A requiem was held on March 14 at Phat Tich pagoda in Vientiane in remembrance of the 64 soldiers who laid down their lives defending Gac Ma (Johnson South) Reef in Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) in 1988.

The event saw the participation of former Vice President Truong My Hoa, Ambassador, Buddhist monks and followers, the Vietnamese community and a large number of students who are living and studying there.

Addressing the ceremony, Hoa spoke highly of the sacrifice by the martyrs and called on younger generations to bear in mind what the martyrs have done for them.

Venerable Thich Minh Quang, Head of the Coordinating Committee of Vietnamese Buddhism in Laos, said the youngsters should uphold the tradition of firmly defending the Fatherland.

Overseas Vietnamese in Thailand commemorate Gac Ma fallen soldiers

The Vietnamese Association in Thailand’s Udon Thani province on March 14 held a ceremony to commemorate 64 naval officers and soldiers who laid down their lives while defending Gac Ma Reef in Vietnam's Truong Sa in 1988 as well as heroic martyrs who sacrificed for the Fatherland and those who died of natural disasters and pandemics.

The event, held at Khanh An Pagoda, a Vietnamese pagoda in the northeastern province of Thailand, saw the participation of former Vice State President Truong My Hoa who is also head of the “For Beloved Hoang Sa and Truong Sa” Club.

Since 2016, the Vietnamese community in Udon Thani has annually held such a memorial ceremony to commemorate the 64 fallen soldiers in the Gac Ma battle. It is also an occasion for overseas Vietnamese there to unite together and look towards the homeland.

Luong Xuan Hoa, Chairman of the Vietnamese Association in Udon Thani, said that remembering the sacrifice of heroes and martyrs, younger generations always respect them and continue protecting the sacred sea and islands of the country.

On March 14, 1988, the 64 naval soldiers of Vietnam fell down while standing in a circle defending the national flag planted on the Gac Ma Reef and affirming the country’s sea and island sovereignty.
 
Their brave deaths were honoured with a monument named “Nhung nguoi nam lai phia chan troi” (Those who laid down their lives on the horizon) at the Gac Ma soldier memorial site.

Military officials commemorate fallen soldiers in Gac Ma battle

Delegations of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army and the Naval Region 4 High Command on March 14 commemorated the 64 naval officers and soldiers who laid down their lives defending Gac Ma Reef in the country’s sea and island area of Truong Sa 35 years ago.

The incense offering ceremony took place at the Gac Ma soldier memorial site in Cam Hai Dong commune of Cam Lam district, the central province of Khanh Hoa.

The delegations were led by Lt. Gen. Nguyen Trong Binh, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army; and Rear Admiral Ngo Van Thuan, Political Commissar of Naval Region 4.

On this occasion, the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of National Defence, and the Party Committee and High Command of the Vietnam People’s Navy also offered incense in commemoration of the fallen soldiers.

On March 14, 1988, 64 naval soldiers of Vietnam fell down while standing in a circle defending the national flag planted on Gac Ma Reef and affirming the country’s sea and island sovereignty.

Their brave deaths were honoured with a monument named “Nhung nguoi nam lai phia chan troi” (Those who laid down their lives on the horizon) at the Gac Ma soldier memorial site.

NA Standing Committee convenes 21st session

The 15th National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee convened its 21st session in Hanoi on March 15 under the chair of NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue.

Hue said that during the session, which will conclude on March 20, the NA Standing Committee will prepare important contents for the legislature’s 5th plenary session.

Specifically, the NA Standing Committee will give opinions on the draft Price Law (amended), the draft Law on Bidding (amended), and the draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Public Security, the draft Law on Water Resources (revised), the draft Law on the Management and Protection of Defencee Works and Military Zones, and the Law on Housing (revised); and comments on the explanation, acquisition and amendment of the draft revised Cooperative Law.

Full-time lawmakers will comment on a proposal to include the draft Law on Citizenship Identity (amended) and the draft revised Law on Credit Institutions in the 2023 Law and Ordinance Building Programme.

Regarding socio-economic issues, the NA Standing Committee will discuss the adjustment of investment in Ka Pet reservoir project in Ham Thuan Nam district in the south central province of Binh Thuan.

It will consider the legislature's report on the people's aspiration work in March, and consider and approve the appointment of ambassadors of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam abroad.

A question and answer session will be held on March 20 and broadcast live on TV and radio channels. The Chief Justice of the Supreme People's Court and the Prosecutor General of the Supreme People's Procuracy will take the floor to answer questions, while the Minister of Public Security, and the Minister of Justice, and the Government Inspector General will give explanations on related issues.

After the opening session, under the chair of NA Vice Chairman Nguyen Duc Hai, the NA Standing Committee discussed a number of major issues with different opinions of the draft revised Law on Price.

Consecutive tremors reported in Quang Ngai and Kon Tum

Several consecutive tremors hit the central province of Quang Ngai and the central highlands province of Kon Tum on Tuesday morning, according to the Institute of Geophysics of Vietnam.

A tremor measured at 2.5 on the Richter Scale at a depth of 10 kilometres occurred at 2.27 am in Quang Ngai Province's Son Ha District.

The neighbouring province of Kon Tum also saw four consecutive earthquakes over the past two days, with the latest measuring at 3.1 on the Richter Scale occurring at 6.25 am today in Kon Plong District. The area also reported three other quakes measuring 2.8 and 2.9 on the Richter Scale yesterday.

Kon Tum has reported nearly 500 tremors since 2021 with the biggest one measuring 4.7 on the Richter Scale.

Vietnam highlights digital technology application for gender equality at UN session

The application of digital science and technology towards the goal of gender equality requires political will and real actions of governments and the willingness to transform of relevant sectors in society, affirmed a Vietnamese official.

In her remarks at the 67th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), Minister Counsellor Le Thi Minh Thoa, Deputy Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, highlighted Vietnam’s achievements in this area, including the Government's adoption of a national programme on digital transformation to 2025 and celebration of National Digital Transformation Day for the first time.

Vietnam has also recorded sound outcomes in gender equality promotion, climbing four places to the 83rd in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index 2022, with the rate of women participating in the workforce reaching 62.5%, higher than the global average of 56%.

To boost the engagement of women and girls in the global digital transformation, the representative of Vietnam recommended further removing stereotype barriers in career guidance, and education and training in natural sciences; and narrowing the gender gap in digital issues.

It is necessary to ensure that the groups enjoy the fruits of scientific and technological progress and equip them with the knowledge and skills to find employment in the digital era, the diplomat noted.

Themed "Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls," the session – the UN’s largest annual gathering on gender equality and women’s empowerment – takes place from March 6 to 17. It gathers 201 representatives of nations and international organisations.

At the plenary sitting, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for urgent action in three areas, starting with increasing education, income and employment for women and girls.  

Women’s and girls’ full participation and leadership in science and technology must also be promoted, while the international community must also create a safe digital environment for them, he noted.

Representatives of participating nations also presented their solutions, including the incorporation of gender equality into policy making process, and the creation of jobs for women and of preferential loans for female-led startups, among many others.

National television producers gather in Hải Phòng

The 41st National Television Festival, featuring over 700 productions, will be held from March 15 to 18 in the northern province of Hải Phòng.

The number of works participating in the festival this year shows the enthusiasm and efforts of television stations throughout the country.

This year, the festival has two new categories, namely short reportage and online platform video, bringing the total number of categories to 11.

The traditional categories include children's show, documentary, reportage, music show, stage performance, science-education show, talk show, television short and long series, and ethnic language show.

Plus, there is a music video nomination in the music category and short stage performance nomination in the stage performance category.

The science-education show, talk show and long television series categories have more competing works.

The new short reportage category receives a total 140 entries, the most for any section. The new short reportages have mostly come from local television stations during the past two years.

The reportage category attracted 138 entries to focus on national achievements in different fields. HCM Television Station's Ngày Về (The Day Returns) is about COVID-19 patients and medical workers.

Việt Nam National Television Station (VTV)'s Thức Tỉnh (Awaken) tells a journey of a poacher becoming an environmental enthusiast. Mô Hình Giúp Dân Thoát Nghèo (Model Helps People Escape Poverty) from the central province of Quảng Nam Television Station features efforts by Nam Trà My District to reduce poverty.

A highlight of the festival is three seminars on March 16 and 17 with topics News Production and Distribution in the Digital Era; Television Graphics – Practice and Development Trends and Development of Technical Infrastructure for Digital Transformation.

"The seminars will help television producers learn about changes and technology development trends in television production," said Đỗ Thanh Hải, deputy-director of VTV and deputy-head of the organisation board at the press conference in Hà Nội.

"The seminars are also a chance for them to share and exchange experiences in making good television products meeting the demand of television audiences."

Along with the official activities, the festival has sideline activities including a photo exhibition and a television technology exhibition.

At the festival, VTV will hold a number of charity activities to donate cows to poor households in the province and give scholarships to poor students.

The opening ceremony will be aired live on Hải Phòng Radio and Television Station and live streamed on http://vtv.vn.

The closing and award ceremony will be broadcast live at 8pm on March 18 on VTV's channel 1. 

Policies, measures sought to boost Vietnam’s film industry

An international workshop discussing policies and measures for the film industry's development in Vietnam and Southeast Asia was held in Hanoi on March 14. 

The workshop, co-organised by the Vietnam Association of Film Promotion and Development (VAFPD), the Danish Embassy in Vietnam, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Representative Office in Vietnam, was one of the activities to celebrate the 70th establishment anniversary of the Vietnam National Enterprise of Cinematography and Photography (March 15, 1953 – 2023) which is the precursor of the cinema and photography industries in Vietnam today.

Speaking at the workshop, VAFPD Chairwoman Ngo Phuong Lan said that the film industry is key to the development of the cultural industry.

The Law on Cinema, taking effect on January 1, 2023, creates a favourable legal corridor for the development of the country's film industry as the law determines that cinema is not only an art but an industry and an economic sector.

However, Lan said that specific appropriate mechanisms and policies are needed to realise the law, fully make use of the creative capacity of Vietnamese people and filmmakers, attract domestic and foreign investment in cinema, and encourage public-private partnership in film production and distribution.

According to People's Artist Dang Nhat Minh, the State’s annual ordering and film production sponsoring facilitate the generation of many good films for the Vietnamese cinema. However, in the current context, the selection of films for state support must be conducted more carefully. Management agencies must organise competitions to choose good scripts, and good filmmakers, thus helping to create successful films.

Deputy Director of the Cinema Department Ly Phuong Dung said the private-public partnership in film production is studied by management agencies to create favourable conditions and promote the creation of quality cinematic works, thereby boosting the film industry’s development.

At the workshop, film experts from Denmark, Indonesia, and Thailand shared experience in developing their film industries, attracting international investment, human resources training, and developing national cinema brands.

National action month on food safety to be launched

The national action month for food safety this year will have the theme "Ensuring food security and safety in the new situation", according to a plan which has been issued by Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan.

In the plan, the ministry said that food security and safety has received the attention and direction from the whole political system from central to grassroots levels.

Legal documents on food safety management have been reviewed and supplemented to meet the requirements of domestic management and international integration.

Awareness and responsibility of authorities, organisations, business establishments and the people about food safety have changed positively.

Organic raw material areas and safe food supply chains have been formed.

However, ensuring food safety still has many shortcomings and limitations.

Many business establishments have violated regulations on food safety. Cross-border food smuggling, false food supplement advertising and plant protection drug abuse have complicated developments. Food safety in industrial parks and schools has not been ensured.

As the COVID-19 pandemic is still a high risk, import markets have more technical regulations. Besides food safety regulations, they added regulations for COVID-19 prevention and control.

Thus consumption of agricultural, forestry and fishery products faces many difficulties.

Recognising that food security and safety is an important, urgent and long-term issue that directly affects people's health, the Secretariat issued Directive No. 17-CT/TW on October 21 last year on strengthening food security and safety.

To put the directive into practice, and further strengthen the roles and responsibilities of organisations and the people, the central inter-sectoral steering committee for food safety, of which Minister Lan is deputy head, chose the title for the action month for food safety this year "Ensuring food security and safety in the new situation".

The action month’s purpose is to raise awareness and the responsibilities of all people in food safety.

The action month highlights the roles of organisations, individuals and enterprises while following the law on food safety.

It updates information on safe, high-quality food supply chains, violated establishments, and potential risks of food insecurity and unsafety.

During the month from April 15 to May 15, inspectors will strengthen supervision of food security and safety, and strictly handle organisations, individuals and businesses that violate regulations on food security and safety.

In the month, a communication campaign will be launched to spread regulations on food safety in food production and trading, and limit food poisoning.

The national action month on food safety will start in the middle of next month.

Bac Giang preserves and promotes development of craft villages

The northern province of Bac Giang has deployed a plan to preserve and promote the development of local craft villages during the 2022-2030 period.

The province has determined that the preservation and development of the craft villages play an important role in bolstering the transition of its economic structure, human resources in rural areas; generating jobs and improving living standards of local people; protecting and preserving the space of craft villages while contributing to building new-style rural areas.

Accordingly, the province will maintain, conserve and develop 27 existing craft villages; encourage to develop new villages; make focal investment and support to restore and preserve the villages, especially those facing the risk of falling into oblivion.

It has also promoted the application of scientific and technological advancements into production, build product trademarks, and carry out trade promotions to expand markets while promoting the role of skillful artisans.

By 2025, the province strives to have 60% of traditional craft villages and craft villages recognised as effective operation models; 22 products of craft villages to be granted with One Commune One Product programme (OCOP) certificates, while 35% of craft villages and traditional craft villages have product trademarks to be protected.

By 2030, the province expects to have about 70% of craft villages operating effectively, 30 OCOP products, 45% of craft villages having product trademarks protected with the average income of labourers hoped to increase about 1.5 times compared to 2021.

Besides, the province will develop craft villages which produce products of high economic values and support villages to develop brand names, packaging, labels and traceability of the products.

At the same time, the province will support craft villages associated with tourism and new rural-style area development while backing villages to build infrastructure, improve production conditions and protect the environment of craft villages.

Bac Giang is known as one of the cradles of traditional craft villages in the country with a large number of well-known craft trades such as Ruou lang Van (Van village alcohol), banh da Tho Ha (Tho Ha rice paper), may tre dan Tang Tien (Tang Tien bamboo and rattan village) in Viet Yen district; banh da Ke (Ke rice girdle cake), bun Da Mai (Da Mai village vermicelli), silkworm raising in Phu Gia, moc Bai Oi - Dinh Tri (Bai Oi - Dinh Tri carpentry) in Bac Giang city; Chu Duong noodles in Luc Ngan district; gom lang Ngoi (Ngoi village pottery) in Yen Dung district, among others.

Thanks to the development of agriculture products, local people in the craft villages earn good incomes and contribute to building modern and civilized rural areas.

Bac Giang is also building trademarks for local farm produce with an aim of reaching more markets, toward raising the value of agro-forestry produce export by an average 8% a year to reach about 200 million USD by 2030, according to the provincial People’s Committee. 

The province is also intensifying activities to promote its key and typical agricultural products along with their potential, particularly via e-commerce sites while encouraging businesses, cooperatives and people to sell products online. Support is given to them in terms of building geographical indications, trademarks and origin tracing. 

The province now has eight key agricultural products namely Thieu lychee, chicken, pork, citrus fruit, high-quality rice, vegetable, peanuts and fish, 14 typical products and 30 products of good potential. Among them, 40 products have had their trademarks protected. Some have earned geographical indication protection abroad like Luc Ngan lychee is protected in Japan, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, the US, Australia and Singapore, Chu and Ke dry rice noodle ares protected in Japan, the RoK, Thailand, and Yen The range chicken in Singapore, China and Laos.

Bac Giang also has 60 products with trademarks and 155 One Commune One Product products meeting three-star standards and above.

Considerable strides recorded in Vietnam-Australia ties: ambassador

The political and national defence-security relations between Vietnam and Australia have seen marked qualitative improvements over the past five years, a diplomat has said.

The two sides have shared viewpoints and stance on many issues, both bilateral and multilateral, Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Nguyen Tat Thanh noted in an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) on the occasion of the 5th anniversary of the bilateral strategic partnership (March 15, 2018).

They have maintained meetings and delegation exchanges, even amid the COVID-19 pandemic, held online or on the sidelines of international conferences, according to the ambassador.

In 2022 alone, the two sides coordinated in organising visits to Australia by National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and chief of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Internal Affairs Phan Dinh Trac, and the visit to Vietnam by Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles, he added.

Multilaterally, Australia has supported Vietnam’s membership at the United Nations Human Rights Council for 2023-2025, and the UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage for the 2022-2026 term.

The countries are the co-chairs of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)-run Southeast Asia Regional Programme (SEARP) for 2022-2025.

Thanh said the bilateral cooperation in national defence and security has been promoted through strategic dialogues, highlighting Australia’s English-language training courses for Vietnamese military personnel and the country’s help in transporting servicemen and medical equipment of Vietnam’s field hospital to South Sudan for UN peacekeeping operations, among other activities.

The two countries have also cooperated fruitfully in crime combat, immigration management and illegal migration prevention, he continued.

Bilateral trade has posted spectacular growth, he said, adding that it increased 20% annually in the 2018-2022 period, reaching a record 15.7 billion USD last year, making Australia the seventh biggest trade partner of Vietnam, and Vietnam the 10th largest trade partner of Australia for the first time.

Australia has maintained its annual development assistance to Vietnam at more than 80 million AUD (53.49 million USD), even 92.8 million AUD in the 2022-2023 fiscal year.

It has paid attention to the work and holiday visa programme and is about to materialise the bilateral memorandum of understanding under the Australian Agriculture Visa Programme.

Most noteworthy, Australia helped Vietnam with 26.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, ranking second among vaccine donors of the Southeast Asian nation.

The ambassador also highlighted partnerships in education and science-technology with a range of programmes, contributing to easing poverty, improving people’s living standards and women’s capacity, and bringing added values, especially in emerging, essential technologies.

Vietnam believes that the bilateral relations will experience more intensive and substantive developments, the ambassador said, expressing his hope that the newly-established social organisations like the Australia-Vietnam Policy Institute and the Vietnam-Sydney centre will play a role in raising understanding between peoples, businesses and scholars of the two countries.

Regarding the action programme implementing the strategic partnership for 2020-2023, Thanh said it has been rolled out well in all the three pillars of economic engagement, strategic and defence - security cooperation, and knowledge and innovation partnerships over the past two years.

The only shortcoming lies with the fact that the two countries have yet to bring into full play opportunities and fully implement commitments in the Enhanced Economic Engagement Strategy (EEES) released on December 21, 2021, he said, suggesting the two sides organise the exchange of delegations of businesses and localities in a larger scale, and put in place the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA) agreement after its upgrade, and new-generation free trade agreements.

According to the diplomat, the fruitful economic ties have created a foundation for the political relations to growth further, and the good political cooperation will contribute to expanding and deepening the bilateral trade and investment links.

Vietnam wishes that Australia will step up its support and cooperation to help the Southeast Asian nation gain successes in digital transformation and green transition, towards the knowledge-based economy and sustainable development, the ambassador stressed.

Therefore, Vietnam has suggested substantive and effective cooperation with the country in clean energy, green economy, digital transformation, high-quality agriculture and climate change response, he said, noting that the two sides have ample room to boost collaboration in these fields.

Vietnam’s tourism website remains hot

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT)’s website Vietnam.travel has continued to gain popularity, ranking the 128,229th on the world’s top web traffic, data from the SimilarWeb showed.

The national tourism website introduces Vietnam’s best sustainable tourism assets and outstanding experiences to international visitors.

In the region, it is equal to that of Thailand (126,000th) and even ahead of Indonesia (137,962th) and Malaysia (755,714th).

In February, the site’s ranking increased 60,825 places in the SimilarWeb’s list compared to the first month of this year while many countries in the region experienced a downward trend such as Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Notably, the site recorded the highest access rate from international markets, reaching 85%, higher than Indonesia (62%), Malaysia (58%), Thailand (41%) and the Philippines (28%).

The website has been actively promoting images and brand of Vietnamese tourism.

Vietnam, UK see huge cooperation potential in clean energy development

Vietnam's curent situation is similar to the UK's in the first decade of the 21st century, thus it can learn from and cooperate with the European country in the field of clean energy development, according to Dr. Dao Duc Cuong, an expert from Bradford University.

Cuong said that the potential for cooperation between Vietnam and the UK, the first country in the world to institutionalise the net-zero emission target, is huge, as like the UK, Vietnam has a long coastline and great solar power potential, especially in the southern and south central regions as well as in the territorial waters in the south of the East Sea.

Vietnam can learn from the experience of the UK, the world leading country in clean energy, in many aspects, including policy. The UK has applied the Contract-for-Difference (CfD) mechanism to support businesses to develop wind power projects, which has been effective in the past 10 years.

Vietnam can also partner with the UK in personnel training as the UK has leading universities in the field of clean energy. Meanwhile, Vietnam can learn from the UK's measures to attract investment from world giants and build a system of industries and supporting industries for the renewable energy sector, thus become ready for the energy transition that can start right in the rest of the 2020s, he said.

The expert highlighted that Vietnam is a country with the highest potential in Asia in terms of offshore wind power, which is drawing many large power firms from the UK and in the world.

Cuong held that with its rich experience in offshore wind power development, the UK can assist Vietnam, especially in mechanisms and the development of supporting industries for wind power development.

He said that during the construction of large-scale wind and solar power farms, Vietnam should upgrade its power transmission systems, and build more energy storage systems.

The UK is also a good partner for Vietnam to cooperate in human resource training, thus supplementing and gradually transferring available human resources in the power and oil and gas industries to offshore wind power, said Cuong.

He underlined that the development of clean energy, including wind power, is a challenge and also a great opportunity for Vietnam in the time to come.

Eighth Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival wraps up with success

The eighth Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival themed “Buon Ma Thuot - Destination of the World’s Coffee” wrapped up on March 14 after five days full of colorful and exciting activities.

The closing ceremony featured songs and dances highlighting the land, people and indigenous culture of ethnic minority groups in the Central Highlands region.

Speaking at the ceremony, Standing Vice Chairman of Dak Lak provincial People’s Committee and head of the organizing committee Nguyen Tuan Ha said that the eighth version of the coffee festival this year is the biggest of its kind, attracting more than 90,000 visitors, including 600 foreigners.

With 18 official activities, the festival aimed to popularise the brands and promote the development of specialty coffee in Vietnam while gradually turning Buon Ma Thuot city into a world coffee destination, he added.

The festival was a national event, giving the province a chance to develop the coffee industry, boost economic growth, and improve the living conditions of local ethnic groups.

It saw the participation of 37 international delegations, including the Embassies of the US, Australia, Mongolia, Morocco, Angola, and Saudi Arabia in Hanoi; the Consulates General of India, Cambodia, Cuba, and Russia in Ho Chi Minh City; and the Consulate General of Laos in Da Nang city, arts troupes from Champasak province of Laos and Jeollabuk province of the Republic of Korea.

On the occasion, outstanding collectives and individuals were award with certificates of merit from the provincial People’s Committee for their contributions to the success of the festival.

Hanoi strives to complete 70% of site clearance for Ring Road No. 4 in June

The capital city of Hanoi is striving to complete 70% of the site clearance work for Ring Road No. 4 project in June.

Nguyen Chi Cuon, director of the management board of investment and construction projects of traffic works in Hanoi, said on March 14 that the city has to date moved 5,448 graves, equal to 49.93% of the total, and revoked 314.32 hectares of land in Soc Son, Me Linh, Dan Phuong, Hoai Duc, Ha Dong, Thanh Oai and Thuong Tin districts, equivalent to 39.45%.

Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Dinh Tien Dung, who is head of steering board for the implementation of the Ring Road No. 4 - Hanoi Capital Region project, requested the relevant districts to quickly arrange new accommodations for resettled households, and well implement compensation and support policies to ensure the legitimate rights and interests of affected people.

The Ring Road No. 4 - Hanoi Capital Region project has a total length of 112.8 km passing through Hanoi and its neighbouring provinces of Hung Yen and Bac Ninh, of which the section through the capital is 58.2 km. The project, whose total investment capital is 85.8 trillion VND (3.63 billion USD), is expected to be basically completed in 2026 and be put into operation in 2027.

Hien Luong bridge in Quang Tri turning green to mark Ireland's St. Patrick’s Day

The People’s Committee of central Quang Tri province in collaboration with the Irish Embassy in Vietnam held a ceremony on March 14 to turn on green lights on Hien Luong bridge in the Hien Luong-Ben Hai national relic site on the occasion of the 27th anniversary of Vietnam-Ireland diplomatic relations and Ireland's St. Patrick’s Day (March 17).

The lighting of green lights on Hien Luong bridge was part of the "Global Greening" campaign of Ireland which has become a global activity. The selection of Hien Luong bridge as the only location in Vietnam for the 2023 campaign is expected to popularise images of Quang Tri among international friends, especially Irish people. 

Speaking at the event, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Hoang Nam said the Irish Embassy’s selection of Quang Tri for the second time as the only locality in Vietnam to organise the green lighting activity marking Ireland's St. Patrick’s Day has reaffirmed the special relationship between Quang Tri and Ireland.

Irish Ambassador to Vietnam John McCullagh, for his part, said the lighting at Hien Luong bridge has a special meaning, as the bridge is no longer a symbol of the division of Vietnam, but of the connection among people. The event reminds both sides of the time-honoured relations between Ireland and Vietnam.

He stressed that the partnership between Ireland and Quang Tri has always been given priority through various programmes and development projects funded by the Irish Government.

In the afternoon the same day, the Irish Ambassador and local leaders joined 120 athletes in the "We run - We share" community running event on Hien Luong bridge.

A ceremony was also held to hand over a mobile functional rehabilitation vehicle for RENEW project, a cooperative programme to eliminate war-time unexploded ordnance and support victims funded by the Irish Government.

Vietnamese culture, cuisine introduced in Malaysia’s Francophonie month

Vietnam together with other nine countries representing member ‎states and observers of the International Organisation of the Francophonie (OIF) have promoted their cuisines and cultures at the  Francophonie month in Malaysia.‎

The annual event, held at a shopping complex in Kuala Lumpur from March 10, saw the participation of Belgium, France, ‎Guinea, Laos, Mauritius, Morocco, Poland, Romania, Ukraine, ‎and Vietnam.

Attending the event, Bui  Trong Vinh, a member of the Vietnamese Business Association in Malaysia, said that the event helped international friends know more about Vietnamese culture and cuisine.

He hoped that Vietnamese enterprises will have more opportunities to attend such an event to bring Vietnam closer to international friends.

Chargé d'affaires of Ukraine in Malaysia Denys Mykhailyuk said that ‎the OIF's mission is to embody the active solidarity between its 54 members, seven associate members‎, and 27 observers, which have a population of 321 ‎million French speakers.‎ ‎

This international organisation of French-speaking countries represents one of the biggest linguistic ‎regions ‎in the world. Ukraine and Poland are observers in the OIF.‎

‎In Malaysia, thanks to the commitment of the Ministry of Education, acting in favour of ‎multilingualism, ‎the number of students learning French in government secondary schools has ‎tripled during the past 10 ‎years.

Today, French is taught in more than 130 public schools to 15,000 ‎students in the country and nearly 3,000 of them ‎sat last year for the official French exam called DELF scolaire ‎‎(which ranks Malaysia 6th in the world in ‎terms of the number of candidates).‎

In addition, since the ‎beginning of the 1990s, Malaysia's French language teachers have benefited from a ‎high-quality ‎training course, partly held in Besançon, France.

Deputy PM asks for good organisation of celebrations for Vietnam-Australia diplomatic ties

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang hosted a reception in Hanoi on March 14 for Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Andrew Goledzinowski, during which he suggested the two sides coordinate together closely to well organise celebrations for the 50th anniversary of Vietnam-Australia diplomatic ties this year, including thorough preparations for the exchange of delegations in the coming time.

Quang expressed his delight at the strong and practical development of the bilateral strategic partnership in various areas. In particular, two-way trade hit 16.1 billion USD in 2022, more than 30 times higher than in 2021, making Australia the 10th largest trade partner of Vietnam and Vietnam the seventh biggest trade partner of Australia.

According to the Deputy PM, Australia have invested in 579 projects worth nearly 2 billion USD in Vietnam, ranking 20th out of 141 countries and territories investing in Vietnam. Meanwhile, Vietnam has poured investment in 87 projects valued at 540 million USD in Australia.

In United Nations peacekeeping operations, Australia helped Vietnam four times to transport Level 2 field hospitals to South Sudan, offered English language training and equipment to the field hospitals. Australia provided Vietnam with 26.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, becoming the second largest vaccine donor of Vietnam.

Goledzinowski, for his part, affirmed that Australia considers Vietnam a close and strategic partner and a good friend. He added that Australia has decided to increase its official development assistance (ODA) funding for Vietnam by 18% during the fiscal year 2022-2023 to 92.8 million AUD (61.9 million USD), with the expectation to build more works in Vietnam.

The host and guest expressed their belief that the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Australia will keep thriving in various areas in the coming time. They also emphasised the importance of ensuring peace, stability and cooperation in the region and the world, and respecting the United Nations Charter and international law.

Vietnam attends 28th Partnership Summit in India

A delegation from the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade is attending the 28th Partnership Summit in New Delhi from March 13-15.

Co-hosted by the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry in the context of India assuming the presidency of G20, the event is expected to further strengthen partnerships and shape new economic cooperation among nations and businesses.

The summit will focus on discussions about India's growth and how its reform and engagement in the region and the world will help rebalance the world and bring stability to the growth process.

High-level discussions will be held on the global and Indian trade and economy, G20/B20, competitiveness, resilient supply chains, geopolitics, geostrategic investments, sustainability, technology and the social dimension, with a focus on the opportunities and imperatives for countries and businesses to drive future strategies for growth, competitiveness and sustainable and inclusive development.

A total of 35 sessions are scheduled for the event, including seven standalone sessions with Indian ministers and national-level sessions for Indonesia and Cuba. It is attended by 145 speakers, including 65 international speakers from 24 countries and nearly 400 delegates from 67 countries.

During a working session with Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Sandeep Arya, Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien suggested that India work closely with Vietnam to prevent supply chain and production disruptions in the region and the world, boost trade promotion activities, especially in providing market information, brand marketing for businesses of both countries, holding B2B matching events, and diversifying supply chains for raw materials, particularly in industries that both sides have strengths such as textile materials, leather and footwear, pharmaceuticals from India, agricultural and food products from Vietnam.

Two-way trade between Vietnam and India reached 15.05 billion USD for the first time last year, up 13.6% compared to 2021. India is now Vietnam's eighth largest trade partner.

Foreign Minister hosts new Cambodian Ambassador

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son hosted a reception in Hanoi on March 14 for the new Cambodian Ambassador to Vietnam, Chea Kimtha.

Son congratulated Cambodia on its great achievements over the past years, including the successful organisation of the fifth Commune/Sangkat Council elections in June 2022, and the successful assumption of ASEAN and AIPA Chair in 2022.

Expressing his delight at the strong and comprehensive development of bilateral ties, the minister suggested both sides work closely together to effectively carry out high-level agreements and important bilateral cooperation mechanisms in the coming time, such as the 20th meeting of the Vietnam-Cambodia Joint Commission on Economic, Cultural, Scientific and Technological Cooperation, and the 12th conference on cooperation and development of Vietnam-Cambodia border provinces.

Minister Son asked Cambodia to continue creating favourable conditions for Cambodians of Vietnamese origin in their life, work and study, thus enabling them to actively contribute to the development of Cambodia and the friendship between the two countries.

For her part, Ambassador Chea Kimtha expressed honour to be the first female Cambodian ambassador to Vietnam and hoped that Vietnam will share its experience to help Cambodia successfully organise the upcoming 32nd SEA Games.

She vowed to do her best to contribute to strengthening the increasingly close and effective relationship between the two countries.

Book by Venezuelan author presented to VNA's youth initiative

The Vietnam-Venezuela Friendship Association on March 14 presented copies of the Vietnamese version of a book entitled “Xin chao” (Hello), written by Angel Miguel Bastidas Gonzalez, former second Secretary at the Venezuelan Embassy to Vietnam, to the Dinh Huu Du Bookcase Initiative set up by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union chapter at the Vietnam News Agency (VNA).

Addressing the book handover ceremony, Le Duy Truyen, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam-Venezuela Friendship Association and former Deputy General Director of VNA, said Angel Miguel Bastidas Gonzalez is a diplomat and also a journalist, who was one of the founders of the Venezuela-Vietnam Friendship and Solidarity House. He is the author of the "Xin chao" column on the Correo del Orinoco newspaper of Venezuelan, which was set up in June 2011 with articles about the country, people, historical figures, major events of Vietnam, as well as the friendship relationship between Venezuela and Vietnam.

The book "Xin chao" was published in 2017, which is a collection of his articles. With this book, the diplomat won the second prize of the National External Information Service Awards 2017 in Vietnam.

The book is a source of information about the country, people, history and friendship between Vietnam and Venezuela for Venezuelan and foreign readers, Truyen said, adding that it is a significant contribution to the friendship and solidarity between the two nations.

Dinh Huu Du, born 1988, was a reporter of VNA who died while reporting on widespread floods in the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai in 2017. The VNA's Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union chapter later launched an initiative on establishing bookcases named after him for children in disadvantaged areas.

After more than five years of implementation, the programme has awarded more than 20 bookcases with tens of thousands of books along with learning equipment to schools in remote areas.

HCM City committed to boosting cooperation between Vietnamese, Indonesian enterprises

Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Phan Van Mai on March 14 said that the city is committed to being a responsible partner and actively facilitating cooperation between businesses of Vietnam and Indonesia, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups.

Mai made the statement when receiving Arsjad Rasjid, Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) who is visiting Vietnam.

He said that Vietnam and Indonesia need to strengthen cooperation at the government and locality levels and between businesses to implement the five priorities that Indonesia chose for its ASEAN chairmanship year.

The official said that SMEs and startups in the two countries can cooperate in digital transformation, digital finance, and e-banking.

Playing an important role in the region's agricultural production development chain and a healthcare centre in the southern region of Vietnam, HCM City is ready to join and share experience with Indonesian partners in food security, healthcare and disease response, Mai said. 

He added that the city hopes to promote cooperation with Indonesia in human resource training, and people-to-people diplomacy to jointly contribute to the development of Vietnam-Indonesia relations and the ASEAN community.

For his part, Rasjid expressed his impression of the dynamic and strong development of HCM City.

He emphasised that as the ASEAN Chair this year, Indonesia hopes to further strengthen trade relations with ASEAN members, especially Vietnam, including HCM City, because the population of two countries accounts for a large proportion of the bloc.

Rasjid said Indonesia and Vietnam have favourable conditions to strengthen cooperation in areas including those relating to SMEs, carbon emission reduction, food security, medical research, and production.

Scholarships given to disadvantaged overseas Vietnamese students in Laos

A delegation from Vu A Dinh Scholarship Fund and Club “For Beloved Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos” and the Vietnamese Embassy in Laos on March 14 organised a ceremony to give 100 scholarships worth a total of 5,000 USD to disadvantaged overseas Vietnamese students with outstanding study performance.

Speaking at the ceremony, the president of the scholarship fund and former Vice State President Truong My Hoa said that the scholarships are intended to encourage students to study well. It is hoped the programme will build good citizens in the future who are helpful to their families and society and will continue preserving and promoting the friendship relationship and great solidarity between Laos and Vietnam.

Hoa also expressed her hope that the Vietnamese community in  Vientiane in particular and in Laos in general always unite and support each other, and join hands to build the host country as well as always towards the motherland.

The Vu A Dinh Scholarship Fund - named after a young ethnic boy who acted as a liaison officer for the revolutionary army during the French resistance war and was killed on duty - was set up in 1999 by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union to help poor ethnic students in their studies.

In 2014, the fund established its “For Beloved Hoang Sa and Truong Sa” Club to offer assistance to naval soldiers and fishermen who are safeguarding the country’s sovereignty over its sea and islands.

Measures proposed to foster Vietnam’s relations with Arab countries

Based on the fine traditional relationship in the past, this is the right time to bring Vietnam's relations with Arab countries to a new height and in a more substantial and extensive manner, said Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Vietnam Mohammed Ismaeil A. Dahlwy on March 13.

Speaking at a meeting in Hanoi between ambassadors of Arab countries to Vietnam and former Vietnamese ambassadors to Arab countries, Mohammed Ismaeil A. Dahlwy said that this event was a good opportunity for them to exchange experience and discuss measures to boost relations between Vietnam and the bloc.

Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries consider Vietnam as a bright spot in economic growth, and hope for closer cooperation in the coming time, he affirmed.

 Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Vietnam Mohammed Ismaeil A. Dahlwy (Photo courtesy of Saudi Arabian Embassy in Vietnam)
Ambassadors of Arab countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Palestine and Morocco, pledged to do their utmost to further develop relations with Vietnam.

Stressing that Vietnam is an important partner of their countries in Southeast Asia, the diplomats showed their hope to cooperate with and receive support from Vietnamese friends to bring the ties to a new height.

According to them, there remains ample room to promote Vietnam’s ties with Arab countries. They suggested the sides intensify collaboration in culture, education and people-to-people exchanges.

The diplomats proposed opening new direct air routes, stepping up the organisation of cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and strengthening cooperation in politics, economics, investment, tourism and sports and between localities.

Former Vietnamese ambassadors affirmed their willingness to cooperate with the Arab community to enhance bilateral ties.

Activities to be held to mark 50 years of Vietnam-France diplomatic ties

A wide range of activities will be held across Vietnam this year to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-France diplomatic relations and the 10th founding anniversary of the bilateral Strategic Partnership, French Ambassador Nicolas Warnery said on March 14.

Talking to the media, Nicolas Warnery said that the celebration is a good chance for both sides to look back on and learn from the past and think about the future.

According to the ambassador, the highlight of these activities will be the 12th cooperation conference between Vietnamese and French localities scheduled to take place in Hanoi on April 13-15 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary.

The event will serve as an opportunity for the two sides to promote collaboration between localities, research institutes, universities and businesses to share ideas and solutions to issues involved in urban development, sustainable development, and heritage conservation.

Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of External Affairs Tran Nghia Hoa said that a series of activities will be organised on the sidelines of the conference, including a fair of 100-120 booths introducing culture, tourists attractions and outstanding products of Vietnamese localities, and the “Balade en France” (Walk in France) festival, a Vietnam-France Economic Forum, and a photo exhibition featuring the two countries’ relations and their localities’ cooperation.

To date, 30 Vietnamese localities and 20 French localities, organisations and universities have registered to participate in the conference.

Four lost at sea after ships sink

Four people remain lost at sea after four ships sank off the coast of Bình Thuận in the space of just a few days.

Authorities believe poor weather conditions are to blame for the vessels getting into difficulties.  

On March 11, authorities received a report a vessel had been struck by a large wave and capsized around 24 nautical miles from Phú Quý island.

There were seven fishermen and more than 800 tonnes of products on the ship. Five people were saved by a nearby ship, while two others are still unaccounted for.

Three days earlier, also in waters close to Phú Quý island, two barges sank, again due to harsh conditions at sea.

Two people are still missing.

Nguyễn Hùng Vân¸ Chief Officer of Disaster Prevention and Search and Rescue Force in Bình Thuận, said the sea near Kê Gà does have dangerous, underwater currents.

Given the bad weather conditions, he said ships might encounter large waves and should take extra care.

Back in January, another ship got into difficulties and sank 11 nautical miles away from La Gi Town. Twelve people were saved but one lost at sea.

Nguyễn Hùng Vân also said the water near Phú Quý island consists of a lot of underground reefs which block the water flow and can create strong whirlpools.

Vietnam attaches importance to developing relations with RoK: official

Vietnam attaches importance to developing relations with the Republic of Korea (RoK) and wishes to further deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership with the Northeast Asian country, National Assembly (NA) Vice Chairman Nguyen Duc Hai told RoK Ambassador to Vietnam Oh Young-ju.

During his reception for the RoK diplomat in Hanoi on March 13, Hai highlighted the sound development of the bilateral relations, saying that the political trust between the two countries has been continuously strengthened and the two sides have maintained the regular exchange of delegations at all level.

The host spoke highly of the visit to Vietnam by Speaker of the RoK’s National Assembly Kim Jin-pyo in January, which opened practical and effective activities between the two countries in 2023.

Hai said he is pleased to see that the RoK's authorities always attach great importance to developing the bilateral relations and consider Vietnam a key partner in implementing the “Indo-Pacific Strategy” and the "Korea-ASEAN Solidarity Initiative".

Regarding economic cooperation, Hai suggested the RoK diplomat continue to support and promote Korean businesses to invest and expand their business in areas that the RoK has strengths and Vietnam has demand, especially digital technology, renewable energy, supporting industries, semiconductor industry, and high-quality agriculture.

He also highly valued the role of the Friendship Parliamentary Group in the relationship between the two countries’ NAs, expressing his hope that the two legislative bodies will further strengthen political trust and maintain the exchange of high-level delegations; and share experience in e-National Assembly, e-commerce, price and tender management, and finance and management.

For her part, Ambassador Oh Young-ju said since upgrading the relations to comprehensive strategic partnership in 2022, the bilateral relations has continuously developed in all fields, with parliamentary cooperation playing a pioneering role.

The RoK’s leaders  always affirmed their importance and desire to promote the Vietnam - RoK comprehensive strategic partnership in the coming time, she stated, adding that the embassy will endeavor to act as a bridge promoting cooperation between the two countries’ NAs.

She showed her hope that the Vietnamese NA will continue to support and consider removing difficulties and obstacles, thus making it easier for Korean businesses to expand their investment and business in Vietnam, contributing to tightening the ties between the two countries.

The RoK continues to maintain the first position in terms of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Vietnam with a total investment of 82.2 billion USD. It remains the second largest partner of Vietnam in development cooperation, tourism and labour, and the third in trade with two-way trade hitting 88 billion USD in 2022.

37 workers suffer from methanol poisoning

As many as 37 workers at a company in the northern province of Bac Ninh have suffered from methanol poisoning, leaving one dead and many others in critical condition.

According to the Hanoi-based Bach Mai Hospital, they started receiving workers with symptoms of methanol poisoning in late February.

Investigations showed that the workers, who were working at an electronic component workshop of HS Tech Vina Ltd. Co. in Thuan Thanh District, started feeling unwell while using ethanol to clean the equipment and products.

Many of them had to stop working after showing some serious health problems including tiredness, headaches, and nausea. Among the 108 workers coming to hospitals in Bac Ninh and Hanoi for check-ups after having the same symptoms, 37 were found to have been affected with methanol poisoning.

The most serious case, a 42-year-old female worker, died after receiving intensive treatment at the Bach Mai Hospital. She was found to have a very high methanol blood ratio, at 123,16 mg/dL, and had heavy brain damage.

In another serious case, a 17-year-old male worker also tested for a high methanol blood ratio of 125 mg/dL. He was still in a coma with heavy brain damage.

Some other workers are also suffering damage to their brains and eyes and are still being treated at hospital.

Vietnam suggests gender equality solutions at ASGP’s session

Secretary General of the Vietnamese National Assembly Bui Van Cuong delivered a speech on gender equality in parliaments at the plenary session of the Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments (ASGP) in Manama, the capital city of Bahrain.

Cuong affirmed that promoting gender equality and empowering women is the consistent policy of the Vietnamese Party and State, as stipulated in the Constitution and laws. The Vietnamese NA passed many important laws such as the Law on Gender Equality and the Law on Election of Deputies to the NA and People's Councils to protect and promote the empowerment of women, and encourage women's participation in political and socio-economic activities. Bills submitted to the legislature for consideration and approval must all have gender impact assessments.

The Vietnamese NA Standing Committee provided close guidance on enhancing skills training for female candidates joining in election campaigns, as well as for female NA deputies after they are elected. It also raised public awareness of women’s role in the NA, he said.

Secretaries-General at the event were impressed by the figures showing the progress of gender equality in the Vietnamese legislature in recent years, with 24.2% of female deputies in the 13th legislature (2011-2016), 27.31% in the 14th legislature (2016-2021) and 30.26% in the 15th legislature (2021-2026).

The Vietnamese NA currently ranks 64th in terms of the percentage of female deputies according to the February 2023 Global Data on National Parliaments released by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

The delegates were also impressed by the fact that the Vietnamese legislature had a female Chairwoman during its 14th tenure, as well as the activities of its female deputies.

Cuong suggested that ASGP produce a report summarising experience and recommendations while the IPU adopt resolutions, reports or statements regarding gender equality in parliaments. Based on that, parliaments commit to specific actions for implementation.

He called for promoting inter-parliamentary cooperation and collaboration between member countries' parliaments and UN organisations and international forums on women to better protect women's rights. Progressive countries in gender equality should strengthen their sharing of experience with other countries in this field.

The IPU was urged to enhance skills training for core female parliamentarians who will later play an integral role in training counterparts in their own countries.

Over 500 Vietnamese students recruited to work in Japan

About 500 Vietnamese students were recruited for internship and work in Japan during a recent jobs fair jointly held on March 9 by the Da Nang-based Dong A University and Japanese businesses.

Ten Japanese businesses recruited job vacancies in nursing, tourism, business administration, construction, electronics, information technology, automotive technology, nutrition, food technology, and Japanese language.

The event saw a large number of students participating in recruitment interviews with more than 700 face-to-face and online interviews held to gain official internships and receive job offers from Japanese partners.

At the jobs fair held in Da Nang, Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Ba Hoan praised Dong A University for its dynamic integration and strong international cooperation helping its students acquire sharper skills and experience in the international environment.

The same day, a Vietnam-Japan culture exchange was held at Dong A University to mark 50 years of the Vietnam – Japan diplomacy this year.

The festival featured Japanese tea, Origami (Japanese paper folding craft), Vietnamese calligraphy, Japanese comics, and a photo exhibition showcasing Dong A University’s ties with Japan.

NA Vice Chairman active on sidelines of 146th IPU Assembly

Permanent Vice Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Tran Thanh Man on March 13 took part in a series of meetings on the sidelines of the ongoing 146th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly in Bahrain’s capital of Manama.

At a meeting with Secretary General of the IPU Martin Chungong, Man said the participation in IPU activities is an important task of the Vietnamese NA in order to join IPU member parliaments in discussing and coming up with solutions to current pressing global issues, thus making contributions to consolidating peace, security and stability in the region and the world.

Commending the Secretary General’s contributions to the development of relations between the IPU and the Vietnamese NA over the past time, he wished for further support and close coordination regarding the latter's hosting of the 9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians in Hanoi this September.

In response, Chungong praised the Vietnamese NA’s capacity in organising international events, including the 132nd IPU Assembly in 2015, and highlighted the strong growth of the relationship between the body and the IPU in recent years.

The IPU is willing to assist the Vietnamese NA’s organisation of similar events, he affirmed, underscoring that the signing of an agreement between the NA and IPU Secretariat on a method to run the 9th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians demonstrates Vietnam's commitment to actively and responsibly engaging in IPU activities.

On the occasion, Man witnessed the signing ceremony of the pact.

Hosting President of the Angolan National Assembly Carolina Cerqueira, Man said the Vietnamese supports strengthening cooperation with Angola in all fields, notably trade, investment, politics, diplomacy, health, and education.

He recommended the two sides speed up the negotiation process to soon sign a number of cooperation documents such as agreements on investment, double taxation avoidance, security, and civil aviation.

