Day: April 14, 2024

London: The amended Land Law, which was passed by the Vietnamese National Assembly in January 2024, will help protect the legitimate rights and interests of investors and owners who are overseas Vietnamese (OVs), thus making the real estate market more transparent and stable, according to Nguyen Minh Duc, Vice President of the Vietnamese Community Association in the UK (VAUK).

This amendment is an important legal step, affecting many aspects of life and business of OVs, especially those living in the UK, Duc said.

Pointing out the huge investment potential of Vietnam’s real estate market for OVs, he stressed that their need to buy real estate in the homeland is very large, particularly for those with economic and life stability. Most of them want to return to their homeland after retirement, even if they only live in Vietnam part-time.

According to Duc, Vietnam is a developing country and an emerging market that is attractive for investment, especially in land.

The amendment of the Land Law not only is a
policy to create more favourable conditions for overseas Vietnamese to invest and live in Vietnam, but also demonstrates the consistency of the Party and State in considering Vietnamese people abroad an integral part and a resource of the nation, stated the VAUK Vice President.

As the top concern of OVs when investing in Vietnam is that their assets and rights are protected by Vietnamese and international law, they hope the government to provide specific guidance documents and an official legal advice channel to support this issue, he added.

With 16 chapters and 260 articles, the revised Land Law, passed at the 15th National Assembly’s 5th extraordinary session in January 2024, will come into force from January 1, 2025, except for some particular articles. Notably, it expands land use rights for OVs and Vietnamese citizens residing abroad./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: The Vietnamese Embassy in Malaysia and the Malaysia-Vietnam Friendship Association on April 13 held a ceremony to commemorate the Hung Kings, the legendary founders of Vietnam.

The commemoration of the Hung Kings is a national holiday that takes place annually on the 10th day of the third lunar month, which falls on April 18 this year. The practice of worshiping the kings in the northern midland province of Phu Tho was recognised by UNESCO as part of the world’s intangible cultural heritage in 2012.

Vietnamese Ambassador Dinh Ngoc Linh to Malaysia said that this is a very meaningful activity gathering the spirit and values of 100 million Vietnamese people at home and about 4.5 million others living abroad, and demonstrating the spirit of building and defending the nation.

The commemoration is also an opportunity for Vietnamese people to nurture their patriotism, overcome challenges and affirm their position, he added.

On this occasion, the Vietnamese Embassy screened a documentary about Truong Sa (
Spratly) and called for donations for a greener Truong Sa. On behalf of the embassy, Linh handed over more than 16,000 MYR (3,350 USD) to Tran Thi Chang, who will join a delegation of overseas Vietnamese to visit Truong Sa in the coming time, to present the money to its people and soldiers.

Also on April 13, a ceremony in commemoration of the Hung Kings was organised in Prague, the Czech Republic./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Tokyo: The Consulate General of Vietnam in Fukuoka organised a ceremony to launch the day for honouring the Vietnamese language and a contest to seek ambassadors of the language on April 13.

The event, held in both online and offline formats, aimed at preserving and promoting the national cultural identity among generations of Vietnamese in Japan.

Speaking at the event, Vietnamese general consul Vu Chi Mai stressed that the event was part of efforts to implement the project ‘Day for Honouring Vietnamese Language in Vietnamese Communities Abroad’ approved by the Prime Minister.

This year, the consulate will join hands with competent associations to open Vietnamese classes, provide training for teachers, and build bookcases of Vietnamese books, she said, adding communications work will be pushed ahead to popularise the project.

From Vietnam, Vice Chairman of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs Nguyen Manh Dong hailed the consulate and the Vietnamese community in the south of Japan for organi
sing various cultural activities that help Japanese and other international communities have a better insight into the Vietnamese culture.

He expressed his hope that the event will receive enthusiastic response from the Vietnamese people.

The Vietnamese consulate and relevant associations agreed to set up a coordinating board for Vietnamese language and culture teaching for Vietnamese children, with training courses on teaching methods for non-professional teachers and parents to be held in May.

More than 110,000 Vietnamese are living, working and studying in Kyushu and Okinawa regions and south central of Japan./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Quang Binh: The central province of Quang Binh, home to the UNESCO-recognised Natural Heritage site of Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park, on April 13 launched a communication campaign in response to the World Wildlife Day (March 3) and the National Biodiversity Restoration Year 2024.

The campaign is within the framework of the Sustainable Forest Management and Biodiversity Conservation Project (VFBC) funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

It aims to raise public awareness about wildlife conservation in general and reduce demand for wildlife products in particular.

Speaking at the ceremony, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Hoang Xuan Tan called on officials, people, youth union members, and members of community conservation groups to join hands in taking actions to end the consumption of wild animals, thus contributing to a Quang Binh province free of bushmeat.

Quang Binh boasts a relatively high level of biodiversity, with many typical forest and marine ecosystems,
rich genetic resources of rare forest animals and plants, as well as rare wild fauna and flora species. However, in Vietnam in general and Quang Binh in particular, wild animals are facing numerous threats such as climate change, environmental pollution, diseases, hunting and overexploitation./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

HCM City: Saigon Co.op signed an MoU with non-profit Winrock International in HCM City on April 12 to reduce environmental pollution by developing a waste circulation model, enhancing waste separation at source and raising the extended producer responsibility.

Within the framework of the programme, Saigon Co.op also signed agreements with the Tan Binh Culture JSC (ALTA Group) and Green Connect JSC to implement it at its stores.

The partnership is part of the Pollution Reducing Project funded by USAID, which the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and Winrock International are managing.

Saigon Co.op will apply the waste circulation process through a plastic waste recycling station and an organic waste circulation model.

Under the former, Saigon Co.op and ALTA Group will install plastic bottle/aluminum can collection machines at Co.opmart supermarkets in HCM City.

The AI-based machines will automatically identify, classify and collect the bottles and cans.

For each bottle/can a user puts into th
e machine, they will receive a certain number of points that will be converted into vouchers for shopping on e-commerce platforms.

The programme will be piloted in HCM City from April 2024 to January 2025 before being deployed across the Co.op supermarket network.

Saigon Co.op will collaborate with Green Connect for the organic waste classification, collection and treatment at its supermarkets in the city from April 2024 to January 2025.

Based on results, the programme will be widely deployed./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

MANILA: A ranking official of the Philippine National Police (PNP) will file charges against a woman who reportedly introduced herself as his niece after enforcers of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) flagged her down for illegally using the Edsa bus lane on Thursday.

In a statement on Sunday, PNP Director for Logistics Maj. Gen. Mario Reyes said he is already consulting his lawyers for the filing of appropriate charges against the busway violator.

He reiterated that the woman, who introduced herself as “Major Miguel” from the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP), is not his relative by blood or affinity.

“I strongly condemn the act of namedropping me in a recent incident regarding a traffic violation of the EDSA bus lane policy,’ he said.

‘Any attempt to exploit the name or reputation of a law enforcement officer for personal gain or to avoid accountability is utterly unacceptable and undermines the integrity of our organization. The PNP enforces the law
without fear or favor,” he added.

Reyes appealed to the public to refrain from engaging in such “deceptive practices and to respect the authority of law enforcement officers.”

“I also urge concerned agencies to conduct a show cause order and thorough investigation and perhaps file usurpation of authority against that person,” Reyes said.

When an MMDA enforcer asked for her license, the woman said she is a niece of Reyes, working for ISAFP, and involved in the preparation of the “Balikatan” military exercises.

She asked that she be issued a traffic violation ticket but refused to present her license.

Source: Philippines News Agency