Vietnam’s second monkeypox case discharged from hospital

The second patient with monkeypox in Vietnam was discharged from hospital on October 31 after two weeks of treatment, according to Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

The 38-year-old female patient’s fever has gone after treatment. PCR test results showed that she was negative to monkeypox virus.

The patient, who resides in the northern province of Tuyen Quang, traveled to Dubai from September 29 to October 18 and developed symptoms including fever, nausea and blisters since October 11. She has close contact with a friend who stayed together in the same accommodation in Dubai and had monkeypox symptoms including fever and blisters on the genitals.

After noticing the first patient has symptoms similar to hers, she immediately informed the HCM City Centre for Disease Control for assistance. Right after her coming back to Vietnam, she was taken to the HCM City Hospital for Tropical Diseases for quarantine and confirmed infected with monkeypox on October 20.

The first patient with monkeypox in Vietnam was discharged from the hospital on October 14 after three weeks of treatment.

Vietnam striving to repatriate imperial seal of Nguyen Dynasty

Paris-based auction house Millon removed a golden imperial seal dating back to 1823 from the list of objects offered for sale at auction on October 31, the Department of Cultural Heritage said on November 1.

After negotiation efforts, the Vietnamese representative and Millon reached an agreement on deferring the auction of the seal, with the line “Hoang de chi bao” (Treasure of the Emperor) on it, at 7:30am on October 31 (Paris time). At 10:10am the same day, the auction house issued an official statement about the removal of the item from the list of antiquities to be auctioned on October 31.

This is the initial success of the efforts to repatriate the seal, according to the department under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST).

In the time ahead, the MCST will strongly coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, some other ministries, sectors, organisations, and individuals to mobilise every resource for returning the seal home as soon as possible, the department noted.

On October 19, Millon announced that it will auction 329 antiquities, including two dating back to the Nguyen Dynasty (1802 - 1945) – a golden seal made in 1823 under the reign of King Minh Mang (1820 - 1841) and a golden bowl made under the reign of King Khai Dinh (1917 - 1925), at 11am on October 31 (Paris time).

On the basis of collected evidence, verification through Millon-published information and images, and comparison with some golden seals of the Nguyen Dynasty being kept at some Vietnamese museums and relic sites, the seal supposed to be auctioned is confirmed to be “Hoang de chi bao” cast in 1823 under the reign of King Minh Mang.

Vice President meets with Danish Crown Prince

Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan met with Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth in Hanoi on November 1, within the framework of their official visit to Vietnam from October 31 to November 3.

Welcoming the Danish guests, Xuan considered the visit a specially meaningful event marking the half-of-century development of the bilateral traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation, and opening up new prospects for the ties.

Informing the guests of Vietnam’s outstanding socio-economic development achievements as well as its priority goals, Xuan expressed her belief that Vietnam will continue receiving cooperation from Denmark in this process.

Frederik affirmed that towards the establishment of the Vietnam - Denmark Green Strategic Partnership, the bilateral cooperation in the environment and climate change adaptation has entered a period of more practical and effective collaboration.

Denmark is willing to accompany and support Vietnam in its efforts to achieve sustainable development goals, he stressed.

The Vietnamese Vice President said that with the support of the Danish Royal Family and the Crown Prince, the bilateral Comprehensive Partnership continues to be consolidated and developed in all fields, through the maintenance of all-level delegation exchanges and close cooperation at multilateral forums, especially in 2023 when the two sides celebrate the 10th anniversary of the establishment of their partnership.

She also showed her hope that more and more Danish enterprises effectively invest in and do business in Vietnam, and the two sides will expand cooperation activities in education-training, culture, labour and people-to-people exchange.

She also took the occasion to thank Denmark for supporting the Vietnamese community living in the country.

Hoang Nam bows out of Yokohama Keio Challenger 80

The nation’s leading tennis player Ly Hoang Nam was knocked out of the Yokohama Keio Challenger 80 tennis tournament in Japan on November 1.

This marks the second time in a row that Nam has been eliminated from the first round of a tournament, coming after he suffered a 2-0 failure in the match against Arthur Weber of France at the M25 Jakarta in Indonesia.

Yokohama Keio is the first tournament in the Challenger 80 system that Nam has been competed in during his career. The Vietnamese national previously participated in the two Challenger 50 tournaments in August.

Nam will remain in Japan to take part in two other ATP Challenger 80 tournaments in Matsuyama and Kobe.

He is expected to retain his position among the top ATP250 until 2023 and enter the qualifying round of the Australia Open.

Report on youth action for climate change in Vietnam launched

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in collaboration with the Department of Climate Change under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE), launched a special report entitled “Youth for Climate Action in Vietnam 2022” on November 1.

This year's report was co-written by 24 young authors from all over the country. It contained four key themes including youth in climate policy and decision-making processes, accelerating the transition towards a circular economy, climate mitigation towards net zero, and climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction.

The authors documented and tracked more than 130 youth-led climate initiatives and projects that were outstanding good practices of meaningful climate action. They also identified several priority accelerators moving forward, including the establishment of a youth climate policy working group, education and capacity-building programmes on climate change, and financial and technical support for youth-led projects.

According to the special report, youth face two key obstacles: financial limitations and lack of technical knowledge and skills. It also recommends accelerators, such as developing a climate financing hub for youth, promoting the role of youth in climate governance and diplomacy, and creating a set of specialised publications for youth.

Former England keeper Paul Robinson to play friendly in Vietnam

Former England number one Paul Robinson will touch down in Ho Chi Minh City on November 4 to join in a fan meeting with Tottenham Hotspur FC in Vietnam and play in three friendly matches at the Phu Nhuan Stadium.

The fixtures will take place on November 5 with the aim of raising funds for people with disabilities, the elderly, and those facing difficult circumstances across the southern city.

Robinson, 37, made a total of 375 top-flight appearances for Leeds, Tottenham, Blackburn, and Burnley, as well as featuring for England on 41 occasions, throughout a stellar career.

Robinson ranks eighth in the list of goalkeepers with the most Premier League appearances and is listed second in terms of English stoppers, behind only David James.

Vessel captain maintains innocence in $130m petrol smuggling case

The US$130 million petrol smuggling trial continued on Tuesday, focusing on the role of the vessel's captain Lê Đình Hùng. Hùng maintains his innocence.

He said the transportation process followed international practices and that he did not know the petrol was being illegally smuggled.

The 42-year-old defendant said: "It was unfair to be prosecuted for smuggling as I did not participate in any discussion, put in any money or profit from the case. I did not do anything wrong and I am innocent."

He said that according to his labour contract, he answered to the vessel owner Nguyễn Minh Khoa, who is the director of Thuận Phát Shipping Investment Co. Ltd. in Hải Phòng City.

Hùng was assigned to take the ship to Singapore to transport petrol to Việt Nam over 30 trips, each carrying 4.8 million litres of petrol.

Hùng transported nearly 145 million litres of petrol in this case.

However, according to the Đồng Nai Provincial People's Procuracy, Lê Đình Hùng headed the smuggling vessel on 30 trips from Singapore to Việt Nam, transporting a total of more than 157 million litres.

Regarding this difference, Hùng argued his testimony had been amended and alleged that he was under coercion during interrogation in an attempt by investigators to 'match' his actions with other defendants.

During the trial, the provincial People's Procuracy representative had to go through Hùng's testimony records multiple times due to inconsistencies in the investigation and at the court.

The agency also explained that Hùng played a role in the case as a transporter and can therefore be prosecuted for assisting smuggling but not as an instigator.

The case involves more than 74 defendants. The trial started on October 25 and is expected to last up to 60 days.

The defendants are being prosecuted for smuggling nearly 200 million litres of petrol worth VNĐ2.9 trillion ($130 million) from Singapore to Việt Nam. 

87 businesses honoured for implementing social insurance policies

The Vietnam Social Security (VSS) held a ceremony in northern Ninh Binh province on October 31 to honour 87 businesses in 20 northern cities and provinces for their outstanding performance in implementing social and health insurance policies in the 2017-2021 period.

According to the VSS, 103 others in the south will also be honoured.

The businesses have not only shown strong performance in implementing policies and laws on social, health, and unemployment insurance for years, but also seen high production results and strong social responsibilities and business ethics.

Miss Tourism World 2022 to promote Vietnamese tourist destinations

The final round of the Miss Tourism World 2022, themed “Bringing the world to Vietnam” will be held from November 28 to December 3, with activities spanning many Vietnamese tourist attractions in Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Phu Tho, Son La, and Vinh Phuc.

