Vietnam pledged to continue ensuring and promoting human rights at a meeting of the United Nations Committee on Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Issues, as part of the UN General Assembly’s 77th session on October 19.

At the discussion, Minister Counsellor Le Thi Minh Thoa, Deputy Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, said though progress has been made, there remain difficulties and obstacles in the guarantee and enjoyment of human rights due to simultaneous impact of unprecedented crises on a global scale.

She added that an important basis for ensuring and promoting human rights is to uphold multilateralism, strengthen solidarity and cooperation in response to global challenges, and ensure global peace. In this process, it is necessary to uphold the principles of respecting national independence and sovereignty, not interfering in internal affairs, staying objective and ensuring non-politicisation of human rights issues. All human rights should be considered equally, with greater attention to economic, social, cultural and development rights. The most effective way to address human rights-related issues is constructive dialogues and cooperation to ensure a better life and dignity for all citizens.

People must be always placed at the centre as a major beneficiary and driving force of development process, she said.

The Vietnamese official also highlighted Vietnam’s achievements over the past years such as inclusive and sustainable economic growth, legal and institutional reforms to better ensure human rights, especially vulnerable groups.

On the occasion, she thanked countries for electing Vietnam as a member of the UN Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 tenure, representing Asia-Pacific for the second time.

In the spirit of “mutual respect, dialogue and cooperation, ensuring rights for all people”, Vietnam will work closely with other UN member states and stakeholders to ensure and promote human rights, she stated.

National Assembly’s 4th session opens

The 15th National Assembly (NA) convened its 4th session in Hanoi on October 20.

The opening of the session is broadcast live on radio The Voice of Vietnam, Vietnam Television (VTV1), and National Assembly TV channels.

In this 21-day session, the legislature will consider and approve seven draft laws and three draft resolutions. Lawmakers are also expected to discuss seven other bills.

After the opening speech by NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will deliver a report on the socio-economic situation in 2022 and a socio-economic development plan for 2023.

Vu Hong Thanh, head of the NA’s Committee for Economic Affairs, will present a verification report on these issues.

At the end of the morning sitting, President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Do Van Chien will present a report summarising opinions and recommendations of voters and people to the 4th session. Member of the NA Standing Committee, and head of its Commission on Ombudsman Duong Thanh Binh is expected to report on the supervision results of the settlement of voters' petitions to the third session.

Reports on state budget in 2022, state budget estimate and central budget allocation plan for 2023, and a three-year financial plan for 2023-2025 will also be tabled, together with reports on draft Law on Money Laundering Prevention and Control (amended); a draft resolution on piloting a number of specific mechanisms and policies for the development of Buon Ma Thuot city of the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak, and another on promulgating NA session regulations.

Lawmakers then will discuss personnel work.

National Assembly leaders of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia to meet in 2023

The Foreign Affairs Committees of the National Assemblies of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia held a consultation conference in Lao Cai province of Vietnam on October 18 to prepare for a meeting of the leaders of the three legislatures due to take place in 2023.

Addressing the conference, Vu Hai Ha, head of the Vietnam National Assembly Committee for Foreign Affairs, highly appreciated the close and effective cooperation of the three committees, and expressed his belief that the successful organization of the summit next year will contribute to promoting the traditional friendship between the three countries and the three legislative bodies.

The delegates discussed and gave opinions on the drafting of the procedure for organizing the summit to be submitted to the National Assembly leaders of the three countries for approval.

The summit will be focused on boosting socio-economic development, promoting and supervising the implementation of cooperation agreements, strengthening the exchange of information and experience sharing on legislation, and mobilizing capital from partners to implement projects in the Cambodia - Laos - Vietnam Development Triangle Area.

NA Council for Ethnic Affairs convenes fifth session

Standing Vice Chairman of the National Assembly attended the fifth plenary session of the NA Ethnic  Council in Hanoi on October 19.

According to Chairman of the council Y Thanh Ha Nie Kdam, among the focuses of the session are the approval of a project to renovate and enhance the quality and efficiency of the council, and the giving of opinions to a number of bills that will be debated at the 15th National Assembly’s fourth session.

Addressing the event, Man lauded the strong performance of the council in fulfilling its tasks despite impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, contributing to realising the Party and State’s policies and laws for mountainous and ethnic minority-inhabited areas, as well as its close coordination with the Government Committee for Ethnic Affairs in implementing the national target programme on boosting socio-economic development in the areas in the 2021-2030 period.

Railway companies offer over 176,000 seats for Lunar New Year Festival

Railway companies are planning to operate 356 trains with 176,046 seats to serve passengers during the upcoming Lunar New Year Festival (Tet), the longest and most important traditional festival in Vietnam.

The sale of train tickets will begin on October 25. The discount of 5 - 10% will be applied within the first ten days from the date.

As of October 19, nearly 3,300 tickets have been booked for employees by 55 units .

Trains serving the occasion are scheduled to run between January 9 and February 5 next year.

Hanoi embarks on national nutrition strategy for 2022-2030

Hanoi has adopted a plan to ensure 78% of children aged 6-23 months enjoy an adequate diet by 2025, which will increase to 80% by 2030.

The rate of adult intake of fruit and vegetables will reach 65% by 2025 and 70% by 2030. Under the plan, recently issued by the municipal People’s Committee to realise the national nutrition strategy for 2022-2030, no family will lack food from 2025.

80% of communes and wards will offer nutrition consultations to pregnant women and those with children aged below 2 in basic health care packages provided by medical stations in communes, wards and towns. The rate is expected to reach 100% by 2030.

To such end, 70% of schools must offer menus with proper nutrition as recommended by the Health Ministry by 2025 and the rate will increase to 90% by 2030.

By 2025, 90% of hospitals in the city will conduct health check-ups and treatment based on feeding regimes suitable for nutritional and the pathological status of patients, with the figure rising to 100% by 2030.

Human rights to be brought into national education

A national conference was held on October 19 to deploy the Prime Minister’s decree on intensifying the implementation of a project on including human rights in the national education system.

The event was held in both virtual and in-person formats under the chair of Nguyen Xuan Thang, Politburo member, President of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics (HCMA), and Chairman of the Central Theory Council.

Addressing the event, Thang stressed the importance of the implementation of the decree after the Party Central Committee’s sixth session approved a resolution on continuing to build and perfect a law-governed socialist state of Vietnam, in which the principle of respecting, ensuring and protecting human rights has been highlighted as a key aspect.

In addition, Vietnam was honoured and proud to be elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 tenure, he noted.

Emphasising that under the project, 100% of institutions in the national education system are expected to teach human rights by the end of 2025, so the official said there is not much time left and the workload remains large.

Government allocates over 478 tonnes of rice for Gia Lai province

Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai on October 19 signed a decision to provide rice in aid for the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai during the between-crop period this year.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Finance has been assigned to allocate more than 478 tonnes of rice from the national reserves for the province.

The provincial People’s Committee will be responsible for distributing the rice to residents in need in line with regulations.

Japan supports Can Tho in cultural development

The Japanese Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City has signed an agreement to provide 130 musical instruments worth 75,716 USD to the Can Tho College of Arts and Culture as part of the Japanese Government's non-refundable aid programme for culture at local level.

The instruments will be delivered to the college through the Can Tho Union of Friendship Organisations.

Addressing the signing ceremony, Japanese Consul General in HCM City Watanabe Nobuhiro said that universities and colleges in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho have shared a long-standing partnership with Japan.

Le Thi Thanh Giang, President of the Can Tho Union of Friendship Organisations expressed her hope that Japan will implement more similar programmes to support Can Tho in boosting economic and socio-cultural development.

Lac Hong University’s training programmes win AUN-QA accreditation

Six education programmes of Lac Hong University in the southern province of Dong Nai have been certified as meeting quality accreditation and recognition standards by the ASEAN University Network-Quality Assurance (AUN-QA).

Those programmes specialise in information technology, electrical and electronic engineering technology, pharmacy, business administration, accounting, and English language.

In addition to learning in a continuously improved education environment, students also easily join exchange programmes or have their equivalent academic credits exchanged with universities in the region.

Ba Ria-Vung Tau: fishing vessels without monitoring system not allowed to go out to sea

Fishing vessels without Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) devices are not allowed to go out to sea, according to Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau province Nguyen Cong Vinh.

The provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said nearly 95% of the fishing vessels have been equipped with VMS, while the remainder will be put under close watch.

Deputy Director of the provincial fishing port management board Nguyen Van Ho said the board is checking the installation of VMS for fishing vessels to promptly deal with difficulties faced by fishermen.

Provincial authorities also made the best preparations to welcome the European Commission’s inspection team in late October.

Since early this month, the department has set up teams to inspect the implementation of EC’s recommendations related to illegal, unreported and undocumented (IUU) fishing in localities, representative offices and fishing ports.

They also checked the origin of seafood and food safety at fishing ports.

ASEAN, China working on second draft of COC

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China are now working on the second draft of the Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), according to the bloc’s Secretary General Lim Jock Hoi.

Speaking at a video conference during the 11th Editors’ Roundtable organised by Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) and Khmer Times in Phnom Penh on October 18, he said that the two sides were done with the first draft and are going to the second.

He said despite challenges, including the delay because of the COVID-19 pandemic, ASEAN member states and China have exerted efforts to resume their negotiations on COC and maintain the momentum of work, including utilising virtual platform, video conference.

The joint working group has also resumed in-person discussions as both continue to reaffirm the aspiration to expedite the negotiations and work towards the early conclusion of an effective and substantive COC.

In the meantime, ASEAN will continue to work with China with due attention given to the confidence-building and preventive measure to enhance trust and confidence among parties in order to provide a conducive environment for the COC negotiations, he added.

Vietnamese, Lao localities forge cooperation

Officials from the People’s Council of Vietnam’s central province of Quang Nam and Sekong province of Laos met to exchange experience in Quang Nam’s Tam Ky city on October 18.

The two sides briefed each other on potential, advantages and socio-economic situation in their respective localities.

They agreed to hold annual conferences, training courses on political theory and exchange programmes for council officials.

Quang Nam will provide office equipment for the People’s Councils of Sekong and its four districts.

Phan Viet Cuong, Chairman of the People’s Council of Quang Nam, affirmed that a delegation of the council will visit Sekong next year.

Vietnam launches building of voluntary national review on SDGs

The Ministry of Planning and Investment held a workshop on October 19 to start the building of a voluntary national review (VNR) 2023 on implementing sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Deputy Minister Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc said that SDGs have been included in national strategies and policies, with the spirit of “No one is left behind” prioritised.

Through the participation in the 2023 VNR, Vietnam hopes to share its achievements in carrying out SDGs, especially after five years it conducted the first VNR, as well as difficulties, challenges and experience during the implementation process, and put forward major orientations for the next years, Ngoc added.

At the event, Dennis Quennet, a representative from the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), and Pauline Fatima Tamesis, UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam, affirmed that they will accompany and support the country in building the new VNR.

Participants also discussed the role and coordination mechanism of stakeholders in the development of the VNR; international experience and practice of Germany and the proposed timeframe for building Vietnam's 2023 VNR.

Vietnam presented its first VNR at the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in New York in 2018, and plans to deliver the second next year.

Dong Hoi Airport temporarily closed due to bad weather

Flights at Dong Hoi Airport in the central province of Quang Binh have been suspended since Thursday morning due to heavy rains triggered by Storm Nesat.

According to an announcement from the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CCAV), Dong Hoi Airport will be closed between 6 am-1 pm on October 20 to ensure flight safety during the stormy weather.

Following the announcement from CCAV, airlines adjusted and cancelled flights to Dong Hoi.

Vietnam Airlines has delayed a morning flight from HCM City to Dong Hoi until the afternoon of the same day.

Earlier on October 19, some flights were also cancelled due to the bad weather caused by the storm. Bamboo Airways had to cancel four flights on October 19 including two from Hanoi and two others from HCM City.

Major flooding leaves Danang facing huge losses

Recent major flooding of the central city of Danang caused losses of up to VND1.486 trillion (USD61.47 million).

Danang recorded nearly 600mm of rain last Friday night caused by Storm Sonca, leaving most of the city under water. In some areas, one-metre deep flood waters isolated communities.

Flooding also killed six people in Danang, including two students.

According to local authorities, Lien Chieu District has been hardest hit with VND578 billion, followed by Hoa Vang District with VND250 billion, Cam Le District with VND180 billion, Hai Chau District with VND130 billion, Thanh Khe District with VND87 billion, Son Tra District with VND26.2 billion and Ngu Hanh Son District with VND17 billion.

The transport sector suffered losses of VND190 billion. While the construction and health sectors saw losses of VND17 billion and VND10.8 billion respectively. 

Up to 70,000 local houses were submerged, including 27,328 houses in Lien Chieu District; 16,040 in Hoa Vang District; 12,012 in Hai Chau; 12,009 in Thanh Khe.

14,000 students still waiting for computer support from COVID-19 era

Computers and digital devices were crucial to students' learning at the peak of COVID-19. However, billions of đồng set aside to provide disadvantaged students with accessing online education services remains only on paper - even when they had already returned to in-person classes.

In the latter half of 2021, with the complicated pandemic, schools had to switch to online classes that hindered students' learning - especially underprivileged children in remote areas.

Following the campaign "Sóng và máy tính cho em" (Internet Connection and Computers for Children), launched by the Prime Minister to support disadvantaged students in online learning, Gia Lai Provincial Department of Education and Training received more than VNĐ36.3 billion (US$1.5 million) as part of the programme.

This amount has been set aside to buy one tablet each for 14,000 schoolchildren. However, this figure is only on paper.

Passengers banned from flying for causing disturbances

Aviation authorities have slapped a one-year flight ban on a passenger from Quảng Ngãi Province and a nine-month ban on another from Nghệ An for causing disturbances at airports and on flights.  

The Civil Aviation Authority of Việt Nam said T.Q.T, the Quảng Ngãi passenger, arrived at Chu Lai Airport (Quảng Nam Province) on September 15 to check-in for a flight to HCM City. However, he failed to comply with instructions given by the airport staff in charge of security screening and baggage checks.

He fiercely resisted security staff as they tried to take him into custody.

He has been fined for his actions and has been banned from domestic and international flights. In addition, he will be subject to strict surveillance on any flight for six months.

Another passenger, N.D.T, residing in Hưng Nguyên District in the central province of Nghệ An, was fined for smoking onboard a HCMC to Vinh flight and refusing to pay the fine on August 12.

He has been banned from flying for nine months.

Workshop examining Việt Nam's implementation of SDGs opens

The Ministry of Planning and Investment on Wednesday opened a workshop on the development of Việt Nam's voluntary national review (VNR) on the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2023.

In her opening speech, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyễn Thị Bích Ngọc said SDGs had become cross-cutting in Việt Nam's national and sectoral strategies and policies, in which the "leave no one behind" principle is accentuated.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted by all member states of the United Nations in September 2015, is a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.

At the heart of this process, voluntary national review (VNR) is a critical component of reviewing and implementing the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. It is an opportunity for countries to share their results, challenges, and lessons learned in implementing the 2030 Agenda and propose recommendations to accelerate progress towards the SDGs.

Việt Nam developed its first VNR in 2018 to share the lessons learned during its implementation of the 2030 Agenda, and its report was praised for its comprehensive preparation. The country is also among 42 globally selected to present their VNR at the High-Level Political Forum in New York in July 2023.

More than 16 ha of military land to be used to expand Tân Sơn Nhất Airport

The People’s Committee of HCM City has approved a plan to acquire more than 16 ha of military land to build a new terminal (Terminal 3) at Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport.

The land area in wards 4, 12 and 15 of Tân Bình District is now under the management of the Air Defence-Air Force of the Ministry of National Defence. The handover of the area will be done by the end of this month for the construction of Terminal 3.

According to the ministry, about VNĐ1.15 trillion (US$48.2 million) is needed for the land clearance work.

In May 2020, the Government of Việt Nam approved the construction of Terminal 3 and other supporting facilities. The domestic terminal is expected to manage 20 million passengers per year, helping to reduce pressure on Terminal 1.

Chairman of HCM City People's Committee Phan Văn Mãi asked Tân Bình District to fully implement procedures for land acquisition, compensation and support to ensure publicity, transparency and democracy in accordance with the law.

On July 28, 2022, Deputy Prime Minister Lê Văn Thành signed Resolution No. 93/NQ-CP of the Government to remove obstacles in handing over defence land for the implementation of the Terminal 3 passenger terminal project and the project of connecting roads.

Breast cancer screening campaign launched

A campaign for breast cancer screening was launched on Tuesday in Hà Nội to mark Việt Nam's Women’s Day (October 20).

The campaign “Joint efforts for our beloved women” was launched by the Brighter Future Fund, which supports cancer patients, the Roche Pharma Việt Nam Co Ltd and other partners.

The campaign will provide free breast cancer screening for 3,400 women. The screening will be conducted at five hospitals including the K Hospital, Bạch Mai Hospital, Hà Nội Oncology Hospital, Chợ Rẫy Hospital and HCM City Oncology Hospital.

The screening will last from October 18 to November 20.

Experts explore how Hà Nội's agriculture industry can reach potential

Hà Nội's agriculture sector has many issues hindering it from developing commensurate with its potential and advantages, with experts warning it has a long way to go to become an ideal model for agricultural development associated with rural urbanisation.

Speaking about the difficulties of Hà Nội's agricultural industry, associate professor Đặng Văn Đông from the Fruit and Vegetable Research Institute said at present, Hà Nội's agriculture and rural areas are under tremendous pressure from the urbanisation process.

Rapid urbanisation, residential area construction, industrial parks and socio-economic infrastructure works are being built, leading to several agricultural lands being divided. Many canals are blocked to serve irrigation and drainage. This is the cause why many farmers leave their fields to find new work.

Concerned about labour sources for agricultural production, associate professor Đào Thế Anh, deputy director of the Việt Nam Institute of Agricultural Sciences, said that young workers tend to move from the agricultural to the industrial sector. This has a direct impact on the farm workforce.

Post-harvest preservation technology has not yet met the requirements.

The use of waste products and by-products has not been given due attention, whereas supporting industries that should perfect products is underdeveloped.

Another problem is that the capital city does not have many breakthrough policies to encourage enterprises to invest in the agricultural sector, especially high-technology applications in cultivation, husbandry and processing.

Japanese film fest kicks off in HCM City

The Japanese Film Festival 2022, the most anticipated special film event of the year, will take place in HCM City from October 21-30.

The screening will feature eight animated, drama and sports movies which were produced and released in Japan in the last two years. The films depict colorful lives through the unique view of Japanese filmmakers, conveying deep human values.

All films will be shown with Vietnamese and English subtitles.

The festival, organised by the Japan Foundation Centre for Cultural Exchange in Việt Nam (The Japan Foundation), will be held at Cinestars, 135 Hai Bà Trưng Street in District 1. Tickets are available at the venue’s box office.

The film will later be shown in Hải Phòng City from November 4 – 6, Hà Nội from November 11 – 20, and Đà Nẵng from November 25-27.

More information on the film schedule can be seen at https://jpf.org.vn/events/lien-hoan-phim-nhat-ban-2022-tai-tp-ho-chi-minh-hai-phong-ha-noi-da-nang. 

Exhibition displays surreal paintings by painter Le Thanh Binh

A total of 20 oil paintings in surreal style by painter Le Thanh Binh, are being displayed at an exhibition entitled ‘Ky Uc Xuyen Khong’ (Memories of Travelling through Time), which opened in Hanoi on October 18.

This is Binh’s first solo exhibition after he participated in exhibitions at home and abroad, including countries such as China, Spain, Italy, and Bangladesh.

Born in 1979, Binh graduated from the Fine Arts – Stage Faculty of the Hanoi University of Theatre and Cinema.

Following the surreal style, Binh’s paintings provide a “boom” in visual effect among viewers from the first look, then provoked their meditations on time.

Binh prefers painting on large-scale canvas, which he said allowed him to “think out of the box” and stimulate his creativity to the fullest.

The exhibition will run until October 24 at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum, 66 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi.

Chemical residues found in 10% of veggies at wholesale markets

High levels of chemical residues were found in 10% of tested vegetable and fruit samples taken from wholesale markets by the Food Safety Management Authority (FSMA) of HCMC, which collected and tested them from 2017 to 2022. 

The findings showed that samples have increasingly met food safety standards over the years, but 10% still had residues exceeding permissible levels, said Pham Khanh Phong Lan, head of FSMA. 

She was speaking at a conference themed “Ensuring quality, safety and origin transparency of food for consumers” held on October 18.

It is mandatory for food products from school canteens, restaurants, supermarkets and other distribution channels to meet VietGAP standards. However, the number of food products that satisfied the standards was still low.

Until now, 60% of egg products met VietGap standards, while only 20% of fruits and vegetables did. Meanwhile, seafood was even lower, at 10%.

The chair of the Food Transparency Association, Nguyen Thi Hong Minh, said that it is illogical to ask farmers to follow VietGap standards at the moment, as there are loopholes in the quality management of agricultural and food products.

Recently, some sellers faked VietGap certificates, turning vegetables with unclear origins into VietGAP-labelled ones to get their goods onto supermarket shelves. 

Vu Thi Hau, chair of the Vietnam Retailers Association, said it is necessary to develop agricultural product supply chains and raise awareness about food hygiene and safety to make tracking agricultural food origin easier.

Hau also proposed clamping down on food hygiene and safety violations, strengthening control over input quality, and using plant growth stimulants and chemicals.

New Mien Dong coach station handles thousands of passengers each day

The new Mien Dong coach station, located in Thu Duc City, handles a daily average of 2,600 passengers, with some 206 coaches departing from the station, a representative of the Mien Dong coach station told the media.

After receiving some 79 long-haul bus routes on October 11, the new station has only gotten busier.

On the first day of the operation of the bus routes, the new coach station handled 2,378 passengers, with 179 coaches departing from the station.

The transport units have been in charge of arranging transit vehicles to take their passengers from the old station to the new one, as well as separate traffic flows for coaches, transit vehicles and taxis at the station.

The Mien Dong coach station will cooperate with the HCMC Management Center of Public Transport to set up extra bus stops to improve connectivity among bus routes.

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