Chinese State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi will pay an official visit to Viet Nam and co-chair the 13th Meeting of the Viet Nam – China Steering Committee for Bilateral Cooperation from 10 to 12 September, 2021.

The visit will be made at the invitation of Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son./.

HCM City, Hanoi accelerate testing, vaccinations against COVID-19

Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are taking every effort to speed up testing and vaccinations against COVID-19 as the two largest cities of Vietnam continue experiencing complex developments of the pandemic.

Ho Chi Minh City’s Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control held a press briefing on September 7 to update information about vaccination situation in the city.

Vietnam’s current biggest COVID-19 hotspot has to date injected over 6.72 million people. It is striving to give the first jab for all people aged from 18 and the second shot for those who are due to receive the next injection.

Amidst the complicated developments of the pandemic, the Prime Minister has requested the Defence Minister, the Secretaries of Party Committees and Chairpersons of People's Committee of Hai Phong city and Bac Giang, Vinh Phuc, Bac Ninh, Hai Duong, Hung Yen, Ha Nam, Nam Dinh, Thai Binh and Hoa Binh provinces to proactively prepare human resources to be ready to support Hanoi in rapid testing, classification of patients for suitable care and treatment, tracing of possible contacts with patients, and organisation of vaccination against COVID-19 when necessary.

As of September 6, Hanoi had administered 2.4 million vaccine doses, covering about 35 percent of the city's population aged 18 and above. According to the Hanoi Centre for Disease Control, in the coming days, the city will accelerate vaccination when sufficient vaccines are allocated.

In compliance with an official dispatch issued by Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Chu Ngoc Anh, the capital city will conduct mass testing for all residents from September 6-12.

Accordingly, those living in locked-down, quarantine and extremely high-risk areas will be tested every 2-3 days. Others in high-risk areas will have samples collected every 5-7 days to "filter out" COVID-19 cases from the community./.

Coronavirus hotspot considers ‘green cards’ to ease measures

The authorities of Ho Chi Minh City, the largest coronavirus hotspot in Vietnam, are planning to apply “green cards” in order to ease social distancing restrictions for people who have received one or two doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

During a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam on September 7, Phan Van Mai, head of the HCM City administration, said the city is considering applying “COVID-19 vaccine green cards”, adding that groups of healthcare experts and economists are making plans for its implementation.

HCM City has extended its shelter-in-place mandate to mid-September in a continued effort to halt the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The city has also established a working group tasked with developing a plan for both the COVID-19 fight and economic recovery after September 15, with pandemic containment, social welfare policies, and economic development among the pillars of the plan.

To ease social distancing measures and gradually restore services, all stakeholders must feel safe, meaning they must be fully vaccinated, Mai explained the administration’s ‘green cards’ proposal.

He therefore expressed hope that the Government would provide the city with additional COVID-19 vaccines to help all residents get vaccinated against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Dr. Nguyen Hoai Nam, deputy director of the HCM City Department of Health, said the local health sector is speeding up COVID-19 vaccination, considering this a priority along with testing.

The sector should be assured that it will be provided with a sufficient supply of vaccines to ensure everyone is fully inoculated against COVID-19, he said.

According to Nam, the city aims to raise the vaccination rate among those who receive their second shot to 50% by late September, 80% by October 15, and 100% by the end of this year.

Vietnam stresses roles of international law in addressing global challenges

The UN Security Council (UNSC) needs to seek solutions for emerging challenges to global peace and security based on the UN Charter and international law, Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, told the UNSC briefing with the Elders on September 7.

Quy underscored the importance of multilateralism and the central role of the UN in preventing and addressing global challenges. He called on the UNSC to focus its work on preventing and solving conflicts, as well as building peace and consensus, saying that it is critical to reform the UNSC for improved transparency, democracy, representativeness and effectiveness.

It is crucial to support the role of regional organizations, such as the African Union, in maintaining international and regional peace and security, he said, noting that ASEAN has affirmed its centrality in the regional security architecture.

Founded by Nelson Mandela in 2007, the Elders are an independent group of global distinguished leaders working together for peace, justice and human rights./.

Top legislator’s tour to Europe, Belgium create new momentum for bilateral ties: diplomat

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue’s visit to Europe and Belgium on September 8-9 will create a new impetus to push bilateral relations to a new height, especially in the context that the COVID-19 pandemic is hampering high-level delegation exchanges, Vietnamese Ambassador to Belgium and head of Vietnam’s delegation to the EU Nguyen Van Thao told the Vietnam News Agency.

Thao affirmed that the EU is a very important partner of Vietnam in all fields, with the two sides establishing diplomatic relations 50 years ago and having achieved many encouraging achievements, reflected through the signing of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA), the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and eight dialogue frameworks between the two sides.

The EU has only inked FTAs with four partners, namely Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore and Vietnam, of which only Vietnam is a developing country, he said, stressing that this shows the EU attaches great importance to Vietnam's role in the region, and Vietnam also affirms that the EU is a comprehensive partner with great potential for development and cooperation.

Regarding the Vietnam-Belgium relations, the diplomat said that Vietnam is also an important partner of Begium as the two countries set up strategic partnership in agriculture – the field that has great contributions to their development.

“Therefore, we need to take measures to promote the relationship with Belgium in a more substantive and effective manner for both sides,” stated Thao.

Belgium is one of the leading European countries in renewable energy, green energy and sustainable development, and has strengths in logistics, transportation and accreditation. Therefore, cooperating with the country, Vietnam can go on the right track towards the development of renewable energy, green energy and sustainable development, and can step up exports, he added./.

HCMC extends mobility restrictions until Sept 15

The current stringent anti-pandemic measures in HCMC will be extended until September 15, said HCMC Chairman Phan Van Mai, adding that residents in coronavirus-free areas would be allowed to go shopping once a week.

The draconian stay-at-home mandate started on August 23, banning all residents from going out from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. and only allowing people with a mobility permit to go out for work or service in the Covid-19 fight. It was originally scheduled to expire on September 6.

At a meeting of the municipal Party Committee on September 6, Mai said the city’s forces and the forces coming from the central agencies and other provinces would remain unchanged. However, some adjustments will be made in certain areas depending on the situation, the local media reported.

Besides allowing residents in safe areas to go shopping once a week, the city has opened goods transit points at the Binh Dien and Hoc Mon wholesale markets.

In addition, districts 7 and Cu Chi can allow residents to visit wet markets twice a week if they meet the anti-virus requirements. The city also allowed takeaway services in these districts.

Mai said the city would focus on formulating a plan to fight the pandemic and help the economy recover after September 15.

The municipal government has established a steering committee to come up with the plan. Before September 15, the steering committee must devise the plan and the city can gradually resume activities and ease restrictions step-by-step.

The city will continue intensifying testing in line with the Ministry of Health’s guidance. It will also test those working at checkpoints.

Mai asked Thu Duc City and districts to increase testing in the community to detect positive Covid cases by September 15.

As for the vaccination, districts should focus on inoculating vulnerable people, such as the elderly, those with underlying health conditions, pregnant women and those participating in socioeconomic activities. The city assigned the Department of Health to study groups of people who can leave home in the foreseeable future.

