to school regularly.

Understanding the difficulties of his students who have to help their parents earn more income and put studying on hold, the teacher braved the sun and the rain, wading through the forest to find and mobilise students to come to class regularly.

Ksor H'Met, a student who stayed in the same grade for two years in a row because she often missed school to help her parents work in the fields, said that her family struggled with many brothers and sisters. Although her parents work hard in the field, they could not afford to support their children.

She has to drop out of school to herd goats and earn more money for her family.

Knowing that, Nay Khon deducted his salary and supported H'Met and her sisters in daily life as well as with studying.

Regularly, after the morning class, the teacher cooks lunch at the school’s kitchen for H'Met and her sisters and some other poor students so that they can attend classes in the afternoon.

In order to help poor students have enough school supplies, every summer, the teacher asks sponsors to provide school supplies and books for students at Ia Jip school.

In the school year 2022-23, the teacher received four used bicycles and then repaired gave them to his students.

In addition, he also used his own salary to buy three sets of new clothes, two pairs of slippers, two briefcases and school supplies for disadvantaged students in his class.

To attract students to read books daily and have a habit of reading books, Khon decorated a corner of the classroom as a library and organised a reading club in class.

Specifically, he divided the students into reading groups with each group of four to six students. The students helped each other to improve their reading skill. Every Friday, the group leaders reported on their group's performance.

Thanks to the activity, the reading skill and literary of his students improved dramatically, which is highly appreciated by the school’s principal, and is followed by other teachers.

Daon Thi Thuy, principal of Tran Quoc Tuan School, said Khon is a dedicated teacher.

With strong effort and empathy with poor students, he had maintained the number of students in class for many years, Thuy said.

His students won one second prize and one consolation prize in a contest of Vietnamese language at the school.

Financial supporting poor students helped many students pursue their studies.

Photographic images of Vietnamese women displayed in France

A unique photo exhibition featuring Vietnamese women’s beauty from various angles by French photographer Thiery Beyne is currently taking place at the Cosmopolis cultural space in Nantes, France. 
      
The exhibition themed "Femmes du Vietnam: Tradition et Modernities" (Vietnamese women: Tradition and Modernity) is being jointly organised by the France-Vietnam Friendship Association and the authorities of the Loire-Atlantique region in France.

More than 60 artworks highlighting Vietnamese women’s beauty seen from their back, along with their costumes, working tools, and household utensils were photographed by Thiery Beyne during his past tours throughout Vietnam.

Beyne began travelling in the 1980s, traversing several Asian countries, including India, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam.

During his Vietnam tours, including a 7-year-stay, he has had a chance to travel from north to south, meet many different people, and showcase different perspectives about life in Vietnam through his work.

The exhibition also showcases black-and-white photographs featuring Vietnamese landscapes and people in daily lives snapped by French photographer Jean-Michel Nicolau.

Besides, portraits of 11 outstanding Vietnamese women by French journalist Sabrina Rouille are being exhibited.

The event is taking place as part of Festival aux Coeurs du Vietnam, the Vietnamese heart festival, in celebration the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and France this year.

The exhibition will last through to May 21.

2023-2025 cultural development programme given go-ahead

The Vietnamese Government has approved a national programme on cultural development for the 2023 - 2025 period.

Under a decision recently signed by Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, the programme is set to be implemented nationwide and in several countries that have long-term cultural relations with Vietnam.

It will primarily focus on cultural heritage, grassroots-level culture, performing arts, fine arts, photography and exhibitions, cinematography, library, training, national culture; foreign culture, and cultural industry, among others.

The scheme puts forward eight groups of tasks and solutions, including perfecting cultural policies, improving the operational efficiency of cultural institutions, and building a healthy cultural environment. It underscores the importance of developing a contingent of writers, artists, intellectuals, and human resources for cultural management, training, and scientific research; creating distinctive cultural products of Vietnam; as well as promoting Vietnamese culture to the world.

