Competent authorities have handled violations relating to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) with fines amounting to hundreds of billions of Vietnamese dong.

The Government issued Decree No.42/2019/ND-CP on May 16, 2019, stipulating fines on administrative violations in fisheries.

Since the document came into force, the Directorate of Fisheries and the fisheries surveillance force of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) detected and handled 627 cases with a total fine of over 2 billion VND (about 87,600 USD).

Up to 2,198 violations were brought to light by the Ministry of National Defence, with fines worth more than 54 billion VND. The ministry also handed over 15 fishing boats that had violated foreign waters to provincial People’s Committees.

Localities also discovered 8,810 cases and imposed a penalty of over 83 billion VND.

The ministry said progress has been made in State management of ministries, agencies and localities. However, there still difficulties in the settlement of administrative violations due to the incoordination of fishermen.

Given this, the ministry has suggested the Ministry of Justice supplement certain regulations to a new decree to replace Decree No. 42, and supplement and adjust the content regarding the authority of border guard and coast guard in the IUU fishing fight./.

Hanoi hospital’s Covid-19 outbreak witnesses more patients

Seventeen more Covid-19 cases connected to the Vietnam-Germany Friendship Hospital in Hanoi have been confirmed.

Of the sum, eight are in Hanoi’s districts of Hoan Kiem, Soc Son, Thanh Tri, Thanh Oai, Ha Dong and Quoc Oai; while the remainder are from the provinces of Thanh Hoa, Thai Binh, Hai Duong, Bac Giang, Nam Dinh and Binh Dinh.

The patients are medical staff of the hospital and patients and their relatives.

Earlier, three people from Ha Tinh, Nam Dinh and Hung Yen tested positive for Covid-19 after returning to their hometown from the Vietnam-Germany Friendship Hospital.

To date, a total of 20 Covid-19 patients linked to the hospital have been recorded. The first case which was recorded on September 30 is a man from Ha Tinh Province who took care of his relative at the Tumour Ward.

Since April 29 when the fourth Covid-19 started hitting Vietnam, Hanoi has recorded 3,999 Covid-19 patients, including 1,608 locally-infected cases.

Vietnamese students win third prize at ASEAN youth journalism contest

Two Vietnamese student has secured the third prize at the 2nd ASEAN Youth Social Journalism Contest 2021 for their social media campaign to raise awareness about plastic consumption among young Vietnamese people amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hoang Nguyen Nhat Vi and Pham Quang Vinh, both from the RMIT University Vietnam, obtained the award with a project titled “Flatten the Plastic Curve”, which reached close to 200,000 young audiences in just a month.

Following the theme ASEAN Youth and COVID-19 ─ Response, Recovery, and Resilience, the pair, via comic-like graphics and influencer marketing, worked to persuade young shoppers to take small but impactful actions while making their orders online.

The project encouraged young people to make changes, such as ordering from one shop to minimise the use of plastic packages, or directly sending plastic-reduction messages to shop owners or food shippers.

By the end of the campaign, Vi and Vinh reached over 40,000 young people with their print ads, received organic shares, and had their campaign mentioned in four Vietnamese macro influencers’ Facebook pages./.

Ministry of Transport issues guidance on passenger transport activities as lockdown eases

The Ministry of Transport has just issued temporary guidance on passenger transport activities to ensure safety, flexibility and effective control of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The provisional guidance on passenger transport by road, rail, inland waterway, sea and air takes effect from October 1 depending on risk classifications in different areas.

Public transport activities in very high risk localities (red zones) are not allowed to operate, except for taxi and app-based vehicles that offer less than nine seats and use vehicle partition and electronic payment.

For localities in high risk or orange zones, public vehicles can only carry half their designed capacity.

Public transport can resume operation as normal in low- and medium-risk localities and regions (green and yellow zones).

All passengers must comply with the 5K message, medical declaration, negative SARS-CoV-2 test (using RT-PCR or rapid antigen test) within 72 hours.

No testing is required for people who have received one jab or fully vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19 within six months.

Drivers and staff must comply with the 5K message, medical declaration, test for SARS-CoV-2 by PCR or rapid antigen test after developing suspected symptoms.

In medium and high-risk localities, they must be tested for SARS-CoV-2 frequently (once every week).

Drivers in very high-risk areas must have received two COVID-19 jabs or recovered from COVID-19 within six months and have a negative SARS-CoV-2 test result within 72 hours by RT-PCR or rapid antigen test.

Provincial People's Committees will grant permits for road passenger transport activities depending on the pandemic situation in each locality.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Viet Nam will also adjust the frequency of operations in phases depending on the actual situation.

The Ministry of Transport requests the ministry of health and public security and relevant agencies to cooperate with the provincial People's Committees in directing and guiding the public transport activities.

Vietnam reports 18 deaths due to dengue fever

Vietnam has confirmed up to 50,000 dengue fever cases so far this year, including 18 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.

Most of the deaths concentrate on southern localities with six in Binh Phuoc; two in HCM City, Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Phu Yen and one in Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Soc Trang, Tay Ninh and Binh Thuan provinces.

The Ministry of Health has asked localities and hospitals to arrange conditions to ensure medical checks-up and examinations for normal diseases, including dengue fever which tends to be on the rise, amid the on-going Covid-19 pandemic.

Hospitals are also required to carefully dengue fever patients for the classification to avoid Covid-19 infection risks for them. Based on specific conditions, patients need to arrange time for providing medical checks-up for dengue fever patients.

Medical facilities have been urged to set up hotlines to receive questions about dengue fever.

