Social News 16/6 Rare animals rescued in Hanoi    Wild animals are rescued yesterday, thanks to reports from Education for Nature - Vietnam (ENV)’s volunteers. - Photo courtesy of ENV Education for Nature - Vietnam (ENV), together with the Hà Nội Environmental Police Department, rescued 40 wild animals being transported from northern Lạng Sơn to the city for consumption. Among the rescued animals were a pygmy slow loris, weighing 1.5 kilogrammes, four spengler’s turtles, and 35 green frogs. The animals were taken to the city’s wildlife rescue centre. This is the second pygmy slow loris rescued in the past week, thanks to reports from local residents and volunteers. Two persons were arrested. One admitted purchasing wild animals in northern Lạng Sơn Province and transporting them to Hà Nội for consumption. The case is under further investigation. The pygmy slow loris is among those wild animals threatened with extinction in Việt Nam. The animal is now ranked in the Vulnerable level (VU - High risk of endangerment in the wild) in the Vietnam Red Book. KOICA helps Vietnam recover from post-war bombs, mines The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) will offer 20 million USD in non-refundable aid to the Vietnam National Mine Action Centre (VNMAC) for post-war bomb and landmine recovery efforts in the country. An agreement on a project to this effect was signed in Hanoi on June 14 between Deputy Defence Minister and member of the Steering Committee for the National Action Programme on overcoming post-war bombs and mines (Steering Committee 504) Nguyen Chi Vinh and KOICA Country Director Chang Jea-yun. Managed by the Defence Ministry and conducted by VNMAC, the 2016-2020 project aims to improve the management capacity of VNMAC, clear bombs and mines on a site of 8,000ha in the central provinces of Quang Binh and Binh Dinh, raise public awareness of bombs and mines’ dangers and help victims re-integrate into the community. Both sides will establish monitoring and management boards for the project and launch regular consultation mechanisms throughout the process. Speaking at the signing ceremony, Deputy Minister Vinh hailed the move as a significant beginning to realise the commitments in a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in post-war bomb and mine recovery signed in 2014, and the framework agreement on non-refundable aid signed between the two governments in 2009. The project reflects the goodwill to cooperate in humanitarian and development issues between the two governments in the spirit of the strategic cooperative partnership built by the two countries, he said. Korean Ambassador to Vietnam Lee Hyuk, for his part, pledged to help victims of bombs, mines and explosives with rehabilitation and raise public awareness of how to avoid those accidents. Thailand donates 100,000 USD to Vietnam’s drought sufferers Thailand has donated 100,000 USD to Vietnamese people living in areas struck by drought and saltwater intrusion. The donation, made by its government, people and 10 enterprises operating in Vietnam, was handed over to President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan by Thai Ambassador Manopchai Vongphakdi in Hanoi on June 14. Ambassador Manopchai Vongphakdi said Thailand understands the drought and salinity-triggered challenges facing people in Vietnam’s southern region as it is using Mekong River water resources with the region. He noted his country’s willingness to share experience in tackling drought and salinisation with Vietnam given it has also been affected by the disasters. For his part, VFF Central Committee President Nguyen Thien Nhan thanked Thailand and its donors for the relief they delivered. He told the diplomat that drought and saline intrusion have struck more than 420,000 Vietnamese households and caused about 6.4 trillion VND in economic losses over the last ten months. Over 1.5 million people are suffering water poverty for daily and farming activities, Nhan said, adding the issue is likely to last long in Mekong delta provinces. The VFF has raised funds to provide water tanks and filters for affected families as well as books and clothes for their children. Rice varieties with better tolerance to drought and salinity are being developed in response to the problems, the official noted. New ambassadors asked to enhance people-to-people diplomacy The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) met with new ambassadors and heads of Vietnam’s overseas representative agencies on June 14, asking for their greater efforts to help with people-to-people diplomacy. At the meeting in Hanoi, VUFO Chairman Vu Xuan Hong said his organisation has worked with thousands of foreign partners around the globe while stepping up activities to promote peace, solidarity and friendship. It has brought into full play its core role in such events as the Asia-Europe People’s Forum, ASEAN Peoples’ Forum, and the Vietnam Peace and Development Foundation. Over the last five years, the organisation has worked with foreign non-governmental organisations whose financial aid went to war legacy settlement, poverty alleviation, infrastructure building, medical and educational issues, environmental protection, natural disaster response, and sustainable development. Through Vietnam’s overseas representative offices, the VUFO has popularised the country’s images and called for international cooperation, Hong added. He asked the diplomats in the 2016 – 2019 term to help promote cooperation, solidarity, friendship, people-to-people exchanges, and NGO affairs. Duong Chi Dung, Ambassador and head of Vietnam’s permanent delegation