President Nguyen Xuan Phuc met President of the Thai National Assembly Chuan Leekpai in Bangkok on November 17 within the framework of his official visit to Thailand.

Congratulating Vietnam on its economic recovery and growth post COVID-19, Chuan Leekpai affirmed that the country is an important partner of Thailand in Asia.

President Phuc expressed his delight at the close cooperation of the two National Assemblies, including the outcomes of the talks between Vietnamese NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and his Thai counterpart in August 2021, and appreciated the Thai leader’s contributions to the two countries’ friendship and cooperation.

The two sides agreed to intensify high-level and all-level contacts and exchanges, continue promoting the role of the legislative bodies in boosting the bilateral relations and supervising the implementation of the signed agreements, and share experience in the building and perfection of policies and laws to facilitate bilateral collaboration.

Chuan Leekpai affirmed to coordinate closely with the Vietnamese side in carrying out the agreement on mutual legal assistance in civil matters freshly signed between the two nations.

Speaking highly of the quality of Vietnamese education, he stressed the need to expand bilateral cooperation in education and training, and intensify the teaching of the Vietnamese language in Thailand and vice versa.

He also asserted that the Thai NA will continue supporting and creating more favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community and Vietnamese associations in his country.

The Vietnamese leader proposed the Thai parliament back the opening of the Thai market for more Vietnamese goods, and speed up the signing and ratification of new agreements to better meet diverse collaboration needs between the two sides.

Regarding the international and regional situations, Phuc suggested the Thai National Assembly continue to back the maintenance of ASEAN’s common stance on keeping peace and stability; ensuring security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea; and settling disputes by peaceful means, on the basis of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), fully implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the Sea East (DOC), and soon achieving a substantive and effective Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in accordance with international law.

Three die in Thanh Hoa traffic accident

Three young men died after their motorbike collided with a truck on Wednesday evening in the northern central province of Thanh Hoa. 

According to a report from Tho Phu Communal People's Committee in Trieu Son District, the accident occurred at 9.15 pm on November 16 on National Road 47C when a motorbike carrying three young men collided with a truck which was running in the opposite direction.

The strong collision left three men dead on the spot. The victims haven't been identified yet. Their motorbike was badly damaged.

According to some witnesses, the accident occurred when the motorbike was speeding.

Thanh Hoa Police are further investigating the cause of the accident.

Park calls 31 players to practise for AFF Cup 2022

Coach Park Hang-seo has called 31 players to prepare for the AFF Cup, his last tournament with the Vietnamese national team, later this year. The list includes four goalkeepers, 12 defenders, nine midfielders and six strikers.

The South Korean tactician put his belief in veteran and experienced players such as goalkeeper Đặng Văn Lâm, defenders Quế Ngọc Hải, Đỗ Duy Mạnh and Đoàn Văn Hậu, midfielders Nguyễn Hoàng Đức and Nguyễn Tuấn Anh, strikers Nguyễn Văn Toàn and Nguyễn Tiến Linh and captain Đỗ Hùng Dũng.

The list has surprised many fans as his key players in previous competitions, such as defender Trần Đình Trọng, midfielder Lương Xuân Trường and striker Nguyễn Công Phượng, are absent.

Nguyễn Văn Quyết, who was first picked by Park in September after years of being ignored, also secured a slot although he has not fully recovered from a knee injury.

Multi-purpose midfielder Nguyễn Trọng Hoàng is back on the team after 14 months fighting a herniated disc. 

Talented Nguyễn Quang Hải finally can come home after Park personally wrote a letter to Ligue 2 side Pau FC managers asking for his return to practise and compete at the regional Cup. Hải will fly back on December 15.

Park also gave berths to several young athletes such as Nguyễn Thanh Nhân, Lương Duy Cương, Khuất Văn Khang and Phạm Đình Duy who are expected to breath new life into the team.

The team will train in Hà Nội from November 23. Some players might join them later because they are still busy with their clubs at the National Cup next week.

Việt Nam will play a friendly match against German giant Borussia Dortmund at Mỹ Đình Stadium on November 30.

They then move to Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu for training from December 2 to 10.

They will have another friendly versus the Philippines on December 14 in Hà Nội, which is considered the last test ahead of the AFF Cup.

Park will announced his final shortlist on that day and the team will travel to Vientiane for their first match against the hosts on December 21.

The tournament is from December 20 to January 16, 2023. Việt Nam and Laos are in Group B with Malaysia, Singapore and Myanmar. 

New Deputy Minister of Construction appointed

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has appointed Mr Nguyen Tuong Van, Chairman of Quang Ninh provincial People’s Committee, as new Deputy Minister of Construction.

Nguyen, who was born in 1971 in the northern port city of Hai Phong, served  as the Chairman of Quang Ninh provincial People's Committee from October 31, 2020 before being promoted to the new role.

He holds Bachelor's degree from Ha Noi National Economics University, Master's degree in Industrial Economics at the Ha Noi National Economics University, and Doctorate's degree in Development Economics at the Australian National University.

With the latest appointment, the Ministry of Construction comprises four Deputy Ministers namely Mr Le Quang Hung, Mr Nguyen Van Sinh, Mr Bui Hung Minh, and Mr Nguyen Tuong Van. Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nghi is the Minister of Construction.

NA Chairman to attend AIPA-43, pay official visits to Cambodia, Philippines

Chairman of the National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue will attend the 43rd ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-43) and pay officials visits to Cambodia and the Philippines from November 19-25.

The trips will be made at the invitation of President of the Cambodian National Assembly and AIPA-43 Chair Samdech Heng Samrin, and President of the Senate of the Philippines Juan Miguel Zubiri, according to the NA’s Committee of External Relations.

HCM City's leader commits to raising trade with New Zealand to 2 billion USD

Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Phan Van Mai has committed to working with Vietnamese and New Zealand localities to raise two-way trade to 2 billion USD by 2024.

At a reception on November 16 for visiting Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern, Mai expressed his belief that her visit will make important contributions to promoting the strategic partnership between the two countries.

According to the official, two-way trade between the two nations currently nears 1.3 billion USD, some 30% of which is contributed by Ho Chi Minh City, but growth potential remains. Therefore, he urged reviewing work to make the most of their strengths.

Mai proposed that trade promotion activities between the two countries’ enterprises and between Ho Chi Minh City and New Zealand localities should be conducted via the New Zealand Embassy in Vietnam.

With New Zealand localities and businesses, Ho Chi Minh City will step up cooperation in tourism, education, climate change credit, emission reductions in agriculture, high-yield and quality plant varieties; share experience in digital transformation in administrative agencies, accelerate digital transformation in business households, small and medium-sized enterprises, green growth and innovative start-ups, Mai said.

Ardern, for her part, believed that with its important role, Ho Chi Minh City will help drive two-way trade to 2 billion USD in the coming years. The PM said New Zealand enterprises are interested in learning about the city’s trade and sustainable socio-economic development policies. Both sides should hold dialogues on inclusive economic development, trade promotion and artificial intelligence development, thereby bringing the highest economic value to their businesses, she said.

US launches $11 million environment protection project for Vietnam

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has launched a new project against environmental pollution worth US$11.3 million for Vietnam in the next five years.

The Reducing Pollution project will be implemented by USAID partner Winrock International in close cooperation with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE), addressing address multiple sources of environmental pollution. 

The project will bring together different people to collaborate, identify ways to solve a shared problem, and take action. In addition, it will demonstrate clear connections between environmental benefits and other social benefits, including public health, employment, and sustainable economic growth.

To foster Vietnamese leadership in addressing environmental pollution, the project will provide grants to a series of local entities to serve as the “backbone” for each collective impact initiative. These backbone organizations will serve as the local leaders for each initiative, including gaining public support, advancing policy, and leveraging additional funding.

Drugs seized in HCM City via postal service from Germany, US

The Customs Department of Ho Chi Minh City and relevant agencies have uncovered several packages containing drugs sent by international postal services from Germany and the United States.

Discovering suspicious signs, the customs officers carried out a thorough inspection of five parcels and they found approximately 5.6 kg of Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), also known as ecstasy inside two parcels from Germany.

Furthermore, 19.9 kg of methamphetamine was also discovered in two packages of coffee sent from the US through express delivery.

This is the first time that they have discovered such a huge quantity of drugs sent from the US, according to the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department. The case is currently under further investigation.

