One of the world’s largest Buddha statue carved from precious sapphire will be brought to Hoi An pagoda in the southern province of Binh Duong for people’s worship.

Most Venerable Thich Minh Luc, secretary general of the executive board of the Binh Duong Buddhist Sangha said local residents and Buddhist followers will have a chance to admire the giant statue at Hoi An Pagoda in Binh Duong province from November 18 to 23.

The sapphire Buddha is 2.52 metre high and weights 4 tons. It is one of the world’s largest Buddha sapphire statues.

The giant statue is placed in a container and brought from Binh Dinh to Binh Duong province. After seven days in Hoi An pagoda, on November 25 the statue will be taken to Go Ken pagoda in Hoa Thanh district in the southern province of Tay Ninh. Later, the statue will be brought to Australia, concluding its journey through 20 nations and 90 cities in the world.

The sapphire Buddha statue is carved by a Thai artisan from a nephrite boulder weighing 18 tons, which was discovered in the north of Vancouver, Canada. The statue was completed in 2008 and was taken around the world including six pagodas in Vietnam. 

Vietnam's second lottery winner takes home US$3 million jackpot

State-owned lottery company Vietlott announced that it held an awards ceremony on Wednesday to hand over a VND64.8 billion (US$2.9 million) cheque to a winner from the southern province of Dong Nai.

On November 8, the player presented his lucky ticket at a Vietlott branch in Ho Chi Minh City.

Vietlott said that apart from the US$2.9-million-dollar jackpot prize, the man also claimed the first prize worth VND10 million (US$440).

At the request of the lucky winner, Vietlott held the ceremony in secret. Details of the winner's identity remain limited to just an abbreviated name, province of residence and an image of him wearing a mask.

The player is obliged to pay US$285,000 in personal income tax and will receive about US$2.6 million through a bank transfer.

He is the second winner of the American-style lottery after a woman from the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh won a jackpot of VND92.03 billion (US$4.04 million) on October 16.

Vietlott, or the Vietnam Computerized Lottery One Member Limited Liability Company, signed an exclusive 18-year contract with Malaysian conglomerate Berjaya in January to launch computerized lottery games.

Players select six numbers from 1 to 45 and win the jackpot, starting at VND12 billion (US$538,000), by matching all six winning numbers from the draw. 

The jackpot prize rolls over until there is a winner. The odds of winning are extremely low, believed to be around one in 8.14 million.

Chư Păm Bridge collapses due to flooding

Chư Păm Bridge in in the Central Highlands province of Đắk Lắk collapsed due to the recent flooding, blocking traffic between Krông Bông District and National Highway 26.

The pillar under the middle of the bridge, collapsed some 1.5m, deforming the  surface of the bridge. 
The bridge, located on the key route of the district, connects Krông Bông District and National Highway 26. This is also the only road for residents in Cư Kty, Hòa Tân, Hòa Sơn and Hòa Thành communes travelling to Krông Bông General Hospital. 
Nguyễn Kiếm Anh, deputy head of the Krông Bông District’s Road Management Unit, said the unit was forced to ban all vehicles and people from crossing the bridge for  safety reasons.
He said authorised agencies have chalked out a plan to repair the bridge surface.
According to the schedule, the job will be completed in the next 10 days.

Vietnam reveals causes of this year’s military aircraft crashes

Vietnam has announced the reasons behind three out of four military aircraft crashes occurring earlier this year, with many individuals responsible sternly sanctioned.

During a meeting of the National Assembly delegate in Ho Chi Minh City on November 9, Major General Nguyen Minh Hoang, an official from the Ministry of National Defense publicized the causes of the military aircraft accidents.  

Regarding the first tragedy, Russian-made fighter jet Su30-MK2 fell down during a training session off the central coastline on the morning of June 14, with one pilot brought to safety and the other found dead a few days later.

The black box was damaged by the crash, Maj. Gen. Hoang stated, adding that what is left of the device has been sent to Russia for a check.

From the subjective perspective, the two pilots did not eject from the plane simultaneously, resulting in the death of one of them, the military official said.

Coast guard aircraft CASA-212 8983 carrying nine crew members got into an accident on June 16 while looking for the missing victim, who was later confirmed dead, of the Su30-MK2, killing all people aboard.

According to Maj. Gen. Hoang, Colonel Le Kiem Toan, captain of the rescue plane, decided to lower altitude after spotting a strange object in the middle of the ocean near the Gulf of Tokin.

The aircraft touched the water surface due to instability caused by bad weather conditions, resulting in the fatal crash, he continued, adding that the black box is being examined by foreign experts.

With regard to the crash of military training plane L-39 in the south-central province of Phu Yen on August 26, the aircraft experienced an engine breakdown shortly after taking off.

The pilot tried to steer the plane out of a residential area and lost his chance of survival after being unable to eject.

The reason behind the EC 130 T2 helicopter tragedy in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau on October 18, which killed an instructor and two trainees, remains unclear, Hoang said.

As the chopper was a commercial aircraft, the military has been working with the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam to determine the cause, the official elaborated.

The accidents primarily stemmed from the incompetent management of flight safety, Maj. Gen. Hoang asserted, adding that over 40 officers, of whom two were among the general ranks, from several military units and schools had been penalized.

Another reason is the lack of synchronization in rescue missions and linked to a limited number of specialized rescue aircraft.

The management and training of pilots in the country are still under par, the military official continued.

