VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES JULY 27 (Updated hourly)16:05 NA Chairman delivers speech on War Invalids and Martyrs Day National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue on July 27 morning delivered a speech at the plenary session of the 15th NA on the occasion of the 74th War Invalids and Martyrs Day. The NA leader expressed deep gratitude to revolutionary veterans, Heroic Vietnamese Mothers, Heroes of the Armed Forces, Labour Heroes, wounded and sick soldiers, martyrs’ relatives and people who rendered services to the nation. He affirmed that taking care of wounded and sick war veterans, martyrs’ relatives and revolution contributors is a consistent policy of the Party and State, which reflects the national tradition of “when drinking water, remember its source”. Over the past years, Party Committees and administrations at all levels as well as the Vietnam Fatherland Front, agencies, organisations and individuals have conducted practical activities to care for the living conditions of wounded war veterans, martyrs’ relatives and revolution contributors. He showed respects to their efforts to overcome difficulties to build a prosperous and happy life, contributing to the cause of national construction and defence. Noting that many of them are still struggling, while remains of many fallen combatants have not been found, the NA leader underscored the need to continue enhancing the efficiency of support policies for revolution contributors and conduct practical and comprehensive activities to ensure their living conditions are at least equal to the average level in their residential places. Hue stated that showing strong performance in implementing support policies for revolution contributors is a responsibility of the whole political system and people, as well as a factor contributing to the ensuring of social progress and equality, helping to reinforce the great national unity bloc and strengthen people’s trust in the Party and State. He stressed the need for the NA and legislators to continue improving their sense of responsibility and operational efficiency, especially in building and completing the legal system, mechanisms and policies to support revolution contributors as well as supervising the implementation of the policies, so that ensuring they will enjoy full benefits from the support policies from the Party and State. “The great sacrifice by the revolutionary veterans, martyrs and wounded war invalids, martyrs' families and people who rendered services to the nation is a valuable source of spiritual motivation for the whole Party, people and army to overcome all difficulties and challenges, firmly maintaining independence and freedom and safeguarding sacred national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Fatherland as well as ensuring a peaceful and stable environment for younger generations so that they will live in peace and happiness and make the nation more prosperous,” the top legislator stressed./. 2,000 volunteers participate in fight against coronavirus epidemic in HCMC On the evening of July 26, Deputy Minister of Health Assoc. Prof-Dr. Nguyen Truong Son, said that more than 2,000 people have registered two days after he called up medical students, retired doctors to join hands in the country's fight against coronavirus in the southern city. Of 2,000 volunteers, nearly 1,900 volunteers live in Ho Chi Minh City while more than 200 people are from other provinces. Specifically, nearly 300 doctors, around 400 nurses, 200 pharmacists, and 800 people in other professions volunteered to take part in the special fight. Of them, 80 people are under 20 years old, more than 1,800 people from 20-50 years old, and more than 120 people over 50 years old. Currently, the Department of Health is planning to assign 80 doctors and 50 nurses to the Covid-19 treatment hospital and some field hospitals to collect and treat Covid-19 patients while the rest will work at other medical facilities and districts in the city. Prior, in his letter, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son, who is the Head of the Special Standing Department of the Ministry of Health in Ho Chi Minh City, called on all healthcare workers, including medical students and retired doctors and nurses, to join hands in the country's fight against coronavirus in Ho Chi Minh City on July 24. The special standing division of the Ministry of Health and the Department of Health of Ho Chi Minh City called on doctors and nurses in public and private healthcare clinics, the Medical Association in Ho Chi Minh City, retired healthcare workers, medical experts, physicians, lecturers and students at medicine training schools to join volunteer activities. Party, State leaders pay tribute to heroic martyrs Leaders and former leaders of the Party, State, Vietnam Fatherland Front on July 27 morning laid wreaths and offered incense at the Heroic Martyrs’ Monument and paid tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum on the occasion of the 74th Invalids and Martyrs Day (July 27). Present at the event were President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, and Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Do Van Chien. They expressed their profound gratitude to heroic martyrs who dedicated their lives to the struggle for national liberation and reunification, for the sake of national independence and freedom of the Fatherland and well-being of the people. Seventy four years ago, President Ho Chi Minh designated July 27 as the Day of Invalids and Martyrs to remind the entire Party, armed forces and people to uphold the tradition of “when drinking water, remembering its source”, contributing to the enhancement of the great national unity bloc and public trust in the Party and State. At the President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the leaders expressed their immense gratitude to the late leader for his dedication to the Party and nation’s glorious revolutionary cause. In the morning of the same day, delegations from the Central Military Commission - the Ministry of National Defence, the Central Public Security Party Committee - the Ministry of Public Security, the VFF Central Committee, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the Hanoi Municipal Party Committee, People’s Council, People’s Committee and VFF Committee also paid floral tribute to heroic martyrs at the monument and President Ho Chi Minh at his mausoleum./. HCMC: Cases of special necessity permitted to go out after 6pm Starting on July 26, the HCMC’s government has banned residents from going out after 6pm and suspended all activities to stem the spread of Covid-19, except for cases of special necessity, such as people who need first aid, the frontline forces in the battle against Covid-19, the supporting forces of the local authorities and functional units. The special cases also include officials, editors and reporters of media agencies, printers and publishers of newspapers; public utility workers in water, sanitation and energy services, IT and infrastructure systems. Vehicles transporting essential goods, export and import commodities, and raw materials required for manufacturing, shuttle service for employee and the frontline forces in Covid-19 fight transportation are allowed to go out after 6pm. The People’s Committee of HCMC has asked the local authorities of districts and Thu Duc City to implement the rotating schedule based on even/odd days bringing fewer people together in traditional markets. The municipal Police Department, the HCMC High Command and its departments together with the People’s Committees in districts and Thu Duc City have to establish control stations and carry out 24-hour street surveillance. HCM City patrols step up inspections of people posing as delivery men on city streets The city has begun cracking down on phony delivery men and women after many people were discovered wearing uniforms as a disguise to go out on city streets amid the city's implementation of Directive 16. Dương Anh Đức, vice chairman of the People's Committee of HCM City, said that two-thirds of vehicles on the road are mobile-app delivery people. Recently, militia and traffic police at checkpoints in the city have handled many people wearing delivery shirts as an excuse to go out. The city Department of Transport has recommended specific regulations on transport and delivery services, according to Trần Quang Lâm, director of the department. The city requires the drivers to deliver only essential items (food, medical equipment, medicine), and has the right to refuse them if the goods do not fall under this category. In addition, functional forces will strengthen inspections and handling of "fake shippers" and delivery people carrying non-essential goods. The functional forces will have the right to ask the delivery workers to provide invoices for inspection. Phan Văn Mãi, deputy secretary of the city Party Committee, said in the next two weeks, the city will deploy patrol forces to make sure the social distancing order is strictly followed. Anyone violating the regulations could be detained. The city has called for cooperation and the highest sense of responsibility from people in the fight against the pandemic. After a meeting held on Sunday, the city made a decision to ban people from going out between 6pm and 6am. “All activities will have to be suspended except for emergency medical care or pandemic fight operations," Nguyễn Thành Phong, the city's chairman, said at the meeting. HCM City has been recording thousands of new COVID-19 patients each day despite 17 days of social distancing under Directive 16. The directive requires residents to stay at home and only go out for basic necessities such as buying food or medicines or to work at factories or businesses that are allowed to be open. Bien Hoa City records over 1,500 cases of Covid-19 Director of Dong Nai Province’s Department of Health Phan Huy Anh Vu said that a number of SARS-CoV-2 cases in Bien Hoa City exceeded 1,500 ones, occupying over 50 percent of the total cases in the province. In the past 24 hours, Bien Hoa City recorded 149 more new infectious cases of Covid-19, bringing the total cases and suspected infections in the whole city to 1,589 ones. Of which, Hoa An Ward had the most numerous cases of 267 ones. Besides that, 4,639 people having close contact with the Covid-19 patients are performing the centralized isolation order and 26,849 people are self-isolated at home. According to Dong Nai Province’s Department of Health, almost Covid-19 cases in Bien Hoa City are at the lock-downed wards. Legislators to discuss two important national target programmes The 15th National Assembly will mull over investment policies in the National Target Programme on Sustainable Poverty Reduction and the National Target Programme on New-Style Rural Development for the 2021-2025 period during its working session in Hanoi on July 27. In the morning session, NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue will deliver a speech on the occasion of Invalids and Martyrs Day (July 27). The National Target Programme on Sustainable Poverty Reduction for the 2021-2025 period comprises six projects and 11 sub-projects, benefiting poor, near-poor households and families recently escaped poverty across the country, disadvantaged workers, residents