Efforts will be made to preserve and protect heritages and indigenous cultures of various ethnic groups in danger of dying out; collect rare and ancient documents of special historical, cultural, and scientific value for preservation; and apply information technology and digital transformation advances in cultural heritage management.

The Government has requested that centrally-run cities and provinces allocate adequate capital and effectively mobilise capital from other resources in order to invest in new cultural projects, especially those in new urban areas.

Local child model wins runner-up title at international fashion contest

Child model Dang Minh Anh, 13, was named as the runner-up at the Luxury Brand Model Awards 2023 which recently concluded in Da Nang.

The international fashion contest took place as part of Luxury Brand Global Fashion Week 2023, with the ultimate aim of seeking outstanding child models from across the world.

This year’s contest gathered together 30 child models from around the globe, with the winner going to the contestant from the Republic of Korea and Minh Anh coming second.

Minh Anh has spent six years working as a model. The 13-year-old girl stands at 1.66 metres tall and has a beautiful face. She was named as the winner of Model Kid Vietnam 2022 contest.

The Hanoi native has performed in many international fashion events, including Aquafina Vietnam International Fashion Week (AVIFW), Vietnam International Junior Fashion Week, Seoul Kids Fashion Week, and Bangkok Kids International Fashion Week.

Elderly man gets PM’s Merit Certificate for land donation

The Prime Minister’s Certificate of Merit has been awarded to an elderly man who donated 7,000 square metres of land to build a road in Bình Phước Province.

Nguyễn Hữu Đây, a resident from Đồng Xoài City, also voluntarily demolished his house to use that land for road construction work.

Nguyễn Bình Minh, chairman of Đồng Xoài City People's Committee said the 1,150m long road was put into use after nearly a year of construction, connecting Tôn Đức Thắng Street in Tiến Thành Ward with Đồng Xoài Industrial Park III.

The project has a total investment of VNĐ60 billion (US$2,550).

Forty-one households affected by construction have voluntarily handed over 3.8ha of land for the project, Minh said.

Many local families also donated hundreds and thousands of square metres of their land to the project.

So far, local households have donated about 42 hectares of land to build roads, worth over VNĐ500 billion ($21.2 million)

At the ceremony, the local People's Committee rewarded ten households for their contributions to the project and launched the activities to plant 8,000 trees, responding to Bình Phước Province's programme of planting one million trees per year. 

Việt kiều singer’s project celebrates 30-year journey in music

Vietnamese-American pop star Thanh Hà has launched a new music project in HCM City celebrating her 30-year career.

The project, My Song-My Stories, will offer a series of music videos (MV) featuring songs by Vietnamese composers, such as Hoài Sa, Đức Trí, Dũng Dalat, Vĩnh Tâm and Anh Khoa, who were famous in the 1990s-2000s.

The first MV, called Giọt Lệ Cho Ngàn Sau (Forever Tears), featuring a pop song about love and women by Từ Công Phụng and Hoài Sa, was released last week.

In the following productions, Hà will sing pop, dance and R&B music by Đức Trí and Phương Uyên. These works have won the hearts of Vietnamese audiences at home and abroad. They will be released in August.

Music producer Trí is a graduate in composing from the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, and has more than 30 years of experience in the industry.

Composer and rocker Uyên began her career in 1992 after winning a top prize at the Pop-Rock Festival in HCM City. She owns a studio and works as a music producer for pop idols such as Thanh Thảo and Thanh Duy.

Hà began her professional career in 1995 after moving to the US. She is famous in pop and R&B.

She has worked with music producers and entertainment agencies, and performed on more than 80 music videos (MV) and albums.

Hà has performed in many concerts and music festivals in France, Canada and the US, and worked with Thúy Nga Paris By Night, a music show produced by Thúy Nga Productions in Paris.

She has performed several solo shows and concerts in HCM City, Hà Nội and Đà Nẵng in recent years. 

Picture book on VN, its people reprinted

A picture book on Việt Nam, featuring the history, culture and developments of the country’s 54 ethnic groups, has been reprinted by the Kim Đồng Publishing House.

