Quang Tri allocates compensation to environmental victims

The central province of Quang Tri has begun distributing compensation money to those affected by the marine pollution incident caused by Taiwan’s Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation. 

Vo Van Hung, director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and vice chairman of the council on enumeration and compensation for damages caused by the incident in Quang Tri province, said from November 1-15, the province will provide compensation to people in 16 coastal communes. 

In preparation for providing compensation, localities have listed those eligible, determined their losses, calculated compensation levels and answered questions from affected citizens. 

Quang Tri has more than 8,000 households with nearly 45,000 people, over 2,800 boats from 16 coastal communes and towns in four districts – Vinh Linh, Gio Linh, Trieu Phong and Hai Lang – severely affected by the incident. 

Total compensation for the province will be 1 trillion VND (approximately 45 million USD). 

Hung said the compensation process had been drawn out due to delays in appraisal procedures and the process to determine the beneficiaries of the compensation and how much by various agencies. 

Besides that, determining the beneficiaries on a large scale and calculating their losses is complicated and time-consuming, he said. 

Operations of Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Co. Ltd resulted in mass fish deaths along the coast of the central provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, and Thua Thien-Hue between April and May. The pollution damaged about 400 hectares of coral and affected over 260,000 people who earned their living in sea-related activities. 

The firm compensated over 11.5 trillion VND (500 million USD) to support local fishermen switch to other jobs and recover the polluted maritime environment. It also vowed to deal with shortcomings in waste and wastewater treatment. 

More support for flood victims in central region

President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan on October 31 received 800 million VND (36,000 USD) donated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) to support flood victims in the central region. 

This is the second donation from the MARD to the flood victims. Previously, it donated 200 million VND (9,000 USD). 

Nhan said the recent flood and maritime environmental incident in the central provinces have made life in the central provinces difficult. 

The assistance of agencies, businesses and individuals helps the victims surmount difficulties, he added. 

He pledged the money will be delivered to localities on schedule. 

As of October 31, the VFF Central Committee has received over 17 billion VND (765,000 USD) donated to support flood victims in the central region. 

The same day, Luong Mong Sanh, head of the VFF chapter of the southern central province of Phu Yen launched a campaign to raise fund for flood victims in central provinces. 

On the first day, more than 650 million VND (29,250 USD) was raised from organisations, localities, enterprises and individuals. 

Previously, the province delivered aid of 200 million VND (9,000 USD) to victims in Ha Tinh and Quang Binh.

Thua Thien-Hue: over 6.6 mln USD of Formosa compensation paid to local

About 147 billion VND (over 6.6 million USD) of compensation from Taiwanese Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation was distributed to people affected by the marine environment incident in 20 out of 29 coastal communes in the central province of Thua Thien Hue in the first phase as of October 31.

The districts of Phu Loc and Phu Vang completed the compensation delivery in the phase, with over 63 billion VND (2.83 million USD) and over 58 billion VND (2.61 million USD), respectively.

The local authorities continue counting families and individuals that have been affected by the incident, sparked by Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh, with the aim of ensuring legitimate benefits for locals.

Teams in charge of delivering the compensation were set up, focusing on supervising the compensation delivery and addressing local residents’ difficulties.

According to preliminary statistics, 3,988 ships with 7,204 fishermen in Thua Thien-Hue have been affected by the incident. Nearly 24,000 sq.m of aquaculture area was damaged, making about 10,000 labourers lose incomes.

Operations of Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Co. Ltd resulted in mass fish deaths along the coast of the central provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, and Thua Thien-Hue between April and May. The pollution damaged about 400 hectares of coral and affected over 260,000 people who earned their living in sea-related activities.

The firm compensated over 11.5 trillion VND (500 million USD) to support local fishermen switch to other jobs and recover the polluted maritime environment. It also vowed to deal with shortcomings in waste and wastewater treatment.

Total compensation for those affected by the incident in Thua Thien-Hue is nearly 750 billion VND (33.75 million USD), 400 billion VND of which has been disbursed in the first phase.-

Vietnam a port for smuggled elephant tusks

Following multiple cases of elephant tusks being smuggled through Vietnam, authorities have confirmed the country as an intermediate port in the illegal shipment of the wildlife parts.

According to the Vietnam Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), during the 2010-15 period, customs officers uncovered a total of 116 cases of animal smuggling and trading, confiscating over 22 tonnes of ivory and 457 ivory bracelets.

Authorities have also seized a considerable volume of elephant tusks this year.

In the most recent case, the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department busted two containers of African elephant ivory worth nearly VND40 billion (US$1.76 million) at the Cat Lat Port on Wednesday of last week.

The shipments came from a man in Kenya and were transiting through Vietnam, expected to be received in Cambodia.

Officers have also confiscated a further 2.5 tonnes of elephant tusks in two other cases in the southern city this month, with the individuals responsible criminally charged.

In August 2015, the illicit transportation of 2.3 tonnes of ivory was stopped by authorities at the Tien Sa Seaport in the central city of Da Nang.

According to Le Dinh Loi, deputy head of the Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department, the tusks were mainly covered in wax, plaster, or clay and stored along with different types of wood inside containers.

Customs officers at all Ho Chi Minh City ports have been ordered to carry out thorough inspections of all shipments in order to prevent further smuggling, Loi added. 

Smaller quantities are often smuggled by air, said Le Tuan Binh, deputy chief of the Customs Office at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City.

The products are stored in checked baggage and usually weigh less than 100 kilograms, the official continued.

According to the anti-smuggling police official, elephant tusks sell for between VND30 million ($1,323) and VND40 million ($1,764) on the black market.

The smuggled wildlife parts primarily come from Africa as they can be collected from both male and female African elephants, he elaborated.

Vietnam does not have a large market for ivory due to the state’s strict policy, Vu Hai Chau, representative of the WCS, said about the findings of a research conducted by international organizations.

The Southeast Asian nation is considered an intermediate destination for elephant tusks before they are imported into mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand and Japan among others, Chau continued.

A trans-shipment point is included in the smuggling chain to disguise where the wildlife parts originate from, the representative explained, adding that a fake business would be created as the owner of the shipments.

Vietnam is a preferred intermediary due to its favorable location and multiple international seaports and airports, Chau said.

Ministry moots insurance cuts to help businesses

Businesses could have their contributions to funds for labour accidents, occupational diseases and unemployment reduced by half under a new Government proposal.

The proposal was made at a regular cabinet meeting last weekend by Đào Ngọc Dung, Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA).

He said the mandatory contributions could be cut after a review of different types of insurance funds.

The proposal was made under Resolution No 35 on supporting and developing enterprises.

The Resolution authorises MoLISA to review the different insurance funds in co-ordination with other ministries and agencies and propose a reasonable social insurance regime that ensures the interests of workers, enterprises and society.

The labour ministry feels that the new plan is feasible, Dung said.

Under the proposal, the employer will contribute 0.5 per cent instead of one per cent of the salary towards the fund for labour accidents and occupational diseases as well as the unemployment insurance fund.

Dung said that once the cut takes effect, it would help enterprises save about VNĐ5.4 trillion (US$242 million) a year.

The proposed reductions would not affect the Social Insurance Fund as payouts from the above-mentioned funds were too small compared to the contributions received, MoLISA experts said.

For example, payouts from the labour accident and occupational diseases fund amounted to just eight per cent of total collection last year. The fund has accumulated about VNĐ26 trillion (US$1.16 million) thus far, nearly 60 times higher than the payout, the cabinet heard.

A similar situation prevails with the unemployment insurance fund, the ministry said, adding that the proposed reductions would have a positive impact on businesses.

The plan would provide essential assistance to businesses as they were under pressure to lower salaries and production costs as competition heated up, it said.

If the plan is approved by the Government, amendments will be needed to Decree 37/2016/NĐ-CP which guides implementation of certain provisions of the Law on Occupational Safety and Hygiene, Dung said.

He also said the plan to lower contributions to the unemployment fund had to be submitted to the National Assembly Standing Committee for consideration.

Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc welcomed the proposal, saying the reduced rate of 0.5 per cent contribution to the two funds would help businesses.

He asked the ministry to work with other ministries and agencies in studying the proposal and submit specific plans to the Government for approval.

In related news, a VNA report said yesterday that the Hà Nội Confederation of Labour (HNCL) would co-ordinate with relevant agencies to sue enterprises that have not paid their insurance dues.

The confederation has authorised six of its units to complete procedures for taking seven defaulting enterprises to court, it cited deputy chairman Lê Đình Hùng as saying.

The procedures should be completed by November and the lawsuits filed in December, Hùnng said.

The units have been advised to contact the People’s Court, social insurance organisations at the district level and legal consultancy divisions of the Hà Nội Trade Union for more data and legal support, he added.

Nguyễn Quốc Khánh, deputy head of the Hà Nội Labour, Invalid and Social Affairs Department, said 31,428 enterprises out of a total of 195,000 enterprises and organisations in Hà Nội have delayed paying insurance fees for their workers.

As a result, the city’s social insurance debt has risen to over VNĐ2 trillion ($88.9 million, he said.

HNCL Chairman Nguyễn Thị Tuyến said clear regulations as well as instructions from the Government were needed to deal quickly and effectively with enterprises not paying their insurance contributions, hurting employees.

She said drastic measures were needed to punish enterprises who try to avoid paying their insurance contributions so that the rights and benefits of workers are ensured.

Viettel donates $540,000 to flood-hit central areas

Viettel Group has raised donations worth VNĐ12 billion ($540,000) from its staff, each of whom contributed a day’s salary, to assist relief efforts in the storm- and flood-hit central provinces.

It also sent over 100 engineers, who, by October 17, ensured all connections were working.

Viettel’s local technical staff had already moved their equipment to higher places to ensure the network did not go down in flood-prone districts like Bố Trạch, Minh Hoá, Tuyên Hoá, Quảng Trạch, and Quảng Ninh in Quảng Bình Province and Kỳ Anh and Cẩm Xuyên in Hà Tĩnh Province.

Before, the Việt Nam Television (VTV) and Viettel Group collected nearly VNĐ20 billion (US$900,000) during a gala held early this month reviewing the eight year existence of the “Heart for Kids” charity programme.

The programme, begun in 2008 by VTV and Viettel, has funded emergency operations for 3,231 poor children under 16 years old who have congenital heart disease. Total expenses have been VNĐ110 billion (US$5 million).

Another 31,600 poor children living in remote and economically difficult areas around the country have received free heart check-ups.

The programme has helped improve heart treatment services at seven local hospitals, and has held 10 online discussions between heart experts and congenital heart patients.

At the gala night, Viettel Group donated VNĐ6.63 billion, the National Fund for Vietnamese Children VNĐ4 billion, VinGroup VNĐ2 billion, Tân Hoàng Minh Group VNĐ2 billion, Hà Nội Cardiology Hospital 50 free heart surgery (about VNĐ2 billion worth), Viettin Bank VNĐ1 billion and Lixil Việt Nam VNĐ1 billion.

The Việt Nam Central Red Cross Association has been raising funds from donations of VNĐ18,000 ($0.8 cent) through SMSs sent to the number 1408 between September 15 and November 13. They have raised VNĐ2.7 billion.

The “Hearts for Kids” set a goal from now to 2020 to provide free heart check-ups for over 30,000 poor children and operate on 3,000 poor heart patients.

In mid-September, more than 800 children in Trà Vinh Province received free cardiovascular check-ups from doctors at the capital’s Bạch Mai Hospital and Hà Nội Medical University Hospital.

The examinations found nearly 40 children with congenital heart disease, with four expected to undergo immediate surgery.

Meritorious artist Phạm Bằng passed away

Meritorious artist Phạm Bằng passed away last night aged 85 at Hồng Ngọc General Hospital in Hà Nội.

