Modern hospital concerned about high operational costs, low revenues

Administrators of Long Xuyên City’s General Hospital, one of the biggest and most modern hospitals in the Mekong (Cửu Long) Delta region, are concerned about high operational costs coupled with low revenues just five months after the facility opened.

Electric and water fees and hospital services such as security guards and cleaners account for the high expenditures.

The hospital’s director, Nguyễn Thị Hạnh, said operational costs total VNĐ10 billion (US$446,000) per month, not including doctors’ and medical workers’ salaries, while total monthly revenue averages about VNĐ9 billion-10 billion. 

The VNĐ1.3 trillion (US$58 million) hospital, equipped with 600 patient beds and modern medical devices, became operational in April. It includes a main 10-storey building and other building blocks covering a 4.6ha area in Đông Xuyên Ward, An Giang Province.

The directorate is conscious to save electricity by shutting off air-conditioning systems and lights on higher floors and other areas, but monthly electricity bills still cost up to VNĐ1.5 billion, Hạnh said.

If the hospital uses electricity as normal, that monthly bill doubles, according to the hospital’s deputy director, Nguyễn Triết Hiển.

He said the hospital is equipped with an escalator, elevators and central air-conditioning system in each building block.

Additionally, the hospital has to spend VNĐ6 billion annually for cleaners and VNĐ2 billion for security guards.   

However, hospital administrators said the number of people who come for health check-ups and treatment is low for such a large-scale facility.

The hospital receives about 1,500 people for health check-ups and 800-900 patients for treatment per day.      

Từ Quốc Tuấn, director of An Giang Province’s Health Department, said that although the hospital was built and designed following international standards, it was still forced to apply the same medical fees for services as provincial-level health facilities.

HCM City seeks procuracy ties with Bulgaria’s capital

Procuracy agencies of Ho Chi Minh City and Bulgaria’s capital city of Sofia should foster links, thus further strengthening cooperation between the two localities, said Vice Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee Le Thanh Liem.

Liem made the suggestion during his reception for the visiting Bulgarian Chief Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov in HCM City on September 9. 

He affirmed that Sotir Tsatsarov’s visit to Vietnam contributed to expanding the cooperation between the two nations. 

For his part, Sotir Tsatsarov affirmed that the two countries’ procuracy sectors will enhance links and experience sharing in the field, towards stepping up judicial development in each nation. 

He also congratulated HCM City on its recent achievements in socio-economic development. 

Earlier the same day, Sotir Tsatsarov and his entourage had a working session with representatives from the People’s Procuracy of HCM City, during which they shared experience in implementing the prosecution right. 

Last year, the Supreme Procuracies of Vietnam and Bulgaria signed a cooperation agreement to set up a legal foundation to foster their connection in the coming time.

Under the document, inked during the visit of Prosecutor General Nguyen Hoa Binh to Bulgaria from April 23-26, 2015, the two countries’ procuracy sectors will share information pertaining to crime prevention and support each other in personnel training and legal research.

Hanoi marks 68th DPRK National Day

A meeting was held in Hanoi on September 9 to celebrate the 68th anniversary of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Chairman of the Vietnam-DPRK Friendship Association Pham Tat Dong highlighted the long-standing friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

The traditional friendship and cooperation between the two Parties, States and peoples founded by late Presidents Ho Chi Minh and Kim Il Sung have been further cemented and seen new development, he said.

He added that he believes both nations will spare no efforts to reinforce and enhance their rapport for the benefits of people as well as for peace, stability, cooperation and development in Asia-Pacific and around the world.

DPRK Ambassador to Vietnam Kim Myong Gil wished Vietnamese people implement successfully the Resolution adopted at the 12th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and soon develop the country into a modern industrialised society.

Training course promotes gender equality awareness among students

A training course to raise awareness of gender equality and relevant communication skills among school students was held in Hanoi on September 10. 

The event was jointly organised by Radio The Voice of Vietnam (VOV), the Ministry of Education and Training, and the United Nations Education, Science, Culture Organisation (UNESCO) Vietnam Office. 

It is one activity in the framework of the Project “Initiative on Gender Equity and Girl Education in Vietnam: empowering girls and women for a more equal society”. 

During the course, 50 students from the Thuc Nghiem Junior High School in Hanoi were equipped with basic skills on drafting messages on such themes as education for girls and women, education on gender and sex, school bullying, and domestic violence. 

After the course, the students are hoped to become “little reporters” to engage in communication work on these issues. 

Similar courses will be conducted for reporters from press agencies.

Jade Buddha statute conveys peace message in Vinh Phuc province

The world’s biggest jade Buddha statue has continued its tour to convey the peace message in Vietnam when it arrived at Tich Son pagoda in northern Vinh Phuc province on September 10. 

At the ceremony to welcome the statue, called “Jade Buddha for Peace”, local Buddhist monks and followers conducted rituals and prayed for peace and happiness. 

The statue will be placed at Tich Son pagoda until September 18, during which a number of activities will be held such as sermons on Buddha’s teachings, a ceremony to pray for peace, and a requiem for heroic martyrs. 

The “Jade Buddha for Peace” statue was carved from an 18-tonne block of gemstone-quality jade discovered in Canada in 2000. The carving was carried out in Thailand and finished in December 2008. 

The statue, 2.54m tall and over 4.5 tonnes in weight, has toured more than 100 cities in over 20 countries worldwide.

It was brought to Vietnam for the first time in 2009 and has been displayed in various pagodas in the country. 

After finishing its trip in Vietnam this time, the statue will be permanently installed in Australia.

Vietnam forms proposals to better welfares for ASEAN migrant workers

A national meeting was held in Hanoi on September 9 to prepare for the ninth ASEAN Forum on Migrant Labour (AFML), slated for this November in Vientiane, Laos. 

The AFML is an annual activity of the ASEAN Committee on the Implementation of the ASEAN declaration on the protection and promotion of migrant workers’ rights. From November 9-10, the ninth forum will discuss existing social welfares for ASEAN migrant workers and work towards the mobility of social insurance for the target group. 

At the preparatory meeting, held by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and the International Labour Organisation (ILO), participants said amid growing integration and globalisation, migrant workers have substantially contributed to economic growth and sustainable development of both their home and host countries. 

Although the ASEAN Economic Community has geared up measures to facilitate the movement of skilled labour, most of regional migrant workers are low-skilled. 

The approaching AFML’s focus on social welfares for migrant workers is necessary and well-timed as many migrant workers in ASEAN haven’t benefited from social welfares. They have no longer enjoyed some of their rights at home and faced unfairness in their host countries. 

It is important to ensure equal access to social welfares between workers in the formal and informal sectors. The implementation of bilateral social welfare agreements to ensure the mobility of social insurance will help migrant workers ensure their rights when working abroad, participants noted. 

The meeting featured five sessions during which representatives of the Government and social organisations looked into activities done to realise the recommendations made at the previous AFMLs. They also suggested proposals for Vietnam to submit at the upcoming forums.

Hygiene packages delivered to poor women in Kon Tum

The UN Women Vietnam, in coordination with the Vietnam Women Union, has provided 3,000 packages of hygiene products for disadvantaged women and girls in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum. 

The UN Women Vietnam said on September 10 that the goods, including soaps and hygiene products for women, are funded by an aid package of 300,000 USD of the Government of the Republic of Korea (RoK). 

The hygiene packages are hoped to help prevent the spread of diarrhoea, hand-foot-mouth disease and dengue fever, among others. 

The aid delivery in Kon Tum is part of the plan to provide 20,500 such packages for disadvantaged women in the five provinces of Ca Mau, Kien Giang, Binh Thuan, Kon Tum, and Gia Lai, worth a total of over 14 billion VND (625,000 USD). 

The event was attended by RoK Ambassador to Vietnam Lee Hyuk, Country Director of UN Women Vietnam Shoko Ishikawa and President of the Vietnam Women Union Nguyen Thi Thu Ha. 

Shoko Ishikawa said the targeted women will also receive consultation on how to keep them and their family’s healthy. 

Echoing Ishikawa’s opinion, Nguyen Thi Thu Ha also underlined the need to include gender factor in aid activities, saying that women and girls are vulnerable to natural disasters, and they also have more difficulties to access support than men.

Soc Trang plans 24 water supply projects for ethnic areas

The Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang plans to start work soon on 24 water supply projects in ethnic minority-inhabited areas, particularly where local communities are affected by the recent intrusion of salt water.

Total investment for the projects, at nearly 25 billion VND (approximately 1.1 million USD), will be sourced from capital allocations for Programme 135 on poverty reduction in extremely poor areas.

Soc Trang has been allocated 62.3 billion VND to carry out tasks under Programme 135 in 2016, including building infrastructure, developing production, maintaining existing facilities and enhancing capacity for local officials in target areas.

The province is among Mekong Delta localities seriously hit by drought and saltwater intrusion in the first half of this year.

It was reported that about 225,800 households in the Mekong Delta suffered from water shortages. More than 208,000 hectares of rice, over 9,400 hectares of fruit trees and about 2,000 hectares of shrimp farming areas were affected by the drought and saltwater intrusion.

Kien Giang: Dengue fever gathers speed in island districts

Mosquito-borne dengue fever is developing in a complex fashion in Phu Quoc and Kien Hai island districts in southern Kien Giang province as the rainy weather is favouring the growth of mosquitoes.

Phu Quoc recorded 89 cases of dengue fever across the island over the past eight months, including 40 cases detected in Ganh Dau commune alone. The figure surpassed the average recorded over the past five years.

Doctor Nguyen Minh Luong, who heads the disease control section of the Phu Quoc Health Centre, warned that the disease is now found more in adults than in children and developing complicatedly as the rainy season peaked and local people remained inactive in taking preventive measures.

The Centre’s health workers discovered that the population of mosquitoes in Ganh Dau and Chuong Vich hamlets in Ganh Dau commune was twice the permissible level, which could lead to a further rise in the number of dengue fever sufferers in the absence of prompt preventive measures.

