Police arrest hit-and-run truck driver

Police in this central province have arrested a truck driver who fled the scene of an accident in Vạn Hà Township that killed a mother and her child yesterday morning.

Trần Văn Long, head of Thiệu Hóa District’s Traffic Police Department, said the police had sucessfully tracked down the truck driver several hours after he fled the scene. Lê Xuân Công, 32, a local resident of Yên Định District’s Định Công Commune, had been speeding in his truck at 10am yesterday when he hit the motorbike carrying two people.

Trương Thị Thanh, 37, and her seven-year-old daughter died on the scene. Công fled the scene right after the accident occured.

Fires, explosions falls in first quarter

In the first three months of the year, 121 fires, three-fourth of the number during the same period last year, occurred, injuring nine people.

The fires caused damages estimated at VNĐ54 billion (US$2.5 million), a reduction of VNĐ272 billion ($12.5 million) over the same period last year. However, 28 cases were not included in the estimate.

The main cause of fires in HCM City is carelessness by users, accounting for 80 per cent of the total cases, Colonel Trần Thanh Châu, deputy director of the city Department of Fire Prevention and Fighting, said at a press conference held on Friday.

He said there were no explosions during the period but warned against indiscriminate burning of vegetation and garbage, which has caused many major fires, especially during hot weather.

During the period, there were 403 fires caused by burning of vegetation and garbage, an increase of 56 per cent compared to last year.

Firefighters rescued nine people and discovered the bodies of 11 people who had died during fires in 27 rescue events, a reduction of 14 over the same period last year.

The department also conducted fire-prevention investigations at 18,245 organisations, enterprises, apartments and residential areas. They found that half of them were at risk of explosions or fires.

Inspectors found 1,914 violations and handed out 1,703 fines totalling VNĐ1.9 billion ($85,000).

The department has organised 2,137 firefighting and prevention training courses for nearly 43,000 people, and held 82 specialised training courses for 4,658 of 8,000 members of 461 new local fire-fighting and prevention 461 teams.

More than 3,700 fire-fighting rehearsals were organised, and education about fire-prevention was widely promoted in mass media.

Vietnam offers sympathy to India over firework accident

Vietnam was very sad about the recent firework-related accident in India’s southern Kerala state which claimed hundreds of lives and injured dozens of others, stated Foreign Ministry Spokesman Le Hai Binh on April 10.

“We share the sorrow and great losses of the Indian Government, people and families of the victims,” Binh said in reply to reporters’ query on Vietnam’s response to the explosion.

The spokesperson noted that t he Ministry of Foreign Affairs has instructed the Vietnamese Embassy in India to promptly verify whether there are any Vietnamese victims in the accident.

The embassy announced that there has been no information on damage to Vietnamese citizens so far, he added.

The same day, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh extended his condolences to Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj over the losses caused by the accident.

Chinese ships chased from VN waters

Việt Nam’s maritime force chased six Chinese fishing vessels out of its waters in the central province of Quảng Bình, the municipal border defence force confirmed yesterday.

At about 8.45am on Thursday, Quảng Bình border guards detected six Chinese vessels fishing in waters only about 19 nautical miles to the east of the Nhật Lệ river gate, deep inside the territorial waters of the province.

The location of the group of Chinese vessels was also far from the Sino-Việt Nam joint fishing zone boundary, some 19 nautical miles to the west. This shows that the Chinese ships were out of international waters and intruding in Vietnamese waters.

In the afternoon two maritime force vessels approached multiple Chinese ships sharing the name Qiong Dan Yu but with different identifying numbers. Twenty-eight Chinese fishermen were found on the vessels, without any legal documents regarding the ships or the men.

The border guards immediately asked all the fishing vessels to sail out of Vietnamese waters.

The incident followed the seizure of a Chinese vessel disguised as a fishing boat  which allegedly intruded in Vietnamese waters in the Gulf of Tonkin last Thursday. The Chinese vessel was illegally carrying some 100,000 litres of diesel oil.

Environmental protection contest opens

The Việt Nam Environment Administration and FrieslandCampina have announced a competition called “Creation for Environment” they organise at Amsterdam school in Hà Nội.

Held as part of the “For a Vietnamese Green Environment” programme, the competition is meant to improve school students’ awareness of protecting the environment and nurture their ideas about it.