to the UN, the World Trade Organisation and other international organisations in Geneva (Switzerland), said people-to-people diplomacy enabled Vietnam to set up partnerships across politics, economy, culture-society, security and defence – a result attained with the great help of the VUFO. At the event, the new diplomats said they will work closely with the VUFO to effectively implement diplomatic tasks assigned by the Party and State and the people-to-people diplomacy. Vietnamese-funded military facilities inaugurated in Cambodia Two office buildings of the Cambodian army were inaugurated on June 14 with funding from the High Command of Military Zone 7 under the Vietnam People’s Army. The facilities serve as the headquarters of the Tbong Khmum province Military sub-Region and Infantry Brigade 21 of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces. Addressing the ceremony, Lieutenant General Vo Minh Luong, Commander of Military Zone 7 expressed his hope that the facilities will contribute to enhancing the working condition for the units’ soldiers and officers. For his part, General Choeun Sovanth, Deputy Commander of Infantry and Commander of Military Region 2 said the assistance Vietnam’s Military Zone 7 has provided for Cambodian military units has contributed to the development of the Cambodian Royal Armed Forces. EVN Hanoi launches hotlines on power use The Electricity of Vietnam’s (EVN) Hanoi Power Corporation (EVN Hanoi) has launched 24 hour hotlines 042 2222000 and 19001288 to acquire feedback and queries about power use in the capital city. In the recent hot spell, EVN Hanoi has been receiving about 1,000 phone calls per day on average, up 20 percent from usual. Operators are answering questions about power outage schedules, power bills and offer advice about how to use air conditioners in an economical way. It also requested relevant units to minimise power cuts from May-July to ensure sufficient power supply for high school graduation and university entrance exams. Units were also asked to arrange staff to work on shift to guarantee power transmission. According to EVN Hanoi, the total power consumption from April-July will rise to 6.7 billion kWh, much higher than the 5.6 billion kWh consumed last year. Trade liberalisation of fertilizser impacts rural labour Trade liberalisation policies, as indicated by the increased use of chemical fertilizers, have significant effects on labour reallocation in the rural parts of Vietnam. Doctor Hoang Xuan Trung from the Institute for European Studies under the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences revealed the analysis on June 14 as part of the Vietnam Living Standards Surveys conducted by a group of local and European researchers. He said the trade liberalisation of fertilizers encourages increased labour (number of people and hours) in the agricultural sector, but results in a decrease in the non-agricultural sector. The percentage of rural households participating only in farm activities has been decreasing over time, from 66.33 percent in 1993 to 57.25 percent in 1998 due to increased urbanisation and industrialisation. However, the percentage of rural households engaged in both farm and non-farm activities increased during the same period, from nearly 21 percent in 1993 to almost 25 percent in 1998, suggesting that rural households are increasingly diversifying their revenue streams. The researchers found that an increased volume in the use of chemical fertilizers leads to increased involvement of rural households in agriculture. More specifically, a 10 percent increase in the volume of chemical fertilizers decreases by 0.021 the number of household members participating in non-farm activities and reduces the number of non-farm working hours per week by 1.08. Increased use of chemical fertilizers also increases the use of organic fertilizers (a 10 percent increase in volume of chemical fertiliser correlates with a 5.42 percent increase in volume of organic ones). The price of chemical fertilizers has a greater effect on farm participation in households that moved into agriculture between 1993 and 1998 than in those that were already farming in 1993. The liberalisation of chemical fertilizers provides more on-farm labour opportunities for small holders than it does for owners of larger farms, because small holders tend to have a surplus of on-farm family labour. With more than 70 percent of the population living in rural areas and depending on agriculture for their livelihoods, the potential effects of trade liberalistion on labour reallocation should be considered carefully, Trung said. He suggested strongly reducing tax on intermediary products such as machines, equipment and technologies, while simplifying administrative procedures to reduce production costs and increase domestic competitiveness. He suggested the Government provide more support in vocational training to facilitate the transition of labour between sectors as an impact of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement. Outstanding blood donors praised at Hanoi ceremony A ceremony was held in Hanoi on June 14 to honour 100 outstanding blood donors in Vietnam, an event in response to World Blood Donor Day. The exemplars are from the 63 provinces and cities along with ministries and central agencies. They include Nguyen Huu Thuan who has donated blood 84 times, Ta Minh Dat (71 times) and Venerable Thich Thien Anh (63 times). The eldest person is Nguyen Van Hung, 63, from Tay Ninh province. His family donated blood 76 times, including 24 times by Hung. He has also encouraged about 100 other people to participate in blood donation campaigns. The youngest credited donor is Truong Thien Ho Thuyen, 20, from Can Tho city. She and her family have voluntarily given blood 15 times. At the ceremony, Politburo member and Chairwoman of the Party Central Committee’s Mass Mobilisation Commission Truong Thi Mai said the persons honoured should continue to be role models and encourage their relatives, friends and colleagues to join them. June 14 was chosen as World Blood Donor Day in 2004. This year’s event is themed: “Blood connects us all.” In Vietnam, the national steering committee for voluntary blood donations and the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, have held various activities from June 12 – 14 to give credit to blood donors. A donation campaign in Hanoi on June 12 collected 1,184 units of blood. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health presented insignias for those who have made great contributions to voluntary blood donation. HCM City: Mugger posing as police caught The Ho Chi Minh City Investigation Police Agency on June 14 detained a man on suspicion of posing as a police officer to steal property from foreigners. Dang Tuan Thanh, 21, from the southern province of Tay Ninh , admitted that he successfully conducted seven muggings by claiming to be a criminal police officer and stopping foreigners for random checks before robbing their belongings. The police searched Thanh’s house and seized one motorbike, nine handbags, two watches, a laptop, three packets of methanphetamine and a fake police card. The case is under further investigation. RoK supports Vietnam develop transport The Ministry of Transport (MT) and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) in Vietnam signed a record of discussion on the project for development experience exchange partnership in the transport sector, in Hanoi on June 14. The project aims to establish a regulation foundation for the development of Vietnam’s railways while enhanching the professional skills of specialists in the area, through providing the RoK’s technologies and experience under human resource development programmes. Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Ngoc Dong spoke highly of Vietnam and the RoK’s fruitful cooperation over the past two decades through various collaboration programmes, including transportation which has actively helped to improve the transport system in the Southeast Asian country. The official highlighted that the project is significant in perfecting the country’s legal system and manpower training in developing its railways. Head of KOICA in Vietnam Chang Jae Yun said the project is expected to seek measures to attract more investment from the RoK Government, and civil organisations into Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) projects on road and railway infrastructure in Vietnam.   The project will run from 2016 to 2019, with the RoK Government’s funding of an amount not exceeding five million USD . The RoK is Vietnam’s second biggest sponsor in transportation. Pilot project helps sex workers re-integrate into community International Care in Vietnam has piloted a project to help sex workers re-integrate into the community over the past two years, as heard at a conference in Ho Chi Minh City on June 14. Launched in November 2014, the Care project has provided prostitutes who want to quit the trade with full access to knowledge about the law, gender equality, social skills as well as job opportunities. It has been carried out in Ho Chi Minh City, the northern province of Quang Ninh and the southern province of Can Tho. Le Thi Ha, deputy head of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs’ Department for Social Vices Prevention, called for spreading the model and increasing collaboration between ministries, departments and trade unions throughout the process. Vice Director of the municipal Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Huynh Thanh Khiet, who is also head of the project management board in Ho Chi Minh City, said more members will be admitted to Sen Xanh women’s club and a second similar club will be launched in the third quarter of this year, focusing on job opportunities, health care, legal and psychological consultation and support in re-applying for personal identification documents. Sen Xanh club currently groups more than 470 women. Over the past two years, it has sent 120 to HIV testing and HIV/AIDS treatment clinics, 135 to testing for sexually transmitted diseases and offered 35 million VND to each member in support of vocational training. The project has also raised funding for assistance in health insurance subscriptions, free gynaecological check-ups and starting small-sized businesses. Regional conference highlights international law A regional conference themed “International Law and a Dynamic Asia” was opened in Hanoi on June 14 by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV) and the Asian Society of International Law. Speaking at the event, DAV Acting Director Nguyen Vu Tung said that Asian countries are facing numerous new challenges which requires their deeper understanding of international law. This two-day conference focuses on many aspects of international law, including intensifying regional cooperation in trade and investment, addressing maritime and sovereign disputes by peaceful means, increasing the protection of intellectual property rights, as well as the legal effects of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, and the opportunities and challenges facing the region after the formation of the ASEAN Community, he stated. Ambassador Nguyen Thi Thanh Ha, former head of the Law and Treaty Department under the Foreign Ministry, said that as a peace-loving nation, Vietnam continuously pursues the foreign policy of being a friend, trusted partner and responsible member of the international community. Vietnam always abides by all basic principles of international law, including articles on a ban on using or threatening to use force, and on the peaceful settlement of sovereignty-related disputes among nations, she added She also stressed the importance of strictly following international commitments which Vietnam continually makes efforts to implement and considers as a lodestar for its international integration. Participants, who are both domestic and international experts and lawyers, are expected to discuss trade and investment law, international environmental law, human rights, intellectual property rights, maritime law, and the obligation of nations to enforce international law. Vietnam prepares legal foundations for power wholesale market Regulations on a competitive power wholesale market are scheduled to be completed in June 2017, heard a workshop held by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) in Hanoi on June 14. Nguyen Anh Tuan, head of the MoIT’s Electricity Regulatory Authority, said the set of regulations, which will be submitted to authorised agencies for issuance, is important to operate the competitive power wholesale market. He underlined the need to lay a legal foundation for the market, develop infrastructure for relevant units and set up a staff knowledgeable about the electricity market. At the workshop, a representative from Australia’s IES/SWA consulting company described the legal documents as a prerequisite for the official operation of the competitive power wholesale market from 2019.  The units involved should upgrade their technologies and equipment necessary to run the market and improve capacity for their staff members, the representative suggested. The competitive power wholesale market has been piloted in 2016 to help electricity corporations be familiar with competitive trading. Over the past six months, the MoIT has instructed the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) to hand over a number of power contracts to corporations to purchase electricity wholesale. Under a detailed design for the competitive electricity wholesale market, approved by the ministry last year, all units owning 30-megawatt (MW) power plants and above can join the market. Below-30MW power generators can also take part in the market if they meet infrastructure demands. Meanwhile, build-operate-transfer projects can engage in the market either directly or through a representative unit from the EVN. Imported electricity and wind, solar and geothermal generators, as well as below-30MW hydropower plants, are not subject to the market. Buyers will be grouped into five corporations – Northern, Southern, and Central Region; Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City Power Corporations. The roadmap for the implementation of the competitive electricity wholesale market consists of four periods, with the initial pilot operation period beginning in 2016. The official launch of the market-proper is slated for 2019. Ben Tre calls on residents to save water The Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre called on local residents to store rainwater and fresh water for their daily use and production amid the impacts of climate change at a conference on June 14. Vice Secretary of the provincial Party’s Committee Tran Ngoc Tam said local residents need to store rainwater and fresh water to adapt to drought and saltwater intrustion from now on. He also called on Vietnam Fatherland Front committees at all levels and social organisations to mobilise different resources to support disadvantaged households in building water containing facilities. On the occasion, over 5.6 billion VND (250,000 USD) was raised by banks, enterprises and funds for local poor households. Drought and salinity have damaged 20,000 hectares of rice, thousands of hectares of other crops and over a million seedling trees in the province, causing a total loss of over 1.4 trillion VND (63 million USD). The locality is home to over 44,000 poor households suffering water shortages.- Cat Bi int’l airport suspends operations for repairs Flight operations at a taxiway of Cat Bi International Airport in the northern city of Hai Phong have been suspended on June 14 and 15 for repairs. Taxiway N is closed from 0:01 am to 6 am on the two days, to have subsided ground and cracked surfaces repaired. While the repair work is being carried out, Cat Bi airport will not handle flights, except for emergency cases. On May 28, the airport was also closed for repairs because the abnormally hot weather had peeled off a piece of asphalt from a runway. Cat Bi became an international airport in mid-May after more than two years of upgrading. It is designed to serve 4 million passengers a year and accommodate large airplanes such as Boeing 747’s and Boeing 777’s. Việt Nam hosts international law meet Regional co-operation on issues relating to keeping the peace and protecting security, human rights, international trade and investment, and environmental protection were discussed at the two-day regional conference of the Asian Society on International Law (Asiansil) in Hà Nội yesterday. The Hà Nội regional conference, entitled “International Law and a Dynamic Asia”, attracted more than 50 speakers including academic experts, governmental officials and international legal scholars. “The conference will provide great opportunities for all