Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha has signed a decision approving a plan to turn Thua Thien Hue into a centrally run city by 2025 and a typical heritage city of Vietnam by 2030.

To realise the goal, Thua Thien Hue will develop synchronous and modern infrastructure, especially in the fields of transportation, smart urban areas, and natural disaster prevention.

The province will promote its potential and strategic location - the gateway to the East - West economic corridor with unique culture and history, focusing on tangible and intangible cultural heritage recognised by UNESCO while tapping diverse natural resources of the Huong River, Ngu Mountain, and Tam Giang - Cau Hai Lagoon.

Thua Thien Hue has identified breakthrough stages including developing a heritage urban system combining modern, smart urban areas on the basis of preserving and promoting heritage values. The city will also take advantage of coastal urban areas and implement high economic competitiveness, and adaptation to climate change.

Another focus is building Thua Thien Hue into a strong marine economic centre in the country, accelerating the growth of processing, manufacturing and electricity production industries from green energy sources. The province also prioritises attracting large high-tech projects with high value-added potential.

According to the plan, Thua Thien Hue will have three urban centres, including the city of Hue, the northwest region and the southeast region. In particular, the city of Hue is divided into the northern and southern districts on either side of the Huong River.

The urban area in the northwest includes Phong Dien town, Quang Dien and A Luoi districts, of which Phong Dien serves as a central urban area associated with Dien Loc Port and Phong Dien Industrial Park. Industrial urban development is the driving force in the north of the province, and a gateway to Quang Tri, Quang Binh provinces and countries in the Mekong sub-region.

The southeast urban area comprises Phu Vang district, Phu Loc district, Nam Dong district, developing Chan May area into a tier-3 urban area - a smart, modern city associated with Chan May - Lang Co Economic Zone.

The province will focus on three growth drivers, namely the Complex of Hue Monuments, the Chan May-Lang Co Economic Zone and the Phong Dien Industrial Park.

Thua Thien Hue aims to have an average economic growth rate of up to 10% a year by 2030 and an average GRDP per capita of 6,000 USD, along with an urbanisation rate of 70%. The province also strives to lead the country in the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI), and the Administrative Reform Index (PAR Index).

Central Highlands holds great potential for cultural tourism

The Central Highlands boasts a diverse culture which is enriched by ethnic minority groups from many parts of the country, thus the region has huge potential for cultural tourism development.

According to Prof. Dr. Trinh Quang Phu, Director of the Oriental Development Research Institute, the Central Highlands retains many tangible and intangible cultural heritages which have both historical and unique aesthetic values. These precious intangibles include Nha Rong (communal house), Nha Dai (long house), dan da or lithophone (a stone musical instrument played by ethnic minority groups in the Central Highlands of Vietnam), festivals and folk literature treasures with epic and folk songs, passed down through many generations.

One of the famous heritages is the space of gong culture in the Central Highlands, which has been recognised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

Gongs are used in many important rituals and creeds. They are considered a privileged language between men, divinities and the supernatural world. Central Highlands gongs not only have a special attraction in the diversity and distinctiveness of performing techniques, but also symbolise the life of indigenous ethnic communities. Every family possesses at least one gong, which indicates its wealth, power and prestige.

In the past, gongs were only played during festivals, calling on people to gather around fire, drink wine, dance and sing together.

Currently, the Central Highlands Gong Festival is held annually, with Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, and Lam Dong provinces taking turn to host.

The Central Highlands culture is closely linked to villages and features unique festivals in the vast forest space. Traditional festivals in the Central Highlands reflect concepts about people, attracting the participation of the entire community such as the new rice ceremony and wedding ceremony for young people and celebration of longevity for the elderly.

The population of the Central Highlands rose from more than 1.2 million people with 18 ethnic groups in 1976 to 6 million with 54 ethnic groups, including 36 ethnic minorities, mainly from the northern mountainous region. The ethnic groups who came to settle here brought with them the cultural heritage of their homeland, enriching the cultural treasure of the Central Highlands ethnic groups.

