The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam is stepping up surveillance and patrols to ensure security at airports for the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31).

The Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) is assigned to direct airports, especially those in Hanoi, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City and Hai Phong, to develop and implement a plan to assure social and security order.

Patrols and surveillance in airports need to be beefed up while solutions should be set forth to guard flights that are designed for the transportation of athletes and delegation officials.

It is necessary for the ACV to coordinate with relevant agencies in devising plans relating to the travel of athletes as well as dealing with any incidents.

Airlines are requested to collaborate with aviation authorities and relevant agencies in ensuring security and facilitating the arrival and departure of sports delegations.

SEA Games 31: flag-hoisting ceremony slated for May 11

The flag-hoisting ceremony of the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) will take place at My Dinh National Sports Complex in Hanoi on May 11.

Each sport delegation to the event will have 31 members, and representatives of their embassy in Vietnam, according to the Organising Committee.

In the next day, the opening ceremony of the biennial tournament will be held.

SEA Games 31, themed “For a Stronger South East Asia", is slated for May 12-23 in Hanoi and 11 nearby localities, featuring 40 sports  with 526 events. It is expected to attract around 10,000 participants.

The region's largest sport event has been postponed due to complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was originally scheduled to take place from November 21 to December 2 last year.

UNFPA Representative commends Vietnam’s family planning achievements

Vietnam has reaped many achievements in improving reproductive and sexual health, reducing maternal mortality ratio, as well as in family planning, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Representative in Vietnam Naomi Kitahara has said.

Speaking with the press on the sidelines of the launch of a new project for Vietnam in Hanoi on May 5, Naomi suggested the country focus on special, underprivileged groups like ethnic minorities as the maternal mortality ratio among them is two to three times higher than the national average.

The UNFPA Representative also pointed out unintended pregnancy among young adults, and held that it is time for Vietnam to pay more attention to the vulnerable populations so that the country can firmly step towards sustainable development goals (SDGs).

The above-said project, VNM10P04, aims support Vietnamese agencies in producing and utilising quality population data for the formulation and implementation of socio-economic development policies, strategies, and programmes.
 
Launched by the General Statistics Office (GSO) and the UNFPA, it is also meant to help with the monitoring of the realisation of the SDGs in the country.

The project, to run from now to 2026 at a total cost of 1.9 million USD, will assist Vietnamese agencies in applying new technologies and communication platforms in the collection, analysis, dissemination, and use of quality population data in order to ensure evidence-based policies, strategies, and programmes for the SGD achievement by 2030.

SEA Games 31: Vietnamese finswimmers eye 6-8 gold medals

Vietnam’s finswimming team is striving for 6-8 gold medals out of the 13 sets of medals in the discipline at the upcoming 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31), topping the rank in this sport.

Finswimming was included in SEA Games 22 in Vietnam for the first time. At this event, Vietnamese athletes won 13 gold medals out of the 16 sets of medals.

At SEA Games 25 in 2009 in Laos, and SEA Games 26 in 2011 in Indonesia, Vietnam brought home four and six gold medals, respectively, breaking many Southeast Asian records.

Besides Thailand and the Philippines, Indonesia is growing stronger in the sport with many talented athletes, whose stats are on par with Vietnamese top finswimmers in some categories.

According to coach of the Vietnamese finswimming team Hoang Quoc Binh, Vietnam ranks first in the sport in not only Southeast Asia but also Asia.

Binh said that Vietnam has prolific and talented finswimmers who have gained great achievements in the regional and global arenas.

Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines will be Vietnam's main opponents in the sport at SEA Games 31, he said, expressing his belief that Vietnamese finswimmers can completely defeat these opponents.

The Vietnamese finswimming team have been training in the My Dinh National Stadium since early May.

Quang Ninh ready for SEA Games 31

The northern coastal province of Quang Ninh is now ready for the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) as all preparations for hosting seven sports have been completed, according to Nguyen Thanh Tung, Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Culture and Sports.

To date, athletes of women's football, and men's beach volleyball from Cambodia, Thailand and the Philippines and four men's handball teams have come to Quang Ninh for training.

The Vietnamese men’s beach handball team has been in from April 28. Its goal is to defend the gold medal gained at SEA Games 30.

The opening ceremony of SEA Games 31 will take place on May 12. Eight out of the 40 sports are scheduled to begin in the period of May 6-11.

The province’s Organising Board of SEA Games 31 has arranged function rooms to serve delegates, its members, referees and the countries’ delegations. Each competition venue has an oratory to meet the religious needs of competitors.

It has also mobilised 300 volunteers who are students of the Ha Long University to support SEA Games 31 works.

The provincial police have also deployed forces to ensure security and traffic order for the Games.

SEA Games 31: HCM City football fans facilitated to cheer along pedestrian street

Five giant LED displays have been installed along Nguyen Hue pedestrian street in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1 so that local fans can watch and cheer for the national football squad along their journey at the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31).

As planned, matches between Vietnam and Indonesia (May 6), Philippines (May 8), Myanmar (May 13), and Timor Leste (May 15) will be screened. Further screenings will follow upcoming results and fixtures of the team.

According to the HCM City Football Club, which installed the displays, fans will also be treated to talk-shows with experts and other entertainment activities in line with COVID-19 prevention and control measures.

At the biennial sport tournament, defending champions Vietnam are in Group A along with Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, and Timor Leste. Meanwhile, Group B consists of Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Singapore and Laos.

Under-23 players form the majority of a team at the Games, as only three overaged are allowed to be a part of the squad.

HCM City, UNICEF seek stronger partnership in childcare, children’s protection

Vice Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee Duong Anh Duc hosted a reception for UNICEF Representative in Vietnam Rana Flowers on May 5 to discuss the future cooperation between the two sides.

Duc thanked UNICEF for its assistance to supporting projects for children in the city from 2017 - 2021, saying the city always cares for and provides the best conditions for vulnerable people, including children and women.

HCM City and UNICEF will continue implementing what has been agreed, including the co-organisation of a conference to discuss strategies for bilateral partnership in childcare and children’s protection, he affirmed.

The city's departments will continue coordinating with UNICEF to study, develop and implement projects supported by the latter, the leader added.

Flowers, for her part, said certain problems have surfaced in the way UNICEF and HCM City have cooperated so UNICEF hopes the two sides can find solutions to them to ensure the effectiveness of the projects. 

She also proposed high-level discussions to be held among HCM City and UNICEF’s leaders and stakeholders for the development and implementation of the city’s strategic agendas on childcare and children’s protection.

She noted that UNICEF will step up cooperation with HCM City in multiple areas, such as child labour, protection of children with disabilities, and improving children’s skills regarding emotional management, climate change action and others.

Ministry of Health inspects COVID-19 control in Bac Ninh before SEA Games

A Ministry of Health (MoH) delegation led by Deputy Minister Nguyen Truong Son inspected health services and COVID-19 control measures arranged by Bac Ninh as a host of sport events of the upcoming 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31).

As instructed by the MoH, the northern province has increased supply of COVID-19 test kits and established 10 teams to supervise virus control measures and ensure sanitation at competition and athletes’ accommodation venues.

Health workers, medicines, and medical equipment will also be made available day and night at competition venues and hotels where athletes stay in case of emergency. The Bac Ninh General Hospital and the Tu Son City Medical Centre are designated to provide health care services and treatment for athletes, coaches, referees, and sport officials during the games.

Vietnam attends ASEAN Day in Luxembourg

Vietnamese Ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg Nguyen Van Thao attended the third edition of the ASEAN Day jointly held by Luxembourg’s Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs, Ministry of the Economy, and Chamber of Commerce, and the ASEAN Brussels Committee on May 4.

Speaking at the event, Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn emphasised that Luxembourg attaches great importance to its relations with Southeast Asian countries, and hopes to further strengthen economic cooperation and expand connectivity with the ASEAN in various fields from finance, investment, fintech, transportation, logistics, to information and communication technology.

Meanwhile, Economy Minister Franz Fayot and Chamber of Commerce President Luc Frieden expressed satisfaction with sustainable growth in trade exchanges between the two sides, from 205 million EUR (216.1 million USD) in 2019 to 273.8 million EUR last year. The officials also outlined measures to further strengthen economic, trade and financial cooperation.

The parties also exchanged views on several regional and international issues of mutual concern.

Vietnam, Thailand enhance cooperation in digital economy, transformation

Thai Minister of Digital Economy and Society Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn on May 5 affirmed that Thailand wants to cooperate with Vietnam in such fields as information infrastructure, cloud computing, social network management, digital transformation and digital economy.

He made the affirmation during his meeting with Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Phan Chi Thanh. The meeting took place after Vietnam and Thailand had successfully held the fourth meeting of their Joint Trade Committee (JTC) in Bangkok, achieving many important contents and agreeing to maintain coordination to remove bottlenecks in bilateral economic cooperation.

Thanh proposed the Thai ministry and Vietnam's Ministry of Information and Communications intensify information sharing, promote further cooperation in digital economy and digital transformation, consider supplementing cooperation on digital transformation and digital economy and soon sign a new memorandum of understanding to facilitate collaboration activities in the new context.

He also suggested the two sides promote cooperation, and establish a mechanism to exchange and share experience in digital transformation and digital economic development in association with each country's growth strategy.

For his part, Minister Chaiwut said that the two sides should continue promoting cooperation activities after more than two years of hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He agreed with Ambassador Thanh's proposals, affirming that his ministry will soon consider and handle them.

He agreed to restart bilateral exchanges between the two ministries at all levels, affirming to support and facilitate Vietnamese IT firms’ investment and business in the country, thus contributing to further promoting cooperation in investment, trade and tourism between Thailand and Vietnam.

SEA Games 31: Viettel Cambodia offers 700 free SIM cards to Cambodian delegation

Metfone, the Cambodian affiliate of Vietnam’s military-run industry and telecoms group Viettel, has presented 700 roaming and internet-enabled SIM cards to athletes and members of the Cambodian delegation attending the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam.

The SIM cards were handed over to the National Olympics Committee of Cambodia (NOCC) by Metfone Deputy General Director Cao Manh Duc on May 4.

Festival brings Hue gastronomy closer to public

The “Hue - The capital of gastronomy” festival was held recently in celebration of the Reunification Day and May Day holiday. It offered the public a new perspective on and interesting experiences in not only cuisine from Hue but also from other regions around the country.

The festival created a unique cultural space for local people and tourists in the green space of Tu Tuong Park on the banks of the picturesque Perfume River. Thousands of visitors came to explore the diverse, rich, and unique culinary culture of the poetic city of Hue.

Vietravel Airlines becomes official airline partner for SEA Games 31

Vietravel Airlines has become the official airline partner for the upcoming 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) following an agreement signed between the carrier and the organisers on May 5.

It forms part of the airlines’ drive to contribute to the development of sport in Vietnam and its regional neighbours.

Under the deal, Vietravel will fly Vietnamese medal hopefuls to their competition destinations during the region’s biggest sports event, and cooperate with Vietravel Holdings’ ecosystem to hold a Walking Tour in Hanoi for both local and foreign athletes during the games.

Vietravel is offering 10,000 promotional tickets priced from just 31,000 VND (1.35 USD) (excluding tax and fees) for spectators to enjoy SEA Games 31 competitions. It has also increased flight frequencies to meet travel demand during the regional event.

Hanoi medical workers deployed for SEA Games 31

Hanoi’s Health Department held a ceremony on May 5 to encourage medical workers who will be serving the upcoming 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31).

The medical sector has adopted the city’s COVID-19 prevention plans, while ensuring food safety for athletes and guests and standing ready to respond to emergency situations at competition venues.

Hanoi will host the opening and closing ceremonies, along with more than 20 sports at 18 venues.

Under a plan issued on March 14 by the city’s Health Department on preparations for the event, 21 medical teams run by district medical centres and 21 others by local hospitals have been set up, along with 5-10 beds in each hospital. Meanwhile, 35 medical facilities have been made ready to receive and provide treatment for COVID-19 patients. Medical staff and equipment for the teams are also on standby.

At the same time, drastic measures will be rolled out to ensure food safety for the SEA Games 31, especially in hotels and restaurants serving international guests throughout the event.

Project launched to help Vietnam spur energy efficiency

Using energy economically and efficiently is a practical solution to help ensure national energy security, develop the economy, protect the environment and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Trinh Quoc Vu, Deputy Director of the Department of Energy Saving and Sustainable Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) said on May 5.

He made the statement at the launch of the Vietnam scaling up energy efficiency project which aims to encourage the business community to change technology towards economical and efficient use of energy in the industrial sector.

Surveys of the National Programme on Economical and Efficient Use of Energy for the 2019 - 2030 period (VNEEP3) showed that Vietnam’s energy use can be cut by 20-30 percent, he said, adding that the industrial sector accounts for more than 47 percent of the country’s total energy consumption.

The project is expected to contribute to promoting industrial enterprises to pursue the goals of saving energy, ensuring national energy security, as well as accompanying the Government in implementing the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and responding to climate change, Vu said.

Fundraising held in South Africa to support islanders, solders in Truong Sa

The Vietnamese Embassy in South Africa on May 4 held a fundraising event to support soldiers and islanders in Truong Sa island district and DK1 Platform, helping to safeguard Vietnam's sovereignty over seas and islands.

The raised money will be handed over to the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese (OV) Affairs when representatives of the Vietnamese community in South Africa make a trip to Vietnamese islands, which is slated for later this year.

SEA Games 31: Opening ceremony to spread solidarity spirit for stronger Southeast Asia

The opening ceremony of the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) is slated for May 12 in Hanoi, promising to introduce the Vietnamese culture and traditions and disseminate the theme of SEA Games 31 - For a stronger South East Asia.

Taking place at the My Dinh National Stadium, it will feature a three-chapter art programme that showcases a friendly Vietnam, a strong Southeast Asia, and the solidarity and friendship of the ASEAN member states toward the building of the ASEAN Community.

At the 2-hour event, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will declare the official opening of the SEA Games 31 after a parade of the 11 delegations.

According to Tran Ly Ly, Acting Director of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism’s department of performing arts and the director of the opening ceremony, the programme will be held at a 7,000m² stage, with the ceremony and festival parts interweaven. It draws the participation of thousands of artists, actors, and students.

Five grand scenes are set to be performed, reflecting bold Vietnamese and Southeast Asian culture. A highlight of the event will be the feature of advanced technologies, including mapping, augmented reality - AR, and extended reality – EX, among others.

Notably, the display of symbols of 40 sports will be in the form of Dong Ho folk paintings, a traditional craft of Vietnam, through graphic images.

Party Central Committee discusses summary of land-related policy reform resolution

Members of the 13th Party Central Committee discussed a project to summarise the 10-year implementation of the resolution on continuing to reform land-related policies and laws on May 5, the second sitting day of their ongoing fifth plenum.

The discussion were chaired by Politburo member and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

Resolution No. 19-NQ/TW on the work was adopted at the sixth session of the 11th Party Central Committee.

In the afternoon, members of the committee discussed in groups on a project to review the 15-year implementation of a resolution released at the seventh session of the 10th Party Central Committee regarding agriculture, farmers and rural areas.

The fifth plenum of the 13th Party Central Committee will run until May 10.

SEA Games 31: Hanoi’s activities help promote country's image

A series of activities have been organised in Hanoi towards the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) in order to promote the image of Vietnam and the capital city as a friendly, hospitable, safe and attractive destination to international friends.

Accordingly, 16 art performance programmes will be held from May 13 – 23, focusing on praising the Party, late President Ho Chi Minh, the homeland and the capital city.

The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union in Hanoi has released publications and built communication channels on social networks to popularise the beautiful image of Hanoi through the perspective of young people before, during and after SEA Games 31.

It will also continue to deploy a volunteer team to guide and welcome domestic and international tourists on this occasion; and hold the Southeast Asian youth festival to welcome the regional sports event.

Meanwhile, the tourism sector has been organising events before, during and after the event, including inaugurating the Centre of Vietnamese Quintessential Craft Villages in Bat Trang pottery village.

Previously, the city also organised many activities such as a ceremony to count down 31 days left until the opening of SEA Games 31, the 47th edition of the Ha Noi Moi Newspaper Run, the Hanoi tourism festival to welcome 2022, and the Tourism Gift Festival 2022.

SEA Games 31: Vietnamese dancesport team targets three gold medals

The Vietnamese dancesport team has set the target of winning three gold medals at the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) that will take place in Vietnam from May 12-23, according to the national SEA Games 31 organising committee.

To realise the goal, the team has been practicing diligently under the guidance of coaches Nguyen Hai Anh (also known as Chi Anh) and Nguyen Hong Thi (also known as  Khanh Thi).

The athletes will vie in the waltz, tango, Viennese waltz, slow foxtrot, quickstep, samba, cha cha cha, rumba, paso doble and jive categories.

In the last SEA Games in the Philippines, the Vietnamese dancesport team took home two gold medals in quickstep and jive events.

SEA Games 31: Vietnam’s kickboxers target at least four gold medals

Vietnamese kickboxers are currently in intensive training in order to show the best performance at the upcoming 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31).

The country will send five female kickboxers (in the categories of 48kg, 52kg, 56kg, 60kg, and 65kg) and seven males (51kg, 54kg, 57kg, 60kg, 63.5kg, 67kg, and 71kg) to the Games.

Among them, the team has high hopes for Nguyen Thi Hang Nga (women’s 48kg, gold medallist at SEA Games 30 in 2019), Huynh Van Tuan (men’s 51kg, gold medallist at SEA Games 30), Nguyen Xuan Phuong (men’s 57kg, gold medallist at SEA Games 30), and Nguyen Quang Huy (men’s 60kg), head coach Tran Thanh Tuyen said.

Le Thi Nhi (women’s 56kg) and Bui Hai Linh (women’s 52kg) are also promising athletes, he went on.

The team aims at four - five gold medals at SEA Games 31 and will strive to defend and outperform the four golds secured at the previous Games in the Philippines.

HCM City to launch tourism activities during SEA Games 31

A press conference on the 18th edition of the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Festival was held in the city on May 5.
 
The coming event, part of the ‘Welcome to Ho Chi Minh City’ programme, will be held in celebration of the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31), to be hosted in Vietnam this month.
 
It is slated for May 14-17, expected to attract more than 100 units across the country.
 
The event will feature an array of activities with an aim to promote the city’s tourism market and image as a safe, attractive and friendly destination to domestic and foreign tourists, Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Tourism Le Truong Hien Hoa said.
 
They include a national conference highlighting intra-regional connectivity in high quality human resources training for Vietnam’s tourism in the post-pandemic period, another on opportunities and challenges of Vietnam’s tourism in 2022 summer, and tourism programmes between HCM City and the Mekong Delta localities, among others. 

SEA Games 31: Delegation Registration Meeting finalises all issues before Games begin

The Delegation Registration Meeting (DRM) ended on May 6 with most delegations confirming all information regarding the organisation of the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31).

The six-day meeting, held in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi and involving chiefs of delegations and National Olympic Committees of Southeast Asian nations in both the in-person and online formats, was held to finalise all outstanding issues.

According to the announcement from the meeting, the women’s shot put and men’s hammer throw will not be held because of a lack of athletes, as per regulations.

In the women’s shot put, there are only competitors from Thailand and Indonesia, while the men’s hammer throw only has competitors from Thailand and Malaysia. Regulations state that an event can only be held if there are at least three teams participating.

Earlier, the women’s beach handball was cancelled for the same reason, as only Vietnam and Thailand had teams taking part.

RoK reopens channel to receive seasonal workers from Vietnam

The Republic of Korea (RoK)’s North Jeolla province on May 6 said it has recruited 52 Vietnamese seasonal workers to work on local farms, as they are facing a severe labour shortage.

According to the province’s Jinan district authorities, in the first phase, the district received 27 workers and arranged jobs at 17 farms cultivating watermelon, red pepper, and sesame leaves.

The workers include relatives of Vietnamese who are married and living in the RoK. They were trained in agriculture and tested negative for COVID-19 upon entry.

On May 10, Jinan will welcome 25 more workers from Vietnam.

The RoK reopened its channel to receive seasonal workers from Vietnam following the Vietnamese Government’s April 27 decision on allowing the continuation of a pilot programme on sending labourers to the RoK in the form of cooperation between the nations’ localities.

SEA Games 31: Hai Phong gets ready for rowing-canoeing competitions

The northern port city of Hai Phong has basically completed the upgrade of its Boat Racing Training Area to serve rowing and canoeing competitions at the upcoming 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31).

Currently, the city is finalising the installation of seats for spectators, the last item of the preparation process, enabling thousands of rowing and canoeing fans to enjoy the competitions.

The city countered various obstacles in the work due to COVID-19, which made it difficult to import the seats from abroad. However, the city managed to receive the seats before the schedule, ensuring the progress of the installation.

Meanwhile, the boat anchorage places at the boat racing and training area has also been completed to accommodate all boats. The entrances and walkways throughout the area have been broadened. At the same time, the final touch is being put on the square, decorating items and greenery. 

A modern boat training and racing area with full facilities has been ready for rowing competitions, which will take place from May 9- 14, while canoeing competitions from May 17-21.

Magnitude 3.4 earthquake strikes Central Highland province

An earthquake measuring 3.4 on the Richter scale shook Kon Plong district of Kon Tum province in the Central Highlands of Vietnam on May 6.

The quake occurred at 09.37am at the depth of 10km, according to the Earthquake and Tsunami Warning Centre under the Institute of Geophysics.

The quake did not pose a disaster risk, said the Earthquake and Tsunami Warning Centre, adding that it is continuing to monitor aftershocks.

A total of 169 earthquakes have been reported in Kon Tum province since 2021. About 22 earthquakes of magnitude from 2.5 to 4.5 on the Richter scale were recorded in the locality from April 15 to 18, 2022 alone.

Relevant agencies have set up additional monitoring stations in order to better understand and promptly warn of dangerous geological phenomena, if any.

Vietnam, Thailand tipped to win football event at SEA Games

Regional powerhouses Thailand, along with defending champions and hosts Vietnam, have been touted as the favourites to win gold at men's football at SEA Games 31, according to The Straits Times of Singapore.

Vietnam play in in Group A alongside the likes of Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Timor Leste, while Thailand play Singapore, Malaysia, Laos, and Cambodia in Group B.

The Straits Times stressed that by having the advantage of playing at home, the Vietnamese team led by Korean head coach Park Hang-seo, are favourites to retain their title at the 10-team tournament where each team can call up three overaged players.

The article noted that Vietnamese players have already shown their prowess this year by winning the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) U-23 Championship in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in February when they beat Thailand 1-0 in the final.

The Singaporean media outlet also listed Thailand, the most successful team in the history of football at the SEA Games with 16 titles, as another strong contender to win the title.

VN weightlifters target two golds at SEA Games 31

The Vietnamese weightlifting team aim to win two gold medals at the upcoming 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) due to take place in Vietnam from May 12 to May 23.

The target is rather low compared to the four gold medals that Vietnamese weightlifters recorded at the SEA Games 30.

According to experts, Hoang Thi Duyen who grabbed a gold in the Philippines three years ago has yet to fully recover ahead of this year’s competition, while hopefuls Vuong Thi Huyen who also snatched a gold in 2019 and Thach Kim Tuan will also be absent for individual reasons.

As a result, many pundits believe that Lai Gia Thanh and Pham Thi Hong Thanh - the two SEA Games 30 gold medalists - are now the country’s best hopes of winning gold medals in the event.

Vietnam ready to assist Australian businesses: diplomat

Vietnam will support Australian enterprises as they explore and expand their investment, business and trade activities in the country, Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Nguyen Tat Thanh told the host’s business community on May 5.

Addressing a meeting with representatives from Australian firms, Thanh briefed them on the economic situation and trade development potential of Vietnam.

Graham Kinder, Vice President of the Australia-Vietnam Business Council, stated that Australian businesses see a lot of investment opportunities in all areas in Vietnam, from trade and investment to education, tourism and transportation.

He also stressed that it is time for the two business communities to take advantage of cooperation opportunities in the post-pandemic period, after the two governments officially reopened their national borders and are promoting investment cooperation activities.

Last two Japanese metro trains arrive in HCM City

A container ship docked at Ho Chi Minh City’s Khanh Hoi Port on May 6, transporting two Japanese trains for the city’s metro line No1.

These are the last two trains HCM City has imported from Japan for its metro line No1 which comprises a total of 17 trains.

The trains will be uploaded onto super-heavy trucks to Long Binh Depot in Thu Duc city for a test run on May 7-8.

Each train has three carriages capable of serving up to 930 passengers, including 147 seats. It is designed to run at a maximum speed of 110km per hour overground and 80km per hour underground.

The metro line No. 1 construction project is currently underway in HCM City that links Ben Thanh market in District 1 with Suoi Tien Amusement Park in District 9 aiming to ease traffic congestion in its north-east gateway.

18th Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Festival slated for mid-May

The 18th Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Festival is expected to promote tourism activities taking place in provinces and cities nationwide, according to the municipal Department of Tourism.

This information was released during a press conference held on May 5 by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism and the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association.

According to the schedule, the festival will be held at Le Van Tam Park in District 1 from May 14 to May 17 as part of the "Welcome to Ho Chi Minh City" programme, with the primary purpose of further attracting visitors to the southern city.

Furthermore, over 100 travel firms will participate in the event that will also feature a range of seminars, talk shows, and art programmes.

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