Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will pay an official visit to Vietnam from June 3-4.

The visit is made at the invitation of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

Exhibition showcases press materials on Buddhism

More than 100 press photos and materials involved Buddhist events published between 1963 and now are on
display at an exhibition opened in Ho Chi Minh City on May 30.

The event is co-organised by Giac Ngo – the official newspaper of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS), the information-communications board of the VBS chapter in HCM City, and Hue Quang library, which collects, preserves, and distributes Buddhist texts and books on Buddhism. It is taking place at the Giac Ngo headquarters in District 3 until June 7.
 
The exhibited items shed light on the Buddhist campaign in 1963 requesting the US-backed South Vietnamese government of Ngo Dinh Diem to implement a policy for religious equality. There are about 30 original documents about the event on June 11, 1963 when Bodhisattva Thich Quang Duc set himself on fire to protest against the repression of Buddhists by the then government.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Most Venerable Thich Le Trang, Head of the VBS Executive Board in Ho Chi Minh City, said the display
gives clear insight into the hardship facing Vietnam’s Buddhism in 1963 and the Thich Quang Duc event.

Most Venerable Thich Quang Duc was born as Lam Van Tuat in Van Ninh district, the central province of Khanh Hoa, in 1897. He actively joined Buddhist movements for religious freedom and equality in the southern region. On June 11, 1963, when a procession of over 800 Buddhist monks, nuns and followers arrived at the intersection of Phan Dinh Phung boulevard (now Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street) and Le Van Duyet Street (now Cach Mang Thang Tam Street) in Sai Gon (now Ho Chi Minh City), Thich Quang Duc soaked himself in petrol, struck a match and set himself on fire. He was honoured as a Bodhisattva in 1964 after the unified VBS came into being.

Trilingual book about friendship published on Children’s Day

To mark Children’s Day on June 1, the Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House has released Hip Hop and the Golden Forest, the latest story by Vietnamese-German writer Isabelle Müller.

The book, lovingly told by Muller and beautifully illustrated by her brother, Daniel Gaucher, is recommended for all those who believe in true friendship. In Việt Nam, it has been published in three languages – Vietnamese, English and German.

The readers will follow Hip Hop, the little flea, and Little Leaf, on their journey to the Golden Forest. A terrible storm has uprooted the huge solitary ginkgo biloba in the botanical garden near the Green Valley Zoo. Among many others, Little Leaf hopes to find her original roots in order to complete the cycle of life.

To succeed, she must find the Golden Forest that’s far away. But it must be done quickly as winter is on its way. Hip Hop volunteers to join her for this mission full of adventures.

Muller said, the world we are living in was her constant inspiration for the book.

The book is Muller’s second works for children, following the success of her first one, Hip Hop in the Land of Ellsaby, published in Vietnam last year.

It is suitable for children aged between six and ten years old. All proceeds from the copyright of this book will be donated to the Muller’s LOAN Foundation (LOAN Stiftung) which aims to help Vietnamese disadvantaged children in mountainous areas have a better life.

Socio-economic matters main topic at NA session on May 31

The National Assembly (NA) will spend the whole day of May 31 – the ninth working day of its fifth session – looking into supplementary assessments of the implementation of the socio-economic development plan and State budget in 2022 and the first months of 2023.

The working session will be broadcast live on television and radio channels.

According to the Government report submitted to the NA, Vietnam fulfilled 13 out of 15 targets in 2022, with GDP growth of 8.02% (the initial reported figure was 8%), GDP per capita of 4,109 USD (the initial figure was 4,075 USD), CPI growth of 3.15% (initially around 4%), and State budget collection of 1.81 quadrillion VND (77.07 billion USD), 201.4 trillion VND higher than the figure reported to the legislature earlier.

The country posted export-import revenue of 371.3 billion USD and ran a trade surplus of over 12.4 billion USD, also exceeding the numbers reported earlier.

Meanwhile, the GDP in the first quarter of this year increased by only 3.32%, lower than the 5.03% recorded in the corresponding time last year, and the average CPI rose 3.84% in the first four months.

In the four-month period, the State budget collection reached some 632.5 trillion VND, equivalent to 39% of the yearly estimate, and the trade surplus stood at 7.56 billion USD, as compared with 2.25 billion USD reported in the same period last year. The disbursement of public investment was also up 15 trillion VND year-on-year.

The report pointed to difficulties in production and business, especially in industry, construction and small-and medium-sized enterprises, along with slower-than expected progress in administrative reform, and bottlenecks in the corporate bond and real estate markets in terms of liquidity and capital flow.        

Besides, the roll-out of some policies under national target programmes and the 2% interest rate subsidy package of the socio-economic recovery and development programme remains sluggish.

The Government said it will consistently pursue the targets of maintaining macro-economic stability, controlling inflation, spurring growth, ensuring major economic balances, stepping up the forecast work to timely work out suitable policies, and continuing to drastically and effectively implementing the socio-economic recovery and development programme, focusing on the growth engines of consumption, investment and export.

The Government will also intensify the building and perfection of institutions and raise the efficiency of law enforcement, and work to complete the draft revised Land Law.

