As Storm Saudel weakened into a low-pressure area on October 26, Storm Molave has started to intensify and is forecasted to enter the East Sea.

According to the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting, Storm Saudel weakened into a low-pressure area off the coast of Ha Tinh to Quang Tri provinces. The wind speed dropped to less than 40km per hour.

In the next 12 hours, it will move to the west at the speed of 15-20km per hour and disappear. Provinces from Nghe An to Quang Tri will continue to have rain on October 26 with 20-50mm of rainfall.

At 1 am on October 26, Storm Molave started to intensify in the Philippines. The wind speed nears the eye of the storm was 100-135km per hour. It will move to the East Sea at the speed of 20-25km per hour in the next 24 hours and become even stronger.

At 1 am on October 27, it will be 350km away from the Southwest Cay with a wind speed of 115-135km per hour. In the following 24-48 hours, it may even stronger and keep moving to the west at the speed of 20-25km per hour.

On October 28, it will be 240km away from Quang Ninh. The wind speed will be 115-150km per hour. For the following 48-72 hours, it will keep moving west-northwest and land in Vietnam, affecting provinces and cities from Danang to Phu Yen.

On October 29, it will be in Laos with wind speeds weaken to 40-60km per hour.

Recruitment needs in some fields rise strongly in year’s second half

Many enterprises in the fields of fast-moving consumer goods, IT, energy and insurance saw high recruitment needs, especially for mid- and high-level personnel, in the third quarter. (Photo: VNA)

Recruitment needs, especially for medium- and high-level personnel, in the third quarter rose in the fields of fast-moving consumer goods, IT, energy and insurance, recruitment company Navigos Group said in a recent report.

The need will continue to be high in the next three to six months.

According to the report, fast-moving consumer goods and retail in the third quarter saw an increase of 40 percent to 50 percent compared to February-July this year.

The high need was due to many companies in the sector changing to online sales. They need employees for e-commerce, digital marketing, and online sales.

In the energy sector, work on several big energy projects in the country has begun. Moreover, new regulations relating to energy investment and the country’s national energy development strategy until 2030 have provided more chances to invest in this sector.

The Navigos Group said that many companies in the energy sector need employees who have professional knowledge and good English skills. They are ready to pay higher than average salaries and prefer candidates who live in places where the projects are being carried out.

In the insurance sector, many companies need financial consultants in large numbers as well as IT engineers to develop their digital platforms.

At a press briefing held on October 7 in Hanoi, Vu Thi Thu Thuy, head of population and labour statistics department at the General Statistics Office, said the labour market in the third quarter showed signs of recovery.

The remaining months will be a “golden” time for investment and commerce, Thủy said, adding that many companies will need more employees.

The unemployment rate is expected to fall and could be less than 4 percent, which is the National Assembly’s goal.

Many recruitment companies are hiring thousands of workers for companies for the fourth quarter.

A report from the HCM City Centre for Forecasting Manpower Needs and Labour Market Information shows that the city’s labour market is expected to see positive changes in the fourth quarter.

The centre forecasts that there will be nearly 62,000-65,000 job vacancies in the last quarter. Most of them will be in trade-commerce, logistics, food processing, services, IT-telecommunications, and finance-banking-insurance, among other fields.

In the third quarter, the recruitment needs of enterprises in many sectors in the city increased by 13.5 percent compared to the second quarter, and fell by 33.61 percent against the same period last year.

The city Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs is carrying out activities to assist workers and enterprises to overcome difficulties caused by COVID-19. It has set up three teams to provide assistance.

The department is also opening job floors to connect enterprises and workers, and is providing assistance to help unemployed workers access vocational training.

Vietnam has no new COVID-19 cases on October 26 morning

Vietnam logged zero new COVID-19 cases within the past 12 hours as of 6 a.m on October 26, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

The country has documented 1,168 SARS-CoV-2 infections so far.

Of the total, 691 were infected with the virus domestically, including 551 linked with Da Nang city since the latest coronavirus wave began there on July 25.

As many as 1,057 patients have recovered while 35 have died from complications related to the disease. Most of the fatalities were the elderly with serious underlying health conditions.

Among the patients still under treatment, three have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 once, five twice and ten thrice. Currently, there is no patient in critical conditions.

There are 14,901 people having close contact with confirmed cases or coming from pandemic-hit region under quarantine at present, including 173 in hospitals, 13,615 in concentrated quarantine sites and 1,113 at home or accommodation facilities.

According to the Ministry of Health, the outbreak has been put under control; however, as the coronavirus may get worse during winter-spring season, the Ministry of Health continues to recommend local people wear face masks and wash hands with sanitiser regularly.

As of October 25, global COVID-19 infections topped 43 million worldwide, and the number of people who died with coronavirus passed 1.15 million./.

QR codes now found on street signs in Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City has just begun the pilot installation of QR codes on street signs, to help local people and visitors find out more about the national characters, events, and places behind street names.

Ho Chi Minh City has piloted the use of QR codes on street signs at six intersections in the heart of the downtown area in District 1: Le Thanh Ton & Đồng Khởi, Le Thanh Ton & Pasteur, Ly Tu Trong & Pasteur, Ly Tu Trong & Dong Khoi, Nguyen Du & Dong Khoi, and Le Duan & Cong xa Paris.

The new QR codes have already caught the eye of passers-by.

This is the first time QR codes have been used to provide information on street names anywhere in Vietnam./.

Laos: Requiem held for people killed in flooding in central Vietnam

A requiem is solemnly held for soldiers, officers and civilians killed in the recent devastating floods and landslides in central Vietnam by Vietnamese expats in Laos at Vientiane-based Phat Tich Pagoda. (Photo: VNA)

A requiem has been solemnly held for soldiers, officers and civilians killed in the recent devastating floods and landslides in central Vietnam by Vietnamese expats in Laos at Vientiane-based Phat Tich Pagoda.

The event also sought to raise funds for people affected by flooding in both countries.

This year’s severe flooding has wreaked havoc on five central provinces in Vietnam while the historic flooding in 42 years has also caused great damage to eight districts of Laos’ central province of Savannakhet over recent days, Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Ba Hung addressed the October 23 event.

He expressed his gratitude towards Phat Tich Pagoda and Vietnamese people living in Laos for sending reliefs to affected residents in the two countries, saying it demonstrates a Vietnamese traditional custom – “the good leaves protect the worn-out ones” (which means people should help those who are not as lucky as them).

The diplomat also thanked Most Venerable Bounma Simmaphom, Acting President of the Lao Buddhist Fellowship Organisation for taking part in the requiem, illuminating the strong brotherhood between Laos and Vietnam.

Since October 17, Phat Tich Pagoda and the association of Vietnamese people in Vientiane have raised about 200 million LAK (21,630 USD) in fund for flood-hit people in central Vietnam and Laos. Half of the money was handed over to Ambassador Hung to help those in need in Vietnam.

On the same day, the Embassy of Vietnam in South Africa also launched an appeal for donations for flood survivors in the central region./.

Israel transfers irrigation technology to local university

The Embassy of Isreal to Việt Nam has handed over an irrigation system to the Thái Nguyên University of Agriculture and Forestry.

The system will be used to train students, organisations and individuals who are studying and working in the agriculture sector in the northern province.

The university will also strive to become a high-tech agriculture training centre for the whole country.

The solar-powered irrigation system operates on dripping technology that helps water the plants over time and reduce the chance of water overuse.

The system is installed in a net house and run by a control panel that connects to a smartphone to adjust the light, humidity and ventilation.

The project is expected to boost the bilateral ties between Việt Nam and Israel in the agriculture sector, especially when the latter has abundant experience due to a lack of fresh water in its harsh geographical location.

The project costs the university more than US$20,000. Half of the expense is covered by the government of Israel via its Việt Nam-based embassy.

It is part of very meaningful and deep co-operation between the Israeli embassy and the university and the province, Israeli ambassador Nadav Eshcar said at the event.

“The dripping irrigation is a key Israeli technology which is relevant to the agriculture sector in Việt Nam,” he said.

The system here will serve not only exchange students, who have come to study in Israel, but also other students in Việt Nam, farmers and organisations in the surrounding area, the ambassador said.

“This is an opportunity for them to see how it works, to get the idea, to understand the technology, and to support the businesses and their future career.”

Seminar

The Embassy of Israel to Việt Nam on the same day co-ordinated with the province of Thái Nguyên to organise a seminar discussing solutions for farming households.

Dương Văn Lượng, vice chairman of Thái Nguyên provincial People’s Committee, said the province is still weak in luring companies to invest in its agriculture sector.

Meanwhile, there are very few popular locally-made brands with low added value, he said, adding agricultural production is still not engaged with high technology.

Lượng hoped provincial farmers and agrico companies will have the chance to get access to Israeli technologies so that they are enabled to improve productivity and quality.

Speaking highly of the relations between Việt Nam and Israel in trade and education, the Israeli ambassador Nadav Eshcar hoped the ties between the two nations will grow in the future, especially in high-tech agriculture.

The Israeli government is willing to support the province to apply new technologies to help local farmers boost their production, the ambassador said. 

Forests better managed thanks to protection policy

Thousands of hectares of forests in northern mountainous regions are being better managed and protected thanks to a new environmental services policy.

Phạm Danh Tuyên, deputy head of Tam Đường District's Forest Protection Management Board in Lai Châu Province, said payments for forest environment services had made positive impacts on people's lives, both economically and environmentally.

It had helped improve people's lives and raise awareness about protecting the forests, he said.

Lai Châu Province has more than 470,000ha of forests that were allocated to State agencies, local individuals and households to look after in 2012.

From 2012 to the end of 2019, the provincial forest protection and development fund has paid VNĐ2.19 trillion (US$94.7 million) to subsidise efforts to protect the forests.

In 2019 alone, VNĐ542 billion was paid to 78,754 households assigned to take care of the forests.

The average income of households that took part in the project increased from VNĐ2 million in 2012 to VNĐ6.5 million in 2019.

Tam Đường District has more than 68,400ha of forest.

Last year, households and individuals earned VNĐ52.5 billion from the Protection Forest Management Board for protecting ​nearly 40,000ha of forest.

The forest environmental services policy had attracted a large number of workers to protect the forest, said Sùng A Của, a forest ranger from the Mông ethnic minority group.

Working as an administrator in Tả Lèng Commune, Của often visits local residents to raise awareness about forest prevention and the need to cut vegetation to avoid forest fires.

He also shows people how to register to plant trees in order to improve their incomes.

In the past, forest protection and fire prevention faced many difficulties due to limited public awareness.

Deforestation for cultivation and illegal logging were still a problem, Của said.

People in Tả Lèng Commune were observing regulations on forest protection now thanks to the forest protection fund, he said.

"This could be the driving force for locals to protect the forests and prevent forest fires," said Của.

Over the past three years, Tả Lèng Commune has not recorded any forest fires or illegal deforestation, increasing the coverage ratio by more than 66 per cent.

In addition to helping people change their habits, the policy has also contributed to improving the lives of ethnic minority groups, creating jobs and higher incomes.

Afforestation also helps people earn more money and raises a sense of responsibility about forest protection.

Giàng A Tủng from the Mông ethnic minority group is from one of the families in Phìn Ngan Xin Chải Village that have been planting trees to cover bare land and hills.

In 2015, he was offered 1,600 táo mèo seedlings (also known as sơn tra (Docynia indica), a kind of apple).

After five years of cultivating 1,4ha, he is hoping to harvest 300kg of táo mèo this season, which he will be able to sell for VNĐ6,000-10,000 per kg.

“In the past I mainly planted maize but was economically efficient. Now táo mèo provides an income for my family. It's not a lot but it helps to reduce the economic burden,” said Tủng.

Deforestation, forest fires and violations of the forest protection law had decreased since the forest environmental services policy was implemented in Lai Châu Province in 2012, according to a provincial report.

In 2011, the number of violations hit 257 cases.

In 2019, 172 cases were detected.

This had contributed to increasing the forest coverage ratio in the province from 41.6 per cent in 2011 to 50.16 per cent in 2019, improving the ecological environment, the report said.

According to Nguyễn Bá Việt, deputy director of Lai Châu Province's Forest Protection and Development Fund, the policy had helped local agencies at all levels and residents raise awareness about the significance and importance of forest protection and development.

Villages that were assigned to protect the forests had set up teams to regularly inspect them and issue protection regulations.

The management of fund for forest environmental services was being strictly implemented and transparent, Việt said. 

Lawmakers join online discussions on crime, corruption fight on October 26

An overview of the NA's 10th session

The National Assembly (NA) will spend the entire working day on October 26 to discuss issues related to the operation of law enforcement agencies, as well as issues involving judicial affairs and corruption prevention and control in 2020.

Accordingly, Minister of Public Security General To Lam will deliver a report on the prevention and control of crimes and law violations in 2020, while Prosecutor General of the Supreme People’s Procuracy Le Minh Tri and Chief Justice of the Supreme People’s Court Nguyen Hoa Binh will present reports on their work this year.

