Farmer turns down VND30m offers for giant chicken

A farmer in Hung Yen Province has grown what he hopes will be an award-winning giant chicken, weighing seven kilograms, and has refused offers of more than VND 30 million to sell it.

Han Minh, from Dong Tao Commune, Khoai Chau Distrist, wants to enter the chicken in the annual chicken fair later this month.

The commune is renowned for its breed of giant chickens, which can have legs bigger than a man's arm.

Han Minh said, "Some people offered me over VND 30 million for my seven kilogram chicken, but I want to sign it up for the upcoming fair."

Dong Tao's chickens, which take up to two years to grow to full size, are much sought after for their unique appearance, and as a luxury status symbol for the Tet holiday. The chickens usually fetch prices of VND 300,000 to VND 400,000 per kilogram.

The Viet Nam Expressway Corporation has finished fixing a 73m crack that appeared between Km82 and 83 of the Noi Bai – Lao Cai Expressway in September, just three days after the road opened.

Soft ground was initially blamed for the crack.

South Korea's Keangnam Corporation, the project's main contractor, extended an apology to the Government and Vietnamese people for the crack in October.

Construction to deal with the crack started on December 5, according to Le Kim Thanh, deputy general director of the corporation. Staff were on duty 24 hours per day to ensure smooth traffic and safety for road users.

They completed their work last Friday, one day sooner than Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang's order.

The cracked section was part of Package A4 won by the Keangnam corporation. Director General Hae Nam Jang said in a letter sent to Transport Minister Dinh La Thang that packages A4 and A5 met international standards.

The US$1.5 billion expressway is the longest in the country, stretching 245km. It opened on September 21, halving the seven-hour drive from Ha Noi to Lao Cai Province.

Two men caught drug trafficking in Laos

Two men were arrested for alleged drug trafficking on Sunday in Laos' Luang Prabang Province.

Na Sinh Cha, 25, and Giong Hau, 52, both from Phon Thoong District, were found with 14,000 synthetic drug pills, four cakes of heroin and three million Laotian Kip (US$371) at the district's Sinh Kham guesthouse.

After being arrested by local police and Vietnamese border gate officers, the two admitted that they had planned to smuggle the drugs to Viet Nam and sell them there.

Laotian police are investigating the case.

Agent Orange victims receive free milk

The Viet Nam Rising Milk Fund donated 54,000 glasses of milk worth VND500 million (US$23,400) to children affected by Agent Orange in northern Thai Binh province on December 21.

The Fund was initiated by the Viet Nam Children Sponsor Fund (VCSF) and Viet Nam Dairy Products Joint Stock Company (Vinamilk).

Founded in 2008, the Milk Fund has provided more than 310,000 children nationwide from disadvantaged backgrounds with 23 million glasses of milk at a cost of VND84 billion ($3.9 million).

Bodies retrieved after boat crash

Police in the northern province of Hung Yen recovered two bodies from a wrecked ship yesterday following a crash last Friday.

The Ha Noi-bound ship, owned by Nguyen The Hoi, 45, and his wife Dang Thi Tuan, 44, was hit by another ship running in the opposite direction on the Red River.

The bodies of the couple were returned to relatives in their hometown of Bac Giang.

Investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Ha Noi inspections aim to prevent market fires

After several fires broke out in Ha Noi markets, deputy chairman of the city People's Committee Nguyen Ngoc Tuan asked districts and towns to ensure that local markets conformed to fire regulations.

Districts and towns were told to set up teams to conduct surprise inspections and report violators to the city authorities. Markets that failed to meet regulations could be suspended until completing the necessary upgrades and repairs.

A fire killed one woman and injured four others in Long Bien District's Thuong Thanh Market in November.

Several days later, fires in Bac Tu Liem District's Cau Dien Market and Tay Ho District's Nhat Tan Market destroyed billions of dong worth of goods.

Deputy director of the Ha Noi Department of Fire Fighting To Xuan Thieu told the Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper that the fires were caused by dry weather.

Moreover, residents lacked awareness about fire prevention measures and when fires occurred, they informed the department too late, he said.

Another factor was the huge amount of goods that vendors stocked up before Tet, which will fall in February.

"Some market management boards organised training for local firemen, but they only worked for form's sake and did not pay enough attention," said Thieu.

Thieu said that from now until Tet, the city faced a high risk of fire due to the dry weather, especially in places with a large number of goods and people.

"We asked markets to improve the spread of information via loudspeakers and will hold more market inspections," he said.

Youth urge access to sex education

A workshop on the sexual and reproductive health rights of young people as stipulated in the draft revised Law on Young People took place in Ha Noi on Sunday, focusing on the rights of disadvantaged groups.

Officials from Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Home Affairs, the UN Population Fund and experts in the field joined 60 young people representing students, the disabled, migrant workers, homosexuals, bisexuals and transsexuals living and working in the capital city.

Participants urged improving sex education at school to counter limited access to sexual and reproductive health information.

They also voiced concerns about discrimination in family and schools, calling for more specific regulations in sub-law documents to prevent discrimination.

Representatives also underscored that while accounting for 60-70 percent of the workforce, migrant labourers usually had unstable jobs with low income. As a result, most of them lacked basic knowledge of sexual and reproductive health, putting them at high risk of violence, unsafe abortions and sexually transmitted diseases.

Organised by the Ministry of Home Affairs' Youth Affairs Department, the forum aimed to connect young people directly with policy makers and give them an opportunity to contribute ideas to the Youth Law.

Customs officials crack down on smuggling

Viet Nam's General Customs Department instructed customs departments at all localities to increase their vigilance as smuggling and trading in counterfeit products surged around the Tet festival.

Smuggling and counterfeiting often rise as the holiday approaches, buoyed by the increase in demand for goods, particularly clothes, food and household products.

Local customs departments were told to increase inspections of import and export activities and transport of goods, particularly in border areas.

They were also instructed to increase staff working in customs clearance to prevent goods from being stuck at border areas, in addition to managing customs officials strictly in order to prevent corruption.

Cao Bang, Quang Ninh, Lang Son and Lao Cai are hot spots of smuggling and trading of counterfeit products. Deputy director of the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai's Department of Industry and Trade Nguyen Ba Binh said smuggling at the border gate and along the border between Viet Nam and China started to boom at the beginning of this month.

Over the past few days, authorities in Lao Cai arrested several people for illegally transporting counterfeit or low-quality products or products without clear origin into Viet Nam.

On Saturday, border guards caught two men illegally transporting 126kg of sausage and fried fish from China into Viet Nam. They confessed that they were paid VND50,000 (US$2.4) to import each 30-50kg package.

Binh said the department instructed provincial market watch forces to work closely with relevant agencies to prevent smuggling, particularly at border areas and coach stations.

Information dissemination would also be increased to encourage residents to denounce cases of smuggling and trade fraud and refuse to store smuggled goods, he said.

Regulatory authorities have handled nearly 80,000 cases of smuggling, counterfeit product trading and commercial fraud in the first ten months of this year, leading to the imposition of more than VND350 billion ($16.4 million) in fines.

Christmas greetings conveyed to parishioners

Officials from Ha Noi, HCM City and the Central Highlands extended their Christmas greetings to parishioners yesterday.

Secretary of the Ha Noi Municipal Party Committee Pham Quang Nghi, Vice Permanent Secretary of the HCM City Party Committee Vo Van Thuong and Vice Chairman of the Central Highlands Committee Tran Viet Hung headed the delegations.

The officials thanked the Catholic and Protestant dignitaries and followers for contributing to their localities' socio-economic progress.

The Vietnamese Party and State always created favourable conditions for religious organisations to practise and hoped they would work closely with local authorities to take better care of parishioners, Hung said.

Catholicism and Protestantism are the two major branches of Christianity in Viet Nam, with nearly 7 million and over 1 million followers respectively.

Ensuring security for Tet

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has called on ministries and other Government agencies to tighten market controls and take steps to ensure social safety and security during the Tet (Lunar New Year) holidays in 2015.

In a directive sent last week, he asked the Ministry of Industry and Trade to closely monitor the market demand and supply situation and see that prices are stable nation-wide.

