Day: May 5, 2022

The opening ceremony of the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) is slated for May 12 in Hanoi, promising to introduce the Vietnamese culture and traditions and disseminate the theme of SEA Games 31 – For a stronger South East Asia.

Taking place at the My Dinh National Stadium, it will feature a three-chapter art programme that showcases a friendly Vietnam, a strong Southeast Asia, and the solidarity and friendship of the ASEAN member states toward the building of the ASEAN Community.

At the 2-hour event, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will declare the official opening of the SEA Games 31 after a parade of the 11 delegations.

According to Tran Ly Ly, Acting Director of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism’s department of performing arts and the director of the opening ceremony, the programme will be held at a 7,000m² stage, with the ceremony and festival parts interweaven. It draws the participation of thousands of artists, actors, and students.

Five grand scenes are set to be performed, reflecting bold Vietnamese and Southeast Asian culture. A highlight of the event will be the feature of advanced technologies, including mapping, augmented reality – AR, and extended reality – EX, among others.

Notably, the display of symbols of 40 sports will be in the form of Dong Ho folk paintings, a traditional craft of Vietnam, through graphic images.

The impressive event is expected to be rounded off with an enticing ensemble performance of the Games’ official song “Let’s shine”, which will gather popular Vietnamese musical artists, the saola mascot, 110 dancers, and 250 athletes. The song by composer Huy Tuan is about the people born with a mission to strive for new summits and leave behind difficulties on their journeys by passion and extraordinary efforts, and with support from friends. They together shine in the welcoming and hospitable atmosphere of host Vietnam.

Since the official song was launched, its audio record, sung in Vietnamese and English by well-known artists like Tung Duong, Van Mai Huong, Ho Ngoc Ha, Isaac, and Den Vau, has attracted a large number of listeners on digital platforms, the SEA Games 31 organising committee said.

The 20,000 tickets available for the ceremony will be distributed free of charge as invitation cards rather than sold as tickets. The organising committee said the tickets will be allocated to Government and international officials, foreign embassies in Vietnam, as well as fans. They have been reserved for seats in Stand A because Stand B will host performances during the ceremony.

SEA Games 31 is scheduled to officially take place from May 12 to 23 in Hanoi and 11 nearby locallities, featuring 40 sports.

The sport event has been postponed due to complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic. SEA Games 31 and ASEAN Para Games 11 were originally scheduled to take place from November 21 to December 2 last year./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for 2022, will host a consultative meeting on ASEAN humanitarian assistance to Myanmar on May 6 in a hybrid format, according to a press statement by the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, who is the ASEAN chair’s special envoy on Myanmar, and Lim Jock Hoi, secretary-general of ASEAN in the capacity as the ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance Coordinator, will co-chair the meeting in Phnom Penh and via videoconference, the statement said.

It will see the presence of high-level representatives from all ASEAN member states, ASEAN external partners, United Nations specialised agencies, and other relevant international organisations.

The consultative meeting will provide a high-level platform for ASEAN to initiate a multi-stakeholder dialogue that provides guidance on how to advance ASEAN’s humanitarian aid to the people of Myanmar based on humanitarian principles and without discrimination, the statement said.

It will also touch on addressing the operational challenges faced by the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management, and discuss how to support the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to all communities in Myanmar, the statement added.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Vietnamese Embassy in South Africa on May 4 held a fundraising event to support soldiers and islanders in Truong Sa island district and DK1 Platform, helping to safeguard Vietnam’s sovereignty over seas and islands.

The raised money will be handed over to the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese (OV) Affairs when representatives of the Vietnamese community in South Africa make a trip to Vietnamese islands, which is slated for later this year.

Vietnamese Ambassador to South Africa Hoang Van Loi said that the Vietnamese community in the country always shows active response to activities to support their fellows at home, including assisting residents in flood-hit areas and contributing to the COVID-19 prevention and control fund.

He said that many Vietnamese who could not attend the event directly still donated cash to the fund via bank transfer or through their relatives.

