Over 6,500 Old Quarter households to be relocated

Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem district People's Committee opened an exhibition at the Old Quarter Information Centre (28 Hang Buom Street) on October 8 to introduce the city’s Old Quarter relocation project.

The project was approved by Hanoi authorities in January at a projected total cost of nearly VND6.5 trillion (US$305.5 million).

A total of 6,550 households and 26,200 residents are to be relocated to the city’s new urban areas, including those living in historical sites, temples, schools, old mansions of special value and degraded apartments. The project’s objectives are to preserve and promote the distinctive cultural and historic values of the area and to improve the living conditions of its residents.

Under the first phase of the scheme, around 1,530 houses will move to the newly-built 11.1-hectare Viet Hung residential area in Long Bien district by 2015. The remaining 5,020 households are expected to be relocated to other new urban areas between 2017 and 2020.

Located within the 81 hectares comprising the ten wards of Hoan Kiem district, the ancient area has a total population of around 66,000 people (as of 2010) with a population density of 823 people per hectare. The current scheme aims to reduce the high population density in this area to 500 people per hectare.

The exhibition, which runs until December 31, provides a forum for experts and local residents to contribute their ideas on the preservation of the Old Quarter’s heritage and values, and to improve the city’s population relocation project.

Construction begins on Vietnam-China Friendship Palace

The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) held a ground-breaking ceremony for the Vietnam-China Friendship Palace in Hanoi on October 8.

The ceremony was attended by VUFO President Vu Xuan Hong, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences President Nguyen Xuan Thang, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Phuong Nga, Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Kong Xuanyou, and representatives from the Ministry of Construction and the Hanoi Municipal People’s Committee.

VUFO President Hong recalled how the project was motivated by the Chinese Government’s desire to foster friendship and cooperation between the two countries’ peoples.

Ambassador Kong said the palace represents Vietnam-China common interest in strengthening mutual understanding and expanding cooperation.

He voiced hope Chinese contractors will work harmoniously with the project’s management board to ensure the cultural infrastructure’s success.

The land for the Friendship Palace was allocated in October 2004 during Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s official visit to Vietnam.

Its 3.3ha piece comprises 13,966 square metres of buildings, 11,401 square metres of multipurpose land, and 2,562 square metres of basements.

The Palace’s CNY140 million worth of investment capital was sourced via non-refundable aid from the Chinese Government.

It is scheduled for completion within 20 months.

Two state utilities under investigation after salary scandal

The Ho Chi Minh City Inspectorate last week began investigating two of four state utility companies that previously fired top executives for taking exorbitant salaries and bonuses.

In September, city leaders fired eight officials from director and chairman posts at Ho Chi Minh City Urban Drainage, Saigon Traffic Works, Ho Chi Minh City Public Lighting Company, and Ho Chi Minh City Greenery and Parks.

After the executive purge, the Inspectorate was assigned to carefully review the four city-level companies. It decided to start with the lighting and greenery and parks companies.

The period of time under closest inspection is between January 2010 and June 2013.

In early September, the city government and Party leaders suspended the eight officials from their posts due to violations of the Labour Code and taking exorbitant salaries. The highest belonged to Le Thanh Son, director of the drainage company, totalling $123,800 in 2012. This is 41 times higher than that of a seasonal worker at his company, said city labour inspectors.

Following the scandal, the prime minister asked ministries, government agencies, and provincial leaders to be vigilant in checking salaries at state-run enterprises nationwide between 2010 and 2012. He said that violators would be fully punished in accordance with the law.

Ho Chi Minh City has 22 district-level state utility companies. The department of labour has checked on two thus far and authorities. The department will make a full report to city administrators.

Work starts on Nga Tu So – Nga Tu Vong stretch

Construction on the Nga Tu So – Nga Tu Vong section of belt road No. 2, one of the main artery routes in the capital city, began on October 8 and ease traffic congestion in the city’s southern area.

Built at a cost of over 2.5 trillion VND (119 million USD), the road will stretch 2km in length and 53-57m in width.

