Culture - Sports Infographic Mascots, logo, and motto of SEA Games 32 Two rabbits dressed in outfits from Cambodia’s traditional martial art of Bokator are the mascots at the 32nd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 32), which takes place in the country from May 5-17. Society Infographic Vietnamese banh mi makes a mark on world's culinary map HCM City launched its first ever Vietnam Banh Mi (Vietnamese Sandwich) Festival at District 1’s Youth Cultural House, in order to promote the traditional dish to locals and tourists.

There are likely more hot days in 2023 than that in 2022 (Photo: VNA)The average temperature forecast to be higher than the average of many years (Photo: VNA)– After three years of the La Nina weather pattern which is the other phase of ENSO, the El Nino phenomenon is likely to return in Vietnam in late May or early June, with a probability of up to 80%, and this phenomenon may last into early 2024, according to Nguyen Van Huong, head of the Weather Forecasting Department, National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting (NCHMF).There are likely more hot days in 2023 than that in 2022, with more severe heat waves and the average temperature forecast to be higher than the average of many years.Huong said the current heat wave will be the most severe on May 17 and from May 21-23, with high temperatures at around 36-39 degrees Celsius, even rising over 40 degrees Celsius in some places.This is the longest-lasting heat wave in the northern and central regions since the beginning of this year, stressed Huong.Meteorologists warn that the impact of the heat, combined with the low humidity in the air and southwesterly winds, causes the risk of explosions and fires in residential areas due to increasing demand for electricity, and the risk of forest fires.In addition, the hot sun can also cause dehydration, exhaustion, and heat stroke. Therefore, people are advised to refrain from going outside during the hottest hours from 11:00-14:00./.

Beyne began travelling in the 1980s, traversing several Asian countries, including India, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. The event is taking place as part of Festival aux Coeurs du Vietnam, the Vietnamese heart festival, in celebration the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and France this year. The Hanoi native has performed in many international fashion events, including Aquafina Vietnam International Fashion Week (AVIFW), Vietnam International Junior Fashion Week, Seoul Kids Fashion Week, and Bangkok Kids International Fashion Week. According to the latest direction of the Government, the health ministry still conducts bidding and procurement for vaccines for this programme. According to an MoH report, Vietnam recorded 1,050 new Covid-19 cases on May 14, the lowest daily number in the past month.

The Phong Luu Khau Vai Market is a unique cultural event that takes place only once a year, on the 27th day of the third lunar month. The tradition began in 1919 as a way to celebrate human-to-human relationships and the love between couples. The market’s social customs and beliefs were recognised as a national intangible cultural heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2021. Visitors can also take part in various traditional folk games at the festival, and enjoy a scenic boat ride along the Nho Que River at the foot of Ma Pi Leng Pass, one of the most stunning rivers in Vietnam./.

Vietnamese footballers cheering a goal (Photo: VNA)Phnom Penh (VNA) – U22 Vietnam beat U22 Myanmar 3-1 on May 16, bringing home bronze in the men’s football at the 32nd SEA Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. In the ninth minute, Ho Van Cuong thundered a shot past the goalkeeper to the back of the net. In the 35th minute, once again it was Van Cuong who scored a goal, sending the ball to the back of the next off a pass from Le Van Do, increasing the score to 2-0. In the 57th minute, Khuat Van Khang scored a goal following a cross from Minh Trong. It wasn't until the final minutes of the match, from a set-piece corner situation, that U22 Myanmar managed to score a consolation goal with a somewhat lucky header./.

Illustrative photo (Photo: Gmanetwork)Phnom Penh (VNA) – Cambodia's National Election Committee (NEC) on May 15 recognised 18 political parties for the upcoming election in July. In a statement released on May 15, NEC announced that after reviewing the completed dossiers, the agency officially recognised five more political parties and a list of eligible candidates to participate in the 7th National Assembly election. Many political parties in Cambodia have supported the NEC's decision. As of May 8, the last of the 15 days for political parties and candidates to register to participate in the 7th National Assembly election in Cambodia, NEC received 20 sets of dossiers. Cambodia holds a general election every five years.

It was also the 120th gold medal for Vietnam to date, solidifying its leading position on the 10th competition day of the tournament. In stick fighting, athlete Vu Thi Thanh Binh brought the first gold for Vietnam the same day after beating Jude Oliver Marie Rodriguez of the Philippines. Ngoc called on the Vietnam Women’s Union and the CWU to create conditions for the Ninh Binh women’s union to contribute to cooperation between the two sides in the time ahead. Earlier, Nguyen Thi Yen, Tran Thi Ngoc Yen, and Nguyen Thi Ngoc Huyen won gold in women’s sepak takraw doubles. Meeting with Viet, Tim Watts affirmed that cooperation with Vietnam is always Australia's priority in both bilateral and multilateral frameworks.

– President Vo Van Thuong has signed a decision approving the agreement on mutual judicial assistance in civil matters between Vietnam and Thailand.The approval was made as proposed by the Government on April 27.The agreement is expected to create a legal basis for the requests for judicial assistance in civil matters and the timely provision of help for settling civil disputes, thereby guaranteeing the rights and legitimate interests of individuals and organisations in the two countries and enhancing relations in civil, trade, and economic aspects to contribute to socio-economic development in Vietnam and Thailand along with their traditional friendship.The approval of this agreement aims to help implement the Party and State’s policy on strengthening cooperation with international partners in legal and judicial matters. It also looks to help perfect the legal mechanism for protecting the rights and legitimate interests of Vietnamese citizens and entities abroad, including the 13th Party Central Committee’s Resolution No 27-NQ/TW, dated November 9, 2022, on the continuation of building and perfecting the law-governed socialist State of Vietnam in the new period./.

An overview of the seminar . (Photo: VNA)Paris (VNA) – A seminar on Vietnam’s diplomatic policy on the Indo-Pacific region and Vietnam-France relations was held at the Vietnamese Embassy in Paris on May 15. The event was jointly organised by the Department of International Relations of the French Institute for Advanced National Defense Studies'(IHEDN) and the institute’s Alumni Association. It aims to provide an overview of Vietnam’s foreign policy on the region from academic and practical perspectives as well as Vietnam-France relations within the framework of the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic ties. The strengthening of bilateral relations with Vietnam and ASEAN as well as each member country was also touched upon.

Politics Vietnam attends ESCAP’s 79th session in Bangkok Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Do Hung Viet is attending the 79th session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) that is being held in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 15 and 16, with the participation of nearly 650 delegates from 49 countries and territories as well as regional and international organisations. Politics Vietnamese, Tanzanian parties enhance cooperation Politburo member, permanent member of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee’s Secretariat and head of its Organisation Commission Truong Thi Mai held talks with Abdulrahman Omar Kinana, Politburo member and Vice Chairman of the ruling Party of the Revolution of Tanzania, in Hanoi on May 15. Politics Vietnam, Northern Ireland forge multi-faceted cooperation Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK Nguyen Hoang Long visited Belfast, capital of Northern Ireland, from May 9-11, aiming to promote multi-faceted cooperation between the two sides, especially in business, trade, education, climate change response, and people-to-people exchange. Politics Diplomat meets Japan - Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Alliance head Newly-appointed Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu paid a courtesy visit to Chairman of the Japan-Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Alliance (JVPFA) Nikai Toshihiro in Tokyo on May 15.

Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Le Thi Thu Hang, attended the EU Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum in Stockholm, Sweden organized by Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom and High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell Fontelles on 13 May 2023. At the forum, Hang shared her perspectives on challenges that economies around the world are facing and emphasized the importance of “cooperation, coordination and connectivity” that countries need in order to approach each problem. According to Vietnam News, the official affirmed that Vietnam appreciates European partners’ financial commitments on climate change and hopes for their continued support to achieve the net zero emission target. The aim of hosting the forum is to open opportunities for European and Indo-Pacific countries to discuss ideas and problems, said Josep Borrell. Moreover, it is for the related countries to strengthen their relationships and cooperation in different sectors, for instance, maritime security.

India n Navy personnel upon their arrival to participate in the 4th edition of India-Indonesia bilateral exercise Samudra Shakti-23, in Batam, Indonesia (Photo: deccanherald.com)New Delhi (VNA) - The navies of Indonesia and India on May 14 began a six-day maritime exercise in sync with their overall efforts to expand bilateral military engagement. The Indian Navy has deployed its indigenously built anti-submarine warfare corvette INS Kavaratti, a Dornier maritime patrol aircraft and a Chetak chopper for the Samudra Shakti exercise. Meanwhile, the Indonesian Navy is being represented at the exercise by warship KRI Sultan Iskandar Muda, CN 235 maritime patrol aircraft and AS565 Mbe Panther helicopter. It revealed that during the sea phase, weapon firing, helicopter operations, anti-submarine warfare and air defence exercises and boarding operations are planned. Samudra Shakti will showcase a high level of interoperability between the two navies and their shared commitment towards peace and stability in the region, it added./.

Table tennist players Dinh Anh Hoang (right) and Tran Mai Ngoc at the SEA Games 32. Vietnam sent a 1,003-strong sports delegation to the SEA Games 32, about 700 of them athletes. Vietnam Aerobic team win five gold medals at all five events they compete at SEA Games 32. (Photo:VNA)Competing in 31 sports events, the Vietnamese team aims to bring home 90-120 gold medals and enter the top three. SEA Games 32 is held in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Preah Sihanouk, Kampot, and Kep in Cambodia from May 5 and will be closed on May 17./.

Martial arts continued to bring more gold medals for Vietnam when Wushu athletes alone took five gold medals on May 12. She said she wants to support the Vietnam movie industry and get the Vietnamese audience closer to Indonesian film products. The young director said a fund for young film producers should be built to support young people making films. HCM City Night Run to bring night experience to thousands of runnersThe HCM City Night Run Thang Loi Group 2023 will begin at the HCM City Labor Cultural Palace on the evening of May 13. The marathon is jointly organised by the HCM City People's Committee, the city's Athletics Federation and Unique Event & Media.

There are more than 16,000 international students at Deakin University, with Vietnam being one of the four most important partners. He expressed a desire to create more opportunities for Australian and international students to study in Vietnam under the exchange programme. UN Women Representative in Vietnam awarded friendship insigniaAmbassador Nguyen Phuong Nga, President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) presented the insignia “For Peace and Friendship among Nations” to UN Women Representative in Vietnam Elisa Fernandez, during a ceremony in Hanoi on May 10. It is the VUFO’s most noble distinction to honour Fernandez’s valuable contributions to the effective cooperation between the United Nations and Vietnam as well as the development of Vietnam, particularly the advancement of Vietnamese women. During her five-year tenure as UN Women Representative in Vietnam since 2017, Fernandez and UN Women Vietnam have successfully launched many programmes and projects related to national quality, women's rights, social security, gender-based violence prevention and response.