Bridge project suspended after scaffolding collapse deaths

Work at a bridge project was suspended yesterday after four people were killed in a scaffolding collapse in Ta Pan Village, in Quan Hoa District's Trung Son Commune.

Thanh Hoa authorities decided to suspend the construction of the Quanh Bridge after four workers were killed in a scaffolding collapse on Saturday, Mai Xuan Lien, director of Thanh Hoa department of transportation, said.

"This is a workplace accident," Ngo Sy Tam, chief director of the People's Committee of Quan Son District, said. "The scaffolding fell on the workers and killed them instantly."

A team of workers were working on the girder part of the bridge spanning the Quanh stream, when the accident happened at about 6.30pm on Saturday.

The four victims were 24-year-old Nguyen Tuan Vu, born in Ha Noi; 24-year-old Nguyen Dinh Tung, born in Thai Binh; 36-year-old Bui Van Trung from Ha Tinh; and 32-year-old Phan Van Thinh, also from Ha Tinh.

The bodies of the victims were sent back to their hometowns for funeral ceremonies after their autopsies were completed yesterday, Tam said.

The Quanh Bridge project is part of a larger infrastructure project of Thanh Hoa's department of transportation, which aims to connect the western mountainous districts of Thanh Hoa Province.

Quanh Bridge is expected to be a permanent bridge made of reinforced concrete and toughened concrete, with a total length of nearly 260m.

The project, which will cost more than VND182 billion ($8 million), was launched in June 2010. Only 80 per cent of the work was accomplished as of the end of last year due to a funds shortage.

Two held for possessing heroin, synthetic drugs

Son La Police caught two men yesterday for transporting six cakes of heroin and 4,000 synthetic drug pills in Na Don Village in Song Ma District's Muong Cai Commune.

The police also seized a motorbike, three sharp knives and other items from the two men - Song An Cha, 39, and Song A Ta, 30 – while they were transporting the goods through Na Don Village.

Both men are residents of Ta Nat Village.

Cha and Ta told the police they had bought the drugs from an unidentified man and intended to sell them for money.

The case is under further investigation.

Police seize smuggled fireworks in Quang Ninh

Police in the northern Quang Ninh Province yesterday said they had arrested a man for alleged smuggling of fireworks.

Nguyen Hai Phong, head of the drug-related crime investigation police office, today said the police in co-ordination with the police in Dong Trieu Township searched the house of Hoang Dinh Du, 66, in Hong Thai Tay Commune and seized nearly 1.5 tonne of Chinese fireworks.

Under the investigation, the police also arrested Vu Van Dien, 39, in Yen Tho Commune's Trai Ha Ward, for illegally transporting and storing fireworks with Dien.

The suspects said at the police station that they had bought the fireworks in China to sell to customers in neighbouring provinces in connection with the upcoming Lunar New Year.

In another case, the police in Uong Bi City caught a person who was transporting 20kg of Chinese fireworks on Saturday.

Customs agency proposes removing food-safety checks on gifts

The Viet Nam Customs Agency has proposed the Ministry of Health should stop checking food hygiene and safety standards for low-priced imported goods sent as Tet (Lunar New Year) gifts.

The food, mainly sweets, milk and seaweed, worth less than VND2 million (US$89), comes from people in foreign countries as gifts on the occasion of Tet.

The agency's proposal came after HCM City's Customs Department reported it had recently received complaints from recipients because under current regulations for imported food, they had to bring the gift to the nearest customs agency to check whether it met food safety and hygiene standards.

Both courier services and recipients said the checks were unnecessary because the goods were sent as gifts and were not commercial goods, the department said.

Food was estimated to account for 60-70 per cent of the imported goods handled by the Tan Son Nhat International Airport's Customs Department each week.

Hanoi opens new health facilities

Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien has recently cut the ribbons to inaugurate two medical establishments in Hanoi.

The structures include an examination section at the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases’ chapter in Kim Chung commune in the outskirt district of Dong Anh. The hospital is capable of accommodating 1,000 beds.

The other is a technical building within the National Hospital of Dermatology and Venereology in Phuong Mai ward, Hai Ba Trung district. The 12-storey building, equipped with advanced equipment, has a capacity of 150 beds.

Both sites are expected to help alleviate patient overload at health facilities in the capital city.-

Stamp celebrates civil aviation industry’s anniversary

A stamp commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Vietnam civil aviation industry has been issued in Hanoi.

The stamp, designed by painter To Minh Trang, shows an image of the late President Ho Chi Minh, and also depicts the history of the civil aviation industry from 1956 to 2016, with its glorious achievements portrayed by Noi Bai Airport's terminal T2 and Tan Son Nhat Airport's conning tower.

The stamp also shows three planes that carry the images of Vietnam Airlines, Jetstar and Vietjetair.

Vietnam makes social security progress

Vietnam has made remarkable progress in ensuring social security during its Doi Moi (renewal) process thanks to the sound leadership of the Party and State.

The country has recorded significant achievements in implementing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), especially in eliminating hunger and reducing poverty, and improving living standards.

Reducing poverty is an important goal of the Vietnamese Party and State, and the Party maintains its view that economic growth must go together with ensuring human rights and meeting the basic demands of the people.

The State’s policies and laws on social development are the result of the Party’s guidelines and the country’s socio-economic development strategies, contributing to ensuring the targets of equality and social advancement. Social polices aim to guarantee the basic rights of the people.

The State plays a key role in carrying out social policies and ensuring social security, especially for the poor, the elderly, children, ethnic minority communities and disabled people

Social support policies have been implemented and adjusted, and the social allowance rate has increased.

Vietnam has escaped from low-income status for the first time in centuries. In 2010, Vietnam was officially listed as a low middle income country with average per capita income reaching over 1,100 USD per year.

With the implementation of the National Target Programme on Poverty Reduction and Programme 135 to improve living conditions for rural residents, along with the involvement of the whole political system in efforts to lower the number of poor households, Vietnam has set a good example in poverty reduction and received complements from the international community.

Vietnam has realised nearly all the MDGs, especially in poverty reduction. The rate of low-income families has fallen by three quarters, and their average per capita income has doubled. Social policy beneficiaries have also received more support, contributing to sustainable poverty reduction.

State budget and external resources (official development assistance (ODA) and non-refundable aid), and support from businesses and individuals have also contributed to the nation’s social security policies.

Thanks to investment resources from poverty reduction programmes and policies, the rate of poor households nationwide has fallen by 2 percent per year, from 14.2 percent in 2010 to less than 4.5 percent in 2015, while the rate of poor districts was cut by 6 percent per year during that time, from 58.3 percent to only 28 percent.

The Vietnamese population is also better educated and has a higher life expectancy than most countries with a similar per capita income.

Despite making stellar achievements in the implementation of social welfare policies, the efficiency of the work remains limited as poverty reduction is unsustainable and gaps between the rich and the poor in terms of income and access to social services are widening.

In order to ensure social security, relevant ministries and sectors need to take synchronous measures and full advantage of organisations and partners.

Quang Tri launches first bus routes

Quang Tri Province's Department of Transport, in co-operation with Hoan My Commerce and Trade Company Limited has launched two bus routes, the first of its kind in the province, today.

The two bus routes include one from Dong Ha City to Ho Xa Township in Vinh Linh District, which is 32 kilometres, and the other from Dong Ha City to Hai Lang Township in Hai Lang District, which is 40 kilometres.

Some eight buses will be mobilised to run every 30 minutes on the two routes. The bus will run between 5am and 8pm in the summer and from 5.30am to 7pm in winter.

Nguyen Quan Chinh, vice chairman of the provincial People's Committee said that the first two bus routes would meet the travelling demands of locals.

The department would continue developing new bus routes in the upcoming time, such as from Cua Viet Beach to Cam Lo Township, Quang Tri Town to Truong Son National Cemetery, Dong Ha City-Cua Viet Beach to Quang Tri Ancient Citadel-My Thuy Beach, and Dong Ha City-My Thuy Beach.

Preferential loans helping low-income families

A credit policy that allows families who have just escaped from poverty within the last three years to receive preferential loans is proving effective in localities nationwide.

Under the Prime Minister's decision 28/2015/QD-TTg that took effect last September, families that just escaped poverty are eligible to borrow a maximum amount of 50 million VND (2,250 USD) from the Vietnam Bank for Social Policy (VBSP) with a yearly preferential interest rate of 8.25 percent for five years to develop production and business.

The credit programme creates favourable conditions for the borrowers, due to its simple borrowing procedures.

The head of the bank branch in the Central Highland province of Gia Lai, Le Van Chi, said that in the last four months, the bank offered loans of 90 billion VND (4 million USD) to 2,300 borrowers eligible for decision 28.

He said that the funding was very helpful and meaningful to low-income families because without money to develop farming or business, they would return to poverty again and even poorer due to debts.

In central Ha Tinh province, the VBSP offered loans of 49 billion VND (2.2 million USD) to 1,600 families hovering near the poverty line.

In the period 2011 to 2015, the country's poverty line is 400,000 VND (17.9 USD) per person per month in rural areas and 500,000 VND (22.4 USD) per person per month in urban areas.

However, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) will replace the single-dimensional approach to poverty with the multidimensional measurement method for the 2016–2020 period as it announced late 2015.

The new multi-dimensional measurement, taking effect from January 1, 2016, will not only be based on people's income but also on under-privileged people's access to the necessities of life such as healthcare, education, housing and so on.

Vice head of the Women Association of Ha Tinh province’s Xuan Hoi Commune, Bui Thi Hai, said that hundreds of families there earned their living by small-scale fishing and they were vulnerable to become poor if facing shocks like bad weather or damage to fishing boats.

Local fisherman Nguyen Dinh Van said that previously, his family could only afford to buy a small boat with capacity of 15 CV for inshore fishing.

"My boat was too old and partly broken. I could not borrow a loan at the normal market interest rate," he said.

"I have borrowed 30 million VND (1,300 USD) from the bank of social policies thanks to Decision 28," he said, adding that he used the loan to fix the boat and buy more fishing tools.

The implementation of Decision 28 also brought positive results in other localities, chinhphu.vn reported.

In 2015, more than 750 families in southernmost Ca Mau province got preferential loans worth more than 17 billion VND (756,500 USD).

Almost 1,500 families in southern Tien Giang province received loans worth 45 billion VND (2 million USD).

The Bank for Social Policies in northern Bac Ninh province offered 64.2 billion VND (2.9 million USD) to those who have escaped poverty and want to develop production and business.

According to the VBSP's statistics, of roughly 700,000 households having just escaped from poverty nationwide, 500,000 have not yet repaid loans taken under credit programs for poor and near-poor households. Hence, the new policy, in the immediate future, will benefit around 200,000 households who have never borrowed capital from, or have repaid all their debts to the VBSP.

Rice aid to reach the poor during Tet

Disadvantaged residents of northern Tuyen Quang, and central Nghe An provinces will receive almost 3,900 tonnes of rice from the national reserves as the Government’s assistance in the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday.

Most of the allocation, at more than 3,600 tonnes, will come to 241,154 households in Nghe An.

The remainder will benefit 17,947 households in Tuyen Quang.

Each member of these households will receive 15 kilograms of rice within the month.

Localities stockpile basic necessities ahead of Lunar New Year

Cities and provinces nationwide have stockpiled key commodities to serve demand, in anticipation of the Lunar New Year festival, which is forecast to increase by 15-20 percent annually.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Domestic Market Department, the total volume of goods for the holiday in Hanoi is expected to surpass 21.6 trillion VND (981 million USD).

Local firms will sell goods in more than 1,100 points of sale, hold 12 Vietnamese goods fairs, nine Vietnamese goods weeks, and open 210 mobile vendors in outlying districts, industrial and processing parks.

While in the southern metropolis Ho Chi Minh City, goods for sale between now and the New Year festival is valued at more than 16.2 trillion VND (727 million USD), over 6.8 trillion (309 million USD) of which is made affordable to consumers, under a State-initiated price stabilisation scheme, up 40 percent year-on-year.

In the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho, goods available for sale are worth an estimated 2.5 trillion VND (113.6 million USD).

The ministry established six working groups in charge of uncovering smuggling and trade fraud cases, and monitoring food hygiene, particularly much-consumed goods such as alcohol, cigarettes and other beverages.

Foreign reporters, press attachés connect Vietnam with the world

Foreign journalists and press attachés of foreign representative offices in Vietnam have acted as bridges bringing Vietnam closer to the world and vice versa, affirmed Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc.

At a meeting in Hanoi on January 11 with foreign journalists and press attachés, Ngoc, emphasised that in 2015, they kept track of each major event in Vietnam so as to timely provide the world with information about the country’s situation.

According to him, last year, Vietnam celebrated the 40th anniversary of the South Liberation and National Reunification (April 30) and the 70th National Day (September 2), while organising a number of activities to mark the establishment of its diplomatic ties with other countries. It also successfully hosted the 132nd Inter-Parliamentary Union General Assembly in March, and maintained political security and economic growth.

