The National Assembly (NA) convened its seventh session in Hanoi on June 17, with the fourth working week running to June 28, focusing on legislative activities.

The NA will consider and pass many bills and draft resolutions as well as decide on important issues within its authority.

Lawmakers will dilate on a wide range of bills, including the revised Notary Law, the amended Law on Value-Added Tax, the amended Trade Union Law, the Law on amendments and supplements to several articles of the Pharmaceutical Law, the revised Cultural Heritage Law, the Law on Geology and Minerals, the Law on Urban and Rural Planning, the Law on Fire Prevention, Fighting and Rescue, the Law on People's Air Defence, the Law on Justice for Minors, and the revised Law on Human Trafficking Prevention and Control.

They will vote to adopt the amended Archives Law and a Resolution on the establishment of the NA’s thematic supervision team for 2025.

NA deputies will also touch upon major investment policies, including the Gia Nghia (Dak Nong) - Chon Thanh (Binh Phuoc) section of the western North-South expressway project, adjustments to the investment policy for the national target programme for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas from 2021-2030.

The agenda for discussion includes the Hanoi Capital Planning for the 2021-2030 period with a vision to 2050, a comprehensive adjustment project for Hanoi capital city's General Planning until 2045 with a vision to 2065, and the investment policy for the national target programme on cultural development for 2025-2035.

Additionally, many other draft resolutions will be also considered for approval.

PM orders extra efforts to fight livestock, poultry diseases

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has ordered the concerted, drastic and effective implementation of solutions to prevent and control diseases on livestock and poultry, as a risk of a continuous spread is looming.

In his dispatch sent to leaders of provinces and centrally-run cities and several ministries on June 16, the PM asked the Chairpersons of the local People's Committees to direct and mobilise legal resources to completely handle outbreaks and prevent new ones from arising; cull infected or suspected animals; proactively carry out measures and policies to support affected farmers; and promptly detect, prevent, and resolutely handle cases of trading and transporting sick animals, and dumping dead ones that spread diseases and pollute the environment.

It is essential to carry out the vaccination against diseases for livestock, ensuring that at least over 80% of the total available livestock are inoculated as soon as possible, he stressed, asking for a timely and effective implementation of vaccination against avian influenza, rabies, African swine fever, foot-and-mouth disease, and others.

The Government leader emphasised the need to step up the dissemination work to raise farmers’ awareness and responsibility about the risk of epidemics and measures to prevent and control them.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development was required to coordinate with other ministries, sectors, and localities to focus on directing, guiding, promoting, and inspecting disease prevention and control in localities; and to closely monitor the epidemic situation to ensure early detection and warning and thorough handling of outbreaks.

The Ministry of Health must provide professional and technical directions and guidance, and enhance inspection of and supervision over the prevention and control of diseases transmitted between animals and humans, while the Ministry of Industry and Trade must strengthen market management, and proactively detect and strictly handle cases of transporting and trading animals and products of unknown origins on the market.

Statistics show that so far this year, African swine fever has been reported in 410 communes in 40 provinces and cities, with 17,400 animals culled, up 53.74% year-on-year, while foot-and-mouth disease has been seen in 44 communes of 13 provinces and cities, rabies in 34 provinces and cities, papular dermatitis in over 60 communes of nine provinces, and A/H5N1 bird flu in seven provinces. Notably, one person died from being infected with the A/H5N1 bird flu virus and another was infected with the A/H9N2 bird flu virus./.

PM lauds digital transformation progress in People's Courts

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh commended the People's Court sector for its achievements in digital transformation while attending a teleconference on June 16.

The event, connecting with over 800 locations from People's Courts nationwide, showcased successful digital transformation models adopted by the sector.

In his address, Chinh, who is also Chairman of the National Committee for Digital Transformation, highlighted the Party and State’s strong commitment to digital transformation, viewing it as a critical political task, an inevitable trend, and an objective requirement in the national construction, defence and development.

Pointing to the development of e-courts as a central task in the ongoing judicial reform process, he said this initiative is essential to improve the operational efficiency of the court system, strengthen public trust in the law and justice system as well.

Recognising the rapidly changing global landscape, he urged the sector to continue upholding its tradition of overcoming challenges and fulfilling assigned duties. He specifically emphasised the importance of accelerating digital transformation as one of the most crucial, effective, and supportive tools for the court system's operations.

