Moral education deters social evils

More than 8,000 students had broken the law since 2009, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Education and Training at a conference held on Tuesday in Ha Noi.

The cases included causing public disorder, using heroin, murder and theft.

The reasons for the issue were that students wanted money to play computer games, pay off gambling debts and buy drugs, which led them to commit crimes, said Ngu Duy Anh, director of the ministry's Student Affairs Department.

Gambling in dormitories was under control thanks to good management, but day-students were difficult to monitor, he said.

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Thi Nghia said that each school should invest in manpower and infrastructure to ensure security.

Educating students about morality and a good way of life should also be focused on so they were able to resist the temptation of social evils.

Schools needed to develop a system of clubs to provide vocational guidance for poor students who are susceptible to these risks, she said.

Nghia also asked schools to improve healthcare services.

The Ministry of Education and Training is going to work with the Ministry of Public Security to prevent social evils from breaking into schools.

Derailed tourist train injures eight

Eight people were injured after a tourist train derailed at a tourist site in the southern province of Tay Ninh yesterday.

The train was carrying 30 tourists from the gate at Ba Den mountain to the tourist site's telpher departure station.

The accident occurred when the train turned a corner without reducing its speed, according to officials.

The injured victims, including three children, were taken to a hospital in HCM City for treatment.

The case is under investigation.

Vietnamese student wins consolation prize in UPU writing contest

Pham Huong Thao.

Pham Huong Thao, a 7th grader from Chu Van An secondary school in Haiphong has won the consolation prize in the 43rd Universal Postal Union (UPU) International Letter Writing Contest, according to the Ministry of Information and Communications.

Under the theme “Write a letter describing how music can touch lives” 13-year-old student Natasa Milosevic coming from Bosnia and Herzegovina received the first prize.

The second prize was awarded to 10-year-old Chinese student Zou Canyan, and Ashley Nicole Abalos from the Philippines bagged the third prize.

Previously, Thao also won first prize in the 43rd UPU International Letter Writing Contest launched in Vietnam.

In her letter, Thao made believe she was a violin of a young boy. His father abandoned the boy and his mother for an affair with a famous female violinist, which broke the heart of the boy’s mother and instilled in her a hatred for music.

As part of an effort to heal his mother’s soul,the boy began to play music, quickly discovering an innate talent as a musical prodigy,to help him overcome difficulties and sadness.

Her letter was translated into English and French and submitted to the international round.

So far, Vietnam has earned 10 UPU international awards.

Forest fire put out in Binh Dinh

Firefighters and soldiers stamped out a forest fire on Ba Hoa mountain in the northern province of Binh Dinh yesterday.

More than 800 firefighters, soldiers and community members were mobilised to put out the fire, which started at 10am on Saturday.

The fire destroyed some 20ha of forest, including trees that were between 10 to 15 years old.

According to an initial investigation, the fire was caused when a local resident burned incense and votive papers on the mountain.

Meanwhile, a forest fire in the central province of Quang Ngai last Saturday destroyed 10ha of forest and injured two people. The fire was caused by a local couple's burning of a terraced field. It was stamped out the same day.

Ore waste spill engulfs community

A huge landslide spilled rocks and red mud from an ore waste dump over the irrigation system, stream and fields of more than a dozen households in the northern province of Cao Bang's Na Rua on Thursday, two months after another landslide hit the area.

Since Cao Bang Iron Steel Joint Stock Co. built the dump in 2013, local residents were haunted by fear of landslides, said district farmer Hoang Van Thach.

"We are always scared that the landslides will bury our crops and even threaten our lives, especially when it rains heavily," he said.

The ore waste dump was located on top of a hill, below which lay the irrigation system and the farmers' fields. Only a stream separated the residential area from the hill.

The July 6 landslide spilled mud and rocks over the 2-km irrigation channel and 6,000 sq.m. of fields. Some fields were covered with so much mud and rocks that they could no longer be used for farming.

Hoa Chung district People's Committee President Le Thanh Huan said that Cao Bang Iron Steel Joint Stock Co., had not cleared the mud and rocks left from the first landslide or compensated the farmers for their losses.

Half the stream that provides water for farming was buried under red mud in the second landslide and was seriously polluted. Higher water levels in the stream due to heavy rain will flood the fields with red mud.

"Na Rua residents have continuously asked local authorities to dredge the mud and to clear the channels for months, but we have yet to receive any answer from them," district resident Trinh Van Quan said angrily. 

Vietnam pledges to manage Mekong River water resources sustainably

Vietnam attaches high importance to and prioritizes efforts to develop and use water resources of the Mekong River Basin effectively and sustainably in the context of global climate change, affirmed Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh.

The deputy PM made the statement at the seventh Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) Ministerial Meeting and the fourth Friends of the Lower Mekong (FLM) Ministerial Meeting on the sidelines of the 47th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM) in Myanmar on August 9.

He expressed Vietnam’s desire to further co-ordinate with other regional countries and development partners to protect water resources in the Mekong River.

Minh also proposed boosting cooperation and conducting further dialogues within the LMI and FLM frameworks, especially supporting socio-economic development, strengthening connectivity, narrowing the development gap between ASEAN members and helping the Mekong River Commission to enhance research capacity, forecast work on the impact of hydroelectric dams in the Mekong River.

The seventh LMI examined opportunities and challenges for sustainable development in the Mekong River Basin and proposed concrete cooperative measures to reduce development gap, and speed up regional economic integration towards an ASEAN community by 2015.

In a joint statement, the ministers said in the next five years, the LMI cooperative programme will focus on implementing six major projects including connecting smart infrastructure for the Mekong region through training communication skills for leaders, setting up start-up centres and preventing infectious diseases.

The fourth FLM meeting also agreed to strengthen cooperation in regional connectivity, sustainable management of water resources and environmental protection in the Mekong River basin. The ministers have committed to building partnership at all levels to cope with challenges in the Mekong region.

Meanwhile, many development partners such as the European Union, Australia, World Bank and Asian Development Bank, have committed to supporting Mekong River nations in managing water resources sustainably, and building smart infrastructure, safe energy and agriculture to adapt to climate change.

The EU decided to triple its aid to regional nations in the 2014-2020 period and agreed to organise a special FLM at the deputy ministerial level on sustainable development in Laos in late 2014 or early 2015.

Provinces and cities have been asked to create an action plan for community-based treatment for drug addicts in an aim to reduce the number of patients at rehabilitation centres from 63 per cent to 20 per cent by 2015, and 6 per cent by 2020.

Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Trong Dam has urged localities to set up counseling centres in their wards or communes for drug addicts.

Speaking at a two-day conference that ended yesterday, he said counselors should urge drug addicts to voluntarily visit community-based treatment facilities.

There are 140 rehabilitation centres in 60 provinces and cities.

Thirty-two provinces and cities have carried out treatment programmes for 10,000 drug addicts in either communities or families, according to a report from the Department of Social Evils Prevention.

The number of drug addicts nationwide has increased, while those who have had a relapse after treatment remains high.

"The fight against drug addiction has been not effective," Dam said.

The country has a total of 182,800 addicts, and of that number, 19 per cent are addicted to amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS), compared to 8 per cent in 2012.

Areas with a high proportion of addicts of ATS include Da Nang (74 per cent), Tay Ninh Province (61 per cent) and Ben Tre Province (52 per cent).

As of June, methadone-based opioid substitution treatment has attracted 16,500 addicts.

In 2015, 80,000 will be expected to use the treatment.

Dam said that provinces and cities had not offered enough assistance, such as vocational training and jobs for addicts who have left rehab centres.

He said this assistance should be offered to more addicts who voluntarily go to community-based facilities, with the goal of 70 per cent of them having stable jobs by 2020.

Japanese expert instructs police on safe driving techniques

With over 30-years of experience, Japanese driving guide Tashino Kanno is taking part in a safe driving training course for Vietnamese traffic police.

The course, funded by Toyota Vietnam, aims to help ensure traffic safety for all road users and provide safe driving techniques for traffic police who sometimes have to drive very fast in emergency situations.

Kanno said he will give final exams to his Vietnamese trainees at the end of the year before they officially become first trainers in safe driving courses held by the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Public Security.

According to Kanno, traffic in Vietnam is not good at the moment, but it should improve over the next two or three decades. Standard training courses on safe driving are necessary for Vietnamese drivers, especially traffic police, he added.

Better policy needed to support dioxin victims

Vietnam has adopted a number of policies for Agent Orange (AO)/Dioxin victims, supporting them with vocational training and medical treatment.

Deputy Chairman and Secretary-General of the Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA) Nguyen The Luc made the remarks in an interview with the Vietnam News Agency on the occasion of the 53rd anniversary of the Agent Orange catastrophe in Vietnam.

He said, however, support policies for the victims should be updated and improved regularly as only 300,000 out of the three million sufferers benefit from the incentives.

HCM City poeple walked on August 9 to raise funds for the needy in society, including dioxin victims

Established in January 2014, VAVA now groups chapters in 59 cities and provinces with over 315,000 members. It has raised more than VND800 billion (US$37.8 million) in and outside of the country to repair and build houses, grant scholarships, and offer storm relief for dioxin victims and their families.

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 4.8 million Vietnamese people were exposed to the toxic chemical. Many of the victims have died, while millions of their descendants are living with deformities and diseases due to the chemical’s effects.

On the occasion of the Day for AO/Dioxin Victims (August 10), a wide range of activities have been held nationwide to assist the unfortunate.

English training camp keeps children busy

As many as 130 students at two primary schools in Loc Vinh and Loc Thuy communes were taught using modern English school methods at a two-month summer camp at Laguna Lang Co early last week.

The project, entitled ‘Learning English is FUN', which was developed by the Laguna Lang Co, aims to improve the level of English proficiency in the community and, more importantly, to bring fun to young children in remote areas in Phu Loc district during the students' summer vacation.

10th ASEAN Skills Competition taking shape

As many as 293 candidates from 10 ASEAN countries will take part in the 10th regional skills competition at the Hanoi-based National Convention Centre from October 19-29.

They will compete in 23 official skills and two performance skills, according to the general Department of Vocational Training.

Vietnam is fielding a delegation of 51 of the nation’s brightest to compete at the event.  So far a total of 77 Vietnamese candidates have applied and the final selection has yet to be made.

The Ministry of Labour, Invalid, and Social Affairs (MoLISA) and the 2014 ASEAN Skills Competition (ASC) steering committee met in Hanoi on August 8, discussing preparations for the upcoming competition.

This is a golden opportunity for Vietnam to raise people's awareness of vocational training in the country, said MoLISA Minister Pham Thi Hai Chuyen.

She requested that the committee lay out a detailed plan and assign specific responsibilities for each member. She also suggested measure to enhance coordination between the ministries, branches and localities to ensure the best conditions for the competition.

Photo exhibition features lingering pains of AO victims

Heartbreaking portraits of the everyday struggle and horrifying effects Agent Orange victims continue to suffer some 40 years after the US war are the inspiration for a photo exhibition opened in HCM City on August 8.

On showcase at the HCM City-based War Remnant Museum are 50 photos taken by Nguyen Van (Thu An), with a focus on the lingering pains of AO victims from across the country, as well as their constant efforts to overcome difficulties and miseries to have a better life in happiness and peace.

Photographer Nguyen Van An said he submitted photos to international contests to help friends worldwide understand more about the plight of Vietnamese dioxin victims and their great aspiration for life. He hoped that visitors to the exhibition will voice support and provide assistance to dioxin sufferers.

On the occasion, local students and soldiers participated in music and dance performances in praise of the bravery of dioxin victims and the significant contributions soldiers have made to protecting national sovereignty over sea and islands.

Protecting the rights of Vietnamese guest workers

Vietnamese guest workers face a host of challenges related to dangerous living conditions, working conditions, exploitive employers, assault, and sexual abuse.

Dinh Van Chenh from Quy Mang hamlet, Son Chung village, Quang Ngai province was determined to prosper through working overseas. However, broke and downtrodden he was forced to return home after less than one year working in Malaysia.

