Ho Chi Minh City welcomed 546,000 international visitors in October this year, lifting the total number of foreign arrivals to the city in the last 10 months to 2.65 million, according to the municipal Department of Tourism.

HCM City’s tourism sector has developed new products, and prepared events to promote local tourism potential, towards attracting more tourists in the remaining months of the year.

Local travel agencies have paid attention to improving the quality of products to bring unique and unforgettable experience to visitors. This is expected to help increase their revenue in the path of recovery and growth.

Thua Thien-Hue: Nguyen dynasty’s clothing on display

An exhibition of 10 kinds of ao dai (Vietnamese traditional long dress) under the last Vietnamese feudal dynasty, the Nguyen (1802 - 1945), is taking place in Hue ancient capital in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue.

On display at the Huong river antique pottery museum until November 11, the items are part of a collection of Vietnamese researcher Thai Kim Lan. Among them are a dragon-embroidered robe for emperors and other worn by members of the royal family.

On the occasion, designer Trinh Hoang Dieu also puts on stage a number of ao dai designs that combine both traditional and modern features.

Being the national costume when Vietnam was a kingdom, now ao dai stays the national dress for important ceremonies and events.

The 6th Hà Nội International Film Festival opens

Nearly 800 international and Vietnamese delegates from over 50 countries and territories are expected to attend the opening of the 6th Hà Nội International Film Festival (HANIFF VI) slated for today at Hà Nội Cultural Friendship Palace.

HANIFF VI will feature 123 films including motion pictures, short films, documentaries, animation and contemporary Vietnamese works.

With the theme "Cinema for Humanities, Adaptability and Development", HANIFF VI is jointly held by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Cinema Department and the municipal Department of Sports and Tourism from November 8 to 12.

HANIFF VI will take place with a series of events such as the Competition category, World Cinema Panorama, Country in Focus: South Korean Cinema, and a Collection of contemporary Vietnamese films.

The Competition category will see 11 films from India, Spain, Iran, Sri Lanka, Brazil, France, Myanmar, Poland, Sweden, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, and the host country.

Vietnamese movie Hoa Nhài (Jasmine) by director Đặng Nhật Minh will be premiered at 2pm local time to kick off the festival. It is about human relations in the busy life of Hanoians. The movie is the only Vietnamese contender in the Competion category.

Over 60 films will be shown at World Cinema Panorama including nominees at international film festivals in Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Sundance and Busan.

John Denver Trending from the Philippines will be shown on November 9 at 6pm at the National Film Centre. It was an award-winning script at the HANIFF 2018's Film Project Market.

Two seminars will be held focusing on South Korean cinema and introducing Vietnamese policy for cinema development policies and popularising culture through cinema.

An exhibition entitled Filming Locations in Hà Nội’s Cultural Heritage Sites at Daewoo Hotel is an event that is expected to make a good impression on the regional and international delegates.

The festival sideline activities will include a film project market, outdoor film screenings, exchanges with artists, and sightseeing tours through some attractive destinations in Hà Nội for guests and participants.

Outdoor film screenings will take place at War Martyr Monument near Hoàn Kiếm Lake and opposite Thê Húc Bridge from 7pm on November 9 and 11.

The jury panel includes Polish director and scriptwriter Janusz Jikowski, Sri Lankan scriptwriter and film critic Ranjanee Ratnavibhushana, executive director of Korean Academy of Film Arts Gunshik Jo, Japanese filmmaker Wakai Makiko, and Vietnamese director Bùi Thạc Chuyên.

Ha Long Bay named among world’s top 10 stunning natural wonders

Renowned science website Live Science has listed Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO-recognised World Heritage site, among its list of 10 stunning natural wonders travelers should visit during their holiday.

According to details published on the website, there are roughly 1,600 islands nestled throughout this 580-square-mile, equal to 1,500 square kilometres, bay in the Gulf of Tonkin.

It noted that a layer of limestone had slowly developed over the course of 500 million years, meaning that by the end of the Permian period 251 million years ago it was 3,280 feet, equal to 1,000 metres, thick.

“The hunk of rock was then weathered by the sea, but really took a beating in the last ice age. The slab broke apart, and the fragments are the islands we see today,” says Live Science.

Other destinations on the list include the Jurassic Coast of the UK, Komodo Island of Indonesia, Pamukkale of Turkey, Peyto Lake of Canada, Perito Moreno Glacier of Argentina, Salar de Uyuni of Bolivia, the Maldives of the Indian Ocean, Victoria Falls in southern Africa, and the Great Barrier Reef of Australia.

This comes after Ha Long Bay was also named among the 10 most beautiful destinations for 2022, as selected by Canadian newswire The Travel.

Furthermore, 2018 saw Ha Long Bay make the top 15 most Instagrammed global cruise destinations, based on a survey featuring 1.8 million posts tagged on various ships and ports by travel cruise site SeaHub.

Moreover, in 2019 the bay was listed by British travel magazine Rough Guides as one of the 10 best UNESCO sites throughout all of Asia.

Illegal logging damages Quang Binh casuarina forest

Around 12.54 hectares of a coastal casuarina forest in the central province of Quang Binh have been damaged by illegal logging. The forest is located in Le Thuy District’s Sen Thuy Commune.

A large number of trees, including old trees, have been cut to the ground. All the trunks have been transported out of the forest which is being jointly managed by Sen Thuy Commune People’s Committee and the management board of Dong Chau-Khe Nuoc Nature Reserve.

The forest management board of Le Thuy District has been urged to co-operate with concerned agencies to find violators.

People who are in charge of forest protection will also face legal action. Authorities in Sen Thuy Commune recently fined two men for illegal wood trading and transportation.

Vietnam, India eye stronger cooperation in information, communication

A delegation of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Information and Education led by its vice chairman Phan Xuan Thuy has had a working session with representatives of international and communication commissions of India’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to share experience and models on media management.

During the meeting, which was part of the activities in the Vietnamese delegation’s visit to India from November 4-7, Thuy suggested the BJP continue to share information on its operation, India and important events of the Southern Asian country in the coming time.

The two sides should enhance coordination to organise exchange and cooperation activities, especially in information and communication, thus further popularising the tradition of solidarity and good relations between Vietnam and India, he said, expressing the hope that the Indian party will make more contributions to bolstering multifaceted cooperation between the two countries.

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc receives Party membership badge

Politburo member and President Nguyen Xuan Phuc received a 40-year Party membership badge at a ceremony held by the President Office’s Party Organisation on November 7. 

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, and incumbent and former leaders of the Party and State sent flower baskets and messages of congratulations to the President. 

Presenting the noble reward to the President, Politburo member and standing member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat Vo Van Thuong said the badge demonstrates the Party’s recognition of great contributions and devotion by Phuc to the country and its revolutionary cause. 

Vietnam Art Photo Contest and Exhibition presents top photography of 2022

The Vietnam Art Photo Contest and Exhibition 2022, highlighting the best art photography from around the country, has been opened at the HCM Fine Art Museum by the Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibition, under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The contest received 16,395 entries from 1,502 photographers from 63 provinces and cities nationwide over three months from professional and non-professional photographers who are Vietnamese citizens or overseas Vietnamese, aged at least 18 years old.

There are a total of 30 winners, including two gold medals, four silver medals, eight bronze medals, and 16 consolation prizes.

The exhibition presents 187 art photographs, showing various concepts. Photos are divided into two categories: realistic and conceptual photos. The photos feature the beauty of people, landscapes, nature, and the will and power to fight against natural disasters and epidemics.

The exhibition lasts until November 13.

Dong Thap province to work on preserving 16 traditional craft villages

The Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap is looking at ways to preserve 16 traditional craft villages that face the threat of obsolescence.

They also want to attain recognition for some other craft villages and develop two traditional craft villages for tourism, and ensure 70% of the villages operate well and at least 20% join the One Commune One Product (OCOP) programme.

It is a national certification programme that seeks to facilitate the development of regional agricultural specialties and rural tourism.

The goal for until 2030 is to preserve all 16 villages and train artisans or help them develop their craft as well as learn the basic technologies needed for preserving their products.