AI Hack Bootcamp 2021 announced in HCM City

AI Hack Bootcamp 2021 – a programme that seeks AI solutions for e-commerce - was launched at a ceremony jointly held by the Saigon Hi-tech Park Incubation Centre and the Vietnam E-Commerce Association on October 1.

It aims to promote the research and development of AI solutions and products, attract promising projects and form a community of outstanding AI developers.

The annual programme will provide support for and connect AI startups, projects solutions and products that would be utilised in e-commerce, focusing on coaching and mentoring.

After the eight weeks of training and mentoring, the programme will move to its second phase when about five to seven projects will be incubated for one to three years, starting from late December this year.

Entries should be submitted to organisers from now to December./.

Deputy PM inspects business, production activities in HCM City

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam on October 1 visited enterprises in Linh Trung 1 industrial park in Ho Chi Minh City’s Thu Duc city to examine their production and business activities on the first day of loosened social distancing measures, and worked with leaders of Thu Duc.

Underlining that the common goal of the Government and businesses is to promote safe production, Dam, who is also Deputy Head of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, said that the Government has empowered businesses in designing their own production plans while ensuring safety regulations.

Senior Lieutenant General Vo Minh Luong, Deputy Minister of National Defence and head of the Government’s special working group on COVID-19 prevention and control in HCM City and southern localities, said although Thu Duc city has managed to control the pandemic, it should maintain vigilant and not to be hasty.

Thu Duc city should continue to speed up the injection of the second COVID-19 vaccine shots to local residents, and encourage them to continue strictly implementing COVID-19 prevention and control measures, he said.

Dam held that the risk of another outbreak is high, stressing the importance of narrowing the risky areas and apply specific measures to expand “green zones” and shrinking the “red zones”. It is essential to firmly maintain the “green zones” towards the target of "greening" the whole city, thus resuming production and business activities in a steady manner, and creating stable jobs for labourers, he said.

The Deputy PM also underscored the need for people and enterprises to actively protect themselves from the pandemic.

In addition, the local administration should strengthen public health supervision, while making good preparations in medicine, forming a smooth coordination mechanism among medical forces to ensure that all residents receive fastest and most effective medical services, he said./.

Thu Thiem 2 Bridge expected to be put into operation by April 2022

The Thu Thiem 2 Bridge project is expected to be completed by April 30, 2022, said Tran Ba Duong, chairman of Dai Quang Minh Real Estate Investment JSC as owner of the project.

On September 30, secretary of the HCMC Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen, municipal chairman Phan Van Mai, municipal vice chairman Le Hoa Binh and other officials inspected the construction site of the project.

Duong said work on the project went on even during holidays and the Covid-19 pandemic and it was 85% complete.

The project, once in place, will connect the city’s current business hub with the Thu Thiem New Urban Area in Thu Duc City, encourage the development of the eastern tech-driven urban area and contribute to reducing traffic congestion in the city.

The slow site clearance had affected the project’s progress. However, the obstacle has been removed since early this year, Duong said.

Due to the pandemic, the investor has asked contractors, consultants and relevant agencies to apply the stay-at-work mode and comply with anti-pandemic measures to ensure safety for laborers.

On the same day, Luong Minh Phuc, director of the Transportation Works Construction Investment Project Management Authority of HCMC, reported the progress of the development of infrastructure facilities on nine land lots of the Thu Thiem New Urban Area.

The technical infrastructure development on the nine land lots will add value to the land lots and facilitate the quick development of the Thu Thiem New Urban Area. The project will also be connected to the Thu Thiem 2 Bridge to improve the effectiveness of traffic infrastructure projects.

Phuc said the project was a key one, which helped put the nine land lots up for auction to create revenue for the city. The main technical infrastructure packages have been completed and a package to plant trees and install lighting equipment is expected for completion before October 15.

The Transportation Works Construction Investment Project Management Authority of HCMC will complete the infrastructure facilities of six land lots before October 15 and accelerate the progress of the remaining packages to complete the entire project.

Several relic and tourist sites reopen nationwide

Several relic sites and tourist attractions across the country have reopened as they aim to welcome the return of tourists following a prolonged social distancing period caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This comes following the Hue Monuments Conservation Center re-opening several tourist sites on October 1, including the Hue Imperial Citadel (Dai Noi), along with the Minh Mang, Tu Duc, and Khai Dinh mausoleums. 

The purpose of the move is to gradually restore the local tourism industry after being severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a means of ensuring COVID-19 prevention and control, visitors are required to abide by the Health Ministry’s 5K message, while simultaneously scanning QR codes to complete a medical declaration. As a result of safety measures, guests will only be able to visit outdoor areas.

Furthermore, the province Thua Thien - Hue province is also applying half-prices tickets for tourists to visit the relics of the Complex of Hue Monuments.

Elsewhere, the northern city of Hai Phong has also permitted the re-opening of tourist attractions in the region from October 1, while the spiritual-ecological tourist site of ​​Tay Yen Tu, Suoi Mo eco-tourism area, and some golf courses in the northern province of Bac Giang have also been permitted to resume activities.

Other northern localities, including Vinh Phuc, Quang Ninh, and Thanh Hoa have also welcomed back domestic tourists, while several resorts in Sa Pa (Lao Cai) and Hoa Binh are currently only receiving visitors from ‘green zones’.

Some localities in the south-central and central region such as Khanh Hoa and Da Nang have also resumed beach services, while Quang Binh province is also permitting travel firms to welcome vaccinated tourists to participate in closed tours.

In the central highlands of Lam Dong, the Provincial People's Committee has moved to reopen tourism services, with lodging facilities from two-star facilities being permmited to operate at 50% capacity. Restaurants and sidewalk shops have also resumed their operations by serving no more than 50% of the number of guests at the same time.

Most notably, the south-central province of Binh Thuan also plans to pilot welcoming the return of domestic and foreign tourists living in Vietnam as of October 20.

In Ho Chi Minh City, Cu Chi and Can Gio districts also lauched their first closed tours on September 19, with more tours expected to be launched in the near future.

Tour guides and visitors under tourism schemes in these localites are required to have a negative test result for SARS-CoV-2, or alternatively to have received two jabs of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Residents in HCMC venturing out without legitimate reasons still fined

From October 1, residents in HCMC venturing out without a legitimate reason may still be subject to sanctions, HCMC Vice Chairman Vo Van Hoan said in the “Residents Ask-the City Answers” program on September 30.

Hoan said residents could travel in the city. Before going out, however, residents should temporarily use the VNEID and Y te HCM (HCM health) mobile apps to declare their destination and health condition.

If they do not have smartphones to download the two apps, they can produce proof of their recovery from Covid-19 in the last 180 days or their partial or full vaccination done 14 days earlier.

Although the city has removed Covid checkpoints on the street, it has sent out mobile patrol teams that are responsible for conducting random checks on the movement of people and vehicles on the streets.

Answering questions about the movement of residents in HCMC’s adjacent areas to the city for work, Hoan said HCMC, Binh Duong, Long An and Dong Nai are the epicenters of the coronavirus pandemic but also industrial production hubs of the southern region.

Production and business activities in HCMC are connected closely to its neighboring provinces. To create conditions for laborers from these provinces to HCMC for work using their personal vehicles, the city and these localities have reached a consensus on their movement.

Specifically, laborers must be vaccinated and make travel declarations. The city will also cooperate with localities and enterprises to arrange vehicles to transport them.

FPT boarding school in Da Nang raises 1,000 children orphaned by Covid-19

FPT Corporation announced that FPT Boarding School is finishing the formalities necessary for the learning program to raise about 1,000 children who unfortunately lost their parents due to pandemic-associated deaths.

FPT Boarding School in the urban complex FPT City Da Nang in the central region will admit children from 6-18 years old nationwide in poverty-stricken families who wish to participate in the program with the approval of their legal guardian.

FPT will give them scholarships until the child reaches the age of 18 or graduates from high school if they wish to attend university or master's degree at FPT. Currently, FPT, the Hope Fund and other related units are preparing to welcome the children.

Currently, Thien Long Group Joint Stock Company and FPT Joint Stock Company have signed a memorandum of understanding to together raise the children. Thien Long Group will offer 5,000 gifts including learning equipment and entertainment tools to students of FPT Boarding School for five years from 2021 to 2025, each gift is worth VND400,000.

Female players win nine golds at Eastern Asia Youth Chess Championship

The Vietnamese female team bagged nine gold, five silver, and four bronze medals at the 2021 Eastern Asia Youth Chess Championship which was held virtually from September 24 to September 29.

Nguyen Le Cam Hien, a member of the Vietnamese female team wins a bronze medal at the 2021 Eastern Asia Youth Chess Championship.
The tournament, organised by the Thailand Chess Association, witnessed the participation of hundreds of players from 14 countries and territories throughout the region.

The players compete in separate six age groups ranging from 8 to 18 for both men and women.

They compete in a rapid chess format, with each contestant participating in nine games to seek positions in the individual category.

The top three positions of each team are calculated based on total points to finalise the rankings.

Male competitions are set to get underway between October 1 and 3.

Programme launched to assist workers in HCM City as social distancing loosened

The Ho Chi Minh City Centre for Youth Employment Services is implementing a programme dubbed “Zero-dong housing – free quick test – get a job immediately” from October 1 to November 30 to support labourers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Accordingly, job seekers can contact the centre via its hotline or go to the centre office for job advice. They will get a free quick test for COVID-19 before going to a job interview or starting a job. In addition, they will be introduced to free or cheap housing.

Nguyen Van Sang, Deputy Director of the centre, said that the outbreak of COVID-19 and prolonged social distancing have made a large number of workers stop working or lose their jobs. Therefore, when the city gradually eases the social distancing towards the new normal, it is a good opportunity for workers to seek employment. For businesses, this is also an opportunity to attract workforce after the temporary shutdown.

According to Sang, accompanying this programme, there are Youth Unions of 63 provinces and cities nationwide and 150 enterprises that offer over 10,000 jobs.

This programme is one of the immediate solutions to help not only labourers but also businesses to restore production and business after a long period of suspension due to social distancing./.

HCMC authorities try not to close city again

While attending the program "People ask - The city answers", Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City Vo Van Hoan on September 30 said HCMC tries not to open the door and close it again.

Mr. Hoan was talking about the Directive of the municipal People's Committee from October 1 and the policy to support people bumping into difficulties due to the Covid-19 epidemic.

Answering a question about opening and closing, Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Vo Van Hoan shared, the city tries not to let that happen; however, the loosening and opening will be done step by step.

Vo Van Hoan also stated that, in the "new normal" state, the city authorities have been considering epidemic prevention and economic recovery with a focus on economic development, job creation, creation of financial resources for the city’s fight against Covid-19, and vice versa.

City authorities will try to provide a safe living environment for dwellers while reducing the spread of Covid-19 and all residents should take part in the fight against Covid-19. Vo Van Hoan also emphasized business owners must be responsible for epidemic prevention providing a safe working and living environment for workers in the workplace.

