Vietnam

Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan was appointed Vietnam's acting president by the Communist Party's Politburo on Thursday, following Vo Van Thuong's exit from the role.

Xuan will hold the position until the National Assembly can vote for a new president.

This is the second time in the 2021-2026 term where Xuan was appointed as an acting president. In January last year, Xuan also held the position for over a month after Nguyen Xuan Phuc exited the role.

Xuan, 54, from the southern province of An Giang, holds a master's degree in public management. She became the youngest vice president to be voted by the National Assembly in April 2021, at age 51.

Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. and his spouse will make a state visit to Vietnam from January 29 to 30.

Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. and his spouse will make a state visit to Vietnam from January 29 to 30.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the trip is made at the invitation of President Vo Van Thuong and his spouse.

LOTUSat-1, Vietnam’s first ever indigenous weather satellite, is expected to be launched into orbit from December 2024 to February 2025, according to the Vietnam National Satellite Centre (VNSC) at the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST).

The fifth Epsilon solid-fuel rocket that carries Vietnam’s NanoDragon satellite. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – LOTUSat-1, Vietnam’s first ever indigenous weather satellite, is expected to be launched into orbit from December 2024 to February 2025, according to the Vietnam National Satellite Centre (VNSC) at the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST).

VNSC Deputy General Director Le Xuan Huy said the 570kg satellite is expected to be completed in May, with an image resolution of one metre.

Huy said radar satellites can take pictures in all weather conditions, cloudy, foggy or low-light, adding the ground control system for the launch will be completed by September this year at the Hoa Lac hi-tech park.

In 2019, the VNSC and Japan’s Sumitomo Corp. cooperated to implement the project "LOTUSat-1 satellite, equipment and human resources training", using official development assistance (ODA) loans from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

In addition to satellite development, there have been classes to transfer radar satellite image processing technology to prepare technology and human resources for the launch, Huy said.

According to the VAST’s Space Technology Institute, Vietnam’s first remote sensing satellite, the VNREDSat-1, has been operating effectively since it was launched in 2013.

The 120-kg satellite has run for 10 straight years to assist Vietnam in addressing challenges in forest and water resources management, disaster management, urban mapping and planning, national defence and security, and coastal zone management.

The People’s Court of Huong Khe district of central Ha Tinh province on August 8 sentenced Hoang Thi Son and Thai Thi Be to 15 years in prison each for “abusing the rights to freedom and democracy to violate the interests of the State, the rights and legitimate interests of organisations and individuals” under Article 331 of the 2015 Penal Code (revised and supplemented in 2017).

Hoang Thi Son and Thai Thi Be at the court (Photo: VNA)

Ha Tinh (VNA) – The People’s Court of Huong Khe district of central Ha Tinh province on August 8 sentenced Hoang Thi Son and Thai Thi Be to 15 years in prison each for “abusing the rights to freedom and democracy to violate the interests of the State, the rights and legitimate interests of organisations and individuals” under Article 331 of the 2015 Penal Code (revised and supplemented in 2017).

According to the indictment, from November 23, 2022 to April 19, 2023, due to their discontentment with the response of authorised agencies to their requests, Son, born in 1958 and from Huong Khe township, and Be, born in 1956 and from Huong Khe district, took advantage of their freedom of speech to post many distorted contents on their YouTube and Facebook accounts, insulting the honour and dignity of leaders of Huong Khe district and discrediting the administration and state agencies in the locality.

Son used her cellphone to post a video clip and seven articles on the social network and left many comments with wrongful and distorted contents. Particularly, the video clip with her voice seriously infringed upon the prestige and honour of the members of the Huong Khe district Citizen Reception Board and the leaders of Huong Khe district.

Meanwhile, Be posted 12 video clips on her YouTube’s account of “thi be thai” and 36 others on her account “Thai Be” with distorted and wrongful contents related to the local authorities’ processing of her requests and denunciations.

At the court, the defendants admitted their crimes and wished to receive the leniency of the law.

HANOI. Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) approved the amended land law on Thursday at its fifth extraordinary meeting, Vietnam News Agency reported.

NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue said by passing the law, the legislators had accomplished one of the most important legislative tasks of the 15th-term National Assembly.

The law will take effect on Jan. 1, 2025, except for some specific provisions.

Vu Hong Thanh, chairman of the NA's Economic Affairs, said it was a major and complicated law project, bearing special meaning and importance in the country's politics, socio-economy, national defense, security, and environmental protection. It has also a profound impact on all walks of life and businesses.

The draft amended land law, which was open for public feedback, has received more than 12 million comments.

At the fifth extraordinary meeting which concluded on Thursday, the NA deputies also passed an additional allocation of more than 63.72 trillion Vietnamese dong (2.59 billion U.S. dollars) for five sectors and fields, namely national defense, security, State management, science and technology, and transport.

The allocation consists of nearly 58 trillion Vietnamese dong for 32 key transport projects.

The legislators also passed the amended Law on Credit Institutions.

Xi Jinping arrived in Vietnam for a state visit and received a respectful and warm welcome at the airstair by party and state leaders of VietNam including Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

The visit on Tuesday comes three months after United States President Joe Biden travelled to Vietnam as the major powers vie for influence in the Southeast Asian nation.

Later in the day, the sides signed 37 agreements, including on cross-border rail development and trade. The two countries have also agreed to conduct joint patrols in the Tonkin Gulf, according to reporters who witnessed the signing ceremony.

In an opinion piece published in Vietnam’s Nhan Dan newspaper before the visit on Tuesday, Xi wrote: “Asia’s future is in the hands of no one but Asians.”

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cross-posted from: https://lemmygrad.ml/post/601590

The proposed law would allow people the right to change gender identity, request a different gender identity to the one assigned at birth and the right to choose a medical intervention method for gender-reaffirming surgery.

[…]

“[Society] is relatively open towards the issue already. If we don’t soon build a legal corridor, there will be a lot of issues in both institutional and practical dimensions,” national assembly secretary general, Bùi Văn Cường, said.

(Now imagine the U.S. Congress even considering—never mind passing—a law like this.)

HANOI, VIETNAM – Media OutReach – 14 April 2023 – Green and Smart Mobility Joint Stock Company (GSM) officially begins operating the first pure electric taxi service in Vietnam – Green SM Taxi. The event ushered in a new era of taxis: smart, pollutant and noise-free, and environmentally friendly.

Green SM Taxi is set to launch on the roads of Hanoi, followed by a nationwide expansion to at least five provinces and cities this year, in line with the company’s strategic plan.

As of April 14, 2023, customers can easily book Green SM taxi services via the nationwide hotline, 1900 2088, just like traditional taxi services, or through the Green SM Taxi application, available on App Store and Google Play. Riders can also hail cars at all Vincom shopping malls, public spaces around the city, or on the roads. In May 2023, Green SM Taxi can be booked through BeVinFast service on the Be application.

In addition to convenient and diverse access, Green SM Taxi provides customers with two service options: GreenCar – a standard taxi service, and LuxuryCar – a premium taxi experience. GreenCar will roll out with the VinFast VF e34 in the company’s signature Cyan blue color, while LuxuryCar will use the VinFast VF 8 in their original luxurious colors.

Initially, SM Green Taxi will start operation with 500 VF e34s and 100 VF 8s in Hanoi. Shortly, the company will add the VinFast VF 5 Plus model to the GreenCar fleet. According to actual customer demands, the company will increase the number of cars in both service segments.

The starting price for the first 1 km of the GreenCar service is 20,000 VND. For the next 24 km, the fare for the VF 5 Plus is 14,000 VND/km, and the VF e34 is 15,500 VND/km. From the 26th km onwards, the fare will be 12,000 VND/km for the VF 5 Plus and 12,500 VND/km for the VF e34. The price for LuxuryCar service is fixed at 21,000 VND/km for the entire journey.

Speaking at the Green SM Taxi’s opening ceremony in Hanoi, Mr. Nguyen Manh Quyen – Vice President of the Hanoi People’s Committee, shared: “Electric taxis are among the advanced solutions that bring tremendous benefits to the community and contribute to reducing air and noise pollution while saving energy and costs for users. The deployment of electric taxi services in Hanoi not only affirms the determination of the City and cooperation of business organizations, particularly the GSM company, in accelerating sustainable transport development; but also contributes to realizing Vietnam’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh – CEO of GSM, shared: “GSM, in general, and Green SM Taxi, specifically, were established in response to the national climate objectives, which include efforts to reduce transportation emissions. Green SM Taxi offers a new standard of transportation service with outstanding quality, not just serving people but also connecting and forming a green and smart mobility ecosystem across Vietnam.”

Green SM Taxi is Vietnam’s first pure electric taxi company, providing passenger transportation services entirely by VinFast electric vehicles. This generation of taxis is noiseless and emits no carbon, which benefits public health and the environment. The cars are also equipped with various intelligent entertainment features, providing passengers with enjoyable experiences on every journey. With a team of highly trained and professional drivers and dedicated service, Green SM Taxi is committed to bringing 5-star service quality to customers.

Green SM Taxi will continue to be launched in Ho Chi Minh City in April 2023.

For more information about the Green SM Taxi, customers can visit https://www.taxixanhsm.vn/ or download the Green SM Taxi application at: https://taxisinhsm.page.link /newsletter

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang has signed off on a decision for assistance in house building and land reclamation for residents in ethnic minority and mountainous areas.

Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang has signed off on a decision for assistance in house building and land reclamation for residents in ethnic minority and mountainous areas.

The assistance is meant to help with the implementation of the national target programme on socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas for 2021 - 2030, in the first phase from 2021 to 2025.

Accordingly, a maximum of 40 million VND (nearly 1,700 USD) from the central budget will be provided for each household to carry out site clearance, prepare housing and land infrastructure, or settlement. A maximum of 40 million VND for each household will be provided to build a solid house in line with local customs, and up to 22.5 million VND for each to conduct land reclamation for farming.

It also regulates that an average of 3 billion VND from the central budget will be given to help with the building of a concentrated water supply facility in ethnic minority and mountainous areas. The paving of roads towards communes' centre can receive support of about 1.6 billion VND for each kilometer, and the construction of a new market can receive financial aid of 4.4 billion VND, while the upgrading of an existing market will be given some 800 million VND.

Meanwhile, local budgets will supply a minimum of 4 million VND for each household to carry out site clearance, prepare housing land infrastructure, or settlement. A minimum of 4 million VND will be dedicated to building a solid house in line with local customs.

In addition to the aid from the central and local budgets, localities were also requested to mobilise capital from other legal sources for funding the works under the national target programme, according to the decision.

Hanoi (VNA) – The Hanoi People’s Council has approved, in principle, the construction of Thuong Cat bridge across the Red River, connecting Bac Tu Liem and Dong Anh districts.

The bridge, which has a length of 820m and a width of 33m, is expected to ease traffic congestion and boost the socio-economic development of the capital city.

With a total estimated cost of nearly 8.3 trillion VND (351 million USD), the construction is scheduled to be done in four years, from 2023 to 2027.

To ensure a well-coordinated traffic system, the council has also approved the construction of a belt road connecting Thuong Cat Bridge to National Highway No 32 with a total investment of 1.5 trillion VND. The road is expected to open to traffic in 2026.

Thuong Cat is one of the 10 new bridges spanning the Red River under Hanoi’s transport plan for the 2015-2030 period.

“Lien Xo” - the first Russian film about the Vietnam War - has started shooting at the Military Aviation and Space Defense Academy (VKS) named after Zhukov in Tver.

The film tells the work of Soviet military experts who arrived in Vietnam in 1965. The script is based on the memories of Soviet missile officers who were called in to train the Vietnamese soldiers to work on the S-75 Dvina air defence systems. The prototypes of the main characters were Soviet officers Fyodor Ilinykh and Boris Mozhaev.

The systems, used during the war in Vietnam, were capable of helping against single targets and clusters, and low-flying and high-speed targets. They were also used to suppress the operation of anti-radar missiles such as Shrike.

Veterans of the air defense forces who participated in the military operations of the Soviet Union also attended the film-making team. At the academy, filmmakers shot instructional videos to assist participants in the filming process for later production.

The Government Committee for Religious Affairs released the white book on religions and religious policies in Vietnam at a conference held by the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications in Hanoi on March 9.

A 132-page book consists of three chapters, providing introduction to basic information about religions in Vietnam, its religious policies as well as achievements, challenges and advantages in ensuring the right to freedom of belief and religion.

The book introduces 16 popular religions in Vietnam, including Buddhism, Catholicism, Protestantism, Caodaism, and Hoa Hao Buddhism, among others.

It also presents the Communist Party of Vietnam's view on beliefs and religions during the renewal period, the right to freedom of belief and religion stipulated in the country’s Constitution, regulations on religious activities in current legal documents.

The first Constitution in 1946 and its revised editions always affirm that, the right to freedom of belief and religion is one of the fundamental rights of human beings. The 2013 Constitution specifies that, the right to freedom of belief and religion is a right of all people.

Vietnam’s Communist Party has nominated Vo Van Thuong, 52, as the country’s next president, according to sources.

The Vietnamese Communist Party has nominated Vo Van Thuong as the country’s new president, two party sources told the Reuters news agency, following the forced resignation in January of his predecessor as part of a sweeping anti-corruption campaign in the country.

The government in a statement on Wednesday said the party’s Central Committee had agreed on a nomination for president but did not name the candidate.

Thuong, 52, is the youngest member of the party’s 16-member Politburo, the country’s top decision-making body, and is widely regarded as being close to the Communist Party of Vietnam’s General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, Vietnam’s most powerful figure.

Thuong currently holds the post of secretary of the party’s Central Committee, which is already one of the highest-ranking positions in the country.

Le Hong Hiep, a senior fellow and coordinator of the Vietnam Studies Programme at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, said Hanoi had been “abuzz” with rumours in recent days that Vo Van Thuong would be named a candidate for state president.

Born in Vietnam’s southern Vinh Long province, Thuong is also seen as an ally of National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, who is reportedly a favourite to succeed the current secretary-general in the top party job.

“The election of Thuong to the presidency can therefore facilitate this succession plan,” Hiep wrote on Tuesday in Fulcrum.

Trong is the main architect of the ongoing “blazing furnace” crackdown on corruption, under which hundreds of officials have been investigated and many forced to quit their jobs, including Vietnam’s former President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and two deputy prime ministers.

Thuong’s nomination will need approval by the country’s rubber-stamp National Assembly, which is due to hold an extraordinary session on Thursday and a formal sitting in May.

“Thuong is a dyed-in-the-wool party apparatchik and a trusted member of Secretary General Trong’s inner circle,” said Carl Thayer, an expert in Vietnam’s politics at the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra.

Hanoi-based diplomats told Reuters news agency they saw the party’s decision to name Thuong as president as an attempt to advance a new generation of leaders and consolidate power in the event the 78-year-old Trong decides to step down before the end of his third term in 2026.

The general secretary is often chosen from among one of the top leaders and Trong, who was reappointed for a third term in 2021, “is ensuring he has an acceptable successor in the mix”, one diplomat said.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has launched a propaganda poster contest to mark the 75th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh’s call for patriotic emulation (1948 – 2023).

The contest is open for both amateur and professional Vietnamese painters, at home and abroad.

The entries should highlight emulation movements, which have been held over the past 75 years, particularly movements on reducing poverty, paying gratitude to national contributors, and building new-style rural areas.

The designs, which must be presented in 54 x 79 cm, should also portray exemplary models, who stood out in the implementation of the movements.

Entries must be recent creations, which have never been entered in other contests and have not been disseminated in any form.

Entrants should submit their designs to phongttcd.vhes@gmail.com, or send them directly (or by post) to the Hanoi Department of Culture, 86A, Lane Le Van Huu 3, Ngo Thi Nham Ward, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi, before April 7, 2023.

Winners of the contest will be announced and honoured at a ceremony scheduled in June this year.

(KPL/VNA) Vietnam targets becoming a developed, high-income country with an equal, democratic, and civilised society by 2050 under the national master plan for 2021-2030 with a vision to 2050.

The country will strive for annual GDP growth of 6.5-7.5% between 2031 and 2050, along with per capita GDP of 27,000-32,000 USD and an urbanisation rate of 70-75% by 2050.

Hanoi began a tree planting project toward net zero emissions at a ceremony held in Me Linh district on February 26.

As part of the ceremony at the national special relic Hai Ba Trung temple, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha and representatives of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) and Hanoi authorities planted the first tree of the project. More than 1,000 mature trees worth nearly 1.5 billion VND (63,038.4 USD) was presented to the district at the event.

Addressing the event, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Le Cong Thanh said the capital is the first destination of the 15 billion VND project run by the Vietnam Dairy Products Joint Stock Company (Vinamilk) and the MoNRE. As part of efforts to realise Vietnam’s commitments made at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), the project will be implemented in five years until 2027.

The organising committee is expected to conduct research and planning to plant trees in other localities across the country this year.

A Vinamilk representative said the project focuses on building scientific tree-planting plans to maintain the highest percentage of trees living and growing without wasting natural resources.

Ho Chi Minh City is planning to apply for the title of UNESCO World Book Capital (WBC) in 2025, according to Lam Dinh Thang, Director of the municipal Department of Information and Communications. He said that the city has advantages and potential to develop the publishing industry and reading culture in the community.

There are 39 domestic and foreign publishers, more than 140 distribution units, and nearly 1,000 private bookstores in the city. It also has 1,500 local libraries and more than 1,100 school libraries, creating a favourable environment to meet the reading needs of all people.

For years, the publishing industry and reading culture in the city have been thriving strongly. From 2015-2020, the city published about 2 million copies of books on average each year with an annual growth rate of 10%.

Facing the strong development trend of digital technology, the electronic publishing market in the city has grown tremendously. In 2022, the number of electronic publications in the city increased more than three times compared to 2021, with more than 4 million users, equivalent to 3.4 million copies of books being read.

Moreover, with effective models implemented in recent years, for example, the book streets, the city is considered the "bright spot" of the whole country in the development of reading culture.

The title of WBC has been held each year since 2001 by a town or city committed to acting to create a culture of reading. It can provide an important impetus to experiment and innovate in the ways that literacy and reading are promoted, as well as to invest in key infrastructure, not least libraries.

Madrid in Spain was named the first WBC in 2001, Accra of Ghana in 2023, Strasbourg in France in 2024. UNESCO has launched the call for cities interested in holding the title in 2025, with applications due to be submitted no later than April 16./.

Hanoi will spend 437 trillion VND (18.3 billion USD) on housing development in the 2021-2025 period.

Under a housing development plan between 2021 and 2025 which has been approved by the municipal People’s Committee, the city targets the average housing floor area per person to be 29.5 sq.m. The size of dwelling in the urban areas is 31 sq.m per person and 28 sq.m per person in rural areas.

The capital city also plans to develop 0.55 million sq.m of floor areas for resettlement purposes and speed up the renovation of old buildings, especially those deemed dangerous for living.

Regarding commercial projects, the city will strive to complete 109 projects that are capable of finishing in 2021-2025 with 19.4 million sq.m of floor.

Hanoi will continue to remove makeshift houses and raise the permanent housing rate in the city to 90%.

Of the total investment of 437 trillion VND, 5.8 trillion VND will be used for social housing, resettlement housing projects, and apartments upgrading. The investment will be sourced from the city’s budget.

The city will also mobilise social resources for the development of commercial houses and other real estate projects.

The municipal People’s Committee requested agencies comply with the city's housing development plans to ensure a balance between housing supply and demand as well as fulfil the set targets.

Legal documents will be reviewed to remove difficulties and problems relating to housing and construction investment management of infrastructure works, it said.

The city will also issue preferential mechanisms and policies to support construction investment for technical and social infrastructure works in social housing and resettlement areas towards civilisation and modernity in order to ensure the quality of life and affordable for local residents

cross-posted from: https://lemmygrad.ml/post/521217

Builders of Fangchenggang-Dongxing railway, an important railway linking China and Vietnam, said about 90 percent of the construction of the railway has been completed. They expected it to be fully completed before the end of the year.