Hanoi pardons 145 prisoners ahead of Lunar New Year

Deputy Minister of Public Security Le Quy Vuong (R) presents the amnesty decision to prisoners on the ocassion of the National Day (September 2) in 2015 (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi will reduce the jail terms of and release 145 prisoners ahead of schedule on the occasion of the Lunar New Year, which will come in a little over a week.

The capital city’s amnesty consideration council announced the decision on January 29.

Fifty-two of the clemency beneficiaries will be freed ahead of their set release date, while the remaining will have their jail terms cut down by between one and seven months. They were confirmed to have had good conduct while in prison.

At a recent ceremony, Colonel Chu Xuan Tho from Temporary Detention Station No.1 of Hanoi’s Department of Public Security congratulated the pardoned prisoners.

He added that he hopes the others, who are still serving their sentences, will continue their correction efforts so as to receive amnesty in the future.

Fresh cold snap to hit Hanoi, northern Vietnam this week

While the weather has become warmer in northern Vietnam on January 29, the region and Hanoi are expected to suffer another cold spell this week, the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said.

The cold front, forecast to hit Hanoi and northern localities on February 2, will create severely cold weather conditions there and possible snows in some mountainous areas, according to the center.

Temperatures in Hanoi slightly increased on January 29, with the reading of 19 degrees Celsius at some points. The capital city has earlier experienced the coldest spell in nearly four decades.

The new cold spell, accompanied by rains, is expected to start hammering the northern mountainous region on January 31 night, before reaching the northern and north-central regions, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

The Tokin Gulf, as well as the north and central part of the East Sea, including the Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago, is forecast to suffer rough seas and strong winds on the night of February 1.

In the meantime, extreme wintry climate is expected to hit provinces from the north to Thua Thien-Hue Province in the central region, with average temperatures ranging from 13 to 15 degrees Celsius.

The lowest temperatures during the time the region is hit by the cold snap are ten to 12 degrees Celsius, and four to seven degrees Celsius in mountainous areas.

On February 2 and 3, the mountainous areas could have snows, with the lowest temperatures of two to three degrees Celsius.

The northern region suffered from extreme wintry climate between January 23 and 28, with temperatures dropping dramatically, smashing several decades-long records in some areas.

The Pha Din area in Dien Bien Province, for instance, saw temperature drop to 4.3 below zero degrees Celsius, way lower than the 1.2 below zero degrees recorded in December 1975.

In the town of Sa Pa in Lao Cai Province, temperature also dropped to 4.2 below zero degrees, compared to the 3.5 below zero degrees in March 1986.

In Mau Son area in Lang Son Province, temperature set a new record low on January 24, with reading of five below zero degrees, whereas the previous lowest level was 3.2 below zero degrees in 2011.

Such severely cold weather conditions have killed nearly 2,000 cattle in the northern mountainous areas, according to a January 27 report by the Central Committee for Flood and Storm Control.

Another 17 fishermen repatriated from Indonesia

Indonesia repatriated another 17 Vietnamese fishermen on January 29 who were reportedly arrested for violating Indonesia’s seas while working at sea.

The released fishermen, who were returned to Vietnam from Soekarno Hatta International Airport, are from Binh Dinh, Kien Giang, Tien Giang and Bac Lieu provinces. They had each served prison sentences in the archipelago country for between eight and 11 months.

The Vietnamese Embassy in Indonesia has recently stepped up efforts to protect Vietnamese citizens who are detained in Indonesia.

The embassy also enhanced communications with Indonesia’s relevant agencies to ask for reduced sentences for Vietnamese fishermen on the occasion of Vietnam’s traditional Lunar New Year, especially those who are old, have disadvantaged backgrounds or have served long jail terms.

More fishermen are expected to be released by Indonesia by the Lunar New Year, which falls on February 8.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Indonesia Hoang Anh Tuan said most Vietnamese fishermen lack legal knowledge, which easily leads to infringement of other countries’ waters during their offshore fishing trips. Most also did not know about the consequences of fishing in Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone such as equipment seizure and internment.

The embassy worked to send about 670 fishermen back to the homeland in 2015.

Last year, Indonesia arrested about 60 ships and boats and 660 fishermen from Vietnam, much higher than the 2014 figures, according to the embassy.

President visits Military Academy of Logistics

President Truong Tan Sang has asked the Military Academy of Logistics to focus on renewing training programmes and improving the quality of education, as well as Party building work.