The ministry should also work to have products and services of good quality at reasonable prices are delivered to consumers, especially those living in disadvantaged areas.

He said the ministry should prevent counterfeit and low-quality goods without clear origins from being sold in the market, and strictly punish those who speculate on products and cheat customers to earn illegal profits.

The Ministry of Finance, meanwhile, has to control market prices so that they remain stabile before and after Tet. It should also exert pressure on transportation companies to bring their prices in line with the decrease in fuel rates, the directive said.

The Prime Minister has aslo requested the State Bank of Viet Nam to ensure that cash supply is sufficient for the economy before and after Tet; ATM machines work properly; and workers get paid before the festival.

The central bank should also stabilise the foreign exchange and gold rates, increase inspections of currency and gold trading businesses, and punish individuals and organisations violating the law, he said.

The directive requires the Ministry of Transport to ensure that there are sufficient vehicles for people to travel and enjoy Tet holidays with their families, especially those in remote and disadvantaged areas, including those inhabited by ethnic minority communities.

It should also implement plans to keep unsafe and substandard vehicles off the roads, ask transport companies to publicize their rates and deliver tickets directly to passengers.

It asked the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to ensure that the agriculture sector continues production to meet the market demand during the Tet holidays, and to help farmers protect plants and livestock during cold weather conditions.

The Ministry of Public Security and its local agencies should increase patrols at important sites including including bus stations and crackdown on crime and criminal groups to ensure security and safety during Tet, the directive said.

The ministry should find and punish those who produce, trade and use illegal weapons and explosives, warn people about fire and explosion hazards around important and crowded places such as factories, apartment buildings, and be prepared to rescue people from disasters, it said.

The Prime Minister has also requested cities and provinces in the central region to encourage enterprises to support poor residents, policy beneficiaries, and residents of remote and disadvantaged areas with food and goods during the festival.

Project raises minority people's resilience against natural disaster

Ethnic minority people in the northern provinces of Lai Chau and Son La will learn to prepare for natural disasters in an US$1.8 million project launched last week by the Viet Nam Red Cross.

The project will focus on gender-sensitive disaster risk management and disaster preparedness activities.

Participatory planning and actions will help raise the communities' awareness and understanding about minimizing risks.

Schools will also learn to be better prepared to respond to disasters. The 42-month project was funded by the French Development Fund, the French Red Cross and the American Red Cross.

Hoa Sen offers funds to workers trapped in tunnel

The Hoa Sen Group, a steel manufacturer, on Sunday donated a total of more than VND600 million (US$2,900) to a local rescue team and to 12 workers who had been trapped in a collapsed tunnel in the Central Highlands of Lam Dong.

The group gave each male worker VND30 million ($1,400), while the females received VND50 million ($2,400) each. In addition, the company paid for return air tickets for the 12 workers to travel to their hometown during Lunar New Year.

Of the money, the company gave VND100 million ($4,800) to the provincial police's rescue team and VND100 million to army engineers.

While working on a hydropower plant, the workers became trapped about 50mm from the entrance of the 700m-long tunnel, which runs through a mountain and brings water to the plant. They were rescued after 81 hours of work from the rescue teams.

Blaze destroys interior design firm's workshop

A blaze destroyed nearly 2,000sq.m of a workshop of the Loi Phat Home Decoration Company in Binh Chanh District, HCM City, this morning.

The company's security guards could not extinguish the blaze after they found that it had started in the company's bureau. No fatality was reported as all workers were evacuated from the site.

Eighteen fire engines and 108 firemen, who were sent to the spot, put out the blaze after two hours.

The authorities are investigating the cause of the fire.

Don Sahong dam would block river

A national consultation meeting was held in Ha Noi yesterday to examine the potential impacts of the 260mW Don Sahong hydropower plant on the Mekong River in Laos.

Nguyen Hong Phuong, Deputy Chief Secretariat of the Standing Office of the Viet Nam National Mekong Committee, said the proposed hydropower project was located on the Hou Sahong channel of the Mekong River's main stream.

The Don Sahong dam would block the flow of Hou Sahong, disrupting the passage of migratory fish, damaging the biological environment and affecting the livelihood of locals who depended on the river, participants said. The dam would also have potential negative effects on fisheries in the area due to changes in fish migration.

In June, Laos announced its decision to have the Don Sahong project undergo a Mekong River Commission consultation process.

The Don Sahong hydropower plant is expected to be built on the Dong Sahong River, a mainstream branch of the Mekong River around 3km from the Cambodian border and 420km from Viet Nam's border.

The Mekong River is the world's 12th longest river. It runs through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Viet Nam.

Vietnamese woman killed in traffic accident in Thailand

A Vietnamese woman was killed in a road accident in Ratchapuk Charoen 35 Street, Thailand, on December 22.

The dead victim was identified as Le Thi Chau, born in 1988 in the central province of Nghe An. She was hit by a truck while she was crossing the road at around 5.30am on Dec. 22.

Chau’s friends then reported to local police for investigation and assistance to the victim’s family which is currently completing necessary procedures to bring her body back home.

The same day, Free Malaysia Today online newspaper reported that the naked body of a Vietnamese woman, believed to have been murdered, was found in the bathroom of a hotel at the Wholesale Complex, Jalan Ipoh, Bandar Utara.

Sentul district police chief ACP R Munusamy said the victim, in her 30s, was found lying on her face, with both hands and legs tied with towels, and with strangle marks on her neck at 6.30pm.

He said preliminary investigations revealed that the hotel room was booked by a 38-year-old man whom police are looking for.

Munusamy said the body was sent to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital for post-mortem.

Can Tho marks 706th anniversary of King-Monk’s attainment of Nirvana

The Vietnam Buddhist Sangha’s Executive Board in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho held a ceremony to commemorate the 706th anniversary of the attainment of Nirvana of King-Monk Tran Nhan Tong, the founder of Vietnam Zen Buddhism, on December 22.

The event took place at Truc Lam Phuong Nam Zen Monastery in Phong Dien district.

Tran Nhan Tong (1258-1308), the third king of the Tran dynasty, ascended the throne when he was just 21. He is famed for defeating Mongol invaders twice during his 15-year reign.

The King abdicated the throne when he was 35 and spent the rest of his life on Yen Tu Mountain practising and propagating Buddhism. He founded the Truc Lam School of Zen and worked to unify different Vietnamese Buddhism sects into Vietnamese Zen Buddhism.

The Vietnam Buddhist Sangha Central Committee has long observed the day King Tran Nhan Tong attained Nirvana (the first day of the 11th lunar month) as the national anniversary of Vietnamese Buddhism.

The committee has also coordinated with ministries and branches to compile a dossier to be submitted to UNESCO for its recognition of the Monk-King as a World Cultural Celebrity and the historical and cultural site of the Tran dynasty in Dong Trieu district and the sacred Buddhist historical site of Yen Tu as part of the World Cultural Heritage.

Vietnam, Cambodia further work for friendship borderline

The Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) and the National Council of Solidarity Front for the Development of Cambodia’s Motherland (SFDCM) convened in Kien Giang province on December 22 for the fourth conference on building a borderline of peace, friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.

The event was to review two years of implementing a joint statement reached at the 2012 conference in Ratanakiri province, Cambodia, share experience in building the two countries’ borderline of peace and friendship between the two fronts and provinces sharing borders, and sign a joint statement detailing their 2014-2016 tasks.

Vice President and General Secretary of VFF Central Committee Vu Trong Kim, in his speech, was satisfied with the improvement of mutual understanding between locals living in border areas via cultural, music and sports events, since the joint statement on building a borderline of peace, friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries was signed two years ago.

Both sides have joined in efforts to reduce poverty while combating cross-border smuggling and crushing plots to undermine their friendship, he said.

Min Khin, SFDCM Vice President and General Secretary, said the improving border issues are helpful to the maintenance of peace, stability and economic development between the two nations.

Seminar focuses on Mekong Delta planning adjustment

A seminar was held in Can Tho city on December 22 to gather ideas from both domestic and foreign experts to adjust the Mekong Delta construction plan by 2020 with a vision to 2050.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Construction Phan Thi My Linh said that the planning adjustment will help define and promote the position of the region, better connect with national development strategies and well adapt to climate change.

Nguyen Viet Thang from the Southern Institute for Construction Planning stressed the necessity to develop the Mekong Delta in line with the country’s green growth strategies and adaptable to climate change, rising sea level and flooding.

By 2030 with a vision to 2050, it should become the nation’s key zone specialising in agricultural production and aquatic farming with rapid growth, strong maritime economy and attractive eco-tourism, he stated.

Meanwhile, Prof. Bruno De Meulder from Belgium’s University of Leuven noted that the region’s development has yet to match its potential. Mekong is the second most important river of the world, which can bring about a lot of benefits if it is exploited properly.

For success, he suggested zoning out the whole region, not a particular locality to avoid the regional ecosystem disorder.

The region should also pay attention to both ecological and social environment elements, and maintain coastal mangrove forests along West and East Seas to reduce impacts of climate change and rising sea level, while deploying natural resources appropriately, he said.

Workshop on youth’s sexual-reproductive health rights

A workshop on sexual and reproductive health rights of young people as stipulated in the draft revised Law on Young People took place on December 21 in Hanoi, focusing on that of disadvantaged groups.

Officials from Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Home Affairs, the UN Population Fund and experts in the field joined 60 young people representing students, the disabled, migrant workers, homosexuals, bisexuals and transsexuals who are living and working in the capital city.

At the event, representatives from homosexual, bi-sexual and transsexual groups said these groups have limited access to sexual and reproductive health information and urged improving sex education at school. They also voiced their concerns about discrimination even in family and schools, calling for more specific regulations in sub-law documents to prevent discrimination against those groups.

Representatives from the group of migrant labourers underscored the fact that while accounting for about 60-70 percent of the workforce, these labourers usually have unstable jobs with low income. As a result, most of them lack basic knowledge on sexual and reproductive health, putting them at high risks of violence, unsafe abortions and sexually transmitted diseases.

Participants to the event discussed ways to ensure the inclusion of all groups of young people in policies on sexual and reproductive health care.

Organized by the Ministry of Home Affair’s Youth Affairs Department, the forum aimed to connect young people directly with policy makers and give them an opportunity to contribute ideas to the Youth Law (reviewed).

Binh Duong puts water supply plant into operation

The southern province of Binh Duong put a clean water supply plant into operation on December 20, in a bid to ensure all of its residents and industrial areas access hygiene water by 2020.

The plant, which has a daily capacity of 30,000 cu.m, was built at a total cost of 519 billion VND ( 24.7 million USD), of which 464 billion VND (21.8 million USD) came from the World Bank.

General Director of the Binh Duong Water Supply and Environment Co. Ltd Nguyen Van Thien said, the station supplies clean water for residential areas outside and businesses inside the My Phuoc Industrial Zone, the Viet Huong Industrial Zone No. 2, and the Ascendas – Protrade Singapore High-tech Zone.

Water taken from the Dong Nai river is treated with advanced technologies at the facility before sending to pipelines, the company said.

Up to 97.5 percent of the province’s population in rural areas had access to water supply meeting clean water standards.

The province, located in Vietnam’s southern key economic region, which also encompasses Ho Chi Minh City and six other provinces, is increasingly known as a processing hub.

Ben Tre children get free cleft palate surgery

More than 40 doctors from the Japanese Cleft Palate Foundation led by Prof. Nagato Natsume have worked on a programme to offer free surgery to 60 children born with harelip and cleft palate in the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre.

On December 22, the first day of the five-day programme, the doctors gave operations to 11 child patients, including one with hematoma on the tongue.

The annual programme, which has been conducted in Ben Tre over the past 20 years, also covers northern Quang Ninh and Ninh Binh provinces, and Ho Chi Minh City . It is expected to reach the northern port city of Hai Phong soon.

Since April 1993, the Japanese Cleft Palate Foundation has conducted free surgery for over 1,300 children with harelip and cleft palate in Ben Tre, while providing the locality with 75,000 USD to build a new surgery centre at the Nguyen Dinh Chieu Hospital.

