VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES MAY 30
16:11 Vietnam’s tourism has
stepped up eight places on the 2021 Tourism and Travel Development Index
(TTDI), according to the World Economic Forum (WEF) Report.  HCM City launches renewable energy use competition rented houses An annual award aimed at
encouraging rental house owners to use rooftop solar power has been launched
by Ho Chi Minh City. The “Rental houses using
green energy” award will grant 280 prizes each worth 10 million VND (430 USD)
every year. This is part of efforts
being made to promote economical, efficient and sustainable use of energy by
resident households. The City Power
Corporation (EVNHCMC), which has launched the award, will help the owners of
rental houses upgrade their existing power system and promote the development
of renewable energy. The
award duration will run from December to November (next year). A total
amount of 14 billion VND (601,760 USD) is expected to be awarded to the
winners in the 2021-25 period. The
EVNHCMC’s energy-saving programmes have achieved significant success to date. Last
year, the city saved 583.9 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity,
contributing a reduction of nearly 440,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions, according
to the EVNHCMC. In the
first four months of this year, the energy-saving programs have saved more
than 179 million kWh of electricity. Heavy rains forecast to continue in
northern localities The
northern midland and mountainous regions are forecast to witness moderate and
heavy rain on May 30 – 31, with rainfalls of 50-100 mm, even over 120 mm,
according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting. The
northern delta region, and areas from the northern central province of Thanh
Hoa to the central province of Thua Thien – Hue will continue to see showers
and thunderstorms, and heavy rain locally. Additionally,
the Central Highlands and southern regions are expected to have showers and
thunderstorms with rainfalls of 20-60 mm, even over 60 mm in some areas.
Thunderstorms in the Central Highlands and southern regions are likely to
last until June 2, coupled with whirlwinds, lightning, hails and strong winds. There is
a high risk of flash floods and landslides in the mountainous localities in
the North, North Central and Central Highlands regions; and flooding in low
areas. Moderate
and heavy rain have been recorded in the northern mountainous provinces of Ha
Giang, Dien Bien, Lao Cai, Lai Chau and Son La on May 30 morning. Showers
and thunderstorms, with risks of tornadoes and strong winds, are forecast to
hit the middle and southern areas of the East Sea, the waters of Binh Thuan
to Ca Mau, and Ca Mau to Kien Giang and the Gulf of Thailand. Meanwhile,
strong southwest winds of level 5-6 are forecast for the waters of Binh Dinh
to Ca Mau and the western waters of the East Sea’s south area on the same
day. Vietnam see great chance to win at AFF
Women’s Championship 2022 The
Vietnamese women’s football team will meet their opponents from Myanmar,
Timor Leste, Laos and Cambodia in Group B of the ASEAN Football Federation
(AFF) Women’s Championship 2022, according to the results of a draw held on
May 28. Coach Mai
Duc Chung breathed a sigh of relief after the draw as his students will only
play underdogs, except for Myanmar - the main challenge for Vietnam to vie
for the top position in Group B. In the
most recent international tournament, Huynh Nhu scored the only goal to help
Vietnam trounce Myanmar in the semi-final match at the 31st Southeast Asian
Games (SEA Games 31). Meanwhile,
Group A is considered the group of death as Thailand will play the hosts
Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Australia. Thailand won a
silver medal at the recent 31st SEA Games while the Philippines secured a
ticket to the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Australia,
12th in the FIFA women’s football rankings, are set to progress out of the
group stage. The AFF
Women’s Championship 2022 will take place in the Philippines from July 4-17,
with the participation of a record 11 teams. Vietnam
are current champions after defeating Thailand in the finals of the AFF Cup
2019. Young women filmmakers shine at
national short film contest Three
young women have been named best filmmakers at this year’s CJ Short Films
Filmmaking Project, an prominent national contest in the genre. The
contest named Hồ Thanh Thảo, Trần Thị Hà Trang, and Đào Thu Uyên as the
winners along with Đào Quang Trung and Lê Can Trường. Thảo’s
short film, called Điềm Báo (A Bad Omen), features a widow’s fight against a
stranger in her dreams who causes bad luck for her son. She won
the Búp Sen Vàng (Golden Lotus Bud) awards for short film Muộn (Late) from
the Centre for Assistance & Development of Movie Talents (TPD) under the
Việt Nam Film Association in 2017. Her film
was sent to compete at the Singapore International Film Festival the same
year. In 2021,
she received the Cánh Diều Bạc (Silver Kite) for short film Đường Cao Tốc
(Highway) from the Việt Nam Film Association. Another
filmmaker, Trang, brought to the contest her work called Cá Mặt Trăng
