Vietnam news in brief - May 8

Vietnamese peacekeepers open first smart camp in Abyei

Inauguration of the Highway smart camp in Abyei. Photo: nld.com.vn

The Vietnamese engineering unit in Abyei, an area between Sudan and South Sudan, inaugurated the smart camp project at Highway Base on May 7 (local time). The smart camp project is expected to provide better conditions for international peacekeeping units to improve their performance. This is the first smart camp among all United Nations peacekeeping teams.

The project began on March 28, 2023, and includes 30 modules of facilities such as offices, houses, cafeterias, fitness centers, restrooms, and waste and wastewater treatment plants.

Vietnam wins praise for human rights policy

More than 300 foreign diplomats congratulated Vietnam on its successes and achievements in protecting human rights, socio-economic growth, ensuring social justice, and improving human rights education.

The appraisals were given at a dialogue on Vietnam's report under the fourth cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in Geneva, Switzerland, on May 7. The Vietnamese delegation was led by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet.

Vietnam, Brazil's key partner: official

Vietnam is Brazil’s key partner in Southeast Asia, and the two countries aim to increase bilateral trade to $10 billion by 2025 and $15 billion by 2030, according to Eduardo Paes Saboia, secretary for Asia and the Pacific at Brazil's foreign ministry.

There are many opportunities for the two nations to strengthen their relationship, the Brazilian official noted. He noted that further cooperation will focus on education, national defense, agriculture, and diplomatic relations.

Danang high school student wins UPU letter-writing contest

Nguyen Do Quang Minh, a ninth-grade student at Nguyen Khuyen Secondary-High School in the central coastal city of Danang, beat 1.5 million contestants to win the national round of the 53rd Universal Postal Union (UPU) Letter Writing Contest.

Minh writes about children who are not loved and need a place to share their feelings. His work features a character named Pullattie who expects that there will be Santa Claus training schools to create a generation that brings joy and happiness to children.

Vietnamese workers face fines for illegal stay

Nearly 3,200 workers will lose a VND100 million (US$5,000) deposit each for breaking the law by staying illegally in South Korea after their employment contracts expired, according to the Center for Overseas Labor (Ministry of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs).

This amount is held in a bank account of the provincial government where the worker resides before leaving the country. This escrow money is intended to encourage workers to honor their contracts and prevent Vietnamese workers from staying in South Korea illegally.

New Zealand schools organize experiential education for Vietnamese students

The Christchurch Education Association (Christchurch Educated), in collaboration with Education New Zealand (ENZ), has developed a series of experiential classes that simulate the real New Zealand learning environment exclusively for Vietnamese students. The classes will be held in Ho Chi Minh City on May 25 and in Hanoi on May 26.

These classes help students and parents interact directly with New Zealand teachers, learn about study opportunities and scholarships at schools in Christchurch - New Zealand's second largest city, and help students in Vietnam access a hands-on New Zealand education with a focus on developing global citizenship skills.

Vietnam - Australia collaboration in agricultural research

The meeting between the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research. Photo: thoibaotaichinh.vn

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) agreed at a meeting on May 7 to continue their cooperation and prioritize research projects in agriculture. ACIAR will continue to support long-term cooperation, strengthen research capacity, improve livelihoods, and help address the challenges facing Vietnam's agricultural sector.

Central bank announces 5th gold  auction today

The State Bank of Vietnam will auction 16,800 taels of SJC gold today [May 8]. Bidders are required to make a deposit equal to 10% of VND85.3 million (US$3,412), the price of one tael of gold in Vietnam. The minimum bid volume for a buyer is seven lots (or 700 taels) instead of 14 lots (or 1,400 taels) as previously stipulated. The maximum volume remains at 2,000 taels (or 20 lots). In previous auctions, the high minimum bid price and the large minimum volume (1,400 taels) discouraged buyers, who were afraid to invest significant capital in a commodity whose price fluctuates on the world market.

This is the fifth auction conducted by the central bank, with only one of the four previous auctions being successful, while the other three were canceled.

Over half of Vietnamese concerned about environmental impact when travelling 

Booking.com's 2024 Sustainable Travel Report reveals that 56% of Vietnamese travelers surveyed are concerned about the environmental impact of their vacations. In addition, 94% of Vietnamese tourists would like to travel sustainably in the next 12 months. The survey was conducted online with citizens from over 30 different countries and territories.

New Japanese Ambassador to arrive in Vietnam on May 15

The new Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam is expected to arrive in Vietnam on May 15, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Vietnam Yamada Takio announced at a meeting with Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son yesterday.

The Ambassador expressed his hope that Minister Son will continue to work closely with his successor to promote educational cooperation and human resource development between the two countries. Currently, Vietnam and Japan have five effective cooperation agreements in education.