The Vietnam homepage of tech giant Google today features a doodle of ‘chim lac’, a Vietnamese mythical national bird, to mark the country’s 77th National Day (September 2, 1945 – 2022).

Talking about its special doodle, Google said: “Chim lac most closely resembles the crane with its long beak and can be found as intricate decorations on traditional Dong Son bronze drums.”

It also gave details on the date, saying: “In 1945, the Declaration of Independence of Vietnam was read aloud to the public, officially recognising Vietnam as a sovereign nation.”

Citizens are given a day off from work, and red-and-yellow banners line the streets to mark the holiday, it said, adding that the Vietnamese national flag is displayed on every corner of the country.

A Google Doodle is a special, temporary alteration of the logo on Google's homepages intended to commemorate holidays, events, achievements, and notable historical figures of particular countries.

Vietnam wishes to collaborate with UN in digital transformation: ambassador

Vietnam wishes to collaborate with the UN on digital transformation in both policy formulation and implementation, Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the international organisation has stated.

At a September 1 meeting with Amandeep Singh Gill, UN Under-Secretary-General and Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology, the diplomat affirmed that Vietnam is willing to contribute to the UN's policies and strategies in the field, including an initiative on a global digital agreement in the Secretary-General's report on “Our Common Agenda”.

Vietnam can share experiences with other countries and with the UN on ensuring online education during the COVID-19 pandemic to prepare for future crises, he said.

Giang also stressed his willingness to connect the office of the UN Under-Secretary-General with Vietnamese ministries, sectors and IT enterprises in contribution to the UN's digital transformation efforts.

For his part, Singh Gill highly appreciated Vietnam's achievements in IT development and digital transformation in recent years, especially the Government's implementation of a national digital transformation strategy to 2025, with a vision to 2030.

The UN and Vietnam have a lot of potential for cooperation, he said, wishing to strengthen connections with businesses operating in Vietnam’s IT sector.

Vietnam – RoK Festival 2022 opens in Da Nang

The Vietnam – Republic of Korea (RoK) Festival 2022 opened in the central city of Da Nang on September 1, attracting thousands of visitors.

The four-day event aims to raise mutual understanding and cultural exchange between Vietnam and the RoK on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties.

It will feature a programme linking Korean and Da Nang businesses together, a fair of culture-information, food and goods, a culture-art exchange programme, activities of Korean culture and folk games, martial arts, a cooking competition, and a grand music festival.

Director of the municipal Department of Foreign Affairs Huynh Duc Truong said Korean firms now invest in 236 projects worth over 378 million USD in Da Nang, becoming the fifth biggest in the city.

Trade between Da Nang and the RoK hit 52 million USD in 2021. Progress has been seen in tourism, education and social cooperation.

HCMC restarts long-stalled Long Kieng bridge project

The construction of the Long Kieng bridge project in HCMC has restarted after a two-decade suspension due to site clearance bottlenecks.

August 29 saw 103 local households affected by the VND557 billion bridge project, which is in Phuoc Kien Commune in the outlying district of Nha Be, relocated. Cleared land has been handed over to the Management Board for Transportation Works Construction and Investment Projects (TCIP) which recently pledged to complete the project by December 2023.

In 2001, the HCMC People’s Committee approved the 318-meter-long bridge project, with two roads leading to the bridge measuring 661 meters in length.

In August 2018, work on the project began and was expected to be completed in late November 2019, but site clearance obstacles have stalled the project until now.

TCIP director Luong Minh Phuc was quoted by Thanh Nien Online as saying today, August 30, that the city from now until the end of the year would witness a dramatic change in site clearance issues that have hindered many infrastructure and traffic projects.

The completion of site clearance for the Long Kieng bridge project is expected to mark a new milestone in the city’s efforts to remove site clearance hindrances.

For the rest of the year, the city is set to hand over cleared land to 10 projects to get off the ground early next year. They include Nam Ly and Tang Long bridges in Thu Duc City, Ten Lua and Tan Ky Tan Quy streets in Binh Tan District and the Vam Sat 2 Bridge in Can Gio.

Besides, TCIP along with the HCMC Transport Department and relevant units are accelerating procedures to break ground on the city’s three key projects, comprising the project to expand Tran Quoc Hoan Street linking with the Tan Son Nhat International Airport, the An Phu T-junction and the National Highway 50 expansion project.

Trains of HCMC’s first metro line to conduct test runs in four months

All 17 trains of HCMC’s metro line No.1 are operating on a trial basis inside the Long Binh Depot in Thu Duc City from now until the end of this year in preparation for the test run on the entire line.

The HCMC Management Authority for Urban Railways and Hitachi Co., Ltd conducted a trial run for the trains on a 120-meter section of the Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien Metro Line at the Long Binh Depot in Thu Duc City on August 30.

This is the first time these 17 trains have run on a trial basis since they were sent to HCMC nearly two years ago.

These three-car trains have been tested at a speed of 20 kph, compared to the design speed of 110 kph on elevated sections and 80 kph on underground sections of the first metro line of HCMC.

The braking, traction, operating screen and power supply systems of the trains all worked well during the trial run, according to Hitachi.

After the test at the depot, the trains will test-run on an elevated section, which is around four meters above the ground, from Long Binh Depot to the Suoi Tien Station in Thu Duc City.

A deputy manager of the rolling stock department at Hitachi Company said that all the 17 trains of Metro Line No. 1 would be tested at the depot in advance, before test-running on the main route.

During the test runs, these trains will be tested at different speeds and even at the design speed.

The trains will be tested on the main line and put into operation at the end of next year.

The trains for Metro Line No.1 are all made in Japan and are painted blue. Each train has three cars and can carry 930 passengers, including 147 seated passengers and 783 standing ones.

As the first urban railway project in HCMC, the metro line costs over VND43.7 trillion and spans around 20 kilometers, starting from Ben Thanh Station in downtown HCMC to Long Binh Depot near the Suoi Tien Theme Park. It has three underground and 11 elevated stations. The project is now 92% complete.

Overseas Vietnamese in US donates medical supplies to HCMC

The HCMC Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs held a ceremony at Cat Lai Port on August 31 to receive a shipment of medical supplies worth US$53,000 donated by the Oversea Vietnamese in the US.

Medical products and equipment are .240 boxes of Waxman Kleen Freak disinfecting wipes, 35,000 Tyvek isolation gowns, 600 Coverall gowns level 3, and 960 NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) masks.

It is the second shipment donated by the Oversea Vietnamese in the US after the first shipment that was presented to the city in the fourth wave of Covid-19, said Vice Chairman of the municipal Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs, Tran Duc Hien.

At the receiving ceremony, the HCMC Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs handed over medical supplies to Thu Duc City General Hospital and HCMC Medicine University Hospital.

The city’s Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs also presented certificates of merit to individuals and organizations to recognize their outstanding contribution to the fight against the coronavirus pandemic in HCMC.

Disciplinary warning given to musician allegedly involved in problem in Spain

The Vietnam National Academy of Music issued a disciplinary warning to musician Ho Hoai Anh, one of the two Vietnamese artists involved in a legal problem in Spain for violating the regulations of the school.

On August 16, musician Ho Hoai Anh was present at the Vietnam National Academy of Music to provide accountability for his trip from June 17-August 6 that was not informed to the workplace.

The academy will consider imposing the next fines on the artist after receiving results from the Spanish government.

Musician Ho Hoai Anh is currently a lecturer who has taught Dan Bau (one-string zither), one of the traditional Vietnamese musical instruments, at the Vietnam National Academy of Music .

Previously, the Majorca Daily Bulletin reported that Spanish police arrested two famous Vietnamese artists for allegedly raping a 17-year-old British girl on Mallorca Island. The two artists, a 37-year-old actor and a 42-year-old musician were arrested at the hotel on June 25. They were released on bail and banned from leaving Spain. Spanish authorities confiscated their passports and asked them to wait for the decision.

Exhibition of rubber sandals associated with images of Uncle Ho opens in Hanoi

The Vietnam Intangible Culture Heritage Center (VICH) coordinated with the family of artisan Pham Quang Xuan who is known as “Vua dep lop” (King of Rubber Sandals) to open an exhibition of “Uncle Ho” rubber sandals at Ho Chi Minh Museum on August 28.

The event celebrating the 77th anniversary of the August Revolution (August 19) and National Day (September 2) also include art performances of music, dance, and drama featuring the history and the making process of rubber tyre sandals.

Firstly appearing in 1947, rubber sandals were made of old car and airplane tires during the war against the French and the Americans.

President Ho Chi Minh was especially interested in wearing sandals for more than 20 years. They are displayed in Ho Chi Minh Museum.