(Moonfish). The film is about a hearing-impaired child living in a small
fishing village, who tries his best to save his family and himself from
impending doom. Hà won
the Cánh Diều Vàng (Golden Kite) Awards for best short film with Một Cõi Đi
Về (A Place to Return to) in 2020. The film was also sent to compete at the
Singapore International Film Festival 2021. Filmmaker
Uyên’s Con Dại Cái Mang (Mother’s Love) is about a mother protecting her
disabled children at the CJ Short Film Making Project. Uyên,
who graduated in directing from the Hà Nội Academy of Theatre and
Cinematography, has released many short films and documentaries about
Vietnamese urban life and women. She won
the FY Film Festival for young filmmakers in 2017 with short film Vùng Đệm
(Buffer Zone). Trung,
one of the other winners, presented Những Con Voi Bên Vệ Đường (Elephants by
the Road) about a tomb builder, while Lê Can Trường’s Hương Kỳ Trong Trăng
(Dreaming a Dream) depicted a man lost in his illusions. The five
filmmakers, who received VNĐ300 million (US$13,000) each, were mentored by
Việt Nam’s leading filmmakers Phan Đăng Di, Nguyễn Hoàng Điệp, Trịnh Đình Lê
Minh, Trần Thanh Huy, and Trần Thị Bích Ngọc, on making their films qualify
for international film festivals. Young theatre grads present 15th
century historic tragedy A play
dealing with the tragedy that befell one of Vietnam's greatest politicians
and poets will be staged by a private troupe this summer. The plays will star
young artistes trained by the Hồng Vân Troupe. The
highlighted work of the series will be Bí Mật Vườn Lệ Chi (Secrets of Lệ Chi
Manor), a production on Vietnamese history in the 15th century directed by
Trần Bảo Châu. The play
will have 20 young graduates of drama training courses launched by the Hồng
Vân Drama Troupe. The play
is next to make its debut next month. Bí Mật
Vườn Lệ Chi revolves around the unjust death of national hero Nguyễn
Trãi. The Hồng
Vân Troupe is a private theatre troupe that offers training courses for
budding artists. This
year, they are offering two courses starting in August. Students and
graduates from art schools, including HCM City Theatre & Cinematography
and the University of Culture, are encouraged to apply. Bí Mật
Vườn Lệ Chi will be staged at 8pm at the Bến Thành Theatre, 6 Mạc Đĩnh Chi
Street, District 1 on Saturdays and Sundays in June and July. National theatre premieres ballet
based on legend Ballet
dancers from the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet (VNOB) will premier a full
ballet that tells a tragic, legendary love story. The
ballet, entitled Hàm Lệ Minh Châu, is the Mỵ Châu-Trọng Thủy love story from
the reign of An Dương Vương, in the 3rd century BC. The
ballet will use impressionism music written by Claude Debussy. The four-part
ballet is an alternation of past and present between the love story of a
modern couple and Mỵ Châu-Trọng Thủy. The
ballet will star leading dancers Phan Lương and Thu Hằng who play the two
main roles. Hàm Lệ
Minh Châu will feature artists of the VNOB with videos to be shown on Led and
Gauze screens in front and behind the actors. The
ballet will begin at 8pm on June 1 at Hà Nội Opera House. Concerns over tuition fee increase in
K-12 education As
cities and provinces plan to increase tuition fees in K-12 education, the
public is raising concerns regarding the affordability for low-income
families, and whether the fee increase means an improvement in education
quality. Hà Nội
People’s Council recently announced a draft resolution that will increase
tuition fees in secondary schools to between VNĐ50,000 (US$2.15) and
VNĐ300,000 per month, double the current range of VNĐ19,000 to
VNĐ155,000. HCM City
People’s Committee also expected to increase tuition fees to up to VNĐ240,000
per month for all levels of K-12 education, except for primary schools where
fees are exempted. Depending
on the area and levels of education, the new amount could be five-fold the
current tuition rate. In Gia
Lai Province of the Central Highlands, the monthly fee is expected to be
between VNĐ50,000 to VNĐ86,000 for kindergarten and secondary schools, and
between VNĐ100,000 to VNĐ133,000 for high schools. The
lowest tuition fee in the province is currently VNĐ15,000 per month, which
means the new fee range would be a significant increase. The
change is expected to take effect in the next school year. According
to Hồ Tấn Minh, head of the office of HCM City Department of Education and
Training, tuition fees only make up a small amount of the school’s
expenditure on extra activities for students. Đào Hải
Yến, deputy head of the planning and finance division at Hà Nội Department of
Education and Training, the new framework proposes tuition fee ranges in the
2022-2025 period. The ranges are specified for each education level in urban,
rural, mountainous and ethnic minority areas. Based on
the Government’s framework, local People’s Councils will decide on the
specific amount for each school in each area. In the
first year of implementation, Hà Nội expects to apply the lowest fee level
for all regions and schools, then proceed to increase the amount in the
following years. Yến said
that the Government’s regulations allow localities to increase tuition fees
each year, up to 7.5 per cent. In 2026,
the tuition fee range could differ when a new decree is introduced. Binh Thuan launches 2022 summer
tourism season The
south-central coastal province of Binh Thuan held an event on May 28 to kick
off the 2022 summer tourism season. The province
has also worked with neighbouring provinces to form regional tourism routes
and diversify the forms of tourism to meet the needs of holiday-makers. According
to the provincial tourism department, the implementation of promotional
programmes is expected to drive the local tourism industry to rebound soon. In the
first four months of 2022, Binh Thuan welcomed more than 1.4 million tourists
and generated a revenue of 2,700 billion VND (116.2 million USD). HCMC football fans eagerly buy tickets
for Vietnam - Afghanistan friendly match On the
first day of ticket sales, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) sold more
than 10,000 tickets for stands A4, A5, and B, whose par value is VND300,000
per ticket, and stands C and D, whose par value is VND150,000 per ticket. The
tickets for stands A1, A2, and A3 alone, whose face value is VND400,000 per
ticket, are used as invitations for officials, VFF partners, and members of
the Vietnamese team. According
to Mr. Tran Dinh Huan, Director of Thong Nhat Sports Center, the unit applies
the same ticket sales method as implemented in the AFC Champions League in
April 2022 to try to avoid hustling and pushing from buyers. Accordingly,
football fans queue up outside, then each time, five people in each row are
allowed to the ticket counters. The ticket counter at stand A is arranged
with two tables and four sellers to facilitate the sale. When the tickets are
sold out, they will end ticket sales. Luu Thi
Thanh Huyen in Phu Nhuan District said that although it was only a friendly
match, it was a fascinating match for HCMC football fans. Especially after
the gold medal of the U23 Vietnam Football Team at the 31st SEA Games, the
heat is even greater. “I bought four tickets to stand B, though I had to come
here early to queue to buy tickets, it was worth it. When we arrived at the
stadium, waiting in line was not much of a problem because the stadium
management unit had tightened security," Huyen said. The
friendly match between Vietnam and Afghanistan will take place at 7 p.m. on June
1 at Thong Nhat Stadium. VIRESA to help organise e-sports in
SEA Games 32 The
Vietnam Recreational and Electronic Sport Association (VIRESA) will support
E-sport Federation Cambodia (EFC) to organise e-sport events at the 32nd
Southeast Asian Games. A
cooperation signing ceremony between the two sides was held in Hà Nội on
Tuesday, one day after the close of the SEA Games 31. Vath
Chamroeun, general secretary of the Cambodian SEA Games Organising Committee,
said VIRESA's support was important for Cambodia, especially when the Kingdom
was to host the regional sports meet for the first time. 100
Cambodian officials were sent to Hà Nội to learn and experience Việt Nam's
SEA Games preparation and organising activities. E-sports
will be one of 40 sports held at the 32nd SEA Games, scheduled from May 5-16,
2023. All 11 ASEAN member countries will take part in the Games. At the
31st Games, e-sports was held for the second time. It was the only sport that
was organised at private expense. VIRESA took charge of all preparation steps
from facilities to player selection and refereeing activities. E-sports
were held from May 13-22 with eight events. Athletes competed for 10 sets of
medals. Vietnam attends Int’l Food and Culture
Bazaar in Brazil Vietnam
was among exhibitors at the International Food and Culture Bazaar held at the
Brasilia Art Museum (MAB) in Brazil last weekend, showcasing Vietnamese
handicrafts and traditional cuisine. Featuring
45 booths run by exhibitors from 35 countries across the globe, the bazaar
aimed to raise fund for three charitable organisations that support the homeless
and impoverished women in Brasilia. It attracted more than 3,000 visitors,
including many from other South American countries. On
display at the Vietnamese booths were creative handicraft products from
Vietnam, including lacquered and mother of pearl inlay coconut bowls,
embroidered “non la” (conical hat), and silk scarves. There
were also Vietnamese traditional food and drinks, such as fried spring rolls,
banana cakes and iced tea, alongside various books, magazines and photos
introducing life, nature and people of Vietnam. New high school curriculum still
ensures role of history education: Deputy minister The new
senior high school curriculum still ensures the role of history education,
Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Huu Do said, referring to
the ministry’s decision to make history an optional subject in the national
senior high school curriculum that will take effect from the next academic
year. Beginning
the 2022 – 2023 school year, besides seven mandatory subjects, senior high
school students (from grade 10 to 12) can choose to study five subjects from
