The first Vietnamese Children’s “Ao Dai” Festival, themed “Back to the roots,” was held in Viet Tri, the capital of northern Phu Tho province on September 4, along side with the final round of a contest entitled “Vietnamese Children’s Ao Dai Ambassador 2022.”

 

The event saw the participants of 70 outstanding children aged 5 – 15 selected in the contest's qualifying round. They performed six collections of Ao Dai (Vietnam’s traditional gown) by designers David Minh Duc, Si Hoang, Ta Linh Nhan, Phuong Ho, Bui Thi Thom and Alana’s Kid.
The organisers selected the Top 20 and Top 10 candidates before announcing two winners, Nguyen Gia Bao from Yen Bai and Nguyen Tri Nam Kha from Binh Duong, who outperformed the others to claim the ambassador titles.

The festival and competition are expected to preserve and promote the Vietnamese traditional costumes and national identity among the young generation and make “ao dai” a symbol of inter-generation connections and one that keeps the nation’s soul.

Prime Minister attends new school year ceremony at primary school in Hanoi

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh shared the joy of teachers and more than 23 million students nationwide at the start of the new school year, attending a ceremony on September 5 at Doan Thi Diem primary school in Hanoi.

In his remarks at the ceremony, the PM recalled the teaching of President Ho Chi Minh that “For the sake of 10 years' benefit, we must plant trees; for the sake of 100 years' benefit, we must cultivate people.”

Besides learning, he asked the children to develop the habit of reading to gain more knowledge and foster their soul, and also train their life skills.

Towards teachers, the PM shared their hard work, and urged them to ensure a balance among learning, playing and daily life activities. He also asked parents to work closely with schools to take care of and educate children.

The Government leader requested ministries and agencies, especially the Ministry of Education and Training, to focus efforts on removing shortcomings and problems in the educational sector, first of all the shortage in teachers, classrooms and textbooks, and the full vaccination for children.

He called on educators, parents and the society as a whole to pay attention to school safety and the care for children in disadvantaged circumstances.

The PM spent time to check on the facilities at Doan Thi Diem school, a model of non-State education establishment in Hanoi, and the working conditions of teachers and staff.

He asked the Ministry of Education and Training and local administrations to review the model of non-State education with a view to facilitating the development of the model.

Vietnamese pancake wins prize at Italian cultural festival

Vietnam’s famous pancake dish, known locally as banh xeo, claimed second prize at the Bagnara Ethnic Cultural Festival which was held in Italy from September 1 to September 4.

This year Vietnam introduced a number of traditional cuisines, such as Vietnamese spring rolls, fried rice, banh xeo, and Nem Lui (a type of grilled ground pork on a stick). In particular, the banh xeo impressed judges and visitors at the event, winning second prize at the event.

Addressing the participants, Le Thi Bich Huong, chairwoman of the Italy-Vietnam Cultural Bridge Association, noted that the annual festival represents a golden chance for Vietnam to promote its culture to Italian and international friends through showcasing traditional cuisines.

She added that part of the Vietnamese pavilion’s proceeds will be given to charitable activities linked with the association.

This year, the festival attracted the participation of 25 countries across the world, including Vietnam, Cuba, Argentina, Mexico, Romania, India, Thailand, the Philippines, Ecuador, Spain, and Germany. In total, 15,000 diners took part in the four-day festival. This represents the fourth time that Vietnam has attended the festival and won prizes.

Vietnamese pair win gold at Aerobic Gymnastics Asian Championships

Vietnamese duo Trinh Quang Manh and Phan Thi Uyen Nhi bagged a gold medal at the seventh Aerobic Gymnastics Asian Championships 2022 which concluded on September 5 in Thailand.

They came first in the mixed pairs after receiving a total 19.550 points, whilst two pairs from the Republic of Korea were placed in second and third positions.

The seventh Aerobic Gymnastics Asian Championships took place in Pattaya, Thailand, from Sept. 1 – 5. Vietnam sent 28 athletes to compete in 12 of a total of 16 events at the tournament.

In the latest iteration held in 2017, Vietnam secured two gold, three silver, and one bronze to finish first in the medal tally.

Most recently, the Vietnamese gymnastics team obtained three gold medals at the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games which was held in Vietnam in May.

The Vietnamese athletes also clinched a gold medal at the 17th Aerobic Gymnastics World Championship held in Guimaraes, Portugal, in June.

Road accidents kill 48 during National Day holiday

Road accidents nationwide claimed 48 lives and left 51 injured during the National Day holiday from September 1-4, according to the Traffic Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security.

No railway and waterway accidents were reported, it said.

Traffic police in localities handled 41,214 cases of traffic violations and imposed fines worth more than 60 billion VND (2.5 million USD) in total. They also seized 941 cars, 12,700 motorbikes and revoked 6,298 driver’s licences.

Traffic patrol teams on expressways dealt with 296 violations, issued fines of more than 1 billion VND, withdrew 140 driver’s licences, and impounded 19 vehicles.

In addition, 510 violations of traffic rules were recorded on waterways, with fines totaling more than 600 million VND.

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum welcomes over 73,000 visitors on National Day holiday

The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi received 73,215 visitors on the occasion of the National Day holiday (September 1-4), according to its management board.

The facility is scheduled to open until 10:30am, but the board decided to extend the time on September 2 to serve the large number of visitors from all over the country and international friends to pay their respect to the late leader.

The Hanoi Department of Tourism, in coordination with the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Management Board, also presented free gifts, including cookies and bottles of water and milk, to the visitors to the mausoleum on the day.

The department said a total of 20,000 gifts were offered. This activity is aimed at promoting the city’s tourism, contributing to building the image of Hanoi as a safe, friendly and attractive destination for foreign tourists in the post-pandemic period.

Earlier, during the April 30-May 1 holiday and the birth anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh on May 19, they also gave 60,000 gifts to visitors to the mausoleum.

Vietnam receives more National Day greetings from foreign leaders

Leaders of more countries and international organisations have sent greetings to Vietnamese leaders on the occasion of the Southeast Asian nation’s 77th National Day.

In his greetings to President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro Moros appreciated close friendship and cooperation between the two countries, expressing his hope to intensify ties in all aspects of mutual concern, thus bringing about interests and prosperity for both sides.

South African President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa extended his best wishes to the Vietnamese State and people, adding that he wishes to strengthen and consolidate the bilateral relations.

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi and Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly also sent greetings to their Vietnamese counterparts Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Pham Minh Chinh.

PM Chinh also received a letter of greetings from his Algerian counterpart Aymen Benabderrahmane.

Vietnamese leaders also received National Day greetings from King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the country’s Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud; Belarusia’s President Aleksandr Lukashenko, its Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko, and Speaker of the Council of the Republic Natalya Kochanova; Iranian President Seyed Ebrahim Raisi; Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih; Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas; and Turkmenistan President Serdar Berdimuhamedov.

The Government of Rwanda sent a letter of greetings to the Vietnamese Government, while Captain Regent of San Marino Oscar Mina and Director-General of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) cabled greetings to President Phuc.

On this occasion, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son also received greetings from his counterparts of countries around the world.

Hanoi welcomes 1.76 million tourists in August

Hanoi is estimated to have welcomed 1.76 million visitors during August, of which international visitors totalled 156,000.

In the first eight months of this year, tourists visiting Hanoi reached some 12.38 million, an increase of 4.2-fold over the same period of 2021. International visitors are estimated at 582,000.

Hanoi’s tourism sector is set to welcome 9-10 million visitors this year, including 1.2-2 million foreigners. Total revenue is expected to come in at nearly 1.2 billion USD to over 1.5 billion USD.

The capital is focusing on developing tourism products where it possesses strengths, such as cultural and sports tourism.

It has also paid attention to improving communications activities to promote its image.

Hai Phong: Do Son buffalo fighting festival thrills spectators

The traditional Do Son buffalo fighting festival took place in the northern port city of Hai Phong’s Do Son district on September 4 after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Buffaloes No. 08 of Nguyen Duc Tien from Bang La ward and No. 02 of Pham Van Hieu from Hop Duc ward won the first and second prizes, respectively.

