A ceremony commemorating the death anniversary of Hung Kings, the legendary founders of Vietnam, was held on April 29 by the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the United Nations (UN), the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and other international organisations in Geneva.

The event saw Ambassador Le Thi Tuyet Mai, head of the mission; Chief Justice of the Supreme People's Court Nguyen Hoa Binh, who is on a working trip to the Swiss Federal Supreme Court and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), Vietnamese Ambassador to Switzerland Phung The Long, representatives of the Vietnamese Association and overseas Vietnamese in Switzerland.

Addressing the ceremony, Ambassador Mai said the death anniversary of the Hung Kings is an opportunity for Vietnamese people around the world to pay tribute to the Hung Kings, ancestors and forerunners who fought evaders and defended the country.
She highlighted that the Party and State's guidelines and policies consider the overseas Vietnamese community an integral part of the nation, and appreciate the people's dedication to the homeland.

The Vietnamese communities in Laos, Thailand and Russia have held ceremonies to commemorate the death anniversary of Hung Kings with traditional rituals.

Legend has it that Lac Long Quan (real name Sung Lam, son of Kinh Duong Vuong and Than Long Nu) married Au Co (the fairy daughter of De Lai). Au Co then gave birth to a pouch filled with 100 eggs, which hatched into a hundred sons. However, soon thereafter, Lac Long Quan and Au Co separated. Lac Long Quan went to the coast with 50 of the children, while Au Co went to the highlands with the rest.

Their eldest son was made king, who named the country Van Lang and set up the capital in Phong Chau (modern-day Viet Tri city in Phu Tho province), beginning the 18 reigns of the Hung Kings.

The kings chose Nghia Linh Mountain, the highest in the region, to perform rituals devoted to rice and sun deities to pray for bumper crops.

To honour their great contributions, a complex of temples dedicated to them was built on Nghia Linh Mountain, and the 10th day of the third lunar month serves as the national commemorative anniversary for the kings.

The worship of the Hung Kings, closely related to the ancestral worship traditions of most Vietnamese families, was recognised as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2012.

Hanoi removes taxi ban on nine streets

The Hanoi Department of Transport has announced the removal of a taxi ban on nine streets for six months, starting April 29.

The move followed a Hanoi Taxi Association proposal submitted to Hanoi authorities.  

Hanoi has removed taxi bans on nine streets

The list consists of Cat Linh, Giang Vo, Lang Ha, Kham Thien, Le Van Luong, Nguyen Van Cu and Phuong Canh and Chuong Duong Bridge and Alley 897 Giai Phong.

Taxis and vehicles of fewer than nine seats will be allowed to go use the streets from April 29 during the six months.

Hanoi banned taxis and vehicles belonging to ride-hailing services on many streets during peak hours in 2019 to ease congestion. Drivers entering the banned streets could be fined between VND800,000 to VND1.20 million and have their licenses revoked for one to three months.

Ninh Thuận focuses on high-quality shrimp fry production
 
The south-central province of Ninh Thuận plans to become a national hub for producing high-quality shrimp fry with an annual output of 50 billion of them by 2025.

It now has 425 establishments that are expected produce more than 40 billion fry this year.

With a coastline of 105km and clean coastal waters, the province has great potential for developing its marine economy, especially aquatic seeds, and is the country’s largest shrimp fry producer.

The number of establishments farming shrimp fry has steadily increased, and now the province meets more than 35 per cent of the country’s demand, the local Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said.

But the fry is sold mostly to the southern region.

Nguyễn Khắc Lâm, deputy director of the department, said to monitor quality the Fisheries Sub-department has strengthened oversight of fry producing establishments.

It has issued licences to 415 of them and all their fry is checked for quality and quarantined before being sold to other provinces, he said.

When the province produces 50 billion fry a year in 2025, it also aims to ensure all establishments are inspected for disease safety.

It is focusing on developing infrastructure in hi-tech aquaculture areas in Ninh Phước and Thuận Nam districts.

Besides shrimp fry, the province is also focusing on farming high-quality and disease-free adult shrimp for producing fry.

