Happy Vietnam

Farmers in the northern mountainous province of Son La are rushed off their feet these days as they work to harvest docynia indica, a fruit known in Vietnamese as ‘son tra’ or ‘tao meo’. Originally a wild plant, son tra has become one of the main crops contributing to poverty reduction for people in Son La province. Son tra tastes both sweet and sour, and is a valuable component of many medicines. Son tra can also be used to make juice, wine, or jam. Bac Yen district is now home to 2,600 hectares of “son tra”, which yield some 1,900 tonnes per year. In recent years, Bac Yen district has carried out a wide range of measures to develop “son tra” areas. It has also worked with relevant authorities to improve the quality of “son tra” through crossbreeding, while zoning off land for the tree. VNA Photo: Quang Quyet

Dinh Cong village in Hanoi has been nurturing a traditional craft since the sixth century: silversmithing (dau bac). The story of the silvercraft village began before the Ly Dynasty, when three brothers from the Tran family went to Dinh Cong village and taught the villagers to make silver jewellery. Passing it down from generation to generation, the village became one of the four most elite craft villages in Thang Long citadel. Dau bac requires a silversmith to be patient and skillful. To make a complete silver product, the craftsman must go through a number of steps, including designing a pattern by hand, burning silver, handling silver, spinning silver into threads, shaping each product, polishing and lightening the product. Unlike mass-produced silver products, dau bac products are made by hand so each item is very elaborate. It takes about three days to finish an item like a ring, necklace and earrings while a silver painting needs months to complete. VNA Photo

A grand ceremony was held in Hanoi on October 10 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the capital city’s Liberation Day (October 10, 1954-2024). Prominent at the event were Party General Secretary and State President To Lam, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man, President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Do Van Chien, and others. VNA Photo

A ceremony was held in Hanoi on October 9 to inaugurate apaediatric hospital on the 70th anniversary of the capital city's liberation. TheHanoi Children’s Hospital is the capital city’s first paediatric hospital,featuring 24 specialised departments. The project's first stage includes asix-storey building with two main areas: one for medical check-ups and one forinpatient treatment with 200 beds. VNA Photo: Minh Quyết

Located in Muong Phang commune, Dien Bien district, the position of Pa Khoang lake is very convenient, near the road 279, about 20 km from Dien Bien Phu city, linking Dien Bien Phu city with Muong Phang historical and cultural forest where the relics of the Command of Dien Bien Phu compaign remains. The total area of 2,400 ha, in which 1,320 ha of forest area, 300 ha of farming land, 150 ha of basic construction, and 600 ha of water surface area (the lake contains about 37.2 million m3 of water), the Pa Khoang tourist complex has many favourable conditions for tourist activities such as diverse plants, various topography, mountainous tropical weather, etc. Photo: Xuan Tu – VNA

The annual National Digital Transformation Day (October 10) aims to speed up the implementation of national digital transformation tasks, contributing to effectively realising the National Digital Transformation Programme until 2025 with a vision to 2030. It is also part of efforts to raise public awareness of the role, significance and benefits of digital transformation, while encouraging the engagement of the whole political system and all people in the work. VNA Photo

The fifth buckwheat flower festival has been in full bloom in the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang since mid-November with various cultural activities to last through December. Themed “Pink color on karst plateau”, the event this year will not only highlight local buckwheat flowers, which come into full bloom these days, but also highlight local tourism products. The festival is held annually in the middle of November in the centre of Dong Van district, when immense field of buckwheat flower comes into full bloom. Photo: VNA

If you have found your way to Mekong delta, you cannot afford to miss floating markets or “Cho Noi". This type of market can be found in most provinces of Mekong delta. If you have found your way to Mekong delta, you cannot afford to miss floating markets or “Cho Noi". This type of market can be found in most provinces of Mekong delta and some big and famous floating markets are Cai Rang, Phong Dien (CanTho City), Nga Nam (Soc Trang) , Nga Bay (Hau Giang). Floating markets have existed for a long time in the region. It basically is a market where people sell and buy products above water. Photo: VNA

The coastal province of Ninh Thuan is the grape capital of Vietnam, with a total area of over 1,000 hectares. In addition to selling grapes to traders, Ninh Thuan’s growers also open their vineyards to tourists, with images of local vineyards laden with fruit as beautiful as those in Europe, creating a “fever” on social networks. The vineyards within Thai An grape village have been attracting tourists with their delicious grapes. Visitors can take photos and pick and enjoy grapes and other local specialties. The village has more than 200 hectares of grapes, including red, green, pink, and candy grapes. Visitors will have the opportunity to learn and discover the different grape varieties and growing techniques and can buy their favourite varieties to plant. Photo: Nguyen Thanh – VNA

The Mekong Delta province of An Giang hosted its annual Bay Nui (Seven Mountains) ox racing festival in Tinh Bien township on September 29. This year marked the 24th instalment of the event, with 64 pairs of oxen from An Giang and Kien Giang provinces competing in the race. The festival is part of the Sene Dolta, one of the most important annual festivals of the Khmer community in the southwest region, along with Chol Chnam Thmay (New Year) and Ooc Oom Bok, a festival honouring the moon for a good harvest. Photo: Cong Mao – VNA

Dinh A Ngui, a man of the Bahnar ethnic group in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai is Chairman of A Ngui tourism service company limited in Gia Lai province. He attaches importance to community-based tourism, improving tourism services at ethnic villages and spiritual sites to preserve traditional culture. Photo: Hong Diep - VNA

Vietnam has obtained certain successes in illiteracy eradication, and efforts are still maintained to push ahead with the task. The International Literacy Day is observed on September 8 every year. In Vietnam, the literacy rates at Level 1 (completing Phase 1 of the illiteracy eradication programme and engaging in continuing education after acquiring literacy skills) and Level 2 (completing Phase 2 of the illiteracy eradication programme and engaging in continuing education after acquiring the skills) among people aged 15 - 60 currently stand at 98.85% and 97.29%, respectively. Photo: Quý Trung - VNA

Vietnam’s Military Engineering Unit Rotation 2 has successfully fulfilled its peacekeeping mission at the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) and was welcomed home with a ceremony at Hanoi-based Noi Bai International Airport on September 28. Photo: Trong Duc - VNA

The second mock session of the "Children’s National Assembly " initiative was held in Hanoi on September 29, bringing together 306 young delegates from 63 provinces and cities across the country. Child delegates focused discussions on preventing and combating school violence to create a safe environment for children, and preventing and controlling the harmful effects of tobacco and stimulants in the school environment. Photo: Minh Duc – VNA

The Dao Tien ethnic minority group in Da Bac district, Hoa Binh province, have spared no effort in promoting their brocade weaving craft as a way to preserve their cultural traits and boost local tourism. Photo: Trong Dat - VNA

Kon Tum Cathedral, a 100-year-old church made of beautiful wood that is considered a masterpiece of Catholic architecture in Southeast Asia, is a must-see destination for visitors to the Central Highlands province. Construction of the church, the only Basilica-style wooden Catholic church left in the world, started in mid-March 1913 and was completed in early 1918. Many hardships, including the breakout of the First World War, slowed down the construction progress. Photo: Thanh Dat – VNA

Many foreigners joined local residents in Hanoi to clean up trash along streets in Hanoi on September 14 and 15 after super Typhoon Yagi causing aftermath in the city. Photo: VNA

The impact of Typhoon Yagi has caused tens of thousands ofhectares of rice, vegetables in Hanoi to be submerged and damaged. Soldiershelped farmers of My Luong district harvest rice in flooded fields. Photo: AnThanh Dat – VNA

Bang Vuong, or the square-fruit Malabar Almond tree, is not only a distinctive plant of the Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago but also a symbol of the resilience and vigorous spirit of the Vietnamese Navy soldiers. Photo: VNA

The Ministry of National Defence held a ceremony in Hanoi on September 24 to see off Level-2 Field Hospital Rotation 6 and Engineering Unit Rotation 3 to carry out United Nations peacekeeping missions in South Sudan and the Abyei area. The field hospital consists of 63 members, all of whom have been thoroughly trained in political, military, logistical, technical, and medical expertise, as well as peacekeeping knowledge, meeting all UN criteria and mission requirements. The engineer unit, meanwhile, comprises 184 members, including 18 female soldiers. Photo: Trong Duc - VNA