Rare butterfly on Red Book found in Soc Trang

A local resident in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang discovered a rare butterfly in his garden, which he later released into the wild.

Huynh Phuoc Hoa, 44, from Phu Thanh B Village in Phu Tam Commune in Chau Thanh District found a giant colorful butterfly perched on a branch of a tree in his garden.

Searching on the Internet, he discovered this to be a rare species listed in the Vietnam Red Book.

The butterfly had a brilliant yellow colored body and its wingspan measured 25cm.

According to the Vietnam Red Book, this butterfly species has a scientific name Attacus Atlas and is ranked at level R, which means ‘Rare’ and on verge of extinction.

Ministry requires re-check on hydropower projects

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) has proposed to re-evaluate the construction of two hydropower projects due to their potential environmental pollution.

Dong Nai 6, Dong Nai 6A plans, invested by Duc Long Gia Lai Group, were approved by the national electricity development plant for the period 2011-2020, however, scientists have said that the projects encroach on Cat Tien National Park.

According to the MNRE, the environmental impact assessment from the owners has not cleared up very many problems. For example, 372 ha of forest will disappear if two hydropower plants are built. The owners said they will re-forest yet they have not made any proposals to do so.

Though the assessment affirms that the environment in Cat Tien National Park will not be affected  it has no has back up information whatsovever.

In addition, several measures designed to minimize the impact on the environment are said to be very weak. For example, the plan to build a water discharge system has not taken into consideration the increasing water demands of the people living downstream.

The constructions will create chances for illegal hunters and pose troubles for the local ethnic groups. Therefore the ministry has asked the government to re-evaluate the plans.

In the mean time, deputy head of Duc Long Gia Lai Group Tran Ba Hiep said, they have withdrawn the assessment from August 1 for further investigation. He also said that Dong Nai 6, Dong Nai 6A plans have the least impact on the environment and highest economic efficiency among the current hydropower projects in Vietnam.

"Our water discharge system has minimized all potential impacts on the environment. Previously, we were seeking opinions from the authorities of Lam Dong, Dak Nong and Binh Phuoc provinces for the best locations for re-forestation. They have just replied that they will arrange land for us soon." Hiep said. "Two hydropower plants are located in Cat Loc area which has around 2,000 residents and proper infrastructure. The land around this area is also used to plant rubber and coffee so it's not special-use forest anymore."

However, Hiep said they will take into account all the suggestions from the MNRE and complete their environmental impacts assessment as soon as possible.

Transnational drug trafficking ring busted

Police in the central province of Nghe An on September 13 arrested four drug traffickers suspected of involving in a transnational ring.

They raided An Phan hotel in Vinh city and found Hoang Van Phon, 50, Nguyen Thanh Tam, 36, keeping 100 ecstasy pills, 0.5kg of synthetic drugs, and a short gun with six bullets.

Expanding the case, the investigation agency caught red handed Bien Van Hieu, 37, attempting to transport 20 heroin cakes and 4kg of synthetic drugs. Nguyen Van Thanh, another trafficker born in 1971, was also arrested with 1kg of synthetic drugs.

Preliminary investigations suggest the group was trafficking drugs from Laos to Nghe An before shipping the products onwards to southern provinces.

Law enforcement agencies are broadening the scope of their inquiries.

Lawrence S.Ting donates wheelchairs to Khanh Hoa disabled people

The Lawrence S.Ting Community Support Fund donated 220 wheelchairs, worth VND357 million, to Khanh Hoa province’s economically disadvantaged disabled people in a ceremony on September 13.

Khanh Hoa Provincial People’s Committee Vice Chairman Tran Son Hai summarised the recent efforts of local agencies and authorities to improve the quality of life available to the province’s disabled.

He commended the contributions of social organisations, including the Lawrence S.Ting Community Support Fund, to providing handicapped people with access to work and travel means of transport.

The Fund has raised more than VND510 million for the province since 2007, with more VND220 million allocated to poor students in mountainous areas, and VND290 million to equipment upgrades at Nha Trang City’s Le Quy Don Gifted High School.

Environmentally-friendly bag use popularised

Thousands of people in Ho Chi Minh City participated in a festival on September 15, which aims to popularise the use of environmentally-friendly bags.

Themed “Green bags for green environment”, the festival included a series of activities to raise people’s awareness of the need to stop using nylon bags.

An exhibition showcased various types of shopping bags instead of nylon ones, while visitors can receive gifts when they hand in nylon bags.

There were also volunteers who taught visitors how to make bags from used paper.

Ho Chi Minh City is among Vietnam’s leading localities in reducing nylon bag use and controlling environmental pollution caused by nylon bags.

As of 2012, 80 percent of local supermarkets reduced the use of nylon bags by replacing them with those made from environmentally-friendly materials.

Germany offers breath of fresh air to Can Tho

The German International Co-operation (GIZ) organisation will carry out a programme in the southern city of Can Tho to finalise an action plan on air pollution issues, thus improving the living conditions of local people and facilitating better management of the city's environment.

A working session between the Can Tho People's Committee and GIZ experts on the implementation of the programme was held in the city last Friday.

In the short term, the programme will monitor the air quality in the city's Ninh Kieu and Binh Thuy districts and Tra Noc No1 and No2 processing zones. It will analyse causes of air pollution and the greenhouse effect there and work out an action plan to reduce air pollution.

This is part of GIZ's "Clean Air for Smaller Cities in the ASEAN region" programme, which is run using 2.5 million euros of German Government funding. Other beneficiaries include cities in Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand.

In Viet Nam, the programme is to be carried out in Can Tho and the northern province of Bac Ninh from now until 2015.

VN, Japan renew co-operation on management of disasters

Viet Nam and Japan have renewed an agreement for co-operation in disaster management until 2016.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism signed a memorandum of understanding to renew the 2010 deal at a seminar on coping with natural calamities held in Ha Noi last week.

The two ministries will develop a framework for dialogue on tackling natural calamities.

The seminar focused on improving early warning systems against natural disasters and human resources and developing disaster-resilient infrastructure.

Speaking at the conference, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat thanked Japan for its assistance in coping with climate change and strengthening preventative capacity against catastrophes.

He hop Japan, with its extensive experience in disaster management, would continue to assist Viet Nam in this area.

At the seminar, the two sides compared notes on building flood-prevention structures like reservoirs and dykes and discussed the lessons from Japan's devastating earthquake and tsunami two years ago.

Experts spoke about managing natural disaster risks, focusing on handling inland drainage and collecting data on natural disasters for early intervention and mitigation.

They said information about disaster prevention and warnings should be provided early to residents to enable them to cope better.

The event was attended by leading Japanese companies that introduced their latest innovations in wireless communications and landslide-prevention technologies.

According to Phat, Viet Nam is one of the countries most vulnerable to natural disasters in Southeast Asia due to its geography and monsoon.

In the last decade the number of people killed and missing in natural calamities has been falling due to the Government's efforts to cope with global warming, he said.

But climate change has created extreme weather, resulting in losses equivalent to 1.5 per cent of the nation's GDP, he added.

The twin disasters in Japan in March 2011 left 18,550 people dead or missing, destroyed 130,000 houses, forced the evacuation of 470,000 people, and caused a total loss of JPY19.9 trillion ($200.3 billion).

Japan received aid worth $1.22 billion from the international community, including $13.9 million from Viet Nam. A similar seminar was held in HCM City on September 11.

Smuggled wood seized in Ha Giang

More than 2.5cu.m of rare but highly valuable timber was seized on a truck by police in the northern border Ha Giang Province yesterday.

The driver could not show any papers relating to the origin of the timber, which is known as Ngoc Am. The truck and its cargo, including tree roots, is being kept while police hold further investigations.

Oil extracted from the timber can be used to treat many diseases. In addition, the wood has spiritual value because it was once used to embalm members of the nobility.

A joyful Mid-Autumn Festival for disabled children

A special Mid-Autumn Festival was held at Hanoi’s Unification Park on September 15 for children with disabilities.

Present at the event were Danish Vice Consult General to Vietnam, Rosenholm, and children with disabilities from Hanoi, Hung Yen and surrounding areas.

The charitable event aimed to create a playground for children to stimulate their creativity and encourage them to integrate well into society. It also promotes unity and empathy amongst parents of disabled children.

Children had the chance to join art performances and play games while their parents toured a photograph exhibition and took part in a competition to arrange a Mid-Autumn Festival.

Nguyen Minh Phuong, a disabled child from the Sao Mai Centre, said she is very happy to join the festival as she can play many games.

Nguyen Thi Hanh from the Van Lam Centre for Children with Disabilities in Hung Yen said disabled children are often put at a disadvantage in society, explaining they do not have the chance to grow, study, and play in the same way that able-bodied children do.  She expressed her hope that such children will receive more love, care and help from the local community and society as a whole.

A representative from the organising board Nguyen Thi Kim Loan said this is the third year such a festival has taken place in the hope of providing a useful playground for disadvantaged children and a forum for their parents to share their experiences in nurturing, caring and educating their children.

She called on individuals, organisations and pupils to donate toys, dolls, and books to those unfortunate children in society.

Practical measures for multidimensional poverty reduction

Domestic and international experts gathered at a September 14 seminar in Hanoi to discuss practical, sustainable initiatives for poverty reduction.

The seminar, hosted by the National Assembly’s (NA) Social Affairs Committee and the United Nations Development Programme, offered NA deputies, ministry leaders, and relevant agencies proposed multidimensional approaches to setting poverty reduction targets and drafting social welfare policies in the new era.

Participants listened to Mexican and Brazilian experts share their insights from past experience.

Sharing international experience in poverty reduction in Vietnam

They analyzed and evaluated the implementation of Vietnam’s current poverty reduction legislation and policies. The draft will be submitted for the NA’s consideration during its seventh session.

Participants praised Party and State efforts to harness a variety of resources in the fight against poverty and boost socioeconomic development, particularly in rural and mountainous areas.

The delegates also acknowledged the significant community contributions to implementing poverty reduction progammes, enabling the completion of the NA’s set targets.

They stressed the importance of ensuring remote areas and society’s most vulnerable are not left behind as economic growth surges.

The Prime Minister has asked the Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs (MoLISA) to draw up an overall poverty reduction and living standard improvement plan.

It will be submitted for Prime Ministerial approval by 2014 after first passing the scrutiny of the national steering board on poverty reduction.

The MoLISA will prepare the policies and programmes for poverty reduction over 2016–2020 as part of its 2015 responsibilities.

 President sends Mid-Autumn fest greetings to children

State President Truong Tan Sang has sent a letter to children nationwide wishing them a joyous Mid-Autumn festival.

The State leader expressed his warm feelings towards children nationwide, overseas Vietnamese kids and foreign ones living in Vietnam.

“Looking back at the past year, I am so happy that you all have made great efforts in studying while actively joining in social activities, doing what you can to help friends living in remote and poor areas,” President Sang wrote in the letter.

He affirmed that the Party, State, families and all society always pay special attention to the children.

The President expressed his hope that the children will bear in mind late President Ho Chi Minh's teachings and improve themselves in order to contribute to building the country in the future.

He also asked Party committees and authorities at all levels as well as social organisations and parents to give children a joyful Mid-Autumn festival in line with tradition, as part of efforts to better the care, education and protection for children.

Vietnamese people celebrate the festival on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month when the moon is in full swing. this year, the full moon festival falls on September 19.

Mexico-Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Group debuts

The Mexico-Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Group (VMPFG) has been officially inaugurated at a ceremony in Mexico City on September 12.

Addressing the ceremony, VMPFG Chairman Alberto Anaya Gutiérrez recalled the Vietnamese people’s past struggles against foreign invaders and highlighted the successes the Vietnamese Communist Party has reaped since introducing its Doi Moi (Renewal) process in 1986.

He stated strengthening Vietnam-Mexico multi-faceted cooperation will help the citizens of both countries and assist Vietnam to achieve its goal of becoming an industrialised nation by 2020.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Mexico Le Thanh Tung and Vietnamese News Agency Deputy Director General Dinh Dang Quang thanked the Mexican people and Government for supporting their countrymen’s fight for national liberation and the continuing reconstruction process.

They expressed faith in the new parlimentary group’s ability to lift cooperative relations to a new level and deepen mutual understanding and trust.

Both commended the recent evolution of the Vietnam-Mexico friendship, particularly in regards to trade exchanges. They summarised Vietnam’s recent socio-economic and political development and invited the group to visit Vietnam at their earliest convenience.

Commune handles untreated waste

Farmers in Hoai Duc District's Tien Yen Commune are learning how to recycle organic waste by re-using it as fertiliser. In the nearby communes of Cat Que, Duong Lieu and Minh Khai, infrastructure to treat garbage and waste water will soon be in place. And under a VND50 billion (US$2 million) project, an underground culvert system will connect a lake filled with waste to a treatment facility.

These programmes are part of a citywide plan to improve sanitation in suburban districts, which have long lagged behind the centre when it comes to treating and disposing of waste. The city's 18 suburban districts contain around 65,000 tonnes of untreated waste in lakes, ponds, canals and ditches, according to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

The city also plans to speed up the construction of waste treatment centres in Soc Son, Dong Anh, Dan Phuong and Chuong My districts and is encouraging people's committees to set up their own collection and treatment groups.

Only Soc Son, Dong Anh, Tu Liem, Gia Lam and Thanh Tri have their own sanitation units. The other 13 have to hire sanitation workers from private companies.

Deputy PM visits Da Lat SOS children’s village

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on September 15 made a visit to present gifts to children living and studying in the Da Lat SOS Children’s Village in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong.

During the visit, which was made to mark the Mid-Autumn Festival, Phuc expressed his warm feeling towards the children and praised SOS villages nationwide for taking care of disadvantaged youngsters.

He said that the Party, State and society are committed to paying special attention to the nation’s children, in particular those disadvantaged.

The Deputy PM also thanked international organisations for their support in building the system of SOS villages in Vietnam. He asked ministries, sectors and localities to further invest in constructing facilities and improving conditions for the care and education of disadvantaged youth.

The Da Lat SOS Children’s Village has taken care of 275 children since its inception in 1989.

On the same day, the Vietnam Association for the Protection of Children’s Rights in conjunction with the Committee for Ethnic Minorities and the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs held a special Mid-Autumn Festival celebration i n the northern mountainous province of Hoa Binh.

Joining the festival were children from Hanoi, the northern provinces of Hoa Binh, Son La and Phu Tho and central Thanh Hoa province.

Speaking at the event, National Assembly Vice Chairman Uong Chu Luu underlined the significance of the festival, saying that it was in part a manifestation of the interest and responsibility the government has for children from ethnic groups and remote areas.

He said he has been delighted at the achievements made by the children in studying and joining social activities, expressing his hope that they will always remember the teachings of late President Ho Chi Minh.

To celebrate the occasion, the organising board presented 500 scholarships and 1,000 gifts to outstanding poor students in the localities, as well as children with disabilities from Nguyen Dinh Chieu School in Hanoi.

Previously, the participating children also had the chance to express their thoughts and expectations to local and central leaders.