The 4th session of the 15th National Assembly will open on October 20, Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue said at a meeting in Hanoi on October 14.

The session is scheduled to close on November 15, Hue said while chairing the meeting of the Party delegation to the NA and the Government’s Party Civil Affairs Committee on preparations for the upcoming event.  

Legislators will scrutinise and adopt seven laws and three resolutions, and opine on seven other draft laws, along with reports on the socio-economic situation and state budget in 2022.

They will also decide the socio-economic development plan, state budget estimate and central budget allocation plan in 2023, the top legislator said.  

There will be a question and answer session and thematic supervision, he said, adding that the legislators will make decisions on personnel and other important matters.

President of Singapore to pay state visit to Vietnam

Singapore’s President Halimah Yacob and her husband will pay a state visit to Vietnam from October 16-20.

The visit will be made at the invitation of President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Vietnam’s first monkeypox patient discharged from hospital

The first patient with monkeypox in Vietnam was discharged from hospital on October 14 after three weeks of treatment, according to the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

After treatment, the female patient’s fever has gone. The blisters on her face, hands, and feet have dried up, flaked off, and cicatrised, while those inside her throat have been healed. With her pain gone, the patient now eats well, gains weight, and is optimistic.

The 35-year-old patient, residing in Ho Chi Minh City, fell ill on September 18 while traveling in Dubai with symptoms of fever, fatigue, chills, muscle aches, headache and a cough, as well as red, itchy bumps on her arms, body, and face. She returned to Vietnam on September 22.

On September 23, she was admitted to the city’s Tu Du Hospital and then transferred to the municipal Hospital of Dermato Venereology, where she was quarantined. Two days later, she tested positive for monkeypox and was transferred to the municipal Hospital for Tropical Diseases for further quarantine, treatment and genetic sequencing.

Vietnamese, Korean artists cooperate in play production

Artists of Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK) are cooperating to produce a play titled “Ben khong chong” (Quay of the spinsters), the first work in a long-term project on cultural exchange between the two countries.

Meritorious Artist Nguyen Xuan Bac, Director of the Vietnam National Drama Theatre, said his theatre and the Korea Association of Performing Arts Producers (KAPAP) join hands to produce the play as an activity marking the Vietnamese theatre’s 70th anniversary and the 30th founding anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic ties.

The play, adapted from writer Duong Huong’s novel “Ben khong chong” (Quay of the spinsters), is scripted by Vu Thi Thu Phong and directed by Meritorious Artist Lam Tung of Vietnam and Kim Min-jeong of the RoK.

The novel is about the persons in a typical Red River Delta village of Vietnam who have to struggle with backward customs and stereotypes from their clans and neighbours to move forwards. It used to be adapted into films for several times.

The first shows of “Ben khong chong” will be staged in the RoK on November 12 - 13. In Vietnam, the play and other outstanding performances of the National Drama Theatre will serve the audience on December 7 - 18, on the occasion of the theatre’s 70th anniversary, he added.

For his part, Production Director Um Dong-youl expressed his hope that through this project, the Korean audience can learn more about the culture of Vietnam and Vietnamese artists’ talent. He described the project as a prerequisite for more cultural cooperation projects between the two countries in the future.

Vietnamese women’s team falls one spot in latest FIFA rankings

The Vietnamese women's national football team has dropped one place in the latest world rankings released on October 13 by global governing body FIFA.

With no games over the past two months the team has fallen to 34th spot with 1,643.66 points.

Despite this drop, the Vietnamese women’s national team managed to maintain their top position in Southeast Asia, followed by Thailand who are 41st in the global rankings with 1,555 points and Myanmar who are 48th with 1,517.95 points.

In Asia as a whole, Vietnam is currently ranked sixth, trailing behind powerhouses such as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) who are 10th in the world rankings, Japan in 11th, Australia in 13th, China in 15th, and the Republic of Korea in 17th.

Elsewhere, the United States retained their top spot with 2,087.48 points, whilst Sweden moved into second place and Germany dropped to third to complete the globe’s top three.

The October rankings play an important role for national teams when it comes to securing places for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup as the organisers will use the rankings to determine the seeding categories for the upcoming World Cup.

Being placed 34th in the global rankings, the Vietnamese team is seeded in group three ahead of the draw for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup on October 22.

The latest rankings are set to be announced on December 9.