Regarding the support for the third phase, Vo Van Hoan said that the city tries to give financial support within the first 15 days of October 2021. City dwellers will receive cash.

Viettel receives two more exclusive patents in US

The military-run telecom provider Viettel announced on September 30 that it has received two more exclusive patents in the US for its two new inventions which were developed by a group of young engineers.

As of the end of August this year, Viettel had a total of 339 domestic patent applications and 49 others in the US. Of which, it had received 44 patents in Vietnam and seven others in the US.

Each year, the number of Viettel’s exclusive patents increases by 142 percent, up nearly 8 times from the average rise of 18 percent by domestic firms. Viettel is taking the lead in carrying out the country’s intellectual property strategy till 2030 with the goal of increasing the number of patent applications and patents by 16-18 percent annually on average./.

HCMC police launch campaign against criminals after easing of restrictions

The HCMC Department of Public Security on September 30 launched a campaign to crack down on criminals to maintain social order after some restrictions have been slightly eased in the city starting on October 1.

Major General Le Hong Nam, director of the municipal Department of Public Security said that the program aims to tighten measures against crimes and criminals that may increase, especially types of crime including robbery, theft and burglary, illegal drug use, illegal 'black credit' and illicit consumption of stolen assets.

He asked the police departments of districts and Thu Duc City to actively create action response plans to protect national security and maintain social safety and order, and ensure that losses are kept to a minimum as well as strengthen patrol, inspection and control duties.

In addition, the police units must promote propaganda on Covid-19 regulations, encourage people not to rush back to homelands caused serious congestion because Covid-19 checkpoints were more crowded.

Speaking at the event, Vice Chairman of the HCMC People’s Committee Ngo Minh Chau highly appreciated outstanding contribution of the city’s police to the prevention and control of the pandemic in the city.

The municipal authorities has called on the whole political system, including the city’s Department of Police that is always be the frontline force to join hands to combat the virus.

Credit package proposed to support students in equipment purchase for online study

The Ministry of Finance has proposed to the Government a credit package to support poor pupils and students in buying computers and equipment serving their online learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the proposal, students from poor and near-poor families as well as those facing difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including students whose fathers or mothers died of the disease, will be enabled to get loans to buy computers under support of the “computers and Internet services for children” programme.

According to the ministry, eligible students are those who have no computer and equipment for online study and have not yet received any support in the field.

The People’s Committees of communes and wards are responsible to make and verify the lists of beneficiaries before submitting to the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies for approval.

The maximum value of the loans will be 7 million VND (307 USD) per student, according to the proposal, which estimates that the total capital for the scheme is about 3.5 trillion VND (153.86 million USD). The duration of the loans is under one year with a zero percent interest rate.

The scheme will be conducted right after the Prime Minister approve it until March 31, 2022.

Initially, resources for the scheme will come from the 7.5 trillion VND credit package that is being implemented by the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies, which was designed for employers to borrow to pay salaries for their employees but received few requests./.

Vietnamese Ambassador explores cooperation chances with Tanzanian island district

Vietnamese Ambassador to Tanzania Nguyen Nam Tien paid a working visit to Mafia island district in Pwani province of Tanzania from September 27-29.

The trip aimed to learn about the district's socio-economic development, infrastructure and traffic systems linking the island with the mainland, with a focus on the development of the coconut industry, marine resource conservation and tourism, thereby promoting bilateral cooperation chances.

It was part of the Vietnamese Embassy's working programme in 2021 in an effort to foster the Vietnam-Tanzania friendship, especially cooperation between localities of the two countries.

During the trip, the Vietnamese Ambassador studied experience of local people and authorities in capitalising on economic and tourism values of coconut, as the cultivation area of the tree accounts for 84 percent of the island’s agricultural land.

He also paid a visit to the Mafia Island Marine Park (MIMP), the first of its kind in Tanzania and also serves as a marine protected area. The MIMP has formed a sustainable fishing habit amongst local fishermen and held regular patrol to keep a watch and detect violations. Such timely measures have improved coral reefs and fishery resources at the MIMP and surrounding areas which were degraded between 1980 and 1990./.  

HCMC obtains vaccination target thanks to fast inoculation drives

As of September 28, HCMC administered more than 10 million Covid-19 vaccine doses, becoming the locality with the fastest vaccination speed in the country. Vaccination is the top priority for the southern hub’s reopening and new normal state, said the city’s leaders.

The HCMC Center for Disease Control and Prevention (HCDC) reported that 332,119 more people received Covid-19 vaccine shots on September 28, bringing the total doses administered in the HCMC to 10,117,641. In which, a total of 3,271,613 people have fully got two shots.

13 among 21 districts reached a 100-percent vaccination rate among people aged 18 and over.
The remaining districts have made every effort to have 100 percent of the population vaccinated. Besides, localities have strengthened the second dose vaccination rate. Thu Duc City and Cu Chi District respectively gained more than 40 and 30 percent of people receiving the second dose.

Deputy Director of HCDC, Dr. Nguyen Hong Tam said that HCMC has continuously received vaccine doses from the Ministry of Health and enhanced the vaccination task forces to administer allocated vaccine doses.

The city has planned to achieve 100 percent first dose vaccination for all people above 18 years by September 30 and offer the second dose to 2.6 million people from October 1-15, 1.4 million individuals on December 31.

As of September 29, HCMC is the country’s locality receiving the largest number of vaccine doses of 9.7 million that have been given to people of 18 plus, especially priority groups including the frontline forces, persons aged 65 and older and those with underlying medical conditions. So far, more than 1.1 million persons aged 65 and over have been vaccinated.

