Vietnamese contestants in the 34th International Olympiad in Informatics in 2022. (Photo: SGGP) With a 100 percent medal-winning rate, including one gold and three silver medals, the Vietnamese national team ranks in the top nine countries and territories, after China, Japan, the US, South Korea, Iran, Ukraine, Croatia, and Taiwan, according to the medal tally. Specifically, Tran Xuan Bach, an eleventh grader of the High School for Gifted Students, College of Natural Science, under the Vietnam National University (VNU), won the gold medal. Duong Minh Khoi, a twelfth grader of the High School for Gifted Students, College of Natural Science; Le Huu Nghia, a twelfth grader of Binh Long High School for Gifted Students in Binh Phuoc Province; Truong Van Quoc Bao, a twelfth grader of Phan Boi Chau High School for Gifted Students in Nghe An Province, won the silver medals. The 34th International Olympiad in Informatics in 2022 was held online and in person. The Vietnamese team … [Read more...] about Vietnam wins four medals at 34th International Olympiad in Informatics
International miss
Vietnam’s tank team competes in International Army Games in Russia
Vietnam competed in the qualifying round of the tank biathlon category within the framework of the International Army Games 2022 in Moskva, Russia on Saturday, the Vietnam News Agency reported. This year’s tank biathlon event attracts the participation of 61 crews of 21 teams, divided into two groups. The first group consists of teams from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Venezuela, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, China, Uzbekistan, and Mongolia, while the second is comprised of Abkhazia, Armenia, Zimbabwe, Iran, Laos, Mali, Myanmar, Syria, Sudan, Tajikistan, and South Ossetia. Teams in Group 1 will compete in the qualifying round to select the top eight to enter the semi-final round and then the best four for the final round. Meanwhile, those in Group 2 will only join a round-robin format. Crew No.1 of the Vietnamese tank team completed their task on Saturday, destroying four targets out of five and finishing the race after 34 minutes 53 seconds. Meanwhile, crews from … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s tank team competes in International Army Games in Russia
Vietnam team claim four medals at Int’l Informatics Olympiad
All four students in the Vietnamese team win a medal at the 34th International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI 2022). (Photo: Ministry of Education and Training) Hanoi (VNA) – All four students in the Vietnamese team have brought home a medal at the 34th International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI 2022) hosted by Indonesia. Tran Xuan Bach, a 11th grader at the HUS High School for Gifted Students, Vietnam National University, won a gold medal at the competition. The three silver medalists are all 12th grade students, including Duong Minh Khoi also from HUS High School for Gifted Students, Le Huu Nghia from Binh Long High School for Gifted Students in Binh Phuoc, and Truong Van Quoc Bao from Nghe An’s Phan Boi Chau High School for Gifted Students. The IOI 2022 was held both in-person and virtually from August 7 – 14. The Vietnamese contestants took part in the competition remotely from Vietnam. This year, it gathered 349 contestants from 89 countries and territories. … [Read more...] about Vietnam team claim four medals at Int’l Informatics Olympiad
Airline cancels Vietnamese tourists’ tickets to South Korea’s Jeju Island
Nguyen Thi Thu Hien, 34 and her friends had their tickets from Singapore to Jeju Island canceled on August 9 because they did not have visas. The island, however, has a visa exemption policy for tourists. Hien, from Hanoi, said she'd already visited Jeju back in 2018 under the visa exemption policy and wasn't aware that it had changed when she booked the tickets for her and her friends to fly there from Singapore. "When we got to the Changi Airport for check-in procedures, an employee told us to discuss the issue with the airline. A representative of Scoot Airlines said Vietnamese, Thai, Mongolians and people from certain other countries would no longer be able to enter Jeju Island under the visa exemption policy. The airline said it would refund our tickets," Hien said. Vu Quoc Hung, 31, who had booked tickets with 11 other Vietnamese to fly from Ho Chi Minh City to Jeju on August 11 via Singapore, had the same experience. Hung's group reached the Changi Airport and did some … [Read more...] about Airline cancels Vietnamese tourists’ tickets to South Korea’s Jeju Island
Shanghai to reopen all schools Sept. 1 as lockdown fears persist
China's financial hub Shanghai said on Sunday it would reopen all schools including kindergartens, primary and middle schools on Sept. 1 after months of COVID-19 closures. The city will require all teachers and students to take nucleic acid tests for the coronavirus every day before leaving campus, the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission said. It also called for teachers and students to carry out a 14-day "self health management" within the city ahead of the school reopening, the commission said in a statement. Shanghai shut all schools in mid-March before the city's two-month lockdown to combat its worst COVID outbreak in April and May. It allowed some students of high school and middle school to return to classrooms in June while most of the rest continued home study for the remainder of the semester. The announcement on schools reopening brings great relief to many residents but fears about COVID lockdowns continue to persist, as China vows to stick to its dynamic … [Read more...] about Shanghai to reopen all schools Sept. 1 as lockdown fears persist
HCMC key traffic infrastructure projects delayed for years over land clearance, fund issues
In 2016, Ho Chi Minh City drew up plans for a series of projects in the Tan Son Nhat International Airport area, an important traffic hub that connects with downtown areas of several districts like Tan Binh, Tan Phu and Go Vap. Among the projects were overpasses over the Truong Son Road, the Nguyen Thai Son-Nguyen Kiem intersection and expansion of the Hoang Minh Giam Road, which were all completed within three years and helped relieve traffic congestion in the area. But several other projects have suffered repeated delays, including a road to connect the major streets of Cong Hoa and Tran Quoc Hoan. This 4 km road with an investment of over VND4.8 trillion ($205.1 million), has been delayed by land clearance issues, mostly related to military land. About 15 km away, traffic at the Cat Lai Port area in Thu Duc City has also been a headache for years. Since 2016, HCMC has worked on the first phase of a My Thuy Intersection project, which includes overpasses, underground tunnels … [Read more...] about HCMC key traffic infrastructure projects delayed for years over land clearance, fund issues
US lawmakers arrive in Taiwan as China tensions simmer
Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, has conducted military drills around the island after U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taipei in early August. China has long claimed sovereignty over the island. Taiwan's government rejects China's claims and says the island's people should decide its future. The de facto U.S. embassy in Taipei said the delegation is being led by Senator Ed Markey, who is being accompanied by four House lawmakers on what it described as part of a larger visit to the Indo-Pacific region. Taiwan's presidential office said the group would meet Tsai on Monday morning. "Especially at a time when China is raising tensions in the Taiwan Strait and the region with military exercises, Markey leading a delegation to visit Taiwan once again demonstrates the United States Congress' firm support for Taiwan," it said in a statement. Markey chairs the Senate Foreign Relations East Asia, Pacific, and International Cybersecurity … [Read more...] about US lawmakers arrive in Taiwan as China tensions simmer
Facing up to some ugly truths about beauty contests
The proliferation of pageants in the country has become a recent topic of discussion/debate. People say that the sheer number of competitions has caused a drop in both the quality of the candidates and entertainment value. Comparisons have even been made to Thi No, a literary character famous for being the polar opposite of beauty in Nam Cao's "Chi Pheo." Over the years, I have come to believe firmly that today’s beauty contests, not just in Vietnam, are inherently flawed. While the concept of beauty pageants has existed for millennia in both the East and the West (known through the Greek myth "Judgment of Paris"), modern beauty pageants as we know them only truly began in America during the early 20th century. The first beauty pageant of the modern times was the Miss America Pageant in 1921. Besides the touted appreciation of female beauty, pageants were a major tourist attraction, enticing people to go to resorts and entertainment centers in America's beach cities at the time. … [Read more...] about Facing up to some ugly truths about beauty contests
Vietnam Medi Pharm Expo to return to HCM City in August
Vietnam Medi Pharm Expo 2018 is expected to attract about 350 domestic and foreign exhibitors in August (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – About 350 domestic and foreign exhibitors will gather at the Saigon Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC) in Ho Chi Minh City for the 18th Vietnam International Hospital, Medical and Pharmaceutical Exhibition (Vietnam Medi Pharm Expo 2018) from August 2-4. The number of foreign exhibitors increased annually over the past 3 years, particularly those from Germany, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, India, and Malaysia, said Nguyen Khac Luan, general director of Vinexad , organiser of the event. Products on display at the expo will be medical equipment and equipment in the pharmaceutical and beauty industries, natural medicines and supplementary foods. Along with trading activities among the enterprises, the three-day exhibition will also feature seminars “Introduction to Vietnam’s Pharmacy and Medicine Market” and “Local Medical … [Read more...] about Vietnam Medi Pharm Expo to return to HCM City in August
Vietnam Medi-Pharm 2018 to open in Hanoi
At the Vietnam Medi-Pharm 2017 (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The 25th Vietnam International Exhibitions on Products, Equipment , Supplies for Pharmaceutical , Medical , Hospital and Rehabilitation – Vietnam Medi-Pharm 2018 will take place in Hanoi from May 9-12. The information was announced during a press conference co-hosted by the Health Ministry, the Vietnam Medical Products Import-Export JSC (Vimedimex) and the Vietnam Advertisement & Fair Exhibition (Vietfair) in Hanoi on May 2. This year, 450 firms from 30 countries and territories worldwide will join the event with 535 stalls. It will be the first time Polish enterprises attend the event with display of software on medical cost, electronic spare parts and automation. Major products on display include pharmaceuticals, functional food, medical equipment, dentistry and ophthalmological, and health care products, chemicals and experiment equipment. The Health Ministry’s display area will disseminate … [Read more...] about Vietnam Medi-Pharm 2018 to open in Hanoi