The Muong in Hoa Binh was the first group to come to Dak Lak. Currently, over 1,000 Muong households reside mainly in Hoa Thang commune in Buon Ma Thuot city. The Muong people also have gong culture like the Ede, Ba Na, and Gia Rai. During festivals, Muong women in Hoa Thang commune gather to play gongs and pass on their ethnic group's ancient gong songs to each other.

The Tay and Nung people live mainly in the districts of Ea H'leo, Cu M'gar, Krong Bong, and Buon Ho township of Dak Lak province. They still retain a number of ethnic festivals such as long tong (going to the field festival) - a unique agricultural festival of the Tay ethnic group, Sinh Minh and Hang Po festivals.

In Dak Lak, a number of festivals have been maintained regularly in January, such as the Viet Bac Folk Culture Festival of the Tay people in Krong Nang district, Hang Po festival of the Nung people in Buon Ho township, the Khai Ha (going to the field) festival of Muong people and the spring festival of Thai people in Buon Ma Thuot city.

According to a study on sustainable cultural tourism development in the Central Highlands, it is necessary to develop tourism based on natural resources and diversity in ethnic cultural identities, given the current conditions of the region. One of the cultural values of the Central Highlands that needs to be prioritised is to tap festivals.

Festivals in the region are diverse and unique. If the cultural tourism potential is well exploited, the number of tourists coming to the Central Highlands will surge remarkably compared to that of 2023. Last year, Lam Dong province welcomed 8.6 million visitors while Dak Lak, Kon Tum, Gia Lai and Dak Nong received more than 1.16 million, 1.3 million, 1.15 million and nearly 700,000, respectively.

Taekwondo fighter wins medal, gymnasts leave for World Cup during Tết

Sportspeople have no time to enjoy the Tết (Lunar New Year) Festival as they are busy for tournaments which are Olympic qualification ongoing around the world.

Taekwondo martial artist Bạc Thị Khiêm has won Việt Nam's first international medal of the lunar year over the weekend.

Khiêm and teammates took part in the Canada Open in Vancouver.

Competing in the women's 67kg category, Khiêm was seeded No 6. She met no difficulty in the qualifiers before beating No 2 Leslie Soltero from Mexico in the semi-finals.

In the final, Khiêm could not overcome No 1 Milena Titoneli from Brazil and received silver.

Along with the medal, Khiêm also earned points for her world and Olympic rankings.

Two other athletes, Trương Thị Kim Tuyền (women's 53kg) and Trần Thị Ánh Tuyết (women's 62kg) were disqualified in the quarter-finals.

After Canada, Vietnamese fighters will take part in the US Open on February 16-18 in Nevada.

While the taekwondo squad are away, the judo martial artists arrived home on February 12 after their European tour.

Trio Chu Đức Đạt, Hoàng Thị Tình and Nguyễn Ngọc Diễm Phương participated in the Györ European Open 2024 in Hungary and the Grand Prix France 2024 in February and the Grand Prix Portugal 2024 in January.

All tournaments were Olympic system events which delivered points for participants.

"My players will practise at home for one week before they fly back to Europe for the Warsaw European Open 2024 on February 24-25 in Poland," Nguyễn Hữu An, general secretary of the Việt Nam Judo Federation said.

"They will leave for Warsaw on February 21. All fighters are asked to perform their best to earn points for our Olympic campaign."

After Poland, the national team will compete at the Antalya Grand Slam 2024 on March 29-31 in Antalya, Turkey.

A month later, they will fight at the 2024 Asian Judo Championships from April 20 to 23 in Hong Kong which is part of the IJF World Tour and during the 2024 Summer Olympics qualification period.

Also on February 12, director of the Sports Authority of Việt Nam Đặng Hà Việt visited the national team of gymnastics in Hà Nội.

