Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, his spouse Le Thi Bich Tran and a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam left Hanoi on March 4 morning for the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit to commemorate the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-Australia dialogue relations, and official visits to Australia and New Zealand from March 5 – 11.

The trip is made at the invitation of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Prime Minister of New Zealand Christopher Luxon.

The ASEAN-Australia Special Summit is an opportunity for the two sides to review the two sides’ relations over the past 50 years and discuss measures to promote the substantive, effective development of relations, in line with the framework of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership established in 2021.

Also during the working trip, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will pay official visits to Australia and New Zealand. This is the first official visit of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to Australia and New Zealand in his new position, and the Prime Minister’s first tour of the two countries after more than seven years.

The visit is expected to contribute to strengthening political trust, deepening multi-faceted cooperation, and boosting ties between Vietnam - Australia and Vietnam - New Zealand in all fields, such as politics, diplomacy, security, defence, economy, trade, investment, ODA, education - training, culture - tourism, and labour.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's visits to Australia and New Zealand continue to actively implement the foreign policy of the 13th Party Congress, Conclusion 59-KL/TW of the Politburo on Vietnam’s orientation to participate in ASEAN until 2030, and Directive 25-CT/TW of the Secretariat on promoting and elevating multilateral diplomacy until 2030.

PM’s tour of Australia, New Zealand holds special significance: official

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s trip to attend the ASEAN - Australia Special Summit commemorating the 50th anniversary of the two sides’ dialogue relations and pay official visits to Australia and New Zealand holds special significance, said Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet.

The trip from March 5 to 11 is made at the invitation of Australian PM Anthony Albanese and New Zealand PM Christopher Luxon.

Talking to the media, Viet said the first special thing of this tour is that 2024 marks 50 years since the establishment of the ASEAN - Australia dialogue relations, follows the 50th anniversary of Vietnam - Australia diplomatic ties in 2023, and is ahead of the 50th anniversary of the Southeast Asian country’s relations with New Zealand next year.

This is the first visits by a Vietnamese PM to Australia and New Zealand in seven years and also the first by Chinh to the two countries as the Government leader of Vietnam, Viet noted.

The second special thing is the sound relations between ASEAN and Australia over the past 50 years as seen in their increasingly enhanced political trust and fruitful partnerships in all fields, including trade, economic, cultural, and social affairs.

ASEAN countries considered Australia as one of the comprehensive strategic partners boasting substantive and effective cooperation with members of the bloc, the official said.

Given this, he went on, the summit is expected to be a good occasion for ASEAN and Australian leaders to review the 50-year bilateral relations, especially the implementation of their comprehensive strategic partnership set up in 2021.

This is also a chance for the leaders to discuss vision, orientations, and concrete measures for expanding ties in the time ahead. The two sides, particularly Australia, are set to propose new cooperation initiatives, thus creating more resources and basis for the ASEAN - Australia ties to grow more strongly in the coming time, according to Viet.

Highlighting the strides in the Vietnam - Australia relations over the last half a century, he said PM Chinh’s official visit is an occasion for the two countries to look back on the development of their ties, especially in the implementation of the bilateral strategic partnership as well as the high-level agreements reached during the Australian Governor-General and PM’s trips to Vietnam in 2023 and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue’s visit to Australia in 2022.

During this visit, the two sides are scheduled to outline cooperation orientations for the time ahead, with an emphasis on trade and investment; education - training, including vocational training; science - technology; innovation; and new impetuses like digital economy, green economy, energy transition, and renewable energy.

Besides, the countries will work towards elevating bilateral relations to a new height, he added.

Apart from Australia, New Zealand is also an important strategic partner of Vietnam in the South Pacific, Viet remarked, underlining the long-standing and fruitful connections in various fields such as education - training, gender equality, development, and agriculture.

During PM Chinh’s official visit, the two countries will continue exploring measures for further strengthening cooperation in such areas as trade, investment, people-to-people links, labour, education - training, and agriculture, particularly new technologies for agriculture and ways to expand their markets to each other’s high-quality agricultural products, the Deputy Minister noted.

FM welcomes Russian First Deputy Foreign Minister

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son hosted a reception on March 3 for Russian First Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs V. Titov who is in Hanoi for the 13th Vietnam-Russia strategic dialogue on diplomacy, defence and security.

Son spoke highly of the two sides’ maintenance of the strategic dialogue as an effective information exchange channel to promptly review the situation and agree on measures to promote bilateral multifaceted cooperation, especially coordination between the two Foreign Ministries.

He affirmed that Vietnam greatly values its traditional friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia, built by generations of leaders and people of the two countries. He emphasised that Russia is one of the top priority partners in Vietnam's foreign policy.

The Vietnamese official expressed his wish that the two sides will maintain coordination to solve difficulties and problems, promote potential areas of cooperation, in accordance with the two peoples’ aspirations and interests.

For his part, Titov also affirmed that Russia attaches importance to its time-tested friendship and comprehensive strategic partnership with Vietnam. He appreciated the political trust and regular exchange of delegations at all levels as well as the diverse development of bilateral and multilateral cooperation between Vietnam and Russia in recent times.

He said he hopes that the two ministries will promote their role of coordinating and promoting effective bilateral collaboration, as well as maintaining close coordination in the international arena.

The two officials agreed to continue working together in implementing bilateral cooperation in general, and between the two ministries in particular to achieve substantive results, especially in promoting the exchange of delegations at all levels and removing obstacles to strengthen economic, trade, education and training cooperation, thus contributing to the Vietnam - Russia comprehensive strategic partnership, for the benefits of the two peoples, for peace, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.

Vietnam attends Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Türkiye

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Hang attended the Antalya Diplomacy Forum and held bilateral activities in Türkiye on March 1-2.

Themed “Advancing Diplomacy in Times of Turmoil,” the forum brought together about 4,000 delegates, including 19 high-ranking leaders, and nearly 100 ministers and deputy ministers from 147 countries, along with representatives of international organisations, policy makers, experts, scholars and businesspeople.

It looked into the world and regional situation, and how to respond to non-traditional security challenges such as food security, energy security and climate change, and new development trends like digital transformation, green transition, and artificial intelligence, among others.

In her remarks, Hang said the Asia-Pacific needs to maintain an open, transparent, resilient, inclusive and rules-based regional structure, in which ASEAN plays a central role.

ASEAN wishes and stands ready to strengthen cooperation with all countries and partners in and outside the region to contribute to maintaining peace and stability in the region, she said.

The official also affirmed that Vietnam will continue to consistently implement its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, cooperation, development, diversification and multilateralisation of relations, and being a friend, and a reliable and responsible partner of the international community.

Vietnam will work together with other ASEAN member countries for peace, stability and prosperity in the region, she said.

On this occasion, Hang had meetings with Turkish Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Burak Akçapar, President of the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK) Nail Olpak, and other Turkish officials.

Hang suggested the two countries take more measures to boost their cooperation across spheres, for the development of each side.

While in Türkiye, Hang also met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyz Jeenbek Kulubaev and her counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and Oman.

Gov't leader underlines growth with macro-economic stability, inflation control

Việt Nam saw a continuous recovery trend and positive socio-economic results across all fields in February and the first two months of this year, heard the Government regular meeting held in Hà Nội on Saturday under the chair of Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính.

Participants noted that the macro-economy was kept stable, inflation reined, in and all major balances of the economy ensured.

In February, the consumer price index (CPI) rose 3.98 per cent year on year, while State budget collection rose 10.4 per cent, completing 23.5 per cent of the yearly estimate. At the same time, import-export revenue increased 18.6 per cent, with trade surplus reaching US$4.72 billion. Public investment disbursement reached 9.13 per cent of the yearly plan, 2.16 per cent higher than that in the same period last year.

The Index of Industrial Production (IPP) in two months expanded 5.7 per cent over the same period last year. The country attracted more than 3 million foreign visitors, up 68.7 per cent year on year. The total foreign direct investment in the January-February period hit $4.3 billion, a surge of 38.6 per cent compared to the same time last year.

Socio-cultural activities received due attention, while social welfare was ensured. During the Lunar New Year (Tết) festival in February, 17,700 tonnes of rice was provided to 693,000 needy people, while Tết gifts worth VNĐ2.74 trillion ($111.13 million ) were presented to policy beneficiaries, along with VNĐ7.8 trillion to the needy on the occasion.

Socio-political and defence-security situations were ensured, while external relations and international integration were strengthened, elevating up the country's position in the world arena.

Concluding the meeting, PM Chính said that so far this year, the Government has focused on directing the drastic implementation of set tasks and targets.

The PM issued seven directives, four dispatches, as well as 18 documents and plans guiding the implementation of laws. Particularly, the PM approved an action plan of the socio-economic sub-committee serving the 14th National Party Congress, he said.

Regarding priorities for the coming time, the Government leader underlined the need to promote growth in association with maintaining macro-economic stability, inflation control, ensuring major economic balances, speeding up strategic breakthroughs and economic restructuring, and enhancing the efficiency and competitiveness of the national economy.

He stressed the need for active and flexible management of monetary policies with close and harmonious coordination with fiscal policies.

Ministries, sectors and localities should work hard to increase income and reduce State budget expense, while popularising the use of e-invoice and deploying measures to ensure the supply of power, petrol, and water for business and daily activities, he requested.

The PM underlined the necessity to renovate traditional growth drivers and promote motivations from investment, exports and consumption, while speeding up the expansion of new growth motivations from institution completion, resources exploitation, and the development of six socio-economic regions, tapping opportunities from the shifting of the global and regional supply chains, and promoting digital transformation and green transition.

Along with boosting the growth of key sectors, it is crucial to speed up the disbursement of public investment capital, striving for a rate of 95 per cent for this year, he said.

Particularly, the PM ordered stronger efforts in administrative reform and removing difficulties facing production and business activities, as well as the prompt issuance of documents detailing laws and resolutions approved at the NA's sixth session and fifth extraordinary session.

On the occasion of the 65th founding anniversary of the Border Guard Force (March 3, 1959 - 2024), PM Chính extended greetings to all officers and soldiers of the force in particular and the Việt Nam People's Army in general. 

