French agency backs Vietnam climate change programme

The French Development Agency (AFD) will provide Vietnam with a concessional loan of 20 million EUR (over 22.38 million USD) for phase five of the Support Programme to Respond to Climate Change (SPRCC) in Vietnam , as stipulated in an agreement signed on May 19.
The French Development Agency (AFD)will provide Vietnam with a concessional loan of 20 million EUR (over22.38 million USD) for phase five of the Support Programme to Respond toClimate Change (SPRCC) in Vietnam , as stipulated in an agreementsigned on May 19.

The deal was inked in Hanoiby French Ambassador to Vietnam Jean-Noel Poirier, AFD Director inVietnam Remi Genevey, and Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Finance TruongChi Trung.

The AFD will disburse the money withinthis year, ahead of the 21 st United Nations Climate Change Conference(COP 21) in Paris this December.

The loan adds up to 100 million EUR (over 111.98 million USD) of the agency’s total support to the SPRCC.

The SPRCC, initiated by the AFD and the Japan InternationalCooperation Agency in 2009, assists the Vietnamese Government in sectorreforms to cope with climate change effectively and encourage the lowCO2 emissions.

Deputy Minister Truong Chi Trungappreciated the AFD’s contributions to agricultural, ruralinfrastructure building, banking and financial activities in Vietnam .

The country hopes for more assistance from theFrench Government and the AFD in climate change prevention and therealisation of national green growth targets as it is among those mostsusceptible to climate change, he added.

Poirierspoke highly of Vietnam ’s preparations for its participation in theCOP 21, adding that the French Government is willing to cooperate withVietnam in climate change.

Besides financial aid,the AFD has also provided technical assistance in defining efficientenergy use targets, preparing action plans on energy efficiency atbuildings in central Da Nang city, and sharing experience betweenthe two countries in monitoring public spending on climate changeresponse and renewable energy.

Climate changeprevention is in the focus of the AFD’s activities in Vietnam .Between 2006 and 2014, the agency earmarked 471 million EUR for 16development projects with environmental benefits in the country.-VNA

See more

Vietnamese team locates quake victims (Photo: VNA)

Vietnamese, Myanmar, UAE teams recover three quake victims in Myanmar

Supported by the UAE rescue team’s sniffer dogs and specialised equipment, the Vietnamese team overcame intense heat and challenging conditions to locate and retrieve three Myanmar victims buried under rubble. Their joint efforts resulted in the successful recovery of all three bodies by midday.

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium meet with children affected by Agent Orange/dioxin in Ho Chi Minh City (Photo: VNA)

Belgian King, Queen visit HCM City

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium visited the War Remnants Museum and met with children affected by Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin in Ho Chi Minh City on April 3, as part of their ongoing state visit to Vietnam.

Truong My Lan (front, centre) and accomplices at the appeal trial that started on March 25, 2025. (Photo: VNA)

Prosecutors seek reduced life sentence for Truong My Lan in Van Thinh Phat case

At the ongoing appeal trial for the second phase of the high-profile case involving Van Thinh Phat Group and Saigon Commercial Joint Stock Bank (SCB, Truong My Lan is appealing the entire verdict, challenging her convictions for "fraudulent appropriation of assets" (embezzling nearly 30.08 trillion VND – from 35,824 secondary investors), "money laundering" (involving 445.75 trillion VND), and "illegal cross-border money transfers" (4.5 billion USD).

Officers of the Duong Dong Port Border Guard Station (Kien Giang province) carry out inspections of fishing vessels entering and exiting the Duong Dong River estuary in Phu Quoc city. (Photo: VNA)

Criminal cases initiated over IUU fishing violations

Authorities have pursued cases involving serious offenses such as illegal border crossings, fraud, document forgery, vessel monitoring system (VMS) tampering, and the unauthorised use of explosives for fishing.

At the meeting (Photo: VNA)

Binh Duong leads nation in online public services

Binh Duong is also developing a coordination framework between the provincial Public Administration Service Centre and such centres at the commune level to streamline administrative services.

Mineral resource discovery activities in the northwest region. (Photo: vietnamplus.vn)

40 gold mines discovered in northwest region

There are 40 gold mines with a total identified resource of 29.8 tonnes, and five copper mines with a total identified resource of over 13,000 tonnes in the northwest region.

Three staff members of the Department of Dyke Management and Disaster Prevention set off to join rescue efforts in Myanmar. (Photo: tienphong.vn)

Vietnam sends more personnel to rescue operations in Myanmar

This marks the first time that the staff members from the department have participated in the ASEAN-ERAT, demonstrating the spirit of “One ASEAN, One Response: ASEAN responding to disasters as one in the region” as affirmed in the ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration.

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Van Phuc at the working session with representatives from 21 US higher education institutions in Hanoi on March 31. (Photo: Ministry of Education and Training)

Vietnam, US strengthen higher education cooperation

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Van Phuc highlighted the growing educational partnership between the two nations, with 30,000 out of 200,000 Vietnamese citizens studying abroad being in the US. In the 2022-2023 academic year, Vietnamese students ranked fifth globally in terms of numbers of international students in the US, rising by 5.7%.

The Vietnamese rescue forces have worked tirelessly to locate survivors. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam delivers 3 tonnes of aid supplies to Myanmar earthquake victims

The aid package includes antibiotics, digestive medications, cold and flu remedies, and basic healthcare equipment like blood pressure monitors, blood glucose metres, bandages, and disinfectants. The supplies also feature mosquito spray pumps and insecticides to prevent disease outbreaks in affected areas.

Tran Phu Loc Thanh, Director of the municipal Department of Agriculture and Environment speaks at the event. (Photo: VNA)

Can Tho plans to eliminate run-down houses before reunification anniversary

According to Tran Phu Loc Thanh, Director of the municipal Department of Agriculture and Environment, work has started on all 531 houses designated for renovation or reconstruction, benefiting poor households, near-poor families, and people with meritorious service to the nation, with 141 homes already completed and handed over to beneficiaries.