Dialogue promotes Vietnam-US labour cooperation

The 16th Vietnam-US labour dialogue took place in Hanoi on November 16, gathering representatives from the Vietnamese Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA), the US Department of Labour, and the US Embassy in Vietnam.

At the dialouge, prticipants focused their discussion on reform of labour relations and technical cooperation; Vietnam's efforts in addressing child labour and forced labour; workforce development in the digital economy; key challenges and opportunities, and safety and health at the workplace.

Vietnamese representatives updated participants on Vietnam's new labour policies, including the revised Labour Code (2019), the country’s preparation to join conventions of the International Labour Organisation, including Convention 87 and 98, and information on the implementation of the National Action Plan on Child Labour.

The US side spoke highly of Vietnam's efforts in recent years, including issues of interest to the US such as joining conventions, and child labour.

The US Department of Labour also provided information on occupational safety and health, and labour in the digital economy, contributing to helping Vietnam build orientations for occupational education development and training.

The participants also reviewed the implementation of cooperation activities between the two ministries in recent years, and proposed cooperation plans.

Activities planned for World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims

The National Traffic Safety Committee will organise a range of activities across the country in response to World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims that falls on November 20 this year.

The committee is set to launch communication campaigns to raise public awareness of the devastating impact of traffic accidents, equip people with knowledge of traffic safety rules, and call for help for victims of traffic accidents and their families.

It will coordinate with organisations, companies, and philanthropists to offer assistance to the victims, including those receiving treatment in hospital and their families living in especially difficult circumstances across northern and southern regions.

A total of 9,212 traffic accidents occurred nationwide during the initial 10 months of the year, killing 5,221 people and injuring 6,140 others, according to the National Committee for Traffic Safety.

Students to vie for VSBL trophy

The Việt Nam Student Basketball League (VSBL) will kick off later this month with the participation of hundreds of student-athletes in the capital city.

In its second edition, organisers have added the competition of 24 high schools along with a tournament for 24 secondary schools as it was last year.

Teams will be divided into groups and compete in the home and away format from November 21 to February 17, 2023, in the first round of qualifications.

In the second round, teams will compete in a knock-out format. The best four teams of each tournament will advance to the semi-finals.

The winners will walk away with a trophy and a bonus of VNĐ10 million (US$403). The second-place teams will pocket VNĐ5 million while the third-place ones will take VNĐ3 million.

New theatre for children, young people opens

A new theatre offering drama and musical shows aimed at children and young people has opened in downtown HCM City. 

The 700-seat Thanh Niên (Youth) Theatre is located in the HCM City Youth Cultural House on Phạm Ngọc Thạch Street, District 1. 

It offers shows staged by artists from IDECAF Drama Stage, one of the city’s leading private art troupes. 

Traditional performances of tuồng or hát bội (classical theatre) and cải lương (reformed opera), two genres of traditional theatre in southern and central regions, are also included. 

The theatre’s shows begin at 8pm on the weekend and tickets are from VNĐ60,000 (US$2.5) to VNĐ300,000 ($25) each.

Thanh Niên Theatre will offer drama shows on Vietnamese history in November and December. 

Hanoi to host first international flag football tournament this weekend

Days ahead of Thanksgiving, Hà Nội will see its first-ever international flag football tournament this weekend, as the Hanoi Turkey Bowl kicks off.

Hosted by Hanoi Flag Football club, four teams based in Việt Nam and one from Singapore will duke it out on Saturday and Sunday for the first Hanoi Turkey Bowl trophy in a celebration of sport, American culture and Thanksgiving.

Flag football, a non-contact version of American football, has been played in Việt Nam for years now, with the HCM City-based Saigon Southside Brotherhood (SSB) proudly flying the flag for their country for close to a decade. But this is the first time an international-level tournament has been held in Hà Nội.

In addition to two Hà Nội teams made up of locals and expats, SSB and the Flaming Hot Flamingos, a team made up of locals and expats in HCM City, will represent Việt Nam.

Entry is free and in addition to watching some of Asia’s best flag football teams battle it out, spectators can enjoy food and drinks served by tournament sponsors Hanoi Cider House, Song Linh Foods, Simple Coffee and Lekka Foods.

