Two murderers receive death penalty

The People's Court of the southern province of Dong Nai sentenced two men to death yesterday.

The verdict said that Ngo Van Tam, 21, and Tran Tu Dien, 25, killed their roommate on Christmas Day last year for failing to give Tam VND500 million (US$23,500) as promised.

They chopped up the victim's body and disposed of it. They also stole money and a mobile phone from the deceased before stealing a motorcycle in An Binh market.

Tam and Dien were arrested on December 26.

More arrests made in hacking scandal

Police have arrested two men who hacked websites and stole foreigners' credit card information to buy luxury goods abroad and sell them later in Viet Nam.

The two men, Nguyen Quang Nhut, 35, of HCM City, and Nguyen Van Hoa, 23, of central Quang Tri Province, were part of a group operating through an internet forum that offers instructions on how to hack websites.

The forum is open to anyone free of charge, but once an individual pays a US$100 fee, they become registered members of the forum and receive passwords to access the instructions.

Last week, 10 other administrators and founders of the tutorial website were arrested by police in HCM City, Dong Nai Province, Da Nang and Ha Noi.

Since the forum was established in 2011, more than 5,000 people have become members.

Police said they had conducted surveillance over two years to uncover the group's fraudulent practices.

According to the Ministry of Public Security, Nhut used stolen credit card information to buy luxury goods from abroad. Then, he shipped the luxury goods to Viet Nam for later sale, or kept some of them for himself.

Police on Tuesday raided Nhut's house where they found 21 laptops, 19 smartphones, six iPads and a large number of loudspeakers, earphones, shoes, perfume bottles and luxury watches.

Police said that Hoa was operating two hacking tutorial sites and selling foreigners' credit card information stolen from websites.

Hoa had stolen VND300 million ($14,235) for personal purposes, according to police.

The investigation is going on.

Japan pledges millions in aid to Vietnam

Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam, Hiroshi Fukada, signed an agreement on January 15 to donate nearly US$820,000 million in non-refundable aid to seven projects in Vietnam.

The Japanese-funded projects include the provision of medical equipment to Thanh Hoa province’s eye hospital; the upgrading of Tan Dan B primary school in Hung Yen province; the upgrading of a healthcare centre in Binh Bo commune of Phu Tho province;  the construction of Thai Phuc high school in Thai Binh province; the construction of Tam Tien primary school in Bac Giang province, and the upgrading of Tan Lap and Doan Bai primary schools, also in Bac Giang province.

Thanh Hoa eye hospital will also receive assistance from Japanese doctor Tadashi Hattori, who had provided free surgery for more than 10,000 patients with eye-related diseases in Vietnam.

Ambassador Hiroshi Fukada emphasised that Vietnam’s rapid economic growth requires comparably strong development of education and healthcare services, especially in poor localities.

The Japanese-funded projects are expected to help Vietnamese people gain better access to such services in the next decade, he added.

Binh Thuan power plant joins national grid

Vietnam’s first 622MW turbine, belonging to Vinh Tan 2 thermal power plant in the central province of Binh Thuan, joined the national grid as scheduled on January 15 after three years of construction.

The 23.5 trillion VND (1.2 billion USD) plant, invested by the Electricity of Vietnam Group (EVN), includes two turbines with a capacity of 622MW each.

Once fully operational, the plant will generate 7.2 billion KWh a year, contributing to ensuring power supply for the whole country as well as boosting the province’s socio-economic development.

According to EVN, the plant’s second turbine is expected to join the national grid by mid 2014.

Meanwhile, Vinh Tan Port is under construction to create a stable coal supply for four thermal power plants in Vinh Tan centre with a combined capacity of 5,600MW.

Cold spell hits life in Ha Giang province

Another strong cold spell that dramatically brought the temperature down to 1-2 degree Celsius has hit the lives of ethnic and minority people in the northern province of Ha Giang.

The province's centre for hydro-meteorological forecasting centre said that the temperature fell to minus 1 degree Celsius in some areas in the three border districts of Dong Van, Meo Vac and Xin Man.