living in poor districts and communes in coastal and island areas, vocational training establishments and job service centres in disadvantaged areas, relevant organisations and individuals, Meanwhile, the National Target Programme on New-Style Rural Development for the 2021-2025 period will benefit residents, residential communities, cooperatives, businesses and socio-economic organisations in rural areas. It targets that by 2025, at least 80 percent of the communes and half of the districts, townships and cities in centrally-run provinces and cities will meet criteria for new-style rural areas. Each city and province will have at least two districts achieving the status while at least 15 centrally-run cities and provinces will be recognised by the Prime Minister to fulfill the new-style rural area building tasks. At least 60 percent of villages and hamlets in especially disadvantaged communes in border, mountainous, coastal and island areas will be recognised for the title. With 11 sub-projects and six projects, the programme is expected to cost nearly 2.45 quadrillion VND. In the afternoon, the legislature will discuss in the plenary session the national financial plan, public borrowing and debt payment plan, and mid-term public investment plan for the 2021-2025 period. The lawmakers are due to adopt a Resolution on the 2021-2025 socio-economic development plan, a Resolution on the law and ordinance building programme in 2022, adjustments on the law and ordinance building programme in 2021, and resolutions on the establishment of the legislature’s thematic supervision delegations for 2022./. Ceremony held to send off Vietnamese artillery team to 2021 Int'l Army Games A send-off ceremony was held on July 26 for Vietnam’s artillery team who set to leave for Kazakhstan next week for the 2021 International Army Games. It is the second year Vietnam has attended the Games’ Masters of Artillery Fire event. The team will depart for Kazakhstan on August 3. The Vietnamese artillery corps received a five-month intensive training to prepare for the event. In his remarks at the ceremony, Commander of the Artillery Arms Maj. Gen. Nguyen Hong Phong asked the team to stay united during the competition and keep themselves safe from the COVID-19 pandemic. He requested them to maintain high determination and discipline, uphold the spirit of teamwork and fair-play and deploy suitable tactics in order to achieve the best results. According to the Ministry of Defence of Russia, this year’s Army Games will be held from August 22 to September 4. A total of 277 teams from 41 countries and territories will compete in 34 categories. Teams from the Vietnam People's Army gained outstanding results and surpassed their set targets at the 2020 Games./. Additional 2,764 COVID-19 cases raise national count to over 109,000 Vietnam confirmed an additional 2,764 COVID-19 cases, including two imported, in the past 12 hours to 6am on July 27, raising the national total to 109,111, according to the Ministry of Health. Ho Chi Minh City still accounted for most of the new
infections, with 1,849 cases. The number of cases reported since the fourth coronavirus wave hit the country in late April reached 105,338, of whom 18,570 have been given the all-clear. The total number of recoveries now stands at 21,344. A total of 126 patients with severe COVID-19 are being treated in Intensive Care Units (ICUs). Fifteen are in critical conditions and receiving ECMO support. On July 26, 109,234 more COVID-19 vaccine shots were administered across Vietnam, bringing the total number of doses given in the country to over 4.74 million. A total of 423,071 people have been fully vaccinated with two jabs./. Hanoi earmarks VND100 billion for policy beneficiaries The Hanoi People’s Committee has earmarked nearly 100 billion VND (4.34 million USD) to present over 123,000 gifts to policy beneficiaries on the occasion of the 74th anniversary of Day of Invalids and Martyrs (July 27). Accordingly, heroic Vietnamese mothers, wounded and sick soldiers, and relatives of martyrs will receive 1 million VND each while those worshipping martyrs will obtain 500,000 VND each. The municipal Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs together with authorities of districts and towns also visited and handed over gifts to 42 nursing centres for ex-revolutionaries and management boards of martyrs’ cemeteries, each 6-11 million VND. Seventy-two outstanding individuals who are relatives of martyrs, wounded and sick soldiers or ex-revolutionaries infected with Agent Orange/dioxin and living in difficulty received gifts worth 2.5 million VND each. On the occasion, Hanoi raised over 27.3 billion VND for the gratitude fund, or 123 percent of the plan, granted 4,366 saving books valued at more than 5.3 billion VND, repaired 74 works dedicated to martyrs at a total cost of over 45.6 billion VND, equivalent to 157 percent of the plan. Districts and towns sent around 374,000 gifts of the State President, the city and their own worth more than 164.3 billion VND to policy beneficiaries. The city also built and repaired houses for 284 households that rendered service to the nation, at a total cost of over 11 billion VND, or 125 percent of the plan./. Prime Minister presents proposed list of 27 Government members Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh presented a proposed list of 27 Government members for the 15th tenure to the 15th National Assembly's ongoing first session in Hanoi on July 26. Accordingly, the Cabinet includes the Prime Minister and four Deputy PMs in charge of directing the fields of diplomacy and global integration, legislation, apparatus organisation, religious and ethnic affairs; general economy and inspection, settlement of complaints and denunciations; sectoral economy; and science, education, and socio-cultural affairs. There are 18 Ministers of National Defence; Public Security; Foreign Affairs; Home Affairs; Justice; Planning and Investment; Finance; Industry and Trade; Agriculture and Rural Development; Transport; Construction; Natural Resources and Environment; Information and Communications; Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs; Culture, Sports and Tourism; Science and Technology; Education and Training; and Health. Four heads of ministry-level agencies include Minister, Chairman of the Committee for Ethnic Affairs; Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam; Government Inspector General; Minister, Chairman of the Government Office. PM Chinh said the number of Cabinet members is based on the Government’s organisational structure, ensuring inheritance, stability, renovation in line with the Constitution and the law. Members of the NA Committee for Legal Affairs said the number of the Government members is accordance with the Resolution on the Government’s organisational structure that was recently adopted by the legislature, meeting the PM’s direction and governance requirements in the next period./. Vietnam pins hope on female weightlifter at Tokyo 2020 Olympics Five Vietnamese athletes will compete in four sports on the fourth official day of the ongoing Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on July 27. Weightlifter Hoang Thi Duyen is hoped to clinch a medal for Vietnam in the women’s 51 kg category as she was placed third amongst nine competitors in the final. Duyen will begin competing at 13:50 (Vietnam time). She earned a gold medal in the 30th Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 30). Weightlifters brought home medals from two of the past three Olympic Games, including a gold by Hoang Anh Tuan in the Beijing 2008 Olympics and a bronze by Tran Le Quoc Toan in the London 2012 Olympics. In badminton, Nguyen Tien Minh (the world’s No. 60) will play against Azerbaijani rival Ade Resky (No. 80). Earlier, he lost to the world's No. 3 player Anders Antonsen of Denmark. At 18:20, 21-year-old swimmer Nguyen Huy Hoang will compete in the 800-m freestyle against 33 rivals. Eight swimmers with the best performance will qualify for the final slated for July 29. In rowing, Luong Thi Thao and Dinh Thi Hao competed in the women’s lightweight doubles sculls - Final C on July 27 morning. However, as they ranked fifth out of the six teams in the repechage, their medal hope faded./. HCM City welcomes volunteers to relieve overwhelmed health care system More than 1,300 people in Ho Chi Minh City have signed up to volunteer for the fight against the outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant following an appeal letter from Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son. Volunteers include nearly 300 doctors, 200 pharmacists and nearly 700 people working in various sectors joining the front lines. The city’s Department of Health is mobilising volunteers for COVID-19 treatment health facilities and districts facing a shortage of human resources for prevention and control activities. Son, head of the ministry’s special standing division in HCM City, issued an appeal letter on July 24 calling for people with a medical background, including active and retired medical officers, lecturers and students, as well as members of health associations, to help relieve some of the burden on the healthcare system, which is now under severe strain. People can sign up to volunteer by contacting the Department of Health via 02839309967 or 0907574269. Last week, city leaders asked the central Government to mobilise more than 12,000 medical officers, including doctors, nurses, and medical technicians to support the fight against the COVID-19 outbreak. The COVID-19 outbreak has overwhelmed the city’s public healthcare system, which is estimated to be capable of treating about 30,000 COVID-19 cases, according to Son. The city is in dire need of support from the central Government and the Ministry of Health to add more resources to curb the outbreak. As of July 25, the city had reported more than 61,192 cases since late April. The newly established HCM City Rehabilitation Hospital with 1,000 beds for severely and critically ill patients needs more than 1,300 medical staff, said Dr. Nguyễn Tri Thuc, director of HCM City COVID-19 Rehabilitation Hospital. It has 835 medical officers and administrative staff so far, according to Thuc, who is director of Cho Ray Hospital. With a surge in the number of cases, the hospital asked the Ministry of Health to mobilise more human resources for treatment of severe cases. Dr. Nguyen Duy Long, director of the 115 Emergency Centre in HCM City, said the centre was struggling as 1,200-1,800 positive COVID-19 cases were being transferred to hospitals every day, far exceeding its capacity. He has asked the health sector to mobilise more emergency medical staff from other health facilities to provide emergency services for COVID-19 patients in a timely manner. The COVID-19 Treatment Hospital No. 2 in the city’s District 12 with nearly 200 medical staff is now operating at full capacity to receive COVID-19 patients. The hospital has proposed adding more physicians who are respiratory specialists as doctors there are working double their normal shift./. HCM City administers over 170,000 vaccine doses in fifth phase of vaccination drive Ho Chi Minh City has administered 170,177 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the fifth phase of its inoculation