Play starts at 8am both days at Sân Bóng Đông Đô, located at 25 Ngách 76/35 - An Dương, Tứ Liên, Tây Hồ, Hà Nội. For more information, visit hanoiflagfootball.com. 

Hanoi love and beauty depicted in fabric artworks

An exhibition displaying Hà Nội-inspired fabric pictures, fruits of 40 years pursuing the original art form of artist Trần Thanh Thục, is being held in Hà Nội.

Tôi, Hà Nội Và Sắc Vải (I, Hà Nội and Fabric Colours) is Thục’s second solo exhibition, after her first Nhịp Xuân (Spring Rhythm) held in 2015.

The 30 pieces showcase the artist’s appraisal, affection and tribute to the capital city which has nurtured and inspired her work.

Depicted in Thục’s pictures are familiar, charming and nostalgic, iconic scenes of Hà Nội such as the Turtle Tower, Ngọc Sơn Temple and One Pillar Pagoda. Others feature a corner in the Old Quarters that any Hanoian could easily recognise.

To the 62-year-old artist, Hà Nội is where she has the most memories and an endless inspiration for her artworks.

I, Hà Nội and Fabric Colours exhibition will run until November 24 at the fine arts exhibition house at No. 16 on Ngô Quyền Street in Hà Nội. 

HCMC: Sleeper buses may be banned from inner-city roads in mid-December

The HCMC Department of Transport wrote to the HCMC People’s Committee today proposing banning sleeper buses from entering inner-city areas from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. from December 15.

The proposal comes as the city is struggling to deal with the rise in illegally established interprovincial bus stations in inner-city areas, which has led traffic congestion to worsen and bus service providers to abandon the city’s authorized bus stations.

Under the proposal, sleeper buses would not be allowed to enter the inner-city districts, with the off-limits area bound by National Highway 1, the streets of Nguyen Van Linh, Vo Chi Cong, Nguyen Thi Dinh, Dong Van Dong, Mai Chi Tho, and the Hanoi Highway.

The ban on this off-limits area has also been applicable to trucks since 2018.

However, sleeper buses would be permitted to travel on those roads without any time limitation and enter the Mien Dong and Mien Tay coach stations on the fixed routes regulated by the transport department.

Specifically, they must follow the National Highway 1 – National Highway 13 – Dinh Bo Linh Street route to enter and exit the Mien Dong Coach Station.

As for the Mien Tay Coach Station, sleeper buses would be allowed on the National Highway 1 – Kinh Duong Vuong Street route.

The HCMC Department of Transport will consider adjusting the time limitation for the sleeper bus ban in accordance with the current traffic situation.

Currently, HCMC has five inter-provincial coach stations, including the old Mien Dong, Mien Tay, An Suong, Nga Thu Ga and the new Mien Dong stations, with some 767 long-haul routes leading to 57 provinces and municipalities.

Surge in illness relates to immunity debt: Medical worker

There has been a surge in illness and development of many infectious diseases amongst children with records of serious cases in long time. According to medical worker, a surge in illness results from immunity debt.

According to Associate Professor Nguyen Thi Dieu Thuy, Head of the Department of Pediatrics, Hanoi Medical University, the cause of the increase in infectious diseases in children is due to immune debt after a period of social distancing during the previous Covid-19 epidemic. However, this break for immune systems may have actually weakened a person’s defenses. As a result, some people may have developed an immunity debt.

According to the latest study conducted by Hanoi Medical University, many infectious diseases in children are developing complicatedly with increasing cases of children infected with influenza, adenovirus, viral fever, hand-foot-mouth disease, and dengue fever. Consequently, pediatric clinics are overcrowded with kid patients.

Through statistics, more than 3,130 cases of Adenovirus have been recorded at the National Children's Hospital since the beginning of 2022, including 9 deaths of children. Meanwhile, from the beginning of September until now, Ho Chi Minh City-based Children's Hospital has received 1,500-2,000 children with respiratory diseases who came to the infirmary for examination. In particular, many seasonal diseases have become complicated such as the influenza B epidemic in many northern provinces.

