The cows killed by wild animals

 

 

Residents in a mountainous district of the northern province of Hoa Binh have worried about cows being attacked by wild animals.

Since June this year, four cows in Buc Village, Lung Van Commune, Tan Lac District have been killed and part of their body were eaten by wild animals. Another was injured.

The incidents occurred near Ngoc Son-Ngo Luong Nature Reserve.

Tan Lac District People’s Committee has urged localities to improve wild animal protection awareness for the public.

People are advised not to trap, harm or hunt wild animals. They need to be alert with them and inform local authorities of their appearance.

Local authorities are investigating nto the cattle attacks to define which animals are responsible for the attacks.

Female badminton star into semifinals of Maldives International Challenge

Vu Thi Trang, a talented female Vietnamese badminton player, has made it to the semifinals of the Maldives International Challenge 2019 following a 2-1 victory over Qi Xuefei of France.

During the quarterfinal stage on September 27, Thi Trang, world No.64, won the first set with a score 21-12 before letting her French rival Qi Xuefei, world No.55, come back in the second set.

During the third set, the Vietnamese player displayed strong determination and skill to overcome her opponent and record a victory over Qi Xuefei.

As a result, Thi Trang will play Thet Htar Thuzar of Myanmar, world No.68, in the semifinals on September 28.

Tourist boat catches fire while anchored on Ha Long Bay

A tourist boat suddenly caught fire while being anchored on Ha Long Bay on Friday afternoon.

According to an initial investigation by local authorities, the incident occurred at 4 pm on September 27 when the Yen Ngoc 02 QN-6138 boat was anchored outside the Sung Sot Cave.

"Luckily at that time all 14 foreign tourists who had been aboard the boat had gone out to visit the cave," the report said.

The Quang Ninh Provincial People's Committee sent a fire fighting boat and two canoes to the scene for rescue activities, and the fire was controlled by 5 pm. No injuries were reported.

Police are further investigating the cause of the fire.

Pedestrian bridge to be built across Saigon River

 

Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee have announced the criteria for designing a pedestrian bridge across the Saigon River.

The Department of Planning and Architecture was assigned to select an architectural design for the bridge which will connect Bach Dang Park in District 1 and Thu Thiem New Urban Area in District 2.

According to the committee, the bridge will have separate lanes for pedestrians and bicyclists. There will be supporting equipment for elderly and disabled people.

The design must also ensure artistic values and harmony with surrounding scenery, the committee said.

In particular, the designer should study the combination of the existing transport system and the future developments at Ton Duc Thang Street and Bach Dang Park projects which will soon be completed.

The design should also take into account supporting facilities on the two sides of the bridge including parking areas, food and drink stalls and public WCs.

Investigators break up two online gambling rings worth VND4 trillion

 

An individual is questioned by an investigator for his involvement in a transnational online gambling ring – PHOTO: POLICE

 

A transnational online gambling ring worth more than VND1 trillion (US$43 million), led by locals who used to work in casinos in Cambodia, has been broken up.

The Department of Cyber Security and Hi-tech Crime Prevention, with the Ministry of Public Security (MPS), on Tuesday announced the arrest of nine individuals suspected of involvement in an unauthorized online betting, casino and lottery operation linked to the Winxx8.com brand, which is reportedly based in the Shanghai Resort Casino in Cambodia.

On September 18, the department teamed up with the Criminal Police Department and the Mobile Police Department to set up a taskforce of 16 teams that raided various sites in the northern province of Bac Ninh, the south-central coastal province of Khanh Hoa, HCMC and neighboring Long An Province.

Investigators seized more than VND1.2 billion in cash, two laptops, one tablet, scores of bank cards and mobile phones and other evidence.

Police revealed that Winxx8.com is a betting site featuring poker, casino games, lotteries and sports betting for football, basketball and tennis. The website offers content in several languages, including Vietnamese.

The arrested individuals previously worked for a gaming operation in Cambodia in 2015 but had returned to their native Vietnam to act as local agents for the gambling website and to open local bank accounts where wagers could be deposited.

Some reports pegged the total earnings from gambling handled by these agents at over VND1 trillion (US$43 million), though the reports failed to indicate over what period this sum was collected.

In another case, police in the north-central coastal province of Ha Tinh arrested a gang caught organizing an online sports gambling scheme, worth VND3 trillion (US$130 million).

Investigators launched legal proceedings against 45 individuals suspected of involvement in the operation. They include 29 gambling organizers and 16 gamblers.

Local police broke up the illegal operation in October 2018. The gang was found to be running two football betting rings on the domains b88ag.com, bong88.com and cuocbanh88.com.

The two rings had a total of 811 accounts, one-third of which belonged to people placing bets while the rest were admin accounts.

A large-scale investigation was launched in collaboration with the MPS and local police in the provinces of Ha Tinh, Khanh Hoa, Binh Dinh and Phu Yen and in HCMC.

On May 26, the authorities arrested 11 people, including Le Canh Bao, 43, of Khanh Hoa, believed to be the mastermind of the two rings. He had assigned Pham Hai, 42, and Ho Xuan Dat, 28, to manage the accounts.

