HCM City under pressure to reopen economy: municipal leader Residents at a vaccination site in HCM City. Ho Chi Minh City is committed to enforcing vigilant pandemic prevention measures when it reopens the economy after months of strict lockdown measures, said a city leader. Speaking at a meeting with economic and medical experts last earlier this week, Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen said: “The city is under huge pressure to reopen the economy or it will be too late.” The level of suffering of the economy and people has reached its limit due to prolonged lockdown measures. As such, the city will develop a roadmap for reopening so that it can adapt to and live safety with the virus, he said. The city will gradually narrow down areas with very high risks and try to expand the number of low-risk areas, according to Nen. Vu Thanh Tu Anh, Director of the Fulbright School of Public Policy and Management, said that reopening for economic …
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VIETNAM BUSINESS NEWS SEPTEMBER 19
About 67 per cent of surveyed banks believe they will lose market share within two years if they fail to digitally transform, according to a new... Some 58 per cent of global respondents predict that they will completely cease to exist in the next five to ten years unless they change their business models. — Photo bnews.vn About 67 per cent of surveyed banks believe they will lose market share within two years if they fail to digitally transform, according to a new report from cloud banking platform Mambu and The Financial Times Focus (FT Focus). The ‘Evolve or be extinct’ report was conducted by FT Focus and surveyed over 500 senior banking executives globally to gain insights into their perception of the banking industry, now and in the future. The results illustrate the urgent need for banks to modernise their offerings, with 58 per cent of global respondents predicting they will completely cease to exist in the next five to ten years unless they change …
VIETNAM NEWS HEADLINES SEPTEMBER 18
Vietnam to attend ASEM Cultural Festival 2021 Vietnam and 10 other countries have signed up to participate in the ASEM Cultural Festival (#ASEMfest), a side event of the 13th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) to be hosted by Cambodia in November. The ASEM Cultural Festival 2021 is scheduled to get underway between November 22 and 26. This international cultural event will be held virtually with the main activities such as performing arts, and the screening of feature films and documentaries, as well as the exhibition which would be held in hybrid format at the National Museum of Cambodia. The festival aims to explore the cultural diversity and promote the exchange, cooperation and artistic creation between the cultures of both regions, contributing to enhancing cooperation and development between the ASEM partner countries. Joining as a founding member of ASEM in 1996 marked an important step in the implementation of Việt Nam's policy of open foreign policy, multilateralisation and …
Malaysia welcomes China to join CPTPP
Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) Kuala Lumpur (VNA) - As one of the pioneer members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Malaysia is looking forward to welcoming China into the fold, anticipated to be as early as next year, according to Malaysia 's national news agency Bernama. Bernama quoted a response by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) in reply to the agency's query as saying that Malaysia is particularly encouraged with the recent move by China to formally apply for accession into the CPTPP. In February this year, the United Kingdom became the first country outside the Asia Pacific belt to formally request for accession into the CPTPP. Within a span of seven months, it is interesting to see that CPTPP has received another accession request, demonstrating the significant value of this agreement and its attraction to countries within and beyond the Asia Pacific region, Bernama said. The CPTPP …
Hà Nội to remove travel permits and loosen social distancing restrictions
Large-scale testing is carried out at Việt Hưng Ward, Long Biên District on Sunday to trace positive cases. — VNA/VNS Photo HÀ NỘI — Hà Nội will remove travel permits for inner city commuters and not divide the city into three-coloured zones from September 21, Chử Xuân Dũng, vice chairman of the city People’s Committee, announced on Monday. Lockdown will still be applied but on a reduced scale. The city’s authorities will apply technology to supervise mobility of residents and trace positive cases, he said. The capital will loosen social distancing restrictions but continue to ensure strict COVID-19 protocols because the city still has some clusters in narrow alleys and densely-populated areas. The priority target is to protect public health and strive to vaccinate all residents with a second dose, Dũng said. Dũng asked the people, local organisations and businesses to uphold their responsibilities in observing COVID protocols. Trần Ngọc Dương, deputy director …
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Singer Y Jang Tuyn dies of COVID-19
Famous vocalist Y Jang Tuyn — Photo courtesy of Y Jang Tuyn HCM CITY — Singer Y Jang Tuyn, 42 years old, famous vocalist from the Bana ethnic group passed away this morning after a month of COVID-19 treatment. The singer's nephew Thảo An shared, the family is waiting for the cremation procedure to receive his ashes. Tuyn had a history of high blood pressure, treated COVID-19 at the field hospital No 13 in mid-August, then transferred to Chợ Rẫy hospital on September. In the first two weeks, he was in good health, can communicate with people via text messages. However, the situation worsened, he had to breathe with an ECMO machine. Before testing positive for COVID-19, the male singer celebrated his birthday through a livestream. Y Jang Tuyn sang for the fans for three hours straight and encouraged everyone to be optimistic and love each other to overcome the difficulties of the epidemic. Y Jang Tuyn was born in 1979. He represents the class of modern Central Highlands …
Lack of human resources, funds prevents businesses from reopening
Many businesses in the southern region are unable to resume operations due to lack of human and financial resources. — Photo vov.vn Many businesses in the south have been allowed to reopen a few days ago but a worker shortage is preventing them from doing so. The owner of an organic rice production business in District 7, Tran Huu Tin, was happy when the city began to loosen social distancing requirements and allow businesses to resume. But after two weeks of trying to recruit and posting messages, he has not received any job applications, and he is now very worried. At the end of June four of his employees first tested positive for COVID-19, and a week later the number jumped 10-fold, and his business lost nearly half its workforce. Hiring has not been easy with the epidemic still raging. "People are very reluctant to go to work since they have to live on the premises and also fear the risk of COVID-19 infection," he said. Le Xuan Tan, a director of Hanh Phuc Wood Co., …
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Slow ground clearance hindering Nhổn-Hà Nội Railway station metro line
A train runs on a completed section of the Nhổn-Hà Nội railway station (from Nhổn to University of Transport) in Hà Nội during a pilot operation in early July. — VNA/VNS Photo Trung Nguyên HÀ NỘI — The Nhổn-Hà Nội Railway Station project has been delayed due to difficulties in ground clearance. The 12.5km line, which is part of the Hà Nội Urban Railway Metro (HURM) project, was approved in April 2019. During seven years from 2009 to 2016, the project was at a standstill due to slow progress of ground clearance. In December 2018, the then Prime Minister issued a decision extending the project deadline until 2022. The construction of 4-km underground section with four stations from Kim Mã Street in Ba Đình District to Hà Nội Railway Station in Hoàn Kiếm District is sluggish. The project was also allowed to complete an elevated section of the Nhổn-Cầu Giấy part to put into operation first while finishing the underground section. Consequences According to …
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Efforts made to bring a special Mid-Autumn Festival for kids amid COVID-19 pandemic
A representative of HCM City's Youth Union wears the costume of Hằng Nga, a traditional character of the Mid-Autumn Festival, as she presents gifts for children of migrant workers in dormitories in HCM City. VNA/VNS Photo HCM CITY – Many children in HCM City, the country’s coronavirus epicentre, have enjoyed a special Mid-Autumn Festival this year despite social distancing regulations thanks to joint efforts of authorities, organisations and volunteers. In the past three days, the dormitories of migrant workers in Sơn Kỳ, Tây Thạnh wards in Tân Phú District; Tân Nhựt, An Phú Tây wards in Bình Chánh District; and Hiệp Phước Industrial Zone in Nhà Bè District have been full of the sounds of happiness with children’s laughter. Youngsters celebrated their Mid-Autumn Festival with mooncakes, milk, small boxes of candy and biscuits, as well colourful paper lanterns. These are in gift packages for the full-moon festival local authorities, youth unions and benefactors, in the …
What’s on September 20-26 (Daily updated)
MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT Online Premiere: Split Until Oct 23, 11 pm From Goethe Institut: When confined to a small space, with no contact with the outside, encounters are not any more, everything just takes place in a space so familiar that it seems boring, will we cut off all associations? Or is it the time to connect to oneself – something that we occasionally forget? Each time like that, people “split” themselves. “Split” is the breaking in piece, angled deeply inwardly. When outer space is limited, people discover emotions hidden deep within themselves, observe themselves under different beings, both separate and mixed, sometimes very confusing. “splitting” without separation, split to open, for stopping but clarifying, for reflection and for connecting. The contemporary dance performance consists of three parts: ‘Stop’ – ‘Confide’ – ‘The cover’ Dancer: BAYDANC (Lê Trần Thảo Nhi, Hoàng Lan Phương, Phạm Ngọc Toàn) Musician: Nguyễn Thị Thùy Linh …
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