Deputy PM Hue speaks at the meeting. (Photo: VGP)

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has directed the handling of unsold seafood and other unsold marine products in the four central provinces affected by the marine environmental incident caused by Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Company last year.

Accordingly, the PM has agreed to provide financial aid to cover 100% of the value of the unsold jellyfish products and 30% of the other unsold marine products. The total budget for unsold products is over VND242 billion (US$10.65 million).

Specifically, over VND150 billion will be allocated to Ha Tinh province, VND48.5 billion will be allocated to Quang Binh, VND42 billion will be provided for Quang Tri and VND1.2 billion will be given to Thua Thien - Hue.

In addition, the PM has decided to provide over VND341 billion (US$15 million) to the other unsold marine products. Of the total, nearly VND122 billion will be granted to Ha Tinh, VND214 billion will be given to Quang Binh, VND320 million will be sent to Quang Tri and over VND4.7 billion will be allocated to Thua Thien-Hue province.

The PM asked the provincial People's Committees of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien Hue to ensure transparency and accuracy when allocating the financial support for the affected localities and they will be accountable to the Prime Minister for their performance.

Furthermore, each province will be provided with VND400 billion (US$17.6 million) to invest in fishery logistics infrastructure projects.

Vietnam, Saudi Arabia step up labour cooperation

Vietnam and Saudi Arabia have agreed to establish a channel to receive information and settle disputes between Vietnamese labourers and employers in the Middle Eastern country.

The information was heard at a recent meeting in Saudi Arabia between Vietnam’s Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Labour and Social Development.

The channel will monitor Vietnamese businesses and Saudi Arabian labour brokerage firms to improve worker quality, provide necessary knowledge for workers before going overseas while ensuring legal rights and benefits for labourers in Saudi Arabia.

Under a cooperation agreement sealed between the two countries in 2000, Vietnam has sent nearly 20,000 workers to Saudi Arabia. They work in various sectors like construction, engineering, transportation, restaurants, hotels, and domestic workers. 

Notably, there are 7,000 Vietnamese working as domestic workers in the country. 

Project supporting gender equality in ethnic minority areas approved

The Prime Minister has recently ratified a project to support gender equality in largely ethnic minority areas from 2018-2025.

The project aims to create positive changes in implementing gender equality-related activities and raise females’ status in ethnic-inhabited regions, thus contributing to successfully realising goals set in the National Strategy on Gender Equality.

It aims to educate all staff members on ethnic minority tasks at the provincial level, 50 percent of staff at district and commune levels and village heads on policies and laws on gender equality.

In addition, 80 percent of ethnic minority households are hoped to gain access to information on gender equality policies.-

Contest on border and border guards launched

A contest to learn about Vietnam’s border and border guards was launched on November 29 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Traditional Day of the Border Guard (March 3, 1959-2019) and the 30th All People's Border Guard Day (March 3, 1989-2019).

Speaking at the launch ceremony, Deputy Political Commissar of the Border Guard Command Maj. Gen. Phung Quoc Tuan said that the contest aims to spread the heroic tradition of the Border Guard Force.

It will also enhance the responsibility of military officers, soldiers and people for protecting national sovereignty and border security and help build a border of peace, stability, cooperation, and development.

The contest, open to all Vietnam citizens at home and abroad, includes a writing contest and multiple-choice questions. Written entries will be received from November 29, 2017 to November 20, 2018, while the online test will begin in January 2018 and end in January 2019.

The awards ceremony is slated for January 2019.

Vietnam needs tighter regulations over seafood management

Fishermen are increasingly entering foreign waters, while local firms are importing unprocessed seafood for export as local resources are diminishing.
   
Statistics from the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) in the past five years show that seafood import value has been on the rise.

In 2011, Vietnam imported USD541m of seafood. This number rose to USD1.1bn last year. 80-85% of the imports are used in processing and contributed 15-25% to the export turnover in the last five years. Import turnover will continue to rise to USD1.4bn in order to generate USD8.4bn of export value.

Vietnam has to import a large amount of seafood as the local resources are being exhausted, the area for aquaculture is also diminishing. A local tuna export company said they imported 40,000 tonnes of fish annually. They expanded businesses with 3,000 workers and multiplied annual revenue to USD150m.

Nguyen Hoai Nam, deputy secretary of VASEP, said the number of firms imported raw seafood materials rose from 270 in 2012 to 300 this year. About 100 firms have processing factories for export.

Local fishermen were increasingly entering foreign waters and many have been arrested as fish stocks plummet.

The lack of clear point of origin for imported materials and the suggestion large amounts of fish were illegally caught was a major reason why the European Commission issued a yellow card warning for Vietnam's failure in addressing illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. 

"Vietnam needs a stricter policy to manage the imported materials so that the European Commission won't issue a red card and ban Vietnam from exporting to EU," said Nguyen Xuan Nam, chairman of Hai Vuong Company.

State apparatus remains bulky and ineffective

The Government structure remains bulky and ineffective, with the number of State agencies and civil servants increasing significantly, heard a meeting on State apparatus reform held by the Secretariat of the Communist Party  on November 29.

Pham Minh Chinh, secretary of the Party Central Committee and head of the Central Organization Commission, said the number of ministries and ministerial-level agencies has been kept unchanged.

However, a huge number of inter-disciplinary agencies have been established inside such ministries and equivalent bodies.

Chinh said the number of directorates has doubled since 2011 to 42, and the number of their subordinate divisions has increased by nearly 5% to 7,200.

Besides, responsibilities and duties of administrative agencies still overlap each other. A certain sector may be put under the management of several different agencies.

For example, official development assistance (ODA) loans and public debts are concurrently managed by three different agencies, including the Planning-Investment Ministry, the Finance Ministry and the State Bank of Vietnam. Due to the hiccups in coordination, public debts have not been effectively controlled.

Moreover, the number of public employees remains huge, estimated at 4 million nationwide, including more than 2 millions people working at State agencies and more than 1.2 million at local agencies. This huge number excludes the payrolls at the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Public Security, each with hundreds of thousands.

To make the State administrative apparatus reform more effective, Resolution No.18-NQ-TW of the Central Committee stipulates that from 2018, there shall be no intermediate agencies newly established. Incompetent and ineffective agencies will be restructured or disbanded.

Besides, some public services that are not necessarily managed by the Government shall be handled by private businesses or organizations.

From December 2017, the Government will review its entire structure to address overlapping duties and responsibilities of State agencies. State apparatus reform shall be complete by 2019.

RMIT Vietnam students graduate

More than 200 graduates walked proudly across the stage of the National Convention Center in Hanoi on November 30 to collect a testamur for their newly-acquired academic degrees.

RMIT Vietnam President Professor Gael McDonald congratulated the new graduates on their achievement and commented on the university’s commitment to Vietnam.

“RMIT Vietnam has been growing and developing, ensuring that our range of programs continues to reflect the needs of industry and that our teaching is of the highest quality,” she said.

“Our commitment to Vietnam remains central to our operations. In 2017, we have introduced a number of new programs that will contribute significantly to the development of the country. New programs include bachelor’s degrees in Tourism and Hospitality Management, Design Studies, Digital Marketing, and Languages. To foster the rapidly-growing spirit of entrepreneurship in Vietnam, we also will soon introduce a Graduate Certificate in Business Startups. More new programs will follow in 2018.”

A highlight of the ceremony at the Hanoi campus was the conferring of an Honorary Doctorate upon Mr. Nguyen Xuan Vang, former Director General of the Vietnam International Education Cooperation Department at the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET), for his distinguished contributions to Vietnamese education.

After serving two terms as President of the Hanoi University of Foreign Studies, Mr. Vang made outstanding contributions to transition it to the Hanoi University, which was the first Vietnamese university to offer full curricula in English, from 2002.

He then worked at MoET in 2008, where he served as Director General of the Vietnam International Education Development, followed by stints in the International Cooperation Department and, recently, the Vietnam International Education Cooperation Department.

RMIT Vietnam’s prestigious President’s Award at Hanoi campus was conferred upon outstanding Bachelor of Business (International Business) graduate Duong Hong Nhung, who graduated with distinction and impressive achievements outside of her studies.

At ceremonies for 1,162 graduates at the University’s Saigon South campus on November 27 and 28, Honorary Doctorates were also presented to the Co-Founder and CEO of VinaCapital, Mr. Don Lam, and the President of the Ho Chi Minh City Peace and Development Foundation and former Vice Chair of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Ms. Ton Nu Thi Ninh.

The President’s Award at Saigon South campus was presented to Bachelor of Business (International Business) graduate Mai Duc Hieu.

HCM City leader meets Russian ambassador

Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan hosted a reception on November 30 for Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Vnukov Konstantin Vasilievich.

Nhan expressed his delight at the growing traditional friendship between Vietnam and Russia, saying that both sides should work harder to concretize and develop the bilateral ties and promote the efficiency of joint projects and cultural, education exchange.

Ambassador Vnukov Konstantin Vasilievich said that he hopes the two sides will continue focusing on fostering collaboration in education, culture, people-to-people exchange, as well as the implementation of metro line project.

Lao veterans welcomed in Hanoi

Deputy Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Dao Duc Toan hosted a reception for a war veteran delegation from Vientiane, Laos led by Major Sonchay Khamavongkeo, Vice President of the Vientiane Veterans’ Association in Hanoi on November 30.

Toan lauded the friendship between people and army of Vietnam and Laos as well as Hanoi and Vientiane over the past years.

He noted that both sides have continuously exchanged high-ranking delegations to boost cooperation and share experience in all fields.

During the recent visit of Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Hoang Trung Hai, the two cities signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in 2017-2020, laying a foundation for specific bilateral cooperation in the future, he said.

For his part, Major Sonchay Khamavongkeo briefed his host on recent major activities of the Vientiane Veterans’ Association.

He stated that in the coming time, the association will continue expanding relations with veterans’ associations in different localities of Vietnam.

Workshop looks to promote hotline for human trafficking fight

A Chinese police officer hands over an infant trafficked to China to a Vietnamese police officer 

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs of northern border Lao Cai province held a workshop in Lao Cai city on November 30 to discuss a hotline on human trafficking prevention and control.

A representative of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs said human trafficking in Vietnam is a serious problem that needs to be addressed urgently. Human trafficking is becoming increasingly complicated and hard to discover. Therefore, demand for advice and information on migration and human trafficking prevention is rising.

The establishment of a hotline to fight human trafficking is a necessity, the official said, noting that the Vietnamese Government asked for technical support from the Japanese government in August 2010 on the issue. In 2013, the hotline 18001567, assisted by JICA, for preventing and combating human trafficking was piloted in Hanoi, northern Ha Giang province, and southern An Giang province.

As of July 2017, the hotline had received nearly 10,000 calls, more than 80 percent of which came from provinces and cities other than the targeted localities such as Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and Lao Cai provinces and Ho Chi Minh City. 

Callers informed about human trafficking cases or asked for advice and victim support. Most of the callers were aged between 19 and 40, and 63 percent were men. The hotline also handled calls from some other countries such as China and Malaysia.

In northern mountainous provinces like Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Yen Bai, Son La, Ha Giang and Dien Bien, long borderlines, economic hardship, unemployment and lax management of exit from and entry into the country heighten human trafficking risks, the workshop heard.

In recent years, communication activities have been held in these six provinces to raise public awareness of human trafficking. Notably, the hotline for fighting human trafficking has been popularised through distributing leaflets and holding training courses for local officials and meetings to disseminate information.

At the workshop in Lao Cai city, JICA’s technical support group asked the northern mountainous border provinces to better popularise the hotline.

Officials from the provinces said they will push ahead with introducing the hotline on local media outlets and providing information for local officials, organisations and victims.

JICA project improves maternal, child healthcare for ethnic people

The Ministry of Health (MoH) will provide maternal and child health handbooks for the northern provinces of Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Yen Bai, Son La, Ha Giang and Dien Bien under a project backed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Deputy Director of the Maternal and Child Health Department under the MoH Tran Dang Khoa made the announcement at a seminar held in Lao Cai city, in the northern bordering province of Lao Cai, on November 30 to improve maternal and child healthcare for ethnic minorities in those localities.

The handbook is a health record that enables both mothers and their children to receive care from early pregnancy to infancy, Khoa stressed, adding that it includes information and data concerning mother’s progress during pregnancy, state of delivery and post-delivery, and health check-up records for her child until he/she is six years old.

Using the handbook, medical staff can provide effective treatments which reduce mortality and morbidity for mothers and children, he noted.

At the event, along with underlining the necessity of the handbook, representatives from six provinces mentioned difficulties in maintaining health records, including when citizens forget to bring their handbooks to clinics.

Khoa said medical staff should raise public awareness of how to use the handbook.

