HCM City: Seven overseas Vietnamese collectives and 15 individuals with outstanding contributions to the building and promotion of solidarity among the OV community were honoured at a meeting held by the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee’s Standing Board in Ho Chi Minh City on February 2.

Addressing the event, held on the occasion of the ongoing “Xuan Que huong” (Homeland Spring) programme with the participation of 100 OVs, Vice President of the VFF Central Committee To Thi Bich Cau highlighted the great national solidarity as a precious tradition, an important and thorough strategy of the Party, a great source of strength and a decisive factor determining the success of the national construction and defence cause.

She underlined that the Party and State always consider the Vietnamese community abroad is an indispensable part of the nation.

The official hailed the collectives and individuals’ contributions to OV movements as well as the reinforcement and promotion of the great national solid
arity bloc, while pledging that the VFF will work harder in social supervision and feedback during the completion and implementation of policies and laws related to OVs, while coordinating with the State Committee for OV Affairs to support OVs in difficult areas.

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang, who is also Chairwoman of the State Committee for OV Affairs, said that nearly 6 million Vietnamese people are living, studying and working in 130 countries and territories across the world.

As of November 2023, there had been 421 projects in Vietnam funded by OVs from 29 countries and territories, with total investment of over 1.72 billion USD. The amount of remittances to Vietnam in 2023 was estimated at 16 billion USD, an increase of 32% from the previous year.

Representatives of the OVs thanked the Party, State and VFF for providing them with favourable conditions to join activities at home, affirming that they always head to the homeland and stand ready to work for the development
of the Vietnamese community abroad and for the prosperity of the Fatherland./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

BUTUAN: The communist New People’s Army (NPA) suffered a major blow during the three armed confrontations last month in Agusan del Norte, the Army’s 402nd Infantry Brigade (402Bde) said Friday.

In a statement, Brig. Gen. Adonis Ariel Orio, the 402Bde commander, said the series of encounters between the Army’s 23rd Infantry Battalion (23IB) and the Platoon 2, Sub-Regional Sentro De Grabidad Sagay (SRSDG Sagay) under the NPA North Central Mindanao Regional Committee last month had resulted to the death of four rebels, capture of three, and the surrender of three others.

The encounters took place on January 16, 24, and 29 where 14 high-powered firearms and ammunition of the rebels were also recovered by the 23IB, seven of which were seized in the encounter sites.

On Thursday, Orio said a rebel, identified as Jerome Amparo, also turned himself in at the 23IB headquarters.

Upon his surrender, Marapao a medic of SRSDG Sagay, revealed the location of firearms hidden by the NPA rebels in Sitio Malambago, Barangay
Sangay, Buenavista, Agusan del Norte.

A follow-up operation led to the recovery of six AK-47 rifles, a cal.45 pistol, ammunition, and other war materials at the site.

‘Many NPA members are now following the call for a long-lasting and genuine peace that further weakens their organization,’ Orio said.

Source: Philippines News Agency

HCM City: President Vo Van Thuong and his spouse on February 2 joined overseas Vietnamese (OV) in a traditional ritual of releasing carps at Nha Rong Wharf on the day for ‘Ong Cong, Ong Tao’ (Land Genie and Kitchen Gods).

In Vietnamese tradition, Land Genie and Kitchen Gods worshipping ritual is held on the 23rd day of the last lunar month, which falls on February 2 this year. It is also considered the start of the Lunar New Year (Tet) Festival – the biggest and most important traditional holidays of Vietnamese.

As the legend goes, ‘Ong Cong’ (Land Genie) is the one in charge of land while ‘Ong Tao’ (Kitchen Gods), consisting of two males and one female, are those who keep a watch over kitchen affairs of a family. They take note of a family’s issues in a year and will ride carps back to the Heaven on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month to report all the good and bad things of that family to the God of Heaven.

This year, the ritual drew 100 OVs who are participating in the annual ‘Xuan Que huong’ (Homeland
Spring) programme 2024.

In 2023, with the leadership of the Party and State as well as the consensus of the whole nation, including more than 6 million OVs, Vietnam overcame difficulties and gained many important achievements, maintaining economic growth impetus, ensuring social welfare, firmly protecting national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and enhancing the country’s image, position and prestige in the world arena.

Before conducting the carp release ritual, President Thuong, his spouse and the OVs offered incense and flowers in tribute to late President Ho Chi Minh and late President Ton Duc Thang.

The image of a carp swimming upstream and then leaping over the falls to turn into a dragon as a symbol of steadfastness in surmounting challenges to secure success.

At the Nha Rong Wharf, President Thuong and his spouse welcomed the OVs returning home.

Also on February 2, the State leader and his entourage spent a minute of silence in commemoration of President Ho Chi Minh at the Pr
esident Ho Chi Minh statue park on Nguyen Hue street in district 1./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Vientiane: The Consulate General of Vietnam in Pakse, Laos’s Champasak province, a ‘Xuan Que Huong’ (Homeland Spring) programme on February 1 to bring the Tet atmosphere to overseas Vietnamese (OVs) in the host country.

Consul General Nguyen Van Trung briefed the participants on the country’s achievements in 2023 and spoke highly of the sound leadership of the Party and the State which has helped the country enhance its foreign relations and position in the international area.

The diplomat stressed that the Party and the State have always considered the OVs as an inseparable part of the Vietnamese nation. He thanked the government, people of Lao provinces and the Vietnamese community for their contributions to the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos, an invaluable asset of the two peoples.

For his part, Vilayvong Boutdakham, Secretary and Governor of Champasak province, extended New Year greetings to leaders of the Party and State of Vietnam. He wishe
d the Vietnamese community and Vietnamese businesses cooperating and investing in southern Laos provinces to achieve many successes./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Prague: The overseas Vietnamese (OV) community in the Czech Republic have been updated on a new resolution of the Vietnamese National Assembly (NA) on piloting some specific mechanisms and policies for the development of Ho Chi Minh City.

At a conference held by the Vietnamese Embassy and the HCM City Overseas Vietnamese Committee in Prague on February 1, Le Van Thu, the deputy head of the committee, introduced basic points of Resolution No. 98/2023/QH15, involving 44 mechanisms in seven areas.

He highlighted 27 new policies that allow the southern economic hub to apply superior mechanisms and policies toward breakthrough development, enhancing its role as a growth pillar and driving force in the region and the nation.

Thu also fielded queries on attracting diaspora capital back to the homeland, noting that remittances to the metropolis neared 10 billion USD in 2023, nearly tripling foreign direct investment value that year. Overseas Vietnamese have made significant contributions to the development of the
nation, with immense untapped potential still awaiting exploration, he said.

Nguyen Dieu Linh, the charge d’affaires of the embassy, emphasised the strength of the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic, who have deeply integrated into the host country while maintaining close bonds with their homeland. Many OVs and Vietnamese entrepreneurs in the European nation are eager to invest in Vietnam, including Ho Chi Minh City.

The diplomat said she is confident that Vietnamese intellectuals and entrepreneurs here will serve as a bridge for international financial institutions and corporations to invest in the city./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: Flights in Noi Bai International Airport (NIA) in Hanoi could not take off or land, due to the unusual thick fog cloaking the capital city on February 2.

From around 2:15am to 9:00am on February 2 morning, the thick fog and low cloud cover limited visibility for pilots making it unsafe for aircraft operations. Many flights were affected, forcing the Noi Bai International Airport to activate a safety protocol.

To ensure safety, some flights had to divert their landings to other airports or postpone, flying in holding patterns to wait for better weather.

There were about 37 flights unable to land at the Noi Bai International Airport, with 12 flights diverted to nearby airports. Also, during this time frame, to ensure flight safety, 54 flights scheduled to depart from Noi Bai had to delay take-off to wait for better weather.

The phenomenon of dense fog typically occurs in Hanoi and northern provinces of Vietnam around February and March. Units in the aviation industry are always ready with contingency
plans under conditions of limited visibility to ensure safe flight operations.

“The Noi Bai International Airport hopes for passengers’ understanding and compliance with the operational instructions of aviation personnel to ensure security and order and flight safety for passengers,” emphasised the airport’s leadership.

Due to the impact of dense fog and bad weather in the areas of the Noi Bai Airport, Tho Xuan Airport (Thanh Hoa), Vinh Airport (Nghe An), and Phu Bai Airport (Hue), to ensure safe operations, Vietnam Airlines had to adjust the departure times, delaying from two to six hours for flights to and from these airports in the early morning on February 2.

Specifically, the affected flights include 8 flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Vinh with flight numbers VN7000, VN7004, VN7006, VN7008, VN7012, VN7014, VN7016, and VN7264. Flight VN7278 from Ho Chi Minh City to Thanh Hoa, VN7540 from Ho Chi Minh City to Hue also experienced delayed departure times.

At the Noi Bai Airport, many domestic and interna
tional flights landing here had to circle or land at alternative airports in Hai Phong or Da Nang, waiting for better weather conditions to meet operational requirements. Departing flights from Noi Bai also had to delay their operational times to ensure safety.

“Nearly 30 other domestic and international flights were affected in the queue, changing their schedules,” said a representative of Vietnam Airlines.

Earlier on the night and early morning of Thursday, also due to the impact of dense fog at the Tho Xuan and Vinh airports, four flights from Ho Chi Minh City to these locations were also delayed, from one to nearly five hours.

“Rainy and foggy weather conditions may occur at airports in the northern and central regions in the coming days. Passengers with travel needs to provinces and cities in the northern region during this period should regularly monitor schedule information and weather conditions,” advised Vietnam Airlines.

Fog hinders daily life

The fog in Hanoi also accompanied bad PM2.5 levels
throughout the city. Central districts such as Dong Da and Ba Dinh registered figures of around 260, while suburbs such as Nam Tu Liem and Cau Giay are around 230, all of which are at “very unhealthy” levels.

People commuting on February 2 morning also faced difficulties, as the strange fog restricted vision.

In winter, Hanoi and the northern provinces experience reduced ground heat from the sun, causing rapid cooling of the ground during the night and early morning. This cooling phenomenon leads to temperature inversion, where the air near the ground becomes colder than the air above, creating stable stratification that restricts the upward movement of heavier air.

Fog occurs when water vapour condenses into tiny droplets in the air near the ground, reducing horizontal visibility to less than 1km. Typically appearing white, fog can sometimes have a yellow or greyish colour. It often occurs in early morning or late afternoon during winter, and traps smoke, dust and pollutants in the air.

The Environmental
Health Management Department (Ministry of Health) has issued guidance to Provincial Departments of Health and Central Subordinate Cities on health protection measures against the impact of air pollution. When the air quality index is very poor (201 – 300), ordinary individuals are advised to limit outdoor activities, exercise caution during physical activities, and favour indoor activities.

Avoiding high air pollution risk areas is recommended, and if necessary, using masks to prevent fine dust exposure. Public transportation is encouraged over motorcycles or bicycles, and opening windows and doors should be limited during periods of heavy air pollution. Rinsing the nose, throat and eyes with saline can help ease irritation.

Sensitive individuals are recommended to completely avoid outdoor activities during heavy air pollution periods. If leaving the house is necessary, minimise time spent outdoors and use masks that prevent fine dust exposure. If acute symptoms such as difficulty breathing, coughing, or fe
ver arise, seeking immediate medical attention for examination, consultation and treatment./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency