Vietnam’s fishery sector is preparing for the visit by an EC delegation at the end of this month, during which they will inspect the fight against illegal, unreported and undocumented (IUU) fishing in the Southeast Asian nation.

The “yellow card” imposed by the EC has hindered the development of the domestic fishery sector as well as the country’s seafood processing and export. Therefore, the entire industry is working hard towards the removal of the warning.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the aquatic sector have been striving to implement the 2017 Law on Fisheries and combat IUU fishing.

Since the imposition of the “yellow card” warning in 2017, all of the offshore fishing boats measuring at least 15 metres in length have been equipped with monitoring devices.

Many boats that committed violations of regulations have been strictly punished with their operation licences revoked, either temporarily or permanently.

General Secretary of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Processors (VASEP) Truong Dinh Hoe said the association has rolled out concerted solutions in an effort to remove the warning, adding that it has coordinated with localities to hold dialogues with fishermen, helping them to remove obstacles in the IUU combat.

According to Hoe, apart from Europe, other markets such as Japan have also imposed the fishing rules, which has posed challenges to domestic businesses.

Given this, the VASEP suggested the ministry invest more in infrastructure at fishing ports, and digitalise the fishery sector, he stressed, explaining that digital data can attest efforts by fishermen and the sector in this regard.

Hoe also emphasised the need to change the mindset of fishermen in the new era – digitalisation – in order to reprieve the fishing ban.

The VASEP has also accompanied the ministry in the communication work to raise public awareness against IUU fishing, he said, adding that the association joins the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre to present 1,000 notebooks with relevant contents to local students.

An EC delegation will visit Vietnam at the end of October to inspect the fight of IUU fishing.

Last year, Vietnam earned over US$1.4 billion from fishery exports to the EU, with US$420 million from seafood and US$980 million from aquaculture.

Legislators mull over 2023 socio-economic development plan

The 15th National Assembly discussed in groups the 2022 socio-economic performance and the 2023 socio-economic development plan during the ongoing fourth session in Hanoi on October 22.

Lawmakers also mulled over the State budget 2022, the 2023 State budget estimate, public investment plan and allocation of State budget.

According to the Government report, GDP growth hit 8.83% in the first nine months of this year and is estimated at about 8% for the whole of this year. So far, about 87 trillion VND (3.78 billion USD) worth of aid has benefited nearly 56 million people and workers, and over 730,000 employers hit by COVID-19.

The Government set 15 key socio-economic targets for next year, including a GDP growth of some 6.5%, a 4.5% hike in consumer price index, labour productivity growth of 5-6%, unemployment rate in urban areas below 4%, and a 1-1.5% reduction in multidimensional poverty rate.

The NA Economic Committee suggested the Government consider key measures to stabilise macro-economy, control inflation, enhance the resilience of financial-banking system, and further expand fiscal policy space in tandem with the efficiency of public investment.

In the morning, deputies also debated in groups the implementation of the Resolution on piloting special policies and mechanisms for the development of Ho Chi Minh City.

In the afternoon, they listened to a report examining the draft amended Law on Cooperatives, and discussed the draft Law on the Implementation of Democracy at the Grassroots Level in plenary session.

Child bird flu patient escapes critical condition

A five-year-old child in the northern province of Phu Tho infected with A/H5 avian flu has escaped critical condition.

The patient, Vietnam's first human case of A/H5 avian flu since 2014, was taken to the Vietnam National Hospital of Paediatrics on October 8 with severe symptoms, including respiratory failure, liver and acute kidney failure and multi-organ failure.

Doctor Do Anh Tuan, head of the hospital’s Intensive Care Ward, said that endotracheal intubation has been removed, and she was now quite conscious. Doctors are keeping a close eye on her condition, particularly how her kidneys were functioning.

The patient’s relatives said that she ate chicken and duck which must have been infected.

Medical authorities in Thanh Ba District have provided A/H5 avian flu tests for 65 people who came into close contact with her. But, luckily, all of them tested negative for the disease.

Vietnam has recorded 128 human cases of A/H5 since 2003, including 64 people who died. In 2014 alone, the country saw two cases of H5N1 in the southern provinces of Binh Phuoc and Dong Thap, and both of them died. They had contact with sick poultry.

Tropical depression heads towards East Sea

A tropical low pressure forming off the coast of the Philippines is forecast to enter the East Sea on October 22, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

At 13:00 p.m. on October 21, the tropical depression was located about 230km northeast of the Philippines’ Luzon island, with winds gusting between 39km and 49km per hour.

