A delegation from the Supreme People’s Court led by its Deputy Chief Justice Nguyen Van Tien holds a working session with Chief Justice of the Supreme People's Court of Cuba Rubén Remigio Ferro (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam, Cuba promote cooperation in justice

A delegation from the Supreme People’s Court led by Deputy Chief Justice Nguyen Van Tien paid an official visit to Cuba from May 13-18 to promote bilateral relations and attend the 11th International Meeting of Justice and Law.

At a working session with Chief Justice of the Supreme People's Court of Cuba Rubén Remigio Ferro, Tien reviewed the developments in judicial cooperation between the two countries. He also briefed the host on the main reforms in the Vietnamese court system in recent times, including perfecting institutions, reforming judicial administrative procedures, building electronic courts and applying information technology in court activities.

In its long-term judicial reform strategy, Vietnam aims for a people-centered justice, improve judge capacity, build electronic courts and intensify international experience exchange, Tien said.

He also underlined the need for Vietnam and Cuba to continue to cultivate and develop a close relationship between the two countries' court systems in the coming time, cited VNA.

For his part, the Cuban chief justice shared the orientation for the modernization of the Cuban court system and noted similar points in the process of completing the judicial system in the two countries.

Expressing his interest in Vietnam’s experience in judicial reconciliation, Ferro suggested holding knowledge exchanges or thematic workshops on the issue to better tap the similarities between the two countries.

On the occasion, the Vietnamese official handed over some laptops as a gift from the Vietnam Supreme People’s Court to the Cuban counterpart.

The 11th International Meeting of Justice and Law, which ran from May 15-17 in Havana, attracted some 400 delegates from Cuba and other countries.

Discussions mainly focused on issues related to population aging, the legality and impartiality of judges in the administration of justice; the interpretation of the Law, family, civil, and administrative matters; and the response to domestic and gender violence.

During their stay in Cuba, the Vietnamese delegation attended a flower offering ceremony in commemoration of the 134th birthday of President Ho Chi Minh (May 19, 1890-2024) at a park named after Ho Chi Minh in Havana and visit the Fidel Castro Center, a place to collect, store, preserve and honor the legacy of the Cuban Commander-in-Chief.

President Ho Chi Minh lives eternally in young people’s hearts

Vietnam is celebrating the 134th birthday of President Ho Chi Minh, for the younger generation of Vietnam, May 19 is a meaningful anniversary, an opportunity to express gratitude and respect for President Ho, the beloved leader of the Vietnamese people.

Throughout his revolutionary life, Ho Chi Minh always demonstrated a deep love and concern for the younger generation. He organized and led generations of Vietnamese youth during the revolution, involving them in the struggle for national liberation and national construction and defense. He founded and trained the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, according to VOV.

Schoolchildren of Trung Vuong school representing outstanding schoolchildren in Hanoi congratulated President Ho Chi Minh on his birthday on May 19, 1958 at the Presidential Palace (Photo: VNA)

Xuan Kien, a student in Hanoi, said, "President Ho Chi Minh harnessed the internal strength of the Vietnamese people, uniting them to achieve national independence and unity, and bringing happiness to the country. His entire life was dedicated to the people and the nation. The profound ideas and legacy he left behind continue to be promoted in national renewal, aiding in the rapid and sustainable development of Vietnam, aligning with his lifelong aspirations for the country."

President Ho Chi Minh's example has inspired the younger generation to strive in their study and work. Numerous youth movements have been effectively carried out, including the "Youth Startups" movement, "Youth Safeguarding the Homeland," "Youth Volunteers Build and Protect the Homeland," "Youth National Defense Movement," "Youth Volunteers," and the "Creative Youth Movement."

Ngoc Huyen, a student at Trade Union University, said, "Studying and following Ho Chi Minh's ideology, ethics, and lifestyle has become a primary task, especially for young people. Every year I participate in local volunteer activities, engage in sports, and continually seek to learn and develop myself."

President Ho Chi Minh’s example will forever light the way, leading the younger generation of Vietnam forward into a new era to fulfill a great responsibility of building a stronger and more beautiful country on a par with the great powers of the world.

Support comes to Vietnamese business households impacted by Warsaw fire

More support has been provided for Vietnamese impacted by the fire at the Marywilska shopping center in Warsaw, Poland.

The Vietnamese Association in Poland announced that the community support department has received more than 900,000 PLN (230,000 USD) from donors and community organizations. Support will be delivered into different phases, covering all affected businesses.

Accordingly, the first round of money distribution for business households affected by the May 12 fire was held on May 18.

Besides, individuals, organizations and associations of the Vietnamese people in Poland also distributed essential items to them, VNA reported.

Support comes to Vietnamese business households impacted by Warsaw fire (Photo: VNA)

On the same day, the Embassy of Vietnam in Poland held a mobile consular reception at the support delivery point outside Marywilska 44 shopping mall to enable people to redo their documents.

Vietnam tops destination list for Indian travelers

Livemint.com, an Indian business and financial daily newspaper has run an article saying that the Indian travel market is buzzing and travel from India has seen a significant spike, with Vietnam emerging as a favored international destination.

