Bribery scandal targets officials of many enterprises

A Ministry of Health (MoH) working group investigating the bribery scandal involving American firm Bio-Rad Laboratories has revealed that senior officials and employees of dozens of local enterprises may be implicated.

The documents uncovered to date reveal that 22 hospitals, 8 institutes, 4 medicine and pharmaceutical universities, 3 project management boards and 15 clinic centres, all purchased products of Bio-Rad during the relevant period.

The MoH reported that 13 Vietnamese firms imported medical equipment of Bio-Rad from 2005 to 2010, and 25 other enterprises were authorized to buy and sell products, including testing and diagnostics equipment supplied by the US firm in Vietnam.

The Ministry is currently coordinating with relevant agencies to expand the scope of the investigation to include the senior officials and employees of the 90 enterprises and conduct further investigation into the fraud.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission previously announced that Bio-Rad Laboratories and subsidiaries had admitted making improper payments worth US$7.5 million to officials in Russia, Thailand and Viet Nam in order to win contracts.

The firm also confessed in official court documents that it paid US$2.2 million to Vietnamese officials and employees to win business deals between 2005 and 2009.

Chinese caught with heroin near northern border

A Chinese national was caught red-handed carrying over 975 grams of heroin in Ka Long ward, Mong Cai city, the northern border province of Quang Ninh on November 18.

Chen Sheng Ji, born in 1959 in Dongxing, confessed that he was hired to transport the drug from China to Vietnam and deliver it to a man named Thang in Ha Long city.

At present, the Mong Cai International Border Gate’s Border Guard is investigating into the case.

Since September 2014, the gate border guard has arrested six drug traffickers and seized 16kg of drugs in total.

Vietnam participates in Int’l Toilet Festival

An International Toilet Festival from November 18-20 in New Delhi has drawn the participation of seven countries including Vietnam, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Laos, Afghanistan, and India.

The event organised by Sulabh International aims to promote environmental sanitation in New Delhi on the occasion of World Toilet Day (November 19) and to spread the message of sanitation and cleanliness.

Nearly 2,000 participants including 1,000 students, 200 sanitation workers and 100 widows lined up in a ring, wearing toilet bowls on their heads in the centre of New Delhi on opening day.

A big black-and-white toilet bowl with a height of 60 cm made from fiber glass, wood, plaster and other materials was also on display.

On the occasion, Indian Prime Minister Modi launched 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan' campaign known as Clean India Mission, aiming to raise public awareness of cleanliness and better sanitation among its citizens.    

Vietnam Journalists Association visits China

A delegation of the Vietnam Journalists Association (VJA) led by Vice Chairman Ha Minh Hue is on a visit to China from November 16 and 22 at the invitation of All-China Journalists Association (ACJA).

At a meeting with an ACJA delegation headed by Executive Secretary Zhu Shouchen, the two sides discussed a number of issues regarding journalism and their activities.

They said friendship and cooperation between the two associations have been developed in recent times with a number of exchange visits to share experience in the field and enhance mutual understanding.

They agreed to further cement their traditional ties. An ACJA delegation will visit Vietnam later this year.

During the visit in China, the Vietnamese delegation also met with leaders of many local press agencies, and toured several training establishments, museums and exhibitions in Beijing, Wuhan city of Hubei province and Guangzhou city of Guangdong province.

 Vietnam attends the UN charity bazaar in Geneva

A Vietnamese delegation took part in the 2014 International Charity Bazaar held at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva on November 18 to fund charitable projects and programmes for the benefit of children in the world.

Vietnam attends 131st IPU Assembly in Geneva

The Vietnamese pavilion, which featured traditional dishes and handicrafts, attracted a large number of visitors.

The annual bazaar, organised by the United Nations Women’s Guild (UNWG), aims to raise funds for disadvantaged children around the world.

It has attracted more than 6,000 visitors and raised approximately US$300,000 every year.

Hanoi hosts 36th ASEAN Railway CEOs’ Conference

The 36 th ASEAN Railway CEOs’ Conference kicked off in Hanoi on November 18.

As many as 206 delegates and observers from the railway industry in Cambodia , Indonesia , Laos , Malaysia , Myanmar , Thailand and Vietnam , as well as representatives from the International Union of Railways and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific are participating in the three-day event.

Addressing the conference, Vietnamese Deputy Transport Minister Nguyen Ngoc Dong stressed the important role of railways in transport and logistics, which he said foster economic growth in the region, especially once the ASEAN Economic Community is formed in 2015.

The conference provides an opportunity for leaders of the region’s railway sector to devise joint development plans in order to consolidate their cooperation for a united and prosperous ASEAN Community, Dong said.

Chairman of the Vietnam Railways Corporation (VRC) Tran Ngoc Thanh affirmed the VRC’s willingness to learn from the experience of other railway systems in the region and the world so as to effectively implement restructuring measures.

Representatives from Malaysia and Cambodia suggested the railway system be run by the private sector, while the State should be responsible for investments in infrastructure development and maintenance.

Fishermen lack safe harbours to dock boats

As the stormy season approaches, a lack of safe shelter for fishing boats worries seamen in the central province of Quang Tri.

The province cannot provide safe anchorage for many of its 2,200 fishing boats. Some shelters are being built, but at present they provide little protection.

Vessels that cannot find safe shelter can be quickly damaged by raging seas and strong winds.

Director of the Quang Tri Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Nguyen Van Bai, said the department would search for more sources of funding so it could complete more shelters.

Vo Thanh Khiem, a fisherman from Cua Viet Town in Gio Linh District, said ship shelters in his region were few and didn't meet local needs.

He said he had to anchor his ship 3km from his house, out in the elements at the foot of Gio Mai Bridge.

Nguyen Van Binh, another seaman from the town, said that Gio Linh and Trieu Phong districts shared the Trieu An shelter in Trieu An Commune, but it was too small to hold all the boats.

Binh said that at most, only seven ships could be sheltered. "Arguments occur because boat owners fight each for safe space," he said.

Trieu An's 34ha-shelter was started in 2010, and so far has cost VND82.6 billion (US$3.9 million). It was designed to contain 250 boats, but, to date, can hold no more than 70.

The Cua Tung boat shelter project in Vinh Linh District was approved in 2010, but is still no completed. Construction is expected to continue next year.

Nguyen Truong Ki, chairman of the Cua Viet People's Committee, said that during the storm season, ships from other provinces came to Cua Viet desperately seeking shelter, often without any luck.

Higher fines for land license delays

The Government has released a decree detailing fines for land administration offences, which range from VND500,000 ($23) to VND1 billion ($47,600) depending on the violation.

Organisations responsible for transferring licenses and land use rights to homebuyers will be fined between VND10 million ($475) and VND1 billion ($47,600) for failing to meet deadlines. If licenses for 100 households are not transferred within one year, the responsible organisation will be issued fines ranging from VND500 million ($23,800) to VND1 billion ($47,600). Organisations face fines twice those imposed on individuals.

A resident of Nam Tu Liem District's Dai Mo Ward said that the decree was good because the threat of strict punishment would get the work completed faster. She said that she had lived in the ward since 1970, but had never received land and house use rights certificates. More than 10 other households in the area were in the same situation.

The residents had petitioned the district people's committee many times, but received the answer that they should keep waiting.

"My house is old and I want to repair it, but I was not allowed to because I did not have enough papers," she said.

Dat Lanh Real Estate deputy director Nguyen Van Duc told Nguoi lao dong (Labourer) newspaper that the fine of VND1 billion ($47,600) was too high for enterprises to afford in the current economic situation.

"Every enterprise wants to transfer land use rights certificates to residents quickly, but sometimes the work goes slowly due to small problems," Duc said.

He cited one instance where an enterprise built a 17-storey building with 16 completed storeys, but one storey had flaws, making the transfer process slow.

Complicated procedures were the main reason for the slowness, he said, recommending that district people's committees be wholly responsible for the job. Currently, the document is sent first to the local department of natural resources and environment before being returned to the people's committee for processing.

Former Standing Deputy Minister of Construction Pham Si Liem said that the punishment of VND1 billion ($47,600) was not fair for investors, who also struggled with complicated administrative procedures.

"The decree will not help residents get land use rights certificates sooner," he said.

Liem suggested defining clearly what "slow" land use right certificate transfer was and whether houses must be transferred together with land use right certificates.

Yen Bai residents get free health checks

Ha Noi Heart Hospital staff gave free health checks to about 200 poor and elderly residents in the northern province of Yen Bai's Viet Hong Commune yesterday.

The residents received free medicine and healthcare consultations.

Ministry of Health officials also visited and provided the commune health station with 14 new pieces of equipment including computers, beds and a basic surgery set.

On the same day, the Children's Fund in the central province of Nghe An and the Operation Smile organisation started a six-day long free surgery programme for 150 children with cleft lips and palates.

Drivers penalised for overweight trucks

Authorities in the northern province of Tuyen Quang collected over VND860 million (US$41,300) in fines during a 10-month vehicle weight inspection campaign.

Local police working together with Department of Transport staff fined owners of 250 vehicles, or about 22 per cent of the total inspected vehicles, for exceeding their load capabilities.

Additionally, 227 drivers were stripped of their licenses.

Run for Peace takes place in Ha Noi

Peace Run was organised in Ha Noi yesterday by the Viet Nam Union for Friendship Organisations.

About 70 local and international athletes took part along with teachers and students of Ngo Sy Lien Junior High school and Tran Phu High school.

Viet Nam and Australia were the ending points of the Asia-Pacific Peace Run route, which started in Russia and went through 13 countries.

Highway contractors must work faster

The Ministry of Transport ordered BOT (Build – Operate – Transfer) contractors of the Ho Chi Minh Highway project to speed up their assigned tasks or risk being replaced.

The decision was based on an inspection carried out last Saturday by a special task force from the ministry. The inspection covered a highway section crossing the Central Highlands that stretches almost 200 km.

After the inspection, the ministry gave warnings to Pacific Property and Infrastructure Development JSC for falling behind schedule in setting up depots for construction materials, according to Tien Phong (The Vanguard) newspaper.

The section is scheduled to be covered with asphalt before Tet, with priority given to parts of the highway running across residential areas, according to the Ho Chi Minh Highway Project Management Unit.

The Duc Thanh Gia Lai Group (DTGL), BOT contractor for the Bridge 38 – Dong Xoai section, was also given warnings for delays as well as failing to conduct necessary repairs on degraded areas of completed highway.

The group representative attributed the delays to difficulty in securing funding, saying that banks had only agreed to a disbursement rate of 75 per cent instead of the usual 85 per cent for BOT projects.

After conducting an on-site examination, Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Hong Truong did not find this reason sufficient. Truong said that if the contractor did not complete its section before December 31, it would lose the right to collect tolls throughout the route.

Nguyen Tien Dung, Director General of Duc Long Gia Lai Group, said the group was to complete 70 per cent of their workload (about 57 km) before the end of the year.

The deadline for Viet Nam Waterway Construction Corporation, Tranimexco and Pacific Property and Infrastructure Development JSC to make progress is November 20. The ministry instructed the project's Management Unit to replace these contractors if they failed to demonstrate progress by the deadline.

The ministry requested that the highway section over the Central Highlands be completed by May 2015 in a proposal already approved by the Prime Minister.

The Ho Chi Minh Highway begins in northern Cao Bang Province and ends in Ca Mau Province in the Mekong Delta. Stretching over 3,183 km, it links 28 cities and provinces.

Germany provides non-refundable aid for Vietnam

The German Government will provide non-refundable aid worth EUR8 million for a project on forest ecosystem protection and management in Vietnam.

An agreement to this effect was signed in Hanoi on November 18 between representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the German Reconstruction Bank (KfW).

The seven-year KfW10 project will be implemented in the Central and Central Highlands provinces of Quang Nam, Kon Tum and Gia Lai, at a total cost of EUR11.29 million.

MARD Deputy Minister Ha Cong Tuan said the project will protect the natural resources and biodiversity of 28,110ha of forests in the three provinces, and increase incomes for local households in 110 villages and communes.

Since 1995, the German Government, through the KfW, has provided more than EUR120 million for 14 projects on afforestation and the protection and management of natural resources in Vietnam, with 11 projects implemented by MARD.

Vietnam is KfW's third-largest strategic partner in Asia, just after China and India.

KfW’s total investment capital in Vietnam reached EUR1.2 billion (US$1.66 billion), with 71 projects receiving EUR594 million (US$822 million) so far.

Singapore helps train Vietnamese officials

Some 20 senior government officials of Vietnam are attending a training programme on public administration, policy and governance from Nov. 11-28 by the Nanyang Centre for Public Administration under Singapore’s Nanyang Technology University.

This is the first group of some 160 officials to receive further training in 2014 and next years with sponsorship of Singapore’s Temasek Foundation.

Over the past seven years since 2007, Temasek Foundation has sponsored 17 programmes worth about 10 million SGD for Vietnam in education, healthcare and public administration fields, Gerald Yeo, Programme and Partnerships Director of Temasek Foundation, told Vietnam News Agency correspondents in Singapore.

He expressed his hope that this training programme for senior officials will be a “multiplier”, having “core training effect”, saying that “the participants would be able to implement some of what they have learnt back into the institutions.”

According to Professor Liu Hong, Director of Nanyang Centre for Public Administration, in two weeks, the participants will interact with senior professors, former ministers and current Parliament members who will speak on Singapore’s experience in terms of urban development, economic development, social management, development of talents; leadership; and anti-corruption practices in Singapore.

The Vietnamese senior officials will also visit some Government agencies, the Parliament, industrial parks, gardens… so that they could have “first-hand knowledge about how Singapore has been successful in terms of social, economic, political development over the past years”, he added.

According to the Professor, the main objectives are to introduce Singapore practices, especially Singapore’s successful experiences, in public governance and administration, leadership development; to enhance relationship between Singapore and Vietnam; and to exchange opinions about how countries in Asia can develop fast and work closely.

Two Vietnamese to attend GES Youth 2014

Pham Anh Khoa and Tran Thi Thuy Trang will represent Vietnamese young businesspeople to attend the Global Entrepreneurship Summit Youth (GES Youth 2014) in Marrakech City, Morocco from November 19-21.

This is a GES annual event initiated by US President Barack Obama, aiming to encourage and support start-up business among young entrepreneurs globally.

Main speakers at this year’s event will be US Vice President Joe Biden and secretaries and ministers from the US and Morocco.

The event will bring together over 3,000 entrepreneurs, together with heads of state, senior government officials, global entrepreneurs, small medium enterprises (SMEs), corporate leaders, and young entrepreneurs.

Khoa and Trang have won scholarships to study in the US and many other educational awards.

Khoa is a co-founder of non-profitable organisation VietAbroader recognised by the US Department of Education. Meanwhile Trang received Australian Prime Minister’s certificate of merit and is one of eight US alumni to meet US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton.

Free surgery for children with cleft lips, palates in central provinces

As many as 150 free cleft lip and palate surgeries will be conducted on children in the central provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Quang Binh in an attempt to help them integrate into society and pursue their education.

The programme, running from November 17-22, is jointly organised by the Operation Smile Organisation, Nghe An province’s Hospital 115 and fund for child care and protection.

In recent years Nghe An implemented a number of policies and programmes on child care and protection, especially for children with disabilities.

Over the past 20 years, the province mobilised over VND178 billion (US$8.36 million) to help almost 80,000 children access medical services.

Additionally, 3,000 cases of optical malformation were treated and over 3,500 cleft lips and palates were operated on. The heart surgery programme saved the lives of 835 children living with congenital heart disease.

On the occasion, the Construction Corporation No 4 (CIENCO 4) gave 150 gifts to the children receiving surgery.

Operation Smile also ran a training course on “therapeutic language” for medical staff and officers of the provincial fund for child care and protection.

Nghe An is home to more than 200,000 people with disabilities.

Vice President meets CEO of Operation Smile

Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan expressed her hope that the US organisation Operation Smile would continue its support in providing plastic surgery on children with cleft palates and lips, training personnel and transferring technology during a meeting with the organisation’s Chief Executive Officer William Magee in Hanoi on November 17.

Praising the non-governmental organisation (NGO) for its work in Vietnam over the past 25 years, Doan said it had contributed to the Vietnam–US relations and helped nearly 115,000 Vietnamese children with disabilities to lead normal lives.

Magee said as the first NGO to work in Vietnam, Operation Smile was committed in the long term to providing free medical services.

The organisation is working with the Ministry of Health to apply the Global Standard of Care in the country, and hopes for the government’s support in bringing more skilled voluntary surgeons to Vietnam, the guest said.

Hue Hospital celebrates 200 successful kidney transplants

The Hue Central Hospital in the central province of Thua Thien Hue held a ceremony on November 17 to mark 200 successful kidney transplant cases conducted by its experts and to honor the voluntary kidney donors.

Hospital Director Bui Duc Phu said the hospital performed the first kidney transplant in 2001, and the new kidney functioned well on 100% of recipients during the first year, which is a high rate even compared with international standards.

So far, 14 hospitals in the country have carried out kidney transplants successfully.

The cost of a kidney transplant at a Vietnamese hospital is around VND150 million (US$7,100) while it could be between VND800 million-VND1 billion (US$38,000-US$47,600) abroad.

Sunken ship’s location found

The location of the Phuc Xuan 68 ship, which sank after colliding with another ship in waters off central Khanh Hoa province on Nov. 9, was finally found, announced the Office of the National Committee for Search and Rescue on Nov. 16.

After the collision, three sailors on the Phuc Xuan 68 were rescued while eight others are still missing.

A team of 6 ships and 4 canoes are searching for the eight missing.

The Phuc Xuan 68 was found using 3D scanning device at a location 10.7 nautical miles from the south-southeast of Hon Tre Island, Nha Trang City and 3.2 nautical miles from the east-northeast of Hon Noi Island, Cam Ranh City.

Police bust synthetic drug trafficking ring

Dong Dang town police in the northern province of Lang Son have smashed a large-scale transnational drug trafficking ring smuggling synthetic drugs from China to Vietnam.

They arrested Trieu Thi Lanh, 38, who lives in Tan Thanh commune, Van Lang district on November 16 for drug trafficking and confiscated 4kg of synthetic drugs.

The bust was carried out successfully after police officials discovered Lanh had hidden the drugs in plastic bags inside cans of Chao (rice porridge).

Preliminary investigation revealed that Lanh admitted she received the drugs from a Chinese man at the Tan Thanh border gate and was promised VND20 million for her part in the scheme.

Police said they would continue to investigate the case.

Diplomats’ spouses throw a fest in Prague

The Diplomatic Spouses Association in the Republic of Czech on November 16 organized a diplomatic festival for diplomats and their wives from over 50 embassies at the Hilton Hotel in Prague to strengthen cultural relations and raise funds for charity.

Pham Ngoc Tram, wife of the Vietnam Ambassador to Czech said the event was highly successful and offered agreat occasion introduce the country’s art and handicraft products and traditional cuisine to international friends.

Guests attending the event were captivated by the songs and dances of Vietnamese children of Son Ca Club in praise of the fatherland, Tram said.

In 2013, the fair raised about VND2.6 billion to help upgrade medical equipment at hospitals to better assist children and the elderly in the Republic of Czech.

Since 2000, the annual event has collected cumulatively roughly VND58 billion for charitable causes.

HCM City shortage of methadone hurts recovering addicts

Drug addicts in HCM City are suffering because de-addiction centres are unable to procure the required amount of methadone, local reports say.

A Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper report yesterday quoted Mai Thi Hoai Son, a member of the HCM City Committee for AIDS Control, as saying international programmes helping drug addicts were not providing sufficient quantities of methadone to Vietnamese clinics.

Methadone is a drug that has proved effective in treating opiate addiction. City authorities had recently approved a plan to increase the use of this drug in detoxification treatment.

The plan expects to treat 4,000 people with methadone by the end of 2014 and 8,000 people by the end of 2015, but these targets are proving difficult to achieve because of the supply shortage.

Son said the City has approved the committee's proposal that the sum of VND 7.7 billion (US$366,000) be earmarked to buy methadone and help the centres, but approval for the purchase was still pending.

She explained that proposal submitted to the department contained some drugs restricted by City administration earlier, and this was creating delays in obtaining the approval.

Under the proposal, the methadone received from international aid programmes would be supplied free to those needing treatment, but a fee of VND10,000 ($0.47) per dose would be charged for additional supplies.

While the committee waits for the proposal to be approved, the Global Fund for HIV/AIDS has decided to supply HCM City authorities with additional methadone, the Tuoi Tre report said.

Of this, the HCM City Committee for AIDS Control will receive methadone to treat 3,000 addicts in Districts 1, 12 and Binh Tan.

HCM City currently has eight methadone treatment centres in seven districts, and authorities have plans plan to build more in the remaining 17 districts.

Media responds to climate change

Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in collaborated with the organizers of Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security for Southeast Asia region held a workshop titled “Media responds to climate change and food security” in Hanoi on November 17.

According to Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Quoc Doanh, in the recent years, climate change has caused damage and losses in hundreds of billions for the country.

Responding to climate change, deputy minister Doanh called people should raise their awareness; local authorities, relevant ministries, departments, media need to effort in popularizion activities on environment protection through mass communications.

Representative the organizer of Program said that during the past 50 years, Vietnam was suffering not only impacts of sea level rise of 20 cm but also the annual average temperature from 0.5 - 0. 7 degree Celsius due to climate related problem.

Every year, the natural disaster has created extreme weather, resulting in losses equivalent to 1, 5 percent of the nation’s GDP.

Around 90 percent Vietnamese people have dental diseases

At a meeting held by Hanoi Medicine University and the U.S. non-profit organization Operation Smile, Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said that around 90 percent of the country’s population have dental disease.

Though the country has highest number of people with dental disease, the rate of dentists is lower than that of other nations in the region and in the world. According to the Vietnam Odonto - Maxillo – Facial’s figure, the rate of dentist is 1 per 26,000 population while it is one dentist per 500-1,000 people in the region. Accordingly, the training of more dentists is a must do.

As many as 20 scientific reported on dental diseases during two day meeting which attracted the participant of nearly 600 local and international dentists.

Websites shut down for illegal content

The Ministry of Information and Communications has shut down four news websites for violating the law.

The sites are zuum.vn, thugian.com.vn, lamthenaoaz.vn and blogtamsu.vn. These electronic news and social sites and social networks operated without the authorities' permission and provided content that did not conform to the law.

AEG Company and EBIZ Viet Nam Electromic Commerce and Promoting Technology Joint-stock Company, which own zuum.vn and thugian.com.vn, along with lamthenaoaz.vn owner Hoang Ngoc Binh and blogtamsu.vn owner Doan Van Thang, were fined VND7.5-55 million (US$350-2,600) each.

Foreigner caught committing ATM fraud

Cau Ong Lanh Ward Police in HCM City's District 1 caught a Bulgarian man using an ATM card to steal money from someone else's account.

An HSBC Bank employee caught Ivan Slabob Rusev, 37, in the act last Saturday and screamed for help. Hearing the screaming, the police caught Rusev.

After searching his body and motorbike, the police seized more than 30 ATM cards and VND80 million (US$3,800). Rusev admitted to the police that he received the cards from two friends in Bulgaria and used them to take money from various ATMs in District 1.

VNN/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/ND