US$20 billion spent on irrigation works nationwide

More than US$20 billion has so far been invested in irrigation works nationwide, thus boosting agricultural production and making Vietnam one of the world’s top farm produce exporters.

At a meeting on the Law on Irrigation in Can Tho City on September 7, Do Van Thanh, director of the Department of Water Resource Management and Rural Water Supply at the Directorate of Water Resources, said the nation currently has nearly 7,000 water reservoirs.

About 6,650 of them are for irrigation with a total holding capacity of 6.5 billion cubic meters, 5,500 culverts and 235,000 kilometers of canal and ditch.

Thanh said the irrigation system plays an important role in facilitating agricultural production and propping up farm exports.

Thanks to irrigation renovations, Vietnam’s rice output has shot up in recent years, making Vietnam one of the world’s three largest rice exporters.

Data of the Vietnam Food Association (VFA) shows the country’s rice exports rose from 1.37 million tons worth US$310 million in 1989 to 4.56 million tons valued at over US$1 billion in 1999. In the first seven months of 2017 alone, the country shipped over 3.2 million tons of rice abroad with a total value of more than US$1.4 billion.

Seafood exports have also grown sharply. The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) has set a target of making US$7.4 billion in aquatic products exports in 2017, up 6% year-on-year.

For shrimp, the Government has mapped out an action plan to boost annual shrimp exports to U$10 billion by 2025.

According to data of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the country’s agro-forestry-fishery exports hit US$23.66 billion in the first eight months of this year, a 13.5% rise against the same period last year. Rice, seafood, coffee, rubber, pepper, cashew nuts and vegetables were among the largest export items.

The Law on Irrigation will come into force on July 1, 2018.

Toxic alcohol company fined harshly

Health inspectors in Hanoi decided to issue fine of VND70 million ($3,080) on Dai Loi Company in Cau Giay district because it has produced alcohol 90 degree and 70 degree without circulation permit.
 
Before, a 45 year old man in Hanoi was pronounced dead after four day intensive treatment in Bach Mai Hospital’s Anti-Poison Center due to methanol poison.
His relatives said that he drank surgical alcohol of Dai Loi Company instead of wine. Test result showed that the remaining alcohol in the bottle had excessive methanol content.
Soon, the health inspectors paid visits to Dai Loi Company, discovering the illegal products. Accordingly, in addition to the fine, the inspectors asked the company to destroy over 2,800 liter of alcohol worth VND128 million.

Thailand’s Young Selfmade Millionare TV show on air in Vietnam

Mushroom Television Co., Ltd under the umbrella of Thailand’s Post Group on on September 6 signed a cooperation agreement with Lifetv Joint Stock Company to broadcast the Vietnamese version of Thailand’s popular TV show called Trieu phu Tre Asean (Young Selfmade Millionaire) on Lifetv channel in Vietnam.

The show, which has been produced and broadcast in Thailand since 2011 by Mushroom TV, focuses on topics of business and startups with an aim to turn the image of young entrepreneurs into business idols to inspire local youths.

Over the past five years, Mushroom TV has interviewed nearly 1,200 young entrepreneurs in Thailand and successfully built the image of more than 200 fresh millionaires. Since 2016 when the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) officially came into existence, Mushroom TV has joined forces with media organizations in ASEAN countries to broadcast the show so as to create a bridge for young businessmen and promote the development of the startup community among countries in the ASEAN region.

Rampant diseases attack kids when weather changes

Fast changes of weather conditions are conducive for rampant diseases spread in Ho Chi Minh City and southern provinces lately.
 
From early August, the Children Hospital No.2 in HCMC admitted nearly 10,000 kids who had been taken to the hospital for examination and treatment of respiratory problems and nearly 5,000 of them have had to stay in the hospital for further treatment.
Each day, the Respiratory ward receives around 300 kids; most of them suffered sub-acute bronchitis, bronchitis and pneumonia.
Ward head Dr. Nguyen Hoang Phong said that the changes of weather condition patterns from rainy season to sunny season drove kids into hospitals due to rapid development of bacteria adding that 30 percent of nearly 5,000 inpatients are neonates under 12 month old.
The ward’s emergency room is often overloaded; accordingly, sometimes, two kids share a bed.
Dr. Phong warned parents to keep their kids warm at night, give their kids with warm water and use nasal sprays to help clear the passage regularly.
Additionally, parents should not buy drugs themselves from nearby pharmacies without medical workers’ prescription. He predicted a surge of patients with respiratory problems from now to October.
Along with respiratory problem, from August till now, hospitals in the city reported an increase in kids with hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD). As per the municipal Preventive Center, since the beginning of the year, over 3,500 HFMD kids had been hospitalized.
In the Infection ward of Children Hospital No.1 , No.2, and the newly-built Children Hospital, in August only, the number of HFMD inpatients hiked by over 10 percent compared to previous months.
The Children Hospital No.2 said that it admitted 150 kids with hand-foot-mouth disease in July yet in August the number of them doubled with 308.

HCMC bans container houses

People convert container into kitchen 

People’s Committee in Ho Chi Minh City urged the Department of Construction and local administrations in districts to handle the convertibility of container into houses, offices, coffee shops or warehouses.

The use of containers as a building material has grown in popularity over the past several years due to their inherent strength, wide availability, and relatively low expense.
Lately, many people in Ho Chi Minh City converted shipping containers into homes, cafeteria, warehouses.
As per the department of Construction, inspectors detected 165 construction from container in 13 districts. Of them 17 constructions had been permitted yet people changed their design later while 134 constructions were performed without permit in agricultural land.
Most illegal constructions are in Binh Chanh District, Binh Tan District and Thu Duc District.
Even, people filed their claim against the local government when they were fined and the construction had to stop because they did not think the use of container as coffee shops, houses or barber shops are not under the Department of Construction’s management.
City authority asked not to issue business license to those who illegally use containers.

Ca Mau Province speeds up construction of embankment against erosion

Chairman of People’s Committee in the Mekong delta province of Ca Mau Nguyen Tien Hai directed to speed up construction of embankment against serious erosion in the west of the province.
 
After a tour to inspect the erosion of Huong Mai -Tieu Dua dyke in U Minh District, the chairman urged to speed up the construction while the weather is favorable. He also asked to prepare construction material to build basic embankment.
For depression in embankment section into Huong Mai sewer due to weak ground, he ordered the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development along with the construction management board, the Institute of Southern Drainage and contractors to reinforce it.
The chairman toured to the dyke after Sai Gon Giai Phong posted an article about dyke construction in Ca Mau Province with total cost of VND150 billion has suffered damage on August 6.
A landslide with the length of 30 meter in Vinh Tuong Village on Tan Chau Town was reported to occur on September 7. The erosion occurred in a stretch of 30 meters along the embankment of Hau River and gnawed the land which fell away down around 10-15 meter.
In the eroded land, nine households with 45 locals are living; it is needed to evacuate them. For people’s safety, Deputy Chairman of People’s Committee in An Giang Province Lam Quang Thi arrived in the scene to direct evacuation as well as ordered local government to give support to these households.
As per the people’s committee in Tan Chau Town, Chau Phong Commune has four villages which are facing the high risk of erosion with the length of nearly seven kilometers and the erosion gnawed five meter of the rural path Long An - Chau Phong. Around 428 households in the commune must be evacuated.

HCMC Fine Arts Museum marks 30th anniversary

The Ho Chi Minh City's Fine Arts Museum yesterday held a meeting to mark its 30th anniversary and received the certificate recognizing it as the country’s first class museum. 

The additions were no easy task, as the Museum's collection of artifacts numbers approximately 22,000 including ancient, near modern and modern exhibits. 

Especially amongst them are famous artist Nguyen Gia Tri’s painting “Vuon Xuan Trung Nam Bac” (Spring Garden in Central, South, North Vietnam) recognized as the national jewel by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2013.
Through 30 years, the museum is not only the typical one of the city but also of the South.
There are three themes in the exhibitions on the occasion. The first one is exhibition of paintings of the museum’s formation and development. 

The second is exhibits of 35 modern artistic works including oil paintings, lacquer paintings, silk paintings, or paintings with water-colors in the museum’s collections in the period 1987 - 2017. 

The third is exhibits of 38 paintings and statues of artists who used to work in the museum and those are working here .

Quang Binh honors two gold medalists of SEA Games 2017

The central province of Quang Binh yesterday held a solemn ceremony to honor two athletes Nguyen Huy Hoang and Hoang Thi Ngoc who excellently grabbed two gold medals at the 29th Southeast Asian Games.

Hoang Thi Ngoc won the gold medal in the track & field event while Nguyen Huy Hoang won  gold and silver medals in swimming category.
 
Swimmer Nguyen Huy Hoang won gold medal in the 1,500 meters event and broke a SEA Games record with an achievement of 15 minutes over 20 seconds.
 
Both the gold medalists were born in Tuyen Hoa district of Quang Binh province.
 
At the 29th SEA Games, the Vietnamese sport team was ranked the third position with total 58 gold, 50 silver and 60 bronze medals.

HCMC to install Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien metro rail track in October

Rail tracks and sleepers of the above ground stretch of Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien metro line will be installed in October, said head of HCMC Urban Railway Management Board Le Nguyen Minh Quang at a press conference on Friday.

At present, the above ground stretch of the first metro line from Ba Son station to Long Binh depot has completed 70 percent of work volume. However, import equipment for rail track installation has been stuck at a seaport because of tax problems.
Mr. Le Nguyen Minh Quang said that formerly the Ministry of Finance announced that import items for construction of the metro line would be exempt from tax payment. However, the ministry has recently informed that it is reconsidering the tax exemption.
The People’s Committee of HCMC has worked with HCMC Customs Division and reported to the General Department of Vietnam Customs to solve the issue to ensure that the project can go on schedule.
Director of Ben Thanh-Suoi Tien metro line project Duong Huu Hoa said that 8,000 sleepers are manufactured at a plant in Ben Luc district, Long An province. Rail tracks will be first installed from Phuoc Long station to Thu Duc district.
Japanese contractors are now making locomotive and coaches and the first train will be transported to Vietnam in October next year.
In the upcoming time, Dien Bien Phu flyover will be constructed. According to foreign experts’ advises, the work should apply a technology which does not require traffic segregation under the construction site to limit impacts on traffic.
If this solution is successful, it will be implemented when building Hanoi flyover, said Mr. Hoa.
Relating to official development assistance capital shortage to pay contractors of the project, Mr. Quang said that at the end of August the city decided to advance VND500 billion (US$22 million) on its budget. Early September, VND300 billion has been given to contractors while the remaining amount will be disbursed this week.
Still that is just a provisional not long term solution as the city needs to pay contractors VND500-600 billion a month.
HCMC is still waiting for the Government’s allocation of mid term capital in the phase of 2016-2020 to have funds to pay the contractors in 2017.

Food safety watchdog enhances supervision

The National Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Assurance Department (NAFIQAD) said it has imposed fine of VND2.4 billion ($105,599) upon over one thousand of individuals and companies for violations in food safety regulations since the beginning of the year.
 
Through paying unscheduled visits to 10,300 agro-forestry and fishery manufacturers nationwide from the beginning of the year, inspectors from NAFIQAD, the Department of Animal Health and the Department of Plant Protection detected 1,100 violating units.
To ensure the food safety in last months of the year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said inspectors will enhance supervision of chemicals and antibiotic residues in fish breeding.
Moreover, inspectors will liaise with the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Health , the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and the Department of Customs to carry out investigation of smuggling of banned substances and pesticides.

Salt farmers earn more by breeding crab in field

Salt farmers in Thanh An Island in Can Gio District reaped profit of VND50 million ($2,200) per hectare a season for breeding crab in their salt field.
 
From 2012 to 2016, the agriculture authority in Ho Chi Minh City’s Can Gio District implemented crab breeding in the field. 26 households in Thanh An Island have raised crabs in their field of 14 hectare. 
The survival rate of crab -cubs in 2012 was 15-20 percent and it has increased to 40-50 percent at present. Average weight of a crab is 200gram with productivity of one ton per hectare. Crabs are fetch VND160,000 a kilogram.
Accordingly farmers enjoyed VND50 million per hectare for one crop after excluding spending.
The breeding has helped increase income for salt farmers who can pursue their traditional job but still earn more in rainy season when they can not make salt.
More aquatic animals are suitable for breeding in the island yet farmers should master the breeding technique.

Three workers missing in bridge construction work collapse

Three workers have been missing after a bridge construction work collapsed at a hydroelectric power plant in the northern province of Tuyen Quang on Sunday.
 
The accident occurred at 2.30pm at the Vom Bridge construction site which is invested the ICT Chiem Hoa Hydroelectric Power Plant in Chiem Hoa District's Ngoc Hoi Commune.

Speaking with the Labour Newspaper, Chairwoman of Ngoc Hoi Commune, Luong Thi Thin said that the missing workers had yet to be found by 8 am on Monday.

According to the official, the accident happened when workers were pouring concrete for the bridge which spans a stream in the hydroelectric power plant area.

"Three out of five workers at the construction site were buried by the concrete at the stream which is about 10 metres deep," she said, adding that rescue work were carried out right after the accident but the missing workers have yet to be found by Monday morning.

"We're investigating into the cause of the accident but I think bad-quality scaffolding may be the main reason," Thin said.

30 passengers flee as bus erupts in flames

Thirty passengers escaped severe injury this morning, September 11, when a blaze ripped through a tour bus on Highway 1 in southeast Dong Nai Province, reported local fire officials.

The blaze in the district of Xuan Loc forced traffic to be closed in both directions for an hour while fire and emergency crews extinguished the flames and removed passengers to safety.

The bus driven by Tran Ngoc Hai caught fire at about daybreak while in route from the city of Binh Thuan to Ho Chi Minh City.

 30 passengers flee as bus erupts in flames hinh 1 The 45-year-old driver reported hearing a loud noise before noticing the fire, which apparently was caused by an overheated engine. He evacuated his passengers and no one was seriously hurt.

Fire officials said they would investigate the case.

Public complaint app to be expanded HCM City-wide

The HCM City Department of Home Affairs has called on the People’s Committee to expand the public complaint app Bình Thạnh Online city-wide following its successful trial in Bình Thạnh District.

Since April the district administration has been trialling the app, which allows the public to report violations related to garbage dumping, pavement encroachment and illegal construction.

A complaint, once sent to the authorities, is processed within two hours after which the complainant is informed how it has been disposed of.

In more than four months of testing, the app helped deal with around 4,000 complaints.

The expansion is likely to begin in December. 

Two die in head-on crash involving sleeper bus in south-central Vietnam

A sleeper bus collided head-on with a trailer truck in south-central Vietnam on Saturday (September 9), killing two and injuring several others.

The passenger bus is operated by Cuc Tung Buslines, which runs shuttle buses between Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang and Da Nang.

According to local traffic police, the accident happened around 4:10 pm on a leg of National Route 1A crossing Tan Duc Commune in Ham Tan District, Binh Thuan Province.

The Cuc Tung bus, bound for Ho Chi Minh City, was reportedly involved in a head-on collision with a trailer truck moving in the opposite direction.

The violent crash threw the Cuc Tung vehicle to the roadside, killing two passengers on the spot.

Several others on the sleeper bus suffered severe injuries and were rushed to hospital.

As of 5:30 pm the same day, scene investigation was still underway.

Woman arrested for faking hospital papers

The Hà Nội Investigation Police have arrested a woman from the northern city of Sơn La for falsifying health insurance documents for patients to receive treatment at hospitals that are not their primary designated healthcare center.

Trần Thị Thảo, also known as Trần Phương Thảo, 43, of Sơn La City, allegedly admitted to police that she received VNĐ 200,000 (US$9) to make a fake “hospital transfer paper.” With the false paper, patients registered to receive treatment at Hà Nội’s Saint Paul Hospital can use their insurance benefits to be treated at another hospital of their choosing.

In Việt Nam, insurance card holders are encouraged to receive medical examinations and treatment at the primary healthcare centres at which they are registered. Only in serious cases are patients legally “transferred” to higher-level hospitals, such as central hospitals like Bạch Mai and Việt Đức. Many people, however, prefer central hospitals, leading to overcrowding.

Suspect Thảo also used a fake paper with the fake signature of Saint Paul Hospital’s director to blackmail him for VNĐ 150 million. She threatened that she would release the paper to media to blacken the hospital’s reputation.

On July 14, the hospital reported the blackmail to police. On July 17, when Thảo went to the hospital to take the money she had demanded, she was caught by police. At that time, she was carrying nine fake hospital transfer papers.

Police investigation also found each patient had to pay VNĐ3 million ($132) for a fake paper.

Google organises mobile hackathon

More than 100 programmers have recently joined the “Vietnam Mobile Hackathon” programme organised by Google.

This program helped build and integrate the latest technology on enterprise development on mobile platforms for programmers from various fields including e-commerce, retail, travel and media. The event was held continuously on September 6-7 in HCM City.

In particular, the programmers were trained with two new technology solutions from Google, aimed at helping website admins create better experiences for mobile users. The two solutions are named Progressive Web Application (PWA) and Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP).

The two solutions are proven to be effective in developing competitiveness and e-business, helping companies increase business transactions on mobile devices.

Vietnamese, Cambodian youths vow to step up links

President of the Vietnam Youth Federation Nguyen Phi Long and President of the Union of Youth Federations of Cambodia Hun Many agreed that the organisations will work together to nurture the two countries’ time-honoured friendship at talks in Ho Chi Minh City on September 9.

They vowed to continue activities to educate young generations about the special bilateral relations, and intensify the sharing of experience in youth work, voluntary and youth exchange activities.

They also pledged to collaborate in effectively implementing the two sides’ cooperation agreement and support each other at regional and international forums related to youth.

The delegation of the Union of Youth Federations of Cambodia is in Ho Chi Minh City to attend the Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia Youth Cooperation Conference 2017 which is taking place in the locality from September 9-12.

Hanoi to remove another 130 trees to make way for metro line

Around 35 trees would be cut down and another 95 relocated as the long-delayed Metro Line 3 moves ahead.

Hanoi authorities have announced a plan to remove another line of trees to make way for its Metro Line 3 linking Nhon and Hanoi Station. 

The plan, approved by the city's construction department, would see 130 trees along Kim Ma Street from Thu Le Lake to the Nui Truc-Kim Ma intersection removed.

Around 35 of the trees would be cut down as they have been deemed rotten or unsuitable for urban areas.

The remaining 95 trees, including five African mahogany trees with diameters of 60-90 centimeters (23.6-35.4 inches), would be relocated to Vo Nguyen Giap Street.

The tree-felling project is expected to take about 45 days, starting from September 12.

Trees are frequent "victims" of urban development in Vietnam.

Hanoi in June announced a plan to cut down 1,000 decades-old trees for road expansion, after having cleared many for other road projects.

Last year, Hanoi removed 106 trees around Voi Phuc Temple, including many decades-old African mahogany trees along Thu Le Lake, also to make way for its Metro Line 3.

In Ho Chi Minh City, the tree chopping spree has been going on non-stop for the past three years since it started work on its first metro line, with hundreds of trees cut so far.

The line, running 12.5 kilometers from Nhon to Hanoi Station, is one of several metro lines planned for the capital's metropolitan area. Together they will form a rail network that can ease traffic congestion and reduce emissions.

Work on the line began in 2010, with the cost estimate originally set at US$1.2 billion and operation scheduled in 2017. However funding delays have pushed the cost estimate to nearly US$1.6 billion and may stretch the deadline to 2021.

International Famtrip delegation study Binh Thuan’s tourism products

Representatives from travel companies, buyers and journalists from India, the US, France, Mexico and Italy scoped out tourism products in the central province of Binh Thuan on September 9-10. 

The Famtrip delegation visited a number of tourist attractions in the locality like white sand dunes in Mui Ne, While Lake (Bau Trang) in Hoa Thang commune (Bac Binh district) and Poshanu Cham Tower, and examined accommodation services in Ham Tien-Mui Ne and Phan Thiet city. 

On this occasion, the delegation engaged in an exchange with leaders of the local tourism sector and travel companies in Binh Thuan, where they were briefed on potential and strength of the province. 

According to the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Binh Thuan has more than 420 accommodation establishments with nearly 14,000 rooms, including three five-star and 29 four-star facilities. 

Apart from beach resorts, water sports and exploring tours, Binh Thuan has joined hands with Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong and southern central localities to develop tours of various types.

The number of visitors to Binh Thuan has risen by 10 percent each year since 2013, of which foreign holiday-makers increased by 12 percent. 

In the first six months of 2017, the province welcomed 2.3 million tourists, of which 295,000 are foreigners.

Vietnamese, Lao youths round off friendship meeting

The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union (HCM CYU) and the Lao People's Revolutionary Youth Union concluded their five-day friendship exchange in Vietnam’s central province of Nghe An on September 9.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Nguyen Anh Tuan, Secretary of the HCM CYU Central Committee, stated the event is an opportunity for young people from both nations to learn from each other’s experiences and deepen the Vietnam – Laos special solidarity and comprehensive partnership.

Nuon Thoong Su Van Vi Xay, chief of the Lao People's Revolutionary Youth Union Central Committee Office, stated Lao young people will continue fostering connection with their Vietnamese peers via joint programmes, contributing to the two countries’ ties.

The friendship meeting gathered more than 200 Vietnamese and Lao youths on the occasion of the 55th founding anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic ties (September 5, 1963 - 2017).

While in Vietnam, the Lao delegation toured local historical sites and studied operation models of youth unions at a number of universities and enterprises.

Painting exhibition on Vietnam underway in China

A painting exhibition capturing the land and people of Vietnam is underway at the Beijing National Costume Museum, China, to mark the 72nd anniversary of Vietnam’s August Revolution Day (August 19), National Day (September 2) and APEC Year 2017 hosted by the country. 

Within the framework of the exhibition, visitors have a chance to enjoy pieces of music staged by Vietnamese artists using traditional musical instruments. 

Addressing the opening ceremony on September 8, Vietnamese Ambassador to China Dang Minh Khoi hailed developments in the relationship between the two countries.

He reiterated the invitations of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Tran Dang Quang to China’s Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping to visit Vietnam and attend the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting slated for November this year in the central city of Da Nang. 

The ambassador noted his belief that with efforts made by host Vietnam and support of the international community, the APEC Summit 2017 will be a success, contributing to affirming APEC’s increasingly important role to trade and investment liberalisation and creating a new momentum for regional and global growth.

The event will last until September 12.

Phu Tho, Laos’ Luang Namtha enjoy sound partnership

The northern province of Phu Tho and Laos’ northwestern province Luang Namtha have shared sound cooperation through various partnerships over the years.

Since the two provinces set up twin relations in November 23, 1979, Phu Tho, formerly called Vinh Phu, has provided Luang Namtha with non-refundable assistance to build many public works, including a radio system, a water supply system, the Vinh Phu-Luang Namtha friendship hospital, and some public buildings and schools.

Phu Tho has also helped Luang Namtha train 95 officials and workers, while leaders of the two provinces have regularly shared information.

Since 1997, the two sides have promoted ties through exchanges of visits and the signing of cooperation deals in various fields.

In December 2015, the two provinces signed a memorandum of understanding on development cooperation in 2016-2020. They have also expanded collaboration among organisations like trade unions and women’s unions.

Phu Tho has created favourable conditions for Lao enterprises to invest in the province, thus promoting trade and socio-economic development in both localities.

Along with popularising the culture and traditions of each province in the other, the two sides have also educated locals of both sides on the special relationship between Vietnam and Laos.

Recently, the military commands of both provinces formed twin relations.

The two sides aim to continue boosting their friendship through cooperation among departments and agencies of both sides and backing enterprises of both localities.

Second batch of Audi cars delivered to serve APEC

Audi Vietnam has delivered the second batch of 258 new cars to the APEC 2017 Committee, which will be used during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders' Meeting and related events in central Da Nang city in November.

The batch comprised of 186 cars of five different models in APEC limited edition, including the all-new Audi Q5 exclusively produced for Vietnam.

The first batch was handed over in April.

The carmaker has provided training for 150 drivers for APEC events in Hanoi between August 18 and 23.

According to Audi Vietnam Official Importer General Director Laurent Genet, to serve state leaders and other high-ranking officials of the 21 member economies from the Asia-Pacific region, Vietnam needs many more high-end cars. 

Audi Vietnam is an APEC Committee sponsor, responsible for providing the entire fleet of 400 APEC cars and regularly maintaining them.

Norwegian Red Cross helps increase disaster response capacity

The Norwegian Red Cross (NRC) has provided more than 7 million USD to help 21 localities nationwide cope with natural disasters and improve environmental hygiene over the past 21 years.

The information was released at a recent meeting in Hanoi to celebrate the 21-year partnership between the Red Cross of Vietnam and the Norwegian Red Cross.

According to the Vietnamese organisation, thanks to the NRC’s assistance, a project worth about 16 billion VND (704,000 USD) has been carried out in 15 communes of the northern mountainous provinces of Ha Giang and Lao Cai, and central Nghe An province since 2015.

The project has aided more than 176,000 locals, helping them reduce the adverse impacts of disasters and improve their livelihoods.

VFF leader presents assistance to flood victims in Lao Cai

President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Tran Thanh Man presented 200 million VND (8,800 USD) to aid Lao Cai’s flood relief efforts at a working session in the mountainous province on September 9.

According to Vice President of the provincial VFF chapter Ban Thanh Thao, to date this year, flash floods and land erosion have claimed the lives of five people and left one missing. 1,069 houses have been damaged, and 816 hectares of rice and 1,580 hectares of other food crops have been destroyed. The total damage is estimated to cost nearly 100 billion VND (4.4 million USD).

The province has mobilised joint efforts to overcome the consequences caused by the natural disasters at all levels, providing support for affected households in Bac Ha, Bat Xat, Bao Yen, Bao Thang and Van Ban districts.

As of September 6, the chapter has received over 700 million VND (30,800 USD) donated by agencies, individuals to help affected locals.

Man asked the provincial committee to continue monitoring the damages caused by floods and erosions and the distribution of relief, thus ensuring no person is left hungry and no child is prevented from going to school due to floods.

He suggested the province make long-term planning to ensure safety for residents, particularly in the highly vulnerable areas.

Construction of residential resettlement areas should be in line with the province’s overall planning, while ensuring production land, and infrastructure for people, Man added.

Association helps to forge Vietnam-US ties

The Vietnam-US Friendship Association in Hanoi held its fifth congress in the capital city on September 9, putting forth a range of measures to improve its operational efficiency during 2017-2022. 

Accordingly, the association will focus on strengthening the organisation and operation of its executive board and chapters, along with increasing communications work as well as cultural and artistic exchanges. 

The association will coordinate with US partners to organise activities marking major events of the two countries and strengthen its ties with the US Embassy in Vietnam. 

At the same time, the association will team up with relevant municipal departments and agencies to help Hanoi authorities select suitable US cities to expand friendly ties and economic links.

Other tasks set for the association in the new tenure include promoting Hanoi’s potential and investment opportunities, and seeking US donations for social and humanitarian projects in the city. 

Addressing the congress, Molly Stephenson, Counsellor for Public Relations at the US Embassy, applauded the association’s efforts in promoting relations between Vietnam and the US and their people. 

She highlighted the increasing number of Vietnamese students in the US, from 800 in 1995 to 31,000 at present, saying that it demonstrates the fruitful relationship between the two countries. 

The congress elected a 27-member executive board for the 2017-2022 term headed by Nguyen Hong Son, Director of the Hanoi Institute for Socio-Economic Studies.

Established on May 21, 1996, the Vietnam-US Friendship Association in Hanoi has 19 chapters with 2,000 members.

Dong Thap celebration marks Vietnam-Laos diplomatic ties

A ceremony took place at Dong Thap University, in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap on September 9 to celebrate the 55th anniversary of the Vietnam-Laos diplomatic ties (September 5, 1962) and the 40th year of the Vietnam-Laos Treaty on Amity and Cooperation (July 18, 1977).

The event was held in the presence of Lao Consul General in HCM City Somxay Sanamoune, the province’s senior officials and Lao students studying at Dong Thap University.

In his remarks at the event, Sanamoune praised the long-standing relations between Vietnam and Laos, saying despite current pressing issues in the globe and region, the two countries’ comprehensive partnership has seen significant progress in all fields, including politics, security and defence, economics and education.

The Vietnam-Laos relations is an example of the neighbouring ties built on the will and solidarity of their people, said Vice Chairman of the Dong Thap People’s Committee Doan Tan Buu.

He urged the provincial Vietnam-Laos Friendship Association to continue maintaining the good bilateral relationship and to bridge Dong Thap with Lao localities, paving the way for further expanding cooperation between the two sides.

The association took the occasion to launch its chapter at the Dong Thap University, aiming to increase awareness of the special Vietnam-Laos relations among young generation.

Over 14,000 Lao officials and students studied in Vietnam in the 2016-2017 academic year while about 60 Vietnamese attended courses in Laos.

Ho Chi Minh City boosts youth cooperation with Laos, Cambodia

Vice Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City’s Party Committee Tat Thanh Cang had separate meetings on September 8 with youths from Laos and Cambodia who were in the city to attend the Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia Youth Cooperation Conference.

Talking to representatives from the Lao People’s Revolutionary Youth Union, Cang affirmed that Ho Chi Minh City is willing to cooperate with Lao localities, especially in sharing experience and improving the quality of young officials.

He suggested the two sides promote youth cooperation activities, including cultural exchange and voluntary activities and foster links between young entrepreneurs to contribute to the development of the two countries.

First Secretary of the Lao union Sonthanu Thammavong suggested that Ho Chi Minh City create favourable conditions for cooperation between Lao localities and the city, such as youth exchange and training of the Youth Union members.

At the meeting with the delegation from the Union of Youth Federations of Cambodia, Cang said that the city will support local youths to strengthen ties with Cambodian youths with the focus on voluntary and charitable activities and youth exchange.

President of the Cambodian union Hun Many noted that the Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia Youth Cooperation Conference 2017 is an important event to the three countries, marking the close cooperation of youths and good relations among the three countries.

Security Bootcamp 2017 takes place in Khanh Hoa

The Security Bootcamp 2017 event was held in south central Khanh Hoa province on September 9-10.

The forum, themed "Save Yourself First", is considered an opportunity for Vietnam’s experts to connect and share the latest knowledge and experience in the field of information security.

The event attracted the attention of the information security community nationwide -- with the Internet and telecommunications industry booming, the issue of security is becoming increasingly important.

The bootcamp incorporated activities to help share knowledge and practices, while also providing training on safety, security and confidentiality.

Security Bootcamp 2017 drew the participation of prestigious speakers in information technology, such as Nguyen Minh Duc (founder of CyRadar), Cao Nguyen Viet Hung (co-founder and vice president of HCM City’s Information Systems Audit and Control Association), “virus killer” Truong Minh Nhat Quang and Vi Minh Toai (CISSP, CISM, CEH), as well as blogger Le Trung Nghia and experts from technology companies, including VNG Corporation and Vietnam Computer Emergency Response Teams.

Experts were accompanied by delegates and guests, and specific discussions were held on cloud security issues, advanced persistent threat (APT), strategies for the development of information security and safety, and technology trends in information security and safety systems, as well as computer network security techniques and techniques to exploit security holes.

Security Bootcamp 2017 consists of two major activities -- a two-day conference for experts from enterprises, research institutes, universities and associations and a two-day training session for students who have knowledge of computer networking and are interested in information security or confidentiality.

The event was organised by the Vietnam Internet Association in collaboration with the Khanh Hoa Department of Communications and Information and the Khanh Hoa Informatics Association.

The first Security Bootcamp was held in 2012 in Ba Ria Vung Tau province’s Vung Tau City with the goal of creating a high quality technical forum to help professionals across the country connect and share the latest knowledge and experiences in the field of information security.

Tra Vinh allocates residential land for ethnic minority households

The Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh is allocating over 36 billion VND (1.58 million USD) to provide residential land for 1,474 poor local households of the Khmer ethnic minority group.

The sum, of which nearly 32.8 billion VND (1.44 million USD) comes from the State budget and the rest from local budget, is the second round of assistance that the province has given to the needy in accordance with the Prime Minister’s Decision 29/2013/QD-TTg on land and employment policies for ethnic minority people in the Mekong Delta region.

In the 2014-2016 period, the province offered 728,712 square meters of residential land worth 65.2 billion VND (2.86 million USD) to 2,010 ethnic minority households. 

In addition, the Tra Vinh branch of the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies also provided loans worth over 38 billion VND (1.67 million USD) in total to 3,795 ethnic minority families to help them stablise livelihoods and develop production.

Kien Banh, deputy head of the Tra Vinh Division of Ethnic Affairs, said that Tra Vinh  has nearly 328,000 Khmer people, accounting for 31.5 percent of the province’s population. 

Over the past years, the province has paid great attention to improving their living conditions.

In 2016, the number of poor households in the province was over 30,000, down more than 2 percent compared to the figure in 2015, with poverty ratio among the Khmer community dropped by 2.66 percent.

Hanoi seeks closer tourism cooperation with Sweden

Hanoi’s Department of Tourism on September 8 introduced the city’s tourism potentials to Swedish travel companies and discussed solutions to boost bilateral cooperation in this field.
The Swedish travel companies were provided with an insight into Hanoi through introductions, documentaries, forms of traditional arts, cuisine art and fact-finding trips to tourist sites.

During their stay in Hanoi, representatives of the Swedish companies visited Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the Temple of Literature and Hanoi’s Old Quarter, which they evaluated as special destinations.

Director of the department Tran Duc Hai said the city’s tourism sector want local travel companies to cooperate with Swedish partners to explore each other’s markets.

The department will accompany and create the best conditions to facilitate the tourism cooperation between Hanoi and Swedish travel firms, he stressed.

Statistics showed that in 2016, Hanoi welcomed more than 4 million foreign visitors, including almost 16,000 Swedish tourists, up 29 percent from the previous year.

Hanoi has been named as one of the top 10 attractive destinations in Asia by the Travel and Leisure (the US) and Smart Travel Asia (Hong Kong) Magazines.

In particular, the travel website Tripadvisor ranked Hanoi second among 10 most attractive destinations in Asia and one of the world’s 10 most appealing destinations in 2015 and 2016.


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