Hospital to provide free check-ups, consultation for Alzheimer’s

The Bạch Mai General Hospital will offer free check-ups and consultations on Alzheimer’s disease to people living in Hà Nội and the neighbouring areas in the afternoon on March 30.

Visitors will be examined by doctors and psychologists from the hospital’s Mental Health Institute. People with symptoms of or a high risk of Alzheimer’s will be entered into the hospital’s out-patient management programme.

Experts have said the early signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s may include memory loss that disrupts daily life; challenges in planning or solving problems; difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work or at leisure; and confusion over time or place, as well as trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships, new problems with words in speaking or writing and changes in mood and personality.

People aged above 50 with at least one of the above symptoms should visit the doctor for a check-up. People can call 0932.860.666 to register.

The check-up location is on the third floor of the T4 building of the Mental Health Institute.

Alzheimer’s is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys the sufferer’s memory and thinking skills and, eventually, their ability to carry out the simplest tasks. Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia among older adults.

Statistics from the World Health Organisation in 2012 indicated some 35.6 million people live with dementia around the world, and up to 50–70 per cent of them suffered from Alzheimer’s disease.

Fire destroys 20,000 tonnes of sliced cassava

A fire broke out at about 8pm yesterday, destroying nearly 20,000 tonnes of sliced cassavas belonging to Phú Lợi Private Company in Ia Dêr Commune.

The fire and high columns of smoke, several metres high, covered the whole 6,000sqm-wide store, and quickly spread out to a neighbouring store containing coffee, cashew nuts and pepper owned by Sơn Huyền Company in the central highland Gia Lai Province’s Ia Grai District.

The company shifted 100 tonnes of cashew nuts and pepper to a safe place just in time.

Seven fire engines and about 80 firemen were sent to the site, but the fire had not been extinguished even after 14 hours as of 9.50am today.

The sliced cassavas had been stored for two years and were ready to be exported, Nguyễn Văn Chín, director of Phú Lợi Private Company, said.

No loss of human life was reported, but the damage to property was worth about VNĐ20 billion (about US$889,000).

On the same day, a fire broke out at Ngã Tư Sòng Market in Cam Thanh, in Quảng Trị Province’s Cam Lộ District, destroying at least 17 stalls.

The police sent five fire engines to the site, but as the fire affected stalls that were selling votive paper and products made of plastic, wood and bamboo, most of the goods were destroyed.

The fire was put out after two hours.

The police are investigating the two cases.

New delta co-op project approved

The Prime Minister has approved a project for three new farm co-operative models for rice, aquatic products and fruit in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta by 2020.

The project aims to promote connections between co-operatives and farmers, as well as improve the conditions of local people.

It will be carried out in three phases in the delta’s 13 provinces and cities.

The first phase, which begins this year and will end in 2017, will evaluate the Delta’s existing co-operatives based on the 2012 Co-operative Law and reorganise them according to the region’s three key products. Establishing new co-operatives is another task of the project.  

The second phase, to end in 2018, is for implementation of a model of provincial co-operative unions for each product, while the last phase is for establishing co-operative unions for the region.

Local authorities are in charge of encouraging individual farmers and farming households to join the co-operatives.

They are also responsible for working with the co-operative to find ways to generate more capital to promote their operations.

After two years of implementing the project, the Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development, and Planning and Investment will work with the Southwestern Region Steering Committee and the region’s provincial authorities to review the work and create a plan to expand new co-operative models across the country.

Japan pledges US$400,000 in ODA

Japan has committed to give more than US$400,000 for four community projects across Việt Nam as a part of its long-term aid to the country.

In a signing ceremony held in Hà Nội yesterday, Japanese Ambassador in Việt Nam Hiroshi Fukada pledged to provide funding to three provinces to build a primary school in Cao Bằng, a school dormitory in Yên Bái and a box culvert across a stream in Lâm Đồng that frequently floods the road during the rainy season and isolates the residents.

Japan’s non-refundable official development assistance (ODA), totalling $406,893, will also provide Đà Nẵng and the neighbouring Quảng Nam Province with specific equipment for printing in braille, enabling blind people in those localities to have equal access to information.

“The non-refundable ODA plays an important role in promoting an inclusive economic development so that the wealth gap is not to be widened,” said Ambassador Hiroshi Fukada.

