The "Falcon Strike" exercise has taken place four times since 2015 and will run for 11 days from Aug 14 at a base in northeastern Udon Thani that was home to U.S. forces during the Vietnam War. The drills, the dates for which were decided in June, take place in a month when China is holding major exercises in the sea and airspace around Taiwan, in a show of military power following U.S. house speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the self-ruled island, which Beijing regards as its own. Thailand is the oldest U.S. ally in Asia but ties were complicated by a 2014 military coup. Thailand has sought to strengthen its relations with China and has made several defense procurements. The Thai air force, one of the most equipped in the region, has historically used U.S. hardware and is seeking to procure F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin Corp to replace some of its aging F-16 models. According to an air force source, who asked not to be named because he was unauthorized to speak to … [Read more...] about Thailand, China to resume air force exercises after pandemic pause
Communal house built for Mang ethnic people
Speaking at the event, Standing Vice President of the Vietnam Youth Federation Central Committee Nguyen Hai Minh called on youths and local people to join the “Footsteps for the community” program to raise fund for the construction of the communal house. He emphasized that participating in the event will not only help raise public health, but also uphold and promote the communal tradition of ethnic minority groups. The sixth stage of the “Footsteps for the community” program will take place from August 6 to 28 in 63 provinces and cities across the country. The program targets to mobilize at least 1 million km of walking/running, equivalent to a donation of VND 1 billion, to support the building of a communal house for the Mang ethnic people in Nam Pi commune, Nam Nhun district. The program is a practical and significant activity for the Vietnamese youths to contribute their part to raising the material and spiritual life of ethnic minority groups in Vietnam. On the occasion, the … [Read more...] about Communal house built for Mang ethnic people
All four Vietnamese students win gold at IChO 2022
The four students are Nguyen Viet Phong, a 12th grader from Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted in Ho Chi Minh City; Tran Duc Minh, a 12th grader from Bien Hoa High School for the Gifted in Ha Nam province; Phan Xuan Hanh, a 12th grader from Ha Tinh High School for the Gifted; and Pham Nguyen Minh Tuan, a 11th grader from the High School for the Gifted of Natural Sciences under the University of Natural Sciences, Vietnam National University, Hanoi. This is the second time that all Vietnamese members have won the gold medal at the competition, after the first one in 2020. IChO 2022 was hosted by China from July 8 to 18 with the participation of 326 contestants from 84 countries and territories. The Vietnamese students competed online at the Hanoi National University of Education. Also according to the Ministry of Education and Training, four Vietnamese students participating in the International Biology Olympiad 2022 (IBO 2022) clinched one silver and three bronze medals. IBO … [Read more...] about All four Vietnamese students win gold at IChO 2022
Vietnamese exports to Nordic markets thrive
General Department of Vietnam Customs’ data showed that the bilateral trade reached US$1.03 billion in the first four months of 2022 (up 15 percent from the same period of 2021), including US$689.13 million worth of Vietnamese exports (up 19.2 percent) and US$342.16 million worth of Vietnamese imports (up 7.3 percent). Tra fish exports are projected to surge by a whopping 97 percent year-on-year in the first five months of 2022, reaching US$1.1 billion Nguyen Thi Hoang Thuy, Head of the Vietnam Trade Office in Sweden, concurrently in Denmark, Norway, Iceland, and Latvia, said Nordic enterprises generally bought Japonica rice from Spain, Italy, Japan and the US, and were excited to discover they could import a similar product with similar quality from Vietnam at a one-third to one half less. Foreign trade accounts for 50-60 percent of the Nordic bloc’s gross domestic product (GDP). Despite their small population, Nordic countries made an impressive import value … [Read more...] about Vietnamese exports to Nordic markets thrive
ASEAN: 55 years of unification and development
ASEAN has become the world's most successful bloc developing based on three pillars: politics-security, socio-culture, and economics. Celebrations marking 55 years of the foundation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) were solemnly held on August 8 across the nations, underscoring a harmonious ASEAN community. ASEAN member states' flags. The community, which is peaceful, stable, and prosperous, supports ASEAN's engagement with the broader region, and the region's responses to the impacts and uncertainties caused by regional and global challenges. For the past five decades, ASEAN has become one of the world’s most successful blocs thanks to three pillars namely maintaining a region of peace, stability, and security for decades; developing on a three-pillar direction: politics and security, socio-culture, economics to become one of the fastest-growing regions with GDP of US$3.3 trillion in 2021; being the regional center and prestigious with … [Read more...] about ASEAN: 55 years of unification and development
14th session of 15th N.A. Standing Committee to open on August 9
The resolutions target the establishment of Binh Phu town in Cai Lay district in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang, and Chon Thanh township and its wards in the southern province of Binh Phuoc, the N.A. Office said on August 8. The committee will also discuss and make a final decision on the inclusion of the draft Law on Management and Use of State Capital Invested in Production and Business at Enterprises (amended) into the law and ordinance building program in 2023. The lawmakers are scheduled to offer opinions on socio-economic issues regarding the middle-term public investment plan for the 2021-2025 period, and the Government’s proposal for policies aimed at employers and employees affected by COVID-19. A Q&A session will be held on August 10 focusing on matters under the charge of the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Deputy Prime Ministers Pham Binh Minh and Vu Duc Dam, along with other ministers, will be responding to … [Read more...] about 14th session of 15th N.A. Standing Committee to open on August 9
Man gets nine-month flight ban after not paying smoking fine
Duong Van Thanh, 23, flew on the VJ134 flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi on June 29. Despite being warned by a flight attendant that it was a non-smoking flight, he continued to smoke, media reports said. When the plane landed in Hanoi, airport security apprehended Thanh and handed him over to the Northern Airports Authority, which said he has to pay a fine for his offense. The fine amount has not been revealed. According to regulations, those caught smoking on a plane may be fined up to VND5 million ($213.76). After Thanh failed to pay the fine by the deadline, the authority slapped a nine-month flight ban from August 10, 2022 to May 9, 2023. This means that Thanh cannot use domestic or international carriers for domestic or international flights from Vietnam during the ban period. Last month, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) requested the compilation of a list of troublemakers who regularly violate regulations so they can be banned from flying. The directive … [Read more...] about Man gets nine-month flight ban after not paying smoking fine
People sink thousands of dollars in virtual move-to-earn game WingStep
He said he joined in mid-June, soon as the move-to-earn NFT app was released. He says: "I spent $500 on a pair of shoes. I broke even within 15 days, with the price of my virtual sneakers rising to $600." He had more than two years’ experience in NFT gaming and had carefully researched the project, and was confident it was a smart investment, especially since it had sponsored a number of blockchain events in the country. He borrowed money in mid-July to buy five more pairs of sneakers and two phones, which he combined with three phones he already had to start "farming." "I used to earn around $250 a day before repair costs. I had to repair my NFT sneakers twice a day on average. "I calculated that I would be able to pay off the debts and start making profits after about 25 days." But 10 days later the app announced without warning that it needed to do maintenance for more than a day. WSS, a reward token created in the game with unlimited supply, then dropped to $0.0008 … [Read more...] about People sink thousands of dollars in virtual move-to-earn game WingStep
The Moffatts visit Sa Pa, Phu Quoc, Bui Vien backpacker street
The Moffatts, one of the most beloved boybands the 1990s and 2000s, performed at the HAY Glamping Music Festival in Hanoi last Saturday night. Thousands of fans stood in the rain for hours to cheer their idols. Bob and Clint, two members of the boyband, visited Sa Pa, around 320 kilometers from Hanoi, earlier this month and shot a music video there to promote tourism. They stayed at the Ville de Mont Mountain Resort, which stands 1,500 meters above sea level overlooking the Muong Hoa Valley and Ham Rong Mountain. Bob posted a photo of terraced rice fields on his Instagram account. The rice fields have become a major tourist attraction in the northern highlands. On Sunday, Dave, another member of the boyband, posted on his Instagram account a video of himself walking along HCMC's Bui Vien Street, once famous as a backpacker haunt, but now equally popular with locals. The street is dotted with bars, restaurants and karaoke parlors that operate until late. The Moffatts were … [Read more...] about The Moffatts visit Sa Pa, Phu Quoc, Bui Vien backpacker street
Vehicle segregation on Hanoi thoroughfare descends into chaos
As a vital traffic route in southwest Hanoi connecting with the National Highway 6 that leads to other provinces, Nguyen Trai Street experiences high traffic density and severe congestion during rush hours. On Monday, three days after a trial began to separate cars and motorbikes on the road, traffic remained chaotic on a main section, the lack of continuous barricades allowing different vehicles to continue intruding into other lanes. Traffic on section near the Thuong Dinh elevated metro station was no different from a week ago when there was no vehicle segregation. Traffic police officers have been dispatched to instruct people to stick to designated lanes. "We will provide suggestions for the Department of Transport to adjust barricades and signs so that traffic congestion can be reduced," a traffic police representative said. An officer directs a motorbike rider to the correct lane. Tran Huu … [Read more...] about Vehicle segregation on Hanoi thoroughfare descends into chaos