Anti vaccine community behind north carolina chickenpox outbreak

Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan has said that Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh would chair a meeting of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control this weekend to deliberate the downgrading of COVID-19 from its current placement in Class A infectious diseases down to Class B. Lan told the National Assembly that on May 29 that the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced that COVID-19 no longer constituted a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, the designation that was attached to the viral disease more than three years ago, but the pandemic is not over yet. In accordance with the guidance of the Government leader, the Ministry of Health was also coordinating with other ministries and agencies to review the legal regulations, consult the experience of other countries, and review practical measures for the prevention and control of COVID-19 in Vietnam, Lan noted. The Ministry … [Read more...] about Vietnam to consider downgrading COVID-19 to flu-like status

Vietnam has the 15th largest population of smokers in the world, and approximately 40,000 people die each year from diseases caused by smoking. National lawmakers have called on the Government to ban all e-cigarette products in Vietnam soon, citing health concerns. A no-smoking sign is labeled at a bookstore in Hanoi. Photo: Văn Sinh/The Hanoi Times The Government should amend the Law on Tobacco Harm Prevention and related regulations to stop the trade, circulation and use of e-cigarettes in Vietnam, Hanoi deputy Nguyen Anh Tri said on June 1. All these actions should be dealt with under the Penal Code, he said. Tri said new generations of cigarette products, including e-cigarettes, may contain illegal drugs and cause severe damage to people's health. However, he said, hardly anything was done to prevent these products from adversely affecting society. He called on the government to reduce the smoking rate to 30% by 2030. "The Government needs … [Read more...] about Vietnamese Government urged to ban e-cigarettes

In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)'s resident correspondents in Sydney ahead of the Prime Minister's trip from June 3-4, Thanh said the visit takes place at a time when the two countries are celebrating the 50th founding anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic ties and the 5th anniversary of the strategic partnership. This is the second official visit to a Southeast Asian nation by Albanese since he took office, and the third to Vietnam by an Australian Prime Minister, the ambassador said, noting that the trip shows Prime Minister Albanese’s administration attaches importance to Vietnam. Thanh also recalled the visit to Vietnam by Australian Governor-General David Hurley in April, which was his only State-level visit to a Southeast Asian nation, and another trip to Vietnam by Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell in the same month. In June 2022, Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong selected Vietnam as the first ASEAN country to pay an official visit. … [Read more...] about Australian Prime Minister’s Vietnam visit to give impulse to bilateral ties: Ambassador

Illustrative image. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - The World Bank (WB) on May 31 approved a 176-million-USD loan to fund a fisheries project that aims to improve fisheries management, enhance the value of fisheries production , and raise income s for coastal communities in the Philippines. The project is expected to benefit more than 1.5 million fisherfolk, small-to-medium businesses, and residents in coastal communities, the multilateral lender said in a statement. According to the WB, the fisheries sector contributes 1.3% to the Southeast Asian country's gross domestic product. It provides approximately 1.6 million jobs, or around 4% of the labour force, including for low-income families engaged in subsistence fishing. However, the sector has faced challenges, with fish stocks declining by an average of 20% over the past decade due to over-exploitation, destructive fishing methods, habitat degradation, and negative impacts from land-based activities. This … [Read more...] about World Bank approves 176-million-USD fisheries project in Philippines

Indonesia sees 32 billion USD investment in EV battery chain (Photo source:auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com) Jakarta - Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan on May 30 revealed that the country can receive an estimated 31.9 billion USD in investments for project tied to battery supply chain by 2026. According to the minister, with the country rich in nickel used in batteries for electric vehicles (EV), the government wants to see more investment in nickel downstream sectors to boost economic growth. He said the Kalimantan region can receive 12.35 billion USD in investment while North Maluku and Sulawesi can attract 9.78 billion USD and 9.84 billion USD in battery supply chain projects, respectively. To encourage investment from emissions-conscious investors, the Indonesian government has touted the North Kalimantan industrial park on Borneo island as "green”, with a plan to power activities there with hydropower. … [Read more...] about Indonesia sees 32 billion USD investment in EV battery chain

Quang Binh Province, famous for cave tours, is offering a new travel experience that allows tourists to slide down a 600-metre-long line amidst a hidden valley inside Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. Quang Binh, home to UNESCO heritage site Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, is famous for its pristine caves and beautiful tourism sites. Along with famous places such as Thien Duong Cave, Chay River - Dark Cave, Nuoc Mooc Stream, Ngoc Bich Valley in Phong Nha-Ke Bang has become an emerging tourist destination. Ngoc Bich is located in Chay Lap Village, Phuc Trach commune, Bo Trach District. Covering 12 hectares, the valley is surrounded by high mountains, green jungle with Chay River flowing through, creating a beautiful natural landscape in the heart of Quang Binh. The most ideal time to visit Ngoc Bich Valley is in the summer. Due to its location right next to Dark Cave, the valley has a section of the Chay River flowing … [Read more...] about New Quang Binh adventure tour

An elderly woman in the central province of Nghe An's Quynh Luu District is in desperate need of help to support her disabled son. Ho Thi Van and her disabled son Nguyen Ba Cuong Ho Thi Van, 78, said that she has three sons who all have weak health caused by Agent Orange that she might have been exposed to when joining the American War during the 1960s. While the eldest Nguyen Ba Hung, 49, and the youngest Nguyen Ba Phuong, 38, have better health condition, her second son Nguyen Ba Cuong, 47, suffers serious amyotrophia and only weighs nearly 10 kilos. "I was not afraid of death while joining the war, but now I'm afraid of it," Van said. "I want to live to take care of my disabled son. However, my left eye has gone blind and my right eye also has poor sight. Now I can only do some light housework." According to the mother, Cuong was born ailing and has had to depend on others for all daily activities. Her husband died many years ago, and she has raised three … [Read more...] about Nghe An elderly woman needs help to support disabled son

Illustrative photo (Photo: businessinsider.com) Hanoi (VNA) – Four out of the five international undersea cables that were damaged last year and early this year have been repaired, the Department of Telecommunications under the Ministry of Information and Communications announced on June 1. Up to now, only the Asia Pacific Gateway (APG) internet cable that connects Vietnam with the rest of Asia is still experiencing errors. The APG, with 10,400 km of cable under the Pacific Ocean, is the cable with the largest bandwidth connecting to Vietnam. It provides a maximum bandwidth of 54 terabytes per second and opened in 2016. In late December 2022 and mid-January this year, the cable had an problem with its connection to Hong Kong and another cable 151 km offshore. The two errors affected the entire line. The errors on APG route are expected to be fixed in June. With the completed repair and restoration of normal operation by four undersea cable routes - IA , SMW3, AAE-1 … [Read more...] about Internet speeds up as four of five undersea cables repaired

Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Nguyen Tat Thanh. (Photo: Vietnamese Embassy in Australia) Hanoi (VNA) – The upcoming visit to Vietnam by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will create momentum for bilateral cooperation in such potential areas as culture, investment, labour and people-to-people exchanges, Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Nguyen Tat Thanh has said. In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)'s resident correspondents in Sydney ahead of the PM’s trip from June 3-4, Thanh said the visit takes place at a time when the two countries are celebrating the 50th founding anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic ties and the 5th anniversary of the strategic partnership. This is the second official visit to a Southeast Asian nation by PM Albanese since he took office, and the third to Vietnam by an Australian PM, the ambassador said, noting that the trip shows PM Albanese’s administration attaches importance to Vietnam. Thanh also … [Read more...] about Australian PM’s Vietnam visit to give impulse to bilateral ties: Ambassador

Vietnamese Ambassador to the Netherlands Pham Viet Anh speaks at the event (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnamese Student Association in the Netherlands (VSNL) has recently held a career fair at the headquarters of the Vietnamese Embassy in the European country. Speakers, those who had graduated and are working in the Netherlands, shared their experience on career options and required procedures when applying for a job. Netherlands Pham Viet Anh highly appreciated the VSNL's initiative and efforts in connecting students and the Vietnamese community, creating opportunities for them to grasp information, knowledge and experience. The Ambassador also answered many questions raised by students as well as shared experience in learning and career orientation. While affirming the Embassy's support for students' activities, he wished the future generation of the country to study well to achieve high results, nurture their ambitions and succeed in their careers./ VNA … [Read more...] about Vietnamese students in Netherlands hold career fair