Day: November 11, 2021

A delegation of the Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs of HCM City presented 750 aid packages to Cambodians of Vietnamese origin during a ceremony held on November 11 at the Thuong Phuc-Kaoh Roka international border gates in Vietnam’s Dong Thap and Cambodia’s Prey Veng province.

The assistance demonstrates the care of HCM City’s leaders and people for the Vietnamese-Cambodian community and disadvantaged people living in three Cambodian localities of Phnom Penh, Kandal and Prey Veng.

The aid, which includes 1.5 billion VND (66,240 USD) in cash along with 15,000 face masks, 200 bottles of hand sanitiser, 1,000 sets of children’s clothes and 2.5 tonnes of rice, will be delivered to beneficiaries through the Khmer-Vietnamese Association.

Addressing the handover ceremony, Vice Chairman of the committee Vo Thanh Chat said the assistance aims to support Vietnamese-Cambodians to overcome difficulties caused by COVID-19 and contribute to the solidarity and friendship between people of Vietnam and Cambodia.

For his part, head of the Khmer-Vietnamese Association Sim Chy highly valued the support from HCM City which he said will help Vietnamese-Cambodian and local people improve their situations

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Office of the People’s Committee of northern border Lao Cai province on November 10 reported that the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has decided to offer a non-refundable aid worth 1 million USD to the province to carry out a project on sustainable forest management and biodiversity preservation.

The technical assistance project aims to reduce greenhouse gas emission, increase carbon sequestration in production forests, and preserve biodiversity in high-value forests. It will be carried out between 2021 and December 31, 2026 by the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The districts of Si Ma Cai, Muong Khuong, Bac Ha, Van Ban and Sapa township will benefit from the project with five subcomponents, including improving forest management in residential community, promoting sustainable livelihoods for communities living on forests, enhancing legal enforcement in forestry, renovating technical solutions to production forest management, and pooling resources for forest management and protection.

The project costs 1.11 million USD, 1 million USD of which is sourced from the USAID and the remainder from the local budget.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The People’s Committee of the northern province of Bac Giang has held a ceremony to launch the Lifelong Learning Week in 2021 via videoconference with connections to more than 700 locations in 10 districts and cities across the province.

This year, the Lifelong Learning Week is themed “Digital transformation and chances for lifelong learning for all amid COVID-19”.

Addressing the event, Standing Vice Chairman of the committee Mai Son said that amid the globalisation context where the world is entering an era of high technology with challenges from COVID-19 pandemic, digital transformation has become a new trend of learning, helping people broaden their vision, enriching knowledge and sharpen their skills of working effectively.

The Lifelong Learning Week is a chance to honour, maintain and promote the tradition of studiousnes of Vietnamese people, he said.

Son held that lifelong learning, along with the strengthening of digital transformation, especially amid COVID-19 pandemic, will help form a society in which all individuals are active in learning, and all people become more closely together. Lifelong learning also serves as a source of happiness and help people improve themselves, he added.

The official asked the provincial Education and Training sector strengthen communications to raise its officials’ awareness of and responsibility as well as determination in implementing digital transformation. Schools should increase the application of information technology in both managing and teaching activities, he stressed.

He advised students to make full use of time, opportunities as well as support from teachers and studying tools as well as the Internet to learn more effectively. Alongside, they should optimise their knowledge by applying them into real life, he said.

He requested the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee, organisations, associations and local government in localities to mobilise resources from the community for learning, while raising public awareness of the obligations and responsibilities in building a learning society.

With the motto of “education and training is the leading national policy,” and investing in education is investing in development,” over the years, the Education and Training sector of Bac Giang has overcome difficulties to make positive changes in the sector’s performance, with expanded schools and classrooms.

To date, the province has had 760 education and training establishments, 691 of which have met national standards, reaching 92.1 percent. The overall education quality has been improved, with an increasing number of students showing good academic performance and successful entering universities and colleges through years, many of whom took the top positions in university entrance exams.

Meanwhile, 75 percent of total households have become learning families. Many students from poor families have risen from difficulties to become successful in studying.

At the event, participants witnessed a teaching session themed “Skills to become digital citizens” conducted via Microsoft Teams (Office 365) app.

Earlier this year, the Prime Minister issued a decision approving the project “Building a society of learning in the 2021-2030 period”.

The project sets targets of 90 percent of provinces to achieve the literacy standards at Level 2, 100 percent to complete preschool education universalisation for preschool children, and 70 percent to meet the standard of universal primary education at Level 3 by 2030.

