Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai visited the headquarters of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Geneva and worked with its Deputy Director-General Zhang Xiangchen on May 25 afternoon (local time).

Khai said that after 15 years of WTO membership, Vietnam has gained numerous achievements in socio-economic development, successfully implemented sustainable development goals, and become one of the world’s largest commodity economies in 2021.

He affirmed Vietnam treasures the organisation’s central role in promoting an open, transparent, rules-based multilateral trading system; and hopes that WTO continues upholding its coordinating role to boost the global trade in an inclusive and equal manner, thus contributing to economic recovery and growth.

The Deputy PM suggested that the WTO reform process should ensure a balance of rights and obligations, be suitable to the development and implementation capacity of its members, especially developing ones.

For his part, Zhang welcomed Vietnam’s active engagement in and contributions to global economic growth.

In the context of complicated developments of the world's political and economic situation, he showed his wish that Vietnam will maintain its contributions to discussions at the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference in June to achieve concrete results, especially in the area of fisheries and agricultural subsidies.

56 wild animals released to nature

Fifty-six animals have been released into Vu Quang National Park in the central province of Ha Tinh.

They include 11 pig-tailed monkeys, 40 big-headed turtles and four-eyed turtles, two pythons, two king cobras and a single-eyed cobra.

These individuals belong to Group IB and IIB of rare and endangered animals that need to be preserved./.

Foreign military attachés visit Military Command of Khanh Hoa 

A delegation of foreign military attachés visited the Military Command of central Khanh Hoa province on May 25, according the Quan doi Nhan dan (People’s Army) daily.

The delegation comprised military attachés of Thailand, the UK, Myanmar, Laos, Germany, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Malaysia, South Africa, the Republic of Korea, and the US, along with advisors to the Vietnam Department of Peacekeeping Operations.

This was the first visit to Khanh Hoa by a delegation of foreign military attachés since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out.

Vietnam attends int’l conference on future of Asia

Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh is set to deliver a speech at the 27th International Conference on the Future of Asia (FOA 2022) that opened in Tokyo on May 26.

This year’s conference, held in both online and in-person forms, saw the attendance of leaders from Asian countries, including those from Southeast Asian nations such as Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen, Lao President Laos Thongloun Sisoulith, Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri bin Yaakob, Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong and Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha.

During the two-day conference, the political and economic leaders and scholars listen to views of Asian leaders on regional and international issues. Besides, panel discussions feature topics such as change the world from Asia, developing Asian business through cultural exchange, Russia-Ukraine conflict, and Asian security.

The Future of Asia is an international gathering where political, economic and academic leaders from the Asia-Pacific region offer their opinions frankly and freely on regional issues and the role of Asia in the world.

The event, held every year since 1995 by Nikkei Inc, was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is considered one of the most important global conferences in Asia.

Two Vietnamese agencies elected to ESCAP organisations’ governing councils

The General Statistics Office (GSO) of Vietnam and the Vietnam Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Post-Harvest Technology (VIAEP) on May 25 were elected to the Governing Councils of the Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific (SIAP) and the Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Mechanisation (CSAM) under the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

The elections were conducted within the framework of the ESCAP’s 78th session held in Bangkok.

SIAP is a professional statistics training centre for government officials and others working on official statistics. It offers short- and long-term  training specifically to strengthen knowledge and build skills of national governments' employees to produce, use, and share reliable statistics, including for the monitoring of the Sustainable Development Goals and the development of fact-based policy. 

Meanwhile, CSAM, based in Beijing, aims to enhance technical cooperation among the members and associate members of ESCAP as well as other interested member states of the UN, through extensive exchange of information and sharing of knowledge, and promotion of research and development and agro-business development in the area of sustainable agricultural mechanisation and technology transfer for the attainment of the internationally agreed development goals including the Millennium Development Goals in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Governing Councils of SIAP and CSAM each comprise of the representative of the host country and eight other members elected by ESCAP members.

Suggestions made to help optimise values of Global Geopark

Experts from the Global Geoparks Network (GGN) have made a fact-finding tour of Non Nuoc Cao Bang Geopark and gave several recommendations to northern Cao Bang province to help improve the park conservation and optimisation. The trip was made ahead of the re-assessment of Non Nuoc Cao Bang slated for late July.

