Vietnam to issue international driving licences in August

The Directorate for Roads of Viet Nam will start to issue international driving licences in August.

Nguyen Thang Quan, head of the directorate's Vehicles and Drivers Management Department, told online newspaper VnExpress that the directorate was compiling a circular with instructions on issuing international driving licences.

The circular is expected to be completed by August. Under the decision, drivers can obtain the licence by paying a fee of VND135,000 (US$6.5) by wire transfer, he said.

The international driving licences will look like passports and will be available in various languages including English, French, Russian and Spanish. This international driving licence will be valid in 73 countries.

The Vienna Convention on Road Traffic is an international treaty designed to facilitate international road traffic and increase road safety by establishing standardised traffic rules amongst the participating parties.

The Convention was ratified at the United Nations Economic and Social Council's Conference on Road Traffic in Vienna in 1968. It came into effect on May 21, 1977. By August 2014, Viet Nam had ratified the convention.

Large bomb defused in Quang Binh

The Military Commander Board in the central province of Quang Binh's Tuyen Hoa district successfully defused a large bomb today.

The bomb, a war remnant measuring 1.8m in length and 0.85m in diameter, was located near the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

It was found buried in the ground by a family in Huong Hoa district's Tan Ap hamlet on Sunday, while they were building a house.

The family immediately called for help.

The board, in co-ordination with the provincial Mines Advisory Group, removed the bomb to a safe area and defused it.

Police seize 2,000 smuggled smartphones, tablets

Police seized 2,000 smartphones and tablets illegally transported by a pickup vehicle on a stretch of National Highway 1A in the central Nghe An Province's Quynh Luu District this morning.

The smart phones and tablets were sophisticatedly hidden inside the pickup's coachwork.

Nguyen Van Ngan, the owner of the goods, failed to show valid documents to show the place of origin of the smartphones and tablets, the police said.

Ngan and the pickup's driver have been remanded in custody for further investigation.

Transport Ministry announces establishment of electronic tolls

Electronic toll collection systems (ETCs) will be installed on a trial basis in at least one lane of the three tolls across the National Highway No1 and part of Ho Chi Minh Highway.

This was announced by the Deputy Minister of Transport, Nguyen Hong Truong, today.

The three tolls, which are located in the central Quang Binh and Nghe An provinces and on the Ho Chi Minh Highway, will use new technology for which drivers will no longer have to stop their vehicles and pay fees as in the current practice.

Drivers will also be issued an electronic tag (E-tag), which will be attached to the inside portion of the front windscreen of a vehicle, and denote an account. The tag will transmit a signal to the computer at the toll gantry as it approaches, and the toll will charge the account automatically, he said.

During the period of trial, the model for manual toll collection, which requires a toll collector to sell tickets and make an entry of the vehicles in the system, will also be maintained, Truong added.

The ETC technology will be applied at more than 35 tolls across the National Highway No1 and the Ho Chi Minh Highway if the pilot project is successful. The ministry also plans to replace manual tolls with the new system.

The ministry had assigned the TASCO Joint Stock Company and the Bank for Investment and Development of Viet Nam to implement the project, Truong added.

He further stated that the ETC would use the US Radio Frequency Identification system, which is the latest technology in the world. It is simple, involves low investment costs and has a quick identification speed. It can also save a lot of time for drivers, curb congestion when vehicles stop to pay the fees manually, and strengthen the State's management and help avoid losses.

A representative from TASCO JSC said the cost of building an ETC toll was much lower than the current toll as management agencies would no longer have to pay for ticket printing and toll collectors.

According to his estimation, the new system could save up to VND3.4 trillion (US$159 million) each year, compared with the current one.

Responding to a question on fees charged under the new system, Truong confirmed that the fees would remain the same.

Figures show spike in two infectious diseases

The number of cases of dengue fever, and hand, foot and mouth disease tends to increase in some areas in the country in January and February, said the health ministry.

The ministry has asked the People's Committees of provinces and cities to strengthen measures to prevent the occurrence of these diseases, Deputy Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said.

HCM City and the southern provinces have reported an increase in dengue fever cases, while the hand, foot and mouth disease is on the rise in Ha Noi, Hai Phong and the central province of Da Nang.

The ministry said that the disease may continue to spread in the future, if drastic measures are not taken at the beginning of the epidemic season.

According to the ministry's report, the country recorded more than 5,260 cases of dengue fever in 38 provinces and cities in the first two months of the year, including three deaths in the southern provinces of Dong Thap, Dong Nai and Long An. The number of infections increased 27 per cent compared with the same period last year.

The number of hand, foot and mouth disease cases reached more than 5,330, with two deaths in Dong Thap and Hau Giang provinces.

Dr Nguyen Nhat Cam, director of the Ha Noi Preventive Medicine Centre, said that since the beginning of the year, the city has recorded 230 hand, foot and mouth disease cases among children, mostly one to three years old, which is a marginal increase.

To prevent and minimise the number of cases and deaths, the health ministry has asked the authorities at all levels in provinces and cities to carry out measures, particularly in high-risk areas.

Health departments also need to strengthen inspections to detect infections early.

According to the ministry's request, the education and training sector needs to launch activities on prevention of these diseases in schools, especially in kindergartens.

Cham islanders to get electricity in October

About 2,600 people living in Cu Lao Cham (Cham Island), off the central Quang Nam Province's Hoi An City, are expected to be provided electricity in October.

The electrification will take place through a submarine cable system under a project implemented by the Electricity of Viet Nam (EVN).

The VND485-billion (US$22.7 million) project is funded by the State budget and EVN's Central Power Corporation. The industry and trade ministry approved the project in early February.

The project will include 15.5km of submarine cables, 30km of lines over land and eight transmission stations.

At a meeting held yesterday to kick off the project, Vice Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Dinh Van Thu ordered the local authorised agencies to provide favourable conditions to the project's investor and contractor in implementing it.

The Hoi An City authority has been asked to support the project in land clearance activities, he said.

Thu also required the central power corporation to quickly select a location to build an electricity operations centre on the island, which is about 18 km off Hoi An City.

The islanders currently get electricity for only six hours a day through diesel generators, which is costly and inadequate for meeting the needs of daily life and production activities.

Workshop on medical waste management launched

A one-day training workshop on medical waste management started yesterday in the northern province of Cao Bang as part of Project VIE/027 supporting health care policy for the poor in Cao Bang Province, under Viet Nam – Luxembourg Co-operation.

Another training workshop will kick off today in the northern province of Bac Kan.

The US$8 million project seeks to assist the provincial authorities to replace incineration of medical waste practices with green methods using autoclaving methods and waste recycling.

The Project VIE/ 027 co-operates with Health Ministry's Viet Nam Environment Health Management (VIHEMA) to develop a plan to strengthen capability of health staff in six district hospitals and 102 commune health centres.

Draft building law draws flak

A draft decree on building and upgrading apartments issued by the Ministry of Construction has been criticised by construction experts.

Nguyen Trong Ninh, deputy director of the Housing and Real Estate Market Management Department, which comes under the ministry, told Tien phong (Vanguard) newspaper the draft decree was set up to overcome obstacles in upgrading old apartment buildings by investors and landlords.

For instance, old apartment buildings that need upgrading are often in densely populated city centres where residents are not clearly aware of their rights and responsibilities during building upgrades.

"They often ask for too much compensation because they think that high profits are involved or do not co-operate during construction," said Ninh.

The draft decree proposes that the height of apartment buildings be only limited by structural constraints.

Investors claim that high apartment buildings ensure that residents can stay in their apartments if they do not want to move.

But Dao Ngoc Nghiem, deputy chairman of the Ha Noi Urban Planning and Development Association, said that the draft decree was contrary to the Law on Capital City passed by the National Assembly in 2012.

He said that compliance with the law meant that the inner city area in Ha Noi would have to reduce its population from 1.2 million to 800 thousand.

Therefore, Nghiem argued that raising the height of old buildings in city centres was against the law.

"The law is the country's strongest document, thus we should follow it by finding suitable measures," he said.

Le Van Lan, deputy chairman of the Ha Noi Association of Architects, said that raising the height of old apartment building to help investors raise funds was not recommended.

He also said that the State had regulations limiting population densities in city centres.

"If the ministry raises the height of buildings to satisfy investors, population density will increase and lead to traffic jams," he said.

Doctors urge correct use of medicines

The healthcare community, including medical staff and patients, should choose antibiotics more carefully, paying attention to the safety, origin and quality of medicines and avoiding overuse, doctors said at the 9th Asian Respiratory Tract Infections forum held in HCM City last weekend.

With a focus on urgent issues in managing lower respiratory tract infections, the forum attracted more than 350 doctors in the Asian region, including Viet Nam, to discuss challenges posed by antimicrobial resistance and the need to select the most appropriate antibiotic therapies.

Lower respiratory tract infections have become more prevalent, and there is growing evidence of an increasing proportion of community-acquired pneumonia cases being caused by drug-resistant bacteria in the past decade, both in adults and children, the forum heard.

Tran Van Ngoc, head of the Respirology Department of Cho Ray Hospital, said that "a report from the Asian Network for Surveillance of Resistant Pathogens showed that S. pneumonia, the common cause of community-acquired pneumonia, had resisted more than three antimicrobials with a proportion of 75.7 per cent in Viet Nam."

He added that "the overuse of antibiotics from both healthcare providers and patients, the inappropriate choice of low-quality antibiotics and the incorrect dosages of antibiotic usage have led to a serious increase in antibiotic resistance."

As a result, healthcare costs and the time needed for treatment had both risen.

Ngoc said there was a strong correlation between antibiotic abuse or misuse and the emerging resistance to major bacterial pathogens.

Therefore, surveillance of antimicrobial resistance and educational and campaign activities for appropriate use of antibiotics and vaccinations to prevent invasive pneumococcal disease are important steps for prevention and control of antimicrobial resistance, he said.

Le Thi Tuyet Lan, president of HCM City Society of Respirology, told the forum that "within the Asia Pacific region in general and Viet Nam in particular, the increasing resistance to many antibiotic classes has resulted in an increase in healthcare costs."

To solve the problem, participants shared their insights and experience on how to better use medicine.

They updated medical best practices in the management of pneumonia and acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive disease, as well as new advances in the management of challenging the diseases.

Jointly organised by HCM City Society of Respirology and the representative office of Bayer (South East Asia) Pte Ltd in HCM City, the forum is an annual event held in the Asia Pacific region.

Online social insurance transactions to commence from April

Enterprises in Viet Nam will start making online social insurance transactions from April 1, according to a decision issued by the Prime Minister recently.

The Viet Nam Social Security (VSS) and TS24 Corporation had signed an agreement last December, to use the iBHXH software developed by the latter firm to help facilitate online declarations of social and health insurance.

The software will support online declaration of social and health insurance procedures, and management of employees and records that have been declared. The software will also be promptly updated with any change in social and health insurance policies.

Currently, VSS has piloted the iBHXH network for use in social and health insurance declarations across 36 provinces and cities. So far, iBHXH had been provided to more than 30,000 enterprises.

With this new form, the time taken for administrative procedures in the social insurance sector will be reduced by 45 hours.

State agencies and social organisations joining the social insurance programme will use the software from the beginning of October this year to accelerate the reform of social security administrative procedures.

Under the directive of the government to promote administrative procedural reforms, the VSS has reduced the number of procedures from 263 to 111, to help people and businesses while working with social security agencies.

