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| Vietnam tops the medal tally at the 2024 Southeast Asia Rowing and Canoeing, U19 and U23 Championships (Photo: VNA) |
The Vietnamese team won 58 gold, 53 silver and 33 bronze medals.
It was followed by Thailand with 13 gold, 14 silver and 32 bronze medals. Singapore came third, bringing home nine gold, 11 silver and 11 bronze medals.
Indonesia, Malaysia, and Cambodia took the next positions in the sequence.
The Southeast Asia Rowing and Canoeing, U19 and U23 Championships is the leading prestigious tournament in Southeast Asia.
Started on June 27, this year it brought together more than 500 athletes and coaches, with 264 for rowing and nearly 300 for canoeing, from seven Southeast Asian nations, namely Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and host Vietnam.
Da Nang Asian Film Festival wraps up
The 2nd Da Nang Asian Film Festival (DANAFF II – 2024) concluded on July 6 evening in the central city of Da Nang, with 14 awards in two categories presented, said the Vietnam News Agency.
Organisers presented awards in various categories, including the Vietnamese Film Award voted by audiences for a series of animated films and the NETPAC Award for outstanding Vietnamese film.
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At the closing ceremony of the 2nd Da Nang Asian Film Festival (DANAFF II – 2024)
(Photo: VNA) |
Addressing the closing ceremony, Vice Chairman of the municipal People's Committee Tran Chi Cuong said the event brought a vibrant and colourful week of cinema to Da Nang, noting that this marks the second time Da Nang has successfully hosted an international film event.
DANAFF II not only gathered and honoured outstanding cinematic works, but also created a space to nurture and cultivate talents — one of important steps to establish a cinematic ecosystem, Cuong stressed, adding that this serves as a solid foundation for building Da Nang into a city known for film events, thus contributing to the development of cultural industries.
He emphasised that DANAFF II is expected to become one of the most attractive and effective ways to showcase national identity and promote the vibrant and dynamic image of Da Nang, serving as a bridge connecting Vietnam and Da Nang with Asia and the world.
Themed "Bridging Asia", the highlight of DANAFF II was the competition in two categories of Asian and Vietnamese Film Awards. Notably, for the first time the festival presented the cinema achievement award to an outstanding filmmaker.
Capacity of Ca Mau Airport to be upgraded to make it five times as big
Ca Mau Airport in the southernmost province of Ca Mau will be upgraded to take on five times the amount of traffic by 2030, the Vietnam News Agency quoted the airport’s plan approved by the Ministry of Transport.
The airport will take on a million passengers a year by 2030, from a current 200,000 passengers and three million by 2050.
Currently, the airport only has a runway for ATR72 aircraft or its equivalent, maintaining only one flight route to Ho Chi Minh City, with four flights per week.
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| An aircraft at Ca Mau Airport (Photo: VNA) |
Under the plan, it will be used for both civil and military aircraft.
The airport will be upgraded from 3C to 4C (standards of the International Civil Aviation Organisation) so it can handle 1,000 tonnes of cargo per year by 2030 and 3,000 tonnes by 2050.
It will be capable of handling the Airbus A321, A320 and the equivalent by 2030, and expanded to cover 184,44ha of land by 2030 and 244.43ha by 2050.
The Airports Corporation of Vietnam estimates that more than 2.25 trillion VND (88.4 million USD) is needed to upgrade Ca Mau Airport by 2030, excluding the expenses to clear the site.
UNESCO experts assess dossier seeking global status for Lang Son Geopark
A delegation of experts from UNESCO made a field trip to the northern province of Lang Son from July 6 -10 for on-site assessment of the dossier submitted to the organisation to seek the organisation's recognition of Lang Son Geopark as a global one, the Vietnam News Agency reported.
The delegation visited 26 out of tge 38 attractions across four tourism routes of Lang Son Geopark, spanning the districts of Bac Son, Binh Gia, Van Quan, Huu Lung, Chi Lang, Cao Loc, and Loc Binh, and Lang Son city.
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| The delegation of experts from UNESCO made a field trip to Lang Son province (Photo: VNA) |
Deputy Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Duong Xuan Huyen emphasised that the locality has identified and prioritised tourism as a spreheard economic sector, therefore Lang Son recently invested in developing infrastructure for several potential tourist areas and destinations, including the Lang Son Geopark.
Local authorities have also issued numerous policies and mechanisms, and accelerated administrative reforms to create a favourable environment for attracting resources and investment for tourism development, he said.
The province is striving to develop the geopark to meet the criteria for recognition as a global geopark, thus conserving and promoting the comprehensive values of geological heritage, culture, history, archaeology, and biodiversity, as well as outstanding scenic landscapes of the region, he added.
The official expressed his hope that UNESCO experts will provide recommendations to the province for maximising the potential of the Lang Son Geopark for tourism development, contributing to creating new and sustainable livelihoods for the local community, and promoting socio-economic development of the locality and the northeastern region of Vietnam.
Tuncer and Kristin, experts of the UNESCO Global Geopark Network , stated that they are conducting on-site assessments to provide the most accurate evaluation, contributing to the better development of the geopark.
Covering 4,842 sq.km. across eight district-level localities, Lang Son Geopark is one of the largest of its kind in Vietnam and boasts a number of unique values.
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| UNESCO experts assess dossier seeking global status for Lang Son Geopark (Photo: VNA) |
In terms of geology, geomorphology and landscape, it is home to a rich diversity of palaeobiological fossils dating back as far as 500 million years, many of which indicate this province used to be under the sea in the past. Moreover, this park is endowed with many renowned landscapes such as the low mountain ranges surrounding valleys and villages in Yen Thinh commune of Huu Lung district, or the caves like Tham Khuyen in Binh Gia district that accommodated prehistoric humans.
Regarding cultural values, it houses a number of temples dedicated to the gods in the worship of Mother Goddesses – an intangible cultural heritage of humanity, especially Bac Le Temple, as well as villages of Tay and Nung ethnic groups with distinctive cultures.
The locality has initially developed four routes comprising 38 tourist attractions within the geopark. Local authorities are taking various measures for improving public awareness of the park’s values as well as protecting and making use of its values for tourism development./.