Vu Thi My Dung, General Director of the company said that this year, the contestants will help promote the culture and tourism of Vietnam by using their smart phones to make video clips introducing what they experience in Vietnam.

The Miss Tourism World started in 1991, becoming one of the five largest beauty pageants in the world. It is expected to help popularise the host tourism.

John Singh, the founder of the contest, said that the tourism industry is valued at 100 billion USD, adding the Miss Tourism World Organisation hopes to help the host countries draw local and international tourists, and investors as well as raise tourism spending worldwide to revive the global tourism industry.

Health ministry urges COVID-19 vaccinations in localities where coverage lags

The Ministry of Health is calling on local authorities to continue administering COVID-19 vaccines as coverage lags in several localities.

In an official document sent by Deputy Health Minister Nguyễn Thị Liên Hương to the people's committees of provinces and cities it was noted that, to date, 261 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered to Việt Nam's population of 98 million people.

The third and fourth dose coverage for people over 18 years is at 78.5 per cent and 81.3 per cent.

Third-dose coverage for children from 12-18 years has reached 62 per cent. 

So far, 88.9 per cent of children aged five to 11 have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 62.1 per cent have completed the primary course of two doses.

In Việt Nam, only the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna are cleared for use in children.

Central region serial dog-stealer caught

Police in the central province of Quang Nam have arrested a man, and are hunting for his accomplices after he was caught stealing 38 dogs in one night.

According to the police from Dong Giang District, Ngo Ba Phat was caught red-handed driving a car with 38 dogs and some electric tools inside.

Phat was detained on the spot, while the two others took advantage of the darkness to flee.

At the police station, Phat confessed that the three co-operated on the thefts. Phat admitted that his group had stolen dogs many times in Dong Giang District.

Two of them used a motorbike to catch dogs with electric tools while Phat drove the car behind them to transport the dogs after they were caught.

Vietnam, Nepal promote cooperation in consular affairs

The Vietnamese Embassy in New Delhi on October 31 handed over an appointment decision to honourary consul in Nepal Rajesh Kazi Shrestha.

This is the third time Shrestha has been appointed to this position.

Ambassador to India, Nepal and Bhutan Nguyen Thanh Hai congratulated Shrestha on the appointment, describing it as an important milestone in the relationship between the two countries and also an achievement that the Vietnamese Embassy authorities as well as Nepalese agencies have made over the years to promote cooperation in the consular affairs.

For his part, Shrestha expressed his honour and pledged to fulfill his role and to carrying out related activities, including citizen protection and support for the local Vietnamese community, strengthening the popularisation of the country and people of Vietnam in Nepal as well as enhancing bilateral cooperation in various fields

North-South Expressway contractors face punishment if targets missed

Contractors who slow down the progress of the North-South Expressway project will be strictly managed with by the Ministry of Transport.

In fact, several contractors violating the progress of the project have been repeatedly warned, criticised, and put under special monitoring.

If any contractor violates a signed commitment, the ministry will terminate the contract, revoke the guarantee and not allow participation in other projects.

According to the ministry’s latest report, six out of ten component projects of the North-South Expressway have not yet met their scheduled timetables.

Chief of VPA general staff chairs rehearsals for AARM-30 opening, closing ceremonies

Sen. Lieut. Gen Nguyen Tan Cuong, Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army (VPA) and Deputy Minister of National Defence on October 31 chaired the rehearsals for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 30th ASEAN Armies Rifle Meet (AARM-30) to be hosted by Vietnam next week.

AARM-30 is not only a competition for talented gunners from the armed forces of ASEAN countries, but also an opportunity for them to strengthen solidarity, friendship, mutual understanding and exchange.

The hosting of AARM-30 affirms Vietnam's intensive and extensive international integration. At the same time, it will give a chance to the armies of ASEAN countries to show their determination to promote strong and in-depth cooperation, contributing to maintaining peace, stability and sustainable development of each country as well as the region and the world.

The Vietnamese team came third at the 29th AARM-29, which was held in Bandung city, West Java province of Indonesia.

The team, comprising 33 Vietnamese officers and soldiers from the VPA, brought home nine gold, seven silver and 12 bronze medals in categories of submachine gun, machine gun and shotgun.

The first and second places belonged to Thailand and Indonesia, respectively.

Fishing vessel in distress with 13 fishermen onboard brought ashore safely

Boat SAR 412 of the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre on October 30 safely towed a fishing vessel with 13 fishermen onboard, which was in distress at sea off the coast of central Quang Tri province, to Da Nang city and handed over it to authorities. 

Representatives of the Vietnam Maritime Administration and the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre visited and presented gifts to the fishermen.

Previously, on October 28, the fishing vessel BD 96728 TS, had its main engine damaged, preventing it from coming back to the mainland.

Receiving the distress signal, the center and Da Nang's coastal radio station called on vessels in the area to support the fishing boat and instructed the fishermen to repair the main engine.
Afterward, the centre deployed the vessel SAR 412 to rescue the fishing vessel BD 96728 TS.

Agreement signed to improve capacity of identifying human remains from war

The Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) and the International Committee for Missing Persons (ICMP) on October 31 signed a cooperation plan on improving the capacity of identifying human remains from the war.

The plan, which will be implemented until the end of 2024, was inked by Dr Phi Quyet Tien, deputy director of the Institute of Biotechnology under the VAST, and Patrick White, managing director of ICMP's programmes.

The plan implements a Memorandum of Intent (MOI) on assisting Vietnam to improve its capacity in examining human remains recovered from the war between the Vietnam Office for Seeking Missing Persons (VNOSMP) and USAID.

The Centre for DNA Identification under the Institute of Biotechnology is the coordinator for the cooperation under the MOI framework. 

According to Patrick White, the ICMP hopes to help relevant Vietnamese agencies in the search for those missing in the war through the plan.

Britcham Fun Run to raise money for charity

The BritCham Charity Fun Run 2022 is scheduled to be held on November 13 in Ecopark of Van Giang district in Hung Yen province, as announced by the event’s organising board on November 1.

The annual fundraising event is being organised by the British Chamber of Commerce Vietnam (Britcham Vietnam) and aims to support various charity projects throughout the country. These projects encompass fields such as education, health, natural disaster prevention, and work aimed at improving the lives of Vietnamese people.

The last 20 years has seen the event held annually in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, drawing the participation of more than 130,000 people and raising more than VND12 billion for charitable activities in the country.

This year, the run is anticipated to welcome over 8,000 participants after two years of suspension caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Participants will be competing in either a five km run or walk, with tickets for adults priced at VND200,000 and VND120,000 for children.

Phu Quoc welcomes 158 tourists from Uzbekistan

Phu Quoc International Airport in the southern province of Kien Giang welcomed the arrival of charter flight HY3211 of Uzbekistan Airways on November 1, carrying 158 passengers board.

Nguyen Minh Dong, director of Phu Quoc International Airport, said that there will be one flight running per week from Uzbekistan during the initial stage, with the number of flights gradually increasing.

Leaders of the Kien Giang Tourism Department revealed that over the past month the locality welcomed more than 475,800 visitors, a decline of 7% compared to September.

Of the figure, the number of international visitors exceeded 29,600, up 13.3% compared to the previous month, with total tourism revenue standing at an estimated VND892 billion, up 2.9%.

HCM City provides two free buses for transfers to new Miền Đông bus station

Two buses have been allocated to transfer passengers from the old Miền Đông (Eastern) bus station in Bình Thạnh District to the new Miền Đông bus station in Thủ Đức City for free.

Starting from October 22, these two B60 buses with 60 seats each run a total of 12 trips per day to transfer passengers between the two stations for free.

According to a representative of the management board of the new Miền Đông bus station, the station hosts 2,000 to more than 3,000 passengers every day and has taken the initiative to attract more travellers.

Subsidised bus routes include bus route 55 (Quang Trung Software Park - High-tech Park - New Miền Đông bus station), bus route 56 (Chợ Lớn Bus Station - University of Transport in Thủ Đức City - Miền Đông bus station), bus route 76 (Long Phước - Suối Tiên - Miền Đông bus station), bus route number 93 (Bến Thành - Miền Đông bus station) and bus route 150 (Chợ Lớn bus station - Tân Vạn junction).

The four unsubsidised bus routes are route 60-1 (Miền Tây bus station - Biên Hoà bus station), bus route 60-2 (University of Agriculture and Forestry University - Phú Túc bus station), bus route 60-3 (Miền Đông bus station - Nhơn Trạch Industrial Park) and bus route 60-4 (Miền Đông bus station - Sông Mây Industrial Park).

