Vietnam has the 15th largest population of smokers in the world, and approximately 40,000 people die each year from diseases caused by smoking. National lawmakers have called on the Government to ban all e-cigarette products in Vietnam soon, citing health concerns. A no-smoking sign is labeled at a bookstore in Hanoi. Photo: Văn Sinh/The Hanoi Times The Government should amend the Law on Tobacco Harm Prevention and related regulations to stop the trade, circulation and use of e-cigarettes in Vietnam, Hanoi deputy Nguyen Anh Tri said on June 1. All these actions should be dealt with under the Penal Code, he said. Tri said new generations of cigarette products, including e-cigarettes, may contain illegal drugs and cause severe damage to people's health. However, he said, hardly anything was done to prevent these products from adversely affecting society. He called on the government to reduce the smoking rate to 30% by 2030. "The Government needs … [Read more...] about Vietnamese Government urged to ban e-cigarettes
Prevent spreading of chickenpox
Myanmar extends COVID-19 restrictions until end of June
Illustrative photo (Photo: thestar.com.my) Hanoi (VNA) – Myanmar ’s Central Committee on Prevention, Control and Treatment of COVID-19 on May 30 announced that the country will extend COVID-19 preventive measures until June 30. According to the committee, the extension includes all COVID-19 restrictions that were set to expire on May 31, excepting some that will be gradually eased, China's Xinhua News Agency reported on May 31. The extension applies to all orders, announcements and directives issued by relevant government organisations and ministries in their efforts to curb the spread of the pandemic. Official data showed that as of May 30, Myanmar recorded 638,818 COVID-19 cases. The death toll from COVID-19 in the country reached 19,494 and 617,774 patients have recovered./. VNA … [Read more...] about Myanmar extends COVID-19 restrictions until end of June
Symposium urges youths to quit smoking
Illustrative image (Photo: AFP) Hanoi (VNA) - The Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCYU), the Health Ministry’s Fund for Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms and the Global Public Health Organisation Vital Strategies held a symposium in Hanoi on May 31 to discuss the harmful effects of e-cigarettes in schools. The event attracted the participation of over 600 students from the Hanoi University of Industry. They had a chance to join a mini-game to learn about the detrimental effects of e-cigarettes. Nguyen Tuan Lam, an expert in non-communicable disease prevention at the World Health Organisation (WHO)'s office in Vietnam cited data from the WHO as saying that there are currently about 20,000 flavorings in e-cigarettes, many of which are yet to be fully evaluated for health hazards. Nguyen Thi Thu Huong from the fund also warned that e-cigarettes could contain drugs that cause addiction, especially among young people. She said the … [Read more...] about Symposium urges youths to quit smoking
Vietnam to consider downgrading COVID-19 to flu-like status
Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan has said that Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh would chair a meeting of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control this weekend to deliberate the downgrading of COVID-19 from its current placement in Class A infectious diseases down to Class B. Lan told the National Assembly that on May 29 that the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced that COVID-19 no longer constituted a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, the designation that was attached to the viral disease more than three years ago, but the pandemic is not over yet. In accordance with the guidance of the Government leader, the Ministry of Health was also coordinating with other ministries and agencies to review the legal regulations, consult the experience of other countries, and review practical measures for the prevention and control of COVID-19 in Vietnam, Lan noted. The Ministry … [Read more...] about Vietnam to consider downgrading COVID-19 to flu-like status
Avoiding catastrophe, awaiting anxieties
Both the governing side and the political opposition must do their best and, at most, prevent being seen in the eyes and minds of US voters. At the end of their common race against the time, US President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from the Republican Party finally, and still just in time, reached the final agreement on a deal to raise the nation's debt ceiling, thus, according to Joe Biden, preventing "the worst possible crisis, a default, for the first time in the US's history," because it takes "the threat of a catastrophic default off the table." Their deal now would be sent to be passed by the House. Biden and McCarthy in Washington on March 17. Photo: AP This news was both new and nothing new. Since 1917, when the US Congress enacted the original debt ceiling legislation, the federal government and the House have crashed 102 times on the issue of increasing limits on the national debt, among them 72 times only since 1960. But … [Read more...] about Avoiding catastrophe, awaiting anxieties
