ADB aids forest management

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to provide Viet Nam with non-refundable aid of US$1.5 million to implement a forest-based environmental service project under which local people will be paid to protect the forest.

The agreement was made between the ADB and the Viet Nam Trust Fund for Forests yesterday in Ha Noi.

The project will be implemented across three localities from 2014 to 2016.

At the signing ceremony, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Ha Cong Tuan said the money would help to extend the project which had shown positive results since it started in 2010, especially among ethic minorities in rural areas.

The average income of these households is estimated at VND1.8 million ($84.3) annually.

Viet Nam has established 31 provincial Funds for Forest Protection and Development.

Pham Hong Luong, deputy director of the Viet Nam Trust Fund for Forests, said the policy would create sustainable funding for forest preservation and development.

The funds would also help improve the management and distribution of forest environmental services for staff at provincial levels, he said.

Policymakers, journalists learn to develop action plans for motorbike-helmet use among children

Journalists and policymakers in the Mekong Delta this week received training in how to develop an action plan and expand media coverage of the importance of children wearing a helmet while riding a motorbike.

Attending the course were officials and media from Can Tho and the provinces of An Giang and Tra Vinh.

Communication and enforcement tactics of child helmet use were discussed, and participants took a field trip to a local primary school. They also travelled with local police on their patrols.

During the course, the participants developed a provincial action plan, and also voiced their commitment and advocacy of helmet use.

The same course will be taught in Binh Duong, Long An and Tay Ninh provinces in January.

Major Vu Quy Phi, deputy director of the National Traffic Police, said each province in the Mekong Delta has an action plan that aims to strengthen compliance with the helmet law and prevent unnecessary traffic accidents and fatalities among children.

Although the law requires children aged six and above to wear a helmet on a motorbike, the usage rate among children remains under 38 per cent.

The course was organised by the National Traffic Safety Committee in co-operation with the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation and the Ministry of Education and Training, under the sponsorship of the Global Road Safety Partnership and Bloomberg Foundation.

Traffic police officer faces investigation

Police in Ba Ria-Vung Tau yesterday started an investigation into a traffic police officer who allegedly crashed his BMW into a group of militiamen while on patrol on Saturday morning, killing two and seriously injuring at least five others.

The policeman was identified as Lieutenant Pham Hong Tuan of Chau Duc District's Traffic Division.

According to initial reports, a group of militiamen from Lang Lon Commune and Ngai Giao Town in Chau Duc District were on patrol and had stopped by the roadside in Ngai Giao for a break. The BMW was apparently speeding and crashed directly into the group.

One man was killed on the spot and one died later in hospital.

It is unclear whether the driver was under the influence of alcohol.

Vietnamese man found dead in Wales

A man found dead in Abercynon village in Wales on December 2 has been identified as Vietnamese national Tinh Van Tran, according to BBC News of the UK.

The 41-year-old, 1m62 tall man was discovered by a member of the public near Whitehall Golf Club at 19:00 GMT.

According to South Wales police, someone saw three cars and one truck near the area where the body was discovered.

At present, the case is under investigation.

Vietnam Volunteer Festival 2014 launched in Hanoi

As many as 10,000 volunteers from nearly 100 Vietnamese and foreign organisations joined the Vietnam Volunteer Festival 2014, which was launched in Hanoi on December 6 as part of activities to mark 15 years of the Vietnam youth volunteer campaign and the International Volunteer Day (December 5).

Themed “I love Vietnam,” the event featured a range of activities, including a blood donation drive engaging 3,000 volunteers who are expected to donate 2,500 units of blood to the needy.

A programme against domestic violence, a communication campaign against human trafficking during which a hotline for people to report trafficking cases were announced, and a charity event for mountainous children also took place.

On the occasion, organisations and individuals with great contributions to voluntary blood donations were honoured. The 20-year old Association of Youth Blood Donor Recruiters received a certificate of merit from the Prime Minister while 10 outstanding volunteers in the north was also presented with merit certificates in recognition of their contributions in volunteer activities in 2014.

Over the past years, volunteer activities in Vietnam have developed remarkably, covering various areas such as health care, environment protection and social welfares, and attracting a large number of youngsters and students.

President visits successful rural commune in Long An

President Truong Tan Sang on December 6 visited Tan Lan commune, Can Duoc district, the Mekong Delta province of Long An, where he stated that the promotion of the central role of the people is key to the success of the new-style area building programme.

Tan Lan is one of eight local communes fulfilling all criteria of the programme in 2014, four years ahead of the set target.

Praising local authorities and people for their achievements in new-style rural building, the State leader urged the commune to ensure the quality of the programme, while sharing experience with other localities in the work and keeping regular supervision to detect shortcomings for timely adjustment.

Tan Lan was recognised as a new-style rural commune in July this year. It spent VND135 billion (US$6.34 million) on the programme, with locals contributing VND57 billion (US$2.67 million).

According to Nguyen Thi Trinh, Secretary of the communal Party Committee, the programme brought a new face to the commune. Currently, all the locals access to power while 94 percent enjoy clean water.

All roads in the commune have been asphalted, while 24 irrigation cannels have been built. At the same time, three out of the four schools in the locality meet national standards.

The poverty ratio has been reduced to 1.81 percent, with per capita income has raised to VND35 million per year, said Trinh.

The same day, the State leader visited and presented gifts to heroic mother Huynh Thi Phan in Binh Hoa village and war invalid Pham Van To in Nha Tho village in Tan Lan commune.

Seminar on the right to a fair trial

A seminar took place in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak on December 4 – 5 to discuss issues relating to the right to a fair trial.

The event was jointly held by the People’s Supreme Court and the Australian Human Rights Commission as part of the Vietnam-Australia Human Rights Technical Cooperation Programme (phase 5).

Nguyen Van Vu from the Bac Ninh provincial People’s Court, said most hearings in Vietnam have followed the Constitution and the Civil Procedure Code. However, there’s a number of shortcomings that have led to unfair trial.

To ensure fair trial and hearings, he said, it is essential to have a consistent legal system. In addition, judges and jurors must be capable and professional.

The National Assembly has issued the revised Law on Organization of People's Courts that requires more active and proactive implementation of the reform process in the whole people’s court system.

The seminar was considered a good opportunity for Vietnamese and international delegates to exchange information and share experience in ensuring the right to a fair trial.

The right to have a fair trial is one of important contents of human rights stated in many regional and international treaties. In Vietnam, this right is clearly stipulated in the Constitution and many codes.

Thousands volunteer donate blood

The National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion received 2,229 units of blood donated by 3,500 registered donors at an event to mark the International Volunteer Day (December 5) on Saturday at Hoa Binh Park in Ha Noi.

The blood will be used for emergency aid at hospitals during the upcoming Christmas and New Year period.

The event aims to honor volunteers and voluntary organisations and mobilise the community to join hands for the development of social activities and the country.

Smuggling on the rise at central border gate

Police in Quang Tri Province have said that smuggling at the Lao Bao border gate is on the rise after discovering three large quantities of smuggled goods last week.

The goods include imported tobacco, alcohol and milk. Police did not specify the quantity but said the estimated value was VND1 billion (US$47,000).

The goods were counterfeits of popular brands and posed health threats to consumers, police said.

Lao Bao is situated on the border with Laos.

VN, Japan work on living environments

Housing for residents of Viet Nam and solutions for a better living environment were on the agenda of a Viet Nam-Japan workshop held here on Thursday.

At the workshop, Deputy Construction Minister Nguyen Tran Nam said the Viet Nam National Assembly ratified the amended law on housing and real estate business, which would take effect in July 2015.

The law will help the housing market in Viet Nam become more attractive, especially to foreigners living and working in the country who wish to invest in the field, as well as create a healthy and stable real estate market.

Akihiro Gozawa, a Japanese Ministry official, revealed that the housing policy in Japan has changed in accordance with population movements, and focus has been given to the quality of houses to ensure their long-run use.

HCM City children's hospital construction begins

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung last Saturday kicked off the construction of the 1,000-bed HCM City Paediatrics Hospital, which when finished in 2016 will be the city's third hospital for children.

"The hospital will help reduce the patient overload of HCM City's two existing paediatrics hospitals," he said. "The city's paediatrics hospitals have been faced with a patient overload."

"Two or three children have often had to share a bed. Now the city will have one more paediatrics hospital offering high-quality health examinations and treatment," Dung added.

Around 60 per cent of the patients treated at the city's two paediatrics hospitals are from southern provinces and city outside HCM City.

The hospital will also be the main site in the southern region to train doctors who work in southern provinces and cities.

"The training task is very important because provincial paediatrics hospitals lack highly qualified doctors," he said, adding that many residents in other provinces bring their children to HCM City hospitals.

The Prime Minister asked the builders to ensure construction progress, safety and quality and told the HCM City Department of Health to prepare staff for the hospital's future opening.

Located in the outlying district of Binh Chanh, the new hospital covers 54 hectares and has eight stories and one basement, according to Nguyen Tan Binh, head of the city Department of Health, who spoke at the ceremony.

The hospital, with total capital of VND4.5 trillion (US$214 million), is part of the government's "Project on Building Five Hospitals at the Central Level", approved by the Prime Minister in January.

Le Hoang Quan, chairman of the HCM City People's Committee, said the hospital, to be built in Tan Kien and Tan Nhut communes, was part of the city's health development plan to 2020.

In the future, the hospital will cover 73 hectares with additional facilities for treatment, scientific research and training, according to Quan.

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony, Kieu Cong Binh, a resident of Tan Kien Commune, said his family, which received compensation from the city, had been willing to move because they recognised the importance of the project.

The Prime Minister also urged the Ministry of Health and the city's leaders to speed up construction of branch hospitals of the city's Cho Ray Hospital, the Oncology Hospital and Orthopedic Trauma Hospital. These hospitals are also facing patient overload.

"These hospitals will have modern medical equipment, which will help reduce the number of people who travel abroad for treatment," Dung added.

Currently, the city has more than 100 hospitals with more than 32,000 beds, serving an average of more than 31 million people each year.

Of that number, about 1.4 million are in-patients, according to the Health Department. More than 40 per cent are from other provinces and cities.

Next year, the number of health facilities in HCM City will increase and the number of beds is expected to rise to a total of 50,000.

Also on Saturday, PM Dung visited HCM City's Ba Son Shipyard Company, one of Viet Nam's top naval shipyards.

Ba Son is building six fast-attack Molniya missile boats with the assistance of Russia's Almaz Central Design Bureau.

In April, the company finished the first two in co-ordination with the Ministry of Defence, the People's Navy and Russian experts.

The construction took about 10 years of preparation and four years of implementation and involved hundreds of workers and engineers.

The missile boats were delivered to the Viet Nam People's Navy in June.

They have a maximum speed of 38 miles per hour and are equipped with 16 Uran-E anti-ship rockets with a range of 130km, automatic single-barrel guns and six-barrel guns as well as advanced radar systems.

PM Dung praised the company for finishing the two boats and affirmed Viet Nam's ability to master advanced military shipbuilding technology.

He stressed that Viet Nam considered developing the defense industry and military combat capacity a top priority in the context of maintaining regional peace and stability.

The four other Molniya boats are scheduled for delivery by the second quarter of 2016.

Rural residents get improved sanitation through programme

East Meets West (EMW), Viet Nam Women's Union (VWU) and other stakeholders in water supply, sanitation and public health met at a conference on Friday to evaluate two years of implementation of the Community Hygiene Output-Based Aid (CHOBA) Programme in 10 provinces.

As many as 74,000 households have benefited from improved sanitation, speakers at the meeting revealed.

Local government partners attending the conference included national, provincial, and district-level representatives from VWU, Viet Nam Health Environment Management Agency (VIHEMA), Viet Nam Bank for Social Policies, the National Target Programme for Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Phase III, Center for Preventive Health, and staff from international non-governmental organisations.

The programme aims to help disadvantaged households in rural areas gain access to improved sanitation and promoting hygiene behavior change.

It is currently implemented in 496 communes of 10 provinces: Ninh Binh, Hai Duong, Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Tien Giang, Tra Vinh, Dong Thap, Hoa Binh and Soc Trang.

The programme was designed in line with the goals of the National Target Programme for Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Phase III.

Tran Thi Huong, vice president of the Viet Nam Women's Union, said: "This project has deep social meaning because it brings practical benefits to the community, helping the poor to improve hygiene. Additionally, it has helped build local capacity in skills such as hygiene promotion, project management, communication, and IT.

She said the project, if successful, would contribute to achieving 10 per cent of the targets for the National Target Programme for Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Phase III.

Key to the success of the CHOBA programme is its Output-Based Aid (OBA) approach.

OBA is a type of results-based financing well-known for improving the delivery of basic services when users are not able to pay the full cost of access to services and where performance-based rebates to complement or replace user fees are justified.

EMW has successfully pioneered the OBA approach in clean water, sanitation, and education since 2007.

EMW's OBA approach in rural sanitation works rewards independently verified results with cash.

Poor households that purchase latrines and demonstrate usage receive a rebate, and rural communes that reach milestones in sanitation coverage receive a financial award.

Grassroots promoters also receive a cash payment for successfully promoting latrine construction and arrange financing for poor beneficiaries.

"We greatly appreciate the OBA approach. It has demonstrated its impact and effectiveness. Consequently, VIHEMA is collaborating with EMW to expand this model for the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Output-Based Aid (WASHOBA) programme, currently being carried out in Binh Dinh, Bac Giang, Thai Nguyen and Ben Tre provinces," said Nguyen Huy Nga, the director of VIHEMA.

At the conference, delegates shared their experience and lessons learned from the programme.

More specifically, delegates discussed the engagement of local authorities, regulations on grassroots democracy, transparency in public financial management, socialisation, effective monitoring and evaluation systems, innovative methodology and dedication of volunteers and programme staff.

Vo Thi Hien, director of EMW's Sanitation Programme, said: "We want to share these valuable lessons in order to strengthen our work to fulfill an objective of the National Target Programme for Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Phase III – which is to see that 65 per cent rural families, especially poor families, build hygienic latrines."

US servicemen's remains repatriated

A repatriation ceremony for remains of US servicemen who died during the war in Viet Nam was held at Noi Bai International Airport on Saturday.

Attending the event were representatives from the Vietnam Office for Seeking Missing Personnel and representatives from the US Embassy in Ha Noi, the US Defense Attache Office, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command and the US MIA Office in Ha Noi.

Vietnamese representatives handed over remains which were recovered during the 117th Joint Field Activities from October to December 2014.

The remains had been jointly reviewed and concluded by Viet Nam and US forensic specialists that they might be associated with the US servicemen missing during the war in Viet Nam and would be brought to Hawaii for further review.

Addressing the ceremony, a US Government representative expressed gratitude and appreciation for the steadfast humanitarian policy, goodwill and increasingly efficient co-operation of the Vietnamese Government and people.

The search for the remains of US servicemen missing during the war in Viet Nam is part of humanitarian co-operation between the two Governments. This is the 133rd handover of the remains of missing US servicemen since 1973.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and other National Assembly deputies from Quang Nam Province yesterday met voters in Hiep Duc District.

Voters recommended upgrading the revolutionary base relic site of Hiep Duc District such as building the Que Luu-Phuoc Gia route, the Tra Linh bridge spanning Thu Bon River.

Deputy PM Phuc said local leaders needed to focus on reducing poverty and promoting socio-economic development and improving lives of people.

National Assembly deputies from southern Tien Giang, Hau Giang provinces and northern Phu Tho and Lang Son provinces also met voters.

Voters raised their voices over wage policies, health insurance, social insurance; policies on contributors to the national revolution, policies on sustainable agricultural development and stabilising market prices.

To prevent corruption, voters said the National Assembly and the Government needed to adopt radical solutions.

Voters in northern Lang Son Province highlighted the need for building schools, roads, health clinics and irrigation works.

They also called for policies to facilitate the export of agricultural products and create jobs for local graduates.

All comments by voters will be sent to the National Assembly and authorised agencies.

Nearly 100 volunteers donated more than 100 units of blood yesterday under a programme held by the South African Honorary Consulate, the HCM City Red Cross Society and VASS Assurance Corporation.

According to the national steering committee for blood donation, blood collection only meets about half of demand.

The activity aims to commemorate the former South Africa President Nelson Mandela and mark the fifth anniversary of the consulate office.

Measures taken to stop plague outbreak

The Ministry of Health sent urgent dispatches to the Ministry of Transport and provincial and municipal People's Committees on Thursday asking them to take measures to prevent bubonic plague, which killed at least 40 people in Madagascar while also hitting other countries including the US and China. The Ministry of Transport was urged to tell those entering Viet Nam from plague-hit countries to promptly inform agencies about the hygienic conditions of their vehicles and the appearance of rats and fleas.

The health ministry also requested health departments in provinces and cities to instruct quarantine agencies to increase examinations of goods on vehicles returning from epidemic-stricken areas.

Media agencies were told to strengthen the dissemination of anti-plague measures among people, and encourage them to kill rats under the guidance of the agricultural sector.

The bubonic plague is caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, which is transmitted to humans via flea bites. It kills about one in ten victims. Patients first develop high fever, headaches and painful swelling in lymph glands. In extreme cases, their skin turns dark purple. If they are diagnosed early, they have a better chance of recovering.

Viet Nam has recorded no bubonic plague cases in the past 12 years.

Ethnic minority students win scholarships

Twenty-five ethnic minority students were given scholarships and certificates of merit yesterday by the HCM City Committee on Ethnic Minority Affairs and the Vietnam News Agency.

The students won scholarships worth a total of VND24.7 million (US$1,190), including VND20.5 million ($976) sponsored by the Korean Enterprises Association.

Some of the students were winners in the 2013-2014 National Competition for Excellent Students, and others had high scores on the 2013-2014 university entrance exam.

Four detained following heroin bust

Police in Cao Phong District, Hoa Binh Province yesterday detained four people in connection to a drug ring.

Le Xuan Viet from Vinh Phuc Province and Nguyen Van Tam from Ha Noi were caught transporting nearly 15.75 kg of heroin via motorbikes.

Chu Van Tuyen from Lang Son Province and Chinese citizen Nong Dinh Dinh from Guangxi were also detained for hiring Tam and Viet to transport the illegal drugs.

All of four have been handed over to the Drug Crime Investigation Department, known as C47, under the public securtiy ministry for further investigation.

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