To have all people over 50 fully vaccinated against the novel coronavirus and inoculate migrant workers who come back to the city for work, HCMC needs more vaccine doses.

In addition, the municipal Department of Education and Training has suggested the HCMC People’s Committee to schedule a student vaccination that can help high schools and secondary schools safely return to in-person learning in the second semester with around 642,000 students, said Dr. Nguyen Hong Tam.

The city has continuously proposed the Ministry of Health for additional allocation of vaccine doses and sought other sources of vaccine purchases on its own, creating advantage for residents to receive the “Covid Green Card” and bringing life back to the new normal state after months-long social distancing measures.

UN Women supports victims of gender-based violence

The UN Women Vietnam on September 30 handed over essential equipment worth 483.4 million VND (21,200 USD) to three Peace House Shelters in Hanoi and the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho to upgrade free helpline (1900 969680) in order to improve responses to domestic and international calls and reports of violence against women, and to continue to improve the overall quality of the support services for victims of violence and human trafficking.

The assistance is part of UN Women’s efforts to put an end to violence and human trafficking targeting women in the ASEAN region.

According to UN Women, along with impacts on the socio-economic situation, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a rise in violence against women and children.

Addressing the hand-over ceremony, Elisa Fernandez Saenz, UN Women Country Representative in Vietnam, said that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with rigorous response measures, has exacerbated pre-existing limitations regarding services to respond to violence against women and children. Therefore, support to upgrade these services is necessary, not only in the context of COVID-19, but in the long term to ensure the dignity, survival and social integration of women who are victims of violence and human trafficking. UN Women is delighted to accompany Peace House Shelters in this journey, she stated.

In early 2021, within the framework of an urgent response to violence against women and children during the COVID-19 pandemic, and funded by the Australian Government, UN Women donated equipment worth nearly 1.5 billion VND (660,000 USD) to improve the quality of support services for women and children who are victims of gender-based violence.

To overcome systemic challenges posed by limited state budget allocation, UN Women is committed to continue supporting the Peace House Shelters across the nation to upgrade psychological counseling services and to strengthen overall coordination and connection to provide more holistic support to women and child survivors in Vietnam, said the UN Women representative.

Meanwhile, Duong Ngoc Linh, Director of the Center for Women and Development which is in charge of the Peace House Shelters, thanked UN Women for the efforts. She affirmed that the equipment is a meaningful gift which motivates all employees who are always committed to the peace of women and children. In the meantime, it contributes to the completion of the service package to support women and children experiencing gender-based violence, especially in the context of the COVID-19 crisis, she added.

The helpline number 1900 969680, along with a counseling room, and the three Peace House Shelters all run by the Centre for Women and Development under the Vietnam Women's Union, were established to provide emergency and comprehensive support services for women and children experiencing domestic violence, sexual abuse and trafficking.

After 19 years of operation in Hanoi, and four years in Can Tho, the helpline has counselled on 8,063 cases, amounting to 9,850 survivors over the course of 12,961 calls. In addition, 3,424 women and child survivors of gender-based violence from 50 provinces and 17 ethnic minority regions were supported in-person at the Peace House Shelters.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of consultations via both the helpline and social media channels of the Peace House Shelters increased seven times compared to 2019, and in the first six months of 2021, the number of callers increased 140 percent compared to the same period of 2020. The Peace House Shelters have coordinated with local authorities in crisis counseling and emergency intervention, intervening in nearly 30 cases, an increase of 40 percent compared to the same period last year.

Victims and witnesses of violence against women and children can report and seek help via hotline 1900 969680./.

Preferential loans for women whose businesses have been affected by pandemic

Preferential loans will be offered to women whose businesses have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to Tình Thương One Member Limited Liability Microfinance Institution (TYM). 

As an associate of the Việt Nam Women’s Association, TYM will give priority to projects which employ women with disabilities, women with or affected by HIV/AIDS and disadvantaged women.

After receiving the loan, borrowers enjoy a grace period of up to eight weeks and preferential interest rates thereafter. Borrowers can also access two microfinance loans from TYM, each worth up to VNĐ50 million (US$2,185). 

Lê Thị T. from Nam Đàn District, the central province of Nghệ An, was one of the first people who accessed the COVID-19 loans.

She said when Nghệ An implemented social distancing measures, turnover from her rice noodle business fell as she made could not go to consumers, or her customers had to delay paying her. As a result, she did not have the fund to continue her business.

“After hearing about TYM’s preferential loans, I applied to borrow VNĐ15 million,” she said. Thanks to the loan, and the gradual relaxing of social distancing measures, she expects business to soon improve. 

Last month TYM also launched employment loans aimed at promoting production in business; the knock-on effect of this fiscal input will be the creation of more jobs for local people. Borrowers could access loans of up to VNĐ100 million ($4,370).

Households that participate in the “One Commune-One Product”, a scheme to promote Vietnamese farming products, or households that implement Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practices (VietGAP) will be prioritised for these employment loans.

During the pandemic, TYM has reduced borrowing interest rates ten times and extended repayment dates for customers affected by the pandemic.

TYM originates from the Tình Thương fund launched by the Việt Nam Women’s Union in 1992, as part of the government’s hunger elimination and poverty reduction programme, while improving women’s status within and outside the home.

TYM provides loans or microfinance for low-income people, many of them poor and vulnerable women. Its members can return the debt by sending their savings to TYM’s branches daily, weekly or monthly, and can withdraw at any time. 

Coach happy with win, team get bonus after getting Asian Cup place

Coach Mai Đức Chung is happy with Việt Nam's 7-0 win over Tajikistan in the last Group B match of the AFC Asian Women's Cup qualification in Dushanbe on Wednesday.