Lao women have Vietnamese classes in Quang Tri

Lao women married to Vietnamese men in the central province of Quang Tri's Huong Hoa District are benefiting from Vietnamese classes.

The class, which is co-organised by the Women's Union and the Border Guard Station of Ba Tang Commune, aims at helping Lao women better adapt to life in Vietnam after marrying locals.

Quang Binh to pilot tour to Ruc ethnic people’s villages during rainy season

The Quang Binh provincial People’s Committee has licensed Oxalis Co. Ltd., to pilot a tour of the Ruc ethnic people’s villages in Tan Hoa commune, Minh Hoa district, during the rainy season starting from November 1 this year.

Accordingly, Oxalis company is allowed to make field trips to flooded areas in Tan Hoa commune from November 1 to 31, to develop the itinerary for the tour.

The tour is planned to provide visitors with an opportunity to experience the life of the Ruc ethnic people during the rainy season, through various activities such as kayaking, SUP, sightseeing, and presenting gifts to locals.

This is the second tour allowing visitors to explore the nature, life and people in Ruc ethnic people’s villages in Minh Hoa district, following the first one being operational in March 2021.

Huế goes ‘green’ by boosting electric traffic

The central province has been closely cooperating with international organisations and partners in boosting 'green' traffic by encouraging electric vehicles in the Master Plan 2021-2030 for submission to the Government for approval by the end of this year.

Huế City needs construction planning with an overall green transport development plan that integrates with other development activities, in which appropriate roadmaps and infrastructure networks are needed. Traffic needs to be designed to be integrated and friendly to the environment. At the same time, it is necessary to develop an institutional and policy framework for management, operation and encouragement of greening initiatives. Stakeholder engagement and consideration of policies across different sectors are important factors contributing to the sustainability of green transport solutions, increasing urban accessibility, and increasing urban mobility market and developing solutions to promote electric traffic."

Huế City has launched the first phase of the Public Bike Sharing System – an innovative public bike-sharing scheme by the International Co-operation Agency of Germany (GIZ), tech firm Vietsoftpro and the central provincial people's committee – has been launched in Huế city to develop a bicycle transportation plan for 2021-2026.

The pilot project used 80 bicycles for seven stations in the inner city and destinations along the Hương River in the first phase before expanding to 19 or 20 stations with a total of 500 bicycles in 2023.

The Public Bike Sharing System will help visitors and residents access public bicycles in the wider smart city concept for turning Huế City into a low-carbon city.

It is also expected to improve physical and mental health and quality of life in Huế, a UNESCO-recognised world heritage site and tourist attraction.

Northern region to experience cold weather front

The northern region of Vietnam has been forecasted to witness a cold spell this week, according to the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting.

The cold weather will start on November 3-4, bringing light rain for northern localities. It would weaken on November 7-8. The lowest temperature would be 14 degrees centigrade, focusing on mountainous areas, including those in Lang Son Province.

Hanoi would see temperatures of between 21-27 degrees centigrade.

In the last two weeks of this month, the cold weather will intensify.

On November 4-7, the central region of Vietnam experienced strong winds and downpours. Whirlwinds could also happen during rain.

Storms and floods leave heavy socioeconomic impact on Danang

Storms and floods in October adversely affected Danang’s socioeconomic conditions, the Danang Statistical Office reported.

October witnessed unprecedented torrential rains, flooding many streets and residential areas in the city, damaging properties and causing price spikes in some commodities and services.

Motorcycle service and repair costs soared 73.1%, household wares edged up 5.1%, while vehicle prices inched down 4.3% over September, Tran Van Vu, head of the office, said.

Overall, retail sales in the month were estimated to increase 3.1% over September and 17.4% year-on-year, at over VND5.8 trillion. Of the amount, sales at supermarkets stood at VND301 billion, dropping 0.8% versus the previous month and increasing 10.2% over the same period last year.

Tourism and travel-related services in October were not as good as in September, with revenue of VND225.3 billion, down 21.9%. 

The storms in September and October damaged the province’s tourism sector, leading to the sector’s revenue and arrivals not being as good as expected despite the city’s efforts to attract domestic and overseas tourists. 

Meanwhile, the weakened tourism led to a drop in incomes of the consumer service sector, with profit from administrative support services and arts, entertainment and recreation services falling by 10.6% and 7.2%, respectively.

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