Education

Chairman Phong speaks at the meeting (Photo: SGGP)

According to Mr. Duong Tri Dung, the Department is closely monitoring the developments of the epidemic situation in the city to consult city leaders about when to organize the examination.

By staff writers – Translated by Anh Quan

The country’s economic growth in the second quarter of the year is expected to be lower than expected. However, the economy will also continue recovering strongly, with processing and manufacturing, and the service sector serving as key drivers of growth.

At a recent government cabinet meeting, the Ministry of Planning and Investment said that based on positive performance of the economy in the first five months of 2021, it is projected the nation’s economic growth rate will be about 5.8%. This will be lower than the target of 7.11% set in Government Resolution No.01/NQ-CP, released on January 1, on the key tasks for the implementation of the socioeconomic development plan and state budget estimates for 2021 (see box).

The driving force of Vietnam’s economic growth this year will be the industrial-construction sector and the service sector, especially processing and manufacturing, the MPI said.

According to the General Statistics Office (GSO), in May, the resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruptions in supply chains and trade, as well as transport activities in a number of localities who are home to big industrial production like Bac Giang, Bac Ninh, and Ho Chi Minh City.

However, in the first five months, trade and transport activities still increased as compared to the same period last year.

Specifically, the total retail and service consumption revenue of the entire economy expanded 7.6% to more than VND2 quadrillion US$86.96 billion, and total import turnover of goods went up by 33.5%, while passenger transportation rose 4.2%, and goods transportation climbed 10.5%.

Global analysts FocusEconomics (based in Spain) said that Vietnam’s economy recorded solid growth in the first quarter of 2021. GDP growth clocked in at 4.5% year-on-year in the first three months of this year, matching the growth rate from the last quarter of 2020.

As such, while the first quarter’s readings marked the joint-strongest expansion since the fourth quarter of 2019 and are likely to be well above those of other key ASEAN economies, it nevertheless undershot market analysts’ expectations of a near-6% growth rate.

“Looking at subsectors, growth in the industrial sector rose to 6.3% in the first quarter of the year (the fourth quarter of 2020: +5.6% year-on-year), with the manufacturing subsector continuing to play a driving force in overall economic activity,” FocusEconomics analysts said. “On the other hand, growth in the services sector slowed to 3.3% year-on-year in the first three months of 2021 (Q4: +4.3% year-on-year) and agricultural production growth ebbed to 3.2% (the last quarter of 2020: +4.7% yoy). Looking ahead, the economic recovery should gather pace later in 2021, with the second quarter’s outturn projected to be significantly higher than in the first quarter of the year.”

The GSO also said that Vietnam’s production activities strongly bounced back in general in the first five months. Specifically, the economy’s index for industrial production (IIP) expanded by nearly 10% as compared to 1% in the corresponding period last year.

Notably the manufacturing and processing industry increased 12.6% in comparison with only 2.2% in the corresponding period in 2020.

The IIP in May climbed 11.6% as compared to the corresponding period in 2020, when it decreased 3.1%.

Also according to the GSO, in the first five months of 2021, as many as 55,800 businesses were newly established, with total registered capital of VND778.3 trillion (US$33.84 billion), employing 412,400 new labourers, up 15.4% in the number of enterprises and 39.5% in registered capital.

If another VND975.1 trillion (US$42.4 billion) registered by 19,100 operational enterprises is included, total capital inserted into the economy in the period was VND1.753 quadrillion (US$76.2 billion), up 27.5% year-on-year. Furthermore, 22,600 businesses also resumed operations, up 3.9% year-on-year.

According to FocusEconomics, the economy is forecast to expand rapidly this year, with growth set to outstrip regional peers, strengthening domestic and foreign demand dynamics. However, further outbreaks of the virus and a relatively slow vaccine rollout are causes for concern, while the sti?ed state of the tourism sector poses an additional risk.

“Our panellists expect GDP to expand 7.1% in 2021, and 6.8% in 2022,” said FocusEconomics analysts.

The network of the German Chambers of Commerce Abroad (AHKs) said that German businesses are showing optimism about Vietnam’s economy in the medium term and look forward to a recovery year heading towards 2022.

Despite the pandemic, Vietnam is becoming a strategic investment destination in the process of restructuring the global and regional supply chain, a potential domestic market to attract international corporations, according to a AHK World Business Outlook Survey conducted in spring 2021 and released two weeks ago.

“Vietnam is still one of the countries with the fastest economic growth in Southeast Asia. Foreign-invested enterprises, especially German businesses, are also showing optimism about Vietnam’s economy in the medium and long term,” said the survey. “German business leaders in Vietnam maintain a positive view with the economic expectation as well as with their situation in Vietnam and they look forward to a recovered year of 2021 and 2022.”

Under the survey, 55% rate their current business situation in Vietnam as good, and 11% as poor, while in 2020 only 36% had a positive view of their situation in Vietnam. Negative ratings fell from 23 to 11%.

Furthermore, 47% of German companies in Vietnam intend to expand their activities in the country – up from 22.7% in spring last year, and 50% assume an increase in employment in 2021/2022 – up from 27.3% in the spring of 2020. About 65.8 and 73.7% expected the country’s economic and business situation will get better this year.

In the same vein, according to new data from the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam, when asked about the prospects of Vietnam’s business environment in the April-June period, 67% of its members predicted either ‘excellent’ or ‘good’, up 12% on-quarter.

Meanwhile, business leaders are also more optimistic about their own companies. More than two-thirds (68%) forecast that their orders and revenue will ‘maintain or increase’ during April-June, up 25% from the fourth quarter of 2020.

In 2020, Vietnam surprised the world with its impressive control of COVID-19 and its inspiring economic growth rate of 2.91% in 2020, an average annual rate of 6.8% in the 2016-2019 period, making the country one of the world’s top 10 nations in terms of growth, and also one of the 16 most successful emerging economies in the globe in 2020.

Last year, the economy’s GDP was estimated at about US$268.4 billion, up US$11.4 billion against 2019, fourth in Southeast Asia, with total export-import turnover of US$543.9 billion, up 5.2% year-on-year – a record trade surplus of US$19.1 billion, notably in the context of strong decline in global trade.

Vietnam a bright spot for foreign investors: experts

Vietnam has been chosen among leading destinations in Southeast Asia by Japanese investors, Nakajima Takeo, Chief Representative of the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) in Hanoi, has said.

Vice Chairman of the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham) Torben Minko said that European firms are confident about Vietnam’s efforts in COVID-19 prevention and control, as industrial parks maintain operations, the number of laid-off workers is kept to a minimum and the supply chain is maintained.

A recent survey by EuroCham revealed that the Business Climate Index (BCI) hit 73.9 points in the first quarter of this year, the highest level since the Q3 2019, before the pandemic broke out.

When asked about the prospects of Vietnam’s business environment in the next quarter, 67% predicted either “excellent” or “good” – a 12% increase compared to the previous one.

EuroCham Chairman Alain Cany said that while COVID-19 wreaks havoc in countries around the world, Vietnam can be certain that companies can operate their business without interruptions.

For her part, Michele Wee, Chief Executive Officer at Standard Chartered Bank Vietnam, said that FDI influx to Vietnam will be maintained in the medium term.

The country posted a GDP growth rate of 2.91% in 2020, being among economies with the highest economic expansion in the year.

Foreign investors pumped nearly US$14 billion into the country as of May 20, a year-on-year increase of 0.8 percent, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

Disbursed FDI in Vietnam hit US$7.15 billion in the first five months, an increase of 6.7% compared to the same period last year.

Global credit rating agencies of Moody’s, S&P and Fitch recently revised Vietnam’s outlook to “positive”.

Hanoi’s tourism prepares recovery plan after COVID-19

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has seen continuous complicated developments and caused negative impacts on tourist activities in Hanoi, the capital city’s hospitality sector has prepared a recovery plan for as soon as the pandemic is under control.

Accordingly, in the second half of this year, the city’s Tourism Department has asked tourism businesses, organisations and agencies in the city to strictly observe COVID-19 prevention and control.

The Department will continue to advance the application of information technology in managing tourist activities and the supervision of travel agencies and tour operators who meet COVID-19 safety standards based on the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s set of evaluation indicators.

In addition, the department will take action to improve the quality of tourist products, increase the attractiveness of destinations, develop tours promoting the value of heritages, relic sites and craft villages in the city.

The department will also coordinate with the city’s authorities in planning festivals and cultural events when the COVID-19 pandemic is brought under control.

In the first five months of this year, the city received 2.89 million domestic visitors, down 6.7% over the same period in 2020, and earned VND 8.1 trillion in tourism revenue, down 50.7% due to the impact of COVID-19. In May alone, domestic holiday-makers coming to the capital numbered 115,000, a steep decrease of 55.3% year-on-year.

Vietnam’s protective equipment production rises six-fold

Vietnam’s production of personal protective equipment (PPE) rose six-fold last year, according to the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC).

The IFC said on June 9 that it is helping developing countries, including Vietnam, with PPE production, with an aim to provide front-line medical staff with quality and trustworthy products and curb COVID-19 spread.

Vietnam is emerging as one of the new PPE suppliers in the global market as a number of garment companies have shifted to producing PPE to cope with medical emergency status and mitigate losses caused by their cancelled orders, it said.

The corporation added that the global demand for PPE such as medical masks, gloves, glasses, protective shoes, protective suits and respirators soared 3-4 fold during 2019-2020, which is expected to keep rising by 6-9 percent annually till at least 2025./.

Conference links Vietnamese, Japanese firms in supporting industries

Twenty-one Vietnamese enterprises in supporting industries and 48 Japanese businesses took part in an online conference on June 10, where they exchanged information and sought partners.

Vu Ba Phu, Director of the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (Vietrade) at the Ministry of Industry and Trade, briefed the conference on Vietnam’s foreign trade activities, with export revenue in the first five months of this year estimated at 130.94 billion USD, up 30.7 percent year-on-year.

The export value of phones and spare parts increased 19.6 percent; computers, electronics and components 26 percent; and machinery, equipment, tools, and spare parts 74.8 percent, he continued.

Vietnamese enterprises in supporting industries are growing in terms of both number and quality, and integrating intensively into global production chains, Phu said.

They account for nearly 4.5 percent of enterprises operating in the processing and manufacturing sector, generate jobs for more than 600,000 workers, or nearly 8 percent of the workforce in the processing and manufacturing sector, and contribute 11 percent of total revenue in the sector.

In his remarks, Masataka Fujita, Secretary General of the ASEAN-Japan Centre (AJC), pledged that it will make greater efforts in promoting trade between Vietnam and Japan in the future.

Akutsu Michio, an expert from the Association of International Business Advisors, meanwhile, pointed out the challenges to Vietnamese supporting enterprises such as low productivity and a shortage of trained workers.

He suggested enterprises improve their production capacity and product quality and take measures to attract high-quality workers, saying that apart from providing products for Japanese enterprises in Vietnam, domestic businesses should also seek partners abroad.

To facilitate the supporting industries, the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade launched a database in June 2020 that provides information on more than 3,600 domestic firms operating in mechanics, auto, electronics, and garment-textiles./.

Binh Dinh proposes withdrawing two local ports from planning

The People’s Committee of the south central province of Binh Dinh has proposed the Ministry of Transport and the Vietnam Maritime Administration withdraw two local ports from master planning for seaport development in 2021-2030.

De Gi and Tam Quan ports were proposed to be removed from the planning and instead developed into fishing ports while the lagoon areas would be developed into storm shelters for fishing vessels.

The provincial People’s Committee said for many years, De Gi and Tam Quang estuaries have had low levels of water and narrow channels only suitable for fishing vessels. Currently, no cargo is transported via these ports.

Removing these two ports out of the planning would not cause any problems as no investment projects were being carried out at the ports, the People’s Committee said.

Dang Dinh Dao, former Director of the Institute for Economics and Development Studies, said the proposal had set an example for other localities in making planning in the context that every coastal locality wanted seaports without paying adequate attention to the natural, social, economic or environmental conditions.

A lot of planning had proven to be unrealistic, Dao said, adding that it would be a big problem if every locality had an international seaport and did not pay attention to regional links or master planning.

He said Vietnam had more than 20 international seaports but none of them had received the investment to reach international standards.

He pointed out that there were a number of lessons. The planning of the wholesale market was an example. Many wholesale markets within planning were built but had not been put into operation due to problems attracting sellers and buyers.

Planning must be innovated, not only for seaports but also for other infrastructure developments, he said.

“It’s time localities closely work with central agencies to develop realistic planning which ensures consistency with other socio-economic planning,” he said.

Vietnam is developing new master planning for seaports in 2021-2030 with a vision to 2050 to promote economic development.

There are 286 ports across the country with a total wharf length of 96km, more than 4.5 times longer than in 2000. The seaport system handled a total cargo volume of more than 692 million tonnes in 2020, 8.4 times higher than 2000./.

Can Tho shrugs off COVID, achieves impressive growth

In the first five months of the year, the Mekong city of Can Tho achieved impressive growth in industrial production, retail sales and tourism despite the effects of COVID-19.

Industrial production grew by more than 9 percent year-on-year, and total retail sales and services grew by nearly 15 percent to around 63.1 trillion VND (2.7 billion USD).

The tourism sector is recovering, with its revenues rising by 18 percent to 1.25 trillion VND. The number of visitors grew by nearly 58 percent.

Investment in the city tripled during the period to 1.3 billion USD as it ranked third in the country’s FDI list.

However, only a fraction of the proposed public spending has been disbursed, one of the city’s biggest problems for many years now.

Its exports too fell.

Tran Viet Truong, chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, said that the city has been focusing on both reviving its economy and staying safe from the pandemic.

He instructed official agencies to focus on disbursing public spending funds, acquiring and clearing lands for investment projects and approving project carefully to stop unnecessary changes later.

Can Tho aims to become a major industrial hub and the Mekong Delta’s leading one by 2025, and targets economic growth of 7.5-8 percent a year until 2025.

It is focusing on restructuring its four key sectors, foodstuff and beverage processing, chemicals; machinery and electronics, and electricity generation.

It is also seeking to create a favourable environment for investment through support policies and administrative reforms, and facilitating industrial start-ups./.

Auto sales down 15 pct. in May: VAMA

The Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (VAMA) has reported that its members posted a 15 percent month-on-month decline in automobile sales in May to 15,585 units, due to the impact of COVID-19 and a shortage of semi-conductor chips for the industry.

Its members sold 17,581 passenger cars in May, 7,482 commercial vehicles, and 522 special-use vehicles, falls of 14 percent, 16 percent, and 33 percent, respectively, against April.

Sales of domestically-assembled vehicles were down 20 percent month-on-month to 13,825 units, while those of completely-built-up (CBU) vehicles fell 7 percent to 11,760.

In the January-May period, VAMA members sold 126,894 vehicles, up 53 percent against the same period last year, with a 51 percent rise seen in the sales of passenger cars, 56 percent in commercial vehicles, and 59 percent in special-use vehicles.

These figures do not fully reflect the situation in Vietnam’s automobile market, however, as they do not include sales of brands such as Audi, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Subaru, Volkswagen, and Volvo.

A representative from TC Motor said the company sold 6,053 vehicles in May and 28,477 in the first five months of the year. It led all brands in May sales, followed by Toyota with 5.139, Kia 3,336, Mazda 2,426, Ford 1,666, and Honda 1,423.

Toyota Vios was the best-seller during the month, with sales of 1,789, followed by the Hyundai Accent with 1,620.

Industry analysts said that along with COVID-19, a shortage of semi-conductor chips in both the global and domestic market will continue to slow down production at automobile manufacturers over the remainder of 2021 and even into 2022./.

Vietnamese overseas investment triples

Vietnamese firms poured 546.7 million USD into overseas projects in the first five months of 2021, more than triple the figure of the same period last year.

Of the sum, 144 million USD was from 21 newly-licensed projects, down 11.3 percent year-on-year, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

Meanwhile, 403.2 million USD was pumped into nine existing projects, surging 22-fold year-on-year, the ministry said.

A major part of the capital outflow – 271 million USD – was poured into the science-technology sector, accounting for 49.5 percent of the total. The wholesale and retail sector came next with $148.4 million or 27 percent, following by the agro-forestry-fisheries sector and auxiliary services.

Fifteen countries received investment from Vietnam from January to May with the US the top receiver with 303 million USD, holding the lion’s share of 55.4 percent. It was followed by Cambodia with 89.1 million USD or 16.3 percent. Next were Canada and France with 32.1 million USD and 32 million USD, respectively.

Vietnamese firms have increased their overseas investments in recent years to expand their global reach.

As of May 20, Vietnam had 1,420 valid overseas projects worth a total of nearly $22 billion, mainly in the sectors of mining, with 36.4 percent of total capital, while agro-forestry-fisheries had 15.3 percent.

Laos was the largest receiver for Vietnam’s overseas investment, making up 24 percent of the total capital, followed by Cambodia (13.1 percent) and Russia (13 percent)./.

China remains key market for Vietnamese garments and textiles

China is anticipated to become a major market for Vietnamese garments and textiles moving forward due to the country facing numerous challenges when exporting items to the United States, the EU, and Japan this year.

This information was unveiled in a document unveiled at the recent annual general meeting of shareholders by the Vietnam National Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex).

Moving forward, China will not focus on producing apparel and textiles in line with its five-year strategy, thereby turning the northern neighbour into a major consumer of Vietnamese textiles and garments.

During  the first quarter of the year, local garment and textile exports to China witnessed robust growth among the five major markets, achieving the same export turnover as that of EU in the process.

Furthermore, the US remains the largest Vietnamese export market with a growth rate of 5.9% in the first quarter. During the remainder of the year, the US market is expected to bounce back thanks to the implementation of a stimulus package of US$1.9 trillion coupled with the mass rollout COVID-19 vaccination scheme.

The country’s garments and textiles to the EU and Japan will continue to face difficulties in the near future due to the EU facing the risk of a third wave of COVID-19, while the Japanese economy has not shown any signs of recovery, according to Vinatex.