Vietnam, Laos boost collaboration in military logistics

Deputy Defence Minister Senior Lieutenant General Vu Hai San hosted a visiting delegation from the Lao People’s Army’s general department of logistics in Hanoi on May 30.

Highlighting the special relations between Vietnam and Laos, San said the countries’ defence cooperation has so far been developed toward effectiveness and practical outcomes in personnel training, delegation exchange, and the sustaining of bilateral dialogue and consultation mechanisms.

The official lauded outcomes of joint work between the two maries' general departments of logistics, particularly in professioanl experience sharing, human resources training, and delegation exchange.

He said he supports their orientations for cooperation in the near future and requested the sides organise more health check-ups for and present gifts to people living in the countries’ border areas; and increase their exchanges for capacity improvement.

The head of the Lao department, Khamphet Sisaone, expressed his hope that the Vietnamese Party, State, and Ministry of National Defence would create favourable conditions for the two agencies to implement joint work effectively, serving the promotion of the Vietnam-Laos great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation.

Phase 2 completes as main sections of Vinh Tuy Bridge 2 joined

The main segments of the second-phase construction of Vinh Tuy bridge spanning Hong (Red) River (Vinh Tuy Bridge 2) in Hanoi was connected on May 30.

According to the Hanoi Management Board for Traffic Infrastructure Investment and Construction Projects, after the remaining segments of the bridge are connected, construction units will complete the concrete balustrade, install lighting systems and other works in preparation for inaugurating the project before September 2.

Relevant units will also reorganise traffic, install separators, and complete the painting work for Vinh Tuy Bridge 1 to synchronise the two projects before October 10.

As of May 29, seven out of the eight segments of Vinh Tuy Bridge 2 were completed.

Designed with eight lanes, including two bus lanes, this is the first bridge in Hanoi with a dedicated bus lane.

Vinh Tuy Bridge 2, with a total investment of more than 2.54 trillion (109 million USD) sourced from the city’s budget, aims to complete Ring Road No 2 of the capital city and promote linkage between two banks of the river, as well as connect the city centre with the city’s north and northeast.

Once completed, the new bridge is expected to create favourable conditions for socio-economic development of the capital city, remove traffic jams on Ring Road No 2, and reduce vehicles on Thanh Tri Bridge and Ring Road No 3.

Vinh Tuy Bridge 1’s construction started in 2005 and was open to traffic in 2010 as one of the major construction projects to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

The bridge, financed by the city’s budget, had total investment capital of 3.5 trillion VND (150.5 million USD).

It spans over 5.8km in length, including 3.7km crossing the river.

Work on Châu Đốc - Cần Thơ - Sóc Trăng expressway to begin in mid-June

Work on the Châu Đốc - Cần Thơ - Sóc Trăng Expressway in the Mekong Delta willl start in mid-June. — Photo for illustration www.sggp.org.vn

Construction on an expressway in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta between Châu Đốc City in An Giang Province and Sóc Trăng Province is set to start in mid-June.

The Châu Đốc - Cần Thơ - Sóc Trăng Expressway project has a total length of more than 188 kilometres, starting at National Highway No.91 in Châu Đốc City, passing through Cần Thơ City and Hậu Giang Province and ending at Trần Đề Port in Sóc Trăng Province.

With a total investment of VNĐ44.7 trillion (US$1.9 billion), the project is separated into four component projects carried out by four localities, An Giang, Hậu Giang and Sóc Trăng provinces and Cần Thơ City, where it passes through.

In the first phase, it will have four lanes and allow speeds of up to 100km per hour.

It is identified as a national project and key to facilitating socio-economic development in the Mekong Delta.

The localities are speeding up site clearance, compensation and resettlement for affected households.

Other planned expressways to be built in the Mekong Delta include Cần Thơ - Cà Mau and Hà Tiên - Rạch Giá - Bạc Liêu.

The delta has only 117km of expressways, including the 61.9km HCM City - Trung Lương Expressway operating since 2010, and the 55.1km Trung Lương - Mỹ Thuận Expressway, which opened to traffic in April 2022. 

Kon Tum Province town gets tourism association

The Măng Đen Town Tourism Association has been established in Kon Tum Province to link up local tourism businesses and help the industry grow.

Kon Plông District and its Măng Đen Town are key travel destinations in the province, attracting 80 per cent of all tourists coming to the province.

The town is popular for its mild weather, ethnic cultures and natural scenery.

The association is a non-profit social and vocational training organisation with 45 members and the province’s first tourism association.

In the first five years it targets developing Kon Plong District tourism into a professional and competitive service industry.

Bùi Viết Hà, its chairman, said the town hopes to attract around two million visitors a year until 2025.

Dang Quang Ha, chairman of the district People’s Committee, said the region has over 60 accommodation facilities that could serve 3,500 guests a day.

Tourism plays a big role in the district’s economic growth and providing jobs and higher incomes to locals, he said.

This year Kon Plong District has attracted around 600,000 visitors, accounting for nearly half of the entire province’s full-year target.

HCM City to ban sleeper buses from entering downtown

HCM City plans to ban sleeper buses from entering the inner city at all times day and night in an effort to ensure smoother and safer traffic.

According to the HCM City Department of Transport, the traffic situation in the inner city area has improved after sleeper buses were banned between 6am and 10pm.

However, there are still a number of illegal parking lots inside the inner city causing traffic jams, especially at the main road of the Rạch Chiếc sports complex, the Tam Bình petrol station on National Highway 1 and the intersection of National Highway 1, Road No.7 and Road No.18, among other spots.

It has been recorded that some sleeper buses often pick up and drop off passengers along corridors and ring roads as well, affecting traffic safety.

About 51 cases of sleeper cars entering the prohibited areas at prohibited times have been penalised.

The city's Department of Transport has instructed local police and relevant authorities to strengthen patrols and strictly handle violations.

Recently, the department has proposed to ban sleeper buses from entering the inner city, specifically areas surrounded by the National Highway 1A, Nguyễn Văn Linh, Võ Chí Công, Nguyễn Thị Định, Đồng Văn Cống, Mai Chí Thọ and Hà Nội Highway.

Sleeper buses can run on fixed intercity routes from Miền Tây bus station at any time.

After being approved by the city, traffic signs will be installed so that buses going in and out of the Miền Tây bus station can follow the regulations accordingly.

The city Department of Transport requested the Việt Nam Fatherland Front Committee of HCM City and relevant authorities to give feedback before May 30. 

Yến badminton festival of the Mong

Festivals of the Mong in the northern province of Ha Giang have many community activities such as call-and-response singing, dancing with the khèn panpipe, and playing such folk games as stick pushing, tug of war, and yến badminton.
      
Yến badminton originated from a story about a boy from the Heaven. During a trip to the earth, he fell in love with a girl.  They often played yến badminton together.

The players toss the yến shuttlecock and hit it with wood rackets back and forth. This game is purely an exercise. There is no competition, no rules, and no winner, and no loser. Yến badminton is a popular game among ethnic people, particularly the Mong in Quan Ba district, Ha Giang province.

The rackets, made of pine wood, are light but sturdy. The racket hitting the shuttlecock makes a joyful sound. Playing yến badminton improves strength, speed, and coordination.

Vuong Thi Sim of Thanh Van commune says that before the festivals and the New Year celebration, she and her husband prepare new clothes, new rackets, and new shuttlecocks and then bring them to the festival.

Sim shares her tips for making rackets and shuttlecocks.

In a large yard, young and old people play yến badminton as a way to make friends and enhance community bonds. If a boy and a girl can hit the yến shuttlecock for more than 10 minutes without dropping it on the ground, they are predestined for each other. They may become husband and wife.

New Zealand offers 40 short-term scholarships for Vietnamese

Education New Zealand, a government agency for education promotion, has announced 40 short full-ride scholarships ranging from a few weeks to three months for Vietnamese learners, totalling over VND500 million.

The program includes 20 scholarships in Digital and Collaborative Teaching and Learning for Vietnamese teachers, university lecturers and educators, in addition to 20 scholarships in Disruptive Technologies available for entrepreneurs and managers.

Applicants who pass the screening round will be enrolled in a micro-credential course on an online platform, which will be developed by academyEX, a renowned postgraduate education institute in New Zealand.

Unlike traditional short courses, each micro-credential in this program is accredited by the New Zealand Qualification Authority and, if eligible, can be used to redeem credits for learners in many other graduate programs.

Students will be provided with learning materials, lectures and assignments on the platform, in addition to having online interactive sessions with instructors and fellows studying in New Zealand.

The 15-week Digital and Collaborative Teaching and Learning Micro-credential course begins on August 7 and lasts until November 19, whereas the 10-week Disruptive Technology Micro-credential course takes place between September 11 and November 19.

Favourable visa policy urged to draw tourists

Experts are calling for a favourable visa policy to attract foreign tourists, saying that it should be a priority.

Last year, Vietnam welcomed over 3.66 million foreign visitors, or over 73% of the target. This year’s figure is set at 8 million, which is an uneasy task.

The number of foreign arrivals reached 3.7 million in the first four months of this year, hence, the tourism sector must race to meet the goal.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, together with several foreign diplomatic missions in Vietnam, the European Chamber of Commerce, the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam, the Vietnam Business Forum, the Tourism Advisory Board and the Private Economic Development Research Board (Board IV) also made proposals for a more favourable visa policy to improve the competitiveness of Vietnam’s tourism industry.

Suggested changes in the visa policy are related to the amendment and supplementation of several articles of the Law on Entry and Exit of Vietnamese Citizens and the Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam.

If approved, the new entry and visa policies will extend the temporary stay of foreigners from 15 days to 45 days and the validity of e-visas from 30 days to a maximum of 90 days, for single or multiple entries.

The sector will have about three months to popularise changes in visa policy to the European and American markets, thus attracting visitors in the upcoming tourism season starting from October.

Pham Ha, Chairman of LUX Group, suggested that in addition to the proposed changes in visa policy, Vietnam should consider offering a golden visa or special visa with a validity of 1 year or 5 years to attract long-stay visitors, especially retirees.

Hanoi works to turn Dong Anh into urban district by year’s end

The capital city is accelerating procedures to raise the status of Dong Anh from a rural district to an urban one by the end of this year.

The move aims to implement the Politburo’s Resolution No. 15-NQ/TW dated May 5, 2022, on orientation and tasks serving the development of Hanoi toward 2030, with a vision to 2045. The document plans the building of a city within the capital, covering its Dong Anh-Me Linh-Soc Son region in the north and the Hoa Lac and Xuan Mai region in the west; and a smart city on the basis of the regional development on both sides of the Nhat Tan - Noi Bai axis.

Secretary of the Dong Anh Party Committee Le Trung Kien said the locality has prepared all conditions necessary for its upgrade into an urban district.

Nguyen Xuan Linh, Chairman of the Dong Anh People’s Committee, said although the workload remains very large, the district always adheres to regulations.

Accordingly, the local authorities have established a steering committee and 24 working groups in communes and towns to collect constituents’ feedback on the status upgrade.

Linh said via the collection, Dong Anh will take into account people’s opinions and aspirations and review its shortcomings and limitations for timely adjustment.

Greater efforts to better protect children on cyberspace

The Party, State, as well as the whole political system, have strongly intervened to better protect children on the internet environment in the context of risks posed by the development of information technology and the internet.

With the rapid development of information technology and the internet, children are also facing many risks, including cyber-bullying.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has reported that one in five young people said they have been a victim of online bullying.

Statistics show that about 750,000 sexual predators worldwide are online at any given moment, and over 3 million accounts registered across the 10 most harmful child sexual abuse sites.

Deputy representative of UNICEF in Vietnam Lesley Miller said these are worrisome numbers, and it is necessary to take urgent actions to address the situation.

According to reports of the national emergency telephone number for child protection, 111, it received nearly 420 calls about child protection in the online environment and 18 notifications about channels or video clips with harmful contents for children in 2022. The figures in the first five months of this year were 128 calls and three notifications.

Nguyen Ngoc Anh, an expert from the UNICEF’s children protection programme, said strategies to address cyber-bullying and abuse should be part of the broader child protection strategies. Cooperation and coordination among stakeholders is key to success in this work, he stressed.

UNICEF and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) have developed the Guidelines for Industry on Child Online Protection for businesses, which outline solutions that businesses can take to protect and respect children, as well as for children to use the internet in a healthy and creative way.

Dang Hoa Nam, Director of the Department of Child Affairs under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, stressed that it is necessary to join hands in creating a safer and healthier digital environment for children.

He underlined the need to learn from Vietnamese and international experience, thus rolling out more specific and practical measures to ensure safety for children on the cyber environment.

The legal system for protecting children in the online environment has been developed, including the Law on Children, the Law on Cyber Information Security, the Law on Access to Information, creating an important legal basis for the children protection work.

The Government and the Prime Minister have issued a number of important documents to protect children in the online environment, such as the National Action Programme for Children in the 2021-2030 period and the programme on protection of and support for children.

Vietnam and other ASEAN member countries also agreed to adopt the Declaration on the Protection of Children from all Forms of Online Exploitation and Abuse in ASEAN in 2019, and the Declaration on the Elimination of Bullying of Children in ASEAN.

Transport system upgrade crucial for development of northern mountainous localities

Upgrading transport infrastructure is defined the key for unlocking the great potential of northern mountainous localities, especially in tourism and culture, held experts.

Northern mountainous localities like Cao Bang and Bac Kan have been a popular destination for visitors. Each year, these provinces draw hundreds of thousands of visitors. However, tourists hesitate to return to the destinations due to the dangerous journey on mountainous roads to reach them.

Recognising the situation, leaders of the two localities have proposed many projects to build roads and modern expressways.

In Cao Bang, Dong Dang-Tra Linh expressway is a major transport project that the province has proposed, along with three provincial roads.

 Northern mountainous localities like Cao Bang and Bac Kan have been a popular destination for visitors. (Photo: dantri.vn)
Recently, the Ministry of Transport has approved the investment policy for a project to upgrade the National Highway No.4A’s section from Tra Linh township, Trung Khanh district to Xuan Hoa township of Ha Quang district, and a project to upgrade National Highway No.34’s section from Ma Phuc pass to Tra Linh international border gate. The total investment for the projects is more than 2.9 trillion VND (123.56 million USD).

Meanwhile, Bac Kan has made transport infrastructure one of the four strategic breakthroughs in its development master plan to 2030. Under the plan, the province will build the Hanoi-Thai Nguyen-Bac Kan expressway with 4-6 lanes by 2030.

By 2050, the province aims to complete the construction of an expressway from Bac Kan city to Cao Bang city with four lanes in line with the planning to 2050 approved by the Prime Minister, along with a number of other projects.

Experts said that after the projects are completed, the roads will help strengthen connectivity of the localities and boost the localities’ socio-economic development as well as security and defence.

Le Van Dinh, Deputy Director of the Transport Department of Cao Bang said that northern mountainous localities hope that the Ministry of Transport and the Road Department consider, approve and support the implementation of projects that they have proposed, thus addressing transport bottlenecks for them.

National External Information Service Awards launched
 
It is open to works in Vietnamese and foreign languages in many categories, including those published in print and online newspapers, books, video clips and television broadcasting works. The deadline for entry submission is July 31, 2023. 

The ninth National External Information Service Awards has been launched in Hà Nội, welcoming both Vietnamese and foreign applicants.

The awards honour outstanding authors, works, and publications in the field of external information service and help popularise the country’s development achievements in various areas.

It is open to works in Vietnamese and foreign languages in many categories, including those published in print and online newspapers, books, video clips and television broadcasting works. The deadline for entry submission is July 31, 2023.

Taiwanese symphony entertains Hanoian audience

The Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) Excellence Symphony Concert was a success on the night of May 27 at the Hà Nội Opera House, with an enthusiastic response from the audience. Diverse musical colours and deep cultural values are what symphony music lovers appreciated about the event.

Guest star and pianist Liao Hsin-Chiao showcased her graceful way of performing, taking the audience on an adventure with Piano Concerto in C minor by composer Tyzen Hsiao, he said.

Simultaneously, the concert was also televised live on the LED screen at Hòan Kiếm Lake Walking Street, attracting a large number of spectators.

Audiences at the walking street can also visit the Chinese Taipei excellence “Pavilion Exhibition” taking place in front of the Hà Nội Post Office Building (75 Đinh Tiên Hoàng Street by Hoàn Kiếm Lake).

The counters feature new generation culinary, cultural and technological entertainment products.

This event is co-organised by the Bureau of Foreign Trade, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (Chinese Taipei), and the Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) External Trade Development Council.

Vietnam among world's top 8 most incredible train journeys

British travel guide Lonely Planet has named The Reunification Express, the nation’s north-south railway, among its list of the top 8 most incredible train journeys in the world.

According to the list, the Reunification Express, also known as the Thong Nhat Railway, stretches for more than 1,726 kilometers, equal to 1,072 miles, between the country’s two biggest cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City over the course of two days.

“Some railways rattle through historic cities; others swoosh beside spectacular coastlines. A few have an epic history, and one or two are remarkable for the colorful characters onboard. The Reunification Express line fulfills all these criteria,” says Lonely Planet.

It also stressed that travelers cannot find a more atmospheric way to travel between Vietnam’s twin metropolises.

“And there’s no better way of exploring all the glories in between,” the British travel guide concluded.

The journey allows passengers to sit and enjoy romantic scenery and rural landscapes along coastal towns in the central region, including the former imperial capital of Hue, the Da Nang City Port which was initially built in the French colonial period, and the ancient town of Hoi An.

The other train journeys to make Lonely Planet’s list were the California Zephyr of the United States, Lake Titicaca Railway of Peru, the Lhasa Express of China, the Caledonian Sleeper of the UK, the Bergensbanen of Norway, the TranzAlpine of New Zealand, and Tazara Railway of Tanzania and Zambia.

Australian famtrip delegation explores Nha Trang tourism potential

A famtrip delegation of Australian tour operators recently arrived in the coastal city of Nha Trang in the southcentral province of Khanh Hoa to survey a range of tourism products and services at a number of popular tourist attractions and accommodation facilities.      

The visit has been part of Khanh Hoa province’s tourism action programme for the year, with the ultimate aim of reviving the international tourism market by organising famtrip delegations to survey tourist destinations across the locality.

The units accompanying the Australian famtrip delegation during the survey period include Vinpearl Land, Vinpearl Melia, Vega City Joint Stock Company, HTS International Co., Ltd., Louisiane Brewery, Ana Mandara Cam Ranh, Kong Forest, Sealife Cruise, I-Resort Hot Spring Resort, The Arena Cam Ranh, and Empyrean Hotel.

Furthermore, the Khanh Hoa Department of Tourism has co-operated alongside Ana Mandara Cam Ranh Resort and Bamboo Airways to organise a B2B Program and Gala Dinner with the Australian Famtrip delegation at Ana Mandara Cam Ranh on May 27, with the event featuring the participation of about 100 delegates.

At the function, the province’s travel firms introduced tourism products and services to Australian businesses, while representatives of the Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa Tourism Association also briefed them on a number of stimulus tourism schemes.

Currently, Bamboo Airways is operating five round-trip flights per week in Australia on air routes such as Melbourne – Hanoi, Melbourne - Ho Chi Minh City, and Sydney - Ho Chi Minh City, making use of modern wide-body aircraft Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.

According to information given by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Vietnam was one of the 10 favourite places for Australians.

In particular, the total number of visitors coming from Australia to Ho Chi Minh City reached nearly 300,000 in 2019 and stood at 130,000 arrivals in 2022, thereby accounting for roughly 3.5% of the total number of international visitors to the southern city.

Five-month traffic accidents down 15.7% as incidents claim over 2,343 lives

As many as 3,991 traffic accidents occurred nationwide, claiming the lives of 2,343 people and injuring 2,773 others during the first five months of the year.      

According to figures released by the Ministry of Public Security, the reviewed period saw the number of cases decline by 15.7%.

Most notably, between April 15 and May 14 a total of 832 accidents occurred, resulting in 448 deaths with 619 people being left injured.

Furthermore, May alone witnessed the number of traffic accidents increase by 2.34% compared to the previous month, whilst the number of injuries in May went up by 7.47% against figures from April.

However, the number of deaths in May saw a decline of 2.4% in comparison to those from April. In May police handled a total of 291,792 traffic violations, a fall of 8.4%, with total fines of VND590.49 billion, a reduction of 6.53% against April.

As many as 101,887 vehicles were seized during this period, a decrease of 2.26% compared to the previous month.

The Ministry of Public Security also stated that there were more than 191 fire incidents nationwide, killing over 12 and injuring nine others between April 15 and May 14. Fire incidents caused financial losses of VND17.62 billion, down by 34.46% against April.

Three sisters drown in Dong Thap River

Three sisters drowned after swimming in a river in the southern province of Dong Thap on Sunday afternoon. 

According to a report from local authorities, Ngo Nguyen Ngoc Huong, 13, and her two sisters aged nine and seven went to swim in the Ba Du River in Cao Lanh District at 1.30 pm on May 28.

After not seeing them return, their family went to the river to look for them. The family called for support from local rescue services who found the bodies of two sisters. The last body was recovered at 8.40 pm the same day.

Child drownings have risen in recent days as many schools nationwide have closed for the summer holiday. Three days ago, three sisters in Ninh Thuan Province also drowned while swimming in a lake behind their house. Four weeks earlier, four girls also drowned in the Quao River in Binh Thuan Province.

Northern, central regions face scorching heat

The northern and central regions of Vietnam have been forecasted to experience a hot front from Monday.

According to the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting, the hot weather will expand in the northern region from Tuesday with the highest temperature of 35-37 degrees centigrade. 

The northern and central regions of Vietnam have been forecasted to experience a hot front from Monday

The heat wave would last until May 31. After that, northern localities would see downpours.

Central localities from Thanh Hoa to Phu Yen would have the highest temperature of 38 degrees on May 29-30. From June 3, they would see rain with strong winds.

Meanwhile, the Central Highlands and southern regions are facing rain with the highest rainfall of 80mm. The rainy weather will continue for many days to come. Warnings of whirlwinds, hail and landslides have also been issued.

Promoting digital transformation to ensure national energy security

Thanks to the implementation of the strategic orientations of the Party and the State, Vietnam’s energy industry with three pillars of oil and gas, coal and electricity has developed strongly, serving socio-economic development as well as people's everyday life, a seminar heard on May 29.

In a seminar on promoting digital transformation to ensure national energy security by 2050 held by the Cong thuong (Industry and Trade) newspaper, experts said that the energy industry has had many innovations, applying achievements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, including digital transformation in all activities of management, operation, exploitation and use of energy resources.

This has helped improve the efficiency of production, business, and customer service in accordance with the competitive market, adapting to the context of international integration.

In the national digital transformation programme, energy is one of eight priority areas for implementation.

Decision No 749 dated June 3, 2020 approving the National Digital Transformation Programme by 2025 and orientation to 2030 of the Prime Minister, defines that digital transformation in the energy sector focuses on the power sector towards maximising and automating networks for efficient power supply.

The decision also defines the connection of digital meters to improve speed and billing accuracy, identify network problems faster and assist users in ways to save energy and detect power losses.

Ngo Thuy Quynh, deputy director of Petroleum and Coal Department under Ministry of Industry and Trade, said that technology and digital transformation in the oil and gas exploitation sector is evaluated as advancing.

Vietnam has built relatively complete oil and gas technology, from exploring, exploiting and processing oil and gas to other services, said Quynh.

These technologies are from advanced countries and is evaluated as relatively modern.

Enterprises have also started applying digital transformation in the distribution unit system.

The information and technology in the coal sector has been limited and lack simultaneity, she said.

The coal sector has been active in applying technology innovation. However, due to its characteristics such as using unskilled labour, low technology levels and the application of smart technology and digital transformation in production still face difficulties.

In the electric industry, digital transformation in hydropower plants is still limited.

Thermal power plants have applied more new technology. Their operation parameters are stored by software and are being integrated in the digital platform.

Le Xuan Huyen, deputy general director of PetroVietnam, said the market has been changed adversely for the oil and gas sector both at home and abroad.

However, the PetroVietnam was determined to apply technology from 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic spread.

Vietnam to compete in AVC Challenger Cup in June 

Vietnam will participate in the 2023 Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Challenger Cup from June 18-25 in Indonesia.

The SEA Games silver medallist is one of 12 teams competing at the event in Gresik, a city in East Java province.

Teams are divided into four groups, with Vietnam in Group D with Uzbekistan and Mongolia.

Host Indonesia, Macau and the Philippines are in Group A, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei and Iran are drawn in Group B, and India, Australia and Kazakhstan place in Group C.

The AVC Women's Challenge Cup is an international competition in Asia and Oceania for unranked senior women's national teams of the members of the Asian Volleyball Confederation, the sport's continent governing body.

The tournament, founded in 2018, is held every two years. The first edition was due to take place in Hong Kong, but due to unforeseen reasons, it was not held. The second edition two years later was also cancelled because of concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.

The current and first champions are Hong Kong, who won its title in last year's tournament in Thailand. India and Malaysia finished second and third, respectively.

The winner of the Cup will receive a berth at the FIVB Women's Challenger Cup.

The men's AVC Challenge 2023 will also be organised in Chinese Taipei from July 8-15.

A total of 17 teams competing in six groups will vie for only one slot in the FIVB Men's Challenger Cup.

Vietnam, not listed in the world ranking, are in Group E with world No 39 Australia and Asian No 5 Pakistan.

Like the tournament for the female players, the men's event was also for unranked teams from Asia and Oceania, and held since 2018.

In last year's second edition event, Kyrgyzstan took the championship after beating Saudi Arabia in the final.

Police warn against illegal forex trading platforms

Hanoi police have warned people against illegal foreign exchange trading platforms on the internet which have swindled many out of their money.

Those platforms advertised so-called foreign-invested projects that are connected with major e-currency trading platforms in the world and commit to generate monthly interest rates of 10 - 30% for investors.

Such platforms initially pay profits to investors to lure them into investing more money, and then lock investors’ accounts, making them unable to withdraw money. A number of people have been swindled and lost hundreds of millions of VND, the Hanoi Public Security Department said on May 29.

Given this, the police recommended people stay vigilant against advertisements of foreign-invested trading platforms with high interest rates, and report to police if they find any signs of misappropriation.

On May 18, the force also advised against fraudulent stock investment apps which have taken advantage of the public’s increasing interest in the stock market. Many have also lost hundreds of millions of VND to those apps.

Central VN ramp up forest fire prevention measures during prolonged heatwaves

The number of forest fires in central Việt Nam this year is not high compared to the previous year, though the risk is still present due to prolonged heatwaves.  

According to Phạm Duy Hưng, director of Quảng Ngãi Province’s Forest Protection Department, the number of forest fires in the locality has decreased gradually over the years. No forest fire has been recorded in this province since early this year.

He noted, however, that these results are not truly sustainable, and the risk of fire is still high. To cope with it during the dry season of 2023, Quảng Ngãi Province has requested the proactive implementation of effective forest fire prevention and control plans that its People’s Committee issued.

The plans focus on a “four on-site” approach, emphasising prevention as the primary strategy and the responsibility of the entire political system and society. 

Since early March, the prolonged heatwaves have occurred intensively, and the risk of forest fires in Quảng Ngãi has remained high and extremely high.

The Forest Protection Department of Quảng Ngãi has consistently issued forecasts to ensure the proactive implementation of response measures.

The department has also organised firefighting drills at the commune level to enhance coordination and tactical cooperation, provide training for the firefighting personnel, establish 24/24 forces at high-risk areas, regularly inspect individuals and vehicles entering the forests, and strengthen control over the handling of forest litter.

The department has also required forest owners to sign the forest fire prevention commitments and be prepared with forces, equipment, and supplies to participate in firefighting efforts. 

Along with the prevention, many areas of Quảng Ngãi Province also have intensified communications efforts to strengthen the awareness and responsibility of departments, organisations, businesses, and the general public regarding fire forest prevention and firefighting. 

The forest protection department director Hưng said that to improve the effectiveness of forest fire prevention and fighting, the department has applied satellite-based monitoring technology to promptly warn of forest fire risk and early detect forest fires.

Forest rangers are always on duty to closely monitor forest areas in the province. When there are warnings of a high risk of fire on satellite images, forest rangers immediately determine the coordinates and request local forest rangers, authorities and forest owners to check the field and verify the fire, whether it is a fire or burning vegetation, before responding to the sub-department within 30 minutes for direction.

According to officials of Quảng Nam Province, effective prevention measures helped to curb the number of forest fires in the locality.

Despite the prolonged heatwave, the number of forest fires is low thanks to the proactive and effective implementation of forest fire prevention and control, according to the director of the provincial Forest Protection Department of Quảng Nam, Trần Văn Thu.

He said that since early this year, the department had issued directives and provided recommendations to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the People's Committee of the province to ask residents, grassroots units and land owners to intensify their forest fire prevention and control efforts. 

The department also provides information to the locals and forest owners to get updated about forest fire warnings through the forest management and monitoring system.

They timely disseminate forecasts about fires, especially updating on the Zalo application to proactively carry out the prevention and control measures.

Since early 2023, only one fire has significantly damaged over 20 hectares of planted forest in Thăng Bình District. 

The fire was discovered as the authorities were on patrol in the coastal protection forest area of Lạc Cầu Hamlet, Bình Dương Commune in Thăng Bình District (Quảng Nam Province). The commune mobilised over 50 personnel and firefighting vehicles to extinguish the fire. 

Mobi FC wins first super cup trophy

Anh Sơn 'Muller' scored the only goal to help Mobi FC win the first super cup trophy of the seven-a-side football tournament on May 28 in Hà Nội.

It was a match of the Vietnam Super Cup champion Mobi FC and Vietnam Premier League (VPL) winner Đạt Tín FC at the Hoàng Mai Culture and Sports Centre.

It was sweet revenge for Mobi after it lost 2-1 to Đạt Tín in the semi-finals of the VPL as Đạt Tín took the championship title last September.

Just five minutes into the game, Mobi had its first threatening chance when Thế Mạnh had a strong straight shot but Đạt Tín goalkeeper Đăng Thao denied it.

Ten minutes later, Quang Việt and Bá Mạnh did a great give-and-go performance to bring the ball near Đạt Tín's box. Mạnh sent a smart pass into the box but it was a too strong so Việt failed to catch up with it.

Đạt Tín also had their answers that put Mobi players on alert.

Mai Tấn Vũ had a solo run, taking the ball past several Mobi's players and sending it toward goalie Nguyễn Văn Hưng, who successfully blocked it.

Hưng also refused another finish by Quang Vinh near the end of the first half while his counterpart Thao denied Nguyễn Văn Dương's left foot tap.

Both sides continued to play tit-for-tat in the second half with many shots at each other's goal. The two goalkeepers had to work hard but they successfully protected their net.

The turning point came in the second additional minute.

Defender Phạm Trương Hoàng Nam of Đạt Tín had a handball in the box after a corner kick from Mobi FC.

Mobi was given a penalty and Sơn “Muller” did not make any mistake to score the opening goal.

Đạt Tín tried harder in the remaining time but it was not enough to find an equaliser.

The super cup match was the kick-off of the seven-a-side football season. The VPL-Season 4 will begin this weekend with matches of three regional qualifiers.

Generous private collectors donate artefacts to Đắk Nông museum

The central province of Đắk Nông has received donations of nearly 800 ancient artefacts from private collectors.

Collector Nguyễn Ngọc Ẩn and others from Bình Thuận Province handed over to the Đắk Nông Province Museum a wide variety of items such as stone tools, ceramic household items, copperware, and jewellery, many dating back to 500 - 700 BCE and from cultures such as Sa Huỳnh, Óc Eo and Đông Sơn.

The others are from the times of dynasties such as the Lý, Trần and Nguyễn between the 10th and 20th centuries.

Ẩn said he donated his collection to the museum so that it could preserve and fully utilise its value, helping the public learn history and about various cultures.

He has so far donated around 50,000 items to 10 organisations around Việt Nam.

Lê Trọng Yên, deputy chairman of the Đắk Nông People’s Committee, thanked the donors for giving away valuable artefacts and improving the local museum.

He said that local authorities are focusing on raising awareness of the importance of cultural heritages and teaching younger generations about their heritage.

Since 2019 the province has received over 2,000 valuable artefacts as gifts from private collectors.

Greater efforts to better protect children online

The Party, State, as well as the whole political system, have worked hard to better protect children online amid increasing risks.

With the rapid development of information technology and the Internet, children face many risks, including cyberbullying.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) reported that one in five young people said they had been a victim of online bullying.

Statistics show that about 750,000 sexual predators worldwide are online at any given moment, four times the population of Ba Đình District in Hà Nội, and over three million accounts registered across the 10 most harmful child sexual abuse sites.

Deputy representative of UNICEF in Việt Nam Lesley Miller said these are worrisome numbers, and it is necessary to take urgent action to address the situation.

According to reports of the national emergency telephone number for child protection, 111, it received nearly 420 calls about child protection in the online environment and 18 notifications about channels or video clips with harmful content for children in 2022. The figures in the first five months of this year were 128 calls, including 124 requests for counselling, and three notifications.

Thirty of the 124 counselling requests were related to sexual abuse of children online.

Nguyễn Ngọc Anh, an expert from UNICEF’s children protection programme, said after COVID-19, families and children rely more and more on the Internet to keep up with lessons, study, or maintain social connections, leading to higher risks to children.

What happened in cyberspace reflects the general society at large, as well as the dangers children face in their own homes, schools, and communities – places that must be safe for children.

Therefore, strategies to address cyberbullying and abuse should be part of the broader child protection strategies, and cooperation and coordination among stakeholders are key to success in this work, he stressed.

UNICEF and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) have developed the Guidelines for Industry on Child Online Protection for businesses, which outline solutions that companies can take to protect and respect children, as well as for children to use the Internet in a healthy and creative way.

Đặng Hoa Nam, director of the Department of Child Affairs under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, stressed that it is necessary to join hands in creating a safer and healthier digital environment for children.

He underlined the need to learn from Vietnamese and international experience, thus rolling out more specific and practical measures to ensure safety for children online.

The legal system for protecting children in the online environment has been developed, including the Law on Children, the Law on Cyber Information Security, and the Law on Access to Information, creating an important legal basis for the child protection work.

The Government and the Prime Minister have issued a number of important documents to protect children online, such as the National Action Programme for Children in the 2021-30 period and the programme on protection of and support for children.

Việt Nam and other ASEAN member countries also agreed to adopt the Declaration on the Protection of Children from all Forms of Online Exploitation and Abuse in ASEAN in 2019, and the Declaration on the Elimination of Bullying of Children in ASEAN. 

Festival enhances solidarity of Vietnamese community in Netherlands

More than 100 Vietnamese people from across the Netherlands gathered at a festival titled “Shape of Vietnam” in Utrecht city on May 28 as part of the activities marking the 50th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic relations.

The event was held by the organisations of Vietnamese people in the Netherlands such as the women, intellectuals, and students’ associations.

Wearing the traditional costume of “ao dai” in red and yellow – the two colours of the Vietnamese national flag, the expatriates showed visitors to the square of the Utrecht central station a human mosaic of the S-shaped Vietnam with Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) included.

A human mosaic of the words “I love VN” also formed part of the festival.

Besides, Vietnam-themed songs and dances were performed to the amusement from both participants and passers-by.

This was the first time Vietnamese people’s associations in the Netherlands had coordinated to organise such an event.

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