Vietnam News Highlights for May 10, 2023

Celebrated film artists attend 1st Danang Asian Film Festival

Many famous Vietnamese and international movie stars attend the festival's opening ceremony in Danang City. Photo: Hanoimoi newspaper

The opening ceremony of the 1st Danang Asian Film Festival on May 9 attracted many famous Vietnamese and international film stars to the central beach city of Danang.

The five-day Danang Asian Film Festival 2023, themed "Asian Bridge", will run until May 13, gathering and showcasing some excellent cinematic works from Vietnam and other countries. The film festival also aims to spread career passion, seek co-production opportunities, expand the film market, and promote the image and people of Vietnam and Danang.

Vietnamese athlete wins two running finals after 30 minutes

Vietnamese athlete Nguyen Thi Oanh won two gold medals in 30 minutes at the 32nd SEA Games women's 1,500-meter and 3,000-meter running finals on May 9. The fairy tale was made possible when the host organizer of the 32nd SEA Games decided to hold the two running events on the same day with 30 minutes between them instead of two days as planned.

Although she was surprised by the schedule, Oanh decided to compete in both races and enjoyed easy victories. Before the SEA Games, Oanh was named among the athletes who would shine at the sports festival.

Vietnam calls for local support for forced laborers in the Philippines

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on May 9 asked Philippine authorities to assist Vietnamese citizens who are among the 1,000 forced laborers recently rescued in the archipelago nation's Pampanga Province. The ministry urged local Philippine authorities to provide shelter for the Vietnamese, inform Vietnam of their residency status, and help repatriate those not allowed to stay in the Philippines.

According to the Vietnamese Embassy in the Philippines, on May 4, local police rescued more than 1,000 people from forced labor at a facility owned by the Clark Sun Valley Hub Group in Manila near Pampanga province.

Vietnamese social media users to be asked for identity verification

Logo of video-sharing platform TikTok. Photo: AFP/VNA

Vietnam is considering requiring all social media users on platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and TikTok to verify their identities in a bid to curb online fraud. Under a joint work plan between the Ministry of Information and Communications and the Ministry of Public Security, accounts that fail to be verified will be dealt with and even blocked.

This measure will prevent these platforms from being used for untraceable fraud. If the platforms fail to meet the requirements, they will be banned in the country. Recently, Vietnam has asked foreign tech companies to set up their representative offices and data servers in Vietnam. Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube do not require users in Vietnam to verify their identity.

Taiwanese investment fund to raise capital, target Vietnamese stocks

China Trust Vietnam Opportunity Fund plans to raise five billion Taiwan dollars (VND3.82 trillion or nearly US$163 million) to buy Vietnamese stocks. If successful, the fund will increase its capital to 16.5 billion Taiwan dollars (nearly US$538 million).

The fund first purchased local assets in late August 2020, targeting potential companies listed on the two local bourses. The fund predicts that Vietnam's stock market will continue to struggle with low investor confidence and experience volatile trading in the near future. However, the outlook for the local market remains positive in the medium and long term.

Three local hospitals certified as world-class surgical training facilities

Viet Duc, Hong Ngoc and No. 108 Hospital were the first three local hospitals to receive the Surgical Training Facility Certificate from the 200-year-old Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS) on May 9. The certification proves the three hospitals' reputation, reliability, and quality in surgery.

The certification opens up opportunities for the three hospitals to receive the latest technologies in brain surgery, facial surgery, and pediatric surgery. They can also send their doctors to international training programs and welcome foreign experts to work in their facilities.

Long An attracts US$1 billion to local industrial parks

As of May 5, local industrial parks in the southern province of Long An have attracted 35 new projects with total capital of US$1.1 billion. The figure included US$418.25 million in foreign direct investment (FDI) and about VND15.97 trillion (US$680 million) in domestic investment. The capital figures increased by 62% and 96% year-on-year, respectively.

Long An now has 24 industrial parks covering a total area of 6,000 hectares. About 4,000 hectares of land have been leased. Several multi-million dollar projects are being operated by Mitsubishi, Yokorei, and Suntory Pepsico.