The 13th National Party Congress, which is taking place in Hanoi, is of great significance to socio-political life in Vietnam. As the gathering is now underway, many people have expressed their hopes and expectations over the congress’s outcomes.

The congress is taking place in the context that the country is facing both challenges and opportunities, with various new strategic issues needed to be solved.

The congress is held at a time when the entire Party, people and army have successfully implemented many guidelines, targets and tasks set in the Resolution of the 12th National Party Congress, contributing to great and significant achievements gained during 35 years of renewal, 30 years of implementing the 1991 Political Platform, 10 years of implementing the 2011 Platform, and in the implementation of the 2011-2020 Socio-economic Development Strategy.

The congress will select new leaders and shape policy for Vietnam over the next five years. Many Vietnamese citizens have voiced an expectation that the upcoming changes in leadership and policies will bring further development.

All streets around Vietnam are decorated with flowers, bandroles, posters and flags marking the 13th National Party Congress. The upbeat atmosphere mirrors people’s attitudes and expectations towards the great event of the Party and the entire country./.

Party’s role in building agricultural policy highlighted

Chairman of the Vietnam Farmers’ Union (VFU) Central Committee Thao Xuan Sung has underlined the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) in building policies for agricultural development, as well as the decisive contributions by the agriculture sector to Vietnam’s GDP growth in 2020.

Talking to the Vietnam News Agency on the occasion of the 13th National Party Congress, Sung affirmed that the agriculture sector has posted great achievements in productivity, quality, and value in recent years.

Though results are not even across regions inside the country, Vietnam has risen to enjoy agriculture export surpluses with regional countries.

The agriculture sector contributed importantly to GDP growth of nearly 3 percent last year, he noted, adding that under the leadership of the Party, farmers have played a prominent role in the new national target programme on sustainable poverty reduction.

A new generation of working class with patriotism and solidarity and the capacity to connect production and consumption has been developed, and this is an outstanding achievement, Sung stressed.

One of the great achievements of the country is innovation, in which the leading front is agriculture, he said, affirming that the policies of the Party and State have contributed to the development of agriculture and services.

Vietnam’s participation in many new generation trade agreements has created opportunities for farmers to expand markets and improve the competitiveness of their products, Sung noted.

He said members of the VFU expect that, through the Congress, many mechanisms and policies will be changed so they can mobilise more investment resources for agricultural production./.

Navigos Group: Huge recruitment demand in IT in Vietnam

In the fourth quarter of 2020, Navigos Search – a middle and senior recruitment service of Navigos Group - observed a quick recovery of recruitment in the information technology (IT) industry after the COVID-19 in Vietnam.

Navigos Group is a leading recruitment group in Vietnam which is currently owning an online recruitment website, VietnamWorks, and the middle and senior recruitment service. The company has published a report on middle and senior recruitment demands in Vietnam market based on their clients’ recruitment demands in Quarter 4 in 2020 and outlook in 2021.

Enterprises continue to recruit but focus on high-quality personnel with the most up-to-date technologies to increase their products and services' competitiveness. ‘New entrants’ are quickly building their recruitment brands and having good salary and bonus policies to attract qualified personnel, according to the report.

Although the COVID-19 epidemic delayed the IT industry in recruitment, companies in this industry are studying and making plans to recruit 1,000 IT engineers in 2021.

Navigos Search said banks are planning to recruit a large number of employees for Credit sales (customer relations). In addition, the recruitment for the technology and data sectors will be boosted due to the strong demand for digital transformation at commercial banks.

Besides, Japanese manufacturing enterprises in the electronic and automotive spare parts plan to expand in 2021. In addition, many manufacturing enterprises from Europe, America, China, and Japan are exploring the market to invest in factory construction and develop production and business activities in Vietnam, the southern market in particular.

Due to the land shortage in Ho Chi Minh City, it is expected that they will grow in new industrial zones in Binh Duong, Long An and Dong Nai provinces, and Can Tho city.

Hanoi to open four new suburban bus routes from February

Transerco will open four new bus routes

The Hanoi Transportation Corporation (Transerco) will open four new bus routes connecting outlying areas in the city from next month in accordance with the Hanoi Department of Transport’s plan on opening 30 new routes in total in 2021.

Bus route No.66 from Yen Nghia Station to Phung will have a length of 27.3km and a frequency of 90 journeys per day.

Route No.67 from Phung to Son Tay Station will have a length of 27km and 92 journeys per day.

Route No. 115 from Van Dinh town to Xuan Mai will have a length of 38.2km and a frequency of 90 journeys per day.

Route No.116 connecting Yen Trung in Thach That with Phu Nghia Industrial Zone will have a length of 36.5km and a frequency of 84 journeys per day.

All buses operating on the aforementioned routes have a capacity of 30 seats each.

Tra Vinh to dredge irrigation canals to better cope with dry season

The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Trà Vinh will dredge its 18 main irrigation canals that run a total of 162 km in the next four years at a cost of VNĐ387 billion (US$16.7 million) to improve the supply of water for irrigation during the dry season.  

The money will come from the Government and the province.

The canals provide freshwater to the major agricultural districts of Càng Long, Cầu Kè, Tiểu Cần, Châu Thành, Cầu Ngang, and Trà Cú and Duyên Hải Town.

The dredging will increase their capacity and help prevent the severe shortage of freshwater caused by saltwater intrusion during the dry season in recent years.

Phạm Minh Truyền, director of the province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said over the past four years the province had been severely affected by climate change, especially in the dry season, including impacts on agriculture and people’s lives.

Saltwater intrusion caused damages worth more than VNĐ1.1 trillion ($47.5 million) to agriculture in 2015 – 16 season and VNĐ1 trillion ($43.2 million) in 2019 – 20.

Of the VNĐ1 trillion damage in the latter season, loss of rice crops accounted for VNĐ919 billion ($39.7 million).

The two dry seasons saw record levels of saltwater intrusion.

With a coastline of 65 km, Trà Vinh is one of the provinces hardest hit in recent years, and is forecast to face severe saltwater intrusion in the current dry season.

The salinity levels have been 1 – 7.7 grammes per litre since December. To put it in perspective, most crops can only tolerate a salinity level of up to 1gm.

The province has closed all 50 saltwater prevention sluices to protect its rice paddies.

It has nearly 185,000ha of farmlands, or 70 per cent of its total land area.

To sustainably develop agriculture, in recent years local authorities have encouraged farmers to cultivate other crops on unproductive rice fields, including fruits, or switch to aquaculture.  

In 2021 – 25 the province plans to do so with more than 8,000ha of such fields.

Vietnam attends APF executive board's annual meeting

The Vietnamese sub-committee, as the Vice President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophone (APF) for the 2019-2021 tenure, attended the APF executive board's annual meeting, which convened virtually on January 25.

About 40 delegates, including three from Vietnam, joined the meeting, during which they heard a report by the APF Secretary General on the APF’s operation and response to COVID-19 and discussed orientations and action programmes for 2021 as well as multilateral inter-parliament cooperation projects.

The board agreed to continue implementing the APF strategic framework for 2019-2022, focusing on four priority issues under the action program of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF). The issues cover the fight against terrorism and extreme violence; inclusive development and growth; development of public policies on French language education and teaching in the multilingual Francophone community; and implementation of the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs).

The meeting was among activities within the APF’s ongoing 46th annual session, which is scheduled for January 19 – 29.

At the upcoming plenary meeting of the annual session, which highlights a theme of Francophone parliaments responding to impact of the COVID-19 crisis, Vietnam will deliver a speech on its 2020 success of pursuing a dual goal for pandemic control and economic growth. Vietnam will also propose a number of recommendations for the APF to improve its performances amid the pandemic./.

HCM City holds art programme welcoming 13th National Party Congress

Famous singers and dancers of Vietnam performed in a special music programme in Ho Chi Minh City on January 25 night to welcome the 13th National Party Congress.

The event was co-organised by the city’s organisation board of major holidays and the HCM City Light Music Centre.

The programme, divided into three parts, featured 16 well-known songs expressing the gratitude to President Ho Chi Minh, and affirming the people’s belief in the right directions and policies, and creative leadership of the CPV.

It also praised policies of the Party and State that have created great development turning points, bringing a facelift to the country in general and HCM City in particular.

The programme is considered greetings from the municipal Party Committee, authorities and people to the 13th National Party Congress with a firm belief that HCM City will become a civilized and modern city, and deserves being named after President Ho Chi Minh.

In Hanoi, a series of art performance programmes and exhibitions have also been organised to welcome the congress, according to the municipal Department of Culture and Sports.

Streets in Hanoi have been also decorated with vibrant flowers, banderoles, posters, and national, and hammer and sickle flags to celebrate this important event.

HCM City’s Buddhist unit hailed for active engagement in COVID-19 response

A conference is held by the Executive Board of the VFF committee to review Buddhist affairs last year and map out orientations for 2021.

HCM City’s Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Committee has expressed its appreciation of the southern city’s Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS)’s active engagement in local COVID-19 response over the last year, Standing Vice Chairman of the committee Nguyen Thanh Trung told a conference on January 26.

The conference was held by the Executive Board of the VFF committee to review Buddhist affairs last year and map out orientations for 2021.

Trung said the VBS proved itself an important VFF member and became a symbol of national unity.

Recognising its achievements in Buddhist affairs in 2020, he also praised the VBS for proactively supporting the city in combating COVID-19 and joining humanitarian, charitable, and social welfare programmes.

Such efforts have helped inspire and promote patriotism and consolidate the national great unity while contributing to developing HCM City as a civilised, modern city with a good quality of life, he said.

The conference approved plans that contain 28 specific programmes for this year. One is to organise a grand celebration of the 40th anniversary of the VBS and district-level congresses. Others include maintaining Buddhist activities while standing ready to deal with COVID-19, and educating and campaigning Buddhist monks and nuns to become involved in environmental protection and climate change response.

The HCM City VBS held charitable events last year totaling nearly 626 billion VND (27 million USD)./.

CPV’s leadership plays crucial role in Vietnam’s achievements: Thai scholar

Political stability under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) is one of the most fundamental reasons behind Vietnam’s great development in all aspects over the past years and its increasingly important role in the region and the world, a Thai scholar has said.

In a recent interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency’s correspondents, Professor Chuan Petkaew at Suratthani Rajabhat University affirmed that political stability has become an advantage throughout Vietnam’s development process that not all countries have.

Vietnam’s achievements in all aspects have proved the crucial leading role of the Vietnamese Party and State in the cause of national development, the scholar stressed.

He expressed his belief that the 13th National Congress of the CPV will continue to set out right directions, helping Vietnam become more prosperous and affirm its important position in resolving common issues of the region and the world.

Petkaew, who is also the co-author of the book “President Ho Chi Minh, the Founder of Modern Vietnam – Thailand Relations,” also underlined the important role of President Ho Chi Minh in the victory of the Vietnamese revolution and socio-economic development achievements in the country under the CPV’s leadership.

The professor expressed his impression on President Ho Chi Minh's moral example, affirming that his moral example is an extremely great spiritual legacy that generations of Vietnamese people need to follow./.

Reporters pin high hopes on Vietnam’s future

Vietnam has conditions and potential to become a developed country in the future as it boasts rich resources and abundant labour, high education lever, geographical advantages connecting Asia and the world, efficient government and patriotic citizens.

The remark was made by JaeHo Jeong, Hanoi Bureau Chief of the Korea Times, on January 26 when he was present at the National Convention Centre in Hanoi to cover the opening ceremony of the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), the most important political event of Vietnam.

“I think Vietnam will have a brighter future than the present,” he said, adding “its role will increase amid the rapidly changing global situation”.

More industrial facilities based in China will be relocated to Vietnam, and it will also serve as a key country connecting Europe and Asia with the Europe-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) taking effect. Nearby Indochinese countries are predicted to take a long time to catch up with Vietnam due to a lack of industrial infrastructure.

“As the current trend continues, it is certain that Vietnam will solidify its position as a leader of Southeast Asia. The successful ASEAN chairmanship last year will maintain its high status in the future,” the reporter from the Republic of Korea (RoK) noted.

Vietnam's economic development and social stability over the past decade are very impressive, he said, attributing these achievements to the Vietnamese Government's clear plan and the active participation of the people.

JaeHo Jeong also forecast that RoK companies' investment in Vietnam will increase further as the Southeast Asian nation still provides an attractive investment environment for foreign companies despite the COVID-19 crisis.

Due to the conflict between the US and China, many Korean firms are already relocating their factories to Vietnam and “brown” investments, including joint ventures and acquisitions of stakes by Vietnamese companies, continue to increase.

The sense of national stability coming from the successful pandemic control is one of the important reasons for the increase in investment by Korean companies, he said, adding there is a high possibility that new investments by RoK electronic components and hi-tech companies will increase in the near future.

Sharing views with the RoK colleague, reporter Ngo Xuan Tung, who works for CNA Singapore, said that Vietnam has the potential and conditions to realise its goal of becoming a developed country by 2045 because it has a young population and an attractive investment environment.

However, in the context of many new and complicated developments in the region and the world, Vietnam will face many challenges in realizing the above goal.

“Vietnam needs to have policies to concretise the realisation of targets with synchronous solutions from the central to local level,” he underlined.

The story of development poses a challenge to the environment that people are very concerned about, he said, adding that Vietnam has paid much attention to ensuring the environment for sustainable development by selecting investors based on quality instead of quantity and attaching importance to the factor of increasing technology content.

Vietnam's potential and strengths, if fully tapped, will become conditions for the country to make its dream come true, he noted.

Meanwhile, John Harding, an Australian journalist who boasts many years of working in Vietnam, spoke highly of achievements made by the country under the leadership of the CPV over the past time, especially in COVID-19 prevention and control.

“I think the CPV had done a good job over the years. When it gave instructions about what to do when COVID-19 hit, people listened. They stayed at home, wore masks, and didn’t complain. And it has been controlled here so far. I think that’s a result of people’s faith in the party and that it knows what it’s doing,” he said.

“Vietnam’s growth is pretty high, so it is noted by political leaders, economists, and investors around the world,” he added./.

Lai Châu rose growers thriving ahead of Tết

A flower grower in San Thàng Commune, Lai Châu City, takes care of flowers as the north experiences a prolonged cold spell.

San Thàng Commune of Lai Châu City is home to the largest rose growing area in the northern mountainous province of Lai Châu.

Although the flower growers in the north are experiencing a prolonged cold spell, in Lê Xuân Khương's rose garden in San Thàng Commune, the flowers are still blooming and he has harvested roses regularly.

Khương and local rose growers are busy preparing flowers for the Tet (Lunar New Year holidays).

Khương said, in 2016, he started growing roses with more than 1,000 pots of imported roses and 400 pots of ancient roses, including 30 pots of 15-20-year-old roses.

In 2019, he decided to expand his flower growing area and rented more than 3ha of land in San Thàng 1 Village to grow roses.

Khương mainly sells his wares to flower shops in Hà Nội.

He harvests more than 700,000 flowers every year and sells them to the local market at a cost of VNĐ2,000 per flower, making for a profit of about VNĐ500-600 million per year.

He has stable customers in Lào Cai, Yên Bái and Phú Thọ provinces as well as Hà Nội.

Every year, two months before Tết, Khương has to hire seven to 10 local labourers for tree pruning, spraying and fertilising to make sure the flowers bloom during Tết.

Growing roses is not difficult, but it requires meticulousness, according to Khương.

“Trees only need enough fertiliser and good disease prevention and they will bloom all year round," he said.

“Besides, growers must regularly prune old branches, old leaves and clean the garden to limit pests and diseases. Generally, income from rose cultivation is quite stable.”

He predicted that the upcoming Tết’s flower price may increase to about VNĐ3,000-4,000/flower.

“The weather of the cold spell is threatening the bloom of roses. In addition, the demand for flowers in the Chinese market also increases.”

Phạm Thị Dung, a rose farmer in San Thàng Commune, said in 2018, her family moved from Mê Linh District, Hà Nôi and rented 2ha of land to plant roses because the soil and climate here are very favourable.

Before Tết, her family had to hire three to six local labourers for fertilising, cutting and watering.

“Every year, we get a profit of about VNĐ350-400 million that stable income for family members," Dung said.

According to Nguyễn Văn Hương, Vice Chairman of San Thàng Commune People's Committee, five years ago, some local households began growing roses, but the area was small. Gradually, rose trees were found suitable for climatic and soil conditions, so farmers invested in the area.

Now, the commune has more than 50ha of rose growing area and in total, growers earn nearly VNĐ10 billion annually. Growing flowers has created stable jobs and income for local farmers.

Communal authorities plan to encourage farmers to convert inefficient crop areas to growing roses.

Hoàng Thị Thanh, head of Lai Châu City’s Economic Department, said the city had two specialised rose-growing areas with an area of 63ha in San Thàng and Sùng Phài communes.

City authorities would guide localities to review eligible agricultural areas to convert to rose cultivation and offer policies to encourage investment and expansion of flower growing areas using high technology.

Khmer language course opens for overseas Vietnamese in Cambodian province

A Khmer language course for Cambodians of the Vietnamese origin opened in the Cambodian province of Preah Sihanouk on January 25.

Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Consul General Vu Ngoc Ly said the course aims to offer necessary support to overseas Vietnamese to gain Cambodian citizenship, thus making positive contributions to Cambodia as well as bilateral ties.

The course will last three months, from Monday to Friday every week.

Together with a similar course that opened on December 30 in Kampot province, the class is a pilot model in areas that the Vietnamese Consulate General takes charge of, including Preah Sihanouk, Kampot, Kep, Koh Kong, Kampong Speu and Takeo. If successful, the model will be spread in the Vietnamese community in the southwest of Cambodia and across the country.

Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Khmer – Vietnam Association Sok Chea expressed his hope that philanthropists will join hands to continue holding more courses./.

Spring fair to bring festive Tet atmosphere to Hanoi’s Old Quarter

Hang Luoc flower market

 

A spring fair will be held from January 30 to February 10 along Phung Hung mural painting street (the section between Hang Cot and Le Van Linh streets), bringing with it a festive atmosphere on the occasion of upcoming Tet (Lunar New Year) Festival.

At the fair, handicraft and agricultural products from traditional trade villages will be on display for visitors.

In addition, they will also have the chance to enjoy performances from the calligraphy arts as well as making pottery products, rubber sandals and wood carvings.

Notably, a special street art programme will take place from 4pm to 6pm on January 30, featuring an Ao Dai (Vietnamese traditional long dresses) show for both adults and children and music performances with the participation of young artists.

On the occasion, Hanoians and visitors alike can admire and purchase beautiful fresh flowers for the upcoming Tet festival at a traditional flower market along Hang Luoc and Hang Can streets.

Vietnam’s new tennis season starts with VTF Masters 500-1 tournament

Vietnam’s tennis started its news season with the commence of the 2021 National Men' & Women's Tennis Championship (VTF Masters 500-1) – Hai Dang Cup in Tay Ninh City on Monday (Jan 25).

As the highest tournament in the Vietnamese tennis system, the event brings together 178 players from 14 strong clubs across the country, with most prominent names of Vietnamese tennis present, promising to bring top-level competitions to the audience.

In particular, Vietnam's No. 1 tennis star Ly Hoang Nam (Hai Dang club) will be present, along with the country's other top players such as Trinh Linh Giang (Hai Dang club), Vu Ha Minh Duc (Hai Dang club), Nguyen Dac Tien (Hanoi), Pham Minh Tuan (Hung Thinh - Ho Chi Minh City), Tran Thuy Thanh Truc (Hung Thinh - Ho Chi Minh City), Dao Minh Trang (Hung Thinh - Ho Chi Minh City), Si Boi Ngoc (Army) and Nguyen Thi Mai Huong (Hai Duong).

In the doubles content, "net king" Le Quoc Khanh (Hung Thinh - Ho Chi Minh City) will join Trinh Linh Giang this time, while Ly Hoang Nam will pair up with his junior Nguyen Van Phuong, promising to bring attractive performances.

The tournament is taking place from January 25 to 31, co-organised by the Vietnam Tennis Federation (VTF) and the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Tay Ninh Province and Hai Dang Group. Through the tournament, VTF will continue to select outstanding players for the national team to prepare for the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games hosted by Vietnam later this year, with tennis to take place in Bac Ninh Province this November.

In addition to bonus points and trophies for the winners, top performers at the tournament will also receive bonuses with a total value of up to VND500 million. In which, the men's singles champion will walk away with VND70 million, the women's singles champion will receive VND60 million, the men's doubles champions VND35 million and the women's doubles champions VND30 million.

The tournament kicked off on Monday with qualifying matches for men singles, women's singles and Round 1/32 of men's doubles. The first competition day ended with impressive victories for the home team – Hai Dang Club in the men's singles and women's singles qualifiers.

Today, the next rounds of the men's singles, women's singles and Round 1/16 of men's doubles will take place. Notably, the No. 1 seed pair in men’s doubles, Ly Hoang Nam/Nguyen Van Phuong (Hai Dang Club), will meet Le Phuoc Dang/Vu Thai Nam couple (Hanoi), and the No. 2 duo Trinh Linh Giang (Hai Dang Club)/Le Quoc Khanh (Hung Thinh - Ho Chi Minh City) will play Hoang Thanh Trung (TPS Thanh Phong)/Vu Ha Minh Duc (Hai Dang club).

Two imported COVID-19 cases confirmed on January 26

Vietnam reported two imported COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours to 6pm on January 26, raising the total to 1,551, according to the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

The new cases, one returned to Vietnam from the US on January 22, and the other from Dubai on January 9, were quarantined upon their arrival at Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport. They are being under treatment at Cu Chi hospital for COVID-19 treatment.

So far, Vietnam has seen 693 domestically-transmitted cases

Also on January 26, five patients were given the all-clear, bringing the total number of recoveries to 1,430. Death toll has maintained at 35.

Among patients undergoing treatment at medical establishments across the country, 14 have been tested negative for the coronavirus once, 10 others twice and 12 thrice.

At present, 21,994 people who had close contact with COVID-19 patients or entered Vietnam from pandemic-hit areas are under quarantine.

HCM City honours power-saving households

The Ho Chi Minh City Power Corporation (EVN HCMC) held an awards ceremony for the 2020 emulation programme “Power-saving families” on January 26.

Launched by the municipal Steering Committee for Power Supply, Saving, and Safety and EVN HCMC, the ceremony aims to encourage households to join hands to use electricity effectively and economically and raise public awareness about the effort.

The organising board said nearly 900,000 households saved 443.67 million kWh of electricity last year, helping reduce carbon dioxide emissions by over 400,000 tonnes and saving more than 920 billion VND (40 million USD).

At the ceremony, 480 outstanding power-saving households for 2020 were honoured.

The board set a goal of encouraging local residents to install solar panels as well as increase LED lighting systems to 20 percent in 2020 and 100 percent by 2025.

EVN HCMC Deputy General Director Bui Trung Kien said the power sector will work with municipal authorities to effectively carry out power-saving programmes in the near future./.

Congratulations to Australia on National Day

Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong has sent a message of congratulations to Governor General David Hurley on the 233rd National Day of Australia (January 26).

On the occasion, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc cabled a message of greetings to his Australian counterpart, Scott Morrison, and Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan congratulated President of the Senate Scott Ryan and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tony Smith.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh also sent a congratulatory message to Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne.

In the messages, the Vietnamese leaders congratulated Australia on its achievements, especially in economy, defence, security, education and science-technology, in the decades. They spoke highly of the country’s role and contributions to the Indo-Pacific region as well as the world, and affirmed to continue closely cooperating to promote the Vietnam-Australia Strategic Partnership in a substantive and effective manner.

More new COVID-19 cases recorded in Southeast Asia

Thailand on January 26 reported 959 new cases of COVID-19, a record daily rise since the start of the pandemic.

The figure included 937 community infections, 914 of which were recorded in Samut Sakhon province, while the remainder was imported.

Samut Sakhon became the epicentre of a new COVID-19 outbreak in Thailand last month, following a mass testing on migrant workers from Myanmar and Thai citizens.

Thailand’s national tally now stood at 14,646, with 75 deaths. Total recoveries exceeded 10,000 and more than 3,600 cases are under treatment.

In Indonesia, the national count exceeded 1 million on January 26 after the country logged 13,094 new COVID-19 cases. The death toll increased 336 to 28,468.

On the same day, Cambodia recorded two new cases, both imported, taking the national count to 460. The new cases are returnees from Indonesia and Thailand earlier this month, according to the Cambodian Ministry of Health. Total recoveries stood at 412 while the country has reported zero deaths.

The Philippine’s Ministry of Health announced 1,173 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed on the day, raising the total number to 516,166. Fatalities rose to 10,386, an increase of 94 cases from the previous day. The number of recoveries totalled 475,400./.

UNPFA presents aid to senior citizens in flood-hit central provinces

UNFPA Representative in Vietnam Naomi Kitahara (L) hands over the aid to Secretary of the HCYU Central Committee Bui Quang Huy

The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) Vietnam handed over 3,704 necessity kits for elderly people in three flood-hit central provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Tri and Quang Ngai to the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCYU) Central Committee on January 26.

UNFPA earlier has delivered aid to women and girls vulnerable to gender-based violence in flood-hit central provinces.

At the handover ceremony, UNFPA Representative in Vietnam Naomi Kitahara said the elderly are the most vulnerable group in case natural disasters occur in residential areas, as public health programmes are disrupted.

She added that the cooperation between the UNFPA and the HCYU Central Committee takes root from an idea to connect young people with the elderly.

Receiving the aid, Secretary of the HCYU Central Committee Bui Quang Huy held in high regard the support from international organisations, including the UNFPA, for activities which help ease difficulties for flood victims in the central region.

He pledged that the HCYU Central Committee and authorities of the provinces will promptly distribute the aid to the beneficiaries.

Vietnam’s central provinces suffered severe human and property losses during historic flooding in October 2020. More than 200 people were killed while thousands of others were displaced.

At least 7.7 million people were affected, more than 1.3 million of them women in reproductive age and 143,000 people over 65 years old./.

Quang Tri targets 3,000ha of land freed from UXO each year

Experts search for UXOs in Hai Lang district of Quang Tri province

The central province of Quang Tri, which has the greatest amount of unexploded ordnance (UXO) in the country, is working to clear about 3,000ha of land each year to become the first Vietnamese locality to be safe from UXO accidents by 2025.

The provincial People’s Committee has issued a plan for implementing an action programme for settling the consequences of UXO in 2021-2025.

Beside land clearance, Quang Tri will look to raise 10 million USD annually from foreign non-governmental organisations to address UXO, complete all cluster bomb detection activities, and publicise areas identified as dangerous due to UXO.

It plans to help 60,000 people access education on UXO and have 1,300-1,500 UXO victims and their families receive healthcare and livelihood support every year.

All local schools are expected to include UXO safety education in their curricula within the next five years.

To realise these targets, the provincial administration has devised several solutions, including stepping up the mobilisation of foreign funding for dealing with UXO, building a policy on developing human resources for UXO settlement, increasing training for those who manage and steer the work, and boosting communications to raise awareness among relevant agencies and the community and engender a sense of responsibility on the issue.

Eighty-two percent of Quang Tri’s area is contaminated by UXO. Wartime bombs and landmines have killed more than 3,430 local people and injured 5,100 others.

The province has cooperated since 1995 with international organisations such as Peace Trees Vietnam, the Mines Advisory Group, Clear Path International, and the Norwegian People’s Aid on clearing UXO./.

Embassy assists Vietnamese in Thailand in fighting COVID-19

The Vietnamese Embassy in Thailand on January 25 presented 18,000 face masks to Vietnamese living, working, or studying in the country.

In his remarks, Ambassador Phan Chi Thanh said that given the complex development of COVID-19 in Thailand and the world, citizen protection remains a crucial task for the embassy.

He expressed a hope that the gifts would contribute to helping the Vietnamese community in Thailand combat the pandemic.

The diplomat also took the occasion to extend Lunar New Year (Tet) greetings to the community and called on them to make more contributions to the development of Thailand as well as the friendship between the two countries./.

Ninh Binh announces plans for National Tourism Year 2021

A pond within the Thien Ton pagoda in Ninh Binh

Ninh Binh, a tourist destination in Vietnam’s northern region and host of the National Tourism Year 2021, has released its plans for the annual programme, which feature myriad tourism, cultural, and sporting events.

The opening ceremony, with the theme “Hoa Lu - Millennium-old Ancient Capital”, is set for April 20 at the local cultural and historical site of Hoa Lu ancient citadel.

Key events to take place throughout the year include festivals at Bai Dinh Pagoda, Hoa Lu ancient citadel, and the Trang An Landscape Complex, a Tam Coc - Trang An tourism week, and a photo and art exhibition on Ninh Binh.

The province will also host the Southeast Asian karate championships and be the venue for the sport at the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) later in the year.

In response to the National Tourism Year, 27 cities and provinces nationwide, including Hanoi, Hai Phong, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, and Lam Dong, will also organise a range of enticing activities.

Some 90km south of Hanoi, Ninh Binh’s many famous destinations includethe Trang An Landscape Complex - a UNESCO-recognised heritage site; Tam Coc, nicknamed “Ha Long Bay on Land”; Cuc Phuong National Park; Van Long Wetland Nature Reserve; and Phat Diem Stone Cathedral.

The province was selected as host for this year, after its activities planned as host in 2020 were cancelled due to COVID-19.

It aims to welcome 7 million tourist arrivals in 2021, after welcoming just 2.8 million last year, or 37 percent of the 2019 figure, because of the pandemic.

Source: VNA/VNN/VNS/SGGP/VOV/NDO/Dtinews/SGT/VIR