President Tô Lâm emphasised the need for the Việt Nam People’s Navy (VPN) to closely integrate the protection of sovereignty with the socio-economic development of maritime and island regions in order to build a strong national defence at sea.

He was speaking during his visit to the VPN in the northern coastal city of Hải Phòng on Friday.

Vice Admiral Trần Thanh Nghiêm, Commander of the VPN, stated that under the leadership of the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defence, the VPN has successfully completed all assigned tasks, especially protecting the country's maritime and island sovereignty.

Nghiêm said that the VPN has promptly advised and proposed to the Party, the State, the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defence various policies and solutions to handle situations according to the proper guidelines and strategies, avoiding passivity and surprise, maintaining maritime and island sovereignty, maritime economic activities and a peaceful environment at sea.

They have strictly maintained forces and are means ready for combat as per regulations. They have deployed forces and, in close coordination with border guards, coast guards, and fisheries inspectors, have rigorously implemented the Government’s Directive No45 on urgent tasks and solutions to address the European Commission's warnings about combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

The Vice Admiral stated that the VPN has excelled in training, receiving, and mastering new technical equipment, conducting live-fire drills with various weapons, and effectively performing search and rescue missions in remote maritime and island areas.

Regarding political and ideological work, Nghiêm asserted that the VPN has effectively coordinated the implementation of maritime and island education programmes with 63 cities and provinces, 16 central agencies, and media agencies, contributing to attracting resources to build a modern navy force.

Expressing his pleasure at his visit to the VPN, President Lâm conveyed General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng's best regards to all the VPN’s officers and soldiers and those in combat positions across the nation's maritime regions.

President Lâm acknowledged the outstanding achievements and victories of the VPN. He said that faced with the new demands of socio-economic development linked with the steadfast protection of national maritime and island sovereignty, the VPN has consistently embraced the Party's and State's guidelines and policies, overcoming all difficulties and hardships and firmly and persistently defending the nation's maritime and island sovereignty.  

By proactively understanding, forecasting, analysing, and accurately assessing the situation, the VPN has advised the Party and State on numerous policies and solutions, addressing complex emerging situations promptly and effectively to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nation.

President Lâm emphasised that in the fields of maritime and island education, maritime economic development linked with the task of firmly protecting maritime and island sovereignty and search and rescue operations in remote areas, the VPN consistently demonstrates its leading role, serving as a reliable support and solid trust for the people.

He stressed that the VPN must continue to fulfill its pivotal role in building a robust national defence on the sea and a comprehensive people's war posture at sea.

Additionally, the President called for focused efforts to build the VPN into a powerful force, serving as the core in defending the nation and driving economic development in challenging maritime areas.

In celebration of World Oceans Day (June 8), the President urged the VPN to engage in public education and mobilisation efforts, encouraging people to actively participate in activities that protect sovereignty while promoting maritime and island economic development. He emphasised the importance of safeguarding marine resources and the environment sustainably as well as firmly defending national sovereignty at sea.

Also on the same day, President Lâm paid tribute at the Memorial House for President Hồ Chí Minh and the Heroes and Martyrs, planted a commemorative tree in the courtyard of the VPN’s headquarters and inspected combat readiness forces on Trường Sa (Spratly) Archipelago, DK-I rigs on the southern continental shelf and patrol ships in the southwestern sea region.

13th ASEAN School Games wraps up in Da Nang

Vietnam topped the tally with 44 gold medals at the 10-day 13th ASEAN School Games (ASG), which wrapped up in the central city of Da Nang on July 7.

It was followed by Indonesia with 22 gold medals and Thailand with 18 golds.

The games saw nine records broken, all in swimming and achieved by Vietnamese students.

The closing ceremony treated the audiences and athletes to colourful artistic performances, with 10 sport delegations participating in a parade to honour their achievements.

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Education and Training and head of the organising committee Nguyen Thi Kim Chi handed over a symbolic flag to a representative from Brunei – the host of 14th edition.

In her remarks, Chi said the ASG, featuring six sports with 107 competition events, provided an opportunity to form and create new friendships. Through sports, differences and boundaries are overcome to unite in building a strong and cohesive ASEAN community./.

Lai Chau turns ancient Shan Tuyet tea into key economic product

Phong Tho, a border district in the northwestern province of Lai Chau, is home to over 8,000 ancient Shan Tuyet tea trees, the largest number of such trees in the region.

Most of those wild ancient trees are found in six communes - Mo Si San, Si Lo Lau, Pa Vay Su, Tung Qua Lin, Sin Suoi, Ho and Hoang Then.

Mo Si San commune, about 80km from Lai Chau city, has more than 1,700 Shan Tuyet tea trees, some of which are up to 900 years old.

The old tea trees here have big trunks which even reach up to 30m tall. They produce big, dark green buds and leaves, which are covered with soft "fur" as white as snow, hence the name Shan Tuyet (Tuyet means snow).

It takes more than three hours for locals to trek up the mountains and reach the ancient tea trees that grow nearly 2,000m above sea level. To pick tea leaves, people have to stay in the forest for several days.

Tan A Hang, who lives in Tan Seo Phin village, Mo Si San commune, said that people used to go to the forest to pick this type of tea leaves to drink at home, as they loved its sweetness and fragrance. Nowadays, they earn money from picking tea leaves to sell to the local cooperative for processing.

Aware of the economic potential of ancient Shan Tuyet tea trees, in 2019, Mo Si San commune established Bien Cuong Cooperative to purchase and process fresh tea buds using modern machines into tea products, bringing high economic value. The cooperative has established the Mo Si San tea brand for its tea products.

Chairman of Mo Si San People’s Committee Tan Chin Lung said locals have been given instruction on tea harvesting techniques to ensure the quality of tea.

Due attention has been paid to preserving and promoting this specialty tea variety, he noted, adding that the commune opens training courses on preserving the tea trees and planting new ones in a safe and sustainable manner.

The commune produces about 1.5 tonnes of dry tea each year. With prices ranging from 2-3 million VND (78.5-118 USD) per kg of dried tea, revenue from tea products have helped improve incomes and living conditions for many local farmers.

Defining that this is a crop that helps people alleviate hunger and reduce poverty, since 2021, the commune has planted Shan Tuyet trees on 22ha while continuing to preserve the existing 8,000 ancient tea trees, Tan Van Tai, vice chairman of Hoang Then commune, said, adding that the tea trees are growing very well.

Other communes of Phong Tho district such as Si Lo Lau, Pa Vay Su, Tung Qua Lin and Dao San are also trying to tap into the potential of ancient Shan Tuyet tea trees.

According to Vu Huu Luong, head of the Division of Agriculture and Rural Development in Phong Tho district, a project for the development and protection of ancient tea trees has been implemented in the region.

It is expected that in the 2021-2025 period, Phong Tho will plant an additional 120ha of tea in the communes of Si Lo Lau, Mo Si San, Pa Vay Su, Hoang Then, Tung Qua Lin and Dao San, he added./.

Workshop highlights Vietnam's potential for developing circular economy from rice by-products

A workshop on developing the circular economy in rice production and processing was held in Can Tho city on June 7, drawing the participation of policymakers, experts, and representatives from international organisations and the Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development of 13 Mekong Delta localities, and businesses in this industry.

The event was jointly organised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), the Vietnam Rice Industry Association (VIETRISA) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).

According to Le Thanh Tung, Deputy Director of the MARD’s Department of Crop Production, each year, rice production in the Mekong Delta – Vietnam’s largest rice granary - releases about 24 million tonnes of straw into the environment. However, only 30%, or 7.4 million tonnes, is collected, while the remainder is burned or buried in fields, causing environmental pollution, increasing methane emissions and other greenhouse gases.

To solve this problem, the circular economy is an approach to minimising negative impacts on agricultural ecosystems and improving economic efficiency, Tung said, adding that taking advantage of by-products and waste products from rice production is important to improving the value chain of the region's rice industry.

Rice by-products can become raw materials for the next steps, such as making organic fertiliser and fodder, or for growing mushroom, creating an ecosystem of high-quality products, he stressed.

Experts said that with an abundant source of by-products from the rice industry, Vietnam has a great opportunity to develop an agricultural circular economy by increasing the added value of rice by-products, and creating clean and sustainable energy.