At a meeting with the provincial People’s Committee on May 25, Guy Martini, Chairman of the UNESCO Global Geoparks Council, said thanks to local authorities’ efforts and creativity, 84 percent of the workload on the construction and protection of the park has been done, and it is now ready for re-assessment.

He also pointed out several issues needing improvement, suggesting the province print the Non Nuoc Cao Bang Global Geopark logo on products of the “One Commune, One Product” (OCOP) programme so as to popularise the site and encourage visitors to buy local specialties, thereby helping improve people’s livelihoods.

Martini spoke highly of the formation of a tour linking Non Nuoc Cao Bang with Dong Van Karst Plateau, another global geopark in the northernmost province of Ha Giang, which will help further tap into Non Nuoc Cao Bang’s values and attract tourists.

Non Nuoc Cao Bang was recognised as a member of the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network in 2018.

Vietnam, Japan beef up ground forces cooperation

Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army (VPA) Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Nghia joined talks with Chief of Staff of the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force General (JGSDF) Yoshida Yoshihide on May 25, during his working visit to Japan.  

The two sides highly valued achievements obtained in the cooperation of the countries’ ground forces, which contribute to the extensive, practical and efficient development of the Vietnam-Japan bilateral defence cooperation.

During the talks, the sides exchanged viewpoints on global and regional security issues of shared concern.

Vietnam has been pursuing a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development as well as diversification and multilateralisation of external relations, Lt. Gen. Nghia reiterated.

He affirmed the country’s persistent stance of solving all disputes, including the East Sea issue, through peaceful measures in accordance with international law, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Vietnam welcomes initiatives and ideas contributing to peace, stability and cooperation in each region and the world, the official said.

Vietnam co-chairs ASEAN-Korea Joint Cooperation Committee’s meeting

Ambassador Nguyen Hai Bang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to ASEAN, has co-chaired the 9th meeting of ASEAN-Korea Joint Cooperation Committee (AKJCC) with the Republic of Korea (RoK)’s Ambassador to ASEAN Kwon Hee-seog. 

During the meeting on May 24, the two sides noted the progress made in the ASEAN-RoK cooperation over the past year, including following up on the outcomes of the 22nd ASEAN-RoK Summit in October 2021 and activities to implement various areas of cooperation under the ASEAN-RoK Plan of Action (2021-2025).

Within the framework of the key cooperation mechanism - the ASEAN-Korea Cooperation Fund (AKCF), 20 projects are being implemented with a total investment of 56 million USD, focusing on five priority areas of education and training, the environment, economic recovery, culture and tourism, and health.

In addition, there are nine projects waiting for approval, including large-scale ones such as “Clean Air for Sustainable ASEAN ”(CASA) worth 11 million USD.

On this occasion, the RoK side announced to increase its annual contribution to the fund from 14 million USD to 16 million USD.

Overseas Vietnamese visit Truong Sa island district, DK1 platform

A delegation of more than 40 overseas Vietnamese (OV) from 17 countries around the world have visited people and soldiers in Truong Sa island district, the south central province of Khanh Hoa, and DK1 platform.

The visit, which was delayed for two years due to COVID-19, is the 10th of its kind held by the State Committee for OV Affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Naval High Command.

The visit, spanning from May 17-25, the OVs engaged in many activities, including exploring the daily life of locals in the island district, attending a flag hoisting ceremony, and offering incense to heroic martyrs and President Ho Chi Minh.

Deputies debate revision of Law on Medical Examination and Treatment

Legislators debated a report on the draft Law on Medical Examination and Treatment on May 25 during the ongoing third session of the 15th National Assembly (NA).

According to Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long, after more than 11 years of implementation, the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment 2009 has shown a number of problems, including the management of practitioners and health care facilities, which need specific legal mechanisms.

The minister stressed that in order to fix the limitations of the law and resolve current problems, the revision of the law is crucial.

Minister Long said that the revised law will have 12 chapters and 106 articles, three chapters more than the current one. It has been built in the direction of “placing patients in the centre”, he said.

Delivering a verification report on the bill, Chairman of the NA Committee for Social Affairs Nguyen Thuy Anh said that the committee agrees on the necessity of the law revision, and found that it features policies for ethnic minorities, with gender equality issues integrated.

