The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) plans to launch a communication campaign to promote the non-use of plastic bags as a prelude to its sea turtle conservation programme on Ly Son Island in 2018.
IUCN’s Marine and Coastal resource programme co-ordinator Bui Thi Thu Hien told Vietnam News that the communication campaign aims to raise awareness among islanders and tourists of the need to create clean and safe marine areas for sea turtles returning to the island in the near future.
Hien said on December 26 other activities related to marine environment cleaning and protection would be launched beginning next year to boost sea turtle conservation in the area where turtles had laid their eggs in the past decades.
According to IUCN’s research, the sea turtle population in central coastal areas has seriously declined in recent years.
Quang Ngai beaches, including areas in Binh Son district on Ly Son Island, witnessed 200 sea turtles regularly approaching the beaches to lay their eggs in 1980s.
However, the figure dropped by 90% between 1980 and 2000 due to rapid urbanisation, over-fishing and the construction of buildings and concrete dykes.
According to IUCN Vietnam, only eight out of 16 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Vietnam offer sea turtle conservation.
Hien said MPA in Ly Son Island still struggles with a lack of investment and human resources for sea turtle conservation.
Beaches in Quang Ngai were home to species including green turtles (Chelonia mydas), hawkbills (Eretmochelis imbricate) and leatherbacks (Dermochelys coriacea).
According to Le Xuan Ai, a sea turtle conservationist, beaches in Quang Ngai, Quang Nam, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen and Binh Thuan provinces were favourite sites for sea turtles to lay their eggs.
Ai succeeded last year in releasing nearly 900 baby turtles into the sea in a pilot programme for ex-situ sea turtle conservation in the Cham Islands, off the coast of Quang Nam province.
Sea turtle eggs, which had been laid 40 days earlier on Con Dao Island, were brought to hatch in sand nests on the Cham Islands’ beaches before the baby sea turtles made their way into the sea.
Last year, IUCN, in cooperation with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, started a marine environment protection communications programme for sea turtle conservation on An Binh Islet, three miles off Ly Son Island.
Paintings of ocean life and species were created on the walls of households in An Binh Islet, calling on local islanders and tourists to join hands to protect the marine environment and sea turtles.
The International Day of Older Persons 2026, themed “The Age of Longevity: Rethinking Systems for Longer Lives,” highlights the need to develop healthcare, social security, labour-market and social-service systems in response to increasing life expectancy. For Vietnam, rapid population ageing is not only a demographic issue but also a development challenge.
The Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre on September 29 safely brought ashore an unconscious sailor from the Liberian-flagged MSC HERMES III, who was suspected of inhaling toxic gas, for further medical treatment.
This year, lessons will weave Vietnamese culture, history and everyday life into the curriculum, tailored to each age group.
Among the key transport and conference projects, the runway expansion at Phu Quoc International Airport has been completed, while the VIP terminal is 96% complete and Terminal 2 is 72% complete.
Both sides agreed to keep educating officials, Party members, youth union groups and the broader public, especially young people in both provinces, on the great friendship, special solidarity, comprehensive cooperation and strategic cohesion between Vietnam and Laos.
Standing Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Tuc on September 27 inspected Huu Nghi – Chi Lang and Dong Dang – Tra Linh expressway projects, urging local authorities, investors and contractors to speed up construction to connect the two routes before the Lunar New Year (Tet) 2027.
General Secretary and President Lam stressed that bilateral friendship and cooperation have been nurtured by people living and working in both countries, with the Vietnamese community in Canada playing an important bridging role.
Of the total, 631 were individual sets of remains, while 33 were recovered from eight mass graves. Personal artifacts were found with 298 sets of remains.
Vietnam plans to connect its national digital identification application VNeID with the electronic identification systems of Singapore and Laos, with a view to expanding the connection to other ASEAN countries.
Such assessments, however, need to be viewed in the context of Vietnam’s starting point in 1986 and the broader trajectory of its development. A country emerging from prolonged wars, facing severe socio-economic difficulties and economic embargo has undergone profound changes over the past four decades.
The floods have left three people dead, destroyed eight houses and damaged 111 others, while nearly 20,000 houses have been inundated, with more than 5,000 in riverside and low-lying areas of Hanoi and Ninh Binh currently remaining flooded.
The captain discovered water entering ballast tanks No. 4, 5 and 6 on the port side, causing the vessel to list slightly. Initial assessments indicated that the vessel may have struck an underwater rock formation while underway.
Publishing copyright is entering an entirely new phase. As AI becomes increasingly capable of generating text, summarising books, mimicking writing styles and producing content at enormous speed, ensuring copyright protection is becoming more difficult.
Authorities urged residents in the eight provinces and cities - Son La, Phu Tho, Lao Cai, Tuyen Quang, Thai Nguyen, Quang Ninh, Thanh Hoa and Nghe An - to remain alert for a high risk of flash floods and landslides on September 17.
Prolonged heavy rains from September 13–17 have caused flooding and landslides, damaging homes, crops, roads and infrastructure in Phu Tho and Thanh Hoa provinces, with local authorities mobilising forces for emergency response.
Quang Ninh city's Public Security Department warned individuals, agencies and businesses not to publicly disclose or provide personal information or bank account details on social media, and urged organisations and businesses to strictly comply with regulations on protecting customers’ personal data.
From a weekend support activity, the “Zero-dong stall” has grown into a widely recognised community initiative, helping ease living costs while fostering solidarity and compassion among local residents.
The continued recovery of martyrs’ remains provides valuable information and further evidence of those who fought and sacrificed their lives for national independence and freedom. It also encourages search teams to persist in locating fallen soldiers still lying on former battlefields, contributing to the effective implementation of the 500-day campaign and reflecting Vietnam’s long-standing tradition of gratitude.
Vietnam will launch nationwide screening for five groups of school-related diseases and health conditions among students from preschool through high school from 2028, including overweight and obesity, refractive errors, spinal curvature, oral diseases and mental health disorders.
Vietnam always regards the Republic of Korea (RoK) as a country with a highly developed press sector and hopes to learn more from its Korean colleagues, said Le Quoc Minh, Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan Newspaper and President of the VJA.