He called on the sector to hasten the building of e-courts on the back of fine-tuning relevant policies and mechanisms, developing digital infrastructure and platforms, creating digital data and ensuring seamless connectivity and sharing to improve courts’ governance and execution capacity, nurturing digital human resources and skills, and raising awareness of the effort among all court staff.

The PM also urged the early submission of the amended Law on the Organisation of the People's Courts and the revised Civil Procedure Code to the legislature for approval, thus laying the groundwork for online judicial activities.

At the same time, court activities should be made available on the Supreme People's Court's portal and the websites of all-level People's Courts, aiming for all People's Courts to meet the necessary equipment and personnel requirements to conduct online trials.

The teleconference also included live-streamed court sessions from various locations.

Since the start of 2022, the People's Courts have collaborated with prosecuting agencies to conduct nearly 20,000 online trials, yielding cost saving of nearly VND100 billion (US$4.16 million).

The court sector has further embraced innovation by incorporating artificial intelligence and virtual assistants to support judges. These tools have addressed a significant volume of inquiries, exceeding 5.7 million to date. Additionally, the National Public Service Portal provides numerous online legal services for the public, with over 1.4 million judgments and decisions accessible.

Vietnamese language test in Japan sees record number of candidates

A total of 889 Japanese candidates participated in the 7th Vietnamese-language proficiency test held at the Japan College of Foreign Languages (JCFL) in Tokyo on June 16.

The candidates from 39 localities across Japan are those who study or do jobs relating to Vietnamese such as Vietnamese language students at universities, translators, and those who want to explore Vietnam and Vietnamese people, especially Vietnamese food.

The average age of the candidates is about 40 while the oldest candidate is 86 years old and the youngest one is just 8 years old.

Fujino Masayoshi, chairman of the association of Southeast Asian nations’ foreign language exchange in Japan, said this year, the test attracted a record number of candidates across Japan.

The association holds the test annually, offering Japanese learners a playground to test their Vietnamese language proficiency except in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.

Ise Yoji, Chairman of the Bunsai Gakuen Non-Profit Education Foundation, said that the record number of candidates shows the increased interest of Japanese people in Vietnamese language.

He hoped that Vietnamese will become a foreign language that is widely recognised across the world.

The Vietnamese language proficiency test is held annually to standardise and popularise the Vietnamese language in Japan. The 8th edition of the test is scheduled for June 15, 2025./.

Vietnamese products, food introduced at ASEAN fair in Sweden

Hundreds of Vietnamese products such as farm produce, food, handicrafts, garment and textitles along with dozens of traditional dishes were introduced at the the ASEAN Trade and Cuisine Fair 2024 – the first of its kind held in Stockholm, Sweden, on June 15.

The fair was organised by the ASEAN Committee in Stockholm (ACS), in collaboration with the embassies of six ASEAN countries in Sweden, namely Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

President of the Stockholm City Council Olle Burell, representatives from foreign diplomatic delegations in Sweden, the ASEAN community and local residents visited the fair.

The fair received great attention from public as it took place on the occasion of local residents preparing to celebrate the midsummer festival - one of Sweden's most popular holidays.

On this occasion, the Vietnamese Embassy in Sweden promoted the country’s images in science, technology, renewable energy, logistics, high-tech agriculture, aquaculture, tourism, and services.

Vietnam’s participation at the fair helps bring the image of the country and people of Vietnam closer to the Swedish people and international friends, contributing to promoting bilateral relations between Vietnam and Sweden and celebrating the 55th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations this year./.

Vietnam score big at Asian U23 canoe championships

Vietnam have obtained 12 medals, including six golds and four silvers, at the Canoe Sprint Junior & U23 Championships in Thailand.

According to the Vietnam Canoeing, Rowing and Sailing Federation, among the gold medalists was Olympic qualifier Nguyen Thi Huong who finished first in the U23 women's single C1 500m event. Huong also teamed up with Nguyen Thi Hong Thai and Diep Thi Huong to clinch two more gold medals in the U23 women's double C2 200m and C2 500m events, respectively.

The remaining three gold medals were earned by Mac Thi Thanh Thuy and Diep Thi Thuy in the U18 women's double C2 200m and C2 500m races, as well as Nguyen Thi Hai Anh in the U18 women's single C1 500m.

The tournament took place from June 10-16, with competitors coming from 18 countries./.

Billiard player Bao Phuong Vinh finishes second at Ankara World Cup

Billiard player Bao Phuong Vinh finished second at the Ankara World Cup three-cushion event in Turkey on June 15.

Vinh lost to player Heo Jung-han from the Republic of Korea in the finals, however his performance was enough to propel him to world No 4, while his teammate Tran Quyet Chien officially claimed the top spot in the world rankings according to the World Carom Billiards Federation (UMB).

Vinh had a strong start in the final, leading 10-2 against Heo, who had earlier eliminated Chien in the quarter-finals. But Heo fought back to level the match at 11-11 and then pulled away, leading 26-19 after 22 moves in the first round. Heo went on to win the final, 50-31.

Despite the loss, Vinh's finish earned him 54 additional ranking points, moving him from 8th to 4th place in the UMB rankings, the best ranking in his career so far which has included two individual and team world championship titles.

Meanwhile, Chien's consistent performances have seen him become the new world No 1, the first Vietnamese athlete to achieve this feat in an individual sport. Chien's accolades include three world cup titles, a world team championship, multiple Asia titles and a gold medal at the SEA Games.

According to the UMB's updated rankings, Chien leads both the World Players Ranking and the UMB Events Ranking. In the World Players Ranking, he has 371 points, 33 more than the next-best player, Kim Jun-tae and 40 more than third-placed Dick Jaspers.

With Vinh and Chien both in the top five of the world rankings, other Vietnamese players, such as Chiem Hong Thai (No 22) and Tran Thanh Luc (No 23), have also made significant strides in the UMB rankings./.

International Camel Day marked in Vietnam for the first time

Vietnam has recently celebrated World Camel Day (June 22) and International Year of Camelids (IYC 2024) for the first time.

It was jointly organised in Hanoi by the Embassy of Saudi Arabia and the University of Languages and International Studies at Vietnam National University.

The special day honoured the historical, cultural and economic value of camels, as well as helping Vietnamese people to have a better understanding about the role, value and significance of the animal in Arab life, as well as efforts by Saudi Arabia to preserve and promote the animal's heritage.

Hamoud Naif S. Almutairi, Charge d’ Affaires a.i of the Embassy of Saudi Arabia highlighted the profound impact of camels in Arabic culture, saying that the so-called 'desert ships' were the reason Arabs were able to settle in the desert.

Camels are referenced in the Quran and hold an extremely important place in the hearts and minds of the Arab people, as well as sustaining their lives in often harsh environments.

In 2000, under the patronage of Saudi Arabia's Prince Mishaal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the idea of ​​organising a Camel Festival, with an award named after King Abdulaziz, was proposed.

The festival is held every year in the Umm Ruqaybah area near Al Artawiyah area, Saudi Arabia, with many special events and the participation of a large number of traders, all honouring the camel.

It promotes the heritage values ​​associated with the image of the camel in Saudi Arabian, Arab and Muslim cultures and the importance of heralding in a new economic system, integrated economy for the auction and camel-related industries, increasing benefits for society and those interested in this rich heritage.

Vice Rector of the University of Languages and International Studies Ha Le Kim Anh said this event is an opportunity for lecturers, students and lovers of Arabic culture to learn more about the camel symbol of the Arab world and the role of the animal in the life of the Arab people.

Visitors to the event were introduced to Arabic culture through traditional products such as dates, coffee, and camel art.

Dromedary camels lived in parts of the Arabian Peninsula and later spread to the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East. They were brought to the coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and from there to Egypt and across the Red Sea to Sudan in a migration thought to have taken place between 2,500-1,550 BC.

Camels also live in some areas of the Near East and Central West Asia.

Arab camels have long legs, are light weight and are relatively hairless; when they encounter harsh arid weather, it is the fat in their hump which provides nutrients to keep them alive.

Camels, of their many varieties, have played a pivotal role in the development of human society, especially since their domestication about 3,000 to 4,000 years ago.

Camels are not only used as a means of transportation but also as an important source of food and raw materials.

In addition, camel products are one of the main export items to ensure food security.

People in the Arabian Peninsula drink camel milk, eat the meat, and use the animal's skin, so they depend on their camels for more than just a way of allowing them to move around and live in harsh natural environments.

Vietnam introduces tourism, cultural charms at France’s diplomatic festival

Vietnam has brought to the annual festival of consulates general in France a showcase of her tourism destinations, traditional paintings and musical instruments, leaving an enticing impression on visitors.

As part in the festival held in Lyon on June 15 and 16, the Vietnamese space was adorned with lanterns from Hoi An – a member of UNESCO's global Creative Cities Network in the fields of crafts and folk arts, Dong Ho folk paintings, as well as large photographs, brochures, and publications showcasing the country's scenic landmarks, tourism products and culture.

According to Tang Thanh Son, deputy director of the Vietnam Culture Centre in France, unlike previous editions, this time the centre had collaborated with the Vietnamese Association in Lyon to promote the homeland’s tourism potential and culture through various publications and brochures detailing tours and travel routes. The central province of Quang Binh, particularly its tours exploring Son Doong Cave – the largest of its kind in the world to date, garnered significant interest, especially from young visitors.

Lyon's Mayor Grégory Doucet noted that Vietnam always comes up with new ways to present the country's images, people, and culture at the festival. Expressing his admiration for the nation’s landscapes, particularly the Son Doong cave system, he shared his plans to visit Vietnam and explore its caves.

For over two decades, the renowned festival has been organised to honour the friendship and international solidarity of Lyon, promoting the cultural diversity and dynamism of consulates and foreign communities. With the theme of craftsmanship and expertise, this year’s edition attracted the participation of more than 50 countries and territories and some 35,000 visitors./.

Deputy PM chairs review of 2021-2030 national forestry planning

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang chaired a meeting of the Council tasked with reviewing the National Forestry Planning for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050, in Hanoi on June 14.

It is one of the four national sectoral plans formulated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The planning came as Vietnam's forests face complex challenges. While the total forest area is increasing, the quality of forests is a major concern. Currently, only a small portion (8.7%) of natural forests are considered high-quality, with the majority (66.5%) classified as poor. Additionally, forest plantations are not producing enough wood to meet growing domestic and export demands. Climate change and frequent natural disasters further threaten Vietnam's forestry resources.

Under the draft plan, Vietnam aims to have over 15.8 million ha of forests and forestry land by 2030. This includes 15.5% allocated for special use forests, 33% for protective forests, and 51.5% for production forests. The goal is to maintain national forest coverage between 42-43% while significantly enhancing the quality of existing natural forests.

Specific targets include an annual forestry production growth rate of 5-5.5%, planting an average of 238,000 ha of production forests each year, and restoring 22,500 ha of natural forests annually. By 2030, the plan expects over 1 million ha of forests to be certified for sustainable management.

The export value of wood and forestry products is projected to reach 20 billion USD by 2025 and 25 billion USD by 2030. Domestic consumption is also expected to rise to 5 billion USD by 2025 and 6 billion USD by 2030. Revenue from forest environmental services is anticipated to grow by 5% annually, with total earnings estimated at 3.5 trillion VND (145.8 million USD) annually from 2021-2025, and 4 trillion VND from 2026-2030.

The ministry estimated that achieving these goals will require over 217.3 trillion VND in capital, with about 107 trillion VND needed for 2021-2025 phase.

Deputy Prime Minister Quang underlined the importance of accurate data on forest land, careful review and feedback from relevant ministries, agencies and localities to ensure the plan's effectiveness./.

Reputable people from border, sea and island villages honoured

The second edition of “Diem tua ban lang” (The fulcrums of villages), a programme to honour reputable people in border, sea and island areas, was held in Hanoi on June 16, gathering 200 delegates from 47 ethnic groups, representing 42 border and island provinces and centrally-run cities.

Among the delegates, the youngest was 28 years old and the oldest was 84. They included eight religious dignitaries and seven border guards.

The programme, jointly held by Tap chi Cong san (Communist Review) - the Party Central Committee-run magazine, the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee's Standing Board, and the Border Guard High Command, aimed to recognise the important contributions that reputable people in the community have made to implementing the campaign of “all people unite to build new rural areas and civilised urban areas" and the movement of "all people participate in protecting territorial sovereignty and national border security in the new situation."

Its objectives also included creating a forum for reputable from border, sea and island areas to meet and exchange experiences, thus multiplying and spreading good examples to continue making more contributions to the development of each ethnic community.

Addressing the event, Politburo member, Standing member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat Luong Cuong highlighted the contributions, devotion and sacrifice by ethnic minority communities in general and reputable people from ethnic groups in particular to peace and prosperity in the border, sea and island areas.

He affirmed that reputable people have played a significant role in “turning each person in the border areas into a living landmark”.

Cuong underlined the need for ministries, sectors, the armed forces and the administration of localities to consider promoting reputable people’s roles an important and regular task, while implementing support policies for the group in a timely, full and practical manner.

He asked the border guard and public security forces to keep a close contact with reputable people in the border areas.

The official hoped that along with setting good examples for their families, clans, villages and communities, the reputable people will actively popularise the Party and State’s policies and laws, contributing to eliminating outdated customs and superstition, and encouraging their relatives to join border management groups and coordinate with the border guard and public security forces to protect the country's borders.

Cuong recalled Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s sayings at a meeting with reputable people from border, sea and island areas on the occasion of the first edition of the programme in 2018 that he expected the reputable people will always maintain their utmost trust in the Party and State and confidence in the nation’s good fortune, not letting bad people incite or doing anything that affects the great national unity bloc, thus becoming the true fulcrums of villages./.

Football tournament held for Vietnamese community in Japan’s Kyushu

The Consulate General of Vietnam in Fukuoka on June 16 coordinated with the Association of Vietnamese People in Fukuoka (AVF), and the Association of Vietnamese Trade and Investment Promotion Enterprises in Kyushu (VITK) launched the Vietnamese football tournament in the Kyushu region, southern Japan.

This is the first large-scale sports tournament that has been held for the Vietnamese community in the Kyushu region. It is expected to become an annual event to create a playground and promote community connection for Vietnamese people there.

The event attracted 24 Vietnamese amateur teams from localities in Kyushu and the south central region. Many Japanese amateur players also join the teams that will compete in the mini 7-player football format.

The matches are scheduled to take place on weekends in June.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the tournament on June 16, Vietnamese Consul General Vu Chi Mai affirmed that the football tournament aims to help the Vietnamese community to improve health, and strengthen solidarity.

Mai said that the success of this year's tournament will pave the way to a bigger one next year with more teams from countries in the ASEAN community in the region and local teams to be invited to join.

By the end of 2023, about 52,000 Vietnamese people were living, working and studying in Kyushu, accounting for about one tenth of the total number of Vietnamese people in Japan./.

Summer theatrical programs for children

Theaters and art organizations nationwide have produced attractive and meaningful artistic programs for children during the summer holiday.

These programs are not just entertaining but also of great educational values. 

The Vietnam National Drama Theater in Hanoi has organized a special art series themed “Magical Journey”, which includes three plays: “The Emperor’s New Clothes”, “Return of the Dragon Gods”, and “The Super Hero Squad”.

The play “The Emperor’s New Clothes”, which is adapted from Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale, stages witty situations and educational elements through dramatic performance, pantomime, dancing, singing, music, and light effects. The play conveys a message of honesty in life.

Director of the Vietnam National Drama Theater, People’s Artist Xuan Bac, said “Andersen’s fairy tales have charmed children around the world. We invited Japanese Director Hiroyuki Muneshige to produce the play in about 2 months. The delivery of the story is contemporary and not boring for children because the director has combined dancing, choreography, mime, music, and light shows which are specific and stylized to attract children to the story.”

The Vietnam Circus Federation staged the circus play “Dream of the Fairy Age” which consists of three scenes namely “Childhood Memories”, “Hard Struggle”, and “Future Light”. The performance takes the children to a dream world to interact with their favorite super heroes. It employs themes of courage, solidarity, and combined strength to overcome difficulties, fight evil, protect justice, and protect people.

The Youth Theater entertains the audience with a series of plays such as “The story of the seagull and the cat who taught her to fly”, “The Goblin Child”, “The Swans” and the new play “Elsa’s Party” directed by Tran Le Chien.

Head of the Music and Dance Troupe of the Youth Theater, Meritorious Artist Le Anh Tuyet, said “For children, a musical always has its own attraction. A musical conveys clear messages and entertains children with song and dance. Humorous and fun stories with educational value are staged through songs, dance, and dramatic scenes to stimulate children’s creativity and discovery as well as inspire their dreams.”

Many theaters in Ho Chi Minh City have been launching unique and lively art programs and plays to attract children during the summer.

Since May 23, the Hong Hac Stage has performed the play “My Little Angel” by director-screenwriter Viet Linh. It is adapted from a much longer story with the same name by writer Nguyen Nhat Anh.

Since April, IDECAF Drama Theater launched the program “Once Upon a Time 35”, with the main play being “The Adventures of Sinbad – Legend of the Magic Eye”. The 17 shows in May were packed with audiences. 16 shows  will be staged at the theater in June.

Ban Mai Stage and San Khau Nho (Little Theater) are familiar venues for children in the summer. Director of the San Khau Nho Theater, People’s Artist My Uyen, said: “Performances for children during the summer left a deep impression on both parents and children. The parents like it very much because a simple story conveys deep educational meaning and the adults are happy if they can do this for their children.”

Besides fun and laughter, the summer theatrical performances have inspired children to the value of solidarity, team spirit, and a sense of self-improvement to overcome challenges and honor the importance of the family relationship.

Vietnam desires stronger ties with China’s Guangdong province

Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and head of the committee’s Commission for Information and Education Nguyen Trong Nghia met with Politburo member and Secretary of the Party Committee of China’s Guangdong province Huang Kunming on June 14 as part of the former’s working visit to China from June 11 to 15.

At the meeting, the Vietnamese official showed his impression on the dynamic and comprehensive development of the Chinese locality in all areas, particularly economy.

Guangdong has strong economic and trade cooperation with Vietnam, and suggested both sides step up communications work on the sound friendship, neighbourliness and comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties and States as well as between Vietnamese ministries, sectors and localities with Guangdong, Nghia told his host.

He voiced his hope that the two sides will support and facilitate trade-investment-tourism promotion activities of Vietnamese localities, organisations and companies in Guangdong, the introduction of the Vietnamese culture and arts to Guangdong people, and people-to-people exchange and cooperation between media agencies and publishing houses of the two sides, thus creating firmer foundation for bilateral ties moving forward.

Huang, for his part, hailed the development of the Vietnam – China relations as well as positive results in the economic, trade, investment and tourism cooperation between Vietnam and Guangdong in particular. He emphasized that he supports and incentivizes local firms to intensify investment in Vietnam while facilitating Vietnamese investment and business in the locality.

Guangdong always pays attention to preserving the relic sites connected to President Ho Chi Minh and Vietnamese revolutionaries in the locality, particularly the Vietnamese Revolutionary Youth League relic site and the grave of Martyr Pham Hong Thai.

Nghia paid tribute to Martyr Pham Hong Thai at his tomb and visited the Vietnamese Revolutionary Youth League relic site on June 15.

Earlier, he had a working session with the Nanfang Media Group, the largest multi-media agency of Guangdong province.

Cuba, Vietnam reinforce solidarity, all-round cooperation

Vietnam always treasures and make constant efforts to deepen as well as expand the fraternal solidarity and comprehensive and trustworthy cooperation with Cuba, Vietnamese Ambassador Le Quang Long said after presenting his letter of credence to Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermudez recently.

The Vietnamese diplomat stated that Vietnam always bears in mind and feels grateful for the Cuba’s assistance for the country in the past, and maintains a consistent stance on supporting the just revolutionary cause of the Cuban people.

In reply, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, thanked Vietnam for the solidarity and valuable support that it has given to Cuba, affirming that the Latin American country desires and resolves to continue fostering the solidarity and cooperation between the two Parties, States and peoples, thus continuing the historical and traditional relations that President Ho Chi Minh, President Fidel Castro and General Raul Castro nurtured.

He used the occasion to congratulate Vietnam on its successful organisation of activities to mark the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory against the French colonialism, and emphasized that the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs stays ready to coordinate with the Vietnamese side to prepare for celebrations of the 65th anniversary of Vietnam – Cuba diplomatic ties in each nation next year.

Sightseeing tour on hot air balloon launched

A sightseeing tour on a hot air balloon was launched in the northern locality of Son Tay on June 15 to help visitors savour the majestic landscapes of the local area.

The hot air balloons are due to fly over several popular destinations in the locality, including Son Tay ancient citadel, Duong Lam ancient village, and Ba Vi National Park.

This new tourism product has been jointly launched by the Balloon Airlines and Asean Resort with the aim of stimulating tourism in Hanoi in general, with a specific focus on Son Tay town in particular.

The scheme also offers an opportunity for Son Tay town to promote its tourism potential whilst showcasing its unique cultural characteristics.

The large hot air balloons have been officially imported from developed countries, along with a team of pilots who have been thoroughly trained and certified to meet the strict requirements set by the International Balloon Association.

Le Dai Thang, vice chairman of Son Tay town’s People's Committee, said the unique tourism product is expected to attract more tourists to the locality.

Visitors can choose to experience hot air balloon trips in the form of fixed anchor flights, ranging from 10 to 15 minutes, or free flights, ranging from 45 to 60 minutes, at Asean Resort tourist area and Son Tay town stadium.

Health insurance coverage rate may surpass 94% this year

The coverage rate of health insurance is likely to exceed 94% by the end of the year thanks to sustainable growth, Nguyen The Manh, general director of the Vietnam Social Security (VSS), said at a regular conference held recently in Hanoi to make social insurance information public.

In the second quarter of the year, good results were recorded in terms of the number of people joining social insurance, health insurance, and unemployment insurance compared to the same period from last year.

Specifically, about 18.3 million people participated in social insurance, leading to a coverage rate of 39.05% of the workforce, an increase of 1.16 million people at 6.77% over the corresponding period from 2023.

Meanwhile, the number of people becoming involved in health insurance surged by 1.22 million, an annual rise of 1.37%, said Manh.

In the first half of this year, the insurance sector paid social insurance benefits to nearly eight million people, while co-ordinating with the labour, invalids, and social affairs sector to provide unemployment benefits to 442,380 people.

At the same time, 89.55 million people enjoyed health care services using health insurance cards with a total amount of benefits reaching over VND66.92 trillion, equal to US$2.62 billion, said the VSS leader.

He added that the VSS has become one of the seven agencies to finalise the administrative simplification plan related to resident management.

The sector also progressed in communications activities, with the issuance of 44 press releases, bulletins, and roughly 16,000 articles published in mass media so far this year. 

Government leader underscores sustainable development of building material industry

The Vietnamese Government always pays close attention to boosting sustainable development of the cement, iron and steel, and building material industry by adopting many guidelines and policies aimed at meeting domestic consumption and export demand.

The statement was made by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh while chairing an online conference on removing difficulties and promoting production and the consumption of cement, iron and steel, and construction materials. 

In his opening speech, the Vietnamese Government chief underlined the importance of cement, iron and steel, and building materials as essential materials in serving to build technical infrastructure facilities, civil and industrial works, airports, ports, defence and security projects, and urban and rural infrastructure systems.

With the Government's policies coupled with the involvement of sectors, localities, and enterprises; the cement, iron and steel, and construction material industry have seen remarkable development over the last 10 years. In line with this cement has been invested with around US$20 billion to reach a total output of 122 million tonnes annually, thereby making it among the world’s leading cement producers.

The steel industry enjoyed a high growth rate of 14.25% on average during the 2011 to 2022 period, with steel output in 2022 increasing five times compared to the figure from 2011. Especially in the 2016 to 2022 period, the steel industry achieved a very high growth rate with an average of 27.11% per year.

However, in recent years due to the impact of many unfavourable factors at home and abroad along with a stagnant real estate market; the production of cement, iron and steel, and construction materials has declined.

Total production output of cement and clinker last year reached a mere 92.9 million tonnes, with this output only serving to meet 75% of the total design capacity, while total consumption hit 87.8 million tonnes, equal to 88% compared to 2022.

Construction steel production stood at 10,655 million tonnes, down 12.2% on-year and consumption reached 10,905 million tonnes, down 11.2% compared to 2022.

PM Chinh emphasized that the conference is of great importance to achieve the goal of seeking solutions to remove difficulties and obstacles in a bid promote greater production and consumption of cement, iron and steel, and construction materials in the coming time. This should be done whilst focusing on intensifying provision for public investment projects, social housing, national target programmes for new rural construction, and other important projects.

