Vietnam News Today (July 29): Hanoi Begins Mass Covid Vaccination Campaign
	Vietnam News Today (July 28): Food Stamps Allocate Market Time to Hanoi Residents
	Vietnam News Today (July 27): Vietnam’s New Wave Covid Tally Crosses 100,000

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (left) and Vietnam’s Minister of National Defense greeted each other in Hanoi. Photo: VnExpress

Vietnam, US military medics to cooperate in Covid-19 prevention

The defense ministers of Vietnam and the U.S. have agreed on medical service cooperation in fighting the pandemic at a Thursday meeting in Hanoi.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Vietnam’s Minister of National Defense Phan Van Giang have agreed to prioritize military cooperation in certain fields.

Among them are military medical service cooperation in the fight against Covid-19, overcoming the consequences of war, improving maritime law enforcement capacity, personnel training, as well as understanding the capabilities and needs of each side in international industrial cooperation.

The U.S. Secretary of Defense also announced support for Vietnam via as yet undisclosed equipment for Covid-19 prevention.

The two officials also agreed to continue implementing the Memorandum of Understanding on Promoting Defense Cooperation signed in 2011 and the Joint Vision Statement on Defense Relations signed in 2015, reported VnExpress.

Austin agreed to focus on promoting the progress of the dioxin decontamination project at Bien Hoa Airbase, a former U.S. facility in Dong Nai province that borders Ho Chi Minh city, as well as boosting other humanitarian projects in Vietnam.

The two shared views on the importance of respecting the legitimate rights and interests of coastal states, peacefully resolving disputes as well as maintaining a peaceful, stable and secure environment, safety, order and freedom of aviation and navigation in seas and oceans in accordance with international laws and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982).

At the end of the talks, the two witnessed the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in searching, gathering and identifying the remains of Vietnamese martyrs.

HCM city to vaccinate people after 6 p.m.

HCMC has banned all residents from going out after 6 p.m. without a legitimate reason from July 26, but it will administer the Covid-19 vaccine to locals after 6 p.m. to speed up the city’s vaccination drive.

Phan Van Mai, permanent deputy secretary of the municipal Party Committee told a press briefing on July 28.

Photo: VNN

The city will also streamline vaccination procedures and vaccination teams, he said.

According to the inoculation plan, each ward will set up two vaccination sites for the locals, while the elderly will be vaccinated at hospitals, cited VNN.

Speaking at the press briefing, Nguyen Hoai Nam, deputy director of the city’s Department of Health, said that the city had inoculated 300,000 people as of 4 p.m. yesterday in the fifth vaccination drive.

The vaccination speed has been improved, with 70,000 more people being vaccinated yesterday. With such speed, the vaccination drive is expected to be completed in 2-3 weeks.

French citizens vaccinated against Covid-19 in Vietnam

Green-lighted by the Vietnamese Government, the French Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh city on July 29 began vaccinating French nationals living in the southern city and regional localities at France-Vietnam Hospital.

The move is part of the French Government’s programme which aims to vaccinate all French citizens above the age of 18 and their spouses across the world.

A French national receives a shot of Moderna vaccine at France-Vietnam Hospital. Photo: Tien Phong

The campaign is set to cover approximately 5,000 French citizens living in Vietnam. According to the schedule, 800 people will be vaccinated each day, with each person set to receive their two doses several weeks apart, according to VOV.

Vincent Floreani, French Consul General in HCM city, who arrived at FV hospital to oversee the vaccination, thanked the Vietnamese Government for their ongoing support of the French community to allow them early access to the Covid-19 vaccine.

He also highly appreciated the organizational work carried out by FV Hospital to make the vaccination campaign done.

Jean-Marcel Guillon, CEO of FV Hospital, said this marks an opportunity for the hospital to practice carrying out larger vaccination campaigns.

He added that the hospital's cold storage facility has been certified by the HCM city Pasteur Institute and is capable of storing 800,000 doses of AstraZeneca, 200,000 doses of Moderna, and 600,000 doses of Pfizer vaccines at the same time.

HCMC makeshift market a lifeline amid Covid-19 restrictions

Phuoc Vinh An Commune in HCMC's Cu Chi District has organized a makeshift market because residents cannot travel to other locations to buy food.

The makeshift market has 11 stations stretched out an area of 40 square meters. Each station is placed around five meters apart and sells various grocery items including meat, fish, vegetables and fruits.

Photo: VnExpress

Due to the ongoing social distancing order, residents of the Phuoc Vinh An Commune cannot travel to a different area to buy food, cited VnExpress.

"The commune has no traditional market, so we had to erect one on a football field to meet people's demands," said Nguyen Hong Tam, deputy chairwoman of the commune.

As early as 5:30 a.m., hundreds of residents lined up to purchase food. Before entering the market, they had to make medical declarations and have their body temperatures checked.

Only seven people could go to the market area at a time.

The makeshift market in Phuoc Vinh An is open from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. every day except Sunday. Around 500 people come to the market each day.

HCMC has recorded 81,781 local Covid-19 cases after the fourth coronavirus wave hit Vietnam late April. After 20 days of strict social distancing, the southern city is now considering extending the restrictions by another one to two weeks.

Art programme promotes the spirit of frontline workers and people in Covid-19 fight

An online art programme “Fatherland in the heart” was held on July 28 evening at five locations at home and abroad to improve the people’s cultural life in the context that the Covid-19 pandemic has been complicated in Vietnam.

The programme, which is organized by the Department of Performing Art under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, aimed at encouraging people to join hands with the entire Party, people and army in the fight against the pandemic

The event was streamed live on Youtube channel and on fanpages of the department, National Music Song and Dance Theatre and other online interfaces with the participants of renown singers across the country, according to VNA.

Artists from the National Music Song and Dance Theatre takes part in the programme. Photo: anninhthudo.vn

All the songs and music performed in the programme are famous works that expressed love for the homeland such as “Tieng goi Viet Nam” (The Call of Vietnam) or “Nhung bong hoa trong vuon Bac" (Flowers in Uncle Ho's garden) and “Tinh que huong" (Love of the Motherland).

According to Nguyen Hai Linh, director of National Music Song and Dance Theatre, this is a very special art show, because it takes place during the complicated development of the Covid-19 pandemic. Thus, there is no stage to perform and no studio to record songs.

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