PM orders ensuring resources for IUU fishing combat hinh anh 1
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has asked relevant ministries and localities to ensure resources to fix limitations and shortcomings in the fight against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

The leader on November 4 issued a dispatch to the ministers of agriculture and rural development, finance, transport, information and communications, justice, foreign affairs, public security and national defence, and the chairpersons of the People’s Committees of coastal cities and provinces over the issue.

In the dispatch, the PM stressed that progress has been made in the work over the past six years, yet limitations and shortcomings were revealed during the European Commission (EC)’s fourth inspection from October 10-18 such as illegal operations by fishing boats in foreign waters, unconcerted implementation of legal regulations in localities, and poor performance in traceability and the settlement of violations.

He also pointed to causes behind the problems, mainly the negligence of many relevant management agencies and localities, and asked the ministers and chairpersons to raise their responsibility and stayed resolved to have the EC’s “yellow card” warning against Vietnamese seafood removed during its fifth inspection, slated for the second quarter of 2024.

Chinh emphasised the need to strictly handle organisations and individuals that commit violations, step up the communications work, amend and supplement relevant legal regulations, issue mechanisms and policies in support of fishermen’s livelihoods, and monitor fishing fleets.  

Apart from a closer look on traceability, more attention should be paid to international cooperation, he said, suggesting negotiations and signing of hotlines between Vietnam and Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.

Inspections over the IUU combat must be carried out regularly, with results to be reported to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development by the 25th day of each month and then sent to the PM, who is also head of the National Steering Committee on IUU Fishing Prevention and Control.

Government members, heads of sectors grilled at NA’s meeting

The 15th National Assembly’s 6th session continued in Hanoi on November 6, with Government members and heads of sectors fielding legislators’ questions about the implementation of the NA resolutions on thematic supervision and question-and answer activities in the 14th tenure, and several related solutions adopted since the beginning of the 15th tenure.

The Q&A session is broadcast live by Radio the Voice of Vietnam, the Vietnam Television and the NA’s TV channel.

In the morning, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang, Chief Justice of the Supreme People’s Court Nguyen Hoa Binh, Prosecutor General of the Supreme People’s Procuracy Le Minh Tri, and Auditor General of the State Audit Office Ngo Van Tuan are to present reports on the target matters.

NA General Secretary Bui Van Cuong will deliver an inspection summary on the implementation of the NA resolutions.

The NA will then proceed with the questioning of Government members and heads of sectors on the realisation of the 10 resolutions of the 14th NA and the 15th on thematic supervision and Q&A activities in the fields of planning and investment, finance and banking, industry, agriculture and rural development, transport, construction, natural resources and environment.

Deputy PM raises cooperation recommendations for global eco-civilisation building

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha on November 5 proposed three cooperation recommendations in his key remarks delivered at a forum on driving green investment and trade to jointly build global eco-civilisation, held as part of the ongoing 6th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, China.

Ha was one of the three keynote speakers at the event, which gathered over 200 representatives from governments and international organisations, businesses, and experts.  

He affirmed that this is a historic moment for the world to quickly innovate and transition from a brown economy to a green one.

The first recommendation is to focus on strengthening international cooperation and solidarity to build an ecosystem for green investment and trade, as in dealing with global challenges, global efforts and a commitment to multilateralism are necessary.

Secondly, the process of greening investments and commercial activities must ensure fairness, countries need to act together and pursue common goals while considering their differences in development levels, economic scales, and the adaptive capacity. And

Thirdly, science and technology serve as key to climate change response and green transition, so developed countries should lead in innovation and sci-tech development to produce green products toward environmentally friendly and low-emission infrastructure, transport, and production, while international organisations should contribute to ensuring the fair allocation of resources and the green technology transfer from developed to developing countries.

The Deputy PM held that if developed and developing countries cooperate, efficiently utilise and harness natural resources for energy transition, they can turn the impossible into the possible and work towards the ultimate goal of sustainable development and a global ecological civilisation.

Ha affirmed that Vietnam is ready to join other nations, both developed and developing, in establishing a cooperation framework between them serving green transition.

After the forum, he toured the exhibition spaces of nearly 40 Vietnamese firms at the CIIE, which attracts more than 150 countries, territories and international organisations as well as 3,400 firms worldwide.

Also on November 5, the official received CEO of AstraZeneca Pascal Soriot and Founder of the Jiangsu Runergy New Energy Technology Co. Ltd Tao Longzhong.

