Japan to ease visa rules for Vietnam

The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on June 17 announced plans to relax visa rules for tourists from Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines in a bid to double the number of foreign visitors ahead of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Tourists with Indonesian e-passports will be exempt from getting a visa, while rules for those from Vietnam and the Philippines will be substantially eased. New regulations will come into effect as soon as possible, the ministry said.

The move is expected to help promote the image of Japan and draw around 20 million international tourists annually, it added.

Japan topped the 10 million visitor mark for the first time in 2013 as its tourism sector recovers after the quake-tsunami and nuclear disaster three years ago.

Officials believe that their efforts to boost the number of foreign arrivals will help kickstart the world’s number three economy.

UNESCO chief honoured for contributions to Vietnam

The Chief Representative of the UNESCO Office in Vietnam, Katherine Muller Marin, has been awarded an insignia for peace and friendship in recognition of her active contributions to preserving and managing cultural heritage in Vietnam.

Speaking at an awards presentation ceremony in Hanoi on June 18, President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Associations (VUFO) Vu Xuan Hong acknowledged Katherine’s efforts in promoting heritage preservation and strengthening friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and international friends.

Over the past five years, the UNESCO Chief Representative has played an important role in protecting tangible and intangible heritage examples in Vietnam. Her persistent efforts have helped Vietnam’s heritage gain global recognition.

Specifically she has been instrumental in gaining worldwide recognition for Dong Van Stone Plateau (a member of the Global Network of National Geoparks), Citadel of the Ho Dynasty (World Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO), and Xoan folk singing (World Intangible Cultural Heritage).

Moreover, she has helped build a learning society in Vietnam, encouraging the learning movement in the country.

With her love for Vietnamese people and land, she pledged further contributions to the country, which she said, has an invaluable traditional culture.

Danang, Changwon strengthen cooperation

The Danang city People’s Committee on June 18 signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Republic of Korea’s Changwon city authorities aimed at strengthening friendship and cooperation.

Under the MoU, both sides agreed to increase delegation exchanges and promote cooperation in such fields as administration, economics, education, and cultural exchange.

Noting that Danang and Changwon have many things in common, including natural conditions and economic development potential, Chairman of the Danang People’s Committee Van Huu Chien expressed hope that the MoU will help foster bilateral cooperation in investment, human resources training, and tourism development.

For his part, Changwon Mayor Kim Seok Ki emphasised that the MoU marks a milestone in the history of cooperation and development between the two cities, saying it represents a turning point in the evolution of Danang city’s tourism industry.

Currently, the RoK has 35 investment projects in Danang capitalised at over US$705 million, operating mostly in real estate, garments & textile, and leather & footwear.

Roughly 20 Danang businesses are actively cooperating with their RoK counterparts, with two-way trade turnover estimated at over US$93.2 million in 2013.

Apart from economics, Danang is also expanding cooperating with the RoK in education, culture, development aid, and people-to-people diplomacy.  

Hanoi, Oslo trade unions boost cooperation

A conference was held in Hanoi on June 17-18 to share experience in organising and operating trade union activities between the Hanoi Confederation of Labour (HCL) and its counterpart of Oslo, Norway, with a focus on developing the negotiation skills of grassroots activists.

HCL Deputy President Le Thanh Da said his organisation and the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions in Oslo (LO-Oslo) have successfully organised 11 such workshops, adding the experience shared by Norwegian delegates was useful to the operation of HCL union branches.

As a result, many officials from local branches have improved their bargaining skills during the contract negotiation process as well as in persuading employers to pay more attention to workers’ interest.

LO-Oslo Deputy General Secretary Lill Fanny Saether highly valued the outcomes of workshops held by the two sides, and underscored the important role played by labour union branches in the negotiation and signing of collective labour contracts.

Delegates shared examples of their experience in the work, which helped participants improve their own capacity in implementing trade union activities and protecting the legitimate benefits and rights of labourers.

Cambodian, Vietnamese women’s unions foster cooperation

Politburo member and permanent member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat Le Hong Anh, received representatives from the Cambodian Women for Peace and Development (CWPD) in Hanoi, on June 18.

The Cambodian delegation was led by Deputy Prime Minister Men Sam An, who is also CWPD President and Chairwoman of the Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Association.

Men Sam An briefed her host on situations in Cambodia, as well as the outcomes of her meeting with the Vietnam Women’s Union during the current visit.

She spoke highly of sound relations between the two countries, and expressed sincere gratitude to the Vietnamese people for their valuable support for Cambodia’s past struggle against the genocide regime.

Le Hong Anh highlighted the Cambodian delegation’s ongoing visit to Vietnam as a practical cooperation between the two women’s unions.

Both sides should support each other in bilateral ties and multilateral forums, strengthen the time-honoured friendship,  boost solidarity and comprehensive cooperation with a focus on education, especially younger generations, he said

During their stay in Vietnam, the Cambodian delegates attended a seminar hosted by the Vietnam Women’s Union, visited former Party leader Le Kha Phieu, met Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Association Chairman Vu Mao, and paid tribute to the late President Ho Chi Minh at his Mausoleum.

Japanese firms fight back against fake goods in Vietnam

Japanese giants like Toshiba, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Fujitsu and Hitachi have paid due attention to measures taken by Vietnam against counterfeit goods and trade fraud in the local market.

During a recent meeting with Nguyen Viet Hong, General Director of Vina CHG Corporation - a company specialising in providing anti-counterfeit consultation, Japanese businesses demonstrated keen interest in Vina CHG’s solutions, to help them protect their trademarks in the face of widespread violation of intellectual property rights in Vietnam.

Japanese firms praised the efforts of Vina CHG and relevant agencies in combating counterfeit products. They also proposed a number of measures to effectively fight fake goods and protect intellectual property rights by applying anti-counterfeit technology.

Vietnamese in the UK protest China’s illegal acts

Overseas Vietnamese (OVs) in the UK gathered in front of house No 10 on Downing street to repudiate China’s illegal placement of oil rig Haiyang Shiyou-981 in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.

They waived the national Vietnamese flag and slogans condemning China’s serious transgressions of Vietnam’s sovereignty and territorial jurisdiction and affirming Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos. They also demanded China to remove its oil rig from Vietnam’s waters.

Many of the OVs acknowledged that they participated in the demonstration to reflect Vietnamese people’s patriotic spirit.

They raised their voice in protest against China’s illegal acts in the East Sea and called on international and British friends to condemn these provocative acts and asked China to respect Vietnam’s territorial sovereignty.

The demonstration captured attention from local media agencies.

Vietnamese in Japan, Laos ask China to withdraw illegal rig

Vietnamese communities in Japan and Laos have demonstrated their sense of solidarity with compatriots at home in a protest against China, which illegally towed its oil rig Haiyang Shiyou-981 in Vietnam’s waters in early May.

Around 200 Vietnamese and Japanese citizens in red shirts marched from Jygyo Park to the Chinese Consulate General in Fukuoka prefecture, waving banners and posters to demand that China pull the rig out of Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone immediately.

They made representations in both English and Japanese to the Chinese Consulate General, saying that the rig’s operation runs counter to international law and practices, seriously violating Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago.

They asked China to stop its illegal acts by withdrawing the rig and escort ships unconditionally, and respect maritime freedom in the East Sea.

On June 17, the Vietnamese Association in the northern Lao province of Udomsay raised funds to support coast guards and fishermen at home.

Phi Van Mai, Chairman of the association, said Vietnamese residents stand ready to do their utmost to safeguard Vietnam’s sovereignty.

Despite Vietnam’s protest since early May, China has expanded its scale of operation and moved the rig to 15 degrees 33 minutes 36 seconds north latitude and 111 degrees 34 minutes 11 seconds east longitude, still 60 nautical miles deep inside Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone.

As of June 17, China maintained 136 ships, including five warships, around the rig. They kept on circling and standing ready to ram Vietnamese vessels, while approaching them to a distance of as close as 30 metres.

Worse still, Chinese fishing ships escorted by a coast guard vessel formed a line to block and disturb Vietnamese fishing boats which were catching fish as usual, at about 30 nautical miles from the rig.

Yen Bai deactivates wartime UXOs

As many as 109 wartime explosives and ammunition, including mortar shells and bullets, have been safely deactivated in the northern province of Yen Bai.

The dangerous remnants of conflict were discovered on June 4 by residents in a rice field in Vinh Kien commune, Yen Binh district.

They were moved to a place far from the residential area and disabled by sappers from the province’s Military Command.

According to the National Steering Committee for the National Action Plan on Overcoming Bomb and Mine Aftermath, about 800,000 tonnes of unexploded ordnance (UXOs) is scattered across 6.6 million hectares of Vietnam , or about 20 percent of the country’s land area, putting people in danger every day.

Incomplete statistics show that UXOs have killed more than 42,000 people and injured 60,000 others nationwide, equivalent to 1,500 deaths and nearly 2,300 injuries every year.

Vietnam has cleared hundreds of thousands of hectares of UXOs. Between 2012 and 2013 alone, more than 100,000 hectares of land were demined.

Legal proceedings begin against alleged Thai Binh looters

Police investigators in the northern province of Thai Binh have started legal proceedings against seven more people in Quynh Phu district on a charge of stealing property from Shengli Steel Co., Ltd in Cau Nghin Industrial Park.

According to the police, those men took advantage of disturbances during local protests on May 14 against China’s illegal placement of a drilling rig in Vietnam’s waters to steal property from the enterprise.

The local police investigation agency had earlier started legal proceedings against 14 others for stealing assets and using stolen property .

Of the 21 accused, 10 have been put in temporary detention, while the rest have been placed under house arrest.

In regards to the case, the provincial police investigation agency has seized many stolen items, including computer screens, laptops and motorbikes. Local authorities are also continuing their investigation in a bid to reclaim all the stolen property.

The arrival of the rainy season has brought a sigh of relief to forest rangers and local residents in the U Minh Ha National Park after five months of guarding intensely against fire.

After two weeks of continuous rains, hundreds of canals running across more than 40,000 hectares of cajuput trees in the buffer zone around the national park are now full of water, raising soil humidity and reviving the trees after months of drying weather.

The U Minh Ha is one of the two national parks in the southern province of Ca Mau. Established in 2006, it has a 3,600 ha strictly protected zone and a restoration zone of nearly 5,000 ha. The park is surrounded by a buffer zone of more than 25,000 ha, mainly cajuput trees.-

Can Gio mangrove forest endowed with diverse ecosystem

Can Gio mangrove forest, which was recognised by UNESCO as a world biosphere reserve in 2000, is a complex of terrestrial and aquatic flora and fauna, formed downstream of the Dong Nai-Saigon river system in the southeast gateway of Ho Chi Minh City, with a total area of 7,740 ha.

The special geographical position, along with the influence of the tide, has enabled Can Gio mangrove forest to receive a great deal of silt from the Dong Nai river and be endowed with rich and unique animals and plants, which has become the supply of food and sanctuary for both aquatic organisms and on-land vertebrates.

The forest is considered a “green lung” of the southwestern region, making the climate equable and preventing natural calamities.

The forest is populated by ‘Sac’, a type of mangrove tree, along with Aegiceras corniculatum (‘Su’), Bruguiera cylindrica (‘Vet’) and Rhizophora apiculata (‘Duoc’), which together form a large group of trees that are able to encroach on the sea.

In the 17 th century, the forest counted 42,000 ha of primeval forest with hundreds of water birds and aquatic organisms such as shrimp, crab, fish and amphibians, as well as innumerable crocodiles.

However, from 1962 and 1971, this place became a “land of death” as a consequence of the US War and deforestation. Many species disappeared.

In 1985, local residents and soldiers strived to revitalise the forest. Their efforts were paid off with tens of hectares of the forest successfully revived and 60 flora species and dozens of water birds, such as pelicans, storks, and cranes, returning for sheltering.

After 30 years of restoration, about 30,500 ha of Can Gio mangrove forest has been recovered, creating a favourable habitat for many animals and plants.

The forest is now home to 157 flora, 70 invertebrate and aquatic species and 130 types of bird, along with 31 different reptiles, 11 of which are listed in Vietnam ’s Red Book, such as geckos, pythons and cobras.

It has become an eco-tourism site and a place for domestic and foreign scientists to do more research about the botanical system there.

Vietnam is among the countries hardest hit by climate change, with its coastal region an extremely vulnerable area. Community-based management and development of mangrove forests has been underlined as effective way to strengthen coastal resilience against climate change.

The country has about 200,000 ha of mangrove forests.

Dong Nai ensuring environmental safety in industrial parks

Concentrated wastewater treatment systems in 21 out of the 28 operating industrial parks in the southern province of Dong Nai have been working effectively, with a total processing capacity of 102,000 cubic metres of water per day, according to the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

Five other parks have yet to release enough wastewater for their treatment system, while the final two are putting the finishing touches to their own systems, said Le Viet Hung, head of the department.

Meanwhile, automated wastewater observation stations have been set up in 17 industrial parks, 14 of which have been built by the province with a total investment of 77 billion VND, he said.

Air supervision stations have also become operational in three other parks, helping control pollution in the sites, said Hung.

Dong Nai has found 150 factories causing environmental pollution, with 11 facilities forced to halt their operation due to serious impacts to the environment, he said.

The official also revealed that 185 production establishments that are failing to ensure environmental safety will be removed from residential areas by the end of 2015.

German agency aids climate change mitigation project

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Germany Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) on June 10 launched a project worth 4 million EUR (5.4 million USD) supporting nationally appropriate climate change mitigation actions in Vietnam.

Under the project, from now to 2018 GIZ will help improve the ministry’s capacity in coordinating and instructing other ministries and sectors to carry out climate change mitigation measures.

It will also collaborate with Vietnam to conduct some projects, set up national monitoring, reporting and assessment tools, and enhance international negotiation capacity on climate change.

Deputy Minister Nguyen Linh Ngoc said that climate change is posing a major threat to Vietnam’s environment and food security in the 21st century.

The amount of green house gas emissions in Vietnam rose from 21 million tonnes of CO2 in 1990 to 150 million tonnes in 2000. It is predicted to reach 300 million tonnes by 2020, he noted.

Owning a long coastline, Vietnam faces many typhoons and other natural disasters every year. It is one of the five countries most vulnerable to climate change.

Over the past 15 years, natural disasters, including storms, floods, droughts and landslides, have killed and injured more than 10,700 people, while causing economic losses of about 1.5 percent of GDP each year, said Nguyen Van Tue, Director of the ministry’s Hydrometeorology and Climate Change Department, at a recent seminar in northern Thai Binh province.

ASEAN tourism sector commits to fighting climate challenge

The need to strengthen the tourism sector’s ability to address climate change took centre stage during the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) International Conference on Tourism and Climate Change that took place last week in Legazpi, the Philippines.

The conference brought together more than 200 senior tourism officials, policymakers and industry experts from 18 countries to exchange views and best practices on how to strengthen the sector’s ability to address this global challenge.

According to the ASEAN Secretariat's press release, Asia-Pacific has been at the forefront of tourism growth and development over the last decade, and recent numbers confirm that tourism in the region continues to progress above average. With rising international tourist arrivals and receipts in 2013 (6 percent and 8 percent respectively), the region’s tourism leadership is increasingly consolidated. Yet, continued tourism growth and sustainable development depend on improving the tourism sector’s resilience to climate change.

UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, made a call to position the fight against climate change at the heart of the tourism agenda, underscoring both the need for greater responsibility from the sector and the benefits sustainability entails for tourism and beyond.

“Energy-efficient and renewable energy technologies can reduce operational costs. Resource efficiency not only mitigates and reduces the tourism footprint, but fosters economic growth and creates much needed jobs in the process,” he said.

Meanwhile, Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), said that the conference helped with advancing the dialogue on how to address the greatest challenge of climate change, and in particular, how to address climate change in tourism and in policy that promotes tourism as an economic engine.

The conference highlighted that climate change mitigation policies should be consistent with the overall challenge it represents, thus requiring a multi-stakeholder approach and taking into account specific technological, economic and social changes.

Participants stressed that tourism's highly dynamic and innovative nature puts it at the forefront of those sectors dealing with climate change adaptation, and therefore providing opportunities to reduce the vulnerabilities it induces. However, in order to succeed, this endeavour needs to be shared by both tourism providers and consumers through increased awareness on the individual contribution to climate change response.

Thua-Thien Hue invests in combating erosion

The central province of Thua Thien Hue has invested 49 billion VND (over 2.3 million USD) from the state budget in a project to prevent coastal erosion and ensure safety for people in Hai Duong commune, Huong Tra town.

Accordingly, the money is being used to build a 730-metre long embankment system in eroded areas which were seriously damaged by recent floods and storms. The construction started earlier this month, and is expected to be completed before this year’s rainy season, which starts from August.

Chairman of Hai Duong communal People’s Committee Nguyen Liem said the frequent erosion in Thai Duong Ha village’s coastal areas causes a constant worry for the local authorities, especially in the rainy season, and threatens the safety of hundreds of households in the commune.

Apart from Thai Duong Ha village, serious e rosion has been seen in other coastal areas in the province, such Thuan An, Hoa Duan and Tu Hien estuary.

In these areas, sea water penetrates deep into the mainland with the average rate of between 10-30 metres every year, damaging public infrastructure facilities and civil buildings, and menacing over 1,000 families living there.

The province is now applying a new technology called “stabiplage” to form embankments, which is 50 metres long and 1.5 metres high, to cope with the current erosion.

Ca Mau sets sights on greener environment

The southernmost province of Ca Mau is taking many practical steps to help improve its environment and address climate change and rising sea level, especially in coastal and urban areas.

The provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment has organised a wide range of activities, such as releasing aquatic breeders and planting trees, in response to Vietnam ’s Sea and Island Week and World Environment Day, which call for global efforts to protect the ocean and prevent the rising sea level.

A number of campaigns have been held across the locality to raise public awareness of protecting the environment, adapting to climate change and minimising its impact, while effectively and economically using natural resources to preserve biodiversity and the ecological system.

Vietnam is recognised as one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to environmental changes. One-third of coastal and low-lying areas, where the majority of the country’s population live and cultivate land, will be directly affected by the impact of climate change.

In awareness of this fact, ministries, sectors and localities nationwide have carried out a national strategy to protect the environment between 2014 and 2020, with a vision towards 2030.

Annual spending for protecting the environment accounts for at least one percent of the total State budget expense.

Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Bui Cach Tuyen, has confirmed that all sectors and levels have been made fully aware of the significance of environment protection and natural resources management, which have become integral tasks of the whole political system.

Mekong seeks to grow crayfish breeding

A seminar on sustainable development of freshwater crayfish breeding last week was designed to help local farmers expand their aquaculture farms and resolve their current difficulties.

The Dong Thap Province's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Viet Nam Fisheries Association held the seminar, which noted that the country is the sixth largest on the list of the world's largest crayfish breeding countries and territories, behind China, Bangladesh, India, Thailand and Taiwan.

In 2013, the country had about 12,300 ha under crayfish breeding, including 12,250 ha in the Mekong provinces of Dong Thap, Ben Tre, An Giang, Can Tho and other coastal provinces. The country's total crayfish production in 2013 amounted to 7,000 tons.

The Mekong provinces produced 6,028 tonnes of freshwater crayfish last year, including 1,968 tonnes in Ben Tre Province; 1,630 tons in Dong Thap; 700 tonnes in Bac Lieu; and 391 tons in Tra Vinh.

Nguyen Huy Dien, deputy chief of the General Department of Aquaculture, said there must be a master plan for development of the aqua-culture section in the Mekong Delta that would lead to sustainable development.

Dien said the areas under crayfish breeding Viet Nam were expected to reach 26,900 ha in 2015 and over 35,000 ha by 2020. This expansion would meet the rising demand of overseas markets for crayfish products.

Winners for Press Awards 2013 to be announced

The first prize of the National Press Awards 2013 will be given to eight works, the largest number to date, according to Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Journalists’ Association (VJA) Ha Minh Hue.

They are the outstanding pieces of journalism, covering the topics of sea and island sovereignty, politics and economy, as well as role models, Hue said at a press conference in Hanoi on June 16.

The second prize will be awarded to 28 works, third prize to 41 and consolation prize to 38.

Major State-run media outlets such as the Vietnam News Agency (VNA), Vietnam Television (VTV) and the Voice of Vietnam radio have continued confirming their position at the forefront of journalism, said VJA Vice Chairman Hue.

These works, which have also joined in criticising negative phenomena, contributing to the fight against corruption and false allegations of hostile forces, will be honoured at a ceremony in Hanoi on June 21 to mark the 89th anniversary of Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day.

The event will be broadcast live on Vietnam Television (VTV) and Voice of Vietnam radio.

The National Press Awards 2013 received a total of 1,665 entries, the largest number so far. The previous awards honoured 117 works.

39 Vietnamese sailors face charges in Brunei

A crew of 39 Vietnamese fishermen from Quang Nam Province were arrested by Brunei patrolmen on June 7, and are now facing charges of illegal fishing in Bruneian waters.

On June 16, the chairman of Tam Giang Commune People's Committee, Ngo Van Thong, confirmed the information. The crew of a squid-fishing boat departed on May 8 and was arrested on June 7. The exact coordinates of their fishing area are still undetermined.

Thong said that the incident has already been reported to higher-ups. Communal authorities have also worked with the families of the ship's crew to provide what aid they can. After the arrest, the captain called his wife via Vietnamese Embassy in Brunei to let her know that he was being well-treated. The case has been scheduled for a hearing on June 21 in Brunei.

Nguyen Chi Dan, from Nui Thanh District People's Committee, said that they have reported the case to the Quang Nam People's Committee, and is expected to be passed on to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Need for childcare in HCM City reaches crisis point

HCM City has spent over VND140 billion (USD6.6 million) to attract and support teachers for local nursery schools, as this sector of education is facing a shortages in human resources.

Last year, the child abuse case at Phuong Anh Kindergarten raised public concern as to the quality of childcare facilities. Daycares are popular in HCM City, with almost 1,400 households providing these services.

Labourers from across the country come to industrial zones in HCM City for work, but need their children looked after during the day. Public schools only take on children 16-months or older, while private schools accept kids of 12 months, leaving a gap in childcare services.

Investors of industrial zones seem not to have considered childcare problems for their workers. Because of poverty, female workers often go back to work as early as four months after giving birth, so they desperately dependable care for their children while on the job.

It is expected that by the 2015-2016 school year, HCM City will have more than 45,000 more preschool students. Currently, it is estimated that about 500 unlicensed family-based daycare groups are taking care of over 10,000 children.

Chairman of Thu Duc District People's Committee said, "The need for nursery schools, especially ones for children between 6 and 18 months, is obvious. Moreover, labourers face great difficulty in finding safe places to keep their children in case they have to pull extra shifts."

NA Deputy To Thi Bich Van said that taking care of children from 6 to 18 months old is a challenging job, and teachers at nursery schools need an organised support system.

Deputy head of HCM City People's Committee, Hua Ngoc Thuan, said teachers' salaries would be increased by 25%. Moreover, they will spend over VND5 trillion on building and renovating school buildings, as well as VND72 billion on new equipment.

The Director of HCM City Department of Finance said that if the city's budget could not cover the cost, they would borrow money from state budget, commercial banks or state-owned financial institutions.

HCM City wants to expand dredging of Soai Rap River

The HCMC government has asked the Ministry of Transport to allow port operators at Hiep Phuoc Industrial Park to dredge four more kilometers of Soai Rap River using their own money to attract larger vessels.

In its recent written document sent to the ministry, the city government said the second phase of a project to dredge 54 kilometers of Soai Rap Waterway to a depth of 9.5 meters is set for completion this month so that ports along this waterway can handle vessels of 30,000-50,000 DWT.

As the remaining four-kilometer-long, 8.5-meter-deep part of the river from the Saigon Premier Container Terminal (SPCT) to Binh Khanh T-junction in District 2 has not been included in the dredging project, the city has therefore suggested the ministry allow the port operators to finance the dredging of that section to the same depth of 9.5 meters to create a consistent waterway.

More than 54 kilometers of the Soai Rap Waterway has been dredged to 9.5 meters deep in the second phase of the Soai Rap dredging project to enable vessels of 30,000-50,000 DWT to navigate to and from ports along the river.

Dredging Soai Rap Waterway requires nearly VND2.8 trillion (US$132 million), with Belgium’s official development assistance (ODA) loans accounting for over VND2 trillion and the rest from the city’s budget.

On May 17, a 54,000-DWT ship entered SPCT via the newly-dredged waterway. Many shipping lines have registered to transport goods to and from ports in HCMC via Soai Rap Waterway before dredging work is complete this month.

At a meeting with HCMC vice chairman Nguyen Huu Tin last week, Rashed Ali Hassan Abdulla, vice chairman for Asia Pacific of Dubai Ports World (DP World) Group - the foreign investor in the joint venture SPCT, said the group would encourage international shipping lines to consider opening new routes linking Soai Rap Waterway and SPCT.

He said a container ship of over 50,000 DWT used the Soai Rap Waterway for the first time to dock at SPCT for loading and unloading goods instead of having to dock in the southern city of Vung Tau as before.

The Soai Rap Waterway offers a shorter itinerary than the Long Tau River.

He said that DP World would work with the local partner in SPCT over a plan to develop this terminal in the future.

HCM City to pilot placing ads on 156 buses

The HCMC government has approved a pilot scheme to put ads on 156 buses on 10 routes in the city in a move to reduce State subsidies for public transportation, according to the HCMC Department of Transport.

Duong Hong Thanh, deputy director of the department, said at a press briefing here in the city last week that the city government had approved the scheme for 156 buses of 40-80 seats in the initial time.

“The department will hold an auction to pick advertising agencies and review the scheme after one year to prepare for implementation on a larger scale,” Thanh said.

In addition to advertising on buses, the department will attract advertisers to bus stops and major terminals to help reduce the city’s rising budget spending on commuter bus services, Thanh stressed.

Regarding advertising charges for buses, Thanh did not reveal specific rates but said the city would refer to advertising rates applicable to buses in Hanoi. He noted advertising rates at bus stops and terminals would triple those in the capital city.

According to the HCMC Public Passenger Transport Management and Operation Center, the city had 2,871 buses last year (down 82 units from 2012) and up to 110 routes got subsidies from the city government.

The subsidies for commuter bus services in HCMC rose from VND1.36 trillion in 2011 to over VND1.4 trillion in 2012 and VND1.47 trillion in 2013. As of last year, this service met only 10.7% of the demand of commuters.

At a meeting earlier this year, many deputies of the HCMC People’s Council expressed their concerns over snowballing bus subsidies while the city government had yet to allow advertising on buses in this economic hub of Vietnam.