It also strives for 70 percent of people in the working age to be equipped with information capacity and living skills, 60 percent aged from 15 trained in technical and professional qualifications, and 15 percent having a university degree or higher.

In order to achieve the above goals, the project offers a number of tasks and solutions such as disseminating and raising awareness about building a learning society, completing relevant mechanisms and policies, promoting the implementation of digital transformation and application of information technology in the organisation of lifelong learning activities.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Vietnamese Buddhist nun Thich Nu Gioi Tanh was honoured in a ceremony on November 10 evening in Seoul, the Republic of Korea, for her outstanding engagement in charity activities to support people hurt by COVID-19 in the RoK.

She was among 20 people, including artists, painters and business leaders, named at the 7th edition of an annual event held by the Ahn Jung Geun cultural and art association to recognise outstanding citizens in the RoK for their contributions in different areas, particularly arts.

This year’s event also awarded 16 scholarships to disadvantaged students affected by the pandemic.

Nun Thich Nu Gioi Tanh, member of the Vietnamese Buddhist Sangha’s Executive Board and head of the Vietnamese Buddhists’ Association in the RoK, was given a World Buddhist Peace Prize Award for her great efforts to promote Vietnam’s distinctive cultural identity in the host country, boosting cultural exchange between the two countries, as well as her commitment to charity over years.

The nun has visited and delivered aid to Vietnamese people living in the Korean cities of Busan, Daegu, Incheon, Gwangju, Daejeon, Ulsan and Muan. She has introduced about Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) and Hoang Sa (Paracel) Archipelagoes during peace-praying ceremonies and requiems at Phap Mon Pagoda, the first Vietnamese pagoda in the RoK.

She dedicated most of her time this year in Vietnam to assist with the fight against COVID-19, via donations of face masks, hand sanitisers and medical supplies. She also provided support to Truong Sa and impoverished people.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The High-level People’s Court in Hanoi on November 11 decided to reduce prison terms for three defendants that were involved in a case related to wrongdoings at Thai Nguyen Iron and Steel JSC (TISCO).

The three defendants are among the 12 who filed appeals in the case.

Dau Van Hung, former General Director of Vietnam Steel Corporation (VNS), and Hoang Ngoc Diep, former member of the Board of Directors of TISCO, who had been sentenced to three years and two years in prison at the first-instance trial, respectively, both got a suspended sentence as they have fully dealt with consequences.

Uong Sy Binh, former deputy head of the accounting and finance division at TISCO, will spend one and a half years in prison instead of two years as ruled at the first-instance trial due to his old age and health problems.

The High-level People’s Court upheld the rulings of the previous trial for the nine others, including Tran Trong Mung, former Director General of TISCO, who was sentenced to nine years and six months behind bars.

The eight others got jail terms ranging from 18 months to seven years, for “violating regulations on management and use of State assets causing losses and wastefulness” and “lacking responsibility causing serious consequences.”

According to the indictment issued by the Supreme People’s Procuracy, the VNS Board of Directors decided to invest in the second phase of TISCO’s production expansion project which initially had total investment of more than 3.8 trillion VND (164.9 million USD at the current exchange rate). The China Metallurgical Group Corporation (MCC) won the construction bid in 2007.

On July 12, 2007, then TISCO General Director Tran Trong Mung and MCC General Director Shen Heting signed an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract worth over 160 million USD (equivalent to over 3.5 trillion VND). It was stipulated that the value, including taxes and expenses necessary for contract implementation, was to not change during the implementation process.

TISCO and MCC launched implementation on September 29, 2007. However, more than 11 months after the contract took effect, MCC had failed to select or sign contracts with subcontractors, or carry out the EPC contract. Instead, it proposed extending the contract implementation duration and raising the contract value by more than 138 million USD.

The indictment said that although individuals at TISCO and VNS were aware that MCC had infringed the contract and groundlessly proposed the implementation extension and value hike, they did not consider contract termination, revocation of the advance, or reporting the matter to competent persons to abolish the bidding result and re-organise the bidding process so as to ensure the project’s effectiveness and progress.

Among the defendants, Mung held the overall responsibility for the project’s effectiveness while Tinh was in charge of approving and directing project implementation.

The Supreme People’s Procuracy held that the violations of rules on the management of State assets and the lack of a sense of responsibility by those at TISCO and VNS caused losses of over 830 billion VND to the State. The sum is the interest rate TISCO had to pay to banks for the period from the time the project began falling behind schedule, on May 31, 2011, to the date an official investigation was launched, on April 18, 2019.

The defendants’ criminal acts not only adversely affected economic development and had a direct negative impact on production and business activities and the interests of employees at TISCO, they also indirectly affected the process of promoting rapid and sustainable economic development, becoming a burden on the national economy and causing a loss of trust in society.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Chief Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Vietnam Office Shimizu Akira has voiced his hope to continue receiving consultations and support from the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) in the planning and implementation of cooperation projects in Vietnam.

He made the remark during a meeting with VNA General Director Vu Viet Trang on November 11 to bolster communications cooperation between the two agencies.

At the event, the two sides agreed that the Vietnam-Japan relations have been thriving in a comprehensive, extensive and practical manner across multiple fields, with significant contributions by the information-communications sector.

Shimizu spoke highly of the VNA’s updated and accurate flow of news which helps the JICA promptly grasp Vietnam’s socio-economic situation as well as aspirations of the Vietnamese people.

The VNA boasts a widespread network of correspondents and a system of diverse information products serving local and foreign audiences that can fulfil the Japanese agency’s demand for information, Trang said, affirming that it is the VNA’s duty to promote mainstream information on Vietnam and its people to the world.

The enhancement of information sharing between the two sides is believed to further strengthen the Vietnam-Japan extensive strategic partnership.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue on November 11 asked the Ministry of Education and Training (MoIT) to continue work on mechanisms and policies to support employees and employers affected by COVID-19 in both public and private educational establishments.

The top legislator made the request at the end of a Q&A session on education-training matters as part of the second sitting of the 15th legislature.

He said the hearing session touched upon many issues in the educational sector, including those regarding the quality of teaching and learning, and continued educational reform amid COVID-19, with a total of 28 legislators putting questions and 10 others joining the debate.

Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son has shown his confidence and understanding about matters within his remit, Hue said, adding that Son gave detailed answers to the raised questions.

The minister also pointed out difficulties and solutions that should be rolled out in the time ahead for each educational level.

Noting NA deputies’ request that the MoIT closely coordinate with the Ministry of Health and localities to consider vaccinating children against COVID-19 at an early date, Chairman Hue said vaccination is the prerequisite condition to reopen schools.

Therefore, a clear strategy and specific plans and roadmaps for the work are needed to bring students back to school, he said.

Regarding the organisation of the 2022 high school graduation and university entrance exam, Hue said the ministry should early complete the plans for the exams. He also urged the ministry to allocate sufficient funding for the implementation of policies towards students in ethnic minority-inhabited and mountainous areas, and narrowing educational gap between rural and urban areas.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) has not only been serving as a driver for global growth, facilitating trade and investment, but also playing a pioneering role in responding to natural disasters, developing clean energy, preserving biodiversity, and stepping up trade in environmental goods.

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc made the remarks while addressing as an honorary guest at the APEC CEO Summit 2021.

The event, hosted by Auckland city of New Zealand, takes place both in person and via videoconference on November 11 – 12, attracting about 4,500 participants who are leaders of top enterprises in the Asia-Pacific region.

In his speech, President Phuc highly valued the role of APEC over the last three decades, affirming that sustainable development and climate change response bears strategic importance to not only the business community, but also to APEC member economies and the world as a whole.

He held that responding to climate change is the shared responsibility of all countries and economies. It requires innovative and effective international cooperation, enhanced assistance in providing more resources and new technologies, and capacity building for developing countries.

In its policy, each State needs to pursue long-term interest, and promote a comprehensive approach. All states, given their leading role, should avoid doing the work of other actors in the society. They instead should encourage the formulation of suitable institutions and benefits to mobilise resources from businesses and the people, and build upon public – private projects for green growth, according to Phuc.

Giving several recommendations to enterprises, he said each business needs to develop a roadmap to cut emissions in line with the greenhouse gas emission goals and indexes of their respective countries; invest in the future by focusing on projects in clean energy and new technology development; and establish green supply chains and encourage environmentally-friendly behaviours by consumers.

He noted that the State, businesses and people of Vietnam fully understand the intertwined risks and opportunities beforehand, and pledge to take bold action to transition to a green growth model and comprehensive response to climate change.

“In this process, Vietnam looks forward to the closer cooperation with APEC member economies, countries, and businesses at home and abroad. Apart from further improving its business and investment environment, Vietnam is also offering incentives for enterprises to seize the opportunities to provide green products and services. In addition, Vietnam is also ameliorating its institutions and policies pertaining to green and innovative corporations, and eco-industrial parks,” he remarked.

“These policies, together with our market of 100 million people and vast network of ratified 14 FTAs, will open up opportunities for foreign investors to work with the country, and together share the fruits of sustainable development,” President Phuc added.

Source: Vietnam News Agency