The organisers said soon the competition would be taken to other schools in the capital.

“For a Vietnamese Green Environment” is a joint programme by FrieslandCampina and the environment agency to improve people’s awareness of protecting environment through competitions and educational events.

It also encourages organisations and individuals to develop programmes for protecting the environment.

Ola.vn fined for promoting depravity

The Ministry of Information and Communications has decided to fine MicroGame Software Service Corporation as an administrative penalty for promoting a culture of depravity.

The company was fined VNĐ50 million for the violation by the ministry.

The company’s ola.vn website displays obscene content that runs contrary to the morals, habits and customs of the nation.

The company’s site administrator has already shut down the website for “maintenance.”

$641m ODA proposed to build Tân Phú-Bảo Lộc Expressway

The Project Management Board No.1 has proposed the Ministry of Transport should increase funding for the Tân Phú-Bảo Lộc Expressway in the Central Highland province of Lâm Đồng.

In the proposal sent to the ministry, the management board said the Tân Phú-Bảo Lộc Expressway was part of the Dầu Giây-Liên Khương Highway. The board urged the ministry to allocate more than VNĐ14.3 trillion (US$641 million) from the Japanese government’s official development assistance (ODA) fund to build the expressway.

The expressway is 66 kilometres long and 17 metres wide, accommodating four lanes with a designed speed of 100kph.  

As planned, the project’s total investment capital is more than VNĐ17.2 trillion ($771 million). Of which, over VNĐ14.3 trillion ($641 million) will come from the ODA fund, while the rest comes from the Vietnamese government.

The results of the management board’s survey showed that there were currently some 7,240 cars running on National Highway 20, the main highway connecting Đồng Nai and Lâm Đồng Province.

The flow of vehicles is too heavy for the route, even though the highway has been repaired and upgraded many times. The Tân Phú-Bảo Lộc section was the most dangerous part, with slopes creating a hazard for road users.

The management board said it would complete the report on the feasibility of the project and send it to the ministry by the second quarter of this year if it received approval for the extra funding.

It also said the Japan International Cooperation Agency had initially shown interest in the project.

Vietnam may borrow US$185 million from Japan to build bridge in the Mekong Delta

A government agency managing transport projects in the Mekong Delta has sought the Ministry of Transport's permission to borrow around 20 billion Japanese yen (US$185 million) from Japan to build a new bridge in the region, local media reported April 9.

The official development assistance loan accounts for 80% of the estimated cost of the 4.05-kilometer bridge crossing the Tien River, the Projects Management Unit No.7 under the Directorate for Roads of Vietnam was cited as saying in its proposal.

It will be the second cable-stayed bridge to link Tien Giang and Vinh Long provinces, after Australia-funded My Thuan Bridge, which was opened to traffic in 2000, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment's news website Dau Tu.

About 1.1 kilometer from the existing bridge with six traffic lanes, the proposed bridge is expected to help reduce My Thuan's congestion risks when it goes into operation, it said.

Latest figures from the finance ministry showed Vietnam will need around VND1,000 trillion (US$44.52 billion) for transport projects over the next five years, and the government can take care of less than 29%.

National Tourism Year invites visitors to discover southern land

Phu Quoc Island and the Mekong Delta feature heavily in the promotional activites for National Tourism Year 2016, which officially kicked off on April 10 under the theme “Discover the Southern Land”.

This year’s event aims to popularise cultural and natural beauty along with the unique features of Phu Quoc, dubbed the “Pearl Island”, and the Mekong Delta.

The opening ceremony on the island in Kien Giang province was attended by culture and tourism officials from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines, along with representatives of international organisations in Vietnam.

In his speech, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said tourism had developed over the three decades of “doi moi” (reform) and contributed to the country’s growth, helped boost other sectors and fostered cultural exchange and cooperation with other nations.  

The tourism industry in Vietnam has potential due to the diversity of natural landscapes and rich culture in the nation, he said.

Kien Giang and 12 other Mekong Delta localities should develop the marine and island tourism sectors. Phu Quoc Island should become a national and international tourism hub to help drive local development, he added.

A fireworks display wrapped up the opening ceremony of National Tourism Year 2016.

Photo exhibition on Laos opens in Nghe An

An exhibition of photographs entitled “A Beautiful Laos” opened in Vinh city, Nghe An central province on April 10.

The 140 photos on display were taken by journalist Tran Duy Ngoan, the former director of the Nghe An Radio and Television station (NTV).

They feature vivd and genuine images of Laos , a country known as the land of a million elephants or the country of the champa (Lao’s national flower).

Ngoan has had a strong attachment to Laos for many years. He spent two years with Vietnam Television (VTV) and NTV producing a 50-episode documentary about Laos , a project to mark the 2012 Vietnam-Laos Friendship and Solidarity Year .

The exhibition, which will last until April 16, is part of activities to celebrate the Laos ’ Bunpimay traditional New Year.

After the exhibition closes, Ngoan will present his work to the University of Vinh , where a number of Lao students are studying.

Vietnam takes part in tourism expo in Canada

The Vietnamese booth at the 22nd annual Travel and Vacation Show in Ottawa, Canada, attracted crowds of international and local visitors during the two-day event on March 9 and 10.

The booth run by the Vietnamese Embassy in Canada showcased maps and publications on the country’s tourism attractions and products, alongside unique handicrafts such as “non la” (palm-leaf conical hat), bamboo dragonfly and rattan goods.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Canada To Anh Dung said a mere 100,000 thousand Canadian holidaymakers travel to Vietnam every year, and taking part in promotion events like this show will help attract more visitors from the north American country to Vietnam.

The Ottawa Travel and Vacation Show is the biggest tourism exhibition in Canada.

This year, the event housed more than 200 stands from over 50 countries around the world and saw the participation of about 17,000 visitors.

Hanoi hosts Global Volunteering Day 2016

Over 200 international volunteers from 20 countries and territories joined Vietnamese youngsters in the 2016 Global Volunteering Day (GVD) which opened in Hanoi on April 9.

The annual event, held by the Volunteers for Peace Vietnam Club in collaboration with British Council Vietnam and the Centre for Sustainable Development Studies, aims at connecting Vietnam’s youth volunteering movements with international movements, promoting volunteer programmes in Vietnam and facilitating youth and community development.

Following the success of the five previous GVD editions, this year’s event under the theme ‘Active Citizens – Peaceful Engagement – Sustainable Living’ brings international cultural exchanges to young people and also offers them opportunities to learn about volunteer projects and make exchanges with active citizens around the globe.

Speaking at the opening, deputy director of British Council Vietnam Ian Robinson stressed that amid the current wave of global integration and ongoing national development, there are many social problems that countries around the world have to face. In this context, social initiatives, including volunteering activities contribute to addressing these challenges.

Under the active citizen programme by the British Council together with local partners in Vietnam, over 2,000 young people have benefited from training programmes and 17 social projects have been supported through the initiative, Robinson said, adding that GVD 2016 gives young people the opportunity to experience active citizenship and see the positive impact that the programme has brought about.

With three major contents, including I & Me – targeting self- improvement, I & You – experiencing cultural exchange and the stage, and I & Community – a gallery sharing volunteer opportunities at home and abroad, GVD 2016 provides a diverse range of volunteering activities to help young people improve themselves and contribute to community activities.

Border guards bust cross-border drug trafficking rings

A Lao man carrying 200 synthetic drug pills and three grammes of heroin was arrested in Na Meo commune, Quan Son district, the central province of Thanh Hoa on April 9.

On April 9, the 41-year-old trafficker took advantage of the Na Meo fair, which takes place on every Saturday and gathers a large number of Lao visitors, to transport the drugs into Vietnam.

He was part of a ring trafficking drugs from Laos to Vietnam, which has been on local border guards’ radar.

Previously, on April 7, another Lao drug smuggler was caught red-handed in Laos’ Khammouane province’s Thakhek district. This was part of a joint investigation between the border force in the central province of Quang Binh, the Vietnamese high command of border guard’s department of drug and crime prevention, and the police force in Khammouane province.

The man was arrested while seeking ways to bring 30,000 pills of methamphetamine into Vietnam. He admitted that the drugs were bought from foreign countries.

Both cases are under further investigation.

Seminar looks into recovery from post-war bomb aftermath

A seminar to seek ways to recover from the aftermath of post-war bombs and mines was held in the central province of Binh Dinh on April 8.

Hosted by the Steering Committee for the National Mine Action Programme (Programme 504), the event attracted nearly 1,000 young people, public security and armed forces, and local victims of bombs and mines.

Deputy Defence Minister Nguyen Chi Vinh, head of the committee, called for raising public awareness of how to prevent bomb and mine accidents.

According to the committee, Vietnam is one of the countries suffering the most severe pollution from bombs, mines and explosives.

During the wars, France used nearly 93,000 bombs while the US spread more than 15.3 million tonnes of explosives, 251,500 tonnes were poured into Binh Dinh.

Statistics showed that as of late 2013, nearly 116,000 nationwide were killed and injured by bombs and mines. In Binh Dinh alone, 1,782 were dead and more than 1,000 were wounded.

In evening the same day, a contest on bomb accident prevention took place at the Quy Nhon University.

Art performance honours naval soldiers

A music and dance performance encouraging naval soldiers who live far from home took place in Hanoi on April 9.

The programme, broadcast live on VTV1 channel, saw the presence of National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.

Entitled “Spring – Family – Islands”, the event featured singing and dancing by famous artists, including Trong Tan, Anh Tho and Thanh Thuy.

Among the songs performed were Tinh ta bien bac dong xanh (Our Love, Silver Sea, Green Fields), Mua Xuan den roi do (Spring has come) and Thu tinh nguoi linh bien (The love letter of a naval soldier).

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Vuong Duy Bien highlighted the significance of the programme, saying it aims to connect the islands and the mainland, soldiers who are working far from home to protect the national sovereignty and their families.

It also raises people’s awareness of the role, strategic and great potential of Vietnam’s waters while praising patriotism as well as the beauty and value of the seas and islands, he added.

On the occasion, NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan presented 20 savings books, each worth 10 million VND, to outstanding naval, border and maritime police officers and soldiers.

Vietnam’s external policies reviewed in Singapore forum

Vietnam’s relations with big countries, achievements and challenges in its diplomatic policy of multilateralisation and diversification, 30 years since its renewal, were featured at the Vietnam Forum 2016 held in Singapore on April 8.

Scholars discussed the development of the Vietnam – US, Vietnam – China and Vietnam - India ties, including sea-related issues, as well as ties with neighbouring Laos and Cambodia.

The country’s comprehensive and strong economic integration process, including the ties with the European Union via the free trade agreement, also received attention.

Participants shared the view that the bilateral relations with the said countries, particularly with the US and China, are significant to shaping Vietnam’s diplomatic policy.

They took note of the strengthened strategic trust between Vietnam and the US recently, which created prerequisites and a foundation for bilateral links not only in the economy, science-technology and trade-investment, but also in national defence and military affairs.

Talking to Vietnam News Agency reporters on the sidelines of the event, researcher Phuong Nguyen from the US’s Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said US President Barack Obama’s up-coming visit to Vietnam underscores the core value of building bilateral strategic trust. She added that the visit would be a good chance for the two countries to show their seriousness in further tightening their cooperation.

Le Hong Hiep from the organiser ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute said with flexibility and creativity, Vietnam can maintain its peaceful and stable environment, given its increasingly enhanced position in the region.

Rajeev Ranjan Chaturverdy from the National University of Singapore’s Institute of South Asia said India is helping Vietnam strengthen its power since both sides support a diplomatic policy of independence.

India’s greater involvement in Vietnam will help the latter considerably improve its economic and national defence capabilites, he said.-

Vietnamese cultural week wraps up in Argentina

The Vietnamese Cultural Week in Argentina has wrapped up in the capital city of Buenos Aires with a string of attractive activities.

The event, jointly organised by the Vietnamese Embassy in Argentina and the Argentina-Vietnam Cultural Institute (ICAV) from April 1-9 at La Boussole Club, introduced to Argentine friends the land and people of Vietnam as well as its unique culture and cuisine.

Many Vietnamese famous and award wining movies such as “Canh dong hoang” (Abandoned Field), “Dung dot” (Don’t Burn) were screened at the event, receiving warm response from local audiences.

Vietnam’s history, traditional customs and beautiful landscapes were presented while local gastronomists had a chance to taste well-known Vietnamese dishes such as Pho (noodles) and nem (spring-roll).

A representative from the La Boussole Club hoped that such event will be held regularly to boost cultural exchanges between the two countries.

Japanese cultural event held in Bac Giang

A Japanese cultural event was held in the northern province of Bac Giang on April 9 by Japanese enterprises in collaboration with the provincial People’s Committee.

Lai Thanh Son, Vice Chairman of the Committee, said the event would contribute to tightening the cooperation between Japanese enterprises and investors and the authorities and people of Bac Giang.

He said he hopes for more similar event and meetings to be organised to boost mutual understanding towards the formation of the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Association in the province as well as the establishment of cooperation between Bac Giang and Japan’s localities.

Naya Setsuo, on behalf of the organisers, said the event aims to promote the images of Japan and its people, boost understanding of culture between the two nations, and discover cooperation potential.

It includes performances of musical instruments, Japanese traditional martial arts, Japanese tea-drinking art, the art of flower arrangement, the art of paper folding and wrapping and Japanese calligraphy, alongside a film screening and a food court.

Products of Japanese enterprises and AEON hypermarket were also on display at the event.

Scientific forum attracts international students to HCM City

One hundred students from across the region took part in an international scientific forum that ended in Ho Chi Minh City on April 9.

The participants include 35 students from Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, China, Japan, Singapore and Thailand.

Staring on April 6, their forum revolved around topics such as creativity and scientific research, voluntary work, occupations and star-ups, climate change and environmental protection.

Participants exchanged experience and put forth initiatives to deal with regional issues, thus enhancing solidarity between students in the region.

Leader of the municipal student association Lam Dinh Thang said these topics are practical to the development of the southern city.

According to him, the organisation board will work to apply suitable proposals collected from the forum in addressing local problems. They will disseminate scientific research experience learned from regional students to improve the activity in Vietnam.

As part of the forum, foreign delegates toured historical sites and science and technology centres in Ho Chi Minh City.

Mekong Delta seeks effective waste water treatment

Vietnamese and German experts gathered at a workshop in Can Tho city on April 8 to seek effective models for waste water treatment at industrial parks in the Mekong Delta.

Professor, Doctor Karl Ulrich Rudolph from the German Ministry of Education and Research underlined the positive outcomes of a joint project between the two countries on developing measures for sewage treatment at industrial zones, called AKIZ in short, which has been under way since 2010.

With a total budget of over 10 million EUR (11.4 million USD) and the participation of 17 Vietnamese and German universities and research institutes, the project was piloted at Tra Noc Industrial Park in Can Tho, producing eco-gas as fuel from waste mud and recovering valuable substances during the waste treatment process.

Participants looked at the latest inventions in designing and operating industrial waste water treatment systems as well as new technologies to detoxify wastewater and recover energy and valuable materials from industrial sewage and sludge.

Applicable models and solutions are expected to be duplicated across the Mekong Delta in the coming time, they said.

Associate Professor Tran Kim Tinh from Can Tho University said Vietnam is home to 304 industrial parks, including 206 active ones. Two thirds of which, however, have problems in waste water treatment, causing environmental pollution and affecting local lives.

The Mekong Delta has a complex waterway topography and local livelihood depends on those rivers. Therefore, contamination caused by untreated waste water from industrial parks will result in huge environmental and economic losses for people.

To that end, the duplication of effective models to treat wastewater at industrial parks in the delta is urgent, he stressed.

Woman arrested for colluding with African men in online love scam

Police in the southern province of Tay Ninh have arrested a local woman accused of colluding with three African men to swindle 80 Vietnamese women out of nearly US$70,000 in total.

Nguyen Thi Thuy Trang, 29, reportedly confessed to the crime and admitted that her gang preyed on Vietnamese women online.

Initial investigation found Trang was working in Malaysia when she met an Vietnamese woman from Haiphong City, whose remains at large.

The woman introduced Trang to three African men and they came up with online scams to con Vietnamese women. The men's nationalities have not been confirmed.

Nguyen Thi Thuy Trang, 29, has been accused of colluding with some African men to con dozens of Vietnamese women.

The gang created Facebook and Skype accounts to befriend Vietnamese women, pretending to be rich foreign men looking for a girlfriend.