McKinsey’s projection anticipate that the global apparel and textile industry will rebound by the third quarter of next year, or perhaps later in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Currently, Vietnamese garment enterprises have sufficient orders until the end of the second quarter, although prices remain low.

Vinatex predicts that the garment and textile sector will recover one year ahead of scheduled compared to the global forecast.

The industry is striving to achieve a revenue of VND17,365 billion this year, up 17% compared to 2020.

Belgium startup interested in Vietnam’s automation industry

Zorabots, a company specialized in robot and automation in Eastern Belgium, is looking towards Vietnam as a potential market.

Fabrice Goffin, co-founder and CEO of Zorabots said their robots can speak 53 languages including Vietnamese.

Explaining why he chose Vietnam for expansion, Goffin said he has read reports on the vibrant and potential Vietnamese automation market. Besides, before the global pandemic, Vietnam hosted multiple automation exhibitions and fairs with the participation of many prestigious technology and industrial automation companies.

“For a potential country like Vietnam, we will have many opportunities to expand,” the Zorabots CEO said.

Zorabots is currently working with its Vietnamese partners to quickly make its appearance in this market.

“We want to focus on education and health, which are two sectors requiring the support of robots and technology, especially education. Vietnam should prepare its younger generations well since they will master technology in all aspects of life”, Goffin emphasized.

Zorabots was founded by two tech enthusiasts, Fabrice Goffin and Tommy Deblieck, in 2011. The company now has branches in the US, Canada, Australia, Africa and serves customers all over the world. Zorabots computer engineers create software for robots according to customer needs.

Zarobots is installing robots at airports in the Netherlands and France to guide passengers in complying with COVID-19 prevention regulations. The company is pursuing the development of different robot models to serve more people in the coming time./.

Agency banking model develops in rural, remote locations

The State Bank of Viet Nam (SBV) is amending regulations related to the operation of agency banking to improve access to the banking system.

Agency banking is a type of branchless banking that allows traditional banks to extend their network of branches and services through authorised agents.

The model arrived in the country in recent years, especially since the Government issued the national comprehensive financial strategy in early 2020.

According to the SBV’s research, Brazil, Kenya, Mexico and India have all seen agency banking become an important tool to expand access to basic financial services and promote financial inclusion. Five years since Brazil launched the agents, the network has served 12.4 million new bank accounts.

The state bank said in Southeast Asia, Malaysia’s agency banking model uses the nationwide telecommunications network to expand the network of traditional banking services to customers in rural and remote areas at a low cost. The model also helps Malaysian banks save more than 80 per cent of costs for setting up service points and 60 per cent of transaction costs compared to the traditional bank branch network.

According to the latest Comprehensive Financial Report of World Bank released in 2018, 69 per cent of adults in Viet Nam were unbanked and relied on cash while the rate in the world was 31.5 per cent at the same time.

Meanwhile, the national strategy of financial services sets the goal to have at least 50 per cent of communes accessing financial service points and 80 per cent of adults having transaction accounts at banks or other institutions by 2025.

Experts reckon the low rate of bank accessing in Viet Nam is a big chance to develop banking agents across the country.

By the end of 2017, the SBV piloted agency banking in rural areas with three models.

MB Bank work with Viettel services, PGBank with Petrolimex sales points and Vietcombank with M_service Company, reaching 32,185 sales points.

More than 11 million transactions with a value of more than VND81 trillion (US$3.49 billion) were recorded among some 6 million customers.

Outside of the SBV pilot, LienVietPostBank took advantage of post office locations to develop savings services, while Jens Lottner, CEO of Techcombank, shared the bank’s plan to work with Masan Group to take advantage of convenience stores to bring the bank’s financial products and services to a wider population.

Between 2020 and 2025, Agribank plans to set up a network of banking agencies and work with postal organisations, public administrations and microfinance projects to deploy low-cost, convenient, safe products for individual payment transactions.

Seeing the potential of the model, a SBV representative said there must be a legal corridor.

The SBV said completing the legal framework on agents was proposed in the national comprehensive financial strategy) to improve the level of access to financial services for people.

The central bank said it was amending other regulations related to the operation of the model, especially those on anti-money laundering/terrorist financing, regulations on electronic money and know-your-customer (KYC) processes.

CEO of TPBank Nguyen Hung said such regulations would need to go into detail to guide the establishment of agencies to provide banking services, such as regulations on approved and prohibited services, criteria to become authorised agencies and the form of operation.

Hung mentioned two main forms of authorisation used in Brazil known as full authorisation and credit authorisation, adding a fully authorised agent will provide a full range of services from receiving and forwarding application documents for opening a payment account, savings account, deposit/withdrawal transaction, transfer, payment as well as loan applications and opening credit cards. Meanwhile, a credit agency will only provide services on payment, borrowing and credit.

Taking another example of Bangladesh, Hung said authorised dealers can provide cash withdrawal/deposit services, support for small loan disbursement and debt collection/instalment, bill payment assistance, fund transfer assistance, balance queries, collect and forward applications for opening accounts, opening savings, loans and credit cards. However, they are not allowed to approve the decision to open card/loan accounts, conduct financial appraisals and conduct foreign currency transactions.

According to another financial expert, it is necessary to clarify the quality and capacity of organisations authorised to act as banking agents.

The agents must ensure that they meet all the standards of financial capacity, reputation, ability to meet commitments under adverse conditions, ability to provide financial services based on technology and capacity of internal control, security assurance and anti-money laundering.

Binh Dinh proposes withdrawing two local ports from planning

The People’s Committee of the southern province of Binh Dinh has proposed the Ministry of Transport and the Viet Nam Maritime Administration withdraw two local ports from master planning for seaport development in 2021-30.

De Gi and Tam Quan ports were proposed to be removed from the planning and instead developed into fishing ports while the lagoon areas would be developed into storm shelters for fishing vessels.

The provincial People’s Committee said for many years, De Gi and Tam Quang estuaries have had low levels of water and narrow channels only suitable for fishing vessels. Currently, no cargo is transported via these ports.

Removing these two ports out of the planning would not cause any problems as no investment projects were being carried out at the ports, the province said.

Dang Dinh Dao, former Director of the Institute for Economics and Development Studies, said the proposal had set an example for other localities in making planning in the context that every coastal locality wanted seaports without paying adequate attention to the natural, social, economic or environmental conditions.

A lot of planning had proven to be unrealistic, Dao said, adding that it would be a big problem if every locality had an international seaport and did not pay attention to regional links or master planning.

He said Viet Nam had more than 20 international seaports but none of them had received the investment to reach international standards.

He pointed out that there were a number of lessons. The planning of the wholesale market was an example. Many wholesale markets within planning were built but had not been put into operation due to problems attracting sellers and buyers.

Planning must be innovated, not only for seaports but also for other infrastructure developments, he said.

“It’s time localities closely work with central agencies to develop realistic planning which ensures consistency with other socio-economic planning,” he said.

Viet Nam is developing new master planning for seaports in 2021-30 with a vision to 2050 to promote economic development.

There are 286 ports across the country with a total wharf length of 96km, more than 4.5 times longer than in 2000. The seaport system handled a total cargo volume of more than 692 million tonnes in 2020, 8.4 times higher than 2000.

Ben Tre’s shrimp sector targets production value of $1 billion by 2025

The production value of the shrimp industry in the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre aims to increase by an average of 41.1 per cent each year to 2025 and reach US$1 billion.

According to a plan to develop the sector, issued recently by the provincial People’s Committee, the locality will develop 4,000 ha of brackish water shrimp aquaculture areas applying high technology by 2025, to promote the sustainable development of the fisheries economy and the coastal province’s socio-economic development.

Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Tran Ngoc Tam said Ben Tre aims to modernise its industrialisation-oriented marine shrimp farming sector and turn it into a large commodity production sector with high levels of competitiveness, productivity, and quality, creating breakthroughs in the stable and sustainable development of the fisheries economy and, most importantly, contributing to the province’s GDP growth.

Local authorities have implemented solutions such as re-organising production, improving the quality of young marine shrimp, prompting the research and application of science and technology in production, developing infrastructure, managing the environment, and developing shrimp processing activities.

Attention will be paid to developing concentrated and large raw material production areas and expanding effective aquaculture models to help local farmers improve their earnings.

According to the Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Van Buoi, Ben Tre currently has nearly 1,700 ha of brackish water aquaculture areas applying high technology, with an annual average yield of 36 tonnes per ha and profit of VND2.1-VND2.4 billion ($91,400-$104,560) per ha per year.

Brackish water shrimp farming has been developing strongly in Ben Tre, especially intensive and semi-intensive shrimp cultivation.

According to the department, as of 2020, the locality had exploited 45,747 ha of aquaculture area out of 50,000 ha of potential aquaculture area, including 36,000 ha of intensive and semi-intensive marine shrimp farming areas, with total production reaching some 70,000 tonnes.

Infrastructure in the province’s aquaculture areas has been gradually improved, especially road and irrigation networks, basically meeting current demand.

Vegetable and fruit exports hit $1.77 billion during Jan-May

Viet Nam’s export turnover of fruits and vegetables hit US$1.77 billion in the first five months of this year, a year-on-year increase of 18 per cent, reported the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

In May alone, fruit and vegetable exports raked in $400 million, a surge of 48.3 per cent compared to the same period last year.

China remained the top importer of fruits and vegetables from Viet Nam. These products are also witnessing positive signs in other major markets such as the US, Japan, Russia, and Australia.

Notably, the fourth outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic amid the lychee harvest season has made export activities face many difficulties. However, with flexible solutions, ministries, localities and businesses are making efforts to export the fruit during the pandemic.

Particularly, Viet Nam’s lychee crop will have more advantages when exporting to the Japanese market this year.

When lychee was first exported to the Japanese market last year, many customers appreciated the quality of the shipments. Therefore, the Viet Nam Trade Office in Japan is continuing to co-ordinate with relevant domestic authorities as well as supermarket and distribution systems in Japan to promote the fruit in Japan.

The Viet Nam Trade Office in Australia will also make proposals to Australian agencies to promote favourable customs clearance when lychees arrive in Australia. It is expected that about 100 tonnes of Vietnamese lychee will be exported to South and Western Australia within this year.

To boost the export of fruits and vegetables, the ministry assigned the Director of the Plant Protection Department to negotiate to open 19 markets for 20 types of products, assist in handling, negotiating and removing technical difficulties arising in the export process, co-ordinate with localities to build codes for growing areas and export establishments to ensure traceability and meet requirements of major importers.

Vietnam Railway revenue slumps due to a drop in passengers

Vietnam Railway Corporation (VNR) reported its five-month revenue decreased by 51.4 per cent year-on-year due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The railway served about 1.147 million passengers, a reduction of 35.4 per cent compared to the same period last year, bringing in over VND400 billion (US$17.4 million) in revenue.

In May, which saw the peak of COVID-19 outbreaks in the latest wave, the number of passengers was only by 132,300, equal to 48.4 per cent of the corresponding figure last year. As a result, revenue from passenger transport stood at VND44.7 billion, equivalent to 55.4 per cent of the figure of the same period last year.

According to VNR, a decline in revenue and demand for transportation and travel is attributable to travel restrictions prompted by outbreaks of COVID-19 in many localities across the country.

The VNR curtailed most of its operations in May. It is currently operating only one train on the Ha Noi-HCM City route.

Also due to the COVID-19 resurgency, more than 11,300 tickets were returned on the occasion of the Reunification Day (April 30) and May Day (May 1) holidays, worth about VND4 billion.

Disease-free zones key to exporting animal products

Forming more disease-free farming zones is seen as critical to exporting livestock products as few such zones in Viet Nam meet the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) standards.

The country exported 2,150 tonnes of meat and related products worth US$6.95 million in April, up 27.1 per cent in volume and 3.7 per cent in value compared to March, with Hong Kong (China), mainland China, and Thailand among the main destinations, data from the General Department of Viet Nam Customs showed.

The Cong Thuong (Industry & Trade) newspaper cited Nguyen Van Long, Deputy Director of the Department of Animal Health at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, as saying Viet Nam must comply with international regulations to export animal products, including those set by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the OIE.

Exports of animals and related products can only come from countries and territories that have farming establishments and zones free of disease and ensure biological safety.

As of May, Viet Nam had 2,288 closed farming establishments and zones but these only satisfy Vietnamese standards, with none meeting OIE requirements, Long pointed out.

He added that as outbreaks of dangerous disease are spreading, many countries have set up strict requirements on imported fresh products. Meanwhile, Viet Nam faces difficulties in organising safe animal farming, especially in terms of disease control, monitoring of farming zones, and grassroots safety chains.

Recently, authorities have stepped up negotiations on animal product exports with some countries, Long said, noting that to secure smooth exports the most important issue is that such products hail from disease-free zones meeting OIE rules.

To do this, it is first necessary to exert sound control over disease outbreaks and minimise the risk from animal diseases nationwide. A national programme for monitoring and certifying animal products should also be carried out to pave the way for exporting qualified products, he said.

There are 15 disease-free zones around the country at present, and co-ordination with localities is needed to help such zones under Vietnamese standards meet OIE requirements.

Long recommended cities and provinces devise plans to form and maintain disease-free animal farming zones while paying attention to animal husbandry.

Source: VNA/VNS/VOV/VIR/SGT/Nhan Dan/Hanoitimes

The anti-Covid-19 steering committee of Nghe An Province decided to lock down part of Ha Huy Tap Ward in Vinh City starting this morning, June 14, after the province’s capital city reported its first suspected Covid-19 case by community transmission, affecting 5,000 local residents.

Duong Dinh Chinh, director of the provincial Department of Health, said that the suspected case is a hairdresser living in the ward, who tested positive for the coronavirus yesterday, VnExpress reported.

The hairdresser could have caught the disease from another coronavirus patient in her hometown in Ha Tinh. She had a complicated travel history, but did not declare it honestly and was also in close contact with many people.

Therefore, the health department and the provincial government had to request the local competent forces specialized in information and technology to find the locations she had been to, according to VietnamPlus.

Earlier, on May 6, the north-central province of Nghe An reported one locally-infected case who was a local man in Hoang Mai Town. He was found to have caught the disease from the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi.

Two more employees of frontline hospital in HCMC infected with Covid-19

The HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases tested 924 employees from June 11 to 13 and detected 55 Covid-19 infections, up two over the figure reported yesterday, June 13, said director of the HCMC Department of Health Nguyen Tan Binh.

At a meeting of the municipal steering committee for Covid-19 infection prevention and control held today, June 14, Binh said the 55 cases were employees of 13 units of the hospital, such as IT, administrative, general planning, personnel organization and pharmacy, the local media reported.

Especially, all of them have got two shots of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. Worryingly, almost all of them are asymptomatic carriers of the active virus, so if anyone comes into close contact with these cases, Covid-19 will spread silently.

Among the cases, one is residing in a Covid-19 hotspot of the city—Ehome 3 apartment building in Binh Tan District, Binh said.

Binh added that the coronavirus volume in the 55 cases was extremely low, which was a positive signal, proving the effectiveness of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Therefore, the risk that they will get worse is lower than that of unvaccinated people and their transmission possibility is also lower than those linked to the Revival Ekklesia Mission in Go Vap District.

In addition, two employees of Gia Dinh Hospital’s Microbiology Department were also found to be infected with Covid-19, with one being the wife of an IT staff of the HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

Binh said the department had asked the Cu Chi District Hospital to get prepared to receive Covid-19 patients with a capacity of 500 beds and a recuperation area for critical patients. Medical workers from leading hospitals in the city will be mobilized to support the treatment of Covid-19 patients at this hospital.

The department will also establish emergency and recuperation units at the Cu Chi Field Hospital and the Can Gio Covid-19 Treatment Hospital and mobilize resources from general and specialized hospitals in the city.

Hospitals in the city should enhance their support for the Covid-19 treatment. General hospitals having the department of infection control were asked to receive patients from the HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases so that the hospital can focus on treating Covid-19 patients.

100 more Covid-19 patients announced in Monday noon report

An additional 100 more Covid-19 infections have been confirmed in Vietnam, raising the total number of patients in the country to 10,730, the Ministry of Health reported at noon on Monday.

According to the ministry’s report, all of the newly-confirmed patients are locally-transmitted cases most of whom were detected in quarantine sites or areas under lockdown in some localities including 69 in Bac Giang, 26 in Ho Chi Minh City, four in Hanoi and one in Ha Tinh.

The outbreak in Ho Chi Minh City has become more complicated, especially following detection of a chain of transmission at its Hospital for Tropical Diseases. Fifty-five employees of the hospital have tested positive for the virus. The HCM City Centre for Diseases Control is working closely with the hospital to carry out contact tracing, isolation, testing and disinfection.

The 69 cases in Bac Giang were recorded at some local industrial parks which have reported a large outbreak over the last few weeks.

As of Monday noon, 7,523 locally-transmitted cases have been reported since the new outbreak occurred in the country on April 27, including 4,137 in the virus epicentre of Bac Giang. The outbreak has so far spread to 40 cities and provinces nationwide.

With these new infection cases, the number of Covid-19 patients in Vietnam has increased to 10,730 including 9,093 locally-transmitted cases.

As of 6 pm on June 13, a total of 3,998 Covid-19 patients had recovered and been discharged from hospital.

So far there have been 59 deaths, most of them being the elderly with serious underlying diseases.

At present, over 196,000 people who had close contact with Covid-19 patients or returned from virus-hit areas are being monitored at hospitals, quarantine facilities, and at home.

On June 13, an additional 43,222 people were given Covid-19 vaccine in Vietnam, raising the total number of vaccine doses used in the country to 1,498,323. The number of people who have received two doses has risen to 55,265.

Airports face fake driver licenses

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has raised warnings after many people have been found to use fake driver licenses for flight check-ins.

Dinh Viet Son, deputy head of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, signed the official document asking related agencies to be alert and have measures to deal with the problem.

In 2020, 23 people were caught using fake driver licenses and 13 people were caught in the first six months of 2021.

“Using fake papers is a legal violation and an aviation risk,” Son said.

In the latest case, a male passenger was found to use a fake driver licence for a flight from Hanoi to HCM City. He said he had the fake license made at the price of VND1.5m. This is the first time he used a fake licence. The case was later transferred to the police.

According to airport employees, people were sometimes found using fake papers to board planes every day including fake IDs and fake driver licenses.

Vietnamese citizens over 14 years old can use various papers to board planes including ID, driver licenses, press cards and identity cards of Vietnamese airlines.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam also asked the Road Directorate to have measures to put an end to the easy availability of fake papers.

WURI honours two Vietnamese universities in top global 100 rankings

The World’s Universities with Real Impact (WURI), a new university ranking system run by the Hanseatic League of Universities, has honoured two Vietnamese in its global top 100 Innovative Universities.

Tra Vinh University and Lac Hong University are among best performing education institutions that WURI has highlighted in its global top 100 Innovative Universities.

In its 2021 WURI rankings, Tra Vinh was placed 71sr, up 15 notches compared to the 2020 rankings, while Lac Hong was positioned 93rd.

Notably, Lac Hong came in 27th in the Ethical Value category, up six notches compared to the 2020 listing.

Tra Vinh University finished 17th for start-up innovation and 48th for student mobility and openness.

WURI highlights creative and innovative approaches to university research and education that focus on industrial applications, value-creating startups and entrepreneurship, social responsiblilty, ethics and integrity, and student mobility and openness for exchange and collaboration.

Vietnamese expats in Japan launch fundraising campaign to help Vietnam’s COVID-19 fight

The Vietnamese embassy in Japan on June 13 launched a fundraising campaign to collect money for Vietnam’s COVID-19 vaccine fund in response to the call of the Vietnam Fatherland Front’s Central Committee on “National unity to fight COVID-19.”

“Keep the world beating” chosen as slogan for World Blood Donor Day 2021

The slogan “Give blood and keep the world beating” has been chosen for World Blood Donor Day 2021 (June 14), said the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion.

The day aims to honour blood donors and encourage more people to voluntarily give blood, as well as raise public awareness of the necessity of safe blood products.

It is also meant to commemorate World Health Organisation for his discovery of major blood groups A,B,O.

On the occasion, the World Health Organisation (WHO) called on countries’ governments, medical sectors and blood transfusion services to ensure resources and infrastructure to receive quality blood.

According to the WHO, one in every 10 patients needs blood transfusion. In Vietnam, it is estimated that 5,200 units of blood are needed everyday for emergency and treatment. The shortage of blood remains prevalent in developing countries, especially during disasters and epidemics.

With the slogan, WHO wants to convey a message that blood is the life of every person, healthy or ill. For a patient, blood is not only the help from the community but also a source of life for them to survive.

Besides, blood donors also have a chance to have their health checked.

Last year, Vietnam received over 1.4 million units of blood, 99 percent of them came from voluntary blood donors, who accounted for about 1.5 percent of the total population./.

Psycho-horror movie earns millions of views on YouTube

Điên Tối (Darkness), a new psychological horror movie by young director Jack Carry On, has become a hit on social media since it premiered on YouTube on June 10.

The Viettel Media production earned more than 1.84 million views 15 hours after its premiere.

The 90-minute movie features Thạch, a young director from an orphanage who to make a movie adaptation of a novel by famous author Mạn Châu.

After meeting with Châu at her bookstore, Thạch and Châu begin a mysterious adventure.

Award-winning actor Lương Bỉnh Phát and actress Yu Dương play roles in the film.

Phát rose to fame after performing in Song Lang (The Tap Box), a film about the 100-year history of cải lương (reformed opera), a genre of traditional theatre in southern  Việt Nam.

The film was directed by Vietnamese-American Leon Lê in 2018. Phát played a cải lương performer who falls in love with his male colleague and makes sacrifices to pursue his dream.

Phát won Best Actor at the Golden Kite Awards 2019 organised by the Việt Nam Cinematography Association. He also won the Tokyo Gemstone Award in the Best Newcomer category at the Tokyo International Film Festival 2018.

Yu Dương, whose real name is Nguyễn Thùy Dương, is known for playing the leading role in the 2014 horror movie Lời Nguyền Huyết Ngãi (Blood Curse) directed by Bùi Thạc Chuyên, when she was only 16 years old.

She later took part in movies and TV series such as Cô Dâu Đại Chiến 2 (Bride War 2) and Tốc Độ và Đường Cong (Speed and Curve).

In 2020, she impressed audiences with two thrilling movies Bí Mật Của Gió (Secrets of the Wind) and Thang Máy (Elevator).

Võ Ngọc Anh from Đồng Nai Province said that when she heard of the film and the cast with Phát and Dương, she knew it would be a good production.

“The film is awesome and meaningful. I cried at the ending,” Anh said.

The director said: “Although Điên Tối is covered with darkness, it finally exposes the evil and opens a bright and better world.”

Jack, whose real name is Trịnh Tài Việt, began making movies when he was 14 years old.

The 26-year-old self-taught director is known for his online short films such as Câu Chuyện Pháp Sư (Story of a Shaman) and Bí Mật Phòng Kế (Secret of the Next Room).

In 2020, he introduced his first web series Ảo Tưởng Tuổi 18 (Illusion at 18) consisting of 18 episodes, featuring struggles and challenges that young people face in modern society. The film received a warm welcome from young audiences.

Điên Tối is available on YouTube channel FIM360, with English subtitles.

Nguyễn Du film to shine at national film festival

A documentary movie about celebrated 18th century poet Nguyễn Du will compete at the Việt Nam National Film Festival in Thừa Thiên Huế Province in September.

Called Đại Thi Hào Nguyễn Du (Great Poet Nguyễn Du), it was produced by Việt Media over three years.

Producer Phạm Xuân Mừng, who has 20 years of experience in film and literature, said that it will honour the poet and highlight the value and longevity of Nguyễn Du’s masterpiece Truyện Kiều (The Tale of Kiều) as well as his significant role in promoting Vietnamese language.

“For Vietnamese people, Truyện Kiều and poet Nguyễn Du is familiar,” said Mừng.

“However, not everyone knows nor profoundly understands the life and career of the poet and the context of the writing and creations of characters.”

Key parts of the series used writings and studies from famous authors and cultural researchers.

The film script was penned by a group of writers including Mừng. It was directed by Nguyễn Văn Đức and features 50 actors from leading film studios and art schools and 1,000 extras.

The crew travelled to capture beautiful scenes of traditional culture and rural life in Hà Tĩnh, Hà Nội, Bắc Ninh, Thái Bình, and Huế.

Great Poet Nguyễn Du focuses on his life and career from his birth in Thăng Long citadel in 1765, his military service during the Gia Long dynasty through to his death in Huế in 1820.

His father, Nguyễn Nghiễm, a mandarin under the Lê dynasty, is also highlighted.

The 180-minute documentary film has three episodes: Gia Thế và Tuổi Thơ (Family and Childhood), Mười Năm Gió Bụi (Ten Years of Vicissitude), and Nghiệp Văn và Quan Trường (Literary Career and Mandarinate).

The first episode made its debut in Hà Nội and central province of Hà Tĩnh last year in celebration of Nguyễn Du’s 255 birth anniversary and his 200th death anniversary. It made a deep impression on audiences.

“Our film aims to introduce and promote celebrated poet Nguyễn Du’s masterpiece and other works to both Vietnamese people and foreigners,” Mừng said.

“We hope it will inspire younger generations’ patriotism and national literary pride.”

The film also features poetic love between Nguyễn Du and female poet Hồ Xuân Hương — a beloved poet known for her sharp wit and sterling command of chữ Nôm (Nôm script).

Great Poet Nguyễn Du will be released next month and participate at the Việt Nam Film Festival, 22nd edition, from September 12 to 16.

Trà Vinh embraces science, technology in agriculture

The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Trà Vinh has earmarked VNĐ150 – 200 billion (US$6.6 – 8.7 million) for research into and adoption of processing technologies, especially for its key agricultural products, in 2021 – 25.

It will focus on creating hybrid plant and animal strains that can adapt to climate change, expanding production models that use high technology, bio-technology and organic methods to improve yield and quality, according to Lê Thành Ôi, director of the province Department of Science and Technology.

The research and use of technology would be linked with guaranteed sales of produce, he said.

The department has implemented three projects that used modern agricultural technologies in the first five months of the year.

They include growing a high-yield peanut variety on sand dunes in Trà Cú, Cầu Ngang and Duyên Hải districts, producing bio-products EMTV1 and EMTV2 and using them for breeding shrimp in Duyên Hải District and Duyên Hải Town, and growing honeydew melon in polyhouses equipped with drip irrigation system in Châu Thành District.

It has also worked with localities like Cầu Ngang District and Trà Vinh City for intercropping grapefruit and guava using efficient irrigation systems and growing clean watermelon in Cầu Ngang District and a fresh eating grape variety in combination with offering tourism services on a pilot basis in Trà Vinh City.

It also plans a project to compare the efficiency of models to grow honeydew melon on the ground and on substrates in polyhouses.

Phạm Minh Truyền, director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the province has more than 17,000ha of hi-tech farming areas, including 10,400ha of aquaculture and 7,000ha of rice, vegetables and fruits.

In hi-tech cultivation, farmers use advanced technologies such as automatic irrigation, nano fertilisers, net houses, hydroponic methods, net houses, tissue culture, and good agricultural practices (GAP) standards.

In aquaculture, farmers use modern facilities for breeding shrimp under intensive and super intensive farming models.

Truyền said the province planned to use 1,500ha of unproductive rice fields and 500ha of sugarcane fields to grow high-value crops or perennial trees or rotate between rice and aquatic species on the same fields this year.

In the first five months of the year more than 1,200ha of rice fields and more than 125ha of sugarcane farms have been converted, with farmers growing vegetables, coconut and fruits and breeding aquatic species.

Sugarcane farmers have struggled in recent years because of low prices, and the province encourages them to switch to other crops.

Trà Vinh is one of the delta’s coastal provinces and has been severely affected by saltwater intrusion in the dry season.

So local authorities have dissuaded farmers from growing rice in coastal areas and those without irrigation, and encouraged them to switch to other crops.

Farmers who grow vegetables, corn and watermelon have earned an average of VNĐ80 – 90 million ($3,500 – 3,900) per hectare per crop this year, according to the province Plant Protection and Cultivation Sub-department.

It has instructed farmers to adopt GAP standards to increase the competitiveness of their produce and incomes.

Bình Dương IPs tighten COVID prevention measures

Companies in industrial parks in Bình Dương Province are applying stricter COVID-19 prevention measures while maintaining production activities.

Chutex International Co., Ltd. in Dĩ An City’s Sóng Thần Industrial Park, for example, which has over 6,000 workers, has required staff to wear face masks and disinfect themselves as they enter the premises, as well as take temperature checks at their work stations.

Businesses in the Việt Nam Singapore Industrial Park in Thuận An City have set up pandemic prevention teams at their gates, and have had staff disinfect themselves, make health declarations, and have their temperature checked.

Lê Văn Phức, a guard at Maruei Việt Nam Precision Co., Ltd in the industrial park, said that his company began applying prevention measures when the pandemic first appeared in the country, but has been stricter since May 25 as serious outbreaks have occurred in industrial parks in the north.

Staff are required to make health declarations via paper forms or smartphones, and smartphone users must install the Bluezone tracing application.

Meanwhile, Liwayway Joint Stock Company in the same park has put up large, hard-to-miss information boards about the pandemic at their gate, and has increased the number of staff stationed at the gate to monitor the health of more than 1,000 workers.

Staff with high fever are sent to a separate clinic room to be monitored.

Banners and posters on how to protect against COVID-19 can also be found throughout the industrial parks in the province.

For more than a month, Bình Dương People’s Committee and local authorities have been instructing regions, businesses and industrial parks to carry out strict pandemic prevention measures.

The Bình Dương Industrial Parks Management Board has instructed local IPs to regularly update their status on the COVID-19 safety map to keep the public informed, closely monitor workers, and form pandemic inspection teams.

The province is also working with health authorities and the management board to hold drill sessions and draw up plans to requisition factories and offices to quarantine up to 4,000 people if necessary.

According to Trần Văn Nam, secretary of the provincial party committee, Bình Dương has thousands of workers, many of whom are living within the industrial parks.

Local authorities have been asked to refer to preventive measures taken by other industrial parks and regions, and come up with their own solutions for Bình Dương.

Bình Dương Province is one of the top regions in Việt Nam in terms of FDI attraction, exports and economic growth.

Cà Mau ramps up production of processed agricultural products for export

The southernmost province of Cà Mau is increasing its output of processed agricultural products and promoting trade activities to expand markets for its key products like shrimp, crab, rice and banana.

Châu Công Bằng, deputy director of the province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the aim was to increase value and attract investors.

Cà Mau, the country’s largest shrimp producer, produces fresh, frozen and dried shrimp as well as shrimp chips. It exported US$163 million of shrimp products in the first quarter of the year, up 6 per cent year-on- year. The province’s People’s Committee plans to reach more than $1 billion in shrimp export value this year.

OCOP products

The province’s products certified under the country’s one commune – one product (OCOP) programme have improved the quality of its speciality products and increased income for OCOP producers.

Lê Văn Sử, deputy chairman of the People’s Committee, said that 33 products were certified as OCOP in the 2018 – 20 period, including three four-star and 30 three-star products, out of a five-star system.

Last year, farmer Trương Ngọc Giàu, from Đầm Dơi District’s Tân Tiến Commune, received certificates for two OCOP products: three-star instant shrimp flakes and Vietnamese caramelised shrimp. This year she plans to apply for OCOP certificates for her dried greasyback shrimp and fried shrimp cakes.

Her clean shrimp products with their good brand name have increased her income. “They have contributed to improving the general quality of the province’s OCOP products,” she said.

Other areas have high potential for export as well. In Thới Bình District, concentrated farming areas use the shrimp – rice farming model. The district, the largest shrimp – rice area in the province, has been granted a collective brand name for its clean rice under the name “Thới Bình clean rice” from the National Office of Intellectual Property.

The district plans to produce 10,000 – 20,000ha of clean rice each year. The rice, which sells at a high price, is guaranteed outlets by companies.

Lý Minh Vững, chairman of the Thới Bình People’s Committee, said the district was developing its speciality products and encouraging local residents to produce them to improve their income.

It was also prioritising the development of co-operatives and small-size companies in order to turn speciality products into OCOP products, he said.

Bằng, deputy director of the province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the OCOP programme had gradually changed production by establishing linkages among stakeholders, developing large-scale production, and establishing key product systems.

The province planned to develop more of these products as part of its strategy to promote OCOP sales, he said.

Many producers and trading businesses involved in specialty products are selling more of their products online to maintain revenue amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Tân Phát Lợi Co-operative in Ngọc Hiển District, for instance, is selling dried shrimp, shrimp salt, shrimp chips and shrimp flakes on its website.

Bùi Văn Chương, director of Tân Phát Lợi, said: “The co-operative has improved our website and increased our sales online.”

The co-operative can sell 100 – 200kg of products a day, equal to the amount sold before the pandemic.

The Ngọc Hiển District Farmers Association said that two companies, two co-operatives, five establishments and 10 households in the district were now selling local speciality products.

Lê Ngọc Lâm, chairman of the association, said most of them had begun selling products online after COVID-19 broke out last year.

Lê Quân, chairman of the province’s People’s Committee, said that producers and trading businesses individually had begun selling their products online.

But the province wants to promote its key products on an electronic commerce exchange so that producers and trading businesses can have their own virtual shops to show products on the exchange, according to Quân.

To attract customers, producers and trading businesses must provide efficient and convenient delivery services and suitable selling prices for OCOP and speciality products.

HCM City restricts use of groundwater, provides more clean water for residents

The People’s Committee of HCM City has issued a plan to provide clean water to all residents and stop the exploitation of groundwater.

The city Department of Natural Resources and Environment has approved a plan to restrict groundwater exploitation in 2021, while the city People’s Committee has set a roadmap to 2023 with a maximum of 150,000cu.m of groundwater exploited each day.

The plan aims to reduce groundwater exploitation by 16,650cu.m per day this year. This includes 8,000cu.m per day for households, 4,650cu.m per day for industrial production, and 4,000cu.m per day for the State-run Sài Gòn Water Supply Corporation (Sawaco).

To achieve the goal, the department will stop licensing 74 groundwater exploitation works that belong to companies, industrial parks and export processing zones, and will encourage households to fill up wells in areas where clean tap water is accessible. Costs for filling up wells will be covered by the city’s water sector.

Groundwater can be harmful to health because of dangerous chemicals and wastewater.

To protect residents’ health, city authorities said that clean, safe water would continue to be supplied to all households in every district.

According to Sawaco, under its plan for 2020-2025, the city aims to increase the average supply of clean water per capita per day by 165 litres and reduce the tap water leakage rate to 15 per cent.

The overexploitation of groundwater has changed underground water levels and the geological structure.

The city has an average subsidence rate of 4cm a year, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. Land subsidence of 5-10mm has occurred in districts Bình Chánh, Bình Tân, Thủ Đức and Nhà Bè and districts 2, 7, 8 and 12.

HCM City vows to speed up COVID vaccination

HCM City will speed up COVID-19 vaccination, Nguyễn Thành Phong, chairman of its People’s Committee, told an online meeting on Friday.

A team led by People’s Committee vice chairman Dương Anh Đức and health experts will be set up to carry out procedures related to negotiations for vaccine supplies, consultations and organisation of inoculations, he said.

The city aims to vaccinate two thirds of its population this year, has a roadmap with a priority list of people because of limited supply yet, but would also ensure a sufficient number of people get vaccinated, he said.

District 12 authorities sought permission from the People’s Committee to continue district-wide social distancing under the Government’s Directive No. 15 after 15 days of social distancing under the more stringent Directive No. 16 in its Thạnh Lộc Ward.

Lê Trương Hải Hiếu, its chairman, said Thạnh Lộc has not recorded more new COVID-19 cases since social distancing began.

Tân Thới Nhất Ward has the largest number of COVID-19 cases in the district, 51, he said.

The district has set up a quarantine with 100 beds at the Trần Phú Secondary School.

Nguyễn Trí Dũng, chairman of the Gò Vấp People’s Committee, said the district has had 106 COVID patients, including five whose status would be announced by the Ministry of Health.

According to the city Department of Health, the city’s largest cluster, which began in Gò Vấp on May 26, has seen 441 cases.

They include one each from four industrial parks. But thanks to early detection, there has been no spread from them to other workers, it said.

The city has so far controlled Gò Vấp cluster well, it said.

Dũng said 15 days of social distancing is enough for the district.

He said locals have complied strictly with regulations on social distancing under the Directive No.16. Non-essential services enterprises have closed.

The district has seven markets, seven supermarkets, and 200 convenience stores open to keep prices steady he said.

The district also identified facilities for use as quarantine.

Tân Bình District People’s Committee sought permission from the city for social distancing under the Directive No. 15 for one more week.

Head of the department, Nguyễn Tấn Bỉnh, said many small COVID clusters have been found this week in the city, but due to social distancing, the risk has been low.

In the clusters found in a warehouse in Hóc Môn District, Ehome apartment building in Bình Tân District and a family in Thủ Đức city, only people in the infected people’s family were found infected, he said.

The city is monitoring the clusters, he said.

According to a Ministry of Health report, the city has 838 COVID patients, including 270 recovered and two dead ones.

Bỉnh said the city would continue to tighten preventive measures, especially at industrial parks and export processing zones, to detect, localise and stamping out outbreaks in a timely manner.

Dương Hồng Thắng, chairman of the Hóc Môn People’s Committee, said manual workers and street vendors should be tested since they make up 70 per cent of the district’s patients so far.  VNS

Inbox:

The People’s Committee of the Mekong Delta province of Tiền Giang has ordered social distancing under the Government’s Directive 15 for COVID-19 prevention and control starting on June 12 until further announcement after three new cases were found recently.

Cần Thơ to build embankment on Trà Nóc River to prevent erosion

Cần Thơ plans to build an embankment to prevent erosion along the Trà Nóc River at the Trà Nóc Bridge – Xẻo Mây Bridge section at an estimated cost of VNĐ531 billion (US$53.2 million).

After inspecting erosion that occurred recently along the river in Bình Thuỷ District’s Trà An Ward on Wednesday, Nguyễn Ngọc Hè, deputy chairman of the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta city People’s Committee, said the embankment should be built soon to safeguard local people and their property and infrastructure.

The work will comprise building a 1.1km embankment and pavements, planting trees and erecting lights.

The 122 families living along that stretch of the river will be relocated.

The place has suffered erosion five times since 2020, affecting 40 houses.

The city is undertaking a number of erosion prevention projects, including an embankment along the Cái Sơn Canal in Ninh Kiều and Bình Thuỷ districts and another at the junction of the Ô Môn River and Rạch Tra Canal in Thới Lai District.

They will be 2.8km and 430m and cost VNĐ290 billion ($12.7 million) and VNĐ49 billion ($2.1 million).

Last month the city began building a 950m embankment on the right bank of the Ô Môn River in Ô Môn District at a cost of VNĐ114.5 billion ($4.96 million).

Airports face fake driver licenses

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has raised warnings after many people have been found to use fake driver licenses for flight check-ins.

Dinh Viet Son, deputy head of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, signed the official document asking related agencies to be alert and have measures to deal with the problem.

In 2020, 23 people were caught using fake driver licenses and 13 people were caught in the first six months of 2021.

“Using fake papers is a legal violation and an aviation risk,” Son said.

In the latest case, a male passenger was found to use a fake driver licence for a flight from Hanoi to HCM City. He said he had the fake license made at the price of VND1.5m. This is the first time he used a fake licence. The case was later transferred to the police.

According to airport employees, people were sometimes found using fake papers to board planes every day including fake IDs and fake driver licenses.

Vietnamese citizens over 14 years old can use various papers to board planes including ID, driver licenses, press cards and identity cards of Vietnamese airlines.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam also asked the Road Directorate to have measures to put an end to the easy availability of fake papers.

Ha Long tourist boats lie idle despite end to social distancing

Tourists boats in Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh Province are still lying idle despite being allowed to resume operation.

The Management Board of Ha Long Bay said tourist boats were still lying idle although local tourist sites and services have reopened since June 8. According to a boat owner, the residents are already familiar with all the sightseeing spots and will not use their services while there were no visitors from other cities and provinces yet. Moreover, the operation cost is high and the crew are reluctant to return to work for fear of another outbreak.

On June 11, several restaurants also reopened. Nguyen Hai, the owner of Hai Quan Restaurant in Bai Chay Ward, said they took a risky move and bought some seafood, hoping that there will be customers during the weekends.

“During the previous outbreak, I also bought seafood but there were no customers. I still decided to invest some tens of millions of VND this time though. I hope to recoup some money,” he said.

Statistics from Quang Ninh Department of Tourism show that by the end of May, the province had received 2.3 million visitors, accounting for 56.5% of the number of visitors in 2020. The revenue from the tourism industry was VND5trn (USD217m), accounting for 61% of 2020’s firgure.

Tourism activities were resumed only for a short time between two Covid-19 outbreaks in Vietnam.

Ca Mau tourism works to adapt to “new normal” situation

The tourism sector of the southernmost province of Ca Mau is taking measures to adapt to the “new normal” situation amid complicated development of the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the fact that it had remained free of COVID-19 so far.

Tourist destinations pay great attention to following the “5K message” of khau trang (facemasks), khu khuan (disinfectant), khoang cach (distancing), khong tu tap (no gatherings), and khai bao y te (health declarations).

Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Tieu Minh Tien said the province has issued a set of criteria to assess safety in COVID-19 prevention and control in the tourism sector, including specific regulations in each category and destination.

The local tourism sector is ready with measures to record new development progress in the near future, he said.

Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Tran Hong Quan said the province has set tourism as one of its economic pillars and identified measures for sustainable development.

The Prime Minister has approved the master plan for Ca Mau Cape national tourism site and the province already has planning for tourist areas such as Khai Long and Hon Da Bac and ecological tourism sites in Tran Van Thoi and U Minh districts.

It has upgraded infrastructure, diversified products at destinations, and actively sought investment in various fields, including tourism.

According to Tien, Ca Mau will step up tourism marketing at home and abroad to promote its land, culture, and people.

It is due to link up with cities and provinces to form tourism product chains in the Mekong Delta and on an inter-regional scale.

Website mobilises online donations for Covid-19 vaccine fund

The management agency of the COVID-19 vaccine fund has built an online donation system through the fund’s website, with a friendly and intuitive interface, in order to help benefactors easily access and support the vaccine fund.

On June 5, the Government held a ceremony to launch a vaccine fund against the COVID-19. This fund is managed by the Ministry of Finance to mobilisecontributions from domestic and foreign enterprises, organisations and individuals.

In addition, the official website www.quyvacxincovid19.gov.vn was also introduced with the aim to create an online donation channel for the vaccine fund.

The website is designed to be easy to use, with the function of directly supporting the Government’s Vaccine Fund through international credit cards, ATM cards, e-wallets, internet banking, mobile banking, and traditional bank transactions. Users can also register their support byleaving information to receive instructions to support the Vaccine Fund.

Through the website, all contributions from organisations and individuals will be directly transferred to the Government’s COVID-19 vaccine fund account.

The Fund’s official website also affirms its public and transparent commitment, as well as its commitment to not create any benefits for businesses or any other organisation or individual other than for the purpose of mobilising contributions from businesses and organisations both at home and abroad to finance the purchase, transportation, preservation and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.

Moc Chau plateau enters plum season

In June, many young people want to get a hide-way from the sweltering heat of summer. When Hai Lam, a Nhan Dan (People) journalist, saw his friend’s photos on Facebook, capturing a bunch of ripen plums in a garden in Moc Chau plateau, Son La province, he knew it as a call to visit the plateau.

No matter whether traveling by motorbike, car or bus, the road to Moc Chau is very beautiful for passengers. Having a passion for the nature of the Northwest region, Lam has been to Moc Chau quite a few times in different seasons.

The weather is cool all year round and the plateau wins the hearts of visitors thanks to its assorted green shades from both the mountains and forests.

During spring, the plateau is adorned with pink peach blossoms and white plum flowers while in autumn it is sprinkled with bright wild sunflowers. Winter comes with mustard and buckwheat flowers.

Nature lovers who were once enchanted with the pure white of the plum forest in February, come back here in summer and are often surprised to see that the tiny plum flowers have now become ripe fruit.

Taking a tour around Moc Chau town this season, one can see plum gardens and hills everywhere, which stand out against the blue sky with their clusters of dark purple and red fruit. With nearly 1,000 hectares of plum cultivation, Moc Chau is considered the largest plum grower in the country.

In recent years, tours to plum gardens have become an attractive tourist product of Moc Chau. While wandering in the plum gardens, visitors can enjoy the natural atmosphere and pick juicy and fresh fruit. The ripe plums turn dark red and has a sweet and fragrant taste while medium-ripe fruit is slightly sour, thus often served with chili salt or pounded salt with ‘mac khen’ pepper.

Visitors to the garden can also buy products made from plum including plum jam, plum wine, and plum syrup as souvenirs for their families and friends. Therefore, a trip to Moc Chau leaves impressions not only on the fruit pickers but also on the recipients of the delicious and aromatic dishes made from the plums.

This year, as the Plum Festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ripe plums are being harvested and distributed to many places for consumption.

National Highway 50 linking HCMC, Long An needs expanding: Transport Dept

The HCMC Department of Transport has written to the HCMC People’s Council proposing expanding National Highway 50 that connects the city’s outlying district of Binh Chanh with Long An Province, at a cost of VND1.5 trillion.

The national highway is an important traffic route connecting the city with some Mekong Delta provinces, including Long An and Tien Giang and an approach road to the Da Phuoc solid waste treatment complex, leading to high traffic density, according to the municipal department.

The current national highway has only two lanes, while container trucks and garbage trucks share the road with motorbikes, cars and rudimentary vehicles, resulting in frequent traffic congestion, mainly at the National Highway 50-Nguyen Van Linh intersection, posing a high risk of traffic accidents.

Besides, once in place, the Ben Luc-Long Thanh expressway, which is underway, will attract many vehicles, increasing the burden on National Highway 50 as the former is set to directly connect to the national highway.

As such, the upgrade and expansion of the national highway in Binh Chanh District is necessary to facilitate traffic, strengthen the connection between HCMC and the Mekong Delta provinces, ease traffic jams and reduce traffic accidents.

The project to expand National Highway 50 will be developed by the HCMC Management Board of Investment and Construction of Traffic Projects under the public investment mode. Over VND680.3 billion of the total cost will be sourced from the central State budget and VND812.2 billion from the HCMC budget.

In the first phase of the project, a parallel road to the highway will be built at a length of 4.36 kilometers. The current national highway will be expanded in the second phase, while two bridges and tree, lighting and drainage systems will also be developed.

The project is set to be executed from 2021 to 2024, the local media reported.

HCMC needs over VND137.6 trillion for traffic infrastructure projects in 2021

The HCMC government has come up with a plan to develop the traffic infrastructure system in the city from 2020-2030, in which more than VND137.6 will be needed for traffic infrastructure projects in the city this year.

Of the total, nearly VND64 trillion will be sourced from the city’s budget and the remaining from the State budget, official development assistance loans and private resources, the local media reported.

Many projects were expected to be completed this year, such as four main roads in the Thu Thiem New Urban Area, the Thu Thiem 2 Bridge, the Dong Van Cong Street expansion and an overpass in front of the New Mien Dong Coach Station in Thu Duc City and the Hang Ngoai Bridge in Go Vap District.

In addition, many key and urgent projects will be approved, including the HCMC-Moc Bai Expressway, the Ring Road No. 2, the An Phu intersection and the Thu Thiem 4 and Can Gio bridges and projects to expand national highways 50, 22 and 13.

Elevated roads Nos. 1 and 5, the new Mien Tay Coach Station and a project linking bus routes to metro line No. 1 are also expected to be approved this year.

According to the municipal government, more than VND970 trillion is needed to develop the traffic infrastructure in the city in the 2020-2030 period. The first projects to be executed in the period are the HCMC-Long Thanh-Dau Giay expressway expansion, the HCMC-Thu Dau Mot-Chon Thanh expressway, the Ring Road Nos. 2 and 3 and a road connecting Tran Quoc Hoan and Cong Hoa streets.

Moreover, the city will complete and put into operation the first metro line and start work on the second metro line, the first phase of the fifth metro line, a light railway linking the Thu Thiem Urban Area and the Long Thanh International Airport and inland clearance depots in Thu Duc City and Cu Chi District.

According to the municipal Department of Transport, it will coordinate with the relevant agencies and the authorities of Thu Duc City and districts to build a list of priority projects.

As of 2020, the total length of roads and bridges in HCMC reached over 4,500 kilometers. The city currently manages more than 8.3 million vehicles, including nearly 7.5 million motorbikes and over 785,000 autos. Its traffic infrastructure projects have failed to the meet the demand.

Source: VNA/VNS/VOV/VIR/SGT/Nhan Dan/Hanoitimes

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has welcomed the approval of a programme to protect and support children to interact in cyber environment in a healthy and creative manner in the 2021-2025 period by Vietnamese Government.

This is the first national-level programme on child protection in the cyber environment.

UNICEF Representative in Vietnam Rana Flowers said that the Internet brings many opportunities, but also many risks. The new programme approved by Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has taken into account the need to strike a balance between addressing the threats to children and the promising changes that the digital environment might deliver to them.

It is about connecting children with innovative learning methods, problem solving, and enhancing the understanding and skills they need to succeed in the digital world, she said.

According to Rana Flowers, solving the problem of child abuse on the Internet requires the commitment of the Government and the self-regulation of online platforms as well as management agencies.

However, the prevention of abuse in the cyber environment will only be successful when there is the active and full participation of parents and children themselves equipped with information about risks as well as preventive measures and report online abuse.

She said the UNICEF expressed its concern about children’s safety in the cyber environment in five key areas. That is adults unintentionally provide too much information for child abusers to commit crimes; children spend too much time playing violent games online; children are persuaded by friends or bad people to share their sensitive images; children are vulnerable to online fraud, bullying, and abuse by pedophiles who pretend to be of their same age.

When abuse occurs on a cyber environment, parents are often unaware of the risks and do not know what their children are going through online. For children, they will feel lonely and sad. When bullying happens at school, everyone can see it, but when it happens online, cruelty and abuse can have a significant impact on children’s mental health and self-esteem, making them feel isolated and lonely, Flowers said.

Parents should spend time talking with their children, identifying protection strategies and encouraging children to stand up for each other, promote kindness and protect each other from abuse, she added.

The UNICEF representative also called on people to act together to make the internet a safe environment for children to learn, communicate and express themselves.

According to a recent UNICEF survey, many young people in Vietnam are victims of cyberbullying but three-quarters of them don’t know where they can seek support. More and more cases of sex crimes and child trafficking are being reported.  However, few measures have been taken to protect them from the dangers of abuse by the digital world or access to health content on the Internet in a safe way.

With the programme to protect children in the cyber environment, the UNICEF expected the Government of Vietnam to work with the information and communication technology industry to keep up with the pace of change and protect children from dangers, harmful effects as well as ensuring that the internet is always safe for children, she said.

The private sector and civil society should be encouraged to offer different solutions and opportunities to protect children online, she added.

Under Decision No 830 signed by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, the national programme on child protection online aims to protect the privacy of children and prevent and handle acts of abuse. Specifically, the programme focuses on supplying children with age-appropriate knowledge and skills so that children can self-identify and be able to protect themselves when online.

The programme includes initiatives in deploying new technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data to automatically collect and analyse early warnings on the content not suitable for children.

Websites with the national “.vn” domain and those with IP addresses in Vietnam will be required to self-categorise content suitable for children’s ages. Those who provide online services and applications for children have to self-deploy solutions to protect children and assist parents or caregivers in managing children’s use of applications and services.

Network operators and digital platform providers such as Google, Facebook, and Zalo will apply artificial intelligence technology and big data analysis to filter videos and clips with malicious content./.

More than 93,000 students in Hanoi take high school entrance exams

More than 93,000 students in Hanoi began their high school entrance exams on June 12.

On the morning of the first day, they took a 90-minute Vietnamese literature test and a 45-minute foreign language test. On the morning of June 13, they will do mathematics and history tests with a duration of 90 minutes and 45 minutes, respectively.

The candidates have a 30-minute break between the two consecutive tests.

The city’s Department of Education and Training has established 184 testing sites, including 3,988 testing rooms, and mobilised more than 14,500 education officials, teachers and staff teachers to serve the exams across the city. Backup exam rooms and medical staff were also set up at every exam venue.

This year’s exams took place amid the complicated developments of COVID-19, the city’s authorities making thorough preparations to ensure the safety of students as well as the security of the exams.

Accordingly, all students were asked to complete health declaration forms online before June 11 and strictly follow the Ministry of Health’s 5K message – khau trang (facemask), khu khuan (disinfection), khoang cach (distance), khong tu tap (no gathering), and khai bao y te (health declaration). Social distancing protocols were set up and drills conducted to ensure students are properly distanced during the exams./.

HCM City vows to speed up COVID vaccination

Ho Chi Minh City will speed up COVID-19 vaccination, Nguyen Thanh Phong, chairman of its People’s Committee, told an online meeting on June 11.

A team led by People’s Committee vice chairman Duong Anh Duc and health experts will be set up to carry out procedures related to negotiations for vaccine supplies, consultations and organisation of inoculations, he said.

The city aims to vaccinate two thirds of its population this year, has a roadmap with a priority list of people because of limited supply yet, but would also ensure a sufficient number of people get vaccinated, he said.

District 12 authorities sought permission from the People’s Committee to continue district-wide social distancing under the Government’s Directive No. 15 after 15 days of social distancing under the more stringent Directive No. 16 in its Thanh Loc ưard.

Le Truong Hai Hieu, its chairman, said Thanh Loc has not recorded more new COVID-19 cases since social distancing began.

Tan Thoi Nhat ward has the largest number of COVID-19 cases in the district, 51, he said.

The district has set up a quarantine with 100 beds at the Tran Phu Secondary School.

Nguyen Tri Dung, chairman of the Go Vap People’s Committee, said the district has had 106 COVID patients, including five whose status would be announced by the Ministry of Health.

According to the city Department of Health, the city’s largest cluster, which began in Go Vap on May 26, has seen 441 cases.

They include one each from four industrial parks. But thanks to early detection, there has been no spread from them to other workers, it said.

The city has so far controlled Go Vap cluster well, it said.

Dung said 15 days of social distancing is enough for the district.

He said locals have complied strictly with regulations on social distancing under the Directive No.16. Non-essential services enterprises have closed.

The district has seven markets, seven supermarkets, and 200 convenience stores open to keep prices steady he said.

The district also identified facilities for use as quarantine.

The Tan Binh District People’s Committee sought permission from the city for social distancing under the Directive No. 15 for one more week.

Director of the municipal Department of Health Nguyen Tan Binh said many small COVID clusters have been found this week in the city, but due to social distancing, the risk has been low.

In the clusters found in a warehouse in Hoc Mon district, Ehome apartment building in Binh Tan district and a family in Thu Duc city, only people in the infected people’s family were found infected, he said.

The city is monitoring the clusters, he said.

Binh said the city would continue to tighten preventive measures, especially at industrial parks and export processing zones, to detect, localise and stamping out outbreaks in a timely manner.

Duong Hong Thang, chairman of the Hoc Mon People’s Committee, said manual workers and street vendors should be tested since they make up 70 per cent of the district’s patients so far./.

Asian media impressed with Vietnam’s victory over Malaysia

Defeating Malaysia 2-1 in a match early on June 12, the Vietnamese football team continue to receive applause from Asian media for maintaining their impressive unbeaten streak in the 2022 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers.

The hard-fought win helps the team consolidate their top spot in Group G with 17 points after seven matches, while maintaining their impressive unbeaten streak with five wins and two draws in the Asian qualifiers. Vietnam are still two points ahead of the second-placed United Arab Emirates (UAE), who won 5-0 over Indonesia in the other match the same day.

In their match report, world football governing body FIFA emphasised: “Vietnam remain unbeaten in the group thanks to Que Ngoc Hai’s late penalty that saw them edge Malaysia 2-1 in Dubai”.

In the last match, Vietnam will have a decisive game to decide the top spot in the group against the UAE, and FIFA said that this will be one of the most exciting and eagerly awaited encounters on the final match day of the 2nd qualifying round.

Meanwhile, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), in its post-match commentary, affirmed the Vietnamese team continued to consolidate their pole position in Group G after the victory over Malaysia. “The two teams came into this game on the back of entirely opposing fortunes: Malaysia had lost their last match 4-0 against the United Arab Emirates, while Vietnam had beaten Indonesia 4-0 and cemented their strong position with a win, also having avoided any losses since the Qualifiers began,” the AFC said.

Witnessing their home team once again beaten by Vietnam, the Malaysian media could not help but be disappointed. In its article published early this morning, the Malaysian national news agency (Bernama) admitted their World Cup dreams had been dashed: “One dream is over… Malaysia’s fourth defeat in five outings against Vietnam since Park Hang-seo took over as coach in 2017 means the Harimau Malaya can forget about finishing in the top two positions in Group G of the 2022 World Cup/2023 Asian Cup second-round qualifiers”. Malaysia still have the goal of winning tickets to the 2023 Asian Cup finals, but according to Bernama, this journey will also be very difficult for them.

Sharing the same opinion, the New Straits Times acknowledged that Malaysia’s World Cup campaign had ended early this morning after the country’s football team suffered a 2-1 defeat to Vietnam. This is their fourth defeat in the last five encounters between both.

“The sad story for Malaysia is that the Vietnamese, who must be the best in Southeast Asia, always do just enough to beat us”, the New Straits Times wrote, adding that although Malaysia have several naturalised players from Brazil, Kosovar or Gambia, it is still not enough for them to beat Vietnam. “The Golden Dragons again did just enough. One goal extra for three points,” the long-standing newspaper in Malaysia wrote.

In Thailand, the country’s press also praised Park Hang Seo’s side. SiamSport wrote: “The Golden Stars continue their unbeaten record as they won 2-1 against Malaysia. Currently, Vietnam have 17 points, firmly at the top of the table with a ticket to play in the 3rd qualifying round almost certainly in their hands.”

Indonesia’s IndoSport also praised the Vietnamese team after their dramatic victory over Malaysia: “The UAE won 5-0 against Indonesia, aiming to take the top spot from Vietnam. Unfortunately, that victory was still not enough to bring Bert van Marwijk’s team to the top, because at the same time, Vietnam excelled against Malaysia in a fierce and dramatic match.”

The Korean press also congratulated Park Hang Seo’s side on their latest victory, expressing their belief that the Vietnamese team will make history if they reach the final qualifying round for the first time ever. In the Korean version of Goal, Park Byeong-gyu wrote: “The Vietnam national football team, led by coach Park Hang-seo, are about to advance to the World Cup Asian final qualifiers. It will be their first time in history if Vietnam, who lead Group G, can advance to the final qualifying round”.

On Yonhap, reporter Ahn Hong-seok also believed in the ability of the Vietnamese team to continue: “If Vietnam win or draw in their final match with the UAE on the June 15, they will advance to the final qualifiers, topping the group. Even if Vietnam lose to the UAE, there is a possibility they will advance to the final qualifier as the group’s runners-up”.

In an article published on OSEN on early June 12, the author said Park’s talent was once again confirmed, helping Vietnamese football prepare to turn a new page in its history.

To hold in their own hands the keys to an historic berth in the final stages, Park’s side need at least one point in the last match against hosts UAE. However, according to Park, Vietnam will continue to confidently aim for victory, although that goal will be more difficult against an in-form UAE.

The final match of the Vietnamese team in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers in Asia against the UAE will take place at 23:45 (Hanoi time) on June 15 at the Zabeel Stadium in Dubai./.

More vaccines via COVAX Facility to arrive in Vietnam in July: UNICEF

More vaccine doses from the COVAX Facility, the global COVID-19 vaccine equity scheme, are scheduled to be delivered in Vietnam in July, UNICEF Representative in Vietnam Rana Flowers has told Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long.

Flowers and Long met in Hanoi to expedite the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to Vietnam amid the fourth coronavirus wave.

Long said Vietnam is battling the highly transmissible Delta variant of coronavirus and several decisive measures have been put in place to control the situation, including more talks with foreign manufacturers and partners for more COVID-19 vaccines and facilitating local development of home-grown vaccines.

One of Vietnam’s priorities now is to soon have enough COVID-19 vaccines for mass inoculation, he said, reiterating the request for UNICEF to work with COVAX to speed up delivery of vaccines to Vietnam in the third quarter, and the country’s commitment to using the vaccines in a fair and effective manner.

Flowers, for her part, cited a survey conducted by UNICEF and its partners found that about 67 percent of Vietnamese respondents said they are ready to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, which is quite high.

She shared concerns over the complicated developments of the current fourth wave in the country. She said that 1,910 high-capacity cold chain fridges to store vaccines – supported by Australia’s aid to Vietnam – will be delivered to Vietnam by UNICEF in late July.

UNICEF has also ordered five refrigerated trucks for transportation of vaccines and the shipment will arrive in August and September, along with some 5 million syringes via air routes.

Regarding expediting COVID-19 vaccine shipments to Vietnam via the COVAX Facility, the UNICEF official remarked that the following batch would be delivered as soon as it is approved by the World Health Organisation, scheduled for July.

UNICEF has delivered some 2.5 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines to Vietnam from COVAX out of the commitment of nearly 39 million doses./.

Vietnam e-sports white book debuts

The 2021 Vietnam e-sports white book was released on June 10 by the Vietnam Recreational E-sport Association (VIRESA) and the Appota E-sports creative platform developer and provider.

This is the first-ever annual publication providing key information on e-sports for individuals, organisations, and businesses in the field, fostering its development in Vietnam.

It will also provide updates on the operations of Vietnam’s e-sports industry and analysis, as well as touch on e-sports growth amid digital transformation, the e-sports economy, and 5G and the future of the sport, among other topics, according to VIRESA.

The publication is hoped to support investors and businesses engaging in the sport and identify a suitable path forward for Vietnam’s e-sports industry, VIRESA President Nguyen Xuan Cuong said.

The global e-sports market was posting annual growth of 10-15 percent prior to COVID-19. Notably, it surpassed the 1-trillion-VND revenue milestone in 2019.

In Vietnam, the number of players surged to nearly 18 million last year as more people reached out to e-sports during the social distancing period.

The sport is listed among the official events at the upcoming 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games./.

Air-conditioned COVID-19 testing chamber put into use

A mobile air-conditioned COVID-19 testing chamber has been put into use in pandemic hotspot Bac Giang province, helping medical workers deal with the impact of hot summer weather. The chamber was built in Hanoi by Nam Viet Design, PAM Air, and Signify over the course of four days.

Unlike previous days, when medical staff in Bac Giang had to race against time to take samples for testing in extremely hot weather conditions while wearing tight medical clothing, nurse Chu Thi Thanh and her colleagues feel that collecting samples is now much easier as they work in a cool space.

The chamber weighs around 270 kg and has six wheels to make it more mobile.

Communication from the inside to the outside of the chamber and vice-versa is done through a walkie-talkie and a system controlled by smartphones. The developers of the chamber are now waiting for feedback from medical staff to make any improvements. It is hoped that more mobile chambers like this will be developed to support frontline workers in Bac Giang./.

Hanoi targets raising ratio of trained workers to 80 percent by 2030

Hanoi targets increasing the proportion of trained workers in the city to 75-80 percent by 2030 under a strategy on labour market development built by the municipal People’s Committee.

The strategy aims to provide a strong premise for developing a stable labour market, effectively mobilising and utilising human resources to boost socio-economic growth.

It is to have 80 percent of its workforce possess IT skills by 2025 and 90 percent by 2030, while reducing the overall unemployment rate to below 2.5 percent.

The number of workers engaged in the agriculture sector is to fall to below 30 percent by 2025 and 20 percent by 2030.

Hanoi expects to have a modernised labour market information system under the strategy. Its data will be linked to other regions in the country and ASEAN countries, especially main labour markets in Vietnam.

To this end, the city’s authorities will review legal documents relating to labour supply and demand, bringing them in line with labour market regulations, international conventions, and standards ratified by Vietnam and ensuring they are consistent with the legitimate interests of employees and employers.

It will develop a specific mechanism and carry out projects to support job creation for specific labour groups, such as people with disabilities, ethnic minority workers, and new graduates from universities and vocational education institutions.

Attention will be paid to training programmes to improve the skills of new graduates and existing employees to meet job requirements.

Hanoi’s authorities will also support the development of a labour market information system, introducing solutions to digitise and update employee data and sharing the database on population, business registration, and social insurance./.

Kien Giang does not let COVID affect socio–economic development

The Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang has managed outstanding socio-economic development in the first five months of this year despite the COVID-19 pandemic, according to its People’s Committee.

Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Lam Minh Thanh attributed it to authorities at all levels proactively implementing development measures. Most sectors have achieved excellent growth so far, he said.

Industrial production grew by 10.6 percent year-on-year to more than 20.4 trillion VND (870 million USD).

Its retail sales and services grew by 10 percent to 49.8 trillion VND (2.16 billion USD).

Exports were up nearly 16 percent at 317 million USD, with rice accounting for 111 million USD and seafood for 94 million USD.

Farmers in the province reaped a bumper harvest and got high prices for the 2020-2021 winter – spring rice crop to earn an average of 40 million VND (1,740 USD) per hectare, according to the province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Aquaculture output was up 9.1 percent at more than 62,000 tonnes.

The province targets total exports of 750 million USD this year, and to step up promotion of agricultural products to expand export markets and boost the output of key items rice and seafood.

Kien Giang has been the country’s largest rice producer for long, and more than 50 percent of its workforce is in the agricultural sector.

The province has implemented various measures to develop agriculture, especially rice and seafood production, in recent years.

They include developing efficient faming models adapted to climate change and sustainable development.

The province is developing the large-scale rice field model in which farmers pool their fields, grow the same rice varieties, use the same farming techniques and have the same crop schedule under contracts that guarantee purchase of the entire harvest.

It is also developing aquaculture, especially the models of breeding shrimp under advanced farming techniques and other environmental friendly models like rice – shrimp farming model in coastal areas.

Under the rice-shrimp farming model, farmers rotate between rice in the rainy season and shrimp in the dry season on the same field to adapt to saltwater intrusion in coastal areas.

The model also produces clean rice and shrimp as farmers use few chemicals.

They harvest about 4 – 4.5 tonnes of rice and 450 – 500 kg of shrimp per hectare annually, earning 100 – 130 million VND (4,300 – 5,600 USD), according to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

With a coastline of more than 200 kilometres, the province plans to turn more mono-rice fields in coastal areas into rice-shrimp farming fields to adapt to climate change.

Hon Dat district, which has the largest area under rice in the province, is zoned for 16,000ha of rice-shrimp fields in coastal areas by 2030, according to its Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Development.

“Farmers in the district are actively turning monoculture rice fields into rice-shrimp fields,” Le Van Giau, head of the bureau, said.

“The district plans to have 2,500ha of rice-shrimp fields this year.”

In 2017-2020 the province switched to other crops and aquaculture on more than 32,800ha of unproductive rice fields, helping increase production efficiency and farmers’ incomes.

The income from these fields has been increased by 35 percent, according to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Quang Trong Thao, deputy director of the department, said the province has restructured its crops to suit conditions in each area and achieved high efficiency.

Besides, it has boosted the use of advanced farming techniques and machinery to improve yield and quality and reduce costs, he said.

Kien Giang had more 725,800ha under paddy and harvested 4.5 million tonnes last year, 5 percent more than the target.

It also had 100 large-scale rice fields with a combined area of 30,672ha last year.

To sustainably develop agriculture, it has strengthened investment in infrastructure, especially irrigation, to prevent saltwater intrusion and secure water for cultivation, according to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

It has built hundreds of temporary dams to prevent saltwater intrusion and store freshwater, properly regulated the operation of sluices and electric pumping stations to supply water to the Long Xuyen Quadrangle, the western part of the Hau River delta and the U Minh Thuong region.

In the ongoing summer – autumn rice crop, the province plans to grow 280,000ha of rice and harvest an estimated 5 – 60 tonnes per hectare.

The province’s rice output will be 4.2 million tonnes this year, according to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The province plans to breed brackish water shrimp on 136,000ha this year using industrial, semi-industrial, advanced extensive and rice – shrimp farming models.

It has developed concentrated farming areas and value chains for key products like rice, vegetables, mango, pineapple, and pepper on a total area of more than 100,000ha.

Its average annual agricultural output per hectare last year was worth 100 million VND (4,300 USD), up nearly 22 million VND since 2015, according to the department./.

Artists help sell agricultural products

Tonnes of agricultural products like lychee, plum and wax gourd were sold out within an hour by actor Nguyễn Xuân Bắc via a programme livestreamed on the Beatvn Facebook page on Tuesday.

The programme, entitled ‘Connecting Agricultural Products – Sharing Love – Joining Hands to Overcome the Pandemic’, was initiated by the Central Committee of the Hồ Chí Minh Communist Youth Union in co-ordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Việt Nam Women’s Union and the Việt Nam Farmers’ Union.

Speaking at its opening ceremony, Ngô Văn Cương, Secretary of the Central Youth Union, said the programme aimed to support farmers that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is also expected to familiarise the farmers with new methods of online sales to adapt to the new context of the pandemic, in addition to creating a network of agents to connect and consume agricultural products nationwide.

The programme kicked off on Tuesday, featuring Nguyễn Xuân Bắc, the director of the Việt Nam Drama Theatre and an actor familiar to Vietnamese audience for starring in many comedies and films like Gặp Nhau Cuối Năm (Year-End Meet).

In plain blue clothes and wearing a sun helmet and a face shield, Bắc looked similar to a Vietnamese farmer and started to share the story about lychee, the fruit that is associated with his childhood and “crystallisation of the farmers’ working spirit”.

His livestreamed stories attracted up to 279,000 viewers and ended up with 5,000 orders for 85 tonnes of agricultural products, mostly for lychees from the pandemic hotspot Bắc Giang Province.

“This is a very meaningful programme. It is not a rescuing effort but to cherish and support the consumption of Việt Nam’s agricultural products,” the actor said.

Bắc added that he volunteered for the programme when it was launched by the Central Committee of the Hồ Chí Minh Communist Youth Union and has called for the participation of communities, especially youth union members, in assisting the farmers.

“Please cherish the value of Vietnamese agricultural products because they are the fruits of the farmers’ sweat and efforts,” he said.

Besides the kick-off programme, three other programmes were livestreamed at 8pm on June 8, 9 and 10 on the Beatvn Facebook page. Further details could be provided by contacting the sales support via hotline 1900 299216 or on the website nongsanviet.online.

The same night, actress Hà Thị Thu Hương, who starred in Phía Trước Là Bầu Trời (Ahead Is the Sky), also livestreamed to help sell Bắc Giang lychees, Bắc Kạn wax gourd and Bắc Hà plums. She secured more than 200 orders, some for hundreds of kilos.

Recently, singer Thái Thùy Linh also supported farmers in pandemic hotspot Bắc Giang Province by selling melons on her social media pages. About 500 kilos were sold within hours.

Hospitals to add beds if COVID-19 cases increase

The HCM City Department of Health has instructed the Hospital for Tropical Diseases and Củ Chi District Hospital to make plans to admit COVID-19 patients if the number of cases in the city increases significantly.

The department is preparing 2,000 beds for treatment and 200 ones for resuscitation. In the worst-case scenario, the number of beds for treatment would increase to 5,000.

The department will change the function of Củ Chi District Hospital to serve COVID-19 treatment, with 500 beds including 20 for emergency and resuscitation. It will inform patients to visit other health facilities such as Củ Chi Regional General Hospital in Củ Chi District.

The Department of Health has instructed the Hospital for Tropical Diseases to use 400 beds for COVID-19 treatment and 46 for resuscitation.

The hospital will transfer its inpatients with contagious diseases, except tetanus, to hospitals with departments of infectious diseases in the city. Other hospitals should create favourable conditions to admit inpatients from the Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

The Hospital for Tropical Diseases will divide its health officials into two separate groups working in two areas, including one treating COVID-19 patients and the other treating tetanus patients.

Earlier, the health department told Phạm Ngọc Thạch Hospital, which specialises in treatment of tuberculosis and lung-related diseases, to divide its facility space. This was adapted from a successful case in South Korea.

The hospital has separated one half of its facility, and is using only one entrance and exit door. It has buildings with negative pressure rooms, 700 beds, and equipment for diagnosis, testing and treatment of COVID-19 patients.

Lê Văn Thịnh Hospital has set up a separate department for admitting, screening and treating patients with symptoms of COVID.

According to the department, hospitals are faced with a challenge during this fourth wave of COVID. If they do not carry out proper screening, they could become a transmission source leading to unexpected consequences.

As of June 7, COVID-19 patients had visited 22 hospitals. Among these, 13 hospitals have detected positive cases through screening and rapid tests. They were then isolated and transferred in time to designated hospitals.

Gia Định People’s Hospital, for instance, found three patients who tested positive for coronavirus in one day and reported the cases to the preventive health system. They were then able to trace and discover the Gò Vấp District cluster.

To reduce the number of hospitals under lockdown, the Department of Health has instructed all public and private health facilities to test patients with symptoms of cough, fever, sore throat or loss of taste or smell, even if they have not gone to COVID-19 hit areas.

Patients in Gò Vấp District and District 12’s Thạnh Lộc Ward, the worst-hit areas in the city, should be tested for COVID-19 if they visit health facilities.

More than 500 COVID-19 patients are being treated in the city.

Workers in Bắc Giang, Bắc Ninh happy to be back in factories

Nguyễn Hồng Mến packed her bags and left home on an important mission. She waved goodbye to her two children knowing it could be weeks before she saw them again.

Mến is one of many factory workers who volunteered to give up their home lives to help kickstart the country’s economy.

She works in Bắc Ninh, a province hit hard by the fourth wave of COVID-19.

Although there’s light at the end of the tunnel with the number of cases dropping, there is still much hard work to be done.

Mến has swapped her family home for a dormitory she shares with 11 people.

But she feels this is just a small sacrifice to get back to work.

“My colleagues and I volunteered to move in to help the company fight the pandemic and maintain production,” said the 34-year-old who works at Samsung Display Việt Nam.

“It’s not compulsory. For now, we are staying until June 16.”

“The dormitory is only a 5-minute walk from the factory. We have clean bunk beds and air-conditioners. Twelve people stay in one room, but given the struggles we face due to the pandemic, that’s good enough for us,” she added.

“There’s downtime for every company. During this critical time, I’m happy with what my company has done for us. A lot of other companies can’t do the same.”

The two northern provinces of Bắc Giang and Bắc Ninh have been the most affected since the latest wave of infections hit the country at the end of April.

By the middle of May, social distancing was applied in areas of both provinces, and four industrial parks in Bắc Giang where thousands of workers work were shut down.

But as their operations are crucial to the economy, Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam said it is in the Government’s interest to maintain production activities at the industrial parks, while doing everything they can to control the pandemic.

The Bắc Giang People’s Committee has allowed some companies in the four previously closed industrial parks to resume working, under the condition that they meet safety requirements set by the province’s health department.

By Monday, 42 companies in the Vân Trung, Quang Châu, Đình Trám and Song Khê-Nội Hoàng industrial parks had been allowed to resume operations.

Starting from June 2, hundreds of companies in Bắc Ninh opened up their dormitories for factory and office workers to move in.

Young mum Trần Thị Thu Hằng misses her two-year-old son deeply but is determined to get back to work to provide for her family.

Even though there are still risks of infection, she feels her company is doing all it can to keep staff secure.

Hằng, 26, who works at Seojin System Vina Company Ltd in Tiên Sơn Industrial Park, said: “The pandemic does affect us financially. My parents are no longer working, so I have to work to make money.

“I feel safe staying at the company because the prevention measures are being applied well.

“Staying here I don’t have time for anything else, and I miss my home and my son. But it also wouldn’t work if everyone wants to stay at home and stop working, because that will badly affect the economy and our own incomes. So I think moving in to stay and work at the company is a way to protect ourselves and the community.”

Trương Văn Vụ works at a factory under the Foxconn Technology Group in Quang Châu Industrial Park in Bắc Giang.

The 23-year-old moved into a quarantine area on Monday, where he will be staying to get tested for COVID-19 before moving into a dormitory.

“The area I’ve just moved into is divided into different zones. My zone has 60 tents, which are placed two metres away from each other. It’s inside the factory so we do have air-conditioners,” he said.

“I have to stay here for a few days, then get the vaccine, then take a couple of tests. If my results are all negative then I can move into the dormitory in Đình Trám Industrial Park, then go to work.”

Vụ said his company encouraged him to move into the dormitory.

“The process of selecting which workers can move in was quite tough because you have to be from the areas that don’t have F0s (COVID-19 patients),” he said.

“It’s a difficult process, but I decided to go because if I have the virus and stay at home, it will get transmitted to my family, my village and commune.

“Besides, I also need to make money to take care of my wife and children. I’m doing this for my family. They also agreed for me to go.”

Over 42,000 workers in HCMC lose jobs in Jan-May

Over 42,000 workers lost their jobs or were suspended from work and some 9,300 businesses in HCMC left the market from January to May 2021, said city chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong at a meeting with leaders of businesses affected by Covid-19 on June 10.

According to the HCMC Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, 2,274 businesses in the city completed procedures for disbandment in the first five months of the year. Besides, 1,365 businesses reported they were facing difficulties due to the pandemic and 410 wanted to borrow money to pay the salaries of their employees.

Phong said prior to the fourth Covid-19 wave, the city’s economy had recovered and achieved some positive results. The total retail sales of goods and services in the first five months of 2021 rose 8.9% year-on-year to over VND456 trillion (US$19.8 billion). The city’s exports reached US$19.63 billion and budget revenue was estimated at more than VND174 trillion, increasing 15.1% and 22.8% compared with the same period last year, respectively.

“However, during the fourth Covid-19 wave that began on April 27, the city reported some Covid-19 clusters, with the biggest one being the cluster related to the Revival Ekklesia Mission. The city had to impose social distancing on Go Vap District and Thanh Loc Ward, District 12, from May 31,” the city’s leader said.

The city has brought the latest outbreak under control. However, complicated developments of the pandemic are still negatively affecting the city’s economy and businesses.

“The prosperity of the city and the growth of businesses are connected. Therefore, the city cannot be an outsider when businesses face challenges and difficulties,” Phong said.

Addressing the meeting, Nguyen Dang Hien, vice chairman of the HCMC Food Association, said the biggest challenge that businesses in the city are facing is the transportation of goods to other provinces.

“When passing through the Mekong Delta provinces, drivers transporting goods must present their health declarations and Covid-19 test results. However, these papers are valid for just 24 hours in An Giang and 72 hours in Bac Lieu,” he explained.

The HCMC Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs has submitted a proposal to the HCMC People’s Committee to release a Covid-19 rescue package worth VND1,075 billion, expected to benefit over 500,000 laborers and thousands of businesses that have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. This will be the city’s second Covid-19 rescue package, after the first one was released last year.

Some businesses suggested that the city cut tolls on the Hanoi Highway by half and suspend the plan to collect fees from businesses for using infrastructure facilities and public services at seaport terminals.

Thirty-two legal documents need to be amended, supplemented, and promulgated

Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh has just signed Decision 889/QD-TTg promulgating a list of 32 legal documents that need to be amended, supplemented and promulgated.

Of which, there are 16 to be promulgated by the National Assembly (NA), 12 to be issued by the Government and four documents to be issued by ministers and heads of ministerial-level agencies.

The Deputy PM requested ministers and heads of ministerial-level agencies in charge of drafting legal documents closely coordinate with NA agencies to urgently study and propose solutions for the draft legal documents to be submitted to the NA and the NA Standing Committee for consideration and approval.

Ministers and heads of ministerial-level agencies shall closely coordinate with the Ministry of Justice to urgently study and propose measures on how to include the legal documents in law and ordinance development programmes in 2022 and subsequent years.

They also shall focus on directing and speeding up the progress of legal documents already included in the working programme of the Government and the Prime Minister in 2021; as well as closely coordinate with the Government Office to include legal documents in the working programme of the Government and the Prime Minister in 2022 and the following years.

Vietnamese people in Czech Republic, UK contribute to COVID-19 fight

The Vietnamese Association in the Czech Republic on June 11 granted 500 million VND (21,720 USD), donated by the Vietnamese community in the country, to Vietnam’s national COVID-19 vaccine fund.

President of the association Nguyen Duy Nhien said that through the funding, the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic wants to contribute to the fatherland’s fight against the pandemic.

Thanking for the support, Vietnamese Ambassador Thai Xuan Dung asked Vietnamese people in the Czech Republic to continue to unite and support each other and well implement pandemic prevention and control measures.

Assessing Vietnam’s COVID-19 combat, head of the Union of Vietnamese Associations in Europe Hoang Dinh Thang expressed his belief that under the drastic leadership of the Government and joint efforts of all people, the pandemic will soon be put back in the country.

Also on the day, the Vietnamese Embassy in Great Britain and North Ireland launched a fundraising campaign in support of Vietnam’s COVID-19 prevention and control efforts.

Ambassador Nguyen Hoang Long affirmed that mobilising resources at home and abroad is extremely important because the fight against the pandemic is still prolong and arduous for Vietnam.

He called on Vietnamese representative offices in the UK, through their relationship channels, to inform their partners and the Vietnamese community in the UK and abroad about COVID-19 prevention and control in Vietnam, thereby mobilising practical contributions to this work in all forms, including connecting to vaccine sources and promoting the transfer of vaccine production technology./.

Tropical low depression develops into storm

A tropical low-pressure system has developed into a storm, internationally named Koguma, becoming the second hitting the East Sea since the beginning of this year.

At 1pm on June 12,  the storm’s eye was at around  18.8 degrees north latitude and 109.0 degrees east longitude. The strongest wind near its eye was 60-75 km per hour, according to the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting (NCHMF).

The storm is forecast to move in the west-northwest direction at a speed of 15-20 km per hour.

At 1am on June 13, the storm is off the coasts from Hai Phong to Nghe An, with the strongest wind close to the storm’s eye reaching level 8 (60-75km per hour), with gusts at level 10.

In the next 12 hours, the storm is forecast to keep the the west-northwest direction at a speed of 15-20km. It will make landfall and impact the northeastern and north-central localities before weakening into a tropical depression.

Under the influence of storm Koguma, provinces from Thanh Hoa to Thua Thien-Hue would experience medium to heavy rains between 80-150mm on June 13. Heavier rains, with up to 350mm was also predicted to hit the northen delta region and provinces of Hoa Binh, Son La, Phu Tho, Thanh Hoa-Quang Binh.  Heavy rain in the northwest region is likely to last through June 14.

The Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control has held an urgent meeting on June 12 to direct agencies to prepare for the tropical low-pressure system.

Tran Quang Hoai, deputy head of the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, asked the Committee’s office to collaborate with the Directorate of Fisheries and the Command of the Border Guards, to monitor ships operating in the affected area of the tropical depression, keeping regular communication with the owners of the vessels to handle incidents that might occur.

Vessels are instructed to move to a safe shelter and localities are requested to ban vessels from going out to sea if necessary.

Hoai told relevant agencies to ensure the safety of tourists on the islands; safety at aquaculture floating cages, dike works that are under construction. They are also directed to be ready to protect agricultural production, low-lying areas, urban areas, and industrial parks./.

COVID-19: 104 new cases recorded on June 12 afternoon

The national tally of COVID-19 rose to 10,241 with 104 new cases detected in the past six hours to 6pm on June 12, of which one is imported and 103 are local infections, according to the Health Ministry.

Among the locally-transmitted cases, 44 are in Ho Chi Minh City, 41 in Bac Giang, 16 in Bac Ninh, and two in Ha Tinh.

On June 12, 23 patients were given the all-clear, raising the number of recoveries to 3,827. The death toll was 58.

Among active patients under treatment at hospital, 433 have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 once, 112 twice and 73 thrice.

Twenty-one provinces have gone through 14 days without detecting new cases./.

Source: VNA/VNS/VOV/VIR/SGT/Nhan Dan/Hanoitimes

The Health Ministry on June 12 granted conditional approval of Comirnaty vaccine manufactured by Pfizer Manufacturing Belgium NV and Germany’s BioNTech Manufacturing GmbH for domestic emergency use in the fight against COVID-19.

This is the fourth vaccine to receive such authorisation, following Oxford/AstraZeneca, Sputnik V, and Sinopharm’s Vero Cell.

According to the approval decision, the vaccine comes in doses of 0.3ml of mRNA molecules protected by lipid nanoparticles.

The packaging is described as trays of 195 vials, with each vial holding six doses of vaccine.

The ministry asked the Drug Administration of Vietnam to license the import of Comirnaty vaccine as well as oversee its quality in line with the regulations.

The Administration of Science Technology and Training was directed to choose qualified units to assess the safety and efficiency of Comirnaty vaccine based on feedback from the ministry’s advisory board on the use of vaccines and medical biologicals during the use.

The General Department of Preventive Medicine was responsible for Cormirnaty vaccination while the National Institute for Vaccines and Biologicals must test and grant a certificate for the vaccine before it is put into use.

Previously, the health ministry said it had negotiated for a deal of 31 million doses of Pfizer and the first shipment could likely arrive between now and July.

Last week, during a meeting with UNICEF Representative in Vietnam Rana Flowers, Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long has also expressed his request for COVAX Facility – the global vaccine sharing initiative – to supply Pfizer vaccine to be used for Vietnamese children aged 12-18.

As of 4pm on June 12, 1,454,221 doses of vaccines – mostly AstraZeneca – have been administered in Vietnam since the inoculation drive started in March 8, 2021. 54,385 people have received the full two doses./.

Award-winning writer and translator passes away

Award-winning writer Nguyễn Xuân Khánh passed away due to natural causes at his home on Saturday in Hà Nội. He was 88 years old.

Khánh was popular for a series of novels on Vietnamese culture and history including Hồ Quý Ly; Mẫu Thượng Ngàn (Mountain Goddess) and Đội Gạo Lên Chùa (Bring Rice to the Pagoda).

His work on the founder of the Hồ dynasty Hồ Quý Ly (1336-1407), published in 2000, and Mẫu Thượng Ngàn published in 2006 have been reprinted many times due to their historical and cultural insights.

Đội Gạo Lên Chùa was published in 2011 by the Women’s Publishing House and created a stir in the local literary scene. The novel was highly acclaimed by not only literary critics but also the wider reading public.

The novel, which sold out its initial print run and was reprinted two more times over three months, also won acclaim for explaining the origins of Buddhism in Việt Nam.

His works earned him the Việt Nam Writers’ Association Award in 2000 and in 2011 and the Hà Nội Writers Association in 2011.

Born in Hà Nội, Khánh studied medicine at Hà Nội Medical University. He joined the military in 1952. He began to write in 1957. He worked at the Văn Nghệ Quân Đội (Military Literature and Arts) magazine and Tiền Phong (Avant-garde) newspaper before retirement in 1983.

He wrote his latest novel Chuyện Ngõ Nghèo (Poor Alley’s Tale) in 2016.

He also translated many works including Nathalie Sarraute’s The Golden Fruits and Jules Verne’s Five Weeks in a Balloon.

National COVID-19 vaccine fund raises over 4.8 trillion VND

The national COVID-19 vaccine fund received more than 4.84 trillion VND (210.2 million USD) worth of donations from 283,169 organisations and individuals as of 5pm on June 12, according to the fund’s management board.

Minister of Finance Ho Duc Phoc said that his ministry commits to transparently publicising the fund’s daily and periodical amounts of donations obtained as well as the spending of the Ministry of Health after each round of the domestic vaccination against COVID-19.

The ministry, which is in charge of the vaccine fund, has established a management board for it at the State Treasury and opened a bank account to receive support from individuals and organisations inside and outside the country.

Vietnam needs 150 million doses of vaccines to administer about 75 percent of its population this year, with total cost amounting to 25.2 trillion VND./.

Phu Quoc fish sauce making becomes national intangible cultural heritage

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recognised the making of fish sauce on Phu Quoc island city in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang as a national intangible cultural heritage in late May, creating a driving force for local residents to maintain and uphold the essence of the traditional craft.

Chairwoman of the Phu Quoc Fish Sauce Association Ho Kim Lien said Phu Quoc’s waters are home to a variety of seaweed and plankton that are major feed sources for anchovies – a key ingredient in its fish sauce.

The craft has existed in Phu Quoc for over 200 years ago. Local residents catch fresh anchovies and salt them before fermenting them in giant wooden barrels.

Fermenting them in wooden barrels is a feature of the traditional craft. The older the barrel is, the more durable it becomes and the better the quality of the fish sauce is.

The barrel has a wide mouth and is made from 55 planks of equal size: 2.2 metres long, 20cm wide, and 6cm thick. The diameter of the barrel mouth is about 3.2 metres and that of the bottom is some 2.6 metres. It is also strapped with green rattan.

Lien said the fish sauce is produced based on traditional methods, with the recipe being three parts anchovy and one salt, and the fermentation period lasts from 10 to 15 months. From the first to final layers, the fish sauce is divided into different types based on their protein levels. The final product has an amber colour and a slight aroma.

With support from the French Embassy in Hanoi in 1998, the Ministry of Fisheries along with Kien Giang province prepared an application for geographical indication. On June 1, 2001, Phu Quoc fish sauce was the first product in Vietnam to secure such status.

In July 2013, the EU granted the “Phu Quoc” origin certificate to the Vietnamese fish sauce.

A month later, the Ministry of Industry and Trade handed over the certificate to representatives of the Phu Quoc island district People’s Committee and the Phu Quoc Fish Sauce Association and it has now become an attractive local tourism product.

Phu Quoc city is now home to around 100 fish sauce makers, mostly in Duong Dong and An Thoi wards. Between now and 2025, it will strive to produce 12 million litres of fish sauce each year on average.

According to Lien, a major difficulty for the industry is that some consumers cannot identify genuine Phu Quoc traditional fish sauce, leading to unstable prices. There is currently no planning for a Phu Quoc fish sauce craft village, so it has not yet become a tourist destination.

The Phu Quoc Fish Sauce Association, founded in October 2000 and with 53 members, will pay attention to developing fish sauce quality to continue promoting its trademark, she said.

The craft is also expected to seek UNESCO world intangible cultural heritage status, contributing to improving its brand value and promoting the image of Phu Quoc island city./.

NA Chairman urges stepping up vaccine strategy

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue has asked for stepping up the vaccine strategy with a specific roadmap and measures to achieve herd immunity, thus laying an important foundation to catch up with the global economy.

Chairing a working session with permanent members of the NA Committee on Social Affairs and several NA organs in Hanoi on June 13, Hue urged the Government to review the efficiency of support packages for laid-off workers and those hit by COVID-19 pandemic to report to the NA in the next meeting.

He reiterated the Politburo’s stance on continuing to realise the dual goals of fighting the pandemic and ensuring macro-economic stability and the safety of finance-banking and public debts.

The leader suggested continuing with the 5K technology message, considering vaccination a strategy; and enhancing international cooperation in seeking vaccine supplies.

In order to effectively perform socio-economic development policies and provide support for those hit by the pandemic, Hue asked the Government to soon issue a growth scenario, accelerate the disbursement of public investment, continue improving business environment, developing private and digital economy, and stimulating domestic demand  while boosting collaboration to effectively direct fiscal-monetary policy, and soon bring the Resolution adopted by the 13th National Party Congress into life.

Lawmakers reported that the NA and its Standing Committee issued nine resolutions and documents to ease difficulties amid the pandemic.

As a result, payment of 99.2 trillion VND (4.3 billion USD) worth of added value tax, corporate and individual income tax, land lease for 57,000 business households and 128,600 firms has been extended, along with 19.3 trillion VND in special consumption tax for automobiles last year./.

Vietnam Young Initiatives forum held virtually

The Vietnam Young Initiatives forum was held virtually on June 12, with Vietnamese students across Europe taking part.

The event also marked the beginning of the Innocity 2021 competition for Vietnamese youths at home and abroad, which was a joint effort between the Vietnamese students’ associations in Europe and the Global Network of Young Vietnamese Intellectuals under the auspices of the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations, the Vietnam Software and IT Services Association, and the Association of the Vietnamese in Europe.

The competition aimed to seek solutions to developing smart cities and urban areas in Vietnam.

Discussions at the event focused on the role of young Vietnamese on innovation and ecological system in Vietnam, and support for Vietnamese at home and abroad in the country’s innovation.

Nguyen Thi Dieu Linh, member of the Vietnam Youth Federation and President of the Vietnamese Students’ Association in the Czech Republic, expressed her hope that new factors will be discovered at the event to contribute to the homeland./.

Nearly 160 wild animals saved in May

The Education for Nature Vietnam (ENV) said as many as 157 wild animals were saved thanks to notice from residents via its hotline in May.

The ENV also reported that there were 299 crime cases related to wildlife were dealt with during the month, adding that it also recorded the 20,000th case since its wildlife protection office and hotline 1800-1522 was launched in 2005.

After receiving notice from the ENV, the Binh Duong provincial forest ranger department received 44 rare and precious turtles, which have already been sent to the Dau Tieng wildlife conservation station in the locality.

EVN Deputy Director Nguyen Thi Phuong Dung expressed her hope that the organisation will continue serving as a bridge to contribute to preventing wildlife trade in the country./.

VGCL delegation presents gifts to pandemic-hit workers in Thanh Hoa

A delegation led by Vice President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) Ngo Duy Hieu visited and presented gifts to workers hit by COVID-19 pandemic at Sakurai Vietnam Co. Ltd in the Le Mon Industrial Park in the central province of Thanh Hoa on June 12.

President of the Thanh Hoa provincial Labour Federation Vo Manh Son said the province has yet to discover any official or worker infected with the coronavirus. Several F1 and F2 cases who finished quarantine have returned to work.

Trade unions distributed 36,300 leaflets to its members and workers to raise their awareness of prevention and control measures as recommended by the Health Ministry. They also directed the establishment of over 2,300 safety teams to fight the pandemic in businesses, particularly in industrial parks.

Son suggested the VGCL soon add workers and trade union employees into the list of those being given priority to vaccination.

Hieu, for his part, asked the provincial trade unions at all levels to continue staying vigilant in the fight against the pandemic.

Firms were also required to adjust distance and work shifts in factories to mitigate possible transmissions.

On the occasion, the delegation presented 100 million VND (4,300 USD) to support trade union members and workers hit by the pandemic./.

Vietnamese-Cambodians obey notice on relocating floating houses

Close to 1,000 households of Cambodians of Vietnamese-origin have followed the Phnom Penh authorities’ June 2 notice on relocating floating houses and fish farming rafts along the Tonle Sap river in seven days.

Accordingly, the group – mostly eking out a living from fishing and cage fish farming – in Chbar Ampov and Prek Pnov districts, among other locations, on June 11 and 12, dismantled their raft houses while waiting for a place to resettle.

Earlier, Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia Vu Quang Minh directly visited and encouraged the people of Vietnamese origin in displaced areas across six districts in Phnom Penh. He also met with leaders of neighbouring Kandal province, saying the embassy is seeking a plan to support the group.

Regarding the matter, the Foreign Ministry’s State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs, meanwhile, discussed with the Cambodian side, proposing Cambodia create favourable conditions and take practical support measures for the group to resettle and ensure their legitimate interests./.

Lao provinces join hands with Vietnam to fight COVID-19

Many Lao provinces have joined hands with the Vietnamese Government and people in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

On June 12, representatives from Phongsaly province’s authorities arrived at the Vietnamese Consulate General in Luang Prabang to present about 15,900 USD in support of Vietnam’s northern provinces of Lai Chau, Son La, Phu Tho, Vinh Phuc, Tuyen Giang and Thai Nguyen.

Earlier on June 11, representatives from Luang Namtha provincial authorities granted nearly 31,900 USD to the Consulate General to assist the northern provinces of Dien Bien, Son La, Phu Tho and Vinh Phuc.

Speaking at the event, the Lao side affirmed great friendship with Vietnam and wished that the Vietnamese localities would soon curb the virus spread and overcome difficulties to restore production and trade for socio-economic development.

Vietnamese Consul General in Luang Prabang Nguyen Dang Hung hailed the deed as a vivid manifestation of the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive partnership between the two countries.

He also vowed to soon send the sum to his homeland to help with pandemic prevention and control./.

Vietnam seeks COVID-19 vaccine technology transfer

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, the Health Ministry has directed units to study and clinically test made-in-Vietnam vaccines while seeking technology transfer from abroad to proactively fight the pandemic in the country.

The ministry’s Administration of Science Technology and Training (ASTT) said on June 12 that two domestic manufacturers are working on COVID-19 vaccines. In particular, Nanocovax by the Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology JSC has been approved for the third stage of clinical trials, which will be carried out by the Military Medical University and the Ho Chi Minh City Pasteur Institute right there and in Hung Yen, Long An and Tien Giang provinces and several qualified units.

About 13,000 people will be chosen for the phase.

Another candidate is COVIVAC by the Nha Trang Institute of Vaccines and Medical Biologicals (IVAC) which is under the first stage of clinical testing. The second stage is scheduled to take place in Thai Binh province.

The IVAC plans to produce about 6 million doses each year while Nanogen expects to manufacture around 20-30 million doses annually.

According to the ASTT, the Health Minister on May 7 issued Decision No.2301/QD-BYT on the establishment of a steering committee for a research programme on COVID-19 vaccine technology transfer and production.

Vingroup negotiated with a US manufacturer to transfer the technology of producing vaccine from mRNA which requires only one shot of 5mg. Its plant will be capable of producing 100-200 million doses each year, starting from the fourth quarter of this year or the first quarter of next year.

At present, the Company for Vaccine and Biological Production No.1 is stepping up negotiations with a Japanese partner to transfer technology to Vietnam.

It also signed a deal with a Russian investment fund for the sale of 5 million doses of Sputnik-V vaccine each month, towards transferring technology with an annual capacity of 100 million doses./.

President Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morality, lifestyle – precious assets: Party chief

President Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morality, and lifestyle are precious spiritual assets of the Vietnamese Party and people, illuminating the revolutionary cause, leading to the victory of the Vietnamese revolution.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made the remarks at the national teleconference reviewing the five-year implementation of the 12-tenure Politburo’s Directive 05-CT-TW on enhancing the studying and following of President Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morality and lifestyle on June 12.

Learning and following the late leader’s thought, morality and lifestyle is a necessary, regular and indispensable task for the entire Party and people, particularly Party organisations, State agencies and officials and Party members.

On behalf of the Party Central Committee, the Party chief welcomed and praised collectives and individuals that stand out in performing this task.

The nation’s revolutionary cause is still facing many difficulties and challenges, he noted, given rapid, complex and unpredictable developments of the national and global situations.

He stressed the importance of continue learning and following the President’s ideology, morality and style, and highlighted the need for officials and Party members to set themselves as good examples for others.

The leader showed his hope that this task will continue to be enhanced in a more substantive and effective manner so as to contribute to the implementation of the 13th National Party Congress’s Resolution as well as the nation building, safeguarding and renewal cause.

The national teleconference also saw the presence of Politburo members: State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, and permanent member of the Party Central Committee’s Scretariat Vo Van Thuong./.

Ca Mau tourism works to adapt to “new normal” situation

The tourism sector of the southernmost province of Ca Mau is taking measures to adapt to the “new normal” situation amid complicated development of the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the fact that it had remained free of COVID-19 so far.

Tourist destinations pay great attention to following the “5K message” of khau trang (facemasks), khu khuan (disinfectant), khoang cach (distancing), khong tu tap (no gatherings), and khai bao y te (health declarations).

Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Tieu Minh Tien said the province has issued a set of criteria to assess safety in COVID-19 prevention and control in the tourism sector, including specific regulations in each category and destination.

The local tourism sector is ready with measures to record new development progress in the near future, he said.

Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Tran Hong Quan said the province has set tourism as one of its economic pillars and identified measures for sustainable development.

The Prime Minister has approved the master plan for Ca Mau Cape national tourism site and the province already has planning for tourist areas such as Khai Long and Hon Da Bac and ecological tourism sites in Tran Van Thoi and U Minh districts.

It has upgraded infrastructure, diversified products at destinations, and actively sought investment in various fields, including tourism.

According to Tien, Ca Mau will step up tourism marketing at home and abroad to promote its land, culture, and people.

It is due to link up with cities and provinces to form tourism product chains in the Mekong Delta and on an inter-regional scale./.

Contributing to strengthening people’s trust in Party, State, regime

The Secretariat of the Party Central Committee on June 12 held a nationwide online conference reviewing the five-year implementation of the 12-tenure Politburo’s Directive 05-CT-TW on enhancing the studying and following of Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morality and style.

General Secretary of the Party Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong attended and chaired the conference, which was also to carry out the 13th-tenure Politburo’s Conclusion 01-KL/TW on continuing the implementation of Directive 05.

The report delivered at the conference stated that this work over the past five years has been seriously and effectively implemented throughout the political system, creating a positive change in awareness and action.

During the implementation process, ministries, departments, sectors and localities have identified breakthroughs to focus on leading, directing and organising effective implementation, thereby promoting socio-economic development, strengthening the people’s confidence in the Party and State; contributing to preventing the deterioration in political ideology, morality, lifestyle as well as “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” manifestations; and actively protecting the ideological foundation of the Party, and refuting wrongful and hostile views.

Over the past five years, educating political theory and the contents of Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morality and style for officials, Party members, members of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and students has been seriously carried out, contributing to improving political level and mettle of officials, Party members and people, especially the young generation.

In addition to the obtainments, the report pointed out shortcomings and limitations that need to be overcome during implementing Directive 05 such as creativity, efficiency, drastic measures, and forms in leadership, direction, organisation of implementation in some areas. The deterioration in political ideology, morality and lifestyle still exists among some officials and Party members, leading to violations of the Party’s regulations with some being disciplined and penalised./.

Joint efforts for a healthy Vietnam

The establishment of the national COVID-19 vaccine fund is a vivid illustration of the nation’s solidarity, enabling each citizen to make a contribution to the formidable fight against the pandemic. All of the funding is being used to win the fight and ensure no one is left behind.

After a long hospital stay for treatment of ameloblastoma (a benign tumour), actor Tran Hoang Long, who goes by the stage name Long Chun and is “TikToker”, thoroughly understands the hardships that doctors and medical staff have endured. He has called for support for Covid-19 hotspot Bac Giang province over the past days, while making a small contribution to the vaccination fund and spreading the message behind the fund.

Meanwhile, for scientists like Dr Dang Minh Tuan, support for the fund is not just about material contributions. He said he wanted to spread the fund’s message in an effective fashion, with many number “9s” in his donation.

At the epicentre of the latest COVID-19 outbreak and facing formidable challenges, many local people in Bac Giang province are taking up the COVID-19 fight and stand ready to make a contribution to the fund.

The vaccination fund is a vivid illustration of national solidarity in the fight against the pandemic. Information about the fund and its significance should be distributed to call on the national strength.

During tough times, Vietnamese people have shown their resilience and solidarity. Everyone believes that no one will be left behind in this fight, and each citizen will receive COVID-19 vaccine shots./.

Firms violating COVID-19 prevention rules must be suspended: Deputy PM

Businesses that have failed to meet COVID-19 prevention and control requirements must be suspended, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said at a meeting in Hanoi on June 11.

Dam, who is also head of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, asked enterprises to arrange work shifts to make it easier for quarantine in case of infections.

Once COVID-19 cases are found at industrial parks, testing results must be produced within a day to accelerate contact tracing and quarantine, the official requested.

He asked localities to use different testing methods for different groups of people, and implement the quarantine and lock-down work flexibly and creatively.

According to the Deputy PM, all of the workers who are at the high risk of infection would be vaccinated against the coronavirus in July, while the inoculation for employees at industrial parks nationwide is expected to be completed in August.

At the meeting, leaders of localities with industrial parks like Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Long An, Tay Ninh and Ba Ria-Vung Tau said they have drawn up scenarios for COVID-19 infections in the industrial parks.

Nguyen Huong Giang, Chairwoman of the People’s Committee of northern Bac Ninh province, which has been hit hard by the pandemic, said relevant forces should quickly take actions in contact tracing and sealing off pandemic clusters, while focusing on testing.

She also stressed the significance of screen testing to detecting COVID-19 cases at industrial parks.

Le Anh Duong, Chairwoman of the neighbouring province of Bac Giang, also stricken by the pandemic, pointed out major causes of transmission at industrial parks, and suggested other localities prepare on-the-spot plans, especially improving testing capacity./.

Storm Koguma weakens into tropical depression, no damage reported

Storm Koguma, the second storm to hit Việt Nam this year, weakened into a tropical depression on Sunday after reaching the central province of Nghệ An.

The storm caused heavy rainfall and thunderstorms in the northern region, including Hà Nội, and in the central provinces from Thanh Hóa to Quảng Trị.

No casualties or property damage were reported.

High school entrance exam sitters in Hà Nội had a difficult commute to their test venues on Sunday because of the rain.

Risks of flash floods and landslides were forecast in the northern provinces of Hòa Bình, Sơn La, Lào Cai, Yên Bái, Phú Thọ, Tuyên Quang, Thái Nguyên, Quảng Ninh, Lạng Sơn, Lai Châu and Điện Biên, as well as the central provinces from Thanh Hóa to Hà Tĩnh.

Moderate and heavy rainfall was forecast to continue in the northwest region Monday morning.

The Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control has been collaborating with the Directorate of Fisheries and the Border Guard Command to keep track of fishing vessels at seas, as well as maintaining communication with fishermen to help them avoid the storm.

Local authorities were tasked with ensuring safety at dyke constructions and keep track of water levels in paddy fields at low-lying, urban areas and industrial parks to avoid sudden floods.

Singer presents music video dedicated to LGBT community

Two years after leaving Vietnamese showbiz to head to the US to study, singer Hương Tràm has surprised her fans by releasing a music video Đong Tình (Flirting) touching on LGBT issues.

A project with songwriter Tú Dưa, a former member of the once-famous boyband Quả Dưa Hấu (The Watermelon), the video is about a love triangle between a woman and two men.

On the conception of the video, the singer said that since she was a child, she felt she was more sensitive than her peers.

“I could recognise some friends who had different and extremely sensitive hearts. To this day, they are still my best friends and my loyal audience, who are always by my side,” she said.

“My video depicts the pain and sacrifice of people who still haven’t been accepted widely by the whole of society,” Tràm said.

Aiming to present a message that “love is among any of us and regardless of gender and social class”, the video is for music lovers as well as anyone who supports equality, she said.

“The music video has premiered in Pride Month, after two years without any music product, I hope it would not make my audience disappointed,” Hương Tràm said.

In the video, the singer plays the role of a wife who learns her husband is in love with a male colleague. The video features her pain and the experience of the two men and the pain they feel at having to keep their love hidden.

The video took the singer and her English-speaking team three days to film.

“The biggest challenge for me during the filming process was probably the language barrier. I’ve been in the US for two years. Everything is new for me, including the language. I couldn’t have done the shooting without the help of young friends I met here in the US,” the singer said.

According to songwriter Tú Dưa, the recording process faced several obstacles due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the geographical distance between Việt Nam and the US.

“The pop ballad song was recorded when Hương Tràm flew back to Việt Nam. The recording was given to four different musicians for arrangement. The singer then selected the best version to bring to the US for mastering,” Tú Dưa revealed.

Before working on this project, in 2018, the songwriter also composed the hit Duyên Mình Lỡ (Hopeless Love) for Hương Tràm.

His ballads presenting delicate and romantic lyrics have helped his former Quả Dưa Hấu bandmate Tuấn Hưng have a solid reputation in Việt Nam’s contemporary music scene.

He also composed the song Giữ Lại Hạnh Phúc (Hold Back the Happiness) for singer Thu Phương.

Born in 1995 in Vinh City in the central province of Nghệ An, Hương Tràm won the first season of The Voice Vietnam in 2012. A year later, in 2013, she bagged the Việt Nam’s Devotion Music Award for ‘The New Artist of the Year’.

Her video Em Gái Mưa (The Rainy Girl) brought the singer the second Devotion Award for ‘The MV of the Year’ in 2018. In the same year, she was given the Best Asian Artist Vietnam title at the Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) 2018 in Hong Kong.

New songs honour frontline forces battling pandemic

As Việt Nam is facing the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, new music productions have been released to honour frontline forces.

Tỏa Sáng Việt Nam (Việt Nam Shines Bright) is a new song by young singer and songwriter Bùi Công Nam to show his love and gratitude to health workers and frontline workers who are working day and night to take care of and protect the community.

The song has meaningful lyrics combined with a joyful melody that bring faith and joy to people.

Nam said: “The song reflects my pride as a Vietnamese. I expect Vietnamese people to keep strong together to overcome the challenging time and make Việt Nam shine.”

The song features the voices of Nam, singer Miu Lê and rapper GDucky.

GDucky, runner-up of TV reality show Rap Việt 2020, wrote rap lyrics for the song, calling on people to fight against the pandemic, donate to the national COVID-19 vaccine fund, and praise the solidarity and bravery of frontline forces and Vietnamese people.

The MV contains beautiful images of healthcare workers across the country working to protect people, as well as charity activities such as Việt Nam Red Cross Society’s campaign to help farmers in pandemic-hit localities sell agricultural products, and “rice ATMs” to support the poor across the country.

MV Tỏa Sáng Việt Nam was released on YouTube on June 4, and has earned more than 517,000 views and hundreds of compliments for its emotional lyrics.

Singer and songwriter Nam was born in 1994 in the Tây Nguyên (Central Highlands) province of Đắk Lắk.

He became popular after competing in Bài Hát Hay Nhất (Sing My Song), a TV reality show about original songs, launched by the Việt Nam Television in 2016. His music is pop, ballad and country.

He won Song of the Year at the 2019 Cống Hiến (Devotion) Awards given by Thể Thao & Văn Hóa (Sports & Culture) with his song Có Ai Thương Em Như Anh (Nobody Loves You As I Do).

This year, he became a hit on social media in Việt Nam after joining  Xuân Hạ Thu Đông Rồi Lại Xuân (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, and Spring), a TV reality show showcasing street performances of favourite Vietnamese singers.

Its videos, which screen live performances on HCM City streets, have earned tens of millions of views on YouTube.

Lieutenant Colonel Vũ Thị Huyền Ngọc of the cultural house of the Việt Nam Border Guard’s Political Department has released a song Lời Ru Nơi Tuyến Đầu (Lullabies at Frontline) as a gift to the country’s heroes who are sacrificing to protect the people.

Ngọc said she wrote the song to honour motherhood after seeing a baby girl cry when she saw on TV her mother, a doctor sent to Bắc Giang Province, a hotspot of the latest COVID-19 outbreak.

“As a mother, I cried at this beautiful image,” Ngọc said.

The song also expressed her gratitude to her women colleagues and frontline forces who left their families and children to fulfil their duties.

Lời Ru Nơi Tuyến Đầu is Ngọc’s third motivational song during the pandemic, along with songs Vì Nơi Ấy Có Anh (Because You’re Here) and Nếu Anh Không Về (If You Don’t Return).

As recognition for her contribution to the fight against the pandemic, the General Department of Politics under the Việt Nam People’s Army last year granted Ngọc a certificate of merit for studying and following President Hồ Chí Minh’s thought, morality and lifestyle.

Experts call on community to keep donating blood

Health experts have called on the community to maintain blood donation activities to ensure blood sources for emergency aid and treatment at hospitals on the occasion of World Blood Donor Day (June 14).

President of the Việt Nam Red Cross Society and Permanent Deputy Head of the National Steering Committee for Voluntarily Blood Donation Mobilisation, Nguyễn Thị Xuân Thu, said that COVID-19 seriously impacted blood donation mobilisation and collection activities.

“On this occasion, we call on those who are healthy enough to donate blood, which is the responsibility and sacred duty of every citizen. I also request the Steering Committees at all levels and relevant authorities to honour and praise typical examples of blood donation and mobilise relatives and friends to participate in blood donation, especially amid the COVID-19 outbreak in the community,” said Thu.

The appeal was made as blood shortages have occurred across the country due to a decline in blood donors amid the COVID-19 pandemic spreading in many provinces and cities nationwide.

“Each unit of blood is valuable as a lifebuoy for the patient. I want each person to stay healthy so that they can keep a regular blood donation rhythm and to give patients the safest blood source,” said the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion director Bạch Quốc Khánh.

Khánh said the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected blood donation activities and blood transfusion safety globally as well as in Việt Nam. Despite challenges of organising blood donations during the pandemic, millions of people around the world still continue to make efforts to donate blood, including blood for treating COVID-19 patients.

“Over one million blood donations in our country in 2020 and tens of thousands of people who came to donate blood during the COVID-19 outbreak have shown the community’s responsibility in helping the health sector overcome the blood shortage,” said Khánh.

“I’m very happy to say that all blood donors are safe and none tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Ensuring the safety of blood donors, medical staff and blood recipients is always the number one priority of blood transfusion facilities,” added Khánh.

On the occasion, 100 outstanding blood donors across the country will be honoured for their contribution to the country’s blood donation mobilisation movement, 14 of them have donated blood 50 times or more. Huỳnh Thanh Hùng from HCM City has donated blood 74 times, followed by Nguyễn Hoàng Nhơn also from HCM City with 70 blood donations, Phan Vũ Quốc Chinh from HCM City donated blood 64 times, Nguyễn Văn Lâm from Trà Vinh Province 63 times and Nguyễn Văn Nguyên from Hà Nội 60 times. They have donated a total 3,220 units.

With the theme “Give blood and keep the world beating”, World Blood Donor Day aims to raise global awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products for transfusion and of the critical contribution voluntary, unpaid blood donors make to national health systems.

The day also provides an opportunity to call governments and national health authorities to provide adequate resources and put into place systems and infrastructure to increase the collection of blood from voluntary, non-remunerated blood donors.

On this occasion, the World Health Organisation also called on the Government, health sector and blood transfusion services of countries to ensure sufficient resources and facilities to ensure the quality and effectiveness of blood collection.

In Việt Nam, the health sector has received more than 1.4 million blood units, equivalent to nearly 1.5 per cent of the population participating in blood donation; in which, 99 per cent of blood came from voluntary blood donors. In the first five months of 2021, blood donation campaigns such as the Red Spring Festival and the All People’s Voluntary Blood Donor Day (April 7), the whole country collected nearly 425,000 blood units.

HCM City sets up working group to buy COVID-19 vaccines

HCM City authorities have set up a working team responsible for buying COVID-19 vaccines for at least two-thirds of its population by year-end, said Nguyễn Thành Phong, chairman of the People’s Committee, during an online meeting on June 11.

Speaking about the city’s economic development in the first five months of the year, Phong said the city would speed up the vaccination drive by encouraging the business community to connect with suppliers.

The city had achieved “remarkable results” in its implementation of its “dual goal” of maintaining the economy while applying strict COVID preventive measures in the first five months, he said.

“The city will continue its flexible economic management and pandemic prevention measures.”

Since the fourth wave that began in late April, the city has detected more than 630 locally transmitted cases, ranking third in the country. The cases have been mostly related to the Gò Vấp District cluster.

Phong said the outbreak was basically under control, but warned that the situation remained unpredictable because infection chains without known sources of infection continue to occur.

The city will continue to take serious measures to contain the spread. It has banned religious and group activities, suspended citizen-identification granting procedures, and postponed the entrance exam for 10th grade until further notice, among other social-distancing measures.

The city plans to offer another support package for companies and workers affected by the outbreak, according to Phong.

Since the beginning of 2021, some 1,365 firms in the city have been affected, with more than 42,500 workers losing their jobs, according to the Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.

More than 400 companies are in urgent need of preferential loans for wage payments to workers to maintain their business operations.

More than 2,270 enterprises completed dissolution procedures in the first five months of the year (up 4.99 per cent year-on-year), and 9,308 enterprises temporarily suspended operations (up 22.99 per cent year-on-year).

Phong said the city would also set up a working group to speed up the progress of major traffic projects.

The city had asked the Department of Transport to report on seaport toll collection to the People’s Committee, and would continue to accelerate implementation of digital transformation and smart city projects. It would also strengthen fire and explosion prevention measures.

Lê Thị Huỳnh Mai, director of the Department of Planning and Investment, said the city’s total retail sales of consumer goods and services in the first five months were up 8.9 per cent year-on-year. Accommodation and catering service sales increased in the period by 30.8 per cent year-on-year.

Exports reached $19.63 billion in the first five months, up 15.1 per cent year-on-year. Total state budget revenue was estimated at more than VNĐ174 trillion, up 22.8 per cent year-on-year.

Of the figure, exports of hi-tech products at the Saigon Hi-Tech Park reached $8.37 billion in the first five months, up 26.5 per cent year-on-year.

The industrial production index (IIP) increased by 7.4 per cent over the same period. As many as 6,461 enterprises resumed operation in the period.

HCM City opens two more COVID-19 treatment health facilities

The 500-bed Củ Chi COVID-19 Treatment Hospital in HCM City’s Củ Chi District on June 12 was officially put into use, and the COVID-19 Treatment Unit at Phạm Ngọc Thạch Hospital in District 5 will open on the 13th.

Human resources for these facilities are health officials from departments of contagious diseases, resuscitation, and emergency services at the city’s major hospitals.

The facilities will help the city adapt to the ongoing COVID outbreak. The Hospital for Tropical Diseases said three of its staff were suspected of having contracted COVID-19. This will be confirmed later by the Ministry of Health.

The Hospital for Tropical Diseases is temporarily locked down for tracing contacts and stamping out the spread. However, the hospital continues providing reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests for diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 patients who are staying there.

On the same day, the city Department of Health sent an urgent dispatch about health staff compliance with regulations on COVID-19 prevention and control after working hours.

To minimize the risk of cross-infection in hospitals and from outside hospitals, the department has instructed the directors of hospitals to urgently ask their employees to improve their self-discipline in COVID-19 prevention and control.

Health staff should always comply with the Ministry of Health’s 5k message:  masks – disinfection – distance – no mass gathering – health declarations. They should also wear masks during working hours.

Moreover, after working hours at hospitals, health staff should stay at home and limit contact with their neighbours and friends.

The city has recorded small COVID-19 clusters in its districts. Besides the transmission risk from COVID-19 patients who visit hospitals, health staff face other transmission risks from outside and could transmit the virus to their colleagues.

Two of the three staff at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases who may have contracted COVID-19 live in Hóc Môn District and the other resides in Bình Tân District.

Cancer patient dies of COVID-related complications

A woman being treated for lung cancer has died of COVID-related complications. She is the 58th fatality in Việt Nam.

The 64-year-old who lives in Hà Nội’s Ứng Hòa District was undergoing chemotherapy at the capital’s K Hospital when she tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 on May 14.

She received treatment for the virus but because of her pre-existing illness, her immune system was weak and she failed to respond to medication.

The woman died on June 11 and her cause of death has been recorded as septic shock and pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2 in lung cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Researchers propose measures for a successful vaccination strategy

Independent Vietnamese researchers from the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, Australia, have proposed four measures for a successful vaccination strategy in the face of the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak in Việt Nam.

Nguyễn Thu Anh, the country director of the institute, said vaccination is the key solution for the country to escape from the pandemic, get back to normal and be able to open its borders.

“A successful vaccination campaign is one that will be conducted widely, quickly, safely and effectively,” she said.

Anh, together with her colleague, Ngô Hoàng Anh, recommended four key measures to launch a successful campaign.

Better capacity

First, they called for decentralisation, digitisation and improvement of capacity in handling vaccine-related side effects to speed up inoculation.

Vaccination speed is an important factor affecting the vaccine allocation decision of the COVAX Facility. In addition, the shelf life of vaccine batches provided through this programme is usually about half to two-thirds shorter than the shelf life specified by the company. Therefore, rapid vaccination not only protects people but also determines the number of vaccines the country receives.

The nation’s biggest advantage in COVID-19 prevention and control is the grassroots health system, which includes about 11,000 ward/commune-level health stations.

To rapidly increase vaccination capacity, it is necessary to take full advantage of this by decentralisation of the inoculation programme to the grassroots level, training health workers on anaphylaxis management with the support of mobile ambulance from district or provincial hospitals, and digitising the vaccination workflow, Thu Anh said.

Digitisation is not only convenient for the future deployment of vaccine passports but also helps optimise resources.

People could access a vaccination registration website to declare personal information and make a medical declaration before vaccination. Healthy people with a low risk of side effects can be classified into the safe group and register for vaccination at the commune health station where they are residing. As a result, the commune/ward health station can prepare for vaccination sessions by contacting registered people via text message.

“People at risk of side effects of the vaccine such as a history of anaphylaxis, a history of blood clotting disorders, etc. could be classified into groups that need careful monitoring, and registered for vaccination according to the list of hospitals,” said Thu Anh.

After vaccination, people could be provided with a certificate with full information such as the type of vaccine injected, number of shots, batch number, date of vaccination along with a QR code to access the electronic history. Vaccination information could also be linked to Government-issued anti-COVID applications such as Bluezone, VHD and the National TMCR system to issue vaccine passports.

“Looking at the data of developed countries, we find that after the first 2-3 months of the survey, these countries will vaccinate at an average rate of about 0.5-1 per cent of the population/day. Thus, with 11,000 primary health stations, eight working hours/day, five to six patients/hour and one injection course at a time, if there is no disruption to the supply chain, we have the capacity and facilities to inject about 0.5 per cent of the population or 500,000 doses/day. At this time, to get herd immunity, it will take us a full year, that is, until the third or fourth quarter of 2022,” Thu Anh said.

Effective vaccines

The second recommendation is to use highly effective vaccines.

“The selection of the right vaccine directly affects the effectiveness of the vaccination campaign in controlling of the pandemic in the community. Early or late opening of the border depends on our choice,” Thu Anh said.

Researchers suggested vaccines be divided into two groups.

Group 1 would feature vaccines that have been widely used, have clear clinical trial data, are deployed in many countries on a large scale, and have a full side effect record system such as Pfizer – BioNTech, Moderna, Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca), Novavax and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson).

Group 2 would have vaccines proven to be effective but need more evidence as well as testing with new variants such as Sputnik V, Sinopharm BBIBP – CorV and Sinovac.

“Priority should be given to vaccines that have been shown to be highly effective against the virus variants that have been reported as well as the variant of concern that have been reported elsewhere,” she said.

This table shows the final model inputs for vaccine efficacy at preventing disease and infection, by vaccine and variant type. Source: The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), University of Washington.

Adjusting the plan

The third recommendation is changing the domestic COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan due to current inconsistencies.

According to Decision 1210/2021, issued on February 9, people over 65 years of age and people with chronic diseases are among 11 priority groups for vaccination against COVID-19 in Việt Nam.

However, in Decision 1624/2021 issued more than a month later, on provisional guidelines for pre-vaccination screening, these two groups were listed as subject to delay or caution in vaccination.

According to WHO recommendations, priority populations for vaccination include those at high risk of dying from the disease, such as the elderly and those with underlying/chronic medical conditions.

Therefore, in any country in the first phase of vaccination, in addition to staff involved in pandemic prevention, the old, the sick and pregnant women should be next.

Trials

The last recommendation is to conduct clinical trials in high-risk areas.

Locally produced vaccines are entering different stages of clinical trials, including Nanocovax in phase 3 in early June, and IVAC in phase 1/2.

While the current outbreak posing a significant challenge to the health system, this is also a “golden” opportunity for Việt Nam to see the effectiveness of vaccines researched in the country, Hoàng Anh said.

Testing at the epicentre of the outbreak also creates a real test for large-scale, mass-production capabilities before being approved for emergency use on a scale of up to tens of millions of doses.

“Conducting a vaccination campaign that can be said to be the largest in history can be very difficult. Just we take one wrong step, such as the selection of an ineffective vaccine, slow, unsafe vaccination, etc., the pandemic can completely return and erupt more violently. Therefore, we must at the same time be quick, but decisive and precise,” Hoàng Anh said.

Việt Nam’s preparation

Minister of Health Nguyễn Thanh Long said Việt Nam is promoting the purchase of technology, receiving technology transfer for vaccine production to be able to produce vaccines to serve domestic demand.

The clinical trials of Vietnamese COVID-19 vaccine candidate Nano Covax are set to enter Phase 3 this month, aiming to further test the safety and efficacy of the vaccine in humans before mass production.

Another domestic vaccine contender, Covivac from the Institute of Vaccines and Biological Medical (IVAC), is preparing for Phase 1 trial data to be reviewed by the Ministry of Health and could start Phase 2 around late June or early July.

Another locally-developed COVID-19 vaccine, from Vabiotech, is in pre-clinical trials on animals, and another from Polyvac (the Centre for Research and Production of Vaccines and Biologicals, under the Ministry of Health) is still under laboratory research.

Regarding plans for vaccine rollout when more doses are available, Phạm Quang Thái, head of the northern regional office of the National Expanded Programme on Immunisation, said the current system will be used.

“We have everything ready with the current national expanded programme on immunisation, so once the vaccines are here, we’ll just apply the same model,” he said.

Source: VNA/VNS/VOV/VIR/SGT/Nhan Dan/Hanoitimes