SEA Games 31: Five golds for Vietnam on May 13

Friday, 13/05/2022 21:42
Vietnamese athletes clinched five golds in Wushu and Rowing at the ongoing 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) on May 13 morning, helping their hosts Vietnam retain top place in the medal table with 15 golds, reported the Voice of Vietnam.

SEA Games 31 officially kicks off in Hanoi

Vietnamese rowers Pham Thi Hue and Dinh Thi Hao grab a gold medal in the women's double sculls

Rowers Pham Thi Hue and Dinh Thi Hao won a gold medal in the women's double sculls, clocking a time of eight minutes and 11.551 seconds.

Their teammates Ho Thi Ly, Luong Thi Thao, Nguyen Thi Giang, and Pham Thi Thao also brought home a gold medal in the lightweight women's quadruple sculls, finishing first with a time of seven minutes and 11.326 seconds

Meanwhile, Wushu martial artists Pham Huong Giang, Pham Quoc Khanh, and Duong Thuy Vi also pocketed three gold medals in different weight categories.

As of 12hrs on May 13, Vietnam retain their top place in the medal tally with 15 golds, leaving behind Malaysia and Indonesia with 11 and 5 golds respectively.

SEA Games 31, which is running with the theme of “For a Stronger South East Asia”, is being held in Hanoi and 11 neighbouring localities from May 12 to May 23.

Vietjet offers promotional tickets for all international routes

Budget carrier Vietjet is offering millions of promotional tickets with prices from zero dong (excluding tax and fees) on its international flight on the occasion of SEA Games 31, reported Vietnam News Agency.

A Vietjet plane. (Photo: Vietjetair.com)

The promotional airfares are sold during the golden hours from 12:00 to 14:00 from May 12 to 23, applied on all international routes with travel period from August 15 to December 31, 2022.

They are available for sale on Vietjet's official website www.vietjetair.com, Vietjet Air mobile app, and Facebook page www.facebook.com/vietjetvietnam.

In particular, passengers can enjoy free payment fees when booking and paying via Vietjet SkyClub – Vietjet's exclusive loyalty programme.

Vietjet mobile app (Photo: Vietjetstar.com)

Last month, Vietjet offered 8,888 discounted tickets priced from only zero dong (excluding tax and fees) on several routes.

The promotional airfares are available during three 'golden days' from Tuesday to Thursday for routes connecting HCM City and Hanoi to Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia with a flexible travel period from April 12 to December 31.

The carrier also provided all passengers with 15kg of free checked baggage when booking tickets from Vietnam to Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand on these promotional days, with the flight period until May 25.

SEA Games 31 opening ceremony hits international headlines

According to foreign media outlets, the grand opening ceremony of the SEA Games 31 held at My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi (Vietnam) on May 12 evening honours the cultural identities of Southeast Asian nations, and helps reinforce solidarity and friendship among ASEAN member states, reported the Voice of Vietnam.

Singapore’s CNA website writes about SEA Games 31's opening ceremony.

Reviewing the event, the International Olympic Committee wrote, “Opening ceremony lights up Hanoi in spectacular celebration of Southeast Asia as SEA Games officially begins.”

“Simple and impressive!”, is how Thailand’s Sanook newspaper described the regional games’ opening ceremony.

Furthermore, Singapore’s CNA website quoted, “Gloomy skies but exuberant atmosphere as 31st SEA Games opens in Hanoi.”

Another Singaporean media outlet The Strait Times complimented the event, “SEA Games a showcase for Vietnam's recovery - and a welcome distraction.”

The online edition noted that the last time Vietnam hosted the sporting competition in 2003, and it was eager to showcase the results of its economic reform and integration with the wider region.

With the SEA Games returning to Hanoi's My Dinh Stadium on May 12 for the opening ceremony, the event will be a declaration of the country’s full reopening after surmounting the COVID-19 pandemic, it stressed.

The Strait Times also quoted Singaporean Pencak Silat fighter Sheik Farhan, "The past two years have been tough. It's hard to believe that, after three years, we are here at the SEA Games. Walking with my teammates and countrymen into the My Dinh Stadium felt surreal. I felt immense pride carrying the flag for my nation."

The grand opening ceremony held at My Dinh Stadium on May 12 was used as a platform to introduce Vietnamese culture and the various cultural identities of Southeast Asian nations, while also strengthening solidarity among ASEAN member states in line with the theme of “For a Stronger Southeast Asia”.

SEA Games 31 is taking place in Hanoi and 11 nearby localities until May 23, featuring approximately 10,000 participants and 40 sports.

Positive outlook ahead for Vietnamese economy this year

According to financial experts, the Vietnamese economy is anticipated to enjoy positive growth of roughly 6% this year, while inflation is forecast to be at between 4% and 4.5%, reported the Voice of Vietnam.

Vietnamese economy is anticipated to enjoy positive growth of roughly 6% (Photo: VNA)

During a recent forum, Francois Painchaud, resident representative of the IMF in Vietnam and Laos, said the Vietnamese economy will rebound strongly with an expected growth rate of 6% this year before rising to 7.2% in 2023.

The near future poses some possible risks such as rising inflation and uneven growth across multiple sectors, issues which are anticipated to impact the country’s economic growth.

Furthermore, the tightening of global financial conditions and fluctuations within the domestic real estate market and corporate bonds are also predicted to impact the growth rate.

Economist Can Van Luc stated there are two scenarios for Vietnamese GDP growth in the 2022 to 2023 period. Accordingly, the base scenario sees GDP likely to grow at between 5.5% and 6%, while the negative scenario would see GDP pick up by between 4.5% and 5%.

These figures are largely dependent on pandemic containment efforts, the programme on socio-economic recovery and development, as well as the nation’s capabilities to mitigate the negative impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Dr. Nguyen Bich Lam, former Director of the General Statistics Office, pointed out a number of factors that are likely to exert additional pressure on the national economy this year and continue to have an influence next year.

This includes supply chain inflation, the rising costs of raw material prices, and a sudden spike in aggregate demand amid supply chain disruptions.

Nguyen Quang Thuan, chairman of FiinGroup, a leading integrated service provider of financial data, said there are bright prospects ahead for economic recovery as several sectors seek to positively rebound moving into the post-pandemic period.

Moreover, experts have proposed support for fields such as aviation and international tourism construction, along with materials aimed at achieving higher economic growth in the coming time./.

 

 

Compiled by BTA

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