Day: August 8, 2021

Ten pieces of infographics drawn by Vietnamese French painter Vo Tram Anh have been displayed in Paris for the first time, giving visitors a panorama of issues related to Agent Orange/dioxin disaster in Vietnam.

By combining painting and infographics, Tram Anh highlighted the consequences of AO/dioxin in Vietnam, the pain of victims as well as the struggle to claim justice for the victims and efforts to ease their pain, especially support of French friends in this regard.

Several small credit projects to help families of disabled people in AO/dioxin-affected areas in central Quang Binh province were also introduced within the exhibition framework.

Tram Anh said that her engagement in activities to support AO/dioxin victims in France, including the lawsuit logged by Vietnamese French woman Tran To Nga, motivated her to tell stories of AO/dioxin disaster in a friendly, understandable, humorous and moved manner.

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Visitors at the exhibition (Photo: VNA)

She said that due to the COVID-19 pandemic which prevents visitors from joining the exhibition directly, the organising board has made the pictures available online through social media networks such as Facebook and Instagram. Those who are interested in the exhibition can contact the board via email address contact@vietnamdioxine.org until September 18.

From 1961 to 1971, the US military sprayed about 80 million liters of toxic chemicals, 61 percent of which were AO, containing 366 kg of dioxin, on to nearly a quarter of South Vietnam. About 86 percent of the area was sprayed more than two times, 11 percent of the area was sprayed more than 10 times.

As a result, around 4.8 million Vietnamese were exposed to the toxic chemical. Many of the victims have died, while millions of their descendants are living with deformities and diseases as a direct result of the chemical’s effects.

In France, various practical activities have been held by many organisations, including the Association of Vietnamese People in France (UGVF), Union of Vietnamese Youth in France (UJVF) and Collectif Vietnam Dioxine, to support AO/dioxin victims in Vietnam and support struggles for justice for the victims.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become one of the key technologies serving the national digital transformation process, which involves in all stages from data digitalisation, professional activities to operational model transforming in Vietnam.

Under a national strategy on AI research, development and application to 2030, Vietnam aims to make AI a spearhead technology in the fourth Industrial Revolution.

Vietnam has various advantages for innovative startups and technological development, especially breakthrough technologies in the field of AI thanks to an open business environment and abundant young human resources.

AI has been applied in many sectors such as health care, education, agriculture, transport, and e-commerce. AI technologies have helped Vietnam gain breakthrough development steps recently.

According to Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Bui The Duy, Vietnam is one of the first countries in the world to design national programmes and strategies on digital transformation.

This is a good condition for the country to actively grasp opportunities brought about by the fourth Industrial Revolution to rise and change its rankings in the field, he said.

Currently, AI solutions and practice in Vietnam are in the first stage of the automation and predictive analysing process, while more complex AI applications are to be adopted in the public sector.

The fourth Industrial Revolution, with the core being digital transformation and digital economy, has created an equal opportunity for Vietnam to rise to the same level with the rest of the world. A national digital transformation programme until 2025 with a vision to 2030 has been approved by the Prime Minister under Decision No. 749/QD-TTg issued on June 3, 2020.

As part of efforts to implement the programme, ministries, sectors and localities have designed their own programmes and plans in digital transformation.

Many domestic firms have mastered key technologies and developed platforms serving the process, with more than 40 “Make-in-Vietnam” platforms introduced so far.

The portal in support of small and medium-sized enterprises has assisted thousands of businesses in applying digital platforms serving their digital transformation.

Besides, activities to step up the application of AI and digital platforms in trade promotion and trademark popularization with the combination of direct and online formats have helped enterprises access partners and markets effectively.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The upcoming official friendly visit to Laos by President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his spouse will reaffirm Vietnam’s strong and comprehensive support to the process of national reform, defence and construction of Laos.

The visit, to take place from August 9-10 at the invitation of General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) Central Committee and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith, will also highlight Vietnam’s special attention to maintaining and developing the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive partnership between the two countries.

