Day: July 17, 2021

For the first time in Olympic history, national flags will be carried by two athletes at the Games, and runner Quach Thi Lan and swimmer Nguyen Huy Hoang have the honour of carrying the Vietnamese flag at the upcoming Tokyo Games’ opening ceremony.

The new tradition, with every nation to be led out by both female and male athletes, is part of the International Olympic Committee’s efforts to push gender equality.

The honour is bestowed upon athletes the Vietnam Olympic Committee believes best embody the spirit and quality of the Games.

Lan and Hoang will both make their debut at the planet’s biggest sporting event this summer and lead a team of 43 members who will vie for medals in 11 sports.

Swimmer Hoang has qualified for both men’s 800m and 1,500m freestyle events. He was the first Vietnamese athlete to book an Olympic slot after he passed the A standard for the 800m class (7min 52.74sec) at the world championship in July 2019 in the Republic of Korea.

Five months later, the 2018 Youth Olympic gold medalist set a new record (14min 58.14sec) in the 30th SEA Games’ 1,500m and took a second Olympics slot.

Meanwhile, Lan will be the only Vietnamese runner in Tokyo after receiving a wild card. The Asian championship and Asian Games winner will compete in the women’s 400m hurdles.

“It’s such an honour and a privilege,” Lan told Viet Nam News.

“It’s one of the greatest things that has ever happened to me. It’s great to represent my country in a sport at the world’s biggest sporting event. It will be a strong push and encouragement for me ahead of my run.”

Lan’s tournament will begin on July 31 and she will face world record holder Sydney McLaughlin of the US who set the new standard of 51.90sec last month during the US Olympic Track and Field Trials.

The 26-year-old Lan from Thanh Hoa province is the only runner from ASEAN and one of two from Asia in this category.

“It is priceless to have a chance to run again powerful opponents. Coming to Tokyo without any pressure I believe that I could overcome my limits, making it an unforgettable memory in my career,” said Lan.

Another first for these Olympics is athletes will now put their medals around their own necks to protect against COVID-19.

Medals will be on a tray and then athletes will take the medal themselves. There will be no handshakes and hugs during the medal ceremony.

Previously, the medals were presented by an IOC member or a leading official in a sport’s governing body.

Vietnam’s delegation will leave for Tokyo on July 18. The Olympics will begin on July 23 and close on August 8 with all events held behind closed doors.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

With the development of technology and Internet connectivity, remote work has become popular during the COVID-19 pandemic. Employees can work anywhere, at any time instead of being at the office for eight hours.

Hoang Nam Tien, Chairman of the FPT Telecom Joint Stock Company, said that businesses have got used to working from home over the past year. Currently, thousands of the company’s employees are teleworking or work from home.

Remote work will be common even after the pandemic. This is an inevitable trend, he said. Therefore, businesses should make preparations for necessary things right now.

Ha Lam Tu Quynh, Director of Communications and Public Relations in charge of Vietnam at Google Asia Pacific, said like FPT or many other businesses, that remote work was implemented when the start of COVID-19 pandemic and everyone got used to this over the last 18 months.

Whether remote work or work from home, Google has only a system of evaluating employee performance based on the progress and quality of the work they complete.

Lu Thanh Long, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Misa Company, said that the company does not only have tools for staff to work remotely, but also builds a platform to help more than 12,000 businesses doing so.

However, he said, it is a challenge when the whole company has to work from home or remote working as telework requires the availability of infrastructure, effective interaction of teams and labour efficiency. Ensuring security in some industries, especially software intellectual property, is also a problem.

Experts, as well as businesses, believe that working remotely will prevail even after the pandemic as it is an inevitable trend. Thus, businesses should invest in adequate tools, protocols and processes so that many job positions can work remotely.

For employees, working remotely helps save time on commuting and people have more time for their family.

Researches show that individuals obtain up to 70 percent of their knowledge from job-related experiences. When not being able to communicate, work side by side with more experienced people and without the guidance of managers, it will be difficult for employees to learn and do better.

Therefore, creating an environment for employees to work together in the office, interact and learn from each other is very important.

From the perspective of the representative of Google Vietnam, it’s time for managers to change their mindset. The problem is not working remotely or from home, but management needs to shift its focus from relying on staff’s physical presence at work to their work quality.

For those, who work from home, this is an opportunity to demonstrate their ability to learn and adapt to changing circumstances, Quynh said.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on July 17 ordered social distancing in 19 southern localities that are stricken by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of the localities, Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong and Dong Nai province have already enacted social distancing in line with the PM’s Directive No. 16/CT-TTg.

The others are Can Tho city and Binh Phuoc, Tay Ninh, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Tien Giang, Long An, Vinh Long, Dong Thap, Ben Tre, Hau Giang, An Giang, Bac Lieu, Soc Trang, Tra Vinh, Ca Mau and Kien Giang provinces.

According to the document issued on the day, the 14-day social distancing period will be decided by Chairpersons of provincial People’s Committees but it must begin before July 19.

For the localities where social distancing has been rolled out, the PM asked their Chairpersons to report to competent agencies before deciding to maintain the period as scheduled earlier or extend it.

Attention should be paid to medical supplies and personnel in the localities during the combat, the PM requested.

It is a must to ensure food and other necessities for local residents, especially the poor, those in difficult circumstances and labourers who have been rendered jobless due to the pandemic, he said.

Only production and business facilities that meet COVID-19 prevention and control requirements are required to operate, according to the document.

The PM called on people and the business community to seriously observe the directive, go out in case of extremely necessity, and strictly follow the Ministry of Health’s 5K message – khau trang (facemask), khu khuan (disinfection), khoang cach (distance), khong tu tap (no gathering), and khai bao y te (health declaration.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Government has issued Resolution No. 76/NQ-CP approving the Master Programme on State Administration Reform for the 2021-2030 period.

Under the resolution, the Government will focus on the following six areas, namely institutional reform, administrative procedure reform, organisational reform of the State administrative apparatus, civil service reform, public finance reform, and development of e-Government and digital government.

For administrative procedure reform, the Government targets to cut or simplify at least 20 percent of procedures and 20 percent of the compliance costs regarding to business-related procedures by 2025, reported the Vietnam Government Portal (VGP).

At least 80 percent of administrative procedures of ministries, agencies and localities are provided online at levels 3 and 4.

By 2030, at least 90 percent of ministries, agencies and localities will be provided online at levels 3 and 4.

The Government seeks to ensure that Vietnam enter the top 30 countries in terms of business environment.

The Master Programme on State Administration Reform is renewed every ten years, with the previous one was implemented from 2011-2020.

According to Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh, administrative reform is a prerequisite for the success of the country’s socio-economic development in the context of globalisation and international integration.

As of November last year, it has reduced and simplified more than 1,000 administrative procedures. As many as 3,893 out of 6,191 business conditions and 6,776 out of 9,926 of goods subject to specialised inspection have been cut. These reductions have saved about 18 million working days per year or over 6.3 trillion VND (272 million USD) a year for society, people and businesses.

The Public Administration Reform Index, first introduced in 2012, has become an important tool to measure the progress of public administration reform at ministries, agencies and localities.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The first session of the 15th National Assembly is scheduled to take place from July 20 to July 31 morning, heard a meeting in Hanoi on July 17.

The meeting, which was originally scheduled to wrap up on August 5, will be shortened, as agreed by the NA’s Party delegation and the Party Civil Affairs Committee of the Government.

NA committees and concerned agencies will work even on Saturdays and after 5pm to serve the session, they said.

According to NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong will deliver a speech at the opening session of the sitting.

Legislators will consider and make decisions on the personnel work towards positions elected by the NA, and approve high-ranking positions in the Government, the legislature, the Supreme People’s Court, the Supreme People’s Procuracy and the State Audit Office of Vietnam, he said.

They will also look into a draft resolution on the law and ordinance building programme for 2022, and adjustments to the law and ordinance building programme for 2021.

Hue said the lawmakers will decide the NA’s supervision programme and the establishment of a thematic supervising delegation for 2022, while mulling over the Government’s reports on socio-economic development and state budget in the first half of this year, and solutions to realise relevant plans in the second half, among others.

The National Election Council will present a report reviewing outcomes of the elections of deputies to the 15th NA and all-level People’s Councils for 2021-2026, as well as the verification of the eligibility of NA deputies.

The Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee will deliver another report collecting opinions of voters and people to the first session.

Hue stressed the need to ensure COVID-19 prevention and control measures during the upcoming meeting in line with instructions of the Government and the Ministry of Health. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed his hope that the first session will be a success.

He highlighted achievements Vietnam has recorded in building the Party, the rule-of-law socialist State and the political system, and maintaining national sovereignty.

It was reported that NA deputies and the staff serving the first session have been vaccinated and taken COVID-19 tests. The Ministry of Health will also install coronavirus breathalysers at the meeting’s venue.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on July 17 sent a message of sympathy to President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier over severe flooding triggered by torrential rains in the states of Rhineland-Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia and Saarland that claimed dozens of lives and left thousands missing.

On the same day, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Chinh also extended his sympathy to German Chancellor Angela Merkel

Source: Vietnam News Agency

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on July 17 chaired the third meeting of the Council of National Defence and Security.

Delegates looked into the National Assembly’s resolution on the relief of a number of council members and other personnel issues for the 2016-2021 tenure, along with documents regarding the operation of the council.

In his remarks, Phuc, who is also Chairman of the council, stressed the importance of the meeting which reviewed the council’s performance in the tenure while creating a basis for its activities in the new term.

Apart from traditional challenges, there are non-traditional security ones, notably the COVID-19 pandemic, the leader pointed out.

Despite efforts by the Government, the pandemic is still developing complicatedly, he said, highlighting the important role of the army, public security forces and diplomacy in the COVID-19 fight.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The total volume of cargo handled at Vietnamese seaports is estimated to reach more than 425 million tonnes in the first seven months of 2021, up 6 percent over the same period last year, according to the Vietnam Maritime Administration (VMA).

Of the figure, export cargo hit over 106 million tonnes, a year-on-year increase of 9 percent, while import cargo stood at roughly 133 million tonnes, up 2 percent. The handling of domestic goods neared 184 million tonnes, up 7 percent year-on-year.

In particular, the volume of container goods handled at seaports reached about 14.7 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), a 21-percent year-on-year increase.

VMA statistics also showed a sharp rise in the volume of cargo through ports in Thai Binh province (up 65 percent), Dong Thap (up 56 percent), Quang Ngai (up 38 percent), Hai Phong (up nearly 16 percent), and Ho Chi Minh City (up nearly 9 percent).

Strong growth was also seen in the volume of container goods through seaports in Vung Tau (up 41 percent), Ho Chi Minh City (up 16.46 percent), and Hai Phong (up over 19.8 percent).

Source: Vietnam News Agency