Vietnam active at 52nd ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting
A Vietnamese delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh attended the 52nd ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM-52) and related meetings which took place from July 9 to August 3 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Minh joined other ASEAN Foreign Ministers to attend a plenary session and a retreat session to exchange views on emerging issues in building the ASEAN Community, the implementation plans of the ASEAN Outlook on Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and the ASEAN Leaders’ Vision Statement on Partnership for Sustainability, and the negotiation on the Code of Conduct on the East Sea (COC).
The ministers also attended 12th Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) Ministerial Meeting, the 10th Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) Ministerial Meeting, the 9th East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, the 20th ASEAN Plus Three Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, the East Asia Summit (EAS), the 26th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), among other related meeting held within the framework of the AMM-52.
Vietnamese billionaire among world’s 200 richest people
Billionaire Pham Nhat Vuong
Billionaire Pham Nhat Vuong has, for the first time, moved up to the top 200 of the Forbes’ rich list as of July 31.
According to Forbes’ website, he ranked 194th on the list, with a net worth of US$ 8.25 billion.
This is the highest place ever for Vuong, owner of multi-business conglomerate Vingroup and Vietnam’s first billionaire.
Earlier on July 29, his assets were US$ 8.1 billion, up US$ 1.5 billion compared to Forbes’ statistics in March, thus the billionaire jumped up from 239th place to 204th.
Vietnam wins two gold medals at International Chemistry Olympiad
Vietnam won two gold and two silver medals at the recent 51st International Chemistry Olympiad, ranking fifth among participating nations and territories, according to the Ministry of Education and Training.
The ministry said on July 30 that among the team’s four members, who are all 12th graders, Tran Ba Tan from the Hanoi-Amsterdam High School for the Gifted and Nguyen Van Chi Nguyen from the Lam Son High School for the Gifted in Thanh Hoa province pocketed the gold medals.
Meanwhile, silvers went to Nguyen Dinh Hoang from the Nguyen Tat Thanh High School for the Gifted in Yen Bai province and Pham Thanh Lam from the Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted in Nam Dinh province.
The 51st International Chemistry Olympiad, held in France in late July, attracted more than 300 students from 80 countries and territories. Vietnam finished fifth, following China, the Republic of Korea, Russia and the US.
Storm Wipha causes havoc in northern region
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Heavy rains cause flooding in some streets in Mong Cai city, Quang Ninh province. (Photo: NDO)
Five people have died and 14 remain missing as storm Wipha brought torrential rains and strong wind to northern and north central localities for several days from August 1.
Storm Wipha, the third tropical storm to hit Vietnam this year, also caused heavy damage to properties and public transport routes.
Some 100 houses, mostly in Thanh Hoa and Lang Son provinces, were destroyed, and nearly 200 others have been damaged. Meanwhile, landslides and floods caused blockages in many roads in Thanh Hoa, Dien Bien and Son La provinces, cutting off traffics.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has issued a Notice No.937/CD-TTg, requiring joint effort to support search and rescue activities and help residents to overcome the consequences of natural disasters, especially in Thanh Hoa.
Vietnamese culture shines at Asian Weekend 2019 in Slovakia
Performance of Vietnamese traditional dress "Ao dai" at the festival (Photo: VNA)
The Vietnamese community in Slovakia introduced the unique culture, tourism potential and gastronomy of Vietnam at the Asian Weekend which was held on August 2-32019 in the host country.
The annual event, the second of its kind, was jointly held by the embassies of Asian countries in Slovakia, including India, Indonesia, Japan, China, the Republic of Korea, and Vietnam,.
During the Asian Weekend 2019, the Vietnamese community performed traditional dances of ethnic people from different regions of Vietnam, which received big applause from visitors.
Popular destinations in Vietnam, especially those recognised as world’s natural heritage sites, were also introduced at the event such as Hoi An ancient town and My Son sanctuary in central Quang Nam province, Ha Long Bay in northwestern Quang Ninh province, and Phong Nha and Son Doong caves in central Quang Binh province.
Two Vietnamese pagodas listed among world’s top 20 most beautiful Buddhist temples
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Tran Quoc pagoda in Hanoi (Photo: baophapluat.vn)
Tran Quoc Pagoda in Hanoi and Buu Long Pagoda in Ho Chi Minh City have been listed among the top 20 most beautiful Buddhist temples voted by the US magazine National Geographic.
Tran Quoc pagoda is located on a small peninsula on the east side of the West Lake and is nearly 1,500 years old. According to the magazine, the 11-story red pagoda is topped by a nine-story gemstone lotus. Gold and bronze statues clutter altars throughout the temple, and three different female Buddhas, called “Mothers,” can be found in Tran Quoc’s front courtyard.
Buu Long Pagoda, which is located on an area of over 11 hectares at the Ethnic Culture Historical Park in District 9, Ho Chi Minh City, formed by Venerable Vo Ha Thuat in 1942. The National Geographic highlights that the pagoda features carved dragons that curve down the temple stairs and a turquoise pool reflects the temple’s white walls and golden spires.
Vietnam has bigger chance as Women’s World Cup expanded
Vietnam’s national football team will have a bigger opportunity to compete at the Women's World Cup after the world soccer governing body FIFA announced on August 1 that the number of teams taking part in the championship will increase from 24 to 32.
In the 24-team format, national teams in Asia vie for five slots. Even though FIFA has yet to announce the number of berths awarded to each of the continental zones in the new format, Asia is expected have at least one more representative at the future Women’s World Cup.
The national women’s football team of Vietnam stayed at the 35th position overall and sixth place in Asia in the latest FIFA rankings. Five teams of Australia, Japan, China, the Republic of Korea (RoK) and Thailand represented Asia at the 2019 Women’s World Cup.
Vietnam had entered the final qualifying tournament but they were placed in a tough group comprising of Australia, Japan and the RoK