However, it is important to have close coordination between stakeholders, from policymakers, scientists, businesses to farmers to successfully build circular economic models from rice production and processing, they noted.

IRRI Director General Yvonne Pinto stressed the importance of issuing policies that benefit farmers as they have an important role in developing circular agriculture.

MARD Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam asked VIETRISA to call on businesses that produce seeds, fertilisers and agricultural supplies, and rice buyers to join in building a standard circular economy model within the “1 million hectares of high-quality rice” project in the region./.

Pilot project makes schools in Da Nang greener

A total 11.7 tonnes of garbage including 0.7 tonnes of plastic waste have been collected for classification at source, while 1,200 teachers and 24,000 primary school students at 20 schools in the central city of Da Nang took part in a pilot project to make their schools greener.

A report on the pilot project, under the theme 'Clean Cities, Blue Ocean', funded by USAID's flagship programme, which aims to combat ocean plastic pollution, has been released after eight months of operation.

The programme is now being rolled out to different schools, including secondary and high school levels.

More than 2,000 educational sessions and 65 events showing ways to treat waste along with the 3Rs (reduce, re-use and recycle) were organised to raise awareness among school students, teachers and the community, along with big pushes on social media.

Tran Mai Trang, from the Live&Learn centre, said the programme had helped reduce by 17% the amount of waste released into the environment, while also collecting valuable organic waste for composting.

“The programme introduced effective solutions in management of waste at school – an initial step to approach to ‘zero waste’ goal in the future. School students are aware of the importance of waste classification and environment protection by actions,” she said.

“Some schools included waste audits and waste reduction activities as part of their daily action programme. Glass bottles and LED screens were used instead of plastic containers and backdrops, respectively,” she said.

Students were encouraged to bring food boxes and bottles to school rather than using single-use plastic ware, she added.

According to the report, the programme collected 5.9 tonnes of organic waste, 5.8 tonnes of waste (paper, cans, metal) for recycling and 630kg electronic waste.

The programme will now be rolled out to most of the other schools throughout the city, towards building Da Nang as a ‘green’ school brand in central Vietnam and a key example for other provinces and cites to follow.

The Tran Dai Nghia Primary School was the first in the city to pilot the waste treatment plans under the Waste-Free Schools model of the Building Healthy City (BHC) programme – one of East Meets West Organisation's key programmes in building a healthy and clean study environment for 12 primary schools.

The school applied a recycling kitchen system to reduce 60% of waste every month, saving 43 USD in garbage treatment fees, while producing 100kg of nutritional compost each month.

According to experts from Da Nang University, 80% of the daily 1,100-tonne waste in Da Nang could be recycled by promoting waste classification at source.

At least 400 tonnes of organic waste, of which 50% was biodegradable, could be collected by recycling sorting every day.

Lagom Vietnam Company and TetraPak said ten tonnes of milk cartons from schools in Da Nang are available for collection for recycling every day./.

Hà Nội issues forceful directive on tightening dog and cat meat trade

In a major move to safeguard public health and promote more ethical practices, the Hanoi Sub-department of Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Veterinary services (under the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development) has issued a critically important directive in a move towards eliminating dog and cat meat trade across the city's districts.

The comprehensive directive outlines a multi-pronged strategy involving strict enforcement and cooperation across multiple government agencies and mobile inspection teams.

Citing the grave risk posed by the recent rabies outbreak across the country (there have been 102 rabies outbreaks in 29 provinces and cities causing human fatalities) the directive emphasises the urgent imperative to prevent such a public health crisis in Hà Nội.

A core focus is enhancing rabies vaccination rates to over 90 per cent among the pet dog and cat population through a concerted drive by veterinary authorities. Strict monitoring and tough penalties have been mandated for any illegal trade, transportation, slaughter or sale of dogs and cats for meat purposes.

Mobile inspection teams will be deployed at key transportation routes to systematically intercept and halt any unauthorised movement of live dogs and cats.

Critically the directive calls for extensive public awareness campaigns using mass media to educate residents about the dangers of rabies, the need for responsible pet management practices and to discourage the deeply entrenched habit of dog and cat meat consumption.

Hà Nội aspires to cultivate more compassionate attitudes towards animals overall.

By designating 'rabies-safe zones' where the dog and cat meat trade is completely eliminated, this pioneering directive aims to transform Hà Nội into a civilised, tourist-friendly city aligned with international standards for animal welfare and food safety.

While presenting challenges to long-held culinary traditions, the municipal government hopes robust enforcement combined with shifting societal values will culminate in Hà Nội joining world cities that have banned dog and cat meat consumption.

Director of International Advocacy at the Soi Dog International Foundation Rahul Sehgal said: "Soi Dog, as a technical support organisation facilitating this pioneering campaign, commends Hà Nội's progressive directive against the dog and cat meat trade.

"This initiative demonstrates a commitment to aligning Việt Nam's capital with contemporary global standards. We will continue providing various assistance to facilitate this move going forward."

This forceful directive serves as a pivotal catalyst for positive change and provides the impetus to ultimately eradicate the dog and cat meat trade, positioning Hà Nội as a progressive leader in this sphere among Vietnamese cities. 

Fried fish likely to blame for mass food poisoning incident in Nghệ An

Health authorities in the central province Nghệ An are investigating a mass food poisoning incident that sent more than 70 workers to hospital after they had lunch on May 28.

The workers, employed by MLB Tenergy CO LTD in Yên Thành District, complained of nausea, vomiting and headaches after a meal at the company's cafeteria. They were rushed to local hospitals but all were released by the following day.

Investigators said tests revealed high histamine levels (739mg/kg) in the fried silver carps served at the cafeteria.

Investigators also found problems with the cafeteria's hygiene standards, including a lack of proper lids on rubbish bins, dirty food preparation areas and non-compliant food sample storage.

The authorities said a council of food safety experts will be convened to assess the test results and determine the specific cause of the incident.

Histamine is a chemical that can build up in fish if not stored properly. Histamine poisoning usually causes unpleasant but short-lived symptoms.

HCM City earmarks VNĐ4.3 trillion for equipment for 3 new public hospitals

HCM City will set aside VNĐ4.3 trillion (US$168.2 million) for buying medical devices and equipment for three new hospitals, according to its Management Board of Industrial and Civil Engineering Construction and Investment Projects.

The procurement for the general hospitals that are under construction in Thủ Đức City and Củ Chi and Hóc Môn districts will begin this quarter.

The task, which will be completed by the end of 2025, will cost more than VNĐ1.36 trillion ($53.2 million) for the Củ Chi Regional General Hospital, VNĐ1.45 trillion ($56.7 million) for the Thủ Đức Regional General Hospital and VNĐ1.49 trillion ($58.3 million) for the Hóc Môn Regional General Hospital.

The three 1,000-bed hospitals, which will cost a total of more than VNĐ5.6 trillion ($219.1 million) for construction, are expected to open by the end of this year.

They are expected to improve healthcare services in outlying districts and reduce overloading at major city public hospitals.

The Hóc Môn Regional General Hospital in March opened the nephrology – dialysis department, which was moved from the old Hóc Môn Regional General Hospital.

It has 20 dialysis machines and receives 114 regular patients.

It plans to add another 40 dialysis machines when the hospital is fully operational this year. 

Leaders join round-table discussions on best practices for gender equality

Việt Nam has achieved commendable progress in ensuring gender equality in both political and social life compared to other countries in the region, leaders agreed while attending a round-table discussion held in Hà Nội.

The discussion was organised by the Embassy of Chile in Việt Nam, in co-ordination with the embassies of Canada, France, Germany, Mexico, Spain, Sweden and the Diplomatic Academy of Việt Nam.

The aim was to find a best approach to promote gender equality, remove obstacles that hinder women's progress in fully realising their autonomy and other legal rights.

Participants confirmed that Việt Nam had promising and ambitious goals for women's empowerment and women's leadership in recent times.

During the conference on Thursday, the representatives shared international experiences in promoting gender equality as well as the paths leading to gender equality.

Achieving the objectives requires rethinking the social gaps and institutions that maintain inequality both internationally as well as nationally.

United Nations Resident Coordinator in Việt Nam, Pauline Fatima Tamesis, said that she believed equality is the foundation of a peaceful and prosperous society, adding that globally, it is estimated that one in three people had been a victim of sexual violence in their lives.

In many areas of the world, women and girls suffer more consequences from crises brought on by conflict, climate change and the prolonged impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

To achieve equality, everyone people must take action, she said, emphasising that much work is still to be done.

At the event, the Embassy of Chile declared that in June, their Ministry of Foreign Affairs had, for the first time implemented a Feminist Foreign Policy.

The policy takes the principles of equality and non-discrimination as the focus of Chile's foreign policy and applies measures to legitimise gender perspectives.

It calls on men and women to act from a perspective of respect and promotion of human rights.

Việt Nam is Chile's long-time ally and most important partner in Southeast Asia, with common views and interests in the field.

The embassy hopes that the conference will be a bridge for diplomats, politicians and other leaders to debate experiences, challenges in breaking gender barriers and create opportunities for women to advance, actively contributing to ongoing efforts for women and girls in Việt Nam as well as in the world.

Stroke is preventable by changing key risk factors, advise doctors

People who suffer a stroke can be left with serious complications, it can even be fatal, if they do not receive timely emergency treatment. However, health experts said that stroke can be prevented by changing key risk factors.

There are two types of stroke, including hemorrhagic stroke caused by a ruptured artery and ischemic stroke, caused by a blocked artery. If a patient has a stroke and they do not receive rapid emergency treatment, they can fall into a coma from which they may never recover.

Doctor Nguyễn Văn Mùi, an endocrinologist at the Hanoi French Hospital (HFH), said: "Stroke or cerebrovascular accident are dangerous complications and also the leading cause of death in people with diabetes. The risk of stroke in people with type 2 diabetes increases two to four times compared to normal people."

Dr. Sabrina Stefanizzi, Department of Neurology, coordinator of the Centre for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at HFH said Việt Nam has a high stroke rate.

She suggested some measures to prevent stroke risk for the community, especially people at high risk such as people with high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.

She said that stabilising blood pressure combined with maintaining a healthy diet, avoiding becoming overweight, reducing salt consumption and limiting stress can reduce the risk of stroke. If people have high blood pressure, they need to strictly follow their doctor's instructions on using blood pressure-balancing medications.

It is necessary to provide adequate nutrition for the body, supplementing a variety of green vegetables and fresh fruits to increase resistance. Limit the use of foods rich in saturated fat, fried foods and fast foods to control blood cholesterol because this is a factor that increases the risk of artery blockage, limiting blood circulation to the brain and increasing the risk of stroke, according to Stefanizzi.

Doctors also recommend that each person should build a healthy lifestyle, limit the use of stimulants, not drink alcohol or smoke and increase physical fitness and exercise to help keep their weight down, avoid becoming obese and minimise stroke risks. They also advise patients, especially those with a history of heart disease or blood pressure, to use medication regularly as prescribed by their doctor.

Experts also recommend people visit hospitals for general health checks and stroke screening to detect risk factors early, thereby taking effective prevention measures. On average everyone should have a general health check-up once every six months to one year.

To help the community improve its understanding of stroke, prevention, recognition and treatment of stroke, the Hanoi French Hospital will organise a seminar, entitled 'Stroke: From risk prevention to timely emergency treatment', on June 15.

With the guidance of experienced doctors and experts from France and Việt Nam, the event is not only for those at high risk of stroke but also for caregivers and everyone concerned about their health.

At the event, attendees will be screened for risk factors and receive personal consultation with experts, to maintain good health and avoid the risk of stroke, especially during the peak heat season. The event is completely free but you do need to pre-register via the hotline 024-35771100. 

DataTrust - first platform complies with personal data protection regulations launched

The Việt Nam Data Security Joint Stock Company has unveiled the DataTrust platform, the first platform to comply with personal data protection regulations in the country.

It was launched on Wednesday at the seminar 'Building Policies for Personal Data Protection' organised by the Ministry of Public Security in Hà Nội.

DataTrust is the first digital platform in Việt Nam to administer privacy rights in the fields of cybersecurity and safeguarding data.

It was developed as a way of providing comprehensive solutions for all organisations and businesses and helps them automate and simplify processes for demonstrating compliance with regulations on personal data protection.

It makes compliance verification processes under current regulations easier to implement, saving time and costs for businesses.

The DataTrust platform provides comprehensive tools to enforce the full rights of data subjects, ensuring maximum compliance for businesses, such as conducting current status reports, compliance reports, administrative procedure reports and implementing the 11 rights of data subjects.

Additionally, DataTrust's proactive compliance monitoring system also helps businesses self-identify compliance issues during the implementation.

Đỗ Hưng Thuận, Chief Technology Officer of Việt Nam Data Security Joint Stock Company said that in Việt Nam, DataTrust was built based on current practical needs, as there was no technological solution to support businesses in the complex and costly process of compliance verification.

"We aim to provide businesses and organisations with a comprehensive, complete and fully legally compliant technological solution for personal data protection in Việt Nam,” he said.

DataTrust helps businesses to comply with and provide compliance easily and quickly, something that most businesses were struggling with previously.

The bank's technology officer said that using DataTrust’s platform for their clients had helped them reduce time, costs and human resources up to 95 per cent, compared to traditional methods.

Along with increasing cybersecurity threats, businesses also face the risk of data breaches.

The company cited an IBM report warning that data breaches could cost companies up to US$5 million. Businesses bear heavier consequences as they increasingly spend more on information recovery services after breaches occur.

In Việt Nam, incidents related to data leaks are also posing many risks and challenges, becoming a concern for many organisations and businesses in complying with current regulations.

The Government Decree 13/2023/NĐ-CP on personal data protection, which came into effect in July 2023, stipulates that organisations and businesses must strictly comply with both management and technical requirements for personal data protection.

5 locals rescued from swollen Lâm Đồng river as hydropower dam discharges water

Five men were rescued from the Đồng Nai River in Lâm Đồng Province on June 6 after a hydropower plant discharged water into the river unannounced.

The People’s Committee of Đinh Trang Thượng Commune in Di Linh District said on June 7 it had worked with the police and other authorities to rescue the five, who were stuck on a large boulder in the middle of the fast flowing river after the Đồng Nai 2 plant released water.

At around 01:30pm on June 6 a group of people went to swim in river.

At 3pm three people left and the five men, aged 18 to 22, stayed back.

At 4:10pm the plant opened its floodgates, sending a huge volume of water gushing downstream.

The men were unable to swim back to shore and had to seek refuge on the boulder.

But with the water level rising rapidly, they were in great danger of being swept away.

K’Đô, chairman of Đinh Trang Thượng Commune, said that when the threat was discovered, the People’s Committee quickly called the power plant and urged it to close the gates.

A rescue team comprising police, military and local officials began efforts to rescue the men from the river.

At around 8pm they used rescue ropes and life vests and safely brought them to shore.

According to the commune, it did not receive any notification from the hydropower plant and so could not warn the public in advance.

The Đồng Nai River, around 586km long, passes through Lâm Đồng, Đăk Nông, Bình Phước, and Đồng Nai provinces and HCM City, and has several hydropower plants built along it.

When a hydropower dam has too much water, due to heavy rains, to ensure safety it opens its floodgates and discharges some of the water. 

Police break up human trafficking ring in central Việt Nam

Police in the central province of Hà Tĩnh, working with border guards and the police of Bokeo Province, Laos, have successfully dismantled a human trafficking ring, safely returning 36 victims to Việt Nam.

Four suspects were apprehended at the end of May, local media reported.

They are identified as Lê Xuân Thành, 35, Lê Anh Tuấn, 34, Dương Anh Điện, 38, all residing in Hà Tĩnh Province and Lê Thanh Trầm, 46, from Nghệ An Province.

According to authorities, Thành and Tuấn travelled to Laos in late 2023 to work for a criminal organisation operating in Bokeo Province.

Their group was tasked with managing various social media platforms to defraud Vietnamese citizens into investing in scam applications.

From November 2023 to April 2024, Thành and Tuấn posted recruitment information on social media, offering jobs in Thailand with a salary of VNĐ18-30 million (US$706-1,170). Điện and Trầm assisted in the operation.

At least 22 people from Hà Tĩnh Province and 14 others from neighbouring provinces were contacted by Thành's group and transported through the Tây Trang border gate in the northern province Điện Biên to Bokeo Province, where they were handed over to Chinese nationals.

Upon arrival, the victims were put under strict surveillance, forced into labour and coerced into fraudulent activities and online gambling operations, with work time reaching nearly twenty hours a day.

The victims were not paid, subjected to beatings and restrained to make it impossible for them to leave.

When they refused to comply with assigned tasks, they were forced to call their families in Việt Nam to demand ransom money.

According to the police, in addition to trafficking individuals from Việt Nam to Laos, the group also engaged in asset appropriation fraud and organised online gambling activities. 

Malaria cases increase despite being off-season in Khánh Hòa Province

Khánh Hòa Province recorded 123 cases of malaria in the first five months of this year, the provincial health district reported.

In Khánh Vĩnh district alone, there have been 114 cases of malaria recorded, with dozens of severe cases, of which nearly 80 per cent of the cases are male and around 25 per cent are children aged between five and fifteen years old.

According to epidemiologists, this is the highest number of cases to date in the province in this period. Therefore, it is crucial to implement and synchronise multiple decisive measures to prevent and control malaria in the area.

The Khánh Hòa Centre for Disease Control (CDC) reported that the number of malaria patients in the province gradually decreased from 2018 to 2022.

2018, the entire province recorded 125 cases, which fell to 12 cases by 2022.

However, from 2023, the number of cases increased significantly to 209, including one fatality of a Vietnamese overseas citizen due to malaria.

In July last year, malaria cases surged to a rate of 50 cases per month, then gradually decreased, with 22 cases per month recorded by the end of the year.

Most of these cases were among individuals who ventured into forests and slept in fields in the mountainous district of Khánh Vĩnh.

This year, despite the vigorous implementation of malaria prevention and control measures, the number of cases has risen sharply in the province, even though it is not currently the usual peak malarial season.

Huỳnh Hồng Quang, deputy director of the Malaria-Parasitology-Insects Institute, said that an abnormal increase in malaria cases in Khánh Hoà Province since the beginning of the year, is deviating from the usual seasonal pattern.

Quang said that if the locality does not take decisive measures during the peak periods of the epidemic, from now until the end of August and from November to February 2025, the risk of a surge in malaria cases will increase significantly.

In Khánh Vĩnh District, 12 out of 14 communes and townships have malaria cases. Particularly in Khánh Phú and Khánh Đông communes, nearly 100 per cent of the detected cases are attributed to the P. falciparum strain of malaria parasites. In contrast, cases in Khánh Thượng Commune are linked to the P. Malariae strain of malaria parasites.

During the first few months of the year, Khánh Vĩnh District recorded 114 cases, including dozens of severe malaria cases. Males accounted for nearly 80 per cent of the cases and around 25 per cent were children aged between five and fifteen years old. Most of the cases are those who sleep in makeshift shelters in the wilderness, ten of the cases are forest rangers.

A survey conducted by the Malaria-Parasitology-Insects Institute in 30 households in forested areas in Khánh Vĩnh District showed that most people do not use mosquito nets while sleeping, creating favourable conditions for mosquitoes to transmit the disease.

In addition, many individuals in the community still carry malaria parasites without exhibiting any symptoms, potentially becoming a source of infection when bitten by mosquitoes.

According to Tôn Thất Toàn, deputy director of the provincial CDC, aside from Khánh Vĩnh District, the situation regarding the other nine malaria cases in the province has been effectively controlled, with no new sources of transmission identified.

The Health Centre of Khánh Vĩnh District has imposed measures to prevent and control malaria in the district, but some significant challenges persist. The pathogen still exists in the forest areas and with the livelihoods of many of the local residents linked to work there, it is difficult to cut off the source of transmission.

The district has conducted various forms of communication including radio broadcasts and has sent out medics to offer tests and treatments.

However, the community remains negligent in malaria prevention and control, especially in participating in testing and reporting to local healthcare authorities after returning from the forest. This hinders early detection, treatment, and prevention of malaria from spreading into the community.

Foreigner prosecuted for causing fatal accident

Police of the central province Quảng Nam have started criminal proceedings and arrested a foreigner after a motorbike he was driving crashed, killing his friend.

The detainee is Chong Fu Kit, 31, who is under investigation over violating road traffic regulations and came to visit Việt Nam with three friends.

The group checked into a hotel in Điện Bàn Town of Quảng Nam Province and while traveling, Chong rented a motorbike in Đà Nẵng City to get around.

At about 10:48 pm on May 8, Chong drove the motorbike with one of his friends, Cruz Wing Sze, a 28-year-old Chinese national, on the back. They were travelling from the hotel towards the ancient town Hội An, neither was wearing a helmet.

During the journey, Chong lost control of the bike, crashing into a fixed barrier in the middle of the road. Cruz Wing Sze died at the scene and Chong was injured.

The police quickly arrived at the accident and checked Chong's blood alcohol level which was found to be 220mg/dl. Chong was transferred to a hospital for treatment and was arrested following his discharge. 

Nearly 106,000 candidates come to testing sites to prepare for Hà Nội's high school exam

Nearly 106,000 candidates arrived at testing sites on Friday morning to complete necessary procedures to take the 10th-grade entrance exam for public high schools in Hà Nội, ready for the next school year.

Ten needed special support for health reasons, but many others arrived early because they worried about getting stuck in traffic jams or caught by heavy rains.

At the testing sites, the exam invigilators explained the exam regulations to the candidates. To avoid any errors in the paperwork, candidates must provide all their details, including their full name, date of birth, and the high school where they registered to study.

Statistics from the city’s Education and Training Department estimate that more than 117,000 candidates will take this year's entrance exam; nearly 106,000 candidates taking the exam for public high schools, about 11,000 candidates taking the exam for gifted schools, and more than 250 students taking take the dual-degree training programme.

The city has established 201 testing sites with more than 4,500 exam rooms across all 30 districts.

The local education sector has mobilised nearly 15,500 teachers to supervise exams and more than 2,000 teachers to mark the papers. Meanwhile, 600 officials will be on hand to direct students and ensure that each exam's stages are carried out correctly.

As scheduled, candidates will take the literature test on Saturday morning, the foreign language test on Saturday afternoon and the maths test on Sunday morning.

Of the ten candidates, who will receive special support for health reasons during this year’s 10th grade entrance exam, eight had broken their arms and were unable to take the exam themselves.

For those children, test sites will arrange for an 8th-grade student to accompany each candidate on all the tests and transcribe their spoken answers onto the exam paper.

To ensure transparency during the exam process, candidates' reading will be recorded and individually monitored during the exam sessions.

Candidates' work will be submitted along with the recording file for comparison.

Additionally, two candidates needed insulin injections, and the education department has issued specific instructions to the test site managers to agree on measures to support them.

All the testing sites have completed preparations and are ready to start the exams.

First platform complying with personal data protection regulations launched

The Vietnam Data Security Joint Stock Company has unveiled the DataTrust platform, the first platform to comply with personal data protection regulations in the country.

It was launched at the seminar 'Building Policies for Personal Data Protection' organised by the Ministry of Public Security in Hanoi on June 5.

DataTrust is the first digital platform in Vietnam to administer privacy rights in the fields of cybersecurity and safeguarding data.

It was developed as a way of providing comprehensive solutions for all organisations and businesses and helps them automate and simplify processes for demonstrating compliance with regulations on personal data protection.

It makes compliance verification processes under current regulations easier to implement, saving time and costs for businesses.

The DataTrust platform provides comprehensive tools to enforce the full rights of data subjects, ensuring maximum compliance for businesses, such as conducting current status reports, compliance reports, administrative procedure reports and implementing the 11 rights of data subjects.

Additionally, DataTrust's proactive compliance monitoring system also helps businesses self-identify compliance issues during the implementation.

DataTrust helps businesses to comply with and provide compliance easily and quickly, something that most businesses were struggling with previously.

Along with increasing cybersecurity threats, businesses also face the risk of data breaches.

In Vietnam, incidents related to data leaks are also posing many risks and challenges, becoming a concern for many organisations and businesses in complying with current regulations.

The Government Decree 13/2023/ND-CP on personal data protection, which came into effect in July 2023, stipulates that organisations and businesses must strictly comply with both management and technical requirements for personal data protection./.

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