The team will compete in the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup on February 15-18 in Egypt.

The squad of four athletes Nguyễn Văn Khánh Phong, Đặng Ngọc Xuân Thiện, Văn Vỹ Lương and Trịnh Hải Khang and coach Trương Minh Sang practised throughout the Tết at the Hà Nội Sports and Training Centre.

At the meet, Việt encouraged and gave lucky money to all athletes and asked them to try their best at the competition.

In Cairo, Asian Games silver medallist Phong will take part in the men's rings; SEA Games champion Thiện will compete in the men's pommel horse; Khang will participate in the men's floor and vault; and Lương will compete in the men's floor and parallel bars.

After the Egypt World Cup, they will continue hunting their Olympic spots at the Germany World Cup from February 22-25 in Cottbus.

Bicycle tour connects Vietnamese, Chinese provinces

A two-day bicycle tour linking two international border gates of Vietnam and China was launched on February 16, helping to enhance tourism ties between the two sides and promising exciting experiences for visitors to Vietnam's northernmost province of Ha Giang.

Trieu Thi Tinh, Deputy Director of the Ha Giang provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the tour, named “One journey - Two countries”, starts at the Tianbao International Border Gate in China’s Yunnan province, goes through the Thanh Thuy International Border Gate in Ha Giang province, and ends in Ha Giang city.

In the city, visitors will explore such destinations as the culture and tourism village of Ha Thanh hamlet and Tha hamlet of Phuong Do commune, the March 26 Square, the Km0 milestone, the Provincial Museum, and the Nguyen Trai pedestrian street. They can also enjoy the cuisine and unique culture of local ethnic groups, she noted.

Tinh added that the tour, a new tourism product jointly held by the Explore Ha Giang Co. Ltd. and the Ma Li Pho international travel company of Yunnan, is expected to help enhance tourism cooperation between Ha Giang and Yunnan, increase the number of tourists travelling through the Thanh Thuy - Tianbao international border gates, and offer attractive experiences to visitors.

It is also a suggestion for domestic and foreign travel companies to pay more attention to bicycle tourism in Ha Giang, according to the official.

Ha Giang province is home to a number of famous destinations like the Quan Ba twin mountains, Dong Van ancient town, Lung Cu Flag Tower, Ma Pi Leng Pass, Meo Vac market, Hoang Su Phi terraced fields, and Mount Tay Con Linh. It also boasts long-standing history and culture and accommodates 19 ethnic groups with special cultural identities.

In 2023, it welcomed over 3 million tourists and earned nearly 7.1 trillion VND (290 million USD) from tourism, statistics showed.

Vietnamese, Russian Deputy PMs discuss measures to promote cooperation

Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha on February 16 held phone talks with his Russian counterpart Alexander Valentinovich Novak to review the bilateral cooperation in the past time and discuss measures to promote cooperative ties in various areas in the coming time.

The two Deputy PMs held that the Vietnam-Russia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with a history of more than seven decades has kept developing and achieved important results, especially within the framework of the Inter-Governmental Committee for Economic-Commercial and Scientific-Technological Cooperation.

They affirmed to continue coordinating closely to implement agreements reached during visits and meetings by senior leaders of the two countries, and promote the effectiveness of existing dialogue and cooperation mechanisms to serve the sustainable socio-economic development of each country.

The two sides agreed to continue close coordination and take specific measures to step up trade - investment relations and further promote advantages brought by the Free Trade Agreement between Vietnam and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), especially in fields that are strengths of cooperation between the two countries such as oil and gas, energy, tourism, education - training, and science - technology; and promptly remove obstacles in implementing cooperation projects between the two nations.

PM urges prompt resumption of work after Tet holiday

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has signed a directive urging ministries, sectors, localities, and state employees to promptly implement key tasks after the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday.

This year, state employees had seven days off for Tet, the largest festival in a year of Vietnamese people. For a long time, Vietnamese people usually kept an outdated thinking that the first lunar month is a time for festivals.

In his new directive, the PM commended good preparations for Tet, hailing ministries, agencies, localities, and forces for well performing their jobs during Tet, particularly health workers, officers and soldiers, street cleaners, and workers who had to work during the holiday to ensure key projects progress.

The PM said that in the coming time, it is forecast that the world and domestic situation will still see many complicated and unpredictable difficulties and challenges, creating great pressure on the direction and management of implementing socio-economic development tasks, especially in the first months of 2024.

He requested ministries, agencies, localities, organisations, and individuals in their capacities to immediately focus on handling post-Tet jobs, especially backlogged work due to the Tet holiday.

The government leader asked ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of governmental agencies, Chairpersons of People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities to review and identify key specific tasks for each month and each quarter to focus on directing and operating, have timely and effective policy response, and solve issues properly.

He asked for improved institutions, mechanisms, and policies to mobilise resources for the country’s development.

PM Chinh also asked for drastic measures to ensure public investment disbursement, and support enterprises and people in overcoming difficulties.

After pointing out specific key tasks for ministries and agencies, PM Chinh also asked  officials, civil servants, public employees, and workers in state administrative agencies and related agencies and organisations to quickly handle jobs right from the first working day after Tet.

PM Chinh noted that they must not go to festivals during working hours nor use the state budget, vehicles, or regulated public assets for festivals or entertainment activities.

Leaders of ministries, agencies, and localities must not attend the festivals unless assigned by competent authorities.

PM calls for support for Dien Bien ahead of 70th anniversary of globe-shaking victory

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has issued an appeal for nationwide support for the northwestern mountainous province of Dien Bien on the occasion of the coming 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu victory.

In his appeal, the PM emphasised that the Dien Bien Phu victory that “resounded across the five continents and shook the globe” in early 1954 held greatly historic significance and was a triumph of patriotism, the undaunted spirit, and the strength of the great national solidarity of Vietnam under the smart and clear-sighted leadership of the Party. It was also a demonstration of the maturity of the Vietnam People’s Army.

The Party Central Committee’s Secretariat agreed in principle on the organisation of a national-level ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu victory to keep bringing into play the revolutionary heroism across the entire Party, people, and army so as to create more momentum for national construction and defence and achieve the national development targets until the mid-21st century, he said.

Seven decades since the victory, Dien Bien has made development strides with many important achievements and become an increasingly attractive destination of culture, tourism, and investment, the Government leader highlighted.

He attributed those results to the attention from the Party, State, ministries, and central agencies; assistance from other localities, the business community, and people nationwide; as well as the province’s efforts and spirit of solidarity.

However, PM Chinh also noted that Dien Bien remains a poor province with a number of difficulties due to modest socio-economic foundations, a geographical distance from economic hubs, unfavourable conditions, and limited resources.

Given this, it needs continued assistance in terms of resources, experience, and cooperation models to maximise its potential, advantages, strategic location, and historical stature to develop more strongly, he said, asking for focus on boosting fast and sustainable economic development, building comprehensive and modern socio-economic infrastructure, building new-style rural areas, promoting culture, education and health care, and improving people’s life quality.

The PM stressed the Secretariat’s policy on mobilising the engagement of all-level administrations, sectors, localities, and society in helping the province develop further and improve local people's living standards.

Therefore, he called on ministries, sectors, all-level Party committees and administrations, associations, businesses, investors, and people nationwide to continue concrete and practical actions to support Dien Bien on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu victory.

PCC's Secretariat reviews Tet situation, assigns tasks to all-level Party committees

The Party Central Committee (PCC)’s Secretariat met in Hanoi on February 16 to review the implementation of its Directive No. 26-CT/TW, issued on November 23 last year, on the organisation of the Lunar New Year (Tet) 2024 celebrations and assign some focal tasks to all-level Party committees.

A report delivered at the meeting noted that thanks to the early issuance of the directive, Party committees and administrations at all levels actively made preparations to ensure a merry, safe, and economical Tet for all people and create new momentum for socio-economic development, national defence, and security safeguarding. Tet goods were diverse and had ensured quality as well as stable prices, made-in-Vietnam goods held an increasing market share, traffic and communications were smooth, while improvements were seen in fire prevention and food safety.

Party and State leaders paid Tet visits to all 63 provinces and centrally-run cities, presented gifts to social policy beneficiaries and workers not returning home for Tet, and extended greetings to residents in remote and disadvantaged areas along with the forces on duty during the holiday.

Tet gifts and assistance worth nearly 20 trillion VND (815 million USD) were presented to more than 13.9 million people of target groups, statistics showed.

Communications on national and local achievements were enhanced, and a wide range of Tet celebrations and festivals were held; security, border sovereignty, territory, and social order and safety were firmly maintained; and the annual tree planting festival was organised practically and effectively, according to the report.

The Secretariat praised all-level agencies, organisations, Party committees, and administrations' serious, creative, and fruitful implementation of the directive.

During this year’s Tet, more national projects were sustained compared to last year. These include the North-South Expressway, Long Thanh International Airport, the 500kV circuit-3 power transmission line, Ring Road 3 of Ho Chi Minh City, Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway, and the Terminal T3 project of the Tan Son Nhat International Airport.

Regarding post-Tet duties, the Secretariat ordered agencies, units, and localities immediately get down to political tasks, quickly resume normal operations to serve people, promote industrial production and construction, properly tend to the winter - spring rice crop, actively prevent crop and livestock diseases, and continue assisting some important sectors directly hit by changes in the global market.

The Secretariat also asked for implementing comprehensive measures to safeguard national security and social order and safety, fostering the combat against crimes and social evils, properly carrying out social security policies, and caring for laid-off and disadvantaged workers.

In addition, it is also necessary to boost internal political security, increase communications to popularise economic, cultural, and social achievements, and effectively fight distortions and wrongful allegations of hostile forces, according to the Secretariat.

Tra Que village's Cau Bong festival draws foreign visitors in New Year

On the 7th day of the Lunar New Year, residents of Tra Que vegetable village in Cam Ha commune, Hoi An city, in the central province of Quang Nam gathered for the Cau Bong festival, expressing gratitude to their village's founders, praying for favourable weather and bumper crops, while also providing foreign tourists with a chance to experience a day as a farmer in the festive atmosphere.

According to the legend passed down by the local elders, farmers of Tra Que village used to be fishermen along the Co Co river. After many years, fishing became increasingly difficult, so they gradually shifted to agricultural cultivation.

Legend has it that during a visit to Hoi An by a Nguyen Dynasty King, he sampled vegetables from the village. After tasting and inquiring about the village's name, he bestowed the name Tra Que instead of the old name Nhu Que, a homage to the essence of its fragrant and pure harvests, akin to the delicate aroma of tea leaves.

Starting with growing various types of flowers, they began to specialise in vegetable cultivation because the vegetables grown here all have a delicious taste that cannot be matched elsewhere. From then on, the rows of lettuce, coriander, onions, and cilantro gradually sustained the local people and elevated Tra Que into a renowned hub of agriculture.

Then, every beginning of the year, the villagers hold a festival at the communal house courtyard. The seven neighborhoods in the village prepare trays filled with fragrant offerings and solemnly parade them to the communal house altar.

Spirited competitions, from vegetable cultivation to New Year cake-making, further enliven the festivities, attracting hundreds of participants from near and far.

In recent years, the allure of "A Day as a Farmer in Tra Que" tour has surged, beckoning tourists to explore the daily rhythms of village life.

Source: VNA/SGT/VNS/VOV/Dtinews/SGGP/VGP/Hanoitimes