The capital city of Hanoi officially opened the Le Van Luong - Belt Road No. 3 tunnel to traffic in the morning of October 5, part of the city's moves to address traffic congestion.

The 475m tunnel, the fourth of its kind in the city, is located at the intersection of Le Van Luong, Khuat Duy Tien and To Huu streets. It is one of the city’s key transport works.

The municipal Transport Department said traffic jams which last more than 30 minutes have been curbed, and the number of congestion hotspots during rush hour has decreased from 67 in 2013 to 32 at present.

Hoi An among world's most colorful places to visit

The ancient town of Hoi An in the central province of Quang Nam has made its way into a list of the world’s most colourful places compiled by luxury tour operator Unforgettable Croatia based on Tripadvisor reviews.

With 1,105 reviews commenting on its colors, Hoi An ranked third on the list after Nyhavn in Denmark with 2,755 reviews and Chihuly Garden and Glass in the US  with 1287 reviews, according to data collected last July by the London-based tour operator.

"The small town is renowned for its mix of Japanese, Chinese and French influences and streets lit with lanterns of all shapes, sizes and, more importantly, colors," it noted.

"In the evenings the lights from the yellow painted buildings and orange sun reflect off the water in a captivating way."

Colorful floating lanterns are also a distinct feature of Hoi An, which hosts the lantern festival on the 14th day of each lunar month, when all electric lights of the town are switched off. The town is a World Heritage site recognized by UNESCO.

The other colorful places on the list were: Park Guell in Spain, Bo-kaap in South Africa, Jardin Majorelle in Morocco, Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood in Russia, Park and National Palace of Pena in Portugal, Dubai Miracle Garden in the United Arab Emirates, La Boca in Argentina, and Busan Gamcheon Culture Village in the Republic of Korea.

Translation of book on geography under Nguyen Dynasty tops National Book Awards

A revised translation of "Hoang Viet nhat thong du dia chi", considered the first collection of geographical descriptions under the Nguyen Dynasty, has won the A prize of the 5th National Book Awards.

The book was written by the then defence chief Le Quang Dinh when King Gia Long was just crowned and was in the process of organising and stabilising the imperial court after several centuries of conflicts.

The winning edition was translated and annotated by Phan Dang and published by the The Gioi Publishers and Thaihabooks.

The A prize, also the highest one worth 100 million VND (4,186 USD), was announced at the award ceremony held in Hanoi on October 3 evening.

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc receives Russian Prosecutor General

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc hosted a reception in Hanoi on October 4 for Prosecutor General of Russia Igor Krasnov, who is on a working visit to Vietnam. 

During the meeting, the President affirmed that Vietnam always treasures and remembers the great help of the former Soviet Union and Russia today, and always strives to boost its comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia. 

The President suggested the two sides continue promoting cooperation and  exchange of delegations at all levels in order to strengthen friendship and mutual understanding, and share information on crime, thus improving the efficiency of their coordination in the fight against crime, especially cybercrime. 

President Phuc said the two sides need to strengthen cooperation in personnel training, and promote collaboration in new forms, contributing to further boosting the friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership between the two nations.

Krasnov, for his part, said the joint statement on the vision of Vietnam - Russia comprehensive strategic partnership by 2030 after the official visit by President Phuc to Russia in 2021 has opened important cooperation opportunities between ministries, sectors and localities of the two countries.

According to Krasnov, the Supreme People's Procuracy of Vietnam and the Prosecutor General's Office of Russia will sign a three-year cooperation programme from 2023 to 2025, opening up a new phase of cooperation in the fields of information technology, experience sharing in environmental protection, international cooperation on asset recovery, combating crimes related to human trafficking, tax, finance and cryptocurrency transaction. 

The Prosecutor's Office of Russia will help train officials and prosecutors for Vietnam, he said, adding that the two sides will regularly exchange experts

Two detained in Lang Son for infringing on State interests

The police in the northern province of Lang Son on October 3 launched legal proceeding against and detained two women for investigation into a criminal case of abusing the rights to democracy and freedom to infringe on the State’s interests and legitimate rights and interests of organisations and individuals.

The provincial People’s Procuracy approved those actions.   

Accordingly, Vu Bich Van (born 1971) and Ong Thi Thuy (born 1963), both residing in Vinh Trai ward, Lang Son province, have posted on their personal Facebook accounts many video clips on the gathering of people to complain about a residential project in the ward. The video clips contained many remarks defaming State agencies and violating legitimate rights and interests of organisations and individuals. Those remarks kindled negative comments, smearing the prestige of the administration.

Exhibition on comic books marks 30 years of Vietnam – RoK diplomatic ties

An exhibition on paintings and comic books marking 30 years of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea will be held at the S.hub Kids in the Ho Chi Minh City General Science Library on October 6.

The exhibition will introduce to viewers 50 comic books and 70 paintings presenting friendship and family, the Sai Gon Giai phong newspaper reported.

There will be exchanges among publishers to share the experience of publishing cooperation, especially comic books of authors of the two countries; and a meeting between authors and the Consul General of the RoK in HCM City on the implementation and promotion activities of comic books.

The event organised by the Consulate General of the RoK in HCM City and the HCMC General Science Library will run until October 23.

Two important projects discussed on second day of Party Central Committee 6th plenum

The 13th Party Central Committee discussed two important projects on October 4, the second working day of its 6th plenum.

In the morning, the committee debated the project on continuing to build and complete a law-governed socialist state of Vietnam in the new period at the hall, under the coordination of Politburo member and State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

In the afternoon, the committee worked in groups to give opinions on the project reviewing 15 years implementing the resolution of the 10th Party Central Committee’s 5th plenum on continuing to renew the method of the Party leadership over the operation of the political system.

RoK Ambassador honoured for contributions to relations with Vietnam

Outgoing Ambassador of the Republic of Korea (RoK) to Vietnam Park Noh-wa has been honoured with the “For peace and friendship among nations” insignia for his contributions to promoting friendship between the two countries.

President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga presented the insignia to the diplomat at a ceremony in Hanoi on October 4.

Nga praised Ambassador Park's great contributions to promoting cooperation in politics, diplomacy, economics, culture, and people-to-people exchanges.

During the three-year term in Vietnam, the two countries have organised high-level delegation exchanges, and reached important agreements which serve as a basis for deepening their strategic partnership, she said.

Painting exhibition comes to market fair

Foregoing both a museum and an exhibition house, a painting and installation exhibition showcasing the beauty of Vietnamese nature and life was held at a market fair in Thanh Hoa province, with a view to bringing Vietnamese art closer to the public.

Foregoing both a museum and an exhibition house, a painting and installation exhibition showcasing the beauty of Vietnamese nature and life was held at a market fair in Thanh Hoa province, with a view to bringing Vietnamese art closer to the public.

On this day, Bia market fair in Thach Thanh district, Thanh Hoa province is totally different from other days, with an exhibition space, entitled “Rung xoe 3”, arranged for various colourful paintings and installations from 22 popular artists.

Earlier this year, more than 60 artworks were displayed on the banks of Dong Ngu Lake in Thach Thanh district, raising public awareness about the environment, climate change, and world peace.

The exhibition then came to Bia market fair, where artists created and told their own stories, helping local market-goers gain a deeper insight into art.

Art truly is life, and is not at all difficult to understand. However, there are few exhibitions like this that help rural people understand the beauty beneath what they see.

Vietnam attends various ASEAN connectivity events

Ambassador Nguyen Hai Bang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to ASEAN, took part in a series of events held in Phnom Penh from October 1 – 4 aimed at promoting ASEAN connectivity. 