For the fiscal year of 2015, which runs from April 1, 2015 to March 31, Japan pledged to grant 300 billion yen ($2.56 billion) of ODA to Việt Nam.

Hoà Phát quarry operations halted

The chairman of the central coastal city of Đà Nẵng has signed a decision to stop the operation of the Hoà Phát stone quarry because of environmental pollution.

The committee had earlier listed three stone mines -- Hoà Phát, Phước Tường, and Phước Lý -- that had to stop operations and carry out land restoration work before last December.

Road to link Nghệ An and Hà Tĩnh

The Project Management Unit No 6 has submitted to the Ministry of Transport plans to build a 19.5km highway linking the central provinces of Nghệ An and Hà Tĩnh.

The 17m wide four-lane highway will be built by a public-private partnership at a cost of VNĐ5.7 trillion (US$254.4 million).

Work is expected to start in the third quarter of next year and finish by 2020.

Bảo Việt gives boat to Trường Sa soldiers

Insurer Bảo Việt Group held a ceremony to donate a motor boat worth VNĐ3.5 billion ($156,200) to soldiers on Trường Sa Archipelago on Tuesday.

The vessel can be used for transport and rescue missions.

Nearly 300 bln VND allocated for Ghenh bridge repairs

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has recently agreed in principle the allocation of 298.5 billion VND (nearly 13 million USD) from the 2016 State budget for the urgent repair of the Ghenh bridge across the Dong Nai River in the southern province of Dong Nai .

Vietnam Railways (VNR) Corporation under the Ministry of Transport has been assigned to implement the project.

The Deputy PM has also asked the ministry to direct the VNR in the implementation of the project, ensuring the effectively use of the allocated capital.

The Ghenh bridge, a key bridge on the North-South railway line, collapsed at noon on March 20 after a barge crashed into its pillar, causing many people to fall into the river.

As the bridge is on the North-South railway route, railway services have been interrupted. Trains on the route now have to stop at Bien Hoa Station in Dong Nai province.

It was built more than 100 years ago and is used for both rail and vehicle transportation.-

Japan funds Vietnam’s transport and education projects

The Japanese Government has decided to provide a non-refundable assistance package worth 406,893 USD for four projects to improve infrastructure for transport and education in Vietnam.

Speaking at the signing ceremony for the aid package in Hanoi on March 23, Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Hiroshi Fukada highlighted the significance of the aid, saying that it will help promote socio-economic development in disadvantaged localities. He expressed his hope that the projects will be implemented as soon as possible.

On behalf of the beneficiary localities, Director of the Transport Department of the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong Truong Huu Hiep committed to working with relevant agencies to perform the projects in line with the contracts.

He said he believes that the projects will improve the transport system and infrastructure facilities for education, and promote development in the beneficiary localities.

Lam Dong will receive 153,688 USD for building systems of box culverts crossing streams in Lat commune, Lac Duong district, which will facilitate travelling and goods transport for locals, especially in the rainy season.

With an aid worth 87,300 USD, the northern mountainous province of Cao Bang will build three classrooms and duty rooms in the Thin Thec primary school to replace delapidated ones.

Meanwhile, blind associations of central Da Nang city and Quang Nam province will be supported to equip classrooms with tools to serve the teaching and studying of Braille for blind people.

The northern mountainous province of Yen Bai will receive 87,564 USD to build boarding houses in the Pa Lau primary and secondary schools in Tram Tau district, benefiting 168 boarders.

Bac Lieu famers receive additional aid to cope with drought

Farmers in the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu affected by severe drought and saline intrusion have received support from the Government, local authority and banks to restart their crop production.

Along with the Government’s financial support of 11 billion VND (493,240 USD), some 500 dams have been constructed by the province to help local farmers save their crops.

In addition, the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies’s Bac Lieu branch ordered its transactions offices and credit units to reschedule the loan repayment period while exempting or reducing interest rates for the farmer borrowers.

Based on the famers’ capacity to recover their crops, the bank should give more loans to customers so they can continue their production plan, said Pham Thanh Binh, director of the bank.

According to a representative from the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Department, the acute drought and saline intrusion caused serious damage to local agriculture.

Shrimp crops are forecasted to suffer from critical loss due to prolonged heat.

As the level of salt content in the water is extremely high at irrigation channels, the agricultural sector will take drastic measures to prevent risks to this year’s shrimp crops.

Furthermore, agricultural agencies are carrying out research to choose suitable breeds that can adapt to climate change while enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of drought resistant production models.

President hails Vietnam Red Cross Society’s activities

President Truong Tan Sang appreciated the Vietnam Red Cross Society (VRCS)’s humanitarian activities in recent times during a working session in Hanoi on March 23.

He particularly several effective initiatives, such as the “cow bank” designed for poor and border districts, and others in support of disaster-hit victims.

The leader also asked ministries and agencies to clear any arising obstacles to help VRCS fulfill its duties.

VRCS leaders updated him about the positive results of campaigns for the poor and Agent Orange victims, health check-ups and treatment, and humanitarian blood donation drives.

More than 3 trillion VND (136.3 million USD) was raised to benefit 17 million living in need last year.

This year, the VRCS strives to present at least 1 million New Year gifts to poor households, offer health check-ups to 1 million people and collected 1.4 million units of blood.

Emergency funds will also be established to cope with natural disasters, they said.

Undiscovered cases help spread of TB

Việt Nam records some 130,000 new tuberculosis (TB) patients each year, but many cases remain undiscovered, allowing the disease to spread in the community, officials said.

Only 70 per cent of TB cases have been discovered, creating the risk of undetected cases spreading the disease among the community, Nguyễn Viết Nhung, director of the National Hospital of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases, said.

Some 100,000 TB patients were discovered in last year, an increase of 155 people compared with figures in 2014. Of these patients, 50,000 were infected with TB of the lungs, he added.

The country ranks 12th out of the 20 countries most severely affected by TB according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and ranks 14th among the 27 countries with the highest number of multi-drug resistant TB patients.

TB is treatable with a six-month course of antibiotics, but the discovery of new cases faces some difficulties for different reasons, including people’s limited understanding of TB prevention and society’s discrimination, which leads TB sufferers to hide their disease, according to a report by the National Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Programme (NTBPCP).

Nhung said the treatment for TB patients has progressed. In the past, it took multi-drug resistant TB patients 20 months to 24 months to treat their disease, causing them to feel discouraged. However, Việt Nam is now applying new methods, allowing them to recover within nine months and saving on expenses.

Nguyễn Bình Hòa, secretary of the NTBPCP, said it aimed to reduce the number of TB cases to 131 in 100,000 people, the death of TB patients to fewer than 10 in 100,000 and to ensure that 100 per cent of TB sufferers are treated with a standard formula by 2020.

In addition, the program will build a network to research TB and lung diseases.

To ensure high effectiveness, it was necessary to enhance people’s awareness of TB and avoid spreading the disease within the community, Hòa said.

Vietnam aims to reduce number of tuberculosis patients

Vietnam is striving to reduce the rate of tuberculosis (TB) patients to 131 cases/100,000 people and the fatality rate from the disease to lower than 10/100,000 people by 2020, according to Nguyen Binh Hoa, Secretary of the National Tuberculosis Programme (NTP).

The programme also aims to ensure access of people with TB to high-quality treatment services and medicines.

Vietnam ranks 12 th out of 22 countries worldwide with the highest rates of TB patients, and the 14 th among 27 nations with the higest prevalence of multi drug-resistant TB (MDR TB).

About 130,000 new TB cases are reported in Vietnam every year. In 2015 alone, over 100,000 TB cases were diagnosed, up 155 over the figure recorded in the previous year.

Notably, more than 5,000 drug-resistant TB patients are reported in the country every year, with nearly 6 percent suffering from extensively drug - resistant TB ( XDR TB).

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said TB is the second leading infectious cause of death while XDR is present in almost all countries.

Statistics from the WHO showed that 17,000 people died of TB in Vietnam in 2014. About 4 percent of new TB patients are multidrug-resistant, while the rate for those undergoing treatment is 23 percent.

According to Director of the National Lung Hospital Nguyen Viet Nhung, Vietnam reaped remarkable achievements in preventing the disease in recent years. However, the country still witnesses up to 46 fatalities from TB every day.