Since 2012, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Naval High Command have coordinated to organise trips for OVs to the country’s islands, including Truong Sa island district and DK1 Platform. The trips have helped inspire the pride among OVs and enhance their awareness of protecting national sovereignty over seas and islands, he said, expressing more trips will be held in the future.

Recalling her memories during her trip to Truong Sa and DK1 Platform three years ago, Khuat Tu Anh, an official at the embassy, said that she admires the sacrifice by soldiers and islanders in affirming and protecting national sovereignty over seas and islands, as well as their optimism amid numerous difficulties./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) has forecast a bright future for the tra fish industry this year on the back of strong demand from major markets including the US, Europe and Asian countries.

Tra fish exports surged nearly 90 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2022 and accounted for about 27 percent of the country’s total seafood shipments. Most major markets have seen double- or triple-digit growth in tra fish imports from Vietnam.

By the end of March, exports to the US exceeded over 160 million USD, up 123 percent from a year earlier, according to VASEP. The association attributed the sharp increase to strong demand for food caused by record inflation, supply chain disruptions, and the Russia-Ukraine crisis.

Tra fish sales to Europe reached 46.7 million USD during the period, a year-on-year spike of 86.2 percent. The highest growth was seen in exports to Belgium (120 percent), followed by Germany (97 percent), the Netherlands (86 percent) and Spain (67 percent).

Shipments to China also bounced back after months of decline due to China’s “Zero-COVID” policy. Vietnam exported 183.4 million USD worth of tra fish to China from January to March, up 163 percent year-on-year.

Malaysia’s tra fish imports from Vietnam rose by 138 percent to hit 7.45 million USD by mid-March as a result of recovering demand.

It is likely that tra fish exports will maintain a high growth rate in the second quarter of this year as it provides an alternative to fill the gap caused by shortages of whitefish, such as cod and pollock, from Russia, VASEP said.

Statistics from the Directorate of Fisheries shows that tra fish output totalled 350,000 tonnes in Q1, up 8.8 percent from the same period last year, even though farming areas dropped 6 percent./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi (VNA) – Using energy economically and efficiently is a practical solution to help ensure national energy security, develop the economy, protect the environment and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Trinh Quoc Vu, Deputy Director of the Department of Energy Saving and Sustainable Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) said on May 5.

He made the statement at the launch of the Vietnam scaling up energy efficiency project which aims to encourage the business community to change technology towards economical and efficient use of energy in the industrial sector.

Surveys of the National Programme on Economical and Efficient Use of Energy for the 2019 – 2030 period (VNEEP3) showed that Vietnam’s energy use can be cut by 20-30 percent, he said, adding that the industrial sector accounts for more than 47 percent of the country’s total energy consumption.

The project is expected to contribute to promoting industrial enterprises to pursue the goals of saving energy, ensuring national energy security, as well as accompanying the Government in implementing the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and responding to climate change, Vu said.

Chu Ba Thi, a representative from the World Bank (WB), said the project, with total investment capital of 11.3 million USD, will be carried out from March until January 2026.

Once joining the programme, industrial enterprises have chance to apply advanced technologies to reduce production costs and energy consumption, thereby enhancing their overall competitiveness in domestic and international markets.

He also said that the WB is committed to continuing to assist Vietnam to improve the quality of energy use through a series of programmes and projects that have been put into operation in the coming time. Earlier in March, the WB, acting on behalf of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), signed a 11.3-million-USD grant with the State Bank of Vietnam to support the development of a commercial financing market for industrial energy efficiency investments.

Some 8.3 million USD from the grant will be used to build capacities for the private sector to identify, appraise and execute energy efficiency projects. It will also provide technical assistance to the MoIT and relevant authorities to strengthen policy frameworks and regulations and create an enabling environment to accelerate the energy efficiency market in Vietnam.

The remaining grant funds and the guarantee will be used to establish a risk sharing facility to provide partial credit guarantees to support local banks that may risk potential defaults on loans for energy efficiency projects./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Thai Minister of Digital Economy and Society Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn on May 5 affirmed that Thailand wants to cooperate with Vietnam in such fields as information infrastructure, cloud computing, social network management, digital transformation and digital economy.

