Two died, two others injured at stone pit in Dak Lak

Authorities of Krong Bong District, the Central Highland province of Dak Lak, have finished autopsy of four cadavers to determine the cause of accident that happened on Monday.

The accident happened at a stone-pit in the Hoa Phong Commune, owned by Quoc Duy Ltd.Co. The company is carrying out geological survey at the stone-pit for exploitation.

Y Lieu Nie, chairman of Hoa Phong Commune, said the four victims were standing on a large rock that suddenly fell down the mountain side.

Two people died immediately while two others were shifted to hospital but succumbed to serious injuries they had sustained.

Investigation is underway.

Power fault destroys child nursery

A fire destroyed a private nursery and two neighbouring houses on Hai Ba Trung Street in Don Duong District in the Central Highland Lam Dong Province at noon yesterday.

There were seven children aged between 18 months and five years at the nursery, where the fire broke out. The children detected a spark in an electrical socket and informed the adults there, which helped to ensure timely evacuation.

Local firefighters found it difficult to reach the site of the fire quickly as they had to travel about 40 km from Da Lat City. The fire was extinguished after almost two hours.

Poultry smuggling rises in Lang Son Province

Illegal transport and smuggling of poultry birds have been rising in the northern mountainous province of Lang Son, Nguyen Trong Nghia, head of the province's Market Control Department has said.

Smuggled poultry mainly included chickens, ducks, swans and geese. Such smuggling has been happening due a shortage of poultry supply in the domestic market as demand surged towards the end of the year, the official said.

According to anti-smuggling forces of Lang Son., smugglers tend to intensify their activity at midnight and on rainy days.

They transport illegal poultry birds via small trails from China to Lộc Binh and Đồng Đăng Districts of Lang Son Province by motorbikes. Later, the poultry is distributed to inner areas for sale.

To address the worsening situation, anti-smuggling forces of Lang Son have begun actively inspecting and investigating the issue.

Over the last seven months, the anti-smuggling forces of Lang Son have detected and seized 37,520 poultry birds, 4,060 kg of poultry products, a fall of 50 per cent compared to the same period last year.

This was the result of relevant agencies' intensified efforts in the fight against smuggling, the Steering Committee Against Smuggling, Fake Goods and Trade Fraud said.

2,000 students to participate in flag raising ceremony

A flag raising ceremony will be held at the My Dinh National Sports Complex on August 30 to mark the 70th anniversary of the August Revolution (August 19) and National Day (September 2), announced the Vietnam Youth Union, Hanoi Chapter.

The event aims to educate the young generation about the great historical value of the August Revolution and the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

Besides the flag raising ceremony, the 12,000 participating students will also form a living map of Vietnam, the national flag, the Party flag and Hanoi’s symbol.

Hoang Sa memorial site to be built on Ly Son island

A 1.5-2 hectare Hoang Sa monument site will be built on Ly Son island in the central province of Quang Ngai, reported the Nhan dan (People) daily.

As part of construction efforts, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour and the Quang Ngai People’s Committee held a joint conference to collect expert opinions on the architecture, design and location for the site.

The monument is scheduled to be built uphill from the Hang pagoda with all cost covered through community resources.

It is intended to become a public park, contributing to raising local community awareness of Vietnam ’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago.

New regulation facilitates taxation procedures

A circular recently issued by the Ministry of Finance guiding the corporate income tax regime helps simplify tax payments for businesses, an official said.

During a press briefing on August 10, Nguyen Quy Trung from the General Department of Taxation said thanks to Circular 96/2015/TT-BTC, which came into force on August 6, businesses will save at least 14 hours each year in taxation procedures.

Hoang Thi Lan Anh, also from the department, highlighted the sector’s administrative procedure reform needs to be in line with international practices, saying it is a must for Vietnam to join the global playground.

The reform also contributes to improving the management of taxation, according to the department.

A number of other measures have been devised by the department to accelerate the facilitation of taxation procedures this year, including applying information and technology in tax management, developing a national database of tax payers and strengthening its supervision and monitoring of taxation process.

The taxation procedures are estimated to require between 117 and 118 hours this year, according to the department.-

Quang Ninh: Steering committee established to address flood aftermath

A military vehicle is used to evacuate residents in Uong Bi city of Quang Ninh.

The Party Committee of the northern province of Quang Ninh set up a steering committee on August 11 to tackle flood consequences from floods that raged from July 25 to August 5 and caused severe damage in the locality.

Heading the committee is Nguyen Duc Long, Vice Secretary of the provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee.

The Steering Committee will focus on evacuating residents from dangerous areas, stabilising local livelihoods, supporting affected families and fixing damaged infrastructure for the locality to resume its normal activities.

In collaboration with the Vietnam National Coal-Mineral Industries Group (Vinacomin), the committee will take several measures to recover production activities, implement social welfare policies for employees and deal with environmental issues caused by the flood.

It also has responsibilities to report to and petition the Government to draw up short and long-term policies to help address flood consequences.

The historic downpour and subsequent floods, the heaviest in 40 years, battered Quang Ninh province from July 25 to early August, claiming 17 lives. Economic losses were estimated up to 2.7 trillion VND (123.77 million USD), including 1.2 trillion VND (55 million USD) in the coal industry alone.-VNA

More training courses held for Lao journalists

As many as 35 Lao journalists have been equipped with necessary skills to capture outstanding examples during a five-day training course organised by the Vietnam Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC).

Speaking at the opening ceremony in the central province of Nghe An on August 10, MIC Deputy Minister Truong Minh Tuan said the course aims to help Lao journalists improve their skills in featuring good people and deeds and making them pervasive among the community, thus contributing to building a better society.

Vilaythong Sisanonh, Head of the Institute of Information and Culture under the Lao Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, expressed his gratitude to the Vietnamese side for their support to communications efforts in Laos.

During the course, the journalists will have a chance to engage in fact-finding activities in the province’s Nam Dan district.

The course, the 11th of its kind, is part of activities within the framework of a cooperative agreement between the two ministries.

The previous courses, which focused on various topics, have been highly valued by the Lao side thanks to their efficiency and relevancy.

Da Nang, Salavan youth strengthen cooperation

Da Nang City’s Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and the Lao People’s Revolutionary Youth Union of Lao province Salavan on August 11 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation for 2015-2020.

The MoU includes 10 contents with a focus on lifting the friendship between people of the two countries in general and between young people of Da Nang city and Salavan province in particular.

Under the MoU, the two youth unions will coordinate to organize educational campaigns on the history of the two countries and the Vietnam-Lao fraternal relationship, especially the ties between Da Nang and Salavan.

The two unions will also organise voluntary programmes yearly.

Da Nang will establish the Lao oversea students club in 2016 to help Lao students learn Vietnamese and soft skills to quickly integrate into the life of Da Nang city.

Health record book programme harvests approving outcomes

A programme on piloting maternal and child health (MCH) record books in Vietnam has had encouraging outcomes, as heard at a seminar in Hanoi on August 11.

Participants at the function said the books are a tool to continuously monitor and care for mothers and children during pregnancy, birth and post-partum periods until the child reaches the age of six.

Targeted book users are expecting mothers and family members who can receive valuable information about caring for mothers and children and record their health conditions. Meanwhile, health workers can refer to older information noted in the book to provide better medical services.

The programme was piloted in all communes of northern Dien Bien and Hoa Binh, central Thanh Hoa and southern An Giang province from 2011 and 2014, said Doctor Nguyen Duc Vinh from the Ministry of Health’s Maternal and Child Health Department.

The move was aimed to standardise the monitoring of maternal and child health, enhance management capacity of the ministry, improve knowledge and skills of medical staff, raise awareness of pregnant women and child caretakers and boost dissemination of maternal and child health knowledge, he noted.

A review showed that 81 percent of beneficiary mothers carried the MCH record book along when receiving check-ups at communal clinics. Ninety percent of the mothers also brought the books when having their children vaccinated.

While 92 percent of the women had their health examined at least three times during the pregnancy, their awareness of dangerous symptoms during pregnancy was also raised, Tuan said.

Addressing representatives from departments of health and reproductive health clinics in 22 provinces, Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said the book has been used in Japan for almost 70 years, substantially improving maternal and child health.

Though the piloting in Vietnam has produced considerable outcomes, there is an array of challenges to expanding the use of the MCH record books, including in professional and financial aspects, she admitted.

At the seminar, participants sought ways to combine the book and the immunisation record book and extend the use of the MCH record book nationwide from 2016.

Nghe An develops storm shelters for fishing boats

The central province of Nghe An has undertaken a number of efforts to develop fishing ports and shelters for fishing boats in storm-prone areas.

Nghe An is working to create a network of fishing ports and docks across the province with priority given to areas with a high volume of fishing boats.

The facilities are expected to shelter vessels from the province and neighbouring areas from storms as well as promote fishery logistics services.

The Lach Con port in Hoang Mai town will be upgraded to accommodate 600 boats from the current 400 boats.

The provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has also mobilised resources for constructing the Quynh Phuong port in the town which is scheduled to start this year.

Hoang Mai town is home to 909 fishing ports, the majority of which are located in Quynh Phuong and Quynh Di wards and Quynh Lap commune.

Fishing boats in other areas, including Cua Lo town and Quynh Luu and Dien Chau districts are facing a number of difficulties in stormy seasons due to the lack of docks and ports.

Course boosts Vietnamese teaching capacity for expats

An 18-day training course opened in Hanoi on August 11 to enhance teachers’ capacity of teaching their mother tongue to Vietnamese expatriate communities all over the world.

The course gathered 40 leading linguistics professors who have taught Vietnamese in Cambodia, Thailand, Canada, France and Germany, among others.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Deputy Foreign Minister and Chairman of the State Committee on Overseas Vietnamese Affairs (COVA) Vu Hong Nam said his agency and the Ministry of Education and Training have co-organised similar courses since 2013 to provide manpower for increasing learning demand abroad.

The training programme helps teachers directly exchange working experience and share learning situations in difference countries with the course’s coordinators to promote teaching and learning activities.

The trainees will be key educators of the language across the globe, Nam hoped.

Huong River planning scheme gets underway

The People’s Committee of central Thua Thien-Hue province and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) are working hand-in-hand to implement a plan for the Huong River through 2017.

Funded by KOICA, the 6-million-USD project hopes to contribute to the Hue imperial city’s sustainable development, especially in terms of culture and tourism.

The project is being carried out across 365 hectares, covering several parks, architectures, traditional craft villages and markets along the riverside and islets.

Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Van Cao said the plan aims to upgrade and rebuild surrounding facilities, develop tourism sites along the riverside and build a marine transport route.

The province is currently focusing on constructing parks and flower gardens from Trang Tien Bridge to Thien Mu pagoda, as well as on land clearance.

Recognised as a world cultural heritage site by UNESCO in 1993, Hue imperial city is a must-see destination for tourists visiting Vietnam. Its relic sites, such as the imperial citadel, Nam Giao esplanade, An Dinh palace, royal tombs and Thien Mu pagoda, all have close relations with the Huong River.

Cutting through the city centre, the Huong (Perfume) River is around 80 kilometres in length and owes its name to its path through aromatic forests. Dotted with rowboats and curving past the citadel, gardens, pagodas, towers and temples, the poetic landscape has long mesmerised travellers.

Wheelchairs given to the disabled in Lam Dong

The Lawrence S. Ting Memorial Fund on August 11 presented 110 wheelchairs worth 183 million VND (8,470 USD) to people with disabilities in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong.

The donation is part of a programme co-sponsored by the fund and the Phu My Hung Corp. to provide 14,000 means of transport for the disabled across 53 provinces and cities nationwide in order to facilitate their daily activities and social integration.

According to Nguyen Van Luc, Chairman of the provincial Association for Protection of Poor Patients, Disabled People and Orphaned Children, the association has so far this year provided support for 17,140 disadvantaged people in the province worth a total of more than 15.5 billion VND (717,590 USD),

Additionally, another 331 means of transport and aid tools worth more than 1.7 billion VND (78,700 USD) sourced from Latter Day Saints Charities have also been offered to local disabled people.

Proceeds donated by other organisations, individuals and sponsors have also been presented to children from remote and far-flung areas and disadvantaged people in Cat Tien district.

HIV/AIDS model launched in Hanoi outskirts

Residents on the outskirts of Hanoi, including Ba Vi and adjacent localities, will receive free consultations and tests for HIV/AIDS through an intervention model launched in the locality on August 11.

The model was implemented through support from the Global Fund and the US’s AIDS Healthcare Foundation.

Its objective is to increase control of HIV/AIDS in Hanoi, helping Vietnam fulfil the 90-90-90 targets the country committed with the UN. The targets mean that 90 percent of people living with HIV will know their status, 90 percent of people who know their status are on antiretroviral (ARV) treatment and 90 percent of all people on treatment will have undetectable levels of HIV in their body (known as viral suppression).

Vietnam’s commitment to these ambitious targets puts the country on a course to ending its AIDS epidemic by 2020.

Under the model, Ba Vi district will partner with the Hanoi Centre for HIV/AIDS Prevention to disseminate information about the epidemic and eradicate discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS.

The Ba Vi medical centre will also assist the Suoi Hai prison in the locality to ensure the early detection and treatment of all HIV infection cases.

The model is expected to mobilise the participation of the entire community in supporting people with HIV/AIDS, especially those in difficult circumstances, to access comprehensive treatments, thus easing the epidemic’s adverse impacts on social development and contributing to the city’s poverty reduction.

According to the Ministry of Health, Vietnam currently has around 260,000 people living with HIV and some 12,000 new HIV infections are detected each year. Of those living with HIV, only around 90,000 are receiving antiretroviral (ARV) treatment.-

Tourism gala to attract Indian tourists to Vietnam

The first Vietnam tourism gala themed “Charming Vietnam-Destination for Indian Tourists” took place in Chandigarh, the capital city of the three northern Indian states of Punjab, Haryana and Humachal Pradesh, on August 10.

Jointly held by the Vietnamese Embassy and two domestic travel agents, Vidotour and Victoria Tour, the event attracted around 100 representatives of Indian travel agents and news reporters.

Vietnamese Ambassador Ton Sinh Thanh emphasised that the event took place as Vietnam marks its 70th National Day. With many socio-economic achievements, the country has become an attractive destination for foreign visitors.

The ambassador briefed participants on friendly traditional bilateral relations and strategic partnerships in recent times, adding that bilateral trade, investment and tourism exchanges have developed strongly.

The number of Indian tourists to Vietnam has grown around 50 percent annually over the last seven years from 12,000 visitors in 2007 to 55,000 in 2014 and is expected to reach 75,000 this year.

However, tourism exchanges are still far below the two sides’ potential. Currently, the number of Indian visitors makes up only 0.07 percent of the total number of foreign arrivals to Vietnam and 0.03% of Indian outbound tourists.

Ambassador Thanh pledged to create a niche for Indian visitors to Vietnam.

On the occasion, Vido Tour and Victoria Tour introduced Vietnam’s attractive destinations, tours, promotional services and programmes and sought cooperation opportunities with Indian partners.

After Chandigarh, similar events are scheduled to be held in northwest Indian localities with one in Jaipur city on August 12 and another in Ahmedabad city on August 14.

Consultations on the implementation of Youth Law

A conference to gather experts’ opinions on the implementation of the Youth Law was held on August 11 by the National Assembly (NA) Committee for Culture, Education, Youth, Adolescents and Children and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA).

Participants proposed amendments and supplements to the Youth Law, focusing on specific age ranges for youth, adolescents, and children, to provide them with better care and education.

They asked for an early completion of an unified fact-sheet and data foundation on youth nationwide.

Ha Huy Toan, a representative of UNFPA in Vietnam, said it’s important to acknowledge young people’s opinions in youth-related policy making.

"We need to develop a set of tools to supervise the implementation of the Youth Law. This will support National Assembly deputies to follow the implementation of the law and give more timely and practical feedback on that. We should create favorable conditions for the youth to get involved in policy making by acknowledging their opinions and contributions. Moreover, we need a feedback mechanism where young people can give their thoughts on youth-related policies," he said.

VNA opens information centre in Ha Noi

Vietnam News Agency (VNA), the country's official news agency, opened its information centre in Ha Noi this morning to boost its efforts to provide information on the capital city.

The centre will deliver VNA's multimedia publications, including the printed newspaper, online newspaper and television shows.

It is expected to meet demand for news and information in the city, especially on key national events and the all-level Party congress heading towards the 12th National Party Congress.

The six-storey building at 21 Pham Dinh Ho Street, Hoan Kiem District, is also a key construction to mark the 70th anniversary of VNA.

VNA General Director Nguyen Duc Loi spoke at the centre's inauguration ceremony, saying he expected the centre would provide vivid information on all aspects of life in the capital city.

