Honda awards for young Vietnamese scientists, engineers

On December 8, Honda Vietnam presented the 10 best undergraduate students from affiliated Vietnamese universities with Honda Y-E-S Awards worth US$30,000 and 10 motorbikes.

The annual program is jointly implemented by Honda Foundation, the National Institute for Science and Technology Policy and Strategy Studies (NISTPASS), Honda Vietnam Co., Ltd, and 10 affiliated universities.

All Y-E-S Award recipients are eligible for the Y-E-S Award Plus worth US$10,000 if they pursue a master or doctoral course in Japan, or US$7,000 if they enroll in an internship program of 2.5 months to 1 year duration at Japanese universities, research institutes, or labs within 4 years of receiving the Y-E-S Award.

Hirohisa Uchida, managing director of the Honda Foundation, said that since its launch in April 2017, the organizing board has received 113 applications from students with outstanding academic records in 10 affiliated universities. The 10 best students are selected over three rounds of competition for the Honda Y-E-S Awards.

Kuwahara, General Director of Honda Vietnam, said that over the past 12 years, 120 students out of 1,038 applicants have been honored with Honda Y-E-S Awards and 30 went on to receive the Y-E-S Plus to take master degree courses and internship programs in Japan.

Eleventh national youth union congress opens

The 11th National Congress of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth (HCYU) opened in Hanoi on December 11, drawing 999 delegates representing millions of the union’s members nationwide.

Addressing the opening session of the congress, Communist Party of Vietnam General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong lauded the accomplishments of youth and children’s movements as well as the HCYU operation at all levels.

Showing his strong trust in the youth, the Party chief suggested that in the coming time, the union should pay greater attention to educating the youth on revolutionary ideal, political firmness, morality and lifestyle.

The union should encourage and promote patriotism, revolutionary ideal and trust in the political regime among youngsters, he said.

At the same time, he also asked the union to improve youngsters’ awareness about wrong information and arguments of hostile forces, especially via social networks.

The HCYU should uphold its central role in youth organisations of the country, while guiding the Ho Chi Minh Vanguard Children Union and working hard to protect and educate children, he said.

The Party leader also requested the union to build mechanisms, policies and activities to foster the development of young people in all fields, across social and economic aspects.

Speaking at the event, Nguyen Phi Long, Secretary of the HCYU’s 10th Central Committee and President of the Vietnam Youth Federation said that the congress will review and draw lessons during the implementation of the 10th Congress’s resolution in the past five years, and set targets for the 2017-2022 period. The Congress will also make adjustments to the union’s Charter.

He reported that youth and children’s movements in the past five years were successful, with 455,000 works built and over 2,200 projects launched in various fields, bringing about high socio-economic results.

Voluntary and charity activities of the union drew 16 million participants nationwide, he added.

He said that in the 2017-2022 period, the union will focus on fostering young generations with revolutionary ideal, strong political will and patriotism, as well as with good health, good knowledge and aspiration for a better life and better world.

He drafted 11 major targets in operation of the union in the next five years, including giving 5 million innovative ideas, planting 30 million trees, providing 10 trillion VND as loans for youngsters to boost production, and supporting 1,000 startup projects.

The union also plans to give career consultations to 10 million youngsters, introduce jobs to 1.5 million others, and admit 5 million more members.

WWF calls for wildlife protection

The World Wide Fund for Nature in Vietnam, better known as WWF Vietnam, on Wednesday joined forces with Hanoi Young Business Association to organize a seminar to call for Vietnamese entrepreneurs and German businesses active in the country to join hands in the protection of endangered wildlife. 

Over the years, Vietnam has been known as a transhipment point and a large consumption market for products from endangered wildlife, including rhino horns.

Van Ngoc Thinh, country director of WWF Vietnam, said the high demand for using products from wild animals has resulted in the fast extinction of endangered species.

Therefore, the Vietnamese and German business communities’ efforts and commitment to combating illegal consumption of wild animals are highly appreciated, Thinh added.

Nguyen Viet Hung, financial director of B. Braun Vietnam Co Ltd, says the company aims to carry out activities to boost environmental protection by using natural resources in a legal and responsible way.

Violations on Son Tra Peninsula to face tough sanctions

The Government Inspectorate will inspect all investment projects on Son Tra Peninsula in Danang City, and violations, if found, will be strictly handled, said Huynh Duc Tho, chairman of Danang, at a meeting of the city People’s Council on December 7.

Son Tra Peninsula has been in the spotlight this year since news about the illegal construction of 40 villas there broke and the Danang Tourism Association called for the central Government to protect the peninsula from rampant tourism property development.

Tho was quoted by Dan Tri news website as saying that most projects on the peninsula had been approved before 2015. Municipal authorities have submitted a new zoning plan for the peninsula to the Government but a final decision will not be made until June 2018.

Before the new zoning plan is approved, the city will restrict construction density and the altitude of projects on the peninsula to harmonize economic development and protection of nature.

Tho said municipal authorities have also inspected a number of projects in other parts of the city such as Lien Chieu and Hoa Vang districts. Violations will be strictly punished, he noted.

According to Tho, land management weaknesses have resulted in failures of several urban development projects in the city.

Construction, residence fees hiked in city

The HCMC People’s Council on December 7 hiked fees for residential registration, construction licensing and museum admission as the current levels are too low to cover spending.

In particular, the issuance and renewal of residence registration books cost VND8,000-15,000, registration of permanent or temporary residence VND5,000-10,000, information change in residence registration books VND3,000-5,000, and extension of residential permit VND5,000-10,000.

Exempt from residence registration fees are children, senior people, those with disabilities or contributions to the country’s revolution, poor households, spouses and children under 18 of war martyrs, wounded soldiers, and children under 18 of wounded soldiers.

As for museum admission, the new fee at the War Remnants Museum is VND40,000 per visitor; and VND30,000 per visitor at the Museum of HCMC, the HCMC Fine Arts Museum and the Museum of History. Admission is free at Ton Duc Thang Museum and Southern Women’s Museum.

Regarding construction licensing fees, the council hiked the fee for houses to VND75,000 per license, and VND150,000 for other construction works. VND15,000 is charged on a license extension or adjustment. The existing fees are VND50,000, VND100,000 and VND10,000 per license respectively.

Issuing a work permit for foreign workers in HCMC costs VND600,000, up from the current VND450,000.

The new fee for issuance of land use right certificates in HCMC ranges from VND25,000 to VND1.6 million per application depending on size and subject.

HCMC council passes pilot special mechanism

HCMC People’s Council members at the sixth council meeting on December 7 approved a resolution piloting a special development mechanism in the city as stated in an earlier National Assembly (NA) resolution, Nguoi Lao Dong reports.

The HCMC People’s Committee, or the city government, is assigned to present a list of projects in which ten hectares of rice farming land or above will be used for other purposes, a list of Group A projects funded by the city’s budget, and an annual budget allocation plan to the council for approval.

The city government will have to urgently prepare specific schemes so that the council could weigh them at a meeting scheduled for mid-2018. The schemes include imposing new fees beyond the law on fees and charges, increasing the fees and charges provided by the law, and raising wages of civil servants.

The city government is also tasked with drawing up other schemes for discussion at the mid-2018 meeting at the latest, including hikes of special consumption and environmental taxes, capital mobilization, and construction of belt road No. 3.

The city government will have to closely coordinate with central government agencies to prepare and evaluate the aforementioned schemes and present them for approval by next December.

The schemes to be decided by the city government before next June involve delegation of power, organizational rearrangement, adjustments of names and functions of units under the city government, and the use of revenues from the special financing-budgetary mechanism to invest in socio-economic infrastructure.

The implementation of the resolution, set to go into force on January 15 next year, will be strictly supervised by the council. 

Youth representatives join dialogues with official leaders

Delegates of the ongoing 11th National Congress of the Ho Chi Minh City Communist Youth Union participated in dialogue sessions with ministerial and sectorial leaders on December 10 in Ha Noi. 

Under the theme “Business start-up, employment,” Minister of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung and other ministerial and local leaders exchanged views with participating youths on issues on business start-up, employment, mechanisms and conditions for the youth. 