Vietnam stresses importance of decolonisation at UN committee’s session

A Vietnamese diplomat highlighted the importance of decolonisation and respect for equal rights and self-determination for peoples based in non-self-governing territories during a session of the 77th UN General Assembly’s Special Political and Decolonisation Committee (Fourth Committee) held on October 13.

As part of her remarks, Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Tra, deputy permanent representative of Vietnam to the UN, outlined that it is necessary to boost constructive political dialogue whilst seeking a durable peace on the basis of respecting fundamental principles of international law.

This is along with following the UN Charter and other relevant resolutions of the UN General Assembly, including Resolution 1514 on the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples.

The UN must therefore ensure that activities of administering states do not negatively impact the interests of peoples residing in non-self-governing territories, while assisting them to resolve emerging challenges and promote development in these territories, she added.

Dak Nong cracks down on illegal gold mining

The Central Highlands province of Dak Nong has destroyed tents and equipment used to serve illegal gold mining activities in a local forest.

Tran Nam Thuan, chairman of the district people’s committee, said that the tents, which were set up in a forest in Quang Hoa Commune, Dak Glong District, could accommodate dozens of people.

The forest is being managed by Quang Son Forestry Management Ltd. Co.

It is easy to see the equipment used for the gold mining left scattered on the spot. The miners had also dug tunnels near the tents for their illegal work.

According to Quang Son Forestry Management Ltd. Co, the firm detected nearly 20 illegal gold mining cases and reported them to local authorities.

Trading garbage for money in Quảng Ninh

After six months in operation, the "Garbage ATM" programme, named VRacBank from Quảng Ninh Cement and Construction Company, has gathered 20 tonnes of recycled trash and transferred out VNĐ100 million (US$4,190) to people across the city.

The first programme of its kind, it was created on April 1, 2022, and looks to retrieve sustainable resources for production, as well as play a big role in garbage disposal and environmental protection in Quảng Ninh's move to a green economy.

Every Wednesday and Friday mornings, workers of Quảng Ninh Cement and Construction Company, as well as residents of Phương Nam Ward, collect plastic, metal, paper, fabrics and other materials to exchange them for money.

Vũ Thị Thuần is one of the most prolific contributors to this activity. She collects recyclable trash every day and delivers it to the Quảng Ninh Cement and Construction Company.

According to company workers, they always sort out their garbage at home and bring recyclables to the factory.

Outside of the VRacBank programme, the company and Phương Nam Ward collaborated to organise programmes such as the "Reducing Plastic Waste Art Competition", which spread awareness for students on recycling and sorting out garbage.

The idea for this project came when clinkers, a non-renewable material used to create cement, was running out and increasing in price. Quảng Ninh Cement and Construction Company researched and decided to use garbage as an alternative, therefore solving the material problem, reducing cost and reducing waste in households and factories.

The company saved 10-15 per cent of coal volume due to this new renewable material. In a year, the use of recyclable trash will generate a profit of VNĐ13 billion (US$544,000), but the benefits to the environment and society are much greater.

Here's how the exchange of trash into money works; when garbage is brought to the company to exchange, after measurements, collectors receive a ticket that has the amount of money and the number of bonus points accumulated.

Collectors can choose to immediately receive money, or save it in their accounts for later. People who can collect more than 100 kilograms of garbage will have special vehicles that come to their home to deliver the garbage to the factory.

When a collector's account reaches 300 bonus points, if he or she has not withdrawn their money yet, the company will pay the interest of the remaining amount of money in the account, with a rate two times higher than the current savings interest rate of Vietnamese banks.

There are currently 600 VRacBank accounts, with a total of 113,000 bonus points.

Ministry prioritises clean water supply for rural areas

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will continue prioritising the supply of clean water for disadvantaged, mountainous and remote localities and areas that are usually affected by natural disasters, according to deputy minister Trần Thành Nam.

The ministry will build models of water storage to cope with climate change in coastal and Mekong Delta regions, he said at a conference held on Thursday in Hà Nội to implement a programme on enhancing environmental protection, food safety and hygiene, and supply of safe water for rural areas during the 2021-25 period and a programme on digital transformation in building new-style rural areas.

The ministry has coordinated with ministries, agencies and localities to implement on a trial basis some safe water supply projects in rural areas which have yielded positive results, Nam said. These models will be expanded to other localities in the future.

Regarding food safety and hygiene, safe food markets have been built in some localities. Deputy Minister Nam asked provinces to study, assess and build this model in rural areas.