The municipal chairman stressed that the competent agencies must closely control the Covid cases confined to their homes, show them how to take care of themselves and promptly provide them with medicines and medical oxygen to prevent them from getting worse.

Moreover, the city will open more branches of national intensive care centers in the city to enhance the Covid treatment capacity in a bid to reduce the death rate.

Mai also asked the Department of Health to direct medical centers to register their demand to mobilize those who already recovered from Covid to join the fight against the pandemic and quickly train them to support the treatment of other patients.

As for welfare policies, Mai said some two million households with 5.3 million residents were in urgent need of relief aid.

The municipal government has proposed providing each of these residents with VND750,000 per month. Departments, agencies and districts must review and make a list of disadvantaged residents before September 15.

The city will provide the aid in September and October and will reconsider the plan based on the developments of the pandemic.

Speaking at the meeting, secretary of the municipal Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen said since August 31, the city’s Covid fatalities had dropped. Many pandemic clusters had been brought under control and the lockdown in many areas had been lifted.

Until September 15, the city must prepare to safely live with Covid-19 and ensure social welfare for residents.

Nen also required accelerating the vaccination, especially in districts 3, Go Vap, Binh Tan and Tan Phu.

The city has chosen districts 7 and Cu Chi to pilot the new normal after September 15.

Activities must not be resumed if plans have yet to be worked out and medical safety must be the first priority, Nen noted.

The municipal government has also issued Directive 11 enhancing social distancing and anti-pandemic measures in the city to try to bring the pandemic under control before September 15. However, daily new cases have remained high. For example, HCMC as the country’s current epicenter of the pandemic, reported 7,122 cases yesterday (September 6), compared to the country’s total of 12,477.

Working teams in wards, communes and towns should be established to check, remind and encourage residents to strictly comply with anti-pandemic regulations, go shopping for residents and develop social welfare policies.

The teams will also enhance control over residents traveling on streets during the social distancing period.

Foreign sailors docked at Thanh Hoa port test positive for COVID-19

The Centre for Disease Control of the north central coastal province of Thanh Hoa said on September 7 that it has received two sailors testing positive with COVID-19 of Indonesian ship AUVIRGO, which is docked at the province’s Nghi Son Port.

Relevant forces have brought the two patients to the Thanh Hoa Lung Hospital for quarantine and treatment.

Meanwhile, other sailors were asked to self-quarantine at the vessel and report to State management agencies at the port.

On September 6, upon learning that the ship, with 21 Indonesian sailors aboard and carrying nearly 4,300 tonnes of cooking oil from Singapore, was to arrive in an area near the Nghi Son Port, disease control officials went to the vessel to conduct COVID-19 antigen testing for all the seamen. Then their samples sent to the provincial CDC for SARS-CoV-2 testing were confirmed with the real-time PCR method./.

State employee detained for receiving bribes for Covid-19 vaccination shots

A state employee in Ward 2, HCM City, has been detained for receiving bribes to provide vaccination shots to people from other wards.

The police in District 2 detained and prosecuted Truong Manh Thao, 37, on September 7 for abusing position.

According to Thao, he had received over VND10m (USD437) and arranged vaccination shots to nearly 20 cases from other wards and districts in the past four months. He received VND1m to VND3m on each case.

On August 21, the police in HCM City also prosecuted Le Thi Kim Dung for the same accusation.

Dung admitted to selling each vaccination shot for VND2m (USD87) to VND4m. She even advertised on Facebook to find customers.

The police said Dung had successfully arranged 21 cases and earned over VND60m (USD2,600).

Hai Duong City eases anti-pandemic measures from today

Hai Duong City in the province of the same name has decided to ease anti-Covid-19 measures, including allowing the resumption of cultural and sporting activities and religious events starting from today, September 8.
These activities are not allowed to have more than 10 persons each, while people in public places are asked to maintain a safe physical distance of at least two meters from each other, the local media reported.

In addition, essential events and conferences must take place in a safe manner.

Under the municipal government’s decision, households must continue to strictly follow Covid-19 safety protocols and restrict the organization of parties and gatherings.

Several non-essential services in the city such as bars, discos, gyms, cinemas, massage and karaoke parlors, game shops, public swimming pools and night clubs remain suspended.

Healthcare facilities are allowed to reopen, but must comply with Covid-19 safety protocols and conduct Covid-19 screening on patients at entrance gates.

The municipal government also tasked the anti-virus steering committees of wards and communes with closely monitoring people who return to their localities to quickly detect positive Covid-19 cases.

In the ongoing fourth wave of the pandemic, which began in late April, Hai Duong Province reported 167 Covid-19 infections and three deaths.

The province has gone over 14 consecutive days without any new Covid-19 infection in the community.

NA Chairman receives IPU Secretary General

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue hosted a reception for Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Martin Chungong on September 7 during his trip to attend the 5th World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments (WCSP5) in Vienna, Austria.

The Vietnamese NA leader appreciated the contributions made by the IPU Secretary General to the organization of the WCSP5, and to the IPU’s activities amidst the difficulties posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and unpredictable changes in the world’s geopolitical situation.

The IPU Secretary General said the attendance of NA Chairman Hue and the Vietnamese delegation at the WCSP5 again showed that Vietnam is a responsible and active member of the IPU.

He shared the viewpoint expressed by the Vietnamese NA leader at the first plenary debate of the WCSP5 on promoting multilateral cooperation to respond to global challenges for the world’s development. He underlined the importance of parliaments in the world to the settlement of global issues, saying that he hopes Vietnam will actively participate in the process.

The two sides compared notes on the role of the UN, the key organization in multilateral cooperation, and valued the UN’s strong commitment as expressed in the messages of the UN Secretary General and the President of the UN General Assembly sent to the WCSP5.

Chungong also welcomed the proposal of Chairman Hue to further reform and enhance the effectiveness of IPU’s operation and role. Hue suggested strengthening the tripartite partnership among the UN, IPU and Vietnam, promoting more substantial engagement of parliamentary meeting mechanisms alongside UN activities, and increasing IPU’s support for Vietnam in training in multilateral parliamentary diplomacy./.

Hanoi completes 81.78 percent of mass testing plan

Hanoi had fulfilled 81.78 percent of its target to collect 1 million samples for mass COVID-19 testing, according to the municipal Department of Health.

Of the 685,519 samples showing results, 11 tested positive with COVID-19. Seven were in Thanh Xuan district, two in Thanh Tri, and one each in Ha Dong and Thuong Tin.

The mass testing work is being carried out in the city with the aim of separating infections from the community and assessing the level of risk in each area for designing appropriate pandemic prevention and control measures.

The capital city documented four new COVID-19 cases in the past 12 hours to 6am on September 8. The patients, three females and one male, all reside in Ba Dinh district and have been quarantined at home.

Since April 29, the capital city has logged a total of 3,623 COVID-19 infections, including 1,571 local ones./.

Deputy Defence Minister meets new Philippine defence attaché

Deputy Minister of National Defence Sen. Lt. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien hosted a reception for the new Defence Attaché of the Philippines, Col. Ulysses S. Mancao, on September 7.

