Traffic accident victims commemorated

November 17 has been designated a Day of Remembrance for the victims of traffic accidents, reminding the public of the importance of traffic regulations and the tragic consequences of failing to heed them.

For this year’s event, the second of its kind, the National Traffic Safety Committee cooperated with the Ministry of Education and Training to hold traffic safety training courses at all secondary schools across the country.

The courses instruct students on safe driving and riding and encourage the wider community to assist surviving accident victims.

Bereaved families of accident victims have received VND2 million in aid per lost loved one. Families in especially difficult financial circumstances will be helped to build housing.

The National Traffic Safety Committee and the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha will hold a November 15 grand requiem at Ninh Binh province’s Bai Dinh pagoda to commemorate victims of fatal accidents.

An average of 30 people die on Vietnamese roads every day, the world’s fourth highest traffic death toll behind China, the US, and Thailand.

HIV/AIDS prevention action month launched

The national action month for HIV/AIDS prevention in 2013 will be held from November 10-December 10 nationwide, aiming to speed up the involvement of the whole political system and people in preventing new cases of HIV/AIDS in Viet Nam.

The event also aims to realize the National Strategy on HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control in Viet Nam till 2020 with a vision to 2030.

Provinces and cities need to strengthen communications on HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment and care services as well as raise people's awareness of HIV prevention, focusing on vulnerable ones, people living in remote areas and ethnic minorities.

Viet Nam has created policies and a legal environment for extending and improving the quality of prevention, support and treatment for people living with the virus.

Over the past two decades, the fight against HIV/AIDS in Viet Nam has achieved remarkable results and Viet Nam is among the countries with the lowest rate of new HIV/AIDS infections in the region.

Korean firms hunt for skilled Vietnamese workers

A number of leading Korean firms plan to recruit quality Vietnamese workers for their upcoming projects in Vietnam.

The Republic of Korean Trade Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) issued a November 8 announcement confirming nine RoK companies, including power network developer CN Plus and car tyre manufacturer will participate in its employment festival in Hanoi on November 11–12.

The companies are looking to employ at least 30 engineers, managers and specialists for positions in energy, electronics, information technology, engineering, and chemical manufacturing sectors.

CN Plus Director Han Mu Geun noted more than 2,700 Korean businesses currently operate in Vietnam—mostly in energy, electronics, and machinery—and all have great demands for skilled workers.

A KOTRA representative said the job bazaar will boost labour cooperation between Vietnamese and Korean businesses based in both nations. Local workers can seek lucrative positions and familiarize themselves with modern Korean industrial technology.

Vietnam and the RoK established a technology innovation cooperation centre in September 2013 to assist businesses from both countries with recruitment. The centre helps recent science and technology graduates secure employment.

UN programme supports migrant women workers

UN Women launched a programme in Hanoi on November 8 to enhance the rights of Vietnamese women migrant workers.

As part of the project “We are women – A rights-based approach to empowering migrant women in Vietnam”sponsored by the Fund for Gender Equality (FGE), the programme drew the participation of 200 migrants in the capital city.

Regional Director of UN Women Asia Pacific Roberta Clerk highlighted migration as a key to creating development opportunities and satisfying socio-economic demands.

She noted that as most migrants rarely access social and medical insurance in urban areas, they can easily suffer from job insecurity, low and unstable income and HIV/AIDS infections, while facing higher risks of violence, sexual abuse and human trafficking.

The programme offered an opportunity for those in attendance to exchange information on migration safety and combating violence, especially in the context of rapid urbanisation.

Under the programme, over 100 participants received free medical check-ups, employment and legal advice.

An Giang’s Vietnam-Japan Friendship Association Congress

The An Giang provincial branch of the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Association convened for its second term congress (2013–2018) on November 8.

The association plans to continue its reforms, expand its interpersonal diplomacy with Japan, and facilitate economic, cultural, educational, and tourism activities.

The association  is keen to expand its member base, encourage Japanese language study, and offer the learning materials needed for local residents to deepen their understanding of Japanese history, economics, and culture.

During its past term, the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Association worked intently on promoting cooperation between the province’s friendship organisations and Japanese non-governmental organisations.

It was involved in the general cooperative agreement signed between An Giang University and Saga University, supported agricultural biotechnology research, promoted trade and tourism between An Giang and Kagoshima, and dispatched delegations to investigate Japanese production models.

Since An Giang’s establishment of its relations with Japan in1997,the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has assisted the province on 20 projects worthVND31 billion, spanning the fields of health, education, energy, water supply, environmental protection, and cadre rice export and processing training.

The Angimex-Kitoku joint venture has worked with An Giang province for more than23 years and sponsored the province’s 2,500 farmers growing and exporting Japanese rice varieties.

The congress elected a 15-member executive committee for the second term Chau Van Ly was elected Association Chairperson.

UNDG Resident Representatives meet in Hanoi

Vietnam is willing to do everything it can to facilitate the UN Development Group (UNDG)’s success.

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has told the group’s meeting in Hanoi on November 8.

Hai said he hopes Vietnam’s achievements and experiences in cooperating with development partners—including the UNDG—over the past 40 years will inspire conference attendees.

He urged delegates to note and take heart from Vietnam’s remarkable recovery and indefatigable efforts after many years of war and poverty.

Deputy PM Hai acknowledged Vietnam’s honour to host the 26 national representatives attending the event.

The meeting allows the UNDG to assess the results of its previous initiatives and devise its future approaches—especially important as UN 2015 Millennium Development Goal deadlines draw near.

UNDG Chair Helen Clark praised Vietnam's socio-economic development and economic stability. She noted the country’s impressive progress towards fulfilling its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), especially in poverty reduction and education. Vietnam has halved its poverty rate since 1993 and halved it again during the 2002–2008 period.

Vietnam was ranked sixth-highest in MDG progress in 2010 and actively involves itself in a range of UN programmes contributing to the development goals

Ms Clark commended Vietnam on its UNDG participation and encouraged its leadership in Asia-Pacific poverty reduction initiatives. She emphasised the need to refocus on the most pressing development priorities and emerging challenges.

She outlined future UN priorities in the Asia-Pacific region, committing support to Vietnam’s green growth strategy and its efforts to realise gender equality and protect and promote the rights of women.

Conference delegates analysed the effectiveness of an initiative designed to promote unified actions within the UN organisational network.

They also debated the UNDG’spost-2015 agenda and the regional Asia-Pacific strategic plan for the 2014–2017 period.

The conference will help the UNDG tailor its policies and programmes to nations’ demands in a region of constantly increasing global importance.

The UNDG Resident Representatives meeting concludes on November 9.

Ha Long hosts International Buddhism seminar

Nearly 100 local and international delegates gathered at a November 8 seminar in Ha Long City to discuss Buddhism in Asia and Vietnam as well as the religion’s role in cultural development.

Attendees included dignitaries, monks, nuns, scholars, and Buddhists from the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Taiwan (China), and Vietnam.

Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS) President Professor Nguyen Xuan Thang said Buddhism has had a presence in Vietnam for more than 2000 years, making significant contributions to national development throughout the different stages of the country’s history.

Buddhism is a part of Vietnamese culture and civilisation promoting the causes of national industrialisation and modernisation and advancing international integration.

The religion’s own modernisation has led to a resurgence in popularity in many Asian countries, including Vietnam.

Participants at the two-day seminar stressed Buddhism’s responsibility to recognise and preserve traditional cultural values.

They suggested a range of possible approaches to perpetuating cultural traditions in the current context of globalisation.

Most Venerable Thich Duc Nghiep, Deputy Secretary General of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS), said Vietnamese Buddhism’s history is an important part of the national narrative. Buddhist culture and philosophy are integral to Vietnamese cultural identity. Buddhism has also actively promoted national renewal boosted international integration, he added.

ADB gives loans for urban infrastructure

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Vietnamese Government have signed agreements for two loans and a non-refundable grant worth nearly US$166 million to improve the urban environment and climate resilient infrastructure in three local cities.

The funding is expected to help increase the use of community healthcare services and their quality in five Central Highlands provinces, and enhance access to income opportunities for the poor in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS).

At the signing ceremony on Friday, Country Director for Viet Nam Tomoyuki Kimura said: "The projects will help the Vietnamese Government to address the consequences of rapid urbanisation, and improve disaster response, climate resilience and environmental quality in urban areas, while increasing access to healthcare services."

The first $95 million loan from the Asian Development Fund (ADF) will help the cities of Buon Ma Thuot, Ha Tinh, and Tam Ky improve their solid waste management, and upgrade urban roads, flood dykes and basins for flood protection.

The second $70 million ADF loan is for a healthcare project in the Central Highlands provinces of Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Gia Lai, Kon Tum, and Lam Dong.

It will help the beneficiaries reduce maternal and child mortality by addressing access to commune medical stations and hospitals and strengthening provincial healthcare management.

The grant agreement, funded by the Japanese government, will provide $833,000 in assistance on a grant basis under the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction.

The project will help transform the GMS into a fully fledged economic corridor by enhancing access to income opportunities through the creation of trade and financing conduits for poor informal traders, mostly women, as well as training and programme management for town and city officers.

Man arrested for making tiger glue

Police in the central province of Ha Tinh have caught Tran Khanh Thuyet from Thach Ha District for illegally producing tiger bone glue on Thursday.

Local environmental police raided Thuyet's house and found a tiger's head, tiger hide, a set of claws and animal bones which were being boiled to make bone glue, a popular traditional medicine.

Thuyet admitted to making the glue with police seizing all items on scene. The investigation is still ongoing.

Tien Giang finds A/H5N1 flu in poultry

The Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang on Wednesday announced the presence of the H5N1 virus on poultry flocks in Tan Phu Dong District.

The provincial People's Committee asked all relevant units to spare no efforts to put the virus under control.

The news comes after ducks in four separate households in Tan Phu and Tan Thoi communes tested positive for the virus H5N1; with 315 out of the 557 infected animals dying.

The province's veterinary sector to date has inoculated more than 12,000 fowls in the two communes and decontaminated the area.

Inaugural Law Day launched in Ha Noi

A grand ceremony to mark the first Viet Nam Law Day was held at the National Convention Centre in Ha Noi yesterday.

Addressing the ceremony, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung emphasized the significance of the Viet Nam Law Day in raising people's awareness of the country's laws.

The PM said the day would become an important part of social life and improve Viet Nam's image overseas.

Justice Minister Ha Hung Cuong said most of the 63 provinces had developed plans to celebrate Law Day with various activities focusing on the role of the Constitution and the laws that govern state and social affairs.

Organisers also intend to celebrate the diverse contribution by the public to the revisions to the 1992 Constitution, the Land Law, the Law on Marriage and Family and the Health Insurance Law, expected to be passed at the sixth session of the National Assembly.

Originally conceived in the provinces of Ha Tay (now Ha Noi), Tien Giang and Long An; Law Day was organised as days for state officials and people to study the law. The initiative was later piloted in other provinces and cities as well as in the state sector, gaining official recognition in 2013 under the Law on Law Dissemination and Education.

November 9 is the official date for Law Day in the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, under Article 8 of the Law on Law Dissemination and Education which took effect on January 1 this year. The date hails back to 1946, when the first Constitution of Viet Nam was adopted, commemorating a historic milestone in the development of Viet Nam's legal system.

Roadshow pitches Aussie education

Representatives of more than 50 Australian universities, vocational colleges and schools began a two-day visit to Viet Nam on Saturday, traveling to Ha Noi and HCM City to meet with students and parents interested in studying in Australia.

Now in its 10th year, this annual event is the only education roadshow in Viet Nam organised by the Australian government.

According to the Australian Trade Commission, more than 22,000 Vietnamese students are currently studying in Australia, making Viet Nam the fourth-largest nationality represented in the country's educational system.

Front chair praises Nam Dinh Catholics

Catholics have made significant contributions to developing production and ensuring social order, the Viet Nam Fatherland Front leader said.

Chairman of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, made the remarks during a working session with Bishop Thomas Vu Dinh Hieu of Bui Chu diocese in Nam Dinh province's Xuan Truong District yesterday.

Chairman Nhan hoped the Bishop and the diocese's dignitaries and followers would continue to uphold their achievements along with promoting campaigns to contribute to national development.

The chairman also asked provincial authorities and relevant agencies to provide more care for Catholics, especially in the areas of education and health care.

Visiting Den Thanh Kien Lao parish in Xuan Truong District's Xuan Tien Commune, the Front chairman said he hoped religious and non-religious people in the area would increase their solidarity.

Chairman Nhan visited and presented gifts to the Thanh An Orphanage, home to 130 people, most of them orphans, the disabled and the elderly. He also worked with the provincial Committee for Catholic Solidarity.

Ha Noi debuts sky-high radio tower

Ha Noi Radio and Television yesterday inaugurated its new transmission and broadcasting centre and antenna tower in suburban Tu Liem District's Me Tri Commune, the most modern of its kind in Viet Nam.

It has been designed to serve about 20 million viewers and listeners in the north.

Construction of the facilities, worth nearly VND500 billion (US$23.7 million), kicked off in 2010 to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of the capital Thang Long-Ha Noi.

The 250m antenna tower is one of the highest television and radio towers in Viet Nam, with a coverage radius of 100km. It will be used by Ha Noi Radio and Televison, Viet Nam Television (VTV), Radio Voice of Viet Nam (VOV) and other local television stations.

Speaking at the inauguration yesterday, Ha Noi Radio and Television director general, Tran Gia Thai, said that the tower would improve the signal in the northern midland and Red River Delta region.

The facility would help broadcasters to switch from analogue to digital broadcasting in order to reach more viewers, Thai said.

Addressing the inauguration, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh urged Ha Noi Radio and Television, VTV and VOV to exploit the new facilities effectively and speed up the transition to digital TV.

He also asked staff to report on all fields of life and national development and deliver high quality programming.

Source: VOV/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/Dantri