Fixed-route passenger buses move to operate at new Miền Đông Bus Station

Fixed-route passenger buses of 15 provinces and cities began their official operations at the new Miền Đông (Eastern) Bus Station in HCM City’s Thủ Đức city on Tuesday.

According to a representative of the bus station, they include Thừa Thiên-Huế, Đà Nẵng, Quảng Nam, Quảng Ngãi, Bình Định, Phú Yên, Khánh Hòa, Ninh Thuận, Bình Thuận, Lâm Đồng, Đồng Nai, Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu, Bến Tre, Cần Thơ and Cà Mau.

The new Miền Đông Bus Station, the country’s largest bus station, was officially put into use in October 2020 after nearly four years of construction. The new station is nearly three times as big as the old one in Bình Thạnh District.

It is located at 501 Hoàng Hữu Nam Street in Thủ Đức City, covering 12.3 ha in District 9 and 3.7ha in the city of Dĩ An in the southern province of Bình Dương.

It can serve about 21,000 passengers per day with 1,200 buses, and during peak times, 52,000 passengers and over 1,800 buses.

More than seven million passengers each year are expected to travel on 71 long-haul routes from the city to eastern provinces and localities in the central region and northern Việt Nam.

Construction of the new bus station cost more than VNĐ4 trillion (US$166.7 million).

Vietnam forced to cull thousands of pigs due to African swine fever

African swine fever (ASF) has hit 929 communes in 258 districts across 50 provinces and cities nationwide, according to a report compiled by the Veterinary Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

This comes after roughly 1,049 outbreaks being discovered and a total of 47,474 pigs being culled nationwide in an effort to halt the spread of the virus.

Large numbers of infected pigs have been killed in Bac Lieu and Dak Lak provinces, at over 660 and 133, respectively.

Quang Binh opens boat tours on Nhat Le River

Quang Binh Province had just decided to allow Nhat Le Travel Co., Ltd. to test the tourism product "Boat tours on Nhat Le River combined with visiting historical and scenic sites".

On a wooden boat that is safe and meets aesthetic standards, tourists will be able to enjoy the scenery along Nhat Le River, which runs a length of 12 kilometres through Dong Hoi City and Quang Ninh District, from 6.00 am to 9.00 pm daily.

The pick-up and drop-off wharf is at the inland wharf of Nhat Le Travel Co., Ltd, in Bao Ninh Commune, Dong Hoi City.

The introduction of this tourism product gives visitors the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful sunset on Nhat Le River; enjoy the beautiful riverside scenery of Dong Hoi City; and learn more about the people and land of Dong Hoi through historical stories.

Also, within this tour, tourists can enjoy famous specialties of Quang Binh Province and Dong Hoi City.

My Thuan-Can Tho expy contractors warned against delays

The My Thuan Project Management Board, the investor of the My Thuan-Can Tho expressway project, has issued warnings to contractors as they have failed to ensure the project is on schedule.

Truong Son Construction Corporation, responsible for a construction package of the expressway, which is set to run through two Mekong Delta provinces — Dong Thap and Vinh Long, has got a warning over its delays.

Tran Van Thi, director of the management board, said that the firm had earlier pledged to complete several components of the package before October 18. However, until now, the construction is moving at a snail’s pace.

The package delays have affected the project’s disbursement plan and will lengthen the completion of the entire project, according to the management board.

The management board also issued warnings to another contractor, Cienco 4, which had committed to completing the construction of the Ba Cang Bridge girder and deck prior to October 10 and October 31, respectively. However, the contractor has made little progress.

The My Thuan-Can Tho expressway project, which comprises three installation and construction packages, will start in Tan Hoa Ward in Vinh Long City and end in Binh Minh Town in Vinh Long Province.

The expressway, which requires an investment of over VND4.8 trillion and will have six lanes, is expected to be opened to traffic in 2023.

Online photo exhibition raises funds for building charity houses

A photo exhibition is organized to raise funds for the construction of charity houses for needy households in the central coastal province of Quang Nam and Thua Thien-Hue Province.

The event under the topic of the Thu Bon River displays nearly 100 paintings using a variety of materials in different art forms. The Thu Bon River in Hoi An City plays an important role in the agricultural production and cultural life of the people in Quang Nam Province.

The organizer, painter Ngo Tran Vu said that it is the second time the exhibition has been held in 2022. 50 percent of the proceeds from the sale of the paintings will be donated to building ten charity houses with a total value of VND500 million.

The display is open on the Facebook pages, including “All about art and artists” and “Vietnam art space” groups and the Facebook page of painter Ngo Tran Vu. It will run until November 4.

Vietnam chairs 12th ASEAN Education Ministers Meeting

With a role of the rotating chairmanship of ASEAN Education Cooperation for the 2022-2023 term, Vietnam has hosted the 12th ASEAN Education Ministers Meeting and related conferences with the participation of ten ASEAN member countries along with eight partner countries in the capital city of Hanoi from October 11 to October 14.

The Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam in collaboration with the ASEAN Secretariat, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) identified the main themes for the 2022-2023 term being “Joint efforts to reimagine learning and building resilience of education systems in ASEAN and beyond in the new context”.

The series of important meetings of ASEAN Education included the 17th ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Education, the 12th ASEAN+3 Senior Officials Meeting on Education, the seventh ASEAN-EAS Senior Officials Meeting on Education, the 12th ASEAN Education Ministers Meeting, the sixth ASEAN+3 Education Ministers Meeting (with partners from the Republic of Korea, Japan, China) and the sixth ASEAN-EAS East Asian Education Ministers Summit.

Vietnam will join ASEAN member countries and at the meetings, Vietnam will join hands with ASEAN countries and relevant partner countries to update the implementation of activities within the framework of the ASEAN Work Plan on Education from 2021 through 2025, discuss and review the organization for the Education Ministers Meetings of ASEAN, ASEAN+3 and ASEAN-EAS in the next days including the agenda as well as expected approved documents.

The 12th ASEAN Education Ministers Meeting opened on October 13 under the chairmanship of Vietnamese Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son along with the participation and directions of the Government leaders.

Besides, the sixth ASEAN+3 Education Ministers Meeting and the sixth East Asia Summit Education Ministers Meeting was organized in both offline and online forms on October 14.

Vietnam and RoK launch joint co-operation centre for smart cities

The Vietnam-Republic of Korea (RoK) co-operation centre on smart cities and construction technology (VKC) will promote research and training in the field of advanced construction technologies, contributing to the development of smart cities in Vietnam.

This goal was affirmed during the launching ceremony of the “Vietnam–RoK cooperation center for smart city and construction technology (VKC)” which was jointly organised by the Vietnamese Ministry of Construction and the RoK’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MoLIT) in Hanoi on October 11.

Currently, 41 of 63 Vietnamese provinces and cities are developing smart city plans, with many local authorities still confused when it comes to determining a smart city model that is suitable for their characteristics.

Quang Nam hydropower plants urged to discharge water

Authorities of the central province of Quang Nam have asked some local hydropower plants to discharge water to prevent the possible risk of flooding.

According to Quang Nam’s Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting director Truong Tuyen, a low-pressure area has appeared in the East Sea. It would turn into a tropical depression in the next 20 hours and affect the central region of Vietnam, including Quang Nam.

On October 13-16, Quang Nam would see torrential rain with a rainfall of between 200-400 mm.

Local hydropower plants have been requested to discharge their water from 11:30 am on October 12 to 10 am on October 14.

The Dak Mi 4, Song Bung 4, A Vuong and Song Tranh hydropower plants were all included in the list.

Over the past two days, Quang Nam and many other central localities have been facing severe flooding following heavy rain.

Quang Ninh province welcomes first cruise ship this year

French-flagged cruise ship Le Lape'rouse with over 100 foreign holidaymakers aboard docked at Ha Long International Cruise Port in the northeastern province of Quang Ninh on October 13.

This is the first of its kind to visit the port after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

During their stay in Ha Long city, the visitors will tour the city, world famous Ha Long Bay and Quang Ninh Museum, and enjoy entertainment services.

Le Lapérouse is a leading cruise ship of the fleet of Ponant Explorers that consists of six members managed by the Ponant cruise carrier.

The tour to discover the coast and famous sightseeing places of Vietnam, lasting from 8 to 11 days, is a new journey of Ponant in Asia.

Outstanding Hanoi’s entrepreneurs, enterprises to be honoured

Nearly 200 outstanding entrepreneurs and enterprises of Hanoi will be honoured at a ceremony which will be held on November 10.

The information was announced by Mac Quoc Anh, vice president of the Hanoi Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Association (HANOISME) on October 12.

The event will be organised by HANOISME in collaboration with the municipal departments of Planning and Investment, Industry and Trade, Culture and Sports, and the Hanoi Promotion Agency. It aims to honour collectives and individuals who have made outstanding performance in production and business, and actively taken part in social welfare activities, contributing to the city’s development.

The event will see the presence of representatives from central and Hanoi agencies, foreign diplomats and nearly 200 companies representing more than 251,000 enterprises in the city, he said.

Localities to take new methods for tourism advertising in int'l markets

The Ministry of Information and Communications in coordination with the People’s Committee of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province held a conference on tourism promotion activities to introduce images of the country to the world on October 13.

The meeting attracted representatives of HCMC, Can Tho, Da Nang and the host province along with delegates from 28 departments of Information and Communications of provinces and cities nationwide.

The participants focused on issuing instructions for promotion and communication to help localities carry out new methods for tourism marketing and providing information that people want to know about Vietnam similar to the ranking criteria of the international organizations.

Mr. Doan Cong Huynh, Director of the Department of External Information under the Ministry of Information and Communications said that the highlight targets by 2025 with a vision towards 2030 include developing external Information associated with the country’s large missions, closely connecting internal and external information with international information to build a consensus in the country and take advantage of the international support.

Fund raising programme for the poor to take place on October 17

A live television and radio programme will be held in Hanoi on October 17 in response to the emulation movement "For the poor - Leave no one behind" launched by the Prime Minister.

Entitled "Journey of Hope", the programme promotes the tradition of solidarity, mutual love, care, and helping the community out of poverty sustainably.

Truong Thi Ngoc Anh, Vice Chairwoman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee, the event organizer, told a press conference in Hanoi on October 14, said 50 businesses have registered to join the programme.

Enterprises will overcome difficulties and share the nation’s spirit of mutual affection and corporate responsibility. The poor will be given opportunities to escape poverty and become masters of their lives, so that no one will be left behind, said Ngoc Anh.

Over the past three years, the Vietnam Fatherland Front has raised nearly 800 million USD for the Fund For the Poor, helping to build and repair charity houses for disadvantaged people, cover medical examination and treatment, and build civil works.

ASEAN expands cooperarion with parners to promote digital transformation in education

Vietnamese Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son on October 14 chaired the 6th ASEAN Plus Three Education Ministers Meeting (APT EMM) and the 6th East Asia Summit Education Ministers Meeting (EAS EMM).  

At APT EMM, delegates shared experience and initiatives to expand cooperation within ASEAN 3, towards a prosperous and developed community.

The meeting acknowledged statements of the Chairperson, Co-chairperson and Ministers of Education from ASEAN’s partner countries - China, the Republic of Korea (RoK) and Japan; and approved a draft joint statement of the meeting.

The joint statement underlined the importance to identify the demand for digital transformation in education systems to ensure people are equipped with righteous skills, competencies and values to address challenges in the fourth Industrial Revolution and the changing world of work.

Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan concludes trip to Kazakhstan

Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan and a delegation of Vietnam left Kazakhstan on October 14, concluding their trip to Kazakhstan to attend the 6th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA6) and bilateral activities in the country.

Earlier the same day, the Vice President met with Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Alikhan Smailov, who said Kazakhstan wishes to promote cooperation with Vietnam in all spheres, contributing to consolidating mutual trust and respect.

He also thanked Vietnam for its participation and contributions to the success of CICA6.

For her part, Xuan affirmed that Vietnam always attaches importance to the traditional friendship with Kazakhstan, highlighting positive developments of the bilateral political and diplomatic ties over the past time.

She suggested the two sides step up delegation exchange and continue their mutual support at multilateral forums and international organisations, especially the United Nations and CICA.

Host and guest noted with pleasure the progress in economic and trade cooperation between the two countries, especially since the free trade agreement between Vietnam and the Eurasian Economic Union took effect in 2016.

They agreed to review and upgrade the signed bilateral agreements, soon negotiate and amend some contents of the above-said FTA to further facilitate trade and investment, and promote collaboration in agriculture.

Both expressed their belief that the opening of direct flights between the two countries will help to boost cooperation in potential areas, especially logistics, tourism, and education-training.

PM Smailov also suggested railway and sea route connectivity between the two countries, making Kazakhstan an entrepot for Vietnamese goods to Europe.

On this occasion, Xuan conveyed wishes, regards and invitation of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to his Kazakhstan counterpart to visit Vietnam at an appropriate time.

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