Vietnam is entering a new stage of development that will meet the demand and aspirations of voters and people nationwide, according to Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

Talking to the press after casting his vote in Hanoi on May 23 morning, the Party leader highlighted the significance of the 15th general elections, which coincide with the 131st birth anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh and follow the success of the 13th National Party Congress.

He noted that this time’s elections take place more than 75 years after the country gained independence and 35 years since the launch of Doi moi (Renewal), at a time when the country has fulfilled the socio-economic development plans for 2016-2021 and set out to implement the socio-economic development plan for the next five years.

With nearly 70 million voters who will select 500 deputies to the 15th National Assembly (NA), nearly 4,000 to provincial-level People’s Councils, over 20,000 to district-level People’s Councils, and more than 240,000 to communal-level People’s Councils, this is the largest-ever elections, General Secretary Trong affirmed.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, voters have played a very active and responsible role in preparing for the elections over the past months, the Party chief emphasised, voicing his belief that the most deserving persons will be selected for the NA and all-level People’s Councils for the 2021-2026 tenure.

The leader added that he hopes the deputies of the NA and People’s Councils in the new tenure will wholeheartedly work for the sake of the country and the people, fulfill their responsibilities and duties in line with the Constitution and laws, and be absolutely faithful to the Fatherland, the people, and the Constitution./.

Military personnel exercise citizens’ right, duty to vote

Joining voters across the country, constituents of the Vietnam People’s Army exercised the right and duty to vote on May 23 to select deputies to the 15th National Assembly and all-level People’s Councils for 2021-2026.

Sen. Lt. Gen. Phan Van Giang, Vice Secretary of the Central Military Commission and Minister of National Defence, was the first to drop off ballots at a polling station in Dien Bien ward of Hanoi’s Ba Dinh district in the morning.

Meanwhile, Gen. Luong Cuong, member of the Politburo and the Central Military Commission’s Standing Board and Chairman of the army’s General Department of Politics, cast his votes in Cua Dong ward, Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem district.

He was also joined by the vice chairmen of the General Department of Politics, including Sen. Lt. Gen. Tran Quang Phuong, Lt. Gen. Trinh Van Quyet, and Sen. Lt. Gen. Do Can.

The Vietnam People’s Army has 33 candidates in the NA election and 1,108 others in the People’s Council elections, including 99 candidates for seats in provincial-level People’s Councils, 781 for district-level People’s Councils, and 228 for communal-level People’s Councils.

The military units performing sea, island, and border safeguarding duties and those tasked with protecting the elections were allowed to hold early voting on May 4 and 22.

On the election day, nearly 69.2 million voters nationwide will select 500 deputies to the 15th NA, nearly 4,000 to provincial-level People’s Councils, almost 23,000 to district-level People’s Councils, and over 240,000 to communal-level People’s Councils./.

HCM City quarantines people arriving from six pandemic zones

HCDC asks people to strictly follow the Ministry of Health’s 5K message to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Photo courtesy of HCDC

People coming to HCM City from COVID-19 pandemic-hit areas in Điện Biên, Bắc Ninh and Hà Nam provinces will be quarantined for 21 days.

The HCM City Centre for Disease Control (HCDC) has just announced that people coming from Quế Võ District in Bắc Ninh from May 12, and Công Lý Commune in Hà Nam Province from May 13 will be quarantined in public facilities.

Those coming from Điện Biên will be quarantined at home.

The HCDC said the public should continue to strictly follow the Ministry of Health’s 5K message: khẩu trang (face mask), khử khuẩn (disinfection), khoảng cách (distance), không tụ tập (no gathering), and khai báo y tế (health declaration).

The city Archdiocese has announced it is postponing masses at churches across the city due to the pandemic.

The city has banned all festivals, religious ceremonies, sports tournaments, and all events with 20 people or more.

No more than 20 people are allowed to gather in public places outside offices, schools and hospitals.

Public transport vehicles have been ordered to enhance ventilation, and restaurants failing to ensure social distancing will only be allowed to offer takeaway.

City authorities have warned all agencies and residents to be on high alert to prevent the further spread of COVID, saying the virus is “already in the community” since there have been recent cases of local spread without known sources of infection. 

One more COVID-19 patient dies, tally now at 42

The Health Ministry confirmed the 42nd death relating to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Hanoi on May 23, bringing the fatality count in the nation to 42.

The latest patient is a 72-year-old woman who has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and hypertension, according to the Ministry of Health.

She suffered symptoms like shortness of breath and coughing. She got admitted to Hanoi's National Hospital for Tropical Diseases on April 30 for COPD and hypertension.

She passed away May 22 night, and diagnosis of her death was due to pneumonia caused by COVID-19 and multiple organ failure.

Since the resurgence of the virus in Vietnam in late April, the country has recorded a total of 2,066 cases of local transmission across 30 cities and provinces, including seven fatalities.

Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan goes to the poll in An Giang province

Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan was the first to cast her vote at the voting unit No.3 in My Xuyen district, Long Xuyen city (the southern province of An Giang) on May 23 morning, in the elections of deputies to the 15th National Assembly and People’s Councils at all levels in 2021-2026 tenure.

More than 1.6 million voters in An Giang are going to the polls on May 23 to elect nine deputies to the 15th NA, 62 to the provincial People’s Council, 377 to district-level People’s Councils and 4,099 to communal-level People’s Councils.

Stringent pandemic prevention measures are applied at all polling stations. In particular, temporary quarantine areas are set up and local medical workers are trained in how to respond in case suspected infections of COVID-19 are detected during the voting process.

On May 23, nearly 69.2 million voters nationwide will select 500 deputies to the 15th NA, nearly 4,000 to provincial-level People’s Councils, almost 23,000 to district-level People’s Councils, and over 240,000 to communal-level People’s Councils./.

Standing NA Vice Chairman Tran Thanh Man votes in Can Tho city

Standing Vice Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Tran Thanh Man and constituents in Tan An ward of Ninh Kieu district, the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho, cast votes to select deputies to the 15th NA and all-level People’s Councils for 2021-2026 on May 23 morning.

Man, who is also a Politburo member, was the first to cast ballots at Polling Station No 13.

At this polling station, constituents can come to vote from 6am to 7pm, deputy head of Voting Group No 13 Dinh Van Thu said, adding that measures have also been applied to prevent COVID-19 transmission.

Early voting was held at some military units in Can Tho on May 20.

Nearly 69.2 million voters nationwide will select 500 deputies to the 15th NA, nearly 4,000 to provincial-level People’s Councils, almost 23,000 to district-level People’s Councils, and over 240,000 to communal-level People’s Councils./.

HCM City pre-schools, kindergartens to reopen in mid-June

Pre-schools and kindergartens in HCM City can reopen on June 14 with strict compliance with COVID-19 prevention measures, the Department of Education and Training announced on Thursday.

Regular inspections will be carried out by authorities to ensure they comply with all safety regulations.

All educational institutions were ordered closed on May 10 as part of nation-wide efforts to curb the spread of the pandemic.

But the huge demand for child care as a result has caused unlicensed centres to mushroom.

Lương Thị Hồng Diệp, head of the department’s nursery education office, said district education and training authorities have been instructed to crack down on unlicensed operators.

Her department has instructed schools to survey demand for summer classes from June 14 if the pandemic is under control by then, she said.

It could help prevent unlicensed classes, which bring with them a high risk of COVID-19 infection, she said.

Kiều Mỹ Chi, deputy head of education and training office in Thủ Đức City, said parents who are both busy at work opt for home-based care providers for their children, making it difficult to manage.

Many teachers at private facilities strike private deals with parents to take care of their children at their home, she added.

Nguyễn Thị Kim Uyên, deputy head of education and training office in District 10, said there are 8,500 children at public and private pre-schools and kindergartens in the district.

Teachers at private schools are allowed to accept up to three children for care at their homes when schools are closed, but with safety measures in place, she said.

Teachers at public schools have to come to school for online teaching and training, she said. 

New book features beauty of Hoang Su Phi

Travel blogger Hoài Sa has recently released a new book about Hoang Su Phi, a district in the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang known for its magnificent terraced rice fields.

The book is a collection of Hoai Sa’s writings about Hoang Su Phi and its magnificent terraced rice fields.

It also provides details on local ethnic minority people, cultures, and lives in a region with more than 10 ethnic groups, and recalls some of her adventures and experiences in the wilds of the beautiful kingdom.

Hoai Sa is a travel blogger, and after many journeys to Hoang Su Phi she sat down to write of his love for the land. This is his second book, following one on the four seasons in the UK, published in 2018./.

Key medical projects delayed due to land, budget shortages

A number of key hospital projects slated for completion in the next five years have been postponed because of delays in land acquisition and capital shortages, according to the city authorities.

Nguyễn Thành Phong, chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, said that three hospital infrastructure projects worth a total of VNĐ3 trillion (nearly US$131 million) were slated to be implemented in the 2012-20 period. Investment was sourced from the central budget, but only VNĐ211.89 billion has been allocated.

The projects included the HCM City Children’s Hospital with capacity of 1,000 beds in Bình Chánh District and the Oncology Hospital with 1,000 beds in Thủ Đức City.

The work projects at the two hospitals, which both opened in 2018, have total adjusted capital of more than VNĐ10.321 trillion, of which the central budget accounts for VNĐ8.800 trillion, but not enough has been allocated.

The remaining unallocated capital is more than VNĐ2.2 trillion, according to Phong. The city proposed this year that the Prime Minister allocate more than VNĐ2.2 trillion for all three major hospital infrastructure projects.

According to a recent report from the Department of Health, many similar projects have been delayed due to the lack of the Government capital and delays in land acquision.

These include the Tân Kiên – Bình Chánh Hi-Tech medical cluster in Bình Chánh District. Its 1/2000 zoning plan was approved by the city in 2015.

The second branch of Phạm Ngọc Thạch University of Medicine has been postponed because the appraisal of the construction drawing design and the total estimate has yet to be conducted by the authorities.

The construction of Saigon General Hospital in District 1 has been approved with a scale of 300 beds and an area of ​​​​about 10ha under the BT (build - transfer) investment mode. But District 1 People’s Committee has not handed over the land to the investor.

Thủ Đức City Hospital, which receives an average of 5,000-6,000 patients every day for examination and treatment, is overloaded and has failed to meet demand in Thủ Đức City and surrounding areas, according to the Department of Health.

A project to expand the hospital has been approved as part of a larger plan to develop the hospital over the next five years.

The Department of Health recommended that Thủ Đức City set aside about 22,500sq.m of land to implement this project.

In addition, the so-called creative urban area in the Eastern part of HCM City (now new Thủ Đức City) needs an area of 10ha to build a hospital with 1,000 beds, and a total of 15ha to build a psychiatric hospital and an emergency centre.

HCM City has 125 hospitals with a total capacity of 38,712 beds (with a rate of 42.8 beds per 10,000 residents). The city has 6,380 health clinics, including 6,124 specialised clinics and 256 polyclinics, of which 63 are foreign-owned. 

The city plans to complete a number of key hospital infrastructure projects in the next five years, including new infrastructure for three general hospitals in Hóc Môn, Củ Chi and Thủ Đức districts.

The city will also build or renovate infrastructure for three international-standard general and specialist hospitals: Nhân Dân Gia Định, An Bình and Bình Dân.

Over the last five years, the health sector has completed 52 hospital projects and purchased many new pieces of equipment. As many as 42 other projects are being carried out.

Can Tho’s health sector needs to take the lead in COVID-19 prevention, treatment: PM

The health sector of the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho must focus on implementing drastic and urgent solutions to effectively prevent and control the COVID-19 pandemic, said Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

Addressing a working session with representatives of the city’s health sector on May 22, PM Chinh applauded Can Tho for its initial successes in responding to COVID-19 outbreaks.

However, he noted that Can Tho must not be heedless and off guard because it is the centre of the Mekong Delta region and the gateway connecting Can Tho international airport with other localities, and is close to Cambodia where the COVID-19 pandemic is developing very complicatedly and unpredictably.

Can Tho’s health sector must play a central role in the Mekong Delta region with nearly 20 million people, and promote creativity to effectively prevent and control the pandemic, he said.

Attention should be paid to preventing COVID-19 in industrial zones, aiming to early detect, rapidly quarantine and testing, the PM said, stressing the need for the sector to prepare equipment, medical supplies and testing tools to serve treatment and testing.

The health sector was also required to simultaneously promote communication work in order to raise public awareness of the danger of and the importance of preventing the pandemic.

According to Nguyen Phuoc Ton, Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Health, the city's health sector has activated the entire rapid response system to strictly control the situation.

As of May 22, Can Tho recorded 34 people infected with COVID-19, who were imported cases and quarantined upon their arrival. Twenty-eight of them were given the all-clear from coronavirus.

The city's health sector has completed the first vaccination round for 7,759 people and is about to receive 13,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses for the second phase of vaccination from the Ministry of Health./.