It hopes the number of white-legged shrimp farmed for the purpose will meet 30 per cent of the province demand and black-tiger shrimp will meet 40 per cent of demand.

It has two companies, Moana Ninh Thuận Co., Ltd and Việt Úc-Phước Dinh Co., Ltd, which produce disease-free adult shrimp for producing fry.

Lê Huyền, deputy chairman of the Ninh Thuận People’s Committee, said the province has encouraged companies and individuals to invest in advanced techniques for producing fry.

It provides them with advanced techniques to produce high-quality fry, he said.

The People’s Committee is setting up collective wastewater treatment systems for shrimp fry farms and encourages producers to invest in modern facilities for checking quality, he said.

It plans to strengthen marketing to promote its shrimp fry across the country, he said.

It has petitioned the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Directorate of Fisheries to help expand environmental monitoring sites in the Nhơn Hải concentrated shrimp fry producing area in Ninh Hải District, which accounts for more than 60 per cent of fry farming.

Border commune farmers develop keo mango crops

The cultivation of keo mango in unfertile soil in Lộc Thạnh Commune in the southeastern province of Bình Phước has helped farmers have stable incomes.

Located in Lộc Ninh District, which borders Cambodia, the commune has unfertile soil and normally lacks fresh water in the dry season, but local farmers have found keo mango, a Cambodian mango variety, is suitable for growing here.

Nguyễn Thị Kim Chi, a local farmer, bought keo mango seedlings from Cambodia to grow in 2014 and they have developed well.

In 2019, some other local farmers begun growing the fruit, then Chi and 20 other farmers established the Tân Lộc Thạnh Fruit Co-operative and planted the fruit on a total of 38ha.

Nguyễn Thanh Sơn, a co-operative member, has planted the mango on more than 1ha for four years and now has a harvest output of 6-7 tonnes a year.

His mango trees are planted on dry and pebbled soil but they have yields higher than other plants which were grown previously, he said.

The mango is less affected by disease, and local farmers grow it without using chemicals and do not need to irrigate it in the dry season.

The mango begins to have fruit after 16-18 months of growing and has two harvests a year.

Keo mangos weigh 250-400 grammes and are preferred by consumers as they can be eaten raw or ripe, have light sweet flesh and their prices are not expensive.

It is sold at orchards at a price of VNĐ6,000 - 8,000 per kilogramme.

Nguyễn Thành An, who has a 1.5ha keo mango orchard in Thạnh Phú Hamlet, said: “Local people call keo mango 'poverty reduction' fruit as it is easy to grow, requires low production cost and has stable harvests.”

“The profit of growing this mango is not higher than other fruits but it is a suitable tree for growing on the poor soil and harsh weather here,” he said.

Chi, acting manager of the co-operative and owner of 15ha of keo mango, said the fruit does not require much tending and grows well in the commune.

Farmers do not use chemicals to grow it, she said.

“The co-operative’s keo mangos are clean and safe for consumers,” she said.

The co-operative plans to invite more farmers to join it and expand the growing area to 50ha next year.

It aims to make the co-operative’s fruit recognised as a product of the country’s “One Commune – One Product” programme.

Nguyễn Thị Bắc, chairwoman of the Lộc Thạnh Commune Farmers Association, said the cultivation of keo mango in the commune meets the standards of OCOP products.

“The association will co-operate with competent agencies to assist the co-operative to develop the mango into an OCOP product, so it can expand and develop cultivation sustainably,” she said.

The commune has encouraged farmers to expand growing the fruit according to its zoning plan. 

Hậu Giang Province implements fire prevention measures to protect forests during dry season

In the face of a complex and potentially hazardous dry season, Hậu Giang Province has implemented several measures to safeguard its forests from the threat of fire.

The Lung Ngọc Hoàng Nature Reserve Centre in Phương Bình Commune, Phụng Hiệp District, is at the heart of this effort. This area is home to the largest forested area in the province, comprising nearly 1,500 hectares, or approximately 40 per cent of the total forest area.

Despite the challenging conditions, the centre has not experienced any forest fires in the last decade. This achievement is the result of the centre's proactive approach to developing and implementing forest fire prevention and response plans to address all eventualities.

