The Northern Airports Authority has just imposed a fine of VND2 million (US$86) on a male passenger using lighter to burn tissue paper on a Vietnam Airlines’ flight. 

The passenger failed to comply with instructions for ensuring aviation order, security and safety provided by the flight crew members. 

On November 2, the flight VN243 on Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City route was forced to pause its takeoff and return the apron as a male passenger on seat No.20A suddenly put out the flame to burn a tissue paper.

Security staffs of the Noi Bai International Airport were promptly present on the aircraft to settle down the incident. The passenger was then handed over to the authorities of Noi Bai Airport.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, each passenger is allowed to carry a small safety match box and small lighter using absorbable liquid fuels or a pack of safety matches on board. However, these items are not allowed in their carry-on and check-in baggage.

The fine is in line with the Decree No.162 of the Government on administrative penalties for civil aviation offences, in which violators will receive fines ranging from VND1 million (US$43.2) to VND3 million (nearly US$130).

Vietnamese directors take awards at Busan film festival

The 23rd Asian Project Market (APM) that took place from October 26-28 at the Busan International Film Festival 2020 revealed the award winners, including Vietnamese directors Tran Thanh Huy and Le Binh Giang. 

Tran Thanh Huy got the CJ Entertainment Award with a grant of US$10,000USD for the film. “Rom” (Tick It) while Le Binh Giang received a EUR 6,000 grant grant for the ArteKino International Prize for the project, “Who Created Human Beings”.

Other awardees included Nowhere To Hide Ⅱ directed by Lee Myungse and Commodity directed by Kislay, which was recognized as a highly-anticipated film project of artistic quality.

Director Tran Thanh Huy won the “New Current” prize at the 2019 International Busan Film Festival for the movie, “Rom”. The film had a box office record of VND55 billion (US$ 2.3 million) after its premiere in the country within 10 days since September 25.

This year’s APM attracted 193 professionals from 36 countries with 461 online business meetings. Although the number of selected projects decreased from that of the previous year’s to 21 projects, the event consolidates its position as the largest investment and co-production market in Asia with a high rate of business meeting arranged per project despite entirely virtual events. Many projects by directors who have made great achievements at the Busan International Film Festival also took part in the competition.

Wounded foreign sailor provided with medical aid in Quang Binh

The sailor is transported to the Vietnam-Cuba Hospital in Dong Hoi city for treatment (Photo: bienphong.com)

The military medical force of the Border Guard Command of the central province of Quang Binh has received and provided medical assistance to a sailor of GREAT WENTAO ship, who met an accident while working.

Qiu Shizhong, a Chinese citizen, worked onboard the Panama-flag GREAT WENTAO ship which departed from China’s Tai Zhau port to Gianh port in Quang Binh on October 29 to receive clinker. He met the accident while working and had his arms injured and necrotic.

Receiving a request for medical assistance from the VOSA Ben Thuy – a subsidiary company of the shipping agency VOSA Corporation, the provincial Border Guard Command dispatched its military medical force and a specialized vehicle to promptly provide medical care and transport the sailor to the Vietnam-Cuba Hospital in Dong Hoi city for treatment./.

Vietnam hosts ASEAN Youth Leaders Conference

The 2020 ASEAN Youth Leaders Conference, themed “Strengthening youth cooperation for a cohesive and responsive ASEAN community”, was held in an online format in Hanoi on November 3 by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCYU) Central Committee and the National Committee on Youth of Vietnam.

The meeting was attended by Secretary-General of ASEAN Dato Lim Jock Hoi as well as ministerial leaders in charge of youth affairs and youth cooperation in ASEAN member countries.

Speaking at the conference, Permanent Secretary of the HCYU and President of the Vietnam Youth Federation Central Committee Nguyen Anh Tuan affirmed that the governments of ASEAN member states have always paid attention to the development of the youth over recentyears with the issuance of relevant laws, policies and strategies, creating favourable conditions for them to find employment and grow.

The ASEAN youth development index has improved considerably in recent times regarding criteria on education, health, employment, start-ups and youth participation in social affairs, he added.

Delegates at the conference discussed the direction of youth work development along with opportunities to strengthen youth cooperation in ASEAN in the time to come; and evaluated the results of the implementation of the ASEAN Work Plan on Youth for the 2016-2020 period, as well as commented on the plan for the 2021-2025 period, and the second phase of the survey on the ASEAN youth development index.

They also agreed on the strong promotion of ASEAN youth cooperation which focused on the fields of youth volunteer, start-ups, skill development to meet the requirements of the fourth Industrial Revolution, as well as joining hands to overcome the difficulties and challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Israeli man tests positive for SARS-CoV-2 in Vietnam

An Israeli man who recently arrived to work in Hanoi has tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, raising the total number of Covid-19 patients in Vietnam to 1,203, the Ministry of Health announced on Wednesday morning.

According to the ministry's report, the new patient aged 60 landed at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on October 31.

He was sent to a quarantine area in Hoan Kiem District upon arrival and tested positive for coronavirus on November 3.

The patient is now being treated at the Hanoi-based National Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

With this new infection case, the number of imported Covid-19 patients in Vietnam has increased to 512.

As of 6 pm on November 2, a total of 1,069 Covid-19 patients had recovered and been discharged from hospital. There have been 35 deaths, most of them being the elderly with serious underlying diseases.

The country has gone 63 days without reporting any new case in the community.

At present, 14,775 people who had close contact with Covid-19 patients or returned from virus-hit areas are being monitored at hospitals, quarantine facilities, and at home.

Ambassador pledges utmost efforts to contribute to Vietnam-UNESCO ties

Ambassador Le Thi Hong Van (L) presents her credentials to UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay in Paris on November 3 (Photo: VNA)

 

Ambassador Le Thi Hong Van, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to UNESCO, presented her credentials to UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay at the organisation’s headquarters in Paris on November 3.

Receiving the diplomat, Azoulay expressed her delight at the development of Vietnam-UNESCO relations while highly valuing the country’s practical contributions to the organisation’s important issues.

She said Vietnam has always been an active and responsible member and one of the countries taking the lead in effectively carrying out UNESCO programmes and activities, especially those on education for sustainable development, humans and the biosphere, climate change response, maintenance and promotion of cultural values, and preservation of tangible and intangible cultural heritage.

The Director-General voiced her hope that the country will continue making effective contributions to the implementation of the UNESCO Strategic Transformation and global initiatives that this organisation is promoting like the Futures of Education, ethics of artificial intelligence, and Open Science.

She also hailed Vietnam’s active role as Chair of ASEAN in 2020 and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2020-2021, which has helped enhance ASEAN-UN cooperation, including ties between ASEAN and UNESCO.

