Council tax and housing benefit

Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Tra, Deputy Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, speaks at the session (Photo: VNA) New York (VNA) - Vietnam supports the expansion of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in terms of both permanent and non-permanent members, with the fair representation of groups of nations, especially underrepresented ones, taken into account, Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Tra , Deputy Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, has said. Addressing the first meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiations on Security Council reform at the 77th UN General Assembly on January 26, Tra also emphasised improving the working method of the UNSC and limiting the use of veto power. She highlighted the importance of dialogues and discussions on the council reshuffle within the IGN framework, suggesting that this process be carried out in a transparent manner, with the participation of all members, and on the basis of respecting the interests of … [Read more...] about Vietnam supports expansion of UN Security Council

Japan's government will drop its recommendation to wear masks indoors and downgrade its medical classification for Covid-19, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Friday. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida removes his face mask before his speech during a plenary session of the upper house of parliament in Tokyo on January 27, 2023. (Photo by Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP) The changes, effective from early May, will classify the disease on the same level as the flu, down from its current status on par with tuberculosis and SARS. "As for masking, regardless of indoors and outdoors, the decision will be left up to individuals," Kishida told a televised government meeting. "We will take further steps towards 'life with corona' and make steady progress on returning to normality in homes, schools, workplaces, neighbourhoods and all facets of life." Masks are ubiquitous in public places and are commonly worn outdoors as well, despite the government having already said they … [Read more...] about Japan to drop mask guidance, relax Covid strategy

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh asked the ministries to quickly resolve the relevant issues to keep the ring road project moving forward as planned. Hanoi and the two provinces of Bac Ninh and Hung Yen have made big progress in land clearance for the construction of the Ring Road 4, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said on January 27. Prime Minister talks to local people that live in the area of the Ring Road 4 on January 27. Photo: Vietnam News Agency At the moment, Hanoi municipal  authorities have developed a land clearance plan for the whole 58.2-kilometer stretch of the ring road that runs through Hanoi. The capital has relocated almost two fifths of all the graves found along the ring road. Hung Yen Province has cleared land in Van Giang, Khoai Chau, Yen My and Van Lam districts and moved almost 16% of all graves along the ring road. Meanwhile, Bac Ninh Province does not have a plan to relocate graves and cemeteries in the project area, but Bac Ninh … [Read more...] about Prime Minister praises Ring Road 4 project’s land clearance

The Ministry of Construction (MoC) has set a target of raising the urbanisation ratio of the country to 53.9 per cent in 2023. Apartments in Hanoi. In 2022, Vietnam's urbanisation ratio increased by 1.2 per cent to 41.7 per cent. According to head of the MoC Office Đậu Minh Thanh, urban planning, management and development has been defined as one of the three breakthrough stages of the sector. In 2022, the country's urbanisation ratio increased by 1.2 percentage points to 41.7 per cent, he noted, adding that in the year, the ministry recognised five areas as tier-4 urban areas. As of November 2022, the country had 888 urban areas, including two special-type areas, 22 tier-1, 33 tier-2, 47 tier-3 and 94 tier-4 urban areas. Thanh said that in 2023, the ministry will focus on implementing the Government's action plan to realise Resolution No.06-NQ/BCT on sustainable urban planning, construction, management and development until 2030 with a vision to … [Read more...] about Urbanisation ratio expected to reach 53.9 per cent in 2023

A street in Hanoi is flooded after heavy rains. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Alongside urbanisation , flooding in cities of Vietnam, a country highly vulnerable to climate change, is getting complicated and needs concerted solutions, according to experts. There are more than 800 cities nationwide, including the two special municipalities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Big and populous cities such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, and Vinh of Nghe An province have frequently suffered from heavy losses caused by downpours and flooding. Nguyen Van Tien, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Disaster Management Authority under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said Vietnamese cities, especially major ones, are centres of economic, social, and cultural activities and also concentrations of infrastructure facilities and residential areas. They are exposed to many disaster risks, including flooding, which requires proactive preventive and timely response measures. … [Read more...] about Urban flooding needs concerted solutions

PANO – Cao Bang province on December 15 th solemnly organized a ceremony to mark the 70 th founding anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) and 25 th anniversary of whole people’s defence day, and announce Tran Hung Dao forest’s recoginition as a special national relic site. The event was attended by State President Truong Tan Sang. Opening the ceremony, Secretary of Cao Bang Provincial People Committee and Chairman of the provincial People’s Council Ha Ngoc Chien recalled the establishment and victorious revolutionary traditions of the VPA and the province. Art performance at the ceremony On December 22 nd , 1944, as instructed by President Ho Chi Minh, the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) was founded in Tran Hung Dao forest in Tam Kim commune, Nguyen Binh district, Cao Bang province. Of the first 34 soldiers of the army at that time, 25 were from ethnic minorities in Cao Bang. Three days after its establishment, with ingenuity and couragousness, … [Read more...] about Cao Bang marks VPA’s 70th founding anniversary

Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Phan Tam speaks at the ASEAN Conference on 5G . (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+) On the morning of October 11, in Hanoi, the ASEAN Conference on 5G took place within the framework of the International Digital Week organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications of Vietnam. Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Phan Tam said that ASEAN countries all have 5G development strategies but are facing problems with infrastructure, standards for deployment and information security. Therefore, the cooperation of ASEAN countries to build a 5G roadmap is one of the priority tasks and goals in the coming time. Lao Minister of Technology and Communications - Boviengkham Vongdara, said technology is one of the contents of long-term cooperation between Laos and Vietnam. "Laos wants to learn from the experiences of other countries, including Vietnam, which has achieved many achievements in digital transformation," … [Read more...] about ASEAN discussing 5G deployment roadmap