As neighbouring countries, Vietnam and Laos have walked hand in hand through many challenges, reinforcing their solidarity and loyalty. The bilateral ties, founded by President Ho Chi Minh and President Kaysone Phomvihane and nurtured by generations of leaders and people of both nations, have been thriving to be “more stable than mountains, more long-lasting than rivers.”

The relations have become a development rule and a factor ensuring the success of the revolutionary cause of each country and a valuable asset of both Parties and nations, which must be protected and reinforced and transferred to next generations, Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong said while receiving Lao Party General Secretary and President Thongloun Sisoulith on June 28, 2021.

Amid complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic, the two countries have managed to maintain the exchange of visits and communication in different formats.

Defence-security and external relations have continued to be an important pillars in Vietnam-Laos relations, with joint efforts in ensuring security and maintaining a shared border of peace and friendship as well as searching and repatriating remains of Vietnamese volunteers and experts who died in Laos during the war.

The two sides have effectively implemented the annual consultation mechanisms between Chairpersons of the Party Central Committee’s Commissions for External Relations and Ministers of Foreign Affairs, while regularly exchanging information about regional and international issues of mutual concern, and coordinating together and promoting mutual support at multilateral forums, especially within the ASEAN, the UN and sub-regional mechanisms.

In the context of complicated COVID-19 developments in both countries, the bilateral multifaceted partnership has still developed.

In the 2016-2020 period, total trade between the two sides reached about 4.8 billion USD. In the first six months of 2021, the figure hit 670 million USD, up 36.5 percent rise over the same period last year.

Vietnam now has 209 valid investment projects worth about 5.16 billion USD in Laos, ranking third among foreign investors in the country.

The Lao Government has agreed to open the Dak Ta-Ok (Xekong) – Nam Giang (Quang Nam) border gate to promote trade exchange between the two sides.

Along with expanding export activities, both sides have focused on cooperation in personnel training for transport and construction sectors, and energy industry.

Both sides have concentrated on enhancing partnership in education-training and human resources development. The two Ministries of Education and Training have issued plans of cooperation in the 2021-2030 period. This year, Vietnam will give 1,220 scholarships to Lao officials and students, while Laos will offer 60 scholarships to Vietnam. Currently, more than 16,600 Lao students are studying in Vietnam.

Partnerships among localities, especially those along the shared border has been strengthened.

People-to-people exchanges have been increased with various cultural, art and sport activities, contributing to deepening the Vietnam-Laos relationship.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has proposed the Ministry of Transport halt all commercial flights between provinces and cities that are applying social distancing measures, including Hanoi – Ho Chi Minh City route and vice versa.

The move aims to tighten control of commercial flights and chartered flights to prevent the spread of COVID-19, according to the CAAV.

Flights that serve public works and disease control are still allowed to operate, including those carrying health workers and officials.

The authorities in their points of departure need to inform the authorities in their destinations so they can be tested immediately upon arrival and taken into quarantine if needed.

Commercial flights from Hanoi to Can Tho, Phu Quoc and vice versa have been temporarily halted since July 22.

The Hanoi – HCM City route, Vietnam’s busiest one, has been cut down to two round trips a day and were all operated by the national flag carriers Vietnam Airlines.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Many Vietnamese rubber companies have reported positive second-quarter profits despite the rising price of materials needed to produce the popular commodity.

The price of natural rubber has increased sharply since the end of last year and stayed high for the first half of this year. Rubber futures prices on the Tokyo exchange also maintained a high of around 230 JPY per kilogram. This has cooled since the end of June to 211 JPY per kilogram, but still up 32 percent over the same period last year.

This development could be detrimental to the rubber tire business as rubber raw materials account for 70 percent of the product’s cost. However, businesses in this industry still recorded very positive business results in Q2 thanks to an increase in consumption volume in both domestic and export markets.

According to the statistics of the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association (VAMA), automobile sales reached 150,481 units, up 40 percent over the same period last year. Passenger cars, in particular, increased by 37 percent, commercial vehicles rose by 48 percent and specialised-purposes vehicles climbed by 68 percent. In the second quarter alone, car sales reached 79,237 units, up 11 percent compared to the previous quarter and up 58.4 percent over the same period last year.

