Many people are risking their lives living in deteriorating apartment buildings in Danang City.

The apartment block on 50-52 Le Lai Street, Hai Chau District, has deteriorated badly. The apartment was built since the French colonial period and is home to nine households. Resident Nguyen Bao Thuan said the roofs leaked heavily whenever it rained.

"The toilets often have mosquitoes and rats. The building looks like it can collapse at any time. It's like living on the edge of life and death," Thuan said.

The apartment block on 340 Phan Chu Trinh is also in the same condition. The stucco on the ceiling often falls down, threatening the lives of the locals. Tran Giang Nam said his wife and children had to live with his mother-in-law while he stayed at the apartment.

"It's impossible to live here when it rains. The 40-square-metre apartment is not enough for eight people anyway," he said.

Meanwhile, 66-year-old Pham Thi Huong has witnessed the deterioration of the Kiet 340 apartment block. Her wish now is to have a safer living environment for her children.

Danang has 25 apartment blocks listed as dangerous buildings. The city authorities have been able to relocate 20 households.

Le Anh, chairman of Hai Chau District People's Committee, said, "We already have relocation plan for households that live in dangerous apartment blocks. Those that refuse the move will be forcibly evicted."

Saigon River Tunnel damaged after truck hits bus

 

The scene of the crash on September 30 in HCMC’s Saigon River Tunnel

 

As many as 16 wall panels, a set of exit lights and 12 traffic cone bases in Saigon River Tunnel in HCMC were damaged after being hit by a truck last night.

The accident occurred at 10:43 p.m. on September 30, according to Doan Van Tan, director of the Saigon River Tunnel Management Center, under the municipal Department of Transport.

The truck, with license plate number 62C-002.20, while en route from District 1 to District 2 through the tunnel, went out of control and smashed into the back of a passenger coach. It then crossed into a lane for motorcycles and crashed into the wall before flipping over, hindering traffic flow.

On being notified of the incident, a rescue team was dispatched from the center to the scene to regulate traffic. Meanwhile, authorities in District 2 removed the truck to restore traffic in the tunnel and then cordoned off the tunnel section from District 1 to District 2 to gather evidence.

By 5:45 a.m. today, the tunnel, which connects the central business district and the under-construction new urban area of Thu Thiem, was back in use.

The crash did not cause any loss of life. As for the affected properties, they do not affect the structure and quality of Saigon River Tunnel.

According to Tan, many trucks traveling through the tunnel showed signs of violating regulations on weight and height limits, thereby affecting the safety of other drivers and motorcyclists as well as the equipment in the tunnel.

The center petitioned the city’s traffic police and inspectors to carry out intensive patrols to promptly handle traffic violations to avoid incidents, he said.

Discipline considered for violations at Petrolimex: Party inspectors

 

Bui Ngoc Bao - PHOTO: THANH NIEN ONLINE

 

The Party Central Committee’s Inspection Commission asserted that discipline must be considered for violations found at the Vietnam National Petroleum Group (Petrolimex) and of its former board chairman and former general director Bui Ngoc Bao.

The Inspection Commission said it had made a conclusion on an inspection it conducted after discovering signs of violations of the Petrolimex’s Standing Board of the Party Committee, according to a press release from the 39th session of the commission today, September 30.

In particular, the commission said that the Group’s Standing Board of the Party Committee had shown no sense of responsibility and supervision, and lacked oversight of the company's leaders.

Such inadequate actions had enabled the Group to commit many violations of the Party’s rules, the prevailing regulations on State employee management; on the management, use and development of capital and assets; on equitization, restructuring, divestment and implementation of some construction investment projects, resulting in serious consequences and losses for the State.

Bui Ngoc Bao, former member of the Standing Board of the Party Committee of Central-governed Enterprises, former secretary of the Party Committee, former chairman and former general director of Petrolimex, should be held accountable for violations by the Standing Board of the Party Committee of Petrolimex.

The violations of the Standing Board of the Party Committee of Petrolimex and the mentioned individuals have seriously damaged the prestige of the Party Committee and Petrolimex.

Culture week introduces Vietnam’s land and people to Myanmar

Vietnam Culture Week in Myanmar took place from September 27 to 30 in Yangon city, Myanmar, aiming to promote the image of the country and people of Vietnam, and promote cultural and tourism cooperation and enhance people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

The event was part of a series of Vietnamese events in Myanmar this year to realise the bilateral comprehensive cooperative partnership and culture cooperation agreement for the 2017 – 2020 period signed by the two countries’ leaders.

Within the framework of the week, a ceremony marking the 74th anniversary of Vietnam’s National Day and two years of the upgrade of the Vietnam – Myanmar ties to the comprehensive cooperative partnership level was also held.

Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Myanmar Luan Thuy Duong said Vietnam – Myanmar ties have been growing in diverse areas over the past years, including in trade and investment, national defence-security, agro-forestry, seafood, energy, telecommunications, tourism, justice, education, culture and people-to-people exchange.

Vietnam is now the ninth largest trade partner and the seventh largest foreign investor of Myanmar, she said.

Speaking highly of Vietnamese firms’ contributions to Myanmar, Vietnamese Ambassador to Myanmar Luan Thuy Duong said businesses not only help bring the two peoples closer but also further develop bilateral ties, contributing to stability and prosperity in the region.

