Category: General

Gia Lai: The People's Court of the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai on April 23 announced sentences on a group of individuals engaging in activities aimed at overthrowing the people's administration under provisions 1 and 2, Article 109 of the Criminal Code. The court imposed the harshest sentences of 13 years in prison on Phan Thi Thao, 67, and Ta Van Trieu, 50. Three other defendants, Tran Thien (52 years old), Vu Dinh Lan (51 years old) and Huynh Thi Khanh Trang (37 years old) were sentenced to 12 years behind bars. Cao Thi Ngoc Diem, 55, and Tran Hue Chan Vuong, 53, got nine years in jail. Two defendants, namely Tran Thi Kim Loan, 62 and Tran Tho, 68, were given eight-year imprisonment sentences, while Cao Cuong, 52, was sentenced to four years in prison. According to the indictment, they joined a reactionary and terrorist organisation called 'Chinh phu quoc gia Viet Nam lam thoi' (Interim National Government of Vietnam) led by Dao Minh Quan. Since 2020, they have been using various websites, su ch as chinhphuquocgia.com, tcdy.us and vnch3.com, YouTube and Facebook to disseminate the 'Hien phap De tam Viet Nam Cong Hoa' (Constitution of the Third Republic of Vietnam), call for and instruct people to conduct a "referendum" and the procedures for registering as members of the organisation. They also carried out propaganda, enticed people to undermine the country's stability and sustainable development, cause political insecurity, and eventually overthrow the people's administration. They made full use of social networks and internet messaging applications to collect, propagate, and share unfounded and baseless articles of hostile forces./. Source: Vietnam News Agency

Can Tho: The Vietnam National Mekong Committee (VNMC) on April 23 held a consultation workshop on Cambodia's proposed Funan-Techo canal project which has raised concerns about potential impacts on the Mekong river. Attending the workshop in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho, domestic stakeholders and international experts discussed Cambodia's plan to build the Funan Techo canal, a 180km waterway linking Bassac River (called the Hau River in Vietnam, which is one of the two main branches of Mekong River) with Kep port and onto the Gulf of Thailand. The participants were informed about the International Mekong River Commission (MRC)'s assessment on impacts of the project, the impacts that Vietnam pays attention to, requirements on the results of impact assessment and measures to minimise and monitor the project's impacts. According to VNMC, Cambodia sent an official notification to the MRC about its plan to build the Funan-Techno canal. Because the canal directly uses the water source of the Bassac River, the main distributary of the Mekong River, the project has raised many concerns regarding its cross-border impact. The development would impact water resources of the Mekong Delta, especially in the context of drought and saltwater intrusion plaguing the region more frequently and more severely. The Funan - Techo canal will transfer water from the Bassac River, a tributary of the Mekong River, to Kep port located outside the basin. This will significantly reduce water resources to the Mekong Delta, causing a negative impact on the livelihoods and production of local people and natural ecosystems. Associate Professor, Dr. Le Anh Tuan, advisor to the Institute of Climate Change Research, Can Tho University, said that when the Funan-Techo canal is formed, it will have a negative impact on the Mekong Delta. However, the level of influence depends on the canal's scale and usage. Participants said they hope Cambodia would early share details about the goals, design and operations of the project and engage in joint r esearch on its impacts with a view to reaching appropriate measures to monitor and minimise the impacts. Chief of the VNMC Office Nguyen Thi Thu Linh said that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the VNMC will continue to coordinate closely with the MRC Secretariat, Cambodia and other MRC member countries to accelerate research over the impacts of the Funan-Techo project and propose mitigation measures and monitor the impact. The Mekong Delta with an area of about 40,000 sq. km is home to more than 17.4 million people. It is considered the rice, fruit and aquatic product granary of Vietnam as it contributes 50% of the country's rice production, 65% of aquaculture and 17% of Vietnam's GDP. The delta has been affected by severe drought and salinity in 2015-2016, 2019 and currently 2023-2024 as El Nino impacts local ocean waters and weather patterns. As the weather is predicted to become increasingly extreme, natural disasters including droughts, floods, and saltwater intrusion will hit the region more frequently with more ferocity./. Source: Vietnam News Agency

Ba Ria-Vung Tau: The southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau has launched several specific tasks and measures to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Accordingly, the province will raise public awareness of the importance of urgency of the fight against IUU fishing and sustainable fisheries development, implement policies to improve effectiveness of the state management in the IUU fishing combat; facilitate relevant forces' inspection, examination and handling of violations at sea; synchronously amd effectively realise fisheries regulations; fix shortcomings and limitations as recommended by the European Commission (EC) in an effort to have its "yellow card" warning lifted in 2024. It will effectively implement the Party's resolutions and guidelines on sustainable development of Vietnam's marine economy as well as planning schemes, strategies and national programmes on the sustainable development and international integration of the fisheries sector; improve effectiveness of international cooperation, especially with European countries; apply strict measures to prevent local fishing vessels from fishing in foreign waters. Nguyen Van Tho, Chairman of provincial People's committee, said that in the coming time, the province will implement an action plan to fix shortcomings and limitations in the fight against IUU fishing, establish inspection teams to directly inspect localities and fishing ports; carefully prepare contents and scenarios serving working sessions with the fifth EC inspection team. In addition, local competent forces will coordinate closely with law enforcement forces at sea to regularly exchange information, investigate and handle fishing vessels that have lost connections for more than six hours and more than ten days at sea, ships violating regulations on IUU fishing, and those illegally crossing maritime boundaries. The province will develop a project to turn the locality into a national marine economic center, well implement a fishery development plan in line with the prov incial master plan approved by the Prime Minister; continue to develop coastal aquaculture models in a high-tech, environmentally friendly manner, towards higher value and sustainable development in parallel with the conservation and protection of aquatic resources, tourism and services development, and protection of sea and island sovereignty. According to the committee, so far, 97% of fishing vessels in the province have installed monitoring equipment; 85.63% are validly registered; and more than 96% are granted offshore fishing licenses. So far, provincial authorities have issued provisional registration numbers to 1,116 fishing vessels, or 97.89%, while the remaining 26 vessels will have them by April 30, 2024. Since August 2022, the province has reported no vessels illegally fishing in foreign waters./. Source: Vietnam News Agency

HCM City: Ho Chi Minh City will host the second banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich) festival on May 17-19, aiming to promote the Vietnamese cuisine which has grown in popularity among foodies from around the globe. The Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association (HTA) said on April 23 that the event will feature some 150 booths of renowned banh mi brands aged 50 and above, restaurants, bakeries, and suppliers of materials and bread-making tools. A space dedicated to the history of banh mi will be arranged at the festival, helping popularise the food among both domestic and foreign visitors. Other highlights of the festival include seminars on Vietnamese banh mi and global tourism and cuisine, and a startup programme for women and pastry students. Banh mi is a type of Vietnamese baguette sandwich filled with pSté, cold meats, and vegetables. Although they vary greatly between cities and between individual vendors, pork of some kind is usually used. One of Vietnam's most beloved foods, it was first brought to the count ry by the French in the 19th century and has since undergone a number of adaptations and changes. They may be found anywhere, from the stalls of street vendors to the menus of the finest restaurants. Last month, the Vietnamese food was ranked first in the list of the top 100 sandwiches in the world by international food website Taste Atlas. It also has had it name defined in reputable dictionaries like Oxford, Cambridge, and Merriam-Webster, to name just a few./. Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: To mark the Administrative Professionals' Week, the Tran and Tran Vietnam Consulting and Training Company in collaboration with the Vietnam Economic Times held a symposium and networking event in Hanoi on April 20 to honour the role of assistants in particular and those working in the administrative field in general, as well as to explore the future of this profession amid rapid digital technological advancements. The event saw the presence of Le Quoc Minh, member of the Party Central Committee, Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan (People) newspaper, deputy head of the Party Central Committee's Commission for Popularisation and Education and Chairman of the Vietnam Journalists' Association; Le Trong Minh, Editor-in-Chief of the Vietnam Investment Review; Nguyen Van Ba, Editor-in-Chief of Vietnamnet; Nguyen Ngoc Diep, Deputy General Director of the Vietnam Economic Times; along with leaders, managers, directors of many firms as well as assistants, secretaries and administrative staff who have been dedicating t o the operation of agencies and businesses. Keynote speakers at the event were Assoc. Prof. Dao Thi Thu Giang, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Alphanam Group's subsidiary company; Dam Thi Thu Trang, Director of the TalentsAll Co. Ltd.; Tran Thi Thu Huong, Executive Assistant to the Asia-Pacific Regional Director of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), and co-founder of Enlighten Books, a book collection dedicated to assistants. At the event, the speakers said according to research documents, the role of assistants dated back to the Roman times when their tasks primarily involved pouring water, making tea, and handling paperwork and correspondence. However, since the global economic crisis in 2008, personnel changes in large corporations have considerably reshaped this profession. Huong said in order to become a professional assistant, they must learn and possess basic skills ranging from managing schedules, collecting and managing information, organising and planning, being able to make decisions and ensure high security, managing work schedules, to more advanced skills such as diplomacy, negotiation, human resources and project management, data analysis, or even proactively supporting the building and implementation of strategies. Particularly, the most important quality that assistants need to have is flexibility. At present, there is a high demand for personnel for this position. Trang, as director of the TalentsAll, a human resources service provider, said not only in Vietnam but also worldwide, recruiting demand for professional assistants is increasing rapidly. In fact, a director may have multiple assistants for different projects/plans in the business development trajectory. Therefore, the opportunities for advancement in this career are also ample, and they are being nurtured to become the next generation of leaders or hold higher positions in independent roles. In the context of the post-COVID-19 economic fluctuations and the rapid development of technology, especially artificial intellige nce (AI), the role of assistants has also undergone significant changes. Huong, a master's degree holder, said she currently works as an executive assistant remotely, handling all tasks on a digital platform. This presents advantages, opening up many job opportunities while also posing challenges as enterprises are accelerating their digitalisation processes. However, Giang said the assistant profession cannot be replaced by AI. "AI can help reduce the workload, streamline some tasks, helping assistants save time but cannot completely replace their profession. This is because executive assistants need to possess emotional intelligence. This is a particularly important factor. For example, when developing direction and strategy, AI can synthesise data and propose solutions, but choosing which option to go with requires the assistant's reasoning, logic, experience and intuition. Or speaking of collaboration, one of the qualities of an assistant is networking and group working to grasp and collect information and feelings before proposing solutions, which AI cannot do'. Also at the event, the Vietnamese version of the book "The Modern-Day Assistant" by British author Lucy Brazier was unveiled. This set the stage for the introduction event of the "Enlighten books', a book collection dedicated to assistants by Huong and Tran Thi Kieu Anh, co-founders of the initiative. Source: Vietnam News Agency

Moscow: A book fair was held in Moscow on April 21 in response to the Vietnam Book and Reading Cultural Day, creating a chance for the Vietnamese community in Russia to meet, exchange books, and promote the reading culture. Themed 'Tram Ky uc' (memory station), the event was jointly organised by 'Vong tay Viet-Nga' (Vietnam- Russia embrace) association and the Vietnamese Students' Association in Russia, aiming at inspiring solidarity and patriotism among members of the overseas Vietnamese community. A fund-raising event was also held to build schools for mountainous students at home. The Vietnam Book and Reading Culture Day was first held in 2022 following a decision by the Prime Minister. The day is expected to encourage and develop the reading movement among the community, contributing to building a learning society. In addition, it aims to honour readers, authors, publishers, printers, and libraries that strive to preserve, collect, and promote books./. Source: Vietnam News Agency

HCM City: To meet the demand of people and tourists coming to Dien Bien during the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory, Vietjet increased the frequencies of flights between Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City and Dien Bien to 28 flights per week. Accordingly, the Hanoi - Dien Bien route will increase to 14 flights during the week from May 3 to May 11, 2024. Besides, there are 14 flights between Ho Chi Minh City and Dien Bien every week serving people and tourists travelling from the South to Dien Bien on the occasion of the anniversary of the "illustrious victory on five continents, shaking the Earth". During the week of the holiday of April 30 and May 1, Vietjet has also added 86,000 seats, equivalent to over 450 flights on tourist routes and increased the frequency of flights to/from Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, Nha Trang. Vietjet also enhances its resources to increase flights, reduce turnaround times, serve passengers at airports and bring them the best price promotions. The new-a ge carrier Vietjet has not only revolutionised the aviation industry in Vietnam but also been a pioneering airline across the region and around the world. With a focus on cost management ability, effective operations, and performance, applying the latest technology to all activities and leading the trend, Vietjet offers flying opportunities with cost-saving and flexible fares as well as diversified services to meet customers' demands. Vietjet is a fully-fledged member of International Air Transport Association (IATA) with the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certificate. As Vietnam's largest private carrier, the airline has been awarded the highest ranking for safety with 7 stars by the world's only safety and product rating website airlineratings.com and listed as one of the world's 50 best airlines for healthy financing and operations by Airfinance Journal in many consecutive years. The airline has also been named as Best Low-Cost Carrier by renowned organizations such as Skytrax, CAPA, Airline Ratings , and many others./. Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: Nearly 70 expatriates from more than 20 foreign countries and territories have returned home to commemorate Hung Kings, the legendary founders of the nation, at the Hung Kings Temple in the northern province of Phu Tho, the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese (SCOV) said on April 21. The delegation, led by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang, on April 20 offered incense to ancestors - Father Lac Long Quan and Mother Au Co, and Hung Kings. The annual programme is jointly held by the SCOV, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Phu Tho People's Committee, contributing to raising overseas Vietnamese (OVs)'s pride of the nation's heroic traditions, and strengthening the great national solidarity. The programme shows care, affection and responsibility of the Party and the State for OVs, better meeting their cultural and spiritual needs while affirming that they are an integral part of the nation. Every year, activities worshipping Lac Long Quan and Au Co take place ahead of the annivers ary of Hung Kings on the 10th day of the third lunar month, which fell on April 18 this year. Legend has it that Lac Long Quan (real name Sung Lam, son of Kinh Duong Vuong and Than Long Nu) married Au Co (the fairy daughter of De Lai). Au Co then went on to give birth to a pouch filled with one hundred eggs, which soon hatched into a hundred sons. However, soon thereafter, Lac Long Quan and Au Co separated. Lac Long Quan went to the coast with 50 of the children, while Au Co went to the highlands with the rest. Their eldest son was made king, who named the country Van Lang and set up the capital in Phong Chau (modern-day Viet Tri city in Phu Tho province), beginning the 18 generations of the Hung Kings. The kings chose Nghia Linh Mountain, the highest in the region, to perform rituals devoted to rice and sun deities to pray for healthy crops. To honour their great contributions, a complex of temples dedicated to them was built on Nghia Linh Mountain, and the 10th day of the third lunar month serves as the national commemorative anniversary for the kings. The worship of the Hung Kings, closely related to the ancestral worship traditions of most Vietnamese families, was recognised as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2012./. Source: Vietnam News Agency