three groups of subjects, which are social science subjects (geography,
history, economy-law), natural science subjects (physics, chemistry, biology)
and technology and arts (technology, computers, and arts). The move
has triggered public concerns that fewer and fewer students will choose
history once it becomes optional and the subject is at risk of
"disappearing" from the curriculum at many senior high schools. Responding
to the concern, Deputy Minister Do said under the new general education plan,
the last three grades in senior high schools will be the career-oriented
education phase after the nine-year “basic education phase” from the first to
ninth grades. History will remain a compulsory subject throughout the
basic education phase when students are taught about general knowledge of the
world’s and Vietnam’s history from primitive to modern times, the deputy
minister said, emphasising that all students will receive comprehensive education
of Vietnamese history at junior high school level (from grade 6 to 9). Prof.,
Dr. Nguyen Minh Thuyet, chief-editor of the new general education programme,
said as history is a compulsory subject during the first nine school year of
a student, it will provide students with basic knowledge to develop their own
qualities and core competencies. Football tournament promotes cohesion
among OVs in UK The
third football tournament of the Vietnamese people association in the UK
kicked off in Birmingham city on May 29. The
annual tournament attracted the participation of 21 teams of Vietnamese
living and working in different regions such as London, Birmingham, Leeds,
Glasgow and Liverpool. Initiated
in 2018, the event has become one of the major community activities,
receiving the enthusiastic support of a large number of overseas Vietnamese
in the UK. Birmingham currently is home to the second largest number of
Vietnamese working, living and studying in the UK, after London. Le Nam,
the head of the organising board of the tournament, said the board invited a
number of teams from the Republic of Korean, Nepal and China to join in order
to enhance exchange and connection among the communities. This
year’s tournament, which gathers over 1000 players and supporters across
regions in the UK, also saw the participation of two women’s teams, he added. Vietnamese cuisine introduced in
Berlin “Van
nghe thang Muoi” (October art) club in Berlin held an event on May 29 to
introduce the Vietnamese culinary culture to international friends. Participants
at the event were excited to enjoy traditional dishes of Vietnam such as nem
(spring roll), pho (noodle), xoi gac (red sticky rice), bun cha (grilled meat
with rice noodle), and banh cuon (steamed rice pancakes). Addressing the event, Vice President of the club Ta Kim
Lien said that through the event, the club aims to promote Vietnamese culture
in Germany, along with its efforts in popularising Vietnamese arts in the
European country. Reigning champions prepare to defend
AFF Cup title The
national women's football team gathered to train on May 30 in preparation for
the AFF Cup, which will take place in July in the Philippines. Coach
Mai Đức Chung has called 28 players to join the one-month camp in Hà Nội,
before they travel to France at the invitation of the French Football
Federation from June 27 to July 2. They will play a friendly against the
French national side, who are ranked third in the world, on July 1. They
will then fly to the Philippines to defend their regional title from July
2-14. Việt Nam
are in Group B with Myanmar, Timor Leste, Cambodia and Laos. Group A
includes three-time AFF women’s champions and Southeast Asian Games runner-up
Thailand, as well as Indonesia, Singapore, Australia, Malaysia and the hosts. Australia
rejoins the AFF Cup after four years. In 2018, they sent the U20 team and
finished second after losing 3-2 to Thailand in the final. This
year, it is not clear whether Australia will send their strongest side or the
youth team to the Filipino event. Teams
will compete in a round-robin format at Binan Football Stadium in Binan City
and Imus City Grandstand in Imus, Cavite. The best two teams of each group
will advance to the semi-finals. Although
Việt Nam, who won the seventh SEA Games title on May 21, are confident they
can get out of their group, coach Mai Đức Chung is still careful when talking
about rivals. Winners of Reading Culture Ambassador
Contest 2022 awarded Winners
of the Reading Culture Ambassador Contest 2022 were awarded at a ceremony
held in Hanoi on May 29. The
contest was launched by the Thieu nien Tien phong va Nhi dong (Young Pioneers
and Children) Newspaper and Tan Viet Books Company, targeting elementary and
secondary students across the country. It aims
to encourage reading habits among younger generations and promote the
building of a learning society. Themed
‘Share a favourite book that changes you in a positive way’, the event
attracted nearly 10,000 submissions by entrants nationwide. The entries were
vividly presented in several creative ways such as writings and drawings. At the
awards ceremony, the organising board presented 44 individual prizes,
including 6 A, 8 B, 10 C and 20 consolidation prizes, plus 12 collective
prizes for the most outstanding competitors. Japan agrees to hold summit with ASEAN
next year A
special ASEAN-Japan summit would be held in 2023 to discuss in-depth regional
and international issues, Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri
Yaakob has said. The PM
said he had suggested the event to his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida in
their meeting in Tokyo on May 27, according to the news agency Bernama. He said
that Japan should make an engagement not only with Malaysia but ASEAN; and
Kishida agreed to hold the summit next year. Ismail
Sabri said he also told Kishida that Malaysia would not compromise on any
form of threat to its sovereignty in the East Sea. In
handling the complex issue of the waters and involving inter-state relations,
all related countries must remain committed to maintaining the freedom of
navigation there, he said. Youth Union launches 2022 summer
volunteering campaign The Ho
Chi Minh Communist Youth Union held an event on May 29 in the north-central
province of Thanh Hoa, kicking off the 2022 summer youth volunteering
campaign. An
expected 10,000 young people will join volunteering groups in disadvantaged
communities in remote and ethnic regions throughout the country, as well as
villages associated with President Ho Chi Minh’s revolutionary career. In
addition to conventional activities, volunteers will also examine residents
for post-COVID symptoms, and build and upgrade restrooms in disadvantaged
schools. US-funded project for community
resilience implemented in Thua Thien-Hue The
Vietnam Red Cross Society has launched an US-funded project, titled
Consultancy Service for Comprehensive Model for Community Resilience in
Vietnam (CMCR), in the central province of Thua Thien – Hue. With
over 5.4 billion VND (232,959 USD) earmarked for its implementation in the province,
the project is expected to support more than 18,000 people in Huong Vinh
commune’s Phu Thuong ward and Huong Thuy township’s Thuy Chau and Thuy Phuong
ward. Funded
by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the 2.4
million USD project is conducted by a consortium of the American Red Cross
(with and through Vietnam Red Cross), Catholic Relief Services, HelpAge
International, Plan International and Save the Children International. The
implementation aims at increasing disaster resilience through strengthening
the Community-Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM) structure, and
leveraging resources at communities, schools and other stakeholders involved.
Key activities included training courses to boost disaster-response skills and
planning capacity, drills, and safe school construction. Launched
in Thua Thien – Hue, and Ha Giang and Son La province in North Vietnam, it
runs from May through September 2023 to benefit over 57,000 people, including
children, women, the elderly, and ethnic minority residents. AFC announces list of Vietnam team to
play in U23 Asian Cup final The
Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has released a list of 23 members in the
Vietnamese team to compete at the 2022 AFC U23 Asian Cup finals, which will
take place in Uzbekistan from June 1 to 19. The list
saw the elimination of Tran Van Cong and Vu Minh Hieu compared to the one
announced earlier by head coach Gong Oh-kyun of the squad. Meanwhile, all 14
key players who won the goal medal at the recent SEA Games 31 hosted by
Vietnam are kept on the list. They include goalkeeper Van Toan, defenders
Viet Anh and Thanh Binh, midfielder Ly Cong Hoang Anh, and strikers Nguyen
Van Tung and Nham Manh Dung. Freshly
completing their short training session in the United Arab Emirates (UAE),
the U23 team of Vietnam is now in Uzbekistan for the finals. According
to the draw results, Vietnam is in Group C with the defending champion of the
Republic of Korea (RoK), Thailand and Malaysia. The squad will play the first
match against Thailand on June 2, then meet the RoK on June 5 and Malaysia on
June 8. Binh Thuan’s fishermen given national
flags, life jackets The
Vietnam Red Cross Society (VRCS) Central Committee in collaboration with the
VRCS’s chapter in the south central province of Binh Thuan and sponsors on
May 30 presented 140 national flags, 1,250 life jackets, and 140 first aid
bags to local poor and near-poor, and disadvantaged fishermen. Former
State President Truong Tan Sang and representatives from the VRCS and local officials
attended the hand-over ceremony. As part
of activities in the programme "Safety for poor and disadvantaged
fishermen” launched by the VRCS Central Committee in the period of 2022-2027,
the event is hoped to encourage local fishermen to maintain their operations
in fishing grounds. With a
long coastline, Binh Thuan is one of the three key fishing grounds of the
country. The
province currently has 7,500 fishing boats with about 26,500 fishermen,
including those from poor and near-poor, and disadvantaged households, who
are directly engaged in offshore fishing activities. More than 7,800 local
fishermen are fishing without life jackets or lifebuoys. Source:
VNA/SGT/VNS/VOV/Dtinews/SGGP/VGP/Hanoitimes |