drive, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Duong Anh Duc said. The fifth phase, with 930,000 doses to be administered, will be carried out at 20 hospitals, alongside 615 commune- and ward-based vaccination sites. It is scheduled to complete in two weeks. Out of those vaccinated, 189 people had post-injection reactions, but all of them were mild and treated by doctors. Post-injection reactions were mainly seen among people aged over 65 with underlying medical conditions. No serious reactions have been reported. Ho Chi Minh City has tasked 606 injecting teams and the vaccination rate reached 60 percent of the expected capacity. According to Duc, from July 27, the vaccination rate will be increased up to 100,000 people per day. With this rate, the city is expected to complete the 5th phase of its vaccination drive in about 10 days. On July 25, HCM City had 2,115 more patients discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of recoveries in the city since the beginning of the epidemic to 14,704 people. In particular, on the afternoon of July 26, 17 seriously ill patients were given the all-clear. On July 26, the city had 5,997 cases of COVID-19, the highest number recorded in a day./. Congratulations sent to newly-elected Vietnamese leaders Top leaders of Laos and China on July 26 sent congratulatory messages to newly-elected Vietnamese leaders, including President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan. In his message sent to President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and President of Laos Thounglun Sisolith affirmed his desire to work closely with the Vietnamese leader in the coming time "to contribute to the enhancement of the great friendship, traditional fraternity and comradeship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties, the States and the peoples. He also pledged to continue directing and leading the implementation of the outcomes of the talks between Party and State leaders of the two countries in June 2021 for the interests of their people and for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world. In his congratulatory message to PM Pham Minh Chinh, Lao PM Phankham Viphavanh promised to work with his Vietnamese counterpart to further develop the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties, the States and the peoples for the interests of their people and for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world. Earlier on July 20, Chairman of the Lao National Assembly Saysomphone Phomvihane also sent a letter of congratulations to Vuong Dinh Hue on his election as Chairman of the 15th National Assembly of Vietnam. Also on July 26, Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a message of congratulations to Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc. In his message, Xi said that China and Vietnam are socialist neighbours and enjoy profound traditional friendship and extensive common interests. In the face of transformations rarely seen in a century and the once-in-a-century COVID-19 pandemic, the two sides have united and cooperated together closely and taken concrete actions to enrich their comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. So far this year, Vietnam successfully organised the
13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, while China
celebrated the 100th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of China. On the same day, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang sent
a congratulatory message to PM Pham Minh Chinh. Earlier, on July 20, Chairman of the National People's
Congress (NPC) Standing Committee of China Li Zhanshu extended
congratulations to Vuong Dinh Hue on his re-election as Chairman of the
National Assembly of Vietnam in the 15th tenure. Also on July 26, China’s Vice President Wang Qishan sent a congratulatory message to Vietnamese Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan./. Seventh working day of 15th NA’s first session The 15th National Assembly’s first session entered the seventh working day in Hanoi on July 26 under the chair of NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue. After electing the State President by secret ballots in the morning, NA Secretary General Bui Van Cuong presented the draft Resolution on the election of the State President. As a result, all 483 deputies present voted yes to the resolution, or 96.79 percent of the total number of lawmakers. Later, State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc took oaths and delivered a speech at the swearing-in ceremony, which was televised nationwide. Presided over by NA Vice Chairman Nguyen Duc Hai, the legislature also discussed the approval of 2019 State budget settlement, and thrift practice and wastefulness prevention in 2020 in the plenary session. Fourteen deputies offered their opinions on reports by the Government, the NA’s Finance-Budget Committee and the State Audit Office. Finance Minister Ho Duc Phoc also explained several issues raised by lawmakers. Under the chair of NA Chairman Hue, State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc presented a proposed list of candidates for the election of Prime Minister, Vice State President, Chief Judge of the Supreme People’s Court and Prosecutor General of the Supreme People’s Procuracy. In the afternoon, all 479 present lawmakers, or 95.99 percent of the total, adopted a Resolution on the election of the Prime Minister. PM Pham Minh Chinh later took oaths and delivered a speech at a ceremony which was live broadcast nationwide. Legislators also ratified Resolutions on the election of the Vice State President, Chief Judge of the Supreme People’s Court and Prosecutor General of the Supreme People’s Procuracy. A swearing-ceremony where Chief Judge of the Supreme People’s Court Nguyen Hoa Binh took oaths was also televised nationwide. The legislature also discussed in groups about the number of Government members and proposed personnel for the Supreme People’s Court. As scheduled on July 27, the NA will look into investment policies in the National Target Programme on Sustainable Poverty Reduction and the National Target Programme on New-style Rural Development for the 2021-2025 period. In the afternoon, they are due to discuss in a plenary session the 2021-2025 national financial plan and public debt payment, the mid-term public investment plan for 2021-2025. They are also scheduled to adopt resolutions on the 2021-2025 socio-economic development plan, the 2022 programme on law and ordinance building, and the establishment of the NA’s thematic supervision teams for 2022./. Cuba's Moncada Barracks battle celebrated in Hanoi A meeting was held virtually in Hanoi on July 26 to celebrate the 68th anniversary of the Moncada Barracks attack in Cuba. It was co-organised by the Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Association and Cuban Embassy in Vietnam. 68 years ago, the attack on the Moncada barracks by Cuban young patriots led Fidel Castro, the great leader of Cuba, opened up a new stage of development of the Cuban revolution. It brought the just struggle of the Cuban people to victory on January 1, 1959, marking a milestone in the country’s history. Addressing the meeting, Assoc. Prof. Dr Nguyen Viet Thao, Permanent Vice President of the Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Association, said 68 years have passed, but the meaning of this event is still intact. This event opened up a new page in the history of Cuba in particular and Latin America in general. Although the attack was not successful, it sparked the Cuban revolution and reverberated across Latin America and throughout the world. Despite facing many difficulties, the country and people of Cuba still bravely overcame the challenges and built a social system of workers with outstanding advantages, social security policies that are on par with those of the most developed countries in the world, bringing pride not only to the Cuban people but also to developing and underdeveloped countries today, he said. “The Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Association, through the Cuba-Vietnam Friendship Association and the Cuban Institute of Solidarity with the Peoples, fully believes in the leadership of the Cuban Party and State, headed by President Miguel Diaz Canel, the Cuban people will defeat all conspiracies of imperialism and reactionary forces, and maintain socialist Cuba as an example for nations in the world to follow," Thao said. Cuba Ambassador to Vietnam Orlando Nicolas Hernandez Gullien said that in Cuba, July 26 every year is the day of the all-people uprising. It’s the day the Cuban and Vietnamese people together celebrate the anniversary of the Moncada Barracks attack. Cuba highly appreciates the support of the Party, State and people of Vietnam and cherishes the deep and sincere sentiments from the friends of the Cuban revolution. The Ambassador said he believed that with a Moncada-like spirit, the two countries will defeat the COVID-19 pandemic and overcome all difficulties./. HCM City seeks volunteer medical staff to relieve overwhelmed healthcare system More than 1,300 people in HCM Ctiy have signed up to volunteer for the fight against the outbreak of the highly infectious Delta variant following an appeal letter from Deputy Minister of Heatlh Nguyễn Trường Sơn. Volunteers include nearly 300 doctors, 200 pharmacists and nearly 700 people working in various sectors joining the front lines. The city’s Department of Health is mobilising volunteers for COVID-19 treatment health facilities and districts facing a shortage of human resources for prevention and control activities. Sơn, head of the ministry’s special standing division in HCM City, issued an appeal letter on Saturday calling for people with a medical background, including active and retired medical officers, lecturers and students, as well as members of health associations, to help relieve some of the burden on the healthcare system, which is now under severe strain. People can sign up to volunteer by contacting the Department of Health via 02839309967 or 0907574269. Last week, city leaders asked the central Government to mobilise more than 12,000 medical officers, including doctors, nurses, and medical technicians to support the fight against the COVID-19 outbreak. Overburdened system The COVID-19 outbreak has overwhelmed the city’s public healthcare system, which is estimated to be capable of treating about 30,000 COVID-19 cases, according to Deputy Minister of Heatlh Nguyễn Trường Sơn. The city is in dire need of support from the central Government and the Ministry of Health to add more resources to curb the outbreak. As of Sunday, the city had reported more than 61,192,000 cases since late April. The newly established HCM City Rehabilitation Hospital with 1,000 beds for severely and critically ill patients needs more than 1,300 medical staff, said Dr. Nguyễn Tri Thức, director of HCM City COVID-19 Rehabilitation Hospital. It has 835 medical officers and administrative staff so far, according to Thức, who is director of Chợ Rẫy Hospital. With a surge in the number of cases, the hospital asked the Ministry of Health to mobilise more human resources for treatment of severe cases. Dr. Nguyễn Duy Long, director of the 115 Emergency Centre in HCM City, said the centre was struggling as 1,200-1,800 positive COVID-19 cases were being transferred to hospitals every day, far exceeding its capacity. He has asked the health sector to mobilise more emergency medical staff from other health facilities to provide emergency services for COVID-19 patients in a timely manner. The Field Hospital No. 2 in the city’s District 12 with nearly 200 medical staff is now operating at full capacity to receive COVID-19 patients. The hospital has proposed adding more physicians who are respiratory specialists as doctors there are working double their normal shift. HCM City supermarkets to close early as social distancing rules tighten Many supermarkets in HCM City have announced to close early following tightened social distancing rules imposed in the area. Most supermarkets now open between 30 minutes and one hour earlier than usual and close by 6 pm instead of 9.30 pm. Big C and Top Market said the opening hours have been set to 7 am to 7 pm. MM Mega Market now opens from 6.30 am to 5.30 pm. Aeon Mall opens from 8 am to 4 pm and suspended all online services. Vinmart and Meat Deli are open from 5 am to 5.30 pm. Satra Foods, Satra Pham Hung and Saigon Supermarket under HCM City Commercial Company now close at 4 pm. Meanwhile, Co.opmart, Co.opXtra and Lotte Mart said they were still waiting for the official directives from the authorities about the opening hours and operating methods. Before then, they will still open as usual. Since July 26, residents in HCM City have been issued food tickets which state on which day they can go out to buy food and the locations of the supermarkets, convenience stores and groceries stores in the areas. The stores will only serve customers on their given days. However, many businesses said they haven't been informed about the details of the plan yet. Further 24 cases of COVID-19 detected in Hanoi A further 24 COVID-19 infections were confirmed in Hanoi from morning to noon on July 26, according to the municipal Department of Health. Of these, 17 new cases were linked to the Hanoi Lung Hospital, bringing the total confirmed cases at the hospital to 27. The rest were found in Bac Tu Liem (1), Dan Phuong (2), Dong Anh (1), Dong Da (2), Gia Lam (1), Ha Dong (1), Hai Ba Trung (1), Hoai Duc (1), Hoan Kiem (1), Hoang Mai (5), Long Bien (2), Phu Xuyen (3), Quoc Oai (1) and Ung Hoa (2). Among them, three cases were in connection with a cluster at 90 Nguyen Khuyen, Dong Da district, two returning from Ho Chi Minh City, one related to a cluster in Hoang Mai district and one linked to a cluster in Hai Ba Trung district. Pham Huu Thuong, Director of the Ha Noi Lung Hospital, said the source of the transmissions has not been identified yet because all the patients tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 upon admitting to the hospital. Earlier, the hospital, which was locked down by the People’s Committee of Hai Ba Trung district, will remain as such for 14 days from 6pm on July 25. Hanoi has recorded 775 COVID-19 cases in the fourth wave that began in late April, including 474 community cases. The city is now under a two-week social distancing order./. Additional 2,115 Covid-19 patients in HCM City discharged from hospital An additional 2,115 Covid-19 patients in HCM City were discharged from hospital on Monday, according to the municipal Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. The city is currently providing treatment for 38,733 patients, including 657 who are using a ventilator due to their worsening conditions, while 12 others are using the Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) method. HCM City has recorded three new Covid-19 clusters, raising the city’s total pandemic clusters to 36. The city is carrying out the fifth phase of its Covid-19 vaccination drive with 930,000 doses to be administered in five districts. Each vaccination spot is only allowed to receive 120 people per day. People aged over 65 with underlying diseases are vaccinated at hospitals; meanwhile, other groups are served at their localities. At present, 47,082 are being quarantined, including 8,871 in quarantine sites and others at home. Book series on President Ho Chi Minh launched A 15-volume book series named "Ho Chi Minh toan tap” (Ho Chi Minh Complete Collection) has been introduced by the Su That (Truth) National Political Publishing House, bringing together about 3,300 works, speeches, articles, telegraphs and letters by President Ho Chi Minh from 1912 to 1969. The books provide various documents covering the career and great value of Ho Chi Minh Thought – a system of comprehensive and profound views on the basic issues of the Vietnamese revolution. At the same time, it also shows the great contributions of President Ho Chi Minh to the global revolution and his outstanding dedication to the common struggle of mankind for peace, national independence, democracy and social progress. The process of President Ho Chi Minh seeking a way to salvage the country, as well as outlining the strategic directions and tactics of the revolution to organise and lead the Vietnamese revolution to victory are also vividly and deeply reflected in the book series. In addition, it also systematically provides comprehensive and profound perspectives on the basic issues of the Vietnamese revolution needed to serve the country's Doi Moi (renewal) cause. Police stop 137-strong motorbike caravan from HCMC in Central VN Traffic police in the central region stopped a 137-strong caravan of motorbikes returning from HCM City to the central provinces of Thừa Thiên-Huế, Quảng Trị, Hà Tĩnh and Nghệ An early Sunday morning. The weary travellers were given food, water by the police and made health declarations before moving on to Quảng Trị, Nghệ An and Hà Tĩnh provinces. Made up of regular workers, street vendors and small business owners, they said they left HCM City on motorbike two days ago after the southern city enacted social distancing orders last week. Thừa Thiên-Huế Province authorities said 99 people from Huế, that were a part of the group, had been tested for coronavirus, and two of them were positive with SARS-COV-2. The remaining were all sent to quarantine centres for two weeks. At least 10,000 Huế natives living in HCM City have registered to return home. Also in the central region, Hội An City in Quảng Nam began social distancing as three positive coronavirus cases were reported on the weekend. The city asked all local residents not to go out of the city from Sunday. Quick tests were taken on more than 500 close and indirect contact cases through Saturday night. Quảng Nam authorities have been revving up the vaccination programme with a target of vaccinating 70 per cent of the province’s population by the end of 2022. The CDC of Quảng Ngãi Province said nine COVID-19 patients were released, having recovered, from quarantine centres on Sunday morning. It said 63 COVID-19 patients had fully recovered after treatment since early June. Strict preventive measures were tightened at mass quarantine sites in the province where 11 SAR-COV-2 infections were reported on Saturday. Đà Nẵng has also begun administering 1,170 Pfizer vaccine doses to priority groups. The Ministry of Health has allocated 70,000 vaccines including Moderna, Pfizer and AstraZeneca for Đà Nẵng City. Since May, 30,000 people have been injected with COVID-19 vaccines, of which 8,000 had received two shots. Director of the city’s Centre for Disease Control (CDC), Dr Tôn Thất Thạnh said the city had prepared medical staff and facilities and could administer vaccines to about 20,000 people each day. Vietnamese Youth Alliance in Singapore holds online career workshop More than 600 Vietnamese students from 13 countries worldwide participated in an online career workshop held by the Vietnamese Youth Alliance in Singapore (VNYA) on July 24-25. VNYA 2021 Career Fair also brought together representatives from a number of corporations such as P&G Vietnam, Shopee Vietnam and VNG Corporation. With the support of the Vietnamese Embassy in Singapore, the association had spent two months preparing for the event that aims to provide Vietnamese students and alumni in Singapore and other countries an insight into the future work environment amidst the impact of COVID-19. Representatives from the corporations talked about recruitment trends and programmes to lure talents, and shared experience in job application. In his opening remarks, Ambassador Mai Phuoc Dung lauded the association’s initiative to organise the online workshop in the context of the pandemic. Vietnam should learn from Singapore’s experience in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, digital transformation and economy, bio-technology and financial technology, he suggested. According to VNYA President Nguyen Thao Nhi, this is the first-ever online event hosted by the association, saying the participation of the Vietnamese students and alumni has served as a source of encouragement for the association to organmise similar events in the time ahead./. Over 30,000 children equipped with water safety skills in two years Nearly 14,000 children aged 6 - 15 have been equipped with swimming safety skills, and more than 30,000 with water safety skills over the last two years thanks to classes held by the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) and relevant agencies in Vietnam. In a recent interview with the Vietnam News Agency, GHAI Country Director Doan Thu Huyen said drowning remains one of the leading causes of death for under-15 children in Vietnam, with about 2,000 children aged under 16 losing their lives to water every year. Drowning increases in summer, when children have finished their school year and spend most of their time at home and in their community, causing not only losses to the country, the community, and their families but also uncompensable grief and pain to their parents and relatives, she noted. Since 2018, with support from the Bloomberg Philanthropies, the GHAI at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids of the US has coordinated with the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) and the World Health Organisation to carry out evidence-based interventions that suit the Vietnam context so as to help minimise drowning deaths among under-15 children. Huyen said the child drowning prevention programme has been piloted in over 100 communes of eight provinces with the highest drowning mortality rates in Vietnam. It provided swimming safety skills for nearly 14,000 children aged 6 - 15 and water safety skills for more than 30,000. As a result, the rate of children getting swimming lessons has almost doubled, from 14.7 percent to 25.5 percent, in the beneficiary areas, higher than the average national rate. In the time ahead, she added, the programme will be expanded to 12 provinces, from eight at present, with priority given to disadvantaged districts and communes with high drowning mortality rates in children. The GHAI will also keep working closely with the MoLISA, relevant sectors, local authorities, and schools to organise swimming classes for children aged 6 - 15. It hopes to equip about 50,000 children with swimming skills by the end of 2022. Teaching water safety skills is also one of the programme’s priorities, Huyen went on, noting that the skills are necessary for children to grow up safely and healthily. She said the efforts could prove useful only when they receive support from local authorities, families, and schools, and that the GHAI is happy that the programme has helped make substantive improvements to ensure water safety and prevent drowning for children. Thua Thien Hue: Digital transformation ultilised as driving force for socio-economic growth The central province of Thua Thien Hue has been building foundations for digital transformation serving local administration reform and creating a driving force for socio-economic growth. As early as 2014, the province launched five shared software following the direction of shared infrastructure and centralised database. In 2016, the provincial portal for online public administrative services came into operation. In 2019, the local authority issued Decision 1779/QD-UBND approving a plan for smart urban services development. In July 2020, it issued Decision 1957/QD-UBND approving the provincial digital transformation programme following the motto of paperless; meetings without mass gathering; online public administrative services; and cashless payment. Under the programme, by 2030, Thua Thien Hue will complete its digital government and society models, with the smart urban model becoming popular in social and public management, and digital economy a core method for promoting socio-economic growth. Talking to the press in mid-June, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Phan Ngoc Tho said stepping up digital transformation in administrative agencies has contributed significantly to administrative reform, cutting related paperwork, time, and costs. Digital transformation in the sector is a key condition for the promotion of such transformation across economic spheres. Since 2020 to date, to ensure COVID-19 prevention and control, the local authorities have promoted online meetings from communal to provincial levels. According to the provincial Department of Information and Communication, to date, 100 percent of the local administrative procedures have been offered online at level 2 and above. All documents submitted by people and businesses are recorded in an electronic one-stop system, so they can look up the settlement status of their applications via the Internet, SMS, or Zalo. In addition, the province is piloting a digital government project that put the people at its centre. Prioritising digital transformation in tourism Nguyen Thanh Binh, Vice Chairman of the provincial People Committee, said in 2021, the province focuses on digital transformation in four sectors, with tourism one of the priorities. Currently, a large number of smart tourism models and products have been formed such as virtual reality models, automatic audio narrations at relic sites, the digitisation of cultural heritages, and smart tourist cards. Binh listed key tasks for the time to come, including building digital database and infrastructure for tourism, developing applications to connect central and local management activities and smart apps to serve tourists, and training tourism personnel. At a Thua Thien Hue digital transformation week held in late April, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Huy Dung underscored that the province must become a destination for large technological events of the nation and the world toward the goals of developing tourism and technology as well as becoming a digital transformation model. The COVID-19 pandemic has a major impact on tourism in Vietnam, and Thua Thien-Hue province is no exception. The pandemic has forced the suspension of many tourism promotion plans here, pushed a number of travel companies to the brink of bankruptcy, and caused thousands of layoffs in the sector. The provincial tourism sector lost about 2.25 trillion VND (97.4 million USD) so far this year, as the number of holidaymakers dropped 55 percent year-on-year. /. Vietnamese cuisine promoted in Algeria
The Embassy of Vietnam in Algeria together with the School of Hotel and Restaurant Management of Algiers (ESHRA) held an event on Vietnamese and Algerian cuisine on July 25. The event aimed to promote Vietnamese food to Algerian friends and help staff at the Embassy learn more about local cuisine. The cooking process for two of Vietnam's renowned traditional dishes - nem (fried spring rolls) and pho bo (Vietnamese beef noodle soup) - was introduced at the event, along with two Algerian traditional dishes of Méchoui (slow roasted lamb) and salad hamis. Vietnamese Ambassador to Algeria Nguyen Thanh Vinh spoke highly of the event, hoping that it will bolster mutual understanding amongst people of the two countries and cultural exchange programmes. He also thanked staff at the ESHRA and wished to maintain cooperation with the school in the coming time, thereby fostering the Vietnam-Algeria traditional friendship. For his part, ESHRA Rector Badis Bendedouche highly valued the Vietnamese Embassy’s idea in holding the event, adding that the traditional friendship between the countries serves as a foundation for the school and Algerian people to explore Vietnamese culture, including cuisine./. Teacher translates Trinh Cong Son's songs into English browser not support iframe. Nguyet Ca, an English teacher renowned for her Bilingual Songs for Kids project, has again enthralled the community of English students and music lovers with a new project in which she converts lyrics of songs from famed composer Trinh Cong Son into English. “Tuoi Doi Menh Mong” (The Immense Life) is the first song within a project called “Vie-EN Trinh”, in which English teacher Nguyet Ca and translators Chung Vu and Hong Dinh convert songs from famous late composer Trinh Cong Son into English. The song is being reimagined in an acoustic version and performed by Nguyet Ca herself. Translating Trinh Cong Son’s songs, according to the English teacher and her partners, is a meticulous task as the original lyrics are sophisticated and poetic. Besides being the first song of the “Vie-EN Trinh” project, “Tuoi Doi Menh Mong” is also the fifth song of Nguyet Ca’s Bilingual Songs for Kids project. She chose the song as it is one of only a few Trinh Cong Son wrote for teenagers, which makes it fit perfectly with her first project. Bilingual Songs for Kids features four songs: “Cho con” (For you), “Canh en tuoi tho” (Swallows for Children), “Chi co mot tren doi” (Mom, You’re the only one for me), and “Trai dat nay la cua chung minh” (This is our lovely earth)./. Long An detects ten illegal immigrants from Cambodia The High Command of Border Guard of Long An Province yesterday said that Song Trang Border Post in Tan Hung District had just patrolled and detected an illegal immigration case, in which ten people were swimming across Cai Co River to enter Vietnam from Cambodia. Particularly, at 9:45 p.m. on July 24, the patrol team found 10 illegal immigrants from Cambodia to Vietnam. They were residents of Thanh Hoa and Ha Tinh provinces. Through the investigation process, they initially declared that they hired a car to travel from the capital city of Phnom Penh to the Vietnam – Cambodia border area and then tried to swim across Cai Co River to enter Vietnam after becoming unemployment due to the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak in Cambodia. The functional forces have sent those people to a quarantine ward as regulated. War veteran joins coronavirus battle Battle-hardened Vietnamese soldiers bravely fought foreign invaders during the anti-American war, and now a tough veteran is stepping up in the national fight against a deadly invisible enemy, COVID-19. Our hero is 75-year-old Lê Văn Đệ in Thanh Sơn Commune, Thanh Hà District, in the northern province of Hải Dương. Wounded in the war, Đệ has a deformed hand and pieces of shrapnel still remain in his body. But despite such hardships the former soldier has used his retirement savings as well as family money to donate VNĐ4.5 billion (US$196,000) to the national coronavirus vaccine fund. “Đệ is a war invalid and his wife is a retired teacher. They have led a decent life being kind to their neighbours,” says Đoàn Văn Nằng, a Thanh Sơn resident. “This family of a veteran and teacher used to be the poorest in the village. Fortunately, their life has much improved over the years and they have supported others the most in our village,” Nằng says. The ex-soldier has experienced several critical strokes over the years, the first of which was seven years ago, but he has miraculously escaped death’s scythe every time. Since his first stroke, a hearing aid has become an indispensable part of his life. As a consequence of such severe strokes, Đệ has not been able to maintain a sharp mind. Trying to reassemble a few fragments of his intact memories, he says: “I participated in the resistance war against the Americans in 1971 as a private in Military Region 3 in the North, and then Military Region 7 in the South.” “My husband joined the army right at his workplace,” says Đệ’s wife, Nguyễn Thị Đào. “The country was in dire need of soldiers at that time. He went home in the afternoon and immediately had to leave for the battlefield the next morning.” After the liberation of South Việt Nam in 1975, he returned to his home with a deformed hand and fragments of bombs in his body. He was assessed to have lost 22 per cent of his health and assigned to work for the Thanh Miện Tractor Station. Due to poor health, he had to leave the job in 1981. However, the unflinching spirit of the Vietnamese soldier ensured he was not discouraged. Instead, he chose to lead a full life, taking up a variety of work. He would sometimes even travel to the northern province of Quảng Ninh to grow lychees to supplement his wife’s meagre salary as a primary school teacher and help raise their four children. Since their lives have improved, they have done charity work, helping neighbours who have fallen on hard times however they can. It is this spirit that led them to donate all of their retirement savings to the national vaccine fund. It was a decision they made in just one night. “The whole nation is struggling against the pandemic; being elderly we did not know how to practically contribute. When I happened to watch TV and saw the Prime Minister calling on people to support the vaccine fund, I immediately thought of making a donation,” Đệ says. “I discussed it with my wife, suggesting we donate all of our retirement savings of VNĐ500 million because the nation needed it more. If we suddenly get ill, we could ask our children [one son and four daughters] for support. She thought for a moment and then nodded in agreement.” Their successful children have also enthusiastically supported their parents and even contributed VNĐ4 billion in kind [4,000 tonnes of cement] to the fund too. “Don’t consider me as a war invalid but just as a normal person,” Đệ says. “Many of my comrades fell and their remains have not yet been found. Some of them I didn’t even get the chance to know their names. We shared our meals together at dusk and then they were sacrificed that night.” “I was fortunate to survive the war and return home. And now, I want to join hands to fight the pandemic ‘enemy’. This fight takes much strength but everyone must be united. Each citizen has become a soldier, and I believe that our united contribution will finally beat the pandemic.” Đệ and his wife have received a certificate of merit from Thanh Hà District authority for their contribution to the vaccine fund. According to the wishes of his family, their donated money will be used to buy coronavirus vaccines for all villagers of Thanh Sơn Commune, about 5,000 people. “They are the first household in the province to support the fund with such a large amount of money,” says Trịnh Văn Thiện, secretary of the District Party Committee. “I highly appreciate their meaningful deed, which will create conditions for people in Thanh Sơn Commune to be vaccinated and contribute to the effective prevention of the virus for the whole of Hải Dương Province.” Thanh Sơn has set up a separate account to receive donated money for the vaccine fund, and proposed that the district and province support with vaccine sourcing and organising virus vaccinations for all of its villagers as soon as the fund is sufficient. Việt Nam earlier this month launched the largest ever campaign to provide free COVID-19 vaccination to people aged 18 and older. Anonymous donor War veteran Đệ has financially supported the
construction of many public works in his hometown. Photo qdnd.vn According to village chief Đoàn Văn Luân, the couple has always enthusiastically participated in village work as well as financially supported the construction of many public works and pagodas. However, few villagers know of their help as they prefer to keep it quiet. “They have contributed much to the building of our homeland, but never want their help made public. Đệ often tells us to keep it a secret,” Luân says. “But let me reveal one thing; all the money to build the main concrete road in our neighbourhood was from Đệ’s family.” Their family was much better financially when all of their children became well-off; however, Đệ and his wife still lead a simple life, still using a near obsolete phone their children bought them many years ago, even though they have suggested getting them a modern one. The phone suddenly rings and Đệ jokes: “They are calling again to remind us not to go out in case we get infected by the virus!” Cải lương guru devoted to Vietnamese theatre “I will work until my last breath to expand Vietnamese theatre among young people,” said Thanh Điền, theatre actor, director and producer in HCM City. Điền has had a 45-year-long career in cải lương (reformed opera), a 100-year-old traditional theatre genre of the southern region. He was recently nominated for the title of People’s Artist by the Government in recognition of his great contribution to the art. "For a true artist, glory comes after hard work, suffering and sacrifice,” said the 76-year-old. “I hope my art will help fans understand why and how cải lương is the spirit of Vietnamese people." Điền and his staff are working on a theatre project about a series of cải lương plays in the 1940s-50s. Famous plays will be restaged in new versions by young actors of leading theatres and traditional art troupes in HCM City and southern provinces. The first play, titled Lan và Điệp (Love Story of Lan and Điệp), a production by well-known scriptwriter Trần Hữu Trang, was restaged in a new version 82 years after its premiere last year. The 90-minute play portrays the challenges and suffering faced by Lan, a Vietnamese woman, under the feudal society in the south. It features the themes of love and unfaithfulness. Điền worked with his partner, young producer Gia Bảo, to rewrite and direct the new version, a mix of cải lương and bolero, a genre of slow-tempo Latin music. Actor Chí Tâm, one of the region’s most talented cải lương performers in the 1970s and 80s, and Vietnamese-American comedic actress Hồng Đào play the lead roles. “Even though our new version is targeted to young audiences, we offer cải lương in a traditional style,” said Điền, who performed a small role. The play will be released soon on YouTube as the best way Điền and his crew can attract fans during the Covid-19 pandemic. Another project by Điền is 100 Năm Sân Khấu Cải Lương (A Hundred Years of Cải Lương Theatre). The project offers TV shows featuring the history of cải lương, songs and plays performed by veteran and young artists. The life and career of pioneers, such as People’s Artist Út Trà Ôn, Minh Cảnh and Diệp Lang, are featured. The shows also include famous extracts from historical plays staged in the 1950s and 1970s. “Our project preserves cải lương by recording and writing the events, the plays and artists since the art form began in Mỹ Tho in Tiền Giang Province,” said Điền. “We have travelled and talked with many cultural researchers and historians to optimise our project.” 100 Năm Sân Khấu Cải Lương has received support from the HCM City Television and HCM City Theatre Association, as well as many young and veteran performers from the city and southern provinces. Born to a traditional family in the Mekong Delta province of Tiền Giang, Điền began his career at an early age. During his stage debut for the Trường Xuân Troupe in Long Xuyên in 1959, he bowled over the audience with his voice, looks and performance. He later performed for leading cải lương troupes in the region, becoming one of the brightest stars in the theatrical genre. In 1974, he established his own troupe, Xuân Liên Hoa, which attracted young talents, including Thanh Kim Huệ, who later became his wife. His strong and melodic voice and stage presence helped Điền leave an indelible mark on the art, enabling him to use his popularity to promote the art form. Điền won his first gold prize for his role in Đêm Trắng (Sleepless Night), a play featuring President Hồ Chí Minh, at the National Professional Theatre Festival in 1990 in Hà Nội. Điền has also won several top prizes at theatre festivals and contests, including the Golden Prize for best theatre director at the 2003 National Television Festival in HCM City. He has performed in more than 300 plays, videos and movies. He now works as a lecturer at Trần Hữu Trang Cải Lương Theatre and HCM City University of Theatre and Cinematography. “I’m working with Trần Hữu Trang Cải Lương Theatre to offer drama shows starring young talents at VNĐ100,000 (US$4.5) each to serve students and labourers,” Điền said. “Điền’s devotion to cải lương is invaluable,” said theatre critic Thanh Hiệp of HCM City Theatre Artists’ Association. Greetings to Cuba on 68th anniversary of Moncada Barracks attack Top leaders of Vietnam on July 26 extended their greetings to their Cuban counterparts on the 68th anniversary of the Attack on Moncada Barracks (July 26, 1953-2021). General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong and State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc sent their greetings to First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of Cuba Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh cabled a congratulatory message to his Cuban counterpart Manuel Marrero Cruz. Chairman of the National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue congratulated President of the National Assembly of People's Power of Cuba Esteban Lazo. On the same day, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son offered his greetings to his Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla. On July 26, 1953, a group of revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro attacked the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba. Though they lost, the raid paved the way for the insurrection against the regime of Dictator Fulgencio Batista and the establishment of the first agrarian-industrial country in the Western Hemisphere./. Cuban scholar undescores theoretical, practical values in Party chief’s article Dr. Ruvislei González Sáez, head of the Asian team at the Cuban Center for International Policy Research, has affirmed theoretical and practical values in Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s article “Several theoretical and practical issues on socialism and the path toward socialism in Vietnam”. In an interview recently granted to the Vietnam News Agency in Havana, Sáez, who is also Vice Chairman of the Cuba – Vietnam Friendship Association, hailed the article as a helpful reference for countries on the way toward socialism as well as for theory research. It is also instrumental for Vietnam’s future leaders to continue with the socialism path and goals set till 2045. He said the article took practical approach with a contemporary mindset that is close to realities, combining the most reasonable and progressive factors in the current socialism thought. According to him, Trong mentioned methods and achievements made by Vietnam after adopting socialism-oriented market economy model and conducting the renewal process. He added that Vietnam is reaching industrialisation to achieve socialism aspiration. After 35 years of renovation, Vietnam has dealt with food security issue, becoming one of the world’s biggest rice and farm produce exporters. Industry and services have so far accounted for 85 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). The most important is that the above changes have been made under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), a decisive factor for the success of the renewal process, the scholar said. Sáez also added that one of the most outstanding achievements by the CPV is the fight against corruption in recent years, contributing to consolidating public trust on the Party. In the article, Trong also outlined jobs that need to be done to look toward strategic social goals by 2045, including narrowing the gap between the rich and the poor; improving the quality of education, health care and other public services; developing culture and spiritual values; combating corruption, wastefulness and moral degradation among officials and Party members; and coping with “peaceful evolution” plots that sabotage socialism. Sáez said the article also held international values when Trong pointed out that a nation could not grow unilaterally, but should stay active and proactive in global integration, carry out a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, ensuring territorial integrity and not interfering in other countries’ internal affairs, equality and mutual benefits. Deputy PM Truong Hoa Binh visits families of revolution contributors in HCM City Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh on July 26 visited and presented gifts to policy beneficiary families and people with meritorious service to the revolution in Ho Chi Minh City on the occasion of the 74th Invalids and Martyrs Day (July 27). Joining the Deputy PM were leaders of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, and the HCM City People's Committee. Binh expressed his deep gratitude to revolutionary veterans, Heroic Vietnamese Mothers, Heroes of the Armed Forces, wounded and sick soldiers, families of martyrs, and people with meritorious service to the revolution who dedicated themselves to the cause of national liberation and reunification. The Deputy PM affirmed that the Party and Government always pay special attention to heroes, martyrs, Heroic Vietnamese Mothers, policy beneficiary families across the country in general, and HCM City in particular. He also said that present and future generations will forever remember the contributions of heroic mothers and war martyrs in the cause of national construction and defence./. National startup contest for students kicks off The Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training has launched the national startup contest for students 2021 (SV - STARTUP – 2021), with the goal of promoting a spirit of learning, training and creativity of all students nationwide. Accordingly, the contest is open to students studying at universities, academies, junior colleges, intermediate schools, and junior and high schools across the country. Projects participating in SV STARTUP- should aim to solve problems related to the community and society at large, developing highly effective solutions in COVID-19 prevention and control and contributing to creating breakthroughs to promote the country’s socio-economic development. Contest categories include science and technology; industry and manufacturing; agriculture, forestry and fisheries; education and healthcare; travel services; finance and banking; and the social impact of business. Regarding student-developed startup projects, there will be one first prize worth VND60 million, two second prizes of VND 40 million each, three third prizes of VND20 million and four consolation prizes of VND10 million. For entries by junior and senior high school pupils, there is one first prize worth VND30 million, two second prizes ofVND20 million each, three third prizes of VND10 million and three consolation prizes of VND5 million. Contestants can register for the contest through their educational establishments or via municipal and provincial departments of Education and Training. In addition, there are also voting awards on Website http://dean1665.vn and Booth Awards. The awards will be announced directly at the closing awards ceremony on the National Startup Day for Students 2021. Hanoi launches “zero-dong supermarket bus” to support pandemic-hit workers The Hanoi Labour Confederation on July 26 launched the "zero-dong supermarket bus" to support workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic at industrial zones and hostels in the city. A number of buses managed by the Hanoi Transport Corporation will transport necessities and essential goods to industrial parks and hostels in Hanoi to be provided to pandemic-hit workers. The “zero-dong supermarket bus” model will be implemented over 10 days from July 26. Workers eligible for the support are those who lost their jobs or have had their work suspended, particularly pregnant and female workers with children under six years old. * Free meals have been delivered to the needy in Hanoi as part of a programme launched by the Vietnam Volunteer Centre under the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee and the Vietnam Youth Federation of Hanoi. The programme aims to support people facing difficulties as strict social distancing measures are currently being applied in Hanoi. According to the organising board, the programme will make about 1,000 meals each day with the careful implementation of food safety regulations. The meals will be delivered with the support of the Pickup Vietnam Club. The Vietnam Youth Federation of Hanoi has called for the support of donors to the programme in any form, thus contributing to assisting people in Hanoi overcome the pandemic. Bac Lieu imposes night movement restrictions The Bac Lieu government has banned all residents from going out from 6:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. without an urgent or essential reason to limit the spread of Covid-19 during the social distancing period, making it the first Mekong Delta province to issue such a restriction of movement. The restriction is aimed at ensuring the better implementation of the measures against the spread of Covid under the prime minister’s Directive 16, the local media reported. Though the stay-at-home order is in force in the province, many people have been found on the streets, said the provincial government. The local authorities in the province are tasked with intensifying the enforcement of the shelter-in-place order. In addition, to effectively slow the spread of the coronavirus, the provincial government has suspended the construction of houses and closed down street food stalls. Apart from banning outdoor exercises, the province has asked people to restrict using two-wheeler vehicles to transport people, except for emergencies or patrol. These tightened measures took effect from today, July 26, until the social distancing order ends, according to the provincial government. Individual livelihood, business
vitality must be protected: HCMC Party Chief In his opening speech, Secretary of HCMC Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen stressed that after 15 days applying the Prime Minister’s Directive 16/CT-TTg, HCMC reached certain goals, yet there are more to be done in order to put the latest Covid-19 wave under control, leading to an extension of social distance period. “The ultimiate aim of this meeting is to devise more feasible solutions to control the outbreak in HCMC immediately via stopping the spread of Covid-19 in the community and implementing prevention methods correctly, otherwise all are too late”, said the Party Chief. He then mentioned the content of Directive 12, issued on July 22 by the Standing Committee of HCMC Party Committee and Official Dispatch No.2468 released on July 23 by HCMC People’s Committee, saying that there must be synchronous actions citywide, focusing on: _Raising the public awareness about Covid-19 prevention methods and the necessity to strictly observe social distance rules in Directive 16. _Taking measures to obey social distance rules in the community and businesses, which is decisive for the successful fight against this complicated Covid-19 outbreak. _Organizing routine patrols to punish violators citywide so that social distance rules are tightly observed. This will be carried out by the police, the military force, and the localities. _Ensuring the supply of essential commodities, especially foodstuffs, to residents and taking care of the vulnerable, the poor. _Making sure the healthcare system is run smoothly so that the medical staff is able to accept and treat patients, particularly Covid-19 ones. Simultaneously, vaccination tasks must be carried out safely as planned. A long-term strategy should be devise to protect the livelihood of all residents and the vitality of businesses sited in HCMC so that socio-economic recovery can be done right after the outbreak is controlled. Standing Deputy Secretary of HCMC Party Committee Phan Van Mai required that leaders of the Party Committees in all districts and Thu Duc City as well as the localities monitor the status in their areas more closely in order to timely handle any potential problems and to ensure each point mentioned above is done thoroughly. Chairman of HCMC People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong reported that since April 27, the city recorded over 55,500 Covid-19 cases, nearly 47,000 of which were during the 15 days applying Directive 16. Most new cases are in the centralized quarantine areas. He reasoned that such a complication at present reults from the loose observance of social distance rules of the community as well as weak control of the functional agencies, leading to many residents traveling in the city for unnecessary purposes. Chairman Phong stressed that a week after implementing Directive 16, three scenarios were devised, the third being the most serious. Unfortunately, all goals in the first scenario to decrease the number of newly Covid-19 infected people were failed, and thus the second one (tightening the rules in Directive 16) is on the run now. If things are not looking up, the third will have to be used, which will no doubt severely affect the life of the whole community. To avoid that situation, the Chairman called upon the close cooperation between the localities and the public. Each citizen now must strictly observe the social distance rules. More importantly, from July 26, noone is allowed to go out and all activities must cease after 6pm until 6am of the next day unless in emergency. The police, military force, and the localities must increase their routine patrols and strictly punish any violators. Administrative detention is allowed, and law breakers that cause the spread of Covid-19 may be prosecuted if there are sufficient proofs to constitute a crime. Regarding shipper activities, Chairman Phong asked that shipping companies must reduce the quantity of their employees by at least 10 percent compared to July 22. These shippers must tightly follow social distance rules while working and can only travel within one district, or within Thu Duc City. In addition, shippers on duty must wear their ID cards, with clear personal information, company name, and working coverage, which is registered to the HCMC Department of Industry and Trade, the HCMC Department of Transport by their company. This will become their pass to display to the functional agencies. Any shipping companies that do not use applications to manage their employees must also register for their staff at the localities in the corresponding wards to earn ID cards to work within those districts. As to medical treatment for Covid-19 cases, the Chairman informed that HCMC is going to integrate both normal medication and alternative medicines, to mobilize the healthcare staff in private hospitals (firstly Trieu An Hospital, Xuyen A Hospital, and Hoan My Hospital – Thu Duc Branch), and to ask for the aid from retired doctors, oriental medicine doctors, religious forces, the Red Cross. In order to minimize F0 cases turning worse and deathcases, Chairman Phong requested that all grassroots hospitals accepting F0 people be well prepared with sufficient oxygen ventilators to timely perform first aid before transfering them to higher-leveled hospitals. He then stressed that the municipal authorities will severely punish any leaders of functional agencies and localities who have indifirent attitude or loose management, and are tardy in responding to feedbacks of residents in their area of duty. The localities must vigorously enforce social distance rules, especially in medical lockdown areas, while delivering essential commodities to each household and help them do grocery shopping. Charity groups that wish to offer foodstuffs to people in these areas must contact the corresponding management team to find the best way to distribute goods to each family. Every medical lockdown area must have one management team, consisting of the police, military force, youth volunteers, members of public organizations, and a community Covid-19 team. This management team will be in charge of monitoring regulation observation of all households in the area. People under quarantine cannot go out of the room and have direct contact with others unless in emergency. The local authorities will take care of their essential commodities. Any violators will be prosecuted as stated in the law. Finally, Chairman Phong asked that the life of city dwellers, especially the vulnerable and the poor, must be taken care of. When in need, citizens can call the hotline 1022 (extension number 2) for proper support. Concluding the meeting, Secretary Nen shared that the previous 15 days applying Directive 16 were truly a challenge to HCMC. The functional agencies have done more than ever to pinpoint F0 cases and treat Covid-19 patients. Over 12,000 people recovered from the disease, many severe cases have turned better. The Party Chief admitted that at present, HCMC seriously lack medical equipment and staff to cope with an overloading patient flow. Therefore, the most important goal in the upcoming 15 days is to minimize deathcases and control the spread through successfully applying Directive 12 by the HCMC Party Committee and Official Dispatch No.2468 by HCMC People’s Committee. To achieve that goal, each citizen is asked to become an active soldier in the combat against Covid-19, simply by limiting their traveling unless truly necessary and vigorously observing 5K rules and social distance rules as laid down in Directive 16. HCMC fines non-essential deliveries from July 26 HCMC starting from July 26 tightens Covid-19 restrictions against going outside for unnecessary reasons in the 21 districts and Thu Duc city, after the HCMC Party Committee issued Directive No.12 and HCMC People’s Committee issued Official Dispatch 2468 on strengthening social distancing measures under Directive 16. On Phan Dang Luu Str., Binh Thanh District, HCMC near Tan Binh and Phu Nhuan districts, local traffic police, military command and self-defense forces set up barriers to inspect passing vehicles. They gave a warning to various people traveling without a proper reason and asked them to turn back. In certain cases, people were fined anywhere from US$43 to $130 on the spot. At a checkpoint in District 3, traffic police were quite rigid with the travel ban. “Travel passes” that refer to a wrong address or not meant for an essential service are not approved. Delivery people who have no parcels bound for within the district were also prohibited entry. At the checkpoint on Nguyen Van Troi Street, Phu Nhuan District, around 20 people received a fine within the morning, most of whom were delivery folks carrying non-essential packages only. Many stated they were not responsible for what the customers had purchased, but were met with obstinate explanations from the police. HCMC supplies foods, essential items to households in blocked areas After the Ho Chi Minh City Standing Party Committee issued Directive 12 on an extension of social distancing measures for strict implementation of the Prime Minister’s Directive 16, administrations in districts have supplied food, foodstuffs, and essential items to each household in blocked areas. A vegetable handcart donated by benefactors arrived at the gate of the People's Committee of Nhon Duc commune of Ho Chi Minh City’s Nha Be District at 9 PM on July 23. After a long day of work, officials in the commune had to unload and sort out vegetables so that they can deliver these goods to poor people in the blocked areas and rental houses. According to Nguyen Phuong Toan, Chairman of Nhon Duc Commune People's Committee, administrators and staff members have done the work during prolonged social distancing. Since the city implemented Directive 12 of the Standing Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, the commune administrators had to work hard to hand essential goods over to residents. Elsewhere in the city, District 7 reported 87 restricted areas and medical isolation areas with 13,800 inhabitants. District 7 Party Secretary Vo Khac Thai said the district has directed administrators in wards to prepare rice and instant noodles to provide to households, ensuring supplies of food in 14 days. Along with that, the locality also distributed vegetables, fruits, and eggs donated by benefactors to each household in the quarantined area, medical isolation every three days. The district in coordination with Co.op mart and Bach Hoa Xanh systems organized mobile vehicles to supply fresh food for blocked and medical isolation areas in the first seven days of implementing Directive 12. Women's groups will announce lists of available food items through Zalo groups summarizing each household’s demand of food, then deliver food to the doors of each household. Authority in District 11 where has 128 blocked zones set up a hotline so that dwellers who need to buy something can phone to order essential items. After that, youth volunteers in the District will pick up goods at supermarkets and deliver to residents in blocked areas. Chairman of District 11 People's Committee Tran Phi Long said that the district set up a hotline for food and food supply for people, in addition to buying goods to help people. Moreover, the district will provide food free of charge to difficult households. The District receives five tons of vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, rice, and noodles every day donated by benefactors. The Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee in District 11 ensures enough supplies of food for all households in the District. Similarly, residents in District 1 can place orders of food through an app on their smartphones meanwhile the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee in District 6 where has 88 blocked zones with more than 1,000 people also receives donations of food to distribute to locals. Last but not least, many unions and departments of District 6 have shopped to help people in restricted areas. Meanwhile, Chairwoman of the District 6 People's Committee also said that the district's community Covid-19 teams both reminded people to strictly observe the social distance rule and understood dwellers’ difficulties for timely support. The district also provided boxes of lunches to people in rental houses every day. Le Thi Bac, Vice Chairwoman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Thu Duc City, said that to ensure supplies of goods, Thu Duc City called up more volunteers. On average, Thu Duc City supports each family with five kilograms of rice weekly. Particularly, vegetables and fruits will be distributed to residential areas, ensuring people have fruits and vegetables during these days. The government in Thu Duc City will deliver ready-to-eat meals to public houses where lonely elderly people and people with disabilities are residing. Furthermore, Thu Duc City will give each difficult household one gift including necessities and cash, medical treatment worth VND800,000 each. As of July 23, Thu Duc City has approved to spend more than VND1.8 billion to support approximately 2,300 households. Heat index in Hanoi reaches hazardous levels People exposed to this high temperature for a long time or engage in physical activity may suffer heatstroke, cramps, and heat exhaustion. The heat index (HI) in Vietnam’s five provinces and cities, including Hanoi, has reached dangerous levels during July 26 and in the next few days, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting (NCHFM). The capital city and some provinces and cities, including Quang Ninh, Ha Tinh, Da Nang and Binh Dinh, has been experiencing a maximum HI up to between 41-54 degrees Celsius (hazardous levels), the NCHFM said. People exposed to this high temperature for a long time or engage in physical activity may suffer heatstroke, cramps, and heat exhaustion. In recent days, the northern and central regions of Vietnam have experienced extremely hot weather. The highest temperature is generally 35-38 degrees Celsius, and in some places, it exceeds 39 degrees Celsius. The lowest relative humidity is generally 50-65%. The time the temperature exceeds 35 degrees Celsius is 10 to 17 hours. In order to avoid heat shock, experts recommend that people apply sunscreen and wear blackout glasses when going out; arrange outdoor work and rest time reasonably to avoid direct sunlight and prolonged exposure; drink plenty of water and avoid working outdoors in hot weather; strengthen physical exercise and increase the ability to adapt to bad weather. On July 26, the UV index in all cities across the country was at a very high risk of harm, which may cause damage to human skin, eyes, and immunity. Among them, Hanoi's UV index is 8.4, which is deemed extreme with radiation that could burn skin and damage eyes within 30 minutes to one hour. Weather experts have advised local residents to avoid direct exposure to sunlight between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm and to wear sunscreens, sunglasses, and brimmed hats if they have to go out under the sun. The capital city and other northern provinces could experience temperatures as high as 38 degrees Celsius until July 29, according to the NCHFM. The center forecast the UV index in Hanoi would drop to moderate levels on July 30, thanks to a couple of thunderstorms. Hanoi has braced itself as the temperature reached up to 35-38 degrees Celsius this week and is expected to remain as such during the weekend, the center said, adding that temperatures can reach 39-40 degrees Celsius on July 31. Weather experts have warned that Hanoi should brace itself for more heatwaves set to sweep through the city this summer. Vietnam seeks stronger partnership with Argentine province Vietnamese Ambassador to Argentina Duong Quoc Thanh paid a working trip to Misiones to introduce economic and tourism potential of Vietnam and promote trade and investment cooperation between the northern province of Argentina and Vietnamese localities. During the visit from July 22-26, Thanh had a working session with Misiones Vice Governor Carlos Omar Arce and leaders of the province’s departments of tourism and economy to explore the growth model of the locality and the possibility of cooperation in strong areas of Vietnam. He introduced Vietnam's socio-economic development model, affirming that after 35 years of “Doi Moi” (renewal), Vietnam has made breakthrough progress, improving people’s living conditions and boosting economic development in the direction of industrialisation and modernisation, helping the country integrate deeper into the world. Misiones's leaders lauded Vietnam’s achievements in the cause of economic development and national construction in recent years, expressing their belief that the country will continue to grasp new successes on its development path. Vice Governor Carlos Omar Arce said that his province is strong in production of wood, soy bean and tourism with the UNESCO-recognised World Heritage Site of Iguazu. He expressed hope that the Vietnamese Embassy in Argentina will help connect local firms with Vietnamese peers, opening chances to enhance cooperation among localities of both sides. During the visit, Thanh had meetings with a number of businesses of Misiones to explore their needs in collaborating with Vietnamese localities. Highlighting similarities between localities of Vietnam and Argentina, the diplomat held that the two sides should hold more meetings to share experience in strategies of sustainable exploitation of natural resources, nature conservation and environmental protection in famous sites. Both sides also sought measures to promote partnership in the wood sector. In a meeting with the Vietnamese community in Misiones, Thanh briefed them the situation at home, and expressed his hope that they will continue to maintain the national identity and solidarity, helping to reinforce the traditional friendship between Vietnam and Argentina. He emphasised Vietnam's consistent policy of considering Vietnamese communities abroad as an indispensable part of the nation, and showed hope that the community in Argentina will continue to contribute to the cause of national construction and defence./. Source: VNA/VNS/VOV/VIR/SGT/SGGP/Nhan Dan/Hanoitimes |
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