Vietnam News Today (Mar. 13): Vietnam Attends 146th Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly

Permanent NA Vice Chairman Tran Thanh Man attends the opening ceremony of the 146th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly in Bahrain. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam attends 146th Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly

A delegation of the Vietnamese National Assembly (NA), led by its Permanent Vice Chairman Tran Thanh Man, attended the opening ceremony of the 146th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly in Bahrain on March 11 (local time), which brought together nearly 2,000 delegates from nearly 140 countries worldwide.

Previously, the delegation participated in the ASEAN Plus Three (Japan-China-Republic of Korea) meeting, a meeting of the Asia-Pacific geopolitical group, and a forum of women parliamentarians, cited VNA.

The delegation will attend plenary sessions of the IPU Assembly, meetings of the Governing Council and Standing Committees of the Assembly, the Forum of Young Parliamentarians, and other activities on the sidelines of the conference.

Addressing the Assembly, Bahrain's Deputy Prime Minister Shaikh Shaikh Khalid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa called on the participating parliamentary delegations to reach consensus on decisions aiming at raising tolerance and peaceful coexistence, as well as deepening international partnerships to achieve peace and security.

The 146th IPU Assembly aims to seek efforts to end wars and crises, support sustainable development goals (SDGs) through equitable solutions, promote economic cooperation, and facilitate trade and investment cooperation in renewable energy projects, he said.

Al Khalifa reaffirmed Bahrain's commitment to advancing efforts to improve global security, stability and peace.

The 146th IPU Assembly and related meetings will run until March 15, focusing discussions on its theme “Promoting peaceful coexistence and inclusive societies: fighting intolerance”.

Delegates from parliaments, including those from countries in conflicts, will take part in a series of important sessions, such as a session on emergency, a special session on accountability in implementing decisions of the IPU, a symposium on security issues related to countering terrorism and violent extremism.

The Assembly will also discuss and adopt a draft resolution on "Cyberattacks and cybercrime: The new risks to global security.

Temperatures drop in north before strong cold spell hits

Temperatures in northern localities on March 11 plummeted by 3 or 4°C compared to the previous day before a new strong cold spell is forecast to strike the region on March 12.

On March 11, it’s cloudy and foggy with temperatures hovering at around 23-25°C compared to 27-29°C as recorded on March 10.

Temperatures will continue to drop considerably when a new cold spell grips the northern region, starting Sunday (March 12) afternoon.

Photo: VNA

A strong cold air wave is moving fast towards Vietnam, and it is forecast to hit the northern highlands on March 12 afternoon before sweeping across the northern region, said the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting.

The new cold spell, according to weather experts, will send temperatures tumbling sharply to 12 - 15°C in the highlands, and 14-17°C in the lowlands, including Hanoi capital.

Several localities in the northern highlands will even see temperatures fall to as low as below 12°C, according to VOV.

Meanwhile, temperatures in provinces from Quang Binh to Thua Thien-Hue will also drop to 17-19°C when the air front moves further inland.

According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, cold spells in late winter often have a short duration of impact, and the March 12 spell is no exception.

Temperatures are expected to rise slightly on March 14, and from March 15, it will be only cold at night and in the morning.

China's resumption of group tours to Vietnam welcomed by people, travel firms

The Chinese Government's decision to add Vietnam into the list of countries that can receive groups of Chinese tourists from March 15 is expected to further promote the recovery and development of tourism and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

China was the largest tourism market of Vietnam before COVID-19 pandemic broke out. In 2019, Vietnam welcomed 5.8 million Chinese visitors, accounting for nearly 30% of total foreign tourists in Vietnam. Meanwhile, 4.5 million Vietnamese traveled to China in the year.

The reopening of group tours to Vietnam has been welcomed by Chinese people and travel firms, reported VNA.

Illustrative image (Source: AFP/VNA)

Li Yushan, a Chinese who had visited Vietnam, said that this is good news for her as she has brilliant experiences in Vietnam and loves Vietnamese destinations and food. Li said she will take her family and friends to Vietnam soon.

Meanwhile, Xu Xingwei, director of a local travel firm in Beijing, said that he hoped authorised agencies of both sides will promptly give favourable conditions in procedures for tourism activities.

Welcoming the Chinese Government's decision, Vietnamese Ambassador to China Pham Sao Mai said that the resumption of group tours from China to Vietnam will create momentum for the promotion of people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, positively contributing to boosting bilateral economic, trade and investment ties, and deepening the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries.

Highlighting the sound collaboration in tourism between the two sides before COVID-19 broke out, the diplomat held that China's reopening of group tours to Vietnam will help the tourism sectors of both countries speed up their recovery and development, benefiting both sides and contributing to fostering friendship between the two nations.

Vietnam protects marine biodiversity

Vietnam has made several contributions to the UN’s Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement.

