Ministry

Ngụy Thị Khanh, former head of NGO GreenID and known for advocating the reduction of coal-fired power in Vietnam, was handed a prison sentence for economic crimes, not her environmental activism, spokesperson for the foreign ministry Lê Thị Thu Hằng said on Thursday. Ngụy Thị Khanh, director of Vietnam’s Green Innovation and Development Centre (GreenID), has been arrested for tax fraud. — Photo courtesy of Hanoi Police During the regular press briefing held in Hanoi, Hằng said that on June 17, the People's Court of Hanoi opened a first-instance trial and had subsequently sentenced the 46-year-old Ngụy Thị Khanh to 24 months in prison for tax evasion under Article 200 of the Penal Code. She was arrested earlier in February by the Hanoi's police. The investigation and trial process were conducted in accordance with the provisions of law, Hằng said, adding that the trial was held in public and the defendant’s rights were fully guaranteed as prescribed by … [Read more...] about Environmentalist prosecuted for tax evasion, not her activism: Foreign ministry

A cashew processing workshop in Vietnam (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang gave more details about how Vietnam reclaimed cashew nut containers that its exporters previously lost control of in Italy. Talking to reporters at the ministry’s regular press meeting on June 23, she said the Ministry of Industry and Trade had provided information about this issue on June 20. For the Foreign Ministry’s part, under the Prime Minister’s directions, it coordinated closely with relevant ministries and sectors to examine, clarify causes, and assist the domestic companies concerned to deal with the case. She noted the Vietnamese Embassy in Italy also worked with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs , Ministry of Economic Development, financial police, and related agencies in Italy to promote the settlement and minimise losses to Vietnamese firms. All the cashew nut containers involved in the suspected scam in Italy have been … [Read more...] about Spokeswoman notes Foreign Ministry’s moves to help recover cashew containers from suspected scam in Italy

Illustrative image. (Photo: Getty Images) She made the statement at a regular press briefing held in Hanoi while responding to reporters’ question on Vietnam's response to the risk of the monkeypox epidemic, which has been spreading around the world, including Singapore and the Republic of Korea. "Being aware of this issue and the need to protect people's safety, and with global cases of monkeypox continuing, the Ministry of Health has sent a document to relevant agencies and localities suggesting strengthened surveillance, prevention and early detection of cases at border gates and medical facilities, especially those returning from countries where the disease has been reported,” she said. Communication campaigns have been launched to raise people's awareness about the disease as well as prevention and control measures, Hang added. The Vietnamese press has continued to update information on disease prevention and control. Authorities will continue to coordinate with the … [Read more...] about No monkeypox cases recorded in Vietnam so far: Foreign Ministry

Many fishing boats stay ashore because of increase in petroleum and oil In this official dispatch, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said that in the past time, the fishing industry has played an important role in the development of our country's agriculture, the fishing output in 2021 will reach 3.92 million tons and seafood export turnover reached US$3.435 billion. The fishing industry has offered employment for more than 600,000 fishermen directly and nearly 4 million workers in coastal fisheries services. Additionally, fishing vessels at sea also play an important role in protecting the country's sovereignty over the sea and islands. However, from December 2021 up to now, gasoline and oil prices have continuously increased and are expected to continue to have complicated developments in the near future, strongly affecting production, business, and daily life and social security of the people, including the coastal fishing community and the fishing … [Read more...] about Ministry proposes support for fishermen

The constant rise in fuel prices has caused up to 55 percent of 99,000 fishing boats throughout Vietnam to stay ashore to avoid losses, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, which is calling for financial supports for fishermen. Fuel has become a so huge expense that many fishermen in the country are having trouble making a living. Gasoline and oil demand for fishing activities averages out at 330 million liters per month, according to the agriculture ministry, while the price of diesel 0.05S, the main fuel for fishing vessels, has spiked by 65 percent, or VND11,441 (US$0.49) per litter, since December 2021. In total, fuel costs needed to maintain normal fishing activities have skyrocketed by about VND3.776 trillion ($162.4 million) a month. While fuel costs usually account for 45-60 percent of fishing expenses, the other costs have also increased by 10-15 percent, raising the total expenses by 35-48 percent on average. Meanwhile, the increase in … [Read more...] about Vietnam agriculture ministry urges aid for fishermen as rising fuel prices keep them ashore

All agencies are asked to continue administering booster doses for those 18 and above, and complete second doses for those aged 5 -12 in August. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - The Ministry of Health has issued its latest guidance on COVID-19 vaccinations, which asks all agencies to continue administering booster doses for those 18 and above, and complete second doses for those aged 5-12 within August. The rollout of fourth doses should also be expedited for those aged 18 and above who require it. Authorities should also make plans for the administration of third doses for children aged 12 -17 years old. Additional dose The guidance clearly states that an additional dose (not the third dose) is given to those aged 18 or older, including people with moderate and severe immunodeficiency, such as people undergoing cancer treatment. These groups include organ transplant recipients who are taking immunosuppressive drugs; people receiving T-cell antibody receptor … [Read more...] about Health ministry issues latest guidance on COVID-19 vaccination

The ministry said it is collecting opinions from other ministries and departments on a draft report on measures to combat Covid-19 in the "new normal" situation for submission to the government. The latest assessment comes more than two months after the PM had asked the health ministry to work on declaring Covid-19 an endemic. The ministry said that from March until now, the number of new Covid-19 cases and deaths has "stably decreased," and the number officially registered with the national database has stayed at fewer than 1,000 cases each day in recent times while the death rate has fallen to 0.06 percent of the total number of infections. Vietnam has covered almost 80 percent of its 96-million population with two vaccine doses; and the group of those from five years old are to receive the second doses within June. Despite this, the ministry said it was not the right time for Vietnam to consider Covid-19 endemic because the novel coronavirus is constantly changing and it is … [Read more...] about Not time yet to declare end of Covid-19: health ministry

Dengue fever patients (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Health has asked for more drastic measures to curb the spread of dengue fever, given a high number of new cases recorded recently. According to the ministry, since the beginning of this year to June 24, Vietnam had reported around 77,000 dengue fever cases, up more than 10,000 cases compared to that in the previous week, and 30 fatalities. This time is the peak of the disease, with the southern region and several central localities being the hotbeds. In that context, the ministry has issued a lot of guidance documents asking localities to make efforts to prevent the disease, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic is not over. The ministry has sent seven delegations to inspect and direct dengue fever prevention in the hotbeds in June and July. On June 27, Deputy Minister Nguyen Truong Son led a working delegation to inspect the work in Ho Chi Minh City. As of June 24, the city alone had recorded … [Read more...] about Health Ministry requests vigilance over increase in dengue fever cases

COVID-19 has yet to become an endemic illness and will not be downgraded from an ‘especially dangerous’ infectious disease to a lower level despite the declining number of infections, according to the latest announcement by the Vietnamese Ministry of Health. Although the disease’s mortality rate recorded across Vietnam has sharply decreased from 1.03 percent in January to 0.06 percent in May, it has yet to reach zero while many serious cases are still being monitored and treated, the ministry noted. Vietnam has recorded a total of five variants of the coronavirus since December 2019 while the Omicron variant has mutated into five sub-variants within the past six months, implying the emergence of a new lineage that can potentially cause a surge in infections and mortalities due to their ability to dodge immunity. Therefore, the ministry decided not to lower the severity classification of COVID-19 from an ‘especially dangerous’ infectious disease to a ‘dangerous’ one at present. … [Read more...] about COVID-19 is not endemic yet: Vietnam health ministry

COVID-19 testing (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Health has proposed considering COVID-19 a Group A infectious disease , not an endemic disease in its latest draft on COVID-19 prevention and control measures in the new situation. Per the draft, Vietnam is still in the transition period between pandemic prevention and sustainable management. Regarding the reason why COVID-19 has not been considered an endemic disease in Vietnam yet, the Ministry of Health said that most countries in the world are in a state of unstable cases and deaths, with an erratic increase and decrease trend when new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus appear. At the same time, acquired immunity (due to vaccines and infection) has not been stable for a long time and decreases over time. As a result, the application of epidemic prevention and control measures should be flexible and gradually moves towards the "new normal". The announcement of the end of the COVID-19 pandemic in … [Read more...] about Health Ministry yet to consider COVID-19 endemic disease