The event aimed at honouring youths who have achieved outstanding results in the fields of studies, scientific research, creative labour, economic development, national security, physical education, sports, arts, culture and community volunteering, besides creative start-ups.

Three youths who were honoured for their contributions to studies and scientific research are Đinh Quang Hiếu, student and Dr Lê HoàngSơn, lecturer both at Natural Science College, of Hà Nội National University; and Phạm Nam Khánh, a 12th-grade student of Hà Nội-Amsterdam High School.

Trần Hữu Đông, general director of HVC Technique and Investment JSC, and Nguyễn Tiến Quỳnh, an officer of Hà Nội Tax Department, were honoured for their contributions to economic development and creative labour.      

The sixth youth to be honoured is Lê Thăng Bằng from Đống Đa District’s investigation police for drug crimes.

Bùi Thị Thu Thảo, an athlete of the Hà Nội Centre for Training and Sports Competition, and Lưu Đức Anh from the Malmo Academy of Music were recognised for their achievements in sports and art and culture, respectively.

Dr Nguyễn Vũ from Hà Nội Medical University and Vũ Huy Cảng, a student of Electricity College, were honoured for their contribution to community volunteering.

Sixteen other youths working in the information technology sector were honoured for their start-ups.  

Nguyễn Văn Thắng, secretary of the Hà Nội Youth Union, said “By organising such events, we wish to send out a message of encouragement to the city’s youth as we salute their spirit of enthusiasm, creativity, wisdom, bravery, daring and commitment towards construction and development.”

The Youth Union also praised the Vietnamese U23 football team and awarded bonuses to five U23 players who are currently playing for the football club in the city.

Present at the felicitation ceremony were city authorities, members of the Youth Union, representatives from armed forces, police, universities and social organisations.   

This is the ninth year of the Hà Nội Youth Union’s felicitation ceremony of outstanding young people and the first year to honour start-up founders.

Residents worry about water pollution from woodchip plant

Residents in the central province of Quảng Bình are worried the construction of a woodchip plant, located in the upper area of two reservoirs, will pollute their supply of water.

Meanwhile, local authorities affirmed that they have postponed the construction due to failure in the environmental impact assessment of the project.

Residents in Hạ Trạch Commune in the province’s Bố Trạch District opposed the woodchip plant invested in by Thuận Đức, a local company, saying its waste discharged could pollute water in the reservoirs of Vực Sanh and Cửa Nghè.

The two reservoirs supply water for daily use and production of some 5,000 households in the commune and neighbouring Mỹ Trạch Commune.

“We are worried the plant will soon revamp the reservoir area and pollute its water, affecting our water supply,” said Nguyễn Xuân Trường, a resident of Hạ Trạch Commune.

Trường told a local newspaper that local authorities had requested postponing the construction but locals found out it has now resumed.

Lưu Văn Tác, chairman of Hạ Trạch Commune, affirmed the postponement request, saying that public consultation on the construction showed that 100 per cent of residents are opposed to the work.

Tác said the provincial People’s Committee had thus stopped the construction.

The Division of Natural Resources and Environment in Bố Trạch District said they would allocate staff for checks on the ongoing construction, as reported by local residents.

Đỗ Mạnh Tài, the division’s head, said the investor, Thuận Đức Company, had petitioned the changing of the function of the project, but no approval had been made yet.

“No approval means no construction, and the violation must be stopped,” Tài said.

Residents who live nearby, however, reported that the company’s deputy director told them at a public meeting that local authorities had given the company the green light for the construction. — VNS

Lai Chau works to keep ethnic culture alive

Lai Chau is a mountainous border province in the northwest of Vietnam with more than 80 percent of its population being ethnic minorities, creating cultural diversity.

It is home to many tangible and intangible heritage items such as stilt houses of Thai and Mong ethnic people, brocade weaving, ‘dan tinh’ (handmade gourd lutes), ‘hat then’ (then singing), ‘mua xoe’ (circle dance) and gong festivals.

Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Tong Thanh Hai said the province has outlined measures to raise public awareness of preserving traditional cultural values and call on organisations and individuals to engage in the field.

The locality has supported the preservation of ethnic languages and encouraged the collection, compilation, translation and classification of ethnic literature, art, scientific works, oral literature and folk songs.

It also maintains good traditional customs and promotes creativity in community-based activities while eliminating backward ones.

Head of the culture and information office in Than Uyen district Hoang Thi Lieu named traditional festivals that have been revived such as ‘le cap sac’ (maturity ritual) of Dao ethnic people, ‘le cau phuc’ (happiness praying) of Mong ethnic group, circle dance and gong festival of the Thai ethnic group and the traditional Tet holiday of Mong people.

The festivals demonstrate the local aspirations for favourable weather conditions, peace, health and growth, she added.

Tay Ninh: 691 prisoners have terms reduced on Tet occasion

The people’s court of southern Tay Ninh province decided to reduce the prison terms of 691 prisoners on the occasion of the upcoming lunar New Year (Tet) holiday.

Specifically, at the Cay Cay prison run by the Ministry of Public Security, 111 prisoners are freed ahead of their release dates and 553 others have their jail terms cut by 1-22 months.

Nine inmates at prisons and detention centres run by the provincial and district police are released before the end of their terms, and 18 others receive reduction of their time from 2-7 months.

The prisoners benefiting from the amnesty are those who have shown good conduct while in prison.

The amnesty policy of the Vietnamese Party and State reflects the humanitarian tradition of the Vietnamese nation, which encourages offenders to rehabilitate and become useful members of society.

Hanoi Archdiocese leader extends Tet greetings to city Party Committee

Cardinal Nguyen Van Nhon and priests of the Hanoi Archdiocese on January 31 extended traditional New Tear (Tet) greetings to the Hanoi Party Committee.

The delegation was hosted by Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Hoang Trung Hai.

Cardinal Nguyen Van Nhon, Archbishop of the Hanoi Archdiocese, wished Hai and the committee a successful year with good health and all tasks fulfilled.

For his part, Hai conveyed best New Year wishes to the Catholic community in the Hanoi Archdiocese.

He briefed the guest on major socio-economic achievements of the city in 2017 as well as the development orientations in 2018. He recognised contributions of the Hanoi Archdiocese and Catholic community in the growth of the city in all fields, especially education, health care and environment.

He affirmed that religious and belief activities are the right of everyone, pledging that the city will continue supporting and creating optimal conditions for the activities. 

Hai also showed his belief that Cardinal Nguyen Van Nhon and Catholic community in the city will continue promoting their tradition of solidarity, contributing to reinforcing the great national unity bloc and building a capital city of peace and prosperity.

Vietnam launches Scaling Up Nutrition Movement

A ceremony was held in Hanoi on January 31 to launch the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement in Vietnam and the implementation of the Prime Minister’s directive on nutrition enhancement.

The event aimed to affirm the country’s strong commitment to improving public health and nutrition.

In her speech, Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said the nutrition status of Vietnamese people has been improved over the past years. The country was assessed as a highlight in achieving the Millennium Development Goals, especially the continuous and sustainable reduction of the malnutrition rate among under-five children, from 31.9 percent in 2001 to 13.8 percent in 2016.

However, Vietnam is also facing an array of challenges, she noted, elaborating that the stunting rate remains high, at 24.3 percent, and the rate of overweight and obesity is rising rapidly, especially in urban areas. While micronutrient deficiency hasn’t been improved, unbalanced diet has increased risks of non-communicable diseases like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and metabolic disorder, Tien added.

In January 2014, the country officially took part in the United Nations’ SUN Movement. It also committed to implementing the Sustainable Development Goals, including the goal on ending hunger, achieving food security and improved nutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture. In November 2017, Vietnam signed the ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration on Ending all Forms of Malnutrition.

Tien said the Ministry of Health will make nutrition recommendations for specific groups and encourage the use of local food and food that suits the taste of people in each region. It will strive to curb malnutrition, micronutrient deficiency and overweight and prioritise nutritional care for children in the first 1,000 days. 

