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Vietnamese students at the competition (Photo: hanoimoi.com.vn)
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Accordingly, the two gold medals were awarded to Bui Cong Minh, a student from Hanoi’s Nguyen Tat Thanh High School, and Nguyen Duy Phong from Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST), reported the Vietnam News Agency.
The silver and bronze medals went to Nguyen Trong Khai from the Hanoi University of Science and Technology and Dao Ngoc Tung Chi from Hanoi Foreign Trade University.
Vietnam ranks fourth in Southeast Asia in average height
Vietnamese are the fourth tallest people in Southeast Asia, only after Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia, thanks to improvements in maternal and child nutrition, heard a workshop held by the Ministry of Health in Hanoi.
Dr. Tran Dang Khoa, Deputy Director of the ministry’s Department of Maternal and Child Health, said the average height for women and men rose by 3.3 and 5.8 centimeters during the 2000-2020 period to reach 155.6 centimeters and 168.1 centimeters, respectively.
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Photo for illustration (Source: VNA)
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Vietnamese are still getting taller over the past two decades but not as fast as others in Asia, he noted.
According to the official, maternal and child health care in Vietnam has seen many positive changes, but there remains a disparity between regions and among ethnic groups.
According to Vietnam News Agency, the Deputy Director noted that the rate of pregnant women receiving antenatal care at least four times during pregnancy surpassed 80%. The rate of women giving birth supported by medical staff stood at 95 - 97%, and around 80% receive postpartum care in the first week.
However, the maternal mortality rate in the Mong ethnic group is 7-8 times higher than that of theỉr Kinh and Tay sisters, and the mortality rate of infants aged under 1 in rural areas is twice as high as in urban areas.
In addition, neonatal mortality is still high, accounting for 70-80% of deaths among under-1-year-old infants.
The rate of stunting among ethnic minority children (31.4%) is two times higher than that of children of the Kinh ethnic group (15%).
Explaining reasons for these problems, Khoa said that the first is the lack of human resources, especially specialists in obstetrics, paediatrics, anesthesiology and resuscitation.
The second is the lack of medical facilities and equipment, he stated, adding that in disadvantaged areas, the capacity of medical staff in obstetric and neonatal emergencies, in stages such as screening, diagnosis, and prognosis and treatment, is limited.
Vietnam reaches 764 million USD in trade surplus in 7 months
Vietnam enjoyed a trade surplus of 764 million USD in the first seven months of 2022, the General Statistics Office (GSO) reported on July 29.
The country’s export-import turnover in Jan. – July reached an estimated 431.94 billion USD, up 14.8% year-on-year, the office said.
According to GSO, the country earned 216.35 billion USD from exports, while spending 215.59 billion USD on buying goods from abroad, representing year-on-year increases of 16.1% and 13.6%, respectively.
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Vietnam reaches 764 million USD in trade surplus in 7 months (Photo: VNA)
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In the period, there were 30 export commodities recording over-1-billion USD turnover, accounting for 91.9% of the total export value, said the Vietnam News Agency.
The US remained the biggest importer of Vietnamese commodities in the last seven months, with an estimated value of 67.1 billion USD.
Meanwhile, Vietnam imported the most from China with an estimated value of 72.6 billion USD.
Notably, Vietnam posted a trade surplus of 18.7 billion USD with the EU in January-July, 41.5 percent higher than that of the same period last year, but a trade deficit of over 42.2 billion USD with China, 23.5 billion USD with the Republic of Korea and 7.9 billion USD with ASEAN.
Russian bank launches money transfers to Vietnam in dong
VTB Bank, a Russian majority state-owned bank servicing the country’s foreign trade operations, launched money transfers to Vietnam in Vietnamese dong from July 27.
The new service allows customers to send money abroad using bank details during the day. The service is available to individuals and legal entities, according to the bank's message, said the Vietnam News Agency.
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VTB Bank (Photo: AFP)
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Customers are able to use the VTB Online money transfer service. The maximum amount of one transaction is 20 million rubles (US$330,715), but not more than 1 million in USD equivalent per month, and the commission is 1% of the transfered amount.
Funds are credited to the recipient's account in Vietnam during the day. Cross-border transfers are available both for the benefit of individuals and legal entities in compliance with the requirements of currency legislation.
Earlier, VTB launched money transfers to neighbouring countries – Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.
Vietnam offers retirees comfortable lifestyle, lower living cost: US magazine
Vietnam is a very affordable place to retire, especially for adventurous retirees who appreciate the country's beaches, scenery, food, history, and culture, said a recent article on the website of US based Travel+Leisure magazine.
The author assessed that overall cost of living in Vietnam is about 49% lower than in the US, and rents are about 75% lower, depending on the location, according to the Vietnam News Agency.
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International tourists in Phu Quoc night market in Kien Giang province (Photo: VNA)
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In Ho Chi Minh City, home to the largest expat community in the Southeast Asian nation according to International Living magazine, the cost is 62% lower than in New York, and housing is about 83% lower.
Per the article, high-quality health care is also very affordable, with both public and private systems. Most expats carry international health insurance and take advantage of private hospitals.
Vietnam is among the eight countries recommended by the author, as they offer retirees an opportunity to enjoy a comfortable lifestyle and lower cost of living. The remaining nations in the list include Panama, Mexico, Ecuador, and Costa Rica./.