Fourth plenary meeting of the 12th Party Central Committee
The fourth plenary meeting of the 12th Party Central Committee opened in Hanoi on October 9, with the socio-economic situation in 2016 and plans for 2017 high on the agenda.
The committee will also give opinions on several major policies to renew the growth model and increase growth quality, productivity, and the competitiveness of the economy; as well as to effectively implement international integration while maintaining political stability in the context of Vietnam joining new-generation free trade agreements.
Other issues in the week-long conference’s working programme include strengthening the Party, curbing degradation in political ideology, morality and lifestyle along with the signs of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” within the party, among other important matters.
Vietnam opens honorary consulate in New Caledonia
At the inauguration ceremony of the Vietnam’s honorary consulate in New Caledonia (Photo: VNA)
Vietnam’s honorary consulate was inaugurated in New Caledonia on October 5 with Dinh Jean-Pierre acting as Honorary Consul General.
The establishment aims to unite Vietnamese expatriates in New Caledonia. The first Vietnamese reached New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France, in 1891, gradually forming the close-knit community seen today.
Other countries that have established honorary consulates in New Caledonia are German, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland and Japan.
Construction commences on Vietnam’s largest wastewater treatment system
Works started on the Yen Xa sewerage system project in Thanh Liet commune in Hanoi’s Thanh Tri district on October 7.
The US$800 million Japanese ODA loan project is the largest of its kind in Vietnam, with a capacity to treat 270,000m3 of wastewater per. The project includes a wastewater treatment plant and a wastewater collection system with a total length spanning approximately 52 km comprised of various kinds of sewers.
The facility is expected to help revive local rivers such as the To Lich, Lu, Set and Nhue Rivers which have suffered serious pollution in recent years, contributing to improving the capital city’s landscape, urban ecology and sustainable development.
Work starts on Asia’s largest exhibition and fair centre in Hanoi
A perspective of the new National Exhibition and Fair Centre.
The construction of the National Exhibition and Fair Centre started in Hanoi on October 8, which is the largest structure of its kind in Asia and the fifth-largest in the world.
Covering over 90 hectares of Hanoi’s suburban district of Dong Anh, the centre has been designed to be an “exhibition city” featuring a number of multifunctional facility complexes, with 550,000 square metres open for the construction of major functional subdivisions, including indoor and outdoor exhibition areas, a trade promotion centre, the convention centre and other supporting facilities (hotel, trade centre, etc.).
Due for completion in the fourth quarter of 2018, the centre is expected to give a strong boost to socioeconomic development for localities to the north of the Red River.
HCMC Conservatory lecturer comes in second at ASEAN vocal competition
Pham Khanh Ngoc, a lecturer at the Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) Conservatory of Music, has won second prize at the Singapore Lyric Opera (SLO)–ASEAN Vocal Competition in Singapore.
In the final round on October 2, Ngoc impressed the judges with her two performances featuring the aria ‘Bel raggio lusinghier’ by Gioachino Rossini and ‘Tornami a vagheggiar’ by Handel.
For taking second place, Ngoc brought home a trophy and a cash prize of US$7,500.
Vietnamese painter wins first prize at IRC designing contest
Painter Nguyen Du’s IRC sample
Vietnamese painter Nguyen Du has won first prize at the Universal Postal Union (UPU)'s competition to design a new International Reply Coupon (IRC).
The IRC sample depicts the image of a dove and the open hands of a person against the background of image of the North Pole, representing the sustainable development of the postal sector in society. The image of the yellow stamp stands out against the blue IRC sample, depicting the bright future of the postal sector.
Du surpassed 10 other international artists to win first prize. His sample will be used from 2017 to 2020 for exchanges between UPU members.
Vietnam wins two golds at World Taekwondo Championship
Vietnamese athletes shined at the 10th World Taekwondo Poomsae Championship, which closed in Lima, Peru on October 3, with two gold medals.
Hamizah, Nguyen Kim Phuong and Le Ngoc Han of Vietnam won the first gold medal for Vietnam in the Female Teams’ Cadet event.
The other gold was carried off by Nguyen Thi Kim Ha, Le Tran Kim Uyen, Tran Ho Duy, Tran Dang Khoa and Nguyen Ngoc Minh Hy in the men’s over-17 freestyle teams’ category.
At the championship, the Vietnamese team also brought home four silver and three bronze medals, ranking seventh out of 28 participating teams.
Asian Beach Games closes in Da Nang
The closing ceremony of the 5th Asian Beach Games
The 5th Asian Beach Games (ABG5) wrapped up with a closing ceremony on October 3, after ten days of competition in Da Nang on October 3, with more than 3,200 athletes having competed.
A total of 172 sets of medals were awarded in fourteen sports and 22 events from September 24 to October 3.
Vietnam finished first on the medal table, bagging 52 gold, 44 silver and 43 bronze medals.
Thailand came second with 36 golds, 24 silvers and 30 bronzes, while China was third with 12 golds, 18 silvers and 19 bronzes.
