Viet Nam’s admission to the United Nations (UN) on September 20, 1977 was of great significance, given that the war had just ended and national reunification had been regained in the Southeast Asian country.

At that time, Viet Nam was a symbol of the national liberation movement, winning a lot of love from mankind. However, apart from the joy of independence and national reunification, the country had to face many difficulties, as it had an outdated economy and technology, and was still besieged and embargoed by many nations.

Viet Nam’s official membership to the largest global organiation opened up a new chapter in the country’s relations with the world, thus enabling Viet Nam not only to take advantage of international assistance for the country’s reconstruction, but also actively participate in and contribute more to the common affairs of the organisation and the world.

Second, along with achievements in innovation, development and international integration, Viet Nam has accompanied and contributed more effectively to the common affairs of the UN and the world. Notably, the country got engaged in the planning and implementation of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals to 2030, becoming an example of cooperation and effective implementation of the organisation’s action programmes.

Viet Nam always upholds and actively contributes to strengthening the principles of the UN Charter and international law, for peace, friendship, cooperation and common development of all nations. This is also a consistent principle in Viet Nam’s foreign policy.

Vietnam has gradually participated in and increasingly promoted its role in the UN’s leading bodies. Since the second half of the 1990s, Viet Nam has participated in the UN Development Program (UNDP), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and then the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

Le Quang Liem shines at Generation Cup 2022

After enduring defeat on the opening day of the Julius Baer Generation Cup 2022, the nation’s leading chess player Le Quang Liem returned to winning ways on the second day of the event.

The fifth match saw Liem (Elo rating 2791) face off against Adhiban Baskaran of India (Elo rating 2569), with the Indian player being notable for becoming U16 world champion in 2008. The Vietnamese player was able to take advantage of his opponent's mistake to claim victory after 66 moves.

Liem then held Anish Giri of the Netherlands (Elo rating 2740) to a draw after 60 moves in the sixth match, while the top Vietnamese player enjoyed an easy win over David Navara of the Czech Republic (Elo rating 2701) after just 39 moves in the seventh match.

The final match of the day saw Liem beat 19-year-old player Hans Niemann of the United States (Elo rating 2620) in 54 moves.

Following these impressive results, Liem climbed four spots to 12th place with a total of 12 points. If he continues to maintain his strong performances over the next seven matches, the Vietnamese player will earn a ticket to enter the second round.

12 injured as bus flips over in central Vietnam

As many as 12 people have been injured in an accident which saw a passenger bus flip over on September 19 morning in the central province of Ha Tinh, according to details given by local police.

The accident happened at around 8 a.m. at the crossroads of national highway 1A in Hung Tri ward of Ky Anh town in Ha Tinh when a passenger bus collided with a truck, causing it to overturn and slip a few metres.

A total of 12 people, including one with broken ribs, were subsequently taken to Ky Anh town’s General Hospital to receive further treatment.

Provincial authorities now directed relevant agencies to deal with the consequences of the accident.

Policemen were mobilised to the scene and used all available resources to save any injured civilians and to investigate the cause of the accident.

Rainy spell forecasted for northern region

The northern region of Vietnam will experience rain from this evening, September 20, according to the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting.
  
This evening, rain would happen in northeastern localities and the northern central province of Thanh Hoa first with a rainfall of between 15-50 mm. From tomorrow, September 21, the rainy weather will expand to the whole northern region and also affect some central localities, bringing about violent winds and thunderstorms.

Lowland and mountainous areas have been warned about potential landslides and flooding during rain.

The rainy spell would last until September 24.

Localities from Danang to Binh Thuan, the Central Highlands and the southern region would also face rain in some days to come.

Vietnam-Korean film week to open this week

A Vietnam-Korean film week themed “Meeting and Creativity” will be held at Cinestar in the Student’s Cultural House, Thu Duc City on September 23-25.

The event is organized by the Faculty of Literature and the Faculty of Korean Studies under the HCMC University of Social Sciences and Humanities with the support of the King Sejong Institute which is the overseas educational institution of the Korean language and Korean cultures.

The event will present popular movies from the two countries, including “Nguoi moi gioi” (Broker), "Rom" (Tick It) , "Trang noi day gieng” (Moon at the Bottom of the Well), Pawn, Decision to leave, "Nhung Thang Nam Ruc Ro" (Splendid years); and create a chance for young people who have a love for Vietnamese and Korean people, languages and cultures to enjoy films and take part in exchanges with film experts, researchers and filmmakers.