Myanmar Minister for Transport and Communications Thant Sin Maung affirmed that Vietnam is always a trustworthy friend of Myanmar, and highlighted the significance of the high-level visits by the two nations’ leaders.

He congratulated Vietnam on becoming a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and believed that Vietnam will perform well the role of ASEAN Chair 2020.

On the occasion, the Vietnamese embassy and Myanmar Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture held the Vietnam – Myanmar cultural exchange themed “Traditional and modern colours”.

As part of the week, the Vietnamese Embassy in Myanmar and the Vietnamese Ministry of Information and Communications held a photo exhibition on ASEAN countries and peoples.

Two arrested for trafficking drugs from Laos

 

Lo Van Dung at the police station (Photo: Bao Giao Thong)

 

Border guards in Thanh Hoa province announced on September 30 that they have successfully broken up a major drug trafficking ring operating out of Laos, seizing a large quantity of heroin following a joint operation with police in Houaphanh province.

Police forces in Xamtay district had caught a Vietnamese suspect red-handed as he was in the process of transporting drugs from Laos to the Vietnamese border in Thanh Hoa province for the purpose of selling them.

Upon conducting a search of the scene, the police discovered 30 cakes of heroin.

The suspect was later identified as Lo Van Dung, 31, of Que Phong district, Nghe An province.

After receiving more information about the drugs ring, police forces arrested another suspect, 20-year-old Thao Dia Tho of Houaphanh province, and confiscated two cakes of heroin and a motorbike.

The case is currently under further investigation.

National startup festival for students to be held in Hanoi

 

Winners of the national startup festival 2018

 

A national startup festival for students will take place from October 4-5 in the Hanoi University of Technology, aiming to encourage innovation startup spirit for students across the country.

At a press conference to introduce the event on October 1, Bui Van Linh, Vice Director of the Department of Political Education and Student Affairs under the Ministry of Education and Training said that compared to 2018, this year’s festival attracts higher number of projects, universities and education-training facilities.

It draws a large number of students who compete in the SV-Startup 2019 competition, along with many businesses and investment funds, he said.

Major activities of the festival include exhibition of about 80 projects, connection among businesses and idea owners and art performance performed by students.

A highlight of the festival is the final round of the SV-Startup 2019 competition for more than 200 education-training facilities across the country. The competition, opened for entries from June 2019 to September 2019, attracts nearly 300 projects in various fields.

The final round will see the competition of 68 outstanding projects, including one by a secondary student.

Within the framework of the festival, a number of seminars and conferences on innovative startup will be held./.

Enterprise wins land auction case against Da Nang People’s Committee

 

Land lot A20 at the time of auction

 

Da Nang People’s Court on September 26 declared Vipico JSC the winner of the case they filed against the city People’s Committee regarding its decision to revoke a land lot’s auction result.
Land lot A20 at the time of auction

Previously, the city People’s Committee issued Decision No. 4105 recognizing Vipico JSC as the winning bidder at VND652 billion (about US$28 million) for land lot A20 eastward of Dragon Bridge, Son Tra district.

However, in November 2018, Vice Chairman of the Committee signed Decision No. 5443 revoking the auction result for the company’s late payment. Not accepting this decision, the company filed a lawsuit against the Committee on November 28, 2018.

The trial panel found that Vipico’s late payment does not warrant the auction result to be cancelled as prescribed in Article 72 of the Property Auction Law. The fact that the city People’s Committee cited Decree 43 was not appropriate as the newer provisions of Decree 45 must be taken into account.

Therefore on September 26, the trial panel demanded the People’s Committee to revoke their Decision No. 5443 and recognize the auction results of land lot A20 based upon their previous Decision No. 4105.

Socio-economic situation of 53 ethnic minorities groups surveyed

A survey on the socio-economic situation of 53 ethnic minority groups of Vietnam will be launched on October 1, announced the General Statistics Office (GSO).

The survey is designed to compile national targets and indicators on ethnic minority affairs, serving the making of policies on socio-economic development in ethnic minority-inhabited regions in the 2021-2025 period.

The results will also serve as a foundation to update the database on Vietnam’s ethnic minority groups.

The survey will be opt for 540,740 households in 14,659 localities nationwide. It is expected to wrap up on October 31.

The survey will investigate general information about the population, fertility rate of female aged 10-14 and 15-49, death rate in the past 12 months, housing and living conditions, as well as heads of main livestock and access to public services.

It is set to look into information of communes across the country, infrastructure use in each locality, and working conditions, among others.

The first survey of its kind was conducted by the GSO and the Government’s Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs in August 2015./.

HCMC speeds up disbursement of public investment capital

The HCMC’s disbursement of public investment capital totaled VND11,443 billion by September 15, accounting for 43 percent of the Government's yearly target. Some among them, including VND9,591 billion from the city’s State budget, VND1,210 billion from the Central budget and VND641 billion from official development assistance (ODA) capital.

The announcement was issued in a teleconference that was chaired by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on September 26 with the participation of officials of all ministries, sectors and 63 provincial-level localities.

Speaking at the national meeting via teleconference, deputy chairman of HCMC People's Committee Tran Vinh Tuyen said that the municipal authorities have allocated capital from the State budget for projects that have been granted with investment licenses from October 31, 2018 onward; made adjustment of plans for foreign investment in 2019 that use ODA fund and foreign preferential loans, not exceeding the disbursement rate of public investment capital in 2019 through the Central budget.

