Lai Chau breaks up many drug trafficking rings

Police forces in the northwestern province of Lai Chau have uncovered a number of drug trafficking rings and seized thousands of synthetic drugs.

Since August 2013, local police have recovered more than 17,400 pills from four separate smuggling rings.

Lai Chau Provincial Police Department Deputy Director Colonel Le Van Bay said most perpetrators are local, Son La, or Lao Cai residents collaborating with Lao smugglers transporting drugs from the infamous Golden Triangle.

In early August, police in Lai Chau’s Than Uyen district caught red handed 29-year-old Son La resident Mua A Ky carrying 6,600 synthetic pills from Laos to Lao Cai province.

Ky confessed buying drugs from a Lao man named Mua A Su to sell to the Chinese national Ly A Po at the Lao Cai border gate.

On September 17, police arrested 45-year-old Giang A Hang attempting to smuggle 5,968 pills hidden in his motorbike.

More than 4,000 pills were seized when local police raided the Nam Nhu commune home of 19-year-old Thao A Nha in Dien Bien province’s Nam Po district on September 20.

Nha said he had spent VND120 million (over US$6,000) buying the drugs from Laos and was attempting to smuggle the narcotics through Lao Cai for eventual sale in China.

Food hygiene under microscope at Vietnam-China Trade Fair

The northern border province of Lao Cai has inspected all restaurants, hotels and food courts and stalls to serve visitors to the Vietnam-China trade fair 2013.

As many as 100 food courts and stalls have registered to provide services at the annual trade fair which is scheduled to take place at Lao Cai’s Kim Thanh trade border zone from November 13-18.

The Provincial Steering Committee for Food Safety and Hygiene has asked the relevant agencies intensify inspections of food service facilities ahead of the event to ensure visitor safety.

A food safety and hygiene inspection team has been tasked with confirming the purported origins of agro-forestry and seafood products sold at the trade fair.

The trade fair is expecting to welcome thousands of visitors on each of its six days.

Lao Cai province has approximately 1,000 food processors, mostly in Lao Cai city and other tourist destinations such as Sapa, Bac Ha and Bao Yen.

Since the beginning of this year, the province has licensed hundreds of new food processors, mainly in Lao Cai city and Sapa district.

Blind boy sees light after operation

A boy in the Mekong Delta's Bac Lieu Province has been able to perceive light after being blind for five years.

The news was announced by doctor Huynh Thanh Tuan, deputy dean of the department of ophthalmology of Bac Lieu Hospital.

The patient, Vo Van Khiem, became blind when he was in grade three. Despite undergoing treatment in many hospitals, his condition persisted.

The operation cost VND6 million (US$282), however, the fee was subsidised by the patient's health insurance. The department's doctors also partly contributed to other cost.

Medical complaints hotline launched

The Health Ministry has set up a hotline and several email addresses to receive complaints from residents about the sector's services.

The hotline, reached by calling 0973.306.306, aims to tighten management of medical centres and plastic surgery services in the public and private sectors.

Email addresses include duongdaynongyte@gmail.com; thoisuchinhtri@gmail.com; bandocskds@gmail.com; .

First tea plantation meets VietGAP levels

The northern province of Lao Cai saw its first tea plantation reach VietGAP standards.

After the success of the safe tea project, implemented in several local communes of Muong Khuong district such as Lung Vai, Ban Lau, Ban Sen and Thanh Binh, the model will be replicated across the province.

Presently, Lao Cai has over 4,000ha of tea bushes, including 1,400ha and 2,000ha in Muong Khuong and Bao Thang districts respectively.

The tea project involved training nearly 2,000 local households to ensure that the tea plantations followed VietGAP standards, as well as increasing farmers' awareness about environmental protection and public health.

 Sleeper buses need tighter safety curbs

After several fatal accidents involving sleeper buses, the National Traffic Safety Committee proposed that the Ministry of Transport consider whether the buses might be better off the roads.

