VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES FEBRUARY 22
16:30
The Mekong Delta
province of Ca Mau plans to convert this year nearly 2,000ha of unproductive
rice paddies into fields where rice and aquatic species are rotated or
perennial crops are grown. Contaminated Abbott milk
products recalled in Vietnam The Vietnam Food Administration has
requested that the local distributor of Abbott products urgently recall some
powdered baby formulas after receiving warnings from the International Food
Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) about bacterial infections in infants
who consumed these products. The Vietnam Food Administration (VFA)
is also alerting Vietnamese consumers on the need to avoid purchasing or
using certain powdered infant formula products, encouraging them to
immediately notify local authorities when detecting the products on the
market. As a result of this, Abbott Nutrition,
a popular baby food manufacturer, has announced that it was voluntarily
recalling three types of infant formula after four babies became sick with
bacterial infections after consuming the products. According to the US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), the recall includes select lots of Similac, Alimentum,
and EleCare formulas that had been manufactured at an Abbott facility in
Sturgis based in Michigan. The FDA said three of the complaints
concerned Cronobacter sakazakii, a bacterium that can cause severe or
life-threatening infections, or inflammation of the membranes that protects
the brain and spine. In addition, Cronobacter infection may also cause bowel
damage and may spread through the blood to other parts of the body. Affected products have a code
beginning with first two digits of 22 through 37 and containing K8, SH, or
Z2. They also have an expiration date of April 1, 2022, or later. However, liquid baby formula and all other
products produced by Abbott Nutrition are not affected. Health Ministry reports
46,880 new infections, 104 fatalities The Health Ministry announced the
detection of 46,880 new COVID-19 infections across 62 cities and provinces on
February 21, marking a fall of 331 cases from the previous day. Hanoi continues to lead the way in
terms of the number of infections with 5,477 cases, followed by the northern
provinces Bac Ninh with 2,582 and Phu Tho with 1,908. The Ministry of Health also confirmed
104 COVID-19 deaths on the same day, duly raising the national death toll to
39,605. The same day also saw 13,235 patients
recover from the virus to take the number of recoveries to over 2.294
million. Close to 191.7 million doses of
vaccine have been vaccinated as of February 21, of which more than 75.4
million people have been fully inoculated. Do Thi Ha receives most likes
on fanpage of Miss World An introductory post about Do Thi Ha,
the nation’s representative at Miss World, has received the most likes and
shares on the beauty pageant’s official Facebook page. So far, the post has
reached a total of 45,000 likes, 5,800 comments, and 7,600 shares on the
social media site. In the post, Miss World said Do Thi
Ha, who is currently a student at the National Economics University, has
dreams of one day becoming a successful entrepreneur with her own health care
and range of beauty products. The Facebook page stressed that after
a period of extreme weather in October, 2020, caused devastating damage, Ha
decided to launch Peaceful Houses as a means of helping the community of Tra
Don rebuild their homes. She was able to successfully secure
funding to reconstruct a total of 18 houses that had been damaged during the
natural disaster, whilst she also provided food and supplies desperately
needed by the community. Furthermore, the Miss World fanpage
also called on fans to help the Vietnamese beauty reach the Top 12 of the
70th Miss World by supporting her in the Miss World Digital Media Challenge. To engage with Do Thi Ha and promote
her stories, fans can visit her individual website at
https://www.missworld.com/2021/vietnam/do-thi-ha/. Quang Binh attracts tourists
through exploration tours The central province of Quang Binh has
welcomed over 33,000 visitors in the opening days of the New Year, attracting
a large number of tourists by offering exploration tours, according to Phong
Nha - Ke Bang Tourism Centre. One of the main activities is to allow
tourists to explore the mysterious Phong Nha cave by kayaking. Hoang Trung Thanh, deputy head of the
Sales Department under the Phong Nha - Ke Bang Tourism Center, revealed that
the new tours contribute to diversifying different types of tourism to help
visitors explore the cave at night. Dang Dong Ha, deputy director of the
provincial Tourism Department, emphasized that the locality aims to welcome
approximately two million visitors this year, including 10,000 international
visitors. German film festival 2022
available online The German film festival 2022 is
available online from February 20 to March 31, with an expectation that it
will bring the best of German cinema to audiences based in the Southeast
Asian region, including Vietnam. This comes after a total of eight
Goethe-Institutes in Southeast Asia have come together to jointly organise an
online film festival called KinoFest for the first time. German films of various genres are
screened online, including Freies Land, Undine, The Cleaners, and Curveball. The films will be available for free
of charge at https://kinofest22.goethe-on-demand.de/, with each of them have
Indonesian, Thai, Burmese, Vietnamese, or English subtitles. The festival aims to help audiences in
the region to gain a greater insight into Germany’s people and landscape
while also ensuring COVID-19 prevention measures. Gia Han crowned Miss Teen
International Vietnam 2021 Ngo Ngoc Gia Han, 16, surpassed 35
other contestants to become winner of the Miss Teen International Vietnam
2021 as the pageant concluded on February 20 in Ho Chi Minh City. In the grand final of the competition,
the Top 35 contestants aged between 13 and 19 participated in an Ao Dai
(traditional long dress), evening gown, and presentation competition. Moving forward, the Ho Chi Minh City
native will go on to compete at the Miss Teen International 2022 pageant
which is set to be held in the Philippines in July. Furthermore, organisers also awarded
the Miss United Nations Pageants Vietnam title to Nguyen Trang Nguyet Minh. She will now represent the country by
competing in the Miss United Nations Pageants 2022 hosted by Vietnam. Quarantine for fully vaccinated
COVID-19 contacts shortened to five days People who get at least two shots of
COVID-19 vaccines and have close contact with COVID-19 patients will be
quarantined for five days instead of seven days as previously, according to
the Ministry of Health. In a document sent to localities and
agencies on February 21, the ministry said the people should receive the
final dose at least 14 days before or recover from the disease within three
months. They will be quarantined at home, lodging facilities or qualified
establishments, the document said. Those who are unvaccinated or
partially vaccinated will be quarantined for seven days at home, lodging
facilities and other establishments, and test for COVID-19 on the seventh day
of the quarantine. They would be under medical self-monitoring for the next
three days if the result is negative. For COVID-19 patients, their home
quarantine and treatment will be removed after seven days and their antigen
test result is negative. If the test result is positive, the
quarantine will be extended for another 10 days for patients fully vaccinated
and 14 days for patients partially vaccinated. Tourism product launched to
preserve historical values
The northern mountainous
province of Ha Giang has recently rolled out a new tourism product to
preserve historical values and also pay tribute to soldiers who laid down
their lives while fighting to protect the Vi Xuyen border. On the “Theo buoc chan anh” (Following
their footsteps) tour with a military outfit, visitors pass through a
20-kilometre marshy path, down which food and weapons were transported to the
frontlines of the Vi Xuyen battlefield. They can discover a wide range
of historical sites, such as the combat area in Pinh village, Am Phu
(Hell) Waterfall, border marker 261, and Lo village cave, make incense
offerings to fallen soldiers, and visit ethnic minority villages. More than 4,000 soldiers laid down
their lives in Ha Giang in the battle to protect Vietnam’s border. The tour