The reprinted work targets children and teenagers aged 11-15 years old.

The 172-page book is titled Đất Nước Gấm Hoa (Beautiful Việt Nam) and is written by female author Võ Thị Mai Chi. Its coloured pictures, based from different sources, are created by Hồ Quốc Cường.

It includes 63 maps of regions, cities and provinces across Việt Nam.

The book serves as an important learning tool for young readers, in the classroom and at home, to help them develop language and creativity skills. Its pictures help to improve children's storytelling skills and boost their engagement in reading.

“Reading Đất Nước Gấm Hoa will help us discover and learn facts about the country, its history and culture,” said Nguyễn Minh Thuỳ, a fifth-grade schoolgirl from HCM City’s Phú Nhuận District.

Kim Đồng Publishing House, the country’s leading State-owned publisher for children's books, has 65 years in the industry. It has signed contracts with well-known authors, including young writers, to create books for teenagers.

Its reading programmes provide new book titles for children by Vietnamese and foreign writers.

The editing staff is working to provide more Vietnamese titles for children and senior school students this summer.

Books featuring Vietnamese culture, customs, history and arts have been issued. They include works by famous authors and poets such as Lê Đức Dương, Mai Ngô and Lưu Quang Vũ.

Its website, www.nxbkimdong.com.vn, has introduced new books in literature, history and the arts targeting children and teenagers.

Phan, Huệ top HCM City Night Run's podium

Elite athletes Phạm Ngọc Phan and Phạm Thị Huệ won the half marathon categories of the second HCM City Night Run on May 14.

Phan finished first in the men's division in a time of 1hr 15.39min. He was followed by Lê Hữu Lộc (1:16.49) and Đặng Anh Quyết (1:17:34).

Meanwhile, Huệ took the top podium after a run of 1:23.31.

Đoàn Thị Hiền (1:31.19) came in second and Nguyễn Thị Minh Hiền (1:35.40) was third.

In the 10km category, Lý Nhân Tín (34.31min) and Bùi Thị Thu Hà (20.12) won the men's and women's titles, respectively.

In the 5km, Đào Minh Thiện (16.51) and Khuất Phương Anh (20.03), two members of the national teams, finished first.

The organisers delivered a total of 72 prizes of VNĐ1.5 billion (US$64,000) in cash and gifts that were awarded to high-ranking runners in the main races and sideline categories including Team Run, the Couple's Run and Cosplay.

Designed as a running festival, more than 2,800 participants were given a chance to enjoy typical Vietnamese experiences and many activities during the two-day event.

Three routes led runners through HCM City's iconic landmarks and famous cultural sites under the cool night weather of the city, giving them amazing feelings of the urban night.

Competitors in the half marathon category ran in a route that linked HCM City's centre streets with new Thủ Đức City across the well-known bridges of Thủ Thiêm and Ba Son.

According to the organisers, under the theme of 'Light your Night', the marathon was not just a sport tournament. It was also a cultural event where athletes have the opportunity to discover and experience a different Sài Gòn at night. They also exchanged, connected and shared their experiences, bringing a memorable and emotional race to each other in the festive atmosphere.

The marathon is jointly organised by the HCM City People's Committee, the city's Athletics Federation and Unique Event & Media.

It was one of the activities to celebrate late President Hồ Chí Minh's 133rd birth anniversary on May 19.

It was expected to encourage people to take part in sports and running in particular.

Through the marathon, organisers also wanted to introduce a dynamic and integrated HCM City to wider domestic and international visitors in an effort to boost local tourism. 

Vietnamese women’s charms shine in France

Photos and items featuring the traditional and modern charms of Vietnamese women in everyday life and work have impressed visitors to an exhibition in Nantes city, France.

Co-organised by the Vietnam-Loire-Atlantique Friendship Association (AVLA) and the city hall of Nantes, the exhibition was part of the former’s ongoing festival marking the 50th anniversary of the two nations’ diplomatic relations. The festival, lasting until May 21, entails myriad activities including a film screening programme, and talkshows with Vietnamese origin writers, journalists, historians and artists.

