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Ambassador Mai Phan Dung, Vietnam's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, World Trade Organization (WTO), and other international organizations in Geneva. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnamese ambassador vows support for humanitarian demining efforts

Vietnam reaffirmed its commitment to clearing landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) left over from the war during the 53rd regular session of the Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) Executive Council on June 27.

Ambassador Mai Phan Dung, Vietnam's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, World Trade Organization (WTO), and other international organizations in Geneva, pledged Vietnam's active participation in the council's joint work. He also highlighted Vietnam's dedication to effective cooperation with GICHD in the coming time.

He specifically underlined ongoing mine clearance projects in Vietnam and expressed a desire to explore new collaboration opportunities, cited VNA.

The session itself focused on GICHD's recent activities, including financial reports and donor contributions. The council also charted a course for its future endeavors.

On the occasion, Dung was unanimously elected as a member of the GICHD Executive Council.

Founded in 1998, the non-profit GICHD, now grouping 23 members, acts as a center for research, training and support for international community to reduce mine and UXO risks through collaboration with the UN, affected countries, inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations, research institutes, and other entities.

A new chapter in Vietnam – RoK relations

The June 30-July 3 visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK) by Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh is expected to open a new chapter in Vietnam-RoK relations, which were established more than three decades ago and are now developing well, said Vietnamese Ambassador to the RoK Vu Ho.

This is the first high-level visit to the RoK by a Vietnamese leader after the two countries upgraded their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership in December 2022.

The two sides have since increased exchanges to foster cooperation, and Chinh’s visit will give them the chance to review and chart a new course for future development, said Ho.

In addition, he said, the success of the visit would deliver Vietnam’s message of promoting cooperation and improving connectivity between Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia for peace, prosperity and sustainable development of the entire Asia-Pacific region, according to VOV.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (R) meets RoK Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on the sidelines of the 2024 World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland in January.

Many expectations have been aroused for this visit, including a new level of trust to be built, new trade opportunities to be created, and more exchanges to be arranged, said the diplomat.

According to the ambassador, both sides are putting the finishing touches to preparations for the visit, with a score of events and activities on the horizon. High on the agenda will be increasing cooperation in fields such as politics - security, economics - trade, people-to-people exchange, labor, culture, and tourism.

But above all, the priorities of this visit will be steps to further strengthen trust between the two countries, open up new business opportunities and further deepen the connection between the two peoples, stressed the ambassador.

Ho recalled that since the establishment of the new partnership framework, the two sides have organized six high-level visits, seven ministerial-level visits and more than 80 visits to their localities, helping to promote mutual understanding and increase the trust between the two countries.

Economic cooperation is the major pillar in bilateral relations. Two-way trade turnover has grown significantly from just US$500 million 1992 to US$87 billion in 2022, and the two countries are eyeing the US$100 billion target in a short period of time. The RoK is currently the largest foreign investor in Vietnam, pouring a total of over US$87 billion into nearly 10,000 projects.

Labour and tourism cooperation has been restored after the COVID-19 disease was brought under control. Statistics show that nearly 11,000 Vietnamese citizens were sent to work in the RoK in 2023 and the figure is expected to rise to 13,000 in 2024.

Meanwhile, approximately 4 million Korean people traveled to Vietnam last year, and the figure is projected to climb to 4.5 million this year.

In addition, more than 230,000 Vietnamese nationals are residing, working and studying in the RoK, of whom over 80,000 have got married to Koreans. They have made a practical contribution to local socio-economic development as well as friendship between the two countries.

These figures show that both Vietnam and the RoK are each other’s important partners and that the trust the two countries’ people and business communities have in each other is growing considerably, said the ambassador.

Vietnam wins two first gold medals at ASEAN University Games 2024

Chess players on June 27 won the first two gold medals for Vietnam on the third competition day of the ASEAN University Games (AUG) 2024, which is getting underway in Indonesia.

Nguyen Hong Anh bagged a gold in the women’s blitz after scoring seven points.

Also in the blitz competition, Anh and her teammates Bach Ngoc Thuy Duong, Pham Tran Gia Thu, and Nguyen Ngoc Yen Vy took home a gold medal in the women’s team category with a total of 19 points, 0.5 points higher than hosts Indonesia.

Earlier on June 26, swimmer Truong Viet Vu only brought a bronze for Vietnam after clocking a time of 4’08”34 in the men's 400-meter freestyle final, reported VOV.

Nguyen Hong Anh wins a gold in the women’s blitz. (Photo: toquoc.vn)

The 2024 ASEAN University Games kicked off on June 25, drawing the participation of all 11 members of the Southeast Asian Games Federation. Hundreds of athletes are vying for 250 sets of medals across 21 sports.