They included the third meeting of the ASEAN Connectivity Coordinating Committee (ACCC) this year, the dialogue between ACCC and the Lead Implementing Body for Sustainable Infrastructure (LIB-SI), the fifth Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 (MPAC 2025) Monitoring, Review and Evaluation (MRE) Meeting, the 13rd ASEAN connectivity forum, and a consultation between ACCC and dialogue partners.

Son Doong tops world's 10 greatest natural caves: Wonderlist

Son Doong cave in the central province of Quang Binh has recently topped the list of the 10 Greatest Natural Caves in the world by famous travel website Wonderlist.

The site stated that it is the world’s largest cave, which was formed by the erosion of limestone underneath the mountains by river water.

“The cave hides a whole world inside it, with its river, jungle and climate. Some of the world’s tallest stalagmites are found here,” the website noted.

According to Wonderlist, the cave has a large calcite wall called The Great Wall of Vietnam, behind which abnormally large cave pearls the size of baseballs were found.

Son Doong Cave was surveyed by the British Royal Cave Research Association (BRCA) in 2009. With a volume of 38.5 million cubic metres, the cave is the largest natural cave in the world.

On April 30, 2013, Son Doong was recognised as the largest cave in the world by the Guinness World Records. Since its milestone, it has become a symbol and brand of Vietnam’s tourism.

It has been voted and honoured by prestigious international travel magazines, such as the top 11 best tourist destinations around the world in 2019 by Telegraph, one of the five most desirable destinations of the world in 2019 by Lonely Planet, and one of the top destinations in 2022 by AFAR.

Vietnamese chefs to compete at FHA Culinary Challenge 2022

The Saigon Professional Chefs Association under the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association (HTA) announced on October 4 the list of local chefs who will represent the country by competing in the FHA Culinary Challenge (FCC 2022).

The contest is scheduled to take place from October 25 to October 28 in Singapore.

In association with the World Association of Chefs’ Societies (WorldChefs) and supported by the Singapore Chefs’ Association (SCA) and regional chef’s associations, the FCC will provide the perfect platform for culinary talents from around the world to display their masterly skills. In addition, they can be accredited by a panel of internationally-acclaimed judges approved by WorldChefs.

Vietnamese chefs also gained outstanding achievements at other FCC competitions, winning two golds, three silvers, and a bronze in previous versions of the event.

Air routes to Vietnam among most searched locations by Indians

The international air route connecting Delhi and the nation was the second most searched for route by Indians ahead of the Dussehra holiday, business publication Financial Express has revealed.

Dussehra, also known as Vijayadashami, is one of the largest festivals observed by the Hindu community in India, with the annual celebration set for October 5 this year.

The newspaper cited data from India-based travel platform ixigo that analysed the frequency of flight searches for travel between October 1 and October 7.

The other most searched international routes were New Delhi-London, Chennai-Singapore, Mumbai-Dubai, Mumbai-Male, and New Delhi-Bali.

Vietnamese restaurant in Asia's 25 best

Kabin Restaurant is the only Vietnamese representative to make it to the list of Asia's 25 best fine dining restaurants voted by TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel website.

Kabin Restaurant, on the second floor of the Renaissance Riverside Hotel in downtown Ho Chi Minh City ranked 24th in the annual Tripadvisor Travelers' Choice Best of the Best Awards.

The dishes are cooked according to traditional recipes, served in a luxurious space.

Kabin also ranked first on the list of 10 best luxury restaurants in Vietnam. The remaining 9 restaurants include: Vista Restaurant (Mui Ne, Binh Thuan), Temple Restaurant (Hoi An, Quang Nam), Hemispheres Steak & Seafood Grill, Rhythms Restaurant, Cloud Nine Restaurant and French Grill (Hanoi), Moo Beef Steak - Prime (Ho Chi Minh City), Grill 63 (Hanoi), Don Cipriani's (Da Nang).

VN gets tough on son preference and gender-biased sex selection

Việt Nam is continuing to improve the legal framework to enhance gender equality and eliminate the stereotype of son preference, undervaluing of girls and gender-biased sex selection for the country’s sustainable development, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs has said.

