Medical workers collect swab sample for COVID-19 testing (Photo: AFP/VNA)Singapore (VNA) – COVID-19 patients in Singapore who are unvaccinated "by choice” have to cover their own medical costs from December 8 if they are admitted to hospitals or COVID-19 treatment facilities, the Ministry of Health has announced. The Singaporean Government is currently footing the full COVID-19 medical bills of all Singaporeans, permanent residents and long-term pass holders, other than for those who test positive soon after returning from overseas travel. From January 1 next year, only Singaporeans, permanent residents and long-term pass holders who are fully vaccinated and have not recently travelled to other countries will have their COVID-19 medical bills fully paid for by the government. To date, 85 percent of the country’s population of 5.45 million has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Singapore has reported more than 218,330 infections so far, with about 8,000 child patients./.

Next to them, the phrase ‘Việt Nam Quê Hương Tôi’ (Việt Nam My Homeland) appears as fragmented, separated, singular words. It was run by the United Nations (UN) in Việt Nam, in partnership with the University of Education - Việt Nam National University (VNU-UEd) and the Việt Nam Network of Young Key Affected Population (VYKAP). "The event showed a strengthened partnership between the VNU-UEd, VYKAP and the UN in Việt Nam", said Christian Manhart, UNESCO Representative to Việt Nam. Along with that, we launched Netflix's first 'Cinema Beauty – Vietnam Creative Economy' fund in Việt Nam to support the creative economy at scale and help local filmmakers from lesser known groups," she added. Việt Nam will have the addition of eight players from the U23 team after they successfully qualified for the AFC finals.

Destinations Infographic Cuc Phuong National Park With a 22,500 – ha rainforest, Cuc Phuong National Park is the centerpiece of Vietnam’s conservation efforts and one of the most accessible parks in the country. Destinations Infographic What awaits tourists in Quang Binh province Quang Binh province is endowed with various natural landscapes and topographies. Each provides tourists with a distinctive experience. Destinations Infographic Visiting Cuc Phuong National Park all-year round Cuc Phuong National Park attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. Visitors come here to explore its rich flora and fauna, admire the beautiful natural landscape, and participate in eco-tourism programmes.

JAXA said the rocket will be launched into outer space on November 9 (Screenshot photo)The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) on November 6 announced the delay of the launch of its fifth Epsilon solid-fuel rocket that is expected to carry nine small satellites, including Vietnam’s NanoDragon In its announcement, JAXA said the rocket will be launched into outer space from the Uchinoura Space Centre in Kagoshima prefecture at between 9:48-9:59 am on November 9 (local time), instead of November 7 as planned due to adverse weather forecast.Previously, JAXA had to stop launching Epsilon-5 twice. On October 1, about a minute before launching the rocket, JAXA stopped the process to check the machinery system. In another attempt to launch the rocket on October 7, the agency had to cancel its plan because of unfavorable weather.The NanoDragon, a nano-layer cubesat satellite which weighs 3.8 kilograms, was developed by the Vietnam National Space Centre (VNSC) under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology . The development of the NanoDragon satellite is part of VNSC's "made in Vietnam" small satellite development roadmap.Earlier, it was delivered to Japan on August 11 and tested at the Uchinoura Space Centre from August 16-17 before being officially transferred to the JAXA for launching under the second "Innovative satellite technology demonstration" programme./.

Ambassador Nguyen Hai Bang , Permanent Representative of Vietnam to ASEAN (Photo: Vietnamese Delegation to ASEAN)At the meeting (Photo: Vietnamese Delegation to ASEAN)Ambassador Nguyen Hai Bang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to ASEAN, attended the fifth meeting of the ASEAN-Germany Development Partnership Committee (AG-DPC) held virtually on November 5.At the meeting, ASEAN members highly valued cooperation of the sides in the recent past and Germany’s assistance for ASEAN, particularly in the fields of regional economic integration, environment and climate change, institution building/capacity enhancement and COVID-19 prevention and control.Germany hailed cooperation with ASEAN, underling that the organisation plays an important role in maintaining political and economic stability of the region. The European nation is keen to further engage in ASEAN-led processes.It briefed participants on the recent elections and the implementation of its Indo-Pacific policy and announced that Germany will take over the G7 presidency in 2022.Germany is committed to supporting ASEAN in the implementation of the ASEAN Vision 2025, the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) 2025 and the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) Work Plan IV (2021-2025), response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and contributing to maintaining peace and stability in Asia-Pacific and the world.The sides took the occasion to discuss their situations and review cooperation results across all fields over the years, agreeing to bolster consultation and collaboration mechanisms, and the ASEAN-Germany development partnership in the future.They consented to step up the practical cooperation in sectors of joint concerns and study those with potential, including COVID-19 fight, trade-investment, education, vocational training and digitalisation.Germany also shows support for the ASEAN-EU dialogue partnership and pays attention to developing its ties with ASEAN.ASEAN members agreed to grant the status of Development Partner to Germany at the 49th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held in Vientiane, Laos in July 2016./.

At a vaccination site in Thach An district, Cao Bang province. (Photo: VNA)Cao Bang (VNA) - The northern border province of Cao Bang on November 5 recorded its first-ever COVID-19 case which was detected in Na Sai village in Yen Tho commune of Bao Lam district. The patient is a 20-year-old man returning from the northern province of Bac Ninh on October 31. He worked for a buffet restaurant in Nam Son district, Bac Ninh province. On November 3, he received a call from the restaurant's manager who said he had close contact with a COVID-19-infected employee there.

The statement was made by Cuban Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment Déborah Rivas Saavedra on November 5 while co-chairing a virtual meeting of the Vietnam - Cuba Investment Working Group with Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Construction Bui Hong Minh.Déborah said that the Cuban government has issued many preferential policies to attract foreign investment. With great cooperation potential and advantages, she expressed her wish that Vietnamese enterprises will increase investment in such fields as industry, infrastructure of industrial parks, construction, transportation, agriculture, food processing, renewable energy and tourism.Minh said despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the past two years, Vietnamese businesses have maintained investment projects in Cuba.In particular, in September, within the framework of the official visit to Cuba by Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, many Vietnamese companies signed cooperation agreements with Cuban partners in many projects in priority areas of Cuba.However, during the implementation process of their projects in Cuba , Vietnamese enterprises are also facing some difficulties related to labour and salary policies. Therefore, they expect the Cuban side to consider and soon have suitable solutions, he added./.

The National Assembly’s Committee for Legal Affairs and the Constitution and Law Committee of the Chinese National People’s Congress (NPC) held online talks on November 4. (Photo: VNA)The National Assembly ’s Committee for Legal Affairs and the Constitution and Law Committee of the Chinese National People’s Congress (NPC) exchanged experience in law building during their online talks on November 4.The Vietnamese side briefed Chinese officials on the process of law making in Vietnam and the role of the Committee for Legal Affairs and other NA agencies in this regard.They also shared experience in building laws on environmental protection and agriculture.The Chinese side talked about lessons they learnt in making laws on civil and criminal affairs, and in the COVID-19 prevention and control.The participants held that the meeting offers a good opportunity for the two sides to enhance their mutual understanding and learn from each other’s experience, thus contributing to consolidating cooperation, and boosting political trust between the two committees as well as the two Parties, States and peoples.The two sides agreed to maintain information exchange and collaboration through suitable formats in line with the cooperation agreement reached by the Vietnamese NA and the NPC in 2015, and the spirit of the online talks between NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee Li Zhanshu on June 17 this year.On this occasion, head of the NA Committee for Legal Affairs Hoang Thanh Tung thanked the Chinese Party, State and people for their donations of COVID-19 vaccines and medical supplies to Vietnam, and asked China to continue to assist and share its experience in pandemic response in the time ahead./.

Trung Nam wind farm in Thuan Bac district, Ninh Thuan province - Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)– The Vietnam Energy Efficiency Building Week VEEBW 2021 (VEEBW 2021) hosted by the Vietnam Energy Efficiency Network (EEN-Vietnam) opened in Hanoi on November 3.The programme was initiated by EEN-Vietnam with special support from the Goethe-Institut and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung ( FES ).A series of webinars in the framework of the event are co-hosted by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), International Energy Agency (IEA), the Commercial and Industrial Rooftop Solar (CIRTS) of GIZ represented by the GROHE brand.In her opening remarks, Tran Thi Thu Phuong, Founder of EEN-Vietnam said, the highlight of VEEBW 2021 is the three webinars, which bring together organisations and experts specialising in the fields of planning, investment, design, consulting, materials and renewable energy from Vietnam and developed countries.The three-day event aims to create a premise for orientation and strategy development for the Vietnamese construction market by updating typical models of initiatives and experiences from cities, construction projects, global leading emission balancing projects, thus identifying challenges and opportunities for Vietnam's construction market, she said.The latest updates on innovation, new solutions, and advanced models will contribute to opening up opportunities for business communities and individuals to seek, creative advanced and feasible methods and technical solutions for the Vietnamese market, Phuong added.According to Julia Behrens, Director of the Climate & Energy Asia Project, in response to the challenge of climate change, energy balance buildings become one of the comprehensive solutions to both reduce emissions of greenhouse gas emissions in the field of construction and ensure comfort and improve the quality of living environment.Thanks to multi-stakeholder collaborative efforts in applying renewable energy, advanced material technologies and smart products, energy-balance buildings have begun to appear in big cities around the world.According to a report by the IEA, cities account for 66 percent of global energy demand and are responsible for 75 percent of CO2 emissions each year. Therefore, energy balance buildings will be an important agent to solve challenges of economic development and environmental protection.Behrens underlined the need for Vietnam to learn experience and enhance cooperation with developing countries and pioneer businesses in developing energy-balancing works./.

Deputy Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang (Source: VNA)Vietnam is temporarily recognising COVID-19 vaccination certificate/passport forms of 72 countries and territories that have been officially introduced to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, informed the ministry's Deputy Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang At the ministry’s regular press conference held virtually on November 4, Hang said those carrying these documents can use them directly in Vietnam and have their time at concentrated quarantine sites cut to seven days in line with the Ministry of Health’s guidance if they have been fully vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19.The list of these nations and territories having officially introduced their forms to Vietnam is regularly updated on the Foreign Ministry’s portal for consular work. The nations which have not done so yet can contact the representative agencies of Vietnam in their country to legalise and confirm these documents.The deputy spokesperson said it is a temporary solution before Vietnam officially recognises foreign COVID-19 vaccination passports. For such recognition, the passports are required to meet the set of criteria for recognition and use of COVID-19 vaccine passports of countries and territories in Vietnam approved by the Government leaders.Regarding COVID-19 vaccines, Vietnam accepts those approved by the World Health Organization (WHO), the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and the European Medicines Agency (EMA), or those licenced by the Vietnamese Ministry of Health for emergency use.The COVID-19 vaccine passport form must be issued simultaneously in the electronic environment and its paper version must carry an authentication code. Countries and territories involved need to have a high safety level and a widespread vaccination rate.According to Hang, Vietnamese authorities are considering the expansion of subjects eligible to enter Vietnam to apply at an appropriate time, towards the resumption of international commercial flights as usual. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is urgently discussing with 80 partners to speed up the mutual recognition of COVID-19 vaccine passports./.

Illustrative image (Source: VNA)– Vaccination for children against COVID-19 is scheduled to begin in early November, with priority given to those who have had to stay away from school due to prolonged lockdown, Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said on October 26.Speaking at an online conference on pandemic control with 19 southern provinces and cities, the Health Minister said based on the scheduled delivery of COVID-19 vaccine, the vaccination of children is to begin at the start of November, with Ho Chi Minh City to pilot the inoculation for children in District 1 and Cu Chi district.Following the guidance for children vaccination issued on October 14, teenagers aged 16 and 17 will be the first to receive the shots, he said, adding that Pfizer vaccine will be used for children.The vaccination will be conducted by mobile stations, or at communal health stations or at schools, according to Long.After the 16-17 age group, 15-year-old children will be the next to be vaccinated.Parents or guardians of children will be required to sign papers allowing the vaccination, Long said, urging relevant agencies to conduct awareness activities to get adults to take their children to vaccination.

Vietnam has completed the review under the third UPR cycle and is actively implementing recommendations that Vietnam accepts, she noted. The event took place virtually with a focus on the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and promoting economic recovery. A safety tour with a combination of automatic audio guides and traditional sightseeing has been launched recently at the Vietnam National Museum of History. In particular, visitors can also admire and learn about three among many rare and precious treasures only at the Vietnam National Museum of History. They are also on YouTube as Kiều and her crew can attract more fans this way during the COVID-19 pandemic.

(Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – The goal of 600 billion USD in foreign trade is likely to be realised by the end of the year because by October 15, the national import-export turnover had exceeded 510 billion USD, according to Agency of Foreign Trade under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT). The country’s import-export turnover hit more than 26 billion USD in the first half of October, including 13.16 billion USD from exports. Four groups of commodities with an export turnover of 1 billion USD upwards were phones and components; computers, electronic products and components; machinery and equipment; and garments. Vietnam earned 254 billion USD from exports and spent 256.45 billion USD on imports, resulting in a trade deficit of 2.45 billion USD by October 15. With the current trade growth rate, the import-export turnover for the whole year is expected to exceed 600 billion USD, it said.

Overcoming all obstacles, their sense of responsibility and medical ethics have helped them continue the fight over the course of many sleepless nights. This time, many medical workers lived far from their family and were quarantined from society. Many female staff worked on the frontlines even though their children and parents also needed their care. Van and Bich are just two of many female medical workers from the Hue Central Hospital who accepted the grave danger to help people during the pandemic. With ethics and a sense of responsibility, medical workers will do their utmost in the fight against COVID-19./.

Immediately, she contacted High Quality Vietnamese Goods Association for help.Essential goods were transported to the hospital. The meal was delivered on time to doctors but they had no time to eat.When doctors finished their shift, the food could no longer be eaten.“I cried seeing the lunch box," Tuyet said. "I thought I thought that if I didn't do anything, I would feel guilty. I asked a female chef I know who is working at a five-star hotel if there is any way to preserve the food longer. All of them feel happy to help disadvantaged people./.