They promised to send the victims valuable gifts.

In Vietnam, the Haiphong woman would call the victims, claiming that she was a customs officer and demanded them to transfer money in order to receive the gifts.

Trang was responsible of receiving the money for a fee of 10%. The other members got the rest.

Police have identified at least 80 victims who were tricked into sending a total of VND15 billion (US$673,000) and nearly US$24,000.

They are investigating the case.

Many HCM City apartment buildings fail fire safety checks

At least 12 new apartment buildings and several older ones have not met fire safety requirements, putting thousands of lives at risk, according to Ho Chi Minh City's Firefighting Department.

The agency released the information on April 8 after inspecting 645 buildings with more than 10 stories in the city.

Deputy Director Tran Thanh Chau said notably 12 recently developed projects, with 740 units in total, did not meet safety standards.

All buyers have moved in, he said, naming 410, Hung Vuong, Bui Minh Truc, Kim Tam Hai, Thai An 3, Thai An 4 and Khang Gia among the buildings.

“We could not ask 3,000 residents to move out. We could only hand down strict punishment and order the developers to fix their buildings and make them safe from fire," he said.

Trung said for other decades-old buildings, repair works can be challenging.

"The solution is to equip such buildings with appropriate firefighting systems and raise the awareness of the residents," he said.

There have been 121 fires in the city so far this year, injuring nine people and causing damage worth about VND56 billion (US$2.5 million).

Vietnam to launch Saigon–Binh Duong train service with cheap fares

Passengers will be able to travel between two Vietnamese southern cities within less than an hour with appealing prices as a new railway route is slated for launch next week.

The state-owned Saigon Railways said on April 8 it will establish a temporary rail route between Ho Chi Minh City and the bordering province of Binh Duong, in a bid to reduce traffic congestion in both cities.

The new short-haul service will run from April 15 to June 30, pending the reconstruction of the Ghenh Bridge, the railway bridge whose collapse on March 20 disrupted the north-to-south train services, according to Saigon Railways.

There will be three round trips launched on the Ho Chi Minh City – Binh Duong on a daily basis.

Departures from Saigon Railway Station in Ho Chi Minh City are scheduled at 4:10 am, 5:10 am, and 4:30 pm, and 9:20 am, 12:08 pm, and 1:30 pm from Binh Duong’s Di An Station.

The train will pass such stops as Go Vap and Binh Trieu in Ho Chi Minh City and Song Than and Di An in Binh Duong, said Le Quoc Trung, deputy director of Saigon Railways.

It will take only about 40 minutes to travel between Ho Chi Minh City to Binh Duong by train, instead of an hour and a half by road, Trung noted.

Fares for the service are set at VND5,000 (US$0.224) per journey for passengers traveling less than two terminals, and VND10,000 (US$0.448) per journey for those passing more than three terminals.

Saigon Railways said the cheap fares are meant to encourage people to travel by train to reduce traffic jam.

Pork, buffalo meat sold as fake beef in Hanoi

Vietnamese authorities have said tests found a "considerable" amount of beef sold in Hanoi was actually pork and buffalo meat.

The National Food Safety and Hygiene Testing Institute took 109 samples of beef, beef sausageand other products at retail shops, supermarkets and pho noodle shops for testing.

Among 44 samples of beef, eight was pork and one was buffalo meat. Notably, tests found no beef in eight of 23 samples of beef sausage. The remaining samples contained “very low” content of beef.

Similar results were announced with other beef products. According to the institute, the processed products that had no or low content of beef still had the flavor and color of beef. It means the manufacturers used food additives and coloring.

It said local authorities should conduct further investigations to see if harmful additives and coloring were used.

Music show raises funds for people in drought-hit areas in Vietnam

A Tuoi Tre-backed fundraising music show was held in Ho Chi Minh City on April 8, raising a total of VND14 billion (US$625,000) to help people living in Vietnam’s drought-hit regions.

The donations are equal to one million cubic meters of fresh water for people in central provinces and southern Mekong Delta, which are affected by the worst drought and salinization in nearly a century.

The show, named “Ket Noi Yeu Thuong,” or “Connecting Love,” took place at the Sen Hong Stage in the city’s downtown area, with hundreds of audiences flocking to see performances by many famous artists.