Project connecting Lai Chau with Noi Bai – Lao Cai Highway begins

The Ministry of Transport, on September 19, in Son Thuy Commune in Van Ban District of Lao Cai Province, kicked off the XL01 package of the traffic project connecting Lai Chau with the Noi Bai - Lao Cai Highway.

This is a national road section with an investment of nearly VND480 billion, and the expected completion time is 30 months. According to the design, the section is invested with a scale of grade-3 in mountainous areas, with a design speed of 60km/h.

Leading tuồng theatre celebrates 70th birthday

A series of tuồng or hát bội (classical drama) performances are being staged by the Bình Định Traditional Theatre to celebrate its 70th birthday anniversary this month.

The shows feature veteran and young artists of tuồng, a traditional genre of theatre in the central region that originated in the 12th century. 

Famous plays such as, Ông Già Cõng Vợ Trẻ Đi Xem Hội (The old man carries his young wife to see the festival), Hồ Nguyệt Cô Hóa Cáo (Hồ Nguyệt Cô turned into a fox) and Ôn Đình Chém Tá (Ôn Đình beheaded Tá), will be introduced. 

The artists will talk about tuồng history and its development during various periods, including its evolution from a folk art into a royal art in the 17th century.

New concepts will be featured to attract and close the gap between young audiences and the art form. 

Hanoi Basketball Championship first season to start on September 21

The 2022 Hà Nội Basketball Championship (HBC) will tip-off on September 21 with 12 clubs competing for the men's and women's trophies.

It will be the first-ever semi-pro basketball tournament, themed 'Beyond the Game', in Việt Nam with more than VNĐ150 million (US$6,300) up for grabs.

The HBC 2022 is co-organised by the Việt Nam Basketball Federation, Việt Nam Cable Television (VTVcab), and New Sports Company.

Four women's teams will compete in a round-robin format to find out the winner at the Thanh Trì Gymnasium.

Meanwhile, eight men's squads will be divided into two groups and take part in a round-robin competition; the two strongest ones of each group will advance to the next stage. 

The men's teams include Hidden Dragons, The Zoo, Dwarf, Scorpius, Ba Đình, and Hà Nội Team.

There will have at least two matches organised every day from 6pm. The final is scheduled for October 2. All matches are free for supporters.  

“Spanish melody” concert set to thrill Hanoi audiences

A “Spanish melody” concert will be staged at the Vietnam National Academy of Music (VNAM) on September 30, offering music lovers the chance to enjoy masterpieces made by Spanish composers.

The concert is part of activities to celebrate the 45th anniversary of bilateral relations between Vietnam and Spain, as well as the 80th anniversary of Spain’s National Day.

The show will feature performances by renowned Spanish and Vietnamese artists, including pianist Pablo Galdo, pianist Tran Thi Tam Ngoc, and guitarist Vu Duc Hien.

They will play a number of popular Spanish works, including Suite Espanola No.1, Opt.47 by Isaac Albeniz, Caprichio Arabe by Francisco Tarrega, and Ma mère l’Oye by Maurice Ravel.

Pablo Galdo is an exceptional Spanish pianist famous for his great technique who has gained a number of prizes in various piano competitions over the years. The Spanish pianist has performed in more than 40 countries globally with different orchestras in Spain, Hungary, Germany, and Austria.

Dish combining Vietnamese and US culinary culture wins blueberry cooking contest

The US Blueberries – Vietnam Association has announced the winners of the cooking contest entitled ‘Create summer flavours with US berries’, with the first prize going to ‘pho’ (Vietnamese rice noodle) served with blueberry sauce, a dish that combines Vietnamese and US culinary culture.

The second prize was presented to the dish ‘Grilled Salmon with Blueberry Sauce’ while a panna cotta dessert with blueberry jam won the third prize.

The contest was launched by US Blueberries – Vietnam, the Hanoi Communication Association, and Megalink Company on the TikTok platform on August 10, aiming to boost cultural and culinary exchange between Vietnam and the US.

The event encouraged professional chefs and food lovers to create recipes using US blueberries.

Vietnam strives for all students to benefit from health insurance policies

For the school year 2022-2023, the country strives for all students to participate and benefit from the health insurance policy. At the same time, the health insurance premium rate of students in this school year remains the same as the previous school year.

