Day: November 3, 2022

 

Minister of Construction Nguyen Thanh Nghi has presented to the National Assembly measures to be taken in the time ahead to meet housing demand of low income earners and workers.

 

In reply to NA deputies’ questions on social housing policies at a Question-&-Answer session on November 3, the minister admitted that social housing development has not met expectations, with 7.79 million sq.m of housing built so far while the target 12.5 million sq.m. The land fund for social housing at present can meet just over 36% of demand.

 

Attributing the problem to legal obstacles and limited financial resources, Nghi said ministries and agencies should focus efforts on fine-tuning the legal documents related to housing, especially social housing, tackling difficulties for on-going housing projects and continuing to push ahead with the project to build at least 1 million housing units for low income earners and workers.

 

He also urged localities to continue with administrative procedure reform and create land fund for social housing, while removing difficulties and obstacles facing enterprises investing in social housing development./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

 

Authorities in Vietnam are looking for possibilities and taking necessary measures to repatriate the imperial golden seal of the Nguyen Dynasty that has set to be auctioned soon by a Paris-based action house, according to Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang.

 

She made the remark at the MoFA’s regular press briefing on November 3 in response to a question about French auction house Millon preparing to sell a golden seal made in 1823 under the reign of King Minh Mang (from 1820 to 1841), along with other antiquities hailing from or related to Vietnam.

 

Hang noted that over the past days, under the Government’s direction, the MoFA, the Vietnamese Embassy in France, and the Vietnamese Delegation to UNESCO have been working closely with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST), other ministries and sectors to liaise with the French Foreign Ministry and Culture Ministry, the Embassy of France in Vietnam, along with leaders of UNESCO and the auction house to verify information and defer the auction.

 

The Vietnamese Embassy said on October 31 that the auction would be postponed until November 10.

 

The Foreign Ministry is directing the Vietnamese Embassy in France and the Delegation to UNESCO to coordinate with and assist the MCST to seek possibilities and take necessary measures for repatriating the antiquity.

 

On October 31, Millon offered for sale more than 300 antiquities and artworks hailing from or related to Vietnam.

 

They include the golden seal “Hoang de chi bao” (Treasure of the Emperor) of King Minh Mang and a golden bowl dating back to the reign of King Khai Dinh (from 1917 to 1925) of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802 – 1945).

 

The golden seal, weighing over 10kg and symbolising the king’s supreme power, had a starting price of about 2 – 3 million EUR (1.9 – 2.9 million USD).

 

However, Millon said, due to the Vietnamese State’s strong interest for the seal, the sale of this piece is postponed to November 10 at noon.

 

Earlier, the Vietnamese Embassy in France had worked with the parties concerned regarding the seal auction. Representatives of the Nguyen Phuc clan in Vietnam, who are descendants of the Nguyen Kings, had also sent a request for cancelling the auction of the golden seal and golden bowl to Millon./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

 

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang said according to information from the Vietnamese Embassy in the Republic of Korea (RoK), the body of the only Vietnamese victim who died in a Halloween celebration stampede in Seoul’s Itaewon area was repatriated on November 2.

 

At the Foreign Ministry’s regular press conference on November 3, Hang said to date, it has been confirmed that in addition to the dead citizen, born in 2001, another Vietnamese was injured in the accident.

 

Immediately after receiving the information, the Vietnamese Embassy promptly implemented a series of citizen protection measures, such as visiting, and support funeral-related issues according to the wishes of the citizen’s family.

 

The spokesperson took the occasion to send her deepest condolences to the victim’s family.

 

Units under the ministry and the embassy are continuing to closely monitor the situation, while keeping in regular contact with the authorities and the Vietnamese community in the RoK, and are ready to take necessary measures to protect citizens in case there are more Vietnamese victims.

 

A service was held at Bucheon Hospital funeral house on October 31 for the deceased Vietnamese.

 

Minister-Counsellor at the Vietnamese Embassy Nguyen Viet Anh attended the service, while RoK Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin sent a wreath. The Korean Foreign Ministry also told the Vietnamese Embassy that its Government is exerting efforts to provide support for all victims of the tragedy.

 

The stampede, which broke out on the night of October 29, took the lives of 154 people and injured 133 others, as crowds were celebrating Halloween on Itaewon street./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Vietnam will coordinate closely with host Cambodia and other ASEAN members and partners at the upcoming 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and related summits to help consolidate the bloc’s solidarity and centrality, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said on November 3.

 

Addressing the ministry’s regular press briefing, Hang noted that at the invitation of Cambodian Prime Minister and Chair of ASEAN 2022 Samdech Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will attend the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and related summits in Phnom Penh from November 10 to 13.

 

The Vietnamese PM is scheduled to participate in around 20 events with many important meetings where he will join other leaders in discussing major issues such as the ASEAN Community building, the bloc’s external relations and centrality, along with international and regional issues of shared concern.

 

He will meet with leaders of the grouping’s partners to discuss issues related to ASEAN and Vietnam’s relations with the partners.

 

As an active and responsible member of ASEAN, Vietnam will work closely with host Cambodia, as well as other ASEAN members and other countries, to ensure the meetings are successful and produce substantive outcomes to help consolidate the bloc’s solidarity, unanimity and centrality; enhance mutually beneficial relations between ASEAN and partners; and harmoniously and balancedly resolve issues facing ASEAN to contribute to the ASEAN Community for the sake of peace and stability in Southeast Asia and Asia-Pacific at large, the spokeswoman said.

 

With regard to the Myanmar situation, she emphasised that Myanmar is a neighbouring country in the region and also a member of ASEAN. Vietnam always hopes the situation in Myanmar will be stabilised early to facilitate national construction and development for the sake of the Myanmar people, and to contribute to the building of a united, self-reliant, and strong ASEAN Community.

 

In that spirit, Vietnam supports and is ready to contribute to ASEAN’s efforts to help Myanmar overcome the current crisis, especially through the effective implementation of the Five-Point Consensus with priority given to ending violence and promoting dialogue and reconciliation among the parties concerned for the sake of the Myanmar people, the solidarity and integrity of ASEAN, and regional peace, stability and cooperation.

 

ASEAN’s assistance for Myanmar should be carried out step by step, concertedly, balancedly, and transparently. The bloc should also be the core force gathering and coordinating international efforts to support Myanmar, according to the spokesperson./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency