Outstanding ASEAN businesswomen congratulated

A ceremony honoring 36 outstanding ASEAN businesswomen, as part of the first ASEAN Businesswomen Forum with the participation of more than 200 female entrepreneurs, was held in Hanoi on March 7.

It is aimed to praise businesswomen’s contributions to socio-economic development in their countries and the region.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc congratulated businesswomen and their great achievements, affirming that the country will always create good conditions for local and international enterprises’ development.

The award that highly evaluated female entrepreneurs’ efforts helps encourage women in economic development in the country and the region.

Party leader visits Tra Vinh province

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong visited Tieu Can district in the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh on March 8 to inspect the locality’s preparations for the Party Congress at all levels.

Located in the west of Tra Vinh, Tieu Can is home to many ethnic groups practising different religions such as Catholicism, Buddhism and Caodaism.

The Party leader toured Tieu Can district’s Phu Can commune where the living standard of farmers has been improved considerably after meeting criteria for new-style rural development. The rate of poor households in the commune dropped from 18.3 percent in 2010 to 4.85 percent in 2014.

He hailed the locality for its socio-economic achievements as well as those recorded in the building of the Party and the political system over the past time.

The Party leader urged Phu Can authorities to thoroughly prepare for the Party Congress at all levels, during which, he said, the locality should draw lessons and point out difficulties and strengths in order to boost development.

Earlier, Party General Secretary Trong laid a wreath and burnt incense at a temple dedicated to President Ho Chi Minh in Long Duc commune, Tra Vinh town.-

Blood donation event receives attention in Hanoi

The biggest annual blood donation campaign of the year, titled “red spring festival”, was lauched in Hanoi on March 8.

Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thi Xuyen highlighted the dedication of volunteers to encourage local engagement, contributing significantly to easing the shortage of blood for medical treatment.

She urged the expansion of relevant media coverage to raise further awareness of the issue.

Professor Dr Nguyen Minh Tri, Director of the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion and Head of the festival’s management board, said the event was planned to coincide with International Women’s Day to position the occasion as an opportunity for donors to give blood as a gift to female patients.

First held in 2008, the “red spring festival” has thus far collected 33,797 units of blood and mobilised the participation of 120,000 people.

The drive has been expanded to more than 30 provinces and cities nationwide since 2010.

Two Vietnamese indicted in one of largest data breaches in US

The U.S. Attorney’s Office unsealed Thursday a criminal indictment against two Vietnamese citizens for their role in a massive data breach of e-mail offering companies all over the United States.

Nguyen Quoc Viet and Vu Hoang Giang, who resided for a period of time in the Netherlands, are accused of “carrying out the largest data breach of names and e-mail addresses in the history of the Internet,” according to Assistant Attorney General Caldwell.

A federal grand jury also returned an indictment this week against Canadian national David-Manuel Santos Da Silva, who is charged with conspiring with Viet and others to money launder the proceeds of Viet’s computer hacking offenses, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a press release on March 6.

“This case reflects the cutting-edge problems posed by today’s cybercrime cases, where the hackers didn’t target just a single company; they infiltrated most of the country’s e-mail distribution firms,” said Acting U.S. Attorney John Horn.

“And the scope of the intrusion is unnerving, in that the hackers didn’t stop after stealing the companies’ proprietary data—they then hijacked the companies’ own distribution platforms to send out bulk e-mails and reaped the profits from e-mail traffic directed to specific websites.”

Caldwell said the defendants allegedly “made millions of dollars by stealing over a billion e-mail addresses from e-mail service providers.”

Between approximately February 2009 and June 2012, Nguyen Quoc Viet allegedly hacked into at least eight e-mail Service Providers (ESPs) all over the United States, including two ESPs based in the Northern District of Georgia, and stole confidential information, including proprietary marketing data containing over one billion e-mail addresses, according to information presented in court.

e-mail Service Providers are companies that generally offer legitimate e-mail marketing or bulk e-mail services to their clients. Clients hire ESPs to assist with sending bulk e-mails to customers or potential customers who have opted to receive such e-mails.

This is contrast to “spam,” which is a commonly-used term for unsolicited e-mail. ESPs generally take affirmative steps to ensure that their e-mail campaigns are not blocked or classified as “spam” by the recipients’ e-mail programs.

Nguyen allegedly hacked into the ESPs’ computer databases and, in conjunction with Giang, used his unauthorized access to launch spam attacks on tens of millions of e-mail recipients.

The indictment alleges that Viet used various methods to gain unauthorized access into the ESPs’ computer databases.

In some instances Viet allegedly directed e-mail phishing campaigns at employees of the ESPs, which are fraudulent e-mails designed to resemble e-mails from trustworthy persons or entities, but in fact are designed to trick the recipients into clicking a link on the e-mail.

Viet’s phishing campaigns allegedly delivered malware, which allowed him backdoor access to the ESP employees’ computer systems and enabled him to steal sensitive information, including the employees’ access credentials for the ESPs’ computer systems.

Using stolen access credentials, Viet was not only able to allegedly steal confidential information by downloading the information from the ESPs’ computer systems to a server that he controlled in the Netherlands, but was also able to utilize the ESPs’ computer systems to launch spam attacks on tens of millions of stolen e-mail addresses.

A federal grand jury returned a 29-count sealed indictment against Viet, 28, and Giang, 25, on October 3, 2012. The indictment was unsealed in its entirety for the first time on March 6.

Giang was arrested by Dutch law enforcement in Deventer, Netherlands, in 2012 and extradited to the United States in March 2014. On February 5, 2015, Giang pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit computer fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 21, 2015, at 10:00 a.m.

Nguyen Quoc Viet is not in custody and remains a fugitive.

On Wednesday March 4, 2015, David-Manuel Santos Da Silva, 33, of Montreal, Canada, was indicted by a federal grand jury for conspiracy to commit money laundering with Viet and others. Da Silva was arrested by criminal complaint at Ft. Lauderdale International Airport, in Florida, on February 12, 2015, and was arraigned Thursday at 3:00 p.m..

It is alleged that Da Silva, the co-owner, President and a Director of 21 Celsius, Inc., a Canadian corporation that ran Marketbay.com, entered into an affiliate marketing arrangement with Viet that allowed him to generate revenue from his computer hacks.

As an affiliate marketer, Viet allegedly received a commission on sales generated from Internet traffic that he directed to websites promoting specific products.

Viet allegedly used his computer hacks into the ESPs to direct “spam” attacks to tens of millions of stolen e-mail addresses.

The unsolicited e-mails received through Viet's and Giang’s spam attacks enticed the recipients by promoting specific products and providing hyperlinks for the recipients to purchase the products. The hyperlinks directed the recipients to one of Viet’s affiliate marketing websites associated with Marketbay.com.

Da Silva allegedly knew that Viet was spamming to stolen e-mail addresses in order to direct high volumes of Internet traffic to his affiliate marketing websites with Marketbay.com. Da Silva allegedly conspired with Viet and others to promote Viet’s hacking and spamming activities by providing him with a platform, through Marketbay.com, to generate sales commission from his computer hacks into the ESPs.

Between approximately May 2009 and October 2011, Viet and Da Silva received approximately US$2 million for the sale of products derived from Viet’s affiliate marketing activities.

The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the valuable assistance of the United States Secret Service and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. Law enforcement in the Netherlands also provided valuable assistance.

International Women’s Day marked in Phnom Penh

The Association of Cambodians of Vietnamese Origin held a ceremony in Phnom Penh on March 7 to mark the 105th anniversary of International Women’s Day and introduce the interim executive board of the Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU) in Cambodia.

The meeting drew the participation of representatives from the Vietnamese Embassy to Cambodia, the Association of Cambodians of Vietnamese Origin, Vietnamese business women, and overseas Vietnamese working in the host country.

Speaking at the event, Vice President and Secretary General of the Association Pham Thanh Thuy reiterated the history of the international women’s movement and day (March 8) and highlighted the efforts of generations of Vietnamese Cambodian women to contribute greatly to economic development and Vietnam’s cultural conservation and help strengthen ties between the two countries and people.

On the occasion, the Vietnam Women’s Union in Cambodia and its interim executive board were officially launched. Businesswoman Hoang Hoa was appointed as the board’s President and Pham Thanh Thuy as the union’s Honorary President.

The VWU in Cambodia will offer a space for Vietnamese Cambodian women to meet and exchange experiences towards improved living standards and greater social integration.

A ceremony to mark International Women’s Day was also held in Seoul on March 7 by the Vietnamese Embassy to the Republic of Korea (RoK) and the Vietnam Women’s Union in the Rok.

Truck with illegal logs kills one, injures one

A truck carrying wood collided with a motorbike in the town of Madagui in Lam Dong Province's Da Huoai District yesterday at 2am, killing one person and injuring another.

According to police, a truck was traveling toward HCM City when it suddenly crashed into a motorbike driven by Nguyen Van Hoa, a resident of Da Teh District.

The truck was reportedly carrying illegal logs. Authorities said another truck was deployed to continue carrying the wood to its destination, but it left before authorities arrived.

The case is still under investigation.

Vietnamese women’s association debuts in Cambodia

The Association of Cambodians of Vietnamese Origin (ACVO) in Cambodia held a ceremony in Phnom Penh on March 7 to celebrate the 105th anniversary of the International Women’s Day (March 8) and launch the Vietnamese women’s association in Cambodia.

Lai Xuan Chien, Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) at the Vietnamese embassy in Cambodia, and ACVO President Chau Van Tri delivered congratulatory speeches and presented flowers to overseas Vietnamese women in Cambodia on their special day.

Generations of overseas Vietnamese women in Cambodia have always made constant efforts to enhance the status of the overseas Vietnamese community in Cambodia and contribute to promoting the friendship and solidarity between the two countries and their people, affirmed Pham Thanh Thuy, ACVO Vice President and General Secretary.

On the occasion, the ACVO announced the decision to establish the Vietnamese women’s association in Cambodia and launch its provisional executive board presided by Hoang Hoa, an overseas Vietnamese businesswoman in Cambodia. ACVO Vice President and General Secretary Pham Thanh Thuy was elected as the association’s president of honour.

President of the executive board, Hoang Hoa pledged to join overseas Vietnamese women to promote the solidarity spirit and preserve the fine traditions of Vietnamese women. The association will function as a common house for overseas Vietnamese women to meet and share experiences, helping to stabilise their lives and integration into the native country’s society, Hoa added.

Australian support for Vietnamese community projects

Australian Ambassador to Viet Nam Hugh Borrowman has announced an aid package worth AUD230.000 for 13 community development projects in northern Viet Nam.

The Ambassador said DAP is an important program that allows support to go to the neediest communities. This year, the program is supporting communities in upgrading a health clinic in Thanh Hoa, building a new classroom in Thai Binh and providing training on environmental protection and waste management in Ninh Binh.

Projects span a variety of sectors including health care, education, environmental protection, agricultural development and livelihood support, he added.

In the 2013-2014 fiscal year, Australia funded 14 projects in northern Viet Nam through DAP, including an important cooperative project between Australian NGO Caring and Living as Neighbours (CLAN) and the Viet Nam National Hospital of Pediatrics.

President gives gifts to northern border farmers

President Truong Tan Sang presented social welfare gifts to poor households in seven border provinces during a ceremony in the northern mountainous province of Cao Bang on March 9.

Among the gifts, 13,000 tonnes of cement from the military-run telecom service provider Viettel were donated to locals in the northern provinces of Quang Ninh, Lang Son, Ha Giang, Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Dien Bien and Cao Bang, in support of building and upgrading their own farms.

The activity is under the programme “Breeding cows for the poor in border areas”, which was launched nearly 9 months ago and raised a stock of over 13,000 cows, more than 7,000 of them have reached the hands of the impoverished.

This year, up to 24,000 breeding cows worth 360 billion VND (17.1 million USD) are expected to come to the poor in 11 border provinces.

On the occasion, the President asked for upgrading transport infrastructure in order to facilitate trade with other provinces and shifting the structure of agriculture by replacing low-quality plant varieties with high-yield ones.

