Heroin trafficker arrested in northern border Dien Bien province

Vang A Vu at the investigation office 

Border guard forces in the northwestern province of Dien Bien on December 8 caught red-handed a man illegally transporting heroin in Nam Ke commune of Muong Nhe district.

Vang A Vu, born in 1996 and residing in Co Lot village, Muong Nhe commune of Muong Nhe district, was arrested while he was riding motorbike from Co Lot village to the neighbouring Lai Chau province.

He was carrying a bag with four bricks of heroin, weighing about 1.5kg.

Vu then admitted that he bought the drugs from a person in Yangxin district of China’s Yunnan province for 50,000 Yuan (7,273 USD) and kept at his family’s field shack. He said that he was transporting the drugs to sell to a buyer in Lai Chau when he was arrested.

The case is under further investigation.

“Run for Tigers” 2018 draws over 750 runners

More than 750 runners from 31 countries and territories joined a running event in Hanoi on December 9 as part of efforts to raise public awareness of protecting tigers from the risk of extinction.

This was the 12th edition of the annual “Run for Tigers”, aiming to raise funds for activities to safeguard the wildlife in Vietnam.

Along with individuals and teams from various organisations, agencies and companies, including the European Union Delegation to Vietnam and Unilever Vietnam, Miss Vietnam 1994 Nguyen Thu Thuy also joined the event which was jointly held by the Red River Runners Club, Sporting Republic Company and the Education for Nature Vietnam (ENV).

Jody O’Dea of the Red River Runners Club said that he is delighted at the support of the runners to the event, which shows public attention and desire to protect tigers.

Demands for tiger-related products are the reason behind a shrink in natural tiger herd in Asia in the recent decades.

In Vietnam, there are only about five tigers living in the nature under the threat of illegal hunting and trading.

Meanwhile, the number of caged tigers has increased rapidly to about 241 at 17 zoos and other private-owned facilities.

ENV Deputy Director Nguyen Thi Phuong Dung said that the extinction of one-horned rhino in Vietnam in 2010 was a great loss, stressing the need to take actions to protect tigers before it is too late.

Dung called for the community to join the efforts by not using any product from tigers and report violations to authorised agencies or the hot line for wildlife protection 1800 1522.

She also underscored the need for strict measures to control and prevent the rise in caged tigers and handle illegal caging of tigers among households, especially in the central Nghe An province - a hot spot of illegal tiger trading.

Businesses sponsor National Fund for Vietnamese Children

Participants at the programme 

Businesses pledged to sponsor nearly 80 billion VND (3.43 million USD) for the National Fund for Vietnamese Children (NFVC) under agreements signed at a programme in Ho Chi Minh City on December 8 with the attendance of Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh.

The sponsors include Long Thanh Golf Investment and Trading J.S.C, IMEX Pan-Pacific Co. Ltd., and AIA Life Insurance Company Limited.

Addressing the programme, Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh, who is also Chairwoman of the NFVC Sponsorship Council, said the protection, care and education of children is a priority goal of the Party and State.

Vietnam is the first country in Asia and second in the world to ratify the 1990 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, she added.

The establishment of the National Fund for Vietnamese Children in May 1992 has contributed to increasing social resources to protect, care for, and educate children, Thinh said.

Since then, the fund has mobilised nearly 6.5 trillion VND (278.9 million USD) and supported 30 million needy children, including those with disabilities.

In 2018, the fund has raised over 100 billion VND (4.29 million USD) to help 80,000 underprivileged children, she noted.

There are still 1.5 million children from disadvantaged backgrounds in the country and nearly 2.5 million could drop out of school, she said. 

In 2019, the fund will strive to mobilise 110 billion VND (4.72 million USD) and support 110,000 disadvantaged children. 

To realise this target, the fund needs support from businesses and sponsors, the Vice President said.

Waste-to-energy factory inaugurated in Can Tho city

The waste-to-energy factory in Thoi Lai district of Can Tho is able to burn 400 tonnes of solid waste to produce some 150,000 kWh of power each day

A waste-to-energy factory was inaugurated in Thoi Lai district of Can Tho on December 8, expected to help address the solid waste pollution facing the Mekong Delta city recently.

The plant, which has investment of 1.05 trillion VND (47 million USD), covers 5.3ha of land in Truong Xuan commune.

It applies waste-to-energy technology that enables it to burn 400 tonnes of solid waste to produce some 150,000 kWh of power each day, equivalent to 60 million kWh per year.

The factory began trial operations on October 15, and its treatment capacity can reach 500 tonnes of waste per day, according to the Can Tho EB Environmental Energy Co. Ltd, a subsidiary of the investor – China Everbright International Ltd.

Vice Chairman of the Can Tho municipal People’s Committee Dao Anh Dung said the plant is the first of its kind that has applied advanced technology to treat solid waste and create a new environmentally friendly source of energy.

The project will also help the city access efficient waste treatment technologies to reduce pollution and improve the living environment, thus helping to ensure sustainable development.

The official also expressed his hope that the plant will prove effective and become a suitable model to be expanded to other localities.

Winners of photo contest on primary healthcare in Vietnam honoured

Visitors look at the photos of the contest 

Winners of a photo contest on primary healthcare for Vietnamese people were honoured at an award ceremony held in Hanoi on December 7.

Most outstanding photos of the contest are being displayed at the Ho Guom Cultural Information Centre in Hanoi from December 7 - 9. 

Starting from August 29 until October 31, the contest received 1,270 entries from 350 photographers nationwide.

The organising board presented one first, two second and three third prizes and five consolation prizes to the winners.

The competition was held by the online newspaper of the Voice of Vietnam (VOV), in collaboration with the Delegation of the European Union to Vietnam, the Ministry of Health, the Health Professionals Education and Training for Health System Reforms (HPET) and the World Bank, on the occasion of the 40 years of the Declaration of Alma-Ata on Primary Health Care. 

At the award ceremony, head of the organisers Pham Manh Hung, editor-in-chief of the VOV online newspaper, said that the contest contributes to raising public awareness of primary health care in Vietnam.

Riverside landslides threaten locals in Quang Ngai

Dozens of hectares of locals’ agricultural production land in the central province of Quang Ngai have been swept away due to landslides along rivers. In some places, locals have even been forced to evacuate from their village.

Landslides along a 2km-long stretch of the Ve River have influenced the lives of some 400 local households. Local people and authorities have petitioned for higher authorities to seek solutions to this crisis.

Local authorities are required to try their utmost to solve the problem in order to ensure the lives and assets of locals. However, investing in a consolidated dam needs a huge sum that the local budget can hardly afford. 

Delta provinces help farmers improve coconut value

Provinces in the Mekong Delta that grow coconut are setting up cooperative teams and finding buyers to help farmers recover from low prices over the last 12 months.

The delta has about 130,000ha of coconut, accounting for nearly 79 percent of the country’s total. Ben Tre and Tra Vinh provinces have the largest coconut areas in the delta.

As prices have been very low for around a year, coconut farmers are making little profits.

The price of mature coconuts in Ben Tre and Tra Vinh is currently between 20,000 VND and 45,000 VND (85 US cents–1.9 USD) per dozen, compared to about 80,000 VND per dozen last year.

Nguyen Huu Lap, Vice Chairman of the Ben Tre Province People’s Committee, said the province was building a coconut value chain to improve incomes.

The province has set up cooperative teams and cooperatives that now have a combined 2,139 households that plant 1,600ha of coconuts. Companies have guaranteed outlets for the coconut output of these households.

The provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in cooperation with agencies is acting as a link to connect farmers and companies.

Three Ben Tre-based companies, Luong Quoi Coconut Co., Ltd, Ben Tre Import and Export Joint Stock Corporation (BETRIMEX), and Asia Coconut Processing Joint Stock Company, have promised to buy coconuts from farmers with contracts at a minimum price of 50,000 VND (2.1 USD) per dozen for mature coconuts.

Since last year, the three companies have purchased 10.5 million mature coconuts and 217 tonnes of fresh mature coconut meat from farmers.

According to Nguyen Van Tron, head of the Hung Le commune cooperative team to renovate coconut orchards in Ben Tre’s Giong Trom district, the cooperative has 59 members who grow a total of 62ha under organic farming methods.

All coconut output of the cooperative teams is purchased by BETRIMEX.

“Participating in this co-operation model, coconut farmers now have many advantages, including guaranteed outlets and stable prices.”

The organic farming method, which has helped improve the soil, does not pollute the environment.

Huynh Quang Duc, Deputy Director of Ben Tre province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that it was important to raise awareness of farmers about coconut value chains, and that farmers should use advanced techniques to improve yield and quality.