Their second win put them top of the group and was enough to qualify for the finals which will be held in India January 20 to February 6, 2022.

"Việt Nam made just a few challenge in the first half because we knew almost nothing about our rival," said Chung.

"They played better than the previous match. But we managed to step it up in the second half in which my players performed better and scored more goals. I am happy with the final result," he said.

The visitors proved their power from the beginning, pushing Tajikistan in defence.

It took 14 minutes to open the scoring through striker Nguyễn Hải Yến who completed her double with a beautiful volley in the second half.

These were her seventh and eighth goals in two matches. Previously she scored a double hattrick in Việt Nam's 16-0 win over Maldives.

Midfielder Nguyễn Thị Bích Thùy also scored goals in each half, assisted for both by veteran Phạm Hoàng Quỳnh who returned to the national team a two year break when she had a baby.

Yến, who was busy throughout the match, was fouled in the box five minutes into the second half and Việt Nam were awarded a penalty. Captain Cù Thị Huỳnh Như slotted home past Tajikistan goalkeeper Saiyora Saidova.

With the game drawing to a close, defender Hoàng Thị Loan headed home to make it six on 84 minutes.

And in the last seconds of the game, substitute Nguyễn Thị Vạn tapped home from close range to seal a 7-0 victory for Việt Nam.

Speaking to media after the match, midfielder Thùy said: "We scored and we won. We are all happy and proud that we advance to the finals."

With 23 goals in two matches, Việt Nam overcome South Korea to be the best scoring team in the qualifiers. Their strikers are considered the sharpest of the tournament.

The Việt Nam Football Federation's President Lê Khánh Hải presented VNĐ500 million (US$22,000) for their second win. 

Hải had already gave them VNĐ300 million ($13,200) for their 16-0 win over Maldives last week.

"We will have short break after quarantine time at home. And then we will be back for practising for the finals," said Chung.

The Asian Cup is the 2023 World Cup qualification. Việt Nam will be one of 12 team vying for the title. The five best will automatically qualify for the World Cup. 

Vietnam treasures development of stable, healthy, sustainable ties with China: Minister

The Vietnamese Party, Government, and people attach great importance to the development of stable, healthy and sustainable relations with the Chinese Party, Government and people, Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien has said.

Dien, who is also a member of the Communist Party of Vietnam’s Central Committee, made the statement in a video clip sent to the Chinese people via the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi to congratulate them on the 72nd founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China (October 1, 1949 - 2021).

In his speech, the minister congratulated the Chinese Party, Government, and people on the great achievements they have obtained over the past 72 years.

He believed that under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, with General Secretary and President Xi Jinping as the core, the Chinese people will continue to gain many new victories, making important contributions to the overall development and prosperity of the region and the world.

The minister stressed that given complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam and China should step up cooperation and create strong impetus for their recovery and economic development; and coordinate to effectively implement common perceptions reached by their senior Party and State leaders as well as those achieved at the recent 13th session of the Steering Committee for Vietnam - China Bilateral Cooperation.

The two nations need to promote economic and trade cooperation towards a more sustainable direction in the time to come, he noted./.

More efforts urged to deal with flood consequences in central, southern regions

The Standing Office of the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control on September 30 requested central, Central Highlands and southern provinces and cities to continue carrying out measures to address consequences caused by recent heavy rains and flooding, and closely monitor water flows into reservoirs.

Localities were asked to assign personnel on duty around the clock, regularly report to the Standing Office of the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control and the Office of the National Committee for Incident and Disaster Response and Search and Rescue when any incident occurs.

On September 29 afternoon, heavy downpours made a new stone wall collapse, killing two and injuring two others in Da Lat city of the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong.

The steering committee advised locals to be highly vigilant, carefully observe strange geological phenomena, and quickly move away from areas where flash floods may occur.

Localities in flood-affected areas should inspect unsafe houses in mountainous areas and residential areas along rivers and streams, and areas at risk of flooding and landslides, and get plans ready to evacuate residents in high-risk areas to safe places./.

Reforms could ensure higher growth rates as Vietnam’s population ages

Vietnam’s economic growth could slow as its population ages, squeezing public finance and stressing the service delivery system, unless timely reforms are set in motion, a new World Bank report finds.

Vietnam is going through the demographic transition to an older society at an earlier stage of economic development and a lower level of per capita income than other countries who have experienced a similar shift, according to Vietnam: Adapting to an Aging Society, jointly produced by the World Bank and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

The prospect of “getting old before getting rich” means that Vietnam faces a set of important challenges whose solutions require making hard policy choices.

“Vietnam has been good at tapping into an abundant work force to drive economic growth over the past three decades,” said Carolyn Turk, World Bank Country Director for Vietnam. “As Vietnam’s population ages, it will be important to build the skills of the workforce to boost innovation and productivity in the economy, while ensuring that pension reforms begin now to sustain livelihoods for the elderly in the decades to come.”

With falling birth rates and a rising life expectancy, Vietnam’s elderly are expected to account for between 10% to just under 20% of its population by 2035. Vietnam’s old age dependency ratio, the number of people over 65 divided by the number of those of working age, is estimated to double from 0.11 in 2019 to 0.22 in 2039.

The report finds that long-term growth over the period 2020–2050 will slow by 0.9 percentage points compared with the last 15 years as its population ages. At the same time, addressing the needs of an aging society is forecast to cost between 1.4% to 4.6% of GDP in additional expenditure. Expanding coverage and improving service quality will drive growth in fiscal costs.

The report offers recommendations on how Vietnam can manage the aging of its population effectively, based on lessons learned in other countries that have experienced a similar demographic transition including Japan, in particular. It suggests reforms to help improve labor force participation and productivity, increase the efficiency of public expenditures, and strengthen service delivery system.

The report also recommends policy actions in four areas most affected by the aging trends: labor market, pension, health, and aging care.

“Since becoming a super-aged nation in 1960s, Japan has experienced various implications of aging, particularly those related to adjusting social protection programs and promoting community-based care,” said Shimizu Akira, Chief Representative of JICA Vietnam Office. “There have been a lot of successes, and also many bitter experiences. We hope these shared lessons will be useful for Vietnam to not only cope with the demographic shift but also to benefit from it.”

The report is a part of a JICA and World Bank joint program to assist Vietnamese policy-makers in preparing for an aging society.

AFC hails Hai Yen’s performance in Asian Cup qualifiers

Vietnamese footballer Pham Hai Yen has been named among the top six players who lit up the qualifiers for the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup in India, according to an article published on the official website of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

The AFC singled out Hai Yen for her spetecular performance in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, scoring eight goals for Vietnam in two games, helping her team to progress to Asian Cup finals.

 “A half-time substitute in Vietnam’s record 16-0 win over the Maldives, she helped herself to a remarkable six goals in 33 minutes before adding two more against Tajikistan as Mai Duc Chung’s side sealed their qualification,” says the website.

It adds that whilst she has long been considered a lethal finisher at both domestic and regional level, the Vietnamese player will be looking to make her mark on the stage of all in the continental tournament. This could potentially go further, perhaps she could even lead an ever-improving Vietnam to their first ever FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Rounding off the list of the AFC’s top six are Moon Mi-ra of the Republic of Korea, Janista Jinantuya of Thailand, Zahra Muzdalifah of Indonesia, Behnaz Taherkhani of IR Iran, and Chandler McDaniel of the Philippines.

Quang Nam to waive school fees for thousands of children

Over 40,000 children living in outbreak areas in Quang Nam Province will have their tuition fees waived for the first semester.

Quang Nam People's Council has approved waiving the tuition fees on September 29. The move will cost VND14bn (USD612,500).

The students include those who live in Hoi An and Dien Ban Town which are under strict social distancing rules and those who had left Hoi An and Dien Ban to return to their home provinces.

Dien Ban Town has 26,656 students and Hoi An has 13,923 students. There are also 772 students who returned to their home provinces.

Phan Viet Cuong, chairman of Quang Nam People's Council hoped that the plan would help share some burdens with the parents and students as everyone had been badly affected by the pandemic.

PM requires to study specific regulations to reopen HCMC economy

The Government Office has just sent an official letter to Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long and Head of the Government's Special Working Group and Deputy Minister of National Defense, Senior Lieutenant General Vo Minh Luong to announce the opinion of the Prime Minister on studying, proposing specific regulations to reopen the economy according to HCMC’s proposal.

Accordingly, the Prime Minister assigned Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long to chair and collaborate with Deputy Minister of National Defense, Senior Lieutenant General Vo Minh Luong to study, give and report detailed proposals to Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam.

Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai has just signed Decision No.1639/QD-TTG on setting up a fund to acquire 20 million doses of Vero Cell vaccines against Covid-19 produced by China's Sinopharm following the proposals of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Health.

By September 29, the Ministry of Health confirmed 23,568 more recovered Covid-19 cases which is the highest number of recovered patients in a day since the pandemic outbreak in the country, bringing the total recovered ones to 583,509.

On the same day, the country recorded 162 deaths related to Covid-19 in 11 provinces and cities, bringing the total number of deaths due to the disease to 19,098, accounting for 2.5 percent of the total infections. Besides, the National Management System for Covid-19 cases updated 8,758 more SARS-CoV-2 infections, including 4,984 cases in the community.

On the same day, the working delegation of the Ministry of Health and the experts involving in the clinical trial of the mRNA Covid-19 vaccine named ARCT-154 vaccines worked with leaders of Yen Phong District, Bac Ninh Province where is being performed a clinical trial of this vaccine.

The first routine of ARCT-154 vaccines was completed in two provinces of Bac Ninh and Vinh Long. It is expected that the phase 3a will be finished on November 24. The experts will review and report the result of the trials on December 30 and if the result meets the requirements, they will submit to the authorities for granting an emergency license of the vaccine.

In related news of vaccine against Covid-19, a ceremony to handle over one million doses of Hayat-Vax Covid-19 vaccine, which are manufactured in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), between G42 Medications Trading LLC and Vietnam Medical Products Import – Export Joint Stock Company (Vimedimex) took place in Noi Bai International Airport in the capital city of Hanoi in the early morning of September 29.

Virtual filmmaking course offered to young Vietnamese filmmakers

The Center for Assistance and Development of Movie Talents (TPD) under the Vietnam Cinema Association in collaboration with the UNESCO will offer a filmmaking course to young Vietnamese filmmakers with the support of of the General Delegation Wallonia – Brussels (Belgium) in Vietnam, HKFilm, WallSound, Hanoi Grapevine and Colab Vietnam.

The course called ON THE REEL Film Lab aims to provide basic knowledge to help young filmmakers develop short film projects, find a suitable production route and self-orient a filmmaking career.

Participants aged over 18 include scriptwriter, director, producer have experience in making at least one short film.

The judge will select six short film projects for two cash prizes, two audio post-production package from the sponsor Wallsound and two packages of camera and lighting equipment from the sponsor HKFilm.

