Protecting and promoting human rights in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic was discussed at a workshop jointly held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Hanoi on December 15.

The Presidium of the central board of the Committee for Solidarity of Vietnamese Catholics (CSVC) convened a meeting in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong on December 15 to discuss a draft agenda for the upcoming plenary session of the committee, and a draft report on the central board’s performance in 2020 and orientations for 2021.

VOV.VN - All five Vietnamese students competing in the International distributed Physics Olympiad (IdPhO 2020) have won medals, including four silvers and one bronze, following the conclusion of the event.

VOV.VN - A photo exhibition opened in Bali, Indonesia, on December 15 in both an online and offline form to mark the 65th anniversary of Vietnam-Indonesia diplomatic relations.

VOV.VN - With Vietnam being considered one of the world’s safe nations it is currently doing well in terms of public health in relating to novel coronavirus (COVID-19) prevention and treatment activities in three phases, before, during, and after the pandemic.

VOV.VN - The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) launched the Local Health System Sustainability (LHSS) project in Vietnam on December 15 to help the country develop its ability to combat HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.

VOV.VN - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed an US$8 million loan with Imexpharm to help the company sustain its production of generic medicines despite global supply disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Measures to speed up digital transformation in health care, finance-banking and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) were discussed at symposiums held on December 15 in the framework of the 2020 Vietnam Digital Transformation Day (DX Day 2020).

All of the transactions in the transport sector will be cashless by 2030, as part of a programme on digital transformation recently approved by the Ministry of Transport.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has sent a dispatch to relevant ministries, sectors, and localities requesting they focus on settling the consequences of natural disasters and recovering production in the central region.

VOV.VN - The Vietnamese Ministry of Health on Dec. 15 confirmed three more imported cases of the coronavirus, bringing the country’s tally of COVID-19 infections to 1,405.

VOV.VN - The Traffic Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security launched an operation on Dec. 15 in an effort to ensure traffic safety and order in the lead up to the lunar New Year (Tet) holiday.

VOV.VN - The 57th ABU General Assembly, as organised by the Asia - Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), kicked off on December 15 in an online format due to complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic.

VOV.VN - As many as 2,000 children and teenagers drown in Vietnam every year, 10 times higher compared to other developing countries, a workshop was told in Hanoi on Dec. 15.

VOV.VN - Visiting Ho Chi Minh City this time of the year, churches and dioceses are seen being well decorated to celebrate Christmas 2021, offering travelers an exciting opportunity to enjoy the festivities.

VOV.VN - Mount Mau Son in Lang Son province has seen the temperature fall to 3.1 degrees Celsius after a strong cold wave swept through the northern region obn Dec. 14, according to the National Center for Meteorological and Hydrological Forecasting.

Air passengers who do not wear face masks while flying will be fined up to VND3 million each, according to a directive of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV).

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment held a conference in the central province of Phu Yen on December 14 to review one year of implementing a movement against plastic waste.

A ceremony to commemorate the 712th anniversary of the attainment of Nirvana by Emperor-Monk Tran Nhan Tong, the founder of Vietnam Zen Buddhism, was held at the Vietnam Quoc Tu in HCM City on December 14.

A consultation workshop to assessment the five-year implementation of the 2014 Law on the Organisation of People’s Court was co-held by the Sumpreme People’s Court, the European Union (EU) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Hanoi on December 14.

When using Facebook, users are advised to regularly change passwords, update two-layer protection, not log in or access strange links.

VOV.VN - The Vietnam Software and IT Services Association (VINASA) on Dec. 14 awarded 101 Information and Communication Technology Companies, with 80% of them using and promoting Industry 4.0 technology.

The People’s Court of Ho Chi Minh City on December 14 opened a first-instance trial over bidding and accounting fraud in the HCM City-Trung Luong Expressway project, a major toll road in southern Vietnam.

VOV.VN - The Ministry of Health on December 14 confirmed an additional five fresh imported cases of COVID-19, taking the nation’s overall number of infections to 1,402.

VOV.VN - Each year news organisation Reuters releases a collection of mind-boggling images, the photos from this year include a number of bizarre snaps, with a Vietnamese old man with hair that stretches for five metres among them.

VOV.VN - The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Vietnam Urban Energy Security project and Vietnam Electricity (EVN) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on December 14 to formalize a partnership that will support EVN’s efforts to expand Rooftop Solar (RTS) energy generation in Vietnam.

VOV.VN - Local COVID-19 vaccine Nanocovax is anticipated to be put into use by the middle of 2021 following the conclusion of the evaluation results of the ongoing human trials and the facilitation of administrative procedures, said Do Minh Sy, director of Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology JSC, the domestic vaccine producer.

VOV.VN - Vietnamese Ambassador to Myanmar Ly Quoc Tuan presented a haul of 35,000 face masks as a gift to Myanmar on December 12 with a view to helping the people of Mandalay combat the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Experts discussed the future of the Vietnamese labour market at an online workshop hosted by Nhan Dan (The People) newspaper last week.

The third Vietnam Young Talent Congress opened in Hanoi on December 13, with the attendance of 400 delegates.