13th National Party Congress officially opens in Hanoi
The 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) officially opened at 8 am on January 26 at the National Convention Centre in the capital city of Hanoi.
The 13th National Party Congress has the theme “Strengthening the building and rectification of the Party and the political system towards purity and strength; rousing the will and determination for national development and promoting the strength of the great national unity bloc in combination with the power of the era; continuing to comprehensively and synchronously accelerate the cause of reform; constructing and firmly safeguarding the Fatherland and maintaining a peaceful and stable environment; and striving to turn Vietnam into a developed socialist-oriented nation by the middle of the 21st century.”
The 1,587 delegates in attendance represent more than 5.1 million Party members nationwide, with the figure being 80 delegates more than at the 12th National Party Congress, making it the highest number recorded to date.
At the opening ceremony, Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong, who is also head of the subcommittee in charge of documents, presented the 12th-tenure Party Central Committee’s report on documents submitted to the 13th National Party Congress, focusing on a number of common and basic issues that clear up the major content and important highlights for the congress to consider, discuss, and give decisive opinions.
Nguyen Phu Trong re-elected as Party General Secretary
On behalf of the Politburo, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (second from right) presents congratulatory flowers to comrade Nguyen Phu Trong on his re-election as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee in the 13th tenure. (Photo: VNA)
Nguyen Phu Trong has been re-elected as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee in the 13th tenure at the first plenum of the 13th Party Central Committee.
The first plenum of the 13th Party Central Committee also elected an 18-member Politburo in Hanoi on January 31.
The 13th Party Central Committee’s Secretariat includes some Politburo members and five others elected at the first plenum of the 13th Party Central Committee.
The Inspection Commission has 19 members.
Vietnam records US$1.3 billion trade surplus in January
Vietnam exported US$27.7 billion worth of goods in January while importing US$26.4 billion, registering a trade surplus of US$1.3 billion, according to preliminary data released by the General Statistics Office.
The United States was the largest importer of Vietnamese goods in January at US$7.5 billion, up 57.4% annually, followed by China, which purchased US$5.8 billion worth of Vietnamese goods, a year-on-year increase of 111.6%.
China was the largest source of imports to Vietnam, estimated at US$9.6 billion, a year-on-year rise of 72.7%.
Dozens of locally-transmitted cases of coronavirus confirmed in Hai Duong and Quang Ninh
Medical staff take samples of local residents in Hung Dao commune in Hai Duong’s Chi Linh city for COVID-19 testing (Photo: VNA)
The northern provinces of Hai Duong and Quang Ninh have activated their COVID-19 response systems after dozens of locally-transmitted cases of coronavirus were confirmed on January 28 after more than 50 days without any cases in the community.
A total of 82 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Hai Duong (72) and Quang Ninh (10) today, after two locally-infected cases were detected late January 27 in both localities.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has ordered all people living and working in the northern provinces of Hai Duong and Quang Ninh not to travel to other localities, aiming to contain the spread of the coronavirus
Vietnam authorises first Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use
The Ministry of Health (MOH) has approved the Covid-19 vaccine produced by AstraZeneca for emergency use, making it the first novel coronavirus vaccine to be authorised in Vietnam.
At a conference on January 29, Minister Nguyen Thanh Long shared that the British pharmaceutical company has pledged to provide Vietnam with 30 million doses in 2021, with the first batch to be available for inoculation in the first quarter.
He added that the MOH is also actively negotiating with Pfizer, Moderna and several other manufacturers to secure more vaccines for Vietnam.
Among vaccines produced by local companies, Nanogen has completed the first phase of clinical trials for its Nanocovax vaccine and the second phase is scheduled to start in early February.
Vietnamese students win 20 medals at Int’l Mathematics and Science Olympiad
The Vietnamese delegation to the 2021 IMSO. (Photo: Vietnamnet)
Vietnamese students won 20 medals at the 2021 International Mathematics and Science Olympiad (IMSO).
They claimed two golds, five silvers, and four bronzes in maths and five silvers and four bronzes in science.
IMSO 2021 was held from January 21 to 24, with Indonesia as the host. Contestants participated online, due to COVID-19, and the event was broadcast live.
Exclusively for students under 13, the Olympiad brought together contestants from 15 countries and territories worldwide.
V.League 1-2021 to be suspended from Round 4 due to COVID-19
Given the complicated development of the COVID-19 pandemic, on January 28 the V.League 1-2021 organising committee decided to suspend the tournament from the fourth matchday, which had been scheduled for February 5-7.
“The situation of COVID-19 in Quang Ninh and Hai Duong is currently evolving in a complicated fashion. After consulting from the Vietnam Football Federation and clubs, the Vietnam Professional Football Company (VPF) has decided to temporarily halt league matches from Round 4 and wait for new announcements from competent agencies,” VPF Chairman Tran Anh Tu said.
In the 2020 season, the V.League 1 was also twice suspended due to COVID-19. However, with the format change, the country’s professional football tournaments concluded successfully.