Goalies Lam and Truong compete for national team starting spot

Bùi Tấn Trường and Đặng Văn Lâm are competing to start in goal for the national team during the 2022 FIFA World Cup Group G qualifiers in the UAE, according to a former top football administrator.

Lâm recently moved to Cerezo Osaka in the J1 League this season and is not at the team's training camp in Ha Noi due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but has received permission to fly directly from Japan to the UAE to join the national team later this month.

Before the first qualifier against Indonesia on June 7, the Vietnamese squad will play a friendly match against Jordan on May 31. They will then take on Malaysia on June 11, and then wrap up the qualifying round with a game against hosts UAE four days later.

Lâm will have several days to train with the national team before the competitive fixtures begin.

But returning to the national team from abroad could put his starting position up for grabs.

Lâm moved to Osaka from Thailand’s Muangthong United in January 2021 but has yet to make his debut, while Trường is the starting goalkeeper for 2020 V.League 1 runners-up Hà Nội FC.

"Lâm has always been the No 1 choice of coach Park, but his form is now in question. Meanwhile, Trường has never played in Park's squad, but his form is good. Park will consider both Lâm and Trường for the starting spot," said former acting general secretary of the Việt Nam Football Federation, Phan Anh Tú.

According to Tú, this is a worthy reward for the 35-year-old goal keeper Trường after many years of absence from the national team.

In recent years, South Korean coach Park has used goalkeepers Lâm, Nguyễn Tuấn Mạnh, Trần Nguyên Mạnh and Phạm Văn Cường, as well as U23 goalkeepers like Nguyễn Văn Toàn and Bùi Tiến Dũng. The competition for the spot in between the sticks is always fierce at each training camp.

“Over the past year, Trường’s performances surprised fans. He retired then re-appeared in the jersey of the capital team. From a secondary goalie, Trường took the starting spot and has maintained his impressive performance to the present,” said Tú.

“Coach Park selected Trường, proving that he has great faith in him. At this time, perhaps only Trường could make Park reconsider starting Lâm”.

For the past three years, Lâm has been the No 1 goalie of the national team and has been a big part of the success of the Vietnamese team. Lâm's advantage is his familiarity with the national team and Park's trust in him.

However, Lâm hasn't played since a match against Prachuap in Thai League 1 last November. He still trains hard and professionally but the lack of competition is a concern, while Trường has been in good form in the V.League 1 this year.

All members of the national team have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and will leave for the UAE on May 26 for further training and to become acclimatised to the warmer weather conditions.

All the national team's matches will be broadcast live in Việt Nam. Domestic fans will be able to watch live broadcasts of the games at 11:45pm on June 7, June 11, and June 15, respectively, on VTV5 and VTV6.  

Elderly man dedicated to spreading election information

Phạm Ngọc Chiêng, a 73-year-old man in a rural area in central Thanh Hóa Province, has been very busy in recent days.

Each day, he gets up at 4.30am, has a quick breakfast and jumps on his old motorbike to start a new working day. On the motorbike, he carries a big loudspeaker and two banners about the election day on Sunday. 

He travels to rural areas about 50 kilometres away from his home in Triệu Sơn District's Dân Lực Commune. During his trip, Chiêng uses the loudspeaker with his warm and clear voice to spread information about the upcoming election day. 

"People usually go to the fields very early to avoid the sunny weather, so I have to leave home early so that I can catch up with them, talk to them about the election day, introduce candidates to them and encourage them to cast their ballots, especially those in remote and ethnic minority-inhabited areas, " he said. 

Chiêng knows how to get people's attention. When he arrives in a village, he starts his job with a song with a fast and happy melody and then plays a recorded speech with the brief biography of candidates for the 15th National Assembly and People's Councils at all levels. 

"The more they (people) live far from central areas of the district and find it hard to access information about the election day, the more I am determined to go and tell them about it. I want them to understand the meaning of the election, and have their voice by casting ballots," he said. 

Chiêng is not new to this job. He has been riding his motorbike with a loudspeaker spreading the word about the Party and State's policies for nearly 20 years. Local people are quite familiar with his warm, slow but clear voice from the loudspeaker on the old motorbike. 

To ensure he spreads brief, easy-to-understand content, Chiêng said he did not miss any news. Every month he contacted the district's Cultural Information Centre to get updated on the latest policies of the Party and State. He later summarises and makes them short and simple so everyone can understand and remember them easily. 

Traffic safety, food hygiene and safety, the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccine programmes, and election day are some of the most engaging topics. Many people living in remote areas know about the prevention of COVID-19 pandemic measures via the messages of the Ministry of Health.

Nguyễn Ngọc Quang, chairman of Dân Lực Commune's People's Committee, said Chiêng had voluntarily done the job for 20 years and never asked for anything. His traditional dissemination methods had greatly aided communication work in far-flung and ethnic minority areas. 

Chiêng has been awarded certificates from the Ministry of Transport and the provincial and communal People's Committees for his activities. Triệu Sơn District authority has given him VNĐ24.5 million ($1,061) to get a new loudspeaker and the provincial Police Department has given him a new motorbike so he can travel safely.

Ninh Thuận manages to green rocky mountains

The cultivation of thanh thất (Ailanthus triphysa), an evergreen tree, on rocky mountains in Ninh Thuận’s coastal areas has helped increase the province’s forest cover and improve the incomes of farmers tending forests.

In 2015 the Thuận Nam District Protective Forest Management Board planted the trees on a trial basis on a total area of 5ha on rocky mountains in an area zoned for coastal protective forests.

They grew well despite prolonged dry weather and seemed appropriate for growing also in other areas.

The board then planted thanh thất saplings on more than 650ha.

Lê Xuân Hoà, its deputy head, said many of the trees are now 2.5-3m high and set to make the bare rocky mountains green in the next 10 years.

The tree, which can grow 20m tall, is an indigenous species that grows in forests across the country.

Thuận Nam has warm weather year round and poor, rocky soil that does not lend itself to growing forests.

In recent years the board had identified many species of drought-resistant trees such as Java olive, acacia, Australian pine, and river red gum for growing on rocky mountains, but they did not grow well because of lack of water and foraging by livestock.

The south-central province, the country’s driest, has a large number of domestic animals like goats and sheep, and farmers normally let their animals graze on mountains.

Besides greening mountains, thanh thất also helps create livelihoods for local farmers who protect and tend them.

Châu Hội, head of a community-based forest protection group in Thuận Nam’s Phước Nam Commune, said his group has 15 members who protect 450ha of forests.

They are paid VNĐ400,000 (US$17) per hectare per year for it, he said.

“With the money, the members have bought livestock to raise in the protected forests to earn an additional income.”

To improve protection, the board has allocated 2,147ha of forests to four community-based groups with 78 households as members in recent years.

Đăng Kim Cương, director of the province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the planting of thanh thất trees has greatly helped revive forests in the province’s southern areas. 

The province has zoned 204,200ha for forests including 155,400ha of existing forests.

It has stepped up measures to plant and protect forests in recent years and hopes to increase the green cover to 46.9 per cent by the end of this year, according to the department.

For this, it has mobilised resources and begun progammes and projects that support the planting of thanh thất and other local forest trees, and boosted advocacy about forest management and protection.

It has expanded forest-linked livelihood models to improve local incomes.

Last year it planted nearly 843ha of new forests to take its coverage rate to 46.8 per cent, according to the department.

Bac Giang bans all public passenger transport activities

The northern province of Bắc Giang's Department of Transport stopped all passenger transport in the province from midnight on Friday due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The move includes both inter-provincial passenger buses and intra-provincial passenger vehicles, except for vehicles serving pandemic prevention and other under tasks of the local authorities.

The move will ban inter-provincial passenger buses from passing through the province or from stopping to pick up or drop off passengers.

All operations of river-crossing ferry terminals, bus stations and rest-stops in the province are also temporarily banned.

The provincial Traffic Police Department and police force of districts and cities were asked to strengthen patrols, and strictly handle those who do not comply with the regulations.

The provincial Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control has asked local people to follow pandemic prevention and control regulations at the highest level to combat the risk of community infection.

Each citizen should monitor their health daily, measure their own body temperature, and make a health declaration when someone in their family shows signs of illness, flu, fever, cough, sore throat, respiratory infection or symptoms of other diseases.

Bắc Giang Province is the current epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic in Việt Nam.

Since the province's first SARS-Cov-2 infection of the ongoing outbreak was confirmed on May 8, as of noon on Friday it had recorded 778 COVID-19 cases.

The province has three COVID-19 outbreaks, of which two are still complex, the one in Vân Trung Industrial Park (with 278 cases, most of them workers of Shin Young Company), the other in Quang Châu Industrial Park (390 cases, mainly workers of Hosiden Vietnam Co., Ltd).

The outbreak in Phương Sơn Commune, Lục Nam District with six cases now is under control and is unlikely to spread to the community.

The provincial People's Committee forecasts that in the coming days, the number of cases in the province will increase, but it is less likely to spike compared to previous days because large outbreaks have been localised and isolated.

Viet Nam reports 41st COVID-19 death

Việt Nam has recorded its 41st COVID-19-related death. 

The deceased patient is an 89-year-old woman in Đà Nẵng with a history of heart failure, chronic gastritis and hypertension. 

According to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, the woman had a number of underlying medical conditions. 

On April 28, patient No 3,547 visited her while she was being cared for at home. 

The 89-year-old then experienced symptoms of coughing and tiredness. 

She was transferred to Hòa Vang Medical Centre for treatment on May 11 after testing positive for SARS-CoV-2.

Then she was transferred to Đà Nẵng Lung Hospital for further treatment because her condition began to deteriorate. She died on Thursday.

The cause of death was recorded as respiratory failure, severe pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2, hypertension, heart failure and a history of chronic gastritis.

Prophylaxis treatment brings hope for haemophilia patients in Việt Nam

Local and international haematology experts discussed the latest studies and scientific advances in haemophilia treatment at an online symposium on Thursday in Hà Nội.

The event, entitled 'The new prophylaxis treatment for Haemophilia A patients', was organised by the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) in collaboration with healthcare firm Roche VietNam.

Participants heard that haemophilia is an inherited genetic disorder that impairs the body’s ability to make blood clots, caused by decreased or abnormal function of coagulation factor VIII and IX.

Haemophilia can cause a person to bleed even without being injured for a long duration and repeat many times. Currently, there is no long-term cure for haemophilia. If not detected early, diagnosed and treated properly, bleeding episodes will deform the muscles and joints, causing pain and difficulty in movement and affecting the quality of the patient’s life significantly. If the bleeding occurs in risky areas, it can be fatal.

"Studies have shown that the new method with emicizumab, a humanised bispecific antibody, for the treatment of haemophilia A, has overcome the limitations of existing methods, as it helps to maintain a low bleeding rate in haemophilia A patients of all ages. The longer duration of treatment with emicizumab, the lower the annual bleeding rate, the higher the percentage of patients that stop bleeding,” said Prof. Guy A Young, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California.

According to the Ministry of Health, there are more than 6,200 people with haemophilia in Việt Nam, of which nearly 40 per cent have not been diagnosed or treated.

Dr Bạch Quốc Khánh, Director of the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, Chairman of the Việt Nam Hemophilia Association said prophylaxis by regularly supplementing clotting factors to prevent bleeding has been applied in many countries for decades.

“Previously, most haemophilia patients were only treated when there was bleeding, resulting in patients suffering from pain and complications in muscles and joints. Early detection and prophylaxis are the best way to reduce risks for patients as well as saving treatment cost and reducing the burden on the health insurance fund. If prophylaxis can be deployed on a large scale and supported by health insurance, it will create a better future for patients," said Dr Khánh.

Khánh added that although haemophilia patients cannot be completely cured, early diagnosis and appropriate treatment can help them maintain their health and have an almost normal life. Therefore, enhancing diagnosis work, early detection and treatment quality is a priority that can help the patient to have a better quality of life.

At the moment, Việt Nam has 10 haemophilia treatment centres. The NIHBT’s Hemophilia Centre currently is managing and treating nearly 2,000 patients. It is gradually implementing prophylaxis treatment (treatment of bleeding complications) for children with severe haemophilia and patients with joint complications. 

Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu farmers on expansion path

Farmers in the southern province of Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu are expanding their lands to either grow crops or breed livestock on a larger scale since incomes from farming are rising steadily.

Bùi Hữu Nghĩa’s farm in Châu Đức District’s Láng Lớn Commune now has more than 1,000 goats for producing meat and breeding.

With disease prevention measures in place and clean and airy sheds, the farm operates effectively, he said.

The farm fetches him an annual income of VNĐ1 billion (US$43,400), he said.

He used to grow pepper, but his trees were diseased and most died in 2017, and he switched to breeding goats.

Goats are easy to raise and can be sold after a short period of breeding, and so he has expanded his farm from the original 700 head to more than 1,000, he said.

