Thanh Hoa: Rice aid for nearly 20,000 disadvantaged students

Nearly 20,000 disadvantaged students in the central province of Thanh Hoa will receive rice support in the second semester of the 2017-2018 academic year as decided by the Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee.

Rice will be allocated to 246 primary, secondary and high schools in the locality.

Each student will be supported with 15 kilos of rice per month for four months.

Earlier, the province provided over 1,470 tonnes of rice for 19,643 students in 244 schools in the province in the first semester of the 2017-2018 academic year.

Tens of thousands of students in the province’s mountainous areas are living with difficult conditions. Rice support programme helps reduce economic pressure on the students, their families and schools while improving students’ health and education quality.

The move is also significant to ensuring social order, stabilising local livelihoods and developing the economy in disadvantaged areas.

RoK-supported mine action project launched

The Republic of Korea-supported project on overcoming the consequences of post-war bombs and mines was launched during a ceremony in the central province of Quang Binh on March 9. 

Prolonged wars left 6.13 million ha of land in Vietnam contaminated with landmines and unexploded ordnances (UXOs) accounting for 18.82 percent of the country’s total land. Over 100,000 people died or injured due to UXOs. 

Quang Binh and Binh Dinh are among the hard hit in terms of contamination level and the number of victims with limited preventive measures. 

In Binh Dinh, the land contaminated with UXOs make up of over 40 percent of the total land and UXO-caused casualties numbered around 3,000. The respective figures in Quang Binh are roughly 28 percent and nearly 6,000 people. 

The project will be carried out in the two provinces by the Vietnam National Mine Action Centre, and sponsors – the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the United Nations Development Programme in Vietnam (UNDP) from now till December 2020. 

Speaking at the event, Lee Myion, Minister at the RoK Embassy in Vietnam said the RoK government commits 20 million USD in grant aid to the project via the KOICA with commitments to making real changes in the lives of many people in the central region. 

She said the landmark project underlined genuine friendship between peoples of the two countries and would help the RoK gain a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by Vietnam and work together to overcome them, thus serving the importance purpose of bringing two peoples ever closer. 

Lieut. Gen Le Hien Van, deputy head of the Standing Office of the National Steering Committee for Overcoming the Consequences of Chemical and Explosive Remnants of War (701 Steering Committee) said the committee and the Ministry of National Defence highly value the collaboration between KOICA, UNDP and the Vietnam National Mine Action Centre over the past years and look forward to more cooperation, valuable support and contribution of the international community to Vietnam for overcoming the consequences of the war for the noble and humanitarian objective. 

He asked units and localities concerned to work closely together to ensure the progress, quality, safety and efficiency of the project, which is expected to improve Vietnam’s capacity of overcoming the aftermath of bombs and mines.

Health insurances, free meals given to needy people in Central Highlands

Over 1,400 health insurance cards for 2018, worth a total of about 240 million VND (10,560 USD), were presented to near-poor people in Kon Tum city, the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum, on March 8 by life insurer Hanwha Life Vietnam.

Hanwha Vietnam also donated 1.4 billion VND (61,600 USD) to help around 8,150 near-poor people in Nghe An, Ca Mau and Lam Dong provinces purchase health insurance.

It is the fifth consecutive year the life insurer has given away health insurance cards to people living in difficult circumstances.

Earlier, the firm presented a total of over 37,500 health insurance cards, 30 houses and 360 gift packages to people in need across the country.

It was estimated, by the end of 2017, about 26,100 poor households and 8,380 near-poor households in Kon Tum, or 26.81 percent of the local population, were in need of support to purchase health insurance.

Founded in 1946, Hanwha Life Insurance is the oldest life insurance company in the Republic of Korea (RoK). It has grown to be the country’s leading life insurer with total assets of 84 billion USD and an AAA solvency rating from prominent rating agencies.

In Kon Tum’s neighbouring province of Dak Nong, the provincial Department of Health hosted a charity concert, namely “Dem nhac Blouse trang” (White Blouse Music Night) to raise funds for poor patients.

The event collected more than 800 million VND and 1.2 tonnes of rice which will be used to offer free meals to impoverished in-patients in the province.