He called on the staff at VNA's Ha Noi-based office to improve their expertise and operate the centre effectively.

Head of the municipal Party Committee's Department for Propaganda and Training Ho Quang Loi said that for years, the VNA and its office in Ha Noi had worked professionally in the media sector with a great deal of responsibility and deep love for Ha Noi.

Thousands of reports by VNA provided information to the domestic and international media, helping to build up the city's image, Loi said.

Vice party secretary of the Ha Noi Party Committee Ngo Thi Thanh Hang was also in attendance at the inauguration ceremony of the information centre.

The state-run VNA is responsible for publishing official information and documents related to the party and state and providing information in service of the party leadership and state management, while collecting and providing news in various formats to mass media agencies, the public and readers of all kinds, both at home and abroad.

VNA has offices in all 63 provinces, as well as 30 offices in 28 countries.

Old stone carvings excite scientists

Around 20 big stones with figures carved on these and dating as far back as 16th or 17th century have been discovered recently by scientists from the Yen Bai province's museum.

The stones, measuring between two cubic metres and 50 cubic metres, were found scattered in various communes of Che Cu Nha, La Pan Tau, Lao Chai and De Xu Phinh.

Figures carved on the stones includes images of terrace rice fields, flamingos, horses, astrological maps, yin-yang and five basic elements' symbols and mysterious lines, believed to be some kind of ancient characters.

Local scientists have chosen six big stones with the most typical carved figures for further research, which will add more value to the already famous local beautiful terrace rice fields from a tourism point of view.

Films put focus on 70th National Day

Nguoi tro ve, one of seven works to screen for free in cinemas during a film week to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day (Photo: VNS)

Film screenings will begin nationwide to celebrate the 70th anniversary of August Revolution (August 19) and National Day (September 2).

Organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in cooperation with the Vietnam Cinema Department and Distribution and Screening Film Company (Fafilm VN), together with local cinemas, a full schedule of Vietnamese films, documentaries and cartoons will be organised.

The schedule includes seven films, including Nha Tien Tri (The Prophet), Mo Gio ( Fake Tombs) and Nguoi Tro Ve (The Return of Soldiers).

Produced by State-owned film studios, the films feature revolutionists, soldiers and post-war events.

Critics and moviegoers are waiting for the debut of Vuong Duc's Nha Tien Tri, a 120-minute biopic of President Ho Chi Minh.

Based on a screenplay by veteran author Hoang Nhuan Cam, the film tells about the life of the President from 1947 to 1954 during the war against the French.

The film recounts the President's time in the Viet Bac Resistance War Base (located in northern provinces of Cao Bang, Bac Kan, Lang Son, Tuyen Quang and Thai Nguyen), as the country's first president who led Vietnamese people in their struggle for independence from the French colonialism.

People's Artist Bui Bai Binh plays the role of President Ho.

"President Ho Chi Minh was proficient in foreign languages, so I worked hard with three experts in French, Russian and Chinese to improve my pronunciation," said Binh, who spent five hours a day on make-up for his role.

"Facing hard challenges, President Ho Chi Minh always believed in the country's inevitable victory. We named our film The Prophet, for that reason," said the film's director Duc of Vietnam Film Studio.

Female director Dang Thai Huyen's Mo Gio features soldiers and their challenges in the post-war period.

Produced by the People's Army Film Studio, the film attracted talented actors Nhu Quynh and Truong Minh Quoc Thai.

Also, there will be a series of documentaries and cartoons screened, including 70 Nam Dat Nuoc Niem Tin Va Anh Sang (70 Years of the Country - Belief and Light) and Kim Dong (Young Hero Kim Dong).

The screenings take place from August 19 to September 5.

The organisers will also deliver videos and DVDs of the films to people living in rural districts and neighbouring provinces.-

Students attend summer event to build confidence

More than 1,000 students from primary schools in Ha Noi attended the summer camp "Toi Cuoi, Toi Tu Tin" (I Laugh, I am Confident) held at Vincom Mega Mall Royal City in Ha Noi on August 9 by Unilever Viet Nam's P/S brand.

At the camp, children took part in a training course on recognising their strong points and having good manners and a confident smile.

Children also played games and met famous comedians and performers from the Voice of Kids, a TV singing contest. 

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