The agreement was reached at the 5th session of the Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction within the framework of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

After years of negotiations, the US and UN members approved the first international treaty to protect marine biodiversity last Saturday. Vietnam’s delegation, led by Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Head of the Vietnamese Permanent Delegation to the United Nations, made substantial contributions to the negotiations, including regulations related to capacity building and marine technology transfer.

Vietnam urged compliance with international maritime law and defended Vietnam's rights and interests while negotiating the treaty, cited VOV.

Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Head of the Vietnamese Permanent Delegation to the United Nations, at the event (Photo: VNA)

The country commented on mechanisms for management and exploitation of marine biodiversity resources, sustainable management and exploitation of marine biodiversity resources, and international law on the conservation and use of biodiversity resources.

Vietnam has made great efforts to conserve and develop marine biodiversity. It promulgated the Strategy for sustainable development of Vietnam's marine economy until 2030, with a vision to 2045.

This Strategy aims to promote the effective management and protection of marine, coastal, and island ecosystems and expand marine and coastal conservation zones to at least 6% of Vietnam’s sea area.

Tran Van Phuc, director of the Binh Dinh Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that in future marine economic development, the province will focus on aquaculture.

Binh Dinh will promote high-tech shrimp farming, develop shrimp aquaculture in some areas, and use high tech to boost seafood production and ensure sustainable aquatic resources, according to Phuc.

The marine ecosystem plays a very important role for many countries. Vietnam is keenly aware that conserving marine biodiversity means protecting resources for the benefit of future generations.

Thomas Billhardt tells stories about Vietnam through photos

The photos, which focus on Vietnam from 1967 to 2020, will be presented by the renowned German photographer to young people in Hanoi during his talk show this weekend.

Thomas Billhardt, German photographer, and author of valuable documentary photos of Hanoi during the American war in Vietnam (1954-1975) will give a photo lecture about his latest photo book entitled "Vietnam 1967 to 2020".

Previously, his photo exhibition and a book entitled "Hanoi 1967 - 1975" was presented to the Hanoi public in 2020. Thanks to his great contributions to Hanoi, Thomas won the prestigious "Bui Xuan Phai - For Love of Hanoi" award in 2021 in the category "Works - For Love of Hanoi".

Thomas was a renowned war photographer. His photographs of the Vietnam War in the late 1960s of the last century made him famous throughout the world.

Thomas Billhardt traveled to Vietnam six times between 1962 and 1975, and six more times since then. During his journeys, he captured Hanoi in its wartime ordeal, as the city faced tremendous shortages, lacking food and water, yet smiles still lit up the faces of the people in its beautiful, simple, and quiet streets.

His photos of old Hanoi were candid, showing women lining up to get the last drop of water from the public tap, children playing with building blocks on the slide next to the garden, open-air painting classes, Hang Day stadium full of people in soldier's caps and conical hats.

In the photo: Thomas captured a man with his baby on a bicycle in Hanoi during the 1970s.

According to photography critics, Thomas is also considered one of the most extraordinary photographers in the era of the German Democratic Republic before 1990. He was a freelance photojournalist and became known through publications in magazines and exhibitions in numerous countries.

As a reportage photographer, Thomas Billhardt traveled to a total of 49 countries - the images he took there were published worldwide. The immeasurable achievement of Thomas Billhardt, to enlighten the public about war and the resulting suffering with his photographs from the war and crisis regions of this world, weighs above all else. He became world famous with his photographs from the Vietnam War in the 1960s and 1970s. His pictures documented the horrors of the Vietnam War for the first time, especially in the faces of the children he photographed.

Numerous international exhibitions honor Thomas Billhardt's successful endeavors. In London, Moscow, Beirut, Hanoi, Florence, Paris, and many other cities, Thomas Billhardt's photographs have been and are being exhibited as contemporary testimonies and as an important part of German photographic history.

In a photo lecture at the Goethe-Institut Hanoi, Thomas Billhardt will present his most important international photographic works, including photos from his latest publication “Vietnam 1967 to 2020”, reported Hanoitimes.

The event opens for the public at 6P.M on March 12 at Goethe Institut, No. 56-58-60 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi.

Vietnam News Today (Mar. 10): Vietnamese Economy Sees Silver Linings Despite Challenging Start to 2023 Vietnam News Today (Mar. 10): Vietnamese economy sees silver linings despite challenging start to 2023: HSBC; HCM City removes hindrances to work permit issuance for ...

Vietnam News Today (Mar. 11): China's Reopening Good News for Vietnamese Exporters Vietnam News Today (Mar. 11): Ha Long Bay among top 25 world’s most beautiful places; Japan becomes largest ODA donor for Vietnam; China's reopening good ...

Vietnam News Today (Mar. 12): 8th Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival in Full Swing Vietnam News Today (Mar. 12): Vietnam proposes China speed up market opening for farm products; 8th Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival in full swing; Vietnam ...