Hanoi grapples with purulence of false taxis

Authorities in Hanoi are trying to deal with thousands of taxis operating in the city, whose licenses are from other provinces.

A number of taxi companies, registered in other provinces, continue to operate in Hanoi. Agencies have stated that this has caused difficulties for them. Even though the authorities have ceased granting licenses to new companies, the number of taxis operating in the city continues to rise.

In order to avoid the laws, taxi firms register the number plates in Hanoi but go to other provinces to register their taxi license badges. Those taxi cars with badges of other provinces would be working in Hanoi instead of their registration locations.

Ha Quang Vinh, an inspector from the Hanoi Department of Transport, said they discovered 10 taxi companies have been using cars without the required licenses in Hanoi. Vinh went on to say that Hanoi currently has 19,000 taxis, of which about 2,000 are not under the management of Hanoi municipal authorities.

Deputy head of Hanoi Department of Transport, Nguyen Hoang Linh, said in order to deal with this problem, there are plans to make special licenses for taxis that are allowed to operate in the city. If the project goes through, 17,000 registered taxis would be given a special badge to show their validity. The project is expected to be implemented by the end of the year.

"The 'special badge' will help management agencies decipher reputable cab companies from those who are trying to get around the law by tricks. This will also make it easier for customers to tell reliable taxi companies from bad ones," said Linh.

Some experts have come out to say even this restrction is not strict enough, criticising the inspection process and even the competency of authorities to uphold current laws.

HCM City mulls VND1.86 trillion for flood control

The HCMC Steering Center of the Urban Flood Control Program (SCFC) has asked the HCMC People’s Council to pass a dozen of major projects for implementation this year and next at a total cost of VND1.86 trillion (some US$87.3 million) to control flooding in the city.

SCFC made the request at a meeting with the HCMC People’s Council on June 26. The projects will help address flooding in districts 1, 2, Tan Binh and Thu Duc.

The spending will go to upgrading the drainage systems on Mai Thi Luu Street in District 1; Bau Cat, Truong Cong Dinh and Ba Van streets in Tan Binh District; Go Dua Street in Thu Duc District; Thao Dien, Quoc Huong and Xuan Thuy streets in District 2; and building a rainwater regulation lake of 4,000 square meters in Tan Binh District.

SCFC said to effectively control flooding in a 108-square-kilometer river basin area in downtown HCMC, the city has spent big on 14 projects to improve drainage in this area and 47 out of 58 flood-prone sites have been solved.  

HCMC spent nearly VND1.58 trillion (nearly US$75 million) coping with flooding in 2011-2013. However, the city’s chairman Le Hoang Quan told a seminar last March that flooding in this city had not been resolved as effectively as expected.

As a consequence, many streets in districts 6, Tan Binh and elsewhere are still submerged when heavy rains occur. Therefore, the center plans to build over 30 large lakes in suburban areas and hundreds of smaller lakes in inner-city areas as well as dredge canals to mitigate flooding.

U.S. university joins hands with city’s national university

A delegation from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) led by Chancellor Gene Block will visit Vietnam and work with the Vietnam National University in HCMC from June 28 to July 1 to forge scientific ties between the two institutions.

Both schools will ink an agreement on June 30 in biomedical science and educational science. Moreover, the two sides will suggest to the governments of Vietnam and the U.S. measures to further improve the bilateral cooperation.

Professor Gene Block will host the talk “Developing a Global University: UCLA Experience” for the staffs of the Vietnam National University in HCMC.

Since 2008, scientists from the U.S. university have joined hands with partners from the Vietnam National University in HCMC to set up and develop materials relating to molecular structure and nanostructure for use in the fields of energy and environment. Based on the cooperation, the Center for Molecular and Nanoarchitectures (MANAR) was established in December 2011 in the campus of the Vietnam National University in HCMC.

After that, the two sides have jointly carried out new programs on biomedical science and educational science.

Luxembourg funds healthcare centres in northern provinces

The Health Department of northern mountainous Cao Bang province and the Luxembourg Agency for Development Cooperation on June 25 inaugurated a new health centre in the Dam Thuy commune, Trung Khanh district.

The centre, spread over an area of 950 sq.ms, was built with an investment of more than 2.2 billion VND (104,000 USD), from Luxembourg's development grant.

It is expected to provide better healthcare to about 5,000 people, mostly from the Tay ethnic group in the commune.

The healthcare centre is part of Luxembourg's support to the healthcare policy for the poor in the northern provinces of Cao Bang and Bac Kan.

Under the project, the construction of other 11 healthcare centres, worth 26.8 billion VND (1.25 million USD), is scheduled to finish next month in the two provinces.

Sustainable development forum for youth opens

A forum aimed at empowering Vietnamese youth to share initiatives and solutions on sustainable development and environmental protection was opened in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue on June 28.

In his opening speech, Director of the British Council in Vietnam Chris Brown voiced his hope that participants will become environment ambassadors with specific actions, expanding spillover effects on the community.

The forum, themed “ Be Active Citizens ”, attracts 40 outstanding young people selected from 400 profiles nationwide, focusing discussions on climate change and natural disasters, energy saving, green economy, bio-diversification, vulnerable groups and climate change.

The five-day event is held within the framework of the active citizen programme launched by the British Council in 2009. The programme has been implemented successfully in 38 countries around the world, attracting the participation of 530,000 youngsters and bringing great value to 15 million people.

Conference seeks to improve resource management in Asia

Domestic and foreign experts discussed ways to increase the effectiveness of resource use and management at a regional workshop hosted by the central city of Da Nang on June 25-26.

The event is part of the ongoing Integrated Resource Management in Asian Cities: Urban Nexus project implemented by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) with financial support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

Participants reviewed the progress of realising urban nexus initiatives in participating cities and the sharing of experience in the field. They also mentioned the importance of State management to the urban nexus and discussed next steps of the project.

Participating in the project, Da Nang has been assisted by GIZ experts in improving the capacity of treating wastewater and managing urban agriculture.

The city’s representatives voiced hope that Asian cities will further enhance advanced technology transfer and sharing of management experiment to heighten the efficiency of managing and using resources towards a sustainable Asia.

Many said the Pacific-Asia region faces rapid urbanisation which causes serious impact on the resources, especially water, energy and food.

The majority of regional cities are managing separately their sectors, which makes them unable to optimise collaboration.

Ten cities in six Asian countries, including China, Mongolia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, benefit from the project which will be implemented until December 2015.

Mekong rice sector in need of restructuring

The restructuring of rice farming in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta should focus on improving farmers' incomes and sustainable development, experts told a seminar in Can Tho on Tuesday.

Le Van Banh, head of the Cuu Long Delta Rice Research Institute, said though the rice cultivation area and output increase every year farmers remain poor.

The main goal of restructuring the rice sector should be to improve farmers' incomes so that they continue to farm, he said.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Quoc Doanh said besides yields it was also time to focus on improving the commercial value of the rice varieties grown.

The country exports the grain at around US$400 a tonne, but needs varieties that can fetch $600 and even $1,000, according to Doanh.

The delta is the country's important rice producer, but the rate of certified rice seeds used is only 35 per cent.

Since the rest are uncertified, the quality of exported rice and output are adversely affected.

The ministry had begun a research and agricultural extension programme focusing on creating high-quality rice varieties that would improve export value and farmers' incomes, he said.

Participants in the seminar said the production and trade of rice faced many limitations like low quality of exports, low competitiveness, and small scale of cultivation and trade.

The delta's provinces were not closely linked and there was little application of modern technologies in rice processing, they said.

Le Duc Thinh, deputy head of the ministry's Department of Cooperative Economy and Rural Development, said the average land holding per household in the delta was 0.87ha.

Of the delta's total rice area, low-quality varieties accounted for 45 per cent and medium-quality ones for 35 per cent.

Traders bought around 90 per cent of the rice grown in the delta, he said, meaning farmers did not make much profit.

Nguyen Do Anh Tuan, deputy head of the ministry's Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development, said the proposed restructure of the rice sector envisaged strengthening the links between exporters and farmers and focus on rice cultivation areas specialising in exports.

It also sought to usher in advanced farming techniques and technologies to increase yields and values, attracting foreign investment in agriculture, developing new export markets, and increasing the output of high quality rice for exports, he said.

Nguyen Quoc Viet, deputy head of the Southwest Region Steering Committee, said the delta planned to stabilise paddy output at 24-25 million tonnes a year from now through 2010.

The region has 1.6-1.8 million hectares under the grain, but plans to grow higher value crops like corn and soybean on 112,000ha of low-yield rice fields in 2014-15.

As of the end of last month 87,000ha had been switched to corn, dragon fruit, and lime, according to the Plant Cultivation Department.

Farmers cash in on tiger shrimp

The model to establish large-scale fields to breed black-tiger shrimp in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta district of Dong Hai has resulted in high profits for farmers.

Early last year, the Dong Hai District Agriculture and Rural Development Bureau in Bac Lieu Province set up a large-scale shrimp field on an 83-ha area with the participation of 43 households.

Under the model, farmers are given financial support and farming techniques under the Vietnamese Good Agriculture Practices (VietGap) standards.

Under a new cultivation method, farmers change the water a fewer number of times in shrimp ponds.

Duong Minh Doan, who owns 2.6ha of land on a large-scale shrimp field, said participating farmers had a bumper harvest last year.

"My family made a profit of VND180 million (US$8,600)," he said.

Farmers earned a profit of between VND60-80 million ($2,900 – 3,800) per ha a year.

The breeding period for each black-tiger shrimp crop lasts about three months.

Vo Ngoc Can, who breeds 2.8ha of black-tiger shrimp under the model, said he had consolidated pond banks to prevent water leakage, and improved water quality, including the content of pH and salinity.

"I use probiotic products in shrimp ponds once every 15 days to improve water quality," Can said.

River water is taken into the ponds when there are high tides, he said.

Water in shrimp ponds was released into the river only when it was necessary, with the instruction of agricultural officials, he said.

Nguyen Truong Han, head of the Dong Hai District Agriculture and Rural Development Bureau, said the large-scale shrimp field model had been expanded to four of Dinh Thanh Commune's five hamlets, with a total of 200ha.

Dong Hai District plans to develop large-scale shrimp fields on a total area of 260ha, focusing on Dinh Thanh and Long Dien Tay communes.

"With high profits from the model, farmers have developed large-scale shrimp fields to a total of more than 380ha so far," Han said.

The new farming model has also helped protect the environment as farmers have reduced the amount of dredging of mud in shrimp ponds, which they had discharged into the environment.

Passion fruit switch could taint supply

More farmers in Dak Nong Province are planting passion fruit trees to reap the benefits of a price increase, despite warnings from authorities that there could be an oversupply.

Ha Van Nam in Gia Nghia Town's Dak Nia Commune, for example, recently cut down two hectares of coffee trees in order to plant passion fruit.

"If I replanted my coffee trees, I would have to spend about hundreds of millions of dong and wait for a few years to have a coffee harvest," he said. "Passion fruit vines take a shorter period to bear fruit."

It takes about six months for passion fruit vines to produce fruit.

Mature passion fruit vines have four major harvests a year and yield 80-100 tonnes per ha a year.

Nam estimated that if the price of passion fruit was from VND7,000-8,000 (US$0.3-0.38) a kilo, his family would have a good profit from 2ha of passion fruit.

Passion fruit has been planted in the Tay Nguyen (Central Highland) province since 2007.

Pham Hung Vy, deputy head of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development's Plant Cultivation Bureau, said when passion fruit was planted for the first time in the province, the department planned to develop only 200ha of the fruit.

However, it has contracted with Phu Thinh and Tia Sang Co-operatives to supply passion fruit seedlings for farmers in order to control the quantity and quality of seedlings, Vy said.

However, the price of passion fruit has increased and passion fruit farmers have earned high profits, he said.

The rapid increase of passion fruit area will lead to a threat of disease outbreaks, he said.

Passion fruit vines can become infected with powdery mildew and bacterial blight.

Many farmers grafted passion fruit seedlings by themselves, increasing the risk of disease, Vy said.

Most farmers who grow passion fruit beyond the zoning area are not trained in growing techniques.

Farmers that have chopped down perennial trees to replant passion fruit trees have also affected the province's cultivation structure.

The total area of passion fruit in the province has increased to nearly 1,000ha, mainly in Dak Glong and Dak Rlap districts, according to the department.

Meanwhile, passion fruit processing plants in Dak Nong can buy only 200ha of passion fruit, said the department.

Nguyen Van Xuyen, director of the Dak Nong –based Nghia Duc One Member Co., Ltd, said his company had bought passion fruit for at least VND20,000 ($0.95) a kilo in previous months.

However, the supply is abundant, and the company has reduced the purchase price, he said.

Traders are now paying VND5,000-6,000 a kilo for the fruit.

Falling rubber prices take their toll on local industry

Price falls and low yields hit farmers and rubber workers in central Quang Binh Province while local authorities are struggling to find new plants in the locality.

According to Nguyen Duc Phong, chairman of farmer association in the province's Nong Truong Viet Trung commune, there has been a critical collapse in the price of natural rubber.

"One kilogramme of fresh natural rubber cost at VND8,000, while the cost was VND20,000 per kilogramme the same period last year," he said.

In addition to the price falling, rubber trees in the commune, which is considered a hub for rubber plantations in the central province, strong storms that struck Quang Binh Province last year have also ravaged earnings.

"We have a total of 2,000ha of rubber trees and the storms ruined 80 per cent of the total. The remaining trees are producing a very low yield," said Phong.

According to statistics produced last year, each worker could harvest 50kg of fresh natural rubber per day, compared with this year's maximum of 10kg per day, he said.

Many rubber plantation owners have said they want to get rid of the trees to use the land to grow other industrial trees.

Tran Xuan Hau, owner of a 120ha rubber plantation, said he had no choice but to replace the trees as it would take another six years to harvest. He also said he could not afford the cost of replanting the trees.

Hau is now among a host of farmers looking to grow more profitable trees.

Phong said the commune's authorities had organised several trips for farmers to learn about different models in neighboring Quang Tri Province.

"We found the cultivation of dragon fruits and black pepper might be suitable for the land. But we need to investigate the supply of water for pepper," he said.

Meanwhile, farmers themselves are having to cut down the trees to grow cassava and watermelon across 653ha. According to the farmers' association, watermelon has turned out bumper crops and earnings for farmers.

At the commune, there are 3,000ha of rubber trees managed by the local Viet Trung rubber company. The company refused to comment on the price fall, but workers said the collapse had created tough times.

Nguyen Thi Hong Nhung, a worker in the Quyet Tien team of the company, said she could harvest only 2kg of fresh natural rubber a day, much lower than an average of 60kg a day she did last year.

"Harvesting 2kg a day equals to wage of VND600,000 (US$26) a month. Many of my colleagues have quit to find a seasonal job as some of them were making even less than me," she said.

The company has a total of 17 teams of harvesters, with around 80 workers each. The majority of workers have become redundant as a result.

In the meantime, experts have recommended a halt to planting rubber trees in the province due to heavy annual storms.

Ninh Binh City to become regional cultural-historical centre

The upgrading of Ninh Binh City to the second grade creates more favourable conditions for the city to develop into a cultural-historical centre of the Red River Delta, according to Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai.

Addressing a ceremony on June 28 to announce the Prime Minister’s Decision on recognizing Ninh Binh as a second-grade city under Ninh Binh province, Deputy PM Hai said the city should make good use of its natural and historical heritage to become a destination of choice for tourists, helping boost the comprehensive development of Ninh Binh province.

To be recognised as a second-grade city, the city should be a political, economic, cultural and tourist centre as well as a transport hub of a region while meeting a number of requirements such as a population of at least 800,000 for a centrally-run city and 300,000 for a provincial city, fair infrastructure and at least 80 percent of urban labourers working in non-agriculture sectors.