Old Vietnamese publications in Romanized script on display in Paris
On display are over 20 publications chosen among more than 1,000 works published during the first development stage of quốc ngữ in the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. They have been collected by the University Library of Languages and Civilizations (BULAC). At the beginning of the 20 th century, the French government supported the spread of Chu Quoc ngu , so many Vietnam ese publications were collected and were later transferred to the University Library of Languages and Civilizations. Quoc ngu was the result of the cooperation between western Catholic missionaries and Vietnam's first Catholic scholars to facilitate the preaching work. Easy to read and write, Quoc ngu was gradually accepted and gained popularity in the country. It is now now universally used in Vietnam and is the official writing system./. VNA … [Read more...] about Old Vietnamese publications in Romanized script on display in Paris
Nanny held for abusing one-month-old baby in Hanoi
Police in Hanoi have temporarily detained a home helper and baby caretaker for the investigation into her suspected abuse of a one-month-old girl in an apartment in Hoang Mai District. V.K.C., 21, was held on Wednesday afternoon, when the baby’s father escorted her to the police office of the district’s Hoang Liet Ward, police officers said. The dad, N.V.B., 31, a resident at the HH2C Linh Dam apartment building, told police that he had discovered C.’s abuse against his little girl after he watched the surveillance camera installed in the baby’s bedroom. As recorded in the footage, C. committed the child abuse at about 2:00 am on Wednesday, B. reported. The father said he had hired C., hailing from northern Nam Dinh Province, as a domestic helper and nanny since his wife suffered bad health conditions after childbearing. Before C.’s detention, a video clip was spread on social media showing a woman sitting on a bed, holding up a baby in her arms and shaking the baby … [Read more...] about Nanny held for abusing one-month-old baby in Hanoi
Brakeless bus crashes into multiple cars at red light in Ho Chi Minh City
A bus' brake failure resulted in its collision with numerous cars at a red light on Phan Dang Luu Street in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday morning. Eyewitnesses reported that the bus, coded route 104, was running on Phan Dang Luu Street from the Phu Nhuan intersection toward Ba Chieu Market and could not stop at the red light before the intersection with Le Van Duyet Street. As a result, the bus rear-ended a taxi and crashed into two other cars being halted at the red light and only came to a stop after veering onto the sidewalk and colliding with a lamp post. It also struck several beverage stalls positioned on the sidewalk, leaving their pieces scattered over the road. There were no reports on eitheir the number of passengers aboard the bus or injuries. The scene following a bus’ collision with multiple cars, a lamp post, and sidewalk beverage stalls on Phan Dang Luu Street in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, June 1, 2023. Video: Le Phan / … [Read more...] about Brakeless bus crashes into multiple cars at red light in Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnamese PM orders emergency measures to ease farm produce congestion border with China
Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in a recently-signed dispatch ordered the adoption of urgent measures to alleviate goods congestion and facilitate the export of agro-products along the border with China. The dispatch was issued at a time when border gates in the northern border province of Lang Son have seen an upsurge in the number of container trucks carrying farm produce for export, resulting in a prolonged customs clearance process and limited clearance capacity. Several fruits, meanwhile, are now ready to harvest in the country. This could pose a higher risk of congestion at the border gates as more container trucks transporting fruits for export to China will head to these areas. Therefore, PM Chinh urged the authorities in northern border provinces and relevant agencies to review regulations on the import and export of farm produce between Vietnam and China. They were told to work with the Chinese side to streamline the customs clearance process, extend … [Read more...] about Vietnamese PM orders emergency measures to ease farm produce congestion border with China