The 4th session of the 15th National Assembly will take place in 21 days, shorter than the usual year-end meetings which normally last about 30 days, Pham Thai Ha, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Office said at a press conference in Hanoi on October 17.

He said that the session will open on October 20 and is scheduled to close on November 15 during which legislators will scrutinise and adopt seven bills and three draft resolutions, and opine on seven other draft laws.

The NA will mull over reports on the socio-economic situation and state budget in 2022 as well as decide on the socio-economic development plan, state budget estimate and central budget allocation plan in 2023, Ha said.
 
There will be a question-answer session and thematic supervision, he said, adding that the legislators will make decisions on personnel and other important matters.

Regarding the issue of petrol, which has drawn concerns from the public recently, Nguyen Minh Son, Vice Chairman of the NA’s Committee for Economic Affairs, affirmed that this is a problem under the management of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and the Ministry of Finance. Therefore, it is necessary for the Government to direct relevant agencies to build a more reasonable retail price management mechanism, while ensuring the interests of people, and businesses as well as the interests of traders, importers and retailers.

Son also said that the NA Standing Committee proposed the Government urgently study contents related to value-added tax and special consumption tax on petroleum products to submit to the NA for consideration and make appropriate decisions in case the world petrol prices continue to go up or remain at a high level, affecting the inflation index, the macro-economy, people's livelihoods and national economic growth.

Vietnam, Singapore ink cooperation documents in Hanoi

Vietnam and Singapore on October 17 signed a number of cooperation documents during Singaporean President Halimah Yacob’s ongoing visit to Vietnam.

The documents include a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in cyber security, cybercrime prevention, and personal data protection and an MoU on technical and vocational training cooperation.

Other documents signed on this occasion were an MoU on cooperation under Article 6 of the 2015 Paris Agreement and an MoU on energy cooperation.

The signing of the documents took place after talks between Vietnamese State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Singaporean counterpart Halimah Yacob, and was witnessed by the two presidents.

The two Presidents also witnessed the handover of an investment license of a n infrastructure construction project at Vinh Thanh industrial park, first phase, in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho.

President Halimah Yacob began a five-day official visit to Vietnam on October 16 at the invitation of President Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

RoK Foreign Minister Park Jin visits Vietnam

Foreign Minister Park Jin of the Republic of Korea left Seoul for Hanoi on October 17, beginning an official visit to Vietnam, announced the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea.

During his two-day visit, the Korean Foreign Minister is scheduled to hold talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Bui Thanh Son in Hanoi.

Both sides are expected to discuss RoK - ASEAN relations as well as the current political situation on the Korean Peninsula and other issues of mutual concern.

Park will pay a courtesy visit to Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and meet a number of other senior officials to discuss ways to expand bilateral cooperation in various fields.

This is Park’s first official trip to the Southeast Asian country since taking office in May 2022.

Vietnam raises proposals at IPU 45 to promote gender equality

Vietnam proposed perfecting national and international legal systems to create a legal corridor to promote gender equality at a plenary session of the 145th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU 145).

The Vietnamese delegation to the IPU 145 and related meetings, from October 12-15, was headed by Vu Hai Ha, Chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee for Foreign Affairs.

At the plenary session, Ha also suggested raising women’s voice and participation in legislative and executive agencies, as well as in policy making and enforcement.

He highlighted cooperation between the IPU and its member parliaments and United Nations organisations and international forums on women to better ensure their rights.

Ha noted that Vietnam attaches importance to gender equality and women’s progress, briefing the participants on the Vietnamese legislature’s efforts in protecting and promoting gender equality, and women’s empowerment.

Speaking at a discussion on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Vietnamese delegation affirmed that Vietnam keeps a close watch on and has special concern over recent developments in Ukraine, stressing the need to observe the UN Charter and basic principles of international law, especially those on respecting independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries, non-intervention in each other's internal affairs, neither use of force nor threat to use force in international relations.

Vietnam also called for an end to the conflict soon as well as efforts to restore peace, ensure security and safety of civilians and essential infrastructure facilities, and persistently promote dialogues and negotiations to seek a peaceful, long-term and comprehensive solution in accordance with international law and the UN Charter, with legitimate interests and concerns of relevant sides taken into consideration.

The country also proposed the IPU and its member parliaments actively cooperate for these objectives.

Apart from the plenary session, the Vietnamese delegation also attended sessions of the Committees on Peace and International Security, Sustainable Development, and Democracy and Human Rights, the Forum of Women Parliamentarians, and the Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments.

They met with the IPU President, the IPU Secretary General, the Speaker of Deputies of Rwanda and the Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives, among others to discuss ways to boost bilateral ties and exchange views on issues of shared concern.

They had meetings with representatives of the IPU Working Group on Science and Technology, the Working Group on Sustainable Development and the UN Committee on the Rights of Children.

OECD Southeast Asia Ministerial Forum 2022 opens in Hanoi

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Southeast Asia Ministerial Forum 2022 opened in Hanoi on October 17.

Themed “Connecting Regions: Partnership for Resilient and Sustainable Supply Chains,” the event was co-organised by the OECD, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Australian Embassy in Vietnam.

It was the initiative of Vietnam and Australia as the co-chairs of the OECD-run Southeast Asia Regional Programme (SEARP), and the first important event of the programme in the 2022-2025 period.

In his remarks, Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son expressed his hope that participants will look into causes behind disruption in supply chains and their impacts on the global economy, as well as the recovery and shift of the supply chains in the time ahead.

He suggested them propose policies and measures to enhance resilience and self-reliance of economies, and identify cooperation orientations between the OECD and Southeast Asian nations.

OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann commended Vietnam’s co-chairmanship of the SEARP for the first time, saying it reflects the confidence of OECD member countries and other nations in the region in Vietnam’s capacity in linking the OECD with the region.

Lauding Vietnam’s active contributions to the SEARP in its capacity as the co-chair, Cormann pledged to continue coordinating with Vietnam in promoting cooperation between the OECD and Southeast Asian nations and realising the OECD-ASEAN action plan.

He asked the participants to discuss potential of regional economies and support of OECD countries to the Southeast Asian region.

Addressing the forum, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh stressed the significance of Southeast Asia to the global economy, saying that with a population of 660 million, the region is expected to become the world's fourth largest economy by 2030.

As the co-chair of the SEARP for 2022-2025, Vietnam stands ready to contribute to forging cooperation between the OECD and Southeast Asia in a more comprehensive, effective, practical and sustainable manner, he affirmed.

Minh suggested intensifying supply chain cooperation between the two sides in a stable, sustainable and fair way, and utilising the existing economic networks, especially the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and free trade agreements between Southeast Asia and the OECD.

The Deputy PM called on the OECD countries to help Southeast Asia bring into full play its potential in digital economy, high-tech agriculture and innovation, and consider coordination in developing digital and farm produce supply chains.

The Vietnamese Government will continue to facilitate investment in such priority areas as high-tech, IT, supporting industries, smart agriculture, environmental protection, renewable energy and infrastructure in service of social welfare, he emphasised.

Minh said he hoped that FDI firms from the OECD countries and other Southeast Asian nations will help Vietnam accelerate its industrialisation and modernisation process, especially in personnel training, research-development, innovation and technology transfer, thus turning Vietnam into a centre in regional and global value chains.

He also called on the OECD to assist Southeast Asia in upgrading infrastructure and building ASEAN into a logistics centre, including the logistics complex in Vietnam’s northern province of Vinh Phuc.

The Deputy PM suggested the two sides effectively implement the OECD-ASEAN memorandum of understanding, particularly in priority areas like tax, trade facilitation, investment, digital transformation and personnel training.

He stressed that maintaining a stable environment and ensuring the circulation of goods through international waters, including the East Sea, is both right and task of all countries.

Minh expressed his hope that comprehensive, feasible solutions will be raised at the forum to advance and deepen the relations between the OECD and Southeast Asia for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world at large.

Vietnam Tourism and Culture Festival underway in RoK

The 2022 Vietnam Tourism and Culture Festival is taking place in Seoul and Gwangju in the Republic of Korea (RoK) from October 13-19 on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations. 

It is one of two large-scale festivals organised abroad annually by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to promote the country, people and tourism of Vietnam to Koreans.

The main event of the festival was held in Seoul on October 13-16 with a wide range of cultural activities and art performances.

The festival also saw the presence of Vietnamese Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung and his RoK counterpart, Park Bo-gyoon. On this occasion, the two ministers held talks on bilateral cooperation in the fields they are in charge of.

Minister Hung proposed the RoK continue its support for bilateral exchanges in culture, sports and tourism and share experience related to the development of cultural industries - a strength of the RoK.

Vietnam also wishes to cooperate with the RoK in cinematography and join hands with famous Korean filmmakers and bands to produce unique art programmes that help RoK people better their understanding of Vietnam.

For his part, the RoK minister promised to organise many cultural exchange activities and promote bilateral cooperation in sports and tourism.

As part of the festival, a seminar was also held to promote Vietnamese tourism with the participation of companies, travel agencies and airlines from the two countries.

The RoK is one of the most important markets for Vietnam’s tourism. Before the COVID-19 outbreak, nearly 4.3 million Korean tourists visited Vietnam in 2019, making the RoK the second largest market of Vietnamese tourism. Meanwhile, the number of Vietnamese tourists to RoK reached 554,000 in the year. 

After Vietnam reopened its door to international travel, the number of RoK tourists to the country has increased rapidly, hitting 900,000 in July alone.

Vietnam expects Australia will facilitate farm produce market access

Vietnam expects Australia will further open its market for Vietnamese agricultural and aquatic products to help boost bilateral trade ties, PM Pham Minh Chinh told Assistant Minister for Trade and Assistant Minister for Manufacturing of Australia Tim Ayres at a reception in Hanoi on October 17.

Chinh suggested Australia end anti-dumping investigation on several Vietnamese products, step up quarantine and customs clearance at border gates, create conditions for Vietnamese firms to invest in Australia and encourage Australian businesses to invest in Vietnam’s renewable energy, hi-tech agriculture and strategic transport infrastructure.

He also suggested Australia create favourable conditions for Vietnamese expatriates to integrate into the local community and contribute to bilateral ties.

The PM welcomed the Australian Minister to Hanoi to co-chair the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Southeast Asia Ministerial Forum 2022, saying the event’s theme Connecting regions: Partnerships for resilient and sustainable supply chains matches priorities and strengths of both Vietnam and Australia.

He suggested Australia continue working closely with Vietnam while co-chairing the OECD’s Southeast Asia Regional Programme, which he said offers both countries a chance to further strengthen bilateral cooperation and connect with multilateral activities, thus serving as bridge linking cooperation between OECD member states and Southeast Asia in a practical and effective manner, upholding international solidarity and multilateralism.

He urged OECD member states, including Australia, to pay attention to human resources development and vocational skills for ASEAN and Vietnam.

For his part, Ayres spoke highly of Vietnam's role as a co-chair of the OECD's Southeast Asian regional programme for the 2022-2025 tenure, and said Australia would work closely with Vietnam to co-chair the programme and promote OECD cooperation.

Australia always treasures strategic partnership with Vietnam and wants to enhance bilateral relationship, he assured his host. 

He vowed to further boost ties with Vietnam in the fields of economy-trade-investment, agriculture, education-training, culture and labour. He agreed that both Australia and Vietnam need to further increase cooperation in addressing regional and global challenges at present, including climate change and energy security.

Exchanging views on regional and international issues, including the East Sea issue, Ayres shared Vietnam's stance on the settlement of disputes by peaceful means in line with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. He also supported ASEAN’s central role and early conclusion of an inclusive and effective Code of Conduct in the East Sea.

Coastal localities see better results in fighting IUU

Việt Nam’s 28 coastal localities have scored achievements in fighting illegal, unreported and undocumented (IUU) fishing, towards having the “yellow card” warning of the European Commission (EC) lifted.

Deputy Director of the Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Phạm Thị Na said the provincial authorities directed relevant forces to intensify inspections of fishing vessels, especially before their departure and after their arrival back at ports.

The province also set up a coordination mechanism with the Vietnam Coast Guards and the High Command of Military Zone II to detect and handle vessels that commit IUU fishing.

The department also set up representative offices at fishing ports, with staff from the Border Guards and Fisheries Sub-Department, to check all outgoing and incoming vessels.

Deputy Director of the Phú Yên provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyễn Tri Phương said the province has prevented violations of foreign waters by closely monitoring vessels through Vessel Monitoring Systems and by having all captains sign commitments to not violate foreign waters.

Statistics showed that Việt Nam is now home to nearly 92,000 fishing vessels. As of late September, over 95 per cent of them were equipped with monitoring devices, up nearly 5 per cent from the previous month.

Seafood caught outside Việt Nam’s waters are ensured to follow Việt Nam’s law and the Agreement on Port State Measures, thus facilitating the management and licensing of aquatic products for export to the European Union.

Vice Chairwoman of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) and head of the IUU VASEP Executive Board Nguyễn Thị Thu Sắc suggested that the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) give priority to technology solutions to modern fishing management and improve the process of granting relevant papers such as fishing databases and e-diaries.

She proposed the Government, MARD, cities and provinces prioritise investment in the marine-based economy, including increasing the number of qualified fishing ports and making further investment in infrastructure, equipment, workforce and management personnel training for IUU combat.

Leaders of ministries, agencies and 28 centrally-run coastal cities and provinces must raise their sense of responsibility for the issue, considering it an urgent and priority task.

An EC delegation will visit Việt Nam at the end of October to inspect the measures taken against IUU fishing. 

HCM City health department sees writing on the ward, proposes higher pay for nurses

With more and more nurses in HCM City public medical facilities quitting their jobs, the local health authorities are asking for VNĐ500 billion (US$20.7 million) to increase salaries for healthcare workers.

According to the director of the city Department of Health, Tăng Chí Thượng, medical workers at public hospitals send in resignation letters every day.

The most pressing issue the public healthcare sector faces is the lack of nursing personnel, who frequently cite low pay and overwork as reasons for quitting.

Most nurses who quit say they could no longer work in a stressful environment, get exposed to infectious diseases on a regular basis and work frequent night shifts for a salary of just VNĐ7-9 million (US$295-380) a month.

In 2021 and in the first six months of 2022, more than 2,000 medical workers, mainly doctors and nurses, quit.

The ideal ratio is three nurses to one doctor, but currently there are only 1.5 to two nurses.

This would lead to a decrease in the quality of patient care, Thượng said.

Health authorities have proposed several short-term solutions, including raising nurses’ salaries and bringing back retired employees.

Thượng also proposed subsidising tuition fees for people studying to become nurses to encourage more people to adopt the career. 

Welding sparks likely caused bar fire near Bến Thành Market in HCM City

The fire at a bar on HCM City’s Thủ Khoa Huân Street in an area just close by the famous Bến Thành Market may have been caused by sparks from welding during repair work, HCM City’s Department of Fire Fighting and Prevention has said.

By 11am on Monday, the fire at District K bar at 30 Thủ Khoa Huân Street, District 1, had been brought under control after more than an hour.

The fire engulfed an area of 300 square metres and did not cause any casualties.

Black smoke was seen coming out of the bar after loud blasts at about 9.30am on Monday.

The blaze spread quickly due to the presence of flammable materials.

83 firefighters and soldiers and 12 vehicles were sent to extinguish the blaze.

District K bar belongs to Cafe District K Restaurant Limited Company. It has been temporarily closed since May due to violations of fire prevention regulations.

However, the bar has continued to operate illegally.

On October 5, District 1 Police, in coordination with relevant agencies, fined the bar for flouting the closure order. 

Mekong Delta eyes eco-tourism at Lung Ngọc Hoàng Nature Reserve

The Hậu Giang Province People’s Committee has proposed that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development coordinate with local authorities to plan and develop an eco-tourism project at the Lung Ngọc Hoàng Nature Reserve.

Known as the ‘green lung’ of the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta, the 2,800-hectare nature reserve in the province’s Phụng Hiệp District is home to more than 330 species of flora and 206 species of fauna, some of them listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

The immense wetland is a major tourist destination in the province and an ideal destination for wildlife and nature lovers.

The province has called for investment in the eco-tourism development project at the reserve with a cost of VNĐ345 billion (US$14.3 million) since last year.

The project is aimed at developing the reserve into the country’s leading eco-tourism destination.

In August, the Prime Minister ordered the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in coordination with the Ministry of Natural Resource and Environment to guide the provincial People’s Committee to develop the project in accordance with legal regulations following his visit to the reserve in mid-July.

The Prime Minister asked for careful planning and development of ecotourism to ensure sustainable conservation of nature, environmental protection and socio-economic growth.

He also ordered the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to coordinate with the provincial People’s Committee to make a detailed evaluation to put the Lung Ngọc Hoàng Nature Reserve into the national tourism system for the 2021-2030 period.

University basketball championships set for November

The National University Championship basketball tournament, known as 2022 NUC Basketball, will kick off next month at Việt Nam National University HCM City.

The tournament, which will be organised to follow international standards for the first time, will gather eight men's and five women's teams who have advanced from regional qualifications.

Teams will compete during November 10-17, vying for a prize of VNĐ50 million (US$2,050) for the title holders.

The second- and third-placed sides will receive VNĐ30 million and VNĐ20 million, respectively.

The MVPs will be awarded VNĐ5 million.

Earlier, three regional qualifications will be held to pick the best teams for the finals.

The Northern regional qualifier with the participation of 40 male and nine female squads will be hosted by Hà Nội University of Industry from October 18 to November 2

The Central region's event will see five men's and three women's teams competing on October 17-24 at the Đà Nẵng University's Multi-purpose Gymnasium.

The Southern tournament is organised at the HCM City University of Physical Education and Sports. There are 33 men's teams and 10 women's who have registered to compete from October 2 to November 6.

On the men's side, the three best squads of the North and the South and two top Central teams will advance to the finals.

On the women's side, two teams each from the North and South will compete against one from the Central for the title.

In the qualifiers, the winning team will pocket a VNĐ8 million prize. The runners-up will take VNĐ5 million and VNĐ3 million, respectively. The best athletes will get VNĐ1 million.

The 2022 NUC Basketball is jointly organised by the Ministry of Education and Training, Max Sports Entertainment Joint Stock Company and Vietcontent and Trading Joint Stock Company.

Organisers believe that the students' basketball championship will help push the development of the sport in universities nationwide. 

Vietnamese chess masters shine at Asian youth championships

Việt Nam has dominated the Asian Youth Chess Championships 2022 with five titles after four days of competition in Bali, Indonesia.

All gold medals have been in the rapid chess category by Võ Phạm Thiên Phúc (boys' U16), Phạm Trần Gia Phúc (boys' U14), Đầu Khương Duy (boys' U12), Nguyễn Hồng Nhung (girls' U16) and Tống Thái Hoàng Ân (girls' U10).

The team has also secured four silvers and four bronzes in this category to temporally lead the medal tally of the tournament.

Việt Nam sent 98 competitors to Bali in 12 groups ranging from U8 to U18 for both boys and girls against nearly 450 masters from 20 countries and territories.

They are currently playing in the standard chess discipline, which will wrap up on October 20, while blitz chess will be held on October 21. 

Organisers will present awards for both individual and team winners on October 22. 

Flooded Nghe An river carries timber downstream

People in the central province of Nghe An have collected drifting wood that has washed up from recent floods.

The heavy flood that occurred on October 2 in Ky Son District brought soil, rocks, mud, and many trees and even logs from the mountains upstream above the Nam Mo River.

Many local people have come to the river to collect the wood.

A local man, La Van, said that he together with two other neighbours arrived and collected three large logs from the river.

"Timber is usually seen drifting on the river after large floods," he said. "We’ll use them to rebuild our houses which the flood washed away."

Chairman of Chieu Luu Commune People's Committee, La Duc Thoai, confirmed that local residents had collected lots of timber from the river after the flooding receded.

"The trees were washed down here from Laos and some surrounding upstream forests," the official said. "The wood might have been left from recent illegal logging. A lot of them had diameters of around 50-60cm. We've kept the valuable wood to investigate their origin."

Exhibition displays artworks by artists from Red River Delta region

More than 200 artworks by 187 painters and sculptors who are members of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association in nine cities and provinces in the Red River Delta are being displayed at an exhibition that opened in Ha Nam Province on October 17.

The exhibits, which were created between September 2021 and June 2022, are diverse in topics, styles, and media.

Along with popular topics about the Party, President Ho Chi Minh, and the national revolution, the artists also focused on featuring the fatherland, sea and islands, border areas, and the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic in their works.

Speaking at the launch ceremony, Vice Chairman of the Ha Nam Provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Anh Chuc said that the exhibition aims to provide an opportunity for artists to exchange experience and contribute to bringing art closer to the public.

It also seeks to introduce the land, people, and tourism potential of Ha Nam Province to painters, sculptors, and visitors across the country, he added.

The exhibition will run until October 27 at the Tam Chuc tourist site in Ba Sao Town, Kim Bang District, Ha Nam Province.

27 artists compete at final round of “Tran Huu Tran Cai Luong Theatre’s Talents” contest

The final round of the “Tran Huu Tran Cai Luong Theatre’s Talents” contest opened in Ho Chi Minh City on October 17.

The event is jointly held by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports, the Vietnam Theatre Artists’ Association and the Ho Chi Minh City Theatre Artists' Association.

The final round of the contest will take place from October 17 to 21 at Tran Huu Trang Cai Luong (Reformed Theatre) Theatre. This year, the final round sees the competition of the 27 best contestants, including the participation of many well-known artists such as Meritorious Artist Thu Van, Meritorious Artist Le Trung Thao, Vo Minh Lam, Ha Nhu, Minh Truong, and more.

The organising committee will award a total of 30 medals, of which there are 10 gold medals and 20 silver medals.

The contest is organised to continue the preservation and promotion of the Cai Luong theatre arts, a great cultural value of the Southern region. This is also one of the key activities of a project on organising typical festivals and cultural and sports events in Ho Chi Minh City during the 2020-2030 period.

HCMC’s 2nd metro line lags far behind original schedule

 Metro Line No.2, also known as Ben Thanh-Tham Luong, got approval in 2010 and construction was slated to begin in 2016. However, site clearance problems have pushed back the start date of the project for 12 years.

The line is designed to be 11.2 kilometers long, of which the underground section accounts for 9.2 kilometers with nine stations and the elevated section for two kilometers with one station.

The initial investment was VND26,116 billion, which rose to VND47,800 billion in 2019.

The line was planned to begin at Ben Thanh Central Station in District 1, pass through districts 3, 10, 12, Tan Binh and Tan Phu, and end at the An Suong Intersection.

Given long site clearance delays, the HCMC government recommended that the Ministry of Planning and Investment seek nod from the prime minister to extend the completion date and implementation duration to 2030.

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