Man arrested for issuing fake motorbike registration certificates

Police in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai have prosecuted a 28-year-old man for making 23 fake motorbike registration certificates, which were used to resell stolen vehicles.

According to the police, Nguyen Ngoc Tien worked with a resident in the northern Ninh Binh Province to produce fake documents such as identity cards and motorbike registration certificates since the beginning of this year.

Tien was also said to have attached fake number plates to motorbikes that were bought illegally from thieves before selling the vehicles at pawnshops in Lao Cai Province for VND20 million (US$960) each.

Tien had made nearly VND500 million ($24,000) from the pawnshops before he was arrested last month.

Detoxification centre set up for AO victims

Construction work on the first detoxification and rehabilitation centre for Agent Orange victims in central Da Nang City started yesterday.

The two-storey building, on 200sq.m of land, will include sauna rooms, laboratory and rehabilitation unit. It was funded with US$108,000 from the Harris Freeman Foundation.

The centre is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year.

Da Nang has more than 5,000 AO victims, of which 1,400 are children.

Indian community to donate blood in City

The Indian Chamber of Commerce in Viet Nam (Incham) is organising a blood donation drive next Sunday in co-operation with the HCM City Red Cross Society.

Members of the Indian community and their relatives and friends will participate by donating blood and doing their bit to save precious lives, an Incham statement said.

An Incham representative said we "want to contribute our bit and spread the positive message of donating blood by organizing this event.

The event will be organised on 18th August between 8.30 AM – 12 noon at Ben Thanh Theater, Number 6, Mac Dinh Chi Street, District 1, HCM City.

Hospital whistle blowers praised

Authorities in Ha Noi City praised whistle blowers for exposing misconduct during medical examinations and treatment at Hoai Duc General Hospital in Hoai Duc District.

The city People's Committee deputy chairwoman Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc also asked relevant agencies to take measures to protect whistle blowers from intimidation and attempts at revenge.

This news comes after a scandal at the hospital over staff who duplicated 1,000 blood test results for about 2,000 patients between July 2012 and May 2013.

Gun-toting robbers caught in Binh Duong

The instigator of a series of robberies at petrol stations in Ben Cat District in the southern province of Binh Duong has been caught.

Since the beginning of July, Tran Thanh Phong, 28, used guns on several occasions to force owners of the stations in the district to hand him money.

The suspect confessed that there were other three men involved, according to the provincial investigation agency.

Police have seized his gun along with many bullets and continued tracking down the others.

Many filling stations in the district have to close earlier in the evening because of fears of robbery, causing difficulties for motorbike and car drivers.

City's rapid transport system to be ready in 2017

The first Bus Rapid Transit route is expected to be put in use in four years, according to HCM City officials.

Duong Hong Thanh, deputy director of the city's Department of Transport, said a feasibility study was being completed on the proposed route from Mien Tay trans-provincial bus station to Thu Thiem Tunnel and Metro Station Line No1 in Cat Lai.

The proposed 25-km BRT system would run along Vo Van Kiet Boulevard, connecting the east and west portions of the city.

Thanh, however, did not reveal how much the new system would cost. One online source said construction cost could total US$152 million. When contacted by Viet Nam News , Thanh declined to comment further.

The system would have a fleet of 30 buses that would charge lower fares for students and the poor.

According to the city's transport department, the South Korean Government has helped the city conduct research and outline eight different BRT schemes that would cover the most important areas of the city.

The chief representative of the Korean International Cooperation Agency in Viet Nam said the bus system would provide a safe and convenient transport for the city's residents.

He said he hoped that with the three-year effort of both countries on the bus proposal, the project would be approved and implemented as soon as possible.

The bus system would decrease travel time and improve the bus speed up by 40 per cent, as well as reduce air pollution, he said.

Most people in HCM City rely on motorbikes which account for more than 65 per cent of vehicles. The current bus system is ageing and inefficient.

Traffic congestion has worsened, while road accidents kill more than 800 people in HCM City each year.

The two-wheeled culture has contributed to what the World Bank calls a disconnected form of sprawl or "leap-frog development".

Together with the first metro line Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien, which is under construction, the development of BRT shows that the city government was making an effort to reduce the number of motorbikes in use and develop a public transport system, Thanh was quoted as saying by Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated Saigon) daily.

This was especially important because more people would decide to buy cars as their incomes rise, contributing further to traffic gridlock, he added.

Among the Korean agency's eight proposals are:

— a 32km route from Binh Phuoc Intersection to Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street and the Mien Tay trans-provincial bus station.

— a 9.1km route from Ben Thanh Market to Cach Mang Thang Tam Street;

— a 14.9km route from Bach Dang Quay to Quang Trung Software Park;

— a 22km route from Cay Go Roundabout to Ha Noi Highway;

— a 13km route from the District 8 Bus station to Hang Xanh roundabout;

— a 14.6km route from Bach Dang Quay ferry to Nguyen Huu Tho Street and Kenh Te Bridge;

— a 16.3km route from Ben Thanh Market to An Suong Bus Station; and

— a 5km route from Ba Queo T-junction to Au Co Street to Ba Thang Hai Street.

Deadline set for land-use certificates

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has asked every province in the country to finish issuing the majority of their certificates on land-use rights, known as ‘red books' in Viet Nam, by the end of the year.

Hai made the request at a meeting on Friday to review the progress of granting land-use rights certificates held in Ha Noi.

According to a report by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, over 1.36 million certificates of land-use rights were granted to eligible applicants during the first half of 2013, which raised the total number of certificates granted to approximately 36 million.

The documents cover 20 million hectares of land across the country, accounting for 83 per cent of total land that need to be certified.

So far, 11 provinces, including Binh Duong, Quang Tri, Can Tho, have almost finished granting of land-use right certificates, while many others have completed less than 70 per cent of their areas.

Around 4.2 million certificates have been granted in urban areas, meeting 80 per cent of the requirements, while 11.5 million certificates have been granted in rural areas, with an 85 per cent completion rate so far.

Hai said that more hard work was needed to ensure that all certificates were issued by the end of the year.

He added that the main reason for the delay was a backlog in 18 localities, saying that they need to take drastic steps to address the issue.

These localities should regard the issue as a key task that needs completed as soon as possible, he said.

Hai also requested the relevant agencies to deal strictly with violations of the Land Law such as the illegal construction of buildings or the encroachment on public land.

Violations of the Land Law so far amount to 125,000 cases in Ha Noi and 130,000 cases in HCM City.

Ministry of Transport agrees on new road

The Directorate for Roads of Viet Nam has been assigned to plan for a new road via My Dinh, Ba Sao and Bao Dinh.

The 78km road will pass through the northern cities and provinces of Ha Noi, Ha Nam, Hoa Binh and Ninh Binh.

It will have four lanes for vehicles traveling at up to 100kph.

The most economical approach will cost VND3.4 trillion (US$161.9 million) but it would require land from the Van Long nature reserve. The other option will cost VND4.3 trillion ($204.7 million).

Landslides blight riverside households

Dozens of households along the banks of Duong River in Yen Vien town in Ha Noi City's Gia Lam District are suffering from landslides caused by prolonged heavy rain over the past few days.

The landslides caused walls to collapse in riverside houses, and two are facing complete destruction.

In 2005, as many as 116 households in the locality had to be urgently evacuated to safety after a series of landslides hit their homes.

Da Nang to begin urban gas system

Central Da Nang City is to install a gas reticulation system in the districts of Cam Le, Ngu Hanh Son, Son Tra, Hai Chau and Lien Chieu.

The system, including three stations and 150km of gas pipes, will cost around US$3.4 million. It will provide liquefied petroleum gas, synthetic natural gas, compressed natural gas and natural gas from 2016.

Deputy chairman of the city's people committee Nguyen Ngoc Tuan said the system would reduce the consumption of gasoline, oil, coal and electricity.

Delta demands higher healthcare training quota

Health departments in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta have called for a higher training quota for the Can Tho University of Medicine and Pharmacy as the region struggles with a lack of healthcare personnel.

At a workshop held on Monday, representatives of many regional provinces and cities said they need more doctors and pharmacists.

A report tabled at the workshop by the Can Tho University of Medicine and Pharmacy showed that as of last year, Kien Giang Province had the largest number of doctors in public health clinics and hospitals at 922.

Hau Giang Province was at the bottom of the table with just 385 doctors.

The number of doctors per 10,000 people in Soc Trang Province was 3.89, the lowest in the region. An Giang and Tien Giang provinces followed Soc Trang Province with 4.56 and 4.86 respectively.

This situation will persist until 2016 if urgent steps are not taken to address the shortage, workshop participants said.

The number of pharmacists in the region has also been low, with Soc Trang and An Giang having just 0.4 and 0.48 per 10,000 residents.

These localities in particular and the region as a whole need more general practitioners, traditional medicine doctors, preventive health and forensic medicine experts, the workshop heard.

Against this shortage, the region has just one public university to train healthcare personnel, and the number of graduates it turns out every year falls well short of the region's needs.

The four private universities in the region have medicine and pharmacology faculties, but experts have expressed concerns over the training quality they provide.

For this year, the university has a training quota of 821 doctors and pharmacists.

Dr Pham Van Linh, rector of the Can Tho University of Medicine and Pharmacy, expressed concerns over the boom in health personnel training faculties at private universities in the region in particular and the whole country in general.

Viet Nam had seven medicine and pharmacology schools and faculties in 1975 and 19 in 2010. However in just two years, from 2011-2013, the number increased by 13 to 32, he said.

Eleven of the 32 medicine and pharmacology schools and faculties are private, and the quality of training provided by these institutions is worrying, he added.

The institutions have rectors and vice rectors who are not doctors or pharmacologists, and they do not have the professional background needed to ensure quality training, he explained.

Le Hung Dung, deputy chairman of Can Tho City People's Committee, said he does not understand why the Ministry of Education and Training has allowed private schools to enroll students who have scored low marks in the university entrance examinations.

Such students are not qualified to attain professional knowledge in key subjects like medicine and pharmacology, he said.

All four private universities in the Mekong Delta – Vo Truong Toan, Tay Do, Tan Tao and Nam Can Tho – have medicine and pharmacology faculties that enroll students with scores just one or two marks higher than the minimum passing grade set by the ministry, the workshop heard.

Dung wanted measures taken to prevent the churning out poorly trained doctors.

Tran Thi Thai, deputy chairwoman of the Dong Thap People's Committee, said that her province would refuse to employ graduates of such schools despite the province suffering a shortage of health staff.

Japanese know-how gives hill tribes hope

Women in a poor southern village no longer carry water on shoulder poles 4km to their homes. And farmers have learned better fertilising techniques, providing cows with enough grass to eat year-round.

Small steps. But such improvements have changed the lives of many households in two of the poorest communes in Mang Yang District in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai.

Thirty-four-year-old Nhach, who lives in one of the commune's villages, is one of thousands who have benefited from a project carried out by the district's People's Committee in co-operation with the Japanese International Co-operation Agency (JICA) since 2009.

Nhach said he had spent decades trying to grow pepper and cassava plants, but the yield had always been low. "I only scattered seeds and watered for natural growth," he said. "I didn't know the reasons for the failure. I really thought the gods did not support me."

But after meeting Japanese expert Nakata Toyokazu, Nhach learned how to add compost to his field and take care of his plants. "It's important for Nhach and his friends to use things available in their village, such as cow dung, cassava leaves and straw, to make compost which can improve the soil," Toyokazu said. "Using what is available also helps save the cost of making compost."

With total official development assistance (ODA) of US$3.5 million, the project aims to help more than 1,370 families with a total of 6,691 people in the two communes of Lo Pang and Kon Thup escape poverty.

Ethnic minority groups, including the Ba Na, Tay, Nung, Thai and E-de, account for 90 per cent of the population.

Like Nhach, many villagers were unaware of some of the basic concepts of farming, including soil fertilisation, disease control and enhancement of crop productivity.

They also knew little about preventing diseases that their pigs, chickens and cows could contract, and knew even less about treating them.

Most of them grow rice, cassava, Litsea glutinosa (used to make incense) trees, coffee and pepper, but many of them have had poor yields and low incomes.

The cows have often lacked enough grass to eat during the dry season, and sometimes wander into nearby forests to look for food. Many died because of poor nutrition.

However, through the JICA programme, farmers have learned how to plant the right kind of grass for the area's soil and how to take care of it. And they now know how to use cow dung as fertiliser for their fields.

In recent years, the two communes have been backed by national programmes on poverty alleviation. These have provided land and seed of Litsea glutinosa trees for settled agriculture and fixed residence in an attempt to reduce the slash-and-burn farming of wandering hill tribes.

Residents in the two communes have also benefited from JICA's capacity improvement project, said Dinh Xit, chairman of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front in Lo Pang Commune.

In a conference on the effectiveness of using ODA capital held earlier this month, many, including JICA's project, showed initial effectiveness, according to a report by the provincial People's Committee.

Local authorities said that apart from poverty reduction and better farming techniques in the communes, residents were also seeking access to education and health services.

The programme did not provide finance, but instead offered support via face-to-face discussions, Xit said. Pham Ngoc Co, head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Division in Mang Yang District, said it worked by selecting a certain number of "key families" who were taught farming techniques. They then shared this information with other farmers in their villages.

Local agricultural-extension divisions also receive training from Japanese and Vietnamese experts as well as volunteers.

Another important component is hygiene control of cattle sheds and disease prevention for animals and plants.

Xit of the Fatherland Front said that, as a result of the new fertiliser, his pepper garden had done very well.

JICA's programme also focuses on improving healthcare and education.

Communal Rong houses and water supply systems have been repaired and a new clean-water system built in Hlim Village in Lo Pang Commune.

Xit, who lives in Hlim, said there had been running water available since the system was built in September.

Japanese experts said the results of the five-year project, which will end next year, would materialise gradually, but added that it was already clear that the knowledge being shared by local farmers ensured the sustainability of the programme.

Japan’s Otawara to establish ties with Danang

Japan’s Otawara city would seek to build friendship ties with central Danang city as part of its efforts to increasing connectivity in the Southeast Asian region.

Vice Mayor of Otawara city Nagayama Hayashi said at a meeting with Danang officials on August 12 that Da Nang would be his city of choice for establishing cooperation in Southeast Asia.

He said his city will send a business group to explore investment and cooperation opportunities with Danang in the fields of agriculture, hi-tech industries, education and culture.

The International University of Health and Welfare will cooperate with the Danang Medicine and Pharmaceutics University in human resources training.

HCM City to welcome SEA youth ship

As many as 329 delegates from 10 ASEAN countries and Japan will attend The Ship for Southeast Asian Youth Programme (SSEAYP 2013) due to take place in Ho Chi Minh City from November 14-17.

They will pay courtesy visits to the municipal leaders, take part in cultural exchanges with local youth, and experience home-stay matching.

Le Quoc Phong, Secretary of the HCM City Youth Union, says 700 young people will participate in the programme’s events, including opening and closing ceremonies, art performances and in-group discussions.

About 160 families will join the home-stay programme, in which each family will play host to two SSEAYP delegates.

The event aims to strengthen friendship and mutual understanding among the youths of SEA countries and Japan, as well as helping them understand more about Vietnam’s land and people.

It is expected to improve local young people’s international communication skills, broaden knowledge and share experience in youth activities with foreign delegates.

Int’l NGOs present wheelchairs to disabled people

Free Wheelchair Mission (FWM) and Give It Back to Kids (GIBTK) have donated 550 wheelchairs to people with disabilities in six cities and provinces across the country.

Recipients were those from Haiphong, Quang Ninh, Lao Cai, Phu Tho, Thanh Hoa and Nghe An.

At the presentation ceremony in Haiphong city on August 12, Phan Thanh Son, an official of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO), thanked the two organizations for their gifts which he said will help the disabled people better re-integrate into the community.

Haiphong is home to approximately 17,000 victims of Agent Orange/dioxin, handicapped people, and needy children. The gifts will help the recipients overcome their daily hardship and lead a normal life.

Exhibition on dioxin catastrophe in HCM City

An exhibition entitled “Journey to justice for Agent Orange (AO)/Dioxin victims” was held in HCM City on August 9.

The exhibition’s photos showcase the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA)’s activities over the past 10 years. They capture moments at US and international courts of conscience, justice hearings, AO victim support initiatives, and the determination of AO victims to overcome their suffering.

The exhibition’s particular focus on second generation victims shows the poisons’ lingering impact on the lives of the innocent.

One portrait subject, Hoa Binh Village’s Nguyen Hong Loi, won a medal at the national swimming tournament. Pham Thi Thuy Linh, born without hands, is still striving to become a painter.

The exhibition aims to encourage the public and its younger generations to better their understanding of war aftermath and AO victims’ everyday bravery.

It will run until August 15.

Hanoi prepares for Asian Cities meeting

 Hanoi has held a preparatory meeting ahead of hosting the plenary session of the Asian Network of Major Cities 21 (ANMC21), scheduled for November 18–19.

This is the second time Hanoi has played host to an important ANMC21 event.

The August 8 preparatory meeting offered member city delegates a chance to discuss the plenary session’s agenda and contribute ideas regarding its major urban planning and urban energy policy themes.

Highlight of the upcoming ANMC meeting will be an Asian trade, investment, and tourism promotion conference, featuring the participation of a range of domestic and foreign experts.

There will also be art performances and exhibitions displaying coordinated projects and children’s paintings imagining “future cities and life in the next 100 years”.

Established in August 2000 by Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara, ANCM21 is an important forum for Asian cities to promote cooperation through joint projects.

Its first plenary meeting was held in Tokyo in October 2001. The network is currently implementing dozens of joint projects addressing various issues facing its member cities.

ANMC21’s 12 member cities include Tokyo (Japan), Seoul (the Republic of Korea), Singapore (Singapore), Bangkok (Thailand), Taipei (Taiwan), Delhi (India), Kuala Lumpur (Indonesia), Jakarta (Malaysia), Manila (the Philippines), Yangon (Myanmar), Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia), and Tomsk (Russia).