Fifth plenum of the 13th Party Central Committee opens
The fifth plenum of the 13th Party Central Committee opened in Hanoi on May 4 under the chair of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.
The participants will opine on the 10-year implementation of the Resolution on continuing to reform land-related policies and laws, adopted at the sixth session of the 11th Party Central Committee; the 15 years of which are the one on agriculture, farmers and rural areas, adopted at the sixth plenum of the 10th Party Central Committee; and the 20 years of the work on the one on continuing to reform, develop and improve the efficiency of the collective economy.
The delegates are also to look into the project on building Party organisations and on its members as well as review the establishment of the provincial steering committees for the prevention and control of corruption and other negative phenomena, along with a report reviewing the leadership and instruction of the Politburo and the Secretariat in 2021, and other important matters.
Vietnam’s largest high-speed boat launched
The ceremony to lauch the Thang Long high-speed craft. (Photo: VNA)
Z189 Shipyard and Phu Quoc Fast Ferry JSC jointly held a ceremony on May 6 to launch Thang Long, Vietnam’s largest high-speed watercraft, which is scheduled to be put into service for the Vung Tau - Con Dao route this June. The vessel, which measures 77.5 metres long and is equipped with three Rolls-Royce engines, has a total power of 11,580 hp, can carry up to 1,017 passengers and travel at a maximum speed of 30 nautical miles per hour.
The craft is designed with four floors, including one VIP level and the top floor which features a rooftop café. With its large size, Thang Long can reduce shaky movements and improve stability as it is designed specifically to serve the Vung Tau-Con Dao route, the longest and hardest journey between the Vietnamese mainland and a tourism island.
Cargo through seaports rises 3 percent in four months
Cargo containers at Hai Phong Port. (Photo: VNA)
Seaports in the country handled more than 236 million tonnes of cargo during the first four months of 2022, up 3 percent from the same period last year, according to the Vietnam Maritime Administration (VMA). The volume of container cargo going through seaports reached about 8 million TEUs during the period, up 2 percent year-on-year. The figure includes 2.8 million TEUs of imports which saw a significant increase of 8 percent compared to a year earlier.
The VMA noted that in April alone, the volume of cargo through seaports totalled 59 million tonnes, up 3 percent. Container cargo hit some 2 million TEUs, a hike of 2 percent from 2020. Several coastal provinces experiencing major growth in cargo volumes comprise Quang Ninh (11 percent), Quang Nam (19 percent), Dong Nai (8 percent), and Thanh Hoa (6 percent).
Youth festival held in Hanoi to welcome SEA Games 31
The festival bring together more than 11,000 young people from the 11 regional countries and volunteers of SEA Games 31. (Photo: VNA)
The culture of Southeast Asian nations was highlighted at a festival in Hanoi on May 7 ahead of the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31), the biggest regional sport event. The Southeast Asian Youth Festival that took place around Hoan Kiem Lake saw the participation of representatives from the embassies of Southeast Asian countries as well as Vietnamese ministries and agencies.
Notably, it brought together more than 11,000 young people from the 11 regional countries, volunteers of SEA Games 31, which will be officially held in the capital city of Hanoi and 11 neighbouring cities and provinces from May 12-23. The festival was intended to promote the image of Hanoi and Vietnam to regional and international friends, thus contributing to building regional peace, for a Southeast Asia of solidarity, friendship and prosperity.
Vietnam rises six places in the ranking of the best countries for education
The Ministry of Education and Training informed on May 6 that according to the ranking results of the best countries for education in 2021 by the US News and World Report (USNEWS), Vietnam ranked 59th, up 6 places compared to 2020. This is considered a positive change in the Vietnamese education sector recognised and ranked by international organisations.
The 2021 Best Countries for Education are ranked based on a perception-based global survey, which used a compilation of scores from three equally weighted country attributes: having a well-developed public education system, whether people would consider attending university there and if that country provides top quality education.
Vietnam crowned Asian handball champions, qualify for World Championship
Vietnamese athletes pose for photos after winning the Asian Women’s Beach Handball Championship title on April 30 in Bangkok. (Photos of Asian Handball Federation)
Vietnam has won the Asian Women’s Beach Handball Championship title after a 2-0 win over Thailand in Bangkok last weekend. Thanks to their victory, the team secured a spot in the World Women’s Beach Handball Championship, which will be held in Greece in June.
It was the second meeting between the two teams. In the previous matches, Vietnam lost 2-1. India came third and took bronze.
In Greece, Vietnam will join 15 international powerhouses as they compete at the highest level of handball for the second time. At their first world event in 2018, Vietnam grabbed a historic 2-1 win over New Zealand and finished ninth in the overall ranking, the best result from the Asian representatives.