The maternal and child handbooks have been used in the localities since 2016 as part of the rural development in response to natural disaster project supported by JICA. 

The project has total investment of 129.4 million USD, including 106.3 million USD from JICA’s official development assistance, with the remainder from local corresponding funds.

Miracle rescue for fisherman adrift at sea

Rescue forces have successfully recovered Nguyen Van Dung, a fisherman from the sunken Binh Dinh fishing vessel who had been adrift at sea for three days.

Dung was found by crewmembers on board the BV 70576TS fishing vessel some 25 nautical miles from the shipwreck on the afternoon of November 28.

The rescue forces also reclaimed the body of 39 year old fisherman Nguyen Tan Phuong, on the morning of November 30.

Leaders of the Binh Dinh provincial Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention and Search and Rescue said that rescue vessel Sar413 safely carried Dung along with the body of Phuong to Vung Tau Province.

As of noon on November 30, rescuers have saved one fisherman and recovered three bodies in the vicinity of the sunken wreckage and continue the search for two missing crew – Nguyen Van Lan and Bach Van Nam.

On November 25, the fishing vessel from Binh Dinh Province with six fishermen on board capsized for unknown reasons around 42 nautical miles southeast of Vung Tau.

Vietnamese man aborts bank heist after gunshot sets alarm bells ringing

A Vietnamese man fled the scene of an attempted robbery on November 29 after his gun shot raised the alert at a bank in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak.

The man, wearing black pants and a face mask, arrived at an Agribank branch in Buon Ma Thuot by motorbike at around 11 a.m. He was seen talking on the phone and checking his watch.

He refused to remove his face mask when asked to by a guard, saying he was sick and did not want people to see him.

When the guard was distracted, he rushed inside, drew a gun and threw a bag over for the cashiers to fill with money.

“I’ll be dead sooner or later,” he said, before shooting at a guard and missing him, eyewitnesses said.

The shot caused panic in the bank and the alarms went off, prompting people from the upper floors to rush downstairs.

The man immediately fled, leaving his vehicle behind.

“It was a bold attempt,” one police officer said.

They are checking the motorbike’s registration and surveillance cameras to hunt down the suspect.

Bank robberies are becoming more frequent in Vietnam, with most cases involving just a single individual.

The Dak Lak case was the second attempt reported in a month. Last month, a man in the northern province of Bac Ninh was arrested after holding bank workers at knifepoint and stealing VND200 million (US$8,800).

In September, two heists cleared a combined US$10,000 in the southern provinces of Dong Nai and Vinh Long. No arrests have been reported.

In the same month, a court in the southern province of Tra Vinh sentenced a man to 20 years in jail for using an air gun to rob US$88,000 from a bank in May.

Vietnam’s longest river threatened by soaring wastewater

About three million cubic meters of wastewater is dumped into the Dong Nai River and its tributaries on a daily basis, posing high risk of environmental pollution along Vietnam’s longest river.

The volume of liquid waste, discharged by household, farming, and industrial activities in 11 provinces along the Dong Nai River basin, has exceeded three million cubic meters, a large portion of which is not properly treated.

The figure may top 4.5 million cubic meters per day by 2020.

The Dong Nai River is the longest inland waterway in Vietnam, while its basin is the second largest in the country’s southern region, following the Mekong River.

Stretching some 586 kilometers, the river snakes through 11 localities including Ho Chi Minh City, southern Dong Nai and Binh Duong Provinces, and Lam Dong and Dak Nong Provinces in the Central Highlands.

The latest statistics showed that wastewater in Ho Chi Minh City alone reaches 1.75 million cubic meters a day, of which 50,000 cubic meters is released from 21 industrial parks.

Only 21% of the waste is thoroughly treated before being discharged into the waterway.

In Dong Nai Province, the daily amount of wastewater from 31 industrial zones is nearly 102,000 cubic meters, 71% of which is treated.

Meanwhile, about 80% of liquid waste from local households is directly dumped into the river without any treatment.

A similar situation also occurs in Binh Duong, Long An, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, and other provinces.

According to a project on environmental protection along the Dong Nai River, which was approved by the prime minister in late 2007, at least 60% of residential areas and 100% of industrial parks, processing zones, and hi-tech parks along the river basin would be equipped with sufficient waste treatment systems by 2015.

However, many areas still lack these facilities.