It showcased 60 photos by Thiery Beyne, a French photographer who spent seven years living in Vietnam, and a number of black and white shots taken by late local photographer Jean-Michel Nicolau.

Also on display were the portraits of 11 Vietnamese women from all walks of life by French journalist Sabrina Rouillé as well as clothes, working tools, and everyday objects used the group.

Founded in 1964 by Vietnamese alumni and locals in Loire-Atlantique, the AVLA aims at promoting solidarity with Vietnam and introducing the Southeast Asian nation to people and Vietnamese expatriates in France. Its activities cover art-cultural events and fund-raising campaigns for charity work.

Quang Ninh to become a centrally-run city without districts

Quang Ninh will become a centrally-managed city by 2030 with seven subordinate cities, making it a large metropolitan city with regional and international significance.

The Quảng Ninh Province’s People’s Committee has approved the Urban Development Programme of Quảng Ninh Province to 2023. The province will develop seven cities within the centrally-run city, districts will not be formed in the city.

This model is unique as there is currently nothing similar explicitly defined in existing legal documents.

Those cities will be linked together by advanced technical infrastructure systems such as urban public transport systems or information and communication technology infrastructure.

The seven subordinate cities include Hạ Long, Quảng Yên, Uông Bí, Đông Triều, Cẩm Phả, Vân Đồn and Móng Cái cities.

Those cities are invested in building socio-economic and technical infrastructure following the criteria of Grade 1 cities by 2030. There are 152 commune-level administrative units, of which there are 77 wards.

The urban population is up to 850,000 people, accounting for 86.7 per cent of the province’s population.

Five other urban areas in the districts are Tiên Yên, Đầm Hà, Bình Liêu, Ba Chẽ and Cô Tô.

According to the programme, Quảng Ninh Province will qualify to be a centrally-run city by 2023 and will strive to achieve structure and socio-economic development criteria. The other cities also will attempt to meet the criteria of a Grade 1 city.

Currently, Quảng Ninh has 13 urban areas of which one city is a Grade 1 provincial-run city.

Along with that, Quảng Ninh also has two coastal economic zones and three border gate economic zones. The province's urbanisation rate reaches 67.5 per cent.

By 2030, the province will strive to have 12 administrative units with 12 urban areas, of which, four are Grade 1 cities including Hạ Long, Móng Cái, Uông Bí and Cẩm Phả.

Tiên Yên will be a Grade 3 city, Đầm Hà, Bình Liêu-Hoành Mô-Đồng Văn and Cô Tô will be Grade 4 cities and one city of Grade 5 is Ba Chẽ Town.

The urbanisation rate will be over 75 per cent. 

Health sector struggles with vaccine shortage

The shortage of vaccines in public health facilities has led to many families willing to pay instead of waiting for free vaccination services under the national expanded programme on immunisation (EPI).

Doctor Phạm Văn Tuấn, director of Bình Chánh District Health Centre, said that the centre experienced a vaccine shortage and had to advise families to select private providers instead.

He said for many months, the number of vaccines provided for the expanded vaccination programme did not meet actual demand.

Among vaccines being administered at the HCM City Centre for Disease Control (HCDC), many are out of stock, including 3 in 1 (diphtheria – whooping cough – tetanus), 5 in 1 (diphtheria – whooping cough – tetanus – polio – measles).

A representative of a ward health station in Bình Thạnh District said that many health clinics are struggling with vaccine shortage.

Their clinic currently lacks a "5 in 1" vaccine. The supply of measles vaccine, measles–rubella MR vaccine, diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus vaccine are also one-off and not stable.

Work performance and extra income of staff of a health clinic are based partly on the vaccination rates of children in the ward, therefore this also affects them.

According to a representative of HCDC, the interruption of vaccine supply is a common issue in many localities, not just HCM City.

The EPI is providing immunisation to 10 vaccine-preventable diseases in Việt Nam.

It is estimated that EPI has saved 42,000 lives and prevented more than 6.7 million childhood diseases like polio, tetanus, diphtheria, measles and pertussis with high vaccine coverage.

Ho Chi Minh City lacks many vaccines

In early May, the Ministry of Health asked the provincial health departments to identify the demand (for vaccines) and report to their locality’s People's Committee to arrange funding and procurement.

The Ministry of Finance proposed that starting from 2023 localities will balance the funds used to buy vaccinations and vaccines and deploy procurement instead of having these done by the Ministry of Health as before.

On May 11, Deputy Prime Minister Trần Hồng Hà asked the health ministry to consider and have the plan to place orders or have bid and negotiate prices so that localities can have a basis for procurement and avoid the lack of vaccines for the EPI.

Nguyễn Hoài Nam, deputy director of the HCMC Department of Health, said that the city's lack of many vaccines for the EPI has been going on for a long time.

According to the latest direction of the Government, the health ministry still conducts bidding and procurement for vaccines for this programme.

The health department of the city calculated and sent the estimated amount of vaccines needed for the EPI in 2023 and the first six months of 2024 to the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology.

Accordingly, in 2023, HCM City needs some 672,000 doses of the vaccines for the EPI of 12 types/groups, among them the DPT-VGB-Hib vaccine ("5-in-1" vaccine) accounted for the largest share with 123,000 doses.

In the first six months of 2024, the city is expected to need more than 880,000 doses.

In total, from now until June 2024, the city is expected to need nearly 1,553,000 doses of vaccines for the EPI.

Amid the current vaccine shortage, the health sector of the city recommends the public take measures to proactively prevent common infectious diseases such as frequent hand washing, wearing a mask when having respiratory symptoms, cleaning contact surfaces and keeping the house well-ventilated. 

Hanoi proposes adjusting second airport to international status

The People's Committee of Hà Nội has proposed the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Transport reconsider the function of the city's second airport as an international airport instead of the domestic status as previously approved by the ministry.

In a document signed by Vice Chairman Dương Đức Tuấn and sent to the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Transport, the city’s committee stated that according to the plan submitted by the Ministry of Transport to the Prime Minister, Hà Nội would construct a second airport as a domestic airport, which is expected to be located in the southeast or south of the city, by 2050.

The planning project does not specify the criteria for the airport's scale, classification, capacity, or land area.

The committee stated that the adjusted master plan for the construction of the Hà Nội capital region by 2030 with a vision towards 2050, which was approved by the then Prime Minister in 2016, plans to build a second airport in the city.

The potential locations for the second airport include the Lý Nhân district area in Hà Nam Province, approximately 60-65km from the city centre; the southern area of the city in Ứng Hoà District, approximately 35-40km from the city centre; the Thanh Miện and Bình Giang districts in Hải Dương Province, approximately 45-50km from the city centre; and the Tiên Lãng District in Hải Phòng City, approximately 120km from the city centre.

The city’s committee has proposed the airport to be an international one, while the ministry has only specified it as a domestic one.

According to the committee, during the participation in the consultation on the national airport system planning for the period of 2021-2030 with a vision towards 2050, the committee already proposed the ministry to study the construction of the second international airport.

This proposal aims at increasing the total capacity of the city’s airports to 130-150 million passengers per year by 2050 in a bid to meet the transport demands of the city’s people.

The committee said that the city’s population is expected to reach approximately 21-23 million people and a total area of about 24,314 square kilometres by 2050. This number is basically equivalent to HCM City with a population of 24-25 million people and an area of about 30,400 square kilometres.

The national airport system planning by the ministry, which is to be submitted to the Prime Minister, has designated Tân Sơn Nhất and Long Thành as the two international airports in HCM City with a total capacity of about 150 million passengers per year.

Therefore, it is necessary to construct two international airports in Hà Nội, it said.

The committee has proposed the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Transport adjust the nature and function of the second airport in the city as an international airport.

The ministry should study and determine the location and planning criteria for this airport, which will serve as a basis for the committee to update the capital's master plan.

According to the national airport system master plan for the period of 2021-2030 with a vision towards 2050, the country will have a total of 33 airports by 2050. 

Bac Ha White Plateau Festival slated for early June

The annual Bac Ha White Plateau Festival 2023 is scheduled to get underway in Bac Ha district in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai from June 3 to 11, with a traditional horse race to be the main activity.      

The festival will mark the 16th time that the horse race is held in the mountainous area. This year the race will take place from June 3 to 10 at Bac Ha stadium, with the participation of jockeys from Lao Cai and the neighbouring provinces of Tuyen Quang, Ha Giang, and Lai Chau.

The festival will also include a street carnival, an opening ceremony of a pedestrian street, a programme of recreating intangible cultural heritage of the Bac Ha horse race, and art performances put on by ethnic people at the Hoang A Tuong Palace.

Other activities such as tours to explore the tea making culture of the Tay ethnic group, and to discover sightseeing spots in the northern mountainous area, will also be held.

Bac Ha district is famous for its rural market session which is held every Sunday. The site is not only a trading place, but also a venue for cultural exchanges among ethnic people residing in the region. The horse trading session is held as part of the Sunday market. The local horse is praised as one of the most beautiful types of horse throughout the country.

The horse race is a unique traditional cultural practice done by ethnic groups living on Bac Ha white plateau. Organised annually since 2007, the race has been an a much-anticipated sporting event among both locals and visitors to the town.

Hanoi launches free health check-up program

The Hanoi Department of Health has coordinated with the capital city's outlying district of Me Linh to launch free health check-ups and management for residents.

The Me Linh District People's Committee has planned to provide free health checkups and management for 180,600 of the total 250,000 residents. The budget for the program is more than VND20 billion (US$853,000), mainly from social sources, according to the committee.

At the launching ceremony, Chairman of the Hanoi People's Council Nguyen Ngoc Tuan underlined that this is a practical and meaningful activity in ensuring social welfare, especially for those living in disadvantaged circumstances.

To make the program effective, Chairman Tuan called on Me Linh authorities to focus on implementing the inspection and management plan. After evaluating the results, the city will consider replicating this model in other localities in the city.

The program involves a team of medical staff and doctors from centrally-run Hanoi hospitals who promote medical ethics and closely coordinate with Me Linh District's authorities to organize health check-ups and ensure that people enjoy the maximum benefits of the program, Tuan said.

For people over 45 years of age, capillary blood sugar and general abdominal ultrasound tests will be performed as prescribed by the doctor. Cases of abnormal pathology are supported with monitoring or transfer to the hospital for intensive examination and treatment. In addition, people can also consult doctors about their health, treatment methods, appropriate diet, and so on.

Vietnam secures Covid-19 vaccine supply for expanded immunization program

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha has asked the Ministry of Health (MoH) to order or seek donations of the Covid-19 vaccine to ensure sufficient vaccine supply for the expanded immunization program.

He noted that in May this year, the Ministry of Health will establish a steering committee led by the Vietnam Drug Administration to take responsibility for the program.

Special priority mechanisms will be given to combination vaccines not yet introduced in the National Expanded Vaccination Program in 2023-25 and to research and production of Covid-19 vaccines, according to the MoH.

The national program to ensure the supply of Covid-19 vaccine will focus on human resources training, which will help train local experts and attract foreign specialists to help with research and production.

Vietnam has had the Expanded Vaccination Program in place since 1981. Since then, it has been supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). The program has been expanded to include 12 free vaccines for children from newborns to 10 years of age and the Covid-19 vaccine.

According to an MoH report, Vietnam recorded 1,050 new Covid-19 cases on May 14, the lowest daily number in the past month. The new cases bring the country's total number of Covid-19 infections since the outbreak to nearly 11.6 million.

Vietnam has administered more than 266 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine.

The ministry plans to continue accelerating Covid-19 vaccination, especially for high-risk cases, children aged five to under 12 years, and those living in large cities and areas considered key tourist spots with high numbers of international visitors.

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