Chenh says before signing a work contract, the employment agency made substantial promises but never delivered on any of them. It turned out he had to work long strenuous hours at a very low salary (VND3 million per month), which barely covered his accommodation fee.

After working less than a year, the Malaysian company he worked for filed for bankruptcy protection and he was forced to return home.  Now he is awash in debt and doing everything he can to repay bank loans he racked up while working in Malaysia.

Jo Dech Crich’s case is even more egregious. Her son, Clau Hor, registered to work overseas with the hope that her family could escape poverty and hunger. After less than one year working in Malaysia, Clau Hor returned home sick. Bemused by the burden of VND23 million of debt he incurred as a result of his employment, Hor got drunk one day and killed himself.

The two stories are typical of the experiences guest workers encounter and were told at the recent seminar on guest labourers.

Attendees at the seminar heard speakers explain that one of the primary reasons labourers find themselves in these abhorrent situations is lack of information and understanding.

Legal Aid Association for the Poor Chairwoman Ta Thi Minh Ly, says a survey on labourers working abroad in some central and northern provinces showed workers had little or no knowledge on issues related to bank loans incurred in connection with guest worker employment. They also do not have a basic understanding of labour contracts.

A recent survey conducted by the Centre for Studies and Applied Sciences in Gender, Family, Women, and Adolescents (CSAGA) reported that around 23.5% of labourers did not get full information about their jobs, 24.14% did not understand the real fees and compensation cost and almost all – 93.56% – were cheated at least one time during their work overseas.

International Labour Organisation (ILO) Vietnam Country Director Gyorgy Sziraczki says migrant workers have contributed remarkably to the national economic development by sending their money to the homeland but they receive a little legal assistance to protect their rights.

ILO representative Nguyen Mai Thuy says Vietnam is one of six countries – Cambodia, China, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam – that have implemented a safe labour export triangle project.

This is tripartite action for the protection and promotion of the rights of migrant workers in the ASEAN region (ASEAN TRIANGLE project) aiming to significantly reduce the exploitation of labour migrants in the region through increased legal assistance and safe migration and improved labour protection.

According to ILO, a good integration policy should greatly assist Vietnam improve productivity, but, the country should also take into consideration the fact that a large number of qualified workers will leave for other countries in favour of a higher salary.

A loosening of restrictions on migration may provide benefits for workers, however, more importantly they must be provided with complete and accurate information about policies, fees and their interests to protect themselves.  Most importantly, they need access to quality legal assistance to ensure their rights are adequately protected.

Deputy PM addresses health sector

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam yesterday praised the health sector's efforts for overcoming many difficulties to look after people.

At an online conference to review the health sector's performance during the first half of the year, Dam asked the sector to re-assess health-related legal documents and deal with their limitations.

Dam asked localities to keep themselves informed of public frustrations about health issues through the media and urgently deal with any violations.

Citing revelations about poor quality biochemical testing machines in Ha Noi's Thuong Tin District as an example, Dam asked localities to conduct inspections on the use of medical equipment in a serious and transparent manner.

Dam said the Government would soon issue a decree about giving autonomy to public health organisations so that they can organise market-driven operations.

He said that for the rest of the year, localities should review health performances in different areas, from preventive medicine, treatment quality to the development of facilities and equipment.

The Minister of Health, Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, said the sector had made achievements in institutional reforms, investment in infrastructure and reforms in the financial and operational mechanisms of public health organisations.

In response to the spread of the Ebola virus and H7N9 in the world and the domestic outbreak of diarrhoea and malaria, Tien said the health sector would continue to be active in its prevention work and step up supervision at airports and borders to minimise the spread of disease.

She added that the ministries of health, agriculture and trade have managed to clarify their responsibilities and deal with overlapping in inspection and supervision activities from central to local levels.

Tien said the quality of medical examination and treatment had been improved in the first six months and that there were more beds at hospitals and more medical interventions and operations.

She also said the health sector had gradually dealt with overloading at hospitals, citing the reduced overloading at the National Cancer Hospital (K hospital) and the National Endocrinology Hospital as examples.

Tien said the set up of a hotline for public feedback on problems and corruption, the sector had taken action against violations and worked to improve fee collection and simplifying medical insurance payments.

Towards the end of the year, she said the health sector would focus on inspecting food safety, maintaining the vaccination rate, working against the spread of rabies - and preventing and controlling non-communicable diseases.

Transport authorities crack down on road maintenance failures

Viet Nam Road Administration wants the Ministry of Transport to stop leaving the management of road maintenance to incompetent local transport departments.

At a conference yesterday on evaluating the situation, the administration said that the management quality varied widely.

At present, 50 per cent of highway maintenance is controlled by 49 departments nation-wide.

Figures show that only six of the 49 departments managed road maintenance properly. They included offices in Phu Tho, Tuyen Quang, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Kon Tum and Ben Tre.

Eight departments cited for poor quality management were Son La, Lai Chau, Vinh Phuc, Hai Phong, Ninh Binh, Nghe An, Lam Dong and Kien Giang.

Nguyen Van Huyen, head of the Viet Nam Road Administration told Vietnam News Agency that some departments did not pay much attention to their task. For example, the choice of materials for road repairs in some localities was responsible for causing subsidence in roads.

He added that the restriction of funds for highway road maintenance also contributed to the ineffectiveness of management.

"The real cost of regular maintenance annually is estimated to be about VND19 trillion (US$896 million). However, the State only allocates VND5 trillion ($235 million)," he said.

As a result, the administration asked the departments to give priority to the routes seriously downgraded or affected by floodings.

Huyen said to make the management of road fund more effective, it was necessary to seeks bid and find the best qualified contractors.

These contractors must meet requirements on equipment, machines and human resources.

Huyen added that the administration would strengthen inspections on the management of departments, examine their performance annually and stop assigning the management of maintenance funds to those who were incompetent.

Master plan to improve mental health needed: ministry

A national strategy on mental health with orientations to develop a comprehensive caring system is needed for Vietnam as nearly 15 percent of the country’s population is suffering from different forms of mental illnesses with depression as the most common.

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Viet Tien made the statement at an August 4 workshop in Hanoi that looked into steps to design the national strategy on mental health for the 2015-2020 period, with a vision towards 2030.

In the country, one psychiatrist serves 100,000 residents, whereas the average rate in the world is 3/100,000, according to the Central Mental Health Hospital No.1.

Tien mentioned the shortage of medical staff and inter-sectoral coordination as major obstacles to the efficient care of mental patients.

He also stressed the need to further improve related healthcare services and build a competent legal system in the realm.

The number of people suffering from mental illnesses in Vietnam is on the rise due to the pressures of modern life.

However, Vietnam has only 34 mental health hospitals and centres, with 31 provinces without any centres specialising in such illnesses.

According to the World Health Organisation in 2012, more than 350 million people worldwide suffered from depression.

Mental disorders account for 14 percent of the global disease burden, of which 75 percent is reported in low- and medium-income countries.

The organisation has appealed for action from governments; social, multilateral, bilateral and private organisations; global partners; and research agencies to further improve mental health for the public.

It has recommended countries build strategies and regulations relating to the issue.-

Medical clinics detected to have wrongdoings

Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien and an inspection team from the Ministry's Department of Medical Examination and Treatment August 4 paid an unscheduled visit to medical clinics in Ho Chi Minh City.

The health minister and inspectors dropped by Sai Gon Medical Clinic at 132 Ly Thai To Street in District 10.

The inspection team discovered the clinic’s wrongdoings including nurses having no practicing certificates and practicing registration issued by the city's Department of Health. Though the clinic has medical records, patients’ documents have no address, age, disease diagnosis and treatment.

Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien asked the clinic to correct the available omissions.

The inspection team also checked A-Au beauty salon located on Thu Khoa Huan Street in District 1. The beauty salon staffs were using new technology that the Ministry of Health has not approved and its advertising document has not been done correctly.

The team asked the clinic to remedy the defects as soon as possible.

239 candidates participate in 2014 National Youth Informatics Contest

The Science, Technology & Youth Talent Development Center launched officially on August 5 the 20th National youth Informatics Contest.

The contest is scheduled to take place in Ha Noi on August 9.

This year’s contest attracted participation of 239 candidates nationwide. The contestants will be divided into five table compettion, including table A for primary school students, table B for secondary school students, table C for high school students, table D for software creation and table E for programming hardware, said organization board.

The awards ceremony will be organized and broadcast live on Vietnam Television on August 10.

The National Youth Informatics Contest is considered as an annual informatics contest for students across the country, aiming to discover young talents.

The contest's organization board include Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, the Ministries of Education and Training, Information and Communications, and Science and Technology and the Vietnam Association for Information Processing.

Mountainous provinces speed up relocation in rainy season

Northern mountainous Lao Cai province is working hard to bring people in flood-prone areas to higher places as the rainy season is posing a high risk of flooding to the locality and the northern mountainous region as a whole.

At a teleconference on August 6, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Doan Van Huong asked localities to accomplish the work by August 15 at the latest.

Nguyen Anh Tuan, Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that 266 households, mainly in Bac Ha, Bat Xat, Muong Khuong, Bao Yen, and Sa Pa districts, need to be moved to safe locations.

As of July, the province had relocated 134 households in new, safe areas.

The department will continue intensifying dissemination to help locals understand the importance of the resettlement.

In the northern mountainous province of Hoa Binh, 7,146 households living in areas vulnerable to natural disasters, concentrating on Lac Thuy, Da Bac, Yen Thuy and Lac Son districts, are in a dire need of being relocated.

Local authorities are keeping a close watch on weather patterns as well as landslide signs in a bid to promptly alert their residents to quickly take safety precautions.

Thousands of residents in Quang Binh without clean water

Nearly 700 households in a commune in Quang Binh Province have been without access to clean water for years due to alum contamination.

Residents of Phu Ninh and Tan An hamlets of Quang Thanh Commune have had to live with the worst of the contamination. Although, in the past residents of Phu Ninh Hamlet were able to collect some fresh rain water, rainfall has been low recently.

Ngo Thi Hong, 57, from Phu Ninh Hamlet, said her family has five members and has to use alum-contaminated water for years. “Even though we’ve dug a well dozens of metres deep, the water we get looks muddy and isn't safe to drink. Now we're forced to buy our water from surrounding areas."

Phan Thi Trang is living in the same situation. Sh said that poorer families living there are forced to use the contaminated water even though they are aware of the dangers.

Phu Ninh and Tan An Hamlets are home to 681 households, and 80% of them report alum contamination in their wells. The price of buying water from other localities is around VND60,000, which is unaffordable for many families there.

Ngo Thanh Binh, vice chairman of the communal government said, “The Gianh River is the source of the contamination and it runs very close to the residential areas."

Binh said that a safe water system was built in the district but priority is given to some communes in the southern part of the district at the expense of residents in Quang Thanh Commune.

“We’re encouraging local residents to continue to use rainwater or buy safe water for daily use while waiting for government funding for the construction of a safe water system,” he added.

Over VND20 billion raised in public campaign for Hoang Sa and Truong Sa

A mobile text campaign to raise funds for residents, fishermen and armed forces in the waters of the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos has received over VND20 billion (over US$944,000) in donations after just two months.

Developed by the Ministry of Information and Communications and the Vietnam Red Cross (VRC), the campaign named 'Joint efforts for national sea and islands' aimed to call on public interest and support for local islanders, fishermen and armed forces on the waters of the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos, said VRC General Secretary Doan Van Thai at a ceremony to review the campaign in Hanoi on August 8.

The two-month long campaign saw a great response from people from all walks of life. with over one million text message donations being sent, Thai noted.

The General Secretary added that the VCR also received direct donations worth over VND1.6 billion from over 120 organisations and individuals across the country.

At the ceremony, the organisers presented the Vietnam Coast Guard and Fisheries Surveillance force 93 specialised cameras and 23 salt water filter devices worth nearly VND16 billion.

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