Under the motto “The youth join hands to build new rural areas,” Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong discussed the youngsters about the filed, mechanisms, and conditions for the youth to build new rural areas. 

The forum “The youth takes the lead in environmental protection and response to climate change,” was chaired by Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha. 

Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien presided over the forum named “The youth with preservation and development of national cultural diversity.”

The forum on “The youth plays leading role in protecting the Vietnamese socialist fatherland,” saw the participation of representatives of the Ministry of National Defense. 

Minister of Science and Technology Chu Ngoc Anh talked with youngsters about mechanisms and conditions for scientific and technological applications.  

Finally, at the forum on “Vietnamese youth’s study, training, and creativity for tomorrow development,” Deputy Minister of Education and Traing Nguyen Thi Nghia discussed measures and solutions to improve the quality of young scientific research among pupils, students, teachers.

Vietnam's first public hospital meets Westgard Sigma testing standards

The Testing Unit of the Oncology Centre - Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City has been recognised with the award of Six Sigma certification under the US Westgard Sigma Verification of Performance (VP) Programme.

The Six Sigma test certificate is certified by the US Westgard QC in accordance with international standards. Nearly 50 laboratories around the world are awarded this certification, for which errors in test results must be minimal, with less than four errors in a million occurrences. The testing unit of Cho Ray Hospital is the first public hospital in Vietnam to achieve this certification, with 75% of the tests satisfying the criteria for Six Sigma.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Truong Son, Director of Cho Ray Hospital, said that the unit is always facing an increasing number of tests due to increasing patient numbers. The results of tests ensure 60-70% of clinical diagnosis by doctors, so assuring the quality of test results in the shortest period of time while maintaining quality standards and economic efficiency is a huge challenge.

The automated testing system operated at the centre since mid-2016 has helped shorten about 55% of workflow (reducing the test process from 33 to 15 steps), increasing productivity, reducing testing result return time (reducing wait time to 60 mins, 30 mins quicker than before), and sharing the burden with other departments. Son added that the system has the fastest conveyor at present, with a rate of 3,600 samples per hour.

Six Sigma is among the most important international quality management standards used by many enterprises in industries around the world to identify performance, reduce errors, and streamline processes, services, and products to the highest quality level. In the field of testing, the application of Six Sigma is a guarantee of accurate test results, thus ensuring correct diagnosis and treatment. The Westgard Sigma VP Programme validates this standard.

In addition, the programme also provides staff training, improving operation processes, and enhancing laboratory benchmarking to help reduce operational costs.

Based on this initial step, Cho Ray Hospital will replicate the Six Sigma application model in other testing units to synchronise the quality of testing at the facility, Dr. Son said.

Sten Westgard, Director of Client Services and Technology for Westgard QC, highly praised the quality of Cho Ray’s testing unit, saying that the laboratory’s quality is even higher than that of several labs with Six Sigma certification in the US.

Kinh Mon recognised as new rural district in Hai Duong province

The Hai Duong Provincial People’s Committee held a ceremony on December 10 to receive the Prime Minister’s certificate of recognition for Kinh Mon district as a new rural district in Hai Duong province.

During the 2010-2016 period, Kinh Mon district has mobilised more than VND2,832 billion for the construction of a new rural model. Through the inspection, all 22 communes of Kinh Mon district have met the set criteria of the rural modernisation programme. On November 7, 2017, the Prime Minister signed a decision recognising Kinh Mon district as a new rural district.

Speaking at the ceremony, Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh praised the achievements of Hai Duong in general and Kinh Mon district in particular for their efforts in promoting socio-economic development and building a pure and strong political system in the cause of innovation, integration, and development of the country. The Vice President also asked that in future, the Hai Duong province would continue to promote the achievements, overcome the limitations; mobilising all classes of people in implementing the rural modernisation programme.

On the occasion, the Vice President also presented a certificate recognising An Phụ-Kinh Chu-Nham Duong Complex in the district as a Special National Relic.

The An Phụ-Kinh Chu-Nham Duong Complex has great historical, cultural, and archaeological value. The highlight is Cao An Phu Temple worship Tran Lieu - father of national hero Tran Quoc Tuan (General Tran Hung Dao). Meanwhile, Kinh Chu relic is famous for Kinh Chu cave which is one of the six most beautiful caves in the South, with more than 40 unique epitaphs carved into the cliffs over historical periods. In addition, Nhat Duong area in Duy Tan commune is a wonderful mountain with dozens of caves.

On December 22, 2016, the Prime Minister signed a memorandum recognising the An Phu - Kinh Chu-Nham Duong Complex as a Special National Relic. This is the second special relic recognized in Hai Duong province after the historic Con Son - Kiep Bac.

$220,307 LED light system installed My Phuoc-Tan Van Expressway

The Department of Transport in the southern province of Binh Duong has finished installation of LED light system with total investment capital up to US$220,307 in My Phuoc- Tan Van Expressway

Investor Becamex IDC installed LED light system to replace the old kind – Sodium lights. The installation is carried out in the 16 kilometer section from Di An in Thuan An Town to Thu Dau Mot Town for the first phase.

It is scheduled the investor will install another light system in the remaining section with the length of 10 kilometer.

Before, Sai Gon Giai Phong article reflected the expressway with the speed of 80 kilometer per hour without lighting system resulted in continuous traffic accidents and robbery at nights.

The Department of Transport has urged the investor to install light system.

Ministry launches campaign to collect signature for food safety

The Ministry of Industry and Trade yesterday launched a campaign “One million signatures for food safety” by organizing a meeting in Hanoi with the participation of hundred people.

This is the first activities to start for the media action program for food safety in the country in 2018.

The campaign took place in the context that people are preparing for Tet holiday ( the Lunar New Year), complex development of smuggling and commercial fraud.

Speaking at the campaign, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai said the national strategy for food safety for the period 2011-2020 with the vision to 2030 pointed out food safety is meant ensuring consumers’ right and health. Accordingly, party organizations, local governments and businesses should focus on.

For years, the Ministry has implemented many activities in order to guarantee food safety. The launching ceremony for food safety aimed to call for joining hand of the community to say no to unsafe food and lending a hand for commercial fraud and smuggling.

The Ministry said that the action program aims to change producers’ and consumers’ awareness of food safety. It promised to continue to liaise with other ministries and agencies in guiding and performing supervision for food safety in manufacturing units, markets, supermarkets, especially wholesale markets and crack down production of fake and low quality commodities, smuggled goods.

Can Gio – Can Giuoc ferry to put into operation in April 2018

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transportation said that the Can Gio – Can Giuoc ferry is expected to be put into operation in April of 2018.

Accordingly, the Can Gio – Can Giuoc ferry has been invested under public-private partnership with its total investment of VND 56 billion including two ferry terminals, 2 thirty-tone ferries, 2 sixty-tone ferries and technical system at the two ferry terminal.

The ferry meets the travelling demand of automobiles up to 10 tons from National Route 50 (provinces of Long An, Tien Giang) to Can Gio district, Ho Chi Minh City and vice versa which would contribute to shorten the distance from 11 kilometers to 49 kilometers. 

At the same time, the ferry also would help enhance the regional links and ensure the national defense for the coastal areas of Ho Chi Minh City.

The People Committee of Can Gio District is the investor and the project has total investment of VND 15billion from the city budget.

Special mechanisms require HCMC to be more dynamic: Council Chairwoman

The NA's recently approved resolution on piloting special mechanisms for HCMC would create a motive power for development. However it is not a wand able to solve all current issues in the city but a challenge forcing the city to be more dynamic to overcome stagnations, said Chairwoman of the city People’s Council Nguyen Thi Quyet Tam.

In an interview with Sai Gon Giai Phong Newspaper, Ms. Tam said that the resolution gives the city stronger than before decentralization in some matters within the jurisdiction of the National Assembly, the Government and the Prime Minister.

The 6th session of HCMC People’s Council has passed a resolution assigning the city People’s Committee to prepare some projects to carry out the resolution. HCMC has only five years for the pilot implementation and must review that in the first three years.

Therefore, the city government must urgently complete projects and submit them to the city People’s Council in 2018 for consideration and approval. The council will consider to approve the projects closely and cautiously to ensure the right process, transparency, publicity and democracy.

In fact, the city People’s Committee has determined contents for these projects right after the NA approved the resolution basing on practical problems and congestions.

When proposing the central government to provide special mechanisms, the city had already defined which problems in need of solving to boost the city’s development with obvious directions and targets.

The resolution intensifies the city’s autonomy in some fields such as land management, public investment, finance-budget and public payroll. If being conducted efficiently, the resolution will bring HCMC more resources such as revenues from equitization, fee and tax increase for development investment.

Anti-flooding, environmental cleanup and traffic infrastructure projects will have investment capital. In addition, the city can advance on the central budget for construction of important traffic works such as ring road no. 3.

The resolution also entitles the city to decide talent attracting policies by deciding wage level for experts, scientists and special talents and raise income for cadres and civil servants.

HCMC will increase some taxes and fees not only to hike budget revenue but also aim at social management, urban development and to creat healthier business environment.

The municipal authorities will not use administrative instructions to ban businesses from doing something or not but economic measures to encourage or limit them. For instance, polluting businesses will have to pay higher taxes and fees.

The hike of some taxes such as environmental protection and special consumption tax must ask for the central government’s opinions. The resolution tasks the Government to instruct relevant agencies to work with HCMC to reform procedures and shorten solving time.

HCM City Party Chief expects further contributions from Vietnamese startups in US

Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan on December 9 said he hoped that Vietnamese startups in the United States would continue contributing initiatives and resources to improve the city’s startup ecosystem. 

He was speaking at a forum connecting Vietnamese startups in the US and Vietnam in San Francisco during a HCMC high level delegation's working visit to the US.

Stating at the forum, he hoped that Vietnamese startups in the US will connect together to form a network of innovative startup businesses of the Vietnamese community in the world, strongly contributing to the native country.

Mr. Nhan emphasized that Vietnam is one of the world’s fastest growing nations for the last 30 years. At present, the country has 110 million people including 68 million in working age with the life expectancy of over 80.

HCMC accounts for 0.6 percent area and 10 percent population and contributes to 28 percent budget revenue of the country. Private sector now makes up 57 percent and the city attracts 23 percent foreign direct investment to Vietnam.

In addition, it is home to the country’s first export processing zone, software park, high-tech park and bio technology center.

The city is also first locality in Vietnam organizing technology equipment fair which has become a national brand name; opening programs; training 1,000 business leaders in preparation for integration and 500 masters and doctors to work in public fields and universities.

In November 2017, HCMC publicly announced implementation of Smart City project.

The city has set the target of fast and sustainable economic development in the phase of 2020-2030 with growth rate approximating 8 percent, productivity triple the country’s average level. Contribution to the national budget will reach 30 percent and the city will become the center of the country in Industry 4.0, a smart city and a global center of Vietnam.

Mr. Nhan acknowledged that currently HCMC faces many difficulties because of climate change and education and health quality is humble. So it does need initiatives and resources to solve these issues.

At the forum, businesses shared successful experiences in starting a business and shared opinions about innovative startup movement. For instance, they talked about ways to lure talents to work in the city for a long term with low starting wage, attract venture capital companies in innovative startup, apply lessons from Silicon Valley in Vietnam and about the role of women in innovative startup and education and training reform.

The forum was co-organised by the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and HCMC People’s Committee, attended by standing deputy chairman of the committee Le Thanh Liem, deputy chairman of the State Commission on Overseas Vietnamese Luong Thanh Nghi, Vietnamese Consul General to San Francisco Ho Xuan Son and over 150 Vietnamese firms operating in the US and Vietnam.

Alarming increase in kids with IH due to vitamin K deficiency

The National Children Hospital in Hanoi has admitted three infants under one year old with a diagnosis of Intracranial hemorrhage (IH) due to late onset of vitamin K deficiency.

The infants were in a coma when they were hospitalized.

Deputy head of the Surgery Department Dr. Dang Anh Duong said that after hospitalization, three patients were undergoing tests which showed they have had a reduction of Prothrombin in blood resulting from Vitamin K deficiency.

Three kids were given a transfusion to prevent bleeding in their brain to stabilize respiratory and circulatory function, surgeons performed surgery to remove blood clots.

According to medical experts, 90 percent of hemorrhagic disease of the newborn is characterized intracranial bleeding in infants aged 30-40 days old due to severe vitamin K deficiency.

Once, the mortality rate of newborns suffering intracranial bleeding and the rate of complication are 40-50 percent despite intensive treatment. They may suffer complications of such as haematoma expansion, perihaematomal oedema with increased intracranial pressure, intraventricular extension of haemorrhage with hydrocephalus, seizures, venous thrombotic events, hyperglycaemia, increased blood pressure, fever, and infections.

Therefore, to prevent the disease, doctors warned that infants should be supplemented Vitamin K right after birth orally or by injection. In fact, all newborns are injected one shoot of Vitamin K1 1mg orc Vitamin K3 2mg or vitamin K1 2mg three time orally.

Ministry continues signing health insurance contracts with private infirmaries

Vietnamese Ministry of Health and the Vietnam Social Insurance (VSI) have decided to continue signing health-insurance contracts with private infirmaries from January 1, 2018.

It is a happy news for private health-care facilities which now have their classifications authorized by the Ministry.

Before, non-public hospitals have fretted as in its dispatch, the VSI announced that private facilities which have not sorted out are not eligible for receiving insured patients from January 1, 2018. It is meant that hundreds of private clinics nationwide must shut down because they have no patients.

Deputy director of VSI's Department for Health Insurance Policy Le Van Phuc said that in its guidance on signing contracts health insurance and treatment payment, the VSI required private infirmaries to supplement missing document according to the inter- ministries of health and finance circular No. 41/2014.

For instance, to continue signing contracts of health-care insurance in 2018, non-public facilities must have additional decision of service and technical classifications of their facilities; moreover, they must apply same health-insurance payment levels in governmental hospitals.

Mr. Phuc affirmed that as per the regulation of medical insurance, medical clinics must be classified to set health insurance payment level and technique on which the health authority can specify the level a patient is eligible for medical insurance level when they are not examined in the hospital of their choice beforehand.

Moreover, classification of hospitals and delineation of area are legal base for sorting out services, techniques, medicine and transfer patients.

He confirmed to continue signing health-insurance contracts with private infirmaries which had signed contracts before to avoid mess and give more time for private infirmaries to finish paperwork. As per the Ministry of Health, all 212 private hospitals in 46 cities and provinces nationwide have not been classified like government hospitals.

Accordingly, independent hospitals face difficulties in provide health-insurance services. Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Viet Tien said that the Ministry is building up a draft to submit the government for early issuance of guidance to facilitate private hospitals’ activities.

Association of Vietnam private hospital said that they are encountering difficulties with regulations of treatment and health insurance payment because while private hospitals have not been classified yet, the health insurance payment is based on hospital sorting out. Hence, private hospitals are hard to receive insured patients.

Application of ICG opens new era in colorectal cancer treatment

In yesterday science seminar themed “ Application of Indocyanine green (ICG) in endoscopy of colon”, director of Tumor Cancer in Hanoi Dr. Tran Van Thuan said colorectal cancer is popular amongst male. 

The World Health Organization’s calculation, around 14.1 million fresh cases of cancer are reported in the globe; of which 1.36 million being colorectal cancer. Worse, of 8.2 million cancer-related deaths, nearly 700,000 deaths due to colorectal cancer are also figured out.

In Vietnam, colorectal cancer ranks the fourth of ten popular cancer amongst men with infection cases of 8,000; the number of infections is predicted to rise to over 13,000 cases by 2020.

The cancer is also the second popular cancer amongst female with over 6,000 cases a year. The number of infections is likely to rise to over 11,000 cases by 2020.

For colorectal cancer treatment, application of Indocyanine green (ICG) - a fluorescent dye that has been widely used for fluorescence imaging during hepatobiliary surgery – has opened new era because it improves the visualization of hepatobiliary anatomy and reduces the rate of post-operative complications.

Education sector takes heed to child protection

In order to help students out of child abuse and violence, the Department of Education and Training has issued its plan to protect kids in the period 2017-2020. 

In the academic year, the Department and relevant agencies will review legal document relating to child protection to submit amendment in the new stage.

Furthermore, the education authority will issue new document of child protection with reproductive health education, life skills, and gender equality for teaching staffs as per the Ministry’s instruction.

Additionally, the sector will adopt some measures to enhance teachers’ and parents’ awareness of child taking care and protection. Amongst measures, the sector will coordinate with the youth Communist Union Ho Chi Minh city to build plan which focuses on changing people’s behaviors of protecting and educating in school and in the residential areas.

Besides, rooms to provide psychological consultation services will be set up in preschools.

For the period 2018-2020, the sector will liaise with the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs on educating and looking after children as well as work with local governments to keep an eye on taking care of kids in association with eco-social growth in each locality.

The bureau of education and training in 24 districts and continuous education centers must implement the above-mentioned mission. They must send report to the Department on December 25 annually to submit it to the Ministry.

Nghe An woman receives administrative fine for sweeping trash down sewer

People’s Committee in the north-central province of Nghe An’s Vinh Tan Ward said it has fined a local woman who was caught dumping rubbish into a local sewer on camera. 

Before, on December 7, residents in Tan Phat condo in Vinh Tan Ward filmed a 60 year old cleaner to sweep the rubbish down to the local sewer.

The woman was later identified Ms. Bui Thi H., a tenant in the condo. The woman regretted her deed and paid administrative fine of a VND1 million (US$44) to the local administration.

An administrator said Ms. H was fined for violating the environment regulation.

Vietnamese singers to sing in the youth show

The show Khát Vọng Trẻ (Young Aspiration), an annual entertainment programme, will be held at Quần Ngựa Sports Centre, 30 Văn Cao Street, Ba Đình District on December 12.

The show will feature Vietnamese pop singers like Đoan Trang, Hà Anh Tuấn, Phương Linh, Uyên Linh, Đông Nhi, Quốc Thiên, Vũ Cát Tường, Dương Hoàng Yến, Đông Hùng and MTV group, as well as dance companies as Oplus, Arabesque, Hoàng Thông, The Sun, White Apricot and Young Aspiration.

Also, two fashion collections will be shown with performances from beauty queens and models such as Miss World Việt Nam 2015 Trần Ngọc Lan Khuê, Miss World Việt Nam 2016 Nguyễn Diệu Ngọc and 200 students from universities in Hà Nội.

The show includes four parts, and is inspired by the four seasons in a year.

The autumn section is themed ‘August Revolution’, with songs on patriotism and the hunger for freedom of a peace-loving nation. Winter is expressed through performances on solidarity and close ties between soldiers and citizens. The spring shows victories, dreams, love and family reunions. Finally, the summer shows volunteer spirit and hope for young people.  

Additionally, pop singer Đoan Trang will perform Điệp khúc tình yêu (The Refrain of Love), Uyên Linh will sing Áo mùa đông (Winter’s Coat) and Vũ Cát Tường sings Mùa hè xanh - Góc đa hình (Green Summer – Polymorphic Angle).

At the end of the show, all artists will join their voices in the song Thanh niên Việt Nam tiến bước (Việt Nam young people move forward), composed by musician Nguyễn Văn Luân, first prize of the song composing contest to celebrate the 11th National Congress of the Hồ Chí Minh Communist Youth Union, which takes place from December 11-13.

Outstanding historians honoured with Phạm Thận Duật award

Three Vietnamese historians were honoured with 2017 Phạm Thật Duật awards at a ceremony held in Yên Mô District in the northern province of Ninh Bình on Sunday.

This year’s awards have been given to Professor Lê Hải Đăng from the Vietnam Institute of Archeology, Professor Dương Thanh Mừng from Huế University’s College of Education and Professor Nguyễn Xuân Hùng from the Institute for Religious Studies.

The event was jointly organised by the Việt Nam Association of Historical Sciences and the Phạm Thận Duật Award Fund.

The Phạm Thận Duật Award Fund was founded in 2000 in honour of Phạm Thật Duật (1825 – 1885), a patriotic scholar and historian who was born in Yên Mô District. The awards are given yearly to outstanding historians who have made significant contributions to the understanding of national history.

This is the first time that the awards ceremony has been celebrated in Phạm Thật Duật’s hometown, after 17 years at the Temple of Literature in Hà Nội. 

Also on the occasion, the Phạm Thận Duật Award Fund presented a set of gifts to local students who have performed well in national contests, as well as to disadvantaged students with excellent academic performances.

In the past 17 years, the fund has given 92 prizes in total, including eight first prizes, 38 second prizes and 46 third prizes. Two were awarded to international historians who conducted outstanding historical relating to Việt Nam and Southeast Asia.

The Hà Nội People’s Court on Monday resumes a trial legal proceedings against an illegal virtual gold trading floor that involves top managers of the Hà Nội-based Khải Thái Consultant Limited Company (KTIC).

The trial was earlier postponed for three months for further investigation, because in August, during the trial, more victims reported to the court claiming they were cheated by the company.

In court on August 21-23, KTIC General Director Hsu Ming Jung (also called Saga) from Taiwan and his six Vietnamese accomplices were being tried on charges of swindling VNĐ264 billion (US$11.7 million) from more than 700 investors.

Hsu Ming Jung, 42; Đoàn Thị Luyến, 30, managing director of the company; Nguyễn Mạnh Linh, 30, a director of the company; and Trịnh Hoàng Bình, 42, the company’s chief accountant are charged with fraud pursuant to Article 139 of the Penal Code.

Two other Vietnamese – the managing directors of the company’s branches at the Plaschem Building in Hà Nội, Đinh Thị Hồng Vinh, and at the Lotte Building in Hà Nội, Tăng Hải Nam – are also charged with the same offence.

A total of 171 victims were summoned to the court’s first hearing in August – a record number of victims reported to the Hà Nội People’s Court.

While conducting additional investigation, the investigation agency reported the number of victim increased to 724.

The accused were arrested in October 2014 after they were found to have set up an illegal gold trading floor to cheat investors.

According to the indictment, Saga established KTIC in November 2011 with charter capital of VNĐ20 billion. The company opened three branches with 18 business offices.

Between December 2012 and September 2014, the Taiwanese CEO and his accomplices illegally set up a gold trading floor to raise over VNĐ287 billion ($12.75 million) at high interest rates from 724 investors. They then appropriated most of the funds, police said.

The company paid a total of over VNĐ18 billion ($800,000) in interest to the investors and appropriated nearly VNĐ270 billion.

Jung and his accomplices used sophisticated methods to fraudulently embezzle the funds via a fake investment trust, police said.

The court will hear the case for 10 days.

Sixteen fishermen rescued off Trường Sa Archipelago

A fishing boat with a 16-member crew, which drifted for several days in the Trường Sa (Spratly) Archipelago, reached Bà Ngòi Port in Cam Ranh City Sunday afternoon.

The boat was towed to the port by a rescue ship.

Earlier, on November 29, the Vietnam Navy received distress signals from the fishing boat, coded BD-99.559TS and captained by 45-year-old Nguyễn Cường, a native of Bình Định Province.

The boat’s crew was reportedly fishing 270 nautical miles off the Quy Nhơn coast when its engine broke down.

The vessel was carrying 7,000 litres of diesel oil and seven tonnes of fish.

The Vietnam Navy decided to assign a ship to immediately initiate a search operation for the boat.

The rescue ship reached the boat on November 30 and towed it to Song Tử Tây Island in Trường Sa Archipelago for repair. On December 6, it was pulled to the mainland because the problem could not be fixed.

On the same day, another fishing boat with 16 crew members from Bình Định Province was also successfully rescued by the command of the Fourth Region under the Vietnam Navy. The engine had broken down and the boat was drifting some 40 nautical miles from Đà Nẵng City’s Sơn Trà Peninsula for two days.