VIETNAM
NEWS HEADLINES AUGUST 8
15:29 HCM City – Hanoi passenger flights suspendedThe Civil Aviation Authority of
Vietnam (CAAV) has decided to suspend all regular passenger flights between
localities that are implementing social distancing measures, including Hanoi
and Ho Chi Minh City. For
repatriation flights between two localities, the CAAV requested the two
localities to develop a detailed plan to ensure pandemic prevention measures
are fully observed. Earlier, the
CAAV requested airlines to suspend passenger flights from Hanoi to Can Tho
and Phu Quoc and vice versa, starting on July 22. Passengers
on domestic flights are required to have a valid negative test certificate in
line with COVID-19 guidelines set out by the Ministry of Health. Currently,
both Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat international airports in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh
City have testing services. Passengers
traveling from epidemic hit areas must comply with local isolation
regulations. Many
southern localities, including HCM City, have recently extended social
distancing measures to halt the spread of the virus in the community. Hanoi
capital has also extended its social distancing order for another two weeks
until August 23 in an effort to separate F0 cases from the community.' Nearly 300,000 COVID-19 hit workers in HCM City receive
financial support
Nearly
300,000 disadvantaged trade union members, public employees and workers hit
by the COVID-19 pandemic received assistance worth over 465.8
billion VND (20.25 million USD), reported the Ho Chi Minh City Labour
Confederation on August 7. Accordingly,
over 280,200 of them obtained nearly 450 billion VND under Resolution No.09
by the municipal People’s Council. More than
16,600 others received over 12.5 billion VND under the Vietnam General
Confederation of Labour’s Decision No.2606. Trade unions
also provided care for its members and workers in quarantine facilities and
frontline forces, such as holding food and necessities support programmes,
helping farmers sell farm produce, and improving material and spiritual lives
of workers. Ho Chi Minh
City is now the biggest coronavirus hotspot of the country with
more than 115,000 cases. The city is now under strict social distancing
order./. Three more companies to collect, treat growing COVID-19-related
wastes in HCM City HCM City
has licensed three more companies with approval from the Ministry
of Natural Resources and Environment to collect and treat COVID-19-related
wastes to cope with their sharp increase as the pandemic continues unabated. The three
are Mộc An Châu Company, Saigon Green Biotechnology Company and Tâm Sinh
Nghĩa Investment Development JSC. Nguyễn Toàn
Thắng, director of the city’s Natural Resources and Environment, said
the growing volumes of wastes generated at quarantine facilities
and field hospitals are creating enormous pressure on the city’s waste
treatment system. The HCM City
Urban Environment Company Limited (CITENCO) and Việt Úc Environment JSC were
the sole companies tasked earlier to collect and treat wastes from the city’s
151 quarantine facilities and field hospitals. The volumes
have risen to around 70 tonnes on average per day, well above their
capacity. If the
wastes are not handled promptly, they would harm the environment and
possibly spread the virus in the community, Thắng said. Mộc An Châu
Company has two industrial waste incinerators each with a capacity of 1,000kg
of waste per hour. Saigon Green
Biotechnology Company has two hazardous-waste incinerators
with a similar capacity. Tâm Sinh
Nghĩa Investment Development JSC at the Tây Bắc (Northwest) Waste
Treatment Complex in Củ Chi District has 14 incinerators to
treat domestic solid waste. The combined
capacity of all five waste treatment companies is around 120 tonnes per day. Mộc An Châu
and Saigon Green Biotechnology have each started to collect around 10 tonnes
of waste daily. The
department is working with quarantine facilities, field hospitals and other
relevant agencies using social networks like Zalo and Viber to
report their daily work, quickly handle wastes and promptly resolve
problems. They have
established a task force for improving and monitoring garbage
collection and treatment. CITENCO has
been instructed to look for solutions for unexpected
increases in medical wastes. The company
said it functions 24 hours a day with three hazardous-waste
incinerators, treating some 42 tonnes of waste daily. Waste will
be collected five or six times a day at places generating large quantities,
and once a day if the volumes are smaller. Stringent
safety standards are followed with all waste collectors wearing face
masks and protective clothing and spraying disinfectants before collecting
wastes and after arriving at the treatment facilities. The ash from
the incineration will be solidified and buried in a place earmarked for
hazardous wastes. Complicated COVID-19 developments recorded in Southeast Asia Thailand has
posted a record number of daily COVID-19 deaths exceeding 200, while the
volume of new domestic COVID-19 infections has been on the rise in Laos and
Cambodia. Thailand on
August 7 reported 21,838 coronavirus cases and 212 deaths. The new
figures brought total infections to 736,522 and total fatalities to 6,066
since the pandemic began last year. The number of recoveries stood at
517,012. On the same
day, the Lao Ministry of Health confirmed 354 new cases of COVID-19,
including 24 detected in the community, given the context of an increasing
flow of workers returning from Thailand. Laos so far
posted a total of 8,132 infections and eight deaths. Meanwhile,
Cambodia added 522 new cases, including 135 imported ones, to its national
tally on August 7, pushing the total caseload to 81,335. An additional 11
deaths also brought up its death toll to 1,537. Cambodia is
about to administer a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine to frontline health
workers, civil servants, and armed forces in seven provinces along its border
with Thailand. In
Singapore, although the number of daily COVID-19 infections has not tended to
decrease sharply, the Government has decided to relax social distancing
measures before the previously set deadline of August 18, starting to reopen
the economy following four stages and accept the fact of living with the
pandemic. The local
COVID-19 task force said the nation will begin the first stage from August
10, with priority being given to easing restrictions for groups of people
having fully vaccinated with two doses./. France-Vietnam medical federation contributes to bilateral ties Vietnamese Ambassador
to France Dinh Toan Thang hailed the France-Vietnam Medical Federation’s
contributions to bilateral health care ties during a working session on
August 6. Thang
highlighted cooperation between the federation and Vietnam’s medical
establishments in human resources training, sharing of professional expertise
and medical supplies. He hoped that both sides will continue with such
activities amid the COVID-19 pandemic. According to
him, Vietnam is pooling all possible resources to curb the spread of the
pandemic and seek vaccine supplies to meet demand. He wished the federation,
with its prestige and position, would help Vietnam access France’s vaccine
sources and offer assistance in equipment and human resources, thus
contributing to Vietnam – France traditional relationship. For her
part, President of the federation Dao Thu Ha pledged to seek equipment
supplies to Vietnam and call on French colleagues to share pandemic
prevention experience with the country. Last year,
the federation held a webinar with nearly 40 Vietnamese colleagues to share
pandemic prevention expertise. At the
working session, both sides discussed specific cooperation areas in the near
future, such as seeking vaccine supplies, presenting medical equipment,
French training to medical staff in internship in France, and
building Francophone digital space to serve remote training. They also
agreed to bring health care issue to the Vietnam – France decentralised
cooperation forum scheduled for late 2022. Founded in
2015, the federation groups about 20 associations in France, including
medical associations, health care experts, investment funds, pharmaceutical
and medical equipment companies./. Vietnam condemns attacks on civilians in Afghanistan Vietnam
condemns attacks on civilians, UN staff and civil infrastructure, especially
infrastructure essential to people's lives, in Afghanistan, said Ambassador
Dang Dinh Quy at an UN Security Council (UNSC) emergency meeting on
escalating violence in the country on August 6. Quy,
Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, took the occasion to call on
all parties concerned to put an end to such attacks and be fully compliant
with international humanitarian law. Expressing
his concern over the Afghanistan situation, the diplomat said it cannot be solved
by military solution, but by a comprehensive political solution that could
bring lasting peace and stability to the country. He urged
relevant parties to soon reach a ceasefire agreement to facilitate the peace
negotiation process. He also affirmed his support for the efforts of the UN,
UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), regional countries and
organisations, and other international partners in backing the process. The
Vietnamese representative emphasised the need to strengthen the handling of
economic and humanitarian challenges in Afghanistan, particularly food
insecurity and the COVID-19 pandemic. Deborah
Lyons, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Afghanistan and
head of the UNAMA said the UNAMA is working to advance the peace negotiation
process and address humanitarian challenges in Afghanistan. Sharing the
concern, participating UNSC member nations called for an end to violence and
practical progress in negotiation. The Afghan
representative affirmed that the Afghan Government will make efforts to
promote the peace negotiation process, calling on the UNSC and the
international community to continue to support the Government and people of
Afghanistan in their peace process and national reconstruction. According to
UNAMA, the number of civilian casualties in the country in the first half of
2021 increased by 47 percent compared to the same period last year./. Hanoi prioritizes administering Covid-19 vaccine for ethnic
minorities Currently,
vaccination is still the basic solution to prevent the Covid-19 disease. Thousands of
ethnic minority people in Hanoi have been administered the Covid-19 vaccines,
as the municipal authorities are materializing policies favoring the
vulnerable groups. As a
locality, where is home to 98% of the Dao ethnic people, Ba Vi Commune in the
capital city's Ba Vi District has recorded no positive case for the novel
coronavirus. Chairman of
the Ba Vi Commune People's Committee Lang Van Ha said that his locality has
focused on prevention measures. One of the important solutions is to
vaccinate underprivileged people, including those of ethnic minorities. Duong Trung
Phong from Hop Nhat Village said that he was very happy because he was given
priority to get a vaccine jab against the Covid-19. "I
totally support and will encourage relatives to strictly observe the
regulations on the pandemic prevention and control," Phong said. Not only in
Ba Vi Commune, people in 13 other ethnic minority communes in Hanoi’s five
districts of Ba Vi, Thach That, Quoc Oai, My Duc, and Chuong My have been
also immunized with Covid-19 vaccines. A total of nearly 10,000 priority
cases have been given Covid-19 vaccine injections. During the
social distancing period in accordance with the city's Directive
No.17/CT-UBND, the municipal Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs has been
coordinating with the people's committees of the five districts to mobilize
the participation of all sectors, especially prestigious people to strictly
controlling the non-essential movement of ethnic people. “Currently,
vaccination is still the basic solution to prevent the Covid-19 disease. On
the basis of the number of vaccines allocated by the municipal authorities,
we will keep vaccinating prioritized people, especially ethnic minority groups,"
Director of the Ba Vi District Healthcare Center Nguyen Ba Minh told The
Hanoi Times. Deputy FM highlights higher awareness of ASEAN’s values amid
difficulties Deputy
Foreign Minister and head of the SOM ASEAN Vietnam Nguyen Quoc Dung has
highlighted the higher awareness of ASEAN’s values amid increasing
difficulties. Dung made
the statement in an interview granted to the press following the
54th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM-54) that was held
virtually from August 2-6. The event comprised 20 ASEAN ministerial meetings
and those between ASEAN and partners within the frameworks of the ASEAN+1,
ASEAN+3, the East Asia Summit (EAS) and the ASEAN Regional Forum
(ARF). He said
AMM-54 took place at a special time when the bloc faced various challenges such
as the new outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, intense strategic competition among
major powers, and complicated developments in the East Sea and Myanmar. According to
him, the event was a success with determination to implement the Five-Point
Consensus reached by leaders, including sending the second Foreign Minister
of Brunei to Myanmar as ASEAN Chair's special envoy, and launching
humanitarian activities in support of Myanmar via the ASEAN Coordinating
Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management. ASEAN member
states also vowed to continue with mutual support plans to cope with the
COVID-19 pandemic. The bloc received commitments from partner countries,
vaccines and post-pandemic economic recovery plans. It also agreed to allow
the UK to become its dialogue partner. About
Vietnam’s initiatives at AMM-54, Dung said Vietnam dealt with
difficulties and obstacles due to different opinions at the event. Vietnam
initiated and urged countries to reach an agreement on Myanmar, grant the
status of ASEAN’s dialogue partner to the UK, and boost collaboration between
ASEAN and partner nations. Partner countries also pledged to assist ASEAN in
vaccine supplies and transfer of vaccine production technology. Regarding
ASEAN Community building, Dung said comprehensive plans for the effort till
2025 have been carried out in the three pillars. Up to 96 percent of
political-security pillar, 88 percent of economic pillar and 72 percent of
social-cultural pillar have been completed, which are encouraging results. Asked about
“hot” issues tabled for discussion at the event, Dung said Myanmar vowed to
help ASEAN Chair’s special envoy fulfilled assigned tasks. Meanwhile, the
ASEAN COVID-19 Response Fund, which was established in 2020, has so far
received 20.5 million USD from ASEAN member states and partner countries. The
bloc decided to use 10.5 million USD to buy vaccines for its members via
partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund./. Music video encourages frontline forces in COVID-19 fight Singer Vu
Thang Loi debuted its music video “Thương nhớ Sài Gòn” (Miss Saigon) to
encourage frontline forces and local residents in the fight against COVID-19
pandemic in Ho Chi Minh City. The song was
composed by Director of the Military Hospital 175 Maj. Gen Nguyen
Hong Son based on a poem by Truong Hoa Binh. Via the
video, Loi conveyed his gratefulness to medical staff and frontline
forces in the effort. He expressed hope to give more strength to Saigon,
Hanoi and the whole country to overcome the difficult period. Ho Chi Minh
City is now the biggest coronavirus hotspot of the country with more than
110,000 cases. The city is now under strict social distancing order./. Ninh Binh works to better preserve Trang An Complex
The
People’s Committee of Ninh Binh province has just issued a direction on
managing and protecting the global values of the World Cultural and Natural
Heritage Site of Trang An. Accordingly,
the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism is required to well manage,
preserve, and promote the site’s heritage values. The department must
closely monitor any renovation or construction work outside of the protected
area that may affect the landscape and the environment inside
the heritage area, the direction said. Meanwhile,
the Department of Planning and Investment is asked to have close eyes on
investors, especially strategic ones, ensuring that they comply with the Law
on Cultural Heritage and UNESCO regulations. There should be a harmony
between the conservation of heritage values and socio-economic development. Local
authorities are also required to join hands in managing the special-use
forest area, the land area in the core zone, and the heritage buffer zone,
and to strictly handle any legal violations./. Vietnam expects CTBT to come into force soon Vietnam
supports the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and will work
closely alongside other countries to ensure the treaty will take effect soon. Kien said
Vietnam highly appreciates the treaty’s role in ensuring security and
reducing the risk of a nuclear crisis in regions and around the world. It
signed the treaty in 1996, ratified it 10 years later, and strives to promote
an early entry into force of the treaty. The diplomat
congratulated Robert Floyd on his election to the position of Executive
Secretary of the CTBTO, and expressed his belief that having worked in the
field of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament for years, Floyd will
promote the organisation’s activities, helping raise the international
community’s awareness about the dangers of nuclear weapons and ramp up the
application of atomic technology for peaceful purposes and for sustainable
development. For his
part, Floyd highly appreciated Vietnam’s role in contributing to preventing
the development of nuclear weapons, noting the country has signed and
ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and the Treaty on the
Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). In the region, Vietnam is one of the
active members of the Treaty on the Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapon Free Zone
(SEANFWZ). He suggested
Vietnam continue promoting its role in lobbying countries, especially those
specified in Annex II of the treaty, for early ratification of the treaty. On the
occasion, Floyd invited Vietnam to attend and make a contribution to the
CTBTO’s upcoming conference on the implementation of Article 14 of the
treaty, to be held on the sidelines of the 76th United Nations General
Assembly. President Phuc’s State-level visit to Laos is of special
significance: Ambassador Lao
Ambassador to Vietnam Sengphet Houngboungnuang has said Vietnamese State
President’s upcoming visit to Laos is of special significance as it will help
open a new chapter in bilateral cooperative relations between the two
countries. The visit is
expected to further strengthen the great friendship, special solidarity and
comprehensive cooperation between the Parties, States and peoples of the two
countries, he said. According to
the Lao diplomat, Phuc’s visit testifies to the fact that despite complicated
and unpredictable situation in the region and the world, especially the
resurgence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, senior leaders of the two countries
maintain regular contact and exchange, demonstrating their special solidarity
and joint efforts to overcome all difficulties and develop together for the
sake of people’s well-being in both countries. He revealed
that during the trip, the newly elected Vietnamese President is scheduled to
hold talks with the General Secretary and President of Laos and meet with
other senior leaders of the Lao Government and National Assembly to exchange
views and measures aimed at promoting bilateral cooperation. Phuc will
attend a handover ceremony of the new Lao National Assembly Building, a
special gift from the Party, State and people of Vietnam to the Party, State
and people of Laos. He will also deliver a speech at the first extraordinary
session of the Laos National Assembly. The two
sides will sign a number of cooperation documents between their relevant
ministries, branches, localities and businesses. The results
of Phuc’s visit are expected to take the comprehensive cooperation,
especially in economics, trade and investment, to new heights on a par with
the two countries’ political ties, noted the diplomat. Vietnam and
Laos established diplomatic ties in 1962. Both countries’ senior leaders have
maintained reciprocal visit exchanges to further enhance bilateral
comprehensive cooperation. Most recently, Lao Party General Secretary and
State President Thongloun Sisoulith visited Vietnam in June 2021. Despite the
impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, two-way trade between the two countries rose
36.5% in the first half of 2021 compared to the same period last year,
hitting US$671 million. Vietnam has 208 valid projects valued at US$5.16
billion in Laos, ranking among the top three foreign investors in the
neighbouring country. 28 construction workers in Hanoi infected with COVID-19 Local
authorities of Hanoi capital moved to cordon off a construction site at Ha
Dong General Hospital for contact tracing and testing after 28 workers tested
positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The source
of infection remain unknown. The infected had shown virus like symptoms such
as a cough or fever before they notified local authorities of their health. Epidemiologists
took samples of 80 people who had direct and indirect contact with the
cluster of infections for testing. As many as
600 healthcare workers, employees, patients and their relatives at the hospital
were tested, with the results coming back negative. The hospital
is safe, except for the construction site that has been locked down for
chemical disinfection, contact tracing and testing, said the hospital’s
leadership. As workers
work, eat and sleep at the construction site, the hospital runs a low risk of
virus infection, according to officials of the Hanoi Centre for Disease
Control. The Hanoi
administration on August 6 decided to extend its ongoing social distancing
order for another two weeks in order to separate all F0 cases from the
community. Hanoi has
recorded nearly 2,000 new coronavirus cases since the virus recurred in late
April. Phan Thiet to become national hub of tourism, marine sports Located in
the south-central province of Binh Thuan, Phan Thiet city has devised a plan
which aims to turn the locality into a national tourism and marine sport
centre by 2025. The city
plans to develop its tourism industry in association with marine sports to
cater to the taste of both domestic and foreign tourists. Most
notably, Hon Rom - Mui Ne and Ham Tien tourist sites will develop various
activities for guests to enjoy, including paragliding, kiteboarding,
kitesurfing, windsurfing, sailing, sand-skiing, cycling, and cross-country
running. Furthermore,
the Doi Duong - Thuong Chanh beach resort will be the location in which to
organise games such as beach volleyball, beach soccer, beach handball,
cross-country running, and marathon Phan Thiet
city will be regularly organising international sports tournaments involving
kitesurfing, windsurfing, yachting, and golfing, as well as a hot air balloon
festival. The
municipal administration will co-ordinate efforts with the provincial
Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism in order to design unique marine
sports products that can meet the various interests of tourists. This in turn
will boost the image of Phan Thiet tourism to international friends and
potential guests. Plastic waste meets its match in youth union, ethnic minority
communities in Lai Châu In response
to the movement "Against plastic waste" launched by the Youth Union
of Lai Châu Province, the Youth Union of Phong Thổ District launched their
own sub-campaign "plastic for gifts". It sought to
encourage young people in Sin Suối Hồ Commune to collect plastic waste that
could be exchanged for gift packs that included Lifebuoy antibacterial
soap, hand sanitiser, and medical masks. The 10-day
campaign started on July 21. First implemented
in Lai Châu Province, the campaign aimed to change the habits of local
people and encourage the sorting of waste at the source. Many ethnic
minority people brought plastic items such as bottles, and baskets used for
packaging to exchange. Đào Đức
Định, Secretary of the Phong Thổ District's Youth Union said: "This
campaign helps raise local people's awareness about the harmful effects of
plastic waste, towards the total elimination of plastic waste.” “We also
want to guide local people toward changing their habit of using
plastic products and help them to realise the benefits of keeping the
environment clean, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.” Holding a
gift bag in her hand, Sùng Thị Ké, 40, happily said that like many local
people she was guided by Youth Union members. Her family picked up plastic
bottles on the road and at home, then took them to the community house to
exchange. Hảng Thị Nú,
50, said "I find this programme is very useful and helps discourage
people from littering, and at the same time we receive necessary
household goods during the pandemic.” At first,
many people didn't know about the campaign, but words spread quickly. Everyone in
the village collected plastic, both at home and in street, and took it to be
exchanged. In
particular, the children were excited and came together to help, Nú said. After 10
days, more than 120 kg of plastic of all kinds was collected. The youth
union will help sell the used plastic, and the money will be transferred to
the commune authorities to help fund COVID-19 prevention measures, provincial
Youth Union's Secretary Đào Đức Định, said. "Promoting
taking an active role in the community and the spirit of volunteering
among young people, the Youth Union will continue to spread the model to all
16 communes and towns in Phong Thổ District as well as the whole province,"
he said. "Thereby,
contributing to building awareness, positive attitudes and
environmentally-friendly actions in the communities in the highlands.” Coach Park praises Guus Hiddink's mentorship Việt Nam's
national team manager Park Hang-seo shared his personal experiences as head
coach of the Korean Olympic team at ASIAD 2002 along with his appreciation
for his colleague Guus Hiddink. In 2002,
Park Hang-seo replaced Hiddink to lead the U23 Korean national team at the
ASIAD. With the home-team advantage, Korea was expected to become the
champion but ended up finishing third. A few days
later, Park was fired due to the result and a number of other conflicts
between the two sides, including salary issues. All of this
played a crucial role in Coach Park's career. “Although
it's not perfect, I think it's a process that will make me more mature,” Park
told Joong Ang UCN. “When I
think back, I feel a little bit of a loss. Later, I realised that I
needed to hold back a bit." “At that
time, I was really resentful and angry and thought about miscellaneous
things. Now every one of that generation has their own life, so I don't think
about it anymore,” said the 63-year-old manager. After a
period of ups and downs, coach Park became Việt Nam’s manager, setting up the
team for a series of remarkable achievements. The Korean
coach also shared his feeling about Hiddink, one of the two most influential
coaches in his career alongside Kim-ho who managed the Korean team at the
1994 World Cup. At the 2002
World Cup, Park worked as an assistant under the Dutch manager. Together,
they helped the team make history after reaching the semi-final. Until now,
they are the only team in Asia to ever compete in a World Cup semi-final. “Hiddink is
the one who taught me what it takes to be a leader," Park said. “In our two
years together, every day I wrote down his advice like a diary. Until now,
when I have a problem, I still read them to find the answer." “What I
remember and think about the most is his advice: "Coach Park, when
leading a big team, you absolutely must not turn team members into chess
pieces to advance your own interests.” “When he
said: 'Time waits for no one', it sounded like I was being fired. You must
make the best out of the team's resources." “Therefore,
if I lead any team, I will listen and do my best, the same as in Việt Nam,”
he added. Currently,
coach park is quarantined in Hà Nội. On August 12, he will start working with
the players. The national
team had its first training session on August 5 at the Vietnam Youth Football
Training Centre. On August
26, the whole team will fly to Saudi Arabia to prepare for the opening match
in the final round of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. Three intensive care centres open, field hospitals to
be set up in industrial parks in HCM City Three
COVID-19 intensive care units (ICUs) with doctors and medical personnel
coming from three central-level hospitals across the country opened on
Saturday (August 7) in HCM City. Doctors and
medical personnel from three central-level hospitals including the
Vietnam German Friendship Hospital and and the Bạch Mai Hospital in
Hà Nội, and Huế Central Hospital, have arrived in HCM City to help set up the
ICUs that have a total of 1,500 beds. Deputy
Health Minister Nguyễn Trường Sơn, head of the ministry’s taskforce to
support HCM City in COVID-19 prevention and control, said the telehealth
digital platform should be used to connect
hospital departments, and a monitoring centre should be set up
to coordinate the treatment of critical COVID-19 cases at the
three intensive care centres. HCM City is
struggling to contain its largest outbreak despite
serious prevention measures, according to Sơn. “The city has also
had to ensure a steady supply of medical equipment and supplies for
treatment.” “Despite the
number of cases, the city is on the right track,” he said,
adding that the top priority is to save patients with serious health
conditions and reduce fatalities. In addition
to medical staff, the ministry will send managers and administrators of
leading hospitals across Việt Nam to work in HCM City. HCM City’s
Chợ Rẫy Hospital is currently operating the HCM City Intensive Care COVID-19
Hospital based in the HCM City Oncology Hospital in Thủ Đức City with a
capacity of about 1,000 beds. Field
hospitals in IPs The HCM
City Export Processing Zone and Industrial
Park Authority Business Association (HBA) has asked for
approval from the HCM City government and the Steering Committee for
Pandemic Prevention and Control to set up field hospitals to
treat workers in industrial parks and export processing zones. According to
HBA, as of the beginning of August, nearly half of enterprises in 17 export
processing zones and industrial zones in the city had registered to
allow workers to stay at their workplaces. Nearly 84
per cent of the companies have met the requirements, while 92 factories are
adding necessary conditions to meet the requirements. According to
HBA, the Sepzone Linh Trung Company is working with investors
to build a field hospital at ready-built workshops in the Linh
Trung 2 Export Processing Zone. Many investors have said they would donate
medical equipment to the field hospital. HBA also
urged the health sector to assist companies
with technical and medical skills so they can conduct rapid tests
for COVID-19. The
association recommended that the city prioritise vaccinations for workers in
Cát Lái Industrial Park and Cát Lái Port. The
city has 17 export processing zones, industrial parks and high-tech
zones with 1,500 businesses. In a related
matter, Tây Ninh Province plans to build a 600-bed field hospital in
Thành Thành Công Industrial Park and a 500-bed field hospital in the Phước
Đông Industrial Zone. Volunteers
join pandemic fight More than
7,000 people across the country have volunteered to help HCM City fight
the current outbreak, following a request from Deputy Minister of
Health Nguyễn Trường Sơn last month. Of the
number, nearly 800 medical workers are working in private and public health
clinics (including retired medical staff), and the rest are students and
other staff. Up to 2,500
of them have begun treating COVID-19 patients in the city. The city
will continue to call on volunteers, especially those with medical expertise
such as doctors and nurses to support treatment, according to the Department
of Health. Dr. Trần Văn
Thành, a volunteer in HCM City, said: “I’ve been a doctor in the military for
25 years and I worked abroad for 25 years. When the country needs me,
I’m ready to help treat and save patients.” The number
of new infections since the fourth wave hit the country in late
April has topped 190,000. Of that number, HCM City accounts
for more than 116,000 cases. HCM City to take online apps that assist shoppers, COVID
monitoring to more districts Two
geographical information system applications to help people shop online and
authorities monitor the COVID-19 pandemic, trialled for one month in Thủ Đức
City, will now be expanded to 11 districts in HCM City. Built by the
HCM City Geographical Information System Application Centre, one of them
updates information about more than 400 markets, supermarkets and other
businesses to enable people to shop. It can inform users what the businesses
supply and recommend those closest to users’ locations and travel routes to
reach the place. The other
app will help monitor the pandemic across the city by keeping track of and
analysing data such as positive cases, the spread of infection, lockdown
areas, quarantine zones, and treatment facilities, and create reports for
authorities. The apps can
be used to monitor districts 4, 6, 12, Bình Thạnh, Tân Bình, Phú Nhuận, Gò
Vấp, Bình Chánh, Cần Giờ, Củ Chi, and Nhà Bè. Chu Vân Hải,
deputy director of the city Department of Science and Technology, said the
applications proved to be of great help to the public and authorities in Thủ
Đức City when the pandemic was spreading, and the department wants to help
other districts make use of them. Nguyễn Thanh
Bình, head of the Phú Nhuận District economic department, said his district
would like to get the two as soon as possible. Việt Nam
embraced information technology to combat the pandemic, using the contact
tracing Bluezone application and provincial epidemic maps since the early
days. It has had
more than 185,000 cases in the current COVID-19 wave that began in late
April, with HCM City alone accounting for more than 112,000. HCM City Journalists Association hands over medical
supplies to COVID hospital The
HCM City Journalists Association has handed over essential medical
supplies donated by 42 central and municipal media agencies to
five hospitals for them to respond to COVID-19 . The donations included 4,000 personal
protection protective equipment and 17,300 N95 face
masks. Besides, 4,320
fresh milk cartons and other essential goods were handed over to women
doctors and nurses at five hospitals, which are Bình
Chánh Hospital, Thủ Đức General Hospital, the Children
Hospital No.2, Hùng Vương Hospital, and the Field Hospital No.10. It also
gifted 2,000 N95 face masks to Nguyễn Tri Phương Hospital
and VNĐ100 million (US$4,300) to its Red Cross fund. Trần Trọng
Dũng, chairman of the association, visited the hospital on Thursday to
express regards to doctors there for dedicating their lives to
serving the public against COVID. Dr Võ
Đức Chiến, director of the hospital, said many doctors and nurses have
left their families behind to be on the frontlines in the fight against the
pandemic. The meaningful gifts
from the association would help support the response to the
pandemic, he added. HCM City poor to get 2nd support package The HCM City
People's Committee has approved a second COVID-19 support package targeted at
self-employed workers, poor households and poor workers worth more than
VNĐ900 billion (US$39.2 million) On
Thursday the Committee of Việt Nam Fatherland Front and the city's
COVID-19 prevention steering committee held a meeting with district
authorities to discuss social security for the members of the public. Trần Ngọc
Sơn, deputy director of the city Department of Labour, Invalids and Social
Affairs, said the package would be disbursed by August 10. Võ Công
Hoan, deputy chairman of the city People’s Committee, said each household
would receive VNĐ 1.5 million, including VNĐ1 million from the city and
VNĐ500,000 from the Fatherland Front. The city is
also carrying out a ‘social welfare package’ programme to provide essential
items to needy people amid the social distancing. Each package contains 10
kilogrammes of rice, instant noodles, cooking oil, fish sauce, salt, sugar,
and face masks. Hundreds of
poor and near-poor households and workers in Thủ Đức City’s Bình Chiểu and
Tam Bình wards have received them. Nearly
194,000 residents in Thủ Đức city are in need of authorities’ support to cope
with the outbreak. Tens of
thousands of packages will be distributed across HCM City. President sends sympathy to AO/dioxin victims President
Nguyen Xuan Phuc has sent a letter of sympathy to Agent Orange/dioxin victims
and their families on the occasion of Day for AO/dioxin victims (August 10). In the
letter, he said since the AO/dioxin disaster hit Vietnam 60 years ago, losses
and pain caused by it have been extremely serious, leaving after-effects
impacting many generations. Over the
past years, the Vietnamese Party, State and people have paid attention to
AO/dioxin victims, helping them overcome difficulties and get ahead in life,
he said. He lauded the Vietnam Association for Victims of AO/dioxin (VAVA)
for exerting constant efforts to work effectively, becoming a crucial part in
overcoming AO/dioxin disaster consequences and fighting for justice and
equality for victims. He expressed
his admiration for victims and their families for overcoming after-effects
and diseases to integrate into the society. The leader
also appreciated practical support by philanthropists at home and abroad, and
international friends. Phuc wished
that Party committees, authorities, mass organisations, agencies and people
at home and abroad would continue the tradition of offering mutual support in
order to contribute to addressing AO/dioxin consequences, as well as provide
care for victims, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic./. Isolated villages in the central region avoid the worst of the
COVID-19 pandemic Isolated
living environments, well-structured communities and food self-sufficiency
have turned villages and islands in central Việt Nam into safe havens against
the COVID-19 pandemic. Just 40km
from downtown Đà Nẵng City, the ethnic Cơ Tu communities in the Tà Lang and
Giàn Bí villages in Hòa Bắc Commune have yet to record a positive case of
COVID-19. Head of Giàn
Bí Village, Alăng Như, says most of the villagers make their living from
farming, with only 20 per cent working at industrial parks. He said the
pandemic has been well controlled by the community since the two villages
began applying social distancing orders per the city’s People’s Committee
decision. Only
necessary trips to the city’s downtown have been permitted and every family
must stay a safe distance apart. “Although no
COVID-19 infection has been found in the community, the Cơ Tu people are
staying alert… People coming from the pandemic hotspots in the city’s
downtown area were almost completely stopped from approaching the community
or COVID-safe protection measures were taken at safe distance check-points,”
Như said. “Villages
that relied on community-based tourism had also become very quiet with no
tours organised since COVID-19 cases started increasing in recent weeks. As a
result, many villagers resumed rice farming and raising livestock to supply
food for the community,” he said. Như said
villagers were aware of the danger of spreading infections in the community
and any movement between the two villages and with the outside are done with
extreme caution. The Cơ Tu
community head said only assigned shops were allowed to bring supplies into
the village by people who had completed health declarations and were tested
regularly. He added
that all families who have people working at factories in the city were given
group tests frequently. “We are not
sure how long our community will be able to avoid coronavirus infections, but
our community’s warning system will always remain on.” Túy Loan
Village, 30km from Đà Nẵng, which supplies vegetables to the city’s downtown
area has also kept infection rates low. Only two cases have been found in the
fourth outbreak in early July. They have been completely quarantined and all
community tests were negative. Nguyễn Quang
Dũng, head of the village’s garden co-operative said the agriculture-centric
village was almost shielded from travellers from urban areas as vegetables
were inspected and transported by logistics companies. He said
anyone coming from urban areas is checked by pandemic control teams at
checkpoints and an easy detection QR Code system on commodities and the
transportation of goods is also in place. Farming and
craft communities in Cẩm Thanh commune in suburban Hội An ancient town, where
social distancing orders began on July 31, have also remained safe zones,
even when the city has been locked down. Võ Tấn Tân,
owner of Bamboo Taboo workshop in Cẩm Thanh, said the isolation of the
craft production village kept them a ‘safe’ distance from coronavirus risks. Tân, who
manages a workshop with five skilled craftsmen, said he has remained in business
by utilising digital technology. With tourism
gone, local villagers have been surviving through fishing and handicrafts. Tân
explained that safe distance, protective measures, regular health care and
frequent cleaning have helped limit coronavirus from spreading in the
community. Isolated
islands Chàm
Islands, 20km off the coast of Hội An, a world biosphere reserve site and a
favourite destination, is also a ‘low coronavirus risk site’ A pandemic
control system has been rapidly developed to inspect every boat trip between
Cửa Đại Port and the Islands’ main dock. Chairwoman
of the Islands’ People’s Committee, Phạm Thị Mỹ Hương said 10 close contacts
of coronavirus cases have been safely isolated and tested at checkpoints. “The islands
are still safe at the moment. No infection source (F0) has yet been reported
on the islands. Only boat trips for permitted business and logistics are
allowed as all cruise tours have been shut down since early July,” Hương
said. “Only people
who are already negative for COVID-19 with special permission are allowed to
travel between the islands and the mainland. Community-based COVID-19
inspection teams are working very effectively and islanders have been on high
alert,” she said, adding that frontline forces have all been vaccinated. Coronavirus
infection inspections have also been well controlled by Lý Sơn Island
authorities, off the coast of Quảng Ngãi Province. Health
declarations and permission to travel have been scrutinized by border guard
forces at Sa Kỳ Port in the mainland and the port at Lý Sơn Island since the
province came under social distancing orders. The 22,000
strong population of the islands were almost closed off to all boat trips for
tourism services from May. Fishing vessels and fishermen were closely monitored
by border guards. Chairwoman
of the Island’s People’s Committee, Phạm Thị Hương said all islanders
returning from coronavirus hotspots were isolated on the mainland at mass
quarantine centres. She said any
suspected cases related to possible infections were quickly reported by
community-based pandemic response teams for rapid COVID-19 tests. Hương said
100 COVID-19 frontline members had been fully vaccinated, while 600 others
had received their first shots at the end of July. People
living on Lý Sơn Island, known as the Kingdom of Garlic in Việt Nam, (73 per
cent of the population make their living from farming garlic) often use
garlic oil and fresh garlic root as a traditional means of improving their
health. Hương said
islanders feed their chickens and ducks leftover garlic to protect them from
being infected with bird flu and other diseases. Gò Cỏ
village, an ancient village, off the national highway No 1, and Sa Huỳnh salt
community in the coronavirus hit Phổ Thạnh ward of Quảng Ngãi Province, have
are both seen as ‘safe zones’ with no infections since last year. Local
community authorities at the two villages said villagers have very little
communication with outsiders which helps limit the possibility of
infection. Cà Mau to expand banana growing area, increase value, output The
southernmost province of Cà Mau plans to expand its area under banana to
6,000ha and annual output to 120,000 tonnes by 2025. To increase
the value and yield of its bananas, the provincial Department of
Agriculture and Rural Development will popularise Vietnamese good
agricultural practices (VietGAP) and organic standards. Banana
farmers will use intensive farming to increase yields, tissue culture and
high-quality varieties. The province
will combine the banana orchards with eco-tourism services to add to farmers’
incomes. It will
encourage farmers to turn mixed orchards, areas around fields growing other
crops and near forests and unproductive rice fields into banana plantations. In the
plantations, farmers will be encouraged to breed fish and livestock. The province
will strive to strengthen linkages between farmers and processors to increase
the output of various products made from the fruit and its by-products. Cà Mau, one
of the largest banana growing provinces in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta, has
5,400ha under various varieties of the fruit, including 4,800ha of xiêm,
with an annual output of 60,000 tonnes. Nguyễn Trần
Thức, head of the department’s Plant Protection and Cultivation
Sub-department, said demand for xiêm bananas remains steady despite
the COVID-19 pandemic, and it fetches farmers a price of VNĐ3,500 a
kilogramme, the same as before the outbreak. The
province’s bananas are sold in the delta and HCM City and exported to
Cambodia through local traders. Most are
sold for eating fresh, with a quantity meant for processing into products
like dried banana and banana cake. The banana
growing areas are located mostly in U Minh and Trần Văn Thời districts. U Minh has
identified xiêm banana as one of its four key agricultural products
after the fruit helped many farmers escape poverty and lead a steady life. Banana trees
are easy to grow, do not require much tending and entail low farming costs. Authorities
in U Minh are promoting banana tissue culture because it ensures higher
yields and few diseases. The
Agriculture Seed Centre and Centre for Applied Science and Technology are
supplying banana seedlings grown using tissue culture to farmers. Besides the
seedlings, Nguyễn Văn Mẫn, who has one hectare of land in U Minh’s Khánh
Thuận Commune, was also provided financial support from the province’s
programme for sustainable poverty reduction in 2008. One of the
first to grow tissue-culture banana in his commune, he now earns an average
of VNĐ100 million (US$4,400) a year and has escaped poverty. Tissue
culture offers advantages like faster growth and high resistance to diseases,
he said. “Tissue-culture
banana plants produce bigger fruits and a yield 50 per cent higher than
normal. Their fruits also fetch a higher price.” U Minh had
110ha of orchards growing them as of last year. Vietnamese celebrities join hands to fight COVID-19 in
quarantine zones Vietnamese
celebrities are actively joining volunteer teams in quarantine zones to
boost the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic which is spreading across the
city. Since the
fourth COVID-19-pandemic broke out in HCM City, many members of the
entertainment industry including artists, singers and models have been
participating in humanitarian works to help lessen the hardship of citizens
in isolated areas. Many of them
have volunteered to act as coordinators for the vaccination programme, to go
shopping for quarantined people while others have gone inside locked-down
areas to take samples for COVID-19 testing. Images of MC
Quỳnh Hoa, Hòang My -- the first runner-up of 2010 Miss Việt
Nam -- and singer Quốc Đạt passed a blockade fence to enter an
isolation area to take COVID-19 test samples from people in District 7 have
gone viral. Hoàng My
jokingly called it a "cinematic" moment. She confided
while speaking on Zingnews.vn that when she went to areas with F0
cases she was very scared and apprehensive. But then, after going to a
number of blockades and being exposed to many F0s, she became
"immune" to the feeling of fear. Born in
1988, My said she wanted to contribute to the city's fight against the
pandemic. "I told
myself to just do my job and if I got COVID-19 I will deal with that
later," My added. Meanwhile,
MC Quỳnh Hoa expressed her good feeling on the day she joined a
volunteer artist team to hold a performance at a field hospital to boost the
spirit of doctors and patients there. "Emotions
are difficult to describe performing at a special space like a COVID-19 field
hospital. We all sang songs together in protective suits and tight masks.
Everyone felt touched and moved," Hoa said. According to
singer Phương Thanh, her life was turned completely upside
down during more than a month of volunteering. The singer
said she stayed up late, got up early, worked continuously and moved between
locations to help people. Wearing shorts and slippers, she was loading, unloading
goods and transporting them to the blockaded areas. Every time
after coming home, her face was imprinted with the mask, according to
Thanh. She
told Zing: “I was born into a family with a military tradition and a
very strong spirit. Many ask me how can I get the energy to work
continuously. I'm really not tired at all but the more I work, the stronger I
am." Hanoi proposes requisitioning coach stations, stadiums as goods
transshipment points Due to the
suspension of several wholesale markets and supermarkets which are linked to
Covid-19 cases, the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has
proposed requisitioning some coach stations and stadiums as transshipment
points for farm produce and essential goods. The city has
shut or locked down three wholesale markets, Den Lu, Long Bien and Minh Khai,
20 wet markets and 52 supermarkets and convenience stores after they were
found to be linked to positive Covid-19 cases, so many residents are finding
it difficult to access food and necessities, according to the department. As such, the
municipal department proposed requisitioning the Yen Nghia Coach Station in
Ha Dong District, stadiums in Thanh Tri and Hoai Duc districts and other
venues in Gia Lam District as goods transshipment points. Besides, the
municipal department also proposed the Hanoi government ask for approval from
the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to allow the city to use
the Trade Promotion Center for Agriculture in Cau Giay District as another
transshipment point for goods transported from neighboring provinces and
cities. In addition,
the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade was also asked to prepare stocks
of foods and essential products from other provinces to meet the demands of
residents, the local media reported. The
municipal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development also proposed the
Hanoi Transport Department issue effective solutions to facilitate the
transportation and circulation of food, essential goods and farm produce. Source: VNA/VNS/VOV/VIR/SGT/SGGP/Nhan
Dan/Hanoitimes |
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