Philippine passenger seized for cocaine trafficking

Customs officers at Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport on December 7 seized a Filipino national carrying 3.6kg of cocaine into Vietnam.

Kamacho Sillo Emmanul landed at Noi Bai airport after flying from Sao Paulo (Brazil) and transiting in Singapore.

He was investigated after a large amount of white crystalline powder contained in 18 packages was found in his luggage. The packages were hidden in stockings.

Relevant agencies confiscated the cocaine and launched a probe into the case.

One million units of blood donated in 2013

Thousands of young people flocked to Hoa Binh (Peace) Park in Hanoi for a blood donation festival on December 7, expecting to meet the target of collecting one million units of blood by the end of this year.

The event, the fifth of its kind, was launched by the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion and the Hanoi Youth Blood Donation Mobilisation Association in response to International Volunteer Day (December 5).

More than 2,000 people, mostly carrying O blood type, gave their blood, hoping to ease the scarcity of this type of blood during the upcoming traditional Lunar New Year holiday.

Through the past four festivals, organisers have collected more than 6,412 units of blood to treat needy patients.

A wide range of activities were also held at the event, including a camping, an exchange programme between students and volunteers, and music and dance performances.

Nam Dinh community prepares for climate change

Five schools in Giao Thuy district in the northern province of Nam Dinh are raising the awareness of teachers and students about environmental protection, biodiversity preservation and climate change response, urging them to seek creative ideas for the cause.

The initiative forms part of a scheme called “Biosphere Reserves for Environmental and Economic Security” (BREES), which was under review at a meeting in Nam Dinh on December 6.

BREES is a key component of the third phase of the 2010-2017 programme on reducing and adapting to climate change in the Asia-Pacific.

The programme allows teachers and students to join with their local community to improve their resilience to risks and threats posed by climate change, natural disasters and biodiversity degradation.

Teachers will have a chance to improve their skills while students will gain a better understanding of disaster response via special curricula.

They will guide students how to roll out the initiatives that won the 2013 Biosphere Award – Red River Biosphere Reserves”.

UNESCO Chief Representative in Vietnam Katherine Muller-Marin said outcomes of the initiative will be shared with relevant partners and potential sponsors as a reference for further implementation in other localities.

Experiences gained from the project will also be shared via the Asian Green Network of Biosphere Reserves and World Natural Heritage Sites.

Launched in the Red River Delta Biosphere Reserve since January 2013, the first and second phase of the BREES scheme proved successful, particularly in the Ca Bat biosphere reserve area in the northern city of Hai Phong.

Quality assurance offered on smaller scale

As demand for safe vegetables intensifies, international certifications and even Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practices (VietGAP) certification remain too expensive for small-scale farmers.

At a recent conference in Hanoi, experts touted the benefits of the Participatory Guarantee System (PGS), a community-based monitoring system that offers a more affordable means of quality assurance.

While the average cost for VietGAP certification ranges from 20-45 million VND (940-2,115 USD) for 24 months, and it is only suitable for large-scale producers, the PGS model only requires 440-500 sq.m and costs between 250,000 VND (12 USD) and 350,000 VND (17 USD) per household per year.

"My income since applying PGS is 3-5 million VND (142-237 USD), double what it was before," said Tran Thi Ha, a farmer from northern Phu Tho province's Viet Tri city.

However, Dao The Anh, Director of Centre for Agrarian Systems Research and Development (CASRAD), cautionary noted "because the system has been promoted only by a few foreign development agencies, barely 5 percent of consumers know about it."

PGS has been applied in the northern provinces of Phu Tho and Lang Son with the support of VredesEilanden, an independent Belgian organisation, and in Hanoi's Soc Son district and northern Hoa Binh province's Luong Son district by the Agricultural Development Denmark Asia (ADDA).

Speakers at the conference said that the community-based monitoring system should be expanded and more consumers should be informed about how it works.

PGS was first introduced in 2004 by the International Foundation for Organic Agriculture (IFOAM), and the Latin American Agroecology Movement (MAELA).

Deputy PM examines highway project

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai had a working session on December 7 with the southern provincial authorities of Dong Nai to discuss the implementation of the planned Ho Chi Minh City-Long Thanh-Dau Giay highway project .

The Deputy Prime Minister also toured to the construction site and asked local authorities to fully take local people’s interests into account when solving land clearance for construction. Besides the quick speed construction, Deputy PM Hai also noted that local authorities and construction companies should pay due attention to the construction quality as well.

According to Vietnam Highway Investment and Development Corporation, this highway project is expected to put into operation by 2015.

The HCM City-Long Thanh-Dau Giay highway project is to be a particularly important part of the north-south expressway, 55 km in length and up to eight lanes wide.

National awards highlights contribution of volunteers

A ceremony was held in Hanoi on December 7 to honour 10 dedicated individuals and 10 organisations who have contributed to volunteer movements in Vietnam.

The National Volunteer Awards 2013, co-organised by the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCYU) and the United Nations Volunteers Programme (UNV), recognise community volunteer models, thus encouraging more young people to contribute to society.

The award winners are active in different areas and come from varied backgrounds, from the youngest winner Pham Minh Thu, 16, to the oldest Huynh Van Phe, 72.

Additionally, the organising board presented awards to one organisation and one individual selected by the community through the internet.

Speaking at the ceremony, HCYU Permanent Secretary Phan Van Mai said volunteer movements were organised in different forms with diversified contents across the country in 2013.

The activities have contributed to addressing social security issues, community development and fostering the volunteer spirit to the society, he added.

Patricia English, UNV Programme Officer in Vitenam, expressed her belief that the attained achievements will be a driving force for the volunteer movement to spread in the community.

In response to the International Volunteer Day, HCYU and UNV on December 5 also organised the National Volunteer Festival in Hanoi, with the participation of around 10,000 volunteers.

Participants at the event took part in campaigns to collect clothes for needy people in mountainous areas, raise funds for school building, collect blood donations and improve wildlife education.-

Saving environment programme launched

A programme has been launched at Dai Bai Primary School in the northern province of Bac Ninh to raise public awareness of environmental protection in rural areas.

It also aims to help the youngsters better understand the importance of involving themselves in ecological protection activities and responding to the movement of building green-clean-modern rural areas.

Living habitats in both urban and rural areas are being severely contaminated, stressed Director of Planning Centre Canon Vietnam Co., Ltd (CVN) Keisuke Taniguchi at the December 7 ceremony to launch the programme.

As there are no waste treatment and collection systems in rural areas, environmental pollution has become a festering issue that requires people to work together to overcome.

On the occasion, CVN also organised an education programme on environmental protection for nearly 350 students at Dai Bai school.

Similar programmes have been held successfully by the company in the northern province of Bac Giang and the capital Hanoi.

The company hopes to expand its cooperation with other provinces and cities nationwide to help protect environment in Vietnam.-

Blood donations respond to int'l day for volunteers

Over 2,000 youngsters donated blood on December 7 during the fifth blood drive organised to mark International Volunteer Day (December 5).

The blood collected at the event will help deal with the shortage of blood at hospitals and can serve the treatment of patients during the year-end and the traditional 2014 New Year holidays.

As many as 6,412 units of blood were donated at the four previous events.

In another activity the same day, titled “Warm, Sentimental Winter”, as many as eight tonnes of clothes, 100 boxes of instant noodles and 200 blankets were collected to warm disadvantaged people in the central provinces of Quang Ngai, Quang Binh and Binh Thuan.

The programme is scheduled to last until February next year.-

Free portraits given to people in need

Nearly 5,000 free photographs were taken of and presented to disadvantaged people in 11 provinces and cities during the Help-Portrait Vietnam 2013 charitable event on December 7.

Part of Help-Portrait Worldwide, the activity was jointly run by the Vietnam Youth Federation, Tuoi tre (Youth) newspaper, the Canon Marketing Vietnam Company Limited, Intel Vietnam and the Mekong Communications Corporation.

On the day, more than 1,000 volunteer photographers, hair stylists and makeup artists worked together in the 11 localities to take and present portraits to people living in difficult circumstances and unable to afford a camera to keep a photographic record of their life.

This is the fourth time the event has been organised in Vietnam.

Urban development faces challenges

Urban administration, citizens and enterprises played important roles in developing cities, and they could further help prevent the uncontrolled emergence of unplanned communities, said Minister of Construction Trinh Dinh Dung.

Speaking at the 37th congress of the International Urban Development Association, held in Ha Noi last week, Dung said that Viet Nam was improving its legal framework and policies to better-manage issues which related to urban development, especially urban planning.

At present, Viet Nam has about 765 cities and towns with urbanisation rates of 32.45 per cent. They contribute to 70 per cent of gross domestic production, helping improve people's living standards and driving the country's economic growth.

However, the urbanisation process in Viet Nam revealed problems, including poor planning, improper infrastructure and environmental pollution.

Moreover, a majority of Viet Nam's cities, towns and major industrial zones are located in low lying or coastal areas, which are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

During the congress, entitled "Urban development in a changing world", Dung emphasised that as one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change impacts, Viet Nam targeted sustainable urban development.

"To do so, both short-term, medium-term and long-term solutions are needed to boost urban development in close connection with other national strategies, including those on housing, traffic and environment," he said.

Chairman of International Urban Development Association Budiarsa Sastrawinata said that, like other developing countries, Viet Nam faced many challenges in developing urban areas, such as a shortage of resources.

Also, the migration from rural to urban areas placed more pressure on existing infrastructure, thus affecting the quality of lives of citizens there.

Dung said that each of these factors – economic, social and environmental – must be committed to, in order to develop in sustainable ways and ensure the sustainability of urban planning and development.

Viet Nam was on that track, Dung said, noting improvements in Housing Laws, Laws on Real Estate Trade and the national strategy on housing for low-income earners in urban areas.

Japan helps Vietnam improve education, healthcare services

The Japanese Government has provided Vietnam with more than US$853,000 in non-refundable aid to carry out development projects, announced the HCM City-based Japanese Consulate General.

The aid will be used to implement eight projects on upgrading and building schools and hospitals in a number of localities in Vietnam.

Of the total, US$115,412 will be granted to the central coastal province of Binh Thuan to build Duc Tin primary school in Duc Linh district, and US$104,051 to the Central Highland province of Lam Dong to build Bao Thuan primary school in Di Linh district.

Tuy Phong district of Binh Thuan province will receive US$121,259 to build a kindergarten and a primary school in Hoa Minh commune, while the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh will be allocated US$113,535 to build Tan Hoa B primary school in Tieu Can district.

The Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang will be donated US$ 121,910 to undertake a hospital construction project in Phung Hiep district. Tan Hong district hospital in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap will get US$120,759, and Bu Dop district hospital in the southern province of Binh Phuoc will receive US$110,382 to purchase medical equipment.

The remaining US$45,903 will be sent to Vinh Hung district in the southern province of Long An to build a water supply network for four hamlets in Vinh Binh commune.

No Vietnamese victims in Yemeni terrorist attack

Relevant Yemeni agencies confirmed no Vietnamese were killed in a bloody terrorist attack in Capital Sana’a on December 5, according to the Vietnamese embassy in Saudi Arabia.

The director of the Yemeni Defence Ministry hospital told Yemeni authorities none of Vietnamese doctors was working when the assault took place.

Earlier sources said two Vietnamese doctors were among 52 people killed in the attack on the Yemeni Defence Ministry complex.

The Vietnam Foreign Ministry had contacted the International Organisation for Migration and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, verifying the information.

The Vietnamese embassy in Saudi Arabia is working with relevant Yemeni agencies to keep a close watch on the case.

Budapest, Hanoi cooperate on clean water supplies

Hanoi Municipal People’s Committee Vice Chairman Vu Hong Khanh held a December 6 working session with Hungarian Ambassador to Vietnam Torda Ester and Budapest Waterworks Chief Executive Officer Haranghy Csaba.

The two sides briefed each other on matters of interest in their respective cities and discussed implementing a clean water plant project using the Red River water source.

Authorities selected the Hanoi Water Supply Limited Company and the Budapest Waterworks Joint Stock Company as executor and chief investor of the US$273 million project.

The plant is designed to process an initial 300,000m3 of water every 24 hours when it opens in 2020, increasing to 450,000m3 by 2030. Funding comes from the Hungarian government’s official development assistance (ODA) loans channeled through MEHIB, Eximbank, and HCCI.

The working session also considered site clearance and other associated issues to ensure the project proceeds in accordance with Vietnamese laws.

First festival dedicated to Vietnamese volunteers

Hanoi’s Thong Nhat Park hosted the December 7 launch of Vietnam’s first national volunteer festival, established to encourage local participation in voluntary activities.

The “Young—Global—Dynamic” Festival eventually aims to create a “bank” of human resources and funds charity programmes can call on to help with voluntary work.

Festival participants paid tribute to the late President Ho Chi Minh at his Mausoleum and enjoyed a painting contest, a photography exhibition, and music and dance performances.

Addressing the event, Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee Secretary Nguyen Long Hai highlighted the importance of volunteers in equitable socio-economic development and supporting Vietnam’s disadvantaged citizens. He identified volunteer campaigns as key priorities for the youth union in the near future.

The festival, which also marks International Volunteer Day (December 5), honoured individuals and organisations for their outstanding voluntary contributions to community development.