Over the next 48 hours the tropical depression is set to travel west-southwest at a speed of roughly 20km per hour and will be swirling across the waters about 370km north of the Hoang Sa (Paracel) islands at 13:00 p.m. on October 23.

Due to the impact of this weather pattern, there will be strong winds and high sea waves occurring in the North East Sea, said meteorologists.

There will also be showers and local thunderstorms in the north and central regions of Vietnam over the coming days.

Most notably, heavy downpours will hit localities from Ha Tinh to Quang Ngai as of October 21 afternoon, with rainfall reaching between 70mm and 150mm, or even 250mm in some places.

Localities in mountainous and low-lying areas have been warned to brace for a high risk of flash floods, landslides, and severe flooding in the coming days.

President of Cambodian Senate to pay official to Vietnam next week

President of the Cambodian Senate Samdech Say Chhum will lead a high-ranking delegation to pay an official visit to Vietnam from October 24-26.

The visit will be made at the invitation of Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue, according to an announcement of the NA’s Committee for Foreign Affairs.

Vietnamese peacekeepers honoured with UN peacekeeping medals

Staff members of Vietnam’s Engineering Unit Rotation 1 at the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) Mission in Abyei on the border of South Sudan and Sudan have been honoured with UN medals for their dedication to UN peacekeeping missions.

The awards ceremony was held in the presence of Vietnamese Deputy Minister of National Defence Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, Deputy Minister of Public Security Lieutenant General Le Quoc Hung, and UNISFA Deputy Force Commander Brigadier General Abu Syed Mohammod Bakir.

Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Minister Chien praised the tireless efforts and various achievements made by Vietnam’s Engineering Unit Rotation 1 at the UNISFA Mission.

He emphasised that since Vietnam officially joined UN peacekeeping forces in 2014, it has successfully deployed over 500 personnel as part of peacekeeping missions and at the UN headquarters. Most notably, Vietnam sent a group of 28 members of Military Engineering Unit No.1 to the UNISFA Mission on May 5, the first members of the unit's outpost in Abyei.

These consistent efforts show that Vietnam can be viewed as a responsible member state of the UN that makes contributes to the common effort for peace, stability, and prosperity for all people globally, including those in Abyei, he said.

For his part, Commander Brigadier General Bakir highlighted Vietnamese contributions to the UN in general, with a specific focus on UN peacekeeping activities, highlighting them as an example for other countries to follow.

He also spoke highly of the dedication and professional working style shown by Vietnamese officers there.

Vietnam conducts over 261 million Covid-19 doses

Vietnam has conducted over 261 million Covid-19 doses as of Friday while the country confirmed an additional 582 new infections the same day, according to the Ministry of Health.

According to the ministry's report, the national caseload has so far increased to 11,496,354.

On October 21, an additional 356 more patients recovered from the disease, raising the number of recoveries in the country to over 10.60 million.

On Friday evening, no deaths from Covid-19 were recorded, the country's total fatalities stayed at 43,159, accounting for 0.4 per cent of total infections.

By October 20, the country had injected over 261 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines.

According to the National Immunisation Programme, some 300,000 million doses of Moderna vaccines will be brought to the country this week and 1.20 million doses of Pfizer vaccines will arrive next week. These doses will be distributed to different localities that have run out of vaccines for children.

Earlier in September, Vietnam also received three million Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine doses.

The Ministry of Health is expected to allocate the vaccines shortly to localities to ensure the inoculation of booster doses is on the right track. It is also coordinating with donors and agencies to receive more vaccines for various age groups.

Vietnam wins big at Asian Youth Chess Championships 2022

Vietnam has topped the medal tally at the Asian Youth Chess Championships 2022 in Indonesia, winning a total of 14 golds, 11 silvers, and eight bronzes.

The last day of the regional youth competition took place on October 21 in Bali, seeing the Vietnamese team earn a further four gold medals in blitz chess.

Earlier, the Vietnamese chess masters also secured five golds, five silvers, and one bronze in standard chess, along with five golds, four silvers, and four bronzes in rapid chess.

This year, Vietnam sent a total of 98 competitors to Bali across 12 age groups ranging from U8 to U18 for both boys and girls to compete against nearly 450 masters from 20 countries and territories across the globe.

Organisers are scheduled to present awards to both individual and team winners on October 22.

Vietnam Design Week 2022 looks towards new expectations

The Vietnam Design Week 2022 will take place in Hanoi, the central city of Hue and Ho Chi Minh City from November 5-11.

Co-organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Vietnam Institute of Culture and Arts Studies (VICAS) and Vietnam Design Group, the week will take the theme “Beyond Expectations” which is intended to seek and honour outstanding products and designers in fields that serve human’s everyday life such as Communication design, Living design, Decor & Object design, Clothing design, and Public design.

It will feature a series of events such as displays, seminars, and shows, aiming to stimulate the development of the cultural and innovative industry in general and designing in particular.

The organising board has so far selected 31 entries for completion for the final of the Designed by VietNam contest.

Last year, the week, themed “Awakening Traditions”, aimed to renew traditional values and promote sustainable design trends. It was co-hosted by the VICAS in collaboration with the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports and the Centre for Scientific and Cultural Activities of the Temple of Literature.

Vietnam needs to address severe acute malnutrition in children

Ninety percent of children suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) in Vietnam remain untreated, said Rana Flowers, UNICEF Representative to Vietnam, who called for policies and laws to enable it.

"SAM is the most lethal form of undernutrition, and one of the top threats to child survival," she said. "Around 1 in 5 deaths among children under 5 are attributed to this disease –globally, at least 13.6 million children under the age of 5 suffer from SAM. Tragically, a child in this condition is not a healthy child, making them more vulnerable to common illnesses. Evidence consistently shows that children with SAM are about 12 to 20 times more likely than a healthy child to die of common illnesses like pneumonia and diarrhea."

A report by UNICEF shows that some 230,000 children in Vietnam suffer from severe acute malnutrition every year.

To ensure that every child who has SAM receives treatment, irrespective of their ethnicity or socioeconomic status, UNICEF calls upon the Ministry of Health, the Government and the National Assembly to ensure that policies and laws, including the upcoming revision of Law on Medical Examination and Treatment.

OV scientist in France helps promote sustainable rice cultivation in Mekong Delta

Dr. Le Toan Thuy, an overseas Vietnamese scientist in France, has joined projects to help Vietnamese managers and farmers effectively develop rice cultivation models in the Mekong Delta region. 

In the last five years, Thuy involved herself in three projects – Georice hosted by the European Space Agency (ESA), GEMMES Vietnam funded by the French Development Agency (AFD), and VietSCO jointly implemented by the French Space Agency and the Vietnam National Space Centre. 

The projects aim to monitor and observe flood, drought and saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta by satellites, thus analysing their impact on rice yield, building a future simulation scenario of climate change and human impacts, and making predictions about effects on the region in the future.

The Mekong Delta is one of the key rice-growing regions of Vietnam, where monitoring is needed for measures to prevent crop damage caused by climate change, Thuy said. 

GeoRice has been implemented for two years, helping locals, managers, and policymakers of regional localities take appropriate adaptation solutions, thus ensuring rice farming in a sustainable manner.

Thuy said she hopes for more support from leaders at all levels, and expand cooperation with domestic scientists so that the projects’ next phases can be carried out smoothly.

As a partner in the projects, Dr. Vu Anh Tuan, Deputy General Director of VNSC, said the monitoring of rice area and monthly yield forecasting have brought about many benefits, helping Vietnamese farmers and businesses prevent and reduce damage caused by natural disasters, and build appropriate business plans. 

According to Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang, Thuy  is an example in scientific research, and also the leading female scientific researcher of the Vietnamese community there.

He highlighted the significance of the projects, saying that they not only contribute to strengthening scientific and technological cooperation, but also the friendship between Vietnam and France.

Vietnam pledges to continue ensuring human rights

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.

Delegates at the event called for promoting a multilateral, comprehensive, balanced and inclusive approach, and combining the fulfillment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals with ensuring and promoting human rights.

Music, theatre, comedy event for young people launched

The HCM City Youth Cultural House has launched a special event offering music, theatre and comedy performances as part of the centre’s efforts to entertain and attract young people.

The programme, called Ôm Sài Gòn (Beloved Sài Gòn), offers performances by veteran and young singers, dancers, musicians, and theatre artists from local theatres and art troupes.

The shows offer Vietnamese and foreign songs and music pieces designed in new concepts.

A recent show called Tình Ca Đỏ (Vietnamese Patriotic Songs) featuring professional singers of the HCM City Music Conservatory, such as Đông Quân, Hồng Mơ and Thanh Ngọc, attracted a large audience on October 15.

Patriotic music and dances about soldiers and President Hồ Chí Minh were highlighted.

Stand-up comedy performances by young artists Quang Trung and Hồng Phương from the comic group Sài Gòn Tếu will be staged on October 28.

Sài Gòn Tếu’s YouTube channel has attracted more than 500,000 subscribers one year after its release in 2020.

The channel’s livestream shows and online workshops about theatre and comedy entertain and educate young audiences.

“We have received many congratulations as well as encouragement from fans on our programme. Audience support will help our artists to bring laughter and meaningful life lessons through their art,” said Nguyễn Hồng Phúc, director of HCM City Youth Cultural House.

“We hope locals and visitors will learn more about the city’s culture and lifestyle through our programme.”

The shows of 'Beloved Sài Gòn' are staged at 6pm at weekend at HCM City Cultural House, 4 Phạm Ngọc Thạch Street, District 1. 

Hanoi International Film Festival 2022 to feature 123 works

As many as 123 films from over 50 countries and territories worldwide have been registered for the sixth Hanoi International Film Festival (HANIFF VI) from November 8-12, heard a press conference in Hanoi on October 20.

With the theme "Cinema - Humanity, Adaptation and Development", HANIFF VI will be jointly held by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Cinema Department and the municipal Department of Sports and Tourism. 

Speaking at the press conference, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ta Quang Dong said the festival aims to honour excellent international and Vietnamese cinematographic works with high artistic value, rich in humanity and creativity in cinematic language. 

It also encourages new Vietnamese and world talent in film acting and producing, and provides a platform for Vietnamese and foreign movie artists to share their professional expertise.

The deputy minister added that the event will also help promote tourism development and services, contributing to promoting  the image of Vietnam as a safe, friendly, peaceful, hospitable, integrated and developing country.

In the framework of the event, an exhibition highlighting Hanoi historical monuments and cultural heritages as film locations, and seminars on cinema highlights of the Republic of Korea and film production, will be organised. 

There will also be outdoor movie screening programmes, exchanges with actors and actresses, and sightseeing tours through some attractive destinations around Hanoi for guests and participants. 

 Awards will also be presented on the closing night ceremony at the Friendship Palace at 91 Tran Hung Dao street.

Vung Tau City faces large-scale inundation

Vung Tau City in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau has faced serious flooding due to torrential rains over the past two days.

On Thursday morning, the city also saw heavy downpours, turning many local streets into rivers.
 
The flooding caused traffic jams on major streets in the city, including Le Hong Phong, Le Loi, Xo Viet Nghe Tinh, Huyen Tran Cong Chua and Hoang Hoa Tham. Vehicles were left stranded after their engines stalled.

Many people had to leave their cars on the streets and called the rescue services for support due to the inundation.

This weather has been caused by a tropical low-pressure front on the East Sea.

Nguyen Thi Huong from Ward 2 said that she had never witnessed such serious flooding in the city before.

Landslides also happened in Nui Lon and Nui Nho areas. Many tourists staying at nearby hotels relocated to safe places.

Vietnamese Ao Dai introduced to Japanese friends

The history of Ao Dai (traditional Vietnamese long dress) through various periods of time was introduced to Japanese friends during an event held in Ho Chi Minh City on October 19.

The event was co-hosted by the Vietnam Union of Friendship Association’s chapter in Ho Chi Minh City and the Vietnam – Japan Friendship Association’s chapter in the city.

The event featured a collection of Ao Dai through the catwalks of students from the Ho Chi Minh City University of Culture.

On the occasion, Vietnamese fashion designer Sy Hoang introduced his latest Ao Dai collection inspired from Ukiyo-e, a traditional Japanese art.

Visitors at the event were also entertained with the beautiful melodies of Vietnam’s Quan Ho (love duet) folk singing - an UNESCO intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

Speaking at the event, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam – Japan Friendship Association’s chapter in Ho Chi Minh City Ho Xuan Lam said that in the past 30 years, the chapter has hosted many festivals and event to introduce Japanese culture to people in the city as well as to promote Vietnamese culture to Japanese friends.

These activities have helped to increase the mutual understanding between the peoples of the two countries while strengthening the friendship between Vietnam and Japan as well as between Ho Chi Minh City and Japanese localities, he said.

Smart healthcare program impeded by lack of money and staff

A lack of human and financial resources has impeded the progress of digital transformation and smart healthcare programs at hospitals, a representative of Hung Vuong Hospital said.

Hoang Thi Diem Tuyet, director of Hung Vuong Hospital, said her hospital has applied a smart healthcare program that was developed in July last year, but has not yet achieved targets. She was speaking during a meeting with the HCMC People’s Council held yesterday, October 19.

Hospitals have built IT infrastructure, set up administrative programs and established an IT department. However, it is hard to recruit enough IT staff as their salaries are way below average, Tuyet noted.

So far, the IT department at Hung Vuong Hospital has only two employees. “The hospital has advertised job openings all year round, yet the department has vacancies. There were applicants from time to time, but the hospital could not employ,” she said.

Information security and data safety are critical, as hospitals may face a lawsuit if patient data is leaked, Tuyet said, adding that apart from staff shortages, a lack of information security equipment is prevalent across hospitals due to its high price.

Thus, the director proposed raising salaries and offering perks for IT people to woo talent.

Food watchdogs should keep close watch on foodstuff on online

Food watchdogs in cities and provinces should keep a close watch on food products sold on the internet, which pose a high risk for consumers because these products do not guarantee food safety whereas the rate of online sales is much higher, said Ms. Le Thi Hong Hao, Director of the National Institute for Food Control.

The Director of the National Institute for Food Control made the statement at the scientific conference on food testing 2022 yesterday in Hanoi. Talking to the press, Ms. Hao said that lots of locally-manufactured food products and imported products are available in the market, so in order to give accurate evidence, testing science must first develop and thereby control food safety.

Food safety testing is currently concentrated mainly in big cities, according to her. Sub-departments of food safety and hygiene in provinces work ineffectively because they lack facilities, equipment, and human resources for testing, failing to meet the present requirements and the development trend.

She added that currently, every year, the Institute and other related agencies take several thousand samples of various types, especially food for health protection, for testing. Thankfully, a number of food products containing banned substances were destroyed before they are sold to consumers.

Ms. Hao also said that recently, incidents of food safety have decreased except for fraud in some groups such as nutritional supplements. However, she noticed that health administrations should pay attention to food products advertised online whose quality is not under monitor.

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen stated that poor quality products are still sold in the market countrywide, which poses many potential risks of causing food poisoning; therefore, they are harmful to human health. Responsible agencies are accordingly needed to take measures to control it.

Coast guards detect 40,000 liter DO oil without legal document

The Command of the Coast Guard Region 4 in the Mekong Delta Province of Kien Giang Province’s Phu Quoc City today said that while patrolling in the waters northwest of Tho Chu archipelago, following the detection of the fishing boat number TG.90108.TS with many suspicious signs, guards signaled to stop the ship to check according to regulations.

The captain of the fishing vessel number TG.90108.TS couldn’t produce legal documents of 40,000 liters of DO oil on board admitting that he illicitly transported fuel.

Coast guards discovered the vessel with four crew members on board and a 55-year-old captain had no connection to the cruise control device. The Captain admitted that there were 40,000 liters of DO oil on board without valid invoices and documents.

Guards of the Coast Guard Region Command made a record of administrative violations and sealed the infringing goods. The violating vessel was escorted to the port of Fleet 422 in Phu Quoc city for further investigation and penalties y according to the provisions of law.

According to statistics from the Coast Guard Region 4 Command, since the beginning of the year, the unit has detected and handled 25 cases. Coast policemen have imposed sanctions and transferred documents to competent agencies that collected an amount of nearly VND2 billion in fines as well as confiscated nearly 1.8 million liters of DO oil which were later sold at over VND36 billion. The money was put into the state budget.

Illegal trading, transportation, and porting of DO oil in the Southwest Sea not only directly affects the legal petroleum business but also causes a great loss of state budget revenue from the evasion of taxes and fees. Moreover, many Vietnamese fishing vessels, therefore, violated Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Hanoi monitors new strain of Covid-19

Hanoi's health sector has asked relevant units to continue monitoring the Covid-19 pandemic situation and be ready to take on new strains, said Director of Hanoi's Department of Health Tran Thi Nhi Ha.

"As of September 30, the city has registered more than 1.6 million cases of Covid-19. More than 21 million doses of vaccines have been administered. Among them, 98.6% of people over 18 years of age received the third dose, 99.9% of children in the age group have been injected with the second dose, and the coverage of the second dose for children aged 5 to under 12 years is 46.3%," Ha said.

"A new sub-variant of Omicron, known as XBB, has recently caused a significant increase in Covid-19 cases in Singapore. Given the complicated evolution of the pandemic caused by the Omicron variant in the world, the health sector of Singapore Hanoi has asked all relevant units to promptly prepare plans on vaccines, therapeutic drugs and anti-pandemic measures in response to the new SARS-CoV-2 virus strain," Ha stressed.

He added that the health sector had asked localities to strengthen pandemic prevention and control measures, accelerate vaccination, and reinforce medical personnel, supplies and equipment in localities with complicated pandemic evolution.

"Localities also need to proactively implement appropriate measures to treat new cases early to limit the occurrence of serious illness and death," the director noted.

Regarding human resources for medical examination and treatment at medical centers, the report noted that 100% of medical stations have doctors working at the stations, of which 86.3% have a doctor working full time at the station.

The school health program has cooperated with district health centers to check school health work and pandemic prevention in 107 secondary schools in 29 of the 30 districts.

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