The Budapest Vietnamese-language centre in Hungary recently launched the 2022-2023 academic year, in response to the Day for Honouring Vietnamese Language in Vietnamese Communities Abroad (September 8).

At the event, Ambassador  Nguyen Thi Bich Thao spoke highly of the good performance by the centre’s students in the 2021-2022 academic year as well as enthusiasm and efforts to preserve the Vietnamese language of its teachers.

The embassy will continue supporting the centre, contributing to increasing the community’s awareness of learning and preserving the Vietnamese language as the most effective way to maintain and spread the Vietnamese culture among the Vietnamese community in Hungary, and popularise the language among foreigners.

On this occasion, the diplomat presented certificates to the centre's teachers who had successfully completed the course on Vietnamese language teaching co-organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education and Training.

“The Brilliant Darkness” wins Best Feature Film at Golden Kite Awards 2020

“Dem Toi Ruc Ro” (The Brilliant Darkness) by director Aaron Toronto, was honoured as the Best Feature Film at Golden Kite Awards 2021, which were held in Nha Trang on September 13.

The film has achieved great success at the Golden Kite Awards 2021, claiming the Best Screenplay Award for Ly Nguyen Nha Uyen. 

The Vietnam Television Film Centre (VFC) continued to win big this year with its production of “Thuong Ngay Nang Ve” - a film remake of the film “Mother of Mine” – as well as “11 Thang 5 Ngay” (11 Months and 5 Days) in the category for TV Drama Series.

Assoc., PhD Do Lenh Hung Tu, as the chairman of the Vietnam Cinema Association, said that this year's Golden Kite Awards brings together 417 entries in the categories of feature films, TV Drama series, scientific films, documentaries, animations and short films.

Precious artefacts of the Early Le Dynasty were introduced to visitors in Thanh Hoa

An exhibition introducing precious artefacts of the Tien Le (Early-Le) dynasty (980-1009) was held at Lam Kinh Special National Relic in Tho Xuan District, in the Central Province of Thanh Hoa on September 13.

Nearly 300 documents, artefacts, posters, paintings, and photos on display, provided an overview of the roles and relationships of the capital Dong Kinh (Thang Long-Dong Do) and Tay Kinh, and the land of Lam Kinh (Lam Son-Thanh Hoa) under the Le dynasty.

“Dong Do-Thang Long” (Hanoi) and “Lam Kinh-Lam Son” (Thanh Hoa) are considered a chain of historical and cultural values formed by the ancient Dai Viet State, that needs to continue being preserved and honoured.

This was also the first-time people and tourists in Thanh Hoa could admire several precious artefacts of the Early Le Dynasty, found through the excavation of archaeological sites at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel in Hanoi.

The exhibition will run until September 30.

Vietnam named among world’s budget-friendly destinations by The Travel

Vietnam has been listed in the world's 10 most incredible destinations which are surprisingly cheap to visit by Canadian travel magazine The Travel, along with Laos and Indonesia.

Vietnam is one of the cheapest countries to visit, and among the most underrated, the magazine said.

Eating local dishes will only cost you a few dollars per meal, and a cup of ca phe da, or iced coffee, is less than a dollar.

The drink has become an indispensable part of Vietnamese daily life in recent years – with millions starting their day with a cup in the morning.

The Travel also recommended tourists to explore Vietnam by bus or train with cheap fares.

If visitors don't mind slow and long-distance travel, then buses and trains around Vietnam are among the most affordable in the world, making it easy to explore all of this beautiful country.

Party chief receives Cambodian National Assembly President

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong affirmed that the Vietnamese Party, State and people always support the cause of national construction and development of Cambodia during a reception in Hanoi on September 13 for President of the Cambodian National Assembly Samdech Heng Samrin.

The Party leader thanked Cambodia for the valuable support that the country has given to Vietnam, and highlighted the traditional relations of Vietnam and Cambodia as two close neighbours and brothers who have stood side by side in the cause of national liberation and reunification in the past as well as in national  construction and development today.

Trong also underscored the importance of the relationship between Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. He wished that the three countries work together to preserve and foster the development of their relationship for the prosperity of each country, and for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

Heng Samrin, for his part, said that Cambodia will work with Vietnam to preserve and develop the relationship between the two countries to new heights and pass it down to future generations.

He informed the host about the recent situation in Cambodia, especially the successful organisation of the local election for fifth tenure, and the CPP's great victory in the election. 