PM Pham Minh Chinh’s Australia trip “incredibly important”: Ambassador

Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Andrew Goledzinowski has emphasised the significance of the upcoming trip to Australia by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA).

PM Chinh and his spouse will attend the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit to commemorate the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-Australia dialogue relations, and pay official visits to Australia and New Zealand from March 5-11.

His attendance at the summit and visits will be made at the invitation of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Prime Minister of New Zealand Christopher Luxon.

According to the ambassador, the PM’s official visit to Australia is “incredibly important” as it comes after the 50th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic ties last year when all important Australian leaders came to Vietnam.

PM Chinh is one of the three ASEAN leaders to pay an official bilateral visit to Australia next week, he said, noting that Australia highly values the importance of Vietnam as well as the bilateral relationship, which is expected to grow further following the visit.

According to Goledzinowski, the Vietnam-Australia relationship covers all spheres, but PM Chinh’s visit will focus on the five areas of political and strategic understanding; economy and trade; education; energy transition and climate change; and knowledge, innovation and science.

The diplomat revealed that Australia now has a new economic policy towards Vietnam, which will be announced by the Australian PM on this occasion, and expected to help attract more Australian investments to the Southeast Asian nation.

Asked about the bilateral cooperation in renewable energy, Goledzinowski said some leading Australian companies and groups are scheduled to hold meetings with PM Chinh to talk about specific investment opportunities.

“Vietnam has amazing prospects in solar and offshore wind and other renewable energy sources. So I think there's a great deal that Australia and Vietnam can do together,” he said.

Regarding the summit, the ambassador said Australia was the very first country to enter into a dialogue partnership with ASEAN, and four years ago, Australia became the grouping’s first comprehensive strategic partner.

Australia wants to further strengthen economic engagement with ASEAN, he said, noting that the bloc is now the country’s second most important trade partner.

“So we want to build on that. And we also want to build on our strategic and political cooperation in the region,” he stressed.

“For us, we talk about ASEAN’s centrality. ASEAN is at the heart of our regional strategy. And we hope that this summit will further strengthen ASEAN’s role in maintaining stability, peace and dialogue in our part of the world,” the ambassador said.

Vietnam wins gold at Asian Age Group Aquatics Championships

Phung Chi Kien won Vietnam's only gold medal at the 11th Asian Age Group Aquatics Championships' diving event recently held in the Philippines.

Kien topped the ranking in the boys 13-14 years old platform event with 265.55 points.

His teammate Pham Thai Thien Bao came second, followed by Megat Syakir Hashim Megat of Malaysia.

The last medal of the team went to Bui Hong Giang who took the bronze in the girls 16-18 years old platform.

The Asian championship included swimming, diving, synchronised swimming, and water polo. Vietnam took part in the first two, and pocketed 15 gold, 21 silver and 30 bronze medals to take the fourth place overall.

The diving team won one gold, four silver and seven bronze medals, ranking fifth overall.

South African restaurant introduces Vietnamese cuisine

Obento – a restaurant in Johannesburg, South Africa on March 2 held an event named “Taste of Vietnam” to introduce popular Vietnamese food to local diners.

According to the restaurant owner Ling Chiu, the one-day event attracted so many dinners that all tables from noon to 9pm were fully booked weeks ago.

She said that the idea of organising such an event came right after her two-week trip to Vietnam in December 2023.

She said she wanted to arouse the memory of customers who had traveled Vietnam and tasted the street food delights it has to offer, as well as to bring Vietnamese cuisine to those seeking something different from the norms in South Africa.

Dinners at the restaurant at this time had a chance to enjoy famous Vietnamese dishes, such as pho, banh mi, bun cha, or spring rolls. Especially for those who had traveled to Vietnam, it was an opportunity to remember and re-experience Vietnamese food that is not easy to find in South Africa. Many local people said that Vietnamese food is very delicious because of freshness and a balance of flavour elements: sour, bitter, salty, sweet and fatty.

Art exchange fosters friendship between Vietnamese, Chinese localities

The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism in the northern border province of Lang Son has recently organised an art exchange programme with the participation of local artists and those from Pingxiang county in China's Guangxi.

The March 1 event demonstrated the cooperation and friendship between Lang Son and China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and offered an opportunity for the localities to promote their images and cultural traits.

In his opening remarks, director of the department Nguyen Dang An highlighted the traditional friendship between Lang Son and cities and districts of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

The two sides have co-organised various culture, sport and tourism activities, contributing to strengthening their solidarity and friendship, the official said.  

Lang Son and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region share a borderline of more than 231km, with 12 pairs of villages setting up twinning relations.

ASEAN-Australia Special Summit discusses future cooperation

A special summit to celebrate 50 years since Australia became ASEAN’s first Dialogue Partner in 1974 is taking place in Melbourne city on March 4 – 6, focusing on the discussion of partnerships for the future.

Themed “A Partnership for the Future”, the summit is being held against the backdrop of the dynamic cooperation between ASEAN and Australia across various fields. Leaders will discuss measures to boost ASEAN-Australia cooperation, the vision of both sides regarding the regional future, and how they can collaborate to address common challenges.

Before the plenary session, a series of meetings and events will be held on March 4 -5, bringing together community and business leaders, experts, and scholars from Australia and ASEAN, featuring issues related to challenges, opportunities, and practical cooperation in maritime affairs, green economy, and marine ecology; the transition to clean energy; and clean energy supply chains to ensure energy security amid rapid transition to renewable energy, among others.

Additionally, dialogues of leaders from emerging countries on geopolitical risks in the Indo-Pacific and how to promote regional recovery, the role of ASEAN-Australia trade and investment activities, and a workshop of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) on the ASEAN consumer market, future of food and agricultural technology, supply chains and investment, and solutions to foster economic connectivity will be also arranged.

With numerous discussions on common challenges facing the region and opportunities to strengthen cooperation and prosperity for both sides, and considering how ASEAN-Australia can build enduring relationships, the summit offers a an opportunity for the two sides to review their cooperative achievements over the past five decades, thus setting directions for future cooperation to align with the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership established.

In a pre-conference statement, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese emphasised that building relationships with Southeast Asian countries is a top priority of the Australian Government.

Vietnamese culture promoted in Australia

The Vietnamese Consulate General in Perth in coordination with the Australian Vietnamese Family Association (AVFA) and artists and artisans from Ho Chi Minh City organised an event in Palmerston city on March 2 to promote Vietnamese culture in the Tet (Lunar New Year) festival.
  
The large-scale event saw the participation of many Australian officials, as well as Vietnamese people and foreign friends in Northern Australia.  

It featured the art of tea drinking, calligraphy, “ao dai” (traditional long dress) shows, art performances, Vietnamese handicrafts, and folk games.

Consul General Nguyen Thanh Ha briefed the participants on Vietnam’s outstanding achievements in 2023, and the Vietnam-Australia relations, and lauded contributions by the Vietnamese community to local socio-economic development, and the bilateral ties.
    
The diplomat expressed her hope that Northern Australia’s authorities will further facilitate such cultural activities, and boost trade, investment and tourism links between the two sides.

Japanese charity fund presents wheelchairs to Da Nang disabled

The Japan Foundation for Social Contribution Fund on March 3 presented tens of wheelchairs to disabled people in the central city of Da Nang.

This is part of the events of the programme "Vietnam-Japan Exchange Towards the Future” organised by the Japanese foundation with Abe Akie, wife of the late Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, as the chairperson and Mikazuki Group in Da Nang from March 1-3.

Speaking at the event, Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Yamada Takio said 2023 marked the 50th anniversary of diplomatic establishment between Vietnam and Japan. The year saw great progress in diplomatic relations, with more than 500 commemorative activities held in both countries.

He expressed his hope that the wheelchairs will contribute to easing the burden in the life of disabled people in Vietnam, deepening the friendship between the two peoples. The success of these exchange activities will contribute to further developing the relationship between Vietnam and Japan in the future.

According to Vice Chairman of the municipal People's Committee Tran Chi Cuong, the relations between Vietnam and Japan are at the best stage of development, with high political trust, especially in the context that the two countries have elevated their relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia and the World.

He highlighted that Japan is the leading economic partner and the top among the 40 countries and territories investing in Da Nang. In the field of tourism, Japan is one of the key markets of the city.

He thanked the Japanese fund and its chairperson for supporting the disadvantaged in the locality, and the Japanese Embassy and the Consulate General of Japan in Da Nang for bolstering bilateral cooperation programmes, especially aid ones at the grassroots level.

Earlier, students from Japan’s Kisarazu City High School and University of Da Nang visited and offered gifts to children victims of Agent Orange in the locality.

“Suite Kieu” guitar piece performed in Berlin

The “Suite Kieu” (To khuc Kieu) by Vietnamese music professor and guitarist Dang Ngoc Long was one of the six works played by Zafraan Ensemble - a German group based in Berlin that is well-known for its classical concerts with a distinct crossover flair at the House of World Cultures in Berlin on March 1.

The other five works are composed by artists from Algeria, Angola, Cuba, Ghana and Chile.

"Suite Kieu" features “The Tale of Kieu” - a literary legacy left by great poet Nguyen Du. With Vietnamese materials based on European harmony, Long composed the “Suite Kieu” in 2016. He wrote it for Zafraan Ensemble at the request of this band, playing with guitar and flute, clarinet, violin, and piano.

Zafraan Ensemble’s performance formed part of the cultural and artistic activities to reminisce the past between Germany and countries within the framework of the exhibition "ECHOS DER BRUDERLÄNDER", a multidisciplinary project on international relations heritage.

Professor Dang Ngoc Long is known as the person who brought Vietnamese music, from Nghe Tinh folk songs to Quan Ho folk songs, to Europe.

As the art director of the International Guitar Competition & Festival Berlin, Long has turned Vietnamese folk songs into arrangements in this major music competition. To promote Vietnamese music, he composed seven suites to enhance the value of the German translation of the Tale of Kieu.\

World Wildlife Day: For the planet’s “health”

The United Nations World Wildlife Day (WWD) is observed on March 3 every year to celebrate wild animals and plants and highlight their contributions to human lives and health.