Despite the approval of the central government and local administrations, many constructions related to environmental protection have been postponed or carried out at a sluggish pace.

In Bao Loc City, Lam Dong Province, the building of a wastewater treatment plant was passed in February 2012 with the investment of VND263 billion (US$11.5 million).

At present, a detailed plan is still being formulated to seek financial assistance from the central government.

As a result, Loc Son and Phu Hoi, two major industrial parks in Lam Dong, have operated their own treatment plants, which do not really meet standards.

In September 2013, the People’s Committee in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province approved a drainage and waste treatment system project in the Phu My New Urban Area.

The plan, including the establishment of a treatment plant with a capacity of 29,700 cubic meters a day, is still on paper as site clearance for the project makes little progress.

In the south-central province of Binh Thuan, a VND610 billion (US$26.8 million) waste treatment project is expected to be implemented in 2017-18, despite its approval in 2014.

In Long An Province, a waste treatment project in Vinh Hung District with a capacity of 1,300 cubic meters per day is thought to be operated in the near future.

Other urban areas in the province still need a decent waste treatment facility.

Food poisoning deaths double in Vietnam

Food poisoning killed 22 people and hospitalized 3,147 others in Vietnam during the first 11 months of this year, official government data shows.

The death toll is almost twice the figure recorded in the same period last year, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).

Food safety is a national concern in Vietnam.

A report released in April compiled by a parliamentary group between 2011 and 2016 found that 8.5% of fresh fruit and vegetables sold during the period exceeded chemical residue safety limits, while 16% of the 57,400 farms involved in the study violated regulations involving the use of pesticides and fertilizers.

Local media previously reported that tests conducted by health authorities found 30%-40% of all pork samples in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the two biggest cities in Vietnam, contained the harmful salmonella bacteria, which can cause food poisoning.

A 2015 survey by the National Institute of Nutrition found each Vietnamese person consumes 200 grams of vegetables on average a day, half the quantity advised by the World Health Organization and the same as in 1985 when Vietnam had a much smaller supply.

Le Bach Mai, deputy director of the institute, said people do not eat a lot of vegetables because they're not sure if they're safe.

Various studies have proved that excessive use of chemicals in vegetables exposes consumers to the risk of lymphoma, brain cancer, leukemia and prostate cancer.

The World Bank said in a report released in March that the regulatory framework in Vietnam has improved but there remain serious concerns over implementation and delivery of the intended regulatory outcomes.

“Since 2010, Vietnam has modernized its regulatory framework and its administrative structures in relation to food safety, but there is still significant scope for improvement, particularly with respect to implementation,” it said.

Heavy bomb, explosives disposed of in Thanh Hóa

A 165kg bomb and some 100kg of explosive equipment were disposed of on Wednesday in Tĩnh Gia District, central Thanh Hóa Province.

On Monday, fishermen of Hải Bình Commune, Tĩnh Gia District, found a bomb with a length of 1.2m and diameter of 0.23m stuck in the fishing net. They reported the bomb to the local military steering committee. 

The explosives that have been disposed of include bullets, grenade, explosives and detonator handed over by police, execution bureau of Tĩnh Gia District and locals. 

Cantho Catfish lose to Warriors at VBA

Home ground and supporters were not enough to help Cantho Catfish take the Việt Nam Basketball Association League trophy on Wednesday.

The host side were defeated 64-79 by Thang Long Warriors in the fourth game of the finals.

The result is now 2-2 and the decisive game will be held in Hà Nội on December 3, which will be in favour of the Warriors, as they now become the hosts.

In the Wednesday game, the Catfish played poorly, while their rivals reached their peak.

The visitors quickly set up their lead from the beginning of the first quarter, with accurate three-point throws by Jaywuan Hill. It was 22-11 for the Warriors.

The second set saw De Angelo Hamilton rising up. He helped the Catfish narrow the score to 31-33.

However, it was not enough to threaten the Warriors who came back strong in the third set.

The trio of big men -- Hill, Justin Young and Nguyễn Văn Hùng -- quieted the Catfish defenders in all of their attacks. The hosts failed to stop them from scoring and had to submit to a defeat of 46-54.

Despite their strong effort in the last quarter, the Catfish could not level the result and suffered a loss of 64-79.

Laos’ National Day celebrated in HCM City

The Ho Chi Minh City Union of Friendship Organisations (HCMUFO) and the Vietnam-Laos Friendship Association in the city on November 30 held a ceremony to mark the 42nd anniversary of Laos’ National Day (December 2). 

