Culture sports

The book, “Ke chuyen tren mat nuoc” (Stories on water surface), was created by Luong Linh, a young man in Ho Chi Minh City who spent four years cruising Vietnam from the North to the South to meet insiders of the art, which has a history of over 1,000 years. Combined with knowledge of a painter, the 144-page book not only provides an insight into the origin and secrets of the art but also introduces 184 water puppetry characters in diverse designs, from the oldest to the latest. Some designs even have never been unveiled before as they were made for new plays. The large number of vivid and beautiful images is accompanied by simple, understandable but attractive information about water puppetry, considered the “soul” of the farming life, along with many interesting facts. They are expected to inspire the interest to this traditional art among culture lovers, along with young readers. “Ke chuyen tren mat nuoc” is the second work of the “Tu sach Sieu nhan” (Superman's bookcase) … [Read more...] about Book reveals untold stories about water puppetry

Under this agreement, more friendly exchange programs will be held for youth union members, young workers of the power sector and Lao and Cambodian students studying in the city. These activities  aim to contribute to promoting the fine friendship and solidarity among youths of three neighboring countries. Local units will jointly carry out a youth project entitled “Safe, civilized and economical light source," visit and give Tet gifts as a source of encouragement to Lao and Cambodian students who have to live far away from home for a long time due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. On the occasion of the three countries' traditional New Year celebrations, the units will coordinate to organize numerous cultural, artistic, and sports activities for Vietnamese youths and Lao and Cambodian students. The coordination program will take place until this December. Translated by Song Anh … [Read more...] about Youths of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia to boost exchange

During the meeting, Minister Son thanked press agencies and reporters for their effective contribution to the overall success of foreign affairs as well as external information work of the country in 2021, saying that they provided timely and accurate information for both domestic and foreign audiences, contributing to popularizing the foreign policy of the Party and State, and creating consensus, solidarity and support of the public at home and abroad, as well as international friends. 2021 is a challenging and difficult year, especially with the great and extensive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, adding that a fast changing world situation along with non-traditional security challenges such as diseases, climate change, and cyber security are negatively affecting international relations. In that context, Vietnam’s foreign affairs activities have been implemented in an active, creative and flexible manner, closely following the Party's foreign policy, achieving important … [Read more...] about Foreign Minister holds New Year meeting with press agencies

A medical worker taking a COVID-19 test sample from a resident in the southern province of Vĩnh Long. — VNA/VNS Photo Lê Thúy Hằng HÀ NỘI – In the two years since Việt Nam's first confirmed COVID-19 patient the country has recorded more than 2.1 million infections, as the Ministry of Health announced another 14,978 new cases on Sunday. The very first case was a visitor from Wuhan, China, who tested positive for COVID-19 on January 23, 2020. The number of transmissions in the country crossed the one-million mark on November 11, 2021, before quickly hitting two million on January 15, 2022. On Sunday, the health ministry also announced a further 123 COVID-19 related deaths. Among the new cases, 44 were imported and the rest were local transmissions. A total of 10,324 new infections were detected in the community. The capital city Hà Nội recorded the highest daily case count with 2,967, followed by Đà Nẵng at 984 and Hải Phòng at 764. Other transmissions were found in Hưng … [Read more...] about Two years since the first case, Việt Nam’s caseload exceeds 2.1 million

ABBANK fulfills all targets last year. — Photo courtesy of the bank HCM CITY — An Bình Commercial Joint Stock Bank has announced its 2021 results, saying it fulfilled all targets. Its pre-tax profits were worth VNĐ1.97 trillion (US$86.72 million), loans outstanding increased by 13.2 per cent to VNĐ78.64 trillion, and deposits edged up to VNĐ79.26 trillion. To accomplish its business plans even as the economy was hit hard by COVID-19, ABBANK implemented programmes to strengthen its finances, controlled costs and improved the efficiency of operation, risk and credit management and debt settlement. As a result, its capital adequacy ratio reached 12. 79 per cent and return on assets and equity were 1.5 per cent and 16.5 per cent, and bad debts were controlled at 1.45 per cent, within the safe threshold prescribed by the State Bank of Việt Nam. Lê Hải, CEO of the lender, said fulfilling business targets while also supporting customers affected by the pandemic was no easy task, … [Read more...] about ABBANK meets targets in 2021

The HCM City Traditional Medicine Institute on Friday receives the Labour Order, first class, in its 46th birthday. Photo sggp.org.vn HCM CITY — The HCM City Traditional Medicine Institute on Friday received the Labour Order, first class, award at a ceremony held to mark its 46th anniversary. Speaking at the event, its director, Dr Huỳnh Nguyễn Lộc, said the achievement was the result of tireless efforts by generations of its physicians. It has been ranked top among traditional medicine facilities in the country in hospital quality management for seven straight years, he said. Its main functions include preserving traditional medicines, promoting research and treating patients using a combination of western medicine. It received the Good Clinical Practice (GCP) accreditation from the Ministry of Health at the event. With its expertise in traditional medicine, the institute has been assigned to support hospitals in 24 localities in the south and the Central Highlands. — VNS … [Read more...] about HCM City Traditional Medicine Institute wins Labour Order award

Two additional COVID-19 cases linked to Omicron cases in HCM City COVID-19 outbreak forces suspension of Hà Nội spring festivals Prices hiked in holistic medicine for COVID patients Localities apply inconsistent COVID-19 travel regulations over Tết Việt Nam reports 15,684 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday Cases were recorded in Hà Nội (2,967), Đà Nẵng (984), Hải Phòng (764), Hưng Yên (629), Thanh Hóa (489), Quảng Nam (435), Quảng Ninh (427), Thái Nguyên (399), Bắc Ninh (377), Nghệ An (372), Bình Phước (361), Bình Định (358), Hải Dương (351), Bến Tre (347), Quảng Ngãi (326), Phú Thọ (308), Hòa Bình (284), Thừa Thiên Huế (282), Khánh Hòa (279), Vĩnh Phúc (276), Nam Định (266), Bắc Giang (254), Lâm Đồng (216), Cà Mau (190), Tây Ninh (167), Thái Bình (157), Lạng Sơn (153), Ninh Bình (143), TP. Hồ Chí Minh (138), Vĩnh Long (137), Hà Nam (129), Bạc Liêu (128), Đắk Nông (126), Lào Cai (119), Trà Vinh (100), Hà Giang (96), Điện Biên (95), Phú Yên (92), Yên Bái (91), Gia Lai … [Read more...] about 14,978 new cases reported on Sunday

As the Lunar New Year nears, Vietnamese people often visit their ancestral tombs and clean gravesites. They light incense at the graves, sum up the family’s major events during the year for their ancestors and invite the dead back home to enjoy Tet. Many families have come to Lac Hong Vien Cemetery in Hoa Binh City in the northern province of Hoa Binh for the ceremony earlier than usual to avoid the crowds in the coming days. It took Pham Thi Nghiem’s family in Ha Ba Trung District, Hanoi, more than an hour to the cemetery. Over the past six months, they have not been able to come to the ceremony due to being quarantined and social distancing measures. People usually prepare offerings such as incense, fruits, sticky rice and Chung cakes for their ancestor worshipping on this occasion. Nguyen Thanh Liem’s family in Thanh Xuan District came to Lac Hong Vien Cemetery quite early to invite the ancestors to return home for Tet. … [Read more...] about Traditional grave cleaning as Tet nears

Saigon Heat, the VBA champion in 2019 and 2020, had an outstanding performance at the VBA Premier Bubble Games - Brought to you by NovaWorld Phan Thiet 2021 after winning eight out of its nine games. Being the first professional basketball club in Vietnam, Saigon Heat has been focusing on developing local talents to build a strong foundation for its squad. A long-term foundation Coach Matt Van Pelt said he wants to develop his team in a comprehensive and sustainable manner by training his own players instead of hiring new foreign stars each season. Saigon Heat has invested a lot in its youth training program called Next Generation Heat and has begun to reap results in recent years with such rising stars as Vo Kim Ban, Antony Sundberg, and Hoang Tu, the coach continued. Coach Matt Van Pelt of Saigon Heat at the VBA Premier Bubble Games 2021. Photo: VBA Coach Van Pelt as well as his predecessor Kevin Yurkus and the team’s leadership have been able to build a … [Read more...] about Saigon Heat’s secret to sustainable success

Australia coach Graham Arnold is set to miss their crucial World Cup qualifier against Vietnam on Thursday after returning a positive test for COVID-19, Football Australia said. Arnold has gone into isolation ahead of the game in Melbourne and will be replaced on the sidelines by his assistant, Rene Meulensteen. "Arnold -- who is fully vaccinated, received a booster 10 days ago, and is asymptomatic -- immediately isolated from Socceroos staff after returning the result upon his arrival into Melbourne late last week," the governing body said in a statement on Sunday. "Socceroos staff already in Melbourne have also been isolating over the past two days and have since undertaken three rounds of PCR testing." Australia are third in Group B of Asia's World Cup preliminaries. Only the top two finishers are guaranteed to advance to the finals in Qatar later this year. Saudi Arabia lead the standings with 16 points, four ahead of Japan with the Australians a further point adrift. … [Read more...] about Australia coach Arnold set to miss Vietnam game after positive COVID-19 test