San Francisco makes Vietnamese its official language
San Francisco, California, the US, earlier this week recognized Vietnamese as one of the city's official languages along with Spanish, Chinese and Filipino, the local newspaper San Francisco Chronicle reported. 

According to city officials, at least 6,000 people must speak a language to make it official while the Vietnamese community there reaches 6,800.

Ha Long to remove marine debris by June 15
Ha Long City, Quang Ninh Province, plan to complete by June 15 removing plastic waste from the sea after a large amount of plastic waste onto the shore caused by heavy rains from June 7 to 9. 

Plastic waste has been threatening the environment of Ha Long Bay for years, causing pollution and disturbing tourists.

Sunset in Ha Long Bay, Quang Ninh Province. Photo: VNA

Vietnam elected vice-chairs UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage safeguarding mechanism
Vietnam was elected Vice-Chair of the General Assembly of States Parties to the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage at a UNESCO meeting in Paris on June 11. With this election, Vietnam has now joined six UNESCO key mechanisms.

According to Ha Kim Ngoc, Chairman of Vietnam's National Commission for UNESCO, the appointment highlights Vietnam's rising profile in the world and its global contributions.

Japan's Yamanashi Prefecture offers insurance for Vietnamese workers' families
Vietnamese workers in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan are now eligible to purchase an insurance package for their family members as part of the local government's recognition of the Vietnamese community's contribution to the locality's growth.

Under the scheme, Yamanashi-based insurance companies will cover 90% of the health services for Vietnamese workers' family members. About 75% of the insurance premium is paid by employers, and half of that amount is subsidized by the local government. There are more than 3,000 Vietnamese working in the prefecture.

Dong Thap launches million-hectare green rice project

The Mekong Delta Province of Dong Thap on June 12 launched a project on growing one million hectare of high quality, low emission rice.

Dong Thap is one of the five provinces in the Mekong Delta selected to pilot the project which is linked to the region's goals for green growth by 2030. Dong Thap plans to grow nearly 70,000 hectares by 2025 and 161,000 hectares by 2030.

Vietnam's AI platform deployed in 182 hospitals worldwide
DrAid, Vietnam's AI platform developed by Vingroup's subsidiary VinBrain, has been deployed at 182 hospitals worldwide. This platform can support diagnosis methods by processing a variety of medical images. Its AI models can automatically outline and identify up to 95 different types of lesions and abnormalities in less than 30 seconds per case, with over 90% sensitivity and accuracy.

Vietnamese nurses 'best' among foreign workers in Japan

Vietnamese nurses working in Japanese hospitals are considered "the best" among Asian trainees, Takeshima Tenmi, Chairman of the Osaka Healthcare Association, said at a meeting with the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) on June 12.

The nurses are working under the cooperation program between the MOLISA and the Osaka Healthcare Association for 2019-2023. The two sides also inked a contract to provide technical interns for the nursing profession in Japan to increase the number of Vietnamese nurses working in the East Asian country to 500 in the next five years.

Hanoi introduces products in Dien Bien

Hanoi will introduce agricultural products, traditional craft and One Commune One Product (OCOP) goods in the northern province of Dien Bien from August 9 to 11 to expand sales among domestic and international tourists.

GEFE 2024 to be held in Ho Chi Minh City in October

The Green Economy Forum and Exhibition 2024 (GEFE) is scheduled to run from October 21 to 23 in Ho Chi Minh City, according to Chairman of the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham) Dominik Meichle. This year's event will feature policy dialogues and international conferences on green growth and renewable energy with the participation of students.