This year, the WWD is themed “Connecting People and Planet: Exploring Digital Innovation in Wildlife Conservation”.

According to the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MoNRE), Vietnam is ranked 16th among the Earth's most biodiverse countries and is one of the ten richest centres of biodiversity in the world with many different types of ecosystems and genetic sources.

With a wide range of latitudes, Vietnam's climate varies from humid tropical conditions in the southern lowlands to temperate conditions in the northern highlands. Consequently, the country enjoys a diversity of natural environments and a high level of biodiversity in its forests, waterways, and marine areas, according to a report by the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF).

The country has a wealth of fauna varieties: 276 species of mammals, 828 species of birds, 180 species of reptiles, 80 species of amphibians, 472 species of freshwater fish, and many thousands of invertebrate species have been identified. It is home to an estimated 12,000 species of plants. About 33% of the flora of northern Vietnam are endemic and, nationally, the percentage of endemism could be as high as 50%.

These groups show a high degree of local distinctiveness, with many endemic species of great scientific and economic significance.

Of the 34 globally threatened birds identified as occurring in Vietnam, 10 are restricted-range endemic forest species. Sixty fish species and four primate species are also endemic to Vietnam.

However, the diversity in Vietnam is in danger because of unsustainable and poorly managed exploitation, an increase in population and rapid urbanisation.

The reasons that lead to biodiversity decline are rapid population growth, pollution, deforestation, the over-exploitation of marine resources and widely applied new species without careful examination. That has led to 28% of mammals, 10% of birds, 21% of reptiles and amphibians facing risk of extinction.

The results of the largest systematic camera trap survey ever conducted in Vietnam between 2019 and 2023 with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID),  showed that populations of several key wildlife species have either disappeared or are in such low numbers as to be unviable as a result of widespread indiscriminate snaring.

During the survey carried out by USAID’s Biodiversity Conservation Activity, 1,176 camera trap stations were set up in 21 protected areas (PAs) across eight provinces, capturing more than 120,000 independent wildlife detections in millions of images during 2019-2023.

Notable was the absence of large carnivores and herbivores, such as tigers, clouded leopards, Asiatic wild dogs, and the elusive saola – one of the few large mammals to be discovered in the world in the last 50 years. Asian elephants were detected in just two sites, and wild cattle species such as gaur only detected in one out of 21 sites surveyed. The most prevalent species recorded were those most resilient to hunting pressure, such as macaques, ferret badgers and wild pigs.

Although the survey revealed that wildlife has severely declined in all 21 PAs, there are still relatively high levels of species richness and endemism, with nine Annamite-endemic and 21 non-endemic but highly threatened species recorded. Rare species, such as the large-antlered muntjac and sun bear were also detected, providing some of the few records of these species in Vietnam in the past 20 years.

Nick Cox, Chief of Party, USAID Biodiversity Conservation, implemented by WWF, stated: “For the first time we have the data to confirm Việt Nam’s wildlife populations are in dire straits. At the same time there are signs that investments by the Vietnamese Government, and by local and international NGOs, have had a positive impact. Now is the time to start a national conservation breeding programme to rewild the country’s protected areas, while protection efforts are sustained and increased, especially to reduce snaring.”

According to MoNRE, Vietnam has proactively participated and implemented many commitments related to wildlife protection.

Recently, the ministry has proposed the Prime Minister on promulgating a programme to conserve endangered, precious and rare wild animals prioritised for protection until 2030, with a vision to  2050. Accordingly, Vietnam aims to ensure that no more species prioritised for conservation become extinct. All of the species prioritised for protection will be managed and monitored in nature reserves, high biodiversity areas and biodiversity conservation facilities.

The ministry proposed to investigate and assess the current status of populations and habitats of species prioritised for protection nationwide. It also asked for periodically updating information and data and publishing the list of species prioritised for safeguarding. In particular, priority should be given to restoring habitats of species that are threatened with extinction and migratory species prioritised for protection including elephants, saola, Truong Son muntjac, Truong Son striped rabbit, central Vietnam turtle, and box turtle.

Meanwhile, USAID has sponsored a project to protect endangered wildlife species in Vietnam with a funding of 10.5 million USD for over 5 years starting from 2021. It supports enhancing leadership in combating illegal wildlife trade by improving and harmonising the legal system related to wildlife protection, strengthening law enforcement and prosecution over wildlife crimes, and reducing illegal demand and consumption of wildlife.

National Data Centre planned in draft Data Law

The Ministry of Public Security has introduced a draft proposal for the Data Law, addressing the need for including the national data centre.

Currently there is a lack of infrastructure in some ministries to support essential information technology systems, leading to disparate databases with issues of standardisation and uniformity.

The existing data centres suffer from inadequate investment synchronisation, non-compliance with standards and insufficient security measures.
 
To mitigate these challenges, proposed regulations aim to establish a national data centre that will serve as a central repository for data and systems, fostering interconnectivity among various databases and information systems.

The Ministry of Public Security is actively working towards the completion and operation of the first national data centre in Hoa Lac (Hanoi) by the end of 2025, aligning with the timelines set in Resolution No. 175/NQ-CP and the effective date of the Data Law on January 1, 2026.

The Ministry of Public Security's impact policy assessment report highlights that the construction of the national data centre will lead to reduced investment costs for the state in digital transformation infrastructure and resources.

This initiative ensures streamlined management and expertise for nationwide activities such as data collection, storage, management, exploitation, use and sharing. Additionally, the state benefits from cost savings in administering information systems outside the state database of political and socio-political organisations.

Organisations, businesses, and individuals are expected to register and use services from the government-provided national data centre infrastructure and cloud computing services. This move not only reduces investment resources but also addresses concerns related to data leakage.

The Ministry of Public Security estimates significant cost savings for ministries, departments, and localities in data collection and cleaning related to the population. Utilising information available in the national population database is projected to save substantial amounts, with examples including around 573 billion VND (23.2 million USD) for the first data collection and over 5 trillion VND (202 million USD) for data cleaning costs.

Furthermore, units currently renting space for data infrastructure at a considerable annual cost could benefit from relocating to the national data centre. This transition not only ensures the highest level of security and safety but also allows the state to reduce approximately 20% of total costs by minimising expenses related to renting premises, operating costs and business profits.

The Ministry of Public Security is also seeking input from agencies, organisations, and individuals for the draft Data Law.

In recent years, legal provisions related to data have demonstrated the commitment and leadership focus of the National Assembly, the Government, and other entities to establish a legal framework, contributing to Vietnam’s rapid data development.

Despite 69 laws regulating databases, the current legal framework is deemed incomplete, lacking unified standards, consistent connection mechanisms, and efficient deployment of national databases.

The proposal aims to build the Data Law, addressing key areas such as building, developing, processing, and managing data, applying technology in data processing, regulations on the national consolidated database, the national data centre, and related products and services.

The Data Law is intended to enhance Vietnam’s digital government, digital economy, and digital society, ensuring security, safety, and effective support for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The Ministry suggests the Government review and align other relevant laws with the provisions of the Data Law.

Long, Hương triumph at Phuket Ultra Marathon

Việt Nam representatives Nguyễn Văn Long and Lại Thị Xuân Hương successfully triumphed in the Phuket 100K Ultra Marathon 2024 on March 2 in Thailand.

Under the hot sun, Long finished the men's 100km category in a time of 7hr 34.21min with an average pace of 4:32.

This was a new personal best beating his previous time of 7:48:44 that he set in his win at the Beyond Limits - Việt Nam Ultra Run on December 17.

Krittapas Pimukdech (7:51.18) and Tanapol Wongsuannoi (8:16.07), both of Thailand, took second and third place.

"The running track is at the altitude of 152m and the weather is hot. However, the organising activities were great, helping runners to do well during the competition," Long said.

"Thai supporters also cheered very enthusiastically, motivating me a lot. This is the first time I have finished first in a tournament abroad and broke my own record, it is the joy doubled." 

Long was called a 'mutant' in the Việt Nam's marathon community. In 2022, Long was the first Vietnamese running across the country from Trà Cổ Beach in tỉnh Quảng Ninh to Cà Mau Province on 2.656km in 34 days, running about 80km per day.

Long will kick off his second run through Việt Nam on April 11 starting from Hà Nội's Hoàn Kiếm Lake to HCM City. The 20-day run is to celebrate his 20 years of marathon and raise funds for poor children in his home town of Gia Lai Province.

In the women's race, Hương met no difficulties to finish first with a time of 8:49.01, also her new record. He old one was 9:44.50.

Hương's outstanding performance helped her secure the fifth position in the overall ranking, leaving behind many male competitors.

Waerohanee Waeyusoh of Thailand came second with 9:18.26 while Vietnamese Nguyễn Lệ Trân was third at 10:10.48.

"It's great to see the Vietnamese flag flying at the highest position when traveling to Thailand. I am proud to be a Vietnamese woman running here. I do my best and break personal and season records," Hương said.

Hương added that running in the 100km category was her breakthrough. She only set a target of running under 10 hours in Thailand but the result was beyond her expectation.

Phuket 100K Ultra is one of events of the Thailand Ultra Master Series which features many world elite runner every year.

Quyết keeps his promise to win HCM City Midnight marathon

Đặng Anh Quyết made a strong sprint in the last kilometres to win the VPBank VnExpress Marathon HCM City Midnight in HCM City on March 3.

As one of the title favourites in all marathons, Quyết was among leading runners from the first steps.

In the first 30km, following the negative split tactics, Quyết kept himself in the second pack chasing leader Trương Văn Tâm who went in a solo performance with a view to set a new record.

After the 30km mark, Tâm failed to maintain his speed. He was caught up by the other runners including Quyết at the 36km point.

"I have run with him in many events and know him clearly. I was not worried when he was in the lead but waiting for a suitable moment to pass him," Quyết said.

Quyết sped up, took the lead and finished first in a time of 2hr 41.28min, completing his promise to take the title home.

"I am very happy because I have waited for this moment for a long time. I have not expected such a good race today," said Quyết who improved his time by nearly one minute compared to his result last year.

The 34-year-old also received complimentary words and congratulation from Tâm who ended his race 16sec later, while Huỳnh Anh Khôi was third, clocking 2:42.42.

Quyết said the win was a gift for his wife, also a runner, who was pregnant their first child.

On the women's side, Phạm Thị Hồng Lệ did not have a worthy rival, as usual. She finished first in a time of 2:57.58, the only one to run sub3.

Nguyễn Thị Thúy Vân (3:10.13) and Nguyễn Thị Trà Giang (3:12.22) were second and third.

While the full marathon winners were familiar faces, the champions of the half marathon events were surprises.

Lê Hữu Lộc who won the men's side in 1:14.00 said it was an unexpected achievement as he faced strong runners. 

Lộc could only pull away from the other men five kilometres before the finish.

"I am lucky to win and complete the half marathon race as I strictly followed a plan, spending a lot of time training, eating and sleeping scientifically," Lộc said.

Đỗ Duy Thắng and Lý Nhân Tín were second and third.

The female winner was Doãn Thị Oanh who clocked 1:26.02.

The 36-year-old teacher from Vĩnh Phúc Province was taking part in her first VnExpress marathon.

Taking a bus to Hà Nội and then flying to HCM City, Oanh landed at 6pm on March 2 and had only several hours prepare for the race which began at midnight.

"I do not have a PR this race but it is an interesting and challenging competition. Hope that I will make it next time," Oanh said.

Cao Thị Thanh Thúy and Lê Thị Hà took second and third places, while title favourites such as Phương Trinh, Đoàn Hiền and Trần Duyên did not make the top three.

The HCM City Midnight 2024 welcomed about 11,000 runners, taking part in four categories, running past famous landmarks and historical sites. 

Hoàng Anh Gia Lai earn seasonal second win under new coach

After Hoàng Anh Gia Lai's second win of the season beating Thanh Hóa 2-1, coach Vũ Tiến Thành said it was the best club he has coached and that the players had strong potential.

Captain Trần Minh Vương and Luiz Antonio De Souza Soares scored for the visiting side one in each half, while Joao Henrique Oliveira Veras netted for the hosts in the last seconds of the first half on March 2.

"Hoàng Anh Gia Lai are the best team that I have coached so far," said Thành who was in charge of the former champions for several weeks.

“I am interested in players' good technique. People criticise them but I think differently. This is the best generation trained by Hoàng Anh Gia Lai. It's just that they are playing without principles and getting lost."

This was the first win since Thành's arrival. He suffered a loss in the first match in mid-February and then pocketed two draws last week.

"Previously, Hoàng Anh Gia Lai won easily but lost easily too because of their poor defence. I come here not to train them how to attack, it is what they do well, but I have to improve their defence which is my strong point," Thành said.

The win lifted Hoàng Anh Gia Lai to No 12 in the ranking and they will return home, hosting HCM City in the next match.

On the other side, Thanh Hóa's Velizar Popov denied gossip about him stepping down after his second loss in a row.

"This may be mistranslated information. When the translation is wrong, you will think in a different direction," the Bulgarian said.

"Before my contract ending in May, I will have my official statement and decision. I prioritise staying."

For the defeat, Popov attributed players mismanagement of scoring opportunities, although their performance was good.

"My players all did their best in the whole match, but could not manage their opportunities. I am not sad. We faced a shortage of personnel, playing without key players.

"We still target top six this season. It is not a big deal at the present. I will head up and look towards a better future."

Thanh Hóa dropped to No 4 and will play leader Nam Định next week.

In the other match, Thể Công-Viettel maintained position at second from bottom after an unexpected 1-1 draw with Hải Phòng at the Lạch Tray Stadium.

Thể Công went ahead in the 44th minute with a Trần Mạnh Cường's easy tap-in, but only two minutes later defender Bùi Tiến Dũng made an own goal to make it 1-1.

Coach Nguyễn Đức Thắng knew he was under duty but said: "When I decided to lead Thể Công Viettel, I knew I would be under great pressure. Therefore, playing three matches without a win does not make more pressure on me.

"My job is to live with pressure. I think the situation of the team right now is not enough to worry much. The problem is players' low performance leading to unsatisfactory matches. We created many opportunities, no less than three opportunities each match, but we missed," Thắng said.

The former national defender said his team always aimed for a high place finish each season. They would not lower the goal but step by step overcome difficulties.

"Each match in the rest of the season would be a final. It is challenging but who knows, maybe in difficulty we would win again," he said.

Thể Công will play defending champion Hà Nội Police in the city derby next match.

On his side, coach Chu Đình Nghiêm felt pleased with one point when Hải Phòng were in trouble with the lack of quality players.

"The personnel shortage pushes us to big problem. Team lines, especially the defence, have been mixed up. We scored 19 goals but still suffered draws and defeats. We are trying to find good defenders for the rest of the season," Nghiêm said.

Hải Phòng, at No 8 in the table, will travel to play Hồng Lĩnh Hà Tĩnh on March 8.

Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu to spend $4.8 mln to improve living conditions of ethnic people

Bà Rịa Vũng Tàu Province will allocate more than VNĐ118 billion (US$4.8 million) to support poor ethnic people to improve their living conditions.

This year, the province set a target to provide electricity for 63 households and clean water for 112 households.

In addition, the province will invest in 13 road projects in minority villages and hamlets.

All the ethnic festivals will be supported, and all ethnic students studying at all levels will be provided with notebooks and textbooks.

Minority households will be supported with loans from the province's Social Policy Bank when they need to build houses.

Since the province implemented the national target programme of socio-economic development for ethnic people from 2022 to 2025, most families have acquired concrete houses and have access to electricity. They have been given seedlings to develop agriculture.

The province has applied the policies of the government in developing the socio-economy and maintaining political security. It has mobilized resources and combined socio-economic projects to make full use of investment with priority given to extremely poor areas.

Every year Bà Rịa Vũng Tàu disburses an average $8.6 million to carry out hundreds of civil works in  minority areas, such as upgrading roads and building electrical grids and irrigation works. It spends more than $1 million per year to support poor ethnic households, improve the clean water supply, and develop agriculture production.

The province has more than 25,700 people of 38 ethnic groups, including the Hoa, Khmer, Tày, Nùng, and Châu Ro. They account for 2.3 per cent of the provincial population and live mainly in Châu Đức and Xuyên Mộc districts. The local administration has worked to improve their living conditions.

Châu Đức District has more than 2,200 ethnic households with about 9,500 people from 13 ethnic groups. In the past, their income came mainly from small-scale farming and animal husbandry. A lot of households were extremely poor because they lacked arable land.  

Lâm Đồng strives to attract 9.7 million tourists in 2024

Lâm Đồng Province is seeking to attract 9.7 million tourists this year, according to the provincial Tourism Development Committee.

Domestic overnight visitors are expected to reach 7.6 million while international tourists are 550,000.

To achieve this goal, the committee has set out key tasks, including continuously implementing effective strategies and development plans for tourism that are suitable for the national and provincial development plans; developing tourism in conjunction with preserving and promoting the unique cultural values of ethnic groups, and protecting natural resources and the environment.

The committee will continue to build and implement the application of information technology and digital transformation in tourism development in the area while focusing on developing traditional and distinctive tourism products such as sightseeing, ecotourism and adventure sports.

At the same time, new competitive tourism products such as community-based tourism, sports tourism and healthcare and wellness tourism will be developed as well.

From 2024, Lâm Đồng will focus on tapping into the domestic tourism market, with tourists coming from HCM City, Hà Nội and Hải Phòng, and provinces in the Southeast, Central Coast and the North.

The province will concentrate on attracting tourists from ASEAN countries, Northeast Asia and East Asia; opening more international flights to potential markets; and coordinating the implementation of investment and development planning of tourism at localities, especially key projects such as Đan Kia - Suối Vàng National Tourist Area, Prenn Lake Tourist Area and Sa Pung - Bảo Lộc Mountains.

Lâm Đồng will carry out programmes to link, promote, and cooperate for tourism development with localities at home and abroad; organise events, promotions and cooperation in tourism business in and outside the country, especially the third Lâm Đồng Tourism Golden Week and the 10th Đà Lạt Flower Festival this year.

Currently, there are 3,070 tourist accommodation establishments with a total of 43,684 rooms in Lâm Đồng, including 449 hotels from one to five stars with 13,172 rooms.

The province has 82 travel agents, including 44 for international travels and 38 for domestic travels.

In addition, the entire province has 112 tourist attractions - including Tuyền Lâm Lake National Tourist Area and 11 provincial-level tourist attractions.

Currently, Liên Khương International Airport operates three international flights from Busan, Incheon and Seoul (South Korea) to Lâm Đồng; eight domestic routes to and from Hà Nội, HCM City, Đà Nẵng, Vinh, Hải Phòng, and Huế.

The average frequency of flights at Liên Khương Airport is about 28-30 flights/day, which can increase to over 50 flights/day during peak tourist seasons.

In June 2023, Vietravel Airlines organised the opening and operation of flights from Nội Bài Airport to Liên Khương Airport.

In September 2023, the Hải Vân International Transport Company commenced operations, offering passenger transport services from urban centres and tourism hubs in Lâm Đồng to Liên Khương Airport by car.

The service includes the two-way Liên Khương - Đà Lạt route, with eight vehicles making 50 daily trips, as well as the Liên Khương - Bảo Lộc route, with five vehicles making 30 daily trips

Last year visitors to the province for sightseeing and vacation totalled 8.65 million, an increase of 15 per cent compared to the same period in 2022.

Among them, foreign visitors were 400,000, an increase of 166 per cent; domestic visitors reached 8.25 million, an increase of 12 per cent; and overnight visitors were 6.7 million, up by  nearly 22 per cent.

Revenue from tourism was about VNĐ15.6 trillion last year.