Party chief receives Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs
General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong hosted a reception for the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov in Hanoi on July 6.
Party chief Trong underscored the significance of the Russian FM's visit at a time when the two countries are celebrating the 10th founding anniversary of their comprehensive strategic partnership.
During his stay in Vietnam, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov also met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son.
Vietnam elected to UNESCO intangible cultural heritage committee
The Vietnamese delegation at ninth session of the General Assembly of the States Parties to the Convention 2003. (Photo: baoquocte.vn)
On July 6 Vietnam was elected to the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage for the 2022-2026 term, with 120 votes – the highest among the elected countries, during the ninth session of the General Assembly of the States Parties to the Convention 2003, held in Paris.
The committee, including 24 members, is UNESCO’s important agency for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage.
Its functions are to promote the objectives of the Convention, guide best practices, and make recommendations on measures for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage.
Vietnam cuts environmental tax to curb fuel price rise
The National Assembly Standing Committee has adopted a resolution on lowering the environmental protection tax on petrol and oil to curb the rising prices of these commodities.
Effective from July 11 to the end of 2022, the environmental tax on a litre of petrol will be cut from 2,000 VND to 1,000 VND, while the tax on jet fuel and diesel will drop by 500 VND per litre.
Calculations show that fuel costs currently account for 3.52% of the Vietnamese economy’s total costs and that if fuel prices go up by 10%, the gross domestic product will go down by about 0.5%. Therefore, curbing fuel price rise is highly significant in efforts to keep inflation in check.
2022 ASEAN plus police music gala opens in Hanoi
The 2022 ASEAN plus police music gala takes place in Hanoi's downtown Hoan Kiem Lake area.
The 2022 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) plus police music gala kicked off on July 7 in Hanoi's downtown Hoan Kiem Lake area, marking the 60th anniversary of the traditional day of the People's Police Force (July 20).
The two-day event sees the participation of police music groups from ASEAN members such as Laos, the Philippines, Brunei, Myanmar, and Vietnam, in addition to those from Japan and China.
The 2022 ASEAN plus police music gala included performances and parades by the police forces of the participating countries and an open-air concert at the Monument of King Ly Thai To.
IMF hails Vietnam’s moves to cushion COVID-19 impacts
The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has highly valued Vietnam’s policy support to cushion the impact of COVID-19 in tandem with successful maintenance of fiscal, external, and financial stability and an impressive vaccination rollout.
In a press release following a recent consultation with Vietnam, the IMF Executive Board said recovery is underway and high-frequency indicators point to stronger momentum going into 2022, with rising retail sales, industrial production, and firm entry.
Growth is expected to reach 6% in 2022 as activity normalisation continues and the programme for recovery and development is implemented.
More than 989,000 students sit high school graduation exam
Candidates see exam information at the test site at Phan Dinh Phung High School, Hanoi. (Photo: VIET CHUNG)
More than 989,000 students across the country entered the first day of the 2022 high school graduation exam on the morning of July 7.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Education and Training, as many as 989,863 candidates came to test sites to complete exam procedures on July 6, reaching 98.96% of the registered number.
A total of 42,293 test rooms at 2,243 test sites were arranged across the country to serve the graduation exam this year.
Three Vietnamese cities named among Southeast Asia’s best
Da Nang, Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City have been listed among the best cities in Southeast Asia in Asia’s Best Awards 2022, recently unveiled by Travel & Leisure magazine.
Asia’s Best Awards 2022 suggests destinations, resorts and restaurants, among others, to try in the region. The lists were compiled based on votes from readers around the world from January to April this year.
Among the three Vietnamese cities on the list, Da Nang comes third, Hanoi fifth, and HCM City eighth. Bangkok, Thailand holds the No. 1 position.
Meanwhile, Phu Quoc and Con Dao of Vietnam are among the Best Islands in Southeast Asia, respectively standing in the fourth and tenth places. Phuket, Thailand tops this list.
Le Tuan Minh becomes Vietnam’s 13th chess grandmaster
Le Tuan Minh wins the men's blitz chess event at the recent 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Vietnam. (Photo: vnexpress)
Le Tuan Minh has become Vietnam’s 13th chess grandmaster (GM) after achieving the last required GM norm at the 50th annual World Open 2022 in Philadelphia, USA.
Tuan Minh (Elo 2527), 26, finished unbeaten with seven points after nine rounds of play, achieving a performance rating of 2683.
He also encountered four grandmasters in the tournament and opponents from more than three federations. All these requirements helped the Vietnamese player earn the last norm for the GM title.