It is essential to carefully evaluate and analyze the production and consumption of cement, iron and steel and construction materials in recent times, Chinh said, while emphasizing the need to clarify why the consumption of cement, iron and steel and construction materials from 2023 until now has decreased significantly, failing to reach the set target.

The cabinet leader also pointed out a number of difficulties and challenges in production, domestic consumption and exports such as rising fuel costs, sluggish domestic real estate market, and growing trade remedy measures of other countries.

It is necessary to devise solutions, point out objective and subjective causes, lessons learned and clarify the specific roles and responsibilities of all sectors and relevant agencies in resolving bottlenecks, he added.

Top legislator praises blood donors nationwide

National Assembly (NA) Chairman Tran Thanh Man lauded blood donors nationwide while meeting 100 outstanding people in the voluntary blood donation campaign in Hanoi on June 14.

The meeting was held on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of World Blood Donor Day (June 14) with the theme “20 Years of Celebrating Giving: Thank You, Blood Donors!”.

Man said that along with changes in population structure, and advances in medicine, hematology and blood transfusion, relevant agencies and organisations must develop solutions to maintain and develop the network of blood donors to make voluntary blood donation activities become more sustainable, thus ensuring a safe blood source, particularly in remote and border and island areas.

He stressed the need to continue improving the quality of disseminations to raise public awareness of the necessity of this work, and enhancing commendations.

It is essential to focus on the application of digital transformation in the management of blood donation activities, and build a unified blood donor database between localities, blood centres, and hospitals that receive blood, Man stressed.

Speaking at the meeting, Health Minister Dao Hong Lan affirmed that voluntary blood donation has become a movement with widespread influence, attracting and receiving the attention of the entire society.

Among the 100 outstanding delegates honoured at the event, two have donated blood more than 100 times, seven from 70-99 times, and 26 from 50-69 times.

According to the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT), thirty years after the blood donation movement was officially launched (January 24, 1994), Vietnam has mobilised and received over 21.3 million units of blood, with the number of volunteer donors hitting 99%.

The number of blood units received has seen a 11-fold rise, from 138,000 in 1994 to 1.55 million in 2023.

Vietnamese police bring joy to South Sudanese students

In honour of the Day of the African Child (June 16), the United Nations (UN) Police Gender Affairs Office in South Sudan, alongside several partners, reached out to students in an internally displaced person (IDP) camp.

The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) Police Women Network, the Juba Capital Police Office, and the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security (MoPS) Task Force at UNMISS all joined the UN Police Gender Affairs Office for the initiative, the ministry said.

At Hope secondary school and Thong Nhat primary school in IDP Camp 01, Juba, UNMISS police officers and gender experts conducted sessions to raise awareness of the importance of education for 348 secondary and 1,363 primary schoolers. They also offered gender knowledge and gifts to female students.

The MoPS Task Force, through its Women's Union, provided much-needed school supplies for both schools. Nearly 2,000 notebooks, pencils, rulers, sharpeners, and pens were distributed to students, along with registration books, chalks, and marking pens for teachers.

The UNMISS Police Women Network added a touch of joy to the day by donating toys like hula hoops, jump ropes, soccer balls, and coloring materials to the children.

This marked the third charitable activity by the MoPS Women's Union, aiming to bring hope and support to African children impacted by internal conflicts and living in challenging conditions in IDP camps./.

Efforts needed to curb price hikes following salary increases

A salary policy reform is scheduled to be implemented from July 1, with the average salary of officials, civil servants and public employees expected to increase by about 30%, including basic salary and allowances.

Notably, those working in the education and health sectors are likely to enjoy a higher salary than the average level.

This is a significant increase compared to the average annual rise of 7% before the salary reform is implemented.

However, wage increases will only be truly meaningful when commodity prices are strictly controlled and the rises do not create inflation.

In a recent meeting of the Price Management Steering Committee, Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai, who is also head of the committee, requested not to have unreasonable price increases after the salary is raised.

To stabilise the market, it is necessary to ensure the smooth supply and circulation of goods to meet consumption needs, and check price listings at traditional markets, Khai stressed.

He asked ministries, sectors and localities to propose appropriate solutions and scenarios, and coordinate well with each other to prevent prices of goods, especially essential products, from rising./.

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