Following the penalization, a thorough inspection will be carried out of the quality of aircraft and of military units and academies.

For a long-term solution, pilots will be trained overseas and certain measures will be developed to repair and upgrade airplanes in the country, the major general said.

The Ministry of National Defense will also ask the State and Party to purchase new and modern military aircraft in the near future.

HCMC People’s Council orders to concentrate on Zika virus prevention

The Cultural and Social Affairs Division of the People’s Council in Ho Chi Minh City yesterday oversaw the Zika virus and dengue fever prevention task in District 7. 

The District 7’s Deputy Head of People’s Committee Le Van Thanh said that the district has recorded 673 dengue infection cases since the beginning of the year, adding that some households have inorged local guidlines for killing mosquitoes & its larva and cleaning living environment. 

In addition, construction projects were left in the middle of; hence empty lands have stagnant water, grass and turn out to be unprompted landfills which are an ideal place for mosquitoes to lay eggs.

Head of the Cultural and Social Affairs Thi Thi Tuyet Nhung urged district administrators to mobilize the entire machinery of state into preventing the epidemic; local authority has to guide commune governments oversee prevention mission in each residential blocks and households.

Overseas Vietnamese scholars join hands for new vocational book

The book “Chuyen nganh ky thuat o to va xe may hien dai” (automotive and motorcycle engineering) was launched on November 8 at the Saigon Times Club in District 1, HCMC after a team of 27 Vietnamese scholars at home and abroad had completed the tough job of translating it.

The book was a joint effort between the Saigon Times Foundation (STF) under the Saigon Times Group, the Committee for Assisting Vietnamese People in Germany and Tre Publishing House to contribute to training students at vocational schools, colleges and universities in the nation.

This is the third such technical book the Master One Trade bookcase of STF, and the Committee for Assisting Vietnamese People in Germany have launched since 2010. The previous two books are “Chuyen nganh ky thuat co khi” (mechanical engineering) and “Chuyen nganh ky thuat dien – dien tu” (electrical and electronics engineering).

The bookcase already has a collection of major and basic vocational books of German publisher Europa-Lehrmittel.

Europa-Lehrmittel is a private publishing house established in 1948. Its textbooks and vocational books play an important role in industrial development in Germany as most companies in Germany use its books to train their engineers and workers.

It took almost three years to complete the translation of one of the three books. The translators are scholars, professors and engineers who have had many years teaching and working at schools and companies in Germany.

Pham Nam Huong, a coordinator of the Master One Trade bookcase, said, “Our group (of translators) consists of 27 people who studied in Germany in the 1960s and 1970s. We do this for the benefit of the country and especially the younger generation.”

The volunteer translators do not get paid for joining the book translation project.

At the book launching and award ceremony, many participants showed their concerns of the lack of practice in the education and training system in Vietnam that has leaded to the low quality of local human resources.

Nguyen Minh Nhut, director of Tre Publishing House, said that in addition to the print edition, Tre and the Master One Trade bookcase would launch an electronic version of the book which users of iOS and Android devices can read by downloading an app of the publisher.

Robert Bosch Stiftung, one of the leading private foundations in Europe that promotes education, sciences, healthcare, society and international relations, has donated 1,000 copies of the book to 60 vocational schools, 96 colleges, 17 universities and nine libraries in Vietnam.

Julian Hermann, program officer for international relations in America and Asia at Robert Bosch Stiftung, said the new book would contribute to education and training of high-tech labor in Vietnam.

Other sponsors of the book are the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the German Business Association in Vietnam (GBA), REE, and Bosch Vietnam.

The Master One Trade bookcase and Tre Publishing House expect to publish more books of Europa-Lehrmittel, including electromechanics, plastic, chemistry, biology, construction, environment, textile and food technology.

A trilingual dictionary of technology in English, German and Vietnamese is expected to be complete in 2020.

First flood search and rescue drill held in Dak Nong

A search and rescue drill, the first of its kind, took place at Buon Tua Srak hydropower reservoir, the Central Highlands of Dak Nong on November 10, with more than 300 officers and soldiers involved. 

The exercise dealt with mock scenario with torrential rain causing water levels at the lake to rise to more than 480m, forcing it to drain water out at a speed of 2,000 cu.m per second, which would threaten the communes of Quang Phu, Dak Nang, Duc Xuyen, Nam N’Dir, Buon Choah and Krong No district. 

Upon hearing the news, the provincial steering committee for disaster prevention and control convened an urgent meeting and devised solutions to mitigate losses. 

Le Trong Yen, deputy head of the committee, said through the event, participants will review their response capacity and enhance coordination. 

The province will fine-tune plans to cope with flooding and provide search and rescue plans that suit each locality and raise public awareness of effective measures to deal with disasters, he added. 

Dak Nong is prone to small-scale floods, with Krong No and Cu Jut districts being the hardest hit.

Vietnam, Austria trade unions forge stronger ties

The Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) and the Austrian Trade Union Federation (OGB) have agreed to strengthen their bilateral partnership as well as cooperation between trade unions of corresponding sectors of both countries. 

The agreement was reached during the Austria visit of a VGLC delegation led by Vice President Nguyen Thi Thu Hong from November 7-9, the first once since the two organisations set up their bilateral ties. 

During the visit, the delegation held talks with leaders of the OGB as well as the Union of Production Workers, one of the seven member unions of the OGB. 