Two persons prosecuted for preparing fake documents

The police in the northern Bac Giang Province prosecuted two persons yesterday for allegedly preparing fake documents to receive benefits.

The two suspects being investigated are Do Van Tuyen, director of Luc Ngan District's Social Insurance Agency, and Le Van Minh, director of Luc Ngan District's Electromechanical Joint Stock Company.

Tuyen allegedly took VND123 million (US$5,760) as bribe from two 53-year-old men living in the district.

Then Tuyen asked Minh to illegally sign two documents to verify that the two local men had paid full social insurance for 20 years.

As per regulations, people receive a monthly pension from the Social Insurance Agency if they have paid full social insurance for 20 years.

The police are continuing their investigation in the case.

Train driver killed in crash with truck in central Vietnam

The driver of a train was killed when it hit a truck and derailed in central Vietnam on March 10, taking officials hours to clear the traffic.

Police said the southbound train crashed into the truck at a crossing in Quang Tri Province at around 10 p.m.

An investigator said the crossing does not have a barrier but has automatic warning signs, but the truck driver must have ignored that.

The collision was strong enough it smashed the train’s locomotive, killing the 53-year-old driver Le Van Phu, who was stuck inside.

Three other train passengers were injured and rushed to hospital. The driver of the truck, which was carrying rock, broke his legs and suffered spinal cord injuries.

The first three carriages derailed.

Do Thuy Hang, a train attendant on the second one, told news website VnExpress that she was chatting with some passengers when there was a loud bang.

“Everything tumbled, everyone was panicked.”

Hang was injured on her right arm.

Nearly 100 police officers and railway workers arrived at the site for rescue.

It took them until early Wednesday morning to tow all 14 the carriages with around 500 passengers to Quang Tri Railway Station, more than ten kilometers away.

They also had to pick up rock that fell from the truck.

An official said the province has provided the train driver’s family VND5 million (US$235) as initial support.

Police are investigating further.

Statistics from the Railway Authority at Vietnam’s Ministry of Transport showed that 70% of Vietnam’s railway accidents occur at crossroads, and in more than 80% of those cases, the roads were illegally and poorly built with no barriers or warning lights.

First faculty of Korean studies takes shape

Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Sciences and Humanities (HCMUSSH) on March 10 announced its decision to establish the faculty of Korean studies, the first of its kind in Vietnam.

Principal of the HCMUSSH Vo Van Sen said Korean studies was formerly a subject included in the Oriental Studies Faculty. This subject was made an independent faculty to meet the demand for human resources in the country’s socio-economic development process. Its key tasks are to teach and study the Korean language, and promote Vietnam-Korean relations, and socio-economic, politics and diplomacy development towards global integration.

Mr Sen said over the years, the sector has trained about 2,000 students to supply human resources to several Korean businesses in Vietnam. Particularly, many alumni have worked in trans-national companies and corporations in the Republic of Korea (RoK) and South East Asian nations.

The faculty of Korean studies has four major subjects, namely Korean language, Korean culture and society, Korean economics, politics and diplomacy, and Korean studies E-school.

Apart from these subjects, the faculty also has a Korean studies coordination centre. Associate Professor Phan Thi Thu Hien is now Head of the faculty.

British Council funds workshop in Hanoi

As many as 40 young Vietnamese and British scientists have registered to attend a workshop on Innovation in Chemical Engineering for Sustainable Environment set to take place on March 9-12 in Hanoi.

The event, titled Researcher Links 2015, is being co-organised by the British Council of Vietnam, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, and Newcastle University.

15 professors and scientists from 6 leading Vietnamese and UK universities of technology will join the workshop.

The four-day seminar will introduce 24 researches and the latest technology on 3 main  topics-industrial waste treatment, green energy conversion from chemical processes, and green chemistry and electrochemical process..

Newton Fund will also be introduced at the event. The new initiative is part of the science and technology development programme for the UK and Vietnam.

The fund will aid research and innovation activities regarding health care and life science, environmental improvement and energy security, future city development and digital creativity. British Council Vietnam will run the Newton Fund with more than GBP3 million for the period 2014-2018.

An additional 8,000 hectares of protection and production forests will be planted in northern mountainous Lao Cai province this year.

The province plans to focus on lowland districts and along newly built and upgraded highways, notably the Noi Bai – Lao Cai highway running through Tan An commune and Cam Duong commune.

The locality’s reforestation has been implemented through the active involvement of local relevant bodies and ethnic minority groups, said To Manh Tien, Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The work has greatly contributed to the forestry sector’s restructuring efforts, designed to improve local incomes and attract travellers, he added.

Planted forests cover almost 50,000 hectares and account for one fourth of the total forestry in Lao Cai. Local forest coverage has exceeded 50 percent thus far, particularly in Van Ban, Bao Yen and Bao Thang districts where forests areas make up 50-65 percent of all lands, a fourfold increase from 1995 coverage.-

Vietnam to help Cambodia train statistics experts

Vietnamese Minister of Planning and Investment Bui Quang Vinh agreed with Cambodia’s Minister of Planning Chhay Than on the need to develop human resources for Cambodia’s statistics sector.

At the sixth ministerial-level meeting between the two countries’ planning ministries in Hanoi on March 10, the two ministers also agreed to upgrade the portal on the development triangle between Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

The ministers expressed satisfaction at the implementation of a cooperation minute signed between the two ministries last year.

They appreciated the work of technical teams from the two ministries in calculating the production values of some provinces in Cambodia and the efforts made by working groups from both sides in drawing up major points in the “Connecting two economies” draft under the direction of the two countries’ prime ministers.

The two ministers briefed each other on economic development in their respective countries.

They noted that Vietnam has so far invested 49.6 million USD in 128 projects in Cambodia, while Cambodia runs three investment projects in Vietnam. Two-way trade is expected to reach 5 billion USD this year.

The ministries signed the meeting’s minutes which outlined measures needed to boost cooperation activities in 2015.

Ministry conducts vaccination inspections nationwide

The Ministry of Public Health has established 11 working groups to supervise the implementation of the vaccination drive at all levels and localities as part of efforts to improve the programme’s efficiency.

Accordingly, the inspection will be carried out in the northern provinces of Thai Nguyen, Cao Bang, Ninh Binh, Hung Yen, Hai Duong, Hai Phong, Bac Ninh, Vinh Phuc and the capital city Hanoi; the central provincial localities of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Phu Yen, Binh Dinh and Khanh Hoa; the Central Highlands provinces of Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak and Dak Nong; and the southern localities of Can Tho, Vinh Long, Hau Giang, Tien Giang, Long An, Binh Phuoc, Binh Duong, Dong Nai and Ho Chi Minh City.

The groups will focus on supervising free and full-cost inoculation programmes and the results of the expanded measles-rubella vaccination campaign.

The Ministry stated that the national free vaccination programme to prevent communicable diseases has been organised in all provinces and cities nationwide with 35-40 million inoculations provided and benefiting 1.6 million newborn babies.

About 19 million children have received measles-rubella shots since 2014, the ministry noted, adding that thanks to the programme, Vietnam has successfully eradicated neonatal paralysis and tetanus and drastically lowered fatalities as a result of infectious diseases.

To cope with recent vaccine shortages in full-cost inoculation programmes, the ministry rolled out long-term measures including promoting the domestic production of vaccines, and asking producers to increase the number of imported vaccines.

It also required State medical establishments offering full-cost vaccination services to use vaccines similar to those used in the national free campaigns in order to facilitate access.

Experts from the World Health Organisation said that all vaccines used in Vietnam, including those produced in-country, are safe for users.

Luxembourg supports Vietnam to improve surgical capacity

The Prime Minister has approved a project to improve surgical capacity to manage tuberculosis-related and other pulmonary diseases in Vietnam funded by Luxembourg’s Official Development Assistance (ODA).

The project aims to advance the country’s surgical system capacity in a bid to meet increasing demand for lung cancer treatment and to support the national tuberculosis and pulmonary prevention and treatment programme through 2020.

The initiative is scheduled to be implemented from 2015 to 2018 and supervised by the Ministry of Health (MOH)

The project has total investment of over 2.3 million EUR with 2 million EUR in non-refundable aid from the government of Luxembourg.

The Prime Minister has requested the MOH to coordinate with relevant authorised bodies to carry out the project in accordance with regulations on managing and using ODA and other concessionary sponsorship funds.

Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Le Hoang Quan and Mayor of the Netherlands’ Rotterdam city Ahmed Aboutaleb signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a cooperative programme on climate change from 2015-2018 on March 10.

The MoU aims to maintain and intensify existing cooperation between the two cities in climate change adaptation over the next three years. Given the progress both cities have made in implementing response strategies and Rotterdam’s participation in the 100 Resilient Cities Initiative, the two sides will work to organise exchanges between their sectors, agencies and institutes.

They will share experiences in applying climate change response measures, designing plans and attracting public involvement. Rotterdam will discuss the development of its resilience strategy, including assessing the vulnerability of important infrastructure facilities.

At the signing ceremony, Quan said that the “Ho Chi Minh City - moving towards the sea with climate change adaptation” programme is the city’s top priority and Rotterdam’s involvement and expertise in the area is critical.

Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb, in turn, pledged to connect experts from the two cities to generate ideas for effectively completing projects and attracting investment in the field in Ho Chi Minh City.-

Tay Ninh alerted to forest fire risk

The southern province of Tay Ninh has put five areas on high fire alert as long-lasting heat threatens the locality’s 60,000 hectares of forests.

The warned areas include “khop” forests along road No. 791 from Border Station 833 in Tan Binh commune to the Xa Mat international border gate along the Vietnam-Cambodia border line; the Chang Riec historical-cultural forest; the forests on either side of road No. 792 along the Vietnam-Cambodia border; planted forests in Tan Thanh and Tan Hoa communes; and Ba Den Mountain.

Additionally, Tay Ninh is focused on protecting more than 5,300 hectares of artificial forests in Chau Thanh, Ben Cau, and Duong Minh Chau districts located near residential areas.

It also assigns officers and locals to monitor the forests around the clock.

According to Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Ta Van Dao, no fires have been recorded so far this year thanks to well-organised and executed preparations and precautions.-

The southern province of Dong Nai is experiencing labour shortages with only 3,000 people seeking employment at the 84 th job fair, below the demand for 3,200 labourers for the 44 enterprises at the event.

A representative from the Saigon Textile and Garment Export Import Joint Stock Company said that although the company had no limits on the number of labourers it wanted to recruit with a starting income of 5 million VND (234.5 USD) per month, it only received tens of CVs.

Enterprises have a significant demand for labourers to expand their businesses, said Lam Thanh Thu, vice director of the a job introduction centre said, adding that their efforts to attract workers have been unsuccessful due to the limited labour supply.

Of the total needed workforce, 88 percent of the demand is unskilled labourers, 8 percent is technical workers and the remaining are college and university graduates.-

Trade union to promote workers rights

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has asked the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) to increase its coordination with the Government to better care for workers and protect their legitimate rights and interests including accommodations, living conditions and wages.

The two sides need to work together to address enterprise wage and insurance debts while co-organising movements among trade unions to develop production, business, and improve the living standards of members, he said.

The Prime Minister made the request at a working session with VGCL officials in Hanoi on March 10 to evaluate bilateral coordination in 2014 and determine key 2015 tasks.

He suggested the two sides increase cooperation in building and popularising policies and legal documents in the field as well as handling petitions and urgent matters raised by workers more effectively.

Chairman of the VGCL Dang Ngoc Tung confirmed that the confederation will work closely with the Government to actively contribute to national construction, development and protection.

The VGCL aims to increase its membership to 10 million by 2018 from the 8 million at present.

ADB assists in Green Urban development

Chairman of the Thue Thien-Hue People’s Committee met with a Chief Specialist of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) regarding the Urban Development type II- Green City infrastructure project on March 10.

The project was planned to be implemented in Ha Giang, Vinh Phuc, and Thua Thien-Hue province with an initial investment of 1 million USD. ADB provided 800,000 USD of the initial capital injection under a non-refundable scheme.

It was set to have been carried out from January 2014 to February 2015, however due to changes in aid criteria of ADB projects, funding allocated to the project were adjusted to over 2.3 million USD.

Accordingly, the ADB will still contribute 800,000 USD, but with an additional 1 million USD from the Urban Climate Change Resilience Trust Fund (UCCRTF) under the Urban Financing Partnership Facility (UFPF) of the ADB, 300,000 USD from the Water Financing Partnership Facility (WFPF) under the Netherlands Trust Fund (NTF), and the remaining balance will be provided by the government of Vietnam.

And, the duration of the project was also adjusted, expectedly starting in March 2016. These adjustments were approved by the Prime Minister in Decision 2331/QD- TTg dated December 23, 2014. At the meeting, the ADB official Sofia, said the bank has established a disbursement mechanism consistent with the bank’s loan policies and ensuring efficient project implementation with special attention to the quality of technical infrastructure for building the Green City. In return, Chairman of the People's Committee of Thua Thien-Hue Nguyen Van Cao lauded the cooperation and assistance of the ADB and pledged to direct authorised bodies to carry out the project as scheduled.

The province aims to have 95 percent of its land area considered urban, 70 percent of industrial parks using water treatment systems, 100 percent of medical waste collected and treated to meet environmental standards, and to provide 5 square metres of public green land area per person by 2020.-

Can Tho Catholics Solidarity Committee launches 2015 plans

The Committee for Solidarity of Vietnamese Catholics (CSVC) of the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho held a meeting on March 10 to review the patriotic movement among the community and launch plans for 2015.

At the meeting, priest Phan Dinh Son, Chairman of the CSVC-Can Tho chapter reported that Catholic dignitaries and followers in the region implemented numerous practical measures in response to the patriotic movement to promote economic development, reduce poverty, and ensure social order and safety in residential areas.

In 2015, the CSVC-Can Tho chapter, together with Catholic dignitaries will continue to promote the patriotic movement among the Catholic community in the region, Tran Duc Hieu, Vice Chairman of the CSVC-Can Tho chapter stated.

In addition, it will gather and reflect legitimate aspirations of Can Tho city’s Catholic people and organisations to the Vietnam Fatherland Front.

The committee plans to hold a conference to honour good examples among the Catholic community in the third quarter of 2015.

Catholicism constitutes the second largest religious community in Vietnam, behind Buddhism (over 12 million), with 5.7 million followers, followed by Hoa Hao (1.4 million), Cao Dai (808,000), Protestantism (734,000), Islam (73,000), and Brahmanism (56,000).

Two arrested for illegally transporting Vietnamese to China

Police in the northern mountainous province of Son La has taken into custody two locals for illegally transporting 26 Vietnamese people to China.

The arrestees are Pham Van Ngoc-a passenger bus driver and 32-year-old To Van Dung, a resident from the Huy Ha commune, Phu Yen district.

Initially, Dung told police he had asked each person to deposit between VND3.5 million and VND4.5 million. Within a short period of time, the accused had successfully gathered 26 people, including 12 women, and earned hundreds of millions of dong in the process.

He later hired Ngoc to transport these people to a trail in Chi Lang district, Lang Son province and waited for the right time to help them flee to China.

The provincial police are conducting further investigations to gather more incriminating evidence against the accused.

VEF/VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/Dantri/VIR