participants to benefit from exchanges of ideas, to learn from each other, to reinforce their understanding of recent developments in the region, and to enhance their capacity to cope with legal aspects of these developments,” Prof Nguyễn Vũ Tùng, acting President of the Diplomatic Academy of Việt Nam, said at the opening. According to Paik Jin-hyun, president of the Asian Society of International Law, Asia is a dynamic region with its rapid economic development and accompanying political and social changes. Dynamic Asia gives rise to many challenges for the State in the region, ranging from how to increase regional co-operation in various fields to the urgent task of managing potential conflicts and disputes that could threaten peace and stability, he said. “International law may not be able to resolve all those challenges, but it can and should be an effective instrument in overcoming many of them,” he said. “I therefore believe that it is time for international law to address various challenges facing dynamic Asia.”  “This is the first time Việt Nam has hosted this conference and it is very meaningful in the context of Viet Nam’s international integration,” said Ambassador Nguyễn Thị Thanh Hà, member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague and former director general, Department of International Law and Treaties, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Việt Nam. “The strong commitment of Viet Nam to international law compliance is clear evidence that Việt Nam strives to become a responsible member of the international community,” she told Việt Nam News. Việt Nam also hopes to have more legal means to implement foreign policies for peace, stability and sustainable development, Hà said. The conference is also focusing on aspects of development, including how to further promote regional co-operation in international trade and investment, to manage and peacefully settle potential territorial and maritime conflicts and to enhance protection of intellectual property rights. The legal impacts of the newly signed Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal, as well as the opportunities and challenges of the region after the recent establishment of the ASEAN Community, will be thoroughly discussed. National Press Awards for 92 works Ninety two outstanding works by journalists throughout the country, winners of the National Press Awards 2015, will be given prizes on the 91st Vietnamese Revolutionary Journalism Day (June 21) – falling next Tuesday. It was announced by Deputy Chairman of the Việt Nam Journalist Association, Hồ Quang Lợi, yesterday at a press conference held in Hà Nội. At the award ceremony, eight works will be granted the A prize, the highest prize achievable at the National Press Awards, 25 works the B prize and 40 others given the C prize. Lợi said the works covered various topics including economics, society, national defence and national sovereignty over seas and islands. The works vividly reported matters of culture as well as major issues facing the country, contributing to the cause of building and defending the nation. There isn’t a big gap between the quality of press works at central and local levels, or between print media and broadcast news, he said. However, the common weakness of these works was a lack depth and a failure to reach the heart of the matter, he said. Organised by the Việt Nam Journalist Association, the annual National Press Awards this year attracted 1,660 entries from 169 organisations and individuals. Entertainment programmes mark national journalism day Entertainment programmes for journalists in HCM City are being organised on the occasion of National Revolutionary Journalism Day (June 21). The Journalist Family Programme with more than 60 games will be held on June 18-19 at Vietopia, an indoor entertainment and education centre, in District 7. Vietnamese food will be on offer, and cook Võ Quốc will talk about nutrition and various dishes. Last Saturday, journalists at 21 newspapers, television and radio stations in HCM City and Đồng Nai Province competed in singing, dancing, plays and a fashion show as part of the Điểm Hẹn Tháng 6 (June Rendezvous) programme. Thirteen of the works will be chosen for the contest’s final round, which will be broadcast on HTV9 channel on June 17. Firer’s hat-trick for new home in National Cup Ivan Firer scored a hat-trick in his first match for Becamex Bình Dương as they beat Hoàng Anh Gia Lai 5-3 in the National Cup yesterday at Gò Đậu Stadium. The Slovenian forward had signed a contract with Becamex Bình Dương last week after being fired by FLC Thanh Hóa who said the former player of the Europa League could not adjust to the football environment in Việt Nam. Nsi Amougou, another foreigner for the team, scored a double within six minutes of the start. Hoàng Anh Gia Lai’s replied with two goals by Nguyễn Phong Hồng Duy and Trần Minh Vương after Becamex Bình Dương’s Nguyễn Xuân Luân scored an own goal at the 18th minute. With seven goals scored in the first half the two sides set up a record in the national tournament. It was the second time in a row that Hoàng Anh Gia Lai suffered a defeat. Earlier, they lost 0-5 to the defending champions in the V. League last month. In another match, Nam Định successfully held Hà Nội T&T to a goalless draw on their home turf in Thiên Trường Stadium. Nam Định were moral victors, since they were a First Division team and at a much lower level compared to their premier league rivals, who have set themselves the target of taking home the National Cup, which is the only title they do not have in their collection. Nam Định played a strong defence and blocked all the way leading to goalkeeper Đinh Quang Phán. Both sides raised the tempo after the break and spiced up a crackling atmosphere with some fast-paced football. However, all of their efforts were wasted on a hot afternoon where the temperature reached 41°Celsius. At Lạch Tray, hosts Hải Phòng also had a disappointing 1-1 result against Quảng Nam. Quảng Nam, who are at the bottom half of the V. League after the first leg, scored the opening goal through Diao Sadion just 19 minutes into the match. Hải Phòng, who are on top of the league, however, had to chase the entire time and worked very hard before their Jamaican striker Andre Diego Fagan netted the equaliser four minutes before the final whistle. Quảng Ninh Coal were tied 1-1 by visiting Long An on their Cẩm Phả Stadium in the last match of the quarter-finals. Huỳnh Trần Đức Thịnh netted for the visitors with a powerful straight shot in the 38th minute, while Quảng Ninh’s striker Mạc Hồng Quân found goalkeeper Nguyễn Tiến Anh just eight minutes after the interval. The second leg matches will be played on June 29. Korean man fined for smoking on flight to Hanoi Vietnam’s Northern Airports Authority has fined a Korean passenger VND4 million (US$180) for smoking on a flight to Hanoi. Lee Byounghun was found smoking in the toilet of a Korean Air aircraft at 9:10 p.m., just 15 minutes before it was scheduled to land at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi. The flight from Incheon took more than four and a half hours. According to a Vietnam government decree, in-flight smoking is subject to a fine of up to VND5 million ($231). Vietjet Air offers 3,000 tickets from zero VND on domestic air routes Vietjet Air has offered 3,000 tickets from zero Vietnam dong (excluding tax and other fees) on the occasion of the Da Nang International Tourism Fair 2016, which is scheduled for June 24-26. The low-cost airline has also co-ordinated with other travel companies to offer discounts for tours from Da Nang to HCM City, Hanoi, Hai Phong and Can Tho. Apart from Vietjet Air, several airlines and travel companies have implemented tourism stimulus programs to attract international and domestic tourists to Da Nang city. Vietnam Airlines plans to present a discount code of 20% to 200 first passengers taking part in the fair on the route between Da Nang and Hanoi, HCM City, Buon Ma Thuot, Pleiku, Da Lat and Nha Trang. Meanwhile, Jetstar Airline has also offered a discount on air tickets from just VND99,000 during the fair. International Da Nang Sun Peninsula Resort has also launched tourism programs with a discount of 20% while Asia Park under Sun Group has also implemented a program named Happy Tuesday with a discount of 25% from now to December 31. 4, 300 int’l tourists arrive in HCMC The Royal Caribbean International's newest cruise ship, Ovation of the Seas carrying 4, 300 international passengers from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and Singapore docked at Phu My Port in Ba Ria- Vung Tau province on June 14, starting their tour from Vung Tau and Ho Chi Minh City. The Ovation of the Seas in collaboration with Saigontourist for the first time brought international tourists to Vietnam. The Ovation of the Seas is the newest cruise super-ship with its capacity of 168, 666 tons and 4, 900 passengers. Earlier, Quantum of the Seas arrived in Vietnam on June 15, 2015. During the tournament, Royal Caribbean International Group will work with leaders of provinces having the largest sea ports of Vietnam, aiming to strengthen investment and development of infrastructure to be able to receive the big international tourist ships to Vietnam in the near future. In past two years, the new ships of Royal Carribean International bringing hundreds thousand of international arrivals visited famous tourist sites in HCMC, Vung Tau, Hue and Da Nang. Celebration marks Vietnam-Philippines diplomatic ties Friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and the Philippines were highlighted at a ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City on June 14, which aims to celebrate the 40th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two nations. Addressing the event, Philippine Honorary Consul General in HCM City Le Thi Phung reviewed key milestones in the bilateral relationship, saying this has developed fruitfully in recent years, with promoted cooperation in all fields, especially food industry, pharmaceutical production, culture and education. In his speech, Chairman of the Municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong shared his joy at the fine development of the relationship, which was upgraded to a strategic partnership last year. Regular exchanges of visits between the two countries’ leaders reflected their efforts to foster bilateral activities, thus further promoting cooperation programmes, Phong stressed, adding that the enhanced political relations create momentum for cooperation in other fields. HCM City always takes the lead in carrying out cooperative programmes with the Philippines, contributing to strengthening the connection between the two nations, he noted. He expressed his belief that the Vietnam-Philippines relations will reach new achievements in various areas, bringing practical benefit to the two peoples. The Philippines has so far run over 60 investment projects in Vietnam, including 30 ones in HCM City. In the first three months of this year, two-way trade between Vietnam and the Philippines reached 737 million USD. The figure is hoped to reach 3 billion USD this year.- VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri