Illustrative image. Photo: VNA

Vietnam reports 371 new Covid-19 cases on October 10

The national Covid-19 caseload rose to 11,487,459 with 371 new cases recorded on October 10, according to the Ministry of Health.

With 173 patients given the all clear during the day, the number of recoveries rose to 10,596,509.

Meanwhile, there are 77 patients needing breathing support, cited VNA.

No death from Covid-19 was recorded in the past 24 hours. The total fatalities stood at 43,151.

On October 9, an additional 5,152 doses of vaccines were administered, raising the total number of doses of Covid-19 vaccines injected to 260,256,493.

First Vietnamese film to compete at Tokyo International Film Festival

Tro Tàn Rực Rỡ (Glorious Ashes) by Vietnamese director Bui Thac Chuyen will become the first Vietnamese film to participate in the Competition Section of the 35th Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) that will take place from October 24 to November 2.

Based on a novel by renowned Vietnamese writer Nguyen Ngoc Tu, the film unveils relationships between three women and their partners in a southern seaside village.

To raise funds for its production, its producer, Tran Thi Bich Ngoc, and director Chuyen introduced the project at prestigious international film festivals such as Cannes, Busan or Singapore International Film Festival, according to VNS.

Glorious Ashes overcame 27 other film projects from around the world to win the US$15,000 prize in the Asian Project Market Category at the Busan Awards in 2017. It also won SG$250,000 from the Inaugural Southeast Asia Co-Production Grant of the Singapore Film Commission and received support from Singaporean producer Jeremy Chua.

Tro Tàn Rực Rỡ unveils relationships between three women and their partners in a southern seaside village. Photo: TIFF

The Competition Section of the Tokyo International Film Festival 2022 includes 15 nominees that are feature films completed after January 2022, selected from 1,695 projects from 107 countries and regions. The Vietnamese film will compete against other highlights such as 1976, Ashkal, The Beasts, By the Window and Egoist.

Prior to Glorious Ashes, Chuyen had created many successful films with rave reviews such as Sống Trong Sợ Hãi (Living in Fear), Chơi Vơi (Adrift) and Lời Nguyền Huyết Ngải (RH108). His documentary about ordinary people during the Covid-19 pandemic, entitled Không Sợ Hãi (No Fear), won the Silver Kite Award in the Documentary Category of Vietnam's Golden Kite Awards 2021.

Besides working as a director, he is now working as a manager of the Centre for Development and Assistance of Movie Talents (TPD) in Hanoi.

Vietnam ranks fourth among top search travel destinations in Australia

Vietnam is the fourth most searched tourist destinations among Australian users on Google over the past two decades.

To mark the 20th anniversary of the search engine’s presence in Australia, Google has recently released a list of the top searched destinations in Australia over the past 20 years.

Leading the list was Japan, followed by other locations such as New Zealand, Thailand, Vietnam, Tasmania, Australia, Cambodia, Bali, New South Wales, and Borneo, reported VOV.

Australian tourists go kayaking at Lan Ha Bay in the northern province of Quang Ninh. Source: Era Cruises

According to details given by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), the country was also among the top 10 most popular destinations for Australian tourists during the opening seven months of the year.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Australia had been one of the nation’s leading source of customers with approximately 383,000 visitors making a trip to Vietnam in 2019, ranking ninth in terms of number of travelers.

Before international travel was halted due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Japan had been the fastest-growing overseas destination in Australia.

Dispatch guides localities on disaster preparation

After heavy rain has caused flooding and disruption across much of the country in recent weeks, the National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control on October 10 issued a dispatch to ensure localities are ready to respond to any future downpours.

The dispatch said that due to a cold spell, central provinces and cities from Quang Binh to Phu Yen experienced heavy rains of 200-400mm in recent days. Some places in Thua Thien-Hue province had rainfall of more than 500mm.

These heavy rains meant rivers-levels reached alarm level two or higher (five is the highest). Flash floods and landslides continue to be a risk in mountainous areas, while flooding still threatens riverside and urban areas.

The steering committee asked provinces, cities and concerned organiz

In Ha Tinh province. Photo: VNA

ations to monitor heavy rain, floods, inundation, flash floods, and landslides.

Authorities must inspect and review residential areas along rivers, streams, and low areas to evacuate people to safe places.

Localities must assign forces to control and guide traffic, especially through spillways, deeply flooded areas and fast-flowing water, ensure smooth traffic on main roads when heavy rain occurs and prevent flooding in urban and industrial zones.

Provinces and cities should make sure reservoirs are safe, especially small hydropower ones and critical irrigation ones, and arrange forces to be ready to handle any emergencies, cited VNA.

Office manager of the Thua Thien-Hue Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, Phan Thanh Hung, said that the province had fully prepared a system of barriers and signals to control and guide vehicles when necessary.

The committee on October 10 sent an order to gradually increase the flow of the Huong Dien hydropower to about 500-1000cu.m per second, starting at 11.30am.

Districts downstream of the Huong Dien hydropower reservoir are strictly prohibited from fishing or any other activities on or near the river.

Phan Duy Anh, deputy chairman of the Hoa Vang District People's Committee in Da Nang City, said that heavy rains from October 9 night to October 10 morning flooded many places.

By 10.30am, the water had not yet receded, and damage could not be accurately estimated.

Hoa Vang district guided units to assign workers to be on duty all day and update the flash flood and landslides to inform locals.

Nam Yen, Loc My and An Dinh villages in Hoa Bac commune, Hoa Vang district, were isolated due to serious flooding.

The Hoa Vang district on October 10 closed many schools, from kindergartens to junior high, to ensure students' safety.

Football: Vietnam win ticket to AFC U17 Asian Cup 2023 finals

The Vietnam U17 football squad have officially secured a ticket to the final round of the AFC U17 Asian Cup 2023 after defeating Thailand 3-0 in a match that took place at Viet Tri Stadium in the northern province of Phu Tho on October 9.

Right in the first minutes of the first half, Vietnam's players tried to press their opponents and looked for opportunities to create quick counter-attacks. They made at least four shots toward the net of their opponents, but most of them failed.

Long Vu (in red) scored the second goal for Vietnam. Photo: VNA

Their efforts finally paid off when the team received a direct free kick close to the penalty area. Captain Nguyen Cong Phuong shot the ball over the fence and went straight into Thailand's U17 goal in the 20th minute, opening the scoresheet for Vietnam.

Five minutes later, Long Vu helped Vietnam extend the lead to 2-0, VNA reported.

With two goals, the Vietnamese team played comfortably and gained control of the ball. In the 38th minute, Duc Thien fired a left-footed shot at Thailand's goal, raising the score to 3-0 for Vietnam.

In the second half, the Vietnamese players continued to flex their muscles, but they failed to score any goal.

The qualifiers of AFC U17 Asian Cup 2023 gather 44 teams, which are divided into 10 groups. The teams will compete in a round-robin format in each group to determine the top 10 teams and the best five runners-up to advance to the final round

The finals are scheduled for May 3-20 with the destination yet to be confirmed after Bahrain withdrew hosting in June.

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