Vinh Long razes online gambling point with Cambodia-based banker

The Department of Public Security of Vinh Long Province collaborated with professional units of the Binh Tan District Police and Tan Binh Commune Police to raze a large-scale online gambling point with its banker located in Cambodia and arrested nearly 30 subjects.

Accordingly, in the afternoon of November 15, the police forces of criminal police division under the Public Security Department of Vinh Long Province collaborated with the Binh Tan District Police and Tan Binh Commune Police accidentally checked an anonymous coffee shop in Tan Hau Hamlet, Tan Binh Commune and detected many subjects gathering to participate in online cockfighting betting. The functional forces decided to arrest the subjects.

At the site, the police forces held in custody 27 relevant subjects, seized 25 mobile phones, including seven ones used for live-streaming, money on gambling mat and of the subjects with a total amount of more than VND100 million (US$4,000) along with many other related exhibits.

Currently, the police forces are continuing to verify to handle the subjects as regulated. positive experiences for users in the upcoming versions.

Hanoi's 1st urban railway sees increasing ridership

As of November 13, 2022, the line’s total ridership hit more than 7.64 million.

Each day, the ridership reaches an average of 32,000, between 26,000 and 28,000 at weekends. The highest daily number of passengers was recorded on September 2, 2022, with a total of 55,000 rides.

According to General Director Vu Hong Truong of Hanoi Railways Co., Ltd (Hanoi Metro), the operator of the Cat Linh-Ha Dong line, the railroad has proved its convenience over other means of public transport, which is the backbone of the transportation system in major cities like Hanoi and HCM City.

Over time, Truong said that the Cat Linh-Ha Dong urban railroad has changed the behavior of Hanoians and helped people develop a new habit of using safe and modern public transport.

Given the improvement of professional qualifications of the Cat Linh-Ha Dong line, the workers of Hanoi Metro are prepared to run the Nhon-Hanoi Station urban railway - the second metro line in Hanoi, and assist the authorities of Ho Chi Minh City to operate its Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien railway, he said.

Over the past years, the operator of Cat Linh-Ha Dong Urban Railway has suffered an accumulated loss of VND159 billion ($6.4 million) in 2014-2021. Lower-than-expected ridership and long-stalled construction are attributed to the loss.

Since the commissioning of the line in November 2014, Hanoi Metro earned no revenues until November 2021, when the railway was put into operation but still had to secure funding for the payment of salaries, employee training, and machinery purchases. Meanwhile, in November and December 2021, low fares and low ridership (874,000 – far below the expected count of 4.9 million) compounded the financial woes.

Visitors to Hanoi enjoy creative space

Visitors to Hanoi can experience diverse activities in the creative space at the Exhibition Hall, No.45 Trang Tien Street, which will run until November 20.

Artworks are on display at the exhibition of the "Creative Hanoi" competition, jointly organized by the Hanoi University of Industrial Fine Arts and the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports in response to the Hanoi Creative Design Festival 2022.

The "Creative Hanoi" competition, which attracts 2,000 students from the Hanoi University of Industrial Fine Arts, seeks new and unique ideas to create spaces and creative design products for the city. Students are expected to be matched with organizations and individuals in need of design human resources.

On display until November 20, the designs exhibited at the Hanoi public art space are practical and could be applied in production, especially in craft villages, the organizing board said.

Action plan on Central Highlands development issued

The Government has recently issued Resolution 152/NQ-CP (Resolution 152) approving an action plan to implement Resolution 23-NQ-TW of the Poliburo on the orientations for socio-economic development and defence-security safeguarding in the Central Highlands by 2030 with a vision towards 2045.

The action plan sets specific goals for the Central Highlands, notably an annual average GRDP growth rate of 7-7.5 percent. 

By 2030, GRDP per capita will reach around VND 130 million (equivalent to US$ 5,000). The agro-forestry-fishery sector will account for around 29.5 percent of the region's GRDP. Industry and construction accounted for 26.9 percent. Service will make up about 38 percent. 

In the 2021-2030 period, growth rate of labor productivity will increase to 6.5 percent while Total Factor Productivity (TFP) will contribute about 39 percent of GRDP. 

By 2030, the percentage of trained workers will reach 25-30 percent. The proportion of poor households (under multi-dimensional poverty line) will decline by 1-1.5 percent yearly. 

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