During his meeting with staff and cadets of the academy on January 29, the President underlined the need for the school to strictly implement Resolution of the 12th National Party Congress.

Along with reforming the methods of teaching and study, it is necessary to promote scientific research related to military logistics and increase investment in building and upgrading facilities to better serve educational development, he said.

While hearing a report of the school’s foundation and development over the last 65 years, the President praised the important role the logistics sector played in each period of the army’s development and Vietnam’s past struggle for national independence.

In the context of complicated developments in the region and the world, the military logistics sector should make more efforts to contribute to consolidating national security and defence, he noted.

As one of the military schools, the Military Academy of Logistics has become a key centre for education, and science and logistics research in the country.

During past struggles for national independence , the school trained not only a large number of logistics officers for the whole army, but also trained officers for Laos and Cambodia.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai said the ministry has no plan to change electricity price in the immediate future, adding that oil-fuelled generation of electricity accounts for less than 1 percent of total output so fluctuating oil prices do not impact electricity prices.

Speaking at the Government’s regular press briefing on January 29, the deputy minister also said the ministry has not received any proposal on the matter from the Electricity of Vietnam.

According to the deputy minister, the electricity sector is forecast to face many difficulties this year, as the El Nino phenomenon has caused water shortages for many hydropower plant reservoirs. He said the total water volume at the reservoirs is about 6.5 billion cu.m less than normal, while they still have to supply water for downstream localities.

The official assured, however, that except for extraordinary weather change, the electricity sector will be able to ensure electricity supply for both consumption and production.

Hanoi honours more traditional craft villages

The Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade has recognised five traditional craft villages and 30 eminent artisans.

A granting ceremony was held in the city on January 29 to encourage artisans to promote their creativity to create high-quality products as well as preserve and develop the national tangible and intangible cultural values.

The honoured villages are Long Chau Mieu stone carving village in Phung Chau commune, Chuong My district; the peach village in Nhat Tan ward of Tay Ho district; Ngo Sai carpentry and forestry processing village in Quoc Oai district; the tea processing village in Yen Bai commune, Chuong My district; and the footwear village in Minh Duc commune, Ung Hoa district.

The outstanding artisans are those who actively get involved in craft training and trade fairs to popularise the cultural values of villages to people across the country and international friends.

Hanoi is now home to 1,350 craft villages, making up 58.8 percent of the total villages across the city, 286 of which have been recognised as traditional.

Dong Nai aims to complete building new rural areas by 2020

The southern province of Dong Nai has set the goal of completing the programme on building new-style rural areas by 2020, bringing the rate of communes meeting criteria to 80 percent from the current 68 percent.

The province also aims to have 80 percent of its districts recognised as new-style rural areas, while reducing the household poverty rate to under 1 percent.

According to the provincial Planning and Investment Department, around 142 trillion VND (6.3 billion USD) will be needed to invest in rural infrastructure in order to achieve the set targets. A substantial portion of the investment – 125 trillion VND (5.5 billion USD) will be sourced from domestic and foreign businesses, and the remaining is to come from the provincial budget, with only 325 billion VND (14.4 million USD) provided by the central budget and Government bonds.

The province will appeal for investment from foreign investors and non-State sectors to restructure agricultural production, while issuing incentives for investment in rural areas and agriculture.

As of the end of 2015, three districts and 91 out of 133 communes in Dong Nai were recognised as new-style rural areas.

Director of the provincial Agriculture and Rural Development Deparment Pham Minh Dao said the province will soon propose the Government to recognize two more districts – Long Thanh and Nhon Trach.

While agriculture contributes only 6 percent of the province’s Gross Regional Domestic Product, 60 percent of Dong Nai’ population live in rural areas.

Local officials attributed the success of the local new-style rural area programme to the right attitude which makes people the subject and also beneficiaries of the effort, with the highest goal being raising rural residents’ incomes.

Toward the goal, the province has focused on shifting the mode of production from small to large scale, building material-growing zones and promoting the application of science-technology to production.

As a result, production value on a hectare of land in Dong Nai averaged 105 million VND (4,700 USD) in 2015, up 23 percent from 2011, which helped bring per capita income in rural areas in the province to 36 million VND (more than 1,630 USD), an increase of 59 percent from 2011.

The national target programme on building new-style rural areas, initiated by the Government in 2010, sets 19 criteria on socio-economic development, politics, and defence, aiming to modernise rural areas.

The criteria cover the development of infrastructure, the improvement of production capacities, environmental protection, and the promotion of cultural values.

The country aims to have 50 percent of all communes nationwide meeting all the requirements by the end of 2020.

As many as 1,526 communes and 15 districts nationwide completed all 19 criteria required for being recognised as new-style rural areas, according to reports at a conference to review the UN Joint Project (UNJP/VIE/051/UNJ) in early January.-

HCMC expands clean water to 132,000 more households

HCM City has provided clean water to 131,889 more households last year, the Sai Gon Water Supply Corporation told a review meeting on Tuesday.

By the end of the year 1,647,662 out of a total of 1,874,114 households, or 87.92 per cent, were linked to the water supply system.

During the year the corporation had focused on stabilising supply and water quality so that it could provide consumers with safe water.

It had invested in expanding the pipeline network, a corporation spokesperson said.

By adjusting pipeline pressure, the utility managed to increase supply last year by more than 7.5 per cent to 586.27 million cubic metres.

The water loss due to leakage fell by 2.42 percentage points to 30.43 per cent.

The city had installed 116,086 new water meters, more than twice the target.

The corporation has set itself a target of covering all households in the city with fresh water by 2016, increasing supply capacity to 2.42 million cubic metres per day and cutting water losses to 29 per cent.

To achieve the targets, the corporation will speed up work on expanding the supply system and adopt new technologies and materials.

Vo Van Hoan, Chief Officer of the city People's Committee, urged the corporation to make plans to cope with water shortages in the dry season and raise public awareness about saving groundwater to protect the environment.

Consignment owned by Vietnamese diplomat at UN held over alleged tax evasion

A consignment containing a number of goods brought home from the U.S. by a Vietnamese diplomat is being held for investigation as he is suspected of dodging taxes for the products.

The diplomat, who has finished his tenure in Vietnam’s standing delegation at the United Nations, has returned home with a container delivered through the Tan Vu Port in the northern city of Hai Phong on January 11.

The man declared that the consignment contained his ‘moving assets,’ which are non-traded items imported from diplomatic channels, and therefore should be exempted from import duties.

However, the customs department in Hai Phong has found that there are in fact many products and items inside the consignment which the diplomat did not mention in his customs declaration.

The goods include more than 100 boxes of foreign wines and whisky, consisting of a total of around 500 bottles, a 1,700cc Harley Davidson, and a number of supplementary foods and milk products, according to the customs department.

The products, which have all been shipped from New York, must clear customs and pay taxes as per the current law, according to a Hai Phong customs official.

The Hai Phong customs said on Friday it is collaborating with relevant agencies to clarify the alleged tax evasion of the case.

Dialysis treatments at home help to reduce patient trips

Many patients with severe kidney disease who live in smaller cities in the south often have to travel to HCM City for medical treatment, but with another kind of dialysis method now available in Viet Nam, the trip is no longer necessary.

A 68-year-old patient from Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, who has chronic kidney failure at the end stage, for example, has travelled to Binh Dan Hospital in HCM City to receive the peritoneal dialysis (PD) treatment. But it can also be done at home.

"It should be carried out for four times each day. Each time takes 30-45 minutes," said Dr Hoang Thien Phuc, the deputy head of the nephrology and hemodialysis department at Binh Dan Hospital.

A catheter inserted into the patient's abdomen acts as an artificial kidney to filtrate and remove waste products and excess fluid from blood.

Via the catheter, one to three litres of dialysis fluid remains in the peritoneal cavity for several hours before being drained into an empty bag. A new bag of fluid is then drained into the peritoneal cavity.

Phuc said the daughter of the patient from ba Ria-Vung Tau Province was taught how to administer the treatment and what to do in case of complications.

"PD is associated with a risk of infection, which can lead to complications such as peritonitis, which requires surgery. That is dangerous for a person with chronic kidney failure," Phuc said.

However, there have been no reported cases of PD with infections in the country, he added.

A clean environment at home is needed to avoid infection, he said.

Patients with PD or their relatives who perform the procedure should be taught how to recognise infection, Phuc said.

The hospital's department, which began operating on January 11, has performed PD on five patients with chronic kidney failure.

At other hospitals such as Bach Mai Hospital in Ha Noi, more than 200 patients with end-stage disease have received PD treatment.

Twenty-eight hospitals in the country perform PD, including Cho Ray and 115 People's Hospital in HCM City.

At a recent signing ceremony with the ministry and Baxter Healthcare, Tran Quy Tuong, deputy head of the central Medical Examination and Treatment Department, urged doctors to use the PD treatment. .

Using PD at provincial-level hospitals would help reduce pressure for haemodialysis and kidney transplants at major hospitals in big cities, as 80,000 patients in Viet Nam have end-stage renal disease, Tuong said.

A report of the Medical Examination and Treatment Department shows that centres for haemodialysis, a treatment that clean toxins, extra salts and fluids through a dialysis machine, are overloaded with patients

Provincial-level hospitals should send doctors to training courses on the PD technique, Tuong said.

Calm seas damage Khanh Hoa juvenile lobster catch

Fishermen in the central province of Khanh Hoa, which leads the country in lobster farming, have had a poor catch of young lobsters since the sea has been unusually smooth during the current lobster catching season.

The season, from November to March, usually sees rough seas causing juveniles to appear in large quantities.

Tran Van Hung of Ninh Ho town said he had been catching young lobsters for 12 years and this year has been the least productive.

"I have been able to catch a maximum of two lobsters a day since the beginning of the season. There have been many days when I caught none.

"Last year there were days I could catch up to 30."

The scarcity this year has also caused prices to increase, with traders now buying juveniles at VND350,000 (USVND355,680) each, VND100,000 (VND100,035) higher than a year ago, he said.

Pham Thi Lo, a trader in Ninh Ho, said, "I have been able to buy only 30 young lobsters so far in this season."

Tran Hai, chairman of the Ninh Hai Ward People's Committee, said the poor catch had affected the lives of dozens of local fishermen's families.

Fishermen in ward had been going out to sea for two months this season, but after a few trips without a single lobster, many had stopped and switched to other jobs.

The scarcity has also caused difficulties for lobster farmers.

Phan Hung, who has been farming the crustacean for many years in Van Ninh District's Van Thanh Commune, said, "The price of juvenile lobsters is so high that I and many other lobster farming households here do not dare to invest much in lobster farming."

He himself bought only 500 this year.

Every year Khanh Hoa farmers farm the creatures in more than 23,300 cages, accounting for more than 40 per cent of the country's total, according to the province's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

But with the supply of young lobsters usually meeting only 30-40 per cent of demand, they have to buy from other provinces and countries.

In Viet Nam, juveniles are still caught at sea and bred since production on farms has not proved successful.

These streets in downtown Saigon will be blocked for Tet celebrations

Several streets in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City are set for closing to serve the activities to be held to celebrate the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, or Tet, the municipal Department of Transport said Friday.

The Nguyen Hue Street, which spans 670 meters from the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee edifice to Bach Dang Wharf in Districts 1, will host two major activities, the Street Flower and Book Street Festival, during the country’s biggest holiday.

Both the flower and book streets run from February 5 to 12, whereas the Lunar New Year’s Eve is on February 8.

Traffic in nearby streets will thus be adjusted to serve the constructions and operations of the two events, according to the transport department.

From January 30 to February 5, when preparations and constructions for the Flower and Book Streets are undergoing, the street blocking plans are as follows.

- All vehicles are banned from entering the following streets:

+ Nguyen Hue Street: the section from Ngo Duc Ke to Mac Thi Buoi (the direction from Ton Duc Thang to Mac Thi Buoi)

+ Ngo Duc Ke Street: the section from Nguyen Hue to Dong Khoi

+ Mac Thi Buoi Street: the section from Nguyen Hue to Dong Khoi

+ Alternative routes: Ton Duc Thang -> Ham Nghi -> Pasteur -> Ly Tu Trong -> Dong Khoi -> Nguyen Thiep -> Nguyen Hue.

From February 5 to 13, when the Flower and Book Streets are open to visitors, the street blocking plans are as follows.

