Day: December 19, 2022

Permanent Vice Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Tran Thanh Man visited the Da Nang Diocese and the Vietnam Christian Mission on the occasion of the upcoming Christmas festival on December 19.

 

Man wished Bishop of the Da Nang Diocese Joseph Dang Duc Ngan and other dignitaries and Catholics good health and a merry festival.

 

Lauding their contributions to the fight against COVID-19 and the economic recovery, the official said the diocese of Da Nang and local Catholics have played an important role in social activities, especially by supporting the elderly, persons with disabilities and orphans.

 

For his part, Joseph Dang Duc Ngan thanked the support of the Party, NA, State and front agencies and associations for the Catholic community, and praised them for their leadership during the pandemic.

 

On behalf of the Party, NA, Government and leaders, Man also extended wishes and regards to Pastor Nguyen Quang Duc, head of the Vietnam Christian Mission, and dignitaries and followers, hailing their contributions to national construction and development.

 

He urged Pastor Nguyen Quang Duc and other dignitaries to continue encouraging followers to abide by the Party’s guidelines and State laws, and respond to emulation movements launched by the State.

 

In reply, Pastor Nguyen Quang Duc said he and other dignitaries and followers will make greater efforts to lead good religious and secular lives./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

 

The National Action Centre for Toxic Chemicals and Environmental Treatment (NACCET) opened a seminar and photo exhibition in Hanoi on December 19 in support of Agent Orange (AO) victims.

 

Participants discussed priority support for the enforcement of policies for people with disabilities, the need for technical assistance in the process of policy enforcement, capacity to mobilise, manage and use resources for the disabled, among others.

 

The project aims to improve the living conditions of persons with disabilities in provinces heavily sprayed with Agent Orange in the provinces of Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Nam, Binh Dinh, Kon Tum, Binh Phuoc, Dong Nai and Tay Ninh from 2021-2026.

 

Managed by the Ministry of National Defence and carried out by NACCET, the project is costing about 65 million USD in non-refundable aid provided by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and 75 billion VND (3.26 million USD) from Vietnam.

 

The project aims to expand medical, rehabilitation and social services for the disabled, making it easier for them to integrate into society while improving the capacity of managing and supporting the disabled at all levels.

 

As of the late November, nearly 12 million people with disabilities and AO/dioxin victims in the above localities had received health check-ups, about 3,500 underwent rehabilitation, 6,000 obtained care services, and about 1,000 could manage themselves with support./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

 

 

Filming for Dat Rung Phuong Nam (Southern Land), a film on southern history and culture by blockbuster director Nguyen Quang Dung, has begun in HCM City.

 

The work expected to be completed next year tells the adventures of a boy named Nam, who loses his family in a battle and lives in the southwestern region under the French colonists.

 

He learns new things with the help of poor farmers and children, and travels around the region and witnesses the suffering of farmers during the war.

 

He joins the Viet Minh guerrillas to fight against the French troops.

 

The producer, HK Film, invited talented director Dung, director of photography Diep The Vinh, and music producer Duc Tri to guarantee the film’s high quality in images, sound and light effects.

 

The film Dat Rung Phuong Nam is based on the famous novel of the same name by late author Doan Gioi, winner of the State Awards for Literature and Arts in 2001.

 

Gioi’s book was released by the Kim Dong Publishing House in Hanoi in 1958.

 

The 255-page work is a song in praise of southern people, their history and culture. It provides readers, particularly children, with new ideas about the nature, animals, rivers, plants and people of the south.

 

The book has been printed in dozens of languages, such as English, Russian, Chinese, Spanish and Polish. Its chapter titled Song Nuoc Ca Mau (Rivers of Ca Mau) has been used in textbooks for secondary students.

 

In 1997, the work was adapted into a 11-part TV series called Dat Phuong Nam (Song of the South) by director Nguyen Vinh Son.

 

Son’s work won the first prize for the Year’s Best TV Series at the 1997 National Film Festival presented by the Vietnam Cinematography Association.

 

It was subtitled in English and has been distributed in the US, Australia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore.

 

Director Dung spent five years to prepare for his biggest film project Dat Rung Phuong Nam.

 

He used movie stars Hua Vi Van and Tuan Tran, and Meritorious Artist Nguyen Cong Ninh to play lead roles.

 

Filming will be shot in southern localities such as An Giang, Can Tho, Soc Trang, Tra Vinh and Dong Thap.

 

“I hope my new version of Dat Rung Phuong Nam will meet the demands of moviegoers, especially author Gioi’s readers, who are of all ages and backgrounds,” said director Dung, who has 25 years in the industry.

 

Dung’s previous film, Thang Nam Ruc Ro (Splendid Years), a remake of a Korean hit called Sunny, earned more than 65 billion VND (2.85 million USD) in ticket sales in 2018./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency

 

 

Indonesia has welcomed two baby Javan rhinos, one of the world’s most endangered species, its Environment and Forestry Ministry said on December 19.

 

Hidden camera footage released by the ministry at the weekend showed a small rhino trudging alongside another almost three times its size in the muddy terrain of the protected Ujung Kulon National Park on the western tip of Java island.

 

Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya Bakar said the births would ensure rhino populations keep rising.

 

Javan rhinos, which are distinguished by their single horn, were once found throughout northeast India and Southeast Asia. Today they are among the most threatened of the five rhino species, mainly due to poaching.

 

There are now 77 Javan rhinos in Ujung Kulon, the ministry said./.

 

Source: Vietnam News Agency