The National Assembly is expected to elect and approve high-level personnel at its fifth session which opened in Hanoi on May 22.

The national Assembly is expected to discuss a number of important issues during its fifth session from May 22 to June 23.
Legislators are scheduled to discuss the National Assembly Standing Committee’s request for dismissing Chairman of the Finance-Budget Committee Nguyen Phu Cuong and elect the new figure.

They will also give opinions and approve the Government’s request for approving the appointment of the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment for the 2021-2026 tenure.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha is concurrently holding the position as Minister of Natural Resources and Environment.

Apart from the personnel work, the National Assembly will examine a government report on the implementation of socio-economic development and budgetary plans in 2022 and initial months of 2023.

They will approve eight bills and examine nine others, including those on Protection of Consumer Rights; Bidding; Price; Electronic Transactions; Civil Defence; Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam; Housing; Water Resources; Citizen Identification; and Credit Institutions.

The session will be held in two phases, with the first lasting from May 22 to June 10, and the second from June 19 to June 23. 

Hanoi strives to complete new-style rural building by 2025

Hanoi has set a target to complete new-style rural building by 2025 in a sustainable and effective manner, heard a recent conference held by the municipal Party Committee.

The conference reviewed the mid-term implementation of a local programme on new-style rural development in association with agricultural restructuring and rural economic development for 2021-2025 (Programme 04).

Director of the municipal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Dai said that Programme No. 04 plays a significant role in the development of the capital’s agriculture, farmers, and rural areas. It has so far achieved positive outcomes thanks to the concerted efforts and engagement of the entire political system and the people, Dai noted.

According to a preliminary report delivered at the conference, the programme has 33 criteria, of which 23 have been completed.

By the end of 2021, the capital city had 100% of communes meeting the new-style rural standards, fulfilling the goals set by the programme for 2021-2025. In 2022, the city recognised 63 communes as advanced rural areas, exceeding the assigned target of 38 communes.

This year, local districts and towns have registered to add 61 more to the number of advanced rural communes. It is expected that by the end of 2023, Hanoi will have a total of 172 communes of this kind, an increase of 16 compared to the goal set for the entire period toward 2025.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan said that agriculture in general and new-style rural construction in particular in the capital need to be different from other provinces and cities. It is the cultural value, historical identity, and imprints of Hanoi landmarks translated into the local products, he said, adding that these features seem invisible but are important to form brands and increase the value of local products.

In the 2023-2025 period, Hanoi will focus on accelerating the restructuring progress of the agricultural sector, renewing its growth model following the promotion of clean, organic, and ecological farming. Also prioritised is creating favourable conditions for businesses to invest in agriculture and rural areas to create more jobs and improve people's incomes.

The city is striving to complete the task of the new-style rural building by 2025, effectively manage and use land and water resources, protect the environment, conserve biodiversity, sustainably develop ecosystems, proactively respond to natural disasters, adapt to climate change, and ensure agricultural production and people's safety.

A new set of criteria for new-style rural communes and another for advanced new-style rural communes for the 2021-2025 period were issued on March 8, 2022, following Decision No.318/QD-TTg.

Under the decision, a new-style rural commune has to meet 19 criteria in many fields, including planning, socioeconomic infrastructure, economy and production, socio-culture, and the environment. The criteria are specified for different regions.

Specifically, a new-style commune must have 80% of its farming area with active irrigation systems. In general, per-capita income must be 48 million VND (2,100 USD) per year on average in 2022. In particular, the per-capita income is 39 million VND for northern mountainous and north-central regions. It is 53 million VND for the Red River Delta and Mekong Delta regions and 63 million VND for the southeastern region.

The communes should have cooperatives that operate effectively along with production-selling connection models, implementing origin tracking regulations on their major products and developing farming areas to meet VietGAP standards.

At the same time, they must satisfy criteria on health care insurance coverage, the rate of malnutrition among children under five years old, and the rate of residents having electronic medical records. They must show strong performance in environmental protection, especially waste treatment systems, along with criteria on food safety.

Meanwhile, an advanced new-style rural commune must meet all criteria of a basic new-style rural area and have higher standards across all 19 criteria, according to the decision.

Particularly, the per-capita income in an advanced new-style rural commune is 58 million VND per year on average in 2022, and varies from 47 million VND to 76 million VND per year in different regions.

Vietnam enhances ties with UK localities

Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK Nguyen Hoang Long has paid a working visit to Manchester - the capital of England’s Greater Manchester, and Cardiff - the capital of Wales, to promote cooperation between Vietnam and UK localities, especially in the fields of business, trade, investment, and education.

The visit, which took place on May 16-17, was one of the activities of the Vietnam-UK Friendship Year programme in celebration of the 50th founding anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties.

In Manchester city, on May 16, the Vietnamese Embassy, in collaboration with KPMG Group, the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, and the UK-ASEAN Business Council, organised the Vietnam and ASEAN Business and Trade Conference, which was attended by representatives from more than 50 British businesses interested in the Vietnamese market and those that are investing and doing business in Vietnam.

Ambassador Long briefed participants on the Vietnamese market which has a stable political and social background, and a population of 100 million people with a golden population structure, and a dynamic, and rapidly and sustainably developing economy.

He said that British businesses have an advantage in the Vietnamese market as their goods have good brands and are popular in Vietnam, and encouraged them to visit Vietnam to learn more about this market so as to have appropriate investment and business cooperation strategies.

Participants spoke highly the Vietnamese market for its openness, dynamism and favourable business and investment environment. Many of them said they are particularly interested in Vietnam and want to soon carry out or expand investment in this market.

In Cardiff city, within the framework of the Meeting Vietnam-Wales event, on May 17, Ambassador Long worked with First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford and Minister for Education and Welsh Language Jeremy Miles, and attended and delivered a speech at a special working session of the Welsh Parliament on the outlook of cooperation between Vietnam and Wales.

At the meeting, the two sides reviewed important cooperation results achieved in the past time and exchanged ideas on directions and plans for the coming time.

The Wales side also spoke highly of Vietnam’s sustainable socio-economic achievements over the past times and prospects for bilateral cooperation, especially in education, culture, tourism, and people-to-people diplomacy. For education, which is a key field of cooperation, Wales identifies Vietnam, along with Europe, North America and India, as a strategic partner, and commits to supporting and promoting cooperation activities in the future to continue expanding the active participation of universities and educational institutions of the two sides.

Mark Drakeford proposed the Vietnamese Embassy step up the organisation of seminars to enhance mutual understanding.

Long proposed Wales appoint an agency to take charge of cooperating with Vietnam, and the two sides study and promote the signing of a local-level agreement to create a foundation for promoting cooperation in the long run and in a systematic manner. The diplomat affirmed that the Vietnamese Embassy is willing to support this negotiation and signing process.

Vietnam, Wales beef up cooperation in education sector

The Vietnam-Wales education cooperation workshop took place in Cardiff, Wales, gathering representatives of the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training (MoET), the Global Wales programme, the British Council, eight universities from Wales, and 30 from Vietnam.

As an activity marking the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam-UK diplomatic relations, the workshop focused on the internationalisation of education, educational cooperation and training, and the exchange of lecturers and students between the universities of Vietnam and Wales via programmes that the two sides are implementing.

The programmes include the MoET’s Project 89 on capacity building for lecturers and managers of higher education institutions to meet the requirements of the sector’s fundamental and comprehensive renovation for 2019-2030 and the Taith programme established with a 65 million EUR (about 70.1 million USD) investment from the Welsh Government with a commitment to creating 25,000 opportunities for international learning and exchanges between 2022 and 2026.

Nguyen Anh Dung, deputy head of the MoET’s Department of Higher Education, introduced Project 89 in the hope of boosting cooperation and exchange to increase the number of Vietnamese PhD students studying in the UK under this project.

Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK Nguyen Hoang Long pointed to high tuition fees and living costs as the main barriers facing Vietnamese students and doctoral students who want to study in the UK within the framework of Project 89.

To solve this problem, a number of universities in Wales proposed that the two sides study and discuss a funding mechanism to offset the difference in living costs.

Participating universities of the two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation so that more Vietnamese students and researchers in different regions can access and benefit from the programme.

Remains of volunteer soldiers found in Laos reburied

The central province of Thua Thien-Hue on May 19 held memorial and burial services for Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who laid down their lives in Salavan and Sekong provinces of Laos.

The remains of the 16 martyrs were found by a research and repatriation tem of the Military Command of the Thua Thien-Hue during the 2022-2023 dry season. They will be reburied at Hue city martyr’s cementary.

Addressing the event, vice chairman of provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Binh said the sacrifice by Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts in Laos have become a shining symbol of the solidarity between the army and people of Vietnam and Laos, adding that they are a great motivation for the Party Committee, authorities and people of Thua Thien-Hue to continue to move forward for more outstanding achievements.

Hanoi hailed for relic restoration

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism hails the capital city of Hanoi for investing in relic restoration, its Deputy Minister Hoang Dao Cuong was speaking at a recent meeting of the Steering Committee for preservation of Thang Long Imperial Citadel and Co Loa relic site to review its activities till the first quarter this year and launch 2023 tasks.

Cuong said according to the Resolution of the municipal Party Committee, over 4 trillion VND are already earmarked for the restoration of 500 relic sites, adding that Hanoi is holding a huge amount of cultural heritages for the country.

Hanoi is home to more than 1,200 recognised relic sites, accounting for one-third of this type of valuable site nationally.

Director of the Thang Long - Hanoi Conservation Centre Nguyen Thanh Quang said as of April 15, the Thang Long Imperial Citadel welcomed 250,640 visitors, 26.1% of them were foreigners while 135,379 visitors arrived in Co Loa relic site. Their total revenue from fees and charges hit 5.62 billion VND (244 billion USD), or 80% of the assigned plan. Especially, more than 300 delegates attending the 12th Vietnam-France decentralisation cooperation conference experienced a night tour to explore the Thang Long Imperial Citadel which was recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2010 - on the night of April 15.

Regarding Kinh Thien Palace – the most important building in the citadel, Hanoi has sought recommendations from international experts to preserve the relic.

The municipal People’s Council has issued resolutions relating to the approval or adjusting investment policies for a number of projects using the city’s public investment capital. Some examples are the conservation project of the archaeological site at 18 Hoang Dieu Street; upgrading of An Duong Vuong Temple and Ngoc Well; upgrading of Co Loa Communal House or Ngu Trieu Di Quy and My Chau Temple; and a project on building a temple dedicated to King Ngo Quyen.

Hanoi is mobilising all resources to protect and promote the values of the city's intangible cultural heritage under a plan until 2025.

The municipal Department of Culture and Sports is tasked with closely coordinating with relevant agencies, local authorities and communities in deploying solutions to protect the heritages. Dissemination campaigns will be launched to introduce the intangible heritage value to both Vietnamese and international visitors, contributing to enhancing the community awareness of the work.

The city will compile scientific dossiers for several local intangible cultural heritages to submit to the MoCST seeking inscription of them on the list of national intangible cultural heritage, as well as develop publications on the heritages. Training courses will be organised to improve the practice or performance skills for typical intangible cultural performances that are on the verge of disappearing.

Favourable policies will be issued for artists along with the restoration of various types of intangible cultural heritage. The city will encourage and facilitate the collection and introduction of these heritages by both organisations and individuals.

The city will promote socialisation of resources to preserve and promote their value by attracting the attention and support of organisations, individuals, and businesses in the field.

With 1,793 intangible cultural heritages, including three UNESCO-recognised Intangible Cultural Heritages of Humanity, the capital city is one of the communities with the richest traditions in Vietnam.

National squad to play friendly match against Hong Kong (China)

The Vietnamese national men’s football team are set to face Hong Kong (China) on June 15 in their first friendly match under the management of new head coach Philippe Troussier.      

This information was recently unveiled by the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) as the federation makes plans for the Vietnamese team to prepare for the upcoming qualifiers to the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.

Holding international friendly matches on FIFA Days in June, September, and October will help the Vietnamese team to accumulate points ahead of global tournaments.

Vietnam is scheduled to play in World Cup qualifiers on November 13 and November 21. The senior team will gather together on June 7 after the 11th round of the V.League 1 concludes.

Coach Troussier will have more time to scout talents based on their performances in the V.League 1.

The French coach has recently returned from Cambodia with the Vietnamese U22 team. He guided the young team to win a bronze medal in the men’s football at the 32nd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 32).

The Frenchman's contract with the VFF will initially last for three years, from March 1 to July 31, 2026.

Workshop discusses role of corporate in biodiversity conservation

A workshop on the role of corporate in biodiversity conservation was held last week in the northern province of Ninh Bình, highlighting the importance of sustainable trade of biodiversity products.

Nguyễn Lam Giang, director of the Center for Rural Economy Development (CRED), said the event aims at providing the business sector with a better understanding of biodiversity as well as encourage the private sector to ensure sustainable production and exploitation associated with the protection and restoration of ecosystems in the agricultural area.

“Businesses can participate and benefit when doing business in accordance with the principles of biodiversity conservation,” she said.

Tạ Thị Kiều Anh, a representative from the Department of Nature Conservation and Biodiversity, told the event about the role of corporates in the national biodiversity strategies and action plans.

They can participate in the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity by developing non-timber forest products, engaging in sustainable trade of biodiversity products as well as developing circular economy and green economy, she said.

Nguyễn Thị Thu Liên, head of the Business Connection Department of the Association of Food Transparency, said businesses work directly with farmers and are those who leave an impact on the environment.

It is important for businesses to enhance green production, protect biodiversity and ecology, and strive for green labelling. These will be competitive advantages that help them compete with others to export agricultural or food products to the world.

Trần Văn Hiếu, director of the Development of Agricultural and Consultation for Environment Company (DACE), said the measures his company uses to ensure biodiversity such as crop rotation, intercropping, and enriching the soil with local microorganisms help improve productivity, reduce costs, and increase efficiency.

These activities bring not only benefits to the environment but also economic benefits to the company and farmers as well as meeting the requirements of the market, he said.

Hiếu pointed out many challenges, including working with local authorities to operate the model to ensure biodiversity and offering training on how to ensure biodiversity while still providing economic benefits for the local community.

He said looking for markets and selling products at reasonable prices for the markets are also a challenge.

Representatives from participating corporates also share their viewpoints on applying certifications such as UEBT (the Union for Ethical BioTrade), which certifies that ingredients from nature are sourced through systems that respect people and biodiversity.

The label stands for seven principles of ethical sourcing: sustainable use of biodiversity, conservation of diversity, fair and equitable sharing of benefits, socio-economic sustainability, compliance with legislation, clarity about land tenure and respect for the rights of actors.

According to Nguyễn Văn Long, from Sơn Hà spice and flavorings, UEBT certification helps corporates to improve their brand and prestige with customers, authorities, farmers and partners.

It also helps promote nature and biodiversity preservation as well as environmental protection and the production of high-quality products.

Hiếu said green labels help his company access more markets.

European, the UK, the US, Japan, South Korea, and emerging markets such as China are highly interested in biodiversity products, he said.

Việt Nam to face Japan in second Olympic qualifying group

Việt Nam's women's football team will face Japan, Uzbekistan and India in the qualifying group stages of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The draw for the Asian Qualifiers Round 2 was made on May 18 at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Divided into four pots according to their seedings, the 12 teams were drawn into three groups with only two spots available at Paris 2024.

Among Group C rivals, Japan are considered the strongest team as they are one of the title favourites.

Meanwhile Southeast Asian champions Việt Nam, world No 33, should beat Uzbekistan and India who are ranked No 59 and No 61, respectively. Uzbekistan are hosts of Group C.

In Group A, hosts Australia are drawn with Chinese Taipei, the Philippines and Iran.

Asian Cup 2022 winners China are the top seed and Group B against North Korea, Thailand and South Korea their challengers.

Round 2, scheduled for October 23 to November 1, will see four teams – the three group winners and the best-placed runners-up – progressing to Round 3. 

They will play home and away matches, slated for February 24 and 28, 2024 in this round, with the eventual winners taking the two spots reserved for Asia in the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament Paris 2024.

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, hosts Japan exited in the quarter-final stage against Sweden, while Australia finished fourth after losing a close bronze medal encounter to the USA.

China won the silver medal in Atlanta 1996 with Japan following suit in London 2012.

Vietnamese players will begin their training camp early next week for the World Cup tournament in July-August. They will play all three matches in New Zealand.

After World Cup, they will keep eyes on the Olympic event.

In other football news, the AFC also conducted a draw for the Round 2 of the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup 2024 Qualifiers.

The remaining eight teams are divided in two groups.

Việt Nam are in Group B with Australia, Bangladesh, and the Philippines. Group A contains South Korea, Thailand, Iran and India.

Each group will be played as a single round-robin league format in a centralised venue on September 16 to 24, with the host member association to be determined at a later stage.

Four teams – the winners and runners-up of each group – will qualify for the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup 2024.

They will join the top three teams from the AFC U16 Women’s Championship Thailand 2019 – defending champions Japan, finalists North Korea and third-placed China – and hosts Indonesia in the ninth edition of the tournament, set to be held from April 7 to 20, 2024.

This will be the first time that Indonesia are serving as hosts for the tournament, which was rebranded to its current name in January 2021.

Thái Nguyên produces canna noodles for everyone's taste

Việt Cường Village in the northern mountain province of Thái Nguyên's Đồng Hỷ District and its famous miến dong (noodles made from edible canna roots) have confirmed their reputation since the products were included in the 20 national five-star OCOP products in 2020.

Canna noodle household producers in Việt Cường are gradually changing from using manual production methods to applying modern techniques such as automatic rolling and cutting machines, dough beaters and semi-automatic drying systems to increase output and quality.

The goods' quantity and quality have increased significantly meeting demands of domestic and foreign markets with many products of the craft village confirming its five-star standards in the OCOP Việt Nam quality requirements.

Việt Cường canna noodles are delicious. Even if they have already been cooked in the morning and are only warmed up until noon, the noodles won't become mushy. These features are what define the trademark of these glass noodles.

The glass noodles are made from sweet and purple edible canna roots grown in the forests of Thái Nguyên and are produced under strict quality processes, ensuring food safety and hygiene.

Every year, the noodle makers produce from May until near Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday.

Currently, the village has about 35 households engaged in noodle production.

No one is exactly sure when the traditional glass noodles first appeared in Việt Cường Village, Hóa Thượng Commune, but, according to local villagers and authority officials, the dish has been made for more than 50 years.

Nguyễn Xuân Lộc, vice chairman of the Hóa Thượng People's Committee told langngheviet.vn that the locality prioritised the traditional occupation and handicraft services.

The restoration and development of the traditional craft in Việt Cường has been mobilised among locals for long time but a lack of investments have hindered the work until 2007 when Nguyễn Văn Ba, a local young villager bravely established the Việt Cường Glass Noodles Cooperative, according to Nông Nghiệp Việt Nam (Việt Nam Agriculture) newspaper.

After more than 12 years of operation, the cooperative has built a strong brand in the market. The total cooperative personnel includes 25 members and 20 regular employees. 

