Three Vietnamese have topped the global ranking of the IEEEXtreme Programming Competition, a global challenge that brought thousands of students from around the world together into a 24-hour event.

The trio consists of Le Bao Hiep, Nguyen Vu Dang Huy, and Ho Ngoc Vinh Phat from the Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City’s University of Science.

The success of their group, named HCMUSBurnedTomatoes, marked the fourth consecutive years since 2019 the university having students among those leading the competition’s rankings.

Operated by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the virtual contest took place from 7am on October 22 to 7am on the next day. This year, it gathered more than 12,000 students from 4,271 teams worldwide.

In addition to the winning team, the HCMUSHenoWorld, another group from the University of Science, finished at the 7th place in the world and 5th in the Asia-Pacific region.

Fifth Vovinam Ambassador Championship concludes in Algeria

The fifth Viet Vo Dao Vovinam Ambassador Championship concluded in Algiers, the capital city of Algeria on October 22, with the first prize for team coming to the Association sportive de la Surete nationale Club.

This is a traditional championship held by the Vietnamese Embassy in Algeria and the Vovinam Federation of Algeria every two years, aiming to encourage the practice of Vietnamese martial art in the north African country and strengthen cultural exchange between the two countries.

This year’s tournament is part of activities to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic relations (October 28, 1962 – 2022).

The event was launched on October 21 with the competition of more than 200 martial artists across Algeria.

On the occasion, the Vietnamese Embassy also held painting exhibition on the history of Vietnam - Algeria relations, Vietnamese culture, cuisine, and tourism, as well as introducing traditional dishes to the guests.

Number of passengers through Vietnamese airports decrease in October

The number of passengers through Vietnamese airports reached 7.1 million in October, down 11.6% month-on-month, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV).

The figure represented a year-on-year surge of 1,814%, but a decrease of 23.3% against October of 2019 before the COVID-19 outbreak.

In the month, Vietnamese airports served 1.3 million foreign tourists, down 1.4% month-on-month, but up 2,794% year-on-year; and 5.8 million domestic passengers, down 13.6% month-on-month, and up 1,679% year-on-year.

In October, Vietnamese airlines served a total of over 3.3 million passengers, including 614,000 foreigners.

This is the second consecutive month the number of air passengers has recorded a fall. The CAAV said that the low season can last until the end of December every year and the number of air passengers only increases again during the New Year holidays.

In the period from September 19 to October 18, Vietnamese airlines conducted 25,037 flights, down 17.6% from the previous month; in which 23,314 took off on time, accounting for the on-time ratio (OTP) of 93.1%, up 2.5 percentage points compared to the previous month.

Vietnamese cuisine, culture introduced at South Africa Diplomatic Fun Fair 2022

Vietnam’s cuisine and culture was introduced at the Diplomatic Fun Fair 2022 held by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa on October 22.

Accordingly, the Vietnamese Embassy brought to the event ‘ao dai’ (Vietnamese traditional gown) and conical hats, as well as photos featuring the beauty of Vietnamese land and people, and typical handicraft products.

Visitors to the Vietnamese stall were offered a chance to enjoy and learn how to cook spring rolls and fried spring rolls, and drink Vietnamese coffee.

First held in 2006, the annual fair brings together foreign diplomatic missions in South Africa. After a 2-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 fair was attended by 60 diplomatic missions and international organisations, including UN agencies.

Samsung Vietnam to build 6th Hope School

Samsung Vietnam, the Vinh Phuc provincial Department of Foreign Affairs, Lao Thach district People's Committee and Korea Food for the Hungry International (KFHI) have jointly signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to implement the Samsung Hope School project in Bac Son village.

The project implemented in the northern province of Vinh Phuc will contribute to bringing the total number of Samsung Hope Schools built in Vietnam to six. This means in the future, it is expected that a total of about 3,000 disadvantaged students in Bac Ninh, Thai Nguyen, Bac Giang, Lang Son, Dong Nai and Vinh Phuc provinces will be able to access more comprehensive learning and development conditions through participating in extracurricular classes after regular school hours.

Following the synchronisation standards of the Samsung Hope School chain and inheriting the success of previous projects, Samsung Hope School in Vinh Phuc will also be built with modern equipment, a synchronous system including classrooms, multi-purpose buildings, library, football field, and cafeteria. At the same time, with the aim of creating comprehensive educational development opportunities, the Hope School will be the place to implement the "Child Development Program (CDP)" for 500 disadvantaged students from primary school to junior high school in the province.