According to the People’s Committee of HCMC, obstacles leading to low disbursement rates include low site clearance, investment procedures, rearrangement of project management boards, processes and requirements for fund allocation and disbursement.

In order to speed up disbursement of public investment capital, the city’s authorities will focus on main tasks, such as managing and defining responsibility of leaders of units and departments, managing public investment, applying information technology in implementation of public investment projects, giving power to units and departments, and organizing a conference reviewing the disbursement of public investment capital in October.

Forum raises public awareness of ageing population

 

UNFPA Representative in Vietnam Naomi Kitahara speaks at the forum.

 

Society should have a more positive look at ageing population, and work to turn its challenges into opportunities as well as enhance the understanding of momentum of an aging society, heard a forum in Hanoi on September 30.

“The Journey to Age Equality” forum was held by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in collaboration with the Vietnam Association of the Elderly (VAE), the Ministry of Health’s General Office for Population Family Planning, and HelpAge International. It was part of activities in response to International Day of Older Persons (October 1).

Addressing at the event, VAE Vice President Dam Huu Dac said Vietnam is among the fastest ageing countries in Asia. As it takes 17-20 years to transition from an aging to an aged society, the country has faced thorny problems in outlining rational policies for the elderly, many of whom are having difficult lives and need support from the State, families and community.

Meanwhile, UNFPA Representative in Vietnam Naomi Kitahara said ageing population cannot be ignored to achieve the integrated 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, and all countries worldwide, including Vietnam, must be well-prepared for an ageing world.

Vietnam should have a new model that aligns ageing population with socio-economic growth, while ensuring social integration for the elderly, she stressed.

Participants at the forum, who are in three groups of over sixty, forty and twenty years-old, shared inspiring stories to change social norms and negative prejudice about the elderly. They all agreed that older persons can make positive contributions to society.

A photo exhibition featuring relations between population and sustainable development was organised in the framework of the forum.

Population ageing is poised to become one of the most significant social transformations of the 21st century. One in nine people in the world is aged 60 or over, and by 2050, one in five people could be aged 60 or over. During 2015-2030, the number of old persons is forecast to surge 56 percent, from 901 million to 1.4 billion. By 2030, persons aged 60 or above will outnumber people aged 15-24.

Vietnam officially entered the phase of ageing population in 2011, and is among the most rapidly ageing countries in the world. In 2017, the number of old persons accounted for 11.9 percent of the total population, which means one among nine persons was over 60.

According to the General Statistics Office, the number of people over 60 years old is expected to reach over 21 million, or 20 percent of the total population by 2038, and 27 million, or 25 percent of the total by 2050./.

HCM City needs long-term master plan to ensure water supply: experts

 

International experts share experience in water supply system management and solutions for HCM City.

 

Ho Chi Minh City needs a master plan for 30 years to make sure that investments in water supply dovetail with the overall long-term plan, experts have said.

The master plan should give directions and guidance and be implemented with flexibility, said Sytze Jarigsma, former resident project manager of the Utility Support Programme funded by the Dutch embassy.

The plans allows application of new technology if available and welcomes improvements based on newer insights, he told a conference last week on international and domestic experience in research and application for water supply recommendations for HCM City for the 2019-2035 period.

Raw water development needs urgent consideration, he said.

Currently, there are three water sources for the city, the Dong Nai and Sai Gon rivers and groundwater, he said.

The Dong Nai river is a good source for probably another 10 years or so, but after that climate change is expected to affect salinity too much, he said.

The Sai Gon river is already a good source that has been affected by high salinity and pollution, he said.

Groundwater abstractions would be phased out soon to limit ground subsidence, he predicted.

Raw water intakes at existing upstream Dau Tieng and Tri An lakes would be options for the city, he said.

It would be an achievement if non-revenue water or water losses could be brought down to 20 percent, and not much more could be expected, he said.

In the long term, new pipes would be installed and bad ones would be removed, resulting in reduction in water losses, he said.

Paul Smith of the Australian Water Association (AWA) said the greatest risks to consumers of drinking water are pathogenic micro-organisms.

Protection of water sources and treatment are of paramount importance and cheaper than treatment, he said.

A drinking water system must have and continuously maintain robust multiple barriers commensurate with the level of potential contamination, he said.

Vo Van Hoan, Vice Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee, said rapid urbanisation has put pressure on the city’s water infrastructure, which is ageing.

It is a great challenge for the city to maintain water supply and keep pace with the economic growth, he said.

It has made huge efforts to accomplish the target of supplying clean water to 100 percent of households, he said.

But the city is in the downstream area of the Dong Nai river and Sai Gon river, and is affected by what happens upstream, he said.

Climate change and pollution have worsened water supply, he said. “The city is urgently developing a project for drinking water supply.”

It brought down water losses to 23.3 percent from 26 percent in 2017 and 30.9 percent in 2015. Its daily water supply total capacity is 2.4 million cubic metres.

According to the Department of Construction, the city will upgrade 1,430km of old pipelines and install more new pipelines by 2025./.

Can Tho serves over 7 million visitors in nine months

 

A corner of Cai Rang float market in Can Tho city

 

The Mekong Delta city of Can Tho welcomed over 7 million tourists in the first three quarter of 2019, a year-on-year increase of 4.2 percent.

The locality’s tourism sector earned total revenue of 3.4 trillion VND (over 146.4 million USD), up 15.2 percent from the same period last year.

