Vietnamese runner Huynh Thi My Tien (Photo: VNA)

SEA Games 32: Vietnam retains top position on May 10

Vietnamese athletes won an additional 11 gold medals on May 10, thereby regaining its No1. position on the medal tally from Thailand.

The gold medals were awarded to athletes competing in Pencat Silat, Kun Khmer, golf, track-and-field and swimming.

The latest gold medal went to Pham Thanh Bao in the men’s 200m breaststroke. Bao reached the finish line after 2 minutes 11 seconds and 45, setting a new SEA Games record.

Notably, seven out of the 11 gold medals were presented to martial artists, including four in Pencat Silat and three in Kun Khmer, cited VOV.

Le Khanh Hung, 15, made history when he bagged home a gold medal in golf, becoming the youngest Vietnamese golfer to ever win a gold at SEA Games.

As of 9pm, Vietnam bagged 50 gold, 50 silver and 60 bronze medals, staying atop the medal tally.

It was followed by Cambodia (47 gold, 41 silver and 51 bronze), and Thailand (47 gold, 35 silver and 53 bronze).

Ample room to draw foreign tourists to Vietnam

Vietnam welcomed nearly 3.7 million foreign tourists in the first four months of this year, or nearly half of 2023 plan, reported the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).

With this encouraging result and travel demand on the rise, Vietnam sees great room to lure more international tourists in the peak seasons from now to the year-end, likely to achieve and surpass its goal of 8 million foreign visitors this year.

The Republic of Korea (RoK) will continue to be the biggest source of arrivals to Vietnam. As the two countries upgraded their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership and the VNAT signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation for the 2023-2024 period with the Korea Tourism Organisation, the number of Korean tourists visiting Vietnam is expected to continue rising in the near future.

On a book street in Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: VNA)

According to the VNAT, China ranks third in tourist arrivals to Vietnam and is predicted to recover at a faster rate than other markets due to its big population, with demand growing day by day since the country resumed outbound travel. Its recovery is expected to pace up from summer this year and accelerate in October and the final months of this year.

Australia and India are now well-positioned to increase the number of tourists to Vietnam as Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet recently opened direct flights connecting many major cities between the two countries. In Southeast Asia, Thailand and Cambodia are recovering well, equivalent to the pre-COVID-19 levels, and are forecast to continue maintaining growth momentum thanks to their proximity to Vietnam, according to VNA.

During its meeting in May, the Vietnamese National Assembly is scheduled to adopt a Resolution on new policies related to visas, immigration, and entry, including extending the e-visa validity period from no more than 30 days to no more than 3 months, for one-time or multiple entry; granting e-visas to citizens of all countries and territories; and increasing the duration of the temporary residence certificate at the border gate for people subject to unilateral visa-free entry from 15 days to 45 days. This will be an important driving force contributing to attracting foreign tourists to Vietnam in the coming time.

The national tourism website https://vietnamtourism.gov.vn, https://vietnam.travel and social media platforms of the VNAT will continue disseminating tourism policies and strategies, as well as popularising the images of Vietnam and its people at home and abroad.

The VNAT will actively popularise Binh Thuan - the host of the National Tourism Year 2023, and many other important destinations with green, island and beach, golf and resort tourism products.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attends retreat session of 42nd ASEAN Summit

On May 11, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, together with leaders of other ASEAN member states, discussed regional and global issues, at a retreat session of the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia.

He said that after more than half a century of formation and development, ASEAN has never been in such a good position as well as facing as many challenges as it does today. ASEAN is both the centre of a series of regional connectivity and integration initiatives and a key player in the fierce strategic competition among major powers.

The Prime Minister stressed that ASEAN needs to be dynamically adaptive and strengthen its self-reliance to assert its strategic value. ASEAN also needs to consolidate unity and solidarity, elevate the spirit of independence and self-reliance while strongly upholding its central role, maintaining a balanced strategic relationship with partners, establish and promote a culture of dialogue, cooperation, consultation and trust building.

On May 11, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, together with leaders of other ASEAN member states, discussed regional and global issues, at a retreat session of the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. (Photo: WVR/Tuan Anh)

ASEAN needs to maintain its principled stance on issues directly related to environment, security and development, as stated in foundational documents such as the ASEAN Charter, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP), especially by raising the banner of upholding international law, he said.

On regional and global issues, Prime Minister Chinh shared his views on the increasingly intense strategic competition among major powers, affirming that it is of utmost importance that ASEAN member countries stay united, uphold a sense of responsibility and collective spirit towards common goals, and harmonise national interests with those of the bloc.

Reiterating ASEAN's principled stance on regional and global issues of shared concern, the Vietnamese Prime Minister highlighted the protection of peace, stability, security, safety, freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Sea as they are both a shared interest and responsibility of all countries, WVR reported.

He suggested that ASEAN, despite difficulties, should persist with the goal of supporting Myanmar to fully implement the Five-Point Consensus for the sake of the Myanmar people, ASEAN unity, reputation and images, as well as the expectations of the global community. He said ASEAN should back Indonesia's Chairmanship and Special Envoy that play a pioneering role in leading ASEAN to achieve this goal.

ASEAN needs to maintain an objective, balanced, and responsible approach to the Russia-Ukraine issue, coordinate work with partners, mitigate the impact of conflicts on the region, and contribute to peace, stability, cooperation and development, he said.

Leaders at the event reaffirmed ASEAN's principled stance, emphasised the importance of peace, security, and stability in the East Sea, the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and striving to achieve a substantive, effective, and legally binding Code of Conduct (COC) that is consistent with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

They also expressed for ASEAN's role in assisting Myanmar and promoting the effective implementation of the Five-Point Consensus while sharing concerns over the implications of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and stressing the need to adhere to the basic principles of the United Nations Charter and international law.

The session concluded the activities of the 42nd ASEAN Summit. Following the event, Prime Minister Chinh and his entourage left Labuan Bajo for Vietnam, successfully concluding their working trip to Indonesia.

Petrol prices further decrease

Petrol prices continued to be revised down from 3pm on May 11, following the latest adjustment of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and the Ministry of Finance.

Specifically, the retail prices of RON 95-III and E5 RON 92 were cut by 1,320 VND and 1,300 VND to 21,000 VND (0.89 USD) and 20,130 VND per litre, respectively.

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)

Diesel is now sold at 17,650 VND per litre, down 600 VND, and kerosene 17,970 VND per litre, down 550 VND.

Meanwhile, the price of mazut decreased by 640 VND to 14,860 VND per kg, cited VNA.

The two ministries decided to extract 300 VND per litre from all of the above fuels for the petrol price stabilisation fund.

VFF, Qatar sign deal to promote football development

The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) and the Qatar Football Association (QFA) have come together to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) relating to developing national football, including giving priority to youth football.

The deal was signed by Tran Quoc Tuan, president of the VFF, and Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al-Thani, president of the QFA, on May 10 in Doha on the sidelines of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) congress.

The signing marks an important milestone in football co-operation between the two countries, VOV reported.

VFF President Tran Quoc Tuan (L) and QFA President Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al-Thani (R) in Qatar on May 10 (Photo courtesy of VFF)

Following the deal, Sheikh Al-Thani confirmed that the Qatari side would create favourable conditions for Vietnamese football teams to train and hold friendly matches in the Middle Eastern country to prepare for future international tournaments.

This May will see Vietnam’s U17s take part in a training camp in Qatar, with plans to play a friendly match against Qatar’s U17s ahead of the 2023 AFC U17 Asian Cup.

Most recently, Vietnam’s U22s were invited to compete at the U23 Cup - Doha 2023 tournament in March, with the competition feature the presence of leading young football teams in the Asian region.

The important tournament will help young Vietnamese footballers to gain experience before the 32nd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 32) in May.

The AFC is scheduled to organise a draw at 6 p.m. on May 11 (Vietnam time) in Qatar for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.

Being placed 16th in Asian region, Vietnam are seeded in Pot 3, alongside Bahrain, Syria, Palestine, Kyrgyzstan, and Lebanon. Meanwhile, hosts Qatar are in Pot 1 together with Japan, Iran, the Republic of Korea, Australia, and Saudi Arabia.

The 2023 AFC Asian Cup is set to get underway in Qatar from January 12 to February 10 next year.

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