Addressing the event, HCMUFO Vice President Nguyen Van Manh highlighted the close neighbourliness and special solidarity between Vietnam and Laos, as well as multi-faceted cooperation between HCM City and Lao localities. 

HCM City will make every effort to promote the long-standing friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos, for the sake of the two countries’ people, and for peace, cooperation and progress in the region and the world, he said. 

Lao Consul General in HCM City Somxay Sanamoune stressed valuable support of the Vietnamese Party, State and people, as well as HCM City to Laos over the past time. 

Laos will join hands with Vietnam to maintain and boost the friendship, which is the invaluable asset shared by the two nations, he said.

Social insurance sector holds first development partnership conference

The Vietnam Social Security (VSS) hosted the first ever development partnership conference in Hanoi on November 30, drawing the participation of dozens of representatives of foreign donors. 

The event aims to report and consult foreign donors and partners on the social security sector’s development goals and orientations as well as seek further cooperation possibilities in the coming time. 

At the event, donors pledged to accompany Vietnam in the implementation of social security policies. 

Nozomi Iwama, Senior Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency said that JICA is exploring the possibility of supporting health finance for the VSS. 

The two agencies started their cooperation on strengthening health insurance in October, she added. 

Since its inception 22 years ago, Vietnam’s insurance sector has seen significant development. The number of people participating in social security schemes increased from 2.2 million in 1995 to nearly 80 million people in 2017.

With hundreds of trillions of VND in social and health insurance premiums and benefit payment, the social security fund has become one of the largest public financial funds of the country

According to Nuno Meira Simoes Cunha, Senior Technical Specialist on Social Protection of the International Labour Organisation, there has been significant development in administration and management in Vietnam’s social security. 

Vietnam is joining the group of most developed system when it comes to IT management and information system, he added.

On this occasion, the Vietnam Social Security launched the English version of its e-portal, marking the sector’s great efforts in setting up an information channel between the social insurance sector and international community. 

Nguyen Tien Thanh, Director of the VSS’s International Cooperation Department said the information and database available in English language will enable those who are interested in Vietnam’s social security in general and social insurance in particular to search and share information as well as discuss on related issues. 

At the event, the VSS presented insignias for the cause of social security for representatives of several international organisations.

RoK’s army chief welcomed in Hanoi

Senior Lieutenant General Phan Van Giang, Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) and Deputy Defence Minister, hosted a reception for General Kim Yong-woo, Army Chief of Staff of the Republic of Korea (RoK) in Hanoi on November 30.

General Kim Yong-woo informed his host of the outcomes of his talks with Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Phuong Nam, Deputy Chief of the VPA General Staff.
Kim said he hopes the two countries’ defence ministries will create more favourable conditions for their armies to enhance cooperation in the fields that they have signed agreements.

Giang appreciated the outcomes of the talks and noted that the Vietnam-RoK defence partnership has seen new and positive developments over the past few years.

He urged the two armies to increase experience sharing in training and participation in the United Nations peacekeeping forces as well as addressing post-war consequences and strengthening mutual understanding and trust.

Within the visit to Vietnam from November 29 to December 1, the RoK’s army chief is scheduled to visit the Hanoi Capital City High Command, the Commando High Command and Division 308 of the Army Corps 1, and pay tribute to late General Vo Nguyen Giap.

PM inspects post-flood recovery efforts in Khanh Hoa

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on November 30 examined efforts to address consequences caused by the recent typhoon Damrey in Van Ninh district and Ninh Hoa town – the two worst-affected areas in the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa.

The PM visited Van Lang secondary school which bore the most brunt of the storm in Van Ninh district, where many classrooms have been destroyed. The school has resumed operation, along with 50 out of the 80 schools in the locality.
After the flood, the district had actively implemented measures to handle consequences. As a result, the supply of electricity has been restored, most roads have been repaired.

PM Phuc also visited the Van Gia fishing village in the district where hundreds of shrimp and fish raising cages and houses were seriously damaged, and the Khatoco garment-textile factory, which was seriously damaged by the storm, forcing 1,500 workers to stop working for at least 45 days.

The PM told local officials that as the government’s funding is limited, the province needs to mobilise other resources to support flood victims.