HCMC discovers house containing numerous skincare products without origin

The Ho Chi Minh City Market Management Department has coordinated with inter-sectoral forces to check and seize about 13,000 Obagi and Zo skincare products at a five-floor house in 2A Le Niem, Phu Thanh Ward, Tan Phu District. 

Accordingly, the consignment’s owner is also the house owner who admitted all of the above products without origin. 

The products mostly were cleansers, moisturizers, acne creams, and sunscreen labeled Obagi and Zo, made in the USA.

During the checking, the owner could not submit any invoices and legal import origin related to the cosmetic.

The consignment has been temporarily seized for further verification and clarification. 

Vietnam’s 77th National Day marked in Russia

The Embassy of Vietnam in Russia on August 31 hosted a ceremony in Moscow to celebrate the 77th anniversary of the National Day (September 2, 1945 – 2022) with more than 800 guests, including many Russian officials and diplomats, and foreign diplomatic corps, in attendance.

In his welcoming remarks, Vietnamese Ambassador Dang Minh Khoi briefed his guests on Vietnam’s remarkable development in politics, economy, social affairs, national defence-security and international integration during more than 35 years of “Doi Moi” (Renewal) period, noting that the economy expanded 6.4% in the first half of this year.

He later highlighted the Vietnam-Russia ties, saying the two countries have enjoyed a long-standing and good friendship, and Russia has stood side by side with Vietnam during the toughest time of its struggle for independence and liberation. Political trust and the long-established friendship lay a strong foundation enabling the bilateral relations to stand the test of time, he said.

Vadim Bublikov from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Vietnam has achieved impressive economic growth, considerably improving people’s living standard. Vietnam has gained a well-deserved reputation in the global stage and become an active player that helps address global and regional issues, he added.

Previously, Ambassador Khoi had a meeting with Russian Minister of Sport Oleg Matytsin, during which both sides agreed to double efforts to beef up bilateral cooperation in sports and personnel training.

Hanoi requests efficient use of COVID-19 vaccines

Districts and towns across Hanoi must be responsible for keeping COVID-19 vaccination to schedule and efficiently use the COVID-19 vaccines they have received to avoid wastefulness, according to an official notice from the municipal People’s Committee.

The committee issued the instruction as the capital city is striving to speed up COVID-19 vaccine inoculation for people aged five and above to deal with the current spike of new cases.

Local authorities are asked to increase people’s accessibility to COVID-19 vaccines by flexibly arranging injection sites. For example, in addition to fixed vaccination points, mobile ones can be set up at industrial parks, schools and others, the official notice said.

Districts and towns must prepare personnel, drugs and medical supplies to get ready for any pandemic emergency and make sure that every citizen can gain the fastest and earliest access to health care services at grassroot level. They must also take drastic actions to promptly and effectively control the virus in the event of a COVID-19 resurgence, it added.

Any organisation or district that fails to do so, causing a wide-spread outbreak, will be held accountable, it noted.

Local administrations are requested to accelerate awareness campaigns to encourage people to strictly observe COVID-19 control rules and get vaccine booster shots. Residents must be provided with updates on the pandemic situation, associated risks from new variants and suitable virus prevention measures.

Deputy PM attends announcement ceremony of amnesty granting in Vinh Phuc prison

Standing Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh on September 1 attended a ceremony held in Vinh Quang Prison in the northern province of Vinh Phuc for the announcement of the President’s 2022 Amnesty Decision.

A total of 71 inmates here, including five foreigners, have been given clemency by the President on the occasion of the 77th National Day (September 2, 1945 – 2022).

Congratulating the prisoners to be released under amnesty, Minh said the early release is just the beginning of the path to start a new life. But with the performance and progress the inmates had shown during re-education and labour at the prison, he believes they would truly become good citizens, beginning a new life, having a happy family and not committing another crime.

Underpinning that every prisoner has equal opportunities, regardless of ethnicity, gender, religion, nationality and social status, he urged those yet to receive amnesty this time to work and study harder, and strictly abide by the law and the rules of the prison so soon they will be eligible to clemency such as commutation, parole or amnesty.

The Deputy PM also asked local authorities to help the released inmates re-integrate into society. Social organisations, businesses and family members should not discriminate but provide them with all possible conditions to facilitate their re-entry and enable them to have a job and a stable life, he added.

On the same day, 40 prisoners held at Hanoi Police Detention Centre No.1 in the district of Nam Tu Liem also received amnesty decisions. They are among more than 90 inmates qualified for early release in detention centres cross Hanoi. On the occasion, the amnestied prisoners were also granted with the new ID cards.  

The State President signed Decision 978/QD-CTN dated August 30, 2022 to grant amnesty to 2,438 prisoners on the National Day occasion this year.

New expressway put into use in Quang Ninh province

Van Don - Mong Cai Expressway, expected to open up a new development space for the northern province of Quang Ninh and the entire Red River Delta, was inaugurated on September 1.

The expressway, which is 80.23km long and 25.25m wide, connects Van Don International Airport and the access road to Bac Luan 2 Bridge on the Vietnam - China border in Mong Cai city. Built in just over two years since the completion of site clearance, it has four lanes for vehicles, two emergency lanes, and a design speed of 120km per hour, which is also the maximum design speed for expressways in Vietnam.

The road is equipped with an intelligent transport system working around the clock and in all weather conditions.

Besides, it is one of the roads featuring the most sea and river bridges in the country, with 35 bridges totalling more than 7.9km on the main route – equivalent to 10% of its length.

Chairman of the Quang Ninh People’s Committee Nguyen Tuong Van said Van Don - Mong Cai Expressway helps shorten the travel time from Hanoi to Mong Cai city to three hours.

It is also connected with the expressway traversing Van Don, Ha Long, Hai Phong, Hanoi, and Lao Cai, forming the country’s longest expressway – nearly 600km. This has turn Quang Ninh into the locality boasting the greatest expressway length – 176km.

In addition, Van Don - Mong Cai is the first of its kind to link three airports (Noi Bai in Hanoi, Cat Bi in Hai Phong, and Van Don), and three economic zones with one international border gate. It also helps link other ASEAN countries and Vietnamese localities with China via the Mong Cai International Border Gate, thereby facilitating investment attraction, border economic activities, as well as social and tourism development in the province, Van noted.

Ca Mau sees considerable economic transformation after 25-year establishment

The southernmost province of Ca Mau has transformed itself from an agricultural province to a hub for aquaculture and seafood export in the Mekong Delta and Vietnam at large 25 years after it was established (January 1, 1997 – 2022).

From 2015 – 2020, the province exported some 700,000 tonnes of aquatic products to earn nearly 5.6 billion USD in revenue. It remained as one of the country’s leading exporters of shrimp and experienced robust growth of sea-based economy.

Its income per capita now stands at 2,277 USD per year, seven times higher than 25 years ago. The poverty rate plunged to 1.5% in 2022 from 30% in 1997.

Last year, Ca Mau posted a GDP growth of 0.92%, with exports exceeding 1.11 billion USD, up 63% from 1997.

The southernmost province has heavily invested in developing transport infrastructure, irrigation and electricity networks, and building schools and healthcare facilities, giving a major push to local socio-economic growth.

It has made considerable improvement in public administration reform as well as provincial governance, climbing eight places on the Public Administration Reform (PAR) Index rankings to the 41st place in 2020 and to the 31st position on the Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI) rankings, up nine spots, the same year.

According to Director of the provincial Department of Planning and Investment Phan Hoang Vu, the province currently houses more than 430 FDI projects with a total registered investment of more than 5.6 billion USD.

It is also home to various national strategic projects, including wind power farms and the Ca Mau Gas-Power-Fertiliser Complex developed by the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam), which consists of two gas thermal power plants with total capacity of 1,500MW, one fertiliser plant and 3,252km of gas pipeline.

Ca Mau holds great potential in agriculture, fisheries and marine economy, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Nguyen Tien Hai told Chairman of the National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue when Hue visited Ca Mau in January. In the coming time, the province will continue focusing on developing transport infrastructure and attracting foreign investment to bring its potential into full play, Hai said.

The province is set to achieve 6.5 – 7% in annual GDP growth and over 3,000 USD in income per capita for the 2020 – 2025 period.

Hanoi to host festival of craft villages, streets next month

Hanoi will host a festival of craft villages and streets at the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long from October 13 – 16, aiming to promote and preserve local traditional handicrafts, according to Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Manh Quyen.

The festival will be held annually to develop craft village-based tourism and promote cultural spaces of craft villages and streets in the capital city, Quyen said.

The event will also be a chance for traditional craftsmen and craft villages not only from Hanoi but also across the country to introduce their products and seek partnership and export opportunities.

It will feature around 200 booths showcasing handicrafts, divided into six zones, including one for the recreation of Hanoi’s Old Quarter in the old times, with traditional silk stores in Hang Gai Street and “Ao Dai” (Vietnamese long gown) tailor shops in Luong Van Can Street. There will be demonstration of traditional jewellery making in Hang Bac Street.

Separate zones will be set up for craft villages in Hanoi and other cities and provinces. That for Hanoi craft villages will represent various folk crafts, including pottery-making in Bat Trang, Van Phuc and Son Dong, lacquer painting in Ha Thai, buffalo horn comb making in Thuy Ung, "to he" (coloured rice dough toy) making in Xuan La and rattan and bamboo handicraft in Phu Vinh.

There will be zones for folk games and tradition cuisine of Hanoi.

VFF begins selling tickets for Vietnam-Palestine friendly

The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) put tickets on sale for a friendly match between Vietnam’s U20 team and Palestine’s U20 side at 9 a.m. on September 1 at Phu Tho province’s competition hall.

The price of tickets ranges from VND100,000, VND150,000 to VND200,000 and will be open for sale from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. between September 1 and September 3.

The Vietnamese U20 national football team will take on Palestine in a friendly match at the Viet Tri Stadium in Phu Tho province on September 3 as they get preparations underway for the upcoming qualifiers for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U20 Asian Cup 2023.

The Vietnam U20 side returned to the nation after a training camp in Japan on August 25. The clash with the Palestine side is therefore of great significance for coach Dinh The Nam before his players fly to Indonesia to compete in the regional youth tournament.

The qualifiers for the AFC U20 Asian Cup 2023 are scheduled to run from September 14 to September 18. Vietnam has been drawn in Group F and will play Hong Kong (China) on September 14, Timor Leste on September 16, and Indonesia on September 18.

Meanwhile, Palestine’s U20s are in Group C alongside Japan, Yemen, Laos, and Guam.

Vietnam drawn against Malaysia and Laos in 2022 AFF Cup

The Vietnamese national football team have been drawn in Group B alongside Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar, and Laos for the upcoming 2022 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Cup, with the tournament set to run from December 23 to January 15, 2023.

Information of the fixtures comes following the draw held in Bangkok, Thailand, on August 30.

Group A consists of hosts Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia, and the winner of the play-off match between Timor Leste and Brunei.

The format of the competition will see a total of 10 teams divided into two groups, with each team playing group-stage matches at home and away alternately, whilst the semi-final and final stages will also be held home and away.

Vietnam have been placed in Group B and will play their opening match against Laos on December 24.

They will face Malaysia, Singapore, and Myanmar on December 30, January 2, and January 5, respectively.

The event has been held every two years since 1996, with the exception of 2021 when it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the 2022 version of the competition will mark the 14th edition of the tournament.

Most notably, the Vietnamese national team won the tournament in 2008 and 2018.

In the 2020 version, Vietnam lost 2-0 to Thailand in the semi-final round, one of the most unforgettable failures of the Vietnamese national team over recent years.

Stricter measures to catch drink drivers

Tighter measures to control traffic problems such as driving under the influence of alcohol and unlicensed coaches are being implemented by Hà Nội's Traffic Police Force.

During the National Day holidays, more people are travelling in and out of the city. To enable safe and clear traffic during these days, the Hà Nội Traffic Police launched an operation inspecting and handling violations around crowded areas such as coach stations, malls and hospitals.

"We doubled our daily number of officers during these periods, and assigned them to coach stations and areas nearby," said Captain Lê Văn Đông, Traffic Police Team 6. 

"We aim to eliminate transportation services that violate rules of picking up passengers in unregulated areas, as well as taxis with unusually high fares."

Đông said Traffic Police Team 6 have captured many violations during the first few days of the operation. As the drivers are using sly tactics to evade the patrol, Team 6 is ramping up measures over the holiday period.

The holidays are also the time when people party and use alcohol. These instances can led to drink driving, which is dangerous to the driver and other peopleic.

A checkpoint established by Team 6 has registered dozens of drivers with higher than regulated amount of alcohol in their breath, in just under 30 minutes.

"Many violators did not adhere to our calls and tried to escaped," said Lieutenant Đoàn Tuấn Anh of Traffic Police Team 6.

"The public needs to be aware of the grave consequences of drunk driving, so that they refrain from ever doing it. The punishment, in my opinion, should be harsher."

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