Ha said the Vietnamese government is always ready to facilitate AstraZeneca's successful implementation of projects in Vietnam in the fields of health, pharmaceuticals, healthcare ecosystem, and sustainable development, while Soriot expressed the business’s desire to consult and support the nation in establishing a carbon credit market.

Talking to Tao, the Deputy PM proposed that the technology group and Vietnam collaborate on researching and developing feasible technological solutions related to solar panels, smart power transmission grids, green hydrogen and green ammonia, and energy storage batteries.

Mongolian President wraps up State visit to Vietnam

Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh, his spouse, and a high-ranking delegation of Mongolia left Hanoi at noon on November 5, concluding their five-day State visit to Vietnam at the invitation of President Vo Van Thuong.

During the visit, the Mongolian delegation paid tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum in Hanoi and offered incense in tribute to fallen soldiers at the Monument to Heroes and Martyrs on the capital city's Bac Son street.

President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsuk met with Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong; held talks, witnessed the signing of cooperation documents and joined a press conference and a banquet with President Vo Van Thuong. He also had meetings with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue.

During the talks and meetings, the leaders of the two countries engaged in practical discussions on measures to enhance bilateral cooperation in various fields, including politics, national defence, security, economy, education, sci-tech, transportation, logistics, culture, tourism, and people-to-people exchange, as well as global and regional issues of shared interest, toward creating a new framework for more comprehensive and substantive relations as the two countries will celebrate the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties next year.

The two sides agreed to increase delegation exchanges and contacts at all levels through the Party, State, Government, and National Assembly channels in flexible forms. They will coordinate the implementation of activities commemorating the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2024; and promote the effective implementation of bilateral cooperation agreements, thereby contributing to strengthening political trust between the two countries.

The two sides agreed to continue to cooperate closely and support each other in regional and international forums of mutual interest such as the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), UNESCO, the International Conference “Ulaanbaatar Dialogue on Northeast Asian Security”, and Asia-Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG).

The two sides signed six cooperation documents during the Mongolian President's visit to Vietnam. On this occasion, the leaders of the two countries issued a joint statement.

Within his visit’s framework, Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh attended the Vietnam-Mongolia Business Forum, visited the mobile calvary police force of the Mobile Police Force High Command under the Ministry of Public Security, and toured several economic and cultural establishments in Hoa Binh province, which borders Hanoi.

Vietnam, France share experience in public transparency, anti-corruption

A delegation of the Party Central Committee's Inspection Commission led by its Vice Chairman Nghiem Phu Cuong paid a visit to France from October 29 to November 4 to study and exchange anti-corruption experience.

During the visit, the delegation met with the leaders of France’s High Authority for the Transparency of Public Life (HATVP), the Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the Department of Code of Conduct and Ethics for Parliamentarians under the Office of the French National Assembly, leaders of the French National Institute of Public Service INSP (formerly known as the National School of Administration) and the General Department of Public Administration under the French Ministry of Public Sector Transformation and the Civil Service.

During the meetings, the two sides learned more about their similarities and differences in their corruption prevention and control mechanisms.

On this occasion, the delegation also visited the Vietnam Embassy in France. 

Their visit to France took place on a special occasion - the 50th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic relations and 10 years of their strategic partnership. It also contributed to strengthening multi-faceted and multi-channel exchanges between the two countries and paving the way for cooperation ideas to be implemented in the coming time.

Denmark values ​​Vietnam's role in global cooperation on green transition, sustainable development

The recent establishment of the Green Strategic Partnership (GSP) between Vietnam and Denmark has opened up a new chapter in their 52-year relationship while demonstrating commitment and determination of the two countries to handling challenges such as climate change and environmental degradation, Vietnamese Ambassador to Denmark Luong Thanh Nghi has said.

According to the ambassador, the establishment of the GSP represents a substantive development step in the traditional relationship between the two countries, and also a long-term and high-priority content in Vietnam's socio-economic development strategy to 2030, with a vision to 2045.

Nghi said the initiative shows that Denmark recognises and values the increasing role of Vietnam in global cooperation related to green transformation and sustainable development. To date, Vietnam is one of the five countries with which Denmark has established a GSP, besides India, the Republic of Korea, South Africa and Australia.

In addition, engaging in a GSP with a leading country in green transformation like Denmark will also contribute to enhancing Vietnam's position and image as well as demonstrate its commitments to implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

He noted that Denmark is one of the world's leading countries in green transition, having both technology, experience in management and building institutions and policies, and capital and investment resources to promote international cooperation on green transition and sustainable development.

The diplomat also believed that establishing a new framework for cooperation related to green transition and sustainable development between the two countries will have positive spillover value, not only opening up many new opportunities for businesses of Denmark to continue to have green investment projects in Vietnam but also encourage other foreign businesses to establish and expand investment, business, and production in Vietnam.

He acknowledged that based on the new relationship framework, prospects for cooperation between the two countries are huge, especially in green transition, digital transformation, renewable energy development, high-tech agriculture, green health, economic development, circular economy  which are strategic areas for Vietnam's future development.

PM urges more drastic measures in firefighting

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on November 5 asked ministries, agencies, and localities to further concentrate on and take drastic measures in fire prevention and fighting as in the coming time, fire incidents tend to develop complicatedly.

Chairing a national online conference to evaluate the 10-month implementation of the Prime Minister's Directive No. 01/CT-TTg dated January 3, 2023 on strengthening fire prevention and fighting in the new situation, PM Chinh said that it is a must to strengthen the leadership and management of authorities and improve public awareness and skills in this regard.

The whole political system and society should engage in fire prevention and control, search and rescue once an incident happens, he said, requesting ministries and agencies to complete relevant regulations and standards, tighten inspections, and strictly punish violators. 

Hailing efforts taken by ministries, agencies, and localities at all levels over the past time, the government leader noted more efforts are needed in the time ahead.

More than 40,000 fire prevention and fighting teams have been set up in the community, more than 11 million households got firefighting equipment and 3 million built second exits at their houses.

Authorities inspected nearly 190,000 establishments, detected about 67,000 shortcomings that need to be fixed, and imposed administrative fines on over 8,500 cases.

In the last ten months, nearly 900 people were rescued from fires.

Contemporary dance festival highlighted by Vietnamese and Singapore dancers

X POSITION ‘O’ 2023, a twenty-year-old international dance festival officially returning to Việt Nam, welcomes the audience for a one-night performance today (November 5) at Hòa Bình Theatre in HCM City.

The Sài Gòn Contemporary & Ballet Dance Company (SCBC) joins with Odyssey Theatre Singapore and the Bông Sen Traditional Music and Dance Theatre to celebrate five decades of diplomatic relations between Việt Nam and Singapore.

Founded in Singapore in 1999, X Position 'O' International Contemporary Dance Festival has united more than 40 international art troupes and 550 artists through international performing tours and cultural exchanges around the world.

As a part of the framework of XPO Fiesta 2023, X POSITION 'O' 2023 included a series of captivating activities of contemporary dance art with four nights of performances taking place in Singapore, Hội An City and HCM City.

One performance night took place in Hội An City, Quảng Nam Province in September this year.

In a one-night performance, the audience is immersed in the art ambience through two performances, Silence of Solitude and Yên Lam (The Peace of Blue).

Two performances flawlessly represent contemporary dance and folk elements of XPO Fiesta 2023.

While Silence of Solitude is a journey into one's inner self through the movement of various frequencies of sound, Yên Lam is a contemporary folk dance that depicts the journey to find original culture and intimate stories circling around family.

Yên Lam recreates the spiritual life and cultural values of Vietnamese people in the South, preserving the traditional values and beliefs of Vietnamese generations.

“The combination of folk elements and contemporary dance is conveyed with live music, especially in the Yên Lam performance,” said choreographer Huỳnh Đoan Trinh, a representative of the Bông Sen theatre.

“The audience can sense movements that intersect between folk and contemporary through the performance of the talented dancers and musicians. I hope the performance conveys a harmonious and profound artistic ambience to the audience.”

X Position 'O' 2023 welcomes the return of SCBC’s choreographer and creative director Đỗ Hải Anh, who was bestowed to Forbes Vietnam Under 30 list in 2022.

The festival also features Danny Tan, founder and artistic director of Odyssey Theatre Singapore.

Besides directing and choreographing more than 150 dance shows, Tan is the director of twelve prominent international dance festivals, including the X POSITION 'O' Contemporary Dance Festival, which was held in Việt Nam in 2019, and the DanzINC International Contemporary Dance Festival.

"This year, X Position 'O' features high-level performances that reflect international cultural exchange between Việt Nam and Singapore, with the participation of renowned dance performers from both countries,” director Đào Minh Vũ with the SCBC said. 

