Morning news 31-3: Vietnam's population aging rate is the fastest in Asia

Vietnam's population aging rate is the fastest in Asia

Illustration photo.

The Ministry of Health has just sent a document to the National Assembly Delegation of Bac Lieu province regarding the response to the petition of voters of the province after the 8th session of the 15th National Assembly.

Accordingly, Bac Lieu voters proposed strengthening support policies and healthcare for the elderly, monitoring policy implementation at the grassroots level, and increasing support funding for elderly associations.

According to the Ministry of Health, according to national population data, the country currently has 16.1 million elderly people, accounting for 16% of the population. Vietnam is one of the fastest aging countries in Asia, with the transition time from the aging population stage to the aged population stage being 17-20 years, shorter than in other countries.

Ho Chi Minh City is currently the locality with the highest population aging index in the country. Currently, the city has more than 1.3 million people over 60 years old, accounting for 12.05% of the population. It is forecasted that by 2030, the proportion of the population aged 60 and over in Ho Chi Minh City will reach 20% (about 1.8 million people).

Every year, the state budget allocates about 28,000 billion VND to pay monthly social allowances and buy health insurance cards for supported groups, including the elderly.

In the coming time, the Ministry of Health will continue to strengthen the inspection and supervision of the implementation of policies and laws for the elderly to assess the situation, serve as a basis for research, and propose amendments and supplements to mechanisms and policies for the elderly.

Establishment of Semiconductor Incubation Center

The Semiconductor Incubation and Development Center was established on March 28, helping students access advanced tools and software to keep up with business needs.

The Vietnam Semiconductor Incubation and Development Center (VSIC) and the Semiconductor Startup Incubation Space are located at the National Innovation Center (NIC) in Cau Giay, Hanoi. This place has some equipment for testing, designing microchips, along with computer systems and software used in chip design, to create an environment for training high-quality human resources and promoting startups in the semiconductor field. The project is established by NIC, FPT and some semiconductor companies, such as Alchip Technologies from Taiwan.

The new center will focus on incubating, developing businesses, technology and human resources, creating an environment for experts, engineers, lecturers and students to research and access advanced technology.

Australian author wins first prize in writing contest about Ho Chi Minh City

Ray KusChert - the son of an Australian veteran who fought in Vietnam - won first prize in the "My City" writing contest.

The entry Thank you for letting me into your heart! by Ray KusChert (58 years old) was announced at the award ceremony on March 28. The event was organized by Ho Chi Minh City Women's Newspaper in collaboration with Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House, aiming to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the country's reunification.

In the article, Ray KusChert talks about his experience of living in Ho Chi Minh City for more than 10 years. As the son of a soldier who fought in Vietnam in 1965, he lived in Saigon for a while as a child, then returned to Australia with his family. In 2012, he and his family visited Ho Chi Minh City because of "the dream of hearing the sounds of this city again". When he stepped off the plane at Tan Son Nhat airport after decades away, he was impressed by the image of a girl wearing an ao dai and a conical hat in the crowd, smiling at him and saying: "Welcome to Ho Chi Minh City".

After many explorations, Ray Kuschert began to love the city. He gradually got used to the pace of life as he "soaked his feet in the water from the heavy rain", sat at a small table with a bowl of hot chicken pho in front of him. Kuschert visited many places, from the Independence Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, Saigon River to monuments honoring heroes of the past. After a nine-day trip, before returning home, he told himself he would return.

After the contest, the organizers selected to print a number of works in Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City, My City, published by Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House.

Huge underground city discovered beneath Egypt's Giza pyramids

Italian researchers claim to have discovered a vast underground city deep beneath the Giza pyramids, stretching some 1,200 metres.

According to the Daily Mail (UK), this discovery has shocked the global archaeological community. The new discovery is based on research using ground-penetrating radar technology to create high-resolution images, allowing deep observation of the ground under the pyramids. This method is similar to sonar radar used to map the depths of the ocean.

Researchers claim to have discovered eight vertical cylindrical structures stretching more than 640 meters below the pyramid, along with many other unknown structures that could be 1,200 meters wide. The discovery is said to completely change people's understanding of ancient Egyptian history. However, many experts have expressed concerns about the accuracy of the results.

Professor Lawrence Conyers, a radar expert at the University of Denver, stressed that current radar technology cannot penetrate that deep, so the claims of this underground city may be exaggerated. He said there may have been small underground structures, such as chambers and passages, that existed before the pyramids were built, but there was no evidence of a city of the scale described.

“The Maya and others in ancient Central America often built pyramids on top of the entrances to caves or grottoes that had ritual significance to them,” he stressed.

Arctic sea ice hits record low

Under the influence of climate change, sea ice in the Arctic continues to fall to new record lows, leading to climate alarm and a host of other problems.

This year's Arctic sea ice area is 1.31 million square kilometers lower than the 1981-2010 average of 15.64 million square kilometers.

According to the US National Snow and Ice Data Center, melting sea ice has impacts around the world, making events like heat waves, droughts and floods more likely.

Summer weather will be a key factor in collecting data on minimum sea ice extent, which shows whether the world has experienced an extreme weather year.

Although drifting sea ice does not directly contribute to rising sea levels, its disappearance would have a range of climate consequences, changing weather patterns, disrupting ocean currents, and threatening ecosystems and human communities, scientists say. As the bright surface of ice gives way to dark ocean, solar energy is absorbed into the water instead of being reflected back into space. As a result, the water continues to warm, accelerating the rate of ice melt.

Bao Nam synthesis

Source: https://baohaugiang.com.vn/van-hoa-trong-nuoc/diem-tin-sang-31-3-toc-do-gia-hoa-dan-so-cua-viet-nam-nhanh-nhat-chau-a-140544.html