Welcoming the newly-appointed Philippine Defence Attaché, Chien affirmed that the bilateral relations have flourished since Vietnam and the Philippines set up diplomatic ties 45 years ago.

He said the Vietnamese Government and Ministry of National Defence attach importance to the Vietnam-Philippines strategic partnership, which serves as a foundation for the countries’ defence cooperation to obtain positive results in multiple fields, including exchanges of delegations at all levels, especially of high-ranking officials; training; and dialogue mechanisms and consultations.

The Vietnamese Deputy Defence Minister voiced a hope that Col. Mancao will continue to promote existing cooperation activities including dialogue mechanisms and consultations and training, while bolstering cooperation in military medicine, particularly in access to COVID-19 vaccine, medical equipment and medicine; as well as supporting each other at multilateral regional forums.

For his part, Col. Mancao spoke highly of the role of the Vietnam People’s Army in the COVID-19 fight. He pledged to spare no efforts to promote the countries’ practical and efficient defence cooperation./.

Việt Nam chairs opening ceremony of 15th ASOSAI Assembly

The 15th assembly of the Asian Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (ASOSAI) convened on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Trần Sỹ Thanh, Auditor General of the State Audit Office of Việt Nam.

The meeting was held as an online conference, with representatives from supreme audit institutions joining from the host country of Thailand and other ASOSAI member countries.

Thanh is also Chair of ASOSAI for the 2018-21 term.

Speaking at the meeting, the Vietnamese auditor general praised the efforts of all member countries to organise the online conference amid the complicated COVID-19 situation in the region and around the world.

“As COVID-19 is leaving huge impacts on the economy and social development of most Asian countries, the ASOSAI community has come together and come up with timely initiatives and solutions to adapt to the pandemic,” he said.

It’s an incredible effort from all supreme audit institutions (SAI), especially SAI Thailand, which is the host of the 15th ASOSAI assembly, and SAI China, its Secretary General, who worked closely with SAI Việt Nam to make the conference happen, he added.

During its three years as ASOSAI Chair, the State Audit Office of Việt Nam had tried its best to implement the Hanoi Declaration on “Environmental Auditing for Sustainable Development”, which was approved at the 14th ASOSAI assembly in Hà Nội in 2018, he said.

Thailand's State Auditor General Chanathap Indamra agreed that the COVID-19 pandemic was changing every sector, including auditing, therefore this meeting between the supreme audit institutions was of the utmost importance to all ASOSAI member countries.

“We highly value your participation today. This is the 15th time we all sit down together to discuss how to help ASOSAI grow. Thailand's State Auditor is honoured to take on the chairmanship of ASOSAI for the 2021-24 term,” he said.

This ASOSAI Assembly would not have been successful without the support of Việt Nam and China amid complicated developments of the pandemic, he added.

Aleksei Kudrin, Chair of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI), said that the 15th ASOSAI Assembly held in an online format had demonstrated the flexibility of the audit community.

The Bangkok Declaration adopted at this assembly would be the key document to orient the main activities of the ASOSAI in the future, he said.

He thanked the State Audit Office of Việt Nam for its efforts to address many important issues, helping to promote ASOSAI’s reputation in Asia.

After the opening ceremony, the 15th ASOSAI Assembly started the first and second plenary sessions, the 8th Symposium and the 57th Governing Board Meeting.

Over 795,000 COVID-19 hit workers eligible for assistance

The Vietnam Social Security (VSS) has confirmed the list of over 795,000 workers from more than 29,300 employers who are eligible for financial support in 62 out of 63 cities and provinces under the Government's Resolution 68/NQ-CP and the Prime Minister's Decision 23/QĐ-TTg on policies supporting employees and employers affected by COVID-19.

Of them, over 613,000 had their labour contracts suspended and more than 80,000 quit jobs to receive aid worth 1 million VND each while over 1,000 others were given professional training to continue with their jobs.

More than 613 units had to borrow loans to pay salary for over 45,800 workers who became unemployed due to the pandemic.

Other 151 units also proposed accessing loans to pay workers in the fields of transportation, aviation, tourism, lodging and sending Vietnamese workers abroad.

As of September 5, the VSS allowed 471 units with 87,237 COVID-19 hit workers to suspend payment to pension and death benefit funds in 47 out of 63 cities and provinces with a total amount of 588.3 billion VND (25.5 million USD)./.

Wild plant cures hangovers and more

Phan Trung Kiên, an agricultural engineer in a small village in the Hà Nội suburbs, has always known that his local herb cà gai leo was more than just a regular wild plant.

The special plant, especially the fruit, can bring health benefits to those who take it regularly. His mother would often brew the plant into a medicinal drink when he was younger.

“I remember many times my mother boiled the plant and urged me to drink it as a way of keeping me healthy when I was small," he said. "She also made it whenever I got drunk. That’s her way to help me get rid of a hangover and ease liver damage caused by excessive alcohol consumption.” 

Born into a farming family in Đoàn Kết Village in Chương Mỹ District, Kiên has always had a keen interest in local agricultural produce.

After graduating from Vietnam National University of Agriculture, Kiên conducted research into cà gai leo (Solanum procumbens) and was glad to know it was recognised as a herbal medicine.

“It’s a a valuable herbal plant that has positive effects on stabilising liver cells and enhancing liver function,” he said.

Research by the National Institute of Medical Substances shows that Haima, a medicinal product extracted from the plant, can help cure hepatitis B.

Kiên and his friends decided to establish a cultivation area for the herbal plant in Miếu Môn Commune in 2015.

“The plant often grew in the wild, and local people picked it to use as a herbal medicine. We decided to grow it as raw material for pharmaceutical businesses,” he said.

Shortly after he started growing herbal plants, Kiên had the same problem as many farmers in his hometown. The price of the plant quickly decreased from VNĐ150,000 per kilogram to VNĐ35,000 per kilogram after he expanded the growing area to 20ha.

Kiên knew that he would never get the best price when he only sold the raw material, so took a bold decision to make the final product himself.

Kiên dried the plant and packed it to make tea and sold it to his customers. He also labelled the branches and made tea bags to give customers more choice. He even learnt how to market the product online to expand his customer base.

Things went well. In 2016, Kiên established Thăng Long Hi-tech Agriculture Joint Stock Company to facilitate production expansion and shape new products.

His products were registered at the National Office of Intellectual Property under the new name Sadu, which signifies organic and medicinal products.

Kiên said it was a long journey to make the tea brand well-known and win consumer hearts. He suffered losses and learnt many lessons along the way.

Overspending on a watering system caused much waste and his inexperience processing the plant made the product less tasty, but he learnt from his mistakes.

“Usually, the herbal plant can be harvested from the first crop in six months, and the next crop every four months. The income is four to five times higher than that of a rice crop,” he said.

Now Kiên has more than 100ha, bringing jobs for 75 workers with an income of between VNĐ5-15 million (US$219-657) per month.

He also built a closed model from planting and preliminarily processing, to processing raw materials and finished product. Each product has a barcode for easy traceability.

He also learnt new marketing strategies to be able to sell the products during the pandemic.

Introducing the products to big stores or supermarkets was no longer a good method, so Kiên promoted online sales and registered his products on e-commerce platforms such as OCOP (one-commune-one-product) model, which has been set up by the city to support businesses and cooperatives during the pandemic.

“I’m thinking of expanding the market of herbal plants in the future. Organic and healthy herbal plants will bring more choices for consumers and at the same time create jobs for people in my hometown,” he said. 

 

A-maze-ing system helps keep drivers safe

For more than two weeks, people living in two wards of Văn Chương and Văn Miếu, Đống Đa District, Hà Nội, have been living under lockdown.

Providing basic necessities for 21,000 people in this area is a huge challenge for local authorities.

And it’s also a challenge for delivery drivers, who while providing a valuable service, must do so in a safe way and stick to social distancing regulations.

That’s why part of the area has been sectioned off into an intricate maze-like system so delivery drivers can stay apart from the many others visiting the area.  

Nguyễn Thành Hưng, a member of COVID-19 Prevention Headquarters in Đống Đa District, said: “Because of the lockdown situation, all people from 7,100 households of these two wards are not allowed to leave their homes, except for having COVID-19 tests or going to medical facilities for treatment.

“To ensure the needs of local residents, the headquarters has implemented a plan to provide essential goods from outside and inside to the people. We developed a process to receive and transport relief to people in the red areas of two wards, including 3,000 households. Besides, we receive goods from outside and deliver to the families in lockdown three times a week, within a certain time frame to ensure social distancing.

“We have a system to receive goods at four open checkpoints at the edge of lockdown areas and 15 points of distribution of goods inside these two wards. From there, volunteers from COVID community teams, the Youth Union, and Women's Union, take the goods and deliver them to families.”

At first glance, the system looks like a complicated maze for all those arriving to negotiate before they can provide supplies for residents inside the lockdown areas.

At the checkpoints, people coming from outside will be instructed to fill out the shipping declaration forms and follow the special passage to keep their distance. Goods will be gathered at transit points and taken to distribution points inside the lockdown area.

Trương Ngọc Anh, a driver from Đồng Xuân Company, said: “We use six vehicles to help deliver goods to people locked down in Văn Chương and Văn Miếu wards. Together with members from the Youth Union, we receive goods and load them into the vehicle.

“After the goods are disinfected, I will drive them into the blocked area and unload them at the distribution point. Representatives of residential groups will take them and deliver to families.”

The system may be a little complicated to begin with, but the drivers quickly understood how to use it.

Lê Thúy Hằng, a resident from Hai Bà Trưng District, brings supplies for her niece living inside the red area.

She said: “I’ve been here twice to send my niece a lot of food and fruits. At first, I felt surprised and confused when using the system, but the police and volunteers here are very helpful. I feel very secure about my family members who are in lockdown.”

The second form of supplying necessities comes from the service of four convenience stores that continue to operate inside the area.

Regional Manager of VinMart+ system Lê Khắc Bình said: “In response to the city's pandemic prevention and control requirements, four of our convenience stories have been operated in lockdown area in Đống Đa District to help provide essential goods for the people in lockdown and to reduce the pressure on local authorities in supplying goods. Each store is capable of handling hundreds of orders per day. All orders are processed online through our website and several Zalo groups. Our staff will prepare each order and deliver them to people.”

Starting a working day at 5:30am and ending at around 10pm, the employees of these stores, who are performing “three on-site services”, are working hard to serve residents.

Being away from family for weeks, their job is even more difficult because the needs of people are very high and diverse, plus they have to take on the additional task of directly delivering goods to each household.

“All the staff in these areas received at least one dose of the vaccine,” Bình added.

“They have to ensure to keep a distance and use non-cash payment. This is an important ‘shield’ to ensure the health and safety of employees, customers and the community.

“We have all clearly defined our roles and responsibilities during the current stressful period, trying to overcome difficulties to ensure adequate service for people.” 

NA Chairman meets Cuba’s legislator in Austria

Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Vuong Dinh Hue met with Vice President of the National Assembly of People’s Power of Cuba Ana María Mari Machado on September 7, as part of his trip to Austria to attend the fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament (WCSP5).

The top legislator of Vietnam thanked Cuba for its good will in cooperating with Vietnam in vaccine technology transfer and vaccine production, as well as its intention to provide a large amount of Cuba’s Abdala COVID-19 vaccine in the coming time.

He also spoke highly of Cuba’s sending delegations of medical workers to help countries fight COVID-19 despite facing difficulties caused by the economic embargo against the country.

For her part, Ana Maria Mari Machado appreciated Vietnam’s valuable support for Cuban people in the times of hardships triggered by COVID-19.

She underlined that Cuba stands ready to cooperate with Vietnam in vaccine technology transfer to support the country’s COVID-19 prevention and control efforts.

The legislators agreed that Vietnam and Cuba need to maintain the exchange of delegations at all levels to share information and experience in fields that they hold strengths in, contributing to their national construction and development causes.

They also consented that the two parliaments should boost their cooperation and turn their ties into a significant cooperation channel in the bilateral relations./. 

Vietnam receives more congratulations on National Day

The General Secretary of the Communist Party of Argentina and other foreign leaders have extended congratulations to Vietnamese leaders on the occasion of the 76th National Day (September 2).

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Argentina Victor Kot sent a letter of congratulations to General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong.

Presidents of the United Arab Emirates (UEA) Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan cabled a congratulatory message to President Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

President Phuc and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh also got congratulations from Prime Minister of the UAE Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Jordan’s King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein, King of Morocco Mohammed VI and Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev also extended greeting to President Phuc.

Prime Minister of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana Mark Phillips, and Palestinian PM Mohammad Shtayyeh sent congratulations to PM Chinh.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son also received greetings from Foreign Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs of Kuwait Ahmed Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah, and Foreign Minister of Guyana Hugh Hilton Todd./.

President lauds Vinh Phuc for anti-pandemic efforts

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on September 7 lauded the northern province of Vinh Phuc for its efforts in fighting COVID-19 and maintaining the operation of businesses in the locality amid the pandemic spread.

None of the enterprises in Vinh Phuc have to suspend their operations, contributing to job generation and budget collection, Phuc said at a working session with local leaders as part of his trip to the province.

He also commended the province’s social welfare work with no one left behind, and suggested the locality seek new growth momentum as well as solutions to spur socio-economic development.

Vinh Phuc should pour more investments into education-training, scientific-technological development and personnel quality improvement, speed up urbanisation, and preserve and promote traditional cultural values.

The same day, the President visited the Vinh Phuc High School for Gifted Students where he applauded efforts of teachers and students given the pandemic spread.

He urged the school to work harder to raise the quality of teaching and studying, apply technologies and reform teaching methods, saying students need to better their morality, enrich their knowledge and nurture dreams./.

Doctors warn patients against food supplements

Many patients are becoming confused between food supplements and medicine after watching misleading advertisements, and giving up doctors’ prescriptions and making their conditions worse, doctors have said.

At various hospitals, there have been a number of cases of people's illnesses worsening due to using food supplements instead of medicine.

QT, from Đan Phượng District in Hà Nội, said that her father, 70, often had a headache. When she advised her father to go to the hospital for a medical examination he refused.

Recently, he watched advertisements and listened to advice from neighbours and bought food supplements to drink with the hope of easing his headache.

After six months of using food supplements, his condition worsened. Besides the headaches, he had difficult breathing, bone pains, back pains and prolonged bouts of coughing.

QT finally took her father to the Hà Nội Oncology Hospital, and doctors discovered that he had late-stage lung cancer.

Now he only has days to live as he was hospitalised too late.

Another case is NVN, 65, from the northern province of Thái Bình. She suffered from diabetes for many years and had been in stable condition thanks to using medicine. But recently, after hearing an advertisement that a food supplement could treat the disease without any side effects, she decided to quit taking doctor’s prescription.

After two weeks of taking the supplement, she suffered from difficult breathing, oedema, high blood pressure and tiredness. She was taken to the National Hospital of Endocrinology for emergency aid.  

Doctors from the National Hospital of Endocrinology said that they had to give emergency aid to many patients who had intentionally given up doctors’ prescription to use food supplements instead.

A 64-year-old male patient who had diabetes for three years, high blood pressure for two years and liver disease was worried that the doctor's prescription would cause side effects, and believed a food supplement would cure him after watching an advertisement.

He refused to use medicine and took food supplements instead. After 20 days, he was hospitalised with respiratory failure, as well as heart and liver effusion.

Associate Professor Lê Văn Quảng, director of K Hospital, which specialises in cancer diseases, said, “At present, many patients have cancer at an early stage and can be cured better if they go to hospital early. But they believe in advertisements, which overstate the effect of food supplements. They then refuse medicine or discontinue their treatment.”

After a long time using food supplements they do not receive any results and return to hospital, but it is too late."

Hoàng Khánh Toàn, a doctor from the 108 Military Hospital, said at present, many advertisements emphasize food supplements as a miracle that can cure any disease. And they are sold at very high prices.

It is very dangerous because many patients quit their treatment to use food supplements with serious consequences, and lose a lot of money.

Phạm Thúy Hường, deputy director of the National Hospital for Endocrinology, said: “To protect their own health, patients should meet doctors for proper professional advice, and not use food supplements with unclear origins and no scientific foundations, which have not been checked and certificated by the Ministry of Health.”

Food supplements can support treatment only, but they cannot cure disease, she said.

Thus patients should research carefully before buying food supplements to avoid losing money.

Dr Phạm Thị Lưu, from the Diabetes and Endocrinology Ward of the Bạch Mai Hospital, said patients must strictly follow treatment advice of doctors, and not believe advertisements that state food supplements can cure disease.

Before buying any food supplements, patients should ask questions, including whether the supplements have clear origin, what the manufacturer is, what the ingredients are, and if the label is clear enough and the distributor reliable. 

Vietnam, Singapore eye stronger cooperation in different spheres

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son and his Singaporean counterpart Vivian Balakrishnan on September 7 said the two countries should strengthen cooperation in politics, economy, trade, investment and education-training to promote their strategic partnership.

During their phone talks on the day, FM Son highly valued Singapore’s support to Vietnam, especially its commitment to provide Vietnam with essential medical supplies for the COVID-19 fight.

He highlighted the Singaporean Temasek Foundation’s donation of 16 ventilators and a large quantity of medical supplies to Vietnam on September 6, describing this as a vivid demonstration of the close ties and strategic partnership between the two countries.

Son congratulated Singapore on the full vaccination of 80 percent of its population, the first country in the world to reach the target, and called on Singapore to consider giving or transferring its unused vaccines to Vietnam as soon as possible, including transferring through the COVAX Facility.

The Singaporean FM, for his part, stressed that Singapore always attaches importance to the strategic partnership with Vietnam.

Sharing difficulties caused by COVID-19 in some Vietnamese cities and provinces, the minister expressed his belief that Vietnam will soon put the pandemic under control.

The Singaporean government stands ready to help neighbouring countries, including Vietnam, with medical supplies, test kits and vaccines as soon as possible, he said.

The official noted his hope that the two sides will soon be able to open doors, facilitating the travelling of their citizens.

The ministers agreed to organise the 14th political consultation between the two foreign ministries at an early date to comprehensively review cooperation areas, creating prerequisites for making preparation for high-level visits in the time ahead./.

Photo exhibition in Czech Republic promotes beauty of Viet Nam

A photo exhibition is on display in Prague, the Czech Republic, showing the landscapes and people of Việt Nam.

The exhibition held by the Embassy of Việt Nam in the Czech Republic and the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)’s Prague bureau introduces the daily lives of Vietnamese in the European nation and their charitable activities helping Czech authorities and people battle COVID-19.

“It is impressive to see the photos at the exhibition,” said former Deputy Minister of Finance Dr Martin Pros at the exhibition's opening ceremony.

“I have many Vietnamese friends because I’m living in Libus, Prague, which is home to the largest Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic. We always appreciate support from Việt Nam when COVID-19 broke out.”

The Vietnamese community was recognised as the 14th ethnic minority group in the Czech Republic in 2013.

The exhibition also features the Việt Nam – Czech Republic traditional friendship through meetings of high-ranking officials.

Journalist Pavel Novak, another visitor at the exhibition, said he likes to discover Vietnamese culture.

“I love Vietnamese culture and I have been studying Vietnamese for one year,” he told the VNA correspondent.

He also expressed his desire to visit Việt Nam because he heard a lot about the beautiful country with wonderful nature including waterfalls and white sand along the coast.

He hopes that the COVID-19 pandemic will end soon making life in the Czech Republic and Việt Nam return to normal and flights will resume operations so that he will have a chance to go and see Việt Nam's beaches.

According to the Vietnamese Embassy, photos at the exhibition will also be placed on display in other localities of the host country during cultural events of the Vietnamese community in an attempt to promote images of Việt Nam and strengthen the two nations’ friendship.

The exhibition was one of the activities held in Europe to mark the 76th National Day of Việt Nam. 

Hanoi speeds up vaccination drive

The capital of Hanoi had opened more than 1,200 vaccination facilities as of September 6 to ensure all citizens aged 18 and above can receive their first COVID-19 vaccine shot before September 15.

On the evening of September 6, around 200 residents from Nhan Chinh ward were informed about their vaccination schedule. They underwent rapid antigen testing, and have strictly followed the Ministry of Health’s 5K message.

Thanh Xuan is now the largest COVID-19 hotspot in the capital. In a bid to ensure high vaccination coverage, the district has mobilised the private healthcare sector to engage in the drive and has set up vaccination and rapid testing facilities in the evenings and on weekends.

Around 1,200 vaccination facilities, including more than 800 fixed sites and mobile units, will be opened around the city. These are also places where samples will be taken for testing.

Hanoi has just received more than one million additional doses of vaccine. Local people can register until September 15 via the vaccination portal or with local authorities./.

Vietnam chairs 395th session of UNESCAP advisory committee

Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Phan Chi Thanh, who is also Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UNESCAP, on September 7 chaired the 395th session of UNESCAP's Advisory Committee of Permanent Representatives and other Representatives Designated by Members of the Commission (ACPR).

The online event brought together nearly 100 representatives from members, associate members and observer countries of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).

The meeting focused on regional priorities during the implementation of the resolution of the 77th session of the commission adopted last April, with the theme of “Regional cooperation to build back better from crises in Asia and the Pacific.”

The delegates also looked into measures to push ahead with the realisation of the 2030 UN agenda on sustainable development in the region.

They shared the view on the need to ensure fair access to COVID-19 vaccines, drugs and effective, quality, safety and affordable treatment, which, they said, is the core of the pandemic combat as well as post-pandemic recovery.

International solidarity and cooperation is significant to ensuring the fair access and handling internal inequalities at all levels, they said.

Participants discussed outcomes of the 7th session of the Committee on Disaster Risk Reduction last April, along with preparations for major UNESCAP events in the time ahead like the 3rd session of the Committee on Macroeconomic Policy, Poverty Reduction and Financing for Development slated for October, the 2nd Ministerial Conference on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in Asia and the Pacific in November, and the 4th Ministerial Conference on Transport in December.

The UNESCAP maintains close cooperation and consultation between the members and the secretariat through the ACPR. The ACPR is composed of UNESCAP members and associate members and meets regularly to advise and exchange views with the Executive Secretary on the Commission's work./.

Top legislator meets with Japan’s upper house chief in Austria

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue met with President of Japan’s House of Councillors Santo Akiko in Vienna on September 7 as part of his trip to Austria to attend the fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament (WCSP5).

The two sides noted with pleasure the fruitful development of the Vietnam-Japan extensive strategic partnership in such areas as diplomacy, economy, trade and investment.

They shared the view that exchanges through the parliamentary channel have been enhanced, contributing to intensifying political trust, people-to-people exchanges and coordination between the two countries at regional and international forums.

During the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the two countries have provided each other with valuable and timely support, they said.

Hue thanked Japan for its provision of nearly 3 million doses of vaccines for Vietnam, saying this is a noble gesture amid the complex development of the pandemic.

The Vietnamese top legislator also called on Japan to further help Vietnam with medical supplies and unused COVID-19 vaccines, and consider cooperation in the production of COVID-19 vaccine and drug.

For her part, Santo thanked Vietnam for presenting medical masks to Japan last year, and described the gifts as a demonstration of the fine relations between the two countries.

The two leaders affirmed Vietnam and Japan will continue to support each other in pandemic containment and post-pandemic recovery, boost collaboration between legislative agencies and carry forward the role of friendship parliamentarians’ groups to promote cooperation initiatives.

Santo said she hoped for more activities to step up cooperation and exchanges between people of the two countries, especially the young.

Hue asked that Japan pay more attention and care to the Vietnamese community in the country and encourage Japanese firms to increase their investments in Vietnam, towards recovery and development in the “new normal”.

The two sides consented to exchange official visits when conditions permit./.

Dong Thap receives medical supplies for COVID-19 prevention

The Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF)’s chapter in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap, on September 7, received medical supplies for COVID-19 prevention and control from organisations inside and outside the locality.

Of the aid, the Samaritan’s Pure International Relief organisation donated 110,000 medical masks, 1,000 protective suits, and 1,000 antiseptic gel bottles worth about 400 million VND (17,575 USD) in total; Mobifone Dong Thap 120,000 medical masks valued at 80 million VND; and the local association of female entrepreneurs 500 protective clothes, 2,000 gloves, and eight boxes of N95 masks worth 50 million VND.

At the handover ceremony, Vo Ngoc Thanh, Vice Chairman of the provincial VFF chapter, said he appreciated the assistance, saying such donations are important given complicated developments of the pandemic.

The donations will be distributed to the province's localities and units serving frontline forces.

As of September 6 morning, the chapter had received 41.7 billion VND in financial assistance and over 25 billion VND worth of medical supplies and necessities for the province’s pandemic prevention work.

As of 6am on September 7, Dong Thap had recorded a total of 7,578 COVID-19 cases, including 5,672 recoveries and 163 deaths./.

Code of conduct set to regulate artist behaviour

Artists are required to be transparent about charity work, contribute to the community and create a positive impression, according to the code of conduct being drafted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The code aims to promote traditional cultural values and raise artists' awareness of their responsibilities and moral standards to contribute to national sustainable development.

Notably, freelance artists, who are not members of any state arts organisations, will also be subject to the code.

Specifically, the code states that artists have to abide by laws and respect the legal rights of organisations and individuals.

Behaviour ranging from speech, image, costumes and lifestyle are required to match social moral values, national cultural traditions and customs.

Additionally, the code highlights personal responsibilities, cautiousness and calmness in handling information in a civilised manner.

The artists are also expected to pay respect to the public; be dedicated to their creative work to serve the audience and the nation; listen to audience feedback to perfect themselves and the quality of their artworks; and be honest, well-behaved, polite and friendly to the audience. They must not take advantage of their reputation for their personal benefit.

The draft clearly states the code of conduct in artists' charity activities. Specifically, they are required to be responsible and transparent about charity activities, contribute to the community, create positive impressions among the audience, maintain a healthy lifestyle and preserve their own prestige in the eyes of the audience.

Artists are expected to uphold their personal credit to spread humane values, good deeds, beautiful images and proper behaviour in the community. Therefore, they must not participate in advertisements with untrue information nor superstitious activities that violate the law.

The code also states that artists must be responsible and honest in their speech, not use offensive language as opposed to national customs and traditions when participating in any press, media and social activities.

All comments to the drafts sent to the ministry before July 2021 have been used as the basis for appropriate adjustments and the release of the complete set of regulations.

According to Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Tạ Quang Đông, the code is a behavioral framework and not a legal norm. However, it is the basis for ministries, departments and branches to develop their own rules to apply to members and affiliated members.

Singer Thủy Tiên distributes charity money to flood victims in the central region in 2020. — Photo nld.com.vn
Associate Professor Bùi Hoài Sơn, the standing member of the National Assembly's Committee for Culture and Education, stressed the necessity of issuing a code of conduct for artists by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, as there had been a lot of deviant and inappropriate behaviour by artists in recent times, particularly on social networks.

"Artists play a very important role in building human personality. Artists are associated with art and in its turn, art is associated with truth, goodness and beauty – the values ​​that guide cultural development for society. Art or artists are not merely oriented to entertainment purposes, but to orient people to good values ​​in life, so we always appreciate the role and position of artists as well as art in the general development of society,” he said.

“In order to create conditions for artists to further promote their role in society, we must have a code of conduct for artists and writers.

"I think that the Theatre Artists Association plays a very important role in developing, guiding, checking and supervising the implementation of this code of conduct. By doing so, we will create the proper direction for artistic activities." 

The drafting of the code of conduct has received much support from the audience and even artists themselves as many Vietnamese stars have been caught up in scandals like a lack of transparency in distributing charity money, shocking and careless statements on social networks and joining advertisements with unverified information.

