VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES SEPTEMBER 8
09:45 Chinese
State Councilor Wang Yi to visit Viet Nam this week Chinese
State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi will pay an official
visit to Viet Nam and co-chair the 13th Meeting of the Viet Nam – China
Steering Committee for Bilateral Cooperation from 10 to 12 September, 2021. The visit
will be made at the invitation of Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh
Minh and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son./. HCM City, Hanoi accelerate testing, vaccinations against
COVID-19
Hanoi and Ho
Chi Minh City are taking every effort to speed up testing and vaccinations
against COVID-19 as the two largest cities of Vietnam continue experiencing
complex developments of the pandemic. Ho Chi Minh
City’s Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control held a press
briefing on September 7 to update information about vaccination situation in
the city. Vietnam’s
current biggest COVID-19 hotspot has to date injected over 6.72 million
people. It is striving to give the first jab for all people aged from 18 and
the second shot for those who are due to receive the next injection. Amidst the
complicated developments of the pandemic, the Prime Minister has requested
the Defence Minister, the Secretaries of Party Committees and Chairpersons of
People's Committee of Hai Phong city and Bac Giang, Vinh Phuc, Bac Ninh, Hai
Duong, Hung Yen, Ha Nam, Nam Dinh, Thai Binh and Hoa Binh provinces to
proactively prepare human resources to be ready to support Hanoi in rapid
testing, classification of patients for suitable care and treatment, tracing
of possible contacts with patients, and organisation of vaccination against
COVID-19 when necessary. As of
September 6, Hanoi had administered 2.4 million vaccine doses, covering about
35 percent of the city's population aged 18 and above. According to the Hanoi
Centre for Disease Control, in the coming days, the city will accelerate
vaccination when sufficient vaccines are allocated. In
compliance with an official dispatch issued by Chairman of the municipal
People’s Committee Chu Ngoc Anh, the capital city will conduct mass testing
for all residents from September 6-12. Accordingly,
those living in locked-down, quarantine and extremely high-risk areas will be
tested every 2-3 days. Others in high-risk areas will have samples collected
every 5-7 days to "filter out" COVID-19 cases from the community./. Coronavirus hotspot considers ‘green cards’ to ease measures The
authorities of Ho Chi Minh City, the largest coronavirus hotspot in Vietnam,
are planning to apply “green cards” in order to ease social distancing
restrictions for people who have received one or two doses of COVID-19
vaccines. During a
meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam on September 7, Phan Van Mai,
head of the HCM City administration, said the city is considering applying
“COVID-19 vaccine green cards”, adding that groups of healthcare experts and
economists are making plans for its implementation. HCM City has
extended its shelter-in-place mandate to mid-September in a continued effort
to halt the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The city has
also established a working group tasked with developing a plan for both the
COVID-19 fight and economic recovery after September 15, with pandemic
containment, social welfare policies, and economic development among the
pillars of the plan. To ease
social distancing measures and gradually restore services, all stakeholders
must feel safe, meaning they must be fully vaccinated, Mai explained the
administration’s ‘green cards’ proposal. He therefore
expressed hope that the Government would provide the city with additional
COVID-19 vaccines to help all residents get vaccinated against the SARS-CoV-2
virus. Dr. Nguyen
Hoai Nam, deputy director of the HCM City Department of Health, said the
local health sector is speeding up COVID-19 vaccination, considering this a
priority along with testing. The sector
should be assured that it will be provided with a sufficient supply of
vaccines to ensure everyone is fully inoculated against COVID-19, he said. According to
Nam, the city aims to raise the vaccination rate among those who receive
their second shot to 50% by late September, 80% by October 15, and 100% by
the end of this year. Vietnam stresses roles of international law in addressing global
challenges The UN
Security Council (UNSC) needs to seek solutions for emerging challenges to
global peace and security based on the UN Charter and international law,
Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, told
the UNSC briefing with the Elders on September 7. Quy
underscored the importance of multilateralism and the central role of the UN
in preventing and addressing global challenges. He called on the UNSC to
focus its work on preventing and solving conflicts, as well as building peace
and consensus, saying that it is critical to reform the UNSC for improved
transparency, democracy, representativeness and effectiveness. It is
crucial to support the role of regional organizations, such as the African
Union, in maintaining international and regional peace and security, he said,
noting that ASEAN has affirmed its centrality in the regional security
architecture. Founded by
Nelson Mandela in 2007, the Elders are an independent group of global
distinguished leaders working together for peace, justice and human rights./. Top legislator’s tour to Europe, Belgium create new momentum for
bilateral ties: diplomat National
Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue’s visit to Europe and Belgium on September
8-9 will create a new impetus to push bilateral relations to a new height,
especially in the context that the COVID-19 pandemic is hampering high-level
delegation exchanges, Vietnamese Ambassador to Belgium and head of Vietnam’s
delegation to the EU Nguyen Van Thao told the Vietnam News Agency. Thao
affirmed that the EU is a very important partner of Vietnam in all fields,
with the two sides establishing diplomatic relations 50 years ago and having
achieved many encouraging achievements, reflected through the signing of the
Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA), the EU-Vietnam Free Trade
Agreement (EVFTA), the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and
eight dialogue frameworks between the two sides. The EU has
only inked FTAs with four partners, namely Japan, the Republic of Korea,
Singapore and Vietnam, of which only Vietnam is a developing country, he
said, stressing that this shows the EU attaches great importance to Vietnam's
role in the region, and Vietnam also affirms that the EU is a comprehensive
partner with great potential for development and cooperation. Regarding
the Vietnam-Belgium relations, the diplomat said that Vietnam is also an
important partner of Begium as the two countries set up strategic partnership
in agriculture – the field that has great contributions to their development. “Therefore,
we need to take measures to promote the relationship with Belgium in a more
substantive and effective manner for both sides,” stated Thao. Belgium is
one of the leading European countries in renewable energy, green energy and
sustainable development, and has strengths in logistics, transportation and
accreditation. Therefore, cooperating with the country, Vietnam can go on the
right track towards the development of renewable energy, green energy and
sustainable development, and can step up exports, he added./. HCMC extends mobility restrictions until Sept 15 The current
stringent anti-pandemic measures in HCMC will be extended until September 15,
said HCMC Chairman Phan Van Mai, adding that residents in coronavirus-free
areas would be allowed to go shopping once a week. The
draconian stay-at-home mandate started on August 23, banning all residents
from going out from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. and only allowing people with a mobility
permit to go out for work or service in the Covid-19 fight. It was originally
scheduled to expire on September 6. At a meeting
of the municipal Party Committee on September 6, Mai said the city’s forces
and the forces coming from the central agencies and other provinces would
remain unchanged. However, some adjustments will be made in certain areas
depending on the situation, the local media reported. Besides
allowing residents in safe areas to go shopping once a week, the city has
opened goods transit points at the Binh Dien and Hoc Mon wholesale markets. In addition,
districts 7 and Cu Chi can allow residents to visit wet markets twice a week
if they meet the anti-virus requirements. The city also allowed takeaway
services in these districts. Mai said the
city would focus on formulating a plan to fight the pandemic and help the
economy recover after September 15. The
municipal government has established a steering committee to come up with the
plan. Before September 15, the steering committee must devise the plan and
the city can gradually resume activities and ease restrictions step-by-step. The city
will continue intensifying testing in line with the Ministry of Health’s
guidance. It will also test those working at checkpoints. Mai asked
Thu Duc City and districts to increase testing in the community to detect
positive Covid cases by September 15. As for the
vaccination, districts should focus on inoculating vulnerable people, such as
the elderly, those with underlying health conditions, pregnant women and
those participating in socioeconomic activities. The city assigned the
Department of Health to study groups of people who can leave home in the
foreseeable future. The
municipal chairman stressed that the competent agencies must closely control
the Covid cases confined to their homes, show them how to take care of
themselves and promptly provide them with medicines and medical oxygen to
prevent them from getting worse. Moreover,
the city will open more branches of national intensive care centers in the
city to enhance the Covid treatment capacity in a bid to reduce the death
rate. Mai also
asked the Department of Health to direct medical centers to register their
demand to mobilize those who already recovered from Covid to join the fight
against the pandemic and quickly train them to support the treatment of other
patients. As for
welfare policies, Mai said some two million households with 5.3 million
residents were in urgent need of relief aid. The
municipal government has proposed providing each of these residents with
VND750,000 per month. Departments, agencies and districts must review and
make a list of disadvantaged residents before September 15. The city
will provide the aid in September and October and will reconsider the plan
based on the developments of the pandemic. Speaking at
the meeting, secretary of the municipal Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen said
since August 31, the city’s Covid fatalities had dropped. Many pandemic
clusters had been brought under control and the lockdown in many areas had
been lifted. Until
September 15, the city must prepare to safely live with Covid-19 and ensure
social welfare for residents. Nen also
required accelerating the vaccination, especially in districts 3, Go Vap,
Binh Tan and Tan Phu. The city has
chosen districts 7 and Cu Chi to pilot the new normal after September 15. Activities
must not be resumed if plans have yet to be worked out and medical safety
must be the first priority, Nen noted. The
municipal government has also issued Directive 11 enhancing social distancing
and anti-pandemic measures in the city to try to bring the pandemic under
control before September 15. However, daily new cases have remained high. For
example, HCMC as the country’s current epicenter of the
pandemic, reported 7,122 cases yesterday (September 6), compared to the
country’s total of 12,477. Working
teams in wards, communes and towns should be established to check, remind and
encourage residents to strictly comply with anti-pandemic regulations, go
shopping for residents and develop social welfare policies. The teams
will also enhance control over residents traveling on streets during the
social distancing period. Foreign sailors docked at Thanh Hoa port test positive for
COVID-19 The Centre
for Disease Control of the north central coastal province of Thanh Hoa said
on September 7 that it has received two sailors testing positive with
COVID-19 of Indonesian ship AUVIRGO, which is docked at the province’s Nghi
Son Port. Relevant
forces have brought the two patients to the Thanh Hoa Lung Hospital for
quarantine and treatment. Meanwhile,
other sailors were asked to self-quarantine at the vessel and report to State
management agencies at the port. On September
6, upon learning that the ship, with 21 Indonesian sailors aboard and
carrying nearly 4,300 tonnes of cooking oil from Singapore, was to arrive in
an area near the Nghi Son Port, disease control officials went to the vessel
to conduct COVID-19 antigen testing for all the seamen. Then their samples
sent to the provincial CDC for SARS-CoV-2 testing were confirmed with the real-time
PCR method./. State employee detained for receiving bribes for Covid-19
vaccination shots A state
employee in Ward 2, HCM City, has been detained for receiving bribes to
provide vaccination shots to people from other wards. The police
in District 2 detained and prosecuted Truong Manh Thao, 37, on September 7
for abusing position. According to
Thao, he had received over VND10m (USD437) and arranged vaccination shots to
nearly 20 cases from other wards and districts in the past four months. He
received VND1m to VND3m on each case. On August
21, the police in HCM City also prosecuted Le Thi Kim Dung for the same
accusation. Dung
admitted to selling each vaccination shot for VND2m (USD87) to VND4m. She
even advertised on Facebook to find customers. The police
said Dung had successfully arranged 21 cases and earned over VND60m
(USD2,600). Hai Duong City eases anti-pandemic measures from today Hai Duong
City in the province of the same name has decided to ease anti-Covid-19
measures, including allowing the resumption of cultural and sporting
activities and religious events starting from today, September 8. In addition,
essential events and conferences must take place in a safe manner. Under the
municipal government’s decision, households must continue to strictly follow
Covid-19 safety protocols and restrict the organization of parties and
gatherings. Several
non-essential services in the city such as bars, discos, gyms, cinemas,
massage and karaoke parlors, game shops, public swimming pools and night
clubs remain suspended. Healthcare
facilities are allowed to reopen, but must comply with Covid-19 safety
protocols and conduct Covid-19 screening on patients at entrance gates. The
municipal government also tasked the anti-virus steering committees of wards
and communes with closely monitoring people who return to their localities to
quickly detect positive Covid-19 cases. In the
ongoing fourth wave of the pandemic, which began in late April, Hai Duong
Province reported 167 Covid-19 infections and three deaths. The province
has gone over 14 consecutive days without any new Covid-19 infection in the
community. NA Chairman receives IPU Secretary General National
Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue hosted a reception for Secretary General of
the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Martin Chungong on September 7 during his
trip to attend the 5th World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments (WCSP5) in
Vienna, Austria. The
Vietnamese NA leader appreciated the contributions made by the IPU Secretary
General to the organization of the WCSP5, and to the IPU’s activities amidst the
difficulties posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and unpredictable changes in the
world’s geopolitical situation. The IPU
Secretary General said the attendance of NA Chairman Hue and the Vietnamese
delegation at the WCSP5 again showed that Vietnam is a responsible and active
member of the IPU. He shared
the viewpoint expressed by the Vietnamese NA leader at the first plenary
debate of the WCSP5 on promoting multilateral cooperation to respond to
global challenges for the world’s development. He underlined the importance
of parliaments in the world to the settlement of global issues, saying that
he hopes Vietnam will actively participate in the process. The two
sides compared notes on the role of the UN, the key organization in
multilateral cooperation, and valued the UN’s strong commitment as expressed
in the messages of the UN Secretary General and the President of the UN
General Assembly sent to the WCSP5. Chungong
also welcomed the proposal of Chairman Hue to further reform and enhance the
effectiveness of IPU’s operation and role. Hue suggested strengthening the
tripartite partnership among the UN, IPU and Vietnam, promoting more
substantial engagement of parliamentary meeting mechanisms alongside UN
activities, and increasing IPU’s support for Vietnam in training in
multilateral parliamentary diplomacy./. Hanoi completes 81.78 percent of mass testing plan Hanoi had
fulfilled 81.78 percent of its target to collect 1 million samples for mass
COVID-19 testing, according to the municipal Department of Health. The mass
testing work is being carried out in the city with the aim of separating
infections from the community and assessing the level of risk in each area
for designing appropriate pandemic prevention and control measures. Since April
29, the capital city has logged a total of 3,623 COVID-19 infections, including
1,571 local ones./. Deputy Defence Minister meets new Philippine defence attaché Deputy
Minister of National Defence Sen. Lt. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien hosted a
reception for the new Defence Attaché of the Philippines, Col. Ulysses S.
Mancao, on September 7. Welcoming
the newly-appointed Philippine Defence Attaché, Chien affirmed that the
bilateral relations have flourished since Vietnam and the Philippines set up
diplomatic ties 45 years ago. He said the
Vietnamese Government and Ministry of National Defence attach importance to
the Vietnam-Philippines strategic partnership, which serves as a foundation
for the countries’ defence cooperation to obtain positive results in multiple
fields, including exchanges of delegations at all levels, especially of high-ranking
officials; training; and dialogue mechanisms and consultations. The
Vietnamese Deputy Defence Minister voiced a hope that Col. Mancao will
continue to promote existing cooperation activities including dialogue
mechanisms and consultations and training, while bolstering cooperation in
military medicine, particularly in access to COVID-19 vaccine, medical
equipment and medicine; as well as supporting each other at multilateral
regional forums. For his
part, Col. Mancao spoke highly of the role of the Vietnam People’s Army in
the COVID-19 fight. He pledged to spare no efforts to promote the countries’
practical and efficient defence cooperation./. Việt Nam chairs opening ceremony of 15th ASOSAI Assembly The 15th
assembly of the Asian Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (ASOSAI)
convened on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Trần Sỹ Thanh, Auditor General
of the State Audit Office of Việt Nam. The meeting
was held as an online conference, with representatives from supreme audit
institutions joining from the host country of Thailand and other ASOSAI
member countries. Thanh is
also Chair of ASOSAI for the 2018-21 term. Speaking at
the meeting, the Vietnamese auditor general praised the efforts of all member
countries to organise the online conference amid the complicated COVID-19
situation in the region and around the world. “As COVID-19
is leaving huge impacts on the economy and social development of most Asian
countries, the ASOSAI community has come together and come up with timely
initiatives and solutions to adapt to the pandemic,” he said. It’s an
incredible effort from all supreme audit institutions (SAI), especially SAI
Thailand, which is the host of the 15th ASOSAI assembly, and SAI China, its
Secretary General, who worked closely with SAI Việt Nam to make the
conference happen, he added. During its
three years as ASOSAI Chair, the State Audit Office of Việt Nam had tried its
best to implement the Hanoi Declaration on “Environmental Auditing for
Sustainable Development”, which was approved at the 14th ASOSAI assembly in
Hà Nội in 2018, he said. Thailand's
State Auditor General Chanathap Indamra agreed that the COVID-19 pandemic was
changing every sector, including auditing, therefore this meeting between the
supreme audit institutions was of the utmost importance to all ASOSAI member
countries. “We highly
value your participation today. This is the 15th time we all sit down
together to discuss how to help ASOSAI grow. Thailand's State Auditor is
honoured to take on the chairmanship of ASOSAI for the 2021-24 term,” he
said. This ASOSAI
Assembly would not have been successful without the support of Việt Nam and
China amid complicated developments of the pandemic, he added. Aleksei
Kudrin, Chair of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions
(INTOSAI), said that the 15th ASOSAI Assembly held in an online format had
demonstrated the flexibility of the audit community. The Bangkok
Declaration adopted at this assembly would be the key document to orient the
main activities of the ASOSAI in the future, he said. He thanked
the State Audit Office of Việt Nam for its efforts to address many important
issues, helping to promote ASOSAI’s reputation in Asia. After the
opening ceremony, the 15th ASOSAI Assembly started the first and second plenary
sessions, the 8th Symposium and the 57th Governing Board Meeting. Over 795,000 COVID-19 hit workers eligible for assistance The Vietnam
Social Security (VSS) has confirmed the list of over 795,000 workers
from more than 29,300 employers who are eligible for financial support in 62
out of 63 cities and provinces under the Government's Resolution 68/NQ-CP and
the Prime Minister's Decision 23/QĐ-TTg on policies supporting employees
and employers affected by COVID-19. Of them,
over 613,000 had their labour contracts suspended and more than 80,000 quit
jobs to receive aid worth 1 million VND each while over 1,000 others were
given professional training to continue with their jobs. More than
613 units had to borrow loans to pay salary for over 45,800 workers who
became unemployed due to the pandemic. Other 151
units also proposed accessing loans to pay workers in the fields of
transportation, aviation, tourism, lodging and sending Vietnamese workers
abroad. As of
September 5, the VSS allowed 471 units with 87,237 COVID-19 hit
workers to suspend payment to pension and death benefit funds in 47 out of 63
cities and provinces with a total amount of 588.3 billion VND (25.5 million
USD)./. Wild plant cures hangovers and more Phan Trung
Kiên, an agricultural engineer in a small village in the Hà Nội suburbs,
has always known that his local herb cà gai leo was more than just
a regular wild plant. The special
plant, especially the fruit, can bring health benefits to those who
take it regularly. His mother would often brew the plant into a
medicinal drink when he was younger. “I
remember many times my mother boiled the plant and urged me to drink it
as a way of keeping me healthy when I was small," he
said. "She also made it whenever I got drunk. That’s her way to
help me get rid of a hangover and ease liver damage caused by excessive
alcohol consumption.” Born into a
farming family in Đoàn Kết Village in Chương Mỹ District, Kiên has always had
a keen interest in local agricultural produce. After
graduating from Vietnam National University of Agriculture, Kiên
conducted research into cà gai leo (Solanum procumbens) and
was glad to know it was recognised as a herbal medicine. “It’s a a
valuable herbal plant that has positive effects on stabilising liver cells
and enhancing liver function,” he said. Research
by the National Institute of Medical Substances shows that Haima, a
medicinal product extracted from the plant, can help cure hepatitis B. Kiên and his
friends decided to establish a cultivation area for the herbal plant in
Miếu Môn Commune in 2015. “The plant
often grew in the wild, and local people picked it to use as a herbal
medicine. We decided to grow it as raw material for pharmaceutical
businesses,” he said. Shortly
after he started growing herbal plants, Kiên had the same problem as many
farmers in his hometown. The price of the plant quickly decreased from
VNĐ150,000 per kilogram to VNĐ35,000 per kilogram after he expanded the
growing area to 20ha. Kiên knew
that he would never get the best price when he only sold the raw material, so
took a bold decision to make the final product himself. Kiên dried
the plant and packed it to make tea and sold it to his customers. He also
labelled the branches and made tea bags to give customers more choice.
He even learnt how to market the product online to expand his customer base. Things went
well. In 2016, Kiên established Thăng Long Hi-tech Agriculture Joint Stock
Company to facilitate production expansion and shape new products. His products
were registered at the National Office of Intellectual Property under the new
name Sadu, which signifies organic and medicinal products. Kiên said it
was a long journey to make the tea brand well-known and win
consumer hearts. He suffered losses and learnt many lessons along the
way. Overspending
on a watering system caused much waste and his inexperience processing
the plant made the product less tasty, but he learnt from his mistakes. “Usually,
the herbal plant can be harvested from the first crop in six months, and the
next crop every four months. The income is four to five times higher than
that of a rice crop,” he said. Now Kiên has
more than 100ha, bringing jobs for 75 workers with an income of between
VNĐ5-15 million (US$219-657) per month. He also
built a closed model from planting and preliminarily processing,
to processing raw materials and finished product. Each product has
a barcode for easy traceability. He also
learnt new marketing strategies to be able to sell the products during
the pandemic. Introducing
the products to big stores or supermarkets was no longer a good method, so
Kiên promoted online sales and registered his products on e-commerce
platforms such as OCOP (one-commune-one-product) model, which has been set up
by the city to support businesses and cooperatives during the pandemic. “I’m
thinking of expanding the market of herbal plants in the future. Organic and
healthy herbal plants will bring more choices for consumers and at the same
time create jobs for people in my hometown,” he said.  A-maze-ing system helps keep drivers safe For more
than two weeks, people living in two wards of Văn Chương and Văn Miếu,
Đống Đa District, Hà Nội, have been living under lockdown. Providing
basic necessities for 21,000 people in this area is a huge challenge for
local authorities. And it’s
also a challenge for delivery drivers, who while providing a valuable
service, must do so in a safe way and stick to social distancing regulations. That’s why
part of the area has been sectioned off into an intricate maze-like system so
delivery drivers can stay apart from the many others visiting the area.
Nguyễn Thành
Hưng, a member of COVID-19 Prevention Headquarters in Đống Đa District, said:
“Because of the lockdown situation, all people from 7,100 households of these
two wards are not allowed to leave their homes, except
for having COVID-19 tests or going to medical facilities for
treatment. “To ensure
the needs of local residents, the headquarters has implemented a plan to
provide essential goods from outside and inside to the people. We developed
a process to receive and transport relief to people in the red areas of
two wards, including 3,000 households. Besides, we receive goods from outside
and deliver to the families in lockdown three times a week, within a certain
time frame to ensure social distancing. “We have a
system to receive goods at four open checkpoints at the edge of lockdown
areas and 15 points of distribution of goods inside these two wards. From
there, volunteers from COVID community teams, the Youth Union, and Women's
Union, take the goods and deliver them to families.” At first
glance, the system looks like a complicated maze for all those arriving to
negotiate before they can provide supplies for residents inside the lockdown
areas. At the
checkpoints, people coming from outside will be instructed to fill out the
shipping declaration forms and follow the special passage to keep their
distance. Goods will be gathered at transit points and taken to distribution
points inside the lockdown area. Trương Ngọc
Anh, a driver from Đồng Xuân Company, said: “We use six vehicles to help
deliver goods to people locked down in Văn Chương and Văn Miếu wards.
Together with members from the Youth Union, we receive goods and load
them into the vehicle. “After the
goods are disinfected, I will drive them into the blocked area and unload
them at the distribution point. Representatives of residential groups will
take them and deliver to families.” The system
may be a little complicated to begin with, but the drivers quickly understood
how to use it. Lê Thúy Hằng,
a resident from Hai Bà Trưng District, brings supplies for her niece living
inside the red area. She said:
“I’ve been here twice to send my niece a lot of food and fruits. At first, I
felt surprised and confused when using the system, but the police and
volunteers here are very helpful. I feel very secure about my family members
who are in lockdown.” The second
form of supplying necessities comes from the service of four convenience
stores that continue to operate inside the area. Regional
Manager of VinMart+ system Lê Khắc Bình said: “In response to the city's
pandemic prevention and control requirements, four of our convenience stories
have been operated in lockdown area in Đống Đa District to help provide
essential goods for the people in lockdown and to reduce the pressure on
local authorities in supplying goods. Each store is capable of
handling hundreds of orders per day. All orders are processed online
through our website and several Zalo groups. Our staff will prepare each
order and deliver them to people.” Starting a
working day at 5:30am and ending at around 10pm, the employees of these
stores, who are performing “three on-site services”, are working hard to
serve residents. Being away
from family for weeks, their job is even more difficult because the needs of
people are very high and diverse, plus they have to take on the additional
task of directly delivering goods to each household. “All the
staff in these areas received at least one dose of the vaccine,” Bình
added. “They have
to ensure to keep a distance and use non-cash payment. This is an important
‘shield’ to ensure the health and safety of employees, customers and the
community. “We have all
clearly defined our roles and responsibilities during the current stressful
period, trying to overcome difficulties to ensure adequate service for
people.” NA Chairman meets Cuba’s legislator in Austria Chairman of
the National Assembly (NA) Vuong Dinh Hue met with Vice President of the
National Assembly of People’s Power of Cuba Ana María Mari Machado on
September 7, as part of his trip to Austria to attend the fifth World
Conference of Speakers of Parliament (WCSP5). The top
legislator of Vietnam thanked Cuba for its good will in cooperating with
Vietnam in vaccine technology transfer and vaccine production, as well as its
intention to provide a large amount of Cuba’s Abdala COVID-19 vaccine in the
coming time. He also
spoke highly of Cuba’s sending delegations of medical workers to help
countries fight COVID-19 despite facing difficulties caused by the economic
embargo against the country. For her
part, Ana Maria Mari Machado appreciated Vietnam’s valuable support for Cuban
people in the times of hardships triggered by COVID-19. She
underlined that Cuba stands ready to cooperate with Vietnam in vaccine
technology transfer to support the country’s COVID-19 prevention and control
efforts. The
legislators agreed that Vietnam and Cuba need to maintain the exchange of
delegations at all levels to share information and experience in fields that
they hold strengths in, contributing to their national construction and
development causes. They also
consented that the two parliaments should boost their cooperation and turn
their ties into a significant cooperation channel in the bilateral
relations./. Vietnam receives more congratulations on National Day The General
Secretary of the Communist Party of Argentina and other foreign leaders have
extended congratulations to Vietnamese leaders on the occasion of the 76th
National Day (September 2). General
Secretary of the Communist Party of Argentina Victor Kot sent a letter of
congratulations to General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV)
Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong. Presidents
of the United Arab Emirates (UEA) Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan cabled a
congratulatory message to President Nguyen Xuan Phuc. President
Phuc and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh also got congratulations from Prime
Minister of the UAE Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Crown Prince
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Emir of
Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Jordan’s King Abdullah II Ibn
Al Hussein, King of Morocco Mohammed VI and Uzbekistan President Shavkat
Mirziyoyev also extended greeting to President Phuc. Prime
Minister of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana Mark Phillips, and Palestinian
PM Mohammad Shtayyeh sent congratulations to PM Chinh. Minister of
Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son also received greetings from Foreign Minister
and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs of Kuwait Ahmed Nasser Al-Mohammed
Al-Sabah, and Foreign Minister of Guyana Hugh Hilton Todd./. President lauds Vinh Phuc for anti-pandemic efforts President
Nguyen Xuan Phuc on September 7 lauded the northern province of Vinh Phuc for
its efforts in fighting COVID-19 and maintaining the operation of businesses
in the locality amid the pandemic spread. None of the
enterprises in Vinh Phuc have to suspend their operations, contributing to
job generation and budget collection, Phuc said at a working session with
local leaders as part of his trip to the province. He also
commended the province’s social welfare work with no one left behind, and
suggested the locality seek new growth momentum as well as solutions to spur
socio-economic development. Vinh Phuc
should pour more investments into education-training,
scientific-technological development and personnel quality improvement, speed
up urbanisation, and preserve and promote traditional cultural values. The same
day, the President visited the Vinh Phuc High School for Gifted Students
where he applauded efforts of teachers and students given the pandemic
spread. He urged the
school to work harder to raise the quality of teaching and studying, apply
technologies and reform teaching methods, saying students need to better
their morality, enrich their knowledge and nurture dreams./. Doctors warn patients against food supplements Many
patients are becoming confused between food supplements and medicine after
watching misleading advertisements, and giving up doctors’ prescriptions
and making their conditions worse, doctors have said. At
various hospitals, there have been a number of cases of people's
illnesses worsening due to using food supplements instead of medicine. QT, from Đan
Phượng District in Hà Nội, said that her father, 70, often had a
headache. When she advised her father to go to the hospital for a medical
examination he refused. Recently, he
watched advertisements and listened to advice from neighbours and bought
food supplements to drink with the hope of easing his headache. After six
months of using food supplements, his condition worsened. Besides the
headaches, he had difficult breathing, bone pains, back pains and prolonged
bouts of coughing. QT finally
took her father to the Hà Nội Oncology Hospital, and doctors discovered
that he had late-stage lung cancer. Now he only
has days to live as he was hospitalised too late. Another case
is NVN, 65, from the northern province of Thái Bình. She suffered from
diabetes for many years and had been in stable condition thanks to using
medicine. But recently, after hearing an advertisement that a food
supplement could treat the disease without any side effects, she decided to
quit taking doctor’s prescription. After two
weeks of taking the supplement, she suffered from difficult breathing,
oedema, high blood pressure and tiredness. She was taken to the National
Hospital of Endocrinology for emergency aid. Doctors from
the National Hospital of Endocrinology said that they had to give emergency
aid to many patients who had intentionally given up doctors’
prescription to use food supplements instead. A
64-year-old male patient who had diabetes for three years, high blood
pressure for two years and liver disease was worried that the
doctor's prescription would cause side effects, and believed a food
supplement would cure him after watching an advertisement. He refused
to use medicine and took food supplements instead. After 20 days, he was
hospitalised with respiratory failure, as well as heart and liver effusion. Associate
Professor Lê Văn Quảng, director of K Hospital, which
specialises in cancer diseases, said, “At present, many patients
have cancer at an early stage and can be cured better if they go to
hospital early. But they believe in advertisements, which overstate the
effect of food supplements. They then refuse medicine or discontinue
their treatment.” After a long
time using food supplements they do not receive any results and
return to hospital, but it is too late." Hoàng Khánh
Toàn, a doctor from the 108 Military Hospital, said at present, many
advertisements emphasize food supplements as a miracle that
can cure any disease. And they are sold at very high prices. It
is very dangerous because many patients quit their treatment to use food
supplements with serious consequences, and lose a lot of money. Phạm Thúy
Hường, deputy director of the National Hospital for Endocrinology,
said: “To protect their own health, patients should meet doctors for
proper professional advice, and not use food supplements with unclear
origins and no scientific foundations, which have not been checked and
certificated by the Ministry of Health.” Food
supplements can support treatment only, but they cannot cure disease, she
said. Thus
patients should research carefully before buying food supplements to
avoid losing money. Dr Phạm
Thị Lưu, from the Diabetes and Endocrinology Ward of the Bạch Mai Hospital,
said patients must strictly follow treatment advice of doctors, and not
believe advertisements that state food supplements can cure
disease. Before
buying any food supplements, patients should ask questions, including whether
the supplements have clear origin, what the manufacturer is,
what the ingredients are, and if the label is clear enough and the
distributor reliable. Vietnam, Singapore eye stronger cooperation in different spheres Minister of
Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son and his Singaporean counterpart Vivian
Balakrishnan on September 7 said the two countries should strengthen
cooperation in politics, economy, trade, investment and education-training to
promote their strategic partnership. During their
phone talks on the day, FM Son highly valued Singapore’s support to Vietnam,
especially its commitment to provide Vietnam with essential medical supplies
for the COVID-19 fight. He
highlighted the Singaporean Temasek Foundation’s donation of 16 ventilators
and a large quantity of medical supplies to Vietnam on September 6,
describing this as a vivid demonstration of the close ties and strategic
partnership between the two countries. Son
congratulated Singapore on the full vaccination of 80 percent of its
population, the first country in the world to reach the target, and called on
Singapore to consider giving or transferring its unused vaccines to Vietnam
as soon as possible, including transferring through the COVAX Facility. The
Singaporean FM, for his part, stressed that Singapore always attaches
importance to the strategic partnership with Vietnam. Sharing
difficulties caused by COVID-19 in some Vietnamese cities and provinces, the
minister expressed his belief that Vietnam will soon put the pandemic under
control. The
Singaporean government stands ready to help neighbouring countries, including
Vietnam, with medical supplies, test kits and vaccines as soon as possible,
he said. The official
noted his hope that the two sides will soon be able to open doors,
facilitating the travelling of their citizens. The
ministers agreed to organise the 14th political consultation between the two
foreign ministries at an early date to comprehensively review cooperation
areas, creating prerequisites for making preparation for high-level visits in
the time ahead./. Photo exhibition in Czech Republic promotes beauty
of Viet Nam A photo
exhibition is on display in Prague, the Czech Republic, showing the
landscapes and people of Việt Nam. The
exhibition held by the Embassy of Việt Nam in the Czech Republic and the
Vietnam News Agency (VNA)’s Prague bureau introduces the daily lives of
Vietnamese in the European nation and their charitable activities helping
Czech authorities and people battle COVID-19. “It is
impressive to see the photos at the exhibition,” said former Deputy Minister
of Finance Dr Martin Pros at the exhibition's opening ceremony. “I have many
Vietnamese friends because I’m living in Libus, Prague,
which is home to the largest Vietnamese community in the Czech
Republic. We always appreciate support from Việt Nam when COVID-19 broke
out.” The
Vietnamese community was recognised as the 14th ethnic minority group in the
Czech Republic in 2013. The
exhibition also features the Việt Nam – Czech Republic traditional
friendship through meetings of high-ranking officials. Journalist
Pavel Novak, another visitor at the exhibition, said he likes to discover
Vietnamese culture. “I love
Vietnamese culture and I have been studying Vietnamese for one year,” he told
the VNA correspondent. He also
expressed his desire to visit Việt Nam because he heard a lot about the
beautiful country with wonderful nature including waterfalls and white sand
along the coast. He hopes
that the COVID-19 pandemic will end soon making life in the Czech Republic
and Việt Nam return to normal and flights will resume operations so that he
will have a chance to go and see Việt Nam's beaches. According to
the Vietnamese Embassy, photos at the exhibition will also be placed on
display in other localities of the host country during cultural events of the
Vietnamese community in an attempt to promote images of Việt Nam and
strengthen the two nations’ friendship. The
exhibition was one of the activities held in Europe to mark the 76th
National Day of Việt Nam. Hanoi speeds up vaccination drive
Thanh Xuan
is now the largest COVID-19 hotspot in the capital. In a bid to ensure high
vaccination coverage, the district has mobilised the private healthcare
sector to engage in the drive and has set up vaccination and rapid testing
facilities in the evenings and on weekends. Around 1,200
vaccination facilities, including more than 800 fixed sites and mobile units,
will be opened around the city. These are also places where samples will be
taken for testing. Hanoi has
just received more than one million additional doses of vaccine. Local people
can register until September 15 via the vaccination portal or with local
authorities./. Vietnam chairs 395th session of UNESCAP advisory committee Vietnamese
Ambassador to Thailand Phan Chi Thanh, who is also Permanent Representative
of Vietnam to the UNESCAP, on September 7 chaired the 395th session of
UNESCAP's Advisory Committee of Permanent Representatives and other
Representatives Designated by Members of the Commission (ACPR). The online
event brought together nearly 100 representatives from members, associate
members and observer countries of the United Nations Economic and Social
Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). The meeting
focused on regional priorities during the implementation of the resolution of
the 77th session of the commission adopted last April, with the theme of
“Regional cooperation to build back better from crises in Asia and the
Pacific.” The
delegates also looked into measures to push ahead with the realisation of the
2030 UN agenda on sustainable development in the region. They shared
the view on the need to ensure fair access to COVID-19 vaccines, drugs and
effective, quality, safety and affordable treatment, which, they said, is the
core of the pandemic combat as well as post-pandemic recovery. International
solidarity and cooperation is significant to ensuring the fair access and
handling internal inequalities at all levels, they said. Participants
discussed outcomes of the 7th session of the Committee on Disaster Risk
Reduction last April, along with preparations for major UNESCAP events in the
time ahead like the 3rd session of the Committee on Macroeconomic Policy,
Poverty Reduction and Financing for Development slated for October, the 2nd
Ministerial Conference on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in Asia and
the Pacific in November, and the 4th Ministerial Conference on Transport in
December. The UNESCAP
maintains close cooperation and consultation between the members and the
secretariat through the ACPR. The ACPR is composed of UNESCAP members and
associate members and meets regularly to advise and exchange views with the
Executive Secretary on the Commission's work./. Top legislator meets with Japan’s upper house chief in Austria National
Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue met with President of Japan’s House of
Councillors Santo Akiko in Vienna on September 7 as part of his trip to
Austria to attend the fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament
(WCSP5). The two
sides noted with pleasure the fruitful development of the Vietnam-Japan
extensive strategic partnership in such areas as diplomacy, economy, trade
and investment. They shared
the view that exchanges through the parliamentary channel have been enhanced,
contributing to intensifying political trust, people-to-people exchanges and
coordination between the two countries at regional and international forums. During the
fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the two countries have provided each
other with valuable and timely support, they said. Hue thanked
Japan for its provision of nearly 3 million doses of vaccines for Vietnam,
saying this is a noble gesture amid the complex development of the pandemic. The
Vietnamese top legislator also called on Japan to further help Vietnam with
medical supplies and unused COVID-19 vaccines, and consider cooperation in
the production of COVID-19 vaccine and drug. For her
part, Santo thanked Vietnam for presenting medical masks to Japan last year,
and described the gifts as a demonstration of the fine relations between the
two countries. The two
leaders affirmed Vietnam and Japan will continue to support each other in
pandemic containment and post-pandemic recovery, boost collaboration between
legislative agencies and carry forward the role of friendship
parliamentarians’ groups to promote cooperation initiatives. Santo said
she hoped for more activities to step up cooperation and exchanges between
people of the two countries, especially the young. Hue asked
that Japan pay more attention and care to the Vietnamese community in the
country and encourage Japanese firms to increase their investments in
Vietnam, towards recovery and development in the “new normal”. The two sides
consented to exchange official visits when conditions permit./. Dong Thap receives medical supplies for COVID-19 prevention The Vietnam
Fatherland Front (VFF)’s chapter in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap,
on September 7, received medical supplies for COVID-19 prevention and control
from organisations inside and outside the locality. Of the aid,
the Samaritan’s Pure International Relief organisation donated 110,000
medical masks, 1,000 protective suits, and 1,000 antiseptic gel bottles worth
about 400 million VND (17,575 USD) in total; Mobifone Dong Thap 120,000
medical masks valued at 80 million VND; and the local association of female
entrepreneurs 500 protective clothes, 2,000 gloves, and eight boxes of N95
masks worth 50 million VND. At the handover
ceremony, Vo Ngoc Thanh, Vice Chairman of the provincial VFF chapter, said he
appreciated the assistance, saying such donations are important given
complicated developments of the pandemic. The
donations will be distributed to the province's localities and units serving
frontline forces. As of
September 6 morning, the chapter had received 41.7 billion VND in financial
assistance and over 25 billion VND worth of medical supplies and necessities
for the province’s pandemic prevention work. As of 6am on
September 7, Dong Thap had recorded a total of 7,578 COVID-19 cases,
including 5,672 recoveries and 163 deaths./. Code of conduct set to regulate artist behaviour Artists are
required to be transparent about charity work, contribute to the community
and create a positive impression, according to the code of conduct being
drafted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The code
aims to promote traditional cultural values and raise artists'
awareness of their responsibilities and moral standards to contribute
to national sustainable development. Notably,
freelance artists, who are not members of any state arts
organisations, will also be subject to the code. Specifically,
the code states that artists have to abide by laws and respect the legal
rights of organisations and individuals. Behaviour ranging
from speech, image, costumes and lifestyle are required to match
social moral values, national cultural traditions and customs. Additionally,
the code highlights personal responsibilities, cautiousness and calmness
in handling information in a civilised manner. The artists
are also expected to pay respect to the public; be dedicated to their
creative work to serve the audience and the nation; listen to
audience feedback to perfect themselves and the quality of their
artworks; and be honest, well-behaved, polite and friendly to the audience.
They must not take advantage of their reputation for their personal benefit. The draft
clearly states the code of conduct in artists' charity activities.
Specifically, they are required to be responsible and transparent about
charity activities, contribute to the community, create positive
impressions among the audience, maintain a healthy lifestyle and preserve
their own prestige in the eyes of the audience. Artists are
expected to uphold their personal credit to spread humane values, good deeds,
beautiful images and proper behaviour in the community. Therefore, they
must not participate in advertisements with untrue information nor
superstitious activities that violate the law. The code
also states that artists must be responsible and honest in their
speech, not use offensive language as opposed to national customs and
traditions when participating in any press, media and social activities. All comments
to the drafts sent to the ministry before July 2021 have been
used as the basis for appropriate adjustments and the release of the
complete set of regulations. According to
Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Tạ Quang Đông, the code is a
behavioral framework and not a legal norm. However, it is the basis for
ministries, departments and branches to develop their own rules to apply to
members and affiliated members. Singer Thủy
Tiên distributes charity money to flood victims in the central region in
2020. — Photo nld.com.vn "Artists
play a very important role in building human personality. Artists are
associated with art and in its turn, art is associated with truth, goodness
and beauty – the values that guide cultural development for society. Art or
artists are not merely oriented to entertainment purposes, but to orient
people to good values in life, so we always appreciate the role and position
of artists as well as art in the general development of society,” he said. “In order to
create conditions for artists to further promote their role in society, we
must have a code of conduct for artists and writers. "I
think that the Theatre Artists Association plays a very important role in
developing, guiding, checking and supervising the implementation of this code
of conduct. By doing so, we will create the proper direction for artistic
activities." The drafting
of the code of conduct has received much support from the audience and even
artists themselves as many Vietnamese stars have been caught up in
scandals like a lack of transparency in distributing charity money, shocking
and careless statements on social networks and joining advertisements with
unverified information. Senior
actress Lan Hương, star of the TV drama series Sống Chung Với Mẹ
Chồng (Living with Mother-in-Law), said that the code of conduct was
the desire of many true artists. “The code of
conduct that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is about to issue is
necessary, but in my opinion, it should have been released sooner, then there
would not have been so many scandals among Vietnamese artists like now,"
she said. "I hope
that this code of conduct will help artists understand their roles and
responsibilities and therefore behave more culturally to bring many good
things to life." HCM City installs 100 QR code scanning cameras at COVID-19
checkpoints Ho Chi Minh
City's police said on September 7 that they are installing 100 QR code
scanning cameras at COVID-19 checkpoints to minimise the contact and risk of
disease transmission. According to
a representative of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Public Security, the
installation of cameras will create favourable conditions for people to move
through the checkpoints and reduce the risk of COVID-19 infections
among forces working there. Previously,
the city's police piloted the installment of cameras to replace the use of
personal phones for officers in Districts 1 and 3 and it proved to be
effective. Major Le
Manh Ha, of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Public Security, said that
they are updating the list of travel permit holders as well as those who are
allowed to travel on the road without a permit into the national population
database. Ha said
local police will use QR codes, which are used for making declarations,
to oversee the travel of people. Officers at checkpoints will
simply scan the QR codes of commuters to know whether they are eligible for
travel or not It will help
prevent the case that a person, who is a COVID-19 patient, still go out, he
said./. President attends new-school-year opening ceremony in Yen Bai
province President
Nguyen Xuan Phuc on September 7 attended a ceremony to open the 2021-2022
academic year at the ethnic minorities boarding high school in the northern
mountainous province of Yen Bai, which recorded no new COVID-19 infections in
half a month. Founded in
1982, the school has to date educated over 4,000 students. In the new school
year, it runs 12 classes for 422 students from different ethnic groups
residing in the five local districts of Van Chan, Luc Yen, Van Yen, Tran Yen,
and Yen Binh. At the
ceremony, the President performed the traditional act of beating the drum to
kick off the new school year. In his
speech, he informed that 16 million out of more than 23 million students
nationwide had to begin the academic year with online ceremonies due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to
efforts made by the Government and Yen Bai authorities, the school can hold
the meaningful event face-to-face, Phuc said. He said he
hailed the provincial authorities for paying attention to education,
particularly at ethnic minorities boarding facilities. The percentage of
schools meeting national standards in Yen Bai reached 60 percent. The State
leader ordered the education sector, particularly boarding schools, to be
active in building learning and teaching plans in response to the developments
of the epidemic, ensuring safety for teachers and students. Earlier on
the same day, President Phuc had a meeting with the provincial Party
Committee during which he said Yen Bai holds many potential, particularly
regarding forests, forest land and human resources. He requested
the local authorities develop the province while protecting the environment
as well as pay attention to implement policies for ethnic affairs, promote
its human resources, and preserve the local ethnic groups’ traditional cultures./. Vietnamese, Chinese Party inspection commissions step up
collaboration Head of
the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee’s Inspection Commission
Tran Cam Tu held phone talks with Secretary of the Communist Party of China
Central Committee’s Commission for Discipline Inspection Zhao
Leji on September 7. Both sides
shared the view that ties between the two Parties and nations have kept
growing with high-level meetings maintained regularly in flexible forms.
Exchanges between ministries, agencies and localities have been promoted,
contributing to consolidating political trust. Bilateral economic and trade
ties have also improved, along with increasing mutual support in the fight
against COVID-19 pandemic. Tu expressed
a wish to continue maintaining regular high-level exchanges between the two
Parties and countries in flexible forms, improving the efficiency of
cooperation mechanisms between the two Parties, sharing experience and
working closely together in fighting the pandemic, as well as maintaining a
peaceful environment conductive to each side’s development, and properly
settling differences, including issues at sea, by peaceful means in line with
international law. About ties
between the two commissions, Tu suggested the Chinese side assist Vietnam in
intensive training on inspection, corruption prevention and control in
various forms and at appropriate level. Zhao, for
his part, hailed the Vietnamese Party and State for their results in Party
inspection, supervision and discipline, the fight against corruption over the
past years, and especially efforts in combating COVID-19. The two
sides agreed to work closely together and exert greater efforts to
effectively carry out agreements reached by the senior leaders of the two
Parties and States, towards continuing to carry forward the Vietnam-China
comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in a healthy, stable and
sustainable manner, for the long-term benefits of the two Parties, countries,
sectors and peoples./. Wildlife traffickers arrested in northern Dien Bien province Police in
the northwestern border province of Dien Bien have caught red-handed two
suspects when they were transporting two wildlife animals. The suspects
are Dao Huy Thanh, born in 1988, and Lo Van Hon, born in 1994, both residing
in Dien Bien district’s Muong Nha commune. The pair admitted
they were transporting two pangolins weighing 9.5kg in total for sale after
buying them from a local resident. Pangolins
are listed in group 1B of Vietnam’s Red Data Book, which means they are in
danger of becoming extinct and are protected from being exploited or used for
commercial purposes. The case is
under further investigation, while the endangered animals were transferred to
the wildlife rescue centre in the northern region./. Vietjet flies nearly 1,000 policemen to support HCM City’s
COVID-19 fight Vietjet Air
flights on September 6 carried nearly 1,000 public security officers and
soldiers to Ho Chi Minh City to support the city’s fight against the COVID-19
pandemic. They will be
deployed to localities to perform duties at concentrated quarantine
facilities, checkpoints and COVID-19 treatment hospitals, as well as
coordinating with frontliners in the combat. All of them
were vaccinated against COVID-19 and had negative test results for SARS-CoV-2
on September 5. Vietjet
flies nearly 1,000 policemen to support HCM City’s COVID-19 fight hinh anh 2 The carrier
has also organised many flights carrying vaccines and medical equipment and
supplies to localities across the nation./. Russia-Vietnam eSports championship helps tighten humane
cooperation A special
eSports championship between Russia and Vietnam – a version of The World of
Unique Gamers charity project (WUG2021_v2) took place at Yota Arena in Moscow
last weekend. The event
attracted the participation of children and teenagers with special needs,
mainly Russians, thus helping them to better integrate into the society and
show off their strengths. Speaking at
the opening ceremony, Tran Canh Hung, First Secretary of the Vietnamese
Embassy in Russia, affirmed that amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the
championship will contribute to strengthening the relationship and humane
cooperation between Vietnam and Russia, and attract more attention from
society to children and teenagers with disabilities. Nhikolai
Nechaev, who leads The World of Unique Gamers charity project, said that the
event offered a good chance for young gamers to make friends and compete with
each other. Through the
event, the organisers want to promote the fine relationship between Russia
and Vietnam as well as the Southeast Asian nation’s culture to Russian
children and teenagers./. Vietnamese, Indonesian parliaments strengthen cooperation National
Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue met Speaker of the Indonesian People's
Representative Council (Lower House) Puan Maharani in Vienna, Austria on
September 6 (local time), on the occasion of his attendance at the fifth
World Conference of Speakers of Parliament (WCSP5). Both sides
expressed their satisfaction about the development of bilateral ties over the
past 65 years, especially since the upgrading of their relationship to
strategic partnership level in 2013. They agreed
to further strengthen political trust, maintain high-level exchanges, both
online and offline, including facilitating the exchange of delegations via
parliamentary channels, working closely together at the Inter-Parliamentary
Union (IPU), the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) and the ASEAN
Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), and realising the cooperation agreement
between the Vietnamese legislature and Indonesian Lower House. The two
sides shared the view that each country’s legislature needs to raise voice at
regional and global forums to facilitate countries’ fair, open and
transparent access to vaccines in parallel with vaccine research and
production. Chairman Hue
said despite difficulties caused by the pandemic, two-way trade still hit 8.2
billion USD last year, closer to the 10 billion USD mark. In the spirit of
strategic partnership, he suggested both sides coordinate in dealing with
issues of shared concern such as trade and Indonesia create favourable
conditions for Vietnam to export farm produce and fruit, offer humane
treatment to Vietnamese fishermen, and step up negotiations on demarcation of
economic exclusive zones. On regional
and global issues, the Vietnamese leader underscored ASEAN’s central role in
maintaining peace, stability, security, maritime and aviation safety and
freedom. He called for soon building a practical and effective Code of
Conduct in the East Sea in line with international law, especially the 1982
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Amid
challenges caused by the pandemic, Vietnam and Indonesia need to enhance
cooperation, particularly within the ASEAN-AIPA framework, he said, adding
that parliaments must improve their guiding roles in fighting COVID-19 and
working closely together to recover the economy. He
congratulated Indonesia on taking the role as Chair of G20 Summit next year
and hoped that ASEAN member states could attend the important event. Maharani, for
her part, affirmed that the Indonesian Lower House is ready to cooperate with
the Vietnamese NA, and raise a voice to the Indonesian Government to increase
joint work with Vietnam, towards curbing the pandemic and boosting recovery
post-pandemic./. Further evaluation needed for home-grown vaccine Nano Covax:
Deputy Minister Nanogen
Pharmaceutical Biotechnology JSC was asked to provide more information
regarding safety, immunogenicity, and protection effects before a
registration certificate of circulation for its Nano Covax can be granted,
Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan has said. Speaking at
a press conference following the Government's monthly meeting on September 6,
he said three types of COVID-19 vaccines are being developed in
Vietnam. The deputy
minister said the result of clinical trials of Nano Covax vaccine
has been submitted to the National Committee for Ethics in Biomedical
Research under the Ministry of Health. However,
there is still some issues that need to be solved, he said, adding that the
company was requested to provide more information about safety,
immunogenicity, and protection effects. “We hope to
have a home-grown vaccine as soon as possible but the vaccine is a special
product that does not only affect a person but also the whole community and
even a generation,” Thuan said, adding that the policy of the Government and
the Ministry of Health is that it must follow strict regulations and be safe
and effective. Regarding vaccine
diplomacy, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu said that
Vietnam has now implemented very drastic vaccine diplomacy via bilateral and
multilateral mechanisms and through a network of diplomatic representative
agencies abroad to access not only vaccines but also treatment medicines. In addition,
the country also urged AstraZeneca and Pfizer to fulfill their commitments to
vaccine supply while calling for aid, borrowing vaccines from abroad, and
promoting new contracts to buy vaccines from other countries at the same
time, he said. Vu thanked
countries, overseas Vietnamese, and organisations for their support, and
looked forward to receiving more cooperation and assistance in the coming
time./. Top legislator hails UN's contributions to Vietnam’s development The United
Nations (UN) always plays an important role in Vietnam’s foreign policy and
accompanies the country in the process of national construction and
development, thus creating favourable conditions to enhance its position and
image in the international arena and deepen its relations with other nations
around the world. The
statement was made by National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue during
his meeting with Director-General of the UN Office at Vienna (UNOV) Ghada
Fathi Waly on September 6 as part of his trip to Austria to attend the fifth
World Conference of Speakers of Parliament (WCSP5). Hue thanked
the UN for its timely and effective support and advice to Vietnam’s national
building and development cause, as well as its assistance to the country in
getting access to financial resources for poverty reduction, sustainable
development and social welfare assurance. The
Vietnamese legislature's cooperation activities with the UN in the region
have brought about practical results, serving activities of NA agencies and
helping to improve skills of lawmakers, he said. Hue also
thanked the UN for assisting Vietnam in the fight against the COVID-19
pandemic, showing his hope to receive more support in post-pandemic economic
development and addressing negative impacts of the pandemic on people's
livelihoods. The top
legislator also expressed his wish that the UN will continue to promote its
role in maintaining international peace and security, promoting respect for
international law, and supporting countries, including Vietnam, in implementing
the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. He proposed
the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, of which Waly is also the Executive
Director, to continue assisting Vietnam in preventing and combating new types
of crimes such as cybercrime and crimes related to digital currency and
virtual assets. For her
part, Waly affirmed the UN’s commitment to strengthen cooperation with
Vietnam, adding that in the coming time, the UN will focus on intensifying
cooperation with parliaments, including the Vietnamese National Assembly. She hoped
Vietnam will soon join the crime prevention network in Southeast Asia and the
Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially
Women and Children; and step up cooperation in cybersecurity and anti-money
laundering. Waly also
appreciated and supported Vietnam's proposal made at the UN Security
Council’s online high-level open debate on enhancing maritime security on the
establishment of a network of mechanisms and initiatives on regional maritime
security coordinated by the UN to increase information and experience
sharing, coordinate in taking action, and promptly respond to common
challenges. She affirmed the UN's willingness to assist Vietnam in ensuring
maritime security. The official
said that the UN and Vietnam have many potential areas for cooperation, but
should select urgent fields such as women's empowerment and poverty reduction
to boost collaboration first, and proposed the establishment of a tripartite
cooperation model including the United Nations, the Inter-Parliamentary Union
(IPU), and Vietnam./. Number of Covid-19 related deaths tends to decrease Doctor
Nguyen Van Vinh Chau, Vice Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of
Health informed that Ho Chi Minh City confirmed 233 deaths related to
SARS-CoV-2 on September 5, tending to fall even as coronavirus infections are
rising. According to
Deputy Head of the Municipal Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and
Control Pham Duc Hai, by 6 p.m. on September 5, the Ministry of Health
announced 251,933 Covid-19 cases, including 251,473 infections in the
community and 460 imported ones. On September
5, the city recorded 2,915 recovered patients, bringing the total of
discharged patients from medical facilities to 128,396 ones from January 1 up
to now. Currently,
the city health sector is treating over 9,000 coronavirus infections,
including 1,053 cases with ventilators and 22 severe patients being under
ECMO treatment. The death
rate of those people putting on ventilator and ECMO treatment is 30 percent
to 50 percent. The Ministry
of Health just directed the stricter implementation of solutions to reduce
Covid-19 related deaths in Ho Chi Minh City and the Southern provinces and
cities. Besides, the
Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee urged the strengthening SARS-CoV-2 test
in the whole city from now to September 15. All residents in the red and
orange areas must be performed rapid SARS-CoV-2 antigen test at least three
times and local people living in the green and yellow areas have to be
carried out the test at least once or twice by September 15. As for the
vaccination process, HCMC has run out of 6,553,548 doses of vaccines so far. Amid a
shortage of Moderna vaccine, Doctor Nguyen Hong Tam, Vice Director of the
HCMC Center for Disease Control (HCDC) said that the Ministry of Health
provided four vaccines against coronavirus, including AstraZeneca, Pfizer,
Moderna and Verocell to HCMC. The second
routine dose is delayed a few weeks as scheduled but it would not affect the
vaccine effectiveness so that the local residents should not worry much. The
information was shared at a press conference on the Covid-19 pandemic
prevention and control in the city. Source:
VNA/VNS/VOV/VIR/SGT/SGGP/Nhan Dan/Hanoitimes |
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét