The 9th Japan Vietnam Festival, themed “Hold hands together - From now on”, was held in Ho Chi Minh City on March 9-10, starting a series of cultural, sport, trade and tourism activities between the two countries.

The festival is the largest annual cultural exchange event with the participation of businesses from Vietnam and Japan, said Sugano Yuichi, chief representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Vietnam, a sponsor of the festival.

This year’s theme means that after 50 years of building close diplomatic ties, both countries will continue to work together to develop further, he said.

The event also hosted the largest number of booths ever, with over 150 booths showcasing and selling food, consumer goods, tourism products, local specialties, educational programmes, and healthcare products.

There were also booths featuring Vietnamese and Japanese poetry, Japanese tea ceremonies, traditional Japanese folk games, and sports, as well as Gashapon vending machine-dispensed toys for children.

Festival-goers could also engage in music and dance shows performed by Japanese artists, such as BallistikBoyz and PsychicFever, and Vietnamese singers, such as My My and Tang Duy Tan.

Cosplay activities, the re-creation of the Bon Odori and Awa Odori dance festivals, traditional Vietnamese Ao dai (long dress) shows, and other thrilling performances were also part of the event.

“That Japanese culture and products are greatly endorsed by Vietnamese people, and vice versa, proves that this cooperation is getting stronger than ever,” said Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida while addressing the opening ceremony via video.

Hosting around 500,000 visitors last year, the event is expected to continue being a great way to connect people from both countries, he said.

Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang said that following last year's success, the festival continues to be a bridge strengthening the friendship and mutual trust between the two countries, boosting trade promotion, as well as promoting multifaceted cooperation and exchange./. 

Foreign diplomats join friendship spring tour in Hanoi

More than 400 delegates, who are government officials and representatives of diplomatic mission and international organisations in Vietnam, went on a friendship spring tour in Hanoi on March 9.

The trip, jointly held by the Hanoi Union of Friendship Organisations (HUFO) and the municipal Department of Tourism, took them to the Soc Temple Complex – a national special relic site – in the outskirts district of Soc Son.

They offered incense at temples and pagodas, visited booths that display traditional craft products, and enjoyed local specialities and music performances.

HUFO President Nguyen Ngoc Ky said that the annual spring friendship tour for foreign diplomats in Vietnam is an opportunity to promote cultural exchange to strengthen friendship and promote mutual understanding between the Vietnamese people and foreigners.

On behalf of the international delegates, Palestinian Ambassador to Vietnam Saadi Salama, head of the diplomatic corps in Vietnam, thanked Hanoi leaders for their attention to people-to-people diplomacy, highlighting friendship activities like this will contribute to a better future of Vietnam, and help the country have a better position in the international arena.

Vietnam hopes to intensify cooperation in natural sciences with UNESCO

Vietnam always identifies science and technology as a top national policy and an important driving force for the country's rapid and sustainable development, Ambassador Nguyen Thi Van Anh, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to UNESCO has told UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences Lidia Arthur Brito.

At their meeting on March 8, the ambassador expressed her wish to strengthen Vietnam's cooperation with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in this field in the coming time in the spirit of implementing the Memorandum of Understanding on Vietnam - UNESCO Cooperation for the 2021-2025 period.

She thanked UNESCO for supporting Vietnam in making dossiers of, preserving and promoting the value of Global Geoparks and World Biosphere Reserves to serve sustainable socio-economic development of localities; and asked the organisation to continue with its assistance in building the dossier for the Lang Son Geopark to seek recognition as a Global Geopark.

The diplomat took the occasion to invite the Assistant Director- General for Natural Sciences to visit Vietnam and attend the 8th Asia Pacific Geoparks Network Symposium to be hosted by the northern mountainous province of Cao Bang in September.

Lidia Arthur Brito thanked Vietnam for always supporting and contributing to UNESCO's efforts to implement its functions and tasks in the field of natural sciences.

She affirmed her willingness to intensify collaboration with Vietnam in the coming time, especially in the fields of open science, oceanography, water resources management, application of artificial intelligence (AI) in science, and ethics in AI, and preservation and promotion of the value of World Biosphere Reserves and Global Geoparks towards sustainable development.

New cold with rain lasts for several days in Northern Vietnam

A new cold air wave subsequently hit Northern Vietnam on March 9, bringing with drizzle, and this weather pattern is likely to last for several days, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

After the cold front hit the northern region, it caused temperatures to drop slightly to 13-16°C in the plains and 12°C in the highlands. Some areas at an altitude of above 2,000m saw temperatures to stay as low as 10 or even below 10°C.

As the new cold air wave was accompanied by rain, people felt a bit chill, especially in the morning and late at night.

Cold waves are anticipated to continue until October 13 when a warm western depression will develop and sweep across the northern region.

Temperatures are forecast to rise slightly, but drizzle and fog will cause humidity. People will feel uncomfortable in the next few days until October 17.

Kinoshita wins third stage, Frolova seals overall lead

Yurina Kinoshita's strong performance won her the third stage while Natalia Frolova stole the yellow jersey as the leader of the Binh Duong International Women's Cycling Tournament on March 8.

Riders of the Japanese Gerbera team including Kinoshita launched attacks after they had disappeared in the previous stages in the 120km from Dinh Quan District of Dong Nai Province to Bao Loc City, Lam Dong Province. They played key roles in pushing the speed of the race.

Kinoshita received strong support from teammates to be the first one to reach the top of 9km Bao Loc Hill and secured the polka dot jersey as the Queen of the Mountain. 

She then cycled solo to the finish line to take the stage win in a time of 3hr 35.55min.

Yellow jersey wearer Nguyen Thi Thu Mai of Loc Troi Group, winner of the second stage, was among the riders in the leading pack but despite of her strong effort, Mai could not catch up with Kinoshita and dropped out of the overall top three.

Frolova of ION Gold Biwase proved herself one of the best cyclists in hill climbing, coming 16 seconds after Kinoshita in the third stage, while her total time of 9:30.20 made her the leading athlete after three stages.

Gulnaz Khatuntseva of ION Gold Biwase was second, and Kinoshita was third.

First stage winner Maneephan Jutatip of Thailand did not make the top three of both rankings but she maintained the lead in the point classification category. Jutatip will continue wearing the blue jersey in the next stage.

In the team rankings, with two riders in the overall top three, ION Gold Biwase jumped to the top spot. Loc Troi Group and Thailand are second and third, respectively.

The fourth stage is from Bao Loc to Da Lat City on 110km. Athletes will have to climb Prenn Hill with 20 points available for the first one to reach the peak.

Vietnamese Youth and Students Association in Czech Republic holds congress for 2024-2029 term

The Vietnamese Youth and Students Association in the Czech Republic held its congress for the 2024 - 2029 term on March 9.

At the congress, a new 22-strong executive board was set up, with Vu Dieu Ha elected President of the association in the new term.

Vietnamese Ambassador to the Czech Republic Duong Hoai Nam hailed the association’s efforts to prove its position and value through pioneering and taking the lead in organising meaningful activities for young people in the host country as well as Europe.

The association was established in 1993 under the sponsor of the Vietnamese Embassy in the Czech Republic. It has played a core role in connecting young Vietnamese people in not only the host country but also Europe at large.

PM meets with Vietnamese community in New Zealand

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had a meeting with the Vietnamese Embassy staff and the Vietnamese community in New Zealand on March 10 as part of his official trip to the country.

At the event, PM Chinh briefed the community about the country’s situation, highlighting that thanks to great efforts, Vietnam has achieved great development, strength, international position and prestige like never before.

He thanked the Vietnamese community in New Zealand for always keeping the homeland in their heart, and stressed that the Party and State always see the overseas Vietnamese, including those in New Zealand, as an integral part of the Vietnamese people.

The Government leader underscored that the community has an important role to play in bolstering the Vietnam – New Zealand relations, which have been unceasingly developing over the past decades, with two-way trade in 2023 reaching 1.3 billion USD, and New Zealand providing support for Vietnam in various areas, from education-training to gender equality and development.