Vietnam sent 37 athletes to the tournament this year and has set a target of winning gold medals in track and field, chess, and taekwondo.

The AUG 2024 marks the 21st edition of the biennale event and will last through to July 7.

In the 2022 competition, Vietnam ranked fourth with 13 golds. Thailand topped the medal table with 109 golds.

Vietnam tourism considered as rising star in Italy: official

President of the Italian Government Tourist Board (ENIT) Alessandra Priante has described Vietnam tourism as a rising star in Italy.

Speaking at a tourism promotion program held in Milan on June 27 by the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT) and the Vietnamese Embassy in Italy, the Italian official said the numbers of tourists from Italy to Vietnam and vice versa is expected to increase.

Addressing the event, VNAT Director Nguyen Trung Khanh said that Italy is a leading traditional and important market of Vietnamese tourism in Europe. In 2023, Vietnam welcomed about 57,000 Italian visitors, equivalent to over 80% of the pre-COVID-19 pandemic level.

Khanh assessed that the Vietnam Tourism Roadshow in Italy was a good opportunity for tourism businesses of the two countries to share updated information, seek business cooperation opportunities, increase tourism exchanges, and prepare for a new phase with stronger development.

Convenient direct flights, simple immigration procedures, attractive destinations and tourism products, and hospitable people are ideal conditions to promote tourism development between the two countries, he said.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Italy Duong Hai Hung affirmed that Italy is the third largest economy in the EU and a potential tourist market for Vietnam, cited VNA.

Representatives from Vietnamese and Italian tourism businesses meet at the tourism promotion programme in Milan, Italy. (Photo: VNA)

The two countries celebrated the 50th founding anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2023, which demonstrated a long-standing friendship and cooperative relations and a good foundation for cultural, economic and tourism cooperation between the two countries.

Hung said the Vietnamese embassy in Italy has carried out many activities to promote cooperation and promote tourism in localities in Italy. The Ambassador also appreciated the cooperation between Italy in general and the Lombardy region in particular with Vietnam in recent times and emphasized the need for a direct flight connecting Italy and Vietnam.

At the event, Italian travel businesses expressed their interest and asked many questions to better understand Vietnam’s tourism policies and incentives.

Within the framework of the tourism promotion program in Italy, Khanh had a meeting with Alessandra Priante, ENIT President and Raffaele Cattaneo, deputy minister in charge of international relations of Italy's Lombardia region.

At the meeting, the two sides affirmed the need to strengthen tourism cooperation between the two countries in the coming time. They agreed to call on the two governments to consider signing a bilateral tourism cooperation agreement in the new period.

They also agreed to propose leaders of the two countries to allow opening a direct flight between Vietnam and Italy soon. The two sides also committed to strengthening tourism information exchanges and promotion activities in the coming time.

The program in Italy was part of activities to promote Vietnamese tourism in Europe together with similar programs held in France and Germany.

Four Vietnamese pork dishes featured in Taste Atlas' Top 100

The culinary website Taste Atlas recently listed Vietnamese bun cha, com tam suon, nem lui, and thit kho in the "Top 100 Best Pork Dishes in the World."

Among the four Vietnamese dishes, bun cha received the highest praise, described as a "symphony" of flavors combining fresh noodles, aromatic grilled meat, and fresh vegetables.

Bun cha (grilled pork served with rice noodles), a traditional dish from Hanoi, gained international fame after being featured on Anthony Bourdain's show "Parts Unknown" in 2016, where he enjoyed it with former US President Barack Obama.

Next on the list is com tam suon (grilled ribs and broken rice), a beloved dish from the Southern region. This dish features marinated ribs, broken rice, and a variety of side dishes like fried eggs, egg rolls, and shredded pork skin, all complemented by a bowl of fish sauce with garlic and chili, cited VNN.

Bun cha is increasingly loved by many foreign tourists when visiting Hanoi. Photo: Obuncha

Nem lui, a specialty from Hue, also made the list. This dish consists of ground pork mixed with onions and garlic, wrapped around lemongrass stalks, and grilled until slightly charred and brown. It is seasoned with a mix of fish sauce, oyster sauce, annatto oil, ground pepper, and sugar or honey.

Finally, thit kho (braised pork belly) is a staple on Vietnamese dinner tables. This dish includes thickly sliced pork belly and eggs braised in caramel made from sugar and water, with added coconut water for seasoning.

Taste Atlas, founded in 2015 and headquartered in Zagreb, Croatia, is known for its global map of traditional dishes. The rankings on Taste Atlas are based on opinions and reviews from culinary experts and critics, ensuring the reliability of the awards.

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