He made the affirmation during his meeting with Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Phan Chi Thanh. The meeting took place after Vietnam and Thailand had successfully held the fourth meeting of their Joint Trade Committee (JTC) in Bangkok, achieving many important contents and agreeing to maintain coordination to remove bottlenecks in bilateral economic cooperation.

Thanh proposed the Thai ministry and Vietnam’s Ministry of Information and Communications intensify information sharing, promote further cooperation in digital economy and digital transformation, consider supplementing cooperation on digital transformation and digital economy and soon sign a new memorandum of understanding to facilitate collaboration activities in the new context.

He also suggested the two sides promote cooperation, and establish a mechanism to exchange and share experience in digital transformation and digital economic development in association with each country’s growth strategy.

Both sides need to boost collaboration and share experience in fake news management in order to establish a safe and healthy online environment, he stressed.

The Vietnamese ambassador proposed the Thai side create favourable conditions for Vietnamese information technology enterprises to invest and do business in the country, and suggested the two ministries resume working visits and meetings at all levels.

The embassy is ready to support and connect to promote cooperation between the two ministries in the coming time, he added.

For his part, Minister Chaiwut said that the two sides should continue promoting cooperation activities after more than two years of hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He agreed with Ambassador Thanh’s proposals, affirming that his ministry will soon consider and handle them.

He agreed to restart bilateral exchanges between the two ministries at all levels, affirming to support and facilitate Vietnamese IT firms’ investment and business in the country, thus contributing to further promoting cooperation in investment, trade and tourism between Thailand and Vietnam./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Vietnam’s U23 footballers are under great pressure, but I’m certain we’ll make the fans happy at SEA Games 31″, head coach Park Hang-seo said on May 5.

He made the remark at a press conference together with other coaches of the teams in Group A of the men’s football at the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31).

Park said Vietnam are the defending champions, and he knows the Vietnamese people have high expectations for the team.

Talking about the game with Indonesia on May 6, Park noted Vietnam defeated Indonesia to win gold at the 30th SEA Games in the Philippines in 2019. However, Indonesia have a new head coach and have made significant improvements. Shin Tae-yong, head coach of Indonesia’s U23 team, said his team have new and talented players, and are confident ahead of their game with Vietnam.

Vietnam will have home advantage, but Indonesia will give it their all, he said.

In Group A, Indonesia and Vietnam are viewed as strong contenders for a berth in the semifinals.

Their opening match is scheduled to take place at Viet Tri Stadium in Viet Tri city, Phu Tho province, at 7pm on May 6. It will be broadcast live on VTV5 and VTV6./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

A conference reviewing the five-year implementation of a friendship exchange programme between Vuon Buoi village, Loc Thien commune, Loc Ninh district of Vietnam’s Binh Phuoc province and Cooc Thomo village, Tonlung commune, Memot district of Cambodia’s Tboung Khmum province took place in Loc Thien commune on May 5.

The exchange programme, implemented from 2017-2021, contributed to strengthening friendship between local authorities and people of the two villages. As a result, political security, social order and safety in border areas have been maintained.

The two villages share a borderline of 2,992m, with one main border markers and 11 auxiliary ones.

Implementing the programme, the two sides have regularly coordinated in education and information dissemination on the tradition of friendship and cooperation between the two countries, especially on border demarcation and border marker planting, legal documents, and general agreements.

The exchange of goods, cultural and artistic activities is carried out regularly. Recently, Vuon Buoi cooperated with charity organisations to provide free medical examination and treatment and medicines and give gifts to 550 people in Tonlung commune with a total value of over 550 million VND (23,950 USD).

Speaking at the conference, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People’s Committee of Loc Ninh district Le Truong Son said that after more than 5 years implementing the friendship exchange programme, locals’ awareness on territorial sovereignty, border landmarks, and legal regulations on border management has been improved. The number of violations of border regulations and smuggling has decreased significantly as well.

Sharing the same view, Von Val, head of Cooc Thomo village, said that the friendship exchanges between border residential clusters is necessary and significant, thus helping foster the time-honoured solidarity and friendship between the two sides./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency