A class at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy of the Việt Nam National University, Hà Nội. The university plans to open the first general medicine and dentistry courses for approximately 100 Indian students by early 2025. Currently, Việt Nam already has the Cần Thơ University of Medicine and Pharmacy training Indian general practitioners, with the first intake starting in 2022. This initiative represents a new direction for Vietnamese universities that is capable of providing education for foreign students, with curricula and instruction conducted in English. Additionally, thousands of foreign doctors have already come to Việt Nam for short-term courses in endoscopic surgery, thyroid surgery, radiology, and cancer treatment at various Vietnamese hospitals.

The average age of Vietnamese children using the internet is nine years old, four years earlier than the global average. The national child protection hotline, 111, has recorded 1,500 intervention support calls, including 419 reports of online child abuse. The draft emphasises the responsibility to protect children and adolescents online as a crucial measure for internet development. Nguyễn Thị Nga, Deputy Director of the MOLISA’s Department of Child Affairs, highlighted that Việt Nam has actively built and perfected the legal system to protect children online. 23/CT-TTg issued on May 26, 2020, on strengthening measures to ensure children's rights and protect children.

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính has instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to closely coordinate with Thailand in investigating the deaths of six individuals, including four Vietnamese citizens, discovered at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel on Tuesday. Measures will be implemented to protect the legitimate rights and interests of Vietnamese citizens. 69/CĐ-TTg, dated July 17, 2024, concerning the deaths of Vietnamese tourists in Bangkok, Thailand. The circular was sent to the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Public Security, and the Ambassador of Việt Nam to Thailand. The Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand is tasked with closely monitoring the situation, reporting on the progress of the investigation, and carrying out citizen protection measures.

TIỀN GIANG — Having a rich history and diverse culture, the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Tiền Giang targets to become a new favourite destination among tourists. Tiền Giang now has more than 2,100 historical and cultural relics, including archaeological sites, revolutionary historical relic sites, religious sites, and ancient architectural buildings. Apart from the ancient village, Tiền Giang is popular for the Gò Thanh Archaeological Site in Chợ Gạo District. Chiến said most of the historical and cultural relics in Tiền Giang are related to religious and spiritual activities to honour the land’s rich history and cultural values, and contribute to attracting more tourists. In the first six months of 2024, Tiền Giang served 850,000 visitors, including 300,000 international visitors, a year-on-year rise of 21.1 per cent.

HÀ NỘI – Việt Nam is joining 30 other countries and territories worldwide in the ongoing 34th Hong Kong Book Fair, whose theme spotlights literature in film and television. Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, the annual fair runs at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from July 17-23, featuring over 600 cultural activities. At the fair, the Consulate General of Việt Nam designed a space rich in cinematic elements, showcasing classic and contemporary Vietnamese literary works that have been adapted into films or translated into multiple languages. Talking to the VNA's resident reporters, Vietnamese Consul General Lê Đức Hạnh stressed that the Consulate General aims to bring Việt Nam closer to the world, in line with the Party’s and State’s cultural diplomacy policies. The 2023 edition of the fair attracted nearly 1 million visitors in seven consecutive days.

Entities whose solutions have been commercialised in other nations but want them piloted in Vietnam are also encouraged to join. The Vietnamese booth also features books highlighting the nation's culture, arts, tourism, and cuisine, including English and Chinese versions of Vietnam Pictorial published by the Vietnam News Agency (VNA). Nguyen Thanh Ha, the manager of MAG Quang Binh project, said that the organisation has operated in Quang Binh since 2003 to deliver risk education and UXO clearance activities. Runners will travel through several famous sightseeing spots in the central province of Quang Binh, including Ho Chi Minh Square, Nhat Le 1 Bridge, Tam Toa Church, Quang Binh Gate, and Nhat Le beach. Miss Tourism Vietnam was first held back in 2008, although it was not until 2022 when the second edition took place.

They were particularly impressed by the diverse and delicious Vietnamese cuisine, with the unique Ninh Binh bun cha quat (grilled square pork patties with noodles) leaving a lasting impression. "In Ninh Binh, bun cha quat is a well-known dish, loved by both locals and tourists," Jayesh commented. Additionally, Ninh Binh bun cha is served with rice vermicelli sheets rather than the smaller vermicelli strands. Jayesh and Karolina enjoying bun cha quat in Ninh Binh. Karolina enjoying bun cha quat in Ninh Binh.

HCM CITY — HCM City is implementing solutions to ensure information security, including a four-layer protection model. Lâm Đình Thắng, director of the city’s Department of Information and Communications, answered questions from delegates at the 17th session of the municipal People's Council meeting on Monday, focusing on the city’s socio-economic and defense-security situation. Regarding information security and network security, the city is implementing a number of solutions such as placing all data in the city's data centre, which is monitored 24 hours a day and seven days a week. It is deploying the four-layer information security protection model at agencies and units, a database centre, a team of independent assessment experts and system-to-system connection ensured by centrally-run agencies. The city also has an information security response network to support units when incidents occur.

Just within six months, Zalo, , deployed a calculating infrastructure and built an LLM with 7 billion parameters in the Vietnamese language. Regarding the calculating infrastructure, Vietnamese engineers had to join an unequal competition with rivals. While waiting for GPU from Nvidia, Zalo engineers tried to take full advantage of existing small civil-use GPUs to implement a series of research work. “For Zalo AI engineers, challenge doesn’t mean ‘difficulty’, but ‘opportunity’ to do significant things. Zalo’s most outstanding AI products include the Kiki voice assistant, dictation and voice-to-text technology, text-to-speed technology, FaceID, eKYC (Electronic Know Your Customer) and GenAI (AI Avatar, AI Sticker).

BANGKOK — Medics at the King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital of Thailand on July 17 confirmed that the four Vietnamese and two Americans found dead in the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel in Bangkok died from cyanide poisoning. They said the six deaths appeared to have occurred about 12 to 24 hours before police arrived on the scene. At a press conference held earlier the same day, Thai police also said cyanide was found in all coffee cups at the scene, and one of the six is believed to have poisoned the others over debt issues. It was confirmed that only the six entered and left Room 502 of the hotel, according to Pol Maj Gen Noppasilp Poolsawat, deputy commissioner of Metropolitan Police Bureau. Also at the press conference, police said debt issues are the motive behind the crime, and that the seventh person who was part of the hotel booking left Thailand for Việt Nam on July 10.

HÀ NỘI – Việt Nam has advantages to attract more Indian tourists, according to experts. Data from the Việt Nam National Authority of Tourism shows that before the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2019, Việt Nam welcomed only 169,000 Indian visitors. According to experts, Việt Nam has several advantages to further attract Indian travellers. Firstly, the distance between Việt Nam and India is not too far as it takes about 4-5 hours to fly from India to Việt Nam. Vinh, who led a study on Indian tourists to Việt Nam, said that Indian tourists prefer beautiful resorts and parties.

BANGKOK — Thai police have confirmed that the six people found dead in a Bangkok hotel room on July 16, including four Vietnamese nationals, were victims of murder, not suicide. All six were Vietnamese, but two had American citizenship, Thai authorities confirmed. However, authorities did find five used teacups and one used glass, suggesting that the victims may have consumed some drinks. Forensic teams have collected various items from the room, including food containers, utensils, and other potential evidence, for further examination. In response to the incident, the Vietnamese Embassy in Thailand has dispatched officials to the scene, working closely with Thai authorities to gather information, identify the victims, and provide consular assistance to their families.

This activity is part of the Vietnam Summer Camp 2024 for the young generation of Vietnamese abroad. At Kinh Thien Palace on Nghia Linh Mountain, the delegation offered incense, flowers and offerings in commemoration of the Hung Kings, the legendary founders of Vietnam. The EC’s upcoming fifth IUU fishing inspection in Vietnam is expected to take place around September-October. In Vietnam, it has been found in Cao Bang, Lang Son, Nghe An, and Thanh Hoa provinces. Uzbekistan took the top position at the tournament with seven points after three matches, with Vietnam finishing second with five points.

The companionship economy has emerged as more people stay single, forgoing the traditional path of marriage and children, amid an economic slowdown and an increasingly educated population. “The rise of the companionship economy is a marker of China’s development, and demand will only grow as these younger Chinese get older,” he said. But there are concerns that there might be abuse of companionship services in China, where prostitution is illegal. “Companionship services contain serious safety risks, and to protect consumers, Xianyu has banned such listings from its app,” the page said. Yang said that “pei liao” are his escape from reality, and “for that brief moment, it’s really fun”.

BANGKOK – Six people, including four Vietnamese nationals, were found dead in the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand on Tuesday, according to local sources. The victims were discovered in a room with no signs of a struggle, and their luggage was found near the front door. Initial investigations have identified the victims as two Vietnamese nationals who held American citizenship, along with four Vietnamese citizens. Based on the initial evidence discovered at the scene, it is suspected that the six victims may have died as a result of poisoning. Speaking to Vietnam News Agency correspondents based in Bangkok, Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Phạm Việt Hùng said that embassy officials are working with local authorities to verify the incident and to carry out necessary citizen protection measures.