Phạm Văn Phong in Xuyên Mộc District’s Hoà Hiệp Commune earns around VNĐ23 billion ($990,000) a year from his 50ha farm in which grows noni trees and breeds tilapia fish.

He established the farm by buying land in 2017.

He farms the tilapia on a total area of 10ha and harvests 300 tonnes a year, and exports it all to the US.

The noni trees are grown to organic standards and yield 350 tonnes of fruits a month.

In 2019 he built a 2,000sq.m plant in the farm to process the noni, and now produces dried fruits, juice, honey, and essential oil.

The farm began to export noni juice to South Korea last month.

Phong plans to tie up with local farmers to further expand noni cultivation.

Vũ Ngọc Đăng, deputy head of the province Sub-department of Rural Development, said the development fosters development of the agricultural processing sector.

But, the farm economy faces difficulties such as a shortage of land, he said.   

Most localities in the province do not have additional lands for farming, and so most farmers have to pool small plots or rent lands, he said.

It plans to undertake activities to promote farm produce and offer financial and technological support for farming, and training for farmers, he added. 

HCM City on high alert following cases without known sources of infection

HCM City authorities have warned all agencies and residents to be on high alert to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as the virus is “already in the community”, following recent domestically transmitted cases without known sources of infection.

Speaking at a meeting on Friday, Nguyễn Thành Phong, chairman of the People’s Committee, said: “The risk already exists in the city and the situation in other localities remains unpredictable.”

Among other restrictions, the city has ordered all small eateries on streets to close by 6pm from May 21. Only take-away and online delivery are allowed. 

HCM City has also set up inspection teams for COVID-19 prevention and control in city districts and Thủ Đức City.

Nguyễn Tấn Bỉnh, director of the Department of Health, said that in an emergency the city would be able to mobilise 600 teams from hospitals and medical centres as well as medical students to collect 100,000 samples for testing within 24 hours.

“The total testing capacity has reached 15,000 samples in 24 hours,” he noted. “The capacity of rapid testing is vital to detect community infections and break the chain of infections.”

Early detection and tracing of contacts are critical, according to Bỉnh.

As of Thursday (May 20), the city had taken samples from everyone returning from Đà Nẵng and other COVID hotspots in northern provinces.

The HCM City Centre for Disease Control (HCDC) has required an additional eight areas for medical isolation, including six areas in Hải Dương Province and two in HCM City (including two restaurants in District 3 and the Medic Medical Centre in District 10).

The centre said anyone returning from COVID-19 hotspots must contact local health authorities for health declarations and testing. They should limit contact with others while waiting for their test results.

“The Department of Health will continue to organise random testing of passengers on flights from provinces and cities regarded as hotspots,” Bỉnh said.

The Department of Health has also prepared preventive measures at industrial parks, and export processing zones and high-tech parks, and has tightened control for business, services, education, religion and tourism activities.

Tighter measures 

The city has ordered all agencies to continue to comply with its criteria for COVID-19 prevention. 

Pharmacies have been asked to immediately notify local health authorities if they notice people buying medicine for treatment of acute respiratory infection symptoms.

The city has banned all festivals, religious ceremonies, sports tournaments and events with 20 people or more. No events of more than 30 people in one room are allowed, and no more than 20 people at gatherings are allowed in public places outside of offices, schools or hospitals.

At least two metres should be kept between people in public places.

Public transport vehicles have been ordered to enhance vehicle ventilation, while restaurants failing to guarantee the distance measures will only be allowed to offer take-away.

Service sectors, especially the transport sector, must record customer information to provide to the health sector for tracing purposes upon request.

The city government has asked the city Police to direct all district Police and Thủ Đức City to continue to strictly control illegal entrants.

Any individual and organisation violating regulations on medical declaration and compliance with pandemic prevention and control must be strictly punished, Phong said.

The city has already closed gyms, fitness centres, billiard places, yoga establishments, wedding centres, buffet restaurants, and events with more than 30 people.

Since the beginning of the fourth wave at the end of April, the country has recorded at least 1,786 new domestically transmitted cases in 30 provinces and cities. Over 100 new cases were recently recorded per day for seven consecutive days.

Of the number, the hotspots are in industrial zones with 938 new cases as of May 20, accounting for 52.5 per cent of the country’s total domestically transmitted cases.

In HCM City, as of May 20, at least six new COVID-19 domestic cases had been recorded, after more than 20 days of no cases. 

The city has conducted the tracing and zoning of the contacts of patients, with more than 10,000 samples taken for testing, most of which have had negative results.

City authorities said people must continue to strictly follow the Ministry of Health’s 5K message: khẩu trang (face mask), khử khuẩn (disinfection), khoảng cách (distance), không tụ tập (no gathering), and khai báo y tế (health declaration). 

President inspects combat readiness in Military Region 7

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, who is also Chairman of the Council for National Defence and Security, on May 22 inspected the combat readiness of some units in Military Region 7 and their preparations to ensure security and safety for the upcoming elections of deputies to the 15th National Assembly and all-level People’s Councils for the 2021-2026 tenure.

Speaking at the working session with representatives the Military Region 7, the President emphasised that the Military Region 7 has an extremely important position in terms of politics, defence, security and foreign affairs.

He highly valued efforts made by officers and soldiers of the Military Region 7, saying that they have always proactively completed all the tasks assigned by the Party and State.

President Phuc asked the Military Region 7 to better implement the guidelines of the Party, the Central Military Commission, and the Ministry of National Defence, and closely coordinate with local authorities in building the all-people defence posture in combination with the people-based security posture.

He reminded the armed forces of the Military Zone 7 to perform well the rescue work, and ensure good training missions and high combat readiness, along with building a clean and strong Party Organisation.

The State leader praised the Military Region 7 for its efforts to support local Party committees and authorities in the region in containing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, and preventing illegal entry in border areas.

He also suggested the Military Region 7 continue further promoting the good relationship with the Cambodian Army, and coordinating with relevant agencies to soon complete the border demarcation and land marker planting between the two countries.

President Phuc expressed his hope that the armed forces of the Military Region 7 will do their utmost to ensure security and safety for the elections, as well as enhance its combat readiness to deal with any contingencies.

The President also requested them to continue close coordination with local authorities in the fight against COVID-19, aiming to prevent the pandemic from entering military units./.

Early elections held in remote areas of Binh Dinh province

Local residents in three mountainous communes in Van Canh and Vinh Thanh districts of the south central province of Binh Dinh have finished their early elections to choose deputies to the 15th National Assembly (NA) and People’s Councils at all levels on May 22, one day of the scheduled day.

The three communes – Vinh Kim in Vinh Thanh district, and Canh Lien and Canh Hiep of Van Canh district, are the most remote areas of Binh Dinh with tough traffic systems.

From 7am, amid the sound of Gongs at the cultural house of Ha Giao village, the biggest village in Canh Lien commune of Van Canh district, 349 voters started casting their votes.

Dinh Van Vinh, a local voter from Bana ethnic minority group who cast his votes at constituency No.1, said that like everyone in his village, he woke up early and prepared to join the elections. He said he hopes the chosen candidates will give attention to further improving their living conditions.

The voting activities were made in line with COVID-19 prevention and control regulations.

Meanwhile, in O2 village of Vinh Kim commune, 124 local voters excitedly came to the community house to practice their voting rights.

Despite the long distance from their house to the community house and their busy farming activities, all the voters came early and completed the voting by 9am.

“I hope that the elected NA deputies will make positive contributions to the country, while deputies to the People’s Councils from communal to provincial levels will help us show out aspirations,” said Dinh Ly, a local voter.

O2 village has 49 households with 215 people, mostly from the Bana ethnic minority group. The voters had to spend five hours walking from their residence to the commune’s centre to cast their vote.

According to Doan Van Phi, Vice Standing Chairman of the Binh Dinh People’s Council and Vice Chairman of the Election Committee of Binh Dinh, the locality has organised early elections in 10 polling areas. The voting activities finished at all the areas right in the morning, he said.

As of 10am the same day, nearly 2,000 voters in all the 10 voting areas in three communes of Van Canh and Vinh Thanh completed their voting.

On the sam day, early elections were also held in Bac Ninh city, Tu Son township and Tien Du and Gia Binh district in the northern province of Bac Ninh, one of the current biggest COVID-19 hotspots.

Nguyen Trong Tan, Director of the provincial Department of Internal Affairs, said that as of 16:45pm on May 22, 100 percent of local voters finished their voting without any abnormal circumstances.

Bac Ninh province has 858,787 voters who cast their votes in 973 voting areas.

Source: VNA/VNS/VOV/VIR/SGT/Nhan Dan/Hanoitimes

VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES MAY 22 

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