society

Vietnamese workers in Nghe An province flock to immigration offices to get the necessary authentication to return to work in their host countries after the 2018 Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday (Photo: VNA)   Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Vietnamese citizens are set to enjoy faster, more convenient and more secure border crossings with new biometric passports to be rolled out by 2020. The new system is detailed in the draft law on the entry and exit of Vietnamese citizens that the public security ministry completed earlier this week. The ministry is seeking public feedback. Article 7 of the draft law says new biometric passports (or e-passports) – including official, diplomatic and ordinary passports – will be embedded with a microchip that stores the holder’s personal information, fingerprint scans, ID photo and a digital signature from the issuing agency. E-passports are supposedly much more secure and harder to forge compared to their conventional counterparts, and the … [Read more...] about E-passports for Vietnamese citizens expected by 2020

The meeting to review the performance of the Vietnam Bomb and Mine Action Support Association and debut the comic books in Hanoi on December 14 (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – A set of comic books aiming to raise children’s awareness of unexploded ordnance (UXO) accidents in Vietnam made debut in Hanoi on December 14. The comics, compiled by the Vietnam Bomb and Mine Action Support Association, consist of three collections, namely “Peter va mua he tren dat Viet” (Peter and the summer in Vietnam) with five volumes, “Bi mat lang da tang” (The secret of the stone village) with three volumes, and “Nhat ky Sau heo” (The diary of Sau heo) with three volumes. Lt. Gen. Pham Ngoc Hoa, Vice Chairman of the association, said about 3,000 copies of the comics have been printed, and they will be distributed to some primary schools in the 19 most UXO-contaminated provinces and cities. He noted that there are many measures to eliminate … [Read more...] about Comics hoped to raise children’s awareness of UXO accidents

The event to launch the second phase of the hotline project in Hanoi on December 14 (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs (MoLISA) joined the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to launch the second phase (2019-2021) of a JICA-funded hotline project on curbing human trafficking in Vietnam on December 14. Since 2012, with financial and technical support from JICA, the MoLISA developed hotline 1800 1567, which previously supplied child protection consultation services. To date, the hotline has been changed to 111, and two regional operation centres have been established in the central city of Da Nang and the Mekong Delta province of An Giang. Information and service exchanges have been maintained between the north and northern central region, the south central and Central Highlands region, and the southeast and Mekong Delta region. The second phase of the project aims at setting up a national hotline and pushing for … [Read more...] about Japanese-funded anti-human trafficking hotline enters second phase

At the event (Source: VNA)     Phnom Penh (VNA) – The supreme courts of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia held their fifth court conference of border provinces to discuss crime prevention work and the settlement of trans-border civil cases. Attending the event were Chief Justice of the Supreme People’s Court of Vietnam Nguyen Hoa Binh, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Cambodia Dith Munty, and Chief Justice of the Lao Supreme People’s Court Khamphanh Sithidampha. They shared the view that since the first conference, held in Vietnam in 2010, cooperation in the settlement of civil and criminal cases among the three countries’ supreme and local courts has been strengthened, especially in border localities. They agreed that all three courts will seek effective measures to improve their capacity, effectively deal with civil disputes, and combat transnational crimes. The conference featured three sessions, focusing on the review of the … [Read more...] about Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia hold court conference

Participants in the conference on the settlement of Agent Orange/dioxin consequences in Vietnam on December 14 (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – An international conference was held in Hanoi on December 14 to discuss the settlement of Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin consequences which still linger in people’s bodies and the environment across Vietnam. Deputy Minister of Defence Sen. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Chi Vinh said that although the war ended over 40 years ago, the consequences of toxic chemicals, and unexploded bombs and mines leftover from the war still substantially influence the safety and health of Vietnamese people, the environment, and national socio-economic development. It is not only dioxin, but also other toxic chemicals used by different countries in the past that have left serious consequences, posing challenges to the realisation of the Millennium Development Goals, as well as environmental protection and the improvement of people’s health, he noted. [Video: Dioxin … [Read more...] about Int’l conference talks solutions to AO/dioxin consequences

Illustrative image (Source: VNA)   Dien Bien (VNA) – A repatriation and reburial ceremony for the remains of 30 voluntary Vietnamese soldiers who laid down their lives in Laos took place in the northern mountainous province of Dien Bien on December 14.  Speaking at the event, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Le Van Quy lauded the voluntary Vietnamese soldiers for dedicating their lives to the liberation cause of two countries and contributing to their bilateral special friendship.  He thanked the Lao Party, State, and people for standing side-by-side with voluntary Vietnamese soldiers during the war to overcome difficulties and achieve victory. He also expressed thanks to the Military Zone 2’s special working group for seeking, gathering, and repatriating martyrs’ remains to the homeland.  Earlier on January 12 and June 15, the provincial People’s Committee also held a similar ceremony for the remains of 34 … [Read more...] about Remains of 30 voluntary soldiers reburied in Dien Bien

A Christmas fair at Cua Bac Church in Hanoi (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Secretary of the Party Central Committee and President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Tran Thanh Man has sent his best wishes to all Christians in the country, ahead of the 2018 Christmas season and the 2019 New Year celebrations. In his letter, the official said that over the past year, Christians nationwide have devoted themselves to serving Christ and the homeland. They have successfully carried out the Party’s guidelines and the State’s policies and law, while actively taking part in patriotic emulation movements and campaigns launched by the VFF. In 2018, many communes and districts with large numbers of Catholics and Protestants have become new-style rural areas, while many Catholic families have made efforts to improve their living standards and communities. The material and spiritual lives of Catholics and Protestants have been bettered, he said. The Vietnam … [Read more...] about VFF leader extends Christmas greetings to Christians nationwide

Tran Viet Tan (Source: VNA)   Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Public Security announced on December 14 that its Investigation Police Agency has launched criminal proceedings against former General Director Tran Viet Tan and former Director Bui Van Thanh at the ministry. They were prosecuted and banned from leaving their places of residence for “showing irresponsibility, causing serious consequences” in line with Article 285 of the 1999 Criminal Code. Their wrongdoings were discovered during the investigation into the case of “abusing position and power while performing duties” involving Phan Van Anh Vu and accomplices. Earlier, the Prime Minister signed a decision dismissing Tan from his post as Deputy Minister of Public Security for the 2011-2016 tenure because of his serious violations and shortcomings in the workplace. Thanh was also stripped of his title as Deputy Minister of Public Security for the same reason.–VNA  … [Read more...] about Criminal proceedings against former Public Security officers

Hanoi (VNA) – The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a milestone document in the history of human rights adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948, remains relevant today, heard a seminar in Hanoi on December 14. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a common standard of achievements for all peoples and all nations and sets out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected. Associate Professor Dr. Le Quoc Ly, Vice President of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics said based on UDHR provisions on rights, the UN General Assembly adopted over 30 international conventions pertaining to human rights. Vietnam has over the past 30 years joined in almost all important UN conventions on human rights and her consistent policy is ensuring, protecting, and promoting human rights, he said. [Infographics: Vietnam's achievements in guaranteeing human rights] The country has beefed up communications to raise awareness of … [Read more...] about Seminar talks human rights promotion

(Infographic: VNA)   Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam has made great achievements in promoting gender equality and narrowing the gender gap, especially in terms of employment, health care, and education. The Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs (MoLISA) launched an action month for gender equality and prevention of gender-based violence from November 15 to December 15, 2018. This is the third year the ministry has carried out this activity. Statistics show that the percentage of female-owned enterprises hit 27.8 percent in 2017, the highest in Southeast Asia and ranked 19th worldwide. The percentage of female National Assembly deputies in the 2016-2021 tenure is 27.2 percent, higher than the Asian average of 19 percent and the global average of 21 percent. Vietnam was ranked 97th out of 144 countries in terms of the percentage of women participating in politics. It is one of the top 10 best performers worldwide in terms of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal … [Read more...] about Vietnam makes great strides in promoting gender equality