Party chief attends CPC and World Political Parties Summit
General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong led a high-ranking delegation of the CPV to attend the virtual summit of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and world political parties on July 6.
The event, as an initiative of the CPC under the theme "For the People's Wellbeing: the Responsibility of Political Parties", attracted the participation of around 10,000 delegates from more than 500 political parties and organisations of over 160 countries in the world.
In his remarks, General Secretary Trong said political parties should accompany their governments to bring happiness to the people, actively engage in efforts to respond to global challenges, uphold the spirit of solidarity and sense of responsibility, foster dialogue, respect each other's legitimate interests, and comply with international law, especially in addressing differences.
He said the most urgent issue of countries and political parties at present is the promotion of international cooperation to repel the COVID-19 pandemic, quickly restore socio-economic development and ensure social security.
13th Party Central Committee wraps up third plenum
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A view of the plenary sitting of the 13th Party Central Committee's third session on July 5, 2021. (Photo: NDO/Dang Khoa)
The third plenum of the 13th Party Central Committee concluded on the afternoon of July 8 with the adoption of a resolution, thus completing its entire working programme after four days.
Delivering his closing speech, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong said the committee acknowledged the efforts of the entire Party, people and army in the implementation of the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress; the successful organisation of the elections of deputies to the 15th National Assembly and to People's Councils at all levels for the 2021-2026 term; and especially in COVID-19 prevention and control work during the current fourth wave of outbreaks.
The Party chief emphasised that the socio-economic development plan should continue to be supplemented and clarified, ensuring an appropriate proportion of spending on development investment and regular expenditure. He also directed tightening disciplines and intensifying the fighting against corruption and vested interest in public investment.
The Central Committee unanimously agreed on the nomination of 23 additional candidates for a number of positions in the state leadership in the 2021-2026 term.
Vietnam elected as vice chair of UNCTAD intergovernmental expert group’s meeting
Vietnamese Ambassador Le Thi Tuyet Mai has been elected as vice chairperson and rapporteur for a meeting of the Intergovernmental Group of Experts of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva.
Mai, who is Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and other international organisations in Geneva, served as vice chair of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Consumer Protection Law and Policy virtually held on July 5-6.
Delegates to the meeting exchanged views on the implementation of the UN’s guidelines on Consumer Protection Law and Policy and discussed challenges facing consumer protection authorities in developing countries amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
They also discussed post-pandemic economic recovery and how to strengthen the UNCTAD’s role in supporting consumer protection authorities and step up cooperation among countries in this area.
Nationwide COVID-19 vaccination campaign officially launched
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PM Pham Minh Chinh speaking at the ceremony. (Photo: NDO/TRAN HAI)
The nationwide COVID-19 vaccination campaign, the largest-ever immunisation drive in Vietnam, kicked off with a ceremony held on July 10.
The campaign, to be conducted from July 2021 to April 2022, targets people aged 18 and above, with the ultimate goal of protecting people’s health and lives and quickly bringing life back to normal.
Addressing the launch, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stressed the need for good coordination in vaccine distribution, adding that to implement the vaccine strategy, the Party and State will also step up domestic production and import of vaccines so as to secure vaccine supply for every year.
He took this occasion to call for the entire people’s unanimity, solidarity, support, and sense of community responsibility to defeat the pandemic while also asking people to stay vigilant, even after being inoculated, and seriously comply with the Health Ministry’s guidelines.
Vietnam among top destinations for ASEAN companies looking to expand business inside bloc
Vietnam is among the top expansion destinations for ASEAN companies looking for growth opportunities in the 10-nation bloc, according to a survey commissioned by Standard Chartered for its “Borderless Business: Intra-ASEAN Corridor” report released on July 8.
According to the survey, 80% of the respondents are focusing on expanding in Singapore to take hold of sales and production opportunities, followed by Thailand (60%) and Vietnam (59%).
ASEAN companies are also found to be highly optimistic about intra-regional growth over the next 12 months. The majority of ASEAN companies focusing on intra-regional opportunities expect robust business growth in the region over the next 12 months, as seen in 99% of respondents expecting growth in production and 96% anticipating growth in revenue.
Nearly one million students begin national high school exam
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Candidates leave an exam site in Hanoi after completing their last test on July 8. (Photo: NDO)
Nearly one million students across the country entered the two-day national high school exam on July 7, with strict COVID-19 measures in place as the fourth wave of infections has seen complicated developments.
Students took their literature tests in the morning and maths in the afternoon of July 7. On July 8, candidates did a custom test in natural science (physics, chemistry, or biology) or social science (history, biology, or civic education) in accordance with their choices. They then sat their foreign language tests in the afternoon.
They must have their temperature checked and have their hands disinfected before entering the test sites, while they must wear masks during the exam. Each test site was sprayed with disinfectant and medical staff were on duty during the exams to respond if any candidates show COVID-19 symptoms.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic has still developed in a complex manner in many localities, the exam was held in two phases in which the first phase took place on July 7-8 for safe places and localities as planned while the second phase will be held for F0, F1 and F2 candidates in isolated areas. The official time for the second phase exam will be set at a later date by the ministry.
Vietnamese meteorologist wins WMO award for young scientists
Vietnamese scientist Nguyen Hoang Minh from the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting has won the UN World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) Research Award for Young Scientists in 2021.
Dr. Minh, 34, has received the noble award for his research entitled “An approach for improving the capability of a coupled meteorological and hydrological model for rainfall and flood forecasts”, which proposes a method for improving the capability of rainfall and flood forecasts by generating ensemble precipitation predictions (EPPs) associated with radar-based rainfall prediction by considering spatial rainfall errors.
Minh’s research has been highly evaluated by leading experts in the field globally. Its results have been applied in Vietnam.
WMO Research Award for Young Scientists aims to encourage young scientists, particularly in developing countries, to undertake outstanding research work in all fields of meteorology and hydrology. The award has been granted to young scientists from more than 20 different countries.
More COVID-19 vaccine doses arrive in Vietnam
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More than 2 million doses of COVID-19 Moderna vaccine supplied by the US Government through the COVAX Facility arrive in Vietnam (Source: UNICEF)
More than 2 million doses of COVID-19 Moderna vaccine supplied by the US Government through the COVAX Facility arrived in Vietnam in the early hours of July 10, according to the UNICEF in Vietnam.
The batch is part of the 80 million doses of vaccine committed by the US President to meet vaccination demand in the world, of which 41 million doses will be distributed through the COVAX Facility.
Earlier, a shipment of 580,000 doses of COVID-19 Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine arrived at Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City on July 9. It is the third delivery within the Vietnam Vaccine Company (VNVC)’s contract to purchase 30 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
On July 7 morning, the first shipment of 97,110 doses of Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines arrived at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi as part of a 31 million dose contract that the Ministry of Health has signed to purchase the vaccine from Pfizer/BioNTech.
Vietnam’s horror film wins three awards at Asian film art festival
Vietnamese thriller "Nguoi lang nghe: Loi thi tham " (Listeners-The Whispering) by director Khoa Nguyen has won three awards during the course of the Asia Film Art International Film Festival (AFAIFF) 2021.
The movie tells the story of a psychologist, Tuong Minh who provides psychotherapy to An Nhien, a young female writer who suffers from anxiety disorder.
Furthermore, the title of Best Actress was given to Oanh Kieu, who plays the role of writer An Nhien, while Quang Su, who took on the role of psychologist Tuong Minh, was awarded the Special Mention Actor award.
Moreover, “Listeners-The Whispering” was also given the Special Mention Feature Film award.
Two travel experiences in Vietnam among world's best: Tripadvisor
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Top gear motorbike tour from Hue to Hoi An named among the world's 25 best travel experiences by Tripadvisor readers
A top gear motorbike tour from Hue to Hoi An and a private street food tour by motorbike with students in Ho Chi Minh City have been named among the world's 25 best travel experiences by Tripadvisor readers.
According to TripAdvisor's 2021 Travelers’ Choice of the Best Things to Do, the top gear motorbike tour from Hue to Hoi An ranked 12th on the list, while the private street food tour by motorbike in HCM City came in 14th.
The 7.5-hour motorbike tour from the former imperial capital of Hue to the ancient town of Hoi An allows visitors to explore famous tourist attractions in central Vietnam such as Lang Co Beach, Hai Van Pass, Da Nang, the Marble Mountains and Hoi An itself.
Meanwhile, the food tour by motorbike would take visitors around four hours to delve into the street food scene in Vietnam's southern metropolis.
Vietnam in Group I of AFC U23 Asian Cup qualification
Vietnam are in Group I of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U23 Asian Cup qualification, together with Myanmar, Hong Kong (China) and Taiwan (China), according to a draw held in Malaysia on July 9.
The qualification is scheduled to take place from October 23 to 31 this year.
A total of 42 teams will compete at the competition, including 19 East Zone squads from East and Southeast Asia.
Due to COVID-19, in each group, teams play each other in a round-robin format at a concentrated venue. The 11 group winners and the four best runners-up qualify for the final tournament, slated for next June in Uzbekistan.
