HÀ NỘI — Permanent member of the Party Central Committee's Secretariat Trương Thị Mai has signed a document on directing the organisation of Việt Nam Fatherland Front (VFF)’s 10th National Congress in the 2024–2029 tenure, and the congresses of the VFF’s chambers at all levels. The directive stresses that the upcoming congresses will be important political events for the VFF and people from all walks of life. According to the directive, the Party Secretariat requests the Party committees and organisations at all levels to concentrate on directing the implementation of tasks related to preparing for and organising the events. The Party Central Committee's Commission for Publicity and Education, in coordination with the VFF’s Party delegation, will strengthen the direction and guidance for the communication work before, during, and after the congress. The Party Central Committee's Commission for Mass Mobilisation, in coordination with the VFF’s Party Delegation, the Party committees, and Party Central Committee’s Office, will assist the Party Secretariat in monitoring the implementation of this directive.

Vietnam have been put in Group C alongside the Philippines and Laos at the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) U23 Championship 2023. According to the plan, surgeons of Children's Hospital 2 will perform liver transplants with the assistance of their peers from the University Hospital of Medicine and Pharmacy in June. Surgeons of the Children's Hospital 2 got success with Vietnam-Germany separation surgery in 1988 which was its first transplant. The municipal People's Committee has approved for Children's Hospital 2 to purchase medical supplies and equipment for children's organ transplants. The Children’s Hospital No.2 held a consultation with Cho Ray Hospital on the ways how to treat two children named D. and X.

Of the international arrivals, 88% came to the country by air, 10.9% by road, and 1.1% by sea. Revenue from tourism services went up 89% while earnings from accommodation and restaurant services rose 22%, the General Statistics Office said, attributing the increases partly to many holidays during the five months. Recently, Vietnamese tourism has continually been honoured by foreign media, helping enhance its attractiveness to international travellers. Notably, Cat Ba of Hai Phong city has been given the second place among the 10 most spectacular beaches in Asia by Microsoft Travel; Ninh Binh province named among the world's top 10 best hidden family vacation spots to visit in 2023 by Canada’s The Travel magazine./.

HCM CITY — HCM City-based Bình Dân Hospital is offering free gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) examinations and consultations for people aged 16 and above from 7am to 11:30am every Saturday until the end of the year. It aims to help patients with GERD be diagnosed early and treated in a timely manner, according to a recent announcement from the hospital. Then they will get medical advice from doctors about living and eating to control the disease and treatment instructions. According to the Việt Nam Internal Medicine Association, about seven million Vietnamese people had gastroesophageal reflux disease in 2022, of which about 60 per cent were not treated promptly, leading to complications such as esophageal stricture and esophageal cancer. The disease also causes many discomforts for patients such as sore throat, heartburn, bad breath, persistent cough, breathing difficulty and chest tightness.

The 60 Vietnamese citizens arrive at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in HCM City on May 30 morning. (Photo: VNA)– Sixty of the Vietnamese citizens recently rescued from a gambling establishment in Pampanga province, near Manila capital of the Philippines, arrived in the homeland on early May 30.According to the Vietnamese Embassy in the Philippines, local authorities on May 4 rescued more than 1,000 people, including 437 Vietnamese nationals, who were forced to work at a gambling establishment in Pampanga province The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has ordered the Consular Department and the embassy to work closely with local relevant agencies to visit and assist the Vietnamese nationals and collected their information, especially those without valid travel documents.The MoFA’s steering board for citizen protection held a meeting on May 25 to seek ways for coordinating with the Philippine side to repatriate the citizens as soon as possible.The Consular Department and the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Foreign Relations have built plans and worked with border gate authorities on the reception and hand-over of the citizens to their families and related localities.The MoFA has demanded the Consular Department and the Vietnamese Embassy in the Philippines to maintain contact with Philippine authorities to safely repatriate the remainders./.

This brings the total number of vascular plants, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals described in the Greater Mekong region since 1997 to 3,389. “These remarkable species may be new to science, but they had survived and evolved in the Greater Mekong region for millions of years, reminding us – humans – that they were there a very long time before our species moved into this region,” said K. Yoganand, WWF-Greater Mekong regional wildlife lead. This is the latest in a series of reports highlighting new discoveries in the Greater Mekong region. Last year, WWF also reported on 25 different primate species out of 44 found in Việt Nam called the Greater Mekong home. Deforestation, habitat degradation and hunting driven by the wildlife trade have forced many primates in the Greater Mekong to the brink of extinction.

– Cambodia’s National Election Committee (NEC) on May 29 held a public draw to determine the order of political parties on ballot papers for the upcoming national election slated for July.The public draw took place at the NEC’s headquarters in Phnom Penh in the presence of Prach Chan, NEC Chairman, and Supreme Patriarchs of the two Buddhist denominations in Cambodia.According to local media, the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) was drawn to the 18th position.NEC has officially recognised more than 15,000 domestic observers and special guests who will monitor the election.Among the observers from five local civil society organisations, 9,977 are from the Union of Youth Federations of Cambodia , 3,211 from the Cambodian Women for Peace and Development, and 1,679 from the Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia.Observer applications began on April 1, with domestic observers having to apply before the deadline of July 12 and international ones before July 19.NEC is considering applications from 1,157 additional observers and two special guests, it noted.Meanwhile, it has also granted cards to 190 reporters from domestic and foreign press agencies who will cover the election.The 7th National Assembly election is slated for July 23. Cambodia holds the general election every five years, with the most recent on July 29, 2018./.

HÀ NỘI — Experts have highlighted the need for cooperation between state management agencies, scientists and businesses on measures to develop the rare earth industry in Việt Nam, a country with the second-largest reserves. Việt Nam is considered to have the second-largest reserve of REEs in the world, accounting for about 18 per cent. Therefore it is necessary to promote cooperation between the state, scientists and businesses to develop the rare-earth element industry in Việt Nam. The Institute for Technology of Radioactive and Rare Elements has built and perfected end-to-end technologies for many rare earth ore objects. Boosting rare earth mine productionViệt Nam has boosted its mining of rare earth materials as companies worldwide look to divest from Chinese materials, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

HCM CITY — Vietnamese banks are among the earliest in the world to make the digital transformation, experts have said. Digital payments have been growing at 40 per cent for the last four years, one of the world’s fastest digital transformation rates. Non-cash payments have also seen significant growth, with 82 credit institutions offering internet-based payment services and 51 offering mobile payment services as of the end of last year. The lack of human resources with up-to-date skills is another major challenge to digital transformation, they warn. Organised along with the forum was a fair introducing the advancements needed for the financial industry’s digital transformation.

Last year Thailand exported about 1 million tonnes of pomelos worth about 45 million THB (1.3 million USD). The first lot of Thai pomelos to the US will be delivered by air next month. The US requires Thai pomelos to meet Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) standards. Meanwhile, Prayoon Insakul, permanent secretary for agriculture and cooperatives, said Australia had finally agreed to import cooked duck from Thailand after seven years of negotiations. Prayoon expected Thailand to start exporting cooked duck to Australia next month.

HÀ NỘI — The stock market is still consolidating above the support level of 1,060 points. If the level is held and liquidity remains positive, the benchmark VN-Index is likely to head towards 1,080 points, said experts. The VN-Index on the Hồ Chí Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE) finished the week at 1,063.76 points, while the northern benchmark HNX-Index was at 217.64 points. With the current state, SHS said that the VN-Index has almost completed the cumulative correction foundation and is ready to continue the next uptrend. With a positive scenario, VCBS forecasts that the VN-Index will continue to fluctuate in the next 1-3 sessions.

A performance by Vietnamese students at the festival (Photo: VNA)- Youngsters from the Vietnamese Embassy in Russia have joined an international student festival at the National University of Science and Technology (MISiS) in Moscow, Russia.The Vietnamese delegation, led by First Secretary for Education at the embassy Nguyen Tuyet Hoa, joined nearly 1,000 students from 20 countries at the event.First held in 2013, the MISiS international student festival has become a large-scale event providing a chance for students from various countries to meet and exchange with each other. This year, the festival resumed after three years of interruption due to COVID-19 pandemic Along with a national flag march, Vietnam performed a traditional dance and a flashmob. The Vietnamese booth at the event showcases folk paintings, brocade art, and traditional dishes.Currently, about 60 Vietnamese students are studying at the MISiS./.

TOKYO — As many as 100 outstanding Vietnamese intellectuals in Japan gathered at an event held on Saturday by the Association of Vietnamese Intellectuals in Japan (AVIJ), under the auspices of the Vietnamese Embassy, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Planning and Investment. In his remarks, Ambassador Phạm Quang Hiệu stressed that Japan has been a destination for many generations of Vietnamese to work, study and develop their career. Nearly 500,000 Vietnamese are in Japan, becoming the second biggest foreign community in the East Asian nation, he said. He lauded contributions by Vietnamese intellectuals, including those in Japan, to the success of such events as Việt Nam Summits in 2019 and 2021, and symposiums, which attracted crowds of Vietnamese and Japanese intellectuals and businesses. At the get-together, the intellectuals exchanged information and sought ways to boost cooperation, thus forming a dynamic, united community of Vietnamese intellectuals in Japan, with increasing contributions to the development in their homeland, as well as the collaboration between the two countries.

HÀ NỘI — A bill to extend e-visas to 90 days and visa-free stays to 45 days has been submitted to the National Assembly for consideration on May 27. He noted that Việt Nam’s foreign tourist arrivals in 2022 was only 32.6 per cent of the pre-pandemic figure, despite early reopening. The proposed revisions are welcomed by industry insiders and foreign tourists alike, and they are expected to paint Việt Nam as a much more attractive destination amid fierce competition from other countries in the region. The Minister suggested that the amendment to the law this time needed to be more flexible and open as Việt Nam is expanding its international relations. Minister Sơn also urged to waive the requirement for an invitation, reception, or a guarantor for foreign visitors entering Việt Nam for tourism or market research purposes.

Videos Tourism week opens in Ninh Binh The 2023 Ninh Binh tourism week themed “The Golden Colour of Tam Coc - Trang An” kicked off in Hoa Lu district of the northern province of Ninh Binh on May 27. Videos Da Nang developing into a “liveable city” in Asia Known as Vietnam’s most liveable city, Da Nang is well worth a visit to discover its manifold attractions, and it is also striving to secure a place on Asia’s liveability list. Videos Organic rice being grown in sand worm fields Farmers in the northern province of Hai Duong have been experimenting with the cultivation of organic rice in association with raising sand worms and have achieved remarkable economic efficiency compared to traditional methods. Videos State leader extends greetings on Lord Buddha’s birth anniversary Vice President Vo Van Thuong visited Hue Nghiem and Minh Dao pagodas in Ho Chi Minh City on May 26 to extend congratulations to Buddhist dignitaries and followers on the occasion of Lord Buddha's 2567th birthday (Vesak day).