A woman fills in a form to be tested for the novel coronavirus at Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi, October 2021. Photo: VnExpress

Vietnam records 5,224 new Covid cases

The Ministry of Health confirmed 5,224 new local Covid-19 cases in 50 cities and provinces Saturday, up 335 against Friday.

Ho Chi Minh City accounts for the most cases, 1,042, followed by its neighbors Dong Nai with 679 and Binh Duong with 665 each.

So far in the fourth wave that emerged in April, 910,783 cases have been confirmed, cited VnExpress.

Health authorities also confirmed 64 Covid-19 deaths Saturday, including 30 in HCMC, raising the nation's death toll since the start of the pandemic to 22,030, a mortality rate of 2.4 percent.

Also on Saturday, 2,204 have recovered, pushing the number of recoveries since the pandemic started to 818,336.

Until now, 23.9 million have been fully vaccinated with two doses and 56.6 million have been vaccinated at least once.

Covid-19 vaccination drive passes 80 million doses

Vietnam has now injected a total of 80,659,184 doses of Covid-19 vaccines, whilst distributing total of 100,435,136 doses, according to an update given on October 30 on the Covid-19 vaccination portal.

At present, 32.3 million people have been vaccinated with one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, with 23.3 million people now being fully inoculated with two doses. The rate of injection of people with at least one dose stands at 77%, with the rate of people with two doses is 32.3% of the population aged 18 years and over.

There are also nine provinces with coverage rate of over 50% for double-jabbed people over the aged of 18, including Long An with 90.1%, Quang Ninh with 86%, Ho Chi Minh City with 78.9%, Lang Son with 67%, Binh Duong with 66%, Khanh Hoa with 62.8%, Dong Nai with 61.3%, Hanoi with 59.5%, and Bac Ninh with 50%.

Photo: VOV

Over the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health also announced a further 5,227 new local infections detected across 50 cities and provinces, an increase of 335 against the previous day.

Ho Chi Minh City accounts for the majority of cases at 1,042, followed by Dong Nai at 679, and Binh Duong at 665, according to VOV.

Health authorities also confirmed 64 Covid-19 deaths on October 30, including 30 in Ho Chi Minh City, thereby raising the nation's death toll since the start of the pandemic to 22,030, representing a mortality rate of 2.4%.

So far during the fourth wave that emerged in April, a total of 915,603 cases have been confirmed.

October 30 also saw 2,204 people recover from the pandemic to push the number of recoveries since the pandemic started to 818,336.

To date, the nation has documented 915,603 infections, including 912,352 local cases and 3,251 imported ones.

Until now, 56.6 million have been fully vaccinated with two doses, whilst more than 23.9 million people have been vaccinated at least once.

Vietnam prioritizes six pillars for economic recovery: PM

The government will focus on six pillars to revive the economy post-pandemic, including mitigating difficulties faced by foreign companies, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has said.

The master plan for economic recovery includes controlling Covid-19, ensuring social security, creating jobs, reviving businesses, developing infrastructure, reducing administrative procedures, and fighting corruption, he said Friday at the World Economic Forum Country Strategic Dialogue on Vietnam.

There would be six policy pillars to realize the goal, he said at the online event that he co-chaired, cited VnExpress.

First, the country needs to restore supply chains to ensure the circulation of goods and safe and smooth production by enterprises in the new normal.

The second pillar is to promote manufacturing to restore economic growth and stabilize people’s lives.

Third, the country needs large-scale investment, especially in inter-regional transport infrastructure, green energy, and national digital infrastructure, which will serve as new growth engines for the economy.

Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at the online World Economic Forum, Oct. 29, 2021. Photo: VNA

Fourth, Vietnam needs to step up efforts to address difficulties confronting businesses, including foreign enterprises.

The fifth pillar is to improve institutional reforms to international standards, one of the key strategies to achieve a breakthrough in development in the next decade.

The sixth and most important pillar is developing human resources. The country needs to promote economic restructuring and improve productivity.

He called on investors to join with the government to safely restore production in industrial parks, economic zones, high-tech parks, and export processing zones to safeguard supply chains.

"The Vietnamese government is ready to strengthen dialogue and coordination within the framework of a public-private partnership."

He said models such as the public-private partnership program for sustainable agriculture would be replicated in other areas as well.

26 local movies to be screened ahead of national film festival

As many as 26 Vietnamese movies are set to be screened for free in both Hanoi and Da Nang city from November 10 to November 16 as part of the buildup to celebrate the 22nd version of Vietnam Film Festival.

The Cinema Department, under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, will therefore co-ordinate efforts alongside the National Cinema Centre, Da Nang city’s Department of Culture and Sports, and other relevant agencies in order to hold a film week in preparation for the upcoming national festival.

‘Rom’ is one of 26 movies to be screened ahead of national film festival. Photo: VOV

A range of outstanding movies from the Vietnamese film industry will be introduced throughout the week, including ‘Bang chung vo hinh’, known as ‘Invisible Evidence’ in English, ‘Rom’, and ‘Tiec trang mau’, known as ‘Blood Moon Party’ in English.

The 22nd Vietnam Film Festival is scheduled to take place in the central province of Thua Thien – Hue from November 18 to November 20 and will be held in a virtual form for the first time, reported VOV.

A total of 128 films competing across 42 categories will vie for prizes in the festival, including 26 feature films, 56 documentaries, 15 science films, and 31 cartoons.

According to the schedule, an exhibition running with the theme of “Thua Thien – Hue - a destination of filmmakers”, an “Ao dai”, the national long dress, performance show, and an online exchange program with artists is set to be arranged in the framework of the festival.

Dossiers of “cheo”, Binh Dinh martial art to be made to seek UNESCO title

The dossiers for Cheo (Vietnamese traditional opera) art of the Red River Delta and Binh Dinh Traditional Martial Arts will be compiled to seek UNESCO recognition as a cultural heritage of the world.

According to a document issued by the Government Office on October 20, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam agreed to let the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism take charge of the work and coordinate with relevant ministries, agencies and localities to compile the dossiers for the two Vietnamese heritages.

Binh Dinh martial arts were recognized as part of the national intangible cultural heritage in 2014. Photo: NDO

Cheo is a form of Vietnamese traditional stage art, which strongly develops in the north, especially the Red River delta. It originated in the 10th century from folk music and dance and is popular in areas in the north. When farmers in the Red River Delta had finished harvesting, they organized a festival to entertain themselves and thank the gods who supported them.

The art form has undergone a long history from the 10th century, having a deep influence on Vietnam’s social life.

Meanwhile, Binh Dinh martial arts have their roots in the south-central province of Binh Dinh, and have inherited the quintessence of the Tay Son martial arts schools under the Tay Son Dynasty in the 18th century, cited VNA.

They are closely linked to Vietnam’s history of national construction and defense.

In 2014, Binh Dinh martial arts were recognized as part of the national intangible cultural heritage.

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