Two third prizes were presented to the No. 07 and 05 buffaloes of Hoang Van Gia and Nguyen Van Nam from Bang La and Van Huong wards.

The unique and traditional festival is an indispensable part of the locals' spiritual life. It is not only associated with Water Goddess worshiping and sacrificing customs, but also illustrates the planning and training capacity of buffalo owners.

The festival was recognised as a national cultural intangible heritage in 2012.

HCM City seeks cooperation with US in climate change response

Politburo member, and Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City's Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen hosted a reception on September 4 for US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry who stressed the need for the US and Vietnam to strengthen cooperation to carry out policies in response to climate change.

Kerry also highlighted the urgency to promote national and global efforts to minimise global warming and enhance endeavours to adapt to climate change impacts, adding that the US and Vietnam have good relations in many fields.

Regarding the development of renewable energy, which has received attention by the US and many other big countries, Kerry expressed his hope that Vietnam will join the world’s energy transition race.

Agreeing with his guest’s ideas, Nen affirmed that fighting climate change and promoting the use of clean energy have always received special attention from the Vietnamese Party and State. The country has also signed and issued many documents related to these issues over the past years.

HCM City is well aware of these issues as the city is the biggest energy user in Vietnam. However, the energy transition still faces a number of difficulties, including policies and infrastructure failing to meet the needs of the transition, he said.

UNGA passes pandemic response resolution co-introduced by Vietnam

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on September 2 adopted a resolution on the organisation of a “High-level meeting on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response”.

The resolution was jointly introduced to the UNGA by Vietnam, Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Costa Rica, Ghana, Jamaica, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Africa, Sweden and Indonesia.

It received high consensus from all countries, with 129 participating as co-sponsors.

The resolution proposes that the UNGA President to coordinate with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to hold a high-level session with the participation of Heads of State or Heads of Government at the UNGA’s 77th regular session (September 2022) or the high-level week of its 78th tenure in 2023.

From the lessons learnt during the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, countries agreed to strengthen international solidarity and take global, inclusive and sustainable solutions to be ready to combat diseases. The high-level session of the UNGA will help mobilise the international community’s political will and support processes to strengthen preparedness to prevent and respond to diseases being discussed within the framework of the WHO’s sessions in Geneva, Switzerland.

This is the second resolution approved by the UNGA that Vietnam has jointly initiated, after the first on the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness (December 27) passed in 2020. This demonstrates the country's increasingly active and inclusive participation at UN forums on global issues, which has received high attention from the international community. In the coming time, Vietnam will actively participate in the preparations for this high-level meeting.

Vietnamese rice hits the shelves of E.Leclerc Viry Châtillon hypermarket

A Vietnamese rice product has for the first time been put on the shelves of E.Leclerc Viry Châtillon, a hypermarket run by top French retailer E.Leclerc, as part of a programme run by the Vietnam Trade Office in France.

The product branded ‘Com Vietnam’ is produced by Loc Troi Group, a leading provider of agricultural services and products in Vietnam. It was introduced in the E.Leclerc hypermarket chain on September 2 during the office’s Vietnamese mid-autumn week event.

Rice is a key commodity in a scheme on facilitating Vietnamese enterprises’ participation in foreign distribution networks. It took nearly two years for Vietnamese rice products to be officially available on shelves in France.

Loc Troi CEO Nguyen Duy Thuan said two years ago, Loc Troi became the first company to export Vietnamese rice to Europe within the framework of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

Director of E.Leclerc Viry Châtillon Thierry Jodet said Loc Troi’s rice product was selected as it has met all requirements in terms of quality, taste, and price.

Under the mid-autumn week event, ‘Com Vietnam’ will be introduced at a hypermarket run by French multinational retail and wholesaling corporation Carrefour on September 6.

Carrefour and E.Leclerc together operate nearly 800 hypermarkets and over 3,000 supermarkets across France.

Hanoi welcomes over 422,000 tourists on National Day holidays

Hanoi capital city welcomed 422,700 tourist arrivals, including 22,700 foreigners, during the National Day holidays from September 1-4, according to the municipal Department of Tourism.

Total revenue of the tourism sector in the period is estimated at 1.3 trillion VND (55.3 million USD).

Tourist attractions downtown Hanoi include Thu Le Zoo (76,450 visitors), Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam (Temple of Literature) relic site (around 13,000 visitors), Hoang Thanh Thang Long (Imperial Citadel) (over 10,000 visitors), Hoa Lo Prison relic site (9,980 tourist arrivals).

Many people chose to enjoy their holidays in the suburbs such as Khoang Xanh – Suoi Tien tourism site (15,930 visitors), Ao Vua tourism site (17,160 arrivals), Bat Trang pottery village (8,000 visitors).

On this occasion, the municipal Department of Tourism, in coordination with the President Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum Management Board, presented over 20,000 gifts to visitors to the site. On four days, the mausoleum welcomed 73,215 visitors.

Green agriculture: Vietnam’s efforts to reduce carbon footprint

Businesses, especially start-ups, are focusing more on green agriculture, and the model has produced positive results and feedback from the community.

World Bank (WB) Director for Vietnam Carolyn Turk said that Vietnam has a relatively high carbon footprint in agricultural production which has affected the achievements Vietnam has made over the past 30 years.

In addition, some regions in Vietnam such as the Mekong Delta will face a reduction in rice yield in the next 30 years due to climate change such as rising sea levels, saline intrusion, unseasonal rains and droughts.

Vietnam has shown significant commitments to promoting a sustainable growth path and making more efforts to adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

However, according to the WB's assessment, everything that has been done has only reached an experimental level, and it has not yet fully integrated across all sectors.

Vietnam needs to maintain its commitments to become an agricultural powerhouse, and find new and more effective sources of growth in the future. Meanwhile, the agriculture sector needs to be knowledge-based, and focus more on exploiting surplus values, reducing resource intensity and its carbon footprint, and must be more responsive to the needs of the global population for environmentally friendly products.

Pham Xuan Thang, Secretary of the Party Committee of northern Hai Duong province, said that the locality attaches great importance to endemic agricultural products, especially the National Target Programme on New-Style Rural Area Building.

Hai Duong has also implemented measures to enhance the production value of agricultural products in the direction of organising a multi-layered and multi-valued production.

Nguyen Ngoc Luan, Director of Lam San Agricultural Cooperative in the southern province of Dong Nai, said that the State has supported and made efforts to boost the development of green, sustainable and environmentally-friendly agriculture.

However, some policies have yet to bring about practical values in helping producers reduce costs and improve competitiveness.

Vietnam, Cambodia intensify the fight against transnational crime

The two countries have agreed to step up cooperation in humanitarian aid and disaster relief activities along the border, combat transnational crime, and support human resource training.

The agreement was reached during a recent working session in Phnom Penh, between a high-ranking delegation of Military Region 7 led by Major General Nguyen Truong Thang, Commander of Military Region 7 and the delegation of Army Command of the Royal Cambodian Army headed by General Hun Manet, Deputy Commander-in-Chief.

During the process of cooperation, the two sides and their affiliated units have maintained a close connection, mutual trust and understanding. As a resutl, 71 units of the armed force of Military Region 7 have so far cooperated, twinned with 76 units of the Royal Cambodian Army.

The two sides have strengthened a broad array of activities such as conducting delegation and cross-cultural exchanges, coordinating joint patrols, training, searching, and repatriating the remains of Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who died in Cambodia.

This is addition to aid activities, financial, material and medical support in COVID-19 prevention and control.

Regarding orientation for cooperation in the time ahead, the two sides will go ahead with closer  coordination and comprehensively realize cooperation activities identified in the 2022 cooperation plan and protocol as reached between the two defence ministries as well as the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two commands.

They will enhance information exchange, coordinate in joint patrols, put strict controls on common border areas and border markers, an work hand in hand in the fight against transnational crime, illegal border crossing and illegal immigration.

Additionally, both sides also reiterated their mutual support  in difficult situations in the past, as well as in the current national construction and defence process.

Vietnam, US expect stronger cooperation in climate change response

The US and Vietnam have enjoyed sound relations in a multitude of fields and need to further cooperation in an effort to quickly carry out policies on climate change adaptation.

US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry made the statement during a meeting with Nguyen Van Nen, Politburo member and Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City's Party Committee on September 4, during which both sides  discussed  the urgency of promoting national and global efforts to limit global warming and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Talking about his cruise on the Saigon River with climate change experts, John Kerry wondered what will happen to the Saigon River in the next decade when sea levels rise and how will it affect Ho Chi Minh City?

Regarding renewable energy development, the US guest said that this is an area where the US and many major countries in the world have set many specific goals and are implementing.

Many countries globally are in a "race" to transition to a clean energy-using economy, John Kerry emphasized, while expressing his wish that Vietnam would jointly promote this transition process.

Expressing his agreement with what was shared by  John Kerry,  Nen affirmed that  climate change response and promoting the use of clean energy have always been issues of great concern to the Party and State of Vietnam, and the nation has signed and issued many documents related to this content for years.

Developing southern high-speed trains key for Viet Nam's railway industry

By 2030, Viet Nam’s railway industry will have nine new routes with a total length of 2,362 km, according to the railway network plan for 2021-30 period, with a vision to 2050, that was recently approved by the Prime Minister.

A North-South high-speed railway project will be submitted to the Politburo for approval in September, followed by a report to the National Assembly to launch in the 2021-26 period. After this will be feasibility reports, design considerations, and land clearance tasks.

In 2028-29, bidding on the Hà Nội – Vinh and HCM City – Nha Trang routes can begin.

The two railway construction projects of Biên Hòa - Vũng Tàu and Thủ Thiêm - Long Thành will be built under the Public-Private Partnership model, with investments of VNĐ50.8 trillion (US$2.2 billion) and VNĐ40.6 trillion ($1.7 billion), respectively.

The ministry’s Railway Project Management Board is assigned to organise bidding for a consultant who will develop a pre-feasibility report for both projects by the third quarter of this year.

For the HCM City - Cần Thơ rail line, the Transport Ministry is working with related localities to choose the optimal route and investment method to be completed this year to submit to the National Assembly for approval, after which the project will attract investment in 2024 and start construction in 2025 or 2026.

Bình Dương Province People’s Committee has announced that it is proposing an extension of the Bến Thành - Suối Tiên railway to the new downtown of Bình Dương Province. The first stage of this project for a 1.8km railway line will use ODA capital. The second stage with a length of over 25km from Dĩ An City to the new downtown is considered a strategic route to boost the socio-economic growth of the province and promote regional connectivity.

The most challenging obstacle seems to be attracting investment. It is estimated that the capital demand for these railway projects will reach VNĐ240 trillion ($10.3 billion), coming from both the State budget and other sources. The state budget will be used mostly for direct train structures, while other parts such as the station and parking areas should use other investment sources.

According to the railway network plan for 2021-30, with a vision to 2050, the People’s Committees of concerned provinces and cities must actively seek legal investment sources for the connection of their local railways from ports, economic zones, or tourism attractions to the national railway.

Vietnam's largest mid-autumn celebration begins

The opening ceremony of the Tuyên Citadel Festival night, one of the largest events in Việt Nam to mark the mid-autumn festival, will take place tonight in Tuyên Quang Province, where it has been held annually for the previous 18 years.

Thousands of people showed out on Friday (September 2) for the rehearsal of this massive event.

This year's opening ceremony, entitled Sparkling colours of Tuyên citadel's night, will be held in Nguyễn Tất Thành square and will feature one-of-a-kind giant lantern models based on six different themes: Oriental mascots, carp, heroes of Vietnamese history, folk tales, environmental protection, and integration.

With an eye toward expanding the festival's reach to the world in future years, the Xiangkhouang Art Troupe of Laos will be performing at this year's event.

About 100,000 people are anticipated to attend this year's Tuyên Citadel Festival.

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