“Vietnamese Soul” art programme returns to serve tourists in Da Nang

On October 22, Nguyen Hien Dinh Tuong (Classical Drama) Theatre in the central city of Da Nang held the traditional art programme entitled “Vietnamese Soul” to serve tourists again after more than two years of temporary suspension due to the COVID-19 epidemic.

This is a special art performance programme staged to serve tourists that officially launched on July 20, 2019, with performances held regularly on weekdays (except Wednesday) and at the request of the audience.

This is one of the activities to contribute to preserving and promoting traditional art, bringing the art of Tuong closer to the public and tourists.

The traditional art programme will officially return from November 16 at Nguyen Hien Dinh Tuong Theatre, serving domestic and foreign audiences, especially visitors to Da Nang.

Thua Thien Hue promotes tourism in Thailand

In order to promote the potentials and strengths of Thua Thien Hue and attract Thai tourists to the central province, the People’s Committee of Thua Thien Hue Province coordinated with the Vietnamese Embassy in Thailand to hold a workshop on October 22 to introduce and promote tourism in Thailand.

Speaking at the workshop, Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Phan Chi Thanh said that Thua Thien Hue is a famous tourist destination of Vietnam with rich natural resources, unique cultural identity, and many cultural similarities with famous landmarks of Thailand such as Ayutthaya, Sukhothai, and Bangkok.

According to Standing Vice Chairman of Thua Thien Hue Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Thanh Binh, the organisation of the workshop aimed to promote unique tourist destinations and products of Thua Thien Hue to Thai tourists.

The province has planned to organise the Hue Festival 2023 in the form of a four-season festival to introduce and promote the image of Thua Thien Hue as a safe, friendly and hospitable destination imbued with traditional cultural identity, he noted.

Kayak race held for the first time on Da River

The People’s Committee of Da Bac District, in the northern mountainous province of Hoa Binh, organised a Kayak race on Da River and a walk to raise funds for environmental protection on October 22.

The event attracted the participation of over 250 lovers of the sport.

This is an important event to celebrate the major holidays of the year and respond to the World Tourism Year 2022, towards the National Tourism Year 2023.

Central bank urges compliance with forex rules

The HCMC branch of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has told local banks and foreign bank branches to strictly comply with foreign exchange regulations after the trading band of the Vietnamese dong currency was widened from 3% to 5% on either side of the central exchange rate.

The central bank’s city branch also requested domestic banks and foreign bank branches to publicly announce their exchange rates between the Vietnam dong and the U.S. dollar.

The authorities will inspect foreign exchange agents to ensure they comply with the prevailing regulations.

On October 17, the central bank widened the trading band of the Vietnamese dong amid the strong rise of the U.S. dollar against many other currencies.

HCMC starts project on preserving, promoting value of Don Ca Tai Tu Nam Bo

The Department of Culture and Sports of HCMC has kicked off the “Promotion and preservation of the value of the intangible cultural heritage, Don Ca Tai Tu Nam Bo (southern amateur music) in HCMC from now until 2025”.

The  “Promotion and preservation of the value of the intangible cultural heritage, Don Ca Tai Tu Nam Bo (southern amateur music) in HCMC from now until 2025” project will be carried out in accordance with the Law on Cultural Heritage under close connectivity between competent departments and agencies, including the HCMC Cultural Center, HCMC Museum, the General Sciences Library of HCMC, HCMC Exhibition and Information Center, the city’s Department of Cultural Heritages, HCMC Conservatory Of Music, University of Theater and Cinema of HCMC, the People’s Committees of districts and Thu Duc City, researchers and artisans.

UNESCO recognized Don Ca Tai Tu Nam Bo as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The southern amateur traditional music was recognized for the prize at the 8th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage held in Baku, Azerbaijan in December 2013.

Vietnam's tourist destinations popularised

Breaking Travel News, a world leading online tourism information website, has run a story highlighting major tourist destinations of Vietnam that have been honoured with the World Travel Awards recently.

It spotlighted Ho Chi Minh City as a metropolis vibrating with energy, innovation and traffic, describing the city as the economic heart of the country and the main hub of the southern region.