He asked the Vietnamese people in New Zealand to promote solidarity to build a strong and developed community, uphold national pride, actively integrate into the host country’s society, comply with the laws and contribute to local development.

Besides, he urged them to preserve Vietnamese cultural tradition and language, and have more practical activities in contributions to the homeland’s construction.

He expressed his hope that the Vietnamese community in foreign countries and in New Zealand in particular will join the Party, military and people’s efforts to concretise the set target of making Vietnam a developed and high-income country by 2045.

The overseas Vietnamese, for their part, expressed their delight and pride in the fatherland’s development as well as the sound Vietnam – New Zealand ties, and stressed that the Party and State have special affection for the community, with the amendment of the laws on land, realty market and housing that create opportunities for them to own houses in the homeland.

They said they hope that the governments of both countries will continue negotiations and promote the implementation of agreements so that Vietnamese products could penetrate deeper into the New Zealand market.
Besides, they pointed out several bottlenecks in administrative procedures in Vietnam, especially legal ones related to foreigners and overseas Vietnamese, while recommending the governments of both countries relax visa policy to create more favourable conditions for citizens to enhance exchange, as well as recognise each other’s degrees.

Vietnam should have policies to support organisations and individuals who engage in the preservation and promotion work of national cultural identity in foreign countries, they added.

PM Chinh said that the Vietnamese government is working on the above-mentioned recommendations, including visa policy renewal, establishments of mechanisms to attract and facilitate conditions for overseas Vietnamese to return home to work, and measures to preserve the cultural identity.

He added that he will ask New Zealand to consider and recognise the Vietnamese community as an ethnic minority group.

More than 10,000 Vietnamese are living and working in New Zealand. They have contributed greatly to the host nation as well as the Vietnam – New Zealand relations. Many have built successful careers in business and scientific research.

Vietnam attends 30th ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Retreat in Laos

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan attended the 30th ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Retreat in Luang Prabang, Laos, on March 8-9, during which he expressed Vietnam’s support for Laos' priority economic cooperation initiatives in its ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2024.

Tan said that Vietnam is committed to working closely with Laos and other ASEAN countries to fulfill set goals and plans, thus contributing to the overall success of the ASEAN 2024.

He also emphasised the importance of giving priority to recovery activities and connecting economies, especially prioritising resources for new negotiation activities and negotiations to upgrade agreements within ASEAN and between the grouping and partner countries.

At the meeting, participating ministers approved 14 priority economic deliverables (PEDs) put forward by Laos, with focus on three main directions of recovering and connecting economies, creating an inclusive and sustainable future, and transforming towards the digital future.

They also adopted the ASEAN Services Facilitation Framework (ASFF).

Delegates also exchanged other important contents for ASEAN economic cooperation such as the status of negotiations to upgrade the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA), negotiations on the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA), the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Competition, the upgrade of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA), the implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) as well as initiatives on sustainability in the ASEAN Economic Community.

On the sidelines of the meeting, the ministers discussed with the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ABAC), during which they noted ABAC's priorities for 2024 as well as its recommendations to promote a favourable business environment in ASEAN in the coming time.

Quang Nam taps sea, island potential for tourism development

Boasting a coastline of 125 kilometres with stunning beaches such as Cua Dai, An Bang, Ha My and Tam Thanh, together with a wide range of small and large islands, the central province of Quang Nam has worked to capitalise on its resources for tourism development. 

An Bang beach in Hoi An has made it name on the list of Travelers’ Choice Awards Best of the Best Beaches in Asia as voted by readers of Tripadvisor, one of the world’s largest travel guidance platforms. 

As a having-it-all destination with powder-white sand, blue skies and stunning views, and home to a coral reef, making it a perfect spot for swimming and snorkeling, An Bang, together with Cham islet of Tam Hai island commune, has become a top drawcard in Quang Nam province. 

Chairman of Quang Nam Tourism Association Phan Xuan Thanh said that An Bang and many other beaches of Quang Nam have been must-visit destinations for tourists, particularly foreigners. 

Last year, Quang Nam hosted more than 7.5 million tourist arrivals, with more than 2.5 million choosing sea and island packages, he said, adding this demonstrates that sea and island tourism has been a magnet to tourists. 

David Karl, a visitor from Australia, said he was impressed by Quang Nam’s tranquil villages, world heritage sites which have been well preserved, and beautiful beaches like An Bang and Ha My. However, he expects better transportation and more diversified tourism offerings since the locality have advantages to develop underwater sports.

In a meeting between travel firms and the Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, Thanh said sea and island tourism is a new project with great potential for further development. However, the province has not injected adequate investment to enterprise capital. 

He suggested the local authority work to remove roadblocks for the firms, with the focus given to support in tax, preferential loans, land for rent, reduction of power prices, as well as stimulus packages to make sea and island tourism an indispensable product in the chain of green tourism products. 

Director of An Bang beach event festival company Le Ngoc Thuan said sea and island tourism holds the lion's share of the number of tourists to Quang Nam every year.

In a bid to fully tap the local sea and island potential, the business community needs financial support from the state to develop and popularise new offerings and train its labour force. 

According to Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Le Tri Thanh said the province has seen protection of the ecological environment as a motive to develop green tourism and economy towards sustainable development. 

Admitting that local sea and island tourism products lack connectivity and harmonious investment, Thanh said that the province is working to gradually remove the bottlenecks.

It has splashed out trillions of VND on coastal embankment construction, and is working closely with ministries, sectors and the French Development Agency (AFD) to implement a project on Hoi An beach erosion prevention and sustainable protection worth 982 billion VND (39.77 million USD).

Upon completion in 2026, additional 3.5 kilometres along Hoi An beach will be safeguarded, he said, adding the project helps protect tourism resources while attracting investments that serve as a foundation for strong and sustainable sea and island tourism development.

PM expects breakthrough in agricultural cooperation with New Zealand

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visited the Plan and Food Research Centre (PFR) in Auckland on March 10 as part of his official visit to New Zealand.

The centre has been cooperating with farmers, scientists, food companies, exporters, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Science and Technology in Vietnam in projects on raising crop output, quality and pest resistance, and promoting post-harvest and processing technologies to bring more profit to farmers and firms.  
  
Noteworthy are projects in supporting for-export passion fruit and avocado industries, dragon fruit farming and safe vegetable farming based on GAP process.

PM Chinh said the advantages of Vietnam and New Zealand are supplementary, which provide a firm foundation for the two sides to promote cooperation, including in farming and food processing.

He expressed hope that building on the achievements, the two sides will accelerate joint work and make breakthroughs in agricultural cooperation.

Experts applaud upgrade of Vietnam - Australia relations

The establishment of the Vietnam - Australia comprehensive strategic partnership during Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s official visit to Australia, which concluded on March 9, has attracted attention from Australian experts and scholars.

Talking to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)'s resident correspondents in Australia, Prof. Carl Thayer from the Australian Defence Force Academy, the University of New South Wales, said the upgrade of the bilateral ties to the comprehensive strategic partnership reflects the mutual respect for each other’s political regimes. Economic benefits have brought the two countries closer together for the sake of a broader strategic interest.

The new partnership will generate opportunities for more intensive discussions about various issues between Vietnam and Australia, he said, noting that the majority of Australian people support the reinforcement of the ties with Vietnam, especially in education.

The scholar held that Australia will prioritise cooperation with Vietnam and promote dialogue. The two sides can jointly put forth and share ideas at different dialogue levels. All of these will serve the two countries’ shared future amid such challenges as climate change, economic uncertainties, and superpowers’ competition facing the world and the region.

Both sides will jointly gain benefits if they understand those challenges and find out the best ways for promoting the most effective cooperation via bilateral and multilateral mechanisms in which Vietnam engages and has a strong role to play, Thayer added.

Greg Earl, former member of the Australia - ASEAN Council and former Southeast Asia correspondent at the Australian Financial Review, perceived that the elevation of the bilateral relations to the comprehensive strategic partnership will create a prerequisite for Vietnam and Australia to enhance diplomatic ties more strongly and hold dialogues on regional issues.

In fact, he noted, the two countries have found out ways to build closer and closer relations, which are based on complementary economic policies and the large Vietnamese community that has helped deepen Australia’s understanding of the Southeast Asian nation.

The ties with Vietnam form one of the fastest growing foreign relationships of Australia over the recent past. Despite different political regimes, the two countries share many similarities in their foreign policies towards the region.

In addition, Vietnam is investing in resources of Australia, which in turn is importing more products from Vietnam. This has helped Australian businesses become more familiar with Vietnam, according to Earl.

Voicing his delight at the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership, Hal Hill, Emeritus Professor at the Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University, described this as a positive sign for the future of both countries. Though they are not geographically close to each other, they can seize this opportunity to develop durable relations and mutual understanding in all aspects.

He said Vietnam has enjoyed sound relations with most countries and secured an important stature in the international arena, setting an example for other countries to follow.

Besides, Vietnam is considered as an economic “star” in Southeast Asia and the most successful country in this region in terms of entering the global production network – the fastest growing part of international trade. Many multinationals have come to Vietnam and carried out production activities here.

Given this, Hill held that Vietnam is a great opportunity for Australia.

The professor said in terms of political and social aspects, Vietnam is a dynamic and active country which used to be one of the poorest in the world in the 1980s but thanks to Doi moi (Renewal), it has established itself as a diverse economy with large rice exports and successful agriculture and fisheries.

With PM Chinh’s visit and such optimistic signs, a new era has opened for closer relations between Vietnam and Australia, he remarked.

Twenty-six kilograms of drugs discovered ashore on Lý Sơn Island

Twenty-six kilograms of drugs were discovered at the shores of Lý Sơn Island in Quảng Ngãi on Sunday, according to the Lý Sơn District Police.

The anonymous informant, N.V.Đ (32 years old), from Tây An Hải Hamlet, reported to the police of Lý Sơn District and handed over two packages wrapped in plastic suspected to contain drugs. He stated that he had found these packages while collecting snails on the northeast coast, in the area of milestone A10, belonging to Đông An Hải Hamlet.

The police of Lý Sơn District documented the information and two drug packages, weighing approximately 2.2 kilograms, submitted by N.V.Đ. At the same time, the authorities went to the scene where Đ. found the packages to continue the search.

Authorities then discovered a black leather bag containing 22 packages suspected to be drugs, carefully wrapped, with a total weight of about 26kg. The authorities documented the scene, sealed the evidence, and worked with those involved.

Recently, authorities of Quảng Ngãi have recorded a large quantity of drugs washed ashore on the coastline. 

De-foster stereotypes key to gender equality: education expert

When it comes to promoting gender equality and respect for women's rights in schools, the first thing to do is talk openly about the topic.

That was the remark made by Leila Bello, director of La Petite Ecole Hanoi, at the round-table discussion and networking "Women Driving Change as Entrepreneurs and Leaders" by the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Việt Nam on Friday.

She said talking openly about gender equality is essential for raising the awareness of girls having the same rights as boys in schools. It is equally possible for a girl to be a classroom leader as for a boy.

Another thing to do is to de-foster stereotypes. If teachers put the boys with toy cars, trucks, and airplanes and girls with dolls, makeup, and dresses, they give them the perception of the roles that ought to be performed by boys and girls.

"It's up to us to make sure that the toys we're giving the younger generation reflect what we want them to see in the future," said Leila.

Betty Pallard, vice-chairwoman of the EuroCham Green Growth Committee and CVO at LinkPower, underlined the narratives of feminine and masculine energies in the green growth sector.

"In the field of sustainability development, it is interesting that we don't talk about women and men, but a big call for feminine energy that lies in everyone," said Betty.

She also said it is easier to run businesses in Việt Nam as a woman because there is a strong female community in the country where everyone is really helping each other.

Dzung Dang, director of Mazars Legal Vietnam, believes that being successful as a woman comprises professional achievements, a wide area of knowledge, work-life balance, and personal satisfaction.

"You can achieve work-life balance when you have a certain level of flexibility in your work," said Dzung.

She also revealed that 75 per cent of her legal team is female and her company has programmes to support female employees in terms of physical and mental health.

Claire Rosseler, managing director of Air Liquide Vietnam, said her company launched a plan called Advance in 2021, aiming to have 35 per cent of female engineers and managers in its global workforce by 2025.

"In Việt Nam, we have already reached 34 per cent, very close to the target," said Claire.

She said Air Liquide also deployed initiatives to promote gender equality, including a notable one in 2023 that involved teaching managers about the importance of gender diversity and measures to remove the barriers that prevent women from thriving in an environment.

Coast Guard seizes 50,000 litres of smuggled diesel

The Coast Guard has seized 50,000 litres of contraband diesel from a fishing boat off the south-western coast.

Senior Lieutenant Colonel Phan Nhân Hậu, head of the Đồng Nai Province-based Coast Guard Intelligence Division No 2, said his patrol teamin collaboration with Coast Guard Region No 3 Command spotted boat TG 91387 TS from the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Tiền Giang on March 5, and officers boarded it and found the oil of unknown origin.

On board were its captain, Võ Văn Tiên, 37, of Cà Mau Province and four crew members.

Tiên failed to furnish documents to prove the origin of the oil, and none of the crew had the certification required to be a sailor.

The patrol team brought the boat ashore on March 7, and handed the case over to the Coast Guard Region No 3 Command in Vũng Tàu city for investigation.

Drama shows for kids released

Theatres and drama troupes in HCM City have invested in making new shows for children this year that will acquaint them with folk stories, fairy tales and traditional culture. 

Phương Nam Theatre offers new circus and puppet performances at Gia Định Park in Tân Bình District every weekend.

Highlighted events include Rồng Vàng Tết Việt (Golden Dragon Welcomes Lunar New Year), a variety show featuring old stories and characters from Vietnamese fairy tales set in traditional culture and lifestyles. 

Themes of love, friendship, bravery, self-respect and honesty are highlighted. 

The show attracted more than 7,000 audiences in the Tết holiday, which ran from February 8 to 14. 

Another is Trước Ngọn Sóng (Facing the Waves), a water puppet play directed by Trần Được. 

The play portrays soldiers stationed on the Trường Sa (Spratly) Islands who have dedicated themselves to protecting the nation's sovereignty, demonstrating incredible bravery in the face of hardship.

The lives of people living on the islands are also featured.

After the show, brief talks about Vietnamese puppetry and its history will be provided to help children gain a greater understanding of national culture.

“Our artists are ready and eager to entertain young audiences. We are hoping for a good year in ticket sales,” said theatre director Lê Diễn, who has more than 20 years of experience in the industry.

The 5B Small Theatre spent more than VNĐ250 million (US$10,800) on each new production for children, including musical and drama shows.  

Bộ Lạc Nanh Trắng (The Village) carries messages encouraging children to work together and fight negativity.  

The drama uses elements from the book series of Vietnamese fairy tales Kho Tàng Truyện Cổ Tích Việt Nam (The Treasure of Vietnamese Fairy Tales), collected and rewritten by late professor Nguyễn Đổng Chi, one of the country’s most popular cultural researchers. 

The collection includes five books and features 150 stories of friendship, love and dreams, highlighting the country's history, culture and lifestyle. 

The musical Thế Giới Đồ Chơi Và Cậu Bé Rồng (World of Toys and Dragon Boy) is expected to become a children’s favourite this year.

The play tells stories about a dragon boy and a naughty little girl in the world of toys, where they learn lessons about love and sympathy.

It also highlights the efforts of parents to provide their kids a better life, and teaches children to appreciate these efforts and love their parents.

The show attracts Meritorious Artist Võ Minh Lâm as the dragon boy, and child actress Gia Hân as the little girl, along with veteran and young actors graduated from art schools. 

“Vietnamese fairy tales include useful lessons. Children can improve their souls and minds after watching our shows,” said Meritorious Artist and theatre actress Mỹ Uyên, director of the troupe. 

Uyên said that her artists will make every show for children a combination of cải lương (refomed opera), tuồng (classic drama), Vietnamese drama, dance and music.

The plays by 5B Small Theatre are staged at weekends at 5B Võ Văn Tần Street in District 3.

IDECAF Drama Troupe, one of the city’s leading private theatres, recently launched a drama programme for children called Truyện Thần Tiên (Fairy Tales). 

The programme offers drama, comedy and musical shows produced by talented artists Đình Toàn, Vũ Minh and Bạch Long. 

Highlighted performances combine drama and cải lương, a traditional form of Vietnamese theatre which began 100 years ago in the South. 

Beautiful costumes and light and sound effects will be offered to meet the tastes of children.

“Through our programme, Truyện Thần Tiên, we want to provide young audiences with the beauty of Vietnamese culture and lifestyle,” said the theatre’s art director Đình Toàn. 

The 200-seat Búp Sen Hồng (Pink Lotus) Drama Troupe will offer a series of drama, music and song programmes aimed at children and teenagers. 

The shows will be staged by young artists and child members of youth cultural houses around the city.  

“Our troupe opened late last year and works under the State-owned HCM City Cultural House for Children,” said the theatre’s director Lê Hay. “We are working to create new shows with images, sounds and music to attract children and teenagers.” 

Thanh, Hoa win first Run To Live marathon

Hoàng Nguyên Thanh and Hoàng Thị Ngọc Hoa won the first edition of the Run To Live 2024 on March 10 in HCM City.

The two national team members did not meet many difficulties on their way to the finish line at Trần Bạch Đằng Street of the new city of Thủ Đức.

National and former SEA Games champion Thanh wrapped up the 21km run in a time of 1hr 9.29min.

He was followed by Lê Hữu Lộc (1:13.41) and Trương Văn Tâm (1:14.12).

"I am really happy to run here with the strong support of many people," said Thanh.

"Thanks to all of you for cheering me and other runners. Congratulations to everyone who finishes the races today."

Thanh said he trained for the tournament since after the Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday. His designed plan which included running in the heat and over bridges so that he could ensure his target.

On the women's side, Hoa was under strong threat from former SEA Games 10,000m champion Phạm Thị Hồng Lệ who just won the HCM City VP Bank Midnight Marathon last week.

The pair raced neck-to-neck from the beginning and throughout the tournament.

However, marathon was Hoa's strong point as she won SEA Games bronze medal in 2022. She sprinted the final kilometres to cross the finish line after 1:17.37.

Hồng was four minutes later at 1:21.57 and took silver. She was followed by Lê Thị Kha Ly who ran 1:25.58.

In the 10km categories, Nguyễn Anh Trí won the top place of the men's side on 35.39min.

Đặng Anh Quyết (36.16) and Huỳnh Thạnh (36.44) came second and third, respectively.

Meanwhile Phạm Thị Thuý Hạnh took the women's first position, clocking 42.20.

Nguyễn Thị Thanh Hà (44.52) and Trần Thị Ny (45.39) were the two runners-up.

The 5km classes saw Nguyễn Chí Kiên (17.04) on the male side, and Lê Thị Hà (19.38) on the female, take the win.

More than 6,000 athletes registered to the Run To Live 2024 which was organised by the Sài Gòn Giải Phóng (Liberated Sài Gòn) newspaper, HCM City's Department of Culture and Sports and Miracle Entertainment Group.

The tournament aimed to encourage people's love for sports, especially running, which would lead to healthy and happy life.

Through the marathon, organisers raised funds to support athletes with disabilities of HCM City and projects for the community of the Việt Nam Volunteer Resources Information Centre under the Central Committee of the Hồ Chí Minh Communist Youth Union.

According organisers, the national records were not broken. Therefore, these two special prizes of VNĐ100 million (US$4,100) each for runners who set new records would be added to the Run To Live season 2.

Thus, record-breaking runners next year will pocket VNĐ400 million.

Also the full marathon of 42km category will be considered in 2025. 

An bags first title in National Chess Championship

Grandmaster Nguyễn Thị Thanh An won the first gold for HCM City at the ongoing National Chess Championship in Hà Nội.

The 48-year-old player earned eight points after nine matches in the women's blitz chess category which lured 97 masters of all ages on March 10.

Her only defeat was to young teammate Bạch Ngọc Thùy Dương in the fifth-round match.

Nguyễn Hồng Anh of HCM City and Đỗ Hoàng Minh Thơ of Bến Tre came second and third, respectively.

On the men's side, Grandmaster Trần Tuấn Minh of Hà Nội took the top place, recording an unbeaten streak. He bagged eight points from seven wins and two draws.

Nguyễn Đức Hòa of the Military and former U10 world champion Nguyễn Ngọc Trường Sơn of Cần Thơ earned silver and bronze.

Earlier, Trần Minh Thắng and Phạm Lê Thảo Nguyên secured the first titles of the tournament in the rapid chess on March 9.

International master Thắng of Hà Nội championed in the men's class with 7.5 points.

His teammate Lê Tuấn Minh was second while Sơn, a strong title candidate, finished at third.

Nguyên of Cần Thơ dominated the women's pool with her outstanding performance, taking eight points from nine matches.

Thùy Dương of HCM City and Hanoian Nguyễn Hồng Nhung placed behind Nguyên in the ranking.

The championship will continue until March 17 with events in super blitz, standard and ASEAN chess. 

PM demands Mekong Delta freshwater scarcity is tackled
 
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has instructed concerned ministries to take urgent actions to deal with the freshwater shortage in the Mekong Delta region.

The Mekong Delta region is facing a prolonged drought and early saline intrusion, bringing about an acute freshwater shortage for many localities, including Ca Mau, Ben Tre, Soc Trang and Tien Giang. Residents have had to purchase clean water for daily use at high prices.  

According to the Southern Institute of Water Resources Research, the region would face the peak of saline intrusion until the end of March.

The government leader has asked the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to direct the close monitoring of water source developments, forecasting, and providing timely information on the water shortage situation in the Mekong River and saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta region.

ACV wants to build second runway at Long Thanh airport soon

The Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) has proposed building a second runway for the Long Thanh International Airport after the first runway is put into service.

ACV is considering utilizing an estimated VND4 trillion saved during the implementation of the first phase of the Long Thanh airport project to fund the construction of the second runway.

Earlier this year, following a review of the management and use of investment capital in component 3 of the first phase of the project, the State Audit of Vietnam (SAV) recommended constructing the second runway once the first phase is operational.SAV emphasized the importance of ensuring the uninterrupted operation of the Long Thanh airport in case of incidents or malfunctions on the first runway.

The first phase of the Long Thanh International Airport project requires a total of nearly VND110 trillion. ACV is responsible for essential items within the airport under the third component, valued at VND9 trillion.

For the construction of the passenger terminal, ACV has selected the VIETUR consortium as the contractor, and work on the project began on August 31, 2023.

According to Vu The Phiet, general director of ACV, most of the project packages are meeting timeline requirements.

The first runway can be completed by April 30 next year, with work on taxiways and parking facilities expected to be finished by June 2025.

Chinese visitors come to Vietnam through border gate in droves

Chinese tourists have come to Vietnam in droves via the Mong Cai international border gate in the northern province of Quang Ninh.

Chinese tourist arrivals to Vietnam this year have shot up. In the year to early this month, over 141,000 Chinese had crossed the Mong Cai International Border Gate to Vietnam.

Recent days have seen a surge in Chinese visitors, with around 2,000 arrivals recorded daily at the border gate.

The majority of these tourists are senior citizens, many of them displaying keen interest in purchasing Vietnamese handicrafts, jewelry, and cigarettes from souvenir shops near the Mong Cai International Border Gate.

Mong Cai authorities noted that, alongside the addition of four routes and 15 tourist destinations in the border city to the tourist map of Quang Ninh Province, the diverse range of affordably priced commodities offered by the province is expected to cater to the various shopping needs of Chinese tourists.

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