According to the Department of Health, five local hospitals have set up charity kitchens so far which provide nearly 50,000 free meals every year.

Nestlé to expand programme to improve rural women’s role

Nearly a year after starting a programme to train rural women in nutrition, taking care of themselves and their families, and gradually improving their income, Nestle Vietnam plans to expand it to more localities.

Some 800 women in 120 communes in six northern provinces -- Thai Binh, Hai Duong, Nam Dinh, Ha Nam, Hung Yen, and Ninh Binh – have taken part in the “NEST Sisters” programme that Nestlé is carried out in collaboration with the Women’s Union.

Women in rural areas play an important role in agricultural production and contribute a great deal to the family income.

But due to their limited access to information on healthcare and nutrition along with a heavy workload and nutritional deficiencies, their health is modest.

Under the programme, through provincial units of the Women’s Union and commune units of the Women’s Association, the company is building a women’s group called “NEST Sisters”, whose members are taught about nutrition, healthcare, and nutritious products. They in turn take this knowledge to other women and households in their commune.

Dang Thi Huyen, Vice Chairwoman of the Women’s Union in Cong Hoa commune, Nam Sach district, Hai Duong province, said her unit started implementing the programme last year and it has helped them understand more about quality products for their families.

The company plans to expand the programme to 21 provinces and cities across the countries, hoping to have another 2,500 women in 400 communes involved in.

Spring in an Ede ethnic village

Ko Tam village in Ea Tu commune, Buon Ma Thuot city, has been developed into a seductive tourist destination. Its unspoiled nature and unique culture of the E De ethnic minority people attract many visitors.

Covering more than 17 ha, the Ko Tam eco-tourist site is based on the combination of natural settings and distinctive architecture like E De traditional long houses, upstream water wharf, and a wood statue garden. Traditional customs, practices, and festivals of the Ede, especially those during major occasions have been maintained.  

A local festival is characterized by a bonfire, the sound of gongs, the wine drink out of a jar through pipes, and the guest welcoming ritual.

H Sinh E Ban of the E De ethnic group is a tour guide in Ko Tam. She said this job helps her better understand her group’s traditional culture and introduce it to visitors.

“This ecological tourist site is built to protect the culture of local ethnic minority groups including the E De. Tourism makes the E De culture better known to both Vietnamese and foreign people,” said H Sinh E Ban. 

Vu Vo Thuy Dung, a visitor, who participated in a performance night said “In Ko Tam, I enjoyed xoang dance and gong performances performed by local artists. They are very special and embrace the Central Highlands identity.”

Located near Buon Ma Thuot city, Ko Tam has been drawing plenty of visitors in recent years. These days, everywhere is decorated beautifully in order to welcome visitors. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Anh, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Ko Tam Community Tourism Company, said the village is capable of receiving 10,000 visitors a day with various cultural activities. 

"The Ko Tam tourist site represents the E De culture. During major occasions and festivals, we organize gong exchanges involving local patriarchs and artists. We also organize boat races and other competitions and provide visitors with typical local dishes.”

Ko Tam is compared to a colorful and romantic landscape photograph, which depicts the unspoiled nature and beautiful culture of the E De. 

Surge in Chinese and Russian visitors to Nha Trang in Jan

The south central Khanh Hoa province’s Department of Tourism has announced that the number of foreign arrivals to Nha Trang city for January saw an increase of more than 144% on the same period last year to beyond 235,200.

surge in chinese and russian visitors to nha trang in jan hinh 0 The department said the number of Chinese and Russian visitors topped the list of foreign arrivals in Nha Trang. In January, the city welcomed more than 146,300 Chinese tourists, and over 49,000 Russians with respective increases of 142% and 118% compared to last year’s corresponding period.

Notably, the number of tourists from the Republic of Korea increased by nearly 200% to more than 6,000 while the figure for Japanese tourists also hit 1,000. Traditional visitors from Germany, the UK, France, and Canada also reached near 1,000 (unchanged from last year).

According to the department, in the first five days of the lunar New Year, the numbers of visitors grew by10% on last year to 192,000, with an estimated revenue of VND430,000 billion.

This year, the tourism sector sets a target of receiving about 6.5 million visitors, including 2.8 million foreign arrivals, to earn an estimated revenue of VND21.6 trillion.

HCM City eyes tougher conditions for migrants to become permanent residents

Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Construction has made a controversial proposal to raise the minimum living space required for internal migrants to register as permanent residents by four times.

The proposed plan, aimed at relieving pressure from the city’s social and technical infrastructure, has been met with criticism from social experts who see little benefit from the new requirement.

According to Vietnam’s law on residency, citizens who want to register as permanent residents in a municipality must have a legal place of residence in the destination city and have been a temporary resident there for at least one year.

A legal place of residence can be either their own property or a rent one.

In the latter case, one applicant must obtain written permission from the house owners that they agree to have him or her register as a permanent resident in their residence book.

The application is only approved if that applicant has a minimum living space of five square meters in the house.

The municipal construction department has proposed increasing the required minimum living space by four times to 20 square meters per person.

Residence books, which tie a person to a permanent address, are issued to the house owner and contain information of all permanent residents who stay at the same address.

Having one’s name in a residence book in a major city like Ho Chi Minh City is a goal for many ‘undocumented migrants’ in Vietnam, as it allows them to enroll their children into local public schools, applying for certain jobs, enjoying welfare benefits and performing a range of administrative procedures.

The move by Ho Chi Minh City authorities has been viewed as a setback, considering the Vietnamese government already made a landmark decision last year to part with residence books in an effort to streamline administrative procedures and citizens’ documents.

The construction department has argued that the hike in internal migrants to the southern metropolis, while boosting its economy, has placed tremendous pressure on the city’s social and technical infrastructure.

The new living space requirement could solve problems including traffic congestion, pollution and overpopulation, it explained.

However, experts have pointed out that the proposed plan would do little to help elevate these problems Ho Chi Minh City is facing, as the internal migrants are still here to stay and work whether they are permanent residents or not.

“Resorting to living space conditions as a tool for residency management reflects an outdated mindset,” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Dien, vice rector of the University of Economics and Law in Ho Chi Minh City.

“Instead, authorities should start viewing social problems from an economic perspective and use economic drives to redirect the flow of migrants elsewhere.”

World Water Day marked in Vietnam

The theme of this year’s World Water Day – Nature for Water – explores how we can use nature to overcome the water challenges of the 21st century and achieve sustainable growth.

Vietnam has launched an International Water Week to mark World Water Day which falls on March 22nd.

A series of seminars on public-private partnership in water management, photo exhibitions, and displays of high-tech products are being held during International Water Week. 

More than 500 papers on water resource monitoring and forecasting from 20 countries and territories will be presented. The event includes two courses called "Application of satellite technology in water resources management" and "Monitoring and forecasting of water resources".

Vietnam is facing numerous water-related challenges because it is located in the tropical weather zone and has a long coast and extensive low-land areas.  Vietnam is one of the 5 countries hardest hit by climate change and rising sea level. The Vietnamese government identifies water as a strategic resource to ensure sustainable national growth. 

Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Tran Quy Kien said "It’s crucial to apply technology to water investigation and surveillance, expand the scale of investigation and search, focus on key economic zones and areas that are prone to drought and saline intrusion, and strengthen state management of water resource. We also need to pay more attention to the exploitation and utilization of water resources to boost socio-economic development while protecting the environment.”

Director General of the National Center for Water Resource Planning and Investigation Tong Ngoc Thanh said, “Water investigation is one of our key tasks. We have basically completed a national map of underground water and a map for water resource investigation of major rivers. We have strengthened international cooperation.”

Vietnam’s International Water Week provides opportunities for the community to make a commitment to protect water resources and the environment, towards the goal of sustainable economic development.

Nearly 7,300 marijuana plants uprooted in Dak Nong

Police of Dak Glong district in the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong on March 5 uprooted nearly 7,300 marijuana plants illegally being grown in Dak R’Mang commune. 

Nguyen Van Minh, head of Dak R’Mang commune police, said the plants were cultivated on about 5,500 sq.m. 

The area, 20km from the residential area through jungle, belongs to Nguyen Duc Ha, a resident in Dak R’Mang commune. 

Ha rented the area to a person of unknown gender called Diep, who has since fled, about four months ago for farming. 

The case is under investigation.

Vietnam attends education union congress in Mexico

A delegation from the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) led by Vice President Nguyen Thi Thu Hong joined 65 international delegations at the 18th Congress of the Foundation for International Space Education (FISE) in Mexico from March 4-5. 

In his speech at the event, President of the VGCL’s Vietnam Education Trade Union Vu Minh Duc praised efforts made by FISE in protecting the rights of workers in the education sector. 

He said his agency wishes to expand cooperation with educational trade unions across the world, thus enhancing experience sharing in education and labour union activities. 

The organisation is working to protect the rights and interests of teachers and employees in the field, he said. 

He added that the Vietnam Education Trade Union is an active member of the ASEAN Council of Teacher – a forum for sharing experience in union activities among ASEAN member countries’ education sectors, thus promoting education-training reforms in each country. 

On the sidelines of the event, Vietnamese delegates met with General Secretary of the National Coordination of Education Workers of Mexico Victor Manuel Zavala, and Deputy General Secretary of the World Federation of Trade Unions Valentin Pacho, during which they discussed how to boost education union-related connection between Vietnam and Mexico.

National press festival to run in March

The national press festival, themed “Vietnamese press accompanies the nation in renovation”, is slated for March 16 – 18 at the Hanoi Museum, heard a press conference on March 6.

The event is organised by the Vietnam Journalists Association, the Hanoi People’s Committee, the Commission for Popularisation and Education, the Ministry of Information and Communication and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The opening ceremony will be broadcast live on Vietnam Television and Voice of Vietnam, while the ending ceremony will be aired by Hanoi Radio Television and Voice of Vietnam. 

Fifty-five units from the Vietnam Journalists Association’s branches and journalism education establishments will take part in the festival.

This year, the festival is set to display outstanding publications from last year and in the first quarter of 2018, which will be classified into four different categories on Party building, National Assembly & constituents, building a transparent and constructive Government and journalists’ ethics.

Other activities include musical performances and fashion shows by journalism students, photo exhibitions and forums on the role of the press amid the fourth industrial revolution, among other topics.

The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union will take the occasion to hold a meeting marking its founding anniversary (March 26) and to honour excellent young reporters.

The organising board of the press festival said it will present awards for the best stall, best cover of a Tet publication, best user interface of an online newspaper and outstanding scientific research projects, among others.

HCM City resolved to optimise given special mechanisms, policies

The standing boards of the People’s Council, People’s Committee and Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ho Chi Minh City will enhance coordination to popularise and implement resolutions on piloting special mechanisms and policies for the city.

Municipal authorities held a meeting on March 6 to review their coordination in 2017.

In November 2017, the National Assembly issued Resolution 54/2017/QH14 on piloting special mechanisms and policies to bolster the development of HCM City. Later, the municipal People’s Council issued Resolution 25/NQ-HDND on implementing the resolution.

Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong said coordination among the three standing boards has proved effective, creating favourable conditions for deputies to supervise the State and local administration, deal with local problems in a timely manner and help the city achieve its targets.

He said the People’s Committee will play a more active role in the coordination, especially in the implementation of the National Assembly’s resolution.

Echoing the view, Chairwoman of the People’s Council Nguyen Thi Quyet Tam said a focus of the three standing boards’ coordination would be resolution implementation.

Addressing the event, Politburo member and Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan recognised the synchronous coordination among the standing boards in resolution implementation.

Regarding the planned increase of local government workers’ salaries, a right HCM City has under the special mechanisms and policies, he said the salary hike will be made in 2018, based on people and businesses’ feedback. 

He asked the municipal Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee to assess people and businesses’ satisfaction of public workers’ performance. Those evaluations will be a basis for authorities to decide an appropriate salary bump.

Conference talks integrated early childhood development

A conference on integrated early childhood development (IECD) was held in Hanoi on March 6, aiming to increase National Assembly deputies’ awareness of the importance of IECD and to encourage them to promote IECD in the work of elected bodies. 

Delegates at the event noted that IECD is the shared responsibility of parents, caregivers, families and service providers from various sectors of health, nutrition, education, child protection and water, environmental sanitation and hygiene. 

International research shows that cognitive ability is markedly affected by childhood circumstances. Children who experienced good nutrition, stimulation and supportive and secure environments are most likely to reach their full potential. 

However, in Vietnam, major gaps remain in supporting the cognitive and emotional development of children, especially for those under 8 years of age, they said. 

Many said the importance of investing in early childhood development has been increasingly recognised by Vietnam, with the issuance of a Party resolution on enhancing the protection, care and health for people in 2017, along with the approval of the Law on Children in 2016. 

They also cited the Law on Health Insurance, the Education Law and the Labour Code with contents relating to heath care for children, early childhood education and maternity leave for women. 

Based on such legal documents, the Vietnamese Government is in the process of finalising a national integrated early childhood development scheme (national IECD scheme) for 2018-2025. 

The programme will be led by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA), the leading agency for children’s issues, in coordination with other ministries and agencies.

It aims to ensure all-round development of children aged from 0-8 and their equal access to services, thus contributing to national human resources development, said Vu Thi Kim Hoa, deputy head of the Child Department under the MoLISA. 

Ngo Thi Minh, Vice Chairwomen of the National Assembly’s Committee for Culture, Education, Youth and Children, underlined the importance of a national IECD programme. 

Effective implementation of the IECD programme will require strong engagement of elected officials in their oversight function, ensuring the programme is fully financed, well-coordinated and scaled at national level, she said. 

Yoshimi Nishino, Acting Deputy Representative of UNICEF Vietnam, said the National Assembly has a vital role in promoting the nationwide implementation of IECD, bringing together different agencies that play a critical role in the life of a child. 

“A failure to have strong commitment to invest in and implement IECD would come at a great cost with poor learning, slow physical growth, lower wages, higher unemployment and increased dependence on public assistance that weighs down economic and social progress for everyone,” he said.

Project aims to preserve medicinal plants

A project on preserving and developing two valuable species of medicinal plants is being implemented in the Pù Hu Nature Reserve in the central province of Thanh Hóa, said the reserve’s management board.

The two species, Indian mulberry (Morinda officinalis) and Amomum Longiligulare T.L.Wu, grow in only five areas of the reserve and are in need of preservation.

The project will be implemented from now until 2020, during which the reserve’s management board will conduct research on the conditions of the plants and the threats to their existence in 20 villages in the area, said reserve director Nguyễn Phương Đông.

“We will grow the species ourselves and carefully track their growth and development,” he said.

Forty knowledge-sharing conferences will be held in 40 villages in the reserve’s buffer zone to raise awareness and heighten commitment on protecting the plants, he added. Maps, documentaries, posters and educational materials will be created and distributed at schools and among the community, he said.  

The project is of utmost importance since the natural distribution of the two species is shrinking and the number of plants is decreasing, Đông added.

It will also help to protect forest resources, restore vegetation and increase forest cover within the reserve’s area, he said.

Indian mulberry is often found in the northern province of Lạng Sơn, Vĩnh Phúc, Hòa Bình in Việt Nam. It is used in treatment of kidney failure, impotence, rheumatism and neurasthenia.

Amomum Longiligulare T.L.Wu is often found in mountainous areas and used as a catalyst to stimulate digestion, curing stomach aches and other digestive problems.

National U19 Football Tournament finals kick off in Hue

The final round of the National U19 Football Tournament will be held at Tu Do Stadium in Hue City from March 6-15.

The tournament is organized by the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) and Thanh Nien Media Corporation and consists of two groups: the FCs of Thua Thien-Hue, Dong Thap, Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City in Group A; and Viettel, Dong Nai, Song Lam Nghe An and Hoang Anh Gia Lai FCs in Group B.

According to the organizing board, 5 players of the Vietnam U23 squad who won silver at the AFC U23 Championship will compete in the final round of the National U19 Football Tournament, including Bui Tien Dung, Nguyen Trong Dai, Truong Van Thai Quy, Nguyen Van Hoang, and Dang Ngoc Tuan.

The Vietnam U19s coach Hoang Anh Tuan attended the opening ceremony of the U19 Football Tournament with the head coach of Vietnam’s national team Park Hang-seo.