A report from Mastercard's Economics Institute, titled Travel Trends 2024: Breaking Boundaries, said Indian outbound travel to Vietnam skyrocketed by 248% compared to 2019 levels, followed by the US and Japan, with growth rates of 59% and 53%, respectively.

Vietnam is emerging as a favored international destination for Indian travelers.

These figures, compiled for the January-March 2024 period, also indicate a significant shift in traveler preferences. The emerging trends hold promise for the travel sector, considering that India is expected to see nearly 20 million more people entering the middle class over the next five years, the report added.

"We're seeing more international trips from travelers coming from India than at any time in history. India is the fastest growing major market in the world now and, in the foreseeable future, it is likely to be an ongoing (growth) story. The desire for travel, jewelry and high-end clothing options will remain very strong with growing disposable incomes, and an aspirational lifestyle," said David Mann, chief economist, Asia Pacific, Mastercard.

Additionally, according to the report, Indian travelers have extended their trips by an additional day in the year ended March 2024, compared to 2019’s corresponding period. This trend underscores a burgeoning appetite for immersive and meaningful travel experiences. Moreover, cruise vacations have witnessed remarkable growth, exceeding the 2019 highs, cited VOV.

An analysis of Indian passenger arrivals data for popular destinations such as the US, Japan and Vietnam revealed that while a strong dollar may have diverted tourists away from the US, Indian passenger arrivals soared by 59% compared to 2019 levels.

Vietnam, which recently added direct flights, has seen a two and a half times increase in travel. This reinforces the strength of demand for intra-regional travel as well, Mann said.

A golden time for Vietnam’s film industry

Record-high revenue of Vietnam’s films, prestigious awards, and nominations at international festivals indicate the industry can really take off, analysts say.

Vietnam’s film industry has never before had such great opportunities to boom. This is the view of many filmmakers and producers at seminars, on the sideline of film festivals, and among gossip with friends.

A lot of independent art films directed and invested by Vietnamese or Vietnamese-born directors at recent international film festivals or leading cinema awards have sparked confidence in the cinema industry.

Nhung Dua Tre Trong Suong (Children of the Mist), the documentary film of the young female director Ha Le Diem, has resonated on international documentary film forums. The film relates the story of the teenage H'Mong girl who opposes the traditional customs of her people.

Diem's first documentary which bears her personal stamp traveled through tens of international film festivals and film weeks in 2022-2023 and won many important awards. The most prestigious award was being shortlisted on Oscar’s top 15 in documentary film genre. Even though it did not make it to the top 5 nominations, the achievement is still something to be proud of because it is the first time a Vietnamese documentary film could go that far.

Tro Tan Ruc Ro (Glorious Ashes) directed by Bui Thac Chuyen marked his impressive comeback at the age of over 50. The masterpiece, an adaptation of two short stories by writer Nguyen Ngoc Tu, was created by Bui Thac Chuyen with his particular cinema language, beautiful and profound enough to reach the world.

Tro Tan Ruc Ro is the first Vietnamese feature film nominated for the main category at the Tokyo International Film Festival and is also the first Vietnamese film to win the Best Film award (Golden Balloon) at the Festival des 3 Continents (Nantes, France).

In Vietnam, the film has won important awards Golden Kite and Golden Lotus. It has represented Vietnam at Oscar 2024 and competed in the Best International Feature Film category.

At the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, two Vietnamese names were in two top important award categories. Overseas Vietnamese director Tran Anh Hung won the Best Director award for The Pot au Feu, a 100 percent French film that exploits the delicate relationship between love and food (chosen to represent French cinema to compete at the 2024 Oscar international film).

Young Vietnamese director Pham Thien An won the Camera D’or for Ben Trong Vo Ken Vang (Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell), a three-hour film produced in Vietnam, cited VNN.

Tro Tan Ruc Ro's poster.

Most recently, Sight and Sound, a prestigious magazine of BFI (British Film Institute) has named Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell and The Pot au Feu among the 50 best films in 2023 (the 24th and 36th positions, respectively).

As for commercial films, Vietnam has had a successful year with record high revenue, despite the lower number of films screened.

In 2023, 25 Vietnam films were screened which brought an all-time high revenue (over VND1.4 trillion), which broke the record made in 2019 (VND1.2 trillion). This was for the first time the localization ratio of Vietnam’s films was higher than 40 percent and the number of films in top 10 best sellers was six, the highest figure so far.

Analysts commented that in 2023, Vietnam’s films could "crush" foreign films, including Hollywood blockbusters and South Korean films.

Nguyen Hoang Hai from CGV Vietnam, one of the largest cinema chains, commented that the revenue of VND500 billion of Nha Ba Nu (The house with no man) is proof showing how rapidly the cinema market has developed. VND500 billion was the total revenue of the entire Vietnam’s film industry gained in 2010, and 50 percent of the revenue of the entire industry in 2012.

Hai cited a report as saying that each Vietnamese person goes to the cinema 0.6 times a year, lower than South Korea’s (4 times a year) and Singapore’s (3.4)

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