Minister of Justice Le Thanh Long is scheduled to provide a review on judgment execution in 2020.

Head of the NA Committee for Judicial Affairs Le Thi Nga, then, will deliver the committee’s report verifying these above-mentioned documents.

Inspector General of the Government Inspectorate Le Minh Khai will deliver the Government’s report on the anti-corruption work during the year, and Nga will also present a report assessing this document.

These contents will also be put on table on October 27 morning./.

Career counseling critical for 12th graders

Students should consider many factors such as their weaknesses and strengths, as well as interests, before deciding on a particular training path, experts have said. 

University entrance exam scores for some faculties have risen for the academic year 2020 - 2021, putting 12th graders under stress. 

Some popular university faculties are “frozen” due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so it is important for authorities and parents to help students set a realistic goal and appropriate learning path.

At a recent career counseling workshop held by the HCM City Department of Education and Training, National University of HCM City and the Education and Training Developing Centre in the South in mid-October, Mai Nguyễn Hồng Hạnh, a student in the 12A1 class in Trần Văn Giàu High School, said she was concerned about the increasing number of new graduates that were not able to get a job.

She is now even more worried because the pandemic has left many people jobless. 

Phạm Doãn Nguyên, deputy director of Admissions and Communication Centre, under the HCM City University of Economics and Finance, said that “hot faculties” are not actually determined by the labour market. Instead, the concept of “hot labourers” in each field is what is considered.

Regardless of the negative effect that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought, it is an individual's effort that determines whether they can stay in an organisation, he said.

Meanwhile, the deputy director of the HCM City’s University of Technology’s Admission and Communication Consulting Department, Nguyễn Trần Ngọc Phương, said that in the context of global integration, students today should not totally buy the idea what they learn in school is going to be what they will be working on later.

Instead, it is necessary to understand that a specific major can provide students with different career paths and opportunities in the future.

For example, a student who graduates in English Language Arts can work as a foreign language teacher, book translator, or international relations staff, among other professions.

With that, after selecting their major, students need to learn necessary skills related to their dream jobs and their own abilities and interests in order to secure a job after graduation.

The vice president of the HCM City Vocational Education Association, Trần Anh Tuấn, said that between 2020 and 2030, some majors with increasing labour recruitment needs will be network security, information security, mobile application programming, artificial intelligence, logistics, e-commerce, international law, and credit-insurance, among others.

Determining career goals

According to the deputy director of HCM City Department of Education and Training, Nguyễn Văn Hiếu, career counseling for 12th graders is an annual activity organised at the beginning of the school year to give them an overview of the market and training programmes, and to help them determine a career goal relevant to their ability, interest and family conditions.

Psychologist Tô Nhi A stressed the importance of students acknowledging their strengths and weaknesses, no matter what kind of training they choose to pursue in the future.

The former deputy director of the HCM City National University, Nguyễn Đức Nghĩa, added that the Ministry of Education and Training has kept a tradition of using the high school graduation exam results for university and college admission. But there are other admission options such as direct admission or competency tests that students need to be informed of to make a wise decision for their training path. 

Encouraging outcomes seen in support plan for the disabled

A plan on support for persons with disabilities (PWDs) between 2012 and 2020 (Plan 1019) has gained certain encouraging outcomes, helping to improve the group’s living standards and access to equal opportunities, heard a recent conference in Ninh Binh province.

Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Le Tan Dung, who is also vice chairman of the national committee for PWDs, said Plan 1019, a major programme showing the Party and State’s attention to the disabled, has helped raise sectors and authorities’ awareness of and sense of responsibility towards PWDs, improve the group’s material and spiritual lives, and remove social barriers, thus creating equal chances for them to access basic social services, tap into their ability, and integrate into society.

Chairman of the Vietnam Social Security Fund Ta Viet Anh noted outcomes in the early detection, early intervention, orthopaedic surgery, and provision of supporting tools for PWDs between 2012 and 2020.

Each year, there are about 90 percent of pregnant women receiving prenatal disability screenings, 60 percent of children under 6 accessing postnatal screenings, and about 2,000 orthopaedic and supporting tools supplied for PWDs.

Over the last eight years, the Ministry of Education and Training has promoted inclusive education and carried out priority policies for disabled students as well as teachers engaged in inclusive education.

The number of students with disabilities going to school has increased 10-fold compared to the 2000-2010 period with improved quality. About 2,000-2,500 teachers have received training in inclusive education every year while 1,500 free braille boards and books been given to disabled students.