is designed to pay tribute to their contribution to the country. Buddhist dignitaries
appointed as heads of pagodas in Truong Sa island district The standing board of the Vietnam
Buddhist Sangha (VBS) executive committee in the central province of Khanh
Hoa on February 21 announced decisions to appoint three monks as heads of
pagodas in Truong Sa island district. They consist of Venerables Thich Nhuan
Hieu, Thich Tam Thanh, and Thich Dinh Thong, who will respectively oversee Da
Tay A pagoda, Sinh Ton pagoda, and Son Ca pagoda for two years, starting from
their date of departure. As heard at the announcement ceremony,
the standing committee considers the appointment of the monks as heads of the
pagodas in the district as an important action in the development of the
Dharma in the border and maritime areas. A Buddhist monk, first of all a
Vietnamese citizen, when starting to receive missions in remote islands,
realises that each pagoda in Truong Sa island district is not only a
spiritual place but also a landmark marking the sacred sovereignty of the
Fatherland. Futsal team prepare for
Southeast Asian and Asian tournaments The Vietnamese futsal team gathered in
Ho Chi Minh City on February 21 for training to prepare for the 2022 AFF
Futsal Championship and AFC Futsal Asian Cup Qualifier, according to the
Vietnam Football Federation (VFF). A total of 22 players have been called
up, including those who have recovered from injury and young players. Head coach Pham Minh Giang and his
players will station at Thai Son Nam Gymnasium until March 21, and then will
travel to Thailand for further training and competing at the AFF Futsal
Championship, which is also the 2022 AFC Futsal Asian Cup Qualifier. During the training period, the team
are scheduled to play three friendly matches to review the force before
finalise the list of 16 players. The AFF Futsal Championship will take
place from April 2-11 in Bangkok. The top four teams at the AFF Futsal
Championship will win tickets to the AFC Futsal Asian Cup, scheduled to be
organied in Kuwait from September 25 to October 20./ NA Chairman asks People’s
Councils to improve operational effectiveness Chairman of the National Assembly
Vuong Dinh Hue has urged for greater efforts to further reform and improve
the operational effectiveness of People’s Councils. The plan on further reforming and
improving the operational effectiveness of People’s Councils must be
constantly reviewed and perfected in order to ensure the full observation of
the Constitution and regulations; better conduct the appointment of key
personnel; supervise the implementation of resolutions issued by provincial
People’s Councils and the performance of permanent members of the People’s
Councils, People’s Committees, People’s Courts, and People’s Procuracies at
the same level; and agencies of the People's Councils. The People’s Councils were tasked to
promptly implement and supervise the implementation of the State’s policies
as well as the NA and Government’s resolutions on socio-economic development,
finance and State budget, public investment disbursement, and national target
programmes, particularly those on fighting COVID-19 and promoting
socio-economic recovery from 2022 – 2023. Meeting looks to improve
health care resources in HCM City Human resources in the health sector
of Ho Chi Minh City have undergone many changes in terms of quantity, quality
and structure, said Tang Chi Thuong, director of the municipal Department of
Health. Speaking at a meeting of outstanding
doctors in the training of medical human resources held on February 21, he
said that there were 20 doctors per 10,000 people in 2020, compared with just
16 doctors in 2016. According to Thuong, although HCM City
has the highest number of doctors in the country, this figure is still low in
comparison with that of developed countries such as Australia (38), New
Zealand (34), the Republic of Korea and Japan (25). Thus, the health sector
is facing challenges with the training of medical human resources in the
current period, in order to meet the needs of the people, he said. Pointing out the paradox that exists
in the training of medical personnel, Thuong said that the number of
specialist doctors is always much higher than that of general practitioners.
He attributed it to the fact that newly graduated doctors tend to become
specialists. Search, repatriation of
volunteer Vietnamese soldiers’ remains in Cambodia resumed The Steering Committee on Search and
Repatriation of Remains of Fallen Soldiers (Steering Committee 515) of
Military Zone 7, and those of Tay Ninh, Binh Phuoc and Long An provinces on
February 21 re-started the operation of teams for searching and repatriating
remains of Vietnamese fallen soldiers in Cambodia during wartime, after a
two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Accordingly, in the 2021-2022 dry
season, members of the four search teams of Military Zone 7 planned to gather
and repatriate remains of 640 Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts in
Cambodian provinces of Siem Reap, Banteay Meanchey, Oddar Meanchey, Kampong
Thom, Kampong Cham, Kratie, Svayrieng, Battambang, and Pailin. Over the last two decades, search
teams of Military Zone 7 founded and repatriated over 9,900 sets of remains
of Vietnamese voluntary soldiers and experts who died in Cambodia during
wartime. Cuc Phuong named Asia’s
leading national park
Cuc Phuong National Park, a
popular trekking destination near Hanoi, was named Asia’s leading national
park at the 2021 World Travel Awards. This marks three consecutive years the
park has won the award. UN highly appreciates
Vietnam's contribution to peacekeeping operations United Nations Under-Secretary-General
for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix on February 21 thanked Vietnam for
its strong support for UN peacekeeping operations, as well as its personnel
contributions to the United Nations. According to Lacroix, Vietnam started
sending troops to the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in 2014 and it has
since made positive contributions to this field. The country first deployed a level 2
field hospital for the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) in
October 2018. It has so far sent 75 troops to UN peacekeeping operations,
ranking 62nd among UN member countries. It has planned to soon send troops to
join the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei, a disputed area between Sudan
and South Sudan. Currently, Vietnamese soldiers are on
duty at the United Nations missions in South Sudan and the Central African
Republic. Vietnam’s level 2 field hospital in
South Sudan has played an important role in the overall success of the UN
mission in this African country, ensuring the health and medical conditions
for its staff, especially during the raging COVID-19 pandemic, said Lacroix. Long An plans major road
projects to boost regional connectivity The Mekong Delta province of Long An
will start work on five key transport infrastructure projects worth VNĐ1.6
trillion (US$70 million), aimed at enhancing connectivity in the region. Nguyễn Hoài Trung, deputy director of
the provincial Department of Transport, said necessary procedures were being
finalised for beginning project construction. The projects are expected to boost the
province’s socio-economic development by improving connectivity with
neighbouring HCM City and other provinces in the southern region, he added. A new road connecting provincial road
No 830 with HCM City’s Hóc Môn District and a new provincial road No 822B in
Đức Huệ District will be built. Another project will upgrade and expand
existing provincial roads No 824 and 825 in the province’s Đức Hòa
District. Three new bridges: Kênh 79 Bridge in Tân Hưng District; and Tắc Cạn
and Đông An bridges in Cần Giuộc District are among the projects that will
begin implementation this year. Output, supplies, pricing of
Vietnamese-produced molnupiravir to be decided this week The health ministry is set to meet
this week with three Vietnamese producers of molnupiravir pills on the
supplies, usage, quality and pricing of the antiviral drugs used to treat
COVID-19. Earlier on February 17, three products
– Molravir 400mg produced by Boston Việt Nam Pharma (based in Bình Dương
Province), Movinavir 200mg manufactured by Mekophar Chemical Pharmaceutical
(based in HCM City), and Molnupiravir Stella 400mg produced by Stellapharm
J.V Co., Ltd (Bình Dương Province) – were the first to be approved for
conditional use in Việt Nam by the country’s drug administration. The news was received positively as
this was assumed to mean the drugs would be more readily accessible to the
general public when the COVID-19 caseload in Việt Nam is climbing to new
records in recent days, even with a high vaccination rate among the
population aged 12 years and above. This week, the three companies will
declare their cost structure and pricing calculation method to the Drug
Administration of Việt Nam, an important step for the drugs to be included in
bidding procedures at medical facilities. According to many sources from drug
manufacturing companies, the expected selling price is just about VNĐ300,000
(US$13) per box of 20 400mg pills or 40 200mg pills, which is the equivalent
of one course of treatment. The price is lower than the recommended pricing
for the drugs in developing countries at $19.90. Traditional cultural beauty
of Thai ethnic minority weddings
The Thai ethnic minority group
in Vietnam’s northwest region in general and the Black Thai group in Son La
province in particular are rich in cultural identity, especially when it
comes to weddings. Let's join us to a traditional wedding of local Thai
people! Runway at Tân Sơn Nhất Int’l
Airport closes for maintenance A runway at Tân Sơn Nhất International
Airport will be closed for maintenance from Monday, said the Civil Aviation
Authority of Việt Nam (CAAV). The service on Runway 25R/07L is
expected to last 25 days, until March 15. In accordance with this schedule, the
CAAV has reduced the number of flights to 30 per hour from February 21 to
April 30. Airlines are requested to utilise
flight slots to ensure their effectiveness and push up the operation of night
flights. Reinforcements called up to
strengthen U23 team at AFF Championship Coach Đinh Thế Nam has been forced to
call up six additional players to strengthen his squad at the AFF U23
Championship, which is ongoing in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The players will join their teammates
today, the same day that Việt Nam faces archrivals Thailand in a Group C
clash at the Prince Stadium. The reinforcements are needed after 11
players and two coaching assistants returned positive COVID-19 tests, causing
a selection headache for coach Nam. The six players called up are: Phan
Tuấn Tài of Viettel, Đinh Quý from Quảng Nam, Vũ Đình Hai from Phù Đổng, and
Huỳnh Tiến Đạt, Nguyễn Thành Nhân and Trần Bảo Toàn, all from Hoàng Anh Gia
Lai. All of them performed well in the recent national U21 championships. Hanoians flock to buy quick
test kits amid rocketing Covid-19 infections Many people in Hanoi are rushing to
buy quick test kits and face masks amid the city’s rapid Covid-19 infections. Vietnam’s total Covid-19 cases have
reached over 40,000 per day with the capital city of Hanoi securing the
highest number of patients. Currently, the retail sale of each
test kit ranges VND53,000-100,000, depending on different kinds. According to Mai Thi Ngoc, a drugstore
owner in Nam Tu Liem District, most of her customers buy cartons of face
masks, not boxes as before the Lunar New Year or Tet holiday. Recently, both
masks for children and adults have seen higher prices. Pham Anh Thu, who works at a pharmacy
in Hai Ba Trung District, said that besides masks and quick test kits,
vitamins, saline and medicines such as fever reducers have been sold very
well. Cu Chi proposed to be
developed into city Many scientists and experts at a
recent seminar on the development orientations and potential and the
improvement of the investment environment in HCMC’s outlying district of Cu
Chi have proposed developing the district into a city under the jurisdiction
of HCMC. At the seminar, the Cu Chi authorities
also introduced nine projects covering nearly 6,000 hectares of land for
investment attraction. Cu Chi will also develop the Tan Phu
Trung, Tay Bac and Dong Nam industrial parks, an auto mechanical industrial
park, agricultural production areas, hi-tech agricultural areas and garden
residential areas. Cu Chi must be developed into a green
urban area. To reach the target, the connectivity of rural and urban areas
should be tightened, existing trade villages should be stabilized and
ecotourism should be developed at the Cu Chi Tunnels and the Ben Duoc Temple. In addition, an expressway from An
Suong to Moc Bai and the Ring Road No. 3 should be accelerated to link Cu Chi
and Hoc Mon with the east of HCMC and Dong Nai Province. Roads along the Dong
Nai River to Cu Chi and Tay Ninh should be studied to shorten the travel time
and develop ecotourism. Experts also suggested HCMC issue
policies for Cu Chi to attract large investors and talents and reform
administrative procedures. Hydropower plant in Kon Tum
causing floods fined VND160 million Gia Nghi Co., Ltd, the investor of the
Dak Po Ne 2AB hydropower plant in Kon Tum Province, which had earlier stored
and then released water without an announcement, inundating a large area of
crops belonging to local residents, has been fined VND160 million. The Kon Tum government issued a
decision fining Gia Nghi Co., Ltd for exploiting and using the water resource
at the Dak Po Ne 2AB hydropower plant without a license, Lao Dong newspaper
reported. The hydropower plant with a capacity
of 5.1 megawatts in March 2021 discharged water without an announcement,
inundating many pepper and coffee farms, causing heavy losses for local
farmers. These farmers later proposed the Kon Tum government and the
provincial delegation of National Assembly deputies handle Gia Nghi Co.,
Ltd’s violation. However, these farmers have yet to be
compensated, although the provincial Departments of Natural
Resources-Environment and Industry-Trade have repeatedly inspected the
hydropower plant. Tunnel connecting Lai Chau,
Lao Cai provinces proposed The government of the northern
mountainous province of Lai Chau has proposed the government develop the
8.8-kilometer Hoang Lien tunnel between the province’s Tam Duong District and
Lao Cai Province’s Sa Pa Town to replace a 22-kilometer road section passing
through the Hoang Lien Pass on National Highway 4D. The project will include a
2.5-kilometer tunnel and an approach road and a bridge totaling 6.3
kilometers. The project was planned to start at National Highway 4D and end
at O Quy Ho Ward, Sa Pa Town. The project requires an estimated
investment of VND3.3 trillion, including VND2.5 trillion sourced from the
State budget in the mid-term public investment allocated to Lai Chau Province
and VND800 billion from the budgets of localities, and was expected to be
completed before 2025. According to the Lai Chau government,
the Hoang Lien Tunnel, once in place, will help shorten the travel time
through the Hoang Lien Pass from 52-120 minutes to 11 minutes. Vietnam prepares for safe
resumption of tourism
Along with the policy of safe
and effective control of the pandemic, Việt Nam's tourism sector continues to
prepare solutions to recover and adapt to the new normal. From now until March 30, Vietnam will
continue to implement phase 2 of a pilot programme to welcome international
tourists, but it is proposed to expand to localities in which residents have
received the 3rd dose of the vaccine and low-risk areas. 90-ton truck crushes pick-up
in Quang Ninh, killing two A 90-ton truck crushed a pick-up truck
in Quang Ninh’s Cam Pha City on February 20, killing two people inside the truck. The accident happened at about 9 p.m.
last night on a road used to transport soil and rocks from an open-cast mine
of Cao Son Coal JSC. It was raining heavily at the time, accompanied by thick
fog and a temperature of below eight degrees Celsius, Lao Dong newspaper
reported. The pick-up was reportedly owned by
Trung Nghia Transport Services and Investment JSC, a contractor responsible
for shoveling and loading soil and rocks at the coal mine. After the accident, workers of Cao Son
Coal JSC quickly pulled the victims out of the cabin of the truck. However, the two victims, who have yet
to be identified, died. Over 1,000 Vietnamese
athletes to compete at 31st SEA Games Vietnam, the host country of the 31st
Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games), will participate with the most numerous
athletes of over 1000 ones. At the 31st SEA Games, the host
country of Vietnam registered the competition of 1,104 athletes, Thailand
with 1,036 ones, Singapore with 706, Indonesia with 1,001, the Philippines
with 603, Malaysia with 815, Myanmar with 754, Cambodia with 494, Laos with
363, Brunei with 41 and Timor Leste with 54. The organizing board of the 31st SEA
Games has completed the sports regulations and sent them to each
international sports federation to verify in accordance with the process. The Vietnam Sports Administration
required the teams and the boards of directors of the National Sports
Training Centers to strictly follow the Covid-19 pandemic prevention and
control measures, including travel regulations to ensure the health of staff,
coaches and athletes. Ministry requested to
promptly develop COVID-19 vaccination plan for children aged 5-12 Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has
urged the Ministry of Health to promptly develop a plan to vaccinate children
aged 5-12 against COVID-19. The move was made to ensure safety for
children when localities nationwide have gradually reopened schools. The Government had ordered 22 million
COVID-19 vaccine doses from Pfizer for this age group as part of the
Government's efforts to further increase the already high vaccination
coverage. In a bid to step up the ordered
vaccine delivery, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had a phone conversation
with Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla last Tuesday, during which the
former asked Pfizer to deliver 22 million vaccine doses for children from 5
to under 12 years of age at the earliest and try to complete the contract no
later than May this year. Pham also asked Pfizer to regularly share
information on development of its new vaccines with Viet Nam, affirming the
Government stands ready to create most favorable conditions for Pfizer to
cooperate with the Southeast Asian country in pharmacy sector. Source: VNA/VNN/SGGP/ND/VNS/VOV |
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