Anh proposed the Government continue to assess the impacts of the revised contents of the bill, while reviewing administrative procedures to each impacted subject, and specifying the Party’s policies and stance on the care of public health.

Regarding prices of medial examination and treatment, Anh said that this is a special service relating to social welfare. Therefore, deciding the prices should be made under the State management. Many members of the committee agreed on the regulation permitting private clinics to decide the costs of their services in line with relevant laws, she said, stressing that many others pointed to the need to define a service price framework to protect patients’ rights.

Photo exhibition spotlights friendship between Central European countries and Vietnam

An photo exhibition on the solidarity and friendship between the Visegrad Group (V4) (Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia) and Vietnam opened in Ho Chi Minh City on May 25.

Jointly organised by the Hungarian Consulate General in HCM City and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities under the Vietnam National University HCM City, the event saw the participation of  representatives of the Visegrad countries in Vietnam, municipal departments and sectors and diplomatic missions of foreign countries in the city.

On display are over 50 photos of animals, plants and landscapes of the Visegrad countries, which were taken by famous photographers of the Association of Hungarian Nature Photographers, the Slovak Association of Wildlife Photographers, the club of nature photographers of the Czech Republic, and the Polish Association of Nature Photographers.

Binh Phuoc’s forest protection department receives wild endangered coolie

The Forest Protection Department of Dong Phu district in the southern province of Binh Phuoc received a wild coolie on May 25.

At noon the same day, Pham Minh Phung, an officer of An Phuoc Prison in Phu Giao district of the southern province of Binh Duong, which is adjacent to Binh Phuoc, discovered a small coolie lying on the ground when he was patrolling the prison.

The coolie was then handed over to the forest protection department.

Vo Cong Thanh, an officer of the department, said it is a young coolie with the scientific name Nycticebus pygmaeus. The 0.5kg animal belongs to Group IIB of rare and endangered animals that need to be preserved.

The department will care and release it back into the wild as soon as possible, he said.

Experts underlines significance of learning, teaching Vietnamese in Australia

The promotion of learning Vietnamese as a foreign language helps raise public interest in Australia regarding the importance of Vietnam as a strategic partner in relation to business and investment, agriculture and food manufacturing, and education and training, experts held.

In their joint article run recently in the website of the Australia-Vietnam Policy Institute, Dr. Melissa Jardine, the Chair of the Board of Directors at the Australia Vietnam Leadership Dialogue (AVLD) and Dr. Tran Hong Van, Adjunct Research Fellow at Charles Sturt University noted that the Australian Vietnamese community comprises 1.2 percent of Australia’s population, and Vietnamese is among the top four spoken languages other than English (LOTE).

While individual and family efforts to maintain Vietnamese language capabilities are observed, there are limitations on its effectiveness, they noted, adding that the children of Vietnamese immigrants (along with non-Vietnamese Australians) are unlikely to have mastered the sophisticated skills in speaking, reading and writing needed for cross-generational communication, cultural and identity maintenance, as well as for the progression of Australia’s geo-political aims.

Among Australians with Vietnamese heritage (hereinafter, the Australian Vietnamese community), the benefits include enhanced academic and cognitive functioning, improved social and cultural understanding, enhanced self-esteem and self-identity, and more cohesive family relationships. The promotion of Vietnamese language use among second and third generations of families helps to build communities and a talent pool for a successful bilateral partnership, said the experts.

Prehistoric relics discovered in Bac Kan cave

Over 700 prehistoric artefacts have been discovered inside Tham Un cave in the northern mountainous province of Bac Kan’s Ba Be district.

The discovery resulted from a fact-finding trip undertaken by the Institute of Archeology, the Vietnam Archeology Association, and the Bac Kan Museum.

Combing the entire cave, their team found traces of ancient people almost everywhere. Among the artefacts discovered were stone tools made from river pebbles.

According to Associate Professor, Dr Trinh Nang Chung, based on the overall study of the relics as well as the structure and age of the sediment, researchers believe that Tham Un was a residence of many generations of prehistoric people.

Its early inhabitants belonged to the late Bac Son Culture dating back 5,000 to 6,000 years, while the late inhabitants were from the Late Neolithic - Early Metal Ages dating back about 4,000 years.

This is a very important prehistoric relic cave, Chung stated.

Archaeologists are planning to excavate the site in the near future. 

Remains of martyrs repatriated from Laos reburied

A respect paying ceremony and a reburial service were held at a martyrs’ cemetery in the north-central province of Nghe An on May 25 to rebury the remains of 103 Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who laid down their lives in Laos.

Participants expressed their gratitude to the martyrs for their contributions and sacrifice for the national construction and defence as well as international duties in Laos.

The remains, repatriated by a team of Nghe An Military High Command in Laos’ Xiangkhouang province in the 2021-22 dry season, was handed over to the Vietnamese side on May 22-23.

Since 1984, Nghe An has worked on the task with three localities in Laos and repatriated more than 12,300 remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts.

Work the Nordic Way 2022’ slated for June

Nordic companies and business leaders will gather for a conference to be held in Ho Chi Minh City on June 1, aiming to promote inclusive and sustainable business practices.

Named ‘Work the Nordic Way 2022’, the third-annual conference will also give Vietnamese job-seekers the chance to meet major Nordic companies through an afternoon of workshops, panel sessions, and networking.

Organised by the Nordic Chamber of Commerce (NordCham) and four Vietnamese-Nordic alumni associations, the upcoming event will focus on the theme of a diverse and inclusive workforce. Nordic countries are world leaders in this area, and speakers will share how promoting inclusion in the workplace can contribute to business success and socio-economic growth.

It will also include a jobs fair and workshops with major Nordic companies including Tetra Pak, Home Credit, Novo Nordisk, IKEA, and Esoft.

Localities urged to step up vaccination against COVID-19

The Ministry of Health (MoH) has asked leaders of provinces and centrally-run cities to step up vaccination against COVID-19.

Some localities have recently proposed not receiving vaccines or transfer the allocated vaccines, leading to the fact that the COVID-19 vaccination target is likely to be missed, the ministry said, citing a report from the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE).

As of May 21, more than 219 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered nationwide.

Localities have made great efforts in rolling out vaccination campaigns to ensure its safety and effectiveness and achieve a high vaccination rate.

The number of vaccines received by the MoH is enough to give the 3rd and 4th shots for people aged 18 years and older who are eligible for vaccination, it said.

The ministry proposed leaders of the provinces and cities direct the Departments of Health and related agencies to promptly review the number of people who are eligible for COVID-19 vaccination, focusing on completing the injection of third shots for people 18 years old or older in the second quarter of this year as well as inoculation for children from 5 to under 12 years old.

The localities are requested to set up plans and organise the inoculation of third shots for eligible people.

Vietnam’s U23 to play friendly with UAE

The U23 Vietnam team will play a friendly with the United Arab Emirates (UAE)’s U23 team on May 28.

The Vietnamese footballers arrived at Dubai on May 25 to begin a training in the Middle East nation.

On May 29, they will leave the UAE for Uzbekistan for the AFC tournament.

Head coach Gong Oh-kyun recently announced a list of 25 football players to compete at the 2022 AFC U23 Asian Cup final, which will take place in Uzbekistan from June 1 to 19.

More than half of the list are key players of the squad winning the goal medal at the freshly ended SEA Games 31 hosted by Vietnam.

According to the draw results, Vietnam are in Group C with the Republic of Korea (RoK), Thailand and Malaysia. The team will play the opening match against Thailand on June 2, then face the RoK on June 5 and Malaysia on June 8.

Vietnamese students win three medals at 2022 European Physics Olympiad

Vietnamese students brought home two silver and one bronze medals at the 2022 European Physics Olympiad, the Vietnam Physics Society (VPS) announced on May 25.

Specifically, Nguyen Tuan Phong from the Bac Ninh High School for the Gifted in the northern province of the same name, and Pham Trung Kien from the Tran Phu High School for the Gifted in the northern city of Hai Phong won the silver medals.

Meanwhile, the bronze medal was grabbed by Le Thuy Mai Anh from the Ha Long High School for the Gifted in the northern province of Quang Ninh.

This year, Vietnam sent five students to the competition, who had been selected by the VPS from those winning prizes at the national physics competition.

This year’s competition was held in Slovenia, drawing the participation of 182 contestants from 37 nations.

Last year, Vietnamese students brought home one gold and one bronze.

Top 6 finisher at Miss World 2021 back to Vietnam

Pricilia Carla Yules, a Top 6 finalist at Miss World 2021, arrived at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on May 25 for a coming music gala to honour athletes at the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31).

The beauty, the Miss Indonesia 2020, will stay in the capital from May 25 to May 27 during which she is to participate in the music gala alongside Vietnamese singers such as Trong Tan, Ali Hoang Duong, Phan Dinh Tung, and rapper Ricky Star.

The Indonesian beauty will also join some activities to help promote Hanoi’s culture and tourism to international friends.

Carla Yules, 26, graduated from the hospitality faculty in Melbourne, Australia. The 1.72-metre tall girl is also a basketball player. She was the only Southeast Asian representative to be named among the Top 6 finalists of Miss World 2021.

This marks the third time that Indonesian beauty has visited Vietnam.

Netflix unveils winners of 'My Vietnam' short film competition

Netflix unveiled the winners of its "My Vietnam" short film competition powered by Netflix's Cinema Beauty - Vietnam Creative Economy Grant on May 25.

The First Prize was granted to Páo's Forest (Khu rừng của Páo) by Nguyễn Phạm Thành Đạt. The film tells the story of Páo, a Mông man who married at 14. At the age of 18, he falls in love for the first time, forcing him to choose between love and family responsibilities. The project was filmed over one month in Mộc Châu Town of Sơn La Province, and all of the film's actors are from the Mông ethnic group.

The Second Prize went to Little Parrot (Vẹt con) by Nguyễn Trần Ái Nhi. In Little Parrot, Erik, a German man, meets with Thu, the mother of his deceased lover, Minh. Thu wants to bring Minh's ashes back to Vietnam, but Erik is not ready for that just yet.

Conceptualised in early December last year, pre-production for the film took place from mid-February to the end of March this year. The film was shot over four days in Berlin, Germany. An international cinema, its production team comprises Vietnamese and German crew members, with three languages used on the set: English, Vietnamese and German.

The third prize was given to Between the Lines by Phan Ngoc Thanh Ngan.

First launched in October 2021 with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism support, the grant marks Netflix's first Creative Economy Grant in Vietnam to support the country's creative economy and Vietnamese filmmakers from underrepresented groups, creating more opportunities for their voices to be heard. 

Health officials in Tra Vinh, Long An arrested in Viet A test kit case

Four incumbent and former officials of the Department of Health and Center for Disease Control (CDC) of the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh and director of the General Hospital of Vinh Long Province have been detained for their alleged involvement in the Viet A case.

The four comprised deputy director of the Tra Vinh Department of Health Tran Dac Thanh, former director of the provincial CDC Nguyen Van Lo, deputy head of the CDC’s division of Testing-Image Analysis Le Van Thanh and Nguyen Van Truyen, a specialist of the provincial Department of Health’s pharmaceutical profession division, the local media reported.

They were charged with violating bidding regulations, causing serious consequences.

According to the initial investigation results, from 2021 to 2022, they conducted eight packages worth over VND36 billion to buy medical equipment and supplies and Covid test kits from the Viet A Technology Corporation.

Viet A signed contracts for five packages with the Tra Vinh Department of Health and three packages with the provincial CDC.

During the execution of the eight packages, the four regularized bidding procedures, causing losses of some VND7.6 billion for the State, including VND6.9 billion at the Department of Health and VND700 million at the CDC.

As for the director of the General Hospital of Vinh Long Province, Doan Van Hung, he was involved in six packages to procure medical equipment and test kits from Viet A.

Besides Hung, Dinh Thi Thanh Chi, acting head of the hospital’s pharmaceuticals division; and Phan Thi Ngoc Tham, chief technician of the hospital, were also detained.

The provincial inspector had earlier stated that last year, the hospital spent nearly VND74 billion buying medical supplies, chemicals and protective equipment for the fight against Covid-19 and had paid over VND68 billion.

The inspectors had found that the quotations of up to 34 of the 35 packages were copies and each of the 53 sale contracts were executed two to 38 days late, compared with their validity.

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