A total of 35 offices and 608 households have to relocate to make ground for the new road.

The city has focused on building the three belt road No. 1, 2 and 3 as part of efforts to ramp up its transport infrastructure.

The belt road No. 3 linking Phap Van and Thang Long bridge was opened to traffic last year, easing pressure on the east-west route.-

Quang Nam moves to fight dengue fever

The Preventive Medicine Centre of the central province of Quang Nam is working hard to stamp out dengue fever outbreaks in the locality.

A total of 846 cases of dengue fever have been reported so far this year, with the highest number of patients seen in Dien Ban and Thang Binh districts.

Doctor Huynh Cong Quang, Head of the centre’s Department of Infectious Diseases, said the centre has sent more medical workers to areas with outbreaks to help with efforts to eliminate the disease.

Local residents and authorities have been given detailed instructions on how to prevent the disease.

To date, the provincial health sector has distributed 280 litres of disinfectant chemical and at least one spraying machines to each district. As many as 68 dengue fever outbreaks have been stamped out so far.

In Vietnam , dengue fever peaks in the hot rainy months. The dengue virus is most commonly transmitted by mosquitoes.

Between 50,000 and 100,000 dengue cases are reported each year in the country, with nearly 100 deaths.

Environment improvement attracts rare birds to Hau Giang

Several rare bird species, even some listed in Vietnam’s Red Book, have returned to forests and nature reserves in the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang thanks to the improvement of the environment in the locality.

According to forest rangers and experts from the Institute of Tropical Biology in Ho Chi Minh City, the bird sanctuary has recently welcomed many new species of birds.

Since August 2011, about 4,000 individuals from over 30 species have come to the garden. These include painted storks, darters and Asian open-bill storks, which have all been listed in the Red Book.

With about 5,100 hectares of forest land and 2,500 hectares of forests, Hau Giang is home to 71 species of terrestrial animals, and 135 species of birds, in addition to many types of fish, reptiles and amphibians.

Women climb into a tree to protest its destruction

Two women in Long Bien District in Hanoi, on October 8 morning climbed into a tree and stayed there as a way to protest against local authorities who were about to cut it down.

The tree is in front of the women’s house at No. 64  Nguyen Van Cu Street. They even brought bread and fresh water into the tree during their protest. Their guerrilla tactics aroused many people’s curiosity, even causing a traffic jam at the site. They sat in the tree in a very relaxed way, eating bread and drinking water.

Local authorities planned to cut down trees on Nguyen Van Cu which showed signs of decay and face the risk of collapse in the rainy season. However, they faced a strong protest from these women at No.64.

At 11:30 a.m after the local authorities left, the women climbed down and went inside.

Da Nang, Binh Phuoc get ready for one-stop policy

Central Da Nang City plans to streamline administrative procedures by introducing a one-stop policy for the remaining 12 departments by the end of this year.

The Department of Home Affairs said nine out of the city's 21 departments have already adopted the policy.

City departments undertake an average of 957 administrative procedures in 62 areas of administration every day, half of civilian and 22 per cent for businesses.

Meanwhile, southern Binh Phuoc Province will also adopt the policy at all government agencies next year.

Four of them have already done so, namely the people's committees of Dong Xoai Commune and Chon Thanh District, the Department of Planning and Investment, and the Economic Zone Authority.

The province will also increase the use of information technology in government offices soon, its People's Committee revealed.

Most departments and agencies and people's committees of districts and communes have been investing in Internet connectivity and local area networks.

Ha Noi to close petrol stations

Ha Noi authorities plan to close 12 petrol stations that do not meet fire safety standards from November 1.

The move will be made following inspections undertaken by the municipal Industry and Trade Department, which covered more than 300 petrol stations operating in the city.

The stations found to be dangerous include ones on Doi Can Street (Ba Dinh District), De La Thanh and Kham Thien streets (Dong Da District) and others in Me Linh, Gia Lam, Soc Son and Hoai Duc suburban districts.

The department has also proposed that the municipal People's Committee allow 32 other petrol stations to upgrade their facilities in order to meet fire and traffic safety regulations.

These petrol stations are required to temporarily stop operating from November for the upgrades. In that time they will hand in their business licenses to the department.

They will be permitted to re-open only when they meet the necessary safety standard.

In addition, two other petrol stations will be permitted to operate until May next year, when their business licenses will expire and they will be officially closed.

Last month, the department put forward a list of 46 petrol stations that could be closed for operating unsafely in residential areas. These have now all been fully inspected.

The investigation was launched following the huge blaze at a petrol station on Tran Hung Dao Street in June, which lasted for several hours and injured a dozen people.

Under fire-fighting regulations, all petrol stations are required to meet certain requirements, including being equipped with fire extinguishers, having trained fire-fighting forces and having a fire prevention plan.

Hospitals pulled up on violation charges

Two HCM city hospitals have been cited for mismanaging state funds and violating regulations on health exams and treatment as well as use of X-ray films.

Personnel mismanagement was also found at Binh Dan Hospital and the Hospital for Orthopaedics and Trauma, according to inspectors from the city's Department of Health.

In addition, Binh Dan Hospital had more than 70 per cent of its staff travel abroad without the approval of the Health Department and the city's People's Committee.

The hospital's joint-venture also violated Health Ministry regulations, leading to a loss of more than 250 million (US$11,904).

The hospital, for example, took part in a joint-venture with Viet Nhat Co Ltd to use a CAT scanner without permission from the Health Department.

The hospital also failed to submit for approval a project with Huynh De Phuong Co Ltd on the use of lithotripsy machines for urinary stones to the department, and instead used the company's machines.

Several individuals at the hospital profited from the joint-venture and its activity at other health clinics.

Binh Dan Hospital spent more than VND2 billion ($95,238) from its development fund and stimulus projects to buy two endoscopic systems for prostate surgery, but they have yet to be used.

Nguyen Chi Hung, the hospital's former director, misspent more than VND 1 billion ($47,619) in the four years he was in his post.

In addition, the hospital did not carry out necessary procedures for health examinations and treatment.

The city said the Orthopaedics and Trauma Hospital was cited for improper usage of X-rays.

Staff at the hospital's X-ray ward reused X-rays and fraudulently exchanged X-ray film to make a profit.

Nine doctors at the hospital violated the ministry regulations that require doctors on emergency duty to refuse to perform so-called service surgery.

More than 70 per cent of the hospital's total surgeries were considered service surgeries. At state-funded hospitals, patients pay a higher fee for services that are considered to be of higher quality.

Inspectors asked Binh Dan Hospital to correct its mistakes and return VND3.3 billion ($157,142).

The city will resume inspection of the Orthopaedic and Trauma Hospital in the near future.

Land, finance shortages hinder school upgrades

Ha Noi's target of completing 147 schools that meet the national standards by the end of this year is unlikely to be reached due to limited land and funding.

Authorities agreed at a recent meeting that they were running behind schedule, with only 22 schools recognised as meeting the national standards.

An additional 125 schools must be upgraded to meet the national standards during the last three months of the year in order to hit the target, they said.

The standards stipulate that should be no more than 35 students in primary school classes, and a maximum of 45 in secondary schools. They should also be equipped with libraries and sports training facilities.

Representatives from many central districts and suburban districts admitted that they needed more time and money to meet the criteria set by the Ministry of Education and Training.

Director of Thach That District's Education and Training Department Nguyen Quoc Manh said the district had failed to fulfill the target as result of a cut in public investment following a Government resolution to curb inflation, stabilise the macro-economy and ensure social security issued in 2011.

This cost cutting had affected investment in facilities and purchasing equipment for schools, he said.

The district was entrusted to upgrade five schools to meet the national standards by the end of this year, but only three met the criteria, he said, adding that the remaining two schools failed due to a lack of standard facilities.

The Deputy Head of the municipal Department of Education and Training's Planning and Finance Office, Tran Huu Thanh, said the majority of suburban districts had struggled to build facilities and buy standard equipment for schools.

Meanwhile, schools in inner districts were unable to expand because of a funding shortage, he said.

Authorities have asked the city to help the schools fulfill the target, particularly in rural and remote areas.

Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Education and Training Pham Thi Hong Nga said the department would ask municipal authorities to form special policies for districts that faced financial shortages.

The city had already issued policies to allow schools to build additional stories so that the floor space meet the standard criteria of 6sq.m per student, she said.

The city has 790 national-standard schools, 37.7 per cent of which are public schools.

The city wants between 50-55 per cent of public nursery schools and secondary schools to meet the national standards by 2015.

HIV prevention fund anticipates donor cuts

The country should increase domestic funds for HIV/AIDS prevention to compensate for forthcoming reduction in international sponsor money, Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long has urged.

Long said that to reach the targets set in the National Strategy on HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control by 2020 with a vision to 2030, financial resources must remain stable.

The total funding available from different sources from now until 2015 is VND3.7 trillion (US$176 million), which he said could finance only half of the necessary work.

The Ministry of Health has appealed for money from central agencies, localities, national and international enterprises and individuals, and will receive a sizeable sum from the state budget.

Increasing the amount of the health insurance funds that will pay for HIV/AIDS prevention services was also an important measure implemented by the ministry.

The country now has no official statistics on the number of people living with HIV/AIDS and buying health insurance and the number of people with health insurance cards who have been treated for the virus.

Collecting this data has been made a priority so that funding for increasing preventative treatment can be raised, said Long.

Moreover, the work of HIV/AIDS prevention should be socialised, so that human and financial resources can be provided by the whole society, he stated.

By the end of last year, more than 12,000 people received treatment for drug addiction with methadone, which is used as a pain reliever and is part of drug addiction detoxification and maintenance programme.

It has been targeted that by 2015 about 80,000 people will receive the treatment, which has been praised for stopping drug users from using tainted syringes which can spread HIV/AIDS.

Only 25 per cent of the districts in the country supply HIV/AIDS treatment with anti-retroviral medication and only 20 per cent of districts have services to prevent HIV transmission from mothers to children.

The US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is the source which gives Viet Nam the most funds for its preventative programme.

However, PEPFAR officially announced that it would cut down the financial support gradually from this year and will give the country technical support following that.

Inbreeding threatens survival of ethnic minority cultures

Some ethnic groups are on the decline because of inbreeding, according to the General Office for Population and Family Planning's Population Research and Development Centre.

The groups include the Si La in the northern mountainous province of Dien Bien, the Lo Lo and Mong in northern Ha Giang, the Ro Man and Brau in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum.

In these tribal groups, it is quite acceptable - and traditional - for cousins to marry to maintain family properties.

The population centre's survey in six communes in Kon Tum Province's Sa Thay, Ngoc Hoi and Kon Plong districts in 2012's last six months found 350 early marriages.

Nearly 60 of them were between cousins and other close relatives.

Another survey in Lao Cai Province's nine districts and cities last year found nearly 250 similar couples.

Dr Duong Ba Truc, head of the National Paediatrics Hospital clinical ward, said that many of the tribal children suffered from Thalassaemia, an inherited blood disorder, due to inbreeding.

They had to go to hospitals occasionally for blood transfusions.

"While they are very poor, they have to buy the blood. The parents cannot give theirs because it is also affected by gene mutations," he said.

About 5 million Vietnamese children have hereditary diseases caused by gene mutations caused by close marriages. The gene leads to blood disorders and dwarfism, according to the hospital.

Statistics from Lao Cai Province's health sector also show that 50 out of 600 children born to close-marriage couples develop abnormally. They often suffer from albinism, are mentally retarded, paralytic or dumb.

Deputy chairman of the Ha Giang People's Committee Sen Chin Ly said that the local authorities will ask families to sign a pledge not to marry early or to close relatives.

The provincial Department of Health has decided to help people's committees to manage population and family planning. They will also provide training for village-based midwives.

Ban Ngo Commune in Xin Man District shows how ethnic marriage problems can be overcome, said Ly.

In 2009, eight out of 22 couples in the commune had early marriages. Three of the group were also involved in close marriages.

By 2011, the number of early-marriage couples had fallen to five out of 24 - and these were not close marriages.

The commune set up two clubs to explain the problems and attracted 50 members.

Traditional artists are also being used in many districts to promote modern outlooks on marriages - and, for some unexplained reason, funerals.

Members of the association, including shamans, have become experts at disseminating information on the subjects.

Traditional festivals may be promoted so that young people can make friends with people from other villages and families.

Parade calls for protection of dugong

Nearly 100 people paraded on motorbikes and other vehicles through the main streets of Duong Dong town in Phu Quoc Island carrying banners calling for the protection of the dugong and other endangered marine creatures.

The parade was organised by the Phu Quoc Marine Reserve and non-profit organisation Wildlife At Risk for their "Conservation of Dugong and Biodiversity of Phu Quoc and Tho Chu Islands" programme.

The programme aims to educate local residents about the conservation of the large mammal and other endangered marine creatures and the islands' marine bio-diversity.

Fish blamed for Lao Cai food poisoning

Dried fish samples taken after a food poisoning outbreak in northern Lao Cai Province revealed histamine content 49 times higher than the legal limit, according to the provincial Department of Safety and Food Hygiene on Monday.

In mid-September, some residents who ate dried fish were hospitalised with allergy symptoms, digestive disorders and vomiting.

Histamine is involved in local immune responses. It also regulates physiological functions in the gut and acts as a neurotransmitter.

Fire ravages fruit stalls at My Tho market

A fire destroyed 100 fruit stalls at Thanh Tri Market in Ward 4 of My Tho City in the Mekong province of Tien Giang at 11:30am on Tuesday.

Owners of the stalls and local residents were unsuccessful in trying to use fire extinguishers to stamp out the blaze.

The fruit section at the market burnt down within 15 minutes after the fire trucks arrived at the site.

Firefighters focussed on preventing the fire from spreading into nearby areas.

Senior Lieutenant Colonel Doan Van Thanh, head of My Tho City's police force, said electric welding leading to a short circuit was the cause of the accident.

Children’s benefactors to be honoured

UNICEF Vietnam will hold a “UNICEF ZEROawards” ceremony in HCM City on December 5 to honour benefactors who have actively supported Vietnamese children.

UNICEF ZEROawards is an initiative to promote the “Believe in ZERO” campaign launched by UNICEF with the aim of reducing child fatalities caused by preventable reasons to zero.

It is expected to attract renowned individuals who will call for more investment in Vietnamese children, especially disadvantaged ones like ethnic minority children, poor children in urban areas or children with disabilities.

Although Vietnam became a middle income country in 2010, its economic achievements have not yet brought real benefits to children.

UNICEF Vietnam’s Chief Representative Lotta Sylwander said becoming a middle income country is a pride of Vietnamese people. It means that Vietnam can assume its role of investment in children by itself.

More than 100 children die of preventable causes, such as pneumonia and diarrhea each day in Vietnam. One child dies of drowning and traffic accidents every hour.

More than 3 million children have no access to safe water and more than 2 million children under five are malnourished.

UNICEF said these figures need to be reduced to zero as most causes can be prevented or interfered by simple measures.

For businesses and individuals buying tickets to take part in the event is one of many ways to respond to UNICEF’s long-term efforts to reducing child fatalities to zero.

Canada Education Week to begin on October 13

Almost 70 Canadian institutions will join the 2013 Canada Education Week, to be held in Vietnam from October 13 to 19.

During the week, there will be fairs at the Melia Hotel in Hanoi on October 13, at Ninh Kieu 2 Hotel in Can Tho on October 16 and at the Intercontinental Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City on October 19.

Students and families are encouraged to take this opportunity to meet directly with Canadian institutions, like the University of British Columbia, the University of Alberta, the University of Victoria, Waterloo University, the University of Manitoba, the University of Saskatchewan, and Concordia University, to learn about Canada’s education system and study options available, visa application process, and opportunities for international students after graduation.

A special seminar on applying for student visas will be led by a Canadian immigration official, aimed at providing the public with transparent and clear guidance on this topic of concern.

High school students wishing to conquer the challenges of the second and third rounds of the “Explore Canada from A to Z” Competition should not miss the fairs which will include a lot of interesting and useful information about Canada.

The competition, organized by the Embassy and Consulate General of Canada, was launched on August 27 and will end on November 30, 2013.

Japanese language becomes popular in Vietnam

More than 25,000 Vietnamese high school students have been taught Japanese language at their schools under a decade-long project which started in 2003.

The project has come to 19 junior high schools and 12 senior high schools in Hanoi, Hue, Danang, Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Dinh, Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Vinh Hien said at an October 8 seminar to review the implementation of the project in the capital city.

After ten years, Japanese has become one of the five official foreign languages included in the schools curricula and favoured by Vietnamese students, Hien said.

The Japanese side has dispatched its experts and teachers to Vietnam to help the country compile teaching programmes and textbooks while assisting their Vietnamese colleagues in professional skills.

Vietnamese teachers and managers have also been sent to Japan to explore the country’s culture, land and people.

As of 2013, the project will form part of the country’s foreign language teaching and learning programme in the 2008-2020 period.

Construction begins on Vietnam-China Friendship Palace

The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) held a ground-breaking ceremony for the Vietnam-China Friendship Palace in Hanoi on October 8.

The ceremony was attended by VUFO President Vu Xuan Hong, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences President Nguyen Xuan Thang, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Phuong Nga, Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Kong Xuanyou, and representatives from the Ministry of Construction and the Hanoi Municipal People’s Committee.

VUFO President Hong recalled how the project was motivated by the Chinese Government’s desire to foster friendship and cooperation between the two countries’ peoples.

Ambassador Kong said the palace represents Vietnam-China common interest in strengthening mutual understanding and expanding cooperation.

He voiced hope Chinese contractors will work harmoniously with the project’s management board to ensure the cultural infrastructure’s success.

The land for the Friendship Palace was allocated in October 2004 during Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s official visit to Vietnam.

Its 3.3ha piece comprises 13,966 square metres of buildings, 11,401 square metres of multipurpose land, and 2,562 square metres of basements.

The Palace’s CNY140 million worth of investment capital was sourced via non-refundable aid from the Chinese Government.

It is scheduled for completion within 20 months.

Vietnam, Japan deepen trade union cooperation

Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) leaders met with Mamiko Jamada, Vice Chairwoman of the Japanese National Confederation of Trade Unions (Zenroren) in Hanoi on October 8.

Jamada noted her Vietnam visit coincides with the 40th celebration of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Japan.

She elaborated Zenroren’s current guiding principles of independence from capitalists and political parties, and responding to the requirements and aspirations of employees.

Zenroren has more than one million members representing 47 local unions and 21 trade unions spanning a variety of industries. The confederation operates on the frontlines of defending labourers’ legitimate rights and interests, including wages and working hours, Jamada said.

She acknowledged that despite Zenroren’s best efforts, the rights of foreign labourers—including Vietnamese nationals—are still sometimes violated.

The confederation is working hard to rectify this, Jamada said, expressing hope the combined resources of both countries’ trade unions will offer a greater chance of success.

VGCL Vice Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Thu Hong ran through similarities in outlook shared by Vietnamese and Japanese trade unions, including the importance of local organisations, harmonious but firm and fair employer-employee relationships, and worker rights awareness.

She expressed hope the two countries’ trade unions will increase bilateral cooperation through holding conferences and exchanges, and support each other at international and regional forums.

During their stay from October 7–12, the Zenroren delegation will meet with a number of Vietnamese ministries and agencies, as well as the Japan Business Association in Vietnam.

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