Lư Xuân Hội, director of the Lung Ngọc Hoàng Nature Reserve Centre, said that right from the beginning of the dry season, the centre developed plans for forest fire prevention and fighting.

It assigned specific tasks to individuals and teams based on their duties.

Early this week, the provincial Steering Committee for Forest Protection and Development Plan upgraded forest fire forecasts from level one to level three (five is the highest) on all forests in the province.

Following the requirement, the centre tightened fire prevention and fighting work as planned.

Under the plan, the centre’s forces will strengthen patrols on the ground and watchtowers, especially in critical areas, to detect and prevent people from entering the forest illegally.

They will check the humidity and dryness of the vegetation and vines in the forests. Thereby, professional staff can have time and effective forest fire prevention and fighting measures.

Nguyễn Hoàng Thọ, a member of the Lung Ngọc Hoàng Nature Reserve Centre’s forest protection team, said that due to prolonged heat in the past time, the water level in many areas of the centre dried up, causing the vegetation to wither and drop its leaves.

The vegetation layer accumulated for many years is thick, porous and dry, from which it is easy to catch fire.

For many recent days, including Saturdays and Sundays, team members enhanced patrols with the determination to keep maximum safety for the "green lung" of the province.

Forest fires can also be caused by people living in the area and neighbouring localities coming in to exploit forest products illegally. They set fire to cook meals or smoke in the forest and carelessly ignite fires.

Therefore, in addition to patrolling forests, the centre’s workers regularly educate local people on strictly observing regulations on forest protection.

Nguyễn Văn Nhỏ, who lives in Phương Hòa Village, Phương Bình Commune, Phụng Hiệp District, said: “Through the education, local people and I actively work with the centre in forest fire prevention and fighting. When we burn fields to prepare for the next crop or do things that use big fires, we report the centre staff so that they will supervise and take safety measures.”

When local people detect strangers entering the forest illegally, they report it immediately so the centre can handle it promptly.

HCM City theatres release new shows for holiday

Art troupes in HCM City are introducing a variety of new shows to serve audiences of all ages during the upcoming holiday.

The IDECAF Drama Stage’s new comedy Bí Mật Giếng Làng Khủm (A Secret of the Well in Khủm Village) promises to bring a lot of laughs to audiences.

The play, written by veteran actor Trung Dân who spent 20 years completing the work, highlights solidarity and patriotism.

It features a group of strangers’ conspiracy to invade the Khủm Village to take possession of its magic well. However, local villagers discover the plan and join together to fight the enemy.

Thanh Thuỷ, the play’s director, said she and her staff made a lot of efforts to stage the play, and hoped audiences, especially young people, could learn lessons from it.

The play attracts veteran actors who are familiar with audiences such as Quốc Thịnh, Quang Thảo and Bảo Trí.

The work will premiere at 8pm on May 5 at 28 Lê Thánh Tôn Street in District 1.

The Trương Hùng Minh Stage will honour motherhood through the new drama Mẹ Hát Rong (My Mom is a Busker).

The work portrays a poor mother who has a dream of being a performer in a big theatre. Unfortunately, her dream does not come true, so she performs on streets to earn for living and take care of her son.

Minh Nhí, the play’s producer, said, “When someone cannot make their dream come true, they will try their best to complete it in a different way.”

The work will feature actors Minh Nhí, Việt Hương, and Huỳnh Lập.

The play will be staged every Saturday and Sunday in May. The theatre is at 22 Vĩnh Viễn Street in District 10.

Meanwhile, the Small Theatre on Võ Văn Tần Street in District 3 will release a play for children titled Vương Quốc Những Người Xấu Xí (Kingdom of the Ugly) on April 30.

The play portrays a little girl named Ly Ly. She is pretty but quite mean.

After she and her friend are lost in a kingdom ruled by an evil witch, they must work together to escape from the place. Through the journey, Ly Ly learns a precious lesson about friendship.

The play features young actors Gia Hân and Gia Huy.

Phương Nam Theatre is offering a series of new circus and puppet shows aimed at children at Gia Định Park in HCM City this summer.  

Another option for children during the holiday is a circus play called Cha Rồng Mẹ Tiên (Dragon Father and Fairy Mother) staged by the Phương Nam Art Theatre.

The 90-minute show tells the legend of Lạc Long Quân (a holy dragon) and Âu Cơ (a fairy bird) and their children, who hatched from 100 eggs.

The couple together fought various evils to gain peace for the country. Their children then settled down throughout the regions to build and protect the country.  

The show attracts 30 actors who will perform a variety of circus acts such as juggling, walking on stilts, aerial hoop, aerial silk, and jump rope.

Young actor Trịnh Thắng, who plays Lạc Long Quân, said he spent hours practising to ensure his circus and acting skills for audiences.

According to Phương Nam Theatre's director Lê Diễn, they invested a lot in modern visual and sound effects, costumes and stage designs to bring an attractive and quality show to young audiences.

The play is now available at the Gia Định Circus Stage in Gò Vấp District until May 3. 

Visitors flock to President Ho Chi Minh's home town

Each day, between 800 and 1,000 delegations with up to 20,000 tourists visit Kim Lien special relic site in Nam Dan district, the central province of Nghe An, during the five-day National Reunificational Day and May Day holidays from April 29 to May 3.

According to Nguyen Bao Tuan, Director of the relic site, the number of arrivals to the site on this holiday is expected to surge remarkably after more than two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the occasion, the relic site also organises thematic exhibitions on the life and career of President Ho Chi Minh as well as President Ho Chi Minh with Vietnamese cultural heritage.

Phan Nam Truong, a fifth grader from Ha Tinh province, said this is the first time he has visited President's Ho’native village. Seeing the thatched roof with many very simple things made him more proud of Uncle Ho, he said.

Tran Thi My Binh, head of the Kim Hoa Primary School in Ha Tinh’s Huong Son district, said that her school regularly organises extracurricular activities for students. However, this is the first time the school has sent teachers and more than 200 students to visit Uncle Ho's hometown with the purpose of educating patriotic traditions for them.

NA Chairman’s trip marks new milestone in relations with Latin American countries: officials

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue’s trip to Cuba, Argentina and Uruguay, from April 18-28, was a success as it opened up a new development period in relations between Vietnam and the three Latin American nations, said Bui Van Cuong, NA Secretary General and Chairman of the NA Office.

Sharing Cuong’s view, Vu Hai Ha, Chairman of the NA Committee for External Relations, highlighted the diverse and comprehensive contents of the meetings within the trip.

Lai Xuan Mon, deputy head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Information and Education, said the Cuban side spoke highly of the visit as well as NA Chairman Hue’s speech at a special plenary session of the 10th NA of the People’s Power of Cuba.

The speech served as a source of encouragement for Cuban officials, Party members and people to overcome challenges caused by the embargo to continue with the path towards socialism, he noted.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Cuba Le Thanh Tung said Cuban Party and State leaders offered special rituals to NA Chairman Hue and his entourage, and the two sides shared the view that the bilateral relationship has become an invaluable asset shared by the two nations.

Mai Thi Phuong Hoa, Vice Chairwoman of the NA Committee for Judicial Affairs, who is also President of the Vietnam-Argentina Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group and the Vietnam-Uruguay Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group, said the Vietnam-Uruguay Friendship Parliamentarians’ Group, established on April 14, 2023, made its debut on this occasion.

This is an important parliamentary activity as it helps parliamentarians exchange professional experience, while promoting parliamentary diplomacy, she continued.

Regarding the trip’s outcomes in economic cooperation, Minister of Construction Nguyen Thanh Nghi, who co-chairs the Vietnam-Cuba Inter-Governmental Committee, said the committee will work harder to enhance trade ties between the two countries, thus raising the bilateral trade to 500 million USD in the near future.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai, who co-chairs the Vietnam-Argentina Inter-Governmental Committee, emphasised that the NA Chairman’s visit reiterated Vietnam’s commitment to working together with Argentina to advance the bilateral economic, trade and investment ties to a new height.

For agriculture, the two sides continued looking into market opening for farm produce of each other, and cooperation potential in fishery, he said, adding that new collaboration fields were proposed during the visit like food safety, customs, science-technology, software, wood exploitation and processing, renewable energy, and innovation.

Following the trip, trade between Vietnam and Argentina and Uruguay, especially Vietnam’s exports to the markets, is expected to make progress, the official said.

Asked about cooperation prospects between Vietnam and the three countries, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ha Kim Ngoc said “we can be optimistic about cooperative relations with Cuba, Argentina and Uruguay.”

The sides displayed their determination, efforts and actions to materialise cooperation potential and opportunities, he explained.

Cuban and Argentine ambassadors to Vietnam also shared the view that the trip will exert profound and long-term impacts on cooperation between the Southeast Asian nation and the Latin American region.

Quang Tri: Flag-raising ceremony marks National Reunification Day

A flag-raising ceremony was solemnly held by the central province of Quang Tri at the Hien Luong – Ben Hai special national monument on April 30 to mark the 48th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day, and 51st anniversary of Liberation of Quang Tri province (May 1, 1972-2023).

The national flag was raised to the peak of the monument as the national anthem was being played.

Participants observed a minute of silence in memory of those who laid down their lives for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland and happiness of the people.

The Hien Luong – Ben Hai special national monument is located at the foot of Hien Luong Bridge across Ben Hai River.

Ben Hai River divided North and South Vietnam after the signing of the Geneva Accords in 1954. Though the river is just over 100m wide, it took 21 years for the Vietnamese people on the two banks to be united.

The river and the bridge are witnesses to the Vietnamese people's fierce but glorious struggle against foreign invaders and a reflection of their desire for and belief in victory.

Quang Tri was one of the most heavily bombed areas during the anti-US resistance war. The province was also renowned for the fierce 81-day-and-night battle at the ancient Quang Tri Citadel.

Within the event’s framework, Quang Tri province launched a design contest for apeace symbol, to be erected at the Peace Park in the Hien Luong – Ben Hai special national relic site.

On the occasion, a traditional boat race on Ben Hai River was held.

Vietnamese veterans in Russia recall glorious national history

The Vietnamese Veterans’ Association in Russia held a ceremony in Moscow on April 30 marking the 48th anniversary of southern liberation and national reunification and the 137th anniversary of International May Day (May 1).

Speaking at the event, Vietnamese defence attaché in Russia Vuong Dac Thang affirmed that Vietnam always remembers the contributions of war veteran soldiers, including Russian experts who dedicated themselves to Vietnam’s independence and freedom.

The young Vietnamese generations will continue upholding the heroic traditions of their forefathers and carry on the mission of protecting and building the nation, he said.

Participants at the event recalled the glorious historical periods of the nation, remarkable milestones in their lives, and sang high praises for the homeland.

The same day, the Vietnamese Association in St. Petersburg city held a gathering marking the anniversaries and honouring former Soviet Union experts who stood side by side with the Vietnamese people during difficult times.

Speeches at the event praised the victory of Vietnam, the indomitable and courageous spirit of the Vietnamese people, the contributions of Soviet Union military experts, and wished for the relationship between Vietnam and Russia to become increasingly strong and durable.

Vietnam’s digital copyright support platform launched

The Digital Copyright Center under the Vietnam Digital Communications Association has recently inaugurated the Digital Copyright Axis system to enhance copyright protection and digital content development.

The platform offers eight main services, including copyright registration, content distribution and infringement detection solutions for individual and business content creators.

Its inauguration was part of a meeting on digital content creation, advertising and copyright protection held by the Vietnam Digital Communications Association.

The system, developed by the Digital Copyright Center, has also been equipped with technologies for digital archiving and legal issues support.

It is expected to serve as a hub connecting local creators with Government bodies and industry professionals.

The objective is to build a favorable digital copyright ecosystem in which individual and business creators may easily find free support for membership and diverse paid options for specialized demand, according to Hoang Dinh Chung, head of the Digital Copyright Center.

In particular, experts at the association will provide local content creators with advice and consultancy services before helping them reach out to the appropriate agencies.

The platform is now available at https://banquyenso.org.vn

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