Damaged part of the Dai Ninh protection forest in Lam Dong (Photo: VNA)
HCM City (VNA) – The management and sharing of data on forests in Vietnam was the maintopic of a workshop co-organised in HCM City on March 8 by the GeneralDepartment of Forestry under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development andthe Finnish Embassy.
The workshopformed part of the second phase of the Forest Management Information SystemsProject (FORMIS) funded by the Finnish Government.
JormaJyrkila, Forest Data Service Managerof the Finnish Forest Centre, said Finland’s data on forest exploitation,growth and protection are updated regularly. The country mainly uses remotesensing technology to conduct forest surveys, helping it cut costs by 60-70percent.
Nguyen Ba Ngai, Deputy General Director of theGeneral Department of Forestry, said more than 800,000 forest owners in 40provinces and cities have been updated into Vietnam’s forestry resources database.
With the assistance from Finland, the department isupdating information about 8.5 million forest lots in all 63 provinces andcities, thus helping enterprises to have enough information to make theirinvestment decisions.
Nguyen Ton Quyen, Vice President and GeneralSecretary of the Vietnam Timber and Forestry Products Association, said theinformation and data of the FORMIS project are very useful to wood processingenterprises.
The system can help enterprises follow changes offorests and forest land, determine locations, road conditions, and distance tocreate detail plans for buying material wood as well as contact local forestmanagement agencies for necessary information.
This year, the department will implement urgentsolutions to facilitate the use of information and data on forest management byintegrating forestry data into the FORMIS system and build mechanisms forexchange information with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment andthe General Statistics Office.
The second phase of the FORMIS project has beenimplemented in five years, beginning in May, 2013, with the aim of building acomprehensively integrated management system to serve the management offorestry resources and reduce poverty.-VNA
Ineffective forest management has exposed shortcomings in the 2004 Law on Forest Protection and Development that need to be addressed through amendments, officials said at a conference on December 16.
The embassy advises Vietnamese citizens travelling in Greece that they should avoid standing close to cliff edges, boat sides, and refrain from going out to sea during storms to prevent unfortunate incidents.
Hanoi is advancing green transportation as part of its sustainability goals but faces challenges like limited charging infrastructure, inconsistent regulations, and high electric vehicle costs.
Vietnam has over 4.8 million people exposed to AO/dioxin, including hundreds of thousands in the second, third, and even fourth generations. Many live with severe disabilities, facing high medical costs and loss of earning capacity.
Deputy Foreign Minister Dang Hoang Giang reaffirmed that amnesty is a humanitarian policy of the Party and State, reflecting the Vietnamese tradition of compassion and winning attention and high praise both domestically and internationally.
Vietnam officially grants limited-term visa-free entry to high-profile foreigners whose presence is deemed beneficial to the country’s socio-economic development.
With support from the Vietnamese Association in Ufa, Vietnamese language classes for children have been offered for many years. Currently, 60 children of various ages are attending two classes taught by Duc Anh, free of charge.
Vietnam ranked among the top four countries and territories at the 2025 International Olympiad on Artificial Intelligence (IOAI), reaffirming its strong position in international academic competitions.
All 20 crew members aboard the Vietnamese oil tanker GT Unity were successfully rescued from a fire in the vessel’s engine room, thanks to the swift response of the Liberian-flagged ship Androusa and Vietnamese maritime rescue teams.
Describing Agent Orange as one of the most severe and enduring legacies of the war in Vietnam, Vietnam's former Honorary Consul to Belgium Joseph-Michel de Grand Ry warned that its impact – still affecting generations more than five decades later – could last another two to three decades.
Running from August 4 to September 2, under the hashtag #TuHaoVietNam, the campaign invites participants in two categories: “I Love My Country” video clips and “I Love My Country” check-in photos.
Decree No. 219/2025/ND-CP, which took effect on the issuance date, introduces amendments that integrate the procedure for reporting and explaining the demand for foreign workers into the process of submitting applications for work permits.
With a tight 13-month deadline, the move is under a strategic and urgent policy to bridge educational gaps, train the local workforce, and shore up territorial sovereignty in some of the country’s most remote areas.
The parade and personnel send-off ceremony will officially take place on August 10 at the area surrounding the Statue of King Ly Thai To and Dinh Tien Hoang street of Hoan Kiem ward, with the participation of nearly 3,000 officers, soldiers, and local residents.
According to national technical regulations, AIS installation is mandatory for boats carrying more than 50 passengers. However, operators of smaller vessels (under 50 seats) in Ha Long Bay have voluntarily committed to completing installation by the deadline to enhance operational safety.
The activities include a Vietnamese language teaching training course for overseas Vietnamese teachers from August 13 to 28 in Hanoi, Ninh Binh, and Thai Nguyen.
Specifically, the ships will carry out patrols from 7am to 6pm daily along the main tourist routes in Ha Long Bay, with one ship permanently stationed at Ti Top island. From 6pm to 7am the following day, the mobile vessels return to Tuan Chau island to maintain a 24/7 on-call duty shift, ensuring constant readiness.
The Ministry of Construction (MoC) plans to open to traffic 208km of expressways of six key projects by August 19, bringing the country’s total expressway network to 2,476km.
As of July 1, a two-tier local government model started in 34 provinces and cities, streamlining administration but creating a surplus of public properties. If not promptly addressed, these assets could become a financial burden.
Whether they grow up to become journalists, diplomats, or professionals in other fields, these children can one day become bridges of friendship and cooperation, telling new and inspiring stories of Vietnam – China relations, said Ambassador Pham Thanh Binh.
A 21-year-old Indian tourist was successfully resuscitated and treated by doctors at Hoan My Da Nang Hospital after a near-drowning incident left him in critical condition. After three days of intensive care, the man was discharged from the hospital and has since returned to India.
Damaged part of the Dai Ninh protection forest in Lam Dong (Photo: VNA) 
