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Rescuers in Turkey and Syria braved frigid weather, aftershocks and collapsing buildings Tuesday, as they dug for survivors buried by an earthquake that killed more than 5,000 people. Disaster agencies said several thousand buildings were flattened in cities across a vast border region -- pouring misery on an area already plagued by war, insurgency, refugee crises and a recent cholera outbreak. Through the night, survivors used their bare hands to pick over the twisted ruins of multi-storey apartment blocks -- trying to save family, friends and anyone else sleeping inside when the first massive 7.8-magnitude quake struck early Monday. "Where is my mum?" asked a distraught seven-year-old girl who was pulled -- her face, hair and pyjamas covered in dust -- from a collapsed building in Hatay, on the Turkish side of the border. Police officer Zekeriya Yildiz hugs his daughter after they saved her from the rubble in Hatay, southwest Turkey on February 6, 2023. Photo: … [Read more...] about Earthquake kills more than 5,000 in Turkey, Syria

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's visit to Singapore aims to affirm both nations’ desire to take their economic connectivity to new heights in the context of a series of new-generation free trade agreements (FTAs) coming into effect and being implemented. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (L) and his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong PM Chinh, his spouse, and a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam will pay an official visit to Singapore from February 8 to 10 at the invitation Singaporean PM Lee Hsien Loong. The visit takes place amid the dynamic and strong development of the Vietnam - Singapore strategic partnership across multiple fields. This year will see the two countries celebrate the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations and the 10th anniversary of their strategic partnership. In 2022, the exchange of delegations and high-level meetings between the two countries was maintained both regularly and effectively. This saw a trip to Singapore by … [Read more...] about PM’s Singapore visit to take economic co-operation to new heights

Addressing the event, Vietnamese Ambassador Pham Thi Kim Hoa wished them a New Year of happiness and prosperity. She also highlighted the meaning of the Tet festival as well as the outstanding achievements the Party, State and people of Vietnam have made in socio-economic and cultural development as well as external relations in 2022. The diplomat noted that Vietnam and Brazil have seen growing ties in various fields, especially economy and trade, opening up new opportunities for lifting their relations to a new height in the coming time. Last year, two-way trade reached nearly 6.8 billion USD, the highest among Latin American countries. Earlier, overseas Vietnamese in Brazil joined activities to make banh chung (square sticky rice cake) and nem (spring rolls), and pho (Vietnamese noodle soup) held by the embassy on February 4. Source: VNA … [Read more...] about Overseas Vietnamese in Brazil celebrate lunar New Year 2023

It was the first in-person get-together after two years of cancellation and one year of online gathering due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking at the event, Vice Mayor of Paris Emmanuel Grégoire said the year 2023 holds significance for ties between Vietnam and France as it marks the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Paris Agreement on ending the war and restoring peace in Vietnam, the 50th founding anniversary of Vietnam - France diplomatic ties and the 10th anniversary of the bilateral strategic partnership. Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang, for his part, lauded Paris authorities for their activities toward the people, including the Vietnamese community living there, as well as their commitments to Ile-de-France region in its cooperation with Vietnam, especially in heritage projects. On the occasion, he called on the overseas Vietnamese and French friends to actively join important activities of the bilateral ties this year, firstly the 12th conference on … [Read more...] about Vietnamese Embassy in France holds New Year gathering

In an interview with the press ahead of the PM’s trip from February 8-11, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet stressed that the relations between Vietnam and the two countries are based on a lot of similarities in politics, economy, culture, and people-to-people exchange. The trip is of great significance, he said, noting that this is the first by Pham Minh Chinh in his new position that aims to manifest the consistent policy of prioritizing relations with neighboring countries and ASEAN, as set at the 13th National Party Congress. He added that this is also the first official visit by a leader of the Vietnamese government to Singapore over the past five years, and to Brunei over the past nearly 16 years. Therefore, the visits are expected to deepen the strategic partnership with Singapore, an important economic partner of Vietnam, and the comprehensive partnership with Brunei, also a promising economic partner, according to the official. For Singapore, the visit … [Read more...] about Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s Singapore, Brunei visits look toward cohesive ASEAN

Vietnamese Ambassador to Germany Vu Quang Minh holds a board saying the name of the new born elephant at Germany's Leipzig Zoo. (Photo: VNA) Berlin (VNA) – An elephant named Voi Nam whose parents were born in Vietnam and gifted to Germany’s Leipzig Zoo in 1984 and 1985 by Ho Chi Minh City's authority has welcomed its second baby elephant in the zoo on December 20, 2022. A ceremony to name the new born elephant was held on February 2 with the name “Bao Ngoc” (valuable gem) was chosen. Vietnamese Ambassador to  Germany Vu Quang Minh said that the baby elephant is an icon of the Vietnam-Germany friendship. Elephant Voi Nam was born in 2002, marking a big event for the Leipzig Zoo as the zoo’s elephant herb had a new member after 66 years. Voi Nam and female elephants which are all from Asian countries last year gave births to two elephants and are expected to welcome two others in the next few weeks. Thomas Guenther, director in charge of Asian species at the zoo, said that … [Read more...] about Baby elephant Bao Ngoc – an icon of Vietnam-Germany friendship

This was a key battle taking place on February 6 and 7, 1968, in the first phase of the campaign, leaving valuable experience in military art, especially in choosing right targets and flexibly using combined-arms strength. Vay Village is 8km west of Huong Hoa district. This was a strong point in the enemy’s defensive system of Road 9 - Khe Sanh, with the aim of protecting their Ta Con base. The base was built on two heights, No.320 and No.420, about 2km from the old Vay Village base (which was destroyed in May 1967), and was occupied by a commando and spy battalion of the Saigon regime. Namely, the No.420 was the outpost managed by a scout platoon. Meanwhile, the No.320 - the main stronghold - consisted of six zones with 21 blockhouses and a number of shelters, underground bunkers, connected together by trenches, as well as barbwire fences and various minefields. The enemy’s force had four reconnaissance companies, an American platoon, and was equipped with a large amount of heavy … [Read more...] about Military art developed during Road 9 – Khe Sanh Campaign

On the second day of the lunar New Year, Army Corps 12’s affiliated units visited the Dong Loc Junction, Road No.20 Quyet Thang, Tam Co Cave (the Cave of Eight Ladies), Truong Son National War Cemetery, Road No.9 National War Cemetery, and Quang Tri Ancient Citadel, etc. and offered incense to pay tribute to heroic martyrs. Concluding gratitude activities, units showed great determination to implement emulation movements in an effective manner to celebrate the 64th anniversary of the foundation day of the Truong Son Army Corps (May 19, 1959 - 2023) and the 100th birthday of Lieutenant General Dong Sy Nguyen, former Commander of the Truong Son Corps (March 1, 1923 - 2023). Translated by Quynh Oanh … [Read more...] about Army Corps 12 conducts activities to pay tribute to martyrs

The writing, titled “Vietnamese PM to visit S’pore as both countries eye green and digital economy deals,” cited Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) as saying that the visit takes place as both countries celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations in 2023. It also marks the 10th anniversary of a strategic partnership agreement signed in 2013, which had upgraded ties and opened new areas of cooperation. This is PM Pham Minh Chinh’s first official visit to Singapore since he took office in 2021. Both PMs will witness the signing of bilateral agreements that will further strengthen the multifaceted cooperation between Singapore and Vietnam, particularly in the digital and green economies, said the MFA. The trip comes on the back of high-level meetings between the two sides in 2022, such as the visits to Vietnam by President Halimah Yacob in October and Deputy PM Heng Swee Keat in September. The article noted Singapore and Vietnam have strong economic ties, with bilateral … [Read more...] about Singaporean daily spotlights Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s official visit

The following is the full text of the interview. Reporter: This year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations and 10th anniversary of strategic partnership between Singapore and Vietnam. How do you evaluate the Singapore-Vietnam relations in the past half century, especially in the last decade? What should the two countries do to further our bilateral cooperation and to advance the development of each country? Vivian Balakrishnan: The ties between Singapore and Vietnam have grown from strength to strength since we established diplomatic relations 50 years ago. We are longstanding friends and close partners that enjoy wide-ranging cooperation in many areas, both bilaterally and at multilateral fora. I am heartened that the bilateral relationship has continued to expand and evolve to tackle new challenges over the past decade. Our linkages are particularly strong in trade and investment. The 12 Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Parks (VSIPs) across Northern, Central, … [Read more...] about Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s visit to enhance Singapore-Vietnam relations: Singaporean Foreign Minister