Speaking at a workshop held on Tuesday, Nguyễn Thị Hà, vice minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, said Việt Nam always considered gender equality a goal and a driving force for the country’s sustainable development.

Việt Nam had made great progress in gender equality over the past decade. However, sex selection on the basis of gender stereotypes continued to persist in society. This practice had been identified as the main cause of the imbalance in the sex ratio at birth in Việt Nam.

According to the Population and Housing Census, the sex ratio at birth in 2021 was 112 boys per 100 girls. The rate without any human intervention is 105 boys per 100 girls.

It is forecast that by 2034, Việt Nam will have an excess of 1.5 million men aged 15-49 and the number will reach 2.5 million by 2059.

In 2016, UNFPA received a financial contribution from the European Union to support the global programme to stop son preference and gender-based sex selection in order to build and strengthen evidence-based national strategies, policies and programmes to address the issue.

The programme was conducted in six countries in Asia and the Caucasus, including Nepal, Bangladesh and Việt Nam. UNFPA, in cooperation with the Government of Norway, has implemented the second phase of the programme in the 2020-2022 period, focusing on Bangladesh, Nepal and Việt Nam.

Italian movies to entertain Vietnamese audiences

Seven movies representing Italian society will be screened in Hà Nội and HCM City as part of the Italian Film Festival 2022.

Italian ambassador to Việt Nam Antonio Alessandro said the event is being organised in collaboration with the Asian Film Festival of Rome and aims to offer the Vietnamese public a glimpse at contemporary Italian cinema.

Through drama and comedy, intimate stories and urban city life, these seven movies perfectly depict Italian contemporary society which faces new challenges amid efforts to maintain its deep roots in its past, he said.

Antonio Termenini, director of the Asian Film Festival of Rome, said Italian cinema has not been known widely and presented in many areas in the world though it has prize-winning films at Cannes Film Festival or the Oscars.

The movies include Everything’s gonna be Alright (Cosa Sara), The Great Silence (Il Silenzio Grande), Doctor on Call (Una note da dottore), A Rirl Returned (L’arminuta), Breaking up in Rome (Lasciarsi un Giorno a Roma), The Inner Cage (Aria Ferma), and The King of Laugh (Qui rido io).

Free tickets are available at the National Cinema Center in Hà Nội, where the films are screened till October 9.

The festival will also take place at the DCINE Bến Thành at 6 Mạc Đĩnh Chi Street in District 1 of HCM City from October 10 to October 16.

Flash floods cause $4.16 million damage in Nghe An

Recent flash floods, triggered by torrential rain, have cost up to VNĐ100 billion (US$4.16 million) in damage in Kỳ Sơn District in the central province of Nghệ An.

The flash floods swept away 14 houses and inundated dozens of others. Household items and personal effects were also buried in a layer of mud more than a metre thick.

The provincial Military Command had dispatched 150 soldiers, the provincial Border Guard had sent 60 soldiers and the provincial Police Department had sent 50 police to assist local people.

Lai Chau cracks down on illegal gold mines

Authorities of the northern mountainous province of Lai Chau have raided 30 illegal gold mines.

The move started on September 28 and is scheduled to end on October 5 with the participation of 400 local police and military officers.

The gold mines are located in Noong Heo and Nam Cuoi communes in Sin Ho District and Vang San Commune and Nam Kha A area in Muong Te District.

Many trees have been cut down and a large area of land has been dug up for gold mining. The nearby stream has also become polluted due to gold panning.

The central province of Quang Nam decided to spend VND20 billion (USD862,068) to tackle violations at Bong Mieu Gold Mine between 2022 and 2024. This is aimed to protect untapped gold resources, prevent illegal gold mining, and maintain security and order as well as environmental protection in the area.