Born in 1931, the well-known Hanoian artist gained the hearts of audience through films, comedies and entertainment programmes like the Weekend Meeting on VTV3.

Phạm Bằng studied at the College of Public Transport and Works. But his passion for the arts was clear from a young age.

In 1959, Phạm Bằng joined the Hà Nội Art Troupe. He found success as an actor, although without formal training.

In 1975, he moved to work at the Central troupe (now the Vietnamese Theatre).

In 1980, his show Pigments transformed into the field of comedy.

When talking about comedian Phạm Bằng, it’s hard to forget his famous cake shop on Hàng Giày Street.

Artist Phạm Bằng retired in 1999 but kept working hard to bring laughter to audiences. 

Fire in apartment complex reveals deadly hazards

A fire broke out last night on the eighth floor of the CT2 Building of the Rainbow Linh Đàm apartment complex.

The complex is located in the southwestern urban area of Linh Đàm, Hoàng Mai District, Hà Nội City.

Chaos ensued when black smoke engulfed the corridor and residents began fleeing the high-rise complex.

Long, a resident living on the second floor of the opposite building, was one of the first to discover the fire. He told a Vietnamplus reporter, that at first, he smelled something burning. Looking up, he then saw the fire ravaging an apartment upstairs.

“The fire alarm in the CT2 building was not working. I had to run to the building’s first floor to activate the alarm, and then went upstairs to the eighth floor to warn people in other apartments,” he said.

Three fire trucks were deployed to the scene, however, they encountered difficulty accessing the building, since residents’ cars blocked the entrance. Several people had to manually carry a four-seater car aside to make way for the fire trucks.

Fire engines were utilised to spray water directly through the windows of the apartment that was on fire. Firefighters in gas masks were sent to the eighth floor.

At about 12 pm, the fire was contained for the most part. 

Residents have been instructed on how to safely evacuate should such incidents occur. 

Fortunately, there was no casualty. 

The incident is under investigation. 

Deadly shortcomings in fire protection revealed

“It’s ironic how the alarms went off loudly during fire drills, but when a fire actually broke out, they stayed dead silent. It’s really lucky no one was trapped inside,” Long said, with visible exasperation – a sentiment shared by many other residents.

However, it seems that the shortcomings in the building’s fire protection don’t just stop at malfunctioning fire alarms.

At 11:30pm, the fire had gone on for quite some time, but the electricity system in the CT2 building still hadn’t been cut off, leaving the whole building at risk of short circuit.

The firefighters who were sent to the eighth floor via stairs said they originally intended to connect hoses with internal hydrants (embedded in the walls) to douse the fire. But, instead of water, all they got from the hydrants was a pitiful amount of foul-smelling black mud.

The pipelines that firefighters brought to the scene to contain the fire were rendered useless. The fire containment solely relied on ladder trucks on the ground floor.

The firefighters’ job was then to direct old people, young children and women to urgently evacuate by stairs to safety.

The Rainbow apartment complex was advertised to feature a state-of-the-art “automatic fire hose system” located in the general corridor that can quickly extinguish fire. 

HCM City Techmart 2016 opens this week

The 2016 international technology and equipment market (Techmart) will take place at No. 79 Truong Dinh Street in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1 on November 3-4. 

The event aims to enhance the quality and safety of agro-products; introduce technology and equipment for production and storage of food.

New technologies are achievements of scientific research in the field of agriculture planting, processing and storing of safe agricultural products by firms, institutes and universities in the country.

The event will also present to the public software searching for the origin of agricultural and aquatic products, international safety requirements of aquatic products processing plant, recent advances in drying and dehydration of fruits and vegetables.

Can Tho to host the 2nd Vietnam-Japan Cultural Exchange

The 2nd Vietnam-Japan Cultural Exchange will be held at Luu Huu Phuoc Park in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on November 11-13, according to an announcement in a press conference in Can Tho on November 1. 

The event is co-organized by the People’s Committee of Can Tho City, VCCI Can Tho (Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Can Tho).

This year’s event is expected to feature around 70 booths in many sectors, such as agricultural products, education, medicine, food, consumer goods, gifts and handcraft products, tourism, labor export and study abroad consultancy services, including 20 stalls presenting Japanese culture and products.

The three day-long events also includes art performances with the participation of 307 artists, including 26 from Japan.

Highlights of the event are the 4th investment conference in the Mekong Delta and a seminar on Vietnam- Japan trade cooperation calling for the investment in the field of agriculture, production of machinery and equipment in the Mekong Delta region.

The tenth liver transplant carried out in the Children Hospital No.2 in Ho Chi Minh City was a success, said the hospital on October 31.

The recipient is 13 month old Nguyen Vo Tri Hao from District Tan Binh who was diagnosed to have shrunk ball and undertook an operation when he was seven week old at the Children Hospital No.1. Later he had cirrhosis. Doctors advised to have liver transplant. The donor is his father, 38, and was discharged from the hospital when he was stable.

After one month, the toddler was recovering and went home.

Liver transplantation for kid under two years old and alive donor is the most difficult technique because blood vessels are very small.

The operation was performed on October 4 by Professor Tran Dong A, some surgeons of the hospital and their colleagues from other hospital along with two medical experts from Belgium Saint-Luc University.

The hospital started to perform liver transplant in 2005, so far surgeons have conducted ten cases, each case worth VND5000 million (US$22,400) excluding expenditure post-operation and treatment. As per the plan, the hospital will build a hi-tech organ medical center by 2025 and the Department of Health gave the green light to the construction project.

Hậu in V. League team

The U19 national team’s Đoàn Văn Hậu has been promoted by Hà Nội T&T to play for the club’s top team in the coming V.League season as well as the Asian Football Confederation Champions League.

He has the rare distinction of a U17 player leapfrogging over the U19 and U21 squads to join Hà Nôi T&T’s first team.

Defender Hậu was one of stars of the U19 squad which secured a berth for the U20 World Cup in South Korea next year.

His performance in the Bahrain tournament earned rave reviews from AFC, and he was selected as one of eight players to watch during the tournament’s semi-finals last Sunday.

U19 coach Hoàng Anh Tuấn has described Hậu as a hard-working player with “comprehensive” skills along who is physically strong, competitive and has a quick mind.

He believes that if Hậu receives proper care and attention, he can be a leading left winger in the near future, even playing in Europe.

Tuấn said it was good news that Hà Nội T&T has selected him to play in the V.League and also other tournaments. Although Hậu is a defender, he is an attacking player capable of scoring goals, the coach said.

Hậu, a native of Thái Bình Province, scored a goal in Việt Nam’s 2-1 win over North Korea at the Khalifa Sports City Stadium in Bahrain.

“Hậu is the best player of this age in my team. He is skilled and has a perfect left foot. At this young age, he already has a professional awareness. He is the future of Vietnamese football,” said Hà Nội T&T coach Vũ Hồng Việt.

Hà Nội T&T ended the 2016 season as V. League champions and won the silver medal at the National Cup. 

Sự returns as Becamex Bình Dương’s coach

Veteran coach Trần Bình Sự has been invited to take charge of former V.League champions Becamex Bình Dương in the next season.

The two sides have discussed all terms and the contract will be signed on November 2, the date when players are summoned for practice. 

The 68-year-old had bid adieu to Đồng Nai Football Club after the last season.

This is the second time Sự will work with the team. He first managed the club in 2003, pushing them into the national premier league V.League. “Back to Bình Dương after 13 years. It feels like I am back home. I hope I will be as successful as I was the first time,” Sự said.

His first responsibility will be the Bình Dương Television Cup in early December, where he will have the opportunity to pick the best players for his team. “I have talked with the team’s managing board. There’s no pressure on me for achievement but they’ve asked me to draw up a plan to make the team’s current young players its key players over the next three years. I think it is a suitable target and also the trend in modern football. Bình Dương are focusing on youth training and they have at least five players strong enough to join the first team,” said Sự.

“I am going to build a team that has a beautiful playing style, not just one that ranks high in V.League. It will help us lure more spectators to our stadium,” the coach said.

Bình Dương failed to defend their title in the 2015-16 season. They finished 10th out of 14.

Hoàng to miss first AFF Cup this November

Defender Trần Đình Hoàng will miss his first ASEAN Football Federation Cup because of injury. Hoàng suffered a meniscus cartilage tear some months ago. He was nearly well and was in South Korea for training last week. However, during one of his training sessions, the injury occurred again. According to doctors, Hoàng required a surgery to recover completely.

His absence will be lead to a huge gap in coach Nguyễn Hữu Thắng’s defence as he was the first-choice in the line-up’s right wing.

The AFF Cup will be organised from November 19 to December 17 in the Philippines and Myanmar.

Việt Nam will play co-host Myanmar on November 20, the first match of Group B, which also includes Malaysia and Cambodia. 

Hà Nội T&T beat Quảng Ninh 2-0 in semi-final of U-21 tourney

 Nguyễn Văn Kiên scored a goal and his teammate Nguyễn Văn Đức added another during injury time to help Hà Nội T&T beat host Quảng Ninh Coal 2-0 in the semi-final of the Thanh Niên (Young People) Newspaper National U-21 Football Tournament yesterday.

The win took the Hanoian team to the final with Sana Khánh Hoà, who beat Hoàng Anh Gia Lai 8-7 on penalties after a goaless draw during regular time of the semi-final on Sunday.

The final will be played at Cẩm Phả Stadium on November 3.

Having drawn nil-to-nil in the first half time, the defending champions, Hà Nội T&T regrouped to launch fast and skillful play in the second half.

Kiên helped the Hanoian team lead the score in the 56th minute when he fired a close range and low ball.

In the third minute during a five-minute injury time, Nguyễn Văn Đức scored the second goal of the match in a rapid attack, completing a convincing win for Hà Nội.

Two semi-final losers – Quảng Ninh and Hoàng Anh Gia Lai – drew for the third place award of the tournament.

The annual national U-21 football tournament drew 21 teams competing in the qualifying round from October 3-13.

After the tournament, the Thanh Niên Newspaper’s U-21 International Football Tournament will be held. 

Yen Bai, France’s Val-de-Marne celebrate 20 years of cooperation

A high-ranking delegation of the French department of Val-de-Marne has engaged in different activities in Yen Bai province on the occasion of the 20th founding anniversary of their friendship and cooperative relations. 

To celebrate the 20th anniversary, the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai decided to plant 20 “lat hoa” trees (Chukrasia tabularis), a rare species of Vietnam, on Au Co street in Yen Bai city. 

Officials of Val-de-Marne and Yen Bai also took part in a ceremony to name a rose species after the Vietnamese province. This species was selected from the 600 most beautiful rose trees in Val-de-Marne, and then multiplied and presented to Yen Bai as a gift from the French department. 

At a working session on October 31, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee and Chairwoman of the provincial People’s Committee Pham Thi Thanh Tra said the tree planting and rose naming mark a new stage of the two sides’ relationship. She described the French roses grown besides Vietnamese flowers as a garden of friendship. 

Christian Favier, Senator and President of the General Council of Val - de - Marne, highlighted the two sides’ sound amity and cooperation, adding that his locality will enhance cooperation activities and projects with Yen Bai in the time to come. 

Earlier, the French delegation visited a community-based tourism model in Nghia Lo township, tea processing and business activities in Suoi Giang commune of Van Chan district, and water supply and waste treatment facilities in An Thinh commune. 

Since 2014, Yen Bai and Val-de-Marne have cooperated in preventive medicine, tourism, waste water treatment, and rural development. About 9.27 billion VND (415,300 USD) was disbursed for six of the seven joint projects as of June 2016.

Central region warned to prepare for flooding

The central steering committee for natural disaster response and the National Committee for Search and Rescue have warned central coastal provinces from Nghe An southward to Ninh Thuan to get prepared for flooding. 

The committees’ joint dispatch sent on October 31 said water levels in many rivers in the region are rising, and expected to reach alarm levels during October 31-November 5. Besides floods on major rivers, the region also faces a high risk of flash flood in small streams, landslides in mountainous areas and local inundation in low-land areas. 

Localities in the region are asked to check high-risk areas and put in places plans to evacuate local residents in emergencies. 

They are also requested to keep close monitoring of reservoirs to ensure safety and deploy search and rescue forces for timely response. 

Several provinces in central region, particularly Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh and Thua Thien-Hue suffered severe losses from heavy rains and floods during October 13-18. The flood claimed 25 lives, injured 18 others and left four missing as of October 18.

Growing demand for organic food

Demand for organic farm produce has risen significantly in Vietnam, offering good prospects for businesses investing in the field, delegates said at a recent seminar in HCM City. 

Le Quy Kha of the Institute of Agricultural Science for Southern Vietnam (IAS) said the global market for organic food and drink increased from 15.2 billion USD in 1999 to 80 billion USD in 2014 and was likely to continue to rise. 

Globally, the amount of organic agricultural land rose significantly between 1999 and 2014 but not in Asia, including Vietnam, meaning there was potential for the region. 

Nguyen Cong Thanh, also of the IAS, said organic farming required uncontaminated agricultural land clearly separated from normal land, the non-use of pesticides and chemicals and record-keeping to keep track of product flow. 

With food safety being a top concern for both local and overseas consumers, organic agriculture plays an important role. 

Kha said organic agriculture offered advantages, including less pesticides residue. This increases the value of agricultural and aquaculture products and enables more Vietnamese products to enter choosy markets. 

Organic farming continues to be a strong trend globally since it helps increase productivity and farmers' incomes and reduces greenhouse gas emissions and chemical contamination, he said. 

Successful organic models exist in Vietnam, including Thanh Xuan organic vegetables in Hanoi, vegetable production by Organik Da Lat, GreenFarm Vien Phu organic rice, and others, he said. 

In Vietnam, organic agriculture accounts for around 2 percent of the country's total agricultural land, he added. 

Companies in the field face many challenges. 

For instance, there is no domestic certification organisation for organic products, and growers have to depend on foreign organisations like Control Union, IMO, AS and others, he said. 

Government policies related to developing organic agriculture are still not clear. 

He said the Government should create transparent, clear policies that persuade farmers to switch gradually from chemical-based farming to organic agriculture to cope with international competition and safeguard the health of the community. 

The policies in land use and credit need to be strong for farmers, enterprises, fertiliser producers and others involved in organic farming, he said. 

In addition, the Government should have policies to support producers of organic products in building brands as well as offer training for farmers in cultivation techniques. 

Delegates at the seminar said that increasing public awareness about the production and use of organic products was also a big challenge. They urged authorities to inform and educate the public about the issue. 

Thanh said the country had sufficient conditions to develop organic farming, especially in the production of rice, cashews, pepper, tea, vegetables and fish.

Dance for a stronger Vietnam

A programme titled “Dance! For a stronger Vietnam” took place in Hanoi on October 30 to respond to the “Dance for Kindness” event in celebration of the World Kindness Day 2016 (November 13).

The programme, featuring fleezemobs and flashmobs, aimed to create a healthy playground for young people, thus encouraging them to join hands in building a stronger Vietnam.

It also called on the whole community, especially students, to take responsibility for the environment and awoke the kindness in each individual by daily practical actions such as cleaning the environment and presenting gifts to the homeless and disabled. 

Do Duc Duan, head of the “Dance for Kindness” Organising Board, said through freezemobs and flashmobs by beauty queens and students, the programme connects young people in spreading the message of the kindness.

During the annual “Dance for Kindness”, groups from across the globe join together to perform a Freezemob/Flashmob to the same song and the same dance on the same day.

Last year’s event took place in 93 locations in 48 countries, attracting about 12,000 participants.

New cold wave to hit northern region

People in the northern localities are bracing for another cold spell accompanied with scattered rainfall tomorrow, according to the Central Hydro-meteorological Forecast Centre.

The cold wave will keep the temperature in Hà Nội hovering at 18-20 degrees Celsius, while in the mountainous areas it will be some 15-17 degrees Celsius.

The central coastal provinces, forecast to be affected by the cold spell, will experience rain and thunderstorms. Hà Tĩnh and Phú Yên provinces, in particular, have been warned of heavy rainfall.

From today until Saturday, water level of the rivers from Hà Tĩnh to Phú Yên provinces is forecast to reach an alarming level. These provinces are also at high risk of floods, flash floods and landslides in low-lying areas, the centre said.

The centre also warned the central provinces from Nghệ An to Thừa Thiên-Huế to ensure safety of lakes in case of heavy rainfall.

The first strong cold spell of this year’s winter has enveloped the northern region since last Saturday. 

Hanoians had to wrap themselves in winter clothes when the temperatures suddenly dropped by 10 degrees Celsius.

Temperatures in the northern provinces continued to drop by another one to two degrees Celsius today.

The lowest temperature was recorded at the Mẫu Sơn area in Sa Pa Town of Lào Cai Province (11 degrees Celsius) and Sìn Hồ District in Lai Châu Province (14 degrees Celsius). 

Landslide disrupts Ninh Thuận coastal road

A torrential downpour, which began on Sunday afternoon and lasted well into the night, has triggered a landslide on the coastal road in Thuận Nam District, disrupting the traffic flow.

The landslide occurred at the section that passes through Mũi Dinh-Cà Ná in Thuận Nam District of Ninh Thuận Province.

Speaking at the site on Monday, Trần Văn Hai, head of traffic management from Ninh Thuận’s transportation department, said hundreds of cubic metres of rocks and earth from the mountain slopes have come crashing down on the road, cutting off access at many points. There are three spots where the entire road is buried under the rubble.

Authorities from the province’s transportation and electricity departments have inspected the site to determine the level of erosion and the amount of cascading debris, in order to appropriately address the incident.

Officials are focusing on getting the required manpower and machinery to clear up the debris, after which they have to restore the ruptured power lines, telephone lines, light poles as well as traffic signals.

Signboards that ban cars from using the landslide-hit sections have already been put up. Officials recommend that people use alternative routes as there may still be loose rocks and earth that can easily fall onto the road.

Authorities will also formulate a long-term plan to prevent such incidents and ensure that traffic is not disrupted along this route.

The construction of Mũi Dinh-Cà Ná section of the coastal road was completed in August 2015. Since then, this section has been struck with landslides three times, causing major traffic disruptions. Nevertheless, authorities have not come up with a viable long-term solution to effectively deal with the situation.

Woman dies after childbirth, hospital asked to explain

The Ministry of Health has asked Bình Định General Hospital to clarify the cause of death of a woman who was admitted for childbirth and did not survive after a C-section.

On October 28, Trương Hồ Thị Lan, 25, a resident of central Bình Định Province’s Quy Nhơn City, was hospitalised at 8.30pm to give birth. As per medical records, Lan was 40 weeks pregnant, and her blood pressure and body temperature were normal.

However, at 2am, she had seizures, started drooling, turned purple and her pulse and blood pressure could not be measured. Doctors diagnosed that Lan had amniotic fluid embolism and performed an emergency Caesarean operation. The surgery was completed successfully, but by 3am Lan was in deep coma, and she died four hours later.

The newborn baby girl was under treatment in the hospital’s paediatric department.

Relatives of the patient refused to take her body home, accusing the doctors of being irresponsible and causing her death.

Hồ Việt Mỹ, director of the hospital, said they would re-examine the processes and treatments given to her and determine the cause of death. Initial investigations indicate that she may have died because of amniotic fluid embolism, but the hospital is waiting for autopsy results, he said.

According to medical experts, amniotic fluid embolism is a rare obstetric complication, but with mortality rates as high as 80-90 per cent.

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