The two countries’ parliaments should strengthen their exchange of high-level delegations, supervision of the implementation of signed cooperation agreements, and sharing of experience in law-making, noted the official.

For her part, Cerqueira expressed her hope for improved bilateral cooperation in economy, trade, goods processing, education, health, industry, and marine transport. She also proposed the sides establish parliamentary friendship groups.

At another meeting with Speaker of Zambia National Assembly Nelly Butete Kashumba Mutti, Man suggested that the two countries further promote collaboration in the fields of politics, diplomacy, economy, trade, health and education. He affirmed that Vietnam is willing to share development experience with Zambia, especially in agriculture.

The top Zambian legislator said that the two countries can boost cooperation in areas where the two sides have strengths such as agriculture and tourism, and expressed her wish to learn from Vietnam's economic development experience.

She said that she will propose the Zambian Ministry of Foreign Affairs consider the application of visa exemption for Vietnamese people holding diplomatic and official passports.

On the same day, Man also received Chairman Ali bin Saleh Al Saleh of Bahrain’s Shura Council (upper house).

Themed “Promoting peaceful coexistence and inclusive societies: fighting intolerance”, the 146th IPU Assembly runs until March 15.

Vietnam, Australia enjoy fruitful strategic partnership: expert

Vietnam and Australia have reached the targets set in the action plan for implementing the strategic partnership in the 2020 - 2023 period despite impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Dr Nguyen Hong Hai from the Centre for Policy Futures at the University of Queensland of Australia.

The two countries set up the diplomatic relationship in 1973 and promoted it into a strategic partnership on March 15, 2018.

Talking to the Vietnam News Agency, Hai said that in the action plan, they focus on three pillars: enhancing economic and trade connectivity, further intensifying the strategic cooperation in defence and security, and building knowledge and innovation partnerships.

Assessing the plan implementation, he held that the two countries have recorded encouraging results in economic cooperation.

Despite the pandemic, bilateral trade in 2020, 2021 and, especially, 2022 still grew fast. It stood at 12.4 billion USD in 2021 and 16 billion USD in 2022, turning Vietnam into the 10th largest trading partner of Australia, which remains the seventh biggest one of the Southeast Asian nation. Both sides also signed the enhanced economic engagement strategy in 2021, helping promote the two economies’ connectivity.

With regard to defence and security ties, the action plan has continued to carry out the countries’ joint vision statement on further defence cooperation signed in 2018. They have also established and maintained many mechanisms such as the annual defence ministers’ meeting, the defence policy dialogue at the deputy ministerial level, the annual military cooperation consultation, and the diplomatic and defence strategy dialogue at the deputy ministerial level.

In addition, Australia has also assisted with the airlift of Vietnam’s peacekeeping force to UN missions over the last two years, Hai pointed out.

The Australian Government has also kept the commitment to supporting Vietnam in the fields of knowledge and innovation via Aus4Innovation for 2018 - 2022, a cooperation programme within the framework of the Australia - Vietnam innovation partnership. Its funding via Aus4Innovation has amounted to 13.45 million AUD (over 8.9 million USD) so far and is set to continue financing the expansion of activities in this regard, especially climate change response and post-COVID-19 economic recovery, preparing for the next phase of the programme until 2025.

However, the expert noted, some cooperation areas haven’t lived up to the countries’ strategic partnership.

In terms of the room for bilateral ties in the future, he held that in the current context, aside from the three abovementioned pillars, Vietnam and Australia still boast numerous opportunities and much potential for cooperation in such areas as agriculture, tourism, and climate change fight.

The researcher expressed his optimism about the prospect for lifting the current relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership, noting the upgrade will be based on the comprehensive partnership set up in 2009 and the strategic partnership in 2018.

When the strategic partnership took shape in 2018, the countries mentioned the collaboration in green economy and digital transformation, which Hai believed will be priority fields in the coming time.

Besides, cultural diplomacy should also be viewed as a strategic area as the Vietnamese community in Australia is sizeable, he added.

The expert perceived that if Vietnam and Australia implement four pillars well, namely security - defence, innovation, education - training, and culture, they will not only harvest concrete cooperation results but also sustainably maintain their strategic partnership, thereby helping promote each country’s stature in the region and the world.

Hanoi to plant hundreds of thousands more trees by 2025

Hanoi vice chairman Duong Duc Tuan has just issued a plan to plant over 133,000 more trees in 2023, nearly 146,000 more in 2024, and over 118,000 in 2025.

The new trees will be planted along central streets, parks and five suburban districts of Dong Anh, Gia Lam, Hoai Duc, Thanh Tri and Dan Phuong.

The trees to be planted include dracontomelon trees, orchid trees, and Madagascar almond, among others. They would be planted either for their shades or for ornamental purposes.

The plan also prioritises growing flower trees on the balconies of houses in the Old Quarter area. Local organisations and households are encouraged to decorate buildings with plants, flowers and lawns.

The capital currently has around 1.70 million trees. However, the ratio of green space to the population in the city is only two square metres per person, compared to the nine square metres per person recommended by the World Health Organisation.

Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival: winners of coffee-making contest honoured

Winners of the Vietnam Amazing Brewing Master 2023 contest were hounoured at a ceremony on March 13, which was held in the framework of the 8th Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival.

Addressing the event, President of the Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Association Trinh Duc Minh said the contest attracted a record number of partaicipants.

Minh said that through the festival and the contest, it can be seen that the Vietnamese coffee community has been increasingly able to keep up with the global technology and catch consumer trends, as well as know how to promote internal strength, and preserve and develop traditional values.

The contest, which took place on March 10 -13, saw the participation of 33 from nine localities nationwide. It aims to honour coffee-making talents and motivate them to constantly practice and improve skills and creativity to create premium coffee drinks.

It also offers a chance for coffee lovers to share knowledge and experience, and for businesses to connect and seek partners, contributing to promoting the Vietnamese coffee culture and developing the country’s specialty coffee industry.

Two auto testing centers in Hanoi resume operations

Two auto registration and inspection centers in Hanoi City, 29.03S and 29.14D, were allowed to reopen today, March 10, according to Vietnam Register.

They are located in Nam Tu Liem and Thanh Oai districts, the local media reported.

Vietnam Register will mobilize the auto inspectors of other testing autos to work for the two centers to ensure their operations run smoothly.

The two auto testing centers had earlier been suspended for an extended probe into bribe brokering, giving and taking and falsifying documents.

As of March 10, Hanoi City had seen eight of 31 auto testing centers with 10 operation lines open.

Over the past few days, the city’s operational vehicle testing centers have been overwhelmed.

In March, over 68,000 vehicles in Hanoi City are due to be inspected, causing huge crowds of autos at vehicle inspection centers.

Between April and July, vehicles needing safety testing will hover from 77,000 to over 100,000.

The city will find it hard to address the congestion due to only a few operational auto testing centers, said Vietnam Register.

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