The authorities will also ensure that at least 50% of traditional craft products are protected under intellectual property laws.

Tickets for Việt Nam-Borussia Dortmund match now available online, offline

Tickets for a friendly match between the national team of Việt Nam and Borussia Dortmund (BVB) went on sale from November 7.

Organisers said supporters can buy tickets directly at kiosks around Nam Định Province's Thiên Trường Stadium from the afternoon of November 7.

Meanwhile, fans can buy their tickets at Hà Nội's Hàng Đẫy Stadium and Phú Thọ Province's Stadium as well as the Việt Nam Football Federation office from 9am on November 10.

Tickets cost VNĐ800,000 (US$32), VNĐ1,200,000 ($48) and VNĐ1,600,000 ($64).

Online tickets will be distributed through the VinID app until November 18.

The match will be organised on November 30 at Mỹ Đình Stadium by Next Media, VFF and BVB. 

Teams secure last berths to NUC Basketball Finals

RMIT and Hoa Sen University grabbed the last berths to compete in the National University Championship basketball tournament, which will be held on November 11-22 in HCM City.

RMIT defeated Hoa Sen 55-38 in the men's final to be the champion of the South region qualification.

Earlier, Văn Lang University beat Tôn Đức Thắng University 61-52 to take third place.

Three top teams secured their berth in the finals of the championship, known as NUC Basketball, to be organised under international standards for the first time.

In the final round, they will join University of Đà Nẵng and Đà Nẵng University of Physical Education and Sport, which are champion and first runner-up of the Centre region; and the Northern region's top three of Hà Nội University of Physical Education and Sports, National Economics University and University of Transport and Communications.

In the women's competition, Hoa Sen University won 49-34 over Tôn Đức Thắng University to top the South region's podium.

Both of the teams will compete in the finals, which will be held at the HCM City University of Technology's gymnasium.

Other qualifying teams are University of Đà Nẵng, Đà Nẵng FPT University, Hà Nội National University of Education and Foreign Trade University.

Linh wins Da Nang international badminton tournament

Nguyễn Thùy Linh triumphed in the Đà Nẵng International Badminton Tournament at the Tiên Sơn Sports centre on Sunday.

No 1 seed Linh defeated Vũ Thị Trang 21-15, 21-9 in the final to take the title after 57 minutes.

Linh came into the tournament off the back of winning the Belgian International Championship in September, the Việt Nam Open in October, and coming runner-up at the Australian International Tournament in October.

Chinese Liu Liang took the title in the men's singles event after beating his compatriot Lei Lan Xi.

First place in men's doubles went to the Chinese duo Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi, who defeated Filipinos Bernardo and Morada.

In the women's doubles category, Chinese Li Yi Jing and Xu Min bested the Vietnamese pair Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Lan and Thân Vân Anh.

The award in mixed doubles went to the Chinese stars Zhen Bang and Yaxin, who beat compatriot duo Cheng Xing and Fang Hui.

The event featured 258 athletes from 15 countries and territories worldwide. It was co-organised by the Badminton World Federation, Badminton Asia, the Việt Nam Badminton Federation, the Đà Nẵng Department of Culture and Sports, and Đà Nẵng Badminton Federation. 

Southern region forecasted to struggle with more high tides

The southern region of Vietnam has been forecasted to experience a spell of widespread high tides this week.

According to the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting, the high tides would last until November 11. 

Many coastal areas in the south would be severely flooded due to the tides.

The tides at the lower section of Dong Nai and Saigon rivers would peak on November 8-10 at around 4-6 am and 5-7 pm.

The National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting said that between late November this year and January next year, the southern coastal areas would face five high tidal fronts. The first would be between November 23-29. With the remaining four on December 7-11, December 21-29, January 6-10, 2023 and January 21-26, 2023.

230-kilo bomb found at Quang Tri road project

A bomb weighing 227 kilos has been discovered at a road project in the central province of Quang Tri.

Authorities in Quang Tri Province and the Peace Trees Vietnam’s mobile bomb and mine clearance team successfully removed the 227-kilo MK-82 bomb to a safe area to await detonation on November 7.

The bomb was found on November 4 at a road project in Dakrong District and workers informed local authorities. It is 1.54 metres long and has a diameter of 274mm.

Quang Tri Province was a major battleground during the American War between 1968-1972. Around 391,000 hectares of land, accounting for 83.3 percent of the province’s total area, remains infested by mines and other explosives from the war.

Hanoi to raise tree coverage in urban areas

Hanoi's authorities are striving to plant more trees, remove old and rotten ones in the city, especially in urban areas, in an effort to ensure the cityscape, traffic safety, and environmental protection.

The move is a part of the city’s actions to respond to the Government's program on growing one billion trees in Vietnam during the 2021-2025 period.

Accordingly, Hanoi has established a plan to plant 200,000-250,000 new shade and timber trees along urban traffic routes; 200,000 fruit trees; and some 50-80 ha of forests this year.

Statistics from the Hanoi Department of Construction showed that there are about 1.7 million trees in the city, which provide green space, help to balance the ecology, and bring a fresh environment to local residents.

Trees and water surfaces in urban areas can help reduce air temperature by 3.3 degrees Celsius if tree coverage accounts for 20-50% of the urban area. Urban trees can also help reduce 40-50% of solar radiation and absorb 70-75% of solar energy, according to the department.

Vietnam calls for funding boost for Palestine refugees

Vietnam called on countries and donors to maintain and increase their financial support to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), at a meeting of the UN Special Political and Decolonisation Committee (Fourth Committee) in New York on November 7.

Counsellor Do Ngoc Thuy, a representative of the Vietnamese permanent mission to the UN, stressed the need to ensure funding for Palestine refugees and to contribute to stabilising the situation in the area.

However, the support should not be considered a replacement of a long-term solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, he stressed.

The most important is to guarantee legitimate rights and interests of the Palestinians by establishing a Palestinian State with East Jerusalem as the capital city, and to live in peace next to the State of Israel, with border lines recognised internationally on the basis of the pre-1967 borders and relevant resolutions of the UN.

Vietnam highlights importance of information sharing in bettering UNGA performance

Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations (UN), has highlighted the importance of information sharing in improving the efficiency of the operations of the UN General Assembly (UNGA).

Speaking at the 77th-tenure UNGA discussion on this issue on November 7, Giang emphasised the need to improve the performance of the UNGA, and to ensure the transparency in the making of decisions and resolutions.

Measures to ensure continuity between the UNGA Presidency terms as well as criteria for gender equality and geographic representation when appointing the UN’s leading positions should be taken into account, he stressed.

The UNGA should also prioritise efforts to find solutions and support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, added Giang.

At the event, other countries shared solutions to improve the UNGA’s performance, including the removal of inappropriate items and the extension of the date of periodical reviews and discussions of topics and resolutions to have more substantive exchange contents to strengthen the coordination mechanism between the UNGA and other UN agencies.

Bảo, Nga take titles at Table Tennis Clubs Cup

Trần Huy Bảo and Nguyễn Thị Nga won gold medals at the annual Table Tennis Clubs Cup by Hà Nội Mới (New Hà Nội) newspaper which closed on Sunday in the capital city.

Defending champion Bảo of HCM City defeated Nguyễn Xuân Diện of Hải Dương in the men's elite final match. 

Đỗ Tuấn Kiệt and Nguyễn Trung Kiên, both of Hà Nội, finished in third position.

On the women's side, Nga from Hà Nội beat Bùi Ngọc Lan of Hải Dương to top the podium. 

Đinh Thị Huệ of Hải Dương and Vũ Hoài Thanh of the Military team secured bronze medals.

Both Bảo and Nga will take part in the National Sport Games which will be held next month in Quảng Ninh.

VinUni sets up Entrepreneurship Lab, offers assistance to startups

VinUni University has officially established the Entrepreneurship Lab (E-Lab) and unveiled an annual grant of US$100,000 to fund students’ startup, research, and social projects.

The E-Lab is anticipated to create opportunities for real learning and practice and to promote the entrepreneurial spirit of VinUni students.

The facility has been designed to deploy entrepreneurial activities to feature a broad range of flexible spaces, including a Co-working Space, Creative Space, and Design Thinking Lab where students can design models and demo products for their projects. 

The E-Lab will serve to connect students with a wide network of local and international firms, as well as entrepreneurs who have a wealth of experience in startup innovation, including Finhay, Elsa Speak, MoMo, Base.vn, and Amazon Web Services. In addition, it will also provide advice to help students’ start-ups as they seek to raise capital from these investors.

Most notably, VinUni's E-lab will spend US$100,000 per year sponsoring students’ research, start-up, or community projects.

Nine fishermen rescued after four days at sea

Nine fishermen have just been rescued after four days stranded on an islet in the Spratly Archipelago.

Chairman of Binh Chau Commune Fishing Association, Nguyen Thanh Hung announced on Monday that a local fishing boat had just found and rescued nine fishermen who were waiting for help at an islet in the Spratly Archipelago.

The fishermen said they were crew on a fishing boat that sank on the evening of November 1 due to high waves.

After their boat sank, 11 crew members tried to swim over a nautical mile to an islet. However, only nine members reached the islet while two others, aged 42 and 35, went missing.

The nine fishermen stayed on the islet waiting for four days before being found and rescued by a local fishing boat.

Time Out names Ninh Binh among top 5 underrated travel destinations in SEA

The northern province of Ninh Binh, the location of 2016 Hollywood movie "Kong: Skull Island", has been listed among the top 5 most underrated travel destinations throughout Southeast Asia by British magazine Time Out.

According to the magazine, popular destinations in Vietnam include the capital Hanoi, the Ancient Town of Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh City, and Sa Pa - a northern mountainous resort in Lao Cai.

However, it says visitors should not overlook Ninh Binh, the country’s first capital and a modern day UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The magazine also suggests that visitors enjoy panoramic views of Ninh Binh, known as Ha Long Bay on Land, at Mua Caves, whilst getting a good workout climbing up 500 steps before heading to two viewpoints, the dragon and the pagoda, to take some fantastic shots. Other sites worth visiting include famous Bich Dong Pagoda which features a gorgeous moss-covered gate and a bridge over a glassy pond of lotuses.

The other four destinations to make the list are Lombok of Indonesia, Luang Prabang of Laos, Rayong of Thailand, and Seberang Perai of Malaysia.

HCMC needs more multistorey carparks

The government of HCMC will build more multistorey carparks in the coming time to meet the huge demand for parking spaces.

According to Ha Ngoc Truong, vice chairman of the Association of Bridges, Roads and Ports in HCMC, the general planning on bus stations and parking spaces lacks synchronization, impeding their development.

Truong Trung Kien, deputy director of the HCMC Planning and Architecture Department, said there is an inconsistency in the number of bus stations and parking spaces in the city’s planning.

Some planned carparks have not completed their site clearance, others have yet to have traffic access, and some projects are facing regulatory bottlenecks, such as the September 23 Park and Le Van Tam Park.

The city’s carparks currently have a total area of 250 hectares and have yet to satisfy the demand, according to the director of the HCMC Transport Department.

The city has approved five bus stations with total investment capital of roughly VND1,000 billion. In addition, investments will be made in four additional parking spaces for 2025 – 2030, which is expected to meet the demand.

HCMC busts large-scale weapons, explosives trafficking ring

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Public Security has just busted a large-scale trafficking ring of weapons, explosives and supporting tools; thereby seizing nearly 150 guns of all kinds and 250 rounds of ammunition and more than 4,000 knives and swords and hundreds of other supporting tools.

At the beginning of November, the police arrested four subjects related to the ring comprising Tran Ba Loc, 25, from Quang Ngai province; Dinh Viet Thai Bao, 30, from District 12, Ho Chi Minh City; Nguyen Quang Huy, 25, from Go Vap in HCMC; Phan Van Tri, 26, from Tay Ninh Province serving the investigation.

During the investigation, the four-member group confessed that they used social media for advertising, exchanging and trading the weapons.

The subjects only received orders and used goods delivery apps for trading after the buyers finished online money transfer into their accounts.

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