- All vehicles are banned from entering the following streets:

+ Nguyen Hue Street: the section from Le Thanh Ton to Ton Duc Thang

+ Le Loi Street: the section from Pasteur to Dong Khoi

+ Nguyen Thiep Street: the section from Nguyen Hue to Dong Khoi

+ Ton That Hiep Street: the section from Nguyen Hue to Ho Tung Mau

+ Mac Thi Buoi Street: the section from Nguyen Hue to Dong Khoi

+ Ngo Duc Ke Street: the section from Dong Khoi to Ho Tung Mau

+ Hai Trieu Street: the section from Nguyen Hue to Ho Tung Mau

+ Huynh Thuc Khang Street: the section from Nguyen Hue to Ho Tung Mau

- People residing in the area where streets are banned are to follow guidance of traffic offers to enter their residence.

Medical supply plant to be based in Saigon hi-tech park

Singapore’s Charles Wembley Vietnam was granted an investment licence to build a medical equipment plant in Saigon hi-tech park (SHTP) on January 29.

The 230-billion-VND Wembley Medical Facility will cover 7,000 sq.m and turn out 5 million units of medical supplies per year once it becomes operational in mid-2018.

Vietnam annually imports about 50 million intravenous needles, each priced at 13,000-15,000 VND (0.59 – 0.68 USD).

Once the first stage of construction is complete, the plant will be able to produce 5 million needles per year and sell them for 20 to 30 percent less than imported ones.

Le Hoai Quoc, Head of the SHTP Management Board, vowed all possible support for the investor to build the plant as scheduled.-

Solar power plant to be constructed in Hau Giang province

The Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang has granted approval to the construction of a 36MW solar power plant, said provincial People’s Committee Vice Chairman Le Canh Tuyen on January 29.

Covering an area of 55 hectares in Hoa An commune, Phung Hiep district, the plant is estimated to cost over 1.5 trillion VND (67.5 million USD), invested by PetroVietnam SongHong Investment and Trading Corporation.

The plant is set to become operational in the second quarter of 2017.

The solar power plant project is being constructed in line with the Government’s strategy to develop renewable resources by 2030 with a vision to 2050. The plant will help reduce the loss of electricity transmission and distribution for power systems. It is also a pilot model for similar projects in the province and Mekong Delta region as a whole.

The province has asked relevant agencies to coordinate with the investor to speed up necessary procedures while creating favourable policies for the investor in land clearance, taxes and training.

Can Tho aims for 1.7 million visitors

The Mekong Delta city of Can Tho this year will further develop river tours and tours visiting craft villages and historic sites as well as city tour, according to the city's People's Committee.

With these efforts, the city aims to attract 1.7 million visitors, earning 1.8 trillion VND (80 million USD) from tourism.

Last year, the city welcomed over 1.6 million visitors, increasing by 18 percent year-on-year. Currently, around 40 tour operators are operating in the city and 226 hotels and hostels as well as 11 home-stay destinations.

In 2015, many investors have poured money to the city such as Vingroup, Novaland and Muong Thanh.

Vietnam to implement new fiat detailing authority of traffic police next month

Vietnamese authorities have issued a new circular that promulgates the duties, powers, and content of the patrol and inspection of traffic police in the country.

The Circular 01/2016/TT-BCA, issued by the Ministry of Public Security, will take effect on February 15.

According to the new regulations, traffic police will be authorized to pull vehicles over in the following circumstances:

- Officers or specialized devices and equipment detect acts that violate traffic law.

- Officers are following orders from the head of the Traffic Police Department or chiefs of provincial bureaus of police.

- Officers are following the schedule of patrol and inspection planned by the head of traffic police divisions at the district level and above.

- Officers are given documents issued by the heads or deputy heads of investigation authorities, or those of competent authorities, that allow traffic stops in order to ensure security and order and to fight against certain crimes.

The documents must state specific times and the routes and types of vehicles that traffic police can inspect.

- Officers conduct a vehicle search based on reports of traffic offenses which individuals are responsible for.   

The new circular also stipulates the authority of traffic police, stated as follows:

- Officers are authorized to deal with administrative violations of road traffic regulations, social security, order, and safety.

- Officers are able to pull over vehicles to examine legitimate documents related to the vehicles and conduct body searches and ID inspections on the vehicle’s operator, as per law.

- Officers can temporarily confiscate driver’s licenses, registration certificates, and other documents relevant to the vehicles, the drivers, and passengers if the individuals violate traffic laws.

- Traffic police can require individuals and organizations to cooperate and provide their assistance in solving traffic accidents, congestion, or other problems that affect traffic order and safety.

- Officers are given the right to commandeer from civilians any means of transportation, communication, and other technical equipment for certain purposes in accordance with the law.

FameLab 2016 for April

The British Council in Vietnam has officially introduced the FameLab 2016 competition in Vietnam.

FameLab is a science communications competition for young scientists, engineers, and researchers and has attracted more than 7,000 participants from over 30 countries. FameLab in Vietnam aims to find a Vietnamese representative to attend the FameLab International Final in London in June. This is the second year it has been held in Vietnam.

The completion has had success in training and guiding individuals on methods to approach the public and add to their understanding of scientific topics, which are valuable and useful but not always easy to comprehend.

Participants wishing join the competition will receive consultation from experts at the British Council and be provided with training on presentation contents, skills, and methods. The final round of FameLab 2016 is expected to be held from April 20 to April 22 at Nguy Nhu Kon Tum Hall at the Vietnam National University at 19 Le Thanh Tong Street in Hanoi.

In addition to its impressive architecture, the lecture hall has witnessed historic developments in Vietnam’s higher education. It has honored generations of leading Vietnamese lecturers, scientists, professors, doctors and scientific academics and is considered the ideal space for young scientists and other youngsters to express their enthusiasm and passion for science.

FameLab is a chance for scientists from all disciplines to develop the skills they need to share their passion for the field with others in an innovative and exciting way. The best science communicators from Vietnam will attend the FameLab International Final in London, to make new connections, exchange ideas, and test out their communications skills in an international forum.

Registration forms and associated documents can be found on the competition’s website.'

Growers protect peach trees from cold

Air conditioners have been used at Hanoi's Nhat Tan Village in an attempt to ensure that the peach flower blossoms will bloom just before Tet.

That Thon peach trees are short and have more flowers than other varieties, but also more sensitive to weather. In the past, only royalty and high-class families could afford to display such trees.

Le Ham, a grower in Nhat Tan Village said it could take up to ten years to grow a well-shaped peach tree with beautiful colour.

In order to protect That Thon peach trees from the weather and to make sure the flowers bloom at the correct time, he installed two-way air conditioners to manage the temperature.

That Thon peach tree is small but the flowers usually have a beautiful reddish colour. "Each period, the tree will need different temperatures," Ham said.

The rental fees for each tree range from VND10m to VND40m (USD1,900). Trees that have unique and great shape can cost up to several hundreds of million of VND.

VND48 billion planned for upgrade of 48 overpasses on National Highway 1A

The Ministry of Transport recently decided to set aside VND48 billion (US$2.16 million) for renovation of 48 overpasses on the National Highway 1A section through the central province of Khanh Hoa.

Upgrade work will be taken over by the Project Management Board No. 7 under the Vietnam Road Administration, with the funding sourced from savings from redundancies after finalising the National Highway 1A expansion project.

According to the board, only one new overpass was built during the expansion process in Khanh Hoa province, while most of the old ones were retained for later use. However, these old overpasses need to be repaired and upgraded in order to ensure synchronous features for National Highway 1A as well as traffic safety along the whole route.

Renovation and upgrade of the above mentioned 48 overpasses will be carried out from now until the end of June.

The National Highway 1A section though Khanh Hoa province measures 142 kilometres in length. Expansion of the route was completed in late September 2015 with a total investment of VND9.937 trillion (US$447.16 million).

Rach Chiec 2 bridge to be opened to traffic before Tet

Rach Chiec 2 bridge on Ring Road No. 2 is scheduled to be fully up and running before the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday (Tet), which kicks off on February 8.

The bridge, whose name might be changed, was technically opened to traffic on December 29 last year. Vu Kien Thiet, director of Urban Traffic Management Unit No. 2 under the transport department, said the bridge is expected to be put into full use before January 30.

The bridge is built in two phases, with a three-span steel arch bridge measuring 868 meters in length constructed in the first phase. The bridge consists of four lanes and costs VND871 trillion (over US$38.75 million).

After the bridge is completed, motorcycles, passenger cars and vans under 3.5 tons are allowed to travel on the road section toward the bridge to reduce traffic density on Hanoi Highway and Mai Chi Tho Street. Trucks to Saigon Hi-Tech Park (SHTP) will move from Phu My Bridge to Rach Chiec 2 Bridge to enter the park.

Another four-lane bridge will be built next to the existing bridge in phase two.

Once completed, the bridge project will help develop Ring Road No. 2 into a complete road network connecting SHTP and seaports including Cat Lai and Hiep Phuoc.

The bridge will shorten the distance between SHTP and Tan Cang-Cat Lai Terminal by six kilometers to about eight kilometers compared with the route via Hanoi Highway, as well as facilitate traffic on Hanoi Highway and in downtown HCMC.

The HCMC Department of Culture and Sports has proposed the city government rename Rach Chiec 2 Bridge as Phu Huu.

The road naming council under the department has asked the city government to seek approval from the city’s People’s Council for the name Phu Huu.

According to the department, there were four names initially proposed for the bridge. Representatives of the road naming council, the Department of Transport and the authorities of District 9 agreed to pick Phu Huu at their recent meeting. But the selection should be approved by the HCMC People’s Council.

HCM City told to review adjustments of Metro Line No. 2

The Prime Minister has told HCMC to review and complete a report on adjustments of the Metro Line No. 2 section from Ben Thanh to Tham Luong after the project’s investment costs were revised up by over 50%.

According to the Government Office, the Ministry of Transport was assigned to evaluate the project and report the adjustments to the National Assembly’s Standing Committee. Meanwhile, the HCMC government will have to seek official development assistance (ODA) loans to finance the additional cost.

The Ben Thanh-Tham Luong metro section is 11.3 kilometers long and was set to be implemented from 2010 to 2018 at a cost of VND26.116 trillion (US$1.37 billion). The amount included US$540 million from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), US$313 million from the German development bank (KfW), US$195 million from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and over US$326 million from Vietnam’s reciprocal capital.

However, the project’s investments last year increased by 51% to US$2.074 billion after design revisions. This amount does not cover Ben Thanh station and operation and maintenance costs.

The HCMC Management Authority for Urban Railways attributed the mounting investments to inflation, higher prices of materials and wages, and more workloads.

Due to adjustments for site clearance and compensation for construction of stations, work only started on the section’s final station and the control building early last year.

Soft skills vital to Vietnam’s success in the AEC

Soft skills have far-reaching implications for the success of Vietnam’s workforces in the rapidly changing business environment brought about by the advent of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), say experts.

Soft skills are those needed to deal with people and problems such as language, interpersonal, problem-solving, leadership and creative thinking skills, according to Phan Chinh Thuc.

The Former Head of the General Department of Vocational Training said they are the complement to technical and job-specific hard skills taught in colleges and universities throughout the country.

But unlike hard skills, Thuc said, soft skills cannot, for the most part, be taught in a classroom setting but must be learned from first-hand social interactions and real-life experiences.

Published studies show businesses with staff and employees who possess well-developed soft skills have a 75% better chance of achieving a leadership role in their industry or profession, said Thuc.

A few steps employers can take to guarantee they are hiring the right college graduates involve looking at and assessing a job applicant’s past experiences for indictors that would increase their soft skills.

Internships, campus involvement and leadership positions in social and civic organizations all provide applicants more experience in dealing with people and complex situations.

As such they are generally accepted as excellent indicators a graduate has more developed soft skills than one who missed out on these without these invaluable life experiences, said Thuc.

Other experts say Vietnamese workers’ soft skills are noticeably weaker than other regional countries like the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore and drastic measures must be undertaken to improve them.

They cite an International Labour Organization (ILO) forecast indicating the number of jobs in Vietnam may increase by 14.5% as a result of the AEC, but point out these jobs may go to workers from other countries due to lack of Vietnamese candidates possessing competent soft skills.

Investing in soft skills is vital for the competitiveness of the Vietnam economy they say, adding the country needs to produce a workforce that is adaptable, can problem-solve individually and in teams, and can communicate and sell their ideas.

Vietnam local businesses are now operating in an increasingly competitive regional economy they say, and if the nation is going to succeed in this environment, reprioritising Vietnam’s approach to lifelong education and skills development is of paramount importance.

Meanwhile a survey by the online recruitment company, VietnamWorks, of 2,500 Vietnamese workers, showed 84% of them lack confidence in their ability to communicate in a foreign language.

They felt that this factor alone, negatively affected their ability to negotiate a higher wage comparable to those with better language skills and a full 67% of them don’t believe they have the necessary soft skills to compete with foreign workforces in the AEC.

For his part, Director Pham Duc Vinh of the Hanoi Industrial College, said graduating students are finding it extremely difficult to integrate in the new AEC labour environment, principally because of their weak skills, particularly in English competency.

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