In the first eight months of 2022, nearly 2.2 million students nationwide who received medical examination and treatment have been paid by the health insurance agency with a total amount of nearly VND1,770 billion (US$71,717,069).

Moreover, the health insurance agency has paid huge amounts of examination and treatment costs for many students. Specifically, 537 students have undergone 2,535 types of medical examination and treatment which costs roughly VND100 million-VND200 million each. Plus, other 190 students received 1,435 medical examinations and treatments worth VND200 million -VND500 million each, and the agency covered over VND500 million for 20 insured students undergoing 152 types of medical services. Even, many cases whose examination and treatment cost up to about VND1 billion each were covered by the insurance agency.

Hanoi, Israeli cities enhance friendly ties

A delegation led by Vice Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee and Chairman of the municipal People’s Council Nguyen Ngoc Tuan visited Israel from September 14-16 to learn from experience in administration building and urban development.

While in Israel, they held working sessions with authorities of Modi'in and Tel Aviv cities, the Vietnamese Embassy in Israel, the Israel-Vietnam Trade Office, the Peres Centre for Peace and Innovation, the Watergen clean water company and several Israeli innovative companies.

Both sides discussed promoting ties among cities, shared experience in planning socio-economic policies, upholding elected bodies’ role in overseeing policy implementation, arranging administration’s apparatus, and stepping up investment and cooperation in urban management and development, urban economy, environment protection, climate change response, smart city building, start-ups and innovation, sci-tech, preservation and upholding of historical-cultural values.

Chairman of the Federation of Local Authorities of Israel and Mayor of Modi'in city Haim Bibas said Hanoi and Israeli cities need to continue enhancing friendship and share experience in dealing with issues in urban development, especially in traditional fields.

He vowed to partner and share experience with Hanoi in smart city building, infrastructure development, digital transformation and innovation.

Tuan wished that the Federation of Local Authorities of Israel would serve as a bridge linking Hanoi with Israeli localities in the fields of telecommunications, sci-tech, finance, industry, smart city development, hi-tech agriculture, technological transfer, treatment of air pollution, wastewater and garbages.

Embassy works to bring home Vietnamese who fled from business in Cambodia

The Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia, the border guard and the Consular Department of the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry have coordinated with Cambodian authorities to bring home Vietnamese citizens who fled from a business establishment in Cambodia as soon as possible.

According to the Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia, 60 Vietnamese fled a business establishment in Bavet Kandal hamlet, Bavet ward, Bavet city, Svay Rieng province towards the Bavet border gate at 2:30pm on September 17. While fleeing, four were caught by the business.

The Vietnamese embassy and border guards are working with the Foreign Ministry’s Consular Department and Cambodia’s relevant agencies to bring them home as soon as possible.

Those who need help could contact the Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia at +855-23726274, the Consulate General in Sihanoukville at +855-34934039 or Citizen Protection Switchboard +84-981 84 84 84.

Festival to gather outstanding children from all ethnic groups

Outstanding children from all the 54 ethnic groups across the country will gather for the first time at the Children Festival that will take place in Hanoi and northern Phu Tho province from September 21-23.

Within the festival framework, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCYU) Central Committee and the Central Children Council will organise various activities for the children, including visits to Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam, Thang Long Imperial Citadel, and the Hanoi Puppetry Theatre.

The children will pay tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at the leader’s mausoleum, meet Party and State leaders, and offer incense to Hung Kings at their temple in Phu Tho.

A ceremony to honour the 263 outstanding children will take place on September 23.

Bangladeshi man imprisoned for fraud, appropriation of assets

The People’s Court of Hanoi on September 19 sentenced Abedin Ahmed, a Bangladeshi national, to 13 years in prison for “Fraud and appropriation of assets”, as stipulated in Article 174 of the Penal Code of Vietnam.

The trial found that in mid-2018,  Abedin Ahmed, 42, entered Vietnam and temporarily resided in an apartment in Quang An ward of Hanoi’s Tay Ho district. While living here, Abedin Ahmed fell into a relationship with Nguyen Thi Hong Ngat, 27, in Gia Lam district.

Through Ngat, Ahmed contacted 10 others, promising to help them travel to Canada to work in Akhavanfood Sherbrooke W. Montresal company, with a monthly salary of 100 million VND (4,200 USD) plus accommodations.

