Big changes have been recorded in socio-economic development in the Vietnamese countryside. One of the leading factors for change is the rapid modernisation of the country’s primary industry - and the rural areas themselves.

The appearance of many industrial zones in the countryside have provided jobs for many rural people, helped them increase their incomes and improved the quality of their livelihood. However, in this process, certain negative impacts have arisen, particularly environmental deterioration.

In its efforts to minimise the negative impacts of environmental pollution, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) has launched a week entitled “Waste management for sustainable rural environment from September 23-30”. The campaign is a response to the international campaign to make the world cleaner.

According to Associate Professor Doctor Pham Cong Nhat, from Hanoi National University, a key cause of serious environmental pollution in the countryside is the rapid development of industrialisation and urbanisation. Coupled with that is the rapid increase in population which has led to heavy pressure on water resources and pollution control.

For many years, the water environment in many urban areas, industrial parks and craft villages has been seriously polluted by untreated waste water, air emissions and solid waste.

Nhat said, in many big cities, hundreds of factories have discharged waster water freely into the surrounding environment with little or no proper treatment.

Professor Nhat added that farmers’ abuse of pesticides had caused serious pollution to water in adjacent rivers, lakes and canals. And at the end, the polluted water had seriously affected the health of local people.

Another factor that has added to the problem is the mushrooming of aqua-culture and the reckless use of chemicals in aqua-culture production.

The environmental awareness of communities in the countryside is still poor. Many farmers abuse the use of pesticides in agricultural production. They don’t even realise that environmental pollution has negative impacts on their living conditions and on health.

Adding to these problems is the big shortage of environmental staff. At present, in Vietnam, there are about 30 environmental officers per one million people while in other ASEAN nations there are 70.

Research conducted by Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Khac Hai from the Vietnamese National Institute of Occupational and Environmental Health on 4,700 men and women using well water contaminated with arsenic, 60 had problems with chronic arsenic contamination. 

Associate Professor Pham Cong Nhat said there was a need to carry out synchronous measures to protect the environment.

In his opinion, in the long run, more measures must be adopted to check and control the environment while paying more attention to the training of environmental officers and the creating of an environmental map in each locality.

Professor Nhat said there was also a need to have a good planning on the development of industrial parks or clusters as well as traditional villages so that the local authorities could easily monitor their discharged water or solid waste. 

Vietnam shares policies at Asia-Pacific environment meeting

Vietnam has shared its policies to cope with arising environment challenges facing Asia-Pacific countries at the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Summit on the Environment which took place in Bangkok, Thailand, from September 5-8. 

In his speech at the ministerial-level session, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha said Vietnam is striving to cope with rapid urbanization, pressure from enormous demand for natural resources for development, climate change and its impacts such as drought, rising sea level and salt water intrusion.

The minister presented Vietnam's policies and measures to address the problems and reiterated Vietnam’s resolve and commitment to environmental protection. 

The Asia-Pacific Ministerial Summit on the Environment is the first of its kind held by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the UN Environment. 

More than 40 countries sent their delegations to the event, which focused on reviewing the implementation of outcomes of the 6th Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development (MECD-6) and providing guidance on the UN-ESCAP’s plan of actions on the environment and development in the coming years. 

Under the theme “Towards a resource efficient and pollution free Asia-Pacific”, the summit also addressed the linkages between resources efficiency and pollution reduction in the region. 

On the sideline of the event, the Vietnamese minister held several bilateral meetings with ministers and deputy ministers of some countries to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation in fields of mutual interests.

National programme focuses on early childhood development

Ensuring comprehensive development for children in early years at home and in the community is the goal of a national programme introduced at a consultative workshop in Hanoi on September 8.

The programme aims to ensure children’s equal access to fundamental physical and mental health services, nutrition, education, clean water, environmental hygiene and social welfare policies.

“Early childhood development plays an important role and lays the foundation for physical, intellectual, emotional and aesthetic development of children,” Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Doan Mau Diep said.

He reiterated the Vietnamese Government’s commitments to implementing ratified international conventions and sparing no efforts to fully ensure child rights.

“The Government of Vietnam has made the right decision to commit to develop a nationwide policy for Early Childhood Development bringing together different line agencies that play a critical role in the life of a child,” said UNICEF Representative in Vietnam Youssouf Abdel-Jelil.

The National Programme on Care for Comprehensive Development of Children in Early Years at Home and in the Community for the period of 2017-2025 is carried out in two phrases from 2018 to 2020 and from 2021 to 2025 concentrating on localities with economic difficulties.

In Vietnam, close to 25 percent of children under five years of age suffer from stunting. Approximately 77 percent of preschool age children (aged 3-5) and 13 percent of kindergarten children (aged under 3) do not attend any formal pre-learning programme. 

Every year, about 2,000 children experience violence and abuse and 170,000 children are without parental care.

The building of the national early childhood development programme aims to realise the Child Law 2016 to contribute to the implementation of sustainable development goal in Vietnam.

HCM City wants to share tourism management experience with Italy

HCM City looks forward to sharing experience with Italy in tourism management and relic preservation, a municipal official has said.

Vice Chairwoman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Thi Thu told visiting Italian Undersecretary of State of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism Donari Bianchi on September 8 that tourism is among the city’s key industries, contributing greatly to the local socio-economic development.

Thu asked Bianchi, in her position, to continue enhancing partnership between HCM City and Italy’s localities, especially through cultural exchanges, art performances and tourism, dedicating to increased mutual understanding, solidarity and friendship between their people.

Highlighting the development of the two nations’ relations in recent years, Bianchi vowed that Italy would step up cooperation with Vietnam and HCM City in particular in culture and tourism.

Italy is willing to send experts to help the Vietnamese city preserve historical and cultural relic sites as well as provide scholarships for officials in charge of arts and culture and museum preservation, she noted.

The two sides should ramp up tourism promotion campaigns to introduce their people to cultural heritages and tourism potential of Vietnam and Italy.

Tra Vinh shares climate change-adapted livelihoods models

The Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh introduced its standout agricultural production models adapting to climate change carried out under the “Adaptation in the Mekong Delta” (AMD) project at a conference held in the locality on September 8.

According to Huynh Nghia Tho, director of the AMD Tra Vinh’s coordinating board, the project has been carried out in 30 communes and benefits 15,000 poor and near-poor rural households since 2014. It is set to finish in 2020.

It aims to develop sustainable livelihoods for the rural poor in the face of changing climate as well as improve the community’s capacity to response to climate change.

Thanks to financial assistance from the climate change adaptation co-sponsoring fund (CCA) under the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), 18 agricultural livelihood models were piloted in the locality in 2015. Those included 13 cultivating models, four on livestock breeding and one on aquatic farming.

Farmers involved in such models were supported with input materials like breeds, fertiliser and pesticides. In addition, they were assisted with machines and equipment and cultivating guidance as well as how to fertilise appropriately.

Each poor and near poor household received a financial support of 30 million VND (1,320 USD) while the financial assistance for every business household and cooperative were 100 million VND (4,400 USD) and 750 million VND (33,000 USD), respectively.

Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Kim Ngoc Thai said that the models have brought high economic efficiency and generated more incomes for local people, contributing to the construction of new-style rural areas.

Chili pepper model cultivated in an area of 2.3 hectares by Thang Loi 2 Cooperative in Thach Hoa Son commune, Cau Ngang district is one of the excellent examples. New cultivating method helped the cooperative’s productivity rise 5 tonnes per hectare while the pepper has been sold at 1,000 VND higher than when it was grown in the traditional way.

The model on farming oysters on floating rafts developed by Dai Thanh Cooperative in Long Khanh commune, Duyen Hai district is showing efficiency as oyster cultivation does not feel much impacts of climate change and it is suitable for families without production land.