Northern region forecasted to face light cold, rains

Northern Vietnam has been forecasted to see a light cold spell and rains, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

The cold and rainy weather will affect northern localities on November 5-6.

On November 6, the temperature in Hanoi would fall four degrees centigrade.

Northern mountainous areas would have torrential rains.

Rain would spread to the central and Central Highlands on November 6-9 and the southern region on November 7-12.

People have been warned of whirlwinds, hail and lighting.

The northern region would see more cold fronts. However, the average temperature in November would be higher than usual. 

More people die of rabies

As many as 71 people in Vietnam have been killed by rabies so far this year, with ignorance about possible vaccinations blamed.

According to Do Quoc Trinh, a representative from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Department of Animal Health, the deaths were found in 28 cities and provinces. Vietnam witnessed 64 fatalities caused by rabies in 25 cities and provinces during the same period of last year.

The Ministry of Health reported that rabies has tended to be on the rise in many localities which were not the hot spots of the disease previously.

The majority of fatal cases were the result of people’s lack of vaccination as individuals often underestimate the risk when bitten by domestic dogs that appear healthy at the time of the bite. In many cases, children bitten by dogs failed to inform their family.

In the first nine months of this year, the Vietnam National Hospital of Paediatrics’ vaccination and consultation clinic administered anti-rabies serum to 271 individuals, with over 70 percent in Hanoi and nearly 68 percent involving children aged under 15.

During the phase, 326 individuals received rabies vaccinations with children under 15 accounting for the majority.

The number of rabies vaccine injections in between January and September this year grew by three times on-year.

The Vietnamese government is committed to achieving the 2030 goal of eliminating human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by renewing the National Programme on the Control and Elimination of Rabies 2022–2030.

Festival of ethnic minority groups open in Lai Chau Province

Festival of ethnic minority groups with population of less than 10,000 from 11 provinces and cities across the country was opened in Lai Chau city, the Northern province of Lai Chau last night.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism coordinated with the People’s Committee of Lai Chau Province to host the event.

This was a meaningful political, cultural and social event to honor the good traditional cultural values and preserve and promote the cultural values of ethnic groups with population of less than 10,000 people among 54 ethic minorities in the country.

Besides, the festival contributed to building and developing the culture and Vietnamese people meeting the sustainable development requirements of the country, creating a springboard for the socio-economic development of the localities.

Notably, the festival also showed the concern of the Party and State for the preservation and promotion of cultural values of ethnic groups.

HCMC to operate three hospitals in city's gateway in 2024

According to the plan, three general hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City’s Hoc Mon, Cu Chi, and Thu Duc outlying districts will be put into use in 2024 to meet people’s increased medical demand.
 
Yesterday morning, Vice Chairman of the municipal People's Committee Duong Anh Duc led an inspection team of key medical projects and investment projects to build the City Planning Exhibition Center.

The Management Board of Investment Projects for Construction of Civil and Industrial Works in Ho Chi Minh City has reported on implementation progress, and disbursement plans of new construction projects of the three regional General Hospital in Hoc Mon, Cu Chi and Thu Duc suburban districts.

Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Duong Anh Duc said that protecting and taking care of people's health is extremely important, the city and the Central Government have devoted huge financial resources to the three hospitals in this gateway area which are responsible for taking care not only the health of city residents but also people in other surrounding regions.

What he was most concerned about was that the equipment packages for these three hospitals must be supplied simultaneously to serve patients’ increasing demand. The Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has directed departments and agencies that when the hospital is completed, the equipment must be ready for use, said Vice Chairman Duong Anh Duc.

14 British businesses find cooperation opportunities with Vietnamese partners

14 British businesses in the field of renewable energy technology and services came to Vietnam to find cooperation opportunities.
 
The British Embassy in Hanoi announced the UK Energy Mission, including 14 British businesses in the field of renewable energy technology and services, arrived in the Southeast Asian country to discuss cooperation opportunities with potential partners in Vietnam.

In recent years, the renewable energy industry in Vietnam has been undergoing many positive developments, opening up many opportunities for international trade cooperation. The Mission focused on renewable energy fields such as offshore wind power, energy transmission, and energy storage.

The work program began at the ASEAN Wind Energy Conference - which gathered nearly 30 participating companies and attracted thousands of attendees during the two-day event.

At the event, the British Ambassador to Vietnam, Iain Frew emphasized the British Government's commitment to becoming Vietnam's energy transition partner through bilateral and multilateral initiatives. Typically, the Just Energy Transition Partnership Program (JETP) is expected to coordinate US$15.5 billion to realize the green transition process in Vietnam.

In addition, the Mission attended the Green Economy Forum organized by the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham) and had direct discussions with project developers to discuss the opportunities and challenges of this potential industry.

Kien Giang set to be national marine economic center

Following Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha’s Decision No. 1289/QD-TTg for the planning of the Mekong Delta Province of Kien Giang for the period 2021-2030 with a vision to 2050, the province is set to be the national marine economic center.

Accordingly, the scope and boundary of Kien Giang Province's planning from 2021 to 2030, with a vision to 2050, includes the entire mainland territory of Kien Giang Province and the marine space determined according to the Vietnam Law of the Sea in 2012 and the Government’s Decree No. 40/2016/ND-CP dated May 15, 2016, of detailing the implementation of a number of articles of the Law on Sea and Island Resources and Environment.

According to the plan until 2030, Kien Giang Province with a high quality of life in the Mekong Delta is the national marine economic center. Its cities including Rach Gia, Ha Tien, and Phu Quoc are the main development triangle of the urban sea-oriented economy, trade and services.

In particular, Phu Quoc is a service center, high-quality eco-tourism, sea and island resort tourism of national and international stature connecting to major economic centers in the region and the world while Rach Gia City is a green commercial and service city and Ha Tien City is a heritage city.

Economically, the growth rate of gross regional product (GRDP) reached 7 percent a year and GRDP per capita was VND127 million (US$ 5,178). Roughly 23.7 million holiday-makers visit the province annually including 22 million domestic visitors and 1.7 million international visitors.

In the period after 2030, the Rach Gia coastal economic zone will be established with a focus on the development of trade, services, seaport logistics, urban - service - tourism, coastal industry, aquaculture and exploitation of seafood, renewable energy and new marine economic sectors, to promote the potential and advantages of general - specialized urban areas – a wholesale centers for fisheries and Rach Gia airport.

In addition, Kien Giang province border gate economic zone including the Ha Tien International border gate economic zone and the Giang Thanh national border gate area will be established.

Moreover, by 2050, Kien Giang Province will become a strong marine economic center of the country; It is an important gateway, transportation, trade and international exchange hub while its island district - Phu Quoc - is a center of tourism services, general services, and unique marine and island eco-tourism.

In the province’s plan, the key tasks and development breakthroughs of Kien Giang Province include the development of the marine economy, promotion of tourism, investment, trade, production and consumption connections between the mainland and islands, with a focus on Phu Quoc in addition to sustainable seafood exploitation, fisheries logistics services, seafood processing industry, renewable energy industry.

Create a breakthrough in developing Phu Quoc City with a unique and outstanding mechanism of preferential policies to focus on mobilizing and prioritizing resources to develop some key industries and fields for Phu Quoc.

According to the plan, digital transformation and high technology will be implemented in socio-economic activities and the building of digital government for the efficiency of public administration and reforms of administrative procedures.

Charitable activities help connect Vietnamese, Czech people

Charitable activities are among the bright spots of the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic, with the charity organisation Vietnamese-Czech House making substantive contributions to helping needy people in both countries.

On November 5, the organisation held a ceremony to mark its 10th founding anniversary and held its third congress to elect a new executive board to continue promoting its activities.

At present, the organisation has a 32-strong executive board and more than 350 members. They have visited and presented gifts centres caring for orphans, the elderly and children with disabilities in the Czech Republic, and participated in a lot of charitable activities in the homeland.

Speaking at the event, Ambassador Thai Xuan Dung said that the organisation’s activities have been highly valued by authorities and people in the host country and Vietnam.

On this occasion, he presented certificates of merit to outstanding members of the organisation in recognition of their contribution to the community.

Deputy PM hails Chinese solar panel maker's investment expansion plan

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang has praised China's leading solar panel maker, Trina Solar Group, for its investment expansion plan in Thai Nguyen province, which will increase the group's total investment in Vietnam to nearly 900 million USD.

Receiving the founder and Chairman of the group Gao Jifan in Hanoi on November 5, Quang said renewable energy development is a trend in the world and Vietnam as well, towards the goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

He noted that Vietnam is promulgating specific policies to promote the development of renewable energy, including solar energy.

He asked the Chinese group to create conditions for Vietnamese businesses to participate in the global supply chain in general and the group's supply chain in particular while focusing on lowering costs, improving efficiency of solar energy storage devices, and adopting solutions to treat environmental pollution for expired storage devices.

On this occasion, the Deputy PM commended the northern province of Thai Nguyen for accompanying and supporting foreign investors, particularly Trina Solar Group, in their project implementation.

For his part, Gao Jifan praised Vietnam's potential, policies, and outcomes of renewable energy development, especially in the context of the growing demand for green, eco-friendly products.

Established in 1997, Trina Solar Group operates mainly in the field of research, development, production and sales of solar modules, solar power stations and system products, as well as operation and maintenance services. It ranks among the Top 100 leading companies in the world's solar energy industry.

In 2016, Trina Solar established Trina Solar Vietnam Energy Development Company Limited, whose headquarters is located in Yen Binh Industrial Park, Thai Nguyen province, with a total investment of more than 500 million USD.

Activities showcase legacies of national anthem composer

Music compositions and paintings by and behind-the-scene stories about famous composer, poet, and painter Van Cao (1923-1995) who composed “Tien quan ca” (The Marching Song) – Vietnam’s national anthem – will reach the public through an upcoming series of activities celebrating his 100th birthday.

To be co-organised by the Nhan Dan (People) Newspaper and the Central Council for the Theory and Criticism of Literature and the Arts, the host of events, featuring an exhibition and a seminar, are scheduled for November 6-8.

According to his son, painter Nguyen Van Thao, who has curated the exhibition, it will showcase his father’s some 100 illustrations and oil paintings. Van Cao started illustrating in 1945 and worked for many newspapers.

In addition, on display will be approximately 100 versions of book covers from collector Nguyen Binh Phuong. The covers were completely hand-painted by the late artist to serve publishers over a long period of time.

The seminar revolving around the world of Van Cao’s music, poetry, and painting is the highlight of the programme, with 20 papers to be presented.

Van Cao, born in 1923 in the northern city of Hai Phong, composed ‘The Marching Song’ in 1944. The original version of the song was chosen by President Ho Chi Minh to be the national anthem and edited by the National Assembly in 1955.

Vietnamese culture night held in Hungary​

A “Vietnamese Culture Night” programme highlighting the Southeast Asian country’s culture, tourism and cuisine took place in Budapest, Hungary on November 3.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Vietnamese Ambassador to Hungary Nguyen Thi Bich Thao said that the event is aimed at helping Hungarian people have a better understating about Vietnam, a country with nearly 100 million people that is growing strongly and developing rapidly both economically and socially. She added that currently, it is also one of the most attractive tourism destinations in Asia.

The programme is also a practical and meaningful activity to tighten the cultural cooperation between the embassy and the capital city of Hungary, contributing to strengthening the traditional friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Hungary, which has a history of more than 73 years and has been upgraded to a Comprehensive Partnership since 2018, Thao said.

The event featured contemporary and traditional songs and dances performed by artists of both sides including a Vietnamese traditional “com” drum dance performed by Hungarian artists, and a show of Ao Dai.

In addition, photos and videos of a beautiful, peace-loving Vietnam by a Hungarian friend were also presented at the event.

New cold spell to hit northern Vietnam, bring heavy rain

A new cold spell is moving towards northern border localities of Vietnam and is expected to hit the area on November 6, according to the National Centre for Hydro Meteorological and Forecasting.

The cold air wave will hit the northern highlands in the morning before sweeping across the north-eastern area in the afternoon and the north-central area in the evening, said weather experts.
  
It will send temperatures tumbling to 20-23 degrees Celsius in the plains and midlands and to 16-19 degrees Celsius in the highlands.

The cold spell will bring heavy rain of up to 70mm to northern and mountainous localities.

Weather experts said in November, cold air waves continue to increase in frequency compared to October, but there is less chance of strong cold air waves causing the temperature to drop sharply.

This year’s winter is anticipated to come late and be warmer than the average of previous years.

Hà Nội realises $1.58 billion of investment capital in 10 months, key projects disbursed

Investment capital from the State Budget implemented in October by Hà Nội is estimated to reach VNĐ5.191 trillion (US$211 million), up 1.9 per cent over the previous month and up 18.5 per cent over the same period last year.

Among the capital funded by the State Budget, the city-level investment was VNĐ1.753 trillion ($71.4 million), increasing by 0.8 per cent and 8.3 per cent compared to the previous month and the same period last year, respectively, while the district-level investment was VNĐ3.724 trillion ($151.3 million), up by 2.5 and 24.9 per cent, and the commune-level one was VNĐ164 billion ($6.6 million), rising by 1.9 and 16.7 per cent.

Overall, in the first 10 months this year, realised investment capital from the State budget managed by localities reached VNĐ38.8 trillion ($1.58 billion), up 6.3 per cent over the same period last year and reaching 66.6 per cent of the yearly plan of 2023, of which, the city-level capital implemented reached VNĐ15.2 trillion ($619 million), increasing by 1.5 per cent and covering 60.5 per cent of the yearly plan, district-level capital implementation was VNĐ22.2 trillion ($904 million), increasing by 10.2 per cent and reaching 70.9 per cent, and commune-level capital was VNĐ1.4 trillion ($56.8 million), increasing by 2.9 per cent and reaching 76.5 per cent.

In particular, the Ring Road 4 of the Capital Region Project is the largest and most important road with a length of 112.8km (including 103.1km of Ring Road 4 and 9.7km of the route connecting Nội Bài-Hạ Long Expressway) with the starting point on the Nội Bài-Lào Cai Highway in Thanh Xuân Commune of Sóc Sơn District, and the ending point on the Nội Bài-Hạ Long Highway in Quế Võ District of Bắc Ninh Province.

The project is divided into seven component projects with a total expected investment for phase 1 of about VNĐ85.8 trillion ($3.54 billion).

The Capital Region’s Ring Road 4 started construction in three localities of Hà Nội, Hưng Yên, and Bắc Ninh province in June.

To date, the project has handed over 82 per cent of the sites, of which construction can be started on 68.5 per cent. Hà Nội handed over 81 per cent of its planned area, Hưng Yên Province - 83.4 per cent and Bắc Ninh - 83.4 per cent.

Currently, the project has been simultaneously constructed at 29 locations, expected to be basically completed in 2026 and put into operation in 2027.

Ring Road 1 project’s Hoàng Cầu-Voi Phục section, phase 1, which has a length of over 2.2km and is 50m wide with the starting point in Đống Đa District and the ending point in Ba Đình District, has an investment of VNĐ7.2 trillion ($293 million) from the city’s budget, of which construction costs are VNĐ627 billion ($25.4 million) and site clearance costs are VNĐ5.8 trillion ($263.7 million).

To date, the project has disbursed 21.8 per cent of the capital plan.

The project of renovating and upgrading National Highway 6 is to upgrade 21.7km and widen to 4-6 lanes with a design speed of 80km per hour for the Ba La-Xuân Mai section in Hà Đông District and Xuân Mai Township in suburban Chương Mỹ District.

The project contributes to completing the radial road connecting National Highway 21A, Hồ Chí Minh Expressway and Ring Road 4 of the capital region.

The project’s total investment capital is VNĐ8.1 trillion ($330 million) from the city budget, of which over VNĐ5.1 trillion ($207.8 million) is for site clearance and VNĐ2.9 trillion ($118 million) is for construction and equipment procurement costs.

Currently, the project has disbursed 4.7 per cent of the capital plan. Construction time for the entire project is five years from 2022 to 2027.

For the Thăng Long Highway project, the section from National Highway 21 to the Hà Nội-Hoà Bình Expressway, with a length of 6.7km, has a total investment of VNĐ5.249 billion ($213.3 million) and disbursement reaching 3.2 per cent of the capital plan. 

Land hand-over for Long Thành International Airport completed

Airports Corporation of Việt Nam (ACV) has received land for the construction of Long Thanh International Airport, phase 1.

Specifically, ACV has received a full handover of 2,532 hectares of land from Đồng Nai Province, including 1,810 hectares in the project construction area and 722 hectares in the land reserve area.

However, the corporation said that the site for two traffic routes connecting to the project had not yet been completely handed over. Route No. 1 had received 60.28 out of 66.45 hectares of land (equivalent to 90.7 per cent) while Route No. 2 got 20.50 out of 59.68 hectares (equal to 34.3 per cent).

Therefore, the corporation requested the locality to speed up site clearance and handover of the remaining area to ensure the construction progress.

ACV’s leaders said they had prepared a source of money for the site clearance cost of about VNĐ1.6 trillion (US$65.2 million) and would immediately transfer it to the locality when there is a payment decision approved by the People's Committee of Long Thành District to pay affected households.

