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The underground Opera House station is the second among 14 stations of the first metro line to reach completion. The metro station is 190 meters long, and 26 meters wide, and features four basements. Its first basement encompasses such facilities as a waiting lounge, ticket machines, a restroom, and automated fee collection gates, while the second and fourth basements function as platforms where passengers can board trains.  The third floor houses equipment for employees at the station, a safety control system, a rest area, and rooms containing electric tools and devices. The Opera House station was designed to have five exits to Lam Son Park, Union Square Tower, and Pasteur Street. The 19.7-kilometer-long metro line, which carries a price tag of VND43.7 trillion (US$1.8 billion), has 17 trains, each consisting of three cars and designed to run at up to 110 kilometers per hour above the ground and 80 kilometers per hour underground. Each Japanese-manufactured train is 61.5 me...

On the evening of October 28, the Hanoi Singing Contest, organized by Hanoi Radio and Television, held its final round. The contest featured 12 contestants across three genres: Chamber Music, Folk Music, and Light Music, as well as a song about Hanoi. Tran Thi Van Anh, an 18-year-old contestant from the central province of Ha Tinh, competed in the folk music genre and won first prize. She is the youngest participant in this year’s competition. The Hanoi Singing Contest marks Van Anh’s first entry into a professional music contest. During the final round, Tran Thi Van Anh delivered an outstanding performance. Her talent and dedication were clear to the judging panel, earning her the top prize. The photo captures the intensity and emotion of Tran Thi Van Anh’s performance, which deeply impressed the audience and judges. In addition to Tran Thi Van Anh, three more contestants were recognized for their exceptional performances. Ho Van Kanh received second place in the light music catego...

Vietnam International Fashion Week Fall Winter 2023 is set to take place at the Quan Ngua Sports Palace in Hanoi from November 8-11, playing a vital role in shaping the future of Vietnamese fashion. According to Trang Le, Chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Fashion Designers (CAFD) and President of Vietnam International Fashion Week (VIFW), the 16th season of VIFW will bring together esteemed designers such as Ivan Tran, Thao Nguyen, Hoang Quyen, Prio Oktaviano (Indonesia), Cao Minh Tien, and Henry Kof, among others.  President of Vietnam International Fashion Week Trang Le (center) and fashion designers. Photo: The Hanoi Times Notably, designer Xuan Thu Nguyen (Netherlands) will be making a homecoming with her brand XUAN. She will be the first Vietnamese designer invited by the French Haute Couture Federation to participate in the Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week. The event will also showcase collections by young designer Phan Dang Hoang, who recently l...

With only a few days left until Halloween (on October 31) season 2023, Hanoi’s downtown toy streets are filled with colorful playthings and masks, hats, mannequins, skeletons, and scythes, providing selfie photo opportunities for many young people. Hang Ma Street Hang Ma Street is a street in Hanoi that is the go-to spot during the Halloween season. A month ahead of the festival, Hang Ma Street is brightly and magically decorated with a series of mannequins, masks, clothes, colorful lanterns, and scary toys. These days, it is packed with people shopping, taking selfies, and savoring the lively environment. Hang Ma Street is an ideal backdrop for photography on this occasion. Ho Guom Pedestrian Street Every Halloween, young people often turn the wide pedestrian street into a fashion runway where they show off their bizarre costumes and unique makeup. There are also many interesting activities such as dressing up, mask painting, exciting magic shows, or street performances. Don’t w...

Accommodations that guarantee a beautiful view of the thick, white clouds floating in the sky are the perfect choice for visitors who do not want to move around too much, but still want to enjoy cloud–hunting in a more convenient and relaxed way. If you prefer to stay inside and see the clouds from your window, a hotel, resort, or homestay that is located near the cloud–hunting spot will satisfy your need. Below are the 3 best choices of accommodations to relax and have the most wonderful cloud–hunting experience. Topas Ecolodge Photo: Zing Address: Thanh Kim, Sapa, Lao Cai Price: From VND 16 million (US$670.85)/ night This eco-resort is located on a conical-shaped hilltop of Muong Hoa valley, about 18 km from Sapa. The place consists of small wooden cottages built separately with modern equipment and amenities. Even though the resort is far from the center of Sapa town, it still draws many domestic and global travelers coming here. The price is quite high because ...

According to a release published on its website, the French auction house, founded in 1928, will put up for auction 329 antiques at 11am on October 31 (Paris time). Two among them were said to be from the last Vietnamese feudal dynasty Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945). They are a golden seal cast in 1823 during the reign of King Minh Mang (1820-1841) and a golden bowl dating back to the reign of King Khai Dinh (1917-1925). The ministry’s Department of Cultural Heritage said that if the seal was the ‘Hoang de chi bao (Emperor’s Treasure)’, it had been used for public and political activities of the country throughout a historical period and carried significant historical and cultural values. In its dispatch sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), the MCST has urged the MoFA to direct the embassy to work with Million to quickly verify a series of information related to the items, including their owner, legality, expected selling price, and the ability to negotiate direct purcha...

The Can Tho-born beauty made the Top 22 of Miss Vietnam 2020 and finished as runner-up of Miss World Vietnam 2022. She represented Vietnam at Miss Intercontinental 2022 and become the first Vietnamese beauty named the winner of the contest in its grand finale held in Egypt on October 14. Ngoc will be accompanied by other celebrities in different fields such as the arts, journalism, television, and fashion to form the judging panel of Miss Vietnam 2022. Le Xuan Son, editor-in-chief of Tien Phong (Vanguard) Newspaper, will be head of the judging panel. The other jury members include poet Tran Huu Viet, MC & actor Xuan Bac, fashion designer Le Thanh Hoa, Miss Vietnam 2008 runner-up Nguyen Thuy Van, and Miss Vietnam 2018 Tran Tieu Vy. The preliminary rounds in the southern and northern region are scheduled to take place in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi on October 22 and October 23, respectively. Miss Vietnam initiated and organised by Tien Phong (Vanguard) Newspaper and Sen...

Major Chinese media outlets have all reported the forthcoming visit of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, with specific emphasis on political trust and economic co-operation as expected contents, according to the Voice of Vietnam. Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong welcomes and holds talks with General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping during his state visit to Vietnam in 2017. Source: VGP The China Daily quoted a veteran researcher on Vietnam at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) as saying that the current relationship between both sides is both essential and unique, particularly as the relationship between the two ruling parties plays a navigating role in the overall bilateral relationship. The article in the newspaper provides figures which highlight mutual economic ties, with annual bilateral trade surpassing US$230 billion in 2021. The two countries have also held regular high-level contacts this year in a bid to promote co-operatio...

The first group of Peace Corps Volunteers arrived at Vietnam. Source: US’s embassy in Vietnam The Peace Corps on October 27 welcomed its first ever cohort of 10 volunteers to Vietnam, as part of an agreement on English teaching of the Peace Corps programme based on the Vietnam-US framework agreement signed in 2016. These volunteers will serve in secondary schools throughout the districts of Hanoi beginning in January 2023, after 10 weeks of comprehensive training to build the cultural understanding and skills necessary to work effectively in Vietnam’s educational system. The arrival of this group of Volunteers marks a significant milestone in the Vietnam-US relationship, building on decades of growing people-to-people ties and close partnership to promote English language learning. The focus of the Peace Corps program in Vietnam is English education, as outlined in an Implementing Agreement signed in 2020 between the US and Vietnamese governments with Peace Corps and th...

At the launching event on October 27 at Hanoi. Photo: Plan International Vietnam The Hanoi Industrial Vocational College (HNIVC) as the main host, in coordination with Plan International Vietnam, has officially organized a launching event of the project “Ready for Work – Covid-19 recovery and digital economy,” supported by Standard Chartered Foundation (SCF). According to the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA), in 2021, around 18 million people work in the informal sector – hit hardest by the pandemic – with 60% of these being classed as youth (aged 15-24). There will also likely be a ‘crisis cohort’ with young people facing higher unemployment, lower pay, and worse job prospects for up to a decade. The “Ready for Work – Covid-19 recovery and digital economy” project, supported by SCF, is aimed at addressing youth economic exclusion and unemployment caused and exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. The project is co-implemented by PIV and HNIVC with t...