Nhung noted that Vietnam has applied a treatment regimen for both drug-resistant TB and XDR TB. Treatment for MDR TB patients is now shortened to only 9 months instead of between 20-24 months in the past.

Last year, the National Lung Hospital set up the lung and tuberculosis research cooperation centre (VICTORY), which is responsible for building and developing a TB research network and supporting medical studies in Vietnam.

A research network of TB and lung-related diseases with the involvement of domestic and foreign partners is scheduled to be built in the country, towards improving the quality of TB diagnosis and treatment in all-level hospitals nationwide, Hoa said.

Health experts stressed the need to enhance links among relevant sectors in preventing TB, as well as intensify communication campaigns to raise public awareness of the disease and precautionary measures. TB is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It most commonly affects the lungs and the disease is transmitted from person to person via bacteria from the throat and lungs of people with the active respiratory disease, according to the WHO.

The symptoms of active lung TB are coughing, sometimes with sputum or blood, chest pains, weakness, weight loss, fever, and night sweats. Tuberculosis is treatable with a six-month course of antibiotics.

Vietravel ensures safety for customers after Belgium attacks

Vietravel, one of the leading tour operators in Vietnam, has examined and updated information about its tours to Europe as well as tourist safety in Belgium, after the country suffered a series of terrorist bomb attacks on March 22.

Twenty-six travellers are on Vietravel’s tour to European countries, including Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France. As scheduled, they will arrive in Belgium on March 26.

Vietravel is working with its partners and local tour guides to re-arrange schedules and seek measures to ensure safety for the travellers while revising information for customers and its staff.

In addition, the company will provide changes for confirmed journeys as requested by its customers.

More than 480 people have bought Vietravel’s tours to Europe from the end of March to the end of April. Last year, the company offered tours to Europe to nearly 6,600 customers, rising 65-70 percent against 2014.

The company expects to serve 10,000 people on these tours this year.

Politburo orders study, implementation of Party Congress’s resolution

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong on March 22 signed into issuance the Politburo’s Directive No. 01-CT/TW on studying, popularising and implementing the Resolution of the 12th National Party Congress.

The activities are of paramount importance to improve the awareness and the unanimity in spirit and action within the Party and to create high consensus in the public.

They are also meant to encourage the entire Party, people and army to maximise the patriotism, self-reliance spirit and the strength of the whole nation.

The political drive will also contribute to strengthening the Party in terms of political ideology; preventing and combating the degradation of ideology, ethics and lifestyle along with the symptoms of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” within the Party; correcting misguided thinking; and effectively fighting wrong and hostile viewpoints.

The Politburo stressed that the study and implementation of the Resolution is a key task this year, which should be carried out in a practical and appropriate manner.

In particular, all Party members and officials at all levels must thoroughly understand the Resolution in order to implement it in an effective and innovative manner.

Besides the Resolution, other Congress documents to be studied include the Political Report, the report on the implementation of socio-economic development tasks from 2011 – 2015 and development orientations and missions from 2016 – 2020, and the report on the implementation of the Resolution of the 11th Party Central Committee’s fourth plenum on some urgent Party building-related issues.

The Politburo also instructed Party committees and administrations at all levels as well as political-social organisations to devise their own plans of action on carrying out the 12th National Party Congress’s Resolution.

The mass media is urged to actively get involved in popularizing the Resolution in diverse forms to help the document reach people from all strata as well as Vietnamese expatriates.

Vietnam’s dynamic economy attractive to French firms

With impressive macro-economic indexes in recent years, Vietnam has strong appeal for French businesses, according to Commercial Counsellor at the Vietnamese Embassy in France Nguyen Quynh Anh.

In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency’s correspondents on the threshold of the workshop “Vietnam, a new Asian dragon” in France, Anh said French firms are seeking to partner with Vietnamese counterparts in many fields, especially in energy, which is one of France’s strengths.

They also hoped for strengthened links with Vietnam in agriculture and infrastructure development, she noted.

According to the counsellor, France is an important partner of Vietnam in the fields of pharmaceutical industry, cosmetics, and farm products.

France’s exports to Vietnam in 2015 increased by 72.5 times compared to 2014, while Vietnam’s exports to the European country hit 3.7 billion EUR, up 32.2 percent against those in the previous year.

Many French companies have set up their representative offices in Vietnam. This shows that French firms are very interested in the Vietnamese market, she added.

Anh also said there is great potential for Vietnamese business to promote export of farm products such as rice, tea and coffee to France, especially when the Vietnam-EU free trade agreement takes effect.

The workshop “Vietnam, a new Asian dragon” is jointly held by the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Senate of France and the French agency for trade and investment promotion. Beginning on March 25 , the event will include round-table seminars to promote Vietnam’s farm produce.

It aims to update both sides’ enterprises on information related to market potential, and business customs, offering a good chance to discuss measures to enhance connection between the two countries’ business in the coming time.

On the occasion, a cooperation agreement will be signed between the Vietnam Agency of Trade Promotion and the French agency for trade and investment promotion, towards improving the Vietnamese agency’s capacity in helping Vietnamese businesses enter foreign markets, as well as helping French companies start business in Vietnam.

Japan provides non-refundable aid for projects in Vietnam

The Japan Embassy in Vietnam on March 23 announced the award of non-refundable aid of US$406,893 for four projects in Vietnam.

Ambassador to Vietnam Hiroshi Fukada unveiled the first project is for constructing drains at the Lat Village in the Lac Duong District of Lam Dong Province and the second is building the Thin Thec Primary School in Cao Bang province.

There is also a project to provide Braille printing equipment for the Danang and Quang Nam Blind Associations, said the Ambassador, and lastly a project to construct a boarding houses for the Pa Lau primary and secondary schools in Tram Trau District of Yen Bai Province.

Ambassador Fukada said the provision of the non-refundable aid plays an important role in promoting grassroots socio-economic development, helping those in need bridge development gaps.

He said he hopes that recipients would timely implement funded projects to bring about benefits for local people.

On behalf of beneficiaries, Truong Huu Hiep, director of Lam Dong Department of Transport, thanked the Japanese government and people, promising to carry out the projects on schedule.

Vietnam’s growing market for pharma and medical devices

A range of companies from the Republic of Korea (RoK) are queuing up to do business in the pharma and medical device markets of Vietnam where they believe genuinely high economic growth is achievable.

Speakers at a workshop on March 23 in Hanoi organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST), said the opportunities in the marketplace are good for multinational and pharmaceutical companies seeking new sources of growth.

“They are also welcome news for patients who will gain access to medical treatments previously unavailable in Vietnam,” said MoST Deputy Minister Tran Quoc Khanh.

Deputy Minister Khanh said business leaders must dig deeper to make sure they understand what is driving growth in these industries to ensure they comprehend fully the challenges they are likely to face.

They must also, said Mr Khanh, appreciate how to collaboratively work within the Vietnamese health care and pharmaceutical systems to win in this complex environment.

At the event, Vietnam’s Thang Long Medical Equipment JSC and the Wobbigen Company headquartered out of the RoK signed a medical and pharmaceutical business deal reportedly worth mega bucks.

Conserving clean water a priority in Ho Chi Minh City

A conference on water conservation in Ho Chi Minh City was held on Tuesday, highlighting the urgent need to protect the city’s water resources in the face of climate change.

The event, which was centered on protecting water resources during climate change, was intended to contribute to Ho Chi Minh City’s socioeconomic development and was organized by the municipal Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

The water quality at Nha Be Station in Ho Chi Minh City recorded by the Southern Regional Hydrometeorological Center returned an alarming result confirming that the water monitored at the station is salinized and microbiologically contaminated, and of substandard even for household use.

The center said its aquatic monitoring network in Ho Chi Minh City consists of four stations, which collect samples at 7:00 am on the 15thday of each month.

The samples are then tested for a number of indicators such as heavy metal and agrochemical levels before being reported in a water quality document.

The center also noted that the most common issue with rivers in Ho Chi Minh City is a constantly high iron level, which turns the water a yellowish colour, especially during the height of the rainy season.

During the dry season on the other hand, the water suffers from salinization and microbiological contamination.

Measurements at Thu Thiem Station on the Saigon River also indicate insufficient dissolved oxygen levels, organic and microbiological contamination, and salinization during dry seasons.

The figures, however, are not entirely pessimistic, as monitoring results at Lai Thieu Station in Binh Duong Province revealed that water in the Saigon River was of relatively good quality, uncontaminated, and could be used in households once treated.

Similarly, the water of the Dong Nai River at Long Son Station in District 9, Ho Chi Minh City, was also rated as 'fairly good,' and could supply households for normal use.

Indicators measured by the Center for Environmental Monitoring and Analysis of Ho Chi Minh City at locations upstream of the Saigon River also showed that the water quality there was good and suitable for supply.

The conference raised the point that some sections including Trung An and Hoa Phu on the Saigon River, and Hoa An on the Dong Nai River, which were rated satisfactory for use, were of worse quality than others of these rivers, which was attributed to industrial and household wastes.

With such issues in mind, the Southern Regional Hydrometeorological Center urged that measures be taken to closely monitor salinization and iron as well as microbiological levels in the water to come up with timely coping methods.

Ha Minh Chau, deputy chief at the Climate Change Bureau of Ho Chi Minh City, underlined the vital role of water supply in the survival of the city’s population of around ten million, and suggested an evaluation study on the risk of salinization.

Chau asserted that the construction of emergency clean water reservoirs should be considered, alongside planning specific areas that allow the mining of groundwater.

Solutions to the current water problems were also proposed by a research team from the Faculty of Environment and Resources at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and the Ho Chi Minh City Association for Water and Environment.

The research team recommended stricter laws to punish actions that pose harm to the water system, while raising fines and imposing public labor punishment on violators.

The team urged the construction of 12 wastewater treatment plants in Ho Chi Minh City to alleviate the problem.

The Department of Natural Resources and Environment confirmed that many solutions have been implemented already with positive results, such as the control over 3,000 sources of wastewater, while 100 percent of industrial zones in the city have qualified wastewater treatment systems.

The department also announced its plan to move all manufacturing facilities that cause pollution away from residential areas by 2020.

Phuong Tram earns 21 gold medals at National Swimming Championships 2016

The Ho Chi Minh City’s youngest  swimmer Nguyen Diep Phuong Tram collected 21 gold medals, including 14 gold medals in individual category and seven gold medals in relay race at the 2016 National Swimming Championships in Hue city on March 23.

After finishing the National Swimming Championships, the city’s swimming team is ranked the first position with 32 gold medals, eight silver medals and 10 bronze medals. Da Nang team won five gold medals, one silver medal and one bronze medal.

150 medical students to receive Nguyen Van Huong Scholarships 2016

A ceremony to award Nguyen Van Huong Scholarships is scheduled to take place at Pham Ngoc Thach Medicine University in HCMC at 2:30 pm on March 24.

150 outstanding medical students of Pham Ngoc Thach Medicine University and Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy having excellent studying achievements and difficult life circumstances will receive this year's Nguyen Van Huong Scholarships.

Besides, the organizational board of Nguyen Van Huong Scholarships also supported VND 30 million for baby nurses living in rural provinces.

The annual scholarship was organized by Sai Gon Giai Phong Newspapers with total worth of VND 860 million.

Highway projects face severe capital shortage

Vietnam Expressway Corporation (VEC) yesterday reported to the Ministry of Transport a severe shortage of funds for site clearance of national highway projects.

According to VEC, the ministry has yet to approve capital supplementation plan for 2015 in which Da Nang-Quang Ngai Expressway needs VND1,479 billion (US$78.43 million), Ben Luc-Long Thanh VND1,850 billion ($83 million) and Noi Bai-Lao Cai VND385 billion ($17.26 million).

VEC has so far advanced VND1,080 billion (US$48.43 million) from toll revenues of projects that have opened to traffic to meet the urgent capital demand for site clearance and removal of technical infrastructures.

The company has not received this year’s capital allocation plan for the above projects affecting their progress.

Inspection conducted to raise employers, workers’ awareness of labor regulation

The Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs and the International Labor Office March 21 in the Northern province of Hung Yen launched an inspection over labor and occupational safety across the country.

According to the ministry, currently, work-related accident in construction is ranked top, accounted for  38 percent of work fatalities and 35 percent of total workplace fatality. Next is the machinery with 8 percent of cases and 7 percent of fatalities.

Among six serious work-related accidents in 2015, four cases took place on construction sites. Many cases of accidents and occupational injuries have not been reported yet.

Therefore, labor safety inspection in 2016 focuses on construction in order to promote workers to obey labor regulations and fine common violations to improve workers’ work environment.

Deputy Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs said that the labor inspection should the participation of all sectors including labor unions, employers and the media. The campaign aims to raise workers’ awareness of employers, employees and the society of labor regulation and safety standards in construction

Inspectors will pay visits to at least 630 companies across the country from March to November, 2016.

Six films of Director Fatih Akin introduced in Vietnam

The Goethe Institute in Hanoi and HCMC said six film of Turkish-German director Fatih Akin has been screening in Vietnam from March 18 to April 2.

Director, screen writer, actor, movie producer Fatih Akin

The films focus on latest social topics such as immigrant, culture, country and social with Vietnamese and English subtitles.

Fatih Akin is a director, screen writer; actor and movie producer and he became a famous director as his film entitled Head-On was screened in 2004 & received the Golden Bear Award at Berlin Film Festival.

His film “The Edge of Heaven”, won also best screenplay award at the 60th Cannes Film Festival.

In HCMC, “Soul Kitchen” film will be screened at Cinebox (212 Ly Chinh Thang Street, District 3) on March 25; Crossing the Bridge: The soul of Istanbul on March 26; The Edge of Heaven on April 1 and the Cut on April 2. Entrance tickets are free of charge & can be received at the Goethe Institute in HCMC.

HCMC authority subsidize 551 drug items

After five years of implementing the medicine subsidization program, around 551 drug times have been subsidized.

In 2011 just 45 medicine items were subsidized and the number of pharmacies across the city selling subsidized drugs is just 360. Currently, 3,852 drug stores have sold subsidized drugs and the program has encouraged the participation of 14 pharmaceutical enterprises.

The proportion of subsidized locally-made drugs in prescribed in hospitals increased from 20 percent to 30 percent.

Drugs in the subsidization program is domestically-made times which meet GMP-WHO standards to treat normal and chronic diseases. The number of medicine in the program can meet the demand in case that there is a fluctuation of price.

Tay Thien festival attracts thousands of visitors

The 2016 Tay Thien Festival, one of the largest festivals in the north, kicked off on March 23 (the fifteenth day of the second lunar month) in Dai Dinh Commune, Tam Dao District, Vinh Phuc Province.

The annual event is held to worship Mother Lang Thi Tieu, a Hung Queen, who helped the king defeat invaders and taught the people how to grow rice and make handicrafts.

Visitors flock to the festival to pray for a peaceful New Year as well as prosperity, health and happiness.

Coming to the festival, visitors can also explore the picturesque Tay Thien Complex, recognised as a national special relic site.

The complex, comprising of numerous temples, shrines and pagodas, has become a cultural-festival centre as well as a popular destination for spiritual tourism.

During the three-day event, a wide variety of cultural, arts and sporting activities and festivals will also be held to serve visitors.

The festival has significantly contributed to the development of Vinh Phuc province’s tourism sector, particularly Tam Dao District. It also aims to teach traditional cultural values as well as ethical values to younger generations.

Da Nang to host Co Tu people cultural festival

A festival featuring the traditional culture of the Co Tu ethic community in Da Nang city and Quang Nam province will take place in Da Nang city on March 29.

Co Tu ethic artisans from Quang Nam and Da Nang have been invited to the festival to introduce the group’s indigenous gong culture in addition to other cultural practices.

Visitors can learn more about traditional crafts of the Co Tu people such as brocade weaving, bamboo and rattan weaving, and wood sculpture through presentations of artisans from Ta Lu and communes, Dong Giang district, Quang Nam province.

They can also taste ‘ruou can’ (wine drunk out of a jar via wooden bamboo pipes) and enjoy gong performances by an art troupe from Hoa Bac commune, Hoa Vang district, Da Nang city.

An exhibition displaying traditional costumes, music, festivals and customs of the Co Tu people will also be held during the festival.

The event, the first of its kind hosted by Da Nang, is staged to celebrate the 41st anniversary of the city’s liberation (1975 – 2016).

The festival is scheduled to be held annually from this year in order to preserve and uphold the cultural values of the Co Tu people.

VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri