NA Standing Committee wraps up 36th session
The National Assembly Standing Committee concluded its 36th session in Hanoi on August 16 under the Chair of NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.
During the week-long meeting, the committee completed the working agenda, including thematic supervision and a question and answer session. The NA Chairwoman asked the Government, the Council for Ethnic Affairs and other committees of the NA, and relevant agencies to promptly perform their tasks based on conclusions of the NA Standing Committee, with special attention paid to contents to be submitted to the NA’s eighth sitting.
Vietnam reaps better-than-expected results at Army Games
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Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu (C) visits Vietnam’s exhibition space at the Army Games 2019 friendship house with Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Defence, Senior Lieutenant General Phan Van Giang (R). (Photo: NDO/Nam Dong)
Vietnam had a successful performance at the International Army Games 2019, which concluded in Moscow, Russia, on August 17. After 15 days of completion at the Games, the Vietnamese tank group, in its second time joining the event, obtained the highest result among the country’s seven teams.
It finished second after Uzbekistan in the Tank Biathlon finals, winning a silver medal with the impressive performance of 2 hours, 25 minutes and 3 seconds, and shooting 9 of 24 targets. The engineering, chemical, and search-rescue teams, all first time taking part in the annual military event, brought home bronze medals. Meanwhile, Vietnamese snipers, despite facing stronger rivals, made it to the second round.
Vietnam chairs final plenary sessions of disarmament conference
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Ambassador Duong Chi Dung, head of Vietnam's permanent mission to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland (Photo: VNA)
Ambassador Duong Chi Dung, head of Vietnam's permanent mission to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, chaired the final plenary sessions of the Conference on Disarmament (CD) on August 14-15 under Vietnam’s presidency of the conference from June 24-30 and from July 29 to August 18.
At the end of the plenary session on August 15, Ambassador Dung evaluated the outcomes of the conference to build a proper working agenda in the future. With the endeavours of Vietnam as president of the CD and the cooperation of member countries, participants discussed practical issues, which will be important components for the working agenda of the CD in the following years, he said. Vietnam’s presidency declaration and recommendations for building the conference’s working agenda will be circulated as official documents.
Standard Chartered expects Vietnam to be ASEAN outperformer
Rice loaded for exports. (Photo: VNA)
Standard Chartered forecasts Vietnam to remain the fastest-growing ASEAN economy in the near term, with 2019 growth projected at 6.9%. The FDI-driven manufacturing sector, which is poised for a fourth consecutive year of double-digit growth, will continue to be a key growth driver.
The forecast is highlighted in the bank’s recently published Global Focus – Economic Outlook report for Quarter 3, 2019 entitled “The dovish wave grows”. “Vietnam’s growth prospect remains strong, with macro-economic conditions staying stable in the first half of the year which is likely to continue towards year-end. We expect growth to accelerate mildly in the second half from 6.7% in the first half,” said Chidu Narayanan, Economist, Asia, Standard Chartered Bank.
Vietnamese lawyer honoured in Class of Asia Young Leaders
Vietnamese lawyer Ta Ngoc Van honoured in Class of Asia Young Leaders (Photo: Reuters)
Vietnamese lawyer Ta Ngoc Van has been honoured in the Asia Society’s 2019 Class of Asia 21 Young Leaders, which is the 13th class joining an unparalleled network of accomplished individuals under the age of 40 from across the Asia Pacific region. Van is the chief lawyer at Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation, a Vietnamese charity that rescues children in crisis.
Previously, he was awarded the ‘Hero of the Year’ title by Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security in 2015 in recognition of his contributions to rescuing almost 400 kidnapped children and female victims. He was also the first-ever recipient of Thomson Reuters Foundation’s “Trust Women Anti-Trafficking Hero Award”.
Vietnam wins many awards at International Violin and Chamber Music Competition
The 2019 International Violin and Chamber Music Competition officially wrapped up in Hanoi on August 11 after more than a week of competition. In the violin category, Vietnam’s violist Hoang Ho Khanh Van and Peter Fedotov from Russia shared the third prize. Van also received the award for Best Vietnamese Violinist.
In the chamber music event, Vietnamese band Amici Quartet won the second prize. The organising board also honoured the two Vietnamese ensembles of Amici Quartet and L’ Espoir Trio as the best chamber ensemble and the most promising one, respectively. Meanwhile, Comme Toi Piano Duo was the most favoured group and Nguyen Thien Minh from Vietnam was named the best Vietnamese violist.
Tour of Son Doong cave listed among world’s greatest adventures
Son Doong Cave (Photo: CNN)
The tour of Son Doong Cave in the central province of Quang Binh has been listed among the greatest adventures in the world by the British television channel Dave. The tour has been operating for only around one year, but it stood in the top five of the list. Son Doong Cave tours are still available.
Although foreign visitors make up a large number of tourists exploring Son Doong, the percentage of Vietnamese tourists has also increased significantly, around 25% in the months of 2018. Son Doong Cave, which was accredited as the world’s largest and most beautiful natural cave by the World Records Union and the World Records Association, also contains countless mysteries and potential for breakthrough in the future.
