Day: November 19, 2021

The Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee in conjunction with the Party Committees of Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and localities nationwide held a ceremony on November 19 night to commemorate those who lost their lives to COVID-19.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong also sent a wreath to the ceremony in memory of COVID-19 victims.

The event aims to express sympathy to bereaved families over their pain and loss, and remind people of their responsibility in the pandemic combat, organisers said.

At 8:30pm, the memorial ritual began. In HCM City, which was the epicenter of the fourth resurgence of COVID-19, pagodas and churches rang the bell, and candles were lit at public places to commemorate the victims.

According to the Ministry of Health, Vietnam’s COVID-19 death toll exceeded 23,500 as of November 19, of which more than 17,200 were recorded in HCM City.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The bilateral relationship between Vietnam and the United Kingdom (UK) is at the finest development stage, said Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK Nguyen Hoang Long when presenting his credentials to Queen Elizabeth II on November 18 via a virtual ceremony.

At the event, the Queen congratulated Long on assuming his diplomatic position, wishing him a successful tenure ahead.

Queen Elizabeth II also conveyed her gratitude to Vietnamese leaders’ greetings, particularly for the UK’s celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne next year.

The Vietnamese ambassador said with the Queen’s attention and the ties shared between the countries, he believes he will receive the support and collaboration from the UK’s authorities to fulfil his tasks in promoting the sound bilateral relations.

Long took the occasion to congratulate the UK Government’s successful organisation of the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), adding that the Vietnamese delegation to the event, headed by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, were pleased with the host nation’s reception and outcomes achieved at the event.

With a strong commitment to achieving the net zero, Vietnam pays a special attention to cooperation in climate change response with the UK – a leading nation in the matter, he affirmed.

The diplomat said the Vietnam – UK strategic partnership is growing robustly across all sectors from politics, security, defence to trade, education, culture, and people-to-people exchange. He vowed to do his best in developing the friendship and collaboration shared between the two peoples.

Following the ceremony, the Vietnamese Embassy in London held a reception gathering many UK officials, representatives of Vietnamese associations in the UK, and international friends.

Speaking at the reception, UK Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps Alistair Harrison wished Long a successful tenure, believing that the ambassador will work to further strengthen the nations’ ties.

Mark Pritchard, Vice Chairman of the UK Inter-Parliamentary Union, underscored the importance of boosting the bilateral cooperation in all spheres including technology, agriculture, tourism, and services.

Long said room remains extensive for the development of the countries’ collaboration, particularly in climate change response, trade and education. He called for support and cooperation from the UK competent agencies and sectors for the realisation of such potential.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Do Van Chien, President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee, called for strengthened solidarity and heightened awareness in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, while addressing a memorial ceremony held for COVID-19 dead victims on November 19 night.

He shared the pain of the entire society after the pandemic has left thousands of the elderly alone and more than 2,600 children orphaned, while highlighted the noble acts of many people to help others in difficult times. The ceremony was held by the VFF Central Committee in coordination with the Party Committees of Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and localities nationwide.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong also sent a wreath to the ceremony in memory of COVID-19 victims.

The event aims to express sympathy to bereaved families over their pain and loss, and remind people of their responsibility in the pandemic combat, organisers said.

At 8:30pm, the memorial ritual began. Delegates spent a moment of silence to remember the people who died of COVID-19. In HCM City, which was the epicenter of the fourth resurgence of COVID-19, pagodas and churches rang the bell, vessels at ports sounded their horns and candles were lit at public places to commemorate the victims.

The ceremony received the warm response from religious places and people across the country.

According to the Ministry of Health, Vietnam’s COVID-19 death toll exceeded 23,500 as of November 19, of which more than 17,200 were recorded in HCM City.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Trade promotion agencies of the northern border province of Lao Cai and the Chinese province of Zhejiang’s Hangzhou city on November 19 organised an international conference on exports and trade exchange in both virtual and face-to-face forms.

The event gathered 138 enterprises from 15 provinces and cities of Vietnam and nearly 100 businesses from China’s Zhejiang, Tianjin, Shanghai, Beijing, and Yunnan.

Head of Lao Cai’s centre for industrial promotion and trade promotion Ha Duc Binh said the conference aimed to boost trade exchange and commercial cooperation between the localities, offering chances for Vietnamese suppliers, exporters, and logistics businesses to meet partners from Zhejiang and its neighbouring Chinese provinces. Therefore, export cooperation between Vietnam and Zhejiang would be enhanced, he added.

As heard at the conference, transportation by air, road and railway between Vietnam and Zhejiang is very convenient, with goods delivery time between the two sides ranging from one to two days by road and railway.

According to statistics of the General Department of Vietnam Customs, two-way trade between Vietnamese provinces and Zhejiang in 2020 exceeded 8.11 billion USD.

Zhejiang’s major exports to Vietnam include fabric products, textiles; steel frames; velvet, feather; electrical components; machinery and components for the textile and garment sector; paper and ceramic tiles. Meanwhile, it mainly imports from Vietnam textiles; iron and steel; rubber; plastic beads; food; clinker; and limestone.

The trade exchange of agricultural products and fruits between the two sides has so far remained modest.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh has requested Long Thanh International Airport project to be accelerated so that its first phase could be completed in January 2025.

The airport is a national key project. Once operational, the airport in southern Dong Nai province will help ease the traffic burden on nearby Ho Chi Minh City and serve as an impulse for economic development in the southern region and the country as a whole, according to the Government Office’s announcement of Deputy PM Thanh’s conclusion at a recent meeting.

It noted ministries, sectors, the Dong Nai People’s Committee, the Airports Corporation of Vietnam, the Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation, consulting firms, and contractors have strived to address difficulties to speed up site clearance and sub-projects. However, land recovery, compensation, and resettlement are lagging behind schedule while the National Assembly demanded those activities to be completed by December 31 this year.

To ensure the first phase’s progress, quality, and effectiveness, the Deputy PM asked the Secretary of the Party Committee and the Chairperson of the People’s Committee of Dong Nai province to order relevant agencies to coordinate closely with each other in site clearance to ensure that the entire 4,946ha of land for the project will be completely recovered by June 30, 2022.

He also told investors of sub-projects to accelerate airport design and construction so that the first phase could be completed in January 2025.

The Long Thanh International Airport is set to have four runways, four passenger terminals, and other auxiliary facilities to serve 100 million passengers and 5 million tonnes of cargo a year by 2040.

In the first phase, it will have one runway, one passenger terminal, and accompanying facilities, able to handle 25 million passengers and 1.2 million tonnes of cargo per year.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Vice Chairman of the Ben Tre People’s Committee Nguyen Minh Canh has requested relevant departments, sectors, and districts in the Mekong Delta province to drastically crack down on illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in a bid to curb local vessels’ illegal operations in foreign waters.

Canh also asked the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Department increase its coordination in implementing the tasks of the fight against IUU fishing, and monitor the number of ships that are operating or have been stopped operations in Ben Tre province.

According to Colonel Nguyen Chi Quang, Commander of the Border Guard Command of Ben Tre, the force will continue its communications work on the issue among fishermen.

The province plans to intensify its inspection of ships operating at sea via the monitoring system, seriously tackle violators of the marine bordere, and maintain surveillance at seaports.

Ben Tre now has 2,000 fishing vessels installing monitoring devices. Since the beginning of 2021 to date, it recorded 2,971 times of ships losing monitoring signals, 1,644 ship arrivals at ports, and 2,704 times of vessels leaving the ports.

According to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, IUU fishing prevention activities still face shortcomings, such as the slow handling of ships that lose monitoring signals and the lack of specialised inspectors.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

A exhibition named “Vietnam Ceramics – A Separate Tradition: From the An Bien collection” was launched at Vietnam National Museum of History (VNMH) in downtown Hanoi on November 19 to mark the Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day (November 23).

Held by the VNMH in collaboration with the Vietnam Cultural Heritage Association and collector Tran Dinh Thang who owns the An Bien collection, the exhibition aims to give the public an insight into Vietnam’s ceramics through four main stages – the first 10 centuries AD, the 11th – 14th centuries, the 15th – 17th centuries, and Bat Trang ceramics from the 18th – 19th centuries.

In Vietnam, the first pieces of ceramics were created around 7,000 – 8,000 years ago and pottery became popular in daily life about 4,000 years ago, said Nguyen Quoc Binh from the VNMH who is in charge of the exhibition.

Pottery flourished the most during the 15th – 17 centuries when many craftsmen were capable of performing sophisticated techniques in making ceramics. Hai Duong’s Chu Dau became the country’s largest pottery hub at that time, where ceramics were also made for exports. Vietnam was one of the world’s leading ceramics exporters during the period.

Between the 17th – 18th centuries, Vietnam’s pottery lost its foothold to the Europe and Japan. Many pottery hubs have disappeared since then but Hanoi’s Bat Trang that remains until today.

The centuries-long history of Vietnam’s fine arts can be seen through ceramics, Binh said, adding that people must also study ceramics if they want to explore the Vietnamese fine arts history.

VNHM Director Nguyen Van Doan said the exhibition features nearly 80 items, 58 of which from the An Bien collection while 22 others come from the museum’s collection. Both collections will provide visitors with a comprehensive view of Vietnam’s pottery, from the early stage to its twilight, according to him.

The exhibition will run through April next year.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Experts at the 13th South China Sea International Conference on November 19 shared the view on the significance of building order in the East Sea (internationally known as South China Sea) based on international law, especially the 1982 United Nations on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS).

They pointed out complex developments in the East Sea and the region over the past time, which have drawn public concern.

Many said the ruling issued by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 plays an important role in narrowing disputes in East Sea, and clarifying the legal grounds for some issues in the waters such as oil and gas activities, the determination of baselines for features in the East Sea, and ensuring safety and security of navigation in the region.

Others said the battle of diplomatic notes between countries regarding the East Sea show that the majority back the use of the UNCLOS as the only and comprehensive legal basis for determining maritime claims and exercising the sovereign rights and jurisdiction of states.

The scholars emphasised factors that cause supply chain disruptions, rising costs and labour shortage; and discussed solutions to restore the sea route in the coming time.

They also stressed importance of marine science research and sea environment protection as well as the use of technologies for peaceful purposes.

Dr. Pham Lan Dung, Acting Director of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, said proposals raised at the conference will contribute to improving public awareness of maintaining cooperation and peace in the East Sea in the context of the world facing difficulties caused by COVID-19 and each person striving to adapt to the new normal.

The conference, held in both online and in-person forms, brought together more than 60 scholars from 30 countries and territories, 90 representatives from diplomatic corps, and nearly 500 delegates.

Source: Vietnam News Agency