Congratulating Van on her new position, Azoulay affirmed that both Vietnam and the ambassador will continue to receive support, cooperation and assistance from UNESCO and herself.

She also revealed her intention to visit the country soon so as to discuss concrete measures to lift bilateral relations to a new height.

For her part, Van spoke highly of efforts by the Director-General and the role of UNESCO, which is one of the most important specialised organisations of the UN and has effectively helped with common issues of the international community.

She echoed Azoulay’s view that Vietnam-UNESCO relations have been growing in all aspects, from education, natural science, social science, humanity, to information and communications, particularly in the implementation of the 2015-2020 cooperation agreement.

The ambassador appreciated UNESCO’s support for and cooperation with Vietnam, as well as its close coordination with the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO and the UNESCO Office in Hanoi.

The UN is always a priority in Vietnam’s foreign policy, Van said, stressing that the country treasures UNESCO’s assistance that has helped promote sustainable and inclusive socio-economic development in the nation.

The two sides should further enhance cooperation and share ideas and experience to contribute to the realisation of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, she suggested.

Vietnam, a member of UNESCO since July 1976, will continue proactive and active contributions to important activities and issues of this organisation, Van noted, adding that as ASEAN Chair in 2020 and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2020-2021, it will also work harder to help tighten ASEAN’s links with the UN, including UNESCO.

The ambassador pledged all-out efforts during her term to strengthen Vietnam-UNESCO ties and welcomed Azoulay’s plan to visit the country to discuss cooperation orientations and priorities for the time ahead./.

Humane treatment of fishermen “priority area of cooperation” between China and ASEAN: official

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyễn Quốc Dũng stressed the need to promote “dialogue and cooperation between ASEAN and China in ensuring just and humane treatment of fishermen,” especially those who are in danger, as a priority area of cooperation between the two sides.

He made the statement at the “Workshop on Promoting Cooperation in Ensuring Just and Humane Treatment of Fishermen in the South China Sea” held on Tuesday in Hà Nội, an initiative of Việt Nam under the ASEAN-China Joint Working Group on the Implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (JWG-DOC), with the proposals and recommendations from the experts to be reported to ASEAN-China officials’ channels on DOC implementation.

Among the sea-going groups of people in the South China Sea (known in Việt Nam as the East Sea), fishermen are particularly vulnerable to dangers or distress situations at sea, including increasingly complex weather patterns and frequency of natural disaster, accidents and collisions, Dũng said.

“Over the past years, ASEAN Member States and China have undertaken various efforts in providing assistance and ensuring humane treatment to fishermen, including through their implementation of existing instruments related to safety at sea,” Dũng said.

In 2010, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers issued the ASEAN Declaration on Cooperation in Search and Rescue of Persons and Vessels in Distress at Sea, which demonstrates ASEAN’s political will to reinforce cooperation in providing mutual assistance to persons and vessels in distress at sea, he added.

It should be acknowledged that protection and provision of just, humane treatment to fishermen are cross-sectoral in nature, which requires a holistic approach to address, the Vietnamese diplomat said, acknowledging that there remains a certain difference in each others’ understanding of the issue, which results in a different application of law enforcement practice.

In this context, the cooperation between China and ASEAN to promote the issue as one of the “confidence-building measures” to implement the DOC, as well as to serve the benefits of fishing communities and the people as a whole in the region.

Nearly 200 million people depend on fishery resources of the South China Sea for their livelihood, heard the workshop.

ASEAN representatives said that fisheries activities in their countries are mostly small scale, and the risks the fishermen – usually having disadvantaged backgrounds – face necessitate long-term support.

Some positive examples – including the experience and actual progress in implementation of common guidelines for treatment of fishermen between Indonesia and Malaysia in the still-disputed waters between the two countries – are seen as valuable references for ASEAN-China framework in the future.

The event drew the participation of 120 officials, researchers, legal experts, representatives from ASEAN countries and Chinese embassies, along with representatives from international organisations in Việt Nam.

The Vietnamese deputy foreign minister hoped that the one-off event will be the “first step in the process toward a joint commitment and cooperative arrangement that will bring about direct benefits to the people of our region.” 

One new imported COVID-19 case confirmed

Vietnam confirmed one new imported COVID-19 case on November 4 morning, bringing the total number of infections to 1,203, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

The patient is a 60-year-old Israeli national. He entered Noi Bai International Airport on flight QR976 on October 31 and was quarantined in Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem district immediately after his entry.

The patient has been quarantined and treated at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases No 2 in Hanoi's Dong Anh district.

The total number of recoveries had reached 1,069, while there have been 35 deaths related to the disease.

Vietnam has experienced 63 days without recording cases of COVID-19 in the community.

Among patients undergoing treatment, 17 tested negative for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 once, six twice and five others thrice. No patient is now in critical condition.

As many as 15,260 people who had close contact with COVID-19 patients or entered Vietnam from pandemic-hit regions are quarantined across the country./.

Hau back from injury as Hà Nội take on Sài Gòn in vital match

Hà Nội FC’s star defender Đoàn Văn Hậu is expected to be back on the field tonight for the match against Sài Gòn FC at home at the Hàng Đẫy Stadium.

In the previous match against Viettel, the left back was on the bench but never came on as the coach was wary of rushing him back after an injury.

After a goalless draw against Viettel last Thursday, the defending champions are third with 33 points after 18 rounds, while Sài Gòn FC are in second place with 34 points.

Viettel remain on top with 35 points.

Hà Nội need to beat Sài Gòn to remain in touch with leader Viettel.

Coach Chu Đình Nghiêm said he did not want to rush Hậu since he is just coming back from a knee injury.

But with centre back Thành Chung suspended after receiving three yellow cards, it is likely that Hậu will be pressed into action tonight.

Hà Nội goalkeeper Bùi Tấn Trường said: “The suspension of Thành Chung is a big loss for us at this juncture. But I think Hậu can play well in that position.”

Indeed, Hậu’s comeback from injury is a big plus for the team at the business end of the league.

Hậu only returned to Việt Nam after his loan with Dutch club Heerenveen ended in early August.

But he has missed all the matches since returning because of the knee injury.

UK donates 500,000 GBP to support flood victims in central region

The UK government has decided to donate 500,000 GBP (650,500 USD) for Vietnam to support flood-hit victims in the central region.

According to the UK Embassy in Vietnam, the donation is part of the 1-million-GBP aid package for Vietnam and the Philippines - the country has also been hit hard by recent storms.

The aid will be transferred to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies through the British Red Cross, helping to provide more accommodations, clean water and food, and support livelihoods for about 160,000 people affected by natural disasters in Vietnam.