Ho Chi Minh City to bring beggars, homeless to social centers

Ho Chi Minh City is going to kick off a campaign to bring homeless people and beggars to social sponsoring centers for their own interest and for improving order, security and civilization in public places.

Along with the ongoing campaign to send drug addicts to compulsory detoxification centers, this annual campaign will start on December 28, said Vo Thanh Quang, deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City Social Sponsoring Center.

The campaign targets subjects who are beggars and homeless people living in public places such as the bottom of bridges, sidewalks, parks, bus stations and squares.

All beggars who beg for money in public places in any manner will be gathered and sent to social centers for care and management, Quang said.

If beggars are mendicant monks, they will be required to obtain a certificate from a relevant agency under the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha so that they can be excluded from the campaign.

Those who are suffering from mental diseases or show signs of mental disorders will be sent to the Mental People Caring Center, the official said.

After being sent to this center and the city Social Sponsoring Center, beggars and homeless people will be classified in groups and have personal files set up.

These files will then be sent to the municipal Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, which will consider their cases and issue decisions for each group, as the Social Sponsoring Center will take care of the beggars and homeless for a maximum of three months only, Quang said.

Annually, the center receives more than 2,000 beggars and homeless people who live in public places, the official said.

Currently, the facility is caring for 200 people at a cost of VND30,000 (US$ 1.4) per person per day, Quang said.

Regarding the ongoing campaign to collect drug addicts that began on December 5, more than 1,220 subjects were sent to the Binh Trieu Rehabilitation Center in Binh Thanh District and the Nhi Xuan Vocational Training and Job Creation Center in Hoc Mon District as of December 20, the city Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs reported.

Japanese doctors offer free surgery to children with cleft lips, palates

A delegation of more than 40 professors and doctors from the Japanese Cleft Lip and Palate Association is offering free surgeries to 60 children with cleft lip and palate deformities in the northern province of Ben Tre.

The programme runs from December 22 to 26 at the Nguyen Dinh Chieu hospital in the province.

On the first day, 10 children with cleft lip and palate deformities, including a child with a tongue hematoma, were successfully operated on.

This is the 20th time the Japanese Cleft Lip and Palate Association has provided free medical checks-up and surgical operations to children and adults with cleft lip and palate deformities, in Ben Tre province, to help them integrate into the society. Around 50–60 people have benefited from the programme each year.

The Japanese Cleft Lip and Palate Association is a non-governmental organisation. The cost of the association’s operations is funded by the government (one-third), its members (one-third) and donations from Japanese people and students (one-third).

In addition to Ben Tre, the Association has also carried out free surgeries for people with cleft lips and palates in other provinces including Quang Nam, Ninh Binh and Ho Chi Minh City. Japanese doctors are also going to expand the programme to Hai Phong city.

A test of ability and endurance

More young local men have come to parks with exercise facilities around HCMC in the morning and afternoon to practice street workout to improve fitness and test their ability and endurance.

Street workout is a combination of athletics and calisthenics, and is regarded as a new form of physical exercise in this city.

Tien Chau, a senior student of Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine, said he immediately fell in love with the sport for the first time when he watched it and surfing videos on YouTube.

“Practicing this sport is totally free as I do not have to spend money using workout equipment at the gymnasium but take advantage of outdoor public facilities for my practice. On top of that, it helps me develop an attractive body with firm muscles,” Chau said.

Chau pointed out another benefit of street workout as an effective way for him to enhance health and prevent diseases because the strenuous exercise helps boost metabolism and burn surplus calories inside the body.

Another workout enthusiast named Tan Loc said a street workout session often consists of basic and advanced exercises. With equipment available at parks, practitioners can perform movements of different levels, from normal pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups and squats to static holds such as the human flag, front lever and back lever, among others.

Saigon Calisthenics is one of the most popular groups in HCMC. Members of the group often gather at stadiums and parks here in the city such as Le Van Tam, Hoang Van Thu, September 23 and Phu Tho Stadium to practice the sport as well as topics of interest.

According to Saigon Calisthenics, it is very difficult to practice the sport on one’s own as it requires teamwork. Therefore, it helps bring people closer together and that is the significance of being members of the group.

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