Senior actress Lan Hương, star of the TV drama series Sống Chung Với Mẹ Chồng (Living with Mother-in-Law), said that the code of conduct was the desire of many true artists.

“The code of conduct that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is about to issue is necessary, but in my opinion, it should have been released sooner, then there would not have been so many scandals among Vietnamese artists like now," she said.

"I hope that this code of conduct will help artists understand their roles and responsibilities and therefore behave more culturally to bring many good things to life." 

HCM City installs 100 QR code scanning cameras at COVID-19 checkpoints

Ho Chi Minh City's police said on September 7 that they are installing 100 QR code scanning cameras at COVID-19 checkpoints to minimise the contact and risk of disease transmission.

According to a representative of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Public Security, the installation of cameras will create favourable conditions for people to move through the checkpoints and reduce the risk of COVID-19 infections among forces working there.

Previously, the city's police piloted the installment of cameras to replace the use of personal phones for officers in Districts 1 and 3 and it proved to be effective.

Major Le Manh Ha, of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Public Security, said that they are updating the list of travel permit holders as well as those who are allowed to travel on the road without a permit into the national population database.

Ha said local police will use QR codes, which are used for making declarations, to oversee the travel of people. Officers at checkpoints will simply scan the QR codes of commuters to know whether they are eligible for travel or not

It will help prevent the case that a person, who is a COVID-19 patient, still go out, he said./.

President attends new-school-year opening ceremony in Yen Bai province

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on September 7 attended a ceremony to open the 2021-2022 academic year at the ethnic minorities boarding high school in the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai, which recorded no new COVID-19 infections in half a month.

Founded in 1982, the school has to date educated over 4,000 students. In the new school year, it runs 12 classes for 422 students from different ethnic groups residing in the five local districts of Van Chan, Luc Yen, Van Yen, Tran Yen, and Yen Binh.

At the ceremony, the President performed the traditional act of beating the drum to kick off the new school year.

In his speech, he informed that 16 million out of more than 23 million students nationwide had to begin the academic year with online ceremonies due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thanks to efforts made by the Government and Yen Bai authorities, the school can hold the meaningful event face-to-face, Phuc said.

He said he hailed the provincial authorities for paying attention to education, particularly at ethnic minorities boarding facilities. The percentage of schools meeting national standards in Yen Bai reached 60 percent.

The State leader ordered the education sector, particularly boarding schools, to be active in building learning and teaching plans in response to the developments of the epidemic, ensuring safety for teachers and students.

Earlier on the same day, President Phuc had a meeting with the provincial Party Committee during which he said Yen Bai holds many potential, particularly regarding forests, forest land and human resources.

He requested the local authorities develop the province while protecting the environment as well as pay attention to implement policies for ethnic affairs, promote its human resources, and preserve the local ethnic groups’ traditional cultures./.

Vietnamese, Chinese Party inspection commissions step up collaboration

Head of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee’s Inspection Commission Tran Cam Tu held phone talks with Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee’s Commission for Discipline Inspection Zhao Leji on September 7.

Both sides shared the view that ties between the two Parties and nations have kept growing with high-level meetings maintained regularly in flexible forms. Exchanges between ministries, agencies and localities have been promoted, contributing to consolidating political trust. Bilateral economic and trade ties have also improved, along with increasing mutual support in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.

Tu expressed a wish to continue maintaining regular high-level exchanges between the two Parties and countries in flexible forms, improving the efficiency of cooperation mechanisms between the two Parties, sharing experience and working closely together in fighting the pandemic, as well as maintaining a peaceful environment conductive to each side’s development, and properly settling differences, including issues at sea, by peaceful means in line with international law.

About ties between the two commissions, Tu suggested the Chinese side assist Vietnam in intensive training on inspection, corruption prevention and control in various forms and at appropriate level.

Zhao, for his part, hailed the Vietnamese Party and State for their results in Party inspection, supervision and discipline, the fight against corruption over the past years, and especially efforts in combating COVID-19.

The two sides agreed to work closely together and exert greater efforts to effectively carry out agreements reached by the senior leaders of the two Parties and States, towards continuing to carry forward the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in a healthy, stable and sustainable manner, for the long-term benefits of the two Parties, countries, sectors and peoples./.

Wildlife traffickers arrested in northern Dien Bien province

Police in the northwestern border province of Dien Bien have caught red-handed two suspects when they were transporting two wildlife animals.

The suspects are Dao Huy Thanh, born in 1988, and Lo Van Hon, born in 1994, both residing in Dien Bien district’s Muong Nha commune.

The pair admitted they were transporting two pangolins weighing 9.5kg in total for sale after buying them from a local resident.

Pangolins are listed in group 1B of Vietnam’s Red Data Book, which means they are in danger of becoming extinct and are protected from being exploited or used for commercial purposes.

The case is under further investigation, while the endangered animals were transferred to the wildlife rescue centre in the northern region./.

Vietjet flies nearly 1,000 policemen to support HCM City’s COVID-19 fight

Vietjet Air flights on September 6 carried nearly 1,000 public security officers and soldiers to Ho Chi Minh City to support the city’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

They will be deployed to localities to perform duties at concentrated quarantine facilities, checkpoints and COVID-19 treatment hospitals, as well as coordinating with frontliners in the combat.

All of them were vaccinated against COVID-19 and had negative test results for SARS-CoV-2 on September 5.

Vietjet flies nearly 1,000 policemen to support HCM City’s COVID-19 fight hinh anh 2
A VietJet Air flight carrying public security officers and soldiers to Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: VNA)
Over the past time, Vietjet Air has conducted many flights carrying thousands of personnel and thousands of tonnes of goods to assist localities in fighting the pandemic.

The carrier has also organised many flights carrying vaccines and medical equipment and supplies to localities across the nation./.

Russia-Vietnam eSports championship helps tighten humane cooperation

A special eSports championship between Russia and Vietnam – a version of The World of Unique Gamers charity project (WUG2021_v2) took place at Yota Arena in Moscow last weekend.

The event attracted the participation of children and teenagers with special needs, mainly Russians, thus helping them to better integrate into the society and show off their strengths.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Tran Canh Hung, First Secretary of the Vietnamese Embassy in Russia, affirmed that amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the championship will contribute to strengthening the relationship and humane cooperation between Vietnam and Russia, and attract more attention from society to children and teenagers with disabilities.

Nhikolai Nechaev, who leads The World of Unique Gamers charity project, said that the event offered a good chance for young gamers to make friends and compete with each other.

Through the event, the organisers want to promote the fine relationship between Russia and Vietnam as well as the Southeast Asian nation’s culture to Russian children and teenagers./.

Vietnamese, Indonesian parliaments strengthen cooperation

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue met Speaker of the Indonesian People's Representative Council (Lower House) Puan Maharani in Vienna, Austria on September 6 (local time), on the occasion of his attendance at the fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament (WCSP5).

Both sides expressed their satisfaction about the development of bilateral ties over the past 65 years, especially since the upgrading of their relationship to strategic partnership level in 2013.

They agreed to further strengthen political trust, maintain high-level exchanges, both online and offline, including facilitating the exchange of delegations via parliamentary channels, working closely together at the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) and the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), and realising the cooperation agreement between the Vietnamese legislature and Indonesian Lower House.

The two sides shared the view that each country’s legislature needs to raise voice at regional and global forums to facilitate countries’ fair, open and transparent access to vaccines in parallel with vaccine research and production.

Chairman Hue said despite difficulties caused by the pandemic, two-way trade still hit 8.2 billion USD last year, closer to the 10 billion USD mark. In the spirit of strategic partnership, he suggested both sides coordinate in dealing with issues of shared concern such as trade and Indonesia create favourable conditions for Vietnam to export farm produce and fruit, offer humane treatment to Vietnamese fishermen, and step up negotiations on demarcation of economic exclusive zones.

On regional and global issues, the Vietnamese leader underscored ASEAN’s central role in maintaining peace, stability, security, maritime and aviation safety and freedom. He called for soon building a practical and effective Code of Conduct in the East Sea in line with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Amid challenges caused by the pandemic, Vietnam and Indonesia need to enhance cooperation, particularly within the ASEAN-AIPA framework, he said, adding that parliaments must improve their guiding roles in fighting COVID-19 and working closely together to recover the economy.

He congratulated Indonesia on taking the role as Chair of G20 Summit next year and hoped that ASEAN member states could attend the important event.

Maharani, for her part, affirmed that the Indonesian Lower House is ready to cooperate with the Vietnamese NA, and raise a voice to the Indonesian Government to increase joint work with Vietnam, towards curbing the pandemic and boosting recovery post-pandemic./. 

Further evaluation needed for home-grown vaccine Nano Covax: Deputy Minister

Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology JSC was asked to provide more information regarding safety, immunogenicity, and protection effects before a registration certificate of circulation for its Nano Covax can be granted, Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan has said.

Speaking at a press conference following the Government's monthly meeting on September 6, he said three types of COVID-19 vaccines are being developed in Vietnam.

The deputy minister said the result of clinical trials of Nano Covax vaccine has been submitted to the National Committee for Ethics in Biomedical Research under the Ministry of Health.

However, there is still some issues that need to be solved, he said, adding that the company was requested to provide more information about safety, immunogenicity, and protection effects.

“We hope to have a home-grown vaccine as soon as possible but the vaccine is a special product that does not only affect a person but also the whole community and even a generation,” Thuan said, adding that the policy of the Government and the Ministry of Health is that it must follow strict regulations and be safe and effective.

Regarding vaccine diplomacy, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu said that Vietnam has now implemented very drastic vaccine diplomacy via bilateral and multilateral mechanisms and through a network of diplomatic representative agencies abroad to access not only vaccines but also treatment medicines.

In addition, the country also urged AstraZeneca and Pfizer to fulfill their commitments to vaccine supply while calling for aid, borrowing vaccines from abroad, and promoting new contracts to buy vaccines from other countries at the same time, he said.

Vu thanked countries, overseas Vietnamese, and organisations for their support, and looked forward to receiving more cooperation and assistance in the coming time./.

Top legislator hails UN's contributions to Vietnam’s development

The United Nations (UN) always plays an important role in Vietnam’s foreign policy and accompanies the country in the process of national construction and development, thus creating favourable conditions to enhance its position and image in the international arena and deepen its relations with other nations around the world.

The statement was made by National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue during his meeting with Director-General of the UN Office at Vienna (UNOV) Ghada Fathi Waly on September 6 as part of his trip to Austria to attend the fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament (WCSP5).

Hue thanked the UN for its timely and effective support and advice to Vietnam’s national building and development cause, as well as its assistance to the country in getting access to financial resources for poverty reduction, sustainable development and social welfare assurance.

The Vietnamese legislature's cooperation activities with the UN in the region have brought about practical results, serving activities of NA agencies and helping to improve skills of lawmakers, he said.

Hue also thanked the UN for assisting Vietnam in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, showing his hope to receive more support in post-pandemic economic development and addressing negative impacts of the pandemic on people's livelihoods.

The top legislator also expressed his wish that the UN will continue to promote its role in maintaining international peace and security, promoting respect for international law, and supporting countries, including Vietnam, in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

He proposed the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, of which Waly is also the Executive Director, to continue assisting Vietnam in preventing and combating new types of crimes such as cybercrime and crimes related to digital currency and virtual assets.

For her part, Waly affirmed the UN’s commitment to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam, adding that in the coming time, the UN will focus on intensifying cooperation with parliaments, including the Vietnamese National Assembly.

She hoped Vietnam will soon join the crime prevention network in Southeast Asia and the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children; and step up cooperation in cybersecurity and anti-money laundering.

Waly also appreciated and supported Vietnam's proposal made at the UN Security Council’s online high-level open debate on enhancing maritime security on the establishment of a network of mechanisms and initiatives on regional maritime security coordinated by the UN to increase information and experience sharing, coordinate in taking action, and promptly respond to common challenges. She affirmed the UN's willingness to assist Vietnam in ensuring maritime security.

The official said that the UN and Vietnam have many potential areas for cooperation, but should select urgent fields such as women's empowerment and poverty reduction to boost collaboration first, and proposed the establishment of a tripartite cooperation model including the United Nations, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), and Vietnam./.

Number of Covid-19 related deaths tends to decrease

Doctor Nguyen Van Vinh Chau, Vice Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health informed that Ho Chi Minh City confirmed 233 deaths related to SARS-CoV-2 on September 5, tending to fall even as coronavirus infections are rising.

According to Deputy Head of the Municipal Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control Pham Duc Hai, by 6 p.m. on September 5, the Ministry of Health announced 251,933 Covid-19 cases, including 251,473 infections in the community and 460 imported ones.

On September 5, the city recorded 2,915 recovered patients, bringing the total of discharged patients from medical facilities to 128,396 ones from January 1 up to now.

Currently, the city health sector is treating over 9,000 coronavirus infections, including 1,053 cases with ventilators and 22 severe patients being under ECMO treatment.

The death rate of those people putting on ventilator and ECMO treatment is 30 percent to 50 percent.

The Ministry of Health just directed the stricter implementation of solutions to reduce Covid-19 related deaths in Ho Chi Minh City and the Southern provinces and cities.

Besides, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee urged the strengthening SARS-CoV-2 test in the whole city from now to September 15. All residents in the red and orange areas must be performed rapid SARS-CoV-2 antigen test at least three times and local people living in the green and yellow areas have to be carried out the test at least once or twice by September 15.

As for the vaccination process, HCMC has run out of 6,553,548 doses of vaccines so far.

Amid a shortage of Moderna vaccine, Doctor Nguyen Hong Tam, Vice Director of the HCMC Center for Disease Control (HCDC) said that the Ministry of Health provided four vaccines against coronavirus, including AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna and Verocell to HCMC.

The second routine dose is delayed a few weeks as scheduled but it would not affect the vaccine effectiveness so that the local residents should not worry much.

The information was shared at a press conference on the Covid-19 pandemic prevention and control in the city.

Source: VNA/VNS/VOV/VIR/SGT/SGGP/Nhan Dan/Hanoitimes