At the ceremony to hand over the library (Photo: qdnd.vn)

A children’s library named The Dream Plus Library was launched at the Hanoi Library at a ceremony held on January 27.

It is a project sponsored by the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, aiming to create a space for reading and bolster cultural exchange and information sharing for children.

Spanning over 400 sq.m, the library stocks 400 book titles, including Vietnamese versions of various Korean literature works and new Vietnamese works for children.

Library-goers can also explore RoK culture through music and film screening activities.

Meanwhile, the Kim Dong Publishing House in collaboration with Cloud Pillow Studio debuted a 3D pop-up book on Hanoi. The book features images of the capital city’s famous tourist attractions.

An event introducing the book’s content and design will be held at the studio on January 31./.

Hanoi: Spring Festival held to welcome Tet holiday

Spring Festival 2021 will take place at Hanoi’s Vietnam Cultural Arts Exhibition Centre from January 29 to February 7 to celebrate the upcoming Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday.

The 10-day festival is intended to make visitors understand more about traditional customs through folk arts performances, entertainment and experience activities.

It will feature 250 booths displaying a wide range of products, ranging from home appliances, traditional foods, ceramics, gemstones, wooden paintings, and hand-crafted agarwood.

Visitors will also have a chance to enjoy exciting hot air balloon rides, the event’s highlight, to have an aerial view of the capital city.

The Lunar New Year will fall on February 12./.

Infectious diseases under control thanks to expanded immunisation programme

A child is given a vaccine at Đồng Tháp Province’s Centre for Disease Control. — Photo suckhoedoisong.vn

The expanded immunisation programme has helped Vietnam control many infectious diseases such as wild polio, measles, rubella and diphtheria.

No cases of wild polio were reported in 2020. This is the 20th year Vietnam has successfully eradicated polio and also the 15th year of neonatal tetanus elimination, according to Associate Professor Dương Thị Hồng, deputy director of National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology.

The number of measles cases in 11 months of 2020 was 1,136, down sharply compared to 14,156 cases in 2019, while there were only 46 rubella cases.

Notably, in the first months of 2020, the country recorded 212 cases of diphtheria and five deaths. Diphtheria outbreaks mostly occurred in four provinces in the Central Highlands and Quảng Trị Province.

Ninety-four per cent of diphtheria cases were in children over five years old and adults.

To deal with such situation, the Ministry of Health launched a vaccination programme against diphtheria and a five-in-one combination vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenza type B for all people in four provinces of the Central Highlands.

This helped control the diphtheria epidemic and no new cases had been recorded for more than a month, Hồng said at a recent workshop on expanded immunisation.

From 2018 to 2020, cities and provinces had been equipped with specialised freezers with financial support from the Government and GAVI-The Vaccine Alliance to preserve vaccines, said Đặng Thị Thanh Huyền, deputy dead of the National Expanded Immunisation Office.

In 2021, the National Expanded Immunisation Programme would promote activities to maintain the full vaccination rate for children under one-year-old to more than 95 per cent nationwide, she said.

It was expected that about 1 million children aged 1-5 years old in high-risk areas would be vaccinated against measles-rubella in 2021.

More than 90 per cent of districts nationwide would be equipped with new specialised freezers to ensure the quality of vaccine preservation in expanded vaccination programme.

Russian seminar looks at US relations in Southeast Asia

The characteristics of relations between the US and ASEAN and key regional partners, as well as major orientations in their dialogue, were among the topics of an online seminar held by the Higher School of Economics (HSE) in Russia on January 26.

The seminar brought together more than 100 leading Russian experts and scholars in international politics and security.

Delegates also touched on the new US President Joe Biden administration’s forecasted policy towards Asia, along with his stance on multilateral institutions and formats in the region.

They shared the view that the Asia-Pacific region and Southeast Asia in particular are expected to continue facing various challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, economic slowdown, and competition between China and the US.

Recommendations were made on easing the impact of the challenges and spurring regional integration.

Dr Alexander Korolev, an expert from HSE, said external and internal impacts would prompt ASEAN to make greater efforts to maintain its appeal and affirm its centrality in ensuring security processes in the region.

ASEAN should enhance solidarity and maintain consensus on major security matters, such as the East Sea issue and the implementation of the ASEAN outlook on Indo-Pacific.

The ten-member grouping would also carry forward its centrality by attracting China and the US in institutions such as the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the East Asia Summit (EAS), and the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM ).

Delegates also suggested Russia cooperate with ASEAN in cyber security, the fight against pirates and terrorists, and settling the consequences of natural disasters.

Quang Tri aims to improve major transport infrastructure

The central province of Quảng Trị hopes the completion of new coastal roads by 2025 will help drive socio-economic development.

With a coastal line of 75 km and beautiful beaches, the province has huge potential to develop marine tourism and resorts.

But according to authorities, a lack of good infrastructure is hindering opportunities for ports and the province to grow.

In 2019, 23.5 km of road construction was completed costing VNĐ 630 billion, linking at Cửa Việt Bridge in Triệu Phong District’s Triệu An Commune and Hải Lăng District’s Hải Dương Commune.

The road has helped create good connections for the southeastern coastal economic zone, but more transport links would go a long way to further development.

Under a resolution approved at the province’s Party Congress, Quảng Trị Province would build roads along the remaining part of its coastal line including a 44-km long route from Cửa Việt Bridge to the neighbouring Quảng Bình province and another12-km-long section from the coastal line to Đông Hà City.

The projects are expected to be finished by 2025 and cost VNĐ 2.97 trillion, of which VNĐ 2.41 trillion is from the central budget and the rest from the local budget.

According to the province’s Transport Department, the roads would pave the way for the province to form an axis for coastal urban development, helping expand Đông Hà City to the east and improve connectivity between the province to other localities.

As transport infrastructure is improved, the province expects to attract more investors to marine tourism in local beaches like Cửa Tùng, Cửa Việt, Gio Hải or Vĩnh Thái. 

Also in the next five years, Quảng Trị will build a road connecting the western and eastern branches of the Hồ Chí Minh National Highway.

Lê Đức Tiến, vice chairman of the province’s People’s Committee said that once the link road opens, it would offer a choice to access erosion-prone areas along Hồ Chí Minh Highway instead of travelling through the neighbouring Quảng Bình Province.

In case natural disasters happened, rescue forces would be able to reach mountainous communes in Hướng Hoá and Vĩnh Linh provinces including Hướng Lập, Hướng Việt, Hướng Sơn, Hướng Phùng and Hướng Linh communes.

The Ministry of Transport recommended the Ministry of Investment and Planning arrange funding of VNĐ 440 billion to improve and expand National Highway No9 as about 14 km of the highway from North Cửa Việt port to National Highway No1 was degraded.

With an improved road, cargo transportation from the seaport to western mountainous areas and Lao Bảo International Border Gate and vice versa is expected to run smoothly.  

The transport ministry also plans to open National Highway 15D in the next five years. 

This will link Mỹ Thuỷ deep sea port to La Lay International Border Gate. The seaport is under construction in Hải An Commune, Hải Lăng District. With the total investment of more than VNĐ14 trillion and covering an area of 685 ha, the seaport includes ten harbours which could deal with ships with loads of up to 100,000 tonnes.

It will mainly serve the South East Quảng Trị coastal economic zone, other local industrial zones and handle goods from Laos, Thailand on the East-West Economic Corridor. 

The corridor running 1,450km through Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Việt Nam is an economic development programme initiated to promote development and integration of five Southeast Asian countries, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Việt Nam. The concept was agreed in 1998 at the Ministerial Conference of the Greater Mekong Subregion, organised in Manila, Philippines. This corridor became operational on December 12, 2006. In Việt Nam, the project starts at Lao Bảo International Border Gate in Quảng Trị province, running along Highway No9 and 1A to Đà Nẵng city.

Quảng Trị province has four neighbouring key zones along the East-West Economic Corridor including the Lao Bảo special trade and economic zone, Đông Hà, the Northeast economic zone, and the Cửa Việt-Cửa Tùng-Cồn Cỏ tourism and service triangle. 

Number of recovered Covid-19 patients jump by 14

The Ministry of Health on January 25 announced that 14 more Covid-19 patients have made a complete recovery, taking the total number of recovered cases in Vietnam to 1,425 as of now.

The ministry’s national steering committee for Covid-19 infection prevention and control on the same day also confirmed one fresh Covid-19 case, a 47-year-old resident of Hanoi’s Bac Tu Liem District.

On January 10, the patient entered Vietnam from Indonesia through the Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi via Flight SQ192. She was taken to a quarantine center upon arrival. She tested positive for the coronavirus on January 24 and is now under medical treatment at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

This latest case has brought the country’s Covid-19 tally to 1,549 to date. The number of fatalities linked to the virus remains at 35. Further, 20,890 people who had close contact with coronavirus patients or returned to Vietnam from virus-hit regions are under quarantine to curb the spread of the deadly disease.

Nam Dinh Province suspends Tran Temple Festival

Tran Temple Festival in 2019

Nam Dinh Provincial People's Committee has announced it would not organise the Tran Temple Festival this year due to Covid-19.

Nam Dinh City People's Committee and Nam Dinh Provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism already submitted an official document asking for permission to suspend the Tran Temple Festival. Nam Dinh People's Committee approved the proposal after reviewing Covid-19 prevention plans for Tet and Spring 2021.

Nguyen Tien Dung, director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, confirmed the news and said that there were still many risks of mass exposure to Covid-19 and potential community cases.

This is the second year Tran Temple Festival has been suspended due to Covid-19.

Tran Temple Festival is traditionally held on the night of 14th day of the first lunar month. The seal-opening ceremony there is an important event that attracts thousands of visitors each year. The ceremony was first held by the Tran Dynasty in 1239 to worship heaven, earth and their ancestors. The Tran Kings opened the royal seal to signal a return to normal work on the 15th day of the first lunar month.

Over 2,000 police were deployed to Tran Temple to ensure security for the festival in 2019 due to the overwhelming number of visitors.

Experts forecast Vietnam’s development path

On the occasion of the ongoing 13th National Party Congress, several experts have made assessments and forecasts on the forthcoming development path of Vietnam.

Gregory B.Poling, a senior fellow for Southeast Asia and director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said that the 13th congress will review economic and diplomatic policies over the past decade and put forward adjustments for the next five years.

The general target continues to turn Vietnam into a high-income country in 2045, he stated, adding that Vietnam saw an average growth rate of 6 percent in the past five years and its economy grew by 2.9 percent last year, despite serious impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to him, the Vietnamese Government achieved a stunning success as it could control the pandemic and reduce its economic impacts.

Meanwhile, expert Le Hong Hiep from Singapore’s Institute of Southeast Asian Studies stated that Vietnam will continue pursuing extensive economic integration, and expansion, multilateralisation and modernisation of international relations.

Having new competent and experienced leaders is essential for Vietnam to respond to future challenges such as maintaining economic growth in an instable context caused by the pandemic, anti-corruption work, and difficulties caused by increasing US-China trade tensions, he added./.

Vietnamese sides face busy schedule in continental tournaments

As the country’s representatives in Asian competitions this year, local teams Hanoi FC, Viettel, and Saigon FC will have to deal with a busy schedule when competing in continental matches, following an announcement by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

As V.League 1 champions, Viettel will compete in the group stages of the AFC Champions League, with matches to be played from April 21 to May 5. Featuring four teams per group, Viettel FC will play all of their matches in the same location at a neutral venue. 

Furthermore, Hanoi FC and Saigon FC will take part in the AFC Cup. The tournament’s qualifiers will be organised between June 22 and June 28, with three matches played against other teams, with all fixtures set to be held at a concentrated place.

The Vietnamese representatives will therefore compete in a busy schedule, with one match taking place every three days on average, posing a significant challenge for the squads.

In order to give the local teams the best chance of being competitive in the Asian competitions, V.League 1 and National Cup ties won’t be played during this period.

A draw for the group stages of the 2021 version of the AFC Cup and AFC Champions League will get underway in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on January 27. The occasion will be broadcast live through FPT television channel and the AFC’s social media platforms.

Another cold wave to affect northern region

The northern region of Vietnam is set to face another cold spell, according to the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting.

The National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting said that from this morning, January 27, northeastern localities would have rain. The whole northern region would be affected by the cold weather from tomorrow with the lowest temperature of five degrees centigrade in high mountainous areas.  

Provinces from Thanh Hoa to Thua Thien-Hue would witness the lowest temperature of 15-18 degrees centigrade.

The lowest temperature of 13-15 degrees centigrade has been forecasted for Hanoi from Thursday.

The north has recently experienced extremely cold fronts with the temperature falling to minus one degree centigrade in many mountainous areas, bringing snow to Sapa, Mau Son and some others.

National Technology Innovation programme until 2030 issued

The Prime Minister has just issued the National Technology Innovation Programme up to 2030.

The programme aims to facilitate and support enterprises to transfer, innovate and perfect technologies, create high quality products with high added value; promote the transfer of technologies for agricultural development in rural and mountainous areas and regions; and train scientific and technological human resources for technology transfer, renewal and improvement.

The specific target is that by 2025, the number of enterprises implementing technology innovation will increase by an average of 15% per year; and 100% of enterprises producing key products will directly participate in the programme to form research and development organisations. There are 3-5 key product industries that own or create advanced technologies in the value chain to produce products with high added value and competitiveness in the market.

It also aims to increase labour productivity on the basis of technological innovation, especially in industries and fields of high added value, high export value and high technology use. Enterprises directly participating in the programme are expected to have labour productivity at least 1.5 times higher than their labour productivity without technological innovation.

Each economic region should form at least one typical technology transfer application research model, suitable to the specific conditions of the locality, for replication.

The programme's tasks and solutions are to improve legal institutions and promote technology innovation activities; formulating and implementing a roadmap to improve national technological capacity; researching and mastering advanced technologies in the production of keyproducts and products with high added value in the value chain and high competitiveness in the market; supporting small and medium enterprises in technological innovation; stepping up support for technology innovation activities in rural and mountainous regions facing difficult and extremely difficult socio-economic conditions; increasing financial resources for implementing the programme; and promoting international cooperation.

Vietnam boasts huge potential in medical tourism cooperation with Japan

Vietnam holds huge potential in medical tourism that is expected to help the country attract more foreign tourists, including those from Japan, Associate Prof., Dr. Luong Ngoc Khue, Director of the Health Ministry's Department for Medical Examination and Treatment, has said.

Speaking at an online conference on Vietnam-Japan cooperation in medical tourism, Khue said thanks to its successes in preventing and controlling COVID-19 pandemic, the Vietnamese health care sector has improved its position in the world.

Alongside, the country is rich in a long-lasting traditional medicine, while Vietnamese acupuncture techniques have been popularised and used in many countries, including Mexico and Cuba.

Each year, Vietnamese people spend about 2 billion USD for medical services abroad. Meanwhile, in 2018, domestic hospitals received 300,000 patients who are overseas Vietnamese and foreigners.

The quality of hospitals in Vietnam has been improved over the past five years, said Khue, adding that Vietnamese doctors have mastered many medical high technologies with world standards.

Particularly, costs for medical services in Vietnam are much lower than those in many countries, with higher treatment efficiency, the official said.

Khue noted that currently, Vietnam is building a project to attract overseas Vietnamese and foreigners to use high-quality medical services in Vietnam in the 2021-2030 period, which will initially cover a number of localities such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Hue, Da Nang and Khanh Hoa.

At the same time, in the future, more high quality clinics will be developed to serve both Vietnamese and foreign patients, he added./.

Czech parliamentarian believes CPV to lead Vietnam to new successes

The Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) will lead Vietnam to new successes, with the successful organisation of the 13th National Party Congress and the approval of orientations for a new period, said Leo Luzar, President of the Czech Republic-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group.

Talking to Vietnam News Agency correspondents in Prague, Luzar, who is a member of the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSČM), said that the CPV’s 13th congress is a big event drawing attention of the Czech Republic in general and the KSČM in particular.

According to him, over the past years, the CPV has set forth sound guidelines and statutes to lead the country, thus bringing about a better life for all people, especially the poor.

The KSČM has kept a close watch on the Southeast Asian country’s economic development in recent years, he stated, adding that Vietnam has developed rapidly and sustainably and local people’s trust in the Party has been consolidated continuously.

Luzar, who is a member of the Ostrava City Council, stressed that the Czech Republic has big expectations for a direct air route between Hanoi and Prague of Vietnam’s Bamboo Airways.

The early launch of the route will motivate and support the two countries’ businesses to boost trade and tourism, he added.

Mentioning the Vietnamese community in the country, Luzar affirmed that the community has made remarkable contributions to the Czech Republic’s economic development, while serving as a firm bridge for bilateral relations./.

Delegates highlight trade union, women support issues at 13th National Party Congress

It is necessary to continue to strengthen and innovate the forms of Party leadership over the organisation and operation of trade unions so as to enhance their efficiency, President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) Nguyen Dinh Khang said at the ongoing 13th National Party Congress.

Vietnam’s working class, though accounting for about 14 percent of the country’s population and 27 percent of the workforce, produces more than 65 percent of all products and generates more than 70 percent of State budget collections, noted Khang, who is also a member of the Party Central Committee.

He proposed that the Politburo approve a project to reform the Vietnam Trade Union’s organisation and operation in the new era, thus laying the foundation for the issuance of a resolution in the field.

Khang also suggested the institutionalisation of Party viewpoints and policies regarding trade unions, the working class, and workers, while creating a smooth legal corridor to protect workers and promote the role of trade unions and the working class in national construction and defence.

Meanwhile, Ha Thi Nga, President of the Vietnam Women’s Union, highlighted the significance of ensuring equal access to social welfare for women, especially those working abroad, from rural areas, and pregnant and nursing women.

She pointed to four major issues, including housing support for migrant woman workers, social welfare for nursing women, and employment opportunities for women.

Ha noted that about 80 percent of workers are currently facing difficulties in housing, while only 30 percent of the women in the forking force enjoy a maternity allowance. According to the General Statistics Office, maternal deaths among women from ethnic minority groups were four times higher than that among the majority Kinh women in 2019.

An important force of the country and 50.23 percent of its population, women still face difficulties in accessing social welfare policies and employment opportunities, she noted, adding that about 80 percent of female workers of working age are untrained and bear a heavy burden at home.

Ha proposed that the Party and State include gender factors in policies for sectors, in line with the Law on Gender Equality, thus providing better support to women./.

French films screened free online during Tet holiday

The French Institute in Vietnam (L'Espace) will offer free screenings of French films online from January 29 to February 28. (Photo: ifv.vn)

The French Institute in Vietnam (L'Espace) will offer free screenings of French films online from January 29 to February 28 during an event called “Cine-Tet: Nouvel An, Nouveaux Film” (Cine-Tet: New Year, New Film).

According to L’Espace, Tet, Vietnam’s traditional New Year holiday, is the time for family reunion, so the ten selected films of various genres, from drama, comedy, romantic-comedy, to kids’ action and adventure, are expected to entertain the entire family during the holiday.

The films include “Radin!”, “Tamara, C'est Quoi Cette Mamie?!” (Who’s That Granny?!), “Ange et Gabrielle” (Love at First Child), “Rupture Pour Tous” (Love is Dead), “Momo” (Finding Mom), “Le Petit Spirou” (Little Spirou), “Ni Une Ni Deux” (One Role for Two), “Tout Nous Sépare” (All That Divides Us), and “Alibi.com”.

The films aim to offer audience exciting moments of entertainment and relaxation amid social restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, it said.

All films will be screened with Vietnamese subtitles.

They can be viewed at websites danet.vn or fptplay.vn, as well as through applications DANET and FPT Play with no time limit./.

CPV attentive to people’s needs: German expert

The Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) has met the legitimate needs and aspirations of the people, hence the nation’s rapid and comprehensive developments in recent decades, said Associate Professor Martin Grossheim, an expert on Asian history at the Seoul National University’s College of Humanities.

The German scholar shared his observation at an inclusive interview with the Vietnam News Agency on the occasion of the CPV’s 13th National Congress, which lasts from January 25 to February 2.

According to Grossheim, the CPV successfully led Vietnamese people to victory in the past struggles for national independence against the French and American troops. The CPV officially launched the Doi Moi (renewal) process at its 6th national congress in 1986.

He then talked about his first trip to Vietnam in 1987 when the country was very poor, with the poverty rate accounting for 60 percent of the population.

Three decades passed, he said, and Vietnam of today is totally different. The poverty rate has dropped to under 10 percent and the local living standards have been improved significantly.

He said this means the Vietnamese Party and State have so far fulfilled part of its motto of “wealthy people; strong nation; civilised, democratic and fair society.”

Grossheim lauded good outcomes of the corruption fight in Vietnam, saying the work needs greater attention.

He noted during its renewal process, Vietnam should focus on sustainable economic development and climate change response, particularly in its Mekong Delta region.

Overseas Vietnamese in Laos have high hopes for 13th National Party Congress

Vietnamese citizens living in Laos have high hopes for the ongoing 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), saying they have full faith that the Party’s wise leadership will take the country to new heights in the years to come.

Duong Dinh Bang, chief representative of the State-run Vietnam Rubber Group in Laos, said he is proud of what Vietnam has achieved over the years, adding that over the last five years the country has recorded remarkable achievements in socio-economic affairs, defence and security, and diplomacy, raising its position on the international stage.

He appreciates Vietnam’s success in not only containing COVID-19 but also maintaining positive economic growth in 2020, making it one of only a few countries in the world to do so. This reflects the CPV’s sound leadership and the determination of all Vietnamese people, he said.

He expects the Party will put forward innovative plans for future socio-economic development, to enable the country to thrive further and fulfill all of the goals set for the next five years and beyond.

He proposed the government create a better business climate by establishing preferential funds for enterprises, and develop transport infrastructure between Vietnam and Laos to facilitate the bilateral trade of goods. He also suggested the government adopt new support policies to pave the way for Vietnamese investors seeking opportunities in priority areas in Laos.

Nguyen Thi Nuong, an elderly Lao-Vietnamese woman living in Vientiane, said she is always impressed by the rapid changes she sees in Vietnam every time she visits her homeland. “Without the Party, there is no [Vietnam] today,” she said.

She highlighted anti-corruption as the country’s most significant achievement, saying the Party and Government have played an exemplary and decisive role in such efforts. She also voiced a hope that this fight will be more drastic and successful following the 13th National Party Congress.

Speaking highly of the attention paid by the Party and State to Vietnamese religious practices in foreign countries, Most Venerable Thich Minh Quang, head monk at Phat Tich Pagoda in Vientiane, said they have provided all necessary conditions for the development of Buddhism as well as traditional culture among Vietnamese people abroad.

Over the last five years, the Party has guided the country through all kinds of hardships to sustain economic growth and promote people’s collective strength in combating COVID-19, he said, adding that this has built great trust among overseas Vietnamese monks and citizens.

Tran Minh Khoi from the Mekong River Commission (MRC), meanwhile, voiced his hope that the new Party leadership will continue ensuring political stability in Vietnam, which in turn will lay a solid foundation for stronger economic growth. He also has high hopes for the documents to be adopted by the congress, which will set out the country’s future over the next 5-10 years and beyond./.

Quang Tri aims to improve major transport infrastructure

The central province of Quang Tri hopes the completion of new coastal roads by 2025 will help drive socio-economic development.

With a coastal line of 75 km and beautiful beaches, the province has huge potential to develop marine tourism and resorts.

But according to authorities, a lack of good infrastructure is hindering opportunities for ports and the province to grow.

In 2019, 23.5 km of road construction was completed costing 630 billion VND, linking at Cu Viet bridge in Trieu Phong district’s Trieu An commune and Hai Lang district’s Hai Duong commune.

The road has helped create good connections for the southeastern coastal economic zone, but more transport links would go a long way to further development.

Under a resolution approved at the province’s Party Congress, Quang Tri province would build roads along the remaining part of its coastal line including a 44-km long route from Cua Viet bridge to the neighbouring Quang Binh province and another 12-km-long section from the coastal line to Dong Ha city.

The projects are expected to be finished by 2025 and cost 2.97 trillion VND, of which 2.41 trillion VND is from the central budget and the rest from the local budget.

According to the province’s Transport Department, the roads would pave the way for the province to form an axis for coastal urban development, helping expand Dong Ha city to the east and improve connectivity between the province to other localities.

As transport infrastructure is improved, the province expects to attract more investors to marine tourism in local beaches like Cua Tung, Cua Viet, Gio Hai or Vinh Thai.

Also in the next five years, Quang Tri will build a road connecting the western and eastern branches of the Ho Chi Minh National Highway.

Le Duc Tien, vice chairman of the province’s People’s Committee said that once the link road opens, it would offer a choice to access erosion-prone areas along Ho Chi Minh Highway instead of travelling through the neighbouring Quang Binh province.

In case natural disasters happened, rescue forces would be able to reach mountainous communes in Huong Hoa and Vinh Linh provinces including Huong Lao, Huong Viet, Huong Son, Huong Phung and Huong Linh communes.

The Ministry of Transport recommended the Ministry of Investment and Planning arrange funding of 440 billion VND to improve and expand National Highway No9 as about 14 km of the highway from North Cua Viet port to National Highway No1 was degraded.

With an improved road, cargo transportation from the seaport to western mountainous areas and Lao Bao International Border Gate and vice versa is expected to run smoothly.

The transport ministry also plans to open National Highway 15D in the next five years.

This will link My Thuy deep sea port to La Lay International Border Gate. The seaport is under construction in Hai An commune, Hai Lang district. With the total investment of more than 14 trillion VND and covering an area of 685 ha, the seaport includes ten harbours which could deal with ships with loads of up to 100,000 tonnes.

It will mainly serve the South East Quang Tri coastal economic zone, other local industrial zones and handle goods from Laos, Thailand on the East-West Economic Corridor.

The corridor running 1,450km through Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam is an economic development programme initiated to promote development and integration of five Southeast Asian countries, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. The concept was agreed in 1998 at the Ministerial Conference of the Greater Mekong Subregion, organised in Manila, Philippines. This corridor became operational on December 12, 2006. In Vietnam, the project starts at Lao Bao International Border Gate in Quang Tri province, running along Highway No9 and 1A to Da Nang city.

Quang Tri province has four neighbouring key zones along the East-West Economic Corridor including the Lao Bảo special trade and economic zone, Dong Ha, the Northeast economic zone, and the Cua Viet-Cua Tung-Con Co tourism and service triangle./.

Malaysian health ministry inks term sheet agreements with two vaccine suppliers

The Malaysian Ministry of Health on January 26 signed term sheet agreements with two vaccine suppliers, Pharmaniaga Lifescience Sdn Bhd (PLS) and Duopharma (M) Sdn Bhd, for the procurement of 18.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine.

The ministry said in a statement that PLS will supply 12 million doses of COVID-19 CORONAVAC, SARS-COV-2 Vaccine (Vero Cell) Inactivated produced by Sinovac Life Science Co. Ltd, which will be distributed in stages beginning April.

Duopharma will supply 6.4 million doses of Sputnik V vaccine, produced by the Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology in Russia. The vaccine is expected to be distributed in stages by end-March 2021, it said.

The ministry said for the COVID-19 CORONAVAC vaccine, SARS-COV-2 Vaccine (Vero Cell) Inactivated, each recipient will be given two shots 14 days apart.

With the 12 million doses, it expects the immunisation programme to cover 3.2 million people or 18.75 per cent of the Malaysian population, aged 18 years and above.

As for the Sputnik V vaccine, each recipient will receive two shots with 21 days interval between the first and second dose, the statement said, adding the two companies will start supplying the vaccines after obtaining approval from the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Division and the Drug Control Authority./.

Work begins on communal house for Vietnamese-Cambodians in Kampot

A ground-breaking ceremony for a communal house for Vietnamese-Cambodian people was held in Cambodia’s Kampot city on January 27.

The house will be built on an area of 750 sq m, which was acquired in 2014 with assistance from Vietnam’s Kien Giang province in the Mekong Delta.

The Consulate General of Vietnam in Preah Sihanouk province and authorities in Kampot raised about 250,000 USD to support the construction of the communal house and the holding of Vietnamese-Khmer language classes.

Speaking at the ceremony, Chairman of the Khmer-Vietnamese Association in Kampot Chuon Seiha said that since its establishment in 2003, the association has worked to bolster solidarity among Vietnamese-Cambodians and link with other organisations.

Construction is to be completed in April, he added.

For his part, Vietnamese Consul General in Preah Sihanouk Vu Ngoc Ly spoke highly of the efforts of Vietnamese-Cambodian people in Kampot and Cambodia at large in surmounting the difficulties and challenges in 2020.

He noted that the building of the communal house will help ease the burden on local people and strengthen their bonds, thereby affirming their position in the country.

On the same day, the Vietnamese General Consulate in Preah Sihanouk presented 50 gift sets of 15 kg of rice each to disadvantaged families in Kampot, to help them enjoy the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday.

Hundreds of Vietnamese-Cambodians have joined Vietnamese-Khmer language classes arranged by Kampot authorities since 2008./.

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

The Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh will dredge its 18 main irrigation canals that run a total of 162 km in the next four years at a cost of 387 billion VND (16.7 million USD) 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 Cang Long, Cau Ke, Tieu Can, Chau Thanh, Cau Ngang, and Tra Cu and Duyen Hai 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.

Pham Minh Truyen, 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 1.1 trillion VND (47.5 million USD) to agriculture in 2015 – 16 season and 1 trillion VND (43.2 million USD) in 2019 – 20.

Of the 1 trillion VND damage in the latter season, loss of rice crops accounted for 919 billion VND (39.7 million USD).

The two dry seasons saw record levels of saltwater intrusion.

With a coastline of 65 km, Tra 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 percent 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./.

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