In Vietnam, an increasing number of young adults are choosing their career paths based on guidance from fortune telling and numerology. ImpactsK.H., a 20-year-old studying in Thu Duc City of Ho Chi Minh City, shared that she frequently turns to TikTok for insights into her numerology and horoscope. Meanwhile, T.N., a 19-year-old studying journalism and communications at a university in Ho Chi Minh City for the past two years, mentioned that after consulting friends about horoscopes, they concluded that the journalism industry might not suit T.N. Huynh Thanh Phu, principal of Bui Thi Xuan High School in Ho Chi Minh City, criticized numerology and tarot card fortune-telling as forms of superstition. “Career guidance is a crucial journey that ensures individuals have a clear direction and make informed career choices,” Anh explained.

However, recognising the adverse effects of these non-biodegradable bags on the environment, retailers are advocating for changes in consumer habits. July 3 this year marked the second time the Plastic Bag Reduction Retailers Alliance of Việt Nam celebrated the International Plastic Bag Free Day with various customer initiatives. Ngọc Linh, a senior-year student who often shops at BigC, agreed and said people should use plastic bags less. “I used to be a cashier, and when customers take a lot of plastic bags, they often throw them away and that’s not good. “Therefore, activities that aim to reduce non-biodegradable plastic bags are of great significance, so that everyone can join in reducing plastic waste in our environment.” — VNS

The region could see rainfall ranging between 40mm and 80mm, and even more than 150mm in several locations, during this period, the National Center for Hydrometeorological Forecasting said. The national weather agency also warned of rising water levels in the upstream areas of the Da, Thao, and Lo Rivers, flash floods and landslides in mountainous locations, and inundation in low-lying places. The government leader asked local authorities to examine areas prone to flooding, flash floods, and landslides to promptly launch evacuation and rescue operations. They have to dispatch forces to stand guard over locations vulnerable to flooding and landslides to ensure human and traffic safety. PM Chinh asked the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to closely supervise weather developments and inform relevant agencies of natural disaster risks.

MOSCOW – The 2024 Vietnamese Culture Days in Russia programme has opened in Moscow, with a wide range of activities being held throughout this week. Attending the opening ceremony were Chief Justice of the Supreme People's Court Nguyễn Hòa Bình, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyễn Văn Hùng, Russian Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova, First Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly Andrey Yatskin, and Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Đặng Minh Khôi. Over the recent years, cultural, sports and tourism cooperation between the two countries has become more effective and achieved great progress, and people-to-people exchanges increasingly strengthened. Hùng said that bilateral cultural cooperation will go deeper and more specifically through new areas of cooperation such as training cultural officials and artists. Within the framework of the programme, there will be a photo exhibition, a Vietnamese film screening, and tourism promotion events in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

HÀ NỘI — A fire broke out in a shophouse in Hà Nội on Wednesday with a family trapped inside. Firefighters were called to the incident on Tô Hiệu Street, Cầu Giấy at around 4.20am after residents reported seeing thick black smoke from the property. The team quickly extinguished the fire using water and foam, rescuing a 92-year-old woman and leading three others to safety. The four-story shophouse has a toy store on the ground floor, selling toys, bicycles and strollers. It is part of a fire safety neighbourhood model, equipped with a portable fire extinguisher and a second fire escape route.

HÀ NỘI - Việt Nam currently has approximately seven million individuals diagnosed with diabetes, with more than 55 per cent of patients already experiencing complications. According to Trần Hữu Dàng, President of the Việt Nam Association of Endocrinology and Diabetes, the number of people with diabetes in Việt Nam has been steadily increasing, with the rate doubling compared to a decade ago. The number of countries with over 20 per cent of the adult population suffering from diabetes is also growing. Diabetes is a growing concern in Việt Nam, not only among adults but also children. The incidence of diabetes in children is increasing, with type 1 diabetes accounting for 90 per cent of cases.

HÀ NỘI The Prime Minister recently issued a dispatch requiring ministries, sectors and localities to get prepared for torrential rains in the northern region. They must also step up communications work to raise public awareness of the safety measures, while evacuating people, vehicles and assets in dangerous areas to safe places. They are requested to arrange forces and means to promptly launch evacuation as well as search and rescue operations in case of emergencies, and direct post-disaster recovery work in line with the legal regulations. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is asked to make forecasts and provide information for competent agencies in a timely fashion for the response work. Meanwhile, the Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development and Industry and Trade must join hands with localities to efficiently operate and ensure safety for reservoirs and agricultural production.

MEKONG DELTA — Sand is being mined in a new location in the Hậu River in Sóc Trăng Province since June 30 to serve construction of a key expressway in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta. According to the province People's Committee, the sand will be used for component project 4 in the first phase of the Châu Đốc - Cần Thơ - Sóc Trăng Expressway. There are five locations in the river in Sóc Trăng where mining is permitted with a combined area of more than 450 ha. A shortage of river sand is affecting work on many major construction projects in the delta. Using other materials in place of river sand is also under scrutiny.

A woman who attempted to sell water apples to a foreign man at VND200,000 (US$7.9) per kilogram in Hanoi was fined VND150,000 ($5.9) for peddling on roadbeds, local police said on Monday. The tourist agreed to pay VND30,000 ($1.2) for two water apples and did not express any objections afterward. She then weighed two water apples and claimed they were 200 grams in weight, fetching a total of VND40,000 ($1.60). The foreign tourist thanked her, paid for the water apples, and left. Many others questioned the authenticity of the video as the vendor still sold the water apples at such a rate even though she knew that the foreigner was filming the video.

Participation increases, benefits expanded after 15 years of Health Insurance LawThe number of health insurance participants has surged, benefits have expanded and healthcare quality has seen significant improvement after 15 years of implementing the Law on Health Insurance. The number of healthcare visits, covered by the health insurance fund, has shown steady growth annually. Trang said the rights of health insurance participants were guaranteed. Nearly 10,000 commune/ward/town health stations also participated in health insurance through contracts managed by district hospitals or health centres assigned by provincial Departments of Health in the country. Key messages about health insurance focus on enhancing the quality of healthcare at grassroots healthcare facilities to increase access to health insurance for the public, using the health insurance fund efficiently, how health insurance means safeguarding your health and that participation gives people sustainable financial support during illness and disease.

Over sixteen years, he has made thirty-four whole blood donations and sixty-six platelet donations, aiding numerous patients. "Donating blood is very meaningful to me because I know my blood helps many patients in need," Khánh shared. Marking his one hundredth blood donation on May 9 at the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, Khánh is one of Hưng Yên Province's most regular and prolific blood donors. While whole blood donation can be repeated every three months, platelet donation can occur every three weeks. This process takes between 45 to 90 minutes, compared to just five minutes for whole blood donation.

HCM CITY — The American International School Vietnam (AISVN) continues to be suspended for another 12 months, as of July 1. HCM City Department of Education and Training and an interdisciplinary team from the city have been working with AISVN’s school board and investors since May 28. A report into the school, due to be submitted by June 15, has not yet arrived at the education department which could have allowed it to continue educational operations. On June 28, the department also issued the Official Dispatch No 4011/SGDĐT-GDTrH providing transfer guidelines for AISVN students via the website https://chuyentruong.hcm.edu.vn. AIS American International Education JSC, the head investor of AISVN, is required to be accountable towards its students as well as the teaching and administrative staff.

The People’s Committee of Quang Tri Province in north-central Vietnam has approved a project to build an over-six-kilometer-long conveyor belt to transport coal from Laos, the office of the provincial administration said on Monday. The conveyor belt is set to carry 30 million metric tons of coal a year. The conveyor belt will start at the border between Vietnam and Laos, and end at a warehouse in A Ngo Commune, Dakrong District, Quang Tri. Vietnam's Quang Tri Province will build an over-six-kilometer-long conveyor belt to import coal from Laos. The three conveyor belts are expected to create a conveyor system with a total length of 160 kilometers to transport coal from Laos to Vietnam.

HOÀ BÌNH — The General Statistics Office (GSO), in coordination with the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs, has started a census to collect socio-economic details of 53 ethnic minority groups. The goal is to gather data for the National Statistical Indicator System and the Statistical Indicator System on ethnic minority affairs. This will inform the development and policy-making process for socio-economic development in ethnic minority regions for the period 2026-2030. Additionally, the census will cover three provinces and cities with significant ethnic minority populations: HCM City, Long An, and Hà Tĩnh. The survey targets ethnic minority households and actual residents living in these households at the time they are questioned.

Addressing specific issues, the Deputy PM requested the drafting agency to amend and supplement criteria for localities to identify high-yield and high-quality rice-growing areas within the allocated specialised paddy land. "The goal is to ensure income and stable livelihoods for rice farmers in all situations," he said. Notably, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has incorporated and supplemented regulations on the criteria for identifying high-yield, high-quality rice-growing areas that need protection and restricted conversion. Additionally, they should identify areas of rice land that can be converted but still maintain the conditions for reverting to rice cultivation. Similarly, some delegates emphasised the need to clearly delineate rice land areas, specialised rice cultivation areas, and high-yield, high-quality rice land areas to develop corresponding policies and avoid overlap and redundancy.