The ministry will also enhance coordination with relevant ministries and agencies to promote communication activities to raise public awareness of reasonable nutrition.

The SUN Movement is a renewed global effort to eliminate all forms of malnutrition based on the principle that everyone has a right to food but also good nutrition. It aims to connect all people from the Government, social organisations, sponsors, businesses, and researchers in a bid to improve nutrition. Fifty-seven countries and two Indian states have committed to scale up their nutrition efforts.

Vietnam Energy Efficiency Industry Awards 2017 presented in Hanoi

The Vietnam Energy Conservation and Energy Efficiency Association (VECEA) and the German Development Cooperation Organisation (GIZ) held a ceremony in Hanoi on January 31 to present the Vietnam Energy Efficiency Industry Awards 2017.

The Colusa-Miliket Foodstuff JSC won the first prize at the ‘best energy efficiency solutions’ category. 

By replacing coal material with husk for boilers, installing highly efficient inverters, changing the lighting system, and conserving pipelines for steam production, the company reduced 25 percent of energy intensity for a product in 2016 (compared to 2010) and 225 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year.

Efficient energy usage and saving measures have helped the company save about 608 million VND (26,812 USD) of energy production cost annually.
The Polytechnical Mechanical, Thermal, Electrical and Refrigeration Engineering Company Limited (Polyco) earned the first prize at the ‘original and innovation energy efficiency solutions’ category thanks for its creative solutions to reducing 1,260 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year.

More importantly, such measures as installing the layered refrigeration systems, making efficient use during peak hours, and recovering heat from boilers during production have been widely applied in the food processing industry, helping customers save 369 tonnes of oil equivalent (TOE) in 2013-2016 and reduce 10 percent of energy consumption of products in 2016 (compared to 2013).

The second and third prizes were granted to Vietnam Stanley Electric, Braun Vietnam and Synztec Vietnam companies, Tan Hiep water plant and Hanoi meat processing factory.

The Vietnam Energy Efficiency Industry Awards 2017 were launched from November 20, 2017 to January 15, 2018.

All industrial enterprises operating in the country and having annual energy consumption from 300 TOE per year (equal to two million kWh per year) and having carried out energy efficiency solutions from 2011 to 2016 were eligible to apply.

Vietnam is one of the most dynamically developing countries in Asia, facing rising demand for electricity, which is expected to double in the coming years.

Industrial production is currently the most energy consuming sector, accounting for 47 percent of the country's total energy consumption.

According to the Electricity Industry Development Plan VII announced in 2016, the Government of Vietnam has set a target of saving 10 percent of energy between 2016 and 2020.

Quang Nam: House repair for storm-hit victims urged as Tet nears

The Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of central Quang Nam province has urged its chapters to work with local authorities to help storm-hit people repair and rebuild houses as Tet, Vietnam’s traditional New Year holiday, is approaching.

The committee has allocated approximately 4.3 billion VND to aid the mountainous districts of Nam Tra My, Bac Tra My, Phuoc Son, Nong son, Hiep Duc and Nam Giang, the province’s hardest-hit by Typhoon Damrey early November 2017.

The sum will be used to rebuild 106 houses which collapsed due to floods and landfall and to repair 188 others.

About 220 families living in the province’s areas prone to floods and landslide also received support from a project initiated by the General Department of Disaster Prevention and Control at the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to repair and rebuild affected houses. The project is expected to last in June this year.

In early November, 2017, the southern coastal region was hit by storm Damrey, one of the worst storms to strike the region in years. 

The typhoon and subsequent floods claimed 89 lives and left 18 missing and 174 others injured in central and Central Highlands localities as of November 7, 2017.-

Cars exempt from National Highway 18 toll during Tết

All cars travelling through toll tax stations on National Highway 18 in Cẩm Phả City of Quảng Ninh Province would be offered toll exemption.

The toll exemption, during the Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday, will last from February 14 to 20, online newspaper vov.vn reported.

The Biên Cương BOT Stock Company, which is an investor of the project of upgrading Hạ Long-Mông Dương road section on NH 18, started toll exemption as a trial on Monday by delivering free tickets for cars at the toll stations of Km153+45 and Km156+985 on Hạ Long-Mông Dương section of NH 18.

The free tickets to under 12-seater vehicles were also offered to locals who have residential registration in Cẩm Phả City’s seven wards of Cẩm Tây, Cẩm Bình, Cẩm Đông and Cẩm Sơn, as well as Cẩm Phú, Cẩm Thịnh and Cửa Ông.

The buses with fixed journeys through the stations and cars of State and Government offices based in Cẩm Phả City will also benefit from the toll exemption.

Under 12-seat car owners who have residential registration in nine other wards of Quang Hanh, Cẩm Thủy, Cẩm Trung and Cẩm Thành, as well as Mông Dương, Cẩm Hải, Dương Huy and Cộng Hòa will enjoy a fee reduction of 70 per cent, meaning that they have to pay only VNĐ10,000 (4.5 US cent) per ticket.

The project of upgrading Hạ Long-Mông Dương road section, which has a total length of 31.5km, has been capitalised VNĐ1.4 trillion (US$61 million) by the Biên Cương BOT Stock Company under build-operation-transfer (BOT).

The road section was widened to four lanes, which helped reduce traffic congestion in the area of Cẩm Phả City.

The project was completed after two years of construction.

Environment impacts of high-speed railway project to be assessed

Deputy Prime Minister Trịnh Đình Dũng has asked relevant ministries and agencies to make reports after assessing the environment impacts of the high-speed North-South Railway project.

The Ministry of Transport, in co-operation with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment were asked to evaluate and approve the pre-feasibility study of the project, including reports on environment impacts in accordance with laws and legal regulations.

The development plan of a high-speed railway (HSR) was officially included in the adjustments to the Việt Nam Rail Transport Development Strategy until 2020 and the Việt Nam Rail Transport Development Master Plan until 2020. Both documents were signed by Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc in 2015.

The north-south HSR, connecting Hà Nội and HCM City, is planned in four major phases.

The transport ministry will build a plan for an HSR, having a standard track gauge of 1,435mm and prepare to first build rail sections in great demand, for example the two routes of Hà Nội-Vinh in the central province of Nghệ An and HCM City-Nha Trang in the central coastal province of Khánh Hòa .

During the 10-year period, from 2020 to 2030, the construction of different sections will begin, with designed speeds ranging from 160km per hour to less than 200km per hour.

The north-south HSR route is due to be completed in 2050. After that, it is hoped the train can run at a maximum speed of 350km per hour, roughly the same as Japan’s Shinkansen.

Overloaded coaches during Tết to be penalised

Minister of Transport Nguyễn Văn Thể on Tuesday asked concerned organisations to give strict punishment to overloaded coaches during the Tết (Lunar New Year) holidays. 

He made this request at a meeting he chaired with concerned agencies to prepare for the holiday season next month.

Thể asked local authorities to raise awareness among residents on traffic safety.

He also asked transport enterprises to be ready providing vehicles when needed. Inspectors must fine violators for overloading and illegal coaches and terminals, he said.

Thể suggested different provinces and cities to come up with a plan to control and ensure traffic safety.

He said airways security and safety must be checked carefully, while the railway sector must ensure the security of carriages, trains and stations.

Director of HCM City’s Department of Transport Bùi Xuân Cường said the department had set up a plan to inspect important places, including Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport, Cát Lái Port and the Western and Eastern coach terminals. 

The department has joined hands with local authorities to set up transport operation teams for eight provinces and cities. The teams will be tasked with preventing traffic congestion and easing traffic when required. 

The Ladies Night at Piu Piu

Piu Piu will host Ladies Night on Thursday (February 1) from 9pm until late at 97 Hai Bà Trưng Street in HCM City’s District 1.

Special guest Vanillatrilla from Los Angeles will be spinning fresh hip hop beats, along with DJ Sara Mapa with RNB vibes all night long.

Entrance is free with free cocktails for women.