A freewheeling, cosmopolitan metropolis, the dynamic cityscape draws together old and new Vietnam in the most compact of spaces, representing the past as well as the future,  it said, adding Ho Chi Minh City was honoured with the title of Asia’s Leading Business Travel Destination.

Meanwhile, founded over 1,000 years ago, Hanoi remains a jewel in the Vietnam tourism crown, it said.

The capital city is rich in history, with the streets of its rambling Old Quarter dating back to the 14th century. “Wandering these tree-lined lanes, past crumbling colonial facades, will transport you back in time,” it said.

According to Breaking Travel News, with broad beaches, fantastic street food, the fabled Hai Van Pass and a growing collection of cafes, restaurants and bars, Da Nang is a fast-growing favourite on the Vietnam tourist trail.

The warm sands of My Khe beach sweep south from the mountainous Son Tra peninsula, playing host to some of the top luxury resorts in the country.

Also honoured by the World Travel Awards is Moc Chau which took the title of Asia’s Leading Regional Nature Destination earlier this year.

A rural district in the northwest of the country, the area remains undisturbed by mass tourism. Home to the famous tea hills which roll across the highland landscape, the region provides some of the most awe-inspiring scenery anywhere in the country, the website underlined.

It noted that Vietnam has fully reopened to tourists earlier this year, allowing visitors to be free to discover and enjoy various wild nature destinations like limestone mountains, green terraced rice fields and white sandy beaches.

ASEAN to hold special meeting on Myanmar

ASEAN foreign ministers will convene a special meeting in Indonesia on October 27 to discuss the Myanmar peace process, Cambodia's foreign ministry said on October 23.

According to spokesman of the ministry Chum Sounry, the event to take place at the headquarters of the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta will cover the implementation of a five-point peace consensus on the Myanmar situation in an effort to end conflict in the country. Cambodia is the current the Chair of ASEAN.

The ASEAN consensus had been agreed at the bloc’s Leaders Meeting (ALM) in Jakarta last April.

It calls for the “immediate cessation of violence” with all parties exercising “utmost restraint”; a constructive dialogue among all parties; the mediation of such talks by a special envoy of the ASEAN chair; provision of humanitarian assistance coordinated by ASEAN; and a visit to Myanmar by an ASEAN delegation, headed by the special envoy, to meet with all parties.

In August, Myanmar's leader, Sen. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing said that some points of the consensus would be implemented this year.

Vietnam supports visions to respond to global challenges, promote economic recovery

Vietnam supports the implementation of visions and roadmaps outlined in the Bridgetown Covenant adopted at the 15th session of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD15) in October 2021 to help countries overcome inequality and vulnerability towards comprehensive and sustainable recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic, a Vietnamese diplomat has said. 

Ambassador Le Thi Tuyet Mai, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations (UN), the World Trade Organisation and other international organisations in Geneva, made the comment at a high-level debate themed “Getting the global economy back on track and addressing the most pressing challenges” within the framework of the 72nd executive session of the UNCTAD in Geneva on October 20-21. 

At the meeting, the Vietnamese diplomat affirmed that Vietnam strongly supports the central role played by the UN, including UNCTAD, in global governance to address common global challenges.

She underlined the need for solutions and coordinated actions at the international, regional and national levels to address challenges and create conditions for inclusive and sustainable growth, saying that people should be put at the heart of development policies and strategies.

The support of development partners is needed to come up with innovative solutions and actions in order to secure resources and finance from all sources to increase support for low-income countries, especially under-developed country, in addressing global issues to promote trade and inclusive and sustainable development, she said.

Cham Brahman people celebrates Kate festival

The Cham Brahman people’s traditional Kate festival is underway in the south-central province of Ninh Thuan, attracting thousands of local residents and tourists.

Visitors to the event, which takes place from October 23-25 this year, can witness rituals such as the genie's costume procession, the opening of tower gates, and genie statue bathing. They also have a chance to enjoy performances of local Gi Nang drum and Saranai horn.

Falling on the first day of the seventh month of the Cham calendar, Kate is the biggest festival in the year of the Cham Brahman people. It reminds the ethnic Brahman community of their ancient gods and delivers wishes for bumper harvests and the growth of all beings.  

There are more than 53,700 Cham Brahman people in Ninh Thuan who live mainly in the districts of Ninh Phuoc, Thuan Nam, Thuan Bac and Ninh Hai, and Phan Rang-Thap Cham city.

The Kate Festival was recognised as a national intangible cultural heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2017.

Number of passengers through Vietnamese airports decrease in October

The number of passengers through Vietnamese airports reached 7.1 million in October, down 11.6% month-on-month, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV).

The figure represented a year-on-year surge of 1,814%, but a decrease of 23.3% against October of 2019 before the COVID-19 outbreak.

In the month, Vietnamese airports served 1.3 million foreign tourists, down 1.4% month-on-month, but up 2,794% year-on-year; and 5.8 million domestic passengers, down 13.6% month-on-month, and up 1,679% year-on-year.

In October, Vietnamese airlines served a total of over 3.3 million passengers, including 614,000 foreigners.

In the period from September 19 to October 18, Vietnamese airlines conducted 25,037 flights, down 17.6% from the previous month; in which 23,314 took off on time, accounting for the on-time ratio (OTP) of 93.1%, up 2.5 percentage points compared to the previous month.

171 more Vietnamese return from Cambodia

As many as 171 Vietnamese citizens have just returned to Tay Ninh Border Gate after being rescued from several casinos and gambling firms in Cambodia.

According to the Consulate General of Vietnam in Battambang Province, they have recently received many letters calling for help from Vietnamese working at local casinos and gambling firms. On September 13, representatives from the consulate came to work with the police of Oddar Meanchey Province, asking for co-operation in the investigation and rescue of Vietnamese workers.

Cambodian carried out checks at casinos and online gambling companies in Samrong City, Oddar Meancheay Province between October 11 and 17 and rescued 171 Vietnamese citizens who were coerced into working for them.

The workers were handed over to the Vietnamese consulate and were then brought to the Xa Mat International Border Gate in Tay Ninh Province on October 22. After completing necessary procedures, they returned to their respective localities on October 23.

Earlier on October 11, the border gate in Tay Ninh also received 78 Vietnamese workers from Cambodia. In mid September, 92 others also returned after being rescued from casinos in Cambodia.

According to the Vietnam Consulate General in Cambodia, so far this year, more than 600 Vietnamese citizens have returned home after escaping or being rescued from local casinos where they were ill treated. Most of them were victims of online labour export scams.

Education sector to improve human resources for tech industry

The Ministry of Education and Training has unveiled a plan to improve the training of high-quality human resources for the technology sector to enhance competitiveness in the region and the world.

Speaking at a seminar organised by the ministry last week, Dr. Nguyễn Thị Thu Thủy, director of the ministry’s Higher Education Department, said the ministry has been assigned to develop a project to improve human resources training for hi-tech development.

The project will focus on providing training and retraining of human resources, and attracting individuals and businesses to participate in human resource training for high-tech development.

It will also enhance co-operation between the State, enterprises and vocational facilities to provide highly qualified human resources for hi-tech enterprises.

Under the project, a number of training programmes will be implemented to increase the number of qualified and high-quality human resources in the sector.

A highly qualified workforce would greatly contribute to a Government goal of making Việt Nam a developing country with hi-tech industries by 2030, and a developed and high-income country by 2045.

Legal advice for Vietnamese workers in RoK

The Vietnam Labor Management Office under the EPS (Employment Permit System) Program (VEWMO) in collaboration with the Siheung City Foreign Workers Support Center held a meeting on October 13 to provide legal advice to Vietnamese workers in Gyeonggi province and surrounding areas.

In recent times, the Vietnam Labor Management Board and the EPS Office have actively co-ordinated efforts with relevant Korean agencies in order to welcome all flights for migrant workers, give lectures, and guide related procedures at Korean training centres.

Furthermore, the EPS Office also conducts verification of information on employees who do not comply with labour contracts or flee from their workplace.

The office also provided supports for employees to register for flights to return home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, whilst also helping to extend their residence to wait for flights, helping workers with COVID-19, and dealing with other procedures.

According to the content of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the EPS Program, signed by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs of Vietnam and the Korean Ministry of Employment and Labor in 2021, the two sides have co-ordinated to organise Korean language exams. In total, their collaboration has helped to bring 6,057 Vietnamese workers to the RoK over the past two years.

The two sides therefore agreed to continue to promote the management and support workers during their time living and working in the RoK, especially during the time when workers are about to end their contracts and return home.

From the fourth quarter of the year, they will continue to negotiate and are expected to re-sign the MoU in early 2023 as a basis for continuing to bring workers to the East Asian nation to work.

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