Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture and Sports Vo Trong Nam said that the department has been assigned to implement 48 projects in the medium-term public plan for the 2021-2025 period.

From 2020 to date, the department coordinated with relevant units to propose a list of 71 projects that need capital allocation for implementation, especially giving priority to projects of the 2021-2025 period with an estimated cost of VND6,794 billion (US$288 million).

However, to date, the culture and sports sector only received an additional allocation of the mid-term capital of VND5.14 billion for the 2021-2025 period to carry out 28 projects.

This year, the department proposed the municipal government allocates capital for nine projects but only five projects were approved.

Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Hoang said that the department has managed and invested in 54 projects worth total capital of more than VND10,000 billion in the 2021-2025 period.

For the whole period, the medium-term capital plan of the Department is more than VND1,400 billion VND. At present, the disbursement rate reached 31.8 percent.

The disbursement rate was 98 percent in 2021 and 63 percent in 2022 due to problems in site clearance compensation. The department disbursed VND28 billion out of the assigned capital of over VND455 billion in 2023.

Vice Chairman of the HCMC People’s Council Nguyen Van Dung asked the two departments to accelerate the disbursement of public investment. The high disbursement rate of public funds has significance, especially in the context of the bid demand for public investment of the two departments.

Hanoi needs innovative strategies to promote green buses

Hanoi needs a proper roadmap and motivating factors, including energy resource planning, preferential policies, and support mechanisms to promote the development of green buses, according to Nguyen Phi Thuong, director of Hanoi's Department of Transport. 

Since 2021, Hanoi has conducted a pilot green mass transit network consisting of nine electric bus lines operated by Vinbus Ecological Transport Service Company. These eco-friendly bus routes have positively impacted the public transport network and the city's environment.

Nguyen Cong Nhat, General Director of Vinbus Ecological Transport Service, noted that the nine electric bus lines had traveled more than 20.3 million kilometers, reducing more than 18,000 tons of CO2 emissions. This reduction is equivalent to planting about 844,000 trees.

In addition, these electric buses have carried nearly 32 million passengers, about 80% of whom are office workers. A recent survey showed that 90% of passengers were satisfied with the quality of the electric buses, Nhat added.

Thai Ho Phuong, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Public Transport Management Center, also highlighted the application of information technology in Vinbus' nine electric bus lines, which has significantly improved operational efficiency and service quality.

However, despite the positive results achieved during the trial period, electric buses face significant challenges, mainly stemming from inadequate mechanisms and policies.

"Investors in electric buses cannot access the preferential loans offered in Hanoi. An electric bus costs 3 to 3.5 times higher than a conventional bus, making interest payment expenses approximately 10 to 11% of the total cost. The company is operating at a loss, and without substantial financial backing, its sustainability is at stake," said Nhat.

The Vinbus director added that while the two electric bus depots in urban areas have a stable energy supply, expanding the electric bus network throughout the city would be extremely challenging without proper energy resource planning.

Electric bus is seen as a feasible solution for Hanoi to promote green public transport system.  Nguyen Phi Thuong, Director of the Hanoi Department of Transportation, expressed his sympathy for the challenges faced by companies during the pilot phase of introducing green buses for public transport and praised the efforts made by Vinbus and other companies in recent years.

Thuong stressed that one of the main shortcomings of electric buses and the bus network is the lack of well-defined roadmaps. This is especially crucial regarding the transition of the bus network to the use of green vehicles under the Government's plan.

He also emphasized the importance of addressing businesses' challenges and providing timely support and solutions for developing clean energy buses. "There are support mechanisms and policies that exist on paper but have not been effectively implemented, such as loans that are difficult to access, discouraging companies from investing in vehicle conversion."

In addition, ensuring adequate power supply for clean energy buses requires the involvement of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and related departments. This issue must be integrated into overall network planning to prepare for a future in which Hanoi and other cities will have thousands of electric buses.

According to the planned timeline, between 2025 and 2030, all new or replacement buses in Hanoi must use green energy, while the market share of public transport should reach 45-50%. By 2030, at least 50% of vehicles should be powered by electricity and other forms of green energy. By 2050, the goal is for 100% of buses and taxis to be powered by electricity and green energy sources.

Phu Yen's man prosecuted for infringing upon State interests

The Investigation Security Agency under the Department of Public Security of Phu Yen province has decided to start legal proceedings against Nay Y Blang, born in 1976, for the charge of “Taking advantage of democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the State, the legitimate rights and interests of organisations and individuals”.

On May 18, the Investigation Security Agency arrested Nay Y Blang (also known as Ma Tuong), who resides Song Hinh district's Ea Lam commune. According to the initial investigations, Phu Yen police defined that since late 2019, Nay Y Blang had participated in the Central Highlands Protestant Church of the Christ (CHPC) led by A Ga who is living in the US.

He regularly used his own house to gather several CHPC members in Ea Lam commune of Song Hinh district for online meetings with core members of the organisation in Vietnam.

Although local authorities repeatedly explained that joining a religious or belief organisation must strictly comply with the Law on Belief and Religion, Nay y Blang ignored it. The man considered himself a missionary and organised illegal religious activities, incited and lured many others to participate in the organisation, which runs against the law.

He also repeatedly provided false information for foreign individuals and organisations, slandered and distorted the State's belief and religion policies in order to degrade Vietnam's prestige in the international arena.

National cultural heritage painting contest launched

A painting contest to honour Vietnam’s cultural heritage has opened for entries from all comers of the country.      

As part of Day of Vietnamese Heritage that falls on November 23, the contest is being organised by the Vietnam Cultural Heritage Association and Trinh Gia Joint Stock Company.

It is open to art lovers, young artists, university students specialising in fine arts nationwide, and Vietnamese students living abroad.

The contest is to find fine paintings on the cultural heritage of Vietnam to introduce them to people both across the country and abroad.

Artworks are required to illustrate tangible and intangible cultural heritages along with scenic spots nationwide. Entrants can paint on canvas, lacquers, acrylics, silk, and graphics.

The organising board will receive entries from now until September 30.

A total of 27 prizes are worth up to VND960 million, including VND100 million for a special prize and VND75 million for first prize.

The winners will be announced on November 23 before being exhibited at the Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum.

New task force promotes innovation and financing for plastic waste reduction

The Việt Nam National Plastic Action Partnership (NPAP) has launched a new task force to promote innovation and catalyse investment in effective solutions for reducing plastic waste and pollution in Việt Nam.

In collaboration with the Royal Norwegian Embassy and its Commercial Section - Innovation Norway, the Task Force held its first meeting to discuss new technologies for Deposit Return Systems (DRS) yesterday.

The NPAP Innovation and Financing Task Force, co-chaired by the International Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Natural Science and Environment (MONRE) and the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, brought together government agencies and domestic and international enterprises and organisations to boost innovative ideas and solutions to drive positive changes in plastic reduction, reuse and recycling and to unlock new sources of sustainable financing.

DRS is a scheme where consumers pay a small deposit when purchasing bottles or cans. The deposit is refunded when they return the container to a designated collection point. This scheme economically incentivises consumers to return used containers for reuse and recycling, reducing pressure on landfills and protecting rivers and oceans from plastic litter.

High-performing DRS can significantly accelerate the circularity of beverage containers like plastic bottles and aluminum cans with high recovery rates and is a key approach for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) by companies that produce and use such containers.

In her opening remarks, Mette Møglestue, Deputy Head of Mission at the Norwegian Embassy said: “DRS has proven to be the best performing system that induces the highest collection and highest recycling rate of beverage containers. Regarded as the world's role model for beverage container recovery and recycling, Norway’s DRS is one of the most efficient in the world and is part of the EPR mechanism.”

Highlighting Norway’s successful cooperation model among government-research-industry, Møglestue emphasised: “Within the framework of our cooperation with the Vietnamese Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and related stakeholders, we appreciate the opportunity to share Norway’s success stories and international practices to help strengthen Vietnamese legal framework on EPR and DRS”.

The chair of the Task Force, Lê Ngọc Tuấn, Director General of MONRE’s International Cooperation Department, emphasised that the establishment of the NPAP Innovation and Financing Task Force is part of the plan agreed upon at the annual meeting of the NPAP Leadership Board on 12 April 2023. This is the first task force to be launched and to become operational within the framework of the Việt Nam NPAP to meet the requirements of the actual situation after two years of implementation in Việt Nam.

Members of the new Task Force include the Việt Nam National Innovation Center (NIC), Dow Việt Nam, Unilever, An Phát Holdings, Duy Tân Recycling, GreenHub, Startup Vietnam Foundation (SVF), Innovation Norway, UNDP, and the World Bank.

The task force has also attracted the participation of innovators from UNDP’s Ending Plastic Pollution Challenges (EPPIC) such as Galaxy Biotech, who encouraged other innovators to access the NPAP platform and explore new investment opportunities.

Commercial Counsellor of the Norwegian Embassy, Director of Innovation Norway Arne-Kjetil Lian spoke highly of the launch of the Innovation & Financing taskforce.

Participants shared their experiences and expertise on DRS, including benefits, challenges, and a planned pilot activity and feasibility study to develop policy recommendations on applying DRS in Việt Nam. They also discussed the NPAP task force work plan in 2023 that should explore and leverage the current resources for promoting plastic innovations and good practices. 

Marathoners to run, travel with music at the 2023 Dalat Music Night Run

The second Dalat Music Night Run will entertain marathoners with the beauty of the Central Highlands at night and an extravaganza of music shows on June 3 in Đà Lạt City, Lâm Đồng Province.

Runners will take part in three distance categories of 5km, 10km and 21km which are designed to lead them around the city's symbol of Xuân Hương Lake.

Races will begin at 5pm when the city is in the sunset, one of the most beautiful moments of the day.

When the city's light is up, runners will enjoy the shimmering beauty of the yellow electric lights shining in the dark sky. Different genres of music from romantic ballads to pop and rock rhythms and trendy songs by famous artists will be performed on outdoor stages to entertain them through the race.

At the same time, the streets become bustling and crowded. On their chill tracks, runners will have a chance to admire the nightlife activities and the attractive destinations around the city.

In addition to the race, entitled Music Run – Run to the Beat, participants will experience sidelined events organised at the expo area with kiosks for local cuisine, running gear and music products among others.

According to Nguyễn Tử Anh, director of Nexus Sport Events, the event coorganiser, said the event will not only focus on running, but introduce new emotions and vibrant energy through unique, interesting and completed experiences of travel, culture, and culinary art.

He said it was currently the first and the largest professional music running tournament held annually in Việt Nam. It was also to exploit the rich tourism potential of Đà Lạt and Lâm Đồng.

Meanwhile, Nguyễn Quốc Dũng, deputy general director of the Ben Thanh Media & Event, said Dalat Music Run was a typical sports travel product of Lâm Đồng. It was first organised in 2022 and promises breakthroughs in 2023.

In its second edition, organisers will welcome about 4,000 runners who will spread the message “More Sport – Less Pollution”. The number is expected to be 10,000 in the fifth year of organisation.

Last year, Nguyễn Tiểu Đường and Lê Tấn Hi won the women's and men's half marathon events, respectively. Đặng Thị Việt Trinh and Trần Đăng An were winners of the 10km classes.

More information on the race will be found at https://musicrun.vn/ and https://www.facebook.com/DaLatMusicNightRun. 

First ever marathon in Việt Nam recruiting machine learning competitors

MLOps Marathon 2023, a Pioneering Vietnam's AI and Machine Learning Community, is recruiting teams of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) engineers, experts, and passionate young individuals to compete in the first-ever event organised for the community.

The Marathon aims to provide a platform for participants to showcase their skills, exchange knowledge, and push the boundaries of MLOps (Machine Learning Operations).

The competition will have three stages of Warm-up (familiarising teams with challenge structure), Speed Up (Challenging teams to deal with bad data) and Finish Up (Challenging teams to resolve much higher levels of bad data).

According to the organisers, in Stage 1, given several ML problems, teams will train corresponding models, and deploy online serving APIs on given remote servers. In Stage 2, the organiser sends batch requests to teams’ APIs, APIs responses will be evaluated and finally, teams will continue improving models based on evaluation results.

MLOps Marathon 2023 is organized and supported by experts from the University College Cork (Ireland), MLOpsVN, and the Open Factor Foundation, in collaboration with leading technology companies in Việt Nam, including FPT, Techcombank, AWS, CMC, Sotatek, and DopikAI. Notably, the first prize for the competition amounts to a remarkable VNĐ100,000,000, motivating participants to put their best foot forward.

The recruiting stage will run until June 6 with a possible extension and teams can register and join the competition from https://mlops.vn/marathon

HCM City calls for electricity saving

The People's Committee of HCM City requested organisations and locals to save electricity and directed its Power Corporation (EVNHCMC) to minimise the interruption or reduction of electricity supply at night and during the peak heat of the day, except for cases of force majeure.

According to EVNHCMC, to achieve the above-mentioned target, the corporation will deploy solutions such as mobilising resources to install and use rooftop solar power systems as well as solar-powered water heating systems to reduce electricity consumption.

It will issue rules on electricity use in offices, schools and hospitals and reduce outdoor decorative advertising lighting capacity by half at peak time.

The corporation will also accelerate the implementation of lighting automation based on the operational time frame and weather conditions of public lighting works, and build a database of electricity consumption of State agencies, units and key energy users, thereby making timely reports and recommendations to management agencies and customers.

Võ Quang Lâm, Deputy General Director of Electricity of Vietnam (EVN), electricity demand tends to increase in the months of May, June and July. Recently, the maximum consumption capacity reached 43,300 MW, the highest since the beginning of this year and up 9.12 per cent over the same period in May 2022.

In the City, electricity consumption broke a record on May 6 with more than 94.8 million kWh. This is the fourth time that electricity consumption in the City has broken a record in less than a month.

Consecutive forest fires reported as Quảng Trị enters dry season

Two forest fires causing damage of up to hundreds of millions of đồng were reported on Wednesday in the central province of Quảng Trị.

The first fire broke out at noon in sub-zone 592A in Linh Trường Commune, Gio Linh District.

As the province is in the dry season and suffered from scorching hot days, the fire spread quickly and covered an area of 18ha including 6ha of forest planted in 2016.

The fire location was 10km from residential areas so it was difficult to access it. Nearly 80 people including police officers and forest rangers were mobilised to the scene.

The fire area has vegetation with many branches and acacia leaves under the forest canopy, making the rescue efforts more challenging.

Simple fire-fighting equipment was used to create boundaries to prevent the fire from spreading.

The fire was extinguished at 6pm.

Initial damage was estimated at VNĐ300 million.

The second fire was reported in the forest of Cam Tuyền Commune, Cam Lộ District, causing damage to 3ha of three-year-old acacia forest.

The causes of the fires are being investigated. 

Times Higher Education, Vietnam cooperate to improve higher education quality

Representatives from the Ministry of Education and Training and Times Higher Education (THE) - which is known for publishing the annual Times Higher Education – QS World University Rankings - on May 18 discussed further cooperation to improve the quality of higher education in Vietnam.

At the meeting, Director of the ministry’s International Cooperation Department Pham Quang Hung said that Vietnam has been making efforts to improve the quality of training and ranking of Vietnamese universities in recent years.

Vietnam seeks THE's recommendations for Vietnamese universities based on the organisation's ranking criteria, he said, proposing that the two sides hold discussions on possibilities and directions for cooperation and consider the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding.

At the meeting, THE’s chief global affairs officer Phil Baty offered many suggestions with the hope of assisting Vietnam in improving the general standard of higher education and enhancing the world's recognition of the quality of teaching, research, and social responsibility of universities in Vietnam.

He agreed that the two sides will discuss and look for potential areas of cooperation, as well as sign a memorandum of understanding with specific goals and terms as a basis for future work plans.

According to the THE representative, Vietnamese universities have been regularly present in the world university rankings. He said many Vietnamese universities have the potential to be included in the ranking in the next few years. In addition to the six universities that have already made their names on the THE rankings, 12 others are expected to soon meet the threshold for world university rankings.

Baty said THE can provide data, share information and advise potential universities in the process of improving their rankings. THE can also provide information and data to assist Vietnam’s education and training sector in identifying areas that need improvement.

Within the framework of the working session, the two sides agreed to organise a seminar on university ranking this year.

New task force promotes innovation and financing for plastic waste reduction

The Vietnam National Plastic Action Partnership (NPAP) launched a new task force to promote innovation and catalyze investment in effective solutions for reducing plastic waste and pollution in Vietnam.      

In collaboration with the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Hanoi and its Commercial Section - Innovation Norway, the Task Force held its first meeting to discuss new technologies for Deposit Return Systems (DRS).

The NPAP Innovation and Financing Task Force -- co-chaired by the International Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Natural Science and Environment (MONRE) and the Alliance to End Plastic Waste – brings together government agencies and domestic and international enterprises and organizations to boost innovative ideas and solutions to drive positive changes in plastic reduction, reuse and recycling and to unlock new sources of sustainable financing.

DRS is a scheme where consumers pay a small deposit when purchasing bottles or cans. The deposit is refunded when they return the container to a designated collection point. This scheme economically incentivizes consumers to return used containers for reuse and recycling, reducing pressure on landfills and protecting rivers and oceans from plastic litter.

High-performing DRS can significantly accelerate the circularity of beverage containers like plastic bottles and aluminum cans with high recovery rates and is a key approach for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) by companies that produce and use such containers.

Members of the new Task Force include the Vietnam National Innovation Center (NIC), Dow Vietnam, Unilever, An Phat Holdings, Duy Tan Recycling, GreenHub, Startup Vietnam Foundation (SVF), Innovation Norway, UNDP, and the World Bank. The task force has also attracted the participation of innovators from UNDP’s Ending Plastic Pollution Challenges (EPPIC) such as Galaxy Biotech, who encouraged other innovators to access the NPAP platform and explore new investment opportunities.

Vietnam resolved to have illegal fishing label lifted

An inspection team from the European Commission (EC) is scheduled to visit Vietnam from May 25 to consider whether the "yellow card" warning against Vietnam’s aquatic products should be lifted.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, since the EC issued the "yellow card" warning on October 23, 2017 and conducted three rounds of inspection in Vietnam, the EC affirmed that the country's process of lifting the warning is heading in the right direction with positive improvements.

Relevant ministries, agencies and coastal cities and provinces embarked on the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and followed EC's recommendations under the direction of permanent members of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat, the Prime Minister, and the National Steering Committee on IUU.

However, several localities still see incidents of Vietnamese fishing boats encroaching foreign fishing grounds.

On February 13, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang signed a decision approving an action plan to fight IUU fishing and prepare for the fourth working session with the EC’s inspection team.

Accordingly, the Vietnamese Government maintains its position that preventing and eliminating IUU fishing is the responsibility of each coastal country to protect its seafood resources and marine ecosystem, ensure sustainable livelihoods of local residents, national defence and security in coastal areas, and follow international commitments and treaties that Vietnam has joined.

The government requires the top leaders of Party committees and authorities at all levels of relevant ministries, agencies, sectors and localities to directly lead and take responsibility for the fight against IUU practices, making it a top priority political task.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Directorate of Fisheries, 97.5% of fishing vessels nationwide were equipped with vessel monitoring devices as of the late April. Ten out of 28 coastal cities and provinces set up their own fisheries inspection teams while approximately 28.5% of the total fishery output was monitored through ports.

Last year, 84 Vietnamese fishing vessels were detained by foreign authorities for violating fishing grounds. Since early this year, 16 vessels have been detained.

The directorate said factors behind IUU fishing include declining marine resources, rising fuel prices, disruptions in global supply chain, and especially limited awareness about IUU among fishermen as well as local officials. A lack of resources to enforce laws, poor infrastructure and weak apparatus of the fishery sector also hinder the fight.

The European Union (EU) is among the top five biggest markets of Vietnam's aquatic products, following the US, China, and preceding Japan and the Republic of Korea. Among 11 billion USD worth of Vietnam’s fishery product export last years, 1.3 billion USD came from the EU market.

More trains from HCM City to tourist destinations arranged

The railway sector will provide more trains from HCM City to the southern central cities of Nha Trang and Quy Nhon to meet increasing summer tourism demand.

According to Saigon Railway Transport Joint Stock Company the firm is currently operating daily SE3/SE4, SE7/SE8, SE21/SE22, SNT1/SNT2 and SPT1/SPT2 train services from HCM City to Nha Trang and Quy Nhon.  

From May 31, it will run trains SNT4/SNT5 on HCM City-Nha Trang. The SNT4 service will leave Saigon Station at 10:05 pm and arrive in Nha Trang at 6:30 am from every Wednesday to Sunday. Meanwhile, the SNT5 will depart from Nha Trang at 12:30 pm and arrive in HCM City at 10 pm from every Thursday to Sunday.

The firm will also run the SE29/SE30 on the HCM City-Quy Nhon route. The SE30 will leave HCM City for Quy Nhon on May 18, 19, 25 and 26. From May 31, it will run on the route from Wednesday to Saturday every week.

While the SE29 will depart Quy Nhon for HCM City on May 20, 21, 27 and 28. From June, the weekly schedule will be every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The Saigon Railway Transport Joint Stock Company will continue offering ticket discounts for students, Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, children with disabilities, disabled people, war veterans, wounded soldiers and the elderly.

Phan Thiet – Phu Quy Island route operates two-hull hi-speed boat

Phu Quoc Express this morning officially began the operation of one of its three two-hull hi-speed boats named Trung Trac in Phan Thiet Port (Binh Thuan Province).

The running of Trung Trac Boat greatly reduces the travel time between the mainland and Phu Quy Island District (in Binh Thuan Province) to about 2 hours.

Trung Trac Boat is designed according to European standards, with four Rolls Royce MTU engines imported directly from Germany. It can serve nearly 600 passengers from Phan Thiet City to Phu Quy Island District in two hours.

Besides Trung Trac Boat, there are other alternatives for this route, including Tuan Chau Express II, Phu Quy Express, Superdong I, Superdong II, and Phu Quy Island.

Phu Quy Island District is located 56 nautical miles (110km) away from the mainland. The island has a population of over 30,000 dwellers. Since the beginning of this year, it has welcomed nearly 50,000 tourists.

M’nong people’s folk craft recognized as national intangible cultural heritage

The traditional brocade weaving of the M’nong ethnic people in Binh Phuoc Province has been recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage.
 
The provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism on May 18 held a ceremony to announce the recognition of the traditional brocade weaving of the M’nong ethnic people in Bu Gia Map District’s Bu Gia Map Commune, and Dong Nai, Tho Son, Phu Son and Dak Nhau communes in Bu Dang District as the national intangible heritage.

The recognition not only honors the traditional brocade weaving and affirms its scientific, historical, and cultural values but also the efforts of artisans and the M’nong ethnic people in preserving and promoting this traditional craft.

Transgender beauty contest fined VND55 mil for organization without permission

The HCMC People’s Committee on May 18 issued a fine of VND55 million (US$2,364) to the organization board of Miss International Queen Vietnam 2023 for administrative violations.

Miss International Queen Vietnam is a beauty pageant for transgender women. The contest’s final night was organized at Zoom Media film studio in HCMC’s District 12 and live streamed on Facebook on the evening of April 8 by Huong Giang Entertainment Company without permission from authorities.

Investigators of the HCMC Department of Culture and Sports coordinated with the Internal Political Security Division under the HCMC Department of Public Security (PA03) and the Department of Culture and Information of District 12 to conduct an inspection and ask the organization unit to suspend the program. However, the organization board still carried out the contest.

Museum receives valuable memorabilia related to President Ho Chi Minh

The family of martyr Nguyen Thi Trien handed over valuable items of late President Ho Chi Minh to the Ho Chi Minh Museum in Hanoi on May 18, celebrating the 133rd anniversary of Uncle Ho’s birthday (May 19, 1890-2023).

Martyr Nguyen Thi Trien (1940-1967) is a female militia who shot down the first night visual and photographic reconnaissance aircraft of the US Army on the evening of July 27, 1966.

She was honored with the Third-class Feat Order and presented with a watch by President Ho Chi Minh. However, the heroine sacrificed her life before receiving the award and Uncle Ho’s present. The martyr’s family kept the special gift very carefully for years.

Martyr Nguyen Thi Trien’s relatives decided to hand over her certificates of merit and the watch to the Ho Chi Minh Museum in the hope of the memorials will be kept and stored in the best way.

National Highways 12B and 15 in Hoa Binh to get facelift

The Directorate for Roads of Vietnam has proposed that the Ministry of Transport approve investment plans to upgrade National Highway No. 12B and National Highway No. 15 in northern Hoa Binh province.

The 63-km national Highway 12B is a key route linking northwestern localities with northern coastal provinces but has deteriorated.

Total investment has been put at over VND2.1 trillion ($88 million).

The upgrade would improve transportation capacity and socio-economic development in Hoa Binh, helping attract more investment to its industrial parks.

Meanwhile, upgrades to National Highway No. 15 would help improve connectivity between the northwestern region and Nghi Son Port in north-central Thanh Hoa province.

Investment is estimated at over VND1 trillion ($42 million).

Vietnam to play friendlies ahead of Futsal World Cup qualifiers

The Vietnamese futsal team, led by head coach Giustozzi Diego Raul, will compete in a series of friendly matches against strong rivals to prepare for the 2024 AFC Futsal Asian Cup qualifiers, an event which will also serve as the qualifiers for the 2024 FIFA Futsal World Cup.  

Vietnam will play games against the Solomon Islands in Ho Chi Minh City on May 26 and May 27.

The Solomon Islands make up one of the strongest futsal teams in Oceania having previously attended the Futsal World Cup four consecutive times from 2008 to 2021.

At the 2021 FIFA Futsal World Cup, the Solomon Islands lost 9-4 to Thailand. Previously, Vietnam defeated the Solomon Islands 2-1 at the 2017 Asian Indoor Games through goals scored by Pham Duc Hoa and Phung Trong Luan.

The Vietnamese futsal players are due to take part in a training camp in South America this June.

Their training in South America will start in Paraguay where the team will play three friendlies against the Paraguayan futsal team on June 4, June 6, and June 8. In Argentina, they will play against the Argentine national team on June 10, June 12, and June 14.

Paraguay currently rank ninth in the world’s futsal rankings, while Argentina are in fourth place having previously won the 2016 FIFA Futsal World Cup.

The 2024 AFC Futsal Asian Cup qualifiers are set to kick off this October and will also serve as the qualifying round of the 2024 FIFA Futsal World Cup.

St. Petersburg exhibition marks President Ho Chi Minh’s 133rd birthday

The "St. Petersburg and Vietnam: Friendship Beyond Time" exhibition opened in the northern ancient capital of Russia on May 18 to mark the 133rd birthday of President Ho Chi Minh and the 100th anniversary of his arrival in Petrograd.    

The exhibition saw many precious images and documents go on display showcasing President Ho during his visits to St. Petersburg, as well as detailing the Russian city's co-operation relationship with Vietnam across multiple fields.

In addition, the occasion also included images and documents regarding the co-operative ties of Leningrad city, now known as St. Petersburg, with Vietnam in the fields of economics, culture, science, and education, as well as co-operation between St. Petersburg and its sister city Ho Chi Minh City.

According to Piotr Tishchenko, chairman of the St.Petersburg Archives Committee, President Ho Chi Minh is an example of patriotism, steadfastness in the goal of national independence, and freedom, while he simultaneously laid the foundation for the friendly and co-operative ties between Russia and Vietnam. Therefore, studying and following both his experience and teachings is the responsibility of current generations.

For his part, Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Dang Minh Khoi thanked and highly appreciated the efforts made by the authorities and relevant agencies of St. Petersburg in organising the exhibition.

Through the pictures and documents about President Ho Chi Minh and the relationship between the two countries on display, it shows that the people of St. Petersburg in particular, as well as the Russian Federation in general, in addition to the former Soviet Union, have very respectfully preserved them.

Through activities to celebrate the 133rd birthday of President Ho Chi Minh this year and specific exhibitions and seminars, it can be said that St. Petersburg remains eager to constantly strengthen bilateral ties in the current period.

Many of the Russian city’s initiatives are very suitable for the current relationship between the two countries, Ambassador Khoi said.

Ambassador Khoi asked leaders of the St. Petersburg Archives Committee, from the material of this exhibition, to build it into a mobile exhibition for more and more Russian people to enjoy, especially the young generation. This will allow the Vietnamese community living and working in Russia to better understand the history of relations between the two countries in order to continue to cultivate ties together.

New high-speed boat on Phan Thiet-Phu Quy route launched

One more high-speed boat has been put into use to connect Phan Thiet City and Phu Quy Island in the southern central province of Binh Thuan.

The Trung Trac Express operated by Phu Quoc Express Joint Stock Company was put into service this morning, May 19. It can serve 600 passengers per trip, helping to shorten the time from Phan Thiet to Phu Quy to around two hours.  

The boat is 47 metres long and 12 metres wide with engines imported from Germany. It can travel at a speed of 35 nautical miles per hour.

Passengers will benefit from a 20 percent discount until May 31. While local resident ticket prices will be reduced to VND296,000 from VND312,000.

Currently, five high-speed boats are being used on Phan Thiet-Phu Quy route.

Guard dogs added to security on HCM City metro line

Guard dogs have been used to ensure security at Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien metro project after it faced graffiti and thefts.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR), thefts have happened on an elevated section running from Thao Dien to Suoi Tien stations. The thieves have been identified and handed over to the local police. 

Hoang Mai Tung, deputy director of the MAUR, said that the unit has added more cameras and lights in the fenced areas and dark corners. Security in these areas has also been doubled with the increased frequency of patrols.

Guard dogs have been used to serve the patrol work at the project.

Trains at the construction site were previously covered in graffiti. The project saw two thefts with the disappearance of some technical equipment, including grounding wires and rail clips.

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