Da Nang Rubber Co (DRC) – a blue-chip on the HCM City Stock Exchange – has announced Q2 revenue up 52 percent to 1.2 trillion VND (52.2 million USD). Its post-tax profit was 2.2 times higher than the same period last year, reaching 106 billion VND. In six months, its revenue increased 31.3 percent to 2.1 trillion VND and post-tax profit was 170 billion VND, double the same period last year. The gross profit margins increased from 14.8 percent to 18.8 percent in the second quarter and increased from 14.8 percent to 18.6 percent over six months.

According to SSI Research, DRC suffered from high raw material costs in the second quarter as natural rubber, synthetic rubber, chemicals, and black coal respectively increased by 26 percent, 15 percent, 8 percent and 25 percent, compared to the previous quarter. However, sale volumes of bias tires still rose by 34 percent and radial tires rose by 67 percent. Corporate profit margins improved partly thanks to higher radial plant operating capacity and reduced depreciation expenses.

The export activities of the enterprise also prospered with a turnover of 27 million USD in Q2, up 95 percent over the same period last year and up 43 percent compared to the previous quarter thanks to the strong recovery of orders from the US and Brazil.

In the same period last year, the COVID-19 pandemic broke out strongly in these two markets, causing orders to decrease. Export volume of radial tires reached 128,000 units, up 90 percent and bias tires reached 78,000 units, up 160 percent.

Similarly, thanks to the expansion of consumption and export markets, the Southern Rubber Industry Joint Stock Company (CSM) recorded Q2 revenue of 1.39 trillion VND, up 12 percent over the same period last year. The cost of goods sold increased to 18.5 percent as consumption volume and input material prices both rose. However, thanks to cost reductions, profit after tax still rose by nearly 21 percent to 23 billion VND. In six months, the company achieved revenue of 2.47 trillion VND, up 13 percent. Profit after tax totalled 36 billion VND, up 14 percent over the same period last year.

This year, CSM aims to export to a number of new markets such as South America and Eastern Europe, on top of current markets including Brazil, India and the US. Export revenue in 2020 increased by 12 percent compared to the previous year thanks to the output of radial tires, which accounted for 60 percent.

Sao Vang Rubber JSC (SRC) revenue in the second quarter also increased by 16.5 percent to 240 billion VND and pre-tax profit increased slightly from 49.8 billion VND to 50.6 billion VND.

In the first half of the year, its revenue reached 497 billion VND, up 24 percent. In which, export revenue rose by 31 percent to 101 billion VND. Its domestic revenue increased 22 percent to 395 billion VND while profit after tax was the equivalent to the same period last year reaching 24 billion VND.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic have halted art performances, causing difficulties for artists and units, and a shortage of “spiritual dishes” for the audiences, online theatre or online stage seem to be the most suitable way for performing arts to reach the audiences.

An online art programme titled “To quoc trong tim” (Fatherland in the heart) hosted by the Department of Performing Arts under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on July 28 was connected to five locations: Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Nghe An, Binh Thuan and Paris (France), with the participation of outstanding artists from all northern, central and southern regions.

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People’s Artist Thai Bao (Photo: VNA)

This was a practical activity to improve the cultural and spiritual lives of the people amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam. It also contributed to promoting the spirit of solidarity and determination to battle the pandemic.

With the participation of artists across the country, the show has attracted the attention of many viewers.

Previously, a special performance programme of the Viet Bac Folk Music and Dance Theater of Thai Nguyen province has been broadcast live on VTV2 channel of Vietnam Television on the occasion of the 74th anniversary of Invalids and Martyrs Day (July 27).

Deputy Director of the Department of Performing Arts Tran Huong Duong said this first stage is being piloted only in art units under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Similar events will be expanded to art troupes throughout the country in the coming time, he noted.

In mid-2020, the Performing Arts Department built Vietnamese performing arts channels on YouTube and Facebook to broadcast live a number of professional art competitions and festivals nationwide.

Duong said in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks, this is only way to introduce art programmes to the audiences.

At the same time, it is also a movement that shows connection among artists who want to bring arts to the public in the fight against COVID-19, he added.

Source: Vietnam News Agency