The rings had been operational for seven months, from October last year to May this year, handling wagers worth an average of VND500 billion (US$21.5 million) per month. At the time of the raid, the total value of these transactions was estimated at VND3 trillion.

Gambling is generally illegal in Vietnam, but foreigners are allowed to gamble at local designated casinos. Last year, the Government stated that it would allow some local citizens to take risks at select casinos on a trial basis.

Last November, more than 90 people were convicted for their involvement in a multimillion-dollar online gambling ring covered up by two former senior police officers in charge of policing internet betting.

Several months ago, more than 380 Chinese suspects in Vietnam’s largest-ever online gambling ring run by foreigners were detained in the northern port city of Haiphong, and later deported to face trial in China.

HCM City hosts children's book fair 

 

Parents look at discounted books at the HCM City first Book Fair for Children held from September 27-29 on Book Pedestrian Street in District 1.

 

The first Book Fair for Children to recommend quality books by local and foreign authors for children of different ages is being held on HCM City's Pedestrian Book Street from September 27-29.

Themed “Open up the Book – Light up the Future”, the event is organised by the HCM City Department of Information and Communications and its partners including the Book Street Company.

The fair offers more than 10,000 copies of books, mostly literature and comics, from 30 local publishers and distributors including Kim Đồng Publishing House, Phương Nam Book Company, and Thái Hà Book Joint Stock Company.

Phương Nam Book Company is introducing new books about environmental protection by local and foreign authors. They are The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohllber, Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, Những Thiên Thần Của Người Gác Rừng (Angels of Forest Guard) by Phương Huyền and Trăm Năm Hữu Hạn (Finite Nature) by Phạm Lư Ân.

Best-selling titles by Vietnamese authors Nguyễn Nhật Ánh like Làm Bạn Với Bầu Trời (Being Friend with the Sky) and Mắt Biếc (Blue Eyes) are also featured.

The fair offers comic books, colouring books and reference books.

The organisers have launched a painting exhibition of 40 works by students from Vinschool. The paintings feature covers of children’s books as well as characters in the books.

A talk show with author Phương Huyền about her love for nature will be held today.

There will also be book readings and reviews, game and painting corners, and origami instruction.

The book fair aims to promote a reading culture and habit among children, organisers said.

During the event, stores on Book Street are offering 20-50 per cent discounts on all books for children.

Book Street is located on Nguyễn Văn Bình Street in District 1.

Detoxification finished in part of Rạng Đông burnt down warehouse

 

Chemical troops enter the burnt warehouse of Rạng Đông company in Thanh Xuân District of Hà Nội to remove toxic substances.

 

Chemical troops on Thursday completed detoxification work at the light-bulb factory where a blaze occurred back in late August.

The fire caused extensive damage to the warehouses of the Rạng Đông light bulb manufacturer, and the public is most concerned with the mercury that was released into the atmosphere, soil and water in the surrounding areas.

Senior Lieutenant Colonel Đậu Xuân Hoài, vice chairman of the Military Institute of Environmental Chemistry under the Ministry of National Defence, told Tuổi Trẻ (Youth) that one third of the total area, about 2,000 sq m needed to be detoxified.

Flames destroyed the warehouses of the Rạng Đông Light Sources and Vacuum Flask JSC in Thanh Xuân District, Hà Nội, last month, destroying more than four million light bulbs. Panic over a health crisis for residents in the capital city immediately flared due to a potential exposure to the fatal substance mercury – a metal used in making fluorescent lights.

The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources later confirmed that up to 27kg of mercury could have been leaked into the surrounding residential areas after the fire.

However, air and water tests carried out by the Government days after the blaze indicated the mercury levels were still within safety standards.

The chemical corps was deployed to the burnt out site to clean up all toxic residue in the area.

Hoài said the clean-up work was changed from the initial plan.

The force at first planned to remove all the debris on the 6,000 sq m before starting the detoxification, he said. But that idea was dropped and instead the total area was divided into three smaller zones.

“We were first handed one third of the area, and it was the most polluted one. We carried out detoxification steps and all work was done for now,” Hoài said.

The rest of the polluted area – around 4,000 sq m – was still loaded with debris from the fire and thus it was unable to do the chemical clean-up.

The State-owned Hà Nội Urban Environment Company No 10 – the UNRENCO 10 – was tasked with removing the debris.

URENCO 10 chairman of the board Lê Hồng Phong said the company planned to finish collecting all the debris in the second zone of 2,000 sq m on September 28-29 before handing the land to the military for the detoxification.

The last 2,000sq m was expected to be cleared on October 2, he added.

Police bust fake diesel oil production ring in Quang Ngai

 

Tanker trucks containing fake diesel oil are seized by the police. The police of Binh Son District in Quang Ngai Province have cracked down on a fake diesel oil manufacturing and trading ring - PHOTO: PUBLIC SECURITY NEWS

 

The police of Binh Son District in the central coastal province of Quang Ngai have cracked down on a fake diesel oil manufacturing and trading ring and detained three suspects, the local media reported.

The police made the announcement on September 23, naming the three suspects as Nguyen Minh Hiep, 70, director of PE Dung Quat Company; Bui Dinh Chuong , director of Dinh Chuong Transport Company; and Nguyen Thanh Phong, 43, an individual residing in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho.

Earlier, on September 21, the Binh Son police had raided the warehouse of Dinh Chuong Company, located in Binh Hiep Commune, Binh Son District.

The police caught a group of employees using pipes to extract liquid from a barrel to a tanker truck containing diesel oil for mixing.

Some 3,000 liters of oil in the tank truck were found to be fake diesel oil.

On expanding the investigation, the police of Binh Son District searched the headquarters of PE Dung Quat Company in Binh Thanh Commune in the district, where they found equipment used for the production of fake oil, several types of chemicals and over 10 cubic meters of fake diesel oil.

Senior Lieutenant-Colonel Pham Quoc Viet, deputy director of the Binh Son Police, noted that the suspects had collaborated with others to buy used lubricant oil and had mixed it with real diesel oil, under a 1:10 ratio.

The suspects have stated that the fake diesel oil ring started in August last year.

Since 2018, Nguyen Minh Hiep has cooperated with Bui Dinh Chuong to transport over 100 shipments of a total volume of 300,000 liters of fake diesel oil.

To hide their operations, Hiep let a facility process steel at the factory owned by PE Dung Quat Company. Each day, Hiep’s employees bought used lubricant oil and chemicals such as sulfuric acid and Natri hydroxide to turn it into fake diesel oil.

Police charge Alibaba chairman with fraud

 

An investigator questions Nguyen Thai Luyen, chairman of HCMC-based property firm Alibaba Real Estate JSC, at his office in Thu Duc District. He has been detained for alleged asset misappropriation

 

The chairman of HCMC-based property firm Alibaba Real Estate JSC, Nguyen Thai Luyen, has been formally charged with defrauding more than 6,700 land buyers of more than VND2.65 trillion (US$114 million) in deposits.

The HCMC People’s Procuracy has approved a decision to prosecute and detain the 34-year-old Luyen for four months to further investigate the alleged asset misappropriation, Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper reported.

Last week, his younger brother, Nguyen Thai Linh, 30, who serves as the general director of Alibaba, was arrested on the same charge.

Another source confirmed that the HCMC Police Department had collaborated with their colleagues in the provinces of Binh Thuan, Dong Nai and Ba Ria-Vung Tau to summon nearly 20 directors of Alibaba’s subsidiaries for further investigation.

Among them, Nguyen Thai Luc, who is Luyen’s youngest brother, is the director of two property firms, Dia Oc Xanh and Dia Oc Long Thanh ALI, in Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Dong Nai, respectively.

Meanwhile, Vo Thi Thanh Mai, who is in charge of legal affairs at Alibaba and is Luyen’s wife, serves as the director of Alibaba Law Firm and of Maluna Construction.

Founded in May 2016 and headquartered in Hiep Binh Chanh Ward of Thu Duc District, Alibaba Real Estate, founded by brothers Luyen and Linh, has employed more than 2,600 people.

A preliminary investigation showed Alibaba and its subsidiaries had bought up to 600 hectares of farmland, and later had other individuals set up 40 fraudulent property projects on them, including 29 in Dong Nai, nine in Ba Ria-Vung Tau and two in Binh Thuan.

The firm has yet to complete legal procedures for any of these projects, and local State agencies have not approved or licensed them.

However, the firm has posted false advertisements, offering parcels of land from these projects for sale. As of late June this year, more than 6,700 land buyers had signed contracts with the firm, with deposits amounting to more than VND2.65 trillion (US$114 million).

According to Thanh Nien newspaper, authorities have so far received letters of accusation from some 900 victims who claim Alibaba has swindled them out of more than VND500 billion.

Youngest brother of Alibaba’s chairman detained

 

Nguyen Thai Luc is the youngest brother of Alibaba Real Estate JSC’s chairman, Nguyen Thai Luyen, who has been accused of swindling thousands of land buyers out of VND2.65 trillion in deposits

 

Nguyen Thai Luc, the youngest brother of Alibaba Real Estate JSC’s Chairman Nguyen Thai Luyen, is being held in police custody for questioning in a case of asset misappropriation at the HCMC-based property firm.

Investigators from the HCMC Police Department detained the 20-year-old Luc late on Wednesday, citing an emergency case, to further the investigation, reported the local media.

Earlier, the police had charged the 34-year-old Luyen and his younger brother, Nguyen Thai Linh, 30, who serves as the general director of the company, with defrauding more than 6,700 land buyers of more than VND2.65 trillion (US$114 million) in deposits.

Nearly 20 directors of Alibaba’s subsidiaries in the provinces of Binh Thuan, Dong Nai and Ba Ria-Vung Tau have been summoned to local police headquarters for questioning.

Among them, Luc is the director of two property firms, Dia Oc Xanh and Dia Oc Long Thanh ALI, in Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Dong Nai, respectively.

Meanwhile, Vo Thi Thanh Mai, who is in charge of legal affairs at Alibaba and is Luyen’s wife, serves as the director of Alibaba Law Firm and of Maluna Construction.

Founded in May 2016 and headquartered in Hiep Binh Chanh Ward of Thu Duc District, Alibaba Real Estate, founded by brothers Luyen and Linh, has employed more than 2,600 people.

A preliminary investigation revealed Alibaba and its subsidiaries had bought up to 600 hectares of farmland, and later had other individuals set up 40 fraudulent property projects on them, including 29 in Dong Nai, nine in Ba Ria-Vung Tau and two in Binh Thuan.

The company has yet to complete legal procedures for any of these projects, and local State agencies have not approved or licensed them.

However, the company has posted false advertisements, offering parcels of land from these projects for sale. As of late June this year, more than 6,700 land buyers had signed contracts with the company, with deposits amounting to more than VND2.65 trillion (US$114 million).

Alibaba Real Estate allegedly cheats over 6,700 clients

 

Alibaba clients write letters of accusation which denounce the firm for selling them parcels of land without proper documents – PHOTO: NLDO

 

Local property firm Alibaba Real Estate JSC, whose executives were recently arrested, has been accused of defrauding more than 6,700 clients out of more than VND2.65 trillion (US$114 million) in deposits.

Investigators from the HCMC Police Department told the local media on Friday that they were working with the two founding brothers of Alibaba – chairman Nguyen Thai Luyen, 34, and general director Nguyen Thai Linh, 30 – to determine more about their alleged asset misappropriation fraud.

Established in May 2016, Alibaba has employed more than 2,600 people.

A preliminary investigation showed Alibaba has bought up to 600 hectares of farmland, and later had others set up 40 bogus property projects on them, including 29 in the southern province of Dong Nai, nine in neighboring Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, and two in the south-central coastal province of Binh Thuan.

The firm has yet to complete legal procedures for any of these projects, and local State agencies have not approved or licensed them, either.

However, the firm has posted false advertisements to offer parcels of land from the projects for sale. As of late June this year, more than 6,700 land buyers signed contracts with the firm, with deposits amounting to more than VND2.65 trillion (US$114 million).

The municipal police are launching an investigation into the case, in order to identify other individuals. They have urged Alibaba’s clients to provide additional evidence.

Further, investigators from the involved provinces are looking into possible violations on land use, tax evasion, and asset misappropriation fraud committed by Alibaba and its local branches.

Former pharma firm exec faces 19 years in prison

 

Nguyen Minh Hung, former chairman and general director of Vietnamese pharmaceutical firm VN Pharma, is escorted to attend his first-instance trial

 

If found guilty of trading in fake drugs, Nguyen Minh Hung, former chairman and general director of Vietnamese pharmaceutical firm VN Pharma, could face 18-19 years behind bars, according to prosecutors in HCMC.

The HCMC People’s Court on Thursday continued its first-instance trial against Hung; Vo Manh Cuong, both 41, former director of H&C International Trading Shipping Co., Ltd; and 10 other defendants who are accused of peddling fake cancer treatments.

Founded in October 2011, VN Pharma was led by then-chairman and general director Hung.

In 2012, Hung was aware of the strong demand for cancer drugs on the local market, so he brought up the issue with Cuong. The duo decided to import a cancer drug, the H-Capita 500mg caplet, from Canada-based producer Helix Pharmaceuticals Inc.

The Canadian firm could not provide a number of standard documents related to the drug, so Hung and his staff commissioned a set of fake documents to apply for a license from the Vietnam Drug Administration (VDA), under the Ministry of Health, to import 9,300 packs of the drug, which were later believed to be fake.

When the shipment arrived, the VDA grew suspicious of apparent irregularities and referred the case to the police in August 2014.

The Ministry of Health later found that the medicine contained 97% capecitabine, a low-quality ingredient that is unsuitable for human consumption. The batch was seized before it reached the market.

A representative of the HCMC People’s Procuracy stated that Hung, who was the mastermind of the case, had instructed his subordinates to commit illegal acts. Meanwhile, Cuong acted as a broker for VN Pharma to purchase the drug from a Filipino trader, identified only as Raymuldo.

For their own financial gain, Hung and Cuong enticed other people to commit many criminal acts. When their crimes were discovered, they destroyed some of the evidence, so they should face stiff penalties, noted the prosecutor.

Hung has done business in the pharmaceutical industry for many years. Despite his experience, he still asked his staff to fake the import papers for the H-Capita batch, even though its origins were unknown.

Also, he ordered his accomplices to raise the price of each drug pack from US$27 to US$75, and the difference was left off the firm’s books.

The Supreme People’s Procuracy said in the indictment that the value of the drug batch they had traded was only US$251,000, but they had intentionally pushed up prices to US$572,000.

The difference of US$321,000 was transferred to two overseas accounts in Hong Kong owned by Auspicious Keen Limited and Sigma Holding Corp. They later received money in Vietnam as well.

Cuong was found to have gained US$90,000 illegally. His actions led to the H-Capita batch being put up for auction, from where it would have been disbursed to the local market. The consequences of the crime are serious, according to the prosecutor.

Therefore, the agency recommended 20 years in prison for Cuong, 18-19 years for Hung and 3-13 years for their accomplices for trading in fake drugs, based on the 1999 Penal Code.

The prosecutors also stated that there are sufficient grounds for concluding that a number of specialists and officials at the VDA, who were involved in the appraisal and licensing of the drug batch, had been negligent in their duties. They allegedly failed to apply the licensing criteria.

On September 18, investigators from the Ministry of Public Security initiated legal proceedings against the administration in a case of negligence with serious consequences, so the violators are expected to be brought to court later.

PM urges completion of Trung Luong–My Thuan expressway in early 2021

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc presents decision to allocate 2.18 trillion VND (93.94 million USD) from the State budget for the project.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked competent ministries and companies to accelerate construction of the Trung Luong – My Thuan Expressway project in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang so that it can be inaugurated in 2021.

He made the requirement while inspecting the construction progress of the expressway on September 27.

Besides assuring the scheduled progress, the expressway must be built with good quality, the Government leader ordered.

He also presented a decision approving the allocation of 2.18 trillion VND (93.94 million USD) from the State budget for the project, and asked the Ministries of Finance, and Planning and Investment, and the provincial People’s Committee to disburse the money in line with legal regulations.

Work on the 51.1-km Trung Luong – My Thuan expressway started in 2015 under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model with an investment of 14.7 trillion VND, and was initially expected to be completed in 2018. It was under the management of the Transport Ministry before the provincial People’s Committee took over.

The four-lane 14m-wide expressway starts at the intersection of Than Cuu Nghia in Chau Thanh district and ends at the intersection with National Highway 30 in Ho Chi Minh City’s Cai Be district.

Once completed, the expressway will shorten the travel time between HCM City and the Mekong Delta localities, bolster the socio-economic development of Mekong Delta region and reduce traffic congestion on National Highway 1.

A total of 3,292 households in 26 communes and wards of five districts and towns in Tien Giang province have to relocate to make way for the expressway.

The project was suspended in November 2018 due to difficulties in securing loans and changes in public investment policies.

In the past time, the provincial People’s Committee has worked to remove bottlenecks for the project so that it will be completed soon to serve socio-economic development of the Mekong Delta region./.

Dak Nong ethnic minority women assisted to approach new tech

 

Local products by ethnic minority women in Dak Nong province are exhibited at the meeting (Photo courtesy of UNDP)

As many as 450 ethnic minority women in the Central Highland province of Dak Nong will be helped to sell their products online under the framework of UNDP-supported project 'Economic empowerment of ethnic minority women via application of I4.0'.

On September 26, 45 groups of ethnic women met with representatives of companies, governmental and non-governmental organisations.

The meeting, based on the 3M (Match, Mentoring and Move) model, created a platform for participants to approach policies and innovations to promote their businesses and expand production.

Contributing to Vietnam’s commitment of leaving no one behind, the project ultilises opportunities offered by the Industrial Revolution 4.0 including e-commerce platforms which enable small businesses to approach the market and supply chains; modern financial solutions; online courses on start-up, soft skills and climate change resilience; and new production technologies, among others.

In Dak Nong, ethnic minoritity groups account for 34 percent of multidimensionally poor households.

Extreme weather events along with limited access to information, markets and technology threaten to take away their main livelihood of farming.

“It is a timely step to support ethnic minority promote their products and connect with partners via the application of Industrial Revolution 4.0,” said Ton Thi Ngoc Hanh, Vice Chairwoman of the provincial People’s Committee.

“We will need to find the advantages of each group and area to help them unleash their potential, make products and escape from poverty,” she added.

Nguyen Tien Phong, head of UNDP Vietnam’s inclusive growth unit, said additional resources, both technical and financial, were important in helping ethnic minorities escape poverty.

“To achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of 'end poverty in all its forms everywhere', poverty reduction programmes need to act as a living laboratory that attracts the participation of governments, businesses, social organisations and ethnic minorities to pilot innovative solutions and spread the benefits of these initiatives to people in the most remote areas,” he said./.

Conference reviews archaeological research outcomes

A conference to update the archaeological research work outcome was held by the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS)’s Institute of Archaeology in Hanoi on September 26, gathering many domestic and international scientists.

Speaking at the conference, Dr. Dang Xuan Thanh, Vice President of VASS said the conference has great significance in information exchange, academic debate, and assessment of cultural heritage values.

The VASS highly appreciates the efforts of the Institute of Archaeology and relevant agencies in maintaining this annual activity.

According to Prof. Dr. Bui Van Liem from the Institute of Archaeology, the conference received 360 presentations, including 95 reports on prehistoric archaeology; 206 on historical archaeology; 43 on Champa - Oc Eo civilisation archaeology; 11 on underwater archaeology and five on typical activities of specialised agencies.

These are the results of more than a year of serious activities of the sector, as well as individuals interested in the field, he said.

Many archaeological excavations were carried out in typical sites in the Central Highland province of Dak Nong, the northern province of Bac Ninh, and the central province of Phu Yen,

In particular, members of the Vietnam Maritime Archaeology Project (VMAP) have conducted surveys in Quan Lan island of the northeastern coastal province of Quang Ninh. They also carried out the second excavation at Dong Choi monument to clarify its value, contributing to the historical study of this area before Van Don became an international trading port.

The prominent result of the archeological work in 2018-2019 is the five-year excavation cooperation between Vietnam and Russia in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai, helping confirm the value of old stone relics in An Khe - the earliest place where primitive humans appeared in Vietnam.

The findings have contributed to preserving and upholding culture heritage values of the country, said Dr. Nguyen Gia Doi, acting Director of the Institute of Archaeology./.

Campaign on workplace accident prevention begins in HCM City

A campaign to call for a hundred days without workplace accidents was launched in Ho Chi Minh City on September 27, aiming to raise awareness of safety, hygiene and efforts to prevent the mishaps.

It was jointly organised by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry - HCM City Branch.

According to the organisers, more than 100 businesses in Vietnam have joined the campaign. They will participate in training courses on workplace safety and hygiene, fire prevention, and pay fact-finding trips to factories.

Participants will also receive regular updates on safety requirements in the hope of preventing workplace accidents after the campaign.

The campaign, running until the end of this year, also forms part of the activities marking the centenary of the ILO.

ILO Vietnam Director Chang-Hee Lee said both employers and workers need to understand risks and devise necessary measures to prevent workplace accidents. Compensation for losses caused by such accidents accounts for about 3.94 percent of global gross domestic product each year, he noted.

In Vietnam, workplace accidents killed more than 1,000 people and injured 8,200 others in 2018, according to statistics of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs./.

Vietnam studies Germany’s dual training system

 

A delegation of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs led by Minister Dao Ngoc Dung (front, third, right) poses for a group photo with Permanent State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of Germany Rolf Schmachtenberg

 

A delegation of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) led by Minister Dao Ngoc Dung recently joined various working sessions with German authorities on vocational training.

During its trip to Germany from September 22 to 28, the delegation has met with Permanent State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of Germany Rolf Schmachtenberg, and paid a visit to the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) and vocational training establishments.

At the meetings, Minister Dung studied the operations of the German vocational training system, especially the dual system of vocational education and training (VET) which is considered as key to the success of the country’s economy.

The dual training system aims at systematically combining the advantages of training in a company and education in a vocational school. About 52 percent of Germans aged 16-24 graduated from Dual VET apprenticeships, 2018 statistics of the BIBB showed.

About 1.32 million people, with an average age of 19.4, join the system each year, and 95.3 percent of graduates can find jobs. The dual system also sees the participation of 20 percent of German firms across the country.

The visit aims to gain more insights and experiences for Vietnam’s strategies in human resources development in general and vocational training in particular in the coming time./.

PM directs landslide prevention in Mekong Delta

 

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc inspects coastal dyke in Tien Giang

 

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung inspected a coastal dyke in Tan Thanh commune, Go Cong Dong district, one of the landslide hotspots in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang, on September 27.

During a working session with leaders of 13 regional cities and provinces in the afternoon the same day, PM Phuc requested them to take measures to completely deal with the problem.

As the Mekong Delta is the hardest hit by climate change, he affirmed that the Party and State will do their best to support regional development, and highlighted the need to apply modern technology to deal with landslide more effectively, restrict the exploitation of sand on rivers, and make proper residential planning.

The leader assigned the Ministry of Science and Technology to work with ministries and agencies to study landslide prevention in the Mekong Delta with specific and effective measures.

He said the Government would ask the legislature to allocate nearly 3 trillion VND (130.4 million USD) for the effort during 2019-2020, adding that it will earmark 1 trillion VND and other official development assistance to ensure the safety and lives of Mekong Delta people.

The PM also urged localities to effectively use the sum to help the Mekong Delta overcome the consequences of natural disasters. The ministries of planning and investment, agriculture and rural development, agencies and localities must also join the effort.

On the Trung Luong – My Thuan expressway project, he lauded units concerned for completing 27 percent of the work and asked them to finish the construction on April 30, 2020 as scheduled.

On the occasion, the PM also required launching the construction of My Thuan 2 Bridge in March 2020.

Recently, he agreed to allocate over 3.1 trillion VND for the two projects.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development was asked to soon hold a conference on winter-spring crop production and deal with the shortage of fresh water in the region in the context of drought and saline intrusion this year.

Over the past decade, more than 16 trillion VND from the State budget has been used for building works against landslides. In 2018 alone, the PM allowed the spending of 1.5 trillion VND on 29 landslide resistance projects in riverside and coastal areas in 13 regional cities and provinces./.

Yen Bai reviews child protection

 

The northern mountainous province of Yen Bai on September 27 held a workshop to review the implementation of the project “Ending Violence against Children” (EVAC) which was launched in the province in 2016 for the period until 2020.

The event was co-organised by the provincial Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and the non-governmental organisation World Vision International in Vietnam.

The EVAC project was implemented across 10 communes of Van Chan and Luc Yen districts of the province.

After four years, the project fulfilled its four main targets which enable vulnerable groups, including children and young adults, to protect themselves, thus reducing the risks of child trafficking and violence. It also recorded progress in creating a safe environment for children.

At the workshop, participants discussed child protection models, efforts to minimise systematic barriers in a bid to reduce violence against children, as well as measures to encourage the engagement of vulnerable groups and the building of a powerful community that creates a safe environment for children.

Vice Director of the provincial department Nguyen Thi Thu Ha asked relevant agencies to join hands with local schools and arrange training courses in the field to strengthen child protection.

There are more than 228,000 children under 16 in Yen Bai, of this over 3,000 are living in disadvantaged circumstances. Besides, the province is also home to about 2,000 children affected by HIV/AIDS./.

Schools become home for ethnic children

 

 

 

Students enjoy a meal at Huoi Tu 2 Primary School in central Nghe An province's Ky Son district.

 

 

School has gotten that little bit better for disadvantaged children in the central province of Nghe An.

In a bid to help them concentrate on their studies, the ethnic minority students are given meals and places to sleep.

It has helped improve social skills and make them feel more attached to the school, teachers and friends.

Huoi Tu 2 Primary School in Ky Son District, is more than 300 kilometres away from Vinh City and one of the most disadvantaged areas of the province.

At 5pm from Monday to Friday, students, mostly Mong ethnic minorities, gather at the kitchen of the school to get their tray of food.

On the tray, there are four dishes, including rice, vegetables, meat and broth, which ensures nutrition for students after a long day of study.

After dinner, students and teachers will have time for entertainment activities learning folk games, new songs and stories before going to bed.

The routine has been implemented at the school for the past three years.

Nguyen The Vinh, principal of Huoi Tu 2 Primary School said the school applied the boarding school model, which provided meals and sleeping places for students since the academic year of 2016-2017.

The model eased the difficulties of teaching and studying of both teachers and students.

Vinh said two thirds of pupils were from poor households and lived tens of kilometres away from the school.

Previously, these students had to study at five different temporary classrooms, which was made from bamboo and ill-equipped.

Both teachers and students had to walk on mountainous muddy roads to get to class.

That’s why the number of students dropping out of school remained high.

Figures from the Ministry of Education and Training in the academic year of 2016-2017 showed up to 510,000 students dropped out of school after two weeks of the new academic year.

There were more than 765,220 students studying at 1,575 schools in the province.

Vinh said since the school applied the model, fewer students were absent from class after the weekends.

The cost of the meals has been supported by the central province’s State budget and by parents.

Teachers would take turns to go to the market to buy food and cook meals. They even planted vegetable, raised chickens and pigs to vary the menu.

Apart from lessons, students would learn how to socialise, enlarge their social knowledge and become self-confident.

These activities would help change outdated customs and lifestyles while preserving and promoting the national cultural identity for students, Vinh said.

Thai and Kho Mu students at Ta Ca ethnic boarding school enjoy the same routine.

Cut Thi Thuy, principal of Ta Ca ethnic boarding school said there were 71 students staying at the school.

The school had been facing many difficulties when implementing the model as there were no electricity and a shortage of standard toilets and basic items.

However, Thuy said the model helped parents feel secure about their children’s study.

Thuy said she had encouraged parents to donate basic items such as beds, pillows and blankets for students, but it still wasn’t enough.

Teachers said the model had increased study time and helped improve interaction between teachers and students. Teachers could take care of students both physically and spiritually.

As many as 12 out of 29 schools in Ky Son District have applied the model.

Phan Van Thiet, head of Ky Son District’s Education and Training Division, said the office asked the schools to pick up more students from temporary classrooms to stay at the schools this month, so students would get better care.

Five schools have managed to persuade students from third to fifth grades to stay at school.

The model would create better condition to organise the teaching of IT and English for them following the new curriculum in the future, he said./.

HCM City to build VND1.4trn museum

 

The Ethnic History and Culture Park

 

Authorities in HCM City have reached an agreement to start the construction of the new Ho Chi Minh City Museum in District 9 instead of the Thu Thiem area in District 2. 

The museum will be built on an 8 ha land plot at the Ethnic History and Culture Park in District 9 instead of the 1.8ha land in Thu Thiem area.

The management board of the Ethnic History and Culture Park will collaborate with other parties to review and adjust the 1/2000 planning of the ancient area in the park. The Department of Culture and Sports will hire consultants to research and set up a detailed plan to build the city museum.

During this time, the city people's committee has agreed to repair and upgrade the existing HCM City Museum in District 1.

In 2007, HCM City People's Committee agreed with the plan to build a city museum in Thu Thiem urban area. The supposed allocated land should be 30ha. However, in 2011, the allocated land for the project in Thu Thiem area was only 1.8ha.

The Department of Culture and Sports said that the land was too small and proposed to relocate the project to the Ethnic History and Culture Park.

The VND1.4trn (USD60m) project will be built from 2020 to 2025. There will be five main display areas about history, culture, and the social changes of HCM City since 17th century until now. It will also be a place to hold exhibitions on special occasions.

The outdoor exhibition area will be used for large items and creative place for students.

The Department of Culture and Sports suggested inviting foreign consultants since this is an important project.

Golfers to compete at Tiền Phong Golf Championship

 

Trophies of the Tiền Phong Golf Championship 2019 which will be organised next month. - Photo tienphong.vn

 

About 180 athletes will compete in the one-day Tiền Phong Newspaper Golf Championship 2019 on October 26 at the BRG Kings Island Golf Resort in Sơn Tây, Hà Nội.

Golfers, who will be divided in different groups based on their handicaps, will play for total prize-money of VNĐ7 billion (US$301,000) at the 18-hole Kings Course and Lakeside.

Among the prizes, there are four Hole-in-One awards available, coming with four luxury cars worth VNĐ5 billion along with a purse of VNĐ200 million each.

As well as the championship title, there are also prizes on offer for the top three of each group, Nearest to the Pin, Longest Drive, Nearest to the Line, Eagle and Albatross.

The championship organisers will also use part of the competition fee to donate to the Việt Nam Promotion Fund for Young Talents.

Wetland communities practice citizen journalism

 

 

Citizen journalists are visiting a farm land in U Minh Thượng National Park in the southern province of Kiên Giang. The visit is part of a training course on CJ held by the IUCN.

 

 

 

About 30 citizen representatives from the Mekong (Cửu Long) River Delta have joined a citizen journalist network to empower their roles in protecting the environment and boost natural conservation.

The citizens of different ages and genders include members of women unions, youth union, forest rangers and officials from three wetlands or Ramsar sites in the Mekong River Delta of U Minh Thượng National Park and Láng Sen Wetland Reserves and Phú Mỹ Reserve.

Before becoming members of the mobile journalism of Việt Nam (MojoVietnam), they had a chance to attend a training course on basic journalism skills.

The course was held early this month by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in U Minh Thượng National Part in Kiên Giang Province.

Four journalists from Việt Nam News and Vietnam Television (VTV) provided trainees with basic journalism skills including news reporting, feature writing, photography and making video clips using smartphones and other simple and cheap technological accessories.

They also helped local citizens understand journalism ethics and the importance of citizen journalism in environmental protection, particularly in their local living areas at the three Ramsar sites.

The trainees also practiced journalism techniques on how to organise an article, how to interview, how to collect and analyse information, and how to record and edit a video clip.

After the course, the participants committed to protecting and preserving wetland areas by joining the citizen journalism network.

They were encouraged to provide their journal products by accessing mojoVietnam on YouTube and Facebook, a citizen journalism network set up by the IUCN and a group of journalists from Việt Nam News and VTV.

Their products will be used as materials and information for environmental reporting.

Speaking at the opening session of the course, Nguyễn Thùy Anh, IUCN Communication and Outreach Officer said the course aimed to support local communities who rely on wetland resources for their survival to raise their voices on the impacts of climate change on ecosystems of wetland areas.

“The training targets equipping local citizens with knowledge and skills of practicing citizen journalism at their living areas so they can tell real stories through news, articles and videos. This also helps improve the local communication efficiency at the same time boost environmental conservation activities at local areas,” said Anh.

The course with its target to increase local awareness of citizen journalism, is part of the Mekong WET project on building the capacity of media development among local communities and help them understand the role of members of the public in environmental protection.

Trainees heard reports by IUCN experts Nguyễn Đức Tú, Lê Phát Qưới and Tăng Phương Giản about the Mekong WET project and analysis on the situation of wetlands and climate change impacts within Việt Nam particularly on the three Ramsar sites in the Mekong Delta.

Trương Kim Anh, a trainee and member of the Women's Union in Giang Thành District located in Phú Mỹ Reserve, said after the course she recognised the important role of citizen journalism in protecting the environment.

Kim Anh said she would bring all her knowledge about citizen journalism into practice in her local community, particularly the local women's union to share her views and voice about natural preservation in her local area to others across the nation.

“This is the first time I have attended such course and I find it very useful to my work and my life. As a local citizen and a member of the women union which also plays a very important role in society, I promise to follow citizen journalism at the same time encourage my locals to be a citizen journalist so that we all can make contributions to protecting my Phú Mỹ Reserve,” said Kim Anh.

Anh said the women's union in Phú Mỹ Reserve was also planning to set up a local bulletin and this course helped her be part of the plan.

Mekong WET: Building Resilience of Wetlands in the Lower Mekong Region through a Ramsar Regional Initiative is being implemented by IUCN in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Việt Nam to build climate resilience by harnessing the benefits of wetlands.

Implemented from January 2017 to December 2020, Mekong WET is funded by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety.

Through its focus on wetland ecosystems and adaptation to climate change, the project also supports governments in pursuing their commitments on climate change adaptation and mitigation under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and implementing their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans under the Convention on Biodiversity.

Seminar discusses organic fruit cultivation

Organic practice in fruit cultivation was the highlight of a seminar held in the southern province of Tay Ninh on September 26.

Speaking at the event, Le Quoc Phong, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Organic Agriculture Association (VOAA), said organic plantations are expanding worldwide, noting that the practice ensures healthy conditions of the soil, ecosystem and human being.

Le Thanh Tung, Deputy Director General of the Department of Crop Production, said Vietnam’s organic plantations spanned 58,081 hectares or about 0.5 percent of the country’s total cultivated land in 2017, ranked third in ASEAN and 58th out of 181 organic farming nations worldwide.

Of the total figure, areas for organic fruit cultivation accounted for 16.3 percent, equivalent to 9,484 hectares.

Tung said the promotion of the practice in growing fruit trees ought to be based on concentrated production area planning as well as specific soil and weather conditions.

The work also requires the formation of supply chains and communications activities to raise farmers’ awareness on the benefits of organic agriculture, he added.

Tung suggested local farming sectors collaborate with enterprises and farmers to implement organic models and organise relevant training courses, while research institutes under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development continue studying technical solutions serving organic fruit cultivation./.