Notably, since the beginning of the year, the city has greeted many delegations of international holiday-makers, including Joe Lewis, the owner of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.

Recently, Can Tho was listed among the world’s most beautiful canal cities, according to the Departures, an American lifestyle magazine. This is an opportunity for Can Tho to promote its tourism sites and potential for tourism development to international visitors.

The results were attributed to efforts made by the municipal authorities in promoting tourism in many localities nationwide to organise tours connecting Can Tho with Mekong Delta provinces.

The city also expands cooperation with Malaysia and Japan in the field.

Attention has been also paid to investing in infrastructure development, diversifying tourism products in popular tourism sites, especially waterway tourism; and organising regional and international conferences, towards promoting tourism and attracting more tourists to the locality.

Over 1,300 primary students in Gia Lai receive free helmets

More than 1,300 students of three primary schools in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai were presented with helmets under a programme held at Le Hong Phong Primary School in Bau Can commune, Chu Prong district.

The programme was co-organised by the provincial Departments of Transport, and Education and Training, and the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation.

It forms part of a project that has been carried out in 74 primary schools in Dong Nai, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Nam, Gia Lai, Yen Bai and Thai Nguyen provinces since 2012, and presented more than 63,000 helmets to local students.

Thanks to the project, the rate of children using helmets in the targeted schools increased from 28.53 percent before the implementation of the project to 89.22 percent in mid-2019.

In Gia Lai alone, the project presented 9,000 helmets to students of 12 primary schools, helping to raise the rate of children wearing helmets in these schools from 81 percent to 95 percent between September 2018 and March 2019./.

Vinh Phuc province to spend 7 trillion VND on new-style rural area building

The northern province of Vinh Phuc plans to set aside some 7 trillion VND (301.3 million USD) to carry out the national target programme on building new style rural area by 2025.

The province is striving to have its city and all districts recognised as new-style rural areas, of which at least one district will be certified as a model new-style rural locality in the next six years.

Besides, it will work towards the target of 50 percent of communes achieving advanced criteria for new-style rural area, 15 percent of communes recognised as model new-style rural communes, and 30 percent of villages identified as model new-style rural villages.

The money will be used to construct infrastructure like roads, power grid, water system, schools and medical stations. Concerted efforts will be made to improve the living quality of rural residents with poverty rate kept under 1 percent and healthcare insurance coverage rate of 95 percent.

The provincial People’s Committee is studying mechanisms to support the building of new-style rural models which create breakthroughs for the local socio-economy. Accordingly, local programmes and projects will be developed in tandem with the national target programme, while production will be branched out in response to climate change and to improve local farmers’ income.

In addition, the province will mobilise all resources to boost the new-style rural area building./.

Trà Vinh reports surge in tourist numbers

The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Trà Vinh has received 765,400 visitors so far this year, an increase of 66.5 per cent year-on-year.

They include more than 27,300 foreigners.

Tourism revenues were estimated at nearly VNĐ280 billion (US$12 million), an increase of more than VNĐ107 billion ($4.6 million).

Analysts say the province has huge tourism potential but failed to capitalise on it due to poor services and failure to develop or market them.

It has a long coastline stretching 65km along the East Sea, some 140 Khmer pagodas, renowned architectural and historical relics, and intangible cultural heritages.

Trà Vinh is known as a green city with hundreds of trees that are more than a century old.

Dương Hoàng Sum, director of the province's Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said a number of efforts had been made to develop tourism such as offering incentives to investors and upgrading infrastructure and facilities.

“The province has set itself the goal of developing tourism as one of its key sectors.”

It would focus on developing Duyên Hải Town and Cầu Kè and Trà Cú districts as its three main tourism destinations, and turn the Bà Om Pond, a cultural relic site, into a national tourist site.

It was soliciting investment in some eco-tourism projects in Ba Động Beach and Duyên Hải Town.

This year, it planned to spend around VNĐ14 billion ($603,000) on tourism marketing and promotion.

Last year, it had started building a Khmer culture and tourism village at a cost of nearly VNĐ26 billion ($1.1 million), with VNĐ8 billion ($344,700) coming from the Government’s coffers and the rest from private investors.

On September 9, the Cồn Chim community tourism site was launched in Châu Thành District’s Hòa Minh Commune.

“We are also enhancing links with HCM City and provinces in the delta to boost our tourism industry.”

By 2025, Trà Vinh hopes to welcome 2.5 million tourists a year, including 85,000 foreigners, and earn VNĐ1.6 trillion ($68.9 million) in revenues.

Hậu Giang resorts to earthen embankments to prevent erosion along rivers

 

An earthen embankment along the Xẻo Mơn Canal in Hậu Giang Province’s Phụng Hiệp District. — Photo baohaugiang.com.vn

 

Embankments made of natural materials to prevent erosion along rivers and canals have proved so effective in Hậu Giang that the province plans to expand the model.

Two years ago the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province’s Irrigation Sub-department built three such embankments running a total length of 380 metres in Phụng Hiệp District and Ngã Bảy Town on a trial basis.

They were made by filling eroded areas with soil and erecting between them and the water a barrier made from cajuput trunks or bamboo. Permeable fabric or fine nets were installed outside the barrier to hold the soil.

The barriers also cushion the banks from ripples and waves caused by travelling boats.

Cajuput and other plants that grow in water were then planted inside the barriers so that their roots bind the soil against erosion.

They cost VNĐ350 million (US$15,000).

Their cost per metre was only VNĐ400,000 ($17) compared to VNĐ60 million ($2,580) for concrete embankments, according to the sub-department.

Besides, the trees planted in them generate an income of VNĐ700,000 – 900,000 ($30 - 38) per metre in three or four years’ time.

The province then built another 25 kilometres of similar embankments last year and 143 kilometres so far this year.

In Búng Tàu Town in Phụng Hiệp, some 100 households along the Búng Tàu and Ngang canals have built these embankments near their houses.

Cao Văn Bồi, who built a 30-metre embankment in front of his house in Búng Tàu’s Tân Phú A2 Hamlet, said many large boats traverse the canal, and without something to block them, the waves caused by the boats hit the canal banks and cause erosion.

“The embankment helps stabilise the bank.”

Besides cajuput, Bồi has also planted spotted mangroves in the embankment. He grows water hyacinth in the canal to absorb the energy of the waves until his plants grow large enough.

Trần Thanh Oai, chairman of the Búng Tàu Town People’s Committee, said locals have built 2,000 metres of embankment under the guidance of officials.

The cost is borne by the locals themselves in some places.

The town plans to build more embankments and also instruct residents in building them, Oai said.

Trần Thanh Toàn, head of the sub-department, said the embankments are a sustainable solution since they offer reliable protection and are cheap and environment-friendly.

Their use should be widely and regularly propagated to educate officials at all levels and the public, he said.

The province has a dense network of rivers and canals extending nearly 3,500 kilometres.

It has suffered from nearly 250 cases of erosion in the last five years, losing 25,000sq.m of land.

Trương Cảnh Tuyên, deputy chairman of the People’s Committee, said the province has also built concrete embankments, but their high cost is an inhibiting factor, he said.

The earthen embankment is an appropriate solution and the province would expand its use, he added.

Đồng Nai proposes compulsory environmental impact assessments for quarry complexes

 

Limestone quarries create the deep holes of 60-80m along the Buông River in southern Đồng Nai Province, which may affect the river flow and its water supply in the future. — Photo thanhnien.com.vn

 

Provincial authorities in the southern province of Đồng Nai have asked the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to make compiling environmental impact assessments mandatory for quarry complexes in the province before they can operate.

Nguyễn Ngọc Hưng, deputy director of the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment, said the province had tens of limestone quarries, mostly in Biên Hoà City and Vĩnh Cửu and Thống Nhất districts and forming three large complexes.

Hưng said all the quarries have undergone separate environmental impact assessments and been approved by the ministry. However, the ministry has not evaluated the three complexes individually due to a lack of regulations.

This has harmed the environment during and after the limestone mining process, he said.

Hưng said there were 10 quarries in Phước Tân quarry complex in Biên Hoà City, along the two sides of the Buông River. All of the quarries are legal and were evaluated the environmental impact assessment.

These quarries were licensed to operate between four and 25 years on 403ha. The total amount of exploited limestone was estimated to be 130 million cu.m to a depth of up to 80m.

Hưng said five out of 10 quarries were only 50m from the river and each quarry was hundreds of metres long. The quarries have left deep holes along the river after the mining process, seriously impacting river flow.

The river could even run dry due to these holes, he said.

The 52km Buông River is the largest river in Đồng Nai. It supplies water for 233,000 residents, hundreds of hectares of rice and 14,000ha of trees.

The calculation of air pollution caused by the quarry complexes was another issue. The latest air monitoring report from the department showed the amount of dust at Phước Tân quarry complex in Biên Hoà City and Thiện Tân quarry complex in Vĩnh Cửu District was between 1.12 and 16.24 times higher than allowed levels.

Hưng said the environmental impact assessment was necessary for the quarry complexes, but none of the localities had carried one out.

The department plans to hire a consultancy unit to evaluate the overall impact of the quarry complexes on the surrounding environment.

The department has proposed the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment provide guidelines for the evaluation of the environmental impact assessment in quarry complexes in the province.

Đồng Nai Province has the largest limestone reserve in the south region, with 32 quarries and mining capacity of more than 22 million cu.m per year.

Non-agricultural cooperatives struggle to receive loans

 

 

Less than 20 per cent of cooperatives are financially independent while access to credit and capital remains limited, accounting for under 1 per cent.

The issues were raised by Phạm Công Bằng, director of the Central Cooperative Assistance Development Fund, at Monday’s national conference to review the 15-year implementation of Resolution No 13-NQ / TW on the renewal, development and improvement of collective economic efficiency in the non-agricultural sector, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Vương Đình Huệ.

According to Phan Huy Sự, director of Nhơn Trạch Transport Cooperative which has nearly 6,000 cars and some 10,000 workers, their demand for capital to pay for fuel, wages and other expenses is huge.

However, it is difficult to get access to preferential loans.

“To solve urgent needs, some members have to seek black credit and receive payday loans which negatively impact their income,” said Sự.

Acknowledging the situation, Nguyễn Kim Anh, State Bank of Việt Nam Deputy Governor, said people’s credit funds did not effectively implement lending activities and kept interest rates high, restraining their role of connecting and supporting cooperatives.

Nguyễn Văn Thịnh, deputy head of Việt Nam Cooperative Alliance, said Việt Nam had more than 64,000 non-agricultural collective groups and 23 non-agricultural cooperative alliances. Most of them are unable to get access to loans offered by commercial banks as they fail to meet terms and procedures.

Bằng stressed upon capital as the biggest obstruction to cooperatives, making it impossible for cooperatives to expand their businesses.

“Cooperatives might be exposed to the threat of bankruptcy when unable to pay back a loan. The barrier is also set for those who want to apply the latest technologies. Once the challenge remains, there will be no transition to supply chain and sustainable development,” said Bằng.

The fund has granted more than 5,700 loans for non-agricultural cooperatives with some VNĐ6 trillion (US$258 million). The average loan interest rate is 5.4 per cent.

“The Government needs to offer transport cooperatives preferential loans to ease financial burdens, promote productivity, raise incomes and help cooperatives develop sustainably,” said Sự.

Sharing the opinion, deputy transport minister Nguyễn Nhật, urged the Government to support cooperatives, especially investing in transport infrastructure.

“It is essential to upgrade and develop domestic waterway and road systems, creating a logistics network to reduce transport costs and boost cooperatives,” said Nhật.

“Enhancing administrative reforms will also help cooperatives and their members to conveniently access assistance mechanisms and policies,” he added.

Speaking at the event, Deputy PM Huệ asked related ministries and agencies to develop and efficiently implement policies to encourage the development of cooperatives.

By 2018, Việt Nam had 64,081 non-agricultural collective groups with more than 665,000 members and 23 cooperative alliances, a rise of 16 compared to 2003.

There are some 8,700 non-agricultural cooperatives with nearly 3,200 million members and total charter capital of VNĐ18.4 trillion ($791.2 million). The average revenue is VNĐ5.7 billion ($245,100).

Tourism to develop in accordance with advanced techonology

Young tourists try automatic tour guide application on smartphone which is available at Văn Miếu (Temple of Literature). In the future, with one smart card, tourists will enjoy their trips and services. Photo courtesy of Temple of Literature's management board.

In the near future, the Vietnamese tourism industry will develop alongside the development of technology, thanks to a deal the Việt Nam National Tourism Administration (VNAT) has agreed with the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
The VNAT signed an agreement with the e-Commerce and Digital Economy Agency on Friday to apply advanced technology and e-commerce to develop tourism.

The move will allow people to book tours on a mobile app, said Hà Văn Siêu, vice chairman of the VNAT.

“The programme 'A National Card' will be launched connecting accommodations, tourists, travel agents, authorities and destinations. It will help tourists check out and pay for healthcare, entrance tickets, services and rooms.

“In the near future, this card will be issued to international tourists travelling to Việt Nam with an automatic card (for one-time use) at tourist sites, airports and train stations.

“The signing ceremony takes place on World Tourism Day (September 27) showing our determination to promote e-commerce in tourism in the context of strong digital economic activities,” Siêu said.

An app will be introduced to support tour guides and help tourists book said tour guides. A project called 'Dashboard' will be implemented to provide tourism information via smartphones.

On the same day in Hà Nội, RedDoorz, a technological platform for hotel management and booking, signed a deal with travel agents to develop the Vietnamese market.

CEO Amit Saberwal committed to help Vietnamese enterprises upgrade competitiveness and sustainable development.

In the first phase, RedDoorz will establish a technological centre in HCM City to operate rooms and apply new solutions to develop hotels in Việt Nam.

RedDoorz has been working with more than 1,200 partners from Southeast Asia countries, including 125 partners from Việt Nam in room sales and value management, marketing, branding, service standardisation and customer care.

Thanks to the technological platform, RedDoorz can anticipate customers’ needs for booking, helping hotels reduce vacancy rates, cut costs for booking channels and increase revenue.

A two- or three-star hotel in the RedDoorz network will be subject to strict quality control, giving tourists higher room quality and hotel staff at good prices.

More than 12.9 million foreign tourists have chosen Việt Nam as their destination over the last nine months, up 10.8 per cent year on year, according to the VNAT’s statistics.

In the nine months, visitors arriving by land increased the highest with 23.5 per cent, by air 8.3 per cent, and only by sea dropped 0.6 per cent. International visitors from Asia, Europe, America and Africa increased by 12.5 per cent, 5.3 per cent, 6.8 per cent, and 10.8 per cent, respectively, over the same period in 2018.

The remaining quarter of 2019 will be the high season for international tourists to Việt Nam, so the industry believes that it will achieve the goal. 

Saigontourist Travel offers river tours

 

Saigontourist’s river tours enable guests to watch sunsets on the Saigon River - PHOTOS: COURTESY OF SAIGONTOURIST

 

Saigontourist Travel Service Company, an affiliate of Saigontourist Holding Company, and Binh Quoi Tourist Village are offering river tours in HCMC in a bid to give their guests a unique and interesting experience of the city.

The Saigon River tour, including viewing sunsets from the river, allows guests to explore the beauty of HCMC from a different perspective. The motor boat departs from Bach Dang Wharf, passes by Nha Rong Wharf and Saigon Port, and travels on to Te Canal. During the trip, tourists can see high-rise buildings which are seen as the city’s new landmarks. The tour also takes in Mieu Noi, a 300-year-old temple.

In the next leg, the boat takes tourists to the riverside villa area in District 2 where they can enjoy a glass of cocktail and snacks while viewing sunsets on the Saigon River. On the way to District 2, they can see Saigon and Thu Thiem bridges.

The boat will take tourists back to Bach Dang Wharf in the evening, when they can watch the brightly lit downtown area of the city.

To join the tour, tourists have two options. In option one, the tour begins at 4:30 p.m. and ends at 6:30 p.m. and in option two, it runs from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. as Mieu Noi temple is an extra stop.

According to Saigontourist, the best time to watch sunsets on the Saigon River is from 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. between May and September or 5 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the other months.

The Saigon River tour costs VND1.5 million per guest.

Number of young adults with type 2 diabetes on the rise

Record numbers of young adults are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, said Chairman of Vietnam Diabetes Education Association Professor Ta Van Binh said at an opening ceremony of the National Diabetes Week in Hanoi yesterday.

Diabetes patients are 40 years of age averagely worldwide but in Vietnam, some nine-year-old children have type 2 diabetes, he added. Thirty years ago, it was difficult to find a type 2 diabetes patient at the age of 40.

Nevertheless, diabetes epidemic now hits the under-40s, said Professor Binh.

Statistically, around 3.5 million Vietnamese people have diabetes. Worse, it is forecast that the number of them will rise to 6.3 million by 2045.

Noticeably, 70 percent of diabetes patients have not known to catch disease while 20 percent of them suffer kidney failure or put on dialysis or have kidney transplant.

Nearly US$129,052 scholarships given to poor, good students

The student sponsoring center in Ho Chi Minh City announced to allocate VND3 billion (US$129,052) for scholarships to good students from poor families.

Presently, the center is receiving document to consider giving scholarships. It plans to give 130 scholarships worth nearly VND1 billion.

In the future, the center will grant 335 scholarships worth VND2 billion.

Good students at risk of quitting schooling are entitled to receive the scholarships.

HCMC enhances cooperation between private centers, public schools

 

A class with foreign teacher in VNUHCM

 

In the academic year 2019-2020, Ho Chi Minh City education sector will enhance cooperation between public schools and private foreign language teaching centers to improve teaching quality of foreign language and IT through extra-activites, life skills and creativity & innovation.

The information was released at a conference to review the school year 2018-2019 and mission for the new school year organized by the municipal Department of Education and Training yesterday.

In the school year 2019-2020, there are 1,321 institutions offering English language and IT courses in the city; 2 percent of which are foreign-invested facilities.

Head of the Continous Studying Department Ho Phu Bac said that last year, inspectors paid unscheduled visits to all centers offering English language and IT courses in districts 1, 2, 9, 12, Tan Binh, Tan Phu, Go Vap and Hoc Mon.

As a result, eight of them were asked to stop activites, remove the signboards and advertisement as well as pay fines of VND142 million ($6,119)

Moreover, inspectors addressed some violations in 14 other facilities and solve learners’ and laborers’ rights in these facilities.

Vietnam fights rabies by rabies vaccination

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), the Ministry of Health (MOH), People’s Committee in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and other One Health partners yesterday advocated for rabies vaccination to stop rabies in both animals and human.

According to the National Program on the Control and Elimination of Rabies, National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE), 54 people died from rabies in 24 provinces in Vietnam in 2019 compared to 67 people in 24 provinces last year.

Although there are fewer deaths, the disease has spread to four more provinces.

“Rabies cases are reported from provinces which previously had no case. Dog management and vaccination is the most important action to stop rabies transmission between dogs, and from dogs to humans. A person bitten by a dog needs to get immediate and complete vaccine against rabies. Vaccinating dogs is the most cost-effective and sustainable way to save lives from rabies,” jointly stated by Dr. Tran Dac Phu, Director General of the General Department of Preventive Medicine (GDPM), and Dr. Pham Van Dong, Director General of the Department of Animal Health (DAH).

Dr. Kidong Park, WHO Representative in Vietnam, emphasized that targeting high-risk areas in the country is critical to achieving Zero by 30, as he highlighted that “Strengthening political commitment; increasing risk awareness; promoting dog vaccination and dog management; ensuring public trust on, accessibility, availability and affordability on anti-rabies vaccination for humans; and improving financial and human resources are our weapons in the fight against rabies.”

In Vietnam, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development continue to implement the National Program on the Control and Elimination of Rabies, which was approved by the Prime Minister in February 2017, and the Order 31/ CT-TTg dated July 6, 2017 of the Prime Minister on Strengthening Urgent Measures to Prevent Rabies.

The two ministries, in collaboration with One Health partners, have jointly carried out activities to strengthen the commitment of all levels of government in the prevention and control rabies; to strengthen inter-sectoral collaboration, including health, agriculture, education and mass organizations.

Moreover, the activities have enhanced communication activities to achieve the goal of improving dog management and vaccination, ensuring that people bitten by dogs are immediately vaccinated, and reducing the number of rabies deaths towards the elimination of rabies in Vietnam by 2030.

This year marks the 13th annual observance of the World Rabies Day since the governments across the world collectively responded to the issue, bringing together relevant sectors, and engaging local, national stakeholders and the global community in the fight against rabies.

Hanoi officials decline Air Visual’s AQI evaluation

 

Hanoi’s air has been alarmingly polluted recently

 

Air Visual deemed Hanoi the most polluted city in the world after its air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 170 on September 26. Air Visual’s automatic monitors are present in 10,000 cities around the world.

This claim was refuted by the Division of Environmental Protection under Hanoi Department of Natural Resources and Environment, saying the result was recorded at one location and therefore cannot represent the whole city’s AQI.

Air Visual’s result was taken at the monitoring station near the US Embassy in Hanoi which is surrounded by large-scale construction sites, explained the Environmental Protection Division.
Meanwhile, Hanoi’s AQI on September 26 was reportedly 157, according to the city’s automated air monitoring result announced on its web portal.

Hanoi Department of Natural Resources and Environment’s monitoring system also showed a low pollution level these days, suggesting that the smog level only go up during certain times of the day.

On the other hand, unfavorable weather had caused smog to form above the city for days. Specifically, the lack of rainfall and wind led to poor air dispersion, causing dust to be held beneath the cloud surface and lower the city’s overall air quality, stated the division.

Pollution threatens water supply safety in HCMC

 

A worker of Saigon Water Corporation examines water quality at a water meter

 

Deputy chairman of HCMC People’s Committee Vo Van Hoan on Septembeer 27 expressed concern over water supply safety as the city locates at the end of Saigon and Dong Nai river valley and is unable to control water pollution in the rivers.

At a seminar on clean water supply in HCMC in the phase of 2019-2035, Mr. Hoan said that the city has made efforts so that 100 percent residents in the city can access and use clean water. Still, supply has failed to meet demand of such a big city.

At present, the city faces difficulties in controlling raw water quality. Specifically, water treatment plants are now exploiting raw water from Saigon and Dong Nai rivers. However impacts from socioeconomic development have caused heavy water pollution along the valley of these rivers.

Locating in the end of the river valley, HCMC has been unable to control the pollution. On the other hand, climate change has caused negative impacts on raw water quality. These factors would affect the city’s water supply safety in the future, he worried.

Sharing the concern, Mr. Sytze Jarigsma, former resident project manager of the Dutch Utility Support Program, emphasized the need of planning the water supply industry. According to him, the city is using raw water from rivers and underground sources to produce clean water. However underground exploitation will gradually end to limit depression.

Meantime, the water quality in the Saigon river is not good due to pollution and salt intrusion. The city can continue exploiting the remaining source from the Dong Nai river but this source will also be affected by salt penetration due to climate change. Hence, the city should consider taking raw water from Dau Tieng and Tri An reservoirs according to the proposal by Japan International Cooperation Agency.

Aside from that, the city should build water tanks near intake points to keep water from 1-20 days to cope with salt intrusion. Solutions comprise salty water dilution, desalination, wastewater treatment, rainwater collection and influence on water consumption demand through water price.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai, chairwoman of Refrigeration Electrical Engineering Corporation, suggested that the city authorities should work with relevant provinces on solutions to ensure the quality of raw water. Focusing on raw water source protection will be much better than focusing on water treatment, she added.

At the seminar, delegates talked about drinking water taps. That places requirements for not only water treatment but also pipe system. Currently, the city has many old pipes making it difficult to meet quality standards of drinking water.

A water supply enterprise said that supply of drinking water tapes is not an easy mission with strict quality standards and regulations. Another obstacle is from investment capital. Water price in HCMC is much lower than that in many places in the region and it has not been adjusted for a long time. As a result, the water supply industry is short of funds for development investment. The low water price has also raised difficulties in calling for investors because of difficult payback ability.

From another aspect, director of HCMC Department of Construction Le Hoa Binh said that the high ratio of water loss greatly impacts water price. The city is working with foreign partners to reduce water loss volume.

Sharing experiences in water supply for Manila, Mr. Arnold Jether A.Mortera from Filipino Manila Water Company said that at first the company also met difficulty from old water supply system which caused water loss. To deal with the issue, the company intensified management over water supply in small areas to supervise all daily happenings in these areas. Therefore, the ratio of water loss reduced from 63 percent in 1997 to 10 percent now. This has helped the company meet increasing demand from customers without building new water plants.

Phan Thiet annouces safe beaches for swimming

 

Beaches from Muine Ocean Resort And Spa to Sai Gon-Mui Ne resort in Ham Tien ward are considered safe. (Photo: Sggp)

 

The Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism of the central coastal province of Binh Thuan and the People’s Committee of Phan Thiet City have announced a list of safe beaches in the province that will help tourists have an enjoyable trip.

The local authorities made a survey of beaches suitable for swimming after several drownings recently occurred in the resort town.

According to a study, it’s safe to swim on beaches in Mui Ne ward; in the border between Ham Tien ward and Mui Ne fishing village in the season of north wind; and from Suoi Hong Tourist Area to Hon Rom Area Tourist in the Southwest wind season.

Beaches from Muine Ocean Resort And Spa to Sai Gon-Mui Ne resort in Ham Tien ward; and from Little Mui Ne Cottages resort to the Quarter 4 are considered safe.

The swimming area from Doi Duong Beach to Thuong Chanh beach is declared suitable, from March to May and from 6 a.m. to 7:45 a.m. from October to February; while a public beach bordered by the Sealink City allows safe swimming in March and April.

Notably, the local government has also sent out a warning to mariners and beachgoers about potential hazardous weather in the stormy sea.

According to the provincial government, 14 people, including local people and tourists died from 6 drownings in beaches more than one month. The Binh Thuan province’s Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism has recently cooperated with relevant units to organize many drowning prevention programs.