Ben Tre has more than 72,000ha of coconut with annual output of more than 600 million nuts, accounting for 42 percent of the country’s total area, the country’s largest coconut producer, according to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Of the province’s coconut area, 80 percent are planted to harvest mature coconuts, while the rest is for young coconuts that can be used for drinking.

Coconut farmers in Ben Tre have an average income of 68 million VND (2,910 USD) per hectare a year.

Tra Vinh has nearly 20,000ha of coconut, second to Ben Tre. The province has identified coconut is one of its key agricultural trees. The province is applying advanced farming techniques and developing markets.

Starting this year to 2020, it will spend more than 12 billion VND (514,000 USD) for coconut varieties that can survive in drought and saltwater intrusion, as well as for assistance to farmers who grow coconut under Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practices (VietGAP) standards.

Pham Minh Truyen, Deputy Director of Tra Vinh province’s Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the province would use available resources to help coconut processors diversify their products.

It would call for investors to build a plant to produce canned coconut water, coconut powder, and handicraft products made from coconuts, he said.

Ninh Thuan seeks ways to preserve traditional pottery-making craft

More than 200 delegates from various countries have gathered at a conference in the south central province of Ninh Thuan to discuss measures to preserve and promote the values of pottery-making of the Cham ethnic people.

The pottery-making craft of the Cham ethnic minority group is seeking UNESCO’s recognition as intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent safeguarding.

The two-day event, which opened on December 8, aimed to collect ideas from domestic and foreign scientists, researchers and experts as well as documents to support the building of dossiers submitted to the UNESCO to apply for the title. 

Participants at the event highlighted outstanding values of Cham people’s traditional pottery-making, while announcing the outcomes of their researches on the relations between the Cham’s pottery and other pottery hubs of Vietnam and Asian countries.

They analysed the current situation of the heritage, affirming the need for urgent protection of the pottery-making craft, and proposing solutions to the work.

The participants also shared experiences in preserving and developing traditional pottery villages and designing policies to make planning for the villages as well as developing pottery village tourism.

They exchanged ideas on measures to transfer the craft to younger generations and popularise it to the world.

One of the typical pottery villages of Ninh Thuan is Bau Truc ancient village, which is famous for hand-made pottery products which are made with unique technical process, making them different from products of other villages.

However, Bau Truc pottery is fading due to the industrialization process, with fewer workers engaging in the craft.

Assistant Prof. Dr. Truong Van Mon from the Vietnam National University - Ho Chi Minh City said that it is necessary to draw more tourists to the village to improve incomes for artisans.

Le Van Binh, Vice Chairman of the Ninh Thuan People’s Committee, said that currently, procedures related to the building of dossiers of Cham people’s tradition pottery-making has nearly finished. The document is scheduled to be sent to the UNESCO Committee in March 2019.

“Denmark in Your Eyes” painting contest winners announced

At the awarding ceremony of the “Denmark in Your Eyes” painting contest (Source: baotainguyenmoitruong.vn)

The Embassy of Denmark in Vietnam and the Vietnam - Denmark Friendship Association (VIDAFA) have announced the winners of the annual painting contest for Vietnamese schoolchildren, “Denmark in Your Eyes”.

The contest’s jury selected 64 most outstanding works for the prizes, including one special prize, two first prizes, three second prizes, six third prizes, 50 consolation prizes, and two group prizes.

Nguyen Ngoc Khue, a third-grader from the Hanoi Primary School of Educational Technology, bagged the special prize for her painting called “Family Bike”, while Dang Phuong Chi, a student at Hanoi’s Dream Club and Pham Khanh Linh, a fifth-grader of Binh Da Primary School in Bien Hoa city, southern Dong Nai province, received the first prizes.

Addressing the awarding ceremony on December 7, Danish Ambassador to Vietnam Kim Højlund Christensen said that he is impressed by the creativeness of the children participating in this year’s competition.

The artworks radiate great imagination and inspiration, conveying strong messages of environmental conservation. Using vivid colors and different materials, the children paint a beautiful world in which people, animals and nature live in harmony. 

Their dreams of the future are filled with green and smiles, he said, showing his delight that the contest gave a platform for young children to express their own concerns and feelings towards global environmental issues. 

In addition, it brought the two countries much closer to each other in the fight to protect the environment, he added.