According to ACV’s report, as of October, the total volume of actual excavation and levelling performed is about 102 million cu.m out of a total of 115 million cu.m, reaching over 88 per cent of the total construction volume.

In particular, the ground levelling work of priority areas for handover to main structural construction has been completed, meeting the key 15-month schedule as directed by the Government and the Ministry of Transport.

The areas of runways, taxiways, aircraft aprons and areas of component projects 1, 2 and 4 have been completed according to the proposed plan, ensuring construction progress.

Long Thành International Airport project has a total investment of VNĐ336,630 billion ($13.71 billion) including three construction phases.

Phase 1 builds a runway, a passenger terminal and auxiliary items with a capacity of receiving 25 million passengers per year.

According to the plan, phase 1 is expected to be completed and put into operation in 2026.

In phase 2, the airport will be built with another open runway and terminal to reach a capacity of 50 million passengers per year.

Phase 3 will complete the remaining items so that the airport can reach a capacity of 100 million passengers per year and become the largest airport in Việt Nam in the future and one of the busiest transit airports in the region.

Upon being handed over a “clean” site, the Long Thành International Airport project would be drastically implemented by contractors to ensure progress, said ACV.

Rapper Wowy, opera artist Thế Huy release MV on YouTube

A music video (MV) by rapper Wowy, a pioneer of rap in the South, and young opera artist Thế Huy has been released on YouTube.

The work, Người (Human), is a song that combines rap and opera.

Wowy wrote the lyrics featuring messages about life, youth and love. He is also one of the video’s producers.

Người 2 was released on YouTube on November 1, and has attracted more than 76,184 views.

“I hope my performance with opera artist Thế Huy in Người will bring a new flavour of my music to fans,” the 35-year-old Wowy wrote on his Facebook page.

Wowy, whose real name is Nguyễn Ngọc Minh Huy, has been in the industry for more than 15 years.

He began his career as an underground rapper and has been particularly successful in combining rap with social and cultural issues.

He has released two compilation albums, six singles and 30 MVs. His hits include Tiền (Money) released in 2018 and Chạy (Run) in 2020.

In 2020, Wowy performed as a coach at Rap Việt, a reality TV music show that sought to find the next best rapper in Việt Nam.

The show is produced by Vie Channel based on a Thai show called The Rapper, which premiered in 2018 and was honoured as the Best General Entertainment Programme at the 23rd Asian Television Awards in 2018.

In June, Wowy and People’s Artist Bạch Tuyết, a cải lương (reformed opera) guru, launched a music project aimed at young people.

The project offers music videos that combine rap and cải lương, a 100-year-old art genre of Vietnamese theatre in the South.

Wowy and Tuyết have worked to write, compose and produce a series of songs featuring topics on love and life. Social issues are also included.

Their videos will be released on YouTube and TikTok.

“I love working with cải lương star Bạch Tuyết. I hope our project will attract and encourage young audiences to love and learn more about our traditional music,” said Wowy, who believes music has no barriers.

Sơn lifts Tiền Phong Golf Championship 2023

Teenager Nguyễn Đức Sơn won the seventh Tiền Phong Golf Championship 2023 which finished on November 4 at the King’s Island Golf Resort in Đồng Mô, Sơn Tây, Hà Nội.

The 16-year-old triumphed in the one-day tournament with a Best Gross of 3-under 69, leaving behind him many strong contenders, in his debut.

"It is an extreme happiness for me winning the trophy in my first time in the Tiền Phong Golf Championship," said Sơn.

"I've played on the Kings Course many times and it is a really challenging course with difficult terrain. I am really pleased with the score but I think I could do better. I scored eight birdies but conceded a double bogey at the 15th hole and a bogey at the 17th."

Sơn was the golfer with second best score overall at the tournament, standing below former two-time champion Nguyễn Anh Minh who won last year with an 8-under 64.

Along with the overall champion, the organisers also presented awards to winners five groups for men, women and young golfers.

Đỗ Anh Đức won Group A with 3-under 69; Nguyễn Kiên Cường topped Group B with 3-under 70; and Nguyễn Ngọc Lâm took charge of Group C with 4-over 76. The female champion was Lê Thị Thanh Thúy with 4-under-68. National team member Đoàn Uy championed the Youth Group with 4-under-68.

Other technical prizes such as Nearest to the Pin, Longest Drive and Nearest to the Line were also delivered.

The Tiền Phong Golf Championship is an annual event. This year, 160 golfers took part.

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