Vietnam News Highlights for May 17, 2023
Stay informed about current events in Vietnam.
Remains of 96 fallen Vietnamese soldiers, experts return home
Vietnamese and Lao authorities on May 16-17 repatriated the remains of 96 Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who laid down their lives while on duty in Laos. A search team from the Military High Command of Nghe An Province found the remains during the 2022-2023 dry season. The 96 remains of the fallen combatants and experts will rest in a cemetery in Nghi Loc District, Nghe An Province.
Since its establishment in 1984, the Search and Repatriation Team of the Nghe An Provincial Military High Command has repatriated the remains of more than 13,000 fallen combatants.
Hue bans night tour of Imperial Walls
| A young visitor views the city of Hue from the southern wall of the Imperial Citadel. Photo: The Hanoi Times |
Hue's authorities announced on May 16 that they would suspend night tours of the outer wall of the Hue Imperial Citadel until all illegal carvings and paintings were removed. A group of night guards will be deployed to secure the area. The ban was finalized after the wall was found to be carved and painted.
The tour route over the Flag Tower on the southern wall of the Citadel was opened in early 2023 and quickly became an attraction for both locals and visitors to Hue.
VinES receives funding from Australia, ADB for lithium-ion battery development
Vietnamese firm VinES Energy Solution JSC (VinES) received a US$500,000 technical assistance package from the Australian Government on May 16. The package is part of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Australian Government's strategic support for Vietnam's transition to a low-carbon economy. The funding will enable the company to develop lithium-ion battery technology and promote sustainable production of batteries for electric vehicles.
The Australian government and ADB had previously granted VinFast US$1 million in technical assistance in June 2022 to support Vietnam's e-mobility development.
Vietnam Week underway in St. Petersburg
A Vietnam Week is now underway in the Russian city of St. Petersburg to strengthen the friendship and partnership between the city and Vietnam. The week includes several cultural, sports and business activities, such as an international football tournament, a chess exchange and an online course on Vietnamese and Russian cuisine.
Other key activities include training courses on the rich culture and history of the two nations, an educational conference, and history and national patriotism for youth. The week, upgraded from the annual Vietnam Days in St. Petersburg, was held for the first time in 2018.
About US$3.24 billion needed to develop Can Gio coastal tourism area
HCM City’s Can Gio District will need about VND76 trillion (US$3.24 billion) to develop infrastructure for the Can Gio Coastal Tourism Area. The area will cover a total of nearly 2,870 hectares with five main sections and will be able to accommodate 228,000 visitors. The developer will increase the area of several sectors to improve public services.
The government approved the master plan for the area in June 2020 with 3,000 hectares and a total investment of VND217 trillion (US$9.25 billion).
Southeast Asian youth promote innovation in higher education
With the theme "Innovating International Higher Education," the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) 2023 Regional Workshop, which opened in Hanoi on May 16, brings together young leaders to exchange ideas on strengthening innovation activities in teaching-learning, digitization-resource sharing, and innovation integration among universities in ASEAN, the US, and other countries.
YSEALI also enhances youth leadership skills and fosters a community of leaders working across borders to solve common problems.
Base salary to increase from July 1
The Vietnamese Government has issued a decree regulating the base salary for civil servants, increasing from VND1.49 million (US$63.5) to VND1.8 million (US$76.7) from July 1, 2023.
This is the second base salary increase since July 1, 2019, after a three-year delay due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The base salary is used to calculate salary levels for payroll, allowances, fees, and other financial support as required by law.