Meanwhile, Vietnamese Minister of Natural Resources and Environment and Chairman of the VIDAFA Tran Hong Ha said that through the use of various topics and materials in the paintings, the children expressed their beautiful dreams about a green and clean world and about a safe and sustainable environment. 

Their dreams are also the messages of responsibility for protecting the environment, keeping peace in the world, and building friendship among different nations.

Launched in September, the contest, themed “Green Dreams,” received more than 4,100 entries from nearly 100 schools and children’s art clubs and art centers in 28 cities and provinces, revealing great interest from the largest number of entrants so far.

Two rare palm civets saved from illegal online trade

Palm civets (Photo SVW)

Save Vietnam’s Wildlife (SVW), a wildlife research and conservation centre, has received two rare palm civets seized from an illegal online trading case.

According to Tran Phuong Mai, a representative from the SVW, said the centre found an ads selling the two palm civets (Chrotogale owstoni) on Facebook in early November 2018.

After that, the centre worked with the environment police in the southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau and the forest management unit in Vung Tau city to investigate the case, she said.

Bui Duy K, born in 1993, bought the palm civets when they were small in 2016 to raise as pets. As he could not afford raising the animals, he sold them online. 

Relevant agencies seized the animals and transferred to the SVW on December 6.

Deputy head of the forest management unit in Vung Tau city Le Manh Hung said the palm civet is rare animals in Vietnam as well as in the globe.

Relevant forces transported the animals over 1,700km of roads to transfer to the SVW at Cuc Phuong national park in northern Ninh Binh province, which has the best conditions for conservation, he said.

Tran Quang Phuong from the centre said no injuries were found on the animals.

The centre will take care of them for at least 30 days before moving them to the semi-wild raising area, he added.

Dien Bien targets more than 800,000 tourists in 2019

The northwestern province of Dien Bien has set a target of attracting up to 870,000 visitors in 2019, up 17 percent over 2018, including 180,000 foreign tourists.

The province, famous for the glorious Dien Bien Phu victory against the French colonists, aims to earn over 58.4 million USD from tourism in the year, a rise of 17.7 percent over 2018.

In 2019, Dien Bien will celebrate the 65th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu victory, 110 years of its establishment and 70 years of the founding of the provincial Party Committee with various activities.

So far this year, Dien Bien has welcomed more than 700,000 visitors, 103 percent of its yearly target, including more than 150,000 foreign tourists. Tourism revenue has exceeded 49 million USD.

Along with beautiful natural landscapes, Dien Bien is also rich in historical relic sites.

The Dien Bien Phu battlefield complex features 45 relic sites, of which eight have been put into operation to serve tourists.

Library promotes reading culture in late President’s home town

Everyone in Sen village, of Nam Dan district in Nghe An province, knows about the Sen village library, which was built by the Nguyen Sinh family. The library aims to improve the reading culture amongst local people.

Sen Village Library is located next to the late President Ho Chi Minh’s grandfather Nguyen Sinh Nham’s historical relic site.

The two-storey building that sits peacefully among green trees is an intimate venue for readers, especially during the summer months.

Readers gathering here span a range of ages. Elderly people love reading here as the library has many rare books that are hard to find elsewhere. They also come to share their poetry with each other.

The idea of the library was first initiated by former National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung. He called for family members to help build the library in 2007.

Besides the contributions of family members, many members of the public and various organisations have donated books to the library. With some 30,000 books in 10 different categories, the library typically serves 2,000 readers from Tuesday to Saturday every week.

The library also lends out 300 sets of coursebooks for poor pupils within the locality.

Since the operation of Sen Village Library, reading culture has been revived and is now thriving in the homeland of the late President Ho Chi Minh. 

Dien Bien conference seeks to promote trade, tourism

Experts gathered at a recent conference in the northwestern mountainous province of Dien Bien, discussing measures to promote local trade, investment and tourism.

According to Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Le Van Quy, besides huge potential to develop a wide range of tourism products, the province boasts strengths to branch out hydropower plants on three main rivers of Da, Ma and Me Kong. 

Housing Muong Thanh airport and two border gates on the Vietnam-Laos border line, Dien Bien province has great opportunities to bolster international trade towards turning itself into a transit hub in the north, which helps connect Vietnam’s northwestern region with northern Laos, southwestern China, and northeastern Myanmar.

Quy also pointed out that Dien Bien’s poor infrastructure and tourism products have failed to boost local trade and tourism to match its potential.

