Immunisation significant for public health: deputy minister

Immunisation is significant to public health.

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long laid stress on the importance of immunisation for public health and calling parents to get their children fully and properly vaccinated at a meeting held in Buon Ma Thuot city, the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak on June 15.

The event was organised in response to the national immunisation week themed “Vaccination to protect the community”.

Localities should further efforts to ensure the vaccination rate reaching 95 percent in mountainous, remote and difficult districts, he said, adding that relevant authorities must ensure sufficient cost for the National Expanded Programme on Immunisation.

Hospitals must provide hepatitis B vaccine for newborns in their first 24 hours after birth while updating information to ensure that citizens are immunised sufficiently, he said.

At the meeting, Satoko Otsu, Representative of the World Health Organisation (WHO) to Vietnam, spoke highly of immunisation campaign in Vietnam as more than 95 percent of 1.7 million Vietnamese newborns receive free vaccination to prevent ten infectious diseases entitled to the expanded national vaccination programme.

The WHO committed to accompanying with Vietnam to reduce the child mortality rate and strive to have 100 percent of the population vaccinated, she noted.

The National Expanded Programme on Immunisation has been carried out in Vietnam since 1985, which help eliminate poliomyelitis in 2000 and neonatal tetanus in 2005. In addition, the National Immunisation Information System, which was launched in 2017, helps keep close watch and remind parents of their children’s immunisation schedules.

Quang Tri’s youth union members carry out volunteer campaign in Laos

At the event 

Members of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union in the central province of Quang Tri is carrying a volunteer campaign in Outhoumphone and Xaybuly districts of Savannakhet province of Laos from June 12–16.

Volunteers from the Quang Tri young doctor club have offered free medical checkups and medicine for more than 4,000 people in Savannakhet and educate them on how to prevent tropical diseases. 

In addition, they have coordinated with Outhoumphone district’s hospital to provide free surgery for a local impoverished patient who has suffered a chest wall tumor for years. They have also transferred several advanced medical techniques for disadvantaged hospitals at district level.

The volunteers donated one tonne of rice, 2,000 pair of shoes, 2,000 red scarves and 500 mosquito nets to local people and students and presented gifts to local poor families.

Cultural and sport events have been held between the young volunteers and local youths.

Last year, Quang Tri’s Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union also teamed up with the Vietnam Red Cross Society and the provincial young doctor club to organize charity events in Nong district, Savannakhet province. The volunteers provided health checkups and medicines to about 1,300 people in 19 villages of Nong district.

The volunteer campaign in Savannakhet is an annual event of young people of Quang Tri, said Deputy Secretary of Quang Tri’s Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Committee Tran Xuan Anh. 

The youth union expects the campaign will help disadvantaged people in Savannakhet overcome difficulties and strengthen solidarity and friendship between youths of the two provinces and the two countries as well.

VFF President hails VNA as strategic information channel

VNA General Director Nguyen Duc Loi (L) and VFF Central Committee President Tran Thanh Man 

President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Tran Thanh Man praised the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) as a worthy strategic information agency of the Party and State during his visit to the State-run agency on June 15 on the occasion of the 93rd anniversary of Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day (June 21). 

Talking to VNA officials, reporters, editors and technicians, Man said with a 73-year history, the VNA is the only press agency that was awarded with both the titles of Hero of the People’s Armed Forces and Labour Hero during the Reform Period, reflecting the Party and State’s appreciation for VNA’s contributions to the cause of national liberation, construction and defence. 

He lauded VNA officials, reporters, editors and technicians in 63 cities and provinces and 30 bureaus in five continents for promptly covering events in the country and across the world while closely following the Party policies and State laws. Through its work, the agency has contributed to preventing and driving back degradation in political thoughts, moral virtues and lifestyle, “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” behaviours and fighting corruption. 

The VNA has help promoted patriotic emulation campaigns launched by the VFF, actively competed in VFF-sponsored press awards on strengthening the great national unity and fighting against corruption and wastefulness”. 

The VFF leader especially highlighted the VNA’s television programme “Power of great unity” broadcast at 10:40am each Sunday on its TV channel V-News, which was welcomed by the public and VFF chapters. 

Man asked the VNA to continue partnering with the VFF Central Committee to popularise emulation campaigns launched by the VFF, and produce more articles and works that bring to light negative, corruption and wastefulness cases in line with the Resolution adopted by the fourth plenum of the 12th National Party Committee. 

VNA General Director Nguyen Duc Loi, for his part, said as a national press agency and a strategic information channel of the Party and State, VNA will keep striving to fulfill tasks assigned by the Party, State and people, and cover “hot” and sensitive issues in line with guidelines by the Party and State. 

In the afternoon the same day, Man also visited and congratulated Vietnam Journalists’ Association and Dai doan ket (Great unity) newspaper on the press’s anniversary.

Cigars seized in a smuggling (Source: http://vietnamnet.vn)

Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh, head of the national steering committee for combating smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeits, has signed into issuance of official dispatch No.222/CD-BCD389 on strengthening the fight against illegal smuggling, transportation  and trading of cigars.

Under the document, customs forces nationwide were asked to intensify the inspection and control and coordinate with authorized agencies to timely detect, arrest and handle those who illegal transport and trade cigars through international border gates, especially at Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat International Airports and customs areas.

The Ministry of Defence was requested to direct border and coast guard forces to intensify patrols and control at border areas, both on land and at sea, for timely detection, arrest and handling of cigar smugglers.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Security was asked to hold responsible for working with authorized agencies to identify areas and target groups, thus stepping the fight against cigar smuggling gangs.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade was demanded to direct market management forces to coordinate with relevant agencies to regularly inspect and control the market, handle the illegal storage, transportation and trading of cigars in the domestic market and the illicit cigar trading via the Internet.

According to the official dispatch, authorized forces and localities have arrested and handled over 20 million packages of cigarettes.

However, illegal cigar trading and transportation activities have become increasingly complicated, especially in big cities and key provinces.  Notably, Hanoi’s authorized forces and the General Department of Customs have arrested two cases of cigar smuggling and illegal transportation with a total of 42,000 cigars.

Literacy toolkit benefits 4,000 ethnic minority children

Representatives attend the conference in which officially introduce the Emergent Literacy and Math toolkit to stakeholders. 

At least 4,000 ethnic minority children aged three to six have benefited from the pilot of the Emergent Literacy and Math (ELM) toolkit to build foundational reading and math skills.

In addition, the capacity of 2,200 teachers and caregivers have been enhanced to support children in building early foundational skills to better equip them to enter the first grade.

These are some of the achievements of the ELM toolkit announced at a conference in Hanoi on June 14. 

Hoang Duc Minh, Director of the Agency of Teacher and Education Administrators, said the ELM toolkit has proven effective throughout its three-year pilot programme. This is a useful toolkit to support teachers in their execution of the early childhood education programme, he added.

An assessment of the toolkit’s three-year pilot using the method of International Development and Early Learning Assessment (IDELA) has shown a considerable improvement in the IDELA scores in all domains of the benefitted children. Motion skills increased from 44 to 56 percent, early literacy skills from 21 to 37 percent, early math skills from 38 to 50 percent and socio-emotional development from 27 to 32 percent.

The ELM toolkit is one of the key activities of the project, “Emergent literacy and math skills in early childhood development,” in Van Chan district of northern Yen Bai province, and Tay Giang district of central Quang Nam province, from 2015 to 2018. The project has received a grant of 725,300 USD.

The project’s overall objective is to improve school readiness and inclusive development of targeted ethnic minority children, including H’Mong, Dao, Thai and Co Tu children.

There are three main components of the project: improving the learning environment in pre-schools, improving the learning environment at home and advocating recognition of the ELM approach by the Ministry of Education and Training.

Ho Chi Minh City seeks to boost medical cooperation with US

Vice Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee Tran Vinh Tuyen (R) and US Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel Kritenbrink (Photo: hcmcpv.org.vn)

Ho Chi Minh City welcomes US enterprises’ interest in the city’s medical sector and looks for specific bilateral cooperation, said Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Tran Vinh Tuyen.

Tuyen made the remark while receiving a delegation of US medical businesses, led by US Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel Kritenbrink, on June 15.  

He informed his guests on achievements secured by the city in public health and medical care.

The official said the local health sector needs support from foreign partners, including those from the US, to complete its missions, particularly in improving the quality of medical check-up and treatment, preventing diseases, and developing healthcare network.

Tuyen said the city wants to discuss cooperation in the form of public private partnership (PPP) with US businesses in medical infrastructure, and science and technological application in medical treatment.

He noted that challenges to the city, such as improving the quality of grassroots health facilities, overcrowded hospitals, and application of medical technologies, present opportunities for cooperation between the sides.

For his part, Kritenbrink said US medical firms and Vietnam in general and Ho Chi Minh City in particular share the common goals of improving quality of medical care for the public, implementing HIV/AIDS control programmes, developing grassroots health facilities, and tackling health issues at international level. 

He said the US appreciates Vietnam’s approach to health matters and US medical companies want to step up cooperation with Vietnam and HCM City in experience exchange of health service and technology development.

The diplomat said the US firms accompanying him are leading suppliers of medical services, medicine and medical equipment in the US. 

They are interested in PPP projects in the city and are willing to work with local authorities in bettering public health care amid increasing population and income, Kritenbrink added.

Both sides agreed to promote connectivity and coordination in order to quickly turn opportunities into specific projects in medical infrastructure development, high-quality medicine and services supply, high-tech application in medical treatment, and digitisation of healthcare information.

World Cup helps OVs in Czech Republic tighten solidarity

Member families of the club decided to gather to watch World Cup matches 

The 2018 FIFA World Cup, which kicked off in Russia on June 14, attracted interest of many Vietnamese expats living, working and studying in the Czech Republic and  offered a chance for them to promote exchanges and tighten their solidarity.

The Hai Duong Women Club under the Association of Hai Duong Fellow-Countrymen in the Czech Republic is one of the groups that have ebullient activities in responding to the globe’s biggest football tournament. 

Mai Xuan Mien, a member of the club, said member families of the club decided to gather to watch World Cup matches. The gathering helps enhance the cohesion in the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic, he said. 

The Czech Republic is home to 14 provincial-level associations of fellow-countrymen, which all are members of the Vietnamese Association in the country. 

The Association of Hai Duong Fellow-Countrymen is one of the outstanding groups that have great contributions to the Vietnamese Community in the Czech Republic in recent years.

Remains of 25 volunteer soldiers and experts reburied in Dien Bien

The northern Dien Bien provincial People’s Committee held a memorial service and funeral at Tong Khao Martyr’s Cemetery on June 15 for the reburial of the remains of 25 volunteer soldiers and experts who laid down their lives during the past war in Laos.

The remains were collected by the Search and Collection Team of Military Zone 2 with the support of local authorities and people of Vietnam and Laos, especially the northern provinces of Laos.

At the ceremony, Le Van Quy, vice chairman of Dien Bien province, highlighted that during the past war, Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts promoted the tradition of the unyielding struggle for independence and the spirit of self-sacrifice in the revolutionary causes of the two nations and their special ties .

After the ceremony, local officials and people offered incense and flowers to fallen soldiers at the cemetery.

This is the second time this year that Dien Bien province has received and reburied the remains of martyrs who died in Laos. Earlier, on January 12, the province held a memorial service and funerals at Tong Khao cemetery for the remains of 9 fallen soldiers.

Gathering marks Cuba’s Moncada Barracks attack

A gathering took place in the southern province of Ba Ria–Vung Tau to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the attack on the Moncada Barracks (July 26, 1953) that Cubans view as the beginning of the Cuban Revolution.

The event was hosted by the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) and the Vietnam – Cuba Friendship Organisation in the province with Cuban Consul General to Ho Chi Minh City Indira Lopez Arguelelles, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Dang Minh Thong and Vietnamese people who used to live and study in Cuba in attendance.

On July 26, 1953, a group of revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro attacked the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba. Although they lost, this event paved the way for the insurrection against the regime of Dictator Fulgencio Batista and the establishment of the first agrarian-industrial country in the Western Hemisphere, taking Cuba to a new era of freedom and independence.

The gathering has increased mutual understanding and strengthened the brotherhood between Vietnam and Cuba built by President Ho Chi Minh, Cuban national hero Jose Martin and Cuban President Fidel Castro, said Consul General Arguelelles. This would lay a foundation for the two countries to explore new common things and cooperate for development, she noted.

In the contemporary history, there is no relationship as special as the one between the two Parties, Governments and people of Vietnam and Cuba, said Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Dang Minh Thong. The two nations have always stood side by side in the struggle for national independence, freedom and happiness of their people, he added.

The brotherhood is a priceless treasure the two countries’ Parties and people have been nurturing and passing on to the next generations, the official stressed. 

Vietnam and Cuba set up diplomatic relations on February 12, 1960, making Cuba the first American country to establish ties with Vietnam.

Gathering marks Cuba’s Moncada Barracks attack

A gathering takes place in the southern province of Ba Ria–Vung Tau to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the attack on the Moncada Barracks. 

A gathering took place in the southern province of Ba Ria–Vung Tau to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the attack on the Moncada Barracks (July 26, 1953) that Cubans view as the beginning of the Cuban Revolution.

The event was hosted by the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) and the Vietnam – Cuba Friendship Organisation in the province with Cuban Consul General to Ho Chi Minh City Indira Lopez Arguelelles, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Dang Minh Thong and Vietnamese people who used to live and study in Cuba in attendance.

On July 26, 1953, a group of revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro attacked the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba. Although they lost, this event paved the way for the insurrection against the regime of Dictator Fulgencio Batista and the establishment of the first agrarian-industrial country in the Western Hemisphere, taking Cuba to a new era of freedom and independence.

The gathering has increased mutual understanding and strengthened the brotherhood between Vietnam and Cuba built by President Ho Chi Minh, Cuban national hero Jose Martin and Cuban President Fidel Castro, said Consul General Arguelelles. This would lay a foundation for the two countries to explore new common things and cooperate for development, she noted.

In the contemporary history, there is no relationship as special as the one between the two Parties, Governments and people of Vietnam and Cuba, said Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Dang Minh Thong. The two nations have always stood side by side in the struggle for national independence, freedom and happiness of their people, he added.

The brotherhood is a priceless treasure the two countries’ Parties and people have been nurturing and passing on to the next generations, the official stressed. 

Vietnam and Cuba set up diplomatic relations on February 12, 1960, making Cuba the first American country to establish ties with Vietnam.

Dien Bien holds burial service for remains of fallen soldiers in Laos

The People’s Committee of the northwestern province of Dien Bien held a ceremony on June 15 to rebury 25 sets of remains of Vietnamese soldiers who died in Laos during wartime 

The People’s Committee of the northwestern province of Dien Bien held a ceremony on June 15 to rebury 25 sets of remains of Vietnamese soldiers who died in Laos during wartime.

The remains were gathered by a search team from the Military Zone 2 with the support of Vietnamese and Lao authorities and people, especially from northern Laos.

Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Le Van Quy said Vietnamese soldiers promoted the unyielding tradition and devote their lives to the two countries’ revolutionary cause and friendship.

He thanked the Lao Party, State and people for their support for their Vietnamese counterparts to overcome any difficulties.

After the memorial and burial ceremony, participants including Vietnamese and Lao officials and people offered incense to commemorate the deceased. 

Earlier on January 12, the Dien Bien People’s Committee held a similar event to rebury nine sets of remains of Vietnamese soldiers who died in Laos.