As demands rise, regulations for extra classes are a must: experts

With the need for tutoring and extra classes rising among students and parents, experts are calling for a legal framework to regulate the activities and avoid negative consequences.

The Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) recently said that it would consult with the Government in including tutoring and extra classes to the list of conditional businesses and adjust relevant regulations stated in Circular No 17/2012/TT-BGDĐT.

Dr Đỗ Minh Cương, deputy director of the Institute of Business Culture, said that this proposal stems from the urgent needs of parents and a management plan is necessary to prevent unexpected adverse effects.

Speaking to Giáo dục Việt Nam (Việt Nam Education) e-magazine, Cương said: “When living conditions improve, demands to send children to extra classes for knowledge enrichment is a legitimate need of many parents.

However, he added that there have been shortages of regulations, which lead to spontaneous tutoring and uncontrollable fee ranges.

If tutoring is recognised as a ‘business line’, then it is obliged to follow a framework and control measures to prevent unwanted consequences, he said.

Cương also suggested penalties for teachers who coerce students to enroll in tutoring classes, defining ranges of tuition fees and collection methods, and a feedback portal for students and parents to report violations.

The most important thing is the ethics and attitude of education professionals, he said.

Dr Nguyễn Xuân Tế, former principal of the Institute of Education Management in HCM City, also said that tutoring must be well-regulated and managed by the State.

The former principal raised the concern that when tutoring is recognised as a business, ineffective management could result in the ‘commercialisation’ of education.

Pedestrian bridges for HCM City metro route to be built

HCM City will build nine pedestrian bridges to connect the Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien metro line.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR), the bridges will be constructed across Hanoi Highway to link nine of the 11 elevated stations.  The nine stations are Tan Cang, Thao Dien, An Phu, Rach Chiec, Phuoc Long, Binh Thai, Thu Duc, high-tech Park and Vietnam National University- HCM City.

Work on bridges running to Binh Thai, Phuoc Long and Rach Chiec stations is scheduled to be started first.

Bridge construction is slated to be completed by the end of this year along with the Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien metro project.

The bridges are 80 metres long and 3.5 metres wide and connected to bus stops.

Up to 95 percent of the metro project’s work has been finished. 

Hanoi localities still at high risk of inundation
 
Around 30 locations in the centre of Hanoi face a high risk of being flooded when it rains heavily, said Phan Hoai Minh, general director the Hanoi Sewerage and Drainage Company.

According to Minh, 11 locations would be put under water in case of rainfall of 50-70mm per hour. In addition, as many as 30 spots would be affected by rainfall of more than 70mm per hour.  

The areas which are highly vulnerable to inundation are Tong Dan, Dinh Tien Hoang and Phung Hung streets in Hoan Kiem District; Quan Nhan Street in Thanh Xuan Street and Mac Thi Buoi in Hai Ba Trung District.

Hanoi Sewerage and Drainage Company have co-operated with districts and concerned agencies to dredge canals and regulate the water level at lakes.

The northern region of Vietnam, including Hanoi, has been forecasted to be directly hit by two to three major storms, seven to nine heat waves and six to eight rainy spells this year.

It is common to see flooding on many streets in Hanoi during the rainy season. Insufficient water drainage capacity, disappearing lakes and poor urban planning are mainly responsible for the problem.

Water at many hydropower reservoirs reaches dead level

Water at as many as 11 among 47 hydropower reservoirs nationwide have reached or are nearing dead levels due to the prolonged hot weather.

According to Electricity of Vietnam (EVN), the list includes Lai Cau, Trung Son, Dong Nai 2, Huong Son, Tri An, Ialy, Song Ba Ha, Xekaman 1, Dakr Tih and Se San hydropower reservoirs.

Meanwhile, 21 hydropower reservoirs have a remaining capacity of less than 20 percent, including Son La, Tuyen Quang and Thac Ba. Sixteen other reservoirs have water levels below the minimum operating level for the inter-reservoir operation process.Tri An hydropower Reservoir in the southern province of Dong Nai has dried out amid the ongoing heat. People can even drive their motorbikes or cars through the dry bed sections. It is also easy to see dead fish in the dried sections.

EVN reported that water inflow to 12 major hydropower reservoirs in the north has been extremely low.

Between April and May, the water amount flowing to reservoirs accounted for around half of the figure of many previous years. The rate was merely 20 percent in some reservoirs, resulting in severe water shortages for electricity production.

Meanwhile, electricity demand has spiked due to the prolonged heat. On May 6, the country’s total electricity consumption was measured at 43,000 MW, the highest since early this year and up 9.12 percent on-year.

The northern region would face more scorching hot days from now to the end of July.

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum to close for annual maintenance

The Mausoleum of President Ho Chi Minh will be shut from June 12 for annual renovation according to the mausoleum management board.

The work will last for two months with a re-opening scheduled for August 15, the board reported.  

However, during the period, the Monument to Heroic Martyrs in Hanoi will be open to serve visitors.

President Ho Chi Minh passed away on September 2, 1969. His body was embalmed and placed in a glass coffin inside the granite mausoleum.

The mausoleum has become an important landmark of the capital city and is integral to the political and social history of Vietnam.

On National Reunification (April 30) and International Labour Day (May 1) holidays, the mausoleum attracted more than 52,000 visitors, including 2,900 foreigners. 

Joint efforts exerted to fight IUU fishing

Authorities, localities, fishermen, and businesses have kept taking measures to fight illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, striving to get the European Commission (EC)'s “yellow card” warning to be removed soon.

Of the measures, the implementation of the Law on Fisheries is a key part of the inspection relating to fishing activities. Relevant parties, particularly the border guards, the coast guards, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development have been jointly raising the awareness of law compliance for fishermen.

In the southern region, Coast Guard Region 4 Command has conducted many communication activities to raise awareness on IUU fishing.

From the end of March, it and the Agriculture and Rural Development in Ben Tre province organised events providing local fishermen with proper information on the prevention of IUU fishing, measures to verify and handle violations, the basic content of the Law on Coast Guard 2018, legal documents on prevention and combat of IUU fishing, and the situation of fishing vessels/fishermen in the area violating foreign waters, consequences, causes, and solutions.

Border guards and other agencies are actively monitoring and inspecting fishing vessels and activities at sea. The force has also intensified patrols and prevents fishing vessels with signs of staying uncontacted or entering foreign seas.

Duong Van Chuong, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ba Tri district, Ben Tre province, said the training and communication programmes for fishermen in offshore fishing is helpful, helping them better understand legal regulations, safe fishing, not violating the sovereignty of other countries, and sustainable development of fisheries.

In the southernmost province of Ca Mau, the command have also conducted communication campaigns about the Party's guidelines, the State's policies and laws on the protection of the sovereignty of sea and islands in the new situation, and against IUU fishing.

As the inspection of raw materials purchasing, processing, and exporting activities of Vietnamese enterprises is one of the four contents designated by the EC to check Vietnam’s measures in the fight against IUU fishing, seafood processors and exporters have also taken clear moves.

According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), seafood is one of the four key export items of Vietnam's aquaculture industry. It is estimated that on average, tuna and other seafood tuna exports bring the country a turnover of more than 4 billion USD yearly.

Nguyen Thi Thu Sac, Chairwoman of VASEP’s Seafood Committee, said that seafood processing and exporting enterprises serving the European market strictly comply with regulations against IUU fishing. 

Seafood processing and exporting enterprises always strive to have clear sources of raw materials. Despite difficulties in purchasing raw seafood with traceability, businesses must do so to gain a reputation and attract customers in the current fierce competition.

As the EC has imposed a “yellow card” warning on Vietnam's seafood exports, local businesses have had to import more raw materials of clear origin from other countries for processing and export.

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