VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES AUGUST 3
16:46
UK Government presents VN with 415,000 doses of
COVID-19 vaccineThe Ministry of Health on Tuesday
received 415,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine as donation from the
British Government. The vaccine
was presented by David McNaught, political counsellor of the Embassy of the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Việt Nam, in a
reception ceremony held at the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology
in Hà Nội. Representative
of the Vietnamese health ministry said that over the past 50 years,
co-operation between Việt Nam and the UK had been constantly expanded and
developed, and the two had become important strategic partners to each other. In the field
of health, the two sides were implementing very effective joint activities
through Government agencies, NGOs and other organisations focusing on areas such
as epidemiology, tropical diseases, infectious diseases, digital health and
human resource training. The
activities were providing valuable, meaningful and lasting contributions to
the work of the Vietnamese healthcare industry. The ministry
thanked the UK Government for the vaccine, adding that it was a very valuable
and timely gift in the prevention and control of COVID-19 and especially for
the COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Việt Nam. Việt Nam was committed to
effectively using the UK's valuable vaccine support. Currently,
Việt Nam is implementing a large vaccination campaign, trying to speed up the
rate of vaccination against COVID-19 with the goal of about 70 per cent of
the population by the end of March next year. Along with
making efforts to access safe and effective supplies of COVID-19 vaccines,
Việt Nam is also promoting research into domestically produced vaccines
and pushing for technology transfers with its international partners. Vietnam secures three golds at International Chemistry Olympiad  All Vietnamese candidates at the
53rd International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO 2021) won medals, which consisted
of three gold and one silver medals. According to
the Ministry of Education and Training, the three gold medalists were 12th
graders Nguyen Duy Anh and Nguyen Le Thao Anh of the Hanoi - Amsterdam High
School for the Gifted and Pham Duc Nam Phuong from Hai Duong province’s
Nguyen Trai High School for the Gifted. The silver
medal went to another 12th grader, Nguyen Hoang Duong of the Hanoi University
of Science (HUS) High School for Gifted Students under the Hanoi National
University. The IChO
2021, virtually hosted by Japan from July 25 to August 2, attracted
contestants from 79 countries and territories worldwide. Overall, all
37 Vietnamese students have brought home medals from this year’s Olympiads in
different spheres, including 12 gold, 13 silver, 10 bronze medals, and two
certificates of merit./. 3,578 new COVID-19 cases confirmed on August 3 morning Vietnam
documented 3,578 new COVID-19 cases in the past nearly 12 hours to 6am on
August 3, including 15 imported ones, raising the national count to 165,339,
according to the Ministry of Health. Ho Chi Minh
City, the country’s current largest hotspot, logged 1.998 cases, followed by
Binh Duong with 519, Long An (246), Tay Ninh (176), Dong Nai (147), Vinh Long
(72), Binh Thuan (72), and Da Nang (66). As many as
687 infections were detected in the community. The number
of cases since the fourth wave of outbreaks hit Vietnam on April 27 amounted
to 161,482, including 44,191 recoveries. As many as
186 COVID-19 related fatalities were added to the country’s death toll. More than
6.95 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered and 712,864
people have received two full shots. People aging
from 18 are advised to register for COVID-19 vaccination online at
https://tiemchungcovid19.gov.vn/portal/register-person or via "Sổ sức
khỏe điện tử" (electronic health record) app which is available on both
Android and iOS./. HCM City faces blood shortage, in urgent need of type
O blood Due to
social distancing that prevents regular donors from visiting blood banks,
hospitals in HCM City are facing a severe shortage of type O blood. Nguyễn
Phương Liên, deputy director of HCM City Blood Transfusion Hematology
Hospital, which provides blood to hospitals across the city, said the
hospital had only 640 units of type O blood in stock as of Sunday
(August 1), while the demand for each day is 150 units. Normally,
the hospital's blood bank needs to have 2,000 bags of type O blood in
reserve. “Within the
next three days, the hospital’s blood bank will no longer have enough
type O blood to supply hospitals,” Liên said Red blood
cells from O-donors can be given to anyone, regardless of the person’s blood
type. Increasing the reserve of this blood type is crucial, especially in
times of scarcity as it doesn't expire, Liên said. Phù Chí
Dũng, the hospital’s director, said it had been receiving only 30-50
units of blood every day, making up only one-tenth of demand at 150
hospitals, including hospitals for COVID-19 treatment. Many
donation activities in the city have been cancelled because of COVID-19
preventive measures. The city has
3,100 blood units of all types while normal demand is 8,000 to
10,000. Since May,
the city has faced blood shortages due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Since July
9, when the city imposed a citywide social distancing order, all
registrations for blood donations have been cancelled. Donors can
visit the Blood Transfusion and Hematology Hospital in District
5 between 7am and noon, and 1:30pm and 4:30pm seven days a
week. They are
advised to register in advance via phone
numbers 0919660010 or 028 39557858, or
email tiepnhanhienmau@gmail.com so they can receive a confirmation
message that can be used to get through COVID checkpoints. Amid soaring cases of COVID-19 many localities are unprepared
for the worst: Long Responding
to the COVID-19 pandemic requires fast, drastic and long-term measures,
however, many localities are unprepared for the worst, Minister of Health
Nguyễn Thanh Long said yesterday. Chairing an
online national meeting on COVID-19 treatment, Long said that it was
difficult for Việt Nam to curb the national daily infection numbers as the
pandemic continued to hit major cities and provinces hard. He said that
at this time, localities must work harder to avoid panic and unpreparedness
when outbreaks become more severe. Long said he
appreciated the efforts and initiatives that localities had made in COVID-19
prevention and control. However, he
said that he saw a number of localities that were failing to prepare for the
spread of the virus properly. “Many
localities have developed plans that don’t take into account all
possibilities despite the health ministry warning many times about the speed
at which the Delta variant can spread and the difficulties in controlling
it,” Long said. He added
that localities did not take advantage of their available resources and fully
engage with the ‘Four onsite’ concept. This requires having onsite
leadership, onsite human resources, onsite materials and supplies, and onsite
logistics to control and prevent COVID-19 from spreading in their
geographical jurisdiction. In the
ongoing fourth wave of the pandemic, the infections are growing faster in a
much shorter time. Comprehensive preparation is an important factor to help
localities respond in a timely manner to developments in outbreaks of the
disease, he said. Medical
testing and treatment capacity is struggling to catch up with the speed of
new infections in some localities. Many are relying on existing health
facilities that failed to meet demand even before the pandemic, Long said. The health
minister emphasised the need to classify COVID-19 cases and send them to
suitable treatment areas, which could help reduce the workloads of both
medical workers and healthcare facilities. According to
the ministry’s guidelines, patients positive to SARS-CoV-2 that have no COVID-19
symptoms should be under health monitor at concentrated quarantine areas as
they require the support of fewer medical professionals. The
asymptomatic patients could leave the treatment areas after seven days if
they tested negative to SARS-CoV-2 and the viral load in their body was
proven to be unable to infect others. Patients
with mild symptoms should be placed at district-level health facilities. The
facilities should also have an oxygen supply and ventilators to serve
patients if needed, Long said. In cases
where the patient’s health condition becomes worse, they must be taken to
health facilities at a higher level, for example, provincial/national
hospitals or field hospitals with intensive care units. Classifying,
transporting and receiving patients must be done professionally,
systematically and smoothly, Long said. The minister
once again called on medical workers from both private and public health
facilities to join the disease prevention and control effort. All
localities, including those that are virus-free, must review their medical
human resources, especially those with ventilators, those that can work with
patients with mild symptoms, and those who can work with the seriously ill,
Long said. He asked
that all COVId-19 treatment facilities prepare proper oxygen and ventilators
to meet demand. The health
minister said that Việt Nam currently did not face any shortage of oxygen for
treatment but some health facilities did not have a proper tank to store
oxygen while others faced difficulties in the transportation of oxygen. These issues
must be reviewed and tackled as soon as possible, he said. HCM City’s COVID-19 caseload nears 100,000 with 389 more deaths
nationwide Việt Nam’s
total COVID-19 cases reached 161,761 on Monday with 389 more deaths after the
Ministry of Health reported a daily increase of 7,455. The
additional deaths include 354 recorded from July 17 to August 2 in Hồ Chí
Minh City, 25 from July 17 to 24 in Bình Dương, six from July 29 to August 2
in Đồng Nai, and four from July 31 to August 2 in Long An. A total of
10 new infections were imported and 7,445 were locally transmitted. The local
cases were in HCM City (4,264), Bình Dương (949), Long An (445), Đồng Nai
(380), Khánh Hòa (286), Cần Thơ (221), Hà Nội (159), Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu (132),
Tiền Giang (79), Đồng Tháp (77), Đà Nẵng (76), Vĩnh Long (50), Bình Thuận
(46), Trà Vinh (31), Phú Yên (25), Bình Định (21), Nghệ An (21), Ninh Thuận
(19), Quảng Nam (19), Kiên Giang (18), An Giang (17), Đắk Lắk (14), Ninh Bình
(13), Đắk Nông (12), Hậu Giang (11), Hà Tĩnh (10), Thanh Hóa (9), Bình Phước
(8 ), Gia Lai (7), Sơn La (6), Thừa Thiên Huế (4), Vĩnh Phúc (3), Lạng Sơn
(3), Quảng Ngãi (3), Lâm Đồng (2), Hà Nam (2), Quảng Bình (2) and Hưng Yên
(1). Of the local
transmissions, 2,344 were found in communities outside concentrated
quarantine areas or locked down zones. Notably, the
total number of COVID-19 cases in HCM City reached 98,559 since April 27
which marked the beginning of the fourth wave of the virus in Việt Nam. Following
HCM City, other southern provinces like Bình Dương, Long An and Đồng Nai also
saw a high daily increase. On Monday,
3,808 patients were given the all-clear, bringing the total recoveries in
Việt Nam to 46,965. The number of deaths has now reached 1,695. Among patients
being treated, 436 are in intensive care units while 14 others with
critical health conditions are receiving ECMO. As of
Monday, 6,415,219 COVID-19 vaccine doses had been administered. As many as
659,064 people have received second doses. Speaking at
an online meeting on Monday, Minister of Health Nguyễn Thanh Long said in the
fourth quarter of this year, about 47 to 50 million doses of Pfizer
vaccines will arrive in Việt Nam. The country
has received nearly 18.8 million doses of vaccines including AstraZeneca,
Pfizer, Moderna, Sputnik-V and Sinopharm. The health
ministry has mobilised nearly 10,000 frontline health workers with 8,293
working in HCM City and 1,134 in Bình Dương. Laos assists Vietnamese students in Vientiane amid COVID-19 Souliya
Kiewphilavong, Chief of Office of the Lao People's Revolutionary Youth Union
Central Committee visited the Vietnamese student dormitory of the National
University of Laos in Vientiane on August 2 to encourage and present the
students with gifts worth 12 million kip (1,254 USD). The gifts
include daily necessaries, medical masks, and hand sanitizers in aid of the
students. Highlighting
complicated COVID-19 developments in Laos and regional countries, the
official recommended the students for seriously following the Lao Ministry of
Health’s pandemic prevention and control regulation. Recalling
the two nations’ great traditional relations and the role of youth in
fostering the ties, the official urged Vietnamese students to study well in
contribution to developing their home country and strengthening the bilateral
special relations. On behalf of
the Vietnamese students, Bui Huu Hoc, Vice Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh
Communist Youth Union (HCYU)’s committee in Laos, thanked the Lao youth union
for support and committed to seriously obeying the local pandemic prevention
regulations. The National
University of Laos now has 184 Vietnamese students, the most among Lao
universities./. Film screening to celebrate August Revolution, National Day A number of
movies will be screened nationwide from August 19 to September 5 to mark the
76th year of the August Revolution (August 19) and the National Day
(September 2), according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The films
include “Hanh phuc cua me” (Happiness of a Mother), documentaries “Chung mot
coi nguon” (Sharing the same root) and “Sac xuan tren tho cam” (Colours of
Spring on brocade) and animation “Nguoi thay muon doi” (Teacher of a
Lifetime). The
screening will only be organised in localities where COVID-19 has been
brought under control and theater-goers must comply with guidelines by the
Ministry of Health. In case the
event cannot be held, the movies will be screened in the upcoming
occasions./. 10,000 gift packages come to needy workers in HCM City Up to 10,000
gift packages, including necessities, will be handed over to needy workers in
processing and industrial parks in Ho Chi Minh City under a programme
launched on August 2. The
programme was co-organised by the city trade union, a working group of the
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Defence Ministry’s
standing boards for COVID-19 prevention and control in HCM City and other
southern localities. The first
gifts will be presented to workers in pandemic-hit areas in Thu Duc city. Earlier,
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam and head
of the grouping group sent letters to the Departments of Agriculture and
Rural Development of southern cities and provinces, asking them to help
workers in locked-down areas with food./. VFF Central Committee offers 1.7 million meal portions for
people in southern localities The Vietnam
Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee on August 2 presented 1.7 million
meal portions worth 51 billion VND (2.22 million USD) to southern localities
which are under the social distancing measures. The meal
portions, each worth 30,000 VND, will be distributed to people of the
vulnerable groups in 17 localities. From May 1
to July 30, donations for the fight against COVID-19 via the VFF had exceeded
6.85 trillion VND. The sum has
been disbursed to the COVID-19 vaccine fund and for the purchase of
ventilators and other medical devices, as well as used to support
concentrated quarantine establishments, frontline workers and the disadvantaged./. ASEAN Foreign Ministers to have hectic week More than 20
meetings of foreign ministers within ASEAN and between ASEAN and partner
countries have taken place from August 2-6. During the
meetings, considered among the most important ones of the ten-member grouping
in the year, countries have discussed the ASEAN Community building, reviewed
and oriented ASEAN’s external relations, and looked into regional and
international issues of shared concern. Minister of
Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son headed a Vietnamese delegation to the events. The
countries assessed the implementation of ASEAN’s priorities this year and
showed their support for the initiatives raised by Brunei – ASEAN Chair 2021
– to cope with disasters, boost multilateralism and the Fourth Industrial
Revolution, and promote the identity of the ASEAN Community. The
ministers spent much time debating cooperation in COVID-19 response and
post-pandemic recovery. They stressed the need to enhance the exchange of
experience with partners in vaccine research, development, production and
distribution. They agreed
to continue realising outcomes reaped last year, including the review of the
implementation of the ASEAN Charter, the building of the post-2025 ASEAN
Community Vision, and strengthening sub-regional cooperation. The
countries reiterated the values of ASEAN-led mechanisms, as well as ASEAN’s
centrality in enhancing dialogue and cooperation. They consented to establish
a dialogue partnership with the UK and a sectoral partnership with Brazil. Given
complex developments in the East Sea, the ministers affirmed their consistent
stance on settling disputes via peaceful measures in line with international
law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982
UNCLOS), called on parties to exercise self-restraint, and not to use or
threaten to use force, and reiterated the significance of fully and
effectively observing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East
Sea (DOC), working towards an effective and substantive Code of Conduct in
the East Sea (COC). For the
Myanmar issue, the countries said ASEAN wants to help Myanmar overcome
difficulties and seek solutions to the present complexity, for people’s
interests. The
ministered shared the view on the need to quickly provide humanitarian aid
for Myanmar in response to COVID-19, through the ASEAN Coordinating Centre
for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management. Minister Son
stressed that solidarity and unity are the foundation for ASEAN’s strength,
especially in difficult times, which is clearly demonstrated in the current
fight against COVID-19. Emphasising
the importance of vaccines, he suggested ASEAN optimise cooperation
opportunities with partners, particularly in the vaccine procurement and
transfer of vaccine production technologies. ASEAN needs
to carry forward the role of ASEAN-led mechanisms, he said, proposing a
review of operational procedures of these mechanisms to maintain their
targets, values and roles. Son stressed
an environment of peace, security and stability is the prerequisite to
effectively ward off the pandemic, spur recovery and maintain regional
growth. On August 3,
ASEAN foreign ministers will hold meetings with ASEAN partners namely the
Republic of Korea, China and Japan./. Private hospital Hoàn Mỹ Thủ Đức in HCM City begins admitting
COVID-19 patients The Hoàn Mỹ
Thủ Đức International General Hospital in HCM City’s Thủ Đức city on
Monday began admitting COVID-19 patients after one week
of preparation to share the burden with public hospitals and meet
the increasing number of cases. The
hospital’s 100 beds on the second to fourth floors along with necessary
equipment are used to serve COVID-19 patients. The number of beds will be
increased to 200. More than
3,000 doctors, nurses and other medical staff who work at the Hoàn
Mỹ system's 15 hospitals and six clinics have been sent to work at the
Hoàn Mỹ Thủ Đức International General Hospital to treat
COVID-19 patients. The cost
of COVID-19 treatment will be covered by the health insurance fund and
additional costs not in the COVID-19 treatment list will be charged based on the
hospital's fees. Vingroup receives mRNA COVID-19 vaccine production technology
Conglomerate
Vingroup has signed an agreement with Arcturus
Therapeutics medicines biotechnology company of the US on the transfer
of COVID-19 vaccine production technology. With a capacity
to manufacture 200 million doses per year, Vingroup is projected to produce
the first batches of vaccine by early 2022. Arcturus
Therapeutics is a leading clinical-stage messenger RNA medicines company
focusing on the discovery, development and commercialisation of therapeutics
for rare diseases and vaccines. Under the
agreement, the US firm will grant permission for Vingroup’s affiliate
VinBioCare to produce COVID-19 vaccine named VBC-COV19-154, which is
effective against new variants of the coronavirus such as Delta and Alpha. The
Vietnamese company is also approved to manufacture other COVID-19 vaccine
types of Arcturus like ARCT-021. The transfer
is slated to begin this month. VinBioCare’s
plant will be located at the Hanoi-based Hoa Lac Hi-tech Park, which is built
at an investment of over 200 million USD. Necessary
devices will be flown to Vietnam by September and the installation inside the
plant is forecast to complete by two months later. On August 2,
Vingroup announced that it has successfully purchased 500,000 bottles of
Remdesivir, which received approval by the Food and Drug Administration of
the US for the treatment of COVID-19. The medicine
will be presented to the Ministry of Health in August./. Hà Nội offers free COVID-19 tests for those with suspect symptoms People in Hà
Nội showing possible COVID-19 symptoms are being urged to take tests as soon
as possible. The Hà Nội
Centre for Disease Control said if any citizens in the city suffer from
ailments associated with the virus, they should immediately contact local
health centres that will provide tests free of charge. People who
develop a fever, cough, sore throat, chills and sweats, shortness of
breath, and loss of appetite must call the health care centres in their
localities for guidelines and testing. This would help early detection and
minimise the risk of community transmissions. On Monday
morning, the capital city recorded 46 new COVID-19 cases, most of which were
detected in the community. In order to
promptly detect, classify and treat COVID-19 cases, the city’s People's
Committee has urged people to continue to fill in medical declarations,
especially for those with symptoms of cough and fever. This would
stop the source of infection and play a key part in returning to a
normal way of life. In order to
promptly detect, classify and treat COVID-19 cases, the city People's
Committee urges people to continue to make medical declarations on Bluezone
and tokhaiyte.vn applications, especially those with symptoms of
cough and fever. By the end
of July 31, Hà Nội CDC has received 2,326,921 medical declarations on the
software system, which continues to rise by more than 70,000 a day. On Monday
morning, Phùng Khoang and Minh Khai wholesale markets in Nam Từ Liêm District
and Bắc Từ Liêm District were locked down after two sellers tested positive
for SARS-CoV-2 virus. Bắc Từ Liêm
District’s People’s Committee ordered Minh Khai market’s management board to
suspend all trading activities at 11pm on Sunday until further notice. All
sellers and their families have been told to keep track on their health and
report to local health authorities if they develop symptoms. There are
about 1,000 sellers operating at the market. Nam Từ Liêm
District’s People’s Committee has collected more than 530 samples of sellers
for testing. As many as 600 sellers are working at the market. Previously,
part of Long Biên wholesale market was locked down after a seafood vendor was
found to be infected. A wholesale market in Hoàng Mai District is in the same
situation after an egg vendor was confirmed positive on July 27. Meanwhile, a
cluster of 21 new COVID-19 infections has been detected at Thanh Nga food
company at No 82, Alley 651 (82/651), Minh Khai Street, Thanh Lương Ward. All
positive cases are being treated, with the number of F1 cases amounting to
17. A total of 750 other people with links to the area have had samples
taken for COVID-19 testing. ASEAN commits to maintaining nuclear weapon-free region ASEAN member
countries on August 2 committed to maintaining nuclear weapon-free Southeast
Asia and ensuring the right to using nuclear energy for peaceful purposes of
countries. The
commitments were made at a meeting of the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free
Zone (SEANWFZ) Treaty Commission, which was held via teleconference. The
countries reiterated the significance of the treaty to regional security, and
pledged to further realise the plan of action to strengthen the
implementation of the treaty for 2018-2022. They also
agreed to work harder to urge countries possessing nuclear weapons to join
the treaty, stressing the need to promote its role and values, especially at
the United Nations, thus contributing to global efforts in non-proliferation
and disarmament of nuclear weapons. Vietnam, in
its capacity as ASEAN Chair 2020, was praised for its efforts in completing a
memorandum of understanding on activities relating to the treaty. The meeting
acknowledged efforts of ASEAN’s specialised agencies in promoting technological
cooperation, and expanding collaboration with partner countries and
international organisations in ensuring nuclear security and safety and using
atomic energy for peaceful purposes. In his
remarks, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son affirmed Vietnam’s support
for ASEAN to continue advising countries possessing nuclear weapons to join
the treaty. He
emphasised the importance of maintaining the document’s targets and
principles, and welcomed the building of ASEAN rules on radiological and
nuclear emergency preparedness and response, considering this a significant
contribution to the ASEAN Shield initiative raised by Brunei as ASEAN Chair
2021 to enhance ASEAN’s collective strength to cope with natural disasters./. COVID-19 treatment hospital to be set up in Hanoi A hospital
providing treatment for COVID-19 patients in Hanoi and northern localities
will be set up at the Hanoi Medical University Hospital, Minister of Health
Nguyen Thanh Long said on August 2. The
hospital, to be inaugurated in mid-August, will house 500 beds. Located in
Yen So ward, Hoang Mai district, it will serve as a national COVID-19
intensive care unit (ICU) which will provide treatment for severe patients
and technical support for other COVID-19 medical facilities in the assigned
areas. At the same
time, the Ministry of Health is working to set up ICUs at the second facility
of the Vietnam-Germany Friendship Hospital and the Ha Nam facility of the
Bach Mai Hospital. The National
Hospital for Tropical Diseases is also asked to raise the number of beds,
especially in the ICU. On August 2,
more than 200 medical workers of the Bach Mai Hospital travelled to Ho Chi
Minh City to work at a 500-bed treatment hospital for COVID-19 patients. On the same
day, an ICU at the city’s International Hospital, which was set up on August
1, received 70 patients in critical conditions. HCM City urges vaccinations for 62,000 shippers The HCM City
Department of Industry and Trade has asked the city Health Department to
prioritise 62,000 shippers for vaccinations. The
director of the city Department of Industry and Trade, Bùi Tá Hoàng Vũ,
said the department has compiled a list of shippers and sent it to the
Department of Health, along with People’s Committees of districts and Thủ Đức
City for vaccinations. There are 16
units with about 62,000 drivers included on the list, including shippers
from Grab, Now, Beamin and Gojek delivery applications. Drivers of
e-commerce platforms such as Shopee and Lazada are also on the vaccination
list. Recently, a
series of ride-hailing applications sought permission
for shippers from the city as they are an important link of
the supply chain, especially in big cities. On the
afternoon of July 27, about 1,500 Grab drivers received the first dose of
COVID-19 vaccine at five injection points in District 7. This was the
first major vaccination series targeted at shippers from ride-hailing apps. Dr Bùi Thị Thu
Hương from Việt Nga Eye Hospital in HCM City, who was in charge of one of the
five injection points in District 7, said that in addition to shippers,
many store employees and pharmacy staff were vaccinated. It is
crucial that they be vaccinated as they are at high risk of COVID-19
infection, she added. Bình Thuận to foster consumption of dragon fruit, other farm
produce The Bình
Thuận Province People’s Committee has announced plans to promote consumption
of dragon fruit and certain other agricultural products this year. The
country’s largest dragon fruit-producing province is expected to harvest
around 431,000 tonnes of the fruit from now to year-end, export 280,000
tonnes, sell 80,000 tonnes to supermarkets, wet markets and shops and sell
75,000 tonnes to online consumers and to processors. To meet
these targets, the People’s Committee has ordered relevant departments and
agencies to strengthen exports via both official and unofficial channels and
promote the sales of the fruit at local markets and online. In August,
the province Department of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Industry
and Trade’s trade promotion department will organise online trade conferences
with Indian and Pakistani importers to promote exports. The
south-central province has more than 33,700ha under the fruit and an annual
output of 700,000 tonnes. It will also
promote other agricultural products like rubber and cashew and seafood. It is
expected to harvest 60,330 tonnes of latex and 8,680 tonnes of cashew from
now to year-end. The People’s
Committee has ordered relevant agencies to work with the Ministry of
Agriculture and Rural Development to assign production unit codes for farming
areas to better manage quality and traceability of agricultural products. The province
will strengthen support to enable agricultural co-operatives and farming
households to apply good agricultural practices standards like VietGAP and
Global GAP to improve quality and competitiveness. The People’s
Committee has also instructed relevant agencies to zone and develop
concentrated farming areas that produce clean agricultural products. Each
district and town should develop at least one or two establishments that buy
fresh agricultural products and carry out semi-processing and preservation,
it said. It wants
support and encouragement for companies to build refrigerated warehouses,
stores and containers to preserve agricultural products. It wants to
establish sites for showcasing the province’s fresh and processed
agricultural products and those certified under the country’s One
Commune – One Product programme. Priority
would be given to places that attract tourists and national highways, it
said. Dialogue between ASEAN Foreign Ministers, AICHR held virtually An annual
dialogue between ASEAN Foreign Ministers and representatives of the ASEAN
Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) took place virtually on
August 2 within the framework of the 54th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
(AMM-54). At the
event, a representative of Brunei, the Chair of AICHR in 2021, informed
participants on the commission’s operations in a one year time from July 2020
to July 2021. The report
underlined efforts made by the AICHR in responding to the adverse impacts of
COVID-19 via the implementation of the Five Year Work Plan 2021-2025 and
activities in the 2021 Priority Programmes. In the year,
the AICHR has stepped up cooperation in the areas of right to health, human
rights in economic activities, humanitarian aid, environment and climate
change, rights of the vulnerable groups like migrant workers, women and
children in the context of COVID-19. AICHR
adopted eight initiatives and activities in the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery
Framework (ACRF), under the scope of the commission, including Priority
Programme for 2022. Ambassador
Nguyen Thai Yen Huong, Vietnam’s Representative at the AICHR, emphasised that
the AICHR should focus on meeting urgent, essential and fundamental demands
of people like vaccine access, food security and clean water, along with
education and employment, among others. The
ministers spoke highly of the AICHR’s efforts to ensure the efficiency and
progress of tasks in the “new normal” and adjust activities to address new
issues in human rights as the fourth wave of COVID-19 outbreaks develops more
complicatedly in the region. They also
called on the commission to bolster collaboration with ASEAN agencies and
partners to integrate human rights in the implementation of the ACRF and
other initiatives of ASEAN. The AICHR
was also urged to foster the effectiveness of tasks which promote and protect
human rights in the region and focus on fields improving the quality of life
and fundamental rights of people, especially those in the vulnerable and
hardest-hit groups, thereby contributing to the building of a
people-oriented, people-centred ASEAN Community./. Vietnam attends 23rd ASEAN Political-Security Community Council
Meeting Vietnamese
Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son on August 2 attended the 23rd ASEAN
Political-Security Community (APSC) Council Meeting as part of the 54th ASEAN
Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM-54). The online
meeting reviewed the operation of specialised agencies in the
political-security pillar and the implementation of the ASEAN
Political-Security Community Blueprint 2025. According to
the ASEAN Secretary General's report, despite a range of challenges,
political and security cooperation in ASEAN has reaped significant
achievements, notably the implementation of recommendations of the Mid-term
Review of the APSC. Vietnam
attends 23rd ASEAN Political-Security Community Council Meeting hinh anh 2 He
highlighted ASEAN collaboration in COVID-19 combat and recovery efforts,
national defence, border management and response to non-traditional
challenges, as well as cooperation between ASEAN and its partners. Given the
complex developments in the region such as East Sea and Myanmar issues, the
meeting stressed the need for the grouping to strengthen its solidarity,
trust, understanding and central role, and maintain dialogues and cooperation
with its partners, for regional peace, security and stability. In his
remarks, Son said an environment of peace, security and stability is the
prerequisite to cope with the pandemic, spur recovery and maintain regional
growth. Pointing to
increasing strategic competitions between powers, he suggested ASEAN has a
comprehensive approach in relations with its present partners as well as new
potential ones. He also
proposed cautiously reviewing operational procedures of ASEAN-led mechanisms
to maintain their goals, values and role, while promoting the engagement and
dialogue of partners. Inter-sectoral
and inter-pillar coordination requires a creative approach amidst challenges
regarding navigation security, COVID-19 and humanitarian aid, Son said. The minister
also suggested adding emerging issues to the APSC Blueprint 2025, saying more
attention should be given to agendas on women, peace and security. Earlier,
ASEAN Foreign Ministers witnessed an online award ceremony of the ASEAN Prize
2020, which was handed over to the Singapore-based ASEAN Studies Centre of
ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute./. Waste in Hà Nội from lockdown areas to be treated as
potentially-infectious waste Authorities
are paying more attention to the collection, transportation and treatment of
household waste in the city in residential areas where COVID-19 patients or
people suspected of being infected with SARS-CoV-2 reside. Tống Việt
Dũng, deputy director of the Urban and Industrial Environment No 13 Joint
Stock Company said the company considered household waste in the residential
areas, where COVID-19 patients or people suspected of being infected with
SARS-CoV-2 resided, as potentially-infectious waste and treated it as
hazardous medical waste. “It aims to
minimise the risk of disease transmission in the community,” he said. Currently,
the company is in charge of collecting household waste in several lockdown
areas in the city, he said, the Kinh Tế Đô Thị (Urban Economy)
online has reported. In Đống Đa
District, the company has installed trash cans and collected household waste
at 14 areas under lockdown, including wards of Văn Chương, Nam Đồng, Thổ
Quan, Láng Hạ and Hoàng Cầu, he said. The process
of collecting, transporting and treating household waste in lockdown areas
has been implemented carefully and safely, and allowing no waste to become a
source of disease transmission to the community, he said. The company
also works with the People’s Committee of each ward to disseminate
information to local people in lockdown areas on how to sort waste to ensure
safety, he said. There
are two trash cans, 240 litres each, being put in each lockdown area.
One trash can is for holding potentially-infectious waste such as masks,
tissues and medical protective clothing, another for holding normal household
waste, he said. The
company's environmental workers collect the waste from the trash cans
every hour in lockdown areas, he added. Dũng said
drivers and environmental workers must have their body temperature checked
and wear protective clothing before going to lockdown areas to collect the
waste. They must then disinfect the garbage trucks inside and outside before
they leave. After being
taken from the trash cans, the potentially-infectious waste is put into a
bag. The mouth of the bag is sealed tight. Then, the first bag is put into a
second bag and thrown into the garbage truck, he said. After
transporting the waste from the lockdown areas to the waste treatment area,
the waste is treated by autoclaving and drying technology to ensure all
bacteria, viruses and pathogens are destroyed as regulations, he said. The company
has also ordered its environmental workers to not collect waste at other
locations after collecting waste in the lockdown areas to ensure the highest
safety, he said. The garbage
truck must go to the waste treatment areas after collecting waste in lockdown
areas immediately. Lê Hương
Giang, vice chairwoman of the People’s Committee of Thổ Quan Ward, Đống Đa
District, said currently the ward has locked down Lệnh Cư Alley, where 70
households are living after a person in the alley was confirmed as a COVID-19
patient. The
committee has strictly supervised the collection of household waste in
the alley to avoid the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic to the community, she
said. The
committee also coordinates with the company to instruct local people in
the alley on how to classify and store household waste according to the
regulations, she said. The
committee also arranges for people to spray disinfectants on all of the
trash cans after residents threw waste into the cans. A final
spray of all trash cans is performed before environmental workers pushed the
cans to the garbage trucks, she added. Data from
the Hà Nội Urban Environment One Member Co Ltd (URENCO) shows that the
company collects about 6,500 tonnes of waste daily in the city. The waste
is transported to be treated in two landfills of Nam Sơn in Sóc Sơn
District and Xuân Sơn in Sơn Tây District. Vietnam attends 54th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting Solidarity
and unity are the foundation for ASEAN’s strength, especially in difficult
times, which is clearly demonstrated in the current fight against COVID-19,
Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son told the 54th ASEAN
Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM-54) that opened on August 2 via
videoconference. Sharing the
significance of vaccines in pandemic response efforts, Son proposed the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bring into full play
cooperation opportunities with partners, especially in procurement and
technology transfer for vaccine production. In the face
of serious socio-economic impacts of the pandemic, more than ever, ASEAN
needs to strongly promote the internal strength of a resilient and cohesive
Community, affirm its role and responsibility to the development of the
region, he stated, adding that Vietnam maintains its active and responsible
participation in the process of building the ASEAN Community Vision beyond
2025. The minister
suggested ASEAN continue to promote the role of ASEAN-led mechanisms, uphold
solidarity, promote internal resources, ensure a common voice and fair
approach in relations with partners, and maintain the bloc’s central role in
the regional structure. He shared
his concerns about complicated developments in regional hotspots such as the
Korean Peninsula and the East Sea as well as non-traditional security
challenges such as cyber-security, climate change, sea level rise and marine
environment degradation. The minister
proposed ASEAN maintain its principled stance and uphold international law,
including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), stressing
the importance of the convention as the basis for determining the legitimate
rights and interests of coastal states as well as the framework that
regulates all activities in all seas and oceans. Son also
emphasised the neccesity to implement the 5-point Consensus and proposed
speeding up humanitarian assistance to the Myanmar people in the context that
the country is being heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. During the
meeting, ASEAN Foreign Ministers discussed the building process of the ASEAN
Community, the bloc’s external relations and regional and international
issues of mutual concern. They
welcomed initiatives such as the ASEAN Shield to strengthen ASEAN’s concerted
power to respond to natural disasters and promote multilateralism, and the
Consolidated Strategy on the Fourth Industrial Revolution. They
welcomed Vietnam's hosting of ASEAN forum on sub-regional cooperation later
this year. The
ministers emphasised the need to intensify cooperation in pandemic response,
suggesting the urgent implementation of the ASEAN Action Plan on Vaccine
Security and Self Reliance, the ASEAN Regional Reserve of Medical Supplies
for Public Health Emergencies as well as the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework. Participants
also discussed measures to strengthen and deepen ASEAN’s relationship with
its partners, uphold the central role of ASEAN, affirm the value of ASEAN-led
mechanisms in promoting dialogue, cooperation and participation, and active
and constructive contributions of partners to peace, security and development
in the region. They agreed
to establish Dialogue Partnership with the UK and Sectoral Partnership with
Brazil; and welcomed and approved the proposals to join the Treaty of Amity
and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) by the Netherlands, Greece, Qatar,
the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Denmark. The
ministers took the occasion to exchange views on many regional and
international issues of common concern such as the East Sea, the Korean
Peninsula and the Middle East. They reaffirmed the importance of maintaining
peace, security, stability, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation in
the East Sea and expressed their concerns over the reinforcement and serious
incidents, including actions that damage the marine environment. They
asserted their consistent stance on addressing disputes by peaceful measures
on the basis of international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS, calling for
parties to restrain, and not to militarise, not to use or threaten to use
force. The meeting
reaffirmed the importance of the full and effective implementation of the
Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), welcomed the
resumption of negotiations on a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) between
ASEAN and China, stressed the need to maintain a favourable environment for
COC negotiations and to continue efforts towards an effective, practical COC
in accordance with international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS. The
countries also emphasised the necessity to implement the 5-point Consensus
comprehensively and promptly, while affirming ASEAN’s desire to support
Myanmar to overcome difficulties and find solutions to the current situation,
and provide humanitarian assistance for the nation to cope with the COVID-19
pandemic. On August 2
afternoon, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers are scheduled to attend meetings of
the ASEAN Political-Security Community Council (APSC), the ASEAN Coordinating
Council, and the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ); and a
dialogue with representatives of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on
Human Rights (AICHR)./. Weather conditions favourable for autumn-winter rice
crop despite later flooding season The flooding
season in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta is expected to have
lower levels of floods this year, bringing in
less aquatic resources and sediment to fields, according to
the Southern Institute of Water Resources Research. Farmers can
use more fertiliser to grow rice after the flooding season, but this will increase
production costs. Saltwater intrusion
from the sea through river mouths, which normally occurs in the dry season,
is expected to be less severe this year. The storm impact this year
will also be less severe. Because of
these factors, the delta is expected to have favourable conditions
for growing the autumn – winter rice crop. The delta is
planting 700,000ha of autumn – winter rice in July and August,
according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Plant
Cultivation Department. The delta’s
flooding season is caused by the rising level of the Mekong River in the
rainy season, which normally lasts between May and December. The delta’s
rainy season came early this year and is expected to end by the end of
November, according to the ministry’s Irrigation Department. Đỗ Đức Dũng,
head of the institute, said the delta’s flood-prevention dyke system protects
crop cultivation in the flooding season. German historian: Vietnamese Party chief’s article highlights
experience in creative application of Marxism-Leninism German
historian and veteran journalist Gerhard Feldbauer has hailed the
significance of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s article
“Several theoretical and practical issues on socialism and the pathway
towards socialism in Vietnam”. Feldbauer
said the article gave a comprehensive, insightful and thorough analysis of
the path chosen by Vietnam since the victory of the August Revolution 1945.
He pointed out that throughout its leadership process, the Communist
Party of Vietnam creatively applied Marxism-Leninism in the country’s
specific conditions to deal with various complex and difficult issues,
providing valuable experience to not only Vietnam but also many countries in
the world. Gerhard
Feldbauer stressed that the CPV and its members have stayed consistent to the
road of building socialism. He noted that the CPV now has more than 5.1
million members, 60 percent of whom are young people, which refuted
allegations that young Vietnamese are no longer interested in politics
or socialism. According to
him, Vietnam is on the way toward a modern and socialist-oriented
industrialised economy. From its starting point as a poor nation due to war
aftermaths, Vietnam has become one of the world’s most vibrant and
fastest-growing economies in Southeast Asia with an annual growth of 6-8
percent before the COVID-19 pandemic. Since it
began the renewal process, Vietnam has signed a number of bilateral deals and
joined international organisations such as the International Monetary Fund,
the World Bank, and most recently the European Union – Vietnam Free Trade
Agreement (EVFTA). On the back
of the EVFTA, Vietnam became the EU’s second biggest trade partner in ASEAN.
In 2018, Vietnam exported goods and services worth over 35 billion EUR to the
EU, mostly apparel, mobile phones and accessories and spent over 10 billion
EUR on goods from the bloc. About
challenges faced by the country on the path toward socialism, Feldbauer said
the key point is to affirm the leadership of the CPV and defeat every attempt
to lower or eliminate the role of the Party. He also suggested Vietnam crack
down on corruption and stay close with the people in all aspects. He expressed
his belief that under the CPV’s leadership, Vietnam will always overcome any
difficult periods in history. Feldbauer
also underlined the great role of President Ho Chi Minh in every victory of
Vietnam’s revolution, and lauded the tireless and unyielding fighting spirit
of the Vietnamese people, considering it a prerequisite for successes of the
Vietnam’s revolution. Feldbauer,
88, used to work as a reporter of the German Democratic Republic’s ADN news
agency in Hanoi. He and his wife – photo correspondent Irene, worked in Hanoi
from 1967 to 1970. With a doctoral degree on Vietnam history, he wrote 15
books, four of them about Vietnam./. Localities asked to prepare for higher numbers of COVID-19 infections Minister of
Health Nguyen Thanh Long has asked localities nationwide to devise scenarios
for higher numbers of COVID-19 cases amid the fast spreading of Delta
variant. Speaking at
an online conference to give guidelines to localities on measures to
strengthen capacity in treatment and intensive caring for COVID-19 patients
on August 2, Long underlined that the fourth wave of infections has developed
complicatedly with wide coverage and high number of cases. He asked
localities to be more serious in implementing pandemic prevention and
control, citing slow response to the pandemic in some provinces and cities. Noting that
the previous scenarios of pandemic-hit localities have fallen behind the
reality, he underscored the need for them to accelerate COVID-19 treatment
and testing to meet the demand of the reality. Long said
that the ministry has mapped out the "3-storey tower" model in
COVID-19 treatment, in which COVID-19 patients are classified in different
groups depending on their health conditions and treatment methods. The transfer
of patients to a suitable storey is significant in minimising deaths, he
said, stressing the need of smooth coordination, transport and reception of
patients. He said that
the ministry has asked all localities to mobilise the engagement of private
medical establishments in the work. Earlier on
August 1, the minister had a working session with private hospitals in Ho Chi
Minh City, during which he lauded the activeness of private hospitals and
clinics in COVID-19 testing and vaccination. Amid the worsening pandemic
situation in the city, their readiness to receive COVID-19 patients has
helped ease the overload for the city's healthcare system, he said. Long
encouraged them to officially register with the city's Department of Health
to set aside beds for COVID-19 patients, thus helping save more patients./. Hà Nội’s CDC seeks people who visited Thanh Nga Food Supply Co.
Ltd between July 14 and August 1 Hà Nội
City's Centre for Disease Control has issued a notice to urgently find people
who visited Thanh Nga Food Supply Co. Ltd between July 14 and August 1. People who
visited the company during this time, should immediately self-quarantine at
home and contact their local health station or call 0969.082.115/
0949.396.115 for further guidance. The company
is located at No 15, Alley 651, Minh Khai Street, Thanh Lương Ward, Hai Bà
Trưng District and its frozen goods warehouse at No 82, Alley 651, Minh Khai
Street, Thanh Lương Ward, Hai Bà Trưng District, Hà Nội. The company
supplies meat to a number of supermarkets belonging to VinCommerce General
Commercial Services Joint Stock Company (VCM) in Hà Nội. The company has 43
staff members and most live in the area where the frozen warehouse is
located. On Sunday
evening, the centre reported a total of 21 new cases of COVID-19 linked to
the company. On July 28,
a 21-year-old female intern, living at 170 Văn Chương Alley, Đống Đa
District, went to St. Paul’s Hospital for an examination after she showed
symptoms of cough, fever and a sore throat. Her test for SARS-CoV-2 came back
positive. The result was confirmed by the centre on Saturday. Also on
Saturday, Hai Bà Trưng District’s Medical Station investigated, verified and
took samples from 30 people, who had direct contact with the patient,
including 24 staff of the company. On Sunday,
the Hà Nội Centre for Disease Control confirmed 20 staff of the company were
positive for SARS-CoV-2. The centre
has worked with the station and relevant agencies to investigate the
movements of those infected persons and has traced the contacts of the
patients. Initial
results show that as of 8pm on Sunday, about 300 households, equal to 1,000
people, were temporarily locked down. So far,
samples of 750 people in the lockdown area have been sent to St. Paul’s
Hospital for SARS-CoV-2 tests. VinCommerce
General Commercial Services Joint Stock Company stopped receiving goods from
Thanh Nga Food Supply Co. Ltd as soon as it was made aware of the COVID-19
outbreak. VinCommerce
General Commercial Services Joint Stock Company is a retail affiliate of
Masan Group. Currently,
the supermarkets are actively coordinating with the authorities to trace
related people and implement pandemic prevention measures. Source: VNA/VNS/VOV/VIR/SGT/SGGP/Nhan
Dan/Hanoitimes |
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