Believing in him, from December 2018 to May 2019, the 10 sent him a total of 36,490 USD. He also borrowed Ngat 1,800 USD for personal expenses.

However, the Bangladeshi man failed to fulfil his commitment.

Realising Ahmed’s fraud, Ngat lodge a complaint to the police. On October 27, 2021, Ahmed surrendered to the Hanoi City Police.

The Quebec-headquartered company also told the Vietnamese investigation agency that it did not have demand of recruiting labourers from Vietnam.

HCM City offers free smart bus cards for elderly

Ho Chi Minh City has presented nearly 100 free smart bus cards for people aged 70 or over, and social policy beneficiaries, including wounded and sick soldiers.

On September 18, the city’s Public Transport Management Centre offered free bus cards to the elderly and other priority populations in Thu Duc city.

The city’s smart ticket system, named UniPass, started its trial phase in 2019, carried out by the centre, Vietnam Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Industry and Trade (VietinBank) and Zion JSC.

It allows bus passengers to pay for their ride in two methods, either swiping their near-field communication (NFC) cards on the bus to transfer money from their UniPass account or using their smartphones to scan a QR code that provides them with payment details.

Bac Ninh’s cultural, tourism features to come to Hanoi

A special space showcasing the northern province of Bac Ninh’s cultural, craft, and tourism features is scheduled to take place in the pedestrian area around Hoan Kiem lake in downtown Hanoi from September 23-26.

According to the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, the space will treat visitors to Bac Ninh’s cultural heritages, traditional culinary delights, and impressive tourist destinations.

One of its five categories is set to dedicate to the local quan ho (love duet), an art form that combines various elements, including music, lyrics and costumes, and features the distinctive culture of people in the region.

The art of love duets was inscribed in the UNESCO’s representative list of intangible cultural heritage in September 2009.

The other categories will involve Bac Ninh’s handicrafts, cuisine, and destinations. It is the second time such space will have been held in the capital city.

Foreign arrivals in Hanoi up 18% in September

Tourist arrivals in the capital city of Hanoi was estimated at 1.48 million in September, down 15.5% month-on-month, reported the municipal Department of Tourism.

Of the figure, over 184,000 were foreigners, up 18% from August.
 
So far this year, tourist arrivals in Hanoi rose four-fold to 13.87 million year-on-year, of which more than 766,000 were foreigners. The total revenue from tourism is estimated at 39.69 trillion VND (1.72 billion USD), marking a 4.7-fold rise from the same period last year.

In September, hotel room occupancy rate reached 43.7%, up 14.3% from a month ago and 28.6% year-on-year. The figure in the nine months is estimated at 34.1%, up 12.7% year-on-year.

C2P model accelerates cooperation for effective national HIV/AIDS response

Community-based organisations (CBOs) are boosting coverage of HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment services for key population groups to help achieve targets for HIV/AIDS epidemic control in Vietnam.

Phan Thi Thu Huong, head of the Vietnam Administration for HIV/AIDS Control (VAAC), said that at a recent workshop on strengthening cooperation between CBOs and the health sector in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the country, co-organised by the Centre for Promotion of Quality of Life (LIFE) and VAAC in Ho Chi Minh City.

She said the community-public partnership model, or C2P, a collaboration between CBOs and the health sector in HIV/AIDS prevention and control, was an initiative of LIFE that had been implemented effectively to optimise client outcomes in many provinces and cities over the past years.

Nguyen Nguyen Nhu Trang, director of LIFE, said seven cooperation agreements had been signed between LIFE with the centres for disease control (CDC) in provinces and cities over the past eight years.

And 28 cooperation agreements were signed between CBOs with health facilities in HCM City, Hanoi, Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Can Tho, Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Khanh Hoa.

C2P helps to increase the efficiency of transferring customers to receive anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment and take pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) drugs at health facilities, according to LIFE.

From 2020 to June 2022, 71 per cent of ARV and PrEP customers being treated at health facilities signed C2P cooperation agreements in HCM City.

It has also supported nearly 5,500 patients in HCM City and Dong Nai with treatment compliance during the social distancing period due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brazil invites Vietnamese firms to attend International Coffee Week

Representatives of the administration of Brazil's Minas Gerais state invited Vietnamese firms to participate in the International Coffee Week from November 16-18 and the Security & Defence Exhibition slated for November in Belo Horizonte city.

They offered the invitation during a working session with Vietnamese Ambassador to Brazil Pham Thi Kim Hoa, who paid a working visit to the state from September 11-15.

