Party chief sends greetings to Lao, Cambodian leaders on Bunpimay, Chol Chnam Thmay festivals
Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has sent greeting letters and flowers to General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith and President of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) and Prime Minister of Cambodia Hun Sen on the occasion of the traditional New Year of Laos (Bunpimay) and Cambodia (Chol Chnam Thmay).
In his letter to Thongloun Sisoulith, the Vietnamese Party chief wished leaders of the Party, State and people of Laos a New Year full of good health, happiness and prosperity, stressing that that the Party, State and people of Vietnam always remember the strong support and wholehearted assistance that the Party, State and people of Laos have given to Vietnam over the years, and will work hard together with the Lao side to maintain, preserve and reinforce the special ties between the two countries.
In his letter to Hun Sen, Party General Secretary Trong extended the best New Year wishes to the leaders of the CPP, State and people of Cambodia, and lauded the important achievements that Cambodia has gained recently, especially in controlling COVID-19 and implementing socio-economic tasks.
Canada’s Foreign Minister visits Vietnam
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly (Photo: NDO/Tran Hai)
Canada’s Foreign Minister Melanie Joly travelled to Indonesia and Vietnam from April 9 to 14 to expand partnerships and reiterate the country’s commitment to engagement with nations throughout the region as part of the government’s forthcoming Canadian Indo-Pacific Strategy.
While in Hanoi, she met with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son and Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien to underscore the long-standing bilateral ties between the two nations in the lead-up to the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2023.
She also visited the northern province of Thai Nguyen to meet with ethnic minority women and learn more about how Canada’s development assistance is helping to strengthen women-led businesses in the context of climate change and COVID-19 pandemic.
National Press Festival held in Hanoi
Secretary of the Party Central Committee (PCC) and Head of the PCC’s Commission for Information and Education Nguyen Trong Nghia visits the exhibition booth of Nhan Dan Newspaper. (Photo: NDO)
The National Press Festival opened at the Hanoi Museum on April 13, displaying outstanding publications in early 2022.
The event was held by the Vietnam Journalists’ Association (VJA) and the Hanoi People’s Committee in collaboration with the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Communication and Education, the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications, and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
A series of other events were organised on the side-lines of the festival, including a press photo show on spring roads, a forum on digital transformation, a talk on humanity in journalism and a concert featuring music performances by journalists.
The three-day festival provided an opportunity to honour the strong development of Vietnam’s journalism and journalists’ creative works, and to promote exchange and cooperation between journalists and the public.
US cuts down anti-dumping duties on Vietnam’s honey by almost sevenfold
The US Department of Commerce (DOC) has slashed the anti-dumping duties on Vietnam’s honey exporters by almost sevenfold compared to its preliminary conclusions, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT).
This is part of the DOC’s final conclusions on tax rates in the anti-dumping investigation against honey imported from Argentina, Brazil, India, and Vietnam.
Accordingly, the anti-dumping duties on Vietnamese businesses were cut down to 58.74 - 61.27 percent from 410.93 - 413.99 percent in the preliminary conclusions.
This will help Vietnam’s honey industry maintain export to the US, the MoIT said, noting that it welcomes the DOC listening to relevant parties’ opinions and adjusting part of its calculation methodology.
Nine "Made in Vietnam" modules delivered to Malaysia’s Sarawak Refinery
Nine "Made in Vietnam" modules delivered to Malaysia’s Sarawak Refinery (Photo: Doosan Vina)
Nine first “Made in Vietnam” modules weighing 709 tonnes in total manufactured by Doosan Vina were delivered to Malaysia’s Sarawak Refinery of Malaysia on April 14 after nine months of production.
Of the modules, the largest weighs 118 tonnes, is 43m long, 13,7m high and 11,5m wide. Once the installation is finished, these modules will become a complete oil and gas pipeline system at the Methanol plant of the Sarawak Petrochemical Refinery.
The Sarawak project was signed with the SECL on June 4, 2021 and involved the manufacturing and supply of nearly 10,000 tonnes of for the Methanol plant of the Sarawak Petrochemical Refinery in the coastal city of Bintulu in Sarawak state, Malaysia. As planned, the whole project will be manufactured in 15 months with five shipments and about to finish in November 2022.
Vietnamese children aged 5-11 get vaccinated against COVID-19
The COVID-19 vaccination campaign for children aged 5 to below 12 began on April 14, with the launching ceremony held by the Ministry of Health in the northern province of Quang Ninh.
The first batch of vaccines administered to children in this age group is Moderna, sponsored by the Australian Government. The shipment arrived in Vietnam on April 8.
The vaccine is being given to sixth-grade pupils first.
The two vaccines approved for use on children aged 5-11 are Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. The recommended interval between the two doses is four weeks. For children, both doses must be of the same vaccine.
Son Dong Cave honoured by Google Doodle
Son Dong Cave honoured by Google Doodle (Photo: Google)
Son Doong, the world's largest natural cave located in Vietnam's central province of Quang Binh, was celebrated on April 14’s ‘Google Doodle’ to mark the discovery of the site in 2009.
The cave was honoured on the Vietnamese Google homepage together with 17 nations around the world, including the UK, Singapore, Thailand, Mexico, Sweden, Greece, Romania, Argentina, and Chile.
The cave, which has a large, fast-flowing underground river inside, had its entrance discovered by local resident Ho Khanh in 1990.
Ninh Thuan receives certificate recognising Nui Chua World Biosphere Reserve
Ninh Thuan provincial People’s Committee held a ceremony on April 14 to receive the UNESCO’s certificate recognising the Nui Chua World Biosphere Reserve.
Vietnam’s biosphere reserve Nui Chua in the south-central province of Ninh Thuan was officially recognised by UNESCO at the 33rd session of the International Coordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere Programme (CIC-MAB) in Abuja, Nigeria, on September 15.
The Nui Chua Biosphere Reserve covers a total area of over 106,646 hectares and is located in the two districts of Ninh Hai and Thuan Bac. It converges forest, sea and semi-desert and is the only standard sample of a typical and unique dry forest ecosystem in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.
Some 400 delegates to attend SEA Games 31’s flag raising ceremony
A corner of the My Dinh National Sports Complex in Hanoi (Photo: VNA)
The flag raising ceremony of the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) will take place at the My Dinh National Sports Complex in Hanoi on May 11 morning with the participation of about 400 delegates, according to the organising committee.
Accordingly, 50 Vietnamese delegates will join members of sports delegations, representatives of the embassies of ASEAN countries in Vietnam, and domestic and foreign reporters at the event.
The ceremony aims to show the presence of the participating countries, welcome sports delegations to SEA Games 31 and encourage the competitive spirit of athletes.
It is also expected to help introduce Vietnam’s cultural identity and people to international friends.