The course has the guidance and participation of many prestigious domestic and foreign directors and filmmakers, consisting of director Pimpaka Towira, director Pham Ngoc Lan, director Truong Minh Quy, director Bui Kim Quy, director Trinh Dinh Le Minh.

ON THE REEL Film Lab, which will be held online via Zoom platform from October 5 – 18, includes two workshops alternating with discussions among participants and mentors to strengthen and complete the project.

The course is part of the project E-MOTIONS: Mobilizing film professionals for regional cooperation which is being conducted by UNESCO and cooperative partners, with the support from the Trust Fund of Japan. The project aims to enhance the capacity and empowerment of filmmakers, as well as organize activities to connect domestic filmmakers with their peers in the region.

COVID-19: 6,957 cases added to national tally

Vietnam recorded 6,957 COVID-19 infections, including 16 imported cases, in the past 24 hours to 5pm on October 1, according to the Ministry of Health.

Ho Chi Minh City, the country’s current largest pandemic hotspot, continued to report the highest number of infections with 3,670 cases. It was followed by neighbouring Binh Duong province with 1,787 cases, Dong Nai 735, An Giang 116, and Long An 107. The capital city of Hanoi reported eight cases.

The country has to date logged 797,712 COVID-19 cases.

A total of 27,250 patients were given the all-clear on October 1, raising the number of recoveries to 636,081.

Meanwhile, 136 deaths related to COVID-19 were announced on the day, raising the death toll to 19,437.

As of the end of September 30, over 42.88 million people had been vaccinated with at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccines, with more than 9.8 million already receiving full two shots./.

Three out of five latest community COVID-19 cases in Hanoi are foreigners

The Hà Nội Centre for Diseases Control (CDC) announced five community cases on Friday morning, including three foreigners.

One is a 55-year-old Korean man who works at Samon Tech Company in Nam An Khánh Commune, Hoài Đức District. He tested positive at the Menicar Clinic. He received his second COVID-19 vaccine on September 13 and was planning on returning to Korea.

The second community case is a 51-year-old Japanese male, living in Room 602 of Pan Pacific Hotel in Trúc Bạch Ward, Ba Đình District. He works at Toyota Tsusho Company in Liễu Giai Ward, Ba Đình District.

The final community case among the foreign community is a Japanese man, 31 years old, living in Quảng An Ward, Tây Hồ District. He tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday.

The other two community cases are Vietnamese nationals. One was a 41-year-old man from Xuân Phương Commune, Nam Từ Liêm District, who often travelled to Việt Trì City in the northern province of Phú Thọ. He tested negative for COVID-19 on September 12 when he got the second COVID-19 vaccine jab.

On September 21, he took a quick COVID-19 test in order to get a permit to travel to Phú Thọ. On September 30 he tested positive for COVID-19 at Hà Nội's Medlatec Hospital.

The other Vietnamese positive case is a 35-year-old man in CT4A, Mễ Trì Thượng, Nam Từ Liêm District. He is a customer care officer at the Agribank at 135 Lạc Long Quân, Cầu Giấy District. He also received his second COVID-19 vaccination in September. 

On Wednesday, he took a COVID-19 test to get a permit to travel out of the city and tested positive. 

On Thursday evening, CDC Hà Nội confirmed two other community cases – a caregiver at Việt Đức Hospital and a food seller/delivery man at the hospital gate.

Three provinces, Hà Tĩnh, Nam Định and Hưng Yên, have reported a total of five COVID-19 cases related to the Việt Đức Hospital in the last few days.

A total of 1,443 testing samples have been taken from patients’ caregivers and staff working at Việt Đức Hospital’s building D where the community COVID-19 case was found. As of Friday noon, all samples have come back negative.

Since April 29 when the fourth wave of COVID-19 pandemic hit Việt Nam, Hà Nội has reported 3,981 cases. 1,608 of those cases have been found in the community.

Trương Quang Việt, vice director of CDC Hà Nội, said that as Hà Nội relaxed social distancing measures, the city must accept the risk of new community cases and even new COVID-19 clusters, and prepare appropriately. 

“Depending on certain developments of the pandemic, the authority will have specific responses,” he said.

After two-month social distancing, on September 21 Hà Nội's authorities decided to relax social distancing measures, allowing people to go out without travel permits.

Earlier, the Secretariat of the city Party Committee Đinh Tiến Dũng said that the city would take flexible but cautious moves to ensure disease prevention and control would be managed, as well as economic recovery. 

HCM City supermarkets receive few customers on reopening day

Many supermarkets in HCM City have received just a few customers after reopening due to the tight Covid-19 prevention regulations.

According to current regulations, only people who have got at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine are allowed to come to supermarkets.

BigC To Hien Thanh Supermarket in District 10 was very quiet on the first day reopening on October 1.

Tran Thị Thuy Linh said that she needed to show a paper showing she had got Covid-19 vaccine, make health declarations and take temperatures before entering the supermarket.

Vinmart+ Ho Ba Kien also received just a few customers on October 1.

According to a shop assistant, they were only allowed to receive five customers at a time and all customers must have vaccine certificates.

Speaking to Dantri/Dtinews on October 1, vice director of the municipal Department of Industry and Trade, Nguyen Nguyen Phuong said that they were still waiting for detailed instructions from the city people's committee to issue green cards for people to be admitted to public places including shopping centres.

Earlier, people in HCM City bought things online or through local authorities during the social distancing period which lasted over four months.

Source: VNA/VNS/VOV/VIR/SGT/SGGP/Nhan Dan/Hanoitimes