“Ket Noi Yeu Thuong” was organized by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper in collaboration with the Ho Chi Minh City Performing Arts and Cinema Center and the Ho Chi Minh City Television Station.

Tuoi Tre has decided to launch the fundraising music show to share the hardship of people in the drought-hit areas, especially those in the Mekong Delta.

“Nine out of 13 provinces in Mekong Delta have declared drought disaster areas, and nearly 200,000 hectares of paddy field in the winter-spring crop have been destroyed,” Tang Huu Phong, editor-in-chief of Tuoi Tre, said in his opening speech at the event.

Phong therefore asserted that donations of people across the country to Tuoi Tre’s program are “huge support and encouragement for people in the drought and salinization affected areas during these difficult times.”

Tuoi Tre is still accepting donations the its headquarters at 60A Hoang Van Thu Street, Phu Nhuan District, Ho Chi Minh City.

Donors can also join another program launched by the newspaper in cooperation with the Vietnam Red Cross Society, the National Humanitarian Portal 1400, the Vietnam Digital Television VTC and the Vietnamese Ministry of Information and Communications.

During the program taking place from 0:00 on April 7 to midnight on June 5, every text message with the content ‘NC’ sent to ‘1407’ will equal a donation of VND14,000 (US$0.63), equivalent to one cubic meter of water for people in the drought-hit areas.

The event was the third show of the charity series with the two previous shows held in 2013 to support flood-hit areas in central Vietnam and victims of the super typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

Robocon Vietnam 2016 kicks off in HCMC

The qualifying round of the Robocon Vietnam 2016 in the Southern region officialy kicked off yesterday at Rach Mieu in Phu Nhuan District, HCMC with the participant of 19 robot teams from 4 universities and 1 intermediate school.

Accordingly, Hong Bang University has 6 robot teams, Tran Dai Nghia University with 3, Technology College 4, Industry University HCMC 3 and Hong Ha intermediate school 2.

19 teams joined in 2 rounds to select 8 teams to take part in the final round which is scheduled to take place in Ninh Binh. Each team has 2 robots with Eco robot and hybrid robot.

Mr. Shinjiro Kajikawa – Deputy Director of Toyota Vietnam as main sponsor for the contest said the contest themed “seeking clean energy” will help raise awareness from community to future energy source; encourage community in the effectiveness of energy savings in Vietnam.

Afterall, 8 excellent teams won the qualifying round to reach the final round in Ninh Binh in May including Tran Dai Nghia University, SV01; LH BIT; Hong Lac LHSEA; LH GE; LH ACE; LH F; LH FF Hong Lac University.

In the Northern region, the qualifying round will take place from April 11 to 16 with the attendance of 60 teams. The winning team will be attended the Robocon Asia Pacific which is expected to take place in August in Thailand.

Quang Ninh starts reconstruction of Quynh Lam Temple

Reconstruction of Quynh Lam, a famous Buddhist temple destroyed in the 15th century, kicked off on April 9 in Dong Trieu town, the northeastern province of Quang Ninh.

The temple will include front, central, rear halls and passageways as well as other features such as a three-door gate, a stele pavilion, an exhibition hall, gardens, courtyards and other supporting facilities on an area of 3,720 square metres.

Total cost for the reconstruction is estimated at VND163 billion (US$7.3 million).

The original temple was built by Zen master Nguyen Minh Khong on the southwestern ridge of the Tien Du Mountain in present-day Trang An commune under the reign of King Ly Than Tong (1116-1138).

In addition to large-scale structures, Nguyen Minh Khong also built a giant Maitreya Buddha Statue, which was dubbed one of the Four Great Treasures of Annam.

In 1317, Phap Loa, the second patriarch of the Truc Lam Zen sect, directed the expansion of Quynh Lam into a large monastery and construction of two stupas to house the remains of King Tran Nhan Tong, the first patriarch, as well as a 4.8-metre-high Maitreya Statue in 1325.

During the Tran Dynasty, the Quynh Lam Temple became a major training centre for Buddhist monks. It was not only a scenic spot frequently visited by Tran kings, princes and noblemen but also a library of precious Buddhist books.

The temple, including the statues, was destroyed in the 15th century by the Ming Chinese invaders. Its ruins are now buried deep underground.

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