HCM City to pilot bus lanes

The HCMC Department of Transport will test setting up bus lanes on Dien Bien Phu and Vo Thi Sau streets.

In particular, buses will be given priority to run on the middle lanes of Dien Bien Phu Street (the one-way section from Ngo Gia Tu - Ly Thai To intersection to Dinh Tien Hoang Street) and the entire street of Vo Thi Sau from Dinh Tien Hoang Street to Dan Chu Roundabout.

Bus stops, designed the same as those of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) routes in Hanoi, will be set up along the middle lanes for people to easily catch the bus.

According to the Management and Operation Center for Public Transport of HCMC, the scheme for establishing bus lanes is prepared by the HCMC University of Transport and will be passed around for public comment.

In addition to buses, the middle lanes of the streets should be used for ambulances and coaches also.

The city earlier had intended to pilot bus lanes on these streets in April 2017. However, the HCMC Department of Transport said the pilot scheme should be carefully studied and reported to the city government before implementation.

These priority lanes are aimed at ensuring punctual bus operations and thus attracting more people to travel by bus. If the pilot scheme is successful, it would be expanded to some other streets such as Truong Chinh, Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, Nguyen Van Troi, Hanoi Highway and Pham Van Dong.

Pham Sanh, an urban transport expert, suggested the city set up bus lanes on wide roads such as Vo Van Kiet, Pham Van Dong, Dien Bien Phu and Hanoi Highway. Meanwhile, there should not be separate bus lanes on narrow inner-city roads.

U.S. Consulate to hold talk shows with Vietnamese American speakers

The U.S. consulate general in HCMC will host three talk shows at the American Center on level 8 of Diamond Plaza in District 1 on May 10, 17 and 24 respectively. 

The talk shows will have the presence of highly-successful Vietnamese American speakers who are living and working in HCMC and has made great contributions to spurring Vietnam-U.S. relations. The event will serve as a bridge to help boost the mutual understanding between the Vietnamese people and the Vietnamese community in the U.S.

The first event will take place from 5.30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on May 10, featuring some famous speakers including Don Le, a founder of Everest Education, Mimi Vu from the Pacific Links Foundation, Anh-Thu Nguyen from Baker McKenzie international law firm in Vietnam, and Don Phan, a successful entrepreneur. They will share with audiences on cultural similarities and differences between Vietnamese people and Vietnamese Americans. 

Those interested can join the second talk show from 5.30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on May 17, with the participation of filmmakers Jenni Trang Le and Bao Nguyen, lawyer Khanh Nguyen and Melinh Rozen from Everest Education. The panel will focus on communications among generations in the family within the Vietnamese and American cultural context and how to overcome the generation gap in Vietnam’s cultural environment.

Additionally, Khanh Nguyen from the U.S Consulate General in HCMC, Chi Ha of American Education Group Vietnam, Alexander Tu Nguyen of the Soul Music and Performing Arts Academy and Ken Dat Duong from TDL International Law Firm will be present at the last session which will happen from 5.30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on May 24. The young talented speakers are expected to discuss the paths leading them to returning to Vietnam and share their personal views on the future development of HCMC and the contributions of Vietnam Americans to the city in the coming time.

Due to limited seats, those interested are advised to come to there soon and bring ID cards for admission to the event.

For further information, contact the American Center on level 8, Diamond Plaza, 34 Le Duan Boulevard, District 1, HCMC, tel: 08 3520 4614.

Vietnam mulls lifting midnight curfew to pull in more tourists

Restaurants and bars across the country could join Hanoi in keeping their doors open until 2 a.m.

Vietnam's Tourism Association has submitted a proposal to the government asking for recreational establishments to be allowed to stay open until 2 a.m. The proposal comes ahead of the 2017 Prime Minister with Enterprises Conference that will take place on May 17.
Some localities still ban establishments such as nightclubs and karaoke bars from opening past midnight. This regulation limits their businesses and makes it impossible for them to entertain many foreign tourists who want to have party late night, according to the association.

Under the new proposal, these establishments would be allowed to open until at least 2 a.m., encouraging foreign tourists to stay longer and spend more.

Hanoi launched a pilot scheme last September that allows restaurants and bars in Hoan Kiem District to stay open until 2 a.m. over the weekends.

The association has also asked the government to extend visa exemptions for tourists from France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain and Belarus. The current scheme, ending on June 30 this year, would be extended until 2022 if the proposal is approved.

A plan to offer visa exemptions for tourists from India, Australia, Canada, Poland, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Armenia will also be discussed at the conference.

These proposals are aimed at boosting visitor numbers to 18-20 million in 2020, according to the Tourism Association. Vietnam is expecting to welcome 11.5 million foreign arrivals this year, up 15 percent from 2016.

Vietnam has also been offering e-visas to visitors from 40 countries since February 1.

Bac Lieu: 340 billion VND needed to repair sea dyke erosion

The Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu needs 340 billion VND (14.9 million USD) to repair dykes affected by erosion.

Chairman of the provincial People Committee Duong Thanh Trung made the request to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development when a delegation from the ministry made a fact-finding tour on May 9 to survey the erosion of river banks and sea dykes in the locality.

Of the total, 150 billion VND (6.6 million USD) is needed to build breakwaters near shore and patching up the collapsed sea dykes. The remainder will be used for building submerged breakwaters.

Trung also asked the ministry to evaluate sea dyke erosion in the Mekong Delta region and Bac Lieu province to devise measures to counter the issue.

Bac Lieu province has huge potential in sea economy with a coastline of 56 kilometres and a population of 100,000 people. However, the region has been adversely affected by climate change, sea level rise, saline intrusion and seashore erosion.

From the outset of this year, cracks and subsidence have been recorded in Ganh Hao embankment (Ganh Hao town, Dong Hai district) and Nha Mat embankment (Nha Mat ward, Bac Lieu city).

To fix the situation, the province has invited scientists and research institutes to study and seek long term solutions to the issue.

Deputy Director of the General Department of Irrigation Tran Quang Hoai lauded the province’s effort to deal with the erosion and noted the province’s recommendations.

Police seize rhino horns hidden in toy boxes

An unidentified 20-year-old Vietnamese man was caught smuggling 1.5 kilos of rhino horn worth VNĐ2 billion (US$87,890) on a flight from Africa to Việt Nam on Monday.

According to customs officials at HCM City’s Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport, three pieces of rare Diceros birconis rhino horn were carefully hidden in his personal luggage and toy boxes.

The man was taken in for questioning.

In April, officials at the airport uncovered two smuggling cases, one of which involved five kilos of rhino horn and the other four kilos of ivory and pangolin scales, transported from Africa to Việt Nam.  

Legal inconsistency hinders social insurance debt lawsuit efforts

Transferring the right of suing companies for overdue social insurance payment to workplace-based trade unions has not been as effective as lawmakers had expected.

During an online round table discussion on the Government portal on Monday, Vietnam Social Insurance (VSI) vice general-director Đào Việt Ánh said the amount of social insurance debt companies failed to pay currently reached up to some VNĐ14 trillion (US$622.2 million) in the first quarter of 2017, doubling from last year’s total of VNĐ7.5 trillion. 

Worse still, there were only some 235,000 enterprises registered with social insurance, while the database of the tax authorities indicated that nearly 500,000 businesses were operating in Việt Nam.

"It means that nearly 50 per cent of the enterprises are yet to pay social insurance, or in other words are evading social insurance payment," Ánh said.

Suing these companies was an option that had proven to be effective, at least in the past. Before transferring the task of suing to trade unions, the VSI was able to file some 8,000 cases in court, half of which were settled, helping it collect VNĐ9.8 trillion in overdue insurance debt.

The National Assembly, however, thought it was inappropriate for the VSI to do both inspection and court work, and decided to let trade unions manage the legal procedings by voting through the Law on Social Insurance which came into effect on January 1 last year. 

The results were, however, minimal. According to Việt Nam General Confederation of Labour vice president Mai Đức Chính, out of 1,177 cases involving overdue social insurance payment that the VSI delivered to the unions, only 77 were filed in court. While majority of these companies agreed to pay the debt upon hearing of the lawsuits, some 17 cases were disappointingly rejected by the court, Chính said.

"One of the reasons was inconsistency in the law," he said. "The Supreme Court argued that social insurance evasion was a banned activity and should be first resolved through administrative penalties by the VSI. If the companies continued to avoid paying the insurance, the case would then be brought to a criminal trial."

The Supreme Court’s decision was valid, since despite a regulation allowing lawsuits against companies under the social insurance law, the Civil Procedure Code failed to mention the matter, National Assembly’s Committee for Social Affairs vice chairman Bùi Sỹ Lợi said. The draft-amended Penal Code 2015 had regulations on social insurance evasion, however it was still waiting for the National Assembly to pass it through, he said.

Lợi believed trade unions themselves also faced a lot of problems while filing lawsuits against the companies. The chairperson and members of a workplace union were all workers of a company and understandably were quite reluctant to go against their employer, he said. Another problem was the requirement to have authorisation from all members of the union to officially initiate a lawsuit, which could require hundreds of visits to the local People’s Committee or the notary office.

"I think there is a way around this, which is to dismiss the authorisation demand while letting local unions or labour federations file the lawsuit on behalf of workplace unions. They also have more legal resources and consultancy to start and follow a lawsuit compared with workplace unions anyway," Lợi said. 

Can Tho works to remove institutional barriers for growth

A symposium was held in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on May 9 seeking to remove institutional barriers to spur local socio-economic development during the national industrialization and modernization.

Vietnam has implemented the renewal process for 30 years, but, its economic development has fallen short of expectation due to economic institutional barriers.

Experts pointed to the need to correctly identify economic institutional barriers along with acquiring international experience to realise the nation’s goal of industrialization and modernization.

From the local angle, representatives from the Institute for Socio-economic Development Studies in Can Tho said economic institutional barriers have created “bottlenecks” in the city’s economic development, such as the declining investment from 60.26 percent to 50.7 percent in 2006-2010 and 2011-2015.

The Incremental Capital-Output Ratio (ICOR) continuously increased from 2.3 in 2002 to 4.5 in 2012, indicating the ineffective use of capital and imbalanced transfer of labour and economic restructuring.

The total-factor productivity (TFP) tends to slow down on-year, which stood at 22.94 percent in 2006-2010 and 24.5 percent in 2011-2015.

Other bottlenecks include difficulties in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI), low-quality business environment, weak logistics systems, and small-scale service businesses.

To address them, the institute suggested implementing more effectively the Politburo’s Resolution 45 on building an industrial city with the Mekong Delta playing the central role and the southern key economic zone playing the leading role.

It is also necessary to develop infrastructure, airports, seaports, transport systems, trade services, and start-ups, while joining the global supply chain to expand exports and launching direct air routes to other Asian countries to promote tourism and lure investment.

Apart from taking advantages of science-technology centres, Can Tho should focus on investment in high-quality human resources to provide skilled workers for the Mekong Delta and labour exports.

Nguyen Minh Toai, Director of the Can Tho Department of Industry and Trade voiced concerns about asynchronous legal regulations, causing difficulties for socio-economic activities.

Seminar focuses on architecture and urban planning

The French Architects’ Overseas Association (AFEX) and Business France held a seminar on architecture and urban planning in Ho Chi Minh City on May 9 as part of the France-Vietnam Architecture Week.

The event focused on the two main issues of how to harmonise urban planning and heritage conservation, and green architectural solutions for Vietnam.

Emmanuel Ly-Batallan, French Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, said that Vietnam and France share a long-term relationship in urban architecture, with many French-style architectural works in Vietnam in general and Ho Chi Minh City in particular, which boast not only cultural but also tourism and economic values.

He said Vietnam is doing well in urban planning, suggesting the country pay more attention to the conservation of architectural heritage.

Meanwhile, Christine Larousse, a French urban planning expert, stressed the need to integrate architectural heritage protection and promotion into urban development work.

Vinh Long offers 1,000 gifts to AO victims, vision-impaired

The Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (AO) in the Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long and the provincial Blind Association on May 9 presented more than 1,000 gifts to AO victims and poor vision-impaired people in the locality.

The gifts, worth 300,000 VND (13 USD) each, include rice, noodle and other daily necessities, were offered to 669 AO victims and 402 blind persons.

Vinh Long currently has 6,560 AO victims, most of who are struggling with difficulties in their daily life.

Vice President of the Association of AO Victims Pham Van Huong said that in 2017, the association aims to raise up to 4.5 billion VND (198,000 USD) in cash and presents for AO victims. 

He added that the association plans to give 14,000-15,000 gifts to AO victims, build 10-15 houses for the needy, provide startup capital to 10-15 households and offer free medical checks-up to 10,000 people.

The association will also upgrade two functional rehabilitation facilities in the province to better treat AO victims.

European Literature Days 2017 kicks off in Ho Chi Minh City

The second European Literature Days 2017 began on Ho Chi Minh City’s Book Street on May 9, with a series of activities for authors and readers.

The event sees the participation of eight countries in the EU namely the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Sweden, Italy, Belgium, Denmark and Austria. 

Talks with European authors, such as Italian writer Lorenzo Angeloni and painter Quentin Greban and introductions of new books will be spotlight of the event. 

Book discounts and vouchers will be offered to visitors during the event, which runs through May 16.

The literature festival is part of the “European Days 2017” in Vietnam, which is co-held by the Delegation of European Union, embassies of the EU member states and the European Cultural Institutes in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Hue from May 6 – 28. 

PPP - development orientation for healthcare sector

The Public-Private Partnership (PPP) has been seen as one of the effective solutions to encouraging the non-State economic sectors to invest in healthcare, heard a workshop in Ho Chi Minh City on May 9. 

Speaking at the workshop, Do Quy Hiep, deputy head of the PPP desk under the municipal Department of Planning and Investment, said HCM City plans to allocate about 30 trillion VND (1.32 billion USD) to investment projects during 2015-2020, of which 12 percent will serve healthcare.

However, he said, the city can afford just half of the amount while the remaining is waiting for investors.

As of April 2017, HCM City has 114 PPP projects worth an estimated 131.74 trillion VND (5.8 billion USD) with nearly 5.5 trillion VND (242 million USD) for healthcare, he said, adding that there are ten pending medical projects in the locality.

Truong Vinh Long, Director General of Hoa Lam International Hospital, said PPP is one of the State’s open policies to accelerate the synchronous public and private healthcare development.

He cited cooperation between Hoa Lam International Hospital and 115 People’s Hospital as an example of the model, saying Hoa Lam is expected to help ease the overload suffered by the public hospital and offer high-quality services with almost equivalent prices to patients.

Representatives from US groups like AIM, Microsoft, Global Health Services Network and Varian Medical System said the PPP model has been applied by many countries worldwide.

They suggested investors engage in specific and clear contracts with public hospitals.

The Vietnamese Government should put forth a clear and time-limit legal framework to ensure long-term cooperation and ease risks for investors, they said.

The workshop was jointly held by the US Consulate General’s Commercial Affairs Office in HCM City and Hoa Lam Investment Development Corporation.

Table tennis tournament in Hải Dương

The Nhân Dân newspaper 35th National Table Tennis Championship will be organised on May 15-21 in Hải Dương Province.

Some 140 athletes from 15 teams have registered to take part in the event, which covers seven categories for individuals and teams.

This year’s championship will see not only senior participants but also young talented players competing. According to head of the organising committee Nguyễn Huy Hiền, this will result in competitive matches and some upsets may also occur.

A draw will be held on Sunday. The games will begin one day later at the provincial gymnasium.

The tournament is also a chance for national team members to evaluate their abilities ahead of the Southeast Asian Games in August.

Organisers are also hopeful of finding new talent for the national team for future international events.

Festival to highlight worship of Mother Goddess of Forests

A festival honouring practices related to the worship of Mother Goddess of Forests will be held for the first time in Dong Cuong Temple in Ben Dien village, Dong Cuong commune, Van Yen district, the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai, on May 20-21.

The event, in response to the 'Lao Cai - Northwest National Tourism Year' 2017”, will bring together numerous folk artisans of Mother Goddess religion around the country.

In addition to the opening ceremony on May 20, a wide variety of unique activities will be held, including a carnival featuring practices related to the worship of Mother Goddess; practices of 36 gia dong (incarnation); and exhibitions of photos and paintings on the Mother Goddess worshipping rituals around the country, particularly ethnic minorities.

Notably, the carnival, with the coordination among extras, amateur arts troupe, well-known and local artisans, will promote the local unique cultural identities, including the worship of Mother Goddess of Forests.

In addition, visitors to the festival will have a chance to know more about the costumes of characters of Tu phu (Four Realms of Places) as well as clothes used for worshipping practices of the Mother Goddesses, especially for the ritual of len dong (spirit mediumship).

During the festival, the entire set of worshipping photos of Dao ethnic people will be displayed; meanwhile, religious activities of some ethnic minority groups in Yen Bai will also be reproduced.

On the occasion, a fair, introducing products made of cinnamon, a local typical agricultural tree in Van Yen district, will feature the participation of numerous local enterprises and artisans.

Dong Cuong Temple is one of the important historical and cultural relic sites among the system of temples and places related to the Mother Goddesses religion. The practitioners of the Mother Goddesses worship believed that the temple is the origin of the worship of Forests’ Mother Goddess.

VNPT presents two smart weather stations to Quang Binh province

The Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT), on May 9, presented two smart weather stations to the Quang Binh provincial People’s Committee to assist the central locality in preventing natural disasters.

The weather solution has been developed by VNPT in coordination with Pessl Instruments GmbH Company (Austria) and Meteoblue Weather Forecast Company (Switzerland).

According to VNPT, smart weather station is one of the most modern technological solutions in predicting and measuring environmental parameters, contributing to preventing and controlling natural disasters as well as developing agricultural sector.

Around 35,000 smart weather stations have been installed in 85 countries around the world, with forecast accuracy of 90% and 70% for weather conditions within 24 hours and six days, respectively.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Chairman of Quang Binh provincial People’s Committee, Nguyen Huu Hoai, expressed belief that the two weather stations would positively assist the locality in preventing and controlling floods, reducing losses of lives and property caused by natural disasters.

The two stations will be installed at Son Trach commune, Bo Trach district and Chau Hoa commune, Tuyen Hoa district, he said.

Heavy rains and tornadoes cause serious damages in localities

Heavy rains and tornadoes in Nghe An, Lao Cai, and Binh Phuoc provinces in recent days have caused serious damage to property and destruction of crops.

A tornado and heavy rain, which swept through communes in Nghia Dan district and Thai Hoa town in Nghe An province, on the evening of May 8, injured one person, swept away roofs of 74 houses and damaged Nghia Khanh bridge. Nearly 500 hectares of rice, sugarcane, rubbers and other cultivated crops were severely damaged. The total loss was estimated at dozens of billions of Vietnamese dongs.

According to Lao Cai provincial Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention and Control, Search and Rescue, a tornado with heavy rain and strong wind struck Long Khanh commune, Bao Yen district, on May 9. It swept away the roofs of 11 houses, collapsed one house, destroyed 50 kilometres of water channel and 1,000 forest trees and fruit trees. The total loss was estimated at around VND 700 million (US$31,000).

In Binh Phuoc province, heavy rains and tornadoes hit Long Binh and Long Ha communes in Phu Rieng district, on May 5, causing damage to 52 households and destroying 22 hectares of cashew, 2.5 hectares of pepper and six hectares of rubber.

The local authorities in the provinces have directed functional agencies to provide assistance to residents to overcome the consequences of the storm.

Exhibition highlights sea and island cultural heritage

An exhibition on Vietnam’s sea and island cultural heritages is taking place in Tam Ky city, Quang Nam province from May 9 to 14, as a highlight of the framework of the 6th Quang Nam Heritage Festival 2017.

The event aims to promote cultural values and the potential of island tourism. Meanwhile, the exhibition contributes to affirming Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos.

The event also provides an opportunity for participants to share experiences and seek solutions for the effective management and preservation of the nation’s sea and islands cultural heritage.

The exhibition is divided into two areas. The first area showcases a general overview on Vietnam’s sea and islands ranging from prehistoric times to now, through nearly 300 documents, ancient maps and artifacts asserting Vietnam’s sovereignty over Truong Sa (Spratly) and Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelagos.

The second area displays characteristic values of cultural heritages, island tours, a folk arts programme and products of 16 provinces and cities across the country.

The 6th Quang Nam Heritage Festival 2017 will open on June 9, aiming to honour Vietnam’s cultural values and Quang Nam province’s cultural identities as well as promoting Vietnam’s image to international friends.

The festival provides an excellent chance for Quang Nam to accelerate cultural exchanges and share experiences in management and conservation of cultural heritages.

New landslide in An Giang swallows six houses

A landslide swallowed six houses into Hau River in Phu Huu commune of An Giang province at 2:30 pm Monday.

The People’s Committee of Phu Huu commune said that the local functional agencies had helped residents living in land erosion overcome consequences and stabilize quickly their lives and business.
 
Chairman of the People’s Committee of Phu Huu commune Cao Xuan Dieu said that the total cost of landslide damage is in excess of VND 180 million.   
          
The committee supported VND 1 million and 10 kg rice per person for each effected household, called on eight other houses living near the landslide-prone areas to move out of the damaged zone, and installed warning boards at the damaged areas.
 
The Agriculture and Rural Development Department of An Giang province reported that river bank landslides have  occurred more frequently in many places and influenced lives and business of 20,000 families.
 
Therefore, the department suggested the local government quickly to find out solutions for resettlement of households in damaged areas.

Women's honesty in returning lost money to its owner earns her praise

Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh yesterday sent a certificate of merit to a female employee who gave back VND1 billion ($43,990) to its real owner who dropped it.

Ms.Tran Thi Anh who works for Electricity Company in Son Tra District in the central city of Da Nang collected a plastic bag with a tin of candy and lots of cash when she was on the way home in February 24.
Because it rained heavily, Anh sheltered from rain in the house’s awning at 226 Ngu Hanh Son Street.

A few minute later, Anh saw a woman who was completely panic-stricken and looking for a plastic bag. Anh asked the woman some questions of special features of the bag to verify whether she was the real owner of the lost money.

The owner of the lost money described features as the same of the bag Ms. Anh was keeping, saying that she intended to use  the sum for the buying land.

After receiving the lost money, the woman proposed a cash gift to thank Anh for her honesty yet Anh refused.

Some days later Director of Electricity Company Ngo Tan Cu presented a certificate of merit and VND2 million in cash to Tran Thi Anh who deserved recognition for her kindness.

Collective economics major force in public transport

Transport has been one of three collective economic fields strongly developing in HCM besides trade and service. Subsidized bus cooperatives now account for 75 percent public passenger transport market share and bus number.
 
HCMC Cooperative Alliance reported that transport cooperatives of the alliance achieved success last year because they have been supported with policies encouraging collective economic development issued by the Central Government and the city Government.
Many cooperatives including May 19 Transport Cooperative Union, Transport Cooperatives No.9 and No.15 have methodically invested in public passenger and cargo transport system, becoming leading birds in these fields in the city.
May 19 Cooperative has received many bus routes from Cooperatives Tan Hiep, Cu Chi, No.22 and No.16 after they were restructured.
At the end of 2012, the cooperative established May 19 Transport One Member Limited Liability Company. On behalf of the cooperative’s management members, the company has operated bus routes and maintains vehicles, distributed profit among the members, recruited employees and paid wages.
According to the directorial board of the cooperative, the company is a pilot implementation of a centralized management model, which might be a probe step for the cooperative to gradually change its operation method into the model.
Thanks to the new management model, May 19’s revenue reached VND21 billion (US$924,000) in 2015 and net profit hit VND1.5 billion ($66,000).
Cooperative No.15 was established in the 1980s, transported passengers mainly by Lambro three wheeler, facing with difficulties in fuel and spare part supply. At that time, it kept transporting passengers intermittently with the main route from suburban Thu Duc to the downtown areas.
After changing operation method in accordance with the Cooperative Law 2012, the cooperative has obtained a number of achievements. At present, it is managing 130 vehicles comprising 90 buses, 23 rental automobiles and 17 student shuttles.
In addition, the cooperative has purchased 28 new buses equipped with air conditioners, cameras and GPS navigation devices to replace downgraded buses; opened new bus routes and invested in compressed natural gas vehicles to protect environment.
The vehicle renew together with service improvement has helped attract millions of passengers. Four subsidized routes alone saw the number top nine million at the end of September last year with revenue hitting VND13.6 billion ($598,000) and paid tax nearing VND800 million.
Similarly, Transport Cooperative No.9 has strongly invested in material infrastructures. Beside 8,000 square meters of rent land, it has bought 4,000 square meters to build a management center, parking lot, filling station, repairing workshop, auto part shop.
After the Government banned import of secondhand automobiles, the cooperative has established a limited liability company, providing auto trade services to increase revenues, and a joint stock company to broaden the cooperative’s trading activities.

Gao Hat Ngoc Troi cycling race 2017 kicks off

The Gao Hat Ngoc Troi Cycling Race, the 22nd version, began in Buon Ma Thuot city, Central Highlands Dak Lak province on May 10.

The event is jointly organised by the Vietnam Federation of Sports Motorcycles and Bicycles, the Departments of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Mekong Delta province of An Giang and the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak, and the Loc Troi Group.

The event draws participation of 100 cyclists from 20 teams, including a team from Cambodia.

They are competing across 11 stages totalling 945km, from Buon Ma Thuot city to Long Xuyen city in An Giang until May 19. It is one of the activities to mark the 127th birth anniversary of late President Ho Chi Minh (May 19).

The Loc Troi group will organise a number of workshops to transfer technology for local farmers in localities included in the race.

It will also organise free health check-ups for more than 2,400 ethnic minority people in Dak Lak and Soc Trang and present 20 tonnes of rice to the poor in Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Soc Trang, and An Giang.

Quang Van Cuong from Hat Ngoc Troi An Giang won the 1st stage of the 36-km long distance. The second and the third prizes went to Nguyen Minh Luan from Premium Cycling Vinh Long and Yoeun Phi Yuth from Cambodia.

Silk trade fair to open in Hoi An

The Vietnam-Asia Silk Culture Festival 2017 will take place at Hoi An Silk Village on June 11-14 as an activity of the Quang Nam Heritage Festival 2017, the Hoi An City People’s Committee said on May 9.

The event is expected to attract the participation of representatives from the International Silk Association, the Mekong Institute, businesses and artisans from 50 craft villages.
  
Vietnam-Asia Silk Culture Festival 2017 aims to honour the cultural value of silk villages in Vietnam such as Van Phuc, Hoi An, Ma Chau, Bao Loc, An Giang and Thai Binh.

The event also provides an opportunity to boost trade links between local businesses and silk traders from India, Japan, China, Thailand, Myanmar and European nations.

A host of activities are set to take place on the sidelines of the festival including a scientific seminar, an international silk exhibition and a fashion show.

Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu customs launches anti-smuggling unit

The Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu Province customs on Monday set up a port control unit (PCU) that will link up with international counterparts to secure customs clearance and prevent smuggling and transport of prohibited goods.

PCUs typically use a risk management system.

The unit has nine customs officials headed by the deputy chief of the provincial customs department.

More than 50 countries have set up PCUs as part of the Container Control Programme of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the World Customs Organisation.

They help governments improve the efficiency of container control across ports and prevent trafficking of drugs, wildlife, weapons and other contraband. 

Lord Buddha’s birthday celebrated in Hanoi

The Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) Central Committee held a solemn ceremony to mark the 2561st birthday of Lord Buddha in Hanoi on May 10.

The event was attended by Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Mass Mobilisation Truong Thi Mai, delegates from the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, and several foreign ambassadors and representatives from foreign diplomatic missions, among others. 

Addressing the ceremony, Standing Vice Chairman of the VBS Executive Council Most Venerable Thich Thanh Nhieu read the message of the VBS Supreme Patriarch to all Buddhist dignitaries, monks, nuns and followers at home and abroad on the occasion.

The message says the festival returns when all Buddhist followers, monks and nuns nationwide are making concerted efforts to successfully organise the 8th National Buddhist Congress for the 2017-2022 tenure.

The sustainable development of the VBS at all levels lays the solid foundation for the religion, promoting the Vietnamese Buddhism’s spirit of “safeguarding the country, bringing peace to the people”.

The Supreme Patriarch expressed his wish that every monk, nun and Buddhist follower, and members of the VBS will enhance their sense of responsibility and fulfill their obligations under the motto: Intelligence – discipline – integration – development, contributing to the growth of the VBS.

Most Venerable Thich Bao Nghiem, Vice Chairman of the VBS Executive Council, delivered a speech, expressing his hope that monks, nuns, and Buddhist followers at home and abroad will make greater efforts to complete the tasks in the seventh term of the VBS while developing more relevant orientations for the VBS’s operation during the eighth and coming terms until 2030 in the context of the nation’s reform and international integration.

For her part, Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Mass Mobilisation Truong Thi Mai affirmed that Buddhism has accompanied the nation for thousands of years, and become deeply rooted in the nation.

The Party, the State and people have always valued the contributions the VBS has made to the nation, Mai reiterated.

She expressed her hope that dignitaries will continue to set good examples and encourage monks, nuns and followers to lead a good religious life, observe the policies and laws of the State, fulfill their citizen duties, and live in harmony with other religions and non-religious people for the goal of a rich people, a strong country, a democratic, equitable and civilized society.

Mai also expressed her belief that the VBS will continue promoting the Buddhism spirit and values while serving as a bridge to connect overseas Vietnamese Buddhist followers and organisations and those at home to contribute to the nation’s building and protection.

Mai called on authorities at all levels will continue facilitating Buddhist activities, ensuring freedom and a stable environment for religious practice.

On the occasion, the VBS Central Committee coordinated with State agencies to release one tonne of small fish into the Red river in Hanoi.

International medical, pharmaceutical exhibition opens

The 24th International Medical-Pharmaceutical Exhibition (Vietnam Medi-Pharm 2017) rolls out at Viet Xo Friendship Labour-Culture Palace in Hanoi on May 10, drawing the participation of 410 groups, enterprises from 30 countries and territories.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Viet Tien said that the event, held annually since 1994, has become a prestigious exhibition in Vietnam. 

It is a major occasion to introduce the Government’s healthcare policies along with latest domestic and foreign medical and pharmaceutical achievements to the public, Tien highlighted. 

He stressed that the exhibition creates opportunities for local and overseas enterprises to introduce their products, exchange and share experience, seek business partners and promote technology transfer.

On display at 500 booths are pharmaceutical products, health food, medical equipment, support equipment and healthcare products.

The Health Ministry runs its own booth at the event, distributing documents popularising information on latest adjustments in medical service costs, efforts to improve services at hospitals, and general knowledge on health care. 

On the sidelines of the Vietnam Medi-Pharm 2017, several specialized shows are being held on support equipment and healthcare techniques, Vietnam’s international hospitals, and dental care.

A couple of forums and conferences also take place during the event.

The exhibition will run until May 13.

Vietnam renews efforts of drug control in Mekong region

Deputy Minister of Public Security Nguyen Van Son has renewed Vietnam’s determination to strictly implement its commitments and agreements towards a drug-free Greater Mekong sub-region for its peace, stability, development and prosperity.

Son delivered a speech at a ministerial meeting on drug prevention and combat in the Greater Mekong Sub-region in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on May 9-10, after handing over the 2015 Presidency post to host Cambodia.

The event was held within the framework of the 1993 Memorandum of Understanding on Drug Control in the Greater Mekong Sub-region between the six Mekong Sub-region countries of Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, China and Vietnam, and the United Nations on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Son affirmed the importance of the 1993 Memorandum of Understanding, speaking highly of the sub-region’s cooperation in the work over the past 25 years, contributing to ensuring security and order, boosting socio-economic development in member states, and minimising drugs impacts on society.

At the event, delegates approved the Phnom Penh Declaration on Effective Settlement of Drug-related Issues in the region, and approved the 10th sub-regional action plan on drug prevention and control for 2017-2019 (SAP 10).

The declaration renewed determination to address drug-related challenges when considering health and security of communities within the framework of the three international conventions on drugs.

Meanwhile, the SAP 10 prioritised cooperation in drug control, health care, law enforcement, judicial affairs and sustainable development.

Dong Thap forecast to suffer more landslides this year

The Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap is forecast to suffer more landslides along the Tien river, which cost more than 290ha of land together with 320 billion VND (13.91 million USD) used for relocating the displaced locals in 2005-2016. 

Since early this year, three landslide cases have hit Long Thuan commune, Hong Ngu district, stretching an area of 1,630 sq.m with a length of 116m and a depth of 10-20m, damaging two fishing vessels and causing a loss of nearly 217 million VND (6,700 USD). 

Since April, Binh Hoa village in Binh Thanh commune, Thanh Binh district, has suffered four extremely serious landslides which have torn away 1,959 sq. m of land, part of which is only 15-25m distant from National Highway 30. 

Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Vo Thanh Ngoan attributed the disaster to changing water flows and massive sand mining, fish farming, and housing construction along the riverbank. 

Since 2016, 200 households have been relocated to safety areas, Ngoan said, adding that the province also directed relevant units to move remaining households living in landslide-prone areas to new residential clusters, accelerate the construction of landslide-proof works, and strengthen supervision on sand mining, especially in areas hard hit by the disaster. 

The province also expects to receive more government’s funding sourced from the National Target Programme to speed up evacuation and support ongoing response efforts, he said.

Currently, up to 45 communes, wards and towns in 10 out of the locality’s 12 districts and cities have been hit by landslides.-VNA

Microsoft provides free cloud computing programme for Vietnamese NGOs and NPOs

Microsoft and the Việt Nam Union of Science and Technology Association (VUSTA) co-oragnised the “Technology for Good Day” event in Hà Nội today to introduce a free cloud computing programme to Vietnamese non-governmental and non-profit organisations.

The event came in response to Microsoft’s global Modern Nonprofit Campaign.

Under the programme, organisations will able to use Office 365 and Microsoft Azure for free, while other smart tools such as Dynamics CRM and Power BI will be provided at special rates.

The application of Microsoft technology will bring benefits in five areas: communications, mobile, smart, reliability and efficiency.

Nghiêm Vũ Khải, VUSTA vice chairman said that the fourth industrial revolution is changing the ways we work, and Microsoft’s technology support is valuable and practical for social organisations, helping improve the performance of organisations in implementing community initiatives and projects.

Nguyễn Bá Quỳnh, Microsoft’s director of government and public sector, said they believe that by using Microsoft-provided technologies, Vietnamese organisations will be more efficient, contributing to the well-being of disadvantaged communities and the socio-economic development of Việt Nam.

At the event, VUSTA and Microsoft awarded two winners of the Tech4good Foster Innovation competition for their best ideas in technology application to optimise efficiency at work: the Green Innovation and Development Centre (GreenID) and the Center for Sustainable Development of Community (CSC).

The competition, held by VUSTA and Microsoft in March and April, aimed to encourage organisations to raise issues and seek solutions with technology.

Graphic exhibition launched in Đà Nẵng

Đà Nẵng city’s Fine Arts Museum has launched a graphic painting exhibition, The Emotion of May, displaying 50 paintings from local artists and designers at 78 Lê Duẩn Street.

Vice director of the Museum, Nguyễn Thị Trinh told Việt Nam News that the exhibition, being held for the second time, has drawn the participation of  the city’s Graphic Artists Club in creating paintings on mica, zinc, wood, silk, gum point, collograph and mix media printing.

She said the exhibition was held to celebrate International Museum Day (May 18th) and the 127th anniversary of the birthday of late President Hồ Chí Minh (May 19th). 

The exhibition will last through next Thursday.

Police seize 750kg of medicine smuggled from Turkey

The police department for Smuggling Prevention under the Ministry of Public Security said it has seized medicine worth over VNĐ5 billion (US$220,000) believed to have been smuggled from Turkey.
Lieutenant Colonel Lê Thơm, an official from the department, said officers from the department and the city’s economic crime police on Tuesday conducted a surprise inspection of a warehouse on District 4’s Nguyễn Tất Thành Road and found 41 boxes of medicine used in the treatment of cancer and diabetes, weighing more than 750kg.
Thơm said the medicine originated from Turkey, was flown to Tân Sơn Nhất Airport and transited via Tây Ninh Province’s Mộc Bài International Border Gate before arriving in Cambodia. It was then transported to HCM City via a small path in Tây Ninh Province’s Bến Cầu District. The case is being investigated by the police.

Through the lens: Nation celebrates Buddha’s birth

Countless celebrations across the country have marked the Buddha’s 2,561st birthday, which fell on May 10 this year, the 15th day of the fourth lunar month.
The Day of Vesak -- Buddha’s birth -- has been celebrated with much gusto in Việt Nam since early this week.

All pagodas and temples have been beautifully decorated and packed with devotees praying for peace and happiness.

Religious activities were held for millions of Vietnamese Buddhists involving incense offerings, the Buddha’s bathing ceremony, a release of balloons to pray for peace and humanitarian activities.

Vesak is a significant occasion for Việt Nam to honour Buddhism, which came to the country some 2,000 years ago.

Việt Nam is now home to more than 12 million Buddhist followers and 50,000 Buddhist monks and nuns, who practice the religion in over 17,000 Buddhist places of worship.

Buddhism is the country’s oldest religion and has the largest number of followers.

Wrestlers compete in national champs in Thái Nguyên

The National Traditional Wrestling Championships kicked off today in Thái Nguyên Province with the participation of 10 delegations.

Athletes will compete in 12 categories of weight, ranging from 48kg to 85kg.

Organisers said wrestlers who won gold and silver medals would be recognised as national masters, while the bronze medalists would be acknowledged as first-leveled masters.

The tournament is among the activities being conducted to promote development of the sport among people.

The championships will end on May 15.

Central Ha Tinh province recovers as hot summer destination

The central province of Ha Tinh has welcomed over 400,000 visitors since early summer this year, according to head of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Le Tran Sang.

In the four-day holiday on the occasion of the anniversary of the Liberation of the South and May Day this year, the province served 377,550 visitors, including over 369,400 domestic tourists, up 173 percent year on year, and 8,146 foreigners, a rise of 118.8 percent.

Thien Cam and Loc Ha beaches were the most attractive destinations of Ha Tinh during the holiday, which welcomed 11,000 and 130,000 tourists, respectively.

Ha Tinh tourism has recovered from the maritime environment incident last year, as since early May, major local beaches such as Thien Cam, Loc Ha, Xuan Thanh, Thach Hai and Ky Ninh have been crowded with tourists.

Visitors also joined cultural activities and visited coastal fishing villages as well as historical and spiritual tourism sites, including Dong Loc T-junction and Hai Thuong Lan Dong eco-tourism area.

As part of efforts to promote the province’s tourism, the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has offered incentives to travel firms, while working closely with relevant agencies to inspect accommodation and service facilities to ensure quality and stable prices of their services.

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