A grand welcome ceremony at the highest level for a head of state was held in Beijing on October 31 for Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, who is on an official visit to China.

The ceremony at the Great Hall of the People was chaired by Party General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping, and attended by many Chinese high-ranking officials. 

As the cars of the Vietnamese Party leader and the Vietnamese delegation marched into the site, 21-cannon salute was fired. 

The Vietnamese and Chinese Party leaders posed for photos together and reviewed the guards of honour.

Following the ceremony, they held talks.

The service was held at the Funeral House of Bucheon Hospital of Soonchunhyang University.

The 21-year-old girl was among more than 150 killed in the incident after taking part in the 2022 Halloween celebration on Itaewon street in the capital.  

RoK Foreign Minister Park Jin sent flowers to pay tribute to the unfortunate girl.

Minister Counselor Nguyen Viet Anh of the Vietnamese Embassy visited and offered condolences to the bereaved family.

The RoK Ministry of Foreign Affairs also sent condolences to the Vietnamese Embassy and affirmed that the Government is making every effort to provide all necessary support to the  families of all victims of the Itaewon tragedy.

In accordance with the bereaved family’s wishes, the dead body will be brought back to Vietnam for a funeral at home.

Vietnamese athletes win golds at world martial arts championships

Vietnamese athletes have won several gold medals at international martial arts tournaments recently. 

Karate athlete Nguyen Thi Dieu Ly brought home a gold medal at the 2022 World Cadet, Junior and U21 Championship, which concluded on October 30 in Konya, Turkey.

Ly defeated Nejma Imitik of Morocco in the final of the junior female kumite 53kg class on October 29. Previously, she beat opponents from El Salvador, Germany, Slovakia and Algeria to reach the final.

It is the first gold for Vietnam at this tournament. The country also secured a silver medal thanks to Nguyen Phuong Thao in the junior female kumite -   48kg category. She lost 8-0 to Aly Ganna of Egypt.

Nearly 1,900 athletes from 105 countries and territories took part in the event.

Meanwhile, Vietnamese athletes pocketed a gold, a silver and a bronze at the 27th Jiu-Jitsu World Championship, which is ongoing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Cai Hong Phuc and Nguyen Thi Kim Oanh clinched a gold medal in the event’s mixed doubles while Tran Viet Hoan and Nguyen Thi Thanh Uyen won a silver. Phuc also won a bronze medal in the men’s 42kg event on October 29.

The tournament gathers more than 1,500 athletes from 65 countries.

Thousands of wild bird traps found in Quang Binh 
 
Border guards in the central province of Quang Binh have seized thousands of traps used to catch wild birds. The traps placed in fields of Thanh Trach Commune in Bo Trach District consist of 650 fake storks and 8,000 plastic sticks.

According to the provincial border guard force, this time of the year is the season for wild birds to migrate in Bo Trach District. Most of them are white storks that visit the fields to seek food. Taking advantage of this, many residents lay traps to hunt them to use as food. 

Many trapped storks have also been rescued and released into the wild.

Local authorities have attempted to raise public awareness of the need to protect wild animals.

Vietnam attends int'l travel show in Canada

Vietnam attended the International Tourism and Travel Show that took place in Montreal, Canada, from October 28-30 after two years of absence due to impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Vietnamese booth drew a large number of visitors at the event which saw the presence of travel firms from more than 100 countries.

Manon Ferlatte, a senior tourism advisor, said that Vietnam is an ideal destination for those who love the romantic and peaceful beauty of beaches and wonderful terraced fields.

Tourism is a major economic sector of Canada that creates one-tenth of total jobs in the country, with 225,000 travel firms.

However, a report by the Conference Board of Canada showed that the number of international tourists to Canada will only recover and surpass the figure recorded before COVID-19 broke out in 2026.

Vietnam attends 22nd International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties

A delegation of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) led by  member of the Party Central Committee and  deputy head of its Commission for Internal Affairs Tran Quoc Cuong attended the  22nd International Meeting of Communist and Workers' Parties (IMWCP) in Havana from October 27-29.

On the sidelines of the event, the Vietnamese delegation had meetings with a number of participating delegations, during which they discussed orientations to promote their relations in the coming time.

While there, the Vietnamese delegtion paid a coutersy visit to First Secretary and President of Cuba Miguel Díaz-Canel; met Politburo member and permanent member of the Secretariat of the PCC Central Committee Roberto Morales Ojeda; and had working sessions with acting head the PCC Central Committee's Department of External Relations Ángel Arzuaga Reyes and President of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples Fernando González Llort.

Policy supporting people affected by COVID-19 reviewed

The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) has been tasked with coordinating with relevant ministries and agencies in collecting reports and recommendations of the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MoPI) related to evaluating the performance of the Government’s policy to support people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the MoPI’s report, the implementation of the support policy under Resolution No. 42/NQ-CP has basically met requirements and principles set by the Government and the National Assembly Standing Committee.

Most of the poor and near-poor households and other beneficiaries of social allowances, people affected by the pandemic, and those whose income has been sharply reduced have received support.

The policy was implemented without recording phenomenon of advantage taking, wrong spending and relevant violations.

The Government’s COVID-19 policy has created a basis for localities to proactively and flexibly issue their own support policies.

The implementation of the resolution has helped State management agencies gain experience to better the development and implementation of support policies in order to deal with similar urgent situations in the future more effectively.

Logo design contest held to mark Vietnam-Australia ties

The Australian Embassy in Vietnam and the Vietnamese Embassy in Australia have jointly launched a logo design contest to celebrate 50 years of bilateral diplomacy between the two countries in 2023.

The contest is open to all individuals until November 22. Contestants can submit multiple entries, although each entry requires a separate entry form.

The winning logo design will be decided by Australia’s Ambassador to Vietnam and Vietnam’s Ambassador to Australia, with an announcement to be made through the Australian Embassy in Vietnam’s Facebook page and the Australian Ambassador’s Twitter account.

The designer of the winning logo will also receive an invitation to one of the 50th anniversary celebrations to be held in 2023 in one of the four cities - Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Canberra, and Sydney.

HCM City, neighbouring provinces to build 200km highway

HCM City, together with the provinces of Bình Dương, Đồng Nai, Long An and Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu, will work on a 200km HCM City Ring Road No.4 project expected to be completed before 2030.

The HCM City Department of Transport is seeking the city People's Committee’s approval to implement the project, which will serve as a basis for neighbouring localities such as Bình Dương, Đồng Nai, Long An and Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu to also participate.

During the first phase of the project, construction of four expressways and parallel roads will be carried out. Site clearance for construction will be implemented as well.

According to preliminary research, the first phase is estimated to cost VNĐ102 trillion (US$4.2 billion) and will be implemented in the form of public-private partnership (PPP). At the completion stage, all localities will invest in completing HCM City Ring Road No.4 according to the plan.

HCM City has been assigned to take care of a 17km-long section of the route while Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province with 18km, Đồng Nai Province with 45km, Bình Dương Province with 49km and Long An Province with 71km.

HCM City Ring Road No.4 will be 200km long, with the first point intersecting with Biên Hòa-Vũng Tàu Highway in Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province and the end point connecting with the North-South Expressway at HCM City's Hiệp Phước Port. This will be an eight-lane highway with parallel roads on both sides.

HCM City, Bình Dương, Đồng Nai and Long An will start the construction of the 76km-long Ring Road No.3 in 2023.

Mekong Delta preparing for more high tides

The Directorate of Water Resources has asked Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta localities to take preventative measures to mitigate the impact of high tides coming at the end of this month.

It sent a document to the departments of agriculture and rural development of the delta’s 12 provinces and the city of Cần Thơ to warn about the impact of the high tides to agricultural production and the lives of locals.

The high tides are estimated to last during October 26-31 and their levels are higher than the average of many years such as 2011, 2018, 2019 and 2020, which had high levels of high tides, said the directorate.

In Sóc Trăng Province, the ongoing high tides are expected to reach their peak at 2.25-2.35 metres high, equal to or higher than the levels of the high tides two weeks ago.

The ongoing high tides are estimated to reach their peaks at 2.1-2.5 metres high in Cần Thơ and 2.05-2.15 metres high in Vĩnh Long Province, lower than the levels of high tides two weeks ago.

The directorate has warned that the high tides can affect agricultural production in low-lying areas which have low and weak embankments and dykes along the Tiền and Hậu rivers and the coastal areas of Tiền Giang, Bến Tre, Trà Vinh, Vĩnh Long, Hậu Giang, Sóc Trăng, Bạc Liêu, Cà Mau and Kiên Giang provinces and Cần Thơ.

Hanoi embarks on national nutrition strategy for 2022-2030

Hanoi has adopted a plan to ensure 78 per cent of children aged 6-23 months enjoy an adequate diet by 2025, which will increase to 80 per cent by 2030.

The rate of adult intake of fruit and vegetables will reach 65 per cent by 2025 and 70 per cent by 2030. Under the plan, recently issued by the municipal People’s Committee to realise the national nutrition strategy for 2022-2030, no family will lack food from 2025.

80 per cent of communes and wards will offer nutrition consultations to pregnant women and those with children aged below two will receive basic health care packages provided by medical stations in communes, wards and towns. The rate is expected to reach 100 per cent by 2030.

To such end, 70 per cent of schools must offer menus with proper nutrition as recommended by the Ministry of Health by 2025 and the rate will increase to 90 per cent by 2030.

By 2025, 90 per cent of hospitals in the city will conduct health check-ups and treatment based on feeding regimes suitable for nutritional and the pathological status of patients, with the figure rising to 100 per cent by 2030.

Vietnam attend International Circus Festival 'Bravo'

Vietnamese artists have attended the International Circus Festival 'Bravo' which was held in Mongolia from October 21 to October 30 promote co-operation in the field between Mongolia and other countries around the world.

The event brought together 100 talented circus artists from Vietnam, Japan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Ghana, Belarus, Russia, and the host country.

The Association of Mongolian Circus selected more than 30 impressive acts from participating countries for performance on the final night.

The Vietnamese art troupe delivered two unique circus acts - Khoanh Khac Tinh Yeu (Moment of love) and Vong Xoay Dam Me (Sway with Passion). The two special performances left a strong impression on over 3,000 Mongolian spectators present at the function.

‘Ghibli- the Dream Express’ concert staged in Ho Chi Minh City

The Imagine Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) held a concert entitled ‘Ghibli- the Dream Express’ at the Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music on October 29 and 30.

Ghibli movies are often reminded of dreams or vestiges of a bygone era. The dreams are a magical door that leads us to Howl's moving castle, to the slumbering old forest in the varnishing kingdom, Laputa, or sometimes, to the town with an ocean view where Kiki practices her magic. Ghibli's work takes viewers’ imagination to the most magical of places.

When the screen goes off, the music of Joe Hisaishi, a celebrated Japanese composer and musical director, ends softly, leaving us with a stage of inconclusive emotions, wishing to live again in that world.

This was the first concert the IPO has dedicated to the music of Joe Hisaishi from Studio Ghibli with 12 tracks from nine films. Joe Hisaishi is the “engineer” who made Ghibli's dream come true.

Through the concert, the IPO wanted to bring the audience to Ghibli's space with a 50-member orchestra under the baton of conductor Dustin Tieu.

Established two years ago, the IPO is a pioneering young orchestra in Ho Chi Minh City providing high quality and community-oriented concerts. The IPO has staged many well-received programmes as well as charity concerts.

HCM City transport sector proposes additional US$2.9 bln for transport development

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport has just sent an official letter to the municipal People’s Committee proposing allocation of additional capital in the medium-term public investment plan for the period from 2021-2025 for upcoming and under-implementation transport projects. 

Accordingly, in order to well implement and reach the set targets, strategies and missions on socio-economy development, the HCMC Department of Transport proposed the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City to consider, direct the relevant departments and agencies to provide consultancy on additional capital allocation in the medium-term public investment plan for the period 2021-2025 from the city budget with the total amount of VND71,695 billion (nearly US$2.9 billion) for 61 road transport projects, 27 waterway projects and two investment programs.

Earlier, the HCMC People’s Committee approved the development plan for HCMC’s transport infrastructure for the period of 2020-2030 with 454 kilometers comprising expressways, ring roads, national highways, main axis roads, big bridges and so on. The total investment in the period of 2021 – 2025 was calculated to expectedly reach VND266 trillion (nearly US$10.1 billion).

However, due to limitations on capital, the city prioritized capital allocation in the medium-term public investment plan for the period from 2021-2025 for the transport sector with the total funds of VND52,744 billion (US$2.1 billion), reaching 19.8 percent of the total capital demand. Still, this amount does not meet the investment and development demand of transport infrastructure system.

Forum on innovation in education in Vietnam launched

The Ministry of Education and Training and Microsoft Vietnam yesterday jointly organized the forum ‘Innovation in Education in Vietnam on the basis of information technology 2022 - 2023’.

The education and training sector is one of the eight sectors that need to be given top priority in digital transformation. According to Decision No. 749 dated June 3, 2020, of the Prime Minister approving the ‘National Digital Transformation Program to 2025 with orientation to 2030’, digital transformation is an indispensable condition for building smart schools in the Fourth Industrial Revolution era.