Hanoi metro serves 5 million passengers in 10 months

Hanoi's Cat Linh-Ha Dong metro line served 5.40 million passengers during the first 10 months of operation, according to the Hanoi Metro Company.

According to the company's report, the city's first metro route served an average of over 18,300 passengers daily. Some 54 percent of the passengers use monthly passes. It made over VND 46 billion (USD2 million) in revenue during the first 10 months.

The number of passengers have risen in recent months.

The line was officially inaugurated on January 13 this year after 10 years of construction with a total investment of over USD868 million from China’s official development assistance.

The elevated line is more than 13km long and has 12 stations and 13 trains.

Trains run every 10 minutes with a capacity of 960 passengers per train. One-way tickets cost between VND 8,000-15,000 for a trip and VND30,000 for a day pass. A monthly pass is priced at VND 200,000.

HCMC reports over 300 long-stalled projects

HCMC has 302 long-delayed projects whose land use rights have been approved by the municipal People’s Council, but their deadlines for land compensation and conversion of land use purpose have expired.

Since 2016, the municipal People’s Council has passed 11 resolutions allowing land reclamation and the conversion of land use purpose for 1,445 projects, with 21% of them having stalled, Nguyen Toan Thang, director of the HCMC Department of Natural Resources and Environment, said at a meeting on October 4.

Among these approved projects, as many as 402 have been completed, while 741 other projects are under development.

The district-level governments in HCMC have proposed stripping the 302 long-stalled projects of their land use rights, the local media reported.

Vietnam's education leaps in 2022: Minister

In comparison with previous years, there has been significant progress in the education sector when five universities in Vietnam are included in THE ranking and other five higher education institutions are being listed in the Best Global Universities Ranking 2022 featuring an overall ranking of more than 1,700 universities.

In a question-answering report sent to the National Assembly deputies to prepare for the fourth session of the fifth National Assembly, Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son said that in 2022, approximately 1,002,432 candidates registered the high school graduation and 989,863 of them took the exam, reaching the rate of 98.75 percent.

This is the first year that students in twelfth graders register for the high school graduation exam online on the exam management system.

The enrollment support system or the National Public Service Portal has fully supported candidates during the registration process, at the highest time, more than 6,000 candidates entered the system, but there was no overload or technical errors. According to statistics, the number of candidates applying for admission in 2022 decreased by 20 percent compared to 2021 and only 3.4 percent compared to 2020.

Education Minister Son said that Vietnamese higher education institutions continue to be ranked high and increase their rankings on international prestigious rankings.

Compared to previous years, the education sector has made a huge leap when up to five representatives of Vietnam are included in THE ranking while other five higher education institutions in the Best Global Universities Ranking 2022 (Best Global Universities) and two more higher education institutions (total of 5 institutions) in the QS World University Rankings 2023. In the ranking of countries in the field of education in 2021, Vietnam ranks 59th, up five notches compared to 2020.

Lam Dong directs investigation of pine forest destruction

The Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee directed relevant units to urgently investigate and strictly handle pine forest destruction in Gia Lam Commune, Lam Ha District.

Specifically, the People’s Committee of Lam Dong Province required the Head of the People’s Committee of Lam Ha District to direct the relevant agencies of the district urgently to verify, investigate and complete the documents, papers to handle the violation soon.

The forest owner was requested to clean up debris at the scene, promptly complete the documents and immediately perform forest restoration and replanting before October 15 of 2022. Additionally, it is important to review and clarify the responsibilities of relevant agencies, units, localities and individuals to handle in accordance with the regulations. 

According to the forest owner, the subjects took advantage of the storm and downpours to reduce noise from saw.

Vietnam calls for global efforts to promote sustainable development

Vietnam called for national, regional and global efforts to promote sustainable development at the Economic and Financial Committee’s meeting of the United Nations General Assembly’s 77th session on October 3-4. 

Speaking at the event, Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang said in order to turn political commitments into practical actions, countries need to make efforts at national, regional and global levels. 

At the national level, people should be placed in the centre of every development policy and strategy. Countries should give priority to building a solid macroeconomic foundation and improving their economies' resilience to shocks. At the regional level, cohesion and cooperation with regional and sub-regional mechanisms should be stepped up to address challenges and promote sustainable development, through the sharing of lessons, practices and models, he said. 

Giang stressed that at the global level, peace, security and stability are prerequisites to put the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development back on track, and called for the peaceful settlement of disputes in line with international law and the UN Charter and an end to conflicts.

In his opinion, it is necessary to ensure long-term access to finance, narrow gaps in the global debt structure, and increase investment in transport and energy infrastructure, information technology, innovation, science and education. More attention is needed for the least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing countries, as well as middle income countries.
 
The diplomat called for the immediate lifting of unilateral embargo measures that run counter to international law as well as the continuation of reforming the UN system, strengthening international cooperation and solidarity, including South-South and trilateral cooperation. 

Highlighting Vietnam’s achievements in fulfilling the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Giang affirmed that Vietnam always actively joins regional and global efforts to push forward sustainable development and improve people’ lives. 

He called on the international community to support Vietnam’s run for a seat at the UN Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 tenure to contribute more to common work of the world. 

‘Alice in Wonderland’ musical play premiered on the Hanoi stage

The ‘Alice in Wonderland’ musical play was brought to the stage of the Hanoi Opera House, on the evenings of October 3 and 4.

The project was made possible after three months of working together with artists from the Theatre of Vietnam, the Pacific Ocean Partners (POP) Group and the Australian Institute of Music.

‘Alice in Wonderland’ is a world-famous novel for children by British author Lewis Carroll. Published in 1886, it has been translated into many languages and has been adapted to many art genres, including cinema, performing arts, and cartoons.

The stage version adaption in Vietnam was produced by a team of young people, including 21-year-old director Le Dieu My, musician Tran Quang Duy, and 16-year-old choreographer Le Minh Anh.

It brought together artists from both Vietnam and Australia, who share a common passion for the art.

Vietnam calls for eliminating all forms of discrimination against women, girls

Vietnam has affirmed the importance of preventing and eliminating all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls, at an October 4 discussion of the Third Committee on Social, Humanitarian & Cultural Issues at the UN General Assembly’s 77th Session.

Le Thi Minh Thoa, Deputy Permanent Representative of Vietnam at the UN, said the international community needs to define the role of women as goals, motivations, subjects and beneficiaries of sustainable growth.

She proposed countries include gender issues and women's empowerment in their national planning and policymaking works to ensure that women and girls have equal and full participation and enjoyment in the development process.

Women themselves need to take advantage of opportunities brought about by the 4th Industrial Revolution and digital transformation to catch up with development trends and maximise their potential and strengths, she noted.

The representative of Vietnam called on international organisations and development partners to continue supporting UN member states to fulfill their global commitments and obligations in protecting the rights of women and girls.

Gender equality has always been respected in Vietnam’s national policies, Thoa affirmed, adding that ensuring women’s role, participation and contribution in the economic, political and social life is not only a commitment but also a norm in Vietnam.

Hanoi to develop public spaces combining traditionality, modernity

A seminar discussing the development of public spaces with the harmonisation of traditional and modern values in Hanoi was held by the municipal Department of Culture and Sports on October 4.

Participants discussed many issues related to architectures that combine traditionality and modernity in public spaces; opportunities to create a community and creative city from public art and space; and principles of design, operation and management of public spaces towards sustainable urban development.

Dr. Emmanuel Cerise - representative of the Ile-de-France region in Hanoi and co-director of the  Paris Region Experise (PRX - Vietnam), emphasised the importance to pay attention to ensuring sustainability in implementing art projects in public spaces in order to minimise degradation caused by the weather and human. 

He also pointed out opportunities for the formation of public art spaces in Hanoi in the near future when metro stations will be built.

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