Highlights of domestic news this past week

(Baonghean.vn) - Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his wife pay an official visit to Vietnam; National Conference on Vocational Training; Aircraft loses contact because air traffic controller fell asleep;A major fire at a garment factory, thousands of workers fleeing;... these are some of the notable news stories of the past week.

1. Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his wife pay an official visit to Vietnam.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc presided over the welcoming ceremony for Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his wife during their visit to Vietnam.

On March 21, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of the Republic of Singapore and his wife began an official visit to Vietnam from March 21-24, 2017, at the invitation of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

During this visit, the two sides will exchange strategic directions and specific measures to further deepen the Strategic Partnership in the coming period, keeping pace with the rapid changes of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, supporting each other's sustainable and prosperous development, and promoting cooperation between the two countries in multilateral forums, including ASEAN, APEC, ASEM, and the United Nations.

*Previously, on March 19, at the invitation of President Tran Dai Quang,Israeli President Reuven Ruvi Rivlin and his wife Nechama RivlinHe led a high-level Israeli delegation on an official visit to Vietnam from March 19 to 25.

President Tran Dai Quang and Israeli President Reuven Ruvi Rivlin review the honor guard of the Vietnam People's Army.

The Israeli President's visit aims to further strengthen Vietnam-Israel relations, exchange measures to promote bilateral cooperation in various fields, and discuss regional and international issues of mutual concern.

2. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc receives the President of Harvard University.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc receives Ms. Catharine Drew Gilpin Faust, President of Harvard University (USA), who is visiting and working in Vietnam. (Photo: Doan Tan/VNA).

On the afternoon of March 24, at the Government Headquarters, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc received Ms. Drew Gilpin Faust, President of Harvard University (USA), who is on a working visit to Vietnam.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc expressed his belief that the visit would contribute to strengthening cooperation between Harvard University and Vietnamese universities in particular, and educational cooperation between the two countries in general.

With that spirit in mind, the Prime Minister requested Harvard University to continue supporting Vietnam in training in leadership and university management, and to assist in organizing training courses for senior leaders at the University.

3. National Conference on Vocational Training

Vocational training for rural workers in many areas is still driven by trends and not aligned with actual employment needs. (Illustrative image.)

On March 23rd, in Hanoi, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, organized a national conference on agricultural vocational training for rural workers.

At the conference, representatives from several provincial People's Committees, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, and a number of vocational training institutions focused on evaluating vocational training for rural laborers over the past period, highlighting strengths, successes, and limitations; clearly stating experiences in agricultural vocational training for rural laborers in their localities, and subsequently making proposals and recommendations to improve vocational training for rural laborers in the future.

4. The Prime Minister has ordered a complete halt to all river dredging permits nationwide.

Illustrative image.

On March 21st, Minister and Head of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung, head of the Prime Minister's task force, led a delegation to inspect the Ministry of Transport regarding the implementation of tasks assigned by the Government and the Prime Minister. In particular, the head of the task force emphasized the Prime Minister's requirement to dredge sand from the riverbed.

Following incidents of local residents clashing violently with illegal sand miners, the Prime Minister instructed the Ministry of Transport to halt the issuance of permits for river dredging projects, entrusting this responsibility to local authorities.

5. The plane lost contact because the air traffic controller fell asleep.

Cat Bi Air Traffic Control Tower.

On March 9th, flight VJ921 from Hai Phong to Seoul was scheduled to depart from Cat Bi Airport at 23:45, but between 22:51 and 23:24, the pilot attempted to contact Cat Bi Air Traffic Control a total of 29 times without receiving a response. Finally, at 23:41, air traffic controllers responded.

On the same day, flight VJ292 from Ho Chi Minh City to Hai Phong was scheduled to land at Cat Bi Airport at 23:30, but between 23:14 and 23:38, the pilot attempted to contact air traffic control 10 times without receiving a response. Air traffic control finally responded at 23:39.

The incident was caused by an air traffic controller falling asleep during working hours.

6. Major fire at garment factory, thousands of workers flee.

The scene of the fire.

Around 9:05 AM on March 23rd, a fire broke out at Kwong Lung – Meko Company (located in Tra Noc Industrial Park, Binh Thuy District, Can Tho City), a garment manufacturing company, causing thousands of workers to flee in panic. Hundreds of police officers were mobilized to extinguish the fire.

At the scene, more than 100 police officers and soldiers were deployed to carry out rescue operations and direct traffic through the area. Many company workers stood along both sides of the road, their faces filled with panic as they watched the authorities extinguish the fire.

7.Vietnam now has two dollar billionaires for the first time.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao and Mr. Pham Nhat Vuong are currently billionaires on Forbes' list.

Forbes magazine (USA) has just published its 2017 list of the world's billionaires. For the first time, Vietnam has two billionaires on the list: Pham Nhat Vuong, Chairman of Vingroup, and Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, founder and CEO of Vietjet Air.

This is the fifth consecutive year that Mr. Vuong has been named on this list, with a net worth of $2.4 billion, ranking 867th in the world, an increase of $0.6 billion compared to last year. He was first recognized by Forbes in 2013, with $1.5 billion, ranking 974th.

Meanwhile, this is the first time Ms. Thao has been included on this list, with a net worth of $1.2 billion, ranking 1,678th in the world. Ms. Thao was a member of the Board of Directors of several commercial banks in Vietnam before joining Ho Chi Minh City Development Bank (HDBank) as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors. In February, she oversaw the IPO of VietJet Air.

8. Regarding the Tien Giang province's issuance of a document banning the song "Red Flower Color"

The late musician Thuan Yen and his daughter, singer Thanh Lam.

The fact that Mr. Nguyen Duc Dam, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Tien Giang province, signed two official letters sent to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the People's Committee and the Culture and Information Departments of districts, towns and cities in the province, requesting a ban on singing the song 'Red Flower Color' has caused a stir in public opinion this past week.

Regarding the incident, on March 24, the Department of Performing Arts issued an urgent dispatch to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Tien Giang province, requesting a prompt report on the incident before March 26 for submission to the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Peace

(Synthetic)