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| Delegates at the groundbreaking ceremony of VinFast's integrated electrical vehicle facility in India. (Photo: VNA) |
Located in the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamilnadu Ltd (SIPCOT) in the southern state, the facility, which covers an area of 160 ha, has an investment of 500 million USD for the project's first phase in five years. It is expected to make 150,000 vehicles yearly and create about 3,000-5,000 jobs.
Besides strengthening cooperation with the world's leading suppliers, VinFast plans to promote the localisation rate, contributing to creating positive momentum for local economic growth.
According to Minister of Industries, Investment Promotion & Commerce of the Government of Tamil Nadu T.R.B Rajaa said that VinFast's entry into the Indian market has affirmed Tamil Nadu's industrial policies, and role as a global auto manufacturing and innovation hub. Tamil Nadu's vision aligns with VinFast's growth strategy in India, as well as its commitment to making sustainable mobility more accessible to everyone.
At the groundbreaking ceremony, he expressed his belief that the project will contribute to the local economic growht, bringing opportunities of jobs and skills development for Tamil Nadu residents.
India, the world's third-largest automobile market, is one of the key markets in VinFast's global expansion plan. The groundbreaking ceremony took place more than a month after VinFast and the government of Tamil Nadu announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on January 6, which affirmed VinFast's determination to implement the plan.
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| VinFast's factory in Hai Phong city (Photo: vov.vn) |
Its EV production facility in Tamil Nadu not only meets development targets in India, but also serves export goals to countries in South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. The project is also an important addition to VinFast's worldwide production ecosystem, including an existing factory in Vietnam, a factory under construction in North Carolina (USA) which is expected to be operational in 2025, and a factory that will be built in Indonesia.
In addition to opening factories, VinFast plans to establish a dealer network to build brand recognition and quickly connect with customers across India.
Vietnamese delegation wins five first prizes at International Music Competition
Vietnamese contestants have triumphed over 1,000 counterparts from around the world to win five top prizes of the 18th ZhongSin International Music Competition 2024, said the Vietnam News Agency.
After the regional round held in Vietnam last November, the organising board identified 31 eligible contestants to enter the final round of the international music competition, which recently took place over five days in Singapore.
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| Five Vietnamese contestants win first prizes at the 18th ZhongSin International Music Competition 2024. (Photo courtesy of ZhongSin International Music Competition) |
The Vietnamese contestants are students from both professional and non-professional art training institutions such as the Vietnam National Academy of Music, Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music, CIS International School - HCM City, Alexandre Yersin French High School – Hanoi and Dewey School system – Hanoi, among others.
The final artistic council of the competition comprised 532 professors, lecturers and experts from renowned art schools, leading music training institutions, as well as professional artists from around the world.
The closing and award ceremony of the competition were held at the Star Performing Arts Centre in Singapore, with the participation of nearly 4,000 parents and contestants.
Pianist Nguyen Le Thuyen Ha, head of the organising board for the preliminary round in Vietnam of this music competition, is the first Vietnamese artist to appear on the Final Round judging panel in Singapore.
According to her, competing against over 1,000 contestants from various countries worldwide, the Vietnamese contestants achieved remarkable results, bringing honour and pride to Vietnam on the international artistic stage.
Vietnamese contestants won three first prizes in the Amateur category across different age groups, Piano discipline, and two first prizes in the discipline of vocal music and traditional musical instrument - bamboo flute.
They also secured one second prize in the Open category in the Composition discipline; 10 second prizes in the Amateur category across different age groups, in the disciplines of Piano, Vocal Music, Jazz Drum, and Violin; as well as 13 third prizes in the Amateur category across different age groups, in the discipline of Piano.
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| The judges and contestants at the event (Photo: organizing board) |
In addition, the Vietnamese delegation also achieved a Top 5 ranking in the Open category in the discipline of Piano; and one Best Performance Award in the Professional category, in the discipline of Vocal Music.
This year’s event is the first time a traditional Vietnamese musical instrument, the Mong flute, has appeared. Ly Minh Cuong, a young man from the northern province of Ha Giang, won the first prize in the Traditional Musical Instrument category.
The first Zhongsin International Music Competition was held in Singapore back in 2007. The competition aims to be one of the most professional, all-encompassing international music competitions of its kind. Upon its founding, this competition received tremendous support from the National Arts Council of Singapore and the Singapore Chinese Music Association.
The contest includes preliminary and final rounds, with the preliminary qualifiers having over 50,000 entrants, while 1,000 finalists attend the competition every year. Competitors come from different countries around the world and compete against each other in categories such as piano, voice, strings, guitar, winds, electronic organ, accordion, percussion and folk instruments.
Vietnamese film wins prize at Berlinale Film Festival
Vietnamese movie "Cu Li khong bao gio khoc" (Cu Li never cries) by director Pham Ngoc Lan won the best first feature prize at the Berlinale Film Festival on February 24, the Vietnam News Agency reported.
The movie tells the story of a woman who returns to Vietnam from Germany with the ashes of her estranged husband.
Born and raised in Hanoi, after studying urban planning at Hanoi Architectural University, Lan taught himself filmmaking. His short films have already been presented twice at the Berlinale, Another City in 2016 and Blessed Land in 2019. Cu Li Khong Bao Gio Khoc is his debut feature film.
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Pham Ngoc Lan (first, left) and the actors in Cu Li Khong Bao Gio Khoc.
(Photo courtesy of www.berlinale.de) |
Since 2006, when it introduced the GWFF Best First Feature Award, the Berlinale has been even more committed to supporting the next generation of filmmakers.
The award is endowed with 50,000 euros, donated by the GWFF (Gesellschaft zur Wahrnehmung von Film- und Fernsehrechten), a society dedicated to safeguarding film and television rights.
In 2024, 16 directorial feature film debuts from the sections Competition, Encounters, Panorama, Forum and Generation, were nominated./.