The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said it is verifying a report that four of the six women discovered and rescued by French police from a refrigerated truck in France are Vietnamese citizens, and is ready for citizen protection measures. The rescue was made in Lyon, a city in southeastern France, on Thursday and the six rescued women included four believed to be Vietnamese and two Iraqi, the ministry said Friday, citing a report from the Vietnamese Embassy in France. After getting notified of the rescue, the embassy has immediately coordinated with local authorities to verify the information and ask for their support to carry out citizen protection measures. Initial information showed that the four believed-to-be Vietnamese women were in stable health condition. The embassy will continue to closely monitor the case and be ready to implement any necessary measures to protect the legitimate rights and interests of Vietnamese citizens, the ministry stated. … [Read more...] about 4 believed-to-be Vietnamese women rescued from refrigerated truck in France
Life changing
Biggest festival of Caodaism attracts tens of thousands of visitors
The festival is a great religious banquet for the Great Mother and nine female immortals of the Dieu Tri Palace (Jasper Pond Palace) held annually on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. With the main activities including a procession, a five-fruit banquet offering, and prayer, this year, followers displayed 117 booths of fruits, musical instruments, and decorations, among others, to reenact the tales of the goddesses. In his remarks at the festival, Cardinal Thuong Tam Thanh, Head of the Executive Council of the Cao Dai Church in Tay Ninh, thanked the Party and State for paying attention to and creating favorable conditions for Cao Dai followers to practice their belief and live a happy and peaceful life. He noted that in the past year, Cao Dai dignitaries and followers seriously practiced their religion, act in compliance with the law, actively join charity activities, and build a civilized lifestyle in residential areas. Vice Chairman of the Tay Ninh People’s Committee Vo … [Read more...] about Biggest festival of Caodaism attracts tens of thousands of visitors
Deputy PM hosts new RoK ambassador
Noting that the RoK is one of the biggest foreign investors in Vietnam, Deputy PM Quang affirmed that the Vietnamese Government will continue with drastic efforts to improve the business and investment environment for foreign investors, including those from the RoK, to do business successfully in the country. He proposed that the two countries maintain regular visits and contact at all levels so as to continuously strengthen relations between their leaders, creating the foundation for promoting cooperation across all fields. The deputy PM also welcomed the establishment of a joint working group on climate change, saying that he believes the two sides, with resolve and efforts, will realize targets set in the Vietnam - RoK Framework Agreement for Cooperation on Climate Change. For his part, Ambassador Choi Youngsam affirmed that the RoK will coordinate closely with Vietnam to realize the agreements reached during the official visit to Vietnam in June this year by RoK President … [Read more...] about Deputy PM hosts new RoK ambassador
Vietnam firm wins architecture ‘Oscars’
The company was awarded for its Brick Cave design in a suburban commune of Hanoi in the Private House and Architecture + Brick categories. The Architizer A+Awards focus on promoting and celebrating the year’s best architectural works. Its mission is to nurture the appreciation of architecture in the world and champion its potential for a positive impact on everyday life. The A+Awards live at Architizer.com is a large online community of architects. Entries are judged by a panel of more than 400 distinguished luminaries and thought leaders from fields as diverse as fashion, publishing, product design, real estate development and tech. Finalists and winners are recognized as the year’s most influential visionaries. This year, more than 5,000 entries from over 100 nations competed for the awards. The Brick Cave was built in 2007 covering nearly 300sq.m and designed with a philosophy that it will help shape a place similar to the natural environment in an artificial manner. The … [Read more...] about Vietnam firm wins architecture ‘Oscars’
Eco-tourism development linked with biodiversity conservation under discussion
The event was jointly organized by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the Management Board for Forestry Projects of the Department of Forestry under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), and the World Wide Fund for Nature in Vietnam (WWF Vietnam). Trieu Van Luc, Deputy Director of the Department of Forestry, said with a total of over 14.7 million ha covering 42.2% of Vietnam's natural area, forest ecosystems have greatly contributed to the national economy and livelihoods for people. He noted that about 25 million people rely on forests to earn their living, mainly ethnic minority communities whose cultural identities are connected with forests. This is great potential to develop multi-purpose values of the forest ecosystem. With the support of international and non-governmental organizations, the Vietnamese government has paid special attention and allocated resources to protect life in forests and promote biodiversity conservation in the … [Read more...] about Eco-tourism development linked with biodiversity conservation under discussion
GDP growth 6% max this year, ministry predicts
The ministry discussed three potential GDP outcomes for 2023. The lowest prospect mentioned would see GDP growth at 5% for the entire year. In this case, GDP in the last quarter would have to reach 7%, according to ministry analysts. The middle of the road scenario would see GDP round out the year at 5.5%, in which case final quarter GDP growth would need to reach 8.8%. The most optimistic scenario would be GDP growth ending the year at 6%, but in order for that to happen, GDP growth in the fourth quarter must reach 10.6%. This would be a challenge, according to the ministry, as GDP growth in the third quarter reached only 5.33%. Ministry analysts have said that economic growth in the final quarter would depend on how quickly industrial production recovers, especially in manufacturing and processing. Another factor is demand from Vietnam’s major export markets, as well as tourism and spending within the country at the end of the year and for the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday. … [Read more...] about GDP growth 6% max this year, ministry predicts
Vietnam seeks to secure sustainable development for dragon fruit sector
Vietnam now has nearly 55,000ha of dragon fruit farming and harvests about 1.3 million tons each year. The favorable soil and climate conditions have enabled the country to produce dragon fruit on a large scale all year round. As a result, it used to be the world’s leader in terms of the farming area, output, and export value, said Nguyen Quoc Manh, head of the fruit tree division of the Crop Production Department at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. However, after conquering several markets for a certain period of time, the fruit from Vietnam is facing a number of challenges, he noted, pointing out the foreign markets’ increasingly stringent standards for quality, food safety, and look of fresh dragon fruits, the emergence of many pests and diseases caused by climate change impacts, soaring fertilizer prices, the unsustainable connectivity between businesses and farmers, the limited number of companies involved in value chains to meet requirements of major and … [Read more...] about Vietnam seeks to secure sustainable development for dragon fruit sector
Thi Vai LNG complex passes pilot testing, ready to go
An aerial view of part of the Thi Vai liquefied natural gas (LNG) warehouse and terminal complex (Photo: congthuong.vn) Hanoi (VNA) – The Thi Vai liquefied natural gas (LNG) warehouse and terminal complex, the first of its kind in Vietnam, of the Petrovietnam Gas Joint Stock Corporation (PV GAS), has passed a series of technical tests and is now ready to be put into commercial operation. Work started on the Thi Vai LNG warehouse and terminal projects, based in the southern province of Ba Ria - Vung Tau, on October 28, 2019. Their trial operations began on July 10, 2023, and the test run of the main processes completed on July 30. The Thi Vai system is currently the biggest LNG complex in the country. The LNG warehouse, the heart of the system, already had its first phase completed with the storage capacity of 180,000 cu.m., able to handle 1 million tonnes of LNG per year. Its second phase is currently under construction with a view to raising the annual handling … [Read more...] about Thi Vai LNG complex passes pilot testing, ready to go
AAE-1 undersea optic cable runs into problem
The Asia-Africa-Europe 1 (AAE-1) submarine optic cable system has encountered a problem, causing loss of internet data transmission capacity on the section that connects with Singapore, while the repair of another cable system has yet to be completed. The cause of the incident, which occurred on Wednesday, has yet to be determined. Internet service providers in Vietnam have yet to receive a repair notice from managers of the AAE-1 cable system, which has been put into operation since July 2017. AAE-1 is a 25,000km submarine cable from Southeast Asia to Europe across Egypt, connecting Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, India, Pakistan, Oman, UAE, Qatar, Yemen, Djibouti, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Greece, Italy and France. The system is among the five submarine cable systems that connects Vietnam with the world, with the four others including the Asia-Pacific Gateway (APG), the Asia-America Gateway (AAG), the TGN-Intra Asia Cable System (TGN-IA), and the … [Read more...] about AAE-1 undersea optic cable runs into problem
28 Vietnamese students suffer suspected food poisoning after Moon Festival celebration
Twenty-eight fourth graders from Tien Hai Elementary School in Tien Hai District, Thai Binh Province, northern Vietnam developed symptoms of possible food poisoning after joining a party on Thursday to mark the Moon Festival, confirmed a local health official. Among them, 25 were hospitalized while three others received home treatment, To Thi Hong Van, deputy head of the Tien Hai Medical Center, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper. These 25 have been discharged from the hospital after their health conditions became stable, she added. Earlier, they and nine other classmates attended a Moon Festival celebration held in their class by their parents on Thursday at noon, with banh bong lan trung muoi (salted egg sponge cake) and other snacks served at the party. During the celebration, 28 students ate banh bong lan trung muoi while the remaining nine did not sample the dish. These 28 showed symptoms of possible food poisoning such as stomachache, vomiting, diarrhea, and fever … [Read more...] about 28 Vietnamese students suffer suspected food poisoning after Moon Festival celebration