Ngoc expressed his hope that foreign reporters and press attachés will continue to exert their efforts in helping international friends understand more clearly and exactly all aspects of Vietnam as well as its socio-economic development achievements, and its stance on regional and international issues.

The Foreign Ministry will create favourable conditions, to timely and fully inform foreign journalists and press attachés of the nation’s major events and issues, by helping connect them with Vietnamese ministries, sectors and localities, he added.

Construction on My Thuan-Can Tho Expressway to start in Q3

The construction of the My Thuan-Can Tho Expressway is expected to begin in the third quarter of this year, said Nguyen Duy Lam, deputy head of the Planning and Investment Department under the Ministry of Transport at a meeting with the Can Tho People’s Committee on January 11.

The 6.3 trillion VND (288.8 million USD) road is one of the three major parts of the Ho Chi Minh City-Can Tho Expressway.

At the meeting, Lam said his ministry will instruct relevant agencies and businesses in launching air routes from Can Tho to Bangkok, Lien Khuong airport in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong and Vinh city in central Nghe An province, as well as increasing flights between Can Tho and Hanoi from two to three per day.

The municipal officials presented obstacles hindering the implementation of a number of transport projects in the locality, such as the upgrading of National Highway 91 and the second phase of the Cai Cui seaport.

Vo Thanh Thong, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, said the city’s roads, waterways, sea and air routes, have recently been given a facelift - contributing to promoting socio-economic development of the locality in particular and the Mekong Delta region in general.

However, strong investments should continue to be poured into local infrastructure as Can Tho is now considered the region’s commercial centre - recording high economic growth in recent years, the official said.

He called for more attention to developing seaports, supporting transport systems and air routes in order to meet increasing demands on infrastructure.-

Hospitals in HCM City achieve quality standards

More and more public and private hospitals in HCM City have taken efforts to reach criteria for quality standards issued by the Health Ministry, according to the city's Department of Health.

The 83 criteria in five categories cover quality improvement, professional activities, human resource development, patient-centred health examination and treatment, and specialised criteria for each ward.

Sixty-two of 93 hospitals in HCM City have received an average score of three of the five categories, an increase of 23 compared to last year.

The ministry has published on its website a ranking of hospitals based on the 83 criteria. The rankings will help the public make decisions about their healthcare.

A score of four was received by People's Hospital No.115, Gia Dinh People's Hospital, Paediatrics Hospital No.1 and 2, Tu Du, Blood Transfusion and Hematology Hospital, Thu Duc District Hospital and Traditional Medicine Institute.

Ten hospitals had achieved effective quality management, Dr Nguyen Thi Thoa, deputy head of the department's medical affairs, said at a conference reviewing the management of hospital quality held on January 10 in HCM City.

For instance, People's Hospital No. 115 and Hoan My Hospital had used bracelets with different colours to help identify patients.

The Tu Du Obstetrics Hospital had set up a system to report errors, and the Paediatrics Hospital No.1 had used videos to train for infection control.

The remaining 31 have a score under three, Thoa said, adding that hospital leaders should strengthen implementation of quality improvement.

"If not, they could face difficulties," he said.

Dr Vuong Anh Tai, head of the department's board for survey of patient satisfaction, said that, thanks to the programme on quality improvement, patient satisfaction this year was higher than last year's.

Dr Tang Chi Thuong, the department's deputy head, said the council for management of quality at hospitals, which was set up two year ago, helped it monitor, discover and offer warnings for errors at hospitals in order to improve quality.

Under this programme, more and more hospitals were expected to raise their quality in the future, Thuong said.-

3,500 Tet gifts come to needy children

A charity programme will mobilise 3,500 gift packages for needy children in remote and mountainous areas on the threshold of the Lunar New Year (Tet).

Dang Nhu Quynh, head of the “ Xay truong vung cao” (School construction in mountainous areas) Fund - the programme’s organising unit, said the event is aimed to call for individuals and organisations across the country to join hands with the organizing unit, in providing a warm Tet for the children.

Accordingly, Chung cake (Vietnamese square glutinous rice cake) and Gio (Pork-Pie) wrapping activities will be held in Hoang Mai district, Hanoi from January 16-21.

On January 23, a New Year party will be organised in the northern mountainous area of Son La’s Sop Cop district with the participation of 3,500 children, of whom 3,000 are especially disadvantaged and will receive the Tet gifts, including warm jackets, footwear, cakes, lucky money and confectioneries.

Besides Son La, the programme will be organised simultaneously in other provinces and cities nationwide to jointly celebrate New Year with a party for children.

Over 6,000 children in total will take part in the special event.

Cooperatives work to step up integration

With the country's increasing international integration, more and more co-operatives focused on strengthening their competitiveness by improving technologies and management, according to the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance (VCA).

Speaking at a recent launching ceremony for a programme to introduce products produced by southern co-operatives, VCA Chairman Vo Kim Cu said they were also now building brands for their products and creating supply chains.

The country had nearly 20,000 co-operatives operating in various sectors, with many exporting their products like handicrafts and farm produce, he said.

Nguyen Quoc Hai, Chairman of the 220-member Can Tho Cooperative Alliance, said "We have worked to help our members improve their management and develop linkages from production to consumption to help them prepare well for integration.

"We will continue doing so in the coming time."

Tra fish production co-operatives in Can Tho, a major tra farming centre, tend to produce fish that meet export standards, he said, adding that they have developed close links with processing companies to ensure outlets for their fish.

Thoi An Co-operative and Thang Loi Co-operative were among the very successful ones in Can Tho, with the latter, for instance, earning revenues of more than 100 billion VND a year, he said.

Cu said co-operatives, despite making progress, encounter difficulties such as lack of funds and qualified human resources.

The VCA would co-operate with relevant agencies to make it easier for co-operatives to borrow, he said, calling on co-operatives to attach greater importance to training human resources.

More than 50 co-operatives based in the south showed off their products to more than 200 domestic and foreign business groups, hotels, restaurants, and retailers at the Saigontourist Hospitality College in Tan Binh district.

It was organised by the Southern Centre for Support and Development of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises and other organisations.

Da Nang city basically fulfills poverty reduction targets

The central city of Da Nang basically fulfilled poverty elimination objectives by the end of 2015, accomplishing the targets set for 2013-2017 two years ahead of schedule.

In early 2013, the city had 22,045 households living under the poverty line of 600,000 VND (approximately 33 USD) per capita a month in rural areas and under 800,000 VND (38 USD) in urban areas. The line was set for the 2013-2017 period.

As of the end of 2015, some 23,270 local households escaped from poverty, thanks to concerted efforts of the political system and society’s contribution.

Over the last three years, almost 34,000 deprived households received preferential loans, and nearly 237,000 low-income earners were supported with free health insurance cards.

The city gave house building and repair aid to 1,250 families, offered free vocational training to about 5,900 people, and provided jobs for over 9,700 low-income earners.

At the same, more than 10,000 students of the targeted families benefited from tuition fee reduction or exemption while some 53,400 others were assisted with scholarships, school supplies and bicycles.

For the 2016 – 2020 period, the city has raised the poverty line in rural areas to 1.1 million VND (48.9 USD) per capital per month, and 1.3 million VND (57.8 USD) in urban areas.

Da Nang hopes to lift all 1,960 impoverished households with particularly disadvantaged backgrounds out of poverty by the end of 2019. It also aims to curb the increase rate of families falling or relapsing into poverty to under 1 percent each year.

To those ends, it plans to mobilise different social resources to facilitate the poor and near-poor households’ access to basic social services like health care, education, information, transport and insurance.

The city will also continue giving housing support, preferential loans, vocational training and employment to the poor.

HCM City helps farmers escape poverty

HCM City has been providing local farmers with loans to increase their production as part of the national target program on new rural development. Thousands of farming households have escaped poverty thanks to the city’s fund to support farmers.

The family of Ms. Tran Thi Phai of district 9 was almost a poor household 5 years ago. They borrowed US$1,500 from the city’s farmers’ association to grow organic vegetables at home.

It was difficult in the beginning to seek outlets for their products but now they supply the market with approximately 18 tons of vegetables, earning US$3,500 a year.

Phai said, “I hope that the Farmers’ Association will increase loans to help farmers expand their production and improve product quality.”

Mr. Vo Van Le of Hoc Mon district borrowed US$1,000 to buy two cows. After 4 years, his cow herd grew to 6 worth US$5,000 in total.

Le shared, “I’ve sold the calves to clear my debts. I am now much better off.”

Ho Chi Minh City's fund to support farmers was established in 2006 with an initial budget of US$1 million, which has increased to US$5 million at present. It has given loans to 24,000 local farming households, helping them escape poverty.

A number of economic models for farming households have been established in Ho Chi Minh City including raising cows and ornamental fish, growing organic vegetables, and producing bamboo and rattan products.

Nguyen Thi Kim Doan, President of An Nhon Tay commune’s farmers’ association, noted, “We have encouraged farmers to form cooperatives for agricultural production and livestock breeding. We have also established a fund to give financial support to disadvantaged households.”

Ho Chi Minh City has been modernizing the agricultural sector and helping farmers access technological advances in agricultural production. The city’s farmers’ association is pioneering new credit and accounting software in Vietnam to manage its fund.

Association president Nguyen Thi Bach Mai stressed, “Our fund has helped farmers access technological advances and apply them in their production. Their success will contribute to local economic, cultural, and social development.”

The association expects to increase its funding to US$15 million by 2020, which will contribute significantly to Ho Chi Minh City’s implementation of Vietnam’s national target program on new rural development.

Village patriarch in highland province preserves native culture

Duom Dai K' Bat, 77, a village patriarch at Dinh Van Town, Lam Ha District in the highland province of Lam Dong, owns a collection of invaluable items that help to maintain the K'Ho ethnic group's culture.

The ancient house on stilts which many generations of his family lived in is where he preserved many hundreds of years old appliances typical of the K'Ho people, including che ruou can (jars of wine drunk through pipes), gongs, ken bau (a double reed wind instrument), dishes and combs made of buffalo's horns.

"For other people, these things are valueless but for me, they are very precious," he said.

These objects are often used in village rituals such as wedding ceremonys, funerals and housewarmings.

"The green jar is the most precious which I bought for tens buffalo. Many people want to buy it but I won't sell because I want to keep it for the next generation to help them learn more about the country's traditional culture," he said.

'Nobody helped me': Schools remain dangerous for LGBT youth in Vietnam

Le Minh Triet attempted suicide when he was a seventh-grader, right after coming home from school.

For days, he had been bullied by other students. Sometimes it was name calling. Sometimes he was beaten, had soft drinks thrown at him, and locked inside a room for hours.

"When they beat me, they insulted my parents names for having a gay son," he said. "Nobody helped me."

"That day I felt my life didn't matter anymore. So I ran around searching for all the drugs I could find.

I took a handful. I knew I was going to die."

His parents came home and rushed him to hospital. The young boy quit school after that. He stayed at home for more than a year, before being moved to a new school, also in Ho Chi Minh City.

Now 15, Triet said it has become a little bit better. But he still does not have many friends and often feels isolated.

Le Tan Tai is a gay teen in the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre. A day in his high school is a day in hell for him.

"The other boys often tie me up and beat me. Some even grope me and say that's a favor.

"They stop when I shout 'I'm not a faggot' for 80 times," Tai said. "I often feel disgusted and desperate."

Tran Quyen Anh, a trans boy at a secondary school in Ho Chi Minh City, said his teacher once ordered him to stand in front of class for hours as a punishment. He refused to wear female student uniforms and cut his hair too short. The teacher and classmates would then call him "a pervert."

Anh convinced his mother to send him to another school. A teacher there told his family to have him "treated" so that she could behave like a decent girl.

Huynh Ngoc Sao, who identifies as lesbian, said a teacher once insulted her in public. She was banned from going near other girls in her school.

Similar stories of abuse and discrimination can be found among Vietnamese LGBT youth. The country has surprised many for its recent progressive stance and new policies that recognize more rights for LGBT people.

Still homophobia and transphobia are palpable.

In a November report, UNESCO cited a Vietnamese study as saying that 44 percent of local LGBT students experienced stigma, discrimination and violence as a result of divergence from established gender norms. The study, which was released in 2012, was conducted among 581 participants who were 14-22 years old.

Transgender, lesbian and gay students reported higher rates of victimization, 55 and 47 percent respectively, it said.

A more recent survey in 2014 found nearly half of LGBT people in Vietnam rated stigma at school as serious.

In both the 2012 and 2014 studies, respondents said they were also discriminated by teachers and school staff who insulted and unfairly rated their school papers and exams.

In their joint survey on gender-based violence at school in six provinces and cities around Vietnam, the education ministry and UNESCO found that 19% of polled students considered it was "harmless" to tease and bully their LGBT classmates.

Nearly 70% of parents surveyed by the Hanoi-based LGBT group iSEE said they would prohibit their children from being friends with their LGBT classmates.

They said they would ground or even beat their kids to enforce the prohibition.

For many young members of the community, discrimination comes from their own parents.

Bui Ky Nhan, an eleventh-grader, said after she came out as a trans girl five years ago, her parents took her to many psychiatrists to "cure the disease."

When all therapies ended in vain, they isolated her from her brother for fear that he would be infected.

Speaking to Thanh Nien, many activists and educators said Vietnamese schools need to introduce into their curriculum programs which raise awareness about sexuality and gender identity to fight discrimination.

Le Thanh Mai, a researcher at the Hanoi-based Vietnam Institute of Educational Sciences, said Vietnamese students lack knowledge about sex and reproductive health, let alone subjects such as homosexuality and transgender.

Schools can start with introducing LGBT-related contents into their lessons instead of waiting for the education ministry to do something, she said.

Nguyen Hiep Thong, vice director of Hanoi's education department, said the presence of counseling services at school can help eliminate stigma.

Deputy education minister Nguyen Vinh Hien also promised that sex education and counseling services will be introduced in new K-12 education program, when asked about how the government plans to address the issue.

However, with homophobia and transphobia still common among many teachers and school staff, the recommended solutions are still easier said than done.

In fact, Le Vu Hoang Minh, a member of iSEE, told Thanh Nien that his group has been approaching many local high schools, offering to organize seminars on LGBT.

Most of them turned that offer down.

Shrimp farming in Viet Nam: the search for sustainability

Profitable shrimp farming produced a rapid transformation in the quality of life for people in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta region, but the unplanned expansion in production has also had negative effects on the environment and domestic shrimp trade.

Due to its favorable natural conditions, farmers in coastal communes of the southern Ben Tre Province started to switch from rice cultivation to shrimp farming 15 years ago. The rapid success and high income that the industry ushered in pushed many local people to invest in this sector.

After a few years, Thanh Phuoc transformed from a poor commune into a wealthy locality, and the number of households with an annual turnover of more than US$50,000 increased rapidly.

Ngo Van Thu, a farmer in Thanh Phuoc Commune, said the land had not yet been exploited at that time, so the water resources were abundant and the clean environment supported the production.

Due to attractive profits, farmers in other areas of unfavourable natural conditions also did whatever it took to raise shrimp, including in Ben Tre, but the Ba Lai project area is filled with freshwater. Local people spontaneously drilled wells to bring in salt water and made ponds to raise shrimp.

The rapid growth of shrimp farming and poor infrastructure has led to disease outbreaks, shrimp kills and huge losses for farmers in many places.

Thu said he stopped farming for almost three years.

"The more I raised, the more money I lost," he said. Shrimp died of unknown causes."

Ngo Van Hung, Thu's brother, still tried his luck by raising shrimp two seasons last year, but lost over VND60 million ($2,700).

Similarly, the delta province of Tra Vinh, where the irrigation system is inefficient, experienced issues with diseased shrimp.

Huynh Phuoc Hai, a farmer in Kien Giang Province, said, "It's clear that the farming environment is being seriously polluted. Along one canal, many households scrambled for water, and when shrimps got diseases, they discharged the contaminated waste, making way for pathogens to disperse."

Vo Hong Ngoan, a long-term shrimp farmer in Bac Lieu Province, said because the environment was too polluted that so many farm owners utilise antibiotics for preventing diseases. Besides its prophylactic purpose, antibiotics overuse will increase cost of production and the seed source is no longer qualified."

According to statistics of relevant agencies, in the last two years, 32,000 tonnes of aquaculture (mainly shrimp) of Vietnamese companies were returned after they were imported because of antibiotic contamination.

In the first nine months of 2015, 38 foreign countries returned 582 batches of aquaculture products to Vietnamese providers for the same reason, stating that they would tighten the inspection of shrimp shipments from Viet Nam.

Ngoan said there are various types of antibiotics displayed for sale, but farmers are mostly unaware of their toxicological effects. On the other hand, processing factories keep buying shrimp without proper inspection, so farmers become negligent in utilising antibiotics.

Tran Quoc Tuan, director of the Industry and Trade Department of Tra Vinh Province, said he supported efforts to tighten the management of antibiotic use in shrimp farming and boost dissemination of information to farmers and processing companies.

He said state management agencies still have to make farmers aware of the risks, and companies must change their way of doing business by co-operating with farmers to build clean material areas. In doing so, the seed, farming methods, feeding and medicines will be strictly controlled in order to produce quality products, he said.

An Giang holds potential to play key role in Mekong Delta region

The Mekong Delta province of An Giang should accelerate its economic growth and climb to a high position in the region by 2020, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said during his working visit yesterday.

At the meeting, Phuc stressed that An Giang is one of the biggest provinces in the Mekong Delta, and it has made important contributions to the region and Viet Nam's development with specialties of rice and seafood.

To promote development, the Deputy PM instructed the province to enhance its Party Committee's leadership ability and State management efficiency; encourage democracy and discipline; exploit its economic strength; mobilise resources to develop agricultural cultivation; and create a foundation for trade, service, tourism and industry growth in order to improve local residents' living standards.

To reach such goals, Phuc suggested the province should focus on restructuring agriculture based on its strengths; promote start-up programmes; create a favourable environment to attract more resources for investment and development; implement deep research and studies in order to take advantage of integration in the future; and prepare to cope with climate change.

"Military and security forces are not allowed to let any unexpected situation happen in the province," he said.

To combat smuggling, the Deputy Primer Minister called upon local leaders to tighten and strengthen special task forces; increase co-operatation among related authorities and enhance supervision to eliminate bribery; crack down on smuggling gangs; define major smuggling fields and tricks; and mobilise people's strengths and clarify personal responsibility as part of the anti-smuggling mission.

In addition, the deputy prime minister urged the province to realise the Government's resolution No.16 on improving the business environment, local enterprises' competitiveness and administrative reform, as well as applying IT in administrative reform.

For petitions related to socio-economic development of the province, Deputy Prime Minister Phuc will assign relevant ministries and sectors to consider and decide.

Provincial leaders issued reports to the Deputy PM on their plans to tackle these issues and also said that smuggling is being controlled step by step.

According to Ho Viet Hiep, vice chairman of An Giang Province's People's Committee, the province's socio-economic situation developed well last year, meeting 17 out of 24 targets.

The rate of households living under the poverty line fell by 2.5 per cent.

The province had 13 communes that met the new-styled rural area standard - a set of criteria used to evaluate a rural area, such as transportation, lifestyle, agriculture and production - as of the end of 2015. The locality's export turnover was US$930 million last year, Hiep said.

In administration reform tasks, An Giang ranked 11th out of 63 provinces and cities nationwide, and ranked third out of 13 provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta.

Administration reform will be one of three main tasks of the province in upcoming years.

An Giang has performed well in the tasks of inspection and corruption prevention, and it will invest more on administrative reform, he added.

This year, the province's Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) is expected to increase 6.5 per cent, with a more than US$1 billion export turnover and a VND4.47 trillion (US$203 million) State budget income.

The province expects to cut the percentage of households living under the poverty line to 1.5 per cent, and aims for an additional six communes to meet the new-styled rural area standard.

Last year, authorities discovered 3,304 smuggled goods, an increase of 63 per cent in comparison with 2014. They confiscated the items and issued fines of VND18 billion (US$800,000) and brought 86 suspects to court, which is 36 more than the number prosecuted in 2014.

MARD pushes campaign to promote food hygiene

A publicity campaign on agricultural products safety in preparation for the upcoming Tet holiday, which falls on February 8, is underway across the country.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development campaign began last November, aimed at providing safe agricultural products for consumers and raising awareness of food safety and hygiene.

The ministry in co-ordination with Quality Management Department of Agricultural, Forestry and Aquatic Products has published a series of media products for producers and consumers during the three-month crackdown on food safety and hygiene.

Media products included video clips and leaflets that helped consumers realise the effects of unsafe food use and instructing farmers to use insecticides and veterinary drugs in their recommended dosages.

The campaign has been focused in key regions including Ha Noi, HCM City, and Dong Nai, Tien Giang, Bac Giang, Bac Ninh, Hai Duong, Hung Yen provinces which are big suppliers of agricultural products.

Ha Noi Police's Department of Environmental Crimes Prevention in co-ordination with city authorities discovered 436 food-safety related-cases last December.

On December 22, environmental police force seized about five tonnes of contaminated pork at an individual animal-product outlet in Dan Phuong district.

Nguyen Thi Ly, the owner of the outlet, failed to show valid papers for the meat and business licence.

Ly said she usually sold pork to food processing workshops and cheap restaurants.

The city authorities and police fined the owner and suspended the outlet's operations.

The city's Agriculture and Rural Development Department inspectors in co-ordination with police force examined Dao Duc Safe Vegetable Growing Co-operative, and found that it collected a huge amount of vegetables in neighbouring district's markets, even illegally imported Chinese products.

The co-operative, in Dong Anh District signed contracts to supply clean agricultural products to three big supermarkets in Ha Noi.

Inspectors fined the co-operative VND24 million (US$1,066).

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