Home vegetable gardening gains traction in Hanoi

Many people in Hanoi have started growing vegetables inside their homes as concerns about the additives on food products grow among the population.

Even though many families in Hanoi live in row houses or apartments, they have been finding innovative ways to grow and maintain small gardens that produce vegetables for home consumption.

The rooftop garden has become especially popular because they can be contained inside plastic boxes or even unused pipes. The people grow the plants hydroponically for conveniences and hygiene.

The cost to build and maintain a mini-garden can easily exceed buying vegetables on the market. However, more and more consumers are putting growing their own vegetables anyway because of their health concerns about bought produce.

Nguyen Minh An, a resident of Ha Dong District, has spent VND4 million (USD190) to set up a garden of a little more than 2 square metres. In this garden, she grows about 13 kinds of vegetables, including onions, lettuce and water spinach. An also grows lemon and guava.

An said, "After a good harvest I keep some in the fridge or share with neighbours. Some I use to feed the chickens."

Some companies provide water systems for indoor gardens. The water and nutrients are pumped evenly to all receptacles, and can even adjust to weather conditions. According to several experts, the rise of indoor gardens indicates how little credibility the produce market has among consumers.

Thien Thanh firm's top leaders arrested

Three top officials of the HCM City-based Thien Thanh Group Ltd Company were arrested yesterday for allegedly violating Viet Nam's Penal Code's Article 165.

The Article deals with deliberate acts against the State's regulations on economic management, leading to serious consequences.

The arrested persons are the company's Chairman of the board of directors Pham Cong Danh, 49; former Director General-cum-member of the board of directors Phan Thanh Mai, 43; and another former member of the board of directors Mai Huu Khuong, 31.

They were also top managers at Viet Nam Construction Bank, a commercial bank with registered capital of VND3 trillion. On Monday, a day before they were arrested, State Bank of Viet Nam announced that the three top executives had been dismissed from service to ensure normal operations of the bank.

Thien Thanh Group Ltd Co is a subsidiary of the Thien Thanh Group, based in HCM City. Its businesses include construction materials, auto services, real estate, finance and hotels.

Drug-resistant tuberculosis cases surge in the capital

The amount of people suffering from multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB) in Ha Noi has spiked, according to the Ha Noi Lung Hospital.

Back in 2011, the hospital received about 60 patients with MDR TB. This year, that number has increased to more than 160.

The hospital's deputy director Vu Cao Cuong told the Kinh te & do thi (Economic and Urban) newspaper that each year more than 5,000 TB patients were being discovered in Ha Noi, with 80 per cent of them suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis.

It was the main source of the disease's spread in the community, he said.

Meanwhile, health experts have attributed the surge in MDR TB cases to the prolonged exposure of drugs to the bacteria which has led to multidrug-resistance.

Patients were also failing to strictly adhere to prescribed treatments; either by stopping use of the drugs or not using them in the right quantities. Some patients found they showed signs of recovery after a period of using the drugs, causing them to stop use of the drugs, experts said.

Additionally, patients may have become susceptible by inhaling traces of the multidrug-resistant bacteria from other patients, causing the bacteria to quickly develop in their bodies.

Cuong said that TB treatment was expensive and MDR TB treatment was much more expensive, adding that the treatment could last for up to two years.

MDR TB requires a different strand of drugs to be treated and carry a number of side-effects. The treatment would be more complicated and require closer supervision, he said.

However, TB drugs for adults and TB vaccines for children were currently available free-of-charge, said Cuong, adding that patients received treatment based on the Directly Observed Treatment Short course.

By the end of this year, the country could expect to be using a new drug to treat MDR TB patients, he said.

Bear kept in captivity shifted to rescue centre

A female bear, weighing 150 kilograms, was shifted from the Central Highland Dak Lak Province to the Tam Dao Bear Rescue Centre in the northern Vinh Phuc Province yesterday.

The bear, which had been kept in captivity by a local man since 1999 when she was a cub weighing five kilograms, was voluntarily handed over to the Dak Lak Province's Forest Management Department.

Animals Asia Foundation provided free medical aid to help shift the bear to the rescue centre.

This is the fifth case of a bear receiving medical aid from the foundation since early this year.

ADB asked to aid Sa Pa urban development project

The northern province of Lao Cai has proposed the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to provide assistance worth up to US$73.6 million for a Sa Pa urban development sub-project.

The proposal was made during a working session between local authorities and an ADB delegation on July 29.

According to Lao Cai authorities, the funding will be used in the construction and upgrade of urban infrastructure, technical assistance and the enhancement of capacity in planning, infrastructure and work management, the development of urban transport network, and the improvement of clean water supply system and environmental hygiene.

The Sa Pa urban development sub-project is part of an ADB-funded project on technical assistance for development of urban centres along the Greater Mekong Sub-region corridor, carried out in seven localities of three regional countries. Sa Pa in northern Lao Cai, and Mong Cai and Bac Giang cities in northern QuangNinh and Bac Giang provinces have been selected for the project.

Sa Pa district, about 400km northwest of Hanoi, is known for its resort town of Sa Pa is 1,600m high above sea level, with the average temperature of 15-18Celcius degrees. The whole town is dominated by the Hoang Lien Son mountain range which is famous with the Indochina’s highest mountain of Fansipan at a height of 3,142 m above sea level.

Defence ministry provides VND 8 bil for Agent Orange victims

Despite the conflict ending in 1971 – four decades on – Vietnamese are still suffering from the devastating effects of Agent Orange sprayed on crops, plants and trees by US military forces.

Sen. Lieut. General Ngo Xuan Lich, Chief of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) General Political Department, made the statement on July 30 during a working session with the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA) representatives.

“VAVA has set up offices in 59 provinces nationwide with more than 325,000 members in total,” he said.

“Over the past forty some odd years, the Party, State and Government of Vietnam have offered numerous incentives for social policy beneficiaries, including victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin.”

VAVA has received international advocacy support from over 500 organizations and individuals from 30 countries and territories around the globe for Vietnam’s lawsuit pending in the courts against 37 US chemical companies, who produced and provided chemicals for the US military’s use during the war, he said.

Despite opposition from the courts, Vietnamese lawyers and international friends are also avidly demanding the US Government take on the humanitarian responsibility for cleaning up the environment in Vietnam and provide assistance and healthcare services for Agent Orange/Dioxin victims.

Annually, the Defence Ministry cooperates with the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and other social organizations to grant aid to war veterans and families of those who rendered great service to the nation during the wartime.

Lich asked VAVA to continue helping Agent Orange/Dioxin victims stabilize their lives and struggle for justice while seeking retribution under international law.

On the occasion, the Defence Ministry also provided VND8 billion in support of VAVA and its efforts to help the victims of the deadly toxic overcome the consequences.

Scholarships granted to Hanoi needy students

The National Fund for Vietnamese Children (NFVC), in collaboration with the Hanoi People’s Committee, on July 29 presented scholarships worth VND3 million (US$141) each to 170 outstanding students living in difficulties in the city.

At the event, Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan, who is also NFVC President, appreciated Hanoi in the care of its children, especially in reducing child-abuse cases. She asked municipal authorities to seek measures to increase the efficiency of support activities.

Hanoi is home to over 1.7 million children, of whom 13,000 are in extremely difficult circumstances and nearly 1,000 living in sponsor centres.

The municipal fund for children has to date mobilised VND5.8 billion (US$272,600), which have been used effectively for charitable activities. It has given bicycles to 80 students with good performance in study, provided free surgery for 25 hare-lipped and cleft palate children, and equipped seven kindergartens with toys.

On this occasion, the Imex Pan Pacific Co. Ltd. donated VND500 million (US$23,500) to the fund.

Japanese city provides aid to Phu Quoc island

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)on July 30 approved a US$40 million funding to help southern Kien Giang province implement a water supply and waste treatment project in Phu Quoc island.

Construction of the project is being made pursuant to a cooperation agreement signed the same day in Phu Quoc island district between Kien Giang province and Kobe city, Japan.

Signatories to the agreement were Kien Giang provincial People’s Committee Vice Chairman Le Khac Ghi and Kobe Vice Mayor Satoshi Toorii.

Under the terms of the cooperation agreement, construction of a water plant will be built in Cua Can commune next year, with a designed capacity of 20,000 cubic metres per 24 hours.

The project is expected to stimulate greater cooperation between businesses, especially in the fields of the environment, water supply, waste treatment, agriculture, and tourism.

Takahiro Morishita, an official from Kobe took the occasion to introduce the city’s environment policies. With its experience and technology, Kobe city is committed to helping Phu Quoc island achieve sustainable development, he said.

VAVA urged to continue demanding justice for AO victims

A senior military official has hoped that the Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA) will pursue the struggle for justice for local AO victims on the basis of international law.

Sen. Lieu. Gen. Ngo Xuan Lich, permanent member of the Central Military Commission and head of the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA), expressed the hope at a working session with VAVA representatives in Hanoi on July 30.

In recent years, the Ministry of Defence has worked with the Ministry of Labour Invalid and Social Affairs in proposing to the Party and State mechanisms and policies in support of AO-infected war veterans and their relatives, he said.

Domestic and foreign organisations and individuals have taken a range of activities to help them enjoy a better life, he added.

According to VAVA, over the last decade, the association has established its branches in 59 provinces and cities across the country with over 325,000 members. It has also set up funds in 33 localities and 24 rehabilitation centres in 20 provinces and cities.

It has raised nearly 718 billion VND (34 million USD) in and outside the country to repair and build houses, grant scholarships, generate jobs and offer storm relief for AO victims and their families.

The association has partnered with 500 organisations and individuals from 30 countries worldwide to aid its lawsuit against 37 US chemical companies which sprayed the toxic chemical during the war in Vietnam.

Public opinions in and outside the country have forced the US government to detoxify dioxin-contaminated areas as well as provide financial support for AO victims to assess medical checkups and treatment.

From 1961-1971, US troops sprayed more than 80 million litres of herbicides - 44 million litres of which were AO that contained nearly 370kg of dioxin - over southern Vietnam.

As a result, around 3.5–4 million Vietnamese people were exposed to AO/dioxin. Many of the victims have died, while millions of their descendants are living with deformities and diseases due to the effects of the chemical.

Kien Giang schools teach ethnic minority languages

As many as 26 primary and nine secondary schools in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang are providing lessons on ethnic minority languages besides the regular classes in Vietnamese for local children of these ethnic groups.

Most of the schools are in districts and towns where there are large communities of ethnic minorities.

The ethnic language classes have been underway since the 2004-2005 school year to help the youngsters study and promote their ethnic culture-art values and traditional customs, according to the provincial Department of Education and Training.

Vietnam is home to about 12 million people of ethnic minority groups, accounting for 15 percent of the nation’s population. The Vietnamese Government issued Decree 82/2010-ND-CP in July, 2010 stipulating the teaching and study of the oral and written forms of ethnic languages to keep them from falling into obligation.

In addition, many local TV stations have broadcast programmes in ethnic languages, while other forms of media are also striving to reach out to the ethnic minority audience.

The Vietnam News Agency (VNA), for example, has published a monthly bilingual pictorial magazine – the Dan Toc va Mien Nui (Nationalities and Mountain) - in eight ethnic minority languages, which are Khmer, Bhana, Jrai, Ede, Cham, Mong, K’ho and M’nong in parallel with Vietnamese.

It plans to issue three more bilingual versions of the pictorial magazine for ethnic minority readers as from 2015.-

Training programme for Vietnamese children with hearing loss

A training programme for children with hearing loss held at the Thuan An Centre for Disabled Children in southern Binh Duong province has helped many children develop their listening and spoke language skills.

Director of the centre Nguyen Thanh Thu Thuy said through the Global Foundation for Children with Hearing Loss funded by the US, 11 hearing impaired children taking part in the programme are able to listen and talk and go to integration classes in the 2014-15 academic year.

The Thuan An Centre is providing training for nearly 400 hearing impaired children and one-fourth of them attending the programme, which brings a high hope for them.

The Foundation is a non-profit organisation designed to provide resources to children with hearing problems.

The Foundation and the Thuan An Centre have jointly organised the programme since 201.0

On July 29, US Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Rena Bitter visited the centre, promising to send more US experts to the centre to help hearing impaired children gradually reintegrate into community.

Modern patrol ship added to fisheries surveillance fleet

The Vietnam fisheries surveillance force received a new patrol ship, the most modern of its kind in Vietnam so far, at a ceremony on July 30 in the northern province of Quang Ninh.

The 90.5m-long ship, coded KN-782, was built by the Ha Long Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. since October 2012.

It has a displacement of 2,500 tonnes and a maximum speed of 21 nautical miles per hour. The vessel is also equipped with large fuel and water storages, modern rescue and medical equipment along with other advanced features.

Vice Chairman of the Quang Ninh People’s Committee Do Thong said a powerful fisheries surveillance force will help better safeguard the nation’s sovereignty and support fishermen at sea.

On June 30, the Ha Long company handed over the ship KN-781 with similar design features to the Vietnam Fisheries Resources Surveillance Department.-

Workshop aims to enhance anti-corruption efficiency

Accelerating administrative reforms, perfecting State budget use standards and norms, and building methods to control civil servants’ assets are measures to ensure the feasibility and increase the efficiency of corruption prevention.

The measures were put forth at a workshop organised by the National Assembly’s Judicial Committee in the central province of Phu Yen on July 29-30.

Participants stressed the need to ensure transparency in the operation of agencies and units in charge of corruption prevention, supervise civil servants’ implementation of codes of conduct and professional ethics, and strictly handle detected corruption cases.

Heads of agencies must take responsibility for any corruption cases that happen in their agencies, they said, adding that measures should be taken to protect those reporting corruption behaviours.

To make anti-corruption work effective, it is necessary to build a synchronous legal system in line with the reality and international conventions to which Vietnam is a party, said Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Uong Chu Luu.

Last year, competent agencies took legal proceedings against 233 corruption cases involving 568 people, increasing 11 cases and 97 people compared to 2012. As many as 335 cases with 803 defendants were prosecuted during the year, up 91 and 202 respectively.

The Vietnam General Confederation of Labor has proposed an increase of 23% in the minimum wage next year to help workers improve their living standards, according to an official from the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs.  

The proposal was shared by Nguyen Tien Dang, head of the salary division under the ministry’s Labor and Salary Department on the sidelines of a meeting organized by Vietnam’s National Wage Council in Hanoi on July 29.

The monthly minimum salary for Zone 1 would reach VND3.32 million next year if the proposal is approved.

The confederation made the suggestion after it conducted a survey of nearly 1,900 workers at industrial parks. The survey showed 7.9% of respondents said their incomes are not enough for their daily expenses while 39% said they must tighten spending.

Among the respondents, 41.2% said the current wage is just enough to feed themselves and only 11.9% said they could save some money after all expenses are deducted.

According to the survey, the average monthly wage is VND3.667 million per worker but they actually get VND3.14 million as many enterprises have owed wages and insurance payments to their employees. This average income is lower than the average spending of VND3.905 million for a worker with children.

However, Dang said many employers suggested keeping the current minimum wage unchanged or increasing it by only 12% due to economic difficulties.

Ninh Binh looks to become national tourism center

The PM has passed a master urban planning scheme for Ninh Binh city through 2030 with a vision to 2050 with an aim to develop the city into a national-level hub of culture, history and tourism.

A corner of Trang An national tourism site

Under the newly-approved scheme, Ninh Binh city will be expanded with a total area of 21,052 hectares and a population of around four millions by 2030.

The city is home to a number of old tourist landscapes, including Hoa Lu ancient capital, famous tourist sites like Trang An, Tam Coc-Bich Dong, primeval forest which will be developed into the core zones.

The Trang An national tourism site and the spiritual tourism complex of Bai Dinh Pagoda will be upgraded, according to the scheme.

The city will also develop rural ecotourism, traditional trade villages, and waterway to connect tourist sites.

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