The two sides briefed each other on their organisation model and operation, while sharing experience in collective bargaining, women’s activities and gender equality policies. 

The delegation also had meetings with local parliamentarians, and visited Hankel chemical factory.

First baby born via artificial insemination in Phú Thọ

A baby boy has been born via artificial insemination at Phú Thọ General Hospital in the northern Phú Thọ Province. 

This is the first baby to be born through this assisted reproduction procedure in a provincial-level hospital. 

Dr Đoàn Xuân Kiên, head of the Centre for High-quality Healthcare’s assisted reproduction unit, said 25-year-old Phạm Thị Hồng Loan gave birth on Sunday and her baby weight 3.1kg. Loan and her husband were residents of Lãng Công Commune in the northern province of Vĩnh Phúc.

Dr Hà Đăng Thiệp, director of the centre, said that previously couples with infertility problems were referred to central-level hospitals for treatment. However, after the assisted reproduction unit was set up last October, Phú Thọ General Hospital, with the support of central hospitals, started offering AI procedures.

This unit would not only ease the burden on central hospitals but also reduce travelling costs for patients, according to the doctor

After a year of operations, the centre has performed 250 AI procedures, 37 of which have been successful.

Firecrackers weighing 63kg found in Hà Nội

Hà Nội police have seized firecrackers weighing 63kg transported by a truck from northern Lào Cai Province to Hà Nội.

Trần Tú Anh, deputy head of Traffic Police Unit 15, said the police pulled over a truck for violating traffic regulations on the crossroad of Hà Nội-Lào Cai Highway on Tuesday. 
After a quick inspection, the police found nearly 500 grenade-shaped artillery shells and several kinds of firecrackers weighing 63kg.
The owner of the firecrackers is Lê Trọng Thường, 25, living in northern Tuyên Quang Province’s Thái Hòa Commune. 
Thường admitted to purchasing the firecrackers from China.
The police have handed over the case to Sóc Sơn District’s Economic Police for further investigation.

FV Hospital provides free cataract surgery

Forty-seven poor patients from the Mekong Delta region last week received free cataract surgery at FV Hospital’s Ophthalmology Ward in HCM City.

The surgery was performed by the hospital’s doctors in co-operation with the Singapore National Eye Centre.

The two hospitals provided free medical instruments and consumables for the operation as well as travel and accommodation costs for the patients.

The hospital partnership, which focuses on quality eye care in Việt Nam, has existed for the last 10 years.

Amusement centre opens in City industrial park

The HCM City Industrial Parks and Export Processing Zone Trade Union on November 6 inaugurated the first cultural centre for workers in the Hi-tech Park in District 9.

The labour cultural house is meant to meet the amusement and learning needs of employees after long hours of work, authorities said.

“Due to the nature of our job, we do not have many opportunities to engage in other social activities and relax,” Huỳnh Thị Diễm My, a worker at Nidec Sankyo Việt Nam, said.

“Now that the cultural house is opened near our workplace, our life will be fulfilled. I hope authorities will organise interesting activities for us.”

Other workers present at the inauguration shared My’s enthusiasm, saying they finally have an entertainment place to relieve their stress.

The centre costed VNĐ72.5 billion (US$3.3 million) to build.

According to Nguyễn Thành Đô, president of the Trade Union, the centre has a 4,550sq.m, three-storey building, a mini football pitch and a supermarket with subsidised products.

“We aim to make the cultural house a hub that offers fun and healthy programmes for workers.”

Speaking at the event, the city Labour Confederation chairwoman, Trần Kim Yến, called on relevant authorities to always keep abreast of workers’ needs.

She also urged workers to schedule their time so that they can use the centre.

Trees relocated from Hà Nội survive, start growing

All trees on Kim Mã Street in Hà Nội, relocated last month to make space for the metro’s Nhổn-Hà Nội railway station line, have survived and begun to grow.

Trần Nam Mừng, vice-director of Beepro JSC, which has undertaken the relocation project, said all the trees survived, a surprise as the company’s target was 60 per cent. Though the trees had to adjust to a different weather and terrain, they had adapted well, he said.

Around 109 mahogany trees, 24 of which are ancient, shading Thủ Lệ lake, had to be relocated.

All the cuts were carefully covered with a mix of cement and anti-fungal substances so that they could heal, Mừng said, adding that they had begun sprouting new leaves. The company asked bonsai artists to prepare the anti-fungal substances.

The problem with relocating trees was that once cut, the trees’ capacity to protect themselves from solar radiation would be down, according to the official. Also, the underdeveloped root system restricted water absorption. The company wrapped straw and bags around the tree trunks to reduce exposure to sunlight and water loss, he said.

Responding to why the area for relocation was changed from Văn Giang in Hưng Yên Province to Đa Tốn Commune in Hà Nội’s Gia Lâm District, Mừng said that after a survey, the company had found that the Văn Giang Garden had thin vegetation, low microbial density in land and low pH levels, all factors unsuitable for planting trees. 

The Đa Tốn Commune plant nursery had previously been used to plant apple trees, which were cut down to make room for these ancient trees.

This was the first time the Hà Nội People’s Committee decided to relocate trees instead of just cutting them down for a project.

After one year, these trees would be expected be brought back and replanted on Hà Nội’s streets, the city authority said. 

The Urban Railway No.3 project - the section between Nhổn and Hà Nội station - is 12.5km long. Its total cost is expected to be US$1.18 billion. Construction began in September 2010 and was scheduled to be completed in November 2018.

Đồng Nai expressway construction to begin next year

Construction of the 59.6km Dầu Giây – Tân Phú Expressway in Đồng Nai Province is expected to begin in the third quarter of next year, according to the Ministry of Transport.

To be built in BOT (Build - Operate - Transfer) mode, it will cost more than VNĐ 7.97 trillion (US$354.5 millions).

The highway will begin at Dầu Giây in Thống Nhất District and end at National Highway No. 20 in Tân Phú District.

The construction is scheduled to finish in 2020 when it will have four lanes and a designed speed of 100-120km per hour.

It will be part of the Dầu Giây – Liên Khương Expressway which will run from Đồng Nai to Lâm Đồng Province.

It will comprise three expressways: Dầu Giây – Tân Phú, Tân Phú – Bảo Lộc and Bảo Lộc – Liên Khương.

Vietnamese, Chinese youths wrap up third festival

The third Vietnam-China Youth Festival wrapped up with a ceremony in Hanoi on November 9 afternoon. 

Addressing some 5,000 youth delegates from the two countries, Politburo member and Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan said the Vietnamese-Chinese friendship has been nurtured by late Presidents Ho Chi Minh and Mao Zedong, other leaders and peoples of the two nations. It is a valuable common asset of both sides. 

At present, their comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership is being intensified by the two Parties and States, she noted. 

She said a long road full of difficulties and challenges is still awaiting the countries during the course of development. That requests Vietnamese and Chinese youths to keep working hard and devoting themselves for their future, as well as the two peoples’ happiness. 

She assured that the Party and State of Vietnam always pay special attention to and provides the best possible conditions for Vietnamese and Chinese younger generations to engage in friendship exchanges so as to boost mutual understanding and trust. 

Chairwoman Ngan applauded cooperation initiatives launched by the countries’ youth organisations, considering the youth festival as an effective initiative. 

As the future owners of their respective nations, Vietnamese and Chinese youths have a responsibility to develop their countries along with the bilateral friendship for each country’s interests and peace, stability and prosperity in the region and around the world, she added. 

Speaking at the event, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China Zhang Dejiang said his visit aims to further strengthen bilateral friendship and practical cooperation, and enrich the contents of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries. 

Speaking highly of people-to-people exchange over the past two years, evidenced by the annual tourist arrivals that hit nearly 3 million, Zhang hoped that young people should tap tourism, study and business opportunities to raise mutual understanding and uphold their bridge role to foster ties between the two peoples. 

According to him, China has been the largest trade partner of Vietnam in the 12 consecutive years. In the first half of this year, Vietnam has become the largest ASEAN partner of China for the first time. 

He wished that the two countries’ young people would play a vanguard role in the fields of economy, culture, education and environment protection. 

First Secretary of the Communist Youth League of China (CYLC) Central Committee Qin Yizhi, for his part, said during the festival, 1,000 Chinese young friendship messengers joined activities in six northern provinces of Vietnam and witnessed socio-economic progress that Vietnam has made over the past 30 years of renewal process. 

First Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCMCYU) Central Committee Le Quoc Phong, in his speech, highlighted that the HCMCYU and Vietnamese youths stand ready to continue exchanges and collaboration with the CYLC and Chinese youths to bring effective and practical results, contributing to the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.

Vietnam Grace Evangelical Baptist Church convenes third congress

About 100 Baptists pastors and followers from 22 cities and provinces nationwide are gathering in Ho Chi Minh City for the third congress of the Vietnam Grace Evangelical Baptist Church, which kicked off on November 9.

Addressing the event, Deputy Head of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs Tran Tan Hung said that activities of the Baptist Church during the last tenure significantly contributed to the nation’s poverty reduction programmes and charitable and humanitarian works, and the national defence and construction as well.

The Vietnam Grace Evangelical Baptist Church was established in November 1962 in HCM City, and recognised by the Government as a religious organisation in 2008.

During the last tenure, it worked hard to stabilise its organisation structure and direct its believers to abide by laws of the State, becoming an integral part of the great national unity bloc.

The two-day congress will review the church's operations during the 2012-16 period, elect a new Executive Board for the third tenure, and adopt the 2017-2020 working plan.

Thua Thien-Hue invests in overcoming flood consequences

The central province of Thua Thien-Hue will pour 175 billion VND (7.86 million USD) into projects to overcome flood consequences, prevent coastal landslides and protect locals’ lives. 

Projects which are being implemented include a 2.083m embankment along Loi Nong River, a 805m embankment on Bo River and a 1.4 km Doc So embankment crossing Hoa An ward of Thua Thien Hue city as well as a western road of Tam Giang-Cau Hai Lagoon with a length of 12.2km. 

Earlier, in late October, the provincial People’s Committee invested 20 billion VND in building an embankment along Ta Trach River in Nam Dong district. 

According to the provincial Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, and Search and Rescue , Thua Thien-Hue has 70km of riverbank heavily damaged by the floods, stretching over Huong, Bo, O Lau and Bu Lu Rivers.

The floods also caused landslides along 6.6km of coast in Quang Cong commune (Quang Dien district), Phu Thuan commune (Phu Vang district), and Vinh Hai commune (Phu Loc district).

Thua Thien-Hue province now calls for an aid of 860 billion VND from State budget to repair a total of 7.5km of embankment in the three districts.

Finland shares safe water supply experience

Finnish firms specialising in water supply and solid waste treatment shared their experience in providing safe water at a forum in Ho Chi Minh City on November 8.

Nguyen Hong Tien, General Director of the Technical Infrastructure Department under the Ministry of Construction said the event offered a chance for Vietnamese water supply and drainage companies to learn from Finnish experience, towards applying new techniques in the central and Mekong Delta regions, which are vulnerable to climate change.

According to Nguyen Trong Duong, an expert from the Vietnam Water Supply and Sewerage Association , all 68 urban water companies nationwide have joined training programmes on safe water supply solutions, with seven in Hai Phong, Hai Duong, Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Tri, Binh Duong, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, and Vinh Long performing safe water supply plans.

To successfully implement the work, many enterprises in Thua Thien-Hue, Hai Phong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau have outlined quality policies and pledged to supply safe water.

Participants at the forum stressed the need to enhance links among water companies to work out response scenarios, and support each other if water supplies are affected by an environmental incident.

Vietnam is carrying out the National Programme for Safe Water Supply in 2016-2025, which is set to bring clean water to 90-95 percent of the population in 2020, and between 95-100 percent in 2025. The scheme also aims to reduce the discharge volume of urban wastewater discharged without treatment to 70 percent.

HCM City, Japan’s Shiga prefecture foster links

Ho Chi Minh City wishes to boost cooperation with Japan’s Shiga prefecture, particularly in water reuse management technology and hi-tech agricultural production. 

Receiving Shiga Governor Taizo Mikazuki in the city on November 9, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Huynh Cach Mang said the two localities should carried out more activities to promote tourism and cultural exchanges. 

Expressing his impression at HCM city’s dynamic development, Shiga Governor Taizo Mikazuki said his visit aims to boost effective collaboration with the southern economic hub of Vietnam in tourism and cuisine. 

Shiga’s enterprises want to share experience and technology with HCM City in the fields of the city’s concern such as water resources management and hi-tech agriculture. 

The same day, a trade forum was organised to promote connection between the two localities’ tourism and food enterprises.

Ninh Binh strives to become safe, friendly destination

The Department of Tourism, Sports and Culture of northern Ninh Binh province held a conference on tourism management on November 8 to discuss making Ninh Binh a safe and friendly destination. 

Participants discussed strengthening state tourism management, including ensuring security and safety at tourist spots, developing high level human resources, enhancing knowledge of tourism and promoting and conserving values of the World Culture and Natural Heritage Trang An Landscape Complex. 

Hoang Thanh Phong, Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Tourism, Sports and Culture, said the locality should focus on a comprehensive plan for tourism development and call for investment to construct infrastructure. 

Ninh Binh also needs to advance tourism management capacity at all levels and boost tourism popularisation, he added. 

It is important for the province to have a clear strategy to promote tourism products and build brand names and attract investment, said Do Cam Tho, Deputy Head of Department of Planning and Finance under the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism. 

Since the beginning of the year, Ninh Binh has welcomed 5.8 million visitor arrivals, a year-on-year increase of 7.2 percent, earning 1.5 trillion VND (67 billion USD) in revenue and providing 18,000 jobs.

HCMC to upgrade to natural gas buses

The HCM City People’s Committee has told transport firms and co-operatives to replace their old buses with compressed natural gas (CNG) buses by early next year.

The bus replacement plan began in 2014 and will end next year.

Initially, the city plan only encouraged transport firms and co-operatives to replace their old buses with CNG vehicles. But beginning in January, the companies’old buses must be replaced with CNG buses.

To encourage transport firms and co-operatives to invest in CNG buses, the city will provide low-interest, seven-year loans.

Since 2014, transport firms and co-operatives have replaced more than 500 of their old buses, but these firms mostly purchased diesel-fueled buses, even though the city had encouraged them to buy CNG buses.

Investment capital needed for CNG-fuel buses is 30-40 per cent higher than costs for diesel-fuel powered buses, according to transport companies.

Transport firms have said they would invest in a total of 200 more buses from now to the year end, the Transport Department has said.

In 2014, the city identified 1,680 buses as too old and called for their replacement between 2014 and 2017.   

The city currently has a total of about 2,700 buses, including 137 CNG buses.

Southeast Asian and Japanese Youth ship arrives in HCM City

On November 11, the ship carrying 328 youth from 10 ASEAN countries and Japan participating in the 43rd Ship for Southeast Asian Youth Program will arrive in Ho Chi Minh City for a four-day visit.

At the 42nd SSEAYP At a press conference making the announcement, Tran Hoang Khanh Van from the HCM City Youth Union said the ship with will moor at the Cat Lai Port November 11-14 as part of their 40-day trip through five Southeast Asian countries and Japan. 

The planned activities during their visit include homestay, courtesy calls on high ranking government officials, interaction with local youth and institutional visits to industrial, educational, cultural and social welfare facilities.

The Program is a unique cultural exchange sponsored by the Japanese government that unfolds on board the MS Nippon Maru, a Japanese luxury cruise liner. It started in 1974 with Vietnam having begun its participation in 1995.

Waste from coal power plants piling up fast in energy-hungry Vietnam

As thermal plants continue to play a major role, the country struggles to deal with 15.7 million tons of coal ash a year.

Vietnam is in need of urgent measures to treat a large amount of waste from thermal power plants, which have become the the major source of the country’s electricity, experts say.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the country has about 20 coal-fired power plants, discharging 15.7 million tons of coal ash each year.

By 2022 the country will raise the number to 43 plants and more than 29 million tons of ash will be discharged, as a result.

The huge amount of coal ash is now mainly buried around thermal power plants or transported to landfills, posing threats to the environment and causing respiratory diseases for local residents.

The problem may not go away anytime soon as Vietnam still relies on coal power as the main source of electricity.

Nguyen Manh Hien, former head of Vietnam’s Energy Institute said, “Renewable energies are environmentally friendly but they require large investment and depend on natural conditions so we can’t easily adjust production capacity to meet our demand.”

“Coal thermal power plant has the lowest investment cost but its production capacity can triple that of a wind power plant and quadruple a solar plant's,” Hien said.

Last year, coal-fired plants accounted for 30.4 percent of Vietnam’s total electricity. The figure is expected to reach 53% by 2030, equivalent to 300 billion kWh.

The industry ministry estimated that Vietnam will need about 129 million tons of coal a year to meet its rising demand of energy, which will leave the country with at least 32 million tons of coal ash.

The waste can be used as raw materials for other industries rather than being viewed as toxic waste, according to Truong Duy Nghia, head of the Vietnam Thermal Science and Technology Association.

He said that coal ash can be used to produce cement and adobe bricks, which is the most efficient way to mitigate environmental impacts of coal-fired power plants.

This method, though already adopted by some companies, is facing barriers as no specific mechanism for the reproduction of coal ash has been introduced.

Nguyen Van Thanh from Vung Ang thermal power plant in the central province of Ha Tinh proposed the government introduce a mechanism and allow cement companies to buy coal ash for production again so that his plant can reduce the amount of this waste material.

His plant had been selling the waste to cement producers but recently stopped doing so, after learning that such a practice is still pending official approval from the government.

"If the problem prolongs, we may have to close the plant,” Thanh said.

Police rescue 149 pangolins from trafficker in northern Vietnam

Vietnam has become a smuggling hub for endangered animals destined for the Chinese market.

Police in the northern border province of Quang Ninh have arrested a truck driver suspected of trafficking wild animals.

While searching the truck, police found 149 pangolins, 105 turtles and 172 kilograms of pangolin scales stored in Styrofoam containers.

Police said that the animals are alive but in poor health.

They are conducting further investigations.

In Vietnam, pangolins are commonly consumed as specialty dishes at restaurants, soaked and served in wine or used in traditional medicine.

Education for Nature-Vietnam, one of Vietnam's few locally based conservation groups, said that the country is a transit point for pangolin trafficking networks from other neighboring countries like Laos and Cambodia to China.

Since the start of 2005, the group has detected more than 69 tons of frozen pangolins and live pangolins being transported illegally to the northern province of Hai Phong, from where they are shipped to China.

59% of women in Vietnam mentally abused by partners: study

Six percent of the women surveyed said they had considered committing suicide.

Abuse among couples in Vietnam has become a pressing issue, with many women suffering serious mental and physical abuse from their partners, a new study has found.
The survey of 569 women aged between 18 and 30 years old in 2014 and 2015 found 59% of women had been mentally abused.

Some abuse even occurred online with 23% of women experiencing violence via information and communications technology such as Facebook posts, and 24% were stalked after they broke up with their partners.

At least 11% were also sexually abused by their partners

The women said they suffered both physical and mental damage, and felt wounded, stressed and fearful, with low self esteem.

The issue was extremely serious for at least 34 women, who considered suicide.

Young Women Making Change, a group of young Vietnamese activists for gender equality, conducted the survey with support from UN Women.

The results were released at a conference in Hanoi on Monday, providing the first data on a pressing issue that has not received any research at state level. Studies about gender equality in Vietnam so far have focused more on domestic violence.

The group defines abuse between unmarried couples “dating violence,” and although their study focused on violence against women, they acknowledged that both sexes can be victims.

Although abuse is covered by Vietnam’s civil and criminal laws, most of the women did not recognize their right to be free from their violent partners, and some had no idea where to go for help.

They said the research should force the Vietnamese government to pay more attention to the “burning issue.”

According to official statistics, 58% of married women in Vietnam have suffered physical or sexual abuse at least once in their life, usually from a male partner or a male member of the family.

Nguyen Thuy Hien, deputy director of the Hanoi-based Women and Development Center, said at the conference that the violence will only end when men and boys join the movement.

Nguyen Bao Thanh Nghi, a sociology professor at Ho Chi Minh City Open University, said in an interview with Thanh Nien newspaper that women’s rights movements in Vietnam have been around for years but “they often die prematurely and fail to create systematic and widespread changes” as they cannot get men to participate.

The global initiative HeForShe, which was launched early in 2015 to seek men’s support for gender equality, has received more than 1.3 billion supporters around the world so far, but only around 2,000 of them are from Vietnam, including more than 1,600 men.

Overseas Vietnamese Conference to be held in HCMC

HCMC will host the third conference of overseas Vietnamese worldwide from November 11 to 13, according to a report by the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese.

The three-day conference, themed “Joining hands in national construction”, will look into matters such as sustainable development, human resources development, science-technology, and trade and services development.

Many major issues of the city will be discussed at the forthcoming conference with an aim to promote sustainable development and international integration. The city is home to many overseas Vietnamese, foreign investors, and has got great contributions from Vietnamese experts who are living and working abroad.

