Ly Son fishing boat attacked: 1 dead, 1 missing

Unknown ship attacked and sunk a fishing boat with six aboard from Ly Son island in Quang Ngai killing one and leaving another accounted for on May 25.

Fishing vessel QN96180TS, anchored in Haiphong’s waters and owned by Dang Van Dum, sent out a distress signal at 3am after it came under attacked by a yet unidentified vessel.

Rescuers immediately evacuated the captain of the fishing vessel to Co To island  where he later died despite the best efforts of medical personnel. One fisherman remains missing and is presumed to have gone down with the boat after it capsized and sank.

Five other fishermen were rescued by a fishing vessel from Haiphong responding to the distress call.

After receiving information about the incident, Quang Ninh province’s leaders directed the relevant authorities to Co To island to timely rescue and conduct investigation to identify the cause of accident.

Two large fishing boats launched in Da Nang

Two large fishing boats named DNa 90603 and DNa 98001 were successfully launched in the central city of Da Nang on May 24 by Bao Duy Oil Spill Response and Marine Service Joint Stock Company.

DNa 90603 is a fishing boat and worth a total investment of VND4.5 billion. It measures 21m in length, 6m in width, and 3.8m in height. With a capacity of 1,150 CV, the boat can carry over 300 tonnes of cargo.

Meanwhile, DNa 98001 is a fishing logistics boats with a capacity of 450 CV. It measures 23m in length, 6m in width, and 3.2m in height, with a total cost of VND3.2 billion.

Earlier, on May 22, Bao Duy company had also launched DNa 90604 fishing vessel with total investment of VND5.3 billion.

Around 122 officials from central Quang Ngai province are attending a training course conducted by Singaporean lecturers.

During the five-day course from May 26-30, trainees will be provided with Singapore’s management experience, public policies, public and communications’ involvement in policy making process, and approach to corruption control.

Teachers also shared Singapore’s experience in economic development and overseas trade promotion which can be applied in Quang Ngai.

At the event, teachers and trainees will be studying Singapore JTC Group’s industrialisation process, industrial development and planning of Jurong island and its urban sustainable development and planning.  

Campaign for children’s health care launched

June has been selected as the national month of action for children’s health, aiming to raise public awareness of child care and limit injuries among children.

Addressing the launching ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City on May 25, Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien urged competent agencies to make greater efforts to reduce deaths among under-fives and increase measures against common summer diseases and other ongoing prevalent diseases such as measles, hand-foot-mouth and varicella.

While warning of dangers commonly suffered by children in summer, including drowning, burning and electric shocks, the minister called on families and schools to ensure hygiene for children.

The campaign will help improve parents’ knowledge about raising children while creating a safe and meaningful playground for them. The launch will take place amidst the backdrop of International Children’s Day (June 1) and the summer holidays.

In Vietnam, the rate of malnutrition among children under five has dropped from 41% in 1990 to over 16% in 2012.

Researchers appeal for rare tree preservation

Scientists from the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa have suggested preserving the rare population of a Camellia species which were found in the local mountainous region in 2013.

A group of researchers from the Bidoup Nui Ba National Park in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong and the Da Lat University found the species in Hon Giao Mountain Pass, which links Khanh Hoa’s coastal city of Nha Trang with Lam Dong’s resort city of Da Lat.

This kind of tree was believed to have become extinct in the years since it was first discovered in Khanh Hoa province by German botanist M.Krempf in 1912.

In 1942, based on Krempf’s findings, the French scientist F. Ganepain gave the tree its scientific name Thea krempfii Gagnep.

In the middle of 2013, researchers from Southern Institute of Ecology and officers from the local Department of Forest Management accidentally uncovered an individual from this rare species on Ba mountain with no flowers, according to Khanh Hoa’s Department of Science and Technology.

In November that year, they found this plant at Son Thai Mountain in the local Khanh Vinh district, which is 6km from the Hon Ba Nature Reserve.

By collecting the samples of the species and counting flowers and seeds, the researchers identified it was the Camellia Krempf tree first discovered over a century ago.

Camellia Krempfii is a small tree, 8m high, and its flowers have a diameter of 5 to 7 cm. Researchers proposed that its rare genome be enlisted in the Red Book for further studying and multiplication.

Vietnamese abroad voice unity with homeland in East Sea row

Over 300 Vietnamese and foreign supporters raised banners in front of Sydney Town Hall on May 25, expressing their overwhelm indignation over China’s illegal placement of Haiyang Shiyou- 981 and escorting vessels in Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone since early May.

The gathering attracted the attention of many visitors, with most of them saying that it is a chance to express their support to Vietnam in its fight against China’s irrational claim in the East Sea.

Following the demonstration, they issued a statement declaring that China’s act is a grave violation of the United Nations Charter, the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, against the spirit of the Declaration of the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea and its agreements with Vietnam in the settlement of issues at sea.

China’s aggressive acts have threatened regional peace and stability, damaged the friendship between the two peoples and directly challenged Vietnam’s national security, they said.

In the document, they called on China to conform to international law by pulling its rig and ships out of Vietnam’s waters immediately and unconditionally.

The Vietnamese in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia also held a similar rally and sent a letter of protest to the Chinese embassy the same morning, in which they asked China to respect its neighbouring countries, their sovereignty and international law.

Vocation enrolments continue to decrease

More and more students are opting to choose senior high school instead of vocational school in HCM City as enrolment continues to drop for the 2014-15 academic year.

Nguyen Phan Hoa, principal of the Humane Job Training School in District 3, said his school, for example, has an enrolment quota of 600 for ninth graders who have completed junior high school, but only 300-400 students have registered for each of the past two years.

Students who fail to get admission to the 10th grade at public senior high schools will often choose private senior high schools instead of vocational schools.

"Vocational schools are their last choice," he said.

Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, deputy principal of the Binh Thanh Vocational Secondary School, said only 62 graduating ninth graders had enrolled at her school last year.

In the 2011-12 school year, of the 78,045 graduating ninth-graders, only 18,347 students, including 10,046 from provinces, enroled at vocational schools in the city, according to the city's Department of Education and Training.

Nguyen Dac Hien, head of the training department of the Hung Vuong Technology Secondary School, said that about 20 per cent of the students who enroled last year at his school had dropped out.

Under the current curricula, students who are at the 10th grade level must take both academic and job- training classes at vocational schools (except senior high school graduates who study at vocational schools).

Vocational school students who have not completed high school have to attend about 1,200 class sessions of maths, chemistry, physics and literature.

Hien said the students "were fed up with the curricula" .

Hoa of the Humane Job Training School said students were willing to attend job training classes, but played truant from academic (non-job training) class sessions."

Dong Nai needs $6.7m to upgrade provincial hospitals

The southern Dong Nai Province is estimated to require more than VND140 billion, or US$ 6.7 million, to upgrade three provincial hospitals as satellites for major hospitals in HCM City.

In 2013, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and the Health Ministry had approved a plan to develop 15 satellite hospitals nationwide until 2020, of which three are located in Dong Nai, an industrial hub.

These three hospitals are Dong Nai General Hospital, Thong Nhat General Hospital and Dong Nai Hospital for Children.

According to the provincial Health Department, VND140 billion is required to develop infrastructure, facilities and conduct staff training.

After they become satellite hospitals, they will support major hospitals in HCM City including Cho Ray Hospital, Oncology Hospital and Hospital for Children No 2.

They are expected to have facilities to conduct surgeries of the brain, the backbone, cardiovascular region and the heart, and paediatric brain surgeries.

Thus, they can reduce the number of patients being transferred to HCM City.

However, the authorities of the three hospitals said that they could hardly afford the funding.

Director of Dong Nai General Hospital Phan Huy Anh Vu said that the hospital had trained staff and mastered techniques to deal with more complicated treatment and surgeries.

But these treatments and surgeries are not included in the list of services that the health insurance fund covers, he said, explaining why such services are yet to be offered at the hospital.

Vice Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Nguyen Thanh Tri said that to ensure the steady pace of the satellite hospitals' project, the provincial authorities would help the hospitals access preferential loans.

The hospitals would pay the interest while the province would pay the capital.

The provincial authority would work with the health insurance office to find solutions to the relevant issues soon, he said.

Central region gets direction

The Office of the Central Highlands Steering Committee has been asked to focus on creating favourable conditions for investment activities in the region's provinces.

The request was made by General Tran Dai Quang, Politburo member, minister of Public Security and head of the Central Highlands Steering Committee, at a working session with the office in Dak Lak province on Saturday.

He was briefed of the region's socio-economic development, the defence security and the office's operation from the beginning of this year.

He directed the body to work with regional provinces in facilitating investment in the construction of transport infrastructure, especially on the Ho Chi Minh highway that runs through the Central Highlands. The highway is expected to open by mid-2015.

Quang also asked the offices of the steering committees for the Central Highlands and the northwestern region, as well as the provinces of both the regions, to tackle the problem of unplanned migration.

He also requested that checks be regularly conducted in hydro-power projects in the Central Highlands and surrounding areas, and that the resettlement of people to make way for project sites be carried out without delay.

Forest protection and management also need to be intensified, he added.

In addition, Quang stressed the importance of promoting socio-economic development, ensuring national security, maintaining social order and safety, facilitating sustainable development and attracting foreign and domestic investment to the Central Highlands.

Delta project tackles climate change effects

Starting this month, a US$50-million project co-financed by the UN's International Fund for Agricultural Development and the Vietnamese government is expected to benefit some 125,000 people in the Mekong Delta rice-growing zone.

According to a press release from IFAD, the project will create local centers to monitor and forecast salinity and improve irrigation canals and dykes, as well as helping farmers find income alternatives that might include growing something other than rice.

As part of the project, researchers at Tra Vinh University will look for fish species that are more tolerant to salt water and could provide good income for farmers.

Thuy Pham, vice dean of the university's aqua-agriculture faculty, said alternatives like fish farming would become more important as temperatures continued to rise.

"If we fail to do the necessary research quickly, food security will be compromised," she said.

The program will last for six years.

Vietnamese in Egypt, Switzerland voice protests to China

The Vietnamese community in Egypt joined a meeting on May 24 in protest against China ’s installment of its oil rig Haiyang Shiyou – 981 in Vietnam ’s continental shelf and exclusive economic zone since early May.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Egypt Dao Thanh Chung, in his speech, accused China of seriously violating international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and its agreements with ASEAN in the settlement of East Sea issue.

He made it clear that Vietnamese at home and abroad, and many countries around the world have vowed to side with Vietnam during its fight. They also called on China to withdraw its rig and escort vessels out of Vietnam ’s waters without delay.

The Party and State will steadfastly safeguard national sovereignty in tandem with maintaining an environment of peace, stability and national development, Chung assured them.

In a letter signed at the event, the Vietnamese expressed solidarity with Vietnamese people at home, especially law enforcement forces, vowing that they are willing to offer a helping hand whenever they are needed.

The same day, crowds of Vietnamese and Swiss people took to the streets in Zurich , Switzerland , raising banners asking China to abide by international law.

In a letter sent to the Chinese Consul General in Zurich, they requested the Chinese government pull its rig and ships out of Vietnam ’s waters right away, and said that the dispute should be settled via diplomatic channels.

Earlier on May 21, hundreds of Vietnamese students and their foreign friends gathered at a square in front of the United Nations Office headquarters in Geneva, voicing their disapproval of China’s provocations.-

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat has stressed the need to change the way in which vocational training is provided for rural labourers so that it can better meet their demands.

Localities should consider this matter thoroughly and introduce a more sustainable training process, said the minister.

According to a project on vocational training for rural labourers by 2020, about 1.6 million farmers will receive agricultural vocational training in the 2011-2015 period and 1.4 million others in the following five years.

Nguyen Minh Nhan, head of the ministry’s Personnel Department, said around 20,000 rural people were provided with vocational training between 2011 and 2013.

However, rural labourers still need regular updates on technological advances in production processes in order to increase productivity and efficiency, he said.

Acknowledging certain limitations in the current vocational training programmes available for farmers, Minister Phat noted that the work has failed to link sufficiently with national agricultural restructuring and new-style rural building programmes, and failed to connect with businesses to create an effective production chain for graduates to exploit.

Vocational training must derive from the real needs of farmers, rather than outdated theoretical models, he stated.

Phat emphasised the need to organise on-the-spot and short training courses for rural labourers, as most of them are household owners directly involved in production, meaning that they cannot spare too much time away from their farms.

There must be suitable training methods taught by staff with rich experience in agricultural production, he added.-

650 HCMC youths take part in cleanup on Green Sunday

More than 650 Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union members, students, and other youths cleaned up the Ba Doi Canal in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 8 May 25 as part of the 105th Green Sunday campaign.

Deputy Standing Chairman of District 8 People's Committee, Vo Van Hung, said the district is crisscrossed by canals and more than 12,000 households live along them.

The environmental and water pollution there causes hemorrhagic fever outbreaks among them, he said.

Green Sunday is an annual meaningful activity, seeks to not only clean up the environment but also raise people’s awareness of environmental protection.

National math contest winners given prizes

The Ministry of Education and Training and FPT University have given away prizes to 1,708 Online Math Test- ViOlympic winners in the northern region for 2013-14.

During the year 13 million students across the country took the math test online and another 678,541 did so at school.

The newly launched tests for fourth and eighth grade students attracted 1.3 million candidates. Until now the tests used to be only for grades fifth, ninth, and eleventh.

The contest organizers held a program May 23 to help students at 57 junior high schools around the country exchange experiences in taking the tests and team work and group work skills and calculating quickly without using calculators.

The Ministry has selected 1,708 outstanding contestants who won 19 rounds at the school, district, and national levels in seven months to award golden, silver, bronze, and consolation prizes.

Eight students in all from the fourth, fifth, eight, ninth, and eleventh grades will be awarded laptops.

The awards ceremony for the winners in the south will be held at the FPT University in Quang Trung Software Park in June.

Health minister calls for practicing hygiene during month-long campaign

Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien has called on people around the country to adopt hygienic practices to safeguard their children under a month-long health campaign through June.

At the launch of “Action month for children’s health,” which seeks to inculcate hygiene among parents to prevent diseases, in Ho Chi Minh City May 25 she called for safe eating habits and keeping the house and toys clean to keep infectious diseases at bay.

The Ministry has launched the campaign to mark International Children's Day (June 1) and in response to the outbreaks of several diseases in recent months.

Through June, four kindergartens -- Son Ca 4 in Phu Nhuan District, Tri Duc in Tan Phu District, Mat Troi Nho in Binh Tan District and Huong Duong in Go Vap District – will see doctors perform medical checks on children and advise teachers and parents on nutrition and injury prevention during the summer vacations.

The ministry said that with the weather turning hot, measles, dengue fever, chicken pox, and diarrhea are recurring.

There have been over 9,000 cases of dengue this year including five deaths.

Hand-foot-mouth and dengue outbreaks are increasing in the south.

Hanoi increases surveillance for Mers virus

The Hanoi Health Department has intensified health checks and inspections at Noi Bai International Airport in the face of the complex development of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV) in the world.

The department has asked the international health quarantine centre in collaboration with state management agencies at the airport to closely monitor planes and passengers entering the country through Noi Bai airport, especially those from the disease-hit places.

Medical checks and preventive measures should be taken promptly to suspected MERS victims at the airport in order to avoid the disease from spread, said the department.

The centre has currently set up two measure body temperatures at the airport.

According to Head of the Preventive Health Department Tran Dac Phu, no case of MERS-CoV has been detected in Vietnam, so far.

The country is working with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and international organisations to keep strict monitoring of agents causing the disease, Phu said.

From September 2012 to date, WHO has been informed of a total of 496 laboratory-confirmed cases of infections with MERS-CoV worldwide.

The organisation encouraged all its member nations to continue their surveillance for severe acute respiratory infections and to carefully review any unusual patterns.-

World of Kids exhibition marks International Children’s Day

An exhibition entitled ‘World of Kids’ is scheduled to take place from May 29 to June 1 to celebrate International Children’s Day.

The event, jointly organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Vietnam Exhibition Centre for Culture and Arts, aims to offer children a healthy and interesting entertainment programme during summer.

The exhibition will feature a wide range of toys, tools for learning, household utensils and nutritious products for children.

In addition, visitors will have a chance to appreciate over 100 paintings of nature and landscapes throughout the country by members of Hanoi Children’s Palace.

During the four-day event, there will also be cultural and arts activities appropriate for kids, with the participation of pupils from some schools in Hanoi.