Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam Bui Thanh Son.

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son to pay official visit to RoK

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam Bui Thanh Son will pay an official visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK) from May 30 to June 1 at the invitation of his RoK counterpart Cho Tae-yul, according to an announcement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

This is the first visit to the RoK by the Foreign Minister of Vietnam after the two countries upgraded their ties to a level of comprehensive strategic partnership in 2022.

The visit takes place at a time when the comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and the RoK is developing positively.

The administration of President Yoon Suck-yeol considers Vietnam an important partner in the RoK’s foreign policy, especially in implementing its Indo-Pacific strategy and Korea-ASEAN Solidarity Initiative.

The two countries have maintained regular visit exchanges at all levels and they have supported each other at regional and international forums, cited VOV.

Economically, the RoK is one of Vietnam’s leading economic partners. It is the largest foreign investor, with a total registered investment capital of US$87 billion as of April 2024, the second largest ODA partner and the third largest trade and labor partner.

Currently, more than 270,000 Vietnamese nationals are living and working in the RoK. Last year, 3.6 million Koreans visited Vietnam, while more than 500,000 Vietnamese people traveled to the RoK.

The first four months of 2024 alone saw 1.6 million Koreans visit Vietnam, making up one fourth of the total number of foreign visitors to the Southeast Asian nation.

Minister Son’s coming visit demonstrates Vietnam’s desire to further strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, through promoting the implementation of reached cooperation agreements in the fields of politics, security, national defense, economics, trade, investment, development aid, finance-banking, labor, science-technology, climate change response, transport, infrastructure, education, culture, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.

Vietnam cultural, art association in Czech Republic holds 4th congress

The Vietnamese Cultural and Art Association in the Czech Republic held its fourth congress on May 25, during which it resolved to improve the quality of its art performance programs during the 2024-2028 period, helping popularize the image of the home country to the international community.

Accordingly, the association will strive to maintain programs to preserve and promote the values of the Vietnamese intangible cultural heritage recognised by UNESCO, engage in the organization of the Mrs Ao dai (traditional long dress) contest in Europe, build the solidarity bloc within the Vietnamese people in the region, and nudge the community’s image closer to foreign friends through the Mrs Ao dai’s charity fund.

Furthermore, it will give due attention to training presenters to speak English and promoting the arrangement of classes in singing in Vietnamese, according to VNA.

Photo: VOV

Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador Duong Hoai Nam hailed the association’s efforts over the past 15 years in organizing various activities that not only contribute to improving the spiritual lives of the Vietnamese expats but also help the Vietnamese culture reach out to the world.

Since its establishment in 2008, the association has unceasingly developed with various clubs as well as dancing and singing teams. It has also put focus on activities to support the homeland by hosting or co-hosting various large-scale events in the Czech Republic and Europe as a whole such as programs to raise funds for Vietnam's sea and island protection and helping the central region.

RoK festival goes vibrant in Vietnam

A kaleidoscope of fascinating activities were held at the Korea Travel Festa 2024 by the Korea Tourism Organisation (KTO) at K-Town, Ocean City in the capital city of Hanoi on May 25-26 to popularize the East Asian country’s tourism among Vietnamese tourists.

The event, which featured over 40 booths of Vietnamese and Korean firms, brought interesting experiences to visitors such as Hanbok dress-up, traditional Tuho game and picture coloring. Besides, substantial discounts were offered for Korea tours at the event, including K-drama, cycling, cruise and Carnival tours.

The multi-media booth was the highlight of the event, giving visitors an opportunity to indulge themselves in a colorful Korean space through the use of presentation technologies. Meanwhile, the K-drama booth took them to the scenes of renowned Korean films, and the K-pop booth was a world of Kpop music and dance, reported VNA.

At the Korea Travel Festa 2024 in Ocean city, Hanoi (Photo: vnexpress.net)

Furthermore, the festival went even more vibrant with stellar performances staged by famous V-pop and K-pop artists.

On May 24, the Korea Tourism Night 2024 was held as part of the festival, aiming at introducing Korean tourism offerings, and promoting linkages between Vietnamese and Korean travel firms to develop new products.

Last year, the Republic of Korea (RoK) welcomed 420,000 tourist arrivals from Vietnam while 3.6 million Koreans spent their holidays in Vietnam. Currently, the RoK is the top source of international visitors of Vietnam, and the latter is the fifth largest of the Korean side.

During January – April, over 167,000 Vietnamese visitors made their trips to the RoK, up 32.6% from the same time last year, marking the highest figure in Southeast Asia.

Funan Techo Canal to shield Vietnam from floods: Cambodian Deputy PM

Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chanthol has provided his Vietnamese counterpart Le Minh Khai with detailed information regarding Cambodia’s Funan Techo Canal Project, including one aspect of how the future canal would serve to protect Vietnam from floods.

The Cambodian official shared this information during a meeting with Deputy PM Khai on Thursday, held on the sidelines of the 29th Future of Asia Forum in Tokyo, Japan, according to the Phnom Penh Post.

Deputy PM Chanthol assured his Vietnamese counterpart that the future canal would help relieve floods in five Cambodian provinces and thereby prevent floodwaters from moving into Vietnam.

Chanthol stated that in response to the risk of salinity intrusion, three sluice gates will be constructed in the provinces of Kandal, Takeo, and Kep to safeguard freshwater networks from saltwater intrusion.

The Cambodian senior official emphasized that the construction method of the canal will facilitate the determination of its total water volume and outflow into the sea, which is meant to prevent any adverse environmental impacts on both Cambodia and neighboring countries.

Chanthol referenced a comprehensive study indicating that the current water flow to the sea from the Mekong River is approximately 8,000 cubic meters per second, from the Bassac River – a tributary of the Mekong River – is 1,400 cubic meters per second, and from the Funan Techo Canal project, the flow is significantly lower at only five cubic meters per second.

He added that the project, recently announced by the Cambodian Ministry of Public Works and Transport, will contribute to preserving the sustainability of the environment and ecosystem, while creating diverse habitats for various species of aquatic animals and plants.

The Cambodian official said that the project underwent a comprehensive two-year study conducted by 48 senior technical experts, including 11 science professors, with extensive experience in various related fields such as hydrological analysis, canal rehabilitation, waterway construction design, and environmental impact mitigation.

Deputy PM Khai reiterated Vietnam's commitment to respecting Cambodia's legitimate interests in national development, including the Funan Techo Canal project, based on the longstanding bilateral friendship relations between the two countries and relevant regulations outlined by the Mekong River Commission (MRC), cited Tuoi Tre News.

In the same vein, the Deputy PM expressed hope that the Cambodian side would maintain close coordination with Vietnam and the MRC in sharing information about the project and evaluating its impacts on water resources and the ecological environment of the Mekong River basin.

Such collaborative effort aims to safeguard the shared interests of the riverine countries and their people.

In recent times, Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has urged Cambodia to furnish detailed information about the canal project and to collaborate in assessing its potential environmental impacts.

The Cambodian mass media have continuously run news reports regarding the canal project, showing Cambodian leaders’ determination to implement the project that they said will benefit not only people in Cambodia but also those in other countries.

Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chanthol (L) shakes hands with his Vietnamese counterpart Le Minh Khai at their meeting on the sidelines of the 29th Future of Asia Forum in Tokyo, Japan, May 23, ,2024. Photo: Phnom Penh Post

In March, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet affirmed that the Funan Techo Canal would benefit about 1.6 million people living along the waterway and create many other benefits for national development.

The canal is expected to be 180km long, connecting the Phnom Penh river port with the Gulf of Thailand, southwest of Cambodia.

As per its design, this canal will be 100 meters wide upstream, 80 meters wide downstream, and 5.4 meters deep upon completion.

This waterway facility will run through the Cambodian provinces of Kandal, Takeo, Kampot, and Kep.

The project will be implemented by Chinese contractors under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) method at an estimated cost of about US$1.7 billion, Hun Manet said recently.

Construction is expected to start in late 2024 and complete after four years.

However, in a May 16 speech, Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen, who was the country’s prime minister, suggested that the Cambodian government begin construction of the canal as soon as possible, according to the Phnom Penh Post.

Summer book fair for children to begin on May 29

Dinh Ti Books will organize a book fair for children to welcome the summer and promote the reading habit at 34T Square on Hoang Dao Thuy Street, Trung Hoa Ward, Cau Giay District, Hanoi from May 29 to June 2.

The event will include various activities dedicated to children to respond to Action Month for Children and celebrate International Children’s Day (June 1).

Not only reading books, children can experience book sets with advanced publishing technology, such as interactive books, audiobooks, projection books, pop-up and lift-the-flap books, and others.

Many book titles from the world’s leading publishers will be introduced at this book fair, featuring topics of encyclopedia of knowledge, storytellers, literature, parenting, creativity, life skills, soul nurturing, and so on, cited NDO.

The book fair is expected to promote the reading habit among children. (Photo: Dinh Ti Books)

Moreover, children can participate in a play area on each day of the book fair and take part in workshops entitled “Exploring the animal world - I create giant book pages” and “Make your own books - With your children create a dream world”, in addition to many exchange, interaction and competition activities, in a main event named “International Children’s Day Party”, on June 1.

Many promotions will be offered during the fair, such as a 40% discount on all books, same-price books from 5,000 VND and more.

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