Experts from the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting (NCHMF) warned that as summer approaches, people should closely monitor forecasts to have preventive measures in place for thunderstorms and tornadoes.

The National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control said that to cope with strong winds, big waves, and thunderstorms in the southern seas, authorities needed to give necessary information to ships' owners to proactively ensure safety and have appropriate preventive plans.

Provinces must maintain communications, ready forces and means to rescue when needed.

Experts from the NCHMF recommend that fishermen regularly monitor weather forecasts and storm signal warning systems. When receiving news of storms and tropical depressions, depending on the location of the ships and the direction of the storm, they must get ashore or getaway in time far from the affected areas.

Fifth plenum of 13th Party Central Committee opens

The fifth plenum of the 13th Party Central Committee opened in Hanoi on May 4 under the chair of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

The participants will opine on the 10-year implementation of the Resolution on continuing to reform land-related policies and laws, adopted at the sixth session of the 11th Party Central Committee; the 15 years of that of the one on agriculture, farmers and rural areas, adopted at the sixth plenum of the 10th Party Central Committee; and the 20 years of the work on the one on continuing to reform, develop and improve the efficiency of the collective economy.

They are also to look into the project on building Party organisations and on members, and another on the establishment of provincial steering committees for the prevention and control of corruption and other negative phenomena, along with a report reviewing the leadership and instruction of the Politburo and the Secretariat in 2021, and other important matters.

The issues to be debated are significant to the realisation of the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress in major areas like enhancing socio-economic development by 2030 with a vision towards 2045, and intensifying the building and rectification of the Party and the political system to meet increasing requirements of the revolution in the new period.

The meeting is scheduled to last until May 10.

104 traffic accidents occur nationwide during holiday

As many as 104 traffic accidents occurred nationwide during the four-day holiday, claiming 55 lives and injuring 84 people, according to the Traffic Police Department. 

The public holiday marking the Southern Liberation and National Reunification lasted from April 30 to May 3 this year.

Compared to the same holiday last year, the number of accidents and fatalities went down 6.3 percent and 5.17 percent, respectively while there was an increase of 31.25 percent in injured people.

Police also found 24,061 violations of traffic regulations, collecting fines of up to over 26.35 billion VND (nearly 1.15 million USD). Over 400 cars and 6,257 motorbikes were seized and 2,684 driving licences revoked. 

Most of the violators were fined for not wearing a helmet, exceeding the legal blood alcohol limit and exceeding speed limits.

SEA Games 31: Vietnamese track and field team eye great success at SEA Games 31

With the good progress seen in recent years, Vietnamese track and field team is determined to win the top position at the upcoming 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) with 15-17 gold medals.

To this end, right from the beginning of 2022, about 110 athletes, coaches and experts of the team have worked hard with their training courses in five different venues across the country.

As scheduled, at SEA Games 31, the team will have 85 members, including 66 athletes and 19 coaches. The athletes were carefully selected through national tournaments in 2022 and the competitions in March.

According to the team’s training board, 12 major athletes undertaking training in Hanoi are gold hopefuls, while young athletes are likely to bag 6-7. Therefore, the goal of 15-17 gold medals is reachable and may be even exceeded.

“Of cause, there are always surprise on the racing courses that may go beyond the calculation. But we believe that SEA Games 31 will be a successful game for Vietnamese track and field team,” stressed Thuy.

With reliable names of Nguyen Thi Oanh, Le Tu Chinh, Bui Thi Thu Thao, Do Quoc Luat, Khuat Phuong Anh, Quach Thi Lan and Quach Cong Lich, Vietnamese fans can feel assured that the team will show highest performance at SEA Games 31.

Vietnam pins hope on Chess Grandmasters at SEA Games 31

Chess Grandmasters Le Quang Liem and Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son are gold medal hopefuls of Vietnam at the upcoming 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31).

Vietnam’s chess team has set targets in accordance with its preparations for the regional event, said Nguyen Minh Thang, who is in charge of chess at the Vietnam Sports Administration.

Although Liem is abroad, he has been participating in online training with his teammates and will compete in blitz and rapid at the coming Games. He just finished second at the Oslo Esports Cup which wrapped up in Norway on April 28.

Meanwhile, Son is training with the national team in Ho Chi Minh City, setting his eyes on the gold medal.

The Vietnamese chess team has finalised the list of nine players to compete at SEA Games 31, comprising four men and five women. 

Hanoi welcomes 550,000 visitors during the four-day holiday

The capital city of Hanoi served over 550,000 tourists during the four-day holiday of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day (April 30) and May Day (May 1), an almost 20-fold increase compared to that of 2020, according to the municipal Department of Tourism (DoT).

Nearly 2,000 of the visitors were foreigners, the department said. Total revenue from tourism activities was estimated at over 1.5 trillion VND (65.4 million USD), a 17-fold rise against 2020’s figure.

The DoT attributed the sharp increase in the number of tourists to the surging demand after tourism activities have returned to normal.

The occupancy rate of hotels and resorts is estimated at about 42.2 percent. Hotels and tourist apartments with high occupancy rates include Somerset Tay Ho (60 percent), Tay Ho's InterContinental Hanoi Westlake  (60 percent), Lotte Hanoi (80 percent) and Inter Continental Hanoi Landmark 72 (60 percent).

Vietnam emerging as important economy in Southeast Asia: Indian expert

The visit to Vietnam by Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio from April 30 to May 1, along with the visit by his predecessor Suga Yoshihide in 2020, showed that Vietnam is emerging as one of the promising important economies in Southeast Asia, commented Pankaj Jha, Director of Indian Jindal Global University’s Centre for Strategy and Security Research.

PM Kishida’s visit took place nearly five months after the Japan visit by Vietnamese PM Pham Minh Chinh in November 2021.

In his article run in website moderndiplomacy.eu, Pankaj Jha mentioned talks between PM Chinh and his Japanese counterpart Kishida, in which PM Chinh highly valued Japanese investment in Vietnam.

The scholar noted that the Japanese government leader’s visit aims to explore possibilities for cooperation between the two countries in areas of developing technology parks, software industry and export processing zones, bringing Vietnam into the Japanese trade network, vocational training and tourism promotion.

He added that the implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and the facilitation of regional trade is the priority of both Vietnamese and Japanese governments.

Jha highlighted that Vietnam is seeking to diversify its supply chain, adding that Vietnam and Japan can be seen as each other’s natural partner in strengthening regional security, trade, investment, innovation and research as well as promoting peace and prosperity in the region.

Tourists to Da Nang on holiday surge

The central city of Da Nang welcomed more than 254,000 tourists in the four-day holiday of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day (April 30) and May Day (May 1), a 3.4-fold increase compared to that of the same period last year.

Of the total, there are 246,600 domestic visitors and 7,400 foreigners, said Director of the municipal Tourism Department Truong Thi Hong Hanh, adding that they mainly come from surrounding provinces in the central region, and Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

According to her, during the holiday from October 30 to May 3, the city has organised a wide range of attractive cultural and tourism events and programmes.

Some destinations attractive to tourists include Sun World Ba Na Hills, Than Tai Mountain Hot Spring Park, Ngu Hanh Son, and Mikazuki Water Park.

The room capacity of 4-5 star hotels and resorts is estimated at over 70 percent, of which that of coastal hotels surpassed 90 percent.

The gradual return of tourists has contributed to the early recovery and development of the local tourism industry, one of the key economic sectors of Da Nang city, Hanh affirmed.

Sa Pa welcomes 98,000 visitors during national holiday

Sa Pa, a famous tourist attraction in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai, welcomed a record number of 98,000 visitors during the National Reunification Day and May Day holiday, a 122-percent rise over the same time in 2019 before COVID-19 broke out, according to the Culture-Information Division of the town.

The figure represents a surge of 755 percent over the same period in 2020 and 225 percent over 2021, it reported, adding that revenue from tourism during the four-day holiday (from April 30 to May 3) reached 295 billion VND (12.84 million USD).

During the holiday, Sa Pa run nine cultural-tourism events, including a street carnival to lure visitors.

Head of the division Hoang Thi Vuong said that local accommodation facilities were booked by 60-98 percent with the busiest days being on April 30 and May 1.

Although receiving a large number of about 10,000 vehicles, Sa Pa managed to ensure smooth traffic flow and arrange parking areas, she said.

National strategy on environmental protection to 2030 approved

Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh has signed a decision approving the National Strategy for Environmental Protection to 2030 with a vision until 2050, in which the Government sets targets to prevent the increasing trend of environmental pollution, solve urgent environmental problems, and step by step improve and restore the quality of the environment.

Objectives of the scheme also include enhancing the country’s capacity to cope with climate change, ensuring environmental security, and building and developing circular, green, low carbon economic models, contributing to achieving the country’s sustainable development goals.

To this end, the strategy gives a number of key solutions, including actively preventing and controlling negative impacts on the environment and environmental incidents, encouraging ecological and circular economic development, green growth, promoting sustainable production and consumption. 

SEA Games 31: Tickets sold out for Vietnam-Indonesia clash

All the tickets for the upcoming men’s football match between Vietnam and Indonesia as part of the SEA Games 31 have completely been sold out.

After only going on sale for 30 minutes on May 4, all the tickets for the fixture have been sold out, said a representative of the organising board, adding tickets for other matches are still available.

The news comes as football fans lined up for hours to get tickets for the much awaited match.

Earlier, several local media outlets  reported that thousands of people had queued at the sports complex of Phu Tho province from May 2 evening to purchase tickets for the May 6 game that many pundits believe to be the fiercest in Group A series.

Tickets for the fixture are priced at VND200,000, VND300,000, and VND500,000. Each person is able to buy two tickets.

However, according to local reporters, tickets for the game have already gone on sale in the black market, with prices going up two to three times higher than their face value.

A pair of tickets in stands D or C with a face value of VND400,000 (roughly US$17.4) are being sold for VND1.5 million (or US$65.3) in the black market. Meanwhile, a pair of tickets in stand A costs VND1.2 million (US$52.2), although local fans are being offered to buy them for VND3 million (US$130.5).

Hanoi set to host Southeast Asian Youth Festival for SEA Games 31

The Hanoi Youth Union is scheduled to hold the Southeast Asian Youth Festival on May 7 on the capital’s walking streets around Ho Guom (Returned Sword Lake) ahead of the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31).

The event will feature a street carnival, an exhibition of national flowers, national costumes of Southeast Asian countries, and booths to introduce Southeast Asian cuisine.

Furthermore, the organisers will host a walk consolidating solidarity among the region’s youth, a street art festival, and a student music festival which will welcome the start of the regional games.

Most notably, a delegation made up of representatives of each of the 11 Southeast Asian states will visit sightseeing spots throughout Hanoi and some of the competition venues for the SEA Games 31.

The festival is expected to attract over 10,000 participants, including youth delegates from 11 Southeast Asian states and 5,000 volunteers in the capital.

Vietnam’s longest walking glass bridge hits global headlines

Several foreign media outlets have run stories highlighting the attractiveness of the Bach Long glass bridge in Son La province of Vietnam considered the longest of its kind in the world, when the bridge officially opened to public on April 30.

Agence France-Presse (AFP), a leading global news agency, observed that the Bach Long pedestrian bridge snakes around dizzying cliff faces before spanning the length of a dramatic valley between two peaks, stretching for a total length of 632 metres.

It also quoted Hoang Manh Duy, a representative of the bridge's operator, as saying that when visitors stand on the bridge, they are able to admire the beauty of nature in the surrounding area.

According to AFP’s article, Bach Long is the world's longest glass-bottomed bridge, surpassing a 526-metre structure that exists in Guangdong, China.

Meanwhile, the New Zealand Herald noted that tourists were thrilled by the unveiling of the Bach Long bridge.

“While the attraction is yet to welcome Guinness adjudicators from the World Record Body, it has no fear of not measuring up having already claimed the title of the longest walking glass bridge,” the New Zealand-based outlet stated.

It stressed that the attraction can hold up to 450 people at a time and there is the option of doing a leap of faith between the two peaks in the Moc Chau Island Mountain Park Hotel.

“Made of enameled, reinforced glass - operators proved the strength of the see-through bridge by driving a 4x4 ute across it,” the New Zealand Herald added.

According to local media Vnexpress, the world’s longest glass bridge attracted roughly 15,000 visitors during the first three days of the national holiday.

Holiday tickets cost VND650,000, equivalent to US$28.31, each for adults and VND450,000 for children, a price which is VND100,000 higher than on normal days.

PM asks for measures to prevent child drownings

Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính has required ministries, agencies and localities to enhance measures to prevent child drownings and ensure safety for children.

The move was made following recent cases of drownings that killed many children in a number of localities. 

Ministries, agencies and localities are asked to take effective, drastic and comprehensive measures to ensure the safety of children, particularly during the summer and the rainy and storm season.

Focus will be made on continuing to seriously implement the Prime Minister's Decision dated July 2021 approving the programme on preventing and managing children’s accidents and injuries for the period 2021-30 and the PM's Direction dated May 2020 about enhancing measures to implement children's rights and protect children with attention being paid to drowning prevention.

The programme on preventing and managing children’s accidents and injuries for the period 2021-30 targets that 60 per cent of children aged from six to 16 can swim.

Speaking at a recent conference held in Hà Nội to discuss measures for preventing child drownings, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyễn Thị Hà stated that drowning remains among the leading causes of death for children and juveniles in Việt Nam.

The drowning kills some 2,000 children in Việt Nam each year.

In the latest case, a third-grade child in southern Bình Phước Province drowned on Monday while swimming at a lake that supplies water to Thác Mơ Hydropower Plant in Bù Đăng District.

On Sunday, two children, aged six and five, in south central Bình Thuận Province drowned after falling into a lake near their homes in Tân Thuận Commune.

Localities asked to raise health insurance coverage to over 95 per cent by 2025

The Government has urged cities and provinces nationwide to raise the health insurance coverage rate to 95.15 per cent by 2025.

Specifically, according to Decision 546/QĐ-TTg which has just been signed by Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam, the health insurance coverage rate is expected to increase from 92.6 per cent in 2022 to 93.2 per cent in 2023, 94.1 per cent in 2024, and 95.15 per cent in 2025.

The capital city of Hà Nội, HCM City, An Giang Province, Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province, Bạc Liêu Province and Bắc Giang Province must reach a health insurance coverage rate of over 90 per cent this year, according to the Prime Minister's requirement.

Việt Nam currently has covered 91 per cent of the population with health insurance.

The decision also said poor and near-poor households will be provided with free health insurance.

Bad weather diverts Tan Son Nhat fights

At least seven flights were unable to make landings at Ho Chi Minh City's Tan Son Nhat Airport on Tuesday evening due to heavy rains and strong winds.

According to the airport, Pacific Airlines' flight BL6518 from Phu Quoc had to return to Phu Quoc after being unable to land at Tan Son Nhat.

Meanwhile, Vietjet's flight VJ307 from Hue City had to switch to land at Can Tho Airport. Two other Vietjet flights VJ159 and VJ161 from Hanoi had to make landings at Cam Ranh Airport, while flight VJ385 from Quy Nhon turned to Buon Ma Thuot Airport.

Two flights operated by the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines, the VN7143 from Danang and VN261 from Hanoi had also to turn to Buon Ma Thuot Airport for landings.

Tan Son Nhat Airport said that the weather became better at around 7.40pm when flights could land again.

It was reported that Tan Son Nhat Airport served 650 flights with over 100,000 passengers on May 3 which was the last day of the Reunification Day (April 30) and May Day (May 1) holidays.

Many cities nationwide face very high UV index

The National Center for Hydrology Meteorology Forecasting released a warning of extreme high ultraviolet (UV) radiation levels in almost of big cities across the country such as the capital city of Hanoi, Ha Long (Quang Ninh Province), Hue (Thua Thien-Hue Province), Da Nang, Hoi An (Quang Nam Province), Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa Province), Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho and Ca Mau from May 4 through May 6.

Specifically, the UV radiation index has been measured at 9 in Hanoi, Ha Long and Hai Phong, 5 to 8 in Hue, 7 to 8 in Da Nang and Hoi An, 5 to 10 in Khanh Hoa Province’s Nha Trang City, 8 to 10 in Ho Chi Minh City, 8 to 9 in Can Tho City, and 5 to 8 in Ca Mau.

The UV index peak is between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

An UV Index reading of 3 to 6 (medium), 6 to 8 (high), and 8 to 10 (very high) means harm and damage to skin and eyes from unprotected sun exposure within 15 minutes.

International Photography Festival for high school students in 2022 opens

Amid the current complicated Covid-19 pandemic situation, the Organizing Board of the eighth International Photography Festival for high school students decided to kick off a photo contest under the online form.

The contest with two themes of “Hometown attraction” and “Youth” is dedicated for high school students of all countries and territories around the world.

The contest is divided into two categories of individual and team. Each team consists of three students from the same school, and each school is allowed to have a team to join the photo contest. An individual can apply for two categories.

The deadline for application will be by 3 p.m. on June 29 of 2022.

Vietnam not records children with acute hepatitis of unknown origin

On the afternoon of May 3, a representative of the Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health said that through surveillance, so far, Vietnam has not recorded any cases of acute and severe hepatitis of unknown origin in children.

However, the Department and related units are keeping monitoring the disease by implementing measures and strengthening surveillance to detect cases early as recommended and take quick response measures if there are cases of acute and severe hepatitis of unknown origin in children from foreign countries in Vietnam.

The representative of the Department of Preventive Medicine also said that the Ministry of Health had obtained data related to acute hepatitis of unknown cause in young children from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Currently, the Ministry of Health is continuing to work closely with these healthcare organizations in the world to monitor and update information about the disease.

Education sector in HCMC proposes policies for its growth

The education and training sector in Ho Chi Minh City has just proposed to the Government, ministries, and agencies several regimes and policies to support teachers for the sector’s development.

In its proposal, the education sector in HCMC mentioned some policies such as converting lessons, removing difficulties in recruitment and attracting good students into the sector for adequate personnel in educational institutes for comprehensive schooling.

In addition, the Department of Education and Training in the southern metropolis proposed a number of specific policies to remove difficulties related to planning and facilities serving the education sector.

Additionally, the sector wanted to amend and supplement policies to support enterprises and organizations doing business in the field of education especially supporting workers at non-public preschools and educational institutions.

According to Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training Duong Tri Dung, schools should continue to adopt their plan for the Covid-19 epidemic prevention and control to ensure students’ safety.

Moreover, schools ought to continue the implementation of the General Education Program 2018 on fostering and training teachers, and textbooks, and buy school equipment for preparation for the school year 2022-2023.

Brunei to send 23 athletes to SEA Games 31

Brunei will send 23 athletes to the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) to be hosted by Vietnam this month, according to the country’s Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.

It will be the smallest delegation at the regional sporting event in the past 23 years.

The athletes will compete in pencak silat, wushu, karate, and e-sports. They are training in a sport village at the Hassanal Bolkiah national sport complex and scheduled to fly to Vietnam on May 6.

Since Brunei hosted the 20th edition in 1999, the country has sent at least 60 athletes to each of the subsequent SEA Games. Its contingent was 370 at the SEA Games 20 - its largest ever, followed by that of 271 to SEA Games 23 hosted by the Philippines in 2005.

Brunei participated the SEA Games the first time in 1977 and has since bagged 14 gold, 56 silver and 184 bronze medals in total.

It obtained the best results at SEA Games 20 on home soil, clinching four golds, 12 silvers and 32 bronzes.

In the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines, the country’s athletes secured two gold, five silver and six bronze medals.

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