Rebuilding old condos needs transparency, consensus

Transparency and consensus between the municipal government, businesses and residents on site clearance, construction and resettlement are needed to accelerate the upgrade of old apartment buildings in HCMC.

That is the opinion shared by many participants in the workshop on old apartment improvement held by the HCMC People’s Council last weekend.

Tran Trong Tuan, director of the HCMC Department of Construction, said there were 474 old residential buildings developed before 1975 citywide, with about 27,000 families living. So far, only 32 of them have been dismantled and rebuilt, mainly by the municipal budget, as the business community is showing a lukewarm attitude.

Tuan admitted the hardest thing in old apartment reconstruction was to achieve a consensus over site clearance. Negotiations have even taken 9-10 years at some buildings, leading to sluggish progress.

He stressed compensation for site clearance must be made public and transparent, so that the people could make well-informed decisions while investors should be responsible and accountable to their commitments.

“Resettlement means change of the way of life for residents, reorganization of space, living conditions, transport facilities, technical infrastructure, not just accommodation,” he emphasized.

Le Hoang Chau, chairman of the HCMC Real Estate Association (HoREA), said that to accelerate the progress, two problems must be resolved: temporary accommodation and resettlement policy.

Nguyen Thi Quyet Tam, chairwoman of the HCMC People’s Council, said the people were questioning the openness and transparency in the development of replacement projects. Information such as construction cost, the number of resettlement apartments, location advantages, what affected people offer enterprises and what enterprises benefit from such renovation should be disclosed.

HCM City empowers districts to fix old apartment buildings

“A policy package may be introduced with multiple choices, either resettlement in the same place with a larger living area or resettlement elsewhere with better quality of life,” Tam suggested.

* HCMC has just asked the Ministry of Construction for permission to empower its districts to speed up the reconstruction of old condo buildings in the city.

The district-level authorities should be allowed to do the jobs currently assumed by the HCMC government such as cost approval, issuance of notifications to condominium owners, and publication of the plans for old apartment renovation. The districts may also perform the tasks of other municipal agencies.

The city has suggested not offering compensation for site clearance but carry out resettlement instead, on the principle that investors chosen by the State will advance funds for temporary accommodation, develop homes and hand them over to district authorities to organize resettlement in new apartment buildings.

The city has proposed such solutions because old apartment reconstruction is moving at a snail’s pace, with the main cause lying in mechanism and policy (many obstacles to the participation of realty firms).

The city is looking to dismantle 70 old apartment buildings where more than 7,200 families stay and repair three old residential blocks with total floor space of 10,000 square meters. In addition, replacements of 61 old apartment blocks with about 9,870 units, equivalent to over 900,000 square meters of floor space, will be developed.

HoREA explained property firms were not interested in rehabilitation, upgrade and reconstruction of old apartment buildings due to a lack of policies and mechanisms meeting the request of individuals and businesses.

A real estate investor identified time-consuming negotiations as another reason. However, he believed the above proposal of HCMC would drum up the interest of investors in old apartment projects.

Haraco launches express freight train

Hanoi Railway Transport Joint Stock Company (Haraco), a subsidiary of Vietnam Railways Corporation (VNR), on November 7 launched a new express freight train between Hanoi and Binh Duong Province.

Train HH3/4 comprises 18 cars and has a loading capacity of 800 tons.

This newly-launched train is expected to cut down the time for transporting goods between the north and the south from 60 hours to 50 hours as it operates nonstop between Giap Bat Station in Hanoi and Song Than Industrial Park in Binh Duong Province.

A competitive advantage of the new freight train is its departure and arrival times, which are scheduled in a way that helps enterprises to easily load and unload their goods without having to wait for a long time. In addition, two staff members will be responsible for looking after the goods during the transport time.

In early October, freight train HH7/8 was put into use with a traveling time of 51 hours. The train operates every day, instead of three per week.

In addition, Haraco will be in charge of relevant procedures such as bills of lading and other relevant forms before delivering them to goods owners for signing, which is aimed at improving its service quality and attracting customers for the fast freight train.

The railway sector has made great effort recently to improve services, including operating exclusive lines to transport goods and passengers, and offering new and attractive services to lure customers back.

Health ministry to build endocrinology hospital in HCM City

The Ministry of Health will build a endocrinology hospital with 1,000 beds in Ho Chi Minh City to meet the increasing demand.

Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien was speaking at a working session with the municipal People’s Committee in the city on November 8.

She proposed the city devote about 10 hectares in Binh Chanh district to build the hospital, while the ministry will be in charge of land clearance and infrastructure construction.

Vice Chairwoman of the local People’s Committee Nguyen Thi Thu welcomed the project and pledged to support the health ministry in land clearance.

Minister Tien asked the municipal Department of Health to accelerate the construction of key hospital projects, including the children’s hospital, tumor hospital and orthopedic institute, to reduce overcrowding at medical check-up stations.

The city’s health department revealed that the children’s hospital will be put into operation in early 2017, whilst the tumor hospital and the orthopedic institute are scheduled to be completed in late 2017 and 2018, respectively.

Couple sentenced to prison for cheating

The People’s Court in Hà Nội has sentenced a husband and wife to prison for abusing trust and cheating their acquaintances of more than VNĐ15.2 billion (US$181,000).

Mai Thị Mỹ Hạnh, 39, and her husband, Phạm Văn Thùy, 44, residents of Thạch Bàn Ward in Long Biên District, on Tuesday were sentenced to eight and 15 years in prison, respectively.

According to the indictment, in 2008, Hạnh established a company that trades in building materials and freight. Later, after some losses, she and her husband converted it into a real estate business and started borrowing money from acquaintances for the business. Hạnh committed to pay high interest.

Between 2009 and 2011, the couple cheated five people of more than VNĐ15.2 billion (US$181,000). They absconded to the southern province of Bình Phước after they were implicated for cheating and their company became insolvent.

A wanted notice was issued against them, and last December, the couple was arrested.

Vietnam shares experience in tobacco harms prevention

Vietnam will share her experience in tobacco harms prevention at the seventh session of the Conference of the Parties (COP7) in India from November 7-13.

More than 2,000 delegates from 180 member nations of the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) as well as the United Nations and non-governmental organisations were brought together at the event.

A number of topics are under spotlight, including the implementation of the FCTC and the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products.

Emerging issues such as the control and prevention of new tobacco products like the electronic nicotine and non-nicotine delivery systems (ENDS/ENNDS), along with matters pertaining to tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, are also being deliberated at the meeting.

Director of the Ministry of Health’s Fund for Tobacco Harms Prevention Luong Ngoc Khue said Vietnam will share accomplishments in the field and the expansion of non-smoke city models.

The Vietnamese delegation is expected to coordinate with the Convention Secretariat to host a symposium on addressing gender-specific risks when implementing tobacco control strategies, he added.

The FCTC entered into force in February 2005. Vietnam was the first nations to join the convention.

As of January 1, 2015, 180 out of the 192 WHO member countries participated in the FCTC, making up 89 percent of the global population.

The biennial COP meeting is intended to review the implementation of the FCTC and map out orientations for global anti-tobacco programmes.

According to experts, smoking and passive smoking kill over 3.5 million people in 1998 and if this “pandemic” is ineffectively controlled, the death toll could increase by at least 10 million by 2030, 70 percent of which are likely to occur in developing countries.

Statistics showed that there are close to 1.3 billion smokers around the world. The WHO says this figure will hit 1.6 billion by 2020.

Vietnam was awarded by the WHO in 2015 for the positive outcomes in tobacco control.

U Minh ThuongNational Park expected to become friendly destination

U Minh Thuong National Park in the southern province of Kien Giang has made progress in turning itself into a friendly tourist destination. 

From a tourist site with simple services in 2004 like fishing, natural discovery and sightseeing trips, the park has expanded to providing accommodation, boat tours and souvenirs for tourists.

Coming to the park, tourists will have a chance to explore flooded Indigo forests, join recreational activities and visit historical relic sites and local communities. 

Infrastructure here has much improved, with more towersbeing built for tourists to see rare animals and plants hidden in the forests. 

According to Pham Quoc Dan, director of the park, U Minh Thuong welcomed 50,040 tourists in 2015, doubling the 2007 figure. The number in the first nine months of 2016 was 50,000. 

In the coming time, the park management board will make efforts to diversify tourism products and create new tours in order to develop the park into a hospitable destination, he said. 

It will focus on promoting the image of the park through the delivery of books, manuals, films, photos and discs on the park and the regular organisation of meetings with travel agencies. The board is also stepping up activities to protecting the environment.

U Minh Thuong National Park is a new destination with great potential for sustainable tourism development, providing interesting experiences for those who love nature and wants to explore local unique cultural features, Dan said.

Lào Cai-Yên Bái Highway to be widened

Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has approved the Transport Ministry’s proposal to build additional parts on the Yên Bái-Lào Cai National Highway.
To further enhance road safety and improve the efficiency of extraction of the highway route from Nội Bài International Airport to Lào Cai Province, the overtaking section from the Yên Bái-Lào Cai Highway will be expanded from two lanes to four lanes, along with introducing other features on the highway. 
The additional section is approximately 25km long. An underground drainage system will also be built. 
Investment for the construction is worth VNĐ740 billion (US$33.2 million) and it will be finished before July next year. 
The Việt Nam Expressway Corporation (VEC) has directed the project management unit of the highway to regularly inspect the work site to ensure traffic safety.
According to VEC’s report, some 13.5 million vehicles travelled on the highway until the end of October, with 18,000-19,000 vehicles running per day.
The entire route has a total length of 245km, passing through provinces and cities, including Vĩnh Phúc, Phú Thọ, Yên Bái and Lào Cai.
The highway also contributes to the socio-economic development of the northwest provinces. 

Organic, safe food fair planned in Đà Nẵng

The Evergreen Farmer’s market, the first-ever fair of organic products and safe food, will open at the city’s Dragon Bridge Square on Trần Hưng Đạo street on November 20.

The event’s organisers, Evergreen Labs, a start-up business in the city, said farmers from selected organic and food safety farms in central Việt Nam will display their products at 20 pavillions of the open-air fair.

The fair will also display crafts by NGOs, foreign residents and local people, as well as safe cuisine stalls.

The event provides a meeting point for sellers and buyers to exchange experience and information on organic and safe food processing and production.

Visitors will be offered free training courses in craft making and organic farming skills.

A photo exhibition on biodiversity in Sơn Trà peninsula will also be held at the fair, as well as a communication campaign on the protection of the red-shanked douc langur (Pygathryx nemaeus) in the city’s Sơn Trà Nature Reserve.

Further information on the fair is available at http://www.healthyfarm.org/.

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