Ninh Binh City is the capital city of the province of the same name, which is home to such well known tourist destinations as Bai Dinh Pagoda, the newly-recognised UNESCO cultural and natural heritage site of Trang An, Cuc Phuong national park and Tam Coc-Bich Dong site.-

Nearly 40,000 poor students benefit from EMW-funded programme

Close to 40,000 disadvantaged students in the central region of Vietnam have been aided 3.7 million USD in the last ten years from a scholarship programme funded by the non-governmental organisation East Meets West (EMW).

Set up in 2004, the Scholarship Programme to Enhance Literacy and Learning (SPELL) aims to provide students with difficulties in Vietnam with a bright future via education.

With its goal of preventing students from dropping gout of school and improving learning quality, the programme has supported children of the poorest households in the seven central localities of Quang Binh, Thua Thien-Hue, Da Nang, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh and Phu Yen.

After 10 years of operation, SPELL has gained impressive results – a decline in the dropout rate and an impressive pass rate that meets or exceeds the national average. Many of SPELL scholarship recipients have won municipal, provincial and national awards for their academic achievements.

Poor students will have a bright future if they receive support, EMW Country Director Nguyen Minh Chau said, adding they will help their families escape from poverty and make the society prosperous.

“Their success is a great encouragement for us to continue our work,” she noted.

In 2010, EMW set up a university scholarship programme namely SPELL Goes to College (SGTC), which has helped 130 disadvantaged students access university education.-

Khmer pagodas hold summer classes for children

Many Khmer pagodas in the southern province of Bac Lieu have opened summer classes on Khmer language for local children.

At Chot Pagoda in Hung Hoi commune, Vinh Loi district, more than 100 children of all ages are attending four classes held at different hours throughout the day.

Monk Thach Uong, who is in charge of the classes, said the monks want to teach the children not only the ethnic group’s language but also traditional customs and good behaviours.

Eleven-year-old Lam Thi Phuong Anh said the Khmer script is very difficult, but after a long time of practicing, she can now write in a proper way.

The pagoda classes are hailed by Tran Thi Hoa Ry, head of the provincial Committee for Ethnic Affairs, who said they help Khmer children become aware of their cultural root while contributing to preserving and developing the fine traditions of the Khmer ethnic group in the southern region.

Bac Lieu province is home to around 65,000 Khmer people.-

Children in Ben Tre discuss their rights with local officials

Children in the southern province of Ben Tre discussed issues their rights and State policies for children with local officials at the second annual Children’s Forum on June 29.

The forum, held as part of the month of action for children, focused on the theme of preventing violence against and abuse of children.

Students from primary and secondary schools in nine districts and towns as well as children from social welfare facilities presented their opinions and messages regarding issues of their interests such as beating or exploiting children, and discrimination against disadvantaged kids.

The forum is held with the aim of making children better aware of their rights and role in society, as well as creating a chance for government officials and policy makers to understand children’s wishes and needs, thus improving the building and implementation of policies targeting children.

Over 500 volunteers join in ‘2014 Give Strength in Exam Season’ program

More than 500 volunteers on attending a departure ceremony themed ‘the 2014 Give Strength in Exam Season’ program was held at Vinh Nghiem Pagoda in Ho Chi Minh City on June 28, aiming to support the provincial candidates to three cities including Ho Chi Minh City, Da Lat and Can Tho City for the 2014 University Entrance Examination.

Over 10,000 free accommodations and 420,840 free vegetarian meals will be supported to candidates and their relatives at more than 120 pagodas and homes in Can Tho, Da Lat and Ho Chi Minh City during the examination season, said organizers.

520 volunteers will be divided into three groups, including 330 volunteers in Can Tho city, 130 volunteers in Da Lat City and 60 volunteers in Ho Chi Minh City.

In Ho Chi Minh City, volunteers will be present at Western, Eastern Bus Station, Saigon train station to provide information about favorable rooms as well as routes to candidates.

Most volunteers are students from colleges and universities.

The ceremony was held by Central Buddhist Board.

Increasing play areas being used for other purposes

At a recent forum on held by the Department of Child Protection and Care, a student commented that the play areas of children are being taken over by adults.

In fact, this can be documented. The playground of building G at Nam Thanh Cong, in Dong Da District, has been illegally occupied with houses, the rest being used as a parking lot. Children there now play in the empty spaces of the lot, among charcoal stoves and tea stands.

The same situation is also seen at apartment blocks in Thai Thinh, Giang Vo and Trung Liet streets with even smaller playgrounds.

A playground in Ngoc Khanh Ward is built for children, but now, it has been turned into a temporary market. Giang Vo Ward has nine playgrounds, but they have all been taken over by tea stands and mobile restaurants.

Other playgrounds designed for children, such as the one at Tan Nhue Street, in Bac Tu Liem District, have been co-opted by adult game courts, used for volleyball or activities for old people.

Many parents say that they are satisfied with the playgrounds at schools, which offer large spaces with greenery, but the schools close after lessons are finished.

Authorities have recognised the problem. They intend to increase the area of playgrounds by 45% by 2020. However, this may be a difficult task, as allocation of funds for such projects in municipalities faces many obstacles.

American professor, Tobias B. Wolff, also a well-known lawyer, remarked that he was impressed by the activities in Vietnam to improve the rights of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community over the past eight years.

At at a meeting with Vietnamese reporters held by the US Embassy recently, he said that despite cultural differences, I have seen many shared experiences of the Vietnamese and American people concerning the rights of the LGBT community when I met Vietnamese people in Hanoi and HCM City during his stay in the country.

In Vietnam or the US, the LGBT community expect that their rights to be ensured, including access to health services. Their care is also similar to any ordinary person in society. Many LGBT people still suffer from public discrimination, but this helps them to be stronger to fight for their rights.

“Vietnamese people who I have met all have an progressive outlook. They agree on an equal treatment for the LGBT people. Vietnam still faces oppositions for ensuring rights of LGBT people, however, the opposition level is smaller than many other countries,” he added.

Prof. Wolff said that “ In spite of staying Vietnam for a short time, but I have recoganised that Vietnam is willing for active changes to ensure rights of the local LGBT community.

“I am really impressed by activities to boost the LGBT community’s rights in Vietnam over the past eight years. Eight years ago, Vietnam did not have national-level discussions on rights of the LGBT community eight years ago. But now the situation has changed and the issue has received support from some ministers, including Minister of Justice,” he said.

The professor also showed his regret on the National Assembly’s rejection of Article 16 on rights of same-sex marriage of the draft Law on Marriage and Family. “If the situation has not been changed, this will be a standstill in ensuring equal rights for the Vietnamese LBGT community. However, Vietnam will have time to consider whether same-sex marriage should be recoganised or not.”

According to Prof. Wolff, LGBT people should be brave to announce their real gender and be patient to persuade the public for their recognisation of their rights.

More stories about discrimination against the LGBT community should be told, including problems each family and person faces.

He said that one of the most difficulties for the LGBT community to announce themselves is the fright to be discriminated and abandoned by their family.

He called on parents to encourage their children if they belong to the LGBT community so that they can be stronger.

Currently, 19 among 50 states in the US have recoganised same-sex marriage. This is a fast and remarkable change in ensuring rights for the LGBT community.

Ninh Binh recognised as second-class city

A ceremony was held on June 28 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Ninh Binh city's Liberation Day (June 30, 1954) and to announce that Ninh Binh city, Ninh Binh province, has been recognised as a second-class city.

The event was attended by Politburo member Dinh The Huynh, who serves as head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Popularisation and Education and President of its Theory Council, as well as Minister of Public Security Gen. Tran Dai Quang, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai and several leaders of ministries and local branches.

Addressing the ceremony, Deputy PM Hai praised the city’s efforts and outcomes, saying that they have contributed to the achievements of Ninh Binh province and the nation in general in the past.

He urged Ninh Binh city to uphold its spirit of dynamism and creativity and to promote its potential and advantages to accelerate economic restructuring, serving the city’s comprehensive and sustainable economic growth. The city should be active in international integration and tourism development, striving to become one of the country’s key tourist centres.

The deputy PM directed Ninh Binh city to focus on tasks on building the Party and a pure political system and accelerating administrative and legal reform.

On the occasion, the Ninh Binh Municipal People's Committee honoured 11 organisations and 18 individuals for outstanding achievements in the campaign on building Ninh Binh city.

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