Speaking at the ceremony to announce the aid package, Minister for Asia at the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Nigel Adams said the aid is expected to contribute to providing food, clean water and safe shelters for those in need most, while assisting the two nations in recovering from effects of catastrophic natural disasters.

UK Ambassador to Vietnam Gareth Ward has expressed his sympathies over losses of lives and assets caused by storms in Vietnam’s central region recently.

The aid will contribute to efforts of the Vietnamese Government and localities in supporting communities affected by the natural disasters, he said.

Recently, Vietnam has been hit by four super typhoons that cause floods, landslides, and devastate infrastructure in the central region. The lives of more than 1.3 million people in the region are seriously affected, while nearly 300,000 houses were flooded and damaged./.

Congratulations to Serbian Prime Minister

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic (Source: https://www.web24.news/)

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on November 3 sent a message of congratulations to Ana Brnabic on her re-election as Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia.

On the same day, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh extended his congratulatory message to Nikola Selakovic on his appointment as Foreign Minister of Serbia.

Vietnam and Serbia established diplomatic ties in 1957./.

OVs in Europe raise funds for flood victims in central region

Vietnamese in the Czech Republic, Poland and Ukraine have offered support for flood victims in the central region.

The Vietnamese association in the Czech Republic handed over more than 1.6 billion VND (68,840 USD) to seven central localities.

Vietnamese Ambassador to the Czech Republic Thai Xuan Dung said that the assistance shows the sentiments and responsibility of overseas Vietnamese for their compatriots at home.

President of the Union of Vietnamese Associations in Europe Hoang Dinh Thang noted that Vietnamese people in Europe, particularly in the Czech Republic, have actively joined fundraising campaigns to support flood victims in the central region.

Meanwhile, the Vietnamese community in Poland raised over 1.3 billion VND during a campaign to help affected people overcome flood consequences.

A delegation of the Vietnamese association in Poland led by its vice president Nguyen Viet Trieu paid a visit to and presented the aid to support the repair of schools and roads in the four provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue.

The Embassy of Vietnam in Ukraine joined hands with Vietnamese associations in the country to launch a fundraising campaign to support flood-hit residents. Nearly 17,430 USD was raised after 11 days of the campaign./.

Workshop boosts ASEAN-China cooperation in ensuring just treatment of fishermen

Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung addresses the workshop

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on November 3 held an ASEAN-China workshop on promoting cooperation in ensuring the just and humane treatment of fishermen in the East Sea.

The workshop, in both online and offline forms, attracted the participation of over 120 delegates, including senior officials, researchers, legal experts, and representatives from the embassies of ASEAN member states and China in Vietnam and several international organisations.

In his opening remarks, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung said that fishermen constitute the majority of sea-going persons in the East Sea and hold a special position in societies throughout ASEAN and also China.

It is estimated that nearly 200 million people depend on fisheries resources of the East Sea for their livelihood, he said, adding that fishermen, however, remain vulnerable to danger or distress at sea.

He stressed the importance of promoting dialogue and cooperation between ASEAN and China in ensuring the just and humane treatment of fishermen, especially those who are in danger or distress.

This is not just a confidence building measure to implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC). Instead, this is a priority area of practical cooperation that should be promoted for the benefit of fishing communities and the people as a whole in the region, he said.

Participants emphasised the need for long-term support for fishermen, as most face a range of difficulties and challenges in the East Sea.

Many have said it is necessary to adopt an overall approach to ensuring the safety and humane treatment of fishermen, including building a set of tools to address this problem in the East Sea./.

MoET offers warm support to flood victims in central region

A working delegation from the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) has paid a visit to the central region to encourage and support the education sectors in Quang Nam, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, and Thua Thien-Hue provinces, which have been hit hard by the recent record floods and storms.

Deputy Minister Pham Ngoc Thuong presented text books, desks and toys worth nearly 10 billion VND (433,000 USD) to the four localities.

Meanwhile, Duong Thi Huyen Tram, head of the Movement Division at the Ho Chi Minh City Chapter of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, said on November 3 that it had received 65.1 billion VND in cash and 5.2 billion VND worth of goods in support of disaster-hit people in the central region as of 4 pm on November 2.

Tram said that the goods, which include instant noodles, rice, mattresses, mosquito nets, raincoats, buoys, textbooks, and notebooks, and 15.9 billion VND were presented to affected localities.

The remaining cash and goods will be distributed as soon as possible, she added.

On the same day, the Vietnam Fatherland Front’s Hanoi chapter said that it had received 59 billion VND to help flood victims in the central region since October 13.

According to a report from the General Department of State Reserves, local Departments of State Reserves have already completed delivering the first phase of rice supplies to those affected.

Quang Binh, Ha Tinh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue, and Quang Nam provinces received 1,000 tonnes of rice each.

The departments are striving to finish the second phase, providing an additional 6,500 tonnes of rice.

High-speed canoes, life-saving tents, buoys, and rafts have also been allocated to affected areas./.

Nearly 290 Vietnamese citizens brought home from Malaysia

Close to 290 Vietnamese citizens were flown home safely from Malaysia on a flight of national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines on November 3, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The flight was arranged by Vietnamese authorities, the Embassy of Vietnam in Malaysia, the airline and relevant agencies of Malaysia.

The passengers included pregnant women, the elderly, the ill, those with underlying health conditions, labourers with expired contracts and people in extremely difficult circumstances.

The Vietnamese Embassy sent staff to the airport to assist them with boarding procedures.

In-flight safety and preventive measures against the COVID-19 pandemic were rigorously enforced to protect the passengers’ health and prevent the spread of the disease.

All passengers and crew members received medical check-ups and were sent to quarantine in line with regulations upon arrival at Can Tho International Airport in the Mekong Delta city of the same name.

The repatriation of Vietnamese citizens in disadvantaged circumstances abroad will continue to be conducted in line with citizens’ wishes, the developments of the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine capacity in Vietnam./.

Vietnam reports over 84,400 dengue fever cases in 10 months

Spraying chemicals to kill mosquitoes (Source: hanoimoi.com.vn)

 

Vietnam had a total 84,411 dengue fever cases to report in the first 10 months of 2020, with 13 fatalities, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH).

Hanoi capital alone logged 4,883 cases in the period, a year-on-year decrease of 47 percent, along with two deaths.

November is the peak time of the disease in Vietnam. Therefore, localities are advised to actively take preventive measures, such as covering all water containers and killing larvae regularly. The Health Ministry also called on people to closely follow health regulations.

