Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and other ASEAN leaders will attend a special ASEAN-US summit marking the 45th founding anniversary of the relations between the two sides in Washington D.C. on May 12-13, at the invitation of US President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr.
On this occasion, a delegation of Vietnam led by PM Chinh will visit the US and the United Nations from May 11 to 17, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Source: Vietnam News Agency
The capital city of Hanoi has been fully ready for SEA Games 31 and the opening ceremony in particular, amid the fight against COVID-19 across Southeast Asia.
Some 2,000 banners along with billboards on the largest regional sporting event have been on display along main roads, in public places and downtown Hanoi. Competition venues are also adorned with flower pots.
Nguyen Van Vien, a resident of Hanoi said he will travel to venues to watch in person and cheer athletes, voicing his hope that those of Vietnam will obtain the best results.
Featuring 40 sports with 526 events, SEA Games 31 is expected to attract around 10,000 participants. As the capital city will be the host of major events and competitions, ensuring security and safety during the Games has been considered as a key task of police in Hanoi and relevant forces.
About 3,000 people have joined preparations for the opening and closing ceremonies in the capital city, and infrastructure for the regional event had been fundamentally completed as of May 7.
The municipal People’s Committee has devised COVID-19 prevention and control plans during SEA Games 31.
Those who test positive for the coronavirus will not participate in the event and must be quarantined. People having close contact with COVID-19 patients or contracting the virus during the Games will have their samples collected and be asked to follow guidelines of the organising committee.
On May 7, the women’s union of Ba Dinh district of the city held an event to honour “ao dai” (traditional long dress) in celebration of SEA Games 31.
President of the union Dinh Thi Phuong Lien said to welcome the regional event, many streets have been cleaned up and decorated with flowers and murals.
The district’s Quan Ngua Sports Palace will host gymnastics at the Games.
SEA Games 31, themed “For a Stronger South East Asia”, will be held in the capital and 11 neighbouring provinces and cities from May 12 to 23. The biennial event was initially slated for late 2021 but delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Source: Vietnam News Agency
A total of 2,269 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Vietnam in the past 24 hours to 4pm on May 8, according to the Ministry of Health.
Hanoi continued to record the highest number of infections with 338 cases, followed by the northern provinces of Nghe An and Tuyen Quang, with 140 and 135 cases, respectively.
The national tally reached 10,676,184.
A total of 2,066 COVID-19 patients were given the all clear on May 8, bringing the number of recoveries so far to 9,320,591.
One COVID-19 death was reported on the day, bringing the death toll to 43,056.
By May 7, the country had injected 215,688,790 doses of COVID-19 vaccines, including 1,820,498 first shots for children from 5 to 11 years old.
Source: Vietnam News Agency
Malaysia sealed a 2-1 comeback win against Thailand in their opening Group B match at the ongoing 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) held in Nam Dinh province on May 7.
The province’s Thien Truong Stadium, with a seat capacity of 20,000, was nearly full.
Patrik Gustavsson gave Thailand the lead at the 33rd minute. However, Thai youngster Jonathan Khemdee was sent off for a challenge on a Malaysian player before half-time.
Danial Asri equalised for Malaysia in the 61st minute.
The match looked set to finish in a draw, until an own goal by Thai defender Anusak Jaiphet in the injury time settled the 2-1 win for Malaysia.
Laos drew 2-2 with Singapore in another match of Group B.
Source: Vietnam News Agency
A memorial to late President Ho Chi Minh on Co To island in the northeastern coastal province of Quang Ninh received its certificate as a special national relic site at a ceremony on May 7.
On May 9, 1961, President Ho Chi Minh visited the island, the only destination he allowed to erect a statue of him during his lifetime. The memorial was built in 1968, recognised as a national relic site in 1997, and received its latest accreditation in mid-January this year.
At the ceremony, an art programme to kick off the island’s tourism year 2022 also took place.
Earlier, on April 26, a 27.9m flagpole was officially inaugurated at the site, affirming Vietnam’s territorial sovereignty and promoting national pride and patriotism.
Source: Vietnam News Agency
As the Government continues to develop the country’s cultural industry, ethnic traditional values have been considered a valuable resource for building a diverse and unified Vietnamese identity.
Vietnam has 54 ethnic groups which share various values but also boast their own unique cultural traditions.
To take advantage of this, significant attention is needed to the ethnic cultural environment, which includes daily activities, spiritual beliefs and arts, among others, Professor, Dr. Le Hong Ly, Chairman of the Vietnam Folk Arts Association, said at a forum in mid-April.
He added that such environments nurture communities that form their own personalities and qualities.
Also at the forum, Dr. Tran Huu Son from the research institute on culture and tourism application stressed that building a cultural environment is an important yet difficult task for the culture, sports and tourism sector.
The work must consider the specific characteristics of each locality, as well as appropriate policies, resources and methods, he said, adding that in areas populated by ethnic minorities and poverty-stricken regions, urgent and long-term solutions are required. Informing participants on the strong growth of social networks among northern mountainous ethnic minorities since 2010, the expert noted it is necessary to study these networks and turn them into a cultural institution in building a healthy cultural environment in line with the country’s overall development goals.
Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Hoai Son, Standing Member of the National Assembly’s Committee for Culture and Education, meanwhile, spoke of the role of the community in organising their own cultural events.
A traditional festival only succeeds when people organise it by and for themselves. They must also get involved in the process of evaluating its effectiveness and, more importantly, benefit from the event, he added.
Source: Vietnam News Agency
Ngo Phuong Mai became the first medalist for Vietnam at the ongoing 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) in the country after winning a bronze medal in diving on May 8.
After the five dives in Hanoi, Mai scored a total of 224 points after Nur Dhabitah Sabri and Kimberly Bong, both of Malaysia, who scored 290.45 and 230 points, respectively.
SEA Games 31, themed “For a Stronger South East Asia”, will be held in the capital and 11 neighbouring provinces and cities from May 12 to 23. The biennial event was initially slated for late 2021 but delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Featuring 40 sports with 526 events, it is expected to attract around 10,000 participants.
Source: Vietnam News Agency
The Presidium of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee convened its 12th conference on May 8 to discuss its draft report on the summary of opinions and recommendations by voters and people for submission to the 15th National Assembly’s 3rd meeting.
In his remarks, President of the Committee Do Van Chien affirmed the importance of the report, adding that comments will be taken into account for its completion.
Ha Thi Nga, President of the Vietnam Women’s Union Central Committee, said the draft should reflect more clearly voters’ concerns about domestic violence and abuse of women and children in the recent past.
First Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCYU) Central Committee Nguyen Anh Tuan suggested the Ministry of Education and Training carefully consider the teaching and learning of history in the general education programme.
Participants also commented on many other issues such as businesses’ efforts to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, job creation, and anti-corruption work.
Source: Vietnam News Agency