About 90 per cent of passenger bus accidents in the past nine months were caused by sleeper buses. In October alone, three sleeper bus accidents killed four people and left 30 injured.

In central Nghe An Province's Dien Chau District, a sleeper bus collided head-on with a container truck. Another sleeper bus suddenly burst into flames while carrying tens of passengers along National Highway 1A in central Ha Tinh Province, although no fatalities were reported.

"Many countries have banned or restricted these vehicles on long-distance routes, while in Viet Nam the vehicles are exclusively used for this kind of route," said vice chairman of the committee Nguyen Hoang Hiep.

Sleeper buses became popular in 2007 as a cheap, convenient way to travel. In Ha Noi alone, My Dinh Bus Station owns 130 sleeper buses and Giap Bat Bus Station owns 50. A sleeper bus leaves from Nuoc Ngam Bus Station every 30 minutes.

However, their large size made them more likely to fall on their side than normal buses, and the fact that they were assembled from ordinary buses made them even more unsafe, said Chairman of Ha Noi Transportation Association Bui Danh Lien.

"I don't trust sleeper buses, as the centre of gravity changes a lot when the bus is re-assembled. It's dangerous, especially in sharp bends or mountain passes," he said.

Nguyen Dam Van, director of Van Minh Tourism Company, which owns tens of sleeper buses, said the safety of the vehicles depended on their price. Some cost only VND1.5 billion (US$70,500) while others cost up to VND6 billion ($US282,000).

However, he attributed the accidents mainly to the carelessness of drivers and loose management of transport companies, rather than the vehicles themselves.

Vice chairman Hiep said that the committee had asked relevant authorities to consider regulating the age of drivers and their driving experience, as well as maximum speed and running time.

"It's necessary to ban the vehicles between 2am and 5am to prevent drivers from causing accidents," he said.

The Viet Nam Registration Office previously inspected double decker sleeper buses and announced that they satisfied the technical criteria for safety.

The ministry will announce its decision this month.

Migrant women get support to access welfare

Although 40-year-old Nguyen Thi Quyen has worked as a porter at wholesale Long Bien Market for eight years, renting a makeshift room nearby in Phuc Xa Ward, last Friday morning was the first time she received a free health check.

She said that she hardly underwent any health checks at local infirmary or hospital, but instead would go to the nearest drugstore to buy medicine when she felt sick.

"I have many things to worry about, living in the city, including a high cost of living, cramped housing, employment and a shortage of clean water," she said, adding that she worked as much as possible to afford a life in the city and send some money home to support her family.

My landlord informed me about the health check a few days before, Quyen said, noting that she had just finished her working from 3am to 9am in the market.

Nearly 100 other migrant female workers who are living in the ward joined the health check organised by the Institute of Community Health and Development (LIGHT) - a local non-governmental organisation - and the United Nations Women.

This is part of a three-year project "We are women: A right-based approach to empowering migrant women in Viet Nam" which expects to help rural migrant women, especially those working in the informal sector, better access to social welfare and improve their livelihood.

Vice head of LIGHT, Nguyen Thu Giang, said that migrant workers were vulnerable to job instability, low income, criminal activity, violence, sexual abuse and human trafficking, in addition to lacking policy support.

"Migrant workers have poor access to health or social insurance and few of them have the chance to join social organisations which could help them," she said.

Last year, LIGHT was among 39 organisations around the world to win a grant over 901 proposals applying for the Fund for Gender Equaliy – a global UN Women fund exclusively dedicated to gender equality; and economic and political empowerment.

The grant, worth US$200,000, was the first for an organisation in Viet Nam.

The project is being rolled out in wards in Ha Noi including Phuc Xa, Phuc Tan, Yen Phu, Ngoc Thuy and six communes in provinces of Nam Dinh, Thai Binh and Thanh Hoa.

Under the project, migrant workers will be offered training to improve their skills and understanding as well as exercise their rights to healthcare and legal assistance.

They are also offered loans and instructions to manage finances and run businesses to improve their income.

The project is expected to directly benefit 1,140 women and 1,090 men.

Central Highlands suffers deforestation

Land degradation is seriously affecting Central Highlands provinces, Le Huy Ba from Nguyen Tat Thanh University said at a seminar in HCM City.

The region has 5.4 million hectares of natural land, but forest areas have declined significantly due to loose management by authorities, leading to improper use, according to Ba's report.

Unscientific cultivation has caused a great loss of vegetation on the earth surface, leading to land erosion. Hundreds of hectares of production land and thousands of tonnes of nutrition and organic matter have eroded into the Mekong River and East Sea every year.

In addition, the declining forest coverage reduced underground water, land humidity and the microorganism population. The result is that farmland has become poorer and poorer. Some areas in the Central Highlands have annual droughts and even face risks of desertification.

Speaking at the seminar, scientists suggested restricting the use of forestland and reorganising the plantation structure in the Central Highlands. They stressed that local farmers should diversify what they plant, rather than just planting coffee, in order to maintain an ecological balance.

Farmers urged to hedge bets with dual crop model

The Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Ben Tre, the country's largest cacao producer, should expand its coconut-cacao intercrop model to sustainably develop its cacao cultivation.

The model of growing cacao trees in coconut orchards can now bring farmers an additional VND40 million (US$1,900) per hectare every year, experts have said.

Ben Tre accounts for 7,300ha of the country's 19,500ha under cacao, according to the Plant Cultivation Department.

Its cacao trees are planted mostly in coconut orchards.

Speaking at a seminar in Ben Tre on Wednesday, Nguyen Nhu Hien, deputy head of the Plant Cultivation Department's Cacao Regulatory Committee, said global cacao demand through 2020 is estimated to exceed supply.

The price of fermented fry cacao beans is now high at VND50,000-55,000 per kilogramme, he said.

However, when the price of cacao fell significantly a few months ago, many farmers in Ben Tre cut down cacao trees to grow citrus fruits like green-peel and pink-flesh grapefruit since they fetched higher prices.

As of July, more than 1,944ha of cacao were cut down.

Bui Bang Doan, who had 300 cacao trees in his 5,000sq.m coconut farm in Chau Thanh District's Phu An Hoa commune, said he recently cut them all down to grow green-peel and pink-flesh grapefruit.

Nguyen Quoc Bao, deputy secretary of the Ben Tre Party Committee, recently led an official group to inspect the situation of cacao cultivation in Giong Trom and Chau Thanh districts, which have the largest areas under the crop in the province.

Nguyen Tien Dung, who owns a 6,000sq.m cacao farm in An Khanh commune in Chau Thanh, told the visiting officials that he harvested 18 tonnes of cacao last year and sold them at a price of VND3,700 a kilo.

After deducting costs, he made a profit of VND50 million.

Farmers who grow cacao in coconut orchards and use proper farming techniques say the coconut-cacao intercrop model is lucrative.

Bao said farmers should not cut down cacao trees because of low prices.

The important thing is that farmers should use proper farming techniques to increase yields and their incomes, he said.

The price of cacao fruit is at VND4,200-4,700 a kilo and yield a profit of VND1,400-1,900, he added.

Farmers reap gains from crop rotation

Tran Quang Thuan, 57, earned nearly VND200 million (US$9,500) per hectare for growing sweet potatoes this year.

Some farmers in his home district of Chau Thanh in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Dong Thap took in even more, up to VND225 million ($10,690).

Rotating sweet potatoes on rice fields has turned out to be a godsend for farmers like Thuan.

"With rice only, I had a profit of only VND15-19 million ($710-900) per hectare," Thuan said.

Thousands of other farmers in the area are doing the same, switching from low-yield rice to higher-value cash crops, a move recommended by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

"Farmers discuss this with farmers in other communes, who then follow suit," Thuan said.

In Tan Phu and Phu Long communes in particular, farmers decided to stop planting rice altogether.

Nguyen Van Te, a farmer in Duc Hue District in Long An Province, said: "Since 2003, I have planted corn in the winter-spring crop and rice in the next two crops. My profits from corn were 1.5 times higher than from rice."

"So I feel confident now about planting two rice crops and one corn crop. My profit is VND25.5 million per hectare of corn, double that from rice," he added.

Another farmer, Nguyen Thanh Nen of Chau Phu District in An Giang Province, praised the benefits of crop rotation. "It replenishes the soil and reduces disease outbreaks much better than rice."

Despite the growth in farmers' income, the biggest problem is that they are not guaranteed outlets for their new crops, Thuan said.

"I sell sweet potatoes to Chinese dealers, but they never sign long-term contracts with me. It's not stable," he said. "Many farmers don't dare switch because of this problem."

According to Dr Nguyen Van Luat, former head of the Mekong Delta Rice Institute, switching from low-yield rice to higher-value cash crops on the same field is essential to ensure sustainable agriculture development.

Rice farmers are encountering falling sales and prices, and the switch could help them diversify crop cultivation and increase their incomes, he said at a conference held recently in Dong Thap Province.

He said the most important factor was to ensure outlets for cash crops. If there are none, then farmers will encounter even more challenges than they have now.

To ensure higher productivity, mechanisation of farming was also necessary, Luat said, adding that farmers need to be well-trained. Thus, technology transfer would be beneficial.

Le Quoc Doanh, head of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's Plant Cultivation Department, said the country faced more challenges in the rice export market.

Last year, the country saw total rice output of 43.7 million tonnes, with 8.1 million tonnes worth $3.7 billion exported, according to a report from the Plant Cultivation Department.

But export markets have been scaled down and prices have been falling, Doanh said.

In addition, former importers of Vietnamese rice, Indonesia and the Philippines, now produce rice themselves. And exporters like Thailand, India and Myanmar are tough competitors on the global market.

Experts said that more farmers should switch to growing corn, soybeans and sesame. If yields were higher, the country could reduce its imports of these crops.

Viet Nam imports 1.5 million tonnes of corn, 600,000 tonnes soybeans and other agricultural produce valued at $3 billion annually.

Phan Huy Thong, director of the National Agriculture Extension Centre, said each locality in the Mekong Delta should develop detailed plans on applying crop rotation under the ministry's guidance.

Thong said that planting should be tailored to each province's advantages and potential, including soil type and other factors.

Advanced farming techniques should also be used, he added.

Also essential is the development of linkages between farmers and companies to ensure outlets for cash crops.

Thong said that farmers and businesses should try to understand each other better and discuss their needs and limitations.

Agricultural extension agencies in localities also play important roles in keeping farmers up to date on information and technology in agricultural production.

Farmers and businesses should both understand market demand more clearly and promote their products accordingly, Thong said.

Sa Dec to diversify flower industry

The Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Dong Thap plans to expand the flower village in Sa Dec City by growing ornamental trees and flowers on a large scale.

Currently, the village, one of the most famous of its kind in the Delta, cultivates 2,000 kinds of flowers and ornamental trees on 355ha.

It earns total annual revenue of VND170 billion (US$8 million), accounting for 35 per cent of the Sa Dec City's total agricultural value.

The village's products are exported, mostly to Lao, Cambodia and China, and sold domestically as well.

At a seminar in Dong Thap last Saturday, Le Vinh Tan, secretary of the province's Party Committee, said the area's geographical location had a lot of potential for the cultivation of flowers.

However, problems still exist, including small-scale production, low-value products, unstable outlets, weak post-harvest preservation and a lack of tourism services.

Nguyen Thanh Tai, deputy director of the province's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that cultivation areas should be zoned for ornamental trees, flowers, and ancient ornamental trees.

Ho Minh Thu of the Flower and Ornamental Tree Co-operative Team No. 1 in Sa Dec City, said that farmers needed to learn new techniques to improve flower quality as they now rely solely on weather conditions for growing plants.

New flower strains should also be developed, he added.

Pham Phuoc Loc, chairman of the Sa Dec Ornamental Creatures Association, said a research centre should be set up to develop new strains, and that the city should focus on improving human resources and infrastructure.

Processing, packaging and logistics should also be improved, Loc added.

"Flower roads" in the city and clusters of flower villages for tourism purposes would also be beneficial, he said.

Phan Van Nhieu, chairman of the Sa Dec City People's Committee, said this year Sa Dec planned to develop a large-scale model of cultivation and offer tourism services in Tan Quy Dong Ward.

The model, which will promote Sa Dec flower village, will be expanded in subsequent years.

New transport infrastructure, including ports along the Tien River, and rest stops at Sa Dec flower village will also be built.

HCM City defends against dengue fever as peak season strikes

The municipal Preventive Medicine Centre has called on residents and concerned agencies to pay more attention to preventive measures as dengue fever enters its peak season.

Dr Nguyen Dac Tho, depuy head of the centre, said that fever usually peaks during November and December.

Since the beginning of this year, the city has recorded 5,799 patients with dengue fever, a decrease of 34 per cent over the same period last year.

However, the fever has seen an upward trend in many districts over the last three weeks, Tho said.

Eight districts including Tan Phu, Binh Tan and Go Vap were seeing the highest incidence, he added.

In the last three weeks, the city saw 753 patients test positive for dengue fever.

The city's Paediatric Hospitals No.1 and 2 as well as the Hospital for Tropical Diseases have all reported an increase in the number of children diagnosed with the fever in recent weeks.

The Preventive Medicine Centre has asked its branches in all districts to strengthen observation and preventive measures including spraying areas of high incidence and high risk with chemical solutions to kill mosquitoes and mosquito larvae that carry the disease.

It also asked residents to take the initiative and maintain environmental hygiene in their living areas and to use mosquito nets when sleeping.

Provinces teach kids to swim

Nine provinces and cities in central and Central Highlands regions prone to storms and floods held a two-day training programme to prevent children from drowning.

Participants visited central Da Nang City, where more than 30,000 primary school students have learned how to swim since 2009.

"This is the first place in the whole country to teach primary students basic skills to prevent drowning, such as how to swim, how to survive underwater and how to save their friends from drowning."

The statement was made by Nguyen Trong An, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs' Department of Children's Healthcare and Protection.

In the past, more than 100 Da Nang children drowned every year. Today, thanks to the swimming lessons, only three or four fall victim to the water, An said.

The city also improved safety at My Khe beach by installing warning signals and preparing essential tools such as life savers, lifeboats and lifeguards.

The training programme was co-organised by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and the World Health Organisation.

Overseas Vietnamese in Savanakhet head for homeland

Over the years Vietnamese expatriates in the Laos province of Savanakhet have carried out various activities to support their compatriots in Vietnam.

Established in 1975, the community now has around 4,000 members, with 70% granted Lao citizenship.

Thanks to the Laos government support, they have united and provided mutual assistance to each other to stabilize and become a strong community in Laos.

Over the past four generations, overseas Vietnamese in Savanakhet have proactively responded to humanitarian campaigns launched by the Vietnam Fatherland Front. They have raised funds to build 44 houses for deprived people and US$10,000 for flood victims in central regions.

At present, the community has two primary schools with 415 students and two kindergartens with 215 kids. It has called for further financial support to build a high school with a total investment of US$2 million on a piece of land granted by the Savanakhet government.

During a visit toSavanakhet on November 8,Vietnamese ambassador to Laos Nguyen Manh Hung praised the community for turning their hearts to the homeland. He acknowledged their efforts in  building more schoolsfor children in the locality to  help improve their education qualifications and preserve the Vietnamese language.

He expressed his hope that overseas Vietnamese in Savanakhet will continue to uphold the spirit of solidarity and mutual support, obey local laws, and become actively  involved in activities towards the homeland.

Association supports Vietnam-Japan business links

The Vietnam business association made its debut in Tokyo on November 8 in an effort to boost the two countries’ economic and trade ties.

The association’s establishment opens up greater opportunities for cooperation between its members and Japanese companies, and serves as a bridge linking investors in both countries

Addressing the opening ceremony, Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Doan Xuan Hung noted the association debuted at a time when Vietnam-Japan relations are developing well. He said he hopes it will inspire the two countries’ business communities to strengthen cooperation in trade, economics, science, technology, culture, and education.

He cited the ceremony’s impressive attendance of hundreds of leading Japanese executives as proof of their enthusiasm for exploring Vietnamese opportunities.

Association President Dinh Ngoc Hai said his agency intends to earn a reputation as a reliable and effective partner of commercial and community organisations in both countries.

Hai also presented gifts and a certificate acknowledging Ambassador Hung’s contributions to the association’s Japanese launch.

Former Japan-Vietnam Friendship Association President Tsutomu Takebe echoed the affirmation of the association’s destined success in promoting economic exchanges and technology transfer and drawing Vietnam and Japan closer together.

Established in Tokyo on September 2, 2013, the 32-member Vietnam Business Association in Japan operates in various trades, including medical equipment manufacturing, software import-export, and aviation.

Quang Nam Province to conserve rare flora

The central province of Quang Nam has approved a conservation programme for eight precious and endangered flora genes in the province in 2014-20.

The programme will provide a budget of VND8 billion (US$380,000) for the conservation of plants including Ngoc Linh ginseng, condonopsis in Tay Giang, pepper in Tien Phuoc, cinnamon in Tra My, large-size rattan and white corn in Hoi An.

The fund will help to build conservation gardens and to gather biodiversity data on the genes of various plant families and aquatic species.

According to statistics, the province is home to 1,129 flora species, of which six are globally endangered.

Forests in the districts of Phu Ninh, Song Tranh and Nam Giang also shelter flocks of over 118 langurs (pygathrix cinerea) – the most endangered primates in the world – and the Sao La (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis), one of the world's rarest mammals.

Experts from the Frankfurt Zoological Society's Viet Nam Primate Conservation Programme said Quang Nam is one of five provinces in Viet nam that conserve about 1,000 gray-shanked douc langurs along with Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Kon Tum and Gia Lai.

VNA rumbles polluting paper firm

A paper production company in the northern mountainous province of Bac Kan has continued to discharge untreated waste water into the Cau River despite having been fined in late August, causing concerns for local residents.

Under observation of a Vietnam News Agency correspondent on Thursday, Bac Kan Forestry Products Joint Stock Company continues to discharge black-coloured waste water directly into the Cau River in Duc Xuan Commune, Bac Kan Township.

The frothy water had a terrible odour and is polluting a large section of the river.

Hoang Thi Ngan, a resident living near the company, said the company discharges the water into the river every day and night. Its smell is terrible and seems to be mixed with chemicals.

"It is hard breathing," she said. "The smell is unbearable, although I close all the doors".

Cao Duy Linh, another resident, said many households nearby couldn't sleep as the company discharges the water every night.

Local residents complained to the relevant authorities many times and the company was fined, but the problem is ongoing.

Colonel Trieu Dinh Hoa, head of the provincial Department of Environment Police said that the police discovered that the poisonous substances in the waste water exceeded the country's regulated levels by up to 14 times.

The company was fined VND8 million (US$376) for polluting the environment in late August. It was also required to halt its operation until its waste water treatment system was repaired and upgraded, he said.

Viet Nam News tried to contact representatives from the company but failed.

Local authorities have sent the police to investigate the matter, and will issue stricter fines if the company does not desist in its violation.

Golden Westlake residents lose car parking fee appeal

Hanoi’s Golden Westlake high-rise residential complex was mired in conflict last week after the municipal people’s committee refused a claim from a group of residents asking for lower car parking fees.

A group of residents at Golden Westlake petitioned the local authority to pressurise the developer – Ha Viet Tung Shing to cut the parking fees to VND1 million a month from a current VND2.5 million per month.

The committee confirmed that the resident’s claim was without foundation, because the basement is owned by the developer and that the parking fee must be calculated accordingly to the affordability of the residents. However, the city authorities ruled that the pricing had to also reflect the return on investment for the developer.

According to a source from Tung Shing Group, average fees for government-owned parking spaces were subsidised, but Golden Westlake was a privately owned building that needed to be profitable. The group claimed that the proposed fee of VND 2.5 million per month would still see the developer suffering losses.

According to the Hanoi People’s Committee, private developers in the downtown area can charge VND1.8 to 3 million per month for parking.

The complex with 370 apartments and 16 villas was completed in 2010 with an initial parking fee of VND1 million per month.

The long-running dispute began since August 2012 when the complex’s management company Leonidas decided to raise the fee to around VND.5 million ($120) a month.

A group of residents objected to the increase and complained to the authorities. The Ministry of Finance confirmed that vehicle parking fees are decided by the Hanoi People’s Council.

All fees, the council said, must be calculated based on different expenses paid by a building’s management board, such as salaries and wages, service costs, material supplies and building maintenance costs.

Apart from the conflict on parking charges, residents and investors are also fighting over the use of basement.

The committee claims that the basement was clearly identified to be the property of the investors and this had been pointed out in the purchasing contracts.

Students join hands to build up Vietnam-UK ties

The Association of Vietnamese Students in the UK (SVUK) has played an effective role in joint activities to enhance the friendship between Vietnam and the UK, according to a representative of the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK.

Addressing the SVUK’s recent annual congress, Minister-Counsellor Le Thi Thu Hang particularly praised the contribution that the students had made to the success of several important events held this year to mark the 40th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the two countries. These included the visit by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, the inaugural of a stelae marking 100 years since President Ho Chi Minh first arrived in the UK, and festivals introducing Vietnam in London and Edinburgh.

The president of SVUK for 2012-2013 term, Bui Cam Van reported that the organisation has actively participated in charity activities for disadvantaged people in the home country. At the same time, SVUK has been organizing various activities to connect its members such as an annual football tournament called SVUK Cup and art festival –SVUK Show.

Most recently, the organization has launched photo and video clip contests, which received warm response from Vietnamese students in the UK.

The congress has elected a six-member executive board for the 2013-2014 term led by Pham Ngoc Thu Thuy, chair of the Nottingham chapter.

Currently Vietnamese students in the UK number around 8,000.-

Construction of five new hospitals underway to ease overload

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has agreed to build five new hospitals to reduce overload at central hospitals.

The five new hospitals include new constructions of Bach Mai Hospital, Viet Duc Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City Children's Hospital 1, Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital and Orthopedic Trauma Hospital.

The Hanoi-based Bach Mai and Viet Duc hospitals will administer new hospitals located in Phu Ly city, Ha Nam province able to accommodate 1,000 inpatients at a time.

Construction on the two new facilities will last from 2013 to 2016, and is to be financed from the State budget.

Meanwhile, the two new branches of the Ho Chi Minh City Children's Hospital 1 and Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital will be built in Binh Chanh district and district 9 in Ho Chi Minh City. The two new hospitals will be constructed from 2013 to 2015 with a capacity of 1,000 inpatients each.

A 500-bed Orthopedic Trauma Centre, to be administered by the Ministry of Defence's Hospital 175, will be built in the precinct of Hospital 175 in Ho Chi Minh City between 2014 to 2016.

The Health Ministry and the Hanoi municipal People's Committee are planning to move part or all of the overloaded hospitals in the city centre to suburban areas. Included are Bach Mai Hospital, Viet Duc Hospital, the National Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital and the National Pediatrics Hospital, and others.

Source: VOV/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/Dantri