To attract capital inflows, the Steering Board for North-western Region was requested to fine-tune policies regarding taxation, lending and infrastructure, among others.

During a working session with local authorities the same day, the leader called the attention to ramping up infrastructure, overhauling administrative procedures, cracking down on cross-border smuggling and improving the quality of local lives.

The call was made after considering that Cao Bang remains weak in agriculture, workforce and local competitiveness, particularly when Vietnam is also under pressure of global economic integration.

He demanded adjusting investment in farming, services and industry sectors and making thorough preparations for the all-level Party Congresses.

The same day, the leader paid tribute to the late President Ho Chi Minh in Pac Bo relic site and presented gifts to welfare beneficiary families in Dam Thuy commune, Trung Khanh district.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has suggested the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang develop its economy beyond agriculture, including industry, tourism, and services by utilising any and all available resources.

With strongholds in farming and fisheries, Soc Trang needs to reduce the rate of impoverished households while addressing environmental pollution and rising sea levels, the Party chief told local authorities during a working session on March 9, adding that workforce quality should be improved upon in the name of industrialisation and modernisation.

As the all-level Party Congresses ahead of the 12 th National Party Congress are quickly approaching, he urged the province to push Party build-up forward in tandem with expanding a campaign on studying and following the late President Ho Chi Minh’s moral examples.

At the same time, initiatives to stamp out social vices like corruption, bureaucracy, and wastefulness are to be continued.

Last year, the local economy expanded by 10.4 percent with a gross domestic product per capita reaching 34.3 million VND (1,640 USD).

In agriculture, the province harvested over 2.2 million tonnes of rice with an average output of 6.2 tonnes per hectare. Total aquaculture output was estimated at 205,000 tonnes.

The industrial production value topped 9.5 trillion VND (452.3 million USD) in addition to 650 million USD worth of exports. Soc Trang also collected more than 1.98 trillion VND (94.7 million USD) for the State budget.

The national target programme on new rural development recorded positive results; including cutting back the poverty rate to 12.49 percent.

Soc Trang also applied the self-criticism practices set under the resolution adopted by the fourth plenum of the Party Central Committee (11 th tenure) and initiated actions to tackle shortcomings and possible violations promptly.

Visiting Ngoc To commune in My Xuyen district, one of the 22 localities chosen to implement the national target programme on new rural development, Trong called on the programme to be implemented sustainably. He also encouraged the commune to maintain its sense of patriotism and creativity in labour as well as improve the quality of life of its residents.

In 2014, the local average income per capital rose to 31 million VND (1,400 USD) and the household poverty rate was brought down to 4.88 percent from 22.4 percent.

He also took the occasion to visit and present gifts to heroic Vietnamese mothers and the families of war heroes.

Meeting members of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS)’s Supreme Patriarch and Executive Councils led by Most Venerable Duong Nhon, Vice President of the VBS’s Executive Council and Head of the Soc Trang Buddhist Sangha’s Executive Board, the Party leader expressed his hope that the local Buddhist community would remain united and contribute further to society.-

Fishermen to get modern boats

No provinces or cities have completed lists of fishermen who would benefit from the Government's support programme on building new high-capacity, steel boats for offshore fishing, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development during a recent online discussion.

The discussion aimed at providing detail information and explaining Government Decree 67/2014/ND-CP under which policies were introduced to boost the development of fisheries, including a programme on building high-capacity, steel boats for deep sea fishing.

To be able to benefit from the programme, fishermen must be approved by the local People's Committees.

Commercial banks nationwide have pledged about 14 trillion VND (658 million USD) in loans for organisations and individuals wishing to build new vessels or upgrade their fishing vessels under Decree 67.

Pham Ngoc Tuan, an official from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development at the online discussion said the slowness in approving the lists were due to lack of efforts, in particular, the provision of information about the policies, from local authorities.

Speaking at the discussion, speakers talked in detail about requirements for fishermen and firms to benefit from the decree.

The State Bank has asked commercial banks to set up hotlines to receive inquiries from fishermen about the issue.

Under present plans, the number of fishing boats in Vietnam could reach 110,000 by 2020, of which 30,000 would fish offshore.

Le Trung Thanh, Vice-general Director of the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam, said the bank had asked its credit officers to actively provide information to farmers in order to timely reimburse the Government's funding for the programme.

BIDV and other commercial banks have set up a loan form which is short and easy to understand for farmers.

Forty fishermen in central Quang Ngai province are the first to qualify for Government loans to build new fishing vessels.

Under Government Decree 67/2014/ND-CP, basic policies were introduced to boost the development of fisheries, including building high-capacity, steel boats for deep sea fishing.

The move is expected to increase the tonnage of fish caught and lift the incomes of fishermen.

The eligible fishermen plan to build 15 ships, two composite mother ships and 23 wooden boats.

This information was revealed at a meeting of the Quang Ngai provincial steering committee chaired by director Pham Truong Tho, who is also vice-chairman of the provincial People's Committee.

Tho has told commercial banks to simplify procedures to make it easier for the fishermen to access loans.

He also suggested agencies hold communication campaigns to help local fishermen fully understand their rights and obligations as Decree 67 beneficiaries.

Commercial banks nationwide have pledged about 14 trillion VND (658 million USD) in loans for organisations and individuals wishing to build new or upgrade their fishing vessels under Decree 67.

As many as 2,079 new off-shore fishing ships and 205 logistics ships will be built under this decree, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Hau Giang looks to achieve universal nursery education

The Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang aims to complete the 2010-2015 programme to universalise pre-school education for five-year-old children by August this year, said Dong Van Thanh, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee.

To achieve the target, the locality will improve facilities and building capability for teaching and managing staff and expanding services.

Over the past five years, the sector has mobilised nearly 350 billion VND (16.3 million USD) from various resources to effectively implement the programme.

Currently, the province has 83 nursery schools in all its communes and wards with more than 1,300 qualified teachers.

More than 95 percent of local five-year-old children have access to pre-school education.-

Dong Nai steps up rural development

Southern Dong Nai province targets to have 88 out of its total 136 communes and 5 of 11 districts to meet the new-style rural standards in 2015.

Accordingly, Dong Nai will strive to increase agricultural production value by 6 percent from last year and raise per hectare production value to more than 105 million VND (approximately 5,000 USD) from the current 97 million VND. At the same time, per capita income will be bring to more than 36 million VND (around 1,700 USD) while the poverty rate among local households should be reduced to under 0.48 percent.

To realise the goal, the province will focus on restructuring local agricultural sector along the direction of building large-scale cultivation and animal breeding areas for higher products’ added value and sustainability. The authorities will apply policies to effectively mobilise financial and human resources from all economic sectors and from the community for rural development.

The province is working to promote new production models and the development of industry and service sectors in rural areas, alongside boosting the application of advanced farm techniques.

Notably, Dong Nai has built its own new-style rural standards containing 54 criteria compared to the national set of 39 criteria.

The national new-style rural area programme was launched by the Government in 2010, with criteria covering building infrastructure, improving production capacity, constructing public works, protecting landscapes and the environment, and promoting local traditions and cultural identities, among others.

The Prime Minister has set tasks for the Central Committee for the National New Style Rural Area Building Programme to achieve 20 percent of the total communes nationwide (or 1,800) recognised as modern rural areas in 2015.-

Int’l women’s day celebrated in Macau

The 105th anniversary of International Women’s Day was celebrated at the Consulate-General of Vietnam headquarters in Macau (China) on March 8.

The event was attended by Vietnamese women and nationals working in Macau.

At the event, Vietnamese Consul-General Hoang Chi Trung highlighted the important role of Vietnamese women residing in Macau, including their significant contributions to preserving and developing the traditions of the nation, their constant efforts to render services to the nation, and fulfilling their family duties, he said.

Also on the occasion, the Consul-General granted certificates from the Chairman of the State Committee on Overseas Vietnamese Affairs to Vietnamese nationals with outstanding contributions to the country.

Thua Thien-Hue targets 11 new-style rural communes in 2015

The central province of Thua Thien-Hue targets the declaration of 11 additional communes as new-style rural areas in 2015, double the 2014 figure.

Nguyen Van Cao, Chairman of the provincial People Committee and Head of the provincial Steering Committee on the National Target Program on New Rural Development, said that the province will prioritise difficult-to-achieve criteria such as infrastructure for culture, education, traffic, environment, irrigational construction and fresh water.

Together with investment capital sourced from the State budget, the province has mobilised nearly 1.78 trillion VND (83.4 million USD) to build essential infrastructure for production while arranging nearly 5.4 billion VND (253,000 USD) to support production development.

To complete the electricity criteria, the province invested in the energy grid in 92 rural communities, thus promoting technology transfer and enhancing labour capacity.

The province also studied and transferred 32 agricultural models, 46 breeding models, 14 fishery models and 5 brand name development support models to locals.

As a result of these initiatives, the income per capita of residents in the communes reached 20.7 million VND (971 USD), a yearly increase of 24 percent, while the poverty rate stood at 6.64 percent, down nearly 1.8 percent from 2013.

Other communes in the province are also implementing measures to meet the criteria, focusing on popularisation, mobilisation, awareness-raising of authorities and especially encouraging resident involvement in the new-style area construction.

At the outset of 2015, set of 19 criteria for new rural development was satisfied by 9 communes in the locality, of which two communes were granted recognition as new-style rural areas.

Huong Hoa commune in Nam Dong mountainous district has recently become the first locality to be presented with the recognition. The local income per capita reached over 23 million VND (1,095 USD) and poverty rate is below 1.5 percent, spurred by garden-based and forest economic development.

The national programme on building new-style rural areas, initiated by the Government in 2010, includes 19 criteria on socio-economic development, politics, and defence, aiming to boost rural regions of Vietnam.

The list of criteria includes the development of infrastructure, the improvement of production capacities, environmental protection, and the promotion of cultural values.

Party official meets Central Highlands minorities, dignitaries

Politburo Member and Permanent Member of the Secretariat Le Hong Anh met with outstanding members of the Central Highlands region’s ethnic minorities and religious dignitaries in Buon Ma Thuot city in Dak Lak province on March 9.

Speaking at the meeting on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Buon Ma Thuot victory, he expressed his hope that they would further uphold their sense of responsibility and patriotism and contribute to sustainable regional development.

Minister of Security General Tran Dai Quang encouraged them to build on past achievements to make strides in every aspect of their lives.

Event attendees were urged to call on the public to abide by the Party policies and State laws, especially those related to ethnic and religious affairs, while simultaneously fostering the sense of community unity.

The Central Highlands is home to a population of 5.5 million, 36.85 percent of which are from 53 ethnic minority groups and over 2 million are religious followers.

Central Highlands authorities have worked tirelessly to realise the Party and State policy of freedom of religion and faith, offering support to religious organisations and followers to include them in the country’s socio-economic development.-

Needy people along Dong Thap border receive free medical care

Nearly 1,500 low-income people in the border area of southern Dong Thap province and the neighbouring Cambodian province of Prey Veng have benefited from free examinations and medicine given by the provincial Red Cross so far this year.

The beneficiaries in Dong Thap’s Hong Ngu district and township and Prey Veng’s Neak Luong town also received gifts and financial support from the charity in coordination with other international organisations.

During the Lunar New Year holiday in mid-February, the Red Cross worked with the Ho Chi Minh City Sponsoring Association for Poor Patients to provide eye exams for 87 patients in Tan Hong and Thap Muoi district.

Another 300 individuals in Thap Muoi’s My Quy commune also received examinations and medication offered by the Red Cross and the ACB Bank’s HCM City branch.

More than 250 expatriates in Neak Luong benefited from similar activities held by the Red Cross, the Dong Thap provincial General Hospital, and the Union of Friendship Organisations.

The Dong Thap Red Cross, founded in August 1975, currently has 144 subsidiary bodies at the communal level, more than 27,900 members, and 8,000 volunteers.

VEF/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/Dantri/VIR