Tough measures against violators of food safety rules

Central and provincial authorities on Thursday suggested tougher measures against violators of food safety regulations in the midst of the Action Month for Food Safety that is taking place until February 25.

Violators will have their names publicized in local media as a punitive action, while repeated offenses will result in coerced business shutdown, according to the online conference on Thursday chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam. The event was also attended by leaders of the ministries of Health; Agriculture; Trade and Industry; Finance, and provincial governments nationwide.

Agriculture Minister Cao Duc Phat demanded that during the Action Month, interdisciplinary inspection teams should launch probes into at least half of food-related producers nationwide before and after the Lunar New Year, or Tet. Inspections should cover the whole process “from farm to folk,” he said.

As per inspection plans, between now and February 25, interdisciplinary teams will inspect half of food-related producers in three main groups: fresh food (cattle and poultry meat, fruits and vegetables); beverages and confectioneries; and food additives.

Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien admitted at the conference that the use of food additives has become quite rampant, and the violations may turn more serious in the upcoming Tet. She proposed punitive sanctions seven times heavier than the currently-regulated levels besides other administrative measures.

Agriculture Minister Phat referred to food safety violations as crimes that should be heavily punished, rather than administrative wrongdoings.

“The crimes in food safety violations must be heavily punished,” Phat said.

Hua Ngoc Thuan, vice chairman of the HCMC government, reported that the number of violations of food safety regulations has been on the rise.

In 2013, city authorities found over 8,000 violating food producers, a rise of 2.6% year on year, and shut down 17 enterprises for serious violations, besides VND17.8 billion worth of fines imposed on other violators, Thuan said.

In addition, as much as 270 tons of unsafe foods was destroyed in the city last year.

Last there, there were up to 163 food poisoning cases nationwide, killing 28 people.

Up to 20.1% of food-related enterprises nationwide are found violating food safety regulations, according to the Health Ministry.

Phu Quoc island to connect to national power grid this Tet

Local residents on Phu Quoc Island are eager to celebrate the very first Tet, or Lunar New Year, when the island will be connected to the national electricity grid for the first time.

The Southern Power Corp (EVN SPC) and Italy-based Prysmian Powerlink are busy completing the last installation stages of the 110kV submarine power cable system that will transfer electricity from the mainland to the island where most of the power now comes from fuel.

The Ha Tien – Phu Quoc cable system is scheduled to become operational and light up the island before the country’s traditional holiday officially starts on January 31.

Local residents, who have to either suffer costly power prices from the Phu Quoc thermal power plant or rely on diesel generators to light up their homes and power their TV sets, are happily purchasing new electrical appliances to embrace the wind of change.

In some communes like Ganh Dau, power price is VND25,000 per kWh, 16 times higher than what people on the mainland pay.

But such an exorbitant power price will soon become something of the past as power from the national grid will be distributed to islanders at prices equal to those paid by consumers on land.

Chin Quang, from Cua Duong Commune, said he will be able to save VND600,000 (US$29) per month with the new power price of VND1,500 a kWh. The saved amount is enough for him to cover school expenses for his two children, he said.

For the hotel owners on the island, the lower power price is much more meaningful.

Phung Xuan Mai, general director of the four-star Saigon – Phu Quoc resort in Duong Dong town, said room rates will certainly go down along with the lowered power prices, creating condition for more tourists to visit the island.

Mai said his resort is allocated power from the Phu Quoc Power Plant at VND9,300 a kWh for ten hours a day, and has to use power from the diesel generator for the remaining 14 hours at a cost of VND12,500 a kWh. Power expense thus amounts to VND1.5 billion a month, accounting for 10 percent of the resort’s revenues, he said.

Ha Thuy Nga, manager of the Hiep Thanh hotel, also said her facility will offer a promotion campaign with room rates reduced up to 50 percent immediately after the island has been connected to the national grid.

Many claim for unemployment allowances

Many workers came to ask for unemployment insurance at the HCMC job placement center on Tuesday in the context that plenty of local firms had to shut down, go bankrupt and stop business in 2013 due to economic difficulties.

According to the Employment Department under the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, the number of unemployment insurance payers has reached over 8.4

million since the insurance launch in 2009. Meanwhile, the number of people registering as unemployed workers is more than 1.76 million, with 1.2 million already getting the allowance.

On Tuesday, numerous workers still registered for unemployment at job placement centers in the city to get the allowance, with the departments in charge of receiving documents always suffering overloads.

Lots of workers expect to receive the unemployment allowance before the Lunar New Year holiday to come back to their hometowns.

HCM City firms announce Tet bonuses for employees

In HCM City, the maximum bonus to be paid to any employee for Tet (the Lunar New Year) this month will be VND710 million (US$33,809) by a foreign company, the Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs has said.

But it refused to identify the company.

It has received reports on bonuses to be paid – between January 15 and 29 — from 1,221 firms in the city.

The average bonus this time will be VND4.5 million, with VND2.8 million being the lowest.

The highest bonus by any State-owned company is set to plummet from VND255 million ($12,140) to VND52 million.

In the city's industrial parks and export processing zones, 207 out of a total of 941 firms said they would try to pay bonuses despite their poor financial situation.

Apart from the bonuses, many firms also plan to give gifts or bus and train tickets to workers to return home and celebrate Tet with their family.

Ngo Duc Hoa, deputy general director of Thang Loi Textile Garment Joint Stock Company, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that the average bonus this year would increase by 20 per cent to VND12 million ($571) per employee.

His company has 1,200 workers from the northern and central regions, and it plans to hire buses to ferry them home, he said.

Phung Dinh Ngo, director of Binh Hoa Garment Company, said workers would be paid an average bonus of around VND4 million, with outstanding ones getting an additional VND200,000.

The HCM City People's Committee has instructed the Department of Education and Training to make plans for paying Tet bonuses to teachers.

Nguyen Huu Hung, the department's union chairman, said each teacher would be given a gift and minimum bonus of VND200,000 by the union.

Teachers with financial difficulties will get up to VND500,000.

Tran Duc Vinh, rector of An Phu Secondary School in District 2, said that on top of the bonus to be paid by the department, his school would pay teachers VND8 million since it had managed to cut expenses last year, leading to a large surplus.

Many others like Binh Loi Trung Secondary School and Nguyen Trong Tuyen Primary School in Binh Thanh District and Vo Truong Toan Primary School in District 10 also plan to pay extra bonuses to their teachers.

Unlicensed coaches hope to benefit from Tet travel

Unlicensed coaches can be seen cruising the streets and flouting all rules as the demand for commuting options increases over the holiday season.

These buses have been operating in Ha Noi and HCM City, spurred by the growing need for travel options during the period leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year).

In HCM City, illegal ticket selling points have been spotted on many streets such as Vo Thanh Trang, Hong Lac, and Dong Den.

Some coach owners run promotional programmes to attract more passengers. For example, a travel enterprise in the corner of Dong Den Street offers customers a chance to win valuable prizes such as motorbikes and television sets.

These unlicensed coaches can be found in other areas such as Le Hong Phong and Tran Phu streets in District 10 and Pham Ngu Lao Street in District 1. These buses offer trips to the Central region.

The problem is not a new one, as these buses are reported to have existed for years, disguised as tourist vehicles. There are even cases where coach owners hire land to build bus stops where they drop off passengers and sell tickets illegally.

Illegal bus stops are also causing a major problem in Ha Noi. One of them is in Yen Phu Street where a number of 16-seat passenger buses travelling along the Ha Noi route to the northern provinces of Bac Ninh, Bac Giang and Lang Son regularly stop to pick up or drop off passengers.

Unregistered bus stops can also be found at Ha Noi in places such as Gia Lam, Giap Bat, and Nuoc Ngam. Illegal passenger coaches often operate during rush hour at the intersection of Giai Phong Street and in front of the My Dinh and Gia Lam bus stations.

Several unregistered buses travel from and to Giap Bat bus station in Hoang Mai District every hour. These buses park on the side of the road to pick up passengers,causing serious traffic congestion in several areas.

Several transport service companies operating in Ho Chi Minh City have taken advantage of the rise in the need for travel during Tet by raising the price of coach fares.

For instance, the cost of a bunk on coaches to central Thua Thien-Hue Province has risen to VND1.2 million (US$57), and a seat to central Quang Ngai Province on the 27th and 28th days of the Lunar Calendar (January 27 and 28 this year) has gone up to VND750,000 ($36).

The prices announced by official bus stops range from VND300,000 to 500,000 ($14-24).

According to State regulations, travel businesses are not allowed to raise fares on coaches by more than 60 per cent for departures on January 24 and the days that follow.

Statistical data from HCM City's Department of Transport shows that over 100 travel service enterprises are plying illegally in the city.

"The city wants the department to crack down on illegal passenger coaches and bus stops. The police force will be working all day at bus stations such as Mien Dong, Mien Tay, An Suong, and Nga Tu Ga during peak hours to deal with the problem of unregistered coaches and bus stops," said Deputy Head of HCM City's Traffic Safety Board Nguyen Ngoc Tuong.

Ha Noi police are also tightening the inspection of traffic violations to ensure passenger safety during the Tet festival by focusing on the prevention of illegal buses and stops.

A large police force from all districts in the city will be on guard on roads and near bus stops to curtail the business of unregistered passenger coaches.

Sugar firm vows to stop contamination

Residents of Ninh Xuan Commune in the central province of Khanh Hoa have ended their blockade of a sugar mill after receiving promises that the company will take steps to stop the severe environmental pollution that it has been causing.

On Wednesday, about 100 households surrounded the premises of the Ninh Hoa Sugar JSC, protesting the large amount of dust and waste water discharged directly into the local environment everyday, badly affecting local residents' lives.

The company also produced a lot of noise, not just during the day, but of late, at night as well, robbing residents off their sleep, Nguyen Tat Chieu, head of the commune's Phuoc Lam Hamlet, told the Nguoi Lao Dong (The Labourer) newspaper.

Nguyen An, another resident, told the paper that fish and shrimps bred in the area have died en masse since the company began operations in 2006.

Once the residents began protesting, local authorities asked the company to discuss the problem with the protestors and find a solution, Tran Cong Hoan, Chairman of the Ninh Hoa Town People's Committee, said on Thursday.

In talks held with the people and the local authorities, the company admitted to producing noise and dust as it cleaned its steam pipes before putting them into operation.

Company officials said that the problem would stop as soon as they completed installation of new equipment and technology to minimise noise and dust production, starting next Wednesday. They also said they would comply with the law on waste water treatment, and carry out measures soon to deal with the pollution it had been causing for years.

Local authorities said they had reported to the provincial Environmental Police the pollution that the company had been causing.

Lagoon project protects wildlife

A community-based programme has been carried out to successfully protect the fish and animal life in 10 zones totalling 307 hectares of Tam Giang – Cau Hai lagoon in central Thua Thien-Hue Province.

The zones include the 17,7-ha Con Cat zone in the province's Phong Dien District, 23,6-ha Con Chim zone in Phu Vang District, the 40-ha Vung Me zone in Quang Dien District, the 15-ha Con Sao in Huong Tra District, and the 14-ha Gianh Lang zone in Phu Loc District.

According to the department, prohibited activities set under the programme started in 2009 include illegal exploitation of the area, illegal fishing, unauthorized construction and releasing non-native animals into the zones.

To enforce the regulations, the department erected sign poles and replanted aqua flora species that are endemic to the lagoons, in an attempt to reduce pollution and return the area to its natural state.

Also, eight professional fishing teams have been set up, with participation of local residents, for the protection of these zones.

In 2003, the teams carried out more than 400 inspections, preventing much illegal fishing in the protected zones.

Further, the zoning has helped protect the breeding environment, as well as ensure no harvesting of fish eggs or young fish occurs, resulting in a higher population of sea life and higher reproduction levels of fish in the zones.

Additionally, local residents have been educated about protection of the lagoons, as they have learned that the recovery of seafood in the zones benefits them economically.

Meanwhile, environmental pollution in the zones has been sharply reduced.

The department is preparing the formation of seven other zones in the coming years in an attempt to increase the number of protected lagoons.

The Tam Giang – Cau Hai lagoon system is the largest of its kind in Southeast Asia, covering as much as 22,000ha, and ranging in five districts of Phong Dien, Quang Dien, Huong Tra, Phu Vang, and Phu Loc of Thua Thien-Hue Province.

It is home to 921 water species, including rare fish and plants. It also supplies food and shelter to 73 migrating bird species.

Binh Thuan moves to prevent oil spill

Binh Thuan authorities took efforts to prevent some 3,000 litres of oil from spilling after a boat sank on January 3.

High-speed vessel Savanna sank about two nautical miles southwest of Phan Thiet City. No human loss was reported.

Firefighters under Binh Thuan Police and the provincial Department of Transport sent rescue teams to the site. The boat's owner, Khai Thinh KG Co., also asked its insurer to send rescue facilities and equipment from Vung Tau or Kien Giang.

Cities address climate change

A list of urban areas forecast to suffer the harshest effects of climate change is scheduled to be completed by 2020 under a project recently approved by Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai.

The list, which includes 41 cities, aims to encourage urban planning changes in these areas so they can cope with natural disasters and other effects of climate change. It will focus on coastal cities vulnerable to floods, rising sea levels and salinity intrusion as well as inland cities that will likely see flash floods, landslides and underground water reduction.

Under the first phase, from now to 2015, the Ministry of Construction will co-operate with relevant agencies to assess the potential impact of climate change on six key

cities (Ca Mau, Can Tho, Da Nang, Ha Noi, Hai Phong and HCM City). The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will ensure that construction planning in these cities meets the requirement of coping with this situation.

The second phase of the project, between 2016 and 2020, will focus on 35 provincial-level cities in northern mountainous localities as well as in the northern and central coastal region, Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta and Central Highlands.

Funding will come from the State budget, although Hai also encouraged the ministries to seek out official development assistance and international co-operation.

Endangered wood found on bus

Police in central Thua Thien Hue Province discovered rose wood (Dalbergia cochinchinensis), an endangered species, being illegally transported on a sleeping bus.

When they stopped the bus for passenger overloading on Saturday, they found the sliced wood in disguised bags in the bus's cargo box.

The bus driver told police that he was hired to transport the wood from the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak to northern Hai Duong Province. He failed to show a police permit for doing so. The police seized the wood for investigation.

The rose wood tree is listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and is prohibited from being exploited, traded or transported in Viet Nam.

Ho Chi Minh memorial inaugurated in Ca Mau

The southernmost province of Ca Mau on December 5 hosted a ceremony to inaugurate the extension to the local Ho Chi Minh memorial site.

The original memorial was built in 1994, with a stilt house modelled after the house where the President lived in Hanoi .

With the purpose of turning the site into a venue for important socio-political activities and education on patriotism, the province started a project to upgrade and extend the site in early 2011.

The expanded memorial site covers an area of 62,200 sq.m. in Ca Mau city. The project had total investment of 80 billion VND, of which 60 billion VND was donated by the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) and the real estate Vingroup (VIC).

Speaking at the ceremony, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Pham Thanh Tuoi asked the site’s management to organise regular activities for young people to help them learn about the country’s beloved leaders .

On the occasion, Ca Mau province launched a patriotic emulat ion movement in 2014 in accordance with Uncle Ho’s appeal “Emulation is patriotism”.

Work on a 66.6 billion VND (319,000 USD) dam has started in the central coastal province of Quang Ngai with the view to preventing salinity intrusion and keeping fresh water for about 520 hectares of farming land in Mo Duc district.

Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Duong Van To said the Duc Loi dam is part of a World Bank-funded Vietnam Natural Hazards

Management project. Construction of the dam will be carried out between 2014 and 2016, with 52.1 billion VND (248,000 USD) to be sourced from WB and the rest coming from the provincial budget.

The new work will replace the previous dam which was destroyed during the historic flood last November. Once completed, it will also help protect residential areas, increase the flood drainage capacity and minimise flooding in areas nearby.

According to Deputy Chairman of the Duc Loi commune People’s Committee Le Minh Viet, over 100 hectares or two thirds of the commune’s farm land acreage have been contaminated by salinity following the flood.-

Farm crops damaged due to bad weather

Abnormal levels of snow and frost in the recent prolonged cold spell have caused severe damage to livestock and crops in the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang.

According to statistics from the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, by December 31, 2013, eighteen cows, buffaloes and goats in Xin Man, Đong Van and Bac Me districts had died.

Meanwhile, hoar frost ruined tens of hectares of farm crops, mainly potato and grass for cattle, in the province.

Sung Thi My, a local, said her family planted nearly one hectare of grass as fodder for cows, but most of it was damaged during the last cold spell. She said she hopes to receive support from the State to help us overcome the difficulty.

The provincial Agriculture and Rural Development Department directed local authorities to help people carry out cold preventive measures for their herds of cattle.

Meanwhile, Do Tan Son, Deputy Director of the Ha Giang Agriculture & Rural Development Department said the department has advised locals not to let cattle wander during the cold spell to reduce the number of cattle dying.

The National Hydro-meteorological Forecasting Centre predicts that cold spells will occur on a large-scale in the coming time.-

Central region boosts national-standard schools

The central and Central Highlands region is paying heed to the building of national-standard schools with nearly 1,840 reported to meet national standards in 2013, a rise of 199 schools against the previous year.

This was heard at a January 3 meeting in Buon Ma Thuot city of Dak Lak province with the attendance of educationalists from the Departments of Education and Training of Khanh Hoa, Gia Lai, Quang Nam , Kon Tum, Quang Ngai, Phu Yen, Dak Nong, Binh Dinh, Lam Dong and the host.

The region injected nearly one trillion VND (47 million USD) into building, upgrading and purchasing teaching aids in 2013. It has over 2,758,000 pupils attending more than 6,230 schools in the 2013-2014 academic year.

Many localities such as Kon Tum, Dak Lak and Dak Nong have bettered the work of universalising education.

Experts suggested intensifying investment in infrastructure and teaching aids, especially for local nurseries, aiming to help disadvantaged districts ensure the progress of universal education for five-year-old children.

They also appealed to reduce or subsidise tuitions fees for underprivileged students and additional preferential policies for voluntary officers and teachers working in ethnic minority areas.

Participants also called for investment and provision of specialised learning equipment for children with disabilities.

More skilled workers to be sent abroad

The Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs will accelerate the sending of skilled workers abroad while consolidating such traditional markets as Taiwan and Japan in 2014.

Nguyen Ngoc Quynh, head of the Overseas Labour Management Department under the MoLISA, made the statement in Hanoi on January 3.

The Republic of Korea will resume receiving Vietnamese guest workers following a special memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed recently between the two countries

within the framework of the RoK’s Employment Permit System (EPS) programme, he said.

The MoU is valid for one year starting from December 31, 2013, opening new opportunities for nearly 16,000 labourers who registered or passed Korean language tests during 2011 and 2012.

The RoK temporarily ceased its EPS programme with Vietnam in 2012, reasoning that the number of runaway Vietnamese workers who overstayed their visas to work

illegally in the country had steadily increased and shown no sign of improvement.

Statistics released by businesses show that 88,155 Vietnamese labourers went abroad in 2013, 3,000 more than the set target.

Taiwan takes the lead with nearly 46,400 Vietnamese guest workers, followed by Japan, Malaysia, the RoK, Laos, Cambodia, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

Transport Minister criticises railway sector

Vietnam Railways reported lucrative profits of VND170 billion (USD8 million) for 2013 at a year-end review meeting on January 3, but Transport Minister, Dinh La Thang, pointed out weaknesses.

Transport Minister Dinh La Thang pointed out weaknesses of the Vietnamese railway sector

According to Vietnam Railways, in 2013, the sector earns total revnues of around VND11 trillion (USD523,800), up about 9% compared from the year before.

The Transport Minister roundly criticised the railway sector for operational weaknesses, saying, “I have seen no meaningful reforms."

Thang added that the method of selling train tickets remains out-dated and are in many cases more expensive than airfare. He also criticised the food and drink as being unhygienic and too expensive.

The minister requested that the Ministry of Transport to raise the average speed of passenger trains to 80-90 km/h and that of cargo trains to 50-60kp/h.

The chairman of Vietnam Railways, Tran Ngoc Thanh, said 2014 will be the year the corporation implements plans made in 2013.  He also recommended withdrawing the proposal for five new train routes in the northern and central region from January 1, 2014 on the grounds that they would cause losses.

Recently, the corporation said they have been taking an average loss of VND90 billion (USD4.3 million) per year.

The train routes up for decommissioning would be the Vinh-Dong Hoi, Dong Hoi-Hue, Gia Lam-Dong Dang, Yen Vien-Ha Long and Long Bien-Quan Trieu lines.

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