During the period, 17,000-20,000 PWDs received vocational training, 20,000 got job suggestions, and over 38,500 got loans from the national employment fund each year. Nearly 28,800 PWDs with financial problems were provided with legal assistance, and 400,000-500,000 families of PWDs and disabled persons received training in caring for PWDs, statistics show.

The plan on support for PWDs for 2021-2030 is set to remain in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of PWDs, the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and relevant commitments of ASEAN. It will push ahead with programmes on assisting PWDs and encourage them to overcome difficulties, integrate into society, contribute to socio-economic development, and help their peers.

There are about 6.2 million PWDs in Vietnam at present, accounting for 7.06 percent of the population aged 2 and above. About 58 percent of them are female, and 28.3 percent are children./.

Ca Mau Airport upgrading to be conducted after 2025

Ca Mau Airport

The Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) will design a plan to invest in upgrading and developing Ca Mau Airport after the 2021-2025 period, according to a report that the firm has just submitted to the Ministry of Transport.

Do Tat Binh, Deputy General Director of the ACV said that the plan will be based on criteria of the master plan for aviation sector’s development towards 2025 with vision to 2030, the detailed planning of Ca Mau Airport and the plan for re-constructing operating airports for 2018-2025.

The scheme is also based on the real situation of infrastructure system and operations of the airport in the 2012-2019 period and the demand of the market in the 2020-2025 period, he said.

According to the Ministry of Transport, the Ca Mau Airport has a capacity of serving 200,000 passengers a year.

In the 2012-2019 period, before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, the airport operated stably with 14 flights per week and about 30,000-38.000 passengers per year.

In 2020, due to impacts of COVID-19 pandemic, the airport has only received six flights per week. In the 2021-2025 period, the airport’s throughput is forecast to expand about 4 percent per year to serve about 40,000 passengers in 2025./.

Kien Giang improves lives of Khmer with support policies

The lives of ethnic Khmer people living in Kien Giang have improved significantly after the province efficiently implemented local and central government support policies for them in recent years.

The Mekong Delta province has 56,800 Khmer households with 242,602 members, or 13.4 percent of its population and the third largest number in the delta after Soc Trang and Tra Vinh provinces.

As part of the support policies it has provided them with easy loans, free health insurance, clean water, and power, and built other infrastructure facilities, according to the provincial Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs.

Credit programmes from local and central governments have provided 211 billion VND (9.1 million USD) to 18,128 Khmer families for doing agriculture or business since 2014.

The province has also allotted housing lands to 635 poor households and provided free health insurance for 424,993 people.

The number of Khmer households with access to clean water has increased from 77.9 percent in 2014 to 88.3 percent now, while almost all have access to power compared to less than 80 percent in 2014.

Danh Phuc, head of the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs Committee, said with the support of local and central government support, Khmer farmers have switched from mostly growing rice to other high-value crops, vegetables and fruits besides livestock.

Many have also begun to work in industrial parks, he said.

With the implementation of the support policies, the number of poor households has reduced from 10,346 in 2015 to 4,855 now for a 7.9 percent rate, according to the committee.

Localities in the province have implemented several sustainable poverty reduction models and included Khmer households in them.

They include raising cows, buffaloes, pigs, eels, and fish, growing vegetables and farming rice and shrimp by turns in the same fields.

In Vinh Thuan district, local authorities have introduced several effective farming models to the Khmer like breeding mud crabs and shrimp in the same pond, raising giant river prawns and rice-shrimp farming.

The rice - shrimp model has helped improve the incomes of the Khmer since most farmed only one or the other earlier.

In Kien Lương district, the Duong Hoa Commune Farmers Association has taught Khmer farmers new farming models to improve incomes in recent years.

They include switching to fish, mud crabs, black tiger shrimp, buffaloes, and ducks on low-yield rice fields.

Duong Van La, a farmer in Duong Hoa’s Ta Sang hamlet, has switched from rice to freshwater fish after the association gave him training.

He now breeds snakehead fish, yellow bighead catfish and climbing perch, he said.

“I harvest two to three crops a year and earn 50 million VND (2,160 USD)./.

Vietnamese in Laos support flood-hit people in central region

The Vietnamese Embassy in Laos held a fund-raising event on October 25 in support of people affecting by the recent record flooding in central Vietnam.

Vietnamese people living in Vientiane, Vietnamese enterprises operating in Laos and embassy staff donated a total of over 750 million VND (32,200 USD).

Speaking at the event, Ambassador Nguyen Ba Hung spoke highly of the support by the Vietnamese community in Laos, affirming that the embassy will soon send the money to affected families.

In addition, Vientiane-based Phat Tich Pagoda held a requiem for soldiers, officers and civilians killed in the recent devastating floods and landslides in the central region.

As of October 24 evening, heavy rains and floods claimed 119 lives, and left 21 others missing./.

Philippines: nearly 9,000 evacuated as typhoon Molave approaches

Nearly 9,000 people had to flee their homes in the Philippines as typhoon Molave made landfall in provinces on the southern part of the main Luzon island on October 25, bringing heavy rain and strong winds.

Packing top sustained winds of 130kph, Molave intensified into a tropical storm as it moved westward and made landfall over San Miguel island in Albay province early in the evening.

The natural disaster monitoring agency of the Philippines said it had received many reports of damage to bridges and roads, as well as a number of landslides and inundations in some areas.

Vessels in dangerous waters must also be suspended, the agency noted.
According to the agency, nearly 600 people were trapped in many seaports due to strong winds.

Meanwhile, the local weather bureau warned of waves as high as 2 metres (6.5 feet) in coastal areas in Samar province, the Bicol region and the central and southern portions of Quezon province.

Tropical cyclone wind alerts were issued for several provinces in the Bicol and Calabarzon regions, and several provinces in central Philippines, as well as for Metro Manila and central Luzon provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga, Bataan and Zambales.

Molave is expected to continue intensifying over the East Sea after crossing the Philippine, the weather bureau said./. 

Vietnam Institute for Arts Education launched

Vietnam Institute for Arts Education (VIA Education) has made its debut in Ho Chi Minh City with a target to build a sustainable, vibrant, active and inspiring arts community that seeks to develop optimal standards in arts and creative education in Vietnam.

Pham Doan Ha My, CEO of VIA Education, said there was a serious shortage of qualified music and arts teachers at a time when demand for these subjects has been increasing.

Additionally, the capacity of the teaching force has been a major concern due to the limitation of professional training programmes.

Founded by Thanh Bui, an artist, educator and businessman, the institute which made its debut last week, will provide international education programmes in music and performing arts, dance and music training (short-term and long-term) for teachers across the country. All intensive training is taught by experts and master trainers in their respective fields.

The institute is partnering with world-renowned music and performing arts educational partners, as well as world-leading publishers to develop unrivaled educational products and provide internationally recognised curricula and certifications across the Southeast Asia region.

It will work directly with school partners, using its proven methodology and recognised curriculum to create customised solutions that meet each school's needs.

VIA Education is the first and only provider and publisher of Alfred music methods titles in Vietnam.

It is also collaborating with Trinity Music Publications, POCO Studio, AMEB and others to bring music learning materials with global standards to all music learners in Vietnam.

All proceeds from VIA Education’s activities will be invested into causes that serve the community.

The launching ceremony attracted the participation of nearly 100 representatives from public and private schools and art training schools in Vietnam.

It also included discussion sessions on elevating music and arts education curriculum to international standards at schools and maximizing schools’ competitiveness, roadmaps for qualified music and dance teachers to teach in international environments and career opportunities, and curriculum applications in Education 4.0./.

Vietnam maintains rising position in Asian Power Index 2020

The Lowy Institute, an independent and nonpartisan international policy think tank based in Sydney, Australia, has recently announced the Asia Power Index 2020, in which the nation ranked 12th out of 26 countries and territories, up one place from last year.

The Lowy Institute partly attributed the country’s improved ranking over the past year to an increase in Vietnamese diplomatic influence index, judging that it has risen three notches to ninth place in comparison to last year.

According to the Lowy Institute, the nation has been an effective participant in regional trade forums and initiatives, serving to promote negotiations for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. In addition, as the ASEAN Chair the country has helped to ramp up efforts and accelerate the implementation of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership alongside 10 other member states.

Furthermore, the past year has also seen the nation significantly improve its economic capacity, therefore moving up three spots in terms its national defence network index./.

Vietnam records eight imported COVID-19 cases on October 25 evening

Vietnam reported eight imported COVID-19 cases on October 25 evening, raising the total in the country to 1,168, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

All the new patients were put under quarantine upon their arrival.

Of the total, 691 were infected with the virus domestically, including 551 linked with Da Nang city since the latest coronavirus wave began there on July 25.

Vietnam entered the 53rd consecutive day without any community infections. Among the patients still under treatment, three have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 once, five twice, and 10 thrice. Currently, there is no patient in critical conditions.

As many as 1,057 patients have recovered while 35 have died from complications related to the disease. Most of the fatalities were the elderly with serious underlying health conditions.

There are 14,576 people having close contact with confirmed cases or coming from pandemic-hit regions under quarantine at present, including 181 in hospitals, 13,208 in concentrated quarantine sites, and 1,187 at home./.

Saudel triggers downpours in central region, new storm coming

While storm Saudel is causing heavy rains in the central provinces from Nghe An to Thua Thien-Hue, another named Molave is forecast to enter the East Sea on October 26 and affect the central region in the days to come.

Due to impact of Saudel, the eighth storm to hit the East Sea this year, rainfalls of 50 - 150mm are likely in areas from Nghe An to Thua Thien-Hue, even over 200mm in some places, on October 25 and 26, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.
At 1pm of October 25, the storm’s centre was about 160km to the east of the area from Ha Tinh to Quang Tri, with wind speeds of up to 60 - 75km per hour near the eye.

In the next 24 hours, it will move westwards at about 15 - 20km per hour and make landfall in the Ha Tinh - Quang Tri area before weakening into a tropical depression and then a low-pressure area.

At 1pm of October 26, the centre of this low-pressure area will be on Thailand’s territory, and the fastest wind speeds will be less than 40km per hour.

Meanwhile, Director of the forecasting centre Mai Van Khiem said Molave is a strong storm that will move fast and may enter the East Sea on October 26.

From October 27 to 29, it is predicted to trigger downpours, with rainfalls of 200 - 350mm, in the central region, which has already been hit hard by floods recently.

Combined with the cold spell from the north, it may lead to prolonged rains in northern and central areas of this region, even more than 500mm in Nghe An, Ha Tinh, and Quang Binh.

Khiem warned about very high risks of flash floods and landslides in mountainous areas there on the following days, recommending the localities keep a close watch on this storm’s development to gear up for it.

At 1pm of October 25, the centre of Molave was about 230km to the east of the Philippines’ central coast and had winds of up to 90 - 100km per hour in its eye wall.

In the next 24 hours, it will move westwards at some 20km per hour, enter the East Sea, and continue to intensify. At 1pm of October 26, its eye will be on the central Philippines with the fastest winds of 100 - 115km per hour.

The storm will keep moving mainly westwards in the following 24 - 48 hours and to west-northwest between the next 48 and 72 hours.

At 1pm of October 28, its centre is expected to be on the sea area off the coast of the localities from Da Nang city to Phu Yen province. Its strongest winds at that time may be 100 - 135km per hour, according to the forecasting centre./.

5.9-magnitude earthquake hits Indonesia’s West Java

A 5.9-magnitude earthquake rocked southwest of Pangandaran district in Indonesia’s West Java province on October 25 morning.

The epicenter of the quake was located about 90 km away from Pangandaran district, and at a depth of 10 km, according to the Jakarta-based Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).

On October 19, two consecutive quakes measuring 5.7 and 5.8 on the Richter scale hit the western region of Indonesia.

Earthquakes regularly rock various parts of Indonesia due to the fact that the country lies on the Circum-Pacific Belt, also known as the Ring of Fire, where several tectonic plates meet and cause frequent volcanic and seismic activities.

One of the deadliest earthquakes in Indonesia that occurred over these past two years was the one that struck several areas of Central Sulawesi province.

The 7.4-magnitude earthquake which was followed by tsunami that hit the areas of Palu city and the districts of Donggala, Paringi Moutong, and Sigi on September 28, 2018, claimed 2,102 lives, injured 4,612, and rendered 680 others missing.

Previously, in 2004, a 9.1- magnitude earthquake rocked the Indonesian coast of Sumatra and caused tsunamis across the Indian Ocean, killing 220,000 people, including about 170,000 in Indonesia./.

Khmer people’s Ok Om Bok festival opens in Tra Vinh

The traditional Ok Om Bok festival of the Khmer ethnic group was opened in the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh on October 25.

To celebrate the festival, part of the national intangible cultural heritage, a wide range of activities are taking place, including a cultural and tourism week, a festival featuring the southern region’s delicacies, an exhibition on the Mekong Delta’s tourism, an agricultural product fair, a Khmer costume contest, along with traditional sports activities.

Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Duong Hoang Sum said apart from helping with the preservation and promotion of Khmer people’s culture, the event, scheduled to last through October 31, is also an occasion to introduce local people and tourism potential to visitors, enhance the province’s tourism links with other localities, and attract investment in tourism.

The Ok Om Bok (moon worshipping) is one of the three main festivals, along with Sene Dolta and Chol Chnam Thmay, that Khmer people celebrate every year. It often takes place around the full-moon period of the 10th lunar month, after the harvest season.

Khmer people believe the moon is a god who controls the weather and crops. The worship aims to thank the moon for granting them good weather and bumper harvests, and to pray for better crops in the following year.

Tra Vinh is home to nearly 330,000 Khmer people who account for 31 percent of its population./.

People in Hai Phong run for public health

Nearly 2,000 people joined the Olympic Run Day for Public Health in the northern city of Hai Phong on October 25.

Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Le Khac Nam said the event aimed to encourage locals to do physical exercise so as to improve their health, especially when the COVID-19 pandemic remains complex.

It was also an activity celebrating the 16th Party Congress of Hai Phong for the 2020-2025 tenure.

At the event, the municipal committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union also received 440 million VND (nearly 19,000 USD) donated by local organisations and individuals to flood victims in the central region./.

Outstanding children honoured at Hanoi ceremony

A ceremony was held in Hanoi on October 25 to commend children with remarkable achievements from nationwide, which was the most important activity of the 9th National Congress of Uncle Ho’s Good Children for 2015-2020.

At the event, 63 outstanding children, representing 344 participants in the national congress, from the 63 provincial-level localities across Vietnam were presented with merit certificates.

In her speech, National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan said over the past years, children nationwide have followed late President Ho Chi Minh’s teachings to emulate one another in learning, self-improvement and engagement in campaigns launched by the Ho Chi Minh Vanguard Children Union.

Praising their attainments, she expressed her belief that they will continue making efforts to become role models who will encourage their peers to perform better in learning and self-improvement so that all Vietnamese children will be Uncle Ho’s good children.

On this occasion, the top legislator also highly valued efforts by the communist youth and vanguard children unions at all levels to coordinate with relevant agencies and organisations to protect, care for and educate children, while asking all-level authorities, sectors and society as a whole to pay more attention to these tasks, especially for disadvantaged children and those in remote and disaster-prone areas.

The National Congress of Uncle Ho’s Good Children is an important event held every five years of Vietnamese children.

The event aims to honour children with outstanding performance in learning, self-improvement and following President Ho Chi Minh’s teachings. It is also meant to demonstrate the Party, the Government, sectors and the entire society’s care for the young generation./.

More than 350 Vietnamese citizens return home from Canada, RoK

Over 350 Vietnamese citizens were brought home from Canada and the Republic of Korea on a flight operated by the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines on October 23-24.

The flight was conducted thanks to the joint efforts of competent Vietnamese agencies at home and abroad, and local authorities.

The passengers included children under 18, students who completed courses, the elderly, people with illnesses, and workers with expired visas and contracts.

The Vietnamese representative agencies in the two countries sent staff to airports in Vancouver and Seoul to help the citizens with boarding procedures.

Strict security, safety and epidemiological measures were implemented during the flight to ensure passengers’ health and prevent the spread of diseases.

After landing at Van Don airport in the northern province of Quang Ninh, the passengers and crew members had their health checked and were sent to quarantine in line with regulations.

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

Malaysia records four-digit growth of new COVID-19 cases for first time

Malaysia reported 1,228 new COVID-19 cases on October 24, the highest daily tally and also the first four-digit growth in the number of new infections in a day.

Health Director-General Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah told the press that Sabah continued to record the most new cases, 889, followed by Negri Sembilan (96), and Selangor (76). Meanwhile, eight new cases were confirmed in Kuala Lumpur capital city.

The country also reported seven new fatalities, bringing the death toll to 221.

Among the 25,742 COVID-19 patients so far, there remain 8,966 active cases.

The same day, Senior Minister for Security Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the conditional movement control order imposed in Sabah since October 13 will be extended until November 9, instead of October 26 as initially slated, due to a surge in positive cases, forcing the state government and the Sabah National Security Council to make the decision.

Malaysia is currently in the third wave of COVID-19 infection, which began in Sabah after the state election had been held in late September. From there, the coronavirus has spread to most of other states, prompting the Malaysian Government to impose travel restrictions on some localities, including Sabah, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, and Putrajaya./.

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