Experts urge use of biotech corn

Việt Nam has policies to help expand the cultivation of biotech corn, but the cultivation area for the crop remains modest, according to the Crop Production Department.
Speaking at a seminar on Friday on the economic and environmental impact of biotech crops globally and potential benefits from the adoption of biotech crops in Việt Nam, Trần Xuân Định, the department’s deputy director, said the area under corn cultivation in Việt Nam has reached 1.17 million hectares, of which 100,000ha was for genetically modified corn.
Hybrid corn varieties dominate fields in Việt Nam.
Average corn productivity was low at 4.5 tonnes per hectare, he said, adding that with high production costs and low yields, domestic corn is unable to compete with imports.
Currently, domestic corn meets about 40-50 per cent of market demand, with corn import volume increasing significantly in the past years, he said. 
Though the Government has policies to encourage farmers to shift low-productivity rice land to corn or soybean, the low profits from corn cultivation have discouraged farmers.
To get even in production, average corn productivity must reach at least 5 tonnes per ha, Định said.
This requires the corn sector to have measures to raise productivity and cut back production costs and raise the income of farmers, he told the seminar held by the International University - Việt Nam National University HCM City.
The sector needs to map out a plan to put GM corn in production at localities, as well as develop links in production and consumption of the product.
The use of modern bio-technologies in agricultural production has significantly helped farmers around the world improve productivity and profitability, delegates said.
Graham Brookes from the UK’s PG Economics Ltd, a specialist provider of advisory and consultancy services to agriculture and other natural resource-based industries, said the commercialisation of GM crops has occurred at a rapid rate in the past 20 years. 
GM crop technology has had a significant positive impact on global gross farm income, which amounted to US$15.5 billion in 2015. This is equivalent to having added 5.2 per cent to the value of global production of the four main crops of corn, canola, cotton and soybeans.
From 1996 to 2015, gross farm income has increased by $167.7 billion, he said.
These gains have been divided 49 per cent to farmers in developed countries and 51 per cent to farmers in developing countries.
About 72 per cent of the gains have derived from yield and production gains with the remaining 28 per cent coming from cost savings, he said.
The adoption of biotech crops has also contribute to reduce green house gas emissions due to reduced fuel use (less spraying and soil cultivation) and decreased the environment impact with a reduction in herbicide and insecticide use.
Talking about the potential impact from the adoption of corn hybrid seeds with biotech traits in Việt Nam, he said the total economic boost to the rural economy could be $16.9 million per year in the worst scenario, if 20 per cent of the corn crop in Việt Nam used biotech corn.
Biotech corn would help farmers increase output to meet growing demand from the feed sector and improve balance of payments, he said.

Deputy PM urges innovation in co-operatives

Deputy Prime Minister Vương Đình Huệ on Thurdsay called on relevant agencies to use the Government’s agriculture policies to push the development of co-operatives in Việt Nam.

The deputy PM suggested the agencies to review and take advantages od credit policy for the agriculture sector, agriculture investment incentives and agriculture insurance to boost the operation of co-operatives. The deputy PM is also head of the National Steering Committee on Innovation and Development of Collective Economic Sector and Co-operatives.

The 24-member committee was established last March under the direction of Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc. The committee is assigned to study and make recommendations to the Prime Minister about policies and strategies to develop collective economic sector institutions and co-operatives. It directs and coordinates ministries and agencies in implementing policies for co-operatives.

Speaking at the meeting on Thurday, Huệ said that at a time when Việt Nam is restructuring its economy and wants to strengthen the private sector, further attention must be given to the innovations of co-operatives.

“The innovations of co-operatives are in line with restructuring in agricultural production and the formation of new style rural areas,” he said.

The new-styled co-operatives regulated by the 2012 Law on Co-operatives help households to generate more value, Huệ said.

The old-style co-operatives in Việt Nam did not allow members to run individual businesses. Members contributed capital, land and labour to the co-operatives and their income completely depended on the income of the co-operatives.

The old-style co-operatives, which were always cared for by the State and Party, played an important role during wartime and the era of a centralized planned economy in Việt Nam. But they regularly failed to adapt to the transition to an economy operating under the socialist-oriented market mechanism.

Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Đặng Huy Đông said that since the Law on Co-operatives took effects in 2013, there are over 19,500 co-operatives in Việt Nam with 6.2 million members.

The number of co-operatives increased by 600, but the number of members dropped by 1.4 million compared to before 2013.

Last year, the average income of a co-operative was VNĐ 3 billion (US$132,000), while the rate in 2012 was VNĐ 2.5 billion.

In 2016, a member of a co-operative had yearly income of VNĐ 31 million ($1,400), VNĐ 10 million more than in 2012.

Võ Kim Cự, chairman of Việt Nam Co-operatives Alliance said that Việt Nam’s co-operatives faced four major difficulties: access to land, access to credit, the application of scientific development and technology, and finding a market for their products.

As half of all co-operatives in Việt Nam operate in agriculture, co-operatives play an important role in ensuring social welfare, providing jobs, developing rural areas and especially restructuring agriculture production, Cự said.

HCM City should ensure insurance coverage

HCM City health centres that provide treatment to patients with HIV/AIDS should merge by the end of the year with district-level hospitals if the centres are unable to expand services to upgrade into general health clinics, which offer various kinds of treatment to all patients, a city official has said. 

Twenty-one of the city’s 24 health centres (formerly known as preventive health centres) offer treatment for HIV/AIDS patients and preventive health services.

Many of these centres, however, have not signed contracts with the Việt Nam Social Security agency, and thus, patients with HIV/AIDS, even those with health insurance cards, cannot be insured.

Dr Tiêu Thị Thu Vân, head of the city’s Centre for HIV/AIDS Prevention, at a meeting between the department and its health centres held this week, said that the centres which lack conditions to upgrade to a general health clinic should merge with district-level hospitals to ensure continuity of treatment for HIV/AIDS patients as well as health insurance coverage.

“If patients with HIV/AIDS stop using anti-retroviral (ARV) medicine for one week, they will become resistant to the medicine, leading to a problem of epidemic control in the city,” Vân said.

The cost for treatment for patients who are resistant to the drug would not be covered by insurance, Vân said, adding that the cost is five to 10 times higher than the usual treatment given before drug-resistance.

International aid to Việt Nam that covers the costs of ARV drugs is gradually being reduced and will completely end by 2020, Vân said.

At the beginning of the year, state insurance funds will start covering costs for ARV drugs.

If health centres are able to upgrade to general clinics, they could then sign contracts for insured examinations and drug treatment with the Việt Nam Social Security agency. 

If the health centres merge with district-level hospitals, they would transfer their patients with HIV/AIDS to the hospital to receive ARV medicine and other treatment covered by health insurance, according to Vân.  

“Of the surveyed 28,000 patients with HIV/AIDS in the city, 72 per cent have health insurance cards,” Vân said.

The city People’s Committee has approved purchase of health insurance cards for all patients with HIV/AIDS who have HCM City household registration books or temporary resident status for six months, she added.

At least 90 per cent of insured patients with HIV/AIDS do not use their health cards as most of the facilities where they go for treatment have no contracts with Việt Nam Social Security.

By December, the Ministry of Health will provide ARV drugs to the city’s Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Phạm Ngọc Thạch Hospital, District 1 Hospital, Tân Phú District Hospital, Thủ Đức District Hospital and health centres in the districts of Tân Phú, Thủ Đức and Bình Chánh that have the capacity to upgrade to general health clinics.

According to a report from the city’s Centre for HIV/AIDS Prevention, the city as of July had 31,000 patients with HIV/AIDS receiving ARV treatment at 31 health facilities. 

Quảng Trị initiates new method for BOT fee collection

Transport authorities in central Quảng Trị Province are planning to collect tolls according to the actual distance commuters travel, which could be a breakthrough initiative for Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) roads nationwide. 
The Quảng Trị Department of Transportation has requested the approval of the local People’s Committee for its proposal.
According to department director Lê Như Tiến, this method would be fairer to commuters than the current system on BOT roads, reducing 70 per cent of total fees for drivers in the province’s Đông Hà City, Triệu Phong, Hướng Hóa, Cam Lộ, Đắkrông districts.  
Commuters from Quảng Trị Town and Hải Lăng District would pay 60 per cent less while those in Vĩnh Linh and Gio Linh districts would cut their toll payments by 20 per cent.
Road users throughout Việt Nam have complained bitterly about the price of the tolls and their non-progressive nature. Fees are collected at the same rate for those who travel on an entire road or part of the road, while some toll booths are located in places where drivers are forced to pay a toll for a road they don’t use.
According to Quảng Trị authorities, such opposition can endanger social stability and should be handled wisely.
Recently, commuters in central Nghệ An, Hà Tĩnh, and Tiền Giang voiced their anger by paying the toll fee with small change, aiming to slow traffic around the booth to a crawl. Some even put notes in plastic bottles or soaked the notes in water before they arrived at the booth.

One firefighter died, two injured when stamping out fire

A firefighter died and two others were seriously injured while tackling a blaze fire in a house in HCM City’s Bình Hưng Hoà Ward on Thursday night.

Initial reports showed that at 11pm on Thurday, a fire broke out and quickly spread through the house while the house’s owner was away.

Firefighters in Bình Tân, Bình Chánh Districts and Vĩnh Lộc Industrial Zone were mobilised to stamp out the fire.

The first floor of the house collapsed when firefighters tried to approach the fire. Lieutenant Phạm Phi Long, 31, died on the scene. Commissions Phạm Tấn Quốc, 24, and Bùi Văn Dũng, 20, were seriously injured and immediately taken to hospital.

The entire 500 square metre house burned down.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

This morning, leaders of Bình Tân District’s People’s Council and People’s Committee visited the family of the firefighter who died on duty and the two injured firefighters at Chợ Rẫy Hospital.

Comedy screenplay wins contest for young cinema writers

A story beginning with a surprise road-side encounter between a wedding and a funeral, written by Võ Anh Vũ, won the top prize at the Talented Screenwriters contest, the organiser has announced.

With the instruction of director Phan Gia Nhật Linh, Vũ completed the screenplay as a comedy, but the humorous situation becomes a metaphor for capricious conflicts in society.

 “I’m so happy to receive the prize,” said Vũ. “It’s very lucky because I competed with many talented contestants who have interesting ideas.”

“It’s a good chance for young screenwriters like us to practise and develop our skills. We learn much from professional filmmakers.”

Beside Vũ, five excellent screenwriters were granted prizes, including Võ Thị Hoàng Yến, Hồ Thúc An, Trần Thị Phương, Huỳnh Châu Ngọc, and Hoàng Phi Yến.

CJ CGV Việt Nam, a cinema and entertainment company, organised the contest with aim of nurturing rising talents in the Vietnamese cinema industry. The contest was launched nationwide three months ago for people ages 18 to 35. It attracted 3,800 entrants.

The jury board included prestigious filmmakers such as Trương Ngọc Ánh, Phan Gia Nhật Linh, Charlie Nguyễn, Đức Thịnh, and Đinh Tuấn Vũ.

Producer and actress Ánh said on Friday the judges appreciated the effort and creativity of the contestants.

Six finalists have completed their works with the support of the professional filmmakers.

Dong Won-kwak, director of the company, promised to help the young screenwriters produce their works.

“We will give them financial support to produce the works of awarded contestants and set up a plan to distribute the films in the CGV cinema chain,” he said.

Vietnam adds cameras, brake valves following series of train derailments

Speedy drivers and poor infrastructure were blamed for a number of incidents last month.

Vietnam rail corporation has started adding cameras and derailment alert equipment on several trains after many incidents were reported recently. 

Under a trial program, safety valves have been attached to train cars which will automatically open at the instance of derailment to release air pressure to apply the brakes so that the train can be stopped in the shortest possible time and distance.

Surveillance cameras have been installed in train locomotives to record their speed, how the drivers alert other vehicles and how they act in risky areas, e.g. at road crossings.

The cameras will also record the performance of guards at crossings.

Doan Duy Hoach, Deputy General Director of Vietnam Railways, said recent derailments happened due to both unsafe infrastructure and speedy drivers not following regulations.

A series of derailments threatening the life of hundreds of travelers have been reported this year.

Most recently on September 10, a train carrying more than 200 people derailed when it was entering a station in the central province of Thanh Hoa, damaging one of its cars and causing the train to be four hours late. Many train routes were affected.

At least three similar incidents were reported a month ago.

On August 6, a train carrying 100 passengers traveling from the northern province of Lao Cai derailed as it was entering a station on Hanoi outskirts. It went off the track at the same spot on the way back the next day. Investigation found the driver was speeding and rail maintenance did not meet quality requirements.

On August 9, a freight train derailed on Hanoi outskirts also due to poor road conditions.

Vietnam had one of the first modern railway systems in Asia, built by the French between Saigon and the nearby My Tho in 1881, but the transport has lost popularity with poor investment in recent years.

Between 2011 and 2015, only 3 percent of the state budget’s infrastructure investment went to rail transport, while roads received nearly 90 percent.

With lack of funding, most of the rail network in Vietnam still runs on the narrow one-meter gauge, a design that has been blamed for regular train crashes. The network is also a safety threat due to the large number of unmonitored level crossings.

The railway’s share of the transport system has shrunk from 30 percent in the 1930s to less than 2 percent.

In an attempt to bring back the glory, Vietnam lawmakers passed amendments to the Railway Law in June, promising incentives to investors in the system.

Some companies have also taken initiatives by offering first-class trips with restaurant cars like the five-star train service launched this year from Ho Chi Minh City to the coastal resort town of Nha Trang or from Hanoi to the northern highlands town of Sa Pa.

Cold spell to bring heavy downpours to northern Vietnam

Northern Vietnam is forecast to be dampened by torrential rain this Sunday (September 10), when a cold front enters the region.

The bad weather patterns will be brought to the Southeast Asian’s northern localities when the cold spell extends its influence on the area on Sunday evening (September 10), according to the National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting.

Provinces and cities in the regions have already been impacted by rainfall in the past few days, which was caused by the combined effect of a trough.

The cold front is currently located north of Vietnam and is slowly moving southward.

As it enters northern part of the country, the weather will be worsened with downpours and thunderstorms.

Low temperature is also expected at night and early in the morning.

Residents in the affected areas, especially those living in mountainous localities, have been advised to carry out measures to prepare for heavy downpours, lightning, and potential flashfloods and landslides.

Vietnam pushes for Digital Transformation in Fourth Industrial Revolution

The 4th Industrial Revolution is taking place with the convergence of information technology and communications and the rapid development of internet-based services and technologies.

The 4th industrial revolution is impacting many aspects of life globally. In May, 2017 the Prime Minister issued a decree instructing ministries, sectors, localities, and enterprises to take specific steps towards the 4th industrial revolution. Many mechanisms and policies have been promulgated. 

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, Chairman of the National Committee for IT Application and the National Council on Sustainable Development and Competitiveness Improvement, said “We need to develop a strong IT infrastructure and take a step forward like other countries. We already have provided 2G, 3G, and 4G, and cable services to every house but need to build professional infrastructure and data centers and move toward open data. The work should begin at ministries and sectors and expand to enterprises and the public.”

The Ministry of Information and Communications plans to develop policies that promote digital infrastructure growth, ensure the security of the national communication system, and issue standards in IT and telecommunications. Minister Truong Minh Tuan elaborates on ways to seize the opportunities of the 4th industrial revolution “We need to have vanguards promoting the 4thindustrial revolution to improve the capacity and effectiveness of our IT infrastructure and to enhance national IT capacity. It’s also important to promote IT application in the management, and operation of the whole economy and to consider IT application a priority in national industrialization and modernization.”

Information technology is considered one of Vietnam’s key drivers to promote a knowledge-based economy, improve national competitiveness, and strengthen sustainable development. Vietnam plans to develop its broadband infrastructure and promote 4G and 5G technology. 

Coast Guard rescues Chinese sailor off Nha Trang coast

The Vietnam Coast Guard on Friday, September 8, coordinated successful evacuation of a sick Chinese sailor, Zhongyunxiao, aboard a ship around 35 nautical miles northeast of Nha Trang.

coast guard rescues chinese sailor off nha trang coast hinh 0 The injured crewmember was evacuated after receipt of an SOS message from the Yuan Yue Hu vessel travelling from Hong Kong to Singapore.

After treatment at a hospital in Nha Trang the condition of the crewmember is stable, Coast Guard authorities said. They are now coordinating with local Chinese officials to arrange transportation for the crewmember’s return to China.

Forest Service officer shoots dead suspected illegal logger

One Vietnamese person has died after being shot by a Thai forest ranger at the Mae Wong National Park in Nakhon Sawan Province while three others remain jailed, according to multiple Thai news outlets.

Vietnamese national Nguyen Van Thai, 31, was shot on Wednesday, September 6, after failing to submit a permit of approval to transport timber from the forest to Thai patrol officers.

According to media reports, the deceased along one other Vietnamese and two Thai citizens were believed to be involved in a gun battle with Thai officers over suspected illegal logging when Van Thai was shot.

One Thai officer was shot and remains hospitalized in serious condition.

The remaining three suspects fled the scene after the shootings but were apprehended by Thai police the following day, Thursday, September 7, and remain jailed pending the results of a further investigation into the incident.

Fabric warehouse in northcentral Vietnam burns to the ground

A fabric warehouse in northcentral Thanh Hoa Province burned to the ground on Saturday, September 9, as more than 15 fire trucks and crews attempted to extinguish the blaze, reported local officials.

The fire started in the early morning pre-dawn hours in the 360-square metre warehouse located in the village of Thieu Giao in the district of Thieu Hoa.

It burned overnight for more than four hours and flames could be seen more than 20 kilometres away, officials noted.

No injuries were reported, and the cause remains under investigation.

National programme focuses on early childhood development

Ensuring comprehensive development for children in early years at home and in the community is the goal of a national programme introduced at a consultative workshop in Hanoi on September 8.

The programme aims to ensure children’s equal access to fundamental physical and mental health services, nutrition, education, clean water, environmental hygiene and social welfare policies.

“Early childhood development plays an important role and lays the foundation for physical, intellectual, emotional and aesthetic development of children,” Deputy Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Doan Mau Diep said.

He reiterated the Vietnamese Government’s commitments to implementing ratified international conventions and sparing no efforts to fully ensure child rights.

“The Government of Vietnam has made the right decision to commit to develop a nationwide policy for Early Childhood Development bringing together different line agencies that play a critical role in the life of a child,” said UNICEF Representative in Vietnam Youssouf Abdel-Jelil.

The National Programme on Care for Comprehensive Development of Children in Early Years at Home and in the Community for the period of 2017-2025 is carried out in two phrases from 2018 to 2020 and from 2021 to 2025 concentrating on localities with economic difficulties.

In Vietnam, close to 25 percent of children under five years of age suffer from stunting. Approximately 77 percent of preschool age children (aged 3-5) and 13 percent of kindergarten children (aged under 3) do not attend any formal pre-learning programme. 

Every year, about 2,000 children experience violence and abuse and 170,000 children are without parental care.

The building of the national early childhood development programme aims to realise the Child Law 2016 to contribute to the implementation of sustainable development goal in Vietnam.

Vietnam shares policies at Asia-Pacific environment meeting

Vietnam has shared its policies to cope with arising environment challenges facing Asia-Pacific countries at the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Summit on the Environment which took place in Bangkok, Thailand, from September 5-8.

In his speech at the ministerial-level session, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha said Vietnam is striving to cope with rapid urbanization, pressure from enormous demand for natural resources for development, climate change and its impacts such as drought, rising sea level and salt water intrusion.

The minister presented Vietnam's policies and measures to address the problems and reiterated Vietnam’s resolve and commitment to environmental protection. 

The Asia-Pacific Ministerial Summit on the Environment is the first of its kind held by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the UN Environment. 

More than 40 countries sent their delegations to the event, which focused on reviewing the implementation of outcomes of the 6th Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development (MECD-6) and providing guidance on the UN-ESCAP’s plan of actions on the environment and development in the coming years. 

Under the theme “Towards a resource efficient and pollution free Asia-Pacific”, the summit also addressed the linkages between resources efficiency and pollution reduction in the region. 

On the sideline of the event, the Vietnamese minister held several bilateral meetings with ministers and deputy ministers of some countries to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation in fields of mutual interests.

Food poisoning at wedding leaves 33 people in hospital

Thirty-three people were admitted to Bac Ha General Hospital on Thursday, September 7, in northern Lao Cai Province after they had eaten contaminated food at a wedding, local health officials reported.

A doctor from the Hospital said that after eating contaminated glutinous rice cakes (Banh Giay) at the wedding in the commune of Na Hoi in the district of Bac Ha the people were rushed to the hospital suffering from bacterial gastroenteritis. 

Gastroenteritis, also known as infectious diarrhoea, is inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract that involves the stomach and small intestine. Signs and symptoms include some combination of diarrhoea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.

All 33 victims were admitted to the hospital, noted the doctor. The infection typically lasts less than two weeks.

Nguyen Thi Hai Anh, deputy director of the Food Safety Department in Lao Cai Province said her office will complete a thorough investigation of the case and take steps to remedy the problem and prevent it from recurring.

Train carrying 214 passengers derails in northern Vietnam

A Vietnam Railway train carrying 214 passengers derailed today (September 8)while entering the Bim Son Railway Station in northern Thanh Hoa Province, reported Vietnamnet.

No casualties were reported in the mishap that occurred at around 1:30pm, however, several people suffered minor injuries, said Do Hong Lam, deputy chief of Vietnam Railways. None of the crew members were injured.

Passengers were transferred to another train and continued on their way after service resumed as normal following a four hour delay.

The cause of the derailment is still under investigation.

New documentary featuring Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh to hit US theaters

Walk with Me is the title of a new documentary film on Buddhist Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh set to hit US cinemas next week.

The movie is expected to take viewers on a cinematic journey into the world of a monastic community that practices the art of mindfulness.
British directors Marc J. Francis and Max Pugh spent three years shooting the film in Plum Village, a Buddhist meditation center in Dordogne, southern France, which was co-founded by Thich Nhat Hanh.

English actor Bennedict Cumberbatch lends his voice to the film’s narration.

The place is home to a community of Buddhist monks and Zen practitioners in France.

The documentary captures the monastic lives of monks and nuns in Plum Village, as well as Buddhist Zen Master Hanh’s wisdom on mindfulness as illustrated in his writings from the younger years.

The film ix executed in a calm and rhythmic pace that masterfully depicts the essence of Zen, according to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper critic Anh Nguyen.

Director Alejandro G. Inarritu, who won two Academy Awards for The Revenant and Birdman, described the documentary as “silent and pure,” containing “images and sound that translate the forgotten conciseness, putting it right there on the screen,” during his exclusive interview with Variety.

“I loved how the filmmakers capture and convey, cinematically, the sometimes inexplicable state of being awakened,” Inarritu was quoted as saying. “It gives a hint of that quiet voice so underrated today and ironically so needed in this time of fear and ignorance.”
The Mexican film director described Thich Nhat Hanh as “one of the deepest and wisest” people in the world.

Walk with Me made its world premiere on March 15 at the South by Southwest Festival (SXSW) Film Festival in Austin, Texas, and has had limited U.S. screenings since August.

Thich Nhat Hanh, born in central Vietnam’s Hue City, is among the pioneering Buddhist leaders in the popularization of the religion on Western soil.

Hanh is also a novelist, poet, religion researcher and social activist with over 100 published books in both Vietnamese and English.

He returned to Vietnam last month to seek rest after recovering from brain hemorrhage in 2014.