Recognising the risks, Phu Quoc Health Centre teams went to hamlets and inspected their prevention efforts. They step up measures on sanitation and environment, and boost communications campaigns to raise people’s awareness on disease prevention.

In Kien Hai island district, health workers deal with 60 cases over the past eight months while they treated only 11 patients in 2015.

Doctor Le Thi Ngoc, Vice Director of the Kien Hai Health Centre, said the centre staff visited locals’ houses to guide them in spraying chemicals killing mosquito and mosquito larvae and timely manage suspected infections.

A conference in Binh Thuan province on August 26 reported 14,153 cases of dengue fever detected across the country so far this year, a five-fold increase from 2015.

In August, the Ministry of Health has established eight inspection teams to supervise and assist dengue-fever prevention activities in 18 localities suffering the most from dengue fever throughout the country.

The move responded to a decision recently signed by Deputy Minister Nguyen Thanh Long after many new cases of dengue fever have been reported in localities including Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Gia Lai and Kon Tum, An Giang, Dong Thap, Khanh Hoa, Phu Yen, Binh Dinh and HCM City.

The ministry says currently, there is no vaccine to protect people against dengue fever.

Why more Vietnamese are giving up their citizenships

A total of 4,474 individuals renounced their Vietnamese citizenships in 2015, according to data released by the Ministry of Justice last month.

Most of the names on the renunciation list were Vietnamese women who married foreigners.

Minister Mai Tien Dung, chief of the Government Office, said at a recent regular press briefing that many Vietnamese brides give up their nationality as soon as they leave the country to become eligible to apply for citizenships in their husbands' countries.

“That makes it easier for them to live and work overseas,” Dung said.

More than 100,000 Vietnamese women marry foreign men each year. Statistics released by the Justice Ministry estimated that in 2010 alone, the closest year for which data is available, around 120,000 Vietnamese women married Taiwanese men and another 35,000 got hitched with Koreans.

“The number of people renouncing their Vietnamese citizenship is still quite small in comparison with the number of Vietnamese women married to foreign men,” Minister Dung said.

Official statistics also show that some Vietnamese businesspeople hold dual citizenships.

Recently, a newly-elected legislator was dismissed from the National Assembly, Vietnam's legislature, for violating the country’s Nationality Law which prohibits Vietnamese citizens from having dual citizenship.

Nguyen Thi Nguyet Huong, a 46-year-old businesswoman, was stripped of her position after her undeclared Maltese citizenship was uncovered.

Roof-tiled bridge in Thua Thien Hue to get renovation

The People’s Committee of central Thua Thien-Hue province has decided to invest nearly 13.2 billion VND (594,000 USD) to preserve, restore and renovate the Thanh Toan roof-tiled bridge, a local popular tourist attraction.

The project is carried out in three years from this September.

In 1776, the village was bestowed with a uniquely roof-tiled wooden bridge, a gift from a native who had to travel far away for marriage. The bridge freed locals from both sides of the waterway from the risks of travelling over the water, and also gave the village a charm that mirrored the clean water of the canal.

It is an arched wooden bridge, 17m long and 4m wide. On both sides of the bridge length are two rows of wooden platforms and parapets for people to lean their backs. The bridge is roofed with tubes.

For centuries, the bridge was appraised as one of the most complicated wooden spans in the country and is considered as beautiful as its sister Japanese-styled bridge in Hoi An.

City dwellers today take holidays to the bridge for Lunar New Year and enjoy playing traditional games at the same time.

Health insurance barriers for HIV patients discussed

Health experts discussed ways to tackle barriers and find solutions to provide social health insurance (SHI) to people living with HIV (PLHIV) at a workshop last week in HCM City.

The event was jointly organised by the Vietnam Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS with support from the HCM City Provincial AIDS Centre (HCMC PAC) and the US Agency for International Development through its Sustainable Management of the HIV/AIDS Response and Transition to Technical Assistance project implemented by FHI 360.

The workshop opened with testimonials from PLHIV, who revealed the challenges they faced with respect to enrolment in SHI to obtain coverage for HIV treatment.

At the event, participants debated ways to overcome the challenges and to mobilise PLHIV to enroll in social health insurance. The workshop kicked off a series of events that focused on SHI access and utilisation among PLHIV that will culminate in a “Red Ribbon” event at the end of the year.

Representatives of the PLHIV community identified the cost of enrolling their families in social health insurance, the lack of a registered permanent residence and identity cards and the fear of disclosure of their HIV status as key barriers to SHI enrollment.

“The HCMC PAC will put all its effort to sustain 30,000 HIV patients currently undergoing HIV antiretroviral (ARV) treatment. We will work closely with the Vietnam Social Security to mobilize resources and overcome the barriers to enrollment,” said Doctor Van Hung, head of Treatment Management Department, HCM PAC.

“The lessons learned from HCMC can be shared with other provinces encountering similar situations,” Hung added.

According to HCMC PAC statistics, as of June 2016, only 10,544 PLHIV, or 36 per cent of all ARV patients, in HCMC have health insurance cards. Moreover, just over a third of those PLHIV who have health insurance cards have used them to obtain HIV services. One out of every three Vietnamese HIV patients lives in HCM City.

ARV drugs are an effective solution to safeguard the health of people living with HIV and to protect communities from the spread of the epidemic, as ARV treatment can reduce viral loads to negligible levels. According to the Vietnam Administration of HIV/AIDS Control’s statistics, up till the end of June, there were over 110,000 patients being treated with ARV drugs nationwide.

Until now, ARV treatment has been made available free of charge due to international donor support. However, with Vietnam emerging as a “middle income developing country,” donors have begun phasing out assistance, mandating SHI to cover and sustain the delivery of HIV treatment services. The Government of Vietnam aims to enroll at least 80 per cent of all people in social health insurance by 2020.

Binh Dinh strives for 5 million tourists by 2020

The central coastal province of Binh Dinh is taking synchronous measures to promote its sea and island tourism with the target of attracting 5 million tourist arrivals by 2020, 30 percent of whom are foreigners. 

Director of the local Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Dung said that the province will focus on human resources training, and include environmental protection in tourism development. 

In the time ahead, Binh Dinh will speed up the implementation of 43 tourism development projects, including the Linh Phong pagoda spiritual and historical tourism complex, the Casa Marina Resort, and the FLC Complex. 

It is also calling for investment in developing the Tan Thanh-Vinh Hoi-Cat Tien tourist route and eco-tourism projects like Mui Rong, Vung Chua, Con Chim and Nui Mot Lake. 

The number of visitors to the province reached 2.6 million in 2015, an increase of 25 percent compared to the previous year.-

Russia eyes mutual travel visa exemption with Vietnam

Russia’s Federal Agency for Tourism (Rosturism) on September 1 proposed a mutual visa-free group tourist exchange mechanism with India, Iran and Vietnam, ahead of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok. 

Head of the agency Oleg Safonov said that such a mechanism has been implemented between Russia and China since 2000 and has proved effective. 

He expressed his belief that if the agreements are signed with India, Iran and Vietnam, they will also produce positive results. 

Statistics from the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) showed that Southeast Asia is currently an attractive destination for Russian tourists. 

In the first half of this year, the number of Russian tourists to the region increased by 17 percent against the same period last year. 

A total of 204,400 Russians visited Vietnam in the period, up 21 percent year-on-year.

Đồng Nai plans environment monitoring system

The southern Đồng Nai Province’s People’s Committee is developing a new environmental protection plan until 2020.

Speaking at a conference on the plan yesterday, Võ Văn Chánh, deputy chairman of the committee, said an environmental monitoring system would help to improve environmental quality and reduce pollution.

Facilities for environmental monitoring will be built to measure air, water and groundwater pollution.

Nguyễn Ngọc Thường, director of the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment, said that four water monitoring stations would be built along the Đồng Nai River, and at a section extending from Trị An Lake in Định Quán and Vĩnh Cửu districts to Biên Hòa City.

Two mobile air monitoring stations and 13 wastewater monitoring stations would also be installed at industrial parks.

All data from the stations would be sent to the department and shared with neighbouring provinces of Bà Rịa – Vũng Tàu, Bình Dương and Bình Thuận.

At the conference, Chánh said the province was seeking investment in green technology projects to limit pollution. The province would also launch regular inspections of companies to identify polluting companies, which would be strictly punished.

In 2014, the province recorded 157 indicents that caused serious pollution, and ordered companies to improve. At least 144 of them resolved the situation.  

Police bust counterfeit Vietnamese đồng ring

Police have arrested eight members of a ring that allegedly traded hundreds of millions of counterfeit đồng between China and southwestern Việt Nam, according to Cần Thơ City’s security investigation department.

Local police said on Wednesday that the leader of the group was Hoàng Thị Thủy, 36. The other members were Nguyễn Công Chung, 44; Nguyễn Thị Thanh Thủy, 47; Nguyễn Thanh Sơn, 24; Hồ Thị Lệ Thu, 45; Dương Hải Long, 24; Nguyễn Tuấn Em, 30; and Trương Việt Hùng, 34.

The police have sent documents to the People’s Procuracy, where they could be charged with selling, transporting and buying counterfeit money.

Sơn, who was caught by police at the Cần Thơ bus station in January, told police that he had met Hoàng Thị Thủy seven times and spent VNĐ310 million (US$13,900) since May 2015 to buy fake money from her.

He told the police that a million in counterfeit đồng could be bought for only VNĐ400,000 ($18).

Chung and Thanh Thủy had spent VNĐ580 million ($26,000) on counterfeit money. They then traded all the money in VNĐ200,000 ($9) denominations.

Based on information received from Sơn, Chung and Thanh Thủy, Cần Thơ City police worked with Đà Nẵng police and later arrested Hoàng Thị Thủy in Đà Nẵng in January.

Initially, she did not admit to any crime, but the police were able to prove that Thủy had traded more than VNĐ900 million ($40,356) within her group.

Toll fee reduced for trucks of over 10t

The Ministry of Finance will reduce tolls for trucks and containers on National Highway 1 by between 10 and 14 per cent.

The move aims to help relieve difficulties for transport companies in accordance with a Government resolution on supporting enterprises.

From September 10, trucks with capacity of 10-18 tonnes and 20-foot container trucks will pay VNĐ120,000 (US$5.4) instead of VND140,000 ($6.3) per trip when using national highway 1 in the central provinces of Quảng Bình, Quảng Trị, Quảng Nam and Bình Định.

Trucks with over 18 tonnes of load and 40-feet container trucks will pay VNĐ180,000 (US$8) per trip instead of VNĐ 200,000 ($9).

The lower toll will also be applied for those who use monthly pre-paid tolls and three-month pre-paid tolls from October.

In July, the same toll reduction was introduced by the ministry for containers and trucks with loads over 10 tonnes at two toll booths on National Highway 1 in Bình Định and Quảng Ngãi.

Long An struggles to cope with smuggling

Long An Province has busted 1,250 cases of smuggling and over 1,000 cases of commercial fraud so far this year, and collected fines of VNĐ57 billion (US$2.55 million).

Tobacco and sugar were the most commonly smuggled items, provincial authorities told a conference on combating smuggling, trade fraud and fake goods last week.

Anti-smuggling authorities have confiscated over 1.6 million cigarette packs and 600 tonnes of sugar that were illegally transported over the Cambodian border.

According to Colonel Phạm Hữu Châu, deputy chief of the province police, the smuggling situation is “complicated” and worsening.

The fight against smuggling and fraud faces many difficulties since smugglers are “smart,” he said.

Besides, since smugglers pay people well to transport contraband, many poor people are lured into it, making the situation harder to deal with, he said.

Thus, in most cases, authorities are only able to catch henchmen and not the smuggling kingpins, he said.

The smuggling tends to peak before Tết (lunar New Year), when demand for certain items skyrockets.

Nguyễn Văn Được, vice chairman of the Long An People’s Committee, has urged various authorities to improve co-ordination, step up inspections and come up with measures to prevent cross-border smuggling and reduce counterfeit goods.

He called for more programmes to generate jobs in border areas and raise public awareness of smuggling.

District people’s committees are responsible for implementing the measures and reporting to the province People’s Committee, he added.

Private funds help develop infrastructure at schools

There has been great focus on seeking sponsorship or investment from organisations, companies, and individuals in education in HCM City in recent years, said Lê Hồng Sơn, head of the city Department of Education and Training.

Sơn said at a recent workshop that though the city has a large outlay for education -- 26 per cent of its total spending -- it is insufficient.

The private sector, or private funds have been urged to build private schools, upgrade and paint classrooms, and donate teaching and learning aids, he said.

For instance, the 1,380 students of Trần Văn Ơn Primary School, situated in a small alley in the city’s outlying District 12, no longer have to sit in dirty-looking classrooms where whitewash and paint are peeling off  thanks to a corporate social responsibility programme called Sắc Màu Tình Thương (The Colours of Love) by TOA Paint Việt Nam Co.Ltd  and the city’s Social Welfare Centre for Young People.

Thus, in 2014-15, it managed to solicit funds worth VNĐ1.4 trillion (US$64.4 million) from these sources. As a result, the city now has 738 private schools out of a total of 1,980.

The city could achieve those results thanks to the Government’s guidelines.

A Ministry of Education and Training report says that depending on the limited government budgets it would not be enough to develop education.

Deputy Minister of Education and Training Nguyễn Vinh Hiển, in an article in the Tạp chí Cộng Sản (Communism Review), also stressed the need to call for support from the private sector in education, saying that thanks to useful programmes by organisations, enterprises and individuals, students, especially in rural areas, have got better learning conditions.

Between 2008 and 2012 local authorities across the country have raised VNĐ6.7 trillion (US$297.7 million) from domestic and foreign sponsors to build or upgrade schools.

To solicit more sponsorship of and investments in education, many provinces and cities are offering more and more incentives such as soft loans at low interest rates.

During the last school year the country had 2,485 private schools out of a total of 42,497. 

Low hepatitis B vaccination rate in 22 areas

Vaccination has covered only about half of newborns in Việt Nam, which makes experts worry as the country has the highest number of patients in the West Pacific region.

While the vaccination is effective, it has not reached the desired rate among newborns as only about 50-60 per cent of infants across the country receive the hepatitis B vaccination within two days of being born.

Dương Thị Hồng, deputy director of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, said this at a conference organised by the Ministry of Health (MoH) yesterday in Hà Nội on preventing hepatitis caused by virus.

According to Hồng, in the first half of this year, 22 out of 63 provinces and cities across the country have 30 per cent of newborns receive the vaccine. Several provinces have only 11-12 per cent of newborns get the vaccination.

The national immunisation programme this year hoped to reach 75-80 per cent of newborns, which meant that some 36-40 per cent of the infants should have received the vaccine in the first half of the year, she said.

However, in 22 provinces and cities, including Sơn La, Cao Bằng, Điện Biên and Lạng Sơn, as well as Gia Lai, Nghệ An, Lai Châu and Quảng Bình, along with Bình Định, Hải Phòng and Bắc Giang, the success rate is under 30 per cent.

Hồng called the conditions alarming. He said the health sector hoped to raise the rate to 75 per cent.

Last year, the country’s average rate of receiving the hepatitis B vaccine was 69.8 per cent, and this was uneven in different localities.

Referring to the reasons for the low rate in some areas, Hồng said medical workers were worried about the after-effects of the vaccination, and so they hesitated.

In addition, several hospitals did not focus on the immunisation programme, while some mothers were afraid of the side-effects, and so chose not to give their newborns the injection, she said.

Dr Lokky Wai, World Health Organisation (WHO) representative in Việt Nam, said hepatitis in Việt Nam was worrying as the country had the highest number of patients in the West Pacific region.

At present, Việt Nam has some 8.7 million people affected by hepatitis B and one million others affected by hepatitis C, according to statistics revealed by the MoH, in co-ordination with the WHO.

The burden caused by hepatitis in Việt Nam was 40 times higher than that caused by HIV, Wai said.

The WHO has recommended that a combined treatment and prevention strategy could eliminate hepatitis B and C in 2030.

Preventive methods included injecting newborns with the hepatitis B vaccine within two days of being born, especially infants living in areas with a high risk of the disease, and controlling bacterial contamination inside and outside the medical stations. 

ZeroStation launches project with Asian artists

ZeroStation of HCM City this week launched a new project called In/VISIBLE (AIS) Station that brings together 45 Asian artists and curators in the region.

The artists’ works will be displayed in Việt Nam, Thailand, Myanmar, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia. Seminars, forums and talks about contemporary art will also be featured. 

AIS is co-sponsored by the Chiang Mai Art Conversation in Thailand and the Japan Foundation Asia Centre, established in 2014 to carry out mutual exchange programmes in Asia.

The project will take place at studios and galleries in the region, such as New Zero Space in Myanmar, 3331 Arts Chiyoda in Japan and Post-Museum in Singapore. 

Nguyễn Như Huy, visual artist, poet, songwriter and independent curator of ZeroStation, said the name In/VISIBLE means visibility that takes place through action.  

“We want to support young artists, particularly Vietnamese, and introduce them to the world,” said Huy, who is AIS’s chief curator for the 2016-17 term. 

“ZeroStation helps to connect the vision, thinking and knowledge of participating artists with local audiences through a more interactive approach,” he added.

Born in 1971, Huy is among Việt Nam’s most popular contemporary artists.

He collected as well as wrote essays in the book Tiểu Luận Về Nghệ Thuật Việt Nam Hiện Đại và Đương Đại (Essays on Modern and Contemporary Vietnamese Art), which focuses on art during the 1945-1990 period. The book was published in English and Vietnamese by the Singapore Art Museum in 2010. 

In 2012, he wrote Video Art in Việt Nam - A Brief Report, which was included in the writing collection Video. It is stored at the Pompidou Museum in France and the Singapore Art Museum.     

He has exhibited at home and abroad, including Japan, South Korea, Singapore, France, Sweden and the US, and was invited to talk at the Alternative Route: Art and Cultural Exchange in Asia, an international seminar on art in Yokohama, Japan, in 2013.

ZeroStation is working with photographer Phan Quang, performance artist Lưu Thị Hoài Trang, visual mapping artist Lê Thanh Tùng, video artist Nguyễn Đức Tú and filmmaker Trương Minh Quý.

Hong Kong no-frills carrier adds direct flights to Nha Trang

Hong Kong budget airline HK Express is set to launch direct flights to Nha Trang in November.

Known for its majestic skyscrapers, Cantonese cuisine and sunny islands, Hong Kong has long been a favourite holiday destination for Vietnamese travellers.

“HK Express is fortunate to have easy access to some of the region’s hottest destinations,” Andrew Cowen, director and CEO of the carrier, said.

“We’re always listening to our guests and adding new routes to suit their dream vacations, and we predict that Hong Kong’s action-packed atmosphere will be a crowd-pleaser.”

Fares for the new twice-weekly service - on Wednesdays and Sundays - starts from HK$98 (US$12.5).

German director to host workshop

German director Norbert Lechner will conduct a workshop for young filmmakers in HCM City on September 12 as part of the German Film Festival in Việt Nam.

The director will give a presentation on the making of his new film, Fortune Favours the Brave, about the friendship of Vietnamese sisters Nam Linh and Tiên, with an 11-year-old girl name Pauline

The workshop will be held in German with Vietnamese interpreters.

Participants can register for the workshop at hanh.nguyenthu@saigon.goethe.org by September 5. The event will take place from 2pm – 5pm at Hoa Sen University, 8 Nguyễn Văn Tráng Street, in District 1. 

Vietnam not a bed of roses for foreign models

Vietnam’s emerging fashion industry is a tempting market for westerners seeking to kick-start their modeling career, but life as a foreign model here is not always a bed of roses.

Russian-born Amy Nikolaus, 27, is a freelance model who has been living and working in Ho Chi Minh City for more than five years.

Amy began her life in the southern city in August 2011, when she made up her mind to start off anew in the Southeast Asian country after spending one of her vacations there.

Speaking in accented but fluent Vietnamese, Amy spoke of her initial difficulty in finding a job here, given her inability to speak the country’s language.

It was not until she had almost run out of money and was about to give up, that Amy decided to place learning Vietnamese at the top of her priorities.

“I started working as a salesperson at a fashion store in a local Russian market to provide for my expenses,” Amy recalled. “It was also a chance for me to accustom myself to the language.”

It was not until mid 2012 that Amy had her first shot at modeling though, after she was introduced by a friend to a wedding photographer, who used her as a dress model for VND1 million (US$45) per day.

Having since modeled for hundreds of events of different scale, Amy now has a Vietnamese husband and a three-year-old son of her own in Ho Chi Minh City, and they live together in a small rented house in District 7.

Other foreigners who have come to Vietnam in search of the chance to step into the country’s modelling business have not always been as lucky as Amy, with many having fallen victim to scams that have stripped them off their money.

Ruvenla, a 22-year-old model from Poland, said her first job in Vietnam was as a freelance model for a company based in Vung Tau City, where she was cheated into working for free after the company’s manager ran off with her salary.

Out of money, Ruvenla had no choice but to take up other jobs such as wine marketing and dancing to survive and wait for another chance to work as a model.

According to Ruvenla, most amateur foreign models like herself can only afford to live in cramped rented rooms in District 2, District 7, or Thu Duc District.

Ruvenla’s roommate Lusica said she and her boyfriend have to work multiple jobs at a time, including teaching English to children, to have enough money spare to send home to their families in Russia.

Despite the hardship, some models like Anthony from Britain retain high hopes of developing a successful career in Vietnam.

Anthony said working in Vietnam offered him opportunities to model for high-class brands and famous magazines, a highly competitive field in fashion capitals such as Paris, Milan, or New York.

The British model said the time spent working in Vietnam would form a valuable part of his profile in order to enter other markets.

British man to cycle 1,600km to save children with heart disease

A British man will cycle 1,600km from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City in 16 days next month to raise awareness and funds to help Vietnamese children with congenital heart disease.

After moving to Vietnam last year with his family, Scott Kirkham quickly realized that he wanted to help disadvantaged children who live a life in contrast to his own, acknowledging he is grateful to have a good life with two healthy and happy kids. 

“It was intuitive. I’m a father and my wife and I wanted to find a way to give something back to this wonderful country,” Kirkham said.

“Looking for a charity that could help save children’s lives just made sense.”

Working with international brand activation agency Geometry Global and Heartbeat Vietnam Fund, Kirkham created a campaign called Cyclefor16 that has so far reached over 750,000 people and raised more than US$50,000.

The numbers are far beyond anything he expected, he said.

When he first discussed the plan with his wife last April, he only dared to think about raising money to save 16 children with congenital heart disease.

“What started as a plan to save the lives of 16 children quickly turned into something much bigger as we realized the amount of support being generated,” the 39-year-old said.

“I’m really proud to say that we’ve now saved 40 lives and we plan for more!”

Kirkham’s friends at Geometry Global have been proud to support his cause gratis.

“When Scott pitched me his idea, I knew we could do something very special together for a wonderful cause,” Simon Breen, head of business at Geometry Global, said.

“I’m extremely happy that so many generous people have got behind Cyclefor16.”

The 16-day ride, the main activity of Cyclefor16, is meant to raise awareness about his initiative.

“We decided that we need to kick off with something different, physically challenging, something that links to health, heart and also children,” he said.

This is not the first time Kirkham has done charity work in Vietnam.

Last year he joined some kitchens to serve disadvantaged people in Ho Chi Minh City.

Vietnam university to offer free English math courses to children

A Ho Chi Minh City-based university is set to provide free online math courses to children from six to twelve years old from September.

The class, under the management of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Science, will be available online at www.khanviet.org, starting September 9.

Students will be required to register and receive an account to attend the English math courses on the website.

Young learners are encouraged to spend around 20 minutes a day to do math exercises with the supervision and guidance from experienced teachers.

The course is expected to arouse and nurture children’s passion with mathematics since young age.

It will also allow students to improve their speaking, listening and reading skills through a wide range of lectures and some offline meetings with English speaking teachers.

HCM City spends over US$134,000 on daily waste treatment

About VND3 billion (US$134,490) is needed for treating rubbish in Ho Chi Minh City on a daily basis, creating heavy burden on the city’s coffers.

The municipal Party Committee has therefore been re-evaluating the cost and operations at the Da Phuoc Waste Treatment Complex in Binh Chanh District.

The Vietnam Waste Solutions Corporation (VWS), investor of the zone, originally received US$16.4 for the treatment of every metric ton of rubbish.

While the cost is meant to also cover expenses for processing compost and producing organic fertilizers, most of the garbage has been buried underground at Da Phuoc.

Garbage trucks enter and exit the Da Phuoc Waste Treatment Complex in Binh Chanh District, Ho Chi Minh City.

The Party Committee also tasked relevant agencies to work with VWS on a more suitable price for the treating procedure, after assigning the company with an additional 2,000 metric tons of rubbish a day. VWS therefore receives 5,000 metric tons of trash on a daily basis, the largest in the city.

A probe by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper showed that VWS had raised waste treatment cost to US$20.166 per metric ton by October last year, which indicates that over US$100,000 from the city budget has to be expensed for waste disposal every day.

To deal with the remaining amount of rubbish in the metropolis, the city leaders have to pay investors of the Phuoc Hiep Treatment Zone in Cu Chi District another US$40,000 for the 2,000 metric tons of waste they accept per day.

Such cost excludes the expenditure needed for other steps in the waste management process, namely collection, transport, and environmental control among others.

In a bid to alleviate pressure on the city’s budget, competent authorities are negotiating with VWS, asking the firm to lower their cost to US$17 per metric ton.

Vietnam cities to host European-Asian contemporary dance festival

An annual European-Asian contemporary dance festival is poised to take place in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City later this month.

The “Europe meets Asia in Contemporary Dance” festival will debut at the Youth Theater in the capital city, before moving to the southern metropolis.

It will run from September 21 to 25 in Hanoi and from September 25 to 27 at the Municipal Theater in Ho Chi Minh City.

The event, now in its sixth year, will feature dance artists from six countries including Germany, France, Israel, Japan, Austria, and Vietnam.

The event this year will be highlighted by a joint performance between German choreographer Riki von Falken and Vietnamese artist Nguyen Trinh Thi.

The dance depicts the traditional, old culture of Hanoi which is now fading away as people’s lifestyle has rapidly changed.

“Europe meets Asia in Contemporary Dance” is held by EUNIC, the Network of European cultural institutes and embassies in Hanoi, the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet and the Goethe Institute.

Founded in 2011, the festival aims to promote Vietnamese contemporary dance as well as enhance the cultural exchange and cooperation between local and international artists.

Music festival to liven up Phu Quoc next January

A Russian and two Vietnamese companies announced on September 1 that agreement has been reached to stage a music festival in mid-January 2017 on Phu Quoc Island in Kien Giang Province.

Details of the joint venture agreement regarding the event entitled ‘Epizode Sea Festival’ signed by the parties – Russian Epizode Company, Dong Do Show Company and 99 Mountains – were not publicly disclosed.

music festival to liven up phu quoc next january hinh 1 At the signing ceremony, the stakeholders said they are pinning their hopes on the festival attracting top-notch professional artists and hundreds of thousands from all parts of the globe to the island for the music bonanza.

Vietnam pupil wins consolation prize at Toyota Dream Car Art Contest

Khuc Ngoc Canh (7 years old) from Nguyen Trai Primary School in Hai Phong City has won a consolation prize at the 10th Toyota Dream Car Art Contest.

The contest received more than 855,000 paintings from 81 countries in the world at the national round. Each country chose 9 outstanding entries from three groups (below 8 years old, 8-11 and 12-15) to compete at the final round in Japan.

The organizing board selected 31 outstanding works from 21 countries to honour and invited contestants and their parents to attend the award ceremony in Tokyo.

Vietnam artifacts on display in Germany

More than 200 archeological artifacts which have been found over the past six decades will go on display at three major museums in Germany as of October 6, 2016 under the framework of a cultural cooperation programme between Vietnam and Germany.

Of displayed items, 13 artifacts were unearthed at My Son Sanctuary, including Siva Genie, Gajasimha, Laksmi, Dikpala, and linga statues and other terra-cotta items.

The management board of the My Son Sanctuary in the central Quang Nam province said the 13 ancient objects were thoroughly packed for sending to Germany.

Month-long programme celebrating National Day at culture village

A programme celebrating National Day (September 2) will be held at the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism in Hanoi throughout September.

The event will draw the participation of ethnic groups including Mong, Thai, Kho Mu, Dao, Muong, Ba Na, E De and Khmer, who will introduce to visitors typical cultural spaces of the northwest and northwest region.

The spotlight of the programme will be a rural market displaying indigenous specialties, spices and authentic tourist products of the participating ethnic groups.

Visitors to the event will be invited to taste signature dishes of Mong and Thai people, such as thang co (hotpot of horse meat), men men (steamed ground maize), corn wine, glutinous rice, grilled fish, roasted pig and chicken.

They will also have an opportunity to enjoy traditional songs and dances, take part in folk games such as swing, spinning humming top and badminton, or try making handicraft products under the instruction of local artisans.

Traditional festivals will be reproduced on the occasion, including the family worship of the Mong people, and the village’s god worship of the Thai people, which represent people’s aspiration for prosperity and peace.

Vietnam becomes favorite destination for expats

Vietnam has become one of the world’s most popular destinations for expats, according to the 2016 Expat Insider survey.

There were changes in the positions of Asian countries. Vietnam ranked 11th among 67 surveyed countries and territories, a big jump from its last year’s position at 35.

The Expat Insider survey is conducted annually by InterNations – the largest expat community around the world based in Munich, Germany.

Expats in Vietnam are very pleased with the friendly nature of the local residents this year, the report said.

Taiwan tops the best expat destinations in 2016, trailed by Malta, Ecuador, Mexico and New Zealand. 

14,000 respondents from 191 countries and territories were asked in this year’s survey to assess the quality of life in their home countries and the places they are living.

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