Participants to the 9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians, taking place in Hanoi on September 14-17, have been impressed by the host’s hospitality, robust development as well as meticulous preparation for the event.

Nigerian Senator Asuquoe Ekpenyong said he is dazzled by Vietnam’s cultural straits together with its rich history of 4,000 years, which bear a lot of similarities with those Nigeria.

Vietnam is a modern country with dynamic development, the Nigerian Senator, who came to Vietnam for the first time, said.

Highlighting the host’s sound organisation of the event, Member of the Chamber of Deputies of Romania Ana Catauta said she was eager to attend such an important event, with a number of issues tabled for discussion, including measures to make digital technology become a tool that helps the youth prepare their future.

Meanwhile, member of the House of Representative of Indonesia Gilang Dhielafaraez S.H. said he is impressed by Vietnam’s thorough preparation for the young parliamentary conference which was organised under the theme of “The Role of Young People in Promoting the Realisation of Sustainable Development Goals via Digital Transformation and Innovation”.

Regional countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam are working together to promote innovation, he said, expressing his hope that Vietnam will have an increasing role to play in the field, making contributions to develop ASEAN into a stronger community.

Returning to Vietnam after ten years, Member of the House of Representatives of Malaysia Mohd Shahar Bin Abdullah, said the country will see more resounding growth in the next decade, especially Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

He added that he wants to enhance connectivity with young parliamentarians in Vietnam as well as many other countries, who play an important role to shape up their countries’ future.

The 9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians, which brought together 500 young parliamentarians, is an opportunity for Vietnam to popularise its historical tradition, cultural values, effective diplomatic policy, as well as achievements of the socio-economic development, thus promoting its position and prestige in the international arena.

Japan hails Vietnam’s performance in hosting CEPPP

As the co-chair of the Competency Evaluation Programme for Prospective United Nations Peacekeepers (CEPPP) together with Vietnam, Japan has highly evaluated Vietnam’s preparations and organisation of the event.

Director for Defence Cooperation in the Indo - Pacific Region at Japan’s Ministry of Defence Matsuzawa Tomoko, who is also the co-chair of the PKO-EWG, thanked the Vietnamese side for the warm welcome for the Japanese delegation as well as other international delegations.

The CEPPP is an activity under the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) Experts’ Working Group on Peacekeeping Operations (PKO-EWG) Cycle 4, which is taking place on September 13-21.

Matsuzawa Tomoko said that Vietnam and Japan have worked together for three years to achieve targets of the current cycle. Thanks to the active cooperation from Vietnam and member countries, the two sides have successfully organised many important activities, noted the Japanese official, expressing her gratitude to consultations and support from UN experts and assistance from member countries.

Highlighting the overall purpose of the CEPPP in fostering the partnership among member countries during performing mission within the framework of the UN peacekeeping operations at the tactical level, the official said that Japan and Vietnam have focused on ensuring the practicality of the activities and the integration of viewpoints regarding gender equality.

Matsuzawa Tomoko underlined the achievements that the two sides have gained in promoting the role of women in peace and security, which is one of the major targets of the current cycle.

She noted that Japan has formed a platform for women in peace and security and conducted a series of conferences in the field by inviting prestigious experts from UN peacekeeping missions and UN headquarters. For the CEPPP, Vietnam and Japan have included practical circumstances and factors regarding the role of women in the activities to prepare for participants to perform their missions.

Expressing her confidence in the engagement and contributions of Vietnam, Matsuzawa Tomoko said she believes that the programme will complete all of its targets, contributing to strengthening the collaboration among all ADMM-Plus member states.

She also called for all ADMM-Plus members to work together to achieve all CEPPP goals.

The CEPPP, drawing nearly 300 experts, trainees and observers from ADMM-Plus member countries, is the last activity of the PKO-EWG Cycle 4 within the framework of the ADMM-Plus.

The co-hosting of the CEPPP has shown Vietnam’s role and responsibility in multilateral and bilateral cooperation mechanisms in the field of UN peacekeeping operations within the ADMM-Plus framework. Through the activity, Vietnam hopes to make contributions to the enhancing of efficiency of UN peacekeeping operations by ADMM-Plus member states.

Prime Minister’s visit to China successful, effective: Deputy FM

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s visit to attend the 20th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (CABIS) in Nanning city, China's Guangxi province, from September 16-17 was successful and effective, said Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Vu.

Speaking to the press on the visit, Vu said it is a high-level foreign activity with a great significance.

Within about 27 hours in Nanning,  PM Chinh and his entourage had many effective high-level contacts such as holding talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang; receiving member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Secretary of Guangxi Party Committee, and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the People's Congress of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Liu Ning; attending and delivering his speech at the opening ceremony of CAEXPO and CABIS 20; touring the Vietnam Trade pavilion and booths at the expo; and receiving representatives of Chinese leading enterprises in the fields of railways, electricity, telecommunications, and construction.

The visit has strengthened bilateral political trust and relations, intensified the practical cooperation between the two countries, and manifested Vietnam's proactive and active contributions to the cooperation within the ASEAN and between the bloc and China, Vu said.

In addition, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh also visited and encouraged Vietnamese businesses participating in the expo, which affirmed the message that the Government, ministries, branches and localities are always ready to accompany and support Vietnamese businesses to reach out to the Chinese market as well as regional and international ones.

Regarding the Vietnamese businesses’ participation in the CAEXPO and CABIS, Deputy FM Vu highlighted that the Vietnamese pavilion with more than 200 booths on an area of more than 4,000 sq.m is the largest among the ASEAN, adding they brought to the events key Vietnamese products such as agricultural products, seafood, processed foods, footwear, household appliances, garments, wooden furniture, and handicrafts.

The large Vietnamese delegation to and the contingent of the Vietnamese businesses at the events shows the high importance, need and goodwill of Vietnam in realising its comprehensive and extensive cooperation with China as well as with other ASEAN countries, and its potential and position bilateral and multilateral economic cooperation and trade in the region, the official added.

The Vietnamese delegation and businesses participated actively and made important contributions to the success of the events, Vu said, stressing that the message by PM Chinh on Vietnam's determination and commitments as well as cooperation proposals concerning the strengthening of connectivity in various fields have won support from other countries.

An active and responsible member of the ASEAN and China's biggest trade partners in the regional bloc, Vietnam will, together with China and ASEAN members, further bring into play the role and vitality of CAEXPO and CABIS, opening up a new stage and boosting economic cooperation, trade, investment and other fields between the ASEAN and China, thus bringing practical benefits to the peoples and making active contributions to peace, cooperation and development in the region and the world over, Vu concluded.

Cuban people proud of Fidel Castro’s first visit to Vietnam: diplomat

Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam Orlando Nicolás Hernández Guillén has highlighted the significance of Cuban Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz’s first visit to Vietnam 50 years ago, as well as the rare and pure Vietnam – Cuba special and long-lasting relations and friendship in international relations.

In a recent interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Cuban leader's historic visit to the liberated zone in central Quang Tri province of Vietnam (September 1973-2023), Orlando said it holds great significance for Cuban leader Fidel.

From the victory of the Cuban revolution and its international influence, Fidel identified the struggle by the Vietnamese people as one of the major tasks of the mankind, aimed at strengthening sovereignty, independence, and human dignity.

In all the international events that he attended during 1960s, Fidel consistently mentioned the struggle by the Vietnamese people and emphasised the need to show solidarity with that struggle.

In Cuba, a committee for solidarity with South Vietnam and other mechanisms were established to provide maximum support to the people of Vietnam, the diplomat said.

 Prime Minister Pham Van Dong and General Raul Castro Ruz, First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba’s Central Committee, President of the Council of State and Council of Ministers of Cuba, visit Dong Ha town, Quang Tri province in September 1973(Source: VNA)
In 1960s, top Cuban leaders such as Comrade Raúl Castro, President Osvaldo Dorticós, and Commander Juan Almeida Bosque visited Vietnam, except for Commander-in-Chief Fidel. Therefore, as he arrived in Vietnam on September 12, 1973, and visited Quang Tri three days later, he fulfilled a great aspiration of his own to witness with his own eyes the struggle, fighting spirit, and heroism of Vietnam.

Fidel’s visit to Vietnam holds immense significance for the people of both countries, the diplomat said, noting that the image of Fidel, his personality, and events involving him in Vietnam and many other places carry a legendary aura.

It's evident that all of these elements are part of the legacy of the Cuba - Vietnam relationship, and that's why immediately after Fidel passed away, solemn ceremonies in commemoration of him were organised not only in Hanoi but also in various locations across Vietnam.

“That's why I believe this visit marks a significant milestone. I am confident that there have been very few visits, at least from Cuba, that hold as much importance as Fidel's visit to Vietnam in 1973,” the diplomat said.

Cuban people are very proud of everything the Commander-in-Chief did during that time, he went on.

Orlando also highlighted the potential for Vietnam and Cuba to further expand their economic cooperation, saying that there are several areas that the two countries can complement each other.

According to the diplomat, Vietnam is a strong producer of food and has advanced scientific and technological capabilities in agriculture - one of the sectors where Vietnam has been helping Cuba. Therefore, the two countries can consider strengthening relations in this field.

Vietnam is assisting and cooperating with Cuba in various fields, including rice and coffee production, and aquaculture, he said, noting that there are favourable conditions not only for bilateral cooperation but also for the presence of Vietnamese businesspeople in Cuba to develop important economic and trade projects related to the production of rice, coffee, and other agricultural products.

The two countries should also step up cooperation in clean energy development and pharmaceutical production, he said.

Meanwhile, Cuba has developed a strong pharmaceutical industry using advanced scientific capabilities. It is one of the few countries in the world that can develop its own vaccines, not just one but three very effective vaccines against the COVID-19 pandemic, which have been exported to countries around the world, including Vietnam, the diplomat said.

Party newspaper joins annual festival of L’Humanité

Nhan dan (People) newspaper, the mouthpiece of the Communist Party of Vietnam, joined the 88th Fête de l'Humanité that took place from September 15-17 in Paris.

The event, considered a major festival of French communists, attracted about 400,000 visitors.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Vietnamese pavilion, Senator Fabien Gay, Director of L'Humanité newspaper, emphasised that the event aims to express solidarity and friendship between peoples, between Vietnam and France, and contribute to promoting the anti-war movement, fighting for peace and social progress.

He spoke highly of Vietnam's core role at the international village of the festival.

Recalling the long tradition of friendship and strong historical relationship between the French and Vietnamese communist parties, he said he hopes younger generations will continue to maintain the good traditions between the two countries, creating strong connections between peoples and countries for peace and social progress.

He also affirmed his willingness to share experience and cooperate with Nhan dan newspaper not only in journalism but also in organising events to enhance the position of the newspaper.

Member of the Party Central Committee and Editor-in-Chief of Nhan dan newspaper Le Quoc Minh said that he hopes the two newspapers will increase exchanges and learn more from each other for further development.

Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang also affirmed that the reunion between the two party newspapers this year was even more meaningful as a delegation of Nhan dan newspaper attended the festival in the context of the two countries celebrating the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Paris Agreement on peace and unification for Vietnam, the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Vietnam-France diplomatic relations, and 10 years of their strategic partnership.

French communists and people greatly contributed to the bilateral relations, he said.

Hanoi agencies hold moment of silence in tribute to apartment fire victims

All State agencies in Hanoi on September 18 morning observed a minute of silence for victims of last week’s mini apartment building fire.

After the ceremony, State officials and employees raised funds in support of the families of the bereaved.

Earlier, the administration of Hanoi decided to temporarily suspend all cultural events, sport games and entertainment activities from September 14 to 17 following the deadly fire.

The fire that broke out at 23:00 on September 12 at a mini apartment building in Thanh Xuan District was extinguished more than an hour later killed a total of 56 residents and injured 37 others. Among them were many children and students.

Authorities detained Nghiem Quang Minh, 44, the owner of the building, for questioning over violations regarding fire prevention and control rules.

This was the deadliest fire in Hanoi over the years, according to local authorities.

Hanoian beauty crowned Miss Petite Vietnam 2023

Hanoi resident Tran My Huyen surpassed 21 other finalists to become the winner of the Miss Petite Vietnam 2023 pageant in the grand finale held in Da Lat City on September 16.

The 28-year-old beauty stands at 1.62 metres tall and measures 88-66-94. She is currently studying a master's degree in education and community development at Hanoi University of Education.

Huyen will represent Vietnam to compete at upcoming international beauty pageants.

The organisers also awarded first, second, third, and four runner-up titles to other contestants.

This marks the first time that Miss Petite Vietnam has been held in the country. The pageant was open to contestants between 1.45 metres and 1.65 metres in height.

During the final round, contestants took part in plenty of activities to promote Vietnamese culture and tourism.

With the message of spreading both humanity and kindness, the organisers hope to seek girls who not only possess beauty and talent, but can also make contributions to wider society through charitable activities.

Rural careers development strategy aims for higher incomes

The average income of people doing rural occupations will be 2.5-3 times higher than in 2020.

It is one of the main targets of the rural careers development strategy until 2030, with a vision to 2045, which has been approved by Deputy Prime Minister Trần Lưu Quang.

The strategy’s general goal is to develop rural careers, promote the potential of rural areas, improve production and business efficiency, increase income, create jobs and raise the material life of the people.

It aims at protecting the environment, preserving the landscape, enhancing traditions and national cultural identity.

The strategy will push up rural economic development towards ecological agriculture, modern rural areas and farmers.

It strives that the growth rate of rural occupations will be about 6-7 per cent per year by 2030.

Enterprises can attract about five million regular workers in rural occupations.

The export value of rural products will reach over US$6 billion per year.

The rate of trained workers will be 80 per cent and the rate of being awarded degrees and certificates is 35 per cent.

Localities will form stable raw material areas to meet 70 per cent of the rural industry development’s requirement.

It’s expected that by 2045, rural occupations will contribute to the overall growth of the national economy, develop rural industries in the direction of sustainable, smart, and environmentally friendly growth.

All will be associated with building green, clean, and beautiful rural spaces; preserving and intensifying the cultural, historical and traditional values of the region.

The strategy provides development orientation for different groups including the group of processing and preserving agricultural, forestry and fishery products; handicraft production group; the group for handling and processing raw materials to serve rural production; the group for producing wooden furniture, rattan, ceramics, glass, textiles, yarn, embroidery, wicker and small mechanics; group for producing and trading ornamental animals; salt production group; and group for services.

For groups of processing and preserving agricultural, forestry and fishery products, the strategy will increase the use of machinery and equipment, and apply technical advances and modern, environmentally friendly technology to production.

It will improve chain production processes, ensure nutrition and food hygiene and safety, enhance product quality to increase competitiveness, expand product consumption markets for export.

Regarding handicraft production group, the strategy targets to create new designs to suit demand of domestic and foreign consumers.

It will strengthen links between handicraft villages, and combine raw materials regions to create new, unique, artistic and highly usable products.

For groups of handling and processing raw materials for rural production, it is planned to improve processing facilities to create new raw materials, especially recycled materials, to replace imported ones.

The orientation of preserving and developing craft villages is to focus on the ones that are at risk of disappearing.

It will be close to tourism growth, building distribution channels and introducing craft village products.

Professional associations and unions, innovation centres, businesses, and vocational training centres will be founded in localities.

Regarding the domestic consumption market, the strategy will connect products with large cities, diversify services to meet increasing demand, and set up rural tourism and craft village tourism programmes.

For the export market, it will increase products into common markets such as China, the US, Europe, Japan, Korea; and expand into new potential markets in the Middle East, Latin America and Africa.

Competent agencies will urgently relocate polluting production facilities in residential areas to industrial zones and concentrated production zones.

They will preserve rural landscapes together with eco-smart villages, ensuring green, clean, beautiful and environmentally friendly landscapes.

Also under the strategy, related organisations will effectively deploy programmes to build new-style rural areas; diversify and push up the quality of tourism products; and promote traditional rural cultural values. 

Environmental hygiene efforts in Hà Nội to keep dengue at bay

Different localities in Hà Nội have conducted many activities to prevent and control dengue fever.

The activities were implemented after dengue fever in Hà Nội continued to rise, with more than 9,800 cases in 599 outbreaks from the beginning of this year to 14 September.

Three fatalities were reported.

Hà Đông District People's Committee launched the “Green Saturday” campaign on Saturday to protect the environment and prevent and control dengue fever.

The Chairwoman of the Hà Đông District People's Committee, Cấn Thị Việt Hà, said that every year the district organised various campaigns to clean the environment and kill larvae in the community.

In particular, cleaning up waste in residential areas, public spaces and roads was held every Saturday or Sunday morning by ward people’s committees.

Local authorities strictly inspect and penalise those dumping waste in improper places.

However, due to the vast area and complex residential situations, many residential areas have not actively participated in the activities. As a result, many places have not been cleaned up and treated promptly.

In the first nine months of this year, Hà Đông District has recorded over 500 cases of dengue fever, and the number of cases is expected to rise in the coming months.

In order for the "Green Saturday" campaign to yield practical results, Hà called for all levels and residents to actively participate, proactively implement measures, and cooperate with the health sector to prevent dengue fever in workplaces, homes, and the wider community.

Following the launch ceremony, soldiers, youth union members, and members of various organisations in Hà Đông District worked on cleaning the environment and eliminating larvae in key areas.

In Mê Linh District, communes and towns have intensified education efforts to raise awareness among residents about dengue fever prevention and control.

By the previous Monday, the district had reported 109 cases of dengue fever, primarily concentrated in Quang Minh Town, Mê Linh, and Hoàng Kim communes.

These outbreaks have been addressed using mosquito-killing chemicals.

In the spirit of proactive dengue prevention, all 18 communes and towns in the district established a network of 670 collaborators, a volunteer team comprising over 1,000 members, and 214 monitoring teams.

These teams inspected 55,847 out of 56,466 households, agencies, and public spaces in the district, achieving a coverage of 98.95 per cent.

As many as 8,233 out of 8,237 water containers with larvae were treated, achieving a success rate of 99 per cent.

Over 7,000 fish were released.

The Mê Linh District Medical Centre has organised over 20 campaigns to clean the environment and eradicate larvae in communes, towns, and schools.

In response to the ASEAN Day for Dengue Prevention and Control, the centre hosted an education day at the district health centre and in all 18 communes and towns.

The centre distributed 41,000 leaflets to households and regularly broadcast messages on the local radio system.

Along with environmental sanitation, local medical workers provided people with information about preventive measures, including detecting the disease, how to prevent it, treatment at home, and methods to eliminate larvae.

If someone suspects they have dengue fever, they are advised to seek medical attention at a nearby facility immediately. 

Musical show features southern culture

Famous artists of HCM City are working on a musical featuring southern culture by late musician-scriptwriter Bắc Sơn, one of the region’s leading artists in music, theatre and movies in the 1980s and 90s. 

Celebrated drama actress Hồng Vân will perform with younger actors Lê Lộc, Minh Luân and Thanh Duy. 

Vietnamese-American drama actress Hồng Đào will also be included.

They will perform Sơn’s musical titled Bông Cánh Cò (Stork Wings), a production of folk tunes of the South. 

The musical tells stories about the daily life of farmers in the Mekong River Delta region. Their work, dreams and hopes are also highlighted.

The show’s director, Lê Nguyễn Tuấn Anh, has worked on Sơn’s original work to remake it with new concepts targeting young audiences. 

“Sơn’s work, Bông Cánh Cò, features the beauty of southern culture. I will highlight his art through my new version,” said Anh. 

The first show of the musical Bông Cánh Cò opened on Saturday at the HCM City Students Cultural House, 643 Điện Biên Phủ Street in District 3. 

Songs and music pieces by the late author and musician Sơn can be seen on a YouTube channel.

The channel, Tình Ca Bắc Sơn -Tập Đoàn An Nông (Bắc Sơn’s songs supported by An Nông Group), includes many works portraying southern people and their culture by Sơn.

Many documents and articles on the artist’s life and career are also featured. 

“Through YouTube, we hope fans, singers, composers and music producers can work together to introduce Vietnamese music and musician-author Sơn in particular,” said theatre actress-singer Bích Thủy, one of the channel’s producers. 

She and her staff have encouraged Sơn’s fans at home and abroad to send information and materials to promote the late composer’s music on YouTube.

Sơn (whose real name is Trương Văn Khuê) was born in 1931 in Đồng Nai Province. 

He began his writing career in 1952 when he was a teacher. In 1977, he became familiar with folk tunes that feature his love for the south.  

He later lived in HCM City and worked as a musician, theatre actor and scriptwriter. 

Sơn wrote more than 500 songs, most of them in praise of southern people and their culture. His songs have been performed by pop stars. 

He also wrote 180 scripts for TV, theatre and movies and also performed in 60 films and TV series. He died in 2005. 

Long An Province Radio & Television has worked with its partner, the An Nông Group, to produce 100 two-act plays about Vietnamese culture and lifestyle written by Sơn.

The station organised the contest called Tiếng Hát Tình Ca Bắc Sơn (Love Songs in folk music by Bắc Sơn) last year. The event encouraged young locals in southern provinces who love singing folk tunes to show off their skills.

Tuấn wins four-man tournament Muay Thai Rampage

Trần Quốc Tuấn overcame powerful rivals to take a title of the international Muay Thai Rampage (MTR): One King Victory in Pride on September 18 in HCM City.

The competition was held in a new format of four-man tournament for the first time in Việt Nam featured eight athletes in two weight categories at the Saigon Sports Club.

Tuấn, the WBC Muay Thai Việt Nam champion, of Saigon Sports Club, defeated England's Mamouh Ali Mousa of Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA Club in the first three-round semi-final match of the 68kg class.

He went on to face Austrian Mochamed Emin Machaev of Soma Fight Club who beat Russian Mikhail Baranov of Tiger Muay Thai in the second semi.

In the final, Baranov attacked Tuấn from the beginning with a view to set his domination. However, Tuấn strongly resisted and fought back in the second and third round.

He was announced winner of the category and pocketed US$5,000 bonus in cash. 

In the 60kg pool, Japanese Julian Leo Gravine of Elite Team beat Cypriot Ismail Al Kadhi of Bangtam Muay Thai & MMA Club to take the award.

Earlier, Gravine beat Vietnamese Nguyễn Văn Đức Nghĩa of SSC in the semi-final match and Kadhi won over Kyrgyz Timur Chuikov of Tiger Muay Thai Club.

In addition to the four-man competitions, there were six other matches between Vietnamese and foreigners. 

A total of VNĐ700 million ($29,000) were delivered to winning fighters.

The MTR: One King - Victory in Pride was organised by the HCM City Muay Thai Federation and Shadow Entertainment.

The organisers planned to hold fiercer Muay Thai tournament by the end of this year. The pro event is promised new exciting format and big bonuses to the competitors.

Digital technology key to solving challenges: young parliamentarians

Delegates to the just-ended ninth Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians, hosted by the Vietnamese National Assembly, showed their concern over digital transformation – a main content demonstrated in the conference’s theme “The Role of Young People in Promoting the Realisation of Sustainable Development Goals via Digital Transformation and Innovations”.

President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Board President of the Forum of Young Parliamentarians Dan Carden said that the world is facing many challenges related to technology such as fake news, and social and political divisions, which pose a need to raise general awareness to use technology more effectively to solve challenges in society, thus helping legislative bodies make right decisions for development.

According to him, as Vietnam will develop rapidly in the coming years, digital technology will be key to solving challenges such as climate change, to which it is one of the most vulnerable countries.

He expressed his hope that through the conference, young politicians can make important decisions about how the world copes with future challenges.

Emphasising the role of perfecting institutions in the process of promoting development in general and digital transformation in particular, Nguyen Thi Hue, a deputy from Bac Kan province, said that when institutions cannot meet development needs, the implementation will be very difficult.

It is clear that whichever country quickly approaches this issue and puts in place adequate institutions to encourage the promotion of digital transformation, that country will have more opportunities for success, Hue shared.

Many delegates agreed that digital transformation is more of a policy and institutional revolution than a technological revolution, in which young generations play a key role.

Regarding the third session on promoting respect for cultural diversity in support of sustainable development, Nguyen Thi Ha, a Vietnamese delegate, said culture is an important factor for countries to realise sustainable development goals, adding that it is also identified as one of the elements that decide the strength and position of each country in the international arena.

She also stressed that at present, innovation and entrepreneurship have strategic significance for every country because they promote growth and bring added value to socio-economic activities.

Innovation and entrepreneurship allow developing countries to move faster in implementing the sustainable development goals (SDGs), she added.

Many agreed that young Vietnamese parliamentarians should learn from experiences of foreign parliaments in legislating, supervising, and promoting innovation and entrepreneurship, and also make proposals on policies and solutions to minimise risks in startups.

Measures sought to develop Vietnamese community in Japan

The Vietnamese Embassy in Japan on September 16 held a gathering to mark the 78th anniversary of Vietnam's National Day (September 2, 1945 – 2023) and a talk show on measures to further develop the Vietnamese community in Japan.

Speaking at the event, Ambassador Pham Quang Hieu said that the relations between Vietnam and Japan are developing better than ever in areas.

The 500,000-strong overseas Vietnamese community in Japan is also growing and contributes practically to the two countries’ relations, he said.

At the talk show with representatives from the Vietnamese community, organisations, and associations in Japan, Hieu called on the Vietnamese associations and organisations to actively promote their role as a bridge connecting overseas Vietnamese people and diplomatic offices.

Representatives of Vietnamese organisations and associations in Japan shared information about the situation as well as proposed solutions to improve the quality of life of overseas Vietnamese people in Japan. They particularly emphasised the interactions between the Vietnamese diplomatic representative agencies and the community directly or indirectly, for example when handling administrative procedures or implementing community connection activities.

Vietnam a dynamic, evolving member of high value of UN: Representative

Vietnam has been a dynamic, evolving member of high value of the United Nations (UN) over the last 45 years, Acting UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Rana Flowers has said.

In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency on the occasion of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s attendance at the high-level week of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, the UN representative described Vietnam a responsible member and a strong supporter of multilateralism anchored in the UN, highlighting the country’s active role in the UN Peacekeeping Operations and the UN Peace and Security Agenda, and its commitment to the net-zero emission target by 2050.

Hailing Vietnam’s National Commitments and Actions to be presented at the upcoming SDG Summit held in the framework of the UN General Assembly’s 78th session, she said they are a testament to people development, the country’s strong commitment and resolve to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), upholding the promise of leaving no one behind in the national development journey.

The commitments and actions provide a crucial pathway to mobilise participation and support from all stakeholders and across the government’s institutions at all levels to accelerate the SDG achievement by 2030.

The UN welcomes Vietnam’s pledges to consolidate human rights in all dimensions, and encourages further actions to promote gender equality, create space for a dynamic civil society, prioritise women’s and children’s rights, and continue to better protect the rights of vulnerable groups in line with international standards and good practices, she said.

As the 15th most populous country in the world, and one of the most integrated and fast growing economies, Vietnam can use its voice effectively to contribute ideas and push for bolstered investment and innovation to accelerate the SDG implementation, the official added.

She also spoke highly of Vietnam’s considerable progress in targets related to poverty alleviation, access to clean water and basic sanitation services, industrial and infrastructure development, as well as access to information and communications technology.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic and other crises have posed risks of reversing the progress in some targets, she said, adding Vietnam should boost investments to bring all of the SDGs on track to achieve the 2030 targets.

Based on a UN-led SDG costing exercise conducted by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Vietnam needs an investment of 11% of GDP a year during the 2021-2030 period to achieve the SDGs, she said, highlighting developing an SDG Financing Strategy is a key, in which mobilisation of additional financial resources for climate change response and green growth, and existing resources such as ODA and domestic resources are equally important.