During the visit, Hoa paid a courtesy call on President of the Legislative Assembly of Minas Gerais Agustinho Patrus, during which both sides agreed to continue working closely together to boost trade in coffee and other key products of the two countries.

The ambassador was also awarded with a medal of honour in recognition of her contributions to strengthening ties with Minas Gerais state. The award ceremony was held in Diamantina city, hometown of the late Brazilian President Juscelino Kubitschek on the occasion of his 120th birthday anniversary.

On the occasion, Hoa also received an award presented by Minas Gerais tourism newspaper in honour of her efforts to introduce Vietnam’s tourism.

On behalf of the Vietnamese Government, Hoa presented a decision appointing João Alexandre as Honorary Consul General of Vietnam in Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo states, making him the first holding this position in Brazil.

As Director of the Juscelino Kubitschek Institute for Political and Socio-Economic Studies, he was credited for promoting multifaceted ties between Vietnam and Brazil, especially naming a major road in Minas Gerais as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, which is part of the Pampulha Modern Emsemble recognised by the UNESCO as a World Heritage in 2016.

PM orders review of legal enforcement over UXO clearance

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has asked the Ministry of National Defence to work closely with ministries, agencies and localities to review the enforcement of legal regulations related to post-war bomb and mine clearance.

If necessary, the Ministry of National Defence has been instructed to partner with the Ministry of Justice and other relevant ministries and agencies to draft an Ordinance on overcoming the consequences of war-time bombs, mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) to submit to the Government for consideration.

Over the past more than a decade, Vietnam has cleared nearly 500,000ha of contaminated land and defused hundreds of thousands of bombs, mines and explosives.

Over 5,000 UXO victims have received medical, vocational training, job and livelihood support at a cost of more than 50 billion VND (2.17 million USD) .

Hundreds of thousands of people, especially children and residents in contaminated areas, have also learned how to avoid UXO accidents.

PM chairs teleconference with heads of Vietnamese representative agencies abroad

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired a teleconference with heads of Vietnamese representative agencies abroad on September 19 to discuss promoting economic diplomacy in the service of national development.

The teleconference, the first of its kind, was linked with cities and provinces nationwide, and 94 Vietnamese embassies and representative agencies abroad. A month ago, the PM also chaired a similar event with representatives of Vietnam trade offices abroad.

The Government leader said despite rapid and complicated developments around the world, Vietnam still recorded progress in socio-economic development in the past eight months, with high economic growth and inflation under control. This was partly attributed to the efforts and determination of the diplomatic sector and Vietnamese representative agencies abroad in particular.

According to the PM, economic diplomacy has closely followed major orientations for national development and the Government’s socio-economic management focus, becoming an important driving force for rapid and sustainable development.

Amid difficulties and challenges, he required economic diplomatic activities to be more active, creative and flexible, turning risks into opportunities, for an independent and self-reliant economy with widespread, practical and effective global integration.

He asked ambassadors and leaders of ministries, agencies and firms to discuss and offer specific solutions to improve the efficiency of economic diplomatic work in the near future.

Participants shared the view that Vietnam needs to make the best use of opportunities in export, investment, tourism, sci-tech and new growth driving forces, thus pooling all possible resources for economic recovery and development.

They also suggested mechanisms, policies and measures to improve economic diplomacy at all levels at home and abroad.

Workshop summarises UNESCO Culture 2030 Indicators project in Vietnam

A workshop reporting the results of a pilot project on implementing the UNESCO Thematic Indicators for Culture in the 2030 Agenda (UNESCO Culture|2030 Indicators) in Vietnam on September 19.

Director of the Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts Studies (VICAS) Nguyen Thi Thu Phuong said that over 10 months, the pilot project was completed at both national and local scales, with the active cooperation and support of both domestic and international agencies, organisations and individuals.

UNESCO Culture|2030 Indicators is a framework of thematic indicators which aims to measure and monitor the progress of culture’s enabling contributions to the national- and local-level implementation of the Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

It showcases the 22 indicators divided into four thematic dimensions featuring the most important aspects of sustainable development, from environmental to socio-economic affairs.

This will help Vietnam to contribute more effectively to the overall picture of global culture presented in a report on the UNESCO Culture 2030 Indicators to be published at the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development – MONDIACULT 2022, which will take place in Mexico from September 28-29.

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