Experts suggested the locality invest heavily in building transport infrastructure in border areas and encourage construction of logistic facilities and market stalls, saying that they are important to enhance trade with Lao border localities as well as countries in the East-West Economic Corridor.

The province should zone off agricultural areas and select suitable local staples to develop brand names, satisfying demands of border market, they said, adding that the communication work on border trade development policies must enjoy due attention while linkages with foreign localities sharing the borderline should receive top priority.

Regarding tourism, Deputy Director General of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong stressed that Dien Bien province has not tapped its potential to the fullest. 

Quality accommodations and unique local tourism products are the top solutions, the official said, adding that along with tourism popularisation, the focus should be placed on human resources training.

A boost to digital tourism technology

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc has passed a master scheme on digital technology application in the tourism sector in the 2018-2020 period with a vision towards 2025. 

Under the master scheme, by 2020, a database of tourist guides, international travel agencies, tourism sites, and domestic accommodations will be digitalized. Mobile apps will be developed and provided to tourists in key tourism sites. Information in tourism destinations, tourism products, and automatic tourism presentations in popular languages will be provided. Information connectivity among State and local management agencies, and tourism enterprises will be boosted. 

By 2025, smart tourism ecosystem will be connected with the Vietnamese digitalized knowledge system and smart urban models. Artificial intelligence, virtual tour assistance, and other modern technologies will be developed to serve tourists, the community, enterprises and State management agencies.

 The move aims to convert Viet Nam into a group of four leading countries in tourism competitiveness in the Southeast Asian region. 

Specifically, the master scheme targets to upgrade the Viet Nam Tourism Portal and launch tourism promotion campaigns via social networks.  

The master scheme also aims to better management of tourism destinations; develop smart tourism destinations by standardizing introductions of typical tourism destinations, products, and services; developing automatic presentation via smart phones; applying virtual reality technology to raise value and attractiveness of tourism products and services. 

In addition, the master scheme looks to develop supervisory and safety warning apps to support tourists in emergency cases.

New advanced technologies posing grave threats to Vietnam

The conference and exhibition Internet Day 2018 themed ‘Internet and the Digital Ecosystem in Vietnam’ was held yesterday in Hanoi. It successfully illustrated many possible severe risks to Vietnam if the country’s leaders, business people as well as the public do not pay much attention to cyber matters.

At the conference, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Thanh Hung stated that more than 60 percent of the Vietnamese population (ranking the 15th in the world)  are using the Internet, making the nation a lucrative market of cyber services to various international technological businesses.

“It is the logical legal frame for cyber services that Vietnam is lacking. The fight between taxi companies Vinasun and Grab is one typical example of that. This fight not only displays a conflict between traditional and modern borderless taxi companies but also demonstrates a fierce battle between the conventional and more modern technological business models”, said Mr. Hung.

Representatives of the Working Group to Foster the Vietnamese Digital Ecosystem under the Ministry of Information and Communications advised that the domestic digital ecosystem should be developed by a Vietnamese business to serve domestic demands under advantageous conditions and mechanisms offered by the government. It is hoped that products created by this system will meet the practical requirements of the Vietnamese, and thus be whole-heartedly welcomed nationwide.

According to Mr. Vu Minh Tri, Deputy Director of VNG responsible for cloud services cum General Director of VinaData, new business models should be suitable with the demands of customers in order to take full advantage of any possible opportunity while smoothly overcoming challenges brought by Industry 4.0.

He also said that Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data, and Machine Learning are prominent technologies that are able to shape the future thanks to their limitless application potential.

In 2020, there will probably be around 50 billion IoT devices worldwide, meaning each person should own up to 6 different IoT gadgets. This will lead to a swift appearance of various new business models globally, including in Vietnam, forcing current companies to renovate themselves.

This situation will also urge the Vietnamese government to adjust management styles and update legal frames in order to keep up with the trends and create suitable motivation for Vietnamese digital businesses to develop, said Mr. Tri.

Vietnamese genome decoding to be heavily focused in near future

The Institute of Big Data under Vintech (a member of Vingroup) yesterday announced the project ‘Building the Database of Genetic Variations of the Vietnamese’. This 5-year project is supposed to formally begin in 2019.

The recent international conference on biomedical research organized by the Institute of Big Data under Vintech in Hanoi attracted many Vietnamese Americans. Photo by D.L

The recent international conference on biomedical research organized by the Institute of Big Data under Vintech in Hanoi attracted many Vietnamese Americans. Photo by D.L

This has been the largest-scale project in the whole South-east region ever in the hope to create the greatest database of genetic variations and to become the foundation for other similar local as well as global research on the Vietnamese genome. It will receive the investment of up to $4.5 million.

The project is expected to form a database system to warn about as well as provide early treatment for certain diseases. It is also used to develop diagnosis methods and disease treatments for each individual thanks to the analysis of the whole genome of 1,000 Vietnamese. 

In the first phase, which lasts 3 years, scientists will collect samples from 1,000 Vietnamese participants. They will then cooperate with partners from the US, Germany, Singapore, and Japan to decode and analyze those genomes, followed by the construction of the database of genetic variations in the Vietnamese population. 

From this database, scientists will be able to create genetic variation panels for reference and correlation research on the whole genetic system, on genetic diseases, and on pharmacogenomics (PGx). 

Because of the large amount of information after the decoding process, this database needs hundreds of Terabytes for storage. Therefore, Vingroup is going to invest on modern analysis systems as well as Big Data storage systems in order to meet the above requirement.

According to Professor Vu Ha Van, Scientific Director of the Institute of Big Data, this project is not only a premise for the next phase but also a foundation for other genetic research in Vietnam. This complicated and money-intensive project will no doubt contribute substantially to genetic research in the country.

In the second phase, the project will mostly focus on correlation research on the whole genetic system in order to develop testing methods for certain genetic diseases as well as negative reactions of medicine.

At the moment, researchers of the project are collaborating with their counterparts in the US, Germany, and Japan. Regarding PGx, researchers are cooperating with others in the South-east region under the project ‘1,000 Pharmacogene Resequencing’, where Singapore, Thailand, Japan are the pioneers in clinical implementation of the field.

To ensure the success of the project, the new version of genome decoding process from Illumina has been applied. In addition, the connection with international experts of the field will help build the capable human resources for biomedical research, genetic research, while encouraging domestic scientists to approach newest research methods in accordance with international standards. 

The project is expected to have prominent effects on various fields, including healthcare, pharmacy, biotechnology, anthropology. 

Violations found at Alibaba Company (HCMC): Dong Nai authority ​

At the 6th session of the 9th Southern province of Dong Nai People’s Council held from December 5 to 7, Dong Nai province police yesterday said it is cooperating with Ministry of Public Security’s Economic Police department to investige signs of violating on land use regulation to Alibaba Real Estate joint Stock Company (HCMC).

As per report, Alibaba advertized via its internal website of 19 residential land plots in Dong Nai province’s Long Thanh district including Alibaba Long Phuoc 1, Alibaba Long Phuoc 14, Alibaba An Phuoc, Alibaba Phuoc Binh, Alibaba Phuoc Thai…

In reality, this company has signed contracts with 11 individuals to transfer 127 plots covering over 20 hectares, in which, mostly are agricultural lands

In addition, Alibaba has been not granted any licenses from the provincial state organizations to implement mentioned above residential projects.

Nutritional supplements rampantly sold in Vietnam

The Vietnam Association of Functional Food warned that more nutritional supplements are being circulated in the markets; many of them are counterfeit pills.

According to the Association’s figure, around 60 nutritional supplements of 15 exporters were marketed in 2000 but there have been approximately 6,800 kinds of 3,600 enterprises so far.

Walking through supermarkets, consumers will encounter a variety of foods that serve different purposes; the health supplement industry is extremely lucrative due to insane profit margins while buyers must keep their eyes open or they will buy substandard products mixed with good kinds in shelves.

Chairman of the Vietnam Association of Functional Food Dr. Tran Dang said the number of Vietnamese people taking nutritional supplement pills has increased from 500,000 people in 2000 to 5 million in 2010 and 15 million presently.

Demand increase has led to mushrooming of manufacturers. The number of functional food producers is 3,000 nationwide and thousands of so-called medicinal products are made; 70 percent of them are locally-made products.

Deputy Health Minister Truong Quoc Cuong didn’t deny the benefit of nutritional pills adding that the effectiveness of these pills was exaggerated by businesses' employees or the advertising without assessment by health watchdog.

For example, the Vietnam Food Administration under the Ministry of Health issued fines of VND75 million ($3,223,612) each to An Nhien Pharmaceutical Company, Nam Phuong Cosmetic Pharmaceutical Company and Dong Do Pharmaceutical Company in Hanoi for their products over-adverting that will cause misunderstanding amongst consumers.

In October, 2018, 99 manufacturers had to paid VND5.5 billion administrative fines for falling foul of food safety regulations.

A leader of the Health Ministry worried producers will take advantage of the word “nutritional supplement” to define their products as functional pills causing misunderstanding for buyers. Accordingly, the Ministry has banned the claims to treat an illness or cure a medical condition.

Alarmingly, more firms have used nutritional supplement for multi-level business to earn unlawful profits, Mr. Cuong said.

Head of the Vietnam Food Administration Nguyen Thanh Phong said that the Ministry has ordered enterprises to enhance making research and standardize production procedure with the orientation towards sustainable development of the industry.

Competent agencies should strengthen supervision on quality and advertising content to avoid misunderstanding of nutritional supplements’ use amongst consumers because some firm employees’ boast that the pill can be used to treat diabetes and gout.

From October 20, violators in food safety will be fined up to VND70 million and forced to destroy all false advertising documents as per the government’s decree No. 115. Moreover, they must publicize the rectification on media. Even they can be taken to the criminal court if they make counterfeit products.

HCMC endoscopy training center recognized by ELSA

An endoscopy training center of the Medicine University Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City was recognized as Center of Excellence by the Endoscopic and Laparoscopic Surgeons of Asia (ELSA).

Director of the hospital cum head of the center Dr. Nguyen Hoang Bac said that the certificate of recognition is a proof for the center’s good training quality.

Facilities, curriculum and lecturers’ skills all meet international standards ELSA. This is a motivation for teachers’ further devotion in teaching career.

The center, the first of its kind in the country, was set up in 2003, has trained 1,600 Vietnamese and 700 international surgeons.

The center's high quality training is lauded because it has applied advanced techniques and performed different endoscopies including colon and rectum, stomach, join, urinary tract and chest.

Health watchdog fines firms boasting use of nutritional supplements

Four firms were fined by the Food Administration of Vietnam for exaggerating the use of their nutritional supplement, said Head of the Administration Nguyen Thanh Phong yesterday. 

Four companies had to pay administrative fines of nearly VND130 million ($5,582) for their violations.

Health watchdog imposed a fine of VND50 million on International Lotuzz at 4 Truong Quoc Dung Street in Phu Nhuan District because the company’s advert of its Toppy herb on websites https://tritieuduongtuyp2.net and https://lotuzz.com caused misunderstanding that the product is used as drug.

International Pharmaceutical Company at 61A1 Dai Kim Urban Area in Hoang Mai District of Hanoi was fined VND40 million for manufacturing a batch of nutritional supplement “Ginkgo 600” with substandard quality.

In addition to paying fines, violators had to destroy supplements and remove adverts as well as re-post correct information of the products.

HCMC to remove 10,000 houses on/along canals by 2020

HCMC is making efforts to finalize removal of 10,000 houses on/along canals by 2020 and re-arranged the life of affected residents, according to the city’s urban development plan in the phase of 2018-2020.

By 2021, the city will remove an extra of 6,646 houses and the remaining ones will be evacuated by 2025.

During the phase of 2018-2020, the city will rebuild and upgrade three old apartment blocks with 1,414 apartments, start work on 26 projects providing 4,500 apartments, complete removal of 936 households from 15 apartment blocks including Ngo Gia Tu in District 10 and Thanh Da in Binh Thanh districts.

In addition, relevant agencies will conduct construction quality inspection over 449 apartment blocks, repair and upgrade 151 others.

High tide to hit HCMC

The National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said that water level on the Cuu Long ( Mekong ) and Sai Gon rivers is forecast to exceed warning level 3.

Weather forecasters said that water level is rising on two rivers. At the Phu An station, water level was measured at 1.45 meter meanwhile it was high on Tien and Hau rivers, yesterday.

Sai Gon River at Phu An station's water level reached at  1.6 exceeding warning level 3 by 0.1 meter to 0.15 meter.

Following the high tides which will result in inundation in low-lying areas in Ho Chi Minh City, in its letter to the city’s steering board of disaster prevention and rescue, the board asked authorities to keep an eye on the development of tide and to adopt measures to cope with high tide on Sai Gon River.

Moreover, HCMC steering board should inform local administrations and dwellers in low-lying areas along rivers and canals to implement safety measures against electrocution and drowning. Additionally, the city should reinforce embankment along rivers and use pumps.

Dozens of hydropower projects in Nghe An stopped granting licenses ​

Head of the power management division of the department of industry & trade in the central province of Nghe An Mr. Bui Xuan Hung said up to date, Ministry of Trade & Industry and the provincial People’s Committee have stopped granting licenses to 13 hydropower projects.

They are the projects of Yen Thang, Ban Khuoi, Nam Can 1, Khe Lim, Khe Cam, Khe Na, Luu Kien, Pha Lai, Suoi Cung 1, Nam Tip, Huoi Pc, Ban Pung, Song Quang 3.

Of Xop Cop project is also being re-checked to move out of the planning by the provincial department of planning & investment.
After the flooding season, Nghe An province has set up an inter-sectoral inspection team to check all existing hydropower plants in the province.

The team asked the provincial People’s Committee to move out of planning or revoke investment license to infeasible projects and with low-efficiency, slow implementation affecting to ecosystem environment, the life of locals…

Ninh Thuan children learn about basic film-making techniques - PHOTO: COURTESY OF BRITISH COUNCIL IN VIETNAM

VICAS and some independent film-making experts have organized a film making club to teach children in Binh Nghia Village of Ninh Thuan Province film-making techniques, according to the Facebook page of the British Council in Vietnam.

The participants had a chance to learn about basic film-making techniques and then they were asked to film the community interactions with their music heritage in an everyday context, in all its unscripted actions, dialogues and happenings.

Woven together by the children using innovative editing suites, the footage provides a vividly detailed picture of how traditional Cham music lives on in the very places where it originated and in the process, empowering a marginalized group normally without the opportunity to have its voice heard.

The program is part of the British Council in Vietnam's Heritage of Future Past, a two-year pilot initiative exploring the use of cultural heritage for growth that benefits all levels of society.

The project works with music and film heritage, in particular valuable aspects that are under-represented or at high risk of disappearing. Its activities are focused on research, documentation, conservation, training and capacity building, experimentation and innovation, advocacy and education, and the re-imagination and revitalization of cultural heritage assets via contemporary practices.

Habitat for Humanity Vietnam launches largest youth movement on housing

Habitat for Humanity Young Leaders Build empowers youth to build resilience through housing - PHOTO: COURTESY OF HABITAT VIETNAM

On the occasion of International Volunteer Day (December 5), Habitat for Humanity Vietnam (Habitat Vietnam), together with other Habitat for Humanity in Asia Pacific, has launched Habitat for Humanity Young Leaders Build (HYLB) 2019, the largest youth movement dedicated to housing in the region.

HYLB engages young people to take action together to build decent and affordable shelters, speak out about housing’s role in building sustainable and resilient communities, and raise funds and awareness of poverty and housing problems.

Young Leaders aged 11 or older joining this campaign are able to capture knowledge of housing development and take the lead in building homes and communities alongside motivate their peers to take the solving action.

When getting involved in HYLB, students have time interacting with other students in the Asia Pacific where Habitat offices are situated. It is the echoes resonated by Young Leaders around the region to build strength, stability, and self-reliance through Habitat’s affordable housing systems.

Kelly Koch, National Director of Habitat Vietnam, said: “Within Habitat Young Leaders Build 2018, eight houses were built by approximately 140 young volunteers aged from 15 to 22. We believe that youth can be pioneers in initiating ideas and spirit to contribute to tackling housing problems. With their support, Habitat Vietnam continues to contribute more decent homes serving as the strong, stable foundation for families living in vulnerable and disaster-prone areas, helping them achieve better lives and more opportunities.”

Now in its eighth year, the regional campaign also advances innovative ways to engage youth. In October, it launched a call for youth-led advocacy proposals. Successful entries will receive up to US$1,000 to kick start their advocacy project.

In response to Asia Pacific office, Habitat Vietnam planned to strengthen four main pillars of HYLB including volunteering, advocating, raising funds and raising awareness.

The annual HYLB will culminate in April 2019, when young people take part in simultaneous activities across the region. These include house construction, school cleaning, hygiene and sanitation education, fundraising events, and advocating for decent housing on social media.

Since 2012, over 12.5 million HYLB supporters have raised US$7.5 million in funds to help build houses and supported more than 29,000 families to achieve the strength, stability and self-reliance they need to build better lives for themselves.