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A study by the Iceland-based Association for Sustainability and Democracy (ALDA) and the British policy think-tank Autonomy concluded that Iceland's four-day workweek model has been a great success. The study was conducted in two phases, between 2015 and 2019, with 2,500 workers, about 1% of the working-age population in Iceland. In this program, participants were allowed to work four days/week without salary deduction. According to the research team, work productivity and service quality at the pilot workplaces remained the same or even improved somewhat compared to the six-day/week workplaces. In addition, workers' lives significantly improved in all respects, from feeling less stressed and exhausted, to better conditions of physical and mental health when they could balance work and rest. The results show that the idea of working less time but still ensuring efficiency can be realized, and it is being widely tested globally. Optimistic tests Iceland's 4-day …

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Only traditional markets that can ensure epidemic prevention and control can reopen in HCM City. — Photo courtesy of nld.com.vn About 47 out of 234 traditional markets in HCM City with traders of fresh food, dry food and essential goods have opened. According to the HCM City Department of Industry and Trade, traditional markets earlier this week remained closed in districts 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, Go Vap, Phu Nhuan, Binh Chanh, Hoc Mon and Nha Be. About 22 markets are planning to reopen, including Dan Sinh and Thai Binh in District 1; Ban Co, Nguyen Van Troi and Vuon Chuoi in District 3; Phung Hung, Tan Thanh and Dong Khanh in District 5; Tan My in District 7; Rach Ong, Pham The Hien, Nhi Thien Duong and Xom Cui in District 8; Binh Hung Hoa, Da Sa, Khu pho 2, Binh Long and Kien Duc in Binh Tan District; Phu Nhuan, Tran Huu Trang and Nguyen Dinh Chieu in Phu Nhuan District and Phuoc Loc in Nha Be District. All unofficial gathering and trading activities, however, that encroach on roads …

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Students in Hà Nội study online. Experts at an online conference held by the Vietnam Women’s Academy branch in HCM City on October 16 said that students need to learn how to protect themselves online. VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Tùng HCM CITY—  Children need to learn how to protect their personal and social well-being in cyberspace, Phan Thị Cẩm Giang, a lecturer at the Vietnam Women’s Academy's branch in HCM City, said at an online conference held on October 16. Children are currently spending a great deal of time online, especially for academic study, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They often feel restless when electronic devices such as their smartphone are not near them, according to Giang. Her 2019 study of online game addiction among 300 students at one secondary school in HCM City showed that 80 per cent accessed the internet for more than four hours each day. Besides online games, they were also attracted by YouTube and other websites. Children need to be more …

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Products inside a warehouse of Hoà Phát Group. The company shares climbed nearly 3 per cent in market capitalisation last week. Photo hoaphat.com.vn HÀ NỘI — Even though the VN-Index has not yet surpassed the psychological level of 1,400 points, the market was still considered positive last week. The uptrend reappeared in many stock groups, with increases in liquidity. Analysts from securities companies are quite optimistic about the market this week as their expectations on rallies have not changed. On the Hồ Chí Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE), the market benchmark VN-Index closed last week at 1,392.7 points, up 0.06 per cent, while the HNX-Index on the Hà Nội Stock Exchange (HNX) was stable at 384.84 points. Both benchmarks recorded a weekly gain, with the VN-Index up 1.45 per cent and HNX-Index up 3.47 per cent. The liquidity rose compared to the previous week and was higher than the 20-day moving average, with about VNĐ24.1 trillion (US$1.1 billion) traded per …

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Streets along the iconic Hoai River in Hoi An Town, Quang Nam Province have been submerged 20-50 cm deep in floodwaters. Quang Nam has recorded rainfall of up to 305 mm since Saturday. Rainfall of 180 mm a day is considered heavy. Tran Van Binh, a resident in Hoi An Town’s Minh An Ward, takes his boat to shelter. "This is the second flooding of the year, and many streets are deep under water," Binh said. In the mountainous district of Phuoc Son, Quang Nam Province, rising water levels in rivers and streams has worsened the flooding. A road going through Phuoc Thanh Commune is under of 40 cm of water. Landslides have sent rained soil and rocks to a fence protecting the Phuoc Thanh Primary and Secondary School, and this threatens to spill into classrooms. The school has 422 students who have been allowed to stay home for the last few days. At 10 a.m. Sunday, the Dak Mi hydropower plant in Phuoc Son District recorded inflows of …

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A poor couple in the southern central province of Phu Yen is in desperate need of support to cover the treatment for their son who is facing schizophrenia. The couple Ho Nhat Tuyen and Truong Thi Thanh Lien, both 41 years old, in Tay Hoa District’s Hoa Binh 1 Commune are living in a temporary small tent after they had to sell their house to pay the hospital fees for their son. The family is living in a temporary tent At this time of the year, the central region of Vietnam is facing rains and storms, so it is quite dangerous for the four-member family to live in such a tent. Lien said that the heavy rain over recent days had caused leaks in her tent. However, there was no choice for them as they were unemployed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Lien said the couple have two children Ho Thanh Tien, 20, and Ho Thanh Phuong, 17. Every day, Lien does farm work and Tien acts as a builder. But, since 2016, Tuyen’s left eye has become purblind. Meanwhile, Tien started …

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A street blockdowned for COVID-19 prevetion and control in Vientiane capital, Laos, in September. Illustrative image (Photo: Xinhua/VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - The Lao Ministry of Health said on October 17 that the country recorded 296 new infections of COVID-19 and two deaths in the past 24 hours. Thus, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Laos is currently 32,029, including 40 deaths. Of the new cases, 283 were detected in the community in 10 provinces and cities. The Ministry of Health said that although the number of new cases in Laos has decreased, it is still high, and the country is trying to ensure adequate care and treatment services for COVID-19 patients. The Lao Government has asked localities to promptly make their vaccination distribution plans and focus on vaccinations for target groups in a systematic and equal manner. It also called on high-risk groups to get vaccinated against COVID-19. In the Philippines , the number of new COVID-19 cases has fallen to …

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A man from a high-risk area in a village in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak's Buon Me Thuot receives COVID-19 vaccine. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam on October 16 reported 3,221 new infections of COVID-19, including 10 imported cases, according to the Ministry of Health. The figure is 578 cases lower than the previous day. HCM City detected the highest number of infections with 790, followed by Dong Nai province with 397 and Binh Duong province with 385. The national tally now stands at 860,860, including 856,197 cases recorded since the outset of the fourth coronavirus wave in late April The Ministry of Health also reported that 3,528 patients nationwide are in serious conditions, with 471 requiring invasive ventilation and 19 on life support (ECMO). On the same day, the country saw 88 deaths from the disease. The death toll now hits 21,131. A further 1,581 patients were given the all-clear, taking the total recoveries to 790,504 By October …

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Travel firms in Ho Chi Minh City have resumed selling tours. (Photo: vietnambooking.com ) Hanoi (VNA) – Travel firms in Ho Chi Minh City have resumed selling tours as the southern metropolis has allowed tourism services in “green zones” after a period of social distancing due to COVID-19. From October, HCM City has allowed tourism activities in the so-called “green zones,” where the pandemic outbreak has been contained. Holidaymakers have to go in groups and travel within a day. Saigontourist Travel Service Company is the pioneer in the city’s tourism programme, following the success of eight pilot tours to Can Gio and Cu Chi districts held exclusively for medical workers working in the pandemic fight. Doan Thi Thanh Tra, Director of Marketing and Communications of Saigontourist, said her company has offered two tours to Can Gio and Cu Chi. Saigontourist and Bao Viet Insurance in Ho Chi Minh City signed an expanded tourism insurance contract covering tourists …

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With a flexible response, the province’s industrial production enjoyed sound growth in the first nine months of the year. Nearly 450 local enterprises applied the “three on-site” model, where employees work, eat, and sleep on-site, to keep production going while ensuring the safety of more than 50,000 workers. Chien Chung Chih, Administration Manager of San Fang Chemical Industry Co., Ltd., said: "We applied the “three on-site” model for 750 workers, or 60 percent of our workforce. They lived in a 70-room dormitory, each from 20-40 square metres. The company was in charge of transporting them from their living quarters to the worksite every day. They were directed to strictly follow the “5K message” while at the dormitory and the workplace." "We recommended to local authorities that workers be given vaccinations at the earliest possible time," he said. "We have calculated that the “three on-site” model will cost us billions of VND. But we accept this to ensure production and …

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