Specifically, the program will focus on developing a platform to support distance teaching and learning thoroughly applying digital technology in management, teaching, and learning and digitizing documents and textbooks in addition to building a platform to share teaching and learning resources in both face-to-face and online forms.

This year's forum will take place from October 30, 2022, to March 25, 2023, with three main phases. The first phase is the official launch ceremony, the second phase is comprised of training activities, training and submission of tests and the third phase is the conclusion and awarding.

Also at the launch ceremony, the forum honored and awarded certificates to 12 Microsoft Showcase Schools and 519 Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert (MIEE) educational experts in the academic year 2022 - 2023. In 2022, 519 teachers trained on using Microsoft tools in the classroom were certified Microsoft creative educators bringing Vietnam to the second ranking in the Asia-Pacific region.

HCMC, ADB running project to control exhaust fumes in traffic

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Natural Resources and Environment informs that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has sponsored the project ‘Upgrading Capacity and Actions to Improve Air Quality’ in HCMC since 2019 in order to reduce air pollution in the city.

Accordingly, the project focuses on such meaningful activities as investigating the air quality in HCMC, identifying factors affecting air quality, improving air quality management in HCMC, devising feasible solutions to reduce air pollution in the fields of traffic, industrial and agricultural manufacturing, waste treatment.

Particularly, in the traffic aspect, the project has proposed practical measures for air pollution lessening: establishing an effective, high-quality bus network; transforming 50 percent of current diesel-powered buses into electric or CNG (compressed natural gas) ones; zoning for emission control in combination with collecting environmental pollution fees; mobilizing social resources to perform emission tests for motorbikes.

The project also suggested policies regarding bike lanes in HCMC and considered opportunities for the improvement of traffic facilities to serve pedestrians.

Long-term support programme for AO victims needed: official

Sen Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Van Rinh, president of the Vietnam Association of Agent Orange/dioxin Victims (VAVA) has suggested the US form a long-term support programme inclusively for Agency Orange (AO) victims in Vietnam to enhance the effectiveness of US’s assistance relating to the settlement of war consequences.

He made the suggestion at a reception for Tim Rieser, senior foreign policy advisor to US Senator Patrick Leahy, in Hanoi on October 30.

US support should be extended to many provinces and cities of Vietnam, with priority given to direct aid to victims’ families, Rinh said.

He spoke highly of Rieser’s contribution to promoting cooperation programmes in overcoming war consequences between the two countries, which he described as a bright spot in Vietnam-US relations.

The official also expressed his wish that Rieser would continue to direct the US Government and Congress's attention to collaboration programmes on the settlement of war consequences in Vietnam and for AO victims.

On the occasion, Rinh presented the “For Agent Orange/Dioxin victims” insignia to Rieser in recognition of his contributions to supporting AO victims.

MoH issues preventative measures after recording human case of A/H5 avian flu

The Ministry of Health (MoH) yesterday announced measures to prevent the transmission of avian influenza to humans after recording a human case of A/H5 avian flu in a 5-year-old girl in the Northern Province of Phu Tho’s Dong Thanh Commune.

According to the Ministry of Health’s recommendation, people should not eat poultry, poultry products that are sick, dead and of unknown origin. Additionally, people should eat properly handled and cooked poultry and drink boiled water as well as not slaughter, transport, or trade in poultry and poultry products of unknown origin.

Therefore, when anyone experiences flu symptoms such as fever, cough, chest pain, or shortness of breath after eating poultry products, they must immediately go to a nearby health facility for advice, examination and timely treatment.

HCM City set record, win 11th national title

HCM City FC won the National Women's Football Championship title for the 11th time on Sunday. The reigning champions defended their title after beating Phong Phú Hà Nam 3-1 in the last match of the season at the Hà Nam Province Stadium. They have now won the title four times in a row and seven times in the past eight seasons.

It made them the most successful female club in Việt Nam with 11 trophies, one more than Hà Nội 1 Watabe.

After 12 matches, HCM City secured 30 points to top the table. Hà Nội I Watabe stayed second with 26 points after earning a draw with third-placed Việt Nam Coal and Minerals 0-0 in an earlier game.

In addition to prizes for the top three teams, organisers also presented awards for individual players. Vũ Thị Hoa of Hà Nội I Watabe was the top scorer with nine goals. Her teammate Đào Thị Kiều Oanh was the best goalkeeper. Captain Trang of HCM City was the most valuable player of the tournament.

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