Month: February 2024

Hanoi: Seventy-two Vietnamese students won medals at the International Talent Mathematics Contest 2024 (ITMC 2024) organised in Thailand on February 24-27.

The students brought home 34 gold and 25 silver medals and one merit prize, marking the best achievement that Vietnamese students have earned at this contest so far.

The ITMC 2024 drew nearly 2,000 students from 10 countries and territories across the globe. It is a playground for excellent students to unleash their mathematics potential, and exchange experience and knowledge with each other.

An awarding ceremony was held in Thailand on February 27./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: The number of visitors to Hanoi in February is estimated at 2.18 million, including nearly 383,000 foreigners, up 7.1% and 15% year-on-year respectively, the municipal Tourism Department reported on February 28.

According to the department, the number of arrivals to the capital city is experiencing an upward trend. Total revenue from tourism activities is estimated at 8.06 trillion VND (327 million USD), a surge of 9% year on year.

Since the beginning of this year, the total number of visitors to Hanoi has hit 4.23 million, up 11.9% over the same period in 2023, of them 890,000 international and 3.34 million domestic, up 52.4% and 4.5% respectively. Total revenue from tourists during the first two months is estimated at 16.42 trillion VND (666 million USD), an increase of 20.9% over the same period in 2023.

Currently, the locality has 3,759 accommodation establishments with 71,050 rooms. The average hotel room occupancy in February reached 61.2%, up 0.4% compared to January and 5% over the same peri
od in 2023.

Director of the Hanoi Tourism Department Dang Huong Giang said that in March, the unit will implement many activities to continue promoting tourism development, including the “Get on Hanoi 2024” and the friendship spring tourism 2024 programme.

In addition, the department will develop a draft plan to build community and agricultural tourism models associated with practical experiences in craft villages, tourist spots and traditional cultural values of the ethnic minorities in My Duc and Chuong My districts, and other vicinities.

In March, the department will promote cooperation with provinces and cities to develop cultural and spiritual tourism routes such as Hanoi – Ha Nam – Ninh Binh, Hanoi – Son La and Hanoi – Lao Cai – Lai Chau, among others./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: Boasting great resources of forest and forest land, Vietnam is advised to develop forest ecosystem services, especially forest-based ecotourism to create jobs and improve incomes for locals, contributing to sustainable poverty reduction among mountainous communities.

A report from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), in 2022, Vietnam had 14,790,075 ha of forest area, of which 10,134,082 ha were natural forests and 4,655,933 ha were planted ones.

According to the MARD’s Department of Forestry, income from forest services is about 40 trillion VND (1.62 billion USD) each year, including about 2 trillion VND from forest tourism.

Since 2016, forest-based community tourism has thrived. In 2022 alone, this kind of tourism attracted 3.1 million tourists.

Recently, national parks and natural reserves across the country, including Pu Mat, Cuc Phuong, Phong Nha Ke Bang U Minh Thuong, Ba Vi, Bac Ma, Cat Tien, Cat Ba, Hoang Lien, Tam Dao, Ba Na-Nui Chua national parks, as well as more than
60 natural reserves across the country have worked hard to promote forest-based ecotourism.

However, forest-based ecotourism in Vietnam has still been in its beginning stage with limitations in professionalism, management and resource using for tourism. Meanwhile, the research, baseline study and forest-based ecotourism development planning have yet to be conducted effectively.

Do Van Lap, Vice Director of the Cuc Phuong National Park, said that the park has organised various programmes, activities and tours in association with wildlife rescue and preservation. Cuc Phuong is home to 2,230 floral species and 669 animal species, including 73 listed by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and endangered species needing urgent protection.

Tran Anh Tuan, founder of Nature Expedition, said that the firm’s experience tourism products in Cuc Phuong National Park have attracted a large number of visitors, especially children, helping educate them about the responsibility to protect the environment
and wildlife.

According to experts, Vietnam needs to give suitable policies, strategies and approaches to diversify forest ecosystem services. At the same time, the country should also diversify forest welfare for the community and educate the community about the significance of the forest, thus encouraging actions to protect fores as well as the environment and biodiversity in Vietnam./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Quang Ninh: Participating in Clipper Race activities is among the key tourism promotion and investment attraction endeavours of the northern coastal province of Quang Ninh in 2024 and beyond, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Cao Tuong Huy has affirmed.

At a tourism promotion conference and Clipper Race award ceremony held in the province on February 28, Huy said that this year, Quang Ninh aims to welcome 17 million visitors, including approximately 3 million foreigners, an ambitious goal amidst domestic and international difficulties and challenges.

During the conference, local officials and businesses introduced participants to investment opportunities in the province’s industrial parks and myriad tourism projects.

In his speech, British Ambassador to Vietnam Iain Grant Frew held that the conference lays the groundwork for spurring future cooperation between Quang Ninh and the UK, positively contributing to the Vietnam-UK strategic partnership.

The province is increasingly asserting its lead
ing role nationwide in sustainable development orientation, especially regarding clean energy, offshore wind power, education, and digital transformation, he said, pledging readiness to facilitate UK enterprises in exploring investment collaboration chances in these fields.

Following the conference was the Clipper Race awards ceremony for outstanding teams in Race 7, Leg 5, with the Qingdao team standing at the top and followed by the Zhuhai and UNICEF squads./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

New York: Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Nguyen Quoc Dung and Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN attended a ceremony to commemorate Merle Everlyn Ratner – a left-wing activist and a faithful American friend of Vietnam, which was solemnly held in New York on February 28 (local time).

Among about 200 people participating in the ceremony in person and online, there were advocacy groups supporting victims of Agent Orange/dioxin (AO) in Vietnam and a large number of Vietnamese in the US.

Participants recalled memories of Ratner and reviewed the life, career and contributions that she made to the struggle for peace, social equality and the rights of workers in the US and many other countries, especially her love and dedication to the country and people of Vietnam.

Ambassador Dung expressed condolences for the passing of Ratner. He affirmed that the country and people of Vietnam always remember and appreciate her warm sentiments and contributions to the the struggle for na
tional liberation, national unification and the development and integration of Vietnam, as well as the efforts to find justice for AO victims. The ambassador emphasised that the thoughts and activities as well as dedications of Ratner have become a valuable legacy, a source of inspiration and encouragement for her friends and comrades.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Giang said that Ratner’s passing is a great loss to not only Vietnam and the Vietnam-US relations but also to peace lovers and left-wing and progressive people in the US. The greatest legacy that Ratner left behind is the spirit of optimism, belief in the victory of peace and justice as well as the bright future of Vietnam and of working people around the world.

Born in 1956 in New York City, Ratner had a special love for Vietnam. She took to the streets to protest against the Vietnam War when she was 13 years old and became famous for hanging anti-war slogans on the Statue of Liberty.

Ratner actively participated in protests against the US war in Vietn
am since the late 1960s, the anti-imperialism movement in the 1970s and 1980s, and anti-racism campaigns in America today.

She was a co-founder and coordinator of the Vietnam Agent Orange Relief and Responsibility Campaign in the New York area.

Ratner passed away in an accident in New York on February 5 evening./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Ba Ria: Ten Indonesians and one Malaysian who are crewmembers of vessel Samudra Indah II in distress off the coast of Vietnam were handed over to representatives of the two countries’ consulates general in Ho Chi Minh City on February 29.

The hand-over event was held by the Border Guard Command, the Department of Foreign Affairs, and the Department of Public Security of southern Ba Ria – Vung Tau province.

At 4:50pm on January 29, a fishing vessel from the south-central province of Binh Thuan found vessel Samudra Indah II of Malaysia sinking at a place about 20 nautical miles northeast of Con Dao island, and saved 11 crewmembers drifting at sea.

Being notified of the incident, the Ba Ria – Vung Tau Border Guard Command asked for coordination from relevant forces and vessels operating near the area to search for the missing and bring the 11 rescued sailors to Con Dao.

The sailors were safely brought to Con Dao island at 10:50pm on the same day.

At the hand-over event, Encun Asun, a crewmember of Samudra I
ndah II, said they had gone adrift for 17 hours before being rescued by Vietnamese fishermen.

Border guards of Ba Ria – Vung Tau arranged accommodation, supplied essential items, and sent doctors to examine their health, he said, adding that they will never forget these deeds.

Indonesian Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Agustaviano Sofian thanked the Vietnamese authorities and fishermen for saving and caring for the crewmembers as well as handing over them to the consulates general for repatriation./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: Health records revealed that Vietnam is home to about 100 rare diseases and around 6 million patients, heard a symposium held by the Vietnam Medical Association in Hanoi on February 29.

Of the rare diseases in the Southeast Asian nation, 58% are found among children, of whom 30% die before they reach the age of five.

Statistics also showed that 300 million people around the world are living with one of 6,000 identified rare diseases, of which only 5% have a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drug.

Besides, treatment costs for the rare diseases remain high and unaffordable to most of the patients, if there is no financial support from the state or organisations and the society, especially for prolonged treatment.

In Vietnam, patients find it hard to access treatment methods due to restricted health insurance coverage for the rare diseases, and some drugs yet to be approved in the country.

Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan said the Ministry of Health has put in place a number of poli
cies and solutions to better manage the rare diseases. These include forming a task force in 2014, establishing an advisory council on rare disease management, and participating relevant forums within the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

To deal with challenges to rare disease treatment and management, he suggested the engagement of the entire political system and society, which has proved effective in many countries in the world.

Apart from policy-making, the enforcement of policies plays a crucial role, requiring diverse resources, including international cooperation, the official said, speaking highly of the support from international organisations and pharmaceutical firms like Takeda, Sanofi, Novartis and Roche over the past time.

On this occasion, the Department of Medical Service Administration under the Ministry of Health signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation with the four pharmaceutical firms, aiming to improve the quality of rare
disease management and treatment in Vietnam.

Under the MoU, the relevant sides will establish a group of experts to supervise guideline implementation at hospitals, coordinate to review and update the ministry’s standard treatment guidelines, devise drug management policies, and support the building of national database on drugs for rare diseases, among other activities./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Binh Dinh: A 115kg bomb that remained intact and had high dangerousness has been successfully deactivated in the central province of Binh Dinh.

The bomb, about 100cm in length and nearly 30cm in diameter, was discovered by some workers while they were leveling the ground at Go Cay industrial cluster in Binh Thanh commune of Tay Son district.

Be informed of the bomb, the Binh Thanh People’s Committee ordered the commune’s military command to examine and seal off the site in case of an explosion.

At about 9am on February 28, sappers from the Binh Dinh Military Command moved the bomb to the training ground of a military unit in Binh Thanh commune to deactivate it in line with regulations./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency