Director of the National News Agency Bernama of Malaysia Nurini Kassim has highlighted professional journalism and the need for press agencies to affirm their prestige today during an interview with the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)’s reporters.

The Ninh Thuan Grape and Wine Festival 2019 will be held from April 26 to May 2 in Phan Rang-Thap Cham city and six districts of the south central province, according to the organising board.

The police of the central province of Nghe An on April 17 busted a drug trafficking ring, seizing 700kg of crystal meth and arresting three suspects.

“The Steps Challenge 2019” – a social event aiming to bring appropriate care and special education to children with autism in Vietnam – is scheduled to take place in Ho Chi Minh City on May 25, announced the organisers on April 17.

Major General Tran Ngoc Tho, former Chief of Staff of Military Region 7, sent a letter on April 16 to US courts to demand the resumption of the lawsuit filed by Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange (AO) in 2004 against 37 US chemical firms, including Monsanto and Dow Chemical.

A conference discussing the building of applications to give the disabled community better access to social services was held in Hanoi on April 17 on the occasion of Vietnam’s Day for People with Disabilities (April 18).

More than 350 artisans and 62 craft production facilities and villages, both domestic and international, have registered to participate in the Hue Traditional Craft Festival, which is scheduled to take place from April 26 till May 2, the festival’s organiser said.

The Vietnam Fatherland Front and other socio-political organisations should promote communications work and mobilise resources to better support blind people, helping them improve their livelihoods and well integrate into society, a senior Party official said. ​

Over 1,000 clients installed solar panels with a total capacity of nearly 2.5 million kWh on rooftops in 21 southern cities and provinces as of April 15, according to the Electricity Vietnam’s Southern Power Corporation (EVNSPC).

The central province of Quang Tri had cleared more than 9,100 ha of land contaminated with unexploded ordnance (UXO) as of mid-April, helping ensure safety for residents and promoting socio-economic development.

Leaders of the Vietnam Union of the Friendship Organisations (VUFO) and Vietnam – US Friendship Association hosted a delegation of US legislative assistants in Hanoi on April 16.

Qualified helmets have been presented to 10,000 students across Hanoi under a programme organised by the Vietnam Grand Prix company, aiming to convey traffic safety messages to the young.

Thirty two scholarships were presented to impoverished students who have excellent academic performances at the Hue University in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue on April 16.

The Hanoi People’s Court will open a trial of the case of abusing position and power to appropriate assets at the PetroVietnam Exploration Production Corporation (PVEP) on May 6.

Domestic and international experts and businesses gathered at a forum in Ho Chi Minh City on April 16, discussing and sharing good practices that companies worldwide are undertaking to respect and promote children’s rights in business.

The Ministry of Education and Training has approved the cooperation programme between Vinh Long University of Technology Education (VLUTE) and the Republic of Korea (RoK)’s Tongmyong University to train high-quality human resources in IT and automotive engineering technology.

The Ho Chi Minh City Union of Friendship Organisations and the city’s Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Association held a celebration to mark the 58th anniversary of Cuba’s Giron victory (April 19, 1961-2019).

A ceremony commemorating the death anniversary of Hung Kings, the legendary founders of Vietnam, took place at the Warsaw Buddhism culture centre, Poland, on April 14 with traditional rituals.

The Vietnamese Association in the Czech Republic plans to hold its sixth congress and a ceremony marking its 20th founding anniversary in this October.

Several recent large drug seizures in Ho Chi Minh City have raised concerns over the extent of drug crimes in the southern economic hub, and the local administration is fighting back.