The Deputy Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, Minister Counselor Le Thi Minh Thoa, laid stress on the significance of the UN General Assembly’s operation reform to the UN’s reform while attending the 78th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on November 10.

Addressing a debate at the UNGA on November 10 on reforms of the UNGA, the Vietnamese diplomat highlighted that the UN and its member countries should intensify measures to ensure that the UNGA can make a more effective and meaningful response to global challenges that have been increasing in number and growing complicated. 

She stated that the UN General Assembly’s role in peace and security issues should be enhanced in accordance with the UN Charter, while the relations between the UN General Assembly and other key orgnisations of the UN, including the UN Security Council, should be promoted.
 
Besides, it is necessary to ensure the principle of transparency and inclusiveness of the UNGA’s activities, including the selection and election of the Secretary General, she said, adding that UNGA discussions should produce specific and action-oriented outcomes in mid and long terms to meet the interests and aspirations of the member states.

Upcoming discussions in preparation for the Summit for the Future and other processes must sharpen focus on not only solutions but also measures to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development, she underscored.

At the event, other countries shared their initiatives and opinions on measures to improve the UNGA's operation.

Mekong Delta province records first monkeypox case

The Mekong Delta Province of Ben Tre recorded the first case of monkeypox who is being quarantined for treatment.

A representative of the Center for Disease Control of Ben Tre province said that a 31-year-old young man working as a receptionist got monkeypox. The patient is being isolated in a motel room, waiting to be transferred to the hospital for treatment.

Previously, the male patient started having symptoms of sore throat and blisters on the upper lip area on November 3 so he went to a hospital in Ben Tre City for examination. The patient had contact with a medical worker but both were wearing masks.

However, his symptoms of the disease did not abate but more blisters appeared in the anus, genitals, face, and hands; thus, on November 9, the patient took the car to Ho Chi Minh City Dermatology Hospital for examination where medical workers soon took his sample following a suspicion that the man got monkeypox symptoms. Then the young man returned to his house in Ben Tre.

​Following an epidemiological investigation, the patient had contact with three other people who were living near the motel room, of which, one person who is experiencing symptoms of blisters frequently traveled between Ho Chi Minh City and Ben Tre. Moreover, the man contacted 9 other people when he returned to his house in Giong Trom District to attend a death anniversary. In addition, he always wears facemasks when in contact with others.

The Department of Health of Ben Tre Province has directed the CDC of Ben Tre Province to spray disinfectant at some places where patients arrived at.

At the same time, the CDC Ben Tre Province will investigate to trace direct contacts with the man and then send its investigation results and working minutes to the Ho Chi Minh City-located Pasteur Institute and the Department of Health of Ben Tre Province.

According to medical workers’ recommendations, anyone who has symptoms of fever or blisters should go to local health stations to take samples and temporarily isolate to wait for test results.

Vietnamese artist receives Netherlands’ cultural award

Artist Linh San, an assistant curator at The Outpost art organisation that operates on the principle of a miniature private museum in Hanoi, has just received the Seed Awards 2023 from Netherlands’ Prince Claus Fund.

Known as a multidisciplinary artist, San holds a bachelor's degree in Literature from the Hanoi National University of Education and her practice spans poetry, moving images, and ceramics. In her works, she depicts poetic, plain, and contemplative moments from daily life. San’s literary works often take the form of prose poetry, reflecting her way of thinking - a stream of thoughts and mental images gushing through terrains of narratives and emotions connected via imaginative links.

San’s poems have appeared in The Margins, Poetry Translation Centre, and various anthologies. Her short films have been screened at the Hanoi Goethe-Institut, the Thai Nguyen University, and the National Museum of Indonesia, among other places. In 2022, San presented her first solo exhibition, titled “No longer holding a cloud”, at A Space in Hanoi.

The Prince Claus Fund was established in 1996 and sponsored by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs to honor individuals and organisations with a progressive, modern approach in the field of culture and development.

Da Lat to host 23rd Vietnam Film Festival

The 23rd Da Lat Film Festival will take place for the first time in the resort city of Da Lat, the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong on November 21-25, heard a press conference held by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the provincial People’s Committee on November 12.

The event, which aims to honour outstanding cinematographic works, film makers, and artists in the industry, will feature an array of activities such as the exhibition “Da Lat – a source of inspiration for cinema” on November 21 and a series of cinematic conferences on November 22-23.

As many as 147 films will be screened for free on the occasion, including many blockbusters like Nha Ba Nu (The House of No Man), Em va Trinh (You and Trinh), Nguoi Vo Cuoi Cung (The Last Wife), and Tro Tan Ruc Ro (Glorious Ash).

According to Pham S, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, the province has made meticulous preparation for the film festival, with infrastructure, security and order, food safety and hygiene to be ensured to serve visitors, film makers and artists.

Da Lat city is expected to welcome some 190,000 visitors during the film festival, he said.

Ninety-one best films have been chosen to vie for the Lotus Awards held within the film festival, comprising 16 feature films, 31 documentaries, 19 science films, 25 cartoons.

The opening ceremony will be organised at Lam Vien square, Da Lat city on November 21, and broadcast live by the Vietnam Television.

Vietnam learns France's experience in press, external information

A delegation from the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Information and Education led by its Vice Chairman Tran Thanh Lam is paying a visit to France to study the press, publishing and foreign information work in the European country.

The delegation had a working session with member of the Politburo of the French Communist Party (PCF) Taylan Coskun and Secretary General of the PCF-run l’Humanité (Humanity) newspaper Anthony Draguet.

Draguet briefed the guests on the communication work of the newspaper as well as challenges that it is facing amid the current strong digital transformation.

The two sides exchanged experience and discussed cooperation opportunities to promote partnership between the l’Humanité newspaper with press agencies of Vietnam as well as those under the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Information and Education in particular.

On this occasion, Lam presented Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's book entitled "Some theoretical and practical issues on socialism and the path towards socialism in Vietnam” which was translated into French to Daguet.

At a working session with leaders of the France-Vietnam Friendship Association (AAFV), the Vietnamese delegation studied the operations of Perspective magazine, the information agency of the association.

The magazine has worked to introduce and promote the image and information about Vietnam as well as the AAFV's activities to strengthen the friendship and cooperation between the governments and people of Vietnam and France.

The delegation also worked with the Vietnamese Embassy and representatives of Vietnamese press agencies in France, including the Vietnam News Agency, Nhan dan (People) Newspaper and Radio the Voice of Vietnam.

Ambassador Dinh Toan Thang highlighted recent progress in Vietnam-France relations and contributions from media agencies in this regard.

During their stay, the delegation laid flowers at President Ho Chi Minh's statue and visited Ho Chi Minh space in Montreau park in Montreuil city.

They also attended the Vietnamese Culture Day in France held at the Vietnamese Cultural Centre in France on the occasion of the 50th founding anniversary of Vietnam-France diplomatic relations and the 10th founding anniversary of bilateral strategic partnership.

Upgraded Vietnamese pagoda inaugurated in Laos

Phase one of the upgrade of Bo De Pagoda, a Vietnamese pagoda in the central Lao province of Khammouane, was inaugurated at a ceremony on November 12.

The upgrade was funded by donations from Buddhist followers in Vietnam and Vietnamese Buddhist followers in Laos and Europe.

Buddhist dignitaries of Laos and Vietnam highlighted the significance of Bo De Pagoda as one of the first Vietnamese pagodas in Laos given the importance of Buddhism in the cultural and religious life of Lao and Vietnamese people.

They expressed the hope that the Bo De pagoda will help strengthen solidarity and community bonds not only in the Vietnamese community in Laos but also between the two countries.

Addressing the event, Lao Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Nisith Keopanya said the Vietnamese Buddhist followers and Vietnamese pagodas in Laos have made great contributions to Lao society through charitable activities to help the disadvantaged in the country. The Lao government and people highly value the contributions, he said.

Vietnam accompanies UN to support Cuba's sustainable development: Ambassador

Vietnam stands ready to accompany the UN on assisting Cuba to carry out the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development, Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, has said.

At a recent working session with UN Resident Coordinator in Cuba Francisco Pichon, Giang highlighted the special friendship between Vietnam and Cuba, and informed the UN official of Vietnam’s active support for Cuba through various mechanisms, including the South – South Cooperation and trilateral cooperation, especially in the fields of agriculture and food.

Pichon, who once served as the representative of the International Fund for Agricultural Development to Vietnam, said that Cuba is facing formidable challenge in post-pandemic recovery and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

The UN is implementing a cooperation framework for sustainable development during 2020-2024 to support Cuba, with a focus on economic issues, natural disaster mitigation, agriculture, and food security, he said, expressing his hope that Vietnam will join the UN’s efforts through sharing development experience and good practices.

Ambassador Giang said that Vietnam is willing to be a partner of the UN, helping Cuba overcome the existing challenges and achieve important progresses in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

Vietnamese community in Israel remains safe: embassy

The Vietnamese community in Israel remains safe more than one month after conflicts broke out in Israel, heard an online meeting on November 11 connecting Vietnamese citizens living across Israel with media agencies in Vietnam.

Ambassador Ly Duc Trung said that the Vietnamese community in Israel is relatively small, with about 500 long-term residents and around 200 working or studying short-term.

He said the current situation is stable, but there must always be preparations for the worst situation if the war spreads out of control.

The ambassador said as foreign airlines have stopped operating in Israel, one of the plans being prepared by the embassy is to help Vietnamese people evacuate by road across the Jordan border to a safe area.

According to the diplomat, ensuring uninterrupted information connection is one of the priority tasks for the embassy since the first days of the war.

Hong Shurany from the Liaison Board of the Vietnamese Association in Israel, said that since the outbreak of the conflict, the association has set up groups on social networks to inform about the situation, encourage and support each other, and continuously maintain contact with the embassy to get updated on Vietnam’s guidelines and policies related to citizen protection.

Public administrative centre opens in Thu Duc city

The Public Administrative Centre of Thu Duc city, Ho Chi Minh City, was inaugurated on November 11, becoming the first of its kind in the southern metropolis.

The centre, with 37 staff members, operates under the single-door mechanism in handling administrative procedures under the authority of Thu Duc city People’s Committee.

Besides receiving applications, processing and giving back results of administrative procedures in its realm, the centre provides guidance to organisations and individuals on procedures in other fields, and proposes measures to the city People's Committee to promote the reform of administrative procedures.

Chairman of the city People’s Committee Hoang Tung said that the centre will help enhance the efficiency of governance at all levels as well as operations of state management agencies, while creating favourable conditions for all organisations and citizens and improving the quality of public services.

HCM City established Thu Duc city on January 1, 2021 by merging districts 2, 9 and Thu Duc, the first city to be under the jurisdiction of a centrally run city in the country.

It spreads over some 211.5 square kilometres and is home to more than 1.2 million people.

The city is expected to become a locomotive for socio-economic development in Ho Chi Minh City and the Southeastern region as a whole.

Hanoi strengthens relations with Japan’s Fukuoka prefecture

A delegation of Hanoi led by Standing Vice Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Nguyen Thi Tuyen visited Fukuoka prefecture, and attended activities marking 15 years of the two localities’ friendship within the framework of its working trip to Japan from November 10-12.

Welcoming the delegation, Fukuoka Governor Hattori Seitaro and Chairman of the Fukuoka Prefectural Assembly Kohara Katsuji soke highly of the visit, considering it a new start resuming delegation exchange activities after a hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

At their meeting, the two sides stressed the importance of Hanoi-Fukuoka cooperation to the Vietnam-Japan friendship.

The agreed to maintain and step up exchange activities and delegation exchanges at all levels; expand cooperation in such fields as education-training, investment promotion, trade to develop the relationship in a more practical and comprehensive manner.

The hosts shared that they plan to visit Hanoi in January 2024 to concretise the content of discussions on promoting bilateral collaboration in the coming time.

On November 11, the Hanoi delegation coordinated with the Consulate General of Vietnam in Fukuoka to host a seminar on Hanoi-Kyushu investment and trade promotion in 2023. The event was intended to promote Hanoi’s connectivity, exchange and cooperation with the Kyushu region, which holds great economic and scientific and technological potential in Japan, including eight southwestern prefectures, of which Fukuoka is the largest.

At the event, the Hanoi Promotion Agency and the association of Vietnamese trade and investment promotion enterprises in Kyushu signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in intensifying trade and investment promotion activities between Hanoi and Kyushu region; while the Me Linh district People’s Committee and the Japanese Language Institute (GAG) inked an MoU on improving Japanese language training and cooperation in developing high-quality human resources.

From November 10-12, the 2023 Vietnam - Hanoi Festival in Fukuoka was held at Tenjin Central Park in celebration of the 50th founding anniversary of the Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties, and 15 years of the establishment of Hanoi-Fukuoka friendship.

Judo tournament marks 50th anniversary of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties

Nearly 300 athletes from Vietnamese localities and clubs and Japan competed at a Judo tournament celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties, and the 2023 Open Judo Championship Ba Ria-Vung Tau in the southern province from November 9-11.

The tournament was among a series of activities of the Vietnam-Japan Culture Week in the province.

With seven gold medals, the Japan team came first at the tournament. It was followed by the Ba Ria-Vung Tau team, with one gold, three silver, and four bronze medals, and the Vietnam team with three silvers and four bronzes.

Meanwhile, the Ba Ria-Vung Tau provincial Sports Training and Competition Centre topped the 2023 Open Judo Championship Ba Ria-Vung Tau with three gold, three silver and five bronze medals.

Ceremony honours Vietnamese Thai teachers

The Association of Vietnamese People in Thailand and the Vietnamese community in Mukdahan province on November 11 organised a ceremony to honour the Vietnamese Thai teachers who have made significant contributions to the teaching of the Vietnamese language in Thailand.

The event was organised in response to the Vietnamese Teachers’ Day (November 20).

Vietnamese Consul General in Khon Kaen Chu Duc Dung sent his best wishes to the expat Vietnamese teachers, saying with great dedication and experience, they have maintained the teaching and learning of Vietnamese, helping arouse national pride and encourage the young to remember the homeland.

Chairman of the Association of Vietnamese People in Thailand Nguyen Ngoc Thin said that despite formidable challenges, the first generations of Vietnamese in Thailand set up “camps for kids”, and organised the teaching of Vietnamese to their children.

The Party and State of Vietnam have paid tribute to the work of the Vietnamese Thai teachers, and have organised many trips for them to visit the homeland as well as training courses for the teachers in the hope to maintain the mother tongue among the Vietnamese Thai community, he added.

According to Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong, who is in charge of the education board of the Vietnamese association in Udon Thani province, after a long halt by COVID-19 the teaching and learning of Vietnamese has been resumed in the province with eight classes, more than 30 students and ten teachers.

Football match spreads message of gender quality

Nearly 100 students from the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang and Hanoi took part in the Friendship Football Match 2023 “Orange Your Dream” in the capital city on November 11.

The match was held by UN Women in collaboration with UNESCO, the Norwegian Embassy in Hanoi, the Ministry of Education and Training, the media centre of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and Football for All Vietnam project in response to the UN’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence campaign (November 25 – December 10), and the national action month for gender equality and prevention and response to gender-based violence (November 15-December 15).
 
It highlighted the importance of sport to support diversity and equality so that individuals, regardless of their genders, are able to tap their potential to the fullest extent and fulfil their dreams.

In her opening remarks, Caroline Nyamayemombe, Acting Interim UN Women Representative in Vietnam, said that sport has affirmed its ability to promote gender equality and empowerment of women and girls, stressing football can help bring the community together, improve health, relieve pressure, and control violence activities.  

Violence against women and children remains a challenge for Vietnam. According to a government’s survey in 2019, every two in three women experienced one or more forms of violence by their husbands in their lifetime. Meanwhile, the survey on the Sustainable Development Goal indicators for children and women during 2021-2021 showed that more than 68% of surveyed kids aged 10-14 suffered physical punishment.

Along with joining in and cheering upon the players, the students had an opportunity to receive training from Mai Duc Chung, head coach of the Vietnam women’s football team, and engaged in a talk with national female football players, including Thanh Nha, Hai Yen and Vu Thi Hoa, and Vietnam's first FIFA female referee Bui Thi Thu Trang, who are typical role models of Vietnamese women in sport.

Luxury cruise ship brings 3,000 tourists to central localities

A Celebrity Cruises ship with more than 3,000 passengers and crew on board berthed at Chan May port, the central province of Thua Thien – Hue on November 12.

The passengers will visit several central localities, including Thua Thien-Hue, Da Nang and Quang Nam.  

According to Deputy Director General of Chan May Port Joint Stock Company Nguyen Van Chuong, cruise tourism has been on a good recovery, with many travel firms having registered to bring visitors to Chan May port.

During January – September, the port welcomed 12 cruise ships which carried more than 13,000 travelers, he said, adding the port expects to host 10 more international cruise ships until the end of this year.

Ngo Lam Thong, a US national, said while the ship docks at Chan May port for ten hours, he will visit the imperial citadel of Hue – a world heritage site to discover royal art and architecture.

He said returning Vietnam after more than 20 years, he is delighted at the country’s development and quality tourism service.
 Celebrity Cruises ship with more than 3,000 passengers and crew on board berths at Chan May port. (Photo: VNA)
Chan May port can accommodate 70,000 DWT vessels, and 225,000 GRT cruise ships. It is among 46 seaports in Southeast Asia selected by the Asia Cruise Association as a stopover for cruise ship.

Chan May Port Joint Stock Company said 30 cruise ships with 48,000 passengers and 18,700 crew members have registered to dock at the port in 2024.

Vietnam, Cambodia promote multi-faceted collaboration

Chairwoman of the Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Association Nguyen Thi Thanh and Chairwoman of the Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Association Samdech Men Sam An on November 12 co-chaired a conference in Tay Ninh province to review the one-year implementation of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on coordination between the two associations for the 2022-2027 period.

At the event, participants also discussed directions for cooperation activities in 2024, and exchanged experiences in conducting people-to-people exchanges between agencies, units and localities that share the borderline.

Men Sam An stressed that senior leaders of the two Parties and States have worked together to promote the planting of border markers between the two countries, with 84% of the work completed so far, as an effort to build a border area of peace, stability, cooperation and development, and facilitate the travel of people.

Bilateral trade is developing continuously, and expected to surpass 10 billion USD this year. In the field of tourism, Vietnam is among the top sources of tourists to Cambodia.

Thanh said that following the MoU, the two associations have coordinated in implementing a huge workload, and achieved positive results, contributing to consolidating and strengthening the traditional friendship, and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Cambodia.

In the coming time, the two sides will promote cooperation in opening vocational training courses for young people in border provinces; step up economic, trade and investment cooperation activities, create favourable conditions for businesses to expand their investment and business cooperation.

Australian-Vietnamese innovation and tech village launched

AV-ITECH Village, an Australian-Vietnamese innovation and technology hub, has recently launched in the Australian state of Victoria, with the goals of fostering economic development and enhancing bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

AV-ITECH Village prioritizes collaborative efforts in innovation and creativity, notably with cutting-edge technologies and startup ideas. With mutual support from Australia and Vietnam, the hub is expected to create opportunities for local businesses and entrepreneurs.

In addition, the AVIC Forum was opened as part of the AV-ITECH Village launching ceremony, bringing together representatives from the Vietnamese Embassy in Australia and various enterprises in the sectors of import-export, product distribution, retail, marketing, and real estate.

The forum’s objective is to foster bilateral and multilateral trade by facilitating the exchange of policy-related information, providing suppliers with a platform to showcase their products and services, and establishing connections between businesses and potential customers.

The executive board of AV-ITECH Village is currently building a comprehensive network that aims to connect various firms operating in the fields of science and technology, import-export, product distribution, retail, and legal services.

Coldest spell since early Winter hits northern Vietnam

A coldest spell since the beginning of this year’s Winter is moving close to northern localities, with temperatures dropping sharply, even below 15 degrees Celsius in some areas, according to the National Centre for Hydro Meteorological and Forecasting.

Nguyen Van Huong, head of Weather Forecasting Department under the National Center for Hydro Meteorological Forecasting said that this is the strongest cold spell from the beginning of this year's cold season until now, marking the first cold spell of the 2023-2024 Winter.
  
The cold air wave will hit the entire northern region in the evening and tonight,  and then spread to the north-central region and some places in the south-central region.

According to Nguyen Van Huong, due to the influence of the cold air wave, from the night of November 12 to November 14-15, the weather pattern in the northern region and mountainous areas will be cold, with common temperatures at night and morning are around 16-19 degrees Celsius, and even below 15 degrees Celsius in high mountainous areas.

From the night of November 12 to November 16 and 17, there will be widespread heavy rain of up to 500mm in some areas, while the north-central region is likely to suffer flooding.

Judo tournament marks 50th anniversary of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties

Nearly 300 athletes from Vietnamese localities and clubs and Japan competed at a Judo tournament celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties, and the 2023 Open Judo Championship Ba Ria-Vung Tau in the southern province from November 9-11.

The tournament was among a series of activities of the Vietnam-Japan Culture Week in the province.

With seven gold medals, the Japan team came first at the tournament. It was followed by the Ba Ria-Vung Tau team, with one gold, three silver, and four bronze medals, and the Vietnam team with three silvers and four bronzes.

Meanwhile, the Ba Ria-Vung Tau provincial Sports Training and Competition Centre topped the 2023 Open Judo Championship Ba Ria-Vung Tau with three gold, three silver and five bronze medals.

Ceremony honours Vietnamese Thai teachers

The Association of Vietnamese People in Thailand and the Vietnamese community in Mukdahan province on November 11 organised a ceremony to honour the Vietnamese Thai teachers who have made significant contributions to the teaching of the Vietnamese language in Thailand.

At the ceremony to honour the Vietnamese Thai teachers who have made significant contributions to the teaching of the Vietnamese language in Thailand

The event was organised in response to the Vietnamese Teachers’ Day (November 20).

Vietnamese Consul General in Khon Kaen Chu Duc Dung sent his best wishes to the expat Vietnamese teachers, saying with great dedication and experience, they have maintained the teaching and learning of Vietnamese, helping arouse national pride and encourage the young to remember the homeland.

Chairman of the Association of Vietnamese People in Thailand Nguyen Ngoc Thin said that despite formidable challenges, the first generations of Vietnamese in Thailand set up “camps for kids”, and organised the teaching of Vietnamese to their children.

The Party and State of Vietnam have paid tribute to the work of the Vietnamese Thai teachers, and have organised many trips for them to visit the homeland as well as training courses for the teachers in the hope to maintain the mother tongue among the Vietnamese Thai community, he added.

According to Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong, who is in charge of the education board of the Vietnamese association in Udon Thani province, after a long halt by COVID-19 the teaching and learning of Vietnamese has been resumed in the province with eight classes, more than 30 students and ten teachers.

Vietnam and Japan cooperate in training high-quality human resources

The Ministry of Education and Training recently worked with the President of the Japan International Cooperation Center (JICE) and relevant bodies on human resource training cooperation.

The Ministry of Education and Training highly appreciates the cooperation and support of the Japanese Government with the Vietnamese Government, including in the field of education and training, demonstrated in the training and development of human resources in Vietnam through the Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship by Japanese Grant Aid (JDS).

The JDS scholarship project has contributed to the training and development of high-quality human resources for Vietnam's public sector. Many officials have returned home to continue working and holding important positions in state-owned organizations at various levels after graduating with master's and doctoral degrees from JDS.

Mr. Yoshida Kozo, Chairman of the Japan Center for International Cooperation, affirmed that the Vietnamese Government’s support in carrying out the JDS scholarship project in Vietnam through the Ministry of Education and Training’s directions and close coordination are important factors for the success of the project in the Southeast Asian country.

With its experience in implementing JDS in Vietnam over the past 23 years, JICE hopes to continue to be the unit chosen to implement the JDS project in Vietnam in the near future. JICE promised to make further efforts so that the JDS program will yield fruitful results, meeting the goal of developing high-quality human resources of the two nations.

Sanctions needed to handle those wasting agricultural by-products

Workshop participants proposed to have sanctions on those who waste agricultural by-products which brought additional revenue to farmers.

At the workshop to listen to opinions for the project on scientific development and application, technology transfer, and promotion of circular economy in agriculture in the period 2023-2030 recently organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Hanoi, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien said that agricultural waste and by-products are currently very large, more than 150,000 tons a year; therefore, the country necessarily reduces the amount of waste and increase the recycling and reused rate of by-products to minimize waste disposal costs and impacts on environment.

Participating in the workshop, Chairman of the Vietnam Economics Association Nguyen Quang Thai and Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Farm and Agricultural Enterprise Association Nguyen Van Trong proposed more sanctions to handle the situation of wasting many agricultural by-products such as burning straw and discharging waste into the environment.

The draft project for developing science and application, transferring technology, and promoting circular economy in agriculture from 2023 to 2030 sets the goal that 60 percent of crop by-products and 60 percent of waste from livestock and farms will be treated while 80 percent of rice by-products are collected and reused by 2030.

HCMC’s urban government should integrate applicable resolutions

It is now necessary for HCMC to promote power decentralization and authorization from the central Government to the city and then to its districts and Thu Duc City.

Until now, HCMC has been given effective tools to perfect its governance system and mobilize all possible resources for its sustainable growth, coming from the three key resolutions of No.131 on Organizing an Urban Government in HCMC, No.1111 on Arranging Administrative Units at Rural District and Commune levels as well as Establishing Thu Duc City, and No.98 on Piloting a Number of Specific Mechanisms and Policies for the Development of HCMC.

Launched for 3 years, Resolution No.131 has brought about significant changes to HCMC. The city becomes more autonomous, active, and transparent. There has been a great reduction in the time to progress administrative procedures. The weakness of this resolution lies in the authorization at district level, leading to certain remarkable trouble.

For instance, the People’s Committee of a district or a ward is now just playing the role of a budget estimation unit, but cannot manage or use the surplus or reserved financial resource or even the increasing budget revenue. This severely affects the activeness in financial management in order to timely satisfy any urgent needs that have arisen locally.

Another matter is the necessity to maintain the role of police chief and leader of the military command in the structure of a People’s Committee at district and ward level due to population scale and current social status in various wards and districts in HCMC.

It is unavoidable that inadequacies still exist in the governance and planning (between the urban scale and management model) of such a large city with a population of over 10 million people. The assessment according to the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI) and the Public Administrative Performance Index (PAPI) in the 2016-2022 period reveals a clear drop in many important indicators. Despite the city’s efforts to improve this situation, positive results are nowhere to be seen.

The administrative organizational model itself displays several weaknesses. There are low results regarding the participation of city dwellers at the grassroots level, transparency in policy making, and the accountability to the public. These all lead to limits in forming a close bond in the community or the active participation of residents in socio-political activities.

Therefore, in the upcoming time, it is critical to integrate Resolution No.131 and Resolution No.98 in order to take advantage of both legal documents in establishing a strong urban government so that the latter can help tackle any inadequacies in the former.

For example, Resolution 9 allows HCMC to decide the suitable number of civil servants, public employees, and part-time officials at each ward, commune, and town according to the workload, the population scale, the nature, and current business activities in that locality.

HCMC should also review and promote power decentralization and authorization from the central Government to the city, and then from the city (for the roles of the People’s Committee, the People’s Council, and the Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee) to the local authorities of each district and Thu Duc City.

Simultaneously, the National Assembly's program of developing legal documents for the Special Urban Law should be introduced in HCMC so as for the city to perfect its structure to become simpler, more modern, more effective for the sake of sustainable development.

18 sentenced to death in over-200kg-transnational drug trafficking case

On November 11, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Court delivered a first-instance verdict for 22 defendants implicated in a transnational drug trafficking network following a four-day trial.

The trial panel determined that the defendants' significant involvement in drug trafficking is extremely severe, and they are deemed beyond rehabilitation. Between May and July 2020, in HCMC, Dong Nai, and Binh Duong, Le Ho Vu, the ringleader, born in 1987, residing in Ca Mau Province, and 21 accomplices engaged in illicit activities, including possession, transportation, and trafficking of narcotics. They also used forged documents of agencies and organizations and organized illegal drug use.

Hence, the trial panel condemned Le Ho Vu to death for "Illegally transporting narcotics" and "Using forged seals or documents of agencies, organizations." Additionally, 17 accomplices, including three foreign individuals, received death sentences for offenses including "Illegally possessing narcotics," "Illegally trafficking narcotics," "Illegally transporting narcotics," and "Organizing illegal drug use.”

Furthermore, the trial panel sentenced life imprisonment to three defendants, namely Nguyen Quoc Toan, Vo Dang Khoa, and Nguyen Thanh Tung, for the crime of "Illegally transporting narcotics." As for Le Thanh Nghia, born in 2002, since the offense was committed during adolescence, he received a 15-year prison sentence for the crime of "Illegally trafficking narcotics."

According to the charges, on July 19, 2020, the Ministry of Public Security, in collaboration with relevant authorities, conducted an urgent inspection of a container at Tan Cang Cat Lai Port in Cat Lai Ward, Thu Duc City, HCMC. The inspection results indicated that the container purportedly carried granite stones.

Upon closer scrutiny, officials discovered 40 nylon packages containing a white crystalline substance concealed within four shipments of granite stones inside the container, weighing over 39 kg. The substance was identified as Methamphetamine. The confiscated shipment belongs to Kim Soon Sik, a South Korean national.

Following the investigation, the police concluded that this is a foreign-influenced network collaborating with individuals in Vietnam to partake in the illegal storage, transportation, and trafficking of narcotics from Cambodia to HCMC. A portion of the narcotics is consumed within the country, while another part is transported abroad (to South Korea) for consumption.

The investigation results show that the defendants have illegally possessed, transported, and trafficked over 216 kg of various types of narcotics. Of this amount, 168 kg of drugs were confiscated, while the remaining quantity was successfully transported and distributed by the defendants.

Agencies propose financial support to improve fertility rates

Responsible agencies are proposing financial support for women giving birth to a second child in localities with low fertility rates.

The Department of Population under the Ministry of Health coordinated with the Vietnam Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology to organize a conference on the current situation of low fertility in Vietnam and solutions in Hanoi yesterday.

At the conference, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong stated that Vietnam is facing a situation of significant fertility disparities between regions adding that the Southeast region, the Mekong Delta and the Central Coast are witnessing serious falling birth rates.

According to participants, a sustained low fertility rate will leave many consequences such as rapid population aging, a reduced working-age population, lower living standards, increased pressure on social security, and higher healthcare and other social costs. Moreover, declines in birth rates lead to labor shortages as well as reduced consumption.

Provinces with low fertility rates with a total population of 37.9 million people will have a great impact on sustainable development for the country. In particular, low fertility rates are not only seen in some urban areas with developed economic conditions but also in many localities with difficult socio-economic conditions in the Mekong Delta region, which plays an important role in agricultural production for national food security.

The representative of the Department of Population said that the lowest fertility rates in Vietnam are in the Southeast and the Mekong River Delta, with total fertility rates (TFRs -calculated as the number of children per woman) of 1.56 children per woman and 1.8 children per woman, respectively. If the total fertility level is below 1.3 children per woman, it’s impossible to return fertility rates to replacement levels.

Furthermore, experiences of other country has shown that many countries around the world have succeeded in reducing fertility, but no country has succeeded in bringing the very low fertility rate to replacement level though they have been introducing policies to raise fertility including attractive financial incentives.

Faced with this situation, a representative of the Department of Population said that while developing the draft Population Law, responsible agencies have proposed state measures to encourage women to have 2 children in the provinces and cities with a low birth rate.

Accordingly, agencies propose solutions such as one-time financial support when a woman gives birth to her second child. Moreover, organizations and businesses participating in providing counseling and support services for marriage and family enjoy policies to encourage socialization in the health sector.

Last but not least, the government should develop a suitable environment and community to create conditions to help couples with 2 children take good care of and raise their children. Additionally, employers should have social responsibilities toward employees raising children.

Police prosecute, arrest director of electricity power trading company

Nguyen Danh Son, Director of the Electricity Power Trading Company (EVNEPTC), has been charged and temporarily detained for an investigation for the offense of "Abusing position and power while performing official duties."
 
On the evening of November 9, Lieutenant General To An Xo, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Security, revealed that during the extended investigation into the case of "Abusing position and power while performing official duties" occuring at the Ministry of Industry and Trade and various provinces and cities, the Investigation Security Agency under the Ministry of Public Security decided to launch criminal proceedings, issue an arrest warrant for temporary detention and a search warrant on Nguyen Danh Son, Director of the EVNEPTC, a subsidiary of the Vietnam Electricity (EVN).

Nguyen Danh Son, born in 1966, is under investigation for the offense of "Abusing position and power while performing official duties."

After receiving approval from the Supreme People's Procuracy, the Investigation Security Agency served the decision to initiate criminal proceedings, execute an arrest warrant for temporary detention, and conduct searches at the residence and workplace of Nguyen Danh Son.

Regarding the case, on November 4, the Investigation Security Agency issued a decision to prosecute, an arrest warrant for temporary detention, and a search warrant at the residence on charges of "Abusing position and power while performing official duties," as stipulated in Article 356 of the Penal Code, against Tran Quoc Hung, born in 1976, Deputy Head of the Licensing and Public Relations Department at the Electricity Regulatory Authority of Vietnam (ERAV) under the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

The police also initiated criminal proceedings and detained Trinh Van Doan, born in 1982, a specialist in the Licensing and Public Relations Department at the ERAV; Nguyen Huu Khai, born in 1977, Head of the Electricity Purchasing Department at the EVNEPTC; Do Ngoc Tuyen, born in 1988, a specialist in the Electricity Purchasing Department at the EVNEPTC; and Truong Hoang Dung, born in 1982, a specialist in the Technical and IT Department at the EVNEPTC.

Vietnam joins Prague int'l charity festival

The Vietnamese Embassy in Czech joined an international charity festival held by the Diplomatic Spouses Association in Prague on November 12.

Buying products offered by embassies at the event, visitors joined hands to support Czech’s charity groups. They also enjoyed traditional musical and artistic performances there.

Ambassador Thai Xuan Dung said that attending the event, the Vietnamese diplomatic delegation wants to introduce dishes popular in Vietnamese families and reaffirm the Vietnamese tradition of supporting one another.

The Diplomatic Spouses Association is a voluntary, non-profit, non-political, and independent organisation founded in 1997, with members from about 50 countries.

Since 2000, the association has raised about 3 million USD for Czech charity groups.

Football tournament held for Vietnamese community in Japan

The football tournament “FAVIJA KANSAI CUP 2023” was held on November 12 in Japan’s Shiga prefecture with the participation of 20 teams of overseas Vietnamese and Japanese people.

This is part of the culture-sports exchange activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Japan (1973-2023).

The annual game was organised by the Vietnam-Japan Cultural and Sports Exchange Association (FAVIJA) under the auspices of the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan.

Nguyen Huu Long, head of the tournament’s organising board, highlighted the significance of the tournament as it took place in the year that marks a special anniversary of Vietnam and Japan, while Yano Takaaki, representative of Wise Kansai Company, a co-sponsor of this year's tournament, said that besides employment support for Vietnamese young people, Japanese companies also want to give them a warm, joyful, and healthy atmosphere as a way to enhance mutual understanding between the people of the two countries.

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