The same day, the PM is scheduled to have a working session with key officials of Khanh Hoa to discuss measures to help the province quickly restore production for businesses and normal daily life for locals as soon as possible.

Typhoon Damrey, the 12th major storm in the East Sea, hit Vietnam’s south central coast on November 4. Following downpours and floods claimed 89 lives and left 18 missing and 174 others injured in central and Central Highlands localities as of November 7, according to the National Committee for Search and Rescue.

VFF President Tran Thanh Man lauds VBS’s achievements

President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Tran Thanh Man hailed the constructive response of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) to patriotic movements and campaigns launched by the VFF. 

At a meeting with a delegation of the VBS in Hanoi on November 30, Man expressed his hope that the VBS will pay more attention to intensifying solidarity among Vietnamese Buddhist followers, contributing to building the great national unity bloc. 

He said the Law on Belief and Religion, which was approved at the second plenary session of the 14th National Assembly and took effect since January 1, 2018, has affirmed guidelines and policies of the Party and State on ensuring belief and religious activities in line with political and socio-economic conditions of the country, and upholding the role and potential of religious organisations and individuals in national construction and defence. 

Most Venerable Thich Thien Duc, General Secretary and Vice President of the VBS’s Executive Council, informed Man about outcomes of the eighth congress of the VBS that took place in Hanoi from November 19-22, 2017. 

The congress re-honoured Most Venerable Thich Pho Tue as Supreme Patriarch of the VBS, and elected 96 members of the Patronage Council and 225 official members of the Executive Council, he said. 

The VBS has chapters in all 63 cities and provinces, and Associations of Vietnamese Buddhists in 11 countries worldwide. There are four Buddhism universities, eight college-level training programmes and 34 primary Buddhism schools.

Buddhist followers number nearly 40 million in Vietnam, making up more than 40 percent of the nation’s population.

Long An, Cambodia’s Svay Rieng women join hands to protect border

The women’s unions of southern Long An province and Svay Rieng province of Cambodia have signed an agreement to join hands in building a shared border of peace, friendship, cooperation and development.

Under the deal, inked on November 30 during a conference to review their cooperation in the 2012-2017 period, both sides continue supporting each other in the two unions’ activities and coordinate closely in protecting the shared border.

Over the past years, women of Long An and Svay Rieng have strengthened information on their achievements in their activities to boost socio-economic development and promote the progress of women and gender equality.

Women in border districts of both sides have also strengthened coordination to share experience and deepen mutual understanding.

Both sides have strengthened communications on the border agreement between Vietnam and Cambodia as well as the need to maintain friendship and traditional cooperation and strengthen mutual support between the two sides, thus raising the community’s responsibility in protecting the border.

The two unions have also worked together to fight social evils and protect women and children by popularising the risk and consequences of women and children trafficking. 

The Women’s Union of Long An has also provided free health care, medicine and gifts for women and children of Svay Rieng.-

National External Information Service Awards 2017 launched

The National External Information Service Awards 2017 was launched by the Party Central Committee’s Communication and Education Commission, the Steering Committee for External Information Service and Nhan dan newspaper on November 30.

The competition is open to Vietnamese people, both at home and abroad, as well as foreigners. It features seven categories, including print media, radio broadcast, television broadcast, electronic media, press photo, landscape photo and book.

The entries, either in Vietnamese or foreign languages, must have been published or broadcast via mass media in Vietnam or in a foreign country between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017.

They should be sent to the Office of the Party Committee and Unions of Nhan dan Newspaper or via email giaithuongdoingoai2017@gmail.com prior to March 31, 2018.

The award ceremony is scheduled to take place in Hanoi in May 2018.

The award is expected to nudge the image of Vietnam as a peaceful and proactive country to international friends.

Nhan dan newspaper is the standing agency of this year’s National Information Service Awards. 

Speaking at the launching ceremony, Deputy Head of the Party Central Committee’s Information and Education Commission Pham Van Linh stressed that Vietnam has gained considerable achievements in its reform process, which also poses challenges due to global impacts.

Thus, Vietnamese media, news agencies, reporters and editors should improve quality and efficiency of the external information service while renovating contents and popularisation modes, he said.

Launched in 2014, the award has drawn the attention of both domestic and foreign press organisations, publishers and reporters. The number of entries to competition has increased through years from 893 entries in 17 languages in 2016 compared to 515 ones in 10 languages in 2014.