The Ha Giang provincial medical department sent staff to help localities in protecting people from the cold, especially the elderly and children. Medical units were asked to stock enough medicines and prepare medical facilities for giving timely treatment to patients during the cold days.

Local people have also taken measures to protect animals, poultry and crops from freezing and from diseases.

Australia backs sanitation plan for rural areas

A US$6.28 million project to improve sanitation and hygiene in Bac Giang, Thai Nguyen, Binh Dinh and Ben Tre provinces commenced in Hanoi on January 15.

Backed by the Australian Government, the project will be implemented by the East Meets West Organisation (EMW) and the Ministry of Health's Vietnam Health Environment Management Agency.

It aims to improve sanitation and hygiene conditions by equipping disadvantaged rural communities with greater access to clean water and hygienic toilets, as well as behaviour-changing education, said EMW - Viet Nam country director Nguyen Minh Chau.

The project will also focus on upgrading and expanding water pipelines to improve access and quality, while helping poor households build toilets in line with official health standards.

It will build 20,000 toilets, as well as upgrade and expand between 25 and 30 clean water pipelines, used by 150,000 people, by 2017.

The project will also provide host training sessions on the ongoing management and operation of water supply stations, as well as on sanitation, good hygiene practices, and proper maintenance of newly built toilets.

Quang Ninh police detain three suspected drug smugglers

Police in the northern border Quang Ninh province have arrested three people for their suspected participation in a scheme to illegally transport synthetic drugs.

According to the police, Pham Van Sy, Do Thi Lai and Hoang Khac Toan attempted to smuggle 1.3kg of synthetic drugs by coach.

Pham Van Sy is accused of packaging the drugs in three black plastic bags and boarding coach with vehicle registration plate coded 14B-006.73.

The two accomplices - Do Thi Lai and Hoang Khac Toan – have also been temporarily detained pending further investigation.

The police are currently cooperating with relevant agencies to broaden the scope and scale of the investigation.

France helps upgrade Can Tho hospital

The governments of Vietnam and France signed the second financial protocol on a project to purchase equipment for the Can Tho General Hospital in the Mekong Delta, at a ceremony in Hanoi on January 15.

Signatories to the protocol were Minister of Planning and Investment Bui Quang Vinh and French Ambassador to Vietnam Jean-Noel Poirier.

Through the two protocols, with the first one signed in September 25 last year during the Vietnamese Prime Minister’s official visit to France, the French government provided 19.5 million EUR to the project with the aim of turning the 500-bed Can Tho hospital into a health care model of the Mekong Delta.

Minister Vinh said the project contributes to strengthening the cooperative ties between the two countries in the field of health care.

Bac Lieu seeks training cooperation with Indian institute

Mekong Delta Bac Lieu province has asked for the Indian Institute of Public Administration to offer assistance in training local government staff in agricultural development, urban management and e-governance.

At a working session with the institute’s visiting delegation on January 15, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Council Le Thanh Hung also expressed his hope for more collaboration with the Indian side in scientific research and graduate and post-graduate education.

Prof. Vinod Kumar Shama from the institute said he and his colleagues want to extend their cooperation with Mekong Delta provinces, including Bac Lieu, in training high quality human resources.

Suggestions from regional province leaders will be gathered by the Ho Chi Minh National Academy for Politics and Public Administration to devise a cooperation framework with the Indian Institute of Public Administration in the coming time.

Vietnam anti-corruption initiative programme introduced

Practical initiatives and new ideas of the community are being sought to enhance transparency, public integrity and accountability and reduce corruption in Vietnam, heard a conference in northern Thai Nguyen province on January 15.

At the event introducing the 2014 Vietnam Anti-Corruption Initiative (VACI 2014) programme, delegates said corruption is still a serious and urgent matter in Vietnam, adding that the Communist Party of Vietnam and the State are determined to promote anti-corruption work as it is the responsibility of the entire society.

Discussions on the community supervision and feedback were also raised at the conference.

The 2014 VACI, jointly co-organised by the World Bank (WB) and the Government Inspectorate, encompasses an innovation contest and a knowledge exchange forum. The best initiatives will be announced in May.

The year’s programme is the fourth event of the VACI series that has raised the effectiveness of the work. The 24 best initiatives out of 130 sent proposals were selected and successfully implemented in the previous programme in 2013.

Innovative online Korean classroom put into practise

An online Korean classroom has been put into operation at the Hanoi University for Foreign Studies affiliated to the Vietnam National University, according to the Korea Foundation.

The classroom, funded by KF Globale-School project, aims to provide students in the faculty of Korean language with online lectures.

The classroom with a large LCD screen, computer, high-speed internet, LED bulb and anti-noise equipment can accommodate up to 100 hundred students.

During lessons in the classroom, students and professors in the RoK are able to communicate directly with students in Vietnam.

With the most modern equipment, the new classroom also meets international standards for important online conferences.

The online curriculum program has been highlighted and the College of Foreign Languages expressed its wish to expand the model to contribute to improving the quality of teaching Korean culture and language.

KF Global e-School project also supports students who have made high academic achievements at Chung Ang University, helping strengthen cooperation between Vietnamese and Korean universities.

Sadovod market closure affects Vietnamese in Russia

A shutdown of the Sadovod market in Moscow by Russian authorities may result in a large number of oversea Vietnamese traders losing their jobs.

Russian authorities said the market has been temporarily shut down pending an investigation into accusations of violations of sanitary and other laws designed to protect consumers.

A record of administrative violations, if any, will be sent to an administrative court to make a final decision on the future operations of the market, a process that could take several months.

Upon hearing the decision, Vietnamese traders went to the market and retrieved their property.

New motorbike taxis lend wheels to disabled

Safety and convenience are two features of a new motorbike taxi service provided by the HCM City Disability Research and Capacity Development Centre (DRD).

Nguyen Thanh Long of District 6 said he had used the services to commute to the HCM City Charitable Centre of Training and Creating Jobs for People with Disabilities to learn graphic design and to the DRD centre's employment club.

"The service has helped me travel more easily and helped me better integrate into society," said Long.

Before using the motorbike taxi, Long had faced problems in using buses, particularly when they were crowded.

Some buses had not picked him up when they saw he had a disability, Long said.

Tran Minh Lai of District 8, who is visually impaired, said that motorbike taxis were especially convenient because he works far from his home.

"I need to travel from District 8 to District 10 for work", Lai said, adding that the "motorbike taxi is a wonderful choice."

Lai said his wife registered for the service after finding out it via the media.

He said the drivers were friendly and safe.

The taxis have been specially designed to ensure safety for people with disabilities, he added.

Lai said he had saved nearly VND1 million (US$47.6) per month since using the service in September.

Because there are currently only 10 motorbikes and seven drivers, Lai uses the service just four times a week.

Nguyen Van Vu of District 11, who is visually impaired, said the drivers were punctual and he had not been late for work since using the service.

The service is a pilot project for people with disabilities in HCM City.

This is the first service in the country carried out by the DRD in co-operation with the Korean Human Rights Forum of Persons with Disabilities based in Jeju under the sponsorship of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).

With total capital of US$108,000, the project's first phase will end in February.

The pickup services in the city's inner districts are currently free, but in the future a small fee will be charged, according to Luong Thi Quynh Lan, manager of the DRD's projects.

The centre said it had provided the service to 204 people with disabilities, with more than 4,000 turns, from July to December last year.

Lan said the need for such services was very high.

Because of the initial success, KOICA will continue the project over the next three years, said Kang Dae Gu, manager of KOICA's HCM City Liaison Office.

He said it was vital to continue the project to help the community change its thoughts about the transport needs of people with disabilities.

Lan said the centre planned to mobilise other sources from the country's organisations and individuals to ensure that the project would continue after the sponsorship ends.

HCM City allocates $4.2m to buy Tet gifts for poor families

HCM City will use VND90 billion (US$4.2 million) to present gifts to 130,000 poor families for Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday.

Hua Ngoc Thuan, deputy chairman of the municipal People's Committee, said the city would provide Tet gifts worth VND500,000 each to companies that could not afford to give presents to employees.

Thuan announced the news during a working visit to Binh Chanh and Nha Be districts on Monday.

Binh Chanh and Nha Be are among the districts that have the largest number of poor households in the city.

Thai Hong Mai, deputy secretary of the Binh Chanh Party Committee, said the district administration would hand out 36,400 gifts worth a total of VND22.3 billion to the poor, as well as to people who had made contributions to the country and migrant workers who cannot return home for the Tet holiday.

The district will also organise 185 trips to sell goods in rural areas.

On Monday, the Binh Chanh Fatherland Front Committee presented gifts to 100 poor households in Hung Long Commune.

Tran Tan Quy, standing deputy secretary of the Nha Be Party Committee, said the district would present Tet gifts worth VND700,000 each to poor households.

The district has also generated funds from philanthropists that will be used to offer additional gifts worth VND500,000 each, he said.

Nha Be has 2,831 poor households that have an income of less than VND16 million per person per year.

Quy said the district would organise trips to sell goods in rural areas and four Tet market days.

As part of Tet, the HCM City Farmers Association in cooperation with the HCM City Television on last Friday broadcast a programme titled "Do good things for poor farmers in Tet 2014" to collect donations for poor farmers.

The programme received donations worth a total of VND26.4 billion.

Tran Truong Son, deputy chairman of the association, said the money would be used to build 538 charity houses and to buy 2,500 Tet gifts for poor farmers.

In addition, 30 per cent of the fee to buy health insurance would be paid for 7,000 poor farming households. In addition, scholarships for 300 excellent students would be offered.

Sustainable Vietnam-UK Network development hailed

The Vietnam-UK Network Chairman Ben Chapman has praised the sustainable development of the network over the past year as a contribution to developing bilateral relations between the two nations.

Chapman told a January 15 ceremony in London that the network will continue to expand its operations and promote high-level exchange visits as well as people-to-people exchanges to strengthen mutual understanding.

The Vietnam-UK Network was established last January during Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s historic visit to London.

Lord Stephen Green, a speaker at the ceremony, emphasized that UK businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have many opportunities to do business in Vietnam thanks to its prestigious brand names in the Southeast Asian nation, especially in sports and education.

Lord Green was surprised to know that Vietnam has 15 million fans for the Manchester United Football Club during his visit to Vietnam last year which creates possible conditions for his nation to become involved in sports events in Vietnam such as ASIAD 18 in 2019.

In addition, many projects on the establishment of UK universities in Vietnam have also been formulated, helping further promote education cooperation between the two countries.

Western West Lake urban area’detailed planning adjusted

The Hanoi Department of Planning and Architecture in conjunction with the People’s Committees of Tu Liem, Cau Giay and Tay Ho districts on January 14 announced the adjusted detailed planning of the western West Lake urban area.

Accordingly, the adjusted area is in Xuan La ward in Tay Ho district, Nghia Do ward in Cau Giay district, and Xuan Dinh and Co Nhue communes in Tu Liem district.

The urban area will cover over 210 ha, with a population of around 24,300.

The plan also gives information on the adjustment of land fund for building headquarters of ministries, State agencies and organisations, Thang Long theatre and other cultural works.

A modern and synchronous architecture and scenery will be designed for the zone, with hi-rise and multifunctional buildings alternated with greenery areas, creating a special architectural complex in the right bank of the Red River.

The project’s investor - T.H.T Company said from January 21, it will start construction of infrastructure in the area in a hope of making it the most beautiful, modern and harmonised in the Southeast Asian region.-

Australia backs sanitation plan for rural areas

A 6.28 million USD project to improve sanitation and hygiene in Bac Giang, Thai Nguyen, Binh Dinh and Ben Tre provinces commenced in Hanoi on January 16.

Backed by the Australian Government, the project will be implemented by the East Meets West Organisation (EMW) and the Ministry of Health's Vietnam Health Environment Management Agency.

It aims to improve sanitation and hygiene conditions by equipping disadvantaged rural communities with greater access to clean water and hygienic toilets, as well as behaviour-changing education, said EMW - Vietmam country director Nguyen Minh Chau.

The project will also focus on upgrading and expanding water pipelines to improve access and quality, while helping poor households build toilets in line with official health standards.

It will build 20,000 toilets, as well as upgrade and expand between 25 and 30 clean water pipelines, used by 150,000 people, by 2017.

The project will also provide host training sessions on the ongoing management and operation of water supply stations, as well as on sanitation, good hygiene practices, and proper maintenance of newly built toilets.

Project encourages people to protect environment

The 350 Vietnam Club of the Youth Union of the Hanoi Foreign Trade University has launched the project "Green Exchange 2014" to communicate and promote environmental protection activities for students and communities.

Students, staff, teachers and people in Hanoi are encouraged to get involved in numerous activities, such as exchanging old books, notebooks or newspapers for a small flowerpot d uring the week of the project from January 13-17, according to the Communist Party of Vietnam online newspaper.

In addition, participants will have chances to take part in sideline activities like crossword games to learn about taking action to protect the environment.

"Green Exchange 2014" is carried out to minimise the amount of waste paper going into the environment; to re-use or supply paper for manufacturers for recycling to contribute to raising awareness of people about environmental protection and climate change.

The project contributes to creating habits of keeping offices green, clean and beautiful by using natural and environmentally friendly decorations. It is expected to collect 1,000 kg of used books, notebooks, paper and newspapers and attract the participation of 5,000 students, staff and teachers in the university.

Organisers hope the activity to exchange scrap paper for a plant will be disseminated to other universities in Hanoi by the club and youth union of universities in the coming time.

HCMC gov’t to spend more on subsidies for buses

Ho Chi Minh City spent nearly VND1.3 billion (US$61,750) for public transportation in 2013, according to the Department of Transportation.  This is an increase in VND100 billion compared to 2012.

The increase of spending does not reflect the number of routes and users.  Certain routes reduced service by 0.3 percent and 82 buses were taken out of service. The number of riders also reduced 8 percent.

The city's Department of Transportation aims to increase operation quality of buses and better services in 2014.

In 2013, it is estimated that 414 million people use buses with over 374 million receiving subsidized fares.

In 2010 the spending on subsidizing public transportation was VND800 million (US$38 million). In 2011 the spending raised to VND 1,269 billion and in 2012 the spending raised to VND 1,289 billion.

Fixed Price of Gasoline Ordered by Mnistry

An official document ordered for gasoline and oil wholesalers to keep gas prices at current level was sent out by the Ministry of Finance on January 15.  It is meant to help alleviate the rising cost of gasoline during the Lunar New Year season.

Retail price of RON92 gasoline is VND605 per liter lower than its base price, according to the Ministry. The disparity between retail price and base price is VND52 per liter for diesel oil, VND849 per liter for kerosene and VND253 per liter for engine oil.

The document also orders businesses to stop using money from the gasoline-price-stabilization fund for diesel oil. Businesses are allowed to take VND370 per liter from the fund for kerosene. Businesses are also permitted to restore their target profit from engine oil to VND250 per liter from VND0 per liter.

Welfare dependency in Vietnam

Not only do the richer provinces, with high economic growth rates, continue to ask for rice donations from the government, many families also refuse to be removed from the list of the poor.

Among 15 provinces that appealed to the government for around 20,000 tonnes of rice to give to households in need of national aid and those seriously struggling in the wake of natural disasters during Tet, there are some provinces, considered relatively rich, such as Khanh Hoa and Phu Yen.

Khanh Hoa Province asked for 550 tonnes of rice, even though the province's GDP increased 8.3% against 2012 and the budget revenue in 2013 was over VND11.3 trillion (USD542 million). Nguyen Huu Thau, head of the local Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, said, "It's difficult to collect the province budget this year, so we need governmental support for families in hunger. We intend to give the poor families VND250,000 instead of providing rice."

Meanwhile, Phu Yen, sometimes called the rice bowl of Central Vietnam, where rice productivity reached 6.75 tonnes per hectare and economic growth reached 10.6% in 2013, said that they are in need of 761 tonnes of rice.

Nguyen Manh Hung, Vice Chairman of NA’s Social Affairs Committee, said people are heavily dependent on support programmes and will react strongly if they are stripped off the "poor" status.

According to the Minister of Labours, Invalids and Social Affairs, Pham Thi Hai Chuyen, since 1993 the poverty rate was reduced from 58% to 7.8%, and 50% of those are in mountainous and remote areas. At the same, the rate of poor families in cities is also on the rise during these tough economic times.

Despite the efforts to reduce poverty, many families will slip into this category.  Chuyen went on to say that they plan to revise and reduce 16 welfare programmes down to two or four by 2015.

According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, since 2003 Vietnam has no longer classified as one of the least developed countries. However, at the Asian Development Bank annual meeting, a Vietnamese leader said despite some of the achievements, Vietnam is still a poor country and in need of help from international community.

HCM City to close unlicensed daycare centres

HCM City authorities have pledged to close unlicensed daycare centres after recent child abuse cases came to light.

The decision is still under public scrutiny, as shown by a statement from Bui Thi Quy, an employee of Linh Trung Export Processing Zone, who said she sent her second child to a family-based daycare at a price of VND1-million (USD47.6) per month.

Nguyen Thi Nga, whose six-month old was sent to these baby-sitters only VND800,000 per month said, “Many of these baby-sitting services are quite good and hygienic, particularly when they are able to take care of children into the late afternoon. This is quite convenient for parents who work late, when public and many private daycares will only take the children during office hours."

Tran Thi Lai, who runs a family-based baby-sitting company, said that after giving birth she lost her job, so she stayed at home to take care of her child, then neighbours who knew about her situation asked her to take care of their children too.

A few days ago, local cadres said her business would have to be closed because it had no license. Despite informing her neighbours to take their children other places, they were quite insistent on her services.

After recent scams involving child abuse, the Ministry of Education and Training have made a statement that they understand parents’ demand and have been actively taking measures to improve the situation.

The ministry has been cooperating with other ministries and agencies to build a guiding document for the implementation of the prime minister’s decision on pre-school education development in the 2011-2015 period, with the focus on opening classes for children below 18 months.

According to the director of the HCM City Department of Education and Training, Nguyen Thi Kim Thanh, currently, HCM City has 870 pre-schools, including 419 public schools and 451 private schools.

HCM City gifts 20,000 free bus fares on Lunar New Year

HCMC Labor Federation gave over 1,600 free bus and train tickets to workers in Hi-Tech Park and Linh Trung Industrial Park on January 15.

This annual activity, titled “Meaning Tickets”, is aimed to support employees return to their hometowns in Central and Northern provinces.

The donation is celebrating its sixth anniversary this year.  It is funded by unions and private companies in the Industrial Park and offers more than 84,700 fares with total cost of almost VND 51.5 billion over the past six years.

This year the Labor Federation will offer over 20,000 tickets with total cost of VND 162 billion, which was funded by 24 districts in the city. This is critical in uniting employees with families in the Phu Yen Province and other northern provinces affected by recent storms.

The Labor Federation also awarded 636 free bus and train tickets for workers in Tan Thuan and Hiep Phuoc Industrial Park on January 14.

The ceremony was attended by Mr. Nguyen Van Dua , Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee in HCMC, Mr. Hua Ngoc Thuan , Vice Chairman of People’s Committee of HCMC and Mr. Tran Thanh Hai , Vice Chairman of Vietnam General Confederation of Labour.