According to the MoH, on average, Vietnam reports more than 100,000 dengue cases yearly. However, the number last year hit 320,331, the highest in the last 32 years, with 53 deaths./.

Fourth edtion of Italian Design Day gives a peek into future of innovation and beauty

The fourth Italian Design Day will be held on November 5

On November 5, the series of events on the occasion of the fourth Italian Design Day will be officially launched in Vietnam with the theme “Drawing the future. Development, Innovation, Sustainability, Beauty”. 

Launched by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Fondazione Compasso d’Oro and the Triennale di Milano since 2017, the annual celebration of Italian Design has been welcomed in many countries around the world, including Vietnam. Hosted by 100 Italian Ambassadors in 100 cities all over the world, the programme includes exhibitions, talks, and other events creating a platform for art lovers, designers, architects, as well as landscape and urban developers to explore the idea of sustainable development and preservation of beauty on a global scale.

The programme was kicked off with a Vico Magistretti Exhibition at Mien Trung University of Civil Engineering, Tuy Hoa running from October 17 to November 21. Displaying sketches and drawings of one of the founders of contemporary Italian design, it offers a glimpse into the fascinating world of Vico Magistretti and his design philosophy.

The exhibition will be held at four universities nationwide: Mien Trung University of Civil Engineering (Tuy Hoa), National University of Civil Engineering (Hanoi), Van Lang University, and Hoa Sen University (Ho Chi Minh City) during October and November.

This year, the public in Vietnam can look forward to exhibitions bringing the stories of inspiring Italian creatives to life, while a rich and articulated seminar, both in presence and in videoconference, will stimulate a state-of-the-art dialogue between Italian and Vietnamese academics and practitioners on design-based solutions for sustainable development in contemporary architecture.

The seminar will take place on November 5 at four cities simultaneously: Hanoi, Tuy Hoa, Ho Chi Minh City, and from ARCHEA Studio (Florence, Italy) with the attendance of Antonio Alessandro, Ambassador of Italy in Vietnam, as well as Dante Brandi, consul general of Italy in Vietnam, among others.

Prof. Arch. Marco Casamonti is selected as the ambassador of the fourth edition Italian Design Day 2020 in Vietnam. Marco Casamonti graduated in 1990 from the University of Florence and in 2001 he obtained the qualification as Full Professor in Architectural and Urban Design at the Faculty of Architecture of Genoa. He carries on an intensive work of deepening and critical reflection on the themes of architecture, publishing essays, and writings and through lectures and conferences.

Committee makes facemask wearing mandatory in public places

The National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control emphasized that facemask wearing is mandatory in public places.

At yesterday conference, the committee made wearing face masks compulsory in public places to prevent spread of Covid-19 – the vital measure in the fight against Covid-19.

Currently, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi authorities have asked residents to wear facemask in public places. Those who disobey the regulations will receive fines.

In the coming time, authorities in cities and provinces will increase supervision of wearing facemasks in medical clinics, traditional markets, supermarkets, commercial centers, hotels and restaurants, cultural events with crowd.

In the conference, the committee also informed 12 new cases of Covid-19, all of them are returnees from foreign countries. These 12 people were sent to a centralized quarantine center upon entry.

Therefore, Vietnam has had confirmed 1,192 coronavirus patients including 691 community transmission cases. The Southeast Asian country has gone more than two full months without any community infections.

Before on the same day, the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control reaffirmed at another meeting presided by Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam Vietnam’s determination to prevent new coronavirus outbreaks as winter nears, as the virus could transmit more easily in cold and dry weather.

The committee stressed that people should be precautious with the present peaceful period by actively preparing all preventative measures in medical facilities, schools, accommodation, offices, factories and public places.

The health sector should work with related agencies to update guidance of preventative measures as well as pay visits to medical institutions to check preparation of the pandemic for the upcoming winter.

UNFPA supports Vietnamese women at risk of violence

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) on November 2 handed over 2,800 dignity kits to the Vietnam Farmers’ Union to support its female members at risk of violence in the central city of Da Nang.

Earlier, 900 kits were transferred to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs for delivery to 17 social work centres nationwide, and the Centre for Studies and Applied Sciences in Gender – Family – Women and Adolescents, and Anh Duong House designed for victims of gender-based violence in the northern province of Quang Ninh.

The activity is part of the project named “Supporting interventions to eliminate violence against women and children in Vietnam under COVID-19 emergency context" funded by the Australian Government via its Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Speaking at the hand-over ceremony in Hanoi, UNFPA Chief Representative in Vietnam Naomi Kitahara said the UNFPA calls on governments and partners to consider sex and reproductive health of women and girls a priority and deal with the high risk of gender violence.

According to the estimate, domestic violence has increased by at least 30 percent in many countries amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Dignity Kit is a signature feature of the UNFPA's comprehensive package of humanitarian assistance to safeguard the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls, including gender-based violence risk mitigation and response and protecting the dignity of women and girls adversely affected by a crisis.

As an UN sexual and reproductive health agency, the UNFPA’s mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, every young person’s potential is fulfilled, and every girl and woman is treated with dignity and respect./.

DPRK leaders extend sympathy over severe floods in central region

Premier of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s Cabinet Kim Tok Hun on November 3 sent a message of sympathy to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc over the serious flooding in some provinces in central Vietnam that caused heavy losses in human lives and assets.

On the same day, the DPRK's Foreign Minister Ri Son Gwon also extended his sympathy to Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh./.

Lao Deputy PM inspects construction of Vietnamese-funded NA House

Lao Deputy Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone inspects the work

Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Laos – Vietnam Cooperation Committee Sonexay Siphandone inspected the construction of the Lao National Assembly building in Vientiane on November 2.

The building is a gift of the Vietnamese Party, State and people for their Lao counterparts.

Reporting the Lao leader about the project’s progress, Vice Commander of Vietnam's Corps 11 Col. Nguyen Chien said after 845 days of construction, the building has been basically completed with 70 percent of wall painting and 85 percent of water and electricity supply instalment.

Siphandone lauded staff of Corps 11 for their high sense of responsibility for the work despite COVID-19 pandemic. 

He expressed his belief that the building will deserve as a symbol of bilateral friendship, and pledged to ask the Lao Government and agencies to soon deal with the contractor’s suggestions to complete the work as scheduled. 

Built at That Luang Square, the NA House building costs over 100 million USD, with five floors and one basement accommodating 800-1,000 people./.

RoK establishes smart city cooperation centre in Thailand

The Republic of Korea (RoK) has set up a smart city cooperation centre in Bangkok to support Korean firms seeking to invest in smart city projects in Thailand, according to the Bangkok Post.

Similar centres were also established in Hanoi, Jakarta and Istanbul.

The centres, which began operations in October, were launched by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of Korea (MOLIT), in partnership with the Korea Overseas Infrastructure and Urban Development Corporation (KIND) and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA).

According to MOLIT's statement, the centre's primary role is to "provide support for RoK companies interested in overseas smart city projects".

The locations of the centres were selected based on surveys of demand inside and outside the RoK, and a review by an expert panel.

The centres will share Korean companies' information about local projects and overseas expansion guidelines. They assist these firms in all stages, from project orders and bidding to follow-up support.

There will be KOTRA officials at the centres to help gather project information and link Korean firms with authorities or companies in charge of smart city projects./.

Exhibition to raise funds for victims of natural disasters

A piece by Nguyen Duy Ninh will go on display in Da Nang from November 3-25 to raise funds for flood and landslide victims in central Vietnam (Photo courtesy Fine Arts Museum)

A collection of 60 wooden carvings, zinc and stone block prints are going on display to raise funds for the victims of floods and landslides in central Vietnam.

The city’s Graphic Art Club said the exhibition would feature works by 18 artists from Hanoi, Thua Thien-Hue and Da Nang at the city’s Fine Arts Museum from November 3-25.

Some of the artists have donated funds to help local people suffering from floods and landslides in Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Nam and Quang Ngai.

The artists will donate the money made from sales to the cause.

The exhibition will offer free entry at 78 Le Duan street, Da Nang.

Serious landslides in the mountainous districts of Quang Nam province have claimed the lives of 24 people and wounded 46, while 23 remain missing./.

Overseas Vietnamese supporting flood victims

The General Association of Vietnamese People in Thailand on November 1 handed over more than 5 million THB (160,000 USD) to the Vietnamese Embassy in the country, to support flood victims at home.

Given the significant losses caused by recent storms and flooding in the central region, the general association launched a fund-raising campaign among its 26 chapters in Thailand and received an enthusiastic response, its President Trinh Cao Son said.

Tran Thi Thu Trang, charge d’affaires at the embassy, lauded the valuable contributions of Vietnamese in Thailand, as domestic and foreign resources are being mobilised to assist flood-hit residents.

The embassy will transfer the funds to the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee through the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she said.

In Germany, meanwhile, about 340,000 EUR (395,000 USD) was raised by the Vietnamese community to support flood victims at home.

Earlier, the Vietnamese Embassy called on staff and Vietnamese representative offices in the country to join in fund-raising efforts.

As of November 2, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee in central Quang Tri province had received 40 billion VND (1.722 million USD) and life’s necessities to help local residents deal with the floods and return their lives to normal.

According to the provincial Party Committee, torrential rains and floods in Quang Binh have left 50 people dead, four missing, and 25 others injured.

They also damaged 175 houses, inundated more than 360 ha of rice and over 2,600 ha of other crops, and swept away some 5,800 animals and 550,000 heads of poultry.

Notably, students in Huong Viet and Huong Lap communes in Huong Hoa district are still unable to get to school.

The disasters caused losses of over 2 trillion VND in Quang Binh./.

November cultural activities to highlight great national unity

Great national unity will be the main theme of cultural activities held at the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism in the town of Son Tay on the outskirts of Hanoi from November 16 to 23. (Photo: baodantoc.vn)

Great national unity will be the main theme of cultural activities held at the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism in the town of Son Tay on the outskirts of Hanoi from November 16 to 23.

The highlight of the week will be an arts programme staged by students at the Viet Bac Art and Culture College and ethnic minority groups.

Visitors will also be treated to special dishes from the Mong, Dao, Tay, and Nung ethinc minority people, especially those made in the northern province of Ha Giang from buckwheat flowers.

There will be various folk games on offer, like tug-of-war, nem con (throwing a ball through a ring for good luck), stilt-walking, and see-saws.

About 40 photos featuring the beauty of Ha Giang as well as the life of local ethnic minority groups will also be displayed during the week./.

Vietnamese citizens brought home from Brunei

Nearly 240 Vietnamese citizens in Brunei, mostly workers with expired contracts of Lilama company, were brought home on November 2 thanks to joint efforts of the Vietnamese Embassy, the Lilama company, Vietjet Air and local authorised agencies.

Nearly 240 Vietnamese citizens in Brunei, mostly workers with expired contracts of Lilama company, were brought home on October 2 thanks to joint efforts of the Vietnamese Embassy, the Lilama company, Vietjet Air and local authorised agencies.

As part of efforts to support the citizens, the Vietnamese Embassy in Brunei sent officials to the airport to assist them in completing check-in and boarding procedures.

In-flight safety and preventive measures against the COVID-19 pandemic were rigorously enforced to protect the passengers’ health and prevent the spread of the disease.

All passengers and crew members received medical checkups and were sent to quarantine in line with regulations upon arrival.

The repatriation of Vietnamese citizens in disadvantaged circumstances abroad will continue to be conducted in line with citizens’ wishes, the developments of the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine capacity in Vietnam./.

HCM City welcomes first tourist group on stimulus travel package

The first group of visitors from the northern province of Quảng Ninh last weekend visited tourist attractions in HCM City as part of the city’s tourism stimulus programme that has recently resumed.

The tourist group went on the Nha Trang- Phan Thiết-HCM City stimulus tour package organised by TST Tourist.

The number of visitors between HCM City and provinces in the northeastern and northwestern reached more than 20,000 due to close tourism linkages, said Nguyễn Thị Ánh Hoa, deputy director of the HCM City’s Department of Tourism.

The city will facilitate tourism linkage programmes with localities in the northeast, northwest, central, southeast and the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta in an effort to boost the domestic market, Hoa said at a party held last weekend to welcome the tourist group.

The city’s tourism sector targets welcoming 15 million domestic visitors this year.

A conference on tourism linkages between HCM City and eight provinces in the northeast is slated to be held from November 19-20 in Quảng Ninh Province.

Tour operators in HCM City have recently sent many tourist groups to northeastern and northwestern provinces, including TST Tourist with 500 guests, Saco Travel with 750 guests, and Vietravel with more than 10,000 guests.

Good as gold

Đào Xuân Minh, a poor man living in a flooded area of Cẩm Mỹ Commune, Cẩm Xuyên District, Hà Tĩnh Province discovered two pieces of gold worth VNĐ10 million in a coat pocket that had been sent to the area as emergency aid.

He posted the news on Facebook to find the owner to return the gold.

A leader of the Cẩm Mỹ Commune People's Committee said local authorities were contacting relief teams to find the owner of the gold.

During the last historic flood, Minh's home was flooded by more than 1m and his property was damaged.

His family was provided relief, including old clothes. On October 28, when he took out old clothing from a relief pack, he discovered two small pieces of gold in a box in the jacket.

On the outside of the box, there was an address of gold shop on Cao Thắng Street, Vinh City, Nghệ An Province.

Immediately, he informed local authorities to find the owner of the gold.

Despite his won difficulties due to the flooding, Minh said he still wants to do the right thing and get the gold back to its owner. 

Rubber meets the road, boat meets the water

Two local policemen drove a motorbike with a boat to Toàn's house. — Photo 2sao.vn

  

Last week, Nguyễn Văn Toàn, 50, living in Thạch Đài Commune, Thạch Hà District, Hà Tĩnh Province, suffered sudden heart pain and needed to go a hospital’s emergency ward, but his house was deeply flooded.

Upon receiving the news, two local policemen immediately drove a motorbike with a boat to Toàn's house.

One drove and the other had to follow behind to support the boat on the 2km road to reach the patient‘s house and take him to the hospital in time.

The image from a video showed one officer driving the bike, the other jogging behind with the boat, both wearing raincoats and life jackets under the torrential rain.

The jogger was Lieutenant Phạm Duy Triết, a deputy police officer of Thạch Đài Commune. And the motorbike driver was his colleague.

With the timely help of two local policemen, the patient was quickly removed from the floodplain and taken to hospital. Heavy rain and rising floodwater in recent days have seriously affected the lives of people in central Việt Nam. In Hà Tĩnh Province, floodwaters have engulfed many houses, trapping many people and making many other sick people unable to receive timely medical care.

The clip of two policemen helping the man in the flooded area was recorded by a resident and posted on Facebook, touching the online community.

Đồng Nai land price rise hinders land acquisition for public projects

Many projects in Đồng Nai Province including important infrastructure works are seeing costs rise and facing difficulty in land clearance and compensation since land prices are rising.

This year Đồng Nai has announced a new land price list for 2020–24, with prices increasing by 1.5 to 4 times.

Đồng Nai is implementing over 1,000 projects, including many infrastructure works that are important to socio-economic development.

Most of them use agriculture land, meaning they have to be acquired and have their land purposes changed from agriculture to industrial or commercial.

Nguyễn Xuân Quỳnh, deputy director of the Định Quán Industrial Park Joint Stock Company, whose industrial park plans an expansion of 100 hectares, said land compensation and land use purpose change for the expansion cost VNĐ60 – 70 billion (US$2.6 - 3 million) prior to the change in land prices, and are now expected to be over VNĐ200 billion.

Construction of an embankment and roads along the Cái River in Biên Hòa City recently saw the cost balloon by VNĐ3.9 trillion.

It had been budgeted at VNĐ3.5 trillion, but due to the increase in land rates and compensation-related problems, it was delayed by two years.

Many other ongoing infrastructure projects such as the Long Thành Town water sewage and treatment system and Bùi Văn Hòa road upgrades have become dozens to hundreds of billions of đồng more expensive.

More than 18,000 hectares of land need to be acquired for projects, according to land use plans for 2020.

But since their market prices are a lot higher than the compensation offered, locals are not always co-operative.

As land prices continue to rise, projects that are slow would have to increase their budgets.

Đặng Minh Đức, director of the province’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment, said the department is examining all ongoing projects and has urged the People’s Committee to reclaim projects that take too long or are stalled. 

Long Thành Airport’s security team introduced

A security team in charge of guarding the construction of Long Thành International Airport in the southern province of Đồng Nai was introduced on Monday.

It consists of 50 officers and soldiers from the provincial public security force and will be responsible for patrolling and ensuring order and safety at key spots around the airport.

The mobile working group will prevent and promptly suppress public disorder, illegal gatherings and riots.

They will develop combat plans, organise drills, and be on patrol duty around the clock.

Cao Tiến Dũng, chairman of Đồng Nai Province People's Committee, said the establishment of the task force was necessary to ensure safety and security while the airport is under construction and assist local residents to relocate.

A large number of labourers from other provinces and cities will come to the province to work in the airport construction area, possibly leading to many types of crimes, he said.

The chairman requested the security team uphold their responsibility to promptly detect and handle crimes.

According to local authorities of Long Thành District, new and complex security infringement cases were reported around the airport construction site, including making use of the airport ground levelling to appropriate property, distorting policies of compensation and resettlement to incite local people.

The newly-introduced public security force is expected to help local authorities handle crimes.

Long Thành Airport will be built on an area of ​​about 5,000ha with the capacity of 100 million passengers and 5 million tonnes of goods per year once it is put into operation. This is a national key project aimed at developing airlines, increasing international competition and promoting Việt Nam's connection with the world.

Authorities of Đồng Nai Province recently handed over nearly 2,600ha of land to the Ministry of Transport for the airport construction which is expected to kick off early next year. 

Country’s largest rice producing province expands advanced farming models

The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Kiên Giang, the country’s largest rice producer, has implemented several advanced extension models for rice cultivation that reduce the quantity of seeds required and use advanced techniques to improve yields and reduce costs.

In the summer - autumn crop this year the province’s Agriculture Extension Centre trialed three advanced farming models on a total of 128ha in Tân Hiệp, Hòn Đất and Châu Thành districts and Rạch Giá City.

The seeds are sowed using machines, the use of inputs is reduced and advanced farming techniques are used.

The models require 90kg less seeds per hectare than hand-seeding methods, 20kg less nitrogenous fertilisers and two to three times fewer spraying of pesticides per crop.

Their average yield is 7.6 tonnes per hectare, 0.6 tonnes higher than traditional methods while the income is VNĐ6.6 million (US$284) higher.

Other models include smart rice farming and large-scale rice fields.

Under the latter, farmers use the "one must and five reductions" method which involves using certified seeds and reducing seedlings, plant protection chemicals, nitrogenous fertilisers, irrigation, and post-harvest losses.

Đỗ Minh Nhựt, deputy director of the province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said it has also asked many rice companies to sign contracts with farmers, creating links for rice production, processing and consumption.

“The large-scale rice fields [method] has created rice farming areas with high and steady quality for exports.”

Most of them are in the province’s major rice growing areas and tended by agriculture co-operatives, he said.

The province has 100 such fields with a combined area of 30,670ha, created by pooling together individual farmers’ fields.

They have guaranteed outlets and provide farmers incomes of VNĐ3 million ($130) per hectare per crop higher than through normal farming methods.

Lê Thành Tâm, a farmer whose lands are part of a large-scale rice field in Tân Hiệp District’s Tân Hiệp A Commune, said farmers feel secure when participating in this model because they often have bumper harvests.

Participating farmers use quality rice seeds, sowing seeds in a concerted manner to mitigate the damage caused by brown plant hoppers, rice diseases, drought, and other problems, he said.

The province encourages farmers to adopt sustainable farming standards like Vietnamese and global good agricultural practices (VietGAP and GlobalGAP) and organic farming to improve rice quality and yields.

The province’s Agriculture Extension Centre together with the Cửu Long Rice Research Institute produces certified rice seeds on a total area of 20ha with the participation of 25 members of the Thuận Hòa Agriculture Co-operative in Châu Thành District’s Mong Thọ A Commune.

The centre supports 172 farmers, mostly in the districts of Tân Hiệp, Giang Thành, Hòn Đất and An Minh, in adopting sustainable rice platform standards on a total area of 520ha.

Nhựt said his department has implemented well several projects and programmes to increase the use of certified rice seeds for cultivation.

"It has given farmers training in the ‘one must and five reductions’ method to reduce costs and increase rice value and incomes.”

In the 2020-21 winter – spring rice crop, the province plans to create favourable conditions for co-operatives and rice companies create more large-scale rice fields, especially in its major rice growing areas in the Long Xuyên Quadrangle and west of the Hậu River, according to the department.

In the ongoing autumn – winter crop, the third crop of the year, farmers in Kiên Giang have sowed 90,123ha, 25 per cent more than the province’s target, it said.

Nhựt attributed the increase to the high price of rice and the forecast of lower levels of flooding in the Mekong River this year.

Farmers have so far harvested nearly 57,000ha and achieved an average yield of 5.6 tonnes per hectare.

The province is expected to produce more than 4.54 million tonnes of paddy this year, 5.7 per cent higher than the target, according to the department.

High-quality varieties account for 90 per cent of the province’s total rice output this year.

Joint efforts needed to find missing people after natural disasters: Deputy PM

Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung on November 2 asked police and military forces to closely coordinate with cities and provinces in dealing with consequences of natural disasters in the central region, especially searching for the missing people.

Joint efforts are needed to treat the injured and visit bereaved families, said Dung, who is also head of the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control and chairman of the National Committee for Disaster Response and Search and Rescue.

As many as 1,208 officers and soldiers are racing to find those missing after landslides in the Rao Trang 3 hydropower plant in Phong Dien district, Thua Thien-Hue province, and Nam Tra My and Phuoc Son districts in Quang Nam province.

The landslide at the Rao Trang 3 hydropower plant has buried 17 workers, of whom five have been found dead.

As of November 2, landslides in Nam Tra My district left 17 dead, 46 injured and 15 missing. One death has also been reported in Bac Tra My district.

Meanwhile, the landslide in Phuoc Son district has claimed seven lives and left six residents missing. A person in Hiep Duc district, Quang Nam province, has also been reported missing.

A total of 22 people have remained missing across Quang Nam province after the natural disasters.

Regarding the 23 fishermen aboard the two vessels in Binh Dinh province that went missing on October 27, three have been rescued./.

Foreign visitors to Cambodia's UNESCO-recognised Angkor drop sharply

Cambodia's famed Angkor Archeological Park received 398,485 international visitors during the first 10 months of this year, down 78 percent year-on-year, said a press statement released to media on November 2.

The ancient park earned 18.55 million USD in revenue from ticket sales during the January-October period this year, also down 77 percent from the same period last year, said the state-owned Angkor Enterprise's statement.

In October alone, the site welcomed 2,244 foreigners, earning 93,598 USD, down 98.4 percent and 98.5 percent, respectively compared to the same month last year, it said.

The sharp decline was due to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic that has forced the Southeast Asian nation to impose entry restrictions for all foreign travelers since March.

The Ministry of Tourism's secretary of state and spokesman Top Sopheak said prior to the COVID-19, the site attracted around 9,000 foreign tourists a day, but currently, it averagely serves only 70 a day and those are foreigners living and working in Cambodia.

Cambodia expects that the number of international visitors to the Angkor Archeological Park will start to rebound gradually in the first quarter of 2021 if COVID-19 vaccines are available, he said.

Top Sopheak said China will undoubtedly remain the largest source of tourists to Cambodia during the post-COVID-19 era.

Situated in northwest Siem Reap province, the Angkor Archeological Park, inscribed on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1992, is Cambodia’s most popular tourist destination./.

2020 Israel film festival to open in Hanoi, HCM City

Snippets of films to be screened at the festival (Photo: nhandan.com.vn)

 

The 2020 Israel Film Festival is slated to take place in Hanoi on November 7-11 and HCM City on November 21.

Organised by the Embassy of Israel in Vietnam, six award-winning movies will be featured at the event. A contest to write review for the films will also be held on the Facebook page of the embassy.

Among the movies to be screened include “Apples from the Desert”, “The Farewell Party”, “Reach for the Sky”, and “Shoelaces”.

They are of different genres, including art, entertainment, psychosocial, kid’s movies and short films./.

Vietnam exerts all efforts to maintain cyber security cooperation within ADMM-Plus: Commander

The Ministry of National Defence partnered with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to hold a virtual symposium themed “Cyber Warfare and International Humanitarian Law: Implications for Regional Security in the Context of COVID-19” on November 2.

The event saw the presence of representatives from member states of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) which gathers 10 ASEAN nations and its eight dialogue partners – Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia, and the US.

It offered a platform for participants to discuss and explore fundamental provisions of the International Humanitarian Law relating to cyber warfares, and aimed to enhance capacity building for the participating countries, contributing to the maintenance of the regional cyber security.

In his remarks, Major General Tong Viet Trung, Deputy Commander of Cyberspace Operation Command (Command 86), said as the Chair of the ADMM and ADMM-Plus this year, the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence has made every effort to effectively maintain the defence cooperation process on cyber security within the ADMM-Plus via virtual meetings amid COVID-19

Together with other ASEAN member states, Vietnam has agreed that critical information technology (IT) infrastructure should be seen as national properties that form a backbone of the most important functions, services and operations in the society, Trung said.

He added Vietnam has focused on strengthening cybersecurity potential for the protection of the critical IT infrastructure through intensive training and capacity building for specialised cybersecurity forces, accelerating experience sharing and international cooperation in responding to attacks to such infrastructure.

Vietnam supports the application of the International Humanitarian Law to settle cyber warfares, he continued, noting that the Vietnamese Ministry of Defence is committed to actively and responsibly participate in ASEAN’s defence cooperation mechanisms in cyber security in order to prevent cyber attacks, violations of national sovereignty on cyberspace and cyber warfares./.

Binh Duong sends relief to disaster-hit victims in central region

The Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Binh Duong province on November 2 sent relief worth 2.6 billion VND (113,000 USD) to 4,300 residents hit by flooding in the central provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue.

Batches of relief will be distributed to affected families till November 5.

The committee has so far received donations worth over 16 billion VND in support of disaster-hit victims.

Apart from necessities, the southern province of Binh Duong sent 1 billion VND from its fund to Thua Thien-Hue province, and 500 million VND to each of Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Quang Nam and Ha Tinh provinces.

A number of foreign-invested companies in the locality also joined the charity effort./.

Hanoi generates 145,000 jobs in 10 months

Hanoi generated jobs for more than 145,000 people during the January-October period, meeting 93.1% of the yearly target, figures show.

Of the number, 1,700 people were sent to work abroad in the 10 months.

The Hanoi Centre for Employment Services (SCES) under the municipal Department of  Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs in coordination with the People’s Committee of the city’s Dong Anh district organised a mobile job transaction session in the outskirts district on November 1.

Thirty nine units and businesses participating in the session offered more than 1,500 job positions.

Through such sessions, the centre has helped over 10,000 people get jobs so far this year. 

Tra Vinh struggles to find rubbish disposal locations

Authorities in Tra Vinh Province are seeking help from some neighbouring provinces to deal with 300,000 tonnes of rubbish. 

According to Tra Vinh People's Committee, they are carrying out a project to deal with the pollution at Tra Vinh City Dumping Site. Vietnam Energy Environment Industrial Technology Company has the responsibility to incinerate 120,000 tonnes of rubbish. However, the project was behind schedule due to various problems.

In order to speed up the project, Tra Vinh authorities allowed the company to transfer 30,000 tonnes of rubbish to EB Environment Energy Company’s waste treatment plant in Can Tho City. Tra Vinh authorities asked the authorities in Vinh Long, Hau Giang and Can Tho to help create favourable conditions for the rubbish trucks to access the plant.

After receiving the news, Can Tho City authorities asked the Department of Natural Resources and Environment to review the contract with the EB Environment Energy Company and review Tra Vinh's proposal.

On October 28, Pham Thi Nho, chief of staff of Vinh Long Province People's Committee said, "The transportation must not cause pollution along the way or traffic disorder. Since Tra Vinh proposed to let the trucks run during regular working hours too, we’re on the fence about it."

The Department of Natural Resources and Environment in Can Tho City said they had refused to receive the rubbish because EB Environment Energy Company’s waste treatment plant still can't deal with all of the city's rubbish yet so they didn't have any plan to receive rubbish from other provinces and cities.

Tran Van Hung, director of Tra Vinh Department of Natural Resources and Environment said that their own waste treatment plant was dealing with the rising amount of rubbish. The 30,000 tonnes of rubbish mentioned in the proposal has grown for 27 years and needed to be dealt with quickly so they can clear the dumping site. It would be best to have multiple locations to burn the rubbish at the same time.

Dozens of schools in Nghe An still flooded

Dozens of schools in the central province of Nghe An remain inundated after being affected by Storm Molave.   

The provincial Department of Education and Training has sent a delegation to local schools to check the consequences of the flooding.

Nguyen Xuan Tinh, head of Yen Thanh District People’s Committee, said that four schools in the district have been submerged.

Up to 12 districts in Do Luong District have been in the same situation.

At present, Van Ha Village in Do Luong’s Quang Son Commune is being isolated.

Thanh Long Nursery School in Thanh Chuong District is being severely flooded. Dozens of schools in Thanh Chuong District have still not yet been able to receive students again

The provincial Department of Education and Training granted six schools VND20 million (USD869.56) each to deal with consequences of the floods.

Over VND70.3 billion mobilised to support flood-hit areas

The Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Committee in Ho Chi Minh City has received money and goods worth a total of over VND70.3 billion as of November 2 to support people who were affected by the recent floods and storms in the central provinces.

Of the figure, more than VND65 billion is in cash while the rest is in the form of goods and necessities.

On the afternoon of November 2, the City’s VFF Committee continued to receive support from many other agencies and enterprises such as Ho Chi Minh City Power Corporation (VND500 million), Binh Dan Hospital and the City’s Post Office.

In addition to the early relief efforts during the floods and storms, the donations from organisations, enterprises and sponsors will be allocated to support the central provinces in overcoming damages after the natural disaster.

In addition to donation activities, the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union formed delegations of youth volunteers to help flood-hit people in various fields, such as the repair of electricity and water services, building houses and providing free medical checks-up and treatment.

HCMC finishes dismantling Binh Trieu tollgates

As of this afternoon, November 2, the HCMC authorities had finished dismantling the Binh Trieu 1 Bridge and Binh Trieu 2 Bridge tollgates in Thu Duc District, which were nonoperational for four years.

The HCMC Infrastructure Investment Company, investor of the build-operate-transfer (BOT) Binh Trieu Bridge – phase 1 project, put the tollgates into operation in 2005 and shut them down in 2016. The company maintained the tollgates instead of dismantling them as it planned to use them for the Binh Trieu Bridge – phase 2 project.

However, the HCMC government decided to suspend the BOT Binh Trieu Bridge – phase 2 project in 2017 and the tollgates had been left nonoperational since then.

The nonoperational tollgates were identified as one of the causes for traffic congestion in the area, especially during national holidays when many people flocked to the Eastern Coach Station. The tollgates also caused accidents as distracted drivers crashed into them.

Following the suggestion of the HCMC Department of Transport, in July 2020, the municipal government assigned the Roads Management Center with dismantling the tollgates to reduce traffic congestion in the area.

Ten new imported COVID-19 cases recorded on November 3

Vietnam confirmed 10 new imported COVID-19 cases from 6am-6pm on November 3, reported the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

Eight of them returned from Russia on Flight VN5062 which landed in Van Don airport in northern Quang Ninh province on October 31. They tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 while in quarantine.

The two remaining are under quarantine and treatment at General Hospital of Bac Ninh province. The two returned from Angola on Flight VN8 arriving at Van Don airport on October 20.

As of November 3 evening, Vietnam recorded 1,202 patients positive to SARS-CoV-2, 691 of them were locally-transmitted.

The same day, four patients were given the all-clear, raising the total number of recovered cases to 1,069.

Among patients under treatment at medical establishments, 17 tested negative for the virus once, six twice and five others thrice. There are no patients in critical conditions. The death toll remains at 35.

As many as 14,775 who had close contact with patients or entered from pandemic-hit areas are under quarantine; 174 of them are at hospitals, 13,327 at other establishments and 1,274 at homes.

Vietnam has so far gone through 62 days without local transmissions, with pandemic outbreaks basically under control./.

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