The Cambodian NA President also briefed General Secretary Trong on the results of the talks between him and Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue within the framework of the visit.

PM Pham Minh Chinh meets Cambodian NA President in Hanoi

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and President of the Cambodian National Assembly (NA) Samdech Heng Samrin expressed their satisfaction of the stable development of the two countries’ ties during their meeting in Hanoi on September 13.

They noted that leaders of Vietnam and Cambodia have maintained frequent meetings and discussions while bilateral cooperation mechanisms have continued to prove effective, helping sustain cooperation momentum in various fields.

Notably, despite the COVID-19 pandemic’s impacts over the last two years, economic partnership has generated encouraging outcomes. Bilateral trade approximated 10 billion USD in 2021 and surpassed 7 billion USD in the first seven months of 2022, up 17.8% year on year. Vietnam currently has 188 valid investment projects worth 2.8 billion USD in Cambodia, ranking first among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and fifth among all foreign direct investors in there.

Both host and guest highly valued the coordination to successfully organise many meaningful activities in the Vietnam - Cambodia Friendship Year 2022, especially the June 20 ceremony chaired by the two PMs marking 45 years since the start of Samdech Techo Hun Sen’s journey to topple the Pol Pot genocidal regime and the celebration of the 55th anniversary of the countries’ diplomatic ties on June 24.

They agreed to maintain frequent high-level meetings via all channels to unceasingly promote the trustworthy political relationship. Meanwhile, legislative and executive bodies of Vietnam and Cambodia will continue bringing into play their role in fostering bilateral relations, particularly in creating favourable legal corridors for all-faceted cooperation, and monitoring and promoting ministries, sectors, localities, and businesses’ implementation of signed agreements.

The two sides also agreed to work together to effectively carry out the deals and plans on defence - security cooperation, prevent cross-border crimes, and conduct border demarcation and marker planting on the remaining 16% of their borderline so as to build a land border of peace, friendship, cooperation, and development.

They underscored the importance of enhancing economic connectivity, especially in transport, telecommunications, and finance - banking, to create a new impulse for partnerships in other spheres like trade, investment, energy, tourism, education - training, and locality-to-locality ties.

At the meeting, PM Chinh thanked and called on the Cambodian parliament and Government to continue creating conditions for Vietnamese-origin people to settle down, integrate into the local society, and act as a bridge linking the two countries. He also called for optimal conditions for Vietnamese enterprises to operate stably in Cambodia in the long term.

He took this occasion to appreciate Cambodian authorities’ effective coordination with Vietnam to rescue many Vietnamese citizens lured to forced labour in some business establishments of foreigners in Cambodia. He asked the two sides to keep close cooperation to rescue and assist victims, and thoroughly deal with this issue.

Regarding multilateral cooperation, the two leaders concurred that their countries will keep coordination and mutual support at international and regional forums.

PM Chinh affirmed that Vietnam supports and believes Cambodia will successfully perform the chairmanship of ASEAN and the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) in 2022.

He also asked the two countries to join other ASEAN members to exert efforts to maintain the bloc’s solidarity, unanimity, and centrality in strategic issues of the region, including the East Sea issue.

Entries invited to 2023 ASEAN Tourism

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) has called on departments of tourism across the country to nominate candidates for the 2023 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Tourism Awards.

According to the VNAT, ASEAN's ministers have agreed to award prizes in four categories: ASEAN Homestay Award, ASEAN Community Tourism Award, ASEAN Public Toilet Award and ASEAN Spa Service Award, with each member country nominating five candidates.

Nominations should be submitted at https://vietnamtourism.gov.vn/post/43349 before October 5.

The awards will be presented at the 2023 ASEAN Tourism Forum slated for January next year in Indonesia, the VNAT said.

The ASEAN Tourism Awards is an annual event that aims to honour localities and units with high-quality tourism products and services, contributing to the sustainable development of tourist destinations throughout the ASEAN region.

At an awards ceremony held in Cambodia in January this year, 20 localities and units of Vietnam were honoured in several categories, including the ASEAN Clean Tourist City Awards, the ASEAN MICE Venue Awards, ASEAN Green Hotel Awards and ASEAN Sustainable Tourism Awards.

Among them, three localities received the ASEAN Clean Tourist City Standard, including Ha Long City in Quang Ninh province, Da Lat City in Lam Dong province, and Vung Tau City in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province.

Pullman Vung Tau Hotel in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, alongside Aristo Hotel in Lao Cai, Flamingo Cat Ba Hotel & Resort in Hai Phong, Silk Path Hue Hotel in Thua Thien-Hue, and Anya Quy Nhon Hotel in Binh Dinh, were given the ASEAN MICE Venue Standard (Category Meeting Room).

Meanwhile, Flamingo Dai Lai in Vinh Phuc, FLC Sam Son - Thanh Hoa, Vinpearl South Hoi An Resort in Quang Nam, Dalat Palace Hotel in Lam Dong, and Pytopia Centre in Phu Yen, were also honoured ASEAN MICE Venue Standard (Category Exhibition Venue).

Furthermore, Minera Hot Spring Binh Chau Resort was given the ASEAN Green Hotel Standard title, together with H’Mong Village in Ha Giang, Vedana Lagoon Resort & Spa in Thua Thien-Hue, Amiana in Khanh Hoa, and Can Tho Ecolodge in Can Tho.

The ASEAN Sustainable Tourism Awards went to Thai Hai Reserve Area of Ecological Houses-on-stilts Ethnic Village in Thai Nguyen province (Rural Category) and Hue city tour - A destination of five heritages of Hue Monuments Conservation Centre (Thua Thien Hue province) (Urban Category).

This year, Vietnam has won 46 awards at the World Travel Awards 2022 in Asia and the Oceania region, reflecting the country’s tourism sector's recovery efforts.

First non-cash market introduced in Can Tho

A model of cashless market made its debut in Binh Thuy district’s An Thoi market, the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on September 13. 

As many as 150 small traders are operating in An Thoi market, with about 30% of those having registered for non-cash payment.

The cashless market model allows traders and shoppers to pay for goods by QR code payment or quick money transfer via phone accounts on VNPT Money app developed by the Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT). 

According to Vice Director of VNPT Can Tho Nguyen Quoc Viet, his firm has coordinated with the local authority, and management boards of local markets to pilot the model of this kind. 

After a month of piloting, there are nearly 200 points accepting VNPT Money payment and nearly 1,000 users of VNPT Money wallet for payment. VNPT Can Tho has so far developed 38 points providing deposit and withdrawal services across districts in the city.

Hanoi striving to use all electric buses to contribute to environmental protection

The capital city of Hanoi plans to convert 100% of its bus fleet from petrol-powered to electric ones as directed by the Government.

It will be part of goals and a roadmap for the implementation of an action programme on green energy transition, and carbon and methane emission reduction of the transport industry, which the municipal People's Committee has assigned the Department of Transport to build in coordination with relevant units.

Since the first electric buses were put into operation in Hanoi in December 2021, the number of bus routes using smart electric buses in the city has increased to nine, contributing to enhancing the quality of public transport in the capital city.

The service, provided by Vinbus Ecology Transport Services Limited Liability Company (VinBus), a member of Vietnam’s largest conglomerate Vingroup, is attracting a large number of users thanks to its high quality and no harm to the environment.

Each bus is equipped with an automated system able to give warnings about unsafe situations, an on-board public address system, free wifi, USB charging ports, and security cameras, among others.

With a battery capacity of 281 kWh, the bus can run between 220 and 260 kilometres on a single charge. It can fully recharge in just two hours at VinBus’s 150 kW charging station network.

Thai Ho Phuong, Vice Director of the city Public Transport Management Centre, said that in the first half of this year, electric buses carried over 122 million passengers, and the figure is increasing continuously.

With good feedback from users, in the time to come, the centre will work with VinBus to launch more routes, with an aim to attract more passengers to public transportation services and contribute to reducing air and noise pollution in city streets.

Meanwhile, the Hanoi Transport Corporation is currently operating 83 bus routes and one BRT route with a total number of nearly 1,100 vehicles. The number of vehicles eligible to be replaced by electric buses from 2025 is 225, accounting for 21.3% of the total.

France helps Vietnam with heritage conservation

The French Embassy in Vietnam on September 12 held a press conference to provide the media with information on a project named “Share and protect Vietnam’s heritage” and the component to be carried out in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue.

The project, initiated by the French Embassy in Vietnam and sponsored by the French Foreign Ministry,  has a funding of 18 billion VND (784,300 USD) for activities during 2022-2024 from the French Government and partners such as museums, localities and universities.

Frédérique Horn, Attaché for Cooperation and Cultural Activities of the French Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, said the project focuses on training for museum staffs, building training programmes on museum-related professions for Vietnamese universities, and helping develop pilot projects on heritage conservation in three regions of Vietnam.

Specifically, the project will renovate the Tourist Centre of Cuc Phuong National Park in the northern province of Ninh Binh, support the Environmental Education and Communication Centre in Cu Lao Cham Marine Protected Area in the central province of Quang Nam, and design and implement “Story Boxes” for museums in Ho Chi Minh City in the south.

In Thua Thien-Hue, training courses will be held for staff members of local museums to enhance their professional skills in communicating with the public, managing and preserving collections. Three officials will be invited to a one-week field trip in France.

Hanoi facilitates investment from Republic of Korea

Chairman of Hanoi People’s Committee Tran Sy Thanh has pledged to create all possible conditions for foreign firms, including those from the Republic of Korea, to invest in the city.

Thanh made the promise at a reception for Kim Jung-in, CEO of Sein I&D Vietnam, in Hanoi on September 13.

He voiced support of Sein I&D Vietnam’s plans to invest in hi-tech supporting industry in Vietnam and expand its investment in Hanoi.

The official listened to the company’s suggestions and assigned relevant agencies to consider and handle them in line with the law.

Kim made several proposals to the municipal administration regarding investment in the semi-conductor industry, including mechanisms to attract investment in vocational training.
 
The same day, the Chairman of Hanoi People’s Committee also met with An Kuk-jin, General Director of Daewoo Engineering & Construction Vietnam (Daewoo E&C) and Chairman of THT Development.

Thanh said Hanoi has outlines orientations for urban development and asked the companies to continue invest in the capital city.

PM hails Singapore as one of effective regional partners

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has affirmed that Singapore is one of the effective and practical partners of Vietnam in the region, especially in economy, trade, investment and education-training.

During his reception in Hanoi on September 12 for Singaporean Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies Heng Swee Keat, Chinh suggested the two countries’ relevant agencies work closely together to restructure supply chain and ensure cyber security in the process of digital economic development.

He pledged to offer all possible support to Singaporean firms to do business in Vietnam and suggested developing the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park model towards a green, smart, hi-tech and innovative industrial zone.

The host proposed Singapore assist Vietnam in important fields such as digital economy, digital transformation, green energy, green financing, information technology, sustainable development, and hi-quality workforce training.

The guest said Singaporean PM Lee Hsien Loong expects to visit Vietnam next year when the two countries celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties and the 10th anniversary of bilateral strategic partnership.

He affirmed that the Singaporean Government wants to further boost strategic partnership with Vietnam, and pledged to step up fields of Vietnam’s interest to enhance political trust.

Both sides also agreed to continue working closely together to maintain ASEAN’s solidarity and central role.

On the East Sea issue, PM Chinh suggested Singapore work closely with Vietnam and ASEAN member states to maintain peace and stability in the region; ensure peace, safety, maritime and aviation freedom in the East Sea, strive to fully abide by the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) while promoting the finalisation of an effective, efficient and practical Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in line with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Military officer promoted to rank of Senior Lieutenant General

Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army (VPA) Phung Si Tan has been promoted from the rank of Lieutenant General to Senior Lieutenant General. 

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, who is also Chairman of the Defence - Security Council, handed over the promotion at a ceremony held in Hanoi on September 12.

The State leader praised Tan for his outstanding achievements in the cause of national construction and defence. He requested Tan continue improving his political mettle, and be absolutely loyal to the Party's revolutionary ideals and goals. He also urged the officer to focus on his direction in order to further improve the quality of defence diplomacy and UN peacekeeping work, and uphold the spirit of solidarity and make greater efforts to complete all assigned tasks.

Seventh national farmers’ forum convenes in Hanoi

The seventh National Farmers’ Forum, themed “Professional Farmers” was held in Hanoi on September 12 by the Vietnam Farmers’ Union (VFU) Central Committee and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

In his opening remarks, Chairman of the VFU Central Committee Luong Quoc Doan highlighted the central role of farmers in agricultural development, new-style rural building, national defence and security safeguarding, saying this year’s forum provides a platform for open discussions to put forth proposals to improve the farming profession.

Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan said farmers play a key role in realising socio-economic goals. Rural areas have been growing on a modern path, with nearly 65% of communes nationwide receiving the new-style rural status, she said, adding that many districts and communes have started advanced new-style rural building.
 
Farmers’ current average income is 2 – 2.5 times higher than that of 2010 when the country began to implement the national target programme on new-style rural building, she stated.

The number of agricultural labourers now stands at around 17.7 million, accounting for about 32.8% of the total workforce. The rate is forecast to drop in the future, likely to cause labour shortages in the sector.

Vietnam competes at Asia Star Challengers Invitational 2022

Two local youth e-sports teams, Flash and MGN Box Esports, are currently competing at the Asia Star Challengers Invitational (ASCI 2022) which is taking place in an online format.

The League of Legends competition features professional teams from both challenger and academy leagues in the Republic of Korea’s LCK Challengers League (LCK CL), China’s League of Legends Development League (LDL), Japan’s LJL Academy League, the Vietnam Championship Series B (VCS.B), and the Pacific Championship Series (PCS).

The main goal of the ASCI is to give academy league teams and players a platform in which to compete internationally at a more competitive level. In addition, it will also give these players a chance to gain further experience and grow as professionals.

The 16 teams have been divided into four groups of four for the group stage, which will be played in round robin format.

The top two teams from each group will therefore advance to the knockout stage, where they will compete in a best-of-five single elimination bracket. The ultimate winner of this stage will therefore walk away with the inaugural ASCI championship.

The final round of the competition is scheduled to take place at 17:00 p.m. on September 25, with the total prize of the tournament being up to US$65,000.

Thanh Nhi to represent Vietnam at Miss Asia Global 2022

Local beauty Thanh Nhi has headed to Malaysia as she prepares to represent the country at Miss Asia Global 2022.

Born in 1998 in Ho Chi Minh City, Nhi stands at 1.75 meters tall and measures 84-58-96. She is notable for impressing others with her confidence, perfect body figure, and language skills.

The beauty has previously been crowned Vietnam Fitness Model 2021 and graduated RMIT University.

Miss Asia Global is one of the finest beauty pageants from the house of Pegasus and aims to discover the most beautiful and talented women from all over the globe.

This year’s event will see the final night of the beauty pageant take place on September 18.

Previously, Vietnamese model Yen Trang was named as the winner of Miss Asia Global in 2019.

U20 VN ready for qualifier of AFC U20 Asian Cup

VN's U20 team are heading to Indonesia for the qualifiers of the AFC U20 Asian Cup.

If they finish top of Group F they will automatically progress to the finals of the tournament which will be held next year in Uzbekistan.

Coach Đinh Thế Nam has called up 23 players with seven from the Promotion Fund of Vietnamese Football Talent Academy (PVF).

Coach Nam also called up many new youngsters, although many are experienced playing in both V.League 1 and V.League 2.

Among the new faces are Hồ Văn Cường, Đinh Xuân Tiến (Sông Lam Nghệ An), Bùi Vĩ Hào (Bình Dương), Nguyễn Hải Nam, Nguyễn Thanh Nhàn, Nguyễn Xuân Bắc, Trần Ngọc Sơn, Nguyễn Hiểu Minh, Nguyễn Đức Phú (PVF) and Lê Quang Hiển (Nutifood JMG). Most of them have represented the country at youth levels.

Việt Nam are in Group F with Timor Leste, Chinese Hong Kong and the hosts Indonesia. Việt Nam will play against their rivals from Hong Kong in their first match on September 14. They will face Timor Leste on September 16 and host Indonesia two days later.

Gathering 44 teams, the qualifying round is divided into 10 groups whose matches will be hosted by 10 countries.

According to this year's competition format, 10 winners and the five best runners-up from the group stage will advance to the final round hosted by Uzbekistan from March 1 – 18, 2023. 

HCMC adopts solutions to overcome teacher shortage

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, the city has added 3,244 new teachers for the 2022-2023 school year to solve the shortage of 5,939 teachers.

Junior high schools lack 2,467 teachers while the city needs 1,006 preschool teachers and 2,169 teachers in primary schools and 297 teachers in senior high schools. The city education and training sector has completed the first phase of teacher recruitment, the second phase is expected to take place in October 2022.

Because of the severe shortage of teachers who teach technology, informatics, music, and art, schools will share teachers active in other schools or sign short-term contracts with teachers of these above-mentioned subjects.

For the shortage of English and informatics teachers at the primary school level, the education sector has mobilized teachers to teach inter-schools at the same grade level or mobilized teachers to teach English and informatics at lower secondary levels to teach at primary schools. The mobilization will only be done after teachers have been trained in teaching methods, programs, and textbooks for English and primary school computer science. Teachers’ benefits ought to be protected.

In case, educational institutions encounter difficulties in recruiting teachers, schools shall develop a plan to implement the subject flexibly and blended learning - a combination of a face-to-face medium of instruction with online learning.

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